〈Episode 17. SSS-Rank Talent (3)〉
There were three ways to awaken the [Disaster Meteor].
The first was to leave it alone and let the meteor hatch according to the scenario.
The second was to draw upon the power of the [Disaster Meteor] in advance.
And the third—the fastest method—was to artificially supply mana to the [Disaster Meteor].
Around Lee Seolhwa, more than a dozen group members were offering prayers.
Faint streams of mana flowing out from their bodies could be seen connecting directly to the [Disaster Meteor].
A hatching ritual.
They had chosen the third method.
Judging by how vigorously the meteor was already throbbing, if another thirty minutes passed like this, the disaster would hatch as it was.
I glared at Lee Seolhwa and spoke.
"Stop it. Unless you want us all to die."
"...."
"What the hell are you thinking?"
It was strange.
In the third regression of the original story, Lee Seolhwa before the disaster was not foolish enough to awaken the [Disaster Meteor] prematurely, even if she did borrow its power.
Yoo Joonghyuk must have known that too—that was why he had come looking for her in advance.
"Stop the hatching of the [Disaster Meteor]. Then I'll spare your lives."
Lee Seolhwa, who had been silently studying me, spoke.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you'll die here."
A sneer appeared on Dokhee Lee Seolhwa's face.
As her hand moved, the humans who had been praying toward the disaster all turned toward me at once.
[Grade-8 Nonhuman Species, 'Insectman Nam Minhyuk,' reveals hostility toward you.]
[Grade-8 Nonhuman Species, 'Insectman Jung Minji,' reveals hostility toward you.]
[Grade-8 Nonhuman Species, 'Insectman Kim Gapil,' reveals hostility toward you.]
Antennae sprouted from their heads, and their hands changed into claw-like appendages.
It seemed that the wanderers here had undergone nonhumanization into insectmen rather than werewolves.
But something bothered me.
"...That's strange. Nonhumanization shouldn't be an authority of the [Disaster Meteor], should it?"
The moment I muttered that, Lee Seolhwa shouted,
"Kill him!"
The insectmen charged, spreading their wings and legs as they leapt into the air.
I drew my sword hilt straight toward them.
['Blade of Conviction' has been activated!]
[Special option of 'Unbreakable Conviction' has been activated.]
[Ether attribute has been converted to 'Flame'.]
White flames settled upon the streak of light that sliced through the air.
All nonhuman species with insect traits are weak to fire.
Fwoooosh!
The flames of ether wrapped around [Unbreakable Conviction] clung to the insectmen's skin—one to two, two to three.
"Kiiieeeek!"
The fire spread in an instant, scorching the bodies of the nonhumans. I severed their legs and wings as they roasted.
"Kiiiiiit!"
Pouring out mana without restraint, I incinerated the nonhumans in moments. Just like with the werewolves.
Since they had already walked the path of the nonhuman, they did not suffer the penalty for killing. Cutting through the flames, I charged straight at Lee Seolhwa.
Kkaaang!
For the first time, [Unbreakable Conviction] was blocked.
Lee Seolhwa's fingernails and forearms were stained a deep bluish-black.
The power of the [Disaster Meteor] accelerates the leveling of innate stigmata.
Borrowing the power of disaster, she had obtained [Venomous Claw], capable of blocking the Blade of Conviction. But just because she could block it didn't mean she took no damage.
"Keugh!"
Sparks flew as Lee Seolhwa was pushed back five or six steps.
Honestly, it would have been stranger if that hadn't happened.
My current overall stats were among the highest of all incarnations, excluding Yoo Joonghyuk.
Even if I lacked talent, I was by no means weak among incarnations of the same rank.
"Give it up. If the disaster hatches, it won't be good for you either. This sub-scenario doesn't even have a failure penalty, does it?"
Lee Seolhwa glanced toward the [Disaster Meteor] with anxious eyes, her gaze clouded.
It was as if their positions had reversed.
Rather than trying to gain power through the [Disaster Meteor], it looked as though 'disaster' itself was her objective.
Something was very wrong.
Even someone unfamiliar with the original story could easily predict that Seoul would be destroyed if the disaster hatched.
Then why—why was she so intent on awakening the 'disaster'?
[Exclusive Skill, 'Character List,' has been activated!]
〈Character Information〉
Name: Lee Seolhwa
Age: 26
Sponsoring Constellation: Turtle-Rock Divine Physician
Exclusive Traits:
– Competent Physician (Rare)
– Master of Poisons (Rare)
Exclusive Skills:
[Weapon Refinement Lv.7], [Peach Blossom Fate Lv.4], [Venom Deployment Lv.5], [Divine Poison Brewing Lv.4], [Detoxification Lv.5]...
Stigmata:
[Venomous Claw Lv.4], [Heavenly Spirit Poison Lv.4], [Boundary of Life and Death Lv.3]
Overall Stats:
[Stamina Lv.44(+10)], [Strength Lv.42(+10)], [Agility Lv.44(+10)], [Mana Lv.35(+10)]
Overall Evaluation: Currently in progress.
This individual is currently infected with a 'Parasite.'
The 'Parasite' is controlling the individual's physical body.
A portion of the stats of 'Parasite Antinus' has been transferred to this individual.
…Damn it.
I had a bad feeling, and sure enough—this was the state she was in.
[Due to a trait effect, your memory retention of certain scenes has increased!]
Pages flipped through my mind, and sentences from passages I had read before flowed across my retinas.
"In the otherworld of Chronos, there are five ruling species.
To the east, Belkia.
To the west, the Parasites.
To the south, Immuntar.
To the north, Mistillen.
And at the center, Inbago."
I lightly evaded the attack of the charging Venomous Claw and kicked her squarely in the back as she lost her balance. Lee Seolhwa let out a groan and rolled across the ground. Watching her, I spoke.
"The fifth scenario was created with the motif of 'The Calamity of Chronos.'"
At the words Calamity of Chronos, Lee Seolhwa's eyes shook violently.
"On the day Chronos fell, each of the five ruling species of Chronos selected one hero of their own. Enduring the humiliation of destruction, five heroes were chosen to survive and carry on the legacy of Chronos."
"...."
"They were sent to other worlds through contracts with the Star Stream. In those worlds, they would encounter other races, and in exchange for preventing the calamities that would occur there, they were promised their lives."
Kiiiiiit.
A cry that was no longer human spilled from Lee Seolhwa's mouth.
"Here, they're called 'Guides.'"
"...Kit. How does a mere human of Earth know such things?"
How would I know?
Because I'd read it countless times in a book.
"You're not 'Lee Seolhwa.'"
The disaster's hatching was far earlier than it should have been.
Among those capable of doing something like that, there was no such thing as a 'human.'
"Queen of the Parasites, Antinus. Instead of doing your job as a 'Guide,' why are you awakening a disaster?"
Only 'fallen Guides' would dream of such a thing.
[Grade-5 Insect King Species, 'Parasite Antinus,' glares at you.]
Kiit, kiiit!
The Parasites are a parasitic species that survives by using other races as hosts.
Right now, Lee Seolhwa was being controlled by one of the Guides.
I looked at the corpses of the dead insectmen.
Just as with Lycaon's meteor, it wasn't the power of the [Disaster Meteor] that accelerated the nonhumanization of humans—it was the power of the Guides of Chronos.
"The humans here—you infected them however you pleased, didn't you? Why did you do that?"
Kiiit...!
"What do you gain by awakening the disaster early? Wasn't the purpose of you Guides to stop the 'disaster' together with the people of Earth, to coexist with us and build a new world? Why would you try to destroy a world that's already been terraformed?"
Kitkit, kikikit...!
"This violates your mission! It's not too late even now—get out of that body at once. Carry out the proper duty of a Guide, Antinus!"
If possible, I didn't want to kill Lee Seolhwa.
Perhaps Yoo Joonghyuk had felt the same.
Even in the original story, Dokhee only became one of the Ten Evils after being infected by the Parasite. If she could break free of the infection, Lee Seolhwa might not become one of the Ten Evils at all.
That was why Yoo Joonghyuk had attempted a conversation he wasn't even good at.
To protect his former lover from that Parasite Queen.
The notification window of [Midday Tryst] flickered in the air.
—Kill her.
It was Yoo Joonghyuk.
—What matters is not her life, but the continuation of the world. Act wisely, Kim Dokja.
We were too far apart for me to see what kind of expression Yoo Joonghyuk was wearing.
Worrying about the safety of the world over a woman he had once cared for.
Perhaps that was what it meant to possess the innate qualities of a hero.
I replied.
—Then you'll become unhappy.
—It doesn't matter.
Yoo Joonghyuk's voice was calm, yet unwavering.
But I knew.
If Lee Seolhwa died here, Yoo Joonghyuk would eventually break.
The deaths of people he knew, piling up one by one, would one day gnaw at Yoo Joonghyuk's memories and leave his mind in ruins.
Kiiiiiit.
"Kit! To think a mere human…!"
Through Lee Seolhwa's mouth, the queen of insects spoke.
A voice thickly soaked with hatred for humans.
I actually knew why she hated humans so much.
But I wasn't in a position to concern myself with the emotions of insects right now.
"Kit. I'll kill you."
Black liquid began to pour out from Lee Seolhwa's entire body.
Heavenly Spirit Poison.
Lee Seolhwa's specialty was finally being unleashed in earnest.
Phaaat!
Along the claws of the Venomous Claw, a pitch-black liquid sprayed toward me.
Psssss—
I quickly retreated a few steps, and the ground touched by the Heavenly Spirit Poison melted away on the spot. If it had been Yoo Joonghyuk, he might have survived with nothing more than poisoning, but an ordinary incarnation would have been reduced to mush the instant they were hit—just like that floor. Yoo Joonghyuk asked,
—Do you have a countermeasure for Heavenly Spirit Poison?
—I do.
But I am not an "ordinary incarnation."
Strictly speaking, I'm not anyone's incarnation at all.
Pshooosh!
Lee Seolhwa's poison dispersed through the air, slipping in to exploit any opening.
As if it had a will of its own, the poison freely roamed the air, seeking out my weak points.
A few drops splashed onto my thigh, and a few brushed my arm.
Some even grazed rather… delicate areas.
Parts of my suit that had been touched by the Heavenly Spirit Poison began to dissolve. A triumphant smile spread across Lee Seolhwa's face.
But it was a premature judgment.
Ignoring the poison, I charged forward and drove my fist straight into her abdomen with all my strength.
"Kiiiiiit!"
With a horrifying cry, her body flew through the air.
The skin on my body that had been touched by the Heavenly Spirit Poison showed slight discoloration, but soon returned to its original color. Lee Seolhwa's eyes widened.
"...Kit, immunity to all poisons?"
A voice filled with fear.
A body immune to a thousand poisons is the stuff of nightmares for any poison user.
But I was neither immune to a thousand poisons, nor immune to ten thousand.
"Antinus, do you even know who the sponsoring constellation of the incarnation you're parasitizing is?"
As I said that, I slipped my hand into my pocket.
"Of course you don't. If you did, you never would've crawled into that body so casually. Right?"
A moment later, I pulled out a book.
[A certain constellation, concerned about the qualitative decline of traditional medicine, reveals its epithet.]
[The constellation, 'Turtle-Rock Divine Physician,' looks at you in shock.]
"Kiit...?"
[Dongui Bogam — Incomplete Edition]
One of the greatest records of traditional Eastern medicine in all of history.
An item that appears in the five-person dungeon 'Chapter of the Dongui Bogam' from the scenario 'Qualification of a King.'
"I went through a lot to collect this."
Back when the 'Qualification of a King' scenario was in full swing, every king had been obsessed with obtaining only the [Four Yin Slaughtering Sword].
And while they were all fixated on that blade, I diligently picked up other items—the countless ones they discarded because they didn't recognize their value.
Among them, the ones I paid special attention to were the various volumes of the [Dongui Bogam].
Inner Canon — 4 volumes
External Form — 4 volumes
Miscellaneous Diseases — 11 volumes
Decoctions — 3 volumes
Acupuncture & Moxibustion — 1 volume
Table of Contents — 2 volumes
A sacred relic that can only be completed by collecting all twenty-five volumes.
Unfortunately, I had only managed to obtain eight volumes from the five-person dungeon—but even that was more than enough to be effective. With just eight volumes, the [Dongui Bogam] could already produce effects comparable to most S-rank Poison-Avoidance Orbs.
[The effects of the item 'Dongui Bogam — Incomplete Edition' are now active.]
[Your body temporarily awakens an innate poison-resistance ability.]
A flustered Lee Seolhwa cried out,
"How? But Heavenly Spirit Poison is—!"
"I know. Heavenly Spirit Poison is a toxin that can't normally be neutralized by poison-avoidance orbs. But the Dongui Bogam can. Want to know why?"
[The constellation, 'Turtle-Rock Divine Physician,' lets out a hollow laugh.]
A faint light emanated from a constellation, as if responding to me.
"Because the constellation who created that Heavenly Spirit Poison is the very author of the Dongui Bogam."