Chapter 64: Demonic Human Association (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64: Demonic Human Association (2)
Hummmmm!
The sound came from the shrine right behind them.
A gust of wind swept through the bamboo forest.
"W-what is this?"
"A mana reaction?"
Richao and Melena cried out at the same time.
Until just moments ago, there were only three people in the vicinity who possessed mana.
This was a fact they had verified over and over again before coming here.
But that was no longer the case.
A new energy was rising from the old wooden building.
[The Jangseung 'Great General Under Heaven' has been designated as an opponent!]
[The Jangseung 'Great Female General Under the Earth' has been designated as an opponent!]
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Along with an earth-shaking roar, two wooden Jangseung totem poles, about five meters tall, appeared.
[The Jangseung 'Great General Under Heaven' glares at the enemies.]
[The Jangseung 'Great Female General Under the Earth' awaits the caster's command.]
A pair of ancient trees that had once protected a village.
They were guardian deities of the land, optimized for defense.
"This can't be..."
Richao's eyes shook with shock.
He wouldn't have been this shocked if a Lich or a Death Knight had appeared before him instead.
"I-I've never heard of anyone having this kind of ability."
Melena, too, could not believe what was happening.
And for good reason.
The ability to control summons was not a common sight.
Necromancers who commanded corpses made up only three percent of all classes, and Elementalists who controlled spirits were so rare that they could be counted among the top hundred in the entire world.
As for those who could control sacred beasts or mythical creatures, they could probably be counted on one hand.
But...
among all of them, there was not a single player who could command a god.
"Just... just what kind of monster are you?!"
Richao screamed, his face twisted in despair.
* * *
Jinhyuk smiled with satisfaction as he watched the Jangseung approach.
It's been quite a while since I summoned both the Great General Under Heaven and the Great Female General Under the Earth at the same time.
The reason he had chosen this specific spot out of countless potential campsites was to use them through Judgment of Anubis.
His mana had been completely depleted from fighting the Thousand-Handed Avalokiteshvara.
This was a stage he had carefully prepared to cover that weakness, and thanks to the two of them dancing right to his tune, things had gone smoothly.
"Oh, and I wouldn't recommend trying to run."
Jinhyuk offered a piece of advice to Richao and Melena as they backed away.
"Are you going to chase us? We know your body hasn't fully recovered yet."
"You're right. I can't."
A chase of unknown duration was out of the question in his current physical state.
It was absolutely impossible.
Therefore...
"Isn't that why I summoned opponents to do it for me?"
The moment the words left Jinhyuk's mouth,
[The Jangseung 'Great Female General Under the Earth' activates 'No Entry'!]
Rumble!
Thick wooden vines began to erupt along the bamboo forest.
An immense number of vines writhed and surged, as if to completely seal off the entire area.
"Break through! We can't get trapped!"
Richao shouted, swinging his sword.
"Tch!"
Melena quickly followed suit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Black bullets battered the wall of vines.
Though they managed to gouge sizable chunks out of the vines, the regeneration speed was far faster.
New growth sprouted instantly over the charred areas.
A green wave pressed in closer and thicker.
"This way...! Aim here!"
"Damn it, I'm trying!"
However, no matter how much they swung their swords or spammed their magic, it was futile.
There was no way a mere Necromancer who had only just completed their second class advancement could dismantle a skill unleashed by the Jangseung.
From the moment the conditions for Judgment of Anubis were met, the outcome of the battle had already been decided.
"Keep it up! That's it! Just a little more!"
Jinhyuk cheered on the struggling Richao and Melena.
"You're almost there! Fighting! You can do it! Let's go!"
Pwooooo!
He had even thrown in cheering balloons and a vuvuzela purchased from the Coin Exchange for good measure.
"Heave!"
"Ho!"
"Heave!"
"Ho!"
Jinhyuk chanted loudly.
It was an act closer to pure humiliation than a simple taunt.
"Aaaaargh!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Richao finally stopped swinging his sword.
He turned, pointing his dripping, bloodlust-infused blade toward Jinhyuk.
"What's wrong? Done cutting vines?"
"To hell with the vines. If I kill you, these damn things will disappear anyway."
Wow, how smart.
"You're absolutely right. If the caster dies, the summons naturally return to where they came from."
But you see...
"Do you really think you can do it?"
Having watched my fight with the Thousand-Handed Avalokiteshvara, you should know better than anyone.
That the likes of you stand absolutely no chance against me.
Wasn't that exactly what you were afraid of, which is why you pretended to be ordinary players and even prepared Caligula's Coin?
"Don't underestimate us. Even a cornered rat will bite."
Richao bared his teeth.
He looked ready to drag Jinhyuk down to hell with him if it came to it.
However, Jinhyuk had already spotted the magic circle forming beneath Richao's feet.
Crackle...
Faint mana traced along the lines.
It was a short-range teleportation magic circle commonly used by Necromancers.
Well, look at this.
He put on a big show of fighting, but behind the scenes, he was plotting his escape.
First Alex, whom he met at the Auction House, then his master Cadric...
Why did these guys always act exactly the same when cornered?
At this point, he couldn't help but wonder if the Demonic Human Association had its own academy that taught escape classes.
"I wanted to capture you in one piece if possible, but you're practically begging for a beating."
Needless to say, he didn't have the slightest intention of letting them go.
After putting in this much effort, there was no way he would release prey that was already in his grasp.
Jinhyuk nodded toward the other Jangseung behind him.
"Subdue them."
A cold command.
[The Jangseung 'Great General Under Heaven' activates 'Make an Example'!]
Boom!
An invisible fist slammed into Richao's head.
"Aaargh!"
A painful scream erupted from Richao's mouth.
But before he could even gather his senses, the attacks continued.
Bam!
Boom!
Richao's body bounced up and down.
Despite being incredibly fast, each blow was heavy enough to shatter bones.
"Cough!"
Once more.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
And once again.
It took less than thirty seconds for every bone in his body to be completely shattered.
"Groan..."
Covered in blood, Richao rolled on the ground.
He was in a wretched state.
It was a miracle he was even alive.
Tremble!
Beside him, Melena was shaking like a leaf.
"H-how are we supposed to beat... a guardian deity-grade entity?"
There was less than a minute left before Caligula's Coin would activate, but she didn't even dare to use it.
She was utterly terrified of Jinhyuk, who kept displaying abilities that defied common sense.
Jinhyuk approached Melena.
"Now that things are mostly sorted out, shall we have a conversation like civilized people?"
It would have been simple if he could use 'Mind Reading' through 'Gluttony's Eye', but unfortunately, both of their levels were higher than his.
This meant he couldn't use the easiest method.
In that case...
He had no choice but to make the most of his ability to distinguish truth from lies.
[Lv. 4 'Gluttony's Eye' has been activated.]
A strange gleam flashed in Jinhyuk's eyes.
"I'm going to ask you some questions now, and I'd appreciate it if you answered honestly."
"W-what do you want to know?"
Melena swallowed hard.
"I've known about your existence for a while, but to be honest, I don't understand your motives. If we don't climb the Tower, humanity will perish. So why are you interfering with players and pulling these strange stunts?"
"That's..."
Melena hesitated.
Right then,
"Don't... don't say a word! Shut your mouth, Melena!"
Richao screamed in a strained voice.
Oh?
To think he hasn't lost consciousness even with those injuries.
I have to hand it to him; his willpower is impressive.
"Loyalty to your organization is admirable, but you should choose your time and place."
There were two people he could question anyway.
Even if one of them disappeared, it wouldn't hinder the interrogation at all.
Jinhyuk snapped his fingers.
"Never...! You must never tell him!"
Richao shouted at Melena.
And those...
Boom!
...were Richao's last words.
An invisible force completely crushed him.
Though there were only two of them, it was a sight truly fitting for the phrase 'making an example.'
"Eek! H-he's dead. Richao... Richao is really dead."
Her legs giving out, Melena collapsed onto her rear.
Her face was pale as a sheet.
Good.
The stick had been used enough; now it was time for the carrot.
"My rule is to never spare anyone who targets my life, but if you tell the truth, I might let you live."
"Y-you'll let me live?"
Melena's eyes widened.
"Yes. Inside information is quite valuable. If you hand over useful intel, I'll postpone your execution."
"..."
A brief silence ensued.
What followed was a voice filled with utter resignation.
"...Fine. But I don't know the details either."
As Jinhyuk prepared to snap his fingers again, Melena hurriedly added,
"No, really! I'm telling the truth! We operate in decentralized cells, and since Richao and I are in the assassination squad, we aren't given any information beyond our immediate missions!"
[Gluttony's Eye discerns the target's words.]
[Melena's words are 'Truth'.]
It seemed she wasn't lying.
"Who gives you your missions?"
"I don't know his real name. But we call him 'Lancelot'."
The legend of King Arthur, which everyone had heard of at least once.
And Lancelot was one of the Knights of the Round Table.
As expected, a familiar name popped up.
The fact that they used code names meant he had likely completed his second class advancement.
"Go on."
"The executives said... if we can gather all the sacred relics in the Tower, we won't die even if humanity is destroyed. And we'll receive massive rewards for it."
"Sacred relics?"
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed at Melena's words.
A highly significant term had surfaced.
"I-I really don't know anything beyond that. That's everything I know."
[Gluttony's Eye discerns the target's words.]
[Melena's words are 'Truth'.]
It seemed this was the limit of what a non-executive could know.
"Alright. I believe you."
Jinhyuk nodded.
Although the information obtained was fragmentary, the harvest was far greater than he had anticipated.
The Knights of the Round Table, the twelve cursed sacred relics, and the reward for gathering them all.
The clues were coming together.
Now he understood exactly what they were after.
A chuckle escaped Jinhyuk's lips.
They've got some serious nerve.
They were even crazier than he had thought.
He had guessed that the Demonic Humans would attempt a hidden quest, but...
to think it was actually related to summoning a Demon King.
Things were starting to get very interesting.
Perhaps he could design a whole new game board, incorporating these variables as well.