The Failure Marquis Is A Genius [EN]: Chapter 162

Chapter 19: Ruins – A Talented Failure

The Kraken revealed its true form.

Buildings were crushed like tofu [soft bean curd], and terrified Fishmen screamed and fled, looking no different from cockroaches. A sense of omnipotence surged from the depths of my chest.

“Worship and fear! Your fate is sealed.”

For the first time, I felt satisfied that the underwater city was a confined space, blocked off from the sea. No matter how they ran, they couldn’t reach the surface. In the end, they were just nutrients to be digested in my stomach.

“Ah, right, you were here.”

The only one who dared to defy me was a weak human. A crazy bastard who brazenly confessed to swallowing the Mermaid King’s Orb, which I had so desperately desired.

Even Prime Minister Ilina and the other humans had left him behind to evacuate the Fishmen. They should have been helping him, but instead…

“Very unpleasant.”

His confidence, as if he thought he could face me one-on-one, was infuriating. I swung my leg down to crush him instantly, but then,

*Thwack!*

I didn’t immediately understand what had happened. My leg, which no weapon could previously harm, had been so easily severed.

Intense pain followed.

“Kuaaaaaah!!!”

I writhed and regenerated the severed part.

The energy I accumulated from eating was used to unleash explosive power or to restore severed body parts.

The Kraken had been consuming Fishmen and other food for a thousand years, accumulating energy.

In other words, unless that impudent human could deplete all of my thousand years’ worth of energy, it would be impossible for him to win.

In the meantime, he would either tire out and collapse, or a weakness would be revealed. Either way, the situation would turn in my favor.

“How amusing. Flail about as much as you like.”

I couldn’t hold back any longer. The Kraken swung its legs like windmills, relentlessly unleashing attacks.

*Kwakwakwakwang!*

Everywhere its legs swept was devastated.

The destructive power, the flexibility to freely control its length, and the swift movements proved that it had not rusted, even after a thousand years.

But why?

The human dodged like a loach [a type of freshwater fish known for its slippery movements]. The sounds were deafening, but there were no effective hits. It was as if he was reading my attacks in advance.

“What… what are you?”

The Kraken felt like all its moves were being read, and it pressed on even more aggressively. However, the human’s 100% evasion rate remained unbroken.

Still, even a human would eventually run out of stamina. I steadily launched a barrage of attacks, waiting for that opportunity, but what was this? The human remained unchanged from beginning to end. Rather, it seemed like he was warming up, flying around even more.

I had already used up five hundred years’ worth of energy out of the thousand. More than half was gone. Anxious thoughts spread like wildfire.

‘I didn’t want to use my hidden card, but at this point, I have no choice.’

The Kraken had a hidden trump card: the ink cannon. It could unleash the sticky mucus stored in its nasal cavity like a water cannon.

Until now, it had invariably used this ink to survive or win against opponents who were equal or superior.

It was a skill too good to waste on a mere bug, and it hurt its pride. However, if the situation continued to deteriorate, it wouldn’t just be its pride on the line, but its life. In the end, it made a decision.

“You impudent bastard! Don’t run away, come closer!”

It deliberately pretended to be agitated, trying to lower the human’s guard. Meanwhile, it secretly aimed. Unless someone had experienced the ink cannon before, anyone fighting it for the first time would be caught off guard.

“Got you!”

As soon as it felt the moment was right, it fired the ink cannon with all its might. A black cloud spread out in a circle around it.

‘Got him!’

The Kraken cheered. Unlike its previous linear and simple leg attacks, this was an omnidirectional attack. If even the slightest bit hit any part of his body, it would be over. He wouldn’t be able to show off his nimble movements like before.

The thick fog slowly cleared. Soon, the ink-covered human would be flailing around in panic. It focused its eyes, eager to see that expression.

The ink completely cleared, and its vision returned. The human was nowhere to be seen. It washed its eyes several times, but it was still the same.

“Looking for me?”

A chilling voice ran down its spine from the top of its head. Despite being a mollusk, goosebumps erupted all over its body.

The human was… above its head.

* * *

-Kid, to the left.

-Right… You don’t even need to tell me anymore, I can dodge just fine now.

After reaching the Master level, the extent to which I could sense Ki [life force or energy] had developed to a different dimension. I felt like the surrounding space was breathing with me.

My body moved reflexively before the attacks even came. Moreover, I was using the same movements I saw in Merlin’s memories, so there was no way I could miss.

The Kraken was the same as when I saw it in the Golden Branch test. It had been a thousand years, but it was still the same. In some ways, that was impressive.

In any case, it was easy to deal with. The octopus kept tilting its head. All of its attacks were missing, and I was catching even its smallest habits and countering them, so it had no way to respond.

Above all, the cutting power of the existing Mana Sword and Aura Sword was on a different level. The Kraken’s legs, which would have taken several swings to cut off before, were now disappearing with a single graze.

[Tenacious Life Force activated]

[Increased HP regeneration]

With the passive skill activated as the finishing touch, I became an OP [overpowered] character with unlimited stamina, wielding the Aura Blade.

‘Even I think this is too much.’

My endurance had broken through the ceiling, while the Kraken was gradually getting exhausted. At this rate, it would be an easy victory.

However, there was no way the Kraken would just stand by and watch. It suddenly pretended to be agitated and revealed an opening. It was clumsy, but Campbell might have fallen for that level of acting.

‘It’s going to shoot ink!’

That was the only skill I had to watch out for from that octopus. According to my memories, many of the Fishmen warriors who tried to subdue the Kraken had been instantly sent to the afterlife after being hit by the ink.

I might not have known before, but there was no way I would let it hit me now. As it puffed up its cheeks, I kicked off the air and shot into the sky.

[Wind Control]

[Haste]

[Shunpo [a technique that allows a person to move so fast that they seem to disappear]]

Was it because I had become a Sword Master? It seemed like my proficiency with wind skills had increased. I shot upwards so fast that not even a residual image remained. The Kraken didn’t even notice where I had disappeared to.

Standing on top of the octopus’s smooth bald head, the view was quite good. I could see the entire Poseidon City.

In the distance, the Fishmen were still wailing and running away. It was time to end this, even for their sake.

“Sweetly accept the price of your sins.”

*Flash!*

One-Slash Severance (一刀兩斷) [Idiomatic expression: to cut something in half with one stroke]

An emerald light slashed vertically.

No matter how good its regeneration was, there was no way the Kraken could recover from being split in half from head to crotch.

However, its half-functioning brain was still in chaos. The Kraken looked at me with shocked eyes.

“How… how did you know my attacks? Have you fought me before?”

“Just lucky.”

“That’s impossible… What is your true identity?”

Hmm, should I tell him since he’s about to die?

“My real identity is…”

I trailed off, and I could feel him listening intently.

“…None of your business.”

“?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Have you ever seen such a crazy bastard?!”

The octopus, enraged, seemed to lose strength in its legs and flopped around. Now, it was gripped by the fear of death and began to beg pathetically for its life.

“Give me something to eat. Then you can live.”

“Why would I? You’ve been eating Fishmen and humans for a thousand years, and it’s still not enough?”

“What do you want? I am the king of the underwater city. I can grant you anything you desire.”

“Well, I’m a surface dweller, so I have no attachment to the underwater city.”

As I raised my sword to finish him off, the Kraken said urgently.

“The surface is fine too. I have connections there. If you take me to the surface, I will make you a cadre [a small group of people specially trained for a particular purpose or profession] in the strongest organization in the world.”

The strongest organization in the world? Did it know even the Emperor of the Empire? No matter how I looked at it, an octopus head and an emperor didn’t match.

It seemed like it was bluffing, so I infused Aura into my sword. The Kraken became even more desperate and started rambling.

“Twilight! Do you know the organization called Twilight? I am called Gluttony there. You are qualified enough to become a cadre there. I will recommend you for the position of Envy or Lust.”

The Kraken was Gluttony, one of the Seven Apostles… Why did this organization keep appearing whenever things were about to get boring?

With that, the last reason to spare the octopus’s head disappeared. Not that I had any intention of letting it live in the first place. Still, let’s find out the identity of the Twilight cult leader before killing it.

“Do you know who the Twilight cult leader is? Tell me, and I’ll spare you.”

“The cult leader is…”

The Kraken hesitated for a long time, its mouth clamped shut.

“Ask me something else.”

“So you roughly know something?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“I’m only interested in that. If you reveal the identity of the Twilight cult leader, I’ll catch a Fishman and stuff it in your mouth.”

Of course, that was a lie.

I was just planning to extract the valuable information.

The Kraken kept the secret until the end. It wasn’t because it had noticed my intentions, but rather because it had a fundamental fear of the cult leader.

“The cult leader is a terrifying person… If you cross him, even death won’t set you free. Just kill me.”

*Thwack!*

I granted its wish. The Kraken, barely clinging to life, met its end. It was a miserable end for one of Twilight’s Seven Apostles.

“Kkyuu!!”

Coco, smelling the sweet scent, jumped out of the subspace. Now that I thought about it, the Kraken was a demon among demons. It was a perfect feast for Coco.

“Kkyukkyu?”

“You’re asking if you can eat it? Go ahead.”

“Kkyuuuu!!!”

Coco thanked me and devoured the octopus headfirst. It had such a good appetite that the huge Kraken quickly disappeared.

‘I wonder if it feels like eating boiled octopus.’

While I was having silly thoughts, a dazzling light emanated from Coco, who had finished her Kraken feast.

“Could it be?”

“Kkyuu!”

*Fwoosh!*

A bright blue light covered the palace. A faint electric current was mixed in with the light. I instinctively felt it. Coco was evolving into a fully-fledged dragon.

*Pop!*

When the light faded, a perfect Silver Dragon was looking down at me. A dragon with scales that shimmered like falling snow. Every time Coco moved slightly, the light reflected off its scales.

[Coco – Hatchling Ⅲ -> Adult Dragon]

[Evolution Rate – 0%]

[When the evolution rate reaches 100%, it will evolve into an Ancient Dragon.]

Coco, who had been looking down at me with warm eyes, cried out. Now that it had become an adult dragon, it would make a roar like a beast…

“Kkyuuuu!!!”

“Huh?”

“Kkyuuu!!!”

Something was strange? Had it regressed back to a Hatchling instead of evolving into an adult dragon? But the system window said it had become an adult dragon?

Coco smiled at my bewildered expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that, kkyu!”

“You can talk now?”

“That’s right, kkyu!”

“Your 말투 (manner of speaking) [speech pattern] is still like a child’s…”

“I ate a lot of demons and grew up fast, kkyu! But I’m still a kid, kkyu!”

Well, Coco hadn’t even been born for a few years. It seemed to make sense.

“I’m glad I can talk to Daddy now, kkyu.”

“Da…ddy?”

“Aren’t you Daddy, kkyu? You raised me, kkyu!”

I did raise it. When it was in the egg, I put it in the subspace with the Dragon Heart. And I diligently hunted demons and gave them to it as food every meal.

When I thought about it, Coco had expensive tastes. It hardly ever touched goblins or orcs, except when we were in the North.

Looking at the menu it had eaten so far, it had consumed mid-level demons, cursed monsters, fallen Valkyries, and a thousand-year-old Kraken. There was a good reason for its rapid growth.

‘Maybe I’m a surprisingly capable dad?’