[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapter 19
‘The fog is definitely getting thicker as I climb higher.’
Leaving Clementine at the base of the mountain, I continued to climb, keeping a lookout.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
“...This should be safe enough.”
Only after confirming that the fog was getting thicker and thicker as I ascended was I able to relax. With this much fog, no one would be able to see me.
I focused my mind to cast a spell.
Clementine's potion magic was incredibly powerful, but it wouldn't help her find the students trapped in the fog.
The fog on Dragon Mountain wasn't a simple natural phenomenon; it was a kind of barrier.
It prevented people from climbing to the summit.
Because of that, I couldn't climb the mountain barehanded. I needed an item, a spell, or a new sense to navigate the fog.
[Casting Polymorph spell.]
[Select Polymorph transformation.]
[Selected "Bat" as Polymorph transformation.]
[ENP increases by 15/180.]
Bang-!
With the spell, my body transformed instantly, and I hung from a branch, flapping my wings.
Then, I opened my mouth and emitted an ultrasonic wave forward.
......
......
......
[Something is detected by the ultrasonic wave.]
[An image of the terrain scanned by the ultrasonic wave is drawn in your mind.]
‘Got it.’
The ultrasonic waves bounced off the terrain and returned, and the path hidden in the fog began to be drawn in my mind.
The bat polymorph wasn't something I used often, but thanks to having senses that humans didn't, it was quite useful in situations like this.
‘I was half-expecting that the ultrasonic waves wouldn’t work, since I had never climbed this mountain before.’
Fortunately, the path was being drawn in my mind better than I had expected.
Flap-!
I took off from the branch and began to flap my wings briskly towards the summit.
* * *
You can't get lost in the fog if you use a bat's sonar.
I discovered this fact around the 80th or 81st playthrough.
When I first entered High Society and decided to become one of the Four Evils, the other villains didn't like me.
"No wonder. I had killed the villain who was supposed to become one of the Four Evils in the original story and taken their place."
That was the only way to become one of the Four Evils in High Society. The problem was that one of the Four Evils, [White Ghost], was in a romantic relationship with the villain I had killed.
White Ghost, a villain with fog-based abilities, tried to kill me by covering the entire city in fog.
"I actually died at her hands several times."
Because of that, every time I started a new playthrough, I had to find a way to defeat White Ghost first.
However, one of White Ghost's characteristics made it extremely difficult to find a way.
That was her [Fog] ability.
By training her ability to its limit and transforming her entire body into fog, White Ghost was impervious to any attack.
In the end, I changed my plan from finding a way to defeat White Ghost to finding a way to avoid her attacks, and through various attempts, I discovered the use of a bat's sonar.
"It was the first time I saw that expression on White Ghost's face."
She looked quite shocked to see someone survive her fog, as she had never seen anyone do so before.
Even after that, she attacked me several times, but each time I survived in the same way, and eventually, White Ghost left High Society on her own.
She said she couldn't stay in the same organization as someone who had killed her lover.
"But what if White Ghost had stayed?"
Sometimes I wonder.
What if I could have found a route where White Ghost remained in High Society?
What if her fog had protected us?
How would it have been against the Seven Heroes?
It would have been difficult for even the Seven Heroes to find a way to penetrate White Ghost's fog.
"...It's a useless thought."
I know very well. There's no such route. If there was, I wouldn't be here right now.
[The ultrasonic waves detect the terrain.]
[A new terrain is drawn in your mind.]
[A large body of water is detected ahead.]
About 20 minutes after flying up Dragon Mountain.
After continuously emitting ultrasonic waves and navigating through the hazy fog, I finally detected something other than rocks and trees.
"A large body of water... So this must be Dragon Lake."
There is a large lake at the summit of Dragon Mountain. The huge fog that covers the entire mountain comes from this lake.
"But a lake alone couldn't naturally create this much fog."
Considering the climatic conditions, this place isn't suitable for naturally generating such a large amount of fog. There must be some artificial force at work.
Like a spell or magic.
[Casting Polymorph spell.]
[Select Polymorph transformation.]
[Selected "Do Jin-hak" as Polymorph transformation.]
[Casting Do Jin-hak's spell "Reality Perception."]
[ENP increases by 35/180.]
It was very similar to the Imugi depicted in the inscription.
[You have uncovered the "Mystery of the Dragon Lake!" ]
[You have gained new inspiration from witnessing this wondrous mystery!]
[Intelligence stat increased!]
[Charm stat increased!]
'I was right!'
The reason why no one had ever uncovered the secret of the Dragon Mountain before was because they didn't have the ability to communicate with the Imugi.
The Dragon Affinity I gained through Gianluca was a rare skill, and as I suspected, it allowed me to communicate with the Imugi.
"...But it's much bigger than I thought."
The problem was that the Imugi that had finally appeared was unimaginably large.
If it attacked, there was no way I could survive in my current state.
Before it noticed me, I quickly hid behind a large rock.
"You beast! I clearly heard your voice! Where are you hiding?! Come out at once!"
Bang-! Bang-!
Powerful water jets erupted from the angry Imugi's mouth, shattering the surroundings.
'I'm doomed if this continues...!'
The summit of Dragon Mountain, with its rocks and trees, was being destroyed by the hydro-pump-like water jets!
‘If I keep hiding like this, I’ll just end up dying the 138th time.’
And running away wouldn’t solve anything.
‘Come to think of it, the inscription on the stone tablet said the Imugi was greatly wronged by humans...’
If the legend was true, there’s a high chance it harbors a deep resentment towards humans.
Then...
[Casting Polymorph spell.]
[Select Polymorph transformation.]
[Selected "Tree Spirit" as Polymorph transformation.]
[ENP increases by 50/180.]
Before the water jet could reach me, I quickly changed my form and stepped in front of the Imugi. Upon seeing me, the Imugi stopped its indiscriminate attack and narrowed its serpent eyes.
“I thought I heard a human voice, but it seems a tree child has climbed up here! No matter how much I chew on twigs like you, it’s tasteless!”
The Imugi flicked its tongue, its eyes filled with disappointment.
Seeing that it didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking, I breathed a sigh of relief. As long as I maintained this polymorph, I should be safe from being eaten.
“Are you the one creating the fog on this mountain?”
“That’s right. This fog is a treasure bestowed upon me by heaven!”
As expected.
The fog on Dragon Mountain was artificially created, and the culprit was the legendary Imugi living beneath the lake.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Why? To prevent those damn humans from climbing up here!”
The Imugi's pupils narrowed as if an unpleasant memory had surfaced, and it gnashed its sharp teeth.
“I was preparing to ascend to heaven long before this country was called Goryeo! I helped humans and even accepted their offerings. Until that damned Jeon Woo-chi appeared!”
The Imugi's story, poured out with resentment, was quite different from the legend written on the stone tablet.
A thousand years ago, the Imugi had been diligently cultivating its power in Dragon Mountain, dreaming of ascension. It was revered as a mountain spirit, occasionally granting humans' wishes. Its divine power had grown so great that it was almost like a dragon, and it could perform incredible feats.
“But that human, Jeon Woo-chi, saw my power and became greedy! He appeared before me, deceived me with lies, and stole my Divine Pearl! He hid it somewhere in the eight provinces of Goryeo so I couldn’t find it!”
Rumble Rumble-!
As the Imugi's anger intensified, dark clouds gathered in the sky, followed by flashes of lightning.
It didn’t seem like a lie, judging by its anger.
‘The inscription on the stone tablet must have been greatly embellished.’
Having lived as a villain for so long, I could somewhat empathize with its anger. I had experienced many times in past playthroughs how humans rewrite history to their advantage.
“So I had to create a new Divine Pearl! For another thousand years! And do you think I would just sit back and let those wicked humans steal it again?”
With a snort, the Imugi breathed out a hot wind that nearly burned me.
As a tree spirit, I was particularly vulnerable to heat...
‘Anyway, I understand the situation now.’
So the Imugi had covered the mountain in fog to protect its Divine Pearl from humans. After two thousand years of creating it, it was understandable that it was so wary of human approach.
“But why haven’t you ascended yet? Surely two thousand years is enough time to recreate the Divine Pearl?”
“That’s because the mountain’s energy has weakened! If the mountain’s energy was full, I would have already found and devoured Jeon Woo-chi and ascended long ago!”
The Imugi explained that the Divine Pearl was created by gradually absorbing the mountain’s energy, and that the mountain was now dying because it had been draining its energy for too long.
‘Well, after being sucked dry for two thousand years, even the healthiest mountain would be dying.’
‘Anyway, now I just need to persuade him to clear the fog.’
The missing alchemy students were probably still wandering somewhere in the fog on this mountain.
Considering that the setting involved him being tricked by a human and having his Divine Pearl stolen, he probably didn’t have a very high intelligence.
‘If I flatter him, I might be able to get him to temporarily clear the fog.’
Hiding my true intentions, I casually mentioned to the Imugi.
“Hmm... Hearing your story, it seems like you’re in a difficult situation. But I think I can help you with the mountain’s energy problem.”
“Help?”
“As you know, the forest folk can hear the voice of the mountain. I might be able to find a way to restore its energy. If you just clear the fog from the mountain for a while...”
“There’s no need for that! The gods of heaven will never abandon me. They have sent me a gift!”
“A gift?”
The Imugi rolled its eyes ferociously, and the lake churned violently as something rose from beneath.
Whoosh-!
Dozens of humans emerged from the water, floating in the air.
They were the missing students from the Alchemy Department.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]