Chapter 33 - The Curse of the Outer God
The Curse of the Outer God
Translator : Elizabeth
Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned toward the two men huddled in the corner.
There was Verdo, the Guild Master of the Charon Merchant Guild, a middle-aged man wearing luxurious clothes but now covered in dust and trembling. Beside him was Malak, a priest draped in a black robe, clutching a grotesque staff.
"You guys are the bosses, right?"
Kang Jin-ho let out a wide, bored yawn.
"Surrender quietly before that Roan fellow—the Southern Admiral—gets here. I’ll make it less painful for you if you do. Honestly, I don't want to drag this out."
He had been on a boat since dawn and had even picked up and thrown a Kraken. He felt he had done quite a lot of work for one day. He simply found it too bothersome to deal with every single small fry individually.
However, to Verdo, those words were both an insult and a sign of crisis.
"Su-Surrender? Don't make me laugh!"
Verdo stumbled to his feet. His eyes were wide with terror, yet they also held a spark of stubbornness born from the belief that this was his territory. This was the Black Reef Fortress—his base of operations, imbued with the power of the Abyss.
"I don't know who the hell you are, but do you think you can touch the Charon Merchant Guild and get away with it? This is our domain!" Verdo shrieked. "Guards! What are you doing?! Kill him now! Tear him apart and throw him to that stupid Kraken as fish food!"
At his roar, the guards and fanatics who had been holding their breath nearby reacted. Dozens of shadows lunged out from the darkness through the broken ceiling. They were not ordinary guards; they were monsters contaminated by the power of the Outer God, having lost their sense of pain and possessed abnormally enhanced physical abilities. They were voluntary fanatics.
"Die!"
"A sacrifice! A fresh sacrifice for the Great One!"
The fanatics charged with bizarre screams. In their hands were daggers and chain-sickles swirling with black energy. From the rear, the Followers of the Abyss began to chant curse spells in unison.
"Great Master! Grant us power!"
"Bestow a curse upon that man!"
A barrage of attacks descended upon Kang Jin-ho. Blades and toxic miasma flew from all directions, accompanied by the curses of the Outer God that obscured his vision. Against an ordinary knight, this onslaught would have turned them into minced meat in an instant.
But Kang Jin-ho did not dodge.
Clang! Ting!
the lead fanatic's dagger struck Kang Jin-ho’s neck. However, the sound that rang out was not that of piercing flesh. It was a clear, sharp sound, like a needle hitting solid steel. The dagger shattered uselessly the moment it touched his skin.
"Uh...?"
The attacking fanatic’s eyes widened. Taking advantage of the gap, Kang Jin-ho lightly flicked his finger.
"Weak."
Thwack!
With just a light flick of a finger, the fanatic’s head exploded like a watermelon. Simultaneously, the curse magic from the rear reached Kang Jin-ho’s body. Purple toxic gas and black mist enveloped him—vicious curses designed to melt skin and blind eyes.
Sizzle—.
However, as soon as the curses touched Kang Jin-ho’s body, they evaporated like water droplets falling onto a red-hot griddle. The overwhelming vitality surrounding his body caused every curse to flicker out the moment it came into contact with his massive power. Under the weight of his titanic strength, the curses couldn't even find a gap to penetrate.
"Wh-what? The curses aren't working!"
"The blades won't go in! He's a monster!"
The fanatics backed away in a panic. Kang Jin-ho waved his hand as if shooing away flies. The wind pressure generated by that simple motion slammed five fanatics into the wall, turning them into a bloody pulp.
"Aaaaagh!"
That overwhelming martial power. The black hair, the indifferent eyes, and the strength to destroy everything with bare hands. One of Verdo’s subordinates, watching the scene, suddenly remembered a rumor—an unbelievable ghost story from the North.
"Th-that man is...!" The subordinate’s voice shook with primal fear. "It’s the Fist Emperor! The monster of the North, Fist Emperor Jin!"
The shout echoed through the ruins of the fortress.
The Fist Emperor.
The strongest martial artist on the continent. The protagonist of the legend who blew away city walls and beat ancient demonic beasts to death with his bare hands. As that realization hit, the heads of the remaining subordinates exploded in rapid succession.
"The Fist Emperor...?"
Verdo’s face turned ashen. Malak almost dropped his staff. The weight of that name was different. They had thought that someone like Roan, the Southern Admiral, could be managed using the terrain and curses. But the Fist Emperor was a different matter entirely. He was not a human who could be countered with strategy or tactics.
"This is impossible... Why is the Fist Emperor in the South?! Why is he in our fortress?!" Verdo screamed.
Panic overtook them. The subordinates had already lost their will to fight and were dropping their weapons.
"This fortress is finished." Malak was the first to regain a cold form of composure—though it was less calm and more of an instinctive calculation for survival. Outside, the Kraken that had fallen from the sky was rampaging and smashing the outer walls. Inside, a calamity known as the Fist Emperor was walking about. This fortress was no longer an impregnable citadel; it was a coffin that would bury them.
"Guild Master! we must change the plan!"
"Plan?! What plan! It’s all ruined! My money! My fortress! Even my dream of ruling the South! Damn it!"
"We must at least save our lives to seek revenge later! If we die here, it’s over!" Malak grabbed Verdo by the collar and shook him.
Verdo’s eyes found their focus. He was right. He had to live. Money could be earned again, but he only had one life. Yet, his heart ached as if it were being torn.
'The Moonlight Grass in the basement... the gold bars... the ledgers...'
He had to give it all up. To a merchant, abandoning their assets and fleeing was a pain greater than cutting off their own limbs. He made a decision with tears of blood.
"R-run! Abandon everything and run! To the secret passage!"
Kang Jin-ho was not about to let them go so easily. He was already walking slowly toward them. With every step he took, subordinates popped like popcorn.
"I have to buy time." Malak’s eyes gleamed with madness. He pulled a black gem from his robe. It was an item known as the Core of the Abyss. Within it was condensed the massive energy they had gathered over years to open the Gate of the Abyss.
"I have to use this."
"Th-that! Isn't that the Core of the Abyss?!" Verdo shrieked. How much money had been poured into creating that core? It was a crystallization of life force obtained not only with astronomical funds but also by kidnapping and sacrificing 300 healthy humans through human trafficking. It had taken over five years. And they were going to use it here?
"It’s not enough to open the Gate yet... but it is more than enough to kill one human," Malak growled. "Even a powerhouse at the level of a Sword Master will have their soul torn apart if they are doused in the malice of 300 vengeful spirits and the toxins of the Abyss contained in this."
"B-but... do you know how much that cost...!"
"Is it more expensive than your life?!"
Verdo fell silent at Malak’s rebuke. He nodded with trembling hands. A stop-loss sale. It was the most painful, yet most necessary decision for a merchant.
"Use it! Use it! Make that monster eat it!"
"Very well! Take this! This is the Wrath of the Abyss!"
Malak chanted a spell and shattered the black gem.
Crash!
As the gem broke, a pitch-black darkness exploded from within. It wasn't simple magic power. Space itself twisted and screamed, and a horrific shriek echoed from within the void.
ROOOOOAR—!
A multi-billion-gold curse. A curse fueled by countless lives and massive wealth rushed toward Kang Jin-ho. It was an absolute darkness that corroded and annihilated everything it touched. As the curse flew toward him, everything from debris to decorations vanished into dust the moment it was grazed. Even the corpses of the subordinates disappeared instantly upon contact.
"Kuhahaha! Die! Die!" Verdo laughed maniacally while crying. It was an attack that contained his fortune and over five years of effort. No human could survive being hit by that. It was power close to the authority of a god!
BOOM!
The black smoke swallowed Kang Jin-ho, forming a sphere. Kang Jin-ho’s figure was completely trapped within the pitch-black orb and vanished from sight. A savage chill and the aura of death, enough to freeze the surrounding air, swirled around the sphere.
"Did... did we get him?" Malak slumped down, panting heavily. It was a success. As long as he was trapped in there, no matter how much of a "Fist Emperor" he was, his body would melt and his soul would wander the Abyss forever.
Verdo pounded the floor in a mixture of relief and overwhelming loss. "My money... my Gate... ugh..."
But they had saved their lives. Now they just needed to escape through the secret passage and aim for a comeback with their remaining funds.
"Let’s go, Guild Master. There is no time—"
It was the moment Malak tried to stand up.
"It’s a bit stuffy in here."
An annoyed voice drifted out from inside the black sphere.
"…?!"
Malak and Verdo froze. Had they misheard? No, they had heard it clearly. It wasn't a scream of pain. It was an incredibly calm voice, like a person complaining about being in a cramped elevator.
"Is this all? You said it was expensive."
Inside the black darkness, Kang Jin-ho waved his arm. A sticky, unpleasant energy tried to cling to him, but the Aura surrounding his body bounced it off. The screams of vengeful spirits? To him, it was just noisy static. Corrosive toxins? His skin was harder than steel.
"Nothing special."
Kang Jin-ho took a deep breath, filling his lungs to the brim. Hot heat boiling up from his core circulated through his entire body. He decided to blow away this stuffy darkness and this stinking curse all at once.
"HUP—!!"
Kang Jin-ho let out a Gi-hap (Spirit Shout). It wasn't a simple shout. The transcendent vitality dwelling in his body and the ripples of Aura that shook the atmosphere were carried in his voice and exploded.
KWA-AAAAAANG—!!!
A massive shockwave erupted. The multi-billion-gold curse surrounding Kang Jin-ho shattered like a glass window hit by a sledgehammer. The black mist scattered with a shriek, and the form of the curse vanished without a trace.
"Kueok?!"
"Aaaaagh!"
The aftermath of the shout didn't stop there. A storm-like shockwave swept through the entire area. Not just the ceiling, but the remaining walls were torn away like sheets of paper. Malak and Verdo were blown back like rolling fallen leaves, slamming into the only sturdy wall left.
Rumble!
Nearby debris and the remaining walls flew in all directions. As the dust settled, Kang Jin-ho was revealed standing perfectly intact in the center. Not a single hem of his clothes was singed. Not a single strand of hair was out of place.
"……."
Malak looked up at Kang Jin-ho with a dazed expression. His brain was rejecting reality. That was the power of the Abyss, fueled by 300 sacrifices and astronomical funds. It was a curse crafted by the power of an Outer God. it was not a realm a mere human could handle.
And yet... it had vanished from a single shout.
"Wh-what... did you do...?" Malak asked with trembling lips. This wasn't a counter-spell. Nor was it a holy purification through divine power. It was a phenomenon he couldn't comprehend.
Kang Jin-ho casually picked his ear with his pinky and answered as if it were nothing.
"A Gi-hap."
"A... Gi-hap?"
"Yeah. The way to shake off a curse: you shake it off with a spirit shout. Don't you know that?" Kang Jin-ho blew the dust off his fingertip.
"Th-this can't be. How can such a ridiculous thing happen! A Gi-hap? Just a Gi-hap?!"
Malak lost his wits in despair. All their effort, all their investment, had crumbled from a single act of shouting. Common sense had completely collapsed. His entire life had been negated. This couldn't even be described as a "gap" in power.
"It’s a dream... this is a dream..." Verdo clutched his head, denying reality.
The man before them was not human. He was a true monster, worse than any beast. The thought of running didn't even occur to him. His legs had lost all strength; he couldn't even stand.
"Now, I'm getting bored, so let’s wrap this up." Kang Jin-ho approached slowly. "This has been enough of a show. Time to earn my keep."
It was then. Beyond the collapsed wall, the resounding sound of a trumpet drifted in from the sea.
Bwaaaaaaa—!
"The Admiral's fleet! The fleet has arrived!"
"Surround them! Don't let a single one escape!"
The Southern Fleet led by Roan de Escar was beginning to surround the fortress. Ten fast warships approached with majesty, and armed marines on deck were ready for landing.
"Ah..."
Verdo and Malak hung their heads. The Fist Emperor was in front of them, and the Southern Admiral was at sea. There was no retreat. The Charon Merchant Guild and the Followers of the Abyss, who had harbored the ambition to rule the South—their ambitions came to an end in such a futile manner.