185 – The Nymphs Encountered an Imp! #1
The official tournament of Duel Stone held in Seoul progressed without any major issues, except for the first day.
And now, on the seventh day.
The final stage, determining the prince of duelists gathered from all over the world, was unfolding right before my eyes.
“This Coris intends to fuse the three Core summoned on the field to summon the ultimate Blue-Eyes Core…! And intends to attack the opponent with a surprise effect…!”
“Guaaaah─!”
Coris, having defeated the favored contender, Cyba of the Cyber Dino deck.
Coris finally achieved victory in the official tournament, earning the title of this year’s strongest duelist.
“This Coris has made it…! To be honest, this Coris still doesn’t quite understand the rules of this game, but thinks it’s really fun…! I want to participate in next year’s tournament too…!”
Coris overflowed with talent for dueling, unlike what I had expected.
Looking back, while Inoi struggled daily against the fourth boss in Mechanical Snail 3, Coris managed to clear the fifth and final boss for just 100 won.
Coris is a skilled gaming Nymph.
“Level 10: Ice Water Nymph Coris
Effect: Summoning this card to the field ensures victory in that game.
Attack/Defense 100/100”
A dedicated card symbolizing the winner was also created.
Its effect was indeed magnificent, but it seemed to be a commemorative card that naturally could not be used in official tournaments.
“Everyone should congratulate the victory of Nymph Sister Coris…! This Inoi also wanted to win with the Squirrel Deck, but unfortunately fell out of the main tournament…!”
“Muhuhu, that Illinois withdrew from the tournament due to collaboration with ‘Duel Stone Corporation’…! Still, Sister Coris winning makes me feel very good…!”
The Nymphs danced a joyful Nymph dance on the final stage.
Those who witnessed the scene remarked, “That’s an amazing dance,” and “It’s different from Elves,” showering the Nymphs with congratulations and taking countless photos.
Anyway.
The Duel Stone tournament concluded smoothly.
Perhaps due to the incident on the first day, I felt slightly as if I were floating on a cloud throughout this entire week.
I was nervous thinking that some incident might occur during the tournament.
However, that was just my worry, and the world was peaceful.
“Thanks to you, Il-do-kun, I was able to seal the demon Apophis. The tournament could finish safely, all thanks to you.”
Tap-.
Teto showed me a card.
It was a card with a terrifying snake drawn on it, harboring strange mana.
It seems I would operate the Egyptian power station using the magic contained in that card.
“Do you have no plans to go to Egypt and take priest lessons together? With the ability to handle the God’s cards effortlessly, Il-do-kun, I think you could become an excellent priest. You also seem to have the talent of a duelist.”
Teto encouraged me to head to Egypt.
It seemed she perceived that I had the potential to become the strongest duelist and that she would support the education towards that.
But I heard that one must stay in Egypt for at least two years.
“Two years is a bit lengthy.”
I couldn’t leave Korea for two years.
Teto remarked, “What a shame. However, I have a feeling that our bond here isn’t the end,” as she got into the car.
The truck driver was Lee Jin-A.
Over the past week, Lee Jin-A had defeated many duelists and appeared exceptionally pleased with her collection of rare cards.
I recalled that Lee Jin-A had unfortunately been eliminated in the semifinals.
Brrr-.
The truck carrying us soon stopped in front of the well house.
In the yard of the well house, a stone tablet sealed with the “Nymph with a Tail” was placed nicely in the sun, and Teto had promised to break that seal using an artifact-level key.
“I want to meet the Nymph Sister with a Tail soon…!”
“This strongest duelist, Coris, is very much looking forward to meeting the Nymph Sister with a Tail too…! I want to play card games together…!”
“That Illinois lost due to democratic majority rule, but clearly warned that some unpleasant happenings might occur…!”
Unlike the excited Inoi and Coris, Illinois exhibited a slightly negative reaction.
“The seal indicates there was a reason for it…! Recklessly freeing what has been sealed may cause problems…!”
It was a reasonable story.
As the Nymphs reacted variously in this manner—
Teto thrust the key she held into the stone tablet, and finally, with a clunk like an intricate mechanical lock being released, the sound triggered.
Paaah-!
A brilliant light began to burst forth from the stone tablet─,
And the stone tablet cracked with a resounding noise.
Pat-!
Something sprang out from the cracking stone tablet.
It was a being with red short hair and a long, thin tail.
The tip of its tail was triangular and resembled those found on the behind of bacteria that cause cavities.
“Muhuhu…! Finally freed…! This Barbar Nymph is now free…! Now, no one can stop the esteemed comrade Barbar…!”
Raising both hands high and confidently shouting, it resembled the Nymph Sisters closely.
But witnessing this scene left me slightly questioning.
“Barbar? That’s an unusual name for a Nymph.”
Aren’t Nymphs typically named with endings like ─noi, ─ol, ─s depending on the season? However, the name Barbar fell outside such conventions.
Could it be a name self-bestowed like Callisto, the sister of Kalilnoi?
It seems that Nymphs who become adults sometimes name themselves differently from the rules.
However, the Nymph who introduced herself as Barbar frowned.
Then, stepping onto a nearby chair, crossing her arms and lifting her chin, she said.
“This Barbar is not a Nymph…! This Barbar is the greatest subordinate of the great Demon King…! I am the Imp Barbar…!”
An Imp of Fire?
What could that be?
Nymphs. Imps.
Both were beings with similar-sounding names.
In Hangul, both names fit neatly into two syllables.
“This Inoi has no idea what an Imp even is…! To me, they appear to be just Nymph Sisters with tails…!”
“I think so too, this Coris…! If we put our foreheads together, perhaps we could understand what that tail-sporting sister is saying…!”
Inoi and Coris approached Imp Barbar.
It appeared they intended to greet each other by touching foreheads as Nymphs typically do.
Nymphs can learn names, ages, health status, and more by touching foreheads.
It was akin to a Bluetooth information exchange for Nymphs.
“Get away…!”
Pat-!
But Imp Barbar jumped down from the chair and distanced herself from the Nymphs.
She appeared to act as if she were trying to escape.
Soon, Illinois, who was watching the situation, spoke very seriously.
“Indeed, it has come to that…! This Illinois has listened to tales regarding the mischievous, tailed little villain Imp…! I thought it was merely a rumor…!”
Illinois was a seasoned Nymph with considerable experience.
Did she know something about the Imps?
“They are horned and tailed demonic beings…! Their true nature must be that of red communists…! That Imp is certainly a disgusting communist…!”
Communist.
Does that mean a member of the Communist Party?
It seems Illinois didn’t really know much about Imps either.
This world has many things that are hard to understand.
I thought I had wrapped my head around Nymphs to some extent, but my assumption was proven wrong as soon as the Imp popped out.
“This Illinois, as a guardian of capitalism, can never be together with those red communists…! Since it has come to this, I will declare a cold war…! I will strike relentlessly…!”
With her fists clenched, Illinois charged towards Imp Barbar.
“Nymph Fight, Unleash the Fury…!”
Imp Barbar, not backing down, clenched her fists and dashed forward.
“Imp Fight, Unleash the Fury…!”
Dudududududududududududududud-.
A fierce confrontation ensued as their fists collided.
Watching that spectacle made my head spin in many ways, and Teto chuckled lightly.
“They seem to be similar elemental beings. I would imagine they might share the same roots. I’m not entirely sure, though….”
Growl-.
At that moment, Imp Barbar’s stomach growled loudly.
—
“This Barbar Barno is an Imp of Fire…! The foremost comrade of the Imp Sisters and the greatest subordinate of the Demon King…! My dream is to one day become an Imp of Hellfire…!”
Imps.
They seem to be beings that evolve from Imp of Fire into Blaze, Fire Pit, Sulfur, and eventually Hellfire Imps.
Listening to Barbar’s words, I wondered if they were akin to relatives or subspecies of Nymphs.
Just as Nymphs and Elves resemble each other yet differ, Nymphs and Imps are also similar yet different beings.
The most notable feature, after all, was the tail.
Wagging gently-.
The tail swayed behind her hips; it was quite fascinating.
Noticing my gaze, Barbar proudly showed her tail to me and said.
“This tail is the very blessing given to us little devil Imps by the Demon King…! Through this tail, I can perform all sorts of amazing feats! For instance, I can do this…!”
Swish-.
Barbar aimed her tail.
Just when I thought flames would ignite from the tail’s tip, it shot towards the bed.
It was a fireball.
“Hiieeek…! This Inoi’s bed is going to burn…!”
Puffuu-.
Inoi sprayed water from her mouth to extinguish the flames.
Imp Barbar chuckled at that sight.
“The Imp tail is indeed a marvelous catalyst for magic…! Of course, because of it, we’re also targeted by Imp-hating demon hunters….”
“I see.”
“Anyway, this ramen is incredibly delicious…! The red broth certainly reminds me of boiling sulfur and hellfire, which I find delightful…!”
The Imp enjoyed the ramen immensely.
It reminded me of when I first served ramen to Inoi.
Soon, Imp Barbar spoke.
“I’ve heard you’re the master of this house…! The master of the house─ that name reminds me of Baal, the ancient great Demon King…! This spider symbolizing Baal is marvelous…!”
━Hioooong…!
Pop-.
Imp Barbar soon climbed onto Inoi’s bed and shouted loudly.
“As the era of dragons approaches, the Demon King’s revival is imminent…! Then a world of equality will come to everyone…! Let us all unite…!”
“That communist has revealed its true colors…! Everyone, look…! A world of equality does not exist, it’s impossible…!”
Dududududud-.
Illinois and Barbar threw punches at each other once more.
Watching that spectacle, Inoi shouted.
“It’s a battle of equals…! Throwing punches with those Illinois Sisters, perhaps this Imp is more than expected…!”
“I want to touch that tail just once…!”
In the midst of that disarray, I felt I had heard an incredibly important fact.
The revival of the Demon King─ was it?
