The Swimming Emperor(4)
'Easier than I thought.'
At first, I was worried that I might be expelled from the country.
However, South Korea, a country with the world's lowest birthrate and the highest suicide rate, welcomed me with open arms!
Since I could speak Korean fluently, I was able to obtain a resident registration card quickly.
"Well, then..."
In a capitalist society, money is essential to move freely.
I secured the most important item, the resident registration card.
The unrealistic pocket money provided by the South Korean government as settlement funds became my business capital.
'It's a bit disappointing.'
Since I know the general flow of the world through history books, there are various ways for me to make money.
War, disaster, climate, culture...
In addition, I also know the approximate locations of relics and treasures found as the national borders and coastlines change.
"What am I doing...?"
Instead of searching for Mr. Nam Hae-soo, I was off to find treasure.
Swimsuit, goggles, compass, old smartphone, flashlight, emergency rations, bag...
After spending all the money provided by the country to prepare for the expedition, I took a bus and arrived at my destination!
"A sandy beach...?"
I realized too late that I had been too careless.
'The surrounding scenery is too different!'
Since the relics had not yet been discovered, there were no museums, and the beach where a museum would be built later was blocked off with barbed wire.
Should I give up like this?
Of course not.
"I miss the legendary sword."
If I had that sword that could cut through anything like pudding, I could easily remove the barbed wire...
I walked along the barbed wire to find a small gap, and I saw a construction site in my field of view.
Are they building a guard post?
Well, that didn't matter.
"Ha!"
I checked that no one was around and carried a long iron bar on my shoulder.
'I'll borrow this for a moment.'
Swish~!
I threw the bag filled with various tools and emergency rations to the other side of the barbed wire first, and then attempted to pole vault with the iron bar I took from the construction site.
"Ha!"
If I fail and get stabbed by the barbs on the wire, it won't just end with a scratch!
However, this level of obstacle is nothing to me, who experienced a brutal war firsthand in the world of the novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of the Count>.
Thump!
Sticking the iron bar into the ground, I soared in a parabolic trajectory and landed softly on the other side of the barbed wire!
The attempt was successful.
"Good."
Now that I don't have the iron bar, I was slightly worried about going back, but it won't be too late to think about that after I find the relic.
Rustle, rustle.
I walked along the beach, observing the reefs that stood tall on the coastline.
'I didn't know back then.'
When I came here holding my parents' hands, I couldn't even imagine the future where I would be alone.
A huge museum will be built on this sandy beach.
"...Ah! There it is."
There was an experience at the museum where we took a boat ride around the rocky island as part of a historical site tour.
It looked like ordinary granite on the outside.
But the relics of the ship that sank after hitting that reef were real.
'It's a bit exciting.'
Splash!
I changed into a swimsuit, put on goggles, and jumped into the sea.
* * *
The relic I'm looking for is a rough-looking jewelry box.
The sunken ship was salvaged immediately, so it's hard to find its traces, and now only antiques hidden by seaweed and coral are piled up like trash.
'The past is the past...'
They looked like relics when they were displayed in the museum, but now they're just marine debris.
Clatter.
I rummaged through them and pushed them aside to find the jewelry box.
'Where could it be~'
Wouldn't future archaeologists foam at the mouth and grab me by the collar?
However, for now, it's just trash used as a shelter for fish.
"Huup!"
Even for me, with an abnormally good lung capacity, the search became difficult as 15 round trips passed and the sun slowly set, making it darker.
It was time to give up neatly and look forward to tomorrow.
Thump.
I discovered a metal box buried among the piles of trash.
'Oh!'
Swoosh-
I took it and returned to the beach where I had hidden my clothes.
"Grr!"
Although it didn't seem to be locked, the lid of the box didn't budge at all, like a living clam.
Thump.
Wiping the surface of the box with my hand and shining a flashlight on it, I confirmed that it was the relic I had been looking for.
'Now that I found it... Huh?'
As I was about to put the jewelry box in my bag and prepare to leave, I felt a chill down my spine and turned around.
Flash.
A naked woman with a long knife in each hand was approaching me.
"What...?"
I couldn't take my eyes off the bizarre situation that defied my common sense.
The distance got closer, and as the woman's identity became clearer, I gasped.
"Are you crazy!"
It wasn't a woman. I had simply mistaken it for one because of its slender figure.
Squeak.
"Why is there a Blade Demon?!"
Blade Demon
A humanoid creature with limbs like blades and no hands or feet.
With no genitals or features to distinguish their gender, the 2 pairs of arms and 1 pair of legs attached to their body resembled a praying mantis, and their beautiful face, which didn't match their body, added to the dissonance.
"Uh... hello?"
"......"
Conversation was still impossible this time.
Squeak, squeak-!
This was the second time, I encountered it in the dream of the magical boy, Choi Kang-min.
The Blade Demon, staring at me with a soulless face, made a chilling sound as it rubbed its bladelike limbs together.
Immediately after that,
'Here it comes!'
The Blade Demon, with explosive speed, charged straight at me, cutting through the sand with its two bladelike legs.
Swish-
If I allowed that monster to get close, I'd be dismembered like meat in a butcher's shop.
'Where should I run?!'
It's true that I learned swordsmanship from Valentine, but a monster with a four-sword style and four arms was too much.
On top of that, its legs were also blades!
If I got hit by a kick, my lower body would be cut off in an instant.
"You cheating bastard!"
Squeak-!
That sound, like nails scraping a chalkboard, was the most annoying.
Thump!
I kicked off the ground and ran.
'To the sea... No.'
I couldn't imagine the Blade Demon swimming with its bladelike limbs, but if it were possible, I'd be killed without a chance to escape.
And the sand kept my feet stuck, preventing me from picking up speed. I would be caught before I could get into the water.
What's the other way?
Run.
Run again.
Keep running!
Until I could see the coastal guard post guarding the barbed wire.
"Help me!"
Snap!
The guards at the post, who heard my desperate cry, reacted.
"What's going on..."
"What the... What's that?"
When they saw the Blade Demon chasing me, they were flustered and didn't think to shoot or threaten it.
'This is insane!'
For me, who had only seen police and soldiers pull triggers first when a citizen's life was threatened by a robber, it was an unfamiliar experience.
Deciding that this wouldn't do, I stepped on the stairs of the coastal guard post and climbed up without hesitation.
I chose to charge towards the barbed wire instead of taking an easy detour.
'Here it comes!'
This monster only looks ahead in a one-way path, but it's hard to predict and fast because it moves as if sliding on ice.
Its four arms and two legs cut through everything in its path...
It felt like standing in front of a bulldozer!
Squeak-
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh at the sight of the barbed wire being cut like cotton candy, but it wasn't a failed plan.
"Does it hurt?"
"......"
The hook-shaped spikes embedded in the barbed wire scratched and tangled up the Blade Demon's face and body.
Squeak-
Was its skin as hard as steel?
Although a human would have been covered in blood, the Blade Demon continued to move, cutting and ignoring the barbed wire.
In that case,
"How about this?"
Thud!
I thrust the pointed iron bar towards its chest like a spear.
"......"
Wobble.
The iron bar penetrated the Blade Demon's chest, which was late to defend due to the interference of the barbed wire.
"Haah?"
I expected it to be difficult to pierce it completely, but I didn't expect the skin to dent like plate armor.
Less than a bruise?
The Blade Demon's eyes, staring at me, seemed to be laughing mockingly.
'Please...!'
Did my prayer reach it?
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunfire struck my eardrums before the Blade Demon's arms reacted, cutting through the air.
Thud, thud, thud...
'Is this real?'
Deflecting bullets shot from a short distance of less than 10 meters?
I almost lost my will to fight due to the monster's unrealistic skill, but I noticed it couldn't block everything.
Drip...
Silver blood, like mercury, flowed from its abdomen where the bullet had hit.
"Get lost."
Thud!
I forcefully shoved the iron bar into the opened wound.
"......"
Squeak-
The Blade Demon cut the iron bar sticking out of its wound, but without hands, it couldn't deal with the part embedded in its body.
Bang!
And then, a bullet hit its nape after its abdomen.
For the first time, the Blade Demon, which didn't die even from such fatal wounds, turned its gaze towards the soldiers.
"Gasp!"
"Huh!"
The faces of the soldiers, who had run out of bullets, were filled with fear.
I understand their feelings. A creature that doesn't die even after being shot in the head doesn't exist on Earth.
"Hey."
Squeak-?
Thud!
I shoved an iron bar into the Blade Demon's nape, which had taken its eyes off me for the first time.
"Doesn't it die even like this?"
"......"
Thud.
As if responding to my question, the collapsed monster began to rub its limbs with difficulty.
Squeak, squeak, squeak...
It was as poignant as a violin solo in a requiem to comfort the souls of the dead,
Thud!
But I, who didn't have a speck of sympathy, thrust the iron bar into its slightly opened mouth and pushed it deep into its throat.
"......"
Squeak- Stop.
Finally, the Blade Demon's movement came to a complete halt.
"Earning money is really tough."
"Uh, excuse me?"
"Who are you?"
I honestly answered the soldiers' question, who were half out of their minds.
"I'm a shaman."
It's a profession that feels like a beggar with no money every time I work!
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