Book 15 Chapter 33
The ultimate sourness,
Oh! O mightiest conch!
“Magic Conch?”
The middle-aged man was said to be a renowned conch hunter and conch chef in this area.
However, about a month ago, a giant hermit crab appeared, attacking both humans and animals indiscriminately and dragging them into the sea.
It was also said that it used to be the size of a human, but now it's the size of a house. So, the middle-aged man called it the Magic Conch.
“Friede, this is…”
“Yes, it’s highly likely it ate the [King’s Flesh].”
“So, where is that Magic Conch, that thing?”
When Rin asked, the middle-aged man shook his head.
“I don’t know exactly either. It appears and disappears mysteriously, attacking people.”
“Then what do you want us to do?”
“But I’ve figured out its habits. It has a habit of obsessing over cute things. If you use a cute creature as bait, it will definitely take it.”
Kiese grabbed something with a rope and held it out to the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man’s eyes sparkled, while Friede was horrified.
“Oh, yes! This will definitely catch it!”
“You bastard, how dare you Pipi!”
“But that guy seems to like the number 3, so we need two more baits to greatly increase the success rate!”
“How about this?”
What Rin provided, tied with a rope, was Sval. In contrast to Sval, who was trembling with a sense of betrayal, the middle-aged man nodded brightly.
“Excellent! But we need one more. And since the two baits are small, I’d like the last bait to be a bit bigger.”
Each member of the hero’s party rested their chin on their hand and fell into thought.
Small…?
And cute…?
Something a bit big…?
When that thought ended, everyone’s gaze, except for one person, was fixed on that excluded person.
“Why. Why are you looking at me?”
“Rin, please sacrifice yourself just this once for justice. The people in this area are suffering! Because of that Magic Conch!”
“Uh, no. Get lost.”
Friede pulled the brim of her pointed hat deep over her eyes and elegantly placed a kiseru pipe to her lips.
“You, was it all a lie that you wanted to become the strongest mage?”
“?”
“Though the biological species and fields are different… your opponent is truly the strongest conch. If it accepts your challenge, wouldn’t that be proof that you are the strongest mage?”
“!”
“They say the strongest recognizes the strongest. Or perhaps you’re not confident?”
That was the situation that led to Rin, along with Pipi and Sval, dangling from a giant fishing rod on the coastline.
“Hahahahaha…”
In my heart, I want to shout, “Come out, strongest conch!” but I believe that the [strongest] should not be so frivolous.
So, I just laughed.
If I laugh as if there’s a trick to all of this, the creature will surely sense something.
“Kyut-kyut-kyut-kyut-kyut…”
“Don’t laugh. Because of you, even I look weak.”
“Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, Pipi also looks weak.”
“Kyugyut?!”
As I was nagging Sval as usual, the world suddenly darkened. The shadow of a colossal being overwhelmed the entire horizon.
“It, it really came out… Does Rin’s cuteness work even on monsters?!”
Lista’s jaw dropped.
“Damn, it’s so huge! What do you mean it’s the size of a house! It’s an absolute mountain…!”
At Friede’s fuss, the middle-aged man tilted his head.
“Don’t people live in houses that size these days? We just need to catch and sell some hermit crabs.”
“Ugh, look at this crazy parvenu’s narrow-minded way of thinking!”
“This isn’t the time to chatter! Rin, Pipi, and Sval are in danger!”
Rin, tied to the fishing rod, bravely looked up at the hermit crab approaching, bubbling lava like crab foam.
“Hahahahahahaha…!”
To hide the joy of being recognized by the strongest conch, I had to control the twitching muscles of my face with a sneer.
“Gooooooong…!”
Kiese immediately strung her bow.
Skill name, Awl Stab.
A piercing shot that precisely penetrates the target coordinates with only speed and power, without giving the target time to react, and without any elaborate technique.
Pshooooo… Wooooong.
However, the arrow didn’t go far and rolled uselessly on the white sand. The hermit crab hunter’s eyes widened.
“What, the atmosphere was like a hidden master, but what skill! Even my deceased grandmother could shoot that well!”
Lista explained instead.
“It’s because Kiese’s intoxication level isn’t filled yet! Kiese’s accuracy drops terribly if she’s not drunk!”
“Then shouldn’t we get her drunk quickly! I have some good liquor!”
[~(^ㅅ^)~]
“Haha, the young friend drinks well! How is it? It’s liquor from my hometown. Though, this place is my hometown! Have another glass! Gulp, gulp!”
Meanwhile, Friede, fluttering her pointed hat stylishly, stepped forward to save Pipi.
“Take this, Chantless Dracutos!”
Within that breath, flames intertwined with a single power, striking the Magic Conch with an intense breath!
“Gooooooong…!”
However, the hermit crab’s counterattack, which transformed the swallowed seawater into lava and spewed it out, clashed with the flames and lava in mid-air! Master!
“That thing, a monster, yet it has the power of the [King’s Flesh]…!”
Then, there was a being that charged through the clashing fire and lava with a trajectory so beautifully brilliant… it was Lista.
One Sword.
A blue beam woven by the sashimi knife, sword aura, instantly surged towards the hermit crab, leaving a distinct battle scar on its shell.
“It was shallow…!”
A corner of the conch shell began to shatter, but how could a kitchen knife withstand the ultimate magic any longer?
With that one strike, it lost its molecular bonding structure and crumbled into dust.
“Oh, they’re all useless, but that young lady is quite capable!”
“I can hear everything, you old geezer! Kiese, are you done drinking?”
[(ㅇ.ㅇ)~]
“Alright, let’s go!”
The arrow Kiese placed on the bowstring began to flicker with a deep blue light.
Intoxication, 20%.
Goblin Needle.
A single arrow, splitting and rejoining like a will-o’-the-wisp, a technique that toys with the target’s vision.
“I, Friede, now bestow a blessing of flames upon this place, and the rune of Ran (爛) shall soon become the focal point binding the spirits of the air!”
She engraved a rune of sorcery onto that arrow.
The hermit crab spewed lava again towards the surging Goblin Needle, but the arrow split into three… completely avoiding the lava and rejoining into one.
And it pierced straight through the hermit crab’s body, at which point the rune of Ran (爛) that Friede had engraved glowed.
Bestowal of the ‘rotting in fire’ attribute.
Embers flickered at the pierced part of the arrow, and began to rub its insides with an excruciating pain that even a monster could not endure.
“Gooooooong…!”
There was a boy looking down at such a conch with satisfaction, and he was none other than the aspiring [Strongest Mage].
“Since you’ve recognized me as the [Strongest], I’ll also recognize you as the [Strongest] and give you the utmost respect.”
Osarius-style calculation, 5-star. Coordinate value calculation is corrected by Jorgen type and rosary deployment.
Electrocute.
Field.
Cast.
Drop.
Flash.
Since the subject is large and has low mobility, there’s no need to disperse power over multiple shots; everything is poured into one shot.
“Secret Art.”
A dazzling rosary unfurled around his hand, perfectly assisting the precise combination of runes and mathematical equations.
“Lightning Field Hemorrhage.”
Thus, the torrent of magic soared into the sky as a flash… and became a divine punishment, tearing down the horizon.
Golden Flash.
That upheaval of light, leaving only pure white and pure black in the world for a moment, incinerates the object corrupted by the abyss and burns even the abyss within its body.
Pwaaaaaaaaang…!
When the thunderous roar belatedly tore through the atmosphere, a colossal tsunami formed by the shockwave began to surge towards the shore.
“Hmph, this is my [Strongest].”
As expected of the strongest, without bothering to turn back to check if it was dead, a kiseru pipe was plunged into the crown of Rin’s head as he pulled down his sedge hat. Ultra-fast triple shot! Master!
“[Strongest] my ass! What are we going to do about that, you idiot! What’s the plan if you keep spamming 5-star magic that changes the terrain itself in a place like this?!”
The people who had spread mats to watch the ‘Magic Conch Extermination Battle’ began to flee frantically, but the problem was the immense size and speed of the tsunami.
“Tch, just block it. Let’s go, Sval.”
“Kyut!”
“Why. Why are you sulking again?”
“Kyut-kyut!”
“Alright. You’re not useless. That was actually all a lie.”
“Kyung!”
Watching Sval rub his fluff against his cheek, Rin thought.
‘That’s why creatures without intelligence are so easy to handle.’
With Sval’s cooperation, freezing a tsunami of that magnitude in an instant would be no problem.
3-star Magic Circle Deployment: Ice Path.
The light that swirled and wove brilliantly above his palm soon became ultimate cold, wrapping the tsunami in a deep blue.
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
The ice wall, formed as if instantly spanning the horizon, was enough to make the jaws of the fleeing spectators drop.
“Alright, now that the job’s done, how about we cheerfully have some grilled hermit crab?”
Friede hummed through her nose.
But Lista, who had arrived first and recovered the [King’s Flesh], shook her head. The conch hunter did the same.
The reason was obvious. Exposed to such intense lightning, the Magic Conch wasn’t just cooked; it was utterly pulverized and blackened.
“My apologies. I, with 33 years of conch cooking experience, wanted to serve you the finest dish, but this is… This had over 33 beauty benefits, including preventing skin aging and promoting regeneration…”
Friede grabbed Rin’s nape and her fists trembled.
“Hey, don’t you have anything to say?”
“…Scratch.”
“What kind of ‘scratch’ are you talking about! Agh, I can’t live like this because of you, seriously! What are you going to do, what?! How are you going to prevent my skin from aging?!”
While Friede placed her two fists on either side of Rin’s head and twisted them, Pipi also concentrated its attacks on Rin’s forehead with its beak!
“Hungry, hungry, Pipi is hungry. Kill Rin who killed the hermit crab.”
Sval threw himself to take the attacks instead of his master!
“Kyuuung!”
Lista and Kiese, watching the chaos, exchanged smiling glances.
“It wouldn’t be an adventure without these little incidents every day, would it?”