043 – Inoi and the Small Stationery Store #7
“My daughter! Sun-A! Sun-A!”
A woman in bone armor approached Lee Jin-A and grabbed her chubby cheeks with her hand. Then she hugged her tightly, and the scene was very touching.
“Is this a dream? To meet Sun-A here! Sun-A, why are you so thin!”
“Mom, I’m not Lee Sun-A. I’m Lee Jin-A.”
“You’re Jin-A!?”
At that moment, the woman finally looked closely at the yellow-haired school bully standing in front of her. Her slender eyes opened wide, and her expression became very colorful.
“Jin-A was so tiny! Is it really you, Jin-A?”
“…Yes! It is! Mom, I’m so glad you’re alive! I came to rescue you! A lot has happened, but I don’t think we have time to explain. We need to get out of here quickly!”
A reunion of mother and daughter after ten years.
There was so much to talk about, so many stories to share, but unfortunately, we couldn’t say we had a lot of time.
The priority was to escape this anomalous rift.
Since it wasn’t a normal rift, no one knew what could happen.
At that moment, the ice-water nymph Coris spoke.
“The entrance of this temple is guarded by a terrifying king of trolls…! This Coris became trapped in the temple because I couldn’t defeat the king of trolls…”
A troll king?
Was there such a demon?
I had read many books, videos, and journals about the demons appearing in rifts and their ecosystems.
I thought that if I studied hard enough, I might have a chance to rise from D rank to C rank and beyond.
And investigating the ecosystems appearing in the rifts was inherently interesting as well.
However, I had never heard of the existence of a ‘king of trolls.’ Could it be an undiscovered demon? Assuming that each troll was about B rank, the troll king would surely be at least B rank or above.
If there was indeed such a being lurking somewhere in this temple, it would be extremely dangerous.
What should I do in a situation like this?
Of course, the method was already determined.
“There’s no need to fight. We have set up a rope above the glacier. It’s not far from here, so we just need to run there quickly!”
There was no need to take unnecessary risks. We just needed to go back the way we came.
With that feeling, we used the rope to climb up the glacier.
“I can’t believe we’re out of the temple…! I thought I would have to fight foreign trolls and the temple for the rest of my life, but I made it…! Thank you…!”
Coris raised both hands in joy.
The lady from the moving company also seemed greatly surprised.
“Did we really get out of the temple? You said you came to rescue us, right? How is everyone doing? Where exactly are we? How much time has passed!?”
“Mom, I’ll explain once we get outside! Haildo! You remember where you evacuated the people at that time, right? Let’s hurry there!”
I remembered.
I had seen a tall, pointy mountain near the exit.
And that tall, pointy mountain was located about 1 km from where we were standing.
I didn’t know the actual distance, but it wasn’t very far.
“Let’s go!”
# # #
We began to run on the icy path.
Everyone’s steps were light, and the mood was cheerful.
We had accomplished what seemed impossible by challenging the impossible and succeeded.
I had rescued someone missing for ten years.
It was incredibly moving, and I felt a sense of pride in myself.
If this story spread on the internet, I might become famous again, right? When I searched for the name “Haildo” online, could there be several pages of the latest posts?
Maybe it would even be featured as a hot topic or a noteworthy post.
Thinking about that, we arrived at the pointed mountain and spotted the glowing exit below.
The oval-shaped portal was clearly visible.
“Inoi! Coris! And the lady! Go in first!”
In the rift, it was crucial to remain alert until the very end. We had reached that final moment, and finally, Coris and Inoi vanished into the oval portal.
Zuuun-.
I turned to look at the lady from the moving company.
“Lady! Go! It looks suspicious, but it will surely lead you to the best stationery store! Lee Jin-A! You go out right after!”
“Got it! Mom! Let’s go!”
Swoooom-.
Finally, Lee Jin-A pushed the lady’s back. As I saw them disappear, I let out a sigh of relief for the first time.
“Survivor rescue successful.”
We had achieved our goal.
Now, Jin-A’s and my survival and escape would become the top priority. Just then, when Jin-A approached the portal.
Crack-.
I felt something grab my ankle.
At the same time, my body seemed to float up, but then I felt myself rapidly plunging towards the cold glacier floor.
“Gah!”
All of this happened in less than a second.
When I regained my senses, I found a solid ice creature rising as if causing geological changes, and it had a head and limbs like a human.
“Ringan─. I will kill─. Eat─!”
Kuaaaah-.
The creature’s body was made of ice, but judging by its vocabulary and form, it resembled a troll.
It was larger than the trolls I had encountered inside the temple, towering about 4 meters tall, making it incredibly imposing.
“Is this thing the troll king?”
“Hey! Haildo!”
Lee Jin-A, standing at the door.
And the troll king standing between Jin-A and me.
A dire situation in many ways.
What decision would be right in this situation?
“If my guess is correct, the door of this rift will close in about 10 minutes.”
The rift that appeared at the best stationery store closed in about 40 minutes.
Looking at the watch on my wrist, the current time was 17:55.
Since the rift opened around 17:20, it meant we only had about 5 to 10 minutes left.
What would happen after that?
I would have to remain frozen in this spot like the lady from the moving company.
“Hey! Haildo! Are you okay!”
“I’m fine! Jin-A! You go first! I’ll try to distract it somehow!”
“Go first? This thing looks like an A rank monster! How do you expect to face it alone? If I go out like this, I’ll die! Ugh, damn it─.”
Swoosh-.
Jin-A brought both her thumbs to her temples as she hesitated to leave the portal. I wondered what she was doing when Jin-A suddenly let out a groan.
Then she shouted.
“I haven’t told you, but I can manipulate other people’s emotions for a brief moment! For this monster, two seconds is my limit! Two seconds! I’ll create an opening for two seconds, so hurry!”
Jin-A could manipulate other people’s emotions?
What a bizarre and amazing ability.
But there was no time to think about that.
“Now!”
“Guh─. Ringan─.”
The enormous ice troll king abruptly ceased its rampant behavior and stood still.
One second─.
I quickly ran. I brushed past the ice troll, aiming for the entrance, but before the two seconds were up, the troll king’s massive ice club swung hard towards the entrance.
Whoosh, bang-!
“Can’t escape─! Delicious prey─! I shall devour─! For awakening the sleep of King Kurish, the troll, before spring arrives─! I’ll eat you─!”
Gooohhh-.
The troll king’s bellowing voice was extremely powerful.
Kurish.
This seemed to be its name.
Did I awaken it because of the dynamite I set off?
The problem was that Jin-A had promised me two seconds, but the time manipulating her was unfortunately shorter. With the troll’s massive ice club smashing down, both Jin-A and I were being forced away from the exit.
“Damn! It was too large, and I lost control!”
Jin-A gritted her teeth.
The ability to manipulate other people’s emotions would surely require delicate magical control. It was an ability with great potential.
“Can you do it again?”
“I want to, but I can’t. It consumes too much mental energy, and I need to wait about an hour.”
An hour.
Did we have that much time?
No, we couldn’t have even 10 minutes.
—Kkengkkeng…!
—Zujii…!
At that moment, the two animals that had been on my shoulder jumped forward. They tackled the troll king Kurish, running against its legs.
“Annoying flies─! Not even worthy prey─!”
Kurish swung its arms around wildly.
After taking a hit from Kkungkkungi the squirrel beast, it seemed unaffected; its body was as solid as ice.
Perhaps its resilience was akin to that of the frozen ground.
“Wait a moment─.”
I thought of the glacier.
I still had one stick of dynamite left at my waist.
If it was powerful enough to make a hole in the glacier, couldn’t it also damage that troll king?
Zuuun-.
I pulled out my beam shovel and spoke to Jin-A.
“I’ll explain just once. Listen carefully to what I say from now on. When I say three, you’re not to stop. Just run straight for the exit. Then, use your ability to bind that thing for just one second.”
“That’s too soon─.”
“You have to do it. If not, we die. Are you going to die after coming this far!? Jin-A, get a grip! A rift is meant for that! It’s a place where you stake your life! Now, I’m counting! One─ two─.”
Three─.
With all my might, I sprinted towards the troll king.
Its movements were fast for its size, but given that Kkungkkungi and Ahn Ahn were struggling against it, I seized the opportunity to approach.
“Asura Path Slash!”
I channeled my mana into the beam shovel and aimed for the troll king’s ankle.
An attack with C rank mana.
But the troll’s icy body was so hard that all I could manage was a minor scratch.
“But I can inflict wounds! If I can inflict wounds, that means I can kill it!”
Thud-.
I kicked the troll king’s knee and jumped onto its shoulder. Then I kept slashing at it with the beam shovel.
Zuuun, zuuun-.
Thud, thud-!
The troll’s icy body shattered under the beam shovel and sprayed ice debris onto my face, but I didn’t have time to care.
“You little rat─! I will eat you and survive this winter─! I am Kurish─! The king of trolls─!”
Gooohhh-.
A massive hand reached out toward me.
Was I going to get caught like this? But then the hand abruptly halted.
“Grrr, whatever! Just try it!”
Turning my head, I saw Jin-A standing before the exit, her hand pressed to her temple.
Blood was trickling from her nose; I wondered if her brain vessels were damaged from using her ability too intensely.
She too must have been prepared to face death.
“Alright! Hold on!”
I kept driving the beam shovel down on the shoulder. After a tremendous effort, I finally made a small hole. It was about the size of my thumb, but it was enough.
With a snap-.
I inserted the special dynamite into the hole and immediately pressed the trigger.
Bang─!!!!
There was no time to cover my ears or escape the explosion.
My body shot into the air and fell just as quickly.
Biiing-.
Sounds of tinnitus echoed everywhere.
In my blurred vision, I could see the giant body crumble as its shoulder exploded.
“━──!!!”
I heard Jin-A scream something in my direction.
Then I felt Kkungkkungi and Ahn Ahn biting and tugging at my arm.
I needed to escape quickly.
As I tried to rise, suddenly—
Sssssss-.
A fierce winter wind whipped around, and everything nearby became encased in ice, while the gigantic body rapidly regenerated.
Even with its ice body, the troll’s regenerative power seemed unaffected.
“Hey, isn’t this unfair?”
“Kurish-. I won’t die until spring comes─! The cold winter will go, and warm spring shall come─! Before that, witch, I will consume you─! Annoying little thing─!”
It now gazed at Jin-A, standing by the dimensional portal.
It must have found Jin-A’s ability bothersome.
Both Kkungkkungi and Ahn Ahn were frozen in place, unable to move due to the frigid air that was freezing everything around them.
I grabbed my animal friends and tossed them toward Jin-A with all my might.
“Jin-A! Take them and get out! I’ll handle this thing!”
“W-What about you!”
“You must come back to rescue me! I won’t die easily! Besides, I have a deadly move I’ve been wanting to test in a real situation. Hey! Troll! This time, you better be careful!”
Zuuun-.
As I picked up the beam shovel and let it shine, Kurish, facing us, also picked up a massive ice club properly.
“Ringan─, you’re strong─. I heard all the heroes of this land died in battle─. Kurish, I acknowledge you─. Therefore, I will kill you─!”
While I drew the troll king’s attention, I spotted the dimensional portal in front of Jin-A slowly starting to close.
It was a sign that the rift was disappearing.
After tossing Kkungkkungi and Ahn Ahn into the dimensional portal, Jin-A tightly closed her eyes.
“Hey! I’m also an Awakened! Do you think I can leave you behind? If I leave you like this, I’ll have to live today over and over again!”
Thud-.
Finally, Jin-A broke free from the dimensional portal.
At that very moment.
Sssss-.
The ice and snow surrounding us began to melt. Dripping sounds echoed as rapidly melting snow formed a stream.
The air warmed in an instant.
Everyone was taken aback by the sudden change.
“What’s happening? What’s going on! Haildo! Is this your doing? Is this your ultimate move?”
“No, this isn’t me. This kind of thing is─.”
Clap-.
Troll king Kurish gaped at the colossal ice pillar melting away. It looked around in disbelief.
“Has—has spring come? Finally, after the long cold of Pimblebert is over─. Has spring come to our lives─? Allies─. Do you see─! Spring is coming─!”
With his mouth agape in delight, the troll king Kurish seemed to be in a good mood due to the warm weather. Perhaps his frozen tongue and brain had started to thaw.
But then he seemed to realize something was wrong.
“W-What? It’s too h-hot─! My body is melting─! This is not spring─! Summer─!? No, it’s hotter than summer─! I will die─! Everything is melting─!”
As he said, everything that was melting began boiling vehemently.
Kurish seemed unable to comprehend the situation, but I spotted someone walking toward us with their hand in their coat pocket.
It wasn’t spring or anything like it.
“Superheated Hell.”
