Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: It's Okay Because I'm a Genius Despite My Terminal Illness
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As time passed, things returned to the usual state, no different from before.
The wording of "calamity" and "Seven Deadly Sins" felt a bit off, but I wasn't in any position to be picky about cold rice or hot.
And so what if it made me a villain.
On the contrary, it was something to welcome with open arms.
It was the one and only lifeline tossed down to extend this tiresome terminal life of mine.
"Moderation should keep it from becoming a big problem."
I steeled my resolve and scrolled through the additional messages presented to me.
───────────────
▶The Seventh Calamity of the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed
[Subsidiary Authority 1] Absorption
-You can devour non-physical attacks from opponents up to your tolerance limit.
[Subsidiary Authority 2] ???
-Deactivated
[Subsidiary Authority 3] ???
-Deactivated
───────────────
[You can absorb demonic energy to unseal Greed.]
[Higher quality demonic energy increases the unsealing rate.]
In simple terms...
First off, [Subsidiary Authority 1] Absorption seemed like a defensive ability that blocked magic or spells—non-physical attacks.
As long as it didn't consume mana, it looked pretty useful in actual combat.
Then there were [Subsidiary Authority 2] and [Subsidiary Authority 3].
Just like always, hunting demonic beasts was the key to activating them.
Their energy was demonic energy itself, murky as it might be.
Conveniently, the fourth episode was right around the corner.
Civilian support mission.
This weekend, we'd be heading outside Taehak for a sudden support operation.
Class A's assignment was simple patrol and evidence collection, but things would veer off course into another incident, as always.
The protagonist this time was Baek Sa-young again, and the final villain would be another calamity we'd finally meet: a demon.
A human, but with blood flowing black and red like a devil's lineage.
Feared as a public enemy of humanity for their savage demonic nature and bizarre innate abilities, they were also called the demon race.
They appeared in all sorts of crimes, always kicking off with some flashy ritual.
"That must be what they've been preparing."
Something clicked, so I reviewed the original story once more.
Sure enough... Even recalling it now, that was it.
Essence of demonic energy.
The material for the forbidden ritual the demons were conducting, an extract made by sacrificing demonic beasts.
Normally, I wouldn't have given that nasty stuff a second glance...
"But things are different now. I've got something to nurture."
What if I snuck some and fed it to "Greed"?
It'd be the perfect tonic for breaking the seal.
For once in a while, I grabbed a cigarette and stepped out onto the balcony.
I'd been so busy lately that it had been ages since my last smoke.
"The moon's pretty big tonight."
I hated anything melancholic, but glancing up, the night sky shone especially bright.
Maybe because I'd heard the name Leah after so long?
With no one around to see, I mumbled to myself without thinking.
"You doing okay?"
...
Of course, no answer came.
"God, what an idiot."
Nothing beat a cigarette when feeling bitter, so just as I was about to light up.
['Greed' asks if your name is Idiot.]
"...What the hell is this?"
- Plop.
The cigarette dropped limply from my mouth.
* * *
I'm basically someone who prefers being alone.
Maybe because of being abandoned as a kid, I favored painting over friends, silence over talk, and lived 28 years that way.
Naturally, I built up walls.
A kind of defense mechanism, you could say.
Just the right level of acquaintance.
I'd draw that line and, if anyone tried to cross it, cut them off immediately.
This system of relationships was maintained with ironclad precision, like a well-built program.
The sole exception was Yoo So-young, who'd slipped in before the walls went up.
...But today, I realized for the first time that even this fortress of a system had something it couldn't handle.
Wednesday morning.
On my way to the lecture hall for sorcery class.
Unlike the bustling students, my steps kept halting.
['Greed' asks if it can eat that.]
No.
['Greed' asks if it can eat this one.]
That no too.
['Greed' ...]
"No! I said no, you bastard!"
No, why is this crazy thing always yapping about eating people...
['Greed' warns you not to ignore it.]
[Originally, Greed is the primal desire that began from the dawn of time...]
"Shut up!"
[...]
Goddamn it.
It had lodged itself in me like a virus, impossible to ignore...
And it kept asking every time we passed someone—enough to drive me insane.
I raised my right hand and muttered like I was begging.
"Please, just be quiet..."
"Excuse me?"
That's when a familiar voice called out.
Joo Ah-rin had approached at some point, wearing a sullen expression.
['Greed' says that woman is...]
You wanna die?
[...pretty.]
I unintentionally scowled, but she looked just as annoyed.
"...Mana exhaustion can make your mind unstable, huh?"
"What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine."
"That's what everyone says. The problem is they're usually wrong..."
"Not me. My body's my priority, so I rest at the first sign of anything off."
"Fair enough."
Joo Ah-rin nodded seriously.
Why'd she accept that so quick?
Just as I was about to reply, she spoke first.
"Did you check the message?"
"Message?"
I asked back, clueless, and she let out a shallow sigh.
"This morning, the department office sent a text about the civilian support."
"Oh, right. Hang on. Been hectic since morning, so I missed it."
I clenched my right hand with an audible crunch, then checked my phone.
As expected: recent string of disappearances around Wonju in Gangwon Province.
Government request for cooperation to stabilize public safety, with Class A selected for support.
As my eyes left the screen, Joo Ah-rin jumped in like she'd been waiting.
"Support lasts three days total. Departure tomorrow, and patrol teams are formed by combat training groups."
"So that's why you came at the crack of dawn."
"Team leader's gotta check participation. But you sure you're okay?"
"Body? Of course."
I flexed my arm for no reason. Not very impressive.
A faint crease formed between Joo Ah-rin's smooth brows.
"...I'll mark you as participating for now."
"Yeah."
"Still, visit the infirmary just in case."
"I told you, I'm fine."
"Alright then."
Joo Ah-rin glanced at her watch like she was busy and walked off without lingering.
Sheesh.
Whatever she thought wasn't my business...
But a thought crossed my mind.
What if I used my condition as an excuse to bail midway?
It'd make a decent alibi for sneaking off to handle things.
Smirking in satisfaction, I hopped online and searched articles on the disappearances.
[Wonju on alert amid string of missing persons...]
[Wonju disappearances include 7-year-old girl, shockwaves...]
Fresh breaking news popped up right away.
Most media noted no common links between victims, chalking it up to random demonic beast attacks.
"Pure bullshit."
Knowing the truth, I couldn't help but scoff.
This was way more serious than it seemed.
Demons were bad enough, but over twenty confirmed missing, surrounding beasts wiped out—it was massive scale...
Anyway, thinking about meeting them soon brought more excitement than fear.
Baek Sa-young was the protagonist again, but I'd be the director this time...
I usually avoided altering the original, but this was an exception.
The essence of demonic energy, and without hijacking it, I couldn't ride the episode.
No choice then.
Might as well set the stage properly.
"I'll stuff you till you burst soon. So quit asking. Got it?"
['Greed' nods vigorously.]
* * *
An unnamed hellscape nestled in Chiaksan, Wonju, Gangwon Province.
"S-Save... me."
"Kaaack—"
Amid trembling humans shaking like aspen leaves, a rank-8 demonic beast—a massive serpent—slithered.
Crackle, crackle.
As heavy as it looked, with its pitch-black hue, the serpent carefully scanned for prey.
It soon decided, positioning itself before a girl in a pretty red dress.
"Hic."
The girl had lost her mind and couldn't even speak properly, but it didn't care.
Instead, it gaped its jaws—twice her size—to swallow her whole in one go.
"Stop."
—but clamped shut at the sudden voice.
The girl's savior was a slender man with pale skin.
A man whose narrow, slit eyes left a striking impression.
"I was wondering what startled me. I never said to eat."
The man spread his arms gently, calling the serpent over.
The beast, which had been herding people ferociously, darted into his embrace like nothing happened, nuzzling its huge head against him.
The man stroked the serpent's head and quietly scolded it.
"It's been years since I took you in. But if instinct overrides orders, don't you think that upsets me?"
That was their last exchange.
The hand stroking it lovingly suddenly plunged into the serpent's skull.
Splurch.
With a bursting sound, red blood and yellow brains splattered everywhere.
Covered in it like it was nothing, the man grinned and muttered.
"You tarnish your master's title, you die. Right?"
A verdict only a man could deliver.
Only possible for Kiat, the demon born with a serpent's traits...
Casually tossing the limp serpent aside, Kiat approached the girl.
He reached out with saliva-slick hands to pat her head, and she shuddered like she might snap.
"...S-Save... me..."
"What, you hate me 'cause I'm a demon too?"
Just then, as Kiat's pupils narrowed to slits like a snake's.
"Kiat."
A massive man with a presence that crushed the space entered, disrupting the air.
Just calling Kiat's name so casually proved his credentials.
The man's name was Midas.
He too was a demon bearing a specific title.
Midas scanned the chaotic room with indifferent eyes.
"Purge ops wrap by tomorrow. Let's talk while we watch."
"Now?"
Midas nodded and led the way, Kiat smacking his lips in disappointment as he followed.
Outside, into another building—another chorus of horrific cries greeted them.
The source: a massive triangular flask imprisoning dozens of demonic beasts.
Flicker—
The magic circle etched on the floor pulsed repeatedly, turning the inside into a slaughterhouse hell.
Forced demonic energy extraction.
The beasts writhed in agony like their flesh was being ripped out, collapsing one by one.
In contrast, the extracted demonic energy rose in denser black, gathering at the flask's narrow mouth.
This repeated until, like a flower blooming, a black droplet formed at the end.
Essence of demonic energy.
Pure concentrate born from compressing grudge-infused demonic energy over and over.
As the harvested material revealed itself, Kiat asked.
"How much till target?"
"5%. Tomorrow, this tedious process finally ends. Humans next."
"5%?"
Kiat frowned slightly.
Not enough remaining beasts to hit 5%.
"Annoying. Guess I'll take the ghost pack out again."
"Please."
"Outside still quiet?"
"No. Some humans patrolling the area since morning."
"Assassins?"
"Nah."
"Then?"
"Taehak."
"Taehak?"
Kiat's lips curled in a sneer.
Even assassins would be short-handed here.
Those rookies couldn't possibly find this specially conjured spot...
"And if they luck into it, just kill 'em."
Midas said it flatly, like swatting a pesky bug.
Kiat's cackling faded as he erased Taehak from his mind.
"Anyway, intriguing stuff. Serum plus essence combo."
"Don't trust the brokers?"
"Nah, not that. Just curious. If this simple trick boosts our level, won't things get fun from here?"
His slit eyes narrowed even sharper, twisting slyly.