The Knight King Who Returned with Gods: Chapter 78
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 78: Foma, God of the Sea
A large tentacle swished. It was an octopus leg.
-Kaaaak!
"I'll stop it!"
A shield blocked it. Gu Dae-sung's shield blocked the
whipping octopus leg, and it bounced back, unable to withstand the blow.
"Keuag!"
Gu Dae-sung rolled on the ground.
'Because
there is no buff... I'm much weaker than before!'
His arm bones seemed to have been crushed. Without the
Holy Grail's healing function, it would be difficult to continue fighting.
'I
barely managed to block the blow.......'
Meanwhile, Hari pushed through the gap between the
monsters that came ashore.
"Ha!"
Hari leaped in. Hari's sword flashed from the gap she
deftly dived through.
-Kwaag!
The sword, aimed for the head, sliced through the leg of
the creature that tried to strike her. Hari landed, dodging the blow, and
cursed her luck.
'If
only I could have used my skill!'
Hari shouted at Foma, who was peeking his head over her
shoulder as she retreated,
"God Foma! I’m a priestess by name, but don’t I have
some kind of super tsunami skill? Or something like water breathing!”
[Have you read too many novels?]
"!! You are the most novel-like!"
"Noona, dodge!"
When she turned around, the merman that came with the
Kraken was holding out a sharp trident.
"What?!"
Dangerous. She'd been so focused on the Kraken that she
hadn't noticed. As she desperately tried to block the trident with her arm,
something shot like a flash of light pierced through the Merman.
"Careful, Pretty Girl."
It was Allen, who had come to help her deal with the
monsters that had landed with the Maverick Guild.
“Are you flirting with women, boss?”
“That’s what men should do everywhere.”
“Well, it’s a bit weird. Asian girls just look too
young."
Even against the A-class field boss, the Maverick guild
members were relaxed. Normally, large boss-level monsters would be more
bloodthirsty and difficult than their measurement class, but.......
“It’s just average for an A-class, isn't it?”
"It's the first wave. Manage your moves properly.
Don't exert yourself unnecessarily."
In an instant, the gigantic Field Boss was helpless in
front of Allen and the Maverick Guild members.
"...... Strong."
“Yes. It’s the best hunter guild in America.”
Pantheon had over 30 guild members, but Maverick achieved
overwhelming results with only about a dozen.
Not surprising, since every single one of them was an
A-class hunter, and their leader was Allen Taylor, an S-class hunter, one of
the best hunters in the United States.
"Let's clean up the rest of them, there's not much
left!"
In fact, the battle was easily won. The battle itself was
easy because their power was superior.
[The first wave has ended.]
"Huu, the wave is over.”
The battle ended without too much effort. The Field Boss
was a pain, but their power was far greater.
[Well, not bad.]
Throughout the battle, Foma never moved from Hari's
shoulder. Hari felt a little insulted.
"If it weren't for your holy power, I could have
fought much better!"
[Oho, my priestess, how dare you blame God for your
shortcomings.]
“Ugh… I was originally a fire attribute swordsman!”
Hari was disappointed that she couldn't use her Fire
Blessing because of Foma's holy power.
She was a promising A-class hunter, but she couldn't use
her strength in the first wave because of it.
A hunter's unique skill was a trait of that hunter, an
innate talent.
Hari had the ability to control fire, which was a strong
advantage over other hunters.
"In the first place, if you have water powers,
shouldn't I be like, "Freeze!"
or "Ice spear!"?! Why is it that when I channel my magic, it
mixes with water and puts out the fire?!"
[I'm the god of the sea and waves. Why don't you find an
ice god for that.]
"Is there one?"
[There is a goddess of winter, but there is no such thing
as an ice god. Isn’t it undignified to be an ice god?]
“Well… I, I guess?”
Hari was uneasy about not being able to use her powers
right away. The power she had been blessed with since she was a child had been
crippled.
[Aha. Don't be obsessed with a handful of power. Infinity
exists in front of you, how can you not realize it?]
"......."
Hari couldn't understand Foma's words. Honestly, she
wanted to ask, why couldn't he just tell her?
However, she also felt that Foma, who spoke in metaphors
and analogies, was somewhat like a sage, like a reclusive old man who mentors
the main character in a movie.
She wondered if there was some hidden wisdom and
knowledge behind his words.
But her optimism was quickly shattered.
* * * * *
Allen of the Maverick Guild decided to do both: search
for statues and defend against recurring waves.
First, he formed a team to search for the statue inside
the island and push through the crab monsters,
Second, he built barricades and camps on the shoreline to
prepare for the long term battle.
Since the crab monsters wouldn't venture out onto the
beach for any length of time, they figured that holding out on the beach was
the only way to deal with that one side of the enemy.
This proceeded quickly. The Academy teaches survival
common sense and how to set up camp at a gate where you don't know what to
expect.
The Maverick guild members, who had experienced all kinds
of hardships, and the Pantheon guild members, who had received sufficient
training, quickly established a camp and took a break.
-Aaaah!
-Uh-uh, don't throw it! Don't throw it──Uh-oh!
-Don't go too deep into the sea!
Even though there were no bathing suits or equipment,
these youngsters could find a way to play as long as there was water.
“Would you like some water, God Foma?”
Hari sat down on the sandy beach to dry off her wet
outerwear. She took out a water bottle from her emergency backpack and poured
water into the turtle's snout.
[Kaah~ The water tastes good.]
Foma slipped on sunglasses and laid his belly to keep on
a turtle's facade. The turtle's gaze focused on the energetic Academy cadets.
[Hmm~ It's always nice to see maidens' flesh and the way
they play lively.]
“Eh….”
Hari was struck by the Foma's plain frivolousness.
[My priestess, do you not intend to frolic in it.]
“I don’t really like playing in the water. The sun stings
me and my skin feels uncomfortable.”
[Hoho, every young woman has their own freshness. Enjoy
your youth, maiden, for how can you slouch like a hag with all that firm
flesh.]
"God Foma... seems like the epitome of a bad boss.”
Honestly, if it weren't for him being a god, she would
have uttered more.
[What~ Basically, young men and women are like flowers
that have just bloomed, so it is time for them to spread their reproductive
instincts promiscuously. In that respect, I agreed with that man from before.]
'......
a jerk.'
Hari thought of Leon, the epitome of a jerk, and then
wondered if he'd been influenced by the gods.
"Ugh. Well, then, God Foma."
[What?]
"What was the point of tying me to the mast of the
ship? I mean, I do realize it's what kept us sailing safely and not overturned
by the waves."
It was a genuine question.
[You mean that? It is a kind of sacrificial ritual.]
"Sacrificial... ritual?"
[In the old days, yes. There were some who were overly
loyal even when we didn't ask them to be, most notably human sacrifices.]
Foma himself issued a decree when he saw humans throwing
virgins into the oceans of the world on New Year's Day.
[What good is it if they throw them into any ocean? At
first, I took them to my palace and made them my brides, but then they became
too many.]
So it was agreed that a maiden would be tied to the mast.
Hari wondered if this should be called an agreement.
“Can’t you just tell them not to do it?”
[No, I can't. In essence, the sacrifice to the gods is
itself a form of devotion. They pay the price of honoring and fearing the gods.
Miracles given without compensation only lead to laziness and negligence.]
“I think I understand… But why don’t you just accept a
tribute…?”
[Isn’t a virgin’s flesh always nice to look at?]
“……You, pervert.”
[What?]
"Oh, it's nothing!"
Foma peeked his head out of the sunglasses.
[If you are my priestess, remember my teachings and
decree first, for this is what you will teach and preach.]
What teachings will Poma give? Hari remembered the decree
of Demera, the goddess of life and fertility.
In essence, aren't the words that the gods speak only
good words that transcend cultural boundaries? She thought there won't be any harm
in learning it.
Creed of the Sea and Waves
1) Return the first fish you catch to the sea.
2) Cast your net only to the right.
3) Throw no garbage into the sea.
4) Do not engage in sexual intercourse on the boat,
especially between men.
............
............
12) He catches the largest fish on the first voyage, in
the first day, is lucky until he reaches land.
13) You may mock the man who catches the smallest fish on
the first voyage, in the first day, even if he is the captain.
............
............
17) Do not bring women on board. Misfortune will come.
18) Bare-skinned virgins are okay. The more exposed skin
the better.
[You heard it well, right? From now on, tell them not to
take women on board their ships, or find a virgin and tie her to the mast, and
I'll bless their ship.]
"................"
Hari was silent for a long time, staring down at Foma
with a gaze that was almost rude. She forced herself to swallow the many words
she wanted to say.
'A total pervert…'
Foma just yawned and enjoyed the warm sunlight and hot
sand bath. He shrugged off Hari's gaze.
* * * * *
[The 3rd wave has ended.]
-Kkilug!
-Kkikkilug!
When the third wave ended, the monsters with pincers
cheered and let out an exclamation. They offered this honor to Yappy.
36 hours had passed since being drifted.
On the island where it had been stranded, Yappy fought
off the waves that were swarming the island with the crab monsters (Kikiru
Tribe).
As far as Yappy can tell, the waves continued to come periodically,
and the wave monsters were fended off by Yappy and the Kikiru Tribe.
The waves have a 12-hour interval between each waves.
During these periodic waves, a considerable number of the Kikiru Tribe also
died.
-Determining the number of Kikiru Tribe. Abnormal
reproduction and growth rates.
What kept the waves at bay was their innate ability to
reproduce in large numbers and their abnormal growth rate.
All organisms need time to obtain nutrients and build
their skeletons in order to grow.
But the Kikiru Tribe grew and reproduced at a somewhat
abnormal rate.
"Sir Yappy? Sir Yappy!!"
It was then. It was none other than Jaehyuk, a knight
cadet at the Pantheon from the Academy, who pushed his way through the crab
crowd and ran to Yappy.
He was found washed up on the beach and was rescued
thanks to Yappy's instructions.
-Jaehyuk.
"Not a single Rakshar statue has been destroyed
yet."
Yafi was a survivor. Survivors had the advantage of not
being limited by language, but unlike the Awakened, they could not see the
system windows.
Jaehyuk relayed information from the system, and from
that alone, Yappy deduced many things.
-Kikiru Tribe. In a long war with hostile forces.
Presumed to be the ones sending the wave monsters.
"Yes. If you look at it clearly, it’s a strange
situation. What is the purpose? What are the stone statues?”
-That's reasonable.
The system sent the quest 'Destroy the Great Rakshar
Statues'.
While most hunters would have followed the quest's
instructions to destroy the statues, members of the Pantheon Guild were a
little different.
A quest to defeat Yakt Spinner at Cheongju Gate.
A quest at the Orc Gate which will close it after siding
with orcs.
A quest that asked them to defeat Geobrick at the Jeju
Island Gate, etc.
The quests given by the system were not necessarily about
doing 'good' or 'justice'. Rather, it felt like the system was trying to steer
hunters in the direction it wants them to go.
Thus, those involved with the Pantheon Guild would be
suspicious of the quests itself. Rather than taking the easy way out, they
began to weigh the odds.
-Statue of Rakshar. Abnormal concentration of magic.
Possibly contributing to the abnormal growth of the Kikiru Tribe.
“If we interpret it differently, should we say that
Raksha statues must be protected?”
-Yes.
What would happen if all the statues were destroyed?
Yappy and Jaehyuk thought of the worst case scenario.
"If we continue with the wave defense, what will
happen?"
-Not possible.
"What if we wipe them all out?"
-Difficulty increases dramatically with each wave level.
At current strength, there is a high probability of strategic defeat from wave
5 onward.
Yappy was a Holy Grail Knight. Not at full strength, of
course, but at least the third most powerful combatant in the Pantheon Guild.
With power comparable to an S-class, Yappy can't
guarantee victory?
"The others may be in a better situation than us,
but......."
Of course, they do have an advantage here. The Kikiru
Tribe did exactly as Yappy commands.
Upon seeing the steel frame of Yappy, the Kikiru Tribe
saw Yappy as a savior who had come to save them.
-Kkikkilug! (Hooray!)
-Kkkilug! Kkikkilug! (Praise the Savior!)
The Kikiru Tribe was completely under Yappy's command.
And they were a more sophisticated tribal society than one might expect.
-Need reinforcements, at least primitive cold weapons.
"Cold weapons... Oh, that's right, Sir Yappy. I
found something interesting."
-Kkilug?
With Jaehyuk's guidance and the Kikiru Tribe escorting
them, they arrived at the island's interior. It was also hidden inside a
waterfall.
After passing through what could easily be mistaken for
the inside of a cave, Yappy saw something surprising.
It was a trace of urban civilization.
Columns lining the streets and frameworks of buildings.
Although they had crumbled due to the ravages of time, there were public
sanitary facilities and iron statues that symbolized authority.
-The width of the road, the outline of the buildings, and
the direction of the formed culture were in line with the physical
characteristics of the Kikiru Tribe.
***
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