40. Delivery Group (4)
What the Maze was interested in these days were pets. It wanted to have a small and cute animal friend. Maze told Heo-young and Arina about it, but they openly ignored it. They said that Maze, who had no sense of responsibility and could only play games while lazing around on the floor, could not raise another living creature.
“I will take care of it!”
“The hell you would. Don’t do anything pointless.”
“Uh… bad Heo-young.”
When Heo-young laughed at it, Maze grew frustrated. Most of the other members of the Golden Women’s Association responded similarly. They couldn’t imagine Maze taking care of something else. Only Choi Hee-yeon, the youngest member who joined recently and was in charge of chores, listened to them seriously. Choi Hee-yeon rarely talked to Maze, so she didn’t know much about them.
“Then how about going to an abandoned animal shelter? They have pets abandoned by their owners.”
“Oh!”
Maze’s eyes grew large. It looked at Choi Hee-yeon with amazement.
“I want to go.”
“What? With me?”
Maze nodded. Seeing its sparkling eyes, Choi Hee-yeon couldn’t resist. In the end, Choi Hee-yeon decided to come along. Choi Hee-yeon contacted Jin-woo for permission. Jin-woo wasn’t particularly interested, so he just told her to take care of it, but Maze was happy. No one could interfere since Jin-woo allowed it.
“Miss Maze, have you ever been to Earth?”
“I only visit the Cultural Center.”
“I see. Then, just trust me!”
“Oh! Great.”
Choi Hee-yeon went to Earth with Maze. She didn’t forget to put on a disguise because she was famous. Choi Hee-yeon was burning with a sense of duty to show off her dignified appearance. She tried to find shelters by operating her smartphone’s search function with trembling hands.
“There it is!”
“Ah… yes!”
But Maze was much faster. It also adjusted to using public transportation much quicker than her. Maze looked at Choi Hee-yeon as they were wandering in the subway and sighed slightly. Then, Maze bought them tickets instead.
“Y-You know how to do that?”
“I saw it in a drama.”
“Ah…”
“Were you raised as a spoiled child?”
“…It’s not like that…”
Choi Hee-yeon had nothing to say in her defense. Rather, she was wholeheartedly relying on Maze. Maze held her hand, worried that Choi Hee-yeon would get lost. They were able to arrive at the animal shelter smoothly thanks to it.
The shelter had various animals, ranging from dogs and cats to birds, snakes, turtles, and lizards. Maze could feel the animals’ hearts, sensing their pain and sorrow. While looking around, Maze noticed a blue snake with a cut tail and a cat with one eye. They had both lost their will to live and were slowly wasting away.
“I used to be like that.”
“Really?”
“It’s nice to have a family.”
Maze watched the blue snake and the one-eyed cat for a while. Strangely, the animals approached them without caution. Maze adopted the cat, the blue snake, a little tortoise, and a bird. The tortoise’s shell had been badly damaged, and the bird had both its wings clipped.
“I’ll heal them all!”
After returning to the Sanctuary, Maze examined the animals before using its power to fix their missing parts. The cat received red-eye, whereas the tortoise now had a near-impenetrable shell. The blue snake now flicked its fin-like tail, and the bird flapped its large wings. The cat was named Kitty, the blue snake was Mimi, the tortoise was Hefty, and the bird was Chirpie. It was the result of a lot of time spent contemplating with Choi Hee-yeon.
“Wow!”
The animals followed Maze. While playing with them, Maze suddenly remembered Jin-woo. It wanted to show off its new friends to him. Just as Jin-woo took Maze with him, Maze wanted to say that it also made new friends. The cat climbed atop Maze’s shoulders, and the bird perched on its head. Meanwhile, the snake wrapped around Maze’s neck. Maze carefully held the tortoise with both hands.
Then, it first ran to Arina.
“Look at them! Are they cool?”
“Yeah, raise them well. You can’t hand them over to me.”
Arina didn’t respond well, nor did Heo-young. Yoo-na was busy as usual, and Arcana was in the East World. Luna was holed up in the central control room.
“I’m going to brag to Jin-woo.”
“Yeah, that…”
Arina blinked as Maze disappeared through the portal. She thought everything would turn out okay, so she decided not to concern herself.
Maze headed to where Jin-woo was. Perhaps because it was its first time in the East World, the portal coordinates were slightly off. Maze arrived in the mountains around Jin-hu. It put the tortoise down for a moment to try and open the portal again.
Slide!
At that moment, the animals that hung to Maze’s body slid down to the ground and began to wander around.
“Huh?”
Maze blinked. A little while ago, the animals were very small, but when it looked again, they were more than twice as large. The cat now exuded a dignified aura, more of a small tiger than a cat. The snake swam through a small pond, and the tortoise dug into the ground. The bird started flitting around. They were all expressing that they liked this place.
Maze sat there and began to ponder, feeling that Jin-woo would scold it. The day passed as it sat down and agonized like that, and meanwhile, the animals continued to grow.
“I’m in trouble.”
Maze was going to be scolded by Arina when it returned to the Sanctuary, and it was clear that Heo-young would laugh. Now they were too big to hide. In the end, time was passing as they remained there helplessly. Maze secretly returned to the Sanctuary and called Choi Hee-yeon, who was cleaning up.
“Hee-yeon.”
“Yes?”
“Help!”
“You want help?”
Choi Hee-yeon tilted her head as she approached. Maze immediately took Hee-yeon’s hand and crossed through the portal.
“Is this the East World?”
She noticed at once that they were near Jin-hu thanks to Mt. Jin-hu’s unique landscape. Choi Hee-yeon looked to Maze to ask what was going on, but it beckoned at her with a troubled look.
Dddrrrkkk!
The ground shook. Choi Hee-yeon placed her hand on her sword as a tortoise the size of a house dug up through the ground. When she saw its rock-like shell, Choi Hee-yeon immediately recognized them. That was the back shell Maze had attached to it, after all.
“H-Hefty?”
Roaar!
A cry echoed from behind. A huge tiger appeared, mercilessly smashing through trees as it stalked forward. It was smaller than Hefty but so big that it could not even be compared with a normal tiger. She could see beautiful black stripes crossing over white fur and red eyes that sparkled like jewels.
“Kitty?!”
Slide!
Bubbles started to break the calm surface of the pond behind her, and something popped out. It was a snake much larger than an anaconda, though it looked more like a dragon than a snake. Its green and blue scales sparkled. It had a fin attached to the tip of its tail and a stone-like object in its mouth.
“…Mimi?”
It didn’t end there.
Whoosh!
Choi Hee-yeon’s eyes turned blankly toward the sky next. She saw a bird roaming the sky, spreading its huge red wings.
“Chirpie…”
Hefty, Kitty, Mimi, and Chirpie. All of them had changed enormously. Their appearances had changed in size, but they also felt somehow mystical. Choi Hee-yeon had no choice but to stare.
“What should I do?”
“…R-right. What should we do?”
Choi Hee-yeon became confused by Maze’s question. She, too, had become an accomplice. Maze and Choi Hee-yeon’s troubles deepened.
* * *
Jin-woo traveled around each dimension, pulled out human resources, and sent them to the East World. Since they were sent to the General Manager, they would have been placed in the right place for their skills. Thanks to this, Jin-hu’s business was on a sound track and expanding rapidly.
Many elves also migrated into the East World. The product that the elves showed great pride in was their Elonti chickens. It was already receiving explosive responses from the Cultural Center, but above all of that, the chicken was huge. It was almost the size of an ostrich, and the taste was fantastic. Since the chicken was now the staple food of the elves, their artisans had conducted tremendous research. As a result, a masterpiece called the Spirit’s Addictive Barbecue Chicken was born.
[B+] Spirit’s Addictive Barbecue Chicken
Barbecue chicken made with great care by elf artisans. The recipe is as follows:
1. Seize pastured chickens in the forest. When processing chickens, do not use blades, only spirit magic. The soul of the chickens caught in this way reside in the forest and will be reborn as chicken spirits.
2. After cleaning it well, let it soak for two days in the spirit water made by the high-ranked Water Spirit. At this time, ground golden apples, vegetables grown by Orcs, and Elonti’s specialty tea leaves.
3. Take it out of the spirit water, apply World Tree resin evenly to all sides, and dry it well using the high-ranked Wind Spirit’s power. When the brown color dries out and changes to a golden color, wrap it with World Tree leaves.
4. Slowly cook it using the high-rank Fire Spirit’s flame.
5. Apply the Addictive Seasoning made by the Dark Elves using their power and wrap it up.
*It is delicious if you eat it with carbonated water made by Orcs and pickled radish!
Jin-woo felt their great sincerity and had no choice but to allow them to go to the East World. Even there, the chicken was an ordinary ingredient, so it didn’t matter much. There were even hamburger restaurants and Korean restaurants, so making chicken felt rather normal by comparison. The fact that chicken was delicious was a truth that penetrated all dimensions. It was emerging as a sacred food symbolizing Jin-hu.
A group called Golden Gate was born around Jin-hu’s commercial district. It was not intended to create a real faction but to establish a command system centered on the General Manager, but somehow it was called by that name among the people of the martial arts world.
Additionally, it couldn’t be said that the Nine Schools and One Sect were getting along with each other. Internally, their political battle had always been fierce. There was a conflict between the Huashan and Wudang Sect in the original novel, but as Jin-hu emerged as a tourist attraction, it took on a slightly unusual aspect. People were divided into the Black Bean Noodles and the Spicy Seafood Noodles Faction, while the Pouring and Dipping Factions were also at odds. It was particularly severe among young martial artists, centering on the Blue Dragon Association. The elders also gathered and discussed as if they were having arguments.
‘The harmony of seasoning and ingredients is the same as yin and yang, so it makes sense to use it in harmony.’
The Wudang Sect’s disciples insisted on pouring their sauce.
‘Just as the sword of Huashan is ever-changing, so is one’s sense of taste. Locking up one’s taste is like putting a sword in its sheath. Dipping and eating are like a sword that has left its sheath. In other words, it is an unpredictable possibility and the truth of the universe.’
The disciples of the Huashan Sect insisted on dipping their food in the sauce.
‘The seasoning is still a part of sweet and sour pork, and the ingredients are indeed sweet and sour. Sweet and sour pork contains both, so there is no need to divide it into two.’
One monk, who could not bear to watch, intervened.
‘Well… still, is it better than the original?’
Jin-woo nodded.
The Nangong Imperial Clan was still going strong, and there were no big clashes in the Nine Schools and One Sect so far. Rather, there was no armed conflict thanks to the controversy over the confrontation between dipping and pouring, which was consuming only mental strength. It was never intended, but Jin-woo could say he was lucky.
Jin-woo was creating his future policy at Hua-ran’s guesthouse, which had now become his base. As expected, the being whom he had to pay the most attention to was the Emperor. There was also an Emperor in the East World. He did not become an Emperor due to the Devil’s influence, however, but was an independent Emperor. In a way, it was obvious. He was a person anyone could expect.
‘Heavenly Demon Supreme.’
He was the strongest master. He lived a life close to eternity with the Blood Demon Pill made by consuming numerous masters. The time when the original story began was when he collected enough for the Blood Demon Pill.
He was an absolute man who ascended to the position of Emperor in a human body. No one could compete with him in the Nine School & One Sect or the Evil Faction. Not only at brute force, but he was also good at tactics as he had lived for a long time. It was also the reason why the protagonist was completely defeated.
Of course, the part where the author removed the protagonist’s power to adjust the balance also played a big role. At first, he was no match because the protagonist lost his power again and was learning martial arts.
‘Well, it’s amazing that he became an Emperor in a human body.’
Jin-woo was a special case, and it was possible normally only when someone was at the General Manager’s level. In the case of the Heavenly Demon Supreme, he also had great talent, but he could become an Emperor because he had lived for thousands of years. However, yet still, he was not comparable to the General Manager.
‘It’s easier than the other Emperors.’
It was also the reason why Jin-woo wasn’t in a hurry. Regardless of power balance, he was not his opponent. There was a wall that heaven and earth could not dare cross. Jin-woo looked at Yoo-na standing next to him, also dressed in an East World outfit. She had a stunning figure.
“What is Kim Young-hoon doing?”
“I heard he took control of the Japanese politicians and founded the Dimensional First Order. He seems to have a knack for it.”
“I see.”
“The situation has been miraculously resolved. There was no need for support.”
It seemed that the main character correction had appeared. Kim Young-hoon was no longer a sinner since Jin-woo thought about Se-yeon’s contribution and released him. Like a typical protagonist, he had a talent for attracting people. He appeared as a pseudo-sect leader, but Jin-woo decided to let it go because he was living steadily in his way.
Jin-woo left the guesthouse when he heard that M-Dragon Association had arrived. The warriors of the M-Dragon Association were waiting outside, watching Jin-woo with sparkling eyes as he stepped out.
“Lord, everyone has gathered.”
After their mental education, the M-Dragon Association referred to Jin-woo as their lord. Zhuge Mi-xian was quick-witted, so she didn’t call him lord in front of others. Anyway, there was a reason Jin-woo gathered them. He had no choice but to do so.
‘Umm….’
They were loaded with new personalities, but the rest was strangely twisted, making them eccentric. It could be seen as training that pushed the body to an extreme, but the results were disastrous. They had scars and bruises all over their bodies.
Zhuge Mi-xian was once beautiful enough to be a part of Five Peaks of the East, but now she looked different from a beggar. In the original novel, she paid a lot of attention to her appearance and used it as a weapon. But not now. She became a pervert who bled profusely.
As expected, five years seemed a little excessive. It was impossible to change them back since they had turned out like that. However, Jin-woo wanted to make them, at least for appearances, look good. After all, he couldn’t give them potions every time he called them.
‘For now…’
Fortunately, there was something plausible in the Torture Spellbook from the Demonic Torture Expert.
[C+] Bloodless Pain
A technique designed for clean, bloodless torture. Instead of nullifying the damage inflicted on the body, it provides pain that exceeds the body’s limits. Damage can be nullified to the extent that the mind can withstand it, but most people go crazy.
It was perfect for their current situation. He handed the Spellbook to Zhuge Mi-xian, who looked at Jin-woo with surprise.
“T-this is…?! Is it a secret martial art textbook?”
“It’s similar, but learn it first. It’s better than running around bleeding.”
It wasn’t difficult to learn. If it was, it could not be used for torture. Since it was a spellbook for torture, it could be naturally learned just by reading it since the text was automatically interpreted.
Zhuge Mi-xian learned it first. There was a twinkle in her eyes.
“Young Man Liu, stab me with your sword.”
“W-will it be okay?”
As Zhuge Mi-xian nodded, Liu Su-yun drew his sword. He poked at Zhuge Mi-xian.
Ting!
Liu Su-yun’s sword was one of the famous blades. However, it could not pierce Zhuge Mi-xian’s skin. It felt like stabbing iron. Liu Su-yun was surprised and looked at Zhuge Mi-xian. He had never before heard a rumor that Zhuge Mi-xian had learned such physical strength-based martial arts. Zhuge Mi-xian was trembling, her face full of joy.
“T-this time, put some force in it…!”
“U-Understood.”
Liu Su-yun swung with some force. However, his sword bounced off harmlessly.
“S-Sword Invincibility?!”
“It can’t be!”
Shouts of admiration erupted from the warriors. Jin-woo was also slightly surprised by its power. He didn’t know that it could even block a sword. It was a spellbook handed over to him in the hope that these guys would enjoy themselves in moderation.
“Bloodless Hell Body Technique….”
Zhuge Mi-xian whispered the words softly, tears flowing down her cheeks.
“Lord, for us, you…!”
“I can’t believe she just blocked the sword. It’s a martial arts that appears only in legend!”
“Sob…”
The M-Dragon Association warriors knelt and bowed their heads.
‘…Did I do something I shouldn’t have?’
Still, it would be better than letting them die. It was the moment when a body technique that transcended the Unbreakable Diamond was born. It was the ultimate body technique that only a special body type could learn. At the same time, Èyun Qi was delivered from the Demon Realm. He, too, had been transformed into a completely new person through their special modifications. Jin-woo ordered the torture expert to equip him with a new personality and remodel him to be useful.
The torture expert perfectly carried out Jin-woo’s orders. Èyun Qi had changed.
“By the grace of the Lord, I’m Èyun Qi! I have become the Demonic Duke Èyun Qi.
There were some changes in his appearance.
“This is the tentacle that the Lord’s servant, the King of Underworld, gave me!”
“Ahhh… so cool.”
“Oh! I’m jealous…!”
Èyun Qi’s hand melted and turned into tentacles.
Wiggle, wiggle!
The tentacles could emit anything from a mildly prickly liquid to an acidic substance that melted iron.
“…”
That was not what Jin-woo meant to make him useful, but Èyun Qi was fused with a monster. It was the moment when the Tentacle Duke Èyun Qi appeared in the martial arts world. The M-Dragon Association became ecstatic when they saw his tentacles swaying in the air.
“It suits him perfectly. As expected of the Lord.”
The M-Dragon Association all looked at Jin-woo with renewed respect. Anyway, since the main characters of trolling had changed their minds, the martial arts world felt a little brighter. Èyun Qi had returned, so it was time for them to leave Jin-hu.
“Since I’m here…”‘
Let’s correct this tragic East World and also deal with the Emperor.
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