Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
[1]
“I have a suggestion.”
“You’re smiling suspiciously again, eh? Speak up.”
Before boarding the Cymopoleia.
Hwang Myeong-ho’s mansion.
When I was discussing the strategy with Hwang Jiho, after Hwang Jiho checked all of the investigation materials.
I suggested to the Ho tribe’s members:
“Even when we interrupt his assassination plan, let’s not capture or kill Zhu Ganglie. Instead, I’ll feed Zhu Ganglie a shot.”
The number of long tails related to 12 Zodiacs is seven.
Among them, the only ones that could be confirmed of not being a traitor were the Yong tribe and Gyeon tribe.
The remaining candidates numbered five: Seo tribe, Woo tribe, Sa tribe, Ma tribe and Won tribe[2].
‘There are no clues, but the Long Tail can’t just hide.’
At my words, Hwang Jiho made a very dissatisfied expression, but he nodded.
“Okay.”
Hwang Jiho would also have the same thoughts as me, but if we recalled Jeok-ho, who was torn into nine parts, it would be difficult to simply make that decision.
“I want to block the assassination as naturally as possible. Don’t step out personally.”
“Zhu Ganglie will use Forks. How are you thinking of blocking the assassination and beating up that pig bastard?”
I spoke about the plans I prepared one after another.
But the explanation about ‘Player’s Trajectory’ and ‘Eraser’s Change’ was adequately skimmed over.
“After Forks are consumed like this, I plan on putting my hand on the Nine Iron Teeth Rake. And I will feed Zhu Ganglie a shot when he is disarmed.”
“What did you say?”
“I guess I have a valuable skill, you know?”
“You plan to use ‘Use of Everything’ to put your hand on the Nine Iron Teeth Rake, eh?”
Hwang Jiho, who was quietly staring at me before, said:
“Jo Uisin, that skill activates when you hold a weapon in your hands. With what kind of move are you going to make the Don tribe’s head lose his weapon?”
My plan was as follows:
First, consume as many Forks as possible.
Second, wear a crow mask to provoke Zhu Ganglie.
Third, raise the defense power and enter super-regeneration mode by activating Gwak Gyeong-gu’s Gwangrim ‘100 seconds of Grace’.
Fourth, when I receive the teeth of the Nine Iron Teeth Rake with my body in that state, put my hand on its handle.
‘You said that the Nine Iron Teeth Rake wants to free itself from Zhu Ganglie, right? And the artisan Taishang Laojun thinks the same.’
The chance of winning was high.
If this move worked, I would be able to decrease Dark Mastermind’s power and properly screw over Zhu Ganglie.
“I thought about it.”
In any case, if I told him the entire plan, it seemed that Hwang Jiho would try to get in my way.
So I decided not to talk about it in detail.
Hwang Jiho continued to object as if he didn’t like my lacking explanation, and Baek Ho-gun stared at me with chilly eyes.
And now.
My plan almost reached its last stage.
‘There was a variable called ‘supernatural poison’, but it went according to plan.’
I suppressed the pain.
Cancer pain occurs because of the cancer cells stimulating nerves or pressing or destroying other tissues.
I, who was a terminally ill cancer patient before coming to this world, I always suffered from cancer pain.
Thanks to that, I decided that there was a chance for this plan to work out and put it into practice.
‘I endured it as I expected. I didn’t collapse!’
What I was worried about the most was a situation where I collapse from neurogenic shock[3] resulting from the pain.
However, now that I was pierced by Nine Iron Teeth Rake.
I still continued to think.
‘I have to finish it before the time deducted for Gwak Gyeong-gu’s Gwangrim ‘100 seconds of Grace’ is used up.’
While I thought so, the superpowers inside of me ran wild, repeatedly exploding and regenerating somewhere in my body.
Because of the pain, I was short of breath.
I had to move my arms, but my arms felt a few times heavier than usual.
‘If I’m crushed here, Hwang Jiho will interfere and then the Long Tail will hide!’
As I thought so, the hand which couldn’t gather strength moved with difficulty and grabbed it.
Barely grasping the handle, at last I could smile as I got started.
‹Skill ‘Use of Everything’ activated.›
The moment Use of Everything activated.
My vision was dyed pure white.
Paat—!
When I blinked once and opened my eyes, there was nothing around me.
I didn’t see the deck, which was dark before thanks to dozens of artificial illuminations being shattered by the Forks.
Zhu Ganglie, who was grabbing the handle of the Nine Iron Teeth Rake on his end, disappeared.
In this white space with nothing was only me and the Nine Iron Teeth Rake that pierced my body.
‘Destruction and regeneration stopped.’
It looked as if time had stopped.
Even the pain dominating my body completely disappeared.
[How unfair![4]]
I heard a faint voice from somewhere.
[My battle partner has changed.]
Perhaps, was it a voice made by the Nine Iron Teeth Rake?
After I thought so, all kinds of feelings rushed out from the teeth that pierced my stomach.
Humiliation, regret, sorrow, disappointment, disillusion, despair, and helplessness with pity.
When those feelings gradually deepened, I heard the voice again.
[You have knowledge[5] to use this Nine-Tooth Spike-Rake, huh? What do you wish to achieve with this weapon?]
Nine-Tooth Spike-Rake was a different way of calling the Nine Iron Teeth Rake.
It was certain, the owner of this voice was the Nine Iron Teeth Rake.
[Treasures? Fame? If not, is it that thoughtless wish that my old battle partner Zhu Bajie wanted?]
Zhu Bajie’s wish?
I had no idea what Zhu Ganglie wished for, but at least it didn’t seem to be treasures and fame.
‘The thing I want to do with the Nine Iron Teeth Rake…’
There were many things I wanted and many things I had to do.
As everything was important, it was difficult to decide on their priority.
Even so, if I obtain a powerful weapon now, the matter of highest priority I wanted to do was determined.
“I want to beat up the pig in front of me.”
When I thought about the incidents caused by Dark Mastermind in the game, my blood boiled[6].
The incidents caused by Zhu Ganglie’s henchman, Choe Pyeondeuk, were nothing short of revolting.
Jeok-ho was gone for a week, because his body was pierced by the Nine Iron Teeth Rake.
In addition, I was in a nasty pain because my body was now pierced by the Nine Iron Teeth Rake.
I couldn’t help it, I would like to give him a beating.
[…Ha, hahee! That’s it, huh!]
Nine Iron Teeth Rake, which didn’t reply to my words straight away and was slow to react, burst out laughing.
[Good, let’s give that pig a shot!]
Paaaat—!
My vision was dyed white again, and then I saw Zhu Ganglie and Cymopoleia’s deck.
‹Level of the skill ‘Use of Everything’ raised from 3 to 4.›
Almost simultaneously with the changing scenery, I heard the system sound.
It looked like the level had risen thanks to the high rarity Nine Iron Teeth Rake choosing me instead of Zhu Ganglie.
The Nine Iron Teeth Rake’s details and usage method flew into my mind.
Three forks remained.
It was a chance to test the efficiency of the level 4 Use of Everything.
“What?! Forking isn’t activating!”
Splatter—!
When I pulled out the Nine Iron Teeth Rake which stopped destroying my insides, Zhu Ganglie, who was holding on to the handle, was knocked back.
“Ah, no! What is that!”
With the application of ‘100 seconds of Grace’ the injury started to heal and the pain disappeared, my body became lighter.
Holding the Nine Iron Teeth Rake with both of my hands, I circled it once to turn it around and aimed it at Zhu Ganglie.
‘You couldn’t even imagine the Nine Iron Teeth Rake accepting the hands of a human, right?’
First mover strategy.
I sent Forks straight away before Zhu Ganglie reacted.
Kwadooom—!
“Keuuuuk!”
The Nine Iron Teeth Rake’s teeth pierced Zhu Ganglie’s abdomen.
Did he not experience any pain for a long time?
Zhu Ganglie was screaming like a slaughtered pig.
“First shot was his share.”
It was regrettable they weren’t nine forks like with Jeok-ho, but I decided to give the first shot as Jeok-ho’s share.
“And this is my share!”
I used Forking once more to tear apart Zhu Ganglie’s body.
Kwakwakwa—!
A superpower wave burst out at the ends of teeth.
Following the superpower wave’s flow, I heard Zhu Ganglie’s painful shrieks.
Even so, after I pulled out the Nine Iron Teeth Rake from Zhu Ganglie’s body, Zhu Ganglie was still standing on his two feet.
‘It’s not even that he is enduring it by using the recovery ability like me. It is worth a compliment, even if it’s only standing.’
If it was the Journey to the West’s Zhu Bajie I knew, he would flee on the cloud he called so quickly his tail would fall out.
But Zhu Ganglie was only emitting a wild, murderous aura while standing in place.
“Does your pride not allow you to flee?”
“You, you, do you know who you are doing it to?!”
“Naturally I know, Zhu Ganglie.”
Zhu Ganglie, whose spirit was undying even though he was vomiting blood.
Should I say that in some sense he had grown?
Even so, I had no thoughts of leaving Zhu Ganglie on this boat.
‘I can’t kill him. I can’t capture him. I can’t leave him alone. If so, there is only one way remaining.’
Former Heavenly Marshal Zhu Ganglie.
He will survive even if he is roughly thrown into the sea.
“Then be on your way.”
I still had one Fork remaining.
“Get out.”
Kwakwakwakwa—!
The eighth Fork sent Zhu Ganglie flying towards the other side of the sea.
Until the last moment, Zhu Ganglie was clenching his teeth, staring at me.
I stared back while smiling suspiciously behind the crow mask until Zhu Ganglie completely disappeared from my vision.
‘Finished.’
The clothes I changed into beforehand were completely tattered, but there was not even one wound at the stomach exposed through the hole in the clothes.
Cardifyable Nine Iron Teeth Rake also remained in my hand.
‘I don’t hear its voice anymore.’
Should I change into a tuxedo again and then join the otherworld conquest?
When I covered my body and was about to return inside the ship while thinking like that.
Swish—!
Something, which appeared without a trace, snatched my body and dragged me to the nearby cabin.
Before I even tried to resist, a loud sound of a closing door rang out.
Bang!
After I raised my head, I saw Hwang Jiho with a very displeased face.
“Did you tell me not to come to do something like that?”
If I answered ‘yeah’, it seemed that Hwang Jiho would be even more angry.
When I was worried about how to turn the words around.
“Benefactor! I still couldn’t even repay your kindness, but you went mad? Do you want to die? In any case, humans die at any moment, you know! Dead like that!”
I heard Ok Toyeon’s nonsense, which I didn’t know if it was a worry or a curse.
I thought she may be suffering from a headache, because she raised the Moon Palace Guide’s output, but she seemed to be perfectly fine.
I should request for the Moon Palace Guide more often in the future.
“Toyeon, it seems that your last words are currently improper to use here.”
“No? It’s proper? Didn’t this kid actually go wild to die? If a human’s stomach is pierced, they will immediately die, you know! Even Toyun unnie knows it very well, why are you like that! Do you want to see the benefactor die? Say die benefactor!”
Ok Toyeon’s red pupils rolled around as she whined.
It seemed that the Jin who dealt with Ok Toyeon with a calm voice was Ok Toyun or Toyun unnie who was mentioned a few times in conversations.
Ok Toyeon continued to chant that I’d die.
Finally, Hwang Jiho said a word with a deeply enraged face.
“Shut up, you damn Moon Rabbit.”
“What if I don’t shut up? Don’t like it? Shouldn’t you then shut up?”
“Let’s make you shut up. I’ll send you to the afterlife earlier than Jo Uisin.”
Quarreling Ho tribe and To tribe’s heads.
Leaving the two alone, Ok Toyun spoke to me.
“Benefactor-nim, the Cymopoleia deck’s information manipulation was completed.”
Ok Toyun showed me a video recording thumbnail with my appearance erased on the hologram as she spoke.
I asked them to manipulate and monitor information, and wait on standby at the ship in case something happened.
‘Recording devices’ failure caused by a natural superpower wave is a common occurrence. It’s fine if it’s to this degree, right?’
While listening to Ok Toyun’s explanation, a notice message sent by PlayerSAT-K arrived at the device.
[Otherworld conquest’s end notice]
I guess they cleared everything before I joined.
As expected, my Playable Characters and their companions were competent.
Ok Toyun, who checked the message, expressed polite goodbyes.
“We’ll go first. Have a safe trip.”
“Yes. Then, I’ll be leaving.”
But the two heads seemed busy fighting, so I only said goodbyes to Ok Toyun, and I was about to leave.
“Jo Uisin….”
“Benefactor…”
At some point, Hwang Jiho and Ok Toyeon suspended their fight and were staring at me.
Both of them looked like they had a lot to say, but I ignored them and moved.
If I delay any longer, my companions may come looking for me.
‘In any case, it ended safely.’
I blocked Dark Mastermind’s move again and gave Zhu Ganglie a shot.
And…
‘I put my hands on the Nine Iron Teeth Rake.’
In my hand I held a cardified Nine Iron Teeth Rake.
Looking at the item card’s border color, it was UR rank.
‘I have no idea how far the Nine Iron Teeth Rake with ego will follow my words, but it’s reassuring if it at least isn’t in the hands of Dark Mastermind.’
The opponent lost one of their powerful pieces, so the moves I could play increased.
I headed towards the ship’s stern in very light steps.
***
Zhu Ganglie, who was thrown into the sea, immediately called a cloud.
But no matter how much he called, the cloud didn’t come.
For that reason, Zhu Ganglie had to swim to the land by forcing his torn to pieces body to move.
He bit a bullet and reached uninhabited island on a rocky reef that was closer than the mainland.
The state of that pathetic landmass was the same as Zhu Ganglie’s own condition.
Filled with rage, Zhu Ganglie roared towards the sky.
“Dare, dare…! I’ll kill you! Crow Mask! And I’ll break that junk rake!”
Zhu Ganglie called his subordinate with a device and then laid down on the ground mixed with gravel, panting.
A Jin wearing a red dress, with her back against the moon, softly walked towards Zhu Ganglie.
*~*~*
[1] No chapter title – Boat party in the moonlight (6)
[2] Seo tribe, Woo tribe… – Seo tribe > Mouse tribe, Woo tribe > Cow tribe, Sa tribe > Snake tribe, Ma tribe > Horse tribe, Won tribe > Monkey tribe. Gyeon tribe above stands for Dog tribe.
[3] neurogenic shock – Okay, so I checked the korean medical dictionary and definition for the term used here in raws and for neurogenic shock was the same, so I’m also using it, but I’m pretty sure author meant it as a common term for overstimulation (but made fancy) and not as a medical term. Yes, I really want to believe that Jo Uisin’s spine wasn’t destroyed here. Medics, calm down. That’s just an unlucky choice of words.
[4] How unfair! – This sentence can have completely two different meanings. One is: ‘How unfair!’ as if Rake feels frustrated by what happened. The grammar used also expresses some kind of surprise, but it’s a bit old-fashioned. The second one is: ‘Enlighten!’ which refers to the Buddhist term of realizing the absolute truths through wisdom.
[5] knowledge – the most basic meaning is ‘to have knowledge/understanding obtained by studying something in depth’. But the word 소양 (soyang) has many other meanings! Like it’s a term for one of the elemental constitutions used in ancient medicine, or a name referring to the tenth heavenly steam, or small, insignificant disease, or a lamb (alive one), or some sort of a method of creating a quiet sound when playing an instrument… I mean, it probably has the first meaning, but…
[6] my blood boiled – in raws: my blood circulated backwards.
Translator’s note: Jo Uisin… Are you angry because Hwang Jiho and Ok Toyeon were talking about your death?
But also! Here comes our red queen!
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
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