Chapter 233. < My Army (3) >
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Translator: Seven ED: Sei
5.
After waking from Manseng, I was indebted to Ms. Ja Soo-jung—not the noble who held the title of Viscount in the Kingdom, not the God who wielded the power Manseng, but Ja Soo-jung, a student who lived in the [Side Story] and attended the Shinseo Middle School.
“Ms. Ja Soo-jung is such a good cook.”
“Yes. Thanks to the recipe, I was able to make it exactly.”
Ja Soo-jung, a student of the Shinseo Middle School, slowly set a tray down. Uburka helped her serve the side dishes for dinner.
Ja Soo-jung looked down at the table as she spoke.
“Did you accomplish what you wanted, Mr. Gong-ja?”
I stiffened for a moment.
“Huh?”
“What Mr. Gong-ja wanted.”
“…”
Ja Soo-jung’s voice was like the sound of a lone dandelion leaf falling to the ground. If one wasn’t paying attention, her voice would often be caught in a summer breeze and disappear.
“I’m a bit worried about how Mr. Gong-ja feels.”
“…worried about me?”
“Yes, I was worried. As the house owner. From the position of you being my guests. However, in addition to that, I feel genuinely curious about Mr. Kim Gong-ja.”
“…let me help you move the dishes.”
We arranged the table. One by one, soup bowls and grilled fish were carefully arranged on the table.
The stew bowl was placed in the center, beans sprouts and cucumbers on the left, and steamed eggs at the back.
As the food that would soon disappear into our stomachs was arranged, my arm brushed against Ja Soo-jung’s arm.
Several times.
“What Mr. Gong-ja wanted.”
Ja Soo-jung wanted.
“…”
“You said that you met another me, not the me here. That person is my origin. They’re probably God. That’s what you told me, Mr. Gong-ja.”
“Yes.”
“Did you achieve what you wanted, Gong-ja?”
That was the first question Ms. Ja Soo-jung asked me earlier.
But this time, the question was torn down and reached a new low.
“What you wanted to gain by dying. Your goal. That thing, did you get it?”
I was silent for a moment.
“Yes.”
Then I opened my mouth.
“My first goal was to meet the Tower Master that I might not be able to meet at the top of the Tower… A human to human meeting. In that sense, I achieved my goal exceedingly well. I was able to learn a lot about the human called the Tower Master.”
“I see.”
The student, who was smiling faintly in front of me, was not the noble with diverse expressions from the Kingdom. But I knew that the faint smile on this girl was her happiest smile.
“Well done.”
“Really well done, Mr. Gong-ja.”
Ja Soo-jung suddenly held my hands.
‘So.’
As I felt Ja Soo-jung’s body heat on my hands.
I realized that my heart had no choice but to feel heavy.
‘So this is your essence.’
A being that worried.
A person who praised you for doing well, and felt sad with you when you didn’t.
A person who was born to take that to the extreme.
[I wish you luck.]
For this person, every human being in the world was a child.
She worried needlessly whenever a child went outside, worried that they would cross a dangerous road, she would say [Watch out for cars!], [Watch out for motorcycles!]. Her heart would pound while the child was still out. However, the moment the child returned, simply because they returned safely, she would wrap her arms around them and say [Well done], [Really well done].
[I wish you luck.]
Come back safely.
[I wish you luck.]
Watch out for motorcycles on your way back.
[I wish you luck.]
Be careful not to collect bad luck while climbing stairs.
[I wish you luck.]
Please come back safely.
“…”
The God who wanted to be everyone’s protector.
With God’s avatar in front of me, I smiled.
“Should I show you what I got from meeting the Tower Master?”
Ja Soo-jung nodded.
“Mr. Gong-ja should do what you want to do.”
Right.
Translated, those words meant [Do whatever you want to do].
I seemed to have gained the skill of a priest capable of roughly interpreting the Word of God.
“Now then, please wait a moment. I’ll show you…”
“Ah. I’m sorry, but before that.”
Ja Soo-jung pointed towards the table.
“Let’s eat first.”
“…”
“If you don’t eat on time, your health will suffer, Mr. Gong-ja.”
Indeed.
Translated, that would be [Eat your food].
Smiling bitterly, I obeyed God’s orders.
6.
The place I went to was the backyard of the hanok.
The so-called [Warehouse where the Ghosts slept].
I carefully, carefully, opened the door of the warehouse one step at a time.
“I never thought I’d come back to this ghost den…”
While staying by the door, swish, swish, I checked the inside of the warehouse.
Fortunately, I didn’t see anything strange like a festival of ghosts, or a scene that would make the viewers SAN* drop suddenly. (*: Sanity value/stat)
The warehouse was quiet. There was just a bunch of clutter that was peacefully collecting dust
“…uh, not here?”
At that moment, meow!, something clung to the back of my foot.
“Heeeek!?”
“It’s just Meow. You were so surprised, Mr. Gong-ja.”
As if she was used to it, Ja Soo-jung lowered her head and picked up the doll that was stuck to my leg. While moving, the puppy doll reminded me of his existential crisis by crying ‘Meow! Meow!’ over and over again.
“Cough.”
I tried not to get too close to the puppy doll as best as I could.
“Is this child dead? For example, is it a dead spirit that entered the doll?”
“No, Mr. Gong-ja. Meow is just a child who wonders [Who am I?] forever. They’re just a child.”
As she held the puppy doll in her hands, Ja Soo-jung spoke quietly.
“Meow’s contemplation never stops, I don’t think it’s possible for their contemplation to stop.”
“Why”
The puppy doll began making a fuss.
-Meow! Meeeooow, meow! Meoow!
Ja Soo-jung nodded.
“Meow said, if it stops contemplating, the world will perish.”
“…”
Indeed.
No, I don’t even know what part I meant by [indeed].
In any case.
“So you’re saying that puppy doll is alive?”
“Of course it is. Meow is alive, they will continue to live, and if they did die, the world would perish when they die.”
“…”
In front of the most dangerous puppy on the planet… cat… puppy doll that makes cat noises… Ah, whatever, I took out a skill card in front of Meow.
“Card summon.”
Paaaht!
+
[The Earth Bone Dragon’s Skull]
Rank: SSS+
Effect: The ability to archive the memories of the living. Archived memories are placed in a ‘box’ that can only be destroyed by the user.
Unless the box is destroyed, the user can recreate the body of a person who will inherit the same memories over and over. The body can travel around the world, create new memories, and ‘update’ those experiences back to the box. Of course, if the user allows it!
Even if the body is completely destroyed, the box will not suffer any damage. Grant the privilege of immortality to those around you.
※However, the memories of a destroyed body cannot be updated to the box.
※A skill copied from the Lord of Manseng.
+
“Ms. Soo-jung.”
“Yes?”
Ja Soo-jung tilted her head to the side. At the same time, the puppy doll flopped over and let out a loud, meeeeooooow, as if it was yawning.
Why was an item that could literally end the world so cute?
“I can give this puppy doll a [body].”
“…”
Ja Soo-jung froze.
“By body…?”
“I can give these children living bodies.”
“…”
“How about it, Ms. Soo-jung? Will you trust me once and allow me to use my skill on these children?”
Ja Soo-jung pondered for a while.
Ja Soo-jung, not the Kingdom’s noble, not the Sun King’s Concubine, not the Tower Master, but a third year student from Shinseo Middle School who was born solely because of God’s mercy, slowly opened her mouth.
“Thank you very, very much for your offer.”
She bowed her head.
“However, I think that’s something these children should decide on their own.”
As expected.
“I would be happy if these children could get living bodies, and be able to live a bit more freely than they are now… but these children might think differently.”
If the shells known as [The Kingdom’s Noble], [Hero], and [Tower Master] were peeled off one after the other.
After peeling them off, the remainder would be the being in front of my eyes.
As a being, Ja Soo-jung was only a handful.
“If possible, I’d like these children to make their own decisions.”
I nodded.
“Yes. I think that’s right too.”
So I asked every single one of the strange creatures gathered in the [Ghost Warehouse], whether they were really living creatures or not. In any case, I asked them one by one.
For example, I asked the mirror. It was a mirror that made it feel like a ghost was grasping you by your neck when you looked at it.
“Uh…”
Kuuk.
As I looked at the mirror from afar, I felt long fingers press on my neck from every direction. This wasn’t an illusion. Kuk, kuuk. With each word, the pressing of the fingers became more vivid
I tried to remove it with my aura, but even that didn’t work.
In front of this mirror, I held out my skill card.
“As long as you want it… I can give you a body…”
Kuuk?
“Of course, there are some conditions. Firstly, your memories will be stored in the box. And the box will become my property… If you die and you want to create a new body, you’d need to get my permission to use the box.”
Kuuuuuuk.
“No! However, I’m not going to abuse it! I’m serious! After I save you, I’ll just create a Ghost Army to conquer the world…”
Kuuuuuk! Kuuuuk!
“Ms. Soo-jung! Help! This guy can’t understand a joke!”
Save me!
Mr. Gong-ja is being killed by a ghost!
“You’re really good at communicating, Mr. Gong-ja.”
Ja Soo-jung admired expressionlessly.
“You’re the first person other than me that was able to communicate with the mirror like that. You’re doing great.”
“No, don’t just praise me from afar! Rather, it’s getting worse, so please help!”
“Mm.”
Ja Soo-jung approached the mirror and stroked its surface.
“Mr. Mirror. Mr. Gong-ja is a very nice person.”
As Ja Soo-jung spoke, with a whoosh!, the mysterious hand that gripped my neck suddenly let go.
“Isn’t he just a poncy from the outside? He’s not. He’s a very straightlaced person, and he’s strong enough to not become not straightlaced*. Huh? Does he feel bad because he’s actually old but only looks young? That, well, I guess it’s possible…” (*: double negative)
“….”
Was this really an inorganic being that wasn’t possessed by the spirit of a living being?
“However, he’s not the type of person to use Mr. Mirror. Mr. Mirror’s body will be yours. It’s also entirely up to Mr. Mirror whether you want to be revived or not. You can trust Mr. Gong-ja with this much”
The mirror trembled.
“Huh? If I’m particularly fond of Mr. Gong-ja? No. I care about everyone. There is no feeling of [favoritism].”
The mirror shimmered.
“Yes.”
Ja Soo-jung looked at me and I said politely.
“If you accept your resurrection, in the future, you could find a personal mirror cleaning butler, who is a black haired young man with Victorian style one-eyed glasses.”
“…”
“And if possible, he might have a strong British accent while speaking English. Also, if it’s really possible, he might even have an interesting background. For example, he could be the second son of a Marquis Family that had been wiped out.”
Indeed.
Right, this time it really was indeed.
“…did you know if you go up the Tower, there are two part timers whose looks everyone who eats there enjoys? One has silver hair and the other one has black hair. Even if it might be impossible to get someone to cosplay as a butler, how about a cafe part timer? Your home… I’ll let you have a space in the cafe.”
Hold on.
Why am I desperately trying to convince a mirror that can only hold people’s necks?
There was only one reason.
‘To reduce the Tower Master’s burden.’
That’s right.
One by one, I would reduce the lives the Tower Master had to carry.
Firstly, I would start with the mysterious creatures one of her incarnations, Ja Soo-jung, was carrying in her [Ghost Warehouse].
‘Because that’s the only way to beat the Tower Master.’
As I reflected on my resolve, Ja Soo-jung, who was in charge of interpreting between human and monster, nodded.
“He says he will generously accept Mr. Gong-ja’s offer.”
Afterward.
I collected the [strange objects] one by one into [Earth Bone Dragon’s Skull].
The [box] in which his memories were stored was small. A small black cube.
As soon as I saw it, I gained a mental image of what to do next, and with the image guiding me, I opened my mouth and swallowed the box.
Gulp.
The box melted in my mouth, and flowed down my esophagus to my stomach as if it had no shape.
“…”
My heart became a little darker.
“Earth Bone Dragon’s Skull.”
A bright light flashed in front of me.
[Skill activated.]
When the light faded.
A mirror that looked identical to the one before was standing in front of me.
“…”
“…”
That’s right.
Standing.
[Standing] on [legs].
“It has legs.”
I…
“It has legs.”
Ja Soo-jung responded indifferently.
“Perhaps this is the body that Mr. Mirror originally had.”
The four legged mirror excitedly wandered around the warehouse. Even if I used Manseng to bring the poet with the greatest literary ability back to life, he would only have one word to use at this scene.
[Cockroach].
The cockroach with the body of a mirror crawled vigorously.
“No, no matter what, that’s…”
“Thanks, Mr. Gong-ja.”
Ja Soo-jung spoke seriously.
“You really are a good person, Mr. Gong-ja.”
“…”
I gave bodies to the others one by one.
As a result, within the warehouse was a seemingly flawless poodle, but every time he opened his mouth, a cat’s ‘meow’ would come out, a portrait of a painter painting a portrait, a red Dragon that was, fortunately, only 15cm although it was just as majestic as in the myths.
-What the fuck is this?.
In the end, even Bae Hu-ryeong, who hadn’t opened his mouth in so long, couldn’t keep his silence.
-It’s a complete mess.
“If you think about it, it’s kinda like the specters and hundred ghosts…”
-If curry tastes like shit, is it still curry? No matter what you call it, it’s shit. This is shit.
“I don’t know how my life got so messed up, but I think I know where it started. Sword Emperor. Ever since I met you. Because of you, I attracted all of the crazy people, ghosts and strange, mysterious creatures. Do you understand?”
-Don’t be ridiculous. Hey. If you followed my instructions instead of doing your own thing, wouldn’t you have already reached the 100th Floor? Over 10,000 people would have watched your journey and cheered.
What was he talking about?
I shook my head.
“Hundred Ghosts Reincarnation.”
I started doing what I had to do.
[Skill activated.]
Now that I had cleared away the lives the Tower Master’s incarnation had been carrying, it was time to finish my job.
“—you called for me, my Lord”
Faded blonde.
Preta appeared with one side of her face covered by a bone mask. My vassal, once revered by the name Estel, once feared as the Demon King, fell to her knees.
“Preta.”
“Yes.”
“Live.”
Preta raised her head and looked at me.
I looked into her eyes.
“…this body killed many people.”
“I know.”
“I am a sinner.”
“That’s right.”
“Can someone like me still live?”
I nodded.
“Live. Carry on with your life.”
“…”
“I will be with you. When you carry yourself, if you feel like you will fall, I will carry you.”
Silence passed.
Preta.
Slowly, very slowly, opened her lips.
“Yes.”
With a wet voice.
“I will live.”
That was only the beginning.