Chapter 48: Star, Jigwi (2)

Chapter 48: Star, Jigwi (2)

Yang Shin-Hae and the other two demonic Players seemed genuinely glad to meet the two instructors; they were very familiar with the pair, who were the first of the White Tiger Clan’s hounds sent to ambush and kill the three during the collapse of the Highoff Clan’s head office. The three demons had not expected to run into those very hounds in the Dungeon!

Just as Gi-Pyo said, the ‘gift bundle’ was so large, they could not stop laughing.

“How did you...!” the two instructors exclaimed, briefly frozen in shock.

The ‘Flail Devil’ Yang Shin-Hae, the ‘Sawblade Teeth’ Park Gi-Pyo, and the ‘Red Target’ Bae Woo-Gyeong—they had once been the highest-ranking Players in the Highoff Clan. If such people had entered the White Tiger Clan’s private property, that meant there was a hole in the Clan’s security.

The problem was that the three demonic Players had chosen this specific Dungeon out of all the other Dungeons that the White Tiger Clan owned. That meant they had to have ferreted out the Clan’s secret research facility.

“Hehe, what do you mean ‘how’? Of course, we proudly crawled our way into this Dungeon,” Shin-Hae replied. He took off a bracelet around his wrist, smiling slyly. Then, a pair of iron chains extended down from his sleeves link by link, hitting the ground loudly.

Thud!

At the end of each chain was a giant iron weight, larger than a human head. Shin-Hae’s weapons resembled the ancient Chinese weapon known as a meteor hammer. However, the weights on the end were also covered in spikes, which meant they could be considered flails.

“Anyway, it looks like we have a lot to talk about,” Shin-Hae said, grabbing the middle of one chain and starting to spin it around. Driven by centrifugal force, the iron flail head whirled around with a horrible sound that seemed as if it could split the air itself.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

He truly lived up to the title of ‘Flail Devil’.

Gulp!

The two instructors felt tense as they looked at Shin-Hae and the other demonic Players. Gi-Pyo, who was famous for being cruel as Shin-Hae, had also drawn his weapon, a sword that resembled a giant sawblade. If the two instructors fought with the three, the result would be obvious. Thus, they easily came to a decision.

Paaah―!

The faster instructor leaped backward and began to run, planning to notify the facility about the three demonic Players’ appearance and call for backup as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the other instructor leaped toward Shin-Hae.

According to the White Tiger Clan’s emergency manual, one instructor had to buy time for their other colleague to escape and arrive at headquarters. However, the remaining instructor was unable to reach Shin-Hae, as Gi-Pyo tried to cut him in half at the waist.

“Hup!” The instructor gasped, quickly deflecting Gi-Pyo’s attack.

Clang!

Gi-Pyo’s strike was so powerful that it made the instructor’s sword shake, to the point that his hands felt as if they would fall off at any moment. Meanwhile, Gi-Pyo smiled at the instructor and remarked, “Come on, you can’t be surprised already! We’re just getting started.”

Grrrr―!

The Sword Breaker, Gi-Pyo’s favorite weapon, was a sharp sword with a saw-toothed edge. Each time it clashed with the instructor’s blade, the heat and friction created a shower of sparks and a horrible sound that resembled that of a saw cutting through a log.

The instructor could not help but be intimidated whenever he crossed blades with Gi-Pyo. As expected of a demon, Gi-Pyo seemed extremely satisfied to see his opponent’s reaction. The more metallic screeches filled the air, the louder his cruel laughter became.

Clang! Clash, clang!

Meanwhile, as Gi-Pyo exchanged attacks with the instructor whose task it was to stay behind...

“Hmm? Where are you going?!” Shin-Hae called out, throwing his flail toward the escaping instructor with great strength. Propelled by the strong centrifugal force of the spinning chain, the iron weight flew high into the air, crashing down toward the instructor’s head like a bird of prey swooping down on its next meal.

The fleeing instructor quickly turned around, swinging his sword at the iron weight.

Bwoong!

Crack, shatter!

The instructor managed to deflect Shin-Hae’s meteor hammer to one side with great difficulty, but the flail head had landed with such force that it shattered both his sword and his arm. As sword fragments scattered across the ground, spraying sparks like a firework, the instructor tried to hold himself together despite his broken arm. However...

“Oh, you’re good! Now, take this!” Shin-Hae yelled. Seemingly not done yet, he then threw the other meteor hammer in his left hand at the instructor. The other half of the pair of meteor hammers struck the instructor’s torso like a shooting star crossing the night sky.

“Urgh!” the instructor groaned.

His weapon had been smashed to pieces, leaving him unable to stop Shin-Hae’s second attack. Several of his ribs broke from the impact, sending him rolling a great distance across the ground. The shock of the blow had ruptured his intestines, and it seemed as if bone fragments had punctured his lungs, making it difficult to breathe. He tried to resist, but he was ultimately helpless as Shin-Hae’s right meteor hammer, which he had previously deflected, crashed down on his head once again.

Rattle, rattle!

Smash―!

The collapsed instructor was unable to counterattack as the meteor hammer crushed his face, splitting his skull like a watermelon. Bits of flesh and pulverized brains sprayed through the air.

“Hahaha! He’s too weak! How can he be this weak?!” Shin-Hae exclaimed, laughing like a lunatic.

Shooting Shin-Hae a look, Gi-Pyo angrily shouted, “Be careful, you bastard! You shouldn’t kill off an important clue like that!”

“Why are you worried? You’ve got another one over there, right?” Shin-Hae retorted, still laughing as he gestured with his chin.

“Fuck! You’re making things harder for me!” Gi-Pyo grumbled with a frown.

Although he had a strong urge to spill blood, he had been desperately holding back that urge in order to search for clues. Shin-Hae, on the other hand, seemed to have no such priorities. Regardless, he knew Shin-Hae would never listen no matter how angry he got. Thus, he calmed himself down, deciding to subdue the remaining instructor first.

Clang, clash, clang!

In a flash, his blade clashed with the instructor’s sword countless times.

* * *

“What are you planning to do with us?” Chang-Sun asked.

“Although I don’t actually want to do this... I have no choice right now. I’m sorry, but you have to die.” Woo-Gyeong, the demonic Player who had not fought against the instructors, said as he approached Chang-Sun and Baek Gyeo-Ul.

Unlike the two instructors, who had looked vigorous, Chang-Sun and Gyeo-Ul were visibly tired. Thus, Woo-Gyeong, the weakest and most timid of the three ‘demons’, had chosen to approach them. Although Gyeo-Ul stepped up to protect the tired Chang-Sun, his clear signs of fatigue made him less intimidating than Woo-Gyeong, who was practically radiating demonic energy.

“Well, I don’t plan on dying here, you know?” Chang-Sun replied, quietly opening his eyes and staring at Woo-Gyeong after calming his boiling mana.

Although Gyeo-Ul turned to look at Chang-Sun, silently asking whether he was alright, Chang-Sun fixed his gaze on Woo-Gyeong with a smirk.

Woo-Gyeong thought Chang-Sun was simply bluffing for the last time in his life. It was a reasonable assumption, as he had sensed the instability in Chang-Sun’s energy; that suggested Chang-Sun would soon collapse from exhaustion if he overexerted himself. The countless murders Woo-Gyeong had committed gave him a keen sense for such things; he thought there was no way he could be wrong. Even though he was timid, he was still a ‘demon’.

“Where are you going, sir...?” Gyeo-Ul quietly asked.

“What do you mean, where? I’m going to get another Jewel Eye,” Chang-Sun said casually.

Gyeo-Ul was dumbstruck to hear that Chang-Sun would kill the remaining Jigwi, even after successfully eliminating one. Chang-Sun’s greed was truly so endless that Gyeo-Ul felt as if it would swallow him up whole.

“However, your physical condition...!” Gyeo-Ul protested, trying to stop him.

“I’m feeling a lot better, and I’ve also replenished my stamina,” Chang-Sun explained.

Just as he said, he seemed to be breathing more calmly. He had been meditating not only to calm his mana, but also to eliminate his fatigue.

Regardless, Gyeo-Ul firmly insisted, “It is still dangerous.”

No matter how much power the Jigwi had used up, she would not be easy to fight alone. Chang-Sun would surely be eaten if he tried.

.

As Gyeo-Ul tried to stop Chang-Sun, Chang-Sun met his serious gaze with an odd expression. It was the first time he had shown any emotions around Gyeo-Ul; strangely, however, the look in his eyes felt like that of a father showing pride in his son.

“Don’t worry,” Chang-Sun said, his expression quickly fading as he passed by Gyeo-Ul—no, he actually had a faint smile that could only be noticed with close observation. The smile was different from the smirk he usually showed his enemies; this time, he appeared to be enjoying himself.

“I have a plan,” he continued as he pulled out the [Jigwi’s Right Jewel Eye]. The shining red Jewel Eye looked like a real jewel, leaving a beautiful yet grotesque impression.

Just like that, Chang-Sun shoved the Jewel Eye in his mouth like a hard candy, before swallowing it whole as if he were taking a vitamin pill.

At that moment...

Paaah―!

Kieeeh!

A tornado of fire, much fiercer and gloomier than when Chang-Sun had first absorbed it from the Jigwi, burst out of his body.

The Jigwi’s neidan, otherwise referred to as its core, was an important component that had just been added to the [Fire of the Eight Trigrams Brazier] that resided in Chang-Sun’s magic integrated circuit. His Magic stat significantly increased once more, and the fundamental properties of the [Fire of the Eight Trigrams Brazier] changed completely. Its flames now blazed black and red; bizarre, echoing ghostly wail arose from the fire, as if thousands of spirits had been condensed into it.

If a Jigwi, a cluster of spirits made of fire, were to take the form of a human rather than a bird... It would look just like the current Chang-Sun.

“Is there a need to consume a Jewel Eye even after I absorb all the Jigwi’s fire?” Chang-Sun asked.?

“There is,” Second Elder replied with a nod.

“Why? I’ll have strengthened the fire as much as possible, and it would be more efficient to turn the Jeweleye into an artifact or something,” Chang-Sun replied, not understanding.

“It’s still better to eat it. That way, rather than just ‘adding attributes’ to the fire, you can also ‘change its foundations’,” Second Elder explained.

After coming up with a complete plan to hunt a Jigwi in the Underworld, Chang-Sun had asked Second Elder about consuming its Jewel Eye, and he had been told that doing so would transform the Eight Trigrams Brazier’s properties, allowing it to contain true Eon Fire.

That was not the only advantage, however.

“Ah, one more thing,” Second Elder added, raising a finger.?

“...?” Chang-Sun tilted his head.

“If you eat the Jewel Eye, you can become a Jigwi,” Second Elder concluded with a grin.?

“...!” Chang-Sun’s eyes shone.?

[The destruction and ghost attributes have been added to the ‘Fire of the Eight Trigrams Brazier’.]

[The fire’s properties are changing.]

[All the attributes have been merged, causing a transformation.]

[The doom attribute has been created!]

[The ‘Fire of the Eight Trigrams Brazier’ has turned into the “Eon Fire of the Eight Trigrams Brazier’.]

With Chang-Sun at its center, the tornado of fire suddenly began to change directions, gathering in one place.

[You have become a Jigwi!]

[Strength has increased by 2.]

[Agility has increased by 4.]

...

[You now understand the characteristics of the Jigwi.]

[You have learned to control spirits and Eon Fire.]

[You have learned ‘Wraith Form’.]

[You have learned ‘Poltergeist’.]

[You have learned ‘Pyrokinesis’.]

...

[You can now use ‘Single Eon Fire’!]

[Single Eon Fire], a fire that was reputed to be able to destroy the world if its wielder desired it, rose up in the shape of wings. Wings made of black and red flames, the symbol of the Jigwi, sprouted from Chang-Sun’s back and flapped vigorously.

Paaaah!

In order to perfectly play both sides and monopolize all the Jewel Eyes, Chang-Sun once again leaped onto the battlefield, soaring through the air in a surge of embers that fell to the ground like feathers. The embers flared brilliantly before fizzling out.

1. The author made a reference to Reaper from the game Overwatch when naming this skill.