I rushed toward the source of the sound.
What if she'd tripped over some vine or something?
When I arrived, I saw Momo in a grand jeté pose, her upper body vanished.
"Momoook!"
Startled, Jinhyuk quickly reached out.
"Momo, don't pull! I need to go deeper! Push harder!"
"Huh?"
For now, he did as told and pressed her tiny soles firmly.
She wriggled around for a bit, then yanked something out with a swoosh.
"Got it!"
Momo, covered in dirt, raised her arm triumphantly.
Jinhyuk's gaze darted over, thinking it might be a thousand-year-old ginseng.
A question mark popped up in his mind.
What is this?
"Is this an unexploded bomb? Kancho, is this explosive clay?"
"No! Don't compare it to that junk!"
"What did you say! Junk, you said!"
He pulled back Kancho, who was charging in.
Sorry, kids, that was uncalled for.
But honestly, it does look similar.
If explosive clay got dunked in muddy water, it'd look just like this.
"Hmm? Shorty, can I have that?"
Elia took the clay-like thing and vanished into the Star's Workshop.
Following her, Jinhyuk saw Elia examining it with a cannonball-sized magnifying glass.
After dripping some mysterious potion on it, Elia snapped her fingers.
"This is Regeneration Jade."
"What!?"
"The energy that made up the jade is mostly drained, so reusing it might be tough. But good find anyway."
"Momo found something good!!"
Momo crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks.
Seira patted Momo in place of Jinhyuk, who had gone over to Elia.
"Should we crush it and extract what's left? Maybe make one Regeneration Dumpling?"
Jinhyuk, now beside her, rubbed his chin.
"Nah, let's make dumplings later. This might come in handy somehow."
With a smile, Jinhyuk pocketed the Regeneration Jade.
It might not be as useful as expected, but if so, he could just turn it into dumplings.
[Exiting the Despair Tower's 'Somewhere Between Floors 59 and 60'!]
[You cleanly eradicated an unbeatable existence! SSS+ rank awarded regardless of time taken!]
[The next floor is Despair Tower Floor 61!]
Past midnight, in the dead of night.
Jinhyuk stepped out into the yard and listened closely.
Everyone seemed dead asleep, probably from the heavy drinking.
He snuck out and took Momo to the outdoor tap.
Yujinhee had kindly given up her room to Cheon Seyeon and was sleeping in the living room.
Using the living room bathroom might wake her.
"It's cold! Momo's face is gonna freeze!"
"Nah, you're tougher than that. Sniff."
"Sniff!"
"Ew. Your snot's pitch black. Gross."
Kancho, who had crept up, wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Boss. Aren't we going to upgrade the compass? If we wait longer, Toto Gramps' discipline might go totally lax."
"Yeah. Gotta tighten up Gramps' discipline... I mean, upgrade it."
He thought for a moment and nodded.
"Gramps' discipline can wait till tomorrow. Today, we're heading to Floor 11 first."
Compass upgrade is great, but meeting the Pantheon comes first.
"Got it, Boss. Hurry and wash off that snot. My hand might rot."
"Psh, it won't."
Even as he said it, he quickly rinsed his hand under the tap.
After a vigorous cold-water face wash, he set Momo down.
"You little brat! My snot's not dirty!"
She'd been suspiciously quiet.
Now she lunged, grabbing Kancho's ears and shaking them.
Meanwhile, Jinhyuk opened his inventory.
The Centipede Elder's Armor, crafted at I-Hwa's request.
"Momo, Kancho. Come try this on. It's a gift."
At the word "gift," the KanMo duo instantly stopped fighting and rushed over.
"I love it!"
Momo beamed the brightest smile in the world as she took the armor.
She knows quality when she sees it.
Kancho struck a mighty pose, pleased with the perfect fit.
'Pathetic, but cute.'
"I'll wear it well, Boss!"
"Momo will too!"
"I got the same one. Like triplets."
"Triplets are great!"
The three shared satisfied looks for a moment.
Then, a noise from the living room.
Momo and Kancho swiftly dismissed their manifestations.
The door slid open, revealing a half-asleep Yujinhee.
"Waaateeer..."
She even swayed side to side.
This kid wouldn't have...!
"You little punk, you didn't chug booze like a fool, did you?"
"Booze? I didn't even touch it."
Yujinhee held up her swollen red hand.
She'd tried, apparently.
But Kim Minji, ever vigilant, had smacked it down before she could tilt the glass.
"Idiot. Come drink some water."
He picked up a rolling cup from the ground, filled it, and handed it over.
Thirsty as hell, she downed it in one go.
"This water tastes like tap water?"
"Because it is."
"Huh? Yujinhyuk?"
"Kidding. It's groundwater."
"The yard tap is just regular water?!"
"Is it? First I've heard in 22 years."
He shrugged at her glare.
What can you do? He didn't know.
To change the subject, he pulled the Centipede Armor from inventory and handed it over.
"What's this?"
"Something good."
She took it and checked the stats.
Her eyes widened shortly after.
"What?! Made from the Centipede Elder's scales? This must be super expensive."
"Wear it gratefully. It was hard to get."
"Oooh! I'll wear it well! But, uh... it's full of holes."
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly.
Sharp kid.
It was made from leftovers after the others, so a bit shoddy.
"It's designed that way. Great defense, right?"
"Yeah. Super light too. Nice. The look's kinda meh, though."
"Give it back."
"Nah! Looks don't matter. Survival does."
"Exactly."
As he nodded.
From beyond the yard, a plump ginseng-like thing toddled over.
Silent, but somehow looking like it was crying.
"Huh? Torong! Why are you crying?!"
Must be Yujinhee's summoned spirit.
He scooped it up, and it sniffled as it explained.
"What? You were tilling the field when something flew in and kicked you? Weird speech, a raccoon? A raccoon kicked you?"
Cold sweat trickled down Jinhyuk's back.
Kancho, no doubt. Absolutely Kancho.
But seriously, is this okay?
What time is it, and it's farming alone?
Even for a spirit, this seems harsh.
"Oppa. Must be a crazy raccoon in the neighborhood. Spirits usually scare people off, but this one just kicked it."
"Yeah? Sounds hot-tempered."
He whistled innocently.
Gotta tell him later.
It's helping with the house farm, so no beating.
"Unnie'll whoop its ass if I see it! So hurry back and finish tilling!"
The spirit Torong toddled back to the field.
Is spirit rights really fine like this?
'Torong, fighting.'
He sent mental cheers and started walking.
"Take care then."
A casual goodbye, and she waved lazily back.
Instead of her room, he headed to the rooftop.
Nice weather today, with a gentle breeze.
Perfect for spreading a mat and sleeping.
No sooner had he set up than Kancho appeared from the shadows.
He naturally claimed a corner and lay down.
"Kancho. Don't hit spirits. Poor thing's in forced labor."
"Is that so? Looked suspicious wandering around, so I straightened it out."
Sorting hierarchy unasked.
Worrying for Toto Gramps next in line.
"This is Momo's spot!"
"Then I'm here."
"I'll take the end."
The arriving friends lay down one by one.
Dark, who never slept, perched on the railing instead of the mat.
Jinhyuk stretched out his limbs and stared at the sky.
Unlike Seoul, where stars are rare, here it's a star-studded heaven everywhere.
Feels like a treat for the eyes.
A soft breeze tickled his cheeks.
"Nice."
The words slipped out naturally for such a sleeping spot.
After stargazing a while, his eyelids grew heavy.
It'd been a full day, so no point resisting.
As he closed his eyes.
'When I wake, off to meet the Pantheon.'
Planned the morning.
As Dark said.
Tower addiction.
[Entering Myth Tower Floor 11, 'The Space Where Something Slumbers'!]
Passed the torii and climbed the stairs.
"Unusual. This isn't a place for pleasant strolls."
The voice came before the figure.
Powerful, but somehow weary.
The setup was the same as he remembered.
But time had worsened things.
In the hologram, the Pantheon leisurely pressed the stone.
Now, it was the opposite.
The stone teetered on the brink of breaking.
From cracks in the stone, the same energy from yesterday's remnants leaked out.
"I know why you're here. But circumstances aren't favorable now."
[The being called Pantheon expresses difficulty!]
[Card collection is currently impossible!]
Undeterred, he spoke.
"What's under the stone?"
"This is the earth's plague. A truly vile thing. Show the slightest gap, and it burrows in, spreads, corrupts the land."
"I met a guy with the same vibe yesterday."
The Pantheon's face twisted.
"Impossible. I sealed it perfectly."
Jinhyuk smiled.
"The place was weird. Past, present, future—who knows, or what conditions and branches it rode."
"A future where I couldn't hold on anymore."
A bitter smile from the Pantheon.
A very possible future.
He's already struggling.
"Can I kill the thing below?"
"I appreciate the offer, but impossible. It doesn't die."
"I'll try."
He pulled out the Yodel Compass.
And placed the Regeneration Jade Momo found yesterday.
Sure enough, the compass pointed straight under the stone.
"Excuse me."
Jinhyuk hoisted the weakening Pantheon.
"Wait! The plague..."
"Oh, and our party all speaks casually."
[The force pressing the stone is removed! The earth's plague bursts forth!]
Kwaaaaaa!
A murky thing erupted from the ground.
At the same time, precisely toward where the compass pointed.
Swaaak!!
Black Moon Night scattered.
Ding!
[The Regeneration Jade held by the plague is destroyed!]
[The long-slumbering 'Earth's Plague' is eternally extinguished!]
[Card Hero, Sky Reader 'Kamela Sirin' becomes collectible!]
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T/N:
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