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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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“Gah… uh…”
The old man, having witnessed the gruesome sight of a woman’s neck rotting and being ripped off, stumbled and fell on his ass as he tried to back away from me.
Judging by the wet patch forming on his pants, he had also pissed himself.
“Hey, what are you doing? Grab him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Han Tae-yang, who had been sitting and resting, quickly got up and approached the old man.
“Gah! Get away from me! You monsters! You’ll all go to hell! You damned brats!”
The old man, despite being on the verge of death, was surprisingly strong. He struggled and yelled as he tried to escape Han Tae-yang’s grasp, his ranting reaching an almost artistic level.
“Tch. Fuck. Do you think I’m doing this because I want to? Just let me grab you, old man.”
Han Tae-yang spat on the ground while glancing at the corpse of the cross-dressing woman with disgust. He shuddered and then grabbed the fleeing old man by the back of his neck.
“P-please! I was wrong! Spare me!”
The old man’s desperate cries echoed through the Daiso.
Having just witnessed someone screaming and dying right in front of him, his previous bravado had completely vanished.
All I could offer this damned old man was a choice in how he died.
I couldn’t spare him. I had to make an offering to the hungry evil gods.
“Hey, old man. Be quiet. I’ll give you a choice.”
“Hic, sniff.”
The old man quickly covered his mouth with both hands and looked up at me with fear-filled eyes.
A flicker of hope appeared on his face at the mention of a choice.
Did he delude himself into thinking he could escape this place alive? Or perhaps he believed I would grant him a merciful death.
But in a world where survivors were precious, it would be a waste to kill a captured sacrifice without any screams. I wanted to torment him a bit more.
It was then, as I was having these sadistic thoughts, that a dreadful voice echoed in my head.
[Heh heh. This is entertaining.]
It was Indikron’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a while. The unsettling sound of insects being crushed made my stomach churn.
‘Ugh… Why is he suddenly talking to me?’
Indikron seemed delighted as I pushed the old man further into despair.
He had been observing my actions as if he was watching an internet broadcast.
‘At least Kashnax makes it obvious when she’s looking at me. I didn’t even know Indikron was watching.’
He seemed particularly pleased with my psychological torment of the old man and the despair I was creating.
A fitting reaction for the master of the Abyss.
Driving a human into despair seemed to be one way to increase Indikron’s favorability.
If his favorability increased, maybe he would upgrade Oral Summoning to a better skill, just like how Kashnax had upgraded Summon Tentacles to Tentacle Eruption. So, I would play along with the god’s wishes.
“Sigh… Old man. Choose. Do you want to be stabbed to death? Or do you want to melt and die like that fatty just now? If you don’t like either of those, you can explode or be chewed to death. Choose.”
“Uh… Ah… I… I…”
Tears streamed down the old man’s face as he struggled to speak.
[Hahahahaha!!]
Indikron roared with laughter, reveling in the man’s breakdown.
This should be enough.
“Yeah, it’s a difficult choice. I’ll choose for you.”
Who in their right mind could choose their own death?
No matter how long they had lived, humans always wanted to live longer.
“Han Tae-yang. Give me your sword.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Just in case, is this a magic sword or something?”
If it was, I would take it.
“No, sir. It appeared after I killed a large zombie.”
I had asked because I hadn’t checked his stats yet, but the blue flames were indeed a skill.
So, it was just an ordinary weapon.
“Old man. You seem old, so I’ll give you a clean death. Stick your neck out and get down on your knees.”
“Sob…”
Even for an old man, death was terrifying.
How many people in this world could throw away their lives so easily?
I had tormented him enough.
I swung the sword down without hesitation.
“I offer this to you.”
The old man’s soul was sent to Indikron.
Now, only the decaying body of a weak old man remained.
His soul must have tumbled into the endless Abyss.
I had been forced to hand over the soul because Indikron, who had been watching me, had expressed a strong desire for it.
[A gift. Thank you. I’ll enjoy this.]
So, he didn’t devour souls.
Kashnax had greedily devoured the soul as soon as I offered it and even gave me a taste review.
‘Damn it.’
It had been a short conversation, but it made my head spin. I closed my eyes for a moment, seeking some peace of mind, but then Kashnax spoke to me, her voice buzzing in my head.
[Tch… I’ll let it slide this time.]
Kashnax’s sharp reaction came immediately after the soul was offered to Indikron instead of her.
Her voice, filled with intense anger, also contained a deep sense of betrayal.
Kashnax’s voice, snarling ferociously like a dog whose food had been stolen, was terrifying enough to make my brain tremble.
‘Ugh… I’m not screwed, am I? No, she said she’d let it slide this time…’
My head throbbed as if I had been hit.
Damn evil god. Giving me a headache just because I hadn’t made an offering to her.
And the phrase “this time” bothered me.
It meant she wouldn’t forgive me if I offered a soul to another god again.
I felt an obsession that was difficult for a human to handle.
‘I wish this crazy god would pay less attention to me…’
Didn’t she have other followers besides me?
It was unnerving that she was watching me all day long as if she were filming a documentary.
Why did I have to feel like a pretty girl being stalked by a stalker who was openly licking me with his eyes, and I couldn’t even call the police?
Kang Ha-young, Kashnax… they were all insatiable.
They endlessly craved more, and I was the one suffering in the middle.
‘Calm down. Imagine a busty, creepy girl who loves me is just jealous…’
Imagining Kashnax as a busty, creepy girl calmed me down a bit.
I continued to tell myself that I was being loved. This was the only way I could endure the creepy evil god’s heavy attention.
“Phew.”
I rubbed my face and pulled myself together. I wouldn’t be discouraged, even with two evil gods watching me.
I had to go back to the mart and take Ah-reum’s virginity. Many happy things awaited me.
“Let’s go. You ladies over there. Fill up the bags with anything useful. We’re taking everything we can. The supermarket is overflowing with supplies, but since we’re here, I want to take as much as possible.”
That way, the survivors in the area would have nothing to loot here and would come to the supermarket.
‘I should have brought a shopping cart…’
I could have taken more if I had brought a cart. I hadn’t thought of it before we left.
“We’re done.”
After about ten minutes, the slaves gathered before me with bags full of supplies.
“Alright, let’s head back to the supermarket.”
We cautiously made our way to the entrance of the Daiso while keeping an eye out for any remaining zombies.
Just then.
Whoosh!
A bright light flashed at the entrance of the Daiso, and someone emerged from within.
“Huh? What?”
A man with a large backpack slowly walked out.
He was wearing a hiking hat pulled low, obscuring his age and giving him a mysterious aura.
“It’s a peddler…!”
The man who emerged from the light glanced at us with sharp eyes and then sat down at the entrance of the Daiso.
“Huh. This place is a mess.”
He casually set up his stall and placed five items on display.
“Wow, Oppa. Jackpot.”
“You’re right. Jackpot.”
Just how lucky was I?
At this point, wasn’t I really the protagonist of this world?
“Oppa, the peddler appears when there are ten or more people, right? He probably appeared because there are eleven of us now.”
“Wow. It worked.”
“It’s amazing to see a peddler again so soon.”
I had gained so much from a single outing that it felt surreal. I had acquired a bunch of slaves, killed two named monsters, leveled up, and now a peddler had appeared before me.
“I need to quickly exchange the Black Chip for a permanent pass to the Black Market.”
“Okay!”
I took out the Black Chip from my inner pocket and was about to approach the peddler.
“Wait. Sniff.”
Just then, Kang Ha-young grabbed my sleeve tightly.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Sniff. Hmm…”
“Ah, what is it now? Are you hungry?”
“No. That guy… smells like blood. He smells like blood.”
“What? Blood? What blood are you talking about?”
“Sniff. I’m right. Am I wrong? I’m right.”
Was she acting up again because she was hungry?
My trust in Kang Ha-young had hit rock bottom, so I couldn’t trust her words at all.
“Why would he suddenly smell like blood? Isn’t it just the stench of zombie blood?”
“It’s different. I just suddenly smelled it. Now that I smell blood, I’m hungry again. It definitely smelled fresh. Ah. I’m hungry.”
Saying that, Kang Ha-young gave a strange look to the kid who was struggling to carry a heavy bag.
It was a look that suggested she wanted to suck his blood, and the kid shuddered and hid behind the man in his fifties.
‘But I don’t understand why a peddler would suddenly smell like blood. I sometimes don’t understand what this crazy bitch is saying.’
I figured it was nothing and was about to face the peddler again when Ha-rin spoke to me, her expression grim as she glared at the peddler.
“Um, Master.”
“Yeah? What’s with that expression, Ha-rin?”
Ha-rin glared at the peddler without blinking with a tense and frowning face. She had definitely sensed something. Ha-rin’s intuition had been quite accurate so far, so it was worth listening to.
“Just… I don’t remember exactly, but it suddenly came to my mind…”
“Yeah. Tell me.”
“In last week’s update notes… it said to be careful of ‘Killer Robbers’ disguised as peddlers. Do you remember?”
“Huh?”
Now that she mentioned it, why were there only five items on display?
It was at that moment.
“Hee hee hee.”
The peddler gave a creepy smile.
[‘Killer Robber’ has appeared! Prepare for battle!!!]
[Level scaling applies to this NPC!]
I immediately raised my arm to unleash tentacles.
At the same time, the Killer Robber threw one of the items on display at us.
“Oh no!”
Splat!!!
The glass bottle he threw shattered against my tentacles before it could reach us. Yellow powder scattered from the broken bottle, billowing into a cloud.
It looked like a dangerous powder that would mess us up if we inhaled it. The spreading yellow powder was like a curse of death.
Han Tae-yang tried to blow away the approaching yellow powder with the wind pressure from swinging his sword, but it had little effect.
I didn’t know what the effect of the yellow powder was, but it definitely wouldn’t be good if we inhaled it.
Trying not to inhale the powder disrupted my breathing.
“Gasp…!”
We had to escape to an open area before the poison spread further. But the problem was that he had appeared right at the entrance of Daiso, making it difficult to escape.
The only saving grace was that the first-floor walls were made of glass.
“Hey! Han Ah-reum! Break the glass! We have to get out!”
At my shout, my companions snapped to attention and prepared for battle.
Eun-ji quickly hid herself to ambush the enemy, and Ha-rin gathered her remaining Magic to enhance her Strength.
Meanwhile, the Killer Robber threw off his silly-looking hiking hat and the large, empty backpack.
He then grabbed a gray scarf from the stall, covered his nose and mouth, and pulled out a dagger and a handcannon from inside his clothes.
The scarf seemed to have a similar effect to a gas mask as the Killer Robber moved freely in the yellow fog.
But the scarf wasn’t the problem.
‘A handcannon…?!’
Click.
In a split second, without giving me time to think, the Killer Robber aimed the handcannon at me and fired.
Bang!!!!
The muzzle of the handcannon flashed, spitting fire.
“R’lyeh!”
Rip!!!
I managed to block the incoming bullet by unleashing tentacles with both hands, but almost all ten tentacles were torn apart, and the shockwave sent me flying backward.
‘This much of a shockwave even though I blocked it…!’
Ha-rin barely managed to catch me before I crashed into a shelf. By the time I regained my footing, the Killer Robber had already reloaded.
“Tch. You blocked that?”
The Killer Robber approached us leisurely while clicking his tongue, his creepy smile unwavering. He was clearly confident.
“I can see you.”
Without even looking back, the Killer Robber blocked Eun-ji’s surprise attack with a back kick and deflected all the shadow throwing blades she had thrown.
Seeing an opening as he deflected the blades, Han Tae-yang and Han Ah-reum rushed in. But neither of them could land a decisive blow.
The robber deflected all their attacks with his dagger and even slashed Han Tae-yang’s shoulder, inflicting a deep wound.
“Argh!! What the!! Bastard!”
“Oppa, avoid the gun! You can’t win!”
He effortlessly pushed and flung people away with his incredible strength. His attack speed was ridiculously fast, and his reflexes were like those of a wild animal.
“Damn it!!! Ha-rin, Eun-ji! The rest of you, don’t get close! He has a gun, so you have to avoid him!”
If we got too close, we would be decapitated by his insane dagger skills. The problem was that he would shoot if we got too far away.
Click.
Realizing that I could block his bullets with tentacles, the Killer Robber aimed his gun at Han Ah-ram, who was breaking the glass window.
“Hey! Han Tae-yang! Block it!”
Han Tae-yang, seemingly having exhausted his Magic, held up his sword, now wreathed in blue flames, to block the incoming bullet.
Crash!
“Argh!!!”
Han Tae-yang’s flamberge shattered into pieces. He was flung backward, his body riddled with buckshot and shards of his broken sword, while writhing in agony.
“Oppa!!!!”
“Tae-yang!”
I hadn’t been idle. I had been continuously unleashing tentacles to attack him, but none of them could get past his dagger.
‘What the hell is this guy…!’
This was dangerous. I was feeling a sense of danger I hadn’t even felt when facing the named monsters.
I had two Oral Summonings left, but judging by his movements, he would dodge them unless it was a perfect surprise attack.
I needed another strategy.
‘I need to create a clear opening and rip off one of his limbs with Oral Summoning.’
Just then, Kashnax, who had been watching me silently, whispered to me.
[Tentacles. That’s not how you use them…]
“Huh?”
[Twist them. Don’t use them individually. Combine them.]
Twist and combine?
Seeing him reloading his handcannon, I didn’t have time to think.
I immediately followed Kashnax’s instructions, twisting the five summoned tentacles together like a rope.
The five tentacles merged into one large tentacle and flew towards the Killer Robber.
Thud!
“Ugh…!”
Finally, I was able to land a proper hit.
The smile vanished from his face.
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T/N – Oh wow. So there is that advantage when the evil gods are watching over him. To be honest, being able to get advice from multiple evil gods seems pretty helpful… as long as they are interested enough and actually want to help you. At least this just means that they won’t let the MC die any time soon though I can see this changing later on if the MC has too smooth a sailing and they get bored of it.
Also, this was a long time coming. The MC relies too much on his luck, so the fact that he got ambushed by a bandit disguised as a peddler should knock him down a peg. Though I bet he’ll get some rewards and achievements after this so it’s not all bad luck as long as he can kill the bandit.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
oooooh getting very interesting now boys