Chapter 100
After speaking, Kim Olim slowly began to sink into the ground.
That wasn’t all: the ‘space’ we were in began to collapse, starting with the huge shield her skeleton was leaning against. Flustered, I reached out to her bones right in front of me, but I lost my balance and stumbled over.
“Hnrrk!”
It was all because the ground shifted beneath my feet.
I stumbled and looked around; without my realization, the red sand unique to the <Tower of Command> and the skeletons strewn about had disappeared. Like a mirage in the desert.
Of course, this space was somewhat familiar because of the previous two contracts. However, unlike Seo Dawon’s universe scenery or Jung Garam’s deep sea, Kim Olim’s space did not feel as vast.
Rather, it felt like being dragged along by a river of sand and being buried alive. Even the surrounding air seemed to be getting colder and colder.
The deceased, ‘Kim Olim’s’ memory playback has ended.
Fortunately, before I got too scared, a system message appeared.
And, not long after, long leaf-like things that glowed white fell upon my shoulders and head. I picked up the ‘leaf’ from my shoulder and lifted it before my eyes; upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a leaf at all.
“Feather……?”
Contrary to my first guess, it was a very long feather. I kept scrutinizing the feather to understand what on earth it could mean. When another feather fluttered to the ground before my eyes, I looked up.
“Gasp….!”
Shockingly, a giant bird sat on a perch and stared down at me–since when had it been sitting there?
One of the bird’s claws, grabbing the perch, was so big–the size of my upper body. When we made eye contact, it lowered its head to my side, acknowledging my shock and interest.
The bird’s head, literally the size of a house, stretched out before my eyes. I knew that bird’s eyes were usually on either side of its skull…but it was horribly discomfiting to be observed with one eye by such a big bird.
Furthermore, the bird never blinked as it blatantly observed me. Goosebumps ran up my arms; it felt like looking at a dead and stuffed animal.
“K-kim Olim-nim…My name is Choi Lee-kyung.” I couldn’t stay intimidated, though, so I swallowed the dryness in my mouth and spoke as carefully as I could.
The issue, however, was that Kim Olim did not react in any significant manner. I listened quietly, but after a few minutes, I eventually fretted over her quiet demeanor.
I clenched my fist and pulled out the words I had been practicing within my head. “I’m here because…I’m a necromancer. My class signs contracts with vengeful ghosts to borrow strength and, in turn, fulfill their revenge. If you would sign a contract with me…”
–Fine.
However, before I had finished my spiel, Kim Olim spoke into my mind.
I just heard ‘Fine,’ right now, right?
I hesitated, confused as to whether or not I had misheard or she truly consented to signing a contract with me. Then, I heard her voice ringing through my brain again.
–You’re not going to take out the contract?
Surprisingly, she intended to sign. I was embarrassed, but the contract came first. So, I replied, “Y-yes!” and quickly summoned the needed document from the status window.
Do you want to renew the ‘Vengeful Ghost Contract?’
When I pressed [Yes] in the system message, white light exploded from the giant bird’s eyes, which had still yet to move. I turned my head and covered my eyes with my arms since the prickly light could not be stopped by closed eyelids.
30 seconds flew by like that…..
“Choi Lee-kyung?”
I suddenly heard a husky voice right in front of me. I turned towards the direction of the voice; recognizing Kim Olim, only a few steps away, I retreated a few steps in shock.
But, she grinned at my staggers; she soon grabbed me by the neck and threw me to the floor. Embarrassed, I struggled, but I couldn’t escape her grasp. Despite her normal-seeming build, we had a large level difference between us.
She had even climbed on top of my body in her pursuit to push me down. Then, she bowed her head as if she were preparing to strike.
Long black hair poured down until it tickled my cheeks; embarrassed, I finally stopped rebelling and looked up at her. She smiled, stroked my frozen face, and began to whisper softly into my ear. “Listen well, Necromancer.”
“…….”
“The only reason you’re alive after you’ve said something so foolish like ‘become my undead’ to a Paladin like me is….”
“…….”
“It’s not because I want to get revenge on Koo Kyungman, Lim Jisoo, or Ryu Hyerin.”
“……”
Her voice was sweet, and she had a mild smile on her face. However, I couldn’t respond or do anything because of an unbelievable and unfamiliar pressure.
Some invisible pressure was placed upon me, highlighting the obvious difference in our power; I realized I couldn’t resist. I felt like a bug in a human’s hand. After being threatened by Kim Olim, I now knew that I realized that Seo Dawon and Jung Garam had been holding back with me as if they were simply playing around.
She looked down at my gasps, as if my lungs had been crushed, and then slowly took her hand off my neck. It was only then that my breathing could slowly return to its normal state. Kim Olim calmly stared at my hacks and coughs before continuing.
“I accepted because I felt Seo Dawon and Jung Garam’s mana in the contract’s magic circle.”
“Cough, Cough….”
“The Red Lotus is the most important thing to me. Understand?” Kim Olim asked with an indifferent expression. I had no choice but to vehemently nod, as if I was struck with a seizure. Though she may be my servant, I thought she was capable of killing me.
At my nod, Kim Olim got up from her seat; she reached a hand out to me, who was still sprawled on the ground. I was too frightened to ignore that hand, so I raised my own, trembling.
Kim Olim easily snatched my hand and dragged me to my feet.
* * *
“Oh my…” A familiar voice said.
When I opened my eyes again, I sat, collapsed, in the middle of my living room. Kim Olim was standing beside me, and Seo Dawon approached, clicking his tongue.
“Seo Dawon, are you out of your mind?”
“Ah, I’ve forgotten about the peculiarities of those with the ‘holy’ attribute.”
Kim Olim seemed to be angry with the Mage, but he easily ignored her frustrations and approached me. Jung Garam, arriving late, grabbed her arm and separated her from me. “Noona, did you hit Lee-kyung? Wait, I don’t see any strikes on him…”
“Seo Dawon, don’t pretend to be deaf and answer me properly.”
“Lee-kyung-ah, do you want some water?” Seo Dawon dragged me into his arms and stepped back, protecting me. Kim Olim raised her eyebrows and fiercely shook Jung Garam’s arms off.
Of course, Jung Garam was not daunted by that kind of power and instead stood in her way, launching his own form of defense. “Noona…Noona, you don’t know Choi Lee-kyung…He’s faint-hearted and stupid. He’s got a lot of fears too…”
“Was this your best shot? Answer me.”
“Olim-ah, did you use ‘Domination’ on Lee-kyung-ie? Or ‘Suppression?”
“……”
Not a single person made conversation with their dialogue. I wondered if this could be called a collective monologue…
I didn’t return to my senses until I sipped at the floating water droplets Seo Dawon manifested. To be honest, it was the first time a servant had ever threatened me like this; I couldn’t look straight at Kim Olim’s poker face, still feeling numb about all that had happened. If Seo Dawon hadn’t grabbed onto me, I might have ran away, unseemly as it may be.
However, we couldn’t continue to confront each other like this. In addition, the pain from the pressure–or whatever Kim Olim had used–was easing up. So, I raised my hand in the middle of their bickering. Each of the three loud Servants’ mouths closed and distorted, as if they tasted something salty.
TL: Sooo I’m a sucker for strong women >.< Especially women in dungeon novels who aren’t in traditionally feminine roles. I love the idea of a female paladin. Poor Lee-kyung will have a hard time winning her over, but I’m excited to have her here.
And with that! We have our 100th chapter!!! Thank you guys so much for reading along with my translation, despite how awkward I can be sometimes with the wording. And thanks to those who gave reviews/ratings on NU (I suddenly got a spike the last two days??)
As a present, I wanted to shoddily draw something for you guys–that was the purpose of the v v informal poll earlier.
Koo Hui-seo! I’m not the best artist but, hey. I figured I’d try~
