Chapter 363
Chapter 363
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 363
Chapter Title: Surprise Party
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Left Hand of the God of Destruction]
Tzzzzzt—
Gong Isu used his left hand to detach a bit of his own head.
“Does that thing come off too?”
“Yeah. Cool, right?”
‘Cool, right?’ That’s it?
The clock fragments that fell from his head lost their original form in his left hand, morphing into a lump of silvery metal.
‘What the hell is that?’
A bizarre texture.
Something vague, metallic yet clay-like, almost like an uncertain crystal from another dimension.
Gong Isu fiddled with the strange lump for a moment before transferring it to his right hand.
[Right Hand of the God of Creation]
Tzzzzzt—
The silvery clay in his right hand transformed into an ornate pocket watch.
“I told you to get ready.”
Gruff as ever.
“What time is it now?”
“6:32.”
“Still daytime, huh…”
It would take a little more time for that thing in the sky to disappear.
Click.
Gong Isu snapped shut the pocket watch’s lid and hung it from his waist.
Why keep that separate?
There’s a dent in the clock on his head now—is that okay?
Gong Isu stroked his head with both hands.
[Left Hand of the God of Destruction]
[Right Hand of the God of Creation]
Tzzzzzt—
His head soon turned into a large glass orb swirling with light and lightning.
‘Hmm, should I call that a plasma ball?’
Bzzzzz!!
I have no idea how it works, but brilliant blue sparks began gathering around the orb.
Is that his main weapon? Looks like it could unleash a ton of electricity.
“We doing this right now? Here? This is my bedroom.”
“Where else? You can’t leave the house at this hour, right, junior?”
I’d only just learned about it myself—the fresh penalty—and yet he knew it like it was his own business.
Guy from the future, huh?
“You know it well. I get a bit weaker during the day for a while—”
If a wall collapsed, it’d cause a commotion.
Even if not—that’s just scary!
Rational reason? None. The walls just feel like they could crumble on their own any second!
“—but the moon should rise in about twenty minutes. Can’t we start then?”
“No. Push through.”
“Ugh, you’re too harsh, senior.”
Fair enough. It was already a bit late to postpone. The stench of rotting corpses was already wafting out.
Pitch-black smoke filling the room before I knew it.
“You seem annoyed it’s happening now, but no choice. There’s a reason it has to be this ‘time.’”
“I’ll trust you’ll explain later why you trashed your poor junior’s humble abode.”
Shrrrk—
I summoned my magic, pulling in the scattered weapons and magic tools.
“I’ll explain when there’s time.”
[System: ‘Enhanced Vigilance’ has activated.]
“Krurrrrrrk—”
A horrific noise echoing from beyond space-time.
Hounds dispatched from Tindalos—the forbidden zone at time’s corner—to slaughter the time traveler.
They began emerging one by one.
Their number…
“Huh? Why are there so many?”
“They’ll come out spaced apart, one by one, but all told, about thirty.”
“Thirty? For real?”
One was hard enough to handle, and now I have to deal with thirty of those monsters?
“We have to take them all down?”
“Yep. Take ‘em all out for me. I’m beat.”
[Quest information has been updated.]
[[Escort Quest: Head Protection]
‘/null Head’ is being pursued by the ‘Hounds of Tindalos.’ Protect ‘/null Head’ and eliminate all ‘Hounds of Tindalos.’
Remaining: 0/31
Rewards: 1,000,000 XP (per hound) + Important Information + Favor from ‘/null Head.’
Failure: ‘/null Head’ will be disappointed.]
Not the situation I expected. Nor the time.
‘Guess… I have no choice but to take the loss?’
I shut my mouth for a moment to revise my plan.
“It’s all karma piled up by future Kim Shin-hwa—so suffer in his place, junior.”
“Kim Shin-hwa, you son of a bitch.”
I vented my rage at the loathsome Kim Shin-hwa and swapped masks.
Glowing green mana pouring from the [Mask of Nine Lives].
“Oh, junior. And don’t think I’ll be much help.”
“Hm? Why not?”
“I’ll try, but those damn… Ugh, hate even saying it. When those bastards are near, my abilities drop to a tenth. Sometimes I hallucinate too. And unlike you, junior, I can’t overcome it. It’s fixed.”
Sounds like a phobia. Meaning forgive any irrational moves in the fight.
“Our systems are a bit different, huh.”
“Different managers.”
“Huh? What’s that mean?”
“You’ve got a ton of other questions anyway, right? I’ll answer them all at once when there’s time. For now—”
“Urk, here they come!”
* * *
Pzzzzzt!!
“Kweeeerrrk!”
The [Hound of Tindalos] struck directly by the necromancy-lightning combo convulsed grotesquely and flew back.
No idea who named them that, but [Hounds of Tindalos] aren’t dogs.
No legs that look or act like legs.
Bizarre skeletons moving in ways utterly alien to this world’s vertebrates.
“Do something quick!”
Gong Isu’s voice burst out like a scream.
Pzzzzzt!
Crimson lightning shot from his head.
Impressive power—but it randomly set my bed ablaze.
“Argh! Senior, what the hell!”
“There was one hiding under the bed too!”
“Kruuuuaaaak!”
Just as he said—a massive shape burst from under my bed.
Shrrrrk!
Its “neck” or “shoulders” split into a massive maw.
Swirling darkness inside the throat, lined with insect-leg teeth.
Shaaaa!
A deep purple tongue shot from the darkness’s core.
“That doesn’t mean torch someone’s bed!”
I swung [Flesh Sword] and cast a spell.
[Twisted Ties]
Tzzzzzt—
A spell distorting space to twist attack trajectories.
The tongue flying at me warped geometrically—turning on another hound aiming for Gong Isu.
“Quirrrrk!”
An irregular, surprise strike—yet they had [Omnidirectional Vision].
Shrrrk!
No wind-up—they dodged as if teleporting by swapping body coordinates in space. [Hound of Tindalos].
That’s [Gravity Ignore] and [Inertia Ignore].
This world’s physics aren’t much of a restraint for them.
Whirr!
The now-aimless tongue grazed the floor. The floor sliced like soft pudding.
[Dimension Corrosion].
Anything their tongues touch doesn’t tear or shatter—it’s ‘deleted’ from space-time in surreal fashion.
Attacks you absolutely can’t let hit.
Shrrrk!
Then grotesque appendages erupted suddenly from floor and walls.
The one fried by lightning earlier had already rejoined fully healed.
Headache enough with those abilities, but they also ignore physical damage and have [Super Regeneration].
Monsters with absurd, inexplicable setups.
Thanks to [Abyssal Madness], I’m fine—but normally you’d have to factor in madness and hallucinations too.
“Kruuuueeek!”
“Kieeeek!”
Not even five minutes in, and already thirteen [Hounds of Tindalos].
When all thirty-one show—my room’ll be packed even if they just sit.
“Getting cramped now!”
Time to expand the battlefield.
But outdoors is risky in multiple ways. Them scattering in open space is bad, and worry about cats from [King of the Cat Country] getting hurt.
Regrettably, I cast toward the mansion’s interior.
[Thunderbolt]
[Spell Enhancement: Chain Explosion]
KABOOM!!
* * *
“Argh!”
Jang Hyun-deok jolted awake at the sudden explosion.
Night shift into morning duty.
Thanks to that, he’d been lying in bed till now—
“What!? What was that!?”
He bolted up and shook his head, but the darkness lingered.
“Oh, right—fell asleep with the blindfold on.”
Jang Hyun-deok reached to remove his blindfold—but a snake-like tentacle suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Argh!”
“It’s me, Hyun-deok!”
[Sound Distortion]
Kim Shin-hwa cast a spell to block all sounds but his own from reaching Jang Hyun-deok, then continued.
“Whoa—scared me? But what’re you doing? Lemme just take off the blindfold real quick.”
“No! Don’t take off the blindfold!”
“No—blindfold—”
Jang Hyun-deok chuckled lightly, amused by the ‘no—blindfold’ rhyme.
“Funny? No, not that—argh! Get off! Sigh, Hyun-deok, we’ve got a bit of a problem right now? So I recommend keeping the blindfold on.”
“Ah, got it. Some experiment fail, huh?”
“Yeah. Exactly that situation.”
“But in my room? Hmm… Huh? There’s a ton of mana surging everywhere? Feels super ominous.”
Jang Hyun-deok shrank back with an anxious look.
“You hear that explosion? Hole in the wall. I’m talking from the hall. Senior! Do something about the floor!”
Could’ve raised more suspicion—but ‘senior’ hooked Jang Hyun-deok’s interest.
“Oh! Senior’s here? The one you mentioned?”
“Yeah, the great Gong Isu himself.”
Jang Hyun-deok looked around, still blindfolded.
“Huh—where is he?”
“Over there—no, I’ll let you hear his voice.”
Kim Shin-hwa adjusted the [Sound Distortion] formula so Jang Hyun-deok could hear Gong Isu.
“Junior! Forget that—deal with this first! Urgh!”
Gong Isu’s scream from a bit away.
“Ooh, cool voice. Hi!”
“I gotta talk to him too? Ah—you’re Jang Hyun-deok? I’m Gong Isu, Kim Shin-hwa’s senior. Catch, junior!”
“Got it! Nice one, senior!”
Jang Hyun-deok had no clue what they tossed or caught—but smiled politely.
“Haha, nice to meet you. Looks like you two are up to something fun. Um, mage? Still gotta keep the blindfold on?”
“Junior! How’s this!”
“Ah, senior! You nuts? What do with a slide! Hyun-deok, don’t stand there—walk this way.”
“Go down! You dumb junior! And the hall—you get it now?”
“Oh, right! Genius, genius! Genius Gong Isu! Red!”
Something suddenly tugged Jang Hyun-deok’s collar.
“Huh? Red?”
“Keee—”
“Go where Red says! To the attic!”
“Huh? Oh! This a surprise something? Birthday’s not for a bit.”
“Hmm~ surprise—expect it. Sang-hyun, that won’t work! These guys ignore physical attacks, so use necromancy!”
“Junior, wouldn’t it be better to just tell this guy what’s up instead of this?”
Sensing the surprise canceled at Gong Isu’s words, Jang Hyun-deok flailed his hands hurriedly.
“No! Wait! I can handle it! Alright, Red—let’s go!”
Jang Hyun-deok marched to the attic, guided by Red.
Of course, at his side…
A burning [Hound of Tindalos] flew by, the second-floor collapsed, lightning flew, Kim Shin-hwa’s illusions swarmed, the collapsed floor urgently reformed, ice walls rose, Heo Sang-hyun swung a staff of relatives’ bones, Gong Isu got stuck in a wall briefly, Kim Shin-hwa teased the stuck Gong Isu, fireballs exploded, enraged Gong Isu smashed a wall, necromantic golems poured out, wraiths screamed, walls restructured, “The proxy of the Thousand Gold Captain commands!”, a spinning top bit a [Hound of Tindalos], and so on—
Thanks to that, Jang Hyun-deok nearly died thirty-seven times—but reached the attic unscathed.