Chapter 27
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
“Hurry up, before I change my mind!” the champion said, and Bowl hurried over to the ogre.
“Darkness. Sacred, precious, and majestic. Grant me the power to hold the universe in my hands...”
Meanwhile, the champion stared indifferently at the Lich chanting a spell.
“By the power of the mighty darkness, I bring judgment upon you!”
Then, a cloud of black smoke of questionable intensity flew toward the ogre. However, contrary to what the champion was thinking, the ogre’s head dropped with its tongue sticking out.
[‘Bowl’ has slain the Ogre.]
[‘Bowl’ has successfully earned experience points on its own.]
Looking at Bowl dancing with joy, Min Sung thought, ‘Well, that did it. I’m just after the items anyway. I’m sure it’s OK to let the little guy have some fun.’
After picking up the loot, a series of messages and what seemed like an exit appeared.
[Labyrinth cleared!]
[Difficulty adjusted for ‘Min Sung Kang.’]
[Act 3 Unlocked.]
After wiping his dagger on the grass, he put it back in his inventory and walked through the gate, completely unaware that he was being watched by a blonde woman sporting a short hairdo.
—
“Wait... Hold on! What the hell happened to that Lich!?” Ho Sung shouted, looking at the doll, who was precisely at level 1,000, walking out of the labyrinth.
‘That thing was at level 1 when it went in! How is it walking out at level 1,000? How is this possible!?’ he thought, appalled. To which, Min Sung responded, “I fed him some gems and let him finish off the boss.”
‘Gems? Finish off the boss?’ Ho Sung said to himself, chuckling while thinking, ‘I don’t even get to level up anymore, but this doll gets all the special treatment?’
“Haha...” at a loss for words, Ho Sung chuckled absent-mindedly. Meanwhile, hanging from the champion’s belt, Bowl let out, “Woohoo!”
‘The thing talks now? What kind of Lich is this? He might as well get himself a dog.’ Ho Sung thought, glaring fiercely at the doll. Then, noticing its name, he tilted his head in confusion, ‘... Bowl?’
“Sir, what’s with that word floating above the Lich’s head?”
“I was told to give it a name, so I did just that,” the champion replied, and Ho Sung, at a loss for words, stared blankly at him, thinking, ‘This guy’s a serious badass. How can one name a doll that’s worth a fortune Bowl?’
Then, he turned his eyes to the Lich Doll named ‘Bowl.’
“...”
Looking at the ridiculous name, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hey, Lich... I mean, Bowl. Do you like your name?” he asked, holding back his laughter.
“Of course! It’s a name my master gave me. I love it,” Bowl replied, its shoulders moving up and down with joy. At that, Ho Sung chortled and thought, ‘What an idiot! I’d have killed myself if my name had been Bowl. First, Min Sung Kang, and now, this walking, talking skeleton. These guys are really something.’
Although Ho Sung had been jealous that the doll had reached level 1,000 at first, he found the jealousy subsiding after laughing at the doll’s name.
“Well, let’s head down. I need to eat,” the champion said as he walked on ahead. Meanwhile, looking at Bowl, Ho Sung started snickering.
“Bowl? What kind of name is that? Hahaha! Oh, my! I almost feel sorry for you,” he said, laughing. At that moment, Bowl walked toward him unhurriedly. After seeing its master disappearing into the horizon, the Lich’s eyes burst into black flames. Its gaping eyes were dark enough to give one the illusion that they were staring into darkness itself. Soon, an enormous dark presence exuded from the Lich and surrounded Ho Sung. Bowl might have been the size of an adult’s palm, but the tremendous presence of a level 1,000 Lich was threatening to say the least. The darkness started coiling around Ho Sung, suffocating him. Overwhelmed by the fear of death, Ho Sung started to panic.
“Should you mock me again, I will tear you to shreds and make your corpse my undead minion,” an ominous voice from the abyss said, adding, “Do I make myself clear?” Shaking uncontrollably with widened eyes, Ho Sung nodded quickly. Then, Bowl let up and started tottering in the direction of its master, huffing and puffing. The suffocating darkness was no longer.
By that point, Ho Sung’s face had turned blue. Hyperventilating, he stared in the direction of the Lich. Then, when he put his hands into his pants, he realized that he had wet himself. Teary-eyed, Ho Sung bit down on his lower lip.
—
On the way to the store, Ho Sung looked at Min Sung and Bowl in the back seat through the mirror. While the champion was looking out of the window, the Lich was leaning against its master’s leg. Sensing the driver’s gaze, the champion looked at Ho Sung in the mirror, tapping himself on the teeth. It was a warning to be silent, reminding the driver to watch his mouth. At that, feeling goosebumps all over his body, Ho Sung looked away from the mirror in a hurry. Upon reaching level 1,000, the doll that had seemed like a mere accessory at first had turned into a monster capable of disposing of him with ease.
‘Son of a bitch... You were just some useless doll! No, I can’t live on like this. I gotta train. I have to level up, even at the cost of my sleep. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. I’ll bear through the pain until I reach a high enough level to enter the labyrinth. Then, I’ll stick with Min Sung Kang and farm experience points. I might be at the bottom of the food chain, but I’ll make it my life’s goal to level up by following him around,’ Ho Sung thought.
“We’re almost there, aren’t we?” the champion asked, looking out the window. Regaining his composure, Ho Sung looked toward the champion and said, “Yes, sir. Any minute now.”
As usual, the champion seemed to be planning on selling his loot to the store. Upon arriving, Min Sung got out of the car, and Bowl jumped from the backseat and clung to the champion’s belt. freewe(b)novel.c(o)m
‘It looks cute and harmless now, but...’
Ho Sung shuddered, remembering the suffocating darkness that had exuded from the little doll. The cute and harmless doll was now a level 1,000 Lich.
‘My life is already a living hell as it is, and now, I have a Lich to worry about?!’ Ho Sung thought with a gloomy look on his face.
“Wait here. I’ll be back,” the champion said and walked into the store. While he was selling his loot from the labyrinth, Ho Sung smoked a cigarette, scratching his head while wondering to which restaurant to take the champion.
‘Sigh... Where do I take him today?’
Then, a certain restaurant flashed in his mind. Exotic and delectable, Ho Sung was confident that the champion would have a satisfying experience. However, the restaurant was somewhat far away, which could very well pose an issue in itself. After thinking of a contingency plan, Ho Sung put his cigarette out and waited for the champion patiently. Soon, Min Sung came out of the store.
“Sir,” Ho Sung said, opening the door for the champion. After the champion got in the car, Ho Sung got in the driver’s seat and asked himself, ‘What did I do to deserve this? Did I betray my country in my past life or something?’ Then, starting the ignition, he looked toward the champion.
“Sir?”
At Ho Sung’s call, Min Sung looked toward him.
“So, I’ve thought of two possible options. The first place is not only exotic, but the food is terrific. The only thing is that it’s a little out of the way, so if distance is an issue...”
“I can go overseas if necessary,” Min Sung replied, and Ho Sung nodded and said, “Understood.”
“So, where is this place?” the champion asked. fre(e)webno(v)el
“Oido. It’s a coastal region.”
“So, we’re talking seafood?”
“Yes, but like I said, there’s something exotic about the place.”
“What’s so exotic about it?”
“Oido is one of the most popular fishing spots for people from Seoul. What makes this restaurant unique is that we get to do the fishing ourselves and have the restaurant prepare what we catch, be it sashimi or stew.”
“Interesting,” Min Sung replied, his eyes sparkling with interest.
“Right? Haha. Of course, if you’re not into fishing, we can always pay for a fish that’s already been caught. Which, I gotta admit, is more convenient. If you’re not into fishing, that is. So, what would you like to do, sir?”
“No, I’ll fish. I want to eat what I catch,” the champion replied, shaking his head firmly. Seeing the excitement in the champion’s eyes, Ho Sung sighed, relieved that he had survived yet another day to tell the tale.
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