Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Ch. 81 .｡.:✧ The Clockwork City (8) ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Clockwork machines had one fatal flaw, an inherent limitation that was impossible to solve no matter what.
That was, if even one gear stopped, the entire machine would stop.
The obvious way to instantly stop a gear was clear.
Create a ‘bug’.
Literally, by pushing an insect into the gears, and conveniently, there was a smart bug right beside me that could understand human speech and even voluntarily throw itself into the gears.
“No! No! I really don’t want to do this! I absolutely hate pain!”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You were going to tell me to die by getting caught in the gears, weren’t you! I know everything! Don’t try to deny it! I don’t want to die anymore! I’m going crazy from the pain! Stop talking so casually about things that don’t affect you!!!”
“…”
I hadn’t even made the request yet.
The centipede nun was jumping up and down, vehemently resisting as if having a fit.
Of course she wouldn’t like it.
She would have to fully feel the pain of her entire body being crushed.
I could also threaten her and force her to throw her body into the clockwork machine by saying I’d hand her over to the guards if she didn’t listen to me.
She would submit to me right now if I did that, but the centipede nun would come to view me as a mortal enemy from then on.
Through 12 rounds of regression, I had keenly felt one thing.
It was better not to make enemies if possible.
Not every encounter could be pleasant, but at least parting on good terms was beneficial.
A capable person of monster origin who could use shapeshifting and was proficient in curses.
There would be nothing more foolish than turning such a being into an enemy.
Even if she couldn’t be my helper, at least I shouldn’t make her my adversary.
“I’m leaving! Before that giant clock tower blocks the tunnel! I’m going back the way I came!”
“…”
“I told you clearly! I-I’m leaving! Don’t try to stop me!”
“…”
“Why… aren’t you stopping me… Scarily…”
The centipede nun’s steps gradually slowed as she walked towards the tunnel, shouting loudly.
Her pupils trembled as she watched my movements.
It seemed she was afraid I might cut her down if she tried to run away.
“Go if you want to go.”
“R-really? Is it okay?”
It was not okay.
With the boss monster awakening and causing this chaos, there must have been earthquakes and a huge commotion in the surrounding area.
When that news spread, Yerina would be the first to respond.
It meant I couldn’t give up here, go back, recover my magical power, and then come challenge the dungeon again.
By then, Yerina would have already arrived in the Clockwork City.
I had to finish this here today no matter what.
There was no next time.
“You can go. But before you leave, listen to one proposal from me.”
“I knew you were going to tell me not to go!!!”
“I said your free to go. Just listen first.”
So to keep the centipede nun here, I had to make her an offer she absolutely couldn’t refuse.
An offer for which she would risk the pain of death.
“It’s a deal. You push your avatar into the clockwork machine to break it. Then I’ll give you what you want most.”
“I don’t want anything! I hate pain more than anything in the world! No matter what the exchange condition is, I absolutely won’t die! I’ve heard everything, so can I go now?”
“For example, providing you with demonic energy and life force for your entire life.”
“…!”
The centipede nun’s body, which had turned towards the tunnel, trembled.
Then, she slowly turned to look at me with eyes that seemed to ask if I was serious.
She couldn’t help but be shaken.
This was a matter of her main body’s survival.
‘She must have done many reckless things to obtain demonic energy until now.’
No matter how freely she could use shapeshifting, the centipede nun was inherently a monster.
Her true form was that of a giant centipede.
In the end, whether maintaining her shapeshifting, using curses, or even just breathing and consuming physical energy, she always had to consume life force, and there was only one way to obtain that life force.
Taking it from living beings.
The act of stealing life force always carried great risk.
The moment she was caught, she would become a target for extermination and be hunted until death.
For survival, she had to repeat the dangerous absorption of life force every time.
“You’ve seen my magical power capacity. If you convert it to demonic energy and store it, you’ll have plenty to use. If you use it sparingly, about a month? When you run out, come to me again. I’ll recharge you.”
“R-really… Really…?”
I could erase that risk for her.
Without the danger of being caught by guards and beaten to death.
Without worrying about being captured by a magic tower and subjected to live experiments.
She could live by replenishing demonic energy from me, just like getting fuel at a gas station.
I had just declared to the centipede nun that I would guarantee her right to survival.
“What do you think? Will you endure the pain of death just once and live comfortably for the rest of your life? Or will you continue living dangerously?”
“Ugh, uuuugh!!! How can I refuse this!”
“I told you. I’ll give you what you want most.”
“What you just said. Do you have any way to guarantee it?”
“No. You have to trust me.”
“…”
The centipede nun glared at me with eyes full of tears.
Then she closed her eyes tightly with a pained expression.
Soon after, she stomped her foot.
“Ah! I’ll die! I’ll die, okay! But! You have to keep your promise!”
“Of course.”
The deal was made.
Having made up her mind, the centipede nun’s wavering eyes became steady.
She looked up at the top of the clock tower, then silently raised her finger.
“Ah!”
At that moment, the avatar that had been sitting down trembling with fear stood up abruptly.
It no longer cried or shook.
It seemed she had taken complete control of the avatar.
The avatar soon transformed into a centipede, swaying.
Moving its legs with a rustling sound, it crawled up the clock tower’s wall and slipped into the cracks between the bricks.
“Any gear will do. Make sure to wedge your body in firmly. If you don’t want to do this again.”
“I know that!”
The centipede nun snapped back irritably.
Not long after, her eyes widened.
Her eyes were bloodshot with strain.
She clenched her teeth so hard that blood came from her mouth.
“Promise! You said you’d keep it! A man doesn’t go back on his word!!!”
And then, crack.
From inside the clock tower, the sound of a hard shell breaking and being crushed could be heard.
“Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
At the same time, the centipede nun let out an agonized groan and contorted her body.
Her body folded this way and that, as if being pulled into the clockwork machine.
It seemed the sensations were linked to the main body, affecting it as well.
At this rate, she might break something and get hurt.
“Tsk…”
In the end, I tightly embraced the centipede nun to support her body and prevent it from folding.
If she had remained in the form of a girl, there wouldn’t have been a problem…
But she had no time to focus on her shapeshifting and had transformed into a centipede.
“Hng, huaaaagh! Kuaaaagh! It hurts, it huuuurts!!!”
“Ugh. I’m going to be sick.”
I had to hold the writhing giant centipede, getting beaten by countless rustling centipede legs.
The back shell was hard but the belly part was unexpectedly soft and squishy, giving off a strange sensation.
Though I kept my face far away because it was creepy.
Somehow, I felt like I wanted to keep touching it…
Of course, just the texture.
It was not that I liked bugs.
The clock tower, which had been walking relentlessly while emitting black smoke, gradually slowed down.
Soon after, the sound coming from the speakers also became drawn out, and then the legs that had been moving finally came to a complete stop.
“Ha! Haaah! Huaaah… Promise… You have to keep your promise…”
“Good job.”
The giant centipede slumped against me.
The centipede nun’s pained groans also stopped, probably because the connection was cut off when the avatar died.
Thinking she no longer had to worry about her body twisting, I put her down on the ground where she collapsed weakly.
“…Good girl.”
Undecided crouched in front of her, stroking the centipede’s head.
Leaving the centipede nun to Undecided for a moment, I could now go retrieve the dungeon core.
I climbed up the motionless legs and scaled the clock tower’s bricks.
It was difficult, but not impossible to climb.
After an unexpected rock climbing session, I reached the clock face part.
There was a hollow on the inside where I could rest for a moment.
Just as I managed to climb up and lean my body,
“The speakers and eyes must be separate from the main drive. They’re still moving?”
A giant artificial eye glared at me from right in front of my nose, repeating the same words over and over.
What could it hate so much?
I couldn’t understand, and I had no desire to understand.
Although Linda had finally gained the ability to think for herself by becoming a monster, in this state, she would have no choice but to live hating someone for the rest of her life.
It was time to cut her lifeline.
“How am I going to explain this to Cern?”
As I caught my breath and started climbing again, my mind was already complicated.
What should I tell Cern?
That Linda, whom he had discarded in the clock tower, had awakened as a monster and finally gained intelligence?
If I spouted such nonsense to Cern, who was already weakened, he might really die.
Should I hide it then…
My worries deepened.
“Phew.”
Finally reaching the top of the clock tower, the radiant dungeon core revealed itself.
Judging by the creaking sounds and vibrations coming from inside the clock tower, it seemed it would soon completely crush the avatar’s corpse stuck inside and start moving again, making savage noises.
I had to finish the job quickly.
Before pulling out the dungeon core, I took out the black mana stone from my bag and held it in my hand.
[Kali’s Dead Soul]
› Status: Hungry
› A magic tool made by processing the dead soul of Great Druid Kali. It will bloom when the time comes.
› Accumulation: 2,850/62,500
“Thanks for the demonic energy meal.”
There was no need for any special operation.
Perhaps due to the “Hungry” status, black demonic energy gushed out from the entire clock tower and gathered into Kali’s dead soul.
Then the accumulation amount rose endlessly.
Soon after, the clock tower became as quiet as a mouse.
As if it had been an ordinary clock tower from the beginning.
It just stood there firmly.
[10,500/62,500]
The accumulation amount was enormous.
It had increased by about 8000.
This alone was quite a significant harvest.
“Heave-ho.”
The moment I pulled out the dungeon core, the entire dungeon began to collapse with a rumbling sound.
I had to get out quickly before being crushed by the ceiling…
But something was bothering me.
I couldn’t leave like this after all.
I couldn’t just go.
“Undecided! I’m going to drop the dungeon core, so make sure you catch it!”
“…Yoo-jin?”
“Take the bug and go out first! I’ll follow soon!”
I tossed the dungeon core down, and Undecided caught it steadily with both arms.
Undecided looked confused for a moment, but then
“…You must come.”
“Of course.”
She nodded without unnecessary words.
Then she picked up the still limp giant centipede and ran through the tunnel.
I should hurry too.
Gripping the bricks, I slowly climbed down to the clock face part.
The large artificial eye followed my movement and met my gaze again.
Unlike before, there was no sense of murderous intent in its eyes.
They looked tired, as if having given up on everything.
“What am I doing…”
And then, bang.
I punched the clock face, shattering the glass.
Sticking my head inside, I saw a mess of clockwork gears.
I could also see the corpse of the centipede caught in a large gear.
I jumped down onto a large gear.
Then jumped down again.
And again…
Repeating this, I gradually descended.
‘It’s such a waste indeed.’
No matter how I thought about it, it was too wasteful to leave a genius engineer like Cern as a senile old man.
If he could contribute to the magic tool industry in the future, he might bring about another revolution.
What if Cern was given a driving force to live again?
Instead of just making one magic tool as a one-time use and returning to a state of dementia, he might be able to make magic tools for me whenever I needed them in the future.
That would greatly lower the difficulty of my return.
I absolutely couldn’t resist.
“Found it.”
In the deepest part of the clock tower, between the cracks, I discovered a drive that looked out of place to anyone.
The drive glowed red when I used Weak Point.
This was Linda’s logic circuit.
I had no tools to disassemble it, so there was no choice.
I roughly broke the surrounding joints with force and extracted Linda’s logic circuit.
“Why, you ask?”
A trembling voice flowed through the speakers, as if perplexed.
Why, she asks.
What a stupid question.
“Because you’re worth saving.”
This circuit contained a man’s lifelong efforts.
It was an innovation that could revive the already ended era of clockwork dolls, and usher in the age of artificial souls.
Losing it would set magical engineering back by decades.
Letting such an item be destroyed would be tantamount to a sin.
Of course, there was no need to explain it in such a roundabout way.
One sentence could provide a perfect explanation.
“It’s a romantic ideal, isn’t it?”
The moment I finally extracted Linda’s logic circuit,
Boom!
As the dungeon’s ceiling collapsed, the clock tower crumbled.
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