Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Isn't This Too Cheaty?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
⚙ UNIQUE STORY UNLOCKED ⚙ Night Parade of One Hundred Demons Category: Unique Story You've felt the pure sincerity of a yokai who truly respects and wishes to follow you. The Night Parade is a force of yokai unbound by any affiliation, making them freer than any other. Gather your Night Parade. Sin Bihyeong stared at the message before him, now vanished.
'Hmm. In other words, they want me not to break it?'
He dismissed it as impossible.
'No way. Even in the game, these yokai were rare as hell. How am I supposed to build a force with them?'
This time had just been a stroke of luck.
He couldn't count on the same fortune forever.
And yet...
'Whatever. If the opportunity's here, might as well give it a shot.'
Sin Bihyeong turned to look at the Shadow Goblin.
"You. Wanna join my Night Parade?"
It was a casual question, but the goblin's eyes welled up at the words.
"Waaaah!!"
Unable to hold back, it burst into tears like a waterfall.
Sin Bihyeong panicked and tried to calm it down.
"Wh-what's with the waterworks all of a sudden? Cut it out. Huh? Come on, stop."
"To think you'd accept a lowly wretch like me into your Night Parade... This is the greatest honor of my three lifetimes...!!"
He hadn't known what the Night Parade would mean to yokai,
but clearly, it carried some serious weight.
'Like joining a powerful yokai's crew and strutting around with your chest puffed out.'
Though he doubted actually joining his parade would offer much chest-puffing material.
This was awkward.
"So, you in or not?"
"Y-yes, sir! I'll shatter my bones and grind them to dust in service to you, my lord!"
The moment Sin Bihyeong nodded...
Poof!
A puff of smoke erupted right in front of him, and from within dropped two cups and a jar of sake.
"What the hell is this?"
"The subordinate receives his cup, and drinks the sake bestowed by the Night Parade's chief. Thus, the bond of the Night Parade is forged between chief and subordinate."
Thank goodness the Shadow Goblin knew more about this than he did.
...Though 'chief'? Really?
'We're not yakuza or street thugs here.'
He shook his head briefly and plopped down on the spot.
"Alright. Let's get started."
"Yes, sir!"
The Night Parade ritual began.
The Shadow Goblin poured the sake, and Sin Bihyeong hesitated for a moment before downing it in one go.
Then he poured for the goblin, who tossed it back just as swiftly.
Swish...
Something connected—a sensation like an invisible thread extending from him, tying a knot to the Shadow Goblin.
'...So that's how you know.'
That the Shadow Goblin was now part of his Night Parade.
'Calling him Shadow Goblin forever feels off, though.'
Since the goblin was now under his command, he ought to give it a proper name.
"R-really, my lord!?"
"Yeah. Let's see... You're all shadowy, so... Eoduk it is."
Eoduk seemed thrilled, bowing deeply again from his kneeling position.
"To bestow a name upon a wretched soul like me... I don't know where to put myself!"
Sin Bihyeong waved it off and moved to store Eoduk in the Night Parade space.
Sensing this, Eoduk looked up with a grin.
"My lord. May you live ten thousand years without misfortune!"
With those parting words—call him anytime—he slipped into Sin Bihyeong's shadow.
'So the Night Parade gets stored like this.'
No yokai energy leaked out.
Thanks to his cap concealing it all.
'Time to head out?'
Then, a brilliant idea struck him.
'Think it'll work?'
He glanced at the Demon Blade in his hand, then moved as if entranced.
＊＊＊
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ At the entrance to the Ancient Relic domain, Mina was already waiting.
The moment she spotted Sin Bihyeong, she beamed and trotted over.
"Bihyeong!"
If she had a tail, it'd be spinning like a propeller.
Her energy and smile were that infectious.
"Hey. You made it out too, Mina?"
"Yep! Check this out!"
Mina pulled out the fan tucked into her side and unfurled it wide.
It was mostly white, embroidered with gold thread in places, and three golden bells dangled from the handle.
'Looks like she nailed it.'
Divine Breeze Fan.
'That thing was infamous for breaking the balance too.'
It had built-in support abilities for allies,
and its fan blasts infused with the five elements packed both offensive and defensive punch.
'Especially the support—that was endgame-tier.'
To snag something like that early on...
No wonder farming it was meta in the early game.
Well, hardcore veterans could clear to the ending with trash gear anyway, so exceptions applied.
Sin Bihyeong had been one of them, which was why he'd yielded the Divine Breeze Fan to Mina.
"But Bihyeong... Is that the weapon you picked?"
Her voice trembled.
She'd spotted the massive 'spear' slung diagonally across his back.
Over two meters long, with a blade pushing fifty centimeters.
But that was odd.
His first weapon had been the Demon Blade.
'It worked.'
Sin Bihyeong chuckled wryly, sensing Eoduk in his shadow.
The goblin clutched a Demon Blade of his own.
'Gave one to Eoduk, grabbed another for myself.'
Thus securing two weapons total.
"...No visible seams. The black color hiding them?"
"Nah. There are no seams."
Mina was speechless at his confidence.
No way. How was he so chill lugging that around?
'Weight's gotta be... pushing fifty kilos.'
She could feel it without even lifting it.
The sheer intimidation of its mass and shape.
'...But it's Bihyeong.'
He must've chosen it because it was something special.
With that in mind, she asked about the spear's power,
"This? Just ridiculously tough. That's it."
...And got that in response.
"...Why? You told me where to find this awesome one, but... Gah! D-don't tell me your Bloodline Ability had conditions? Like, helping me meant you couldn't grab a good one...!"
Her imagination was something else.
Leave her alone for a sec, and she'd spin a whole sob story.
Sin Bihyeong hurriedly explained before guilt consumed her.
"No, it's nothing like that."
"...Then?"
"I picked it because it's exactly what I wanted."
The truth.
'The Demon Blade delivers instant, explosive power.'
The spear, on the other hand...
'Tch... Feels like it's hiding something big.'
His veteran instincts wouldn't shut up about it.
'Not even in the dev notes.'
Problem was, nothing in the official lore mentioned it.
Yet Sin Bihyeong was convinced there was a secret here.
'For good reason... This spear's one solid hunk of ore.'
Precisely, ore stone.
Drop its durability low enough, and it melts into liquid, losing its form.
Then it reforms into a raw ore chunk.
In-game, no smelting or use possible, no matter the method.
Except...
'Stick 'em in storage, and they'd merge.'
Sin Bihyeong had exploited this spear plenty.
Turned to ore and warehoused as misc items, hundreds of times over.
Those ores clumped together over time, eventually forming a massive pillar.
'Finish that... and something might happen.'
Maybe not.
No dev confirmation.
But with the Demon Blade secured and an extra slot open, why not test the theory?
Especially now that storage was accessible.
"Anyway, Mina. Mind lending me that fan for a sec?"
"Uh, sure?"
She handed over the Divine Breeze Fan without protest.
Absolute trust—he'd never harm her.
Sin Bihyeong felt it and smiled faintly.
Then he pulled a glass vial from his pocket.
"Huh? What's that?"
As Mina tilted her head,
he poured the vial's contents onto the fan.
Splash!
The liquid soaked in, a glow settling over it.
Colors around it faded, the shine dimmed.
Only the fan gleamed vividly.
"Pure Moonlit Water. Reveals an item's potential and lets you select abilities to surpass its original limits."
"S-such a rare item on me...?!"
"It's fine. I grabbed it from in there too."
And it wasn't that rare.
Well, rare in this world, sure, but...
'I can tap storage.'
Higher-grade stuff awaited there.
This was a fair gift for a future party member(?).
'Jack up the growth ceiling. Make it viable even late-game.'
'It's heavy on certain elements. Balance with water attributes for five-element harmony. Yeah. So when Mina masters all five, it hits peak potential.'
'Bells are illusion-based? Scrap that, funnel into boosting others. Wind blasts enable multi-spell casts; buffs leverage elemental synergies for superior effects.'
And just like that,
Mina's Divine Breeze Fan was unrecognizable from the start.
"Here."
"......"
Mina took the fan blankly, then looked up.
Tears brimmed in her big eyes.
One streamed down as she lunged at Sin Bihyeong.
"Bihyeong!!"
"Guh!"
Two massive peaks suddenly assaulting him...
No. Not the time.
Anyway.
Mina's killer physique hit full force; Sin Bihyeong couldn't think straight.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!!"
Waaaah!
Her sobs finally calmed him.
Yeah. She was this grateful—pervy thoughts had no place.
He patted her head reassuringly.
"Told you, it's fine. Got my own stuff. So quit crying."
Why was he stuck consoling crybabies left and right today?
After a while sniffling in his arms, Mina realized her state and bolted back.
Her face flushed crimson.
"Th-th-that was..."
Uh-oh.
Mina had glitched out.
"S-sorry... Wasn't on purpose... And I'm not the type to just glom onto anyone..."
She fidgeted with her fingers, mumbling ant-like whispers. Adorably so.
Averting her eyes only made him smile warmly.
"It's cool. Emotions run high sometimes."
"...Thanks for understanding."
"More importantly, where are the profs? We need them to get out."
The Ancient Relic was an academy-subdued yokai.
Twisted over time from repeated use.
'Originally, one relic item, pass its trial to become an exorcist.'
Now multiple weapons, turned into a first-year exam hall.
Clear all weapon trials to escape.
'Unless the profs use their exit talismans.'
Hence their necessity...
What, day-drinking somewhere? Hurry up.
As Sin Bihyeong tapped his foot irritably, Mina had a realization.
"Did we clear it too fast?"
"...Oh. Maybe."
True.
Chief and vice-chief or not, they were fresh rookies.
Top students usually ventured far for prime gear,
so the profs wouldn't dream they'd return so soon.
'Time elapsed... about five hours.'
The trials themselves? Nonexistent.
Just travel time round-trip.
"Hmm. Nothing to do, then."
Sin Bihyeong made a request.
"Gonna test my newly awakened Bloodline Ability. If crowds gather, can you hold the perimeter?"
Mina clamped her lips, face turning resolute.
"Got it!"
She rolled up her sleeves and clenched tiny fists.
Her determination filled him with reassurance, and he activated his cap.
Fwoosh!
Azure ghostfire erupted, gathering at his forehead into horns.
Goblin Cap.
The moment he unleashed its power fully, Sin Bihyeong's eyes flew wide.
This was too cheaty.