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n59 Gourmet Day

nKo Byeong-gap stared at the store window with a slightly dissatisfied gaze. It was the ‘soul’ line of merchandise that had caught his attention.

n‘Trovatin? Hashumland? Karamos?’

nA bunch of people’s souls were being sold for 700,000 crystals each. The annotations were quite intriguing.

nSoul of Trovatin

n-Price: 700,000 Crystals

n-Description: The spirit of Trovatin, the first knight among the 12 heroes of Ashvilam. When used, his abilities when he was still alive can be obtained.

n‘I’m going to get the abilities he had when he was still alive?’

nThat was the part that Byeong-gap focused on.

nHis hand moved as if it were possessed by something, and his index finger stopped just before closing the window.

n‘Do I know what this is?’

nHe was hesitant to purchase it.

nThere was no guarantee that this soul would help him overcome their situation. He didn’t know if it was worth a dime or two, and it cost 700,000 crystals. 700,000 crystals!

n‘…Crazy. I’m still worried about money in this situation?’

nByeong-gap was getting fed up with his miserly temperament.

n‘I’m stupid. If we die, it’s over. What am I talking about?’

nHis index finger reached for the shop window. Soon, a hologram appeared asking if he was sure about his purchase, and he accepted without hesitation.

n700,000 crystals were deducted from his inventory and something popped up in the air. It was a luminous body that looked a bit like a Goblin.

n‘Is this a soul?’

nIt was round and about the size of a fist, emitting a subtle blue light on its own.

nIt looked great as a children’s toy, but it didn’t really seem reliable.

n‘What about it makes it worth 700,000 crystals…? I don’t know. You should be worthy as you are expensive! By the way, how do you use it?’

nHe looked around Trovatin’s soul and couldn’t come up with an intuitive way to use it like potions or dumplings.

nJoin the soul crystal with your heart.

n“Oh, that’s sweet of you. Thank you.”

nByeong-gap followed the instructions of the hologram. He took the soul in his hands and brought it to his heart. For some reason, his heart was pounding.

nWould you like to assimilate with the soul of Trovatin?

n‘Yeah.’

nThe assimilation is starting. 1%, 2%, 3%…

nError! The spirit and body are not suitable for receiving the soul. The assimilation rate will decrease.

nYour body strength has not reached the threshold. The assimilation rate will decrease.

nAssimilation complete with the Soul of Trovatin. Assimilation rate: 53.21%

n“Ugh!”

nHe noticed that something had happened to his body. To be more specific, it felt like ‘someone other than him’ was inside his body. His sight suddenly went dark and he suffocated. His head throbbed like it was going to explode, and his heart went berserk like a mad cat.

n“Haaaah!”

nAn afterimage brushed past his eyes.

nIt was the memory of a man named Trovatin.

n—Push!

n—There’s no place for us to go back! We’re gonna bury our bones on this battlefield!

n—For Ashvilam! Here’s to Landreal!

n‘What the hell is this…?’

nThousands of war horses were running in the vast grasslands while knights riding on those horses brandished giant swords.

nTrovatin was in the lead.

nThe scene was so vivid that he felt like he was on the battlefield himself.

n“I… What was that?”

nKorean and Ashvilam’s languages alternated.

nThere was no time to worry about this, but it was confusing. Byeong-gap thought he was going to forget who he was.

n“Ugh!”

n“Fuck!”

n“Stop it!”

nHis own memories and Trovatin’s memories mingled together, messing with his head. All kinds of sounds and delusions tormented him. He wanted to pull out his brain if he could.

n‘Who am I? Who am I?! What am I? Am I alive? What was I doing?’

n‘Ashvilam… I have to go back to Ashvilam. I have to go back to Ashvilam. I have to go and protect Landreal.’

nByeong-gap mumbled like he was possessed and got up. He opened the gate to Ashvilam, but the moment he stepped inside, he suddenly came to his senses.

n‘No, I’m… I’m Ko Byeong-gap. I’m not a ghost!’

nHe picked up a stone near his feet and started hitting his head like crazy.

nBam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

nBlood gushed down from his torn forehead. Byeong-gap did not stop until the stone had turned into powder.

n“Haha… Fuck.”

nThe afterimage that had disturbed his eyes and ears a while ago went away. His mind had also cleared up.

nByeong-gap spat out whatever came to mind to assure himself.

n“Mom. Gobung. Kiriyan. Dorma. Ea. Doran. And the little ones. Seon-kyung noona.”

nHe pulled his sword out of the air and held it in his hand.

n“And you, son of a bitch. You’re dead.”

nByeong-gap kicked the floor, splitting the air with a flash of light.

n***

n“Stop it, you monster.”

nByeong-gap stared at the Balrog like death, then looked down.

n“Hah… Hah…”

nJeong Seon-kyung was a wreck. Every bone in her body seemed to be broken. How badly did it beat her…

nIf he didn’t take action soon, she would run out of breath.

n“Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

nThe Balrog lightly ignored his warning and attacked. Byeong-gap’s temples twitched.

nHe drew his sword without even looking at the Balrog. A golden afterimage remained where the sword had passed.

n“Cuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

nHe swung a blow with a formidable wind. The Balrog’s arms were cut off without difficulty.

nWithout missing a beat, Byeong-gap did a round kick and collided with the monster.

n“Choop!”

nThe Balrog flew more than a hundred meters back.

nHe plunged his sword into the ground and a golden energy swirled and formed a protective shield around them. It was the unique skill of ‘Trovatin, the heart of the corps.’

n“Bottle…”

n“Don’t force yourself to talk.”

nByeong-gap bought a lot of dumplings from the Ancient Shop. Jeong Seon-kyung’s eyes widened slightly when she saw the mysterious window floating in the air.

n‘Can she even chew this?’

nAfter thinking about it for a while, he poured the dumplings into her mouth. She chewed gently, mixing it well with her saliva, and he gave her another one.

n“Stay put.”

n“Ugh!”

n“Eat! Eat to live!”

n“Ahh…”

nIn the end, Jeong Seon-kyung took the dumplings and ate them. Her expression, which had been distorted by pain, gradually softened.

nBoom!

nAt that moment, the protective shield trembled. The Balrog, who had just returned, was hitting it with its horns.

nBoom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

n“You idiot. You’re here to kill me?”

nIt would have been annoying if he had run away, but it all worked out.

nByeong-gap gently laid Jeong Seon-kyung down on the ground.

n“Hey, Ko Byeong-gap… You…”

n“That’s enough, don’t say anything now.”

nHe spoke softly and stood up.

n“Hey, Ko Byeong-gap!”

n“I know this is a strange situation, but first, we have to put out the fire.”

n“Come on, wait a minute! Hang on!”

n“There’s nothing to worry about. I don’t really know, but I don’t think I’m going to lose to that monster.”

n“No, no, no, no, no, no!”

nJeong Seon-kyung called out for Byeong-gap eagerly. He turned his body around, ignoring her persuasions.

nThen she shouted with all her heart.

n“Hey, you damn child! If you have a cigarette, give me one!”

n“…What?”

n“What kind of bull** are you talking about? Do you have a cigarette? Give me a box if you have one.”

nJeong Seon-kyung looked for a cigarette as she was bleeding.

nByeong-gap stammered unknowingly. Did he have cigarettes? He didn’t think so.

n“There you are.”

nHe found a crumpled pack of cigarettes in his pants pocket. Luckily, one of them was still intact. The lighter was still working as well. He lit a cigarette and placed it on Jeong Seon-kyung’s mouth.

nShe looked like she would die without inhaling cigarette smoke.

n“Sigh, I’m going to live now. I was scared I’d die if I didn’t smoke this.”

n“…….”

n“Go now.”

n“Huh?”

n“Go ahead and kill that monster.”

n“…Yeah.”

nByeong-gap stood up again. Jeong Seon-kyung smiled faintly and spoke to his back.

n“Don’t die, Ko Byeong-gap.”

n“I won’t die.”

nHe grabbed his sword. Golden energy gathered around him and the shield was lifted.

n“Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

nA great amount of heat gathered in the mouth of the Balrog. The overflowing flames seemed ready to explode at any moment.

n“What a big, distracted man playing with fire!”

nHe put strength in his sword. Golden energy swirled around him, creating a storm.

nAt that moment, the Balrog blew out a pillar of fire. Byeong-gap calmly swung his sword and struck it back.

nA storm of flames and swords collided.

n“Aaaaaah!”

nThe flames were extinguished helplessly. It was simply no match. The Balrog was beaten by the sword and fell apart, pouring out blood and flesh.

n‘He’s already a wreck. Let’s get it over with in one shot.’

nByeong-gap vowed to do that and gathered his strength again. This time, he intended to use a technique he had gleaned from Trovatin’s memory.

n‘My body moves by itself.’

nIt was a different feeling than when he imprinted the textbooks. To compare the two, the textbooks were like an open book test, and this was a cheat sheet.

nThe blade was loaded with golden energy. It took shape on its own and created a cone-shaped spear, a giant weapon measuring three meters long. It was a weapon that Trovatin loved to use in his lifetime.

n“Crrr…”

nThe Balrog raised its ragged body, but Byeong-gap had no intention of giving it more time. His tightly swollen legs slammed the ground; he crossed the field like a ray of light.

nThe secret art of the Mandara Knights.

nThe third form of the eight martial arts.

n“Crush.”

nKo Byeong-gap became a spear.

nThe Balrog tried to avoid him as if it sensed the danger. However, the space around it distorted and caught it in its place.

nThe Balrog was a cornered mouse. Byeong-gap mercilessly stabbed it in the heart.

nThe huge spear penetrated its flesh, but that was not all. The energy emitted from the spear raged like a storm and devoured its flesh from the inside.

nCrushing it. It was literally grinding the insides of the Balrog.

n“Krrrrrr!!!!!!”

nThe Balrog fell off with a scream of death.

nIts end was so futile.

n‘It’s over.’

nDark clouds were clearing up in the sky, and it was not long before a strong stream of light poured in.

n***

n“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Argh!”

n“Hey! Calm down! What is it!?”

n“Please! Please stop—Ah!!!”

nByeong-gap let out a deadly scream. He tried to put up with it, but he couldn’t. He was bleeding from every pore on his face. His limbs twisted uncontrollably, and his body contorted.

nThe members of Group C, including Jeong Seon-kyung, could not do anything.

n‘God damn it!’

nByeong-gap sighed inside.

nThe suffering began about ten minutes ago.

nAfter the battle, he had gathered his fallen team members to heal them. Fortunately, all of them were hidden, and they somehow survived by eating the dumplings. He was also able to restore Boo Young-geon’s severed arm.

nThe problem came after that.

nThe assimilation rate is low, so you can’t hold Trovatin’s soul.

nThe assimilation will be revoked.

nTrovatin’s soul has been destroyed.

nSuddenly, a hologram appeared saying that the soul of Trovatin had disappeared.

nAs soon as the power wrapped around his body disappeared, Byeong-gap suffered a tremendous rebound. A terrible pain hit his whole body as if he had been thrown into a hydraulic press. The deathly aftereffects had been going on for more than ten minutes, but it showed no signs of dissipating.

n“Hey! Don’t just scream. Eat this, too!”

nJeong Seon-kyung grabbed the remaining dumplings and stomped her feet. Byeong-gap could barely open his mouth to ask for food.

nShe understood him and fed him the dumplings.

n“Uhhhhhh!”

nEven after eating the dumplings, the pain showed no signs of going away. Tears of blood continued to trickle down his face.

nByeong-gap was in so much pain that he even cried like a child.

n“He can’t go, not like this. We need to get him to headquarters! Can you all move?”

nBoo Young-geon looked around the group and asked.

n“I can move.”

n“Me too.”

n“I don’t have a problem either.”

n“Alright.”

nAll of them had been seriously injured, and the dumplings couldn’t cure them completely. But it was enough for them to walk or run.

n“Let’s go.”

nGroup C diligently kicked their feet.

nByeong-gap groaned on Boo Young-geon’s back before passing out.

nGroup C walked and ran continuously. They moved for a long time without taking a break. Then, as the sun was going down, they ran into another group, who then provided support.

nWith their help, Group C was able to reach the headquarters.

nByeong-gap, who had passed out, remained unconscious most of the time. He would sometimes regain consciousness, but he struggled with the pain and would faint again.

nIt was a day or so after the end of the first expedition before he fully woke up.

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