Chapter 158. Whatever, Let’s Just Try It Once (1)
Parting is always painful.
Not quite as painful as breaking your front tooth while biting into roasted chestnuts in the dead of winter, but still—it stings, it chills, it aches, and it’s a bit bitter too.
Today, Marosh felt that very way.
“Aaaah!”
Marosh shouted with all his might.
The veins on his well-trained biceps and triceps bulged. His anterior deltoids flared in anger, and his pectoralis minor and major contracted intensely.
Then Marosh cried out in his heart.
‘Lara! This is where we part ways, kuiik!’
At that, Camilan’s worn longsword, Lara, protested.
[We! How can we!]
Lara couldn’t believe what was happening.
[Marosh, are you really… trying to take me off? Are you seriously doing this?]
‘I have no choice, aaaah!’
[No! There must be another way! Right? We had good times, didn’t we? When you ate that toxic moss and your stomach hurt, I blew on it and gave you magic hand massages and everything.]
‘I haven’t forgotten that kindness, aaaahhh.’
[Then why!]
‘You keep getting in the way when I do bicep curls and tricep extensions, aaaah!’
[…What?]
‘Because you're always dangling from my waist, you get in the way of my range of motion—whether it's for biceps, triceps, or dips. Even squats are affected. Last time, I almost lost my intra-abdominal pressure, aaaaah!’
[But... I stick close to you because I like you!]
‘I know that too, aaaaahhh!’
[Then why are you doing this! Do you not like me anymore? Are you really going to give me to that Demon King? Is that your true intention?]
‘It’s not that I’ve stopped liking you. I’ve just come to like something else more, aaaahhh!’
[What is it!]
‘My muscles, aaaahhh!’
[…What?]
‘Big and bulging! Every time I flex, I feel great. When I lift, I’m ecstatic. And finishing it all off with a cold bath leaves me in bliss, aaaahhh!’
[You mean… those shallow sensations are more important to you than I am? Is that what you’re saying?]
‘...I’m sorryyyy!’
Marosh hardened his heart.
The veins on his forearms throbbed even more violently. And finally, he succeeded in removing the longsword Lara, who had been clinging magnetically to his waist.
…Thwap!
[…]
Lara trembled with shock.
And suddenly, a memory over 300 years old came rushing back.
Yes.
It was like this back then too.
My former wielder.
The first to ever own me, the hero Camilan.
He was truly a splendid human being. But our bond didn’t last long.
After a fierce battle with a mighty dragon, he got caught in a shockwave and ended up dropping me.
But I know the truth.
Camilan, you let me go on purpose.
Because you got tired of my chatter.
Because you found a better sword.
You made that choice.
[…]
And now, another farewell.
Being abandoned again.
Camilan’s worn longsword, Lara, wanted to cry.
Meanwhile, Marosh, panting heavily, quickly handed Lara over to Kim Jangcheol.
“Here! As promised, I give you Lara… aaaahhh!”
Cheok!
Lara passed into Kim Jangcheol’s hands.
At that moment, a fleeting sorrow brushed past Marosh’s eyes—something no one else could recognize.
“.............”
I’m sorry, Lara.
The truth is, I lied.
It’s true I’ve come to love my muscles more, but honestly, I still love you more.
‘But… this is the end of our journey, aaahhh.’
Because he made a promise with the Demon King.
And Demon King Credos, strictly speaking, was the one who saved him. He even provided food, shelter, and opportunities to build muscle.
He couldn’t betray someone like that.
So Marosh steeled his heart and cast away his lingering attachment.
‘As much as I miss you, I’ll build more muscle, aaaaahh!’
Ah.
The diameter of my triceps is the size of the ache I feel for you. I’ll never forget you, just like I’ll never forget the range of my hip hinge.
Marosh wiped away his tear of regret.
Meanwhile, in Kim Jangcheol’s ears, a pleasant notification tone rang out loud and clear.
Ding-dong!
[You have acquired Camilan’s Worn Longsword.]
[The passive skill of this equipment is now active.]
[You recover 12 HP per second.]
[Your feeling of fullness lasts 1.5 times longer.]
‘...Oh?’
Kim Jangcheol’s eyes widened as he read the message.
He could tell at a glance.
‘This is nothing like the performance I saw in-game.’
He dug through his memory.
‘Back then, the passive skill was just 1 HP per second, right?’
Indeed.
But now?
It was performing twelve times better!
“........”
This far surpassed the stats of an early-game item. If used well, it could easily remain useful in the late game too.
‘No wonder I felt like I was getting ripped off all 19 playthroughs.’
He finally realized.
Every time he met Marosh in the dark caves, he reflexively hit the attack key. Like every other player, he killed Marosh right away.
Which meant…
He acquired the sword in a furious or emotionally closed-off state.
As a result, he never got anywhere near its full potential.
‘Jackpot.’
This was a hidden stat of absurd magnitude.
Thanks to that, a surge of excitement bubbled up—rich and thick like red ginseng espresso extract.
‘...Just from this sword alone, I’ve already unlocked this much hidden power. What would happen if I combined it with the matching scabbard?’
He’d never seen it in-game, so he didn’t know yet.
But there was one thing he was certain of:
A sword not in a sulking state would produce a far superior set performance when paired with its scabbard.
‘Then I guess it’s about time…’
To combine it with the scabbard.
…Or so he was thinking, when—
[Waaahhh!]
‘……!’
Suddenly, a sorrowful cry echoed in his mind.
It was the cry of Lara, Camilan’s worn sword.
[Waaaah! I’ve been dumped agaaaain. Marosh abandoned meee. I’m alone agaaaain. Everyone hates meee… sob, hic!]
‘............’
[Stupid Marosh! Dumb Marosh! Go build your dumb muscles until your biceps burst and you die, you musclehead! Boo-hoo! Hiccup…!]
‘Uh… hey…?’
[He’s really, really awful. After everything I did to take care of him. For 15 years, I tried so hard to keep him alive in that pitch-dark cave. And this is how he repays me! Now that things are finally looking up, he just tosses me aside to grow some stupid muscles. How can an orc change this much?]
‘Are you… asking me?’
[Of course I am!]
‘...........’
[Anyway, what do you think? Marosh is totally in the wrong, right? He’s the worst, right? Right?]
‘............’
At that moment, Kim Jangcheol realized something.
This sword… was an incredible chatterbox.
And yet, oddly enough, it didn’t feel annoying.
‘Strange… but I don’t hate it.’
A smile crept across his face without him even realizing it.
‘No. I’m the bad one. I threatened Marosh, remember? I pressured him to hand you over. You probably know that too.’
[But… you’re my master now, Lord Kim Jangcheol.]
‘What?’
[I never say bad things to my master. My master… is always on my side.]
‘R-Really?’
[Of course. Isn’t that obvious?]
‘Is that so…’
[So now, I like Lord Kim Jangcheol!]
‘You do?’
[Mhm!]
‘Uh, but… how did you know my real name?’
[I always know my master’s name. Because you’re my master. And… I have to know it well, so I won’t be abandoned again!]
‘..............’
What is this…
Why does that feel kinda sad?
Looking at Lara, Camilan’s worn sword, a faint sense of sympathy stirred within him. It was clear she was trying desperately to get in her new owner’s good graces, just to avoid being abandoned again.
[And I take good care of my master. I don’t like it when my master is sick or dying. If you get hurt, I’ll blow on it and help it heal. I’m really good at that.]
‘Yeah. That much is obvious.’
[So please don’t abandon me! Camilan, Marosh—they’re both mean!]
‘Yeah, okay. I’ll do my best. That’s why I wanted to ask… didn’t you have a matching scabbard?’
[Huh? How did you know that?]
‘Because I brought it.’
[……Really?]
‘Yup. This one.’
He held up the scabbard he’d borrowed from the King of Dumpling Soup.
Lara’s voice trembled immediately.
[Huh? Huhhh?]
‘This is the one, right?’
[Huhh? Huhh?]
‘It is, right?’
[……Waaaah, it is!]
Woom woom woooom!
Lara’s blade trembled violently.
So did her cries of joy.
[It’s Lara’s home! A 34-pyeong national standard apartment! 3-bay layout, 2-car parking! Within arm’s reach of the master’s hand!]
‘R-Right…?’
[Yes! Let me go back home, pleaaase!]
‘...Sure, okay.’
Set combination.
Well, this was what he’d been aiming for too.
Kim Jangcheol slowly slid the trembling Lara into the scabbard.
Clack.
The sword and scabbard joined as smoothly as if they’d been one all along.
And right after that, a horrified scream burst out of Lara.
[Waaah! It’s filthy inside!]
And from that moment on,
Lara went completely silent.
She had, it seemed, entered full cleaning mode.
Instead, a cheerful alert rang in Kim Jangcheol’s ears.
Ding-dong!
[You have completed the Camilan’s Longsword Set.]
[Set effects have been activated.]
[Passive skills are now applied.]
[Max HP increases by 1.5x.]
[You recover 30 HP per second.]
[Feeling of fullness lasts 3x longer.]
[While satiated, all stats increase by 1.2x.]
[Attack power increases in proportion to max HP.]
“...........”
Insane.
Kim Jangcheol’s breathing grew heavy as he watched the chain of messages flash before him.
And it didn’t stop there.
[Camilan’s Longsword Set provides an active skill.]
[Skill Name: Nutrient Drain]
[Skill Type: Active]
[Targets a living creature and absorbs up to 1% of its nutrients per second. Target’s max HP is reduced by 30% for 12 hours.]
[If the target’s nutrients are beneficial to the user, the user recovers HP. If the nutrients are harmful, Camilan’s longsword detoxifies and breaks them down, releasing the remains into the air.]
“…Jackpot.”
This was truly insane.
The moment he saw the skill description, Kim Jangcheol remembered.
The old in-game description that used to come with Camilan’s worn longsword—how once it was paired with its scabbard, it would unleash a powerful cleansing force.
‘Now I understand why that was written.’
The Swamp of Decay, polluted with deadly toxins.
The cause of that poison.
The horrific red tide phenomenon.
The culprit—plankton.
If he drained nutrients from them…
‘…It’s possible.’
The certainty hit him.
He could now begin the swamp’s purification.
This one is so exciting! I'm waiting for further interaction between Aged Kimchi and Kim Jangcheol!
I really enjoy reading this, and I adore the loyalty Credos' people held to him!