Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Great Cleanup
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What I did was extremely simple.
Swinging the club gripped in my hand with all my might.
No thought or technique required—a straightforward motion anyone with strength could pull off.
*Whoosh, smack!*
*Squeeee!*
But that alone was enough to shatter the skull of this massive rat pup. I could vividly feel the impact of its bones crumbling along the length of the club.
“Holy shit!”
The sheer power surprised even me, the one who swung it. The trembling giant rat looked downright pitiful.
“The giant rat went down in one hit!”
Luna raised her voice, clearly shocked by what just happened. But I couldn’t let my guard down, so I immediately bashed the clearly dead rat’s body a few more times with the club.
*Smack, thwack, thwack!*
“Why, why hit a dead one more?”
“It might come back to life.”
One thing I learned fighting the cult warrior Skizo: always confirm the kill thoroughly.
This rat pup might revive for some absurd reason, so I pulverize the body just to be sure.
Maybe it was that thoroughness, but the rat turned into a truly cold, lifeless thing that showed no sign of moving.
“Good, it’s completely fucked now.”
“Samaritans really are brutal. Good thing you’re on our side. Hassan, you’re totally covered in blood.”
*Drip, drip.*
Luna was right—my body was soaked in blood. It splattered everywhere, running down my raincoat and the club.
Since it wasn’t a blade but a crude club, no need to wipe off the blood or grease. Low maintenance was a huge plus.
*Slurp.*
At that moment, the club sucked up the blood staining it, like a sponge absorbing water. Shit, it startled me so bad I nearly chucked it away.
“Wow, shit! Luna, you see that!? This bastard just slurped up the blood!”
“It’s a living weapon. It absorbs blood along with karma. First time I’ve seen one in action, though.”
“Wow, that’s wild.”
*Thump, thump.*
The club vibrated like a faint heartbeat. That’s when it really hit me—this was a living weapon.
I was staring in awe at the club in my hand for a good while when—
“But what the hell is this…?”
Luna approached the massive dead rat.
“Hassan, can I borrow your dagger? Something’s bugging me.”
“I can give it, but handle it carefully. It’s sharp for harvesting.”
*Shing.*
Luna took the dagger from me and sliced off the flower growing from the rat’s head.
*Sniff sniff.*
She sniffed the flower, plucked off a leaf, chewed it a bit, then spat it out.
I walked over and asked.
“You know what that is?”
“Not sure if it’s just me, but this feels like Ideophe heshishi. Why the hell is it here…?”
“What’s that?”
“A forbidden herb used for eunsambi… It’s for punishing criminals and stripping their will. Exporting it off the island is banned. What’s going on?”
I had no clue what eunsambi was, but Luna clearly knew a lot about this plant—and it didn’t sound like anything good.
“From what I see, this rat was poisoned by the heshishi. That’s why it grew so huge.”
“No way that flower has those effects?”
Shit, parents of short kids would lose their minds over this stuff. Use it right, and I could make a fortune.
But Luna must’ve read my mind—she clicked her tongue and explained.
“In exchange, it strips away reason and will. They call it berserker flower. Grind it to powder, soak in water, add the right amount to a potion base, and you get a strength potion. But dosing it is insanely tricky. Even I can’t do it.”
“Got it. Big side effects, huh?”
“Yeah.”
When it came to making potions, Luna was the expert, so I trusted her word. Come to think of it, that cult healer Somnia had praised Luna’s potions as incredible.
That guy mentioned something about Ideophe too.
Ideophe healer. Ideophe heshishi.
Was there a connection to this rat or the plants in the underground waterway? I decided to ask.
“Luna, ever hear the name Somnia?”
“Somnia? Nope, first time. Who’s that?”
“I told you I got dragged to the cult’s hideout a while back. There was an Ideophe healer there. Think his name was Somnia. Wore a freaky mask.”
“Oh?”
I tried explaining what I’d seen and heard, but I suck at that stuff—it felt like I was just spinning my wheels.
The robes flowed like yours, but darker, kinda murky.
“Hmm, no idea. Once Ideophe hit adulthood, everyone leaves their home tribe—no familiar faces. Tribes are spread far apart, so differences too. Still, could be connected.”
“Called herself a healer.”
“Really? That means a pretty high-level voodoo practitioner…”
“Higher level than you?”
“…Y-yeah. No comparison…”
Luna looked so insecure it made her ‘daughter of the gods’ title feel hollow. If she was this deflated, Somnia must’ve been impressive.
*Squeak squeak!*
That’s when the ribbon rat that had gone ahead reappeared. It squeaked at us a few times, then vanished at high speed.
“Let’s move out again.”
“Yeah.”
* * *
*Kyaaah!*
Following the ribbon rat, a few more bloated rat pups ambushed us. Each time, I fairly smashed their skulls with the club.
*Crack! Crack! Crunch!*
*Squeee!*
Swinging a blunt weapon felt awkward at first. But it had a satisfying thud and insane power—I was getting the hang of it.
*Slurp.*
Still, watching it suck up blood never sat right; gave me the chills.
Like some cursed demon sword or whatever. Fitting for its terrifying name, Terror Crusher.
*Squeak squeak!*
How long had we walked?
Ahead of us, where we followed the rats, a small clearing appeared—plants yanked out haphazardly.
A filthy tent sat there.
“Uh, you there?”
I called inside, and *rustle*—someone in a rat-gray robe emerged. Piper in hand; now I remembered.
“Welcome.”
“You’re Oyeggeiyas, right?”
“…Hamelin.”
“Oh, right. Hamelin.”
Fuck if I know why only Oyeggeiyas stuck in my head. He said Hamelin. Hamelin. Got it now.
“Came because Hamelin had business with me. Got the advance already.”
“…Request.”
Hamelin answered in short words only.
I remembered her being curt, but it felt worse now.
Hard to see her face under the robe, but her faint breathing suggested exhaustion.
Hamelin spoke.
“Plants. Grown too much. Rats suffering. Curse mark. Remove it.”
Her speech was so poor it was hard to follow. Glitched or what?
Before I could ask what she meant, Luna—petting the rats quietly—spoke up.
“You mean there’s a curse mark making the plants grow, and you want it removed?”
“Yes. Finish this job, I’ll recognize your karma. I’m done. Guide them, Roni.”
Hamelin set the ribboned rat on her shoulder down to the ground.
It squeaked eagerly and vanished into the distant dark.
“You two now. Enough. Still. Be careful.”
With that, Hamelin said nothing more and retreated into the tent. She looked utterly drained, like a twisted desert weed.
Living in this pitch-black, stench-filled underground waterway with rats—no point expecting brightness or enthusiasm.
Everyone has their lifestyle. Not my place to comment.
Still, bummed I didn’t get to ask everything before she dipped.
Fuck, feels like a hook in my nose.
So I asked Luna.
“But what’s that about recognizing karma?”
“No clue, but probably good reward? Got onyx as advance. Rest of the pay must be huge!”
Luna had a point. Lately, I noticed she was sharp and clever.
“Heh, onyx. Awesome.”
Luna peeked into her pouch, grinning. Girl after all—loves gems.
I said.
“Maybe keep one instead of selling?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, 30% is yours anyway. Five total, so about one and a half.”
“Sweet! Gonna make a new faceguard with it! Gem-encrusted faceguard—shit! Sounds epic. Let’s go!”
Luna strode ahead, full of energy.
But it didn’t last.
“H-heek…!”
She whimpered in horror, trembling like a frog facing a snake.
I was just as freaked.
“Luna, what the hell is this? Doesn’t look normal.”
“C-curse… A really high-level one…”
Reflected in Luna’s terrified emerald eyes: bizarre wooden totems.
Logs the size of a torso, animals like rats, snakes, birds nailed to them, crusted in black blood.
No way to know their expressions, but clear they died in agony.
Writhing maggots, rotting flesh.
“Fuck, that’s nasty.”
Reminded me of voodoo totems.
Unlike Luna’s cute ones, these reeked of pure curse and evil sorcery.
“N-nails driven in alive… Brutal curse. See? Claw and beak marks everywhere. Signs of slow, thrashing death.”
“What’s the effect?”
“Fear idols. Instill terror, sap morale of anyone who finds them.”
Yeah, seeing this would tank morale.
“Heard these were only used in the Giant War fifty years ago… Anyway, better smash them.”
Luna pulled her silence totem from her back and swung hard, shattering the fear idol.
*Crash.*
Bones, wood, beast corpses scattered. Thought that was it.
*Rustle rustle.*
Luna pulled an empty pouch from her bosom and carefully bagged the rat corpses. Couldn’t help frowning.
“Why bag those?”
“Curse items must be disposed of properly. Especially ones fueled by hate and malice—gotta destroy them. Burn outside later.”
“Gotcha.”
“Hassan, smash with me!”
So Luna and I swung our clubs, demolishing the underground fear idols.
*Crash.*
Only when Luna’s pouch bulged with beast remains did the destruction end.
“Could be linked to that cult healer you mentioned. Heshishi fits, but this curse stuff? Only Ideophe do that.”
So the cult’s offensive wasn’t over? Haven’t heard we caught everyone but Skizo.
They might be plotting in infiltrated Sodmora.
“Where’d that ribbon rat go?”
Got distracted by totems, lost it.
Zipped ahead earlier too—brainless beast doesn’t get guiding.
*Squeak, squeak!*
Then a familiar sound from the dark waterway ahead.
All rat squeaks sound alike, but maybe reacting to us—
Sure enough, a red-ribboned rat emerged from the dark.
*Squeak squeak…*
Held in someone else’s hand.
*Splash, splash.*
Bare feet slapping the underground floor echoed loudly. Soon, a massive mask emerged from the dark—like a jangseung or goblin, with sharp fangs.
I knew that mask.
If memory served, that was the cult healer Somnia. Shit, here of all places!
Should run or fight, but my body wouldn’t move—like glued to the floor. No, really couldn’t move! What the hell?
“Came ‘cause I’m pissed who smashed my hard-made idols.”
*Squeak, screee—!*
*Crunch.*
The ribbon rat in Somnia’s hand burst under crushing grip, with a agonized death cry. Somnia grabbed the blood and guts, muttering incantations under the mask.
“...!”
Luna yanked my arm in pure panic.
“H-Hassan… R-run! Now!”
Only then did my body regain strength and move.
“Too late. Rise, eunsambi.”
Chunks of scattered corpses, dried blood on the floor began writhing up.
*Grrooo.*
“Fuck, what is that!?”
The grotesque noise made my soul flee. Shit, horrifying and nauseating!
“Rise, undead.”
“…D-don’t rise!”
Luna swung her silence totem at the meaty horror. *Pop!*—it burst.
“Gah!
“Huh? Who are you to disrupt my curse? How?”