Chapter 54: Miracle of Malpalpel

Sekaru clicked her tongue.

"Tsk, this is difficult."

Truthfully, the peace offering was just an excuse; the real reason was to scout the new boss.

However, the reality of the new boss she encountered was shrouded in fog, leaving not even a silhouette to verify.

'If only the 'Miracle of Malpalpel' had worked properly, I would have seen more clearly.'

"How did he know? It was just a single flower."

The Miracle of Malpalpel.

It was a flower that bloomed only in Sekaru's nest, infused with her magical power.

It must have looked like a common decoration or a weed.

If he had thrown it away, he would have planted roots, and she would have seen the opening for her magic to infiltrate.

But he had seen through it in an instant.

"Did I underestimate him too much?"

The boss she faced seemed wrapped in thick fog, hiding his form, voice, and even his presence.

But she could be certain of one thing.

"......I now understand why Grumore was swallowed whole."

Even though the power was only felt indirectly, its magnitude was undeniable.

That was why even Barnak had circled around, barely managing to deliver the gift.

In fact, the gift box itself was a test from Sekaru.

The box would not open unless it came into contact with boss-level magic.

It wasn't because Barnak had dropped it, but because it only opened once he met Go Nam-tae.

Even if someone had clumsily tried to open it, no one but a boss would have been able to even verify the contents.

Yet, Go Nam-tae had opened it with such ease.

"So that's the kind of person who devoured Grumore."

While she understood, many questions remained.

Why was the Fruit of the End there!

No, it probably wasn't the real Fruit of the End.

If it had been, Barnak wouldn't have survived to return.

Tsk.

Sekaru clicked her tongue again and snapped her fingers.

Snap, snap-snap!

After several attempts, her authority took hold, and her kin was summoned.

Barnak, appearing mid-run, slammed into the wall of the grand hall and bounced off.

Surprised by the sudden change in environment, Barnak fell to his knees without even being able to scream.

"I, I have returned, my master!"

Returned, indeed.

Sekaru had forcibly pulled him back.

Bringing back just one of her kin had drained more than half of her magical power.

It would have been impossible had he not been a kin marked with the Seal of Subjugation.

"Speak."

Barnak, still dazed, vomited out what had happened to him.

"Fire! A massive fire was there. As soon as it discovered me, it roared and melted my horns!"

Barnak originally had two horns.

One had been halved in battle, and the other, which had been relatively intact, now had a crushed tip.

Barnak, who had looked even more valiant when only half remained, now looked like a mere remnant of a defeated army.

Ha!

Sekaru lamented inwardly.

Her kin didn't even realize that not only were his horns melted, but his luscious mane of hair was gone as well.

Fire.

It seemed the kin that had been displaying its power beside the new boss must have been that fire.

To melt Barnak's horns with a single roar—she would have to account for the strength of the kin he kept as well.

Regardless, the meeting with the new boss was not a complete failure.

Whether it was a mistake or intentional, she had seen a single opening.

'A young and tender calf.'

If he really wanted it, she could even offer Barnak.

After all, the notion that she wanted a powerful ally living far away was not entirely a lie.

"Barnak, pick out the youngest, sturdiest, and tenderest among your servants."

Sekaru hoped this gift, at least, would please the new boss.

"......Yes, Boss! Might you tell me the purpose? That way, I can choose a more suitable one."

"Tsk tsk, what would you use a young and tender thing for? ......It has to go to the Eastern Boss, so choose carefully."

"Hiccup! ......Should I go to offer it to the Eastern Boss?"

Barnak couldn't hide the meaning behind his words: 'Do I have to go back there again?'

His legs shook just thinking about it, and looking at his melted horns and hairless head, Sekaru swallowed her retort.

"You just need to drive them well into the Eastern Boss's territory. The survivors will enter the domain."

"Then should I perform the magic infusion?"

Magic infusion was the process of branding them with her mark.

In short, it meant she was planting a spy.

To think that even after returning in that state, the only thing he could suggest was that—she felt a wave of frustration.

"Do you wish to die, Barnak?"

Kek, kek-kek!

Crushed by the immense magical pressure, Barnak slammed his head into the floor, cracking it.

His own head cracked in the process, too.

"You must have asked because you knew nothing. Just pick them well. ......You only need to confirm that they enter the territory and then return."

Sekaru let the bleeding Barnak go.

She was, after all, a generous boss who cared for her kin.

"I accept your command!"

Having survived another day, Barnak expressed deep gratitude for his boss's magnanimity and retreated.

'I must choose the highest quality servants!'

Barnak ran on all fours.

*

Let me clarify that there was a slight filter on the 'fog' Sekaru claimed to have seen.

In truth, the conversation between Sekaru and Go Nam-tae had been 'slightly' distorted in interpretation.

Revealing the reality, it was like this.

"Wh, who are you?"

The sheer magnitude of magical power rolling off the woman's form made his legs tremble.

Even the pickaxe in Go Nam-tae's hand vibrated violently.

-Greetings, Eastern Boss. I am Sekaru, in charge of the Western Boss position.

"Western Boss......?"

'There were other bosses? Toto, you told me I was the final boss!'

-I am different from the bird-brained and jellyfish-brained fools of the North and the South. I am sending this gift to seek a peace treaty with the new Eastern Boss.

South and North.......

The word that there were three more bosses made Go Nam-tae recoil again.

"A peace treaty? What am I supposed to be?"

-Because I can infer how powerful a boss must be to have eradicated Grumore so cleanly without a sound. Isn't it natural to stay on good terms with the strong?

'Who is Grumore? Peach..., something-or-other, wasn't it a name that sprayed spit?'

[Grumore is an alias for Pichipitotitapatet.]

[It carries the meaning of 'One who echoes the curse of the abyss.']

'A curse?'

But there was no time to think for long.

-Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!

The laughter the woman let out was very grating and...... scary.

Go Nam-tae's father once said:

'If a woman you see for the first time laughs for no reason, 100 out of 100 times, she is trying to fleece you!'

His father's words had never been wrong.

Except for one thing: he thought he was destined to farm for life, yet now, he had become a boss who 'farms well.'

Shudder, shudder.

Seeing his kin trembling and flailing, he instinctively swung his pickaxe.

The creatures immediately clung to him and glared at the woman together.

The woman spoke again.

-It was my mistake. Please forgive me. My innate ability is such, and I simply failed to control it for a moment. I only wanted to let you know that I would never be hostile toward you, Boss.

'If a woman tries to lure you with sweet words even after you've refused, it's a declaration that she intends to pick you clean to the bone! In those moments, you must keep your wits about you!'

Go Nam-tae gathered his trembling senses and spoke.

"You scared my kids! They are delicate creatures!"

-I apologize. But I truly did not intend to. If I didn't, why would I have prepared such a gift?

"Just don't touch me first. I don't need gifts. So, I would appreciate it if you didn't wander into my territory."

Thud.

As Go Nam-tae swung his pickaxe, a pile of magic stones collapsed.

Because of that, several top-tier magic stones turned into dust and vanished.

Gasp! Go Nam-tae's face turned pale.

To ruin a gift he was going to return anyway!

He didn't need to appraise them to know how expensive they were.

Fortunately, the woman didn't seem to care much that the gift was ruined.

-I am the ruler of the West. It is said that while near neighbors are easy to invade, distant lands form alliances. If the gift is of no use, it wouldn't be bad to use it as decoration.

At those words, Go Nam-tae's true feelings blurted out.

"Tsk, a single cow would be better than this stuff......"

-I, if that is the case, how about my kin? I shall turn back and present them to you, Boss.

She must have meant the monster with half a horn that Danhong had seen.

Regardless, the more suave this scary woman was, the more Go Nam-tae's suspicion grew.

Go Nam-tae gripped his pickaxe even tighter.

"I'll decline such monsters even more. If possible, it's better to raise a young and tender calf."

-If you permit it, I wish to repay my rudeness and favor with a small cow. If you do not wish for it, Boss, I shall never visit you again.

At the mention that the woman would come again, Go Nam-tae was disgusted.

"You don't need to go that far."

-I apologize for my rudeness once more. However, I hope you will accept my sincerity in wanting to present a gift to you, Boss.

"......They do call an uninvited guest a nuisance."

As he spoke, Go Nam-tae realized the source of his discomfort.

A flower he had seen in his dream was poking out from between the pile of gifts.

"That's the flower I saw back then......!"

At that, the woman responded in surprise.

-It sounds like an excuse, but that is my medium....... It is an excuse. I was wrong. Please show mercy.......

"I would like you to return now."

Bang!

As the flower vanished, the woman disappeared as well.

'......Will she harbor a grudge for chasing her away like that?'

He felt anxious, but it was only for a moment.

-Boss, Boss! Wow, it's pretty, it's all so pretty!

Danhong cheered while swimming through the pile of magic stones.

Before he knew it, the Sasin-su and Haeul's family joined in, their eyes shining.

They were looking at him sideways, and if he said no, they looked like they would be quite disappointed.

"Toto, is this okay?"

[No ominous magical energy seems to be included.]

[It would be more certain if you verified them again with the Purification Pumpkin.]

Fortunately, nothing showed up on the Purification Pumpkin.

[They are pure magic stones, so it should be fine to use them.]

"They belong to someone else."

[As long as they called it a 'gift,' it is not bad to take them.]

[In any case, if you throw them far away, other monsters who take them will only grow stronger.]

Toto showed a simulation of a dragon taking the top-tier magic stones.

It was a situation where the mountain itself seemed to move, and all the surrounding terrain was being swept away.

Throwing them away was a pass.

Go Nam-tae thought for a moment and decided on their use.

"Then all of you, pick one each that you like. Give some to Heung-bok and Norang's family, too. If there's still some left, we'll hand them over to Guild Leader Park Ki-beom."

Then, Danhong raised her hand high and asked.

-Boss, do we only have to pick one?

Go Nam-tae waved his hand with a smile.

"Pick as much as your hearts desire."

[Magic stones also help with item reinforcement.]

[Why don't you keep some for your own use instead of giving them all away?]

Go Nam-tae thought about it for a moment and shrugged.

"Well, I'll just use a few as a power source for the threshing machine, I guess."

Utility won over discomfort.

It was the moment magic stones capable of running two or three giant power plants were relegated to being threshing machine fuel.

Danhong, the incarnation of desire, chose a whopping two.

The others also picked two each.

Unexpectedly, the one who took the most magic stones was Heung-bok.

'Boss, may I use quite a lot? I think I'll be able to come back even sturdier if I do.'

Having seen Heung-bok's thin stem a moment ago, Go Nam-tae nodded without hesitation.

"Use as much as you want. You can have everything left over after the others take theirs, so don't be shy at all."

Go Nam-tae was glad that Heung-bok, who didn't eat regular food, finally wanted something.

He was even grateful to the woman he never wanted to see again.

"We worked hard, so shall we go eat something delicious today?"

-Let's eat Pat-siru-tteok!

'Red bean porridge is good!'

'I want tofu!'

'I want a pancake!'

"......We're having Cheonggukjang today."

‘‘......!’’

The expressions of the creatures who had chased away the undefeatable general Barnak simultaneously became as pitiful as if they had lost their country.