Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Don't Just Pick Up and Eat Anything
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I agonized repeatedly between the Black Serpent's Egg and the Fang.
‘The Black Serpent's Egg.’
I don't know what a Black Serpent does, what it looks like, or its specs, so I'm wondering if it's right to hatch the egg and raise the serpent.
‘Besides, this isn't a summon.’
This is the biggest stumbling block. It's really bothering me that it's not explicitly stated as a summon in the description.
The Salamander is clearly stated as a summon. That's why it's fine if it dies, I can just summon it again, but the Black Serpent wasn't a summon. If it dies in battle, wouldn't it just die for real?
‘If it dies while I'm raising it, that's just the end of it. That's a bit much, isn't it?’
It just says 'can be tamed,' so I'm thinking if it dies, that's the end of it.
Moreover, it's not given in a hatched state; I have to raise it from the egg stage, which seems like it would be quite a hassle.
What if it breaks while I'm carrying it around? Then I'd have to eat it like it's a snack or something. The fact that it's given as an egg from the start gives off a strong stench of being a dud.
‘Alright, let's not choose the Black Serpent's Egg. It would be a waste of a reward if it dies while I'm raising it, and I don't know how many resources, time, and effort it would take to raise it. Besides, if I raise it all the way and it dies with a bang, or if its condition is bad even after it becomes an adult, that would be super frustrating.’
The Black Serpent's Egg is rejected. After thinking it over and over from various angles, I had a hunch that choosing the egg wasn't the best option.
‘Then the Fang...’
The Fang is, for starters, the strongest ground weapon that can kill any opponent in a single stab.
But the fact that it's a one-time use makes me hesitate to choose it.
I have to use it once and throw it away. It feels like a bit of a waste. At least if I could use it five or more times, it would be worth considering, but the one-use nature of the Fang makes me hesitant.
‘Honestly, just looking at the Tentacle Emission and Oral Summoning skills I have now, most enemies get taken out in one hit... But do I really need to choose the Fang?’
Since the performance of the skills I have is so excellent, I thought it would be fine even without the Fang.
Moreover, with Tentacles or Oral Summoning, I can kill Special Zombies even at medium to long range in one hit.
The Tentacles can even grab up to five and explode them to death.
Thinking about it that way, the Fang, which I have to get close to and stab with, felt like a reward with little merit.
‘Then the Twisted Core, which increases my mana so I can use more skills, would be much more beneficial.’
As my thoughts reached that point, my gaze naturally went to the Core.
This is an insane item that, if eaten properly, increases mana by a whopping 500.
An increase of 500 mana. How many levels would I have to raise to reach that number?
I can't find an answer. It's a number so huge it's incalculable.
‘500 mana. Honestly, it's tempting.’
If I eat this, I could confidently say I'm the strongest in this neighborhood.
My mana stat of 245 is by no means low, but if it increases by 500 to become 745, just how strong would I become? If I spewed Tentacles everywhere, would anyone be able to stop me?
It's a number that would allow me to constantly emit Tentacles and have Profane Touch active at all times.
And it costs 10 mana to use Slave Mark once, so with 745 mana... I could honestly open a slave factory with that much mana. Besides, my mana recovery feels like it speeds up proportionally to my mana amount. Even if I use all 745 mana, I can fill it all back up just by sitting and resting for a few hours.
If my mana is around 745, honestly, I could afford to be a little careless, couldn't I?
If I can just somehow avoid the 55 percent instant death probability, I'll be one step closer to being a real munchkin.
‘And when I surpassed 100 mana, I got a reward where all my stats increased by 10... I wonder if I'll get a similar benefit this time too?’
And if I succeed in consuming it, it seems I could achieve several achievements as well.
‘Or should I finally try feeding it to Hwang Su-min and take a gamble?’
Hwang Su-min is a class that benefits immensely from a high mana stat.
If it goes up by nearly 500 at once, I could probably use her as a magic bomber.
I'm not kidding, it would be incredible. She could just mindlessly spam magic and burn all the approaching enemies to a crisp.
‘But would Hwang Su-min actually survive with a 45 percent chance?’
That's the problem. A 45 percent chance of survival is by no means a low number. But if you think about the 55 percent chance of death, that's also not a low number, which is why I'm hesitant to choose.
To be honest, it seems like Hwang Su-min would just die if she ate the Twisted Core.
After all, her luck stat isn't that high. Hwang Su-min's luck stat was even lower than Ha-rin's 33.
‘Even if it's influenced by my luck... The chance of survival is higher if I eat it rather than Hwang Su-min. Anyway, my luck is 666.’
If Hwang Su-min eats the core and dies by some mistake, I'd lose the achievement reward and waste a mage.
I decided it would be better for me, who has a ridiculously high luck stat, to eat it as a safe bet.
‘Alright, I'll eat it. The chance of surviving after eating the Twisted Core is a whopping 45 percent. This is worth a shot...’
As I was staring intently at the Black Serpent's Twisted Core while pondering various things, a small imp shaped like Eun-ji popped into my head and whispered tantalizingly in my ear.
‘You wanted to eat it from the beginning, didn't you?’
My heart skipped a beat.
She hit the nail on the head. Damn it.
Gulp.
Imagining eating the Black Serpent's core and having 745 mana made saliva naturally pool in my mouth.
Actually, I did want to eat it from the start.
A mana stat of 500 isn't some random dog's name; I don't want to give it up easily.
There wasn't even a warning that I couldn't eat more than one, like with the Black Serpent's Core. This must mean the Black Serpent's Core and the Twisted Core aren't overlapping items.
However, the description said it would cause instant death, which made me hesitate. I wondered if I could really survive this time as well.
I'm not getting some protagonist's plot armor like in a novel, and I wasn't sure that death would avoid me this time, so I couldn't bring myself to choose the core.
Then, an angel resembling Ha-rin appeared in my head and chimed in.
‘Hey, you idiot! Your luck is so high, and you're hesitating? Your luck stat alone is 666. And you're worried about dying?’
This angel and that demon… they’re the same kind of creature, aren’t they?
Well, they're both parts of my delusion, so their opinions would be the same.
‘Should I try eating it...?’
My heart was halfway won over by the Twisted Core.
But I still couldn't make a decision. If someone just told me to eat it, I could eat it right away. I needed the courage to eat the core right now.
I wanted to wake up Eun-ji and Ha-rin to ask for their opinions, but they both seemed like they'd tell me not to eat it, so I didn't wake them.
What I needed right now wasn't realistic, sincere advice, but a single word to give me courage.
So I closed my eyes tight. Then, I thought of Kashnax.
As my god, I had a small hope that he would give me a clear answer.
‘Lord Kashnax... Should I eat this core...?’
I asked my god, as if asking a conch shell of magic.
Actually, it was fine even if he didn't react much to my call.
It was like religious people praying to Jesus or Buddha. I prayed because I was frustrated, not because I genuinely expected a reply.
I only prayed to Kashnax because I don't believe in God or Buddha, so I had no one else to pray to...
Did my prayer reach him?
Suddenly, I felt the gaze of a massive being.
“Huff...!”
An eye of great evil, condensed with thick malice.
I feel a very burdensome gaze, as if it's staring intently at me.
The moment I was exposed to that gaze, my spine chilled and cold sweat broke out.
Is this how a mouse feels with a snake right in front of it?
It's a presence too overwhelming for a mere creature to handle.
‘W-what... Why is it staring at me so intently...?’
To be so interested in me. Is it a god with nothing better to do?
Or is it because I acquired the Favor of Ten Thousand Demons, making it act this way? It's strangely enthusiastic.
‘What... I didn't expect it to be this interested... I prayed for nothing.’
To be honest, I never imagined it would react so quickly and accurately to my prayer.
I didn't even think it would stare at me so intently. It's incredibly burdensome.
‘The gaze is heavy... I'd rather it be indifferent.’
The pressure is gradually intensifying.
Just when I thought it was getting hard to breathe, a reply came from the god.
[Do as you see fit.]
[I am hungry.]
The will of the god pierces my mind.
I feel a tremendous hunger. It's demanding a human sacrifice right now.
With the intense will declaration that made me dizzy, I almost drew my dagger for the ritual.
I was seized by the thought of killing someone to offer, even though there was no one suitable for a sacrifice next to me.
If Gu Ji-hwan or Kim Do-kyung were here, I might have offered them immediately.
“Huff... Hah... Cough...”
The pressure that was squeezing me vanished in an instant.
The presence and gaze that had been pressing down on my soul also receded naturally.
‘What kind of presence is so immense...’
I really thought I was going to die. I realized anew that praying to a god is such a dangerous thing...
Being connected to an actual god is no joke.
Moreover, since I've only performed a human sacrifice once, the favor level isn't high, so maybe that's why the reaction was so sharp.
‘I will absolutely never pray carelessly again. If I do pray, I'll do it after I've had my fill of human sacrifices.’
I can't afford to be careless with anything when it comes to an evil god.
If I prayed like I was praying to Jesus at church, I might incur the wrath of the evil god.
‘But it said to do as I see fit, so it seems to be telling me it's okay to try...’
It had the nuance that it would be fine to eat it.
I don't know if this judgment is my own self-serving and arbitrary interpretation or if it's really the will of the god.
But still, getting some kind of answer made me decide it would be okay to eat it.
‘Alright. I'll eat it. How long will it take to raise my mana by 500? I'd eat this even if it kills me. I'll eat it even if I can't...!’
The moment I decided, I acted quickly.
I chose the Black Serpent's Twisted Core as an achievement reward.
Soon, the Twisted Core appeared before my eyes.
‘It's a bit different from the one I ate before...’
The Black Serpent's Core I ate last time was just black. This one had yellow stripes all over it. It looks even more dangerous. It's like a color that warns you that you'll die if you eat it.
“Hoo... Hoo...”
I took a deep breath.
My heart was pounding. I was so tense that goosebumps rose on my skin and my hands trembled slightly.
‘I've been good at lotteries since I was young. My gacha luck was good. Definitely... I'll definitely survive this time too. Yeah, Kashnax will protect me. Does a luck stat of 666 look like a joke to you!’
Gulp.
I swallowed it.
The core melted away like chocolate the moment it entered my mouth.
‘D-done? Is it a success? But why isn't any guidance message popping up, making me anxious?’
The reaction is different from before.
When I ate the Black Serpent's Core, a message popped up right after I put it in my mouth, telling me my mana had increased by 200.
‘Could it be... Could it not be? Did I rely too much on my luck? Damn it! This can't be. Why is there no reaction... Ugh..!’
Thump... Thump!
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!!!
My heart was pounding wildly.
Along with the violent beats loud enough to be heard in my ears, my chest shook, and a pain followed as if my blood vessels were going wild.
“Grrrggghh...!!!”
“M-Master!! Unnie!”
“W-what?! Oppa, what's wrong?! Oppa!”
“Grrraaaah!!!!”
My body thrashed about violently.
My heart felt like it was going to burst.
As I felt foam bubbling from my mouth and all the capillaries in my eyes bursting, my vision simultaneously went dark.
It's dark.
I can't feel my body.
‘Damn it... I went out like a dog...’
Did I really die?
Why isn't the luck stat of 666 working?
Leaving only questions behind, my consciousness was...
Sucked into the depths of the 'Abyss'.