…..Fwoooosh!
Light filled the well.
A splashing sound echoed from the once-parched floor.
Since when?
Since the moment Tbong landed beside the well on his chubby cheeks.
"What the…?"
Kim Jangcheol was dumbfounded.
He was just checking the well to see if it might work, just in case. He thought it was a failure. He was about to be disappointed and fall into despair.
But then, Tbong awakened the well—one that seemed like it would never stir again!
'Does this even make sense?'
No, it doesn't.
Absolutely not.
It's nonsense.
He'd never heard of a well reacting to a dragon in the game.
That kind of setting?
He'd never even seen it.
Of course not. Dragons weren't players. They were just high-level monsters in the system.
But still.
'....Does the reason even matter?'
Right now, the important thing was that the well had awakened. So he needed to confirm it further. Kim Jangcheol looked down at Tbong, suppressing his bewilderment.
"Hey, Tbong?"
"Tbong?"
"The well is shining, it's pretty, right?"
"Tbong!"
"Wanna go take a look at it with me?"
"Tbo-bong? Tbong?"
"I think it'll be even prettier inside."
"T! Bo-bong!"
Tbong grinned brightly, revealing his newly budding fangs.
He scooped the little guy up like a puppy. Walked over to the well. Peered inside. Just moments ago, it had been bone dry, but now the inside was full of shimmering silver liquid.
He reached out.
Just like in the game.
Like when you used the well to teleport to another map.
Splash.
The silver liquid touched his fingertips.
It was that moment.
Whoosh!
"...!"
His entire body floated into the air.
No, it only felt that way.
The room where the well was, the Demon King's Castle, the entire Abandoned Land—turned into a map sprawling out beneath his feet.
A screen he knew all too well.
The map teleport screen.
'Whoa.'
It really worked.
And the 3D effect? Insane.
Suppressing the pounding in his chest, Kim Jangcheol examined the full map of the Abandoned Land. And he realized—only one well had been activated.
'Phew. Just as I thought. The only well glowing right now is the one Tbong just awakened in the Demon King's Castle.'
All the other wells were displayed in grayscale.
They hadn't awakened yet.
So at this stage, they couldn't be used. Warping to another place? Out of the question. The exit well wasn't awakened yet.
'So if I want to use map travel, I'll have to awaken the other wells too.'
Just like in the game.
Alright then, time to close the map screen.
...Or so he thought.
Whoooosh!
As if it read his mind.
The map screen disappeared in an instant.
"...!"
And his entire body plummeted toward the ground.
The terrain that had spread out beneath him rushed closer at breakneck speed. Like riding a giant free-fall amusement park ride, the Abandoned Land, the Demon King's Castle, the room with the well—whoosh!—came screaming toward his face.
'Close iiiiiit!'
He reflexively shut his eyes tight.
But of course, he didn't actually crash into the ground. Through the narrow slits of his squinting eyes, he saw the familiar interior of the small room, now lit by the glowing well.
Instead, a brutal wave of nausea and dizziness slammed into him.
".....Bleeeurgh."
No joke.
It really felt like he'd ridden a giant drop ride a hundred times in a row. As he dry-heaved, one thing became clear.
'This is real.'
Tbong had truly awakened the well.
How?
He still didn't know.
But one thing was certain:
He could probably awaken the other wells in the Abandoned Land by bringing Tbong with him.
'Then I have to go, don't I?'
Especially to the most urgent place right now.
To the center of the Swamp of Decay, the base of the 2nd Star Master.
Go there quickly, awaken the well, and use map travel to zip back here for an instant exit.
Such a rewarding(?) plan was falling into place when—
"My Lord? This… what is this?"
A hesitant voice tapped at his eardrums. Turning around, he saw Zephyros staring at the well with wide, uncertain eyes. It seemed this was the first time he'd seen an activated well.
"From the outside it seems calm, but I can feel an immense amount of mana writhing within it. Just what is this, my Lord?"
"I don't really know either. But it looks like we can use it."
"Use it, you say?"
"Hmm. Explaining is a hassle. Hey, Tbong?"
"Tbong?"
"Want to be held by Uncle Zephyros for a bit?"
"Tbo-bong?"
"Just for a moment."
"Tbooong...."
"What? Is that uncle scary?"
"Tbong..."
"Ah. It's a harsh expression, huh?"
"Tbobong….."
"It's okay. He won't eat you. And if he does try to mess with you, I'll scold him myself."
"Tbong?"
"Yeah, promise."
"…..Please remember I am right here listening, my Lord."
"I don't care. Just hold him."
"...…."
He handed Tbong to Zephyros.
And said,
"Now go over to the well and dip your hand into the liquid inside."
"Like this, you me—whoa?!"
Fwoooosh!
Zephyros's figure was sucked into the well.
Apparently, the person traveling via the well feels like they're floating up into the sky, but from a third person's view, they just get pulled straight into the well.
He waited, thinking that over.
And after a short while—
Zephyros and Tbong emerged from the well again.
Whoosh!
"How was it?"
"...…"
"You feel like throwing up?"
"...…"
"It's okay. Go ahead. Bleeeergh."
"...Ahem. I'm fine."
"Huh? No nausea?"
"None."
"You held it in?"
"Not really something I needed to hold in."
"Tch. What a waste."
"….What do you mean, my Lord?"
"Nothing, tsk."
"But seriously, is this well… some kind of portal connecting to other areas in the Abandoned Land?"
"Ding-dong-dang. Nailed it."
"However, it seems the exit on the other end hasn't opened yet, which is why it's currently unusable."
"Exactly, ding-dong-dang. So smart, seriously. Which means, let's go."
"...Excuse me?"
"Not coming? Are you planning to just stay here?"
"..."
Where exactly are we going?
Zephyros, for now, followed the Lord he served.
Kim Jangcheol walked without hesitation.
He left the well room.
Exited the Demon King's Castle.
Passed the potato field.
Along the way, Kim Jangcheol saw them.
Members of the farming corps, slouched here and there across the potato field.
"...…"
What are those guys even doing?
Are they up to something weird?
Suspicion flickered in his mind for a second.
He perked up his ears.
And his hearing expanded.
Thanks to that, the first thing he heard from the farming corps was a heavy sigh.
"Fuuuu..."
"Why're you sighing again?"
"Hyung-nim, how could I not sigh in a situation like this?"
"Okay, but why?"
"The sprouts aren't coming up."
"Just wait a bit. They'll come up."
"They said if you plant seed potatoes, sprouts will grow through the soil…"
"They also said it takes a few days, dumbass."
"Still, couldn't they pop up a little faster?"
"Tsk. I kind of think so too, honestly."
"That's what worries me. What if nothing sprouts at all?"
"Then what else? The Demon King will figure something out."
"…That's exactly what scares me."
"What's so scary about that?"
"We've stopped the invasion of the human world. We're growing potatoes instead. And now, everything rides on this."
"That's true…"
"So think about it. We gave up the invasion and all that to go all-in on this. If this fails, forget about us—what are the ones counting on us supposed to live on?"
"Phew."
"That's why, honestly, I haven't been able to sleep."
"…I get you. Honestly? Same here."
"Right?"
"Yeah. This is all we've got left now. So…"
"If the potato farming fails, we're done. Seriously."
"Agreed…"
"...…"
Kim Jangcheol found himself at a loss for words.
Sighs echoed from every direction.
Nervous murmurs.
Everyone was saying the same thing. That this was all they had left. That potato farming was their last hope. So why weren't the sprouts growing? Was something wrong?
Suddenly, he felt solemn.
'So you all felt the same as I do.'
No, maybe even heavier.
Their desperation might far exceed his own.
Because they're parents.
Heads of families.
Shoulders burdened with those they must protect.
"...…"
That feeling, I won't forget. I won't betray it either.
He engraved that renewed resolve in his heart and kept walking.
He left the potato fields.
Headed southeast.
Soon, the edge of the Demon King's Castle territory came into view.
The entrance to the Cliff of the Dead—a sheer, vertical precipice.
"Phew, this spot's perfect to descend from."
"...Excuse me?"
Zephyros, who had followed him this far, furrowed his brows.
He asked,
"Descend, from here?"
"To the 2nd Star Master's base. He's surrounded by the 3rd Star Master's legion, right? We've gotta help him."
"Right now? You mean, immediately?"
"Yeah. Right now. Why wait?"
There was no reason to.
He now had a way to utilize the well portal.
Zephyros suppressed his confusion and replied.
"Hmm, I understand there's no reason to delay. Then, what about the forces of the Demon King's Castle…"
"Not bringing them."
"Excuse me?"
"Why bring them? They've gotta protect the potato field."
"Then… are you going down there alone?"
"Huh? No. You're coming with me."
"...Me?"
"Yup."
"...Why?"
"We need a witness. An objective one. Someone to see me crushing the 3rd Star Master and saving the 2nd Star Master. Then you'll come back and spread the word to the Four Heavenly Kings and the farming corps. That's how my authority gets restored, duh."
"..."
He was right.
He had a point.
"But still, just the two of us going down there is too dangerous."
"Nope. There's three of us. Tbong's coming too."
"...…"
Zephyros was speechless.
Then hastily added,
"Hmm, but my Lord? I understand that you plan to descend the cliff directly, that you're going with a small elite group, but if you leave your post like this, what happens to the potato farming in the meantime…"
"Oh, it's fine. Worst case, I'll be back here by this time tomorrow, after wrapping things up at the 2nd Star Master's place, just chillin' and scratching my belly."
"…Excuse me?"
Is that… even possible?
He wanted to ask, sincerely.
Because by all common sense, it shouldn't be.
"But my Lord? Since using the well for travel is still impossible, you'd have to climb down the cliff on foot. Even assuming that, it would take at least three days to reach the 2nd Star Master's base in the Swamp of Decay. That's even using the shortest path through the cliff's interior."
"Oh, that's when you take the normal route."
"…You mean there's a faster one?"
"Yup."
"Where?"
"Here."
"This is just the edge of a sheer cliff."
"Which is why it's the fastest."
"How, exactly?"
"How else do you think? Like this."
Kim answered shamelessly.
Zephyros couldn't even begin to guess what he meant.
Then, Kim raised his hand.
A space above them opened, and a massive chair jammed with farming tools came crashing down, landing right on the cliff's edge.
Boom!
"...…"
What in the world was the Lord planning?
As Zephyros stood dumbfounded, Kim Jangcheol moved.
He pulled out a bundle of cloth he'd brought with him.
Padded the throne with it like a cushion.
Then reached out and grabbed Zephyros.
"Wait—?"
He plopped Zephyros onto the throne cushion.
"My Lord? What is—"
"Hold on tight, so you don't fall!"
He picked up the chair—Zephyros and all—turned toward the cliff, and hurled it. No hesitation, straight into the abyss.
Whoosh!
"...…!"
Zephyros, thrown while still seated in the chair.
That face, looking back in disbelief.
Was he cursing with his eyes?
Well, whatever.
They'd see each other again once he landed anyway.
He could listen to the complaints then.
Boom!
Right on cue, a millstone fell slightly after the chair.
It, too, had a makeshift cushion on top.
Kim Jangcheol grabbed the millstone and leapt.
Out into the void.
...Fwoooosh!
He landed on the millstone.
Started plummeting straight down.
And then, to the already-falling Zephyros, he shouted:
"Relax! This way we'll get there in 3 minutes, not 3 days!"
"...!"
Zephyros wanted to scream back:
Relax?
Reeelaaax??
[T/L: Read more chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]