Episode 281 The Witch of Corruption
‘As expected, you’re not going to attack right away.’
I had anticipated that a battle would break out as soon as I entered the boss room, but the Witch of Corruption didn’t seem to have any such intentions.
Instead, he looked at me with interest and said:
“That’s really gutsy. I’ve made similar suggestions here and there, but no one has accepted.”
Besides us, there must have been several other teams approaching the boss room.
The Witch of Corruption made them the same offer.
If only one person enters, they will let them go without stopping them.
Of course, for them, it was like sending them to their deaths, so they all refused and only I came in.
‘If it was Lee Soo-dok or Seo Cheong-yong, they might have come.’
I don’t know if something has happened, but it seems like I’m a little behind the others.
I answered in a nonchalant manner.
“I understand. It’s human nature to want to take the safe and sure path.”
“But why did you choose differently?”
“I think that’s it.”
If both are safe and certain, wouldn’t it be better to take the shortcut rather than taking the long way around?
The witch’s lips formed a soft curve, indicating that she had strong conviction.
“I’m looking forward to it. I wonder what you’ve prepared.”
“You won’t be disappointed. I’ve prepared a surprise for you.”
“I’ll see you soon. But before that, can you spare me a little bit of your time?”
I meant to clear up some questions before going into battle.
Since my opponent was an A-rank, I needed to find the right timing rather than fighting right away.
So I nodded coolly.
“It’s okay if it’s just for a little while.”
“It won’t take long.”
The Witch of Corruption guided me to one side of the boss room.
Then, with a light wave of his hand, a table and two chairs were created on their own.
We sat across from each other at the table, and a teapot and two teacups appeared on the table by themselves.
This is a technique that would be very useful if Shin Byeong-cheol learned it.
The witch said, tilting the teapot into the teacup.
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to see your original appearance.”
I don’t know if it’s because he’s quite skilled even among A-ranked players, or because he’s quick-witted like Zhuge Liang, but he seems to have seen through my disguise.
It wasn’t a difficult request, so I took off my totem for a moment.
The witch’s eyes lit up as she saw my appearance change from that of faculty member K to Kim Ho.
“I didn’t know you were this young. Are you a student?”
“Yes, I’m a first year student.”
“… … It’s getting more fun.”
A first-year student managed to clear an A-rank dungeon and enter the boss room alone.
The Witch of Corruption offered her a cup of tea.
“Have a drink.”
“thank you.”
They said you shouldn’t eat food given to you by others without permission.
But I accepted the teacup without hesitation and took a sip.
The Witch of Corruption asked for her impressions.
“How is it?”
“It tastes quite unique. I think my friend will like it.”
Isn’t this the taste of Hong Yeon-hwa’s favorite espresso-infused oil coffee?
Of course, since my sense of taste had already been destroyed by various poisons and dogmas, it wasn’t difficult for me to maintain a poker face.
The Witch of Corruption smiled.
“It’s my favorite tea.”
“The taste is gone.”
“I hear that a lot too. Shall we talk now? I have a lot of questions.”
“Yes, feel free to ask me anything.”
The Witch of Corruption thought for a moment and then opened her mouth.
“As soon as I started drinking tea, I thought of my friend. Do you think we are on good terms?”
“These are precious relationships.”
“Can you elaborate a little more?”
Since there was nothing I couldn’t do, I explained everything that came to mind.
“The first friend I made was a knife-wielding guy, and he’s a typical model student. But on the other hand, he’s also flexible and quick-witted.”
“That type of person is a good candidate for becoming a prosecutor.”
“So, expectations are high.”
The Witch of Corruption nodded slightly.
“What’s next?”
“Next is a friend who sleeps all day long.”
“I guess I’m a little lazy.”
“But if you tell him to practice, he will follow along right away. Despite being lazy, his growth rate is faster than that of anyone I have ever seen.”
“You’re a genius.”
“Sometimes it’s scary.”
We looked at each other and laughed.
The questions continued.
“Again?”
“Another one is my senior.”
“I like that kind of relationship between close seniors and juniors. Do you take good care of each other?”
“Yes, he is the one who is more sensitive to profit and loss than anyone else, and when it comes to my work, he does it without regard to consequences.”
The Witch of Corruption smiled gently.
“She looks pretty. Is that senior strong?”
“It’s a bit lacking compared to the previous two. But what’s lacking, I’ll just make up for it.”
The Witch of Corruption didn’t seem to understand what I meant by ‘filling’.
Still, he nodded as if he understood the general context.
“It seems like they are truly precious relationships. I can feel that they think of me with special care.”
“Yes, that is the reason I exist.”
The biggest reason and goal for me entering this game world.
It’s about training EX-level heroes.
World peace is a secondary issue.
This time, I asked the question.
“But why are you curious about that?”
“… … .”
You sit me down to ask me questions about myself, and why are the questions about my friends?
Then the Witch of Corruption showed a wickedly distorted smile, different from her usual gentle smile.
“… … If you know what the other person values, wouldn’t the pleasure of taking it increase?”
“That’s right, it’s the one with the best taste.”
If you drink something strange every day, your mind will become strange.
This is how important good eating habits are.
The witch let out a small sigh.
“That’s a shame. If possible, I wanted to take it away right in front of you.”
My ‘friends’ are first-year students, so there’s no way they would have participated in the punitive force.
In fact, Dang Gyu-yeong was part of the punitive force, but there was no reason to tell him that fact.
The Witch of Corruption continued with another twisted smile.
“But don’t worry. Soon your friends will follow suit.”
“I guess it’s time to move. Is ‘Sleeping Period’ almost over?”
“… … !”
The Witch of Corruption flinched for a moment, then glared at me with fierce eyes.
“… … How did you know that?”
“Of course. Since it’s almost over, they must have come to scout. And they might as well do something to spite the face of it.”
The Witch of Corruption is one of the commanders of the Corpse Dragon.
Her active movement means the dragon is ready to move actively.
And it means that someone who has been in a deep sleep for a long time is waking up.
“… … .”
The witch stared at me silently for a long time.
I repeated back what she said.
“But don’t worry. I’ll stop it all. That’s why I came here.”
“I have to admit that you have guts. But shouldn’t you take care of your own survival first?”
“That’s true too.”
I nodded coolly.
And then he drank all that was left in his teacup and put it down.
“Thank you, I enjoyed the drink.”
Then he got up from his seat and started walking leisurely.
One step, two steps, as I advanced, doubt grew in the eyes of the Witch of Corruption.
It seemed as if he was asking how I could still walk, so I answered nonchalantly.
“It probably wouldn’t taste that good, but it tastes even worse when you add something weird to it. It’s not going to work anyway.”
“… … !”
The witch’s eyes widened.
And I immediately got up from my seat, but by then I had already taken out an ugly branch from my bosom.
I waved the crow branch lightly in the air and put the words to my lips.
“Kka—ak—!”
Then, the unsightly tree branches took on the colors of the night sky.
Colors quickly spread throughout the room, and teleportation portals began to open here and there.
Beyond that, several rooms were visible, as well as the surprised expressions of the punitive force members.
‘Gathering Portal.’
It was a spatial magic that the crow great sage had bestowed upon the branch.
The effect is to open portals at the current location and summon allies.
No matter where your allies are scattered in the dungeon.
That was also the reason why I entered the boss room alone.
Soon, the punitive force members walked out through the teleportation portals.
Some people rushed in as if they were in the middle of a fight, while others walked calmly.
Lee Soo-dok was the latter, but he had probably been waiting for this moment more than anyone else in the room.
As he smiled, baring his teeth, the scars covering his face distorted, giving him a demonic appearance.
“We finally meet again.”
Seo Cheong-yong also seemed as happy about the reunion as Lee Su-dok.
On the other hand, the Witch of Corruption was glaring only at me, not even paying attention to the two teachers.
“You’ve prepared something truly surprising.”
For her part, she must have put in a lot of effort into taking control of the labyrinth and setting traps.
In the first half, you manipulate the teleportation portal to scatter the punitive force.
In the second half, stronger and stronger Ooblecks appear to reduce the power.
As a result, the punitive force will reach the boss room, but since they are badly damaged and there are only a few of them, it won’t be difficult to defeat them individually.
—That must have been the calculation.
Everything came crashing down with one item I used.
You may be surprised and disappointed at the same time.
‘This is when you need to trash talk.’
My mouth was itching, but since there were so many eyes watching me, I pretended not to notice.
The totem of the costume was also put back on a long time ago.
He also took out the crow branch and the sapling disguised as an iron bar.
‘Actually, there’s one more surprise left.’
The decisive reason why I joined the punitive force.
It’s time to use the Mandokbulchim Buyeo.
[Use ‘octopus legs’.]
[Use ‘Buyeo’.]
[Grants ‘Immunity to Read’ to the target.]
[Give ‘Immunity to the target’… … .]
[To the target… … .]
[Duration 00:14:57]
[Reuse Wait Time 21 days 20:59:57]
‘For the time being, Buyeo is sealed.’
A cooldown of over 3 weeks.
The number of octopus legs has increased exponentially due to overuse.
Of course, it was more than worth sacrificing three weeks.
When the punitive force members checked the printed notification message, they were all shocked.
– … … !
– What is this?
– Did you grant me the ability to read and sleep?
-Who the hell is that?
Of course, there were only a few people in the room who knew that the source was me.
Lee Soo-dok, Seo Cheong-yong, Dang Gyu-yeong, and perhaps Jegal So-so.
Since I knew in advance, the shock seemed relatively less.
Seo Cheong-yong felt the need to clear up the confusion and took a step forward.
“You can win. Don’t be afraid and fight.”
“… … !”
Then everyone stopped murmuring and their eyes began to shine.
His eyes were filled with confidence, as he was armed with characteristics that were perfect for dealing with Oobleck.
As the witch of corruption, she could never have imagined that they would gain the power of immortality, but she seemed to have noticed that the atmosphere had changed strangely.
She had no choice but to grit her teeth.
“Okay, let’s stick together.”
And as he waved his hand lightly in the air, the entire boss room began to shake violently.
The supporters ate it all
