Chapter 159. Whatever, Let’s Just Try It Once (2)
Knock knock knock.
The sound of fingers meeting the door.
The sound that connects the past with who I am now.
Listening to that sound, the former Demon Queen of the previous generation, Artanis, quietly thought.
How did I end up here, in this place?
Why am I here, standing in front of an ordinary house in the royal capital of the human kingdom, knocking on the door?
“..........”
The conclusion is simple.
All my past actions and coincidences, the warp and weft of time and causality, have woven together to bring me here.
And now, I am here to deliver a fallen warrior notification to the family of the 9th expedition commander.
“But, my Lady, I truly apologize for saying this… but why exactly do we have to be the ones doing this?”
The triplets standing neatly behind me.
They are always faithful beings.
Among them, the second, Veloce, who is the most short-tempered, asked in a slightly grumbling tone. No—truthfully, it was more of a pout than a complaint.
Which is why, every time I hear it, I can’t help but smile.
“Tsk. Second, you mustn't question the decision made by our Lady.”
“That’s right. Little brother is always like this. Sure, the investigators were fatally wounded at the time, but we were the ones who drew our last breaths, right? That’s why our Lady decided that it should be us who inform their families of their deaths.”
—Quiet, all of you.
She calmed the bickering triplets.
And then, she let out an awkward breath.
This kind of situation—uncomfortable and unfamiliar.
Have I ever been this nervous to inform someone of another’s death?
Absolutely not.
Just like this formal uniform, provided by the royal family, tightly wrapping her whole body—so unbearably awkward in its feel.
It was then.
“Who is it?”
A voice answered from inside the door.
The voice of a young boy.
The moment he heard it, Artanis tensed up even more.
That’s why.
She should respond to the voice.
She should even inscribe words into the air with magic if necessary.
But her breath caught in her throat.
“...........”
This was a first, too.
She never thought she’d be the one to bear the task of informing the son of the deceased of his father’s death.
A trembling and weight she had never felt, even in battles against the greatest of foes.
Great foes.
Yes.
Formidable enemies.
‘............’
Suddenly, the marching ceremony at the plaza came to mind. The statue that went berserk at the end of it, and that final moment of self-destruction also surfaced.
Back then, she faintly sensed it.
The faint trace of a transcendent existence, unlike anything she had ever experienced. A chilling presence of a mighty being so overwhelming that she wouldn’t dare oppose it, even if freed from the seal artifact.
Was it just an illusion?
Or was it real?
She didn’t know.
But there was one thing she knew for sure.
The Credos she knew—the current Demon King—did not possess the capability to stop and nullify the self-destruction the statue of the Archangel attempted.
“.......”
She didn’t know.
Why these thoughts suddenly came to mind.
Was she perhaps trying to avoid it? The situation she now had to face?
“....My Lady?”
Only when she heard the cautious voice of the eldest loyal follower, Largo, did Artanis finally snap out of her thoughts.
And then she realized.
“Um, who are you……?”
The voice asking from behind the door was trembling a bit more than before. It seemed the boy was growing anxious.
Artanis turned to the youngest, Andante.
And gave a small nod.
Andante, understanding his intention, cleared her throat and stepped forward. She decided it might scare the boy more if a magical inscription suddenly appeared behind his own front door.
In times like this, the youthful-sounding voice would be the most appropriate.
“Excuse me, is this the home of Mr. Brunda Magentano?”
“Huh? You know my dad?”
Bang!
The front door swung open without warning.
The face and eyes of a boy lit up with a faint hope.
The moment he faced that, Artanis took a solemn step forward, steeling herself.
***
“Phew!”
He steels himself.
Today, he will get it done, no matter what.
Kim Jangcheol repeated to himself like a vow, as he walked forward.
Squelch!
Sticky swamp mud clung to his shoes.
But he ignored it with firm resolve.
And looked around.
An overwhelming stench stabbed into his nostrils.
“...........”
He feels it every time he comes to the Swamp of Decay, but the smell here is really no joke.
Just unpleasant or foul?
Not even close.
‘Honestly, this is probably what a decade-old trash can would smell like.’
A mix of all kinds of toxic substances, mashed together like instant black noodles, violently jabbing at the tiny cilia in his nasal cavity!
So he turned around.
“Hmmmm, is this where we’ll be doing today’s purification?”
Almost as if he had been waiting for it, the Combat Engineering Corps Commander, Forkray, asked the moment he turned.
His face was all scrunched up with displeasure, of course.
“Well, roughly speaking, yes.”
Swish.
Kim Jangcheol reached for the scabbard on his waist.
And suddenly, yesterday’s events came to mind.
The Legendary Sword of Camilan.
Self-proclaimed, Lara.
He had completed the full Camilan set just yesterday. And confirmed it had incredible stats unthinkable even in the game.
The completed Camilan set went beyond all expectations.
‘If this got released in the game, it would've been one of the final-tier sets for sure.’
Even the passive skills activated just by holding it were insane.
‘Max HP increased by 1.5x, attack power scaled to 1.5x based on max HP, plus 30 HP recovered automatically per second, satiety lasts 3 times longer, and while satiated, all stats are boosted by 1.2x.’
Boosting, stacking, surging, limit-breaking, bursting, hopping, clapping—this thing was practically a universe-smashing legendary sword.
Thanks to that,
Kim Jangcheol now felt his stamina—and confidence—swelling more powerfully inside him than ever before.
“So… you’re saying we’re going to proceed with the operation without even a dry run?”
“Because we can do it just fine.”
When the Combat Engineering Corps Commander asked with concern—wasn’t this too rushed, weren’t they underprepared—Kim Jangcheol gave him a confident smile.
Then he drew Lara, the Legendary Sword of Camilan.
Shiiing!
[Master, good to see you again today~!]
Having recovered her cheer after the “farewell(?)” with Marosh, Lara beamed brightly.
At that moment, Kim Jangcheol held Lara upside down. He turned the blade downward, then stabbed the sword deep into the center of the swamp.
Squelch!
One of the ten main toxic swamps that make up the Swamp of Decay.
The blade sank softly into the center of the first zone, The Pit of Rot.
At that moment, Kim Jangcheol shouted internally:
‘Nutrient Drain!’
Ding dong!
[The Camilan’s Legendary Sword Set active skill is being activated.]
[Skill Name: Nutrient Drain]
[Please select the skill's target.]
‘The creatures in this swamp causing the red tide!’
Kim Jangcheol answered instantly.
The response came right away.
Ding dong dong!
[Detected a massive colony of dinoflagellates in the Cochlodinium genus—Cochlodinium polykrikoides detected.]
[Would you like to set this detected entity as the target?]
[YES / NO]
‘Of course, yes!’
Ding ding dong!
[Cochlodinium polykrikoides colony has been set as the target of Nutrient Drain skill.]
The moment that whatever-that-Margal-something was locked in as the target, the entire Pit of Rot, dyed in a dark crimson, was designated as Lara’s target.
And Lara’s power was revealed.
…KWAHHHH!
[Camilan’s Legendary Sword is draining nutrients from the target!]
‘Ggghhh!’
Along with the message, his mana started getting sucked straight into the sword.
‘What the—? This skill... the mana cost is insane!’
But the performance had to be top-tier.
He’d wipe out the harmful plankton causing the red tide and spewing toxins, like spraying napalm on a bug nest with bug spray!
Kim Jangcheol barely held on, gripping his Mana Seed as it screamed from sudden depletion.
And he waited, expectantly.
For the spectacle about to unfold before his eyes!
To see the red tide, which had polluted this place for hundreds of years, swept away in an instant!
Sploosh!
As expected—it delivered.
The moment he activated the skill through Lara, the colony of red tide plankton that had taken over the swamp stirred. They began having their nutrients forcefully drained by Lara.
And then……
[…Ptooey!]
Lara, the moment she absorbed the nutrients from the red tide plankton, didn’t even purify them—she just spat them out?!
‘Huh?’
PUFF!
A burst of toxic substances erupted from the sword, spraying high into the sky. Like the magnificent fountains he saw as a child on outings with his mom at the lakeside park.
Endlessly.
In vain.
Viciously.
“...Kkyaaah! Get back!”
The standby combat engineers scrambled, fleeing the sudden toxic rain. Chaos erupted.
And Kim Jangcheol—had no choice but to listen, in complete dismay, to Lara’s grumbling.
[Ugh, ack! Blegh! Master? Were you trying to make me eat that?]
‘...Huh?’
[I mean, come on, even so, how could you just force-feed me something like that without even asking?]
‘.......’
[Lara doesn’t eat that kind of stuff. Lara only eats good things!]
‘Good… things?’
[Like pork cutlets! Hamburgers! Pizza! Stir-fried pork! Fried chicken! And drinks? Always zero cola!]
‘You even know what pork cutlets and stir-fried pork are? You even know about cola?’
[Why wouldn’t I~?]
‘........’
What a goddamned mess this worldbuilding is.
At last, Kim Jangcheol understood.
Why Lara had spat out the nutrients from the red tide plankton the instant she tasted them—without even a second of hesitation, practically with spinal-reflex-level speed.
‘So... what you're saying is, you only eat what you like?’
[Of course! Doesn’t everyone~?]
‘Uh, but this is, like, part of your job.’
[But Lara is precious~]
‘........’
Fine.
Whether or not you're precious—who knows.
But one thing was clear now.
And that is—
‘This damn sword, this Legendary Sword no less… this magic sword whose specialty is absorption… is a picky eater?’
Ding-dong.
The truth was revealed at last.
Kim Jangcheol bit down hard on his lip.
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!