Ok so I was not supposed to update today because I'm searching for work, I can't go to college yet. So I decided find work with my friends but it got canceled and move tomorrow.
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Deal with the Witch (1)
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The Ghosts gulped knowing that they would face a lot of risks in this path that Carl Gustav had decided. They quickly fired a yellow flare to confirm the appearance of a dimensional crack before entering into serious and detailed discussions of their tactical plans.
They hoped to break through all at once but it was nigh impossible especially with the overwhelming amount of void insects in the vicinity.
‘How unfortunate that there are no hell cows.’
Iron felt a bit regretful that the ‘heroes’ of Winter Mountains, the hell cows, were not in this place. But just as regret was starting to seep in, his heart started pounding wildly once again as if to remind him of what he needed to do.
Perhaps it was because the witch believed that the void insects were more than enough to deal with the Ghosts that she did not place any specter, ghost trees or dolls to block their path. Their journey was unexpectedly smooth but it would have gone smoother if the void insects were not present.
“Did we go the wrong way?”
“But the direction is correct.”
Iron answered Carl Gustav solemnly.
They killed as much as possible but the void insects were still crawling around endlessly. What was worse was the fact that the contaminated mana in the surrounding area was getting worse the deeper they went in the forest.
The only silver lining was knowing that they were on the right path. After all, these phenomena meant that they were getting closer and closer to the dimensional crack.
‘And this pounding…’
Iron could feel the energy that stimulated and made his heart pound getting stronger the more they moved in this direction.
“We should move silently like this.”
Carl stepped lightly on a tree branch as he said so. The Ghosts immediately followed his example. They stealthily jumped from one tree to the other while suppressing their mana to the minimum just so they could avoid the detection of the void insects.
Even if the Ghost was a special task force that was specialized in killing monsters, they were still a group that could use stealth and infiltrate when necessary. Iron had also received intensive training to hone his skills in stealth after he finished all of his work in the Winter Mountains.
However, no matter how stealthy they could move, they weren’t professional assassins. There was a limit to what they could do under the cover of darkness. Although they wanted to continue moving forward like this, they had no choice but to stop. The empty lot in front of them was teeming with void insects. They were well aware that they would not be able to pass through this area undetected unless they were the assassins specialized in stealth.
“I believe this is the end of our flower path?”
“Tch! A hard path suddenly appeared.”
Billie Brandt clicked his tongue at Lintel as he pulled his sword out. The other Ghosts also pulled out their swords under the cover of darkness. But as soon as they injected their mana…
―Kiyeeeeeek!
“Quite sharp.”
A void insect appeared right in front of Lintel as soon as his sword turned bluish with mana.
Lintel immediately cut the void insect in half covering him in its body fluids. He quickly shook off the sticky body fluids as he moved and slashed his sword. Dozens of void insects were killed with just a single slash of his sword.
With Lintel as the fuse, the other Ghosts also moved out.
The first one to attack was Milton. Void insects exploded whenever he passed by. Gordon and Sauria also swept the surroundings while making sure to pave the way.
―Hoot!
“Owl?”
Iron tilted his head when he suddenly heard Owl.
―Hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot!
“Everyone, out of the way!”
Iron immediately shouted after hearing Owl’s warnings. The Ghosts stopped in their tracks as they hurriedly stepped out of the way. Then, a blue intangible energy suddenly burst out from the sky.
“Keuk!”
Everyone hurriedly stabbed their swords as they held on from the explosive gust of wind that the blue energy brought about.
“It’s not just a simple wind!”
“Keup!”
“Sp… specter?”
The Ghosts covered their ears as soon as Carl’s warning resounded in the area.
They were swept away in confusion the moment the blue gust of wind wrapped around their bodies. All kinds of debuffs including exhaustion, ghastly shrieks, curses, and temporary blindness bound the Ghosts’ and stopped them from being able to move.
At that moment, the surrounding mana wound around Iron’s body before spreading. When the mana passed by the Ghosts’ bodies, all the debuffs that they experienced disappeared.
“Iron?”
“Yes?”
“You… Your eyes…”
Lintel couldn’t help but flinch and step back when Iron turned around to look at them. The same was true for the other Ghosts.
“What’s wrong with my eyes?”
“It’s shining?”
“Yes? What do you…”
Iron frowned and tried to speak but a notification suddenly rang before he could finish his words.
― An ancient witch is now targeting you, the person who assimilated with Two Moons. The witch will try to deal with you first from this point on.
― The witch has stopped the dimensional crack from expanding as she begins the process of turning it into a gate. A wave of contaminated mana will spread all throughout the Northeast because of the ongoing territorialisation process. Stop the witch and seal the dimensional crack!
― This quest is like a main quest. However, because the ‘official opening’ still hasn’t happened, it will not be included in the main quests.
― A bigger reward will instead be given in exchange for not being included in the main quests. Upon completion of this quest, you will ‘directly’ receive a clue about another phantom species.
A blue ball of fire began to fall from the sky as soon as the notifications ended.
The witch has now considered Iron as the most threatening existence in the area. So, she was trying to get rid of him first.
―Hoot! Hoooooooot!
“I get it.”
Iron turned to look at Carl Gustav upon Owl’s urging. Carl Gustav nodded slightly and gave his orders.
Since the debuffs that made them suffer earlier had disappeared, the Ghosts were able to show what an elite was as they swept away the thousands of specters that appeared to block them.
Blue fireballs flew in again to stop the Ghosts from moving but Carl Gustav stepped forward to stop it himself. Carl’s sword cut off dozens of blue fireballs with the shockwave from his sword. He infused his mana on his sword and used his Quick Draw Sword Technique to blow away the dozens of fireballs that came their way.
But the blue fireballs were not the end.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As they advanced forward, not only did the fireballs appear, even the specters, ghost trees and giant dolls appeared one after the other to stop them. The debuffs even began to get stronger the more they advanced forward.
The Ghosts began to feel exhaustion. It was as if the witch was trying to teach them the horrors of the realm of witches.
However, as if to help the Ghosts, the bombing from the outside continued as the Drake Unit and the Airship Units began to take the risk to break the barrier covering the Black Forest. The knights also descended from the cracks and gaps that were created in the barrier.
“There’s a breach! Let’s go!”
The Drake and Airship Units kept the barrier in check while Crimson moved forward himself to block the powerful magic that targeted the units.
The Ghosts immediately flew forward when they saw that the things that blocked them loosened and showed a gap. They immediately dug through the gaps and passed through.
They continued to move forward until a black screen stopped them. However, thanks to Carl Gustav using his full strength, the screen broke after being hit with dozens of shockwaves from his sword.
“That…”
A huge dimensional crack appeared once the black screen was broken. The Ghosts couldn’t help but stare blankly at the sky. However, Iron’s eyes were not drawn towards the crack.
“Owl?”
He saw a gigantic owl lying on the floor with its eyes closed.
―Hoot! Hoooot!
Iron quickly moved to take his divine beast there when he heard Owl’s request. The Ghosts immediately moved to assist Iron when they saw him moving.
―You’re persistent.
The Ghosts instinctively raised their sword when a pumpkin doll wearing a witch’s hat and holding a scythe appeared in the sky. However, unlike the pumpkin doll from earlier, the small pumpkin doll with the witch hat could use magic. It even used a black wind to block Lintel’s sword, the fastest sword among the Ghosts all the while summoning countless monsters to deal with the others.
The Ghosts dealt with the summoned monsters while Carl Gustav personally dealt with the pumpkin doll wearing a witch hat. Meanwhile, Iron quickly approached the sleeping owl.
“Come to think of it, where are the void insects…?”
When Iron touched the gigantic owl as he wondered where the void insects were despite the dimensional crack being opened, the space began to distort.
“Illusion?”
He noticed that he was deceived. However, it was already far too late.
Void insects began to flock in the area as the space distorted and showed the real situation in the area. Iron clenched his teeth as he jumped up.
Numerous void insects flocked from behind while a blue flame flew towards him from above.
―Hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot!
Iron quickly maneuvered and made his way to the gigantic owl under the guidance of Owl, who appeared in front of him.
―Troublesome.
A pumpkin doll carrying a gigantic scythe several times larger than its body appeared as it swung its scythe.
Clang!
“Go!”
Iron blocked the pumpkin doll as he urged Owl to move forward when he saw him hesitate because of him.
―Two Moons signed a contract with a human… that’s funny.
―Hoot, hoot!
Owl hooted at the pumpkin doll. Owl told the pumpkin doll that it was the one that was funny. After all, the pumpkin doll also tied itself to a witch. The once noble and honorable being was now merely a familiar to a witch.
While the divine beast and familiar were busy facing each other, Iron quickly swung his sword at the void insects that came from behind him. The pumpkin doll gave up on this staring contest as it focused on Iron more fiercely.
Owl, on the other hand, flew straight to where its body was. A black screen, like the one that stopped the Ghosts earlier, appeared to stop Owl, but Owl just turned into light and passed through it.
‘Is it in that place?’
Perhaps it was because Owl had pierced through the black screen that a path suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It seemed like the illusion spell had been broken as an opening suddenly appeared from the place that they had thought was just a simple mountain wall.
―This… I’m in trouble.
The pumpkin doll began to exert its strength earnestly.
Blue flames covered the small pumpkin doll and its scythe while specters flocked all over its small frame.
―Little human. I’m very curious. I wonder how long you’ll last against me.
Specters covered with blue flame flew towards Iron with just a simple swing of its scythe.
Kakakakaka!
―Hang in there. It will be your honor if you can hold out for a while. I’m giving you the honor of fighting against me, the Necromancer Ghost King.
Numerous specters appeared in the air once again after the pumpkin doll finished its words.
Blue flames flew from the dead void insects body as they materialized into hundreds and hundreds of specters that turned into a ghost army.
“You… Who are you?”
―I told you. I am the Ghost King.
“But you’re the witch’s familiar?”
―Because she’s worth it. And we have the same purpose.
Iron looked at the Ghost King incredulously.
―You’re curious about a lot of things. If you’re really curious, you should hold out until that bastard divine beast fully awakens. I can’t answer you since there are restrictions placed upon me, but the Witch Queen is different. You can ask her.
“Witch Queen…”
―Of course, that’s only possible if you can survive through this ordeal.
Then, the Ghost King’s army began to move.
Iron gritted his teeth as he lifted his sword to face against the numerous specters in front of him.
“Hoo… Fine. I’ll survive and listen to your answers.”
Then, he began to concentrate his mana into his sword.
The path that he chose was survival. He chose to endure and endure until he survived to the end. That was his path. Just like steel that got harder the more one hammered it, he wanted to survive by ‘smelting’ the countless hardships that he experienced into his sword.
And right now, Iron’s will was firmly contained in his sword. His will remained as tough as steel as he viewed these countless specter soldiers as a tool to smelt himself.
He would use his body and his mana as the materials to build his steel sword and find the answer.
“Come!”
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Deal with the Witch (2)
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Iron cut down the specters from the ghost army that rushed towards him.
He had practiced his basic swordsmanship and Imperial basic swordsmanship to the point that it had been ingrained deep down in his bones. However, despite his swordsmanship being the most basic out of them all, his mana and his perfect posture were more than enough to deal with the specters and ghosts that rushed towards him.
The bodies of the specters that had been materialized through the blue flames were as hard as steel, but they were not a match for a steel that had been smelted for a much longer period of time. Steel that was made urgently was bound to collapse under a steel sword that was made by a true master craftsman. Even if the steel sword got hurt and weakened in the process, a true master’s steel sword would not break.
Some would say…
‘Sometimes, you need to know when to back down.’
While others would say…
‘Sometimes, you need to be broken to truly survive.’
And that was true. Iron had also lived like that in his previous life. But he regretted living like that. There were people who died from his own judgement. People who had been used. People who roared from frustration. All of these people passed through his head. They were the reason why he chose to never be broken nor shaken in this life. And that thought had led to the creation of his steel.
―Quite good, kid.
“……”
The Ghost King spoke in admiration as he watched Iron steadily cut down hundreds of his army. Then, it began to move personally as it swung his huge scythe towards Iron’s exhausted body that was hurt and battered by the ghost army.
Seeing this, Iron quickly corrected his posture and raised his sword to block the huge scythe wrapped in blue flames.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Despite the merciless assault of the flame-covered scythe, Iron still maintained his posture.
Seeing him remain steadfast, the small pumpkin doll increased the intensity of its attack even further. Even the numerous specters from the ghost army attacked Iron, making the fight more difficult for him to endure.
He swung his sword until his arms burned from the strain. Shoulder. Thigh. Waist. There was no part of his body that wasn’t injured. But he still stood firm.
―You’re quite tough.
Despite receiving the attacks of a being that was far stronger than him, the boy still stood firm and unrelentless. Just looking at him made the pumpkin doll feel exhausted. So, it thought that it should end as it prepared for a strong and final blow.
―Your comrade will appear if you’re able to stop this. If that happened, then, it’s my defeat.
The pumpkin doll’s scythe increased in size even further. Then, the ghost army all turned into blue flames that got sucked into the scythe.
―You’ll probably grow into the biggest obstacle to our plans if you survive this.
The pumpkin doll containing the Ghost King, pushed all of the power that it could muster into its huge scythe.
The Ghost King couldn’t use much power since it needed to maintain the specters and ghost trees to block the rangers and the Ghosts but it still made sure to gather enough strength to crush the young man in front of it.
“I’ll just ask you one thing.”
When the Ghost King heard Iron’s words, it tilted its head as it lifted the huge scythe covered in blue flames.
―If it’s something that can be answered.
“The witch here… is she only one person?”
The Ghost King guffawed at Iron’s question.
He had managed to notice this just now. But up until they reached this place there was no witch that appeared. Only the Ghost King, her familiar, appeared to stop them.
At first, he thought that it was because of the dimensional crack. But over time, he realized that no other familiars had appeared. So, his thoughts ran wild. It seemed like the Witch Queen was alone in this place. He thought that if it was the existence that led the witches, an existence that was beyond the master level, then she was strong enough to do something this ridiculous even if she was alone in her realm.
―Right. There is only one ‘she’ that exists. She’s the last and strongest witch.
“Alone… She’s dealing with all of the elites in the Northeast alone?”
―The Queen’s realm is a place that even a grandmaster would dare not enter… Isn’t that obvious?
The Ghost King swung its scythe towards Iron. It swung its scythe as if he had enough of his questions and had already listened to his final words.
But at that moment, the mana in the surrounding flocked towards Iron that created a strange sensation in his body. The gust of wind created by the mana extinguished the blue flames that wrapped around the huge scythe.
The flame created from the souls of the void insects were instantly cleared by the black gust of wind that flew around Iron. Even the specters burst out in a sprinkle of light when the black wind passed by them.
“Thanks.”
Iron immediately raised his sword properly when he felt Owl’s help.
The only thing that was left in front of him was a cluster of mana in the shape of a huge scythe. That was the only thing left that he needed to endure.
‘I can do it!’
Iron swung his sword to parry the huge scythe that was aiming to split him into two.
His sword, which had been compressed to its limit, blackened a bit slightly following his steel-like will.
The strange sensation that he felt back when he was blocking the dark elf’s attacks in Winter Mountains suddenly appeared once again. And at that very moment, the mana in Iron’s sword began to change.
Then, the pumpkin doll’s scythe and Iron’s sword collided.
Boom!
The collision created a huge shock wave that shook the very earth itself. But despite the huge shock, Iron’s sword did not shake. Even his two legs remained steadfast and solid as he endured the attack.
―What a good sword.
Crack, crack, crack!
The Ghost King looked at his scythe in disappointment when it saw that it was not able to pierce through Iron’s steel-like mana.
Iron frowned when he saw the pumpkin doll’s eyes drooping sadly. It looked a bit distorted right now. And it was strangely disgusting.
―Boy, having this good sword must be because of your abilities.
The moment the Ghost King said this, the wall from behind them exploded. Before Iron knew it, Lintel’s sword was already trying to stab through the pumpkin doll. However, the Ghost King’s huge scythe immediately parried Lintel’s sword away.
―I think it’s time for me to head back. Will you be fighting with my Queen for the 2nd round? Sounds fun.
The Ghosts flocked one by one around Iron after the Ghost King had disappeared.
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes. I survived thanks to this sword.”
Carl Gustav stared at Iron, who was focusing on his sword. Even back in Winter Mountains, during the death crisis when they fought with the dark elves, the one that created a miracle was none other than Iron’s sword. Perhaps, it was thanks to the adamantium’s firm and stable presence that the sword was able to maintain its shape despite the mythril being cracked and broken. But because his sword was broken in the Winter Mountains, they had to melt a general’s broken sword to repair Iron’s sword.
“Treasure and cherish your sword a bit more. Is it going to be like this every time?”
Lintel rebuked Iron when he saw his sword was fairly damaged. Iron smiled bitterly as he felt his conscience get pricked a bit.
“Save the chat for later.”
Carl helped Iron fix himself up as he said so.
Each of the Ghosts used potions for their first aid while they helped each other wound bandages and medicinal herbs on their wounds. They immediately moved right after they fixed themselves up.
The ground began to shake when Owl moved from inside the torn black screen.
“The witch?”
“No. It’s our ally.”
Iron chuckled as he felt the divine power in his body increasing. The hand that was holding his sword tightened as strength filled him once more.
Then, the ground collapsed as a gigantic owl that could only be seen in fantasies appeared. It’s two huge eyes shone a bright blue light towards the sky which instantly broke the witch’s barrier.
When the barrier broke, they saw Crimson’s Storm Sword, which was dealing against the witch’s magic from outside the barrier, swirling around fiercely.
“It’s really a dimensional crack…”
The scenery that they saw after the witch’s barrier and magic disappeared was a gigantic building and gate made out of countless void insects. The building was made by stacking the huge void insects together, even the gate was fixed by using the void insects as some sort of cement. It was so bizarre but was still made possible thanks to the handiwork of the witch.
“Illusion magic? No, manipulation sorcery? How was she able to manipulate them?”
Lintel couldn’t help but mumble to himself when he saw that the witch even had the power to manipulate the void insects. Her abilities were truly magnificent.
“Is this an ancient witch? How amazing.”
Even Crimson admired her powers when he came down to the ground.
Which person in the entire world would ever think of using the void insects in this way?
“So that’s why there were not much void insects earlier.”
Lintel finally realized that this was the reason why there were only a few void insects compared to the situation that they experienced in the Winter Mountains.
Crimson’s brows twitched when he saw that the witch was still manipulating the void insects that appeared to strengthen the area near the gate.
She left enough void insects to territorialize and spread contaminated mana while using the rest in this way. This way, she wouldn’t need to worry about bringing in the mana to grow the dimensional crack.
“I should crush that first.”
As soon as Crimson’s Storm Sword flared up, the witch’s magic flew in and kept him in check. Huge amounts of specters also appeared in the sky.
Two Moons also began to move towards the dimensional crack. It used the mana of the Black Forest to help it get close to the dimensional crack.
At that moment, the witch that they had been looking for so much suddenly appeared.
―Hoot!
Two Moons’ anger surged as it fired lights from its huge eyes. However, its welcoming attack did not hit the witch at all. Crimson tried to chase the witch who was moving around between flashes but he was forced to fight the black ball of light that he had fought earlier.
“This… It hurts my pride.”
Crimson smiled bitterly when he saw the witch dealing with Two Moons while keeping him in check.
Even though his time to step down from his duty was fast approaching, he still couldn’t believe that he would be treated like this. It inevitably hurt his pride. He had no choice but to admit that the witch was truly a strong existence. She was an existence that did not fall behind despite dealing with Two Moons and a master level being.
In addition, the pumpkin doll from earlier also appeared and fought the Ghosts once again.
“For real… The witch is really fighting them alone?”
She managed to stop the army with her dolls, ghost trees and her familiar’s specters all the while directly dealing with the master and Two Moons. Her abilities were truly amazing.
While watching the hectic battle that showed the tremendous abilities of the witch, Iron’s consciousness suddenly blurred.
“Ugh!”
“Iron?”
Iron suddenly staggered and lost consciousness for a moment as he slashed his sword out. But what was most surprising was the fact that the specters and the witch’s dolls did not attack him despite the obvious gap in his defences.
The moment he saw this, he realized that what he had experienced was caused by the witch.
‘Monster.’
Despite fighting against Crimson and Two Moons, the witch was still able to do this to him. There was no other word fit for her except for the word monster.
Iron’s consciousness completely faded as this final thought flashed through his head.
“A divine beast contractor… there weren’t that many back in the ancient times. Quite interesting.”
When Iron saw a young woman slowly walking out from deep within the darkness of the space, he immediately understood who she was.
“Witch?”
“Fufu… Just like the Ghost King said, your head really works well.”
The witch created a chair out of thin air before sitting down seductively.
“The Ghost King told me that a little kid wants to ask me something… So, I worked very hard, you see.”
Iron stared at the witch seriously when he heard her words.
“But do you know what it means to ask a witch?”
Iron shook his head in answer to the witch.
“A price. When you ask a witch something, you should always be ready to pay the price worthy of the answer that you want to know. I don’t know what you’re asking but do you have that price?”
“What if I don’t have that price?”
“Then, all of this is meaningless.”
The witch stared at Iron as she said this. She looked like she did not hold much expectations so it did not matter if Iron had nothing to offer in return.
“You believe that I have no price to pay you?”
“Otherwise?”
“Then why did you call for me here?”
“I’m just… a bit curious about the person who signed a contract with Two Moons?”
The witch smiled sensuously as she spoke.
“I was wondering why someone who had their nose held up high even in ancient times was willing to sign a contract with a human.”
The witch chuckled as she twirled her finger in the air.
“If you don’t have the price to pay then this opportunity…”
“I have.”
“Hm? You have? Just so you know, your vitality is too insignificant and cannot be used as a price.”
The witch smiled as she looked at Iron.
Iron realized that the witch was lying when she told him that the child’s vitality was of little value. She was just reluctant to take a young child’s life away.
“I have information about me.”
“Hmm… But is it something that I need to know?”
The witch looked like she wasn’t that interested in his story. But Iron just smirked at her.
“It’s probably quite interesting.”
“Fine. I’ll listen to it and tell you something that corresponds to it.”
Iron’s smile deepened when the witch accepted the deal.
The witch now had no choice but to reveal information to him as a red thread suddenly appeared and connected them together. When Iron confirmed that the witch would not be able to back out, he quietly opened his mouth.
“I’m not from this place.”
“What?”
“That’s literally what it means. I’m not from this world.”
The witch’s pupils shook the moment she heard Iron’s words.
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Deal with the Witch (3)
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The contract’s red thread that connected them together was telling the witch that what Iron was telling her was the truth. Confusion and interest twisted together as they started to color the witch’s eyes once she confirmed this to be true.
“It’s true.”
“I’m not the type to lie when doing important transactions.”
The witch laughed at Iron’s words.
“Is that all?”
“If you want to hear something else, then shouldn’t you tell me something too?”
The witch’s smile turned deeper when she heard Iron’s provocation.
She hadn’t seen such a reckless young man in such a long time. Her curiosity for this boy, who only had the strength to rival one finger of the continent’s strongest men, had increased when he rudely provoked her.
‘I want to know more.’
‘What secrets are he hiding?’
‘If it’s another world, I wonder what it’s like?’
These thoughts hovered in the witch’s head. Curiosity, something that she hadn’t felt in a long time, surfaced once again in her mind. The witch savored the feeling for a while before opening her mouth.
“I’ll tell you where the other dimensional cracks in the Northeast are under the condition that you tell me more.”
“Give me more. You have to give me more if you want to know how I came over.”
“Hmmm… I don’t know much about the forces that create dimensional cracks. But… I can roughly tell you what we’re going to do in the future. This is the limit of your information’s worth.”
“Give me some more.”
“You’re quite greedy.”
“The Imperials. I’ll give you information on that as a bonus.”
The witch’s eyes widened when she heard Iron’s words.
“When I looked through the historical records, I found out that you don’t have a good feeling about the Empire? Especially towards the Imperial Family.”
The witch stared at Iron without showing her assent or dissent.
“I should untangle those sorry bastards. Well…”
Iron sighed deeply before opening his mouth.
“I came here because of something called God Game. Ah! I should explain about the game.”
Iron said ‘Oops!’ as he briefly explained the nature of the game to the witch. Then, he fell into Samcheon-po and talked about modern civilization. He was only able to barely return to the topic as he explained the story of his past life as briefly as he could.
As he talked about his previous life, he worked hard to season his words well and show how much anger he has towards the Imperial Family. Perhaps it was because of this that he made a good impression to the witch that she even piped up in agreement.
“That’s right. Those men from the Imperial Family have been extremely rude ever since ancient times. They pretend to be righteous on the outside but they’re just narrow-minded trash.”
“Yeah. Anyway, thanks to them, I was used and left to die…”
“So that’s when that guy called God Game reappeared?”
“Yeah.”
The witch pondered for a moment after hearing the entirety of Iron’s story. Since she had heard much bigger information than what she initially expected, she had to give himself the proper and right information in return. However, it would be a waste if she were to just tell him the information that she knew.
“Promise me one thing.”
“Promise?”
Iron spoke with disappointment.
“If you ask for more, then you’ll have no conscience. Am I right?”
“Don’t you have bad blood with the Imperial Family too?”
“Uhm… So?”
“That’s exactly what I want you to promise me.”
The witch said this and stared at Iron. Iron clicked his tongue for a while as he pondered before nodding slowly. Her suggestion was not that bad for him either. After all, he still kept his anger and hatred against the Imperial Family deep in the corner of his heart. So he still wanted to grind them down to dust.
“I hope that you can, to whatever extent that you can do, make the Imperials eat some big shit someday.”
“That’s all?”
“But with your skills right now, I don’t know when you’ll be able to do it?”
Iron’s mouth shut tight like a clam when he heard the witch’s words.
“Hoo… Fine. If I survive, I’ll definitely give the Imperial Family some big shit in any way that I can.”
The witch nodded in satisfaction when she heard Iron agree to her. Although they were enemies, it was still a transaction that they could do since they also had a common enemy.
“I would like to sweep them down to the ground myself but… it’s a bit hard.”
The witch looked bitter as she said those words.
The Imperials were people who took care of their security really well. Even a witch as powerful as her couldn’t dream to sweep them away all by herself so she just resorted to using tricks here.
“By the way.”
Iron watched the witch sigh in disappointment.
“If you’re going to ask me for a favor, shouldn’t you tell me about the Imperial Family’s weakness?”
The witch frowned at Iron’s words.
She seemed to know something but it seemed like there were some restrictions that bound her that made her shut her mouth.
“Is it because it’s related to the Imperial Family?”
The witch shut her mouth and just smiled when she heard Iron’s question. Iron couldn’t help but sigh at the witch’s actions.
“Hoo… What a pity.”
He knew that there was nothing he could do when he saw that the witch was truly bound by some restrictions.
“……”
Iron asked for a handshake after seeing the witch be silent for a while. The witch tilted her head for a moment before reaching out to hold Iron’s hand. At that moment, a red energy passed through their hearts.
The witch’s eyes widened when she saw this before smiling. She had confirmed that Iron was sincerely going to try and fulfill their contract. Because of this, their contract proceeded without any other additional measures. And each of their souls and mana were bound tightly by the contract.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a contract. From this point on until the day you die, you must give those Imperials some big shit. If you try to renege… something bad will happen to your heart, you know?”
Iron stared at the witch as if he had been taken advantage of. If he knew that it would be a compulsory contract then he would have never agreed. Iron knew that he had been forced to sign a fraudulent contract but all he could do was sigh and nod his head after contemplating it. Anyway, if things went as he planned, he would still be able to feed the Imperials at least one big shit so it was still a business that would be completed one way or the other.
“Hoo… Fine. It’s already been signed so there’s no point in arguing… All that’s left are things that I should receive. I’m looking forward to the things that you will tell me.”
Iron tapped his chest as he said so. After signing a double contract, he stared at the witch who had received everything that she could from him.
“I thought about it after listening to you. God Game… I recalled something fascinatingly amazing when I combined that with the information that I have.”
“Something fascinatingly amazing?”
“That game… somehow I got the idea that perhaps that’s what the gods are doing to this world.”
Iron nodded at the witch’s words. It was something that he could infer with the name of the game.
“But is it just a game between the gods here and the gods beyond the dimensional crack?”
“What?”
“Then, why did they call for you here? If it was simply a battle between the gods beyond the crack and the god here, it would be fine if they just played with the people here.”
Iron frowned before looking at the witch with an expression that screamed ‘No way!’.
“Your head really works well.”
The witch smiled.
“Did they bring other people, aside from you, from the world that you lived in before?”
“So, what you, the witch, are saying is…”
“There is a high possibility that the god from the world that you live in is also involved in this game.”
“On what grounds?”
Iron’s expression turned solemn when he heard the witch’s words.
“The members of our forces. That’s my basis.”
“Explain it in detail.”
Iron looked annoyed.
Up until this point, he thought that this was just a different world. That they were just dumped in another world to play a game. He believed that he would come back to his normal life as long as he survived from this. But right now, even the handful of belief that remained in the corner of his heart was broken and turned into dust.
“The reason why we have gathered together is to open dimensional cracks. But is it really just for that purpose alone?”
Iron frowned at the witch’s question.
“What do you mean?”
“What I meant is that it’s not everything. I held hands with them to avenge myself and sweep the Empire and the continent as a whole into dust. But the others have different purposes.”
“Others?”
“Yes. There’s a different force behind us.”
Iron’s eyes widened when he heard her words.
“A force behind…”
The witch opened her mouth as if she wanted to help Iron when she saw him mumbling to himself as if he couldn’t make sense of her words.
“The Hell’s Gate opened in the Winter Mountains, right?”
“What do you… Ah! No way?”
“That’s right. The dark elves joined forces with hell. Then, who did the other guys hold hands with?”
Iron’s expression turned even solemn when he heard the question.
“The dimensional crack is just a means. It’s because of the identity of the force that we have joined hands with that those who wanted to come here have formed a temporary alliance.”
“It’s not just gods’ tricks to destroy the continent?”
“Gods aren’t saints. Why do you think they’re doing this? Do you think greedy bastards will try to do something that does not benefit them?”
Iron sighed.
“Then, let’s say you’re not just a single group… What’s this got to do with our world?”
“If our forces are an alliance of various dimensions wouldn’t the gods also be like that?”
“Don’t tell me…”
“That’s right. There’s a possibility that the god of your world has formed an alliance with the god of this world.”
Iron’s thoughts churned violently when the witch finished her words.
A united front between the world that he lived in and this world. And a united front between the forces that wanted to open the dimensional crack. The two forces were trying to fight a huge battle over this world. Although the gods couldn’t intervene directly, it was possible for them to direct each creature and being as if they were controlling the characters of a game. It seemed like they followed and joined forces before starting a war. In other words, Iron and the people living in this world were like long-term war partners.
“I’m going nuts.”
A huge battlefield was immediately drawn in Iron’s head after he heard the witch’s words.
If he considered this world as the main front, then his original world was like a military camp. A camp that would continue to support and help with troops. Perhaps the same was true for the other places.
“What’s this? I feel like I’ve learned some huge secret.”
“Yeah. But this alone is not enough compared to what I received.”
As the witch said this, her mana combined together and formed into a stone before throwing it to Iron.
“Carry this around.”
“What’s this?”
“If a being with polluted and corrupted mana appears, it will shine red.”
The witch smiled at him.
“Perhaps they’re already spread all over the continent. After all, they’re tasked to cause confusion and breed distrust among each sides.”
“They must be in the capital.”
The witch smiled when she heard Iron’s take on the matter.
“More details?”
“Did you forget that I’m also tied to a force?”
Although she made a contract with Iron, she still couldn’t say a lot of information because she was bound by the restrictions not to say any information that could directly interfere with their operations.
“Well, I think I can tell you this much.”
The witch clapped her hands together. Then, the space distorted as Iron’s consciousness began to fade. But before his consciousness descended to darkness, the witch’s words rang in Iron’s head.
“The explosion of the dimensional cracks in the Northeast is unstoppable. The already sealed dimensional crack in the Winter Mountains will open once again.”
“Ah…”
“But that’s the end of our job in the Northeast. Because we faced a far stronger resistance than what we had expected, the cowardly bunch decided to move elsewhere.”
Iron stared at the witch as he tried to maintain his blurring consciousness.
“What does that mean?”
“It means that if you can stop me alone then the damage will be minimized. So you have to try your best and stop me. Fufufu…”
The witch disappeared in the darkness after leaving these words. Then, Iron’s consciousness faded away once more. After a while, Iron woke up to see that he was leaning on one side with his wounded body.
“A… monster?”
The violent and ferocious battle around him continued but it seemed like there wasn’t that much time that passed since he lost consciousness. Considering the conversation that he had with the witch he thought that the time would be long but it seemed like it was just an absurdly short amount of time in reality. This meant that she could control the flow of time to some extent. The black space that they were in earlier seemed to be the boundary between times.
A witch who can even manipulate the time.
The witch in front of him was undeniably strong but it was his inevitable fate to stop her.
However, despite being witness to the witch’s great power he was strangely unafraid.
Is it because of the power that I felt when I was speaking with her earlier?
Compared to that power, the witch’s power that she was using to fight against Crimson and Two Moons right now seemed to be quite weak.
'Hollow gangjeong?’
This was the thought that passed by his head. However, he soon realized the reason. It was because the monstrous witch continued to work on the dimensional gate while fighting against Crimson and Two Moons.
The witch gazed briefly at Iron as if she knew that he had noticed.
Iron couldn’t help but smile when he saw this. The witch was so composed as if she could deal with whatever he would do.
Iron stood up with determination.
He would smash the witch’s composure to dust whatever the cost was.
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✎ᝰ┆Notes
[Fell into Samcheon-po] 삼천포에 빠졌다 – an idiom that means wandering off the topic, flying off the tangent of the conversation or getting sidetracked. Samcheon-po is a coast town in the southern area of the KR peninsula. There were quite a lot of folk mythologies about the origin of this idiom but it usually has something to do with a trader being blown off course or a navy man returning to service that took the wrong train.
[Hollow gangjeong] 속 빈 강정 – a proverb meaning it looks good but has no substance. Useless, no good. BG: gangjeong is a traditional confectionery made from sticky rice, honey and oil. A deep fried rice puff with a hollow inside.