Chapter 21. The Potato Sprout Rides the Beet (2)

Click?

A clear and melodious sound echoed throughout the world.

The sound of the Ice Spirit's Heart activating properly.

At the same time, a light appeared on the upper surface of the cube-shaped Ice Spirit's Heart. The display lit up. Complex ancient runes emerged. Translated into the current language, the runes meant: [Please input the unlock pattern].

The moment he saw it, Kim Jangcheol closed his eyes slightly with bubbling delight.

'Haa. Nice.'

Thank goodness.

My memory was right.

Suddenly, it came to him.

The game he had played countless times—Paladin of Blood. In the 19 playthroughs he had played, he had seen the cinematic of the Ice Spirit's Heart activating exactly nineteen times.

It was still vivid in his mind.

'That cutscene that always played after clearing the 1st Star Master boss fight…'

Click-clack, clink-clank—like assembling a cube, the cinematic showed the Ice Spirit's Heart entering control mode in response to the disappearance of the 1st Star Master.

The entire process was shown in detail.

He had seen it nineteen times.

Thanks to that, he memorized every step.

And now, just the same.

Swish!

Kim Jangcheol's hand moved swiftly.

He tapped the panel on the upper surface of the Ice Spirit's Heart with his fingers. Then, he drew the complex unlock pattern. Two steps to the right, one down, one left, then right, left, up, down, up, up, down.

And finally…

…Chwaang!

Light burst out from the entire Ice Spirit's Heart. On the top panel, a most welcome ancient rune appeared.

Translated, it meant: [Control mode has been activated].

'Yes!'

He did it.

Now, then?

Time to shut it down.

'Deactivate!'

The moment he confirmed the activation of control mode, he moved his hand. He pressed the lower of the two buttons on the right side of the screen.

Click!

The response was immediate.

[The Ice Spirit's Heart is shutting down.]

…Kiyuuuung… fizzle

The light that had been pouring out from the Ice Spirit's Heart vanished. The cold air that had been gushing like crazy—enough to make one consider keeping it in the room instead of an air conditioner in midsummer—also stopped. It had ceased operation.

At the same time, the powerful binding force the Ice Spirit's Heart had exerted on the ghost soldiers of the 1st Star Legion disappeared.

The effect was tremendous.

"…Kahaak?"

"Krghhaang…?"

All the ghost soldiers of the 1st Star Legion, who had been charging toward Kim Jangcheol and the farming corps, suddenly came to a complete stop midair. Without exception, every single one had the same thought at the same time.

'Who… am I?'

Curiosity arose.

It was strange.

It was confusing.

Who am I, where did I come from, and where am I going? In this vast universe, why am I wandering here without a body? Is this right? Is this the natural order? Why must pineapples be put on pizza? What's the reason strawberry jam doesn't belong in soybean paste stew? When, exactly, will I stop being a forever-alone? So then, what comes first—life or death? A world that spins and turns. Still, I was born and I breathed air, so let's have a drink. Something sweet—like espresso double-shot zero makgeolli—sounds good too.

'So then… I…'

'I died. That's for sure.'

'But then why… haven't I reincarnated?'

'Ah… I really need career counseling from the Ruler of the Underworld…'

'Well then, shall I go…'

Swish…

All the ghost soldiers of the 1st Star Legion finally realized it.

That despite being dead, they had been wandering the mortal world. That they had failed to enter the cycle of reincarnation, where they should have returned, and instead had been lost in this strange place.

In other words, it was only right that they ascend and find peace.

'Whew… What a life filled with regrets…'

'Next life, I'll definitely try dating…'

'But first, I need to reincarnate…'

'Let's gooo…'

The confusion settled.

Their hearts were at peace.

They slowly closed their eyes.

They let go of all regrets and attachments. Hoping for a clean slate and a new life, they floated gently upward.

It was the process of ascension and peace brought by enlightenment.

But then—

'Hey now? Trying to ascend? Nope, not yet!'

Kim Jangcheol, who had been watching the 1st Star Legion ghost soldiers' change of heart(?), touched the Ice Spirit's Heart again. He tapped the dormant panel twice. The screen lit up. Then, he firmly pressed the upper of the two buttons on the right.

'If you all move on, huh? Who's gonna sprout the potato buds, huh?'

Click?

[The Ice Spirit's Heart is activating.]

…Kiiiiiiing! Smile!

The once-dead Ice Spirit's Heart began pouring out light again. The chill that burst forth in a full sprint, like the absolute seasonal god during midsummer, would've even earned a standing ovation from Willis Haviland Carrier, the creator of the air conditioner.

At the same time, the binding power over the ghost soldiers of the 1st Star Legion returned.

"…Kyaaak!"

"Khgaghak!"

The ghosts who had briefly regained their sense of self were once again thrown into confusion. They were dragged out from the realm of peaceful ascension. Their passage to reincarnation was cancelled.

'…Kughak, kaghk, I, I…?'

One ghost soldier shook his aching head furiously. He couldn't get a grip on his thoughts. Just now, even if only briefly, it felt like he had been at peace. But he didn't know what that was. Or why it happened.

'I…'

He had only been following the command of the 1st Star Master, charging at intruders. Ah, right. Charge. Then why am I standing still? I need to…

'I need to charge…'

It was the moment he finally recalled his mission.

"Strike team!"

A booming shout echoed from somewhere.

It was a familiar voice.

That feared and respected 1st Star Master?

No.

'The Demon King, Credos…'

That seemed more accurate.

But—strike team?

What's that supposed to mean?

'What does that mean…?'

He tilted his head in confusion.

And because of that, the ghost soldier saw it.

The sight of a brain-extractor—also known as a head crusher, more commonly called a pickaxe—plunging straight down toward his forehead.

Crack!

The pickaxe embedded itself squarely in the ghost soldier's brow.

It was a pickaxe imbued with mana for the sole purpose of striking ghosts.

"…!"

A devastating blow struck in an instant like a tsunami!

The ghost soldier's consciousness was wiped out in a single hit.

Pushed to the brink of annihilation, it floundered in a near-death state. Its entire body turned red. Violent convulsions began. It was because the passive skill of the 1st Star Legion soldiers, Soul Eater Transformation, triggered when on the verge of destruction.

"…Kahaak!"

Reason disappeared.

Only a greedy instinct remained.

It needed to replenish its dwindling life force.

With a ravenous gaze, it scanned its surroundings for living beings.

And then, it happened.

"Throwing squad!"

Another booming shout rang out.

At the same time, a chunk of potato flew in splendidly.

…Taeaaang!

A chunk of wild potato, about the size of a ping pong ball, struck the side of the Soul Eater's head with a pang.

At that moment, the Soul Eater felt it.

Ah. The scent of life that hit my temple.

Yes.

It was undeniably life.

A warm essence that, for the first time, reached out to the pitiful self that had surrendered reason to savage instinct.

How could it be rejected?

How could it be pushed away?

Such fragrant, comforting warmth from a potato.

'…Th…rrrk…?'

That was when it began.

The Soul Eater, responding to instinct, reacted to the life force that had willingly made contact(?).

It dwelled in the potato.

It absorbed the potato's life force.

It rapidly aged the potato.

A sprout emerged from the potato—pop↗

Tok, tododok…

The sprouted potato rolled across the ground.

The ghost soldier, having absorbed the potato's life force and freed from its Soul Eater state, collapsed with a peaceful expression, now in a plant-ghost state.

And the number of ghost soldiers who fell into that state all at once totaled exactly 150.

"What the…!"

The remaining 1st Star Legion soldiers were flustered.

Just as they recovered from the chaos of an intense identity crisis, 150 of their comrades had gone pop, pang, pop, and turned into powerless plant-ghosts.

But Kim Jangcheol gave them no time to grasp the situation.

'OFF again!'

Click!

[The Ice Spirit's Heart is shutting down.]

"...!"

Chaos returned once more.

The cycle of peace and ascension resumed without fail.

But the process was never allowed to conclude, thanks to Kim Jangcheol's wicked heart.

'Now ON again!'

Click!

[The Ice Spirit's Heart is activating.]

"…KahaAAAK!"

"Strike team!"

Crack!

"Throwing squad!"

TAEAAANG!

Once again, 150 sprouted potatoes were "produced."

From that point onward—

Kim Jangcheol repeated the same process over and over.

Turn off the Ice Spirit's Heart, then turn it on again.

Smash a pickaxe into the foreheads of the confused 1st Star Legion soldiers, and just before they rampaged in their Soul Eater state, hit them with a potato.

Each time he repeated the process, the sprouted potatoes multiplied in droves.

150, 300, 450, 900, 1,500…

Kim Jangcheol was getting happier and happier.

But someone once said—

Even if I can endure my own sorrow, I can never endure the happiness of my enemy.

"Credos…!"

So thought the 1st Star Master.

Sensing that his legion was unraveling at breakneck speed in such a ridiculous manner, he charged forward aggressively. As if to put a stop to the tyranny wielded through the Ice Spirit's Heart by the Demon King. Grimly, he stood face-to-face with Kim Jangcheol, just a few steps apart.

Without even a pause to breathe, he unleashed his trump card.

"Take this!"

He extended both hands.

Thumbs and index fingers formed a finger-gun shape.

Crossed them to create a rectangle.

'Please, just once…!'

The 1st Star Master, desperate, aimed the rectangle formed by his fingers at his enemy, Kim Jangcheol. He focused. His concentration peaked.

Then, with mana, he captured Kim Jangcheol's image.

Click!

'Got him!'

A cruel glint appeared in the 1st Star Master's eyes.

And then, a transformation took place.

…Gulllurp!

His entire body rippled.

It collapsed like a puddle, fluid and gelatinous.

But only for a moment.

With a violent spark of mana, he rose again.

In the form of Kim Jangcheol—no, in the form of Credos, Kim Jangcheol within him.

"…Khaaaaak!"

The 1st Star Master, having perfectly copied the Demon King's body, let out a savage roar. His eyes were already soaked with wild exhilaration and violent certainty.

'I did it, I really did it, you dumb Credos! Khahaha!'

Victory was now assured.

The 1st Star Master was certain.

The reason was painfully simple.

'The moment I copy someone, I maintain their physical condition at a constant 100% performance!'

That was his secret technique.

And that was also what made it terrifying.

'But Credos! You can't be like me! You can't maintain 100% performance at every moment! That's just common sense!'

No being could do such a thing.

But he could.

So in a fight under those conditions?

Guaranteed victory.

'There's no way you suddenly got stronger in those few seconds. So even if you managed to get your hands on the Ice Spirit's Heart, even if you somehow figured out how to control it, the moment you dropped your guard and allowed your appearance to be copied—that was your defeat!'

The 1st Star Master, now in the form of the Demon King Credos, laughed. Seeing that, Kim Jangcheol smiled warmly back at him.

And thought—

'Nope, wrong.'

Click.

Leisurely, Kim Jangcheol opened the system window.

And selected it.

The Happy Point Usage menu.

Specifically, the Stats Purchase submenu.