Chapter 167: Unintentional Luck (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 167: Unintentional Luck (3)
Kang Geomma shoved the half-drawn sashimi knife back into its sheath. He tried to count the angels but shook his head. There were too many—far too many for just two sashimi knives to handle. Geomma spat out a curse.
"Is this some kind of hundred-chicken combo deal? Why are there so many of these goddamn pigeons?"
He might have disparaged them as pigeons, but they were clearly formidable foes. He hadn't lost his composure enough to deny that reality.
The power those bastards are using. What is it?
They didn't wield magic like the Majin did. Instead, they wrapped a white energy around their arms like bandages.
Was there anything like this in the game's lore? Geomma pondered for a moment before brushing the thought aside.
That's not what's important right now.
Who cared what kind of power those pigeon bastards wielded? He had just witnessed them committing a brutal massacre.
Angels? My ass. Compared to these things, the pigeons flocking around Seoul Plaza were actual angels. Geomma wet his dry lips with his tongue.
Getting the bonus reward was out of the question now. Still, he would at least obtain the second fragment, which was his main goal. He had to take solace in that.
It's a shame, though.
He couldn't just stand by and watch this senseless slaughter. He knew all of this was an illusion, but he was still genuinely furious.
He was observing a fragment of human history as a third party, which only made his blood boil even more.
At those who slaughtered humans simply because they sought to live their own lives—and at the higher beings above them—Geomma felt pure, unadulterated rage.
"..."
Suddenly, his gaze drifted to the side. A little kid was staring at him, looking completely shell-shocked. She was a young girl with mint-green hair and eyes that sparkled like lush summer foliage. Geomma gave her a faint smile.
"Hey, kid."
"H-Huh?"
Fortunately, it seemed the quest had provided a Korean language patch. Geomma knelt on one knee in front of the girl, lowering himself to her eye level, and patted her head.
"What's your name?"
"Mesther..."
Geomma grinned once more.
"Listen carefully, Mesther. From now on, do exactly as I say. Got it?"
At the black-haired mister's smile, the life that had drained from her eyes began to return.
"Run over there."
As he spoke, Geomma gestured with his chin toward a pile of rocks up the hill. With her short legs, she wouldn't be able to run far. Those boulders, which at least offered some overhead cover, would have to serve as her bomb shelter.
Mesther parted her lips, then nodded silently. Instinct told her that obeying this mister was the right choice.
Ah, right.
Just before leaving, Mesther picked up a flower crown that had fallen to the ground. It was stained with blood and looked pitiful. She had originally intended to give it to her father, but the winged monsters had robbed the gift of its recipient.
Mesther fidgeted with it with her tiny hands. After a brief hesitation, she placed the crown on the head of the mister in front of her.
"I'll give you this."
"Oh..."
Geomma was taken aback. But his expression quickly brightened, and he chuckled.
"Thanks. I'll wear it well."
"What's your name, mister?"
Geomma answered calmly. It wasn't because he had time to spare, but simply because the enemies showed no signs of moving yet.
The pigeons merely stared down at him with sunken, hollow eyes, as if watching a monkey in a zoo.
"I'm Kang Geomma. And I'm not a mister. ...Well, technically I might be, but biologically, I'm still a teenager."
"How old are you then?"
"Stop asking questions and run."
"Everyone else is dead anyway. I don't care if I die here. So I'm not moving until you tell me."
She's too young to fully grasp the situation, Geomma thought, sighing as he replied.
"Seventeen."
"Huh? You're three years younger than me?!"
"...What?"
A bit of life returned to Mesther's terror-stricken face.
"Kang Geomma..."
Mesther repeated the name to herself, then immediately turned and ran like her tail was on fire. She knew that any further conversation would only get in the way of the mister (?).
Mesther turned her back on the place where her elder, her neighbors, and her parents had vanished. She was the sole ancient human who had narrowly escaped original sin.
I will never forget this.
Mesther ran. She didn't stop even when her feet scraped open and bled.
I have to remember so that people in the future will know what happened today.
Tears squeezed past her tightly shut eyelids. Only then did her bottled-up sobs finally burst out.
The angels looked at one another. Since they shared a collective consciousness, they could communicate without speaking.
Archangel Uriel spoke on their behalf.
[What are you?]
"..."
Geomma didn't reply. He drew his blade a span's length and stared at it. The well-honed steel hummed with a sorrowful ring.
It was then.
[Hidden – Using 'Crown of flower' as a catalyst, the history of the worldline is being rewritten.]
[Location – Using 'Code. Ancient' as a catalyst, a temporary elevation of rank is possible.]
[The program is utilizing the Counterforce to readjust and synchronize the current location, Code. Ancient.]
Bzzzz—
Archangel Uriel pressed him.
[My question was flawed. I shall ask again.]
"..."
[Who gave you that power? State the name of the filthy being who bestowed such an utterly wicked power upon you. Speak the name of the one who granted you a power that insults the very stars in the heavens by its mere existence.]
"..."
[If you have no intention of answering, I will pry open your brain to find out.]
"Coo, coo, coo. You sure are impatient."
The blood-scented silence shattered like glass.
"Who gave it to me? I don't fucking know either. If I did, would I be going through all this trouble hunting down artifacts?"
[...!]
"But fine, I'll tell you what they do. Until recently, they were catching fish. But they've changed industries now."
The human tools scattered all around rose into the air. Chipped swords that looked like saws, crude shapes that barely deserved to be called blades. Yet, in sheer number, they were more than a match for the host of angels.
Geomma spoke.
"They're a fried chicken shop owner, you feathered bastards."
[Blessing of the Sword God — False Appellation has been deactivated.]
Boom!
With a clap of thunder, the swords swept through the air at invisible speeds.
The scattered blades tore into the angels' raw flesh. Limbs were severed. Golden blood splattered in the air like batter in a deep fryer.
Aaaaaaaargh...!
Endless screams and a pungent stench filled the wilderness.
The angels struggled to flee, but they could not escape the oncoming steel. The tips of the blades spelled immediate death for them.
...For one minute, human tools crushed celestial beings.
Thud, thud. Wingless corpses rained down like a drizzle.
A bizarre phenomenon where an unknown entity single-handedly overwhelmed a host of angels.
If this scene were to be passed down to distant future generations, it would be called:
Divine punishment.
* * *
[You have acquired the second fragment of 【???】, 'The Surviving Child'. Total acquired: (2/7).]
—Flash!
* * *
"A child survived amidst the divine punishment that drenched the earth in blood.
A cursed child. A human unchosen by the stars. Numerous stigmas were attached to her name.
Yet, her lineage would make a profound contribution to human history, and indeed, it continues to do so.
In later years, the child depicted the day of judgment in drawings on a massive stone.
To leave a record of that unjust judgment. She also carved her yearning to settle the debts of gratitude and resentment from that day.
And that was the stepping stone for the birth of humanity's true sword—the beginning of written language."
* * *
[Emergency Quest: Memories of the Ancients cleared!]
Beep!
[※ However, you have failed to acquire the bonus reward. (...)]
[....]
[....]
♪♬♩♫♪
[NEW! By clearing the hidden quest 'The Sole Survivor', the True Reward is bestowed.]
[▷ You are now able to manifest the 'Blessing of Borrowed Power'.]
[....]
[....]
[Thank you for your hard work.]
* * *
The Spear Saint tapped a stack of documents against his desk to align them.
"The matter seems to be more or less wrapped up. Good work, Medea."
"This is barely any different from my usual workload at the Academy, so it's fine. ...I'm exhausted from lack of sleep, but now that a weight's been lifted off my shoulders, I should go get some rest."
Medea massaged the area around her eyes. The Spear Saint watched her with a somewhat bitter expression.
"You're working so hard even at our age. When we were young, we worried about dying at the hands of demons, but lately, I find myself more afraid of illness. Ah, of course, unlike me, you'll live much longer. Kuhaha! In human terms, aren't you still basically a twenty-year-old?"
"Could you not treat me like some kind of freak? I just live longer than others, but I'm a normal human too, you know?"
"I don't think living for hundreds of years more can be called normal..."
Medea's brow furrowed. The Spear Saint quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, could you tell me how your ancestor survived the divine punishment? Guiding Kang Geomma to the Monolith made me curious."
"You must have heard it from my dad at least once. He's your direct superior, so I figured he would've told you that much."
"I haven't had a personal chat with the Association President in quite some time."
"Why? You used to follow my dad around so well."
"He is currently in seclusion. It's been about three years now."
"Again? He's over three hundred years old; has dementia finally set in?"
"It's been nearly fifty years, so it's about time for him to forge a new identity. Isn't that the tradition of the Poison clan? Besides, by ancient standards, the Association President is barely middle-aged."
"Even so, couldn't he at least give his daughter a heads-up? They always disappear without a word. My sister dumped the Academy Principal position on me and went missing ages ago, and now my dad too? Ugh, what a family."
Medea let out a low sigh. She spoke again.
"Anyway, I don't know the exact details about the Poison progenitor either. The lore has been passed down so sporadically. The only thing that remains consistent in the oral history is that a human suddenly appeared and stopped the divine punishment."
"A human... It's hard to imagine a human capable of blocking divine punishment."
"It varies depending on the records, but the most plausible theory is that they simply personified a natural disaster. You know how myths and legends usually go. Something suddenly appears and destroys everything, then someone suddenly saves the day, and they end up being deified. It's probably along those lines."
"Whether it's myth or legend, it's thanks to that event that the lineage of the ancients was preserved."
Medea shrugged as if it were none of her business.
"If the legend is true, my ancestor was blessed with incredible luck."
Ring ring—
The intercom rang. Excusing himself to Medea, the Spear Saint picked up the receiver.
"It's me. What is it?"
[It seems Lord Geomma has finished his business.]
Holding the receiver, the Spear Saint turned his head. His eyes met Medea's weary gaze. She gave a slight nod.
The Spear Saint brought the receiver back to his mouth.
"I'll head down immediately."