Chapter 27: 27

Pumpkin hated weekdays.

 

This was because his father would always come back drunk after work.

 

“I’m trying to feed a bastard like you, yet I’m being ignored on the job…How dare you talk back?!”

 

“I-I’m sorry. Father…”

 

Pak–!

 

However, Pumpkin liked Saturdays.

 

This was because every Saturday, a pretty and sweet nun would come to Guangcheng District for volunteer work.

 

A warm-hearted nun who would even come to such a dangerous place.

 

Pumpkin had a crush on her. So he was beyond thrilled when she called him out in particular.

 

He had even applied his father’s hair gel before going out and meeting up with her.

 

But…What happened after that?

 

Why did his head hurt so much?

 

Boom–Boom–!

 

The sound of drums resonated in his head.

 

And a language that was difficult to understand came through the primitive rhythm.

 

Ro…Cks…Kak…

 

Pumpkin slowly opened his eyes.

 

His head was still dizzy, but what was happening around him gradually came into view.

 

He saw a huge fire burning in front of him.

 

Around the fire, people without a single piece of clothing were spinning and dancing strangely.

 

“”Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!””

 

“?!”

 

Surprised, Pumpkin tried to stand up. But his body didn’t move. When he looked down, he saw that his hands and feet were bound.

 

‘Wh-what’s going on?’

 

How did this happen? 

 

Pumpkin looked back on his last memory. He had certainly met up with the nun and had a good time.

 

He ate the cookies she had baked for him, they chatted, and he shed tears saying it was hard to live…

 

[Then, should sister relieve you of your pain?]

 

And then definitely…

 

The nun led his hand into a gloomy alley. But he couldn’t remember anything after that.

 

“Are you awake?”

 

Suddenly, he heard the voice of the nun. He reflexively turned his head.

 

“Yes, yes!”

 

Where his head turned, he saw the nun standing naked. The naked body of a woman which he had never seen before today.

 

He quickly lowered his head.

 

“S-sister…What the heck!”

 

“Huhu. There’s no need to panic so much.”

 

She said in a sweet voice.

 

“Didn’t I tell you? I said I can relieve you of your pain.”

 

“Th-that and this…”

 

She lifted his head. He hurriedly closed his eyes.

 

However, she spoke in a soft voice.

 

“Open your eyes. And look at it clearly.”

 

Pumpkin, feeling very nervous, opened his eyes slowly.

 

He could see the fanatics still dancing in front of the bonfire.

 

“Prepare the offering!”

 

A little away from the flames stood a priest dressed in a colorful mask that primitives would wear.

 

In response to his command, a girl was dragged out.

 

“Th-that noona…”

 

An awful older girl who lived near his house. He recalled being caught peeping at her taking a bath in the past and being beaten for days and days.

 

And it was the girl’s mother who was taking the lead in dragging her out.

 

“Ah! Mom! Let go of me! Release me!”

 

“This is all for you. Don’t you want to see your dad again?”

 

“M-mom, are you crazy? Please don’t do this! N-no!”

 

The girl’s mother pushed her through the crowd.

 

Soon, dozens of fanatics surrounded her and attacked her. Countless hands, like a flock of piranhas, pulled at her.

 

In an instant, her clothes were torn apart and she was left naked.

 

Next, she was hurled like a luggage bag next to the fire.

 

The fanatics circled the bonfire while spinning and reciting a chant.

 

“”Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!””

 

“Hey, you son of bitches! Do you know who my boyfriend is? Y-you’re all dead!”

 

The girl suddenly came to her senses and rebelled by throwing stones that were on the ground.

 

When the priest saw it, he shouted.

 

“The devil has possessed our offering! We must kick out the devil!”

 

The fanatics surrounded the girl and struck her with long thin rods.

 

“Ah! Ah! Stop! P-please stop!”

 

At first, the girl shrank and blocked, but at some point she had sagged on the ground like a lifeless doll. She would twitch from time to time, but there were no other movements.

 

Her mother dragged her head in front of the priest.

 

“Priest-nim…Please bless my daughter and revive my husband.”

 

“Pero, the great ruler, will fulfill everything.”

 

“Thank you! Thank you!” 

 

She bowed her head several times to express her gratitude. The priest raised his arms and shouted.

 

“Oh! Almighty ruler! Please accept our offering!”

 

“”Please accept our offering!””

 

Something walked out from behind the priest. It was a giant with bandages all over its body.

 

When the giant appeared, a terrible rotten smell carried by the wind stabbed the tip of Pumpkin’s nose.

 

The giant picked up the shriveled girl with one hand.

 

“”Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!””

 

The sound of drumming became louder and louder as the fanatics circled the bonfire.

 

And then Pumpkin saw it.

 

The giant’s jaw tore apart and its big deformed mouth opened.

 

At that moment, he closed his eyes.

 

Crack—!

 

A creepy sound, as if chewing bones and meat, penetrated his ears.

 

His chin trembled and his crotch became wet.

 

Crunch–Crunch–!

 

The sound lasted for a long time.

 

He tried not to imagine it. He closed his eyes and hoped that this terrible time would go by quickly.

 

After some time passed, the priest exclaimed again.

 

“Prepare the next offering!”

 

The nun who was next to Pumpkin reminded him.

 

“Pumpkin, Pero will save you from hell.”

 

“N-no!”

 

He didn’t want to go, so he tried to drag his feet, but the nun’s thin arms didn’t budge.

 

Just like the girl before him, Pumpkin’s clothes were roughly torn. Soon, he was also thrown next to the bonfire.

 

Fanatics holding long rods stood guard.

 

He couldn’t even rebel because he had seen what had happened to the girl earlier.

 

The primitive sound of drumming continued as the fanatics danced strangely around the bonfire.

 

“Praise be to Pero! Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!”

 

A sour smell stung Pumpkin’s nose when the priest sprinkled powder into the air. As a result, the madness immediately became even stronger.

 

“”Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!””

 

After a few more circling from the fanatics, Pumpkin will also face a terrible death.

 

He trembled in fear.

 

But then, he saw something white moving in the dark.

 

It was a naked child who looked about two or three years younger than him.

 

‘?!’

 

The boy approached his way slowly without fear.

 

And after watching the atmosphere, he sneakily joined the ranks and started to naturally circle the bonfire.

 

“”Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak!””

 

“Re~ Level up! Quest! God game!”

(TN: God game means Game of the Year.)

 

The boy seemed to be trying hard to imitate in his own way, but it was obviously a different movement.

 

Even worse, the chant was subtly wrong.

 

But people around Pumpkin didn’t notice. Rather, their eyes were turned upside down as if they were more and more absorbed in the chant.

 

The boy was following the ranks as he got closer and closer to the priest.

 

“Louder! All together! Ro~ Cks! Chs! Kak…Hang on, what’s that?”

 

At that moment, the priest had noticed the existence of the boy.

 

The fanatics stopped moving and looked at the boy in unison. However, the boy, who didn’t understand the situation, shouted enthusiastically alone. 

 

“Re~ Level up! Quest! God game!…Hmm?”

 

“…”

 

The boy looked around with a puzzled expression. Cold eyes were drawn to him.

 

Soon, there was complete silence. Only the crackling sound that came from the bonfire could be heard.

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As if he had grasped the situation, he bashfully spoke.

 

“So close.”

 

“Kill him! There’s an evil devil that has interfered with our ritual!”

 

The priest shouted. At the same time, dozens of fanatics began to charge at the boy.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

How did I get caught?

 

Weird. My acting was flawlessly perfect.

 

It seemed there was a person among them who had the ability to detect lies.

 

If I had known that in advance, I would have chosen a different method. My meticulous plan was ruined.

 

But that was fine.

 

I took Red Velvet Curse out of my inventory.

 

Wuung—

 

An eerie cry spread out. The first thing I did was cut off the neck of the guy running towards me.

 

Swish–!

 

A fanatic’s head fell to the ground and rolled away. The others who saw it faltered and stopped in an instant. As a result, the priest who was watching from behind quickly shouted.

 

“Everyone, don’t be afraid! Lord Pero will give you strength!”

 

The priest uttered a spell. Then, the eyes of the fanatics turned white, and light green smoke began to flow out of their mouths. 

 

“Graaaawr!”

 

Screams that resembled a beast’s rather than a human echoed. They rushed at me with movements that ignored the anatomy of the human body.

 

Swish–!

 

The two arms extending at the same time were cut. In response, the stomachs of the cut fanatics immediately began to swell up.

 

Damn it!

 

I quickly backed away and widened the distance. Soon after, they burst like balloons, scattering sharp debris everywhere.

 

This was why I had tried to kill the priest first.

 

Abilities along the line of black magic and controlling people were troublesome.

 

Depending on the number of troops prepared in advance, they were able to exert a force above their rank at any time. It tended to take a lot of effort compared to the experience gained.

 

It was wrong of me to relax.

 

***

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[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

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***

 

The fanatics charged at me again. It seemed they didn’t want to give me time to rest. They continued to blow themselves up whenever they had the chance, and I was gradually pushed into a corner.

 

Watching it happening, I clicked my tongue.

 

I was going to save this for later…

 

It was a waste to use it for small mobs who didn’t even give experience, but it couldn’t be helped now that it was like this.

 

< Wolf Hour >

*One use has been deducted.

*Charges remaining [2/3].

 

The world turned red and everything moved slowly except me.

 

And the obstacles of humans with no gaps now looked like a torn net with holes.

 

I lowered my body and slid between their legs.

 

Swish–!

 

The bright red Red Velvet Curse cut through the legs of the fanatics.

 

I ran straight to the priest in that state. The distance was narrowed in an instant.

 

The reddened world regained its original color, and a shocked cry burst out from the priest.

 

“S-stop him!”

 

Immediately, a giant in bandages standing next to the priest blocked me.

 

Swish–!

 

I immediately cut his thick waist. The feeling was like cutting a stiff log.

 

The sword slid by and I aimed for the priest’s neck.

 

However, I couldn’t achieve my goal.

 

Pak–!

 

A big hand was holding my ankle. Looking down at the ground, the guy I had split in half a moment ago was grabbing me.

 

The bandages on his face slowly slipped down. Looking through the gap, I could see the face of a beast which was half rotten and decomposed.

 

Hmm? This guy’s face looked familiar.

 

There was an amulet dangling from his neck. Looking at it, I felt puzzled as to why I couldn’t remember where I had seen it for some reason.

 

In the meantime, the priest shouted vigorously.

 

“Haha…It’s a ghoul made by Pero himself. Starting now, this guy’s real power…”

 

Swish–!

 

I chopped up the ghoul that was holding my ankle. As a bonus, I also cut the priest’s neck.

 

Ruru–!

 

The priest’s head rolled to the ground. Next, the ghoul’s body, which was slowly regenerating, quickly decayed, giving off a rotten odor.

 

“Saying the same lines over and over, it’s like all the mobs read from the same script.”

 

I kicked the priest’s head. Soon, the fanatics who were attacking me earlier grabbed their heads as their eyes slowly returned to normal.

 

“Keuk…This is…”

 

“Wh-what have I done…?”

 

The fanatics who were brainwashed became confused when they realized what they had done. I approached them.

 

Whether it was because the priest’s buff had disappeared or whatever, but I didn’t sense any particular threat from them.

 

“Th-thank you so much for saving me.”

 

A beautiful-looking woman approached me and lowered her head. It was the woman who had dragged the boy earlier.

 

“I’ll never forget this grace even when I die.”

 

“Th-thank you! Thank you for saving my life!”

 

Behind her, fanatics gathered and thanked me as a group.

 

“Excuse me…If you don’t mind, can you take me to my town?”

 

The first woman asked carefully.

 

“Please…please accept this request.”

 

“Hmm…”

 

She slowly approached me and begged. I watched it for a moment and fell into trouble.

 

However, no matter how long I waited, the development I had wanted didn’t come.

 

A Challenge didn’t appear.

 

I took some grenades out of my inventory and threw them at the fanatics.

 

Boom–!

 

Along with the huge explosion, the fanatics turned into experience. Fortunately, the priest’s buff had disappeared, so it was easy to remove them with a bomb.

 

Ding–!

 

[ Level has risen. ]

[ Gained a Fragment of Growth. ]

 

Ah! I had leveled up here.

 

In fact, I thought I wouldn’t be able to level up this time, but the experience was unexpectedly good.

 

It seemed the ghoul controlled by the priest earlier was a little high level.

 

Come to think of it, didn’t the priest say the ghoul was created by Pero?

 

A necromancer, who had come from another dimension, could be said to be an event-type monster that only appears around this time.

 

The reason why I was here at this time was also related to him.

 

I once heard a rumor in the last round when I was still wandering the streets of Pyongyang.

 

That was, Pero had a legendary object that could further develop a person’s ability.

 

I didn’t know whether the rumor was true or false, but in fact, there was a case in which a B-Rank villain who visited him after hearing the rumor in the first round had become an A-Rank villain a few years later.

 

In short, the rumor wasn’t baseless.

 

And if I was going to grind levels, it was natural to choose a hunting ground where I could farm items as well.

 

In the past, I was too weak to attend the event, but this time it was worth a try.

 

Even if he was B-Rank, I thought I would have a pretty good chance of winning as long as I fight in an advantageous environment.

 

To do this, I must reduce his strength by killing the priests, who could be said to be his hands and feet.

 

There were a total of five places where the ceremonies were held every year. The altars, drawing a pentagon shape, were widely placed around Guangcheng District.

 

…Which meant there were four places left.

 

Considering the remaining time for the festival, I felt a little short on time.

 

I should break one more place before heading back today.

 

When I was organizing my thoughts, someone’s voice was heard.

 

“E-excuse me?”

 

Looking back, I saw the boy who was dragged by the woman earlier. He approached me as his whole body trembled.

 

Come to think of it, I had completely forgotten about him.

 

Nevertheless, I had no intention of killing him. As someone who was a latecomer to this game, I was naturally quite generous to newbies.

 

Looking at newbies sometimes reminded me of my past self. In any case, games with only old players left and no new users would only be ruined someday.

 

“I-I’m really sorry but…Can you take me home? I-I think I’ll be caught by someone else like this…”

 

However, newbies who took me for a bus were always discarded.

 

Wuung–

 

I drew Red Velvet Curse.

 

An eerie cry resonated and the boy fell down in surprise. I could smell the stench of urine from him.

 

At that moment, a message appeared in front of my eyes.

 

[Challenge – Guide the Lamb (Chain Quest)]

Condition: Bring Pumpkin to a safe place.

Time: 3 days.

Reward: 1x Random Box (Medium).

 

“I-I’m sorry! Please spare me…”

 

Looking at the boy, I smiled so that he could feel at ease.

 

“Leave it to me. Hyung!”

 

If it was a newbie who had shared a quest, then there was no reason to refuse.

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