Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: You Can’t Always be Lucky
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"Ugh... Ugh..."
The old man, who had just witnessed a human neck rotting and being torn apart in front of his very eyes, tried to back away from me but stumbled and fell flat on his backside.
Seeing that his lower body had gone damp, it seemed he had even wet himself in terror.
"Hey. What are you doing. Grab him."
"Yes."
At my command, Han Tae-yang, who had been resting for a moment, quickly got up and approached the old man.
"Hwek! Get away from me! You wretched scum! All of you will fall into hell! You bastards, sons of a bitch!"
For a man on the verge of death, the old man had surprising strength. He struggled fiercely to escape Han Tae-yang's grip while spewing curses with the skill of a true artist.
"Pfft. Goddammit. You think I'm doing this because I want to? Just hold still, old man."
Han Tae-yang spat on the ground and gave the corpse of the cross-dresser, who had been sacrificed, a look of utter disgust.
Then, he shuddered as if a chill had run down his spine and grabbed the back of the old man's neck to lift him up.
"P-please! I was wrong! Just let me go this one time!"
The old man's desperate cries echoed throughout the Daiso.
Perhaps because he had just watched a man die screaming in agony right in front of him, the bravado he had shown earlier had completely vanished.
The only thing I could do for this wretched old man was to give him a choice in how he would die.
We had to offer him to the hungry evil gods, so we absolutely could not let him go.
"Hey, old man. Be quiet. I'll give you a choice."
"Hic, hup."
The old man, who had quickly covered his mouth with both hands, looked up at me with terrified eyes.
A small flicker of hope appeared on the old man's face at the mention of a choice.
Did he perhaps delude himself into thinking he could escape this place alive?
Or maybe he believed I would kill him humanely and mercifully.
But in a world where survivors are a treasure, it would be a waste to kill such a precious offering without a single scream. I wanted to torment him a bit more.
It was at that moment, while I was having such sadistic thoughts, that a terrifying voice echoed in my head.
"Hehe. This is amusing."
The voice of Indicron, which I hadn't heard in a while. The uniquely nauseating sound, like a bug being crushed, made my stomach churn a little.
'Ugh... What's with the sudden conversation?'
Seeing me plunge the old man deep into a pit of despair seemed to please Indicron immensely.
It felt as if he was observing my actions like some kind of internet broadcast.
'You can tell Kashnax is watching, but I didn't even know Indicron was watching.'
Especially the way I mentally corner my prey to instill despair—Indicron seemed extremely satisfied with that.
It was a reaction befitting the master of the abyss.
Plunging humans into a pit of despair seemed to be one of the ways to raise Indicron's favor.
If my favor gets a bit higher, he might upgrade my Oral Summon to a better skill, just like Kashnax strengthened my Tentacle Summon to Tentacle Eruption. So, let's play along with what the god desires.
"Hah... Old man. Choose. Do you want to be stabbed to death? Or melt to death like that pig just did? If you hate both, there's exploding to death. You could be chewed to death, too. Choose."
"Uh... Ah... I... I..."
The old man, tears streaming down his face, couldn't continue his words properly.
"Hahahahaha!!"
Indicron laughed heartily, as if he was dying of delight from watching a human crumble.
This should be enough.
"Alright, it must be hard to choose. I'll choose for you."
Who in this world can choose their own death?
No matter how long they've lived, humans always want to live longer.
"Han Tae-yang. Let me see that sword for a moment."
"Yes."
"Just asking in case, but this isn't some kind of magic sword, is it?"
If it is, I'll have to take it.
"No, sir. It appeared when I killed a large zombie."
I asked because I hadn't checked the kid's stats yet, but the blue flame was indeed a skill.
So, this is just a normal weapon.
"Old man. Since you're of age, I'll send you off cleanly. Stretch your neck out and get on the floor."
"Huhk..."
Even for an old man, death is frightening.
How many people in this world can throw their lives away like disposable straws?
I think that's enough thinking.
I struck the old man's neck without hesitation.
"I offer this."
The old man's soul was drawn towards Indicron.
Now, only the weak, rotting flesh of an old man remained here.
The old man's soul must have tumbled into the endless abyss.
Since Indicron, who was watching me, kept sending reactions that he wanted the old man's soul, I had no choice but to hand it over.
"A gift. Thank you. Have fun with it."
This guy doesn't eat souls.
Kashnax, on the other hand, gobbled them up as soon as he got them and even gave a taste review.
'Damn it.'
It was a short conversation, but it made my head spin. I was about to close my eyes for a moment to find some peace of mind when Kashnax started whispering in my head, making it throb.
"Che... I'll let it slide this time."
The moment the soul was offered to Indicron, Kashnax's sharp reaction came in immediately.
The voice, filled with intense anger, also carried a deep sense of betrayal.
Kashnax's growl, like a dog whose food bowl had been snatched away, was so terrifying it made my brain tremble.
'Kuk... This can't be bad, can it? It can't be. He said he'd let it slide this time...'
My head throbbed, and it rang as if I'd been hit a few times.
The damned evil god. Giving me a headache just for skipping one offering.
Moreover, the phrase "this time" was very troubling.
It meant that if I offered a soul to another god next time, he would never forgive me.
I could feel an obsession that was too much for a human to handle.
'Please, you insane god, show a little less interest in me...'
Are there no other gods besides me?
He watches me all day like he's doing an in-depth report on me, and it's draining.
It's like the feeling of a girl being stalked by a stalker who's openly licking her, but she can't call the police.
It's always like this with Kang Hwa-yeong and Kashnax. They're never satisfied.
They try to eat endlessly, so I'm the one who dies in the middle.
'Stay calm. Just imagine that the creepy woman who loves me is just feeling a little jealous for a moment...'
Imagining Kashnax as a big-breasted, creepy woman made me feel a little better.
I continued to give myself the suggestion that I was being loved. I had to do this to barely endure the heavy attention of this creepy evil god.
"Hoo."
I wiped my dry face and pulled myself together. Even though two evil gods are watching me, I won't be cowed.
I have to go back to the mart and take Aram's virginity. There are many happy things waiting for me.
"Let's go now. You ladies over there. Pack everything worth packing into the bags. We're going to sweep away everything that's useful."
The mart is overflowing with goods, but since we're here, I want to take as much as we can carry.
That way, the nearby survivors will have nothing to scavenge, and they'll come to the mart.
'I should have brought a cart from the mart...'
If I had brought a cart, I could have taken so much more. I didn't think of it.
"We're all packed."
After waiting for about ten minutes, the slaves, who had packed a ton of items, gathered in front of me.
"Alright, let's head to the mart."
I went to the Daiso entrance, on guard for any remaining zombies.
Right then.
Whoosh!
A light flashed from the Daiso entrance, and someone walked out of the light.
"Huh? What's that."
A man carrying a large bag walked out slowly.
A man with an indescribable, strange aura, wearing a hiking hat pulled down deep.
"It's a Peddler...!"
The man who walked out of the light glanced at us with his sharp eyes and then sat down at the Daiso entrance, spreading out a mat.
"Huh. What a mess."
He naturally laid out his stall and placed five items on it.
"Wow. Oppa. Jackpot."
"Seriously. Jackpot."
Just how lucky am I?
At this point, am I really the protagonist of this world?
"Oppa, the appearance condition for a Peddler was 10 or more people. We have 11 now, so it must have spawned."
"Wow. This actually works."
"It hasn't been that long since I last saw a Peddler, but it's amazing to see one again."
I got so much from a single outing, it's almost unbelievable.
I got so many slaves, caught two named monsters to level up, and now a Peddler has even appeared.
"I need to quickly exchange the Black Chip for a permanent pass to the black market."
"Alright!"
I took the Black Chip from my inner pocket and was about to approach the Peddler.
"Hold on. Sniff, sniff."
Right then, Kang Hwa-yeong grabbed my collar tightly.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?"
"Sniff, sniff. Hmm..."
"Ah, what the hell are you doing now. Are you hungry?"
"No. I smell blood from that guy. I smell blood, don't I?"
"What? Blood? What do you mean, you smell blood?"
"Sniff, sniff, I'm telling you it's there. Am I wrong? It's there."
Is she throwing a fit again because she's hungry?
My trust in Kang Hwa-yeong is at rock bottom, so I don't believe a word she says.
"Why would I suddenly smell blood? It's not the stench of zombie blood?"
"It's different from that. I just suddenly smelled it. Now that I smell blood, I'm getting hungry again. It was definitely a fresh smell, though. Ah. I'm hungry."
Kang Hwa-yeong said this and sent a strange look to the kid who was struggling to carry a heavy bag.
It was a look that seemed to announce she was going to suck his blood, so the kid shuddered and hid behind my back.
'But why would there be a blood smell from the Peddler all of a sudden? I can't make sense of what this crazy woman is saying sometimes.'
Thinking it must be nothing, I was about to face the Peddler again.
This time, Ha-rin spoke to me with a horribly distorted expression, glaring at the Peddler.
"Master."
"Hm? What's with your expression, Ha-rin?"
Ha-rin, without blinking an eye, frowned with a tense look and glared at the Peddler.
She must have felt something. Ha-rin's intuition has been very accurate so far, so it was worth hearing.
"It's just. I don't remember it exactly, but it just came to mind..."
"Yeah. Tell me."
"In last week's update notes... it said to be careful because there are occasionally 'Murderous Robbers' disguised as Peddlers. Do you remember?"
"Huh?"
Now that I think about it, why are there only five items on the stall?
It was at that moment that the question arose.
"Heheh."
The Peddler gave a chilling smile.
💥 MURDEROUS ROBBER APPEARED! PREPARE FOR COMBAT!!! 💥
This is an NPC with level scaling!
I immediately raised my arms to emit tentacles.
At the same time, the Murderous Robber threw one of the items from his stall at us.
"Damn!"
Smash!
The glass bottle he threw was shattered by a tentacle before it could fully fly into our group.
Yellow powder scattered from the broken bottle, swirling and rising into the air.
At a glance, it was a dangerous powder that would surely mess you up if you inhaled it. The creeping yellow powder was like a curse of death.
Han Tae-yang tried to blow away the incoming yellow powder with the wind from his sword swing, but it had little effect.
I don't know what effect that yellow powder has, but inhaling it can't lead to anything good.
Because of it, my breathing kept getting messed up as I tried not to inhale the yellow powder.
"Hup...!"
I need to get to an open area before the poison spreads more. But of course, the bastard appeared at the Daiso entrance, making it tricky to escape.
The one saving grace is that the first-floor wall is made of full glass.
"Hey! Han Ah-ram! Break the glass! We need to get outside!"
At my shout, the group quickly snapped to their senses and got into combat formation.
Eun-ji quickly hid to ambush the enemy, and Ha-rin gathered the remaining mana to boost her strength.
In the meantime, the Murderous Robber threw off his foolish-looking hiking hat and the large, empty bag.
Then he picked up a gray scarf from the stall to cover his nose and mouth and pulled out a dagger and a hand cannon from his chest.
The scarf seemed to have an effect similar to a gas mask, as the Murderous Robber moved perfectly fine within the yellow fog.
But the problem isn't just the scarf.
'A hand cannon..?!'
Click.
In an instant.
Without a moment to think, the Murderous Robber aimed the hand cannon at me and fired.
BOOM!
The muzzle of the hand cannon flashed and spewed fire.
"Ruyue!"
Pshew!
I shot out tentacles from both hands to block the incoming bullet, but almost all ten strands were torn apart, and at the same time, the shockwave was delivered to my body, sending me flying backward spectacularly.
'Even after blocking it, there's this much shockwave...!'
I was about to crash into a display stand when Ha-rin barely caught me, and by the time I corrected my stance, the Murderous Robber had already finished reloading.
"Tsk. You blocked that?"
The Murderous Robber clicked his tongue and approached leisurely. The unpleasant smile on his face showed no signs of disappearing.
It must mean he's confident enough to be smiling.
"I see everything."
The Murderous Robber, without even turning around, stopped Eun-ji's ambush with a back kick and swatted away all the shadow daggers she threw.
As he was deflecting the daggers, a gap opened up, and Han Tae-yang and Han Ah-ram rushed in. However, neither of them landed a valid hit on the Murderous Robber.
The robber deflected both of their attacks with his dagger, and even thrust his sword into Han Tae-yang's shoulder, leaving a deep wound.
"Kwaaak!! What the hell!! This bastard!"
"Oppa, watch out for the gun! We can't win!"
His strength was immense, easily knocking people away with a push.
His attack speed was absurdly fast, and his reflexes were like those of a wild beast.
"Damn it!!! Ha-rin, Eun-ji! The rest of you, don't get close! That bastard has a gun, so you have to dodge!"
If I approach him carelessly, my head will be sliced off by his crazy dagger. The problem is that if we get too far away, he'll shoot.
Click.
The Murderous Robber, realizing that I could block with tentacles, aimed his gun at Han Ah-ram, who was breaking the glass window.
"Hey! Han Tae-yang! Block it!"
Han Tae-yang, as if he had drained all his mana, tried to block the incoming bullet with his sword wreathed in blue flames.
Crash!
"Kwaaaah!!!"
Han Tae-yang's Flamberge shattered into pieces.
The shotgun pellets from the hand cannon and the fragments of the broken sword embedded themselves in Han Tae-yang's body, and he fell backward, writhing in pain.
"Oppa!!!!"
"Tae-yang!"
I wasn't just standing still, either. I kept shooting out tentacles to attack him, but they were all blocked by his dagger, not landing a single hit.
'What kind of bastard is this...!'
This is dangerous. I'm feeling a sense of crisis that I didn't even feel when fighting named monsters.
I only have two Oral Summons left, but judging by his movements, he'll probably dodge all of them unless it's a perfect ambush.
I need another plan.
'I need to create a definite opening in him to have a chance to rip off one of his limbs with an Oral Summon.'
Right then, Kashnax, who had been watching me quietly, whispered softly.
"Tentacles. You're not using them right..."
"Huh?"
"Twist them. Don't use them individually. Bundle them up."
Twist them and bundle them up?
The robber was about to reload his hand cannon, so I had no time to think deeply.
I immediately followed Kashnax's instruction, waving my hand and twisting the five summoned tentacles together like braiding a rope.
Then, the five tentacles bundled into one large tentacle and flew towards the Murderous Robber.
Thwack!
"Kuhuk..!"
Now I could finally land a proper hit.
The smile was wiped from the bastard's face.