Chapter 178
The team members kept silent for a while after Tellus finished his regretful and sorrowful story. The sentimental Leo had a mournful expression as if he had attended his best friend’s funeral.
Eradication, huh? Seong-Hwi thought repeatedly.
It was not a far-off concept. Several races had already been eradicated in the Mirror World, and humans could also be eradicated at any moment. Just as an asteroid collision eradicated the dinosaurs on Earth, humans could also be eradicated overnight by a sudden cataclysm. Seong-Hwi had already witnessed the cataclysm that went by the name of Regnator, the Dragon King.
I won’t let it happen this time!
Seong-Hwi resolved once again to soar even greater heights and asked Tellus, “I thought the Steel King killed you, but that doesn’t seem to be the case from your story.”
Bafor was my only friend who knew about my plan. I knew that by partitioning the Earthquake Stone and stuffing our consciousness inside, I would lose control over my physical form, and it would rampage.
“And that must be the Shell of Tellus mentioned in the corruption quest.”
Exactly. I asked Bafor to clean up my mess. He used every ore and mineral in Subterra to seal my rampaging body. It is called the Iron Vein Seal.
Enrique, his mouth agape, asked, “Then what was that earthquake earlier?”
It is from my body’s struggles to break the Iron Vein Seal. He is sealed underneath this city.
The team members looked down as if to assess the monster sealed underneath them. The body of Tellus, the Subterranean King, formerly thirty-fifth in the world ranking, was directly underneath.
Seong-Hwi thought about something momentarily, then asked, “Why didn’t Lord Bafor destroy your body? If he could have sealed it, he could have also killed it.”
The fragment of the Earthquake Stone is inside my body. They are linked, so Bafor couldn’t bring himself to destroy it. After all, it holds the consciousness of myself and all the other subterraneans, Tellus answered sentimentally.
Seong-Hwi clenched his fists and thought, That must be it! The fragment of the Earthquake Stone is underneath us!
He realized that his main objective for entering Subterra was underneath him. The fragment of the Earthquake Stone was likely what the angels found and used to negotiate with the elves. The World Tree was also a tree, and the Earthquake Stone was naturally abundant in the power of the earth. One needn’t even mention the important relationship between trees and the earth.
“I will take the fragment of the Earthquake Stone,” Seong-Hwi said.
“Seong-Hwi!”
“Commander!”
Leo and Ha-Eun shouted, but their thoughts were different. Leo was reluctant to take the fragment that held the subterraneans’ consciousness, but Ha-Eun was shocked because they would have to awaken the sealed monster to take the fragment.
Take the fragment of the Earthquake Stone, huh?
A long silence echoed. Seong-Hwi patiently waited until Tellus continued.
I practiced letting go of my attachments for a long time. The subterraneans can never be revived. If that is the case... could you bring eternal rest to our race?
An Akasha Message appeared.
[Tellus’s Request (Dungeon Quest)
Rank: S
Description: Defeat the Shell of Tellus and annihilate the consciousness of the subterraneans by obtaining the fragment of the Earthquake Stone.]
“I swear it,” Seong-Hwi replied as he accepted the quest.
He had to do it anyway, even if it wasn’t his request.
Hahaha! Yes... The time has come to end it all. It should have been over long ago, Tellus said as if he had let go of his attachments. He continued, But it will not be easy. Not only is Bafor’s Iron Vein Seal so strong that even World Rankers fear it, but my body is formidable, even if it can only mindlessly rampage.
“It’s our business now, regardless of whether we can or not,” Seong-Hwi replied as he stood up from the bench and turned to his teammates.
Their eyes were filled with slight fear, excitement, and determination.
***
“Hup!” Seong-Hwi grunted as he placed his hand on the ground and activated a skill.
[Activating Skill: Rust of Ruin.]
Dark red rust began to spread like cancerous cells.
Just... a little more!
He could feel the Rust of Ruin rapidly corroding an enormous amount of metal spanning kilometers. It spread like a dark red sunset, dyeing the grey sky, but the massive recoil from deep underground sent him flying upward. Seong-Hwi sprouted the Wings of Evolution to maintain his balance just barely.
[The Iron Vein Seal is closing off this space.]
Seong-Hwi stared at his right hand in silence. It was burnt black from the mana recoil.
“Seong-Hwi! Are you okay?”
“Hyung-nim!”
Leo and Chaya shouted as they looked up at Seong-Hwi in the air. Seong-Hwi waved, telling them not to worry, and wore the Regenerating Crown, a symbol of No.2 The High Priestess.
He shook his head and mumbled, “You’re so harsh, Lord Bafor. You’re asking us to clear a dungeon after putting up an enormous seal like this?”
He had clenched his fists in excitement when he heard the name of the seal because if the seal was made of iron, it wouldn’t be free from the effects of Rust of Ruin. However, the power of the Iron Vein Seal was no joke. Although it was made of iron, it was filled to the brim with the mana and Mineral Force of Bafor, an upper World Ranker.
Seong-Hwi landed on the ground and withdrew the Wings of Evolution.
“This seal is insane. Only Kang-San could break something like this,” Evgeny remarked.
Seong-Hwi shook his head and said, “The Tortoise Emperor can’t come here. He has likely infiltrated Elvenheim by now.”
“Then, how about we go outside and bring the Steel King? He made this seal, didn’t he?” Douglas asked.
Seong-Hwi shook his head again and replied, “This operation was kept a secret from the dwarves. Although we’re allied with them, we should monopolize whatever we can.”
What a greedy human... Tellus remarked.
Seong-Hwi ignored him and thought, I can’t hope for immediate effects from the Rust of Ruin. I could corrode it with enough time, but—
Just then, his eyes suddenly shone. He grabbed an item the size of his thumb from his pocket.
[Steel Rice Grain (Item)
Rank: B(10)
Description: A rice grain that was said to have stopped all wars long ago. It is unbreakable. It is currently absorbing the Performing Chain Whip and Steel Blade Hawk.]
It had been dormant lately after devouring the colossal meteor in Ferrum and two items with S-rank potential.
Is it in the middle of digesting? My lucid dreams have started again...
Considering the appetite it had shown Seong-Hwi, he wondered if the Steel Rice Grain could also devour the Iron Vein Seal. He placed the Steel Rice Grain on the ground, but nothing happened.
“What are you doing?” Yuki asked, tilting her head in confusion.
“What’s wrong? The metal you love so much is directly underneath you. Eat up,” Seong-Hwi said to the Steel Rice Grain.
Enrique shook his head and remarked, “He’s finally gone insane.”
“Is your head okay, Commander comrade?”
Seong-Hwi frowned as he ignored those around him and thought, Does it need Karma?
He checked how much Karma he had.
[Karma: 55,450,588]
He had earned fifty million Karma from hunting Dark Humans and Moledens in Subterra. Considering it had only been a little under half a month, it was an insane amount. However, he couldn’t even open a single S-rank cube with this amount.
I don’t have anywhere near enough. Huuu... Should I climb up and hunt more Moledens? No, even if I invest the Karma, there’s no guarantee that it could undo the Iron Vein Seal. Even though it’ll take time, I’ll use the Rust of Ruin to—
An unexpected Akasha Message sequentially appeared as he was thinking deeply about what to do.
“Huh?”
“What are these?”
The Akasha Messages had not appeared before just Seong-Hwi, but his teammates and every human in the Mirror World.
[150 days have passed. Terminating Race Quest: Adaptation.]
[Dispensing rewards based on calculated contribution.]
...
[Contribution Ranking of Race Quest: Adaptation.
1. Cheon Seong-Hwi.
2. Lee Kang-San.
3. Cheon Yi-Hwa.
4. Remy Martin.
5. Lee Bong-Seong.
6. Ali Mosaffa
...
12. Jurie Martin.
13. Lina Ahn.
14. Franciska Gaal.
...]
A hundred fifty days ago, the Lost-All phenomenon brought a mass of lambs to the Mirror World and generated the race quest, Adaptation, which urged other humans to help the lambs.
Kang-San, Bong-Seong, Remy, and other key members of the Union naturally did their best to help the lambs. Jurie opened the Fence Hotel to help the lambs. Lina published the book, Living as a Human in the Mirror World, to drastically raise the lambs’ survival rate. However, the Akasha Message claimed that Seong-Hwi had contributed the most in helping the lambs.
[You guided Jurie Martin so that she would create the Fence for the Lambs.]
[You assisted Lina Ahn, shedding light on her research.]
[You killed 3,447 Dark Humans, including Filipe Kabuka, to raise the lambs’ survival rate.]
[You provided Mitasra to Lee Kang-San, assisting his negotiation with Cadaver.]
[You contributed to the Great Reclamation by assisting One Tree and many other clans.]
[You negotiated with Bafor to provide items and workplaces to the lambs.]
[You made crucial contributions to the establishment of Underground.]
...
Seong-Hwi watched the unending Akasha Messages in silence. It was as if the Akasha Message was telling him that he had worked tirelessly for humanity, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
[For the above reasons, Cheon Seong-Hwi is ranked first in contributions to the Race Quest: Adaptation.]
[Dispensing rewards.]
[300,000,000 Karma obtained.]
***
He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
1 Corinthians 3:8
***
Three hundred million Karma! Seong-Hwi shouted inwardly.
The reward for ranking first in a race quest was insane.
Just when I needed it!
He smiled widely, even happier because it had not even been on his mind. He immediately began to invest Karma into the Steel Rice Grain.
[Steel Rice Grain B(7) obtained.]
[Steel Rice Grain B(8) obtained.]
[Steel Rice Grain B(5) obtained.]
...
The Steel Rice Grain’s stats instantly rose. It did not even take a minute to get its stat from B(99) to A(99), consuming 191,000,000 Karma, leaving him with roughly 160 million.
I only have one chance! I must get it to S-rank, no matter what! William. Since your destiny brought me this thing, I’ll trust you one more time!
Seong-Hwi grabbed a card showing a white man in a brown raincoat and cowboy boots, sitting at a bar table. It looked as if the man was smiling at Seong-Hwi.
[Activating Unique Skill: Borrowing Destiny.]
[William the Foolish Gambler]
[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]
[Dice Gimlet]
[Activating Exclusive Skill: Craps Game.]
Seong-Hwi drank the Dice Gimlet in one gulp and flipped the cocktail glass, dropping the dice on the ground. He immediately purchased a diamond cube and watched it shuffle. The cube, made of 512 smaller diamond cubes, spun before him like the pulsing of waves. It suddenly stopped, and the small diamond cubes spread out in all directions. The light inside flew to the Steel Rice Grain, illuminating it. Just then, the silver-grey surface of the rice grain cracked.
“What are you doing, Seong-Hwi?”
“Hyung-nim must be opening cubes, too.”
“The commander was ranked first in the contributions, so perhaps it’s an S-rank cube?”
The team members gathered around Seong-Hwi after also having just opened cubes with the rewards dispensed from the Adaptation quest. Then, they witnessed the hatching of the Steel Rice Grain, revealing a divine beast.
The silver-grey steel proliferated and took the form of a beast the size of a small dog with an elephant’s head, a bear’s body, a tiger’s feet, and a bull’s tail. Its circular, innocent, black eyes blinked repeatedly as it lay on the ground.
Pwoo?
It wriggled as if not knowing what was happening, then its long nose pointed toward Seong-Hwi and sniffed him.
Pwoo!
It stood up as it staggered, running to Seong-Hwi with its short legs like a Dachshund.
“Wow! What is that?” Ha-Eun said as her eyes shone.
“An elephant? No... It looks a little different,” Yuki remarked, unable to take her eyes off the beast either.
Pwoo! Pwoo! Pwoo pwoo!
It arrived at Seong-Hwi’s feet and wrapped its silver-grey nose around his leg.
“T-the hell? It’s so cold!”
Its nose felt like an odd combination of cold metal and soft leather. He pushed the clinging beast away and checked the Akasha Message.
[Steel Rice Grain S(5) obtained.]
[All conditions have been fulfilled. The entity lying dormant inside the Steel Rice Grain awakens.]
[Bulgasal has awakened.]
...
[Bulgasal (Item - Divine Beast)
Rank: S(5)
Description: A divine beast that devours metal, misfortune, and nightmares. It dislikes conflict and cannot be killed. However, it will die if its soul partner loses their dream.]
“Bulgasal?” Seong-Hwi mumbled.
Its name meant unkillable.[1]
Pwoo! Pwoo pwoo!
“Seong-Hwi, I think it’s asking for a hug. You’ll hug it, won’t you?” sternly said Leo, an animal lover, as he pointed at the dejected Bulgasal, grabbing Seong-Hwi’s pant leg.
Yuki, Ha-Eun, and Chaya were also staring at him as if telling him to hurry up and hug Bulgasal.
“Mmm...” Seong-Hwi groaned as he bent down and carefully picked up Bulgasal, wagging its tail like a puppy.
It was cold but softer than he had expected.
Pwoo!
Bulgasal trumpeted as it wrapped its trunk around Seong-Hwi’s neck, hugging him. However, one of its small tusks stabbed Seong-Hwi’s neck. It was like being pricked by a needle.
“Did you just try to assassinate me?” Seong-Hwi mumbled as he glared at Bulgasal, clenching his neck.
Bulgasal’s excitedly wagging tail immediately drooped. Seong-Hwi could feel his teammates’ deathly glares.
Pwoo pwoo pwoo! Pwoo!
Bulgasal trumpeted in frustration and turned away from Seong-Hwi like a sulking cat.
I have no idea what it’s saying... Wait, this thing is... metal, isn’t it? Seong-Hwi thought.
He sprouted the Wings of Evolution and converted his Destiny Force.
[Operating Wings of Evolution.]
[Twelve Wings.]
[Converting Destiny Force to Mineral Force.]
The hexagonal veins turned into perfect squares, and the wings were dyed a brass color. Mineral Force, the dwarves’ secondary force, could see through all metal in the world and hear its voices. Seong-Hwi enveloped his hand with Mineral Force and patted Bulgasal’s head. He could finally hear its voice.
I hate Daddy! After all that time I waited! He got mad at me just because I pricked his neck a little! I was so hungry, but I managed to hold it in and do my best to digest. I’m starving!
“What?”
Daddy, you idiot! Sea cucumber! Sea squirt! Spoon worm!
Bulgasal pounded its trunk on Seong-Hwi’s chest as its ears flapped, noisily trumpeting as it spun its tail.
1. The official name of this divine beast is Bulgasari, a legendary creature from Korean folklore that grows by eating metal. As its name suggests, it cannot be killed, and it is also said to defeat nightmares. ☜