< Episode 24. Things That Can Be Changed (5) >
With just three bullets, Yamamoto's life was cut short.
As if she were some kind of Western gunslinger, Lee Bok-sun blew on the barrel, and white smoke curled up from the tip of her finger.
She really was one tough old lady.
[The Calamity with a Name has been annihilated.]
[You have slain the Calamity 'Colonialist'.]
[You have acquired 5,000 coins.]
[Primary Contributors: Lee Bok-sun, Kim Dokja]
It was a pity that we couldn't catch the snake, but hunting down the Prime Minister alone was more than enough of a gain. In the large-scale battle to come, the absence of the Prime Minister would greatly cripple the Japanese army's momentum. On top of that, the reward was extremely generous.
[Some Constellations harbor resentment toward your excessive nationalist sentiment.]
There were plenty of Constellations expressing dissatisfaction with my scenario, but it couldn't be helped.
On the Korean Peninsula, nationalism becomes coins.
If I had no choice but to sell a story, it was better to sell it at a high price.
[A large number of Constellations of the Korean Peninsula applaud your reenactment.]
[You have received sponsorship of 10,000 coins.]
As expected, quite a few Constellations still haven't forgotten the past.
Panicked Japanese rushed toward Yamamoto, but it was already too late.
"P-Prime Minister!"
In the meantime, I ran toward Lee Bok-sun, who was about ten meters away.
Her body was rapidly shrinking.
[The character 'Lee Bok-sun' has completely relinquished her rights as a 'Calamity'.]
[The Dokkaebi of
[Miniaturization has begun.]
Lee Bok-sun looked utterly exhausted; it seemed the aftereffects of using 'Three Bullets' were severe.
A stigma that can inflict instant death on a specific target also inflicts serious physical and mental damage on the incarnation who uses it.
Because of that, she had fallen into a state of complete exhaustion immediately after activating the stigma.
"Young man, give me a piggyback."
"Please put on some clothes from your pocket first."
Earlier, after saving the Smallfolk, I had received several sets of clothes in return.
I placed the grandmother into the left pocket of my coat, then had Lee Jihye help her get dressed.
[Activating 「Path of the Wind Lv.8」.]
The remaining time on the bookmark was ten minutes.
Now I had to get out of the forest zone within ten minutes.
"The Prime Minister is dead!"
"Stop those bastards!"
The Japanese shouted in rage.
[You have received a penalty from the 2nd Scenario.]
[Hunt 'Smallfolk' within 5 minutes. If you fail,
Damn it. Five minutes instead of ten?
There was no time at all.
"Take me with you!"
A Japanese woman shouted from inside the cage that had dropped when Yamamoto died.
"Please! Please!"
…Asuka Ren.
There was no hesitation. I had planned to take her from the beginning.
I burst forward like a gale, smashed the cage, and scooped her into my hand.
"Thank you! Truly—"
I skipped the pleasantries and tensed the muscles in both legs.
"Hold on tight."
Maximum magical power output. The wind split apart, revealing the 'fastest path'.
The wind coiled around my legs, capturing even the minute movements of my muscles and producing optimal speed.
With [Colonization] gone, running was easier than before, but due to the penalty effect, my stats were cut in half, so the speed wasn't entirely satisfactory.
Still, considering that I could achieve this with an Agility of just over 30, [Path of the Wind] really was an incredible skill.
Asuka Ren spoke.
"You're incredibly fast. In Japan, only Karasu could move at this speed."
By Karasu, she probably meant a 'Karasu Tengu'.
"If they went all out, they'd be faster than me."
"…You know about Karasu?"
"They're among the fastest yōkai in Japan, aren't they?"
If I mastered Path of the Wind to its extreme, I could become even faster than a Karasu Tengu—but not yet. Besides, I couldn't really say that [Path of the Wind] was my skill. [Bookmark] was, after all, limited by time.
"Kill them!"
"They're going to shrink anyway!"
"We'll deal with the ones that shrink, so just kill them!"
The Japanese no longer hesitated and unleashed their killing intent.
"For the Prime Minister's revenge!"
A couple of throwing knives grazed my shoulder by a hair's breadth.
At this rate, it was dangerous—but then, all of a sudden, the terrain in front of me began to change.
The surrounding trees writhed in unison, reshaping the forest path I was running through.
Kudududud.
The very shape of the forest zone was shifting.
I wondered if it was magic, but Asuka Ren spoke.
"It's night. Be careful!"
Only then did a passage from Ways of Survival come to mind.
The forest zone of [Peace Land] changes its appearance when night falls.
A kind of mazeification occurs—put simply, the forest itself transforms like the camouflage of a gigantic monster.
With every step I took, sticky digestive fluid spurted up from the ground.
The reason the Smallfolk never entered this forest was simple: among those who had wandered into the forest zone at midnight, not a single Smallfolk had ever returned alive.
"Chase them!"
"Uwaaaagh!"
As the forest's peristalsis began, even some of the Japanese who were pursuing me seemed to lose their way. Of course, the forest couldn't digest calamities that large, but it was more than enough to buy time.
[Hunt 'Smallfolk' within 3 minutes.]
I ran with everything I had, but the forest zone—now turned into a labyrinth—gradually numbed my sense of direction. Ways of Survival didn't record any concrete method for escaping the forest at night. Instead—
"This way!"
In Ways of Survival, it is written as follows:
"The first person you must obtain in [Peace Land] is 'Asuka Ren.'"
I changed direction according to Asuka Ren's guidance.
"Use that tree as a reference—run to the right!"
"…Miss Japanese, do you know the way?"
When Lee Bok-sun, fluent in Japanese, asked, Asuka Ren hesitated before replying.
"I know this forest well."
"Heh heh, looks like you've got a related skill?"
"…Yes."
I knew Asuka Ren was lying.
The reason she could find the way through this forest wasn't because she had a pathfinding skill.
When it came to [Peace Land], she was probably just as much of an expert as I was with Ways of Survival.
That was likely why the Japanese had spared her even after she was miniaturized.
Following Asuka Ren's lead, I pushed [Path of the Wind] to its absolute limit.
My sprint grew faster and faster, but time chased me down even more relentlessly.
[Hunt 'Smallfolk' within 1 minute.]
Just a little more. Just a little more.
Whoosh! Thwap-thwap!
"Catch him! You must catch him!"
As the paths twisted several times, the number of Japanese in pursuit dropped sharply.
"We're here!"
At last, the forest zone came to an end.
[You failed to hunt 'Smallfolk' within the time limit.]
[The Dokkaebi of
[A 3rd Scenario penalty has been applied to you.]
[Miniaturization has begun.]
Damn it.
"Everyone, get away from me!"
At my shout, the party—having sensed something—pulled away from my body.
It felt as if someone had shoved my body into a juicer and crushed it dry.
All the strength drained from me, and crrk—, a sound like thunder rang in my ears.
When I blinked again, my field of vision was pressed almost against the ground.
…So this is how the Smallfolk feel.
Thankfully, the coat shrank along with my body, perfectly matching my new size.
Since I had stored all my items—starting with [Unbreakable Faith]—inside the coat's subspace, I hadn't lost anything.
The problem would be taking them back out later…
"Mister, are you okay?"
I nodded to the party, then spoke to Asuka Ren, who was watching me warily from a short distance away.
"Asuka Ren."
"…Did I ever introduce myself?"
"The other Japanese told me. More importantly, I'm entrusting my companions to you. Please take them to 'Veronica Castle.'"
At my words, Asuka Ren's eyes widened.
She was probably surprised that I knew the place name in [Peace Land].
"There's no time to explain. I'm counting on you. I'll hold them off here."
"…All right."
Accompanied by ragged breathing, the Japanese emerged from the forest path.
Three of them had chased us all the way to the end.
With the difference in height, they suddenly looked like monsters.
"Damn Joseon bastards!"
If there had been one, I would've thought about joining forces with the party and somehow taking him down. With two, I would've hesitated.
But three…
Even if the miniaturization-stricken party charged in with everything they had, I couldn't be confident they'd win. Lee Hyunsung spoke.
"We can't leave you here alone."
"We have to go. That's the only way everyone survives. If it's just me, I can still get away."
The Japanese—battered and bloodied after forcing their way through the maze-like forest—spat on the ground and turned toward us with cruel smiles.
"We'll crush you like a bug."
Watching them approach, I shouted,
"Gilyoung!"
As if he'd been waiting for it, Lee Gilyoung nodded.
Tiny insects flew toward us out of the empty air.
"Let's meet again later."
One by one, the insects began lifting my companions onto their backs. At an insect's speed, they should be able to put a fair amount of distance between themselves and these pursuers while I bought time.
"Wait! Mister!"
At Shin Yoosung's cry, a samurai's blade came flying straight at me.
Kwa-gwag!
The blade skimmed past me and embedded itself in the ground. As waves of magical energy burst out with a loud whirr, I instinctively rolled away.
Back when I was human-sized, these guys were nothing special—but now, even brushing against a blade tip was dangerous. I'd probably be split clean in two.
"Die!"
Capturing the Prime Minister with Lee Bok-sun had been part of the plan, but from here on out, I had no concrete strategy.
Somehow stall for time and escape back into the forest maze—or else…
"I'll kill this one. You two, chase the others!"
Two of the three nodded and started after my companions riding the insects.
Not happening.
[Stigma, 'Non-Violence Zone Lv.1' has been activated!]
The Japanese who had been running froze in place.
"Damn it, not again…!"
The immobilized Japanese turned toward me with irritated expressions.
After becoming a Smallfolk, my mana reserves had dropped drastically. Just restraining the movements of three people consumed an enormous amount of mental strength. My head felt like it was about to split open, and a faint heat seeped from my blood-filled nostrils.
[Constellation, 'Patriot of Independence,' bestows a blessing upon you.]
With the message, the mana cost of using my stigma dropped slightly, and my body felt lighter—if only for a moment.
A constellation's voice echoed in my mind.
[Descendant, this is the only time I will answer your call.]
"…Thank you, Martyr."
[History is recorded to prevent the repetition of past mistakes. Do not summon the past for the sake of personal ambition.]
Looks like I'd been found out for exploiting great historical constellations for overly dramatic staging.
And on top of that, I'd used [Non-Violence Zone] to facilitate violence—no wonder they were angry.
I barely managed to nod, then anxiously scanned my surroundings.
[Remaining duration of 'Non-Violence Zone': 30 seconds.]
The moment it ended, I'd have to sprint back into the forest zone with everything I had.
Blades wrapped in dense magical power were poised to split me in two.
…I probably wouldn't die here, but if I messed up, I could end up seriously injured.
15 seconds. 14 seconds. 13 seconds…
Then the problematic message appeared.
[Constellation, 'Defense Master,' laments your pathetic state.]
…Huh?
Just as I tilted my head at the familiar constellation name—
Kiiiiing—
A mechanical whine rang out all at once, followed by an explosive storm of gunfire.
[Character 'Gong Pildu' activates the stigma 'Armed Fortress Lv.1'!]
Dudududududu!
< Episode 24. Things That Can Be Changed (5) > End