"Dark Watchman (3)"
"Hyung! That's…"
Just as Lee Giryoung was about to speak after spotting a treasure chest, I covered his small mouth.
"Shh, wait."
The world of Destruction Law is brutal. The Constellations revel in the characters' hardships, and the obstacles in the scenarios are perfect for screwing over humans.
Things that scream "Come and get me!" like that are usually traps. You can't even trust the system messages.
"Just because it's a treasure vault doesn't mean it's only got treasure."
[The Constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' expresses regret.]
Abyssal Black Flame Dragon…
That guy seems to have been hoping for my death for a while now.
Anyway, I waited.
Before long, shadows began to appear one by one near the treasure vault.
Grrr… Chirp!
They were Earth Mole Rats. They had hauled a load of something through the tunnels and were now exchanging strange cries to communicate.
Fwoosh.
As a certain number of mole rats gathered, the number of flickering lights around us also increased. These were Dark Flames, burning through black Aether.
The presence of this much black Aether, enough to fuel Dark Flames, meant this was the core of the [Root of Darkness]. Then I heard someone speaking.
"This is all your fault, Yoo Sang-Ah!"
Even without being told who it was, I instantly recognized the voice. I gripped Lee Giryoung's trembling shoulder. It wasn't time yet.
"My fault? What do you mean by that?"
Through the dim light, we could see two people subdued by the mole rats. Vines from the floor had them tightly bound.
"If you hadn't taken the subway, this wouldn't have happened!"
"What does me taking the subway have to do with any of this?"
She's even responding to that nonsense seriously? Yoo Sang-Ah must be a Buddha. Or maybe Baek Ho-Seong is.
"Well, that's… because you always ride your bicycle…"
Han Myung-Oh's rambling.
Yoo Sang-Ah's voice turned cold.
"Wait. Was it you who stole my bicycle, Manager?"
"A-a person! I clearly said I'd give you a ride! You should've accepted my kindness!"
"Answer me. Did you steal my bicycle or not?"
Suddenly, everything made sense. So that's why. That's why Han Myung-Oh, who usually drove a Mercedes S-Class, was on Line 3 of the subway.
Well, it wasn't exactly strange.
There were plenty of guys, even at the company and around Geumho Station, who had a thing for Yoo Sang-Ah.
And truthfully, she was someone worth admiring. She had a warm presence and a way with people.
[The Constellation 'Demonic Judge of Fire' dislikes the character 'Han Myung-Oh'.]
Even under the dark flames, Han Myung-Oh's face was visibly red. He looked dangerous.
"Yeah, fine! I did it! So what?!"
"Why are you yelling, Manager? Touching someone else's property is theft."
"Theft? Don't talk shit! You should've just gotten in the damn car from the start!"
[The Constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Collar' dislikes meaningless arguments.]
I didn't plan to do this, but there was no other way. I quietly drew a thorn.
"It's not like I forced you to take me home. I was just being nice, but you kept acting like a jerk, so I…"
I threw the thorn with all my strength.
With a ripping sound, it grazed Han Myung-Oh's lips and embedded itself deep into the darkness.
"Aaaack! What the hell?!"
[The Constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Collar' is pleased.]
[You've received 100 Coins in sponsorship.]
"Reader!"
Yoo Sang-Ah called out to me.
But I wasn't looking at them.
Goooooo…
On the other side of the mole rats, near where the thorn struck, the darkness was parting.
As expected, it's coming.
If [Root of Darkness] is here, then that thing has to be too.
[The 'Dark Watchman' has appeared!]
[Sub-scenario has been updated!]
[Sub-scenario has begun!]
Like slaves kneeling before a king, the mole rats collapsed to the ground in fear.
From the dim light, a jet-black figure emerged. A monster with a grim reaper-like silhouette, tentacles writhing on its back.
Lee Giryoung's complexion turned pale.
"Ugh, hyung, I…"
"It's okay. Just do it."
Finally, Giryoung collapsed and began dry heaving.
It wasn't surprising.
Even from afar, the creature radiated immense pressure.
The cockroaches that had been crawling around had long since burst apart, their bellies turned up. Giryoung, who was linked to the bugs, must've taken significant psychological damage.
"Giryoung. How many more times can you use [Inter-Species Resonance]?"
"…I think I can do it one or two more times."
"Got it. Then rest here for now."
I laid Giryoung down and approached Yoo Sang-Ah and Han Myung-Oh. Han Myung-Oh was panicking, thrashing wildly.
"W-what the hell is that…!"
I pulled out my MacGyver knife and sliced through the vines binding them. Just a few cuts, and the blade corroded and melted away on contact with the vine. As expected of demonic power.
"Stay back."
I lifted a mole rat spine that Han Myung-Oh had dropped.
7th-grade demon species, Dark Watchman.
Even among the many monsters that appeared after the world's collapse, demon species like this were special.
The mole rats' so-called "treasure" was more of a sacrifice offered to the demon.
Even if they're the same grade, demons are on a different level than other monsters.
['Dark Watchman' receives the blessing of the Demon King it serves.]
"Kamun. Der. Itur."
Demons have their own languages and worship different Demon Kings, inheriting part of their powers through the [Root of Darkness].
['Dark Watchman' exudes 'Fear'.]
[Your exclusive skill, 'Fourth Wall,' neutralizes most of the 'Fear' effect.]
Killing a single demon species is the same as declaring war on a Demon King.
"Itur!"
I had no idea what it was saying, but this was going south fast. I didn't want to fight if I could help it.
"M-mom?"
It was Yoo Sang-Ah.
She was still here?
"I told you to stay back."
"No, just now, that monster said… 'mom'…"
I stopped to think. Wait.
"Um… so… Ka, Kard, Emiren? No, not that pronunciation? Akedu?"
I thought I misheard. But I didn't.
"Kalidu!"
To my astonishment, the Dark Watchman nodded at Yoo Sang-Ah's words.
[Character 'Yoo Sang-Ah' activates the skill 'Interpretation Lv. 3'.]
…Good grief. She's not just fluent in Spanish?
Well, might as well hear it out.
"What's it saying?"
"Um… it keeps saying 'Become my mother'…"
…Become a mother?
The Dark Watchman pointed at Yoo Sang-Ah again and shouted:
"Kalidu!"
Yoo Sang-Ah looked on the verge of tears.
"M-mother? But I'm not even married yet!"
Now it pointed at Han Myung-Oh.
"Kalidu!"
Han Myung-Oh, wiping the blood from his split lips, turned pale.
"M-me? Why would I be the mom?! I'm the dad!"
A tentacle from the Watchman's back lashed out.
Fwoosh!
"Uuurgh!"
A dark hue spread across Han Myeong-oh's face as the tentacle lodged in his mouth wiggled. With a sloshing sound, something slid down his throat.
I see.
So that's what "mother" meant.
I suddenly remembered that demon species implant their offspring into the bodies of other beings.
"Yoo Sang-ah, you're not planning for kids yet, right?"
"Of course not!"
Yoo Sang-ah quickly backed away, instantly understanding what I meant.
I swung the Mole Rat Spear and severed the tentacle connected to Han Myeong-oh.
The creature roared in fury.
"Kallidu!"
Pshht! Thud!
The shape of the Mole Rat Spear was starting to warp under the demon's tentacles.
Even the Stone Hog's spikes, which had pierced the stomach of the ichthyosaur, were corroding the moment they touched the demon. In a way, this outcome was inevitable.
At some point, Yoo Sang-ah had dragged Han Myeong-oh far away and was now glancing back at me.
"Is there any chance of winning?"
Her eyes seemed to ask.
To be honest, there was no chance at all.
Pshht! Pshhshht! Thud!
Just a few consecutive hits, and the Mole Rat Spear was nearly useless. My hand ached from gripping it.
The creature guarding the treasure chest wasn't like the ichthyosaur at Dongho Bridge—it wasn't a monster meant to be defeated.
The original plan wasn't to fight this thing, but to open the chest after it disappeared.
But plans exist precisely because things go wrong.
"Goblin. You're watching, aren't you?"
[Uh, uh… You knew?]
The goblin appeared from the darkness in a flash of electricity. I wasn't sure of its name, but it seemed like a cousin of Bihyung.
"There should be a delivery for me by now. I'd appreciate it if you handed it over."
[Hehe. T-that's not my department. T-that's Bihyung's job.]
"You're handling Bihyung's duties right now, aren't you? Can't you see the constellations are getting impatient?"
[Constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Gua' is pressuring goblin 'Biryuu'!]
[Constellation 'Demonic Fire Judge' is threatening goblin 'Biryuu'.]
Goblin Biryuu gasped in panic.
[...F-fine. But just this once! I-it looks fun, so I-I'll do it!]
The goblin mumbled something in the air, and a summoning ritual began.
[An item has arrived from the exchange.]
[You have obtained the item: 'Broken Conviction'.]
[The transaction fee has been waived due to the contract effect.]
Broken Conviction.
The bartered item I'd exchanged for the ichthyosaur core through the goblin bundle had finally arrived.
"Pfft."
The Dark Watcher scoffed at the item descending from the air. It was understandable—what I received was a mere D-rank item. A broken sword, no less.
[This item is too worn to use. Its low durability makes it difficult to perform at full capacity.]
Even the goblin chuckled overhead.
[C-can you really fight with something that damaged? A-and unless you have a very specific skill, you won't even be able to u-use it…]
I knew that much.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought it.
"Hoo…"
I drew a deep breath and focused my mind.
Vrrrrr—
The hilt vibrated intensely. Biryuu yelped in shock.
[W-what?! How?!]
That little surprise was nothing. After all, I spent 10,000 coins buying this skill from your friend.
A pale blue-white aura began to wrap around the broken blade.
[White Azure Aura (Baekcheong Ganggi)]
After the battle with the ichthyosaur, I purchased this technique from Bihyung. Though slightly inferior to other top-tier aura techniques, it was the best I could acquire for now.
['Broken Conviction' responds to your aura technique!]
['Blade of Conviction' is activated!]
The hilt flared with light, and a white, ethereal blade emerged from the end of the broken sword.
Broken Conviction.
Its true power reveals itself only when imbued with aura.
Pshhhhht!
Dozens of tentacles filled my vision. Even with my stamina level, I couldn't take that many hits. I was scared—but now, I had a chance.
Vrrrrr!
Because Blade of Conviction was the perfect counter against demon species.
Zappp!
The tentacles that touched the blade disintegrated on contact. The Dark Watcher shrieked and pulled back its tentacles. I felt my energy rapidly draining, but I stayed calm.
Slash!
I swung my blade with precision.
I didn't have [Combat Sense], so I missed many blind attacks. I didn't have [Sword Mastery], so my swings were sloppy. That was natural. I wasn't a swordsman—I was a Reader.
And a Reader fights in their own way.
[Thanks to your trait, your memory of previously read pages is enhanced.]
Pages of the "Annihilation Method" flipped through my mind.
"…The Dark Watcher's attack pattern is simple. The top-right tentacle always moves first…"
"…There's always a gap after a tentacle strike…"
"…Though its tentacles regenerate, it takes a few minutes to do so…"
Read, and apply. Honestly and thoroughly.
"Graaaagh!"
The severed tentacles flew through the air, and the Dark Watcher screamed.
Beyond my line of sight stood Lee Gil-young.
He looked at me with eyes full of awe. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't a god or the protagonist in this world.
But I was sure of one thing.
"Khar. Mien. Dero."
The Dark Watcher, barely holding itself together, let out a horrified cry. Yoo Sang-ah, from behind, whispered with a trembling voice.
"How… how do you know all of my weaknesses…?"
So that's what it meant.
I replied casually, as if it was nothing special.
"Just read a lot of books."
Because in this world, more than anyone else…
I know it best.