Got Dumped and Became a Nerf Ability User

Episode 30: The King of a Kingdom Without a King

– Tap!

I grabbed Chaewon’s hand as she was slowly pulling down her pants.

“What are you doing?”

Hearing my words, Chaewon flinched as if startled and pushed my hand away.

【W-What?】

“… You said to offer the most precious liquid.”

【Y-Yeah?】

Chaewon tilted her head, waiting with bated breath for my next words.

“But why are you pulling down your pants?”

【W-Well, obviously…】

She wiggled her fingers, and I remembered the day Harin bought me a weapon.

At that time, she was asked by the shopkeeper if the person next to her was her boyfriend, and she wiggled her fingers.

‘Now I know why she hesitated back then.’

【Ugh… Of course… It’s your semen, right?】

Chaewon seemed to muster the courage to say that, a bit shyly.

“… Think about it for a second.”

【W-What?! Is what I said wrong?!】

“Then, does that mean a girl can’t come in here alone?”

【Well… I guess that’s true. Then what’s the most precious liquid in your opinion?】

I shook my head.

“Of course it’s blood, right? Every person, regardless of gender, has it and can’t do without it. And clearly, it seems like I could just give a little cut to my hand with that dagger over there and collect the blood in that bowl.”

【… You’re something else.】

“I’m not something else; you’re the incredibly perverted one. If you hadn’t been born into a wealthy family, I guarantee you would have had a high chance of becoming a homeless person, at least ninety-nine point nine percent.”

As I spoke to Chaewon, I slightly cut the tip of my left ring finger with the bronze dagger placed in front of us.

【… Fool. Don’t people usually use their index fingers?】

“Is that so? I don’t think it matters much.”

– Kugu-gung!

【R-Really?!】

“… What is it?”

– Thud thud thud thud.

【Ah… I bit my tongue. Suddenly, the ground is shaking and it’s chaos….】

“Huh? There’s a space forming in front of us?”

With a tremendous vibration, a new space appeared ahead.

And in front of it were extinguished torches.

– Whoosh!

The extinguished torches ignited, as if guiding us inward.

【… Hey… T-This is…】

Even though the torches were blazing right next to us, a chilling air seemed to emanate from the space.

It was something I had never felt before and could never understand.

That dizzying sense of guilt seemed to flow down my spine to my brain.

Yet, I could not succumb to fear like this.

I had to move forward.

I needed to go to this end and become stronger.

Because… this revenge isn’t only mine.

Even if I succeeded in nerfing it, it wouldn’t be everything in my life, and I still have promises to keep with Eunbyul.

I couldn’t sit down here.

Even if time changes the color of the sky.

Humans do not always live in submission.

“… This seems to be the boss room. I should take down the boss like this.”

I said that and slowly walked forward.

– Thud. – Thud.

My footsteps echoed all around.

【W-Wait! I want to go too!】

Chaewon quickly flew to my side and perched on my left shoulder.

“You. You’re supposed to be in the sword right now.”

【Huh? Why?】

“I just feel like you should be inside.”

At that moment, the soul absorption wasn’t just some shoddy technique to create a conversation partner.

‘I’m sure that the absorbed soul must be contained in the weapon in order to grow or become stronger.’

I thought of that speculation in my mind.

【Huh? What did you say? I didn’t catch that.】

“Just stay inside. I’ll let you out when the fight is over.”

【… Do you really have to let me out? It’s not because I’m a nuisance that you’re shoving me in there, right?】

“Of course not. Without you, I’d have to read that book after defeating the boss, wouldn’t I?”

【Yeah…】

“I’m glad you can read Latin.”

Chaewon nodded and entered the sword.

【Dummy.】

She left that curse behind as she completely entered.

I thought I could hear a ‘whoosh’ sound when she went in.

“Ha…”

It seems like entering the sword is something she can do on her own.

But I have to summon the soul to get her out, so she can’t come out on her own.

‘Alright. Now all that’s left is to move forward.’

This cold sensation was something I had definitely experienced before.

Snowy mountains.

The final remaining knight goblin of the kingdom, which looked like a blue mutation.

Their dying king.

The knight who had become a representative.

The first time I entered the gate after receiving the System’s blessing.

Unforgettable memories.

I’m certain that back then, it stated ‘Fallen Goblin Kingdom’ upon clearing.

‘It has fallen…’

Before I got that System blessing, I often went through not only the Blue Gate but even the Black Gate.

The Black Gate had changed.

Strangely enough, ever since I got the System’s blessing, every time I entered the Black Gate, something about the atmosphere felt down.

‘As if it resembled the day before the world’s ruin… Could that be an exaggeration?’

And its name is ‘Fallen Goblin Kingdom’.

Of course, the subsequent field-type dungeon in the Black Gate, ‘Snake’s Ruins’, was not titled ‘Collapsed Snake’s Ruins’, so it might be a stretch.

‘But…’

I kept walking towards the boss, constantly interrupted by random thoughts.

Descending down the oval-shaped stairs led me deeper into what seemed an endless underground.

With each step deeper into the underground, an intense cold, akin to that experienced in the polar regions, slapped against my cheeks.

– Tap.

Have I finally reached the end of this staircase?

This sensation felt as if my body was floating.

A sensation stimulating my abdomen.

It was a feeling born from fear.

– Creak.

Accompanied by the sound of something moving, a chilling cold froze my body.

I could not tell whether the overwhelming fear had frozen me or if the cold was primarily responsible.

“… A human…? Is there a living human here…?”

In front of me, at about a distance of 100m, the creature spoke.

“Are you the boss of this place?”

“That’s right.”

‘Aren’t you a monster?… No, if it were a person, they probably wouldn’t mention being human.’

I approached closer to the one who spoke.

Now, the distance between us was 50m.

I drew my sword, taking a combat stance.

“But… for a monster to speak… how surprising?”

“… Human. Are you planning to confront me with that shabby sword?”

“But you’re wearing that strange helmet, too?!”

Honestly, it’s a childish thought, but this guy is pretty badass.

“… I used to live as a human once.”

The one addressing me as a human was clad in black armor.

He had a tattered black cloak hanging behind him, and his helmet was adorned with an upside-down cross.

Typically, an upside-down cross symbolizes heresy, but since the helmet is pierced by a cross, that’s where the eye section must be.

If that’s the case… it makes no sense unless he has eyes located below his face.

‘At least if he were human…’

“But now, I’m not.”

“What?”

“As a fellow human. No, as one who was once human, to wield a sword now is…”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Know that it is not of my own will.”

The figure in the black armor placed a hand on the sheath at his waist.

– Whoosh!

Then he drew his sword.

He left the sheath discarded far away.

It seemed he wielded a one-handed straight sword, just like mine.

But his weapon emitted an uncontainable chill.

‘Could it be…’

“Is this your first time seeing something like this?”

“… How did you do that?”

It was as if he had fashioned a sword out of everlasting ice, with snowflakes constantly dropping from his one-handed sword.

The color of the frost was pure white, contrasting sharply with his armor.

The blade itself was a light sky blue.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it appeared partly transparent, resembling a weapon made of diamond.

“This is a weapon, unique in this world, forged for me by my old friend in forever-unmelting ice.”

“Is that a type of everlasting snow?”

“Yes. Do you know what everlasting snow is?”

“I’m not exactly sure… but isn’t it something that’s been around for thousands of years?”

“That’s not wrong; however… everlasting snow means snow that does not melt. While ‘man’ can signify just a number, what this implies is…”

Suddenly, the black-armored figure crouched down and rapidly closed the distance between us, pressuring me.

“It signifies eternity!”

– Whoosh!

– Clang!

“Cough!”

I barely managed to block it.

It was cold.

No, it was freezing.

Even after exchanging just a single strike with him, my entire body had turned ice-cold to the extent that my limbs were shaking.

‘If I don’t do something about that icy sword!’

I took a step back to create distance from him.

“To withstand this… you’re not ordinary, are you?”

“Ha…”

My breath exhaled steam with every inhale.

I couldn’t end my one life here.

I had no choice but to use my specialty.

‘King’s Insight activated.’

– Ding!

[Checking the monster’s information.]

[Information]

Name: King of a Kingdom Without a King (Lv.??)

Current status: Under the control of a parasite.

=================

All I could ascertain was the name and state of that figure in black armor.

Even that name wasn’t properly articulated.

‘King of a Kingdom Without a King.’

His statement that he was once human.

What does this system want to tell me?

Moreover, my weapon’s name is ‘Sword of the King Who Lost His Master.’

What secrets does this world hold?

“My ice-breaking sword technique wears down my opponent gradually.”

I had a strong premonition that I needed to defeat this figure to uncover my curiosity.

“Come at me.”

No matter what happens, I will face the truth at the end of this.

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