Chapter 20. The Potato Sprout Rides the Beet (1)

"When you're cornered with no way out!"

"Take! Off! Your clothes!"

"When the path ahead is blocked!"

"Take! Off! Your clothes!"

"Then what do we do?"

"Zoom-zoom! We charge ahead!"

Kim Jangcheol asked.

The Farming Corps shouted back.

Then Kim Jangcheol shouted even louder.

"Everyone remembers the past few days of intense training, right?"

"Of course, sir!"

"Drop down!"

"Down we go!"

Fwup!

At Kim Jangcheol's command, the 300 members of the Farming Corps, backpacks stuffed with potatoes strapped on, instantly sprawled out flat on the ground, arms and legs spread wide. It was a sight like they were trying to cool their bodies on a sticky summer floor, merging with the ground.

But this wasn't a floor lined with mats or tiles.

This was the very edge of the Demon King Castle's direct territory.

At the cliff's edge of the 1st Star Master's territory, right at the entrance to the Cliff of the Dead, as everyone laid themselves down—

"Strip!"

Kim Jangcheol shouted.

All 300 members of the Farming Corps's youth corps, in perfect unison, removed the only thing they were wearing—no, not clothes, just underwear. And they didn't use their hands. With only the movements of their twitching buttocks and thighs, like a snake shedding its skin, they slid their garments down to their knees.

Then something astounding happened.

… Shhhhhk.

Almost half of their bodies sank into the ground as they lay prone.

Did they dig through the dirt?

No.

The soil didn't shift at all.

It looked just like ghosts passing through walls.

This was the exact "glitch" Kim Jangcheol had shown back at the Cliff of No Return, using a bug.

Kim Jangcheol shouted again.

"Flip over and get dressed!"

… Twitch!

In response to the command, everyone twitched again.

Though far slower than Kim Jangcheol, who could equip or unequip clothing instantly through his inventory window, they still managed to flip their bodies like pancakes and don their underwear again using only squirming movements.

And as they did, their bodies sank deeper into the cliff.

Of course, Kim Jangcheol was no exception.

"From here on, follow my commands! Strip! Dress! Follow me!"

"...Mmmph!"

The members held their breath and let out silent cries.

Leading them at the front, Kim Jangcheol clenched his fist. It worked. It was working. The intense training from the past few days had paid off. This meant they could do it.

They could—

***

"Strike straight at the center of the cliffs."

"...Excuse me?"

It was a few days ago.

Maybe the day he'd discovered that throwing a potato at a Soul Eater could make it sprout?

Zephyros raised a brow, puzzled by what he'd just heard.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?"

Back then, Kim Jangcheol had smirked.

And replied like this.

"The situation's changed. Conquering the cliffs now gives us two major gains. One, we can reestablish contact with the Second, Third, and Fourth Star Masters waiting in the abandoned lands beyond. Two, we can rapidly sprout the potato seedlings. So, why wouldn't we launch an attack?"

"...But just now, you said we'd strike directly at the center of the cliffs."

"Yeah, I did."

"Is that even possible?"

"Of course not."

A soft chuckle slipped out again.

"Think about it. Does that sound possible to you? The terrain's a nightmare. Every guardian over there passes through cliffs, caves, and bubble-wrap terrain like ghosts. You want to charge in head-on and go all the way to the center? Even the god of siege warfare couldn't pull that off. Does that make sense? Huh?"

"It obviously doesn't, which is why I'm worried—because you're talking like it does."

"You mean for the future of our Farming Corps?"

"I mean your sense of reality, my Lord."

"...…"

"But you must have a plan if you're talking like this, right?"

"Hey. If you're gonna beat a man with words, at least give him time to catch his breath."

"You're breathing right now, aren't you?"

"...Well, fair. Tsk. Anyway—"

No more words. Enough talk.

Casting a sidelong glance at Zephyros, he said,

"You saw me climbing the coastal cliff, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"What did you think?"

"It was disgraceful and hideous."

"...…"

"Embarrassing and downright pathetic."

"...…"

"I was genuinely worried that saying, 'That's our Demon King,' would become the worst moment of my life."

"......…"

"But I will say, it was a bold and effective method… in its own way."

"So you beat me down with words and then slap a compliment on at the end like a snake's tail?"

"That was an honest and objective evaluation."

"You mean the harsh criticism part? Or the compliment part?"

"I'll leave that judgment to you, my Lord."

"Tsk. I swear—should wring your neck."

"Will you be dismissing me?"

"...Eh, forget it. Anyway, I'm going to teach that disgraceful, hideous, embarrassing, and pathetic technique to the Farming Corps. With that, we can skip the grueling siege and get straight into the center of the cliffs."

"Are you perhaps aiming for something at the center?"

"Correct."

As expected of Zephyros—sharp as ever.

Kim Jangcheol couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

"The center of the cliffs. The deepest part, the very core. That's where the Heart of the Ice Spirit lies."

"The Heart of the Ice Spirit…?"

"Yeah."

He recalled the lore he'd learned from playing Paladin of Blood countless times.

"You've probably at least heard of it, right? The most important artifact of the 1st legion."

"Yes. But I don't know the exact details…"

"It's a device that binds the 1st legion's soldiers."

"…What?"

"To be precise, it's an artifact that binds the souls of everyone who dies in this abandoned land to the 1st legion."

"Then, if we secure that artifact…"

"The 1st legion's soldiers will instantly be released into the cycle of reincarnation. In other words, the entire 1st legion collapses in an instant."

"The 1st Star Master will go berserk."

"He'll mobilize his entire force to surround us. And that's when we strike. When they've all gathered together."

"Is that… possible?"

"Of course."

Of course it is.

Because he had a way.

That belief hadn't changed since a few days ago—and not even now.

… Poo-whoosh!

"Hup! Haa!"

Kim Jangcheol emerged from his thoughts.

As he dressed, he rose to his feet.

Sliding up from the pixelated floor, he stood tall in a vast underground chamber.

'Where are my guys?'

Had the Farming Corps followed?

He barely had time to worry—

… Pooof! Pooof-poof!

"Hup! Hah!"

"Huh! Haaa!"

All around, members sprang up through the floor, hastily pulling on their underwear and gasping for air with pale faces.

Only after counting and seeing that, including Baal, their number was exactly 301, did Kim Jangcheol's tightly clenched lips finally curl into a relieved smile.

They'd followed him well.

They'd done an amazing job.

Thank goodness, really.

'Hmph. What a guy I am.'

It was all thanks to the fact that he had memorized every inch of the Cliff of the Dead's map. That's why, even with a 300-man infiltration team, he'd managed to plan a route that wouldn't alert the guards, while also placing rest points with enough space to catch their breath.

"......"

But self-praise should be kept in check.

Kim Jangcheol steadied his loosening thoughts and looked around. A vast underground space. A smooth, rounded ceiling barely visible under sparse, pale lighting.

It was exactly as he remembered.

The deepest part of the Cliff of the Dead.

"..... "

Same with the Demon King Castle—there's something different about seeing these landscapes with your own eyes compared to looking at them on a screen. For a moment, he felt a strange sense of emotion.

'And here...'

He took a step forward, recalling the memories of scouring the cliffs nineteen times.

To the center of the chamber he walked.

There stood an altar, coated in frost. Atop it, a cube the size of a basketball radiated a chilling cold.

It was the 1st legion's artifact—the Heart of the Ice Spirit.

He stepped toward it.

He felt a biting chill tear through his skin.

But he paid it no mind, and reached out.

He picked up the cube, the Heart of the Ice Spirit.

And in that moment—

.... KWAOOOOOOOH!

An alarm, like a roar, echoed throughout the chamber. The pale lights turned blood red in an instant. The Farming Corps tensed their shoulders.

Meanwhile, Kim Jangcheol just smiled faintly.

And thought to himself—

'Now that the alarm's gone off, the 1st Star Master is probably bursting out of his armor too.'

Of course, his prediction was spot on.

***

"All forces, assemble! Assemble immediately!"

KWAOOOOOOOH!

Amid the ear-splitting alarm, the furious voice of Saruthul, the 1st Star Master of the Demon King's army, boomed through the air.

At his command, ghost soldiers began their advance. Toward the center of the cliffs—its deepest core. To the inner sanctum of the chamber.

The gathering was instantaneous.

Thousands of ghost soldiers passed through walls, dashed across ceilings, and arrived at the chamber.

Thanks to that, they all bore witness. The most important treasure of their 1st legion was now in the hands of an intruder. And that intruder was none other than Demon King Credos.

'How… how the hell did it come to this?'

Even the 1st Star Master, who had summoned his forces, was on the verge of fainting. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

And no wonder.

Sure, they were ghosts—they could phase through every terrain of the cliffs freely. But how had the Demon King and his subordinates…?

"......"

No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't even begin to guess the secret.

But that didn't matter right now.

The 1st Star Master clamped down on his trembling mental state, still shaking from a heavy bout of twerking, and roared:

"Demon King Credos, you coward!"

Did Credos hear him?

He casually raised one hand. Like greeting an old acquaintance on the street, completely nonchalant and relaxed.

"......."

That alone made the 1st Star Master's blood boil all over again.

He shouted,

"You not only arbitrarily called off our long-prepared invasion of the human world, prepared with the blood and sweat of all in the Abandoned Lands, but now you barge in here under the excuse of hopeless, pointless farming and drive us all toward ruin, you shameless, ungrateful wretch! What are you doing here today, wreaking havoc like this!"

What are you doing...ing...g...!

His voice rang out, echoing for all to hear.

Meanwhile, the Demon King gave no reply. Instead, as if to show off, he simply pointed at the cube in his hand—the Heart of the Ice Spirit.

"...Ha."

The 1st Star Master scoffed.

He could now guess what the Demon King was after.

'Right. He's trying to stop the Heart of the Ice Spirit and collapse my legion. That's why he's so full of himself right now.'

He probably thought victory was already in his grasp. That he'd easily conquered the Cliff of the Dead. That bastard was no doubt drunk on his own success.

'I'll make him realize just how absurd that delusion really was.'

… Gnash!

The 1st Star Master ground his teeth.

Then, he gave the order with a glance.

The entire 1st legion responded instantly.

KEEEEEEEEHHH—!

Souls that had lost their lives.

The dead, who still hovered on the edge of death.

Thousands of such spirits now filled the chamber. They surrounded the Demon King and the Farming Corps.

A merciless, airtight encirclement, as if not even a single rat would be allowed to escape alive.

"Leave not a single one alive."

The 1st Star Master growled through clenched teeth.

The chilling pressure of the ghost legion began to bear down.

Watching the scene unfold, the 1st Star Master felt certainty.

'Today, this place will be your grave, Credos.'

It was certain.

No matter how powerful Demon King Credos was, having come this far in without permission, now surrounded, there was no way he'd make it out alive.

No matter how mighty he was, there's no way he and a mere 300 subordinates could withstand thousands of ghost soldiers. Against the legion's endless assaults, they'd be nothing more than a big, juicy target in front of a swarm of enraged ants.

'And on top of that… you don't even know how to use the Heart of the Ice Spirit you've just claimed.'

That was a secret known only to the 1st Star Master, the master of the dead. Credos would surely realize too late that he couldn't control the artifact, and fall into despair, flailing in panic.

'You should never have dared to come in here so fearlessly, haha…'

KYAAAAAAH!

The wave of the ghost legion completely engulfed the Demon King's party.

The 1st Star Master smiled with supreme satisfaction.

No, he was about to smile—until—

.... Click.

Suddenly, a distinct, unmistakable sound rang out in the middle of the ghostly tide—one that only he knew. A sound he believed should never, could never be heard here. Yet it was now unmistakably reaching his ears.

It was the sound of Kim Jangcheol flawlessly activating and taking full control of the Heart of the Ice Spirit.