'We're Screwed....'
I had two reasons for thinking we were totally screwed. First, running into what felt like the final boss on my very first day back. And second…
'The Lake of Destiny' is preparing an offering once more.
Do not let go of the King's Mark from your hand while the offering is being prepared.
Time until offering generation: 60 seconds… 59 seconds… 58 seconds…
This is insane.
The shockwave from the barrier shattering earlier had flung my body back, and I'd accidentally dropped the sword from my hand again. Had those two-legged sweet potatoes infected me or something? Even I had to admit it was a frustrating mistake.
How intriguing. Creatures that aren't even immortal—what gives them the confidence to set foot in my lair? If they've resolved to end their lives, there are far wiser ways to do it.
A terrifying pressure! The Dragon Lord, Pafnir. Every time he spoke, my heart sank.
"Damn it…."
As I stood there dumbfounded, mouth gaping like a goldfish, a chime rang out.
Constellation 'Sung Hyun-sook' urgently sends sponsorship!
"Sponsorship…?"
I couldn't fathom Mom's intent. Sure, thrashing around was better than sitting idly to die, but… Even if she sponsored me an S-rank item or skill right now, my stats were way too pathetic to take down that monster.
"What kind of sponsorship is this…."
I scanned the sponsorship list with my trembling eyes. And then, "……!" I was awestruck. At this timing, Mom's quick thinking and judgment were unreal.
At the same time, I was certain. I'd make it out alive! My mom was a genius!
"Just hold out for one minute!"
I stowed away the item Mom had sponsored and bellowed at the top of my lungs. The sweet potatoes, frozen stiff like cornered fish in front of Pafnir, turned to look at me.
"O-one minute…?"
"You think I'd be hanging around here for fun?! I've got a plan! So you guys just buy me exactly one minute—no more, no less!"
With the Lake of Destiny pinning me down, unable to move, my only protectors were those two-legged sweet potatoes. What a twisted fate. If you thought about it, this was all their fault for screwing things up!
The sweet potato who'd just tried to skill me moments ago asked with wide, terrified eyes, on the verge of tears. "Y-you're saying we can really fix this if we just hold out for one minute…?"
"Why would I lie in a situation like this? Just trust me!"
I flashed a confident smile and thumped my chest to look reliable. They had no choice anyway. To boost their survival odds even by 1%, they'd have to follow my lead, like it or not!
The sweet potato made the wise call. "Battle stations! You all heard him? We just need to hold out for one minute!"
The other sweet potatoes gripped their weapons with resolve for a desperate last stand. The hope of surviving if they just lasted one minute ignited their courage.
But… Crunch!
That spark died out like a lantern hit by a gale.
One minute…?
What had that dragon head just done? I hadn't even seen it. In an instant, one of the sweet potato gang's heads vanished.
Splurt!
Blood gushed from the severed neck, splattering the pale faces of the others red. The briefly heated atmosphere turned ice-cold, like a bucket of water had been dumped on it.
To hold out for one minute before me… What a pitiful delusion.
Pafnir sneered, licking the blood from his claws. It was the creepiest laugh I'd ever heard.
But what really caught my eye wasn't his mocking mouth. It was his eyes.
I don't know why treasure marked with my seal ended up in your filthy hands…
His slit pupils, like a reptile's, locked onto me. I couldn't move, as if skewered on a spit.
I won't let it happen as you wish.
Whoosh! An enigmatic energy of unknown attribute swirled into a sphere in front of Pafnir.
Please!
Those tumor-like sweet potatoes had bungled everything from start to finish. But if I had to pick one thing they did right?
"Grraaah!"
You vermin…?!
It was bringing those clever skeletons who'd escorted me right to the throne!
The skeletons went berserk, charging wildly at Pafnir. With the loyalty of royal guards!
This is working!
I might hold the King's Mark, but Pafnir was their true king anyway. Yet they moved to protect me. Were their skull heads too empty to tell who the real king was? Not that I was complaining!
If even brainless skeletons were working that hard, why were those sweet potatoes just standing there like idiots?
"What are you doing?! Now! Join in while there's an opening!"
"Uh, uh? R-right!"
Ooooh!
The sweet potatoes rallied again, roaring as they unleashed a barrage. It was probably nothing more than flies to Pafnir. But…
Annoying pests! Begone!
With the skeleton swarm piling on now, Pafnir flailed in the chaotic combo of bees and flies. I quickly glanced to check the remaining time.
Time until offering generation: 3 seconds… 2 seconds… 1 second…
"Wha—what? It's already…."
The offering has been generated.
Flash!
An explosive radiance erupted from the lake, like a swamp come alive. "Ugh…?!" The Lake of Destiny…!
I, submerged in the lake, and even Pafnir, busy swatting flies, widened our eyes in shock. The light swallowed the entire lake, shrinking steadily until it was basketball-sized. Then,
Groooan!Graaaah!
Black hands burst from the surface, grasping the shrunken light and slowly offering it to me—like a tribute.
"This is… the holy sword?"
I carefully took hold of the beam from the reverent black hands. The texture? Ah, so warm. And above all, an immense power beyond measure surged through it!
Finally…!
If not for the dire situation, I'd be bawling in感動! As the beam's glow faded, my heart pounded like it might burst.
The legendary holy sword that had turned Lee Chan-hyuk's life around! It was finally unveiling itself before my eyes…!
"…A backpack?"
Once the veil fully lifted, what emerged was a black backpack.
"……?"
You might call me crazy, but I had no idea what was going on either. No matter how I looked at it, this was the kind of bag middle schoolers lugged to school for lunch.
Where was the legendary holy sword? All I saw was a nonsensical backpack and a messed-up reality.
…Maybe it has a nuke inside?
Clutching at straws, I yanked open the zipper, flipped it upside down, and shook it out.
Pat pat pat…
Not a speck of dust. My sanity crumbled to dust instead as I stared at the wretched empty backpack.
You… luckier than you look. It seems the Lake of Destiny has taken a real shine to you.
Who was this dragon head mocking?
That is the ultimate weapon, one even I must admire! Far too grand for the likes of you!
Ultimate weapon my ass. It's just a backpack, you reptile.
Are you prepared, worm? To accept the great power offered by the Lake of Destiny with a mere human body!
One thing was certain: I wasn't prepared to accept this crap reality.
Right then.
"Hey! We've held out over a minute already?! We're at our limit!"
"Ah."
The mental shock had made me forget about those sweet potatoes. By a rough count, there'd been over seven; now only three remained. The rest were sadly rolling on the ground as departed souls.
Right. First things first—get out alive.
To not waste their sacrifice!
The leader sweet potato, drenched in blood, yelled desperately. "You—you do have a way out, right?! Right?!"
"Of course! I told you to trust me!"
"Ooh! Then hurry…!"
I pulled out the item Mom had just sponsored.
Return Stone
A purple rhombus crystal. As the name implied, it was a lifeline that sent the user back from the dungeon to reality. What more explanation did it need?
"Y-you…."
But the sweet potato looked like he needed one. Oh. Note: the Return Stone only evacuates the user. One-person ticket.
His face went sheet-white at the sight of it in my hand. "You said there was a way out…?"
"There is. Right here in my hand."
"Wh-what about us…?"
"I never said you could get out too?"
Must've misunderstood. Realizing the harsh truth, the sweet potatoes' eyes bulged with rage.
"We—we're done for because of you!"
"Then ask your own constellations for sponsorship."
Who started this mess anyway? Selfish bastards. But even enemies deserve a smiling send-off at parting, right?
So as I activated the Return Stone, I grinned. Saluting with wishes for luck, victory, and rest in peace.
"Good luck! I'll head out first."
"W-wait! Wait! Wait! You crazy—Grraaack!?!"
The last sight I caught on my way back to reality was the sweet potatoes getting shredded like A4 paper in a shredder by Pafnir's claws. Crunch!
Queasy, but kinda heartwarming.
Poof!
"Urk… bleeech."
I didn't think I'd actually puke…. Safely returned to reality via the Return Stone, I first dealt with the surging nausea.
From watching the sweet potatoes get massacred? Nah. It was the dimensional shift twisting my guts.
Ugh, damn it. Felt like riding a rollercoaster ten times on an empty stomach.
"Fucking backpack!"
Already queasy, and now this bag's dead weight was making it worse. After all that hell, my reward was an empty backpack without a speck of dust? Was this telling me to quit being a player and go back to school?
"Please be a dream…. Huh?"
"Huh?"
Denying reality as I got up, my eyes met theirs. The burly goons lounging on the ground, enjoying tea time.
…Shit, right. These guys were still here. First day post-regression, yeah? Why was today dragging so much….
"You bastard! Why the hell are you coming out of there?! What about our guys?!"
Disappointed it wasn't his vanguard returning with my head on a platter? The Bolt boss glared, fuming.
But you can't spit on a smiling face, so despite my rotten mood, I smiled politely and answered. "They all went to America."
"America?"
"Ah, too old for the joke? They're all dead."
"……."
My kind answer apparently didn't sit well; the goons' faces turned fierce in an instant.
"Maybe it's for the best. Now I can cut your throat myself."
With the boss finally clocking the situation, the goons drew weapons and closed in.
Normally, I'd scoff and sweep them with the holy sword. But reality was a backpack.
"This is ridiculous."
Couldn't even swing it wildly to bash them—the soft leather would just tickle. As I glared resentfully at the useless bag,
Flash!
"Huh?"
A blinding radiance burst from the wide-open zipper.
'Pandora's Box' opens!
Summons the most effective weapon against the 'enemy' recognized by the user!
Pop!
Particles of light streamed endlessly, gathering in my hand. Like countless fireflies swarming to me.
Startled by the sudden event, the approaching goons halted, going on alert.
Pandora's Box!
The backpack's true name. No clue why a backpack was called a "box," but…
If the system message was right, this might not be half bad? Summoning weapons tailored to enemy matchups in real-time meant, 'I can handle any variable!'
They called it a legendary holy sword, but that was my exaggeration. Truth was, Lee Chan-hyuk's sword wasn't invincible. Against a massive liquid monster or one armored in alloy-tough hide? Even a holy sword would struggle with matchup disadvantages.
But this bag might make it possible?
Shhh!
The swirling lights in my palm shifted from spiral to straight line. A cold, hard metallic grip formed in my hand.
The transformation complete, "O-oh…." I gasped in admiration. The goons gasped in horror.
No wonder. Unless it was a monster with a constant core shield, against humans like them, one weapon was the most effective and terrifying.
"He's got a gun!"
"Where'd he pull a machine gun that size from?!"
A gun. A machine gun with a long, black barrel. No military buff, so no idea the model…
But one thing was clear. Click.
"You're all dead."
Moments later, thunderous gunfire echoed through the mountains.