The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 159

‘I should have been more careful.’

That was the thought of One-Horn the Butcher.

When he first entered the ruins, he was relaxed. He thought that even if something happened, a hundred skilled Fishmen would be enough to handle it.

Their plan was to follow the path taken by Prime Minister Ilina and the humans, find the treasure, kill the now-useless humans, and capture Ilina.

However, the ruins were a far cry from what he had imagined; it was a truly hellish place.

The maze-like structure made it difficult to guess where the people ahead had gone, and each stage was filled with nasty traps and monsters.

Each time One-Horn and his men passed a stage, at least two or three of them had to die.

“Boss, what kind of hell is that over there?”

“Go check it out yourself.”

“What? No way.”

“If you don’t want to, I’ll send you there by force.”

“You bastard!!!”

The only reason they were able to get through was that One-Horn threw his subordinates forward several times, and they also tried to follow a similar path by listening to the sounds of the humans ahead.

Not a few subordinates died after getting lost on the wrong paths. At this point, One-Horn found the humans and Prime Minister Ilina strange.

“How are they breaking through this place so effortlessly? Do they have a blueprint or something?”

A blueprint would be a relief. If they were breaking through with skill, it would mean they were incredibly skilled experts… One-Horn felt a slight chill down his spine.

‘Surely not. It can’t be.’

* * *

“Brothers, welcome.”

I gave an excessive welcome, but there was no response. Or rather, they were too out of it to respond. They were pale and nauseous, relieved to have returned alive from hell.

When I first saw them through the shared vision, there were about a hundred, but now there were only about thirty at first glance. A whopping seventy had died. And if they hadn’t heard our voices and chased after us, they would have been completely annihilated.

But the problem wasn’t over. Even after coming out, a strange atmosphere flowed among them. In particular, the other Fishmen looked at One-Horn with distrust and suspicion.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Should I gouge your eyes out?”

“Many brothers died because you forced us to come here.”

“That’s right. You threw us like bait to activate the traps.”

“What are you talking about now! You all implicitly agreed!”

“None of this would have happened if you hadn’t gathered us in the first place.”

A division arose within. One-Horn must have thought he needed to change the subject, as he hurriedly pointed his finger at us.

“The enemies are over there! Instead of getting angry at me, get rid of those guys! Tear them to pieces to relieve your anger!”

Numerous hostile gazes were directed at us. It wouldn’t be difficult to take them out, but there’s a better way now. I shrugged my shoulders and stepped forward.

“Attacking is fine, but are you really sure? We broke through the traps that killed dozens of you without a single casualty. Do you really think we did it by luck?”

Even the thickest-headed wouldn’t fail to understand these words. The Fishmen thugs, now reduced to thirty, hesitated.

“You stupid bastards! Kill them now!”

“Then the boss should go first.”

“What?”

“You threw us as bait in the maze. This time, the boss should check it out first.”

“If you don’t go, I’ll kill you…”

One-Horn, who was about to beat someone to set an example, paused, sensing a cold murderous intent. His instincts were warning him. The moment he drew his sword here, all thirty of them would tear him to shreds.

It was also difficult to charge in alone. I had proven overwhelming martial prowess against Hunchback in the martial arts competition. He knew very well that a one-on-one fight with me was a bad idea.

“Boss, what are you doing? You need to move.”

“Tch!”

He couldn’t do this, and he couldn’t do that. Let’s throw out a source that everyone would be interested in here.

“I have good news for you. There’s treasure sunk under the lake.”

Greed always blinds people, whether they’re humans or Fishmen. The moment they heard there was treasure beyond, their eyes lit up.

“What? Is that true?”

“Would we have come all the way here with all this trouble if it weren’t true? It’s real.”

“It’s true. According to the records, there is treasure here.”

Even Ilina’s words made the Fishmen start to believe.

“You guys go and check the treasure first. There’s too much to carry anyway. We’ve already taken as much as we can. This way, we don’t have to shed blood, right?”

The Fishmen, unable to believe my words, narrowed their eyes.

“Prove it. Where’s the treasure? You’re all empty-handed.”

I opened the subspace gourd [a magical container]. I took out only a very small lump from the treasure mountain inside and poured it onto the ground. Even that amount was enormous, and instantly, treasure exceeding my height poured out.

“Wh-what!”

“It’s real treasure!”

“There’s more under there?”

Naturally, the Fishmen’s eyes went wide. I put the shown treasure back into the subspace.

“As you can see, there’s a lot of treasure. More is buried below. Go in and get it yourself.”

“Don’t believe his lies! Attack them and take that gourd!”

“If you quietly take the treasure, we’ll stay still, but if you covet even our things, it’s war. The choice is yours.”

The guys who had been conflicted for a while made a decision.

“A few of you, stay here and guard the humans. I’ll go down and take a look.”

“What? No way. I’ll go down. You stay and guard.”

“What are you talking about? I contributed the most to breaking through the traps. So, I should have priority over the treasure.”

“You’re full of crap. What did a guy like you, always sucking up to the boss, ever do to deserve that?”

“What? Are you running your mouth again?”

The Fishmen started bickering and fighting.

It was all going exactly as I had anticipated.

“You bunch of idiots!”

One-Horn watched the ridiculous scene with a frustrated expression. But he had lost his leadership the moment he used his subordinates as bait.

“Forget it! I’m going first.”

“That cheapskate!”

“Let’s go together!”

Suddenly, one of the Fishmen made a rash move. He jumped into the lake without permission.

Did this action serve as a catalyst? To seize the treasure, the others also plunged into the lake.

Except for One-Horn, all the Fishmen jumped into the lake. I released my tamed bat-frogs to monitor the situation inside in real-time.

How would the legendary monster react to the uninvited guests in the lake? Two reptilian eyes emerged from the deep waters.

“What? There’s no treasure… Ugh, aaaaaah!!!”

“Guh! Help me! There’s something here!!”

“Run away! The human tricked us!”

As Fishmen, they tried to swim to the surface quickly, but it was all within the Imoogi’s [a large, mythical serpent-like creature] grasp.

A large mouth swallowed a dozen of them in one gulp. Their muscular bodies were easily severed by sharp teeth.

Their screams echoed off the cliff walls. Meanwhile, I quickly analyzed the information obtained from the bat-frogs.

‘Considerable speed even underwater. The scales also seem tough. I need to be careful of that swallowing skill.’

The Imoogi, having finished its feast of blood, muttered.

[The ones who look the tastiest aren’t coming down. Hurry up and come. I’ll be waiting…]

Thus, the Fishmen thugs who followed us all went to the afterlife, except for One-Horn.

“The treasure at the bottom of the lake was a lie. You treacherous bastard.”

“Of course, it was a lie. You knew that, didn’t you?”

“I never imagined you’d be carrying that much treasure with you at all times.”

Originally, I might have spared him, but One-Horn had committed too many atrocities to let him live.

After subduing the desperately struggling guy, I tied him up with rope and threw him into the lake. The Imoogi, thinking this was its chance, quickly swallowed him.

[Such a tease. If you’re going to stay there, I’ll come up.]

Splash!

The massive Imoogi soared above the water’s surface, causing an unexpected downpour in the dark cave.

[So, you were here. The main dish.]

“What? It could come out of the water? I thought it was a water snake.”

Campbell grumbled and stepped forward. Zion used camouflage to disappear into the darkness, and Orneo waved his staff from the rear, drawing lake water upwards.

I stood in the middle, ready to use Druid skills. The seamless and orderly nature of the entire process impressed Ilina, who exclaimed.

“Amazing.”

“Why are you so impressed by something like this? Ilina, find your place. With your weapon’s characteristics, it would be best to protect the old man from the rear.”

“Yes.”

The Imoogi’s eyes gleamed as it watched us form our ranks.

[A small game after thousands of years. Endure as much as you can. It’ll be more fun that way.]

The Imoogi’s tail rushed towards us in a straight line. Old Man Orneo waved his staff grandly.

“Water Shield!”

A violently rotating water shield deflected the tail. Even after that, the snake’s tail was repeatedly blocked by Old Man Orneo.

“Nice one, old man!”

Campbell charged forward with his bastard sword.

“Be careful!”

As we saw earlier, the Imoogi’s swallowing attack was quite threatening. The Imoogi’s yellow eyes curved into crescents as it watched Campbell approach.

[I’ll taste the first one first.]

The large creature stretched its mouth wide open, leaving Campbell no room to escape.

“Huh?”

Campbell was flustered. But it’s okay. I haven’t joined the fight yet.

[Crystal Control]

[Golem Summon]

I summoned five crystal golems in quick succession. They are less effective against human experts, but there’s no one as reliable as golems in monster raids like this.

As my proficiency in the Golem Summon skill increased, the size of the golems naturally increased as well. With five golems clinging to the Imoogi, it looked like five children were clinging to one adult man.

[Ugh! These bizarre stone lumps!]

Taking advantage of the Imoogi’s flustered struggles, Zion, who had been hiding, stabbed the gaps in its scales with his sword.

[Kyaooo!!]

The scales were tough, but the gaps between them were vulnerable flesh. Moreover, the Imoogi, aged after thousands of years, had tattered scales, revealing bare skin in places.

Zion, true to his assassin’s nature, relentlessly targeted the Imoogi’s weak points, keeping it off balance.

[How dare you! How dare you!!]

But Ilina wasn’t finished. Her Huan [a type of magical weapon or familiar] darted around, persistently attacking the Imoogi’s yellow eyes. She certainly knew how to fight.

[Crystal Control]

[Giant Crystal]

Finally, it was my turn. I leaped forward and activated the Giant skill, forming a massive crystal fist on my right hand.

“Eat this!”

Pow!!!

[Kuaaaaak!!]

It wasn’t just a fist; it was a giant crystal fist infused with mana. The Imoogi staggered from the direct hit of the right hook.

Perhaps realizing the situation was turning against it, the Imoogi fled into the depths of the lake.

It was definitely more powerful in the water. The heavy crystal golems became sluggish underwater and were easily destroyed by the Imoogi.

[Every single one of you is annoying. But you shall not pass. I am the strongest in the water!]

I watched the Imoogi rant, cornered as it was. It was indeed difficult to fight underwater.

In situations like these, a decisive blow is needed.

I decided to use some buffs [temporary enhancements to abilities or stats].

[You have consumed an Acorn]

[Passive skills are enhanced]

[Stamina greatly increased]

[Mana regeneration greatly increased]

[Effect only applies to Druids]

[Duration: 10 hours]

[You have consumed a Fish Transformation Pill]

[Stamina slightly increased]

[Free movement underwater is possible]

[Duration: 1 hour]

Lastly, I summoned Coco from the subspace [a pocket dimension or alternate space]. Ilina’s jaw dropped when a strange hatchling appeared beside her.

“Oh my goodness, what is that adorable creature?”

“There’s no time to explain now, I’ll tell you later.”

Quick-witted Coco immediately understood the situation.

“Kyu!! Kyu kyu!”

“You want to use your abilities? I was thinking the same thing.”

I raised my hand.

Then, I used the first skill I acquired after becoming a Druid: Bind.

[Wood Control]

[Enhanced Bind]

Bind, enhanced by becoming a high-level Druid and consuming an acorn. The effect was truly remarkable.

Kukwakwakwakwa!!!

The ground split open, and countless tree roots surged upwards. The roots twisted around each other, strengthening their hold.

The thick roots that emerged covered the Imoogi’s entire body. They writhed like an army of ants, constricting it. It looked like a legion.

“!!!”

My companions, including Ilina, were wide-eyed. Zion and Campbell, who had seen my skills before, were equally astonished. The scale of the Bind skill was immense, and its power was undeniable.

[Kuaaaa! Let go! I said let go!!]

The more the Imoogi struggled, the tighter the tree roots bound it. As its movements grew sluggish, Coco rammed its horn into the Imoogi.

Kwajik!

The hatchling’s horn pierced the flesh. Blue electricity crackled at its tip.

“Go, Coco!”

“Pika… Kyuuuu!”

Pajijijijik!!!!!

For the record, this is a lake.

Water is everywhere.

Coco’s deadly electricity, with the potential to become a Holy Dragon, illuminated the dark lake in a dazzling display.

[Kieeeeeek!!!]

Completely restrained, with electricity coursing through its entire body, the Imoogi was not only in immense pain but also completely paralyzed.

“It’s over.”

I raised the Cheonma Sword [likely a powerful, named sword] high. The Dual Mana [internal energy], drawn from my dantian [energy center in the body], enveloped the sword.

The only emerald light in the blue lake. Finally, the Mana Sword flashed vertically.

Deng—Geong!!!

A bloodline appeared on the Imoogi’s neck. The crack, initially as thin as a hairline, gradually widened until the body and neck were separated.

[Human… strong…]

With those last words, the Imoogi fell silent.

It was the end of a legendary being.