Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Liar Baiyu
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The monsters burst through the door.
They were bipedal creatures cloaked in black hoods, straight out of a Cthulhu mythos standard— the kind that could crawl right out of those tales.
Of course, to ordinary eyes, they were grotesque, nightmarish abominations. But by Jang Jojun's standards—having visited the black market three times already—they were just your run-of-the-mill monsters.
"Grraaah!!!"
Baiyu, half in a panic, unleashed a barrage of skills at them. The bipeds struck directly by his abilities spewed blue blood and dropped dead. They weren't particularly tough.
But that was only because Baiyu's mental fortitude was high enough to even consider fighting. The two prisoners standing beside Jang Jojun could do nothing but tremble helplessly.
'Yeah, that's it. Fight on... Baiyu...'
Jang Jojun cheered silently for Baiyu, who was tangled up with the bipedal monsters in a haze of terror. A few occasionally glanced his way, but when he demonstratively crushed one with Tentacle Ejection, they kept their distance.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Tentacle Ejection
Perhaps because he'd mastered the Favor of Ten Thousand Demons, an aura familiar to Jang Jojun permeated the air. And seeing him not actively fighting, the bipeds must have figured he was one of them—or something similar. Above all, the eyes guarding his back were downright terrifying.
Like the other gods, the evil deities' connection to the Thrilling Manor cut off the moment their minions entered. But the summoned beasts bound by direct soul contracts could still watch Jang Jojun just fine.
The presence of Kyseria and Aynax was far too overwhelming for level 18 dungeon bipeds to handle. No amount of intelligence could bridge the innate gap in their ranks.
(For the record, the evil deities could still observe him—they just couldn't communicate.)
Meanwhile, Baiyu was overwhelmed by the bipeds zeroing in on him, tears streaming down his face. It was heartbreaking and suffocating. This wasn't why he'd come here, yet somehow, he kept getting dragged along by that Korean player. In the end, pride be damned—he just wished Jang Jojun would help him out.
"Grraaaah!!! You damn bastard!! Quit just watching and help!!! No, help me out, please!!!!"
"Sorry, Baiyu!! But I'm a total non-combatant!"
"Bullshit!! I saw you use skills!!!! Help!! Help!!!"
Baiyu's mana was running dry. He'd survived this long, scavenging gear and popping mana-boosting elixirs, but it didn't compare to Jang Jojun's whopping 700+ mana pool.
He couldn't match the might of Luck 666, armed to the teeth with all sorts of fortuitous encounters.
'At this rate... I'm dead... They're endless...'
Baiyu agonized over how to deal with the bipeds slithering into the room with the demon clock. Fighting solo would leave no time to recover mana before the sheer numbers overwhelmed him.
'Blow 'em all at once... clear a path...'
In the end, he pulled out his trump card—a skill stolen from a level 14 vampire.
"Blood Burst!!!"
💥 CRITICAL HIT! 💥
-BOOM!!!!
Baiyu's spilled blood detonated in an instant. He took no damage, but the bipeds surrounding him shredded into rags, collapsing like soaked dishrags. It bought a brief opening.
The blast created an empty space, and just then, the influx from the doorway slowed. The nearby ones had all pushed in, leaving a gap at the entrance. It wouldn't last—the bipeds from elsewhere were already converging on the noise. In short, now was the perfect chance to escape.
'Gotta run solo... screw that fucking Korean... ditch the mission, flee... somehow make it to Nick's time slot... Yeah, then grab some random player and bail from the manor...'
Having marked Jang Jojun as an enemy, Baiyu planned to bolt alone.
But Jang Jojun, sensing a chance to backstab his foe, wasn't about to let that happen. He wasn't merciful enough to release prey he'd decided to devour.
Like a snake, he coiled around Baiyu, inescapable. Seizing the moment to turn him into a vegetable, he extended his demonic grasp.
A Half-Human Half-Demon headbutt landed. Of course, direct attacks risked penalties, so he borrowed others' hands.
"Baiyu's trying to flee. Pin him down quick."
"Got it."
"Understood."
While Baiyu soloed the bipeds, Jang Jojun summoned Ebony Cockroaches to fend off the approaching ones. He stabbed the gagged, bound prisoners repeatedly with a ritual dagger, healed them with Rising Flesh, broke their wills, and branded them with Slave Brand.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Rising Flesh
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Slave Brand
With two new slaves in seconds, Jang Jojun intercepted Baiyu just as he made for the door alone. Baiyu had barely held off the octopus-headed horde and created a gap, but now two players wedged between him and the exit, attacking. It was maddening.
"Fuuuuck!!! Get out of the way!!! Why the hell are you doing this now!!!!!"
Baiyu screamed at the bipeds crawling in from down the hall. The duo blocking the entrance had ruined his escape window.
Soon the bipeds surged back in. The two slaves, per Jang Jojun's orders, fell back as the monsters pressed, leaving Baiyu to face them alone again. He wore down, turning into a ragged mess.
Watching Baiyu stagger and barely block tentacle strikes, Jang Jojun decided it was time to wipe the bipeds out.
Truth be told, preparations were done earlier. With countless corpses and the hyper-efficient Ebony Cockroaches, he could personally manifest a Ten Thousand Wheels army in no time.
'The jeweler said it... this place is for levels 15 to 18... So these bipeds are just zombies in bulk.'
That was his conclusion after popping one with a tentacle at the fight's start. They had numbers, rapid healing, and mental attacks—but that was it.
That "it" was nightmare fuel for normal players, but for lunatics like Jang Jojun or the cockroaches, it was nothing.
Anyway, in his eyes, their numbers matched zombies', and mental attacks didn't faze him or the roaches. They were perfect cockroach chow—full of egg-laying candidates. This place was basically his stage now.
'Thank god no wolf-masked freak shows up...'
As he tossed a few bipeds to the roaches, they gleefully jammed ovipositors into bellies and laid eggs.
"Baiyu! You okay?"
"Ggyaagggghhh!!!!!"
Baiyu, pinned by bipeds with tentacles jammed in his ears and nose force-feeding forbidden knowledge, couldn't even respond properly.
"Don't die on me... Alright, now sweep these octopus bastards clean."
"Kishasha!!!"
Jang Jojun unleashed his stockpiled roaches.
Bugs devouring innards from inside biped guts burst out, ripping through. Cockroaches the size of a grown man's head multiplied exponentially. The cramped room became a hellscape of bipeds, bugs, and a thrashing human.
"Keeiee!!!"
The bipeds shrieked as the cockroach swarm tore into them. Meanwhile, Jang Jojun tentacled the gasping Baiyu from the floor.
"Baiyu. You good?"
"S-stop... I don't wanna know anymore... Don't wanna know... Get out of my head!!! Please, I'm begging... Hngguh..."
"Aw... Baiyu..."
Jang Jojun gazed pityingly at the blue-blood-soaked, shuddering, agonized Baiyu with feigned sympathy. Perfect state to slip something in.
One hand clamped Baiyu tight to prevent escape; the other pulled a tumbler of memory-wipe wine from his bag. He'd decanted it specially—bringing the bottle risked inspection.
"Drink this, and all the bad memories vanish. C'mon, medicine time."
"N-no!!! You!!! Were you scheming to feed me this from the start?! This is team-kill!! Arbiter!!! Arrrbiterrrr!!!"
"That's why sharp ones are a pain... Look, Baiyu!! This is for your own good! Curing your corrupted mind!!! Drink!!!"
Before more nonsense, Jang Jojun pried Baiyu's mouth open and poured a sip.
Gulp.
"Wha...? Huh...? W-wait... What is... this place...? You... Breadhead...?"
A day's memories gone, Baiyu couldn't grasp the situation. Jang Jojun, of course, had zero intention of explaining—and poured another sip.
"Next one."
"W-wait!! Mmph!!"
Instinct screamed not to swallow, but Jang Jojun slammed his jaw shut, forcing it down.
Gulp.
"Hngh...!! Who... who the hell are you!!"
Two sips erased a week. His brain reset to pre-Jang Jojun enmity.
"Last one."
"Huh? What's that? Hey!! Stop!!! Uuugh!!"
Gulp.
Baiyu's resistance was futile. Caught without a single skill, he downed the final sip.
Four-plus sips erased even breathing knowledge—total team-kill. To avoid account deletion, Jang Jojun stopped at three precise sips, wiping all memories. Erasing "corrupted" ones counted as healing—no penalty.
Thus, Baiyu forgot past glories, heartbreaks, lifelong missions—everything but his name. Terrified, he looked up at Jang Jojun, situation incomprehensible.
"U-um... sorry... but who are you...? Are you holding me...? And where... is this...? Why am I... here...? Where even is here? Huh?"
Confirming Baiyu was utterly broken, Jang Jojun launched Method acting: long-lost comrade to the amnesiac. He spoke warmly, like an old pal.
But...
"Hey, Baiyu. You with it?"
"B-Baiyu? Who's that...? That's not me..."
"What? Oh. R-right...?"
"Yeah... I'm..."
"Meiling...?"
Jang Jojun froze in disbelief.
The crazy chink was a woman.
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