Chapter 122

[small constellation of a small planet has discovered you.]

The first to notice us as we ran was this planet's Constellation.

[small constellation of a small planet looks at you with pitiful eyes.]

[small constellation of a small planet hopes for your sympathy toward the small planet.]

[small constellation of a small planet is filled with hope as it looks at you.]

[small constellation of a small planet has sponsored you with 10 coins.]

I quietly looked up at the empty air, then sent the message back.

[You have returned the 10 sponsored coins.]

[small constellation of a small planet is flustered.]

It seemed to have misunderstood. It probably thought I was refusing because 10 coins was too trivial an amount. But it was wrong. In a very small voice, I mouthed the words at the empty air.

"If you really care about your planet, don't do that."

[small constellation of a small planet blushes.]

"If you don't want your planet to become a story bought and sold for money."

[small constellation of a small planet falls into sorrowful silence.]

"And I'm not decent enough to accept that money."

What I was doing now wasn't because of some grand moral code about justice or anything like that. If I antagonized the small people here, I would miss the achievement I needed for the ending.

That was the only reason I was plunging Blade of Faith into the ground right now.

[Star Stream has detected an irregularity in your behavior.]

[Warning. Be careful not to antagonize the same Catastrophe.]

[If hostile acts continue to accumulate, you will receive a severe penalty.]

Kwaaaang!

A thick cloud of dust billowed up, and the Japanese, blinded by it, shouted from inside the haze. The startled redhead lost his grip on the Incarnation and rolled across the ground.

"Waaah! What the hell was that?!"

"Who was that?!"

I didn't miss the opening. I intercepted the little person hanging in midair and set them down far away. Through the pale dust, I could see the Japanese firing skills wildly in the wrong direction.

[small constellation of a small planet's tiny heart is pounding.]

I hesitated for a moment. If I killed them with my own hands now, I would immediately be able to receive a new Scenario. But if I took a penalty because of it, it could ruin my plans going forward.

"Ahjussi, I'll do this one."

Shin Yuseong stepped forward, drawing the dagger Yu Sangah had given her.

"I can handle both of them."

"Don't drag it out. You heard the penalty message, right? Finish it as fast as possible."

"Leave it to me."

If Shin Yuseong could handle both of them, our chances of surviving this Scenario would rise sharply. And that meant our options would open up just as much.

There was a lot to do in peace land. Most important of all was catching the "serpent" Persephone had mentioned. If I could delay the penalty, the time to catch the serpent might come much sooner than I'd expected.

"What the hell, who are you?!"

Shin Yuseong ran through the dust toward the source of the voices. At almost the same moment, I wrapped myself in the Cloak of the Recluse. It was an item that would be useless against a high-level detection skill, but it didn't seem likely that they had anything like that.

"Aaagh!"

The redhead staggered as a dagger came flying in from his blind spot. The Japanese looked baffled when a child appeared through the dust.

"What, it's just a brat? I've never seen her before..."

The bald man quickly looked around and muttered,

"Could it be a Korean entrant?"

Unlike me, Shin Yuseong didn't have the [translation] skill, so she couldn't understand what they were saying. The men's expressions changed.

"So it was true. Korea really has started sending in additional entrants this time."

"Brat, move aside. We don't need to fight each other. Don't fight! Don't fight! Okay?"

"We only need to kill those bugs. We have no intention of fighting you."

The men even used clumsy English to make it clear they had no intention of fighting, but Shin Yuseong only shook her head. When the sharp dagger pointed at them, both men flinched. As Shin Yuseong advanced, the bald man frowned.

"This is troublesome. Of all times, during a bounty Scenario..."

"My Patron constellation is telling me to just kill the brat. There are two of us, so isn't it worth a try?"

"Korea has only just started its initial deployment. You haven't forgotten who got sent in during our first and second waves, have you?"

I knew Japan's initial entrants well too. Izumi Hiroki, the Hundred Demon King, and his Companions. No matter the country, the people selected for an initial deployment were that nation's elite Incarnations. The men knew that as well, and they looked reluctant to fight Shin Yuseong.

Meanwhile, a strange agitation was spreading across the faces of the small people watching the standoff between Shin Yuseong and the Japanese.

"Ahh... Just what...?"

It was only natural for them to be shocked. A small Catastrophe had suddenly appeared and was fighting a larger Catastrophe.

[small constellation of a small planet is moved by Incarnation Shin Yuseong.]

[small constellation of a small planet has sponsored Incarnation Shin Yuseong with 10 coins.]

[Incarnation Shin Yuseong has obtained the possibility of a new Scenario.]

[Few Constellations evaluate Incarnation Shin Yuseong positively.]

[Few Constellations have begun cheering for Incarnation Shin Yuseong.]

Judging by the Constellations' reactions and everything else, the situation wasn't bad. But there was no way a dokkaebi that loved stories would simply watch this unfold in silence.

[Japanese Incarnations. It seems you think you're at a disadvantage, but are you really?]

Those damned dokkaebi bastards. The redhead muttered as realization dawned on him.

"Ah, right! Come to think of it..."

"They attacked first. Looks like they still don't know about the penalty."

"Looks like the initial entrants are idiots whether they're Korean or Japanese."

The eyes of the Japanese changed once their decision was made. Their bloodthirsty gazes turned on Shin Yuseong at the same time.

"Brat, we won't go easy on you just because you're a kid."

Even Shin Yuseong, who couldn't understand their words, quickly grasped the situation from their killing intent. The two men slowly moved to surround her from the front and back. A razor-sharp aura seemed to rise from all three of them, and then the two men's shadows moved at once.

Whoosh!

Shin Yuseong, who had pushed her Agility to the maximum, dodged the axe and flames without much trouble, but only by a hair. I activated Character Profile and checked the enemies' information.

[The Exclusive Skill Character Profile has activated!]

[Switching to Character Summary Profile.]

+

<Character Summary Profile>

Name: Maruyama Kenichi

Patron constellation: Two-Tailed Fox

Exclusive attribute: Attention Seeker (Rare)

......

<Character Summary Profile>

Name: Amano Goro

Patron constellation: 1,800-year-old turtle

Exclusive attribute: Strong Baldy (Rare)

......

+

The two men's overall stats were decent enough, but not so high that Shin Yuseong would be pushed back. Their exclusive attributes were ordinary too. The only thing that bothered me was their Patron constellations.

Even so, if they were third-wave entrants, they had to be people who ranked fairly high in Japan. As far as I knew, most of the major Patron constellations of Japan's stronger Incarnations were swordsmen or samurai. But both of these were monsters of fable.

[The Constellation Two-Tailed Fox hates hypocrisy!]

[Constellations from monsters of fable are showing hostility toward Incarnation Shin Yuseong!]

Was it really a coincidence that Patron constellations from monsters of fable were running wild at a time like this? If Izumi's Patron constellation had still been intact, those Constellations wouldn't be acting this full of themselves.

"You won't be able to keep running forever, brat!"

The two men's attacks grew even sharper. The axe that looked like it was going for her legs suddenly aimed at her waist, and the fist that seemed to be targeting her arm flew at her jaw instead. Natural feints were hidden all through their attacks. After all, they too were Incarnations who had survived all the way to the sixth Scenario.

The axe, having read Shin Yuseong's movements, came straight for the child's back. There was no opening for her to dodge it. At that very moment, a silver dagger shot from Shin Yuseong's hand. The instant the dagger struck the ground in the distance, her body was yanked toward it as if she had teleported.

"What?"

"Blink? Is that magic?"

It wasn't magic. Looking closer, I saw something like a very thin thread tied to the end of Shin Yuseong's dagger.

"...A spiderweb?"

In the child's hand was a spider with black stripes on a white body. A Mat Spider. It was a Tier-9 monster species Shin Yuseong had tamed on Earth. The thread the spider spat out was attached exactly to the dagger's hilt.

Shoosh!

Shin Yuseong's figure vanished in the direction of the dagger, leaving afterimages behind. It was a technique that made up for her lack of Agility. Dizzy from trying to follow it, the men cursed aloud.

"Damn it, where is she?!"

I thought of the person who had taught Shin Yuseong that technique. High-speed movement using Arachne's Web. There was no mistaking it. That was Yu Sangah's technique.

As daggers flew in from between the grass, the scratches on the men's bodies began to multiply.

"Don't panic! I'll deal with this!"

The redhead drew up flames with both hands and began burning the whole plain. It was an experienced decision. No matter how strong the Mat Spider's web was, it couldn't endure high heat.

As the web melted away, Shin Yuseong's figure was exposed for an instant. The men didn't miss that gap.

Snick.

Her collar was cut, and a thin line opened across her arm. I tightened my grip on the hilt, ready to move at any moment. Even so, for all that I was supposedly her Patron, it bothered me that I couldn't even give her a proper Stigma.

The axe and flames that relentlessly chased openings came flying at Shin Yuseong's side and neck.

"Dieee!"

With that characteristically exaggerated shout, the axe and fist crossed. But Shin Yuseong didn't dodge. She smiled.

In the next moment, something like a massive shadow fell over the two men. A horrific scream rang out right after it.

"Kuaaahk! What is this?!"

[The character Shin Yuseong is activating Advanced Inter-Species Communication Lv.3.]

Dozens of vivid blue shadows were rising from the bushes of the blackened plain. Dozens of beasts had quietly encircled the men. The ruling monster species of the forest zone, Steel Wolf. The men's faces turned white.

[Some Constellations admire Incarnation Shin Yuseong's composure!]

I couldn't help admiring it too. No matter how much she had trained with the dagger, close combat wasn't Shin Yuseong's specialty. That dazzling combination of daggerplay and spiderwebs had all been stage dressing prepared solely for this moment.

"Good god! She was a tamer?!"

Awooo!

Along with the wolves' howl, dozens of Steel Wolves leaped at the same time. To think she had tamed that many wolves in such a short time. It was strength worthy of the future Beast Lord.

The startled men swung their weapons as they fought back, but the wolves stubbornly bit down on their arms and legs.

"You damn mutts!"

Even weakened Tier-7 Monsters were too many for people who had already consumed plenty of Mana. As if certain of victory, Shin Yuseong flashed me a smile in the direction where I was hiding. But Shin Yuseong still didn't know why I'd told her not to drag things out.

[Star Stream has detected abnormal behavior from Incarnation Shin Yuseong.]

[Intentional hostile acts toward the same Catastrophe have been detected.]

[The first Scenario penalty has been imposed on Incarnation Shin Yuseong.]

The penalty had finally begun.

"Uh...?"

Shin Yuseong let out a groan as she felt her Mana suddenly diminishing. One by one, the wolves slipped from her control and began returning to the forest zone.

[Incarnation Shin Yuseong's body size has decreased.]

[Incarnation Shin Yuseong's overall stats have decreased.]

The Japanese, having noticed something was wrong, shouted.

"It worked! I knew it would end up like this!"

So it had come to this after all. I approached Shin Yuseong from behind with the Cloak of the Recluse still on and put a hand on her shoulder. It was about time...

"Ahjussi. I want to finish this by myself."

I didn't know what was driving this child so hard. Was it because she'd been influenced by Lee Gilyeong, who was her age? Or was it for some other reason? I didn't know. One thing was certain. This was her fight.

"Tell me whenever you need me."

"Don't worry."

[The second Scenario penalty has been imposed on Incarnation Shin Yuseong.]

Shin Yuseong's body was getting smaller and smaller. This was the price a Catastrophe paid for giving up its own authority. Shin Yuseong pushed her Agility to the limit and approached behind the men like a beast stalking its prey.

"Uwaaah!"

The dagger moved, and blood burst helplessly from the redhead's carotid artery.

"Guh... you... you'll regret..."

As drops of blood pattered onto the plain, the man's pale face sank toward the ground.

[Incarnation Shin Yuseong has killed the Catastrophe Still Without a Name.]

[Main Contributor: Shin Yuseong]

Shin Yuseong silently wiped the blood spattered on her cheek and moved toward her next target. The bald man, stricken with fear, crawled backward. The two Steel Wolves that still remained bit into his arms and legs.

"Kyaaaak!"

What happened next was the real anomaly.

[Incarnation Shin Yuseong has been completely stripped of the right to be a Catastrophe.]

[Star Stream's dokkaebis have judged Shin Yuseong's actions to be an act of defiance against the Scenario.]

[The third Scenario penalty has been imposed on Incarnation Shin Yuseong.]

[Miniaturization has begun.]

In this Scenario, anyone who gave up the qualifications of a predator species came to resemble the prey species they had been hunting.

Craaack!

At a speed incomparable to before, Shin Yuseong's body began to shrink.

"Ah...?"

With a small gasp, the dagger in Shin Yuseong's hand fell to the ground.

Shin Yuseong, who had come up to my waist, shrank to my knees, then from my knees to my shins, and soon disappeared from sight beneath the ashes. As her stats decreased and her control weakened, the Steel Wolves all returned to the forest zone at once.

Little Shin Yuseong crawled out from between the bushes and limped toward the man.

"Yuseong, you can stop now."

Shin Yuseong turned back to look at me, breathing hard. Fierce resolve and hurt were mixed together in the child's reddened eyes. She had fought monsters many times by now, but this was probably the first time she had truly fought a person.

"He's already dead."

Shin Yuseong's eyes turned toward the fallen man. The bald man, whose neck had been bitten by a Steel Wolf, was already dead. I tore a strip from some fallen clothing and wrapped Shin Yuseong's body before lifting her up. Now only as big as my fist, Shin Yuseong looked over her own body several times, then clenched and unclenched her fists. She was probably trying to gauge what had happened to her.

"How many people like that are left?"

"Quite a lot."

Shin Yuseong looked up at me with a complicated expression.

"You already knew all of this, didn't you, ahjussi?"

I nodded and walked over to the one Japanese man still left. Maybe he had been injured in the chaos of the battle, because he was foaming at the mouth and unconscious. Looking closer, he seemed to be a young man barely in his early twenties.

"Are you going to kill that person too?"

"No. This guy has his uses."

Michio Shoji. The only man who had tried to protect the small people. If my guess was right, he was someone I would need for the plan ahead.

[Be careful not to antagonize the same Catastrophe.]

[A Catastrophe that antagonizes another Catastrophe will lose all rights as a Catastrophe.]

The dokkaebi was still floating in the sky with a face that said it was having the time of its life.

Yeah. Let's see how long you can keep laughing like that.

[Star Stream judges that your activity as a Catastrophe has been insufficient.]

[If you do not kill the dominant species of peace land within the next hour, you will be judged to have no intention of being active as a Catastrophe, and your status as a Catastrophe will be stripped away.]

I looked down at the man foaming at the mouth and slowly removed my cloak.

I had one hour left now.

Within that hour, I had to hunt the King of Catastrophes.