Chapter 38
“That’s a monster I’ve never seen before.”
There were more than a few things to be flustered about.
For one, there was the combination of unfamiliar monsters and continuous rain.
Although Yohan could endure the rain for now, he had no idea how to deal with the monsters themselves.
Slurp—
Each creature resembled a snake, with a forked tongue, slimy skin, and a long tail.
“It’s fine as long as it doesn’t come near us.”
It was similar to a lizardman but ultimately different. If a lizardman was a lizard, then this one was like an unfinished lizard.
The creature had a blue body but no front limbs.
It only had hind legs for walking or running quickly.
“Yang, have you seen this kind of monster before?”
“No. It’s the first time I’ve seen it too. At least, it seems it hasn’t been discovered in Korea.”
“Right? I thought so.”
There were ten of these creatures slowly approaching.
Although they didn’t look particularly threatening, there was an unusual, ominous atmosphere about them.
Their behavior of seemingly drinking in the moisture from the air was especially suspicious.
Hiss— Haa— Hiss— Haa—
White steam was being sucked into the creatures’ mouths. Although there was no telling why they were doing this, there was one thing they could do.
“Do you have anything like a thick plastic sheet?”
“We don’t have thick plastic, but we have a few cloth covers.”
Sohjeong, the transporter, pulled out the wrapping cloths. She produced a large one from a particularly bulging container.
“That might actually be better.”
It was fortunate, as the important thing was to block the rain from above.
The cloths developed for transporting corpses had better elasticity and waterproofing than rubber, so they would protect the garlic from heavy rain.
“Yang, please point out the area where the crops are growing best.”
“Oh? Uh, here’s the best spot!”
Yohan immediately put the plan into action. He took a long branch from a nearby tree and used it to create a roof with the cloth.
As expected, water was flowing down along the cloth.
By making a ditch around the area to direct the water away, it seemed like the garlic would be fine.
He had successfully put out the immediate fire.
As long as those strange snakes didn’t act up, he would get through this safely.
Hiss— Haa— Hiss— Haa—
Although that was the plan.
“Those bastards wouldn’t just let it be.”
Yohan wasn’t stupid enough to simply observe. He was not going to wait idly while the creatures continued to act strangely.
“Daha, crush them.”
Seeing the creatures huffing from afar, Yohan felt that now was the time to strike.
Daha executed Yohan’s command immediately.
Swoosh—
Daha’s claws lunged towards the snake-creature’s body. Given that these creatures didn’t seem to have a high defense, they would be torn apart in one strike.
Slip—
“Slip?”
However, the resulting sound effect was unexpected.
It wasn’t a scratch or a scrape, but a slip.
It seemed the creature’s skin easily ignored the force behind Daha’s slash.
As if there was oil applied to its skin.
“What kind of creature is this?”
The monsters didn’t attack. They merely continued to absorb moisture from the surroundings, making it seem like their primary task was to suck up the surrounding humidity.
“Could it be.”
At that moment, a bad feeling struck Yohan.
If the purpose of these creatures was indeed that.
“Everyone, if you have any kind of shield, get it out!”
If these creatures were akin to rain, and if they were created solely for obstruction.
“Make it as watertight as possible!”
Crops could be regrown. A single failure wasn’t a huge risk.
‘But the important thing is that the interference we face in the future will be more severe.’
The god will prepare more for tomorrow than today, and more for the day after tomorrow than tomorrow.
A god who has seen our strength will not make the interference tomorrow weaker than today.
The interference we’re dealing with now will be the weakest of all future obstructions.
Hiss—
The snake’s belly and mouth swelled up. It seemed poised to shoot something out.
Fwoooosh—!
A massive stream of water erupted from all sides. The water pressure was stronger than that of a typical fire truck.
“Damn it. They’re really determined!”
The bad feeling was spot on. The purpose of these creatures was not to cause harm but purely to obstruct them.
“Damn, we’re low on mana too!”
Yangmu gritted his teeth as he cut the ground with his sickle.
The land, absorbing the magical power emitted by the sickle, spread out wide around the field and created a thin barrier.
“We won’t be able to hold out for long! The wetter the soil gets, the weaker it becomes!”
As soon as Yangmu finished speaking, breaches appeared all over. The barrier wouldn’t be able to withstand any more of the water cannons.
Whatever it took, he had to act immediately.
“Hang on a little longer! I’ll go out there!”
Yangmu’s mana could not be wasted.
Given the situation, Yohan had no choice but to take a gamble.
“I don’t know how effective this will be, but let’s give it a try.”
Zing—
Hogan’s eyes began to glow red. The bloody eyes seemed about ready to shed tears.
Extraction.
A skill that identifies the vital points of a body.
Until now, his subordinates had been doing a great job, so Yohan rarely needed to use it.
It had mostly been used to identify basic weaknesses in bodies.
‘But these creatures clearly need specific weaknesses.’
It would be different from before.
No, it had to be different. That was the only way to eliminate them.
Sparkle—
Red dots began to shine on the bodies of the monsters.
Ankles, heart, knees.
Most of them were basic vital points that Yohan already knew. Seeing only familiar weaknesses made him more anxious.
“I found it!”
Amidst the numerous points, Yohan found one that was out of the ordinary.
A point that would have been impossible to find without knowing their basic vital points.
Under the chin, in a blind spot that wasn’t visible unless the head was lifted.
The point in this ambiguous spot, not quite the jugular or the solar plexus, seemed to be a vital spot, albeit an elusive one.
Swelling—
The monsters’ necks enlarged again. There was no way for him alone to handle all ten of those snakes within the time limit.
“King, Cowon. Together with Daha, cut them all down.”
He dispatched the three who had opened the coffin. As if waiting for this moment, Cowon sprinted out immediately, followed closely by King.
Pavavavat—
Daha quietly disappeared into the ground.
“Target the area between the neck and the solar plexus, penetrate the grayish scales!”
He instructed the three to hit the vital spots he saw. The small, odd-colored scales were located in a place that was impossible for those handless creatures to guard.
Thunk—
Cowon raised his axe and brought it down directly. The axe precisely pierced through the gap between scales.
Kieeek!
The snake-like creature, critically hit, convulsed. The water it had absorbed splashed everywhere.
Thunk— Thunk— Thunk—
Cowan continued to stab that spot while being drenched by the released water. The creature, seemingly in shock from the overwhelming pain, didn’t last long.
“Let’s see if you can block this.”
Meanwhile, Yohan delivered a brute-force attack with the coffin.
Bang—!
The coffin struck a creature’s head.
“A slippery body is only effective against blades.”
At that moment, the snake-like creature’s head was pushed in and out of its body.
Having received a significant shock, Yohan took advantage of its dazed state to stab its neck with a priest’s dagger.
Thunk—
Digging into its vital point, he sliced it vertically.
The creature’s body split like meat.
Fssh—
The creature fell limp, and a sour yet sweet smell emanated from the damp water.
The liquid soaking Yohan was water, not blood.
The dead creature’s eyes were wide open.
“Identification.”
He needed to confirm the creature’s origin. The skill would reveal that for him.
[Sneki]
Rank: D
Fate: 1
— A creature created by the God of Life. It has some flaws due to its incomplete body. It is specialized in absorbing moisture and its only attack is to shoot out high-pressure water jets.
“Is it a Magikarp?”
It was exactly as he feared— a monster with no abilities other than spitting water.
It was a monster hastily created by the God of Life.
“Why go to such lengths? Sending monsters to interfere?”
It wasn’t a natural monster, such as a Devil, but rather a creature created specifically for this purpose.
What could be so valuable about this small village as to warrant such an effort? Hadn’t it been said that the gods spread their influence worldwide?
‘If I were a god, I would just abandon a village like this.’
Was there something hidden in this village?
He found himself questioning something he had never previously considered. Could there really be a secret valuable enough to justify something so troublesome?
Was there something unknown to him here?
“I need to investigate. I must find out the reason.”
Meanwhile, the surroundings had calmed down. His subordinates had successfully pierced the necks of all the Sneki without error. The creatures, twitching and spitting bubbles, were no longer a threat.
At the same time, the rain had ceased. The sky had finally cleared up.
Thud—
The exhausted individuals collapsed to the ground. Except for Yangmu, everyone had put all their effort into sealing the broken earthen walls with Sohjeong’s cloths.
“Ha. How many more times do we have to do this?”
“Just kill me. Why are the standards so harsh?”
Divine punishment was severe.
The efforts of today would be increased tomorrow, and even further the day after.
“Still, we saved the garlic. What’s wrong with garlic?”
“Indeed. Even the best garlic can be bought for 50,000 won.”
“When we return to Earth, we won’t leave a single piece of garlic behind. I love garlic! I love garlic!”
It seemed like they had lost their sanity. Perhaps it had been washed away with the water.
After the ground had mostly dried, Yangmu finished using the remaining skills.
Fortunately, there were no more interruptions, and the garlic was successfully secured by him.
In the meantime, Yohan had collected all ten Sneki creatures, just in case they might be useful later.
“Just need to dry out the other crops before harvesting. For now, let’s focus on growing sweet potatoes and potatoes a bit more and finish up.”
Yangmu’s renewed vigor came with new instructions.
The work was completed just after 3 PM. Considering Yangmu’s condition, this was the best they could do.
“Don’t worry about today. Daha will handle the watch.”
Everyone, dragging their exhausted bodies, headed home.
Yohan, as the evening had still not arrived, planned to rest thoroughly before then.
‘It’s better to decide where to start the search.’
Of course, he didn’t intend to rest without any preparations.
The starting point for his search.
He pondered deeply, thinking about where he would place his body if he were a god.
‘The God of the Dead handed me the body directly.’
The body had been given in a material form, as a coffin.
Considering what the God of the Dead had said, the conditions for where the body could be located were clear.
The safest place. And ideally, a location with an unexpected form.
He thought about where the safest place around here might be.
Since he wasn’t fully familiar with the terrain yet, his thoughts were prolonged.
“Let’s keep it simple. This is just my first time exploring.”
There was still plenty of time. There was no need to overthink where the dark spots might be.
“Indeed, starting with the most conspicuous place is the standard approach.”
Among many places, the first that came to mind was the mountain.
A large mountain that could be seen from anywhere in the village.
“Was it called Passe? The name of that mountain.”
He recalled its name from the soup that Kalmo had made the previous night.
A large mountain with no significant features other than its size.
But that made it stand out more.
‘At least 2,000 meters above sea level. The dense forest makes it quite suitable for hiding something.’
Starting from there. From the highest point to the lowest.
He would clear his mind and examine everything without prejudice.
“No, I need to give it my all. If I don’t find it, I’ll lose my job. Damn god. I will definitely devour those fingernails.”
* * *
Night fell.
A bandit, no, Yohan, looked up at the darkened mountain.
“What perfect weather for a treasure hunt.”
After confirming that everyone was asleep, he sprinted towards the mountain. He encountered villagers along the way but never mentioned his destination.
It was best if no one knew his secret.
Taat—
He ran energetically, leaping several meters forward.
He set his goal as the summit of the mountain, paying no attention to the surroundings. He focused solely on running straight ahead.
“After all, I’ll check again on the way down.”
His movements were extremely efficient. There was no time for sightseeing; his intention was to achieve the goal quickly.
Less than an hour later, he reached the summit.
He found a comfortable spot on the windy rock edge and settled in.
Swoosh—
He closed his eyes, concentrating on the same expanded senses he had used when he first caught Daha.
Layering his senses with his magical power, he would extend them further out.
‘I need to find the traces of magical energy.’
The divine energy that might be more tainted than divine.
Yohan recalled the moment he had dealt with the Sneki.
The sour yet sweet scent. More precisely, the sense of strangeness from the remnants of magical energy.
‘It’s divine magic. The god must have been in such a rush that they couldn’t erase the remnants of magical energy.’
Ironically, he had found a clue in the Sneki sent to obstruct him.
The sense of magical energy, like the faint smell of ramen, that came from the recently created Sneki.
It had become a blessing in disguise.
Yohan continued to recall the scent of the now-vanished magical energy and began to further extend his senses.
