Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Lemegeton, No. 49: Crocell
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Chapter 27
Lemegeton, rank 49, Crocell.
And that cruel demon's weapon lake.
The pit formed from pooled evil forged the lake, and it's said that those cut by this sword freeze and rot.
An effect befitting the weapon of Crocell, the demon of decay and bitter cold.
Sssss...
Crack...
The color of Marus's artificial hand, made of mercury, turned cloudy.
[Faust uses Gnawing Corruption.]
[Gnawing Corruption is an aura that condenses bitter cold.]
[Areas hit by Gnawing Corruption have all speeds reduced by 10%.]
[Gnawing Corruption stacks.]
[When the stacks of Gnawing Corruption reach frostbite levels, necrosis or dismemberment begins.]
[The number of stacks needed to cause frostbite varies based on the target's cold and poison resistance.]
Marus would soon find the alien sensation from his artificial hand unbearable.
Whooooom!
[Karl Kursor uses Self-Healing Aura.]
[Every 5 seconds for 30 seconds, attempts to recover from status ailments.]
...
A holy silver light enveloped Marus's body.
"Even though I've now stepped onto the path of disbelief, I fought evil for many long years. A curse like this is..."
The lake's power was no ordinary curse.
Since it was a unique force condensed from evil, it took tremendous effort to dispel it before escaping the pit.
"...What?"
By now, he must have sensed something was wrong.
That this fight wouldn't go down easily.
Marus was strong.
I knew that full well.
Even if my physical body and abilities were superior, I lacked experience compared to a veteran like Marus who'd seen it all. That meant I had to exploit openings.
In this battle ahead, Marus had at most three exploitable weaknesses. All of them mere instants, fleeting as a blink.
And now, the first one had arrived.
Spurt-!
"Urk-!"
The aura of corruption relentlessly targeted his mercury hand.
Crack...
The hand would grow sluggish bit by bit.
And...
'Now!'
Paang-!
"I was waiting for that!"
Marus roared as he thrust his longsword.
Spurt-!
The longsword grazed my cheek by a hair's breadth.
Whooooom...
This time, his artificial hand shifted form into a spear-like shape and stabbed at me again.
Piuuut-!
This was expected.
I immediately thrust out my free hand—the one not gripping my sword—and seized his artificial hand.
[Gnawing Corruption reaches frostbite threshold.]
[Causes necrosis.]
Bzzzt-crack-!
"...What?"
Craaack-!
The mercury hand shattered like brittle pastry.
Psssh...
Scattering like dust, the hand could no longer block me.
In that instant, my one free sword lunged forward.
I saw his chest.
A strong thrust would kill him.
Yes, if I thrust now...
I'd be killing a fellow human.
Puuuuk-!
"Grraaah..."
Paaaang-!
Marus's kick sent me tumbling backward.
"Khek..."
...I did thrust.
It hit not his heart, but his shoulder, far from a fatal blow.
Whooooom-!
[Karl Kursor uses Light of Grace.]
[Light of Grace heals recent wounds and boosts vitality.]
Sizzzzzz...
"Urgh... Hoo... It's so ridiculous I don't even know what to say."
"......"
Shameful. Humiliating.
'...I hesitated.'
I couldn't pierce his heart.
Because that would mean killing a human with my own hands.
It would mean stepping straight into the mud myself.
Was there still a lingering hope in my heart... that I could return to my old life?
'You idiot, moron.'
The disbeliever wrapped his body in the faith he'd long abandoned.
Whirrrrooo...
"If you plan to underestimate me, die right here."
[Karl Kursor uses Consecrated Shield.]
[Conjures a rotating shield of holy power around him.]
[Consecrated Shield has a chance to materialize and block projectiles, fulfilling shield activation conditions.]
The dark chamber swallowed by the pit was now filled with darkness, corruption, and cold.
"Light!"
Whoooosh-!
And to push it back, a brilliant light flashed.
"You dare block my path, when you can't even swing your sword freely!"
Sizzle-!
[Karl Kursor uses Alchemy Scroll: Emergency Repair.]
[If the last alchemy used has lost effect, reuses that alchemy.]
Whirrrrooo...
His artificial hand regenerated.
"It's starting to feel natural, this hand. Bad news for you, though."
"......"
Bad luck.
A word I'd thought of far too often since crossing into this world.
As if the world hated me, as if every moment conspired to kill me.
Karl Kursor's strength, the powers he wielded—they surpassed my predictions and experience.
And he was just the boss of episode 1's first act... I was weaker than that act's boss.
If I hadn't prepared the lake, if I'd been optimistic about the situation, I'd be dead by now, no doubt.
Still, I had plenty of options left.
No, endless ways to survive.
I knew that full well.
No—Faust's cursed body was even now suggesting dozens of ways to slit Karl Kursor's throat.
The lake's third power.
I drew forth the final ability of the lake I could wield now.
Psssh...
[Faust uses Intangible Evil.]
[Can transform the properties of Gnawing Corruption.]
[Transformation speed and volume increase inside the pit.]
Property transformation.
The alpha and omega of the lake's abilities.
At first glance, the description seemed skimpy and boring. But Lemegeton's powers were traditionally vague and underwhelming in description—the higher the ceiling, the more so.
The power of Intangible Evil was simple.
It allowed Gnawing Corruption to be used in various ways.
Just that, but in reality, it was brutally overpowered.
There was a time when pay-to-win players didn't directly control Faust but handed him a single lake and let AI handle autonomous combat to clear perilous stages.
Fitting for a sword with blizzard traits, it could freeze projectiles into solids to pierce them or liquefy them to make evasion harder. Or... it could do far more insane things.
'First...'
Whirrrrooo...
Using Intangible Evil, I formed black mist.
Preparation for later.
As I pondered how to chain the next attack, Karl Kursor moved first.
Whirrrrooo...
[Karl Kursor uses Evil, Reveal Thyself!]
[Summons a hammer of condensed holy power and slams the ground.]
[Applies a persistent effect dealing weak holy damage every 5 seconds over a wide area.]
[Reveals the target's position each time the effect triggers.]
His mercury left hand transformed into a massive warhammer.
"Where are you hiding, whelp!"
Kwaaaaang-!
Like lightning striking, a brilliant light flashed. Golden cracks spiderwebbed across the pit.
Sizzle...
The cracks crawled up my body.
It was a wide-area tracking ability, so the pain wasn't severe.
No, Faust's body was built to suppress pain to the max during combat, so that too.
"There you are!"
Whip-!
[Karl Kursor uses Shield Throw.]
[No shield equipped.]
[Uses Consecrated Shield instead.]
[Deals holy damage instead of physical.]
Whiiiing-!
'I have to block it!'
Caught in the seamless combo with no time to burst out in alarm, I countered with my sword.
Kwaaaaang-!
"Urk..."
My arm trembled, then my whole body, but an even graver problem arose.
Thwack-!
A dagger flying from an unexpected angle.
'He hid a dagger?'
Marus had obscured vision with his shield and launched the dagger.
'...Damn it!'
Paaang-!
The missed dagger exploded, unleashing a storm of blades.
Pew-pew-pew-!
"Grraaaah..."
A few shattered blades embedded in my body.
"It's over!"
He charged like an enraged boar.
"Nooom!"
Piuuuut-!
To counter, I unleashed Gnawing Corruption aimed at his eyes.
The eyes are a human's critical weak point. It forces a head turn or cover. Marus knew it too, swiftly shielding his eyes with his artificial hand.
'...A breather.'
Swish-!
A water puddle I'd pre-made in his charge path. Naturally, condensed Gnawing Corruption.
No way he could dodge it while covering his eyes himself.
Splash-!
"Th..."
Before he could escape, I froze it.
Craaack...
And...
"Rot."
Kwa-jijik-!
"Graaaaaah!"
This time, not fake but real flesh caught frostbite and rotted off—he couldn't endure the pain.
He'd lost his left hand and now one leg.
"Give up. It's done."
"...You call this enough to make me quit?"
Sizzle-!
[Karl Kursor uses Alchemy Scroll: Mercury Body.]
[Reshapes body with mercury until shattered or heavily impacted.]
'He had another one!'
This... was weird.
No, I'd felt something off for a while now.
Karl Kursor was vicious enough to be called a free-to-play shredder, sure, but he was just episode 1's boss.
He hadn't resisted this tenaciously, hidden this much power.
In the game... he wasn't like this.
Faust could suppress him easily with his signature weapon...
No game could be this insane! Or maybe... I'd been wrong from the start.
'...This isn't a game anymore.'
Marus staggered to his feet, swaying.
Looking at him, I naturally voiced the question that arose.
"...Why go this far?"
"......"
"Your desires have ruined your body, mind, time, and life over long years."
"......"
"Not just yours, but those around you too. So why... do you think it's worth it...?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"What?"
"Why do you care? You saying that's more important than my life?"
Marus grinned.
"That day, I died. Demons became my entire life. Everything else is worthless. All gray."
"Your selfishness..."
"Selfishness? I'm not here for the world! The world exists for me!"
Such a madman...
- He's better than you.
I whipped my head around at the sudden voice. There stood a being identical to Faust—no, exactly like him—gazing at me.
- Isn't he? Kim Seojin.