Chapter 58: 30-Year Traditional Cauldron Chicken Shop Harpy
by fnovelpia
“Alright, let’s finish them off.”
Cheonma grabbed the lightsaber while I held a mace.
These fools thought they could deceive us.
Succubi never change.
The situation was suspicious enough, and these bastards probably thought they had fooled us.
I smashed the succubi with my mace, and Cheonma slashed through the ghosts.
[“What on earth do you think you’re doing?”]
Oh, one of them survived?
“Did you really think I wouldn’t figure out you’re succubi? How dare you try to deceive me! Did the Demon King put you up to this? Or are you just his lackeys?”
[“Tsk. How could you—?”]
As expected, the hypocrites who were pretending to be victims now had sharp looks in their eyes.
They dared to glare at me?
There’s a limit to underestimating this Saint.
“Wait, these bastards were really succubi?”
On the side, the Succubus looked betrayed, staring at the succubi as if she couldn’t believe they had tricked her.
[“Damn it! We pretended to be victims to get revenge on the king who killed us, and now we’ve been exposed like this!”]
The NPC ghost revealed its true colors, gripping a scythe with both hands and glaring at us with glowing red eyes.
The Succubus stepped forward, looking incredulous.
“Why would you try to kill one of your own kind?”
[“Pfft, you, of all people, following a human’s words, dancing around like a dog! You’re a disgrace to succubi!”]
Well, that part was true.
Even I thought the Succubus was an embarrassment to succubi.
“How could you say something so harsh?”
[“Harsh? You—”]
“Die.”
The Succubus had stalled them long enough.
Crack!
I smashed the skull again.
[“Tsk. Do you really think this will kill me? Do you even know who I am? I’m the Succubus Queen!”]
Ugh, she got back up again.
“Oh, the Succubus Queen, huh? I already smashed your head once, but sure, keep talking. I’ll do it again.”
“Wait, the Succubus Queen?”
[“Yes, you idiot. You, wagging your tail for humans, you’re pathetic!”]
“Why do you keep running your mouth?”
Crack!
I smashed her head again.
[“Aaaah!? What the—why isn’t my charm working?”]
Charm?
Were you using it?
I didn’t even notice.
The reason it didn’t work was simple.
“Why isn’t it working? Because I’m far prettier than a crazy succubus like you. Why would I fall for someone uglier than me?”
[“Wait, stop! You can’t kill me! I won’t die that easily!”]
She’s tough, that’s for sure.
Maybe she’s more than just a ghost or a succubus?
– Well, to be fair, it’s already insane that we’re physically beating ghosts.
“If you won’t die, I’ll just keep smashing you until you do.”
[“Aaaaargh!”]
I smashed her skull two or three more times.
Something’s off, though.
Why isn’t she dying?
What’s going on?
“I took care of the other ghosts.”
“But why won’t this one die?”
[“Hahaha! You’ll never defeat me! I’ve become a Wraith and gained the power of souls! All the evil spirits around me are the source of my life!”]
Source of life, huh?
Whatever.
Swoosh!
The Succubus Queen swung her scythe wildly.
“What kind of crazy succubus is this?”
“Do regular succubi even act like that?”
[“I’m a Succubus Wraith! Now die, all of you!”]
Succubus Queen or Wraith, pick one.
This mixed-up character is a mess.
She claims the surrounding evil spirits are her life force.
Which means every time I smash her, one of her minions dies.
Boom!
Each time she swung her scythe, the buildings around us crumbled.
The ruins of the sunken village were collapsing without mercy.
Her power was immense—definitely a sign the Demon King was involved.
– If we don’t stop her soon, she’s going to get stronger, isn’t she?
The ghost had grown huge, absorbing souls and becoming more monstrous by the minute.
She even sprouted horns, and her form became more grotesque.
Despite being a ghost, her outfit had become rather provocative, and the dual scythes she wielded made her look like a female lich or a grim reaper.
[“All of you, die!”]
What should we do?
We can probably take her down, but if I mess up one of my skills, the Succubus might get caught in the crossfire.
“Hey! I’m gonna die here! Do something already!”
The young girl was running around frantically on her short legs.
Ah, she’s cute, but I feel bad for her.
“Oh, young girl, you’re still alive?”
“What? You’re still alive?”
“I turned on the respawn field, so it’s fine.”
People can die once or twice, right?
I popped a mint chocolate candy into her mouth.
Even while running away, she kept sucking on it.
And Cheonma…
“Iron Ball.”
The Iron Ball Pocky Edition shot toward the Succubus Queen.
Pew-pew-pew!
The Pocky pierced the Succubus Queen’s wrist.
[“Aaaagh!”]
The Succubus Queen dropped one of her scythes for a moment.
Taking that chance, I charged at her and swung my mace with all my might.
Crack!
With a sharp sound, the Succubus Queen collapsed for a brief moment.
“Was that really Iron Ball? It looked like a Pocky.”
“How rude. If you look closely, there’s a metal ball attached to it.”
Looking closer, there was indeed a metal ball.
But why did it have to be made as a pocky?
“But why are there so many? Didn’t you and Cheonma take out a bunch of ghosts already?”
“They ran away, but it’s still a bit odd.”
Maybe there’s something more?
Could it be the main body?
“It’s not impossible, but unlikely.”
The sheer number of them is ridiculous.
Huh?
“Now that you mention it, the sky in this area is blue?”
“Yeah, really?”
[“You dare take your eyes off me!”]
Boom!
We dodged the scythe swung by the Succubus Queen and glanced at the sky.
Wait, that’s not the sky.
There shouldn’t be a sky here.
Each floor is crafted with the Demon King’s power, and there’s no visible ceiling, let alone a sky—especially a blue one.
Why did I only notice it now?
“That’s it.”
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t the sky.
It was ghosts plastered all over the ceiling.
Were there always that many succubi?
“How are there so many?”
“Now that I’m seeing it, it’s pretty creepy.”
Maybe the Demon King just copy-pasted them?
If they have this much power, they must have recovered quite a bit of their strength.
“So, how do we get rid of all that?”
“The solution is simple. Keep smashing the Succubus Queen’s head all day long.”
“The problem is that it’ll take forever.”
That’s right.
They’re stuck to the ceiling, and no area-of-effect skills will reach them.
We’ll have to smash skulls all day long without any satisfying impact.
I don’t even know where the sound is coming from.
At least with Cheonma, we might be able to figure something out.
“Can you throw more Iron Ball Pocky Editions?”
“It feels rude to treat my Iron Ball that way, but…”
Who cares about rudeness right now?
This is important.
“But didn’t you have a ring that lets you change forms? Could that form be a result of that ring?”
We can’t rule it out.
“That’s a possibility. But they could also be lying. They did pretend to be victims, after all. They might have said that to manipulate us.”
In other words, we almost worked for free for these trashy succubi.
“What are we supposed to do, catch them all with Pocky?”
Even young girl was getting angry.
We could return to the 5th floor, but as a returner, that’d be too humiliating.
“There is one way.”
“What is it?”
“The Succubus has to die in the end.”
“Why am I always the one who has to die?”
“It’s your destiny, Succubus.”
The method is simple.
Since the Succubus can fly, they can carry me up to the ceiling.
From there, I can cleanse all the ghosts at once.
The problem is that the skill I’m using is designed to purify monsters.
So, the Succubus will die as well.
“You mean a mass purification, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then there’s no other option? The only solution is to grind it out?”
Of course not.
People are smart creatures.
There’s always a way.
“There is. It’s called a phone chance.”
“Wait, are you saying you’re going to call for help with a phone?”
The Succubus has some brains.
That’s why they’re staying so relaxed.
“Cheonma, could you keep smashing the Succubus Queen’s head for a while?”
“You?”
“I’m going to order chicken.”
I desperately need Harpy’s help.
***
The 30-Year Traditional Cauldron Chicken.
As the hunter society developed after the Great Cataclysm, New Seoul transformed into a futuristic city.
However, there was one building that had stubbornly held on to its traditional, old-fashioned tile roof for 30 years—none other than the 30-Year Traditional Cauldron Chicken shop.
Every day, they fill the cauldron with fresh oil and source their chickens directly from a nearby farm, maintaining their long-standing history and tradition in the fried chicken business.
It wasn’t a brand, but with its low prices and high-quality chicken, even big-name chicken brands couldn’t compete with this legendary chicken shop.
Recently, it had gained even more popularity, thanks to the daughter of the shop who had reappeared as a harpy.
Her hair, strangely resembling a rooster’s comb, had made her the mascot of the 30-Year Cauldron Chicken shop, and the fact that she delivered the chicken herself only increased its fame.
“Kim Nabi! Nabi~!”
The female owner, who seemed to be the shopkeeper, called out to a harpy who was frying chicken by the cauldron.
“Ah, damn. Oil splattered on my wings. What is it, mom?”
The harpy shook the oil off her wings and looked at the owner.
“We’ve got a delivery! They specifically requested you. They want this freshly fried chicken delivered to the Tower of Destruction.”
The Tower of Destruction?
Isn’t that where the Saintess is?
It was probably either the Heavenly King or the Saintess who ordered it.
But weren’t they already frying chicken for another customer?
“Isn’t this for someone else?”
There was already chicken meant to be delivered to another house.
“They’re offering double the money. So hurry up and go.”
Double the money?
This sounds fishy.
While I know how great our cauldron chicken is, would the Saintess, of all people, really place an order from inside a dungeon?
“But still…”
“It’s a portal delivery, so it’ll be quick. Fry two more chickens and go. They call her ‘The Saintess Who Breaks Pots.’ Apparently, she’s close with you.”
“Wait, are we really close?”
We’d only exchanged a few words during a party interview at the Tower of Destruction.
I guess you can grow close quickly when you’re part of a small group of returnees, but still.
“You don’t have any friends, so why are you overthinking it?”
At her mother’s words, the harpy recalled her distant past.
Memories of her human school days, which had now become more of a painful blur.
-Is that all the money you’ve got? Hey, you always smell like chicken, and you don’t even carry money?
-You smell like a chicken coop, and you’re always broke.
It was a truly painful past.
Even when I did nothing, I was always getting beaten up.
And even after being reborn as a harpy, it didn’t get better.
-Wow, look at those feathers. Just like a chicken.
-Why are your feathers so nice when you have a chicken comb? Hey, let’s pluck them.
-Chicken-head girl.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
It was a time filled with pain.
Eventually, I got a job as a postal worker, made some money, and adjusted to life.
But in the end, I’ve come back to Earth.
“Mom, even for me, hearing stuff like that is sad.”
“You were always an outsider even before you left. Now’s your chance to make a friend. Don’t you think? The Saintess seems nice enough. What are you waiting for? Fry the chickens and deliver them.”
At her mother’s words, the harpy shed a pitiful tear.
“Yes.”
Well, if mom says fry, I fry.
What else can I do?
Not knowing what lay ahead, the harpy fried two more chickens and stepped through the portal stone leading to the Tower of Destruction.
0 Comments