Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Constellation Gallery EP.54
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The Elder Goblin stretched both arms toward the monster.
Soon, its fingertips twitched slightly.
Pfyt!
An icicle bullet flew off with a sharp, cold sound.
It was nimble.
But the freezing shot flickered and wavered in the hot air even before it could reach the massive lump of lava.
‘…It’s just gonna fizzle out.’
Like a chunk of ice plopped into a teacup, it looked utterly incapable of piercing that intense heat. And yet.
Chiiik—
The freezing shot vanished upon impact, but smoke rose from the embedded spot.
At the same time, that area hardened into something black and rigid.
“Oh!”
My eyes lit up for a brief moment.
The monster’s inner breath of boiling lava melted the hardened shell once more, causing it to flow downward.
The cooled skin turned gooey again, wriggling even more vividly red than before.
“One shot’s not enough.”
I looked at the Elder Goblin.
“This time, unleash a barrage like when you were trying to kill me.”
“Kerruk!”
The Elder Goblin stretched out its arms once more.
Soon, what emerged from its fingertips was unmistakable murderous intent.
Pabababapak!
The consecutive freezing shots struck all over the monster’s body.
Bursting steam.
Hardening skin.
The hit areas cooled rapidly.
Hwaruk— Hwaruruk—
The thing tried to boil over again.
But the cooling was faster.
Pabababapak!
On the Elder Goblin’s second volley, the monster’s outer shell fully solidified.
And then the hardened shell began to crack bit by bit, shattering into pieces before long.
“…What the hell.”
The Elder Goblin had taken down the monster far more easily than expected.
But what hit me first wasn’t surprise—it was bewilderment.
“Even though it did the killing, the reward comes to us?”
“That’s exactly what I wanna know.”
Kang Harin naturally hadn’t stepped in, nor had Tulip or I.
Every effective strike had begun and ended at the Elder Goblin’s fingertips.
“Isn’t it the incitement effect you mentioned, uncle? It’s a kind of skill anyway.”
“Because the action fell under my skill’s influence, it gets tallied to me?”
‘That means…’
I looked at the Elder Goblin.
‘Not just this guy—all the blades swung by those under incitement become mine.’
Moreover, this one’s combat power was pretty damn solid.
Of course, it couldn’t spam ice bullets like a machine gun.
Still, it fired off five or six at a time, and the reload cooldown was shorter than expected.
‘At this rate, it’d be a shame if the incitement wore off.’
It’s not because of you guys—I figured it out on my own.
Though it’s not wrong to say my luck’s good too.
Just like they said, if it’d stayed as a passive incitement, I wouldn’t be exploiting it like this.
‘But I could’ve handled humans more freely.’
In the end, it’s a trade-off.
Either handle humans without spending mana, or burn mana to control both humans and monsters.
‘The problem is neither would work on high-resistance targets anyway.’
More than that, it’s fucking hot.
The fight’s over, but the ground hasn’t cooled, and every breath scrapes my lungs with throat-searing hot air.
“Elder, come here.”
“Kerruk.”
The Elder Goblin approached.
I pulled it into a hug.
“Krrgh… Much better.”
“Uncle, you’ve got a strong stomach.”
“Way better than the one I was holding onto for the arrows.”
For starters, no stench at all.
No drooling that foul saliva either.
“What if the incitement wears off?”
“Then I die.”
“...Don’t joke like that.”
“More importantly, what’s with this weather?”
I’d thought it’d cool down at night.
But even after sunset, it felt like midday heat.
The most exhausting part was not having a base to crash for the night yet in this situation.
“If we can bag a hundred tonight and move, I wanna get out as far as possible…”
My gaze dropped to the monster, now a shattered black lump.
“This guy seems slow-moving like the crafters, so spotting more won’t be easy.”
I’d pull the revolver trigger and deal with the noise nuisance if it’d come running at night, but it’s sluggish.
Not even sure it has ears to hear.
And even if it did, it’d take forever like the crafters.
“We’ll handle what we see and set a base first. Can’t hunt all night.”
“So where to?”
“Uncle, what about sleeping in the car?”
“Roast yourself if you want.”
“That bad? Feels similar to Incheon heat-wise.”
I tilted my head.
Sounded crazy at first, then it clicked.
“You wouldn’t feel hot even tossed into fire.”
“Huh? Why do you keep obsessing over throwing me into fire?”
“You look fireproof as hell.”
“It’s hot, yeah.”
“Just got the bare minimum human senses, then.”
Tulip silently glanced down at her armor.
“Probably the effect of the armor my sister made.”
“Yeah, yeah. Must be your heat-resistant constitution. Anyway, too hot for me to sleep in the car.”
“Then head for higher ground.”
“Like Tulip said, the farther from the ground, the better. Like a high-rise apartment?”
Harin chimed in cautiously.
“Um. How about that apartment complex? At least 11 floors, looks sturdy. No visible monster damage either.”
“Yeah. Let’s secure a spot before it’s too late and grab some shut-eye.”
That’s when Tulip nudged me.
“Uncle…”
“Yeah?”
“Shadows over there. Apartment entrance. Faintly three?”
I narrowed my eyes.
Just as Tulip said, three silhouettes at the half-collapsed entrance.
“……Other survivors?”
“Hiding out like us?”
“Who knows.”
I resummoned the Grave of Ten Thousand Demons and the warhammer.
“Stay sharp for now.”
The ones we ran into at the entrance were three men.
Each held a rusty pipe, a long club, and a short piece of rebar.
‘Not looking combat-ready.’
No tension typical of armed folks.
More like ‘last stick for survival’ vibe.
Didn’t seem like they’d tucked tail just seeing our getup.
“N-No outsiders allowed.”
“Nothing worth looting here even if you ransack it.”
What’s this? Apartment vigilantes or something?
Just to check, none were Awakened.
“We’re not bad guys.”
I added calmly.
“Think about it. If we were bad news, we’d have bulldozed in already. Why bother talking in gear like this?”
“……”
The men exchanged quick glances, then looked back at me.
“...So, what’s your business here.”
“Just crashing one night. Any empty rooms up high?”
“We don’t know the specifics.”
“You’re a group, right? Feels like guard shift time now.”
The middle guy swallowed hard.
“That’s true. But we don’t know who’s barricaded in their own place with doors locked tight.”
Fair point.
No one’s gonna respond to my knock from inside.
And I can’t just rip the door off with a ‘no answer, coming in.’
‘If someone’s holed up holding their breath, that’d make me a total thug.’
But it’s not like there’s no way.
“Mind if we quietly scout around? Take an empty place if we find one, stay quiet. If not, we’ll crash on the stairs or rooftop.”
“How do you plan to check? People won’t respond even if they’re there. Can’t just—”
“Won’t smash doors. We’ll check super quietly, and if no luck, stairs or roof it is.”
They swapped looks again, then nodded at me.
‘Thought they’d flat-out refuse, but they’re letting us in based on looks.’
Or rather, they’d said no outsiders at first despite the gear.
Eh, flexible thinking, I guess.
If they’re extending goodwill first, I’ve got something to give back.
“Thanks. In return, nothing fancy. You guys smoke?”
“C-Cigarettes?”
That reaction said it all.
Eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Mouths practically watering already.
“Knew it.”
I slipped a hand behind my back.
‘Store warhammer.’
‘Summon three cigarettes.’
‘Eases their guard and buys favor—profitable trade.’
I casually held out the cigarettes in front of them.