Chapter 46. Stronger Together (1)
Creak!
The world trembled.
No, was it me who was trembling?
What did the first roar of the world sound like?
What kind of reverberation would the last wail of the world be?
I don't know.
I am.
You are.
We all are.
And thus, this feeling—
"...!"
Kim Jangcheol shuddered.
The moment he leapt toward the Second Star Master. The moment he soared high and struck with a single blow. The recoil that passed through his hand, the unfamiliarity of the sensation, the surprise—it all truly startled him.
At the same time, a thought crossed his mind.
'Is this... right?'
No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem right.
This was far too unreasonable.
That is, the fact that striking someone would result in this kind of feedback through his hands...
'Even if this bastard Second Star Master got hit in a weak spot... isn't this enough to kill him in one blow?'
A sudden wave of worry surged through him.
It was only natural.
…Ka-boom!
The massive body of the Second Star Master, struck in the forehead, reeled.
A trunk on the verge of toppling backward.
And yet, its eyes were still wide open.
But the focus in them was nearly gone. To the point it looked like it might actually die just like this.
"........!"
The Second Star Master saw a hallucination in the midst of staggering shock. A dream of tens of thousands of beautiful flowers blooming above its head.
But the dream was short-lived.
Reality was far colder.
Soon came the tangible sensation of shock and terror.
Within that, the Second Star Master had to realize—
'Credos... is this strong?'
It was unbelievable.
The fact that it had allowed an attack without any way to respond.
That one strike.
The fact that a single hit left it this shaken. That it didn't even know how many more it could withstand. That even it lacked confidence in enduring another.
"....."
Is this right?
Is this justice?
Isn't this just cheating?
The more it felt the pain from that strike, the more the world felt like a space full of absurdities. At the same time, it was genuinely curious.
'How?'
How could Credos possess this kind of power?
This bastard that should've been buried alive and died.
How did it come back to life and now display such monstrous strength?
The Second Star Master barely regained focus in its eyes and turned its gaze. Toward Kim Jangcheol, who had just delivered that absurdly powerful millstone slam.
'How, you ask!'
Kim Jangcheol, reading the Second Star Master's gaze, grinned savagely. Then, he glanced to the side. Toward the system message that had just appeared before his eyes.
Ding-dong!
[Manaseed optional skill,
[Nutrient Focus is a feature that allows temporary redistribution of all stats into a single stat. (Usable once per day, effect lasts 10 minutes per use)]
[You have selected 'Strength.']
[All stats of the Credos body under your control will be converted into 'Strength.']
[Due to the influence of Mana Seed (Seed Stage Lv. 3), all stats are multiplied by 1.3.]
[Current Applied Stats]
[Strength: 254.8]
[Other Stats: 1.3]
[Remaining activation time of Nutrient Focus: 9 minutes 21 seconds]
Nutrient Focus.
It was near the end of his desperate, life-risking excavation when he had finally acquired this. Around the time his Mana Seed leveled up to 3, he had gained this option. And using it now had saved his life. It had allowed him to unleash such monstrous strength.
'Even if the Second Star Master grew huge from power-leveling... and even if I'm not using the full stats of Credos right now in this half-baked state… once I funnel all my stats into one and boost them with Mana Seed, I still hit a number that can't be ignored!'
Thanks to that, he had been able to withstand the Second Star Master's sudden downward strike. He could protect himself and the nearby Four Heavenly Kings, and even deflect the massive trunk the Second Star Master had slammed down.
Furthermore, with that massive strength, he was able to leap high in an instant and load all that power into the millstone to deliver a proper hit to the Second Star Master.
That wasn't all.
He had carefully chosen the target area too (so to speak).
It was the knot in the Second Star Master's forehead—its weak spot.
'Which means...'
When you seize momentum, you've got to ride it all the way.
Just because you landed one hit doesn't mean you can relax. Just because your opponent is staggering doesn't mean you can be complacent. This is exactly when you finish the job.
Like striking while the iron is hot. Like mashing the checkout button the moment your wife gives permission to buy a PlayStation. Like demanding payment the second your mom shows signs of agreeing to increase your allowance.
Row the boat while the tide is high, and begin your Everest expedition the moment the ferryman hits passenger overload.
Kim Jangcheol stomped his foot.
Taat!
He sprang up again, stepping on the staggering Second Star Master's branch. He hoisted the millstone. Aimed it. At the Second Star Master's aching forehead. The same spot he struck before.
'One more shot!'
Thud-kwang—!
".....!"
This time, it didn't even scream.
The Second Star Master's eyes completely lost focus.
The roots that supported its body gave out.
The trunk, as massive as the Demon King's Castle, tilted.
Crk...! Chrrrrrk...!
The shadow swayed slowly. It began to lean to one side. At first gradually. Then rapidly. It leaned, then collapsed.
…...!
The ground trembled.
The earth shook.
The massive shadow cast over the potato field receded. As the Second Star Master's roots hung limp, the farming corps clinging to their ends were all released.
"What... is that...?"
No one could understand.
Even as they saw it with their own eyes.
No one ever thought they'd see such a sight. They had only rejoiced at the Demon King's return, and then, soon after, felt a wave of concern.
They were afraid.
Afraid that the Demon King might fall here. That they might be forced to submit to the Second Star Master's control.
They had just been scared and worried.
But then...
'Is this... really happening?'
Every single member of the farming corps, Asurat who had narrowly escaped from the collapsing Second Star Master, Hartok and Sirgi who were barely watching with squinted eyes, Baal, Raster, the Third Star Master, who had been bound far away like a lightning rod, and even Zephyros—
All felt the same shock.
And they soon realized.
That what they had felt was only the beginning.
"...Kuh! Guhahk! Gak!"
The Second Star Master, who had fallen with an explosive boom and a cloud of dust, writhed and opened its eyes.
It couldn't come to its senses.
It couldn't accept what had just happened.
'Why... me?'
Why was he lying down?
Why had his roots come undone?
Why?
How?
Ah, right.
I was—
'...Credos!'
That bastard hit my forehead again and again.
And that's why I fell? Just like this?
So pitifully? In this disgraceful state?
Crk!
Its massive branches scraped the ground with an eerie sound. It raised its trunk. Before it knew it, the Second Star Master's eyes, now glaring at Kim Jangcheol, were burning bright red.
"Cre! Dossss—!"
He couldn't accept it.
He was strong.
He had become the most powerful being in the Abandoned Land.
That was the truth. The only truth. It had to be. He had absorbed all the nutrients. He had grown this massive. He had earned the right to rule over everyone.
Because that was the rule of the Abandoned Land!
It had to be!
"But then!"
How!
How dare you!
Kwaaaaah—!
All the Second Star Master's branches and roots shot up like thorns as it rose. With all its malice revealed, it targeted only one being—Kim Jangcheol.
And it came down upon him.
"...Die!"
It struck with its branches. It swung. It slashed. It pounded and swept. It scattered its massive leaves onto the ground. They exploded. A toxic bombardment. The area became contaminated. Roots burst up from beneath the earth. They tangled the space. Squeezed it. Snapped and burst it.
"If you just die!"
Everything will go back to normal. The one who dared oppose me will disappear. Everyone will recognize me as the true Demon King and bow their heads.
If only you die.
If only you disappear.
If I can just kill you!
'I don't need anything else!'
Bloodshot veins filled the Second Star Master's eyes.
A storm of attacks poured down upon the land.
The ground shattered under the relentless pounding.
Dust rose endlessly with each strike.
And amidst it all, the low-ranking demons could be seen in disarray. The ones who called themselves the farming corps, perhaps.
What a joke.
Pathetic and absurd creatures.
Yeah. Worm-like things. No different than mere insects.
And yet, they scrambled about, desperate to live. Screaming, clinging to one another, dragging each other—struggling with all their might to survive.
But...
'I don't care!'
Those things can all die. As long as I can kill Credos, nothing else matters.
No—if more of them die, even better.
The more those vermin are slaughtered, the more the survivors will look upon me with terror and kneel in obedience.
So...
'Die! I said die!'
Crack!
The blind assault continued.
It would not stop.
It grew even more merciless.
Coldly so.
With a single goal—kill Credos and only Credos. Holding nothing back, willing to let everything else die.
It smashed, split, twisted, and stabbed.
It struck upward, crushed down, spun, and ground to dust.
Thanks to that, Kim Jangcheol had to run so hard sweat pooled in his soles and both his atriums and ventricles.
Was it because the Second Star Master's attacks were so fierce?
No.
It was because he sensed the others—the Four Heavenly Kings and Zephyros, and the farming corps—were in danger.
'...That crazy bastard!'
Crunch!
The unrelenting torrent of attacks from the Second Star Master. That singular focus on killing him.
Its obsession to destroy everything in its way—terrain, the farming corps—just to kill him. The moment he felt that, his teeth clenched on their own.
'Just like those old bastards who threw research assistants into the grinder just to fatten their own bellies…'
He hated it.
The reason was simple.
Because he had been one of those thrown in.
He had been used to the bone.
And every day back then, he swore to himself.
If he ever made it to the top, if he ever stood in that kind of position—he would never be like them. That if he was going to eat, they'd eat together. If they had to starve, they'd starve together. That they'd stick together through it all.
That he'd make it happen.
That he'd never forget that resolve, this feeling.
So...
'Damn it!'
Boom—!
He stomped the ground.
With overwhelming strength, he shot forward like lightning. He reached out. There—a farming corps member had fallen while fleeing, twisted his ankle.
"You! Get up!"
Grab!
He seized the back of the man's neck.
The farming corps member looked back with wide, startled eyes.
A tall, lanky guy. Wasn't he the one who choked up while saying his daughter loved the chuno he brought back? What was her name again—Pluto? Flute? Something like that.
Doesn't matter.
That wasn't important right now.
"Flute's dad! Brace for landing!"
He lifted the tall farming corps member—Flute's dad.
And he aimed.
Far. Far away. A point beyond the reach of the Second Star Master's attacks. A relatively safe spot. Where a massive pile of compost had been stacked. A place that wouldn't cause serious injury even if he was thrown and landed there.
Kwaaah!
He hurled him.
Flute's dad flailed as he soared through the air.
Immediately after, one of the Second Star Master's massive branches swept in like a broom, ripping up the ground as it surged forward.
Escape route? At a glance, there didn't seem to be one.
But he saw it.
Because the attack pattern of the Second Star Master was almost identical to the one he remembered from the game.
'Same pattern. Just larger and more powerful!'
His mind raced.
He scanned the area quickly.
There were still farming corps members who hadn't been evacuated. Could he throw each one into the compost heap?
No. Not enough time.
Then...
'...Let's try it!'
Tap!
He moved.
Not too fast.
Not too slow.
At the perfect speed.
He charged straight toward the massive sweeping branch, headed right for the weak point in its attack pattern—the spot with the lowest attack judgment. And at just the right moment, he stopped. Planted his feet firmly on the ground.
Boom—!
He lowered his center of gravity.
He pulled back his arms.
His strength stat, maxed out through Nutrient Focus. Amplified another 1.3x by the Mana Seed. He trusted that. And prayed the Second Star Master's attack pattern hadn't changed.
He struck.
Thunk—!
He swung his right hand outward like a blade. It collided with a branch as thick as a city bus. His hand ached. The branch cracked and bounced away.
Behind him, the farming corps members who had been cowering and screaming, their eyes went wide in astonishment.
He shouted at them.
"Roll! This way! Keep going until I say stop!"
".....!"
Did his voice, filled with sincerity, reach them? Did they sense the urgency in his shout?
Fortunately, all the farming corps members nearby dropped to the ground and began rolling. Toward the direction he pointed. Without hesitation.
As soon as they rolled, the ground where they had been shattered. Gigantic spike-like roots burst from those spots. But they missed the farming corps members, who had rolled with all their might.
Kim Jangcheol's shouts continued.
"Get up! Now five full-powered jumps forward! Go!"
"....!"
They leapt.
Hundreds of people at once. Following Kim Jangcheol's command, riding an oddly syncopated rhythm, all jumping to about the same height.
As they jumped, leaves scattered by the Second Star Master embedded into the ground. Exploded. A cloud of deadly poison spread across the field.
But it didn't matter.
Boom!
They were already airborne when the leaves exploded.
Fwoosh—!
Just as the toxic fog thickened, they reached the peak of their leap and inhaled fresh air. Then landed. By that time, the poison had already dispersed in the wind and lost its lethality.
"Jump!"
They jumped again.
Immediately after, the leaves exploded.
And so they jumped five times, inhaled clean air at the peak of each jump, and landed safely—dodging all five waves of deadly explosions without taking a single hit.
Thanks to that, everyone realized—
'Did we... just dodge that ridiculous Second Star Master's attack like it was nothing?'
'What? Why is this so easy?'
'It's because of the Demon King, right? Right?'
Amazement directed at themselves.
But even greater awe, now directed at Kim Jangcheol.
"Don't lose focus! Now backstep with a little bounce! One step at a time, in rhythm with the command! Don't panic and move too fast! Keep to the beat!"
"....!"
Once again, a amazing group sync in offbeat coordination.
Led firmly by Kim Jangcheol.
Thus was born the farming corps' official "Farming Prep Exercise," destined to become the eternal trend of the Abandoned Land.
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