Chapter: 133
Lian scratched the back of his head and started moving forward. It seemed he didn’t think anyone else could possibly get past the next area, as the path to the next room was very short.
“Hmmm.”
Lian found himself standing inside a massive underground chamber that reminded him of a giant gym. At the end of his gaze was a smooth wall, with a massive magic circle densely drawn on it, measuring about 15 meters in both width and height.
Should I pull out the Magic Sword? Nah… I’ve come this far, so…
In gaming terms, the Magic Sword was like a guidebook or a cheat code. Since he’d made it here on his own, he wanted to finish it with his own power.
Having been split apart and reassembled by all sorts of traps, he had almost forgotten his purpose of looking for Pia.
That looks like a really impressive magic circle…
Lian approached the magic circle. The fluorescent sky-blue magic circle shone dazzlingly; from a distance, it appeared engraved on the wall, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was painted like a picture.
Can I just wipe this off?
Using one of the remaining sleeves from his tattered clothes, Lian rubbed one side of the magic circle. A magic circle that couldn’t be scratched with any spell was easily wiped away by the touch of a “Housewife.” No, it not only got wiped away but also started to shine brightly.
Whoooosh…
As part of the magic circle was damaged, it began to lose its power and started collapsing. Beautiful light faded, leaving only a deep brown outline.
Crack.. Ka-boom!
The wall, where the magic circle was drawn, cracked and then suddenly crumbled down. Lian opened his eyes wide, shocked by the falling boulders.
“Whoa!”
He nimbly dodged the falling rocks as if performing a stunt and retreated a step.
Cough, cough!
Dust and dirt obscured his vision. As he wiped the tears flowing down like a waterfall, the dust settled.
Kiiing?
From beyond the dust emerged a Chimera crawling on all fours. Its face was that of a chameleon, the upper body of a human, and the lower body of a lion… ten different Chimeras, each combined from different animals, appeared salivating at the fresh prey.
“Uh…”
Lian stared blankly at the ten Chimeras, a black shadow cast over his face.
Kyaaaek!
Ughhh?!
Starving Chimeras lunged at Lian. The chameleon-headed one opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and brutally bit into Lian’s shoulder. Another Chimera bit into his side, while yet another chomped on his head.
The Chimera that swallowed a piece of his flesh began to twitch and change. The more living beings a Chimera combined, the higher the chance of death.
However, there’s an innovative way to drastically reduce the chance of death: by absorbing the consumed creatures and evolving. This was the reason the Chimera attacking Lian began to change little by little.
For Chimeras, which had evolved by consuming something since birth, changing their bodies by eating Lian was a very natural evolution.
… If only what they consumed wasn’t Lian.
Kihih?!
The moment the chameleon-headed Chimera gulped down a substantial piece of flesh, it felt a bubbly sensation as if carbonation was bursting inside its body. The strange feeling made the Chimera pull away from Lian and look down at its body.
Grrr…
“Kiick?!”
Its belly began to shake violently like a wave. The belly writhed as if alive, and then…
Boom!
It burst apart. Chunks of the Chimera’s flesh splattered everywhere. And that was just the beginning.
Kyt?
Kikih?!
Boom! Boom!
The Chimeras that had taken even a tiny bite out of Lian started bursting like balloons, one by one.
Out of the Chimeras charging at Lian, eight had taken a bite. Two, unable to find a spot to latch onto, circled around, looking for an opening.
Boom! Kaboom!
The only ones not exploding were the two Chimeras that hadn’t managed to eat Lian. They stared blankly at their comrades bursting apart gruesomely.
The Chimeras, which once feared nothing, began to tremble. In the dark fantasy world, Chimeras were fearsome monsters, entities that harmed humans without rational thought; but in the comedy world, they were common sights.
Due to that, those that had only instinct left started to gain a semblance of “reason.” So the two remaining Chimeras, filled with terror, tried to put as much distance as possible between themselves and Lian.
“Ugh, if you’re going to keep a dog, at least put up a warning sign…”
Fierce, charging, and biting the opponent without hesitation—traits typical of dogs in a gag world.
Dogs appeared in all sorts of shapes in the comedy world, whether a dog with one side of its face made of gold, a dog made entirely of iron, or a squishy alien pup. With such a variety alive, even Chimeras felt a bit like oddly-shaped dogs to Lian.
As Lian dusted himself off, both his face and body were as smooth as before, but there were round bite marks left behind. Marks you get when bitten by a dog in a gag world.
“Eeee… eek.”
“Grrr…”
He had clearly witnessed eyeballs bursting and guts spilling out, yet here he stood, perfectly fine, making the two Chimeras tremble in fright.
Lian didn’t feel the need to deal with the two little terrified creatures cowering in a corner. He stepped over the rubble and into the space where the Chimeras had been trapped.
The walls were decorated with bizarre symbols, there were columns standing, and tall torches were burning green-blue; it screamed “Boss Room.” Realizing he was nearing the end of the dungeon, Lian grinned happily.
Let’s see… Ah, there’s a door over there!
He hurried over to a small door compared to the grand space. Although various magic circles were plastered all over to prevent the Chimeras from passing through…
Creak.
With a wave of a “Housewife’s” hand, the magic was neatly erased. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Lian opened the door.
“Hmm… Wait? It’s smaller than I thought?”
Muttering to himself, he stepped into a room only the size of a one-room apartment. In the center was a mysterious altar, atop which rested a round orb about the size of two adult male fists combined.
The walls, ceiling, and floor were densely covered with radiant magic circles, glowing in a deep purple hue.
I thought maybe a reward room would show up soon… Wait, is this it?
Lian approached the altar in the middle and looked down at the orb.
*
Meanwhile, as Lian just finished off the Chimeras and reached the innermost part of the dungeon…
Pia was biting her lip in despair over the cruel reality, and the old man was relishing in her despair.
Lian…
Pia, as always, searched deeper for Lian within her profound despair and prayed.
Please grant mercy to the children…
A faint divine power rippled around Pia’s body. It wasn’t visible to the naked eye, but the old man, who had once used divine power, quickly sensed it.
“Oh, you’re actually a faithful worshipper! Then allow me to send you to the god’s embrace first!”
The old man approached Pia with a disturbingly pleasant smile, genuinely believing his actions were for the god. Pia steadied herself with eyes filled with conviction.
Even if she died here, she was determined to save the children. Seeing this, the old man broke into a sudden gentle smile.
“Don’t worry. The pain will end quickly.”
But the sword swung was more threatening and faster than any swordsman could wield. It was not a speed attainable by the old man’s body. At that horrifying speed, Pia’s eyes widened. But her body couldn’t match the old man’s speed.
As the blade swung diagonally to behead her, time for Pia stretched thin like taffy.
It felt like she was living in a slow world while the old man moved as if in another timeline. That’s how quick the old man’s movements were.
Just as the old man’s sword dug into her neck like a butcher slaughtering an animal…
Clang!
The sword suddenly twisted to the side and struck the cave wall. It was swung with such force that the massive stone wall dented inwards.
“Gahhh! Aaaagh!”
“….!”
Pia flinched once, startled that the old man’s attack had bizarrely deviated, and once again at the horrific scream, shrinking her shoulders.
Is it… a trap?
Could he be pretending to be in pain like when he stabbed her with a dagger?
Thinking this, she shifted her body back while keeping a cautious gaze on the old man. She slowly started moving toward the children.
“Cough, cough! Kueeahhh! Aaaagh!”
The old man screamed, scratching at his chest with his creased hands. His eyes bulged, and skin peeled back, blood pouring down like rain.
At that moment, Lian…
What’s it for? For reading fortunes?
He had taken the old man’s heart, rubbed its smooth surface, and began shaking it around like he was mixing soy milk. As if it felt quite good, he began slapping the shiny surface with his palm.
Wow, this orb feels pretty nice in my hands!
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