184 – Nymphs and the Dark Game #8
Go-o-o-o-o-.
A giant, as if made of rock and steel, made its appearance in the world.
Upon seeing this, Ankh gasped, her mouth agape, struggling to catch her breath.
“Th-that creature… It’s unbelievable… It really succeeded in summoning a divine card! A card that, if summoned by an unworthy one, could overload mana and possibly drive them insane…”
The same astonishment was shared by the “Priestess – Teto.”
She gripped her staff tightly, her golden eyes sparkling sharply.
“To think someone could completely handle a card made by modifying the ‘Tablet of the Giant,’ an artifact of the divine… However, whether they can escape the omnipotence and desires of the divine’s power…”
Seo Ye-rim, with her arms crossed, frowned and said, “Whatever it is, just take it down quickly…!”
The Phon Shinbyeong was the very manifestation of a god descended upon this land.
Yet, it was also constrained by “rules.”
A summoned creature could not attack on the turn it was summoned unless under special circumstances.
“Skipping the turn.”
I felt my mana rapidly depleting as I skipped my turn.
Next turn.
I thought I had just until the next turn to handle this artifact.
“Now, it’s my turn. Draw.”
The woman claiming to be the demon god Apophis drew a card without feeling intimidated by the giant that could cover the arena.
Then she laughed in a very wicked voice, “I will sacrifice a dog snake to summon a 3-cost Plague Doctor.”
“3 Level: Plague Doctor
Effect: Increases attack power by 1000 for each card sacrificed.
Attack/Defense 1000/1000”
It was an ordinary card.
Now it was my turn.
Fourth turn.
I drew a card.
“Draw!”
Of course, whatever card I drew, my play was already decided.
It was a direct attack using the giant.
“Phon Shinbyeong, God Hand─Huh.”
But─.
Thump-. Thump, thump-.
My heart stopped me.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you attacking? Hey! Haildo! What are you doing!”
“The master of the house suddenly stopped attacking…!”
My hand.
The card I had just drawn, “Blue-Eyed Core,” seemed to gaze at me.
The appearance of that card left a significant impression on me.
“…What is this…?”
It felt like numerous visions were flashing before my eyes.
Those were the days when I had been bullied, used, and occasionally reprimanded by ‘someone.’
The card “Blue-Eyed Core” bore a striking resemblance to that someone.
“This recollection of the past… this memory that stirs my heart and saddens me—.”
Why, why did such a past suddenly resurface!?
I stared straight back at “Blue-Eyed Core,” which seemed to look me in the eye.
“Blue-Eyed Core”! What do you want to tell me…!?
I… I—
“I—I will trust in this stirring of my heart! I will activate the 4-cost spell, ‘Ultimate Plague, Capitalism’ from my hand…! ‘Ultimate Plague, Capitalism’ is a card that sacrifices cards on the field to restore my cost by that level and allows me to draw that many cards!”
It was an extremely evil card.
It was a gift from Illinois.
Seeing that, Illinois was taken aback.
“The house master has no minions to sacrifice on the field…! If such existed, it would be a god card—only Phon Shinbyeong…!”
“Right! The one I will sacrifice is the god itself—!”
Thud-!
I pointed at Obelisk’s Phon Shinbyeong.
Then Oinoy and Coris gasped in shock.
“The god’s card…”
“…is being sacrificed…!”
Ankh seemed equally stunned.
She wrapped her head in her arms and nearly screamed in horror.
“T-that creature sacrificed a god card! What on earth is it doing!? Has it gone mad? Can’t it control the god’s card and has finally lost its mind!? Get a grip…!”
Teto, the priestess, was equally flustered.
“I-I couldn’t even foresee this with my king’s staff’s clairvoyance…. Does he have a mental strength capable of overcoming the greed emanating from the god’s card…? Haildo, what in the world are you…?”
Others kept chattering, but I was now unstoppable.
I drew 15 cards and summoned the powerful super rare card, Blue-Eyed Core, with the 19 cost I had.
“I will show you! My pride, my soul…! That has been tormented…! Come forth! My servant!”
Pop-!
Blue-Eyed Core manifested in the world.
It truly resembled Core.
And upon seeing that, Oinoy was astonished.
“It resembles Core Ye-rim…!”
“This Coris thinks so too! That card is one that this Coris gave…!”
“Indeed, it was that Core card from the collaboration between ‘Dual Stone Company’ and ‘Telos Company’…! The quality is excessively high…!”
An attack power of 3000, the fearsome Seo Ye-rim.
I felt a sense of satisfaction looking at her.
The day I could command that Seo Ye-rim like a minion had come!
Even though it was a summoned clone!
Still, the resentment and regrets of my past days when I was scolded and tormented by Seo Ye-rim felt like they were being washed away.
“What is that! It’s me!”
The real Seo Ye-rim was bewildered.
But that didn’t matter to me; I decided to do my thing.
“With my remaining 10 cost, I will activate the 5-cost spell card ‘Charge Ambush’ and the 5-cost ‘Clumsy Two-Hander’! With the effects of these cards, ‘Blue-Eyed Core’ will gain the ‘Ambush’ effect that allows it to attack immediately in the turn it’s summoned and the ‘Two-Hander’ effect allowing it to attack twice…!”
With an attack power of 6000.
The flames containing that attack shone from card Seo Ye-rim’s hand.
“Go! Go and burn the city! Cataclysmic Burst Flame!”
Whoosh-.
Intense flames flew towards the masked demon.
“Crush! Smash! Great cheer!”
Soon, the woman in the new mask let out a painful scream, “Ugh… Haildo, you rascal…! You’re too strong…!”
# # #
Demon god Apophis—.
No, Yu Ari took the opportunity presented by the smoke from the explosion to slip away.
“This should… be enough help for my seniors, right?”
Yu Ari had never been possessed by ‘Demon God Apophis’ from the beginning.
Since Apophis, unable to conduct itself properly, was weakened, it was impossible to seize Yu Ari’s consciousness.
While it was a strategy she aimed to carry out, it became much easier due to the fact that Haildo and the Nymphs easily took down the ‘Tomb Raiders’ executives.
‘Wasn’t it originally promised that Teto would personally face the weakened demon? I don’t know why she even gave her turn to my senior, but… thanks to that, I gained a good experience.’
Now, if she could transfer the power of the ‘Snake Demon’ sealed within Yu Ari’s body to the Egyptian priestess Teto and make it into a “card,” that would solve the problem.
The fallen gods would become important resources for advancing the 5th industry.
And the benefits would also go to Korea, which had collaborated with Egypt to eradicate the schemes of tomb raiders.
‘Above all, defeating a villain dramatically and rescuing the world will raise my senior’s name even higher. My senior is currently being ostracized by the A-ranks. If I clean this up and post about 10 concept articles… Hehehe…’
As Haildo’s fame continued to rise, even silly ostracism would disappear.
People ultimately tend to stick with those who are famous and successful.
Yu Ari felt a sense of pride in becoming a villain so that Haildo could gain experience.
‘My covert support that no one knows about. This is my role.’
With that feeling, Yu Ari headed to the agreed place.
Tap-tap-.
While walking through the back alley like that, someone appeared before Yu Ari.
It was Seo Ye-rim.
“Ye-rim, what are you doing here? Meeting someone in a place like this.”
Yu Ari was currently maskless and had changed her outfit.
Seo Ye-rim narrowed her eyes at Yu Ari.
“Yu Ari. It’s you after all.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Don’t think of playing dumb. You can deceive the dull Haildo, but it’s impossible to fool me too. We were rivals by circumstance, after all. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize your skills—?”
“…I don’t understand what you’re talking about? What on earth is going on?”
“Keep pretending like that. Then can I go tell Haildo that Yu Ari is a bad girl who wears strange skintight suits and a bird beak mask while committing misdeeds?”
Crinkle-.
Yu Ari frowned.
Seo Ye-rim also frowned.
“…….”
“…….”
The two women, instead of continuing their conversation, leaped towards each other with all their might.
Thud-. Crash-!
When their high kicks aimed at each other’s heads collided diagonally in mid-air, there was a loud explosion, and the lights in the vicinity went out.
# # #
Blink, blink-.
The arena’s lights flickered, turning off and on repeatedly.
It seemed that the recent “ceremony” had disrupted the local electric current or wave conditions.
“Thanks to you, Il Do-kun, the power of the Snake Demon Apophis has weakened. I think I can handle the rest by myself.”
Teto, ranked 4th in S Rank, praised my achievements.
However, I felt that there were many things that seemed off.
Wasn’t this too easy compared to when I faced Typhon Hex? Of course, there were many valid reasons for that.
The demon god Apophis that was revived this time hadn’t fully resurrected, and I possessed a national treasure-level artifact.
“It is indeed a god card…! If sold, it would definitely be incredibly expensive!”
“This Oinoy wants to touch it too…!”
“This Coris also wants to hold a god’s card…!”
A god’s card.
I recalled the power of the artifact that was powerful enough to fill the gym.
It had the power to change the weather and distort space simply by existing.
What would happen if that attack were swung around carelessly…?
“…Il Do-kun, so will you now return the card to me?”
At that moment, Teto extended her hand towards me.
Her expression was very cautious.
I willingly returned the card to her hand.
“Thanks to you, I survived.”
What an extraordinary experience it was.
When else would I have the chance to touch a god’s card?
Only S-rankers are said to have permission from the state or institutions to use artifacts; when would I have the opportunity to handle them?
Indeed, the performance of artifacts was overwhelming.
That omnipotence that devoured my mana…
Seeing me, Teto chuckled softly.
“Il Do-kun, it seems you have no greed for power. Even in the face of this fierce might, my sister Ankh, who has trained all her life as a priestess, fell into inferiority complex…”
“Uh…”
Teto had shackled her sister Ankh.
It seemed that she would take care of the tomb raiders’ prison.
“I also covet the power of the god’s card, but… since it’s not mine, it’s only natural to return it. It was a good experience.”
At my words, Teto widened her golden eyes.
And then it seemed she looked at the god’s card before slowly closing her eyes.
“There are many who can say obvious things, but not many can act accordingly. You are a wonderful man. I understand why my sister lost.”
“W-well, I didn’t lose…! It was because of that strange ‘Mad Skull’ card… I was off guard…”
Swish-.
Teto now received the “Key of the Snake” from Ankh.
And said.
“Il Do-kun, you have that stone tablet, right? The one with the spirit that has a tail. If you wish, I can release the spirit bound to that tablet.”
Really?
The nymphs loved hearing this.
“How kind of you, priestess…! This Oinoy remembers the priests he met in the Hestia temple…!”
“Hurry and release the ‘Tail Nymph’ sealed within the tablet…! A tail nymph, this Coris thinks it would be very enjoyable…!”
“I, Illinois, object! A tail nymph… such a thing is against the world’s order…! Instead of compensating like that, show me the money…!”
In the end, it was decided to release the nymph sealed within the stone tablet.
And I would later find out that the scene of me sacrificing the “god’s card” to summon Seo Ye-rim was being broadcast live across the worldwide “Dual Stone” community.
“I sacrifice a god card to summon Seo Ye-rim haha, is he really crazy? lol”
“Aren’t the rumors of them dating real?”
“……”
My fame also rose.
It was somewhat different from the direction I had expected.
