Chapter 20: Potato Sprouts Carry Beets (1)
“At a dead end! When we’re cornered?”
“Take! Off your clothes!”
“When the path ahead! Is blocked?”
“Take! Off your clothes!”
“Then! What do we do?”
“Thoom-thoom! We push forward!”
Kim Jangcheol asked.
The Agricultural Corps shouted in response.
Then Kim Jangcheol raised his voice even louder and asked again.
“Everyone! You remember the past few days of intensive training, right?”
“Yes, sirrr!”
“Down!”
“Downnn!”
Cheocheok!
The moment Kim Jangcheol’s command rang out, all 300 members of the Agricultural Corps, their backpacks stuffed full of potatoes, flung their limbs wide and dropped flat to the ground. It looked like a scene of people cooling themselves down by sticking to the floor on a sweltering summer day.
But this wasn’t a floor covered in linoleum or tiles.
It was the edge of the direct domain of the Demon Lord’s castle.
At the entrance to the Paladin’s Grave at the Border, the territory of the First Star Lord, on the very edge of a sheer cliff—at the exact moment everyone pressed themselves flat against the ground—
“Undress!”
Kim Jangcheol shouted.
All 300 members of the Agricultural Corps Youth Association simultaneously removed the only thing they were wearing—their underwear. But they didn’t use their hands. With only the movements of their twitching glutes and thighs, they slid it down to their knees, like a snake shedding its skin.
Then, something amazing happened.
...Srrrk.
The bodies of the Agricultural Corps members, lying flat on the ground, began to sink halfway into the earth.
Did they dig through the soil?
No.
The dirt hadn’t been displaced at all.
It was as if ghosts were passing through walls.
It was the very same “glitch” Kim Jangcheol had demonstrated using a bug on the rocky shorelines of the Demon Realm’s coast.
Kim Jangcheol shouted again.
“Flip your bodies and re-dress!”
...Twitch!
Everyone responded to the shout and began to twitch once more.
Though far slower than Kim Jangcheol, who could instantly equip and unequip using the inventory window, all of them managed to flip their bodies like savory pancakes and slip their underwear back on using only subtle movements.
As a result, their bodies sank even deeper into the cliff.
Of course, Kim Jangcheol was no exception.
“From now on, to the chant! Strip! Dress! Follow me!”
“...Mmph!”
The Agricultural Corps members held their breath and shouted silently.
Leading them from the front, Kim Jangcheol clenched his fist in triumph. It worked. It was working. The special training from the past few days was paying off. This would do.
Soon...
♣
“We’re going to strike the center of the cliff in one go.”
“...Pardon?”
Was it a few days ago?
Maybe the day they discovered that hitting a Possession Spirit with a potato would sprout its shoots?
Looking puzzled, Zephyros raised an eyebrow at the suggestion.
“What do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean?”
He remembered letting out a slight chuckle at the time.
And then replying like this:
“The situation’s changed now. Conquering the cliff gets us two major advantages. One, we can re-establish contact with the Second, Third, and Fourth Star Lords, who are waiting in the Abandoned Land outside the cliff. Two, we can sprout the potato shoots at ultra-high speed. So why wouldn’t we invade?”
“...But just now, you said we’re going to strike the center of the cliff in one go.”
“Yeah. I said that.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Of course not.”
Again came the chuckle.
“Come on. Think about it. Does that sound possible to you? The terrain’s a nightmare. The things guarding the place are all like ghosts that can pass through cliffs, caves, and bubble wrap. And we’re supposed to charge straight through and hit the center? Not even the god of siege warfare could pull that off. Does that make sense? Huh?”
“It obviously doesn’t, but the way you say it like it does is what’s making me nervous.”
“For the future of our Agricultural Corps?”
“No, for the Demon Lord’s sense of reality.”
“...”
“But you must have some kind of plan if you’re saying that, right?”
“Hey. If you’re gonna beat someone with words, at least give them a second to catch their breath, yeah?”
“You’re breathing just fine right now, aren’t you?”
“...Well, yeah, fair point. Tsk. Anyway—”
Let’s not speak. No, let’s not speak.
He threw the guy a brief glare and said,
“You saw me climbing the sea cliff, right?”
“Yes.”
“What did you think?”
“It was disgraceful and repulsive.”
“……”
“Embarrassing and downright pathetic, too.”
“……”
“I was honestly worried that if someone found out that guy was our Demon Lord, it’d become a lifelong black mark.”
“……”
“But I’d also like to say, in a way, it was a bold and efficient method…”
“So you beat me up with words, then tack on some praise like a snake’s tail?”
“It’s a candid and objective assessment.”
“The criticism at the beginning? Or the praise at the end?”
“That’s for you to decide, my Lord.”
“Tsk. I swear. Should wring your neck…”
“Will you be firing me?”
“…Hmph. Forget it. Anyway, I’m going to teach that disgraceful, repulsive, embarrassing, and pathetic technique to the Agricultural Corps. With it, we can break through without a painful siege. All the way to the center of the cliff.”
“Are you perhaps aiming for something in the center?”
“Correct.”
As expected of Zephyros. That sharp intuition.
A satisfied smile formed naturally on his lips.
“The center of the cliff. More specifically, the deepest part of its core. That’s where the Heart of the Ice Spirit lies.”
“The Heart… of the Ice Spirit?”
“Yeah.”
He recalled the lore encountered time and again while playing Paladin of Blood, the game that formed this world.
“You’ve probably heard of it, right? It’s the most important artifact of the First Star Legion.”
“Yes. But I don’t know exactly what it’s for…”
“It’s a device that binds the First Star Legion soldiers.”
“Excuse me?”
“To be exact, it’s an artifact that binds the souls of all who die in the Abandoned Land to the First Star Legion.”
“Then, if we secure that artifact…”
“The First Star Legion soldiers will instantly be released, returning to the path of transcendence and reincarnation. In other words, the First Star Legion will collapse in an instant.”
“The First Star Lord will go berserk.”
“He’ll mobilize his entire force to encircle us and take it back. That’s when we wipe them all out—while they’ve conveniently gathered themselves together.”
“Is that… even possible?”
“Of course.”
Naturally, it was.
Because he had a method.
That confidence remained unchanged—both a few days ago, and even now.
…Phwoosh!
“Hup! Hah!”
Kim Jangcheol snapped out of his thoughts.
He stood up as he dressed, rising smoothly through the floor pixels.
Now he stood tall in a vast underground cavern.
‘What about the others?’
Had the Agricultural Corps followed him in safely?
He barely had time to worry—
…Phwack! Phwack-phwack!
“Hup! Pah!”
“Huh! Pah-ha!”
All around the cavern, members of the Agricultural Corps shot up, pulling on their underwear. Their faces were pale as they gasped for breath.
Only after counting exactly 301 heads—including Baal—did a relieved smile finally creep across Kim Jangcheol’s lips.
They had all made it.
They’d pulled it off.
Thank goodness. Truly.
‘Hmph. A guy like me…’
It was all thanks to him memorizing every inch of the cliff map. That’s how he was able to plan a route with just the right amount of ventilation paths, so even with 300 people infiltrating, they hadn’t been spotted by any guards.
“……”
But enough with the self-praise.
Kim Jangcheol composed himself and looked around.
A vast underground space. A smooth, rounded ceiling faintly visible under sparse, pale lights.
It looked exactly as he remembered it.
The innermost depths of the Paladin’s Grave at the Border.
“……”
Just like with the Demon Lord’s castle… Seeing it with his own eyes felt very different from viewing it on a screen. For a brief moment, he was overcome with a strange sensation.
‘And here…’
He began walking, recalling the nineteen times he’d thoroughly combed through the cliff in the past.
He was headed toward the heart of the cavern.
There, he saw an altar covered in frost. And sitting atop it, a basketball-sized cube—a perfect hexahedron—emanating waves of cold.
It was the artifact of the First Star Legion—the Heart of the Ice Spirit.
He approached it.
A chill sharp enough to slice through flesh washed over him.
Unbothered, he reached out his hand.
He picked up the cube—the Heart of the Ice Spirit.
It was in that moment—
...KWAOOOOOOOOOM!
An ear-splitting alarm blared throughout the entire cavern. The pale lighting instantly turned a deep, blood-red. The tense Agricultural Corps members hunched their shoulders in alarm.
In contrast, Kim Jangcheol simply smiled.
And he thought to himself—
Now that the alarm had gone off, surely the First Star Lord’s outfit would be going pop-pop too.
Of course, his prediction was spot on.
♣
“Rally! All units… assemble!”
KWAOOOOOOOO!
The alarm, loud enough to rupture eardrums, echoed through the air. And over it came the hoarse roar of Sartul, the First Star Lord of the Demon Lord’s forces.
Responding to his command, the ghost soldiers surged forward. Toward the very depths—the innermost core of the cliff’s center. Toward the central cavern.
The assembly was nearly instantaneous.
Thousands of ghost soldiers phased through the walls and dashed across the ceiling. They reached the cavern.
And thanks to that, everyone could see it.
The most important treasure of their First Star Legion was now in the hands of an intruder. And that intruder was none other than the Demon Lord, Credos.
‘How… how did it come to this?’
The First Star Lord, having rallied his forces, felt like he was on the verge of fainting. Even seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it.
And no wonder.
They, as ghosts, could pass freely through the terrain of the cliff—but how had the Demon Lord and his subordinates managed it?
“……”
No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t even begin to guess the trick behind it.
But right now, that wasn’t what mattered.
The First Star Lord gritted his trembling mental state back into order with a violent twerk of will. Then he shouted, his voice booming:
“Demon Lord Credos, you coward!”
Perhaps the Demon Lord heard his cry.
Credos calmly raised one hand. As if greeting an acquaintance encountered by chance on the street, his gesture was casual, composed—downright infuriating.
“……”
That sight made the First Star Lord’s temper spike again.
He roared,
“You not only unilaterally halted the Human Realm invasion we all poured our hearts into preparing in the Abandoned Land! Now you dare plunge us all into ruin under the flimsy excuse of hopeless farming! You shameless, ungrateful wretch! What madness has brought you here today to wreak havoc?!”
To wreak havoc...?! Havoc...?! Voc...?!
His voice rang loud enough for all to hear, echoing through the cavern.
Meanwhile, the Demon Lord offered no reply. Instead, as if to emphasize it, he simply pointed to the cube—the Heart of the Ice Spirit—in his hand.
“…Hah.”
The First Star Lord scoffed.
He understood what Credos was aiming for.
‘So. You intend to halt the Heart of the Ice Spirit and dismantle my legion. That’s why you’re strutting around so smugly.’
He must think he’s already won. That he’s easily conquered the Paladin’s Grave at the Border. That fool.
‘I’ll make you realize just how absurd that delusion really is.’
…Grit!
The First Star Lord clenched his teeth.
Then gave a signal with his eyes.
At once, the entire First Star Legion responded.
KYIEEEEEEHH—!
Souls who had lost their lives.
The departed who hovered at the edge of death.
Thousands of these vengeful spirits flooded the cavern, forming a complete encirclement around the Demon Lord and the Agricultural Corps.
It was a death trap, so tight and cruel not even a single rat would escape alive.
“Leave not a single one alive.”
The First Star Lord spat out the words.
And the ghost legion’s suffocating pressure began to close in.
Watching this unfold, the First Star Lord was sure of it.
‘Today, this place will become your grave, Credos.’
There was no doubt.
No matter how powerful the Demon Lord might be, now that he’d barged in and gotten surrounded, there was no way he’d make it out alive.
Even a Demon Lord couldn’t handle thousands of ghost soldiers with only 300 underlings. Before the legion’s overwhelming waves, he’d be no more than a large prey before a swarm of raging ants.
‘Besides… you won’t even know how to use the Heart of the Ice Spirit in your hands.’
That secret was known only to himself, the First Star Lord and master of the dead. Credos, once he realized he couldn’t control the Heart of the Ice Spirit, would fall into despair and flail helplessly.
‘You never should have dared come this far. Hahaha…’
KIAAAAAAAGH!
The ghost legion surged forward, completely engulfing the Demon Lord’s party.
The First Star Lord was moments away from a deeply satisfied laugh.
But then—right at that very moment—
…Click?
Suddenly, echoing calmly through the tide of ghostly wails—he heard a distinct, chillingly crisp sound.
A sound only he should have known.
A sound that should never have been heard here.
A sound that spelled dread.
It was the sound of Kim Jangcheol perfectly activating and taking control of the Heart of the Ice Spirit.