Chapter 98: Jangseungs of the Thousand Gold Temple

Chapter 98: Jangseungs of the Thousand Gold Temple

The professor was a good man.

In every scenario, he maintained his identity as a typical good-hearted protagonist, and although it may not be solely due to this reason. his endings were never good.

I refused to listen to him out of a sense of defiance.

My duty is to escort you to safety and ensure your return.

The dead have a narrow vision. Seeing the state theyre in, theyve probably forgotten why they tried to enter the Thousand Gold Temple in the first place.

I paused for a moment to scratch at my mask.

Indeed, this situation was not going to resolve itself easily.

Wasting time watching a fight that might never end did not suit my personality.

Eventually, I sighed and said,

Understood. However, any additional tasks from now on might require extra payment.Updated from n0velb(i)n.c(o)/m

I would like to ask you to do so in a non-violent way, if possible.

No, rather than another request. Youre saying therell be extra payments, right?

I did not voice my final thoughts and instead reached out toward the Jangseungs.

The distance was considerable, yet my magical power and control were completely different from before.

In an instant, I expanded my influence and made contact with the bodies that the Jangseungs were wrapped around.

What is this! Who is this!?

Which one dares to touch us!

Sensing my magic, the Jangseungs shook their heads with a sensitive reaction and I could feel their resistance to magic surge tremendously.

But it was already too late. My magical power had taken root in their bodies.

Lets see, this is earth

I activated a spell as I punched my right fist into my open left palm.

[Break Stone]

Crack!

The parts of their bodies made of rock and stone shattered all at once.

Aaargh!! How, how is this possible!?

Which fiend is this!!

After losing their balance, the Jangseungs began to collapse.

Boom!

It sounded like a mountain was collapsing. Dust and dirt obscured the view.

But they would just reconstitute their bodies and rise again anyway.

I cast the next spell without hesitation.

[Waterfall]

[Spell Enhancement: Maximization]

Whoosh!

As if a hole had opened in the sky, an immense volume of water suddenly poured out.

Underestimating it as just a waterfall or a heavy shower would lead to irreversible damage.

My body! My body!!

Stop, stop it!!!

Although it was just water, it attacked with enough weight and speed to demolish buildings and carve mountains.

Once the Jangseungs began to lose their balance and topple, they were quickly eroded by the tremendous water pressure.

The dirt mounds that formed their bodies were nothing more than armor gathered by magical power.

Even if destroyed, they would feel a slight annoyance but no pain.

In the meantime, I turned my magic towards the ghosts.

[Delusional Fire]

Seven purple flames blossomed in the air. This spell possessed the power to attract corrupt beings and draw in the ghosts.

The flames, casting a mysterious light in all directions, began to attract the confused ghosts.

The ghosts had already lost their sense of self and were easily lured by the flames and changed their course.

Now, I will disperse the ghosts.

I sent the wandering flames in various directions.

The ghosts, having forgotten their original purpose, scattered following the flames that flew in all directions.

Of course, there were still some beings who were not bothered by such magic, but they were few and far between. By then, the mass-like crowd had already dispersed.

I cant believe this Mage friend, I did ask for your help, but I honestly did not expect this much. Ive seen plenty of destructive magic, but this is the first of its kind!

Its nothing special.

Great General of all under Heaven and General of the Underworld.

The professor calmly called out the names of the two Jangseungs, but they had already lost their composure.

Shut up!

The shout was from the Great General of all Under Heaven.

The General of the Underworld didnt even bother to respond and swung its arms made of mud and gravel.

Baoom!!

[Protective Circle]

[Spell Enhancement: Multicasting]

Crack, crunch! Boom!!

Had it not been for the five layers of protective circles formed in front of the professors head, his brain which was full of wisdom would have been scattered all around.

But the professor just fearlessly winked at me.

He knew this would happen and went ahead. Well, good. My role is to guard.

I immediately moved to stand behind the professor.

Hold on. Lets listen before swinging.

You insolent fool!

Behave!

Generals,

The professor said again.

The Jangseungs gritted their teeth as they glared at the professor. Yes, their expressions seemed to say, Lets hear what he has to say.

The next words from the professor were somewhat bizarre.

I will apologize on behalf of my disciple for the rudeness he committed.

Disciple?

Apology?

The Great General of all Under Heaven and the General of the Underworld made incredulous sounds at the sudden absurd statement.

Thats your disciple? Dont spout nonsense!

You might as well claim youre Master Xuanzang! How could you have taught such a monster!

Contrary to the hostile atmosphere, the conversation flew off in a bizarre direction.

Nonsense? Not at all. Its all because of that mask.

The professor raised his hand to point at my face.

Yes, that mask! Its not something a proper human could wear!

Yes, that mask! That creature must surely be sent by the abyss!

No, thats not true. My disciple was deceived by a being from the abyss into wearing that mask. Its been three years and three months since hes been unable to remove it himself.

The professor continued to spout bizarre tales as if he were a main character of a fable. I couldnt see his expression since I was standing behind him, but somehow, it felt like he was enjoying himself.

The conversation that followed was truly absurd.

The professor had spoken at length about the harsh life one must lead when wearing a mask for three years and three months.

Although the Jangseungs reflexively countered his words, the conversation went on exactly as the professor intended.

-Aha, Ive got it now!

Suddenly, the Great General of all Under Heaven declared it had realized something.

-It was a lie after all! How could a human eat while wearing a mask!

-Oh, I see! It was a lie!

No, thats not the case. Because of a curse placed by a being from the abyss, my disciple has been unable to eat or drink anything. Its a truly terrible curse. Dont you feel sorry for my disciple?

-Really? Is that so?

-No wonder hes so small and weak.

The Jangseungs began to look at me with pity.

It worked better than expected.

The sudden perceived drop in the Jangseungs intelligence was not an actual decrease.

Everything was the result of the artifact held in the professors hand.

[Flag of Open Hearts (A-rank Magical Tool): A flag embroidered with magical incantations. Anyone under the influence of this flag becomes compelled to engage in conversation with you. However, this effect does not work on anyone towards whom you have harbored hostility even once.]

The professor intentionally made absurd statements that did not fit the situation.

Before the artifact was activated, he could have been silenced or physically rebuffed, but once the artifact was activated, such actions were no longer possible.

The Jangseungs could either contradict or agree with the professors words. But since he intentionally said things that didnt fit the situation, the conversation that ensued was oddly absurd.

The Jangseungs are known to have high magical resistance I was lucky.

Had it failed, I was ready to grab the professors wheelchair and make a run for it. Luckily, since the judgment was successful, that was no longer necessary.