《The 31st Piece Turns the Tables》 Chapter 415 The 31st Piece Turns the Tables Chapter 415 [ Adventure 34 - (Special). ''Star Graveyard'' In Shirlen, a city under the Federation¡¯s jurisdiction, there is a ruin that seems almost alive. This ruin, which had been built by ancient dwarves, was created with technology far more advanced than what is known today. The magic, shamanic spells, and mechanical knowledge slumbering here are enough to make every schr''s heart race. However, once a year, this ruin bes a yground for nobles who hide their identities. Today was one of those days¡­ Until the Star Graveyard began showing an abnormal reaction. This ancient relic had woken up, and it was craving blood. Survival is naturally the most important goal. Objective: Survive until the Star Grave reopens or break through the Star Graveyard. Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment¡¯s notice. Remaining time ¡¸Unknown¡¹] There was one thing to note. It was about whether this Adventure was truly dangerous. ''There''s no way to know¡­'' The answer was closer to being unknown. The difficulty of an Adventure was based on the yer''s level. It had nothing to do with the yer''s skill. In other words, based on Seol''s level alone, this Adventure should have been quite dangerous. However, considering that Seol was much stronger than others of the same level, the difficulty of this Adventure was appropriatelybeled as unknown. ''Judging by the energy I feel¡­ it doesn''t look easy.'' The ruin''s unique energy was disrupting Seol''s senses. The weapons targeting him were trivial, but the secret of the Star Graveyard was real. It was impossible to know how many visitors here were torn to pieces. Moreover, it seemed that the tremors had reached nearby areas as well, not just the auction site. Seol asked Somi. "Is there any chance of rescue?" "None. Although the Investigation Bureau mighte, the Star Graveyard is a ce that cannot be damaged. Legally or physically." Sensing movement, their gazes turned elsewhere. "Ugh¡­ Are you alright? Ms. Mariju!" "I''m fine¡­" "You''re bleeding from your knee!" "Sir Jalv¡­ it''s natural for humans to bleed." "Such disrespect! It''s my fault for not protecting you properly! Please, take my head¡­" A noisy knight and a noblewoman were caught together. "Huh¡­?" The masked woman called Mariju saw the blood on Seol''s hand and the hole in the chest of the woman who had tried to ambush him, then frantically scooted back on her bottom. "Th-That person¡­" "Is that a weapon¡­?" Swoosh¡­ Jalv drew his sword and pointed it at them. He was ready to swing the sharp de at any suspicious movement. However, Somi stopped him before anything could happen. "We''re from the Federal Investigation Bureau. We were also caught up in this." "How can we believe that?" Swoosh¡­ As she showed the Investigator''s seal, Jalv sheathed his sword. "My apologies. The situation is too severe." "In such situations, being hasty can lead to big mistakes. Sir Jalv, was it?" "Yes. And you are?" "My name is Somi." "Somi, I''ll remember that." Jalv seemed quite mature. Despite his tone, he didn''t look that old. Mariju stood up and asked while brushing off her dress. "I never imagined I''d face such a situation while wearing such an outfit." Despite her jewel-adorned appearance, she seemed quite down-to-earth. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Mariju threw her pearl ne and jewel bracelets to the ground. "Ms. Mariju? There''s no need to go that far¡­" "They''re in the way." "Hmm¡­" Seol looked around, assessing the situation. Mariju approached and asked. "So, what do you think?" "About what?" "Honestly, I''m not curious about who did it¡­ How to escape seems more important." They were trapped in a square space¡ªa stifling area with no breeze. Staying here would mean suffocating to death. "There''s no door." "Right?" It was at that moment. WHOOM¡­ "Ms. Mariju!" "Sir Jalv, stop making a fuss." "I-I''m sorry. It''s just that the ruin shook¡­" "Wait, there''s something in the ceiling¡­" What illuminated the dark space were star-like dots forming letters on the ceiling. Everyone fell silent, endlessly gazing at the letters. "Oh¡­ Interesting. So this was indeed a dwarven ruin." "Yes? How do you know that?" Somi was startled by Mariju''s words. "Those characters are ancient dwarven letters." "What? Really?" "You can believe me. I may look like an empty-headed noble, but I came here because I''m more interested in the ruin than the auction." "Ms. Mariju is a splendid archeologist. She will probably decipher those characters in a blink and lead us out." "Jalv¡­ isn''t that too irresponsible? And I can''t even decipher it that quickly." Deciphering ancient dwarven scripts wasn''t simple. Even if it was a short sentence, if there were difficult words, it could take a long time. "Wait a moment. Let''s see¡­" "A few dwarves emerged from an old mountain. What they were holding in their hands was iprehensible." "What¡­?" Seol naturally uttered the sentence. Everyone, including Mariju, was surprised. "Oppa, you can decipher it?" "It seems so¡­" Seol had experienced something simr before. [May you be forgotten with Alcatron, Ur.] The phrase that had sealed Ur again in Alcatron. Seol had read the phrase Ur said he wouldn''t be able to. And now, a phrase presumed to be written in ancient dwarvennguage left his mouth. "What does this mean?" As Seol tilted his head, the surroundings shook. WHOOM¡­ "Is it because you''ve read the sentence?''" "That doesn''t seem so." WHOOM¡­ Statues began rising from the ground. There was a pirate statue with a monkey on its shoulder, followed by a Warrior statue gripping a massive axe. Next came a Magician''s statue with mes wrapped around its staff. Finally, the statue of a giant troll wielding a menacing club blocking their path. "Wh-What''s this?" "Wait! The pattern on the floor¡­" Mariju checked the pattern on the floor. The fancy pattern seemed to symbolize something. "Doesn''t it seem that we need to ce the statues on the pattern?" "Indeed¡­" At that moment, options appeared before Seol. [[An unknown test seems to have arrived. The floor is filled with unknown patterns, and the statues are standing idly. What will you do?] 1. Move the Warrior statue to the front right. 2. Move the Warrior statue to the front left. 3. Move the Warrior statue to the rear right. 4. Move the Warrior statue to the rear left. ¡­] It seemed that the statues could be moved. "I got it! We have to move the dwarves to defeat the troll!" "Yes, that seems right." "Oh! It makes sense. So how¡­" As they were pondering how to ovee the test, a sound came from behind. "Uhm¡­ Ms. Mariju?" "Sir Jalv, what is it?" "Look over here." The conversing group turned their heads. The orb in the Magician''s statue''s hand was glowing. "It''s been glowing for a while¡­" Seol asked him. "Did you touch it?" "T-Touch it?!" Jalv gulped. "The truth is¡­ I did." "Oh no, step back." WHOOM. "Huh?" The statues began to move¡ªor rather, cracks appeared on their surface, and their skin tones transformed into that of human flesh. "No!" The reason Seol shouted was because the change was also happening to the troll statue. They hadn''t even touched the statues yet, and the dwarf Magician was standing right in front of the troll. Fwoosh¡­ Before the mes could rise, a horrific scene unfolded. Crack¡­ The Magician was crushed and sent flying. The Warrior and pirate charged at the troll, but their swords couldn''t pierce it. Crack¡­ Eventually, they were all defeated by the troll and turned into fragments. Paaf¡­ The broken pieces turned back into stone and returned to their original positions as statues. "Look over there!" One of the five stars lined up on the ceiling had lost its light. "Do we have five chances?" "No¡­ I think we had. It seems we only have four left." "Jalv!" "I-I''m sorry! I was just checking to make sure it doesn''t explode¡­" "Sigh¡­ It''s fine. At least, now we know how this test works. As they conversed, only Seol remained silent. "What''s wrong?" "Haven''t you noticed something strange?" "Something strange? Jalv indeed made a mistake, but he isn''t that strange¡­" "I-I''m sorry! Everyone" "That''s not it. I''m asking about the surroundings." Seol''s words drew everyone''s attention. "The surroundings?" "Oppa! What did you see in that short time?" "Fire." "I''ve also seen fire¡­" "I need fire." As he said that with a serious expression, Mariju smiled. "If it''s fire, I have plenty." Fwoosh¡­ A fireball floated in Mariju''s hand. As expected, she was a Magician. "But what about it¡­" "Ah! The surroundings¡­" "¡­" The square space became transparent¡ªno, not transparent, but reflective like a mirror. "So I wasn''t mistaken¡­" "Yes?" Seol said to Somi. "Somi, you can scout, right?" Somi was a hunter. Although she had astigmatism, it was irrelevant now. "Yes¡­ but why?" "Look there." Seol pointed at a wall, and on it was the troll statue''s reflection. "Huh? It''s different from that statue." "The position, its standing, and size are different." "I-I''ll check it out. Beep¡­ As Somi blew a small horn, something soon appeared. "Th-The statue!" "There was another one! Over there!" Near the rear, a troll holding a dagger simr to a kitchen knife stood. Judging by its size, it wasn''t fully grown. "At least we know we shouldn''t ce the Magician in the rear¡­" Jalv muttered while shaking his head. WHOOM¡­ Seol pushed the statues onto different patterns. This time, the hidden troll faced the pirate, therge troll faced the Warrior, and the Magician stood on the side. "Now, let''s try." "Wait, Jalv. You''re being too hasty!" "It''s not being hasty. We still have many chances. So we should test things through attempts." Seol agreed. Nod¡­ "Then, touching the orb will activate it, right?" "Yes. You should check it out." Whoosh¡­ As Seol touched the orb in the Magician''s hand, a mysterious energy spread. ''This feels strange¡­'' That strange feeling was the first impression he got upon touching the orb. Soon, the statues'' battle began. Crash! The pirate''s sword pierced the small troll''s heart. Tang¡ª! The Warrior''s axe struck the troll''s club, creating a perfect opening. Whoosh¡­ mes erupted from the Magician''s staff. BOOM¡ª! Whoosh¡­ Tss¡­ "It worked! It worked!" "It''s a sess!" Somi and Jalv jumped in excitement. But as Seol tilted his head in confusion, their hopes soon shattered. BOOM¡ª! Crash¡­ The troll, while enduring the mes, swung its club and killed the Magician. Once again, the dwarf party lost the Magician and was wiped out. "What''s the problem¡­?" "Now, only three stars remain." "¡­" Strangely, everyone looked at Seol. "Huh¡­ This scene feels familiar." Somi suddenly remembered having met Seol with Gyeongtaek and Munho. Even at that time, they had relied on him. "Did you figure something out?" Mariju asked while moving close to Seol. Seol muttered. "Ne¡­" "Ne? What do you¡­" "During the fight, the troll''s ne glowed. Specifically, when it became engulfed in mes." Jalv shouted. "You''re right! The troll has a bizarre ne. If we remove it, we can win!" Thud¡­ Thuud¡­ The troll''s ne wouldn''te off. Of course it wouldn¡¯t. It was made of stone, after all. sh¡­ "Since it became like this, we''ll have to break it¡­" "Stop. That could cause unwanted problems." "That''s right, Jalv. Don''t act recklessly." "Hngh¡­" Seol fell into thought. "We need to cut its ne during the battle¡­ But who¡­" Soon, his steps led him somewhere. He stopped in front of the pirate statue. Without hesitation, Seol lifted the monkey statue on the pirate''s shoulder. It came off surprisingly easily. Smirk¡­ "So it was you¡­" Chapter 0: Prologue The 31st Piece Turns the Tables Prologue What are dreams? The manifestation of our subconscious? A way to confirm the value of our greatest wishes? Not only that, it appears in many different forms. But what if¡­ What if you continued to dream the same dream? What would that feel like? You could ask everyone in the world this question but only one person can truly answer it. ¡°Why¡­¡± That person, the sole person who can answer that question, is the now 25-year-old Kang Seol. Seol grew up in an orphanage. He was quiet; a man of few words. And he had been dreaming the same dream¡­ for 17 years. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Around the time Seol entered elementary school, he had a certain dream. - Oh? Are you a neer? Come sit down over here, there¡¯s an open seat. In his dreams, Seol looked like a well-dressed adult. He was wearing a mask and clothes he had never seen before. But Seol wasn¡¯t the only one who was dressed like that, everyone in his dreams were too. - Alright, it¡¯s time to roll the dice. - Hahaha! This is my favorite part! - Pick your game pieces, everyone. - I¡¯m keeping it the same! I¡¯ll go with the same piece, the Scarlet Butcher! - Then I¡¯m going to keep it the same too and go with the Wind Ranger. - Uh¡­ we¡­ have a new yer¡­ - Darn, then let¡¯s let our friend make a new game piece. - What¡­ What should we call you? It was a woman wearing a fox mask who had gently asked Seol thatst question. Seol was about to say his name, hesitated, then gave out a nickname instead. ¡°Snowman.¡± - Snowman, huh? Great. Okay! Snowman, you¡¯ll need to create the game piece that you¡¯ll control now. Seol made a frost-attribute magician, half-assed the other details, then waited for his turn. - We¡¯re rolling the dice! - 6! I got a 6! - But it was a 20-sided die. - No! The people in his dream were enjoying the game. They would roll the dice on the table and then choose between various options given. - The Pointy Thorn Tribe¡¯s Chieftain, Pointy Thorn, has appeared. Now, what do you do, ¡®AnywayItsYourFault¡¯? [1. Run Away. 2. Fight Him. 3. [Required: Intelligence 15] Convince Him with Words. 4. [Required: Mechanical Engineering 1] Use a Smoke Screen.] - 4! I¡¯m going with option 4! - Oh no! Unfortunately, you failed to properly deploy the smoke screen! - Damn it! This is rigged! The party was in danger of being wiped out. But, it was now Seol¡¯s magician¡¯s turn. ¡°3. I¡¯m going with option 3, ¡®Use Frost Magic to Catch Pointy Thorn¡¯s Feet.¡¯.¡± - The spell was effective! Pointy Thorn¡¯s feet are frozen and he is defenseless for a moment. A man wearing a bird mask, who sat next to Seol, shouted. - Alright! It¡¯s my turn now! Quickly! - Yes, ¡®CatTreeDestroyer¡¯. The man named ¡®CatTreeDestroyer¡¯, aimed for Pointy Thorn¡¯s opening and sessfullynded a cool attack. That attack was the starting point for the party to turn the tides. In the end, the party was able to defeat Pointy Thorn and ended their Adventure a sess. - Today¡¯s Adventure ends here. Did everyone enjoy the World of Eternity? - Hahaha, what else needs to be said about it? Even though it¡¯s the trial version, it¡¯s super fun. - Hey, Snowman. Do you want to y together tomorrow as well? Seol nodded his head in response. And just like that, Seol enjoyed the World of Eternity every night in his dreams with these mysterious people, changing up the party every once in a while. One time, Seol tried to tell the younger children in the orphanage about his dreams, but¡­ Their response went something like this: ¡°Hyung, you¡¯re weird¡­ You¡¯re saying weird stuff¡­¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°How could something like that be real?¡± And it was an obvious response. There probably wasn¡¯t anyone who would believe that someone¡¯s dreams could continue from one night to the next. After that, Seol, even until after he turned 25, never spoke about his dreams to anyone else. A part of the reason he had trouble talking to others was because living in an orphanage was difficult, another part was because he was scared he would never have the same dream again if he told his secret to someone else. Eventually, Seol became an adult and a member of society. But his dreams still continued. Seol had been rolling dice with those mysterious people for 17 years. It wasn¡¯t like he wasn''t curious about them either. But he couldn¡¯t ask them for the same reason that he didn¡¯t tell other people about his dream. ¡®I can¡¯t ask who they are.¡¯ We meet in the dream, we roll the dice. And weugh. That was it. For a while, Seol thought that they were gods. But soon, he stopped thinking about it. He didn¡¯t care if they were gods, monsters, or even demons. The important thing for him was enjoying The World of Eternity. That, and only that, was his sole interest. - Snowman, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d be ying with us today? ¡­Or maybe not? - What are you saying? Snowman said he¡¯d be ying on thest day with us! ¡­Or maybe not? - Both of you, be quiet! Snowman¡¯s going to be doing a Solo Adventure because it¡¯s the Great Sage¡¯sst adventure! - Oh right! Then let¡¯s watch that! Snowman was an identity that Seol made up for his dreams. But now, Snowman was practically an idol for those who enjoyed The World of Eternity. It was because Snowman had created many legendary characters who zed their own paths in The World of Eternity. Snowman had created and yed 30 characters. There were some amongst those game pieces who died in vain but the majority of Seol¡¯s characters left their marks in the history of The World of Eternity. The Grand Duke of Frost, the One-Armed Sword Saint, the Immortal, and even the Great Sage. Snowman had yed with various pieces over 17 years and smoothly reached the top. He was obviously lucky at times with the dice but his wit when it came to seeing through the options was important too. It was the result of his obsession with The World of Eternity as he even memorized the rulebook too. ¡®It¡¯s such a shame. I would¡¯ve been able to see it if I had a bit more time.¡¯ The Great Sage was thest character he was scheduled to y. Through advancing various sses and many trial-and-error attempts, Seol crafted his own way of growing sses and strategies for them. He nned on creating a final game piece thatbined all of the information he learned but The World of Eternity was ending today. - Our dreams areing true tomorrow. - It almost even feels a littlete. It¡¯s time to restore our Divinity now. It¡¯s also time to get revenge on the insects who made us like this. - Haha! I¡¯m more interested in thetter option. ¡®The World of Eternity¡¯s trial version ends tomorrow, right?¡¯ There was a notice that The World of Eternity¡¯s trial version would end today and that the official version would start tomorrow. Seol didn¡¯t know what significant meaning the official version held but all of the others seemed to have a rough idea about what was going on. Their conversation went in one ear and out of the other for Seol as he concentrated on what was in front of him. The Great Sage was in the middle of the Final Adventure, Ascension. ¡®Please¡­ Please¡­¡¯ Seol rolled his dice for thest time for his game piece, Mn the Great Sage. Rattle. tter. Flinch! Seol, after confirming the dice face, quietly closed his eyes. It was a 1. [Mana backflows during the Ascension process.] [Mn takes massive damage from the mana rebound.] [Mn fails to Ascend.] ¡°......¡± - That¡¯s a shame, Snowman. - That¡¯s too bad, Snowman. - Cheer up! Seol checked if Mn had any options left. ¡®Again¡­?¡¯ Among the 30 game pieces that Seol created, his 10 most recent pieces all had reached the Final Adventure, Ascension. But none of them were able to clear it. It was obviously difficult to ascend the heavens being born human but with the Great Sage¡¯s failure, all 10 of his pieces failed to do it. ¡®How are you even supposed to clear this¡­¡¯ Seol silently watched his game piece and made a decision. [[Would you like to give up on Mn¡¯s Adventure?] 1. Yes. 2. No.] When a yer chose the first option, they were no longer able to control their game piece. Seol chose option 1. [Adventurer Mn will now pioneer his own path and fate.] [Though this heart racing Adventure is over, his life will still continue.] As Seol looked at Mn with a nk expression, the others spoke to him. - It¡¯s alright Snowman. You did your best. Even reaching Ascension is¡­ - Yeah, it was only possible because it was you, Snowman. There were a total of 10 game pieces who reached the Final Adventure. And every single one of them were Seol¡¯s pieces. It was a massive achievement to those that enjoyed The World of Eternity but Seol only felt regretful. ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± And just like that, The World of Eternity, the game that Seol had been enjoying for 17 years, closed its curtains. But this ending was only the beginning of a new story. Chapter 1 The 31st Piece Turns the Tables Chapter 1 Slide ¡®Huh?¡¯ Why is this dream still continuing? Seol, once again, dreamed the same dream. He saw the same breathtaking buildings built on top of the clouds. Even though yesterday was thest day for The World of Eternity, this ce still lived on. But it wasn¡¯t like everything was the same as yesterday. There was clearly something different¡­ ¡®Where¡­ is everyone?¡¯ In his dreams, Seol was extremely popr. Every time he entered this world through his dreams, the inhabitants of the world came out to wee him without fail. But today¡­ no one came out to wee him. There was a growing uneasiness within him. Why? Why? Only after arriving at the central square was Seol able to find his answer. A man wearing a lightning mask weed him. ¡°Ah, the main character¡¯s finally here!¡± ¡°Grab him!¡± ¡®Wh-what?!¡¯ Seol quickly realized that something was off when they started to run after him. He immediately turned around to run away. Bzzzzzt! But suddenly, out of nowhere, a ring of lightning flew out and caught him by his neck. ¡°Guaaaargh!¡± The pain pierced through every bone in his body. Seol felt like his brain was going to be fried. ¡°Where are you trying to run, huh?¡± ¡°This wicked human¡­¡± ¡°Has been fooling us all this time, is that it?¡± Seol fell to the floor and was dragged to the square by the masked people. Thud. He was torn down like he was a criminal. The masked people spewed all sorts of insults and ridicule at him. ¡°I can¡¯t believe¡­ I can¡¯t believe that I was having conversations with you!¡± ¡°How dare you try to talk with us like we¡¯re on the same level!¡± ¡°What have you guys been doing while this damn bug befouled the heavens?!¡± ¡°Who let him in?¡± ¡°Kill him! We have to kill him!¡± ¡°Kill him!!!¡± Despite his dizzying mental state, Seol could clearly hear that the gods were trying to kill him. ¡®Even just yesterday they were¡­¡¯ Yesterday¡¯s close friends broke his heart. ¡°Why¡­ Why are you doing this¡­?¡± ¡°Are you asking as if you don¡¯t know? How dare a human like you sneak into the lofty heavens and act like a god?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. I don¡¯t even want to talk to you anymore. Kill him¡­¡± It¡¯s all wrong. Their eyes were red with rage and nothing reached their ears. Seol was terrified after hearing their intentions. While he was trying to respond in his frightened state, a man wearing a mask with a huge eye on it stopped observing the situation and intervened. ¡°I disagree!¡± shouted the man. ¡°What? K-Kodon¡­¡± Kodon was someone who had quite the influence amongst them. It was something that even Seol implicitly noticed while conversing with them before. Regardless, Kodon stood up and approached Seol. He then turned around and pushed the others away. Obviously, there was resistance. ¡°What are you doing right now, Kodon?¡± ¡°Have you deceived us¡­?¡± ¡°Woah, woah. I think we¡¯re all a little too excited. Let¡¯s calm down.¡± ¡°Khm¡­ ahem, ahem¡­¡± Why was Kodon taking his side? Seol had a bit of hope. Maybe¡­ he¡¯ll take care of the situation for him? But, Seol was hugely mistaken. ¡°How could we let human blood taint the heavens? It would be like throwing away trash onto the bed.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°What should we do then?¡± ¡°If I may share my thoughts, what if we¡­¡± Kodon gave a slyugh. ¡°sent him back to where he was originally supposed to be?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°How would that make sense?¡± ¡°I can understand the sentiment that if we sent him back, we wouldn¡¯t be holding him ountable for his sins, but¡­ did everyone forget what day today was?¡± The masked individuals cheered at Kodon¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s right! Today was the start of the harvest!¡± ¡°Then¡­ sending him back¡­¡± ¡°Exactly. He would just be returning to where he was meant to be and die like an insect, as a sacrifice for Madness.¡± ¡°Hahahaha! That sounds perfect! There¡¯s no way we could sully the heavens with his disgusting blood.¡± ¡°I also agree! How dare a human not know his ce and sneak into the heavens? He should be stuck to thend and die like an insect there!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so wise, Kodon! We would be teaching him this way too! We would be teaching him his true position as a human and his sin for trying to associate with us.¡± Kodon wasn¡¯t trying to protect Seol. He instead chose a different option that would bring more pain to Seol. Seol couldn¡¯t talk. He couldn¡¯t move his body at all either, it was probably because those gods did something to him. And just that moment, he heard someone¡¯s voice in his head. - Snowman, can you hear me? It was Kodon¡¯s voice. - Your true identity was exposed. There¡¯s no time to exin, I¡¯ll tell you the important things first. Seol wanted to ask Kodon questions. Who are you? Why are you helping me? What happens to me if I die in my dreams? Kodon charmed the other gods with conversation while continuously rying information to Seol. - The ce where you lived has turned into another world. The World Merge was scheduled for today. Your world will bebined with The World of Eternity, Pandea. What is he talking about? ¡®The worlds are going to be¡­bined? How?¡¯ - To recover their weakened strength, the gods have chosen Madness instead of Divinity. Humanity¡¯s hardships and stories are now going to be sold to other believers in exchange for Madness. ¡®What does that even mean?!¡¯ - Snowman, there is only one way to save you and your race. Reach Ascension, the Final Adventure. It is also going to help you if you¡¯re as eye-catching as you can be. Madness is used by the gods to restore their original power but it will also be of use to you. ¡®Reach Ascension? How would I be able to do that when I¡¯m not a game piece? What is he saying¡­¡¯ - Keep in mind that if you talk about the things that happened in the heavens out loud, it gives the gods justification to intervene. You will definitely die if that happens. Please, you must be wise. I wish you luck, Snowman. I hope to meet you again someday. After that final message, Kodon grabbed Seol with one hand. ¡°Hahahaha! Then let¡¯s watch how this insect struggles and dies¡­¡± ¡°Wait! If you send him back like that¡ª¡± Kodon quickly threw Seol down through the clouds before the mood shifted. Seol was kicked out of the heavens while feeling the horrifying feeling of falling down without wings. Hwiiiiiiii! ¡°Damn¡­ you already threw him.¡± ¡°Well, it won¡¯t matter.¡± Kodonughed. ¡°Shall we harvest some Madness now? Oh, honorable gods.¡± ¡°Fufufu¡­ alright.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll finally be able to recover our power.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol felt empty. He feltpletely nk. It was partially because he fell from the heavens but it was also from the aftermath of the panic he felt after going through something huge. ¡®Gods¡­ really existed?¡¯ He never would¡¯ve imagined that those people in his dreams were not only real but actual gods. Seol touched his neck to check if the ring of lightning had disappeared and then rubbed it. He let out a sigh of relief, d that he was somehow able to survive, and then checked his surroundings. It was dark. The entire world was dark. ¡°...What the heck?¡± Suddenly, a message appeared before him. [The World of Eternity is being applied¡­ 97%] [The World of Eternity is fully applied.] [Wee to Pandea, The World of Eternity.] [ 7,900,021,232 lives have currently joined The World of Eternity.] [You are now moving to the Character Set-Up Area.] [Please select your character¡¯s skills.] [In a short while, your 1st Adventure will start.] Seol was able to understand Kodon¡¯s words after reading those messages. Seol had be a game piece. A game piece in The World of Eternity, the game he had enjoyed for 17 years. His final, 31st game piece was himself. Chapter 2 ¡®What the hell happened?¡¯ Seol was surprised by the system message. Not just the message though, he was also surprised by his surroundings. Rays of light poured in as human-shaped silhouettes appeared. Even though Seol couldn¡¯t see nor hear them, he could tell by their movements that they were panicking. ¡°Were they also¡­ dragged into it?¡± It was a horrible thought and something he prayed wasn¡¯t true. He hoped that the people of Earth weren¡¯t all dragged into it. Because in the end, reality bing a game is on another dimension from having some special dreams. - The ce where you lived has turned into another world. The World Merge was scheduled for today. Your world will bebined with The World of Eternity, Pandea. That was something Kodon told him. Seol finally understood what those cryptic words meant. And yesterday, coincidentally, The World of Eternity ended its trial period. ¡°Have people entered The World of Eternity?¡± It was a reasonable guess. The people behind it were probably those gods he talked with every night. ¡®I can¡¯t believe it wasn¡¯t something that only existed in my dreams¡­¡¯ Seol used to believe that they were just figments of his imagination, but it turned out they were actual gods. Seol thought back and went over the parts he was reluctant to think about. ¡®No, it would¡¯ve been even weirder if they existed only in my dreams¡­¡¯ Because Seol thought they were imaginary, he simply didn¡¯t think too much about their existences. But it was clear that they were real. Because this wouldn¡¯t be possible unless they were real. Seol stood nkly for a second beforeughing. ¡°Pfft¡­ I was tricked? No, maybe I tricked them?¡± In Seol¡¯s excuse, he didn¡¯t take off his mask for the others to reveal his true identity because he didn¡¯t see a reason to. But now that he thought about it, he was d he didn¡¯t. If they found out he was a human before it was the time of harvest, he would¡¯ve been ripped to shreds like they initially wanted to. ¡®Insect, huh¡­ Was me looking at the world on the same level as them, something to get that mad about?¡¯ As Seol understood what situation he was in, he chuckled. The scary thing was that even though he was smiling, his eyes were cold. Seol was filled with a sense of disappointment and betrayal but he was also filled with a sense of inferiority. But the biggest emotion he felt was rage. He almost died in vain without even being able to resist. ¡®Are you guys¡­ really that amazing?¡¯ There was only one reason he was about to die¡­ it was because he was human. - How dare you try to talk with us like we¡¯re on the same level! It was only for that simple reason. ¡®If me being a human pisses you off that much, then¡­¡¯ His eyes were ice cold. It was the eyes of someone who had resolved themselves. ¡®I¡¯m also allowed to be pissed that you fucks are gods, right?¡¯ Seol was someone who was crazy about The World of Eternity. To the point that he wanted to explore the world himself instead of his game pieces. There was a pessimistic side to him but there was also another strange feeling growing within him. He was looking forward to it. He was excited that he was able to continue something that not only he was the best at but could even improve. And through this, he would even be able to reach the gods. He was going to find the answers to his questions no matter what. - Snowman, there is only one way to save you and your race. Reach Ascension, the Final Adventure. Seol didn¡¯t think of himself as a hero. Saving humanity? Saving my race? To be frank, he didn¡¯t care about any of that. He didn¡¯t enjoy receiving attention and neither did he have some grand ideology. But still, there was one reason he had to reach Ascension. He wanted to prove himself. - How dare a human not know his ce and sneak into the heavens? He should be stuck to thend and die like an insect there! ¡°You think I¡¯m going to die like an insect? I wonder about that¡­¡± How is he going to reach the gods though? Seol thought that Kodon, the god who saved him, must know. Regardless, the only method that came in his head was heading to Ascension. For now, Seol decided to focus on the current situation. It wouldn¡¯t be toote to n for the future after he passes through the immediate danger. What he saw was a set-up screen with a bunch of words on it. ¡®This character set-up screen¡­ it¡¯s just like The World of Eternity¡¯s set-up screen.¡¯ The only change was that he was no longer the person rolling the dice, he was the game piece. Before The World of Eternity started, the yers set up their characters. It wasn¡¯t too different from simply ying an RPG on tabletop but in truth, this was the most important part in The World of Eternity. ¡®If you don¡¯t set up your character properly in The World of Eternity, everything gets ruined.¡¯ The proverb ¡®Well begun is half done¡¯ was true for The World of Eternity as well. Just like how in real life your parents¡¯ wealth decides how much sess you¡¯ll have in life, it was the same for this game as well. ¡®A character¡­ then¡­¡¯ Seol licked his lips. There was a character Seol failed to test because the trial version was over. ¡®Yeah, let¡¯s go with that.¡¯ The characters that he tested and yed so far were all too reliant on theirrades. They all had limits on what they could do alone and because of it, it was dangerous multiple times. If this game had be reality, these were situations that he could even die from. He was able to ovee those situations before with his wit but it wasn¡¯t easy. And there was no guarantee he would seed this time again. ¡®I need a character that could reach Ascension despite all the variables.¡¯ The character he was about to make was a character that fully reflected his thought process. Seol first looked at the ss Set-Up. The World of Eternity¡¯s ss set-up was quite unique. sses weren''t separated by simply ¡®swordsman¡¯ or ¡®magician¡¯. You could select both and be a magic swordsman. You could also choose a specific application, just like how Snowman focused on Frost, and focus on that school. ¡®You practically have unlimited freedom.¡¯ The World of Eternity¡¯s distinct feature was that you could be whatever you wanted. ¡®The problem was that because there were so many choices, there also were traps you needed to avoid.¡¯ Just because there were a lot of options doesn''t mean that everything was equally strong. There were obviously sses that were more powerful and sses that were weaker. ¡°Magician¡­ Summoner¡­ here it is.¡± Summoner. It¡¯s quite a in ss among the hundreds of sses. If you had to pick the pros of the ss then it would be that it¡¯s a jack-of-all-trades. The cons would be that there was nothing exceptional about it. As stated earlier, because there were so many sses, there were sses which had strong colors. Those types of sses were always weed no matter where they went because there was always, eventually, a need for them. But summoners weren¡¯t like that. It was in an ambiguous spot whether it came to dealing damage, healing, or supporting. That was the current stigma about them. ¡®But that¡¯s only the case when people don¡¯t know how to use them.¡¯ If Snowman chose to be a summoner, there must¡¯ve been a reason for it. Those that yed with Seol would¡¯ve said something like that. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ the school of magic¡­¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t end after picking summoner, there were still multiple other decisions to make. The first, most important decision he had to make in character set-up was which school he would be in. It basically meant he was choosing what type of summons he would use. ¡®Demonic beasts, divine beasts, spirits, golems, souls¡­¡¯ There were over ten types to choose from. Even if you weren¡¯t indecisive, this was a question that would take at least an hour to think about. However, Seol quickly found a school that was out of sight. ¡®Found it.¡¯ Shadow Summoner. The shadow attribute wasn¡¯t just exclusive to summoners, people who used magic and ck magic also had ess to it. The shadow attribute could also be used in swordsmanship and hand-to-handbat, it was an attribute with multiple options to choose from. But no one, other than the swordsman ss, chose the shadow attribute. ¡®It¡¯s because it¡¯s weak in the early-mid game. And it¡¯s not like it bes strong in thete game either.¡¯ Attributes allow you to burn, freeze, or even rip your opponent to shreds. But the shadow attribute, unlike the other attributes, only had mediocre skills if you chose the wrong parts of the skill tree. And that¡¯s why the shadow attribute was tossed away. ¡®Because they didn¡¯t know how the shadow attribute and the summoner ss interacted with each other, they gave up on it.¡¯ Seol, who chose to be a shadow summoner, finished the rest of his set-up in an instant. ¡®I¡¯ll put all of my stats into wisdom, choose cooking and insight as my talents, and for my nickname¡­¡¯ As he wasing up with a nickname, a big grin appeared on his face. His final, 31st character. There was no nickname better than this. ¡°Snowman.¡± [You have finished setting up your character.] [¡®Snowman¡¯ the Shadow Summoner, enters Pandea, The World of Eternity.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [ enters ¡¯s Room.] - I¡¯m here! - Please leave. [ has left ¡¯s Room.] - He really left? LMFAO - Human! It¡¯s a human! - Ding! Sense of humor and culture have finished patching! The only thing left is to enjoy it now~ ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Seol, Snowman, woke up while shaking his head. He didn¡¯t know that mysterious entities were watching and talking about him. [Your 1st Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 1. Moonlit Dance] [Adventure 1. ¡®Moonlit Dance¡¯ There are countless traps in Pandea, The World of Eternity. There are traps which make even experienced adventurers unknowingly lose their lives. You must practice to not suddenly die from those traps. This ce is suitable for such practice. You started your first adventure with a heart full of curiosity and have arrived at a mysterious ruin. To be an adventurer, you must at least clear the first gate. Objective: Clear at least the 1st Gate of the ¡®Forgotten Moon Ruins¡¯ and get the rewards. You will die upon failure. Remaining Time ?5:59?] ¡°...Forgotten Moon Ruins?¡± Seol remembered it. It was the Adventure that was considerate to new yers of The World of Eternity so that they may get used to it. ¡®Ah¡­ but this one¡¯s¡­¡¯ This Adventure was tricky. It was great that it was a Solo Adventure but the difficulty was vicious. ¡®Don¡¯t you have to press on while continuously taking damage to clear it?¡¯ If you weren¡¯t a rogue or if you didn¡¯t choose the ¡®disarm trap¡¯ talent, you were bound to be low HP from the traps installed here. ¡®Damn it¡­ A caster wouldn¡¯t be good then¡­¡¯ Shadow summoner was a clear ¡®caster¡¯ type. Casters were sses that casted spells and had snail-like mobility. ¡®And since I put all of my unallocated stats into Wisdom¡­¡¯ If Seol had known that the 1st Adventure was going to be ¡®Moonlit Dance¡¯, he would¡¯ve picked another ss. He also wouldn¡¯t have put all of his stats into Wisdom. But knowing what the 1st Adventure was would require as much insight as knowing that the world would¡¯ve eventually merged with The World of Eternity. If he had known that, he wouldn¡¯t have lived so hard and he also wouldn¡¯t have invested into a savings ount. ¡°First, I¡¯ll check my stats.¡± [[Snowman] Title: N/A Race: Human Level: 1 HP: 100/100 MP: 200/200 Unallocated Stats: 0 Strength 10 Dexterity 10 Constitution 10 Intelligence 10 Wisdom 20 Spirit 10 Talents: Cooking 1, Insight 1 Skills: Shadow Summon 1, Shadow Hand Shadow Space: 0/700] The base stat you start off with is 10. Seol had used the additional 10 stats he was given and invested them all into Wisdom. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be easy¡­¡± All he had on him was a loose-fitting robe and a shoddy staff. It was the exact opposite of what you would expect someone dexterous to look like. Seol, after checking his stats, started to make his move. ¡®First¡­ I need to enter the ruins.¡¯ He was in a simple garden made of vines. The moonlight lit up the garden. Slide. Seol passed through the wild, decrepit garden and headed toward the entrance of the ruins. ¡°I don¡¯t know which part is my dream and which part is reality, but¡­¡± It probably didn¡¯t matter too much now. ¡®I¡¯m practically a piece on the board¡­ What¡­ What were the options here again?¡¯ Seol subconsciously tried to think of the original options given in the scenario. But something unexpected happened. ¡°Huh? [[The ruin¡¯s door is made out of solid stone. What will you do?] 1. Force the Door Open. 2. Pull the Right Lever. 3. Pull the Left Lever. 4. [Required: Analysis 1] (It seems you need to pull the levers in a certain order to disarm the traps) Pull the Left Lever First, then the Right Lever.] ¡®I can see¡­ the options?¡¯ Chapter 3 ¡®I can¡¯t believe I can see the options¡­¡¯ It was strange. For some reason, Seol was able to see the options avable to him. It was almost like it was hinting him toward the correct solution. Seol was someone who memorized even the useless parts of the rulebook as if he had an exam on it. So he obviously had already memorized all of the options to clear the tutorial so that his pieces that started off weak could survive untilter in the game. But because what he memorized was the trial version and not the official version, there were chances it was different. However, those doubts disappeared once he saw his options. ¡®I don¡¯t know why I can see this, but it¡¯s a relief¡­ I was worried about what I¡¯d do if the options changed to something else..¡¯ The options he saw in front of him were the exact same as they were in the trial version. Creak. Click. After he pulled the right lever, Creak. Click. He pulled on the left lever. Rumble Rumble Rumble. The Forgotten Moon Ruin, an Adventure notorious for having harsh traps, revealed itself. - How did he know? He even disarmed the arrow trap first too; - I thought he was a newbie! A newbie! ¡®Can everyone see the options?¡¯ Whether that was the case or not, it was clear that this was going to be a huge help to him. Because when it came to picking the correct answer out of various options, Seol was the best at it. [[You see the 1st Gate. What do you do?] 1. Step on the First Tile. 2. Step on the Second Tile. 3. Step on the Third Tile. 4. ¡­ ¡­ 9. Step on the Ninth Tile.] But it wasn¡¯t like the hints were absolute. In situations like this, where there were many options to choose from, it was hard to be confident in his memories. - I smell a noob¡­ It smells like noob here¡­ - All of the other humans are getting fucked here LOL ¡®For the 1st Gate¡­ all you had to do was step on the tiles in the correct order, right?¡¯ It was true. All you had to do was step on the tiles in the correct order. But if you stepped on the wrong tile, a trap would activate. It was very simple. ¡®It¡¯s set up so that you¡¯d be forced to take damage to learn the order at the start.¡¯ But losing HP in a game is much different from spilling blood in real life. ¡®This is why it was disadvantageous for casters.¡¯ When characters who didn¡¯t invest in dexterity triggered traps, they would often have to pay the price with their bodies. If an arrow flew at them, they¡¯d have to tank it with their bodies. If poison spewed out at them, they¡¯d have to just ept that they¡¯d be poisoned. ¡®I could die if I mess up.¡¯ Obviously, that was the worst-case scenario. But Seol had no ns of allowing anything that would ever lead to that. Seol had yed with various starting talents in the 17 years he yed The World of Eternity. And through that, he was able to find tons of special options. ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure¡­ the hidden option here was that, right?¡¯¡¯ [¡­ 9. Step on the Ninth Tile. 10. [Required: Archeology 1, Theology 1] Trante the Password Written on the Gate in Front of You and Proceed in That Order. 11. [Required: Disarm Trap 1] Proceed While Disarming the Traps Which Catch Your Eye.] Options 10 and 11 were practically cheating. But these options, obviously, required the necessary talents to choose them. Because ¡®Disarm Trap¡¯ required actual talent, the only option left for Seol was Option 10. ¡®The password written on the gate, huh¡­¡¯ Shown in the list of options, there was something written before the 1st Tile. Seol couldn¡¯t read it though. [A passage you can¡¯t read is written here.] ¡®It¡¯s probably because I don¡¯t have Archeology and Theology.¡¯ But just because he couldn¡¯t read it didn¡¯t mean that Seol didn¡¯t know what was written there. Seol, with a bit of time, was able to remember the phrase. - The ferocious lion does not yield and the docile sheep chooses to best. The benevolent moon embraces them while the jealous wolf chases the lion. The sentence was practically nonsense. And even though some parts of the sentence might¡¯ve been wrong, Seol was sure that he got the core of it. ¡®I finally remembered it.¡¯ The first was the ferocious lion. The second was the jealous wolf. The third was the benevolent moon. And thest was the docile sheep. And it repeated after that. ¡®As long as I keep that order, I won¡¯t get hurt.¡¯ Seol found the tile with a lion on it and started routing his path. He routed the path he would take, all the way up to the end. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s go time.¡± He boldly stepped on the tile with a lion on it. Click. ¡°......¡± When nothing reacted to his first step, he realized that his memory was most likely correct. He then started walking without fear. Click. Click. Click. [¡®thisaintright¡¯ has donated 100 Madness!] [I thought I smelled a noob¡­ I definitely¡­ smelled like one¡­ sniff sniff¡­] - Woah¡­ that¡¯s insane! - His footsteps are breathtaking¡­ - He basically cleared the 1st Gate for free¡­ Let me see here¡­ the guidebook says that you need Archeology and Theology to choose that option??? - So this guy chose Archeology and Theology as his talents? What a maniac lmfao - This isn¡¯t what I wanted at all¡­ I wanted him to suffer more¡­ Seol had an incredible memory, exceptional enough that people in real life acknowledged him for it. There was no way someone like that would forget an important part of an Adventure. Click. Seol took his foot off thest tile. [You have cleared the 1st Gate of the Forgotten Moon Ruins.] [You may select your rewards.] [A ¡®copper chest¡¯ has been generated.] [You have cleared the gate without taking damage.] [Your reward has improved.] [The ¡®copper chest¡¯ has improved to a ¡®steel chest¡¯.] [If you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] ¡°That was easy.¡± - Easy, so easy hehe - That¡¯s because it¡¯s the tutorial lol¡­ but also 50 million people died from it¡­ - Seriously? Lol Seol was now one step out of danger. If he chose to take his rewards, he could proceed with the next Adventure. There also wasn¡¯t any real reason to risk himself with the unnecessary danger from the traps. ¡®But if I stop here, I¡¯ll get less rewards¡­¡¯ Snowman had never shrunk back from a grand adventure. ¡°I have to continue.¡± - DADDYYYYYYY! That¡¯s it!@!!! - Let¡¯s gooooooooo!!! - I¡¯ll go with you! (my cheers, not me) - You got this! (cheering hard uwu) Proceeding through the Forgotten Moon Ruins is like the dilemma of purchasing a new car. The mindset of ¡®I¡¯ll buy one after I save up just a bit more¡¯. Because reaching all the way up to that point was a lot of work, people kept going because they thought it would be a waste of their effort. A lot of yers choose to keep proceeding through the ruins in Moonlit Dance. ¡®But it does get dangerous at that critical point.¡¯ The Forgotten Moon Ruins was trying to teach new yers to know their ce. It wanted to teach the yers that if they kept diving deeper for better rewards, they could just as easily die in vain. ¡®But it¡¯s an Adventure that I am extremely familiar with. I won¡¯t make any mistakes.¡¯ Slide. As Seol passed through the 1st Gate, he saw a ceiling. He was worried that he would be going in blind because the moonlight wasn¡¯t hitting the room anymore, but luckily, there were torches on each side of the hallway. re. re. Seol could finally see what the contents of the 2nd Gate was. ¡®So this is what it¡¯s like to see what my pieces saw in person.¡¯ There were scary-looking needles on each side of the walls and there were various, small holes in the ceiling. There were three different colors of tiles this time, red, blue, and ck. ¡®I really don¡¯t want to do this¡­¡¯ There were no tricks to clearing the 2nd Gate. This Gate was practically the essence of the Forgotten Moon Ruins. A trap. ¡®Was it always this long?¡¯ Seol couldn¡¯t see the end of the hallway. It was going to be physically and mentally difficult. Most people would want to turn back after seeing something so disheartening. But Seol, rather than being disheartened, only grew more resolved. Seol could see his reflection on the shiny needles. He looked miserable. He was wearing old scraps and in his hands, a staff on the verge of breaking. But there was something that made him even more miserable. A ck line engraved on his neck. It was tight on his skin to the point people might mistake it for a choker. He knew why he had that ck line on his neck. ¡®That noose made of lightning¡­¡¯ The one that restrained him in his dreams. It didn¡¯t disappear, it left a trace on his body. He looked like someone who miraculously survived the gallows. That ck trace on his neck reminded him of that pain and nightmare. His situation could definitely bepared to someone who stood on the gallows too since he was in the same situation now. Seol touched his neck, his eyes cooled. He resolved himself once more. ¡®You¡¯ll see me again¡­ no matter what.¡¯ Though he was resolving himself, to the onlookers, he looked like he was terrified of the traps. - Wh-why don¡¯t we call it a tie? - This gate really is shit lol. You have to think hard¡­ Seol, after clearing up his thoughts, stepped on one of the tiles, the red one, without hesitation. Click. ¡°......¡± Nothing happened. ¡° Fuu¡­¡± Click. He then stepped on the ck tile. Rumble¡ª And like that, the walls slightly narrowed in on him. If he continued to step on the wrong tiles like this, the walls would close in on him and tten him into a sheet of paper. The 2nd Gate¡¯s options generally worked like this. He could see the same options as well. [[You see a tile.] 1. Step on the Red Tile. 2. Step on the Blue Tile. 3. Step on the ck Tile. ¡­¡­] There were additional options based on the talents you had but it wasn¡¯t easy to abuse it like the 1st Gate. ¡®It would¡¯ve been easy if I had Mechanical Engineering or Disarm Trap, but¡­¡¯ Seol remembered how to proceed through the 2nd Gate. ¡®I have to remember the order of the colors.¡¯ The 2nd Gate required you to pass through the hallway while stepping on the colors in the correct order. Every time the yer messed up, a trap would activate. ¡®So¡­ The first one was red, and¡­¡¯ Click. When he stepped on the first red tile, there was no response. ¡®...And then red again.¡¯ Click. That was the answer. The 2nd tile was also red. ¡®Then this time¡­¡¯ His foot hovered over the blue tile. But this time, he was wrong. Boom! Bam! ¡°Guaargh!¡± A fist-sized sphere flew out from the left wall and hit his arm. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± - Oh no, he got it wrong~ - This is it kekeke How dare you try to get a free pass! - You gotta get hit if you don¡¯t know! - It¡¯s not the blue tile~ You¡¯re not allowed to do that~ It hurt like hell. Thankfully, he was able to react in time and twist his body to reduce some of the damage. If he hadn¡¯t, he would have broken a bone. ¡°Haha¡­ how fun.¡± - Shocking! I¡¯ll clip 3:12 forter! - Send me the link too kekeke - It¡¯s a disease really kekeke - He¡¯sughing after getting hit by an iron ball! Seol let out a groan but his gamer instincts didn¡¯t forget what he had to do. ¡°Red¡­ Red.. and then next is¡­¡± Click. Click. After the two red tiles, Seol stepped on the ck tile. Fwoosh! Baaam! ¡°Guaaargh! Fuck!¡± Another ball shot out, this time hitting his right thigh. ¡°Three red tiles in a row¡­ is way too mean.¡± - LOOOOOL Will you be taking back your statement? - Come on~ There¡¯s no way he would rush bunkers 3 games in a row in the finals, right? Keke T/N: Reference to a Starcraft game between BoxeR and YellOw where BoxeR, a Terran yer, rushed bunkers 3 games in a row to win the series. - Yeah, not gonna work~ Try again~ It hurt badly. Seol thought that if he gets hit again, he might even faint from the impact. ¡°Let¡¯s see who will win in the end.¡± Click. Click. Click. After taking three steps, Seol had to pick a new option again. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Seol stepped on the red tile again. Click. ¡®...You bastards are awful.¡¯ - Sheeeesh lol - You didn¡¯t fall for it this time? loool It was red four times in a row. At this point, Seol thought he might have to only step on the red tiles all the way through. ¡®No, my memories are correct.¡¯ The tiles had to be stepped on in a certain order. Seol hesitated between the blue and ck tiles, ignoring the red tile. ¡°Blue!¡± Click. Rumble¡ª The walls closed in on him a bit more. They had gotten close enough for him to start feeling ustrophobic. - BZZZT wrong LMFAO - What a shame! It wasn¡¯t blue! - This is where it really starts kekeke Seol looked behind him. He had long passed the starting point. He was probably standing around the midpoint. He was standing there, not as a piece on the board, but as the piece himself. He was horrified. ¡®You won¡¯t even be able to walk back if you don¡¯t know the right order.¡¯ Because if the walls closed in on you while you headed backward, it would be the end. People who were scared of the pain, scared of death, would most likely stand still here, unable to do anything. - Ah¡­ is this the end¡­ - You can¡¯t go forwards or back, huh? You¡¯re fucked~ But Seol smiled. He was confident he could pass it. ¡®The strategy¡¯splete.¡¯ He walked forwards without hesitation, Click. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * After four red tiles, Seol stepped on the next tile without stopping. He had stepped on the ck tile. Click. - ¡­Oh? - What are you gonna do next though? Lol Seol stepped on another tile. Red, red, red again, and then red one more time. Click. And then ck. - This ain¡¯t right¡­¡­ - Hello? Huh? What? - It¡¯s repeating? What the fuck? - Who the hell half-assed the trap like this? ¡®The tiles repeat after 5 times.¡¯ If the trap was red 5 consecutive times, the order wouldn¡¯t have mattered at all. Because Seol knew that, he deduced that red couldn¡¯t be thest option for thest tile and chose between blue and ck. This was only possible for people who were experienced with the puzzle. And once a trap¡¯s rule has been figured out, it¡¯s useless. Seol started to run. Tmp. Tmp. Tmp. Tmp. - Damn it! He figured it out! - How did this bastard know! TT - Why don¡¯t you y here a bit more before you go? And like that, Seol reached the end of the tunnel. [You have passed the 2nd Gate of the Forgotten Moon Ruins.] [You may select your rewards.] [A ¡®silver chest¡¯ has been generated.] [You have passed the gate without triggering more than 10 traps.] [Your reward has improved.] [The ¡®silver chest¡¯ has improved to a ¡®gold chest¡¯.] [If you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± Before he knew it, Seol had reached the final Gate. His body which felt hot was still trembling from getting hit by that hard ball earlier. ¡®I can¡¯t stop here,¡¯ thought Seol as he approached the gold chest. And whenever this momentes up in the future too, I¡¯ll make the same choice again. He passed by the gold chest. - This psycho lol - He¡¯s going to go for more? I¡¯m pretty sure he has bruises from the traps. - This guy¡¯s aplete lunatic lmfao - Excuse me, are you a masochist? - We have a¡­ ¡®fun¡¯ newbie here. Seol could tell at a nce that the stone door to the final Gate was sturdy. Something was written on there¡­ ¡®Don¡¯t be conceited, know your ce, be humble.¡¯ Seol stood in front of that stone door and looked at the options. [1. Ignore the Warnings and Enter to Prove Your Worth. 2. Know Your ce and Go Back.] There were no hidden devices or actions here. There were only those two options. What choice would Snowman make? ¡®I never picked Option 2.¡¯ When Seol touched the door, the stone door started opening on its own. Rumble. Behind the door was a room with an open ceiling, the moonlight poured in. Seol could already feel his stuffiness from being in a cramped hallway go away. And¡­ ¡°Insolent. How dare you enter this room.¡± A knight stood in the middle of the room, wearing armor which absorbed the moonlight. Seol gave a huge smile, even showing his teeth. It was almost like he had seen an old friend. Chapter 4 Slide. The knight raised his sword. He was the guardian spirit of the Forgotten Moon Temple. ¡®Karuna, the Moonlight Knight.¡¯ The reason the Forgotten Moon Temple was so notoriously difficult was because of the Moon¡¯s za, the ce Seol was standing right now. ¡®It was hard figuring out a strategy when we first did it.¡¯ The Moonlit Dance was way too difficult of an Adventure for a game you¡¯re supposed to sit around in a circle on the table andugh about. This Gate¡¯s goal was for the yer to reach the safe zone at the opposite side of the za while dodging Karuna¡¯s attacks. The problem was that even a single attack from Karuna would result in you being scorched to death by the moonlight. It was one of those horrible sections where the boss master had an instant-kill attack pattern. - Woah¡­ someone that looks cool came out¡­ - Breaking News) This guy¡¯s the first yer to reach the final Gate sheeesh - We¡¯re at the forefront of humanity! - The only info we have is the guidebook. Woah, what are his stats?! - This is supposed to be a tutorial Adventure? This Gate was pretty much a game of tag. It looked simple but because other simple things were added to it, it became ratherplex. ¡®The tiles¡­¡¯ The tiles he saw in the 1st Gate: ferocious lion, jealous wolf, benevolent moon, docile sheep. The tiles in this room had the same drawings as he saw there. ¡®And the colors.¡¯ Red, blue, and ck. Every single type of tile he stepped on earlier was here. He had to reach the safe zone by stepping on these tiles while avoiding Karuna¡¯s attacks. It sounded easy but every single person who thought this would be easy, died to Karuna¡¯s moonlight. ¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ Seol looked at the options in front of him. [[You see a tile.] 1. Step on the ck Sheep Tile. 2. Step on the ck Wolf Tile. 3. Step on the ck Moon Tile. 4. ¡­ ¡­] For the first tile, Seol stepped on a red lion tile. Click. ¡°Insolent!¡± The order he had to step on the tiles was the same as before: lion, wolf, moon, then sheep. This was going to be the case until he reached the safe zone. If he messes up, even once, Karuna¡¯s moonlight would fully charge and kill the yer¡¯s piece. ¡®The colors each y their individual role too.¡¯ The red tile slowed down Karuna and removed a part of his moonlight. Bsss When Seol stepped on the red lion tile, Karuna¡¯s armor lost a bit of its shine. ¡®You have to step on the red tile about three times.¡¯ That was the number necessary to remove his moonlight entirely as well as the most you could slow him. If Karuna wasn¡¯t given this penalty, he could just easily waltzed over and cut the piece¡¯s head off. Seol continued, as he stepped on the red wolf tile. Click. The red moon tile. Click. Bssss ¡°Iiiii wiiiilllllll¡­ cuuuuuuut youuuuuuuuurrrrrr heaaaaaaaaadddd¡­¡± Karuna¡¯s speech was also slowed down by the red tiles. But just because Karuna was slowed didn¡¯t mean that he could be ignored. He was still about as fast as Seol¡¯s power walking speed. It would¡¯ve been nice if this effect could¡¯ve stacked even more and made Karunapletely powerless but it didn¡¯t give any additional effects after the 3rd time. ¡®Next is¡­¡¯ Click. Seol stepped on the ck sheep tile. Boom. Bam! Fwooosh! When Seol stepped on the tile, an iron ball flew out from somewhere, hitting Karuna. ¡°Hmph!¡± Hummmm! Even though the armor caved in a bit, Karuna¡¯s armor was once again full of moonlight. And Karuna, after recovering his moonlight, returned to his original spirit. The iron ball was unable to damage Karuna until his armor ran out of moonlight. ¡°Halt!¡± Hummmm! When the distance between them increased, Karuna¡¯s body started shining with the moonlight. He took a stance to take out his sword. ¡®It¡¯s the instant-kill pattern!¡¯ Karuna¡¯s instant-kill pattern activated when the yer felt safe with the distance between them. When Karuna unsheathed his sword, not only was he able to reach anywhere on the za, any adventurer hit by it would be cut into two. There was only one way to respond to it. Click. Seol stepped on the blue lion tile and stood still. Karuna¡¯s bodypletely absorbed the moonlight. Hummmm. In an instant, Karuna used Moonlight sh, his instant-kill attack. BAAAAAAAANG! The moonlight passed where Seol stood but he was neither burned nor cut. ¡°Goodbye.¡± If you stood on the blue tile, you were able to defend yourself against Karuna¡¯s Moonlight sh. Seol immediately stepped on the red tile and increased his distance from Karuna again. ¡°Insolent bastard! Face your judg¡ª!¡± Click. Click. Click. ¡°meeeeeennnnnnttttt¡­¡± He then stepped on the ck tile. Click. Boom. Bam! CRUSH! A huge chunk of Karuna¡¯s armor was taken out. But, once again, Karuna recharged his moonlight and reached Seol in an instant. ¡®New Moon Step¡­¡¯ There was no way Karuna would be notorious if Moonlight sh was all that he had. Regardless of the distance between the yer and Karuna, they were always in danger. Karuna, after recovering moonlight, regains his energy instantly like he was never injured at all and charges at the yer. ¡®This is when it¡¯s most dangerous.¡¯ The most dangerous timing for the yer was right after the moment when Karuna was hit by the iron ball and recovered moonlight. Because during these moments, in The World of Eternity, Karuna received a bonus to his dice rolls. It didn¡¯t matter too much in the game since Karuna one shot the yer anyway but it held a different weight in real life. ¡®He¡¯s ridiculously fast!¡¯ Click. Click. ¡°Hoooooow daaaaaaaare yooooooou¡­¡± But after Seol stepped on the red tiles, Karuna was helpless again. Seol had almost reached the end of the massive za they were on. ¡°IIIIIII woooooon¡¯t looooose youuuu¡­¡± Seol stepped on the ck tile. Click. Boom. Bam! CRUSH! When the iron ball hit Karuna¡¯s shoulder, the armor¡¯s shoulder piece fell off with it. ¡°You bastaaaaaaard!¡± Seol, before he realized it, already reached thest tile. He had sessfully avoided Karuna¡¯s attacks and as long as he stepped on thest tile, he would receive his reward. Karuna would also stop chasing him as well. Seol¡¯s foot reached for thest tile. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * There was a perfected strategy guide made by the gods who cleared the Forgotten Moon Ruins. It was a strategy guide made through the sacrifice of countless pieces. And as long as you followed that strategy guide and didn¡¯t have awful rolls, you would be able to easily clear the Adventure while avoiding Karuna. Many gods passed the Adventure using that strategy guide. And they never had any doubts that there could be a better strategy. Snowman also used the strategy guide to clear the Adventure with the best rewards for his pieces. But what could ever be perfect in this world? The gods might¡¯ve believed that but Seol, a human, had doubts about the strategies crafted before him. ¡®Is this really the best it could be?¡¯ Is the correct solution to clear the Forgotten Moon Ruins really to just run away from Karuna? Seol had doubts and asked the gods about it. What he got in response was disappointing. - That¡¯s dangerous though. What use is a game piece if it¡¯s dead? - Why would you suffer like that when all that happens is more attack patterns being added? - Why? Is there a reason to go that far? Seol thought that the way they thought was a bit different from his way of thinking but he didn¡¯t say anything. The gods were afraid to fail. And those afraid to fail were also afraid to challenge themselves. Seol quietly crafted his own strategy alone, keeping it all to himself. ¡°See, it¡¯s possible.¡± The most important thing was that¡­ he was right. * * * Step. Seol was about to step on thest tile but returned back to the za. ¡°I almost left it behind.¡± The rewards he would get for passing through the za would be amazing and it would definitely be a big help in the future Adventures toe as well. In The World of Eternity, clearing an Adventure in a spectacr manner leads to the next Adventure being easier. But something here was more important to Seol than those rewards. ¡°Do not sully the moonlight!¡± Click. Click. Click. ¡° You fooooouuuuuuul¡­¡± Boom. Bam! CRUSH! ¡°Guaaargh!¡± Every single attack that Karuna took now was a critical attack. Bits and pieces of his armor had already fallen off and because there was no moonlight to absorb into the armor, he was slower. ¡®It¡¯s almost time for Karuna¡¯s final attack.¡¯ What difficulty would there be in following through a strategy you came up with yourself? Seol was Snowman and Snowman was Seol. He had no fear. Fwooooosh Once again, it was the attack pattern for Moonlight sh. Karuna gathered the moonlight into his sword. His eyes were determined. ¡°Must you really make me go this far!¡± FLAAAAAARE! [The moonlight eats away at Karuna, the Moonlight Knight.] [Karuna takes continuous damage.] [Karuna¡¯s dexterity increases by 10%.] [Karuna¡¯s dexterity increases by an additional 1% every 5 seconds.] [Karuna¡¯s dexterity will continue to increase until he defeats his foe.] 10% was nothing to scoff at. And because it increased by an additional 1% every 5 seconds, even the slightest hesitation would lead to Seol¡¯s death. What he needed now were borate, nned movements. ¡°Die!¡± shouted Karuna. But it was in vain. Seol had already been standing on a blue tile since a while ago. FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! The entire za trembled from the moonlight. And Seolughed at him. ¡®So this is why it¡¯s called Moonlit Dance.¡¯ When Seol yed it as a yer, he thought it was a bit over the top. But as a game piece, he realized now that there was no better title. They were dancing. Seol never faced Karuna directly himself, they didn¡¯t even touch each other once. One aimed to approach the other and the other used the tiles to lead them. Moonlight filled up the foggy za. And the battle using the tiles continued. But soon, even that wasing to an end. Karuna gasped for breath while staring at Seol with hazy eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this.¡± ¡°How insolent¡­ intruder!¡± It was the countdown before death. It felt like each step of the tiles was like the ticking of a clock. Click. 4. Click. 3. ¡°Maaaaastteeeeer wiiiiiillll¡­¡± Click. 2. And the final, ck tile that Seol was about to step on, signaled the end. Click. 1. Bam! The iron ball that shot out aimed for Karuna¡¯s thick helmet. And itnded, perfectly. CRUUUUUUUUUUSH! ¡°Kgh¡­¡± Thud¡­ Karuna¡¯s head was thrown back as he fell to his knees. His helmet flew off and his armor could no longer hold the moonlight. ¡°Master¡­ I wasn¡¯t¡­ able to¡­plete my¡­ mission¡­¡± Karuna¡¯s face was revealed. He was an elf with snow-like skin. But his head was smashed up. Blood flowed down his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorr¡ª¡± Thud. Seol stepped on a ck tile, a bit further away. Boom. CRUUUUSH! Karuna fell over after an iron ball hit his chest. ¡°......¡± And after that, a bunch of messages popped up all at once. [You have passed the Final Gate of the Forgotten Moon Ruins.] [You may select your rewards.] [A ¡®gem chest¡¯ has been generated.] [You have defeated Karuna.] [Your reward has improved.] [The ¡®gem chest¡¯ has improved to a ¡®moon chest¡¯.] [If you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] [You have earned the achievement ¡®Moon Hunt¡¯.] [You have earned the title ?The One Who Brought Down the Moon?.] ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± The only one left under the moonlight in the za was Seol. And before he went to open the moon chest, the highest rank reward, he approached Karuna. ¡°Master, huh¡­¡± Seol smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to be your master from now on though.¡± - Is there a reason you¡¯re going this far? He had the methods, he just needed to make a reason. And Seol, right now, had more than enough reason to take down Karuna. Seol activated the Shadow Summoner power. ¡°Serve me.¡± [You use Shadow Summon.] Swoop¡ª Karuna¡¯s shadow writhed. Chapter 5 It was quite strange, really. A dead person¡¯s shadow writhed before standing up. [You have sessfully summoned Karuna the Moonlight Knight¡¯s shadow.] [Passing on the skills.] [Karuna¡¯s shadow has failed to copy Moonlight sh.] [Shadow Summon is very low ranked.] [You supplement it with your high wisdom stat.] [Moonlight sh has been downgraded into Full Moon sh.] [Karuna¡¯s shadow has sessfully copied Soaring Moonlight.] [Shadow Summon is very low ranked.] [You supplement it with your high wisdom stat.] [Soaring Moonlight has been fully passed on.] [Shadow Summon is very low ranked.] [Your summon maintains only 20% of its original strength.] Karuna¡¯s shadow stared at its original body. Even though Karuna was already pale before, the shadow had a pitiful look on its face as it stared at the corpse with the distorted head. Karuna¡¯s shadow now faced Seol. It went down on one knee. ¡°I am yours.¡± Karuna¡¯s warm words embroidered the night sky. Seol erased the Karuna in his memories that chased him while calling him ¡®Insolent¡¯. Karuna now was his faithful subordinate. The onlookers, after watching Seol summon Karuna who he had been fighting, were all shocked. [¡®Ah I got it¡¯ has donated 100 Madness!] [The newbie that I smelled was actually me¡­] - He¡¯s not making cute mistakes like a noob at all¡­ Why doesn¡¯t he feel like a noob¡­ - So this is what a perfect clear looks like sheeesh He¡¯s the first to clear it and the best¡­ - He never stepped on the wrong tile once¡­ The other people stepped on the wrong tiles, did a tap dance, and ended with their beheading¡­ - What is that? Are there no penalties for Shadow Summon? - The guidebook says that there are a lot of penalties for the stats and abilities. I was worried for nothing lol. The stats show that it¡¯s true too. - Phew¡­ I thought it was going to be overpowered keke When Seol received the achievement, a bunch of people entered to watch him. [ enters ¡¯s Room.] [ enters ¡¯s Room.] [ enters ¡¯s Room.] ¡­¡­ - I heard this was the ce with cool summons? - You found it! I saw it! - Karuna? Why is he ck? - Apparently, he got stolen. Please delete your message. - I hate NTR >:( - It¡¯s actually a reward in this industry. Seol stepped into the safe zone and checked Karuna¡¯s status. [[Karuna, the Moonlight Knight] Title: N/A Rank: Heroic Race: Shadow Level: 1 HP: 240/240 MP: 140/140 Unallocated Stats: 0 Strength 22 Dexterity 20 Constitution 24 Intelligence 15 Wisdom 14 Spirit 18 Talents: Dignity 1, Guard 1] ¡°It¡¯s pretty good.¡± It was honestly much better than just ¡®pretty good¡¯, it was insane. ording to Seol¡¯s memories, summons are divided into 10 sses. Ordinary monsters were in the Common rank and boss monsters were mostly in the Rare rank. Most summoners used Rare rank summons. ¡®But Karuna is a Heroic rank.¡¯ Why? Seol knew that Karuna was a Heroic rank but didn¡¯t know why that was the case. Karuna was quite powerful for a boss in the early game and even had a variety of skills. Seol thought that might¡¯ve been the reason Karuna became a Heroic rank. There were still ranks above Heroic like Legendary, Transcendent, Mystic, and Wonder but that was much further in the future. ¡®I practically guaranteed my survival with just this much though!¡¯ A summon stronger than the summoner was practically every summoner¡¯s dream. ¡®The conditions to use Shadow Summon is one of the rarer types of summoning¡­¡¯ You were able to summon the shadows of the monsters you had defeated. And as long as you were able to satisfy those conditions, it was possible to summon them. Because of that, Seol was able to get a summon he wasn¡¯t normally supposed to get. But how could there be a ss that was perfect from the start? There were also a mountain of other problems with the ss. ¡®It¡¯s easy to summon but there are a lot of conditions attached to it¡­¡¯ First, the summon¡¯s ability was based on the original monster¡¯s ability. So if you revived a goblin, you would get a goblin¡¯s shadow that was much weaker than a normal goblin. That weakness would eventually be covered once the summoner¡¯s Shadow Summon level was around the level of the monster, but¡­ ¡®In this scenario, it¡¯s working as a boon instead of a curse.¡¯ Because Karuna¡¯s original ability was ridiculously powerful, Karuna¡¯s shadow, which copied Karuna, was also powerful. Shadow Summon allowed you to get powerful summons as long as you were capable of taking them down yourself. ¡®Thankfully, I made no mistakes.¡¯ Seol could even consider it fortunate that his first Adventure was Moonlit Dance. The other tutorials often had short, simple battles that a Shadow Summoner wouldn¡¯t be able to handle easily. Shadow Summoners only started off with the Shadow Summon and Shadow Hand ability, the former being useless in battle and thetter being weaker than the other caster-type ss¡¯s skills. ¡®I¡¯m sure the rewards wouldn¡¯t have been good either and my summons would¡¯ve been much weaker.¡¯ Anyway, there was no point thinking about something that didn¡¯t even happen. In the end, Seol was able to get a strong summon and he was finally now a proper summoner. Seol approached the glowing moon chest in the safe zone. Pause. Seol realized that he was smiling. And it was obvious, there was no way he would suddenly dislike the game he¡¯s enjoyed for 17 years. He, at this moment, was enjoying it. He was someone who was crazy about the World of Eternity. ¡®...Who cares if I enjoy it or not.¡¯ Click. Gloooooow. A ray of brilliant light shot out from the chest. Fwoooosh! [You open the ¡®moon chest¡¯, the best possible reward.] [You have leveled up.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [You have acquired a ¡®Moonlight Sword¡¯.] [You have acquired a ¡®Full Moon Staff¡¯.] [You have acquired a ¡®Moon Seed¡¯.] [You have acquired 271 gold coins.] [You have acquired 13 medium red potions.] [You have acquired 7 small blue potions.] ¡­¡­ When Seol saw that he had leveled up, he immediately checked his stats. [[Snowman] Title: The One Who Brought Down the Moon Race: Human Level: 3 HP: 120/120 MP: 200/200 Unallocated Stats: 8 Strength 10 Dexterity 10 Constitution 12 Intelligence 12 Wisdom 22 Spirit 12 Talents: Cooking 1, Insight 1 Skills: Shadow Summon 1, Shadow Hand Shadow Space: 400/850] He had leveled up twice. In the World of Eternity, each level up gives you 4 unallocated stats and 4 fixed stats. The fixed stats went to the stats specific for each job while the unallocated stats were up to the yer to choose. ¡®Shadow Summoners have to put everything into Wisdom.¡¯ Seol immediately invested all of his unallocated stats into wisdom. Most summoners have their summons match their level. Seol checked to be sure and sure enough, Karuna was also level 3 now. Seol spread Karuna¡¯s unallocated stats evenly. The next thing was to check the rewards. There were also a few small materials there, but none of them were important. ¡°As expected¡­¡± Seol focused on the 3 most important items he got from the moon chest. [[Moonlight Sword] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 1-10 Damage: 37-42 Durability: 35/35 Weight: 1.4kg A sword that Karuna, the Moonlight Knight used to favor before he became an apostle. Basic Effect: +5 Strength, +5 Constitution Bonus Effect: When you make an attack using the moonlight, attack range, and damage increase by 20%.] ¡®This one¡¯s the fixed drop.¡¯ This item was a guaranteed drop after you defeated Karuna. There were various qualities for items, like poor,mon, special, rare, treasure, and even more ranks above that. A rare item was a huge haul for a tutorial Adventure. Seol looked at the sword for a moment before handing it over to Karuna. [Karuna, the Moonlight Knight equips ¡®Moonlight Sword¡¯.] There was another special thing about Shadow Summoners. Their summons were able to grow on their own and even put on equipment. When ordinary summoners grow stronger, their growth trickles down on their summons to make them stronger. However, for shadow summoners, their summons grew on their own. This meant that it required that much more investment and effort to grow their summons but it was worth doing so. [[Full Moon Staff] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 1-8 Damage: 22 Durability: 32/32 Weight: 0.8kg A staff that absorbed energy from the holy moon. It is quite heavy Basic Effect: +10 Wisdom Bonus Effect: All of your stats increase by 5% at night.] - Gross LMFAO I read the guidebook a little and it said that Wisdom was the most useless stat among the 6 stats. - He wasted an item drop. It would¡¯ve been so much better if he got something else since he could at least sell that kekeke - Excuse me¡­ can I pick again? - Oi neers, watch carefully. It¡¯s looking like a reset angle. Unlike the awful reactions from the people watching him, Seol smiled happily while equipping the staff. ¡®I got the best possible item for my current situation.¡¯ An item with a wisdom bonus was pretty much treated as a white elephant in the World of Eternity. It was because even though Wisdom increased your maximum MP and gave other small benefits, it was a less efficient stat to increase than any of the other five stats. ¡®But that¡¯s only for other sses.¡¯ Summoners. No, for Shadow Summoners even more so than normal summoners, Wisdom was extremely important. It wasn¡¯t because the maximum MP increase that Wisdom gave was important, it was because it made most of the Shadow Summoner¡¯s skills stronger. Shadow Summoners are split into three typical archetypes. The first is an all-rounder type that uses both magic and summoning. But it¡¯s only an all-rounder in name, it¡¯s quite mediocre at both things. Another archetype is the mob summoner type. They gather a bunch of weak shadows to travel around in a group. This archetype is more powerful than the other types in the early game but once the early game passes, it bes drastically weaker than the other types. That¡¯s because once the mid-game started, the boss monsters were on another level. Those kinds of boss monsters could ignore the weak attacks like they were nothing. Thest archetype was the elite-type. This type used a handful of high-rank summons. Because each summon had huge potential, if this type was cared for well then this would be the most powerful type. The downside was that it was difficult to find those good, high-rank summons to use. That¡¯s why the early game was practically hell to get over. The type that Seol was trying to be was thest summoner type, the elite-type. And Wisdom was much more important for this type than any of the other types. An increase in wisdom gives more loyalty from the summon, charisma, overall improved skill efficiency, an increase in the monster retaining more skills when they are revived, an increase in your summon awakening, and a variety of other things. The archetype that benefited the most from this was obviously the elite-type. It was difficult to maintain the summon¡¯s loyalty the higher ranked it was and if the summoner had low charisma, the summon could even rebel against the summoner. These facts only added to the fact that wisdom was much, much more important for this type. So that¡¯s why Seol was happy to have received a staff that only gave a bonus in Wisdom. ¡®It turned out pretty well.¡¯ [[Moon Seed] Quality: Special Rmended Level: 1-5 Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: You could consume this in a variety of ways. The effects of it are unknown.] - What is that? - Uh¡­ it¡¯s in the drop list but it doesn¡¯t say what it does. - Is it a dud? - Don¡¯t eat that! No, bad dog! ¡®...I never thought this woulde up.¡¯ It was an item that Seol had only seen others pick up in the past 17 years, never himself. ¡®Moon Seed, a lottery ticket item in the early game.¡¯ The first thing to know about it is that it¡¯s always beneficial to eat it. It had an even bigger benefit if you were able to get good stats or even a good skill out of it. And Seol knew how to get the most out of this item. ¡®I¡¯ll save it forter¡­ Was that all of the new items?¡¯ And finally, Seol checked his new title. [[Title: The One Who Brought Down the Moon] Rted Achievement: Moon Hunt (Adventure: Moonlit Dance) Bonus Effect: The power of your moon-rted abilities increases by 5%. This also applies to your summons.] Seol rubbed his chin. ¡®So this would also apply to Karuna.¡¯ It might¡¯ve been an awkward bonus effect for others but this was definitely a boon for Seol. ¡®It¡¯s been good so far, time to move on to the next one.¡¯ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Fssssss. Seol, after finishing his examination, moved on to the next Adventure. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 2nd Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 2. The 5 Good Brothers] [Adventure 2. ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ In the Pointy Mountains in the South of Pandea, the World of Eternity, there lives a terrible tribe of trolls. That terrible tribe of trolls is the Rock Mr Tribe. The Rock Mr Tribe has a special way of choosing their leader and an even more special way of maintaining their tribe. Their leader is currently, ¡®Jamad, the Tyrant.¡¯ Please use whatever method you can to weaken the Rock Mr Tribe. Objective: Kill at least 1 of the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s leaders. You will die upon failure. Remaining Time ?20:47?] ¡®Is it¡­ about noon now?¡¯ If hepleted the Adventure by tomorrow morning, he would be able to go to the safe zone. 2 Adventures, 1 Rest. Unless there were special circumstances, most Adventures worked this way in the World of Eternity so Seol assumed it would be the same here. ¡®But regardless, 5 brothers, huh¡­ that¡¯s one of the more difficult Adventures.¡¯ Because there were 5 targets there were many variables to keep track of. It was a rather difficult adventure. [¡®Breaking News¡¯ has donated 100 Madness.] [I went to go check the guidebook. It said that Wisdom is the key stat for Shadow Summoners.] - Take that information with you and go back. I don¡¯t want it. - So that staff from before was a good drop, no? - So these idiots who didn¡¯t know anything were making fun of it for nothing? - I didn¡¯t make fun of it. - I didn¡¯t make fun of it. - I obviously knew that it was a good item so I just quietly chilled obviously. Fwiiiiii The adventure started at the midpoint of the Pointy Mountains while the sun was up. It wasn¡¯t that tall of a mountain but because the terrain was harsh and had various sentries, it was going to take a while to climb up it. ¡®It¡¯s weird seeing something you saw on the tables in person. But¡­ why is no one here?¡¯ Seol was confused the moment he found out what his Adventure was. ¡®That¡¯s strange. 5 Brothers should be a party Adventure because of its difficulty¡­¡¯ Because there were 5 brothers, this Adventure also required 5 people. When Seol yed this Adventure in his dreams, he always did it in a party of 5. ¡°Wait.. the remaining time was 20 hours and 47 minutes?¡± Why would the time be such an awkward number like that? Moonlit Dance gave exactly 6 hours toplete the Adventure but suddenly the time changed to something unusual. ¡®I¡¯m not getting a good feeling about this¡­¡¯ Seol quickly manipted the Adventure interface and found out the truth. It exined why the remaining time was so awkward and why he didn¡¯t see any of his party members. ¡°...God damn it.¡± [- Party Member 1 ¡®Ahn Hye-eun¡¯ (Status: Deceased) - Party Member 2 ¡®Mantis Fist Expert¡¯ (Status: Deceased) - Party Member 3 ¡®Nitpicker¡¯ (Status: Deceased) - Party Member 4 ¡®Supreme Hwang Tae-ho¡¯ (Status: Deceased)] - OMG? Are they all dead? - That¡¯s insane¡­ How is he supposed to clear it?? - This underdog¡¯s going to die because of his party members like that? A 5-Party Adventure suddenly became Seol¡¯s Solo Adventure. His party members were already corpses. Chapter 6 Seol moved toward the guardpost which was located in the middle of the mountain. It was also the location where the Rock Mr Tribe first shows up. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The guardpost was burned to the ground. The burn mark-ridden remains of the guardpost made it clear that there was a fire. There were also troll corpses scattered about, a special point to note was that there was a fluttering green g near the guardpost. ¡®A g¡­ So it¡¯s their harvest season.¡¯ The Rock Mr Tribe brought out a green g during special periods. It was when they were preparing the harvest to offer for the Earth Dragon Tancreed¡¯s blessing. However, that wasn¡¯t important right now. The important thing was locating his party member¡¯s locations. Seol, after confirming that there was nothing around him, went deeper into the mountain. Even though the situation turned out like this, he had to double-check to be sure. And finally, he was able to find his party members. ¡°...They¡¯re all dead.¡± There were four posts. And all of them were sewn down to it. Seol was confident that they were his party members because their clothes looked no different from his own. - What do you say in a situation like this again? - That it¡¯s an iplete party? Probably¡­ - It¡¯s fucked¡­ Why did this have to happen to him :/ ¡®Iplete party¡¯. It¡¯s a situation that urs from time to time when not enough people fill up the party. In a situation where you join an ongoing Adventure, you typically say ¡®I joined an iplete party¡¯. ¡®So these people all just finished the 1st Adventure after clearing the 1st Gate, huh¡­¡¯ It seems that they couldn¡¯t wait for Seol, who went all the way to the final gate, and proceeded first. And the result of that¡­ was four corpses. Seol thought it was a shame while looking at the four posts. ¡®The standard strategy isn¡¯t going to work anymore like this¡­¡¯ Where Seol was right now was practically the lowest floor of the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s area. If his party members died here, it also meant that they weren¡¯t able to kill any of the leaders. It meant that Seol had to kill a boss that required a party to kill, alone. But strangely enough, Seol¡¯s eyes were still determined. He hadn¡¯t given up yet. Rather, they looked more excited. ¡®...Then I guess I have to use that method.¡¯ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * First, Seol organized the situation to correctly identify the problem. ¡®Based on the color of their clothing, it was 1 priest, 2 vanguards, and 1 archer. It was a good party¡­¡¯ If Seol had led them they would¡¯ve easily been able to clear Adventure 2. But now they were nothing more than corpses. They died with their eyes still open¡­ they must have had many regrets. ¡®There¡¯s no point crying over spilled milk though¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to just charge into the situation, I have to use another method.¡¯ Seol already had many strategies to take down the five brothers. But just because he had strategies didn¡¯t mean he had an optimal one to ovee this horrific situation. Seol looked at the options he had in front of him. [[You have arrived at Rock Mr Vige. What do you do?] 1. Slowly Attack the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s Area, Starting from the Lowest Floor. 2. Wait for Night. 3. Scout the Surroundings to Gather Information. 4. ¡­] - Fuck this team! Fuck this team? I just got fucked by my team¡­ - I am alone¡­ I really, really am alone¡­ - This situation¡¯s awful¡­ It¡¯s more than just fucked¡­ - Is there a way though? - I doubt it¡­ The guidebook says that there¡¯s a bunch of things because it¡¯s a Party Adventure but there¡¯s no way he would know when I can¡¯t even tell it in one look¡­ Option 1 was dangerous even if Seol brought out Karuna, Option 2 allowed you to ambush at night but since he was alone, it would just be a waste of time. The optimal choice here was Option 3. This allowed him to choose more options after this. When took his first step, determined to scout out the area, more options came up. [[Where will you Scout?] 1. Scout the Inside of the Rock Mr Vige. 2. Scout the Outskirts of Pointy Mountains.] Seol had only about a day left. Most people would find it hard to choose the choice that would move them away from their objective. Because of that, most people generally scouted for information inside the vige. But Seol was different. He not only knew about the settings for the Adventure, he also knew about the hidden options that existed in it. And because he wasn¡¯t scouting randomly but moving toward an objective, he could bring out the results that he wanted. ¡®I¡¯ll go back.¡¯ Seol, after deciding on that option, walked away from Rock Mr Vige. - He gave up. GGs. - How is he supposed to even clear it¡­ - At least he¡¯ll live for one more day¡­ The Adventures in The World of Eternity aren¡¯t simple, linear adventures. Based on the way you progressed through your Adventure, there were a wide variety of results. It even affected your future Adventures as well. And oftentimes what¡¯s recorded into ¡®history¡¯ are the game pieces who set the greatest achievements. The worlds that those game pieces have created be shared with everyone who ys The World of Eternity. And because of that, if Seol¡¯s n was sessful, there was a high chance that the results he brings will be adopted into the history of the world. Seol nned on clearing this Adventure alone¡­ while also getting the best rewards he can. Seol was currently searching at the lowest peak of the Pointy Mountains. The Pointy Mountains had five different peaks. The Rock Mr Tribe took residence at the tallest peak while other individuals took their ce at the other peaks. Those individuals didn¡¯t move to those peaks because they were trying to purposefully oppose the Rock Mr n, they were just supporting characters to the story that had their own stories. For example, those that were exiled from the Rock Mr Tribe¡­ They were all exiled from the Rock Mr Tribe for a variety of reasons but stayed in their own separate peaks. At first nce, it seemed like unnecessary background information but it was quite important for ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ Adventure. It was because the root of all of these hidden plots started with the exiled. It was also the reason that Seol was looking around the lowest peak of the Pointy Mountains. ¡®I¡¯m sure he¡¯s around here somewhere¡­¡¯ The individual that Seol was looking for was supposed to appear at the lowest peak of the Pointy Mountains. Seol might¡¯ve raised multiple characters but it was the first time he was searching for something with just a hint. It was quite difficult on him. Rustle¡­ Tft. Riiing¡­ ¡°¡­Bells?¡± There was a bell attached to a string that was tied between two trees. ¡®It doesn¡¯t look like a trap¡­ is it an rm?¡¯ The bell¡¯s clear sound rang throughout the mountain. It didn¡¯t sound like an ordinary bell though. There was no way that an ordinary bell would ring so loud that the entire surrounding could hear it. It was likely that a shamanic spell was cast on it. ¡°Did I find him?¡± The individual Seol was looking for was definitely around here. Now, all that Seol had to do was find a ce where someone could stay. But then, unexpectedly, the individual that Seol was looking for was the one to speak first. ¡°So you¡¯re a human¡­ Who are you¡­?¡± He was inarticte. Seol didn¡¯t look surprised by it, almost like he expected them to be inarticte. Seol then continued to go deeper into the trees, a bit shocked that he was able to hear him despite being unable to see him. It was an interesting power. Riiing¡­ Another bell rang. The individual spoke in a surprised tone. ¡°P-Please don¡¯te any closer¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a dangerous person.¡± ¡°B-But you¡¯re a human.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seol stood in ce. It wasn¡¯t because he was respecting the voice¡¯s request. It was because he discovered where the individual could be. There was a mud hut in ruins, barely holding itself up by leaning into the hillside. Because it was quite well hidden, Seol had a hard time finding it. It was also a bit hidden from the sun so he might¡¯ve missed it if he hadn¡¯t been paying attention. ¡°I-I told you, please don¡¯te any closer¡­¡± ¡°And as I said, I¡¯m not here with ill intent.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me! I bet Rock Mr sent you! Wh-what are you trying to do to me!¡± At that moment, Seol thought to look at the options in front of him. [[An exiled is scared of you. What do you do?] 1. Threaten Him. 2. [Required: Persuasion 1] Tell Him That You Are Lost. 3. Command Him to Help You Massacre the Rock Mr Tribe. 4. [Required: Shaman] Ask Him to Teach You Shamanic Spells. 5. [Required: Insight 1] There Is Something Weird About Him. Comment on This.] Seol was now confident that this choice was correct. ¡°Why are you telling me to note any closer? Is there something wrong?¡± asked Seol. ¡°I-I told you! Go away!¡± But just because you chose the right option didn¡¯t mean that the situation was handled properly. The system didn¡¯t speak for you so for options that required you to have a conversation, this only served to lead you in a direction. ¡°Go away from me¡­¡± ¡°Are you¡­ are you hurt?¡± Even though Seol couldn¡¯t see him, he already knew that the character had that in his backstory. But because he wanted to lead the conversation in a certain direction, he asked it as a question rather than a statement. Step¡­ The exiled came out of his mud hut. He wasn¡¯t a human. He was a troll. The reason that his speech sounded a bit inarticte was because of hisrge fangs that showed even through his closed mouth. Regardless, he wasn¡¯t an ordinary exiled troll. He had scars all over his body. ¡°¡­You saw it, right? Go away now. This disease is infectious.¡± ¡°I want to hear more about it.¡± ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t make me any more miserable.¡± - WTF it¡¯s an infectious disease! - Social distancing! We have to go away! The exiled had a gloomy expression on his face as he watched Seol. He expected Seol to obviously back away after seeing his condition. [[The exiled is an infected troll. What do you do?] 1. Back Away. 2. Insult Him. 3. [Required: Antidote 1] Ask if He Was Poisoned. 4. [Required: Medicine 1] Tell Him You Want to Examine It. 5. ¡­¡­] Seol was apetitor. At least, he was when he was in The World of Eternity. Step, step. ¡°...What are you doing?¡± ¡°I wanted to talk more with you.¡± ¡°If you approach me¡­ you could get infected.¡± ¡°But I won¡¯t be able to hear you if I don¡¯t get closer.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The troll looked into Seol¡¯s eyes. He then sighed and entered his mud hut. [The exiled has lowered his guard.] ¡°¡­I won¡¯t be taking any responsibility if something happens.¡± ¡°May Ie in?¡± ¡°¡­If you want to hear my story, you may.¡± Seol chuckled and followed the troll into the mud hut. The first thing that Seol noticed inside of the hut was the smell of various medicinal ingredients as well as books on disy. ¡°...Books?¡± ¡°Why? Is it that weird?¡± What else in the world would be weirder than a troll that reads? Seol held his tongue and said, ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The exiled scrunched down and lit a fire. Fsss¡­ ¡°Would you like some tea? It might not taste that good but since it¡¯s made of medicinal herbs it will at least be good for you.¡± ¡°I wanted to hear more about what you talked about earlier truthfully.¡± ¡°What would you like to know?¡± ¡°Anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The exiled replied with silence. He then slowly gave an awkwardugh like he had just resolved to do something. ¡°Th-then would it be alright if I talk a bit about myself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I wanted.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± He then started to talk about his own story. It was nothing too special. There was an endemic that has existed in the Pointy Mountains since the past and he was infected by it. The endemic resurged every other generation and many trolls lose their life to that infectious disease. The past tribe members of the Rock Mr Tribe were troubled by it and made a rule tobat it even though it was a poor solution. ¡°And it was exiling them, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ you are correct.¡± ¡°Then were you exil¡ª¡± ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t exiled. It was my mother that was.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The troll then continued telling his story. His mother was pregnant with him when she was exiled and even though she desperately begged to at least take her son in, they rejected her request. The troll then said that those past tribe members might¡¯ve been in the right. ¡°Since I¡­ was born infected like this¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My mother resented the tribe. She thought¡­ She thought that everything had to disappear.¡± ¡°What do you mean by everything?¡± ¡°The tribe, the disease, even me¡­¡± It was a sad story, but the troll spoke calmly. ¡°Is that disease incurable?¡± asked Seol. ¡°That¡¯s the reason I¡¯ve been digging into these books. I used shamanic magic to learn the human¡¯snguage and then read a lot of books with a variety of information in them to research the endemic.¡± ¡°¡­And?¡± ¡°I was almost sessful, but¡­ there was one ingredient I was unable to get.¡± Seol was close to the information that he wanted. ¡°It¡¯s called a ¡®Corpse Finger Mushroom¡¯¡­ It definitely exists on this mountain, but¡­¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t able to find it, huh?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t. The only thing the logs ever said was that it was found on the cliffside¡­ And because this disease made my bones weaker, it was impossible for me to go search there myself.¡± ¡°What about asking other tro¡ª ah¡­¡± ¡°Did you forget? I have been alone ever since I was born. Alright, I¡¯ll end my story here. I feel like I whined so much because you¡¯re the first guest I¡¯ve ever had¡­ Anyway, if you want anything else, I¡ª¡± ¡°That mushroom¡­¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°Would it be alright if I went to go find it?¡± ¡°What¡­? Why¡­?¡± Seol gave a slight smile. Seol knew about the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s backstory, the troll¡¯s backstory, and the leaders¡¯ backstory along with the problems behind it. Seol could definitely help this troll. ¡°Just think of it as a small transaction.¡± ¡°If¡­ if you really are able to find that mushroom for me, I will help you with whatever you want.¡± [Hidden Adventure ¡®The Exiled¡¯ is now active.] Chapter 7 [[Adventure 2-1. ¡®The Exiled¡¯] There are many unfortunate lives in the Pointy Mountains. They are those who have been exiled from the Rock Mr Tribe. You have met with one of those exiled and have discovered that he is infected by a horrible endemic disease. The exiled, through much research, learned that the ¡®Corpse Finger Mushroom¡¯, a mushroom that grows on the cliffside of the Pointy Mountains, was necessary to cure the disease. If you are able to find that mushroom for him, he will help you. Objective: Find the Corpse Finger Mushroom and deliver it to the exiled. Remaining Time ?10:59?] ¡®Did it work?¡¯ The exiled in front of him was shaking, like he had been struck by lightning. He was ovee with emotion after hearing that Seol would do something for him. Seol gave a nod then walked out of the mud hut. Side Quests, otherwise known as hidden quests, were another mechanic of The World of Eternity. When they activated, they changed the flow of the Adventure massively. The ¡®The Exiled¡¯ side quest was a bit different from most normal side quests. ¡®Because this one gives you a helper as a reward.¡¯ Helper. As the game piece embarks on their adventure, they sometimes turn the NPCs into their helpers. The helpers, depending on their Favorability, actively or passively help out the character. The helpers themselves have ranks as well and ording to Seol¡¯s memories, the exiled was quite high-ranked. That was the reason why Seol is using his precious time to help out the exiled. Seol was trying to use the side quest to overturn the situation he was put into. After he epted the side quest, he checked the remaining time on the main Adventure. Right now, it was just a little past 3 p.m. If he was even the tiniest bit slow, there was a possibility that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get the item that he wanted. Seol, feeling the pressure, rushed up the mountain. The air started to cool. It was still light out, yes, but soon the sun will set and night wille. ¡®I don¡¯t have time to look for it tomorrow too¡­ but at least I was able to find it.¡¯ Seol had to defeat the Rock Mr leaders by noon tomorrow. That¡¯s why the most time he had to give the exiled was today. Seol, after manyplications, eventually arrived at the cliff. - It¡¯s not here. - It¡¯s not. - Excuse me¡­ I can¡¯t see that mushroom or trumpet or whatever you were supposed to find¡­ - He¡¯s just struggling desperately to do whatever he can. But what are you doing dude? You don¡¯t have much time. - Thementer above me, please chill out haha. Even Magata, the youngest of the 5 brothers, requires the entire party to beat. So how is he going to kill him solo? Lol - It¡¯s because it¡¯s such a waste of time! I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s dying here even though he has the mechanics and the judgment¡­ The people that were watching him made countlessments thinking that this situation was such a shame even though Seol couldn¡¯t read them at all. And their worries weren¡¯t strange to have. In fact, the cliff that Seol had a hard time arriving at had no vegetation other than a single tree hanging out from the cliff face. Did he make a mistake? And at that moment¡­ [Insight activates.] Seol, who had just been calmly looking down at the cliffside, could see options before him. [[This looks to be the cliffside that the exiled mentioned. But the Corpse Finger Mushroom is nowhere to be seen. What do you do?] 1. Wait. 2. Search the Surroundings. 3. Go Back and Tell the Exiled What You Saw. 4. [Required: Biology 1] Check if the Environment Is Suitable for the Mushroom to Grow. 5. ¡­¡­] Seol read through the messages and sat down. [¡®excuseme¡¯ has donated 100 Madness!] [I¡¯m sorry but can you guys help me find my AC remote?] - Why are you asking that here? lmfao - I can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t know where it is keke - I just joined the room. Did he still not fight the tribe yet? The game¡¯s doomed. Even though a lot of them were worried, Seol simply watched the sky with a peaceful expression on his face. He was thinking. ¡®I was wondering why I felt d¨¦j¨¤ vu¡­¡¯ Seol wasn¡¯t talking about this ce itself. He was talking about this situation, this Adventure. ¡®My first piece had this Adventure too¡­¡¯ In the countless Adventures of The World of Eternity, only certain Adventures showed up in Adventures 1-10. ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ was one of those Adventures and Snowman, Seol¡¯s first character, also yed this Adventure. ¡®And died¡­¡¯ Seol had a lot of love for his first character. Back then, he didn¡¯t know that he would be having the dream for 17 years so he did his best every second. Not only did he give it his all in the Adventures, he gave it his all in the Rest areas too. And the first character that he raised, the one that he raised when he didn¡¯t know anything and could do nothing more than give it his all, died during ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ Adventure. More specifically, he died during the ¡®The Exiled¡¯ side quest. The first Snowman died because he slipped off the cliff as he was trying to collect the Corpse Finger Mushroom. Well¡­ it might¡¯ve been the obvious result. He made his caster, a ss with low dexterity and strength, hang off the edge of the cliff with a rope. No matter how taut the rope was, there was no way he could endure all that weight. Snowman died because Seol chose the wrong option. And Seol, who was extremely young back then, was so shocked that he bawled when he woke up. For children, a character dying because of your mistake and that same mistake letting you no longer progress with that character was such a sad thing. It still gives him a numbness in his chest when he thinks about it even now. Even though he had grown so much to the point that he was practically another person and even though his heart had grown much tougher¡­ The reason that Seol never once forgot information about the Corpse Finger Mushroom was because of that happening. As Seol was deep in thought, the air had grown much colder. The sun was starting to set, and the sunset shone beautifully like it was a watercolor painting. And like that, he heard the sound that he had been waiting for. Rumble¡­ - H-Huh? - What¡¯s that sound? - Something¡¯s¡­ Something¡¯sing out¡­ It was quickly revealed why Seol waited there, doing nothing. Rumble Rumble Rumble¡­ Something was growing out from the cliff. Suddenly, in a dead space, long mushrooms grew out. It was not a pretty sight as the mushrooms looked quite eerie. It had a ck stem and its cap looked almost like a person¡¯s finger. The Corpse Finger Mushroom, a mushroom with five stalks, only revealed itself at dusk. ¡®Now!¡¯ Seol used Shadow Hand, the Shadow Summoner¡¯s basic skill. Fsss¡­ Two ck arms grew out of his shoulders. The funny thing about Shadow Hand was that it had a bit of strength to it. ¡®There isn¡¯t anything else special about it though.¡¯ It had a simple function, as expected from a basic skill. It was often used by the Shadow Summoner to restrain a monster before they had their first summon. Seol, luckily, had the Forgotten Moon Ruins, a trap-based Adventure, as his first Adventure and ended up not needing it. ¡®Like I¡¯m¡­ trying to grab an egg.¡¯ - Shadow Hand! I heard that it was super hard to control! - Why is it hard to control? - The guidebook said it would be like trying to control a tail that you suddenly grew. - Urgh¡­ But what is he trying to do with it? Seol adapted to that strange sensation and slowly lowered those ck hands. He knew that there was a possibility of him failing as it was his first time using it but if it got too close, he could just use Karuna to gather it. Reaaach¡­ The shadow hands slowly, naturally crawled down the cliff face. And eventually, after a few failed attempts, it sessfully grabbed it. Grab¡­ He pulled it out with a ¡®pop!¡¯ sound and dragged it up the hill. Seol had a huge smile. - So this is where you were, Doc Ock! - It feels bad! - Why is he so good when it¡¯s his first time¡­ - Why are you asking why? But just as Seol was about to celebrate obtaining the mushroom¡­ Sparkle! Something in his view shone. ¡°Light?¡± Seol quickly found out where the reflected light wasing from. It was the lone tree he ignored earlier. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ The object that was reflecting light was just barely hanging onto the tree. Seol used Shadow Hand again to bring it up. Reach¡­ Grab! Once again, he reached it without any difficulty. Seol instantly realized what the item was. ¡°A pocket watch¡­?¡± It was a pocket watch that could also be used as a ne. It also had a small scratch on the surface of the ss. And as Seol was showing interest in the strange object, a message popped up. [Insight activates.] [Hidden Adventure ¡®A Lost Pocket Watch¡¯ is now active.] [[Adventure 2-2. ¡®A Lost Pocket Watch¡¯] This pocket watch was lost in the deepest parts of the Pointy Mountains¡¯ lowest peak. Judging by the eagle insignia engraved onto the surface, there seems to be a story behind it. There might be someone in Kongory, a free city, that knows more about this pocket watch. Objective: Find someone who knows about this pocket watch. Remaining Time: ?N/A?] ¡®This is a side quest too?¡¯ - Uh¡­ so there¡¯s nothing about that¡­ pocket¡­ watch? - It¡¯s not listed in the guidebook? - That¡¯s crazy¡­ - What is this then? A bug? Kongory, the free city, was a city near the Pointy Mountains. This meant that Seol would naturally find out about the pocket watch once this Adventure was over. Seol decided that there wasn¡¯t any reason to worry about something he couldn¡¯t deal with in the present situation. Clink Clink Clink. Seol grabbed the pocket watch and left the cliff. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Can I really trust him¡­?¡± murmured the exiled. He often talked to himself. He was someone who was cursed. His tribe and his own mother might have given up on him but he didn¡¯t give up on himself. They didn¡¯t know. They only gave up on him and threw him away because they didn¡¯t know about him¡­ Or at least that¡¯s what he thought. Ignorance isn¡¯t a crime but it can lead to bad things. The exiled rummaged through the cargo of dead merchants who had been killed by his tribe. The Rock Mr Tribe typically took most of the usable goods when they raided but there was one thing that they never took. Books. The exiled took those books to his mud hut and read them. At first, he couldn¡¯t read those books because he didn¡¯t understand any of the words that filled the pages. But, with the shamanic magic tomes his mother left behind, he learned shamanic magic and naturally became able to read those books as well. This was all possible because there was a shamanic spell that helped you learnnguages faster. That was how he grew up. He thirsted for knowledge and learned reason. He eventually learned the truth that his disease was endemic in the Pointy Mountains. He learned that there was a cure for it. ¡®Corpse Finger Mushroom.¡¯ Yeah¡­ As long as I had that mushroom¡­ But he wasn¡¯t able to get it. His body wasn¡¯t strong enough to hang on the side of the cliff and there was no one who would get the mushroom for him. He was alone. And as he could do nothing more than just sit on his hands, a human, Seol, showed up before him. The exiled was less repelled by humans than the other trolls. This was probably because he learned about their culture and history through the books he acquired. Seol, who came to see him, listened to his story and left saying he would acquire the mushroom for him. ¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll get it¡­ There¡¯s no way¡­¡± The exiled despised false hopes. He had already wasted countless amounts of time dreaming of the day he would eventually cure his disease. A false hope was much crueler than despair. But¡­ But even so¡­ Why was he looking forward to seeing that human again? The exiled realized that trust in others doesn¡¯te from ignorance, ites from one¡¯s desire to¡­ Rustle. ¡°...Hm?¡± Rustle. Rustle. Someone¡¯s footsteps were crunching the branches. The exiled focused all of his senses to hone in on those footsteps. And in a short second, someone appeared. It was Seol. ¡°......¡± The exiled was downcast. Seol¡¯s face was covered in wounds. In the short moment that they spent together, his disease had already infected Seol. Endemics were terrifying. It was likely that Seol hadn¡¯t reached the cliff at all. But then¡­ Seol pulled out something while smiling. It was the first time that the exiled saw it but he instinctively knew what it was. It was the Corpse Finger Mushroom he had been yearning for. Thud¡­ The exiled dropped down to his knees and wept. ¡°Th-thank you, kind stranger. You have saved me.¡± After a while, Seol helped him up. The two then entered the mud hut together. Seol gave a short exnation of his future ns to the exiled who had been incessantly thanking him. The exiled quietly listened to Seol exin his ns. He paused, thought for a moment, then responded. ¡°I understand. I will help you to the best of my abilities.¡± [You have saved the exiled.] [As a reward, the exiled will help you.] Chapter 8 The exiled put the Corpse Finger Mushroom into a boiling caldron and waited. Bubble¡­ Bubble¡­ After the ck smoke cleared up the exiled poured the liquid into two bowls. ¡°You must drink this. You need this as well, my savior.¡± Seol quickly drank the liquid as the exiled suggested. Slurp¡­ It had a practically instantaneous effect. [You recover from the endemic ¡®Rotten Branch Disease¡¯.] [Your Constitution permanently increases by 2.] Seol, after reading that wee message, looked at the exiled. He had also changed. Slide¡­ The scars on the exiled¡¯s face hadpletely healed and his hunched back also straightened up. The only thing that hadn¡¯t changed was his eyes. It was brilliant like the stars and still filled with light. [The exiled recovers from ¡®Rotten Branch Disease¡¯.] The exiled let out a long breath and looked at Seol. ¡°Oh my savior, may I know your name?¡± asked the exiled. ¡°It¡¯s Snowman.¡± ¡°What is the meaning behind your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a man made of snow.¡± ¡°What a fantastic, magnificent name. My name is Mael, the star child.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good name.¡± ¡°I will never forget the way you helped me for the rest of my life, Snowman.¡± [Mael¡¯s favorability toward you increases.] [Mael¡¯s favorability toward you increases.] [Mael respects you.] ¡°For now, I will give you the help that you need from me. Is there anything that you need?¡± [[Mael is attempting to keep his promise to help you. Think carefully before you make your request.] 1. I Want to Crush Them Head On. Will You Help Me? 2. Facing Them Head on Would Be Pointless. Do You Know of a Way to Bring Them Down From the Inside? 3. [Required: Shaman] Could You Teach Me Some Shamanic Magic? 4. [Required: Leadership 1] Do You Have Any Thoughts About Rallying the Exiled to Bring Down the Rock Mr Tribe?] Option 1 wasn¡¯t even worth considering with his entire party dead. Seol also didn¡¯t meet the required criteria for Options 3 and 4. The only choice he had left was Option 2. ¡°We have to take them down from the inside. Can you help me?¡± ¡°From the inside¡­ I understand. I just so happen to have a method that might be worth attempting.¡± Mael moved the liquid in his cauldron into various bottles and cleaned it. He then started to create new medicine in the newly washed cauldron. As he patiently brewed the new mixture, he started to talk to Seol. ¡°As you said, my savior, today is the right time to hit the Rock Mr Tribe.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s because¡­¡± ¡°Today is the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s harvest festival. They do ceremonies for Tancreed, the Earth Dragon that they serve. ¡°And why is it important that it¡¯s the harvest festival?¡± ¡°Because there is aw during the harvest festival that no one can go against.¡± Seol, in truth, already knew about all of this. ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ Adventure changes based on whether it¡¯s the harvest season or not and when it was the harvest festival-version, the trolls put out a green g at the entrance. The first thing that Seol did when he entered the Adventure was check for the green g. He knew that today was the harvest festival and that the harvest festival had a certainw that all of the trolls must follow. ¡°At midnight, the members of the tribe boil a beast¡¯s blood in a massive cauldron and all drink from it,¡± said Mael while stirring his cauldron. ¡°What you will be aiming for, my savior, is that cauldron.¡± ¡°...Are you okay with this?¡± Mael would be destroying the tribe he was born into, himself. It was obvious that something like that would be appalling to do. ¡°Did you forget my mother¡¯sst words?¡± said Mael, dryly. - My mother resented the tribe. She thought¡­ She thought that everything had to disappear. The tribe, the disease, even me¡­ ¡°......¡± ¡°Although it will be a long time before I disappear¡­ I think fulfilling a portion of her will is something that I can do.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± [Hidden Adventure ¡®Pent-Up Revenge¡¯ is now active.] [[Adventure 2-3. ¡®Pent-Up Revenge¡¯] Mael was exiled from his tribe before he was even born. He had never once forgotten his tribe. His feelings weren¡¯t a longing to return, but a raging desire for revenge. He has brewed up a concoction for you to mix into a cauldron that the Rock Mr Tribe uses for the harvest festival. You must weaken the Rock Mr Tribe before midnight by diluting the concoction into the cauldron. Objective: Pour the concoction into the cauldron used for the harvest festival before midnight. Remaining time ?2:46?] [You have acquired ¡®Mael, the star child¡¯ as a helper.] [¡®Mael, the star child¡¯ is a Heroic rank.] [Helpers have a chance of appearing in all Adventures.] [They will help you differently based on their favorability toward you.] [You have earned the achievement ''It¡¯s Lonely Alone''.] [You have earned the title ''A Charming Individual''.] Mael left after helping Seol. Mael, after taking only a mostly nk book, burned all of the other books in his mud hut, and left carrying medicine to treat other patients infected by the endemic in the mountains. ¡°What is that?¡± - My dream is to be an archaeologist. I wish to uncover the many hidden mysteries of the world. I n to travel the world and record them for now though. It was quite an unusual idea for a troll. Maybe that was why he was Heroic rank. - I pray that you will punish those barbarians with your intellect, my savior. Seol checked his new title. [[Title: A Charming Individual] Rted Achievement: It¡¯s Lonely Alone (Adventure: The Exiled) Bonus Effect: Increase Favorability earned from helpers by 10%.] It wasn¡¯t a bad effect when you considered the long term. Seol arrived at the tallest peak of the Pointy Mountains and looked at the two potions he got from Mael. There was a red potion and a blue potion. First, the red potion. [[Potion of Camouge] Quality: Special Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: Turn into a stupid troll for a day. There is already a shamanic spell cast that disrupts others from recognizing you. The effect will be canceled if someone notices.] - No one will consider you strange if you drink this potion, Snowman. Just don¡¯t do anything too eye-catching. Next, was the blue potion. [[Potion of Madness] Quality: Special Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: Bring out your inner savagery after a certain period of time. There is a chance of resisting the effects based on Wisdom.] - Pour this potion into the cauldron. There isn¡¯t even a pinch of poisonous grass inside it so even skilled shamans will have a hard time noticing this. Pop! Seol opened the red potion and poured it down his throat. ¡°Burp¡­¡± Seol couldn¡¯t help himself and let out a burp. And as he did, his body started to transform. Crack Crackle¡­ Crack¡­ He clenched his teeth as he endured the pain and before he knew it, he turned into quite arge troll. [You have drunk the .] [You have transformed into a stupid troll for a day.] [You are able to use Troll Language 1 for a day.] [You are able to use Voodoo Magic 1 for a day.] Voodoo Magic wasn¡¯t that useful but Troll Language was a necessity. Seol remembered that he didn¡¯t have much time and quickly climbed the mountain. Seol wasn¡¯t sure, but transforming into a troll might have given him a bonus to his constitution since he was able to climb the mountain with ease. He reached the vige¡¯s guardpost which was decorated with a green g. Troll guards stood alert at the guardpost. ¡°Hm¡­?¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Seol was able to understand them thanks to Troll Tongue. Grab¡­ Seol was tense. He clenched his fist and approached the guard. ¡°You weren¡¯t allowed to leave the guardpost until the harvest festival was over! Hurry up ande inside!¡± ¡°Idiot!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll go in immediately.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Seol passed them while giving a slight smile. His n was already off to a good start. The vige was separated into 6 floors. The floors weren¡¯t perfectly separated like how a building is but the general structure was there. The floors were separated into different factions. The Rock Mr Tribe was separated into 5 different factions and even though they worked together for important things, they mostly just shed and antagonized each other. Seol nned on using that to his advantage this Adventure. ¡®He said the cauldron was on the middle floor, right¡­?¡¯ - The Rock Mr Tribe has 5 leaders. But there¡¯s a special point to note for this generation. Seol climbed higher up the mountain while brooding over Mael¡¯s words. - Humans are careful even though they¡¯re deciding only on a single sessor to their king. But trolls have five sessors. Why would you think there wouldn¡¯t be any problems? Seol entered the square and noticed the massive, bubbling cauldron. There was an altar made of stone and bones that was beside it as well. - This generation¡¯s especially awful. It wouldn¡¯t be an overstatement to say that the powerful Rock Mr Tribe is weakening because of these ipetent leaders, but¡­ Seol sat on a chair made of bones that was a bit away. He looked around his surroundings and his eyes caught on a massive troll. He wasn¡¯t sure whether that troll was big because it ate more than others or if he was different from birth but that massive troll was even bigger than the trolls guarding him. - You must be careful of Chief Jamad. He¡­ was born with the mountain¡¯s energy. He even killed all of the previous generation¡¯s shamans all on his own. Please¡­ do not face him. He is the wisest, strongest troll in the history of the Rock Mr Tribe. Seol walked past the trolls that surrounded him and approached the altar. He would be easily caught if he approached it too suddenly so he bided his time. He approached slowly, patiently¡­ ¡®I wonder how close I¡¯ll have to get¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t need to rush. There were still two hours before thest ceremony of the harvest festival happened. The important thing is being able to pour the potion into the cauldron. [¡®Swan¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [A dagger slices the air¡­ It stabs at my heart¡­ OUCH!] T/N: Reference to a line from Tazza: The High Rollers. - It¡¯s fine¡­ my hands are faster than the ey¡ª FAIL! - That¡¯s strange. When I watched this morning it was a human¡­ Where did he go? Is he the troll? - Ye - Ye that¡¯s it. - This guy¡¯s brilliant keke - But how is he going to pour that potion into the cauldron? - You just have to watch and see now. Seol stood alert next to the altar for about 30 minutes. He was tense because if he was unable to find an opening, he would have to force one. ¡®I thought of a way beforehand, but¡­ will it work?¡¯ But just then, the opening that Seol was waiting for showed itself. A troll was approaching the guard that was protecting the cauldron. ¡°E-Excuse me!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I had some blood I really wish could be included in the cauldron. I got it freshly this time fro¡ª¡± ¡°Hmph. We already have more than enough blood for the festival.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Go away.¡± The troll then went away with a sad look on his face. Seol was unwittingly clenching the hand he was holding the potion with. ¡®It¡¯s just like the backstory said. Is this the right timing?¡¯ Seol first checked his surroundings, then approached the guard that chased away the other troll. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I wanted to offer up blood for the harvest festival.¡± ¡°Did you not just listen to what I said? I already said that we have more than enough bloo¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s blood from a White Horned Arago. It will definitely help¡­¡± - Huh? You want me to disguise it as White Horned Arago blood? That¡¯s¡­ Ah! That¡¯s a great idea, but¡­ Seol thought of the information he read in the guidebook. - Outline: Rock Mr Harvest Festival ?The Rock Mr Trolls worship Tancreed, the Earth Dragon, who is not one of the primal gods. And as such, the harvest festival¡¯s main subject is not a primal god but Tancreed. These trolls offer blood they harvested from piging and hunting in belief that this is the clearest way Tancreed will give her blessing.? ¡®...And furthermore, the White Horned Arago is the rarest species in the Pointy Mountains. It was rated highly for blood used in rituals.¡¯ That¡¯s why Seol was sure that his potion wouldn¡¯t be rejected. As long as it all went to n¡­ The guard took the blue potion, opened it, and smelled it. ¡°This is White Horned Arago blood?¡± ¡°Yes. Please, I beg you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I will tell them.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Seol went back into the crowd. The guard approached the person in charge of the ritual who was also one of the five leaders. Seol could somewhat hear their conversation through the loud noises. ¡°Magata, someone is trying to offer White Horned Arago blood.¡± ¡°Sniff sniff¡­ It is White Horned Arago blood. Put it in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± - I made the potion practically identical to White Horned Arago blood so they won¡¯t be able to notice it. The guard, who still believed the potion to be White Horned Arago blood, climbed up the stairs and approached the cauldron. He then muttered something. It was probably something pointless like, ¡®Tancreed, I am the one offering this to you.¡¯ Pour¡­ The potion was poured into the cauldron. And with that, step 1 of Seol¡¯s n wasplete. [The Potion of Madness is mixed into the harvest festival¡¯s cauldron.] [Those that drink the blood will be ovee by madness.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Time passed and it became time for the harvest festival¡¯s finale, the blood drinking ceremony. The blood that was in the cauldron was passed out in shoddy cups. This included not only the leaders but also Seol. The person that was in charge of the harvest festival today was the youngest of the 5 leaders, Magata. ¡°It¡¯s almost midnight soon. Everyone, raise your cups.¡± Raise. Raise. Raise. All of the orcs were raising their cups with their massive hands. They were waiting for their orders. Magata gave a wickedugh. ¡°Everything is a blessing from the earth. Even flesh, even blood, even piging,¡± said Magata. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Drink. Drink everyst drop of this blood and let us cover the earth in even more blood! Because that is how we will reach Tancreed and because that is Rock Mr!¡± ¡°Uwooo!¡± ¡°Tancreed!¡± ¡°Tancreed!¡± ¡°We are Rock Mr!¡± Gulp¡­ Gulp Gulp¡­ Ssh! One person didn¡¯t drink the blood but instead threw it on the ground. That one person was Seol. Seol nced over at the leaders and therge group of trolls before silently making his leave. He knew that hell wasing. [Members of the Rock Mr Tribe have drunk the Potion of Madness.] [After a certain period of time, the Rock Mr Tribe will be engulfed in madness.] Chapter 9 There were about 12 hours left until noon, the time the Remaining Time would run out. Seol had to kill at least one of the Rock Mr leaders within that time. In the first ce, ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ Adventure was difficult because it was under the premise that it would be done by a party of five. Every single monster in this Adventure was much stronger than the monsters in a Solo Adventure. Because they were meant to be monsters for 5 people to take on. So if normal monsters were this strong, would the bosses be easy inparison? Of course not. This was the reason why Seol didn¡¯t rush into anything despite the fact he fed everyone in the Rock Mr Tribe the Potion of Madness. ¡®Not to mention the fact that it¡¯s still not the right time for me to make my move.¡¯ Seol¡¯s objective wasn¡¯t to hunt everyone in the Rock Mr Tribe, it was to kill all of its 5 leaders. It was a ridiculous n that anyone would think he was crazy for attempting to do, but Seol had no ns of backing down. He had a few reasons for it. First, Seol remembered everything about this Adventure clearly. Also, everything was progressing exactly as he nned. This was important because there was no way everything in every Adventure would progress as he remembered it. The World of Eternity was constantly changing because of the game pieces. And because it changed, the Adventures in the mid tote game could bepletely different from the ones he had done so far. ¡®And if that happened, the advantage that I had bes pointless.¡¯ So that¡¯s why Seol was trying to get as many rewards as he could from the Adventures he remembered. It was in preparation for the dangers that could potentiallye. Second, now that he was forced into a Solo Adventure, the difference in difficulty in his ns from killing one leader versus five wasn¡¯t that big. Third, rewards were the biggest issue. The World of Eternity calcted the rewards from multiple aspects. How innovative were you? How many were in your party? What was the Adventure difficulty? How many secrets were you able to use? And other various factors. But when you considered those factors, Seol wasn¡¯t in that bad of a situation. If he was really able to use those various methods to kill all five of the Rock Mr Tribe leaders, he would get the best reward ever. Every difficult thing that Seol did this Adventure was all for that reason. Slide¡­ Currently, Seol had slipped away somewhere while the trolls had returned to their original ces. ¡®This is where the Rock Mr Tribe store their treasures¡­¡¯ The reason Seol was memorizing his surroundings while climbing up was because he was looking for something. He was looking for the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s treasure house. Thankfully, the treasure house was just below the top floor. Ordinary members might not have been able to enter the treasure house but the floor was open to every single member. The Rock Mr Tribe puts every single one of their treasures into the treasure house. ¡®They¡¯re not great treasures, but¡­¡¯ Even though it¡¯s the tribe¡¯s treasure house, it was filled with a bunch of odd things really. It was mostly the things that were historically valuable to the trolls. It¡¯s simr to how some questionable antiques would end up receiving an assessment of up to millions of dors in the original world. ¡®But even so, there was something in that treasure house that was the real deal.¡¯ There is exactly one actual treasure in the treasure house. ¡®Rock Fists.¡¯ Seol thought of the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s settings. The Rock Mr Tribe served Tancreed, the Earth Dragon. And Tancreed, who favored the Rock Mr Tribe that served her, gifted the tribe something made from her scale. There was a gauntlet called the ¡®Rock Fists¡¯. Just by equipping them, the wearer would have strength capable of breaking stones as well as a bonus to shamanic magic. ¡®They might be a normal troll tribe, but¡­¡¯ One would expect the Rock Mr Tribe to rapidly grow in strength after acquiring the Rock Fists but that wasn¡¯t the case, rather, it was the opposite. There were many tribes that wanted the Rock Fists not to mention the multiple instances of infighting that happened because of it. ¡®The problem is that there are multiple factions in one tribe.¡¯ Every generation, five shamans are born into the Rock Mr Tribe. These trolls, who are not rted by blood, are forced to be brothers to maintain the shamans of the Rock Mr Tribe. Simply, these five, who aren¡¯t brothers, are tied together as such. If these trolls were banded together for the same cause, like the Oath of the Peach Garden, then it might¡¯ve worked. But because these trolls were forced to be brothers, they only split up into factions. T/N: Oath of the Peach Garden is a fictional event in Romance of the Three Kingdoms where three characters take an oath to be brothers. ¡®I can¡¯t believe a tribe is split up into 5 factions and is busy trying to keep each other in check¡­ if it wasn¡¯t for that they would¡¯ve been a massive faction.¡¯ This was the backstory that was set up in the game and the rulebook of The World of Eternity. And Seol was a yer who knew how to take advantage of such detailed settings. He passed through multiple houses as he was in the middle of thought and eventually reached what he was aiming for. Seol, after confirming the treasure house¡¯s exact location, waited. Because it was a special circumstance, the harvest festival, the security near the treasure house was much lighter than how it is normally. ¡®It¡¯s been about an hour since all of the trolls drank the Potion of Madness. It¡¯s about time for it to show its effects.¡¯ Seol waited for about five more minutes before the signal that he had been waiting for showed itself. Guaaaaargh! Kuargrgh¡­ Screams filled the cool night air. And it wasn¡¯t just a couple of screams. He heard screams of madness from throughout the vige. - The trolls will start fighting each other when the potion takes its effect. Because I diluted it so that it wouldn¡¯t be caught, it will probably only have a minor, negative effect on the leaders rather than full-on madness. Even that was a huge help to Seol. Seol kept standing near the treasure house even though more and more screams could be heard. Since the ordinary members of the tribe were affected by it, it should be taking effect soon around here as well. ¡°What?! What is that sound?!¡± ¡°If there were issues, a messenger wourhg¡ª¡± ¡°Wh-why arhofahio¡ª¡± Guaaaaaargh! As it was stated earlier, all members drank blood at midnight for the harvest festival. It was an absolute rule for the harvest festival that had to be kept. This also meant that the guards at the treasure house also drank that same blood. CRUSH! One of the guards struck the other guard¡¯s head with a two-handed axe. It was exactly the picture Seol was drawing in his head. Grrrr¡­ The guard, excited by the scent of blood, deserted his post and ran toward the vige. Seol, after checking the surroundings once more, quietly entered the treasure house. And as he went deeper into the treasure house, he heard a voice from within. ¡°It¡¯s toote! Get away from me! My body¡¯s feeling strange! Hurry up and notify Jamad and the other brot¡ª¡± The Rock Mr Tribe appointed a troll who wasn¡¯t a part of any faction keeper of the treasure house. That too was one of the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s rules. The treasure house keeper was a great warrior but he was still weaker than the other 5 brothers. The keeper¡¯s body started trembling and froth started forming in his mouth. He quickly flicked his head, eyes locked in on Seol. Grrrr¡­ The keeper had lost his body to madness and bolted toward Seol. ¡°Karuna!¡± Swirl, fft! The troll¡¯s eyes were glowing red as his spear aimed for Seol¡¯s neck. He then thrust his spear with all his strength. ng! But his attack was unsessful. The ck shadow had blocked the treasure house keeper¡¯s spear with his sword. ¡°Grrr¡­ Grrrar!¡± Seol smiled as he gave an order to Karuna. ¡°Kill him.¡± Karuna nodded then attacked the keeper. The battle between the two began. To summarize the battle, no matter how powerful the treasure house keeper was, there was no way he would be a match for Karuna who used to be an apostle of the moon. Because Karuna wasn¡¯t supposed to be a monster you could defeat inbat in the first ce. Even if the monster was supposed to be hunted in a party, their stats paled inparison to even Karuna¡¯s clone. ¡®If it was the actual Karuna, this troll would¡¯ve died in one hit¡­¡¯ Karuna, at his current strength, could definitely defeat any of the 5 brothers, excluding Jamad, in a one versus one easily. After around ten or so different moves, the Moonlight Sword inevitably pierced through the treasure house keeper¡¯s neck. ¡°Karg¡­ Karrhghg¡­¡± [You have defeated Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s Treasure House Keeper.] [You have acquired a ¡®Rock Key¡¯.] - Sheesh kekeke I can¡¯t believe he just forced his way into the treasure house like that. - I heard the Rock Fists were here? Is he trying to do something with that? - Fuck no that¡¯s impossible lol it¡¯s not like the Rock Fists is the infinity gauntlet or something lol - That¡¯s right! Were you joking or something? Lol - or something! - This dude. Seol thought for a second while holding the Rock Key. There was another crossroads after acquiring the key by killing the keeper. ¡®It¡¯s about time for the options toe up.¡¯ Seol approached a wall while holding the key and the options appeared before him like it was waiting for him. [[You have acquired the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s Treasure House key. What do you do?] 1. Use the Rock Key to Open the House¡¯s Door. 2. Take the Rock Key. 3. [Required: Shaman] Deduce the Shamanic Spell Inscribed on the Rock Key. 4. [Required: Rogue] Check if You Can Copy the Key. 5. [Required: Stealth] Hide Here. ¡­¡­] There were close to 10 possible options here. That was how important the decision you made after acquiring the Rock Key was. ¡®One of those options is to take the Rock Fists.¡¯ It was to open the treasure house¡¯s door before anyone noticed and to then acquire the Rock Fists. There were yers before who thought about doing this. ¡®The results were awful though.¡¯ Once again, the Rock Fists was the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s divine weapon. The 5 factions of the Rock Mr Tribe ended up working together to find the yer that had stolen it and ripped them to five separate pieces. ¡®This is the option that¡¯s necessary to clear this Adventure solo. The answer is to¡­¡¯ Seol acted as Option 2 told him to. He had taken the Rock Key and only that. He didn¡¯t attempt to open the door or to try and steal the Rock Fists. Seol, after taking the key, moved out of the open to a ce in the vige where he could see the treasure house. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A few momentster, the leaders of the Rock Mr tribe arrived at the treasure house in a scramble. The reason that the leaders ran here, despite the tribe being engulfed by madness and killing each other, was because they heard that the treasure house¡¯s keeper had died. They found out that he had died through their shamanic spells and came here as fast as they could. The youngest, Magata, the Dirt Shaman. The 2nd youngest, Trogo, the Gravel Shaman. The 3rd youngest, Myam, the Mud Shaman. The 2nd oldest, Kron, the Rock Shaman And the oldest, Jamad, the Mountain Shaman. ¡°What is going on?! And what is happening to the vige?!¡± ¡°The Treasure House Keeper is dead! I¡¯m sure one of you must¡¯ve done it!¡± They opened their mouths in the order that they had arrived. Jamad was the exception. He was quietly listening to their conversation. And once Jamad realized that the Rock Key had been stolen, he spoke in a deep voice. ¡°I¡¯m breaking it.¡± The brothers started to break the entrance of the Treasure House to check if their most prized possession was still there. Crush! Baam! They casted all sorts of spells to break the structures that protected the storage. ¡°Haaaah!¡± And with Jamad¡¯s final spell that threw a massive rock, the entrance to the storage opened. BOOOOM! Even Seol, who was far away, could feel the shaking. They stationed their aides to the side and entered the storage to check. Seol was ridiculing the trolls as he watched them. ¡®There aren¡¯t going to be any problems at all no matter how hard you look.¡¯ Because he hadn¡¯t stolen it, nothing should be missing. And because there were no stolen goods, they won¡¯t be able to find the stolen goods. ¡®That¡¯s the opening.¡¯ There was nothing stolen. And that was going to drive them insane. ¡°Who was it?! Who did something as evil as this?!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! Jamad! It must be Jamad! I bet you were trying to use thismotion to kill us and rule with an iron fist!¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible!¡± ¡°I see! So you nned on stealing the Rock Fists to kill your brothers! How ungodly!¡± ¡°Did you think it would go ording to your ns? The former generation already tied us together with a curse!¡± The 5 brothers had started to doubt each other. They only pretended to not doubt each other as vehemently denying suspicions from one person would only lead to earning the suspicions from another brother. The person who had the most suspicions ced on them was Jamad. They were likely using suspicion as an excuse to justify their jealousy. That was because Jamad, the oldest, was the strongest and most noble of the brothers. But, even though such suspicions were being thrown around, no one acted rashly. That was because the Rock Fists were still there and the stolen goods weren¡¯t confirmed yet. But still, the madness that had taken over the vige and the growing suspicions in each other was starting to poison their minds with doubt. ¡°Let¡¯s first restrain the tribe members who are causing trouble and decide on a solutionter!¡± The 5 brothers picked some soldiers who were in good condition to watch the treasure house together then left. ¡®It¡¯s going as nned for now.¡¯ The Rock Key was a special item that had shamanic magic inscribed in it. It would take at least a couple days to make a recement. ¡®That¡¯s why, if they don¡¯t have the key, they¡¯d obviously break the treasure house¡¯s storage.¡¯ The storage was broken and now, other than the guards that had been stationed there, there was nothing left to protect the Rock Fists. The 5 brothers obviously had the broken treasure house in their minds. What if someone steals it? Or what if one of the brothers breaks the rules and forcibly takes it¡­ There was no way they would be able to take care of the situation properly with that on their minds. All of them had doubts. The tribe members went mad and were attacking each other. There were traces of an ambush in the treasure house. But even though the situation seemed dire, there was none among the tribe leaders who thought that the tribe was in danger ofing to an end. ¡®Except for one of them¡­¡¯ Seol knew how ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ Adventure would progress from one situation after another. He also knew that once the troll¡¯s situation within the Adventure bes dire, a certain decisive someone takes action first. ¡®...He¡¯s here.¡¯ Slide. The guard was alert after recognizing someone. ¡°Jamad?¡± Jamad, the oldest, was guided by the guard into the treasure house and disappeared. He, before his brothers, made the first move. ¡®I¡¯m going to take the Rock Fists.¡¯ The tribe being in danger meant he too was in danger. Taking the Rock Fists was his step of preparing for the dangers toe. He had already realized the poison of doubt had spread to his fake brothers. ¡®As expected from the most dangerous leader.¡¯ Seol nodded to himself after seeing Jamad disappear and prepared his next move for the Adventure. It was time to light the fuse for the final fight. Chapter 10 ¡°Dieeeeeeee!¡± ¡°Khrugh¡­ Khuaaargh¡­¡± SLAAAAAAASH! Drip¡­ Drip¡­ It was hell on earth. Pure hell. There were probably better ways to describe what the Rock Mrs were going through, but the important thing right now was whether they were able to calm the situation down or not. ¡®There wasn¡¯t.¡¯ The Potion of Madness wasn¡¯t omnipotent. Itsted only around 12 hours. Because they drank it around midnight, the members of the Rock Mr tribe would likely return to normal around noon. If they were able to somehow separate and quarantine the members, they could minimize the damage. ¡®But that¡¯s going to be a bit difficult.¡¯ Because the problem for the leaders was that all of the Rock Mr Tribe drank the potion. There were a few members who were able to resist the potion somewhat but the majority of them were brandishing weapons, killing each other. There were many too many trolls to handle. ¡®And it¡¯s not like that¡¯s the only thing they have to be worried about.¡¯ When you want to rattle someone, it¡¯s much better to consecutively create small incidents, instead of having just one big incident. Seol used the time that the leaders were helpless from the Potion of Madness incidents to ambush the treasure house and sow distrust between the leaders. And now, Seol had arrived at the ce where the next step in his ns would take ce. He was at the youngest of the 5 brother¡¯s, Magata¡¯s, house. Magata, the Dirt Shaman. He was also the leader of his own faction. He, whether it came to personality or strength, was evaluated as the weakest of the 5 brothers. Seol used the loose security to easily break into his house. Creaaak¡­ Magata¡¯s face froze when he opened the door and saw Seol inside. It seemed that Magata knew someone had broken into his home before he saw Seol. ¡°...So it was you.¡± [Magata, the Dirt Shaman, has discovered your identity.] [The Potion of Camouge¡¯s effect is canceled.] [The potion¡¯s lingering effect has changed your physiology.] [You nowpletely understand Troll Language 1.] [Troll Language 1 is now added to your Talents.] A human wielding a shining staff. Seol¡¯s shameless face only helped to bring out Magata¡¯s inner beast. It was clear that he was under considerable influence from the Potion of Madness. Magata¡¯s eyes glowed red. ¡°So you were the one who fouled up my tribe, human!¡± - That is correct. - You know, the troll has a fair point. - In troll culture, they call people like Snowman a ¡®crafty ass bitch¡¯. - Woah, that¡¯s surprising. Humans say the same thing. - Crafty = Smart - So it¡¯s apliment! Seol first checked if he was in the right home and then nodded his head. Slide. Karuna, the Moonlight Knight, jumped out of Seol¡¯s shadow. ¡°Kill him.¡± Karuna nodded. aaash! Karuna¡¯s Moonlight Sword rushed toward Magata with a brilliant glow. ¡°Krhuoooo!¡± p! Magata pped his hands together and when he did, arge mound of dirt soared out from beneath his feet. [Magata used ¡®Mud Wall¡¯.] Rumble Rumble Rumble! sh! Cut! sh! Karuna calmly shed at the mound of dirt but was unable to overwhelm Magata with it. ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡± Thud. Magata felt like he could handle his opponents because they were weaker than he anticipated. He then concluded that it would be better toe out strong and overpower his opponents because it would strengthen his position in the tribe. He thought that he might even be able to push out Jamad as the strongest of the 5 brothers with this aplishment. Rumble Rumble. One by one, Magata¡¯s troll soldiers of dirt started to enter the battlefield. Karuna, though he was fighting well, was unable to overpower Magata. At this rate, Seol wasn¡¯t going to be able to quickly take down Magata. In the end, an elite monster is still an elite monster. - What the hell¡­ Was the Shadow Summon penalty that bad? - Wasn¡¯t he supposed to just stomp Magata? - He misjudged it, RIP. The 5 brothers are all going to group up at this rate. As the number of Magata¡¯s soldiers increased, Karuna hurriedly switched to the defensive. ¡°Kahahahaha!¡± Magata got excited thinking about how he would prove his strength by tearing the limbs off of his foe. Magata stared at Seol, the summoner, with glowing eyes for that reason. But¡­ Seol only returned a cold gaze. He wasn¡¯t in a panic. ¡®I confirmed as much as I could with this. As expected, nothing changed.¡¯ Karuna was facing Magata with purely his stats and basic swordsmanship so far. And almost like he was trying to prove that he was holding back, Karuna¡¯s body started to glow with the moonlight. [Karuna has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] Fwoooosh! Karuna, while in the middle ofbat, started to build up moonlight. It meant that he achieved a state where the more he moved, the stronger he got. In the Forgotten Moon Ruins, Karuna was at his most dangerous state when his armor had fully absorbed the moonlight. When you took that into consideration, it was clear how different Karuna would bepared to the beginning of the fight. sh! sh! The Moonlight Sword shone more brilliantly than before. Karuna¡¯s sword shed through the dirt soldiers like it was a lightsaber. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Magata was caught off guard, but quickly tried to cast another spell. But¡­ DAAAASH! Karuna did not permit him toplete his spell. Karuna instantly slipped past the soldiers and reached Magata. The Moonlight Sword¡¯s light shone brightly. Fwoooosh! aaaash! ¡°Kuaaaargh!¡± Magata¡¯s left arm was cut off at the shoulder. With that, the battle was practically over. sh! sh! Stter!! Magata¡¯s two legs met the same fate as his left arm. Summoners had to be prepared for that oue once they gave a swordsman distance. Karuna had only taken in a little bit of moonlight but he was already too quick and violent for Magata to handle. ¡°Ku-kuaaargh¡­¡± Magata thought to himself. Even though I was defeated easily, wouldn¡¯t my brothers be able to defeat this disaster if theybined their strengths? ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± Why couldn¡¯t they havebined their strengths sooner? But in truth, Magata already knew the reason why. It was because Magata¡¯s brothers were not brothers by blood. They were nothing more thanpetitors who kept each other in check while pretending to be brothers. Seol approached Magata. Just like how death was quickly approaching him. - Karuna is so fucking strong¡­ I¡¯m hyping hyped¡­ - You said hype twice¡­ - So where did the people who thought he was going to lose go? - That swordsman is cheating >:( That shaman got fucked TT Magata realized that it was toote for him. He resolved to do what he had to do. Point. Magata pointed at Seol with his finger. It was to cast a curse. It was a curse that worked only on the summoner, not the summon. ¡°A grudge? I won¡¯t let you.¡± And just then, Magata¡¯s grudge spell activated. [Magata, the Dirt Shaman, has casted a grudge on Snowman.] [Snowman feels lethargic.] [Snowman¡¯s Strength and Dexterity will be reduced by 50% for a week.] Magata¡¯s grudge was a curse that reduced the target¡¯s strength and dexterity. But strength and dexterity weren¡¯t that important to Seol who was a summoner. And that was precisely the reason why Seol aimed for Magata first. ¡®You¡¯re normally supposed to share this curse with the party members.¡¯ Normally, you investigate the vige and acquire information about the grudge curses. And after that, you try to defeat the 5 brothers while trying to make the ss who is least affected by each curse take on each curse. That was the normal, traditional way of taking on the 5 brothers. If Seol¡¯s party members were all alive, he would¡¯ve just taken them down one by one and used this method instead of doing the side quest. ¡®But thankfully I was still somehow able toe all the way here.¡¯ Magata looked at Seol who still had an indifferent expression on his face after getting cursed by him. He left his final words for him. ¡°M-Magata¡¯s brothers.. Kuku¡­ will¡­ get their¡­ revenge¡­¡± Thud¡­ [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated Magata, the Dirt Shaman.] [A ¡®Rock Mr Offering¡¯ has been generated.] [You have satisfied the Adventure Objective.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] And like that, Magata drew hisst breath. Seolughed and said, ¡°Your brothers, huh¡­ It¡¯s going to get a lot busier here though?¡± Seol lit Magata¡¯s house aze before preparing for the final battle. ze! If any of the brothers¡¯ close aides has half their senses, they would likelye here and confirm Magata¡¯s corpse. And that would also reach the leaders¡¯ ears. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * When the leaders heard that Magata had died, Seol was boldly at the center of the vige. ¡°Kuaaaargh!¡± ¡°Die! Dieeee!¡± ¡°Krgh¡­ Karg¡­¡± Seol disregarded the smell of smoke and blood all around him and entered a house. - Is something good happening? - What the fuck do you mean it¡¯s a fire. - I don¡¯t know about anything else but his mental¡¯s at least Tier 1 LMFAO How is he just walking around like nothing¡¯s going on? - But isn¡¯t the Adventure over? Why isn¡¯t he leaving? - No one knows so that¡¯s why we¡¯re all watching. - I¡¯m pretty sure there are already people who cleared the Adventure and left. - They only did the minimum required though. Seol went toward a small cauldron that was located at the center of the house. - What¡¯s going on? I think he¡¯s trying to do something? - That¡¯s impossible! Potion of Madness again? - Potion of Madness again? That¡¯s too much. When Seol reached the cauldron, a notification popped up. [You are able to cook here.] - Huh? Cook? - Right now? - Come on. No way he¡¯s going to cook. Seol brought out various ingredients and even a few things that looked like medicine. - I never knew he was such a family man. - Is he hungry? - So what does the cooking talent actually do? - Absolutely nothing. It¡¯s worthlesspared to other talents unless you have a recipe. - ???: Sheesh, is he going to drink mana? Seol lit a fire and cooked the ingredients in a specific order. Even though Seol hadn¡¯t eaten all day, he wasn¡¯t doing this because he was hungry. [[Moon Seed] Quality: Special Rmended Level: 1-5 Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: You could consume this in a variety of ways. The effects of it are unknown.] Seol looked at the seed for a second before throwing it into the cauldron. The ¡®Moon Seed¡¯ was an item that he acquired in the Forgotten Moon Ruins. It was typically eaten after cooking it and Seol knew exactly how to cook it. ¡®Thest fight¡¯s going to be difficult even for me so even if it¡¯s a bit of a shame, I have to use it for the vtile skill.¡¯ Though the Moon Seed had various effects, it was split into two main effects. The first effect was permanently increasing your stats and the other was gaining a vtile skill. Vtile Skills, unlike regr skills, were skills that were a one-time use only. But in exchange, those skills were extremely strong. They were often used to break through difficult situations. Fssss¡­ [You have finished cooking.] [You have made a Vegetable and Special Seed Stir Fry.] [Beginner¡¯s Luck activates.] [It smells great. The dish was a sess.] [Your Spirit permanently increases by 1.] [You have been inspired.] [You feel like you will be able toe up with a recipe the next time youe across a new ingredient.] [Your cooking skills have slightly improved.] Seol picked out an appropriate bowl from within the house and ate the food voraciously. Because it wasn¡¯t seasoned and mostly made of vegetables, it was quite nd. - Why did he suddenly cook? - Is this right? - That¡¯s strange¡­ Is this really the stream I was watching? - I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason he¡¯s doing this TT. And when Seol finished his bowl, a message popped up. [You had an excellent meal.] [Moon Seed¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You are able to use ''Moon¡¯s Stage'', a vtile skill, for a day.] - ¡­Huh? - He got a skill from food? - I think I¡¯m going to go insane! I think I¡¯m actually going to go insane! - How the hell did he know about this? - ???: See? You just have to shut up and watch. A bunch of messages came after that. [¡®Breaking News¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [I just checked the guidebook. Moon¡¯s Stage is an AoE spell that gives a buff to those that have the moon attribute and a debuff to everyone else. What the fuck. I never thought I¡¯d see this.] - Where did the bnce go? - I mean if you think about it this was part of the highest rank reward from thest Adventure¡­ - And vtile skills can only be used once a day! Or was it only one time? - It¡¯s basically an ultimate skill sheesh ¡®It really was a good decision to pick Cooking as my talent.¡¯ There¡¯s always a reason why an experienced yer chooses something. Among the various talents avable, Cooking was not only one of the most essible talents, it also gave a variety of effects. That¡¯s why yers who wanted their characters to be all-rounders often picked the Cooking talent. Obviously, there was the recipe system to consider but there was no way Seol would only know a handful of them. ¡®And it¡¯s an easy to grow talent as well. Since it bes that much better the more it grows¡­¡¯ There¡¯s also the fact that food is one of the necessary physiological needs. Seol was more satisfied with Cooking¡¯s effects than he thought he would be. Finally, Seol had finished his preparation. Seol left the house and quietly went to the tallest point of the Pointy Mountains, the top floor. If the brothers heard the news, they would most likely be there. All Seol had to do was draw it to a close. ¡°It¡¯s time for the finale.¡± Chapter 11 The Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s leader, Jamad, the Mountain Shaman. He, after bing the chieftain, was faced with an extremely troublesome situation. He had taken the Rock Fists from the treasure house and killed all of the guards there. Because all of the other treasures were worthlesspared to the Rock Fists, he didn¡¯t care who took the other treasures. ¡®It¡¯s a crisis.¡¯ He could practically hear a massive bell ringing in his head, alerting him that he was in danger. The tribe members who shared blood just a few hours ago were trying to kill each other. Because it was unlikely that a shamanic spell was cast on all of them, Jamad assumed that the cause of this was the blood that they drank. But honestly, the cause wasn¡¯t important right now. It wasn¡¯t like he could find the cause in that short amount of time anyway. There was something much more pressing. ¡®Instead of worrying about who did it, I need to worry about how to stop it.¡¯ There was still a way out. If the leaders worked together, they could prevent the tribe from destruction. ¡®But because our enemy aimed for the treasure house and Magata, they knew that too.¡¯ Regardless of who the opponent was, the brothers could definitely stop them from destroying the tribe if they stuck together. But there was no way they would stick together when they were suspicious of each other. ¡®My brothers probably weren¡¯t the ones that did this.¡¯ Jamad¡¯s brothers were greedy. There was no way any of his brothers would¡¯ve used such a violent method against the tribe. Yeah, this method is¡­ ¡®Exactly how I would do it.¡¯ It was violent and straightforward. The tribe was torn apart to the point that friend or foe was indistinguishable, no one knew who their allies and enemies were. The only thing someone could trust in a situation like this was their own strength. Only those who were strong would remain unshaken in this situation. ¡®And that¡¯s why my brothers suspect me.¡¯ And that¡¯s why Jamad took the Rock Fists. The only thing that could be trusted in this situation was overwhelming power. No matter what crisis came to him, he could hold on as long as he had the Rock Fists. Because his brothers already suspected him, it didn¡¯t matter if he actually stole the Rock Fists or not. Jamad had hidden the Rock Fists beneath his massive chair in the conference room. And he waited there, praying that the situation didn¡¯t have to go to the extreme. A few momentster, he felt a presence. A few trolls, smaller than Jamad, entered the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s conference hall. ¡°So you arrived, brothers.¡± It was Trogo, Myam, and Kron. All of the remaining brothers came to the conference hall. ¡°Jamad, choose your words carefully. Right now, we are suspecting it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°Oh my brothers, could you listen to what I have to say?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°We might have been forced to be brothers because of the shamans of the previous generation but I have never once regretted it.¡± ¡°The previous generation, huh¡­ you mean the same generation that you massacred on your own because they annoyed you?¡± The previous generation of shamans were all kind and Jamad had extorted them out of all of their shamanic spells. And during that time, Jamad¡¯s brothers neither helped nor prevented it. They had simply remained silent. Jamad kept his head down and continued. He then looked toward the trolls who were challenging his authority. ¡°Kron, I understand why you want to fight me. It¡¯s because I¡¯m the closest target to you. And I¡¯m sure you love the current situation. So, do you really want my position this badly when our tribe¡¯s be like this in just a few hours?¡± ¡°You understand me? Ha! Then I guess you¡¯ll understand your fate as well, right?¡± The more the brothers talked with each other, the more red Jamad¡¯s eyes got. They were only able to control themselves somewhat through willpower. Mael¡¯s Potion of Madness definitely had an effect as they were more violent than usual. ¡°My brothers, there was something I vowed after I killed the previous generation. I wanted to destroy Rock Mr¡¯s forced traditions to start a new generation. Wasn¡¯t that why I let all of my brothers live?¡± ¡°What? Let us live? How arrogant! Do you really think you¡¯re able to kill us whenever you want to? Are you looking down on the shamanic magics our previous generation taught us? Enough! You have always looked down on us!¡± ng! ng! Spears, axes, and even magic staves. Jamad¡¯s brothers weren¡¯t there to have a discussion. They nned to use the chieftain¡¯s ipetence as an excuse topletely flip over Rock Mr¡¯s power dynamics. ¡°Then¡­ it¡¯s time for you to pay for your arrogance!¡± The brothers stiffened up their tattooed faces and let out their battle cries. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you said anything about Magata¡¯s death?¡± ¡°The same goes for you guys.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯ve drawn your weapons, we are enemies. So I¡¯ll tell you, I¡¯ll tell you why I haven¡¯t said anything about Magata¡¯s death¡­¡± Jamad¡¯s eyes were ice cold as he looked at Kron. ¡°Because we¡­ aren¡¯t real brothers. Because we doubt each other first whenever there¡¯s a dispute.¡± ¡°...Yeah, you might be right.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we proving it right now? Your des arrived faster at my neck than even the unknown enemy.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s end this disgusting brother act. We can just let whoever survives this lead and repair the tribe.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Kron and the other brothers¡¯ eyes glowed red. It was almost like they couldn¡¯t control their boiling blood. It was theplete opposite of Jamad¡¯s whose eyes were calmly examining them. The fiery atmosphere didn¡¯t look like it would be cooled down. Jamad, even now, was thinking of his dying tribe. Stand. Jamad got up from his seat. He was bigger than his brothers. And that difference in size had a significant impact. CRUUUUUUUSH! Jamad destroyed his chair made of bones and pulled out something from within it. Fwooosh! They were the Rock Fists and they shone bright. ¡°The Rock Fists!¡± ¡°I knew you were behind this! We were right!¡± Jamad, who had hidden the Rock Fists before his brothers entered, equipped them in his hands. Click. Click. ¡°I knew Jamad stole it!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think about dying an easy death, traitor!¡± Jamad calmly waved his hand away like they weren¡¯t even worth reacting to. ¡°Yeah, sure. I was behind all of this.¡± They were deep in conflict and their trust in each other was gone. Rumble! Kron and the rest of the brothers got up and waved their hands around. In an instant, many stones filled up the conference room. ¡°We have to kill him! Jamad was aiming for our lives!¡± ¡°Jamad killed Magata too!¡± ¡°He¡¯s using the Rock Fists to take over the tribe!¡± The three foolish brothersbined their strengths to cast their shamanic spells. Booooom! Sharp rocks and mud gathered in one spot while destroying the conference room. Jamad quietly murmured to himself. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Tancreed, Mother of the Earth, if blood must be shed in Rock Mr, I will dly spill it. However, that blood will be blood from the useless.¡± Jamad equipped the Rock Fists on both arms and gathered energy. Fwoooooosh! ¡°Jamad is the mountain, and mountains don¡¯t falter,¡± proimed Jamad. ¡°Don¡¯t get so full of yourself, Jamad!¡± ¡°It¡¯s finally time to decide who the sole chief will be!¡± ¡°You were mistaken thinking you were above us!¡± Jamad, the Mountain Shaman, equipped the divine weapons of the earth and gave a cold, cynical smile. Rumble Rumble Rumble! Booooom! Rock, gravel, and mudbined as it flooded toward Jamad. But Jamad, after acquiring the Rock Fists, overwhelmed them instead. Rumble Rumble Rumble! ¡°Kuaaargh!¡± ¡°Myam, no!!¡± ¡°What¡­? How does he have so much power¡­?¡± Myam was mutted by fragments of stone. In contrast to his haughty arrogance, Myam died in vain to a single attack from Jamad. [Myam, the Mud Shaman, has a grudge against Jamad.] [Jamad is inflicted with a lung disease.] [Jamad¡¯s cast time will be increased by 200% and the chance of failing a spell cast will be fixed at 70% for a week. The recoil from casting shamanic magic will be much stronger.] [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated Myam, the Mud Shaman.] [Your rewards have improved.] [The ¡®Rock Mr Offering¡¯ has improved to a ¡®Rock Mr Tribute¡¯.] The monster that¡¯s been biding his time finally revealed himself to the world with the Rock Fists. ¡°Myam is d-dead!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Jamad¡¯s Rock Fists started to shine again. Fwooosh! Jamad¡¯s body became covered in rocks. Every time Jamad casted a spell, the Rock Fists let out an eerie shine. ¡°With the blood that you have shed, Rock Mr will be one! It will be much stronger than it is now!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re forcibly using the power of the earth! You will face divine punishmen¡ª¡± ¡°He won¡¯t be able to hold out for long! That relic¡¯s way too powerful for a single shaman to control!¡± BOOOM! Jamad charged at Trogo, his rock armor deflecting the gravel spells that Trogo cast. Trogo, in the end, was caught by Jamad. Crush! Crack! Jamad pulled Trogo in and crushed him. ¡°Urg-Guargh¡­¡± ¡°Trogooooo!¡± [Trogo, the Gravel Shaman, has a grudge against Jamad.] [Jamad is inflicted with dizziness.] [Jamad¡¯s sense of distance is distorted, reducing his defense, resistance, constitution, and hit rate by 70% for a week.] [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated Trogo, the Gravel Shaman.] [Your rewards have improved.] [The ¡®Rock Mr Tribute¡¯ has improved to a ¡®Rock Mr Gift¡¯.] ¡°Jamad! How dare you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not killing you guys sooner. Maybe I felt a little bit ofpassion for you who were forced to be my brothers.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look down on meeeeeeee!¡± Kron¡¯s eyes glowed red as he covered himself in rocks like Jamad had. BOOOOOM! ¡°Krgh¡­ Kgghhh¡­¡± ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± After a long fight, Jamad was finally able to defeat his final brother. Stter! And his arm, which has pierced through Kron¡¯s chest, was evidence of it. ¡°Jamad¡­ cough¡­ You will pay the price for betraying your brothers¡­¡± ¡°Kron, you were never fit to be king. You are too dull and get shaken up easily.¡± ¡°I vow¡­ no matter what¡­¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± [Kron, the Rock Shaman, has a grudge against Jamad.] [Jamad is inflicted with a heart disease.] [Jamad¡¯s health will continuously decrease and will not be able to regenerate for a week.] [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated Kron, the Rock Shaman.] [Your rewards have improved.] [The ¡®Rock Mr Gift¡¯ has improved to a ¡®Rock Mr Treasure¡¯.] Thud. Jamad took a knee. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­ Cough¡­ You annoying bastards¡­¡± Crackle¡ª Screeeeech! The Rock Fists let out a screech. Because Jamad had forcibly brought out its powers, his body was also a wreck after the fight. Like his brothers said, the Rock Fists were way too powerful for an ordinary shaman to wield. ¡®But¡­ It''s fine. I¡¯m the only leader left in the tribe now. I just have to build it up again. If I want to ovee this situation, the most important thing is to first bring the tribe together as one and¡­¡¯ Step. Step. Jamad felt a presence. He instinctively knew that the person who stood outside those doors was the same person who aimed to take his life. Creak. ¡°...Who are you?!¡± Jamad squeezed out his strength to throw out splinters of rocks. But a moonlit sword deflected the splinters. aaaang! The person that deflected the splinters was Seol¡¯s summon, Karuna. Seol, who stood in front of Karuna, slowly walked toward Jamad before introducing himself. ¡°Brothers shouldn¡¯t fight amongst themselves. You should be good to each other.¡± - Satan: Professor, we haven¡¯t gotten to that lesson yet. - Don¡¯t fight each other! Kiss! - Is this what a human is like¡­? Urgh¡­ disgusting! - I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s the strongest among the humans but he¡¯s definitely the most evil¡­ I never knew I liked stuff like this! - That¡¯s seriously insane¡­ I was wondering what he was doing but he was nning all of this out? I can¡¯t believe the 5 brothers became an only child! How did a family with multiple children get ruined like this?! - How did all of them turn out like this when he only killed one of them? I still can¡¯t believe it after seeing it¡­ Slide¡­ Seol stood in front of Jamad at the darkest time, the moments before dawn. The conference hall¡¯s walls were broken down by the fight between the four brothers. And through those gaps, moonlight poured in. Glow! [Karuna is influenced by the moonlight.] [Soaring Moonlight recharges faster than normal.] ¡°...So it¡¯s you. You were the one behind all of this. I knew none of my idiot brothers would¡¯ve been able to do this.¡± Because it was obvious that they wouldn¡¯t be having a pleasant conversation, Seol didn¡¯t continue the conversation. It was neither the ce nor situation to have a conversation. And it seemed his opponent had the same thought. Jamad, despite having multiple cursesyered on him and having his body being weakened from casting too many spells, forced himself up. Seol watched with a nervous face. He then smiled and nodded to Karuna. Karuna walked forth, his sheath glowing with moonlight. Jamad, who was facing Karuna now, had glowing red eyes. Seol could practically feel the rage oozing out of them. ¡°Oh demon, do you desire the mountain?¡± asked Jamad. Crunch! Jamad let out a battle cry and tensed up his body, charging straight at Karuna. ¡°Come, try and take it if you can!¡± But just then, as Jamad was almost about to reach Karuna, Karuna¡¯s energy changed. Crackle! Crackle! Crackle! [Karuna has entered the 2nd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Half Moon.] Chapter 12 Seol curled his fist as Karuna¡¯s body zed up in moonlight. ¡®Somehow¡­ I was able toe all the way here.¡¯ There were many ways of tackling ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ Adventure and Seol picked the most difficult one out of them. And that was to make the 5 brothers fight each other by putting a wedge between them. Even though it was a clear goal to work toward, the conditions were quite strict. 1. Use the exiled, or another strategy, to cause chaos in the vige. 2. Make the 5 brothers suspicious of each other by messing with the Rock Fists. 3. Confirm that the strongest of the 5 brothers took the Rock Fists. 4. When the oldest chief is med for it, kill one of the 5 brothers. (Make sure you consider which curse you¡¯ll receive before you kill them. To fulfill the requirements, don¡¯t kill the 2nd oldest brother.) 5. Now if you just wait, the 2nd oldest brother will convince the 3rd oldest brother to revolt against the oldest brother. (Even though the exact names might change, the 2nd oldest will always be in apetition with the oldest. Because of that, this will be a fixed event. A special point of note here is that if the oldest doesn¡¯t have the Rock Fists, the oldest will lose to his brothers.) 6. Confirm that the oldest brother won. (The reason that the oldest needs to win, and not the three brothers, is because he bes easy to face once he¡¯s afflicted with all of the ¡®grudge¡¯ curses.) 7. When the oldest is afflicted with all of the curses, defeat him. All of this is what Seol has been working on since midnight. ¡®It was so fucking rough¡­¡¯ He never expected all of his party members to have died. But, he came all this way because he could aim for the best possible reward from the Adventure. It was finally time for him to reap his rewards. The strategy he created to beat ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ Adventure only had 7 steps and he was in the middle of it. ¡®Still, there¡¯s one final hurdle.¡¯ Defeat Jamad. The important point here was that the oldest troll was extremely powerful when they had the Rock Fists. To the point that hunting it in a party was a necessity. Furthermore, Jamad was powerful enough for even Mael to warn him. In ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯, because the specific trolls changed each time, the strength of the oldest troll also changed how difficult this strategy was. Jamad was probably strong beyond all logic. Seol couldn¡¯t help but curl his hand into a fist. ¡®That¡¯s why I¡¯m using the curses to do the best I can. I hope it all goes ording to n¡­¡± Seol stopped thinking. He solely focused onbat. Jamad and Karuna collided. BOOOOOOOM! ¡°Kuaaaargh!¡± ¡°......¡± Karuna, who was in the Half Moon state, took a proper attack from Jamad. BOOOOOM! Fssss¡­ Karuna was pushed back a few steps but there weren¡¯t any other injuries. ¡®If it¡¯s this much¡­¡¯ It was evidence that Karuna could face Jamad and it also meant that Seol could leave it to Karuna to take care of him. RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE! Even though it shook up the entire vige every time the two collided, the vigers were too engulfed in madness to go to the conference room. ¡®Since they didn¡¯t even approach the conference hall when the brothers were fighting each other, I can fight without worrying about more trolls joining.¡¯ This was part of the reason that Seol chose the moment right after Jamad defeated his brothers as his timing to strike. Jamad was isted on the top floor with Seol. ¡°How dare you aim for Rock Mr! I will feed your corpses to the dogs!¡± RUMBLE RUMBLE! Jamad primarily made direct, primitive attacks. A part of the reason was clearly because he was exhausted from the grudge curses and needed time to recover his shaman powers, but the primary reason was simply because that was enough to be on an equal level with Karuna. CLAAANG! CLANG! ¡®Damn it¡­ The ¡®Shadow Summon¡¯ penalty is painful.¡¯ Karuna wasn¡¯t weaker than Jamad. Seol thought that Jamad without the Rock Fists would¡¯ve been on the same power level as Karuna without the penalties. The problem was that because Seol¡¯s Shadow Summon was low-ranked, Karuna was limited to 20% of his original strength. And that was just barely enough to fight on equal footing with Jamad who had been afflicted with all of the grudge curses. ¡®It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have a way to overturn this situation, but¡­ the timing¡­¡¯ Jamad seemed to have figured out Karuna¡¯s power level and started attacking more aggressively. [Jamad has changed to the Earthquake Stance.] Rumble Rumble Rumble! Jamad, luckily, sessfully casted his shamanic spell and radiated immense energy from his body. ¡°Did you think you would be able to take over the mountains with only that much strength?!¡± Jamad¡¯s ¡®Earthquake Stance¡¯ was a skill that constantly shook the earth by continuously expending his shamanic energy. It was a skill that Jamad used when he was below a certain percentage of HP. Fwoooosh! Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Karuna was just barely able to avoid Jamad¡¯s fists. Jamad continued his attack as if he wanted to destroy Karuna¡¯s Moonlight Sword. ng! Rumble! ng! Rumble! It looked like Karuna was having a hard time handling Jamad because of the tremors. ¡°Jamad is the mountain! Everything shall be put under my feet!¡± RUUUUUMBLEEE! Karuna got pushed back again while trying to protect Seol. Karuna was unable to defeat Jamad in his Half Moon Stage. ¡®It¡¯s strange. He should¡¯ve been heavily damaged from the Rock Fists¡¯ recoil by now¡­¡¯ This was something that Seol had confirmed through multiple ythroughs alone. The fact that Karuna in his Half Moon Stage was getting pushed back by Jamad was something that went against Seol¡¯s calctions and experience. ¡®Was there a problem? Did I miss somethin¡ª¡¯ Seol reyed the past events of this Adventure in his head but nothing came up. This meant that it was more likely the problem wasn¡¯t something that Seol did previously, but something that''s happening right now. FWOOOOOOSH! There was only one difference between now and his previous ythroughs. Jamad himself. Seol had faced countless ¡®oldest trolls¡¯ but this was the first time he was facing Jamad. Jamad¡¯s Rock Fists let out another roar. And after that, Jamad smashed the earth with his gauntlets. BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! ¡°Krgh¡­ Karuna!¡± aaang! ng! Karuna deflected everyst shard of rock aimed at Seol. His sword let out a cry with each hit, it was clear that there was tremendous force behind each rock. ¡®Wait, the Rock Fists¡­¡¯ Seol quickly noticed that something was off about them. The Rock Fists should¡¯ve expended all of its energy and begun recharging by now. But, it was continuously firing off shamanic spells. ¡°Power! My body is overflowing with power!¡± And he clearly was. The Rock Fist weren¡¯t hurting Jamad with the recoil, it was empowering him instead. ¡®How¡­ How could this be¡­¡¯ There is always a certain percentage of something happening. The World of Eternity was a world that was especially sensitive to that phenomenon. Even Seol, who was unable to obtain the Moon¡¯s Seed in his 17 years of y, was finally able to acquire the item after entering the world himself. Percentages was the cruel mistress which tripped up every yer. ¡®The Rock Fists¡­ evolved into the Mountain Fists.¡¯ There was something like that in the guidebook as well. - Outline: Mountain Fists [The Rock Fists evolve into the Mountain Fists when it¡¯s filled with energy from thend. There are no other precise records left about this item.] It was a little easter egg that allowed the Rock Fists to evolve into the Mountain Fists after absorbing power from the earth. This easter egg had never been triggered in Seol¡¯s 17 years of gamey. Unfortunately, it was happening now. ¡°I guess some people are always bound to get unlucky¡­¡± ¡°I will tten you, intruder!¡± RUMBLE RUMBLE! RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE! What Jamad had now was the awakened Rock Fists, the Mountain Fists. Seol only realized that something was off when it was already toote. ¡®Should I run away? No, do I even have an option left to choose?¡¯ Seol¡¯s greatest weapon was undoubtedly his experience. But right now, his experience was obsolete. RUUUUMBLE! RUMBLE! ¡°I will destroy you and crush you!¡± Jamad was viciously pushing Seol to his death like he didn¡¯t mind the grudge curses and the divine relic¡¯s recoil at all. Seol¡¯s eyes went nk from the fear of death. ¡°Karuna! It¡¯s dangerou¡ª¡± muttered Seol. RUUUUUUUUUMBLE! BOOOOM! Jamad¡¯s attack sent both Seol and Karuna flying. ¡°Krgh¡­¡­¡± As Seol hit his head against the wall with immense force, his vision went ck. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Five yers watched the board and Seol was one of them. The situation in the game was dire. ¡°Snowman, let¡¯s run away.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ We should run away even if it isn¡¯t all of us. We can¡¯t clear this. Let¡¯s give up a few pieces and try to save the pieces that we can save.¡± ¡°......¡± Seol recalled the past. He didn¡¯t remember exactly how old he was when it happened but it was definitely when he was young. It was a time before Snowman had be a legend. Because of his party members¡¯ mistake, they were in danger. He, as the leader, had to decide what to do. ¡®What was I thinking back then? Ah! I remember¡­¡¯ He felt bad for the pieces. He felt way too sorry to let those pieces die like that. The pieces worked so hard to reach all this way. That young, tender-hearted child probably thought something like that. ¡°Snowman¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re not running away.¡± ¡°Why? We can¡¯t clear this! All we have to do is just let a few pieces di¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just a ¡®few pieces¡¯. We all worked so hard toe all this way¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re alrigh¡ª¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about us. I wasn¡¯t talking about the yers.¡± ¡°...Then who?¡± ¡°The game pieces. They worked so hard toe all this way, I won¡¯t let them die in vain like this.¡± ¡°......Haah. Just for a few pieces?¡± ¡°...How reckless.¡± Snowman was reckless. But, every single yer who had yed a game with Snowman always wanted to y with him again. Snowman always made the right calls and he didn¡¯t waste the pieces. He yed as if the game pieces were actual living beings in that world. ¡°...Can you do it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s¡­ still a way.¡± Snowman had a strategy that couldn¡¯t exactly be called one. Dangers will alwayse. To anyone, anytime, anywhere, without reason. Then which pieces are the first to die in those situations? ¡®The pieces that don¡¯t fight. The pieces that run away¡­¡¯ You couldn¡¯t win because you didn¡¯t fight. You couldn¡¯t win because you ran away. The reason that Snowman¡¯s pieces were always able to show miracles was because they always faced the dangers head-on. ¡°Damn it, fine! Can you save us, please?¡± ¡°Snowman, please!¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ I¡¯ll fight too, Snowman!¡± A goddess who wore a mask with a spear and shield on it spoke to SNowman. ¡°Then, please select an option, Snowman.¡± ¡°Option 3. I swing the sword and aim for Jyur, the giant¡¯s ankles.¡± ¡°I wonder¡­ Will Snowman¡¯s sword swing be able to save hisrades? I suspect there''s a low chance of it happening, but¡­¡± Roll. The dice rolled on the table. And like always fate, disguised as percentages, brought an answer. ¡°We shall roll the die. I pray that a miracle may ur to you.¡± Before Snowman could see the results of the roll, he returned to reality. * * * CLAAAAAAAAANG! ¡°Krgh¡­ K-Karuna¡­¡± ¡°......¡± Karuna had done an excellent job protecting Seol while he was unconscious. But, Karuna was filled with holes. It was clear that Karuna barely managed to scrape by dangerous situations. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you now¡­¡± Jamad was only getting stronger. Even though Seol thought it would¡¯ve been an easy finish, the situation was just getting more dire as the time passed. RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE! [Jamad prepares andslide.] ¡®Avnche!¡¯ It was a shamanic spell which required Jamad to expend thest of his energy. It was clear that Seol would die if he got caught up in it. Pause. Seol forcibly stopped himself from running away. He then calmly, coolly concentrated. ¡®The total damage from Avnche in Earthquake stance is¡­ It¡¯s been about¡­ 5 minutes since Karuna entered his Half Moon Stage¡­¡¯ Seol would inevitably die if he stopped thinking. ¡®Damn it, how much time passed while I was knocked out? I need to know that to¡­¡¯ And just then, Seol finally received the weing message he had been waiting for. Fssssss! Glooooow! [Karuna has entered the 3rd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Full Moon.] Karuna¡¯s armor shone brilliantly with the moonlight. He looked exactly like how he looked in the Forgotten Moon Ruins. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± RUUUUMBLE! Jamad¡¯s Avnche was about to be cast. The Pointy Mountains trembled violently. ¡°Watch this! This is the mountains!¡± [Jamad uses Avnche.] ¡°Karuna!¡± Karuna pointed his sword toward the sky and gathered the moonlight. His armor radiated even brighter, sending light in all directions. ¡®It¡¯s not enough. We¡¯re going to be swept away by the avnche!¡¯ Seol had to fill up that gap. Jamad mocked their efforts. ¡°KAHAHAHAHA! Tremble before Tancreed¡¯s power!!!¡± Seol quickly used the skill he had been saving for an unexpected crisis. ¡°I still haven¡¯t lost yet¡­!¡± FWOOOOSH! Seol¡¯s body radiated a cool energy. [Snowman used the vtile skill Moon¡¯s Stage.] [The curtains of Moon¡¯s Stage lift.] [The protagonist is being chosen.] Glooooooow¡­ A giant ray of moonlight focused on the tallest peak of the Pointy Mountains as if it wanted to burn it. And the person who shone most brightly under that ray was obviously Karuna. sh! [Karuna, the Moonlight Knight, is the protagonist.] [While moonlight shines, all of Karuna¡¯s stats will increase by 50%.] [Everyone who is not the protagonist descends from the stage.] [While moonlight shines, all stats of characters other than Karuna will decrease by 20%.] Seol, who was a supporting character here, could feel his strength siphon away from his body. Jamad, who was another supporting character, was shocked from the sensation of rapidly losing his strength. He quickly finished his cast. ¡°What?!¡± ¡®With this, we can beat avnche!¡¯ Seol gave a beaming smile after finishing his calctions. ¡°Don¡¯t lose, Karuna!¡± [Karuna uses Full Moon sh.] [Your stats are sufficient. Full Moon sh has improved to theplete Moonlight sh.] Karuna quietly murmured to himself while drawing a path with his sword. ¡°The moon shines radiantly in the sky¡­ be humbled by it¡­¡± Karuna¡¯s Moonlight Sword glowed brilliantly. His quiet voice rang throughout the peak like a roar. ¡°Now, I will carry out my will.¡± FWOOOOOOOOOOSH! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! A radiant light swept through the Pointy Mountains¡¯ peak. It was a dazzling light that could be seen through all of the shards of rock. RUUUUUMBLE! RUUUUMBLE! What if my calctions were off? Avnche, Earthquake Stance, and even the Mountain Fists¡­ Were my calctions correct? But it was toote for Seol to regret it now. He had already chosen his option and the die had been rolled. ¡®Please¡­ Please¡­¡¯ ¡°GUAAAAAAARGH!¡± RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE! BOOOOOOOM! It was a massive explosion. Karuna was powerful, but so was Jamad. The entire mountain violently quaked. Even thend that Seol was standing on was shaking. The tremors and dust continued to build up for close to 30 seconds. Avnche¡¯s bonus effect ¡®Aftershock¡¯ was happening. Rumble Rumble Rumble! What are the results? Seol waited for the dust to settle. Woosh. And after a few moments, he could finally see the battlefield. Chapter 13 As the force which rivaled Avnche hit the mountaintop, the mad trolls scattered throughout the mountains in a mess. Even though madness was being pulled out of them through the potion, their primal sense of fear still remained. Sliide. Seol¡¯s face quickly changed from hope to despair. After the dust had settled, Karuna and Jamad were both still standing. Tattered, exhausted, but still standing. Did their massive skills really end in a draw? Seol couldn¡¯t ept it. A draw was essentially the same as a loss. ¡®Damn it¡­ huh?¡¯ But something was off. The two weren¡¯t moving at all. They were just staring at each other. Seol only realized what was happening once Jamad spoke to him. ¡°Demon¡­ no, Shadow Summoner.¡± Raise. Jamad turned his back on the glowing Karuna to face Seol. There was a line carved deep into Jamad¡¯s chest. It was clear that he was going to die. And he left his final words. ¡°Cough¡­ C-Collect me. I¡­ I! I cannot perish here! I have something¡­ something I must¡­¡± Thud! In the end, the moon was able to carve out the massive mountain. Jamad fell t on his face and withered away into the moonlight. A few momentster, Seol received countless system messages. [Jamad, the Mountain Shaman, holds a grudge toward Snowman.] [Snowman is afflicted with a skin disease.] [All stats will be decreased by 30% for a week.] [All five brothers of the Rock Mr Tribe have died.] [All grudges on Snowman have been dispelled.] [You have defeated Jamad, the Mountain Shaman.] [Your rewards have improved.] [¡®Rock Mr Treasure¡¯ has improved to ¡®Rock Mr Divine Relic¡¯.] [You have defeated the Five Brothers of the Pointy Mountains.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] The ones that came up so far were the messages Seol was expecting. [You have earned the achievement ¡®Five Unfriendly Brothers¡¯.] [You have earned the title ¡®Demon of Early Mornings¡¯.] [You have earned the achievement ¡®Family Feud¡¯.] [You have earned the title ¡®Instigator¡¯.] [You have earned the achievement ¡®I Can Do Well Alone¡¯.] [You have earned the title ¡®Solo¡¯.] There were a lot of messages to handle. What Seol didn¡¯t know was that there were also other messages cheering for him. [¡®InTheFuture¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [Mom, when I grow up, I¡¯ll be like Snowman! Mom, when I grow up, I¡¯ll be like Snowman! Mom, when I grow up, I¡¯ll be like Snowman!] - I¡¯ll take you in as the strongest lump of steel(Formerly Jamad)! - Fuck! How could he make me, the indomitable man that is Oh Myeontae, cry like this¡­ Snowman¡­ who are you!!! - Snowman Punch! Snowman Punch! He is a god! [¡®I was so shocked watching you while eating my soup¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Because the soup was so good.] - Is this an ad? Huh?! Exin yourself! - This stream includes a paid promotion. - Poetic Justice! I enjoyed the stream! [¡®Public reaction right now¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!¡¯] [Murmur¡­ Whisper¡­ Murmur¡­] - Their reactions are as one-dimensional as always. - Seriously I bet everyone¡¯s going to eventuallye to this stream. - Did this guy really get the best reward? [¡®Snowman flipped over the mountains!¡¯ has donated 100 Madness!¡¯] [ (¨r¡ã-¡ã)¨r ©ß©¥©ß Yeet~~~!! (¨s¡ã¡õ¡ã)¨s ©ß©¥©ß] - Urgh¡­ My chest hurts¡­ Because it was beating so much! - What¡¯s with the emoji lol it¡¯s so cute - But how was he able to get three titles? sheeesh Snowman had received three titles from one Adventure. Even one title in an Adventure would be considered a sess but Snowman was able to receive much more than that. ¡®So, what are the effects?¡¯ [[Title: Demon of Early Mornings] Rted Achievement: Five Unfriendly Brothers (Adventure: The 5 Good Brothers) Bonus Effect: From midnight to sunrise, all stats increase by 3%.] [[Title: Instigator] Rted Achievement: Family Feud (Adventure: The 5 Good Brothers) Bonus Effect: Charisma slightly increases.] [[Title: Solo] Rted Achievement: I Can Do Well Alone (Adventure: The 5 Good Brothers) Bonus Effect: As long as there are no allies within 100m, all stats increase by 3%.] The titles didn¡¯t have any incredible effects but they were useful in the long run when you¡¯ve built up a lot of them. Seol had sessfully taken his first step. Now that Seol had finished receiving his titles, he thought that no more messages woulde up until he collected the rewards. But he was mistaken. Change doesn¡¯t only happen to him. Fssss¡­ As the Moon¡¯s Stage closed its curtains, Karuna lost his brilliant glow. However, his exhausted body was still dimly radiating light. [Great Match! Karuna awakens a new skill.] [Karuna awakens ¡®Passive: Heroism¡¯.] [Karuna has earned the achievement ¡®Mountain Cutter¡¯.] [Karuna has earned the title ¡®The One Who Cut the Mountain].] [Karuna has gained experience.] [Karuna¡¯s stats have been unsealed.] [Your summon can now use 40% of its original strength.] - That¡¯s insane. Now his summons are growing too? - That¡¯s supposedly the Shadow Summoner¡¯s unique characteristic. What a strange system¡­ - What the fuck¡­ 20% was strong enough wouldn¡¯t 40% turn him into Saitama? - Why the hell are summons getting titles too LMFAOOOO - Info) The Great Match system rarely if ever triggers since the conditions are so strict. - Fact) But it activated just now. Seol quickly confirmed Karuna¡¯s new skills. First was Heroism. It was a passive that had the effects of: When the stats of the enemy are 20% or higher than your own, all stats increase by 10%. (Applies to only one enemy at a time.) ¡®So it means that it only triggers when they¡¯re considerably stronger than you.¡¯ It was an okay skill. Since Karuna¡¯s monstrous stats were sealed when he became a summon, these effects were quite efficient. Next was the title. [[Title: The One Who Cut the Mountain] Rted Achievement: Mountain Cutter (Adventure: The 5 Good Brothers) Bonus Effect: Obtain 15% more experience from stronger enemies.] - Isn¡¯t letting him gain more experience taking it too far??? - At least it¡¯s bonus experience from bosses and not trash lol - Ah that¡¯s true lol I doubt there¡¯s many more bosses stronger than Karuna right now¡­ - How scary, Snowman! Seol let out a sigh after equipping Karuna with the title. ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± There were only 2 things left to obtain from this Adventure now. The first was to obviously open the rewards he worked his ass off to acquire and the other was what he was about to do right now. Shadow Summon. Seol hesitated for a second in front of Jamad¡¯s corpse. He hesitated because of Jamad¡¯sst words. - Cough¡­ C-Collect me. I¡­ I! I cannot perish here! I have something¡­ something I must¡­ Normally, monsters despised bing a shadow summon. It wasn¡¯t because they simply preferred not to be one either. It was because they believed the action forcibly pulled them from the peace of death to serve the person who killed them as their master. But, Jamad asked Seol to collect him. ¡®Why?¡¯ What regret did he have? Seol thought Jamad was an irregr. Irregrs were the starting points that destroyed the flow of the game board by taking unexpected actions. And that was what Seol was worried about. Would collecting an irregr be a blessing or a mistake? ¡®No, I don¡¯t have a choice. I have to take Jamad.¡¯ This Adventure could only be called a half-sess if Seol didn¡¯t collect Jamad. Seol pointed his palm toward Jamad and sent his energy. ¡°Serve me.¡± His voice was cold and apathetic. Fsss¡­ Wriggle! Jamad¡¯s muscles writhed. Just like how Karuna was given a new life back then, Jamad was being reborn as a shadow. Writhe¡­ Jamad opened his eyes and stood up. His entire body was covered in a ck shadow. He looked down at Seol with his now crimson eyes. ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± Jamad let out a long breath. [You have sessfully summoned Jamad the Tyrant¡¯s shadow.] [Passing on the skills.] [Jamad¡¯s shadow has sessfully copied Rock Armor.] [Shadow Summon is very low ranked.] [You supplement it with your high wisdom stat.] [Rock Armor has been fully passed on.] [Jamad¡¯s shadow has sessfully copied Earthquake Stance.] [Shadow Summon is very low ranked.] [You supplement it with your high wisdom stat.] [Earthquake Stance has been fully passed on.] [Your summon maintains only 32% of its original strength.] Even though the skills had finished passing on, Jamad showed no reactions. He just continued to stare at Seol. ¡®Did something go wrong?¡¯ And just then, Jamad said something. ¡°Oh demon, I will walk with you.¡± Seol¡¯s anxiety faded and he gathered himself once again. But, Jamad hadn¡¯t finished talking. ¡°But, I have something left to do.¡± ¡°Something left to do?¡± Jamad¡¯s condition was something quite simple. Jamad wanted to collect the corpses of his brothers including Magata. Magata¡¯s corpse had already been burned to a crisp but Jamad was somehow able to find that as well. Fwoooo¡­ [Jamad used shamanic absorption to absorb Magata¡¯s shamanic spells.] [Your summon can now use 34% of its original strength.] ¡­¡­ ¡­ Jamad absorbed his brothers¡¯ strength. It was clear that this was not an ordinary power. Seol confirmed his unique characteristic. [[Jamad the Tyrant] Title: N/A Rank: Heroic Race: Shadow Level: 3 HP: 300/300 MP: 200/200 Unallocated Stats: 0 Strength 26 Dexterity 19 Constitution 30 Intelligence 18 Wisdom 20 Spirit 16 Talents: Troll Language, Shamanic Absorption] ¡®So it was because of Shamanic Absorption. As expected from an irregr¡­¡¯ Jamad had a special talent that yers couldn¡¯t get themselves. The description essentially said that it let you steal the powers from a dead shaman. - That¡¯s fucking cheating! - But there aren¡¯t a lot of shamans anyway¡­ - Then it¡¯s just cheating! - Just cheating! Jamad gave a bitter smile when he finally reached Kron¡¯s corpse. ¡°At least our day of death was together.¡± Fwooo¡­ [Jamad used shamanic absorption to absorb Kron¡¯s shamanic spells.] [Your summon can now use 40% of its original strength.] ¡°The mountain¡­ will hold you.¡± Jamad closed his eyes for a moment before turning around to Seol. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Run away! Jamad is dead! The other brothers are all dead too! Rock Mr is finished!¡± ¡°The end! It¡¯s the end!¡± ¡°Death still lingers at the summit!¡± Rumble Rumble Rumble! The Rock Mr tribe awoke from their madness and saw what they had done. After they confirmed the deaths of their leaders as well, they started to run away to the outskirts of the vige. [The Pointy Mountains have been freed from the Rock Mr Tribe.] [Secret Labyrinth ¡®Frozen Ruins¡¯ has opened.] [Secret Labyrinth ¡®Moving Sky¡¯ has opened.] ¡®A changing world.¡¯ That was also another characteristic of The World of Eternity. The world continuously changed. Whenever a yer sets an achievement, the world would change ordingly to match it. The scale that it would change was hard to guess but this was definitely part of the reason why Seol was able to enjoy this game for 17 years. There was no way you could ever get tired of an ever-evolving game. Just when Seol thought there wouldn¡¯t be any more messages, even more came up. [Snowman''s great achievements have caused changes in the world.] [Large and small changes happen in Pandea, The World of Eternity.] [Snowman¡¯s actions of causing the Rock Mr Tribe to disband from the Pointy Mountains is made known to all of Pandea.] [Snowman¡¯s name echoes from the corners of Pandea.] [The Gold and Carriage Merchant Association praises Snowman¡¯s achievement.] [Kongory, the free city, is saved from the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s danger.] [Citizens of Kongory will remember Snowman¡¯s name.] [Earth Dragon Tancreed cannot bear the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s sad news.] [Pandea¡¯s power bnce braces for change.] [All yers can now select the ¡®Pointy Mountains Road Construction¡¯ Adventure from the base.] [All yers can now select the ¡®Pointy Mountains Remnant Cleanup¡¯ Adventure from the base.] [With the increase in fame, all sorts of secret adventures are unlocked. However, you must discover these yourself.] [You have acquired adventurer points.] Seol achieved everything he set out to do. Not only did he clear the Adventure by himself, he was even able to get the best rewards possible. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Before Seol realized it, it was already noon. He thought of the cigarettes he quit smoking. ¡°Finally, it¡¯s thest one.¡± - There¡¯s still some left? - Guys I think I¡¯m going to go crazy! - Why the hell does more keeping out >:( Seol messed with the interface in front of him and suddenly, a box decorated in bones came out. Click. Glooooow! Seol didn¡¯t hesitate to open the box. A bright light made all of the items inside of it shone. [You open the Rock Mr Divine Relic, the best possible reward.] [You have leveled up.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [You have acquired Divine Relic: Mountain Fists.] [You have acquired Garment of Stone.] [You have acquired Spirit¡¯s Root.] [You have acquired 20 medium red potions.] [You have acquired 8 medium blue potions.] ¡­¡­ ¡°Mountain Fists!¡± - Mountain Fists! - Mountain Fists? - That dropped? - He got that? [[Divine Relic: Mountain Fists] Quality: Divine Relic Rmended Level: N/A Damage: 43 Durability: 50/50 Weight: 5.0kg x 2 Divine Relic of the Rock Mr Tribe bestowed by Tancreed. Receiving the power of the earth, it awakened to a new level. Because it has a strong frame, it can continue to awaken. Basic Effect: All stats +3, Core Stats +5 Bonus Effect: MP regeneration per second +5, Destructive power of shamanic spells increases by 50%. Attribute Awakening (Level 1: Mountain)] - That¡¯s insane! - That item¡¯s broken! It¡¯s not fair! - What if you got it though? - It¡¯s a god game. I would¡¯ve jumped through my ceiling lol - Stalin: Our items. Seol gave the Mountain Fists to Jamad. Click. [You have equipped Jamad, the Tyrant, with Mountain Fists.] Jamad swung his fists around a bit but didn¡¯t give much of a reaction other than that. [[Garment of Stone] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 3 - 10 Defense: 30 Durability: 45/45 Weight: 0.2kg A sturdy and luxurious garment. Basic Effect: Wisdom +5, Constitution +1, Spirit +2 Bonus Effect: Constitution increases by 10%. Won¡¯t be dirty.] ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Seol took off his shoddy clothes and changed into ¡®Garment of Stone¡¯. With the Full Moon Staff and the Garment of Stone, he looked like apletely different person. - Why does he look like a high-level yer now? - Don¡¯t get too strong too fast, Snowman! [[Spirit¡¯s Root] Rank: Special Rmended Level: 1 - 5 Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: Can be consumed in lots of ways. Its effects are unknown.] - This is way too much¡­ - Not only the Moon Seed but also this now¡­ Seol collected the Spirit¡¯s Root. He was obviously going to cook this before eating it. ¡®I really got some good rewards with this.¡¯ And like that the Adventure came to an end and his body was swept up in light before disappearing. * * * Bzzzzz Seol arrived at a new location. It was filled with people. People who didn¡¯t look like were native to this ce. The people shouted at each other in caution, almost like they were sent here just now. ¡°I-Is everyone here Korean?¡± ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°Hyein! Hyein! Mommy¡¯s here! Where are you?¡± It was rowdy like a marketce. But, their cautions were instantly taken away by a single message. [Next is the Points Leaderboard for Adventure 2. The 5 Good Brothers.] Chapter 14 ¡®Points Leaderboard?¡¯ It was a system that even Seol, an expert of this world, didn¡¯t know about. It was probably something that was newly added. Ding. The people quieted down and all started at the message in front of them. It included 2 sentences and the Points Leaderboard. [Your information is set to Private.] [You have 327,600 Points.] [Adventurer Points Leaderboard 1. Private (327,600) 2. WhatsThis (150,030) 3. Private (137,120) 4. FireAnt (110,570) 5. YahooIsekai (104,200)] The ranks were revealed. But more importantly, judging by how everything he heard was in Korean, it was clear that all of the yers around him were Korean. ¡®Either only Korean people were transferred to The World of Eternity or this was the Korean server¡­¡¯ When Seol thought of Kodon¡¯s words, it was more likely thetter than it was the former. When Kodon talked about the ¡®World Merge¡¯ it was clear that it meant it was on a muchrger scale than just a single country. ¡°Th¡­ three-thousand points?¡± ¡°Even I was only barely able to hit fifty-thousand!¡± ¡°It has to be them! They have to be the person behind all of this! How else would that score make sense?¡± ¡°I had 3 party members dead¡­ and I was barely able to reach 100 thousand points¡­ so how¡­¡± It was pandemonium. How terrifying would it have been to start in Pandea, the World of Eternity, on your own? They cried after confirming that the others here were also yers like them. And at the same time, they were conscious and envious of each other. No one was safe here. If there was a rule¡­ an irond, unbreakable rule¡­ It would be that those who were smart and strong had a higher percentage of living. And it was clear that everyone here was already aware of that rule. ¡°Who is it? I¡¯m sure you made your information private because you had something to hide, right?¡± ¡°Is there anyone here who knows why all of this happened?¡± ¡°I bet those people on the leaderboards would know!¡± There was a person whose clothing was covered in blood. There was someone who suffered a massive burn. There was even a person with a severed arm. It was clear that they had all been through hell. They were all on alert. Because they didn¡¯t know who to trust, they couldn¡¯t even decide on a direction to face, in fear of betrayal. And just then, another message arrived. [You begin your Rest.] [Your Key Location Rest is starting.] [Break 1. Kongory, the free city.] Break 1. ¡®Kongory, the free city¡¯ In The World of Eternity, Kongory was located in South Pandea. It was a well-stocked city with many happy citizens. The demons of the Pointy Mountains, the trolls of the Rock Mr Tribe, were a huge issue for them, but the situation has settled with the five leaders dead. Adventurers must take plenty of rest and training here before preparing for the next Adventure. Objective: Rest and maintenance. You will be tired upon failure. Remaining Time [About 30 days] [You have acquired an ¡®Adventurer Identification Card¡¯.] [You have leftover Adventure Points. Your points must be reflected in the rankings of the Adventurer Association.] ¡°We¡¯re taking a break? N-Now?¡± ¡°For a month? What is this¡­¡± ¡°I guess we won¡¯t die at least.¡± The people awkwardly stood around the main gate of Kongory. Since the Adventurer Identification Card was necessary to enter the city and everyone received one, they should have no issues entering the city. The problem, if you had to think of one, was that there were a lot of them. ¡®How many people are they trying to stuff into one city?¡¯ Seol watched the situation for a second, looked like he realized something, then was the first to walk toward the main gate. ¡°Wh-where is that guy going?¡± ¡°Is ¡®Private¡¯ here?¡± The gate¡¯s guards didn¡¯t seem especially rmed by Seol approaching them. Seol put forth the Adventurer Identification Card he newly received and the guards gave him a thumbs up before sending him his way. The other yers, after seeing that, rushed toward the gate. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside and rest!¡± ¡°Yeah, we can talk about the important thingster!¡± ¡°P-Please don¡¯t push!¡± ¡°Get out of the way!¡± The roads that Seol saw were wide enough for a carriage to pass through. He could also see the daily life of those who lived in Pandea. ¡®I¡¯m sure we were thest batch of people who finished the 2nd Adventure, right?¡¯ The reason that Seol had that incident in Adventure 2 was because he finished his Adventureter than the other members of his party. Therefore, it was likely that the Remaining Time for the ¡®Key Location Rest¡¯ was also different for everyone since the time that they finished their Adventures would be different. And if that were true, all of the rooms and inns would be fully upied. But, perhaps because it¡¯s a city, maybe there were still some rooms left¡­ At least that should be the case until those people who were rushing toward the gate all entered. Seol quietly opened the door to an inn called ¡®Barley Shelter¡¯ that he found. Creaaaak. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I came here to rent a room¡­¡± ¡°Show me your Identification Card first.¡± Tap. Seol ced his card on the table and passed it over. ¡°Do you have any rooms left?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one expensive room left, but¡­¡± It was just as he expected. If Seol was even a little bit slower, he would¡¯ve been sleeping on the streets. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°For one night?¡± ¡°A month.¡± ¡°A-A month? I mean¡­ the customers that came earlier were also like that, but¡­ it will be 10 gold coins.¡± ¡°I guess it really is an expensive room.¡± Seol, who knew the value of the currency he held, felt that it was a bit expensive but he had no other options. ¡°That¡¯s probably why it¡¯s still left, isn¡¯t it? If you pay 2 more gold coins, we¡¯ll also provide food and baths.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡° Haha! You¡¯re quite quick and easy, huh? I like it! Use the room on the right on the top floor!¡± ng¡­ Seol took the key and started climbing up the creaky stairs. The owner of the inn, who had a massive beard, quickly gathered the gold coins. ¡°When do you want the bath?¡± ¡°In the morning, please.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Click. Seol opened the door to his room and took a quick look at everything. It was a clean and safe room. Nothing more, nothing less. But still, he had to keep the world¡¯s setting in mind. He would just be lucky to not catch some sort of disease from sleeping on that bed. Seol pushed everything back for tomorrow. It really was a tiring day. He was awake for over 24 hours after starting his day with an awful nightmare. He was getting tired of saying this but he had be a piece in the game he enjoyed for over 17 years. Slide. Karuna popped out after Seol took off his clothes andid down. ¡°Don¡¯t let anything happen while I¡¯m asleep.¡± ¡° ¡­Understood.¡± Seol rested his head on the feather pillow and could feel himself falling asleep. [It is afortable bed. There is an increased chance of you getting plenty of rest.] [It is a clean bed. There is an increased chance of you being in your peak condition tomorrow.] Suddenly, Seol became worried. ¡®I probably won¡¯t go back there¡­ right?¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t. If Kodon wanted to kill Seol, he wouldn¡¯t have stepped in there in the first ce. Seol couldn¡¯t hold back his drowsiness anymore and slowly, quietly fell asleep. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Dreams are a strange thing. It might bring you happiness by showing you a dream you¡¯ve desired for a long time but it could also show you horrifying, hideous nightmares. When Seol opened his eyes, he only saw the darkness. He knew it was a dream but he couldn¡¯t wake himself up from it. It was a lucid dream. It was practically a disease that he¡¯s been suffering from for 17 years at this point. ¡®I¡¯m just d I didn¡¯t wake up in the heavens.¡¯ But¡­ just then¡­ he saw a message. [Someone seems interested in the Madness you have collected.] [¡®J¡¯, the Merchant of Madness, appears.] ¡°Merchant¡­ of Madness?¡± It was the first time he saw that sentence as well as the first time he saw this system. Seol had been surprised multiple times today. Creaaaaaaaaak! With that eerie, spine-chilling wail, the surroundings started to get brighter. No, ¡®brighter¡¯ wasn¡¯t an apt word to describe it. It was still a dreary, bloody hue. The crimson light filled up the entire area and suddenly, someone wearing a mask of a horned demon entered through a door. The moment they entered, they sniffed. ¡°Sniff sniff¡­ sniff¡­ It smells extremely pleasant here. Was I the first to find you? It looks like I was faster than Terad.¡± ¡°...Who are you?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t that surprised by me? Were you called¡­ humans?¡± ¡°Hu¡­mans?¡± It was clear that someone who would say that wasn¡¯t human. Seol tensed up and concentrated on the conversation. J, who saw that,ughed and bowed. ¡°Oh my¡­ A good merchant shouldn¡¯t scare their customers. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am one of the merchants in charge of ying the ¡®middleman'' role for this World Merge, ¡®J¡¯. ¡°Middleman? World Merge?¡± Even though Seol was the only human who knew about the World Merge, he had a difficult time understanding what J was saying. ¡°Oh no¡­ this is exactly why it¡¯s difficult to trade with those that have been sold off, seriously¡­¡± ¡°I was sold off? I mean¡­ humans were sold off?¡± ¡°Please, listen carefully to what I am about to say. Your masters, with the World Merge, have sold ¡®the citizens of the two worlds¡¯ off.¡± ¡°What do you mean? To whom?¡± ¡°To the denizens of another world, of course. I¡¯m sure they had fun andughed a lot watching you guys thus far. Therefore¡­ you could think of yourselves as ves who have been sold off to a circus¡­ or diators!¡± ¡°...And?¡± ¡°The audience gives ¡®Madness¡¯ as their entrance fee to watch. ¡®Madness¡¯ is the driving force behind the world that stands on the opposite side of ¡®Divinity¡¯.¡± ¡°And who are you?¡± ¡°I am a merchant that sells you items in exchange for the Madness you have umted. Oh, and of course, your former masters do take a percentage fee from me, though.¡± Seol finallypletely understood Kodon¡¯s words. - Snowman, there is only one way to save you and your race. Reach Ascension, the Final Adventure. It is also going to help you if you¡¯re as eye-catching as you can be. Madness is used by the gods to restore their original power but it will also be of use to you. The gods had sold off the citizens of Earth and Pandea to harvest Madness. And Seol¡¯s eye-catching actions had caught the attentions of the residents of another world who donated Madness for their entertainment. Seol didn¡¯t feel betrayed. Rather, he held the gods in contempt. He had already felt something simr before. He remembered it every time he looked at the ck line which had been drawn around his neck. ¡®I finally understand the system now.¡¯ It felt refreshing in a way. Now that he knew how things were operating, he could easily rank what was important and what was not. ¡®I guess Ascension really is the only way to escape this hell¡­ But I gathered Madness too?¡¯ ¡°Considering that you came here for me, it must mean that I have Madness too, right?¡± asked Seol ¡°Hmm¡­ In conclusion, yes. You have quite a fair amount.¡± ¡°A fair amount? How much exactly?¡± Was Madness something that could be so easily gathered? Seol thought for a second before recognizing that the path he had taken so far in his Adventures wasn¡¯t smooth and nodded. J counted with her fingers while murmuring to herself. It looked like arithmetic wasn¡¯t her strong suit. ¡°3000. You have exactly 3000 Madness.¡± ¡°Is that a lot?¡± ¡°For me, someone who is deep in this industry, it¡¯s not a lot. But for your kind, it is.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get a sense at all¡­¡± ¡°Let me exin it to you like this, currently, you have gathered the most Madness.¡± ¡°......¡± J gave a smile. ¡°The person in 2nd ce was quite close to you but died in the previous Adventure. Such a shame. Anyway, would you like to trade with me?¡± ¡°What can I buy?¡± Ding! A bunch of information suddenly appeared in front of Seol. There was so much of it that his head started to hurt. Seol first picked out two things that he thought were nice. [[This&That Seasoning Jar] Quality: Special Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: You can store a lot of seasonings in this small jar. Only basic seasonings are allowed] [ [Fresh Ingredients Pouch] Quality: Special Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: Ingredients will neither rot nor spoil in this pouch. Each container can be set to a different temperature, and there is a lot of room for ingredients to be stored. However, only food ingredients are allowed storage, and certain food ingredients cannot be stored.] ¡°...You picked some unique ones.¡± Seol looked through a bit more for items that he could purchase with Madness. There were some decent ones but none that he needed right away. There were also things that would be a huge helpter but were expensive. ¡°None of them really caught my eye.¡± ¡°Grr¡­ Those words practically stomp on my, J¡¯s, pride! Fine! Then, what about this?!¡± J pulled out something that had a strange glow. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± When Seol saw it, he almost gasped. The item that J was holding was something that he knew very well. Chapter 15 It was a flower that radiated a bright, ck glow. What J, the Merchant of Madness, pulled out was a Shadow Flower. ¡°I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t know the value of this item, but I don¡¯t normally sell this to first-time customers, alright?¡± ¡°...A flower?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s a flower that still radiantly glows light even though it¡¯s been a decade since it was picked. A Shadow Flower.¡± [[Shadow Flower] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Even though they grow in Flegueria, there is a good chance you won¡¯t ever see this flower unless you are lucky. Bonus Effect: You can forcibly use Shadow Summon on a much stronger opponent once. The summoner will be considered 10 levels higher when using this item. If the Shadow Summon would still be unsessful with an increase of 10 levels, Shadow Summon will fail.] ¡®I can get a Shadow Flower¡­ this early?¡¯ Seol knew that item well. It was an item that was somewhatparable to a vtile skill. It was in the same category as a scroll with a power spell imbued into it or a potion that gave your superhuman strength to escape a dangerous situation. These items yed a huge role in critical moments in turning a failing Adventure into a sess. ¡®And more importantly, right now, there was nothing bad about having it on hand.¡¯ All he had to do was hold onto it and eventually find a moment to use it. J was reading Seol¡¯s reactions. Seol pretended to be apathetic since as long as there were other Merchants of Madness, he didn¡¯t have to rush to a deal right away with J. ¡°What do you think ab¨C¡± ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly 3,000 Madness. It seems you realized the value of it, yes?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too expensive?¡± Seol was contemting right now. The item was certainly valuable but the two items that he had already picked out earlier were quite convenient. Since Seol didn¡¯t know how valuable Madness was, it was hard to make a decision. ¡®Is it expensive or cheap for the price?¡¯ As Seol furrowed his brows, J came to him with a proposal first. ¡°Then¡­ if you purchase the Shadow Flower, I¡¯ll give you the items that you purchased earlier for free. How does that sound?¡± ¡°Both the seasoning jar and the ingredients pouch?¡± ¡°Yes! But I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already aware that those items are worth over 600 Madness, right?¡± Before Seol could nod in response, J continued. ¡°But, I want you to promise that you¡¯ll only trade with me next time.¡± ¡°Next time?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯ll be taking a slight loss, I want to make up for it with consistent trades. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s fair?¡± Seol saw through what J was saying and nodded. ¡°So you don¡¯t want me to meet any other Merchants of Madness until the next time we meet, right?¡± ¡°Yes, you would be meeting me the next time you have to trade something.¡± Was that a profit or a loss? I was able to get the Shadow Flower thanks to her adding on the two items but J¡¯s proposition was the worry this time. ¡°You don¡¯t need to buy any items next time either. I just want you to take a look.¡± ¡°...Alright.¡± ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s a deal! The items have been safely delivered to you.¡± Since he was in his dreams, Seol was confident that the items would have been delivered to him. It was likely that J, the Merchant of Madness, was also one of those transcendent beings he met before. Before he could wake up from his lucid dream, J quickly reached out to Seol. ¡°Ah! I almost forgot this! Here, take this.¡± J handed him a piece of paper with a demon design on it. It sort of looked like a piece of currency. ¡°...What is this?¡± ¡°You might find it ufortable if I just show up randomly whenever I want. Whenever you want to purchase something with Madness, tear up that invitation.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how much Madness I¡¯ll have though?¡± That invitation triggered an awkward event if you ripped it while possessing no Madness. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I gave that to you while considering everything. I want you to know that I don¡¯t give that invitation out to just anyone, alright? Only an extremely rare number of people ever get that invitation.¡± It was an invitation for a chosen few and Seol was now one of them. ¡°...I understand.¡± ¡°Then, with our promise of meeting again the next time, I¡¯ll take my leave! Please do well to survive until then.¡± [You have acquired a ¡®Shadow Flower''.] [You have acquired a ''This&That Seasoning Jar''.] [You have acquired a ''Fresh Ingredients Pouch''.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * As expected, the items were on the table when Seol woke up. A refreshing breeze apanied by the sound of birds chirping flowed in through the gap in the window. Regardless of wherever you go, your biological clock matches the time there after a good night¡¯s sleep. Seol, right now, felt exactly just that. It felt natural to wake up in Pandea. ¡®This thing called Madness¡­ it might be a more fun system than I thought?¡¯ - Yo~ - Hey~! - So he bought those from the Merchant of Madness! He bought some weird ass stuff lmfao - It¡¯s going to be boring if all he does is rest for a month, why should I watch this¡­ - That¡¯s still case by case. I read that there¡¯s still a lot to do during break. Obviously, there are still probably going to be idiots who actually just rest, but¡­ - Snowman proved himself! I¡¯m only going to watch this stream. Since Seol spared no effort at the beginning of his journey to acquire the best rewards, it was natural that he caught the attention of those that lived in another world. There was no one who could show off as many strange and hidden things like he could. ¡®If you can¡¯t avoid it, make the most of it.¡¯ Seol started drafting ns to make the most of Madness like how Kodon told him. He then organized the things he had to do in the rest area. First, I have to allocate the skill points that I received. Second, I have to confirm what the next Adventure is. Third, I have to check the trends of other yers. Fourth, Clear the ¡®A Lost Pocket Watch¡¯ side quest that I got in the Pointy Mountains. And there was something that he found out only recently. ¡®Parts of my memory¡­ are missing.¡¯ Seol first believed he remembered everything about all of the Adventures in The World of Eternity. But, he was mistaken. He wasn¡¯t sure how a certain Adventure started. He wasn¡¯t sure which important option he selected and what results they brought. ¡®I never thought I was arrogant, so why couldn''t I remember it?¡¯ He felt like someone who woke up after a long sleep in one of the cryogenic chambers from the movies. The fact he had a hazy memory was shocking to him. ¡®Even if the Adventure¡¯s content changed with the official version, it¡¯s pointless if I can¡¯t even remember the original Adventure. Damn it¡­¡¯ Because he trusted his memory above all else, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of doubt. ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate but I should be a bit careful for a while.¡¯ An easy Adventure could easily change into a difficult Adventure based on your information. He nned to dy or give up the Adventures he couldn¡¯t remember for now. Seol then took a bath, fixed his equipment, and left his room. The sun was bright in the sky as Seol noticed some strange movements. ¡®Was the square this close?¡¯ A crowd was gathered in the square. Some people had huge dark circles around their eyes, potentially because they slept at the square. It seemed as if everyone gathered here were yers. Someone was standing on the podium, shouting. He looked ordinary but there was a hint of coldness to him for some reason. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, we¡¯ve been forced into the worst incident in human history!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡¯s the government doing?!¡± ¡°Who cares about the government?! Does anyone know where we even are? How are we supposed to find the government if we don¡¯t know where we are?!¡± ¡°I-Is everyone here all from Earth?¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared¡­ I¡¯m so scared.¡± ¡°Are we going to get dragged back into that hell after a month?¡± Seol watched the man standing on the podium. He started saying strange things to the people gathered here. ¡° Everyone, isn¡¯t the most important thing in times like this unity and cooperation?¡± ¡°Unity and¡­ cooperation?¡± ¡°Is he saying that we should work together?¡± ¡°Exactly. Is there a reason to kill ourselves by splitting up? Think about the people that died during the Adventure or whatever it¡¯s called!¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± [Insight Activates] [Speech 1 is being used.] [You are no longer influenced by it.] ¡°How are we supposed to work together? Don¡¯t we need someone to be our central pir, then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Who are we supposed to trust? If we just group up without a pir, it¡¯s all pointless!¡± Seol wasn¡¯t interested in what they had to say since it didn¡¯t rte to him and left before he wasted more time. A few moments after Seol disappeared, the man on the podium continued. ¡°That¡¯s why I brought him.¡± A man stepped onto the podium. The man¡¯s massive muscles made him look almost like a caveman. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all aware that the person who ced 1st in the Points Leaderboard made their existence private.¡± The people started whispering among themselves. ¡°That¡¯s right! They did!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± The man standing on the podium introduced the new person. ¡°It is. This person is the person who ranked 1st.¡± ¡°Th-that person is¡­¡± ¡°So we¡¯re going to work together by trusting him?¡± ¡°The decisions are up to you, I¡¯m just proposing an offer. Because the only thing that you can trust in a dangerous situation like this isn¡¯t faith or friends¡­ It is simply strength. And can anyone deny that he is the person who is most likely to survive around here?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what should we do?¡± The man gave a smile. ¡°I n on creating a group.¡± Simr things were happening throughout Kongory. ¡®Guilds¡¯. Since they were in a fantasy world now, it was more appropriate to call it a ¡®guild¡¯ than a ¡®Dure¡¯ or a vignte group. PR/N: Dure is a group in small Korean farmingmunities, involving farmers working together to support each other. Seol saw many people creating groups, other than the first guy he met, as he walked around the city. And whenever he saw that, heughed. It¡¯s an organization created to protect people but how many would really be able to keep that noble mindset? Seol wasn¡¯t really that interested in real people anyway. Indifference and Deceit. There was no way that he would be normal when he grew up in an orphanage and had the same dream for 17 years. He only trusted himself and he trusted people even less after he was betrayed by the gods. ¡®I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll do fine on their own.¡¯ Seol went to the ss Training Center. Shadow Summoning was in the ck Magic category. And because of that, Seol went to a building that had the name ¡®Prophets of the Dark¡¯ written on the wooden que. He faced a man covering his face in a robe. ¡°What brings you here?¡± The moment Seol saw him, he saw some options. [[ck Magic is researched here. The person who seems to be in charge of this facility has asked you why you¡¯re here. How do you respond?] 1. [Required: Skill Points] I wish to learn a new skill. 2. [Required: Skill Points] I wish to enhance a basic skill. 3. I wish to test my skills. 4. Is there a task you can entrust to me? 5. [Required: Shadow Summoner, Wall of Awakening] I heard that there was a Shadow Summoner here. ¡­¡­] Options 5 and below were unable to be chosen and were grayed out. ¡°I came here to strengthen a basic skill and learn a new skill.¡± ¡°Alright, follow me.¡± Seol followed behind the man. When you were on a Rest, you had to always check and inspect your skills. ¡°In here. Please, enter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± It was a pitch-dark room. The man led Seol into the room and left. It waspletely ck in front of him. Seol felt like he entered the solitary confinement room of a prison. And just then¡­ something came up. Hum¡­ It looked like a phantasmal tree. At the roots of the tree, there were phrases such as ¡®Shadow Summon¡¯ or ¡®Shadow Hand¡¯ and countless branches wereing out of it. ¡®So this is how the skill tree was realized.¡¯ Since Seol already knew about this system, he was quick to adapt to it. He moved his hands quickly to strengthen and unlock the skills that he wanted. [You enhance Shadow Summon.] [You use 2 skill points.] [Upon a sessful Shadow Summon, the summon will now pass on skills more smoothly than before.] [Upon a sessful Shadow Summon, the summon will now retain at least 40% of their stats.] First, he strengthened his most important skill. After using 2 points to enhance Shadow Summon, his main skill, he still had 2 skill points left. ¡®I need 4 skill points for the next level.¡¯ Seol looked through the other skills until he eventually found the skill that he wanted. He reached his hand out to it. [Passive: Enhance Summons is awakened.] [You use 1 skill point.] [Your summons¡¯ stats have increased by 5%.] [Passive: Expand Shadow Space is awakened.] [You use 1 skill point.] [You expand your Shadow Space by 10%, giving you more free space for summons.] - Whether he¡¯s awake or asleep, all he worries about is his summons¡­ Snowman, the type of man who doesn¡¯t get even a single skill for himself! - He¡¯s thinkingpletely differently from us. He basically thinks that he doesn¡¯t need to worry about his skills since his summons are going to do everything for him. - Leave summoners alone! Leave summoners alone! - Jamad and Karuna are about to be fucking units now sheeesh - This man¡­ There are two wolves inside of you. Seol reached out to another skill as a test. He then got this message. [You do not have enough skill points.] ¡®I¡¯m not getting strong as fast as I wanted to.¡¯ Seol, despite thinking it was a bit of a shame that this was all he could do, thanked the master as he left and finished allocating his skills. [[Snowman] Title: The One Who Brought Down The Moon and 4 others. Race: Human Level: 5 HP: 690/690 MP: 1320/1320 Unallocated Stats: 0 Strength 10(+1) Dexterity 10(+1) Constitution 14(+2) Intelligence 14(+2) Wisdom 40(+18) Spirit 14(+3) Talents: Cooking 1, Insight 1 Skills: Shadow Summon 2, Shadow Hand, Passive: Enhance Summons 1, Passive: Expand Shadow Space 1 Shadow Space: 800/1320] ¡®I guess this is still on the stronger side though?¡¯ After he finished checking his stats, Seol headed to a bar. ¡°So, some strange group was trying to take you somewhere?¡± ¡°Even though I was a NEET back on Earth I¡¯m super popr here¡­ Surprising, right?¡± ¡°What the hell happened to the world¡­¡± The bar was filled with talks about guilds. ¡°¡®Steel Heart¡¯ or whatever their name was¡­ It¡¯s super tacky, right?¡± ¡°At least it¡¯s better than ¡®ck Tiger¡¯. I heard some old man made that guild.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­ wow¡­¡± - LMFAOOOO I¡¯m a ck Tiger! - My stomach¡¯s going to rip! LMFAO! Stop making guilds! - I get it, I get it¡­ Your naming senses are so awful¡­ I¡¯m so bored I want to kill myself. - That old man¡¯s guild¡­ I kind of like it? - Is Snowman making a guild? - The legendary ¡®Private¡¯-chan won¡¯t make a move that easily~ - The secretly powerful protagonist sheeesh - The reason he¡¯s hiding his strength: because no one asked¡­ - Social distancing OP¡­ The reason that Seol didn¡¯t want to join a guild was simple. He wasn¡¯t going to get much help from them and he can¡¯t directly help them himself. He thought of Kodon¡¯s final words for him. - Keep in mind that if you talk about the things that happened in the heavens out loud, it gives the gods justification to intervene. You will definitely die if that happens. Please, you must be wise. I wish you luck, Snowman. I hope to meet you again someday. If Seol helped someone with his experience, it could reveal where his skill was from. ¡®For now, I¡¯ll work alone.¡¯ He concluded. ¡®Well that¡¯s that, but¡­ I wonder if anyone knows anything about this pocket watch.¡¯ Clink. As he looked at the broken watch while contemting how to clear this side quest, he felt a gaze. Slide. Seol looked back. A white-haired, distinct old man stopped drinking his alcohol to stare at Seol¡¯s face. Stand¡­ He then suddenly approached Seol. ¡®What? Who is he?¡¯ Seol prepared to summon in case but watched the old man for now. The old man approached Seol with his face red from alcohol. ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°That watch¡­¡± The old man wasn¡¯t looking at Seol. He was looking at the pocket watch. ¡°That pocket watch¡­ It looks like a watch that I know¡­ Could I please take a look?¡± Seol was sad when he thought he¡¯d have to scour the city for a clue. But now, thanks to insane amounts of luck, the quest NPC was right in front of him. ¡°...Do you know this watch?¡± ¡°Of course, I do, because¡­¡± Seol¡¯s jaws shut when he heard the old man¡¯s response. ¡°I was the one that made that watch.¡± Seol had found a clue for ¡®A Lost Pocket Watch¡¯. Chapter 16 A lot of things went into a person¡¯s life. Their values, aspirations, worth¡­ Life is a record of a person¡¯s life from the cradle to the grave and death was the period that signaled the end. ¡°No, that¡¯s what I¡¯m saying! What¡¯s going to happen next after we rest for a month?¡± ¡°I think that¡­¡± Seol felt that his surroundings were a bit loud and got up from his seat. ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else. It¡¯s too loud here.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± After paying, the two went outside the bar. It was a dim evening. The people that were freed from the fear of death all acted in all sorts of different ways. ¡°We humans havemitted countless sins. This is our judgment!¡± ¡°We must purify ourselves! Purify ourselves!¡± People who were wearing strange clothes were shouting that out. Even though they probably believed in different gods on Earth, their actions now only contributed to the current turmoil from the World Merge. ¡°Darn, it¡¯s loud here too. I know a ce where we can have a quiet conversation. How about we go there?¡± said the old man. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s my old workshop.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Why was the old man calling it his ¡¯old¡¯ workshop? ¡®Is he not using it anymore?¡¯ Because Seolcked information about the sidequest, he couldn¡¯t refuse the old man¡¯s proposal. And just like that, Seol headed to the old man¡¯s workshop. The old man looked a bit sad and alright at the same time. He looked like someone who was preparing himself for bad news. ¡°So¡­ you mentioned it was a workshop. What kind of workshop is it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling you now when you¡¯ll find out when you get there?¡± - You can still tell us, sir¡­ - I¡¯ve definitely heard that before kek Seol thought to himself while trailing the man before opening his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s a watchmaking workshop, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°At least you can read context clues. Didn¡¯t I tell you that already at the bar though?¡± The old man took a nce at the pocket watch before letting out a sigh. ¡°I told you that I thought that I made that watch.¡± Eventually, Seol and the old man reached a remote area of Kongory. It wasn¡¯t an underdeveloped or poor area but it was definitely away from the main market. Click. The old man pulled out a key and gripped it tight as he opened the door. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ still the same.¡± The interior was filled with cobwebs and had a bit of a moldy smell to it. However, Seol didn¡¯t feel particrly ufortable by it. It just felt like entering a workshop that hadn¡¯t been maintained. ¡®I guess it really was a watchmaking workshop.¡¯ He was surrounded by walls filled with clocks. There were multiple types of clocks filling up the workshop, even a grandfather clock. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, my name is Bill Marcus. You can just call me Bill.¡± ¡°My name is Snowman.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°My name¡­ is Snowman.¡± Seol and Bill both froze. ¡®Bill?¡¯ His name sounded familiar. Even though Seol had an exceptional memory, he couldn¡¯t remember why he knew Bill¡¯s name. ¡®It¡¯s like this again.¡¯ Why was he unable to remember him when he could remember things way older? Seol thought that he might¡¯ve done the ¡®A Lost Pocket Watch¡¯ side quest before. There was no other way Bill¡¯s name would sound familiar to him. ¡®The problem is¡­ I don¡¯t remember anything about this.¡¯ Bill turned his body around to look at a few clocks before facing Seol over his shoulder. ¡°I see¡­ What a strange coincidence¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Now, could you please tell me how you were able to acquire that pocket watch?¡± Seol dramatized how he got the watch a little for Bill. He told him that he went near the cliffs of the Pointy Mountains to look for an herb and found the watch like that. He didn¡¯t necessarily lie¡­ he just didn¡¯t tell Bill everything. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how that happened¡­ So you found it there¡­¡± ¡°Is there something you know about this?¡± ¡°Of course. I finally understand everything that happened now. Could you please pass the watch?¡± ce. Seol passed the pocket watch over to Bill. ¡°I definitely made this watch. Do you see my signature here?¡± ¡°Signature? Oh, that was a signature.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s faded because of the passage of time or because the clock¡¯s been through something but my signature is here.¡± It was true. Bill¡¯s name was definitely written on the back of the clock in illegible handwriting. Seol was only able to tell now because Bill pointed it out to him. ¡°20 years ago, I gifted someone this watch. It was because of my granddaughter.¡± ¡°Granddaughter? Did you just say, granddaughter?¡± ¡°20 years ago, she was kidnapped by the trolls of the Pointy Mountains. She made a mistake crossing the Mountains trying to make it in time for her performance.¡± Throb. Seol felt a headacheing. But because it was an important conversation, Seol persevered through the pain and asked another question. ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°...I see.¡± ¡°No one stepped forward to help. The Lord of the city didn¡¯t, the free knights obviously didn¡¯t either, even the mercenaries and adventurers didn¡¯t¡­ I requested everyone for help, but the only answer that I got in response was that it was impossible.¡± His granddaughter was dead but Bill still didn¡¯t talk about who the watch¡¯s owner was. Seol patiently listened. ¡°But then¡­ someone appeared. He said that he would help rescue my granddaughter.¡± ¡°¡­And who was that?¡± ¡°I engraved it into the watch.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t see any name on that watch¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it was hidden on the inside. See, look here.¡± Click. Bill messed around with the watch a little to reveal a hiddenpartment. And inside of it was a fine phrase¡­ and a name. - May Fortune Follow the Brave. ¡®...No way.¡¯ The name of the pocket watch¡¯s owner shocked him. - Snowman. Bill continued while looking at Seol. ¡°And to think that after 20 years, a man with the same name and around the same age would show up with the watch¡­ I wonder what all of this is¡­¡± Seol also didn¡¯t know what was going on. Bill continued to talk. ¡°But the owner of this watch didn¡¯t return. Neither did my granddaughter. After that, I left Kongory for a long time and only returned to this city recently.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing. I just have a bit of a headache. Please, continue.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already finished the story and I was only trying to tell you that something like that happened in the past. Ah, right! There¡¯s a ce we can visit together¡­ what do you say?¡± ¡°Where¡­¡± ¡°My granddaughter¡¯s grave. It¡¯s also that Adventurer¡¯s grave as well.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°He was the only person that stepped forth to help my unfortunate daughter¡­ I might not be able to recover his corpse but preparing a small grave for him was nothing. What about it? Do you want to go toget¨C¡± said Bill while scratching his nose. ¡°Urg¨C Urghgh¡­¡± ¡°Are you alright?!¡± Seol remembered it. He remembered everything that happened between Bill, his granddaughter, and the Adventurer named Snowman. ¡®He was my first piece¡­¡¯ This wasn¡¯t the first time that Seol used Snowman as an alias. He also used it the first time he stepped into Pandea, the World of Eternity. Snowman was the first of the thirty pieces he created. He was ¡®Snowman, the Frost Magician¡¯. ¡°C-Could Ie back here tomorrow?¡± ¡°S-Sure. I¡¯ll be waiting for you here at noon.¡± ¡°Thank you, then I¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°Hurry and get some rest.¡± And like that, Seol left the watchmaking workshop. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * What in the world happened? ¡®What is this¡­¡¯ A game piece which he created left a mark in The World of Eternity. It was a shock to Seol. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Did everything that my pieces do leave a mark on this world?¡¯ The World of Eternity definitely worked like that. A piece¡¯s actions influenced the world. But wasn¡¯t that just a system in the game? Why did the things that he did in the game leave a mark in the real world? ¡®Was everything real?¡¯ Even though Seol thought The World of Eternity was a game, it was, in fact, real life. That wasn¡¯t the only thing this truth revealed. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± Seol went to Kongory¡¯s library. ¡°We close after an hour. If there¡¯s a specific book that you¡¯re looking for¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll look for it myself.¡± Books are a record for something. And if you wanted to store information from the previous decades, it was a good medium to do so. Seol found a bookcase filled with many history books and quickly skimmed through it. There were many history books but he was looking for something specific. ¡®If my first character died 20 years ago¡­ Then this Pandea is 20 years in the future from when I first started ying.¡¯ So, he decided that all he had to do was find information from the recent 20 years. ¡®Where is it¡­. Where is it?!¡¯ Seol¡¯s first 10 characters didn¡¯t set that many achievements but it was a different case for histter 20 characters. Hisst 10 characters especially should¡¯ve left their names in history as they all even challenged Ascension, the Final Adventure. Tap. Seol¡¯s finger and eyes both stopped on one book. - The Turbulent Decade Seol pulled out that book without hesitation. The title was very eye-catching. - Stories about the superhumans that changed history. Flip. Seol quickly flipped through the pages. Since the fastest way of learning the contents of a book is through its table of contents, Seol flipped to there first. - The Beginning 1. How was the Grand Duke of Frost born? 2. The Grand Duke of Frost¡¯s corrtion to the Zodiac. 3. The one who dug up the grave of Emperor Leo, the man who shocked the continent. 4. The Immortal who disappeared at an unfortunate time. 5. Does a sword that can cut through anything really exist? 6. ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡®They¡¯re¡­ all my characters?¡¯ Every person that the book was referencing were all characters that Seol created. ¡°No way¡­¡± Many things go into a single person¡¯s life. But Seol had lived and died 30 times in Pandea, the World of Eternity. Before he realized it, Seol had be the history of Pandea himself. * * * ¡°Here. It¡¯s here.¡± ¡°So your granddaughter is¡­¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t. Because we never found her corpse. But even if we don¡¯t have a corpse¡­ it¡¯s a ce that I cherish so it still holds some meaning.¡± Seol nodded and followed Bill. They were both quieter than yesterday. - Does anyone know why Snowman is so serious today? - Because the quest is more boring than he thought. Duh. - I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s just shocked that someone with the same name as him is dead - He¡¯s so sensitive! How is he going to be the secretly OP former-loser MC like this¡­ - Does he have to be a loser though? ¡°Alright, it¡¯s here.¡± It was a grave with an appropriately sized tombstone. There was a sentence that Bill wrote himself on the tombstone for his granddaughter. - The loveliest woman in the world. ¡°It¡¯s good to cherish someone. It might be an empty grave, but it makes you remember that person.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°The grave next to that is the grave of the adventurer with the same name as you. Now¡­ Why don¡¯t we return the watch to its rightful owner?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Seol slowly approached the grave. He held the watch as he looked at the tombstone with a in expression. He then paused. - A man who did not turn a blind eye to those in trouble. Seol felt something rise up within his chest. It was not a desire for revenge against the gods nor was it an excitement to explore a new world. His hand trembled as he gripped the broken pocket watch ever harder. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± Seol finally realized now why he forgot about the pocket watch and the incidents surrounding it as well as Bill¡¯s name. It¡¯s because he chose to not remember it. This was a memory that he pushed far, deep into his subconscious. There is a word in English called ¡®Fumble¡¯. It¡¯s used for huge, catastrophic failures. In The World of Eternity, rolling a 1 and bringing the worst-case scenario is also called a fumble. Seol¡¯s first character, Snowman, lost his life to a fumble. Seol, who was just a kid back then, was shocked and did his best to forget it. And that¡¯s why he forgot. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ I found it toote.¡± Seol ced the pocket watch on the tombstone. And just like that, Seol was able to repair one of his 30 lives. In an instant, his vision was covered in messages. [The pocket watch has returned to its rightful owner.] [You have received skill points as a reward.] Seol thought it would end here but once again, there was more. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Another message popped up alongside his headache. [¡¯s inheritance is starting.] Chapter 17 Inheritance. It has a variety of meanings, but in The World of Eternity, it¡¯s specifically talking about the process of taking on skills or items that belonged to others. Seol¡¯s ¡®inheritance¡¯ was simr to what his summons had done before but it was also a bit different. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°H-Hey! Are you alright?!¡± Bill rushed to support Seol. He could only see the white in Seol¡¯s eyes as his neck tensed up even harder. Bill could tell even at a nce how painful this was. Seol, right now, was looking at his first character¡¯s memories. Hum¡­ Hum¡­ These memories were surprisingly real. Seol felt like he was in a fast train, looking at his memories, like it was the scenery outside of a window. ¡®My brain¡­ feels like it¡¯s going to fry!¡¯ But even so, he kept remembering the things he had forgotten. He remembered how Bill looked 20 years ago. He remembered the photo of Bill¡¯s granddaughter he received. He even received Snowman¡¯s memory from early childhood to adulthood. He received all of his first piece¡¯s memory. ¡®So it was because of this.¡¯ This was the reason why he felt like he had gaps in his memory. Seol realized the reason while going over his first piece¡¯s memory. ¡®It¡¯s because¡­ my pieces kept it.¡¯ Portions of Seol¡¯s memories weren''t in his head. It was in his 30 pieces. The various knowledge that he had was jumbled up in his head. His memories were like a ball of yarn that had been knotted up. Some memories were clear and visible but a few memories felt like they had to be properly untied for him to understand it. It was painful trying to take in all of his piece¡¯s experience at once. It also made him feel ufortable like he was looking through someone else¡¯s memory. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Will I have to experience this every time I run into the other pieces I gave up too?¡± The novel thing was that Seol¡¯s memories of Snowman, unlike the memories of his other pieces, felt like it was always his now. ¡®The memories I recover¡­ be mine.¡¯ At least that¡¯s the only conclusion he could draw right now. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± ¡°Are you alright? Have you calmed down?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡± It was a short moment but Seol felt like he traveled back in time for that moment. [Adventure [Fate: Things Which Must be Recovered] is scheduled.] [You have inherited Snowman¡¯s unfulfilled desire.] [A skill has been inherited from the deceased.] [¡®Characteristic: A Mass of Greed¡¯ has been inherited.] [This skill is not suitable for this body.] [¡®Jamad, the Mountain Shaman¡¯ has inherited ¡®Characteristic: A Mass of Greed¡¯.] [Jamad now gains experience 10% faster and has a 15% chance of unlocking new skills.] [The main contents of ¡®Fate: Things Which Must Be Recovered¡¯ have changed.] [Fate. ¡®Things Which Must be Recovered¡¯ You have experienced a mysterious phenomenon that you don¡¯t know the meaning behind. Through a connection with a stranger you know nothing about, you have learned everything about ¡®them¡¯. You have gained ¡®their¡¯ memories, ¡®their¡¯ thoughts, ¡®their¡¯ lingering attachments, and even ¡®their¡¯ abilities. Perhaps, there are more mysterious connections in this world. Every time you confront your fate, you will acquire new things and remember old memories. Objective: Confront your fate Remaining Time [N/A]] ¡®...It even gave a skill? And Jamad got it, not me?¡¯ Not only did Seol receive Snowman¡¯s memories, he even received a skill. Seol was gasping for air in a dumbfounded state. ¡®And ¡®Fate¡¯? What is this¡­¡¯ - What? What¡¯s going on? - What is going on??? - You inherit stuff if you find someone with the same name as you. - Ah, I understand. Where¡¯s your source though? - I¡¯m my own source. It made sense though, right? Bill let out a sigh while looking at Seol. ¡°For a second I thought I¡¯d have to dig another grave.¡± ¡°...Thank you for worrying about me.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡­ Anyway, I n on returning to Kongory so if you¡¯re ever in trouble,e see me. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be of much help, but I can at least sell you some watches.¡± [Bill¡¯s favorability toward you has increased.] ¡°Be careful on your way back,¡± said Seol. ¡°Yeah, thank you.¡± After Bill left, Seol quickly organized his thoughts. ¡®There are traces of my 30 pieces scattered throughout Pandea.¡¯ This was an undoubtable fact. There was no way there wouldn¡¯t be traces of them left when their achievements were recorded in a book. ¡®And when Ie into contact with those traces, I get the piece¡¯s memory and a portion of their skills.¡¯ Seol wasn¡¯t sure if his exnation was too general, but he thought he would have toe into contact with more pieces to be certain. ¡®Lastly, I need their skills and memories for Ascension. More specifically... I need the memories that I lost.¡¯ He needed to repair his lost memory and use that to be much stronger than his previous pieces. And after that¡­ he would challenge Ascension. He found a hint toward Ascension through this inheritance process. ¡®Well that¡¯s that, but¡­ A Mass of Greed, hm¡­¡¯ Seol¡¯s first character, Snowman, died without being able to amount to much. Since he also didn¡¯t unlock that many skills, it was obvious that he wouldn¡¯t have any useful skills to be inherited. ¡®Well, that¡¯s not true.¡¯ There was one useful skill. It was the ¡®A Mass of Greed¡¯ skill which Jamad inherited. Seol remembered the first time he created his own character. There was a bright, golden light surging from behind his game piece and all of the gods were in awe. - No way! Why is this guy lucky from the start? - What is it though? Is it like a characteristic like their personality or something? - A Mass of Greed? Hah! I¡¯m at a loss for words¡­ Back then Seol didn¡¯t know anything. So he asked them in response, ¡°Is it something good?¡± - You¡¯ll realize it when you y. As long as you properly raise it, your character will be a monster. - Must be nice¡­ I hope I get something like that too someday¡­ Snowman wasn¡¯t able to be a monster since he died early to a fumble but his potential was definitely amazing. Seol, after receiving his powers and memories, gave a deep bow to the tombstone. ¡°Thank you.¡± The broken stopwatch rested on the tombstone. Its hand was pointing in the direction Seol left. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A month had already passed. Everyone who arrived in this new world realized by this point that there was no way to escape from this dangerous game. ¡°Maybe now¡­ our country and government might be gone too¡­¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t say something so bleak! I¡¯m sure they¡¯lle save us as long as we hold on! Also, don¡¯t you think bullets would work on those monsters too?¡± ¡°Right? They¡¯ll probablye save us, right?¡± There was no way that would happen. It was something that everyone already knew. They were just trying their best to say only positive things. Even though the two worlds werebined, the people from Earth called themselves a ¡®Transferee¡¯. Even though a month was an ambiguous time in length, the transferees had changed a lot. The biggest change was that they were adapting to this new world. ¡°So¡­ did you pick your next Adventure?¡± ¡°I did, but¡­ I¡¯d feel better about it if I at least knew something about it.¡± ¡°Did you hear anything from the guild? Did they say anything?¡± ¡°They first told me to form a party with people from the guild that I knew but I didn¡¯t really have that much faith in them.¡± ¡°I get what you mean, I felt the exact same way. We filled up the head count but we have a kid, an old grandpa, and a dude with a big belly.¡± ¡°Should I just go solo¡­? There were quite a few people also going solo too.¡± The two men who looked like they were in their mid-tote thirties were gossiping loudly even though no one seemed interested in it. ¡°That¡¯s way too dangerous! Didn¡¯t you hear? Some transferees are trying to kill other people from Earth for their equipment¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I heard about that too. Those guys are real sons of bitches, aren¡¯t they? I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re just trying to survive by themselves in a situation like this¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you can¡¯tfortably trust other people now. So stop throwing away something that¡¯s good for you, it¡¯s probably better for you to work with your guild¡­¡± ¡°You know some kids were all excited that they were in a game? Haah¡­ They¡¯ve got guts, I¡¯ll give them that.¡± ¡°Let them be. Those kinds of people that don¡¯t consider their situation are always the first to die. Let¡¯s go for a long, easy life.¡± ¡°Yeah, a long, easy life.¡± The guilds were gaining more and more influence by the day. With their country missing and the looming danger of the other transferees in the city, most people chose the guilds to protect themselves. The guilds look awful in Seol¡¯s eyes but regardless of what he thought, the majority of the transferees ended up joining one. There were of course people who chose to go solo for their own personal reasons. Some who were ufortable in a group and some who were confident in their skills and wanted to monopolize the rewards. Seol fell into both of those categories, and obviously, went solo. The 3rd Adventure, except for special scenarios like Sudden Adventures or Urgent Adventures, was able to be chosen by the yer. Creak. You were able to choose it here, in the Adventurer Association. As Seol opened the door, almost everyone inside turned to look at him. But they quickly lost their interest and continued with what they were doing. Seol first headed to the bulletin board. The surprising thing about Pandea was that contrary to its medieval setting, there was a surprising bnce between culture and technology. Beep. As Seol ced his identification card closer, the bulletin board showed up, Seol already checked all of the posts that came up yesterday so he first checked if there was any new important information. When he realized that there were none, he checked the public posts. Partially, because it was thest day, there were countless posts looking for party members. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just Now] [Title: I am looking for ¡®Private¡¯.] Our party¡¯s seriously super strong. We¡¯re looking to recruit the ¡®Private¡¯s who ranked 1st and 3rd. If you don¡¯t contact us before thest date, we¡¯ll find someone else. - That looks like a party full of zoomers. - I bet it would feel like taking care of my nephews¡­ nope] [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just Now] [Title: We are trying to recruit the ¡®Private¡¯ Ranker.] We are not afraid of this world. Rather¡­ we are the ones who have been waiting for it. I¡¯m sure that you, the ¡®Private¡¯ that ranked 1st, are also a kindred soul. We shall wait until the final day for you. If not, we will look for someone else. - I¡¯m sorry, but could you make this ¡®for your eyes only¡¯ instead? - I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re picking a fight with us - These guys here: the type of guys to kick you out of a party if you can¡¯t name your 3 favorite animes. Normally, a party that searches for members on thest day is bound to have problems big or small. They either had too many requirements or were looking for something way too specific. - These guys are hrious lol - There¡¯s a ton of crazies - But why are they looking for ¡®Private¡¯? - Obviously, they¡¯re trying to get carried. - The only thing this guy¡¯s trying to carry is himself though. - Carry me daddy! Because Seol wasn¡¯t particrly interested in any of the Adventures, he closed the bulletin. ¡®I¡¯m not interested in any of them. In that case¡­ I should go with something I know for sure.¡¯ In truth, Seol already had an Adventure in mind. He waited on deciding in case he forgot an important detail but he decided that he remembered all of the important stuff. It was a fairly well-known Adventure and it even gave good rewards. Seol looked around the Adventurer Association. Everyone seemed to be interested in their own conversations except for two people. He felt their gazes, watching him. Seol felt like he had be more perceptive after leveling up, likely due to his increased stats. ¡®One of them was the person I was looking for but the other person¡­ Are they a wanderer?¡¯ He also might have caught their eye because of the equipment he had on instead. It was quite shiny and attention-grabbing. ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I need to handle my business first.¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t head toward the counter where the receptionist was. Instead, he approached the man who had been watching him in the corner. The man had some strange geometric tattoos on his face. ¡°...What is it?¡± said the man. And as he spoke, Seol saw the options avable to him. [[You see a suspicious man. What do you say?] 1. What are you looking at? Are you picking a fight with me? 2. Do you need help? 3. It looked like you were interested in me. 4. [Required: Insight] You don¡¯t look like an ordinary person¡­ ¡­¡­] Insight had worked. The truth was that even without Insight, it was possible to take on this Adventure. It required you to naturally progress through the conversation but since Seol wanted to save time, he picked option 4. ¡°You don¡¯t look like an ordinary person¡­ What are you doing here?¡± ¡°What? Hahaha! How fun.¡± The man stroked his chin then gestured to Seol to take a seat in front of him. Sit. When Seol sat down, the man leaned in toward Seol and started whispering. It was as if he wanted the surrounding noise to drown him out. ¡°The truth is¡­ I have to transport some things to Nobira for a huge deal and I needed some people to guard our pack of wagons.¡± [Insight activates] [This man is lying.] Seol responded without changing his expression at all. ¡°...And?¡± ¡°I wanted to hire a trustworthy person for this job¡­ I will make sure you get plenty of rewards. How about it? ¡°Am I that ¡®trustworthy person¡¯?¡± ¡°I guess you are considered one since we talked, right? You don¡¯t have to take this job if you don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t have that much time either.¡± [[The man has requested you to guard the transport to Nobira. How do you respond?] 1. I understand. 2. You should look for someone else. 3. Exactly how much are the rewards? 4. [Required: Insight] Are you sure this is a transport to Nobira? I don¡¯t think it is.] Seol nodded and epted the proposal. ¡°I understand, I¡¯ll do it. Have you hired other people as well?¡± ¡°Hahaha! You made a good decision. And I¡¯ll have to look for other hires even if it¡¯s a bitte. My name is Aden. Please take care of me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Snowman.¡± [Adventure [Nobira Transport Guard] is scheduled.] [Because this Adventure is a ''Linked Adventure'', you cannot choose your next Adventure.] Seol shared a few more words with Aden before leaving with the promise of meeting tomorrow. ¡®So far it¡¯s exactly how I remember it.¡¯ Seol had recently received his first character¡¯s memory. And his first character, Snowman, cleared this Adventure before attempting ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ Adventure. Thanks to his memories returning, he remembered all of the secrets behind the Adventure. There was no reason for Seol to not go on this Adventure. Seol also had another reason he chose this Adventure. ¡®My second character wasn¡¯t able to clear this Adventure.¡¯ Even though his first piece was able to clear it, his second piece wasn¡¯t able to. And the only person who knew why he failed an Adventure he cleared before was Seol. ¡®It won¡¯t be easy but I have to do this.¡¯ Because there might be a chance my 2nd piece is there. Chapter 18 There were two men who observed Seol and Aden¡¯s conversation in the Adventurer Association. One man even pointed at Seol as he was leaving the building. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did you see that?¡± ¡°See what?¡± ¡°Him. That guy.¡± ¡°Ah! Yeah, I see him. The guy in the robes, right?¡± The first man only nodded in response. ¡°Yeah. It looks like he tried hard to hide the value of his equipment, but they¡¯re just way too good. I also heard his conversation with the merchant very clearly with ¡®Snoop¡¯... I guess you have to use tricks like that to get good equipment like him.¡± ¡°He looks pretty strong¡­¡± ¡°No matter how strong he is, we should all be around the same strength since it¡¯s only been a month. Everyone¡¯s got a n until they get stabbed.¡± ¡°What if he¡¯s in a guild? It¡¯s going to be annoying if he¡¯s in a big guild¡­¡± ¡°No matter how many meerkats group together they¡¯re still meerkats. Did you forget? Don¡¯t you know what kind of people are the strongest in chaos?¡± In a ce without order, the most dangerous individuals are the ones that desired chaos originally. ¡°It¡¯s the guys with nothing to lose.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. But we need at least two more people if we want to do something.¡± ¡°We can just borrow two people from the guild then.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two men were named Seo Jincheol and Baek Sang-gyu. They were both originally bad people. And it takes a bad person to quickly recognize another bad person. Not too long after they arrived in Kongory, the two quickly became close. The two then created a guild for people with the same values as them. They were ¡®amazing¡¯ at least visually. There was someone who had his entire body covered in tattoos. There was another person who had multiple, deep stab wounds. There was even a person with cauliflower ears with a neck as thick as a rhino. Most people would be terrified just by looking at them. And Jincheol and Sang-gyu fit in perfectly with them. This group had already killed someone aftering to Kongory. It was because they wanted to steal that person¡¯s equipment and money. The only difference was that the results of their actions were different from what would happen on Earth. The people here didn¡¯t care about the transferee¡¯s identities and didn¡¯t investigate or punish them. It was hard for someone to take the difficult path once they have tasted an easier path. This group believed that they were the kings of the new world. ¡°I want you to go back to the guild and bring about two more people. I¡¯m going to go have a conversation with that merchant.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jincheol gave a sly smile and left the Association. Sang-gyu, who was now alone, approached Aden and spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t look like an ordinary person¡­ What are you doing here?¡± asked Sang-gyu. Aden gave an undecipherableugh as he greeted his new guest. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Do we really have to go?¡± ¡°Haaah¡­ it feels like I¡¯m walking toward my death.¡± ¡°I heard that this Adventure¡¯s easy so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± As the Remaining Time got closer to zero, the transferees became more anxious. For some, it was a day. For others, days. There were even some who had to take 2 weeks and a few whose Adventuressted a month. Each Adventure had their own different time limits. This meant that the situation which happened when they first arrived in the city with peopleing in droves won¡¯t happen anymore. ¡®It is a bit cruel though.¡¯ Adventures were cruel themselves but the Rests were what were truly cruel. A month of rest takes away everyone¡¯s physical and mental edge. It makes themx. If they weren¡¯t able to get used to this, it would feel like walking down to hell every time they would return to the Adventures. Seol, unlike the others, was able to take on the Adventure with a much more rxed mind state. Because he, unlike the others, knew which path he¡¯d had to take in that hell. ¡°Don¡¯t die, alright?!¡± ¡°Stop fucking jinxing us!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to meet back here, okay?¡± The transferees, who were crying like a couple that had broken up, were soon swept away by the light. Gloooow¡­ Seol and the other transferees were being transported into their Adventures. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 3rd Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 3. Nobira Transport Guard] [Adventure 3. ¡®Nobira Transport Guard¡¯ In South Pandea, the World of Eternity, there are many different biomes. One of those biomes is the Great Silent Forest. You have been contracted to guard a transport headed to Nobira, a city near the Great Silent Forest. The problem is that, on the path toward Nobira, there are groups of bandits who also hunt for ruins. You will probably be fine if you do not run into them, but if you do¡­ it will not go too easily. Objective: Guard the transport until it reaches Nobira. Your rewards will decrease as the number of people and wagons decreases. Remaining Time [71:59]] ¡®Three days¡­ The first day will be easy though.¡¯ After reading the summary of the Adventure, Seol looked around at his surroundings. Aden was in the middle of ordering the workers to load thest of the goods. He then noticed Seol approaching him and greeted Seol with open arms. ¡°Hahaha! Right on time!¡± However, Seol was looking elsewhere. Four men with threatening faces were looking in Seol¡¯s way. ¡®Was that the guy from the Association?¡¯ It looked like the guy who was stealing nces at him. Seol wasn¡¯t sure how he found out about this but he was sure that the three other men came with him. ¡°They¡¯ll be joining us this trip. The four of them are in a group so don¡¯t say anything about one because then the other will hear haha!¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± Sang-gyu stared down Seol. It reminded Seol of a shark. ¡°I¡¯m Baeksang. Please take care of us during the trip.¡± Sang-gyu gave Seol his nickname instead of his actual name. In fact, a lot of transferees gave their nicknames out instead of their actual names. ¡°I¡¯m Snowman.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fucking mouthful. Anyway, let¡¯s not get in each other¡¯s way and go quietly.¡± - He looks like he¡¯d be the biggest trouble maker though - This looks rough LOL You always get med for mistakes when you¡¯re teamed up with a 4-man party! - Look at their faces. They have to at least have three priors. After they shared their names with each other, Aden spoke to all of them. ¡°I know it¡¯s a request to guard the wagons, but you guys are just backup.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Backup?¡± The group, other than Seol, were all confused by Aden¡¯s words. Aden then broke the silence while giving a heartyugh. ¡°I already have more than enough guards but you never know how things turn out, right? That¡¯s why I hired more people than needed.¡± ¡°What should we do, then?¡± ¡°Just watch the mood ande out if a problem happens. We¡¯ll take care of the scouting and night watches.¡± Jincheol and Sang-gyu started whispering to each other. ¡°Wait, this is fucking easy? I should¡¯ve known the moment he decided to take on this Adventure alone. He was trying to monopolize an easy Adventure like this by himself?¡± ¡°Shitty bastard. Let¡¯s stick to our original n. We¡¯ll kill him, take all of his belongings, and then throw him out of the wagon.¡± Aden didn¡¯t catch their whispers at all. He just said one more line before making his leave. ¡°You guys can go in that wagon near the middle with the three ribbons on it. We probably won¡¯t call you unless it¡¯s mealtime so you guys can take a nap or something.¡± ¡°Sheeesh¡­ nice benefits too.¡± The moment Aden left, Sang-gyu looked at Seol and pointed at the rear of the wagon with his thumb. ¡°Let¡¯s go in. We¡¯ll get real close fast in three days.¡± ¡°.....¡± Seol followed them into the wagon without a word. Not too long after, they started to depart. Seol continued to check his surroundings as the wagon moved. ¡®I don¡¯t know what their objective is, but¡­ it¡¯s clear they¡¯re after me.¡¯ Seol could feel their aversion to him from their words, actions, and gaze. Even though they were having a loud, friendly conversation, they were cautious. Furthermore, since the person who was staring at him at the Adventurer Association was joining the same mission as him, Seol was on guard. ¡®Are they Trolls?¡¯ They could be Trolls or¡­ they could be Murderers. The former was someone who joined an Adventure to intentionally ruin it and thetter was someone who killed the pieces. They were both harmful to the party but their objectives and directions were different. Trolls were after the fun that came from new, unexpected scenarios. They also could be the type that enjoyed ruining the progress on the table. Murderers, unlike the Trolls, were usually after another yer¡¯s equipment. That was because it was much faster to get equipment from other pieces than from the Adventures. Obviously, there were some Murderers who enjoyed killing itself and didn¡¯t care about equipment. yers like those existed in the heavens too. Obviously, no one wanted to y with them so whenever they were rejected, the Murderers would change their masks ande back with a new piece. ¡®I can¡¯t exclude the possibility that they are murderers.¡¯ Seol was on guard but he also thought it was a relief. He would worry about them if they were normal people who fell into danger but he doesn¡¯t need to worry about people who have ulterior motives like that. ¡®Incidentally, those guys are idiots. Did they know what kind of Adventure they were getting themselves into?¡¯ They either had to be extremely powerful individuals who were strong enough to not care about the details or extremely stupid. ¡®They¡¯re probably thetter¡­ They¡¯re going to regret itter. This Adventure was not an ordinary Adventure. Linked Adventures often yed tricks with the difficulty. For example, it would start off as an easy, ordinary mission but the difficulty would be hellish as it got closer to the end. Sang-gyu¡¯s group let out a loudugh while in the middle of the conversation. ¡°Hahahaha! This is seriously aplete piece of cake.¡± ¡°This Adventure¡¯s going to be easy thanks to our cowardly patron~¡± The cowardly patron they were referring to was probably Aden. The group turned and asked Seol a question as if they suddenly remembered him. ¡°Ah, right! Dude! What¡¯s your ss?¡± ¡°ss?¡± ¡°Everyone gets one whening into the world, no? What ss did you choose?¡± ¡°Summoner.¡± ¡°Ha! Haha! There was a boring ss like that too?¡± ¡°Hahahaha¡­ stop¡­ he must be so embarrassed.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s so bad about that?! A man¡¯s gotta dream big if they¡¯re in and of opportunity like this! How cool is using your fists, a spear, a sword, or anything else like that? You¡¯re just going to hide behind your summons and watch? That¡¯s not a real man, is it?!¡± ¡°Pfft¡­ Ah, sorry. I¡¯m so sorry. He¡¯s just the talkative type. Even if it¡¯s wrong I hope you can try to understand. But he¡¯s definitely skilled enough to be our ace, so you can trust him.¡± - Ace¡­ dies, right? - Snowman: Haha true~ They should buff Summoners. - But why are they so annoying? I wish Jamad or Karuna woulde out and cut them to pieces. - What is he going to do by killing his own party members? He can just use them as meat shields. One of the men approached Seol with half-closed eyes to ask him another question. ¡°So, are you in a guild?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t joined one yet.¡± ¡°What?¡± The four couldn¡¯t help themselves from smiling. It felt reassuring that Seol didn¡¯t have anyone behind him. ¡°Still, people need something they can rely on.¡± ¡°I rmend you join a guild when you get back. We¡¯re the ¡®Predator Guild¡¯. If you¡¯re interested,e check us outter when you get back.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± They said ¡®when you get back¡¯ twice as if they were trying to promise themselves to never let him back. They were constantly looking down on Seol and ignoring him. But still, Seol didn¡¯t react to it at all. ¡®They¡¯re a bit annoying.¡¯ Seol was able to deduce that they had ulterior motives through the conversation. Unfortunately for them, their sly motives won¡¯t evere true. However, because of his reserved attitude, the four thought of Seol as an easy target they could kill whenever. And because of that, nothing happened during their travels. A few hours passed and it became time for dinner. Seol had finished resolving himself. His 1st character and 2nd character¡­ Both of them faced issues during the first night. ¡®So there¡¯s a high probability of those problems happening again this time. No, those problems will probably happen for certain.¡¯ Because that¡¯s how this Adventure was set up. ¡°Hey,e out and have some alcohol!¡± ¡°Alcohol? You have alcohol?¡± ¡°I thought it would be nice for us to have a drink since there weren¡¯t any problems and the people here won¡¯t have to stand watch.¡± ¡°This ce really is the best!¡± Sang-gyu¡¯s group got off the wagon and walked toward the camp that had been set up. Seol followed not too long after. A lot of people were sitting in small groups, eating meat, and drinking alcohol. ¡°Here. It¡¯s heated up really nicely so it¡¯ll go down easy. You¡¯ll love it.¡± Aden passed alcohol to everyone. Seol stared at the cup. [Insight Activates.] [You detect a strange smell from the alcohol.] Seol turned his head to the side and pretended to drink the alcohol. More urately, he used Shadow Hand to let the alcohol flow to the ground but no one noticed. ¡°Haaah¡­ That was amazing.¡± ¡°Man~ I could definitely get used to this!¡± Sang-gyu¡¯s group wasn¡¯t satisfied with one cup and reached for more. ¡®It¡¯s almost time for Aden to start talking.¡¯ And as Seol expected, Aden seemed to have thought the mood was right for him to propose something. ¡°What? We¡¯re going to be dropping by somewhere else before we go to Nobira?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the decision has already been made. But for your troubles, I will triple your rewards.¡± ¡°T-Triple? How much will we be getting then?¡± ¡°600 gold coins per person. How about it?¡± 600 gold coins for a mission this simple? If Sang-gyu¡¯s group thought even a little bit they would¡¯ve noticed the fishy smell, but¡­ their decision-making must have been off. Sang-gyu¡¯s group nodded. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s great to hear! So, we¡¯ll be going to¡­¡± It was at that moment. Seol hurriedly shouted. ¡°Duck!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ffffffft! Dozens of arrows flew toward the wagons. Stab! Stab! ¡°Grgh¡­¡± ¡°Kargh!¡± Seol could read a message that had popped up. [The main contents of ¡®Nobira Transport Guard¡¯ have changed.] [¡®Nobira Transport Guard¡¯ has changed to ¡®Moving Carriage¡¯.] Chapter 19 It seemed like the arrows were shot from quite a distance away. Most of the arrowsnded on objects, not people. ¡°Wh-what is going on?!¡± ¡°I asked you what¡¯s going on, Aden!¡± ¡°Sungho! Hey, Jin Sungho!¡± Two Predator Guild members were shot by arrows. Unfortunately for one of them, the arrow pierced through their neck. Ffffsssss¡­ The only sound Sungho was able to make was the sound of air weakly escaping his body. It didn¡¯t take long for him to close his eyes for thest time. And like that, he died. ¡°Uaaaaaargh! He¡¯s dead! He died!¡± ¡°Aden! What are we supposed to do now?!¡± Even though the group hadmitted murder before, they acted like scared little children in front of impending death. Seol focused on observing Aden¡¯s facial expressions. Aden was seething in rage. And suddenly, he shouted. It seemed he had reached a decision. ¡°There¡¯s a canyon nearby! If we lose our pursuers there then return to the Great Silent Forest, they won¡¯t be able to find us! Hurry up and steer the wagons!¡± ¡°B-But¡­! It¡¯s not that simple¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up! Did you forget that I hired you?¡± Aden forced his hand on the party. It was almost like he had be a new person. Seol knew that Aden was making the wrong decision. When merchants were normally faced with this situation, they often used the wagons as a line of defense to respond to their attackers. This meant that this was either Aden¡¯s first job as a merchant or he was too dumb to act appropriately. Regardless of whatever it was, the situation was dire. This time, Aden shouted at Sang-gyu¡¯s group, ¡°How long are you going to cry over a fucking corpse?! Get in the wagon!¡± ¡°What? Wh-what did you just say¨C¡± Slide. Aden slid a dagger next to Jincheol¡¯s neck. He was so quick that Jincheol couldn¡¯t react in time. ¡°Gasp¡­¡± ¡°Do as I say if you don¡¯t want to die. ytime ends here.¡± Jincheol¡¯s eyes grew wide as he could do nothing more than slowly nod. Sang-gyu¡¯s group left behind Sungho, who was already dead, and helped the other injured party member into the wagon. Seol also followed them into the wagon. ¡°Fuck¡­ Fuck¡­ What the hell is going on¡­?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be an easy Adventure?! Why do we have to be in this situation?!¡± Deathes for everyone and fear is just its messenger. Sang-gyu¡¯s group was ovee by fear. The most they could do was just look around for help. ¡°It hurts¡­ it hurts¡­ it hurts so bad¡­¡± ¡°Kyungmo!¡± The other member of Sang-gyu¡¯s group was lying down in the back of the wagon with an arrow in his chest. He would continuously groan until he would slowly grow weaker and weaker. ¡°A-Am I¡­ going to die like thi¡ª¡± Thud. Sang-gyu¡¯s party was now down to two. Neigh! In surprise, the horses started galloping faster. Ffft. Fwoosh! ¡°Hiek¡­¡± Arrows pierced through the cloth exterior of the wagon. It was so chaotic that they couldn¡¯t pull themselves together. However, Seol was able to maintain his cool. ¡®We¡¯ll get caught near the end of the canyon.¡¯ Both Seol¡¯s first and second characters faced off against their pursuers there. Because Seol knew that they would safely reach the end of the canyon he wasn¡¯t scared like Sang-gyu¡¯s party was. Sang-gyu saw Seol¡¯s calmness and started yelling at him. ¡°You were acting like this was an easy Adventure but that wasn¡¯t the case at all!¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ How are we supposed to get out of here, huh?¡± Jincheol growled toward Seol. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re going to work together as a party until we get out of here, got it?¡± This was obvious in a normal party but since they weren¡¯t amicable with each other, it had to be stated. Jincheol was asking Seol to follow his orders. It was obvious in Jincheol¡¯s eyes since there were two of them and one of him. Jincheol also thought that even if their initial n of killing him was revealed, it would be difficult for even Seol to make it out safely on his own. But Seol¡¯s response only confused them. ¡°Why should I?¡± - Huh? Were you talking to me? - His expression is hrious LMFAO - These guys are obviously murderers LOL Why would we work together~ - You guys fell for the secretly strong MC trope EZ Sang-gyu¡¯s eyes turned red as he pulled out a scimitar from his waist. Slide. ¡°Are you dumb or something? Do my words sound like a jo¡­ke¡­?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Why¡­ is my body¡­ urgh¡­¡± Both Sang-gyu and Jincheol were losing control of their own bodies. It felt like their bodies were stiffening up like concrete. tter. Even the scimitar that Sang-gyu held fell to the ground. ¡°Wh-why is my fucking body¡­¡± ¡°Mine too!¡± Their bodies were stiff below their head but they could still control their mouths. ¡°You guys are quite slow, huh?¡± said Seol. ¡°What? You bastard! You! You did this, didn¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°Let us go! I don¡¯t know what you did but I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have carelessly eaten the food that a stranger gave you.¡± Sang-gyu and Jincheol quickly realized what Seol meant. There was something done to the alcohol they drank earlier. ¡°Damn it¡­ Fuck! You plotted this with Aden, didn''t you?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no way that would be the case¡­ Aden! What the hell is that bastard Aden?!¡± Fffft! ¡°After them!¡± Rumble Rumble! They could hear their pursuers chasing after them. Before they realized it, they had already escaped the canyons. Seol fixed his clothes and readied himself. Hum¡­ As Seol gathered ck energy in his hand, a massive figure appeared inside the wagon. Fsssss¡­ ¡°I-It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°A troll! It¡¯s a troll! Wait, he¡¯s¡­¡± They knew it as well. What Seol had just summoned was Jamad, the Chief of the Rock Mr Tribe. They only caught a distant glimpse of him in their previous Adventure but they could tell that it was him. How could they have forgotten the fear they felt from Jamad? Sang-gyu started murmuring to himself in disbelief. ¡®He defeated Jamad?¡¯ Jamad looked difficult for their party to take down together. Obviously, Seol defeated Jamad by himself and not in a party but Sang-gyu had no way of knowing that. Jamad then spoke to Seol. ¡°...This isn¡¯t a good situation.¡± ¡°It might look like that, but let¡¯s observe for now.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ Alright, I will protect you.¡± When the two noticed that Seol was about to escape the wagon, they started calling for him. ¡°H-Hey! Take us! Take us with you too!!¡± ¡°Where are you going, you¡­ If you leave like this, the Predator Guild won¡¯t leave you alone!¡± ¡°Like I said before, why should I?¡± answered Seol without even looking back. Sang-gyu¡¯s party wasn¡¯t going to help him at all, they were just going to hold him back from doing whatever he wanted to do. It was clear that the two knew what their fate would be if they were left here. ¡®They¡¯reing.¡¯ Suddenly, people holding ropes and obstructions appeared in the path the wagon was going. Those men had the same geometric tattoos that Aden had. ¡°Hold on tight!¡± shouted Aden. As he shouted, the wagon started to curve and tilt. Now that they were surrounded, the other wagons couldn¡¯t proceed anymore and were stuck. ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°No!¡± And as Sang-gyu and Jincheol were screaming, Seol had already disappeared. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Before the wagons hit the ropes and obstacles, Seol sessfully escaped from the pursuers with Jamad¡¯s protection. It hurt a bit when he rolled off the wagon but he wasn¡¯t that injured. Some of the pursuers had split off from the group to chase after Seol but all of them fell to Jamad¡¯s hands. And now, Seol was observing the others. ¡°Are you just going to watch?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll only waste my energy if I fight now.¡± ¡°Well, suit yourself.¡± Aden gathered his forces from the wrecks of the broken wagon and prepared to face his pursuers. ¡°Damn it¡­ How did they know that we would be here? Hey, it¡¯s time to fight.¡± Aden didn¡¯t lie about one thing, there really were other guards protecting the wagons. A group of guards more powerful than Sang-gyu¡¯s group. ¡°There¡¯s around twenty pursuers. Survive on your own.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ you didn¡¯t say anything about this!¡± Woosh¡­ Woosh¡­ Someone approached while spinning their scimitar. They also had geometric tattoos on their face like Aden. ¡°Aden¡­ or should I say¡­ Kujo. Did you think you¡¯d be able to escape from us?¡± ¡°How the hell would someone that¡¯s running away know that, idiot?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ your tongue¡¯s as prideful as always. You should¡¯ve used that tongue for ¡®Borgo¡¯ instead.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t like the way I was treated, so I was trying to catch a big fish¡­ What do you think about partnering up with me? I¡¯ll treat you better than Borgo does.¡± ¡°Can you protect me from Borgo¡¯s chase?¡± ¡°Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Haha, then just die easily. You have the map and the tranted copy, right?¡± ¡°Of course! I have it on me right now. Why don¡¯t youe try and take it if you can!¡± ¡°Alright, then let me say goodbye now. The map will be returning to its original owner.¡± ¡°Bullshit! If someone heard that, they¡¯d think Borgo found it himself. I¡¯m the one who found it, you bastard!¡± aaang! Aden¡ªno, Kujo¡¯s group¡­ looked much weaker than Borgo¡¯s advance party. And during that time¡­ Seol was checking the details of the changed Adventure contents. [Adventure 3-1. ¡®Moving Wagon.¡¯ The wagon line headed to Nobira has been ambushed. It seems there were circumstances that you weren¡¯t aware of. Survive the ambush. Objective: Survive the ambush and escape your pursuers Remaining Time [N/A]] Seol already knew that this situation would happen. He also knew that this Adventure would constantly change. This Adventure was much moreplicated than what you would first expect. There was a widely known ruin hunter named Borgo (the name might change but the person and the role were the same) who was active near Nobira. Kujo, one of Borgo¡¯s subordinates who was dissatisfied with him, while exploring a ruin, discovered a map to a different ruin, and secretly took the map in an attempt to trante it. Borgo realized this and chased Kujo, but by that time, Kujo had already escaped to Kongory. So then, Borgo¡¯s group had no other choice but to stay near the Great Silent Forest and wait in ambush for him. In the tranted copy that Kujo had, it said that in order to open the entrance to the ruins¡­ you would need five living sacrifices. ¡®This meant that Sang-gyu¡¯s group and I weren¡¯t here to guard the wagons. We were here as sacrifices.¡¯ That was the reason why Aden drugged the alcohol. It was so that we would be forced to be his sacrifices without being able to retaliate. ng! aaang! Seol quietly watched the two groups fight. It was something that Seol had already seen before. He also already knew the results of it. As some time passed, the results of the battle were bing clearer. ¡°Krgh¡­ Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Keep going if you want to die.¡± ¡°Borgo¡¯s going to kill me if I back off anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Then just die here.¡± It was funny, but no one from either group was going to survive their fight. And just as Seol predicted, the scenario that he drew was ying out. ¡®Well, the sacrifices are going to survive though.¡¯ Seol¡¯s first character, Snowman, was able to heal himself using mana and ran away from the situation. That was how he was able to clear it. ¡®And I chose a different option with my 2nd character.¡¯ Seol waited for their fight to finish before approaching the¡­ ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Is it you, Borgo?¡± Kujo was gasping for air after losing both of his eyes. His body was covered in dried-up blood. It was clear that he was going to die from losing too much blood. ¡°Wait, this smell¡­ It¡¯s you, Snowman. Save me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already dead.¡± ¡°Hahahaha¡­ You¡¯re right. How the hell would I be able to survive when I¡¯ve lost this much blood¡­ Look here, do you want me to tell you a funny story?¡± Seol could see options before him again. [[Aden¡¯s real name was Kujo. It seems that he wants to tell you an interesting story as he¡¯s about to die. How do you respond?] 1. Story? What story? 2. I don¡¯t need it. 3. Who were those guys that were chasing us? 4. What is the meaning behind those tattoos? 5. [Required: Intimidation] Tell me everything. ¡­¡­] ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°Ha! Hahaha! Then let me at least tell you this. Soon, a huge monster that doesn¡¯t even look human is going to arrive. When that happens, you¡¯re going to die anywa¡­ Hello?¡± Rummage. Rummage. Seol was rummaging through the gasping Kujo¡¯s body. He forcibly pulled out anything he could get his hands on. [You have acquired a ''Map to a Certain Ruins''.] [You have acquired a ''Tranted Copy of the Ruins''.] Seol looked through the map and confirmed the tranted copy. Both were equally important when it came to ruins. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Seol scowled. ¡®If this is the tranted copy then I might as well use it as a fire starter.¡¯ It was simr to what Seol already knew, but some lines were trantedpletely differently. So, either his memory or the tranted copy was wrong. And Seol, obviously, chose to trust his memories. ¡°Krgh¡­ Hahahahaha!¡± Kujoughed maniacally as Seol went through his belongings. He was trying to curse Seol as if he was a prophet. ¡°Yeah, I bet you want the treasures in the ruins too. But, that ruin has already caught Borgo¡¯s eyes.¡± ¡°So?¡± After acquiring the map, Seol saw new options. [[You have located the ruins after looking at the map. It¡¯s near the Great Silent Forest. What do you do?] 1. Return the map to Kujo and look for a way to save him. 2. Remain here and wait for Borgo. 3. Return the map then escape to Nobira. 4. Head to the Great Silent Forest. ¡­¡­] It was obvious which option Seol was going to choose. Kujo was leaving his final words for Seol before he died. ¡°You too¡­ will end up sumbing to your desires. Just like me.¡± Seol then responded to Kujo¡¯s corpse. ¡°No, I am the master of my own desires.¡± Chapter 20 The remains of the destroyed wagon and fake cargo were scattered on the ground. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t let that bastard get away with this¡­¡± Sang-gyu and Jincheol luckily survived as the scenario normally goes. But, probably because they were still shocked from the crash, they remained in the rubble, frozen. If they were just a bit more aware and resolved, they would have been able to escape this situation easily. Clop Clop¡­ They could hear the sound of horse hooves. ¡°Damn it¡­ Shit¡­ We have to get out of here!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t move my body! Fuck!!¡± They were mistaken. They believed they were stronger than the people who had just fought. They believed they were strong because they terrified others. ¡°Damn it! Fuuuuuck!¡± But was that really the case? The horses were getting closer. And before they knew it, they could hear people as well. ¡°Ha! Ha!¡± ¡°...Not here!¡± They were terrified of the dozens of peopleing after them. The two could see the dust storm that the horses were kicking up. And in the blink of an eye, they arrived there. All of them had tattoos on their faces that were just like Kujo¡¯s. ¡°Hm¡­ Tragedy has already struck.¡± ¡°......¡± Slide. As the person who looked like their leader dismounted, so did the others. The man looked around at the situation and let out a quiet voice. ¡°Find Kujo.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Find him! It¡¯s Borgo¡¯s orders! We have to get Kujo¡¯s corpse at least.¡± The group perfectly scattered to look through the debris. Lift. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± The men checked if the faces of the corpses had a tattoo or resembled Kujo. If they didn¡¯t resemble Kujo, the men separated them into a pile and in the unfortunate circumstance they were still alive, the men would finish them off. Sang-gyu and Jincheol were trembling, praying that nothing happens to them. ¡°We found him!¡± ¡°Is it Kujo?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m positive!¡± ¡°I¡¯m on my way.¡± Whenever Borgo walked, others followed. Before long, he reached Kujo¡¯s corpse. Grab! Borgo pulled Kujo¡¯s corpse up into the air with one hand. Kujo wasn¡¯t a small person at all. Borgo was just ridiculously strong. He used one hand to hold Kujo up and used the other to search Kujo¡¯s body. After that, he used his massive arms to throw Kujo down to the ground. Thud! It sounded like something had broken. However, the people around him were more scared of his changed expression than his actions. ¡°Ha¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Even though Borgo was clearly upset, he was alsoughing. Still, no one was stupid enough tough along with him. They all knew that Borgo was someone whoughed when he was enraged. Borgo killed whoeverughed along with him his entire life. No one dared tough with him. Brogo stoppedughing and became expressionless. ¡°It¡¯s not here,¡± said Borgo. ¡°...Oh no.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no map. And there¡¯s also no tranted copy.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you think happened?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ something for us to figure out.¡± Borgo, after saying that, quickly turned his head back in an instant. ¡°Hurgh¡­¡± His horrific gaze locked into where Sang-gyu and Jincheol were hiding. It was also the reason why Jincheol let out a small gasp. Step. Step. Borgo was approaching them. ¡°Luckily, they¡¯re still alive.¡± The only option left for Jincheol and Sang-gyu was to talk with him. They had to prove their worth without upsetting him. ¡°P-Please don¡¯t kill us!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t kill us! We¡¯ll tell you everything!¡± Those men had killed like it was nothing. They were clearly experienced killers. ¡°Do you know where the map is?¡± ¡°M-Map?¡± ¡°¡­Do you not know?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t reall¡ª¡± Crush! Sang-gyu¡¯s neck was sliced off in an instant. Judging by how Borgo¡¯s handaxe was bloodied, it was clear that Borgo killed him. However, it was so fast that Jincheol was second-guessing himself. ¡°A-Aaaaargh!!¡± Jincheol thought he was a monster. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Uhh¡­ I-I don¡¯t know about a map, but I have an idea on who might have it!!¡± ¡°Oho¡­¡± ¡°There was a man named ¡®Snowman¡¯ on the wagon with us! H-Have you found his corpse? He had a staff that glowed blue and a neat robe!¡± ¡°No, we didn¡¯t find him.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m sure that he stole the map!¡± One of the men who stood by Borgo¡¯s side, a bald man, ryed information that he heard from his subordinate. ¡°Borgo, they¡¯re telling me that there was someone who escaped from the wagon earlier.¡± ¡°...And?¡± ¡°We sent two people after him but they returned as corpses. Both were crushed by something.¡± ¡°...And?¡± ¡°It''s likely that¡­ he¡¯s the one that he¡¯s talking about.¡± Borgo thought to himself while rubbing his chin. He then asked Jincheol another question. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°A-And¡­ he¡¯s a summoner?¡± ¡°A summoner, huh¡­ how fun.¡± ¡°Th-then what are you going to do with m¡ª¡± Slice! Jincheol¡¯s eyes were opened wide as his head rolled to the floor. The Predator Guild¡¯s ¡®Murderer 4¡¯ wasn''t going to continue to the next Adventure. ¡°We¡¯re chasing after him,¡± said Borgo as he climbed on his horse. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol had started running away long before Borgo¡¯s group arrived. Obviously, he wasn¡¯t doing something as dumb as running away on foot. After killing his pursuers, he took the horse that seemed to be in the best condition. - Huh? Why is he riding a horse when he can¡¯t even ride one? - Don¡¯t you need a talent to ride on a horse? - Nope. Simple lifestyle talents are sometimes just given out. Seol started off in an awkward stance but before he knew it, he became ustomed to the horse¡¯s movements. And as he did, a message popped up. [An unexpected talent! You have gained Horseback Riding 1.] [You are able to bring out the horse¡¯s fastest speed.] - Like that - Easy, right? - Haha¡­ this isn¡¯t the case for everyone, right? - I don¡¯t know that for sure. There¡¯s not a lot of people who attempted it, so¡­ - This game is such a mess. I¡¯m pretty sure I, Gong Hyeongsik, will be much better than him at this game. - Reality: Gong Sukjin Out. Gong Sukjin Out. Race Start. T/N: Reference to Ji Suk-jin in Running Man who always seems to be the first person to be out. Seol opened the map he took from Kujo. ¡®The ruins aren¡¯t that far away.¡¯ If his prediction was right, they should be starting to pursue him soon. A lot of people were going to chase after him on horseback. ¡®I¡¯m sure they¡¯re much faster than me but that doesn¡¯t matter. All I have to do is enter the ruins before them.¡¯ Once Seol entered the ruin, their difference in speed was meaningless. Seol was aiming for exactly that. And another thing, ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter how many enemies I have once we¡¯re in the ruin.¡¯ Seol looked at the dense forest before him. ¡°So that¡¯s the Great Forest¡­¡± A few of the tougher Adventures in South Pandea take ce in this forest. The Great Forest was just that massive. It was a mysterious ce that had many hidden aspects to it due to itsrge size. As Seol looked at it for the first time, he felt a strange wind blow. Rumble Rumble¡­! The horses were getting faster. Seol kicked his horse, making it gallop even faster into the forest. Not too long after, Borgo¡¯s group arrived at his location. ¡°Ha! Ha!¡± ¡°There are traces of him here and there! It¡¯s clear that he¡¯s heading to the Great Forest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s clear that he¡¯s aiming for the ruin, Borgo.¡± ¡°...How fun. How dare he try to take what¡¯s mine.¡± Borgo was always the one that took, never the one that had their belongings taken. Well, it did happen on rare asions. He just made sure to get revenge whenever it did happen. Borgo¡¯s group started to spread out after they entered the forest. ¡°The fallen leaves are hiding his traces! Make sure not to lose it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be easier for him the deeper he goes into the forest! We can¡¯t give him time!¡± Ffffft! The arrows that the pursuers shot were mostly wasted. Seol did hear some things get pierced but that was just by pure luck. They had no idea they were shooting in his direction. Neeeeigh¡­ ¡®I¡¯m almost there.¡¯ It was going to be difficult to go through the mud on horseback. Luckily though, the ruin was right before the mud. ¡®Here!¡¯ It was a formation of threerge rocks. ¡®Threerge rocks¡­ I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t miss it.¡¯ After that, it was written that he had to do something with the statue nearby. Even though Seol was aware that he had pursuers, he acted calmly. ¡°I found¡­ the statue.¡± He took some time finding the statue because it was hidden by the dead leaves, but thankfully, he didn¡¯t waste too much time. Seol now clearly remembered the options he took to clear this part in his previous games. ¡°I¡¯ll turn this statue clockwise.¡± Seol ced his hands on the statue and turned it clockwise. Creak¡­ Creaaaaak¡­ The statue was making sounds for a while until eventually¡­ Click! Something activated. ¡°It worked.¡± Ruuuuumbleee. The change happened fast. The three massive rocks all rolled in different directions. Ruuuumbleee. - The person who created the ruins: (smug) - That¡¯s so cool LOL I love things like this. - Now if we just forget about those scary guys chasing us¡­ It was just then. [Borgo used Steel Shoulder.] [Borgo used Guess.] [Borgo used Destroy Obstacle.] Fssss¡­ Seol could hear somethinging from far away. He realized this was an ominous sign and quickly turned his body. However, his opponent¡¯s action arrived first. And it was an arrow. An arrow that had pierced through multiple trees to reach him. ¡°Hurgh!¡± It might have been a coincidence but the arrow was aimed exactly for Seol¡¯s head. Even though it missed his head, Seol felt it tear his ear. And right after that¡­ aang! Krghghghghg! Jamad grabbed the arrow with the Mountain Fists. He slid on the ground because of the arrow¡¯s power but he was able to stop it. ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. The pursuers are going to arrive soon.¡± [¡®Evil Shipper¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [My chest¡­ is throbbing¡­ is this love?] - omg omg! - Get rid of these shippers¡­ - ???: I-I didn¡¯t block the arrow for you okay? Baka! - Sheeeeeeeeeeeesh! I believed in you, Jamad! Seol nodded and entered the ruins. And at the same time, his body became covered in light as he disappeared. [You have sessfully survived the ambush.] [Rewards are being arranged.] [The Linked Adventure continues.] [You can only collect your rewards after all of the Adventures have been cleared.] Bzzzzz Seol realized his 3rd Adventure was over and quickly prepared for his next one. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 4th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 4. The Hall of Self-Control] [Adventure 4. ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯ You were tasked with guarding a merchant¡¯s wagon but have been caught up in something incredible. The person who hired you, Aden, was not a merchant and did not give you his real name. Even though you were attacked, you miraculously survived using your wit, and you were even able to acquire Aden¡¯s items that a mysterious group is after. But, perhaps due to your greed, the group who was after those items is now pursuing you. You might have momentarily escaped their pursuit, but you still can¡¯t rest just yet. The tranted copy states that this is an ancient ruin called ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯. You must slip away from your pursuers and survive. Objective: Slip away from your pursuers and escape from ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯, or kill all of your pursuers. Remaining Time [23:59]] - Yeah¡­ so¡­ uh¡­ the pursuers are the ruin hunters, right? - This is so poorly written! It took me so long to realize the pursuers were the ruin hunters! - What a dilemma lol. It¡¯s going to take him time to clear the ruins and if he¡¯s too slow, he¡¯s going to get caught by the ruin hunters. - Oh no~ Their opponent is Snowman~ - We can look forward to it then haha Seol quickly approached the Hall¡¯s entrance. It was covered in dust. The walls were also covered with writings in anguage he didn¡¯t understand. Seol first pulled out the tranted copy to check the method for clearing the 1st Gate. ¡°¡®You must give the blood of five innocent people¡¯, huh¡­¡± Seol scratched his head after reading the tranted copy. And a few seconds after, he saw the options avable to him. [[You are in front of ¡¯s entrance. What do you do?] 1. Check if there are any openings. 2. Check if there are any other entrances. 3. Decipher the sentence written at the entrance. 4. [Required: Tranted Copy, 5 Sacrifices] Offer five sacrifices as it is written in the tranted copy. 5. [Required: Stealth or Rogue] Hide here before the pursuers arrive. 6. [Required: Archaeology or Shaman] It seems the tranted copy was tranted incorrectly. Trante it properly. ¡­¡­] Seol checked the tranted copy once more beforeparing it with his memories. Comparing them only gave him more confidence that his memories were right. He then grabbed the tranted copy in his hand before¡­ Riiiiip! Tear! ripping it to shreds. - Why did he do that? - He must be out of his mind lol. How is he going to get in now? - You worked so hard to get that too! Seol didn¡¯t even look at the scraps of the tranted copy as he approached the door. Slide¡­ He then used a dagger that he brought to cut himself. - I thought you needed the blood of 5 people! - You¡¯re going to die trying to give the blood of 5 people alone, idiot! Contrary to the viewers¡¯ concern, the door opened after 5 drops of blood were spilled, not 5 people¡¯s worth. Rumbleeeeee! [You have cleared the 1st Gate of ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯.] The door opened. Seol gave a twisted grin before slowly going deeper into the ruins with Jamad. ¡°I was right.¡± He did not doubt himself. Chapter 21 Seol cleared the 1st Gate using his memory, not the tranted copy. His viewers were in shock from his unpredictable actions. [¡®They¡¯reComing!¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [There are pursuers after you! Huh? You passed through?] - He¡¯s speeding through this like a highway. - He should pay the toll fee then. - But why did he leave the tranted copy behind? - He said he doesn¡¯t need it. After he passed through the gate, he walked through a one-way passage. Not too long after, the 2nd Gate appeared. ¡®The walls are filled with holes¡­ it¡¯s as I remember.¡¯ He could perfectly recall everything. Seol then concentrated to look at a passage written from afar. There was a sentence written on the wall in an ancientnguage. Soon after, he saw his options. [[In front, arrow trapsy on either side, and some text, written in an unknown ancientnguage. What do you do?] 1. Spend some time trying to reason out what could be written in the ancientnguage. 2. Attempt to find the trap trigger by throwing an object. 3. Clear the room by rushing through it. 4. [Required: Disarm Trap or Rogue] Disarm the arrow traps 5. [Required: Mechanical Engineering] Check how the mechanisms operate. 6. [Required: Archaeology or Shaman] Decipher the ancientnguage. ¡­¡­] ¡°......¡± Option 1 had a high chance of failure and option 2 was pointless because throwing a rock would just trigger the trap. The same went for option 3. ¡®Arrows are fast after all.¡¯ There were way too many arrows to ask Jamad to catch and it was also considerably fast. ¡®And if I even get poisoned a little bit, it¡¯s going to be dangerous.¡¯ Since Seol wasn¡¯t a rogue, option 4 was impossible too. Option 5 required him to destroy the core of the mechanism but Seol had no idea where that was. Therefore, the only option left to him was option 6. The option that Seol chose before was also option 6. ¡®Back then, the phrase was something like¡­¡¯ - Be humble and exercise self-control. Thank Yzmokan for their generosity as vast as the ocean. Seol remembered that line clearly. Seol only found this outter but ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯ was a ce used to worship an unknown native god. The fact that they were capable of building something this massive made Seol curious about how strong their believers were but that wasn¡¯t important right now. What was important was that this ruin was no different from a temple. ¡®So I either have to pray or get down on my knees to bow.¡¯ One of Seol¡¯s former party members died here. It was because they misunderstood what the ruin wanted from them. Seol grabbed a small rock from the floor and rolled it in front of him. Roll¡­ There was no response. ¡®It¡¯s safe.¡¯ Step¡­ Seol ttened himself and stayed low to the ground like a frog. It might look funny from a third person¡¯s perspective if they saw him crawl on the ground like that but it was in actuality a very tense situation. ¡®These traps don¡¯t activate when you¡¯re close to the ground.¡¯ Seol¡¯s former party member died because they weren¡¯t low enough. A poisoned arrow grazed their back and they were the first to die because of it. His party members, after seeing that, all stayed low to the ground regardless of how they looked. [You have cleared the 2nd Gate of ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯.] Seol then quickly cleared through the other gates. This was all thanks to the memories he had of his 2nd character. [You have cleared the 3rd Gate of ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯.] [You have cleared the 4th Gate of ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯.] ¡­¡­ And his pursuers, now¡­ finally reached the ruins. [Borgo, the Ruins Hunter, has entered ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯ with his party.] [They are aiming for you and the treasure.] ¡°So they¡¯re here.¡± Seol was currently in the hallway before the 5th Gate. Seol could just simply enter the 5th Gate by passing through this hallway but he decided to wait a moment. In this dark tunnel, there were three levers. 2, 3, and 4 were written on the levers in an ancientnguage. Because they were pictographs, it was easy to recognize them. Seol then saw some options. [[These levers clearly seem rted to the mechanisms in the previous gates. You may be able to slip away from your pursuers with this. What do you do?] 1. Pull the left lever. 2. Pull the center lever. 3. Pull the right lever. ¡­¡­] Creaaaak! Click! Seol pulled on all three levers. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Borgo arrived at ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯. It smelled like mildew but there was also the smell of fresh blood. ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± The thirty-ish members of Borgo¡¯s group crowded the ruin. Even if Seol was on the stronger side, it would be difficult for him to face everyone on his own. ¡°Kirzhin, take the lead.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°You know what will happen to you if you¡¯re wrong, right?¡± ¡°Th-that won¡¯t happen! The tranted copy that Kujo stole was an iplete one! Why else would I have notified you the moment it went missing?¡± ¡°And it wasn¡¯t some sort of deal with Kujo breaking down, was it?¡± ¡°...Please have faith in me. I, Kirzhin, shall prove my own innocence.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Kirzhin, who was trying his best to appease Borgo, was the person who handed Kujo the tranted copy. He wasn¡¯t the best archaeologist but he was skilled in bossing other archaeologists around. And because of that, he was able to sessfully decipher the ruin¡¯s traps. He had a properly tranted copy, not the one that Kujo took. ¡°Here! I think it¡¯s his traces!¡± said Kirzhin after looking at the ripped-up tranted copy. ¡°It seems he knows that the tranted copy was wrong.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°I asked you, how does he know that?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Does he have a talent in archaeology as well?¡± Kirzhin was shocked when he saw traces of his target sessfully passing the 1st Gate. He expected him to get stuck there. ¡®I¡¯m only going to end up at Borgo¡¯s mercy at this rate¡­ that fucking bastard.¡¯ In the worst-case scenario, Borgo would even kill Kirzhin. He was a man who was more than capable of doing that. ¡°It was written on the previous tranted copy that you needed five sacrifices, but¡­ that was incorrectly tranted.¡± ¡°......¡± Slice. Kirzhin made a small cut on his finger and let blood drip out. He let it drip onto the ground in front of the gate. Rumble Rumble Rumble! The door opened while shaking the ground. ¡°See? I told you you could trust me!¡± ¡°It seems so. Take the lead.¡± Borgo held back his doubts a little bit. Kirzhin could also sense that Borgo trusted him a bit more. Kirzhin got excited and quickly walked to the 2nd Gate. ¡°Hahaha! Here! Here, we¡­ huh? Where is he¡­¡± ¡°It looks like he passed through the gate.¡± ¡°How¡­ How did he pass through it?¡± ¡°How would we know when you don¡¯t know, Kirzhin?¡± Borgo¡¯s close aides were pressing him. ¡°Kirzhin, we have to clear the ruin faster than him. If we¡¯re too slow, he¡¯s going to take all of the treasures. You know that, right? What Borgo hates the most is having someone take what¡¯s his.¡± ¡°I-I know.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty clear what¡¯s going to happen if we¡¯reter than him.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll clear through the ruins as fast as possible!¡± Kirzhin quickly exined how to clear the Gate with short exnations. ¡°We go to the other side while crawling on the ground.¡± ¡°...You want us to crawl?¡± ¡°There are arrow traps, but it will take some time to disarm them. If we do that, then he¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°I understand, Borgo¡­¡± ¡°I heard him.¡± ¡°What should we do? Should we send some people first?¡± said one of his aides. Borgo rubbed his chin and made a decision. ¡°No, we¡¯ll clear it right away.¡± ¡°Will it be alright? It could be dangerous.¡± ¡°Even now, he¡¯s in front of us. And I despise having someone in front of me.¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll trust Kirzhin one more time.¡± Kirzhin, after hearing those words, shouted in confidence, ¡°Thank you!¡± Like that, 30 people were crawling on the ground. They positioned themselves so that the people on the outside held shields for the worst case scenario. They also ced Borgo in the center in the safest position. Kirzhin could see the people in the front start to reach the exit. ¡°As you can see, I, Kirzhin, finely dismantled these ruins and revealed everything. There¡¯s only two things that we have to be careful of in the next Gates¡­¡± said Kirzhin confidently. Kirzhin was answering questions that weren¡¯t asked while crawling on the floor. Borgo wanted to tell Kirzhin to shut up but stopped when he heard ¡®things we have to be careful of¡¯. ¡°Things we have to be careful of?¡± ¡°Yes! One is¡­ huh? Uh¡­ wait, we''ll be fine, right? We can¡¯t let that happen.¡± ¡°What are you saying? Exin it so I can understand.¡± ¡°Well¡­ around the midway point of the ruins, there¡¯s a ce that lets you control the gates you cleared before¡­¡± ¡°And what if he reached it? Then what?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± It was then. Click! It sounded like something in the walls had armed itself. All 30 people could feel their hearts sink and shake. ¡°Raise your shields!¡± ¡°Run! Get up and run!¡± That was when hell started. Ffft Ffft Ffft Ffft! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± ¡°Aaargh!¡± Ffft Fft! It was raining arrows. Well, ¡®raining¡¯ might have been a badparison since rain doesn¡¯t fall sideways. But thankfully, since Borgo was at the center, he was protected by his subordinates and wasn¡¯t hit by even a single arrow. He safely reached the end of the gate. ¡°Fuu... Fuuu¡­ How many did we lose?¡± ¡°We were able to appropriately in ti¡ª¡± ¡°How many did we lose?¡± ¡°Seven people. But¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Kirzhin is dead. We obviously already received most of the information about the ruin from him, but¡­¡± Borgo looked back and saw Kirzhin¡¯s corpse punctured in arrows. It was a horrifying sight but Borgo didn¡¯t even wince. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°Borgo.¡± ¡°Hahahahahahahahahaha! How fun! You really are quite fun, Snowman! Don¡¯t you think so too?¡± No oneughed along with him. Right now, Borgo was furious. He was aughing demon. When he finishedughing, he had a fire in his eyes. ¡°From this point on, we¡¯re prioritizing killing him over the ruin¡¯s treasures.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°How dare he mess with me, the Great Borgo¡­ He better be careful.¡± * * * [¡®Borgo¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [I, Ruinman, took care of him so don¡¯t worry!] - Thanks Ruinman! - I just got chills lol. Did anyone else see how fast his experience went up? - Borgo and Borgo again~ - I really want to see him just speed through it like it¡¯s nothing. - Gates 3 and 4 were way too easy though :( Even though his viewers were cheering for his actions thus far, Seol was looking at the 5th Gate nervously. ¡®There¡¯s no door. So it¡¯s this room¡­¡¯ The 5th Gate had no openings except for the hallway that you took. It was apletely closed-off room. [Insight activates.] [There are traps here.] After Insight activated, Seol received some options. [[You do not see a door. What do you do?] 1. Feel the wall to look for any suspicious points. 2. Shout. 3. Turn back and look for another path. 4. [Required: Disarm Trap or Rogue] Search for traps. 5. [Required: Archaeology or Shaman] Decipher the ancientnguage. ¡­¡­] As expected, something was written in an ancientnguage on the walls again. Seol remembered the phrase. - Step forth with your eyes closed. Take as many steps as your love for Yzmokan. Walking with your eyes closed in a ce with traps was impossible to do unless you were crazy. Normally, you keep your eyes open in case you activate something and need to dodge. However, some people were able to do this. It was possible for those who worshiped Yzmokan as the writings said or the person who created the ruin. And it was also possible for another group of people. It was possible for those that knew how to clear the Gate, like Seol. ¡®Alright, here I go.¡¯ Step. Step. Seol slowly walked with his eyes closed. He was counting his steps. He could feel warmth¡­ he could also feel a breeze¡­ ¡®It¡¯s weird, it¡¯s just like¡­¡¯ He thought someone was walking by his side. Seol stopped after taking 8 steps. Based on his interpretation, there were eight beings who have taken the name of ¡®Yzmokan¡¯. And since there were eight of them, you should obviously be able to see the door once you take eight steps. If you were wrong though, you would get caught in a trap. Seol still hadn¡¯t opened his eyes yet. He thought of his character who cleared this Gate. ¡®Eight isn¡¯t right. I need to take nine steps now.¡¯ There was something different between him and his second character. Build. ¡®Ziliac was over 2 meters tall. I need to take another step to reach the same distance.¡¯ This gate wasn¡¯t as simple as the number of steps you had to take. Seol¡¯s former party member was a dwarf and had to take over twenty steps to reach the same distance. ¡®The worshippers of this temple were on the tall side, so¡­¡¯ This was information he only found outter but the believers of Yzmokan were all over 2 meters tall. Their stride was obviously different from ours. So 8 steps for them. Step. ¡®Is 9 steps for me.¡¯ Seol opened his eyes. He could see the door. Click! [You have cleared the 5th Gate of The Hall of Self-Control.] Gradually, he was getting closer. Closer to his 2nd character that he lost in this ruin, Ziliac, the Ruins Hunter. Chapter 22 Borgo was furious that even after all this time, even after clearing all of these gates, he was no closer to Seol. ¡°How?¡± ¡°It looks like he was extremely prepared for this. Kujo might¡¯ve even been his subordinate.¡± ¡°Do you really think Kujo would be subordinate to anyone when he defied me?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The aide couldn¡¯t answer Borgo. He couldn¡¯t tell Borgo that he brought this onto himself. Kujo was the person who found the ruin and Borgo simply wanted to take it. Borgo was paying the price for trying to take what didn¡¯t belong to him. What was a ruin hunter¡¯s duty? It was to uncover the secrets of a ruin and gain the treasures as a reward for your work, not stealing what belonged to others. But Borgo was different. He cared more about taking someone else¡¯s belongings than exploring ruins. He even created an organization to kill those weaker than him. He was nothing more than a murderer iming to be a ruin hunter. He was a murderer who forgot about the excitement of clearing ruins. ¡°17 people have died and we only have 13 people left.¡± That was probably the reason why he ended up in this situation. Still, Borgo didn¡¯t think of this as his punishment for his depravity. He thought he was just having a rough time. He thought this was something that would just pass by. ¡°We still have 13 people left. This is more than enough people to catch up to him.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Did you not hear me?¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± Borgo¡¯s group had just arrived at the 5th Gate that Seol passed through. ¡°We don¡¯t see a door anywhere Borgo,¡± said one of his aides. ¡°What did Kirzhin say about the traps here?¡± ¡°He just said we¡¯d be in trouble if we stepped on the tiles without caution.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ then how are we supposed to clear it?¡± ¡°One second.¡± One of the aides read the trantion that Kirzhin wrote. ¡°Step forth with your eyes closed. Take as many steps as your love for Yzmokan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s written in a bit of an antiquated way. It¡¯s been a while since I really felt like I was in a ruin. So, what does it mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as it says. You have to take a certain number of steps while closing your eyes. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how many steps you¡¯re supposed to take, right?¡± ¡°Yes, exactly. But we assume that it¡¯s between five and ten steps.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shitty trantion as expected from Kirzhin. I would¡¯ve made him go first if he was still alive.¡± Borgo looked around and red at his subordinates. They all tried their best to discreetly avoid eye contact with him. And then, Borgo gestured toward someone with his chin. ¡°You.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you talking to me?¡± ¡°I want you to go first. Five steps.¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± Slide¡­ Borgo pulled out a handaxe. Everyone knew what he intended to do if his subordinate didn¡¯t follow his orders. ¡°If you say another word, your arms are going to go flying off¡­ got it?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Walk.¡± Borgo¡¯s eyes had more than just a hint of madness. When they finished clearing the 5th Gate, there were four fewer people in his group. Borgo¡¯s party continued to chase after Seol¡¯s traces and with each Gate they cleared, they lost more people. When Borgo was about to reach Seol, he only had one other person with him. It was his close aide. ¡°Borgo¡­ we might¡¯ve made a mistakeing here.¡± ¡°Do not say something so presumptuous. I, the great Borgo, must get every treasure from the ruin in the Great Forest. We can recover our numbers with the rewards we get here.¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it.¡± Borgo was limping and had a cut finger but he still didn¡¯t stop. His tenacity led to the destruction and death of others and maybe¡­ even himself. His eyes were bloodied as he approached thest gate. ¡°Kirzhin didn¡¯t say anything about this gate.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still useless even when he¡¯s dead¡­¡± Borgo went through hell and back to reach the end of the ruin. He lookedpletely mad. ¡°Now, we finally made it. In the end, I got him.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [You have cleared the 7th Gate of The Hall of Self-Control.] [You have cleared the 8th Gate of The Hall of Self-Control.] [You have cleared the 9th Gate of The Hall of Self-Control.] [¡®Guys¡¯ has donated 100 Madness!] [With all due respect, may I stop drooling now?] - Why are you even asking that?! - This guy is respect personified, sheeesh! - You made me start swallowing you piece of shit! - It¡¯s because we¡¯re all so concentrated¡­ the chat was dead too¡­ - How does he know these ruins so well? Did the answers leak? - You have to know the answer for the problems to be useful too though. - Both Borgo¡¯s chase and Snowman¡¯s escape are both really impressive. - Even though he¡¯s a Shadow Summoner I¡¯d believe it if he was also a Ruins Hunter sheesh. - ???: I¡¯m a baby Ruin Hunter ogya ogya. Seol was clearing the Gates one by one. As the number of gates he cleared increased, the calmer he got. However, his heart was also pounding with anticipation. The fact that he reached thest gate meant that he was that much closer to that certain someone. ¡®Ziliac, are you there?¡¯ Ziliac, the Ruins Hunter. He was Seol¡¯s 2nd Piece who lived a short life. His stats were insufficient to clear the nine gates of the ruin but he made it through with solely his own efforts. He was a clever individual. Seol still remembered pieces of him. He was a massive individual, over 2 meters tall, and had a messy beard. He was a man who constantlyughed and loved children and nts. He was a strong person who rose above his difficult past. That was the kind of man Ziliac was. It was a character Seol made with care and detail. ¡®Ziliac has to be here.¡¯ Seol¡¯s first piece, Snowman, still had his traces left on the Pointy Mountains¡¯ cliffside. So it made sense that Ziliac too would have his traces left in the 10th Gate of these ruins. Step. Step. It sparkled all around him. The 10th Gate was madepletely out of gold. Still, Seol found no treasure that was worth taking. He rushed through the gate and finally found something that could be a clue. ¡®Mirrors.¡¯ There were 4rge mirrors taking up arge portion of the room. They were too heavy for him to move around, he could only adjust the angles of it. It was clear that the mirrors were likely embedded into the ground. Seol observed the mirrors before noticing the door hidden in the corner of the room. Seol¡¯s heart started pounding faster. ¡®There.¡¯ Seol tried his best to approach it calmly. He had countless options appear in front of his face but he ignored them all. There was something much, much more important. ¡°...Ziliac.¡± A tall skeleton was seated, staring at the ceiling. Someone¡¯s corpse was nted right in front of the door. It was somewhat obvious that only his bones would remain since the insects and rats ate his flesh. Seol took a knee as he touched his skeleton. Ziliac died here. Seol was once again feeling the same eerie feeling he felt when he found his first piece. [¡¯s Inheritance is starting.] ¡°Krgh¡­¡± As the inheritance started, the headache came as expected. However, this time his visions were much clearer. Fsss¡­ - Look at these biceps! Ziliac is invincible! Remember me, you bastards! I am the great man who will unearth every secret of every ruin in the world! It was a line in a script that Seol had previously read. Ziliac, in this scene, was bragging about himself to the other customers in a bar. The shocking thing was that even though Seol was the one who read the script, it looked as if the game hade to life. He saw it as an old video of Ziliac saying those words. ¡®What is this¡­¡¯ Clench! - Grab my hand, Zerin! Don¡¯t let go! I¡¯ll kill you if you let go! Hang on! Please¡­ Hang on! It was the moment when Ziliac lost hisrade due to a trap in the ruin. ¡°Kuaaaargh!¡± During this moment at least, Seol was Ziliac. - Yzmokan¡¯s number¡­ 8 steps. We¡¯ll be walking through these traps with our eyes closed! How amazing is that? Ziliac pressed on. He lost another one of his party members at the 6th Gate. And when he had cleared the 7th Gate, he was all alone. - I got a bit of sand in my mouth, but those traps weren¡¯t all that bad¡­ You all think that too, right? Yeah? Please¡­ Say something¡­ Don¡¯t leave me alone. Ziliac pressed on through the ruins alone. Eventually, he reached the 10th Gate. - This is thest gate¡­ Click! His vision went ck for a second. He was slowly starting to recover his vision, but¡­ He could feel his blood clotting up inside of him. - An arrow¡­ A poisoned arrow? Haha¡­ so it wasn¡¯t this door¡­ no wonder, urgh. Before he died, Ziliac looked at the ceiling. - A drawing? ¡­Mirrors? Ah¡­ I solved it! I solved it! I solved it, Yzmokan supposedly controls light! With his vision fading, Ziliac left behind his final words. - Hey, I was hoping that someone could go beyond the great Ziliac¡­ Is there anyone¡­ there¡­ Seol¡¯s eyes were wet. His vision was also covered in messages. [You have inherited Ziliac¡¯s unfulfilled desire.] [A skill has been inherited from the deceased.] [¡®Ruin Predator¡¯ has been inherited.] [Snowman has inherited ¡®Ruin Predator¡¯.] [You have a 10% increased chance to uncover hidden ruins. You are more quickly able to detect the traps and secrets lying within a ruin. Additionally, if you are the first person to clear a ruin, your rewards increase by 30%. [The main contents of ¡®Fate: Things Which Must Be Recovered¡¯ have changed.] - What the hell? Why is it giving him that? - Seriously, why is a summoner getting the Ruin Predator trait? - Why are you guys getting upset when you are just viewers? - Because I¡¯m engaging with the content! That obviously gives you the permission to get mad! - This chat is a mess! Let¡¯s all just spam lol kk! - lol kk - lol kk Fate is super nice though Seol stood up while grabbing his head. Ssssssss¡­ Surprisingly, Ziliac¡¯s bones turned to dust and drifted away. Seol took his muffler, the only article of clothing that was in a good state, and wrapped it around his neck. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I waste, Ziliac. I will see what¡¯s beyond this point of the ruins, just as you wanted.¡± Would the results have been different if he realized the door was a trap? Or would it have been different if he was a bit more cautious? That was what Seol thought when he lost Ziliac. But how could a yer ever know what his game piece was thinking? The day Seol lost Ziliac, he studied ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯ extensively. It was because there was a chance his future pieces could also take on this Adventure. And after that, he started giving all of his pieces the ¡®Insight¡¯ talent. It was still the case for when he himself entered The World of Eternity. As Seol approached the door, a message popped up. [Insight activates.] [That door does not look normal.] Seol turned back without a word. He then headed to the mirrors which earlier, caught his eyes. When he stood at the center of the four mirrors, he received new options. [[These mirrors are clearly the key to clearing this gate. Although you can¡¯t move the mirrors, adjusting them is possible. What do you do?] 1. Adjust the first mirror to the left. 2. Adjust the first mirror to the right. 3. Adjust the first mirror toward the ceiling.] The mirrors could be adjusted to the left, right, and upward. There were also four mirrors in total. ¡®The answer is already decided.¡¯ Seolpletely recovered Ziliac¡¯s memories. Thest thing that Ziliac saw before he died was the ceiling of this Gate. Creak. Creaaaak¡­ Seol made all of the mirrors face the ceiling. The faint glow that radiated from each mirror was concentrated on the ceiling. On the ceiling, there was the face of a goddess with a gentle face. It wasn¡¯t that hard to decipher who that goddess was. Rumble Rumble¡­ The gate started to give off an eerie sound. Seol decided to borrow the words that Ziliac was supposed to say when he cleared it. ¡°Yzmokan, I will give you all the light.¡± Ruuuuuumble¡­ Creaaaaaaak! The goddess¡¯s face on the ceiling split apart and a swarm of bats flew out. And after that, the ceiling slowly started toe down with where Seol was standing as the center of it all. It was discoveredte but the direction that the Adventurer had to go for the final gate wasn¡¯t forwards, it was up. ¡°So please, open a path.¡± When the ceilingpletely sank down to the floor, Seol received more messages. [You have cleared thest gate of ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] Chapter 23 The fact that the Gate¡¯s ceiling came down with an eerie sound¡­ and Seol¡¯sst line as he called out Yzmokan¡­ There was no better scene for the viewers to cheer over. [¡®Woah¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Bravo] - I give you a 10 out of 5. - It seriously felt like I was watching a movie. - I think I pissed myself from excitement. - You didn¡¯t need to say that. Like at all¡­ [¡®Fry¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Shut up and take my money! Hurry up! Take it! Take it all!] - You guys are just throwing donos at him loool - I hate watching other people¡¯s streams after watching Snowman¡¯s. It¡¯s like¡­ different? - Like he¡¯s the only pro in a group of amateurs? - Yeah! Exactly! - You¡¯re overexaggerating, other people are also ying well too. Especially those game addicts. - What? If they¡¯re regr no-lifes, Snowman¡¯s the no-life of no-lifes. It was dark all around Seol after the ceiling dropped down on him. He pressed on, through the darkness. Step, step. As he walked a bit further, he saw a staircase. He climbed the staircase one step at a time. And every time Seol took a step, he kept feeling something strange. He kept remembering how Ziliac felt as he cleared the ruins. How Ziliac was eaten alive by his fear and madness. Seol couldn¡¯t feel the same way that Ziliac did since he practically knew all of the answers behind the ruin but that was exactly what made Ziliac feel more incredible to him. Through his sacrifice, Seol was finally able to reach the end of the ruin. Over there, he saw a light. ¡®Is it here?¡¯ It was a ce made out of simple stone. Compared to the hall made of gold earlier, this was much more humble. Still, the size of the room wasn¡¯t to be looked down upon. There were pirs on each side that made the room feel imposing. It almost made you feel like you were in a king¡¯s throne room. Seol was in awe as he looked around the room. And when Seol reached the end of the room, he saw a statue of a goddess. She looked like a benevolent goddess. It was clearly supposed to be Yzmokan. Something that surprised him about the statue was that two linesing from it¡¯s mouth like one of those wooden ventriloquist dolls. Just as he was getting curious about the purpose of those lines, she opened her mouth. It was clear that those lines were so that the statue could look like it was talking. [Oh, stranger. Wee to Yzmokan¡¯s Sanctuary.] ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Seol. He also noted that her eyes opened up as well. [Yzmokan shall give you a gift. Use it well.] Rumble Rumble Rumble! As she finished her sentence, the entire ruin violently shook. ng! tter! tter! Tak¡­ tak¡­ Something was pouring out of the walls. When Seol turned around to look, he saw items in many different colors. There were so many of them that it could fill up the colors of a rainbow. There were brilliant gems, shining shields, and even golden chalices. He felt like ddin trying to resist the treasures from The Cave of Wonders. [You cannot take back your decision, so choose carefully.] [¡®It¡¯s a trap!¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [It¡¯s the final trap! The Gate still isn¡¯t cleared yet!] - I knew it! You can¡¯t fool us~ kekekeke. This is a trap too, right? Like you can¡¯t take anything or something like that? - Who do you think you are? LOL Yzmokan downloadplete! - ???: What? You¡¯re not going to pick anything? Okay. You may return then. - (30 Years Later) Snowman still has yet to receive a reward. [¡®Reward?¡¯ has donated 100 Madness!] [Right¡­ Those did exist, yes¡­ (Reminiscing)] - Don¡¯t die Grandpa Snowman! Don¡¯t die just yet! - How is he supposed to pick one out of this LOL - I¡¯m pretty sure Yzmokan wouldn¡¯t be able to pick one out of this herself either LOL. - How are you supposed to make a decision when you don¡¯t know what¡¯s good and what¡¯s trash¡­ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * As his viewers argued with each other about the correct item to take, Seol was at a loss for which item to choose himself. ¡®They¡¯re all decent.¡¯ Since this was still early into The World of Eternity, it was difficult to find an item that was useful in thete game. That¡¯s why Seol was looking for things that could be useful right now but the problem was that he didn¡¯t know what he needed the most. ¡®It¡¯s hard¡­¡¯ And as Seol was contemting which item to pick, a message popped up. [You receive a reward from ''Moving Wagon'', a previous Adventure.] [Insight temporarily improves for 10 minutes.] Right after that message appeared, the room almost seemed to get brighter. And it wasn¡¯t because of the room itself. Gloooow¡­ [Insight activates.] [This item is not ordinary.] [Insight activates.] [This item seems to be dangerous.] [Insight activates.] [This item seems to have a story behind it.] ¡­¡­ Messages ceaselessly appeared in Seol¡¯s vision. - Oh shit! - Insight is so nice! - Insight¡¯s the best :) - The reason why I didn¡¯t do anything in the 1st Adventure was to gain momentum! After he saw those messages, Seol started to inspect all of the treasures. He had to pick a great reward from the pile within 10 minutes, the time limit. Glow¡­ A shield that radiated a violet light. Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ A dagger that glowed yellow. Seol felt directly in real life what an empowered Insight felt like. ¡®I forgot Insight had an effect like this. I knew it was great but I didn¡¯t know it was this good.¡¯ Each and every one of those items was radiating a different hue. In a short amount of time, Seol was able to reduce the number of options to a few. The first was a blue chestte that was radiating a red light and the second was a helmet that was radiating a ck glow. Thest option he considered was an old-looking blindfold. - Dude! Pick the chestte! Chestes sell for a lot too! - Give it to Karuna¡­ give it to the kid! Give it to Karuna! Seol looked at both the chestte and helmet before shaking his head. Even though it was glowing brightly, it looked a bit suspicious. Not to mention the fact that Insight warned him as a dangerous weapon. He then thought for a second while holding the blindfold. - He¡¯d be an idiot to choose that. - What are you going to use that on? LOL Are you trying to cosy Lee Sin? IKU! - He¡¯s going to be a 0/7/0 Lee Sin though¡­ - Seriously, it looks like trash. Why is he hesitating? Even though the audience could see the effects of Insight, they were unable to see the light that it was radiating. Since they were only able to judge through the item¡¯s looks, they thought that the blindfold was the most useless. [¡®Seriously, please¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [Why are you leaving those good items behind to pick that?! This is so frustratiiiiiiiiiiiing!] - It¡¯s not like he can hear us, but¡­ I still want to talk shit¡­ - Why did he pick the blindfold? LOL Does he think it would help him in battle? Of course it wouldn¡¯t. What a dumbass. - Seriously, I can feel my wisdom teeth falling out. - Isn¡¯t that a good thing? - Oh? It is? - But seriously it is frustrating lol How does he seriously not have an eye for items? But Seol could clearly see something that his audience couldn¡¯t see. Gloooooow! A splendid golden light was radiating from the blindfolds. It glowed much more brightly than any of the other items he saw so far. Seol held onto the blindfold tight. The statue of Yzmokan opened its mouth again. [Have you made your decision?] ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go with this one.¡± [Do you perhaps desire more?] ¡°I do not.¡± [Yzmokan shall give riches to those with self-control.] Hum¡­ Click! [An additional reward has been generated.] Seol thought the additional rewards would be useful since he could see some gold coins even at a nce. But still, Seol checked the blindfold he received first before checking the additional rewards. [[Blindfold of Perception] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: N/A Defense: 0 Durability: 35/35 Weight: 0.1kg Allows you to see what cannot be seen. Basic Effect: N/A Bonus Effect: Unlocks ¡®Eyes of Perception¡¯.] ¡°Eyes of Perception!¡± Seol shouted without realizing it. His viewers were shocked as well since Seol never reacted happily like that. - Eyes of Perception! (I¡¯m just shouting) - Eyes of Perception! (I don¡¯t know what that is) - Eyes of Perception! (I¡¯m just following along) - Eyes of Perception! (I bet someone will find it. - It¡¯s not in the early game ability database? - But hold on a second it¡¯s ¡®Treasure¡¯ Quality? That¡¯s insane¡­ Seol¡¯s heart was pounding. ¡®I didn¡¯t think there would be a clue toward awakening the Eyes of Perception here.¡¯ There were various families, groups, and races in Pandea with special eyes. And those ¡®special eyes¡¯ were called that because they did more than just help you see. There were a variety of special eyes one can acquire with just as many events and methods to acquire them. ¡®And the ¡®Eyes of Perception¡¯ is one that I synergize well with. I thought I would need to reach at least the mid-game to get a clue about it, but¡­¡¯ Lift¡­ Seol ignored the fact that his hands were shaking and wrapped the blindfold around his eyes. Immediately¡­ Crush¡­ ¡°Kuaaaaargh!¡± It sounded like someone had crushed and popped his eyes. Pop¡­ Crush¡­ ¡°Ur¡­ Urgh¡­.¡± This was something that Seol had failed to consider. When a game piece with ordinary eyes awakened special eyes, they had to also face pain that they couldn¡¯t have imagined. Seol drooled as his body dropped to the floor. Seol couldn¡¯t think straight but still tried his best to not faint. ¡®It feels like my eyes are being scorched!¡¯ Time continued to pass as he was forced to undergo unimaginable pain. And after that¡­ Crumble¡­ The blindfold that covered his eyes turned to dust. Seol slowly opened his eyes. Gloooooow! The same golden light he saw on the blindfold radiated from his eyes. His eyes were colorful like those of a dragon¡¯s. - Argh! Who turned on the lights! - Turn off the headlights moron! - Look at his eyes¡­ Is he supposed to be Ultraman? - Still, it¡¯s dying down on its own. - It¡¯s so pretty¡­ Is this how people customize their characters nowadays? When Seol¡¯s eyes had fully awakened, he saw a message. [¡®Eyes of Perception¡¯ has been unlocked.] [You see the world with new eyes.] [You begin to see that which cannot be seen.] [Your vision improves.] [The status of elite monsters will be shown.] [You will be able to see more statuses, as well as the statuses of stronger monsters, the more you train these eyes.] [There is a certain chance of seeing the exnation of important objectives.] [You will be able to see rarer objectives at a higher chance the more you train these eyes.] [Perception¡¯s proficiency greatly increases.] - Bravo¡­ - Where did the people who told him not to pick the blindfold go? - They¡¯re here! They¡¯re in this corner raising their hands as punishment! - I won¡¯t say anything when I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about anymore¡­ - That¡¯s insane! He got a really nice item! ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± sighed Seol. The rewards he got felt even sweeter since he had to ovee unimaginable pain to attain them. ¡®The world lookspletely different now.¡¯ The first thing was that he could see everything clearly. The things that would look blurry to him in the past were now crystal clear. There was a huge difference between trained and untrained eyes. Right now, Seol received trained eyes as a reward without having to train them himself. He looked at his surroundings and nodded. Now that I have the ¡®Eyes of Perception¡¯, I¡¯ll be able to avoid getting caught up in random events.¡¯ The reason people fell for traps was because they didn¡¯t know they were traps. As long as Seol had the Eyes of Perception, he was able to avoid most of them easily. - Now! Let¡¯s get the additional rewards and bounce! - The ruins were so easy to clear! A sess! - I¡¯m pretty sure Snowman got the best rewards this Adventure season LOL As his viewers said, the moment Seol took the additional rewards, the Adventure was over. But Seol¡¯s experience was telling him that if he chose to take the rewards now, he would be only getting half of it. Seol had always felt ufortable if he didn¡¯t perfectly clear everything about an Adventure. And in this Adventure, there was something he still had to face. ¡®Is Borgo dead?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t. If Borgo was dead, a message would¡¯ve popped up. Clearing the ruin wasn¡¯t the only thing on Seol¡¯s mind as he was progressing through it. He was progressing through it while drawing up a scenario in his head. And for that scenario to be fulfilled, he needed Borgo. Still, Seol didn¡¯t need to particrly worry about it. The scenario that he drew up was progressing as he expected. A few momentster, Seol heard a booming voiceugh. ¡°Hahahahaha! I finally caught up to you!¡± Chapter 24 As expected, Borgo cleared the final Gate. And it was probably easy for him to clear the final Gate as well. Seol had already activated all of the devices in that Gate and all Borgo had to do was just walk through. ¡°It looks like you weren¡¯t able to escape yet, you rat bastard.¡± Seol turned around and looked at Borgo with his golden eyes. He also noticed Borgo¡¯s aide right next to him. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± Borgo¡¯s face stiffened when he noticed that Seol wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all. He looked calm and even asked him a question. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one asking questions. All you have to do is answer me and then pass me your head. No¡­ that won¡¯t be enough. I¡¯ll cut you into pieces, then spread you out on the stones. You prefer that too, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°So, is it only the two of you?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯ll be the one asking questions, you bastard!¡± Borgo was violently quaking his body in anger. His voice was shaky probably due to his uncontroble rage. But then, his aide changed the topic. ¡°Borgo¡­ look over here.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°L-Look at all of this treasure. With this, we can¡ª¡± This room was filled with mountains of treasure. Most people would have their hearts pounding with excitement at the sight of these. His aide turned his back on Borgo and started touching the treasures almost like he was possessed by something. The aide¡¯s actions were somewhat expected. The reason he followed Borgo, someone who did whatever he wanted to do, was in the end for treasure. However, his actions bothered Borgo. Fwooosh! Crush! ¡°Krgh!¡± Borgo¡¯s handaxe was wedged into the aide¡¯s back. ¡°Why¡­ you bastard¡­ why¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch it. Hehe¡­ It¡¯s all mine.¡± Borgo had already gone somewhat mad. How could any leader still be sane after losing close to thirty members while clearing a ruin? Well, Borgo did kill thest person, though so¡­ Regardless, Seol looked at Borgo with a sarcastic nce ¡°I can see it was a miracle that even two people made it here.¡± ¡°Shut up! Shut up! I¡­ I¡¯m going to take everything! The treasure¡­ as well as your life!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it then?¡± Borgo hurriedly grabbed whatever items he could around him. He stuffed his pockets and then tried to force even more treasure into them even though they wouldn''t fit. He looked like he hadpletely gone insane. ¡°Haha¡­ th-they¡¯re all mine.¡± And then suddenly, he quickly ran toward something that he discovered and forced himself into a piece of armor. It was the chestte that Seol had separated earlier. It was a treasure that had Seol separated himself so there was no way that Borgo wouldn¡¯t notice it as well. The chestte, conveniently, wrapped itself around Borgo as if he were its owner. He didn¡¯t need to adjust it at all as the armor did it for him. ¡°As you¡¯d expect from a treasure! Fantastic!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll regret that though¡­¡± It seemed the chestte wasn¡¯t enough as Borgo equipped the helmet as well. The helmet, just like the chestte, adjusted to Borgo to fit him perfectly and gave him immense strength. Because Borgo was exhausted after clearing multiple traps, he felt extremely satisfied by the unknown power surging within him. ¡°Power¡­ this power! I¡¯ll crush you until you can¡¯t breathe with this power!¡± Grab! It looked like Borgo finally became confident after grabbing a spear as well since he only turned around to face Seol now. Only then did he realize that Seol was only patiently watching him. Seol hadn¡¯t interfered with him at all. ¡°Why are you just watching me? Why didn¡¯t you stop me at all?¡± ¡°Did no one tell you?¡± ¡°...Told me what?¡± ¡°The name of this ruin.¡± The Hall of Self-Control. Borgo looked all around him. There was one person who told him about something he had to be careful of¡­ - As you can see, I, Kirzhin, finely dismantled these ruins and revealed everything. There¡¯s only two things that we have to be careful of in the next Gates¡­ Borgo already experienced one of the things they had to be careful of but he hadn¡¯t experienced the second one yet. Well, he was about to experience it right now. Borgo felt someone looking at him and instantly turned around to face them. Creak¡­ The statue of Yzmokan was changing. Its eyes became red and a forked tongue flicked out. It was almost like¡­ it was furious. A loud voice boomed out of where her mouth was. [How greedy!!!] When she spoke, the entire ruin shook. Yzmokan spoke in a terrifying tone that more befits a demon than a god. [You shall pay the price for not being able to control your desires!] ¡°Wh-what?¡± Borgo was surprised, like someone who had been caught stealing. Crash! Borgo suddenly shed red like he had been hit by a bolt of lightning. ¡°H-Huh?¡± However, nothing happened to him. More urately, it looked like nothing happened to him. ¡°Hahaha! Because of greed? Greed is this great Borgo¡¯s whole motivation. Without my greed, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach all this way! No one can punish me! I¡­ I¡­ ur¡­ urgh?¡± Crack! Borgo¡¯s right arm suddenly bent the opposite way. ¡°Guaaaaaaargh!¡± ¡°It looks like you¡¯re receiving your punishment.¡± ¡°Sh-shut up! Why is my body¡­ moving on its own¡­¡± Craaaack! ¡°Uaaargh!¡± This time, Borgo¡¯s left leg bent in the opposite direction. Was this because of Yzmokan¡¯s punishment? This wasn¡¯t the only thing that was hard to understand though. Thud! [Borgo has been afflicted with Yzmokan¡¯s curse.] [Borgo is now able to equip all of the items in ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯ without restriction.] [Borgo¡¯s HP regeneration greatly increases.] [All of Borgo¡¯s stats have decreased by 50%.] [Yzmokan¡¯s ghost has stolen Borgo¡¯s ability to control his body.] Seol saw multiple messages. ¡®It¡¯s starting.¡¯ This was the truest trial of ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯. It was essentially a ¡®hidden stage¡¯ for this Adventure. ng! tter! Fsssssss! Items started flying toward Borgo¡¯s body. There were boots that looked light, sturdy gaiters, a round shield that could be used to quickly defend against attacks, and even a chain that wrapped around his hand. Borgo was shocked because they came flying to him even though he didn¡¯t do anything. ¡°My body¡­ on its own!¡± Step. Borgo took an awkward step. And then¡­ Dash! Borgo quickly charged toward Seol. He was fast enough that most people would lose track of him but because Seol gained the Eyes of Perception, he was able to read his movements. Fwooosh! Borgo threw his spear at Seol. But¡­ Grab! ¡°So you¡¯re a man who can¡¯t even control himself.¡± Jamad had appeared in front of Seol and blocked off the initial attack. Seol looked at Borgo and saw a different interface from before. [[Yzmokan¡¯s Ghost (Borgo, the Ruins Hunter)] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 8~10 Borgo was a Ruis Hunter active around Nobira. He has broken the rules of ¡®The Hall of Self-Control¡¯. As such, he has been cursed by Yzmokan and forfeited his body to be a ghost¡¯s puppet. Basic Skills: [Squeeze Lifeless 2], [Use Treasure 1], [Mercenary Weapon Arts 2], [Quick Dodge 1], [Destroy Weapon 1] Unique Skills: [Decisive Blow 1]] This interface even talked extensively about Borgo himself. Seol quickly realized what this was. ¡®This is the effect of The Eyes of Perception!¡¯ The fact he could see information like this when he was still inexperienced with it proved how great those eyes were. ¡®I can kind of guess what those basic skills do. Still, I need to be careful of his unique skill.¡¯ As Seol was thinking to himself, Jamad turned around and asked him a question. ¡°Hey, Snowman. What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Stop doing something so boring as worrying and trust me. Worrying about beating a weakling like this is just a waste of time¡­¡± Fwooosh! Rumble Rumble Rumble¡­ Borgo grabbed the massive armor that was next to him and threw it at Jamad. Jamad was able to grab it, even though he was in the middle of talking, but was pushed back by it. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re the reason I became like this!! I-I will kill you no matter what¡­¡± Borgo moved strangely. He was moving as if he was controlled by a parasite. Fwoosh! aaaang! The chain flew at Jamad in a diagonal line. However, Jamad reacted to it more than appropriately. ¡°Not so fast!¡± Wraaaap! The chains wrapped around the Mountain Fists. Pull! Pull! The two of them were trying their best to pull each other in with the chain. Clench! ¡°Let go, you arrogant¡­¡± ¡°Hah! Don¡¯t want to.¡± Jamad scoffed and flexed his muscles even more. The shadow was violently shaking. Crack! Craaaaaaack! ¡°Guaaaaargh!¡± In the end, Jamad broke Borgo¡¯s arm with the chain. But that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°Haaaaaa!¡± Jamad used that momentum to pull Borgo into him. And then¡­ BOOOM! He kicked Borgo¡¯s side with a clean kick. The sound that it made was more than just vicious. Bam! Thud¡­ Thud¡­ ¡°Kuaaaargh!¡± Borgo¡¯s arm was separated from his body and his side was caved in. There was no way anyone would be able to stand with those injuries. However, something unexpected happened. [Get up. Protect the Hall.] When Yzmokan spoke, Borgo instantly regenerated. Frsssss! Crack! Jamadnded another attack on Borgo¡¯s side. Borgo, despite being in pain,ughed. ¡°Hahaha¡­ I am invincible. Haha¡­ I will¡­ protect the treasures in the Hall.¡± Borgo drooled while enduring the severe pain and even spoke back. He had already be a mindless doll. Seol scowled. If Borgo didn¡¯t have his stats decreased, he would¡¯ve been able to overwhelm them easily. ¡°Hmph! I¡¯ll simply break you to the point you won¡¯t be able to stand again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch my treasures!¡± Fwooosh! Wooosh! Borgo was getting faster. It was as if the ghost in Borgo¡¯s body got ustomed to it. There could¡¯ve been another reason for it but regardless, it wasn¡¯t a good situation. Boooom! Thud! Jamad¡¯s fists were bashing in Borgo¡¯s armor and shield. Still, it looked like Borgo wasn¡¯t taking any damage. More urately, he was ignoring all of it. ¡°Fuck off, you damned troll!¡± Jamad was able to predict Borgo¡¯s attack and got into a stance. [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] [Skill link activates.] ¡°No! It¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°What?¡± As Seol was shouting at Jamad, a sword flew toward Jamad¡¯s back. ¡°Krgh!¡± ng! Jamad was able to barely deflect it but his hands were numb. And there was also the fact that Borgo¡¯s real attack was still left. [Borgo''s Unique Skill: ¡®Decisive Blow¡¯ activates.] [Borgo¡¯s next attack will deal double damage. [Shove¡¯s effect activates.] [You will be dealt additional damage if you collide with the terrain due to Shove¡¯s effect.] Fwoosh! Suddenly, there was a warhammer in Borgo¡¯s hands. ¡°I told you to fuck off!¡± CRUSH! ¡°Grgh¡­¡± BAAAAM! BAAAAAM! Jamad was crushed into the wall after breaking through two pirs. Crumble¡­ Rubble fell on top of Jamad and kicked up dust. It was clear how powerful of an attack Borgonded on Jamad by seeing the aftermath. Borgo, sure of his victory, slowly approached Seol. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Hahaha¡­ It looks like there¡¯s no one else left. What a shame, huh? You just might end up dying in a ce like this¡­¡± Seol scoffed at Borgo for being sure of his victory so soon. ¡°...Why are youughing? Ah! It¡¯s that, right? I also smile andugh when I get mad. We¡¯re the same, aren¡¯t we? You¡¯re mad because you can¡¯t ept the fact that you¡¯re going to die, right?¡± ¡°I haven''t lost yet, though.¡± ¡°I can see that you¡¯re scared, haha! How unsightly.¡± [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] Whirl! Hum¡­ Grab! A long sword flew from the pile of treasures andnded in Borgo¡¯s hands. He held it in a reverse grip and raised it over his head. He was about to stab a summoner who lost his summons with the sword. Fwoosh! But just as he was swinging it¡­ Thud! Pull¡­ Jamad, who flew all the way back, appeared in an instant and pulled Seol back. Seol was quickly able to escape from Borgo¡¯s attack with Jamad¡¯s help. ¡°Enough!¡± Fwooosh! Grab. Jamad grabbed Borgo¡¯s wrists as he was about to swing his sword into Seol and stopped him. ¡°Grgh¡­¡± Crush. Jamad scowled as he cracked his neck. ¡°Fools are quick to be greedy but slow to see fear.¡± ¡°...Wh-what are you saying, you fucking troll!¡± ¡°I, Jamad, shall teach you fear.¡± Jamad¡¯s eyes grew fierce. [Jamad has changed to the Earthquake Stance.] Rumble Rumble Rumble¡­ Jamad and Borgo, who was in contact with him, were both shaking. The ability that Karuna himself struggled with was activating. ¡°Because unlike you, I¡­¡± ¡°Fuck off! Aargh¡­ Get away from me right now! You¡¯re nothing!¡± Crush! ¡°Guaaargh!¡± Jamad broke Borgo¡¯s wrists again. ¡°...am the type that gets angry when I¡¯m upset,¡± said Jamad. Those were thest words they shared before they returned to fighting. Chapter 25 Borgo quickly tried to move his free hand. Jamad hurriedly tried to grab that hand as well, but Borgo wasn¡¯t aiming for Jamad. He was aiming for his wrists that Jamad was grabbing. Slice! ¡°...Not bad.¡± ¡°How dare you¡­ try to teach me! Hah!¡± Crush¡­ Borgo was regenerating faster than before. His fingers, which had been crushed like twigs, were back to their original state before anyone noticed. ¡®Borgo is getting stronger.¡¯ Seol could tell that he didn¡¯t have much time left. Borgo was bing faster, more violent, and regenerated faster the more time went by. ¡®Maybe¡­ this might be ourst opportunity.¡¯ This could be thest chance for Seol and Jamad to defeat Borgo. A heavy burden was ced on Jamad¡¯s shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You made such a scary face and now¡­ are you thinking you¡¯ll lose?¡± bragged Borgo. There was a reason he was starting to brag now. It was because even though Jamad used Earthquake Stance, Borgo had already survived his critical attack before. There was no way he¡¯d be scared of something he already conquered. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what happens when you get in my way. You¡¯re nothing more than just a big troll.¡± ¡°How fun.¡± [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] ng! Grab! Borgo grabbed a sword with his regenerated hand. The sword itself was radiating a dangerous aura. Borgo then ran toward Jamad without hesitation. Was it because he had forgotten the fear of pain? Or was it because he had transformed into apletely different person through the course of this battle? Regardless, Jamad wasn¡¯t just going to take it standing still. Rumble Rumble Rumble¡­ Jamad¡¯s energy had changed. His energy, which was already tough, had be fierce like a wild animal. It was to the point where his previous state almost seemed soft inparison. Jamad too still had something up his sleeve. ¡°I¡¯ll wake you up.¡± Jamad¡¯s stance became sturdier. He put both his arms forth and separated his legs as if he was riding a horse. His legs were nted firmly into the ground like tree trunks. Even Seol could tell at a nce that it had no openings. Borgo felt that as well. However, he chose to take the bolder option. ¡°All I have to do is break it!¡± A body that constantly regenerated. A body that had forgotten pain. Borgo was definitely bing stronger by the second. Fwoooosh! Fwooosh! The swords in Borgo¡¯s hands both aimed at Jamad. ¡°How inexperienced.¡± Jamad, sounding disappointed in his opponent¡¯s shoddy swordsmanship, shook his arms. And almost like a miracle, Jamad had grabbed both of Borgo¡¯s arms. ¡°What¡­?¡± Slide. Jamad gently eased his arms into Borgo¡¯s armpits. Borgo tried to escape but Jamad was too strong for him to escape from. ¡°Let me¡­ go!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Jamad kicked up his right foot onto Borgo¡¯s chest. Booom! Cruuush! ¡°Krrrrgh¡­¡± Borgo looked quite pitiful after he was kicked by Jamad. The chestte was strong so it didn¡¯t dent at all, but Jamad had held onto Borgo¡¯s arms. Borgo¡¯s arms were separated from the rest of his body. ¡°Graaar¡­ It hurts¡­¡± Borgo didn¡¯t feel anything when he cut off his own hand but it seemed that this attack was quite effective. He was hunched over in pain. ¡°Get up. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re already done?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­ I¡¯ll kill you, you savage fucking troll¡­! ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been able to say that to me if you met me when I was still alive. The humans I¡¯ve met have all begged me to spare them. No, that¡¯s wrong¡­¡± Jamad gave a monstrous smile. ¡°Did they eventually beg me to please kill them instead?¡± Crush¡­ Borgo had finished regenerating. The moment Borgo was able to stand, he tried to charge at Jamad but realized that he had no weapons in his hands and paused. [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] Fwoosh! He grabbed a long spear this time. This time, Borgo moved cautiously. He circled around Jamad and aimed for an opening. ¡°You¡¯re afraid.¡± ¡°Who? Me? The great Borgo?¡± ¡°Are you not?¡± ¡°Hah! Don¡¯t make meugh!¡± Dash! This time, Jamad moved first. His energy itself was carving through the stone as he collided with Borgo. Booom! Borgo instinctively swung his spear at a sharp angle but Jamad deflected that with ease. [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] Borgo, in a fit of rage, threw the spear. And as Jamad tried to block it, Borgo grabbed two daggers. He chose the daggers to take down Jamad with speed. ¡°Haaa! Die! Die!¡± Stab! Stab! ¡°Die already!¡± Stab! Jamad dodged all of Borgo¡¯s attacks with simple evasive maneuvers. He then started his counter. ¡°You are overambitious, without the ns to back it up.¡± Bam. Boom! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°You are fast, but youck willpower.¡± Bam. Bam. Thud! ¡°Kuargh!¡± ¡°You are nothing more than audacious and impulsive.¡± Bam. Booom! Jamad¡¯s fistnded on Borgo¡¯s chest. And Borgo went flying. ¡°Cough¡­¡± ck blood dripped out of Borgo¡¯s mouth in chunks. ¡°Wh-what are you¡­¡± ¡°Like you said, I¡¯m just a savage troll.¡± ¡°How could I¡­ How could you defeat me, the great Borgo¡­ How does this make any sense?¡± ¡°It does make sense. It¡¯s just that the world is filled with things no one canprehend.¡± Jamad, even in this situation, was taking nces at Seol. He assumed that Seol was thinking about the time he defeated him. ¡°But still, that¡¯s what makes it fun.¡± ¡°Aaaargh¡­ Shut up!! I¡¯m still not done yet!¡± As Jamad restrained Borgo, Seol thought of the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s backstory. When the members of the Rock Mr Tribe choose their leader, they don¡¯t only take shaman abilities into consideration. A resilient mind, a strong body,pleteness of techniques¡­ they considered all of that. And in Mael¡¯s words, Jamad was already one of the greatest chiefs in Rock Mr history in terms of strength and dignity. Jamad wasn¡¯t only the tribe¡¯s strongest shaman and most dignified leader, he was also a trained fighter. There was no way he would lose to someone nothing more than a tyrannical ruins hunter. ¡®Borgo¡¯s feeling pain.¡¯ It meant that Jamad¡¯s attacks were effective on him. And it was clear that Jamad was also looking for an opportunity to finish this out. ¡®It might end soon.¡¯ Borgo ground his teeth as he red at Jamad. ¡°Iyaaaaaaaaa!¡± [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] [Borgo used ¡®Use Treasure¡¯.] ¡­¡­ Treasures started floating around Jamad. Various weapons, sharp and blunt, flew at Jamad. ¡°Dieeeeee!¡± BOOOOM! Even Seol, who had faith in Jamad, felt his hands getting sweaty. It was an insanely powerful attack. It looked like a difficult attack to survive. Seol couldn¡¯t see Jamad after the many treasures that flew at him. [Skill link activates.] [Borgo''s Unique Skill: ¡®Decisive Blow¡¯ activates.] [Borgo¡¯s next attack will deal double damage.] [Shove¡¯s effect activates.] [You will be dealt additional damage if you collide with the terrain due to Shove¡¯s effect.] Unfortunately, even Borgo¡¯s Unique Skill triggered as well. Borgo swung a long sword, aiming for Jamad. Fwoooosh! ¡°Jamad!¡± worriedly shouted Seol. Grab. ¡°Ur¡­ Urgh¡­¡± Crumble Crumble¡­ Jamad was surrounded in armor made of rock. It was a skill that definitely suited him. Thanks to that skill, Jamad was unscathed by Borgo¡¯s attack. Slide¡­ Jamad stole Borgo¡¯s sword and slid it between his ribs. ¡°Krgh¡­ Kargh¡­¡± ¡°Are you done regenerating?¡± Crush! Jamad pushed Borgo deeper into the wall and stabbed him with the sword. Borgo was pinned to the wall because of that sword and hung there. ¡°It hurts¡­ so much¡­¡± ¡°Do I still look like a pushover to you?¡± ¡°Please stop¡­ I¡¯m scared¡­ Please¡­¡± Borgo was dying while creating a puddle of blood beneath him. ¡°Please¡­ kill me already¡­ it hurts¡­¡± Jamad gave a demonic smile. ¡°In the end, you¡¯re saying those words as well.¡± Jamad¡¯s giant hand grabbed Borgo by his helmet. ¡°Hand¡­ Your big hand! ¡­Isn¡¯t it way too big? Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s just your fear.¡± Cruuuuuuush! Borgo¡¯s head was crushed with his helmet. It was silent for a second. Borgo wasn¡¯t regenerating anymore. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± Jamad also seemed to have used a lot of strength as he was gasping for air. Seol was silent during this moment but his viewers were going wild. [¡®Take this¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Take it!] - This is how you donate. - Hurry up and donate more! Now! [¡®InTheFuture¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Mom, when I grow up, I¡¯ll be like Jamad! Mom, when I grow up, I¡¯ll be like Jamad! Mom, when I grow up, I¡¯ll be like Jamad!] - Get out of the way! I¡¯m going to be Jamad! - How dare this fucking savage troll! [¡®Jamad-chan¡¯ has donated 400 Madness!] [Fear Punch! Fear Punch! This guy¡¯s a god! Seriously, he just dismantled him like it was nothing!] - What the fuck is Fear Punch? LOL - This is insane. Jamad is seriously insane. - And Snowman has a monopoly on him? Snowman, who are you really¡­ - ???: A troll and a human. A forbidden love¡­ this¡­ might not be that bad? - Someone ban him LOL - I think I¡¯m going to throw up hahaha [¡®Snowman ATM¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Holding backughter.] - Pffft¡­ that¡¯s just your fear¡­ pffft¡­ - How was he able to notugh after that lol - Because if he did Jamad would blush and shoulder bump him. - And your shoulder would disappear from that so you can¡¯tugh. - Seriously, how was Jamad¡¯s fight real? This reminded me of when I was in highschool and had to buy lunch for the school bullies¡­ I suddenly hate Jamad now¡­ - I already bought them lunch and even gave them money for change. - Stop triggering my PTSD :( [¡®Snowman¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Jamad, you¡¯ve be strong. You¡¯re at least as strong as me now¡­ maybe even stronger than me.] - Huh? - What are you gonna do about it though LOL You think you can punch me, your summoner? KEK - So Jamad is the MC and the MC is a summon, right? - Yeah he¡¯s a summon with no real abilities. - It must really be hard for you, Jamad :) And after that, he saw multiple messages. [You have defeated Yzmokan¡¯s Ghost (Borgo, the Ruins Hunter).] [You have earned the achievement ''Pacify''.] [You have earned the title ''Ghost yer''.] [You have received additional rewards.] Jamad turned around and faced Seol. ¡°I told you to trust me.¡± Seol nodded in response. Jamad snorted as if he was satisfied with it. ¡°Hmph.¡± Seol and Jamad both went to check the reward chest. Seol was enveloped in a golden light. Seol, without hesitation, opened the chest. Creaaak¡­ Click! [You open Yzmokan¡¯s gift, the best possible reward.] [You have leveled up.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [You have acquired Ghost¡¯s Armor(Purified).] [You have acquired Helmet of Control(Destroyed).] [You have acquired 920 gold coins.] [You have acquired 877 silver coins.] [You have acquired 25 medium red potions.] [You have acquired 13 medium blue potions.] ¡­¡­ Seol was confused after looking at the list of rewards. ¡®...Armor? Helmet?¡¯ Images shed in his head. Seol had separated a chestte and helmet earlier because they shone but because the color was eerie, he chose not to take it. ¡®And then Borgo forcefully used them.¡¯ And now it returned to him in a purified state. Seol couldn¡¯t help butugh at the strange circumstance. [¡®Woah that¡¯s crazy¡¯ has donated 400 Madness!] [Those items are so good¡­ How are you gonna just steal from a corpse though? LOL] - The demons are apuding your actions. - So you had a n for everything, Snowman! - He used him as a sacrifice to purify his items lmfao [¡®Close¡¯ has donated 400 Madness!] [Jamad! You should¡¯ve taken off his helmet before you killed him! It¡¯s all your fault!] - Jamad: What?(Muscles) - It¡¯s alright. The helmet looked stuffy anyway. - The helmet looked shitty anyway haha¡­ right, everyone? - That¡¯s a sour grape facy! That¡¯s a sour grape¡­ After receiving everything that he expected to receive as a reward, he tried to check their stats. Hum¡­ ¡°...Huh?¡± Seol turned his head to the strange sound. ¡°Yzmokan?¡± The statue of Yzmokan had returned to its original goddess-like appearance and radiated white light. And standing next to that statue was Jamad. Yzmokan¡¯s statue spoke. [You, who have ovee greed, have a strong will.] [Yzmokan is blessing Jamad.] However, that wasn¡¯t the only message that popped up. Chapter 26 Huuuum¡­! The statue¡¯s heavy sound filled up the air. After that sound, a bright light radiated from the statue of Yzmokan. ¡®Another reward?¡¯ The reward for killing Borgo should have already been settled with the additional reward that Yzmokan gave earlier. But Yzmokan must¡¯ve thought that those rewards weren''t enough. She was trying to give another reward. [Ruin Predator activates. You have received additional rewards.] ¡®Ah! So it was Ziliac¡¯s Ruin Predator activating.¡¯ This skill increased your rewards by 30% whenever you cleared a secret ruin. Ziliac¡¯s skill was alreadying into effect even though it hadn¡¯t been long since Seol inherited it. [You have a will of iron and a heart that is both cold and fiery.] Creak¡­ Creaaaak¡­ Cracks suddenly appeared on the statue. The cracks grew and started to connect with each other like a spider¡¯s web. And not too long after that, the statue broke. Crumble! [Do not stay, go and scatter light. You shall bring light to the world.] Hum¡­ A shimmering white light grew from the broken statue. The light moved like a serpent and entered into Jamad¡¯s hand. ¡°Hm?¡± [¡®Divine Relic: Mountain Fists¡¯ has changed slightly.] [¡®Divine Relic: Mountain Fists¡¯ has umted divine power.] [Jamad has earned the achievement ''Protect the Hall''.] [Jamad has earned the title ''Great Warrior of Yzmokan''.] Jamad furrowed his brows. He was upset because Yzmokan¡¯s light was entering the Mountain Fists that Tancreed gifted his tribe. Seol would¡¯ve been happy with any and every reward but Jamad was different. He was undoubtedly someone who served Tancreed, the Earth Dragon, as the chief of the Rock Mr Tribe. It was somewhat expected that he didn¡¯t like the idea of some nameless native god blessing him. ¡°Hm¡­¡± But it seemed he wasn¡¯t too repulsed by it as he didn¡¯t really say anything. It was because this power didn¡¯te with responsibilities. ¡®Then¡­ I¡¯ll need to check the rewards.¡¯ Once again, it was time to check the rewards. Seol first pushed aside the smaller-looking rewards and picked out a big one. [[Ghost¡¯s Armor(Purified)] Quality: Abomination Rmended Level: 5-15 Defense: 112 Durability: 95/95 Weight: 10kg An armor filled with malicious energy. It has an evil effect of destroying your mind by just equipping it. However, now that it has been purified, there is no issue with equipping it. It has lost a lot of its power during the purification process but it is still an excellent piece of armor. Basic Effect: Strength +5, Constitution +5 Bonus Effect: It isfortable, naturally restores itself, and can increase its defense by 20-50 based on the length of the battle.] ¡®An ¡®Abomination¡¯, huh¡­ that¡¯s why it had a strange glow.¡¯ The Basic Effect was ordinary but the Bonus Effect and the high base defense were amazing. It was quite incredible. ¡®But now that I think about it¡­ should I have expected this? It was able to endure Jamad¡¯s attack without a dent after all.¡¯ Regardless of whether it was kicked, punched, or hit, the dark armor was still rock solid. Pandea is filled with many different item qualities. However, because the items you received in the early-to-mid game weren''t that different from the items you got in thete game in terms of base stats, it was quite confusing at times. This was something that even Seol struggled with when he started ying the game. Poor,mon, special, rare, and treasure were the item qualities that typically came out in the early-to-mid game. The qualities higher than that could only be acquired once you went into the mid-game. Therefore, ¡®Treasure¡¯ quality was considered the highest quality equipment for the early game. The confusing part was this: The treasure quality was also split up. Abomination, Treasure, Divine Relic, Peerless, etc. These qualities were all simr levels of strength and because of that, yers were confused about which ones were better or worse. In the end, yers were only able to say that it¡¯s ¡®case by case¡¯. It was a decent conclusion though as Abominations were typically cursed equipment that could only be used by special sses or after purification. The armor that Seol got just now was also an Abomination. And because it waspletely, perfectly purified, it was better than most Treasure quality equipment. ¡®But¡­ Jamad can¡¯t use this armor.¡¯ Shamans were unable to equip heavy armor. That was aw of Pandea, The World of Eternity. Seol had no choice but to give this armor to Karuna instead. [You have equipped Karuna, the Moonlight Knight, with Ghost¡¯s Armor(Purified).] Seol didn¡¯t check Karuna¡¯s stats after he equipped the armor but it was obvious that his stats would increase a lot. Karuna¡¯s defense was probably also much higher than before now. ¡®Is the helmet next?¡¯ [[Helmet of Control(Destroyed)] Quality: Abomination Rmended Level: N/A Defense: 0 Durability: 0/0 Weight: 5kg A helmet made with a rare material called ¡®spirit stone¡¯. It had been corrupted after it was influenced by its maker¡¯s grudge. It ispletely destroyed now and won¡¯t have its power returned even if it is repaired. Basic Effect: N/A Bonus Effect: N/A] ¡®It¡¯s a shame.¡¯ Seol would¡¯ve used it well if it wasn¡¯t broken. Seol clicked his tongue and put the helmet into his inventory. He thought there would be another use for itter other than just equipping it. Now there was only one item left to check, Jamad¡¯s Mountain Fists. Seol checked the Mountain Fists on Jamad¡¯s status. [[Divine Relic: Mountain Fists] Quality: Divine Relic Rmended Level: N/A Damage: 43 Durability: 50/50 Weight: 5.0kg x 2 Divine Relic of the Rock Mr Tribe bestowed by Tancreed. Receiving the power of the earth, it awakened to a new level. Because it has a strong frame, it can continue to awaken. It has received Yzmokan¡¯s blessing. Basic Effect: All stats +3, Core Stats +5 Bonus Effect: MP regeneration per second +5, Destructive power of shamanic spells increases by 50%. Attribute Awakening (Level 1: Mountain), 20% additional light damage on hit, using a support skill will also apply it to another ally.] ¡®Additional light damage on hit and a change to how he uses support skills¡­¡¯ It was only a two-sentence change in effects but the effects were definitely more than just that. The ¡®light attribute¡¯ was one of the hardest attributes to resist in The World of Eternity. And as such, this effect was going to be effective in the future even against enemies with high resistance. ¡®And it¡¯s notmon for an on-hit effect to have high additional damage like that.¡¯ Most effects that gave bonus on-hit attribute damage were 1~5% at most. Yzmokan¡¯s blessing, however, gave a whole 20%. This meant that Jamad could even face opponents who were resistant to physical damage. And the effect of buffing another ally when they buff themselves¡­ ¡®This one¡¯s¡­¡¯ Right now, this effect only applied to the ¡®Rock Armor¡¯ skill. But even that was extremely good. Support skills had cooldowns and doubling the effects of it with one cast was already a huge bonus. ¡®And this effect will just continue to get better the more support skills Jamad learns.¡¯ One of Seol¡¯s theories about clearing The World of Eternity was to work extremely hard in the early game. In the early game, The World of Eternity gave items with unique, extraordinary effects and special summons. You were also able to acquire Adventures and helpers that could influence the world. Going through hardships now made it much easier in the future. The things that he gained in this Adventure were going to be extremely helpfulter. It was just like setting a sturdy foundation. ¡®Lastly, the titles.¡¯ [[Title: Ghost yer] Rted Achievement: Pacify (Adventure: The Hall of Self-Control) Bonus Effect: Deal 10% increased damage to spirit-type enemies.] ¡®That¡¯s somewhat useful.¡¯ [[Title: Great Warrior of Yzmokan] Rted Achievement: Protect the Hall (Adventure: The Hall of Self-Control) Bonus Effect: All stats increase by 5%.] Seol couldn¡¯t help but nod to himself after seeing Jamad¡¯s title. ¡®All of these rewards are amazing.¡¯ Seol thought it was a good decision to trust his instincts and wait for Borgo. These rewards were so amazing that he probably took everything that was possible from this Adventure. [¡®I don¡¯t know~¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Are these rewards really that good?] - Yeah, they are. He practically got better rewards than a 5-man party by himself. - Diamond hands. - Diamond hands to the moon! Incredible! - Just watch¡­ there¡¯s no person or team who earned as many rewards as Snowman¡­ - Snowman, the King of the South! He worked so hard and he¡¯s finally reaping the benefits for it TT Seol stretched and then ced his hand on the ¡®End Adventure¡¯ interface. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Bzzzzt Seol could instantly tell that he was transported to the outskirts of Kongory. ¡®It¡¯s too quiet this time.¡¯ Since everyone went on different Adventures starting from the 3rd one, the duration that people were away were all different. This meant that the timing at which people were transported back was all different too. And this time, Seol was the only person who was transported back. [Next is the Points Leaderboard up to Adventure 4.] Ding [Your information is set to Private.] [You have 599,300 Points.] [Adventurer Points Leaderboard 1. Private (599,300) 2. Private (300,010) 3. FireAnt (210,000) 4. YahooIsekai (189,290) 5. PinkPwincess (150,400)] There was a slight change in rankings. Judging by how the former 2nd ce disappeared from the rankings, it was likely that they died. Even though there was a change in the rankings, Seol¡¯s lead was still overwhelminglyrgepared to other people. - He¡¯s just smurfing on them¡­ - How is the difference in points this high? - I¡¯m pretty sure theirbat abilities are an even bigger gap. That¡¯s just the difference in Adventurer Points¡­ - I guess that makes sense since he has Jamad and Karuna-chan¡­ he¡¯s just a one-man army sheesh - If Jamad tells you to get on your knees and beg, it wouldn''t be embarrassing to do that at all. - Jamad¡¯s scary but Snowman looks kinda weak. - He¡¯s not weak though. He ¡®looks¡¯ weak. - That¡¯s just the case for all summoners though lol [¡®You losers¡­¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Snowman doesn¡¯t worry about that at all, got it?] - That¡¯s true, Snowman only thinks about his summons! - He gives whatever items he gets to his summons lol - ???: Put this on Jamad! These are your swaddling clothes! - He¡¯s greedy but not for himself¡­ He¡¯s kinda like a family man who lives in a big city? - TT It must be hard being a dad. [You begin your Rest.] [Your Key Location Rest is starting.] [Break 2. Kongory, the free city.] [Break 2. ¡®Kongory, the free city¡¯ In The World of Eternity, Kongory is located in South Pandea. It is a well-stocked city with many happy citizens. Adventurers must take plenty of rest and training here, or at another rest location, before preparing for the next Adventure. Objective: Rest and maintenance. You will be tired upon failure. Remaining Time: [About 30 days]] It was currently night. There definitely weren¡¯t any transferees who finished their Adventures at a simr time as Seol since the entrance was quite barren. It was barren and open. ¡®I wonder how many people died this time.¡¯ It was hard for Seol to estimate since his Adventure finished quickly. However, judging by the fact the four people who went on the Adventure with him were dead¡­ a lot have probably died. Still, Seol didn¡¯t think it was a shame nor did he pity them. He was also in a situation where death was imminent. Seol calmly looked for a ce to sleep. But as he was walking¡­ he felt a gaze, watching him. Seol didn¡¯t show any signs that he knew the person was trailing. ¡®Who are they? Are they a member of the Predator Guild?¡¯ Did they already find out that their guild members died? But what if they aren¡¯t a member of the Predator Guild? He never did anything eye-catching though¡­ ¡®Then for now¡­¡¯ Seol swiftly turned into an alley. Dash! The person who was chasing him also hurried into the alley. And then¡­ Swirl! Raise¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ Uhhh¡­¡± Karuna had quickly raised his sword at the unknown pursuer¡¯s neck. Karuna could easily kill them at Seol¡¯s signal. And it wouldn¡¯t be strange as transferees often killed each other here. ¡°Why were you following me?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like there aren¡¯t other ways for me to find out just because you¡¯re not talking right now.¡± In truth, it was hard to find anything out unless Seol took violent measures. It was just that Seol was willing to choose those options if circumstances came to it. Because in this world, the world that they entered, weakness would just make others take advantage of you. It was much more difficult to survive if you weren¡¯t willing to be cold. ¡°...I know.¡± ¡°You know what?¡± The person who had been pursuing Seol took off their hood. He had a childish face. He was most likely a high schooler. ¡°I know that you¡¯re¡­ ¡®Private¡¯.¡± ¡°Private?¡± ¡°The only person who came into the city when the rankings changed was you, hyung. I have been waiting for you.¡± Seol hadn¡¯t been attentive of that at all. But still, now that he thought about it¡­ he wasn¡¯t cautious of it since it wasn¡¯t information that he necessarily had to hide. ¡®But why did he wait for me?¡¯ Seol asked a question after realizing he didn¡¯t have any ill intent. ¡°Why? Why were you waiting for me?¡± The boy, after resolving himself, opened his lips¡­ Chapter 27 Why was the highschooler trailing him? Seol realized something when he noticed that the highschooler¡¯s voice was trembling. Still, he didn¡¯t say anything. Seol just patiently waited for the highschooler to speak. And because they were the only two people in the quiet alley, the conversation flowed easily. ¡°Because¡­ I need help.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± The only kind of person who would stay upte into the night to observe the rankings was someone who was desperate. And a desperate person always wanted help. ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Please, could you listen to my story?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Han Yeo-myeong. You can speak casually to me if you want.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re that close yet. Why don¡¯t we first go to an appropriate ce to talk?¡± Seol led Yeo-myeong to a quiet inn that had a bar. After Seol secured his lodging, he sat down on the first floor and asked Yeo-myeong to sit in front of him. There was something different about Yeo-myeong from the other people he met. ¡®His hand¡­¡¯ His right hand waspletely ck like it had rotted. Slide. Yeo-myeong must¡¯ve noticed Seol¡¯s nces. He covered his hand with his sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s strange, huh?¡± ¡°Why is your hand like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s possessed by a ghost. I got cursed.¡± ¡°A curse?¡± Situations like this often happened in The World of Eternity. This could happen if you touched an ¡®Abomination¡¯ quality item or a cursed item or if you were attacked by an evil spirit with a grudge. However, Yeo-myeong¡¯s hand felt different from a normal curse. At first, Seol thought his hand had rotted but a closer look revealed that it was hard and smooth. ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a curse¡­¡¯ Seol became more curious about Yeo-myeong¡¯s circumstances after that. Yeo-myeong then started telling his story. ¡°I have a sister.¡± ¡°A younger sister?¡± ¡°Yeah, a younger sister and¡­ an older sister. Well, I guess it¡¯s ¡®had¡¯ now?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°My older sister died during the 2nd Adventure.¡± Yeo-myeong¡¯s story went something like this: Surprisingly, the three of them were able to meet during ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ Adventure and promised to return back alive together. Unfortunately for them, ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯ Adventure was a difficult Adventure and Yeo-myeong¡¯s oldest sister was on the verge of falling off a cliff during their battle with a troll. Grab! But luckily, Yeo-myeong was able to grab his older sister¡¯s, Sae-byeok¡¯s, hand before she fell off. And his younger sister, Noeul, was watching as well. T/N: Sae-byeok¡¯s name means ¡®daybreak¡¯, Yeo-myeong¡¯s name means ¡®dawn/early morning¡¯, and Noeul¡¯s name means ¡®sunset¡¯. - Oppa, don¡¯t let go no matter what! Unni, hold on a little longer! - No¡­ You¡¯ll also fall at this rate, Yeo-myeong. ¡°There were too many trolls. Our older sister tried her best, but¡­¡± His hands were sweaty. He couldn¡¯t hold onto his older sister¡¯s weight with just one hand. Slide¡­ Slide¡­ Yeo-myeong¡¯s body was slowly creeping toward the edge of the cliff. - Krgh¡­ - No! Oppa! Because the other party members were fighting trolls, no one could help. Yeo-myeong¡¯s body was shaking as he recalled that moment. ¡°Her voice¡­ the way she looked at me¡­ herst words¡­ I remember everything from back then.¡± - ¡­Yeo-myeong, let me go. - Shut up, Sae-byeok! - Yeo-myeong, I love you very, very much. ¡­Take care of Noeul for me. - Fuck! God damn it! Please, don¡¯t let go! - ¡­I¡¯m going to let go now. Slide¡­ That spine-chilling sensation of a hand escaping another hand¡­ Futility and emptiness¡­ And her eyes¡­ her eyes were worried about me as she fell¡­ ¡°Shees up in my dreams every night. I think I¡¯m going to go insane because of it¡­ Shees to me every night.¡± ¡°What does she say?¡± ¡°To save her¡­ to please save her.¡± ¡°And your hand started turning like that since then?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got a strange message.¡± [An Unexpected ident! You have earned Characteristic: A Haunted Hand.] ¡°An Unexpected ident, huh¡­ I see.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± There were various systems in The World of Eternity. There were systems that gave positive effects but also systems that gave negative effects. Adventurers normally got these as a result of getting mentally damaged from seeing horrific sights during their adventures. ¡®¡¯A Haunted Hand¡¯, huh¡­ He got one that¡¯s hard to get.¡¯ The only ways to cure it were to appease the ghost¡¯s grudge or to receive a purification ritual from a high-ranked priest. That hand belonged to the ghost now. Still, there are pros and cons to every situation. If he was able to take his hand back from the ghost, the haunted hand would be an incredible power for Yeo-myeong. At least that¡¯s the information that Seol knew. ¡°Are you unable to move your hand?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m right-handed but now I have to eat with my left hand.¡± ¡°That must be ufortable. Still, what is your request? If you¡¯re asking for a way to return that hand to its original state¡­¡± ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not it. This is because of my regret and guilt so there¡¯s no way to cure it. I wanted help with my younger sister.¡± ¡°Your younger sister? What happened to her?¡± ¡°She entered a guild. After that incident, we naturally grew apart.¡± Seol could guess what happened. The younger sister poured her anger into her older brother for letting go of her older sister. That was the method she chose to cope with what happened. ¡°She thinks that I intentionally let her go¡­ To be honest, I don¡¯t know anymore. Maybe I did let he¨C¡± ¡°Is your sister joining a guild such a dangerous thing?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Have you heard about the Justice Guild?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t. I¡¯m not interested in that kind of stuff.¡± ¡°It was a guild created early that imed to have the person ranked 1st on the Adventurer Points Leaderboard with them¡­ they pulled in a lot of people because of that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seol could somewhat remember seeing something like that in the city before. He didn¡¯t have that much interest in it back then though. ¡°They¡¯re different from what they im to be. They¡¯re liars.¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s not all. Apparently, the guild executives form the parties to their liking so anyone who disagrees with them are used as meat shields.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°There was someone who had something bad happen to them after they left on their own, and¡­! There¡¯s talks about them allying with a guild surrounded by bad rumors¡­¡± ¡°So they¡¯re all rumors.¡± ¡°Th-they aren¡¯t just rumors!¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°My younger sister¡­ she contacted me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°She asked me to save her¡­ The things that I just told you about were things that she found out herself. Noeul said that she¡¯s in danger¡­ she asked me to save her!¡± Seol grimaced. ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, that still isn¡¯t a reason why I should help you.¡± ¡°Wh-why? Why¡­¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m not some hero of justice.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Everyone has their own circumstances, Yeo-myeong. I don¡¯t have the time to take care of things that aren¡¯t a part of my goals.¡± Seol wasn¡¯t wrong. The path to Ascension was a difficult one. He had to clear near-impossible Adventures to get stronger and be even stronger than that. Both his body and mind had to be strong. Seol was oveing adversity for the sake of bing stronger for Ascension. It wasn¡¯t so he could y the hero. Not to mention the fact that once he helped someone, other people woulde to him for help as well. And there was no guarantee that everyone who came to him for help would be good people. Seol could clearly see that he would fail Ascension if he took that path. But because he couldn¡¯t tell Yeo-myeong the specifics, Seol told him his final answer instead. ¡°Why?! Why?! Why won¡¯t you when you¡¯re that strong¡­ I heard that Adventurer Points don¡¯t show the difference in strength properly! You have double the Rank 2¡¯s points, then that means¡­ you¡¯re ten times¡­ no, tens of times stronger than him¡­¡± retorted Yeo-myeong. ¡°I didn¡¯t be strong to save people who do nothing while they wait to be saved by others. Save yourself, Yeo-myeong. You have to be the one to save your sister, not me. I can¡¯t save everyone around me.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°Ah, and your hand.¡± ¡°My hand?¡± ¡°That ck hand might not be a curse. If you want to save your younger sister, you have to ovee your guilt first. Anyway, that¡¯s all that I wanted to say.¡± Seol stood up and left. Yeo-myeong was still seated. He was tormented. Seol watched him for a second before going up to his room. [¡®Cold-Blooded¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [Snowman is cold-blooded! Ah, I guess snowmen are supposed to be cold though?] - Why the fuck should he help him? He should take care of that on his own. - You¡¯re an only child, aren¡¯t you? - I feel this way because I have siblings! She just left after hitting me for drinking her banana milk >:( - You¡¯re in the wrong though LOL Banana milk is king. - Honestly I would¡¯ve helped him. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Yesterday¡¯s incident was still on Seol¡¯s mind. Still, the words he said to Yeo-myeong were also for himself as well. ¡®I can¡¯t get myself involved with everything.¡¯ And this was still the beginning of his new life in Pandea. Those who weren¡¯t able to adjust to the new rules were bound to die. ¡®He won¡¯t be able to survive with just me helping him.¡¯ There was always danger in this world. Seol couldn¡¯t help him whenever he needed help. The path Seol was going to take was decided and his time was limited. ¡®Yeo-myeong has a ghost¡¯s hand though. It won¡¯t be hard for him to recover his sister once he solves the mystery behind it.¡¯ Once he was able to solve the secrets behind the ghost¡¯s hand, he would have a weapon iparable to others. It was as powerful as it was hard to acquire. ¡®That hand would even be helpful to me in the future¡­¡¯ There were some Adventures that required special characteristics. And those Adventures gave out much better rewards than normal rewards. The more Seol organized his thoughts the closer he leaned to protecting Yeo-myeong. It would be best if he was able to take care of the situation on his own but if Yeo-myeong needed a bit of help, helping him wasn¡¯t too overstraining. ¡®Yeah, just a little bit of help. As long as he¡¯s able to change on his own without falling to his sense of helplessness.¡¯ Seol decided to watch over him for now without helping him right away. That was a part of the reason he was now heading to an information guild hidden in Kongory. Transferees possibly didn¡¯t even know about the existence of information guilds. It was hidden in a secret room of an old bar after all. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of information on the Justice Guild. If you want specific informati¨C¡± ¡°The bad rumors.¡± ¡°You would need to pay 150 gold coins.¡± ¡°Here.¡± ng. The information that Seol received was exactly what Yeo-myeong told him. In fact, Yeo-myeong¡¯s version was practically the shortened version. The heinous things that the Justice Guild did were much more severe than Seol initially thought. And as he was reading the information, Seol found a familiar name. ¡°Predator Guild?¡± - and¡­! There¡¯s talks about them allying with a guild surrounded by bad rumors¡­ Seol never would¡¯ve imagined that the guild with bad rumors about them was the Predator Guild. Seol tapped on his lips as he read the information. ¡°Can I also get information on the Predator Guild?¡± ¡°The bad rumors again?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°100 gold coins please.¡± Seol was handed information about the Predator Guild. ¡°Hm¡­ this is really bad.¡± It talked about the Predator Guild¡¯s wrongdoings in detail. Burn¡­ ¡°Why isn¡¯t anyone doing anything about it?¡± asked Seol while burning the information. ¡°10 gold coins please.¡± ng. ¡°We don¡¯t know. The only time officers have interfered so far were incidents where transferees killed ordinary citizens.¡± ¡°So they know that it¡¯s happening but aren¡¯t doing anything about it.¡± ¡°They probably believe that transferees should have their own rules. That was my personal opinion though so I won¡¯t be taking a fee for that.¡± ¡°Their own rules, huh¡­ I understand.¡± Right before Seol was about to leave, he turned around and made a request to the informant. ¡°Ah, and I wanted to hire someone to follow someone for about a week.¡± ¡°Is the target one person?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How do theypare to you in terms of strength?¡± ¡°He¡¯s much weaker than me.¡± Seol then told the informant about Yeo-myeong. ¡°It will be 20 gold coins. We will have someone following him from now on, even when he is asleep.¡± ng. Seol gave an additional 20 gold coins as payment before leaving. The ce Seol headed to next was the ¡®Prophets of the Dark¡¯. He wanted to use the skill points that he newly acquired. ¡°You¡¯re back again.¡± The person in charge recognized Seol and spoke to him first. [[ck Magic is researched here. The person who seems to be in charge of this facility has asked you why you¡¯re here. How do you respond?] 1. [Required: Skill Points] I wish to learn a new skill. 2. [Required: Skill Points] I wish to enhance a basic skill. 3. I wish to test my skills. 4. Is there a task you can entrust to me? 5. [Required: Shadow Summoner, Wall of Awakening] I heard that there was a Shadow Summoner here. ¡­¡­] Seol was about to exin that he was here to do the same thing as before, enhance skills, but paused because the options had changed. ¡®I can choose option 5 now?¡¯ The option had been grayed outst time but it waspletely visible now. ¡®Maybe¡­ some information was unlocked?¡¯ Seol selected option 5 without hesitation. ¡°I heard that there was a Shadow Summoner here.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ it seems you heard toote. You are probably talking about Chao, right?¡± ¡°Chao? Yes, probably.¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t contacted us since she left for Nobira. I am a bit worried though since Nobira is quite a dangerous ce. It¡¯s already been a month since she left. Chao is strong enough that I don¡¯t need to worry if she¡¯ll get hurt by the ruffians there but you never know how things go in the world.¡± Seol thought to himself while rubbing his chin. This option was rted to an awakening event that was supposed to happen about 6 Adventures in the future. As such, there was no reason to rush it. Still, dying this could prevent Seol from clearing the awakening event in time. Seol saw new options. [[Chao, a Shadow Summoner who could teach you, has gone missing after leaving for Nobira. The person in charge here seems to be worried about her. How do you respond?] 1. That¡¯s a shame. 2. That is none of my business at all. Farewell. 3. Are there no other Shadow Summoners? 4. [Required: Awakened in a Certain Field] I might be able to take Chao¡¯s role. 5. May I look into Chao for you?] ¡°May I look into Chao for you?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, please!¡± [Hidden Adventure ''Missing Summoner'' is now active.] Chapter 28 The ¡®Missing Summoner¡¯ Adventure popped up. [Adventure. ¡®Missing Summoner¡¯ ¡®Prophets of the Dark¡¯ is a ce in Kongory that trains those with ck Magic sses. It is filled with many skilled teachers. However, unfortunately for you, the Shadow Summoner who could be your teacher has gone missing after going to Nobira. At this rate, you might lose your chance at the most important time of your beginner journey. You have decided to go find traces of the teacher yourself in Nobira instead of sitting here and doing nothing. Objective: Find traces of Chao, the Shadow Summoner, in Nobira. Remaining Time: [N/A]] ¡®It won¡¯t be bad to clear this ahead of time as a side quest.¡¯ Since Seol hadn¡¯t decided on his next Adventure yet, heading to Nobira and doing this as a side quest while he was there wasn¡¯t a bad option either. Seol then finished by saying that he wanted to enhance his skills. ¡°I understand, follow me.¡± The same thing happened asst time and Seol was once again left in a dark room by himself. Glow¡­ The skill tree popped up. ¡®I currently have 4 skill points. Then it¡¯s obvious what I should upgrade.¡¯ Obviously, he had to enhance Shadow Summon, his main skill. [You enhance Shadow Summon.] [You use 4 skill points.] [Upon a sessful Shadow Summon, the summon will now pass on skills more smoothly than before.] [You are now able to summon two Shadow Summons at the same time. However, there are circumstances where you will be unable to summon both at the same time.] [Upon a sessful Shadow Summon, the summon will now retain at least 50% of their stats.] [Shadow Summon has reached a certain level. All owned summons will have 10% of their original stats additionally passed on.] A bunch of messages popped up just because he enhanced it once. There were two messages that were especially of note to Seol. The first was simultaneous summoning. ¡®Now I can summon both Karuna and Jamad at the same time.¡¯ The second part was that his summons had their passed on stats increased by 10%. This meant that his summons were now 50% as powerful as when they were alive. And with their titles, equipment, and other abilities, they were at least 60%... no, 70% as strong. Seol didn¡¯t know how powerful the other transferees were but this much was more than enough to call him a one-man army. In the first ce, Karuna wasn¡¯t a boss that was supposed to be defeated throughbat and Jamad was a boss that required a 5 man party to defeat after using special gimmicks to weaken him. And because of that, they were boss monsters much, much stronger than most bosses and their stats were probably much higher than most transferees. Suddenly, Seol thought of Yeo-myeong¡¯s words that he said while crying. - Why?! Why?! Why won¡¯t you when you¡¯re that strong¡­ I heard that Adventurer Points don¡¯t show the difference in strength properly! You have double the Rank 2¡¯s points, then that means¡­ you¡¯re ten times¡­ no, tens of times stronger than him¡­ Seol grimaced after realizing he had been continuously thinking about Yeo-myeong. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol visited a couple more ces before returning to his lodging. He had gathered quite a bit of money but didn¡¯t use it yet since he nned on using it for a specific purposeter. He organized what he nned to do in theing Adventures. ¡®This is when it starts to get really important. I need to n out my moves carefully.¡± Adventures in The World of Eternity were heavily influenced by the adventurer¡¯s location. For example, if you¡¯re in a quiet hillside where nothing happens, nothing special will ever happen. You could definitely live a long life there but you won¡¯t ever get stronger. This is what made The World of Eternity different from normal RPGs that gave out appropriate quests based on the time that had passed. You had to periodically move your base to be stronger. You also had to go to cities that were at the eye of the storm, where there were a lot of things happening. ¡®Is it about time to leave Kongory now?¡¯ Seol had already gained most of the noteworthy things here. The only Adventures left in Kongory were inefficient and gave out poor rewards. He had to leave here soon if he wanted to get stronger. The problem was that leaving the starting point would be the start of rolling the dice. ¡®Rolling the dice¡¯ was referring to a mechanic in The World of Eternity where you would roll the dice when you¡¯re leaving an area. This was always the case whenever a yer would leave one location. Just like how you could be in a tough situation if you leave for vacation without checking the weather there beforehand, rolling the dice worked a simr way. If Seol rolled low right after he arrived in Nobira, he would face a penalty. However, If he was able to roll high, he would have unexpected luck. ¡®Still, it¡¯s way too risky.¡¯ If he rolled low he could be forced to take on an Adventure and that never had a set difficulty either. That¡¯s why most yers took that into consideration before they made their move. They always prepared for the worst. ¡®I¡¯ve finished preparing though. I¡¯m more than strong enough.¡¯ Seol had already be iparably strongpared to the other transferees in Kongory. The only thing that bothered him right now was the existence of the Predator Guild. The information that he received about the Predator Guild was quite worrisome. They weren¡¯t making any moves on him right now, but if they got stronger¡­ they could definitely even aim for Seol. Because regardless of the circumstances of the situation, it was clear that he was being suspected of killing four of their guild members. And Seol wasn¡¯t the type of person who would leave loose ends behind. ¡®I¡¯ll leave after I take care of the Predator Guild.¡¯ Seol, in the end, decided to take the steps to leave. * * * As Seol was resting in Kongory for a few days, more transferees had finished their Adventures and returned to Kongory. ¡°Burp¡­¡± It was on the 2nd floor of a bar. Men were seated around a table wearing extravagant clothes. They were smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. You would assume that their faces would match their clothes but their coarse faces told another story. ¡°So, they¡¯re all dead?¡± ¡°Jincheol and Sang-gyu¡­ and the rest of them?¡± ¡°None of them came back. The verdict is that they¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Ha! All of the useful bastards died young. Still, those bastards had guts¡­¡± They wouldn¡¯t have been able to talk like this if they knew how Jincheol and Sang-gyu died but still, they remembered them as people who were evil. The Predator Guild was filled with people who looked tough. And these people were the ones who were able to quickly adapt to this world. Obviously, they adapted in different ways but still. All of the Predator Guild¡¯s members looked at one person. He was seated on an elevated seat. ¡°What should we do?¡± asked one of the guild members to the man on the elevated seat. ¡°They were doing a job, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why they took two people, no?¡± ¡°That¡¯s annoying. At such an important time too¡­ What was his name again?¡± ¡°His name was¡­ Snowman. When I checked it turned out he had already returned from his Adventure.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I wonder how they died.¡± ¡°Who? Are you talking about Sang-gyu and Jincheol?¡± ¡°Yeah, they weren¡¯t the type to get beaten up by other people.¡± ¡°If anyone did any killing, it would have been them. Those sons of bitches were sharks.¡± The Guildmaster of the Predator Guild¡¯s nickname was ¡®Great White Shark¡¯. It was a nickname that fit his frightening appearance and status as the guildmaster of the Predator Guild. ¡°Right? And what do you think are the odds they sacrificed their lives for the person they were trying to kill? Do you think those bastards would ever do something like that?¡± ¡°Never.¡± ¡°Then he probably killed them, right?¡± ¡°Yes, we believe Snowman killed them once he realized they were trying to kill him. We just don¡¯t know how he did it.¡± ¡°I heard that he looked like a dweeb¡­ what power does he have to kill four of our members?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been a trap with information that only he knew?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a possibility.¡± ¡°Logically speaking, it¡¯s difficult to kill four people alone. Even more so if he didn¡¯t know that they were after him.¡± Great White Shark¡¯s lips were ripped. He had a massive scar going across his lips. And his voice¡­ slithered out of that gap like a snake. ¡°For now, just be careful of him. Time¡¯s on our side anyway. All we have to do is prevent him from leaving Kongory.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just get a couple guys and kill him?¡± ¡°You fucking idiot. There¡¯s an order to everything. We¡¯re going to kill him regardless, what¡¯s important is how we kill him. We¡¯re allied with the Justice Guild now, we can''t be killing him in a way that¡¯s too eye-catching.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true. But was allying ourselves with the Justice Guild really a good thing? Their actions make it hard to trust them.¡± ¡°And you think they¡¯d trust us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, but¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re both just taking advantage of each other and pretending to not know.¡± Inhale¡­ Fuuu¡­ Great White Shark¡¯s cigarette burned ck. He seemed to have remembered something funny and gave a sinisterugh. ¡°Want me to tell you something funny?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that bastard Snowman or whatever his name was, all of our guild members would¡¯vee back from their Adventures alive.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that something obvious?¡± ¡°No it isn¡¯t, you idiot. Did you see the other guilds? A ton of people died this time. There were even some guilds who lost half of their members.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, this is the world now. But still, why were we the only ones who didn''t lose that many people? Because we¡¯re strong? Then why are we the only ones who are strong?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± Great White Shark bared his teeth as he left out another puff of smoke. His gold teeth showed his devilish nature. ¡°Because we¡¯re strong. We¡¯re strong people. We can beat, kill, and betray other people like it¡¯s nothing right? Other people think that doing that is wrong and find it despicable.¡± ¡°Is that a good thing though?¡± ¡°Bwahaha¡­ it is good, definitely. See, look. We started doing our ¡®jobs¡¯ from the moment we came to Kongory. And you know how terrible that bastard Jung Woncheol who runs the Justice Guild with his smooth talk is, right?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Since he doesn¡¯t have any strength to manage his organization, he¡¯s reaching out to us for help. Because we¡¯re strong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably because of the guy that¡¯s ranked 2nd on the Points Leaderboard.¡± ¡°Regardless, this wolf brought in a tiger to manage the sheep. Even though he¡¯s just a sly little wolf¡­¡± ¡°So what¡¯s your n?¡± ¡°First, we¡¯re going to take over the Justice Guild while pretending to help Woncheol. Then, we¡¯re going to slowly, slowly take over a different guild before finally transitioning into selling people.¡± It was the first time he ever spoke about his n in detail so all of the guild members listened carefully. ¡°Do you know why we were always the bottom feeders?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Because there werews. There werews¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Look at this beautiful world. Even if you stab someone on the streets, you won¡¯t get punished for it. Between transferees at least.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Laws disappeared and violence took its spot. And in the end, those that know violence the best stand at the highest positions.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s you, right, hyungnim?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Great White Shark seemed to have been reminded of something unpleasant from his guild member¡¯sst question. He thought for a second before talking again. ¡°No, there is one more person.¡± ¡°Th-that other ¡®Private¡¯ guy?¡± ¡°Yeah, that bastard with the monstrous point total. I¡¯m pretty sure a person like that has to have a weakness too¡­ We have to find them.¡± ¡°Find them? Then what?¡± ¡°If they¡¯re the type that listens, I¡¯ll give them rewards as long as they follow me. If they aren''t, I¡¯ll kill them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give out an order to our members and do our best to find him.¡± ¡°I want you to take action, not just say it in words, got it? What we¡¯re about to start right now is business. We¡¯ll increase our members through different avenues, group them all up, and sell them all to the highest bidder.¡± ¡°This n came from the Justice Guild first, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°They proposed it to us. Woncheol is academically stupid but he is clever. Let¡¯s do our best to not kill him if we can.¡± And at that moment¡­ A man entered the bar by kicking the door in. ¡°Hyungnim! Hyungnim! Where are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here, you bastard.¡± ¡°Ah, you were there. Woncheol¡­ I mean, that bastard¡¯s looking for you.¡± ¡°Me? Why?¡± ¡°He said that there¡¯s something he needed your strength for? Some crazy guy barged into the Justice Guild alone to find their younger sister.¡± ¡°Alone?¡± It was strange. Even if Woncheol was weak, it was still only one person. ¡°Apparently, he¡¯s stronger than expected? They tried to restrain him but got injured instead and now they¡¯re at standstill.¡± ¡°So he wants me to cut an arm off or kill him as an example. How annoying¡­ Wait, that guy was fighting them on his own? Is he ¡®Private¡¯?¡± ¡°It could be.¡± ¡°We should prepare for the worst-case scenario before we leave. And if we think we¡¯ll lose, we need to take his side instead.¡± At the exact same moment, simr information was delivered to Seol who was preparing for his journey. Chapter 29 Moments before the message was delivered to Seol, the situation had started with Yeo-myeong. Yeo-myeong was in despair after Seol rejected his request. Still, he didn¡¯t give up on saving his younger sister. How could he give up after receiving his younger sister¡¯s secret letter? After his older sister, Sae-byeok, died, he thought it was his duty to protect Noeul. And Noeul herself sent him a message that she was in danger. That message was what started it all. Yeo-myeong didn¡¯t waste a second running out of his room. He wasn¡¯t able to move his right hand, he wasn¡¯t strong, and he was scared. Still, his two feet raced to where his younger sister was. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± He had a dream the night before as well. - Save me¡­ Yeo-myeong, please¡­ save me¡­ Sae-byeok would appear in his dreams, covered in blood, and beg for him to save her while grabbing his right hand. Yeo-myeong would often wake up in shock after seeing something so terrifying. It felt like he was never going to escape that nightmare. He was sure that this was a curse from his sister for him to live the rest of his life with only one arm, crushed by his guilt. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter¡­ I don¡¯t care!¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter if his sister cursed him or if he wasn¡¯t able to use his arm. Those weren¡¯t what was important to Yeo-myeong. ¡°Please be safe Noeul, please¡­¡± He would do anything or throw away anything as long as Noeul was able to survive in this changed world. After their parents passed away when they were young, Sae-byeok raised her siblings. Yeo-myeong and Noeul never whined to help their older sister and followed her every word. That was how the three grew up. But everything changed with Sae-byeok¡¯s death. Because Yeo-myeong thought this could be hisst opportunity to be with Noeul, his legs didn¡¯t stop moving. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± It was a moderately-built temporary building. Despite it being quite close to the center of Kongory, there were countless guild members on guard around it. There were rumors that this temporary building was built by misappropriating the funds from guild members under the pretense of ¡®guild operation fees¡¯. Kyaaaaaaa! Let go! Yeo-myeong rushed into the building without a second thought the moment he heard that shrill scream. He had rushed in so quickly that the guards were unable to stop him in time. ¡°Wh-who the hell are you?!¡± ¡°Noeul! Where is Noeul!¡± ¡°Oppa!¡± Yeo-myeong looked at every person in the building. And the first person that he saw was a familiar face. ¡°Noeul!¡± ¡°Oppa!¡± Noeul cried the moment she saw her older brother. The time they spent apart might have made her miss him more. She ran toward Yeo-myeong right away. It would¡¯ve been a happy ending if they were able to escape the temporary building but the situation was not that simple. ¡°Noeul, you¡¯re just making things bigger.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to leave! I can¡¯t stand being here anymore¡­¡± ¡°The world is not so simple, Noeul.¡± ¡°Why are you acting like that when I¡¯m saying I want to leave¡­¡± Woncheol, the person who made the Justice Guild, was speaking to Noeul calmly. However, she could tell that he was in fact furious and sick and tired of her actions. ¡°Do you think someone who knows this much of our internal structures can really leave freely? Aren¡¯t you looking down on us too much?¡± ¡°What do you want then?¡± ¡°Could you promise me that you won¡¯t say anything about the Justice Guild?¡± ¡°...I won¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°Then 5,000 gold coins seems to be an apt price for leaving.¡± ¡°H-How would I have that much money? Don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡± Woncheol grimaced. A crack formed on his friendly demeanor. ¡°I thought it was quite fair, but¡­ I guess I have no choice if we can¡¯te to an agreement. What gives you the confidence to act this way?¡± ¡°What did I even do wrong to pay that much money?!¡± ¡°The Justice Guild strictly acts on our own interest. The 5,000 gold coins are to cover the time, money, and effort we gave to invest into you. And we can definitely get that expense from you.¡± p! Woncheol gave a light p and a few of the guild members in the building stepped forth. Noeul freaked out and shouted. ¡°H-He¡¯s a liar! ¡®Private¡¯ isn¡¯t here and this ce isn¡¯t to help the weak! He only thinks about selling them off or using them as meat shields! You¡¯re all being fooled!¡± It was silent. Noeul could read the room. It was silent because this wasn¡¯t a surprise to them. ¡°No way¡­ All of you knew about this? And you still pretended not to know?¡± ¡°What wouldn¡¯t you do to survive? Noeul, the world has changed.¡± ¡°I thought this was the ¡®Justice¡¯ Guild! I thought you said you wouldn¡¯t let there be innocent victims!¡± ¡°Justice isn¡¯t set in stone. As the world changes, so does justice.¡± The guild members started to approach Noeul. Noeul screamed and hid behind Yeo-myeong. ¡°I-I¡¯m scared, oppa. I don''t want to be here anymore¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Noeul. We¡¯ll get out of here.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure of it though. Yeo-myeong, despite saying that he would get her out of there, was shaking. Could he really hurt someone else? It was something he had never done before. Could he really swing his sword? That too was something he had never done before. ¡®I can do it. I have to¨C¡¯ Before he could even finish his thought, he was kicked. Fwooosh Bam! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°O-Oppa!¡± ¡°Who the hell is this idiot?¡± Yeo-myeong tumbled to the floor from just one kick. Tremble¡­ Despite his quivering, Yeo-myeong forced himself to stand up. ¡®I need my right hand to move¡­ move¡­¡¯ Yeo-myeong couldn¡¯t fight properly because his right hand was incapable of movement. ¡®My fucking older sister¡­ why did you¡­¡¯ He despised Sae-byeok. Not only did she fill him with guilt, but she also took away his ability to protect his younger sister. ¡°Let go! Let go of me!¡± ¡°Hold still before I get mad.¡± ¡°Let go! Let go!¡± p! Noeul¡¯s faceshed to the side. Her cheeks flushed red. ¡°Fucking bitch¡­ know your fucking ce¡­¡± ¡°Hrgh¡­ Hrgh¡­ it hurts¡­¡± When Yeo-myeong saw that, he felt his rationality fading away. Slide¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± STAAAAAAAAB! He pulled out his sword in an instant to stab the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Noeul,e here.¡± ¡°Kuaaaaargh, you bastard!¡± ¡°Kill him! Fucking kill him!¡± It was a strange feeling. Even though his opponent was fast, his sword was much, much faster. CLENCH! Yeo-myeong¡¯s hand looked more disgusting with the veins bulging as he clenched his fist. [Characteristic: A Haunted Hand awakens.] [It awakens into A Haunted Hand: ck Hand.] [ck Hand assists you in your movements.] [For a short while, you will be able to move extremely quickly.] [It greatly reduces the time it takes to learn a new move.] Slice¡­ Slice! ¡°Guaaargh!¡± ¡°Wh-what are you doing?! Fucking hell¡­ You! Notify the Predator Guild!¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Yeo-myeong was able to fight extremely well despite being surrounded on all sides by multiple people. And as he fought, more and more people were injured from his attacks. ¡°He¡¯s too fast!¡± ¡°Surround him! We just have to prevent him from leaving! We only have to buy time!¡± A long battle continued behind those locked doors. ng! aang! Fwoosh! ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ I¡¯ll kill anyone¡­ who¡­ who messes with Noeul. You evil bastards¡­¡± ¡°You fucking psycho¡­ You¡¯re going to die soon.¡± Yeo-myeong realized that he was mistaken. The person that Sae-byeok was begging him to save every night wasn¡¯t her. - Save¡­ Noeul, Yeo-myeong¡­ He was finally able to clearly hear her words once his guilt was gone. And the ck hand that he received from her wasn¡¯t a curse. It was a request she left for her younger brother. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± He thought there was a possibility they could escape from the situation. But that was nothing more than his hopes. Creaaaak¡­ Woncheol smiled at the sound of the door opening. ¡°Haha! You¡¯re ratherte. I can¡¯t believe one damned bug caused all of this mess.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ you¡¯re right. This is exactly why I told you to keep some of my men with you. Your men are way too soft.¡± ¡°I really should. Regardless, please.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Great White Shark approached Yeo-myeong. Yeo-myeong, red at him while gasping for air. ¡®He¡¯s different!¡¯ His eyes were different from the other people he fought. Unlike the people from before who were terrified of his sword, Great White Shark¡¯s eyes showed annoyance by the situation more than anything. ¡°You¡¯re not him¡­ right?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡®Private¡¯.¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡± ¡°If you aren''t, that''s that.¡± Swoosh! Yeo-myeong couldn¡¯t keep track of his movements for a second. ¡®He¡¯s dangerous!¡¯ However, his ck hand was able to react to the attack before Yeo-myeong even thought about blocking it. aang! The ck hand was just barely able to defend against the attack. ¡°Oh, what is that? Is that a prosthetic arm?¡± ¡°Krgh¡­ let us go.¡± ¡°Woncheol told me he doesn¡¯t want to let you two go.¡± Fwooosh¡­ Bam! ¡°Argh!¡± The ck hand was as hard as steel but Great White Shark was able tond his blows on the hand like it was nothing. ¡°It¡¯s fun but you¡¯re not that skilled. Still, since you were able toe all the way here¡­ I¡¯ll y with you a bit longer. [Great White Shark uses Iron Fist.] [Great White Shark uses Link: Monkey¡¯s Movements.] [Great White Shark uses Weakness Wallop.] Bam. Bam! Every time he swung his fists, the surroundings rang. He was incredibly skilled. Yeo-myeong, once again, started to despair. ¡°Wh-why are you doing this?! When you¡¯re this strong, why¡­¡± ¡°Oppa¡­ Hrgh¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re pissing me off¡­¡± Bam! Yeo-myeong flew across the room and hit the wall. Great White Shark slowly lumbered over to him before grabbing him by his hair. ¡°Saying that makes me sound like a viin, you bastard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ you are a viin. You fucking asshole¡­¡± ¡°Haha! You¡¯re right. But is being a viin such a bad thing? Here, I¡¯ll even exin it to your stupid sister. What¡¯s important isn¡¯t whether you¡¯re good or bad. It¡¯s whether you¡¯re strong or weak.¡± ¡°Gurrr¡­ raaaaaaah!¡± Yeo-myeong was shouting in frustration but was helpless. He waspletely restrained by Great White Shark. ¡°The strong are in the right and the weak are in the wrong. Violence is king now.¡± Yeo-myeong¡¯s mind was getting hazy. It could¡¯ve been because of the loss of blood¡­ but he also had a sickly feeling in his stomach. Yeo-myeong thought he was going to fail to save his sister despite doing his best. He thought he was going to lose his younger sister the same way he lost his older sister in front of him. ¡®No, I can¡¯t let that happen!¡¯ Fwooosh! ¡°Hyungnim!¡± ¡°That bastard¡¯s dangerou¨C¡± Yeo-myeong¡¯s ck hand aimed for Great White Shark¡¯s neck with a sword like a bolt of lightning. Grab! ¡°......¡± ¡°I told you I can see it, you bastard.¡± Crush. tter¡­ Great White Shark had caught Yeo-myeong¡¯s sword with his index and middle finger. He then broke it with a snap. The sword being low quality was a problem but the gap in skill between them was way toorge. ¡®Is this it¡­¡¯ Yeo-myeong stared at the floor. Reality wasn¡¯t a television show. He fought well but he wasn¡¯t strong enough to overturn the situation. Was it the pointless struggle of the weak? * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Knock knock¡­ ¡°Excuse me.¡± It might have been a pointless struggle but it had still managed to change the flow of the situation. The temporary house was covered in fresh blood. And someone was knocking on its entrance. ¡®Who could it be?¡¯ The person had a low, quiet voice, but¡­ Yeo-myeong could hear them clearly. Very clearly. ¡°What the hell? Who¡¯s knocking?¡± ¡°Maybe someone came because of the noise.¡± ¡°Chase them away. They ruined the fucking mood¡­¡± And then¡­ Knock Knock Knock Knock! The person outside pounded on the door. It sounded like thunder. ¡°Open the door. I already know what¡¯s going on.¡± The guild members did nothing more than look at Great White Shark and Woncheol. Woncheol sighed. ¡°It seems like you made the situation quite dirty, Noeul. Let¡¯s take care of them too,¡± said Woncheol. Great White Shark nodded in response. ¡°Block the door the moment theye inside. Don¡¯t let them run away.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Click. ¡°Yeo-myeong, are you alright?¡± ¡°Who¡­¡± Yeo-myeong¡¯s eyes were swollen like a bee had stung them. Still, he managed to look at the man who entered the room. ¡°Do you not remember me?¡± ¡°I thought you¡­ rejected my request.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯te here specifically for your request. I had business to take care of before I left. Still, I am curious how you ended up like this.¡± The person who entered the temporary building was Seol, the person who rejected his cry for help. Yeo-myeong still remembered Seol¡¯s words for him. - I didn¡¯t be strong to save people who do nothing while they wait to be saved by others. Save yourself, Yeo-myeong. Yeo-myeong finally realized the true meaning behind those words. Yeo-myeong was embarrassed by how he stupidly, naively expected someone he met for the first time to help him with their life on the line. And after that, he was ovee with sadness. ¡°Krgh¡­ I tried¡­ I tried my best¡­ but¡­ but it didn¡¯t go well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Seol nned to fight the Predator Guild¡¯s Guildmaster, Great White Shark, before he left Nobira. Seol even had ns to kill him if Great White Shark was capable of endangering him in the future. But as he nned to fight him, he heard about Yeo-myeong. And because of that, he decided to act sooner. ¡®Was it going to end up like this regardless?¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t particrly enjoy helping other people solve their problems but because he couldn¡¯t let Yeo-myeong die, he decided to intervene. ¡°I roughly understand what¡¯s happened. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Great White Shark, Woncheol, and the other guild members were all confused about what was happening. They paused out of sheer disbelief. However, once they realized that Seol was alone, they thought Seol was more ridiculous than anything else. ¡°H-He must be out of his mind.¡± ¡°Who is in charge here?¡± Even though no one had to answer him, they all naturally looked at Woncheol. Seol¡¯s words were strangely powerful. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be taking them. Let them go.¡± ¡°You fucking¡­ I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not taking no for an answer.¡± Woncheol was no longer smiling or respectful. Seol¡¯s actions looked nothing more than arrogant to him. ¡°Hah! You fucking crazy¡­ Who the hell are you? Do you not see the person in front of you?¡± said Woncheol while pointing at Great White Shark. One of the Predator Guild¡¯s members finally realized who Seol was. ¡°Hyungnim, it¡¯s him,¡± said the guild member to Great White Shark. ¡°What? Who?¡± ¡°That Snowman guy or whatever his name was.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ So he was someone who was going to die anyway, I see. Hey, guy.¡± Seol was walking towards Noeul while supporting Yeo-myeong. Great White Shark gave a sinister smile when he realized Seol was ignoring him. His gold teeth showed once more. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can let you go. Snowman, you know who Sang-gyu and Jincheol are, right?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Did you kill them?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°...Am I supposed to just believe that?¡± ¡°And? What do you want?¡± Seol¡¯s golden eyes watched Great White Shark. Great White Shark let out a chuckle after Seol¡¯s mood shifted. Everyone around him was on his side. He had roughly 20 people ready to fight Seol. Seol was definitely in a situation where it was difficult to survive even if he got on his knees and begged. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to die.¡± ¡°In the end¡­ it¡¯s all going in the direction that I expected it to go.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about you bastard¡­ Hey!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re done talking, let me ask a question to everyone in this room. I came here knowing everything that had gone on in this guild. So, do any of you repent your wrongdoings?¡± asked Seol. ¡°Wrongdoing?¡± ¡°So there aren¡¯t, I understand.¡± ¡°G-Get rid of that bastard right now,¡± said Woncheol to Great White Shark. ¡°I also want to tear and rip this arrogant bastard that killed my members to shreds.¡± Great White Shark approached Seol. BAM! [Great White Shark uses Trample.] [Great White Shark will be faster the more he moves.] Great White Shark was furious but became excited at the thought of releasing it all. One of his bad habits was enjoying watching his victims fall to despair after all. ¡°My point total is ¡®Private¡¯. Do you even understand the meaning behind that?¡± Great White Shark was boasting that he was a ranker in Kongory. That he was a skilled individual who overcame hell to get to where he was right now. And with his skill level, there was only one person in Kongory who could defeat him. He wanted Seol to get scared and even be terrified. It was because he would only be satisfied after beating the hell out of his terrified face. But¡­ Seol¡¯s response was different from what he expected. Gloooow¡­ Seol gathered ck energy in both of his hands. Swiiiirl¡­ Prshhh! The ck energy in his left hand created an armored knight and the ck energy in his right hand created a massive troll. Karuna¡¯s stalwart expression and Jamad¡¯s terrifying size made people freeze up. ¡°Wh-why is it so b-big?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that troll¡¯s¡­¡± Great White Shark¡¯s eyes were shocked wide open. He didn¡¯t know who the knight was but it wasn¡¯t difficult to tell who the troll was. He was from an Adventure with hell-like difficulty that he only barely cleared after killing one of the five leaders. Great White Shark was sure that the troll was the final boss of ¡®The 5 Good Brothers¡¯, Jamad. It was the first existence that made him feel fear in this unknown world. And there was someone in front of him who made that embodiment of fear into his summon. ¡°...Wh-who the hell are you?¡± ¡°¡®Private¡¯. Do you understand the meaning behind that?¡± said Seol. Everyone thought for a moment to understand what he meant. And then, they were terrified. Chapter 30 The first person who understood what Seo meant was Great White Shark. Still, he wasn¡¯t the type of person who got scared before he fought someone directly, even if they were supposed to be stronger than him. The only change was that he was more cautious than before. ¡°Are you the bastard with the 600,000 point total?¡± ¡°Is that important too?¡± ¡°Answer me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s around there.¡± The unknown person who had close to double the person ranked 2nd on the Points Leaderboard. Woncheol was shocked when Seol revealed his identity but was quickly able to regain his senses. Woncheol tried to quickly escape from the situation using his words as expected from someone who created a guild with his tongue alone. He was trying to make his move before his opponent could. ¡°Hahaha! I was searching for you for a while, I never thought I would meet you like this. Since you already know everything I¡¯ll get to the point, what do you think about joining us, right now? We promise to give you the best treatment.¡± ¡°The best treatment?¡± Woncheol spoke quickly thinking that Seol was showing interest. ¡°The world changed overnight. People are now in awless wastnd. But danger is also an opportunity, right? We are no longer in a time where your birth determines how you live out the rest of your life. We¡¯re on a new table now!¡± ¡°...And?¡± ¡°We will be pioneers! We will grow big by taking in the outsiders and stand on top of everyone else with everything in our hands! Just like the people who discovered the new continent!¡± ¡°Why would you be standing on top of everyone else?¡± ¡°Well¡­ because¡­¡± Even the eloquent Woncheol paused for a moment for this. Great White Shark answered in Woncheol¡¯s ce. ¡°Because we¡¯re strong.¡± ¡°Strength, huh¡­¡± ¡°Those with strength be thew. That¡¯s the neww of this world. Violence is power.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fun. Then you must also know that violence can only be conquered by violence, right?¡± ¡°Of course. And we will be the strongest.¡± Woncheol thought Seol was reacting to Great White Shark¡¯s words positively and tried to add more. However, Seol spoke first. ¡°But I¡­ don¡¯t care about something like that.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I asked you a question earlier to see if any of you had repented and I already heard the answer to that. So, my answer was also decided.¡± Seol looked at the withdrawn Yeo-myeong and Noeul before looking at the others. ¡°Other than these two, I will kill everyone here.¡± ¡°I knew you! You fucking bastard! I knew you¡¯d do this.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, he¡¯s alone! Why are you guys getting scared?!¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to die! Why should I die?!¡± Since none of them had repented, Seol didn¡¯t feel the need to save them. Great White Shark must¡¯ve deluded himself into thinking he had the advantage since he had numbers. He took a stance. ¡°You arrogant bastard¡­ You¡¯re going to die here.¡± Before Great White Shark could even move, Seolmanded Jamad and Karuna. ¡°Kill them all.¡± Instantly, both Karuna and Jamad lept out. Jamad headed to Great White Shark and Karuna started attacking the enemies closest to them one by one to protect the group. Glow¡­ [Karuna has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] Sliiiide¡­ SLICE! Stter!!! A severed head flew up into the sky as blood tainted the floor. Stter! Stter! Their limbs flew off one by one from moves they couldn¡¯t even see. Slice! ¡°Guaaargh! My arm! My arm!!!¡± ¡°Run away! Run away!!¡± Fwoosh! CRUSH! Jamad threw whatever he could grab at those that were running away. Even the corpses of the dead were weapons to Jamad. Those who were hit by Jamad¡¯s attacks either had their bodies pierced or their bones broken. It was hell on earth. It was such a horrifying sight that it was hard to believe 2 summons were capable of all this carnage. Yeo-myeong and Noeul whimpered. ¡°What¡­ is that strength¡­¡± ¡°Monster¡­¡± Woncheol was someone who was quick to read the room. He was able to tell that the tides were turning the moment Seol appeared. And he needed something to turn the tides back. ¡°Damn it¡­ at this rate, Great White Shark is¡­¡± A fight between the Rank 1 and Rank 2 was like the fight between a dragon and a tiger. Woncheol, after deciding to act on an opening, watched the battle between Great White Shark and Jamad. [Great White Shark uses Rock Smash.] [Great White Shark uses Link: Tenderize] Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Great White Shark unleashed a massivebo like a machine gun. Woncheol, who saw Great White Shark¡¯s attacks capable of breaking even steel before, was confident that Jamad¡¯s skull would be crushed by it. However¡­ Grab. Grab. Great White Shark lost control of both of his hands. Jamad was grabbing them by the wrists. ¡°L-Let me go!¡± ¡°The way you struggle like that reminds me of a bug, human,¡± said Jamad. The difference in strength between Great White Shark and Seol, who had double Great White Shark¡¯s points, was more than double. Seol was at least 10 times stronger than him. And now, Great White Shark was finally learning that lesson. ¡°D-Don¡¯t you dare call me a bug!¡± ¡°Throwing a temper tantrum when they realize they¡¯re helpless is what children do. An adult¡­ should know when to grovel for their life when they should.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP! Jamad ripped his arms off like they were made of paper. It was a horrible sight, they could even see his bones. ¡°Guaaaaaaargh!!!¡± ¡°Do you¡­ like violence? I do too.¡± Great White Shark frothed at the mouth and copsed to the floor. He kicked the floor like he was swimming to run away but he couldn¡¯t escape from Jamad. Jamad was fear incarnate. He looked more and more like an evil spirit. ¡°Violence can only be conquered by violence? A good phrase. However, it seems that you weren¡¯t at the apex like you thought you were.¡± ¡°Uwaaaaaaaah¡­ Don¡¯te any closer!¡± Violence, in the end, falls before violence. Jamad grabbed Great White Shark¡¯s neck and held him in the air. ¡°Kr¡­ Kraah¡­¡± The way only his feet moved really made him look like a shark. Jamad looked at his kicks before speaking once more. ¡°But you know¡­ what should we call the overwhelming violence that stands at the peak? That no one can test? Should that also be called violence?¡± ¡°S-Save me¡­¡± Jamad gave a demonic smile. ¡°Wrong. It¡¯s called ¡®Order¡¯.¡± CRUSH! Great White Shark¡¯s body went limp. Most of the people in this building were already dead. Woncheol could feel goosebumps all over his body the moment he saw Great White Shark die. He could almost feel what Great White Shark felt. ¡°Hie¡­ Hieee¡­¡± Woncheol wheezed and tried to escape through the secret passage he prepared in the temporary building. As his hand reached out to grab the handle to open the escape passage, he felt something sharp. SLICE! Woncheol¡¯s hand was cut off with everything above his wrists still grabbing the handle. ¡°Kuaaaaaargh!¡± After Karuna had finished cleaning up the enemies around him, he stopped Woncheol from escaping. ¡°Uarh¡­ Uahhh¡­ I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± Step¡­ Step¡­ Yeo-myeong, Noeul, and Seol were all approaching him. The only people left alive, from that entire group of over 20 people, were them. ¡±Wh-why are you only doing this to me?!¡± cried Woncheol ¡°I told you¡­ to not mess with my little sister¡­¡± responded Yeo-myeong. ¡°I-I won¡¯t mess with her. Please, just stop now!¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote¡­ I¡¯ll kill you¡­¡± ¡°Aaaargh! Please! Please! Don¡¯t kill me, please!¡± Woncheol crawled on the floor to grab Seol by his pants. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m the only person like this in the world? They¡¯re all trying their hardest to devour each other!¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°If you know! Then you should also know that there¡¯s just going to be more people like me! Because there aren¡¯t anyws or rules! There¡¯s always going to be people trying to create rules! I¡¯m also a victim!¡± Seol had previously asked the informant in the information guild a question. He asked the informant why no one was stepping in. - They probably believe that transferees should have their own rules. Seol looked at Woncheol with a sorrowful expression. Woncheol¡¯s gruesome fate was already set in his golden eyes. ¡°Rules will always continue to be created.¡± ¡°E-Exactly!¡± ¡°But, it doesn¡¯t matter if they are.¡± ¡°What?¡± Seol answered Woncheol as if he was resolving himself. ¡°They can create whatever rules they want¡­ I¡¯ll just destroy them until I like it.¡± ¡°You crazy fuck¡­ You¡¯re just the same as us! You¡¯re just trying to do whatever you want to do! You¡¯re a monster too!¡± ¡°A monster, huh¡­ maybe I am.¡± Seol gestured to Yeo-myeong. It was clearly a sign for Yeo-myeong to finish it himself since he¡¯s helped him this much. After that, Seol stepped back. Yeo-myeong stepped forth and answered Woncheol. ¡°He¡¯s a monster? ¡­That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± Seol gestured to him once more. Yeo-myeong realized what Seol wanted him to do and pulled out his sword. He embedded his sword deep into Woncheol¡¯s chest. ¡°Haaaaaa¡­¡­¡± Woncheol breathed hisst breath. Yeo-myeong then spoke in a childish yet frustrated and confident tone, ¡°He is the ¡®order¡¯.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * When Seol stepped forth to help someone else, his viewers cheered and donated to him. [¡®SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESH¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [Snowmaaaaaaaan! I believed in youuuuuuu TT] - All of you bastards that called him cold-blooded bettere out! Get ready for your punishment! - p! p! - I got pissed as fuck because of those mobs but I¡¯m all better now ^^ - He solved it for us. (Laughing) [¡®Next Level¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [I guess Snowman really is that strong? He just cleared them like it was nothing¡­] - Those idiots were just acting like big shots in a tiny city like Kongory anyway lol. They just got caught by the inspectors. - Inspector? Wrong! He is the order! - From now on I will only refer to him as ¡®The Order¡¯... And I¡¯ll let people know that ¡®The Order¡¯ will tear you off limb from limb if you cut in line¡­ - This was so satisfying haha I imagined them as my bullies hehe - ¡­Good luck dude. This wasn¡¯t big news only to Seol¡¯s viewers. This incident also caused a big wave to the other Adventurers Kongory. It was initially rampant in the Association¡¯smunity where anonymity is promised. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just Now] [Title: This is insane. Did the Predator Guild and Justice Guild both fade into thin air?] My heart¡¯s racing¡­ What the hell happened¡­ Was there a fight? - I don¡¯t know. The temporary building they set up was all fucked up though. - There was a fight. A mountain of corpses came out. Well, in ¡®pieces¡¯. - Hieeeeeeeek! Seriously? I know the Justice Guild had bad rumors about them but something really did end up happening, huh? Why was the Predator Guild caught up in it though? - You could be in trouble if I tell you. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just Now] [Title: I¡¯m d that those shitty Justice bastards are dead. It¡¯s also good that Predator died too.] These fucks didn¡¯t care if you were a woman or if you were elderly, they only cared about taking advantage of you. I¡¯m sure everyone already knows that Woncheol would ease everyone into a false sense of lull while doing all sorts of shady things in the back, right? At least that¡¯s why my guildmaster told me. - Was that why they got along with the Predator Guild? - Birds of the same feather flock together! - These shitty flies are going crazy everywhere now that the world¡¯s changed. How the fuck are we supposed to live in a scary world like this? - It¡¯s a good thing that thismunity is done anonymously at least. If it wasn¡¯t, this would¡¯ve been covered up lol. - I understand the Justice Guild is gone but what about the Predator Guild? Is there any chance they joined some other guild instead? - Nah the other guildmasters made some stupid alliance or blood alliance or whatever the fuck cringe 12 year olds do and promised to stop all exploitation and extortion. And if you don¡¯t follow it, they stab you, lol. - That¡¯s good at least [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just Now] [Title: Do you guys know about the Han siblings?] I heard that this entire incident happened because of them. Maybe they¡¯re the heroes who destroyed the two guilds? - You idiots are sote with the news loool - Why don¡¯t you exin it then? - To be more specific, it was Han Yeo-myeong alone, not the two of them. That I¡¯m confident about. - Huh? - Han Yeo-myeong imed he killed Woncheol himself. - How the fuck did he kill them alone? I heard there were at least twenty of them? - Yeah, I heard he did it alone too. At least that¡¯s what the guildmasters were saying. - Woah¡­ I want to get close with him. Is he some ally of justice or something like that? - You¡¯ll get fucked if you mess with the Han siblings¡­ - The Han siblings¡­ you gotta be careful of them. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just Now] [Title: Stop spreading baseless rumors you procrastinating losers.] Han Yeo-myeong said he was involved with everything but didn¡¯t say that he did everything alone. He said someone helped him. At least that¡¯s what I heard. Only the guildmasters know the specifics. - The difference in information is insane¡­ Regardless, Han Yeo-myeong is a beast, right? - I heard he was ¡®Private¡¯. - Woah¡­ - Seriously? Han Yeo-myeong was ¡®Private¡¯??? - No? I thought Han Noeul was supposed to be ¡®Private¡¯? - What the fuck? Who the hell is telling the truth? - Nah, I heard Yeo-myeong was a Quantum Armored Dinosaur. He shoots rockets out of his chest. - What the fuck are you even talking about??? - Sob¡­ [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just Now] [Title: Regardless, there¡¯s finally peace now.] As fellow Koreans, we should stop trying to scam other Koreans and focus on survival. Please¡­ - Yeo-myeong did something really important. - We shall now celebrate this day where two guilds disappeared as ¡®Order Day¡¯! m the gavel! - We are one! Kongory is one! The person who brought safety and order to Kongory, Seol, was not in Kongory. After he was sure the Han siblings were safe, he left Kongory. He left after saying onest word to Yeo-myeong¡­ ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll be the one calling you.¡± ¡°Huh? M-Me? Obviously I¡¯ll go if you call me but I wonder how much help I¡¯ll be¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I do need your help for. Regardless, I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe.¡± Seol added Yeo-myeong on themunity so that they could message each other regardless of where they were. ¡®I¡¯m sure by the next time we meet, the ghost¡¯s hand will have awakened much more.¡¯ Seol nned for Yeo-myeong to properly pay the price at ater date. And Seol, as he nned earlier, headed to Nobira. After exactly 3 days, Seol arrived at a city close to the Great Forest, Nobira, the Ruins City. [Your Rest location has changed to Nobira.] [You have moved to a different location. The ¡®travel luck dice¡¯ are rolling.] Rattle¡­ Rattle¡­ Chapter 31 The dice rolled for quite a while. The image of dice rolling was inside of Seol¡¯s interface. - So this is the dice that you roll when you change your location, right? - Yeah, just think of it like a weather report for your vacation lol. Like sunny, cloudy, etc. - You could reset it by changing to another key location afterward but there¡¯s no decent one around Nobira¡­ - So basically if he rolls super low, he just has to deal with it for 1 Adventure cycle, right? - Yeah but it¡¯s a super low chance to roll low anyway. It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s average, he just can¡¯t roll a 1 or 2. - Then that¡¯s a relief. Rattle Rattle Rattle¡­ And finally, the dice stopped rolling. [Travel Luck Dice has rolled a 2.] [You are quite unlucky.] [The Adventure you undertake near Nobira now has several variables added to it.] [The Adventure you undertake near Nobira now is a little more dangerous.] [The Adventure you select near Nobira now has a certain chance of forcibly changing to a Sudden Adventure.] [Your Adventure is now considerably dangerous.] [However, if you are able to clear the Adventure despite your awful luck, you will gain a big opportunity.] [¡®Come out¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Who the fuck jinxed it, huh? A 2 came out because of you.] - He just can¡¯t roll a 2 or lower (A 2 came out). - Bwahahaha ?(???*) LMFAOOOOO HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - I can¡¯t believe it actually ended up happening! - Our world is very meticulously crafted¡­ cliches call for jinxes! Seol scowled. Even though he tried to start off his 2nd Key Location with a new mind, it started off with multiple ominous sentences. ¡®This is exactly why yers prepared for everything before changing their location.¡¯ Supplies, potential growth, Adventures, etc. There were many points of concern whenever you were faced with a trial like that. That was why most yers prepared themselves by being at least 1 level above the minimum. It was exactly for these kinds of unfortunate circumstances. ¡®Regardless, there probably won¡¯t be any big problems. And even if there was a problem, I should easily be able to take care of it with my current strength.¡¯ As long as Seol had Jamad and Karuna, there were low odds of anything actually being a problem for him. There were no cities around Nobira that could be considered a Key Location. If you excluded Nobira, the only things around the Great Forest were small towns. Going to a town, which had bad infrastructure, to avoid your luck was a stupid choice as well. Not to mention the fact that you could still get unlucky in that town too. ¡®I should just think of it as an opportunity to get more rewards.¡¯ - Why do I think he¡¯s d he rolled low since he can get more rewards? - Because it¡¯s written on his face! - No way! I hope he slips on a banana on the street! - I hope he has hair in his food! - I hope he identally shits himself when he tries to fart! - That¡¯s difficult even if you roll a 1¡­ - Sorry, I was just projecting¡­ I have a bad stomach¡­ Still, there were reasons why most people didn¡¯t consider rolling low a bonus. Even though the other parts were manageable, having the Adventure that you chose change to a Sudden Adventure was extremely dangerous. ¡®I just have to avoid getting the Sudden Adventure.¡¯ As Seol was praying to not be faced with a Sudden Adventure this time, he slowly walked to the center of the city ¡°Hahahaha! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯de back alive.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a joke, old man. If I really fell off then my corpse would be spread through the Great Forest in chunks. Being a ruins hunter is awful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the charm of ruins. You enter ruins because people weaker than you are able to go and leave but it¡¯s also a ce where people stronger than you can die if they make a mistake.¡± Nobira, the city of ruins hunters. Nobira was the only city near the Great Forest which was filled with ruins. ¡®It looks like the transferees and the residents are getting along well here.¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t have the worst first impression of Nobira. The people who seemed to be transferees melded fluidly into the city. It had apletely different atmosphere from Kongory which had the transferees and citizens on edge against each other. ¡®This might be due to Nobira¡¯s unique disposition?¡¯ The residents of a town who did hardbor work often had rough personalities but they were just as easy to open to those who worked with them. They were treated as friends just by working together. The majority of the residents of Nobira earn their living through hunting ruins. And as such, hunting ruins was treated as an important job. And the most important thing for hunting ruins was simply having people who were willing to hunt ruins. ¡®Nobira became active with the huge influx of transferees.¡¯ Famous ruins hunters, like Borgo, who Seol previously met, often led groups of people. All of thesebat-oriented transferees were a blessing to the residents of Nobira who had all sorts of different jobs instead. And to check Nobira¡¯s mood, Seol first headed to the Adventurer Association. He checked the posts which had been left on Nobira¡¯smunity. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A week ago] [Title: This ruins hunter boomer is acting way too close to me.] He¡¯s taking care of me a lot because apparently, I resemble his dead son ??. It¡¯s so annoying and ridiculous and now I have to take care of him too. - You two should get married! - Nobira, the manly man city. - They talk exactly like the old men who worked at the factory I used to work at lol - Yeah, I also went to a ruin and my ruins hunter leader barely saved me. I¡¯m going to follow him for the rest of my life ?? [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A week ago] [Title: I didn¡¯t think one of the 5 strongest ruins hunter would die] It¡¯s confirmed that Borgo is dead. Amazing! To be honest I used to piss myself a little whenever I saw him in the city so this is great. Does anyone know who killed him? - Do you think Borgo and his 30+ party would die to a transferee? LOL - Ah! Then who could¡¯ve killed him? Nobody else had their group lose numbers, so¡­ - Borgo might¡¯ve not been as famous as the others but his cruelty was definitely tier 1¡­ anyway, regardless of if the person who killed him was a transferee or a ruins hunter¡­ GOOD JOB! - I¡¯ll leave a cake for you ??! I hope you¡¯ll be blessed! ¡®It looks like something happened after Borgo disappeared.¡¯ Because Seol wasn¡¯t particrly interested in the ruins hunters, he looked for other topics. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: If anyone has an open slot¡­ please take me with you¡­ guys¡­] I still haven¡¯t chosen the Adventure for this time. The ruins hunter that I went on thest Adventure with said that he doesn¡¯t want to go with me¡­ I¡¯m so sad ?? - How awful are you for them to reject you? They take just about anybody. - I don¡¯t know, I think he caught meining about the bedding. - Oh, so you were a whiner. Cya. - This is Nobira, the manliness city! Half-minded people won¡¯t be able to survive here! Go to Kongory if you¡¯re that weak! - I heard something happened in Kongory recently though? That ce is also rough. - From what I heard two established guilds got destroyed. - Did they fight between themselves? - Nah, but I don¡¯t know the specifics either. Seol could tell that most of the transferees in Nobira were concentrated on hunting ruins. And as he believed as such, Seol spotted an interesting post. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Are you guys sure you¡¯re not crazy psychos?] How are you guys able to smile andugh when people are dying? I just can¡¯t understand it¡­ - We¡¯re only acting like this because it¡¯s anonymous. I¡¯ve seen a lot of people cry in actual Adventures¡­ - Still, should we really be crying all the time? I feel like I¡¯ll get a disease if I have to see that all the time. - Then are dispatched troops not allowed tough? - The best way to ovee fear isughing. - And honestly speaking, shouldn¡¯t you have adjusted by now? We¡¯re the ones who can¡¯t understand you ?? Seol also considered the cheeriness of themunity boards strange. But because people all have different ways of adjusting to new scenarios, he didn¡¯t think it was weird. ¡®Well, I¡¯m sure they realized it by now.¡¯ That they can¡¯t return to their original world. Seol skimmed through some more interesting posts, took a note of the dangerous areas right now, and left the Association. Because he arrived at Nobira early in the morning, it was still bright out. And because the biggest reason Seol came to this city was to find the missing Chao, he searched the city. The description of Chao that Seol received was this: She has big eyes and a pretty face, has hair ck like charcoal, and enjoys wearing ck robes. With that description, he searched throughout Nobira. ¡°Chao? That¡¯s a weird name. I haven¡¯t seen anyone like that.¡± ¡°Chao? Is she from some other country? A girl? What kind of name is Chao¡­¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen a girl like that.¡± Just running around looking for clues didn¡¯t go as smoothly as Seol thought. However, Seol didn¡¯t give up. He kept going from one area to another to scrape whatever rumors he could find about her. And as he was, he finally heard some hopeful news. ¡°Ah! Maybe¡­ you¡¯re talking about her¡­?¡± Seol¡¯s face got brighter after he finally found a clue after all thatbor. ¡°Do you know her?¡±¡¯ ¡°Yes. I¡­ I think she came here around a month ago? I remember teaching her some things because she acted like it was her first time here.¡± ¡°If it isn¡¯t too much trouble, could you tell me in more detail?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I feel like I can and can¡¯t remember it¡­¡± A few options came up. [[You seem to have found Chao¡¯s traces through this stranger. However, she doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯ll talk easily. What do you say?] 1. Could you try thinking a little bit more? 2. Are you messing with me? 3. Do you know anyone who might know about her? 4. [Required: Intimidation 1] If you don¡¯t tell me right now, I¡¯m going to bury your head in the fucking ruins. 5. [Required: Negotiation 1] Alright, let¡¯s exchange information. 6. [Required: 1 gold coin] I¡¯m sure you can remember.] Cling! Seol flipped a coin thatnded in the woman¡¯s hand. The woman received the coin and started talking quickly as if she was waiting for that reaction from him. ¡°So, the first thing she asked about was about the lease for research rooms¡­¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol, with the information that he found through sheer luck, went to a mansion on the outskirts of Nobira. - It¡¯s a mansion that no one bought because an entire family died in it. Still, it¡¯s often rented out to outsiders. I introduced her to it but I don¡¯t know if she signed an agreement with them. Was she telling the truth? Though Seol wasn¡¯t sure, he circled around the mansion at dark. ¡®It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s been maintained¡­¡¯ Not only were there plenty of cobwebs, there were also broken windows. It almost felt like you wouldn¡¯t be able to see light tomorrow if you got locked behind the wrong, stiff door. [¡®I¡¯m not scared¡¯ has donated 100 Madness!] [I¡¯m not scared of things like this haha I should sleep with mommy tonight.] - She¡¯s probably missed you anyway! - I¡¯m bad with scary things¡­ Does anything scarye out here? - Well, based on the appearance¡­ Wait, is he nning to illegally trespass onto the property? - Fact) He¡¯s not nning to do it, he¡¯s doing it right now. Since Seol had nothing to lose, he tried trespassing into the mansion after confirming there was no one around it. Click. Click¡­ Click¡­ The door was locked. Once again, he saw options. [[There are probably many different ways to enter the mansion. What do you do?] 1. Break the door. 2. Check the storage room in the basement. 3. Break the ss. 4. Use the broken windows to enter the mansion. 5. [Required: Medium] Ask the ghosts in the mansion for a way inside.] There was an ominous option but in the end, Seol chose option 4 as that was the least likely option for him to get caught. Swirl! Seol¡¯s Shadow Hand lifted the windowsill instead of his delicate fingers. Seol, through Karuna¡¯s help, was able to enter the mansion through the window. It waspletely dark in the mansion. ¡®There are traces of someone living here, but¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that recent. It was still about a few weeks old. At least that¡¯s what Seol noticed from the footprints on the carpet and the status of the lights. Seol, after judging that no one was in here, took out amp. Light¡­ He was finally able to see the interior but the mansion was still way too big for someone to search alone. ¡®I have a solution for that.¡¯ Fwirl! Seol waved his hand to summon both Jamad and Karuna. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This ce could have the research room of someone named Chao. Help me find it.¡± ¡°Hmph. I thought it was something important.¡± Stomp¡­ Stomp¡­ Jamad grumbled and left to go search alone with footsteps that were a bit loud for thieves. - I-I¡¯m not searching this ce for y-you, baka! - Jamad is a tsundere no matter how you look at it¡­ - He¡¯s way too buff to be a tsundere though¡­ - Have you never heard of ¡®gap moe¡¯? - Excuse me, sir, what do you have against society? Karuna, unlike Jamad, gave a nod and helped Seol explore the mansion. As the two were walking together, Seol became curious if Karuna always had a quiet personality. ¡°Karuna.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Were you always that quiet?¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®always¡¯?¡± ¡°Before you became my shadow.¡± ¡°I had no one left to talk to when I was left as a disciple in the ruins so I didn¡¯t talk.¡± So he didn¡¯t talk because he had no one to talk to¡­ Seol remembered that Karuna was an elf and shifted the topic. ¡°Then what about when you were an elf?¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember? Why not? Is it because you became a shadow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not because of that. It¡¯s just¡­ All of my memories before I became a disciple feel hazy like a fog.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t remember, huh¡­¡± There were a lot of things unknown about Karuna. Seol was also the first person who made him into a summon. ¡®I just have to find out about him from now on then.¡± Detailed information about the summon was important to the summoner as well. Seol nned on slowly learning everything about Karuna and Jamad. Click! ¡°Master,¡± said Karuna. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°It looks like we found it.¡± Seol entered the room that Karuna opened the door for. And inside was a sight so shocking that Seol couldn¡¯t hold back his surprise. Chapter 32 It was ufortable being called ¡®Master¡¯ but since there weren¡¯t any other short titles he could think of, Seol just epted it. - Urgh¡­ Master¡­ I think I¡¯m going to barf¡­ - Shall I kill him? Master? - I mean it¡¯s not wrong. Summons normally call their summoners master. - I know, but¡­ Karuna¡¯s way too fucking cool to call someone master. - Jamad doesn¡¯t call Snowman master though? - Snowman would¡¯ve stopped Jamad himself if Jamad tried calling him master lol - This is why being nice is a bad thing frfr The room that Seol entered was definitely a research room. It seemed that Chao, the person Seol was searching for, modified the biggest room in the mansion. It was quite a massive room. The size of the room wasn¡¯t the only reason Seol and Karuna were sure this was the research room. ¡°It¡¯spletely filled with research materials.¡± The walls were covered in someone¡¯s pretty handwriting. Not only that, it was also covered in drawings and footnotes. Seol started off by reading the most eye-catching of the writings on the wall. The first one that caught his eye was the phrase written in huge letters. Since words written the biggest had the highest chance of being the topic, Seol read it. - Things that I must solve. So it made sense that everything written here were things that Chao had to solve. So what exactly did she have to solve? Seol read through multiple parts of the wall for a while. And he reached a conclusion. ¡°...They¡¯re all different.¡± It seems that Chao wrote ¡®Things¡¯ for a reason as there were multiple issues that she had. Unfortunately, the contents on the wall went back and forth and were filled with things that had no corrtion with each other and were iprehensible. ¡®Still¡­ it¡¯s not like there were no hints whatsoever.¡¯ Even though there were manyplicated questions on the wall, there were still a few that Seol could tell at just a nce. - Discovered Griz¡¯s secretboratory in the Great Forest. ¡®Griz had a secretboratory near the Great Forest?¡¯ Griz was one of Pandea¡¯s remarkable figures. Not only did he foster mechanical engineering and different studies, but he also filled the world with his breakthrough inventions and strange creations. And the majority of his creations and inventions had fantastic abilities. Because a lot of people desired his abilities, it is fairly known that Griz created various secretboratories throughout the continent to travel to and from. ¡®I¡¯ve only met him once.¡¯ Despite having yed 30 pieces, Seol had only met Griz in person once. It was a one-off meeting but they spent quite a while together. - Oh! That is quite logical! I am so happy, it¡¯s been a while since I met someone who is on the same wavelength as me! Seol remembered Griz¡¯s unique way of talking and how happy he was to meet him. ¡®He was entric but he was definitely a genius. Regardless, if it¡¯s his secretboratory, I¡¯m interested too¡­¡¯ Maybe his inventions or equipment could be there. Even a blueprint or design of one would help Seol get stronger tremendously. Because in the end, it would be an item a genius made. ¡®Still¡­ it¡¯s going to be just as dangerous.¡¯ The only reason Griz was able to keep hisboratories a secret wasn¡¯t because he hid it well. He also left behind things to protect hisboratory. It was an obvious decision for Griz since that was the only way he would be able to leave behind hisboratory without feeling worried. And for Seol, that was exactly what was causing him his worries. Regardless, Seol decided to check out Griz¡¯s secretboratory as his next Adventure. ¡®I hope Chao went here too.¡¯ [The main contents of ¡®Missing Summoner¡¯ have changed.] [¡®Missing Summoner¡¯ has changed to ¡®Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory¡¯.] [Adventure [Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory] is scheduled.] [Because this Adventure is a ''Solo Adventure'', you must clear this Adventure without a party.] Preparing for this Adventure wasn¡¯t particrly different from how he¡¯d prepared for other Adventures. First, he would check to see if anyone knew about the Adventure and if there wasn¡¯t, he¡¯d prepare for the worst-case scenarios that he could realistically expect. ¡®Since I don¡¯t have that much information, I need to be careful.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that Seolcked information about Griz, hecked information about the specificboratory that Griz had hidden in the Great Forest. He needed to be careful since he didn¡¯t know what kind of traps Griz prepared for his intruders. The only thing that Seol could trust in all this uncertainty was his memories and his powerful summons. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A lot of time had passed and the Rest period was over. Seol¡¯s body was once again covered in light before he disappeared. Glow¡­ The people around him nced at where Seol stood but quickly returned to their lives without giving it much interest. Hum¡­ [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 5th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 5. Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory] [ Adventure 5. ¡®Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory¡¯ You have found a clue pointing toward Griz¡¯s secretboratory in Chao¡¯s research room and havee here to find her. Griz is a genius, yet entric inventor. Ordinary people are unable to fully understand him with their way of thinking. In fact, an ordinary way of thinking would only run them into a wall. Based on the rumors that have spread throughout the continent, Griz has hidden his amazing inventions and creations in his secretboratory. Obviously, since he doesn¡¯t n to just hand out his treasures, he has most likely left something behind to protect them. You must clear through the deadlocks that Griz has set up to investigate his secretboratory. Your primary objective might be to find traces of Chao but you must also keep in mind to take some of the fortuitous items you will be able toe across during the process. Objective: Investigate Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory. Remaining Time [71:59]] The Adventure gave him a Remaining Time of 3 days. The first thing that Seol did was check his surroundings. ¡°...It¡¯s a forest.¡± A forest with trees expanding into the horizon endlessly. Rustle¡­ Rustle¡­ Watching the trees shake in the wind gave him a strange feeling of satisfaction. But it onlysted a moment. Seol quickly concentrated on what he had to do. ¡®I must¡¯ve been ced here because the secretboratory is nearby.¡¯ Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t hard to find traces of it. [Insight activates.] [The trees around here look very different from the other trees.] [Insight activities.] [It seems that someone had intent on hiding something here.] Insight finally started to pull its own weight after Seol got the Eyes of Perception. Seol looked carefully at the traces Insight uncovered for him. As Insight noted to him, the trees in this area definitely looked different from the other trees. ¡®The trees in this area must¡¯ve been artificially made.¡¯ It was much clearer once he started topare them to the surrounding trees. Unlike the trees of the Great Forest which varied in size, the trees here were all the same height and size. It was practically uniform and seemed like they were maintained that way. ¡®I¡¯m certain it¡¯s here. Then that means I have to be careful.¡¯ Griz prepared security for hisboratories extensively. Seol, knowing that, was on edge. Crunch. Crunch¡­ Seol entered the trees. Every time he stepped on a leaf, he increasingly became tense. Bzzz Seol stopped instantly the moment he heard that spine-chilling sound. [Insight activates.] [An unidentified danger exists here.] Seol slowly turned around to face the direction the sound came from. Bzzzz An unidentifiable machine with a crystal in the shape of a big eye, almost like a CCTV, was searching the surroundings. ¡®I found it.¡¯ Seol was even more sure that this was near Griz¡¯sboratory now. It was because Griz always had these surveince devices around his secretboratories. ¡®But¡­ How am I supposed to take care of it?¡¯ Seol then saw a few options. [[Griz¡¯s surveince device is currently active. It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to leave that machine working as it''s intended to. What do you do?] 1. Ignore the surveince device and walk past it. 2. Check to see if there are any blindspots. 3. Throw a rock. 4. [Required: Magician] Use a spell that could cause an impact to cease it from functioning. 5. [Required: Archer] Fire an arrow to destroy the machine. 6. [Required: Mechanical Engineering 1] Approach it and procure the surveince device in its full state.] ¡®There aren¡¯t any good options.¡¯ Destroying the surveince device was the correct option. It was just that none of these options were good for him to do so. If his rock throw failed, it would be a huge problem for him. Seol then asked his summons. ¡°I think it¡¯s possible,¡± answered Karuna. It was exactly what Seol wanted to hear. Seol then pulled out the throwing daggers he prepared for situations like this from his inventory. Fwirl¡­ Karuna touched the dagger before taking a stance. ¡°Hrh¡­¡± Throw! Fwooooosh! The dagger flew at an incredible speed at the machine. Krshrh! The daggernded precisely at the machine¡¯s body. The machine then fell to the ground with a thud. - What the hell is this LOL What is that uracy?! - ADC unemployment is on the rise. Will it be fine like this? - Excuse me? If he can just do everything on his own, why do parties exist? - I¡¯m so jealous that he has Karuna! Seol was extremely happy after discovering a new talent from Karuna. ¡°You were able to do that?¡± ¡°Well, I am an elf after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± It was a bit awkward to hear a shadow calling himself an elf but since the situation had been handled, there was no reason to put a damper on things. Fwooosh! Krshsh! Fwooosh! Krshshshh! Every time Karuna threw a dagger, it wouldnd perfectly on its target. Since it wasn¡¯t difficult to recover the throwing dagger with Shadow Hand, Seol was able to clear through the first hurdle of the secretboratory with ease. And after walking for a while, the secretboratory slowly started to reveal itself to Seol. ¡°Is that it?¡± It was a door covered in vines. And Seol¡­ could see a futuristic password input pad that looked straight out of a Sci-fi flick. - What the hell is with ¡®Mechanical Engineering¡¯? Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be a pure fantasy? - Dude! Have you never heard of cyberpunk? - I mean having a mad scientist with insane tech is an unwritten rule by now lol. - Info) This world already had fairly developed mechanical engineering tech in its settings. Their magetech is also fairly developed too¡­ Seol saw a few options. [[It looks like the door is locked. Judging by how the input device next to the door has numbers written on it, you likely need to enter a password. What do you do?] 1. Break down the door knowing the dangers that coulde with it. 2. Search your surroundings to see if there are any clues for the password. 3. Input a random number. 4. [Required: Mechanical Engineering 1] Take the input device apart to see how it was built. - I don¡¯t know what the password is¡­ - TVs can get fixed if you hit it, right? Then why doesn''t he try just hitting it? - The source of his worries is a machine! Just break it then! - You fucking idiots LOL You guys are liberal arts majors, huh? - How the hell would breaking it work¡­ This ce even had surveince machines. - Yeah I think pressing random buttons for the password is going to be a big mistake frfr Seol looked at the password pad and door beforeughing. It was because he remembered what Griz told him during their meeting. ¡®It¡¯s exactly as he told me.¡¯ Seol then spoke to Jamad who had been watching patiently. ¡°Jamad, could you open the door for me?¡± ¡°Is it okay if I break it?¡± ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jamad grabbed the handle and pulled with all of his strength. Creaaaaaaaaaaak! The hideous sound of metal bending screamed out as the door twisted. - W-Wait! If you open it like that¡­ - Oh shit! He shouldn¡¯t have opened the door like that! - Oh my god! This stupid¡­ And as Jamadpletely ripped the door out, the entrance revealed itself. ¡°Is this enough?¡± ¡°Good job.¡± Even though the door was forcibly opened, no rm sounded and nothing had activated. - It worked? - This fucking worked? - Was breaking it seriously the right answer? - What is this game bnce? - So it turned out¡­ the stupid person was me. - Griz: You fell for this? LMFAO This was part of the reason why Griz was called an entric. He often destroyed the perceptions of ordinary people with his strange actions like it was nothing. When Griz met Seol, he told Seol this. - Ah! My secretboratory? The door? Ah! I worked really hard to make it but I wasn¡¯t able to get it to work. And since I couldn¡¯t get it to work I just left it as a decoration. Why did I make all of the doors to my secretboratories like that? Well because that¡¯s the only door design I made? More importantly, I am quite interested in that interesting topic you mentioned earlier¡­ Seol entered theboratory through the entrance. Judging by how ¡®2nd Door¡¯ was written next to the door, there were probably other entrances than this one. And because of that, it was still too early to conclude if Chao came here or not. Hum¡­ It sounded like a fan had turned on. The halls were well lit but Seol couldn¡¯t sense any signs of life. ¡°What is this smell?¡± It smelled way too refreshing to simply think that it was air from the Great Forest. ¡®Does he raise nts here?¡¯ Seol was able to progress through theboratory without any difficulty. Surprisingly, there were no surveince devices inside theboratory. After passing through multiple hallways, Seol entered a room. - Lab 3 As expected from aboratory, the room was filled with mechanical devices. Seol looked through a couple of them before finding something and smiling. ¡®...I found it.¡¯ It was a handwritten note that someone had left behind. - I¡¯m going to sneakily take this because I was interested in it. The person either had to be bold or an idiot to respectfully leave behind a note that they stole something. Seol, after noticing that they even left behind their name on the bottom of the note, was sure that they were the former. - (Chao) [The main contents of ¡®Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory¡¯ have changed.] Chapter 33 Seol finally found traces of her. It wasn¡¯t too difficult to reach, but that was only possible for Seol because he had a rough idea of how theboratory was set up. ¡®If she left a note here¡­ does this mean that she ns oning back?¡¯ It also meant that Chao wouldn¡¯t be here. [ Adventure 5. ¡®Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory¡¯ You have found Chao¡¯s traces here. However, it looks like Chao left after fulfilling her objective. It seems like it would be difficult to find her here. Nevertheless, you are still only near the entrance of the secretboratory. Something more incredible than Chao¡¯s traces could be hidden deeper in theboratory. You must acquire them. Objective: Investigate Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory. Remaining Time [70:41]] - Tch, this is just a wild goose chase. - It¡¯s not, have you never heard of Griz? - Of course, I don¡¯t know them? How would I know them? Do you know them? - I don¡¯t know either. I asked because I didn¡¯t know. - There¡¯s a short excerpt on him in the guidebook. - What does it say? - An incredible genius. And an incredibly weird person? - LMFAOOOO so basically he¡¯s a super unstable character. Seol nodded after confirming the changed Objective. ¡®I didn¡¯t n on stopping here either.¡¯ Seol came here primarily to find Chao but also to hopefully find something that could be remaining here. Griz was, in name and title, a virtuoso of Mechanical Engineering and was also the creator of inventions that could be considered treasures. If there was even a single invention that Griz created left behind in thisboratory, it was the correct decision to search for it. ¡®But¡­ what did Chao take?¡¯ Not only did she discover the secretboratory¡¯s location by herself, she also stole an item from it. Seol could sense that she was an extraordinary person. So what invention was able to catch her attention? ¡°Master, look at this.¡± Karuna handed Seol a group of documents. Seol skimmed through the documents and realized that they were about researching a specific invention as well as the research itself. ¡°Questions about death?¡± Griz¡¯s research normally started from ridiculous thoughts. And it was clear from the words written on the documents that this was once again the case. - What is death? Would it hurt to die? Will I really dpose and turn to nothing when I¡¯m dead? Or are the believers right about an afterlife? I¡¯m curious, oh so curious. I¡¯m so curious that I can¡¯t hold it back anymore! That¡¯s why I¡¯ll find it out! It was clear that Griz led this research from the document¡¯s introduction as well as its contents. - There is no one in this vast continent who has experienced death. Ah, there are undeads, but since they are those who have rejected death, they are exceptions. Therefore, I made an invention that would allow me to get a glimpse at death¡¯s true face. ¡°An invention that would allow him to have a false death¡­ he¡¯s insane.¡± An invention made to see what death would be like. At the end of the record, written was this¡­ - It really¡­ really is terrible! I should try not to die! Lower¡­ Seol ced the documents on the ownerless table and tilted his head in confusion. ¡®Chao stole this? Why?¡¯ The invention might not be a horrible idea and the effects might not even be that terrible. Still, Seol was curious why she would steal this. - I guess there¡¯s a reason why theboratory was a secret ^^ - What if it¡¯s all just shit like this? Loooool - They might all just be duds haha ¡°Still¡­ I have to go deeper into theboratory.¡± There was nothing dumber thaning up with assumptions about something in its entirety after only seeing a portion of it. It was no different from calling an elephant a pir after touching its leg. ¡®I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something left here that I could use.¡¯ Griz, as expected from a fickle person, wasn¡¯t able to research one topic for a long time. That was why Seol was sure there would be an invention on another level from the one he saw so far. Creaaaak¡­ Seol walked through the hallways once again. The hallway was tiringly long and the more he walked, the further down he went. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * - Lab 2 Before he knew it, Seol arrived in front of Lab 2. [Insight activates.] [You sense a presence behind the door.] ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Karuna must have also sensed a presence. He put his arm out to put Seol behind him. And after that, he kicked the door open. BAM! The door was thinner than Karuna had expected and he kicked the entire door off its hinges. ¡°Error detected! Error detected!¡± There was a machine golem in front of the door. Seol became nervous because it was even bigger than Jamad. ¡°The door¡­ destroyed¡­¡± The machine wildly stuck its hands out and awkwardly lumbered over to Karuna. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ It moved way too awkwardly for its size and strength. ¡®Something¡¯s¡­ off?¡¯ The golem kept pausing as it moved. It was clear that there was a problem with it. Karuna grabbed his Moonlight Sword to eliminate the threat but Seol stopped him. ¡°Karuna!¡± ¡°...Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything for now.¡± The machine golem took a few more steps beforepletely stopping. ¡°Critical¡­ error¡­¡± Creak¡­ Creaaaaaak¡­ Seol checked the golem¡¯s body. If it was having this much trouble moving then the problem should normally be clearly visible on the exterior as well. However, Seol couldn¡¯t see any signs of rust. There were some vines on it, like the ones you¡¯d see on the walls of an old house, but that was it. ¡®Vines?¡¯ Seol had a bad feeling that this could be it and gave Karuna an order. ¡°Could you cut the vines here?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Unsheathe¡­ Karuna¡¯s mood had always changed whenever he pulled out his sword. Even though he was only using it to remove the vines from a golem¡¯s body, he looked elegant. Slice! Slice! The vines on the golem¡¯s body werepletely removed. Snap¡­ Rip! There was onest vine around the golem¡¯s neck but there was nothing else that could restrain its movements. Seol gulped. Jamad was on guard. He carefully observed the situation from Seol¡¯s side since the golem coulde charging toward Seol any time now with its vines removed. Cut! ¡°Grrrrrrrrgh¡­¡± Creak¡­ Creak! The golem raised its head with a strange sound. Its eye glowed red. But then, suddenly, the golem¡¯s eye changed from red to blue. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, human. This is Laboratory 81, one of Griz¡¯s more recentboratories, and I am the director. My name is Arta-2 but I would prefer you call me Arta from now on.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Thank you for visiting Griz¡¯sboratory. However, Griz is currently absent. Are you a guest who¡¯s scheduled a visit?¡± ¡°What is this¡­¡± The golem was actingpletely different from before, almost like it had multiple personalities. Seol sighed a breath of relief knowing he didn¡¯t need to reveal that he was an intruder anymore. ¡°I came here without contacting him beforehand.¡± ¡°Then there is unfortunately no way for you to meet Griz at this moment. But, it is possible to look around theboratory. Would it be fine if I, Arta, give you a tour?¡± ¡°A tour?¡± ¡°Correct. This might be a smallerboratory with less to look at but tours are always avable to epting guests.¡± Seol thought for a second while rubbing his chin before nodding. ¡°Then I¡¯d like a tour.¡± ¡°I understand. Have you already taken a look at Lab 3?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I understand. Then I shall give you a tour of the remaining Lab 2 and Lab 1.¡± [¡®Is this dude for real lol¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [He¡¯s being treated like a guest when he came here to rob?] - Snowman! Why does your acting get better by the day?! - He¡¯s even fooling robots now? Who is he¡­ - He¡¯s so bold for being a thief lol - What kind of training did Griz give to his director? LOL - Ah, are you a thief? Make sure to wipe your feet down beforeing in~ hehe - He must¡¯ve mistaken him for Santa obviously. - Does Santa tear down chimneys nowadays? Arta started giving Seol a tour of Lab 2. ¡°This is Lab 2. It was mainly used to research ¡®spirit containers¡¯. This is also where we actually implemented a multiple-attribute spirit container after theoretical verification. ¡° A multiple-attribute spirit container? You¡­ actually made that?¡± ¡°Yes, it is a great aplishment of Griz.¡± Spirit containers were a tool used to transport or restrain the various spirits that existed in the world. ¡°That was possible?¡± ¡°It is. Spirits have the characteristic of attracting and repelling each other so oftentimes when they are put in one ce, they crash into each other. However, Griz was able to solve this problem fantastically.¡± ¡°And how did he do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°...Huh? Weren¡¯t you the director of thisboratory, Arta?¡± ¡°My title doesn¡¯t mean much. All of the research was conducted by Griz himself. Everything here only exists to serve him as his attendants.¡± There was a pile of documents in Lab 2 like there was in Lab 3. Seol nced through it. And as he was slowly reading through it, he saw a word he didn¡¯t expect to see on it. ¡°This belt that¡¯s mentioned here¡­ Was that supposed to be the multiple-attribute spirit container¡¯s transformation?¡± asked Seol. ¡°That was a theory that hadn¡¯t been proven yet. However, the probability of Griz being wrong is extremely low. As such, it should be possible to imbue the multiple-attribute spirit container¡¯s powers into a belt.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Even if the wearer isn¡¯t capable of using the power of various spirits themselves, they will be able to use the spirits¡¯ powers indirectly while wearing it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane. So where is the belt?¡± ¡°It should be here, in Lab 2¡­ Huh? Where did it go?¡± - Huh? Where the fuck did it go? - LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - Here, it¡¯s one million dors. Huh? Where did it go? - Why the hell did it exin it when it¡¯s not even here loool - I don¡¯t really understand what it was talking about but I got the impression that it was supposed to be a really cool belt¡­ - It was here but now it¡¯s gone! Seol really wanted the multiple-attribute spirit belt that Arta mentioned. Since Seol had yed The World of Eternity for a long time, he was able to get a general idea of how powerful something was just by the description of it. ¡°Are you saying the belt disappeared?¡± ¡°I am. And I do not know how.¡± Arta looked surprised as it even made a scratching gesture in confusion. Seol could sense that all of this was somehow connected. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me those vines were¡­?¡¯ Arta acted strangely when it was covered in those vines. Griz¡¯s long absence being the sole reason for everything was starting to look too simple of an exnation. ¡°Arta, what is in Lab 1?¡± ¡°Lab 1 is a biology researchplex.¡± ¡°How big is it?¡± ¡°Even if webine everything that we¡¯ve seen so far, it won¡¯t be anywhere close to as big as Lab 1.¡± ¡°And by biology research¡­¡± ¡°It was research on future foods and a solution for the starvation problem in the Empire. We have cultivated strong nts that are capable of surviving even the harshest of environments there.¡± ¡°Is that everything?¡± ¡°Theboratory¡¯s control center is also there.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°Do you wish to be guided to Lab 1?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seol was confident that something happened there. Whether it was the vines that caused Arta to break down or the missing invention from Lab 2¡­ It all gave him an ominous feeling. Step¡­ Step¡­ As they were headed to Lab 1, Seol asked Arta a question. ¡°Arta.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you¡­ perhaps know anything about ¡®Mn¡¯?¡± ¡°I do not know the word ¡®Mn¡¯. Is it perhaps someone¡¯s name?¡± ¡°...It is a person¡¯s name.¡± ¡°That name had never been inputted into my system.¡± ¡°I see. I understand.¡± - What¡¯s a Mn? - This bastard Snowman is always talking about things that only he knows. - Maybe he¡¯s talking about A.C. Mn¡­? Seol wasn¡¯t asking Arta this for no reason. Mn was thest game piece that Seol raised. And Mn¡­ also spent a long time with Griz. When Seol referenced meeting Griz before, he was talking about this. - Mn, you really are a genius! I, Griz, am so incredibly inspired by you but you also give me a massive inferiorityplex! You are practically all of the knowledge in the world materialized into one person. I can see why you are called the Great Sage, Mn. Am I sad? No, I am oh so happy! I am so happy that there exists someone in the world who can fully understand me! Griz was extremely fascinated by Mn and followed him around because of it but eventually, Mn left Griz behind for his Adventure. Seol could still clearly remember Griz¡¯sst words for Mn before he left. - Do you¡­ Really have to go? I, Griz, think I need you. I don¡¯t think I remember ever desiring something so much. Seol did his best to start thinking about something else. ¡®This isn¡¯t the time to get swept up in my feelings like that. That was then and this is now.¡¯ Seol was close to Lab 1 now after spending time remembering old memories. However, as he got close, he felt something strange. ¡®Hm?¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± ¡°...Arta.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are you the only being in thisboratory?¡± ¡°I am not. There are over 20 attendant¨C I mean, researchers.¡± ¡°I see. I understand. But you were the only one I ran into in this massiveboratory. Do you¡­ perhaps know why?¡± ¡°Huh? I do not. I cannot remember it. Do you perhaps know, guest?¡± ¡°I think I might.¡± [Insight activates.] [You sense movement behind the door.] Slide. Karuna and Jamad both positioned themselves in front of Seol and Arta. They then both broke down the door to Lab 1 at the same time. Booooom! Karuna and Jamad were pushed back from a massive blow that was as heavy as a blow from a steel bat. The two of them were hit by the vines of a giant nt. Seol looked at the vines with the golden Eyes of Perception. ¡°You ran away from here. Away from those monsters,¡± said Seol. Beyond the vines were countless more vines and leaves that were asrge as Seol himself. It was just like he had entered a giant¡¯s garden. Seol, using the effects of Eyes of Perception, looked at all of the new information that had entered his vision. Chapter 34 The Eyes of Perception gave a lot of information in one message. As if it was trying to warn Seol that he was in a dangerous situation right now. [[Overgrown Lifeform] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 10~14 Griz had hidden a secretboratory near Nobira and in the deepest parts of thisboratory, there is a biologyb that was constructed to solve the food crisis facing the continent. However, there is a problem here in this room filled with these lively nts. These nts had grown to a massive size, way beyond the limits that Griz had set for them. Furthermore, theboratory¡¯s central control unit isn¡¯t able to function properly due to the nts that have engulfed it. These nts have even captured researchers, almost like they were gaining sentience, and were growing endlessly. If they continue to grow like this, these nts could spread out into the Great Forest and bring forth a horrible disaster. Basic Skills: [Vine Whip 1], [Unstable Spore 1], [Grasp and Swallow 1], [Charm Pollen 1], [Corrosive Sap 1], [Rapid Growth 1] Unique Skills: [Hivemind 1]] ¡®Is that so¡­¡¯ What caught Seol¡¯s attention more than anything else was the monster¡¯s unique skill. ¡®It probably took over all of the researcher golems with Hivemind.¡¯ nt, insect, whatever it was¡­ Controller-type monsters usually had skills that allowed them to control other things. Sometimes those skills were able to control more than just things or objects and were even able to control yers. ¡®I can¡¯t believe a Solo Adventure is this difficult¡­ this is an awful situation.¡¯ This situation wouldn¡¯t be easy even if he was allowed to bring 5 people as his party members. ¡°Everything in thisb is our enemy now.¡± ¡°It would seem so, Master,¡± answered Karuna at the side. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking? Did you trick us?¡± Jamad asked Arta. Jamad thought Arta was suspicious because it dragged them here without an exnation. ¡°I did not trick you. I only just found out about this now as well.¡± ¡°How did you not know? Hm¡­ Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s¡­?¡± said Seol as he thought back to the first time he and his summons met Arta. The poor golem was stuck in Lab 2, unable to move because of the vines that wrapped its body. Seol quickly deduced that because Arta realized he was no longer able to control the nts in Lab 1, he ran away to Lab 2. Fwirl! Bam! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Jamad was pushed back after taking an attack from a vine. However, Seol was more surprised by the fact that Jamad barely took any damage from being hit by a massive vine. ¡°It seems as if there was an error with my save function. I will do my best to recall the things that happened here.¡± ¡°Arta! Quickly!¡± [Karuna has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] Gloooow¡­ Fwoooosh! More vines flew toward them. Even though it was easier to defend against the attacks because of the narrow entrance, it was still a difficult task. Slice! Karuna¡¯s Moonlight Sword barely managed to counterattack. ¡°Kieeeeeeeee!¡± A scream could be heard from the central control unit far away. It was clear that the monster in control of these vines was over there. ¡®No, it¡¯s not just one opponent.¡¯ This entireb was his enemy. Also¡­ ¡°Master.¡± ¡°...I saw.¡± Writhe¡­ The vines that Karuna had cut off were slowly regenerating. [Overgrown Lifeform used Rapid Growth.] - This is insane¡­ - How does this make any sense? - How is he supposed to beat that alone?! - The difficulty of this is a mess¡­ The viewers, who felt the same thing that Seol was thinking right now, were in an uproar. However, the difference between them was that Seol was still looking for a way out. ¡®It¡¯s an unreasonable ask to require me to defeat something like this alone when it¡¯s a Solo Adventure. It¡¯s still early on in the Adventure too. There must be a different solution.¡¯ There was no chance of survival if you had to defeat something this difficult early on. It could somewhat make sense if it waster into the Adventure but not now. As Seol continued to think to himself, a word grabbed his attention. ¡®Wait, alone¡­ alone?¡¯ If you couldn¡¯t solve it alone, you had to solve it together. And right now, standing next to Seol, was someone who was not a part of his party. ¡°I have finished recovering my memory. There has been a grave error. Would you like an exnation?¡± ¡°Desperately!¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The person who wasn¡¯t in his party originally was Arta, the director of thisboratory and a massive and powerful mechanical golem. Karuna and Jamad took turns deflecting the vine attacksing from the entrance as Arta quickly summarized the current situation. ¡°I discovered that the nts here had unexpected signs of overgrowth. As I was giving a report to Griz, the nts took over the central control unit and cut off my contact with him. This strange lifeform is intelligent and highly aggressive.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°The researchers quickly became unfunctional after being controlled by the nt¡¯s vines and I escaped to Lab 2 to run away from the danger. And after that, I met you, guest.¡± Because the situation was dire, Seol spoke in short, quick sentences. ¡°Arta.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do they have any weaknesses?¡± ¡°They have the same weaknesses a nt has. They are weak to blight and insects and they burn easily to fire.¡± ¡°This ce won¡¯t be safe either though if we burn all of the nts¡­ Then another method would be to¡­¡± ¡°That is not the case.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If we could get to the central control unit, we should be able to activate the Large-Scale Fire Response Device.¡± ¡°Does it suck in all of the smoke?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± This meant that if they were able to get close to the central control unit, they could take care of the nts in one go by burning them all. As one problem was solved, Seol tried to n out a solution for the next one. ¡°Arta, are you capable ofbat?¡± ¡°I am not able to attack anything without Griz¡¯s permission but I am allowed to defend.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Seol quickly got to the heart of the matter and asked, ¡°What about the golems here?¡± ¡°Do you mean the researchers?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, it is possible. However, even if you are able to free them from the nt¡¯s restraints, since they have already ceased function once, you must answer the question set by Griz to get them to move.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s one of those password-finding problems, I see¡­¡± ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Still, to reach the central control unit¡­ No, to even reach the closest golems, we¡¯d probably need fire¡­¡± ¡°I have extra gasoline.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± - Snowman is fucking insane lol - He¡¯s so quick at figuring out the situation lol - It¡¯s really Jamad and Karuna who are the insane ones¡­ they¡¯ve been cutting through these vines like it¡¯s nothing while they were talking haha - It¡¯s Man vs Nature! * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [The main contents of ¡®Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory¡¯ have changed.] [¡®Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory¡¯ has changed to ¡®The Sleeping Golems of the Forest¡¯.] [Adventure 5. ¡®The Sleeping Golems of the Forest¡¯ The biology researchplex exists in the deepest part of the secretboratory and in here, there has been a huge problem. Overgrown nts have gone on a rampage and have taken over theb. These nts have deactivated many golems during their rampage and have taken over the central control unit. Currently, you are the only person capable of solving this issue. Reach the central control unit and activate the Large-Scale Fire Response Device. And after that, burn all of the nts. You are able to receive help from the golems during this entire time. The more golems that help you, the better. Objective: Defeat the Overgrown Lifeform. Rescue as many golems as you can. Remaining Time: [68:20]] ¡°Arta, gasoline.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Creak. A pocket opened up on Arta¡¯s waist. Seol pulled out two cans that looked like water bottles and tossed them to Jamad. ¡°We have to set our weapons ame.¡± Jamad¡¯s and Karuna¡¯s weapons weren¡¯t ordinary weapons. For an ordinary weapon, being put on fire was a huge issue and would dull them or make them unusable. However, for powerful weapons like this, reducing the durability a bit was the most it did. ¡°Oho.. I see.¡± Jamad¡¯s Mountain Fists and Karuna¡¯s Moonlight Sword were both lit on fire with the gasoline Seol brought. ze¡­ ¡°Kieeeee!¡± ¡°It got slower. It¡¯s afraid.¡± ¡°Go forward! All the way there!¡± Booooom! [Karuna has entered the 2nd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Half Moon.] Gloooow! Slice! Burn! ¡°Kieeaaaaa!¡± Jamad and Karuna matched Seol and Arta¡¯s pace as they cleared everything in front of them. Even though it seemed like the vines were going to attack them from all sides, only one attack would properly follow through at them whenever they waved fire around. Seol thought it might¡¯ve been possible to burn them all down like this but shook his head. ¡®It¡¯s too big of a room. And the moment they get ustomed to the fire it¡¯s over.¡¯ The best option here was to free the golems as fast as he could and to reach the central control unit. And just then¡­ Fwirl! ¡°Arta!¡± Vines were attacking Arta from all sides. Jamad and Karuna were unable to help because they were dealing with the other vines. It looked like Arta was about to be destroyed by the vines. Baaam! However, contrary to Seol¡¯s expectations, something unexpected happened. Arta was able to swiftly, easily deflect the vines like it was nothing. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I am capable of defending myself.¡± Seol now understood how Arta was able to escape all the way to Lab 2 by itself. If the golems were even half as strong as Arta, his army would be incredibly powerful. The ce they were advancing toward, while deflecting the onught of vines, was where the nearest golem was at. A golem, which looked a bit smaller than Arta but still as tough, was wrapped in vines and was unfunctional. ¡°Jamad!¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Jamad used the burning Mountain Fists to rip apart the vines from the golem¡¯s body. Rip! Ripping off the messy vines wrapping the golem only took a second. The golem, though a bit damaged, was able to wake up fine. However, the golem only raised its head slightly when it woke up. It was not taking any actions whatsoever. Arta, after seeing that, said, ¡°As expected, you must enter the password.¡± ¡°Where?!¡± asked Seol. ¡°Here.¡± Arta might¡¯ve spoken calmly to him but Seol shouted in a hurry. Arta pointed at the password input device on the golem¡¯s leg. When Seol saw the question that popped up on the password input device, he was shocked. ¡°...What kind of fucking question is this?¡± He saw a few options. [[The question that popped up on the golem¡¯s input device is this, ¡®Who is the biggest genius in the world as well as the symbol of intelligence?¡¯] 1. King Esra. 2. Duke Hoju. 3. Princess Cira. 4. Griz. 5. Master Magician Sh. ¡­¡­] The answer to this question was already decided. Seol quickly picked option 4 on the input device. ¡®Griz is a hell of a narcissist.¡¯ He believed himself to be the perfect human. ¡®Please work¡­¡¯ Creak¡­ The golem¡¯s eye lit up blue. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, human. I am Alber-23, a researcher here. What may I assist you with?¡± [You have activated Alber-23.] [You have rescued a sleeping golem. (1/20)] Arta took control over Alber. Alber immediately joined the group and defended attacks from the vines. Fwirl! Bam! As the tworge golems defended attacks from the vines, Seol was able to notice that the vines were growing ustomed to the fire. Even though it should¡¯ve been getting easier, there were more and more vines. ¡®This is exactly like Risk¡­¡¯ Seol had to build up the biggest golem army he could before it was toote and reach the central control unit. The party recklessly charged onward. The rate at which they were rescuing golems was getting faster and faster. It was because all of the answers were just the ones that were rted to Griz. ¡°Run!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the poisonous sap! Block it!¡± Giant flowers spit out poison at Seol. The sap flew out in the shape of an arrow. Cshhhhhh¡­ It wasn¡¯t able to reach Seol. ¡°Are you alright, guest?¡± ¡°...Thank you.¡± ¡°I shall guide you to the central control unit.¡± And that was because one of the golems in front of Seol sacrificed their arm to protect him. Seol was collecting more and more golems. [[The question that popped up on the golem¡¯s input device is this, ¡®Which is the fastest horse on the continent?¡¯] 1. Sir Ramford the Pdin¡¯s prized horse, Springle. 2. A gift given for Omud and Jira¡¯s political marriage, Gurnung. 3. The steel-armored horse of the Sesuzu Steel Knight¡¯s Captain. 4. The horse of Gora, the leader of the Sand Raiders. 5. Griz¡¯s Kramoto-7(Improved Model). ¡­¡­] [You have activated Hotun-11.] [You have rescued a sleeping golem. (9/20)] [[The question that popped up on the golem¡¯s input device is this, ¡®Which emerging force will have the greatest influence on the continent in the future?¡¯] 1. Secret Guardian. 2. Griz¡¯s Machine Army. 3. Troll Tribe Alliance. 4. Zodiac. 5. Exiles'' Paradise. ¡­¡­] [You have activated Girita-7.] [You have rescued a sleeping golem. (10/20)] They headed toward the central control unit like an icebreaker tearing through ice. They might have been weak in the beginning but they were terrifying now. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± The central control unit was now close enough to be in Seol¡¯s vision. But then¡­ ¡°Hey, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± shouted Jamad. And in an instant, a bunch of massive flowers appeared near the central control unit. Chapter 35 The massive flowers widened their mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth and tried to swallow Seol whole. And just as Seol was about to be sucked in¡­ Graaaaab! ¡°Get away! Hurry!¡± Jamad pulled on the flower¡¯s stem from the other side to help Seol escape from the danger. ¡°Jamad!¡± ¡°Run! Don¡¯t worry about me!¡± [Overgrown Lifeform used Charm Pollen.] ¡°You think I¡¯m just going to let you do that?!¡± Fwoosh! Buuuuurn¡­ Jamad swung his zing fists, burning all of the pollen around him. Seol¡¯s face stiffened slightly. The monster-sized nts were starting to surround Jamad. The group was still charging toward the central control unit together. It would be incredibly dangerous for Jamad if he fell behind on his own here. [Jamad has changed to the Earthquake Stance.] Rumble Rumble Rumble¡­ TEAAAAAAAR! Jamad grabbed the stems of the flowers with his fists and ripped them apart. ¡°Don¡¯t make me tell you twice! I¡¯ll be right behind you!¡± ¡°...Got it.¡± Jamad slowly became surrounded by the giant nts until he was no longer in sight. Seol then turned his head away from Jamad and resolved himself. He focused solely on solving the issue at hand. ¡°This is the central control unit,¡± said Arta. ¡°Damn it¡­ Why the hell did he have to build this in the center of theb? It¡¯s over for us if we get cut off! Hurry, try to connect to it!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Step¡­ Step¡­ Duun¡­ Arta reached his arms out to the central control unit. And as he did¡­ Huuuuuuuuuum¡­ A bunch of indecipherable patterns lit up on the central control unit¡¯s face. Not too long after, Arta started making sounds. ¡°A critical error has urred. Requesting permission to dispose of the research material.¡± ¡°You have to get permission?¡± ¡°Waiting for Griz¡¯s permission¡­¡± ¡°Skip it! They¡¯reing!¡± A vine caught one of the golems and swiftly wrapped itself around it. Fwirl! Karuna used his zing sword to cut through the vines diagonally to free the golem. Slice! Burn¡­ ¡°Hurry!¡± ¡°Understood. I will attempt to force authorization as a proxy.¡± Huuuum¡­ Arta¡¯s body glowed in a strange pattern. ¡°Arta-2, Director of Laboratory 81, has connected to the central control unit. Executing independent order.¡± Fwirrrrl! Boooom! Cruuuuush! A researcher¡¯s head was caught by vines and crushed into scrap metal. Even though Seol worked hard to bring as many golems as he could, their numbers decreased. ¡®Quickly¡­ there¡¯s no time!¡¯ Seol urged Arta to work faster with his eyes. And then¡­ Arta¡¯s eyes turned blue. ¡°Ordering functional researchers to delete all research materials.¡± [Large-Scale Fire Response Device activated.] Huuuuum¡­ Click. Sliiiiiiiide¡­ Despite it being heavily underground, Seol could feel the fresh air like he was in the middle of the Great Forest. Click¡­ Click¡­ The machine golems opened the covers to their muzzles on both arms. ¡°Incineration order received.¡± ¡°Deleting all research materials.¡± The golems raised and pointed their arms at the vines that were aiming for them. And then¡­ An intense heat shot out from their muzzles. ¡°Kieeeeeee!¡± ¡°It worked!¡± Burn¡­ The massive fire split apart the vines and leaves like how Moses parted the Red Sea. The entireboratory didn¡¯t burn down in a sh now that the Fire Response Device was active but the stems of the demonic nts were incinerated brilliantly. ¡°ording to my calctions, there is a probability ofcking enough gasoline to take down all of the nts. I implore you to rescue the remaining researchers, guest,¡± said Arta after walking next to Seol. ¡°Damn it! Got it!¡± Since only half of the researchers were operational, Arta¡¯s worry was right. The fire singed Seol as he moved around but it also worked to help free the golems from the vines. [You have activated Igram-31.] [You have rescued a sleeping golem. (18/20)] [You have activated Zuku-12.] [You have rescued a sleeping golem. (19/20)] Click. Huuuuum! Buuuuurn¡­ The greenb was now painted in ck and red. Even though they were mes, they didn¡¯t make Seol fret. It felt like a fire that hade to purify the world. Currently, half of theb was aze and the other half was filled with nts that escaped over there to run away from the fire. Seol, knowing that he was able to ovee the danger, let out a sigh of relief. ¡®Yeah, this is why it was a Solo Adventure.¡¯ Unless something extremely unusual happened due to some variable, a Solo Adventure should rarely be harder than a 5-man Adventure. The only time it might look like that is if you haven¡¯t found the correct strategy for it yet. ¡®This could also be due to bad travel luck too.¡¯ Since Seol rolled a 2 when he entered Nobira, even a Solo Adventure was something he had to be cautious about. ¡°Jamad!¡± ¡°...Over here.¡± Jamad had already returned to Seol¡¯s side before he knew it. Jamad likely escaped the entrapment through his own efforts before the fires got stronger. ¡®He¡¯s definitely amazing.¡¯ The fact that Jamad was able to escape from something like that alive made him look even more incredible to him. ¡°Kieeeeeee!¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost over.¡± This Adventure could probably also be cleared without the golems¡¯ help if you were a fire magician or chose Mechanical Engineering as your talent. But, as expected, the easiest and cleanest way to clear this was probably the method that Seol chose. The fact that he was able to find this method in such a crisis was praiseworthy. ¡°...Hm?¡± Jamad scowled. He then clenched his fists tighter as he looked beyond the fire. Seol was finally able to tell why Jamad was scowling after the fires died down a little. ¡°Kieeeeee!¡± A mysterious flower was screaming as it was acting as a parasite on the final, unfreed golem. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the flower that is behind everything.¡± As Seol rubbed his chin to think to himself, the flower charged at him. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡± Jamad pushed Seol back and charged back into the golem. Baaaaam! ¡°Jamad!¡± Wrap! Many vines writhed out from the golem¡¯s body. However this time, unlike the previous attacks that bent to strike like a whip, the vines slithered around like a snake. [Overgrown Lifeform used Hivemind.] ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­!¡¯ Even though the entireb was set aze, the monster still hadn¡¯t given up. It was tenaciously waiting for something to turn the situation around and had chosen Jamad as its target to enact it. ¡°Krgh!¡± Jamad was unable to use his arms because of the golem. If the vines engulfed him, even if it was Jamad, he would simply be controlled by the monster. However, despite the danger, Jamad calmlyughed. ¡°Oi, you lump of steel. Now¡¯s your timing.¡± Crush! Jamad dug himself deeper into the golem¡¯s arms to avoid the vines. He then twisted the golem¡¯s arms inward to break both of them off. It was an incredible feat but it looked like the vines were still going to reach him. However, Karuna soared up from behind Jamad¡¯s back. Glooooow! [Karuna has entered the 3rd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Full Moon.] ¡°Hrgh!¡± Karuna spun mid-air and rained down multiple illuminating sword strikes to the ground. Burrrrrrrn! Sliiiice! ¡°Kieeeeeee!¡± Karuna then saw something shine in the destroyed monster¡¯s body. Staaaab! Karuna thrust his sword into it. Crush! It sounded like something broke. Boooom! And as the sound rang out, the monster popped like a balloon. Thud¡­ Buuuurn¡­ It was a horrific sight, to the point that it was justifiable to call it the middle of hell. If it wasn¡¯t for the Fire Response Device congealing the fire right away, Seol¡¯s lungs would¡¯ve been filled with smoke and ash by now. ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± Not too long after, Seol saw messages. [You have defeated the Overgrown Lifeform.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [You have acquired Multiple Spirit Container Belt (Iplete).] [You have acquired Blueprint: Multiple Spirit Container Belt.] [You have acquired Intact Vitality Powder.] [You have acquired Modest Leather Armor.] [You have acquired 10 tinum coins.] [You have acquired 2 gold coins.] [You have acquired 677 silver coins.] [You have acquired 33 medium red potions.] [You have acquired 18 medium blue potions.] ¡­¡­ An explosion of messages showed up at once. Seol quickly searched through the flood of messages to find the words that he wanted. ¡®Multiple Spirit Container! I knew it would be here.¡¯ The Multiple Spirit Container Belt and its blueprint both came out at the same time Seol defeated the monster almost like the monster ate it. [¡®Nice items¡¯ has donated 400 Madness!] [We¡¯re happy now, right? The spirit container belt is gonna fight on its own now, right?] - How the fuck is a belt going to fight on its own lol - Man there¡¯s so many rewards for a Solo Adventure - How was this hard at all sheeesh [¡®Today¡¯s protagonist is¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [It¡¯s Jamad. He was running around here and there on his own the entire day sheeesh] - FACTS - I was honestly scared when Jamad was left behind on his own¡­ - Jamad: It was at this moment I knew¡­ I fucked up haha - Stop bullying our Jamad ?? - Look at Jamad man¡­ so inspirational. [¡®nt Lover¡¯ has donated 100 Madness!] [Why did you burn the nts? Could you not hear them screaming in pain? I am a nt supporter.] - Yes, so let''s support them by burning them all up. Ohohoho! - They really burned well haha - The problem is solved! [¡®Caught you¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [I found out his pattern. Problem happens -> His summons solve it -> Nods his head after watching them solve it.] - Live life like Snowman. - That nodding part kinda pisses me off LMFAO - I bet even my baby cousin could do what he did. - Guys¡­ didn¡¯t you guys just see that he has amazing decision-making? - That was then and this is now! Seol checked the new items that he got. [[Multiple Spirit Container Belt (Iplete)] Quality: Special Rmended Level: 10-20 Defense: 20 Durability: 140/140 Weight: 0.2kg A belt designed by Griz, the genius inventor who is the pride of the continent. It has immense potential but for various reasons, only the foundation for it has been properly set. Basic Effect: +2 Constitution Bonus Effect: Transforms every time it absorbs a spirit.] - Huuuuh? +2 Constitution only? - He worked this hard to only increase his constitution by 2? LMFAOOO - Buuuuurp¡­ That¡¯s nice! Seol read through the entirety of the description then looked at the item that was likely rted to this item. [[Blueprint: Multiple Spirit Container Belt] Quality: Normal Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: A blueprint with instructions on how to create thepleted Multiple Spirit Container Belt.] The blueprint looked like a rather thin booklet. Seol flipped through a few of its pages. And then, he saw a message rted to it. [Hidden Adventure ''To the Best of One¡¯s Ability'' is now active.] [Adventure ¡®To the Best of One¡¯s Ability¡¯ is scheduled.] [Because this Adventure is a ''Linked Adventure'' you cannot choose your next Adventure.] ¡®A forced Linked Adventure?¡¯ It seemed like the blueprint that Seol was holding onto was a secret that forced the Linked Adventure. Seol looked at the blueprint for another second before putting it into his inventory. ¡®It¡¯s fine though since it really didn¡¯t matter what my next Adventure was.¡¯ Since he didn¡¯t want to go around wearing a simple +2 Constitution belt,pleting this Linked Adventure was the correct option. [[Modest Leather Armor] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 10-20 Defense: 33 Durability: 65/65 Weight: 0.5kg A leather armor you can wear inside of your armor. It doesn¡¯t have any special effects but it is highly efficient in supporting your defense. Basic Effect: +7 Constitution Bonus Effect: No equipment restriction. Could be worn simultaneously with other armor.] - Summoners can¡¯t wear leather armor though? - I mean the effect says you can though? - Still, it¡¯s only a constitution buff¡­ - Are you guys all blind¡­ It says it could be worn with other armor¡­ - OMG¡­ Seol was d that there was at least something of worth in all of this. The final reward that was left was the powder that he received. [[Intact Vitality Powder] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: A powder enhanced in vitality. However, you must be cautious as it can grow too much.] - What is this? - Where would you use this? Contrary to his viewers¡¯ questioning responses, Seol was satisfied with it and gave a smile. ¡®This is a bigger pull than I expected.¡¯ Seol also knew exactly where and when to use the powder as well. After confirming hisst reward, Seol stood up and wiped himself off. He then looked at the inoperational golem in front of him. That golem was the researcher who was under the monster¡¯s control until the end. Seol approached the golem¡¯s input device. He approached it to free it. [[The question that popped up on the golem¡¯s input device is this, ¡®Who is the first person that I, Griz, desired?¡¯] 1. I, myself, Griz 2. No one 3. Furia, the Wind Dancer 4. Yuran, the Human Merchant 5. Mn ¡­¡­] ¡°...What?¡± Seol was able to solve all of the questions easily so far without trouble. And almost as proof of that statement, he had a massive army of golems behind his back. If everything was the same as before, the answer this time should be Griz as well. He was someone who loved himself above anyone else after all. However, Seol hesitated on the answer for this question. It was because of what Griz had told him before. - Do you¡­ Really have to go? I, Griz, think I need you. I don¡¯t think I remember ever desiring something so much. Seol, in the end, chose Mn, his final piece. - Ah! You picked the wrong one! - You idiot! How could you get something so easy wrong?! - How do you not know this? The answer¡¯s obviously Griz. Seol¡¯s decision was unexpected like the viewer¡¯s reaction showed. Still, Seol calmly chose ¡®Mn¡¯ as his answer as if he didn¡¯t care about being wrong at all. Griz was an extreme narcissist. How could the genius of the continent desire someone else other than himself? There was no way that would be the case. Still, if he was wrong then the only thing that would happen was the golem not moving. But then¡­ Click. The golem started to move. [You have activated Griam-1.] [You have rescued a sleeping golem. (20/20)] [You have rescued all of the researchers within the Remaining Time.] [You have been given additional rewards.] Chapter 36 Seol woke up the final golem and its eyes started to glow blue. Glow¡­ [You have earned the achievement ''Every Golem Counts''.] [You have earned the title ''nt yer''.] Griz never left any traces of anyone other than himself in hisboratories. And right now, that extreme narcissist mentioned someone else for the first time potentially ever. The viewers were shocked after hearing an unfamiliar name again. - The answer¡­ was Mn? - It wasn¡¯t Griz? - All of the viewers were wrong¡­ - How did Snowman know? Even Seol, the person who woke up the golem, was surprised. ¡®Mn was that important to Griz?¡¯ In Seol¡¯s eyes, Mn was just his avatar and one of his many pieces. Seol was a bit surprised that a living, breathing person in Pandea, a world he once thought was a game, hadn¡¯t forgotten about his piece and missed him. And on the other hand, it also felt strange. Seol wasn¡¯t sure how to put into words the tingling feeling that he got. As Seol watched the burningb with confused eyes, Arta, theboratory¡¯s director, approached him. ¡°Guest, we have received so much help from you. Though the research material we¡¯ve worked on for a long time might have been burned down, Griz shouldn¡¯t mind it either as we still have the records for it.¡± ¡°Fuu¡­¡± Seol found it hard to forget the image of when the giant flower was right in front of him. It looked like it was straight out of a sci-fi movie. ¡®What the hell has Griz been doing?¡¯ Since Griz¡¯s specialty was appearing out of nowhere and going here and there because they were busy, it was unlikely that Seol would meet him early in the Adventure. Step¡­ Step¡­ One of the golems carefully brought a small box and handed it to Seol. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°This is thanks for helping solve theb¡¯s problem.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The additional reward. Even though Seol was already satisfied with the belt, denying this would make him a good person but not a strong person. [You have been given an additional reward.] [You have acquired a ¡®Boots of Narrow Escape¡¯.] ¡°Boots?¡± ¡°Yes, Griz was often highly interested in new materials as well. He always gave his best effort in pouring in the essence of Mechanical Engineering into materials other than steel like cloth and leather.¡± ¡°And this is one of his inventions?¡± ¡°Precisely. Also, the core engine in those boots is also one of Griz''s rtively newer models.¡± Seol carefully inspected the boots he received as a reward. [[Boots of Narrow Escape] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: N/A Defense: 25 Durability: 90/90 Weight: 0.1kg These boots are as light as a feather However, an explosive power is hidden within them. It is one of the genius Griz¡¯s newest inventions. Basic Effect: +4 Constitution +3 Dexterity Bonus Effect: Able to ¡®Escape From Danger¡¯. It requires a 24-hour cooldown after it is used.] ¡°Escape from danger?¡± - I died because I tied my shoes. - I died because my shoes didn¡¯t fit me¡­ - What are these effects? When Seol looked at Arta, Arta gave a friendly exnation of the boots. ¡°These boots give you instantaneous eleration. When you activate it, it will ignite and give you massive amounts of speed. I am not sure what the exact active duration time is but it is rather short.¡± ¡°Are there any side effects?¡± ¡°We have solved any problems we have found so far.¡± The ¡®found so far¡¯ part worried quite a bit but Seol liked the boots even more. ¡®Still, this should allow me to dodge those moments when they¡¯ll predictably target the summoner, right?¡¯ Then that meant there was no better item for Seol than this since he still hadn¡¯t been able to take all of the skills he needed yet. ¡°How do I use it?¡± ¡°All you need to do is kick the back of one foot with your other foot.¡± ¡°Could I try it here?¡± ¡°You are wee to. However, I suggest you test it out in an open area first until you get used to it.¡± ¡°I see. Got it.¡± And like that, Seol was able to get a secret weapon. And as he was checking it, Seol decided to check the title he received as well. [[Title: nt yer] Rted Achievement: Every Golem Counts (Adventure: The Sleeping Golems of the Forest) Bonus Effect: All stats increase by 5% when facing a nt-type monster. Talents rted to nts are given a bonus in proficiency(Cooking, Gardening, Demonic Beast Summoning, Etc.)] It was a shame that there weren¡¯t many nt-type monsters on the continent but getting bonus cooking proficiency was amazing. ¡®Is this everything?¡¯ Seol looked at the mess of the researchplex over his shoulder as he prepared to leave. The fact he was able to achieve this much despite his awful travel luck was good. ¡®Still, I need to reassess my strategies. There were way too many close calls.¡¯ Like when Jamad got separated to fend off the nts alone. Since unreasonable circumstances could arise whenever, Seol had to prepare for them. ¡°Anyway¡­¡± ¡°Ah, would you like to leave your name behind, guest?¡± ¡°My name?¡± ¡°I need to notify Griz that there was a visitor.¡± ¡°...It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I understand. Thank you for everything.¡± And with that final conversation, Seol ended the Adventure. Gloooow A beam of light surrounded him before he disappeared. Swoooosh¡­ 3 hours after that¡­ Bzzzzz! As the central control unit was operating smoothly and the researchers were busy cleaning up the trash that came out of the event¡­ Riiiing¡­ The central control unit made a dialing sound that sporadically cut off. Arta then touched the unit. Hummm¡­ A glowing pattern showed up on Arta¡¯s body. ¡°This is Lab 81. The individual you are connected to is Arta-2.¡± ¡°...it?¡± ¡°The connection is unstable. Could you please say it again?¡± The hissing stopped after a while. The person on the other end of the call coughed a couple times before speaking again. ¡°It¡¯s me. I heard there was an emergency?¡± ¡°Yes, the biology researchplex¡¯s research materials overgrew for unknown reasons. Currently, the situation has been resolved.¡± ¡°Oho? Resolved? How?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Arta exined everything that had happened so far. Arta exined how the situation came about, what had happened, and how it was helped by someone. Griz showed interest in one particr aspect of it though. ¡°A guest? Is that really true?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ an uninvited guest¡­ they must be quite the magnanimous person.¡± Arta spilled out even more details once Griz showed interest in it. However, those details only shocked Griz even more. ¡°He reactivated all of the golems? How is that possible?¡± ¡°Everything that I have told you is the truth.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­ Arta, he only had one chance to answer each of the questions. Do you not understand what that means?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare even attempt to understand something like that.¡± ¡°It means that he even answered that question that I mixed in. That guest knew about my rtionship with Mn. Oho¡­ This is quite interesting. So, where¡¯s the thief?¡± ¡°He left after the situation had ended.¡± Griz let out a sigh. Griz¡¯s interest onlysted a short while. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do about that then. It¡¯s not like Mn would return after leaving like that. Ah, I n to visit Laboratory 81 soon. With an important investor.¡± ¡°Understood. I shall get everything ready.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Gloooow¡­ Seol had arrived somewhere, still engulfed in light. What was in front of him were the shades of the many trees of the Great Forest. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 8th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 6. Iplete: Color Study.] [Adventure 6. ¡®Iplete: Color Study¡¯ In Pandea, The World of Eternity, residents are aware that their world doesn¡¯t exist in simply one form. The typical answer given as an example of another realm is the Spirit Realm. Spirits are intelligent beings born from the coagted energy of nature. They, who use the pure elements as their strength, are powerful magicians and adorable miscreants. However, issues arise whenever those miscreants use Pandea as a yground and not the Spirit Realm. There is an increased chance that abnormal natural phenomena like wildfires, hail, droughts, and white nights ur equal to the amount of time they spend here. And around Nobira, problems like those have been happening for quite a while. It has already been decades since the barrier stone near the Great Forest that restricts movement between the physical realm and the spirit realm has had problems. These types of disasters are also referred to as a ¡®spirit flood¡¯. The barrier stone was quickly able to be restored thanks to the Aquarius Magic Tower but they still haven¡¯t been able to recover all of the scattered spirits. However, they shouldn¡¯t have been able to scatter far from the barrier stone in the Great Forest due to the broken barrier. You must capture or kill the spirits remaining in the physical realm before they cause problems. It will help you more the more various types of spirits you are able to aid. Objective: Capture or kill as many different kinds of spirits as you can. Zodiac will have a negative perception of you upon failure. You will also be given the ¡®a sense of shame¡¯ status upon failure. Remaining Time [719:59]] ¡®A month? I¡¯m given a month to do this?¡¯ Seol became dull for a second like he was hit by a hammer after realizing the amount of time given to him. It was abnormally longpared to his previous Adventures. ¡®Giving me this much time should mean that it''s annoying to clear¡­¡¯ Also, the adventure had a unique title. It was given the title ¡®Iplete¡¯ before ¡®Color Study¡¯. Seol, after confirming that, had a strange feeling. ¡®I didn¡¯t tell anyone about the Multiple Spirit Container though?¡¯ As Seol thought to himself, he turned around and saw a group of three people whispering to each other. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s a person?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. He¡¯spetition anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± They were right. Transferees didn¡¯t always have an ideal rtionship where they helped each other. They alsopeted and envied one another. Seol looked away from the group and looked at the reception desk that caught his eye. There was a hooded man with dull eyes and a young woman in pigtails next to him wearing reading sses. She then sat down on the chair in front of the desk and looked at Seol. The way they looked so out of life reminded him of graduate students. ¡°You must be an Adventurer from Nobira who¡¯s here to help.¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°As you know, we at the Aquarius Magic Tower are very busy people. First¡­¡± ¡°...You¡¯re busy right now?¡± ¡°Then do we look like we¡¯re resting right now? We have been ceaselessly thinking about a solution for this problem at a macroscopic level.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. We¡¯re not like you simpletons who have to use your bodies to achieve any¨C argh, it¡¯s fine. Anyway, present your identification card.¡± Seol thought that the people from the Magic Tower were quite cold. Well, it was definitely expected. This theme was already well established in the game as well. They were the ssic example of people who were ¡®tsuntsuntsuntsun¡¯ and not ¡®tsundere¡¯. They were a haughty group of people who made you want to go see them with a hammer in your hand just by reading the dialogue script. The magicians in this world often wanted to use their intellectual superiority to gain as much power as they could. Even in the smallest of rtions. These two might be better than the mages that appearter but still¡­ Seol was annoyed, but didn¡¯t want to waste his strength on a couple of people who he¡¯d only be meeting for a short while. He put forth his identification card. ¡°Where are you¡­ Ah, so ites up as him registering in Kongory. Hm¡­ Snowman? I feel like I heard that name before¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it a counterfeit?¡± ¡°N-No. It¡¯s not that¡­¡± The man forcibly put strength in his eyes and then looked back and forth between Seol and his identification card. ¡°Uhh¡­ So¡­ Snowman?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t Snowman that Adventurer?¡± ¡°Quiet! Ah, I apologize for yelling. Are you perhaps the person who made the biggest contribution in the recent takedown of the Rock Mr Tribe in the Pointy Mountains?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that much but I did face off against the Rock Mr Tribe.¡± ¡°Oh my goodness..¡± ¡°Is he him? Is he him?¡± Fame worked in situations like this in Pandea. It brought out goodwill in unexpected individuals and sometimes gave you an advantage when it came to negotiations. It was also another reason for why you had to go through tough Adventures. ¡®It really is better the more fame you have.¡¯ Fame wasn¡¯t as meaningful at first but if you steadily built it up, it allowed you to choose Adventures with incredible rewards. Creak¡­ ¡°Ah! Look at me losing track. Here, it¡¯s a spirit container for capture!¡± The man didn¡¯t hand over the big box next to him but the smaller box that was near his feet. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s an improved model that we don¡¯t have that many supplies of, so¡­ our master told us to only give it to someone we could trust!¡± ¡°And you¡¯re giving that to me?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The group of people who were transported earlier must¡¯ve heard because they started whispering to each other again. ¡°We get these big, heavy ones and that person gets the improved model? Isn¡¯t this way too unfair?¡± ¡°What did he do? Did something happen? Should I ask him when he¡¯s done talking to them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. He looks like he has a temper.¡± The word ¡®unfair¡¯ was tossed around a lot in Pandea. However, even if it was unfair, they didn¡¯t have the strength to correct it. And that option wasn¡¯t avable to Seol either. ¡°I appreciate it but I¡¯ll have to decline.¡± ¡°H-Huh? Why¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I already have a spirit container.¡± ¡°Ah, I see! Then we would require you to register it. Keeping track is the priority after all. There could be problemster when we give out the rewards if we don¡¯t.¡± Seol then handed over the iplete multiple spirit container that he had. Click. ¡°Woah¡­ what an interesting design¡­ Did you make this yourself?¡± The man checked each individual spirit container attached to the belt. ¡°I got it from an acquaintance.¡± ¡°Hm? Uh¡­ Wait a second, this is¡­ Fryn, look at this.¡± Seol saw a new message on his interface. [The main contents of ¡®Iplete: Color Study¡¯ have changed.] Chapter 37 ¡°Let me¡­ huh?¡± The woman named Fryn must¡¯ve noticed how exceptional the multiple spirit container was since she kept fiddling with it. Griz was a genius who had apletely unique way of thinking. His inventions reflected him and also ignored all preconceived norms. ¡®Did they realize Griz made it?¡¯ The two magicians looked at each other before speaking to Seol. ¡°There aren¡¯t any issues with it, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Could you please tell us where you got this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit troublesome to say where I got this from since they disliked being disclosed,¡± said Seol. Seol was able to expertly deflect the question since it was one that he expected. ¡°Darn¡­ Sigh, it makes sense. There¡¯s no way an expert who¡¯s capable of creating something like this normal.¡± ¡°Anyway, did you finish registering it?¡± The man tried toe up with a reason to ask for more information but realized that Seol would have to see him one more time before he left. The man then sighed a breath of relief before answering Seol¡¯s question. ¡°Well¡­ yes, here you go. All you have to do now is bring spirits, dead or alive, in the spirit containers.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Ah, right. There¡¯s also been a troublesome issue that has arisen nearby recently.¡± ¡°A troublesome issue?¡± ¡°Some of the Adventurers who havee as support have disappeared¡­¡± ¡°Have they gone missing?¡± ¡°That has been the conversation internally. However, we would need some time to do a search operation since the Magic Tower is also in a busy period.¡± The magician was basically telling him that if any problems arose while he was in the forest, they wouldn''t being to help him. Seol had to take care of his own survival himself. Seol sighed, nodded, and then entered the forest. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The environment here was definitely influenced by the spirit flood. Certain areas of the forest had trees growing in strange, eerie shapes and the tiny stream overflowing with water. There were also not only swamps that could swallow your entire foot but also cracked earth with heat rising from it. ¡®It¡¯s a mess. You wouldn¡¯t even be able to tell that it¡¯s the Great Forest at a nce.¡¯ As long as the spirits were using the forest as their yground, the forest would rapidly die. In fact, it could already just be on the verge of death. Seol opened the Multiple Spirit Container Belt¡¯s blueprint he received from Laboratory 81. The blueprint was filled with Griz¡¯s friendly exnations of everything. On it, was written how the spirit pouch worked, which spirits had to enter which container, and the firepower you could expect. In fact, the blueprint even exined to you how you could coax each corresponding spirit. And as expected from the genius of the continent, you could really tell his wit and intelligence in what he wrote. After reading through the gist of the blueprint, Seol was able to surmise why the belt was left iplete. ¡®He was toozy to do it.¡¯ There was something about it written in Griz¡¯s exnations as well. - I wasn¡¯t able to confirm it myself since I was inspired by something else but since it is theoretically sound, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems as long as you follow what¡¯s written on the blueprint¡­ After that were a bunch more lengthy excuses for why he wasn¡¯t able toplete the belt. ¡®Anyway, first is the Spring Green Spirit, right?¡¯ Now that Seol knew how to use the spirit container, there was no reason to sit still. Seol wasn¡¯t the type of person who hesitated when he had a clear goal either. The first thing that Seol did was enter the forest to capture the Spring Green Spirit. It was widely known as the most docile after all. Fwoooosh¡­ The further Seol walked into the forest, the thicker the vegetation got. The dense vegetation blocked off some sunlight until it reached a point where sunlight was absent. However, Seol preferred that. Seeing through the darkness was easy for Seol and the spirit he was looking for was one that was also easier to find in the dark. It was humid and it smelled like rotting trees and leaves. And like that, Seol¡¯s first day passed by. Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ Seol lit a campfire at night to escape the cold and simply fell asleep. He didn¡¯t need to particrly prepare anything for the possible dangers as Jamad and Karuna would continue to stay on guard as he was asleep. It was at times like this when he was really d he took the summoner ss. Three days had passed. The tight schedule he was trying to follow started to exhaust him. ¡®So this is why they gave me a month.¡¯ The Great Forest was indescribably massive. And it was only thanks to the barrier stone being nearby that there weren¡¯t that many monsters. If it was deeper into the forest, he would¡¯ve had to face countless monsters by now. And at that moment¡­ Fwooosh¡­ ¡®Huh? The wind¡­¡¯ It smelled strongly like a wet forest. Shhhhhh¡­ As Seol was starting to think that it was creepy, he saw a light from a deeper part of the forest. ¡®A green light?¡¯ Chime¡­ A clear sound rang in his ears from the distant green light. It almost sounded like a marble rolling away. Seol headed straight toward the light. ¡®It¡¯s here.¡¯ When he finally arrived at where the light was radiating from, he discovered spirits glowing green. Chiiime¡­ Chime¡­ That sound from before wasing from their bodies. These spirits who radiated green light were about a meter tall, about the size of an average child, and somewhat reminded Seol of chubby acorns. Chime¡­ One of the spirits came and approached Seol. It was like the spirit was trying to tell him something with its eyes. Obviously, since Seol didn¡¯t learn Spirit Language, he wasn¡¯t able to understand it and could only make guesses. And almost as if it was to ease his uncertainty, he saw options. [[You have discovered a Spring Green Spirit. What do you do?] 1. Kill it. 2. Kidnap it. 3. Attempt to talk to it. 4. Follow it. 5. [Required: Spiritmancer] Demand it to obey you. ¡­¡­] The only normal options were options 3 and 4 and sincemunication was impossible with only one person knowing thenguage, Seol chose to go with option 4. Seol then followed the spirit while being cautious and mindful of his actions. Chime¡­ The Spring Green Spirit petted the trees and even hugged Seol¡¯s leg, mistaking it for a tree. - Come here little acorn~ - C-Cute¡­ - Krgh¡­ My heart¡­ That¡¯s a dangerous lifeform. - Run away! Snowman is super brutal! - He¡¯s licking his lips while watching you guys! Be careful! Seol chased after the Spring Green Spirit, thinking of it like watching over a niece or a nephew. He did that for two days. Even if he thought of it as his adorable niece or nephew, watching over it for two days straight would stress anyone out. Still, Seol kept following three steps behind the spirit with a smile on his face. He had a smile despite the fact anyone would be bored by this process. And as he was mindlessly following the spirit, he had a thought. He remembered a time when he experienced something simr. ¡®I see.¡¯ He experienced something like this when he rolled the dice outside of The World of Eternity. Seol had just finished a battle that resulted in cut flesh and sttered blood all over the battlefield. After that Adventure, he decided to take a step back from being at the central events of the world and took on a rxing Adventure. The feeling he had when he was on that rxing Adventure was the same feeling he had now. Perhaps the five difficult Adventures he went on before tired him out more than he thought they did. Seol could feel his distracting thoughts and anguish all flush away. [You have spent a long time with a Spring Green Spirit.] [Your Spirit permanently increases by 1.] [Your resistance against mind-type spells increases slightly.] Seol hadn¡¯t been aiming for this but still smiled when he saw the message. He then continued to chase after the Spring Green Spirit. The spirit had just been having fun for the past two days but was now starting to return wetness to the dried-upnd. Originally, the Great Forest was rich with water. The fact that a forest like this became so dry meant that it was probably the other spirits¡¯ tricks. Chime¡­ The Spring Green Spirit petted the earth. And when it did, something shocking happened. Slosh¡­ Arge area quickly became damp, grass and flowers sprouted up. But it looked like the spirit became tired because of what it did. It had trouble keeping its eyes open now. Rub¡­ Rub¡­ The Spring Green Spirit used magic once again despite its drowsy eyes. A few secondster, it had a flower crown in its hand. Tap. tap. ¡°You want me to duck?¡± Nod. The Spring Green Spirit put the flower crown on Seol¡¯s head when he ducked. And then it stared at Seol. Almost like it had finished its business and was waiting for Seol to say something. ¡°Do you want toe with me?¡± Nod. Seol opened one of the spirit containers on his waist. Click. Frssss¡­ The Spring Green Spirit was sucked inside of it. And as the spirit container glowed green, Seol received a bunch of messages. [You have captured Chiring, the Spring Green Spirit.] [You have procured ¡®Green¡¯.] [Currently Captured Spirit Types: 1] [It has taken the ¡®Green¡¯ spot in the Spirit Pouch.] * * * Crackle¡­ Crackle. Seol had a nk look on his face as he stared at the campfire in front of him. ¡®Are 2 spirits really everything that I¡¯ve captured?¡¯ Currently, he had captured green and orange. A month was a tighter timeframe than he originally thought. Since Seol had already used 5 days, he had to speed up. If it was any other Adventure, he would¡¯ve already returned to Nobira by now. ¡°Spring Green and¡­ Morning Orange, right?¡± After the Spring Green Spirit, Seol captured the Morning Orange Spirit. Even though capturing two spirits in the span of five days would¡¯ve made the other Adventurers drop their jaws in awe, Seol was disappointed. ¡®Is the Night Spirit not going toe tonight either?¡¯ The Night Violet Spirit. It was a spirit that you could run into if you were active at night but it was a mistake to assume they were easily found. Still, as long as Seol kept it up, he should probably run into at least one before the Remaining Time ran out. ¡®Well that¡¯s that, but¡­ Griz¡¯s belt only bes functional after you capture the 3rd one, right?¡¯ The spirit pouch became stronger with each spirit container you filled up. Still, the minimum required to activate it was three spirits and Seol still had yet to reach it. ¡°Fuu¡­ hm?¡± Rustle. Seol definitely felt a presence in the bushes. It was almost like they were trying to reveal themselves. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡­ you don¡¯t need to be on guard.¡± Rustle¡­ A woman, who looked like they could be a college freshman, walked out of the bushes. Seol assumed that she was lost in the forest after noticing the scratches on her body. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but could I pleasee warm up by the fire?¡± Seol paused for a second. He then looked at her and gestured toward the fire. ¡°Come sit.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Did you get lost?¡± ¡°Yes, I did¡­¡± The woman waspletely like a drowned rat. There was blood sttered here and there on her face and shoes. And judging from the quiver on her back, she was likely an archer. The two faced each other from opposite sides of the campfire while warming up. Seol then asked a question when the timing felt appropriate. ¡°Where¡¯s your party?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have one. I came here alone from the start¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But thanks to you, I¡¯ll at least be able to sleepfortably tonight¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Han¡­ Han Seo-ryeong. What about you, ahjussi?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that old. My name¡¯s Kang Seol.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yeah.¡± ¡°Here, have some cocoa.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Sip¡­ Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ As the awkward mood continued, Seol only continued to poke the ground. - What a shock! Snowman¡¯s real name was Kang Seol¡­ - Kang Seol? Doesn¡¯t that also mean snowfall in Korean? No wonder! I was wondering why he named himself Snowman haha - What the hell kind of name is Kang Seol lmfaooo ?? As his viewers continued to talk about his name as it was their first time hearing it, Seol heard a sound from afar. Thud. Thud¡­ The earth shook. Something was definitely approaching them. Thud. ¡°Huh? Uh¡­ over there¡­¡± ¡°I heard it.¡± Thud¡­ Thete-night intruder was quite bad at stealth. Other than the fact that it was stomping around everywhere, it also glowed brightly and was massive. It might¡¯ve been smaller than Jamad but it was definitely bigger than Karuna. ¡°I-I think it¡¯s a spirit¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± ¡°H-How many are there?¡± ¡°I can see it.¡± ¡°Sh-should we run away? What do we¡­ th-the spirit container!¡± - Th-the Pok¨¦ Ball! - It¡¯s kind of funny how she¡¯s all flustered. ¡°No, we can just sit still.¡± ¡°What? Isn¡¯t it dangerous?¡± ¡°Just think of it as a bee.¡± - A fucking big bee - How the fuck are you going to call that a bee lol About five to six swaying lights came right next to Seol and Seo-ryeong and stood still. They then calmly sat down next to the campfire to warm up. Most spirits don¡¯t attack humans unless they were attacked first. ying tricks was another story though. ¡®And it wasn¡¯t like I made the campfire for no reason.¡¯ Fire Red Spirits went wherever there was a fire. Obviously, Seol didn¡¯t expect a whole group of them toe either though. Seo-ryeong and Seol both just sat still, doing nothing other than stare at the campfire. As he was starting to feel tired, Seol noticed that a Fire Red Spirit sitting next to him was looking down at him. It might¡¯ve been a giant spirit but they were innocent, like a puremb The spirit looked obviously tired. ¡°Do you want to go inside this and sleep?¡± Nod. Seol opened the spirit container. Click. Frssss¡­ Seo-ryeong¡¯s eyes were wide with shock as she watched Seol. In her eyes, Seol was practically a tamer, expertly leading the spirit to do what he wanted. ¡®I did it!¡¯ [You have captured Pojo, the Fire Red Spirit.] [You have procured ¡®Red¡¯.] [Currently Captured Spirit Types: 3] [It has taken the ¡®Red¡¯ spot in the Spirit Pouch.] Seol finally fulfilled the requirements for it. And after that, the message that Seol had waited a long time for finally showed up. [Multiple Spirit Container Belt (Iplete) is changing.] Chapter 38 Seol¡¯s spirit pouch was covered in a green, red, and orange glow. Glooooow! The light slowly dimmed down before revealing apletely new belt that shone in three different colors. [Multiple Spirit Container Belt (Iplete) has changed to ¡®Three Spirits¡¯.] ¡®Three Spirits¡­¡¯ The Spirit Pouch was finally revealing its real effects. [[Three Spirits] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 10-20 Defense: 30 Durability: 140/140 Weight: 0.2kg A belt with the power of three spirits. It was designed by Griz andpleted by Snowman. Basic Effect: +10 Strength, +10 Dexterity, +10 Constitution Bonus Effect: Spirit¡¯s Blessing (Unique). It will continue to change as you absorb more spirits.] [¡®Oh my god¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [What the fuck is this?] - This item actually looks pretty good. - I can¡¯t believe this is real¡­ - I bet you¡¯d be super popr if you wore that to a club¡­ - You¡¯ve never been to a club, have you? - I¡¯m sorry, I just thought it would be cool¡­ Three Spirits¡­ The belt might have sounded like the name of an alcohol brand but it had a unique effect. ¡®It has a unique effect even though they¡¯re supposed to be super rare in the early game?¡¯ There were many instances of items having effects that gave a bonus to stats, speed, energy, or other such things but there weren¡¯t that many items that had an effect which could directly influence the battle. The majority of those kinds of items appeared in the mid tote game and they each had their own unique effects. And each unique skill had their own distinct effect. ¡®Spirit¡¯s Blessing, hm¡­ so I guess it might work like this?¡¯ To give a brief exnation for what Seol understood from the description, Spirit¡¯s Blessing gave Seol an elemental shield. It was a skill that defended you from sudden magical attacks. ¡®And the number of elements it can block and the amount of damage the shield can absorb increases with the number of different spirits in my spirit containers¡­¡¯ If Seol could capture seven spirits, he would be able to defend against seven different types of elemental attacks for a short period of time. Theoretically, this item could block seven spells in a second. Even though low-mid level spells were the most this item could defend, even that was enough to make casters in the early game curse and shout in rage. ¡°Huh? Your belt changed. Is that your spirit container?¡± ¡°It is. It¡¯s a unique piece of equipment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting¡­ Can I touch it?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡± - Nope. - Behave yourself! - No way! - How dare you try to covet my item¡­ Come back after a million years! - hahaha¡­ ?? - You guys are making me want to curse at you guys lol As the Fire Red Spirits found their seats and prepared to sleep, Seo-ryeong also started to doze off. ¡°I¡¯ll take the night watch. You can sleep first.¡± ¡°Really? I was feeling really tired too¡­ Did I walk around too much today?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably it.¡± ¡°Then thank you¡­ I¡¯ll take the night watch when you wake me up then.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Seo-ryeong let out a sigh andid down on a giant leaf. Seol then pulled out something from his inventory. Slide¡­ - No! - Children get the fuck out! Children get the fuck out! - That¡¯s rated R! What Seol pulled out was a book. It was the blueprints for the Multiple Spirit Container and his notes for it. - ???: Hahaha¡­ I¡¯ll read books while you¡¯re asleep. - ???: I¡¯m such a bookworm¡­ Hahaha¡­ What do you think, huh?! - ?????? Seol read through the blueprints for a long while. ¡®After Three Spirits is¡­¡¯ [ - Once three different types of spirits have been captured, the belt will reveal its true abilities. Obviously, it would be best if I gathered all of the different spirit types myself but I didn¡¯t capture any of them since I was busy. I have no interest in a proven theory. However, I am writing this down in case people im that I didn¡¯t capture the spirits because I was unable to. Haha¡­ I will write down how to capture them. With that, no one will doubt my genius. ] After that, Griz wrote down how to capture the low-rank spirits in great detail. Since medium-rank spirits won¡¯t enter the spirit containers anyway, the belt was made with only low-rank spirits in mind. Seol read through all of it. And up to here was everything that Seol had read multiple times to force himself to memorize. However, the parts after that were things that Seol read and was familiar with but still hadn¡¯t memorized. [ - Additional Information) About the Light White Spirit and the Shadow ck Spirit¡­ ] ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol watched Seo-ryeong toss and turn in bed for a second before continuing his book. [ - This section isn¡¯t based on experience but on the knowledge and word of mouth I heard so don¡¯t trust it blindly. ] What is he trying to say then? [ - This information is a mix of information Griz found in an ancient spirit¡¯s book and his own genius. How does he know the ancient spirit¡¯snguage? It¡¯s because I can speak 12nguages! Thenguage I am most interested in though is how I wouldmunicate with a machine without speaking¡­ ] Surprisingly, that probably wasn¡¯t just him putting on airs. At least judging by how he causes so much of a ruckus wherever he goes at least¡­ [ - Venta, the Light White Spirit, and Shades, the Shadow ck Spirit, are both much rarer than the other spirits. This is especially the case for Shades as there is barely anyone who has ever seen them. However, that could also be counted as a blessing. Most spirits are gentle to the point that they¡¯re stupid (that¡¯s why I hate them) but these two are a different story. You must be cautious of them. These two spirits aim to kill people. ] This was part of the reason why Seol was so cautious as he captured the spirits. [ - I will write down how to handle them and how to capture them. First, finding those two types of spirits is an adversity in and of itself. You have nine spirit containers on your belt. Two of them look different from the others, right? Those are special spirit containers made to catch them. (They won¡¯t enter the containers by their own volition so you must exhaust them before forcefully absorbing them into it) Look inside of the dusky spirit container. There¡¯s white powder, right? It¡¯s spirit solvent. It¡¯s practically poison for spirits. How are you going to feed it to them? I¡¯ll teach you that now. First¡­ Wait¡­ Why am I writing this down too? ] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A couple of days ago¡­ The three people who Seol saw when he was first transferred here were strolling through the Great Forest. ¡°Woocheol, why are you going so deep into the forest? You could just shit around here, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Ah, sorry¡­ it¡¯s just embarrassing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a forest¡­ well, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°Anyway¡­ Where the hell are they? I¡¯d catch them all if I could fucking see them.¡± Despite the fact they were able to venture deep into the forest, they were only able to fill up one spirit container. Even though the three of them had already spent 10 days here, they were behind Seol. They must¡¯ve felt that they were in a slump as well since theirck of progress was starting to upset them. ¡°Uh¡­¡± said Woocheol. He was hesitating. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I saw some traces of something when I was over there¡­¡± ¡°What? Really?!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not 100% sure though.¡± However, those words were enough to excite his party members. The truth wasn¡¯t important to them right now. What was important to them was the security that came with making progress toward their goal and not just aimlessly wandering around. ¡°What are we doing right now?! Let¡¯s just go! What are we going to do if it runs away?¡± ¡°What about sleep¡­¡± ¡°We can catch it now and then sleep during the day, no?¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go check it out together. I saw it, over in that direction.¡± ¡°Take the lead! Let¡¯s just finish this one and then leave. I¡¯m getting so annoyed that I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to do this anymore.¡± Rustle¡­ Woocheol led his party members. Bugs were flocking to their bodies and the sharp grass was cutting their skin but they didn¡¯t notice any of it. How would they notice it when an opportunity to make progress was right in front of them? And luckily¡­ Woocheol was right. ¡°You were right! They really are traces of a spirit. But¡­¡± ¡°The traces are continuing¡­¡± ¡°Should we go?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s a person?¡± ¡°Then we can just back off if it is.¡± The party of three walked for quite a while, trailing the traces of something. Moments before they were about toin, they had arrived somewhere. Fwoosh¡­ It was an open hill filled with flowers and fireflies. And it was also filled with many spirits. Their white light made the party think of them as stars that fell to Earth, sad that they couldn¡¯t go back up. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± ¡°This is crazy¡­ This is crazy¡­¡± Not too long after, one of the spirits discovered the party and carefully approached them. Float¡­ ¡°H-Huh? It¡¯sing over here?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine as long as we stay still.¡± ¡°How do you know that? Th¨C¡± The white spirit had grabbed one of their hands before they knew it. It then led them, dragging them along. Woocheol, the first toe into contact with the spirit, said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s dangerous. I think it¡¯s weing us?¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah¡­ I mean it looks that way¡­¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t youe too? I think it wants to give us something.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The other spirits came too and pulled the party along, grabbing them by their arms. It felt like a dream. They party started mixing themselves in with the group of spirits. Fwooosh¡­ A cool breeze swayed the flowers and grass. This was what people probably meant when they said they ¡®got drunk off the atmosphere¡¯. The party members danced with the spirits like they were seeing a mirage. Spinning. And spinning more. They then slowlyid down on the flowery hill. It was very natural. However, Woocheol was standing up, unlike his other party members. ¡®Huh? Why am I lying down?¡¯ The party members watched Woocheol for a second before having a chill run down their spine. The person they were looking at felt like a stranger. And that was probably why they said, ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re not Woocheol?¡± Suddenly, Woocheol¡¯s mouth stretched and ripped apart. It had be a dark shadow andughed as it watched them. Snap¡­ Cruuuunch! ¡°Guaaaaargh!¡± * * * CRAAAASH! A lightning bolt had struck a tree. Crackle¡­ ¡°Kyaaaa!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to yell. You might startle the spirits.¡± ¡°E-Excuse me, did you not just see me getting startled just now?¡± ¡°Well, you won¡¯t kill anyone just because you¡¯re startled, right?¡± Gulp¡­ Seo-ryeong instantly became quiet after that. She realized what Seol was saying to her. ¡°I-I could die? Here?¡± ¡°You might, if you startle a spirit?¡± ¡°Why are you saying it as if it¡¯s something so obvious like ordering a beer at a bar?¡± ¡°Shh. You have to be quieter.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­¡± CRAAASH! A lightning bolt had struck again, igniting a tree nearby. ¡°I-I¡¯ll be quiet. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°..ing.¡± ¡°What? What¡¯sing?¡± ¡°A spirit.¡± Craaaackle¡­ Crackle¡­ A yellow spirit was approaching Seol and Seo-ryeong while discharging electricity all around it. ¡°Uh¡­ I can feel static even here. Isn¡¯t this dangerous?¡± ¡°It is dangerous.¡± ¡°...God damn it.¡± ¡°But, we won¡¯t die as long as we stay still. The spirit was Shpatz, the Static Yellow Spirit. Shpatz had a naive expression as it spread electricity all around it. ¡°Wh-why is it doing this?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ to converse with us?¡± ¡°To talk to us?¡± Crackle¡­ ¡°Hrgh!¡± Seol and Seo-ryeong both felt electricity flow through them. [Who are you two?] The electricity carried Sptaz¡¯s thoughts when it flowed through their body. And the moment Seol heard the question, he saw a few options. [[A Static Yellow Spirit is talking to you. It seems that it has an interest in humans. How do you respond?] 1. How dare a spirit¡­ Do you want to die? 2. Don¡¯t do that, please. I¡¯m sorry. 3. Why are you causing a mess here? You shouldn¡¯t do that. 4. Do you want toe with us? 5. Is there anything I can help with? ¡­¡­] Seol responded exactly how Griz rmended in the blueprint to capture it. ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡± Shpatz must¡¯ve understood Seol as electricity flowed through his body again. Crackle¡­ [Help me?] ¡°Yeah.¡± Crackle¡­ [Are you sure you two will be able to help me? It¡¯s something very hard.] ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Crackle¡­ [Then follow me. If you do me a favor, I¡¯ll also do you a favor.] Turn¡­ Shpatz stopped the electricity from discharging from its body and turned around. It then started to walk, leading Seol and Seo-ryeong. Seol and Seo-ryeong nodded to each other, knowing that they were sessful ining to an agreement. ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s going on¡­ What are we supposed to help that kid with?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll know when we get there.¡± Seol thought of Shpatz¡¯s characteristic which had been written in the blueprint. - Shpatz are one of the few spirits capable of conversation and they remind me of one of those children with a lot of worries. Um¡­ Shpatz have a lot of trivial worries. My worries are important and difficult though, like world peace. Anyway, I¡¯m sure Shpatz will follow you if you can help solve their worries. In other words, Seol can capture Shpatz by solving a small, trivial issue. Crackle¡­ Shpatz started to walk faster. Seol and Seo-ryeong tried their best to keep up by walking but had to resort to running eventually. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Are we still not there yet?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°...A cave?¡± Apletely pitch-ck cave weed them. Shpatz then faced them while standing in front of the cave¡¯s entrance. Crackle¡­ [My worry is in here. Are you really going to help me?] Seol didn¡¯t hesitate to enter the cave. He felt a chill enwrap his body as he entered it. That then caused Seol to smile. ¡°Ah, I think I know what Shpatz¡¯s worry is.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it isn¡¯t a simple one.¡± ¡°...What? What do you¡­¡± Thud¡­ Thuud¡­ Something giant was walking toward them. Chapter 39 Thud¡­ Thuuuud¡­ The cave shook as the existence that filled up its entirety revealed its grotesque appearance. It was massive, like a gori walking upright on its two legs, and waspletely covered in white hair. ¡°...A yeti.¡± ¡°A yeti? That¡¯s a yeti? I-Isn¡¯t this dangerous then?¡± ¡°It might be dangerous if it was a normal yeti but a spirit¡¯s controlling it right now.¡± ¡°A spirit? Huh? You¡¯re right?¡± A dark spirit was glowing in an indigo hue on top of the yeti¡¯s head. It was seated on the yeti¡¯s head and watching Shpatz. The yeti was calmly sitting down in the middle of the cave, doing nothing. Crackle! Fwooosh¡­ It was like the two spirits were having a heated conversation with their abilities. Static and cold air would flow back and forth, the chill even freezing some of the surroundings. ¡°What are they talking about?¡± asked Seo-ryeong to Seol. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± ¡°I just assumed you would since you knew everything up to this point¡­¡± ¡°If I had to guess though, I¡¯d assume they''re engaging in a war of nerves¡­¡± Crackle! Fwooosh¡­ The spirit releasing cold on top of the yeti¡­ Seol was sure of it. That spirit was probably Frosy, a Frost Indigo Spirit. - Shpatz are spirits who control arge amount of territory. However, they can¡¯t stand anyone entering their territory and always tries to chase others out. Most gentle spirits just listen to that childish spirit¡¯s request but sometimes, they don¡¯t. ¡®Griz was right.¡¯ It was clearly a territorial battle. And Seol was standing between them, trying to read the mood. Crackle¡­ Electricity flowed through Seol. Shpatz had finished its conversation with the spirit and was talking to Seol. [Frosy¡¯s mean. They don¡¯t listen to me.] ¡°What would you like me to do?¡± Seol waited for Shpatz to give a request. In the worst-case scenario, Shpatz might even request Seol to fight Frosy. However, luckily, Shpatz gave a reasonable request. Crackle¡­ [You have to have a battle of strength against Frosy¡¯s baby. Shpatz is weak so I can¡¯t even beat that baby.] Using ¡®baby¡¯ as a word to describe that massive yeti sounded a bit awkward to Seol but it was clear that he had to fight it in some way. ¡°Like an arm wrestle?¡± Crackle¡­ [Arm? It¡¯s probably that?] ¡°I¡¯ll help you if I can include another condition.¡± Crackle¡­ [Condition?] ¡°If I beat Frosy, they also need to grant me a request.¡± Shpatz must have delivered that message to Frosy as well since it nodded its head not too long after. Crackle¡­ [They agreed! Frosy must think that their baby would never lose to you! But¡­ truthfully¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll win either¡­ sorry.] ¡°Then let me help you with that. Because I¡­ never said that I¡¯d be the one doing it.¡± Crackle¡­ [Huh? Then who? The girl next to you?] Frosy had already created an ice table for arm wrestling. It was crossing its arms and watching Seol and Shpatz with a triumphant look on its face. And then¡­ Seol flicked his hand. Swirl¡­ There was a ck glow in his hands and in an instant, a giant, ck troll appeared. The troll was rivaling the yeti in size. ¡°This ba¨C I mean, friend will be taking my ce.¡± Frosy''s eyes were shocked open for a moment before starting to nod with a smile on their face. It was clear that they were okay letting Shpatz try as much as they wanted. Jamad grabbed the yeti¡¯s hand per Seol¡¯s request. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have to do something so pathetic.¡± ¡°Our lives are on the line even now, Jamad.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Jamad¡¯s massive size was a huge shock to Seo-ryeong who was standing next to Seol as well. ¡°O-Oh my god¡­¡± Her mouth was agape as the only thing she could do was watch the two giants¡¯ muscr arms. Shpatz raised their hand. It was the signal that the match was about to start. And then¡­ Lower! Shpatz lowered their hand. ¡°Hargh!¡± ¡°Kuwraaah!¡± An extraordinary battle of strength between a shadow and a yeti had started. ¡°Krwah!¡± THUD! The yeti was stomping its feet as it tilted its body to bend Jamad¡¯s arm. Stomp! Stomp! The yeti snorted air out of its nose in a puff to the point that it was visible to the others. Still, Jamad waspletely immovable. He watched the yeti for a second before leisurely turning around to Seol. ¡°Hey, can I end it here now?¡± Seol shrugged. The yeti was immensely powerful but it was still sorelycking in strength to challenge Jamad, the Rock Mr Tribe¡¯s irregr. ¡°Haah!¡± Jamad tensed up and mmed the yeti¡¯s hand down on the table in an explosive burst. SLAM! Crumble¡­ The ice table broke. Jamad had broken the table while defeating the yeti. ¡°Kwruaaah!¡± Seol wasn¡¯t sure if Jamad held back or if the yeti was just that durable but neither was hurt. Shpatz pointed at Frosy with a gleeful face. It was clear from Shpatz¡¯s reactions that it enjoyed beating Frosy. Frosy was stunned. The only thing they did was look back and forth at Jamad and Seol. Fwirl¡­ Seol returned Jamad and looked at Frosy and Shpatz. Shpatz, remembering their promise, spoke to Seol. Crackle¡­ [Thanks for solving my worry! So, what¡¯s your request?] Fwoosh¡­ Frosy was also looking at Seol with simr eyes. ¡°Come with me,¡± smiled Seol. Crackle¡­ Fwoosh¡­ Frosy and Shpatz both had a horrified look on their faces. Spirits were unable to break their promise. It was a fact that was known all throughout Pandea to the point that it was consideredmon sense. Frosy, who promised to listen to Seol¡¯s request if they lost, and Shpatz, who promised to listen to Seol¡¯s request if he helped them, were both in the same situation. Crackle¡­ [...Well, it is a promise.] The two reluctantly nodded their heads. Click. Frssss¡­ The two spirits were absorbed into the Three Spirits. [You have captured Shpatz, the Static Yellow Spirit.] [You have procured ¡®Yellow¡¯.] [Currently Captured Spirit Types: 4] [It has taken the ¡®Yellow¡¯ spot in the Three Spirits.] [You have captured Frosy, the Frost Indigo Spirit.] [You have procured ¡®Indigo¡¯.] [Currently Captured Spirit Types: 5] [It has taken the ¡®Indigo¡¯ spot in the Three Spirits.] And then¡­ Glow¡­ [Three Spirits has changed to Five Spirits.] The belt started vibrating before glowing in five different colors. ¡°Kwuargh!¡± Frost¡¯s baby, the yeti, was shocked by the light and quickly scurried deeper into the cave. Seol turned away from the yeti and checked his new belt. [[Five Spirits] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 10-20 Defense: 30 Durability: 140/140 Weight: 0.2kg A belt with the power of five spirits. It was designed by Griz andpleted by Snowman. Basic Effect: +10 Strength, +10 Dexterity, +10 Constitution, +10 Wisdom, +10 Intelligence Bonus Effect: Spirit¡¯s Blessing (Unique). It will continue to change as you absorb more spirits.] Seo-ryeong was shocked by Seol¡¯s belt changing again. ¡°Y-Your belt is doing that glowing thing again?!¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you amazed? Your belt was making noises too, ahjussi!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an ahjussi and yes, I¡¯m amazed too.¡± - You gotta calm them down when they cry~ - Yeah, you can shut up now. - Wow. It. Is. So. Amazing. - Why does it feel like the two haven¡¯t gotten any closer at all? LOL - Snowman! You¡¯ll never be a shounen manhwa MC with his own harem if you keep ying hard to get! - Tsk tsk¡­ It¡¯s also not fun if the couple don¡¯t have any chemistry with each other! Seol had already collected five different spirits into his belt. ¡®Yellow and Indigo were the most aggressive spirits so capturing the other spirits will probably be easier than it was just now.¡¯ The only spirits left were the Waterdrop Blue Spirit and the Evening Violet Spirit. Seol was feeling a sense of aplishment since he was extremely close to his goal. However, he was only happy for a second. He then asked Seo-ryeong a question. ¡°Seo-ryeong, why aren¡¯t you capturing spirits?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s because I ran out of the spirit containers that I brought¡­ I¡¯ll just go back with you though. I¡¯m already so deep in the Great Forest that I¡­¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Seol couldn¡¯t tell how strong she was but right now, she was in the middle of the Great Forest. Escaping the Great Forest alone was something that was dangerous to anyone who wasn¡¯t Seol. Seol understood why she wanted to escape with him. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol kept up with his rigorous schedule. However, since there were no longer any spirits who could attack him during the day, he was much more rxed than before. After the night, Seol headed toward his next objective, a small stream that flowed through the forest. Pitter¡­ Patter¡­ Kyahahaha¡­ It sounded like a small child¡¯sughter. However, since there probably weren''t any children traveling alone in a dangerous forest like this, it was a spirit. ¡°...Found it.¡± It was Seol¡¯s next objective, the Waterdrop Blue Spirit. Most low-rank spirits had child-like appearances. Seol took off his outerwear, rolled up his pants as much as he could, and entered the stream. Seol acted in an extremely friendly manner, the total opposite of how he acted toward Shpatz. Kyahaha¡­ Ssh! The spirit sshed water all over Seol the moment it saw him. Seol waspletely soaked. [[A Waterdrop Spirit has yed a trick on you. What do you do?] 1. Kill it. 2. Get out of the stream. 3. Ignore it. 4. ept its challenge. 5. [Required: Spiritmancer] Demand it to obey you. ¡­¡­] ¡°Huuuh¡­?¡± Seo-ryeong expected Seol to be furious but he was the exact opposite. Ssh! Ssh! Ssh! Seol yed with the spirit like an uncle ying with a niece or nephew. He flung the spirit into the water and sshed water at it. Kyahahahaha! The spirit must¡¯ve had fun with Seol ying with them. It was constantlyughing and following Seol around. And just when Seol was starting to get tired, the Waterdrop Blue Spiritid down like it was tired too. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Do you want toe with me?¡± Nod. The Waterdrop Blue Spirit smiled as if it was satisfied. Click. The spirit container opened and the blue energy was sucked inside. [You have captured Popo, the Waterdrop Blue Spirit.] [You have procured ¡®Blue¡¯.] [Currently Captured Spirit Types: 6] [It has taken the ¡®Blue¡¯ spot in the Five Spirits.] * * * ze¡­ Burn¡­ Seol lit a campfire to dry off his wet clothes and to set up camp for the night. Seo-ryeong let out a giggle after looking at Seol who waspletely drenched. Herugh was the kind ofugh that made others around her smile as well. ¡°Do you have any nieces or nephews? You yed with the spirit so well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an orphan.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I often yed with the younger kids at my orphanage.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be sorry. You know¡­ sometimes the kids cried because my face was too scary when I yed with them.¡± ¡°Pfft¡­ I guess¡­ Haha¡­ that wasn¡¯t fix¡­ pffffft¡­ fixable?¡± ¡°It still is like that, huh? If I could fix it so easily, I would¡¯ve fixed it a long time ago. Ah, have some cocoa.¡± When Seol handed over the cup, Seo-ryeong naturally epted it. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± - Woah¡­ Woah¡­ This is a nice picture~ - This artwork is from 17th Century Nethends, the Dutch Golden Age¡­ - Finally! Is it finally time for the mood to¡­ - What a sweet guy! - Even if it¡¯s Seol there¡¯s no way he can break this mood LOL Sip¡­ Seo-ryeong took a sip of the cocoa and enjoyed the warmth that came from it. Her face started to get red as she tried to speak to Seol. ¡°So¡­ Seol¡­ from now on¡­¡± ¡°Shh. Something¡¯sing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± - It¡¯s gonna be Bear Grylls lol - Please be Bear Grylls hahaha - Oh? I think something¡¯s reallying? - Argh, why did it have toe now? Glow¡­ Glow¡­ A spirit radiating violet light approached the campfire. Seol immediately stood up the moment he noticed the spirit. He then forwardly asked the spirit, ¡°Would you like toe with me?¡± - Do you really think that would work? LMFAO That¡¯s practically the same as asking a stranger to marry you. - This is exactly why you can¡¯t get a girlfriend tsk tsk - Seriously, way too forward¡­ - Read the room dude ?? Seol¡¯s viewers criticized his actions. They believed that since Seol had tried his best to wait for the opportune moment before asking the spirits to follow him previously, asking a spirit forwardly like that would obviously result in a failure. Nod. However, contrary to their worries, the Night Violet Spirit nodded their head immediately. ¡®Koo might be a difficult spirit to find but it¡¯s the easiest to capture.¡¯ - Wh-what? - Yes! Okay ^^ - I¡¯m sorry I acted like I knew something¡­ - Wait a second¡­ Then¡­ Click! Frssss¡­ [You have captured Koo, the Night Violet Spirit.] [You have procured ¡®Violet¡¯.] [Currently Captured Spirit Types: 7] [It has taken the ¡®Violet¡¯ spot in the Five Spirits.] Finally, it was time for the spirit pouch to reveal its true form. [You have gathered the energy of seven spirits.] [Five Spirits has changed to Masterpiece: Rainbow.] ¡°Wh-what? Seol, your belt is¡­?!¡± Glooooooow¡­ Seven different colors of light radiated from the belt and filled up the night sky. However, light didn¡¯t only just radiate from the belt. It also started to envelop Seol. Chapter 40 Seven different colors of light exploded out from the belt and engulfed Seol. Fwirrrrrrl¡­ ¡°I-Is the belt¡­ okay?¡± Seo-ryeong couldn¡¯t keep her mouth shut while watching Seol. Faaaaade¡­ And slowly, the light started to die down. Eventually, even the light that had surrounded Seol dissipated. Seol then checked the changed belt. [[Masterpiece: Rainbow] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 10-20 Defense: 30 Durability: 140/140 Weight: 0.2kg A belt with the power of seven spirits. It was designed by Griz andpleted by Snowman. It is perfectly bnced and seeded in realizing the designer¡¯s intentions. Basic Effect: +15 to All Stats Bonus Effect: Spirit¡¯s Barrier (Unique). It will continue to change as you absorb more spirits.] - It¡¯splete! Finally! You don¡¯t even need to look at the effects to tell how good it is! That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t read the effects! - SHEEEEEEEESH GRIZ! Isn¡¯t +15 to All Stats way too OP?! - Six spirits gave a +10 to all stats so why does the seventh spirit give a +15?! - Is Spirit¡¯s Barrier different from Spirit¡¯s Blessing? - It says that the cooldown gets decreased, the active duration gets increased, and the damage it can absorb is also increased¡­ - It also says that the speed the belt reacts is also increased. - That¡¯s crazy¡­ - Griz is so generous¡­. - Mom, when I grow up, I¡¯ll be like Griz! Mom, when I grow up, I¡¯ll be like Griz! The light surrounding Seol¡¯s body might have disappeared but the belt was still brilliantly radiating seven different colors of light. It was obvious at a nce that this was no ordinary belt. Seo-ryeong looked at Seol¡¯s belt in a peculiar way for quite a while. Seol ignored her gaze and returned to the campfire. Burn¡­ Touch. When Seol touched his belt, it stopped radiating light. A glowing belt would probably make its wearer an easy target so Griz had included a function to control how much light gets emitted. ¡®I can¡¯t believe this belt gives +15 to All Stats¡­¡¯ Normally, an effect that gave +15 to even a single stat was reserved for items like weapons or armor. So how overpowered would a belt that gave +15 to All Stats be? ¡®My Wisdom stat is super high thanks to it though.¡¯ Seol¡¯s Wisdom was already extremely high. But now, Seol¡¯s Wisdom stat was high enough to be on apletely different level from the summoners who raised their stats in a bnced way. Having a high Wisdom stat meant that Seol was able to control more summons, control higher rank summons, and have even more Shadow Space. ¡®I should even be able to get a new summon soon too.¡¯ At the current rate he was growing, he definitely had an opportunity to acquire a new summon soon. In Seol¡¯s case, having a lot of Shadow Space in excess meant that he could acquire a summon who was powerful enough to demand that much Shadow Space. But then¡­ as Seol was thinking to himself while looking at the campfire, Seo-ryeong asked him a question. ¡°What do you n to do now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ the Remaining Time runs out at noon the day after tomorrow so I have to think about it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± ¡°But Seo-ryeong¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It might be rude for me to ask this but why was there blood all over your clothes?¡± It was something that Seol had been curious about since the moment she joined him. From the moment she walked up to the campfire with desperate, dying eyes, Seol had been on guard against her. Seo-ryeong was silent for a second. She then met eyes with Seol and made a strange expression. ¡°I was originally in a party of two. I had a friend with me.¡± ¡°A party of two, huh¡­ and a friend?¡± ¡°I met a girl here who was the same age as me. And since we were the same age, we decided to be friends. You know how people start to rely on each other more during times like this¡­¡± Seol¡¯s expression only got more dreary the more she continued. ¡®Why is she alone now then?¡¯ She was alone because something had happened to her party member. Seo-ryeong, who was aware of that truth, had a cloud cast over her face. ¡°We went too deep into the forest. We were anxious because we weren¡¯t able to capture any spirits.¡± ¡°And?¡± She bit her lip. ¡°We met a monster that crept into the Great Forest. We were barely able to defeat it, but¡­ she suffered a severe injury. I messed up when I tried treating her. And¡­ that¡¯s how she died.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was an ordinary death. Something that could happen anywhere in this new world. Pandea was a world where death loomed much closer. ¡°But she¡­ tried saying something to me with her dying breath.¡± ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t know either. She died before she could say it.¡± Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ The campfire crackled. ¡°What do you think she was trying to say to me? That it was my fault? To always feel guilty about letting her die?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we can know now.¡± Seol was awkwardly trying to console her. ¡°Still, it might be better if you think of it in a more positive way.¡± ¡°...A more positive way?¡± ¡°Well, she might¡¯ve been trying to say that you were a good person and that it wasn¡¯t your fault¡­¡± ¡°Pfft¡­ Do I look like a good person?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure you were a good person to her. At least that¡¯s what I could tell from my assessment of you.¡± ¡°Also, what do you mean by ¡®were¡¯? Are you saying that I¡¯m not now?¡± ¡°Noment.¡± ¡°What the¡­ Seriously. Ahem¡­ If I do my best to look at you with rose-tinted sses, I also think that you¡¯re a better person than my original assessment of you.¡± Seo-ryeong oftenughed when she talked with Seol. The reason she was unable to leave the forest could have been because of her fear. Her fear that she might die an ordinary death like her party member. Seo-ryeong regained some energy through talking with Seol. She then asked him a question. ¡°By the way, do you know about this?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Apparently, there might¡¯ve been eight different types of spirits who came to the physical realm when the barrier stone broke.¡± ¡°Eight types? Not seven?¡± ¡°Yeah, apparently someone met a white spirit. I think it¡¯s hiding around somewhere, but¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s its name?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that either.¡± Seol immediately thought of Griz¡¯s blueprint from Seo-ryeong¡¯s story. ¡®Venta, a White Light Spirit.¡¯ It was a difficult spirit to run into. Furthermore, if you included the fact that it hunted humans, most would prefer to not run into it at all. However, Seol wanted to find Venta more than anyone else. ¡®If I can find Venta, Rainbow¡¯s effect will get much stronger.¡¯ Seol¡¯s belt, Rainbow, already was incredibly powerful with just seven spirits. Not to mention, the ¡®It will continue to change as you absorb more spirits¡¯ bonus effect hadn¡¯t disappeared yet. This meant that Rainbow could still absorb more spirits. ¡®What effects will I get if I¡¯m able to capture Venta as well?¡¯ Seol then became suspicious of something. He immediately asked Seo-ryeong a question. ¡°But¡­ how were you able to find out about this?¡± ¡°...She told me.¡± ¡°Ah. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I just brought it up because I thought you would be interested in it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m definitely interested in it.¡± Seol nodded seriously. Seo-ryeong then slowly continued to speak more. ¡°I think¡­ it was probably over there. It¡¯s a ce not too far from here.¡± The white spirit in Seo-ryeong¡¯s story had a high probability of being Venta, a White Light Spirit. Seol¡¯s heart started to pound faster at the thought ofing across Venta¡¯s traces. ¡°Do you¡­ want to go?¡± asked Seo-ryeong while reading Seol¡¯s mood. ¡°Do you remember where it is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can trust my memory, but¡­ I do have an idea.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Seol nodded his head once more. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Rustle¡­ Rustle¡­ Seo-ryeong led the way, rustling through the bushes and stepping on leaves. ¡°It¡¯s a bit far, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Was it around here? Uh¡­ Maybe it¡¯s not here?¡± ¡°Are you sure this is the right way?¡± ¡°Hold on a second, I¡¯m trying to remember¡­¡± ¡°You can take your time. Spirits are quite easy going by nature so they don¡¯t move their territory unless they have a reason.¡± ¡°Even though you¡¯re saying that it just sounds like some whining¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s just your feelings.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Seo-ryeong smirked before turning around to find her way. As long as she was an archer, Seo-ryeong likely had a tracking-type skill in her list of skills. And with that, she should be able to find the location soon. If she didn¡¯t have a tracking-type skill, well¡­ she made a huge mistake when setting up her character. She looked around her surroundings before slowly, quietly approaching Seol. ¡°I found it. I remember her telling me that it was around here¡­ She also told me that there was a whole colony of them deeper in their territory.¡± ¡°So they must be around here.¡± ¡°Yes. It was probably¡­ that way? I think it¡¯s that way at least.¡± ¡°Yes, then let¡¯s go over there first.¡± Seol followed her through the forest. Not too long after, the dense forest cleared up and Seol saw an open hill. ¡°Huh? D-Do you see that over there?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°It really¡­ existed.¡± Fwooosh¡­ It was a magnificent scenery. And in that scenery, Seol could see spirits glowing in a white light ying with each other. ¡®Found you, Venta!¡¯ Seol hid himself as he confirmed Venta¡¯s existence. As he was watching them, he was recalling the words Griz left on the blueprint. - Venta and Shades are unlike the other spirits, they¡¯re very special. First, because Venta¡¯s energy structure is different from other spirits, they can¡¯t hunt alone. Also, because Venta have an energy consumption problem, if they don¡¯t supplement themselves with the energy of other creatures, they be weaker. That¡¯s why most of the time when a barrier stone in the physical realm breaks, it¡¯s because of them. The easiest creatures with energy to hunt are humans after all. ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t there¡­ humans over there?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Do you know them? Why are they acting like that over there?¡± Three people were turning their backs on Seol at the edge of the hill. It looked to be a party of three men. They were huddled together like they were watching the bottom of the hill together. ¡®They were the people who were whispering about me back then.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have the best first impression of them but they didn¡¯t seem like the people from the Predator Guild who tried their best to intentionally backstab him. They were just ordinary people that could be seen anywhere. - But that doesn¡¯t mean Venta hunt directly themselves. The spirit with the most energy amongst the Venta, their leader, be a Shades. Yeah, I know, right? They be a Shadow ck Spirit. Light and Shadow¡­ Fufu¡­ It¡¯s quite romantic if you think about it. If only I didn¡¯t have a mountain of work, I would¡¯ve gone to find them myself¡­ Regardless, there¡¯s normally one Shades leading a group of Venta. The Shades is in charge of the majority of the hunt. However, just because only the Shades is in charge doesn¡¯t mean that you could look down on the group. Seo-ryeong must¡¯ve deduced that the hill was safe because there were people there. She slowly continued forward while talking to Seol. It was the first time during their time together that Seol saw her be so enthusiastic. ¡°A-Ahjussi¡­ Can I approach them first?¡± ¡°You want to approach them first?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re slower than me after all. I¡¯ll go investigate it and if it¡¯s dangerous, I¡¯ll run away. Still¡­ you¡¯ll help me if it gets dangerous, right?¡± Seol nodded. Seo-ryeong¡¯s determined look made it seem like a request he shouldn¡¯t refuse. - It¡¯s rare to run into a Shades but there¡¯s two ways you could run into one. 1. You might run into one when one of the members of a weak group separates for a while. In this circumstance, the Shades steals the party member¡¯s body and memory. It cleverly imitates the corpse like a parrot and it definitely isn¡¯t a bad actor either. Then, the Shades acts like the party member to lead them to the group of Venta to hunt its target with the Venta. Sneak¡­ Rustle¡­ Seo-ryeong took a low stance as she approached the group of Venta. Judging by how she was hidden well, there probably wouldn¡¯t be an issue. - 2. You might run into a Shades while you¡¯re traveling alone. In this circumstance, the Shades could behave in two different ways. First, if the person traveling alone is weaker than the Shades, it would hunt it immediately by itself. They often take the appearance of other dead people when they do so. However, if the person is stronger than the Shades, it tries to build a friendly rtionship with them to lead them to the group of Venta. They really are quite clever, aren¡¯t they? Rustle¡­ Rustle¡­ Snap! Seo-ryeong stepped on a branch. Even though she was being cautious, she had made a mistake. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± However, even though Seo-ryeong disrupted the peace, no Venta from the group approached her. And because of that, she was able to approach the people at the edge of the hill. - How do you know if someone is a Shades? It¡¯s easy to notice as long as you¡¯re cautious. Shades don¡¯t have shadows. Scary, right? Haha¡­ Ah! But just because they don¡¯t have a shadow doesn¡¯t mean that you can call them out on it. If you do that, they¡¯ll just run away and hide. And you won¡¯t be able to reach the group of Venta if you do that, right? So if the person reading these notes isn¡¯t me, if you were strong enough to get your hands on these notes, then you¡¯re probably strong enough to capture a Shades on your own. It seemed like Seo-ryeong was having a conversation with the people. Even though Seol could only see the back of their heads, except for Seo-ryeong¡¯s, he could tell that they were having a conversation by the way Seo-ryeongughed here and there. - If you are able to arrive at a Venta colony by chance, remember my words. If you¡¯re not a Shades¡­ ¡°Seol,e over here! I think it¡¯s safe! These white spirits aren¡¯t attacking me!¡± - the person who brought you here is. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Pause. Seo-ryeong stopped waving her hand at Seol¡¯s response. ¡°What? Why¡­¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡± ¡°And I¡¯m finally asking this now, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seol¡¯s golden eyes pierced through Seo-ryeong. And then¡­ he let out a heavy sentence. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a shadow?¡± Seo-ryeong did not have a shadow. Chapter 41 Seo-ryeong looked at Seol, stunned. Almost like she couldn¡¯t understand why Seol became so cold to her. ¡°Wh-what are you saying all of a sudden? Are you hurt somewhere, ahjussi?¡± A person without a shadow. If you want to find the clever, wicked Shades, you must first pay attention to someone like that. The first thing Seol confirmed the moment she approached him yesterday was whether she had a shadow or not. In other words, Seol had just been pretending to fall for the Shades¡¯s tricks. He yed the role of the naive but blunt man who was helping the pitiful woman with her injuries. ¡®As expected, a Shades did appear.¡¯ Seol remembered the words of the magician dispatched for the barrier stone who registered his spirit containers. - Ah, right. There¡¯s also been a troublesome issue that has arisen nearby recently. - A troublesome issue? - Some of the Adventurers who havee as support have disappeared¡­ - Have they gone missing? - That has been the conversation internally. However, we would need some time to do a search operation since the Magic Tower is also in a busy period. It was clear that the missing Adventurers were all likely killed by the Shades. Seol continued to wait for an answer. A few momentster¡­ Seo-ryeong¡­ no, a Shades which had taken Seo-ryeong¡¯s form answered. ¡°Why are you acting like this, Seol¡­ You¡¯re scaring me.¡± ¡°What happened to Seo-ryeong? No¡­ When did she die?¡± Snap¡­ Seo-ryeong¡¯s face started to distort. The white in her eyes slowly disappeared until they looked like frog eggs. And then, a heavy, frightening deep voice came out of her mouth. It was like a demon had possessed her. ¡°Haha¡­ You¡¯re pretty good?¡± Turn! Turn! In an instant, all of the Venta and people faced Seol. The Venta had crimson eyes. However, the people looked like mummies. They had all of their energy sucked out of them. ¡®So there was a reason why they only showed me the back of their heads.¡¯ If Seol messed up, he could also end up like one of the mummies over there. Seol activated his golden Eyes of Perception. [[Shades: Shadow ck Spirit] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 12~16 The Shadow ck Spirit has phased into the physical realm during the opening when the barrier stone broke down. Not only is it clever and cruel, it is also cautious. Individually, it is quite weak. However, if itbines with Venta, the Light White Spirit, it bes quite formidable. Basic Skills: [Absorb Energy 1], [Imitate 1], [Charm 1], [Shadow Hand 1], [Darkness 1] Unique Skills: [Coexist 1]] The Shades imitated Seo-ryeong¡¯s voice once more. ¡°I thought you said I¡¯m a good person, ahjussi¡­¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop imitating her voice already, it¡¯s disgusting. And say it properly, I said that you were one. The dead Seo-ryeong was probably a good person. You¡¯re nothing more than a fake who¡¯s pretending to be her.¡± ¡°So you already knew since back then¡­ Were you tricking me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to trick you but you were fooled, yes.¡± ¡°How dare you¡­ How dare you y with me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re way too confident for something that¡¯s nothing more than a parrot pretending to be a dead person at best.¡± ¡°I understand why you feel that way. Still, I was so busy trying to trick you that I never realized that I was being tricked¡­ haha¡­¡± The Shades¡¯s body started to get cker and cker. It looked simr to what it looked like when Seol used Shadow Summon. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, but¡­ the moment you stepped in here¡­ it was toote for you.¡± The eyeless corpses started to chip in. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ toote¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be with us soon.¡± The eyeless corpses continued for a while before in an instant, something ck slipped out of them. Fwirl¡­ Thud! The corpses dropped to the floor with a thud and the ck thing that came out of them started to surround Seo-ryeong. Wrap¡­ ¡°Seo-ryeong¡­ had such weak energy that she tasted awful. I wonder how you¡¯ll taste though¡­ Will you be able to satisfy us with your taste? Even if you taste awful, I¡¯ll still eat you down to your bones. That¡¯s the only way I¡¯ll be able to relieve my anger.¡± Seo-ryeongs mouth split apart to her ears and a forked tongue slithered out of her mouth. Kieee¡­ Kieeee¡­ The Ventas were starting to surround Seo-ryeong and it looked like they were saying something to her. They were probably telling Seo-ryeong that they wanted her to kill him quickly. That they want to quickly enjoy his energy. It was a horrific situation. Not only did your one and onlyrade betray you, but they also led you right into the middle of the enemy camp. Still, Seol¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. He just continued to watch the colony of Venta. - Did you run into them without proper preparation? Run away. Are you unable to run away? Fight them! Do you think you¡¯ll lose? Just die then, you trash! I mean I can¡¯t beat a Shades full of energy using their true power myself either, but¡­ Seol scratched his nose. ¡°Man¡­¡± ¡°Come over here and give us your energy!¡± Seo-ryeong¡¯s body exploded at the same time as she said those words. Snap¡­ Crunch! Seo-ryeong¡¯s clothes and equipment all tore up off her and she transformed into a Shades. However, this still wasn¡¯t enough to defeat Seol. Suuuuuck¡­ The Shades opened its mouth wide and sucked in air. Kieeee! Kieee! The Ventas were all sucked into the Shades¡¯ mouth. [Shades used Coexist.] [Shades¡¯ stats will increase based on the number of Ventas it absorbs.] [Shades¡¯ stats increase by 542%.] Snaaap! Kieeee! Chomp. Grssssss¡­ The Shades started to grow bigger and bigger. It continued to grow in size the more Ventas it sucked in. Shades then spoke to Seol in a twisted, distorted voice. ¡°You must have a lot of confidence in your ability, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°However, it is pointless before us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± ¡°Kuhuhu¡­ I shall ingrain this lesson into your bones.¡± Shades¡¯ swung their massive arm at Seol. Fwooosh! Seol¡¯s hand violently shook as a ck energy shot out from it. CLANG! ¡°Krgh¡­ you had another one?¡± Karuna swung his Moonlight Sword diagonally upward to deflect the Shades¡¯ arm. Despite Karuna using the ded edge of the sword, he was unable to cut off the arm. Rather, it sounded like two swords hitting each other. With that, Seol was able to tell how sturdy the Shades¡¯ skin was. Glow¡­ [Karuna has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, master. Please step back.¡± ¡°Should I?¡± Seol listened to Karuna¡¯s instructions and took a step back. He specifically took one step back. It was almost like Seol was trying to say that one step was all he needed and that the Shades would never be able to reach him with just that one step. ¡°You¡­ fucking bastard!¡± Seol¡¯s calm expression only infuriated the Shades even more. GROOOOOW! Shades only grew bigger and bigger. Fwoosh! BAAAAAAAM! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Skid¡­ Karuna, despite being in the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, staggered back from the blow. However, he was able to quickly return to his stance. Karuna would¡¯ve easily lost if he was the same as before but with the new equipment he received and the increase in overall stats, Karuna was now able to take on a Shades¡¯ attack even in his Crescent Moon form. Glooow¡­ [Karuna has entered the 2nd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Half Moon.] ¡®Already?¡¯ It was clear that the skill¡¯s proficiency increased with the stat increase. Karuna¡¯s Soaring Moonlight charged much faster now than before. ¡°Khaha¡­ How dare something that¡¯s nothing more than a human¡¯s summon¡­ try to face me, Shades, the Shadow ck Spirit. How ridiculous, it¡¯s so absurd!¡± Contrary to their statement, the spirit continued to grow in size. It must have noticed Karuna¡¯s unnatural strength. ¡°Chaaah!¡± FWOOOSH! CLANG! ¡°Die! Die!¡± BAM! BAM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Shadesnded a massivebo and continued to push back Karuna. If it kept going this way, Shades would eventually break through Karuna¡¯s defense. [Shades has entered the Darkness state.] Writhe¡­ Shades¡¯ body started to be enveloped in an eerie, ck energy. ¡°Hahaha! Have you forgotten?! The night is my time! Now, why don¡¯t you end your petty struggles and¡ª¡± ¡°Kuaaaargh!¡± Karuna let out a roar and pushed Shades away. Karuna was just about to enter the final stage of Soaring Moonlight. Glooooow! [Karuna has entered the 3rd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Full Moon.] ¡°Is that your best? How weak! I will tear your body apart¡­¡± Groooooow! Once again, Shades grew even bigger. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Shades was so big now that they were probably even bigger than Jamad. Even though Karuna in his Full Moon state was extremely powerful, it wasn¡¯t enough to take down the Shades at its current power. But then¡­ at that moment¡­ Seol let out augh while looking at Shades. ¡°Ding, time¡¯s up.¡± [Shades prepares to use Absorb Energy.] - However, were you perhaps able to feed Shades the spirit solvent like I wrote in my notes before? It wouldn¡¯t have been hard to trick it because it likes sweet things, you know? Well, if you were able to feed it with my advice, make sure to thank me, the genius Griz! ¡°...Thank you, Griz the genius.¡± Thud. The Shades¡¯ confident expression quickly changed into a distorted one. It then quickly blocked its mouth. ¡°Brwrghh¡­¡± [Shades has failed to use Absorb Energy.] [Shades cannot maintain their form.] [Shades is overloaded.] [Shades¡¯ power is unstable.] ¡°What¡­ Brg¨Crghh¡­¡± Seol then followed up with a witty question. Almost like he expected this scenario. ¡°Did you enjoy the coca?¡± ¡°Bwraaaaaaaargh¡­¡± Shades vomited out a lump of Venta. [Shades cannot coexist with the Venta.] [Shades receives recoil damage from Coexist.] [Venta receives recoil damage from Coexist.] Seol mocked the Shades as it started to vomit. ¡°That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t drink something a stranger gives you.¡± ¡°What did you¡­ What did you do to me? Bwrgh¡­¡± BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH¡­ The lump of mass, which was once the Venta, drooped out of the Shades¡¯ mouth as it continued to radiate light. And the more it vomited out, the smaller the Shades became. It was now at a point where the Shades was even smaller than when Seol first saw it. It was smaller than even Seo-ryeong and about the same size as the other spirits that Seol had captured before. ¡°N-No¡­ Not like this¡­¡± ¡°You should always check your target before you try to mess with them. How stupid would it be for a thief to try and steal from an undercover cop, right?¡± ¡°W-wait¡­ Don¡¯t kill me. I-I promise I¡¯ll serve you if you let me live! Spirits always have to keep their promises, remember?!¡± The Venta that the Shades had vomited out all tried their best to stand up again. However, Seol wasn¡¯t the type of person who would let them do that. ¡°I¡¯m sick of it now. You can all just go inside.¡± Click. Seol ced his hand on his belt. Click. He opened the ck spirit container. Click. As well as the white spirit container. Shades, who knew what happened to the spirits who entered those containers, let out a shrill scream. ¡°N-NOOOOOOO!¡± Frssssss¡­ ¡°Kieeeeeee!¡± The Venta and Shades, who hunted humans by charming them, were horrific. They wed at the ground to prevent themselves from being sucked in like how Jafar tried his best from being sucked into the genie''smp. ¡°Let go! Let me¡­ Let me go!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you get away with this¡­ I¡¯ll make you regret this one day¡­¡± ¡°Kieee!¡± Frsssssss¡­ Click. [You have captured Venta, the Light White Spirit.] [You have procured ¡®White¡¯.] [Currently Captured Spirit Types: 8] [It has taken the ¡®White¡¯ spot in Masterpiece: Rainbow.] [Masterpiece: Rainbow is changing.] Click. [You have captured Shades, the Shadow ck Spirit.] [You have procured ¡®ck¡¯.] [Currently Captured Spirit Types: 9] [It has taken the ¡®ck¡¯ spot in Masterpiece: Rainbow.] [Masterpiece: Rainbow is changing.] Seol let out a big sigh. ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± Seol¡¯s viewers cheered for him while donating tons of Madness. - ¡­What did I just watch? - ?? Seo-ryeong was a Shades? - Ah¡­ I-I knew this whole time haha - M-Me too! Of course, I noticed her not having a shadow, right? Haha¡­ - More importantly¡­ there were two more spirit container spots on Rainbow? - I didn¡¯t know, it was my first time seeing a Shades¡­ that was scary¡­ - So the two of them could never be together from the start¡­ - But¡­ What happens now? Tap¡­ Tap¡­ Seol might have absorbed white and ck into his belt but they were still resisting. tter¡­ tter¡­ However, there was no way for a spirit to escape a spirit container once they were put inside of it. And then¡­ the lump of Venta Seol absorbed into the white spirit container was the first to give up. [You have gathered the energy of eight spirits.] [Masterpiece: Rainbow has changed to Treasure: Milky Way.] Fshhh¡­ A milky white color enveloped the belt and Seol. The divine light announced the belt¡¯s existence to the world to the point that it could even be considered a miracle. ¡®No, it¡¯s still not done yet.¡¯ Click¡­ As the belt changed into the Milky Way, Shades stopped their resistance as well. And then, it started to transform again. KWAAAAAA! This time, it even came with its own sound effects. It was extremely gaudy for just a piece of equipment changing. The belt lit up like the stars in the night sky and each different color let out rays of light as if to show off. Crssssh! Dark and bright lights blended together to swim through the air before returning to Seol¡¯s belt. Each light took a new spot on the belt like constetions in the night. Fwoosh! For a moment, Seol¡¯s belt was covered in stars. [You have gathered the energy of nine spirits.] [Treasure: Milky Way has changed to Peerless: Space.] [A peerless item has been born.] [You have created an item that didn¡¯t exist in the world previously.] [You have earned the special achievement ''One of a Kind''.] [You have earned the special title ''Peerless Item Owner''.] And like that, the violent storm quietly subsided. Chapter 42 Seol¡¯s viewers went wild when they saw Seol receive an item with a quality they hadn¡¯t seen before. [¡®Us right now¡¯ has donated 200 Madness!] [*rubs eyes*... What? *rubs eyes even harder*] - You¡¯re rubbing your eyes right now? OMG me too. - Damn I thought someone was spying on me¡­ - Peerless? What¡¯s a Peerless? [¡®That¡¯s insane¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [He got a Peerless item this fast?] - I bet if you wear that belt in front of a girl, she¡¯ll immediately try to introduce you to her parents lol - Is this the first time a Peerless item popped up? - I don¡¯t know, I only watch this stream¡­ - You too? Me too¡­ - Peerless! Peerless! - Woah¡­ so this is how you get one of those¡­ - Weren¡¯t you only able to get a Peerless item through excavating relics? - So Lucifer appeared in Satan¡¯s items¡­ - I don¡¯t know what the fuck he¡¯s talking about but that scared me¡­ A Peerless item was born after the nine spirits were absorbed into the belt. Peerless items were all one-of-a-kind items in Pandea and saying that they were difficult to find would be an understatement. This was much more the case right now in the early parts of someone¡¯s journey. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I got a Peerless item this early¡­¡¯ Even Seol didn''t predict this. He thought Rainbow¡¯s effect would increase slightly at best, he didn¡¯t expect a piece of equipment that would surpass a Treasure quality item toe out. ¡®What kind of effects does it have?¡¯ Seol checked the effects of the first Peerless item he got. [[Peerless: Space] Quality: Peerless Rmended Level: 10-30 Defense: 40 Durability: 150/150 Weight: 0.1kg A belt with the power of nine spirits. It was designed by Griz andpleted by Snowman. This belt is filled with immense energy and is perfect just by its existence. A price cannot be given for this item. Basic Effect: +15 to All Stats Bonus Effect: All-rounder (Unique), Spirit¡¯s Barrier (Unique). Enhance a spirit skill of your choosing. The damage you take from elemental attacks is reduced by 10%.] - ¡­Is he graduating from the early game? - Uh¡­ I mean with an item like that, you could consider it? - The above equipment shall sincerely rest on your waist at all times and for your services, we will graduate you¡­ - This is my first time seeing a Peerless item¡­ Anyone else like me? - It¡¯s my first time seeing one too¡­ - It¡¯s a bit of a shame that it¡¯s a belt item but if you think of it like having a fixed item for one of your equipment slots, it¡¯s not bad? - The rest of his equipment looks like shit now because his belt is so good. - I feel like he could beat everyone else with just his belt LOL. - Wearing only a belt would just make him scarier LMFAO. ¡®There¡¯s another unique effect now?¡¯ Only special treasures had unique effects. Because each unique effect was powerful and had its own characteristics, Seol would¡¯ve been satisfied if he even got one unique effect. Seol then read the description for ¡®All-rounder¡¯. ¡®There is a certain percentage of this effect triggering while you are active inbat. Temporarily increases a random stat by 5. This effect can stack up to 5 times and the same stat can be increased multiple times¡­ hm¡­¡¯ It was definitely a good ability. Simply, it increased your overall stats by 25. However, Seol didn¡¯t have the best expression. ¡®What does ¡®active¡¯ include?¡¯ Seol was worried about that. In general, summoners weren¡¯t too active inbat. No to mention the fact that Seol invested all of his skill points into skills rted to his summons so the most active he got inbat was when he dodged the iing flying debris. Oftentimes, he mostly just stood still. Seol pressed the ¡®active¡¯ part of the description, hoping his worries were wrong. ¡®Summons¡­ Summons¡­ It applies to your summons as well. It¡¯s written here!¡¯ Thankfully, his worry ended up just being a worry. Since it specified that a summon being active inbat triggered All-rounder as well, Seol was relieved. ¡®I almost had an effect I couldn¡¯t use.¡¯ Seol was confident that if there was a useless effect on a good item that he had, he would likely lose sleep due to the stress. And like that, the issue with the first effect was settled. ¡®So then the next effect is ¡®enhance a spirit skill of your choosing¡¯, huh¡­¡¯ When Seol pressed the ¡®Enhance a spirit skill of your choosing.¡¯ part of the description, something happened. Pong! Pong! Pong! Nine marbles appeared before him. ¡®Is this¡­ the element of each spirit?¡¯ Despite the fact there were nine of them, one of the spirit elements kept drawing his eyes. Seol stared at it. It was a pitch ck spirit¡¯s marble. Seol didn¡¯t think long before choosing that marble. Just like how you don¡¯t consider certain clothes when there¡¯s a dress code to a party, Seol, as a Shadow Summoner, always sought the ck option. Crumble¡­ When Seol selected the ck marble, the other marbles disappeared and the ck marble crumbled away before surrounding Seol. [The shadow energy bes stronger.] [The ck energy interacts with the Shadow Summoner¡¯s skills.] [Your maximum Shadow Space is increased by 15%.] ¡®...Oh my god.¡¯ It was a percentage increase to his maximum Shadow Space. This was much more meaningful than simply increasing his base Wisdom stat. When Seol thought about how much more Shadow Space he¡¯d have in the Adventures ahead of him, the percentage increase was going to be extremely efficient for him in the long term. ¡®No, even now it can be used to acquire a new summon.¡¯ Having excess Shadow Space meant that he had the option to acquire a new summon after all. - Is that good? - This one¡¯s kinda trash - me. - Isn¡¯t this really good for Shadow Summoners? I don¡¯t really know it too well so I can¡¯t judge though. - Of course, it¡¯s fucking good. All he does is increase his Wisdom stat, right? It practically has the same effect as it. With that, Seol finished checking his new item¡¯s second effect. Seol could tell that the other effects were good with a simple nce too. Spirit¡¯s Barrier¡¯s efficiency probably increased too and taking 10% less damage from elemental attacks was essentially the same as increasing your magic resistance by 10%. - If this belt gives 10% magic resistance as well, where the hell did the game bncer¡¯s conscience go? - To space like the item¡¯s name lol¡­ - You could pretty much use that belt as a weapon and it would still be super strong lmfao. I bet even the person getting hit by it would like it. - Hit me more! Is this what an item that gives roughly 140 bonus stats feels like?! - Choke me daddy! I-I¡¯m so happy! I¡¯m so happy, but¡­ why is this belt so nice¡­ no? - What the fuck is wrong with you. ¡®Is the only thing left the title?¡¯ It was Seol¡¯s first time receiving a special title. And obviously, his expectations toward its effect were increasing by the second. Seol read the title¡¯s description. [[Special Title: Peerless Item Owner] Rted Achievement: One of a Kind (Adventure: Ember) Bonus Effect: You now have the right to challenge ¡®Owner¡¯.] ¡®Ah, it was that.¡¯ Owner. It was a title you could challenge once you gathered a certain number of Peerless items. ¡®Owner is definitely a good title, but¡­ when will I be able to gather all of those Peerless items?¡¯ Seol just now got his hands on his first Peerless item so he wondered when he¡¯d be able to get his hands on more. This title felt like putting money into a frozen ount you can only open 10 yearster. ¡®Well¡­ I¡¯ll just have to be faster than before.¡¯ If it was going to take him too long to get more Peerless items, he just had to go faster. Seol finished his self-inspection. Color Study was an Adventure that was rtively longer than the other ones he had gone through before. It was also an Adventure that no one would have cleared other than Seol. As such, he received rewards appropriate to that level of difficulty. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * At dawn, Seol returned to where his ¡®Color Study¡¯ Adventure started. ¡°Snore¡­ Snore¡­¡± ¡°Snore¡­ Snore¡­¡± The magicians snored as they slept. It was clear that they were exhausted from having to stay in one ce for a long time. ¡°Aaaargh! Huh?¡± ¡°Hrgh¡­ Huh?¡± One of them must¡¯ve had a nightmare since they woke up screaming. The two then nkly looked at Seol. They then barely remembered what they were doing and forced themselves wide awake. ¡°W-Wee! We were worried because you didn¡¯te back to get your containers inspected.¡± ¡°We were waiting for you, Snowman. Why don¡¯t you sit here for a moment andfortably talk about what happened? A-Also, could you not tell our master that we were dozing off¡­¡± ¡°I came to get them inspected.¡± When Seol straightforwardly exined why he was there, the female magician in pigtails nodded before asking him a question. ¡°Did you capture them or kill them?¡± ¡°I captured them but you can essentially consider them dead.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to reopen them.¡± Raise. Seol showed them his belt. Because he couldn¡¯t trust them, he still had the belt equipped on his body when he showed it to them. ¡°Uh¡­ Hm¡­ So¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°Fryn, what is this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± The two talked to each other for a moment before turning toward Seol and asking him a question again. ¡°Could you perhaps wait here for a moment?¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still apprentice magicians so we don¡¯t know that much about spirit containers. But it just so happens that our master is visiting here. Would it be alright to show it to him?¡± ¡°How long will it take?¡± ¡°He¡¯s right by. It will be just a moment.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± As Seol was waiting, he remembered that the magicians had a rtionship to one of his previous pieces, the Grand Duke of Frost. ¡®If they¡¯re a member of Zodiac¡­ maybe I might know them?¡¯ Because the Archmage who created Zodiac was himself, it wouldn¡¯t be weird if Seol ran into someone who he knew from his previous piece. Seol asked the magicians a question. ¡°What is that person¡¯s name by the way?¡± ¡°ine. He is a pioneer of hail magic. Have you perhaps heard of our master?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I am not well educated so I haven¡¯t heard of him. I will make sure to not forget him though.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to go that far¡­ it¡¯s normal to not know him if you¡¯re not a magician. However, he is quite famous amongst magicians.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Seol rubbed his chin as he tried to recall the name ¡®ine¡¯. However, there was no one he could remember. ¡®I mean it¡¯s not like I know every magician¡­¡¯ In fact, it would be stranger if Seol did know every magician in Zodiac, the Magic Tower Organization. However, the man then said something which left Seol with a strange feeling. ¡°Do you know who the Grand Duke of Frost is?¡± ¡°The Grand Duke of Frost?¡± ¡°Yes, the legendary Archmage who also founded Zodiac.¡± ¡°...I have heard his name before, yes.¡± It felt embarrassing to hear about his piece from someone else. ¡°A long time ago, when ine was held back by the Wall of Awakening, he received help from the Grand Duke of Frost to break through that wall. And after that, he became widely known as a pioneer of hail magic.¡± ¡°Ah, so it was that kid.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I understand now. He is quite an incredible man.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just saying this because he¡¯s our master too. He really is an incredible person who saw the legendary Grand Duke of Frost in person!¡± The disciple clearly was proud of their master. ¡®ine, I remember him now. So he¡¯s that kid from back then.¡¯ Seol, as the Grand Duke of Frost, went on countless journeys while doing countless good and countless inevitable bad. Helping ine ovee the Wall of Awakening was something that was definitely categorized as one of the ¡®good¡¯. - Sir¡­ I can¡­ I can feel my emotions running away from me. I feel neither anguish¡­ nor sadness. I-Is this really okay? Hail magic was a category of frost magic that had the same characteristics and side effects as it. ¡®Once you pass a certain level, there is a danger of losing your emotions.¡¯ It was a type of awakening called ¡®Vanishment¡¯. However, if you had someone who could lead you through the awakening, you could reach the next level without experiencing the ¡®Vanishment¡¯ side effect. To ine, that certain someone was the Grand Duke of Frost, and Seol, who was the Grand Duke of Frost, became his savior. There were officially twelve Magic Towers in Pandea. Each Magic Tower was given the name of a constetion and were collectively called Zodiac. ¡®ine¡­ if it¡¯s him there probably won¡¯t be any issues.¡¯ And even if there were issues, it wasn''t hard to slip away from the situation. A few momentster, the apprentice magicians made a small bird which flew toward something. A few moments after that, a clean-looking man came to them. His face looked like someone who was in his early 30¡¯s but his hair waspletely white. His serious demeanor exerted a bit of pressure. Fwooooosh¡­ Step¡­ A cool breeze passed each time he took a step. Seol watched him with a strange expression, the kind an uncle gives when they see their nephew or niece all grown up. ¡°...Youck training, Fryn.¡± ¡°Your standards are just too high, master¡­ Did you expect me to summon a phoenix with just a basic spell like this?¡± ¡°The path of magic is quite far from contentment. You knew what you were getting into¡­¡± ¡°Ahem, ahem¡­ Over there! Snowman¡¯s waiting for you.¡± ¡°Regardless, why don¡¯t we go back together in a bit and have a talk.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ You¡¯re so strict¡­¡± ine quickly turned his head with a flick and looked at Seol. He then reached his hand out toward him. ¡°My name is ine and I¡¯m responsible for managing the dispatched magicians from Aquarius. I was also dispatched here to be in charge of the damaged barrier stone situation.¡± ¡°Snowman.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re the person from the Pointy Mountains incident. We heard about you even far away from Kongory. I apologize for not being able to wee you when you first arrived, I was away. I personally thought it was a shame as well.¡± - S-So sweet¡­ - ine¡¯s a hottie in this world too sheeesh - This guy has everything¡­ but he doesn¡¯t have Snowman¡¯s Peerless item! Seol shook hands with him. Most magicians preferred to not shake hands with other people. Shaking hands with someone else meant admitting that they were equal to you. As such magicians, who were often filled with a sense of superiority from their intelligence, avoided handshakes. Of course, magicians like that existed but ine was the opposite. Seol feltfortable talking with him. ¡°Thank you for the warm wee, ine.¡± ¡°I heard that you brought your own spirit containers? Would it be alright if I check them?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°I ask for your understanding that I will be using magic. It¡¯s just the procedures.¡± Glow¡­ ine caused Seol¡¯s belt to let out a soft glow. ine, who closed his eyes to read the reactions from the belt, grimaced. ¡°N-No¡­ No way.¡± ¡°Why, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°H-How¡­ How did you get your hands on this belt?¡± ¡°I received it from someone I know.¡± - You stole it though. - Are stealing and receiving the same thing nowadays? - It¡¯s always these guys who are strong. - Yeah, always those guys. ¡°Hm¡­ Oho¡­ Mrm¡­¡± ine continued to inspect Seol¡¯s belt with great interest. And then suddenly, he flicked his finger. Flick! [ine used Brain Freeze.] ¡°Master¡­¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± The magicians who were watching behind Seol also froze up in an instant. Judging by how there were faint traces of frost on their faces, they were frozen. Brain Freeze was likely a mind disorder spell. Seol quickly backed up. ¡°Why did you¡­¡± asked Seol. ¡°This item is dangerous,¡± answered ine. Chapter 43 ine had concluded that this matter was important enough to use a mind spell on his apprentice magicians. He then looked at Seol with a serious expression on his face. Seol recognized that ine wasn¡¯t saying this baselessly and listened carefully. ¡°But why¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s something my apprentices cannot know. Luckily, there happened to also be no one else around us.¡± ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Snowman, this belt works by restraining the powers of nine spirits and using them in harmony.¡± ¡°I know.¡± A description like that was written in Griz¡¯s blueprints as well. It worked like that in principle but Seol himself didn¡¯t know how it worked specifically either. ine nodded and looked at Space with great interest. ¡°It is a tremendously genius idea but unfortunately, there¡¯s an issue.¡± ¡°An issue?¡± ¡°It is impossible to bnce. It¡¯s because you used the Venta and Shades which are different from the normal, peaceful spirits. Furthermore, they are still fully conscious.¡± ¡°What problems could they cause?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t predict exactly what will happen, but¡­ once they are off bnce, the spirits¡¯ individual powers could eventually merge into one.¡± ¡°...And Space would be unable to restrain them then.¡± ¡°Exactly¡­ You realized it right away. As expected from the owner of the extraordinary belt.¡± - Good job, ine! - Yeah, equipment like that really needed a drawback LOL - Space (Abomination) - THANK YOU! Seol ced his hand on his chin and thought for a second. ine then added a few words. ¡°There wouldn¡¯t be a problem if you were able to maintain that bnce yourself but since I assume you don¡¯t have a supernatural power rted to spirits¡­ let me propose something to you.¡± ¡°A proposal?¡± ine nodded before continuing. ¡°What do you think about making a deal for that item with us, Aquarius?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± It was hard to tell if ine had hidden intentions. In the first ce, Seol wasn¡¯t sure whether his words were true or not. A few momentster, Seol saw options. [ine, a high-ranking magician, has offered you a proposal. How do you respond? 1. ept it. 2. Reject it. 3. [Required: Negotiation 1] Ask if he has any other offers. 4. [Required: Merchant] Haggle. ¡­¡­] Seol checked the options then answered ine without hesitation. ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°It makes sense¡­ I too would look for another method if I had a rare item like that.¡± - Is this guy trying to trade or not? LOL - ine (Integrity+Incorruptible) - How much would it go for though? - I bet you can retire with how much money you get from that¡­ - It was way too little gold to agree to. ine was sad for a moment before saying more. ¡°However, I hope you do not take my warnings lightly. That belt will inevitably cause problems someday so be careful. Ah, also¡­¡± ine used magic to create something in his hands. Fwoosh¡­ It was an ice sculpture in the shape of a vase. However, despite it being cold, it didn¡¯t look like it would melt. Seol held the sculpture in his hands. [You have acquired an invitation to the Aquarius Magic Tower.] ¡°If you ever need to visit Aquarius, use this invitation. Being unfriendly to outsiders is an unfortunate custom of the Magic Towers after all.¡± ¡°I doubt I¡¯ll ever visit a Magic Tower though.¡± ¡°You never know how things go in life, no? There mighte a time where I could help you or you could help Aquarius.¡± ¡°...I heard Zodiac repays both kindness and hostility in double.¡± ineughed. ¡°You are exactly right. To be honest, we repay a lot more hostility than kindness but it¡¯s not like we ignore the kindness we receive. Anyway, I will be looking forward to your visit. I feel like we have many things to do together.¡± Flick! ine then flicked his fingers again. [ine canceled Brain Freeze.] The magicians woke up drowsy. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Was it because I was tired¡­? I apologize, what were we talking about?¡± ¡°Fryn, our guest has captured all of the different spirit types. I want you to record it exactly as such.¡± ¡°Really? I understand, Master.¡± Float¡­ Fryn closed her eyes to concentrate and a feather pen nearby started to float and record on a sheet of paper. Write¡­ - Snowmanplete (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, White, ck) ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Wow, that¡¯s incredible. This is the first case of someone capturing all of the different spirit types since we asked for support. Hold on a second¡­ a Shades? Master!¡± ¡°Yes, it seems like the reason the Adventurers who came to help us went missing in the forest was because of that evil, ck spirit.¡± ¡°Oh my gosh¡­ Were you threatened by the Shades too, Snowman?¡± Seol shrugged. A shrug might¡¯ve meant that he agreed to it but it also showed he was indifferent to it. Fryn¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock after seeing him shrug. ¡°E-Even for us, Shades are a difficult spirit to face¡­ So how did you capture it¡­¡± ¡°I just got lucky.¡± ¡°Still, how¡­¡± ine nced at Fryn. ¡°Fryn, it seems that Snowman does not particrly wish to disclose that. Do not pester him.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. Okay, then! As a reward for your help, you will receive items, some gold coins, and consumables. Would you like to receive them now?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± The moment Seol responded, a massive treasure chest appeared before him. Click! [You have sessfullypleted supporting the barrier stone¡¯s repair.] [You have captured or killed nine different types of spirits.] [This will be recorded.] [You have earned the achievement ''Indiscriminate''.] [You have earned the title ''Spirit Hunter''.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [You have acquired Shades¡¯ Grace.] [You have acquired Venta¡¯s Mantle.] [You have acquired Gloves of Spirit Protection.] [You have acquired 788 gold coins.] [You have acquired 122 silver coins.] [You have acquired 12 medium red potions.] [You have acquired 10 medium blue potions.] ¡­¡­ Seol received a weapon, a cape, and gloves. Seol was shocked after taking a nce at these items. ¡°These are¡­¡± The rewards were way too good. It wasn¡¯t a problem that the items were good, but¡­ All of the items were items that weremonly used by summoners. It was almost like they prepared them knowing that Seol was going to use them. ine followed up almost as if he was expecting that reaction from Seol. ¡°Every rare item in the world inevitably passes through the Magic Tower. I hope you can think of this as a gift tomemorate our first meeting, Snowman.¡± ¡°Items like these¡­ thank you.¡± Seol expressed his thanks for ine¡¯s generous gift before disappearing into the light. Glooow¡­ After he disappeared¡­ ¡°It seems like what happened in the Pointy Mountains wasn¡¯t a lie, Master,¡± said Fryn. ¡°So you also felt something from him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met countless Adventurersing to aid us with the barrier stone and I¡¯ve met quite a few unusual people but¡­ I had yet to meet a special person.¡± Dull¡­ Fryn¡¯s eyes became cloudy. It was because of her unique Characteristic that gave her special treatment even in the Magic Tower. ¡°Are you saying that he¡¯s special?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but¡­ I just got that feeling from him.¡± ¡°That feeling would be urate.¡± ¡°Does that mean you also felt something from him, Master?¡± ¡°I just¡­ have the same feeling as you.¡± ¡°He¡¯s special.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see when he visits the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°Huh? How would he visit the Magic Tower when he doesn¡¯t have an invitation? What do you¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Master! I told you to not use Brain Freeze on me!¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Glooow¡­ Seol appeared on a path to the forest near Nobira. Now that the transferees were all on different Adventures, it was rare for them to return at the same time. That was the reason why Seol was alone there. [Next is the Points Leaderboard up to Adventure 6.] Ding [Your information is set to Private.] [You have 920,600 Points.] [Adventurer Points Leaderboard 1. Private (920,600) 2. Daerim-DongHamFist (450,080) 3. AttackonDwarf (391,810) 4. Firefly (380,270) 5. FreshmanOrientation (377,400)] Because this was the Points Leaderboard for the Adventurers in Nobira, it was filled with people he didn¡¯t know. What especially caught his eye was the fact that Rank 2 to Rank 5 all had simr points. What also caught his eye was that he had an overwhelming lead, double the Rank 2¡¯s points. The former could be exined by the skill level amongst transferees bing standardized and thetter could be exined by Seol still being unrivaled in his skill despite that. - What¡¯s with this point gap lol - Kuku¡­ It seems that I, Frieza, conquered Nobira as well. - Wait, this might just be the case in the South. - Seriously, I heard there were quite a number of yers who had over 700,000 points. - Yeah, even barely going over 700,000 points would make you a monster, but¡­ [You begin your Rest.] [Your Key Location Rest is starting.] [Break 3. Nobira, the Ruins City.] [Break 3. ¡®Nobira, the Ruins City¡¯ In The World of Eternity, Nobira the Ruins City is located in South Pandea. A city where many treasures andmodities excavated from ruinse and go because of its adjacency to the Great Forest. It also has one of the bigger ck markets andrge auction houses in the South. Adventurers must take plenty of rest and training here, or at another rest location, before preparing for the next Adventure. Objective: Rest and maintenance. You will be tired upon failure. Remaining Time: [About 30 days]] After roughly 20 days, Seol finally arrived in Nobira. And before he entered Nobira, Seol first checked his rewards. ¡®First, the title.¡¯ [[Title: Spirit Hunter] Rted Achievement: Indiscriminate (Adventure: Iplete: Color Study) Bonus Effect: All stats increase by 5% when facing a spirit-type monster. There is also a low chance of inflicting the ¡®fear¡¯ status effect when facing a spirit-type monster.] A normal, ordinary title. Seol nodded and checked the real reward, the equipment he received. [[Venta¡¯s Mantle] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 12-20 Defense: 20 Durability: 70/70 Weight: 0.1kg A cape made to imitate the ability of Venta, the Light White Spirit. No matter how dark a cave is, you do not need to worry as long as you have this cape. Basic Effect: +10 Wisdom, +8 Constitution Bonus Effect: Illuminates in dark areas.] An item for Adventurers. ¡®It¡¯s a pretty rare effect too¡­¡¯ - This effect is so nice lol - I bet people will walk in front of him so they don¡¯t go blind though - He goes on Adventures alone anyway¡­ It was annoying enough carrying around a torch but carrying around a torch in battle would¡¯ve been extremely annoying. Thankfully, with this cape that lights up, he won¡¯t have to worry about a situation like that anymore. [[Gloves of Spirit Protection] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 14-20 Defense: 35 Durability: 80/80 Weight: 0.1kg A pair of gloves made out of extremely light materials to minimize difort. It might not be suitable for defense but the bonus effect is quite powerful. Basic Effect: +3 Intelligence, +8 Wisdom, +5 Constitution Bonus Effect: Once a day, you can nullify a physical attack if the physical attack would cause a ¡®minor injury¡¯.] ¡°Is this really a rare quality item?¡± - I¡¯m asking the same question right now. - That¡¯s insane¡­ The basic effect was good enough but the bonus effect is insane¡­ - Guys, you have to think of it in a differently. - What? You don¡¯t think it¡¯s good? - How often do you receive a minor injury during an Adventure? They¡¯re all serious injuries lol. - I mean taking a single punch from Jamad would be a severe injury LMFAO So would this only activate when you trip on something or something like that? LOL - Yeah, this is it LOL Seol already realized the weak point of that effect like his viewers did but he wasn¡¯t too disappointed. ¡®What¡¯s important is that the effect is on my gloves.¡¯ Armor, pants, and gaiters¡­ Since the effect wasn¡¯t tied to one of those, or his weapon, it was pretty much a free bonus effect. ¡®A situation coulde up where a hidden weapon hits my arms or legs¡­¡¯ Even if Seol had Jamad and Karuna, there were still situations where he could be injured. In those scenarios, this glove¡¯s effect was considerably useful. Seol equipped the cape and gloves right away. Finally, he looked at the ck crystal ball. Even at a nce, Seol could tell that the weapon was quite powerful. The reward with the highest quality this Adventure was the Shades¡¯ Grace. Chapter 44 Seol stared holes into the Shades¡¯ Grace. [[Shades¡¯ Grace] Quality: Treasure Required ss: Shadow Summoner Rmended Level: 15-25 Damage: 50 Durability: 75/75 Weight: 0.3kg A crystal ball made to imitate the ability of Shades, the Shadow ck Spirit. The ability to control shadows was maximized through extensive research but because of it, there were unavoidable side effects. Basic Effect: +5 Intelligence, +15 Wisdom, +2 Spirit Bonus Effect: Shadow Hand increases by 1 rank. Shadow Space expands by 30%. Your Shadow Summons¡¯ stats are decreased by 20%.] ¡°Ah¡­¡± Seol couldn¡¯t help but sigh. There were really good effects but he just couldn¡¯t let go of one thing¡­ - Is this good or nah? - Ah¡­ he¡¯s fucked LOL - WhyWhyWhyWhyWhy? - It¡¯s an item for someone else. - For someone else? It¡¯s a Shadow Summoner exclusive item though? - There isn''t just one kind of Shadow Summoner. Like Seol¡¯s viewers suggested, the direction Seol was heading as a Shadow Summoner waspletely different from the type of Shadow Summoner this item was suited for. ¡®This weapon is specifically useful for the Shadow Summoners who use many low-rank summons¡­¡¯ A Shadow Summoner¡¯s Shadow Summon could be split into two main categories. The first was the Shadow Summoners like Seol who had a small number of extremely powerful summons. For those cases, effects that give an increase or bonus to the summon¡¯s stats were the most important. ¡®But this weapon decreases the summon¡¯s stats¡­¡¯ The other category of Shadow Summoners were those that had an endless amount of low-level, weak summons. For those cases, having more Shadow Space was more important than the individual summon¡¯s stats. Since they were low-level summons anyway, the decrease didn¡¯t even affect them too much. - Ah¡­ ine LMFAO - I trusted you ine hahaha I guess he¡¯s a bit of a ditz. - Can he just take it back? LOL Ask him to give you something else! - ine: I prepared this for you because I thought you might need it ^^ (proud) The weapon Seol was currently using was this. [[Full Moon Staff] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 1-8 Damage: 22 Durability: 32/32 Weight: 0.8kg A staff that absorbed energy from the holy moon. It is quite heavy. Basic Effect: +10 Wisdom Bonus Effect: All of your stats increase by 5% at night.] The key stat, Wisdom, was not too different from Shades¡¯ Grace and the bonus effect was usable. ¡®That¡¯s why I¡¯m having a hard time¡­¡¯ Seol thought for a moment then ended up putting the Shades¡¯ Grace back into his inventory. ¡®I guess I have no choice. I just have to go there.¡¯ Seol finished organizing his equipment and entered Nobira. And because of the issue with Shades¡¯ Grace, Seol immediately headed to a ce where he could solve his problem. ¡°You over there! Don¡¯t cut in line!¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± It was a ce that didn¡¯t have just rough-looking muscr men, it also had refined women and greedy child merchants. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of stuff that¡¯s been released into the market from the recent ruin expedition.¡± ¡°Did you see that? I¡¯m talking about the treasure.¡± ¡°Oh, that? I saw it the moment they put it up.¡± ¡°But I wonder why they put that on auction¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe it¡¯s because it hasn¡¯t found the right owner yet.¡± ¡°I mean it makes sense. Even if the item¡¯s rare, who would pay that much money to buy it at that price?¡± ¡°From what I heard they¡¯re not trying to sell it at that price but trying to trade it for another item.¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­ What about the auction house fees?¡± ¡°I mean all you have to pay if it doesn¡¯t sell is the registration fee so I guess it¡¯s none of their worries.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true. Anyway, it¡¯s nice to see something like that.¡± Nobira¡¯s auction house was one of the bigger auction houses in South Pandea. Since Nobira was practically the origin of countless treasures, it was quite an enticing ce for wholesalers and middlemen to visit. There was also a ce to search for items simr to how the Adventurer Association had amunity function in their building. That was how they were able to amodate the sheer number of visitors. If it wasn¡¯t for that, Nobira¡¯s auction house would¡¯ve ended up an uncontroble mess. Seol posted the unnecessary consumables and misceneous items he received from his Adventures on auction. Since Seol didn¡¯t have the Negotiation talent, it would¡¯ve been hard for him to receive a fair price for the items he posted if he went to an ordinary shop. The consumables he put on auction were practically sold the moment he posted them. It might have been because the continuous Adventures made consumables a scarce resource for other people. However, since that was unrted to Seol, the only thing he did was check the items listed to see if there was anything he could use. ¡®Summoners can¡¯t equip gaiters so¡­ I should probably look for pants, weapons, or essories, right?¡¯ Seol had suitable equipment for his other slots but his weapon was low quality, his pants had no bonus effects, and his essory slot was empty. Seol¡¯s fingers quickly scrolled through the list. He set the category to the items he wanted and read through everything as he scrolled down. And as he was doing so, his fingers stopped on one item. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s¡­ this?¡± There were many items, especially equipment, listed on the auction with unusual effects. The majority of them were ¡®Special¡¯ quality items with some ¡®Rare¡¯ quality items, the quality right above Special. However, even if they were rare items, oftentimes the effects were duds so they only went for a proper amount if a decent effect was attached to the item as well. But the quality of the item that Seol¡¯s finger stopped on right now was¡­ ¡®A Treasure quality item?¡¯ Furthermore, it was a Treasure quality weapon. Equipment for more important slots often went for double or even triple the price of items in different slots. Seol checked the item¡¯s effects. [[Gallotta¡¯s Tongue] Quality: Treasure Required ss: Shadow Summoner Rmended Level: 14-23 Damage: 42 Durability: 68/68 Weight: 0.2kg A treasurepleted with the tongue of Gallotta, the pitch-ck snake. The powers of the snake that emits shadows is imbued into this item. However, because Gallotta¡¯s shadow venom has seeped into this item, there is a danger of the weapon poisoning its user. Basic Effect: +22 Wisdom Bonus Effect: Your Shadow Summons¡¯ stats are increased by 15%. The chance Shadow Summon passes on a skill when used is increased by 20%. Every 6 hours, there is a certain chance the user bes poisoned by shadow venom.] ¡®Gallotta¡¯s Tongue!¡¯ Gallotta, the pitch-ck snake, was a notorious monster. Not only was Gallotta¡¯s shadow venom dangerous, but its ability to take many hits drove many yers to their deaths. Gallotta also wasn¡¯t the name of a specific snake but a general term used for the massive ck snakes that would appear from time to time in the ruins near the Great Forest. ¡®And that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t aim for it.¡¯ You could find a Gallotta anywhere in the Great Forest but that was also just another way of saying that you might not be able to find it no matter how hard you searched. And because of that, it wasn¡¯t a monster that was worth taking the time to hunt. ¡®No, before that¡­ Gallotta¡¯s Tongue actually dropped?¡¯ Gallotta had a low chance of dropping Treasure quality equipment. The majority of them had amazing effects but a few of them had critical defects. For example, like Gallotta¡¯s Tongue that Seol was looking at right now. Bing poisoned by shadow venom might look like a trivial defect at first but it was in fact a serious danger to the user. ¡®Shadow venom might not be a lethal poison but the antidote for it isn¡¯t known.¡¯ It was a poison that slowly made you lose your senses. The antidote wasn¡¯t widely known to the world and the ingredients for the antidote were also difficult to acquire near the Great Forest. ¡®So that¡¯s why they registered it on the auction house.¡¯ It was also a possibility that the original owner was poisoned by the shadow venom. An item this great could be sold directly to the ck market and even if it was a huge price to pay, any Shadow Summoner would be tempted to buy it. However, considering that this item was registered on the auction house and hasn¡¯t been sold¡­ it could only be for that reason. ¡®Well that¡¯s that, but¡­ who could it be?¡¯ Gallota¡¯s Tongue was not an easy item to acquire. The person or group who acquired this had to be someone who is widely known for their skill around Nobira. ¡®The most likely group is probably someone from the ruin hunter faction.¡¯ The others rarely, if ever, enter ruins and even if they did, they wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat a Gallotta. Therefore, the item most likely came from them. ¡®I should gather more information. If I could juste into contact with the person who owns the item¡­¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t want to meet the owner of Gallotta¡¯s Tongue for some other special reason. ¡®It¡¯s just too expensive as it is right now.¡¯ Even if Seolbined all of the currency he had on hand right now, it wouldn¡¯t evene close to meeting the minimum price set for Gallotta¡¯s Tongue. ¡®I guess there¡¯s no choice¡­¡¯ Seol waited in line for a while and before eventually getting his turn with one of the auction house¡¯s managers. ¡°Hello, I am Rita, one of the auction house¡¯s managers. Are you here to register an item at the auction house?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then please ce your item here.¡± With a hint of regret, Seol ced the Shades¡¯ Grace in a spot where other people couldn¡¯t see. ce. The manager¡¯s face grew stiff the moment she saw the item. ¡°Th-this is¡­¡± ¡°Why? Is something wrong?¡±1 to ¡°No, not at all. It¡¯s just quite the item¡­ hm¡­ What would you like the minimum bid amount to be?¡± Seol remembered Gallotta¡¯s Tongue¡¯s minimum bid amount and said the same number. ¡°Please make it 200 tinum coins.¡± ¡°A-Are you sure you¡¯d like to set the price that high when a buyer might not appear?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Seol had plenty of time and he wasn¡¯t in a rush to change his weapon. There was also a chance that the owner of Gallota¡¯s Tongue realized his intentions and requested a 1-to-1 trade as well. ¡®The odds of that are low though.¡¯ Regardless of whichever of the two happens, Seol was happy with it. Someone could buy Shades¡¯ Grace and Seol could use the money from that to buy Gallotta¡¯s Tongue or the person who owned Gallotta¡¯s Tongue could request a 1-to-1 trade with the Shades¡¯ Grace. Rita, the manager, then asked another question. ¡°Would you like us to proceed as a proxy sale?¡± ¡°Yes, could you please do that?¡± ¡°Understood. However, we would like to request that you visit the auction house every day considering the item you are selling is something like that.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Seol sold a few more items then left the auction house. And a few momentster, Rita left the auction house through a back door and handed a note to a rough-looking man. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol then headed to the Adventurer Association to see if anything had changed in Nobira while he was gone. And as expected, the best way to learn about recent news was themunity. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: You guys said Nobira would be peaceful now that Borgo was gone.] Whoever said that Nobira would be peaceful should go and repent ?? Nobira is fucking crazy right now¡­ Is this a new cold war? - Seriously, I¡¯m worried I¡¯ll get stabbed while I¡¯m walking down the street¡­ - That fucking Heka, the Lion of the Ruins? Or whatever his name is, is fucking annoying. - Can you say that to Heka¡¯s face? ¡®Heka?¡¯ Seol had also heard quite a few things about Heka while looking into Chao. Before Borgo died, Nobira¡¯s big-shot ruin hunters were split into five factions. And after one of the factions disappeared due to Seol, the other four factions startedpeting more closely with each other. ¡®Did something happen during that tense time?¡¯ [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A week ago] [Title: How did things be like this? The people who know, know.] You all know that Heka sided with Doju and Kibo sided with Shur, right? Everyone knows this much at least, right? Apparently, the two factions thing was going well for a while until something happened to Kibo¡¯s faction. Heka and Doju noticed that Kibo was getting weak so they started getting aggressive to take over all of Nobira. You all know it too, right? Even though this ce is a gathering of low-lives, there¡¯s a lot of money being moved around so whoever ends up taking over everything will be massive. - What happened to Kibo and Shur¡¯s faction? - I know for a fact that it¡¯s something that happened to Kibo¡¯s side. There¡¯s nothing wrong with Shur¡¯s faction. - Kibo sensei our lone wolf ?? - Please protect Nobira, Kibo-chan! - I think I¡¯m going to go crazy¡­ Kibo¡¯s faction is the moderates so they¡¯re nice to transferees but Heka¡¯s side uses transferees like fucking meat shields so it¡¯s obvious what¡¯s going to happen if they take over Nobira. - I just barely found my footing in Nobira too, sigh¡­ Should we leave Nobira now? - Would it be better if we go to Kongory? I heard it¡¯s livable there now with Han Yeo-myeong and the guild alliance there¡­ - I¡¯m just being careful because I¡¯m worried I won¡¯t be able to find a party after going there¡­ Seol had a general idea of what was happening after reading this post. ¡®So the bnce is messed up. I guess they¡¯re all tense now?¡¯ Since Seol wasn¡¯t tied down to hunting ruins like the others, it was entirely someone else¡¯s worry to him. He was also no longer somebody who had to worry about getting swept up in conflicts like this either. Seol kept looking through posts to see if there was any other news. ¡®Hm?¡¯ And as he was, he found a post rted to him. [ (NEW) [ ¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: ¡®Private¡¯ showed up in Nobira.] Posts about ¡®Private¡¯ started to appear on themunity. Chapter 45 Seol slowly read through the post. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: ¡®Private¡¯ showed up in Nobira.] Go check out the Points Leaderboard and confirm it yourselves. It seems like Han Yeo-myeong came over to Nobira! Halt right there, Heka! Yeo-myeong¡¯sing after you! - Wee Yeo-myeong~ - Yeo-myeong?! How dare you speak down to him like that?! You should call him Sir Yeo-myeong! - Yeo-myeong came over? We¡¯re safe!!! - Nobira¡¯s pretty interesting lol [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Who is Han Yeo-myeong?] For the blind, He is the vision. For the hungry, He is the chef. For the thirsty, He is the water. If Han Yeo-myeong thinks, I agree. If Han Yeo-myeong speaks, I¡¯m listening. If Han Yeo-myeong has one fan, it is me. If Han Yeo-myeong has no fans, I don¡¯t exist. - Han Yeo-myeong¡¯s still in Kongory. Take down this post. - What the fuck? Then who¡¯s Private? - I don¡¯t know. Maybe they came to Nobira from somece other than Kongory? - I heard a lot of people with high scores are psychopaths¡­ isn¡¯t this more dangerous then? Yeo-myeong at least felt like an ally of justice¡­ - It ended up all just being fucking rumors then. Luckily, thanks to the confusion from people believing that Yeo-myeong was Private, Seol¡¯s true identity as Private was still not revealed. It wasn¡¯t actually a big issue if Seol revealed himself as Private but there was an increased chance of trivial quarrels happening because of it. Even from just looking at the current situation in Nobira, Seol could tell that something would happen. People were already hoping for the Private who recently arrived in Nobira to face off against Heka¡¯s massive faction. ¡®It¡¯spletely unrted to me.¡¯ Seol read a few more posts before leaving the Adventurer Association. This time, Seol was careful in the inn he chose to stay at for a month. ¡°Huh? A room that you can cook in?¡± ¡°Do you have none?¡± ¡°No, we do have a room¡­ an outbuilding just happens to be avable for rent. However, the charge for the room is a bit expensive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Seol might not have had the minimum bid amount for a treasure like Gallotta¡¯s Tongue, but he was still definitely rich. ng! ¡°You can use the inner outbuilding.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± As Seol walked deeper inside, he immediately spotted a moderately sized outbuilding. It was a ce where you¡¯d have to pay ten times the price of a normal room to stay. Obviously though, the price wasn¡¯t too important to Seol at all. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The next day, Seol went to the information guild in Nobira. Of course, the first thing Seol asked for was information about Chao but there was nothing avable on her. ¡°However, we do have information on the other things you requested.¡± ¡°Then please.¡± Seol handed over the handful of gold needed and checked the information he received. - The Gallotta¡¯s Tongue that went on auction is confirmed to havee from one of the factions who recently went on an expedition to the ruins. ¡®As expected, it came from the ruin hunters.¡¯ Seol quickly read the next information. - There is also a rumor that Kibo¡¯s faction, one of the ruin hunter factions, previously had the weapon in their grasp, as Kibo is also a Shadow Summoner himself. This information hasn¡¯t been confirmed, but it is definitely credible, as there is no other reason for Kibo to not respond to Heka¡¯s continuous taunts. ¡®Oho¡­¡¯ - Kibo has been caught using his internal informationwork to frantically search for a certain item. Seol burned the piece of paper while rubbing his chin. The information he received was definitely worth the money. ¡®Based on the current circumstance, Kibo likelyid his hands on the treasure and was poisoned by it.¡¯ Gallotta¡¯s Tongue might be a Treasure quality weapon but it was in fact no different from Abomination. ¡®And the certain item Kibo¡¯s searching for is probably the shadow venom¡¯s antidote¡­¡¯ Seol thought of a few things. He thenbined a few of them and separated them into concrete ns. ¡®Alright, there won¡¯t be any problems if I do this first.¡¯ Seol confidently came to a decision for the steps he¡¯d take and headed to the auction house. ¡°There¡¯s another Treasure!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ I¡¯m not even surprised by that ridiculous price.¡± ¡°Who could it be?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s the same person who put up Gallotta¡¯s Tongue?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯d be able to know that.¡± Seol observed a few of the noisy merchants before noticing Rita who approached him. He then gave a quick hello, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you, Rita.¡± ¡°You came early today.¡± ¡°I was curious if there was any news.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ There really isn¡¯t much news to give to you¡­ Why don¡¯t youe inside for now?¡± Rita, the auction house manager, led Seol to a separate room. She then handed him some tea while taking nces at him. ¡°Please, have a drink.¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°You must be parched though?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really eat or drink anything that other people give to me. It¡¯s a habit from my work.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ Well, there are also other people like that among the people I manage as well, so¡­¡± Rita tried her best to let the conversation continue. ¡°Snowman, no one has made a bid for the Shades¡¯ Grace yet.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°So, what do you think about lowering the price¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I don¡¯t n on lowering the price at all. I might be open to an exchange but not to lower the price.¡± ¡°...An exchange?¡± Rita¡¯s face changed, it was exactly like a merchant who heard something interesting. ¡°An exchange, hm¡­ Do you have something in mind?¡± ¡°Well, it would be worth a consideration if it¡¯s something around the same price.¡± There were only two Treasure-quality items that were listed on this massive auction. The first was the Shades¡¯ Grace that Seol owned and the second was the Gallotta¡¯s Tongue which Seol assumed that Kibo owned. Rita, who obviously realized Seol¡¯s intent, lowered her eyes and stopped herself from speaking. She then gathered her hands. It seemed that she was also tense as it was an important matter. ¡°What do you think about¡­ Gallotta¡¯s Tongue which is at a simr minimum bid price as your weapon?¡± ¡°Gallotta¡¯s Tongue, huh¡­ That might not be bad either.¡± Rita¡¯s eyes instantly changed. ¡°...Shall I push forward with that?¡± ¡°Do you know the treasure¡¯s owner?¡± Seol was talking about Gallotta''s Tongue here when he said ¡®treasure¡¯. ¡°I also happen to be in charge of them as well.¡± ¡°By ¡®them¡¯...¡± ¡°I apologize. I am not allowed to even give out a name.¡± Rita¡¯s attitude actually made Seol trust her more. Because this also meant that if someone asked her for his identity, she would also respond in kind. ¡°Then how am I supposed toe into contact with them?¡± ¡°I n to ask for their intentions first as it is something for them to decide.¡± ¡°Is there any other way?¡± ¡°I believe that this is the best that could be done right now?¡± Seol smiled and stood up. ¡°I also agree.¡± ¡°I hope to have a reason to contact you.¡± After Seol left, Rita looked at the chair that Seol was sitting on for a second before leaving through a secret back door. A man with a knife scar on his face was waiting for her. * * * Seol returned to his amodation and took a rest. Even though he was moving busily, there were still things Seol had to solve. Slide¡­ Seol pulled out a ck flower from his inventory. It was something he received from J, the Merchant of Madness. However, Seol had yet to find a summon he desired so much that he was willing to use the flower. It also wasn¡¯t processed yet. ¡®I gathered most of the materials, but¡­¡¯ Seol still needed a few more materials to fully process it. He gathered almost everything but there was one specific ingredient he hadn¡¯t been able to get. ¡®I really need to find the ¡®gtin of persecutory delusions¡¯.¡¯ Because it was such a rare ingredient, Seol was unable to find it even in Nobira¡¯s auction house, one of therger auction houses in the south. And even if he was able to find it, the expensive price would definitely be a burden. Scarcity definitely yed a role in the rare ingredients being hard to find but the deciding factor was how far he was from where they were originally found. As time went on, Seol only traveled further south but the gtin of persecutory delusions was found in the north. You had to extract it from animal bones or shells you found in the wild. This meant that there was no reasonable way for him to acquire it himself. ¡®It also just so happens that the shadow venom¡¯s antidote also requires an ingredient from the north¡­¡¯ The shadow venom¡¯s antidote was also a problem as well. If everything progressed ording to Seol¡¯s ns, there was a high chance that Gallotta¡¯s Tongue would end up in Seol¡¯s grasp. For, if, and when that situation came, Seol needed to prepare a provision for the shadow venom. ¡®I could also use the antidote as a negotiation tool as well.¡¯ But the antidote required the correct ingredient to make it. And that necessary ingredient was the grounded powder of the leaves of a poisonous herb that grew in the north. This meant that this too was also difficult to acquire in the south. ¡°Nothing¡¯s easy to solve at all.¡± Seol thought for a second before pulling something out once again. It was a piece of paper with a demon design on it. It was the invitation to the Madness Shop that J had given to him before. - You might find it ufortable if I just show up randomly whenever I want. Whenever you want to purchase something with Madness, tear up that invitation. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no choice¡­¡± Even though Seol was trying his best to avoid using it, this was the only option he had left. Since the origin of his worries, the Shadow Flower, also came from the Madness Shop, Seol was confident that he could easily find ingredients which were less rare than it at the shop. Riiiiip¡­ Seol ripped the invitation. In an instant, an uncontroble drowsiness overcame him. It waste at night and eventually, Seol slowly eased into sleep in the armchair as he was nning for the future. Snore¡­ You might not always have a dream when you fall asleep, but you have to be asleep to have a dream. * * * And it happened. For the first time in a long while, Seol was dreaming. Once again, it was also a lucid dream. ¡®It worked properly.¡¯ Lucid dreams were no longer a pleasant experience for Seol anymore. They were neither surprising nor interesting, they practically felt like a chronic disease. Seol believed he had shook off what happened in the heavens but it still made him uneasy like a trauma. [Someone seems interested in the Madness you have collected.] [Many Merchants of Madness appear.] ¡®Is it J¡­? No, wait¡­ it says ¡®many¡¯?¡¯ Seol¡¯s surroundings were hard to decipher like a forest filled with dense fog. Seol could just barely make out the silhouette of something beyond the grim atmosphere and fog. Well, specifically it was ¡®silhouettes¡¯. One of the silhouettes called out to Seol. ¡°It is nice to meet you, Snowman.¡± ¡°Are you all merchants of madness?¡± ¡°We are. You¡¯ve met one of us before in a previous encounter though.¡± ¡°...J.¡± ¡°Huhuhu¡­ so you still remember her. You have quite the memory.¡± ¡°Is she here as well?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I cannot tell you that.¡± Seol gave an odd look while looking around himself. He noticed close to ten individuals surrounding him. However, because he could only see their silhouettes, he had difficulty telling what they looked like. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°To maintain fair trade.¡± ¡°Fairness?¡± ¡°Snowman, you are at most an individual who has been caught up in the World Merge. However, you have also gathered a considerable amount of Madness that is enticing to every merchant.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°It means that anyone would want to trade with you. Just like how you have remembered J, the first merchant you traded with, we also wish to be remembered by you.¡± ¡°Definitely¡­¡± Their reasoning made sense. Even though merchants excluded any personal feelings when it came to making a deal, the customers were always bound to include their personal feelings. It was normal to think a merchant was safe after you made a deal with them once after all. ¡°Then what do I have to do?¡± ¡°Nothing at all. Just like before, we will just show you some of our goods.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°If you like the goods we show you, all you have to do is pay Madness for it and buy it.¡± ¡°But I¡­¡± ¡°We already know of the deal you made with J. However, that isn¡¯t a fair trade. In fact, a restriction has been ced on her for making that promise with you.¡± It made sense. The promise that Seol made with J could definitely be considered expedient to the other merchants. J also wouldn¡¯t have an excuse if that became an issue either. ¡°By the way, how much Madness have I gathered?¡± ¡°Roughly 13,000. It is a marvelous record.¡± 13,000. Since he was able to buy the Shadow Flower for 3,000 Madness before, Seol had much more funds to spend this time. ¡°Then show me your wares.¡± ¡°As many as you want¡­¡± ¡°Then should I show you mine first?¡± A somewhat arrogant merchant reached their hand out through the wall of fog. tter¡­ Dozens of merchandise poured out. ¡°Now, keep your eyes open for this. I¡¯ll start by exining this one. So, this is¡­¡± ¡°Hold it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n on looking through dozens of different items.¡± ¡°Huh? Then what?¡± ¡°I want you to only show me the things that I need the most. Let¡¯s not tire each other out.¡± The other merchants nodded their heads in agreement. Since the items that Seol would buy were already somewhat decided, looking through the entire catalog of ten different merchants was definitely a waste of time. ¡°Then let me introduce you to this¡­ and this.¡± The merchant handed over a set of elephant earrings and a shiny suit of armor. ¡°These earrings explosively increase your strength once a day to give you immense power.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the side effect?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°The side effect?¡± ¡°Extreme muscle pain.¡± The merchant felt awkward saying the side effect. And with that, the flow shifted in Seol¡¯s side. ¡°And what about the armor?¡± ¡°Ah, now I¡¯m really confident in this. So this armor¡­¡± The merchant said many sweet words to exin how great the armor was. However, after hearing everything, Seol then said this¡­ ¡°I acquired a new set of armor recently.¡± ¡°Huh? Really? Then what about¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Is there anyone else who would like to show their goods to me?¡± The merchants realized that Seol had a good eye for items and paused for a second. They then took turns showing and exining the wares that they were confident in to Seol. ¡°This gargoyle is¡­¡± ¡°This is practically a powerful armament from the heavens!¡± ¡°Losing this would be losing the chance of a lifetime.¡± ¡°With just 10,000 Madness, you would be getting this incredible opportunity.¡± ¡°If you hand over all of your Madness, this is yours.¡± Seol hated listening to all of it. A powerful summon, an incredible armament, a scroll with a powerful spell imbued into it, etc. Seol knew all of the items that the merchants were showing him. He knew that they were all extraordinary, but not only were they extremely expensive for their worth, but they were also all useless. That was why Seol didn¡¯t buy anything. Just like how a bird with wings doesn¡¯t need gills, Seol¡¯s priority was to find the things that he needed right now. ¡®They¡¯re all too busy thinking about how they could take all of my Madness.¡¯ The final merchant waved their hands. And when they did, two items, ones which paled inparison to the items shown earlier, appeared. The merchant, unlike the other merchants, didn¡¯t say anything. They were speaking through their wares. The first item was a blue-ish t thing and the second item was a green powder. Seol quietly inspected it for a second before saying, ¡°J, it¡¯s you.¡± Chapter 46 It waspletely silent. Seol didn¡¯t know who the people beyond the fog were, but they must have known each other. They would know that J was here, present with them, and even which one of them J was. And then the merchant who showed Seol the items said this¡­ ¡°See, what did I tell you? In the end, it¡¯ll only hurt your self-esteem.¡± The other merchants flinched as if there was a situation that Seol wasn¡¯t aware of. ¡°You yed a trick on us, J.¡± ¡°Trick? Haha, you really don¡¯t know how to keep your mouth shut, do you, you old wrinkled fart?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did you really think you¡¯d be able to seduce my customer with trash like that?! What a waste of time! A great merchant like me is already struggling with the guilt of wasting my customer¡¯s time." ¡°Th-this fucking¡­ How did he know it was J?¡± The silhouette, who was confirmed to be J now, then said something to thementing merchants. ¡°It¡¯s because you guys are here to sell items and I¡¯m here to let them buy the items. Do you really not know the difference?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± answered one of the silhouettes. Seol knew what the difference was. He felt the difference strongly the moment J showed him those two items. ¡®The difference was whether the item they were trying to sell was something that I needed or not.¡¯ The other merchants all tried to sell Seol expensive items almost like they were trying to get his Madness. J, however, offered Seol the items he needed the most at this moment. And that was why J had an equal standing to Seol in the transaction, not below him like the other merchants were. J then shouted at the other merchants in a booming voice, threatening them. ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then fuck off! You damned third-rates.¡± ¡°...We¡¯ll see you when you get back, J.¡± ¡°Of course, as much as you want. I¡¯ll see you guyster though. I have an important trade to make after all.¡± ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°That might be the case but you do know that it¡¯s dangerous if you only trade that much, you know¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not for you to worry about. Go already!¡± The other merchants left one after another through arge hole. Slowly, the fog started to lift. Though, just because it had lifted didn¡¯t mean the area was any brighter. A bloody hue and a demon mask. The things that symbolized J filled the surrounding area once again. ¡°Phew, I would¡¯ve been sad if you didn¡¯t recognize me.¡± ¡°I realized who you were the moment I saw the items.¡± ¡°I knew it! You really do have a good eye¡­¡± Seol checked the items that J brought forth earlier. [[Gtin of Persecutory Delusions] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: A vtile energy which has been solidified into a soft jelly form.] This was the gtin of persecutory delusions that Seol wanted, and¡­ [[Poisonous Herb Powder] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: If you consume this with water, you will die in five seconds unless you have some kind of special resistance to it. However, if you are afflicted with a poison that is more potent than the poisonous herb''s poison, the poisonous herb¡¯s poison will devour that poison instead.] This was the key ingredient to creating the shadow venom¡¯s antidote. Both of these were things that Seol desperately needed. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Know what? Ah! Are you asking how I know that these two items were materials that you needed?¡± ¡°So you do know what I was asking.¡± ¡°You might be disappointed with my answer though¡­¡± J pointed at Seol¡¯s belongings. ¡°That ck flower.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Haha, yeah¡­ Did you forget that I was the one who sold you that?¡± The ck flower could be used as is, but it also evolved tremendously after you processed it. There was no way that J, who sold him the item, wouldn¡¯t know the method either. "However, though it isn¡¯t a problem that I know the secret behind the Shadow Flower, the fact that an ordinary human like you who was caught up in the World Merge knows how to process it is another matter entirely." ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So you aren¡¯t an ordinary human.¡± J realized a lot of things about Seol from just one interaction. She put the next trade in ce by selling Seol the Shadow Flower and was also on the verge of having another sessful trade. Furthermore, through setting up the trade, she was able to realize Seol¡¯s uniqueness. Seol looked at J with wary eyes. However, contrary to his expectations, J just picked her ear and blew the ear wax off her finger. ¡°Well, unique circumstances can happen from the World Merge and you¡¯re just one of them. Don¡¯t worry! I, J, am not a shameless merchant who tries to expose her customer¡¯s weaknesses.¡± She then gave a slyugh, her mask bobbing up and down slightly with it. ¡°The only thing I have to do is sell my wares after all.¡± ¡°But how did you know about the poisonous herb powder?¡± ¡°Ah! That¡¯s because I¡¯ve been watching your recent moves.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± ¡°Did you think I couldn¡¯t? Anyway, those two itemsbined are 3,000 Madness.¡± Seol was shocked by the price as it was cheaper than he expected. He then looked at J and nodded. ¡°Alright, a sessful deal!¡± Seol gave a satisfied smile then realized something. ¡°...Is there anything else you want to sell?¡± asked Seol. ¡°Did you think that I, J, titan of the industry, would only prepare this? If you have the time¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a look.¡± ¡°Then shall I, J, the magician of the trade, try to guess what you need the most right now, dear customer?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seol gave J a dull look. ¡°Pants,¡± said J. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I got it right, right? I was wondering why you had good equipment elsewhere but really shitty pants¡­¡± ¡°...You didn¡¯t need to go that far.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t met a skilled craftsman yet, have you? Well, I guess adjusting to a new world is doing more than good enough already, so¡­ Alright! Regardless, I never thought the day woulde where I would show this item.¡± J, after magnificently introducing the item, pulled out something from her sleeves. Even though it was something that shouldn¡¯t be able to fit there, she was able to pull it out in one go. ¡°Okay! Check this out.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± [[ck Ghost¡¯s Shroud] Quality: Madness Required ss: Shadow Summoner Rmended Level: 18-25 Defense: 95 Durability: 100/100 Weight: 0.3kg Pants made from the webs of Alketra, a fallen sacred beast. Though there is nothing special about its appearance, it contains Alketra¡¯s ability to control shadows. Basic Effect: +12 Wisdom, +7 Spirit, +5 Constitution Bonus Effect: Your Shadow Summons¡¯ stats are increased by 10%. Your Shadow Summons¡¯ skills have a 5% increased chance tond a critical hit.] ¡°...¡®Madness¡¯ quality?¡± ¡°When the items that we trade surpass a certain quality, it just bes listed as Madness quality.¡± Since the rare quality items were listed normally, this item was likely Treasure quality. Seol was in a daze as he held the ck, flowy pants in his hands. This item¡¯s effects were amazing for him. The issue was the price. Seol gave J a cold gaze and J responded by putting up all ten fingers. ¡°Taking our past circumstances into consideration, I¡¯ll sell it to you for exactly 10,000 Madness.¡± ¡°Are you not going to attach a condition this time?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a fair price. Also, I¡¯m sure you know it as well now.¡± ¡°Know what? Ah¡­¡± ¡°You need me, don¡¯t you?¡± J was right. Compared to the other merchants of madness, J was far superior to them. ¡°Are the other merchants going to being with you next time too?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? They might, they might not.¡± ¡°By the way, I was curious about something¡­ What exactly do you merchants do with the Madness?¡± ¡°Madness is everything to us. You could tell though, no? Even the beings who used to be your gods sold you off for Madnes¡ª¡± Seol¡¯s expression instantly grew ice cold the moment J mentioned the gods. J felt a sting and quickly tried to say goodbye to him. ¡°Ah, I almost forgot to give you the invitation again. Here, I hope we have a fun trade next time too! Don¡¯t die~¡± Seol still wasn¡¯t sure whether J was a man, a woman, or some being that transcended all of that. However, maybe they were starting to like Seol a bit¡­ ¡°I really don¡¯t want to lose a client who I¡¯ve worked so hard to get.¡± Nope, that wasn¡¯t the case. [You have acquired an ¡®Invitation of Madness¡¯.] [You have acquired a ¡®ck Ghost''s Shroud''.] [You have acquired a ''Gtin of Persecutory Delusions''.] [You have acquired a ''Poisonous Herb Powder''.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * When Seol woke up, it was morning. The moment Seol woke up, he headed to the auction house to buy the additional material he needed for the antidote and then returned to his outbuilding. Unexpectedly, Seol immediately headed into the kitchen after returning. ¡°Should I start with the antidote?¡± Seol wasn¡¯t sure if he would be using the antidote or not but because it was worth more than the materials separately it was worth it regardless. It wasn¡¯t that difficult to make the antidote either. All you had to do was add the specified herbs and poisonous herb powder into water and boil it. Boil¡­ The sour smell that came from it was an unavoidable side-effect though. A sticky smell, something that was impossible to tell if it was poison or an antidote, filled the room ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡± - Don¡¯t die, Snowman! - There¡¯s no one else to watch if you die! Hang on! - It would also be amazing if he died during Rest too though LOL After a quarter of a day, the dark liquid was finallyplete. Pour¡­ Seol poured a portion of the liquid he boiled in the massive pot into a considerably small ss bottle before putting that ss bottle into his inventory. ¡®I¡¯ve finished making the antidote. Now I need to leave the liquid alone for a moment to¡­¡¯ Now that Seol had finished creating the antidote, all he had to do was process the ck flower. Seol then pulled out the Shadow Flower which he often called the ck flower. [[Shadow Flower] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Even though they grow in Flegueria, there is a good chance you won¡¯t ever see this flower unless you are lucky. Bonus Effect: You can forcibly use Shadow Summon on a much stronger opponent once. The summoner will be considered 10 levels higher when using this item. If the Shadow Summon would still be unsessful with an increase of 10 levels, Shadow Summon will fail.] ¡°It won¡¯t be an issue if I use it as is, but¡­¡± Seol looked at the flower for a second before nting it in the garden of the outbuilding. He then sprinkled some kind of powder on it. ¡°Grow well.¡± Seol dusted himself off before returning to the outbuilding and taking a rest. And the next day, at the same time¡­ Seol was in awe after looking at the flower that was around the same height as a small child. ¡°So far so good.¡± The powder that Seol sprinkled on the flower was the powder that he received as a reward from Griz¡¯sboratory. [[Intact Vitality Powder] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: A powder enhanced in vitality. However, you must be cautious as it can grow too much.] - As expected from the Intact Vitality Powder! It¡¯s definitely effective! - Is it okay for it to grow that big though¡­? Seol pulled out the massive Shadow Flower. [[Overgrown Shadow Flower] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Even though they grow in Flegueria, there is a good chance you won¡¯t ever see this flower unless you are lucky. Bonus Effect: You can forcibly use Shadow Summon on a much stronger opponent once. The summoner will be considered 15 levels higher when using this item. If the Shadow Summon would still be unsessful with an increase of 15 levels, Shadow Summon will fail.] The Shadow Flower¡¯s description changed overnight. Even though Seol originally would¡¯ve been satisfied with just this, he had just received another ingredient from the merchant of madness as well. And with the ingredients he got from the auction house, he had more than enough to continue to the next step of the process. Seol didn¡¯t exit the kitchen for two days. [You have finished cooking.] [You have made a Jelly That Smells Like the Gutters.] [It looks horrific. The dish was a failure.] [This method definitely isn¡¯t it.] [You have been inspired.] [You feel like you will be able toe up with a recipe the next time youe across a new ingredient.] [Your cooking skills have slightly improved.] Seol took a bite of the jelly before holding his mouth. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± - This ain¡¯t it¡­ - Everyone, you are currently watching work that embodies what it would be like to be in hell. [You have finished cooking.] [You have made a Severely Burned Jelly.] [It looks horrific. The dish was a failure.] ¡°Again?¡± - The surprising thing is that he didn¡¯t even use mes this time. - How the fuck did it burn then? LMFAOOOO - Is this cooking or alchemy? Once again, Seol took a bite of the jelly. It tasted awful to the point that he wanted to yell curses out loud. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± [You have earned the achievement ''Just Eat Dirt Instead''.] [You have earned the title ''Strange Food Eater''.] The ¡®Strange Food Eater¡¯ title had no other effects other than still giving you the chance to increase your stats when you ate failed dishes. And obviously, this was something that Seol was extremely thankful for right now. ¡°I¡¯ll end this today no matter what.¡± Seol dropped a bead of sweat while focusing on cooking. There was noplicated reason for why Seol was failing his dish despite it having an easy recipe. The standard for it to be a ¡®sess¡¯ was just that high. Seol kept making the jelly, even forgoing sleep. His eyes grew hazy and he even dozed off from time to time. But even so, his hands were active and he kept cooking. - Let¡¯s just go to sleep now¡­ - What do you think about giving up? I don¡¯t think you have any talent in cooking¡­ - I can¡¯t believe this was one of the talents he chose too ?? And just as the ingredients Seol prepared were about to run out¡­ ¡®Is this it?¡¯ Seol even thought, ¡®What a waste of Madness¡¯ and ¡®Maybe I should¡¯ve picked another thing¡¯ but it was toote. In the end, everything in the world is results-based. You did well if you seeded, and you did horribly if you failed. Even while he was thinking negative thoughts like that, Seol kept moving. And then, he felt something strange. Unlike before, his hands moved before he even had the time to think the steps were easy. Seol took this as a signal. He let his body flow like he was allowing someone else to take over his body. Some time passed after that. ¡°Sigh¡­ Finally¡­¡± [You have finished cooking.] [You have made a Jelly From a Cloudy Day.] [It smells great. The dish was a sess.] [Your Spirit permanently increases by 3.] [You have been inspired.] [You feel like you will be able toe up with a recipe the next time youe across a new ingredient.] [Your cooking skills have slightly improved.] It was finally time for Seol to be rewarded for his efforts. Chapter 47 The jellies that Seol made before were the size of his palm but the jelly he just made was only the size of his finger. It was the size of cheongsimhwan, the ¡®clear mind pill¡¯ that Koreans sometimes have. Seol checked its effects while enjoying the scent. [[Jelly From a Cloudy Day] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg A jelly made using a Shadow Flower, a flower that grows in Flegueria. This jelly haspletely encased the enhanced, more vtile power of shadows in the Gtin of Persecutory Delusions. It canst for up to 3 years unless it is stored in a ce where it can easily sour. Bonus Effect: Upon consumption, you will be able to use ¡®Miracle of a Cloudy Day¡¯ for one hour. Miracle of a Cloudy Day (You can forcibly use Shadow Summon on a much stronger opponent once. The summoner will be considered 30 levels higher. If the Shadow Summon would still be unsessful with an increase of 30 levels, Shadow Summon will fail).] An increase of an entire 30 levels. Of course, this level increase didn¡¯t make his Shadow Summon ability absolute, but it did solve one of the issues that Seol had. His own level. The higher the Adventure¡¯s difficulty, the higher the opponents¡¯ levels became. For Shadow Summoners like Seol, however, once the differences in levels passed a certain amount, he was no longer able to summon their shadows. After all, Seol needed to fight stronger people and use their shadows for him to be stronger himself. Since the level issue in the system was considered a difference in ¡®ss¡¯, this Jelly From a Cloudy Day definitely helped ovee that. ¡®The important thing is when I use this.¡¯ Something that Seol noticed while enhancing his skills was that he had quite arge amount of excess Shadow Space. The only thing left to do was acquire a new summon. However, the important question was what kind of summon should he get next? As Seol progresses through more Adventures, the difficulty will increase and the enemies will get tougher. Seol also didn¡¯t know when he¡¯d have another opportunity to get another summon after this. ¡®I have to¡­ get the strongest summon that I can.¡¯ He had to get a summon who could be his rock until the next opportunity came. Obviously, Karuna and Jamad were definitely strong summons, but Seol found it hard to be 100% confident when he asked himself if they could defeat every enemy they would potentially face from this point on. It could be possible if his summons reached a higher rank and if he acquired more summons but as it currently stood, a lot relied on the jelly. ¡°Fuu¡­ Carefully¡­¡± Seol carefully and meticulously ced the jelly into a clean wrapping paper. - A dish could be Treasure quality? - That¡¯s insane LOL! A consumable is a treasure? - Cooking was this good of a talent? - Aren¡¯t there barely any yers who chose cooking as their talent? - I bet they all died though¡­ Who the hell would pick cooking? LOL - The shitty builds probably picked it haha - Look at how careful he is lmfao! Seol let out a sigh after he ced the jelly into his inventory. ¡°Fuu¡­ When am I going to clean all this now?¡± Seol had cooked nonstop. The kitchen, right now, looked like a battlefield. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * As Seol started to clean the kitchen, something broke the silence. Knock, knock, knock. Someone was knocking on the door. Truthfully, Seol had already noticed the presence earlier. It was because he felt countless mysterious presences around the outbuilding since earlier. ¡°What is it?¡± A voice answered from beyond the door, ¡°Excuse me¡­ Dear guest, someone came to see you.¡± The voice was obviously terrified. Seol could hear it in the worker¡¯s voice that they had been crying. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ W-Well¡­¡± Seol nodded. ¡®It¡¯s about time they came.¡¯ It was likely that Seol¡¯s ns were going smoothly. After all, there was only one person who woulde find him in the outbuilding when he hadn¡¯t made any disturbances at all. ¡°...Where do I need to go?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I came here quickly because I¡¯m a bit impatient.¡± It was another man¡¯s voice this time. Unlike the worker¡¯s voice earlier, the man¡¯s voice was deep and had weight behind it. Seol could feel from behind the wall that the man wasn¡¯t nervous at all. ¡°You can go back now. Good work.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I-Is something going to happen?¡± ¡°Nothing will. I n on leaving after a conversation.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Seol could feel the worker leave. The man beyond the wall leisurely introduced himself. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know this already but I¡¯m Kibo. Do you n on not inviting me in?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s messy inside. Is that alright?¡± ¡°Life¡¯s messier than whatever we can do, ain¡¯t it? I can¡¯t reallyin about a bit of mess from ack of doing chores.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Creak¡­ The moment Seol opened the door, he saw Kibo who filled up the door frame. ¡®He¡¯s massive.¡¯ Kibo was massive to the point that he practically looked inhuman. Creak¡­ That wasn¡¯t the sound of the door closing. It was the sound of the floorboard giving in, screaming. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be on guard so much. I¡¯m nothing more than a beast who lost his fangs.¡± ¡°For a beast who lost his fangs, you¡¯re quite on guard as well.¡± Seol was referring to the people swarming outside the outbuilding. Seol could feel many, many presences. "I just have a few people who like to worry too much. Regardless, for a ce where someone¡¯s staying by himself, this ce smells like ass.¡± Kibo looked at the kitchen. ¡°Well, this and that happened so.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say anything since I said I¡¯d be understanding. I¡¯d think there was a corpse here if I wasn¡¯t though.¡± ¡°Have a seat.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± There was a massive, decorative seat in the outbuilding that was the perfect size for Kibo, almost like it was prepared for him. Kibo then took a seat there. ¡°Haha¡­ Normally when you visit unannounced, you have to stand around. This is pretty good preparation.¡± And it was then¡­ BAM! BAM! BAM! Someone was banging on the door. ¡°Ahjussi! Kibo! Let me in! It¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°......¡± Seol looked at Kibo. Kibo buried his head into his thin hands like he was troubled. The first thing that Seol noticed though was how massive his hands were. ¡°Sigh¡­ What a pain, seriously¡­¡± ¡°Are you not going to open the door?! I¡¯m going to break it, alright? I¡¯m breaking down this door! Do you think I won¡¯t be able to do it?¡± ¡°So she¡¯s¡­ so¡­¡± ¡°Kibo! Open the door, you bastard! I keep telling you, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± It was gruff but it was definitely a woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Is she calling me a bastard?¡± asked Seol. ¡°It¡¯s either me or the both of us.¡± ¡°You can let them in.¡± ¡°Is that really alright?¡± ¡°I feel like she¡¯s going to continue to do that until we do.¡± ¡°How wise.¡± Kibo lumbered over to the door and opened it. ¡°Come in, Mira.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve done this from the start!¡± ¡°But, you have to be quiet.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± It was like watching a grandfather and his granddaughter. Seol had their attention when he sat in the chair across from Kibo. ¡°Are you a transferee?¡± asked Seol. When Seol asked the woman named Mira, Kibo responded. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s a fun kid named Yu Mira.¡± ¡°Who are you calling ¡®fun¡¯, huh?!¡± ¡°Shh, be quiet. We¡¯re here to have an important conversation.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She looked like she was 21, 23 at most. Mira pouted her lips and stuck right next to Kibo like gum. Kibo and Seol diverted their attention from her and continued their talks. ¡°I heard about you from Rita. You wanted to trade items?¡± ¡°I just thought it would be better to trade than to not receive a proper price for my item.¡± ¡°Did you also know that I was the one who owned it?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± ¡°Kuku¡­ I bet you did know. It¡¯s obvious, judging by how you weren¡¯t surprised at all when I showed up.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised by whoever showed up with a treasure like that.¡± Mira butted in as they were having their conversation. ¡°Argh, so are you going to trade it or not?! We¡¯re in a rush!¡± ¡°Stop! Mira, I wanted you to sit still so you can watch and learn.¡± ¡°Watch and learn what?¡± ¡°This unruly girl¡­ Fuu¡­¡± When two parties didn¡¯t have trust in one another, whoever was in a more urgent situation lost. Not only did you not have time to slowly, perfectly understand the other party¡¯s intent, being in a rush often made you have to suffer a loss. It seemed like Kibo was trying to teach Mira that. Obviously, MIra didn¡¯t understand his intent at all. ¡°Since Mira already revealed everything, I guess I have no choice. I desperately need your treasure.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Do you know about Nobira¡¯s current situation?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re referring to how the ruins hunters are all on edge because of the war of nerves, then yes, I do know.¡± Kibo gave a nce to Mira before speaking to Seol again. ¡°Heka and Doju are belligerent and Shur and I are moderates. We never got along in the first ce.¡± ¡°So how was there never a fight before now?¡± ¡°It was because Borgo was there. That vicious, brutal bastard was always aiming for any openings like a hyena.¡± ¡°So you were all wary of Borgo striking in the event that you four fought.¡± ¡°Ironically, he was the one keeping the peace. After all, having a third force is one way to prevent a war.¡± Borgo died an unfortunate death to Seol. Even though his faction was the weakest out of the five, the other factions avoided him because of his wickedness and tenacity. ¡°So what about now?¡± ¡°Shur and I are weaker.¡± ¡°In terms of strategy?¡± ¡°Strategy¡¯s a part of it too, but¡­ more importantly, there¡¯s no one who can keep Heka in check.¡± Why was Kibo sounding so weak? How could someone this huge be so meek? Kibo noticed Seol staring at him and let out a bitterugh. ¡°I told you, I lost my fangs.¡± ¡°How?¡± Mira intervened, trying to stop Kibo from continuing. "Kibo¡­ This isn¡¯t something you should be telling someone you don¡¯t trust." "Mira, trust cannot form in a ce where there is none." "...What do you mean?" "Just like how I don¡¯t trust him, he doesn¡¯t trust me. So where does trust firste in a situation like that?" "Well, that¡¯s¡­" "The person who¡¯s in a more urgent situation is the person who first makes room for trust. Unfortunately, that¡¯s just how the world works." Kibo let out a sadugh while rolling up his sleeve. "...Your arm." His right arm waspletely ck. His ck arm reached all the way up to his elbow. It lookedpletely different from Yeo-myeong¡¯s haunted hand as well. Seol had a more ominous feeling from it. ¡°Shadow venom. It¡¯s the price I paid for coveting a treasure.¡± ¡°I heard you were a Shadow Summoner. Did you use the treasure?¡± "Hahaha¡­ we ruins hunters only call it that. Just because it¡¯s a treasure doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s used like one. Some of them use their owners'' lives as fuel to turn the world into blood. I¡¯ve seen a lot of treasures, and half of them were like that." ¡°Are you saying that Gallotta¡¯s Tongue is a treasure like that?¡± ¡°Since I haven¡¯t found a way to purify it yet, it is.¡± ¡°Then why did youy your hands on it?¡± ¡°I was rash. Borgo disappeared, Heka and Doju formed an alliance and started to pressure me¡­ I made a mistake thinking I had to respond right away.¡± ¡°What about Shur?¡± ¡°After Shur¡¯s close advisor died, he became nothing more than a coward who got lucky with leading a faction. They might be following now but if the situation gets worse, they could just as easily join the other faction. And if that happens, it¡¯s the end for Nobira.¡± How would it exactly be the end? Seol was curious about what kind of future Kibo was seeing. ¡°Heka and Doju treat all transferees like ves. They take everything from the transferees. Labor, gold, and sometimes they even just outright sell them. There¡¯s already been quite a number of transferees who died while trying to oppose Heka.¡± ¡°...They¡¯ve crossed the line.¡± ¡°Their faction is iming that the people who originally lived in this world should group together to turn the transferees into ves.¡± ¡°It would be urate to im that they want to practically turn transferees into livestock, right?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. I don¡¯t know about Doju but Heka is definitely crazy enough to want it.¡± Mira¡¯s body shook with fear. ¡°Heka is¡­ an insane bastard. A few transferees participated in his raid to only end up as corpses.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also rumors that he kills transferees for fun. It¡¯s basically a fact though.¡± Kibo¡¯s strange way of talking made you take his side the more you listened to him. ¡°So, you need my treasure to prevent that?¡± asked Seol. ¡°I just wanted to trade treasures of equal value.¡± ¡°Equal value? Are you really iming that the treasure that took your arm is worth the same as my treasure?¡± ¡°An item that can¡¯t be sold is worth nothing. Since they both aren¡¯t being sold, wouldn¡¯t you agree that they¡¯re worth the same?¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing more than a misinterpretation.¡± ¡°Even if it is, what do you think about trading it?¡± Seol had practically already acquired Gallota¡¯s Tongue a while ago. If he could just finalize the trade as it stood, it would be much better for Seol. Nevertheless, Seol had a separate reason why he didn¡¯t agree to the trade right away. ¡®It¡¯s also annoying if Heka takes over Nobira.¡¯ His thought process could seem off, but in the end, Seol was also a transferee. There was no way he¡¯d have a favorable view of someone who wasmitting crimes specifically targeting transferees. Furthermore, after the fight between the factions ends, one faction will inevitably take over everything and be bigger than they are now. ¡®And if that happens, it might be hard for me to take them down.¡¯ In the end, the person who was receiving the most harm would be none other than Seol himself. Seol didn¡¯t want the situation in Nobira to turn sour. Mira looked at Seol thinking to himself. ¡°Kibo, I don¡¯t think he wants to trade. Let¡¯s just go. We spent way too much time out in the open. Heka could¡¯ve noticed by now,¡± said Mira to Kibo. ¡°Mira¡­¡± ¡°I told you to lower your expectations! Transferees only ever think about themselves!¡± ¡°Mira, you¡¯re a transferee too. They just haven¡¯t been able to adjust to this world yet.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°They just haven¡¯t been able to be family yet.¡± Seol listened to their conversation. He then pulled something out from his inventory. ¡°Is it true that ruins hunters know the value of an item?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re good at judging the correct value of most items.¡± ¡°Then, what is the value of this item?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ce. Kibo carefully inspected the ss bottle that Seol ced on the table. ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s a type of medicine, or¡­ or¡­¡± ¡°K-Kibo¡­¡± ¡°Mira, give me a moment.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­ your shadow¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Kibo, your shadow is¡­¡± Kibo was holding the ss bottle in his left hand. And as such, his shadow should mirror the same thing. However, Kibo¡¯s shadow ced the ss bottle¡¯s shadow as far away from its right hand as it could. It was almost like Kibo¡¯s shadow was afraid of the liquid inside of the ss bottle. A shadow was scared. Kibo instantly looked at Seol. Seol looked back at him inly with his golden eyes. Seol quietly asked another question, ¡°Do you know the value of this item?¡± Chapter 48 What Seol had handed over to Kibo was the shadow venom¡¯s antidote that he created with the Poisonous Herb powder. Since it was something that only Seol could make, it was also something that he had toe up with the price for. Kibo, who was still looking at the antidote, was silent for a moment. ¡°Is this¡­ the shadow venom¡¯s antidote?¡± ¡°As you can see.¡± ¡°How did you make¡­ no, more importantly, how did you get the materials for it?¡± ¡°Is that important?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t. I-It isn¡¯t important at all. I apologize.¡± Mira was shocked as it was her first time ever seeing Kibo so flustered. ¡°Antidote? Are you saying that this is the shadow venom¡¯s antidote?¡± asked Mira. ¡°I don¡¯t like to answer the same question twice.¡± ¡°Th-then does this mean Kibo can be healed?¡± ¡°That¡¯s also the same question.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Like a granddaughter worrying for her grandfather, Mira didn¡¯t easily believe that the antidote was real. Kibo, seeing that,forted her with one hand. ¡°Mira, from this point on, just listen.¡± ¡°Kibo!¡± ¡°I want you to just listen, Mira. This isn¡¯t a conversation that you should¡¯ve joined in the first ce. Or would you rather wait outside?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Kibo spoke sternly to her. Mira had seen Kibo act like that a few times before and when he did, he scared her. Mira stayed silent as she took nces at Seol. Seol didn¡¯t think of her negatively because of it though. ¡®She must really like Kibo.¡¯ They were a unique pair. A female transferee and the experienced leader of a ruins hunter faction. Kibo continuously tried to teach her and she followed him without hesitation. As Seol was thinking about their rtionship, Kibo opened his mouth. ¡°What do you want for it? Gallotta''s Tongue?¡± ¡°That was already on the table. I want something else.¡± ¡°...Something else?¡± ¡°A treasure or rare quality item or information that I might find useful.¡± Kibo was silent. It seemed like something was troubling him. Kibo then sighed and opened his mouth. ¡°We¡¯ve already sold off all of our treasures because of the war of nerves with Heka. Could you take our circumstances into consideration?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I think I¡¯ve been more than kind to you already.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Trading this antidote with you is kindness enough.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ you aren¡¯t wrong. I see.¡± ¡°What does he mean, Kibo?¡± Kibo slowly, painstakingly nodded. However, Mira was unable to keep up with their conversation at all. ¡°He¡¯s right. Think about what would¡¯ve happened if he took this antidote and went to Heka, Mira.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± ¡°He¡¯s already been considerate to us from the moment he decided to trade this antidote to us. Anyway, what to do¡­¡± Kibo already understood Seol¡¯s intent. Kibo realized that Seol looked favorably on him and had shown kindness to him. ¡®Still, goodwill ends here.¡¯ If Kibo was unable to properly see through the situation and did something wrong, the deal would copse immediately. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but everything that I said earlier was the truth.¡± ¡°That you sold off all your treasures?¡± ¡°Yeah. Unfortunately, most of the treasures that could be used for trade were¡­¡± ¡®Most¡¯ meant that it wasn¡¯t ¡®all¡¯. Kibo was implying that he still had something left to trade. Slide¡­ From his ring-filled hands, Kibo ced the ring with the deepest hue on the table. ¡°Kibo! That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I know. But if I want to pay a fair price, I have no choice.¡± ¡°That ring is your symbol. How could you¡­¡± ¡°The only thing that can symbolize me is myself. This is nothing more than a ring.¡± Seol took a look at the ring that looked like a wolf¡¯s head. [[Wolf¡¯s Warning] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 10-20 Resistance: 30 Durability: 68/68 Weight: 0.1kg A ring that is passed down in a tribe in the north that worships a wolf god. Perhaps due to a supernatural power, it warns the wearer of dangers. Basic Effect: +2 Strength, +3 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence, +8 Wisdom Bonus Effect: A wolf¡¯s cry will warn the wearer when they are in a dangerous situation.] ¡®It has an rm effect.¡¯ This item was perfect for casters who had low health and constitution. Since it was hard for essories like nes and rings to have better effects than the more important equipment areas, effects like these were typically more useful. - Excuse me, why does he keep getting Treasure-quality items? - I don¡¯t understand it either. - This is alchemy LMFAO An antidote turned into a treasure! - Not to mention the fact that he has a bunch of antidotes left lmfao - This is insane¡­ I can¡¯t believe he even got a fucking treasure-quality ring too now. - But man, a Peerless-quality item is really good after all, huh? - What? - He got disappointed after looking at the treasure-quality item¡¯s stats lol - Seriously haha. But the surprising thing is that Snowman has both¡­ Seol gave a sly smile and grabbed the ring in his hands. Kibo, seeing that, asked him, ¡°Are you¡­ epting the trade?¡± ¡°Yes, I like the ring.¡± ¡°Haha! Hahaha¡­ I hope you use it well! It¡¯s something that I haven¡¯t taken off for twenty years.¡± Mira, who was next to Kibo, was on the verge of tears. ¡°I thought¡­ you got that ring when you also inherited the faction members¡­¡± ¡°Mira¡­¡± ¡°Is it really okay to give something like that?¡± ¡°My family is still alive. And thanks to the ring, I also got a great opportunity.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°You should never get attached to things; what¡¯s important is family. I could always just rece the ring with another treasure anyway.¡± ¡°...Okay.¡± Kibo gave a nce to Seol and lifted the antidote. ¡°Now why don¡¯t I see what kind of effects this has?¡± ¡°Feel free.¡± Pop. Kibo popped open the antidote¡¯s bottle cap and poured it into his mouth without hesitation. Fsss¡­ ¡°Krgh¡­ I can feel it burning my neck. Even the strongest liquor I drank wasn¡¯t this harsh.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it''s poison.¡± Mira jumped up at Seol¡¯s words. ¡°What? What did you say?¡± As Mira was about to pull out her sword, Kibo answered her questions instead. ¡°Mira, my head¡¯s ringing. Please be quiet for a second.¡± ¡°He said it was poison!¡± ¡°I mean, judging by the pain he¡¯s not lying, but¡­ it¡¯s definitely having an effect.¡± Fssss¡­. Kibo¡¯s limp, ck arm was slowly returning to its original skin tone. It started at Kibo¡¯s elbow, then his wrists, then finally his fingers. Fssss¡­ An awful-smelling ck fog vanished through the window. Mira¡¯s eyes were shocked open and she couldn¡¯t keep her mouth shut. ¡°Oh my god¡­ Kibo¡¯s arm got better?¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± ¡°It must¡¯ve been quite painful¡­¡± ¡°How painful could it bepared to losing your arm? No one would listen to me if I cried when I¡¯m this big.¡± Seol nodded and stood up. ¡°Next is trading the treasures.¡± ¡°Ah. Yes, please.¡± Rita, the auction house manager, came here despite it being her office hours with extensive security. She had both of the treasures with her. ce. She handed Kibo the Shades¡¯ Grace. ce. And Seol the Gallotta¡¯s Tongue. After confirming both things, Rita then passed out two documents. ¡°I need signatures from both of you here.¡± ¡°Ah. By the way, I will be paying all of the service fees.¡± Kibo suddenly dered that he would be paying for all of the transaction fees. Since Seol didn¡¯t particrly have a reason to decline, he nodded his head. Once the deal wasplete, the employees from the auction house left. Once again, it was Seol, Mira, and Kibo. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all done here now?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s one thing left.¡± Frss¡­ Kibo, holding the Shades¡¯ Grace in his hands, brought out a ck energy. Seol¡¯s eyebrow twitched when he felt how strong Kibo¡¯s energy was. And because of it, Seol also unwittingly increased his energy to face off against him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°It was just a joke. Still, I¡¯m a bit sad that you weren¡¯t surprised at all.¡± Kibo stopped his joke and looked at Seol with a serious expression in his eyes. ¡°I want you to help us with our battle against Heka.¡± ¡°I refuse. I despise getting involved with other people¡¯s problems.¡± "Hm¡­ that¡¯s going to be hard though? Since this is the biggest event going on in Nobira right now, even bakery owners, no, even the rats in the sewers, won¡¯t be able to avoid the aftermath." ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll stop here. It was a good trade. Could I have your name?¡± Seol was a bit surprised as he didn¡¯t realize he hadn''t given Kibo his name yet. ¡°You can call me Snowman.¡± ¡°Ah, Snowman. We¡¯ll see each other again.¡± ¡°If the circumstances call for it.¡± Mira and Kibo left. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * As Mira was following Kibo out, she kept stealing nces at Seol as if she was disappointed by something. After leaving Seol¡¯s outbuilding with Kibo, Mira pouted and startedining to Kibo. ¡°Why were you practically crawling at that Snowman¡¯s feet? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s in any faction either.¡± ¡°...He¡¯s scary because he isn¡¯t in any faction, Mira.¡± As Kibo was talking, he felt sweat drip down his chin. ¡°Kibo? Kibo? Kibo, what¡¯s wrong? I knew it! I knew it wasn¡¯t an antidote! That bastard! I should just¡­¡± It was expected for Mira to be shocked after seeing Kibo like that but she wasn¡¯t going to return to Seol¡¯s outbuilding. Kibo immediately exined the situation. ¡°Mira,¡± ¡°Kibo? Are you okay?¡± ¡°You¡¯re finally calmed down now. Fuuu¡­¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you sweat so much? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Mira, sit down for a second.¡± The two sat down in the flower bed of a safe location for a short break. Kibo was the first to break the silence. ¡°What about a ruin hunter stands out more than an ordinary person¡¯s?¡± ¡°Their eyes?¡± ¡°Exactly. To be more specific, it¡¯s their eyes and instinct. It¡¯s also the reason I took you in.¡± ¡°...And I¡¯m grateful for that.¡± ¡°When you first came to this world, you were filled with anger toward the world.¡± ¡°I know. I can feel how much I¡¯ve changed since then too.¡± Mira recalled the day she first came to Nobira. It was a rainy day, all of the stores had their lights shut. No one was kind to her but she didn¡¯t expect any help from them either. She thought it was obvious that people didn¡¯t help her. It was the same in her original world too after all. She was alone there. She would scream that she was in pain at the top of her lungs but no one would listen to her other than the fake people who were only interested in her appearance. The person who took her in was Kibo. ¡°Thank you for taking me that day. I wonder if I¡¯d even be alive now if it wasn¡¯t for you then¡­¡± ¡°You? Definitely. I still remember your bloodshot eyes filled with malice¡­¡± ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± "The gossiperspare Heka to a lion and me to a wolf. Well, they¡¯re not wrong. Heka is rugged and brave. I¡¯m the leader of a smaller ruin hunter faction than his, and I avoid fights unless they¡¯re necessary." ¡°You¡¯re in the right, Kibo. Heka¡¯s just crazy.¡± Mira followed Kibo, thinking of him as the absolute good. Even now, she believes whatever Kibo says to be true. ¡°Kibo, you¡¯re the only person thinking of a future with the transferees. You¡¯re practically our shepherd.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I bet people wouldugh if they heard you call a wolf a shepherd. Stop looking at me with those rose-tinted sses.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious! You really are amazing.¡± Kibo let out a sigh. ¡°Mira, there¡¯s no real other special reason I¡¯m bringing this up to you. It was simply because I was scared of him.¡± ¡°Of who? That Snowman guy? What are you saying?¡± ¡°Do you remember how I showed some of my energy?¡± ¡°Yeah, I thought you said it was a joke?¡± ¡°No, I was testing him. But, my eyes and my instinct¡­ The two things that brought me up to this position were warning me. They were telling me that he was dangerous, that I shouldn¡¯t get close to him.¡± ¡°Are you really doing this solely because of your instinct?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also based on other things as well. You don¡¯t find it strange that an individual who isn¡¯t a part of any faction has a treasure?¡± ¡°...Ah!¡± Kibo¡¯s suspicions were obvious ones to have. The majority of the treasures in Nobira, the ruins city, circted around the ruin hunter factions. It circted around the factions because the majority of these treasures typically required an entire group to uncover. However, a random man showed up out of nowhere and traded a treasure like it was nothing. Not only that, he even solved Kibo¡¯s illness which had reached critical condition. There were way too many contradictions to im that he was just an ordinary person. "Also, I¡¯m sure that he has much more treasure than the one he just traded. I could tell at a nce that his belt was extremely valuable; it was the first time I had ever seen something like that. It¡¯s much more incredible than even the crystal ball in my hands." ¡°...Who could he be?¡± ¡°From now on, listen, don¡¯t approach him carelessly.¡± Since Kibo had never given a warning to her like this before, she was shocked. Kibo ignored her reaction and continued talking. ¡°Mira, there¡¯s a reason why I take you with me whenever I have an important business or meeting.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A wolf pack doesn¡¯t follow the strongest wolf, they follow the smartest wolf.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I want you to remember these words for when the time you¡¯ll have to stand alonees. You only have to be strong enough to not be behind, but you must be smarter than anyone else.¡± ¡°Strong enough to not be behind¡­ smarter than anyone else¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Heka would feel the same thing if he met him. Because regardless of whether you¡¯re a lion or a wolf¡­¡± Kibo gulped with a shudder, remembering the power hidden behind Seol¡¯s eyes and small frame. ¡°You¡¯re still below a human.¡± ¡°How amazing do you think Snowman is?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll learn soon enough as well.¡± ¡°How? The trade¡¯s done, no?¡± ¡°After I heard about him from Rita, I used the internal informationwork to look into our mystery person.¡± ¡°And?¡± Rather than giving a reply, Mira only continued to ask questions in response to Kibo. ¡°You told me that transferees in Nobira are able to know who¡¯s the strongest amongst transferees, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I told you about it recently too, remember? Even though I had 350,000-ish points, I got pushed out of the Top 5 because of some weird¡­ huh?¡± ¡°And who was the strongest on it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ it says it¡¯s ¡®Private¡¯?¡± ¡°The day that Private appeared is also the same day that he arrived in Nobira.¡± ¡°Come on, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just a coincidence.¡± ¡°I doubted it at first too. But now, I¡¯m confident. I saw it in person, that¡¯s why I¡¯m saying this.¡± Gulp¡­ Mira could already tell what Kibo would say from his attitude. As she was thinking ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ Kibo answered her question. ¡°He¡¯s Private. And there¡¯s a good chance that Heka¡¯s faction realized it as well.¡± ¡°What do we do then? What if he goes to Heka¡¯s side?¡± "I don¡¯t know... We have to first prepare for the uing battle, though, since that will be happening soon. He¡¯s probably going to be the most important storm in this uing battle. We just have to hope that the storm hits the lion¡¯s faction and not ours." Chapter 49 Seol was currently in Nobira¡¯s ss Training Center. It was a ce that Seol would probably have to visit every time he took a Rest until his skills hit max level. The ck Magic Training Center treated him quite poorly but Seol didn¡¯t mind. He didn¡¯t n on staying in Nobira for a long time anyway. ¡°This way.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The woman led Seol into a pitch-ck, windowless room. Fortunately for Seol, they seemed to have been taking good care of the room as it didn¡¯t smell at all. Creak¡­ Click. When the door closed, a glowing tree grew out in the dark space. The first thing that caught Seol¡¯s eyes was Shadow Summon which had hit level 3. As expected from his core skill, countless branches were stemming from it. Seol didn¡¯t even give a nce to his other skills. He only focused on the branches stemming from Shadow Summon. ¡®Since I only have 2 skill points¡­ I could either learn a new skill or enhance a skill other than Shadow Summon¡­¡¯ Even though Seol could learn a new skill right now, he wasfortable with the skills he already had. Since Seol couldn¡¯t learn any skills that would create a massive impact with just 2 skill points, he decided to push back learning a new skill forter. [You enhance Passive: Enhance Summons.] [You use 2 skill points.] [Your summons¡¯ stats increase by 10%.] Since the previous level increased his summons¡¯ stats by 5%, it was likely that this skill increased his summons¡¯ stats by 5% with each increase. For a skill that only took 2 skill points to enhance, it was quite a significant difference. However, this also meant that his summons¡¯ stats ounted for arge portion of Seol¡¯s strength. Luckily for Seol, he had another way to supplement it as well. [[Gallotta¡¯s Tongue] Quality: Treasure Required ss: Shadow Summoner Rmended Level: 14-23 Damage: 42 Durability: 68/68 Weight: 0.2kg A treasurepleted with the tongue of Gallotta, the pitch-ck snake. The powers of the snake that emits shadows are imbued into this item. However, because Gallotta¡¯s shadow venom has seeped into this item, there is a danger of the weapon poisoning its user. Basic Effect: +22 Wisdom Bonus Effect: Your Shadow Summons¡¯ stats are increased by 15%. The chance Shadow Summon passes on a skill when used is increased by 20%. Every 6 hours, there is a certain chance the user bes poisoned by shadow venom.] A treasure that would increase his summons¡¯ stats by an entire 15%. The shadow venom was a problem, yes, but that was soon about to be an issue of the past. Seol finished enhancing his skills and returned to the outbuilding. Creak¡­ When Seol opened the door, what greeted him was the disgusting smell of the food he hadn¡¯t finished cleaning yet. He quickly cleaned up the scraps and picked up therge pot that had been on the fire. He then ced the pot on the table. Inside the pot was the shadow venom¡¯s antidote, or more urately, a liquid that was pretty much the poisonous herb¡¯s poison. Seol ced Gallotta¡¯s Tongue into it. Fssss¡­ A ck fog rose up from the pot. Since even breathing in that fog could poison you, Seol opened up all of the windows and doors before stepping outside. He sat down in the garden right outside the outbuilding. And after a few hours¡­ When Seol noticed that no smell wasing from his outbuilding anymore, he went inside to check the pot he ced on the table. He washed off the poison in flowing water and dried Gallotta¡¯s Tongue in the harsh sunlight. - Excuse me, is this a housewife¡¯s daily routine stream? - Do you guys not know aboutbat resting?! You can¡¯t just do nothing because it¡¯s a holiday! Go and dry your nkets off, immediately! Why does time always go slowly when you¡¯re waiting for something? Seol waited a few hours for Gallotta¡¯s Tongue topletely dry. And finally, the reaction he was waiting for came. Gloooow¡­ The whip glowed in a ck hue. There had been a change. Seol then lifted the whip. [[Gallotta¡¯s Tongue] Quality: Treasure Required ss: Shadow Summoner Rmended Level: 14-23 Damage: 42 Durability: 68/68 Weight: 0.2kg A treasurepleted with the tongue of Gallotta, the pitch-ck snake. The powers of the snake that emits shadows are imbued into this item. Gallotta¡¯s venom, which once threatened the user, has now be a weapon for the user instead. Basic Effect: +22 Wisdom Bonus Effect: Your Shadow Summons¡¯ stats are increased by 15%. The chance Shadow Summon passes on a skill when used is increased by 20%. A link can be created between the summoner and summon. When the linked summonnds a sessful attack, there is a certain chance of poisoning the target with shadow venom.] - Ahhh¡­ this feels familiar¡­ - As expected from Gallotta¡¯s Tongue¡­ - What the fuck LOL It can be used like that? - Shadow venom is a poison that enters the nervous system in a short period of time, causing paralysis. It is rare to die from the poison itself, but¡­ What the fuck is this poison?!! - That sounds fucking broken LOL - Why doesn¡¯t he have to hit enemies with his whip to poison them??? Why does his summon get the effect? - This item¡¯s fucking disgusting¡­ - Full Moon Staff, good work. You don¡¯t have toe out tomorrow though. - ???: Huh? Sir? Why¡­ - Stop humanizing the weapons you¡¯re making me feel bad haha Seol wrapped Gallotta¡¯s Tongue around his hand. ¡®It¡¯s definitely less eye-catching than the staff and morefortable to carry around.¡¯ Not only was the weapon lighter, but it was also much better than the staff at protecting himself in emergencies. Obviously, Seol¡¯s individual damage was meaningless though. As Seol held Gallota¡¯s Tongue, the ck energy grew thicker. ¡®How much stronger did I get?¡¯ For the first time in a long time, he examined himself. ¡®I¡¯ll start with myself first.¡¯ [[Snowman] Title: Peerless Item Owner and 9 others. Race: Human Level: 9 HP: 690/690 MP: 1320/1320 Unallocated Stats: 0 Strength 10(+17) Dexterity 10(+21) Constitution 18(+51) Intelligence 18(+19) Wisdom 60(+80) Spirit 18(+24) Talents: Cooking 1, Insight 1, Horseback Riding 1 Skills: Shadow Summon 3, Shadow Hand, Passive: Enhance Summons 2, Passive: Expand Shadow Space 1 Shadow Space: 800/1771] Seol¡¯s skills didn¡¯t change too much from when he first created his character. However, the change in stats was a world of difference. Seol of course invested all of the unallocated stats he received into Wisdom and because of that, his character was right on track. ¡®Space is definitely a huge help too.¡¯ Thanks to Space increasing all of his stats by 15, even the stats he was supposed to ignore were still somewhat high. ¡®My Constitution and Wisdom stats are monstrous though.¡¯ Seol¡¯s Wisdom was stupidly high, and his Constitution was high even for warrior-type ss standards. Seol checked through his stats one by one then confirmed his Shadow Space. Even though Seol had both Jamad and Karuna right now, there was still as much space as the twobined left. ¡®I think it really is time to acquire a new summon.¡¯ Seol also took this time to check Karuna and Jamad¡¯s stats. [[Karuna, the Moonlight Knight] Title: The One Who Cut the Mountain Rank: Heroic Race: Shadow Level: 9 HP: 1130/1130 MP: 540/540 Unallocated Stats: 0 Strength 71(+35) Dexterity 66(+23) Constitution 76(+37) Intelligence 42(+15) Wisdom 40(+14) Spirit 51(+18) Talents: Dignity 1, Guard 1] [[Jamad the Tyrant] Title: Great Warrior of Yzmokan Rank: Heroic Race: Shadow Level: 9 HP: 1310/1310 MP: 740/740 Unallocated Stats: 0 Strength 81(+35) Dexterity 48(+22) Constitution 91(+40) Intelligence 61(+32) Wisdom 50(+24) Spirit 40(+19) Talents: Troll Language, Shamanic Absorption] Karuna had leveled up 8 times and Jamad had leveled up 6 times. They had only leveled up a few timespared to the amount of stats they gained but this just meant that they were growing at a rapid pace. - Is this really the same Shadow Summoner that we saw in the beginning¡­ I¡¯m almost tearing up¡­ - They can literally just stat-check anyone¡­ - Increasing your summon¡¯s stats really is overpowered, huh¡­ - Percent Damage, Increased Damage, Percent Increase to Stats¡­ this is broken! - It¡¯s hard to go on Adventures with stats like this too? What is wrong with the game¡¯s bnce LMFAO - A world where you die if you¡¯re weak! Only the strong will survive! Most transferees would be in shock if they knew what Seol and his summons¡¯ stats were. Even if they were the same levels, because of the difference in equipment and titles, the gap between them would be immeasurable. It was also the reason why Great White Shark was so one-sidedly ripped in half by Jamad. ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± It took a lot of hard work to reach this point. He practically sprinted to this point without ever taking a break. There were many moments where he was close to death and tons of situations where others would¡¯ve given up if they were in his position. But in the end, Seol was able to survive and did everything to his n. Right now, in this moment, Seol was the victor. ¡®Madness was also more important than I thought. I need to catch their attention to be stronger, is that right?¡¯ Seol looked at the wolf head ring on his finger. With hisst purchase at the Madness Shop, Seol was able to acquire this ring, purify Gallotta¡¯s Tongue, buy the ck Ghost¡¯s Shroud, and make the Jelly From a Cloudy Day. ¡®I guess I should try thinking like¡­ I won¡¯t be able to be ahead of the others if I only choose the normal methods?¡¯ Luckily for Seol, he could definitely be more special than anyone else. He was sure that Kodon, the god who sent him, also had the same expectations of him. ¡®I should try to be louder from here on.¡¯ Seol smiled, seeing the visible achievement right in front of him. He then left the outbuilding, knowing what he had to do next. And when Seol left his outbuilding, a few people were secretly trailing after him. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * It was dark out. People were gathered in a secret location. Their leaders, Kibo and Shur, managed them. ¡°Is everyone here?¡± ¡°Yes! And no one trailed us either!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of you.¡± Kibo thought it was a blessing that Shur even showed up. Kibo worried about what would happen if Shur decided to side with Heka and Doju but thanks to his swift actions, Shur stayed resolute. ¡°Today¡¯s the day,¡± said Shur. ¡°...Today is the day.¡± ¡°Yeah, we can¡¯t continue this ufortable coexistence forever.¡± ¡°I-Is it really going to be alright when Heka and Doju¡¯s factions have more people?¡± ¡°We¡¯re stronger individually. There¡¯s also no one on Heka¡¯s side who knows how to use their head.¡± After that, the two parties talked about their ns. ¡°No, we¡¯ll lose if we do that. We have to hit Doju first.¡± ¡°You must be out of your mind! Do you think Heka would just sit still? Heka¡¯s faction is much stronger!¡± ¡°Doju¡¯s faction has quite a number of dangerous people, though. We¡¯re at a bigger disadvantage if they¡¯re the ones who we hit second.¡± Mira let out a big sigh. The ruin hunter factions in Nobira were about to face each other in an all-out battle tonight. If someone asked Mira why they couldn¡¯t just coexist, she would think they were fools. ¡®We¡¯ll die if we get pushed back from here.¡¯ Whichever faction ended up being the stronger, smarter faction would rule all of the ruin hunters in Nobira. ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t calm down. It felt like someone was walking on a tightrope right on top of her heart. She could feel better if she rxed and eased her tension, but she could do something like that before the battle was over. She also knew that Kibo only made this decision because many other transferees, excluding her, also agreed to participate. The transferees were trying to stop Heka¡¯s wicked acts. Mira was thankful for the transferees though. The force that they gathered today was probably the best they could do. ¡®The ruler of Noibra will be decided tonight. Concentrate, Mira. You have to protect Kibo,¡¯ thought Mira. But then¡­ BAM! ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Kibo, Shur¡­¡± The heated atmosphere instantly cooled down the moment one of the faction members bursted through the door. ¡°What is going on?!¡± shouted Kibo. When Kibo shouted, the person took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°Gasp¡­ Heka¡¯s faction made a move. Th-there¡¯s a fight in the bar on 3rd Street! Well, to be more precise, it hasn¡¯t happened yet, but¡­¡± ¡°A fight? With who? Everyone¡¯s here though?¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ I didn¡¯t get a good look but it was a man with golden eyes who had a dangerous aura about him¡­¡± Kibo understood what that meant right away and let out a howl. He didn¡¯t need to think long to realize that the person who was fighting Heka was Snowman, the person he traded with. The mysterious man who helped him¡­ he was aiming for this. ¡°We¡¯re immediately going to send the main force to hit Doju! Mira!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I want you to go to 3rd Street with Jirmo and a handful of other members! If it¡¯s him, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s still hanging in there!¡± Chapter 50 Before the Wolf¡¯s Night began, Seol was gathering information on Chao. However, he couldn¡¯t find any information about her. Seol was now confident that she hadn¡¯t returned to Nobira after visiting theboratory. After all, the ss he broke in the manor she rented as her research room was still untouched, and there were no traces of anyoneing after him. ¡®There are no witnesses either¡­ I¡¯ll check tomorrow as well, but if there still aren¡¯t any clues, I¡¯ll just have to rely on whatever material is left in the research room for my clues.¡¯ Results aren¡¯t always guaranteed because you put in the effort. - How is he still not tired¡­? - He¡¯s a serious workaholic. - He¡¯s not resting at all! - There¡¯s an old saying that the people who work the hardest aren¡¯t beginners but the best¡­ - It¡¯s not wrong haha Before Seol returned to his outbuilding, he first entered a bar he spotted on the street. A part of the reason was that moderate intoxication was the perfect way to relieve some fatigue, but another reason was that he was hung up on something. ¡®Why do they keep following me?¡¯ Someone had been trailing him. Seol wasn¡¯tpletely sure when he first left the outbuilding but became confident they were trailing him the moment they followed him all the way to the manor where Chao¡¯s research room was. ¡®...Who is it?¡¯ Kibo? Heka¡¯s faction? Or someone rted to Chao? Seol entered the bar to see their reactions. ¡°Bwahahaha! Make sure to spare the time!¡± ¡°Are you really going to take me again?¡± ¡°Have you been lied to all your life? I like the way you work soe back next time, alright?¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± It was loud in the bar. The two-story bar was filled with the sound of multiple conversations. One of the workers approached Seol. ¡°What would you like to order?¡± ¡°Grilled eggnts, and¡­¡± ¡°O-Oh my god¡­¡± The worker stopped taking Seol¡¯s order and hurriedly returned to the kitchen in shock. Seol, surprised, turned around. He then realized that the people around him all turned silent as well. Someone entered through the bar¡¯s entrance. It was a monster-like man who looked even bigger than Kibo. The man had unkempt hair that reached down to his shoulders. There was also a sour odor of unknown origin that came as he entered the room. ¡®...it¡¯s the smell of blood.¡¯ However, the smell of blood pierced through the man¡¯s disgusting smell. How many lives does one have to kill for them to smell like blood? ¡°I-It¡¯s Heka¡­¡± ¡°Heka? Fucking hell¡­¡± ¡°Run¡­ Run!¡± ¡°Run where? He¡¯s blocking the door¡­¡± ¡°The back door! Run through the back door!¡± ¡°I feel like something¡¯s going to happen at this rate¡­¡± People hurriedly left the building. Heka didn¡¯t even give a nce to them as they left. He continuously stared at one ce, at the person he had business with. Coincidentally, Heka just happened to be staring at the seat that Seol just sat down in. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Heka walked toward Seol. Seol, meanwhile, noticed multiple presences outside of the building. Heka¡¯s faction was likely surrounding the building. ¡®Is he here to investigate or to fight?¡¯ Seol was now confident that the person who trailed him today was a member of Heka¡¯s faction. It was the only way his coincidental meeting with Heka would make sense. Furthermore, the way Heka was taking those big, swinging steps toward him was strange when it should have been their first time seeing each other. ¡®That¡¯s a small problem.¡¯ Seol came to the conclusion that it was one of two options. Either his identity was revealed or Heka found out about his trade with Kibo. ¡®Well, it¡¯s still too soon to make a conclusion though.¡¯ He had to first listen to what Heka would say. Thud. Heka stood opposite Seol. Most people would be on guard if Heka sat down in front of them but Seol was rxed. He still had his two elbows on the table as he looked at Heka. ¡°I am Heka. You¡¯re strong, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Who are you asking that question to?¡± ¡°You, obviously. Who else would it be?¡± - Me? - It¡¯s me. - So it was me. Seol thought for a moment at Heka¡¯s forward, rude question. ¡°I¡¯m not weak,¡± answered Seol. Since Heka was being rude, Seol decided to be rude back. ¡°Pffft¡­ You¡¯re lying. I can smell fear from you. Are you sure you didn¡¯t piss yourself?¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Thud. Heka sat down on the table, opposite Seol. Since there was a height difference between the two of them, there was even a height difference in sitting height. ¡°You brat¡­ Where did you get your treasure?¡± ¡°Treasure?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to y tricks with me. I heard you handed over your treasure to the Wolf, is that right?¡± ¡°Who told you that?¡± responded Seol calmly. Seol wasn¡¯t simply pretending to not know, he was trying to find out where Heka got his information from. Since Heka was the type to speak very directly, at this rate, Seol should be able to find out where Heka received his information from. ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t you y with me. Oi, Bring her in!¡± shouted Heka to the people outside. Heka was quite rxed despite having Seol right in front of him. ¡°Uh¡­ She isn¡¯t able to speak properly right now though¡­¡± ¡°Bring her in anyway. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll talk once he sees her face.¡± ¡°Uh, I understand.¡± A woman with her arms tied in crude ropes wobbled into the bar, receiving assistance from one of the members of Heka¡¯s faction. ¡°Urb¡­¡± ¡°Hold still if you don¡¯t want to die!¡± She had been beaten so badly that her eyes were swollen like fish eyes and had ck bruises all over her body. She looked like just opening her mouth would cause her to vomit out blood. Seol, with some difficulty, was able to tell who she was. ¡°Rita.¡± ¡°Urb¡­¡± ¡°Kuahaha¡­ It looks like you know each other, huh?¡± ¡°Through one thing or another.¡± ¡°I also did one thing or another to her. Oi, sit her down here.¡± Rika received help and sat down in a seat right next to Heka, across from Seol. - He¡¯s fucked. ¡®The Order¡¯ is pissed. - Did you see how his expression changed¡­? - Is it the return? Return of ¡®The Order¡¯? - Info) The guy in front of him doesn¡¯t know the situation he¡¯s in. ¡°She spilled everything. I hit her a few times, and she told me everything, even apologizing for not telling it to me right away,¡± growled Heka. Heka tapped Rita¡¯s shoulder. Rita, half unconscious, started speaking in a robotic tone. ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t really involved with what happened, I promise. All I did was y the middleman in a trade between treasures¡­ cough¡­ Please believe me. Please, it¡¯s the truth. Please don¡¯t hit me¡­ It hurts¡­¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°You heard her, right? What do you think?¡± Seol only watched Heka with an emotionless look in his golden eyes. ¡°That treasure¡­ it should not have gone to the Wolf,¡± said Heka, exerting pressure in his tone. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because he and I don¡¯t have a good rtionship. But I doubt you didn¡¯t know that when you¡¯re staying in Nobira.¡± ¡°Of course I knew.¡± ¡°So you gave it to him despite knowing that I wouldn¡¯t like it¡­ Hm¡­ And that ring on your finger.¡± Heka gave a strange smile that shed his rotten teeth. ¡°I feel like I know that ring¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to waste. What do you want?¡± ¡°Are you on the Wolf¡¯s side?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Oho¡­ Is that the truth? I feel like I might be upset if you lie to me again¡­¡± ¡°I told you, not yet.¡± Heka showed interest in Seol¡¯s bold attitude. ¡°I heard you were the strongest among the transferees.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ You im that even though I, Heka, am the strongest in Nobira? Not to mention the fact that I despise transferees.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because they act exactly like parasites? All they do is intrude into the world that we¡¯ve built up, cross the lines that we¡¯ve created, and take whatever they want.¡± ¡°Is that really what you dislike about them?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s just an excuse. It¡¯s just fun to bully weaklings.¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s as I expected.¡± Heka was the most wicked of the wickedest people. It was also likely that Doju, who allied with Heka, was not too different from him either. - There¡¯s also rumors that he kills transferees for fun. It¡¯s basically a fact though. ¡®So it was true.¡¯ Kibo didn¡¯t say that to bring Seol to his side, he simply wanted Seol to know the entire truth. ¡°Still, there¡¯s an option you can take that would let you live.¡± ¡°An option, hm¡­¡± ¡®Options¡¯ practically symbolized Seol. Not only did he always try his best to choose the correct option, but he could also visibly see the ¡®options¡¯ that others couldn¡¯t see. ¡°And what are the options?¡± ¡°Kill the Wolf. If you do, I¡¯ll forgive you for pissing me off.¡± ¡°...And if I refuse?¡± ¡°First, I¡¯ll kill this woman next to me.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll break your neck and kill you here.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°Are you really curious about what would happen after you die?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious to be curious about a novel that even an idiot like you wrote?¡± ¡°This fucking bastard¡­¡± Glow¡­ Fwirl! In an instant, Seol used Shadow Hand to pull Rita in. Heka, who didn¡¯t expect a summoner to be this swift, could do nothing but watch as he was caught off guard. - Hm¡­ that¡¯s going to be hard though? Since this is the biggest event going on in Nobira right now, even bakery owners, no, even the rats in the sewers, won¡¯t be able to avoid the aftermath. It was something that Kibo told Seol when Seol refused to help him. ¡®In the end, it¡¯s going exactly as the Wolf said it would.¡¯ Ultimately, the situation came to him. ¡°Are you really trying to run away after you¡¯ve already stepped foot into the lion¡¯s maw?¡± ¡°Lion my ass¡­¡± ¡°...Your only option of staying alive died with your decision.¡± ¡°The options already disappeared a while ago.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± When Heka asked Seol to stand by his side, Seol saw a flurry of options. However, Seol didn¡¯t even give them a look and ignored them all. Pull¡­ A long, massive spear was being pulled out of Heka¡¯s back. The handle might have been made of bone, but the spearhead was made of sharp, eerie steel. This fight was no longer avoidable. Seol gathered ck energy into both of his hands and exploded it. Gloooow¡­ Fwirl! Fwirl! Jamad was summoned in a position to protect Seol and Rita while Karuna was summoned to prevent Heka¡¯s movements. Thud¡­ Crush¡­ ¡°Wh-what the hell?¡± Jamad, who was much bigger than Heka, stared down at Heka while protecting Seol. ¡°Everyone, get in here!¡± yelled Heka. He could immediately tell that they weren¡¯t easy opponents. Heka¡¯s faction, which had been surrounding the building to prevent Seol from escaping, entered the bar one by one. They were also in shock after looking at Jamad and Karuna. ¡°Wh-what the hell¡­¡± ¡°Heka, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°You asked me earlier if I was on the wolf¡¯s side, right?¡± ¡°H-he¡¯s a summoner! Fight him like how you would fight Kibo!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± In a moment, Seol was at the center of their faction. ¡°Let me answer that question again. I just went on his side.¡± Pull! Karuna unsheathed his sword at lightning speed. aaang! Heka managed to block Karuna¡¯s sword with the spear handle, but¡­ the residual force flung it out of his hands and into the building¡¯s wall. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Jirmo, quickly!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going as fast as I can, you¡¯re just too fast! You need to match pace with everyone else!¡± ¡°An innocent person will die if we¡¯rete.¡± ¡°Gasp¡­ Do you really think¡ª gasp¡­ that they¡¯re going to be the only victim tonight?¡± ¡°Still! We have to minimize the damage!¡± ¡°Fine. We¡¯re going, we¡¯re going! Everyone, you¡¯re going to have to bring out more energy sooner!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Mira was quite trusted in Kibo¡¯s ruin hunter faction. Though it hadn¡¯t been long since she joined it, the bravery and tenacity she showed when clearing through a ruin made the other ruin hunters naturally follow her. In fact, she contributed greatly in taking down Gallotta. She was talented and always led others at the front. ¡®If we¡¯rete¡­ Snowman¡¯s going to be in trouble.¡¯ Kibo told her that Snowman was immeasurably strong. But in the end, he was still just a transferee. There was no way a transferee who was here for half a year at best could face Heka. Furthermore, Heka always brought his faction with him so the situation was much more dangerous. Jirmo, who was running with her, sneaked a word in. ¡°...Don¡¯t get your hopes high.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Do you think Heka would let him live? I¡¯m sure he found out that he and Kibo traded.¡± ¡°Cut the crap.¡± "If Hekaes to the conclusion that he took our side, he¡¯ll kill him. He¡¯ll even be extra brutal to him to make an example of him... Think logically, Mira!" Jirmo was telling her this because if Seol was dead, trying to face Heka with only this many people was practically suicide. He wanted to prevent Mira from leaping headfirst into death. ¡°That¡¯s something for me to decide.¡± ¡°Stop acting crazy and think before you act¡ª¡± ¡°This is 3rd Street! It¡¯s over there!¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s that building? There¡¯s nobody around it though?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure of it! It¡¯s there.¡± ¡°Run!¡± Mira, worried that the situation could already be over, had a chill run down her spine. She wiped off her cold sweats and entered the bar where the fight was supposedly about to happen. ¡°Hey! Why would you just¡ª¡± yelled Jirmo. ¡°......¡± ¡°Mira! Get a grip! What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°All¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Dead¡­¡± Jirmo walked to Mira after letting out a sigh. Jirmo believed that Heka had already left the bar. ¡°See, this is why I told you to not get your hopes up! We should first find out what exactly happened before rendezvousing with Kibo¡­¡± And then¡­ Jirmo also saw the interior of the bar. ¡°...What?¡± Jirmo couldn¡¯tprehend what was in front of him, it was unbelievable. It was also probably the reason that Mira stood there at the door with her mouth open. Like they had be idiots. ¡°They¡¯re all dead,¡± said Mira. ¡°N-No way¡­¡± ¡°That monster Heka too, everyone¡­¡± ¡°How could this be?¡± The walls were stained in blood to the point that you would mistake them for having red wallpaper. Missing limbs were scattered throughout the bar. And¡­ What seemed to be Heka¡¯s head was on the table, with Seol and Rita sitting by it. Rita was sobbing as if she had seen something horrendous. Seol and Mira looked at each other. ¡°You¡¯rete.¡± The way Seol spoke so calmly in this hell almost made Mira believe that everything before her was a lie. However, Heka¡¯s resentful face on the table was screaming at her that it was all in fact real. ¡°...Snowman.¡± The Wolf¡¯s Night. Something that no one expected to happen, happened. The Lion had died. Chapter 51 Shadow soldiers and armed men swept the night streets. ¡°Kyaaaa!¡± ¡°Get back into the building! Don¡¯t open any windows!¡± Currently, Nobira was washing away the negative energy that has built up in the city with blood and steel. ¡°Kuaaargh!¡± ¡°D-Do you really think you will be able to handle this? Heka will kill you all!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be a different story if we kill you all before that happens though.¡± ¡°H-Hol¨C¡± Stab¡­ A life had met its end. Simr things were happening throughout the city. Though death is what gives meaning to life, there were way too many people dying in vain in the city. ¡°Wolf¡­ Krgh¡­ You came up with a few good tricks this time but what do you think about backing off now?¡± said Doju. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± ¡°Because Heka will being soon. He¡¯sing to tear your head off from your body for biting me, hahaha¡­¡± ¡°I already know that. That¡¯s why I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± ¡°......¡± Doju looked for ways to escape from this situation but wherever he looked, there was someone blocking his way. And if there weren¡¯t people, there were shadows. ¡°Kibo, are you still turning your dead faction members into your shadows?¡± ¡°Yeah, I still am.¡± ¡°You make me want to vomit¡­ I feel awful for them.¡± ¡°This conversation¡¯s already gone too long. The night¡¯s going to be long even with you gone. Farewell.¡± ¡°St-stop it! Kraaargh¡­¡± Slice! The spine-chilling sound of a person¡¯s head being separated from their body filled the dead space. ¡°Doju is dead. Tell it to the members of his faction and don¡¯t kill anyone who surrenders.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Now¡­ is it only Heka left¡­?¡± ¡°Since Heka is still alive, the real n starts now.¡± ¡°Exactly. Don¡¯t rx just yet, we need to find out exactly what moves Heka has made. First, let¡¯s rendezvous with Shur.¡± Blood flowed throughout the city. It was undeniably a cruel sight but no one showed sympathy to the tyrant¡¯s death. Kibo, despite all themotion, was sessfully able to rendezvous with Shur. And here, Kibo¡¯s first prediction was wrong. ¡®Heka should have aimed for us before we were able to rendezvous¡­ so why didn¡¯t he show up?¡¯ Either he was confident to the point that he was arrogant, or¡­ he was in a situation where he couldn¡¯t fight right away. Kibo then suddenly thought of the mission he gave Mira before the Wolf¡¯s Night started. He sent Mira to a bar after hearing that Heka and Seol were fighting there. And ever since sending her there, he has heard absolutely nothing. ¡°What happened¡­¡± ¡°Kibo, so you were fine.¡± ¡°Ah, you as well.¡± ¡°I heard that you killed Hoju. Now I guess all that¡¯s left is Heka.¡± ¡°Just because he¡¯s wild doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s stupid. I¡¯m sure that Heka¡¯s preparing for battle, and then¡­¡± And then¡­ The two felt that something was off and instantly turned to look at a person who was approaching them. ¡°Kibo! Mira is back!¡± ¡°Mira is?¡± ¡°Yes! B-But¡­¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I think you should see this yourself.¡± Step¡­ Step¡­ A weak gait. It looked as if the person walking toward them had lost their meaning. Someone¡­ was walking toward Kibo. ¡°Mira!¡± ¡°Kibo¡­¡± ¡°You were safe, that¡¯s such a relief.¡± ¡°Kibo, you know¡­¡± Mira bit her lips and hesitated from saying something. Kibo patiently waited for her to speak. He knew that if someone as hot-tempered as she was hesitating to say something, it had to be just as important. ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± Raise¡­ With a sigh, Mira put forth her hand. Along with whatever hung underneath it. ¡®A head?¡¯ A person¡¯s head was nothing to be surprised by here. The city was filled with decapitated heads after all. Even so, Kibo was surprised. ¡°...Isn¡¯t this Heka?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°He died? How? Did you help him?¡± Mira shook her head. ¡°He was like this when I arrived.¡± Thud¡­ Kibo dropped to one knee. ¡°Kibo!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I was just way too shocked. Did he do it?¡± ¡°It could only be him. When I arrived at the bar, he was waiting for me with Heka¡¯s head on the table.¡± Kibo closed his eyes. ¡°In the end, the lion has been swept away by the storm.¡± - He¡¯s probably going to be the most important storm in this uing battle. We just have to hope that the storm hits the lion¡¯s faction and not ours. Everything after that ended in a sh. Shur and Kibo¡¯s forces took the defeated soldier¡¯s lives and hopes. The ruin hunters called this night the ¡®Wolf¡¯s Night¡¯ and gathered under Kibo and Shur. Shur gave the majority of the achievements to Kibo. After all, Kibo was the biggest reason he was able to stay alive through this horrific night. And with that, the power dynamic in Nobira hadpletely shifted. The scattered forces all solidified with the wolf at the center. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * And now, Kibo, who had be the leader of all of the ruin hunters in Nobira, was out at a secret location with Mira. They were waiting for somebody. ¡°Kibo.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Is it really okay to spread rumors that you¡¯re waiting for someone here?¡± ¡°It¡¯spletely fine. Who would even believe it?¡± Even if someone spread rumors that Kibo was waiting for someone, no one would take it seriously. Rather, they would think that the person who said that had lost their mind. It was because, currently, everything in Nobira was in Kibo¡¯s hands. The fact that someone like him was waiting for someone else was just a poor joke. Knock, knock. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± spoke a voice beyond the door. ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± replied Kibo. Before Kibo¡¯s subordinate opened the door, he quietly ryed a message to Mira while tidying his clothes. ¡°I want you to be quiet today.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll judge for myself. I can also tell a thing or two, you know?¡± ¡°Haha, suuuure¡­¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± There was a smile on their faces, as expected from people who had their worries disappear. However, as one person stepped through the door, their smiles quickly changed to tension. Creak¡­ ¡°It feels like I¡¯m seeing you guys often.¡± The person who entered through the door was Seol. He looked a bit tired but still exuded immense pressure. Kibo quickly stood up and weed him. ¡°Wee, have a seat.¡± As Seol took a seat, the seat glowed a golden hue and was filled with strange decorations. ¡°This seat is a bit much.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ this is the exact opposite situation of when we first met.¡± Kibo, remembering when he sat down in the decorative chair in Seol¡¯s outbuilding, let out augh. Kibo watched Seol, hoping for Seol to talk first. Seol, noticing that, spoke. ¡°It was a trade.¡± Finally, the reason Seol killed Heka came out. ¡°As expected¡­ then wouldn¡¯t it have been better to ept it back then?¡± - I want you to help us with our battle against Heka. Kibo, obviously, hadn¡¯t forgotten his request to Seol either. ¡°It was because I didn¡¯t n on getting myself involved back then.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ hm¡­ well, since it¡¯s in the past and it¡¯s a waste of time to hang yourself over the small details¡­ What do you want?¡± The price for killing Heka. Kibo wanted to know what Seol wanted for doing it. Seol paused for a moment before answering, ¡°Anything.¡± ¡°Not an item?¡± ¡°As long as it can help me, anything.¡± ¡°Oho¡­ Why do I get a feeling that I¡¯m going to get ripped off today?¡± Kibo furrowed his brows. ¡°I noticed it already the first time we met but you really aren¡¯t a pushover.¡± ¡°Was my request too much?¡± ¡°Not at all. If it¡¯s a request from someone who killed my rival, nothing¡¯s too much. In fact, I¡¯ve already sorted out some things that you might want.¡± Even though Seol had made a unique request, Kibo was generously epting of it. ¡°Did you think of something?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s something that I think you¡¯ll be really interested in.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making me look forward to it.¡± ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be telling someone else about this¡­ I¡¯d be d if I didn¡¯t get teased for being a light person after this.¡± It must have been something difficult to say as Kibo was hesitating. ¡°When I was very young¡­ Back then, I did anything for money, not just hunting ruins. I even did things that mercenaries would do like guarding, scouting, and even assassinations.¡± Kibo had a glint in his eyes, as if he were pulling out his old memories from the air. ¡°It happened when I was going around the desert in the west. I was deployed there with my party members, and we discovered someone who was frantically running away from some people.¡± ¡°And you saved them?¡± ¡°I was young back then. My body acted before I could even think. I did get a huge scar because of it though.¡± ¡°So you were able to sessfully save them.¡± ¡°They were tired after a long chase after all. Anyway, I killed them all and buried them all in the sand.¡± ¡°And what you¡¯re about to give me now is rted to the person you saved that day, right?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Seol grew more and more interested the more Kibo talked. ¡®Judging by how Kibo¡¯s taking a long time to tell the story, it must be extremely important information,¡¯ thought Seol as he paid attention. ¡°Regardless, I can¡¯t believe the connection I made in the desert is going to be further extended like this. He told me that he received a lot of help from me and that he would pay it back someday.¡± ¡°So what are you going to give me?¡± ¡°His debt. To be more precise, I¡¯m trying to give you the payment he promised me for saving his life.¡± ¡°Is that worth as much as Heka¡¯s head?¡± responded Seol. Kiboughed when he saw Seol¡¯s disappointed reaction. Almost like he had been waiting for this question from him. ¡°Do you¡­ know who ¡®Orgo¡¯ is?¡± ¡°Orgo¡­ Are you talking about¡­ Orgo, the Blood-Drenched?¡± ¡°You¡¯re more knowledgeable than I thought. Were you interested in this side too?¡± ¡°I heard about him for various reasons. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ is the person you saved rted to Orgo?¡± ¡°He is Orgo¡¯s sessor.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Orgo, the Blood-Drenched. Not only was he a cksmith, he was also an excellent fighter. What¡¯s interesting is that despite the nickname of ¡®Blood-Drenched¡¯, Orgo didn¡¯t thoughtlessly kill people. He was called ¡®Blood-Drenched¡¯ for another reason entirely. ¡®It was because of the weapons he made.¡¯ Orgo made several weapons during his life, and everyone who got their hands on one of his weapons all inevitably painted the continent in blood. And because of that, Orgo fell into despair before eventually disappearing from the world. The reason that Seol knew so much about him was because¡­ ¡®I was Orgo.¡¯ Seol could still remember the things that happened back then. Seol had yed various characters with different concepts back then and Orgo was one of the more memorable ones. Because of his immense innate talent, Orgo would constantly make incredible items out of whatever materials he got his hands on. It was to the point that the items that he made were even better than the rewards you would get from Adventures around a simr level. Orgo was undoubtedly an incredible character and if Seol had just kept going, Orgo¡¯s reputation would have rivaled even thest 10 pieces he made. But¡­ Orgo was unable to do that. ¡®He just happened to be weak mentally¡­¡¯ The weapons that Orgo made fell into the hands of evil people who covered the continent in blood. That was also around the time Orgo became skeptical of other people. Orgo had gone through a lot and it had exhausted him. In the end, Orgo was pushed mentally into a corner, making Seol agonize over what decision to make next. Eventually, there was only one option left. [[Would you like to give up on Orgo¡¯s Adventure?] 1. Yes. 2. No.] The decision that Seol had made was to let Orgo live the life that he wanted. He believed that it was a much better fate than giving Orgo a tragic ending. [Adventurer Orgo will now pioneer his own path and fate.] [Though this heart-racing Adventure is over, his life will still continue.] Orgo had started his journey as a naive cksmith but ended it by disappearing from the world, receiving the bitter resentment of others. ¡®But¡­ I didn¡¯t expect to hear Orgo¡¯s name again here.¡¯ There was a reason that Seol was delighted to hear Orgo¡¯s name, unlike his other pieces. Orgo was made after Seol had adapted to The World of Eternity quite a bit. And as such, he didn¡¯t die in vain and he even left behind a few achievements. ¡®It will help me out a lot if I¡¯m able to find his traces.¡¯ After all, Orgo was a piece that went on a lot more Adventures than Seol. There was another reason too though. ¡®Hamun¡­ was it? Is he still alive?¡¯ Hamun was the name of a student he took in as Orgo. After an entire decade, Seol was finally seeing him again. ¡°His name is Hamun. He doesn¡¯t make anything anymore though. However, he did tell me that he would repay the debt. And now, after all this time, it¡¯s gone to you,¡± said Kibo. ¡°Where is Hamun now?¡± ¡°Why do you think I brought this up?¡± Seol¡¯s eyes grew serious. ¡°So he¡¯s in Nobira.¡± ¡°Yeah, Hamun is here.¡± Chapter 52 Seol headed to where Kibo told him to go. It was to confirm the information he received as a reward for beheading Heka. ¡®That¡¯s that, but¡­ the timing¡¯s way too tight.¡¯ Due to being swept up in various events during his rest, Seol only had 15 days before his next Adventure started. He nned on using the remaining days to look for Chao¡¯s traces, but¡­ because he was heading to somewhere that was contrary to his original ns, he was feeling impatient. ¡®If it looks like it¡¯s going to take a while, I should just save it for next time.¡¯ Since uncovering Chao¡¯s whereabouts was what was most important right now, Seol didn¡¯t need to desperately clear this as well. Even so, Seol was excited at the thought of directly meeting Hamun, Orgo¡¯s sessor. ¡®Is it really the same Hamun?¡¯ Seol nned on visiting Hamun even if his ns went awry, even if he was unable to get anything from him. Hamun himself was a mark that Seol left in The World of Eternity. Even though it was a considerably sad memory for Orgo, Seol wanted to meet Hamun. ¡°It should be around here somewhere¡­¡± It was a rather unpopted region of Nobira, Seol went through one deserted area after another to reach a street nearby. He wasn¡¯t sure if people simply just didn¡¯t live around here or if something happened, but¡­ it waspletely empty. - It¡¯s so sketchy here¡­ - Kibo: Kuku¡­ just ording to keikaku. - So there was a ce like this in Nobira too¡­ shiiiiiet Just as Seol was starting to feel nervous as well, he felt a presence. Rustle¡­ Seol instantly turned and looked. He saw a handsome young man. ¡®A mole near his eye¡­¡¯ Seol instantly caught the young man¡¯s unique physical characteristic. A handsome young man with copper skin and a mole near his eye. ¡®He¡¯s Hamun.¡¯ He looked exactly like the Hamun he remembered as Orgo. Well, other than the fact that he was much older than then. As Seol was looking at Hamun with reminiscent eyes, Hamun spoke to him. ¡°I heard about you from old man Kibo.¡± ¡°I apologize, was I intruding?¡± Hamun shook his head. ¡°Old man Kibo is my savior. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I would¡¯ve been buried in the sands.¡± Seol was d that Hamun¡¯s favor for Kibo hadn¡¯t disappeared. Hamun gave Seol a bow and turned around. ¡°Follow me. I doubt there¡¯s any pleasant conversation we could have while standing around here.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± It wasn¡¯t normal for rows of houses like this to create a creepy atmosphere. These buildings, surprisingly, had no windows, so it was impossible to look inside either. Even so, even if it were the slums, there should at least be traces of humans. ¡®Did something happen?¡¯ Seol continued to follow Hamun, thinking things like that to himself. Hamun entered into a creepy, crude house and Seol followed. He prepared tea for his visitor ahead of time so the moment Seol entered the house, Hamun offered him tea. ¡°I hope it¡¯s to your tastes.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine without tea.¡± ¡°...Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t normally eat or drink anything offered to me by someone else, so¡­ it¡¯s just a habit from my job, I hope you can understand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what my master used to say,¡± quietly responded Hamun. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Regardless, it does look quite weird for the homeowner to be the only one drinking tea while the guest has nothing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault at all.¡± Sip. Hamun watched Seol while drinking his tea. Hamun was a quiet person. ¡®It¡¯s exactly the same as when he was young.¡¯ Hamun even surprised Seol when he was young as his dialogue script was much shorter than the other children around his age. Seol, even now, couldn¡¯t believe that the same Hamun was right before him. ¡°Is there an issue?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Still, you never know how things go in life. I thought Kibo had forgotten about saving me in the desert, and now¡­ I¡¯m repaying the debt from that day to someone I had never met before.¡± Seol was curious about how that happened, so he asked a question. ¡°Who were you being chased by?¡± ¡°People who wanted my master¡¯s works. Ah, have you heard about my master?¡± Seol knew everything about him. ¡°I know him somewhat.¡± ¡°Have you also heard about him before he got that disgraceful nickname?¡± ¡°...Orgo, the Golden Hand.¡± Since everything Orgo made had strange effects, it wasn¡¯t a stretch to give him that luxurious title. ¡°You¡¯re exactly right.¡± ¡°Why are you so curious about whether I know your master or not?¡± ¡°I find it very pleasant when I hear his name from other people. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ did I upset you?¡± ¡°Not at all, I just thought it was unique.¡± Hamun then continued, ¡°As my master became more and more disillusioned by the world and resolved to depart, his works had already either fallen to the hands of evil individuals or were hidden so that no one could find them.¡± ¡°So you were being chased down despite all that?¡± Seol hid the items so that no one could find them to be considerate to Hamun. It was so that Hamun could live his own life. Seol knew that even if he left those items to Hamun, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to protect them. And if those items were left in the world, it would only torture Orgo further. ¡°I realized then that evil is more tenacious than good. They exhaustively kept an eye on me. They wanted to see if I was living a normal life or if I was in contact with Master Orgo.¡± ¡°And that eventually led to you running away.¡± ¡°Yes. I thought they would give up if I chose a difficult path, but I didn¡¯t expect them to follow me all the way into the desert.¡± ¡°It really was good that you met Kibo.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him, I wouldn¡¯t be able to live like this today. It was thanks to him that I was able to settle here.¡± ¡°And nowadays, you¡­¡± Hamun gave a bitter smile. ¡°It has been a long while since I¡¯ve forgotten the anvil and hammer. Currently, I run a tea shop in the city.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± ¡°Ah, the debt I have to repay Kibo is still a debt. I nned to repay Kibo no matter what. Now, tell me, Snowman, what do you want?¡± As Hamun finished his sentence, Seol saw options. [[Hamun has asked you what you want. What will you ask from him?] 1. [Required: Hamun¡¯s Changed Mind] A weapon. 2. [Required: Hamun¡¯s Changed Mind] A set of armor. 3. [Required: cksmith] To learn his secrets. 4. Repairing or enhancing an item. ¡­¡­] It was a disastrous list of options. ¡®Everything¡¯s locked up.¡¯ The options were grayed out. Other than a select few options, they were all grayed out. ¡®Hamun¡¯s Changed Mind¡­ I don¡¯t have the time to fulfill this condition.¡¯ Since it was a reward that Seol didn¡¯t anticipate, he didn¡¯t have the luxury in time. Even now, Seol was worried about finding Chao¡¯s traces. There was no way he could afford to waste time on something he knew nothing about. Seol, in the end, gave up on requesting a new item from Hamun and chose another option. Seol then pulled out two items from his inventory. The first was Karuna¡¯s Moonlight Sword which boasted a sharp, blue edge and the other was a crushed helmet. [[Helmet of Control(Destroyed)] Quality: Abomination Rmended Level: N/A Defense: 0 Durability: 0/0 Weight: 5kg A helmet made with a rare material called ¡®spirit stone¡¯. It had been corrupted after it was influenced by its maker¡¯s grudge. It ispletely destroyed now and won¡¯t have its power returned even if it is repaired. Basic Effect: N/A Bonus Effect: N/A] It was a helmet Seol received in The Hall of Self-Control and a treasure that Borgo used. ¡°Oho¡­¡± Hamun started inspecting the Moonlight Sword and Helmet of Control as if he were interested in them. This passion was still hidden inside of him. ¡®So you¡¯re still the same, Hamun.¡¯ Whenever Orgo made a new item, Hamun would always give him a thumbs up. Though Orgo left, he remained. "This helmet is made out of spirit stone." "Correct." "Then we¡¯d have to melt this helmet down and remake it. If I simply tried to repair it as it is right now, it wouldn¡¯t be able to bring out half of the spirit stone¡¯s powers." ¡°Is that so?¡± Hamun then took his eyes off the helmet to look at the Moonlight Sword. Seol waited. He predicted that soon, Hamun would give a simr reaction to the reaction that he gave when he saw the helmet. But then¡­ ¡°Hm¡­¡± Even though quite a bit of time had pressed, Hamun didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Urm¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Hold on a second¡­¡± Hamun pulled out a hefty book from his bookcase and flipped through the pages. And after that, even more time passed. - Hamun¡­ A hamun shouldn¡¯t keep people waiting¡­ - Do you want Private to fuck you up? - He¡¯s taking so damn long¡­ Seol waited, quiet as a mouse. And after a long, long while, Hamun finally spoke. ¡°Where¡­ did you get this?¡± ¡°Where? I don¡¯t really¡­¡± ¡°Is it something that¡¯s difficult to tell me?¡± Since it really wasn¡¯t anything special, Seol dly told Hamun everything he knew about the Moonlight Sword. He told Hamun that he found the sword in a moon ruin forgotten by humans. ¡°...As expected.¡± ¡°Why, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Items are always bound to have a record. Like when they were made or what they were made for. And it¡¯s embarrassing to say but I am someone who has the knowledge and eyes to uncover those records.¡± Seol hesitated for a moment. ¡°Are you telling me that the Moonlight Sword has no such records?¡± ¡°Yes, precisely. I wonder how a weapon like this could exist¡­ It makes me wonder if my master would¡¯ve known if he saw this.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have known either.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Hamun continued to talk to himself. ¡°It probably is a weapon from a civilization right before ours.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you might think it¡¯s strange, but in my eyes, that¡¯s the only way. Everything about this sword is a mystery to me, from the materials used to make it to the powers hidden inside. And the biggest question to me is how exactly the unprecedented power is working in reverse to the sword¡¯s powers.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°In other words, the sword is restricting the powers inside of it. I¡¯m assuming the spells engraved on the sword probably have something to do with it. Seol wasn¡¯t asking Hamun for the origin or history of the Moonlight Sword. And as such, he didn¡¯t care for the question after question. ¡°So?¡± ¡°I¡¯m interested, very interested! Could you perhaps tell me who¡¯s using this sword? I don¡¯t think that you¡¯re using it yourself, Snowman.¡± Glow¡­ Frss! Karuna stood stalwart by Seol¡¯s side. ¡°...A shadow?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s his weapon.¡± ¡°A weapon for a shadow¡­ How interesting.¡± ¡°So which of the two items will you be taking care of?¡± If Hamun chose the Moonlight Sword, Seol would ask him to enhance it and if Hamun chose the Helmet of Control, he would ask him to repair it. Even if the Helmet of Control would have reduced powers from it not being remadepletely, there was no way Seol could ask him to make a new item for him. However¡­ Hamun¡¯s answer shocked Seol. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of both of them.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve be interested¡­ in this sword.¡± Then all he had to do was ept the sword? Why did he ept the helmet too? As Seol thought to himself while looking at the Helmet of Control, Hamun answered him. ¡°If it was something I was uninterested in, I would¡¯ve rejected the helmet. But right now, there¡¯s a fire lit within me. And it made me want to ept the helmet as well.¡± ¡°I only have half a month though, Hamun.¡± ¡°Half a month is plenty of time. Leave it to me. I am one of the few people on this continent who can awaken the hidden powers sleeping in this sword.¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * After Seol left, leaving behind his sword and helmet, Hamun grabbed the two items and headed somewhere. Thud¡­ Creak¡­ He was headed underground. Obviously though, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary basement area. The basement area had a long tunnel that connected elsewhere. Clunk¡­ ¡°Fuu¡­ it¡¯s been a long time.¡± It was his equipment, covered in dust. His anvil and hammers. His bellows and furnace. Hamun, contrary to his words about not working as a cksmith anymore, had all of the equipment he needed in this area. This area was also the windowless houses that Seol was curious about. Hamun had connected all of those houses by breaking down and connecting the interior walls to make a giant smithy. However, the Helmet of Control and the Moonlight Sword weren¡¯t the only equipment here. Unsheathe¡­ A sword that radiated a myriad of colors It was beautiful to the point that it would leave you speechless. This item¡¯s name was ¡®Storm¡¯. And it was also his master¡¯s, Orgo¡¯s, first work. It was a Treasure quality item. It was amazing for someone¡¯s first work, but it was still a bitckingpared to the other amazing items throughout the continent. Hamun wasn¡¯t chased down by his pursuers simply because of a vague reason like wanting to know his master¡¯s whereabouts. It was also because of the sole legacy his master left behind. ¡°It¡¯s just a treasure quality item at best¡­ Why do they want to take even this from me?¡± Click¡­ Hamun, after putting away Storm, let out a calm sigh and spoke to himself as if he were trying to resolve himself. ¡°Orgo, with this, I will finally surpass you.¡± Chapter 53 [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A day ago] [Title: The Wolf has appeared!] After the Wolf appeared, the world became peaceful. Maybe calling someone a wolf¡­ is apliment? Praise God Kibo! - I was so scared, I thought I was going to die¡­ Once I heard about the news, I stopped drinking with the bar owner and hid behind the counter with him. - I thought my heart was going to explode lmfao. They were fucking brutal though¡­ It was like watching two rival gangs fight each other. - I thought Heka was a maniac and Kibo was an innocent person but I waspletely wrong¡­ - Is this ¡®gap moe¡¯? - Why weren¡¯t you stabbed that night? What a shame¡­ [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A day ago] [Title: It¡¯s aplete monopoly now¡­ It¡¯s fucked for transferees] Monopolies ruin the market. Wolf? Lion? I don¡¯t care who¡¯s in charge. I just didn¡¯t like the fact that one person was trying to control Nobira. Now, the Wolf has taken over Nobira like you guys wished. But what do you think will happen next? Will he really take care of the transferees like you guys wished? You naive idiots¡­ Kibo taking over Nobira isn¡¯t a good situation at all! - Okay, next Heka. - Heka(Dead): LOLLL Did you really think that Kibo would take care of you guys? - It¡¯s always these fuckers who never stepped out of their rooms that act like this LOOOL Have you ever even seen Heka? I have. He stabbed all of my party members. - Stop trying to make Heka seem better than he was, you fucking loudmouth lmfao What did you do that night? If you did nothing then just ept the results lol. - The person who posted this probably hid in their room while crying that night. - I bet they ordered food through room service too. Even the inn owner probably thinks that they¡¯re pathetic. - Seriously lol [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A day ago] [Title: Die Heka!] Huh? He died? Why did this work? - Huuuuh? - Why don¡¯t we make Wolf''s Night an official holiday in Nobira? Lol. - I was able to get a nce at Heka when he was at a bar and he looked like a fucking ogre lmfao. - So who killed Heka? - How would we know? But ording to the rumors, it wasn¡¯t Kibo. It wouldn¡¯t make sense logically when he was busy during that time killing Doju. - So Shur killed Heka? How would that make sense? - It wouldn¡¯t. Shur has no chance against Heka. - Then who could it be? It isn¡¯t a transferee, right? It¡¯s much more believable that Heka was ganged up on by a group of people than a single transferee. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A day ago] [Title: A carrier pigeon has arrived, coo¡­ coo¡­] Here¡¯s what we know currently about the Wolf¡¯s Night. 1. It ended in the overwhelming victory of Kibo¡¯s faction. 2. Heka¡¯s faction has split apart and even ran away from Nobira to avoid being killed by people with grudges. 3. Doju is officially dead. 4. Heka is officially dead. 5. Kibo killed Doju. 6. It still isn¡¯t known who killed Heka. 7. There is a rumor that the person who killed Heka is ¡®Private¡¯ or another transferee. - Private? Han Yeo-myeong? - Ah! Private! - Some people are saying that Yu Mira killed Heka. - Are you kidding me? LMFAO! Saying that Yu Mira killed Heka is like saying that a lion was killed by a house cat. - Why aren¡¯t there any witnesses? - Probably because they killed all of the witnesses too? - Don¡¯t say something so scary ??????¡­ - Either that or Heka died in a separate,pletely random location. [ (NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A day ago] [Title: Another story.] There¡¯s information that Heka wasst seen in a bar on 3rd Street. And apparently, they were picking a fight with somebody? Maybe the person who Heka picked a fight with killed him? - You don¡¯t think Heka killed them instead? - Look at the way he¡¯s hiding shit tsk tsk¡­ stop instigating me. - What the fuck is he saying? LOL - Apparently after that happening in the bar on 3rd Street, Mira was seen leaving the bar carrying Heka¡¯s head and going to Kibo. So it¡¯s a very credible rumor. - Then does that mean Yu Mira killed Heka? I didn¡¯t think she was someone like that but she¡¯s damn scary¡­ [ (NEW) [ ¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A day ago] [Title: I know the truth.] I can¡¯t believe there are rumors about fucking Yu Mira killing Heka of all people now LMFAO Fuu¡­ I can¡¯t give you the specific details because I don¡¯t want to reveal my own identity but, I¡¯ll at least say this¡­ Private killed Heka. ?? - What the fuck even is this post? - Yeah, suuuuure lol - I¡¯ll at least say this¡­ fuck off ?? - I¡¯m telling you, Private killed Heka. - Yeah, yeah. Try to stop crying first before you keep talking. The posts were all about Kibo and Heka as well as Private and Yu Mira. ¡®As expected, there¡¯s nothing about Chao.¡¯ Seol went through themunity every day, hoping for news about her, but found nothing. In the end, Seol went in circles before eventually returning to that ce. It was the only ce in Nobira where Seol found traces of her along with a mess of other information. In the end, Seol returned to her research room hidden in the manor. The area surrounding the manor was the same as before. It was a creepy area with unmaintained weeds. Even the broken ss was the same as before. Seol wasn¡¯t sure if it was because Chao paid a lot upfront, but it seemed like no one even came near here. Slide¡­ Seol swiftly slipped through the broken windows once again. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he already went through this once before, but options didn¡¯t show up this time. Creak¡­ ¡°Fuu¡­ In the end, am I back here again?¡± It was a ce filled with mountains of enigmatic designs, drawings, and distracting phrases. Glow¡­ Fwirl! Fwirl! Seol brought out a ck energy to summon Karuna and Jamad. ¡°What is it again? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to make me do the same thing asst time?¡± Seol bashfully looked elsewhere at Jamad¡¯s fierce gaze. ¡°Damn it. Do shit like this on your own, please.¡± Despite Jamad¡¯s gruff reaction, he then started to carefully inspect everything from one corner to the next. - This is why I watch Snowman nowadays. - I became addicted to Jamad¡¯s tsundere behavior¡­ - Heins a lot but he¡¯s always sincere with his work kekeke Karuna also started to inspect the contents on the wall withoutint. Seol and his summons spent about an hour like that. Even though working in silence could be considered a blessing at a job, at this point, Seol was starting to get bored. Seol then forcefully created a reason to talk to Karuna. ¡°Karuna.¡± ¡°Yes, Master?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you ufortable without a sword?¡± Karuna then responded to the question as if it were something obvious. ¡°I can protect you without a sword too, master.¡± - Ah! (Gasp) - I¡¯m touched! Promotion for you! - Haha, you really know how to butter me up, Karuna! Jamad, hearing that, entered the conversation with a smirk on his face. ¡°How loyal.¡± ¡°Do not mock me, troll,¡± Karuna replied ¡°Ah, did it sound like that to you? It was apliment in the purest sense.¡± It was amazing to Seol that despite their constant bickering, they worked perfectly in tandem with each other in battle. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Why? Did you find something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that, but¡­ this pattern¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve seen this before.¡± ¡°A pattern?¡± ¡°Yes. I do not recall exactly where I remember it from, but it definitely exists somewhere in my memory.¡± Because there were so many patterns on the wall, Seol hadn¡¯t carefully inspected all of them one by one. Since Seol just so happened to be bored and because Karuna had found a clue to something, Seol investigated the pattern Karuna directed at. The pattern was of an odd me inside of a circle. ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a pattern like this,¡± said Seol. ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± ¡°But¡­ are you sure that you really remember this pattern?¡± ¡°I am. I can feel something strongly from this pattern.¡± - It¡¯s just¡­ All of my memories before I became a disciple feel hazy like a fog. Karuna couldn¡¯t remember his past. On one hand, Seol was surprised that the pattern in front of him was something that Karuna, someone who lost his memories, remembered, but on the other hand, Seol became more interested in it because of it. ¡®Now, let¡¯s see what¡¯s written about it.¡¯ Near the pattern were some words that Chao left behind. - What advantages does the summon¡¯s ss give in terms of unity with the summoner? And is it really a sure solution for oveing the instability in unity? ¡®What does this mean? It was practically a foreignnguage. Seol annoyedly scratched his neck and read the next part. - There are people trying to take advantage of the Great Forest¡¯s vitality. Vitality is the source of life and is often used by those who reject death. ¡®The Great Forest¡¯s vitality¡­?¡¯ - Someone is hiding in the Great Forest. They¡¯re either the remnants of Eternal Life or maybe, another group entirely. Regardless, I might be able to get my hands on a powerful shadow if I could just take advantage of them. I¡¯m confident that the ones who are hiding are those who reject death¡­ Necromancers. Necromancers were hiding in the Great Forest. ¡®Why?¡¯ - What is their true objective and where did the corpse they were trying to revivee from? It definitely seems worth my time to investigate it. At that moment, Seol was forcibly assigned an Adventure. [Adventure ¡®Necromancers¡¯ Secret Ceremony¡¯ is scheduled.] [Because this Adventure is a ''Linked Adventure'' you cannot choose your next Adventure.] ¡°Huh¡­¡± Seol wasn¡¯t sure whether to be happy that he found a clue or confused that he was forcibly assigned an Adventure. Seol, without thinking, looked at Karuna. Karuna¡¯s strong gaze looked back at Seol. It was almost like¡­ he had to go there. Jamad, standing behind Seol, spoke. ¡°It looks like that lump of steel is interested in that pattern¡­ What do you think about going there next?¡± Karuna nced at Jamad before turning back to Seol. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go here next,¡± said Seol. ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Along with Karuna being interested, the fact that Seol had no other information to make a different decision made taking on this Adventure the correct decision. Even so, the awful travel luck Seol got when he arrived in Nobira and being forced to take on this Adventurebined made it a unique situation. ¡®A forced Adventure with bad travel luck, huh¡­ that¡¯s a bit worrying.¡¯ Obviously, Seol was prepared for a variety of problems, but even if he was prepared, he couldn¡¯t help being anxious. ¡®I should try to find Chao as fast as I can and leave Nobira,¡¯ resolved Seol. * * * Seol received news from Hamun faster than he expected. A couple of days before embarking on his new Adventure, Seol received a message from Hamun through Kibo. ¡°Your items are ready,¡± said Kibo¡¯s subordinate. ¡°Could you notify him that I will go to find those right now?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Kibo¡¯s subordinates were very respectful. They were respectful normally as well but they were more respectful now after the incident with Heka. The difference was especially noticeable in Mira. Even though Seol already knew her rambunctious personality, Mira had been nothing but respectful now to the point it was almost too much. ¡®It¡¯s a bit ufortable¡­¡¯ Seol wasn¡¯t sure whether they were simply showing respect to him or just t-out scared. Obviously though, both were bad. Seolter found out that Kibo had ordered them to act like that. Regardless, Seol was currently heading to where he first met Hamun. The cool night air made the quiet streets look even more uninviting. ¡°Ah, have you arrived?¡± ¡°Hamun.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need toe inside. Your items areplete.¡± Hamun exited his house, hiding his hands behind his back. Seol could see two items behind Hamun covered in a thin cloth. ¡°Take this.¡± Toss. Seol grabbed the item that Hamun lightly threw. [You have acquired a ''Helmet of Cool-Headedness''.] Judging by how the helmet¡¯s name had changed, Hamun was sessful in his repair. However, Hamun hesitated in handing over the most important item, the Moonlight Sword. ¡°...Hamun?¡± ¡°I will tell you the problems with this sword.¡± ¡°Was there a problem with the Moonlight Sword?¡± ¡°Yes, and more urately¡­ the problem still remains in the sword.¡± ¡°What kind of problem is it?¡± Hamun looked at the cloth-covered sword with curious eyes. ¡°The sword was made in such a way that I can¡¯t decipher the era in which it was made or the techniques and spells used to make it. Not only that, despite the fact that it is a heavily evolved work, many things about it are suppressed.¡± ¡°Suppressed?¡± ¡°Not only does this sword suppress its own strength, it even suppresses the strength of the owner.¡± ¡°...That was possible?¡± ¡°It is something that I also thought was impossible until now. It''s just one wall after another¡­¡± As Hamun spoke more about the Moonlight Sword, doubt started to arise within Seol. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Karuna was a summon that Seol acquired in his first Adventure. And as such, it was normal for Karuna to be weaker than the summons he would acquireter in his journey. However, Seol didn¡¯t see any signs of Karuna bing weaker. In fact, the more Karuna grew, the more he changed. Karuna¡¯s stats only soared higher by the day and his expertise in battle was unrivaled. However, as it was Seol¡¯s first time ying a Shadow Summoner, he wasn¡¯t sure if this was just information that hecked or if Karuna really was unique. And if by chance Karuna truly was unique, there was no way that the Moonlight Sword Karuna held very dear would only be a rare quality item. That was the doubt that started to grow within him. Hamun continued, holding the sword in both hands. ¡°I was able to remove many spells, but there are many more iparable spells left on it. I¡¯m curious as to what the sword would look like when it has been stripped of all of its spells.¡± And then, something that Seol didn¡¯t expect happened. Hamun held the sword tightly and said¡­ ¡°Therefore¡­ I cannot hand you the sword like this.¡± Chapter 54 Even lightning on a sunny day would shock Seol less than his current situation. ¡°Hamun?¡± Hamun watched Seol with calm eyes. He then spoke. ¡°My master, Orgo, spent his entire life regretting handing over swords to evil individuals. He told me that the greatest virtue a cksmith could have isn¡¯t talent but an eye for people.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I¡­ still do not trust you. And as such, I will ask you a few questions. If you answer them incorrectly, I will melt this sword and erase it from this world.¡± ¡°Hamun!¡± What a wild thing to say that he would melt the sword. - He¡¯s fucked looool he just had to run into a troll. - You¡¯re pissed? You¡¯re throwing? Oh, you¡¯re running it down mid? LOL - A ridiculous situation where you outsourced something but they ended up taking your copyright LMFAO. - It¡¯s still a rare item in the end though. Let¡¯s just give up on it and kill him. - How dare he fuck around with THE PRIVATE?! - Did you all see the veins on Snowman¡¯s forehead? LMFAO He¡¯s about to explode. For a moment, Seol thought that Hamun had gone too far. However, you always had to listen to the end. Seol held back his anger and asked a question, ¡°What made youe to that decision?¡± ¡°This sword¡­ is a sword that would bring forth a lot of blood if it fell into the wrong hands.¡± - What the fuck is this bullshit? Is he really doing this over a rare quality item? Tsk tsk. - Just kill him already! Since Hamun had already handed Seol the helmet, he had a clue as to why Hamun acted like this. ¡®It¡¯s because of me.¡¯ It¡¯s because I was fooled by evil people into selling swords to them. Even though Seol thought he and his works were separate entities, that wasn¡¯t the case for Orgo. Orgo had an extremely difficult time mentally. It was to the point that he just wanted to die peacefully in a remote area instead of attempting Ascension. Seol, seeing Hamun¡¯s strange actions, started to feel bad for Orgo. Hamun was only able to go this far, perhaps even further, because he witnessed his master¡¯s pain in front of him. Ultimately, if Seol had just been a bit wiser when he yed as Orgo, Hamun wouldn¡¯t have acted like this. And as Seol was Orgo, he felt sorry for Hamun. That¡¯s why Seol decided to talk to him instead. ¡°I understand.¡± Hamun let out a sigh then made a request to Seol. ¡°Please, call out your shadow.¡± Glow¡­ Frrs! Karuna, swordless, was summoned in front of Seol. Karuna¡¯s cool blue eyes were observing Hamun. ¡°What do you n to do with this sword?¡± asked Hamun. Karuna replied instantly. ¡°I n to follow my master.¡± ¡°So you have no will. In the end, it depends on you, Snowman.¡± Seol watched Hamun. Once again, Hamun asked the same question. ¡°Snowman, what do you n to do with this sword?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡®I don¡¯t know the answer.¡¯ And to Seol¡¯s dismay, not a single option came up. A multiple-choice problem had now be a short-answer problem. Seol had no hints either. ¡®What words did Orgo leave Hamun with?¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t have any special conversations with Hamun as Orgo other than the normal conversations. And as such, it was possible that Hamun didn¡¯t take this question from Orgo. ¡®It could also be words that Orgo left for Hamun after I let him go and before he disappeared from the world.¡¯ Regardless of whichever it was, Seol had to make a decision. ¡°Answer me. What do you n to do with this sword?¡± Seol just said what naturally came up in his mind. ¡°...I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°...What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet what I¡¯ll do with this sword.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know yet?¡± ¡°If I face an enemy, I¡¯ll cut them down. And if I have something to protect, I will use the sword to protect it.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re just going to do whatever you please? Are you so unsure about your own self?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s rather strange to be so sure about the future when we know nothing about it. Does this satisfy you as an answer?¡± ¡°...My master left me a few words.¡± Hamun stiffened up with the sword in his hands. Orgo, his master and the massive mountain he can never hope to ovee. Orgo was disappointed in the world and left a few words for Hamun before he disappeared. - Hamun, I have spent my life being fooled by many. I fell for their false promises and caused a lot of anguish on this continent. ¡°If you¡¯re not sure, ask them. Ask them what they n to do with the item you have created,¡± said Hamun. ¡°......¡± - Is there meaning behind that? Hamun closed his eyes and recited his master¡¯s words. ¡°Those who are filled with conviction, do not need your items. And those who need your items will not be certain.¡± - Those words contradict each other, Master. Master! Please don¡¯t leave me! - Resolve yourself, Hamun. One day, someone wille to represent your value to the world. Though I have failed, I pray that you seed. Seol felt a change in Hamun. Hamun no longer felt cold to him. And then, Hamun opened his eyes and said, ¡°Snowman, I will give this sword to you.¡± Toss! Seol received the sword. p¡­ The sheath, which had been hidden by the white cloth, was revealed. The sheath had an elegant and gorgeous pattern on it. Seol was surprised that Hamun was able to make something as amazing as this in such a short period of time. [You have acquired ¡®Peerless: Breath¡¯.] [You have acquired an item that didn¡¯t exist in the world previously.] Seol froze for a moment at the two sentences on the interface. ¡°Hold on, what¡­?¡± ¡°You have the right to swing this sword.¡± Seol believed that the best the Moonlight Sword could be after enhancing it was Treasure quality, but¡­ It was above that. [¡®What the fuck?!¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [What the fuck is this?!!!!!!] - P-P-Peerless? - I thought it was a bug and did a double-take. - A fucking Peerless item came out like this? - What the fuck, Hamun?!!!!!!!! [¡®You got me¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [I thought he was being super stingy over a rare item but it was a peerless item¡­ He fucking got me¡­] - I now understand why Hamun was acting like that. - If it was me I would¡¯ve asked a hundred questions. - Hamun¡­ so you were a good guy after all, huh? - Hamun: Hamun of a bitch~ - I can¡¯t believe that actually made meugh I¡¯m so ashamed of myself hahaha Seol¡¯s eyes naturally started to inspect Breath¡¯s details. [[Peerless: Breath] Quality: Peerless Rmended Level: 15-30 Damage: 89-100 Durability: 200/200 Weight: 1.8kg A sword birthed through the meeting of the sword that Karuna, the Moonlight Knight, used and the miracle of Hamun, Orgo¡¯s Sessor. It has been enhanced through melting down Orgo¡¯s first work, Storm. Despite the sword¡¯s energy increasing massively, many mysteries still lie within it. Basic Effect: +24 Strength, +19 Dexterity, +28 Constitution, +10 to All Stats Bonus Effect: First Strike (Unique), Danger is Opportunity (Unique). There is a fixed 25% chance ofnding a critical strike on a wounded target. The range and power of your attack skills is increased by 10%.] - HDTMS? (How Does This Make Sense?) - My jaw¡¯s on the floor right now. - Woah! That''s insane! LMFAO Even Space wasn¡¯t this good! Do you have no shame?! - Huh? That¡¯s because that¡¯s a belt lol. This is an item for a major slot. I don¡¯t need to say that twice, right? After seeing the details, Seol handed over the sword to Karuna. [Karuna, the Moonlight Knight equips ¡®Peerless: Breath¡¯.] After equipping Karuna with Breath, Seol then spoke to Hamun. ¡°It¡¯s an excellent sword.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I put in an effort like this that I¡¯m exhausted now. Since my job¡¯s done now, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Come drop by sometime. It¡¯s been a long time since I stopped working as a cksmith, but I can still help you out from time to time.¡± ¡°Then please, I would appreciate that.¡± [¡®A Charming Individual¡¯ activates. You receive additional favorability.] [You have acquired ¡®Hamun, Orgo¡¯s sessor¡¯ as a helper.] [¡®Hamun, Orgo¡¯s sessor¡¯ is a Heroic rank.] [Helpers have a chance of appearing in all Adventures.] [They will help you differently based on their favorability toward you.] As things progressed, it worked itself out like this. yers had to acquire all of the information and opportunities themselves in this unforgiving world. And as such, there was a world of difference between people who had information and connections and those who didn¡¯t. ¡®Hamun became a helper? For rolling such awful luck, things were going extremely well.¡¯ ¡®A Charming Individual¡¯ was a title Seol received when he gained Mael, a troll, as his helper. It seemed like this title¡¯s effect of increasing favorability gained yed a huge role in Seol acquiring Hamun as a helper. ¡®Now that I think about it, Mael hasn¡¯t appeared at all yet.¡¯ Since it was still extremely early in Seol¡¯s journey, Mael could realistically appear whenever, and when Mael does appear, Seol will receive suitable help from him. ¡®Regardless, it¡¯s going perfectly right now.¡¯ Seol was someone who kept an eye out for information and knew how to use it well, but at times, he would be swept away by some mysterious flow. Still, whenever that happened, something good would always follow. It was to the point that Seol was now starting to even doubt himself. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s just more efficient if I do whatever I want to do at that time?¡¯ Hamun, who was lingering around in Seol¡¯s vision for a while, disappeared into the horizon before Seol noticed. - That was a NICE in-person trade. - Hamun: The item has been sold. I¡¯m deleting this post. - Not every trade is like this though. Someone could be pretending to be nice to steal all your money. Be careful everyone~ Seol checked Breath¡¯s unique effects. ¡®First Strike¡¯ made it so that your opponent is unable to counter if you attack them first. ¡®Danger is Opportunity¡¯ increased your damage by 50% for five seconds after you have been hit. ¡®They¡¯re both ridiculous effects.¡¯ Considering this was still the early game, it was impossible to find anything better than this. Not only that, these effects didn¡¯t evenpare to the skills you would receive from investing skill points. ¡®I should check the helmet now.¡¯ Because Seol was so surprised by the sword, he almost forgot to check the helmet. [[Helmet of Cool-Headedness] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 8-20 Defense: 110 Durability: 100/100 Weight: 5kg A helmet that Hamun, Orgo¡¯s sessor, made using spirit stones. Though the spirit stones¡¯ powers have been weakened due to corruption, the expert craftsmanship has brought out as much power from them as possible. Basic Effect: +10 Strength, +12 Constitution Bonus Effect: You are immune to the ¡®Panic¡¯ status effect, Your dynamic visual acuity is enhanced.] ¡°Hm¡­¡± - Hm? Did he seriously just hm??? I definitely heard him hm?! - What kind of crazy person scratches their head at a treasure-quality item? - His standards are way too fucking high now lmfao - That¡¯s because the item he looked at right before was Breath¡­ Baskin Robbins might have 31 vors but Seol¡¯s going to get 29 more peerless items lmfao - I can¡¯t believe Karuna got a Peerless item before his own master¡­ [Karuna, the Moonlight Knight equips ¡®Helmet of Cool-Headedness¡¯.] ¡°How is it?¡± asked Seol. He asked to hear Karuna¡¯s thoughts about receiving a new helmet and sword. Seol was hoping that Karuna would respond in a friendly manner, but it was a blunt one, typical of Karuna. ¡°Good.¡± - These two are the same, seriously¡­ - Argh, it''s so frustrating. - What did you expect though? Lol Did you think Karuna would do a headspin or something? As Karuna equipped himself with his new items, Seol eased up a little. He now felt like regardless of whatever dangerous situations came, he wouldn''t be easily subjected to them. ¡®A dangerous situation like what happened in Griz¡¯sboratory won¡¯t happen anymore.¡¯ Seol could still clearly recall the scene of Jamad being surrounded by monsters alone. Back then, despite Seol thinking he had be stronger, an unexpected situation caused a huge incident. Thanks to Karuna¡¯s new equipment now, something like that wasn¡¯t going to happen for a while. Seol, after concluding his business with Hamun, finished preparing for his next Adventure. And now, a familiar sensation surged through him. Hummm¡­ [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 9th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 9. Necromancers'' Secret Ceremony.] [Adventure 9. Necromancers'' Secret Ceremony. As ever, you are searching for Chao near the Great Forest. Chao¡¯s trails have unquestionably been cut off near the Great Forest and there still remains a ce you have yet to search. However, among the many traces she left behind, there is a particrly unusual lead that caught your eye. You have followed those clues to a secret campsite deep in the Great Forest and n to thoroughly investigate everything that¡¯s happened here. And here, you just so happened to find traces of necromancers. Objective: Find out what has happened at the campsite. Find traces of Chao. Remaining Time [23:59]] As Seol was being transmitted by being surrounded by countless particles, he saw messages on his interface. [Insight activates.] [There are traces of a wagon passing through here.] [Insight activates.] [Someone has left traces here.] Seol focused on the second insight message more than the first one. When Seol looked at where Insight had activated, he saw a tree that had a knife scratch on it. It was clear that someone had intentionally left it there. It was likely made by someone who was either leading the wagon or the guide who was leading them. And if it wasn¡¯t them¡­ ¡®It¡¯s Chao.¡¯ then it would certainly be Chao¡¯s traces. Chapter 55 There was a knife mark on every weirdly shaped tree that Seol ran into. And Seol believed that the person who made these marks could be Chao, the person he had been searching for. ¡®I¡¯ll follow the marks.¡¯ The knife marks could eventually diverge from the wagon tracks but for now, they seemed to be traveling in the same direction. Seol pressed on while continuously confirming the knife marks as he went. Since Seol could detect strange presences easily, he solely focused on keeping track of the knife marks. And then, he felt something strange. A strange feeling that only grew the deeper he entered the forest. What was especially noticeable was an awful smell that caused him to scrunch his nose. ¡®Is it exhaust fumes? No, it almost smells like a corpse?¡¯ Seol had seen countless corpses after he was transferred into this world, and he obviously remembered their smell as well. Well, it was more appropriate to say that the smell was engraved into his memory because of how awful it was. The knife marks were slowly starting to be fewer and fewer. This likely meant that he had either gone in the wrong direction, or¡­ he had almost arrived at his destination. [Insight activates.] [A crude spell has been installed here.] [Insight activates.] [Eyes of Perception activates.] [You sense the energy of a curse.] Seol¡¯s golden eyes had detected something strange. A thin, almost invisible wire and the waves of energy from the spell and curse installed into it. ¡®You can¡¯t just thoughtlessly set up a twoyered trap like this¡­ especially one with a powerful curse like this.¡¯ If an intruder detects even one of the two traps with Insight, whether it¡¯s the spell or curse, they will immediately be on alert. This meant that whoever set up the trap was someone who was inexperienced in installing traps, or¡­ someone who was weak. The appropriate thing to do, from the perspective of the person who installed the trap, was to install them separately. Then the intruder would either be afflicted by the curse or the installer would know about the intruder¡¯s presence through the rm spell. ¡®I won¡¯t ever be caught by a shoddy trap like this as long as I have the Eyes of Perception.¡¯ Insight might have activated first but the Eyes of Perception was also amazing at avoiding dangers. Seol, satisfied with his golden eyes, checked the options before him. [[A twoyered trap has been installed here. What do you do?] 1. Trigger the trap. 2. Avoid the trap. 3. [Required: Disarm Trap] Remove the trap. 4. [Required: ck Magician] Remove the curse. ¡­¡­] Seol didn¡¯t take the Disarm Trap talent and he also wasn¡¯t a ck Magician. And since triggering the trap would lead to him getting discovered, avoiding it was the only option. ¡®Even if I can avoid the trap, the curse is the real problem. It won¡¯t be easy to avoid that.¡¯ The trap wouldn¡¯t activate as long as you didn¡¯t nudge the wire. However, the problem was the curse that surrounded it. Since the curse was over an area, trying to step over the wire would just result in getting afflicted by the curse. ¡®I need to find the curse statue.¡¯ If Seol could just destroy the statue the curse was using as a medium, he could easily cross over the trap. As such, Seol carefully inspected his surroundings, moving parallel to the trap to find it. [Eyes of Perception activates.] [You detect the curse¡¯s medium.] Rustle¡­ Thanks to the Eyes of Perception creating a gold outline around the object, Seol was able to quickly find it. ¡®Found it.¡¯ It was an owl sculpture that was hidden around some sharp, jagged rocks. This medium was the source of the waves of curse energy. Fwip! Fwoooosh! Break! Seol swung his whip to destroy the sculpture. [Insight activates.] [The curse encroaching the area has been lifted.] Seol then just avoided the physical trap and entered deeper into the forest. If it was someone other than Seol, there was a high chance of them being afflicted by the curse while trying to avoid the trap. And if that happened to them, the entire Adventure would¡¯ve started off rough. - Snowman really is fun to watch. He does things normally but he¡¯s super meticulous about it. - If it was me I would¡¯ve asked Jamad to just piggyback me left and right lol - It¡¯s not frustrating to watch because he¡¯s so meticulous lol - Eyes of Perception is just straight broken. It literally just catches everything for you. - Seriously, lol Seol continued to approach the direction the awful smell wasing from even more carefully than before. The deeper he went into the forest, the stronger the smell and dreariness got. ¡®There¡¯s definitely something going on.¡¯ - There are people trying to take advantage of the Great Forest¡¯s vitality. Vitality is the source of life and is often used by those who reject death. Those were the words that Chao left behind. Since the Great Forest was a treasure trove of resources and a cradle of vitality, people often flocked to it like flies. Even so, none of what people have done so far has actually dealt major damage to the Great Forest. ¡®Judging by how there¡¯s ¡®Necromancer¡¯ in the title of the Adventure, this definitely involves necromancers¡­¡¯ Necromancy was a study of ck magic like shadow summoning. And as such, ck magic was considered the pinnacle and origin of these kinds of spells. This was also the reason why ck magicians were so arrogant. As he kept moving, Seol thought of the other phrases that Chao left behind. - Someone is hiding in the Great Forest. They¡¯re either the remnants of Eternal Life or maybe, another group entirely. Regardless, I might be able to get my hands on a powerful shadow if I could just take advantage of them. I¡¯m confident that the ones who are hiding are those who reject death¡­ Necromancers. Because what Chao wrote down was a mixture of phrases and questions, all of the information wasn¡¯t necessarily usable. Even so, Seol definitely had to take the phrase ¡®remnants of Eternal Life¡¯ into consideration. ¡®Eternal Life, hm¡­ so they were still around?¡¯ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol and Eternal Life had a deep connection. Seol also wasn¡¯t the type of person to describe a connection as ¡®deep¡¯ if he had only met them once or twice either. Seol was the leader and founder of the Church of Eternal Life. ¡®Why is it still around though when the Immortal left?¡¯ The Church of Eternal Life brought turmoil to the continent. And Seol¡¯s piece, the Immortal, was a master of ck magic as well as the master of the Church of Eternal Life. ¡®If by chance this is something that the Church of Eternal Life is behind¡­ I can¡¯t just recklessly join it.¡¯ The Church of Eternal Life was dangerous. Though they were his faithful servants when he was their leader, the Immortal, to Seol, who had no rtion to them, they would be nothing more than ruthless viins. They were a group that was more natural to meet in the middle tote game. Facing them early in your journey like this could lead to some of your future Adventures being wasted on just running away from them. ¡®And if that happens, the rate that you grow slows down. I should first confirm if they¡¯re from the Church of Eternal Life or not before I do anything.¡¯ Chao was important but not so important that Seol would risk screwing up all of his future Adventures. As Seol was thinking to himself, he found a hidden campsite. Many tents were set up there in a disorderly fashion. ¡®I¡¯ll slowly approach them.¡¯ The first thing that Seol did was approach the closest tent. And just as he was about to, he heard the sound of horses. ¡°...Hrah!¡± ¡°...down.¡± ¡°Do I look like I can calm down? Our schedule has been dyed by months already!¡± ¡°What do you want to do then? Are you going to enter that corpse¡¯s mind yourself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Wake up. That demon has already devoured 20 members with just her mind. How are you going to act like this when you saw that with your own two eyes?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Seol went into deep thought after hearing their shouting. ¡®Demon? Inside the corpse¡¯s mind?¡¯ Seol carefully reyed their conversation in his mind over and over again until he remembered an artifact. ¡®The Crystal of Death Pronouncement!¡¯ When necromancers were trying to raise an undead around their level, it didn¡¯t require much effort. However, it was a different story when the corpse was a much higher level than the necromancer or was stubbornly refusing to be reborn. ¡®So that means they¡¯re trying to forcibly revive a corpse right now.¡¯ The Crystal of Death Pronouncement lets you enter the corpse¡¯s memories to break them up and remove them. During that process, the necromancer is able to understand their undead more, and the corpse epts the necromancer¡¯s request to be their summon. In simpler terms, it was a dangerous artifact that allowed you to invade a corpse¡¯s mind to forcibly make them your undead. ¡°That demon didn¡¯t even move as she devoured that many people! Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too dangerous? Why are we so invested in a corpse that we don¡¯t even properly know¡­¡± ¡°I know. I know we¡¯re investing too much and there¡¯s the anxiety thates with it. Not to mention the fact that we¡¯re not sure if we¡¯ll even be able to control her if we turn her into an undead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying that if we continue to dy it like this¡­¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why the archbishop himself ising.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°I think the archbishop is very upset about the current situation. The Church of Eternal Life has been looking down on us, and despite how important this job is, the archbishop must have realized that the church has no intention of helping us.¡± ¡°But¡­ The Church of Eternal Life has been telling us to wait¡­¡± The man took his time before speaking in a quieter tone. Seol paid close attention to catch all the words. ¡°It seems like the archbishop is nning on cutting ties with the Church of Eternal Life.¡± ¡°What? If we do that, the Church of Eternal Life will¡­¡± ¡°I know. They¡¯ll cut us into pieces and let the pigs eat us. Still, what do you think will happen if the archbishop is able to make the corpse into his undead?¡± Gulp¡­ The other man only responded with a gulp. ¡°The Church of Death''s Truth will be reborn that day. We will no longer beckeys to those damned Eternal Life trash!¡± ¡°So when is the archbishoping?¡± ¡°He¡¯s almost here. I think he¡¯ll arrive at the camp tonight at thetest.¡± ¡°Finally¡­ that damned demon is going to finally bend her knees.¡± ¡°So until then, we have to make sure there aren¡¯t any problems and protect here.¡± ¡°Hmph. Who woulde this deep into the Great Forest? And there¡¯s no way for them to get close with all of the traps we¡¯ve set up.¡± ¡°Regardless¡­¡± They continued their conversation but nothing else was worthy of note. ¡®So they¡¯re members of the Church of Death''s Truth which is basically a subsidiary organization to the Church of Eternal Life¡­ hm¡­¡¯ The Church of Death''s Truth. Seol had never heard of them or seen them. Seol believed that they were likely a religious organization that the Church of Eternal Life absorbed while recruiting a lot of necromancers. However, Seol felt strange while watching them. He thought this is what a former CEO of a bigpany would feel like if he saw employees in a subsidiarypany insult them. To them, the Church of Eternal Life would look unimaginably massive, but to Seol, they were nothing more and nothing less than an organization he created out of necessity. The Church of Eternal Life, as expected from a massive organization, had roots spread out everywhere. And obviously, they also have simr ck magic organizations under their influence as well. It was likely that The Church of Death''s Truth was a newly recruited organization that joined like that. ¡®Regardless, they¡¯re not clean if they have ties with The Church of Eternal Life.¡¯ If they¡¯re taking the scraps of an evil organization, then they¡¯re without a doubt evil as well. ¡®I should kill them if they be a problem.¡¯ But for now, finding Chao was the priority. Seol looked for a tent that might have more urate information than the information he heard from them. ¡®There.¡¯ And it just so happened that at the campsite, there was a massive and shy tent that stood out amongst the others. Seol sneaked over there. ¡°Snore¡­ Snore¡­¡± It seemed like the tent¡¯s owner was sleeping in it. Still, Seol summoned Karuna just in case and quickly entered it. A fat man slept inside the tent, and other than the bed, there were no other special things of note. Well, that was if you excluded the strange pile of documents on the table and the unusual-looking crystal. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d find it so easily.¡¯ It seemed like Seol had investigating down to a fine art now, he found the things that he was looking for instantly. Seol inched his hand closer to the crystal glowing in a crimson light. ¡®It¡¯s normally supposed to be a pitch-ck crystal... It must¡¯ve eaten up a lot of people.¡¯ The fact that it was glowing a crimson hue meant that quite a considerable number of people died trapped here. [You have acquired the Crystal of Death Pronouncement.] Seol then looked at the pile of documents. It was filled with strange designs along with their exnations. There were also many documents about spells, the reason The Church of Death''s Truth was gathered here, as well as details about the mysterious corpse in the pile. ¡®The spells are just ordinary¡­ As expected, they were forcibly trying to create an undead with the corpse. But what is this corpse?¡¯ It seemed like Chao was interested in this mysterious corpse as well. She also believed that the corpse was supremely powerful. Seol slowly read through the details about the corpse. - The Church of Death''s Truth discovered this corpse far away from the Great Forest, in the Mirage Desert. The Mirage Desert. It was a massive desert located near the center of the continent, and it was considerably far away from South Pandea. No one knows how or who created this desert. And it was still the same case when Seol yed Mn, the Great Sage, despite the fact that Mn was able to see through everything. - As we were traveling through the Mirage Desert, there was a time when we had no choice but to endure the desert sandstorms for quite a long while. And the day the sandstorms subsided, the corpse was standing tall while wearing a suit of armor. The corpse was powerful, but we couldn¡¯t find anything about its history. We did not know where it came from or for what reason it was standing there. The contents of the document were interesting. Seol bit his lips and read the next sentence. - I have recorded what the corpse looked like the day we first discovered it. On one of the documents, a photorealistic drawing had been treated with magic. Seol, after seeing the drawing, was inplete shock. ¡®Karuna¡­?¡¯ The corpse, when it was first discovered, looked so much like Karuna that it could even be mistaken for him. Karuna, who also saw the document with Seol, was greatly shocked as well. ¡°She¡­¡± It seemed like Karuna knew the corpse. Chapter 56 ¡°Do you know her?¡± Seol asked Karuna. ¡°I¡­ remember her¡­ krgh¡­¡± ¡°What''s wrong?¡± ¡°Grrgh¡­¡± Because it was getting somewhat loud, the sleeping necromancer was about to get up. ¡°Urgh¡­ Wh-what?! Gua¡ª¡± Bam! Karuna quickly dashed toward the necromancer and knocked them out. He moved so quickly that it was difficult to make out exactly what he did, but it seemed like Karuna struck the necromancer¡¯s neck. ¡°Is he dead?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t. I apologize for making noise.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, we didn¡¯t get caught anyway.¡± Judging by how Seol could hear him softly breathing, the man was still definitely alive. Seol then turned his attention to the documents again. - We became sure. All of this was an opportunity for The Church of Death''s Truth to defeat The Church of Eternal Life and be reborn again. We immediately went to action. After that listed The Church of Death''s Truth¡¯s actions. - We attempted to forcibly revive the corpse as an undead but it failed due to the corpse rejecting it. And since the corpse required immense vitality to revive as an undead, we moved the ceremony location to the Great Forest. But because the undead ceremony was so difficult, the Crystal of Death Pronouncement became a necessity. And thus far, twenty-one people have be trapped in the crystal. They still had the option of the archbishop directly entering the corpse but if the archbishop became trapped as well, it would result in the end of The Church of Death''s Truth. Since they had no other options, they then decided to notify The Church of Eternal Life. Nothing much was written after that. Close. Seol ced the documents where he originally found them. He then was silent. ¡®I have a general understanding of the situation.¡¯ The Church of Death''s Truth discovered an unknown corpse in the Mirage Desert. They tried reviving the corpse as an undead but because the corpse was so powerful, they transported it to the Great Forest. Also, the ceremony has continuously failed and twenty-one lives have been sacrificed. ¡®I doubt they did it voluntarily¡­ did they force them to partake in it? Those evil bastards¡­¡¯ It was quite a bit shameless for Seol, the founder of The Church of Eternal Life, to call them evil. Regardless, since the master and archbishop of The Church of Death''s Truth wasing either today or tomorrow, there was not much time left. ¡®Then where¡¯s Chao?¡¯ She either judged that the situation was bad for her and backed away, or¡­ ¡®Did she enter the crystal?¡¯ Seol was starting to feel a bit suffocated as he had no way to check. Ever since Seol came here, his anxiety has been high. And two things have been making him especially worried. The first was that the unidentified corpse looked like Karuna when Seol first met him. The second was that Karuna was in pain when he tried recalling his memories. ¡®Damn it¡­ Do I have to back off?¡¯ Seol took a nce at Karuna. Karuna looked back at Seol with a confused gaze. There was no way Seol could choose any other option once he saw eyes like that. ¡°Let¡¯s go confirm the corpse.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The corpse¡¯s location and crystal¡¯s instructions were written down in the early pages of the documents. Seol avoided all of the people around him and went to the recorded location. Rumble¡­ ¡®Even the weather¡¯s a mess.¡¯ Not only was Seol heading closer and closer to a ce that smelled like rotting corpses, but the dark sky only made his ominous feeling grow stronger. - It¡¯s cool¡­ a dagger slices the air. - But I¡¯m fine. Karuna¡¯s Peerless is fucking disgustingly broken after all. - Worst-case scenario, just blow up the camp lol. The security was getting stronger. ¡®I have to finish everything before the necromancer wakes up.¡¯ Seol had to either confirm the corpse and leave or enter deeper. ¡°Karuna.¡± Nod. Karuna nodded his head. Since they had a general idea of what kind of organization they were, they didn¡¯t necessarily need to avoid killing them anymore. Unsheathe¡­ ¡°Who are you?!¡± ¡°Enemies¡­ Krargh¡­¡± sh¡­ SLICE¡­ Stter! Karuna killed all of the guards at the ceremony location in an instant. Even Seol was surprised by how swiftly he killed them. ¡®He¡¯s be ridiculously fast.¡¯ His destructive power capable of ignoring the enemy¡¯s defense was definitely amazing but the massive increase in stats made it difficult for even Seol to keep track of. ¡®It would be horrifying if he were my enemy.¡¯ That sentiment usually also meant that they were incredibly reliable as an ally. ¡°I believe they were all of the guards here,¡± said Karuna. ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s go in.¡± The closer he got to where the ceremony was held, the stronger the corpse smell became. Seol eventually arrived at where a strange magic circle was set up. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± A stake had been nted in the ground on top of the magic circle. And on that stake was a corpse wrapped in steel chains. ¡°Karuna, do you see it?¡± ¡°...I do.¡± ¡°If I''m not mistaken, the armor that the corpse is wearing is not too different from the armor that you were wearing when I first met you.¡± ¡°......¡± The corpse was a female. Her armor waspletely destroyed and even her sword at her side was cut in half. Despite all that, Seol couldn¡¯t get the feeling of the two being alike out of his head. ¡®It isn¡¯t difficult at all to enter the crystal, but¡­ the question is whether I enter it or not.¡¯ The best oue was finding Chao without entering the crystal and the worst oue was being unable to find Chao despite entering the crystal. ¡®What should I do¡­¡¯ The fortunate thing for Seol was that entering the crystal also made your body enter the crystal as well. Since The Church of Death''s Truth would kill him if he left his body here, it was a beneficial condition in this case. ¡®The chances of surviving the crystal changes depending on the corpse¡¯s rank.¡¯ If the corpse was an unimportant existence, you could enter it without any worry. But if the corpse was stronger than Seol thought, it would create a huge problem when he tried to return to the original world. This was something that Seol knew definitely because he used the Crystal of Death Pronouncement before. ¡®What should I do if the corpse is too strong?¡¯ Even if it was, there was still a way toe back alive. Especially since Seol had two powerful summons as well. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± Seol let out a sigh and turned around to look at the corpse. Karuna had approached it while he was looking away. But then¡­ something that Seol didn¡¯t expect happened. ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?¡± said Karuna. Karuna was suddenly talking to himself. ¡°Wh-why¡­ are you here?¡± ¡°Karuna?¡± ¡°I¡­ Who am I?¡± The situation was getting worse. Karuna¡¯s energy suddenly escaped his body. It was almost like he was facing death. ¡°GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡± ¡°Karuna!¡± Even though Seol didn¡¯t know what was going on, he knew he didn¡¯t have time. Seol instinctively ran to Karuna. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡± sh! Rumble! As lightning struck the earth and the sound of thunder filled the skies, the Crystal of Death Pronouncement in Seol¡¯s hand radiated light. [Crystal of Death Pronouncement activates.] [You are transported into the corpse¡¯s mind.] [The main contents of ¡®Necromancers'' Secret Ceremony¡¯ have changed.] [¡®Necromancers'' Secret Ceremony¡¯ has changed to ¡®Promise¡¯.] ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ Seol¡¯s vision went ck. Both he and Karuna were sucked into the crystal. Drop. Pitter Patter¡­ The only thing that remained where Seol and Karuna stood was the Crystal of Death Pronouncement being hit by the rain. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * As Seol pulled himself together, he slowly concentrated on one ce. ¡°Karuna!¡± ¡°Master.¡± And there, Karuna was standing still. Seol was relieved after seeing that Karuna was no longer in pain. He was also relieved that they didn¡¯t get lost and were able to safely meet each other. Even so¡­ ¡°Where¡­ Where are we?¡± ¡°We¡¯re probably in the corpse¡¯s mind.¡± ¡°I know that. I was talking about the specific location in it.¡± ¡°......¡± They were standing by themselves in the center of a massive city. The city was lively and full of vigor. ¡°Hahaha! So as I was saying¡­¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve just run out immediately if I were you. You¡¯re such an idiot.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that why we¡¯re friends?¡± Countless people passed by them. They wore different types of clothes and spoke differentnguages. The problem was... Seol and Karuna could see them, but they couldn¡¯t see the two of them. They simply passed through Seol and Karuna. ¡®Ghosts?¡¯ Seol looked at Karuna, and Karuna simply nodded. They had be stranded here, in the corpse¡¯s mind. ¡®That¡¯s a bit worrisome¡­ we should try to leave as fast as we can.¡¯ Seol first checked the contents of the changed Adventure. [ Adventure 9-1. ¡®Promise¡¯ You have tracked down the necromancers¡¯ trails in hopes that it would lead you to Chao. You have also uncovered a few secrets during your pursuit. The necromancers were hiding in the Great Forest for some sort of n. Their n was to use the vitality of the Great Forest to revive a powerful corpse as an undead. twenty-one lives have been sacrificed so far because of it. You have arrived at the unknown corpse, the origin of all of the problems, and are also carrying the Crystal of Death Pronouncement. And for some unknown reason, you were sucked into the corpse¡¯s mind in an instant. There is only one way for you to safely escape from the corpse¡¯s mind. You must understand the corpse¡¯s mental world. Or, you must uncover what the corpse desires. Death is the only ending if you fail. Objective: Investigate the corpse¡¯s mental world. Remaining Time [N/A]] Judging by how Chao wasn¡¯t mentioned in the Objective, it seemed like saving her wasn¡¯t the goal here. ¡°Do you have any ideas where this could be?¡± asked Seol. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ starting to remember some things¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, this ce is likely¡­¡± Karuna looked around and became sure of himself. ¡°The ce where I grew up.¡± Fwoooosh¡­ Crackle¡­ Suddenly, the world was distorted. The people disappeared like they were a mirage, and it became silent. Seol and Karuna tensed up as they watched the scenery. ¡®It¡¯s massive.¡¯ If Seol hade here alone, it was possible that he also wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape like the twenty-one people who were sacrificed before him. The scenery that Seol and Karuna watched slowly returned to focus. ¡®A pce?¡¯ It was a ce filled with many retainers and knights, as if it were the throne room of a pce. And there, Seol spotted a massive chair in the tallest ce. Seated on top of the throne was a handsome man looking down from his throne. ¡°So you¡¯re the children.¡± ¡°They are lowborns, Your Majesty! They have been sold as ves, why do you¡ª¡± ¡°Silence!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The retainer shrank at the man¡¯s cold voice. A woman wearing a mystical crown next to the Emperor then spoke. ¡°They are still children, Your Majesty. Why not rx some of the grandeur you are exerting?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ right. I made a mistake.¡± ¡°Your Majesty does not make mistakes.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Another mistake.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Could you maybe stop now? I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to progress like this.¡± The retainers all bowed their heads and did their best to hold back theirughter. Despite that, the Emperor onlyughed. The Emperor¡¯s gravitas had vanished into thin air. He then looked at the children with aical expression on his face. ¡°What are your names?¡± Seol¡¯s gaze followed the Emperor¡¯s. And there, there were two children. Their ears were different from a human¡¯s ears, and they were considerably good-looking. There were also bruises all over their bodies, as if they had been beaten. Their skin was stuck to their bones from malnourishment. Seol then turned to Karuna and looked at him with a questioning gaze. ¡°Yes, that was me when I was a child.¡± ¡°And who¡¯s the person next to you?¡± ¡°......¡± The two children then answered the Emperor. ¡°No¡­ names.¡± ¡°Nothing like that¡­¡± The Emperor thought to himself while cing his hand on his chin, then spoke. ¡°The blue-eyed child will be named Karuna, and the red-eyed child will be named Karen. What do you two think?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Since you aren¡¯t answering, I¡¯ll take it that you like the names.¡± Karen was tightly holding onto Karuna¡¯s hand. Though they were different genders, the two were twins and looked considerably like each other. The Emperor then asked them a question. ¡°Is there something you want from me?¡± Karen, despite hiding behind Karuna the entire time, started to walk forward as if she had something to say. ¡°No, don¡¯t do it,¡± said Karuna. He was trying to stop her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It looks like she has something to say.¡± ¡°......¡± The moment Karuna stopped preventing her from going forward, Karen immediately stepped before the Emperor and spoke in a clear, articte voice. With a soft voice¡­ With an expressionless face¡­ With burning eyes¡­ ¡°I want you to die, Emperor.¡± Unsheathe! Unsheathe! Despite it being the words uttered by a child, the knights pulled out their swords in that instant. Chapter 57 The Emperor continuedughing. Even so, the knights held the swords tightly in their hands, prepared to kill the children if and when the Emperor gave the order. But that didn¡¯t happen. The retainers and advisors held their tongues in case it upset the Emperor. The Emperor then continued his conversation with Karen. ¡°You want me, the Emperor of Montra, to die?¡± ¡°You asked me for what I wanted¡­¡± ¡°I did. But I am curious¡­ Why? Why do you want me to die?¡± The man was the Emperor of Montra, the Sun Empire. He believed that he was an emperor loved by all of his citizens. And in reality, he was. There were more people who loved him than hated him, as he only thought about the Empire and kept corruption, lust, and extravagance far away. Simply put, there was no one who disliked him. ¡°I don¡¯t care about Montra¡­ I wish it was destroyed.¡± ¡°Th-that..!¡± ¡°Who dares! Who dares interrupt the Emperor¡¯s conversation?!¡± ¡°Shh. The conversation would obviously halt if you speak louder than the child, no?¡± ¡°I apologize! But¡­¡± ¡°From this point on, I will punish anyone who interrupts my conversation with the child.¡± Those who had opened their mouths responded to the Emperor onest time before the Emperor once again focused on his conversation with Karen. ¡°Why Montra? The Empire protects the continent¡¯s vulnerable within its embrace.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know. You don¡¯t know hunger or cold.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t know. Because before I could even learn such a thing, I have been sitting down on this throne.¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the Empire¡­ our town¡­ hrgh¡­¡± The town of elves that Karen and Karuna lived in was crushed by the Empire¡¯s army. And the two young twins who used to live there began their lives as ves before even receiving their own names. That was their story. The Emperor, after hearing that, narrowed his brows. ¡°A town of elves? Ah, you must be talking about what happened during our territorial dispute with Ungid.¡± Montra, a human empire, shared borders with an empire of trolls called Ungid, and were constantly at odds with each other. And of course, many victims were created during those disputes. ¡°Haha¡­ If it¡¯s like this, I guess I have no choice but to listen to your request.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll grant you your wish.¡± Since the Emperor promised that whoever interrupted would be punished, they all simply waited in silence for the Emperor to finish talking. However, if the Emperor really nned on killing himself, they would rush in to stop him even if it meant punishment. But luckily, the Emperor simply continued tough and said, ¡°However, now isn¡¯t the time.¡± ¡°Now¡­ isn¡¯t the time?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too unfair? So, I¡¯ll think about it if you can be the strongest knight in the Empire.¡± ¡°...Knight?¡± ¡°Yes, and when that timees, I¡¯ll dly give you my life. I¡¯ll give you the opportunity to bring down the Empire with your own two hands.¡± ¡°But ves can¡¯t be knights.¡± ¡°From the moment you stood before me, you were no longer ves. Now, I will remove anything that may get in your way. Whether it¡¯s status, money, institutions, perception, or even your daily lives¡­ I will prove my generosity to the two of you now.¡± It was a shocking statement. The Emperor was giving his full support to a pair of ves. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°But in return, you two also need to prove yourselves. You need to prove to me that you can bear the weight of your words.¡± ¡°...Okay.¡± ¡°Sir Marcus!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I want you to take care of these children.¡± ¡°Absolutely, Your Majesty.¡± Fwoooosh¡­ Crackle¡­ The scenery that Seol and Karuna were watching became distorted again. Every time this happened, Seol grew more and more worried. It was almost like with each memory that Karuna remembered, it was also disappearing into the dust. ¡°Karuna, what was that?¡± ¡°I think it was my past. Surprisingly, I¡¯m starting to remember everything now.¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°It seems like we¡¯ve entered the mind of someone who I share a past with.¡± Rather, it was Karuna who was calm. Seol, seeing that, was relieved and calmed himself as well. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Crackle¡­ The next scene was even bigger than the scenery they had just seen. ¡°Woaaaaaah!¡± ¡°Sir Karen!¡± ¡°Sir Karuna! Please look over here!¡± Karen and Karuna¡¯s childish looks had disappeared. Both were now fully grown up and wearing pure white armor. And on top of a tform, standing high so the public had to look up to them, were the Emperor and eight knights. These eight human weapons were called the guardians of the imperial family and they were also the symbol of the Empire¡¯s strength. Not only was eight a holy number in Montra, the Sun Empire, but it also meant arge deal. Ever since the birth of Montra as an empire, the number of guardians has never changed. But now, something unthinkable was about to happen. The emperor approached Karen and Karuna, who were both taking a knee. Karen and Karuna¡¯s beauty were so unrivaled that even calling their appearances ¡®heavenly¡¯ would be appropriate. Well, the Emperor still being as handsome as ever despite appearing like a considerable amount of time had passed was also strange, as he did not look any older at all. The Emperor then opened his mouth. ¡°Do you remember that day fifteen years ago?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°You told me that you wanted to kill me. Has your mind changed since then?¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t.¡± The crowd started to murmur. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°How disrespectful!¡± ¡°Pull her down!¡± ¡°Silence!¡± shouted one of the eight guardians. The crowd was silenced. They held back their words as if they were deemed disrespectful, their lives could be forfeit. ¡°I made a promise to a child that day.¡± ¡°I remember it.¡± ¡°I promised to give my head to you if you became the strongest knight in the Empire.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you believe you have such qualifications?¡± ¡°I do not have them yet,¡± answered Karen. In addition, Karen eventually came to understand the contradictions in the Empire. The Emperor was not a god. He was incapable of perfectly ruling this massive empire. Perfect may have been an understatement to describe him as a human, but he was stillcking as an emperor. No, this would have been the same for anyone if they had be the Emperor. But even so, he earnestly tried his best. To be closer to perfection. Karen, before she realized it, came to understand him. ¡°Even though I gave you all that time¡­ What a shame. I¡¯m worried that I¡¯ll die of old age before the day you can keep your promisees.¡± ¡°I swear¡­ I swear, I will do my best to keep that promise.¡± ¡°Even so, time will not wait for you. As ever, many massive threats threaten the Empire. This is an era where my head could roll on the floor at any time without it being strange at all.¡± ¡°......¡± "Karen and Karuna.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Be my knights so that you may keep your promise of killing me someday.¡± To kill him, they had to protect him. A contradictory era, a contradictory world. And these two twins epted the contradictions. ¡°I ept.¡± said Karen ¡°I ept.¡± said Karuna ¡°Vow to me.¡± Karen and Karuna. The two then spoke perfectly in sync, saying the same words together. ¡°Karen and Karuna will be the knights of Jin Audem Montra, the Emperor of the Montra Empire. We vow this to the sun and the stars.¡± ¡°You are now guardians of the imperial family. Do your best so that the Empire may prosper.¡± Dong¡­ Dong¡­ The massive bell¡¯s sound filled the empire¡¯s capital. However, an even louder cheer drowned out the sound of the bell. The two had be the Emperor¡¯s knights to kill the Emperor. They also destroyed the tradition of the Emperor having eight guardians and became the first ninth and tenth guardians. It was a historic moment in the great Empire¡¯s history. Karuna, who stood next to Seol, quietly spoke, ¡°It¡¯s true, I was a knight of Montra.¡± ¡°Montra¡­¡± Unfortunately, Seol had no clue where Montra was or what kind of prowess they had. ¡®Montra, as a nation, does not exist in Pandea anymore, though?¡¯ It required arge amount of territory to be called an empire. However, Seol only knew of two empires on the continent. And both of the empires did not have Montra in any of their names. ¡®So what happened?¡¯ Fwoooosh¡­ Crackle¡­ The scenery distorted again. Now, Karen and Karuna were fighting one another. ¡°Are you really going to leave, Karuna?¡± ¡°I told you already. I want to travel the world. I want to confirm for myself if what Jin showed us really is all there is to the world.¡± ¡°...Alright.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Karen. I¡¯m sorry we weren¡¯t able to be together till the end.¡± ¡°But you do know that a promise is a promise, right? People from the Montra Empire have to keep a promise, no matter how long it takes! Don¡¯t forget it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± A promise. Before Karen and Karuna parted ways, they made a promise to each other. ¡°I¡¯ll return to Montra if you ever need me.¡± ¡°And you can¡¯t bete!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Make sure you keep your promise.¡± ¡°When are you going to let me go?¡± ¡°Now.¡± Karen had held tightly onto Karuna¡¯s two hands. The gesture showed that she still had lingering feelings. Karen then spoke, unable to make eye contact with him. ¡°You have to stay healthy, stay well. We went through so much together.¡± ¡°...Yeah.¡± ¡°You damned bastard, leave already!¡± Crackle¡­ The scenery changed again. This time, it was only the Emperor and Karen in the throne room. No one else was there. ¡°Is it from Karuna?¡± ¡°Yeah, Jin.¡± ¡°How impudent. When will you address me in a way that reflects your loyalty¡­¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ let me off the hook, alright? I already know that you dislike stuff like that more than me.¡± ¡°How long has it been since he sent a letter?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, three years?¡± ¡°Karuna¡¯s quite cold.¡± ¡°It just means he was just that busy.¡± ¡°It also means¡­ that the world is just that big.¡± Jin, Montra¡¯s Emperor, watched the night view through his window with longing eyes. ¡°Jin¡­¡± ¡°Even though I rule over this massive empire, I can count the number of times I left the capital with my own hands. Isn¡¯t that incredible?¡± ¡°Oh no! Do you want me to sympathize with you? Do you need it?¡± ¡°Haha, aren¡¯t you the one who needs someone to sympathize with them? You¡¯ve been crying every night ever since Karuna left.¡± ¡°Shut up! You want me to keep that promise now?¡± ¡°Even though Lain, the Sun Knight, is still left?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Still, there¡¯s not that much left. Old man Lain even said something about you two.¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He said that you might even be better than him in a decade,¡± said Jin as if it were no big deal. ¡°Really? That stubborn old man really said that?¡± ¡°Because old man Lain¡¯s only going to get older in the next ten years, but your ten years are going to be different.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ I guess the day really wille.¡± The two became silent for some reason. Karen then asked Jin a question while scratching the back of her head. ¡°Jin.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why did you take us in? Mercy? Curiosity? Or just a desire to collect things?¡± ¡°Because you two were special.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Twin elves who have the power of the moon and the power of mes. Even if it wasn¡¯t me, someone would have taken you in. Well, you would¡¯ve eventuallye to my side in the end regardless.¡± ¡°Why do you think I was born with this power?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but old man Lain said something like this before. By chance, by some small chance, if you two were in the Empire at a time when he didn¡¯t exist, the vanguard of the guardians would¡¯ve been you, Karen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an incrediblepliment.¡± The Vanguard of the Sun. It was the most prestigious position in Montra, an empire that admired the sun. ¡°So, how did Karuna¡¯s letter get here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I sent a letter to him a while ago.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What! Why ¡®Why¡¯? It¡¯s because I wanted to see him. Can¡¯t siblings want to see each other, huh? You fucking emperor?¡± ¡°Who said anything like that? Are you getting embarrassed?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Hahaha! And?¡± Karen scratched her head andughed as she spoke. ¡°He said he¡¯sing back. It was a promise after all.¡± ¡°How long has it been¡­ I want to see Karuna too.¡± Fwoooosh¡­ Crackle¡­ The scene changed again. Seol then noticed Karuna¡¯s breath getting heavier and heavier. ¡°Karuna?¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± The next scene that followed was not as beautiful as the scenes that came up before. aaaaze! ¡°It¡¯s an usurpation! An usurpation!¡± ¡°Kyaaaaa!¡± ¡°S-Save me¡­¡± Fwoooosh¡­ The Empire¡¯s capital was a sea of mes. The scorching heat made the sunkissed Empire shiver. ¡°Old man Lain!¡± ¡°Karen! Be careful! There¡¯s a traitor amongst the guardians!¡± A traitor. The de of betrayal always struck from the closest ce. ¡°Do not let those wicked bastards into the pce!¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± ng! aang! Stab! The sound of swords shing with each other rang throughout the capital, but the screams were louder. Karen was physically, and mentally reaching her limit. Bite¡­ She ignored the blood in her mouth and swung her zing sword. Burn! ¡°You vile usurpers! You will not enter the pce as long as I am here!¡± ¡°Karen, open the door.¡± ¡°...Leona, it was you.¡± She was the woman who wore a mystical crown while advising Jin by his side. And she was also trying to enter the pce under the protection of the traitors around her. ¡°It¡¯s over for Montra. Today, Jin will be taken down from the throne. Isn¡¯t this what you wanted?¡± ¡°...Don¡¯t mess with me.¡± Burn! Karen drew a line on the ground using her sword. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you cross this line, you sick wolves.¡± ¡°And what gives you the confidence to make that statement?¡± ¡°...Karuna wille. He told me he¡¯de.¡± The group of usurpers all shared shocked nces with each other. It was because Karen and Karuna had a unique characteristic that allowed them to be multiple times stronger when around each other. It was difficult enough trying to invade the pce while facing Karen alone, if Karuna showed up as well, it would be a huge problem. Despite that, Leonaughed at Karen¡¯s words. ¡°He won¡¯te. Give up already, Karen.¡± ¡°Shut up! He¡¯sing! He said he¡¯de! He said he¡¯de back!¡± ¡°Drag her away. You can kill her.¡± ¡°AAAAAAAARGH!¡± BOOOOOOOM! As if something had detonated, Karen¡¯s body burst into mes. Her red armor and flowing red hair turned gray like ash. Stab¡­ Stab¡­ ¡°Keke¡­ Kekeke¡­¡± ¡°This monster¡­¡± Karen had cut down countless foes. And she had burned down even more. Even so, it wasn¡¯t enough. Karenid on the ground, her neck twisted as she looked off into the distance. While she watched the usurpers pass by her into the pce, she spoke. ¡°You¡­ promised me¡­¡± Crackle¡­ ¡°...that you¡¯de back¡­¡± Crackle¡­ Distort¡­ Distort¡­ A crack had formed into the world Seol and Karuna were staying at. ¡°I didn¡¯t go. I¡­ I¡­¡± said Karuna absentmindedly. ¡°Karuna!¡± Step¡­ In the ck space, a gray shadow appeared. Slowly, very slowly¡­ it was approaching Seol and Karuna. ¡°Why¡­¡± Step. Step. Crackle¡­ ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡± shouted Seol. And when he did, the ashen woman spoke. Betrayal. ¡°Did you break your promise?¡± CRAAAAAAAACK! And finally, the world was destroyed. [Crystal of Death Pronouncement activates its effect.] [You are pulled out of the corpse¡¯s mind.] [Rewards are being arranged.] [The Linked Adventure continues.] [You can only collect your rewards after all of the Adventures have been cleared.] Chapter 58 Crack! Crackle¡­ It was Seol¡¯s first time seeing cracks suddenly appear in the clear sky and on the ground he had been treading. After all, taking a glimpse into someone else¡¯s memory was rare in itself. ¡°Why¡­ WHY?!¡± screamed the ashen knight in rage. Like a burnt candle on a lone child¡¯s birthday cake, the ashen knight poured out her sorrow and regret. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Seol held onto Karuna despite it being a difficult situation where even Seol couldn¡¯t guarantee his own safety. Even though Karuna should be the one holding onto Seol to protect him, Karuna was not normal right now. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ didn¡¯t go.¡± Was it because he realized that the ashen knight was waiting for the blue-eyed knight until herst breath? Karuna was mentally shocked and couldn¡¯t snap out of it. ¡®Damn it! We won¡¯t be able to leave here alive like this!¡¯ Seol couldn¡¯t let him die here. It could¡¯ve been fine if this mental world belonged to someone who had no rtion to Karuna, but unfortunately, she had a close connection to one of Seol¡¯s important forces. Until Karuna could straighten up, Seol had to take the reins. ¡°Jamad!¡± ¡°The lump of steel is causing trouble, got it!¡± Glow¡­ Fwirl! Seol summoned Jamad and he instantly carried both Karuna and Seol over his shoulders. Seol, now being carried, started to look around him. [Eyes of Perception activates.] [You detect movements of foreign mana.] Eyes of Perception activated at the perfect timing. It detected a powerful flow of mana in a world that was being destroyed. And the mana was being continuously drained into one location. ¡®The crystal¡¯s power is about to run out!¡¯ Seol had no clue what would happen to him if he remained here after the crystal¡¯s power gave out. ¡°We have to get out. Over there! Over there, Jamad!¡± ¡°Got it! I¡¯m going to run, hang on tight!¡± Jamad could be rough in his treatment of Karuna, but not Seol. If Seol was injured because of him, it would be a huge problem. Seol held onto Jamad¡¯s shoulders tightly and did his best to not lose that flow. Poooooour! ¡°Damn it! Water!¡± Waves suddenly surged out of nowhere, like a flood had broken out. The waves pushed the party back. Ssh! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°Pwah! Hrgh¡­¡± Jamad realized that they had no chance at this rate and dove underwater, carrying both Seol and Karuna. Thanks to that, the harsh waves were a bit easier to handle, and they were steadily able to make progress forward. ¡®Please¡­ just a little bit more¡­¡¯ It seemed like they were close to the exit. But because of their incredible experience, Seol couldn¡¯t really tell if time was flowing quickly or slowly. ¡°Pwah!¡± Ssh! In the end, Seol¡¯s party was able to make it outside. ¡°So the crystal was submerged in rainwater¡­ god damn it.¡± ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡± Jamad found out why Karen¡¯s mental world was submerged in water. Crash! Pour¡­ Because in the real world, it was raining. ¡®I guess I wasn¡¯t transported because we were in the mental world?¡¯ Seol should have been safely transported, surrounded by a familiar radiant glow like what normally happened. Seol felt a bit dizzy about the dangerous escape that he just had to do. ¡®Fuu¡­ I¡¯m just d that we were able to make it out alive.¡¯ If one only looked at the result, it was a good thing, as Seol was able to safely finish the Adventure. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 10th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 10. The Scorched One.] [ Adventure 10. ¡®The Scorched One¡¯ You have investigated the corpse that was scheduled to be revived as an undead in the Great Forest. Surprisingly, the corpse turned out to be one of the guardians of the Montra Empire, a name known widely throughout the continent long ago, Karen. And as you were investigating Karen¡¯s identity, you also realized that your summon, Karuna, was also one of the guardians of the Montra Empire. Using your wits, you have luckily escaped from the dangerous mental world of the corpse. Unfortunately, though, you still have yet to find Chao. And now, you are in such a dangerous situation that your prior problems almost seem trivialpared to it. Karen is now free of her mental restraints and is about to wake up. Karen currently might only have her instincts left, but she is estimated to be extremely powerful. Furthermore, something unpredictable may happen if she was somehow able to recover her intellect. You must make a decision. Will you fight or will you run away? Objective: Kill Karen. You will be given the ¡®defeated¡¯ status upon failure. Your honor and fame will also decrease upon failure. In addition, you will not get the rewards you''ve umted from your previous Adventures. Remaining Time [719:59]] As Seol quickly turned around to glimpse at Karen, his Eyes of Perception activated. [[Karen: Red Lotus Knight] Rank: Heroic Estimated Level: 35~40 One of the guardians of Montra, an ancient empire. Using her powers ofbustion, she was able to reach a sessful position in a short amount of time. She is supremely powerful on her own, but she is at her strongest when she is with her twin brother, Karuna. Basic Skills: [Montra Swordsmanship 5], [Ignite 3], [Fire Flower 4], [me Grasp 4], [Advanced Martial Arts 3], [Final Comeback 2], [Red Lotus sh 1], [Burn Resistance 3], [Pride 2], [Chivalry 1], [Shred 1], [Matchless Warrior 2], [Mind Control Resistance 4] Unique Skills: [Connected Soul 5], [Equilibrium 5]] ¡®We¡¯re running away.¡¯ Seol thought the ¡®Will you fight or will you run away?¡¯ section of the Adventure description was ridiculous. - That¡¯s insane¡­ Level 40? She¡¯s level 40? - She could also just be Level 35 :) - You¡¯re so annoying LMFAO - She¡¯s the highest level thing we¡¯ve seen so Farquaad. - Stop messing around LOL But how is there going to be a level 40 character in an Adventure meant for people who aren¡¯t even level 10 yet? - Uh¡­ is this even clearable? The viewers were pretty much saying what Seol was thinking. ¡®The level difference is toorge.¡¯ Normally, the boss monsters in Solo Adventures and Party Adventures were at best rare rank. Karuna and Jamad¡¯s Adventures only had them at heroic rank for special reasons. And because they were heroic ranks, they ended up bing Seol¡¯s confidence. Seol was able to get two heroic rank summons that didn¡¯t appear in the early game often, and he knew how important they were because of it. ¡®But even if I have two heroic rank summons, it¡¯s impossible when the level difference is this high.¡¯ Seol believed that if he continued to raise Karuna and Jamad, they would likely end up like what Karen looked like right now. Of course, leveling them up to that point was a sess in and of itself already, though¡­ ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Seolmented as he just epted the rain falling on his body. This Adventure was already a failure. But then, Jamad called him. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re nning, but you need to make a decision soon.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Look over there.¡± Rumble Rumble Rumble¡­ Jamad was pointing at the post that Karen was tied down to, and as expected, she waspletely wrapped in iron chains and restraints. But now, the chains were starting to break one by one with huge rumblings. ¡®She¡¯s trying to wake up!¡¯ When a powerful undead is being reanimated, they need just as much vitality. That was the reason why The Church of Death''s Truth chose the Great Forest as their location for their revival ceremony. And now, the post that Karen was tied down to was absorbing the Great Forest¡¯s vitality. Absorb¡­ The nts surrounding her started to turn ck. ¡°We¡¯re running away!¡± Seol quickly returned Karuna and Jamad into his Shadow Space and kicked the back of his right foot with his left foot. It was to use the Boots of Narrow Escape he received from Griz¡¯s Secret Laboratory as an additional reward. Kick! Boom! [Escape From Danger activates.] [Your movement speed massively increases for a short period of time.] Seol sprinted without looking back. Even Seol wasn¡¯t sure if he would turn into a mummy or dust if his vitality was absorbed. ¡®Faster! Faster!¡¯ Sprint¡­ mes continued to erupt out of the heels of the scorching boots, making Seol leave a trail of fire behind. And just as Seol thought he had traveled a long way away from Karen, a massive explosion and brilliant light shot out. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Riiiiiiing¡­ Seol lost his hearing for a second after the explosion. He then fell t from the shockwave. ¡°AAARGH!¡± Thanks to Seol running away at extreme speeds, he didn¡¯t receive too much damage. ¡®My entire body hurts. For now, though¡­ Was I able to make it away?¡¯ Seol turned around and could do nothing but blink when he saw the epicenter of the colossal explosion. It was a sight he couldn¡¯t believe. Crumble¡­ Crumble¡­ All of the trees that he had passed through were destroyed. It was extremely shocking, as he had traveled rather far from the epicenter. ¡®If the explosion spread out in all directions¡­¡¯ The trees in the Great Forest would have died en masse. Obviously, the Great Forest was massive, and this much wouldn¡¯t even make a dent in it, but it wasn¡¯t like it did no damage at all. Fwirl! Seol resummoned both Karuna and Jamad just in case. Karuna looked to have slightly recovered from his panic. Seol, judging that he had the energy to respond, asked him a question. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°...Karen is my twin sister.¡± ¡°And what is Montra?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either. I don¡¯t know how much time has passed since then either, the time discrepancy¡­¡± Jamad criticized Karuna¡¯s behavior. ¡°I thought you were broken for a second, you lump of iron.¡± ¡°Watch your words.¡± ¡°Hmph. And which of us became a headache for our master because the only thing they could do was mumble their words?¡± ¡°...I apologize, Master.¡± Seol was just thankful that Karuna was able to return to his senses. But now, he couldn¡¯t give attention to something so trivial. ¡®Do I just ept the penalty and give up on the Adventure?¡¯ The penalty for giving up on the Adventure was the ¡®defeated¡¯ status, a decrease in honor and fame, and being unable to get the rewards. ¡®Each and every one of them were awful penalties.¡¯ Seol could confidently say that it was not worth risking his life over, but Seol was also a yer who was aiming to be the strongest. Creating a gap in his Adventures and giving up all of the rewards he had umted up to now was something that was contradictory to his objective. As Seol thought to himself, Karuna broke the silence. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Karuna?¡± ¡°I have a request.¡± Seol could already tell what Karuna was going to ask for. ¡°I have to go back to Karen.¡± ¡°...We can¡¯t defeat her right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to go back to defeat her. I¡¯m going back to save her.¡± Karuna was right. Seol bit his lips, not knowing what to do. He then started reflecting on what he had said so far. ¡®Can¡¯t defeat her right now¡­ right now¡­ right¡­ right now?¡¯ Throughout the countless Adventures that Seol had cleared before, he had experienced ridiculous difficulties like this multiple times. And while clearing those Adventures, Seol established a theory. ¡®It¡¯s almost impossible to be assigned an Adventure that you can¡¯t clear immediately!¡¯ That was also the reason why Adventures were split into the early game, the mid game, and thete game. The system always gave yers a trial that they could ovee, like fate. And if Seol applied that theory here too¡­ ¡®Then it also means that I can only clear the Adventure because it¡¯s right now. Think! Think, Seol!¡¯ It was nearly a 30-level difference. A differencerge enough for a single, light punch to result in death. There had to be a way to ovee this difference. ¡®I have to find it¡­ What could it be? What can I use right now, at this moment¡­¡¯ Seol thought about everything that he could use right now. More urately, he thought about everything that he could use because it was right now. ¡®The Church of Death''s Truth!¡¯ At first, Seol thought they were a viinous group that he had to prevent. And because of it, he thought of them as his enemies. ¡®Yeah, they are my enemies. But¡­¡¯ There¡¯s a saying that goes something like this, The enemy of my enemy is also my friend. ¡®I have to use them!¡¯ The issue was how he was going to use them. Most people would waste a lot of timeing up with a n, but Seol was different. Because that¡­ was what Seol was most confident in. Chapter 59 Karuna gave Seol a serious look after a horrifying shriek rang throughout the forest. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Seol decided to listen to Karuna¡¯s request. ¡°What? Are you out of your mind? We¡¯re going to fight that monster?¡± Jamad shook his head in disagreement. ¡°There¡¯s a way.¡± ¡°Krgh¡­ Why do we have to do something so crazy¡­¡± It was crazy. Karen was so powerful that Seol wouldn¡¯t even have a chance if they faced each other head-on. But it was also for that reason that Jamad believed Seol only decided to head back because he had a surefire way to ovee this situation. ¡°...So you really do have a method.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Jamad grinned from ear to ear. ¡°Alright! If you¡¯re saying that, then I really bet there is a way.¡± ¡°Thanks for believing me.¡± This was why trust between the summon and the summoner was important. Oftentimes, intelligent summons would refuse their master¡¯s order if it was a ridiculous request. And if that process repeated itself multiple times, the summon would sometimes even leave their master. It wasn¡¯t the case for Seol, though. Seol, once again, ran toward Karen. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± The Boots of Narrow Escape¡¯s effects were amazing. Even though Seol was simply returning where he once came, it was costing him almost double or triple the stamina he used. And after ten to twenty minutes of running, Seol returned to the location. ¡°Stop her! Stop that monster!¡± ¡°Tie her down! Bring more chains!¡± ¡°Everyone, hang on! The archbishop is about to arrive soon!¡± BOOM! BOOM! The earth continued to explode. Seol became nervous for a moment when he saw the scenery that was reminiscent of a battlefield, but even so, Seol went in. The more he dyed, the worse the situation was going to get. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Inhale¡­ After taking a deep breath, Seol yelled out. ¡°What the hell is going on?!¡± Seol sounded natural when he reprimanded them, like a boss scolding their employee. Currently, Seol was at The Church of Death¡¯s Truth¡¯s campsite. His viewers were all in shock as he was practically running into the enemy¡¯s maw. - This psycho! - He¡¯s a madd! - Is he insane¡­? - It¡¯s all gone wrong! Karuna, Jamad! Save yourselves at least! The members of The Church of Death¡¯s Truth all looked shocked as some weird person appeared out of nowhere to scold them when they all already had their hands full with the unleashed undead. ¡°Wh-who is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± But then, the owner of the tent that Seol infiltrated to get the crystal appeared. It was a fat necromancer. ¡°Who are you to intrude here?¡± Seol acted calmly. And since he often watched how Jamad acted, he knew exactly how someone arrogant acted. ¡°Hmph, did you not receivemunication? I¡¯m sure the church has told you to wait.¡± ¡°What do you¡­ church? D-Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it is I.¡± ¡°Are you an envoy from The Church of Eternal Life?¡± ¡°You only realized it now? How slow¡­¡± ¡°I apologize¡­ But¡­ What brings you here¡­?¡± Since Seol knew their situation, he was able to lie easily. ¡°Why would The Church of Eternal Life ignore your request? I waste because there was a bit of confusion, but I came here myself to directly help you all.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± - Is he a genius? - Did you see his acting? He deserves an Oscar. - Look at how bold he is LMFAO. Knowing the truth only makes this funnier. - WTF Snowman¡¯s the imposter. ? The fat necromancer¡¯s pupils rocked back and forth. He didn¡¯t know what to do. The archbishop wasing to do the ceremony specifically because The Church of Death¡¯s Truth believed that The Church of Eternal Life abandoned them. But now, a member of The Church of Eternal Life showed up without notice. The necromancers were shocked, like a scared husband who had their drinking party caught by a wife who returned home early. Boom! Boom! ¡°Kaaaargh!¡± ¡°Block her!¡± And the situation was only getting worse and worse. It was difficult for the necromancers to make a proper decision in this situation. Seol, knowing this, wedged himself in more. ¡°What are you dawdling for?! Is there not a problem?¡± ¡°Th-there is.¡± ¡°And what is it?¡± ¡°That undead has been unleashed and is resisting. Thankfully, not many have died, but the problem is that the undead is bing stronger.¡± ¡°Oh no, this is a huge problem. Do we have any reinforcements?¡± ¡°The archbishop is about to arrive soon.¡± ¡°What fortunate timing. The archbishop¡¯s foresight is going to save us all.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ sir, we have something to request¡­¡± ¡°I already know what you¡¯re about to ask! I¡¯ll buy as much time as I can until the archbishop arrives. After all, you are practically our sister church.¡± Seolined, pretending as if he had no other choice to do it. The fat necromancer teared up and lowered his head. ¡°Krgh¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be thankful about. It is the rightful charity that The Church of Eternal Life should bestow upon you.¡± ¡°Yes! We will help you as well!¡± - He¡¯s like a professor who likes to show off. LMFAO - He made the mess and is pretending like he came here to help out LOL - To be honest, even I would fall for him haha Seol, before arriving here, had returned Karuna and Jamad into his Shadow Space. ¡®I have to hide my powers as much as I can.¡¯ Since he was in the middle of enemy territory, pretending to be an ally, there was nothing bad about being careful. So that¡¯s why Seol decided to only summon Karuna. ¡°Karuna,e forth.¡± Glow¡­ Fwirl! ng¡­ ¡°Yes.¡± When Karuna was summoned before Seol, the fat necromancer started to shout. ¡°Someone came from The Church of Eternal Life! Open a path!¡± ¡°Someone? Who?¡± ¡°The Church of Eternal Life is getting involved? I was sure that¡­¡± ¡°Regardless of the reason, that¡¯s something for the archbishop to figure out! What we have to do now is help him!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± With countless cheers from the necromancers, Karuna walked toward the front and stood at the vanguard. ¡°Grrrr¡­¡± And there, an elf¡¯s corpse was holding onto a sword while drooling all over. ¡®As expected, there¡¯s a bunch of penalties stacked on her now.¡¯ Karen¡¯s status, when Seol first checked it, was monstrous. But now, she was only barely able to go even with the necromancers, who looked weak at a nce, just because they had numbers. This simply meant that she had massive penalties ced on her. ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯ If I can¡¯t defeat her, I just need to hold on until the archbishop shows up. And if I¡¯m somehow able to beat her, then the situation is simply over. ¡°Karen¡­¡± ¡°Grrrrr¡­¡± ¡°Forgive me.¡± Unsheathe. Peerless. Breath revealed itself for the first time in front of many people. Shine! Glow¡­ [Karuna has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] As Karuna¡¯s obviously impressive blue sword was revealed to the necromancers, they became relieved. ¡°He was right!¡± ¡°He¡¯s from The Church of Eternal Life!¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t throw us away!¡± The first to move was Karuna. Dash! CLAAAAAAAANG! Even though Karuna was extremely fast, to the point that most monsters wouldn¡¯t have been able to react to him, Karen reacted to it like it was nothing. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± ¡®Did she react with just her instincts?¡¯ With beast-like movements, she faced off against Karuna. aang! ng! Fwoooosh¡­ CLAAAAAANG! She cut and cut and cut and spun to cut. Karen impressively gained back the momentum with just onebo. ¡°Help him!¡± Fwoooosh¡­ A few strange spells were ced on Karuna¡¯s body. [Jetura, a necromancer, used ¡®Living Bone Armor¡¯.] [Karuna¡¯s defense is increased by 10%.] [Ming, a necromancer, used ¡®Dark Blessing¡¯.] [Karuna¡¯s element resistance is increased by 5%.] ¡­¡­ The light from more spells surrounded Karuna as well. They might have been small buffs, but they were definitely wee. ng! ¡°Grrrr¡­¡± ¡°Karen, wake up!¡± ¡°Graaaaah!¡± aaaang! Karen was easily able to dodge any spells, and Karuna was also too busy trying to keep up with Karen¡¯s animal movements. Glooow! ¡°This isn¡¯t over yet!¡± [Karuna has entered the 2nd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Half Moon.] Blue light radiated out of Karuna¡¯s helmet. ¡°Ohhh!¡± ¡°As expected!¡± As Karen¡¯s armor was broken from the start, even a single proper attacknding would lead to her armor being destroyed. However, there was no way a hit wouldnd on her. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± ¡°Hyah!¡± Creaaaaak! Not only was it awful that Breath let out a shrill metallic shriek as it lost out to a half-broken sword, but Karuna was also repelled all the way back to a rotten tree. BAAM! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°O-Oh my goodness¡­ the undead¡­¡± ¡°Is too strong!¡± Karen used that opening to start swinging her sword at the necromancers. SLASH! ¡°AAAAARGH!¡± Stab¡­ ¡°Argh¡­ Grgh¡­¡± A shade cast over Seol¡¯s face. ¡®Karuna still lost her movements¡­ even though he¡¯s in the Half Moon stage?¡¯ In fact, it almost seemed like he was getting pushed back more in the Half Moon stage than the Crescent Moon stage. Seol quickly realized that it was not a normal situation. ¡®She¡¯s bing stronger!¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t know what penalties she had as an undead, but the penalty from reviving doesn¡¯tst that long. It was likely that Karen was slowly recovering from the revival penalty and was slowly regaining her stats. ¡®Damn it. At this rate, I won¡¯t be able to defeat her alone.¡¯ The situation wouldn¡¯t have changed if he summoned Jamad either. Furthermore, summoning Jamad would also practically leave Seol¡¯s life to fate. Because in the end, he was still in the middle of enemy territory. It might be a 2 vs. 1 right now, but in truth, it was a 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 free-for-all. ¡®In the end, I need to hide Jamad if I want to win.¡¯ A gambler who recklessly shows their hand will always inevitably lose. Seol, knowing this, simply decided to wait and see. Bam! Crush! But it wasn¡¯t like Karuna¡¯s attacks werepletely pointless. As hended a kick on Karen¡¯s right shoulder, her pauldron was destroyed. ¡°Itnded!¡± ¡°Now! Reorganize the lines!¡± The lost necromancers picked themselves back up and assisted Karuna once again. ¡®There¡¯s less than twenty necromancers now.¡¯ The campsite originally had roughly fifty members, but the number had shrunk this much before Seol realized. It was clear that they either died from the shockwave that Karen unleashed as she was reborn or from her animalistic movements. ¡°Graaaah!¡± ¡°Karen!¡± Karuna was pressing down on Karen with his sword. And she was repelling Breath with her sword, which had been broken in half. sh¡­ ¡°Do you not recognize me?¡± ¡°Graaaaah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m back, Karen. Open your eyes!¡± ¡°Graaaaaaaah!¡± BOOOOM! ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Karen exploded with energy and burst into mes. Up until now, she was only facing Karuna with swordsmanship or martial arts, but now the situation has changed. Slide¡­ Pressure. Air sucked toward her, almost like it was prepared for her. And then, it returned with a massive explosion. BOOOOOOOOOM! BUUUUUURN¡­ Fssssssss¡­ ¡°Guaaaargh!¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh!¡± ¡°Fire! Someone take out the fire on my body!¡± It was a massive explosion, even the nearby necromancers were caught up by it. As Seol was also in the range of the fire, mes shot out toward him as well. Frss! [Spirit''s Barrier activates.] [Fire Barrier is used.] [It will be ready again after 1 minute.] Seol¡¯s belt, Space, had activated Spirit¡¯s Barrier, one of its unique effects, to block the elemental attack. ¡®So this is how powerful the fire attribute is¡­¡¯ Seol gulped. The fire attribute,pared to the other attributes, simply had pure firepower. It also spread extremely well. And now, Karen was showing off incredible power, almost as if she were trying to boast about the fire attribute¡¯s greatness. ¡°The person from The Church of Eternal Life is fine!¡± ¡°Continue to help him!¡± Seol coldly judged the situation. ¡®The undead¡¯s stat penalty is slowly going away. At this rate¡­¡¯ It was possible that Karuna would die in vain. In fact, Karuna was currently giving his all to only not be pushed back by her. ¡®Should I cancel the Full Moon stage?¡¯ Karuna reaching the Full Moon stage this early was bad for Seol. When The Church of Death¡¯s Truth eventually found out the truth, Seol would need not only Jamad but also Karuna to fend them off. And if Karuna was pushed back by Karen even in his full moon stage, then he would obviously have to summon Jamad as well. ¡®There¡¯s no choice.¡¯ But just as Seol was about to tell Karuna to enter his next stage, the news he had been waiting for had finally arrived. The fat necromancer was screaming at the top of his lungs. ¡°The archbishop has arrived! Archbishop Galifa has arrived!¡± Chapter 60 Galifa was the head of The Church of Death¡¯s Truth. He, who had the position of archbishop, was quite skilled in necromancy and ck magic. He also believed that, with his powers, he could make the world submit to him. But, as always, there was always someone greater. Galifa eventually learned about The Church of Eternal Life. In the Church of Eternal Life, an organization of ck magic users, people of his skill level weremonce, and there were many people who were much stronger than him too. When he learned about his limits, he submitted to them to survive. The Church of Eternal Life crushed him down from above his head. ¡®But today... it all ends. I, Galifa, the same Galifa that you all mocked¡­ will seed in this ceremony and show you.¡¯ Galifa came to the Great Forest toplete the final secret ceremony on the mysterious corpse. And when he checked it out beforehand, he realized that the corpse was immensely powerful. As long as he could gain the corpse as an undead, The Church of Eternal Life should never be able to look down on him again. However, there was an incident at the location of the secret ceremony. Galifa was originally heading to the campsite to avoid anyone who might trail him, but now he was hurriedly rushing to where the corpse was restrained. And when he saw what was happening at the scene, he had two thoughts. The first was how powerful the corpse was. ¡®As expected! My predictions were right!¡¯ Even with a stiff body and pure animal instincts, she had dealt devastating damage to The Church of Death¡¯s Truth. A chill ran down Galifa¡¯s spine when he saw her rampage, but a part of him was also satisfied. ¡®I will make her mine no matter what!¡¯ Galifa had lost half of his necromancers, but he didn¡¯t mind it. After all, it wasn¡¯t the worst if some talentless necromancers died. Once he was able to get his hands on the undead, people who wanted power would naturally flock to him. And as such, he didn¡¯t mind the necromancers dying at all. And the second thought he had was... ¡®...The Church of Eternal Life?¡¯ Galifa¡¯s right-hand man said that The Church of Eternal Life responded to their request. It was¡­ definitely strange. ¡®They showed interest in something as trivial as this?¡¯ As long as they were subservient to The Church of Eternal Life, they had to report everything to them. Because if they didn¡¯t, even if The Church of Death¡¯s Truth was sessful in reviving the undead, Galifa would be killed for disobeying churchw. Since there was no way the undead would be stronger than the church elders as well, following churchw was the correct decision. And even if they did send reports, The Church of Eternal Life would simply do what they always do and either stay silent or send meaningless responses. If it wasn¡¯t for the churchw, Galifa would have hid this corpse until the very end. ¡®So¡­ who are you?¡¯ Galifa openly stared at Seol who was before him. Seol¡¯s calm expression made Galifa think he really was from The Church of Eternal Life. ¡°Haha¡­ This is our first time meeting¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t as if Galifa knew everyone in The Church of Eternal Life. But even so, it was the first time he heard about such a young member of the church. The man was silent for a second before speaking. ¡°Galifa, I thank you for your hard work. I am Kindrik, an envoy from The Church of Eternal Life.¡± ¡°Kindrik?¡± It was a name Galifa heard for the first time, a name he hadn¡¯t even heard in passing. The envoys he had met with were different people, after all. ¡°I apologize for our negligence in responding to your request for support. The Church of Eternal Life has been busy recently taking care of a troublesome matter. But as you have requested support, I, the closest envoy to the Great Forest, came here.¡± ¡°What happened to Fritten, our original envoy¡­?¡± ¡°He is dealing with a separate matter.¡± ¡°What matter?¡± ¡°I cannot tell you the specifics. More importantly, this isn¡¯t the time to be having a conversation like this. The problem is getting bigger.¡± BOOOOOM! ¡°Karen!¡± ¡°Grrrrrr¡­¡± ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± ze¡­ Fire spread throughout the Great Forest. Behind the envoy was a scene straight from hell. Galifa focused and responded to him. ¡°I understand. Let us take care of this problem first.¡± ¡°An excellent decision.¡± But as the envoy was slowly turning around, Galifa asked one final question with a curious look on his face, as if he had just remembered something. ¡°By the way¡­ did you bring your church card?¡± ¡°...Church card?¡± The envoy responded as if what Galifa said was ridiculous. ¡°Church card? Why are you asking for something that isn¡¯t a part of churchw? Are you making fun of me? Because if you are¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I am not. I must have made a mistake in my old age. Please forgive me just this once.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Well, if you¡¯re going to go that far to apologize, sure. Regardless, let us work together.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Galifa stared at the back of the envoy¡¯s head with an evil look. He¡¯s a fake. Galifa didn¡¯t know why the man was pretending to be an envoy of The Church of Eternal Life to help The Church of Death¡¯s Truth but he was undoubtedly a fake. ¡®After all, the churchw changed three years ago.¡¯ An envoy must, no matter what, carry around a church card, which acts as their identification. Galifa could give an ounce of belief if he imed that he had forgotten his church card, but it was impossible for a member of The Church of Eternal Life to not even know about its existence. ¡®What should I do¡­? That¡¯s probably the best.¡¯ As the undead was powerful, Galifa nned to receive help from the envoy to first suppress it. And after that, he was going to look for an opportunity to kill the envoy. The shrewd Galifa hade to a decision. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A while ago, Seol saw these options. [[Archbishop Galifa of The Church of Death¡¯s Truth has requested you to prove your identity. How do you respond?] 1. How dare you act in such a disrespectful manner to an envoy of The Church of Eternal Life?! 2. Must I really have to prove myself to you, archbishop? 3. How arrogant. Are you really going toe out like this? ¡­I will be taking my leave. 4. There is no such thing as a church card. What are you plotting? ¡­¡­] Cold sweats ran down Seol¡¯s spine. ¡®Has the churchw changed? I¡¯ve never made something like a church card.¡¯ The Church of Eternal Life that Seol created didn¡¯t do anything as annoying as that. After all, an envoy of the church had to be able to make others submit to them with just their existence and the pressure they exuded. ¡®This is a gamble.¡¯ Regardless of whichever option Seol picked, it was a fifty-fifty. Either a church card existed or it didn¡¯t. ¡°Church card? Why are you asking for something that isn¡¯t a part of churchw? Are you making fun of me? Because if you are¡­¡± If the church card really existed, Galifa would attack Seol here. And if it didn''t, he would apologize to Seol. ¡°Haha¡­ I am not. I must have made a mistake in my old age. Please forgive me just this once.¡± Luckily, it seemed to be thetter. And as they finished their conversation and Seol turned around, he thought to himself. ¡®No, he found out. The churchw had changed.¡¯ Seol sensed bloodlust from Galifa for a split second. Galifa hid it right away, but that was still enough for Seol to realize that he answered incorrectly. ¡®But if he¡¯s pretending to be ignorant of it¡­ then that means he ns to use me. And in that case¡­¡¯ It was better. Because Seol intended on using him as well. Seol was now going to be on guard against Galifa, and Galifa was going to be on guard against Seol. All the while trying to defeat Karen during it. ¡®It¡¯s all going to be decided in an instant.¡¯ Seol took a breath and confirmed Galifa¡¯s skills. [[Galifa: Archbishop of The Church of Death¡¯s Truth] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 15~20 The leader of an organization that professionally trains necromancers. Though hisbat ability is not that high, his crowd control and ability to control undead are much higher than those of simr-rank necromancers. Basic Skills: [Corpse Toxin 2], [Corruption and Disease 1], [Suppress Will 2], [Mental Pain 1], [Summon Undead 3], [Agony of Death 1] Unique Skills: [Vortex of Hatred 1], [Corpse Night 1]] Galifa was about as powerful as a rare rank boss monster. Seol, keeping that information in mind, entered the battle. BOOOM! ¡°Aaaargh!¡± Each time Karen casted a fire spell, a necromancer would scream in agony as they were melted to death. ¡®It really is intense heat.¡¯ Karen regaining her strength so quickly that Karuna holding on this long was a surprise more than anything. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± ¡°Karen!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Karen¡¯s consciousness was slowly returning, soon, she should be able to hold a conversation. Galifa, seeing this, spoke to Seol. ¡°The situation isn¡¯t good, Kindrick.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°First, I¡¯ll weaken her.¡± Galifa gathered an eerie energy in his hands and murmured something. ¡°Karuna.¡± ¡°Yes, master?¡± ¡°Restrain her no matter what.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Glooow¡­ Karuna raised his energy and faced off against Karen¡¯s mes. aare¡­ ng! Each time their swords shed, an explosion would ur like they were resonating with each other. And as Karuna held on, Galifa finished casting his spell. ¡°Hah!¡± Frss¡­ [Galifa used Suppress Will.] [Karen¡¯s movement speed is decreased by 30%. She is now immune to other slow effects.] And then another spell. Frssss¡­ [Galifa used Mental Pain.] [Karen¡¯s Mind Control Resistance activates.] [Karen resists Mental Pain.] ¡°Wh-what? Damn it¡­¡± As Galifa¡¯s mind magic failed, he changed his methods. Knowing that Seol¡¯s summon was restraining Karen, Galifa knew that it was his role to deal damage to her. Glow¡­ Fwirl! [Galifa used Undead Summon.] [Yon, the Corpse-Eating Scarecrow, is summoned.] Dun¡­ A massive scarecrow wearing a crow mask showed up. ¡°Go, Yon! Deal critical damage to her!¡± ¡°Caaaaw¡­¡± Yon let out a crow¡¯s cry and slowly lumbered over to Karen. ng! ng! ¡°Ah¡­ Ah, ah¡­¡± re! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Karen¡¯s movements were bing more refined. Her animalistic movements were slowly bing more and more like a knight¡¯s. Karen has had the upper hand for quite a while, but now, with the addition of Yon, they were just barely even with her. ¡®We don¡¯t have much time.¡¯ Seol was hoping that Galifa wouldnd a blow on her before then. Galifa, sensing Seol¡¯s urgency, spoke. ¡°An undead without an owner won¡¯tst long in the first ce. She might be strong now, but corpses are always bound to rot.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a waste to use it here, but I have a suitable skill. Please buy some time for me.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Truthfully, there was nothing Seol could do other than buy time. As Karuna was reaching his limits in the Half Moon stage, Seol had no choice but to reveal Karuna¡¯s true strength in order for Karuna to not die in vain. ¡°Karuna! Unleash it!¡± shouted Seol. ¡°Understood.¡± Glow¡­ Karuna¡¯s light, which had been fading in front of the fire, suddenly rose massively. [Karuna has entered the 3rd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Full Moon.] Crackle! As the mes faced off against the moonlight, sparks poured out. Color slowly, slowly returned to Karen¡¯s gray pupils when she saw the sparks. ¡°......runa.¡± ¡°Karen! Have you¡ª¡± ¡°...RUNAAAAAAAAAA!¡± BOOOOOOOM! [Karen used Ignite.] Her ash-colored armor shed before bursting into mes. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Karen¡¯s attacknded cleanly on Karuna. He could do nothing but stumble from the shock of it. ¡®This is bad! She used a skill.¡¯ It was hard enough hanging on when she was fighting purely with her stats; now, skills were being unsealed. When Seol took the number of skills she had into consideration, Karen was now going to win this fight. And then, Karen started to speak. ¡°Why¡­ Whyyyyyy.¡± ¡°Have you regained your senses, Karen?¡± ¡°...didn¡¯t you¡­e back¡­ why¡­¡± ¡°Karen! I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°WHYYYYYYYY!¡± BOOOOOOM! The following explosion was catastrophic. Fwooosh! Karuna was blown far away from Karen¡¯s attack. ¡°...Argh!¡± ¡°Karuna!¡± ¡°Why¡­ didn¡¯t youe back¡­? Why¡­ didn¡¯t you keep your promise¡­?¡± And it was then¡­ As Galifa shouted, he filled the burnt area with ck. ¡°It¡¯splete! Hahahahaha!¡± ¡°A-Archbishop Galifa!¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± The remaining necromancers, even the fat necromancer who was Galifa¡¯s right-hand man, were sucked into the spell. Crush¡­ Cruuuush¡­ ¡°Aaaargh, Galifa!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, you old man! I-I¡¯ll¡­ Aaaargh!¡± The necromancers were being turned into lumps of flesh before Seol¡¯s eyes. It waspletely unbearable to watch. Galifa¡¯s spell was cast using others as a sacrifice. ¡®This fucking bastard!¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t sense even a shred of humanity in him. How could he use his allies, not even his enemies, as a sacrifice for his spells? Seol wasn¡¯t sure whether Galifa didn¡¯t notice his gaze or if he was intentionally ignoring it, but in the end, Galifa calmly finished casting his spell. ¡°Take this, you monster! Hahahahaha!¡± A massive amount of energy was released from Galifa¡¯s hand. [Galifa used Unique Skill: Vortex of Hatred.] [You will decay if you are hit by the vortex.] Chapter 61 The energy that Galifa released was horrific. A vortex of energy wasunched toward Karen. Seol noticed people¡¯s faces cursing Galifa in the vortex. ¡°Hmph!¡± Karen must have felt the disturbing energy as well, as she quickly tried to dodge it. However¡­ Fwoooooosh! The vortexnded directly on her armor, twisting it. ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ it¡¯s pointless! The dead cannot avoid this energy of hatred.¡± Galifa, as expected from a necromancer, knew exactly how to fight a corpse. Crumble¡­ Karen¡¯s armor was fine, but her skin started to crumble. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± aare! [Karen¡¯s Pride activates.] [For a short while, Karen ignores most damage.] A portion of Karen¡¯s body lit up to burn the negative energy. However, the vortex continued to stick to her. ¡°Now, in a few moments, your body will be in pieces! Kuahaha¡­ It¡¯s going to be a pain, but I¡¯ll make sure to properly put your body back together with these old hands.¡± After saying that, Galifa looked at Seol. ¡°Now, let us finish this!¡± said Galifa. ¡°Is it not over already?¡± ¡°It would take quite a while if she resists the corruption. Furthermore, if the hatred disappears, she will be able to run wild again. Well, the corruption should still continue regardless since she was already hit by the hatred.¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± Seol gave Karuna a nce. With determined eyes, Karuna charged at Karen. Gloooow¡­ And Karuna swung Breath at Karen. Seol believed that Karen had finally been cut down. ng! But she was tenacious. She resisted the corruption and held onto her decaying body. ¡°As always, you¡­ aren¡¯t answering me.¡± ¡°...Karen.¡± "Oh, my brother, who has failed to keep his promise, you have abandoned the Empire.¡± ¡°Karen, I¡¯ll exin everything. The Emperor is dead, and the Montra Empire has already long fallen. We¡¯re in a new world.¡± ¡°Fall? Montra? No, there¡¯s no way that could be true.¡± ¡°Wake up! Our time is already over! We¡¯re¡­ already dead.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ yes, I died. But the Empire is still alive. I-It¡¯s still here¡­¡± Seol felt a chill. Despite the zing inferno that surrounded him, for some reason, he felt a chill. ¡®No, it isn¡¯t a chill.¡¯ It¡¯s something ominous. Typically, Seol trusted his instincts. And in that moment, Karen¡¯s face formed an expression. She was smiling. She had returned to herself when she was alive. The way she spoke, her habits, her memories, everything¡­ including her power. ¡°The Empire still lives on inside me. I am still a knight of Montra.¡± Seol quickly started to shout. ¡°Karuna! Dodg¡ª¡± ¡°What th¡ª¡± BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Riiiiiiing¡­ Seol¡¯s ears were ringing after that massive explosion. Seol realized that things had gone awry, and Galifa noticed it as well. ¡°Oh my god¡­ How could this be¡­ my spells¡­¡± [Karen used Final Comeback.] [All status effects and damage received so far are dyed toter.] [The dyed damage and status effects will have double the duration, intensity, and damage when Final Comeback expires.] [The main contents of The Scorched One have changed.] [The Scorched One has changed to Ember.] Galifa started talking gibberish, as if he couldn¡¯t understand the current situation. ¡°The hatred... disappeared? How? How could this happen?!¡± Karuna turned ck from the explosion, but he was still safe. The explosion was simply a shockwave that urred due to Karen recovering her powers, so it was not that destructive. Regardless, as Karen wouldn¡¯t decay from Galifa¡¯s spell anymore, Seol and Galifa¡¯s ns of buying time until she died went up in smoke. Now, the predator and the prey have changed roles. Awoooooo! [Wolf¡¯s Warning activates.] [The wearer is currently in a dangerous situation.] As Karen recovered her strength, the Wolf¡¯s Warning Seol received from Kibo activated. Seol didn¡¯t even need to think twice about this. He was clearly in a very, very dangerous situation. [Adventure 10-1. ¡®Ember¡¯ Karen, an ancient knight. The honorable Red Lotus Knight stands before you,pletely scorched down to her bones. Yet she still seeks an answer. Archbishop Galifa hasnded a critical blow on her who¡¯s in a weakened, undead state, and has sped up her decay. Despite believing that you would be unable to defeat her earlier, you have gained an unexpected chance. However, even with less than half her full strength, she was able to repel the powers of corruption and has dyed her death. Now, the situation is much simpler than before. Survive until she is dead or die. Objective: Survive for 5 minutes. Remaining Time [04:37]] ¡®This is dangerous!¡¯ As she was no longer a mindless undead, Karen was an exceptionally difficult opponent to face. Seol wasn¡¯t sure what the majority of her skills did, and he also didn¡¯t know how powerful they were. There was only one thing that he was certain about. ¡®I have to survive until the remaining time runs out!¡¯ He had to do anything to survive the next four minutes. Galifa, despite being shocked, seemed to havee up with a way to ovee the situation. He immediately spoke to Seol. ¡°Then¡­ the only option is this. Kindrick, I still have onest trick up my sleeve.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°...This.¡± Crumple¡­ Galifa scrunched up at a quick pace. He looked much older than before, like he had aged. Like an old man moments before death, Galifa huffed for air and spoke. ¡°Everyone¡­ will die.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [Galifa used Unique Skill: Corpse Night.] [Galifa¡¯s lifespan is reduced.] [All corpses within a certain radius will arise.] [The corpses will fight for Galifa.] [The corpses will explode when theye into contact with a lifeform.] [The corpses will explode when they are struck.] Snap¡­ Crack¡­ The corpses started to stand up at Galifa¡¯s gesture, as if the melody had changed. The corpses, which had died from Galifa or were burned by Karen, slowly raised their heads and looked toward Karen. ¡°Guaaaaah¡­¡± ¡°Uarghhhh¡­¡± As the dozens of walking bombs stood up, Galifaughed triumphantly. And then he made a statement. ¡°All of you, die.¡± The corpses charged at hismand. They charged at the burning Karen, but they also charged to Seol as well. Seol shouted at Galifa, not sounding too surprised by it. ¡°Archbishop! What are you doing?¡± Galifa didn¡¯t give Seol¡¯s bold attitude a second thought and simply revealed his true intentions. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Did you think I wouldn¡¯t know? How would a stupid envoy who doesn¡¯t even know churchw survive in a terrible ce like The Church of Eternal Life? You should¡¯ve said something realistic¡­ Your use ends here. She is mine!¡± The majority of the risen corpses headed to Karen, while only a few were sent to Seol. It was because Galifa knew that those corpses would be enough to take care of a stupid summoner who was away from his summon. ¡°How unfortunate, Galifa. I thought we¡¯d be able to work together for longer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh! Now, be one with my corpses!¡± ¡°If you want it that badly, sure. But unfortunately for you, the one that¡¯s going to be a corpse isn¡¯t me¡­¡± During their conversation, the corpses had nearly approached Seol. Seol then ducked. ¡°It¡¯s you,¡± said Seol, finishing his line. ¡°Hmph! You talk way too much!¡± Glow¡­ Fwirl! Galifa expected Seol to explode with his corpses. That was how confident he was in his abilities. But as ck light radiated from Seol¡¯s hands, the lifeless body at the vanguard suddenly grew taller. ¡°Guaaah¡­¡± A huge hand was gripping the corpse¡¯s head. The corpse only appeared to be taller because the hand was carrying its head. ¡°Jamad, I leave it to you.¡± ¡°So it won¡¯t pop to a shadow like me as long as I don¡¯t grip it too hard. Got it.¡± [Jamad used Rock Armor.] [Mountain Fists¡¯ Bonus Effect activates.] [Snowman also receives Rock Armor¡¯s effects.] ¡°Y-You had another summon? You had another monster that strong? O-Oh no¡­ Come back! Protect me!¡± ¡°Guaaaaah¡­¡± The corpses furthest back among the corpses sent to Karen started to return to Galifa. But it was toote. There was already too much distance built within them. Jamad and Seol ferociously charged at Galifa. sh! Jamad lifted a corpse. Fwooosh! And threw it somewhere. Baaaaang! [The corpse explodes.] [Everything within the explosion radius will corrode.] In the end, Seol¡¯s decision to hide Jamad was the right decision. Galifa, who rashly attacked Seol too soon, didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°N-No. Don¡¯te any closer!¡± As Jamad sprinted toward him while throwing corpses to the other side, Galifa tripped over himself trying to retreat in fear. Seol let out a sigh after he escaped from the range of the corpses. ¡°Your use ends here, Galifa,¡± said Seol. ¡°No, stop! Don¡¯t do it!¡± ¡°Jamad.¡± Jamad, before Galifa knew it, had arrived in front of him and was slowly approaching him. ¡°Have a good night, geezer.¡± ¡°Noooooooo!¡± CRUSH! [You have defeated Archbishop Galifa.] [You have earned the achievement ¡®A Friend of a Friend.] [You have earned the title ¡®Conman¡¯.] [You have received additional rewards.] Seol saw a bunch of messagese up, but they weren¡¯t what was important right now. As soon as Seol killed Galifa, he turned around to look at Karen. [All of the corpses will explode due to the caster dying.] [Everything within the explosion radius will corrode.] Bang! Bang! Bang! The Great Forest shook once more at the continuous explosions. Luckily, as Karuna was not targeted by the corpses, he was able to watch the explosions from a distance. ¡®They¡¯re immensely powerful.¡¯ Unique skills like the one that Galifa had were all incredibly powerful. The problem was that it required just as much in cost to cast them. Seol confirmed Karen¡¯s status as he recalled Galifa¡¯s wickedness. He was hoping that Galifa¡¯s horrific powers would at least weaken her a little bit. re¡­ ¡°...No way.¡± Karen waspletely fine. Even if she used Final Comeback, he didn¡¯t expect her to withstand all of this. And then Seol thought about one of the messages he saw a while ago. [All status effects and damage received so far are dyed toter.] ¡®If it¡¯s all status effects¡­ Don¡¯t tell me, does the undead penalty disappear too?¡¯ The undead penalty reduced a corpse¡¯s power by half. And in that moment, Karen had removed even that. And this also made one thing true. ¡®This¡­ can¡¯t be cleared.¡¯ Seol used his wits to sessfully destroy the campsite and injure Karen, but everything after that was unclear to him. Would he be able to hold back Karen when she was at full strength for the entirety of the remaining time? Seol came to the conclusion that it was impossible. But then Karuna started to talk to Karen. Seol believed that escaping now in a situation where everything was turning for the worse was the best option, but apletely unexpected situation arose. ¡°Karen, I tried to keep the promise.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me! How dare you say that when you threw away Montra¡ª¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s the truth. I was heading to the capital that day.¡± ¡°You traitor!¡± aaaang! [Karen used Red Lotus sh.] Karen ignited her half-sword in mes. Karuna also used the power of the moonlight to not lose to her. [Karuna used Full Moon sh.] aaaaaash! Karuna was obviously the one who was pushed back by their sh. But then, something strange happened. Thud! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Karuna was repelled by Karen, yes, but he wasn¡¯t injured to the point that he couldn¡¯t recover from it. It was definitely strange. Seol, seeing that, surmised something. ¡®Karen¡­ is hesitating?¡¯ Karuna should have been pushed back much, much further based on the difference between their stats and skills. Karen could kill Karuna whenever she wanted to with just a swing of her sword. But¡­ she wasn¡¯t doing it. ¡®Her objective isn¡¯t to kill us!¡¯ That was the conclusion that Seol arrived at. ¡°You¡¯re weak, Karuna. You¡¯ve be so weak. Has the world you chose by giving up the Empire made you this weak?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ I didn¡¯t abandon the Empire.¡± ¡°Stop it! Stop it! How dare you lie until the end! You¡­ You¡¯re¡­¡± Fwooosh! As the two were having their conversation, Jamad aimed for the opening and attacked Karen. But that¡­ was a meaningless swing. Karen spun and kicked Jamad away at a speed Seol couldn¡¯t keep up with. Fwoooosh! Thud¡­ ¡°Krgh¡­ What is that strength¡­¡± Jamad was blown away by Karen¡¯s kick. Even though Jamad was double her size, Karen was strong enough to send him flying. But still, as expected, Jamad didn¡¯t die. Seol then nodded his head. It was clear that Karen nned on letting Seol¡¯s party live. ¡°Why are you butting in? What is Karuna to you?¡± ¡°Kuahaha¡­ Stop hounding that lump of steel¡­ Or why don¡¯t you fight me too, you monster?¡± ¡°A monster? Me?¡± And now, her dyed death had finally arrived. [The effects of Karen¡¯s Final Comeback have expired.] [All of the dyed damage and status effects return in double.] Crumble¡­ Karen¡¯s pupils faded away once again. And then, her skin started to shrivel. Chapter 62 Pour¡­ Karen calmly epted her dyed fate. However, that only served to send a chill through Seol¡¯s heart. ¡®We were somehow¡­ able toe out of this alive.¡¯ It was a miracle. Final Comeback¡¯s effects only ended thanks to Galifa¡¯s Corpse Night and Karuna and Jamad buying time. ¡®No, she could have killed Karuna if she just felt like it. She simply spared us.¡¯ Rather than surviving, Seol was simply shown mercy. Obviously, if Karen went all out, Seol could have used other methods too, but in the end, neither party used all their powers. ¡®Regardless, she is still incredibly powerful.¡¯ Jamad and Karuna would have been considered immensely powerful if it were any other Adventure, but they were helpless before Karen. It was due to the difference in their stats, but even so¡­ Step¡­ Karuna, who had taken the full brunt of Karen¡¯s Red Lotus sh, wobbled over to her. ¡°Karen¡­¡± Pour¡­ Karen, who looked like a demon when she burned down the surrounding forest, suddenly put away her sword. Seol wasn¡¯t surprised by this, though. He believed that Karen had an ending that she desired. ¡°...What are you doing? Why did you let go of your weapon?¡± Karen responded like it was nothing, with a hint ofughter in her voice. ¡°Because I don¡¯t have time left. I don¡¯t want to do this anymore.¡± ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re only starting to talk now because you¡¯re at the disadvanta¡ª¡± ¡°Jamad! Stop provoking her.¡± ¡°I got it, I got it. Sigh¡­ The uninvited guest will leave now.¡± Jamad, realizing that the situation was over, returned to Seol¡¯s side. Since Karen was epting her death, Seol decided to just watch. Pour¡­ sh! Karen looked at Karuna while being hit by the pouring rain. ¡°Karuna, my brother.¡± ¡°Sister.¡± ¡°During the time that I have left¡­ I¡­ want to hear your story¡­¡± ¡°...As much as you want.¡± In this high-stakes situation where Seol could die at any moment, the situation took an unexpected turn. First, Karen tried to receive an answer from Karuna. ¡°I¡¯m still stuck on that day¡­ What about you?¡± ¡°Karen.¡± ¡°What happened? No, let me change the question¡­ I don¡¯t have much time¡­¡± Karen¡¯s body was decaying away. Not only had she fought, but she was also an undead without a master. The small amount of time she spent revived ruined her body. ¡°That day¡­ Did you reallye back?¡± ¡°I was headed there.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I knew there was no way that you would intentionally break a promise. Yeah, right¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Karen. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t keep my promise that day.¡± Karuna stepped closer to Karen. She was no longer able to maintain her decaying body. Thud¡­ Karuna grabbed her back and carefullyid her down in a gentle, natural manner. ¡°But why¡­ how did you be a shadow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I died.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ You died? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°Someone sealed my powers. I don¡¯t know the details either, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, that makes sense then¡­. You were invincible, Karuna. You were even stronger than me.¡± Crumble¡­ Half of Karen¡¯s face had rotted at this point. The two continued their conversation, though, ignoring it entirely. ¡°Why are you serving that uncouth human, though? Is¡­ your memory of Jin gone too now?¡± The human she was referring to was Seol. Karuna shook his head. ¡°Jin is still my emperor. But now¡­ I serve someone else.¡± ¡°He looks like he¡¯scking a lotpared to Jin¨C krgh¡­ though¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s a good person.¡± ¡°...Really? So you¡¯re saying that he¡¯s not a good king then.¡± ¡°Through following him and traveling with him, I was able to meet you again.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ If you put it that way, he¡¯s a-an excellent master.¡± Karen¡¯s body trembled. The life that she had regained was about to be extinguished once more. ¡°By the way, what was¡­ what was the outside world like?¡± ¡°Do you mean the world outside of the Empire?¡± ¡°Yeah, the world you stubbornly sought after.¡± Karuna closed his eyes, like he was recalling something. ¡°There was the sea,¡± said Karuna. ¡°The sea? You mean that ce that¡¯s bigger and filled with more water than¡ª urgh¡­ ake?¡± ¡°Yeah, I saw the sea. It really existed.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ So¡­ You went that far, is that right? How was it? Do ¡®waves¡¯ really exist?¡± ¡°Of course. The water ebbed and flowed. The people there also ate fishy sardines to the point they got sick of them and smoked tobo.¡± ¡°That sounds like such a boring life. Really¡­ But even so¡­ I want to see it.¡± ¡°See them?¡± ¡°No, the sea, you dumbass.¡± Crumble¡­ Karen¡¯s lower half hadpletely decayed. A foul smell filled up the area, but the rain even washed that all away. ¡°K-Karen!¡± ¡°Karuna¡­ so you¡¯re still someone¡¯s knight.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Karen. Let¡¯s go see the sea together.¡± ¡°Do you really think I could? My body¡­ my heart¡­ they have all burned up. The only thing I have left¡­ What do I have left? What is a knight with no one to serve? Yeah, that¡¯s just a monster¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a monster, Karen. You¡¯re my one and only sister. We¡¯re going to go together! W-We can finally be together now!¡± Karuna spoke more hurriedly than before, while Karen only became increasingly calmer. The exchange between someone leaving and someone trying to hold on was always this painful. ¡°No, I can¡¯t go with you. The king that you serve¡­ is too weak. He can¡¯t take me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ this is where I end my journey, Karuna. Urgh¡­¡± Stter¡­ It was the spine-chilling sound of intestines breaking through skin and hitting the floor. Seol and Karuna knew that she was moments before death. Karen¡¯s fading eyes simply looked at the open space. Her cloudy eyes had lost their color. ¡°Karuna, are you there? H-Hold my hand.¡± Karuna gripped Karen¡¯s hand tightly. He wanted to let her know that he was there with her. ¡°I see¡­ I can¡¯t feel anything. Dying is always scary¡­ by the way, Karuna¡­¡± ¡°Karen¡­ don¡¯t die¡­ don¡¯t die, Karen. Stay with me!¡± ¡°To be honest¡­ A part of me hoped that¡­ you could take me along with you¡­ even though I¡¯m like this¡­¡± ¡°KAREEEEEEEEN!¡± Thud. There was no special farewell. Pour¡­ The rain simply washed everything away. Whether it was the ash from the burned forest or the regrets of the dead corpses. She spent her final moments letting go of them. The reason that Karen didn¡¯t kill Seol, Karuna, and Jamad was because she still had regrets to let go of. Even so, she wasn¡¯t able to empty all of them. Her final words for Karuna lingered in the Great Forest. It was almost like she was still alive. Her voice repeated in their ears like an echo. Though now, she was nothing more than a skeleton. [You have defeated Karen, the Red Lotus Knight.] [You have earned the special achievement ''An Insurmountable Gap''.] [You have earned the special title ''Challenger''.] [You have received additional rewards.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] These messages which always appeared when Seol killed an enemy, appeared. Seol paid no attention to those messages and watched Karuna. He was in pain. ¡°No, Karen! Don¡¯t leave me! W-We just barely managed to meet each other again¡­¡± [Karuna is unstable.] [Karuna''s loyalty decreases.] [If loyalty continues to fall, something unexpected may happen.] Though the message said ¡®something unexpected may happen¡¯, Seol knew what would happen. He saw many yers lose their summons from being unable to recover their low loyalty before. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡®I guess the time hase¡­¡¯ Pour¡­ The rain continued to pour down like there was a hole in the sky. ¡°Ahh¡­ Ah¡­¡± Inside the raining forest, Seol had gone through the unluckiest streak he had gone through so far in The World of Eternity. ¡®It was about time something like this happened, though.¡¯ Not only was he unable to find Chao, he was forced into dealing with the secret ceremony, trapped inside the corpse''s mind, and almost died there. He was then almost killed by Karen, who woke up because of him. But that wasn¡¯t the end. Seol was now unsure what would happen to Karuna, who was perfectly fine before. ¡®In the end, the travel luck is causing a mess.¡¯ - Travel Luck Dice has rolled a 2. - You are quite unlucky. The unfortunate circumstances were way too intertwined to simply me it all on the dice though. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°Karuna.¡± ¡°My sister¡­ my sister¡­¡± Nod. Seol stepped in front of Karuna and raised his hand. Seol, before speaking, thought of Karen¡¯s words once more. - No, I can¡¯t go with you. The king that you serve¡­ is too weak. He can¡¯t take me. To Seol, who aplished countless achievements in Pandea, it was humiliating. Clench. Seol clenched his teeth and rustled through his inventory. He was looking for something that he prepared a long time ago for a situation like this, which he knew would happen someday. ¡°I knew¡­ that something like this would happen one day.¡± ¡°Master¡­?¡± Seol pulled out food that was roughly the size of a small bean and tossed it into his mouth without hesitation. And after that, ck energy surged out from within him. Frsss¡­ [You had an excellent meal.] [Jelly From a Cloudy Day¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You are able to use ''Miracle of a Cloudy Day'', a vtile skill, for an hour.] The skill fit perfectly with the drizzling rain. Gather¡­ Seol slowly gathered ck energy into his hand. The energy, which looked like a rain cloud,pletely filled up his hand. Though weak and young, he was still someone¡¯s king. ¡°Serve me!¡± shouted Seol. sh! A lightning bolt struck somewhere in the Great Forest. At the same time, Seol¡¯s final means were activated. [Snowman used the vtile skill Miracle of a Cloudy Day.] [You forcibly use Shadow Summon on Karen, the Red Lotus Knight.] Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ ck lightning wrapped around her body. Even at a nce, Seol could tell that the ck lightning had immense power. However, the message that Seol was waiting for hadn¡¯t shown up yet. Seol, with aposed expression, observed the lightning¡¯s movements. And then, after a while¡­ A clear change had urred. Bzzzzzzt! [Miracle of a Cloudy Day is sessful.] [Karen¡¯s consciousness is being awakened.] Clench. Seol clenched his fists as tight as he could. The viewers, watching this, were all in shock. - This is insane¡­ Maybe¡­? - This can¡¯t be real right? Someone tell me it isn¡¯t¡­ - It is. - He really saw this far into the future? - This is crazy¡­ I thought the game bnce was destroyed because of her but it was destroyed because of him? - What the hell?! How did things end up like this? ck lightning wrapped around Karen¡¯s body as it started to float up. Kang Seol. He had rolled many different types of dice over the past 17 years. And he believed that the most difficult die to handle was the six-sided die. The same die that most other people considered the standard, ordinary die. It was because the difference between each of the numbers was veryrge. Between 1 and 2. Between 3 and 4. Between 5 and 6. These numbers look simr at a nce. But, through his experience with The World of Eternity, Seol quickly realized that he was mistaken. Rolling a 4 on the travel dice simply made good things happen every once in a while. Rolling a 3 on the travel dice, however, gave random odds of both good and bad things happening. And 2 was an unlucky roll. It was awful to the point that it sometimes even directly influenced the difficulty of the Adventure itself. As such, there were some people who quickly left the area as fast as they could if they rolled below a 3. But here, there was also someone like Seol who ignored the rolls. The person who defeated the Red Lotus Knight, an extremely powerful existence, has been fighting for a long time with the dice. To turn a 3 into a 6. To turn a 2 into a 6. To turn a 1 into a 6. He fought. He always fought to create the best result. And he always prepared with the worst in mind. Through that, he was able to achieve something like this. He was someone who overcame the six-sided die. ¡°Serve me, Karen!¡± He overcame the dice, he was someone who took seven steps. [You have earned the special achievement ''Dice are Merely Numbers''.] [You have earned the special title ''Ouw''.] sh! A bolt of ck lightning struck again, wrapping around her. And then, there was another change. Crackle! ¡°Argh¡­ Ahhhhhhhh!¡± ¡°Karuna?¡± The lightning that surrounded Karen suddenly expanded and devoured Karuna. ¡°No! Karuna!¡± ¡°M¡­ ast¡­ er¡­¡± Karuna¡¯s voice disappeared with the lightning, leaving Seol alone. Pour¡­ The only thing next to Seol now was the sound of rain. Along with one message. [Karen¡¯s Connected Soul activates.] Chapter 63 Pitter¡­ Patter¡­ Water dripped in this dark space, one droplet at a time. ¡°Am I¡­ dead?¡± Karen, the ashen knight, scratched her head. She didn¡¯t understand the current situation. She had already experienced death once before. The death she faced back then wasplete darkness. She wasn¡¯t in some space with her memories, like she was right now. ¡°Then does this mean¡­ that I¡¯m not dead right now?¡± The image of Karuna, her brother, begging for her while grabbing her still lingered in her memory. ¡°Do I¡­ still have regrets left?¡± And then¡­ Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ The dark area lit up for a second. And as it did, someone¡¯s vision revealed itself to Karen. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± Badump¡­ Badump¡­ Their heart was pounding. She was watching the world through someone else¡¯s eyes. It was vibrant and three-dimensional, like she was there herself. Judging by how the scenery was moving up and down, it seemed like the person was riding a horse. ¡°Is this¡­ someone¡¯s memory?¡± Karen was confident that it was someone¡¯s memory. ¡°I have to go¡­ She¡¯s waiting for me.¡± Rumble Rumble Rumble¡­ A deep voice. Karen instantly knew who this voice belonged to. ¡°Karuna! It¡¯s Karuna¡¯s!¡± She was d to hear the voice, but she was also saddened by it. And as she also saw what Karuna saw, she was inplete shock, like she had just gone from heaven to hell. Spurt¡­ Spurt¡­ Karuna was looking at his abdomen. Blood. Karuna must have gotten on his saddle without properly stopping the bleeding beforehand. Every time the horse galloped, blood would drip down. ¡°Karuna!¡± Karen urgently shouted his name, but her voice didn¡¯t reach him. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­ Karen¡­ told me¡­ that she would¡­ be waiting for me¡­ I promised¡­ her¡­ that I would¡­ go back¡­ I¡­¡± Thud. Karuna¡¯s vision went ck. Crash! It was clearly the sound of him falling off his horse. Karen could feel Karuna falling through the air. Fwoooooosh¡­ Ssh¡­ Ssh¡­ ¡°D-Did he fall off?¡± Karen was caught off guard, like she was the one who fell off the cliff herself. And after that, there were no more changes. The only thing Karen could feel was the current sweeping her off somewhere. Karen could sense that these memories were her brother¡¯s, Karuna¡¯s, memories. ¡°So you really wereing back.¡± ¡°I was.¡± ¡°......¡± Karuna revealed himself from the dark space from behind Karen. Karuna, who had taken his helmet off, looked simr to Karen but with sharper features. ¡°...What happened? Who¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was ambushed while I was heading to the capital.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that and¡­¡± ¡°Karen.¡± Karuna looked confidently at Karen. ¡°That isn¡¯t important anymore.¡± ¡°Not important? Why not?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re in a new era.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Montra doesn¡¯t exist anymore. Everyone we knew in Montra is dead.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same for our deaths too. Regardless of what happened, it¡¯s no longer important. If we want to live in this new time¡­¡± ¡°New time? Don¡¯t make meugh! How could you say that?!¡± Grit¡­ The space temporarily became unstable from her rage. ¡°Jin¡­ Jin would have died too then¡­ to those usurpers¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but everyone dies.¡± Karuna calmly tried tofort her. ¡°The same goes for me, and you, and Jin.¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t know. What are you even trying to say?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go together. Let¡¯s go together into this new world.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Anything.¡± ¡°Is there something that you want in this new world, Karuna?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know yet.¡± ¡°Then why are you trying so hard to go together?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing this to convince you to go into the new world.¡± Karuna took a step towards Karen. ¡°It¡¯s because I want to do it together.¡± ¡°...Karuna.¡± ¡°When I saw the world outside of the Empire, I realized that the Empire was extremely small. Not everything existed inside our fence.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°The world is vast, Karen. It¡¯s filled with mysterious things that we don¡¯t understand.¡± Karen was slowly leaning toward epting Karuna¡¯s proposition. But there was onest hurdle before she could fully ept it. ¡°I lost everything. I lost you, I lost Jin, and I lost the Empire. What will I burn for now? They¡¯ve all turned to ash¡­¡± Karuna gave the same answer that he gave before. ¡°Anything.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re such an asshole.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I heard that. Still, maybe it might be a good first step to think about why you need to be on fire in the first ce.¡± ¡°Why I need to be on fire¡­¡± The knight, who had burned herself down to ash, closed her eyes at her brother¡¯s words. ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Karen. Let¡¯s go together to the sea.¡± And then she opened her eyes to her brother¡¯s words. Her eyes slowly turned red. It, once again, had reason. Crackle¡­ She gave her response to Karuna while looking at the crumbling space. ¡°Alright, take me with you.¡± The moment Karuna was swallowed up by the ck lightning, he had a hunch. ¡®Is Karuna going to change as well?¡¯ Seol started this with the intention of not losing Karuna, but the situation had turned for the worse. ¡®If something bad happens to Karuna because of this¡­¡¯ The chance of something like that happening was low but Seol couldn¡¯t help but worry. But what could he do? ¡®I can only wait.¡¯ Pour¡­ Seol waited in the pouring rain for quite a while. And he waited even longer in the rain, in silence, for Karen and Karuna. - This is so sad ?? - It¡¯s like a dog waiting for their owner toe back home ?? - I mean everyone in this stream is waiting just like him too though LOL - Only real fans stick during times like this! - Donate more if you¡¯re a real fan. - Shush. I will not listen to your materialistic nonsense! ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡± A sharp cough naturally came out of Seol. It was inevitable, though, as he had been standing in the rain for so long. Seol didn¡¯t really have a way to avoid the rain, and walking a fair distance to just hide from the rain during this entire situation was a bitughable, so this was the result of his decisions. Split¡­ In the end, it seemed like Seol¡¯s patience was going to pay off. The ck lightning was starting to split. ¡®Is it¡­ a sess?¡¯ Crackle! * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The ck space, which had been veiled in lightning, finally revealed itself. Glow¡­ What appeared from inside the space was a woman who radiated an alluring ck energy. She wore clothes made of shadows, the shadows even acting as a veil to cover the tip of her nose to her chin. And even so, her eyes were red like the sun. [You have sessfully summoned Twin Knights: Karen¡¯s shadow.] [Passing on the skills.] [Karen¡¯s shadow has sessfully copied Montra Swordsmanship.] [Shadow Summon is low ranked.] [Gallotta¡¯s Tongue¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You supplement it with your high wisdom stat.] [In exchange for sealing Ignite, me Grasp, and Advanced Martial Arts, a skill has been fully passed on.] [Karen¡¯s shadow has sessfully copied Fire Flower.] [Shadow Summon is low ranked.] [Gallotta¡¯s Tongue¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You supplement it with your high wisdom stat.] [In exchange for sealing Final Comeback, Burn Resistance, and Pride, a skill has been fully passed on.] [Karen¡¯s shadow has sessfully copied Red Lotus sh.] [Shadow Summon is low ranked.] [Gallotta¡¯s Tongue¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You supplement it with your high wisdom stat.] [In exchange for sealing Chivalry, Shred, and Matchless Warrior, a skill has been fully passed on.] [Karen¡¯s shadow has failed to copy Mind Control Resistance.] [Shadow Summon is low ranked.] [Gallotta¡¯s Tongue¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You supplement it with your high wisdom stat.] [Mind Control Resistance has been warped into Haze and passed on.] [Your summon maintains only 50% of its original strength.] There were so many messages. But before Seol could even read them all, he saw new ones. [Twin Knights¡¯ Connected Soul activates.] [The two summons¡¯ ranks are improved to Legendary.] [Twin Knights¡¯ Equilibrium activates.] [The two summons¡¯ stats are summed together and divided equally.] [Twin Knights: Karuna has 42 days 16 hours 38 minutes and 26 seconds left until everything has fully passed on.] ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ Seol was dumbfounded by the messages that he couldn¡¯t understand. He understood what ¡®passed on¡¯ meant, but the other messages were all things that he didn¡¯t expect. ¡®Connected Soul?¡¯ It was Karen¡¯s unique skill. And it also seemed to be Karuna¡¯s unique skill before the issues happened to him. Simply put, this skill improved the ranks of the two summons from Heroic to Legendary. Even this would have been enough to shock Seol, but the two following messages after that shook Seol to his core. ¡®Their stats are added together, then divided?¡¯ This meant that as long as they were in bnce, one would never be extremely stronger or weaker than the other. Thest message only served to excite Seol more. ¡°Karuna is having skills passed onto him too¡­¡± [¡®Excuse Me¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason behind all this!] - Snowman! I give you permission to marry me! Snowman! I give you permission to marry me! - Snowman! I give you my shoulder! Snowman! I give you my shoulder! - This is crazy LOL The butterfly effect from a single jelly. - Every single viewer who chewed him out for doing weird things when he was cooking bettere out now! - Wasn¡¯t me. - Wasn¡¯t me either. - Maybe there is no such thing as a bad viewer? - Maybe we just all share a single brain cell? - Maybe Schrodinger raised a dog instead of a cat? [¡®Are you trying to buy a new car?¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [As thanks for your purchase, we will also give you a brand new car of the same model that you bought.] - This store¡¯s just doing whatever they want. - They¡¯re crossing the line¡­ - Huh? A new car, not just some engine oil? Are they out of their minds? - Why is Karen so pretty¡­? As expected from a Legendary! - She really does look super sick¡­ I guess Legendaries are really different, huh? - Why is Karuna sealed for 42 days though? LMFAOOO - ???: Alright ss, this is a time capsule. We¡¯re going to open thister when we grow old, okay? - Karuna: L-Let me out, you psychos¡­ - You gotta ept a penalty like that if you¡¯re getting Karen LOLLLL Seol groaned after reading through all of the messages. If he just ignored everything and looked at the raw numbers, it was clear that it was a huge gain for him. ¡®But why do I feel so uneasy¡­?¡¯ Seol then looked at Karen¡¯s status. [[Twin Knights: Karen] Title: N/A Rank: Legendary Race: Shadow Level: 9 HP: 1460/1460 MP: 840/840 Unallocated Stats: 0 Strength 102(+36) Dexterity 81(+28) Constitution 108(+38) Intelligence 65(+23) Wisdom 62(+22) Spirit 76(+27) Talents: Disguise 2, Interrogate 2] The stats were overwhelming. Even though they were simply 50% of her original base stats, her most important stats, Strength and Constitution, were both over 100. ¡®Then that means her stats were over 200 originally.¡¯ Seol was thankful for the fact that she didn¡¯t kill Karuna and Jamad. Her stats were monstrous themselves, but the additional stats she gained through Seol¡¯s skills and item effects were also considerably high. ¡®If her stats are this high without any items¡­ how strong would she be with proper equipment?¡¯ It was almost like Karen was trying to show that the difference in stats had to be this high for a summon to have a Legendary rank. - Behave yourself! - If you piss her off, it¡¯s straight to a coup d''¨¦tat! - Did you think her red eyes were for decoration? Even though her stats were phenomenal, Seol was a bit sad about the skills she was able to pass on. ¡®The majority of her skills are sealed, but¡­ I guess I couldn¡¯t do much about it because of the difference in levels?¡¯ Even if she had a lot of skills, they were useless if she couldn¡¯t use them. Seol was just thankful that Gallotta¡¯s Tongue at least helped pass on some of the skills properly. ''Thankfully, the majority of the important skills were passed on. Not to mention the unique skills were passed on too.¡¯ Since Karen was passed on two unique skills along with a few basic skills that could be used as her main skills, this was probably already the best-case scenario. The rewards he gained for the days he painstakingly spent making jelly were all worth it now. - Huh? But she didn¡¯t do that yet, right? - Do what? - Don¡¯t summons normally greet their masters when they first be their summons or something like that? - Yeah, they did do that. Why isn¡¯t she doing it? Seol knew that she didn¡¯t do it as well. And because of that, he approached Karen. ¡°Karen.¡± ¡°I still haven¡¯t epted you yet.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that I still need to think about why I need to serve you.¡± It was something that Seol didn¡¯t expect at all. Karen, unlike the other summons that Seol had collected so far, was a formidable enemy. ¡®Is this because she¡¯s Legendary rank?¡¯ Seol hoped for that to be the reason why she was acting like this. ¡°Kuku¡­ How fun.¡± Jamadughed in the Shadow Space after seeing Seol get flustered. Karen then looked at the Shadow Space before speaking. ¡°Well, I look forward to working with you. This goes to the troll and the young king.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a king¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying that, don¡¯t take it so seriously.¡± ¡°...Fuu.¡± Seol grabbed his forehead. - A legendary rank summon! She¡¯s shockingly a tomboy as well. - Snowman requested for a return but didn¡¯t get one. - Endure the weight of the crown¡­ - It¡¯s way too fucking heavy¡­ LOL - I think my neck¡¯s going to break¡­ And now, just as Seol was thinking that he could finally get some rest after all of those dangerous situations¡­ ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± In the few seconds that Seol was looking away, Karen somehow already managed to be bending over to open something. Upon closer inspection, he realized that what she was trying to open were the rewards that Seol had umted throughout the various Adventures. ¡°No! You shouldn¡¯t just touch tha¡ª¡± Click. [You open the Dead Man¡¯s Chest, the best possible reward.] Chapter 64 Creak¡­ With a brilliant light, the chest opened. [You open the Dead Man¡¯s Chest, the best possible reward.] [You have leveled up.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [You have acquired Galifa¡¯s Robes.] [You have acquired Training Uniform of False Prophecy.] [You have acquired 17 tinum coins.] [You have acquired 98 gold coins.] [You have acquired 321 silver coins.] [You have acquired 30 medium red potions.] [You have acquired 24 medium blue potions.] ¡­¡­ Even though Seol could put the other items into his inventory without a second thought, the two clothes caught Seol¡¯s eye. ¡°Oho¡­¡± said Karen. She lifted the two pieces of clothing, like she was amazed by them. ¡°They¡¯re not yours, Karen.¡± ¡°I know. Am I not allowed to even take a look at it?¡± ¡°...Well, you can.¡± ¡°Here, take it then. Did you think that I was looking at them because I wanted to? They were just in the way. I¡¯ll return it to you.¡± Pass. Seol grabbed the two pieces of equipment and checked their stats. [[Galifa¡¯s Robes] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 16-24 Defense: 45 Durability: 75/75 Weight: 0.2kg A dead man¡¯s warmth still lingers in these robes. It is decorated mboyantly with the pattern of The Church of Death¡¯s Truth. Basic Effect: +17 Wisdom, +8 Constitution, +8 Spirit Bonus Effect: If there is a corpse within a 50m radius, you gain +5 to All Stats.] Seol changed into them without even speaking a word. The viewersughed at Seol¡¯s natural reaction to it. - LMFAOOO Honestly the Garment of Stone¡¯s a bit embarrassing to wear now. - 1000% I would¡¯ve changed right away as well. - There really wasn¡¯t anything good in the auction house either¡­ - He did wear it for a long time¡­ It¡¯s about time he let the Garment of Stone go. - It looks much better. He looks good in ck. - Look at how much better these clothes are sheeesh Seol, who had been wearing the garment up until now, also knew that it was time for him to change his upper wear. He had been using a low-level, low-quality item for too long, to the point that it was starting to hold him back. And thanks to acquiring Galifa¡¯s Robes at the perfect time, he was practically a brand new person. [[Training Uniform of False Prophecy] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 18-30 Defense: 82 Durability: 92/92 Weight: 1.2kg A training uniform made from the leather of a certain beast. Perfect manufacturing has maximized its basic efficiency. Basic Effect: +8 Intelligence, +8 Wisdom, +12 Constitution Bonus Effect: +4 to All Stats.] - Honestly, just give this to Jamad. - Yeah, you trash master! - You bitch! - Yo, that was too far. - My bad. - Jamad still looks like a homeless dude,e on. - Snowman¡¯s a shitty owner who makes Jamad go around naked with nothing but ski gloves. - By the way, I can¡¯t believe this Adventure dropped two Treasure quality items when it¡¯s a Solo Adventure. - They¡¯re Treasure quality items because it¡¯s a Solo Adventure. This was an Adventure that would have been hard for a party too. - That¡¯s true. The moment Seol saw the training uniform, he immediately thought of Jamad. Since Jamad was still wearing the basic equipment given to him when he was first summoned, it was about time Seol slowly gave him pieces of equipment to increase his specs. [You have equipped Jamad, the Tyrant, with Training Uniform of False Prophecy.] ¡°...Are you finally going to take care of me now? Still, thanks.¡± Jamad equipped himself with the uniform that Seol gave him in the Shadow Space. - I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen Jamad notin. - Even if heins, he still thanks Snowman though. - Jamad finally won¡¯t be naked now. After dealing with the two pieces of equipment, Seol looked at the other chest remaining. ¡®It¡¯s the additional reward.¡¯ For some reason, Karen was sitting in front of the chest, not opening it. Seol, surprised by her unexpected actions, asked her a question. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you opening it?¡± ¡°Because you told me to not open them? That they weren¡¯t mine?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, but¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the type that enjoys being scolded.¡± ¡°Then why are you sitting in front of the chest then?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m still curious about it.¡± Seol let out a smile and confirmed the additional reward in front of Karen. Click. Shine¡­ [You examine the additional rewards.] [An unexpected fortune! You have received additional skill points.] [You have acquired Gloves of Frequent Fortune.] [You have acquired Red Lotus Sword.] ¡­¡­ - The end? - That¡¯s it? - Huh? Kids these days want way too much! Back in my day¡­ - Why is Snowman¡¯s upset face so funny LOL - You can even see Karenughing behind him hahaha ¡°I guess¡­ there was¡­ pfft¡­ nothing much?¡± ¡°......¡± [[Red Lotus Sword] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 12-22 Damage: 0 Durability: 77/77 Weight: 1.4kg A sword that has been destroyed and left with only the handle. Basic Effect: N/A Bonus Effect: N/A.] - That¡¯s dud. - Yup! It¡¯s a dud. Seol had some expectations for the additional rewards so he was quite disappointed. He then looked at the next reward with downcast eyes. [[Gloves of Frequent Fortune] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 16-22 Defense: 70 Durability: 80/80 Weight: 0.2kg A pair of gloves with a long neck. They are suitable for protecting both the wrists and the back of the hand. The fingers and palms are protected by chains and yet still allow free movement. Basic Effect: +8 Strength, +6 Dexterity, +6 Constitution Bonus Effect: There is a 2% chance your rewards improve by a rank. There is a 1% chance you gain additional rewards.] ¡®This one¡¯s ambiguous.¡¯ The bonus effects weren¡¯t that useful unless Seol consistently gathered a lot of rewards to trigger them. And even if he did gather a lot of rewards, it was hard for him to give a clear answer as to whether those bonus rewards would be better than the items that he could potentially have instead. ¡®I should put this up on the auction house.¡¯ As Seol was thinking to himself, he noticed Karen staring holes into the gloves. ¡°......¡± ¡°What do you¡­ n to do with them?¡± ¡°Probably put them on the auctio¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think they¡¯re way too pretty to do that?¡± ¡°...What?¡± Karen quickly grabbed the gloves and held them tightly. ¡°Could I take them?¡± ¡°Their effects really aren¡¯t that great, though.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t expect too much out of equipment! Well, amateurs like you could have fantasies about fantastic items, but in my eyes, the eyes of a trained knight, I can tell immense¡­¡± - My ears are starting to bleed¡­ - Noona¡­ you can just take that, noona¡­ - Snowman: I¡¯m telling you, I bought the tiara from this store just 2 hours ago! What? You want me to bring a receipt? Why can¡¯t I just get a refund?! - Snowman¡¯s expressions are worse now than when he got the gloves LMFAOOO Seol nodded, ¡°You can use those gloves for now.¡± ¡°Really? Really? You¡¯re not allowed to go back on it, alright? I¡¯m really going to use it, okay?¡± ¡°We can think about thister if we find better equipment for you.¡± Karen put on the gloves with a touched expression. ¡°It fits me perfectly¡­¡± - Equipment are set to fit the wearer perfectly though¡­ - Noona¡­ just be quiet¡­ - Karen(the type that gets easily touched) - But Snowman¡­ as always, he just has basic gloves. - The next victim after Jamad¡­ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol looked at Karen. She was a shadow. She had nothing, the only thing that proved her existence was her red eyes. That¡¯s why¡­ Seol felt strange when he saw how happy she was from wearing those gloves with an unsophisticated color. Jamad then chimed in from the Shadow Space. ¡°You¡¯re so emotional for no reason whatsoever. Is it because you were dead for so long?¡± Karen responded to him without even turning around to look at Jamad. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something that you, a stinky old troll, should be saying?¡± ¡°...Damn it, we won¡¯t be able to get our money¡¯s worth from her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m racist though so don¡¯t take it to heart, you old troll.¡± ¡°Look, just call me a troll. I might be a troll but I¡¯m not old.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± - I can¡¯t keep up with their conversation at all¡­ - A conversation between a troll and an elf¡­ how crazy lol. Seol left them to talk to each other and checked the new titles he earned. [[Title: Conman] Rted Achievement: A Friend of a Friend (Adventure: Ember) Bonus Effect: Regardless of whoever you are talking to, they will trust you a little bit.] [[Special Title: Challenger] Rted Achievement: An Insurmountable Gap (Adventure: Ember) Bonus Effect: When the enemy¡¯s level is 20 levels or higher than your own, all stats increase by 15%.] [[Special Title: Ouw] Rted Achievement: Dice are Merely Numbers (Adventure: Ember) Bonus Effect: When you roll below a 3 on the Travel Luck Dice, there is a 50% chance of changing your Travel Luck to 3.] - This is insane LMFAOOOOO - I was picking my nose while reading Conman¡¯s effects but I identally went too deep while I was reading the special titles. - He¡¯s in too deep¡­ - Are these titles for real? - Isn¡¯t Challengerpletely broken? - Ouw looks more broken to me¡­ -Having a reroll is disgustingly OP. God damn it LOL - This is why names are super important LOL If he didn¡¯t have the ¡®man¡¯ part in ¡®Conman¡¯ it probably would¡¯ve led to him getting tricked more haha. - Conman has no restrictions though so the effects are pretty good too, though¡­ - Don¡¯t listen to them, Conman. You did nothing wrong! Seol was extremely satisfied with his new titles. Especially since he learned through this Adventure that he could face opponents with a massive level difference from him, the Challenger title looked amazing. ¡®And the origin of all of this, the randomness of the travel luck, is somewhat mitigated now by Ouw.¡¯ The travel luck definitely yed a role in the undead bing an ancient knight in this Adventure. This was a clear example of how awful travel luck could bring arduous trials, ones so difficult that it makes the Adventurer curse out loud. ¡°Fuu¡­ all I have to do now is go back.¡± After saying that, Seol looked at Karen. Karen, sensing Seol¡¯s gaze, looked back at him. The two looked at each other for quite a while. Something was off. - The End¡­ - And the couple lived happily ever after. - Why the fuck isn¡¯t she going into the Shadow Space? LMFAOOO Is she incapable of reading the room? - ???: Karuna, are you really going to make me teach her? Why aren¡¯t you teaching the newbie better? - You just gave me PTSD from my military service LMFAO ¡°Why are you still looking at me?¡± ¡°I just thought it was about time we headed back.¡± ¡°Then we can just go¡­?¡± ¡°You have to return to my Shadow Space for me to go back.¡± ¡°Ah, I was wondering why you were acting like this.¡± Karen dusted her butt off out of habit, even though she was a shadow now. ¡°I don¡¯t want to, though? I don¡¯t want to be with that old troll,¡± said Karen. ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s not like I like it either. Even without you, it¡¯s already cramped in here with that gloomy lump of iron sleeping in the back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call Karuna that!¡± ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ll think about it if you promise not to call me old.¡± Karen swiftly changed her tone without hesitation. ¡°Alright, calling you old was taking it too far. I¡¯ll just call you a troll now.¡± ¡°...Fine. Then I won¡¯t call that lump of¡ª I mean¡­ I''ll properly call my friend, Karuna, by his name. Haha¡­¡± Seol knew why Jamadughed at the end. It was because he deduced what Karen¡¯s weakness was. ¡®It¡¯s probably Karuna.¡¯ It was obvious to anyone, as she always tried to get her way but acted like that whenever it involved Karuna. ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s quite troublesome if you try to go around with that appearance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a shadow, who cares¡ª Ah! Are Shadow Summoners oppressed in this era or something? I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re not but there¡¯s nothing good thates from standing out.¡± ¡°What? This was all because of something like that?¡± re¡­ [Karen used Haze.] [Karen¡¯s Disguise activates.] Karen brought both her hands to her face and covered it with her hands. mes burst out when she touched her face, scaring Seol. ¡°Karen!¡± ¡°Stop being such a baby, see! It¡¯s fine now, right?¡± ¡°...What? H-Hold on.¡± Seol had been surprised by Karen many times before, but this was on another level. Her face, shockingly, no longer looked like it was made out of shadows. ¡°What do you think? It¡¯s perfect, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not a shadow anymore?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Look at you all surprised.¡± Karen had used her powers to recreate her original, beautiful form from her previous life. The problem was that it seemed like her powers were spreading everywhere, not just her face. re¡­ As the ck skin around her neck red up and turned white, Seol stopped her. ¡°Hold on, you don¡¯t have clothes.¡± ¡°My armor? Oh, wait, my armor¡¯s all destroyed. I thought you said that you didn¡¯t want to travel with a shadow, though?¡± ¡°That¡¯s.. Sigh¡­ Just go into the Shadow Space.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t want to, though, so what should we do? Maybe I¡¯ll think about it if you buy me clothes¡­¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll look into it the moment we get back.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do it since you¡¯re going that far~¡± - He fell for it. - Snowman, the weakest in the party. - ???: Come back, Karuna¡­ Come take back your sister¡­ - Snowman must hate Karens lol Fwirl! Karen returned to Seol¡¯s Shadow Space. And Seol quickly ended the Adventure like he was tired of everything. Glow¡­ Seol was once again surrounded by particles before disappearing. A few momentster, he was transported to near Nobira. And he saw a few messages. [Next is the Points Leaderboard up to Adventure 8.] Ding [Your information is set to Private.] [You have 1,312,300 Points.] They were the same messages that always came up. However, what came up right after wasn¡¯t the Points Leaderboard that Seol expected. It was something else entirely. [You have surpassed 1,000,000 Adventure Points.] [You have earned the achievement ''A Step on First Snow''.] [You have earned the title ''Affluent''.] ¡°...Huh?¡± Chapter 65 As it was something that no one had foreseen, Seol¡¯s viewers were all shocked. - Huh? Seriously? - I knew that he was going to reach 1,000,000 Points soon but was he really the first one? - Deduction) Normally you have to join a raid party or do Party Adventures to reach 1,000,000 Points but doing that would take a long, long time. - FACTS. - OMG¡­ He must be the strongest person!! - But you also have to consider that most people could get close to 1,000,000 Points after their long-term Adventure ends. - Snowman has 1.3 mil points though. - Who knows? Maybe they¡¯ll surpass him? - Why are you so pessimistic? - I¡¯m just trying to lower my expectations! Having too many expectations would lead to disappointment! - Ah, okay. Seol expected that he would surpass 1,000,000 Adventure Points after the Adventure was over. And in truth, he was hoping for a reward for surpassing 1,000,000 Points like how lovers exchange gifts on their 100th day dating. ¡®But still, I¡¯m the first person to get it?¡¯ Since Adventure Points was a newly introduced system, Seol didn¡¯t know that there was an achievement like this. And as such, he also didn¡¯t know about the title¡¯s effects. Seol lowered his expectations as much as he could and checked his new title. [[Title: Affluent] Rted Achievement: A Step on First Snow (Adventure: N/A) Bonus Effect: Gain additional skill points for your Adventure rewards.] It was short but meaningful. ¡®Oh my god¡­¡¯ There were quite a few systems in ce in Pandea to maintain the bnce. One such system was the level system. If two people went on an equal number of Adventures, their levels would also be identical. Seol, through eight Adventures, had reached level 11. And this was also the case for the other yers as well. But if you simply chose shorter Adventures to speedrun through them to gain levels faster, you would ruin the character. Through leveling up, you would unlock a few important Adventures and increase your stats a bit, but that was all. Eventually, yers realized that going on Adventures with only leveling up in mind was incorrect. Not only did your stats have to be high, but your equipment yed a huge role too. Titles, conquests, achievements, etc. were also important. But the most important thing, along with stats, were the skills you had and their proficiencies. With his past knowledge, Seol quickly realized that this title, a title which he received for the first time, would be instrumental in snowballing his strength to greater heights. ¡®If I get additional skill points with each Adventure, my skills¡¯ proficiencies would increase exponentially.¡¯ Since Seol could amass additional skill points in the early game, as long as he continuously built them up, the skill points he umted would create a massive gap between him and everyone else. ¡®Still, this made it really worth it to be so busy early on.¡¯ - This is super good, but¡­ I can ept it. - Reaching a million points at this stage = was super busy - I wonder what kind of butterfly effect these additional points will bring¡­ - I doubt even ChatGPT would know. ¡®It was just a relief that I was the one to get this title. It could have been dangerous if someone else got this first.¡¯ If another yer had received this title instead of Seol, they might have even been able to catch up to Seol someday. He wasn¡¯t working this hard simply because he wanted to be ahead of other people, but having someone catch up to him also meant that he wasn¡¯t reaching the highest potential that he could be. Therefore, Seol didn¡¯t n on allowing anyone to catch up. ¡°Master¡¯s¡­ughing?¡± said Karen. ¡°Leave him alone. He does that from time to time. Just act like you didn¡¯t see anything,¡± said Jamad. Now that someone chatty entered the Shadow Space, it was filled with noise. Seol then gave them a request. ¡°Please just stay quiet once we¡¯re in the city.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I was always good at reading the room. Unlike that elf.¡± ¡°Woah, a troll who knows how to read the room?! That¡¯s kind of romantic.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Please get stronger faster so you can expand the Shadow Space. Get me away from that elf.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I was just starting to like this cramped area. We¡¯re neighbors after all, no?¡± ¡°We. Are. Not. Neighbors!¡± Seol grimaced and checked the other messages. [Adventurer Points Leaderboard 1. Private (1,312,300) 2. Firefly (500,020) 3. ILikeBeingAlone (472,160) 4. Daerim-DongHamFist (450,080) 5. AttackonDwarf (391,810)] ¡®The rankings have changed.¡¯ The rankings were still mostly filled with people who were on the leaderboardsst time, and there was nothing really of interest other than the fact that the people who were ranked 2nd and 3rdst time had dropped down to 4th and 5th. ¡®It seems like 4th ce and 5th ce are on a longer Adventure¡­ but who¡¯s ILikeBeingAlone?¡¯ There was someone new on the rankings. Rank 3, ILikeBeingAlone. ¡®Is it Mira? Or someone else? Well, regardless¡­¡¯ Since the points gap that Seol built up couldn¡¯t be ovee with just an Adventure or two, he didn¡¯t put them into memory. - Overwhelming! - Woah¡­ He really does have a crazy amount of points. - If he wants to walk around with a name tag that just says ¡®Private¡¯, I could respect it. - I bet he¡¯d get a lot of dates if he did that. [You begin your Rest.] [Your Key Location Rest is starting.] [Break 4. Nobira, the Ruins City.] [Break 4. ¡®Nobira, the Ruins City¡¯ In The World of Eternity, Nobira the Ruins City is located in South Pandea. A city where many treasures andmodities excavated from ruinse and go because of its adjacency to the Great Forest. It also has one of the bigger ck markets andrge auction houses in the South. Because something chaotic has happened recently near here, the residents of the city are anxious Adventurers must take plenty of rest and training here, or at another rest location, before preparing for the next Adventure. Objective: Rest and maintenance. You will be tired upon failure. Remaining Time: [About 30 days]] ¡®Something chaotic?¡¯ The contents of the Rest changed very slightly from before. What was that chaotic thing? Why was it making the residents anxious? Seol kept that in the back of his head as he entered the city. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Buy me that.¡± ¡°Shh.¡± ¡°Woah¡­ Are they all people?¡± ¡°Could you please be quiet?¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll think about it if you buy me clothes first?¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Clothes. Clothes. Clothes. Clothes.¡± - I think I¡¯m going to lose it. I think I¡¯m going to lose it. - When is Karunaing back¡­ - Just buy her clothes, Snowman¡­ Because Karen, who was in his Shadow Space, kept attracting the attention of other people, Seol decided to head to the smithy first. ¡°Where are you going?¡± asked Karen. ¡°I thought you wanted me to buy you clothes?¡± ¡°I wanted everyday clothes. Are you seriously going to make me wear some heavy armor around, everywhere I go?¡± ¡°Karuna did it fine though¡­¡± ¡°He probably was just holding his tongue! When Karunaes back, I want you to buy him everyday clothes too!¡± ¡°Sometimes, when he came back here, Karuna would let out a sigh. Well, it was obvious why he was doing that though,¡± interjected Jamad. ¡°You heard that too, right? And now that you have me, you don¡¯t need to worry about people finding out that we¡¯re shadows.¡± ¡°Because of Haze?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a type of illusion magic but there¡¯s no way ordinary people would find out.¡± Seol also agreed with that. ¡®It really was inconspicuous. Was it also because of the ¡®Disguise¡¯ Talent?¡¯ A skill like that that could be used in the day-to-day was infinitely more useful than being passed on a skill that was awkward to use. Though it wasn¡¯t like she had any awkward skills in the first ce. ¡®I can just unseal her sealed skills next time, and¡­ wait, why does she have a talent in disguising?¡¯ Seol could hear an answer from the Shadow Space. ¡°You just thought of something weird, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No. I was just thinking about why you were passed on ¡®Haze¡¯.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because I originally did a lot of those kinds of missions. Things like disguising myself, infiltrating, stuff like that. One time¡­ never mind.¡± The way she stopped herself at the end showed that she was recalling old memories. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go there.¡± Seol, at Karen¡¯s request, went into a clothing store and grabbed the dress that Karen pointed out. It was a red dress that women from a renowned, noble house would wear. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too shy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be the one wearing it so who cares? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ is it too expensive for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not, I just don¡¯t like standing out¡­¡± ¡°I stand out anyway. Do you see anyone around here who¡¯s an elf?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± - I mean, she¡¯s not wrong LMFAO - So she nned on standing out from the start!!! - The summoner was persuaded. - Snowman has now be her wallet. After purchasing the clothes, Seol went to a ce where there were not too many people and put the clothes into his Shadow Space. [You have equipped Karen, the Twin Knight, with Red Silk Dress.] ¡°What a fuss.¡± ¡°Could you be quiet for a second, troll?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Jamad gave a half-hearted response, Seol could practically see the image of Jamad raising his hands in response in his head. After a few minutes, Karen spoke again. ¡°Oho¡­ It¡¯s not bad.¡± ¡°What do you think? It looks good, right? Does it look good to a troll too?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just whatever in my eyes but humans could have a different opinion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fault for asking a troll. Why did I think you¡¯d have an eye for beauty?¡± ¡°Now that I take another look, it looks worse.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Seol ignored their childish conversation and looked at the sky. It was calm. Despite the ominous message in the interface, nothing seemed off. But luckily for Seol, he now had a way to gain information without using his gold. ¡®I should meet up with Kibo.¡¯ Kibo, the leader of the ruin hunters in Nobira, was practically Seol¡¯s helper now, after all. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± As Seol was thinking to himself, Karen interrupted his thoughts from behind. ¡°Nothing mu¡ª¡± Seol turned around to look at Karen without a second thought but he was shocked by her appearance. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°¡­It looks pretty good?¡± ¡°Well, I might be a shadow now but I still need to look a bit charming, you know?¡± - NodNodNodNodNodNodNodNodNodNodNod - I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-It looks nice, for sure¡­ - Wow¡­¡­¡­ - I think I blinded myself from her beauty. - Karen was this pretty? - Bring back Montra! Bring back Montra! Bring back Montra! Bring back Montra! Bring back Montra! Bring back Montra! - I n on killing whoever brought down the Empire. That was my goal from the start, my only goal. Karen looked exactly like how she looked before her death. She had fair skin that was entuated by her red dress. She was reborn into a perfect elf. ¡®Still, her hair color¡¯s still the same.¡¯ Despite having red hair in Karuna¡¯s memories, her hair was gray. Karen, noticing Seol¡¯s eyes, shyly touched her hair. ¡°I couldn¡¯t change this¡­ Alright, let¡¯s go. Where are we going?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a ce I nned to visit right away.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She was eye-catching, not only because she was about as tall as Seol with a model-like figure, her gorgeous gray hair caught the attention of every Nobira resident as they passed by. ¡°Who¡­Who is that?¡± ¡°Is it a troupe? I didn¡¯t hear any news about it though.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so rude. It¡¯s obvious that she¡¯s a Lady of some noble house who¡¯s out for a walk.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. It must be quite the incredible house then¡­ look at her ve.¡± ¡°Yeah, definitely. Even her ve is dressed well.¡± - ve? - ¡­Is he talking about me? - Fuck, it¡¯s me. - Beep¡­ You have been demoted to ve. LOL - It¡¯s fine, Snowman! All you have to do is dress up too! - Being ugly isn¡¯t a crime! - Honestly, he¡¯s more on the handsome side¡­ Based on how you were so quick to call him ugly means that¡­ you must be ugly, aren¡¯t you? LMFAO - I plead the 5th. Seol was a bit upset but didn¡¯t say anything. It was because he noticed Karen enjoying and humming to herself. ¡°The world really has changed. The buildings all look strange now.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, everything¡¯s new to me.¡± And then she continued, ¡°¡­Except for me. I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s the same.¡± Seol didn¡¯t pry any further and continued moving. ¡°There¡¯s less and less people now. Why are we going somewhere so¡­ creepy?¡± ¡°Because the person we¡¯re trying to meet lives here.¡± ¡°Someone lives here? I don¡¯t sense any¡­ Ah! Are you talking about him over there?¡± Point! At the end of Karen¡¯s finger was a man who had his hands behind his back. It was Hamun. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°I apologize foring to see you without notifying you, Hamun.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. Good news alwayses without warning. More importantly, the person you brought¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s my ally.¡± Hamun instantly nodded at Seol¡¯s response. ¡°You¡¯ve made an incredible ally. I could feel her powerful presence akin to a strong sword.¡± ¡°Did you hear that? Did he justpliment me right now? You¡¯re pretty good, human! I also get a good feeling from you!¡± As Karen jumped around, Hamun gave a smile. ¡°Come in.¡± Seol and Karen followed Hamun into his house. Since Hamun knew that Seol didn¡¯t drink tea, he quickly got straight to the point. ¡°So the reason you came here¡­¡± Seol also was a person who didn¡¯t have much time to waste. ce. He immediately showed Hamun why he came here. By passing over an item. ¡°Hm¡­ You¡¯ve brought another tricky problem.¡± ¡°I apologize.¡± ¡°No, not at all. It¡¯s just that this sword¡­ it¡¯s simply destroyed to the point that you should be thankful that it¡¯s still breathing.¡± The reason that Seol came here was because of Karen¡¯s destroyed Red Lotus Sword. ¡°Then could I leave this sword to you?¡± Hamun inspected the sword for a long while before finally uttering¡­ Chapter 66 ¡°Currently, there¡¯s nothing that I can do.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°This sword is not ordinary. I¡¯m sure you knew that already, though, yes?¡± ¡°I could somewhat tell that.¡± It was a sword that Karen, an ancient knight, used. Even though only its handle and a part of its de were left by the passage of time, Seol was able to tell that it was powerful when it was first created. ¡°It was quite painstakingly made. Also, it¡¯s simr to the sword I enhanced before.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the Moonlight Sword? But you were able to bring back the Moonlight Sword to its original state¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s different from then. I don¡¯t have any materials I can reinforce this with, not to mention the fact that since only the sword¡¯s handle is left, the entirety of the sword needs to be reconstructed.¡± ¡°Materials, materials¡­¡± Seol thought for a second at Hamun¡¯s words before speaking again. ¡°Then does that mean you can repair it if I¡¯m somehow able to bring you the proper materials?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong. However, if I want to amplify the sword¡¯s power without distorting it, it would require a very intricate process.¡± ¡°What kind of¡­¡± ¡°I have no idea what material this sword¡¯s de is made out of. I have some people looking into it, but no one has found anything out yet.¡± ¡°Then how did you repair Breath before?¡± ¡°Breath also isn¡¯t the sword¡¯splete state. This is simply an imitation of it. I assume that the sword¡¯s original power was much stronger than how it is right now.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Breath was already a Peerless quality sword. Seol was also probably the only yer with a Peerless quality weapon right now, and he was definitely the only one who gave a Peerless quality weapon to their summon. ¡®Breath¡­ is an imitation at best? How powerful was the sword originally then?¡¯ Seol could tell that the sword was originally supposed to be extremely powerful, but the problems that came with it because of its strength only made Seol worry more. ¡®I guess the problem is the material then¡­¡¯ Seol asked Karen a question, ¡°Karen, have you used other swords before other than the Red Lotus Sword?¡± ¡°Of course! I often used the training swords when I trained.¡± ¡°Really? Then that¡¯s a relie¡ª¡± ¡°They all burned down, though.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Did you mishear? When I use other swords, the heat liquifies the swords to the point of uselessness. They either warp and break apart, or the de bes dull¡­ minor stuff like that?¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound minor at all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s minor, at least to me. Ah, back when I used to train at the Empire¡¯s capital¡­ They told me that the equipment that the trainees ruined in one year was still less than the equipment I ruined in a month. Funny, right?¡± It was funny. Or at least it would be if it was someone else¡¯s problem. ¡°Then without the Red Lotus Sword¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no real other choice. I¡¯d probably need a new sword each time we fight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be homeless at this rate.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s my fault?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not, but¡­ fine. Hamun, do you know if there¡¯s anything I could do?¡± Hamun ced his hand on his chin and thought to himself for a while. And then, he spoke. ¡°Ores that have heat energy aren¡¯t thatmon, so¡­¡± ¡°What about ava ingot? I¡¯m confident I saw a few at the auction house.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t suit the sword. Theva ingot¡¯s energy would only weaken the sword.¡± ¡°What about a fire spirit stone?¡± ¡°It would decrease the durability too much. If what she said is true, the sword would break after only a couple of uses.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Seol scowled. Karen was currently a swordless swordsman. For a moment, Seol thought about how Karen called herself a knight without a lord to serve. She was exactly like a turkey without stuffing. ¡°I¡¯m already strong enough without a sword. I understand your worries, Master, but¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not like it can stay that way forever.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true too.¡± Karen scratched her head. She kept taking nces at Seol, who was worried because of her. Hamun¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Master? What kind of rtionship do you¡ª¡± re¡­ Haze flickered away from Karen¡¯s face to reveal the ck energy of a shadow. ¡°Rtionship?¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­ I noticed you had a peculiar energy for an elf, but I never would have imagined that you were a shadow. Ipletely fell for it.¡± ¡°Hahaha, thanks for thepliment.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ a shadow¡­ shadow, hm¡­ If that¡¯s the case, then there is one method left¡­¡± Seol, hearing the best news he had heard from Hamun in a while, quickly responded. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s something that¡¯s only possible because it¡¯s a weapon that a shadow will use.¡± ¡°Please, continue.¡± ¡°Do you¡­ know about the legend of the ¡®Burning Spider Queen¡¯?¡± ¡°Anachindria.¡± ¡°...Correct, so you do know. I¡¯m surprised by your knowledge from time to time, Snowman.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simply because it¡¯s a monster from a famous legend. Especially in South Pandea.¡± - Huh? He knew it right away? - What¡¯s an Anachindria? - The guidebook says that it¡¯s a super big spider? - I fucking hate spiders¡­ Is it still alive though? - Nah, it''s some ancient monster. Seol quickly asked Hamun a question first, as if he had realized something. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want me to bring you Anachindria¡¯s blood¡­¡± Since Anachindria¡¯s blood was rumored to have many different, mysterious powers, countless people have tried killing it. However, as expected from an ancient legend, no one has ever even seen the spider. ¡®But why did he suddenly mention Anachindria?¡¯ Unless Hamun wanted Seol to aim for it, there was no reason for him to mention it. ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s been widely known since long ago that Anachindria is dead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°What we need right now is theirst descendant¡¯s blood.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Hamun¡¯sst statement momentarily stunned Seol. ¡°Anachindria¡¯s descendant? Is that true?¡± ¡°To be more precise, I¡¯ve received rumors that her descendant could exist. It has still yet to be confirmed.¡± ¡°...So you n on using the fire spirit stone and spider¡¯s blood together then, right?¡± Seol¡¯s question showed that he saw right through Hamun¡¯s intent. Hamun, shocked, asked in response, ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there was a method like that.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ It¡¯s nice that the conversation can flow so smoothly. You are exactly right. Spirit stones have a characteristic that nullifies their weak durability, one of their biggest downsides, if they absorb a creature¡¯s blood. And spider¡¯s blood is especially known for having good synergy with spirit stones.¡± ¡°But if you use them together, there¡¯s the issue of corrupting the user¡¯s mind if they¡¯re a lifeform¡ªAh! So that¡¯s why you brought this up.¡± ¡°Exactly. Shadows aren¡¯t ¡®alive¡¯. Even if she uses it, corruption won¡¯t be an issue.¡± ¡°But spirit stones are a difficult material to acquire as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to work toward something than do nothing, right? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re desperate for a sword she can use, but isn¡¯t finding armor she can wear also an issue?¡± Seol looked at Karen. ¡°Does it burn?¡± Karen gave an innocent smile and nodded. ¡°Armor isn¡¯t as much of an issue, but it still is a problem.¡± ¡°Oh my god.¡± ¡°So, what do you think? Will you do as I suggest?¡± [[Hamun requests that you bring him the blood of a monster rumored to be Anachindria¡¯sst descendant. How do you respond?] 1. This is insane. 2. I don¡¯t n on wasting time on unconfirmed rumors. 3. Let¡¯s look for another method. 4. Where do I need to go to get that monster¡¯s blood? ¡­¡­] Seol let out a sigh and responded. ¡°Could you please tell me where that monster was spottedst?¡± ¡°A wise decision. Even so, it¡¯s likely that the monster is behind people disappearing around that area. So, be careful.¡± [Adventure ¡®Her Last Descendant¡¯ is scheduled.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * After receiving Hamun¡¯s goodbyes, Seol and Karen headed to the main street. ¡°I had no idea what you guys were talking about¡­ Seriously, I understood nothing.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t really need to worry about understanding the specifics of what we talked about. But essentially, we were talking about your equipment.¡± ¡°Urm¡­ That¡¯s a bit troublesome¡­¡± ¡°Troublesome?¡± Karen responded with an innocent look in her eyes. ¡°Because I¡¯m not your knight yet?¡± - What? - What? Baby¡­ I thought today was our first day together¡­ - Did I seriously misunderstand the situation again? What a shit world¡­ - ?????? - I even thought of marrying you! I was already looking into the nursing home we¡¯d be going to together¡­ Seol responded as if it wasn¡¯t that important. ¡°Phew, I thought it was something serious. I¡¯m just nning equipment in advance because we¡¯ll eventually need it.¡± ¡°Already?¡± ¡°Only bad things will happen if I do it too slowly, so.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re pretty confident that I¡¯ll eventually serve you, huh?¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it a reasonable assumption to make since Karuna is with me?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re annoying, but you¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°Take all the time you need to think about it.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Karen quietly trailed behind Seol. Even though people stared at her as she passed by them on the streets, she only looked at the ground, like she was deep in thought. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Anachindria¡­ I just feel like I¡¯ve heard her name before¡­¡± ¡°You know that monster?¡± Anachindria was a fire spider that was only passed down through oral legends. She shoots sulfuric fire out of her mouth and has a habit of storing her victims in cocoons to suck out their bodily fluids while keeping them in her nest. Not only was she massive, she also had multiple annoying abilities that made her notorious. ¡®Also, oral legends normally turn out to be factual in Pandea.¡¯ The fact that it spread through word of mouth meant that there existed someone who personally saw it themselves. And Seol quickly learned that for that reason, most oral legends turn out to be true. Seol, when he used to y in The World of Eternity in his dreams, enjoyed uncovering oral legends like that. The fact that he investigated them also helped him hold a lead ahead of the others. ¡°So that Anachindria thing¡­ Does it have twelve legs?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ There are rumors about that, yeah. It¡¯s also called the ¡®twelve-legged demon¡¯ by some.¡± ¡°Then it really is that spider.¡± ¡°You know it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only heard rumors. That monster settled inside a canyon in the Empire¡¯s territory and stopped everyone froming to the Empire.¡± ¡°That sounds like it was a really long time ago. Have you fought her yourself?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve only heard rumors. I think we sessfully chased her away but couldn¡¯tnd the finishing blow? It¡¯s been so long that I can¡¯t remember.¡± - She¡¯s talking about something so old as if it¡¯s nothing¡­ - I mean, she is old¡­ - Karen¡¯s suddenly starting to look old to me now, LMFAO Seol could really feel how ancient of an era she came from each time they had a conversation. ¡®Still, the Shade Canyon, huh¡­ that¡¯s a bit troublesome.¡¯ Shade Canyon. It was a canyon which even experienced guides and merchants avoided, even if they were pressed for time. Not only was the canyon massive, the terrain was rough and monsters ceaselessly appeared without warning. But that wasn¡¯t all. It was also located far away from Nobira so traveling there and back would take at least a month. ¡®I also have bad memories about the Shade Canyon too.¡¯ To recall it, Seol tried his hardest to correctly remember it. But as he was trying to, Karen poked at his sides. ¡°Aren¡¯t we here?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah.¡± ¡°How could you be more out of it than me? Seriously¡­¡± ¡°Were you also busy thinking about something?¡± ¡°Duh, of course!¡± - Of course? - Of course? - Man, it¡¯s a fucking mess now that Karuna¡¯s gone LOOOOOOOL Currently, Seol had just arrived at the entrance of the manor that Chao rented. As always, he nned to see if there were any other traces he missed. ¡°Is there something important here?¡± ¡°Information. I¡¯vee here twice already but I wasn¡¯t able to find any proper information. If I can¡¯t find anything this time either, I¡¯ll probably give up on this.¡± ¡°Give up, my ass¡­ So how did you get inside of here before?¡± Karen had already climbed over the fence and was standing in front of the door. It made sense why she was so confused. The front door was practically locked shut and there weren¡¯t any traces of anyone entering or leaving. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not there. You have to enter through the window over there.¡± ¡°Knights don¡¯t sneak inside like thieves. Cover your ears for a second.¡± ¡°What¡­? What are you¡­¡± BAAAAAM! Karen kicked down the door, popping it right off the hinges. But she must have held back a little as well since the door was still intact. - She¡¯s so manly! - If there¡¯s no way in, you just gotta make one! - Info) There was already a path in. Seol worried for a second, thinking that someone mighte here from the sound but what could he do about it? It was already toote. ¡°Did you also break in like this on your missions?¡± ¡°Only at the start.¡± ¡°Then why are you doing it again?¡± ¡°Because I wanted to really feel like I was having a fresh start. Was it too much?¡± ¡°...Let¡¯s just hurry and look inside before someonees.¡± Seol let out a sigh as he headed to Chao¡¯s research room in the manor. But then¡­ Grab. Karen stopped Seol from proceeding further with her arm. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Bloodlust. Can you not feel it?¡± Awoooooo! [Wolf¡¯s Warning activates.] [The wearer is currently in a dangerous situation.] Suddenly, Seol¡¯s ring activated. ¡°Step back, Master.¡± Seol tried hard to understand the sudden situation. ¡®What? Bloodlust?¡¯ But then, a voice, something Seol never expected to hear inside the manor, could be heard. ¡°Are you not a hunter?¡± Karen looked at Seol. She looked at Seol as if she was asking him if he knew who the voice belonged to. It seemed like Seol quickly realized something as he asked a question back into the darkness. ¡°Chao! Is that you?¡± And then, he heard a response. Chapter 67 The voice Seol heard from the darkness was definitely a woman¡¯s. ¡°You know who I am?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you Chao, a shadow summoner from Kongory?¡±¡± ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve investigated quite a bit about me. But even though I might have stayed in Kongory for a while, I¡¯m not originally from there. Still, it¡¯s nice to meet you. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Snowman.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of you before, that¡¯s a bit unfair. Even though you know my name, I haven¡¯t even heard of yours.¡± Step. Step. Chao slowly stepped out of the darkness. Fwoosh! And instantly, she disappeared before reappearing right in front of Seol. It was at incredible speed. Chao let out a punch, aimed at Seol. Grab! Even so, Karen was able to stop it with her hand. Karenughed, ¡°Your jokes are a bit much,dy.¡± ¡°Oho! You have a good shadow.¡± Release. Chao slowly pulled back her fist. Karen also let her go without any trouble. ¡®She found out that Karen was a shadow.¡¯ Even though fooling ordinary people was easy, fooling an experienced shadow summoner like Chao was too much. Seol questioned why Chao acted that way. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°Just cause. I did it because I was curious,¡± said Chao while spinning around. ¡°Still, it¡¯s such a strange world. Even though I, the homeowner,e in here through the windows, an uninvited guest like you is boldly walking through the front door.¡± Chao mentioned how Karen broke down her door. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go through the door too?¡± ¡°Because I lost the keys.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Based on your reactions, I shouldn¡¯t make jokes. It¡¯s because people are chasing after me. I already have a habit of not leaving behind any traces, so¡­ it¡¯s just something like that.¡± Seol calmly told her why he was looking for her. ¡°People believed that you went missing.¡± ¡°Ah, are you from the Prophets of the Dark? No wonder¡­ It makes sense why you¡¯d know me then. Don¡¯t tell me, are you from Kongory?¡± ¡°Not anymore, but yes.¡± ¡°Then it must have been the nerds there who sent you. They¡¯re so kind, really¡­ but, what should we do?¡± Chao¡¯s eyes shed in the dark. ¡°I don¡¯t n on going back to Kongory anymore.¡± ¡°...Oh no.¡± ¡°Yeah, you came all the way here for nothing. Congrattions!¡± Despite Chao¡¯s mocking congrattions, Seol coldly responded. ¡°It¡¯s fine. All I had to do was deliver a message anyway.¡± ¡°You¡­ This wasn¡¯t the only reason you came to find me was it?¡± ¡°It was just something I could do while I was on the way.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Chao was now on guard at Seol. It was an obvious response since Chao first saw Seol as a skilled but naive summoner and now, he revealed his hidden intent. ¡°Don¡¯t be so on guard. I don¡¯t have ill intent.¡± ¡°...What is it then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m stuck on the Wall of Awakening. I need your help oveing it.¡± ¡°Ah! It was just that?¡± Wall of Awakening. Once a yer reaches level 10 and goes to the ss training center in their city, they receive this option. - [Required: Shadow Summoner, Wall of Awakening] I heard that there was a Shadow Summoner here. Something like that. Seol began his search for Chao the moment that text was no longer grayed out. If a yer¡¯s growth is blocked by the Wall of Awakening, they are no longer able to grow their skills. And during that time, even if you go to the ss training center to enhance a skill, the skill won¡¯t get any stronger. ¡®Because I¡¯m blocked by the Wall of Awakening, my growth is blocked too.¡¯ Through hisst Adventure, Seol just reached level 11. Even if he wanted to enhance his skills at the ss training center, he was unable to. If Seol went to the ss training center right now, the skill tree wouldn¡¯t appear. And so, these experienced experts were there to help the yer grow. And the ¡®experienced experts¡¯ in this case were the veterans of each ss. For example, someone like Chao who was right in front of Seol. Also, although they help the yer break down the Wall of Awakening, at the same time, they also make troublesome requests. It was based on the idea of scratching each other¡¯s backs. And now, it seemed like Chao was thinking of something to request from Seol. ¡°Hm¡­ What should I do¡­ I don¡¯t have that much time, though. Could you perhaps ask someone else?¡± ¡°I would just like you to know that I¡¯ve spent multiple months searching for you.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯ve been searching for me for that long?¡± Seol then told Chao about everything that has happened to him since Seol first came to the manor, with the exception of a few details and embellishing a few other details. Chao quietly listened beforeughing, ¡°What? You really went all there? Hahahaha¡­ you really are something, huh?¡± ¡°Why did you steal the False Death-Inducing Device?¡± ¡°I took it, I didn¡¯t steal it.¡± ¡°Regardless.¡± ¡°I have a use for it. In my research.¡± ¡°Your research?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Now that I think about it, that shadow¡­ was it that corpse?¡± Seol shrugged. Since it was pointless to hide it, Seol simply shrugged to imply that she had the right idea. ¡°Oho¡­ No wonder, I thought she was strong¡­¡± ¡°Chao, could you please give me an answer now?¡± ¡°Hold on, you have to give me time to think too, you know? Why are you in such a rush when it¡¯s my precious time that¡¯s being used?¡± Click¡­ Click¡­ Chao bit her fingernails and murmured to herself. ¡°Then maybe that might be possible too? No, there could be an issue with the timing if I try that and mess up¡­ even so, maybe it might be worth an attempt¡­¡± ¡°Chao?¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve decided.¡± ¡°Will you help me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± - A deal, after much drama, has been reached. - Let¡¯s share a beer then! ?? - She¡¯s just going to help like this? ¡°But! You¡¯ll have to help me first.¡± ¡°What do I need to help with?¡± ¡°By any chance, is there something that you have to do?¡± ¡°I have to go to the Shade Canyon in about a month.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ is that so?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s around there¡­ alright, I can leave him to you then.¡± Chao pulled out a scroll and a writing utensil. She then started to scribble something. In a few seconds, she had created a drawing. The drawing somewhat looked like a person¡¯s face, it also had a colored vial and a few ominous sentences. ¡°Alright! Take this.¡± ¡°What amazing talent.¡± ¡°I have talents more shocking than this. Anyway, take this, my arm¡¯s starting to hurt.¡± [You have acquired Chao¡¯s Scroll.] ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°A written order. You said that you¡¯d be going to the Shade Canyon in a month, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°When do you think you¡¯ll finish it then?¡± ¡°I have no clue.¡± ¡°Not even an idea?¡± ¡°It might take a month at the longest, half a month at least.¡± ¡°Alright, then the timing would be perfect. After you¡¯re done with your business in the canyon, do as it says in the scroll.¡± ¡°And after that?¡± ¡°Come back to Nobira. Within three months at thetest.¡± ¡°Do I just need toe back to the manor?¡± ¡°Yeah. Once youe back, tie a white cloth on the pir near the main door ande back here every midnight.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°If there aren¡¯t any issues, I¡¯lle back within three months. But if I don¡¯te back, you know that room over there, right?¡± Seol recognized that she was talking about her research room. ¡°Burn that room down.¡± ¡°Are you telling me to be an arsonist?¡± ¡°Are you going to get caught?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Why do you want me to burn it down, though?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know why I want to burn that room down, then we just weren¡¯t meant to be. Find another summoner to break down the Wall of Awakening.¡± ¡°What the hell is that¡­ Wouldn¡¯t I just be wasting my time?¡± Seol could tell that Chao had a considerably reckless personality. It was to the point that he was starting to think to himself, ¡®Do I really need to work so hard for her?¡¯ ¡°Hm, that¡¯s true. Then what about this?¡± Glow¡­ Her energy expanded. It was clean and sturdy, to the point that Seol was amazed. Seol then looked at her with wide eyes. ¡®She¡¯s strong!¡¯ Seol believed that she was just a somewhat strong summoner from the city, but now, after seeing her, his thoughts have changed. She had a smirk on her face as she spoke once more. ¡°I used to be Gregory¡¯s disciple.¡± ¡°Gregory!¡± Gregory. Among the countless shadow summoners, he stood alone as the most renowned and aplished shadow summoner. He was a demonic man who wasmonly mentioned when discussing the strongest people in the world. ¡®Chao was Gregory¡¯s disciple?¡¯ Seol med himself for not realizing the treasure before him. ¡°Normally, I would never mention that old man¡¯s name, even if I was going to die, but with the situation being this urgent, I had no choice. Now, can you see the reason why you should only learn from me?¡± Seol, with resolved eyes, responded in a clear tone. ¡°I¡¯ll see you then.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an honest guy, aren¡¯t you? Alright!¡± [Adventure ¡®Sleeping Medicine¡¯ is scheduled.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± ¡°Does it look like that?¡± ¡°Yeah. After meeting that short woman, you¡¯ve been smiling from ear to ear.¡± ¡°What? There¡¯s no way I¡¯d be like that.¡± As Seol tried to look for a mirror in his amodation, Karen stopped him whileughing. ¡°It was just a joke~¡± ¡°...Still, I¡¯m really not that happy.¡± ¡°Not that happy? I guess you¡¯re still happy about that Gregory guy then, right?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny it.¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°Someone renowned. Someone who¡¯s walked much deeper into the path that I¡¯m walking toward.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I want to see him too, then. But does her being his disciple involve you?¡± ¡°Probably? I have to pray that it does.¡± ¡°What? And here I was, thinking it was guaranteed.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a trick to everything.¡± ¡°Hah?! And you¡¯re not going to tell me?¡± Jamad, who was sleeping in the Shadow Space, shouted out from within it. ¡°Let¡¯s be a little quiet! How long are you going to be so loud?!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ That¡¯s why people think you¡¯re old. How are you a troll and sleeping this much? The trolls that I met were all hard-working. Really, look at how the world changed now¨C¡± ¡°Aaaaaargh! Please!¡± It looked like Karen was enjoying bullying Jamad as she continued to annoy him until she fell asleep. Even so, Seol couldn¡¯t fall asleep. It was because his head was filled withplex thoughts. ¡®If she¡¯s Gregory¡¯s disciple¡­ she likely has better skills than other shadow summoners.¡¯ Have a good teacher. It was a phrase said often in Pandea. Because whether it was skills or talents, teachers often passed on strong skills or improved the skill¡¯s efficiency at the minimum. Even if two individuals learned the same skills, the person with the better teacher often used skills with a higher efficiency. ¡®It might be a gamble but what if she passes on one of Gregory¡¯s ¡®exceptional skills¡¯?¡¯ ¡®Exceptional Skills¡¯ otherwise known as ¡®Secret Teachings¡¯. They were essentially ultimate skills, and if Seol had topare them to equipment, he wouldpare them to Peerless quality items with how rare they were. If Chao was the disciple of a famous summoner like Gregory, it was likely that she learned at least a couple of those exceptional skills from him. And if those exceptional skills were able to be passed onto him¡­ ¡®No, there¡¯s only a low chance of that. I shouldn¡¯t expect anything. I should just be satisfied even if it¡¯s just the efficiency increasing.¡¯ You can never be let down if you never hold expectations. Still, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from thinking about it. ¡®The difficulty of the Adventures rted to Chao were all ridiculously high. She definitely wasn¡¯t an ordinary person.¡¯ Seol tossed and turned in bed. Chao wasn¡¯t the only thing that worried him. ¡®The Shade Canyon¡­ it¡¯s been a long time since I heard that name.¡¯ This was just the continued thought of his thoughts in the morning. The moment his next Adventure was nned to take ce in the Shade Canyon, he thought of someone. ¡®Kiri, yeah. Was thest one to go there, Kiri?¡¯ Thest of Seol¡¯s pieces to visit the Shade Canyon was Kiri. Kiri, his character, was also a falconer. And even though Seol had many characters, he didn¡¯t forget any of them. It was clear that Seol¡¯s initial negative reaction to the Shade Canyon this morning was because of Kiri. ¡®Ah, was it because of Kiri?¡¯ It was because Kiri had died there. There was no other reason than that. ¡®It¡¯s fine. Since I already agreed to go there, worrying about it now won¡¯t do anything.¡¯ Since there were many things other than this to worry about, Seol didn¡¯t sleep. Seol¡¯s mind was racing and the night was long. And the next day. When morning came, someone woke up Seol who just barely managed to fall asleep at the crack of dawn. ¡°Master! Wake up!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°I think the building in front of our¡¯s is a bakery. When I opened the windows, it smelled so much like bread! It¡¯s a problem, a huge problem!¡± The person who woke him up, by shaking him, was Karen. With dead eyes, Seol asked her a question back. ¡°So?¡± ¡°If the smell is that strong, then it means that they¡¯re hiding a critical secret!¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like that¡­ it¡¯s tasty or¡­¡± ¡°...Karen, do you have a sense of taste?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? I¡¯m pretty sure I still have my five senses. I can also feel full! Ah, this really is a miracle, huh?¡± ¡°It looks like you¡¯re having a lot of fun now.¡± ¡°Yeah! It is fun! Hurry up and put on your clothes before I kick your butt! Look, someone''s buying bread again! Argh! I called dibs on that one though! Should I kill them?¡± ¡°You should hold yourself back. You have such keen eyesight too.¡± Seol smiled and started to put on clothes, unable to resist her pestering. As he was putting on his clothes, someone knocked on the door. Knock, knock. ¡°Snowman.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°I am a messenger from Kibo.¡± Seol and Karen nced at each other. But for now, he had to respond. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± ¡°Kibo is waiting downstairs for you. He wanted to tell you that he wants to talk.¡± Seol then looked at Karen. He shook his head. ¡°My bread¡­¡± Karen said to herself with teary eyes. Chapter 68 Because Seol picked out a quiet lodging, he didn¡¯t run into anyone when he went down the stairs from the 2nd to the 1st floor. ¡°Stop!¡± Kibo, who was just about to take a sip of his tea, looked upstairs at the unexpected sound. It was because that voice definitely belonged to Seol. And he sounded urgent. A woman stomped down to the 1st floor at lightning speed. She then asked Kibo a question. ¡°Are you that hooligan, Kibo?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Who?¡± ¡°How dare youe this early in the morning? Don¡¯t you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Seriously, how did¡ª¡± ¡°Karen, stop it.¡± Seol, who had caught up to Karen, calmed her down. She huffed and puffed as she sat down in the chair right next to Seol¡¯s. Even so, she continued to re down Kibo as if she wanted to kill him. ¡°Ah, oh no¡­ I was hoping to have breakfast with you¡­ Did I overstep my boundaries?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. And I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± ¡°Okay, well I bought some freshly baked bread from the bakery in front of here, it¡¯s a bakery I visit often.¡± Karen¡¯s gaze cooled down and became soft. ¡°You should¡¯ve just said that from the start~ I was worried I¡¯d have to teach you manners for a second. It¡¯s nice to spend the mornings together like that, hahaha!¡± ¡°By the way¡­ Who is she? Could you please introduce me to her?¡± ¡°Urm¡­ Just think of her as my party member.¡± ¡°A party member, huh¡­ it¡¯s a pretty uniquebination. It¡¯s nice to meet you, I¡¯m an old man named Kibo.¡± ¡°Karen¡¯s my name.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I never thought I¡¯d meet an elf so easily in Nobira of all ces. It really was worth living this long.¡± - Kibo: Yare yare~ What a dangerousbination. - It really is dangerous though¡­ The two of them are super fucking dangerous. - Plus Karen¡¯s the older one¡­ Seol, after seeing that Kibo¡¯s subordinates were on guard of their surroundings, asked Kibo a question. ¡°Breakfast is nice, but if it¡¯s alright, I¡¯d like to ask a question.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be alright? Ask away.¡± ¡°Did something happen recently in Nobira?¡± ¡°What makes you ask that?¡± ¡°Because there¡¯s word that the residents here are uneasy.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Kibo then answered, scratching his chin, ¡°Yeah, something did happen.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°Do you know what the closest city north of Nobira is?¡± ¡°Well, if you include towns too, it would probably be Wiggleton in the northwest. After all, they¡¯re right on Nobira¡¯s border, no?¡± To the west of Nobira was the Great Forest, and to the south of Nobira was Kongory, the free city. And in the northwest, there was a town called Wiggleton that was a bit too ambiguous to be called a city. ¡®Wiggleton¡¯s also in an area that borders the other races.¡¯ Kibo nodded. ¡°Yeah, and Wiggleton was attacked recently.¡± ¡°...Did that really happen?¡± ¡°Yes, but the problem is that we don¡¯t know who did it. And even though Fortress Gulia is right by, piging frequently urs there. In fact, it was recently discovered in apletely devastated state.¡± ¡°Were there no witnesses?¡± ¡°These guys were careful enough to avoid the fortress¡¯s surveince to pige the town, so as expected, there weren¡¯t any witnesses. Luckily enough, though, half of the town¡¯s residents were out for their infrastructure business, so they were able to keep their lives. Even so, they returned to their townpletely devastated and burned down.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°Now do you know why the residents of Nobira are so scared?¡± ¡°Yeah, I definitely understand it now,¡± Seol nodded. It didn¡¯t particrly matter to Seol what happened to Wiggleton or Nobira. He was an outsider. He also wasn¡¯t the type of person who would get caught up in dumb things over patriotism. ¡°So on that note, could you listen to what I have to say?¡± ¡°So the reason you brought this expensive breakfast over is finallying out.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I¡¯ll just say that you¡¯re right since you aren¡¯t saying that to insult me. It¡¯s because I have a request for you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you personally think about this, but I want to create a future where residents and transferees can coexist in Nobira.¡± Kibo had a serious look on his face. ¡°The problem is that I¡¯m not strong enough on my own.¡± ¡°Are you asking me to help you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m old and the times are changing. I need a younger person if I want to set the tide.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have Mira?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°So are you asking me to help you directly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that shameless. I just¡­ I just want you to check in from time to time to see if Mira is doing well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking as if you¡¯re about to leave.¡± Kiboughed. ¡°You just get a lot more worries with age, but I hope you¡¯ll see it in a good light. Just think of it as me being the type that thoroughly prepares.¡± Seol thought of Mira. She was trying but was still far from reaching Kibo. Even so, he couldn¡¯t deny that she was strong. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s weak enough for you to worry about.¡± ¡°But you never know how the world is. Even the most sturdy ships rock to big waves. And she also needs to learn when to avoid big waves when the stormse. In my eyes, Mira¡¯s still a bit clumsy.¡± Kibo wasn¡¯t wrong. Mira was still clumsy and Seol could more than easily be her lighthouse. However¡­ ¡°I n on leaving soon.¡± ¡°Well at least until you leave then¡­ no, Mira isn¡¯t the type to spend the rest of her life in Nobira either. She has a big dream. Then when that timees, I hope you won¡¯t ignore her cry for help. Mira might be a bit hasty but she always gives her all.¡± It was quite a trivial request. Kibo also didn¡¯t request anything specific either. Seol, knowing how much stronger he became through Kibo¡¯s introduction to Hamun, nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Days went by. As Seol was busy preparing equipment for his journey, the time flew fast. ¡°I¡¯m so full! I don¡¯t think I can eat anymore!¡± ¡°No one forced you to eat that much though¡­¡± ¡°Shh! I want to properly rx here, Master. Please don¡¯t ruin my fun.¡± Seol had also prepared temporary equipment for Karen to use as well. It wasmon quality but since they were heavy with high durability, it shouldst the two scheduled Adventures. ¡®And by that time, Karuna would have returned.¡¯ And that¡¯s all Seol needed. Once Karuna came back, Seol no longer needed Karen to spearhead the party and it gave him the opening to slowly solve Karen¡¯s equipment issue. ¡®But more importantly¡­ is it a Long Distance Adventure? I wonder if that system would activate here too¡­¡¯ Long Distance Adventures. It was a system that activated when the yer¡¯s location and the Adventure¡¯s location were far apart. When traveling to close locations, the yers were transported by being surrounded in blue particles out of convenience. But what happens for Long Distance Adventures? When Seol had to go on an Adventure in a ce located far away previously, he would do either one of two things. The first was to quickly move his location to a ce near the Adventure location to reduce the distance. That method was a bit inconvenient and since he could be swept up by something on the way there, it was only used in special circumstances. The other method was the ¡®Expedition System¡¯. When using the expedition system, the game time continued as normal but the yer arrived at their location almost instantaneously. During that time, the yer picks between multiple options and the results of those options change the yer¡¯s condition when they arrive at the Adventure location. ¡®Judging by how the travel luck dice is applied here too¡­ there¡¯s a good chance the expedition system was applied as well.¡¯ It would be best for Seol if he could instantly teleport through being surrounded by particles like before but, just in case, Seol prepared for the situations where he wouldn¡¯t. ¡°How long is it going to take toe back here?¡± Karen asked Seol. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able toe back for a month at least.¡± ¡°I was just starting to like it here¡­¡± ¡°The restaurants?¡± ¡°I especially like those, yeah. The food in Nobira, unlike Montra, is really stimting. Is it because it¡¯s food from South Pandea?¡± ¡°Oh, did you not like it then?¡± ¡°No, I loved it. The food in Montra was so nd that sometimes I just wanted to flip the table over. Nobira¡¯s the best!¡± Seol shed a smile and hinted at Karen that it was time to go. Karen grabbed the box filled with her armor from Seol and prepared to go. Karen was currently wearing simple leather armor and waiting to be transported. Glooooow¡­ Seol was starting to be transported. Glow¡­ Normally, Seol¡¯s vision would return like a bolt of lightning but this time, Seol couldn¡¯t see nor do anything but wait in the darkness. And then, he saw a few options. ¡®This is¡­ the Expedition System!¡± [[As you head to your location, you discover a merchant whose carriage is stuck in mud. The merchant, noticing you, asks for your help. What do you do?] 1. Help out the merchant in trouble. 2. You ignore them as you are busy too. 3. Find someone to help them. 4. [Required: Title: Wicked Tendency] Take his wares. ¡­¡­] The options he saw here were a bit different from the options he saw before. When he ced his hands on an option, it would pop out as if asking to be pushed. ¡®Option 2.¡¯ Press¡­ As Seol pressed down option 2, the option¡¯s color changed and the other options disappeared. And then, another message appeared. [Nothing happens.] - Oh! - Is it a sess?! - I knew it! You should always ignore those who need help! It was fifty-fifty whether this option was correct or not. If the merchant was a good person, he could have a rewarded Seol for helping him out. However, if he was a bad person, Seol could¡¯ve been ambushed. ¡®The rewards I could get for helping him aren''t worth the risk I¡¯d have to take.¡¯ If the rewards were better, Seol would have definitely epted the risk. Seol then looked at the next options that came up. [[After lighting a campfire, you attempt to have a meal. However, fate is a cruel mistress. There was a hole in your bag and most of your food had disappeared from it. Now, in a situation where your food is mostly gone, what do you do?] 1. Skip your meal. 2. Search around you. 3. Go hunting. 4. Give up on your Adventure and go back. ¡­¡­] This was obvious to state but there was a risk that came with every option. ¡®Damn it¡­ I didn¡¯t think travel luck would y a role here too.¡¯ Normally, something like this would never happen, but Seol¡¯s bad travel luck ovepped with the expedition system to bring this result. Push¡­ Seol chose option 2 once again. [A bit of stamina is used.] [Fatigue builds up.] Though Seol was confident in his ability to hunt thanks to Karen, hunting in the expedition system only took the yer¡¯s strength and dexterity into ount and nothing else. And as such, it wasn¡¯t that efficient of an option. [[You search around you but thisnd is barren. Anything that could have been food was already devoured by the wild animals. However, as you continued your search, you felt something beneath your feet. Oh my god, it¡¯s a mushroom! But the color is¡­] 1. Who cares about the color? You eat it immediately. 2. It isn¡¯t normal for a mushroom to be blue. It seems like starving is the better option. 3. [Required: Insight] This mushroom is poisonous. 4. [Required: Cooking] You know of a way to safely cook this poisonous mushroom. ¡­¡­] Seol chose option 4. [You had an excellent meal.] [You recover some fatigue.] [Your footsteps are now lighter.] [You no longer hold negative thoughts.] ¡®Phew¡­¡¯ Seol was thankfully able to defend himself from negative thoughts and fatigue. After that, Seol went through multiple more options. [You arrive at a swamp¡­] [Fatigue umtes.] [You are exposed to Abnormal Status: Chills.] [The durability of your boots decreases by 10.] He had to clear through a swamp on his own¡­ [You hear the cries of wild animals all night long¡­] [Fatigue umtes.] [You are exposed to Abnormal Status: Lack of Sleep.] [You are currently on edge.] And try to sleep despite the cries of animals at night¡­ [You find a dead animal. A fine piece of meat¡­] [Fatigue umtes.] [You avoid the danger of parasites and food poisoning with your amazing cooking skill.] [You are currently very satisfied.] After manyplications, Seol had finally arrived at thest prompt. [You continued your march even with ack of sleep. Though an arduous journey may be a fond memory, it is always painful when undergoing it. You walked and walked again. And now, finally, you looked around.] Fwoooosh¡­ Seol felt like a chick breaking out of his shell and experiencing the new world. Caaaw¡­ The sound of crows surrounded him. The sharp wind stung his eyes. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± [You arrive at Shade Canyon.] The messages continued after that too. Chapter 69 [The umted fatigue makes your body feel heavy.] [A problem may ur if you don¡¯t get sleep.] [It has been 5 days and 16 hours.] Karen, who was by Seol¡¯s side, looked at him with a strange glint in her eyes. ¡°Your beard grew a lot.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I mean it makes sense since it wasn¡¯t an easy journey. Still, this was why I said we should rest at some towns on the way.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t because there weren¡¯t any suitable towns on the way to the canyon. If we wanted to do it, we¡¯d have to go around.¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯re so lethargic?¡± ¡°By the way, how much time passed?¡± Karen had a confused look on her face as Seol asked an obvious question. She side-eyed him as she slowly gave a response. ¡°A bit over five days? Why?¡± ¡°Nothing. It was tiring, huh?¡± ¡°It was fun. Except for the time I fell into the swamp.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol was trying to confirm something using Karen¡¯s responses. He was trying to confirm how his summons experienced the passage of time. ¡®If I act under the assumption that summons are originally residents of this world¡­ then they would likely experience itpletely.¡¯ For example, using this Long Distance Adventure as an example¡­ Even though five days and 16 hours passed, it didn¡¯t even feel like an hour to Seol. As such, Seol had an iplete experience of the past five days. And inparison, Karen fully experienced the five days directly. She experienced the swamp, the cries of animals at night, and the dead animal¡¯s corpse, everything had fully happened for her. ¡®It¡¯s surprising¡­¡¯ Since it was a fantasy world, space and time likely bent to the gods¡¯ will. Even if Seol and Karen were affected by severe distortion, Seol could do nothing other than ept it and move on. ¡®Still, it¡¯s fortunate that my summons are in control even through the Long Distance Adventure.¡¯ Since Seol couldn¡¯t control his body through the Long Distance Adventure, he couldn¡¯t predict what situations he¡¯d face. But since his summons were still active, he was doubtful that he would end up in that big of a predicament. ¡®Cooking and Insight helped too.¡¯ Tanning, Butchery, Herbalism, and Survivalism were all helpful talents and there were many more that existed other than Cooking, but none of them came close to Cooking¡¯s potential. ¡°First, let¡¯s set up camp.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to search right away? Ah, is it because it¡¯s already night?¡± ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m tired from the journey.¡± ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll look for a ce to avoid the wind.¡± Fwoooosh¡­ Fwooosh¡­ Their clothes fluttered like a g on a gpole. The cool canyon greeted them with a majestic view and sharp, fierce winds. Furthermore, messages appeared when Seol arrived at the canyon, notifying him that his Adventure had started. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 11th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 11. Her Last Descendant.] [Adventure 11. ¡®Her Last Descendant¡¯ You have received a request from Hamun to acquire a rare material. As his request originated from your request, you dly agreed to it. Hamun passed you information that south of Nobira, in the Shade Canyon which stands on its lonesome, traces of a descendant of Anachindria, the Spider Queen, have been found. Hamun was quite confident about this as well. You, believing that information as well, went alone to the Shade Canyon, a ce that most adventurers avoid as it is the most dangerous of dangerous locations. You n on investigating whether the legend of Anachindria was actually true and if her descendant really had reappeared after all this time. And, if possible, you n on acquiring a lot of the blood of the ancient monster as well. But for now, you must start by looking for the traces of the legends. Objective: Acquire the blood of Anachindria¡¯sst descendant. Hamun¡¯s favorability toward you will drop upon failure. The Red Lotus Sword will not be reforged upon failure. Remaining Time [About 30 days]] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°A month, hm¡­¡± Seol thought for a moment while rubbing his chin. ¡®I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason why they gave me so much time.¡¯ A few reasons popped up in Seol¡¯s head. Finding the traces of the fire spider could just be so difficult that it was practically like reaching for the stars. Another reason was that the fire spider was so powerful that it took all that time to defeat it. ¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the former though.¡¯ Because the canyon was so jaw-droppingly massive, finding a single spider in a ce as big as this was incredibly difficult. ¡°Over here! Come on!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Thankfully, as it was still near the entrance to the canyon, there was a suitable resting ce for travelers. ¡°Haah¡­ it¡¯s cold.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s light a fire. We have ample firewood anyway.¡± ¡°Still, we should still save them if we can.¡± ¡°We might have lost our food but we still have a bunch of oil and wood. It¡¯ll be alright.¡± ¡°Fine, let¡¯s just use it then. Alright, this should be good.¡± After the campfire was set up, it was ignited very quickly. It was because Karen lit it up. The fact that Karen did this of her own volition despite Seol not giving her orders surprised him a bit. ¡°You must be tired. You should rest too.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Who¡¯s going to keep the fire going if both of us rest?¡± Fwirl! In response to Karen¡¯s words, Jamad popped out of the Shadow Space. Stretch¡­ The moment Jamad came out, he stretched his arms out. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Staying in a dark ce all day like that makes me want to stretch.¡± ¡°Thanks, Jamad.¡± ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Jamad warmed up by the fire, facing it. As hisrge body protected the fire from the winds, the fire grewrger. ¡°Oh¡­ you troll! You¡¯re really reliable in moments like these!¡± ¡°Well, there is a reason he trusts me the most.¡± ¡°...Really?¡± Karen then looked at Seol with furious eyes. ¡°I thought you hadn¡¯t yet?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I thought you hadn¡¯t epted me as your master.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s true. Hahaha.¡± Karen scratched her head. Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ The more the campfire burned, the more Seol felt his fatigue. Nod¡­ After a few seconds, Seol couldn¡¯t ovee his drowsiness and copsed onto the bedding he prepared earlier. Karen and Jamad simply nkly watched the campfire. - So awkward¡­ - This is so ufortable¡­ - Can we¡­ be friends? - The normal development is them ending up dating¡­ - SHIPPERS GET OUT. SHIPPERS GET OUT. - Okay, bye¡­ ??????¡­ - (Spits) Jamad, who had been enjoying the silence, nced at Karen and asked her a question. ¡°Not yet?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°epting him as your master.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ what I should do.¡± Karen leaned back onto some baggage and hugged her legs. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± ¡°What¡¯s soplicated about this? What¡¯s stopping you?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Why? Are you going to get rid of whatever¡¯s stopping me?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s something you have to do yourself.¡± ¡°Man, and I was so looking forward to it.¡± ¡°You can stop it with the jokes now.¡± Karen saw the serious look on Jamad¡¯s face and pouted. ¡°Troll, did you immediately follow that human after you became a shadow?¡± ¡°Of course. I hate lukewarm rtionships.¡± ¡°But why? From what I saw, you were probably someone who was high up for a troll.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ you¡¯re right. But, I ended up losing to that guy over there who¡¯s sleeping without a care in the world.¡± ¡°Huh? Doesn¡¯t that just mean you lost to Karuna then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different. I lost to Snowman.¡± ¡°I think you just don¡¯t want to recognize Karun¡ª¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re the one that doesn¡¯t want to recognize him. Are you worried?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Worried that you¡¯ll eventually end up recognizing his skills.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cross any lines.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re having a hard time deciding, let me talk about myself.¡± Jamad then looked at the campfire with reflective eyes. ¡°The Rock Mr Tribe that I ruled was indomitable. No one could freely enter ournd and we only grew stronger by the day.¡± ¡°How strong was your tribe? Was it big?¡± ¡°We were, we ruled over an entire mountain. Does that suffice as an answer?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ you were more amazing than I thought?¡± ¡°Regardless, I thought that I could control everything as the tribe¡¯s leader. I thought I could control the way we thought and our strength as well.¡± Jamad grabbed a small rock and tightened his fist. Crumble¡­ And as he released it, the rock had be sand. ¡°But I was mistaken. Even though Snowman had only infiltrated my tribe for a day, he had made my tribe¡¯s name disappear overnight.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°You might be right. I did lose to Karuna. But I definitely had an opportunity then, and I poured everything into it. I really, really could have beaten him. Though Karuna is strong, I was stronger then.¡± Jamad grinned. ¡°But, things didn¡¯t turn out that way. I was defeated by Karuna and my tribe disappeared. The reason why I serve him after bing a shadow? It¡¯s simple. It¡¯s because I admitted it down to my bones. My tribe, my brothers, and everything else¡­ What defeated me wasn¡¯t Karuna but him.¡± ¡°Was it simply because you lost?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s because of how he did it. That annoying bastard uses every single method at his disposal to achieve his goals. And in the end, he always does it.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°After I became a shadow, when I watch what he does¡­ I find myself stepping forward before I realize it. I, Jamad, chief of the Rock Mr Tribe, was stepping forth to help him.¡± Karen, who had been listening earnestly to Jamad, responded as she believed Jamad had finished talking. ¡°It was a nice story. I enjoyed it.¡± ¡°But what I¡¯m curious about is you. Are you simply just tied down here because your brother is?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ That¡¯s what I¡¯m not sure about. I wonder what Karuna likes so much about a guy like him that he sticks by him?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t reach a conclusion so hastily. He might be physically weak but he is a deep thinker.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Yeah, I¡¯m sure he is. Judging by how someone like you is following him.¡± Crackle¡­ Chirp¡­ The chirping of a bird could be heard from far away. Though the campfire warmed everyone near it, it wasn¡¯t warm enough to reach someone¡¯s heart. Karen¡¯s head drooped before telling a story. Her own story. ¡°Do you have dreams?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking you, troll. Have you had dreams since you became a shadow?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t had one.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Do you have dreams?¡± Karen nodded Chirp¡­ Once again, it was the sound of another bird. ¡°I do. Awful dreams at that.¡± ¡°I want to hear about it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I just dream about my time in Montra.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about that fallen empire. Isn¡¯t it about time you let it go? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard Karuna even mention Montra.¡± ¡°But you know¡­ I can¡¯t do it. The burning capital¡­ the horrific sounds of those usurpers¡­ and¡­ I can¡¯t forget Jin. Am I weird for this?¡± ¡°A bit. You just have a good memory.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to forget something so awful.¡± ¡°A bit. You¡¯re also probably someone who¡¯s slow to take things in.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± Karen then looked at the temporary sword she was given as her equipment. ¡°On our way here, I tried doing a bunch of things, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°What kind of things?¡± ¡°Like¡­ resolve! Because I need to keep that bastard alive until at least Karunaes back, right?¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve done that even without you though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m uneasy if it¡¯s just you. I¡¯m just¡­ uneasy. Ah, I wasn¡¯t trying to talk about this¡­¡± ¡°Then tell me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t pull out my sword.¡± Jamad quickly turned around like he was shocked by Karen¡¯s ridiculous statement. ¡°What kind of nonsense is that?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m joking?¡± ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t pull out your sword? Why wouldn¡¯t I think it¡¯s ridiculous?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand it either. But¡­ When I try pulling out my sword for someone other than Jin, I¡­¡± Karen pleaded to Jamad with empty eyes. ¡°The sword¡­ is heavy. It is so, so heavy.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go crazy.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ that¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± Chirp¡­ Crackle¡­ The bird¡¯s chirping broke the silence once again. But with the chirping, Seol woke up while rubbing his eyes. - (He was listening) - (He was pretending to be asleep) - (You should¡¯ve seen his nostrils re) ¡°Ah, we were just about to wake you.¡± ¡°Yeah, we can worry about sleepter.¡± Karen and Jamad reacted as if they expected him to wake up that early and then, Karen looked at the sky. ¡°The chirping. You woke up because of that, right?¡± ¡°...Yeah.¡± ¡°Yeah, and it¡¯s getting closer.¡± Chiiiiiirp! Seol looked up at the sky. ¡°I think it¡¯sing here. Is it because of the campfire?¡± said Seol. The shadow of the massive bird wasing closer to them. ¡°It¡¯s aiming for us! Oi, protect Snowman!¡± ¡°Got it! I¡¯ll put out the fire first, though!¡± Fwoosh¡­ When Karen waved her hands, the fire was extinguished. But in that short moment, the massive bird had already rushed toward them. ¡°Duck!¡± CRAAAASH! Chapter 70 The huge bird swooped by where they stood. ¡°Is it a griffin?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just a big bird!¡± - Big Bird! - Where¡¯s Elmo?! - Imagine waking up to that LOL - Look at Snowman¡¯s face ?????? Surprisingly, the bird grazed past them, only grabbing the innocent firewood before crushing it with its talons. ¡°Damn it! Pull out your sword!¡± Click! Click! Karen took a stance to pull out the sword but only hesitated. She looked like a mime doing an act, like someone who was broken. Almost like something horrible would happen if she pulled out the sword. ¡°Pull it out! Please, take it out!¡± ¡°Karen, we don¡¯t have the time to be doing that! For now, just prepare for its next attack!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ I¡¯ll at least hit it with the sheath for now.¡± Seol¡¯s Eyes of Perception activated. [[Koopa: Shadow Canyon¡¯s Predator] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 15~24 Koopa is a member of a special vulture species that has a considerably unique characteristicpared to the other birds of prey. Koopa is unique in that it grows differently based on what it devours. And the reason that Koopa ruled the skies of the Shade Canyon is because it has devoured the many strong lifeforms in the Shade Canyon as food. This powerful vulture suddenly appeared one day in the Shade Canyon, and it slowly grew to stand at the peak of the ecosystem. It may be a hideous and smelly vulture, but you must be cautious not to get caught by its talons. There haven¡¯t been any rumors of Koopa eating humans, but that could also just be due to Koopa eating every human it has encountered so far. Basic Skills: [Scratch 2], [Scavenge Food 1], [Weakening Cry 2], [Rock Throw 1], [Steel Body 1] Unique Skills: [Devour Corpse 1], [Nutrient Frenzy 1]] Seol was surprised that this vulture which suddenly appeared was one of the apex predators of the massive Shade Canyon, but he was more surprised by its name. ¡°Koopa? Its name is Koopa?¡± Chiiirp! ¡°It¡¯sing! We should quickly¡­¡± ¡°No, I think it¡¯s over?¡± ¡°...What?¡± Chiiirp¡­ Contrary to what they expected after Koopa¡¯s imposing entrance, it simply disappeared after grabbing the firewood once. ¡°What? That was boring¡­¡± ¡°It would have been dangerous if it continued to fight us. After all, we can¡¯t fly and canyons are a grave for those without wings. Also, you¡¯re way too confident for someone who can¡¯t pull out their sword.¡± ¡°I might not be able to pull out my sword but I can still fight, alright? It is a bit frustrating that I can¡¯t pull it out though.¡± ¡°Whatever, hmph. Hey, Snowman! What should we do?¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°Should we make a fire again? Or should we go somewhere else since this ce is a bit exposed?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else. Somewhere with a roof if possible.¡± ¡°Canyons are filled with small caves anyway so we can just go inside one. Even if it has a master, it won¡¯t matter once we make it our dinner.¡± As Jamad started to lift the luggage, Karen approached Seol. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Is it because you were surprised by the ambush? Should we have woken you up earlier?¡± ¡°No, that was fine. I already realized it wasing before it attacked us anyway. I was also a bit ridiculous for trying to sleep peacefully in the Shade Canyon too.¡± ¡°Then why are you so out of it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because¡­¡± Seol continued his thoughts, ¡°...It¡¯s nothing. I was probably mistaken.¡± ¡°What? Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°For now, we need to find somewhere to sleep, so let¡¯s talk about thister.¡± Seol told Karen that it was a mistake, but he wasn¡¯t mistaken. There was no way he could be. ¡®Koopa¡­ you were alive?¡¯ Kiri, the Falconer, was Seol¡¯s piece who lost his life in the Shade Canyon. And Shade Canyon was also the ce where Koopa, Riki¡¯s faithful summon and vulture, remained on its own without its master. ¡®How could this be¡­¡¯ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * This¡­ is quite an old story. And there is nothing more exhausting than reminiscing about a bad memory that happened over a decade ago. Chirp¡­ Chirp¡­ - Snowman, why did you pick a vulture? The party¡¯s getting a penalty to our Spirit because of it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Koopa is my pet bird.¡± - ¡­Never ever pick a summoner-type ss again, Snowman. You have to prioritize their performance. Vultures eat a lot but grow slowly. Not only that, they¡¯re violent, insubordinate, and smell. There¡¯s only negative things about them. ¡°Koopa was pushed out of the nest by his other brothers. If I didn¡¯t save him, he would have died.¡± - And I¡¯m asking why you made a bird like that your main force. Just use it and release it for a better one. ¡°But it listens to me. Koopa¡¯s definitely going to be a huge helpter.¡± - There are so many good birds for you to choose from, why¡¯d you have to go and pick a vulture of all things¡­ Do you really think Koopa¡¯s going to be helpful on Adventures when its talons are as small as a bug? The masked man was right. A falconer was a hunter who used their bird, their summon, as their main power. A falconer had many other traits such as exceptional skills with the bow and survival knowledge but nothing was as important as the bird they raised. Each bird had their own unique characteristics as well. Some birds had strong elemental resistance and some birds could break steel with their beaks. These types of birds were often beloved by falconers. However, vultures, unlike the popr birds, werepletely ignored by the falconers. The reason being all of the negatives the man listed above. Seol¡¯s Kiri was a special falconer who chose the unpopr vulture as his bird. And because of that, the other yers called him an entric. This was still back in the time when Snowman was an ordinary yer and not recognized as the best amongst them. As Seol¡¯s Adventures as Kiri continued, Koopa only continued to grow by the day. Koopa had grown to the point that he felt heavy when he rested on Seol¡¯s right arm. And it was around then¡­ Kiri and his party had arrived at the Shade Canyon. The fourth night, they decided to set up camp and sleep at a suitable ce near the edge of the canyon. [You have died.] And what greeted them in the morning was the message above. Even after so much time, yers faced the same death that Kiri¡¯s party faced in the Shade Canyon. Despite that, no one still knew why it happened. - Sleeping in the Shade Canyon results in death. With nothing but ominous rumors like that left behind, yers avoided the Shade Canyon. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol was sure that the bird just now was Koopa and couldn¡¯t believe that Koopa had grown that big. ¡®So you were alive, Koopa.¡¯ While Seol was happy to see him, as he was no longer Kiri, he could do nothing more than look at where Koopa swooped by with a longing look. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Karen, thinking that Seol was acting strangely, jumped right in front of his face and shouted. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Ah! Yeah, what?¡± ¡°Concentrate! We came all the way here, we shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, I was just thinking about something else.¡± They found a ce to rest for a while and moved toward it. ¡°Found it. Let¡¯s set up camp here.¡± Jamad led the group to a ce where they could rest. Sit. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re tired, huh? Let¡¯s take a break.¡± Seol let out a sigh after putting his baggage on the ground. Seol, like a habit, was about to light a fire again but put the firewood back into his inventory. ¡°Are you not going to light a fire?¡± ¡°Are you cold?¡± ¡°The terrain¡¯s blocking the wind so it¡¯s not that bad, but¡­ is it because you think the bird¡¯s going to return?¡± ¡°Yeah, because I¡¯m worried.¡± ¡°Worried about what?¡± Seol thought Koopa acted strangely. ¡®Why did Koopa just leave?¡¯ Back then, Seol and his party were somewhere where it was very advantageous for Koopa to attack them. Even so, he did nothing more than suddenly appear and scare them. ¡®Maybe Koopa doesn¡¯t eat humans?¡¯ There was something like that on the information he saw through the Eyes of Perception as well. Even so, it was pointless since he couldn¡¯t trust the contents. It was written as if it was unsure of the information anyway. ¡°Why did it show up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably¡­ probably¡­ the fire? The fire, no?¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°How would a fire even happen in a canyon anyway? I¡¯m pretty sure adventurers and hunters are the most it could be.¡± It wasmon sense to not light a fire in a dangerous area. Even though you would avoid the cold, you would just be inviting the more dangerous monsters toward you. ¡°Even if it dide because of the fire, its actions after that were a bit strange.¡± ¡°You were thinking about that? Seriously, I¡­ My master has so many worries.¡± ¡°We should go without a fire tonight then.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter to me. We already brought the warm stones anyway.¡± ¡®Warm stones¡¯ were an essential item for Adventurers in situations like these. It was an incredible item that could help maintain your temperature just by holding onto it. As Seol held the warm stone, he could feel himself falling asleep. But¡­ perhaps because of what just arose¡­ sleep became a struggle. Pat. Karen ced her hand on Seol¡¯s head. ¡°Sleep well. Nothing will happen.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Only after her hand was on his head was Seol able to fall asleep. Their first night at the canyon ended in quite an eventful manner. * * * The next day, Seol¡¯s party properly started their investigation of the canyon. ¡°Why is it so big?¡± asked Karen. ¡°We should just be d that there arerge paths we could take. If they were any narrower, we could fall off at any time,¡± said Jamad. ¡°I never knew you had such an optimistic side to you, troll.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just pessimistic, elf. Karuna was so quietpared to you.¡± As Karen and Jamad continued their conversation, Seol simply led the way. ¡®Enemies¡­¡¯ Karen hopped ahead of Seol and looked in the same direction that Seol did. And there, gray goblins were scouting the area. ¡°Goblins,¡± said Karen. ¡°Yeah,¡± Seol replied. It wasmon to run into goblins on an Adventure. As expected from a monster that often appeared in fantasy settings, they also appeared in various terrains. Though their strengths varied wildly depending on when and where they showed up, yers didn¡¯t worry too much about them. Krar¡­ Kraaaar! The goblins were talking to each other. ¡°What should we do? Kill them? They look like they¡¯re scouts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about whether we could make a lot of noise or not.¡± ¡°Are you worried that the bird wille again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a part of it but I¡¯m also worried about our objective, sensing the noise and hiding deeper.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a chance of that too, yeah.¡± The World of Eternity didn¡¯t particrly reward yers for killing every single monster that they encountered during an Adventure. You were given additional rewards if you defeated an important enemy or acquired a certain item, but killing every single monster that you saw gave you nothing more than a slight increase in experience points. ¡®In the end, it exists to prevent the yer from bing unbeatable.¡¯ If a yer could handle all of the enemies on their own, preparation for Adventures bes meaningless. If kill-based rewards were high, then yers would simply kill everything to get all of the rewards and rapidly elerate the pace they get stronger. This system existed to prevent that from happening. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Karen nced at Seol who had a serious look on his face. ¡°What?¡± asked Seol, sensing her gaze. ¡°I just thought you were working hard.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯d work hard when my life depended on it. Let¡¯s just go around them. Since we don¡¯t have any information, it would be a waste of time to kill them all.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Like that, Seol¡¯s party continued throughout the canyon. They saw various species of monsters while traveling, but because they avoided confrontation they were able to scout arge area. However, despite their hard work, none of it bore fruit. And now, it has been five days since they arrived at the canyon. ¡°Urgh¡­ When are we going to start cooking our food? If it¡¯s because of that big bird, I¡¯ll just¡­¡± ¡°Restrain yourself. I¡¯m hungry too.¡± Meals yed arger role in Adventures than one would expect. After all, the biggest joy when doing repetitive, monotonous work was delicious food. Chiiirp¡­ All the while, Koopa continued to fly through the sky. Seol¡¯s party was careful to not catch Koopa¡¯s attention while searching for the traces of the spider. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s here?¡± Karen¡¯s eyes were wide as she grabbed onto Seol¡¯s robe. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The ce where we found the goblins. So the path continued along this way, I see.¡± ¡°Then this means that we¡¯ve searched half the canyon. Half of it in five days¡­ we might not have enough time.¡± ¡°The worst part is that not only did we not find any traces of spiders, we also didn¡¯t even see any spiderwebs.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t need to mention that out loud for us to know.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I wonder what the problem is¡­¡± The party investigated where the goblin scouts stood before. Karen checked if they had left anything behind and Jamad was trying to surmise in which direction they left. After a while, it was more disappointing news. ¡°I didn¡¯t see much? What about you, troll?¡± ¡°Not really. Where did they go, though? For goblins, they really didn¡¯t leave any traces.¡± ¡°Huh? There¡¯s no way. The only way there wouldn¡¯t be any traces was if they were still here.¡± And then, it happened. [Insight activates.] [Something has left traces here.] Seol looked at Karen and Jamad. ¡°...Over here. Come over here.¡± ¡°What, why?¡± ¡°I think I found it.¡± Jamad and Karen dashed toward Seol. ¡°What? Really?¡± ¡°You found some?¡± Instead of telling them, Seol pointed at something with his finger. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Oho¡­¡± Both Jamad and Karen smiled after seeing what Seol was pointing at. Chapter 71 Seol pointed at a unique looking terrain. It was a strange terrain that looked a bit like a shoddily made trap. Furthermore, the stone that Seol was pointing at was a different color from the ground. Almost like¡­ a new lid has covered it. Seol turned around and spoke to Jamad and Karen. ¡°Suspicious, right?¡± ¡°Very.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so it was like that. No wonder we couldn¡¯t find any spiderwebs.¡± Jamad stepped forth. ¡°First, do you want me to try breaking it?¡± ¡°Can you?¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t then we¡¯ll just have to think of another method.¡± After saying that, Jamad equipped the Mountain Fist on his right arm. His powerful fist collided with the oddly-colored stones. BAAAM! Rumble¡­ ¡°It was weaker than I thought.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Just look.¡± As the dust settled, the oddly-colored stone was broken. As the stone was broken, they quickly learned that this strange terrain led to something quite big. ¡°A passage?¡± Beneath the stone floor was a hole that acted as a passage. ¡°Suspicious, right?¡± ¡°Suspicious¡­¡± ¡°Definitely suspicious.¡± It was finally revealed why they had discovered nothing over the past five days. They had been looking around the canyon thinking that the spider would be above ground, they never expected that there would be an underground. ¡°Where do you think this goes?¡± asked Karen. ¡°Obviously underground.¡± ¡°Then¡­ whose territory is the underground?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t know about that either.¡± Karenughed at Jamad¡¯s response, ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just have to find out!¡± Jump! Karen instantly leaped into the hole. Since Seol didn¡¯t even have time to stop her, he just sighed and waited. After about a minute, she returned. ¡°Bwah, it¡¯s blocked!¡± ¡°It¡¯s blocked?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was a bigger tunnel than I thought and at the end of it, a stone was blocking my way like the stone we broke at the entrance.¡± ¡°Did you break it?¡± ¡°I tried to. But it didn¡¯t break.¡± ¡°And it wasn¡¯t because you were too weak?¡± ¡°Me? Weak? Are you kidding me? I bet the one you broke was just weaker since it was exposed to the air!¡± Seol organized the information. Something lurks underground in the Shade Canyon. Judging by how the goblin scouts they first saw didn¡¯t leave any traces of moving elsewhere, there was a high probability that the scouts were attacked by the thing that lives underground. ¡°It burrows underground¡­ and then blocks it off?¡± ¡°No wonder¡­ There''s also no way we wouldn¡¯t have noticed those holes either if it was all over the ce. Then it must mean that it¡¯s quite careful.¡± ¡°What do you want to do, Master? Should we try going down the tunnel again?¡± ¡°I thought you said you couldn¡¯t break it? It¡¯s not like we have equipment for that either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Ah! But there was something strange about it.¡± ¡°Something strange?¡± ¡°Yeah. The stone that was blocking the tunnel wasn¡¯tpletely hard. It also had some muddy parts to it. Well, I¡¯m just letting you know because it seems like it might be useful to know.¡± Seol thought for a second. ¡®The artificially made rock is hard in some parts and muddy in some parts¡­ huh? This is just like¡­¡¯ Concrete which had yet to fully set. It seemed simr to the rock. Obviously, though, judging by how Karen couldn¡¯t break it, it was still much stronger than concrete. ¡®Still, were those parts muddy because they hadn¡¯t fully hardened yet?¡¯ Karen asked again. ¡°So, what do you n to do?¡± The monster, which lived underground, climbed to the surface to feast, then returned to its tunnels while using a material simr to concrete to block off anyone following it. If Seol wanted to track the monster, it was now clear when he¡¯d have to do it. ¡°When ites up to eat¡­ or, when the tunnel isn¡¯t fully blocked yet¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Still, there¡¯s another strange thing as well.¡± ¡°Another one?¡± ¡°How did that monster know that goblins were here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Ah! Maybe it was the fire?¡± ¡°Fire?¡± ¡°Yeah, the only difference between us and those goblins was that they lit a fire.¡± Jamad disagreed with Karen. ¡°That¡¯s way too far. We also made a campfire on the first day.¡± ¡°Yeah, but we were at a tall point so the monster was probably unable to reach us that high. Also, we had two people awake, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Karen¡¯s words gave Seol a lead. ¡®Everyone going to sleep with a fire lit? This seems exactly like¡­¡¯ Kiri. Kiri was Seol¡¯s piece and Koopa¡¯s master. Kiri¡¯s party had also all fallen asleep with a fire lit like the goblins. And just like the goblins, they were unable to see the next day. ¡°What do you think, master? How¡¯s my theory?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. Even so, keeping a fire lit might not be an absolute condition to bring it out. Still, it should still increase the chances. For example, the monster could have a special characteristic that makes it react to heat.¡± ¡°Does it not react to warm stones then?¡± ¡°Likely not since they¡¯re warm and not hot. You can hug them as you sleep, after all.¡± Chiiiirp¡­ Seol could hear Koopa¡¯s cry from far away. It reminded Seol of his first day here. It also reminded him of how after Koopa¡¯s attack, his party did not light any fires. It was contradictory, but Koopa¡¯s attack had put them into safety. ¡®...There¡¯s no way that would be the case though, right?¡¯ Seol believed that it was nothing more than coincidence. After all, it would be impossible for Koopa to act in a way that keeps humans safe. ¡°Regardless, let¡¯s test it out right away.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The n was simple. After they hunted a few wild animals in the canyon, they would ce them in a suitable spot and light a fire nearby. Then, they¡¯d observe it until something hopefully showed up. ¡°Do you really think it would show up?¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t, we just have to restart our investigation of the canyon.¡± ¡°Please show up. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a spider or a monster anymore, I just want to stop looking at this damned canyon.¡± Jamadughed at Karen¡¯s words. ¡°I bet nothing will show up at all, elf.¡± ¡°Again, again! Swordsmanship isn¡¯t the only great thing about me, alright?! Why don¡¯t I show you right no¡ª¡± ¡°Shh, the preparation is done.¡± It waspleted, with hearts filled half with doubt and half with hope. Theyid down the dead wild animals, who were still dripping blood, and prepared a campfire next to it. The preparation was allplete and all Seol had to do was ignite it. But just before then, Seol turned back at the two of them and asked them a question. ¡°Let¡¯s prepare what we¡¯re going to do beforehand. What are you guys going to do if a monster does appear?¡± ¡°If it looks weak, we¡¯ll grab our weapons and chase after it!¡± ¡°And what if it doesn¡¯t?¡± ¡°We have more opportunities so we¡¯ll calmly n ahead for next time.¡± - They have perfect synergy now LMFAO - This ship¡­ it¡¯s not bad. - Since Jamad and Karen are always so busy fighting each other, having Snowman mediate just lets him easily be the leader LOL Seol nodded. They were ready. Burn¡­ The party lit the campfire and went to a spot where they could clearly see everything happening. They then quietly observed. ¡°Do you think it¡¯lle?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know how deep underground it is. I¡¯m sure it¡¯lle right away when it senses it though.¡± ¡°I hope so too.¡± However, things never go ording to n. Chiiiirp¡­ ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°That bird¡¯sing again. What should we do?¡± Chiiiirp! ¡°We should kil¡ª¡± ¡°Shh. Let¡¯s just watch.¡± As the bird noises grew closer, so did Koopa. Koopa, the massive vulture,nded where Seol had set up the trap. And then¡­ Peck. Swallow¡­ Swallow¡­ ¡°Th-that stupid bird!¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± ¡°Argh¡­ I¡¯m going to get back at it for sure.¡± The corpses they had worked so hard to prepare became dust. What was surprising though was that Koopa swallowed the wild animal hole in one gulp. Koopa¡¯s intestines were almost more amazing than his size. - ns? What¡¯s that? Can you eat that? - ?????? - They put a spoonful of love into those corpses and Koopa definitely noticed it. There¡¯s no way he wasn¡¯t touched. - ns are a great source of protein. Seol felt strange while watching Koopa. Though he was let down from his n failing, he was also happy to see how much Koopa had grown. Chiiirp¡­ As Seol was feeling mixed emotions, Koopa let out a yawn and prepared to fly back up. But¡­ almost like it had forgotten something¡­ Koopa turned around to look at the scene. Kick! Koopa¡¯s talons kicked up the sand and put out the fire. Koopa, with a satisfied look, flew back up into the sky. Fwooosh¡­ Fwooosh¡­ ¡°I never thought the day woulde when I¡¯d be unable to do anything as a bird annoyed me.¡± ¡°We should prepare it again.¡± As Karan and Jamad dusted themselves off, Seol thought about Koopa¡¯sst actions. ¡®Why? Why did he put out the fire?¡¯ Perhaps the reason that Koopa attacked Seol¡¯s party near the canyon¡¯s entrance was to simply put out the fire. ¡®Koopa, why are you doing that?¡¯ Was it¡­ because of Kiri? If the reason that Kiri¡¯s party was wiped out while asleep was really because of the fire¡­ And if Koopa became alone in the Shade Canyon because of it¡­ Koopa might hate fires. - You¡¯re so smart Koopa, aren¡¯t you? - Coo¡­ Seol recalled a portion of his conversations with Koopa as Kiri. As always, the first emotion that Seol felt when he recalled his piece¡¯s memory was guilt. He felt guilty that he wasn¡¯t able to let them all reach the halls of Ascension. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Yeah,ing.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­ it¡¯s troublesome if you keep doing this, you know? I mean I can understand you¡¯re a littlex since I, Karen, am by your side, but¡ª¡± ¡°Elf! Stop rambling on and on about some bullshit ande over here already!¡± Seol already knew that Karen was making jokes to uplift Seol¡¯s spirits as she had already noticed his shift in mood. Smile. Karen shrugged and led the way. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Chiiirp¡­ p! ¡°Aaaargh! Again! That fucking bird¡­¡± Coo¡­ Peck! Peck! ¡°I¡¯m going to kill it. Forget the spider, I¡¯m going to kill that damned bird first¡­¡± Karen was furious and in despair since each time she set up her trap, Koopa woulde and ruin it. - Hello darkness my old friend¡­ - Honestly, I would be pissed too LOL - Fucking Koopa! Are you ever going to stop blocking it?! In the end, Seol¡¯s party decided to prepare an alternative approach. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you want to prepare one on opposite sides, right?¡± ¡°Exactly. If we set up two traps a bit far away from each other, that damned bird won¡¯t be able to do anything about it, right?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s going to light the fire then?¡± ¡°Only one of us has to go to do that anyway. I¡¯ll do it. It doesn¡¯t take too long toe back anyway.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ you¡¯re not wrong. Still, I feel like two won¡¯t be enough. Why don¡¯t we just make a whole bunch of them?¡± ¡°And you want me to light up all of them?¡± Seol asked back with an innocent look on his face. ¡°I thought you said you¡¯d do it though?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I did.¡± - I thought you said you¡¯d do it though? - Look at his fucking face LOOOL - Are you saying that I, your superior, should go? The n progressed quickly. They prepared four different locations ahead of time and sent off Karen to ignite two of them while Seol and Jamad ignited the other two. As the promised time came, Seol¡¯s party moved quickly. Burn¡­ In a short amount of time, four campfires were lit in the canyon. And after that, Karen met up with Jamad and Seol at the rendezvous spot. ¡°It¡¯s done, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That damned bird still isn¡¯t here yet, right? Hahaha!¡± ¡°Nope, it¡¯s over there.¡± Koopa was devouring the wild animals prepared in one of the four spots. Chirp¡­ ¡°This fuc¡ª Ah. I almost swore again.¡± - LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO - Koopa¡¯s already here. - Man proposes and Koopa disposes. - Koopa: Four times the joy! I love being a Paratroopa! Still, the n was effective as the rate that Koopa was putting out the fires was slower. Seol went into deep thought while observing Koopa. ¡®Is it a failure this time as well¡­?¡± But then¡­ Crumble¡­ ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Look over there.¡± Crumble. Crumble¡­ Seol heard a strange sound. It was almost like¡­ something was moving underground. Seol observed some strange movements near the campfire that Koopa hadn''t put out yet. ¡°The ground is¡­¡± ¡°Moving?¡± And then it happened. The ground erupted and a huge hole was made. Rumble Rumble Rumble¡­ ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ so it was true.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a spider.¡± The massive, disgusting spider showed its eight legs first before revealing the rest of its body. The spider was red with red hair all over it. Furthermore, the huge eyes gave Seol an uneasy feeling. The spider looked almost exactly like a caricature of how a person would imagine a disgusting and scary spider. ¡®But¡­ why isn¡¯t Eyes of Perception activating?¡¯ This meant that the spider here likely wasn¡¯t the Anachindria¡¯s descendant that Seol was looking for. It could even be the descendant¡¯s descendant. Krkrr¡­ The spider slowly approached the dead animals that Seol¡¯s party prepared as bait. ¡°What should we do? Should we just run at¡ª¡± ¡°Damn it, it noticed!¡± ¡°What? Who?¡± ¡°Who do you think? The damned bird!¡± Chiiiirp! When Koopa spotted the spider, it charged straight at it with hostile intent, unlike the previous attacks that Koopa made. Frsssssh! ¡°Koopa!¡± Before he realized it, Seol had already shouted. But then, Koopa dodged the sulfuric fire easily like Seol¡¯s worries were for nothing. Kieeee! And then Koopa swung its talons and grabbed the spider by its legs. Seol¡¯s party was shocked by what had happened in that short moment. ¡°...What?¡± And just like that, Koopa disappeared into the sky. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°Should we chase after it?¡± ¡°No, we won¡¯t be able to catch Koopa.¡± There was no way they, who had no wings, would be able to catch up to a flying bird. Seol focused on something else instead. ¡°In fact, it might even be better this way. The tunnel isn¡¯t blocked at all.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The tunnel that the spider traveled through waspletely open without its owner. ¡°We¡¯re going in there!¡± Now, it was confirmed that spiders lived beneath the canyon. The same spiders that killed countless merchants and adventurers like Kiri. Turn! Seol¡¯s party leaped into the tunnel that the spider left behind. Then, they were drawn down into the earth. Chapter 72 Seol descended down the tunnel while being protected by Jamad. Crumble¡­ Crumble¡­ The sharp rocks were unable to scratch Jamad¡¯s leather and simply allowed the party further inside. ¡°It¡¯s not here! There¡¯s no wall here!¡± ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s just continue down.¡± Since Karen and Jamad worked hard to create this opportunity, they were working even harder to make the most out of it. And not too long after, they reached the tunnel¡¯s end. ¡°It¡¯s a sharp drop!¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± Slide¡­ After exiting the opposite side of the tunnel, the party was met with open space. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s w¡ª¡± Ssh! ¡®Water?¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t expect there to be an undergroundke of this size beneath the canyon. Seol had sunk quite deep from the impact but Jamad was quickly able to pull him out. ¡°Pwah!¡± ¡°K-Kaaah¡­ I didn¡¯t expect ake.¡± ¡°Since it looks like we¡¯re all safe, we should hurry up and get out of the water.¡± Ssh¡­ Ssh¡­ Now that Karen was out of the water and was removing the water from her armor, the entire party was safely out of the undergroundke. ¡°It took a while to get out of theke since we fell right into the middle of it.¡± ¡°Do you think the undergroundke here connects to the rest of the canyon?¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s not what¡¯s important right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just d that we fell into theke. We weren¡¯t hurt because of it.¡± ¡°The ceiling is quite high? The cave must be quite big too then.¡± It was as Karen said. Seol stepped deeper into the cavern and confirmed the terrain around him. There were rough stctites all over the ceiling that also acted as pirs while the ground was slippery yet hard. Also, the cave was huge. Seol tapped on the raised portion of his cape to confirm things more urately. Tap. [Venta¡¯s Mantle activates.] Gloooow¡­ [You illuminate your surroundings.] ¡°Argh, it¡¯s so bright!¡± - LOL Karen - *_* My eyes!!! - Kyrle Disease, it¡¯s your time now! ¡°It¡¯s a bit better if you stand in front of me.¡± ¡°I-It is better. But Master, you have so many strange items that I¡¯m starting to think that you¡¯re a general store.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the results of everything that I¡¯ve done so far.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. It¡¯s good, it¡¯s good to see. Hm¡­¡± Karen looked around at the illuminated cave. ¡°It¡¯s riddled with spiderwebs. Do you see that over there?¡± ¡°The ceiling?¡± ¡°Yeah, and I now see why there were holes all over the ceiling. The spiders had been climbing up on their webs and digging tunnels up.¡± And during this calm, a message appeared. [The main contents of ¡®Her Last Descendant¡¯ have changed.] [¡®Her Last Descendant¡¯ has changed to ¡®Predator Beneath the Canyon¡¯.] [ Adventure 11-1. ¡®Predator Beneath the Canyon¡¯ After a long, thorough investigation, you have discovered the spider¡¯s traces. You have avoided Koopa, the Shade Canyon¡¯s Predator, and have chased after another predator into itsir. There is no way the owner of this massive cavern would be missing. Find the owner of this cave and bring an end to your long pursuit. However, keep in mind that there is no way the owner of this cave would wee you. Objective: Acquire the blood of Anachindria¡¯sst descendant. Hamun¡¯s favorability towards you will drop upon failure. The Red Lotus Sword will not be reforged upon failure. Remaining Time [71:59]] Seol clenched his fists. ¡®This was the right way!¡¯ The contents of the Adventure changing was practically proof that Seol was going in the right direction. Jamad then asked Seol, ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°That big bird took away thest descendant or whatever.¡± ¡°No, that spider probably wasn¡¯t Anachindria¡¯s descendant.¡± ¡°You had the same idea too, huh?¡± ¡°The spider was definitelyrge but it wouldn¡¯t make sense for something like that to be the owner of a cavern this huge. Furthermore, the ceiling and walls are covered in spiderwebs. There was no way it could¡¯ve done that on its own.¡± ¡°I agree. A house this big only suits an owner as big. That spider was probably the bigger spider¡¯s subordinate.¡± Karen interrupted their conversation. ¡°So in conclusion, we have to go forth, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± But then, Seol heard a whisper. The voice was as light as the wind. - Come closer¡­ closer¡­ Seol¡¯s eyes grew wide as he asked the other two. ¡°Did anyone talk?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°Not me.¡± ¡°I heard a voice just now¡­¡± ¡°What voice?¡± ¡°Did I mishear something¡­? Let¡¯s just go.¡± As the party pressed forward, Karen ced her hand on Seol¡¯s shoulder. And then, she yed a childish trick. ¡°Boo!¡± ¡°...What are you doing?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t get scared¡­¡± ¡°Stop ying around.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not ying around, I was just checking something.¡± ¡°Checking what?¡± ¡°You said that you heard a voice just now. What did you hear?¡± ¡°It said ¡®Come closer¡­ closer.¡¯¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± The three looked at each other. All three of them were experienced veterans of Pandea. At this point, they all realized it. ¡°A mind-type spell.¡± ¡°It can use Mind Control too?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fucking pain.¡± Karen then proudly stepped forth and pounded on her chest. ¡°Just leave it to me. Mind-type spells are¡ª¡± ¡°Because of your Mind Control Resistance? That was sealed.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Jamad then stepped forth to warn the party. ¡°Since there aren¡¯t any enemies close to us, it¡¯s likely that it¡¯s doing a mental attack from very far away. And if you consider that, then it must also be quite proficient at it.¡± ¡°It would be nice if its main powers were mind-type spells, but it¡¯s a spider. All of you remember that, right?¡± ¡°Of course. Eight legs and eight eyes¡­ or at least that¡¯s what ordinary spiders look like.¡± ¡°And since it¡¯s using this cavern as its base, it must be quite big too. Also, it has more legs than all of usbined.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s be careful as we keep going.¡± Seol¡¯s party continued to dive deeper into the cave with Venta¡¯s Mantle providing light. As Seol looked around him, he was shocked by all of the surprising things that were caught in the spiderwebs. There were old wagons, bowls with rare patterns, and other misceneous items trapped in the webs. Also, there were skeletons. ¡°It ate so many people.¡± ¡°...Yeah.¡± Seol was down after seeing how many people have died to the monster over this long period of time. ¡®Would Kiri be here too?¡¯ Since it had been over a decade since Kiri died, He might have been one of the skulls rolling around on the floor. Grab. Seol grabbed one of the skulls and looked into the empty, ck holes left as its eye pockets. You¡¯re also going to end up like me. I didn¡¯t want to be like this either¡­ Seol kept hearing spine-chilling echoes. Shake. Seol shook his head and moved the skull over to one side. And then, once more, Seol heard whispers in his ears. - Come closer, child¡­ Take in the grace of fire¡­ Clench¡­ Seol clenched his eyes. Grab. Karen, who had been leading Seol, stretched out her arm and blocked Seol from walking any further. ¡°Stop.¡± Before Seol realized it, Jamad had already gotten into position behind Seol. It was to protect him. Seol looked at the ceiling and everywhere else around him. He saw red circles all around. Kiieeeeee! And all of those red circles were the eyes of spiders. The frightening thing about them was that despite how quickly their legs moved, they didn¡¯t make a sound. Frankly, it disgusted him more than anything. - For a life of fire¡­ give us your flesh¡­ ¡°So loud.¡± ¡°Kill them all,¡± said Seol to his summons. Kieeeeee! Spiders, all of which were a simr size to the spider that Koopa dragged away, scurried in from all sides. [Jamad used Rock Armor.] [Mountain Fists¡¯ Bonus Effect activates.] [Snowman also receives Rock Armor¡¯s effects.] First, Jamad protected both himself and Seol from the spiders with rocks. Fwooosh! Crush! Jamad lightly swung his arms and crushed the head of a spider. [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated a Sulfur Spider.] Fsss¡­ The sulfur spider¡¯s blood caused a hole in the ground. ¡°Their blood smells like sulfur. Be careful, elf!¡± Leap! Karen had already defeated a few spiders and was just about to kick the head off another spider. Stter! [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated a Sulfur Spider.] ¡°Hahaha! Are you kidding me?! Is this all you¡¯ve got?¡± Frsh! Multiple spiders shot out their webs at Karen and one even sessfullynded it on Karen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Huat!¡± Karen recognized that the spider¡¯s web was tough and spun her body around. Fwirl! The massive spider was lifted up into the air and was mmed head-first to the ground. Grab¡­ Kieee! Crush! [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated a Sulfur Spider.] ¡°Do you like hot stuff? Me too!¡± Karen waspletely covered in a gray hue. Even though she looked like ash, her pupils were still red, like an undying me. Her red eyes radiated heat itself. ¡°I¡¯ll kill all of you spiders!¡± Crush! [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated a Sulfur Spider.] Jamad, still behind Seol, ripped off a wheel from the wagon. Throw! Fwooosh! Kiieeeee! Thud! Shatter! [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated a Sulfur Spider.] K-Kieeee! Seol could tell that the spiders were in shock. But despite all that, Seol could still hear whispers in his ears. - Do not resist¡­ ept the fire¡­ ¡°Oi, you can hear me, can¡¯t you?¡± - ¡­¡­ ¡°Just wait right there. I¡¯ll being for you.¡± Whenever it seemed like Seol would be in danger, Karen and Jamad stepped forth to kill the spider. And after a long while, it was finally starting to seem like the number of spiders was decreasing. Kieeeee! As one spider cried out and ran away, the other spiders also followed suit. ¡°Should we chase them?¡± ¡°No. Since we don¡¯t know what could be hiding there, let¡¯s take this slowly.¡± ¡°Well, yeah sure.¡± The ground was covered in spider blood. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should call this blood or sulfur, but¡­¡± ¡°It might be a bit annoying but it won¡¯t necessarily be a problem if you do.¡± Seol took out a bottle he prepared earlier and brought it near the spider¡¯s corpse to collect its blood. [You have acquired a Sulfur Spider¡¯s blood.] ¡®As expected.¡¯ These spiders weren¡¯t Anachindria¡¯s descendants. They were either the descendant¡¯s subspecies or another species entirely. ¡°I don¡¯t think this will end smoothly at all.¡± ¡°Snowman, look over here.¡± Spiderwebs weren¡¯t the only thing in the cavern. There were also spiderweb cocoons here and there. ¡°The cocoon?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something inside it.¡± ¡°...Wouldn¡¯t it be a spider?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s probably someone who was eaten by the spider,¡± said Jamad. Jamad then grabbed a piece of broken wood to tear through the spiderweb. Riip¡­ ¡°How revolting.¡± Karen had a disgusted look on her face as well. Inside the cocoon was a mummified corpse that was sucked dry and covered in the spider¡¯s liquid. Seol felt pity for them as it seemed like they were desperately trying to escape. When Seol thought about how Kiri could have met the same fate, anger grew within him. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s kill all of those spiders.¡± Jamad then asked Karen a question. ¡°Is it fine that you can¡¯t pull out your sword?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I was thinking¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be fine if I pulled it out beforehand?¡± ¡°But do you think you¡¯ll be able to swing it?¡± ¡°...You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll just fight with my body like I¡¯ve done so far, whatever.¡± Karen spoke as if it was nothing but internally, she was dire. She was in distress as it seemed like someone had locked a portion of her heart, leaving her unable to pull out or swing her sword for someone else. ¡®But since there¡¯s nothing I can do for her, I just have to wait.¡¯ Seol had to just watch. This was the only option Seol had that would benefit her. Step. Step. The cavern¡¯s tunnel started to grow wider. It grew wider and wider almost like it was trying to imply something massive wasing. ¡°Master, it seems lik¡ª¡± Stop. When Karen stopped, so did the rest of the party. ¡°I think it¡¯s here?¡± The cave wasrge enough to be mistaken for a dragon¡¯sir. Their surroundings were littered with spiderwebs and cocoons. It also made Seol feel dizzy as the owner of the cave piled up the cocoons as if they were on disy. Kieeee¡­ - Fufu¡­ I never thought someone would willingly step foot into here¡­ What an interesting child. My name is Atarak, I am Anachindria¡¯sst descendant. Seol raised his head and looked into the huge room. Inside, there was a spider sorge that ¡®massive¡¯ or ¡®huge¡¯ wasn¡¯t enough to describe how gigantic it was. The spider was hanging on a diagonally made web. Seol then looked at her information using Eyes of Perception. [[Atarak: Anachindria¡¯s Last Descendant] Rank: Heroic Estimated Level: 18~30 Anachindria is the name of an ancient Fire Spider Queen. At one point in history, everyone feared her name. However, she has disappeared from the world, and her legend has been forgotten. Now, a new spider queen, continuing Anachindria¡¯s blood, has revealed herself to the world. Her name is Atarak. Basic Skills: [Bite 2], [Neurotoxin Injection 3], [Spider''s Whispers 2], [Sweet Dreams 1], [Spiderweb Bomb 1], [Passive: Protect Home 1], [Passive: Detect Movements 1] Unique Skills: [Sulfur Discharge 1]] ¡®Heroic rank¡­¡¯ Seol furrowed his brows. As expected, Atarak was not an ordinary opponent. Kiee¡­ - Communicating with my food is definitely a new experience, but¡­ as you worked up my appetite, I shall give you an opportunity¡­ child. Kiee¡­ - I still hunger. I will not be satisfied with just you three. More¡­ bring me more food into the canyon. ¡°And what will you give me in exchange?¡± Kieee¡­ - I shall give you the grace of fire. Seol then saw a few options before him. [[You have met Atarak, the massive Spider Queen. However, instead of eating you, she has given you an unpleasant proposal. How do you respond?] 1. What is the grace of fire? 2. Regardless of what the grace of fire is, I ept. You are the new Queen of Fire. 3. Is Anachindria dead? 4. Could you tell me more specifically what I have to do? 5. Is there anything else you¡¯d like to propose? ¡­¡­] As it was the first time Seol had received this proposal, he would have normally thought carefully and then thought carefully again before giving a response. But instead of giving an answer, Seol took a good look at the scenery around him. There were countless cocoons. Countless lives had been lost here. Seol¡¯s piece, Kiri, is also one of them. And as such, there was nopromise. Seol looked at Atarak andughed. ¡°I refuse. Why don¡¯t you get ready to fall off that web now?¡± answered Seol. Atarak¡¯s body violently quivered with rage. Kieeeeee! - Kill all of those small ones! Chapter 73 [Atarak is furious.] [As she quivers her body, spiders pour into the room from all sides.] More spiders poured down from the ceiling than the spiders that escaped previously. Kieeee! - Do you¡­ Do you have any idea how long I¡¯ve had to sneak around? I¡¯ve hid underground, enduring all sorts of humiliation, to grow this big. Atarak was talking a lot about things that Seol was frankly uninterested in. Seol, disinterested, ordered Karen, ¡°Karen! I want you to bring that chatterbox down to the ground.¡± ¡°Alright, sounds fun.¡± Leap! As Karen dashed toward Atarak, multiple spiders jumped in to block her path. Stter! [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated a Sulfur Spider.] ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Punch! [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated a Sulfur Spider.] ¡°There¡¯s a lot more of them than I thought?¡± Kieee¡­ - The reason that I hid here¡­ wasn¡¯t so that I would be belittled by someone like you! Fwooosh¡­ Atarak tore a boulder off the ceiling and threw it at Seol. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Throw! Jamad took Seol and moved him out of the boulder¡¯s way Booooom! K-Kieeeeek! There were dead spiders left in the boulder¡¯s wake. Kieee! - How dare you! How dare youuuuuu! It seemed like staying in a room that was too small for her for this long left her unable to properly control her anger. Regardless, there was no way such an emotional attack wouldnd on Karen and Jamad. Fwooosh! Cruuush! Kiee¡­ Fwoosh! Crush! Spider corpses were piling up to the point that Seol couldn¡¯t even see his own feet. Jamad, while protecting Seol, spoke to him. ¡°Careful, their blood is starting to pool together.¡± ¡°Their blood? God damn it¡­¡± The ground that Seol believed was t was actually sunken, and the spiders¡¯ blood was starting to slowly pool. Seol¡¯s concern was that if the blood continued to pool together like this, Seol could end up having no ce to stand on. ¡®How am I going to drag down that monster?¡¯ If it wasn¡¯t a Solo Adventure, Seol would have recruited long-range damage sses to attack Atarak directly. Since Atarak wasn¡¯t attacking Seol directly, it wasn¡¯t too hard to stay alive. However, it wasn¡¯t like Seol could only dodge forever. ¡°Hah!¡± Karen used this time to throw broken rock fragments at Atarak. Stab. Kieee¡­ - I guess what you said about dragging me down from my webs was all talk. Resist as much as you want, child. It delights me the more you resist as it makes the meal sweeter. A sticky saliva dripped down from Atarak¡¯s mouth. Her eyes were all locked on Karen. And then, she spat out a cocoon from her mouth. [Atarak used Spiderweb Bomb.] [The projectile is influenced by Passive: Detect Movements.] Karen, seeing the lump of spider web swiftly flying toward her, made a call that she shouldn''t get hit by it. Fwoosh! Karen used her wits and tossed a spider that was attacking her into the direction of the projectile. Fwoosh! Thud! The cocoon wrapped around the spider in an instant, causing it to fall to the ground with a thud. Kiee¡­ The spider twitched on the ground but was helpless beyond that. ¡°That looks dangerous. Not like I¡¯m going to get hit by it though.¡± Fwoosh! Fwooosh! [Atarak used Spiderweb Bomb.] [The projectile is influenced by Passive: Detect Movements.] Atarak used the same attack again. However, Karen was now ready for it. She dodged the cocoons by arge margin. Kiee¡­ - How swift. But¡­ What about yourrades? Fwoosh! Fwooosh! [Atarak used Spiderweb Bomb.] [The projectile is influenced by Passive: Detect Movements.] This time, the spiderwebs shot toward Seol and Jamad. Jamad, obviously, was on guard against Atarak¡¯s movements as well. ¡°Hmph!¡± Kieee! Fwoosh! Thud¡­ Jamad used the same method that Karen used the first time to defend against it. Atarak, having failed her attacks multiple times, became furious on herfortable webs. Kieee¡­ - So you¡¯re all looking down on me, huh?! Seol then mocked her, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop talking ande down here if you have a problem? Coward.¡± It seemed like that was an effective blow. Atarak gave a different reaction from the ones she had shown so far. Kiee¡­ - ¡­Alright. Since you¡¯ve mocked me, don¡¯t regret it if I give you a painful death. Skitter¡­ [Atarak used Sweet Dreams.] ¡°Watch out! It¡¯s a mental attack!¡± shouted Jamad. Jamad, catching the eerie energy of mind-type spells shouted quickly. But as he shouted, everyone¡¯s vision started to grow dark. As negative thoughts started to enter Seol¡¯s head, he bit his lips. Bite! Blood dripped down Seol¡¯s lips as he read the messages. [The ¡®Spell Resist Dice¡¯ are rolling.] [Spell Resist Dice has rolled a 4.] [Jamad resists Sweet Dreams.] [Spell Resist Dice has rolled a 5.] [Snowman resists Sweet Dreams.] Luckily, two of Seol¡¯s party members resisted the spell. However, their luck ended there. [Spell Resist Dice has rolled a 1.] [Karen¡¯s high resistance adds 1 to her dice roll.] [Karen falls into a sweet dream.] ¡®No!¡¯ Seol and Jamad instantly realized that Karen had fallen for Atarak¡¯s attack the moment she stood still with a nk look on her face. ¡°Damn it, elf!¡± Jamad leaped toward Karen. Meanwhile, Atarak watched Karen with glistening eyes. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Karen looked forward with a nk look. It was bright around her, as everything was made of gold. And then someone approached her. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I bet you¡¯re the only person who would ever doze off in front of Montra¡¯s Emperor, Karen.¡± ¡°Jin, was I sleeping?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Are you trying to lie to me now that we¡¯re the only two people here?¡± ¡°So I was sleeping. I guess I slept but¡­ who cares!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a much better reaction.¡± Karen felt an old, heavy weight in her chest. It made her feelfortable and safe. ¡°...Are you back now?¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. What about Karuna?¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably in the training grounds. He¡¯s always there anyway.¡± It was the same daily routine. Sunlight poured on Montra¡¯s pce as if the sun itself were blessing them, while Karen enjoyed her nap. Her brother, Karuna, was training as he always did, and the Emperor, Jin, would drop by from time to time to have a conversation whenever he needed a break from his immense workload. It was Karen¡¯s everyday life that was a matter of course. It was also something that seemed like it wouldst forever. But¡­ ¡®I feel like I¡¯m forgetting something important¡­¡¯ Despite how rxing it was, Karen felt like something was off. The Emperor, noticing how Karen was feeling, asked her a question. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Karen?¡± ¡°Jin. You know, how do you be an emperor?¡± ¡°An emperor? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just curious if amazing people like you, Jin, are just born amazing too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking something so pointless. Still, I¡¯ll answer you.¡± Jin then gave a mischievous smile as he continued. ¡°Montra was handed down to me.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°I inherited it. I wasn¡¯t the person who built up Montra.¡± ¡°Hahaha! What the hell is that?!¡± ¡°Obviously, though, when I first inherited Montra, no one called it an empire.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°But through me, Montra became one.¡± Karen liked the man in front of her. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t a romantic interest, she simply liked him as her lord. She felt peaceful being with him and enjoyed watching him. ¡°It doesn''t feel like you have the ability to do something like that when I watch over you though¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha! Others would have punished you if they heard you say that. Still, I¡¯m d that you¡¯re someone who can say that.¡± ¡°Hurry up and answer my question now. How do you be an emperor?¡± ¡°An emperor is made by the era.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°And the era is made by the people.¡± Karen turned her head at Jin¡¯s riddles. Even after that, Karen and Jin continued to talk about the empire. Jin had a look in his eyes, like he was recalling something. ¡°Thinking back¡­ So many people helped to make me emperor. They gave their hearts and did whatever it took to make me emperor.¡± ¡°To make you emperor¡­? Why?¡± Karen looked at Jin. When she looked into his eyes, she felt like she had a small idea of why his aides worked so hard to make Jin an emperor. ¡°Someone you want to make into an emperor¡­ someone you want to serve¡­ hm¡­ this is hard.¡± ¡°Regardless, being an emperor really isn¡¯t all that great, so if you meet a good person, don¡¯t ever try to make them into an emperor.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Who else would I serve but you, Jin?¡± ¡°......¡± Jin gave a calm smile and simply maintained eye contact with Karen. Even so, a corner of Karen¡¯s heart was still uneasy. That¡¯s why even she didn¡¯t know why she kept making an uneasy expression. ¡°It looks like the problem still remains.¡± ¡°You know¡­ I think¡­ I have a concern.¡± ¡°Tell me. I thought we could share any small worries with each other.¡± ¡°It feels like you only share big worries with me, though.¡± ¡°Hahaha. What can I do, though? You¡¯re the only one who can listen to my worriesfortably.¡± Karen then spoke with nk eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t pull it out.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t pull what out?¡± ¡°My sword. No matter how hard I try¡­ I can¡¯t pull it out.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± ¡°The moment I think about pulling it out to protect, my body stiffens up like a rock.¡± Jin gave a chilling look. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Who are you trying to protect?¡± ¡°I think¡­ it¡¯s someone other than you, Jin.¡± ¡°......¡± Jinughed again. ¡°Do you remember the vow you made to me?¡± ¡°Of course. I promised that I would only serve you and only swing my sword for you.¡± ¡°And it seems like that promise is preventing you from going further.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re trying to get permission from me to swing your sword for someone else.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°...From me, someone who¡¯s died.¡± ¡°Dead? Who¡¯s dead?¡± Rumble Rumble¡­ Suddenly, the pce started to shake. ¡°Karen.¡± ¡°Jin! Come here! The castle is¡ª¡± Jin shook his head. ¡°This is a dream, Karen.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°I am dead and Montra has gone to ruin.¡± Crack! Rumble Rumble¡­ CRAAAACK! The stones made to create the pce had broken. Karen was shocked and quickly tried to grab Jin¡¯s hand but he refused her. ¡°Why? Why?!¡± Push! Jin pushed her away. Karen was falling. Falling into a dark space. ¡°Go, Karen. And don¡¯t look back.¡± ¡°Jiiiiiin! You bastard!¡± Jin¡¯s face slowly turned to dust. Even as he was bing a skeleton and scattering into the air, he continued to talk to Karen. ¡°You stupidly loyal knight, my time has ended. ept the new era.¡± ¡°Jiiiin!¡± ¡°And through that, be redeemed.¡± * * * [Karen resists Sweet Dreams.] ¡°Aaaaaargh!¡± ¡°Look around you, elf!¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Karen swiftly realized that everything that happened was a dream. She also realized that Jamad was carrying her over his shoulder and she was being dead weight. Kieee¡­ - Swiftly offer your everything to me. To me, the Queen of Fire. Atarak was confident in her victory as the moment Karen fell asleep, she had been able to push both Seol and Jamad back into a corner. In fact, if Karen hadn¡¯t woken up right now, it really would have been an extremely dangerous situation. ¡°What is this¡­¡± ¡°We can talk after you get down from my shoulder!¡± Slip! Karen skillfully rolled off Jamad¡¯s shoulder. And then, she grabbed her sword. The same sword that she had been carrying as baggage, unable to pull it out. Kieee¡­ - Was the present I gave you sweet, child? Karen could hear Atarak¡¯s whispers in her ears. ¡°Yeah, it was damn sweet.¡± Kieee¡­ - That dream showed you whatever was most important to you. ¡°No wonder.¡± Jin and Karuna. Her memories with them were her happiest memories. Kieee¡­ - Serve me. And if you do, I will let you have such dreams forever. But also, they were her most painful memories. ¡°Stop your bullshit, you fucking spider!¡± Karen got into a stance to pull out her sword. ¡°Karen!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Kieee¡­ - How foolish. Then die. Fwoosh! Fwooosh! [Atarak used Spiderweb Bomb.] [The projectile is influenced by Passive: Detect Movements.] Atarak shot out her Spiderweb Bomb at her. Since Karen had only dodged her attacks, Atarak was quickly preparing a follow-up attack. However, this time, Karen didn¡¯t dodge. Click! Pull! Karen unsheathed her sword, letting a clear sound ring out. The sword she pulled out from her sheathe had be a zing inferno. aaare! Fsss¡­ Fsss¡­ The Spiderweb Bomb that Atarak shot at her quickly incinerated before her fire. And it wasn¡¯t just her attack either. Kieeee! Kiee! With a single swing, Karen ignited all of the spiders that stood in her path. Kieeeeee! Skitter¡­ Atarak swiftly skittered closer to the ceiling, surprised by Karen¡¯s powers. Karen let out a low growl, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have messed with Jin. I¡¯ll burn you to a crisp, so get ready.¡± Her sword was already starting to melt. ¡°Because right now¡­ I think I¡¯m a little pissed!¡± Chapter 74 Karen¡¯s body was like an overheating engine. res ceaselessly flickered out from her body as she melted her surroundings. Chhrsr! re! Kieeee! Even though the sulfur spiders could spit sulfur at her, they couldn¡¯t get close. Because if they ever chose to get into spitting distance, the strange movements she made with her sword cut down anything and everything that approached her. Chhrsrs! Kieeee! No, ¡®cut down¡¯ was not an urate word to describe what happened. You wouldn¡¯t say that you cut something down if you melted them before your de even reached them. Kieee¡­ - How¡­ How are you so powerful¡­ Who are you? re¡­ It was Atarak¡¯s first time seeing such a powerful fire capable of burning everything down. For the first time in Atarak¡¯s life, she felt fear. Kieee¡­ - Stop her! You only need to stop her! It wasn¡¯t as if Jamad and Seol were killing the spiders at a slow pace either. It was just thatpared to Karen, they were quite slow. Kiee¡­ A number of the spiders around Jamad and Seol left to fight Karen. The spiders were being recalled to buy time and keep the queen alive. And because of that, Karen wasn¡¯t able to reach Atarak despite unsheathing her sword. ¡°You annoying shits!¡± re! Karen took a low stance. Nobody here knew what Karen¡¯s stance led to. And since Atarak had no idea how to prepare or defend it, she simply sent as many spiders as possible to make it difficult for her to move. Kieeee! The spiders were sessful in carrying out Atarak¡¯s intent. Because of their interference, Karen wasn¡¯t able to smoothly activate her skill. Even so¡­ FLAAAAAAARE! [Karen used Fire Flower.] [Karen absorbs all heat within a certain radius.] [The range of all fire attacks is increased by 100%.] [Karen takes 50% reduced damage from all sources while she spins.] [Karen deals 360% of her damage with each spin.] [Karen¡¯s stance is unstable.] [The number of spins is reduced.] [Karen spins 17 times.] Skitter¡­ She took a step with her foot, preparing to use it as her axis¡­ Skitter¡­ And started to spin. FWOOOOOOOOSH! FLAAAAAAAAARE! Seol couldn¡¯t get rid of his shock after seeing Karen¡¯s powers. ¡®Oh my god¡­¡¯ She was overwhelmingly strong. Karen looked like a high-level Adventurer showing up in a low-level area and ughtering everything in her path. Stter! Kieeeee! Kieee! Kiee¡­ Even though it seemed like the sheer number of spiders would have crushed her, the tornado of fire she created simply scorched all of them. Fire Flower. From afar, the vortex she created really did look like a flower. For the first time, Seol witnessed why Karen was called the Red Lotus Knight. ¡®As expected¡­ she was going easy on us when she was an undead.¡¯ It was clear that Karen was holding herself back in case Karuna or his party members identally died. ¡°Hahaha! It¡¯s been so long since I felt like this.¡± Though Karen¡¯s red lotus was reliable to see as an ally, to Atarak, it seemed like the manifestation of a death march. And then it happened. Jamad noticed something and quickly warned Karen. ¡°Karen! It¡¯sing!¡± Kieee¡­ - Be covered in sulfur, witch! [Atarak used Unique Skill: Sulfur Discharge.] [The projectile is influenced by Passive: Detect Movements.] [Sulfur Discharge leaves a growing residue.] [Sulfur Discharge needs to be recharged before it can be used again.] Atarak wasn¡¯t simply watching Karen kill her children. She was also plotting to aim for Karen¡¯s opening. Inhale¡­ Fwoooooosh! Atarak, who had been hanging on her spiderweb attached to the ceiling, spat out a giant mass of sulfur. ¡°Dooooooooodge!¡± It wasn¡¯t only Karen who was in Atarak¡¯s attack range. Seol and Jamad were also about to be hit by it. The three of them quickly ran away from the mass of sulfur flying toward them. Ruuuuumble! BOOOOM! The sulfur exploded, causing intense heat to fill the area. It was so hot that the ground that Seol¡¯s party was stepping on started melting. Fsssss¡­ However, luckily, no one was directly damaged by the sulfur. ¡°Phew¡­ Oi, troll!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°And Master?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine too.¡± ¡°Hahaha! You heard that too, didn¡¯t you? What are you going to do now, you fat spider? Your attack missed!¡± The sulfur had just melted the majority of the spiderlings, and now there was no one left to protect Atarak. Kieee¡­ - How pitiful, you ignorant child. Do you really think you will be able to kill me? ¡°Why? Do you think I won¡¯t?¡± Kieee¡­ - If you¡¯re that confident, then climb up here where I am. Even though it was impossible to read Atarak¡¯s expression since it was a spider, it was obvious that she was mocking them. Because, as expected, Seol¡¯s party also had no way of attacking it. ¡®She knows what advantages she holds.¡¯ Atarak still clung to the spiderweb-covered ceiling. If they wanted to attack her, they had to climb up the spiderwebs along the walls to the ceiling. And jumping into spiderwebs to hunt a spider was something only an insane person would do. ¡®At this rate, we won¡¯t be able to do anything before Sulfur Discharge recharges. We have to stop that, no matter what¡­¡¯ Sulfur Discharge was definitely a powerful skill, but more terrifying was that slowly, the ground that Seol¡¯s party could step on was disappearing. If they allowed Atarak to continue to shoot sulfur, the only fate left for them was to bravely ept their deaths. ¡®Damn it, there¡¯s not enough things that we can do.¡¯ Since Seol didn¡¯t have a summon capable of long-range attacks, he could do nothing about the one-sided attacks. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * As Seol was thinking about what to do, Jamad yelled, breaking his focus. ¡°Elf! What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see? That bitch is making fun of us! Wait right there, I''ll knock you down from your web!¡± [Karen is caught in Atarak¡¯s spiderweb.] [Karen¡¯s mobility is decreased by 80%.] ¡®That reckless¡­!¡¯ Seol had a foul look on his face. Karen fell for the taunt and was trying to climb up the spiderwebs. And the result, as expected, was her ending up stuck in the spiderwebs, unable to progress too far. Every single person in this room was shocked by the way she rashly acted. ¡°Huh?¡± Though Seol was the most surprised, Atarak was the most happy. Kieeeeeeek! - You fool! That¡¯s what you get for trying to y hero! As Atarak lectured her, she also quickly skittered down her webs to reach her. In fact, she was even faster than Karen¡¯srades. ¡°No! Karen! Get out of there!¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ too sticky¡­ damn it¡­ this¡­.¡± Kieee¡­ - It¡¯s pointless. No one has ever escaped my webs after getting caught in it. Now, why don¡¯t we end this annoying forey here. Atarak¡¯s front legs swung down to stab at Karen. Fssssss! But then, Karen gave a meaningful smile. ¡°Caught ya, you big spider!¡± Kieee! - What? FWOOOOOOSH! In an instant, Karen let out an intense heat. And as she did, the spiderwebs around her ignited. ¡°Haaat!¡± Karen ripped through the burning spiderwebs and brought down Atarak. Burn! Kieeeeeeeee! - Wh-what did you just do?! Aaaaaaargh! Atarak¡¯s front legs were engulfed by Karen¡¯s mes. Karen predicted everything and called her victory. ¡°Now, fall off and die, you damned spider.¡± However¡­ Rip. Slice. Atarak¡¯s burning front legs fell to the floor. She had chosen to cut them off herself. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Kieek! - You looked down on me too much, witch. Now, taste my sulfur as you crawl on the ground. Burning spiderwebs fell to the ground with Atarak¡¯s legs as Atarak relied on the few spiderwebs she had left to stay on the ceiling. But the surprising thing here wasn¡¯t that she still had a few spiderwebs left or that she lost a couple of her legs. The surprising thing was that she was still on the ceiling. That and only that. Inhale¡­ [Atarak used Unique Skill: Sulfur Discharge.] [The projectile is influenced by Passive: Detect Movements.] [Sulfur Discharge leaves a growing residue.] [Sulfur Discharge needs to be recharged before it can be used again.] ¡°Dodge it!¡± BOOOOM! Fssss¡­ Once again, they were barely able to dodge the Sulfur Discharge. Seol almost lost consciousness from the dizzying heat and smell but was fine after receiving help from Jamad. ¡°Krgh¡­ Damn it¡­¡± Kieee¡­ - How pleasant it is to see such despair. And now¡­ The party was in a dire situation. Karen was separated from Seol and Jamad and they now had to start preparing an escape n. Seol was so busy thinking that he couldn¡¯t hear Atarak¡¯s whispers anymore. Ooo¡­ But what he did hear¡­ was a foreign sound that shouldn¡¯t be heard in this cave. Oooo¡­ Kieee! - What? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ CRAAAAACK! A loud sound was heard from the direction of the undergroundke. And after that, there were more sounds. It was the sound of something breaking. ¡®Did the tunnel we took cave in?¡¯ But why would that happen? Seol had to find the source of the sounds he had heard and the sounds he was still hearing. ¡°Koopa!¡± Coo! FWOOOOOOSH! A fierce gust of air rushed in, filling the cavern with fresh air. Something was flying toward here at an incredible speed. Seol quickly realized that it was Koopa. ¡®Was there smokeing out of the tunnel?¡¯ Koopa despised fires. Seol wasn¡¯t sure how that massive bird was able to detect heat and put out fires, but since the cavern was filled with intense heat, it wasn¡¯t too strange either. Jamad, who was next to Seol, quickly grabbed him. ¡°We have to get out of here! It¡¯s not just the spider now, it¡¯s the bird too¡­ we can¡¯t handle both of them!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to go. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s here for us.¡± ¡°What?¡± And then, Koopa finally reached the cavern. Even if they tried to escape now, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape Koopa¡¯s eyes. ¡°Koopa!¡± Seol quickly realized that something was off with Koopa. He could tell with just the look in Koopa¡¯s eyes. It was rage. Koopa¡¯s eyes were filled with rage that had been built up over a long time. CHIIIIIIIIIRP! With a strange cry, Koopa dived toward Atarak. ¡°Oh¡­ my god. Why?¡± Jamad watched the two fight with a surprised face. [Atarak used Spiderweb Bomb.] [The projectile is influenced by Passive: Detect Movements.] Fwooosh! Fwoosh! Seol thought Koopa would obviously dodge the Spiderweb Bomb that Atarak spat at it. However, Koopa took a direct hit. Fwip¡­ Thud! [Koopa is caught in Atarak¡¯s spiderweb.] [Koopa¡¯s mobility is decreased by 80%.] ¡®Why? Is Koopa so mad that it can¡¯t think?¡¯ Koopa was descending. Luckily, before Koopa fell into theke of sulfur, He ripped through the spiderwebs with his wings and spread them again. [Koopa used Unique Skill: Nutrient Frenzy.] [Koopa uses the powers it gained from Devour Corpse to increase its stats, defense, and resistance immensely for a short amount of time.] Kieeee! - You! You again! What did I do for you to harass me this much?! CHIIIIIRP! Koopa spun in the air and dove toward Atarak¡¯s head once more. Judging by what Atarak nervously just said, it was clear that she had been tormented by Koopa for a long time. Crush! Kieeeeeee! Koopa had one of Atarak¡¯s eyes in its beak. - Aaaaaaargh! Atarak swung precariously on her web. Kieee! Kieee! Koopa pped its wings and Atarak skittered around. However, even though Koopa was big, it couldn¡¯tpare to how big Atarak was. Bam! Atarak finallynded a sessful blow on Koopa with her leg which resulted in Koopa being thrown to a wall near Karen. Crush! Kieee¡­ - You annoying bastards¡­ I will¡­ I will burn all of you down! Inhale¡­ [Atarak used Unique Skill: Sulfur Discharge.] [The projectile is influenced by Passive: Detect Movements.] [Sulfur Discharge leaves a growing residue.] [Sulfur Discharge needs to be recharged before it can be used again.] BOOOOOOOOM! Sulfur Dischargended where they originally stood. Kieee! - Ahh¡­ Sweet, sweet victory. Atarak believed that no one was able to dodge her Sulfur Discharge. p¡­ p¡­ However, Koopa flew up, narrowly dodging her attack, and flew toward her again. Kieeeeeeee! - D-Don¡¯te! Don¡¯te any closer! He was flying toward her again, now with Karen on his back. Jump! Karen suddenly leaped off of Koopa¡¯s back. Since her posture looked quite unstable, Atarak believed it to be an opportunity. She eagerly opened her mouth, waiting for Karen toe in. Kieeeee! - Come inside my mouth, child! I shall feast on your flesh! Slip! Karen slipped into Atarak¡¯s mouth, almost too easily. ¡°Karen!¡± And then¡­ [Karen used Red Lotus sh.] SLIIIICE. With a clear sound, Atarak¡¯s body was perfectly split in half. Karen appeared from inside Atarak¡¯s body,pletely unharmed, and was putting her sword away. ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s going to burn to death.¡± Atarak¡¯s corpse was covered in mes as she fell from herfortable webs. Seol, after confirming that Karen was safe, checked his messages. [You have defeated Atarak: Anachindria¡¯s Last Descendant.] [You have earned the achievement ¡®Why Are You in My Home?¡¯.] [You have earned the title ¡®Uninvited Guest¡¯.] Chapter 75 SPLAAAAAASH! Atarak¡¯s body falling into theke of sulfur caused a wave. Since Atarak was massive, even theke couldn¡¯tpletely contain her body. Land. Karennded safely on Atarak¡¯s corpse. Luckily, since Seol and Jamad were able to reach Atarak¡¯s corpse, they moved to meet her there. ¡°Fuuu¡­ How was it? Did I look cool?¡± ¡°You only did the obvious, stop enjoying it so much, elf.¡± ¡°Says the jealous troll who couldn¡¯t do anything but stare.¡± ¡°...It was just a bad matchup. If it was on the ground, I would¡¯ve beaten it myself.¡± ¡°Do I look like I have wings to you? Regardless, jealous people are only going to tire me.¡± [¡®Karen-chan¡¯ has donated 500 Madness!] [I believed in you ?? You can¡¯t fool blood!] - Breaking News) Karen stans have bloody noses from going too crazy¡­ They¡¯re all being transported to the hospital. - Hyah! Hyah! This is how we burn shit back in my hometown! How does it taste?! - Atarak: ?? Do these guys from Montra know what mercy is¡­? - (30 Years Later) Snowman still isn¡¯t able to choose which reward to take. [¡®Hey, Einstein¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Why aren¡¯t you starting the academic society meeting? Ah, it¡¯s because Professor Karen, the greatest mind of our generation, isn¡¯t here yet.] - We can¡¯t keep up with Professor Karen¡¯s lessons at all! - I almost shit myself with how fun today was. - Snowman Crew is crazy! - Fact) Jamad and Snowman were just busy running away. - You¡¯re supposed to make the rookie do that LOL The people at the top only take responsibility for it~ - News) Snowman Crew, ¡°We sessfully recruited Karen¡± The viewers were all cheering for Karen¡¯s performance. Karen had been making the viewers anxious as she was a knight who couldn¡¯t unsheathe her sword. So when they saw her practically beat Atarak on her own, they took it as the timing to donate a lot of Madness. [¡®The biggest question that I have right now¡¯ has donated 400 Madness!] [How the hell did Montra fall?] - Seriously LMFAOOO How does an Empire with Karen fall? - It¡¯s such a hard question¡­ I give up on answering it. - I know how it fell. - OMG? What is it? - It¡¯s that, you idiots. That¡­ Sigh! Anyway, it¡¯s that! - Is this guy dumb? - He just wanted to call us dumb LMFAO - We are dumb though frfr [¡®I love you Karen¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Would you¡­ Ma¨C] - SLAP! - I can see what happened with just the sound LOL - Yeah, same. - Karen! We¡¯re just living in her world. - Her talk show with Jamad is amazing and she¡¯s so skilled too! - Honestly, I only care about the former. - same LOL However, Seol¡¯s party did not have such a touching reunion. Seol quickly checked if Karen was hurt anywhere. ¡°I¡¯m sorry the sword melted.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, nothing I can do about it.¡± The only thing left of the sword after Karen used the Red Lotus de was the hilt. The de hadpletely vanished. ¡®It was incredibly powerful after all.¡¯ Atarak might have been able to endure that attack if she hadn¡¯t been injured, but with the injuries she received while fighting Karen and Koopa¡¯s help, there was no way Atarak would have been able to survive. ¡°More importantly, are you not going to collect it?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going to collect it.¡± Seol brought out a bottle from his inventory and started to collect Atarak¡¯s blood. Unlike the blood of the Sulfur Spiders, Atarak¡¯s blood wasn¡¯t hot to the touch. Pour¡­ Seol collected Atarak¡¯s blood into multiple vials. Since Atarak was quite massive, she also had a lot of blood. [You have acquired the blood of Anachindria¡¯sst descendant.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] Blip. A treasure chest appeared from thin air. Defeating Atarak and collecting her blood satisfied the objective of the Adventure. Jamad then lifted the treasure. ¡°I¡¯ll carry that.¡± ¡°Yeah, you should do at least that much.¡± ¡°Hmph! I won¡¯t even give you the chance to help out next time, elf. Let¡¯s see then.¡± - Snowman must be so happy right now. - They¡¯repeting on their own. All Snowman has to do is just go ¡®ahem¡¯ here and there from the back. - Summoner is a broken ss LMFAO All of the other sses are falling apart. - The difficulty here¡¯s the hardest too haha. Just look at Atarak. I bet even a truck full of humans wouldn¡¯t do anything against her. Bubble¡­ Bubble¡­ Fsssss¡­ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Atarak¡¯s corpse started to slowly sink into theke of sulfur. Jamad, sensing that, quickly butted in. ¡°It¡¯s sinking. We should move quickly if we don¡¯t want to turn into skeletons.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go, Master.¡± Since they achieved their objective, going back was the correct call. And even though Koopa ignored Seol¡¯s party for now, it was hard to tell when the wild bird would change his mind. Even so, Seol couldn¡¯t move. He simply watched Koopa. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It looks like¡­ he¡¯s in trouble.¡± ¡°Who? The bird?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Chiiirp! Chiiiiirp! Koopa pped his wings wildly but was unable to leave Atarak¡¯s nest. Seol calmly observed Koopa. p¡­ p¡­ Koopa turned his head a while ago and has only stared at the ceiling since then. It was like he was at a loss for what to do after discovering something. Cooo! Chiiirp! ¡®Perhaps¡­?¡¯ Seol realized what Koopa was trying to do. ¡°Koopa!¡± Chirp? Koopa, who had been unresponsive, turned around at Seol¡¯s call. Koopa¡¯s powerful beak and sharp gaze gave Seol chills. Gulp¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll help you! Come over here!¡± - You must have lost your mind, human. - This summoner thinks he¡¯s a druid LOL - Snowman used Call of the Wild! It was a huge failure! Snowman ims that he never had that skill in the first ce! Chiiirp! Koopa flew toward Seol. Grab. Karen and Jamad stepped forth, worried that Koopa would attack him. Fwoosh¡­ Fwoooosh¡­ However, Koopa¡¯s actions were nothing more than a coincidence. Koopanded on Atarak¡¯s corpse and simply watched Seol with a curious gaze. Chirp? A disgusting smell and a hideous appearance. Koopa still had the characteristics of a vulture even now. Raise¡­. Seol raised his hand toward Koopa¡¯s beak without thinking. Koopa, seeing that, let out a cry while on guard against Seol. Chiiiirp! ¡°Master! That¡¯s dangerous, what are you doing?¡± Karen was surprised by Seol¡¯s unexinable actions but he didn¡¯t stop there. Slide¡­ ¡°Oh my¡­¡± And now, Koopa was moving over his beak to let Seol touch it. Pet¡­ - Shocking news! Snowman was actually a druid! - Th-this is tampering! - He¡¯s really a druid?! It seemed like Koopa didn¡¯t consider Seol a danger to him. ¡®He¡¯s not afraid of people. Rather¡­¡¯ A friend. He is thinking of me as a friend. As Seol thought to himself, Koopa turned his head and looked at his own back. Chirp! It was a gesture telling them to climb on. Koopa was so big that even though all three of them were riding on Koopa¡¯s back, there was still more than ample space. ¡°Oh my god¡­ I never thought I would be riding on his back.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Is he not afraid of us?¡± ¡°Hold on tight.¡± ¡°H-Huh?¡± Fwooooooosh! Koopa soared up high, taking Seol and his party to where his feelings lingered. And there, there was a cocoon that seemed rather old. ¡°A cocoon?¡± asked Karen. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°I think he wants us to take it.¡± Chiiirp! Karen pulled out the cocoon in a dangerous stance. Pull¡­ Rip¡­ Since the cocoon was quite old, it wasn¡¯t sticky at all and ripped off quite easily. ¡°Alright! Got it!¡± said Karen after firmly fixing the cocoon on Koopa¡¯s back with adventuring equipment. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tap, tap. As Karen tapped on Koopa¡¯s back, Koopa dived straight down. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Fwooosh! Koopa took a big bite of Atarak¡¯s flesh and flew back up. [Koopa used Unique Skill: Devour Corpse.] [Koopa will absorb a portion of the corpse¡¯s powers in a few moments.] Chirp! Koopa responded to Karen with a cheerful chirp and escaped through the cavern that way. FWOOOOOOOOOOSH! ¡°A-Argh, I think I¡¯m going to fall off! I¡¯m falling off!¡± ¡°Hold on tight! We¡¯re getting out of here!¡± Koopa flew quickly through the tunnels, almost like he could sense the breezeing from an entrance. He found the perfect path through the tunnels, despite them twisting in all sorts of strange and different directions. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± ¡°Where is he going?¡± And then¡­ Fwooooosh! Koopa plunged into the undergroundke, and once he spotted an exit, he soared back up into the sky. ¡°Huh?¡± Fwooosh¡­ [You have earned the achievement ''If I Had Wings Too''.] [You have earned the title ''Bird''.] - Nice achievement! - He¡¯s abusing the system¡­ Koopa just gave him a free achievement. - The more I see Koopa the cuter he gets¡­ am I wrong? - Huh??? - I guess I was wrong. Fwoooosh¡­ The Shade Canyon¡¯s open sky was right in front of them. Seol¡¯s party enjoyed the view from Koopa¡¯s back. ¡°What a killer view.¡± ¡°Hah! I guess even birds can tell what a good view looks like!¡± - Stop! Stop right there! Let me screenshot it. - You old man¡­ just clip it¡­ - Ah¡­ - Ahh¡­ It was a magnificent view that only the apex predator of the Shade Canyon could see. Fwooosh¡­ But they weren¡¯t allowed to enjoy the view for too long. Koopa was flying toward somewhere. The party, without a word to each other, looked down from Koopa¡¯s back. Though it was a short amount of time, the days they spent in the canyon shed through their memories like a movie. ¡°Huh? I think we¡¯re at our destination.¡± ¡°...So there was a ce like this.¡± Land. Seol¡¯s partynded on the ground safely. Koopa let Seol¡¯s party off in a very special location. It was a ce filled with grass and flowers, something that was rare in the canyon. The ground returned to a deste state not even that far away from here, but here it was lush with nts. ¡°Why here¡­¡± Seol had an idea why. It was clear that the cocoon Karen was slowly taking off of Koopa was the reason he brought them here. Coo¡­ Chirp¡­ Koopa carefully lifted the cocoon with his beak and ced it on a flowerbed. And then¡­ Rip¡­ He tore the cocoon open. ¡°...A person?¡± ¡°No, a corpse.¡± The corpse inside waspletely mummified, sucked of any liquid. Chiiirp¡­ Coo¡­ Koopa rubbed his beak against the corpse. Seol could tell that Koopa was sad. Koopa closed his eyes and slowly enjoyed his reunion with the corpse. ¡°...Was it his master?¡± ¡°It makes sense. I did think it was strange for a bird like that to be on his own.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit unfortunate.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± As Karen and Jamad shared a conversation while watching Koopa, Seol approached Koopa instead. Chirp¡­ ¡°...Kiri?¡± Coo? ¡°He¡¯s Kiri, right?¡± Koopa¡¯s eyes were clear as he watched Seol. It was like¡­ Koopa understood Seol¡¯s words. Seol took a knee in front of Kiri. His knee pressed down one of the flowers. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kiri.¡± There was no response. After all, he couldn¡¯t even if he wanted to. And that had been the case for a long, long time. ¡°I pray that you rest well. As you can see, Koopa has grown quite imposingly.¡± Chirp¡­ And then. [¡¯s Inheritance is starting.] ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Seol had not seen one of his pieces since ZIliac. Still, like before, Seol began inheriting Kiri¡¯s memories. The memories this time weren¡¯t from an omniscient viewer¡¯s viewpoint but from Kiri¡¯s viewpoint. Seol was looking at a very small Koopa. All of Kiri¡¯s party members were asleep and it was only Koopa and him by the campfire. Crackle¡­ - You know, Koopa¡­ Chirp¡­ - Are you sleepy? Chirp! Coo! - Haha! Be quiet, you¡¯re going to wake the others. Coo¡­ Kiri already knew that Koopa was extraordinary. It was the first time he saw a bird listen to a human so well. - You¡¯re sad because they don¡¯t like you, huh? Chirp¡­ - I know you only smell like that because it¡¯s a side-effect of you absorbing the nutrients, but they just don¡¯t understand. Coo¡­ The small Koopa nodded. - Koopa, it¡¯s fine. Coo? - I¡¯ll tell you that it¡¯s fine. You¡¯re fine, Koopa. Chirp¡­ What would it feel like to have a person say that you are fine as you are? Koopa rubbed his body against Kiri¡¯s fingers as if he were touched by it. - You¡¯re going to get bigger than me one day, aren¡¯t you, Koopa? Chirp! - Yeah, you¡¯ll let me climb on your back and¡­ over there! We¡¯ll fly together all the way over there! Koopa puffed up his chest. Like he was confident in it. Chiiirp! - I¡¯ll be looking forward to that day, Koopa. With that, Kiri¡¯s memory had concluded. Seol also thought that the inheritance was over. Frsss¡­ But, the memories continued. ¡®What is this?¡¯ This point of view¡­ It felt like he had be much smaller. Chirp! Chiiirp! Seol was watching a spider erupt out of the ground and drag away a party who was afflicted with sleep and venom. Kiri was also one of the party members. Cooo! Bam! Despite diving at the spider with full force, he only dizzied himself. The spider didn¡¯t pay any mind to the person to whom this memory belonged. ¡®This is¡­ Koopa¡¯s memories.¡¯ Seol wasn¡¯t sure why he was inheriting Koopa¡¯s memories, but he was confident that they definitely belonged to Koopa. Koopa wasn¡¯t able to stop the spider that dragged Kiri into a hole and disappeared. It was because he was weak and small. The ground was covered up again, and Kiri was gone. Seol was swept away by the fierce emotions that Koopa felt at that time. And then, the days that Koopa spent in the canyon slipped past like a movie. Koopa hunted, ate, and pursued. Those were the only things that Koopa did since then. He did it all to get Kiri back. But Kiri¡­ returned to him as a corpse. Even though he had grown sorge¡­ even though his beak had be so tough¡­ even though his talons had be so sharp¡­ Kiri was unable to tell him that it was fine. Koopa¡¯s sadness was passed directly to Seol. ¡°AAAAAAAAAARGH!¡± Taking a nce at someone¡¯s memories, especially a dead person¡¯s memory, always brought Seol pain. But with that, the memories were over, and Seol received new messages. [You have inherited Kiri¡¯s unfulfilled desire.] [A skill has been inherited from the deceased.] Chapter 76 There was no other word to describe the sight of a person enveloped by light at night other than ¡®fantastical¡¯. Specks of brilliant light kept sticking to Seol¡¯s body like fireflies. [¡®Passive: Resonance¡¯ has been inherited.] [Snowman has inherited ¡®Passive: Resonance¡¯.] [Communication with your allies is now much smoother. You are now able to share your emotions, intent, etc. with your allies without dy. Though it is limited to just your summons and creations when the proficiency is low, with high proficiency, all allies near you in a certain radius will be able to understand your intent.] [The main contents of ¡®Fate: Things Which Must Be Recovered¡¯ have changed.] It came as he was about to forget it. Emptiness and sadness. Inheriting the will of the dead was extremely burdensome to Seol. Because after all, he didn¡¯t only receive their skills. He also inherited their life, thoughts, values, and regrets. [Passive: Resonance activates on Karen.] [Passive: Resonance activates on Jamad.] ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± As Seol¡¯s summons were being influenced by Resonance, they received a part of what Seol was feeling. He was sad and in pain. After having been hit by such raw emotions, the two could do nothing more than stare at Seol¡¯s back. Seol was locking his eyes with Koopa. He could feel Kiri¡¯s regrets that had been weighing down on him ease up. After all, Koopa, who had been left alone, was Kiri¡¯s regret. Now that Koopa had grown this much, Kiri¡¯s regret felt just the slightest bit lighter. ¡°Koopa.¡± Coo¡­ Koopa bent down and allowed Seol to touch his beak. And then, he grew a bit more. [Koopa absorbs a portion of the corpse¡¯s powers.] [Koopa¡¯s fire resistance greatly increases.] [Koopa grows bigger.] [Koopa¡¯s body grows me pockets.] [Koopa¡¯s feathers now have a sheen.] [Koopa is now able to burn off his foul smell.] ¡°...He¡¯s changing.¡± ¡°Hah! How spectacr!¡± Vultures often ¡®shed¡¯ multiple times in their lives. They leave everything negative, everything bad about them behind in the wind to be better. People who have seen a vulture shed their skin describe the scene as wonderful and entrancing. Seol and his party were also filled with an indescribable feeling as they watched Koopa grow. - ¡­That¡¯s so sick. - Guys¡­ If you¡¯re a falconer, you should raise a vulture¡­ - This is insane, really¡­ - Vultures are like wine, the more they age, the better it gets! Koopa had approached Seol and Seol used this chance to touch Koopa¡¯s feathers. Pet¡­ Pet¡­ Koopa had a proud look on his face. He no longer had the foul smell that was synonymous with vultures. Koopa had grown so well. Seol then said something to Koopa in ce of the dead Kiri. ¡°You grew up so well, Koopa. I¡¯m sure Kiri would¡¯ve been happy too.¡± Chirp! p¡­ Koopa pped hisrge wings at the sound of Kiri¡¯s name. Koopa then looked at Seol. Seol then saw a few options. [[Koopa, a mature vulture, watches you. You can tell by his eyes that he¡¯s examining your intent. What do you say?] 1. Come with me, Koopa. 2. Could you fight for me now? 3. I hope to see you again. 4. From this point on¡­ I¡¯m your new master. ¡­¡­] Seol told Koopa what he wanted to hear most. ¡°You can fly away if you want, Koopa.¡± Chiiirp! p! Koopa flew up into the blue sky. Seol watched the massive vulture, engraving this image into his mind, until Koopa inevitably disappeared. It was likely that Koopa would never return to the Shade Canyon after this. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [¡®A Charming Individual¡¯ activates. You receive additional favorability.] [You have acquired ¡®Koopa, the Vulture¡¯ as a helper.] [¡®Koopa, the Vulture¡¯ is a Heroic rank.] [Helpers have a chance of appearing in all Adventures.] [They will help you differently based on their favorability toward you.] With a message that showed Koopa had be his helper, Koopa disappeared. Seol¡¯s heart felt empty, he could feel a gap in his heart that couldn¡¯t be filled. And this same emptiness was transferred to Karen and Jamad. ¡°Why are you so down? You¡¯re making me sad too.¡± ¡°Cheer up, Snowman.¡± Seol smiled and shrugged. That was the most positive sign he could give out right now. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t we check out what we earned?¡± As Seol tried to change the mood, Karen tried her best to help change it too. ¡°Something for me! I bet there has to be at least one, right?¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re going to end up burning them all up unless we treat it, no?¡± ¡°Hamun, Human, or whatever his name was, is going to treat it anyway. Right?¡± Seolughed. He then approached Jamad and put down a crimson treasure chest. Clutter¡­ ¡°Once again, it¡¯s that time again.¡± Seol opened the red chest. Creaaaaak¡­ Light shined out of the chest. [You open the Red Descendant¡¯s Chest.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [Affluent¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have acquired Atarak¡¯s Heart.] [You have acquired Boiling Blood.] [You have acquired Leech¡¯s Hat.] [You have acquired Hushed Ember Leggings.] [You have acquired 23 tinum coins.] [You have acquired 12 gold coins.] [You have acquired 1 silver coin.] [You have acquired 2rge red potions.] [You have acquired 13 medium blue potions.] ¡®Woah, Affluent.¡¯ Affluent, the special title Seol received after gaining more than a million Adventure Points, activated. Thanks to that, Seol received free bonus skill points. Free things are never bad, after all. As Seol thought about how he would invest the skill points, he checked the items. [[Atarak¡¯s Heart] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg The heart of Atarak, thest descendant of Anachindria, an ancient spider. Though it has stopped beating, the ancient blood remains there faintly. However, this treasure¡¯s use is very limited. Bonus Effect: Cannot be determined.] ¡®A heart¡­ there really isn¡¯t a good use for this right now.¡¯ In Pandea, parts of dangerous, mystical creatures could be used in a variety of ways, like how a mystical creature¡¯s parts had special effects in murims. Atarak¡¯s Heart was one of such items but surprisingly, its effects weren¡¯t listed at all. ¡®Since there isn¡¯t a need for it right now, I should save this.¡¯ Atarak¡¯s Heart immediately went into his inventory. - This is a really good item but nothing about it is known. - What an awful system LOL - You bastards! Figure it out on your own! [[Boiling Blood] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 15-20 Weight: 0.1kg Blood with boiling mana. It is most effective to drink it as is. It has the energy of fire within it. Bonus Effect: Increases the damage of your fire attacks by 5% when consumed.] ¡°That one''s mine.¡± Karen quickly swiped the ss vial with blood inside of it. Seol gave Karen a ridiculous look but she simply smiled and poured the contents into her mouth. [Karen, the Twin Knight, used Boiling Blood.] ¡°Urgh¡­¡± re¡­ A fire shed out for a second from Karen¡¯s mouth. ¡°Tastes awful!¡± - This blood is mine! - ???: I never used it? Why are you acting like this?! - We are now in an era where the summoner needs to be cautious of their summons. - I mean he was going to give it to her regardless but she shouldn''t act like this! - EZPZ LOL Seol shook his head and checked the next item. [[Leech¡¯s Hat] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 16-22 Defense: 25 Durability: 81/81 Weight: 0.1kg A hat with ominous energy. This hat may be made of an unknown material, but its effects are extremely rare. Basic Effect: +12 Wisdom, +5 Intelligence Bonus Effect: 3% life steal on all damage from attacks and skills.] Seol almost cursed out loud. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± ¡°Why? Is it bad?¡± ¡°No, but it¡¯s not as good as I expected.¡± Since summoners didn¡¯t have their health drop often, this effect was practically pointless. Seol¡¯s health was monstrous for a summoner, but since he didn¡¯t fight on the front line, this effect didn¡¯t suit him. ¡®Huh?¡¯ But as he inspected it closer, he saw something in tiny letters. - (This effect also applies to summons and creations.) ¡°...Huh?¡± Seol rubbed his eyes and took a closer look. It said that the summon also healed from the damage that they dealt. This effect only applied to Seol when he dealt damage with spells himself like Shadow Hand. ¡®I knew it! It wasn¡¯t treasure quality for nothing.¡¯ Normally, a special effect had to be given for a caster-type ss to want to wear it. After all, defense wasn¡¯t all too important for their slots. Also, the effects had to be at least this good for the item to receive a treasure quality. - Look at that fucking grin LOL - I¡¯m sure he¡¯s just that happy! - It¡¯s already two treasures¡­ - This Adventure was a bit hard though. - It should be this high, it was a long Adventure. - Agreed. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± Seol checked the next reward with a lighter heart. [[Hushed Ember Leggings] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 18-25 Defense: 80 Durability: 111/111 Weight: 3.5kg These gaiters are made from a mass of sulfur found rarely in volcanic regions. Due to enduring intense heat, these gaiters also grant immense fire resistance. It also is unaffected by heat due to a special creation process. Basic Effect: +9 Strength, +10 Dexterity, +10 Constitution Bonus Effect: +15% Fire Resistance. The wearer is immune to effects that limit mobility. The wearer ignores damage caused from heat.] Seol looked around him after checking the effects. Seol was seated down so when he looked up, he immediately saw Karen¡¯s face. ¡°This. Is. Mine?¡± - AHHHHHH! She¡¯s like one of those seagulls from Finding Nemo! - Stop it! Stop taking everything! You fucking pig! - Karen - died from happiness LOL - She¡¯s definitely greedy. Grab! Karen grabbed the gaiters in an instant and disappeared into the Shadow Space. [You have equipped Karen, the Twin Knight, with Hushed Ember Leggings.] ¡°...Haaah.¡± - I never agreed to equip her with it, damn it! - Why would he go on Adventures now¡­ I just feel shame and pain¡­ - I mean Karen did kill them all though, LOL - TRUUUUUUE Fwirl! Karen reappeared and showed off her leggings. ¡°What do you think? I feel like I can just wear this without Hamun treating it.¡± ¡°...It looks nice.¡± ¡°What do you think, troll?¡± ¡°...Why are you asking me?¡± Jamad had an awfully sad expression. - Someone cheer up Jamad LOOL - What doesn¡¯t kill you only makes you stronger! - I mean winter¡¯sing soon¡­ isn¡¯t making him walk around without any clothes a bit too mean? LOL - He¡¯s just involuntarily forced to be naked LMFAO It was unfortunate that nothing for Jamad dropped, but it was also true that this Adventure was only cleared thanks to Karen¡¯s efforts. As Karen was annoying Jamad, Seol checked the other things. After all, equipment wasn¡¯t the only thing he received. [[Title: Uninvited Guest] Rted Achievement: Why Are You in My Home? (Adventure: Predator Beneath the Canyon) Bonus Effect: The harmful effects of disadvantageous environments are reduced by 20%.] [[Title: Bird] Rted Achievement: If I Had Wings Too (Adventure: Predator Beneath the Canyon) Bonus Effect: Fall damage is reduced by 30%. (This effect can be ovepped.)] ¡®Nice.¡¯ The new titles both had intuitive bonus effects. Uninvited Guest allowed Seol to reduce the heat he felt from volcanic regions and reduce the cold he felt from cold mountains. Bird allowed Seol to greatly reduce the fall damage he took as well. They were both amazing. ¡®I guess longer Adventures might be worth it from time to time.¡¯ This Adventure was a huge sess as he received a lot of treasures and good titles. Well, it was all good except for the time he spent. ¡®I should pray that I finish my next Adventure more quickly.¡¯ Seol started to stand up, preparing himself for the uing Adventures. ¡°I got it, alright? Could you stop bragging now?¡± ¡°No, look at this delicate detail. Here, look!¡± As Karen was still continuing to brag about her new gaiters, Jamad simply looked at Seol and shook his head. It was a desperate plea for help. Seol then ended the Adventure. Glooooow¡­ Their bodies were covered in blue particles before disappearing. And once again, the Long Distance Adventure began. Seol saw various prompts before him once more. [[You arrive at a lifeless town. This ce is called Twilight Town¡­] Chapter 77 Glow¡­ Seol wasn¡¯t transported right away. He entered the darkness once more, in a situation where he had to choose between the options in front of him. Chao¡¯s request required him to go to a town far east of the Shade Canyon, the Expedition System naturally activated. [[You arrive at a lifeless town. This ce is called Twilight Town. They are a smallmunity of sh-and-burn farmers. The smoke which rapidly rises from their chimneys is the only sign of life. You receive a proposition from them to rest here for a bit before leaving. What do you do?] 1. ept their hospitality and unpack your belongings. 2. Check if you can replenish your food and water. 3. This is the first time you have ever been weed like this. Refuse their proposal but leave them with one of your items as a gift. 4. It¡¯s suspicious. Not only are they not on guard, they¡¯re openly weing an outsider. Leave the town immediately. 5. There¡¯s no need to open that can of worms right now. Even if there aren¡¯t many of them, there¡¯s still over 10 of them. Since there¡¯s a lot of able-bodied men as well, I shouldn¡¯t act rashly. I should ept their proposal for now while observing the situation. ¡­¡­] ¡®Argh, what a shitty situation.¡¯ Seol already ran into a few towns simr to this before. Towns where modern conveniences hadn¡¯t reached. Nine times out of ten, Adventurers and outsiders were chased out of those kinds of cities. After all, they would have been piged a myriad of times before. However, it was these towns that weed outsiders that Adventurers really had to be careful of. ¡®For now, I should go with option 5.¡¯ Seol wasn¡¯t sure what unexpected misfortunes would happen to him if he chose option 4. And since option 5 wasn¡¯t all too different from option 4, he went with option 5. Press¡­ As he pressed option 5, the option¡¯s color changed and the other options disappeared. Right after, he received a new message. [That night, you witness a shocking scene.] - God damn it! I knew this would happen LOL - We got caught? We got caught? We got caught? We got caught? We got caught? We got caught? We got caught? We got caught? We got caught? We got caught? We got caught? - These kinds of towns are always ominous! The results were as expected. The town was hiding a secret. It was likely the secret would be revealed soon too. And as Seol foresaw, more messages popped up. [[¡°Eternal Life, Immortality! Eternal Life, Immortality! Eternal Life, Immortality!¡± You can hear their prayers from a hall deep inside the town. In the end, it was as you expected. The town¡¯s residents were the cultists of a mysterious existence. You have secretly uncovered the truth, but you have yet to decide on what to do.] 1. The ominous feeling you had wasn¡¯t wrong. You abandon your items and run. (You lose all of your belongings.) 2. They have not realized that you know their true identity. Stay here a bit longer to properly confirm what is going on. 3. [Required: Heretic Inquisitor] Anyone who worships an evil god must die. Behead every townsperson here and hang their heads at the town entrance! 4. Ask about their god during the day. You must not be afraid of knowing the truth. In fact, maybe they will wee you if you know the truth. ¡­¡­] ¡®All of these options are ridiculous. They¡¯re all way too risky.¡¯ Option 1 wasn¡¯t that risky, but it wasn¡¯t worth considering at all. Option 3 required a different job entirely so only option 2 and 4 were left. ¡®Option 4 could lead to an instant-death event so¡­ only option 2 is left.¡¯ Option 2 wasn¡¯t particrly a better option either. In fact, there was a good chance that this option would eventually lead to him fighting the townspeople. And since heretics like them only surrendered once they were dead, he would likely end up killing them even if he didn¡¯t want to. Press¡­ Regardless, that was something he had to think aboutter. For now, he chose option 2. [Eventually, you are able to learn about everything that has happened in the town.] [Mental fatigue umtes.] [You continuously have negative thoughts.] [You are exposed to Abnormal Status: Distrust.] Seol received a mental penalty, but it wasn¡¯t too bad. After all, he was able to uncover the truth thanks to this. [[Eternal Life, Immortality! Eternal Life, Immortality! The townspeople have been brutally killing the people visiting their town to offer them to their god as a sacrifice. You are in shock by their tantly immoral actions that no human should take. What do you do?] 1. They have done something that no human should do. You burn all of them down. 2. Even if their actions are immoral, do you really have the right to punish them? You be silent. 3. Ask forpensation in order to keep this silent. 4. Report this to the lord of the closest city. ¡­¡­] Things have already progressed this far. Regardless of whichever option Seol chose now, it was impossible to get out of this without damage. ¡®If so¡­¡¯ Then the correct option was to do whatever his heart told him to. Press¡­ Seol pressed on option 1. And after a few seconds, more messages came up. [There is no longer anyone living in this town.] [The townspeople, as they were dying, left this behind as their will:] [¡®The apostle ising. In the end, deathes for you too.¡¯] [Karen is exposed to Abnormal Status: Nightmares.] [Fatigue umtes.] [You have acquired Ne of Distorted Faith.] ¡®Fuu¡­ with this, was I able to just barely prevent it?¡¯ If the penalty was only this much, the situation was handled fairly well. It was a bit worrisome that Karen was the one who received a penalty but since Seol was able to acquire an item as well, this wasn¡¯t the worst possible scenario. Even so¡­ [Oh no. The man¡¯s words were true. As Karen was hesitating, strange creatures appeared from all over the mountain. As you were running away from them, you discovered a river with a strong current. Now, the time hase to make a decision.] 1. A current this strong could bring you all the way downstream. Well, that is if you can swim. 2. Fight with your back to the waters. However, Karen might not be able to participate. 3. [Required: A light-rted skill] Use the power of the light to prevent them from approaching you. 4. [Required: A frost-rted skill] Attempt to cross the river and freeze the waters when they try to cross it so they can¡¯t follow you. ¡­¡­] ¡®Damn it, this is awful.¡¯ Option 1 was the in option and since the other options were impossible to choose, it was close to a gamble. ¡®I know how to swim, but¡­ I guess I have no choice.¡¯ Seol pressed option 1. He saw a message. [You swam like crazy, but in the end, you lost consciousness in the strong current. You don¡¯t know where you are or how you were able to escape from the danger, but what you do know is that you have inhaled a lot of water. After losing consciousness multiple times, you were able to escape from the strong currents.] Saaash¡­ The ck world around Seol broke down and his body was flipped over like he was drunk. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t breathe¡­!¡¯ Seol was in pain. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡± Seol coughed up a lot of water. Seol continuously spat out water, more than the amount of water he drank in the past week. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ This fucking¡­¡± [You arrive at an unknown location.] [The umted fatigue makes your body feel heavy.] [Your clothes are soaked. You must warm yourself up.] [You are exposed to Abnormal Status: Hypothermia.] [You are mentally in a corner. There is a chance that you will be exposed to another Abnormal Status.] [It has been 7 days and 12 hours.] ¡®Damn it, it¡¯s been a week?¡¯ It was a consequence of the Long Distance Adventure. This horrible result was often why Adventurers took Adventures in nearby areas or Linked Adventures. ¡®What about my Adventure? Did Ie here properly?¡¯ Shadow Summon was unable to be used. Seol felt like a ball of wet cotton. He couldn¡¯t do anything. Rustle¡­ He felt a presence. Seol was unsure he would be able to defeat an opponent like this. ¡°E-Excuse me?¡± ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± ¡°A-Are you alright?¡± A woman, who looked roughly around the same age as Seol, appeared from the bush. Judging by how she had a basket around her wrist, there was a good chance that she was in the forest to harvest herbs or mushrooms. Regardless, Seol was simply thankful that she wasn¡¯t a danger to him. ¡°My body¡­ My body is¡­¡± ¡°W-Wait here for just a moment! I¡¯ll bring someone!¡± Thud! And like that, Seol lost consciousness. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Blink. Blink¡­ Blink¡­ Seol opened his eyes. He was lying on a bed which had a musty smell to it. ¡°Urgh¡­ What is this.¡± - He¡¯s fucked¡­ I can see why Long Distance Adventures are dangerous now. - What the hell was thatst town? - More importantly, what was the shit that chased them? - Karen! What happened to Karen? ¡°Karen.¡± ¡°......¡± Seol continuously called for Karen who he knew was in his Shadow Space. After a few seconds, Karen slowly revealed herself. Karen, wearing the red dress that he bought for her, was summoned next to Seol¡¯s bed. ¡°Why¡­¡± ¡°Wh-what happened?¡± ¡°Do you¡­ not remember?¡± ¡°My memories are¡­¡± Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ A panorama of what happened during the Long Distance Adventure shed in Seol¡¯s head. - AAAAAAARGH! - F-Fire¡­. My body¡¯s on fire¡­ - The apostle shall punish you! You¡­ Sweat poured down Seol¡¯s face in an instant like he had remembered something horrible. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± ¡°We burned down a town.¡± ¡°It was a town of cultists¡­ Gasp¡­ Fuu¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, why did something like that have to happen?¡± ¡°...Is it painful?¡± Karen¡¯s face looked dark. ¡°Do you feel guilty?¡± ¡°Guilty? Not really. It¡¯s more like¡­ disappointment?¡± Seol believed that Karen felt guilt for killing the townspeople, but that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°Why¡­ Because of something so ridiculous¡­ do people have to die?¡± ¡°Karen.¡± ¡°I know that times have changed. But nothing has changed at all. It¡¯s the exact same as it was back when Montra was around.¡± Karen looked like she was about to cry. ¡°The world is still so cruel. I¡­ I¡­ Why did Ie back? To see things like that?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t know anymore. Don¡¯t worry about me though.¡± Karen was still a newbie when it came to apanying Seol on his Adventures. Though she was a skilled veteran, it was clear that she was confused by the world she had to relearn. As Karen was silent, Jamad spoke from the Shadow Space. ¡°Hm¡­ Well first, why don¡¯t we find out where we are?¡± ¡°Jamad?¡± ¡°I kept an eye open in case something happened again, but I think we¡¯re in that human female¡¯s town right now.¡± It seemed like Jamad had been paying attention to keep Seol safe. Seol was relieved that Jamad had been cautious despite the fact that he had been unconscious. ¡°Someone¡¯sing.¡± Creak¡­ The door opened. The woman Seol met by the river was standing there. ¡°Kyaaaa!¡¯ ¡°Wh-what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± ¡°Me? Are you talking about me?¡± ¡°The only person I don¡¯t know here is you, elf¡ªMiss Elf.¡± The woman was clearly shocked that Karen had shown up in an unexpected ce. Karen quickly made up an excuse. ¡°Uh¡­ So¡­ Ah¡­ I-I am¡­¡± ¡°A thief?¡± ¡°A thief?! No! I-I¡¯m¡­ this guy¡¯s party member¡­?¡± ¡°Party member? D-Don¡¯t lie to me! He was alone when I discovered him!¡± ¡°We were separated for a while because of some circumstances. Please calm down.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± The woman looked to Seol to confirm the facts. Seol quickly nodded his head. ¡°Phew¡­ I thought it was going to be like that again¡­ Oh no! Please forgive my rude actions!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I would have been shocked too, uh¡­ Miss human.¡± ¡°My name is Sarah. You can just call me Sarah, Miss Elf. By the way, you are really pretty.¡± ¡°What? Hahaha! Did you hear that? Master, did you hear that?!¡± ¡°Master¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, I mean¡­ Snowman, my close party member.¡± Karen stepped back and introduced Seol like she was introducing a work friend, and Seol asked Sarah a question. ¡°Sarah, my name is Snowman. Could you please tell me where I am?¡± ¡°Ah, I forgot to tell you. Snowman, this is Wet Fog Town, a ce north of Audenin. It was named Wet Fog Town because of the wet fog that appears every morning near theke!¡± - TMI¡­ - So basically it¡¯s Los Angeles¡­? - Sarah¡¯s kind of cute lol Seol¡¯s eyes grew cold for a second, but he quickly smiled again to not let anyone see his true feelings. ¡°I see. Sarah, do you mind leaving the room for a second? I need to change.¡± ¡°O-Of course! Take your time, I¡¯ll be w-waiting outside!¡± Thud! ¡°Ah!¡± It seemed like she identally hit her forehead on the door while closing it. - 10/10. - Perfect. I¡¯m leaving the stream right now to draw fanart of her. - LMFAOOOOOO She really is a scatterbrain. After confirming that she left, Seol pulled out Chao¡¯s scroll from his inventory. ¡°...It seems like we came to the right ce.¡± The first sentence of the scroll started like this: - East of the Shade Canyon, there is a town called Wet Fog Town located north of Audenin, a major city in the south. Go there. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 12th Adventure is starting.] Chapter 78 [Your 12th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 12. Sleeping Medicine.] [Adventure 12. ¡®Sleeping Medicine¡¯ You havee into contact with Chao, a Shadow Summoner whose whereabouts have been unknown after disappearing from Nobira. Through a conversation with her, you have realized that she has no intention of returning to Nobira. Even so, that doesn¡¯t mean that she has refused your request. She, who is busy, has requested something from you, who was headed to the Shade Canyon. Her true identity is thest disciple of Gregory, one of the strongest Shadow Summoners. And you, who wish to sincerely learn something from her, have headed to a location written on the scroll she gave you. You must earnestlyplete what she has requested of you. Well, you should if you wish to receive any of her teachings. Objective: Complete the objective written on the scroll. Chao¡¯s favorability toward you will drop upon failure. Remaining Time [About 30 days]] ¡®There¡¯s quite a bit of time on this one too.¡¯ It was extremely mentally taxing to clear multiple long Adventures in a row. Not only was the difficulty of longer Adventures all over the ce, but slowly progressing through them would crush anyone¡¯s will. Seol moved his body a bit. Reach¡­ ¡°My body still feels heavy¡­¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I think I inhaled too much water¡­¡± Seol didn¡¯t mention anything about Karen¡¯s change of heart during the Expedition System. Seol should have been able to easily escape from the mysterious creatures if Karen was fine, but the results were the exact opposite. ¡®That must mean Karen is suffering quite a bit mentally¡­¡¯ Seol¡¯s worries were true. Pandea is filled with sad and painful things. People die for no reason whatsoever, and some of them even die horrible, gruesome, indescribable deaths. After all, Pandea was just a world like that. That was also the reason that Seol deplored entering Pandea when he first stepped foot into it. ¡®Karen just hasn¡¯t epted it yet.¡¯ Though Seol didn¡¯t know what the era she came from was like, things like that still happened in the current times. Even so, Seol understood why she would be shaken after seeing something like that directly. ¡®Still, I can¡¯t let something like that happen again.¡¯ Since Seol luckily had a bit of spare time during this Adventure, he realized that it was critical he went over this with her. Unravel¡­ Seol believed that he had spent enough time thinking about Karen and unraveled the scroll. Chao¡¯s request was written within it. - Once you arrive at Wet Fog Town, spend some time there and observe the situation. You¡¯ll realize soon enough what¡¯s going on in there. What I want you to do is steal the sleeping medicine from the man whose face I so kindly drew for you. However, if you ask around about it, he can just hide it. So be careful, alright? ¡°She really does as she pleases.¡± Her orders reflected her personality perfectly. ¡®Even so, there should be a way to do this.¡¯ Seol stood up after changing out of the clothes he was given and into his original equipment. Creak¡­ Sarah weed him as he opened the door. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re all done changing!¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Sarah. Still, how did you manage to bring me all the way here?¡± ¡°The townspeople helped me! Well¡­ It¡¯s because I was too weak to carry you on my own, Snowman.¡± Sarah looked like a simple viger. Though she didn¡¯t have freckles like a stereotypical female viger, she also didn¡¯t give off the aura of someone high-ss or beautiful. Even so, she gave off a clean and innocent impression. ¡°Sarah, wouldn¡¯t people hate me because I¡¯m an outsider?¡± ¡°N-Not at all! In fact, they would probably wee you instead. I wouldn¡¯t have brought you into the town if people didn¡¯t want to let you in either.¡± Sarah quickly waved her hands in denial, telling Seol to not worry. ¡®It seems like I desperately need to gather more information¡­¡¯ A town not reacting to an outsider at all was practically the same as painting a sign that said ¡®We¡¯re suspicious, please be careful of us¡¯. ¡°What do people in this town do?¡± ¡°Me specifically or the town as a whole?¡± ¡°The town.¡± ¡°We had a bit of farnd, but¡­ it¡¯s a bit difficult tending to it now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sarah¡¯s face grew dark. Seol was curious as the woman¡¯s bright face instantly stiffened up. ¡°...It¡¯s because everyone¡¯s sick.¡± ¡°Sick?¡± ¡°It seems like I need to exin. Please, follow me.¡± The town wasn¡¯t particrly big. It was small to the point that Seol was amazed by the fact Sarah was able to make it back here. Sarah, after leading Seol to a building resembling the town hall, paused for a second before speaking. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t be too surprised, alright?¡± Creak¡­ Sarah opened the door. Behind the door were patients. There were over ten beds and there was someone sick in each and every one of them. The people were all silent and had their eyes closed. It was¡­ almost like they were sleeping. Sarah put her index finger to her lips. It was clearly a sign to not make a sound. Seol nodded before leaving the town hall with her. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°The townspeople¡­ are sick. It¡¯s all because of the Fog Disease.¡± ¡°Is it an infectious disease?¡± Sarah shook her head. ¡°Dr. Gunt said that it wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Dr. Gunt?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the town¡¯s doctor. He originally visited the town for a house call, but he couldn¡¯t leave after the sick townspeople begged him to stay.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± A disease which wasn''t infectious¡­ And the townspeople who were sick from it¡­ Seol asked more questions. ¡°What are the disease¡¯s symptoms?¡± ¡°You sleep.¡± ¡°Can just sleeping really be considered a sickness then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because they don¡¯t wake up. Even though their body is rotting¡­ or the fact that they¡¯re defecating¡­ they continue to sleep.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°...They sleep eternally.¡± Sarah was implying that the patients don¡¯t do anything other than sleep before they die. Seol then thought of the Adventure¡¯s title and the medicine bottle drawn on the scroll Chao gave him. A medicine that made them sleep. Though it wasn¡¯t specifically written what the medicine did, Seol surmised that it would have a simr effect. ¡®Maybe¡­ the Fog Disease is an illness caused by the medicine?¡¯ Or the medicine itself was just a means to cause this illness in others. ¡®It¡¯s clear that Chao had a reason for sending me here.¡¯ Seol realized that he would learn everything about it once he found the owner of the medicine. The important thing to keep in mind was that the person who owned the medicine could hide themselves after being scared. ¡®I need to stay in the town while being cautious of that. I need to find a way¡­¡¯ Sarah spoke once more, trying her best to appear happy. ¡°Currently, half of the town is sick from that disease. And that¡¯s why we¡¯re all depressed¡­¡± ¡°Is there no cure?¡± ¡°Not yet¡­ Dr. Gunt is trying his best to find a cure for us, but nothing hase from it yet¡­¡± Karen ced her hand on Sarah¡¯s shoulders. ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°Is there anything we can help with, Sarah?¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ going to help us? The town?¡± ¡°Yeah! That person over¡­ he and I are both kind people!¡± - Snowman: Who? Me? - Was the definition of ¡®kind¡¯ back then something else? - All of the kind people are going crazy right now! - Karen¡¯s nosiness activates! - This kind of nosiness is alright, though¡­ Seol didn¡¯t say anything about Karen¡¯s actions. Even though they didn¡¯t agree to do this beforehand, Karen¡¯s actions were extremely natural. In fact, Seol wanted this situation. He wanted them to naturally blend in with the town. ¡°R-Really? Even A-Audenin told us there was no way to help us when we asked them for help.¡± ¡°Just believe in me, alright? My name¡¯s Karen by the way, but you can also just call me ¡®Big Sis¡¯.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Karen¡­ I-I mean, Big Sis. But how old are¡­ ah! Elves live a lot longer than humans, so you really must be older than me!¡± ¡°Of course, of course!¡± - People like Karen are the type that shows off their age because they think being old means they should be respected ?? - Sarah¡¯s super cute though LOL - I wish I could make friends as easily as Karen¡­ - She¡¯s talking with Seol¡¯s summons because Seol doesn¡¯t know how to make friends LMFAO - Sarah could try all she wants, she would never be older than Karen LMFAO Sarah¡¯s expression looked brighter already. As expected from someone who received salvation from an unknown ce, she spoke happily. ¡°Thank you so much¡­ it really was hard.¡± ¡°...Yeah.¡± ¡°Everyone told me they didn¡¯t know, that they couldn¡¯t do anything¡­ no one ever even offered to help.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright now. You can worry a bit less now that we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Through an unexpected method, Seol¡¯s party was able to insert themselves into the town. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * It seemed like the sentence ¡®You¡¯ll realize soon enough what¡¯s going on in there.¡¯ on the scroll was referring to this. After a few days, Seol helped out with variousrge and small jobs throughout the town to continue his secret investigation. ¡°Is this enough water?¡± ¡°You filled it up already?¡± ¡°Of course, Big Sis is strong, you know?¡± - She really is. - She¡¯s super fucking strong. Karen gave a big smile while flexing her biceps. Sarah smiled too, seeing Karen. ¡°To be honest, carrying water is something the townspeople hate doing, so we always push the job onto each other.¡± ¡°Really? Then just leave it to me from now on! I¡¯ll bring a whole river if you want me to.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°What else? What else can I help with?¡± ¡°Well¡­ We do need firewood for the night, but¡­¡± ¡°Just give me a second!¡± Seol had a nervous feeling watching Karen turn around and run away. It was because he also told her about what the man in the scroll looked like. If she wanted to quickly end this Adventure, she also had to find the culprit behind the person who spread the Fog Disease. But for some reason, Karen was more enthusiastic about helping Sarah thanpleting the objective. ¡®Did she need rest? Hm¡­ I should properly think about what to do with herter.¡¯ Seol had an idea as to why Karen was acting like this, but it was always better to hear it directly from the person. Seol approached Sarah and asked a question. ¡°By the way, why isn¡¯t Dr. Gunt here?¡± ¡°Ah, he received a request for a house call in a neighboring town and went over there for a bit. There¡¯s always ack of doctors, and¡­ gathering enough money to pay for a house call is expensive for most towns, so we all request Dr. Gunt.¡± ¡°Why Dr. Gunt?¡± ¡°Because he barely requests any money for a house call. Also, Dr. Gunt is the only doctor who even knows a little about the disease.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°Apparently, the nearby town is also¡­ in a simr situation.¡± ¡°I see.¡± In truth, Seol gathered no new information in the past few days. ¡®Hm¡­ I still haven¡¯t seen anyone who looks like they have any involvement with the contents of the scroll.¡¯ The man in the scroll had bleary eyes but no one in the town looked like him at all. Seol thought it would be easy finding him as it was a small town, but he found no clues about him. ¡®This is everyone in the town though¡­ he must be here, somewhere¡­¡¯ As Seol worried to himself, Karen reappeared. ¡°I¡¯m done, Sarah!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The firewood! I put it all in the warehouse!¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re lying¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not?¡± Karen wasn¡¯t the type of person who lied. Sarah checked the warehouse to confirm whether she was telling the truth or not but fell to the ground after seeing that Karen didn¡¯t lie. ¡°Are you that shocked?¡± ¡°Big Sis, you really are incredible! Even the men need a week to do something like this!¡± ¡°Well,paring your Big Sis to ordinary people is a bit rude, hahaha!¡± Like that, Seol and Karen¡¯s daily lives with the townspeople started. However, Seol kept in mind that living like this was far more damaging to him than going on a difficult Adventure as it dulled his senses. And now, it has already been over a week since Seol and Karen assisted Sarah, and nothing has changed. ¡°You¡¯re working hard today as well, Miss Elf!¡± ¡°You should work a bit harder though, old man!¡± ¡°Hah, that¡­¡± ¡°Why? She¡¯s not wrong, pfft¡­ hahaha¡­¡± ¡°You!¡± Seol clicked his tongue, seeing how Karen was joking around with the townspeople like it was nothing now. ¡°I thought you were adventurers? When are you going on an adventure then?¡± ¡°We¡¯re helping you guys out because we have some free time, alright? Stop trying to end a good thing early, old man.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Just let us know when you¡¯re about to leave.¡± ¡°Why? Are you going to miss me?¡± ¡°Haha! I bet you¡¯re going to stay up all night the night before I leave, crying while you pack me food!¡± ¡°Argh, stop your bullshit!¡± The town was filled withughs ever since Karen came to town. It was a difficult time for them and Seol¡¯s party definitely was a huge help to them. Creak¡­ ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°Yeah. What about you, Master?¡± ¡°I feel like it¡¯s more awkward hearing you call me that now.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, I was shocked after saying that myself.¡± In just a week, peace has found a ce in their hearts. Seol and Karen spoke to each other while lying in separate beds. ¡°By the way, Master¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be fine to just stay like this?¡± ¡°...Would what be fine?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ we can just live like this?¡± Seol focused on what Karen was saying to him. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®like this¡¯?¡± ¡°Like right now. Without any worries¡­ Without needing to kill anyone or have a battle of wills. Like this, a quiet life surrounded by good people.¡± She had beenpletely swallowed up by the peace. ¡°Is this because of the town we visited before here?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that it isn''t a part of it. But do you think those people knew that they were doing evil things? And is killing those evil yet weak people really something that we have the right to do?¡± ¡°There would have been more victims if we didn¡¯t stop them.¡± ¡°...Do you really think so?¡± ¡°I just did what I had to do. We also didn¡¯t have the time to second-guess things. The time I spent thinking could be used to do so much more. I didn¡¯t have the time to ask myself if what we were doing was right or not.¡± Seol¡¯s goal was Ascension. And he had to face off against the gods, who were behind all of this. As such, he pressed on. Even if he failed and tripped on his way there, he had to reach the end no matter what. Because in the end, only that will prove whether he was right or not. ¡°But, I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± ¡°Karen.¡± ¡°How nice would it be to live a simple, peaceful life like this where we don¡¯t have to do anything¡­¡± ¡°There are people who also know that the world is cruel, but they can¡¯t do anything about it¡­ unlike you. I bet they¡¯d be jealous if they heard you talk.¡± ¡°Argh, stop lecturing me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying, that¡¯s all¡­¡± Karen smiled. It seemed like she had recovered just a bit. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°It would have been so much easier if I was in the right mindset back then. That guy from back then¡­ we should¡¯ve killed him, no?¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about the person who chased me.¡± A memory from that day shed in Seol''s head. Even so, he couldn¡¯t remember anything about his face. His face was covered because of his robe¡¯s hood. Seol couldn¡¯t remember anything other than the ominous energy he radiated. ¡°I¡¯ll get him next time. You can trust me on that.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°I¡¯m being serious, that won¡¯t happen ever again. You¡¯re safe now!¡± ¡°I got it.¡± - Hehe¡­ ?? - You guys made up, didn¡¯t you? - You two shouldn¡¯t fight! Hug!!! Seol saw that Karen had properly resolved herself. It was a relief for him, as he was the one who had to trust her. And now, there was only one thing he had to gain from the town. ¡°You still haven¡¯t found it yet, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, not yet. I couldn¡¯t find anything even simr to it either.¡± ¡°Based on how we were unable to find something that¡¯s so easy to discern... It was likely hidden elsewhere¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a good chance it¡¯s thetter, yeah. Then we should think about how we¡¯ll find him¡­¡± And then¡­ Knock! Knock! Knock! Someone was pounding on the door. ¡°O-Oi! It¡¯s an emergency!¡± shouted an older man from behind the door. His screams had signed an end to Seol¡¯s temporary peaceful daily life. Chapter 79 ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s an emergency! Sarah is¡­ Sarah¡¯s¡­!¡± Thud! The moment ¡®Sarah¡¯ came out of the old man¡¯s mouth, Karen kicked open the door. ¡°What¡¯s going on, old man?¡± ¡°Sarah went out at night, and¡­ I think she ran into a Fog Ghost!¡± ¡°A Fog¡­ Ghost?¡± ¡°F-For now, just go to where Sarah is. Hurry!¡± Though Seol was happy that he found a clue to progress the Adventure, he thought it was unfortunate that it hade from Sarah. ¡®Karen would be shocked if something happened to Sarah.¡¯ Currently, Karen has been adjusting to her new life. Seol simply hoped that this wouldn¡¯t lead her to thinking negatively about her future as a shadow. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± Seol and Karen followed the man. Karen, the first to arrive, stood still, simply watching. ¡°Sarah?¡± ¡°Big¡­ Sis¡­¡± Sarah wasying on a bed and it seemed like nothing was wrong with her. However, that only made Seol and Karen worry more. ¡°I¡­ saw it¡­¡± ¡°Saw what? What did you see, Karen?¡± ¡°The monsters¡­ hiding¡­ in the fog¡­¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ run into them¡­ please¡­¡± ¡°Sarah!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so¡­ sleepy¡­ Big Sis¡­¡± Seol asked a question to the townspeople who were all there to see Sarah. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What are these monsters in the fog and why is Sarah like this?¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It seems like Sarah has been afflicted by the Fog Disease.¡± ¡°What?¡± It was a bolt out of the blue. How could a woman who waspletely healthy, even just this morning, suddenly be sick? ¡°...Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not 100% confident since Dr. Gunt isn¡¯t here, but I¡¯m pretty sure. It¡¯s exactly like what the early symptoms of Fog Disease looked like before.¡± And unfortunately, there currently isn''t a cure for Fog Disease. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Seol knew neither the cause nor reason. It wasn¡¯t an infectious disease, but it was still a terrifying disease that managed to infect half of the town¡¯s poption. And Sarah had been infected by it. ¡°Monsters in the fog? What was she talking about?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there were a few people who imed to have seen something in the fog on the days it was thicker. No one ever had a proper look at them, but they were clearly not normal.¡± ¡°And Sarah saw them?¡± ¡°Since she said she did¡­ Also, this is something that¡¯s a pity, but people who saw the Fog Ghosts near the town have all¡­¡± The townsperson shook his head. Clench¡­ Karen¡¯s face stiffened. Dash! And then, she suddenly darted off somewhere on her own. ¡°Karen!¡± They had run as fast as they could to Sarah, and now Seol was running once more to catch Karen. Seol ran after her until he couldn¡¯t catch his breath. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± Glow¡­ Fwirl! Jamad was summoned and he immediately carried Seol on his shoulder. ¡°Hold on tight, I¡¯ll take you to the elf.¡± Stomp! Stomp! The difference in speed between Jamad and Seol was immense. Jamad overtook the distance Seol ran in an instant. And eventually, they arrived at Karen who was wandering through the forest. ¡°Where are you?!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Where are you, you fucking monsters?! Come out here already!¡± yelled Karen at her surroundings. Even though she couldn¡¯t see her surroundings because of the dense fog, she yelled into it with a sword tightly grasped in her hand, like she was sure something was there. ¡°Karen.¡± ¡°Damn it. Damn it. DAMN ITTTTT! Why¡­ Why¡­¡± ¡°Calm down.¡± ¡°Why is it like this? Why? Why am I unable to do anything?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°This is the first town I¡¯ve ever liked since bing a shadow¡­ So why did it have to end up like this¡­ why¡­¡± Karen¡¯s pain became concrete as it escaped her mouth in words. As Karuna was still sleeping, there was no one who could stop her sense of loss. Jamad returned to the Shadow Space while Seol simply watched over her by her side, quietly. Karen hugged her own legs and buried her face into them. She then quietly spoke to Seol. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unsightly, huh?¡± ¡°Not particrly?¡± Karen grumbled. ¡°You know, back then¡­¡± ¡°How ¡®back then¡¯ are you talking about?¡± ¡°Back when Montra was still around.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I think it was so much easier then.¡± ¡°Easier, how?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ everything was more clear cut back then. I didn¡¯t have to think and only had to listen to what Jin told me.¡± Karen looked at Seol. ¡°Because Jin was right. All I had to do was help Jin, and he would change the world.¡± Karen could still remember something that Jin told her long ago. - Karen, do you know what the dullest de in the world is? - I don¡¯t know? A sword that isn¡¯t maintained? A sword made using poor metal? - It¡¯s neither of those. It¡¯s a sword that thinks. Karen could even remember how Jin looked far off into the distance while saying this. - It¡¯s too slow if it thinks. It wouldn¡¯t be able to cut anything down. A sword exists to simply cut things down. So what I¡¯m trying to say, Karen, is¡­ a sword like you simply needs to be sharp. - What the hell is that¡­ Are you telling me to just not think anymore? - I¡¯m telling you to trust me and follow me. After all, the person who decides what must be cut down is the sword¡¯s master. - Hah. Is the world going to change if I do that? Jin responded to her, confident in his answer. - Yes, it will. And Jin was never wrong about that until the day Montra fell. ¡°Master, the world is the same as it was back then. The weak still die for no reason and the world is still infested with evil individuals.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°What about you? Do you think that you¡¯re in the right?¡± Karen looked like she was in pain. Because in a world without Jin, she had to think for herself. However, the fact that Karen had questions like this was a sign that the two had be closer. After all, she wouldn¡¯t have even given him an opportunity to respond like this if she wasn¡¯t thinking about him. And now, she was asking Seol a question. She was trying to ascertain whether Seol had the right to use her as a sword like Jin did. She wanted to know if she could improve the world through him. Though Seol didn¡¯t know how the conversation transitioned into this, he gave her the answer that she wanted to hear. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°As expected, you don¡¯t know¡­¡± Karen had a disappointed look. ¡°I¡¯ll only know whether I¡¯m right or wrong in the end, after everything''s settled.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one way I can be sure of myself. When I arrive at the end¡­¡± When Seol eventually cleared this brutal game and reached Ascension¡­ When he could ask them about his sins¡­ When he could finally get revenge on the gods¡­ ¡°The world would be a better ce then.¡± ¡°...Really?¡± ¡°If it isn¡¯t then it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± - I mean I can¡¯t look into the future or anything~ - If it isn¡¯t then it isn¡¯t (serious) - As expected from Snowman¡­ I can¡¯t even deny that¡­ What a god¡­ Karen looked at Seol, nkly, beforeughing. ¡°Hahaha! What a sly answer.¡± ¡°Regardless, that¡¯s all wayter into the future. For now, we simply have to do what we can.¡± Karen nodded, likely thinking of the image of Sarahying on the bed. ¡°Yeah, the Fog Ghost for now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the order.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Ever since that day, Seol and his party had been investigating around the town for Sarah, who¡¯s conditions worsened by the day. One, two, three days had passed with no results to show for. ¡°Damn it, are we doing something wrong?¡± ¡°Is there even something inside the fog in the first ce?¡± ¡°Sarah said that she saw something. It also seemed like the other dead people said something about it too¡­¡± ¡°Why do they only appear on days with dense fog though?¡± ¡°Who knows? Maybe they¡¯re trying to hide something? ¡­Hold on.¡± ¡°Karen?¡± ¡°...Shh.¡± Karen instantly reached for her sword and went on alert. A few momentster, Seol could also sense the presence which she sensed. ¡®...The Fog Ghost?¡¯ Though Seol couldn¡¯t see them properly due to the thick fog, he could clearly sense their presence. Slide¡­ Dash! Unsheathe! Karen leaped forth like a bolt of lightning and swung her sword at the sound of movement. ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°...Huh? What?¡± ¡°Wh-what are you doing? Who are you?¡± ¡°Fog¡­ Ghost?¡± ¡°What? Is that really something you should be saying after putting your sword to my neck?¡± ¡°No¡­ Well¡­¡± What appeared from the fog was neither a monster nor a ghost. It was a human. And he looked surprised, like Karen had just barged into his home. ¡°Who are you guys?¡±5 ¡°We¡¯re Adventurers. We¡¯re currently staying at Water Fog Town,¡± said Seol. The man, after hearing that, let out a sigh. ¡°Fuuu¡­ I see. Please put away your sword. I am not a monster, I¡¯m a doctor.¡± ¡°Are you perhaps Dr. Gunt?¡± ¡°Oh? Do you perhaps know about me?¡± ¡°...We heard about you from Sarah.¡± ¡°Haha, Sarah told you about me? I was a bitte taking care of business in another town, but I really want to go see the townspeople already.¡± ¡°...Sarah¡¯s sick.¡± ¡°......¡± Gunt looked around, in shock, as if he didn¡¯t understand Seol¡¯s words. ¡°...Sick?¡± ¡°To the Fog Disease¡­¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ Oh my god, oh no! Sarah too? W-We should hurry over there! I¡¯ll go and give her an inspection!¡± Gunt went with Seol¡¯s party to the town. He clearly looked deeply worried for Sarah. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Sarah¡­ Sarah, no!¡± The moment they arrived at the town, Gunt immediately headed to Sarah¡¯s house. ¡°Dr. Gunt is here! Everyone,e out!¡± ¡°Dr. Gunt! M-My husband is still¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me, everyone. I need to give an inspection to Sarah first.¡± Gunt immediately went to inspect Sarah without unpacking at all. Creak¡­ ¡°S-Sarah?¡± ¡°...Dr. Gunt?¡± ¡°God, please. Please let it just be nothing.¡± Sarah slowly sat herself up as if she were exhausted. And after that, Gunt began his inspection. Seol¡¯s party and the townspeople stood by the door, hoping for a good result. Creak¡­ Gunt then exited Sarah¡¯s house with a stiff expression. ¡°D-Dr. Gunt, how is Sarah¡¯s condition?¡± asked one of the town¡¯s adults. ¡°...Sarah is afflicted with the Fog Disease,¡± responded Gunt with a grave expression. ¡°Oh my god¡­ Such a kind child is¡­¡± ¡°How could a child like Sarah be afflicted by the Fog Disease¡­¡± Gunt looked around at the townspeople with a downcast face. ¡°It¡¯s not like diseases pick and choose their targets based on who¡¯s good and who¡¯s bad¡­ Sarah is¡­ likely going to fall asleep in a few days.¡± ¡°A-Are you saying that Sarah will die?¡± Nod. Gunt weakly nodded his head. ¡°Sob¡­ Sarah¡­ Sarah is¡­¡± ¡°W-We shouldn¡¯t do this here. Let¡¯s go somewhere else, Sarah could hear!¡± Seol and Karen remained there for a moment before walking back into the forest. Seol waited for Karen to say something first. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you waiting for me to say something?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± - No? (Yes) - He¡¯s reading your mood¡­ - When are we going to fight for summoner rights? Create a union! Karen then followed up like it was nothing special. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We expected this anyway.¡± ¡°Gunt was blunt.¡± ¡°Yeah, to the point that I wanted to punch his fucking face. Still, let¡¯s go find him once the townspeople have calmed down.¡± ¡°Yeah, we have more things to talk about, after all.¡± After saying that, Seol unfurled Chao¡¯s scroll. ¡°Ah, right. Weren¡¯t you looking for something?¡± ¡°Yeah, a man. But there¡¯s no one who looks like him.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± It was the face of a man with bleary eyes. Even though it was a drawing on a scroll, it was detailed enough to be mistaken for a picture. ¡°I¡¯m sure that this is the person who Chao wants us to look for, but I haven¡¯t seen anyone simr. ¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ wait.¡± Pause. Karen and Seol both stopped at the same time. And then they looked at each other. ¡°Is there anyone else other than Dr. Gunt who was expected to visit the town?¡± ¡°There wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then that presence¡­?¡± The two both felt a presence beyond the fog. And just now, Karen asked that question to Seol like she was asking for permission. ¡°Is likely the Fog Ghost.¡± ¡°I hope it¡¯s right this time!¡± Dash! Click! Unsheathe¡­ Karen pulled out her sword and sprinted toward the presence in the fog. re¡­ sh! Her sword did not stop until it cut something. This meant that Karen believed the presence was an enemy. ¡®Did the Fog Ghost really exist?!¡¯ Seol quickly ran after Karen. Guaaaargh¡­ A rotting corpse was crawling on the ground. Despite having its head cut off, it showed off its vitality and continued to crawl along. re¡­ The corpse¡¯s cut torso stopped moving after being burned by the fire. The only thing that still moved was the monster¡¯s head. It moved its lips like it was trying to say something. ¡°Give¡­¡± Karen looked at Seol with a serious look. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯ve chased after us?¡± There was a memory imprinted in Seol¡¯s head. It was the town he visited through the Expedition System, Twilight Town. And in that town were mysterious creatures and a person who controlled them. Seol nodded his head. ¡°It¡¯s him,¡± said Seol to Karen. The Fog Ghost that was burning on the ground was also one of the same monsters that had given them a hard time in Twilight Town. Chapter 80 A horrible thing had happened in Twilight Town. The townspeople there had be believers in a false religion and captured outsiders as offerings to their god. Seol¡¯s party might have killed all of them, but the incident caused Karen immense mental pain, which made her unable to react properly to an attack. After that, the mastermind behind Twilight Town appeared to hunt down Seol. Seol, with only Jamad avable to fight, chose to run away and was swept away by the current into Wet Fog Town. ¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯ The ghost-like man who brought hell to Pandea. He wasn¡¯t particrly strongpared to the enemies Seol had fought so far, but the fact that he was able to paint a town in such negative colors was definitely something he had to be cautious of. Because his malicious intent was, at least, the worst among the enemies Seol had fought so far. ¡®How was he able to track us down? We didn¡¯t leave any traces behind.¡¯ It would be impossible for him to track them downstream. Seol would have also known beforehand if he applied a tracking spell to them too. ¡°Give¡­¡± The monster¡¯s head, that Karen cut off, continued to talk, trying its best to form a sentence. The monster¡¯s body was in tatters and was covered in a slime-like substance, but its face was still definitely human, which made it more unsightly to look at. Seol looked at the monster¡¯s face for a second before pausing. ¡°...Wait.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Unravel. Seol unraveled Chao¡¯s scroll. He looked at the man¡¯s face on the scroll. He then looked at the monster¡¯s face beneath his own foot. ¡°...They look simr.¡± ¡°What? Let me see!¡± Karen walked over and looked at the scroll too. She then nodded. ¡°You were right! It really does look like him!¡± ¡°Was this monster our objective then?¡± - OMG¡­ Karen burned the body though¡­ What are you guys going to do?! - She burned the fucking medicine RIP - Where did he hide the medicine? - His pockets! - He has no pockets though??? ¡®No, something¡¯s off.¡¯ The more Seol looked at the monster¡¯s face, the more simrities he found. Even so, the odds of the Fog Ghost having the sleeping medicine were close to zero. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Give¡­¡± ¡°The monster¡¯s head is still trying to say something¡­¡± ¡°Shh, be quiet for a second.¡± Seol got down on one knee and got closer to the head. And when he did, he could hear the words much more clearly. ¡°Give me back¡­¡± Seol¡¯s face froze when he heard the monster¡¯s words. ¡°Why? What did it say?¡± ¡°He wants it back.¡± ¡°Wants what back?¡± The head slowed down beforepletely stopping. Seol repeated what he heard exactly back to Karen. ¡°He wants¡­ his face back.¡± ¡°...Oh no.¡± [The main contents of ¡®Sleeping Medicine¡¯ have changed.] [¡®Sleeping Medicine¡¯ has changed to ¡®Face Collector¡¯.] [Adventure 12-1. ¡®Face Collector¡¯ You have arrived at Wet Fog Town to do what Chao has requested of you. Though it seemed like all you had to do was simply find someone and take their medicine at first, the job that you had expected to go smoothly continuously went wrong. The Fog Disease, which had been afflicting all of the towns in the surrounding area, has infected another person in Wet Fog Town, and not only that, you have also run into a monster near here, one that you faced in Twilight Town before. The monster has a face extremely simr to the face drawn in the scroll and talks exactly like a human. With its dying breath, it was able toplete a single sentence. ¡®Give me back my face.¡¯ To reach the truth, you must find the one who stole this monster¡¯s face. Objective: Complete the objective written on the scroll. Chao¡¯s favorability toward you will drop upon failure. Remaining Time [About 10 days]] Acquiring the ¡®Sleeping Medicine¡¯ mentioned in Chao¡¯s scroll hadn¡¯t changed as the Adventure¡¯s objective, but the majority of the contents had changed. After meeting the monster, Seol continued to worry the entire day until nightfall. ¡°Do you really think that someone could steal someone else¡¯s face?¡± ¡°It probably is true, judging by the fact that we weren¡¯t able to find the person drawn on the scroll.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ How the hell are we supposed to find them now?¡± Skid¡­ Karen grumbled and kicked a chair. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We were able to learn something because of it." ¡°What?¡± Seol continued while crossing his arms. ¡°Do you remember the first assumption we made?¡± ¡°That the person who has the medicine for it probably spread the disease? Or that the medicine itself could be the source of the disease¡­¡± ¡°And that if they made the disease, they would also likely have an antidote for it.¡± ¡°Definitely. People like them who look down on other people¡¯s lives value their own lives way too much.¡± ¡°Exactly. If we can just find them, we can de-escte the situation.¡± Karen nodded in agreement with Seol¡¯s theory. Seol continued on. ¡°The problem is how we¡¯ll find the bastard. Luckily enough, though, Chao drew his face for us.¡± ¡°But that was the monster¡¯s face¡­¡± ¡°The monster that was asking for his face back, no? If it¡¯s asking for their face back when they already have one, it must mean that¡­¡± ¡°It was switched!¡± ¡°Switched forcibly. Well, something like that at least.¡± Karen excitedly nodded her head to Seol¡¯s theory. ¡°And? What else?¡± ¡°Thinking about what Chao wrote down on the scroll, not only did she tell us to go to Wet Fog Town specifically, she also told us that our objective was that face.¡± ¡°That means she was confident they were in Wet Fog Town.¡± "Yeah, we received the scroll from her about two months ago. So the time when she became aware of the objective must be much earlier than when she gave us the scroll." ¡°So the person¡¯s face Chao saw then was that person¡¯s face then!¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Karen mmed the table with her fist and immediately stood up. "Then, in the end, our first assumption was true! They could still be here, just with another person¡¯s face instead,¡± said Karen while looking at Seol. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Still¡­ shouldn¡¯t the townspeople notice if someone¡¯s face changed?¡± ¡°Who knows? They could be using illusion magic or necromancy¡­ it could be another technique entirely too. There are a mountain of spells that could be used to prevent people from recognizing you, after all.¡± Seol¡¯s Eyes of Perception hadn¡¯t activated in his time in the town. ¡®It makes sense, though. Eyes of Perception isn¡¯t all-powerful.¡± Since Seol¡¯s Eyes of Perception weren¡¯t fully enlightened yet, it couldn¡¯t catch everything. Sure, he can see through simple spells now, but there was a high chance that he couldn¡¯t look through higher-ranking spells, especially spells to disguise oneself. ¡®How are we going to find them though? We don¡¯t have enough time anymore¡­¡¯ Since Seol had wasted almost two weeks already, he was in a dire situation. Still, he had been able to get to the core of the problem so once he found the solution for it, he could clear it quickly. ¡®I don¡¯t know whether I should gather all of the townspeople and just interrogate them all together, or¡­¡¯ Knock, knock, knock! As Seol thought to himself, his focus turned to the sound he heard from behind the door. He heard a voice. ¡°...It¡¯s Gunt. Are you home?¡± ¡°Ah, Dr. Gunt. What brings you¡­¡± Creak¡­ When Seol opened the door, he saw Gunt with a wretched expression. The sadness in his eyes made both Karen and Seol uneasy. ¡°Sarah has¡­ fallen asleep.¡± ¡°By asleep, you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Her conditions have worsened.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°There are no other options now. Sarah would likely spend the rest of her life asleep. Even if¡­ it was a short life¡­ Anyway, please follow me.¡± Seol and Karen followed Gunt to where Sarah was. She was asleep on her bed, sleeping like the dead. The townspeople who were healthy were all there to say theirst goodbyes. ¡°Sarah, how could a bright child like you¡­¡± ¡°The gods are so cruel. How could they take this poor child¡­¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t even have any family to take care of her¡­ I feel so bad for her¡­¡± Gunt sat down next to the sleeping Sarah. ¡°Sarah, it may be a bit cowardly to confess this now, but I received a lot of strength from watching you,¡± said Gunt. The people stood at a distance from Gunt while listening to his confession. ¡°Like you, Sarah, I was also an orphan. I despised the world and I med my own fate. I thought it was obvious. I also believed that because I was so unlucky, I had the obvious right toin about life.¡± Gunt then shook his head. ¡°But you were different, Sarah. Your existence itself made so many people happy and you bravely overcame your misfortune alone. With just your actions, you have taught me so much.¡± Seol and Karen felt Gunt¡¯s genuine feelings whenever he sobbed. It was more than the feelings of a doctor caring for their patient. It was like he genuinely appreciated her existence. Draw¡­ Draw¡­ Next to Gunt, the youngest girl in Wet Fog Town was drawing a picture. It was a picture of Gunt and Sarah. ¡°Are you drawing right now?¡± ¡°Yeah, Snowman.¡± ¡°Why are you drawing though?¡± ¡°Because I want to save it. I always draw a picture when people fall asleep to the disease.¡± ¡°You have a good heart.¡± ¡°Yeah. And if I do this, I can always remember them, even if I can¡¯t see them anymore. I have a bunch of drawings like this at home already. I can show you if youe visit.¡± The fact that she had so many drawings only implied that there were a lot of patients who fell asleep. Seol¡¯s feelings were askew after hearing such a small child say that like it was nothing. Draw¡­ Draw¡­ ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s just that¡­ um¡­ I¡¯m having a hard time drawing.¡± The young girl tilted her head and bit her pencil. After a moment, she started to draw again. Her action caught Seol¡¯s attention to the point that now he was only watching herplete her drawing. ¡°You¡¯re really good at drawing.¡± ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s why mommy told me she¡¯d save up money to send me to Audenin. She told me that if I go there, I can learn properly.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a good mother.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done now! Do you want to see it?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Seol grabbed the girl¡¯s drawing. She drew a portrait of Sarah sleeping and Gunt crying in a grave, calm manner. Though it hadn¡¯t been colored yet, Seol felt a lot of things from this painting. The first was awe. He was in sheer disbelief of the child¡¯s talents as it was drawn expertly, to the point that he doubted that it was really drawn by her. The second was disconnectedness. Even though it looked like Sarah was simply sleeping in the drawing, she was headed to death in real life. Andstly¡­ was a sense that something was off. ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°Why? Let me see too?¡± Seol handed over the drawing to Karen, hoping that this would help her from bing even sadder. ¡°...Huh?¡± And she had the exact same reaction as Seol. [Insight activates.] [The drawing is inconsistent.] With Insight activating, Seol was confident that his feelings weren¡¯t just his feelings. It had a different face. Gunt had a different face. The face that they saw in the drawing was the same face as the one they saw earlier on Chao¡¯s scroll. Seol calmly put the drawing down and asked the child a question. ¡°Is this¡­ Dr. Gunt?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Why did you draw Dr. Gunt like this?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean why?¡± The child pointed at Gunt who was still crying and sobbing. ¡°He looks like that, no?¡± Seol, with a still face, patted the child¡¯s head and handed the drawing back. He then delicately spoke to Karen. ¡°I guess we can get lucky from time to time.¡± ¡°Right? I was thinking that we would be unlucky forever too.¡± The two then slowly headed over to Gunt, who was by Sarah¡¯s bed. Gunt was still crying, tears poured down his face as he heaved. ¡°Sarah, I hope that next time¡­ Sob¡­¡± ¡°...Dr. Gunt.¡± ¡°It really isn¡¯t¡­ sob¡­ e-easy sending off Sarah. P-Please j-j-just give me a bit more¨C¡± ¡°Dr. Gunt, I have a question.¡± ¡°Sob¡­ Sob¡­ Now¡¯s not a good time. Why are you being so rude right now?¡± Gunt swiftly turned his head and looked at Seol with a furious look in his eyes. He then had a cool expression once more. ¡°Why did you do it?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Karen.¡± Fwoosh! Karen swiftly wrapped Sarah in her bedsheets and pulled her in. And then, she softlyid Sarah down behind her. The townspeople, not knowing their intent, shrieked at their rough actions. ¡°Kyaaaa! Wh-what are you doing to Sarah?!¡± ¡°Snowman?! Karen?! Why are you guys acting like this?!¡± Gunt looked at Seol with a facepletely drained of any expression. ¡°...What are you doing?¡± ¡°Why did you do this to Sarah, no, to the townspeople?¡± ¡°Sob¡­ Are you¡­ suspecting me?¡± ¡°Answer the question.¡± Gunt buried his head and cried even more. ¡°Sob¡­ Sob¡­ Sob¡­ Why¡­ Sob¡­¡± And then¡­ his cries became eerie. ¡°Sob¡­ Sob.. So-ehehe¡­ Hehehehehehe! Why!¡± Gunt suddenly stood up and red at Seol. Gunt¡¯s eyes had turned red. ¡°Why did I get caught?¡± Chapter 81 Seol was only able to find the culprit infecting the town through an unexpected clue. It was because Gunt¡¯s face was different from the face on the child¡¯s drawing. If Seol hadn¡¯t luckily looked at the child¡¯s drawing, he could have spent a long, long time before uncovering that Gunt was behind it all. ¡°Hehehe¡­ I knew I should have killed you that day. In the end, you followed me to my base and caused a hugemotion¡­¡± ¡°Were you behind what happened in Twilight Town too?¡± ¡°Who else would it be? Hehehehe!¡± Snap! As Gunt snapped his fingers, the cries of monsters could be heard around the town. Guaaaaaarghh¡­ Gurrrrr¡­ ¡°D-Dr. Gunt!¡± ¡°How could this be¡­ What did you do¡­¡± ¡°Kyaaa! Th-there are monsters outside!¡± Not only were they outside, but they were also slowly closing in on where Seol was. Seol then asked Gunt a question. ¡°Where did you get those monsters from?¡± ¡°Hold on, hold on! It¡¯s a bit unfair if you¡¯re the only one asking questions, alright? What do you think about this, then? I like making trades¡­ What do you think about taking turns asking each other questions?¡± ¡°Whatever works for me. Answer me now.¡± ¡°Obviously, they¡¯re the corpses of the sick. Is that a sufficient answer?¡± ¡°...It is.¡± The townspeople were all shocked by Gunt¡¯s changed behavior. ¡°Dr. Gunt! How could you do something so horrendous¡­?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were staying here to save us?¡± Guntughed. ¡°Save you? Hahahaha! I was your guys¡¯ savior?¡± ¡°W-Were you not?¡± ¡°You idiots. This is happening specifically because you left your own salvation to others!¡± After saying that, he pulled out something from his pockets. It was a vial filled with ck liquid. Seol had seen something like that before in the scroll Chao gave him. ¡°I was the one who spread Fog Disease. This medicine right here was used to put people to sleep before eventually turning them into my corpses. Regrettably, for you, this is the grim reality beneath the facade of salvation you sought so desperately.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°Dr. Gunt, wake up! I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re acting like this, but¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then shut up! Hehehe!¡± Seol quickly realized that the vial of medicine that Gunt was shaking was the ¡®Sleeping Medicine¡¯ that he had been searching for. However¡­ he was more shocked after realizing that this very medicine was the root cause of all the events that had transpired. ¡®Why does Chao need something like that?¡¯ It was difficult for Seol toe up with other potential effects that the horrible medicine could have. ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn to ask a question. How did you know that I was the mastermind behind all of this?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t answer me, the conversation''s going to end.¡± ¡°I was looking for you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already answered a question.¡± ¡°Damn it, I should¡¯ve just asked them all at once. Fine.¡± ¡°...Is there a cure for the Fog Disease?¡± Gunt gave a wide smile andughed. ¡°What the hell?! Hehehe! Yeah, I bet you need that! Of course! Of course, there¡¯s a cure!¡± ¡°Your turn.¡± ¡°Why were you looking for me?¡± ¡°Because I was interested in an item that you had.¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯d prefer it if you gave me more specific answers, alright? I¡¯m pretty sure the ¡®item¡¯ that you¡¯re talking about is the Fog Disease¡¯s antidote though¡­ Is someone you know afflicted by it?¡± ¡°One question at a time. How were you able to fool the townspeople?¡± ¡°Simple deception and illusion spells. I guess I could call it the culmination of that, my understanding of anatomy, and the strange techniques I¡¯ve learned over the shoulder? Still, it¡¯s too high-level for someone like you to understand.¡± The conversation continued for a while. And Seol could sense that Karen, who was by his side, was slowly nearing the limits of her patience. ¡°This question is probably myst question. So, how did you know that I was the person you were looking for? I changed my face too¡­¡± ¡°That drawing.¡± The drawing that Seol pointed at had Gunt¡¯s old face on it. Gunt, after realizing how he was caught,ughed. ¡°Kehehehe! Look at me! I forgot to release the suggestion spell after changing my face! So that¡¯s why I got caught¡­ hm¡­ so it was something so simple. Alright, what are you going to do now? Ah, I only had that one question left¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can tell you that much.¡± Karen stepped forth. And she answered in ce of Seol. ¡°I¡¯m going to crush you to dust.¡± ¡°Hehehehe! Well, that could be fun too!¡± Crunch¡­ Snap¡­ Twist¡­ Gunt¡¯s face was suddenly covered in veins. The ck veins, which continued to grow and spread in a disgusting manner like the roots of a rotting nt, pierced through his skin. ¡°Kyaaaa!¡± ¡°Hehehe! I don¡¯t need this face anymore now!¡± Rumble¡­ ¡°R-Run away!¡± ¡°Where would we go? There are monsters outside!¡± ¡°Just get outside for now! This house is about to copse, are the monsters really the problem right now?¡± Glow¡­ Seol created a ck energy in his hands. Fwirl! And then a massive troll, Jamad, revealed himself. ¡°Take care of the townspeople.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Jamad followed after the townspeople, who were more shocked by his appearance than Gunt¡¯s, outside the building and to the town hall while carrying Sarah over his shoulder. There were a lot of people still there in the town hall and it was much more sturdy than a small house like this. Jamad slowly followed them while killing any monster in his way. Crush¡­ During that time, Gunt slowly grew. ¡°I should have killed you then¡­ hehe!¡± Seol, using Eyes of Perception, quickly read through the information. [[Gunt, the Hypocrite] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 13~18 A person who uses their various knowledge in medicine, pharmacy, and poison as their weapons. Their most fearsome weapon are the corpses they control. Basic Skills: [Energy Potion 1], [Drug Connection 1], [Hypnotism 1], [Face Steal 1], [Physical Enhancement 1], [Poison Spray 1] Unique Skills: [False Salvation 1]] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol was shocked after seeing it. ¡®...Why is he so weak?¡¯ Since Seol had to fight him with only Jamad in the Expedition System, he wasn¡¯t aware of how powerful Gunt exactly was. Gunt, unaware of what Seol was thinking about, started mocking him. ¡°Now, this is my real face. Ta-dah! What do you think? Frightening, huh?¡± Gunt¡¯s face looked like a mashed apple, it didn¡¯t look human at all. His eyes, nose, and lips were all warped strangely and his skin was festering with wounds. ¡°Hehe¡­ First, I¡¯ll take care of this annoying girl¡ª¡± sh! Gunt noticed that his vision was¡­ tilted? He quickly inspected himself. Before he realized it, both of his legs had been cleanly cut off. Sizzle¡­ He felt an immense heat and pain climb up from his severed legs. ¡°Guaaaaaargh!¡± Karen waited, not finishing him off. ¡°Show me what else you¡¯ve got. I¡¯ll wait.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯ve made a huge mistake! Wait just right here, I¡¯ll end you!¡± [Gunt used Energy Potion.] [Gunt¡¯s regeneration increases immensely.] Chrsfrsrs¡­! Legs grew out of Gunt¡¯s body like threads unraveling from a spool. Guaaaaargh¡­ During that time, Karen was quickly killing the corpses running to Seol. ¡°They¡¯re all so damn weak.¡± ¡°How insulting¡­¡± ¡°Try harder. Take responsibility for getting me this pissed.¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll kill you.¡± [Gunt used Physical Enhancement.] [Gunt¡¯s Strength increases by 50%.] [Gunt¡¯s Dexterity increases by 20%.] [Gunt¡¯s Constitution increases by 10%.] Fwooosh! Gunt punched the air, creating a gust of wind. Even so¡­ sh! Gunt lost the sensation of anything below his elbows. Once again, he lost his limbs. Karen had cut his arms off the moment he swung them. ¡°Grrrggghh¡­ Aaaaargh!¡± ¡°...Why are you like this?¡± ¡°Th-this can¡¯t be¡­ Come,e to me! Come to your master!¡¯ Guaaaargh! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! The corpses, covered in a strange, sticky fluid, started leaving the town hall and running to Gunt. Fwoooooosh! [Gunt used Unique Skill: False Salvation.] [As long as this skill is active, Gunt absorbs the stats of all of the corpses absorbed.] The corpses were sucked into Gunt¡¯s body like a boat being swept up by a hurricane. And after a few seconds, Gunt¡¯s body turned red like blood. ¡°Hehehe! It won¡¯t be the same this time~¡± Once again, Karen waited for him. Dash! Gunt was definitely faster than before. It was clear that it was on apletely different level than how he moved earlier. ¡°Now, die! Die!¡± Once again, Gunt unleashed a punch with both fists. Fwoooosh! However¡­ Fwirl! Fwoosh! Karen easily dodged Gunt¡¯s attack, almost like she was ying around before as well. Gunt, seeing that, was inplete shock. ¡°N-No way¡­ No way¡­¡± ¡°...Are you done?¡± Even while dodging, Karen looked at Gunt with malice-filled eyes. ¡°Aaaaaargh! Don¡¯t look at me like thaaaaaaat!¡± Fwooosh! Fwooooosh! Gunt floundered around like a person who couldn¡¯t swim. In truth, Gunt really did be extremely fast. He was almost as fast as Karen. However, his attacks were too simple and too obvious. There was no way an attack like that would evernd on Karen. Karen started to fight back, like she was ready to end it. Fwoosh! sh! Sizzle¡­ One of Gunt¡¯s legs was cut off again. ¡°Guaaaaaargh!¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± sh! Sizzle¡­ ¡°Aaargghh¡­ Argh¡­ It hurts¡­¡± ¡°...Why?¡± Stab! Stab! SLAAASH! ¡°AAAAAARGH!¡± Karen had cut off all of Gunt¡¯s limbs. However, because of Gunt¡¯s increased regeneration, he only continued to bleed. Gunt neither fainted nor died. ¡°Aaaaargh! Why?! Why?! Why?!¡± Stab! Staaab! ¡°Khrgh¡­¡± Karen then asked Gunt a question while keeping her sword in his stomach. ¡°Why would you do something so horrible¡­ when you¡¯re this weak¡­¡± ¡°Cough¡­ Hehehe¡­ Was I-I weak? That¡¯s unfortunate!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Kehehe¡­ Hehehe¡­¡± Gunt continued to talk while blood spilled out of his mouth. ¡°But you know¡­ Am I not allowed to?¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m weak¡­ do I lose even the right to be evil?¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡± ¡°So since I¡¯m weak, I should just be nice and obediently live the life that people make me live?!¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Karen grabbed the dying Gunt by his cor. Even so, Gunt simplyughed. He had given up all hope. ¡°Hehehe¡­ You can¡¯t kill me. I¡¯m saying this for you, you know?¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­ looking for the antidote? You won¡¯t be able to find it if you kill me~¡± ¡°...You fucking bastard.¡± Karen took a step back. She knew that if she lost control of her emotions and simply hit him, she would never be able to hear his response. Step¡­ But in ce, Seol stepped forth. ¡°Gunt, where¡¯s the antidote?¡± ¡°Oh? Is this a trade? Alright! However, I¡¯m going to be changing the rules now. If you listen to my story until the end¡­ cough¡­ I¡¯ll tell you where the antidote is!¡± ¡°Even now, you¡ª¡± ¡°If you refuse, I¡¯ll just die like this.¡± Gunt made an eerie, expressionless face. Seol scowled. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°I had never been able to tell anyone about my existence because I was scared of getting caught. I also killed whoever listened to my story too!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a lot of time. You¡¯re going to die soon. Talk faster.¡± ¡°Okay, okay¡­¡± Gunt continued. ¡°My face has looked like this since the moment I was born. When I became able to walk, my parents sold me to ve traders. They were quite patient parents, how were they able to hold on for that long?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I just had to get unlucky too. I ended up in an old magician¡¯s research room. Do you know what happened to me there? Ah, wait! I don¡¯t want to talk about that, hehehe.¡± The more they listened to his story, the more they learned about his true nature. And it was also the unfortunate truth. ¡°During that hell, the old magician was kind enough to give me some free time. And luckily, there were also books to read there. Thanks to that, I learned about a lot of things. Do you know what books I loved the most?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Cough¡­ It was the religious texts of the religion that the old man believed in and the stories of heroes. Do you know why I liked them the most?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­ because it felt like I would be saved too. Whenever I read those books, I believed that a god or a hero would show up, destroy that damned research room, and rescue me from there. I know, I sound exactly like those stupid townspeople from earlier.¡± Gunt kept going. ¡°But salvation didn¡¯te, and the thing that let me break out of my cage was my own power. That old man let his guard down. If I knew that killing him was that easy, I would¡¯ve killed him earlier. Look, when all of this settles, you guys are going to be the town¡¯s heroes, right?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I¡¯m jealous of them. They were able to be saved at the right time. Hehe¡­ I wonder¡­ should I have waited a bit more?¡± ¡°Gunt.¡± ¡°Heroes arezy. They didn¡¯t save me. They¡­ They¡­¡± ¡°Tell me where the antidote is.¡± Gunt swallowed his bloody spit and gave an answer. ¡°If you rip into the handle of the bag that I brought, you¡¯ll find a powder. Mix it with water, there should be enough in there to save the townspeople.¡± ¡°What about the other towns?¡± ¡°All dead. I was on my way back after killing them all.¡± ¡°Why did you do this?¡± ¡°I was just¡­ curious. I wondered if salvation really existed¡­ if it was just something that people made up. But¡­ it really did exist¡­ salvation did exist.¡± Stand¡­ Seol stood up to grab the antidote. ¡°Could I ask you something?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Do you¡­ cough¡­ think that¡­ I could be forgiven?¡± Karen listened carefully for Seol¡¯s response. She wanted to hear what Seol would say. Seol responded with cold eyes. Like it was something that was already predetermined. ¡°No. You¡¯re going to hell.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ then I bet I can find my way there without any issues~¡± ¡°Let me ask you a question as well then.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°What you said about Sarah¡­ were you telling the truth then?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that.¡± When Sarah fell asleep, Gunt cried and poured out his heart. - But you were different, Sarah. Your existence itself made so many people happy and you bravely overcame your misfortune alone. With just your actions, you have taught me so much. ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t want to say.¡± Thud¡­ With those as his final words, Gunt¡¯s eyes became dull. And then, messages popped up. [You have defeated Gunt, the Hypocrite.] [You have earned the achievement ''Find the Difference''.] [You have earned the title ''Savior''.] Chapter 82 Thud¡­ Thud¡­ All of the corpses that had posed a threat to the town hall had copsed simultaneously. Seol then turned around and looked at Karen with a stern expression. ¡°...You did good.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You did good to not forgive him.¡± It was clear that Karen was still furious at Gunt. Seol ced his hand on her shoulders. ¡°Calm down. Don¡¯t forget that the townspeople are all still shocked right now.¡± ¡°Do you remember what Gunt said?¡± ¡°He said a lot of things, I don¡¯t remember everything.¡± ¡°The part about him losing the right to be evil because he¡¯s weak.¡± ¡°...I remember it.¡± It was true that Gunt was born into a horrific situation. Even so, it didn¡¯t justify his heinous actions. In the end, his final words were nothing more than a viin¡¯s teary-eyed cries. Still, there was something which Gunt said that was still left in their ears. - If I¡¯m weak¡­ do I lose even the right to be evil? - What are you¡ª - So since I¡¯m weak, I should just be nice and obediently live the life that people make me live?! Karen grabbed her head like she had a headache. She was shocked that someone so weak could do something so horrible with their bottomless malevolence. ¡°Do you think¡­ he was just desperately doing whatever he could do to escape from his own fate?¡± ¡°Even if he was, the direction that he took would only bring him to ruin.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± After saying that, Seol inspected Gunt¡¯s decreased body. Rummage¡­ Thankfully the medicine was stored in a sturdy bottle and looked to be fine. [You have acquired Sleeping Medicine.] [Hypocrite¡¯s Keepsake has been generated.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] Normally, Seol would end the Adventure here. However, he went to Gunt¡¯s house without checking his rewards. Click. The door to Gunt¡¯s house opened easily, it seems like he often left his doors unlocked. And luckily, Seol was able to find what he wanted easily. ¡°Found it.¡± [You have acquired Gunt¡¯s Bag.] Seol naturally handed over the bag to Karen. And after, he immediately handed her a throwing dagger. ¡°Check it.¡± ¡°Hold on¡­¡± Rip. Karen ripped the bag¡¯s strap a little to reveal powder wrapped in cloth. ¡°I think this is it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the townspeople then.¡± The two of them headed to the town hall. And what they saw Jamad was tussling with the townspeople with the town hall¡¯s door between them. ¡°Ahhhh¡­ Don¡¯te any closer, you monster!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but the fact that you weed an elf and are chasing away a troll is a bit disheartening.¡± Seol smirked as he went up to Jamad. Jamadined to Seol like a childining to a teacher about another child. ¡°They¡¯re treating me like a monster.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just because they¡¯re scared.¡± ¡°Hmph, this is why I don¡¯t like humans. Always so self-centered¡­ it¡¯s like they believe the whole world revolves around them.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve done my job, so I¡¯m going to go to sleep. Good luck with the rest of it, elf.¡± Karen nodded back in response. It appeared that she had lost her inclination for humor after what had just happened, she refrained from making any jokes. Fwirl! After Jamad disappeared into the Shadow Space, Seol knocked on the town hall¡¯s door. ¡°It¡¯s alright now, you cane out.¡± ¡°Really? Are the monsters gone now?¡± ¡°They all fell to the floor and aren¡¯t moving.¡± ¡°What about Dr. G¨C I mean, Gunt?¡± ¡°...He¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°......¡± Creak¡­ Corpses were scattered all around. A foul smell filled the air, causing the townspeople to all scrunch their noses. After seeing some of them, one of the townspeople closed his eyes and murmured to himself. ¡°How could this happen¡­ Why did this happen¡­¡± ¡°...It¡¯s all over now.¡± ¡°Are you saying that¡­ all of this is because of that demon Gunt?¡± Seol only nodded his head. He then carefully counted the number of people leaving the town hall, confirming that no one was injured. ¡°Gunt also was carrying an antidote.¡± ¡°An¡­ antidote?¡± ¡°An antidote for Fog Disease.¡± ¡°...Oh my god. I-Is there enough¡­ for everyone?¡± ¡°There should be enough to take care of the townspeople.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ then¡­ what happens to the other towns?¡± Seol shook his head. ¡°He said that they were all dead. It seemed like the ¡®house call¡¯ was an excuse to turn all of those people into monsters.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­ that bastard Gunt was a horrible person!¡± ¡°Still, we should quickly get ready to treat the patients.¡± ¡°Understood! Everyone, let¡¯s help them! We should all help out to do it quickly!¡± And after that, they became extremely busy. A few townspeople stepped forth to relocate the corpses to another area. Once they had gathered them all, the corpses were set aze. Among them¡­ was also Gunt. Simultaneously, they filled a huge cauldron with water. They also collected all of the clean cloth they could find to wipe down their bodies. Dump. Fsssss¡­ A thick, dense liquid filled the cauldron, which turned white after a few moments. Seol took some of it and carefully stored it in a ss vial. [[Awakening Medicine] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.2kg A medicine specifically designed to alleviate particr symptoms. It was made by Gunt. There aren¡¯t any severe side effects, even when applied improperly. Bonus Effect: Counteracts the effects of Sleeping Medicine.] The effects were direct and straightforward. Seol nodded to himself after seeing that the effects weren¡¯t a lie. Seol, after inspecting it once more, poured a specific dose into separate ss vials before sending them to the patients. Gulp¡­ Gulp¡­ The townspeople massaged the patients¡¯ necks to help them properly drink the medicine. After a certain amount of time, the townspeople and Seol had finished all their work. All that was left to do now was watch over them. And then¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­ Urghhh¡­¡± ¡°Hrgh¡­¡± The patients started to wake up. ¡°I-It worked!¡± ¡°The medicine really was effective!¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you¡­ sob¡­ sob¡­¡± ¡°We were saved... What a miracle!¡± As people started to wake up, Karen and Seol focused on only one person. She was the same person who helped Seol easily settle into Wet Fog Town and also the person who helped ease Karen¡¯s anxious heart. ¡°Wake up, Sarah. It¡¯s time to wake up.¡± Karen, holding onto Sarah¡¯s cold hands, dropped her head. Their silence was much heavier than the cries of joy around them. Twitch. ¡°...Huh?¡± Twitch¡­ Twitch¡­ ¡°She¡¯s moving her finger! Sarah, wake up!¡± Karen held tightly onto her hand, making a fuss. ¡°Urgh¡­ Urgh¡­ It hurts¡­ Big¡­ Sis¡­¡± ¡°S-Sarah! Did you wake up now?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re holding¡­ too tight.¡± ¡°Ah, really? Sorry, I¡¯ll let go.¡± Sarah¡¯s eyes slowly fluttered open. [You have cured all survivors of Wet Fog Town.] [You have earned the achievement ''Oveing the Disease''.] [You have earned the title ''Quack''.] - He ascended - He¡¯s finally free from this hell ?? - This ended up being harder than it had to be because of that bastard Gunt!! Sarah slowly sat herself up and leaned back on the head of the bed. ¡°Did I¡­ fall asleep?¡± ¡°Yeah. You fell asleep, but you¡¯re awake now.¡± ¡°...I see. But how was I able to wake up?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± At that moment, everyone became silent and solely focused on Seol¡¯s words. After all, he was the one who brought an end to the situation, no one else could have done it. Only he had the right to choose how it would be remembered. ¡°We found an antidote.¡± ¡°Ah! Was Dr. Gunt able to find one? That¡¯s a relief¡­¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°But¡­ Where is Dr. Gunt now?¡± Seol then saw a few options before him. [[Sarah of Wet Fog Town asks you about Gunt¡¯s whereabouts. How do you respond?] 1. Gunt was behind all of this. 2. Gunt is a demon! He has dragged you down to hell. 3. We were able to chase away that monster thanks to the united effort of the townspeople. 4. Gunt is dead. ¡­¡­] ¡°Dr. Gunt has left the town,¡± said Seol. ¡°What? He left?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like Wet Fog Town is the only ce in the world where people are sick. He also said that he probably won¡¯te back.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ he didn¡¯t even say goodbye¡­¡± The townspeople all looked at Seol. They were hoping that he would call Gunt a demon. However, even if that was able to relieve the hearts of the townspeople, it would only hurt Sarah. Karen grabbed Sarah¡¯s hand. She no longer wanted Sarah to be in pain. Even if it was only for this moment, Karen wanted to hide the dark parts of the world from her and show her only the good parts. ¡°Sarah, Dr. Gunt said that you had to stay well.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s good. Huh? But what¡¯s that fire over there?¡± As the townspeople had gathered the corpses in one spot to set them aze, the smoke could easily be seen from anywhere in the town. ¡°We¡¯re just¡­ burning some stuff.¡± ¡°Ah, like the things used to treat the patients?¡± ¡°Yeah, stuff like that.¡± ¡°It looks warm even from here.¡± ¡°The nightmares are over now, Sarah,¡± Karen said while grabbing Sarah¡¯s hand. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * After finishing business in the town, Seol¡¯s party moved to a different location the following morning. After that awful experience with the Long Distance Adventure, Seol nned on traveling to Audenin first before traveling from Key Location to Key Location back to Nobira. While it might require extra time, if they took carriages from location to location, they could reduce the time it would take greatly. Karen, remembering the events from yesterday, thanked Seol. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For saying it like that.¡± ¡°For saying that Gunt left?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I mean, he did ¡®go¡¯ somewhere.¡± - He went to hell - Honestly, Gunt was terrifying. - It wasn¡¯t that scary LMFAO Just go sleep with mommy, like me~ - He wasn¡¯t particrly strong, but I wouldn¡¯t want to face him again. - He was a viin who was really, really evil. - Even the conversations they had scared me¡­ - Snowman really has a strong mental¡­ Karen smirked, then tapped his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a point.¡± ¡°A point?¡± ¡°Yeah, and if you get enough, I¡¯ll really treat you as my master.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting¡­ How many points do I need to gather?¡± ¡°100.¡± ¡°And how many do I have now?¡± ¡°1.¡± - NAH FUCK THAT!!! - And for that reason, I¡¯m out. - How is she only going to give him one point LOL - Nah, this is the meta. You justter make something worth like 100,000 points or something. - 100,000 points for Gryffindor! - Seriously, LMFAO Jamad broke the silence while carrying the rewards Seol received from this Adventure. ¡°Just give up, Snowman. Don¡¯t even respond to that elf.¡± - What is this¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­ It¡¯s¡­ Something that I was about to say??? - S¡­T¡­A¡­Y¡­ - Jamad is the GOAT - Fuck this visual novel shit!!! ¡°Can the troll over there shut up?¡± ¡°Tch¡­ so when are we going to open this?¡± ¡°Aw, is it heavy? How fragile¡­ Do you want me to carry it for you?¡± ¡°...I regret ever speaking.¡± The reason that they didn¡¯t open the rewards chest there was because of Karen. She thought that it wasn¡¯t appropriate to open a chest in Wet Fog Town when something so horrible happened there. As a group, they decided to open it after leaving. ¡°I was just joking. Now, let¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Karen, take this.¡± ¡°Huh? A letter?¡± ¡°Sarah asked me to give this to you after we left the town because she was too embarrassed.¡± Slide¡­ Seol handed Karen the letter. The two of them started reading it together. - Hey, Bis Sis? I''m still uncertain if Snowman would listen to my request. Karen¡¯s expression changed multiple times. It was because Sarah was the first person Karen became close to after bing a shadow. And this was Sarah¡¯s letter to her. - Thanks to the two of you, the townspeople are all happy now. Really, thank you so much. She smiled¡­ - To be honest, I¡¯m writing this letter to you because I wanted to tell you something... Are you shocked by this? And she was shocked¡­ - From the moment I saw you, I respected you. You were the person who was closest to my dream! You were shockingly beautiful and shockingly strong. Ever since I was young, I was weak. So¡­ I always wanted to be strong. ¡°Sarah, you¡¯re plenty strong already,¡± said Karen. - If I was stronger¡­ wouldn¡¯t more people rely on me? I¡¯ve already sensed how annoyed people get because of how weak and slow I am. ¡°......¡± - I wonder what it¡¯s like to be strong? Would I be able to bring hope to people who are in trouble all over the world? Though I¡¯d never know what that would feel like¡­ I want to. Seol could see Karen gripping the letter harder. - Big Sis, you¡¯re a strong person. I was thinking that if it¡¯s you¡­ maybe you might have an answer to my questions? If that dayes¡­ I want you toe visit me and let me know, even if it¡¯s just a short visit. Karen stared intensely at each and every word on Sarah¡¯s letter. ¡°Do you think that one day¡­ a world coulde¡­ where no one would be in pain?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Seriously¡­¡± After reading thest sentence in Sarah''s letter, they both thought of someone. They were both thinking of Gunt. - Heroes arezy. They didn¡¯t save me. They¡­ They¡­ Seol then asked Karen a question. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± She folded the letter before responding to Seol. ¡°Basically¡­ I¡¯m thinking that I need to work harder? Troll! To congratte how I¡¯ve be a hard worker¡­ I think we should open the chest immediately! Put it down!¡± ¡°...I can¡¯t make heads or tails of you at all. You were just saying that it wasn¡¯t appropriate to open the chest there and had a dead look on your face¡­¡± ¡°Shush! Don¡¯t talk back! We should be using this new equipment as nutrients to be even stronger! Now, open!¡± - Yo, dude¡­ are you crying? - (Looks under the bed sheets) Yo, guys! He¡¯s crying LMFAOOOO He¡¯s fucking crying!!! - I-I¡¯m not crying! (Crying) - She¡¯sining to Jamad for no reason LOL - Jamad is such a good person¡­ troll. - Yeah¡­ Since he¡¯s a troll¡­ we should call him a good troll. - Yup, he¡¯s a good troll. Karen kicked open the chest that Jamad put down. Click¡­ Glow¡­ [You open Hypocrite¡¯s Keepsake.] Chapter 83 With Karen¡¯s clean kick, multiple messages popped up. [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [Affluent¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have acquired Wanderer¡¯s Armor.] [You have acquired stic Leather Pants.] [You have acquired Distorted Hope Ring.] [You have acquired 7 tinum coins.] [You have acquired 25 gold coins.] [You have acquired 35 silver coins.] [You have acquired 21 medium red potions.] [You have acquired 13 medium blue potions.] ¡­¡­ Glow¡­ Seol looked at the light radiating from the chest. ¡®The light is a bit weaker than usual? It makes sense though¡­¡¯ Since the previous Adventure was an incredible Adventure that required him to kill Anachindria¡¯s descendant, the rewards were just as incredible. It was actually normal for an Adventure of this stage to only radiate that much light from the rewards chest. Seol then began checking all of the items one by one. [[Wanderer¡¯s Armor] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 13-18 Defense: 115 Durability: 90/90 Weight: 9kg An armor previously worn by a wandering knight. Though there are traces of extensive use, as it was used often by the knight before their death, it is more than suited to be worn by a new master. Basic Effect: +8 Strength, +8 Constitution Bonus Effect: The wearer¡¯s turn rate is two times faster.] ¡®Hm¡­ What should I do?¡¯ Even though the ¡®Ghost¡¯s Armor¡¯ that Karuna wore had worse Basic Effects as its Rmended Level was lower, its Bonus Effect was much better. ¡®The Bonus Effect on this is so ambiguous¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ ambiguous.¡¯ The answer to ¡®Is an increased turn rate good?¡¯ was obviously ¡®Yes¡¯. But when asked differently, whether an increased turn rate was a powerful enough effect for one of the main item slots, the question became much more difficult to answer. As Seol thought to himself, he heard a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s perfect for me,¡± whispered Karen from behind. - Ahhh WTF?! Don¡¯t scare me! - Please don¡¯t do that! - I¡¯m going to have nightmares about this. LMFAO Mine? ¡°And why do you think that?¡± asked Seol in response. ¡°Who else but me spinny spins?¡± ¡°Spinny spins? ¡­Ah!¡± One of Karen¡¯s skills was ¡®Fire Flower¡¯. When she used Fire Flower, she spun at an incredible speed to create a tornado of fire. And that tornado dealt massive AoE damage which razed the battlefield. ¡®I guess the armor¡¯s effects would also apply to Fire Flower.¡¯ Fire Flower¡¯s special characteristic was that it increased damage based on the number of times the user spun. Then wouldn¡¯t her spinning at a faster rate shorten the amount of time it required for her to deal massive amounts of damage? Karen was already smiling with the armor in her hands. ¡°You don¡¯t have anyints about me wearing this, right?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Alright, then I''ll change into this!¡± [You have equipped Karen, the Twin Knight, with Wanderer¡¯s Armor.] Fwirl! As Karen entered the Shadow Space to change into her new armor, Jamad said a word to Seol. ¡°Check it quickly.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± - LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO - She¡¯sing! Check it quickly!!! - She¡¯s going to take the gold too at this rate! [[stic Leather Pants] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 13-17 Defense: 60 Durability: 75/75 Weight: 1kg A pair of pants that boast a robust texture and excellent durability. It is unknown what leather was used to make this. Basic Effect: +10 Constitution, +5 Spirit Bonus Effect: There is a small chance of deflecting attacks thatnd on it.] The effects were just okay. As the effects weren¡¯t amazing or awful, it would be a waste of time to spend time thinking about who to equip it to. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll use it well.¡± [You have equipped Jamad, the Tyrant, with stic Leather Pants.] Fwirl! As Jamad disappeared into the Shadow Space this time, Karen popped out. [[Distorted Hope Ring] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: 10-18 Resistance: 27 Durability: 60/60 Weight: 0.1kg A ring worn by someone who wasn¡¯t able to be saved. Basic Effect: +3 Constitution, +3 Spirit Bonus Effect: The wearer¡¯s senses increase slightly.] As Seol was about to take the ring for himself, Karen interrupted him. ¡°Would it be alright¡­ if I took that ring?¡± ¡°...Why?¡± - Why this time? - What reason could you possibly have this time?! - My grandma passed away¡­ - You used that excuse toost time! Karen responded lightly. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to forget the things that happened here.¡± - Ah¡­ noints from me anymore. - She¡¯s really using that cheat here? - ?????? You¡¯re not an awful person who wouldn¡¯t give the ring after hearing that¡­ right? - Dismissed! It¡¯s already toote. Seol shrugged and handed Karen the ring. [You have equipped Karen, the Twin Knight, with Distorted Hope Ring.] The fact that Seol didn''t acquire any new equipment during this Adventure didn''t particrly matter either. After all, he did have a shiny new ne around his neck. [[Ne of Distorted Faith] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 14-20 Resistance: 50 Durability: 82/82 Weight: 0.1kg A ne made from an unknown metal. It gives off quite an ominous energy. Basic Effect: +3 All Stats Bonus Effect: +2 All Stats] When Seol visited Twilight Town during his Long Distance Adventure, he decided to burn the entire town. Though he received a penalty because of that, he was also able to acquire a ne. In the end, every member of Seol¡¯s party became stronger, even if it was a little bit. - Must be nice for Snowman. Even if he can¡¯t use an item, he can just give it to his summons. - Wake up dude. Did you not just see him get all 3 of his items stolen? LMFAO - Seriously, summons are just parasites that steal items from their master. - Summon: Summoner, I listened to what you had to say. I¡¯ll consider it. Ah, this is mine though. - It¡¯s more like a triumvirate than a monarchy lol ¡®Ah, I still had the titles.¡¯ [[Title: Savior] Rted Achievement: Find the Difference (Adventure: Face Collector) Bonus Effect: Insight¡¯s proficiency is slightly increased.] [[Title: Quack] Rted Achievement: Oveing the Disease (Adventure: Face Collector) Bonus Effect: All healing actions have an additional 10% effect. This can also be used as identification.] ¡®...This is much better than I expected.¡¯ Insight¡¯s proficiency was alwayscking, so any increase was weed. Quack¡¯s effect of increasing healing was amazing, but the fact that it could be used as identification was the best part. ¡®After all, there are times when being an adventurer isn¡¯t enough.¡¯ For instance, it wasn''t ideal when you needed to interact with individuals of high social status, and it was equally unfavorable when you had to enter a town previously ravaged by bandits posing as adventurers. In those scenarios, being identified as something else was much better. Even if it was as a quack doctor, being able to tell people that he was a doctor was a great option to have. ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Are you done now? Then look at this, look at the amazing lines my armor gives me¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s just shitty armor that isn¡¯t breathable in the end. Armor¡¯s nothingpared to good leather.¡± ¡°Huh? What the hell are you saying? This is why I don¡¯t listen to barbarian races that run around naked.¡± ¡°I thought elves weren¡¯t supposed to wear metal armor and instead wore things made out of leather and nts¡­ I guess I shouldn¡¯t have trusted the rumors. Ah, either that or maybe¡­ you¡¯re just a fake elf?¡± ¡°What? Hey! Are you done talking now?!¡± - Snowman: I am once again asking for you guys to shut up. - Snowman (bleeding from both ears) - When are youing back, Karuna? Seol could immediately be transported to Nobira if he ended the Adventure here, but since he no longer wanted to worry about the Expedition System and the troubles that came with it, he simply moved to Audenin without ending the Adventure. ¡°Is this Audenin? Woah¡­ it¡¯s so big. I think it might even be bigger than Nobira?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time to sightsee. We¡¯re going to be going back immediately.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of everything that¡¯s happened. If we want to keep our promise with Chao and arrive on time, this is our only option.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ that¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°We mighte back here sooner rather thanter, though. So you can sightsee then.¡± ¡°Alright! It¡¯s a shame, but we can just sightsee then.¡± There was only a bit of Remaining Time left on the Adventure. Seol quickly chose Audenin as his Rest location. [Your Rest location has changed to Audenin.] [You have moved to a different location. The ¡®travel luck dice¡¯ are rolling.] Rattle Rattle Rattle¡­ And finally, the dice stopped rolling. [Travel Luck Dice has rolled a 2.] [You are quite unlucky.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡®Damn it! Again?¡¯ - LMFAOOOOOO 2222222 - It¡¯s 22222 again hahahaha - Snowman¡¯s going to wear a tutu at this rate - ?? Even though Seol wasn¡¯t nning on staying in Audenin, he was still shocked by the awful luck once more. It was also because if he got even more unlucky, he could be swept away by a Sudden Adventure. Still, there was still something left up Seol¡¯s sleeve to relieve this awful situation that the viewers enjoyed and Seol found disheartening. [Ouw activates.] [Travel Luck Dice has been fixed to a 3.] [You are decently lucky.] [The Adventures you undertake near Audenin now will proceed normally.] [The Adventures you undertake near Audenin now will have normal difficulty.] [The Adventures you select near Audenin now have a low chance of forcibly changing to a Sudden Adventure.] [Your luck is decent enough to take on the Adventures nearby.] ¡®Phew¡­ that¡¯s a relief.¡¯ - Those who have, always keep getting more¡­ - Why couldn¡¯t he roll a 1? - Info) Even if he rolled a 1, it would¡¯ve been fixed to a 3. - Why the hell did they make special titles? Seol, relieved, ended the Adventure. As he was already in his Rest location, he wasn¡¯t transported like usual. [Next is the Points Leaderboard up to Adventure 12.] Ding [Your information is set to Private.] [You have 1,897,700 Points.] [Adventurer Points Leaderboard 1. Private (1,897,700) 2. Private (990,020) 3. IsThisTheAfterlife? (882,360) 4. Utopia (870,210) 5. UnfamiliarCeiling (860,140)] - Even here, Snowman¡¯s overwhelming! - Look at the point differential LMFAO - I bet the other rankings must think it¡¯s a bug. - The people below him: Wh-who the fuck is that? - A 2 times difference¡­ After entering the new city, the Adventurer Points Leaderboard gave Seol somewhat useful information. ¡®These guys are ahead of Nobira.¡¯ Though multiple Adventures had passed since then,pared to Nobira, which had Rank 2 nearing only 500,000 points, Audenin¡¯s high-ranked Adventurers were much further ahead. ¡®After I¡¯m finished with business in Nobira, it might not be a bad idea toe down here.¡¯ It didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea to move here after finishing business with Chao and receiving Karen¡¯s equipment from Hamun. Regardless, after reading the Rest message, Seol asked the people in the town square where the wagons were and headed there. After around 10 minutes of walking, he noticed Adventurers around him, who looked like transferees, murmuring among themselves. ¡°D-Did you see it? They have nearly 2 million points¡­¡± ¡°Who could it be? Changsik hyung was only happy that he would reach 1 million points soon, so what kind of monster has nearly 2 million points?¡± ¡°I heard that there were a few monsters at the location waaaaaay down South.¡± ¡°Those assholes? It¡¯s probably not them either.¡± ¡°This is insane, really¡­ Even 600,000 points is hard for me, so I can¡¯t believe there are people in the millions¡­¡± ¡°Changsik hyung¡¯s faction is going to go crazy. They came in out of nowhere too, right?¡± ¡°Probably?¡± Seol thought it was amazing that simply moving from one location to another could have such a huge ripple effect. Obviously, though, he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to show it off. In the end, Seol, after arriving in the shipping area, immediately looked for a wagon headed to Nobira. ¡°Nobira? Why would you want to go there? Do you have a death wish or something?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just go if you¡¯re going to ask for something so ridiculous!¡± The horsemen all treated Seol like he was an insane person. But in the end, one of them came up to Seol and gave him some shocking news. ¡°Are you trying to go to Nobira?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. But why is no one trying to go there?¡± ¡°Because something happened there, obviously.¡± ¡°What happened there?¡± - Huh? Nobira was fine before? - There¡¯s a problem there? I¡¯m the problem though. - Stop it. The horseman scratched the back of his neck. ¡°It was ambushed recently¡­ you know¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°The entire city, not just themercial district, was burned down. A lot of people were kidnapped, too.¡± Seol could feel his strength escaping his body. It seemed that during his Long Distance Adventure, a problem had urred in Nobira. ¡®An ambush?¡¯ Chapter 84 Not too long after, the transferees who set up Audenin as their location were all causing amotion. ¡°Y-You weren¡¯t lying? They really are close to 2 million points!¡± ¡°Who could it be? Changsik only came back yesterday.¡± ¡°I never would¡¯ve imagined that the Park Changsik would¡¯ve been pushed down to Rank 2¡­ this is crazy.¡± Park Changsik, the man closest to 1 million Adventure Points among the transferees in Audenin, was in an uproar. He had a handsome face with a sharp jawline. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Did you find them? Any news?¡± ¡°Nothing, hyung. We have our guild members asking around, but you already know how hard it is to find a single transferee in a big city like Audenin¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Still, do your best. I want you to grab anyone who looks suspicious and ask them.¡± ¡°What are we? Thugs?¡± ¡°I just want you to do whatever it takes. Regardless, damn it¡­ Got it! Keep looking!¡± ¡°Yeah, hyung!¡± Audenin¡¯s transferees united together under the banner of the five major guilds within the city. Unity wasn¡¯t always the case, but thanks to Changsik leading the charge against evil individuals and chasing them out of the city with the help of other transferees, he paved the way to set up this system early. The guilds, like different religions, had different values but were all on a simr scale. Kongory was eventually able to set up a system like Audenin too, but they were a bitcking individuallypared to the transferees in Audenin. And the de facto leader of Audenin, a ce filled with many powerful transferees, was looking for someone. Even though Changsik had just returned from an Adventure and was in the process of recovering, he left the guild building to search for them on the streets. ¡®2 million points¡­ How were they able to reach that?¡¯ Changsik also considered himself a very exceptional person and there was a reason for it too. His overwhelming Adventure Point total. Even whenpared to the rankers of the nearby cities, few people who surpassed him, if any. Well, he did hear about a transferee in a city to the northwest named ¡®Private¡¯ who surpassed 1 million points, but he didn¡¯t trust in something he didn¡¯t see for himself. After all, he knew the types of Adventures he went on. That was why he couldn¡¯t believe that someone went on Adventures much more difficult than his, ones so difficult that it resulted in umting nearly double his points. The first thought he had was that the person who had the score either cut corners or was lying about their points entirely. However, right now, in front of him, he could see that unbelievable score. A mysterious person who pushed him off the Rank 1 position with a point total that doubled his¡­ ¡®Damn it¡­ Because they made their information private, this primitive method is the only way I have to find them.¡¯ Still, the fact that Audenin had most of its transferees in guilds like this was useful in these situations. Since guilds interacted with each other often, it was easy to spot a new Adventurer in the city. Furthermore, Changsik had a separate, personal reason as to why he was looking for the new Rank 1 Adventurer. Not too long ago, he acquired a hint about an Adventure. It was impossible for the current Changsik to properly know the scale of that Adventure because not only was the difficulty high, but it was also a Long Distance Adventure and had a peculiar restriction. No more than 5 party members allowed. It was an awkward number, too small to use the guild¡¯s help and too big for him to clear alone. However, as he was researching the Adventure, he discovered multiple things about it. Things about the rewards. ¡®Even though the rewards could be better than treasure-quality items, I can¡¯t even think about embarking on it yet¡­¡¯ As stated earlier, Changsik believed that he was an exceptional person. But he was also the type of person who didn¡¯t trust those who were weaker than him. Simply, he recognized only those who were stronger than him. ¡®If I want to go there, there needs to be at least one person who¡¯s stronger than me.¡¯ Since Changsik could already see what the results would be like if he took the rankers of Audenin, he gave up on it. After all, they were all weaker than him. But if he could just get the person who had nearly 2 million points to join his party, it wouldn¡¯t matter who the other party members were. ¡®That¡¯s why I need to find him quickly. I have to find out who he is!¡¯ It was clear that this would be a good proposal to the newly appeared transferee too. After all, the strong purposefully looked for trials and tribtions. And Changsik not only had information about a dangerous Adventure, he also knew that it would give out incredible rewards. ¡°Hyung! Changsik hyung!¡± From afar, Changsik could hear the voice of someone looking for him. It was one of his guild members. ¡°Yeah! Did you find them?¡± ¡°...They left.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It seems like they just left. Both their name and score disappeared.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Crush! Changsik kicked a hole in a wooden wall in frustration. ¡°...For now, go check the records about the transferees who left around this time.¡± ¡°Do you think the guards would tell us?¡± ¡°Do you think they won¡¯t? Think of how much money we gave them.¡± ¡°Okay. But what are you going to do with that information?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to wait here and grab them the next time they pass by.¡± ¡°But do you really think he would help you, hyung? You haven¡¯t even met them yet.¡± ¡°Help me? No, this is a fair trade.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Changsik¡¯s eyes were burning with passion. ¡°Damn it¡­ I¡¯m not going to let you go next time. I¡¯ll establish a rtionship with them, no matter what.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * As Changsik and Audenin¡¯s transferees expected, Seol had already left Audenin. Clop¡­ Clop¡­ The horses drawing Seol¡¯s carriage were slowly walking. And as such, Seol was growing impatient. ¡°Uh¡­ Could you perhaps go a bit faster?¡± ¡°I told you it would roughly take 10 days to reach Kongory. And I¡¯m not the one drawing the carriage, the horses are.¡± 10 days. It was roughly the same amount of time it took for Seol to reach Shade Canyon from Nobira. However, because the distance was shorter and the roads were better maintained, the fact that it was going to take this much time was ridiculous. And as Seol thought about what to do, he saw a few options. [[The people of Audenin have a reputation for beingx. It¡¯s clear that your travel time would have been much shorter if you took a carriage in another city. What do you say to the coachman?] 1. You must be out of your mind, old man. Are you really going to go this slowly when the path is thisfortable? 2. I¡¯ve never seen anyone as slow as a snail, like you! It might be fun to cut off all your limbs so that you¡¯d really be a snail. 3. Is there any way you can go faster? 4. I¡¯ve heard that the people of Audenin are a bit slow, but this really is slow. Still, do you think that death would be slow for you too? ¡­¡­] There were a lot of options and Seol pondered for a moment. ¡®The people of Audenin are slow, but they are also known to be mean if you slighted them.¡¯ Seol thought about his previous pieces, which also passed by Audenin. It wasn¡¯t just one or two instances where he¡¯d get frustrated at their speed and say something, only to inevitably pay the price for insulting them. Seol chose his next words very carefully. ¡°Sir, what do you think about doing it like this?¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t know when to give up, do you? I told you, the horses pull the carriage, not me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll double the money I pay you for each day you can reduce the time by.¡± ¡°...What?¡± In other words, just by reducing it to eight days of travel time, the coachman would earn quadruple the money. Seol would be paying for the share of four passengers on his own. The coachman hesitated before speaking again. ¡°Hm¡­ Even so, it would be difficult. The horses need to rest too, y¡¯know? And what about the other passengers? Even if I wanted to, I can¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll pay for their fare as well.¡± ¡°...Are you serious?¡± ¡°I am. And I also have the money to do it.¡± tter¡­ Seol shook the gold pouch in his inventory. Though it wasn¡¯t an action he¡¯d normally do in public, he did it as there was no one around him who could threaten him. ¡°Um¡­ Excuse me, passengers¡­ As some circumstances have arised¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine as well.¡± The coachman nodded and spoke to the horses. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you guys galloped quickly, so put in some effort for me, yeah? I¡¯ll make sure to give you guys hay, corn, and boiled peas on the way there.¡± Neigh! Fwip! The horses, surprised by the sound of the whip, started galloping. ¡°Please understand even if the carriage is a bit shaky.¡± Seol let out a sigh of relief and sat back down. It seemed like he had managed to reduce the time it would take to arrive at Kongory, the city closest to Nobira. ¡®But more importantly¡­ What the hell happened in Nobira?¡¯ Even though he was able to have a short conversation with a horseman earlier, he didn¡¯t know anything more than that. Seol nned to quickly arrive in Kongory and find urate information about the unexpected situation. And then, an older gentleman asked Seol and Karen a question. ¡°Excuse me, do you both have family in Kongory too?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What?¡± "I mean, wouldn''t that be the only reason someone would want to go up there at such a dangerous time?" ¡®At such a dangerous time¡¯. Seol quickly responded as it seemed like the older gentleman knew about what was going on around there. ¡°Sir, do you perhaps know about what¡¯s going on in Nobira?¡± ¡°Of course I do. Even though I look like this now, I used to be a big trader. I still have contacts here and there, so I¡¯m quicker to get information like this.¡± ¡°Could you perhaps¡­ tell us too?¡± ¡°Sure, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything to do until we arrive at Kongory anyway.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Seol considered himself extremely lucky for running into the older gentleman here in the wagon. If he hadn¡¯t met him, Seol would have spent a lot of time collecting information the moment he arrived in Kongory. ¡°So¡­ Where should I start? Are you perhaps a transferee?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Yeah, you look like one. Then I¡¯m sure you also know that we¡¯re in the Nevenia Kingdom, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I do know.¡± Nevenia Kingdom. Not only were Kongory, Nobira, and Audenin a part of it, but Yugo, a city much further to the south, was also a part of the kingdom. While Nevenia wasn''t particrlyrge in terms of territory, it had earned significant recognition in the South due to its status as the kingdom with thergest forest in the region, the Great Forest. ¡°Then do you also know about the countries that share a border with Nevenia?¡± ¡°I know that Adeline¡¯s to the south and Setena¡¯s to the east and north. Ah, and there are also trolls to the northwest.¡± ¡°Precisely. And the trolls are slowly growing in power and eating away at Setena¡¯s territory. And now, the shared border between Nevenia and the trolls has increased greatly.¡± ¡°I already knew that Setena¡¯s territory was decreasing. Is there a reason you¡¯re mentioning this?¡± ¡°Of course. Have you perhaps also heard about what happened to Wiggleton recently?¡± ¡°Wiggleton¡­ yes, I have.¡± It was something that Kibo told Seol before Seol went on his Adventure. Seol could clearly remember Kibo mentioning that Wiggleton had been ambushed by an unknown group. - These guys were careful enough to avoid the fortress¡¯s surveince to pige the town, so as expected, there weren¡¯t any witnesses. Luckily enough, though, half of the town¡¯s residents were out for their infrastructure business, so they were able to keep their lives. Even so, they returned to their townpletely devastated and burned down. Seol, realizing something, quickly asked the older gentleman a question. ¡°Are you trying to imply that the trolls were behind what happened in Wiggleton?¡± ¡°I am. After piging Wiggleton, they killed all of the survivors. I don¡¯t know where they were able to infiltrate the kingdom from though.¡± ¡°Then does that mean¡­ Nobira also¡­?¡± He nodded. ¡°After Wiggleton, they aimed for Nobira. They ambushed Nobira, turned the city into a sea of fire, and ate or kidnapped the residents.¡± ¡°Kidnapped? Trolls?¡± Trolls never used humans as ves. As they were much more physically capable than humans, trolls either ate the humans or killed them for fun. ¡®Why would they do that?¡¯ The older gentleman continued. ¡°The people who were able to survive evacuated to Kongory. And that¡¯s about everything I know. I have no idea about what¡¯s going on there currently.¡± ¡°...Thank you for telling me.¡± Seol was silent for the rest of the journey as he was shocked. ¡®Damn it¡­ Hamun and Chao were both there though.¡¯ Even though Chao might not have been there, Hamun was definitely staying in Nobira. And as Hamun was weak, there was a high probability that he would die there. ¡®Please¡­ Please be alive, Hamun.¡¯ If something happened to Hamun, or if he died, it would be a huge blow to Seol. Not only was it difficult to find a cksmith as capable as him immediately, but he had just finished an Adventure for him. ¡®If something happened to Hamun because of the trolls¡­¡¯ Seol had a fiery look in his eyes. He was the type of person who would be furious if anyone messed with his belongings. If the trolls actually killed Hamun, like how Seol worried, he would make them pay an appropriate price for it. And like that, a week had passed. ¡°Alright! I arrived three days ahead of schedule! You didn¡¯t forget your promise, right?¡± Pour¡­ Seol poured gold coins into the coachman¡¯s hand. ¡°S-So much¡­¡± ¡°Thank you. Well then¡­¡± The wagon had arrived in Kongory. And Seol wasted no time in entering the city. Chapter 85 Kongory was filled with people, just like when Seol was first transported. However, Seol was already aware that it wasn¡¯t a positive sign. ¡°And you¡¯re telling me to believe that?¡± ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m telling you the truth! There¡¯s already talk that Nevenia isn¡¯t going to do anything about the current situation.¡± ¡°How?! Two cities have burned down already! And what about the deceased?! And the people who were kidnapped?!¡± ¡°Do you think a country moves on feelings alone? They move for their own interest. What am I supposed to do when Nevenia¡¯s royalty already made that decision?!¡± ¡°Dude, keep your voice down. Someone could hear.¡± ¡°Who cares if they do? Is there anyone in Kongory who isn¡¯t insulting the royal family?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Seol was curious about what they were talking about. First, Seol headed to the information guild, but for some reason they were inoperational. ¡®Damn it¡­ This is going to be troublesome now.¡¯ Seol, with no other choice, headed to his second option, the Adventurer Association. There was still information to be discovered here as long as he looked hard. [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A week ago] [Title: I worked so hard to create my own space in Nobira, so what the hell is all this?] It took just one day for me to be aplete nobody¡­ Is the weather here in Kongory better? - If you¡¯re from Nobira, just stay in Nobira. - The weather¡¯s better here for sure, but it¡¯s nothingpared to Seoul. - Man, I miss Seoul¡­ I want to go camping again too. - Nothing beats a barbeque while camping. - Wake up, you idiots. Do you really think now¡¯s the time to be talking about this? - What do you want us to do then?] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: A week ago] [Title: I¡¯m epting rmendations for another city to go to] Other than Kongory. After all, we don¡¯t know when this fucking city would die too. I¡¯m going to go further south. - And you think they''d ept you? - If you go there, I¡¯m going to curse you. - Ah, that¡¯s a bit¡­ - I still can¡¯t believe Nobira died like that¡­] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: I can¡¯t believe those fucking weaklings are acting up again. I can¡¯t handle it anymore¡­] I¡¯m going to call Private. Private hyung¡­ yeah? Please say something¡­ Nobira died. - Did you forget how long it¡¯s been since Private ran away? LMFAO - Why the hell would Private join this? - This is toorge-scale for a transferee to handle. - Call Han Yeo-myeong! I thought he was strong? - Stop bullshitting. The situation¡¯s way too dire.] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: ept the refugees!] I can¡¯t believe the people from Nobira would really end up being refugees¡­ - I want all of the refugees to rescue me~ - Woah, is that Eminem? - I can¡¯t believe something like this would happen in my lifetime lmfao - This is so insane¡­ I invested so much into Nobira too¡­] [(NEW) [ ¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Is this real?] Are the fucking Nevenia bastards really going to pretend like they don¡¯t know? Really? Why? - They made a statement that they¡¯re going to do a good job on national security and not let any more trolls enter LMFAOOOOO - They¡¯re practically calling the doctor after the patient has died¡­ changing the password after they were hacked¡­ these guys are ridiculous LMFAO - What¡¯s going to happen to us now? - Nothing. We¡¯ll just continue life.] Seol noticed numerous posts discussing current events in a negative light, alongside a substantial number of self-deprecating posts. ¡®It makes sense since they¡¯re practically defeated soldiers¡­¡¯ Even though the most Seol could do wase up with his own assumptions based on what they said, it seemed like they weren¡¯t able to have a proper fight and were one-sidedly massacred by them. They were soldiers who came back from war, who suffered defeat without a chance to retaliate. And right now, many people in Kongory were transferees and citizens of Nobira. [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: The reason that Nevenia can¡¯t respond to the situation] It¡¯s because they¡¯re surrounded by enemies on all sides. It would be one thing if the kingdom were moderately sized. But as you all know, Nevenia¡¯s stupidly big despite not having the capability to take care of it, and as such, there are a lot of people trying to take pieces of it. Setena, who is to the east and north, is the biggest culprit of this, in fact, they just tantly taunt Nevenia. In the end, since Nevenia needs to be on guard against Setena, they put more of their soldiers there. This leaves the security in the northwestparably weaker, and the trolls were able to slip in through that. - So what are we supposed to do then? - Nothing. I think Setena¡¯s aiming for this. - Huh? - Nevenia needs to sign a non-aggression pact with Setena first, but Setena isn¡¯t signing it. And because of it, there are people who believe Setena and the troll alliance have signed a treaty and are trying to take Nevenia for themselves. - Are you a troll? - What the fuck did you call me? - You just knew so much haha¡­ [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Nevenia has abandoned its subjects] These Nevenia fuckers are feigning innocence when the people of Nobira and ruin hunters are all being kidnapped LMFAOOO I should just leave this shitty country. - They seriously make me want to throw up. - Nothing¡¯s happening even after something like this happened because the people at the top are ipetent. - From what I heard, Not only is Nevenia¡¯s army ipetent, but they¡¯re also extremely corrupt. - Are they going to go for a hat trick? They already have two shitty things, might as well go for a third. - Forbes lists the Nevenia Kingdom as the #1 ce Koreans Hate the Most, shocking many¡­ - Why the hell would Forbes decide that LOL [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: What about them though?] The guys who went on an Adventure for revenge. Yu Mira and the rest of her gang. - The ruin hunters? I thought all of the transferees agreed to run away? - Most of them did. But after Kibo got captured, she decided to lead the party in trying to get him back. - Damn that¡¯s loyalty frfr I could never. - Yeah, me neither. - Kibo and Yu Mira were close, after all. - Even if they were close, who would risk their life for someone else? - Does she really think she could save him? That¡¯s insane¡­ - She practically went there to die¡­ - It is amazing though. If shees back alive, I¡¯m going to bow to her and beg her to let me into her group. - I¡¯m going to offer my services as Yu Mira¡¯s human Roomba. - I think bing a human Roomba is more amazing¡­ ¡®Mira went after the trolls?¡¯ It was quite shocking to hear. Seol believed that she would escape after the situation turned dire, but she instead went after the trolls because they kidnapped Kibo. Seol had multiple thoughts run across his mind. As he focused, covering his mouth with his hand, he heard a sound. Creak¡­ ¡°Woah, it¡¯s Oh Yeonhui.¡± ¡°And Jin Jeongtak too. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I know, right? I wonder what brings the leaders of the alliance here¡­¡± They continued to walk deeper into the Adventurer Association. Seol, even then, was looking through the posts in search of more information. Scroll¡­ Karen, wearing a robe, was standing right behind Seol. ¡°Stop right there,¡± said Karen to the people who were approaching Seol. It was a warning to keep distance. The two guild masters scowled, annoyed that some unknown woman was blocking them. ¡°...Who is she?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know her at all¡­¡± ¡°Did anyone hear anything about a female party member?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t, nothing about that¡­¡± As they were talking between themselves, Seol answered them without turning back. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°...You were here, as expected. Yeo-myeong is looking for you.¡± ¡°Han Yeo-myeong?¡± ¡°Yes, he says he wishes to talk.¡± None of the transferees nearby expected to hear Yeo-myeong¡¯s name out of their mouths. And as such, they started murmuring between themselves. ¡°Han Yeo-myeong? They¡¯re talking about Han Yeo-myeong, right?¡± ¡°Why is Han Yeo-myeong looking for that guy? Does he know him?¡± ¡°Or maybe he¡¯s trying to recruit him? It¡¯s my first time seeing him though.¡± ¡°But who¡¯s that girl?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­ an elf?¡± ¡°Nah, no way¡­¡± Since they had already caught everyone¡¯s attention, it was toote to refuse itfortably. Seol spoke once more, his back still turned to them. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol was guided by the eye-catching individuals to a building visible from anywhere in Kongory. Considering how a building like this didn¡¯t exist thest time he was here, it was clearly new. ¡°Come in.¡± The sound of Seol¡¯s footsteps filled the 1st floor lobby. Seol then noticed people wearing different uniforms. It was likely that this building was used by multiple guilds together. They didn¡¯t show any particr interest to Seol. ¡°Yeonhui! Are you busy?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Because it looks like you¡¯re just messing around.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see me working?¡± ¡°Hm? Who¡¯s that though? Is that your work?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll only end up hurting yourself if you find out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always hurt when I get back from missions though! Are you really not going to tell me?¡± ¡°Tch! Stop talking to me!¡± ¡°Tch¡­ With an attitude like that¡­¡± ¡°Ahjussi, why don¡¯t we talk downstairs?¡± The friendly-looking middle-aged man whom Yeonhui was talking withughed. ¡°Yeah, this ahjussi¡¯s going to get transferred soon~¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ No wonder.¡± ¡°See you after!¡± ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± After the Predator Guild and Justice Guild disappeared, Kongory seemed to be in a much better state. It¡¯s just like how a white sheet looks much cleaner just by getting rid of the biggest mess. Knock, knock. Yeonhui knocked on the door. ¡°I brought him.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Seol heard a familiar voice behind the door. Creak¡­ ¡°Hyung!¡± ¡°Yeo-myeong.¡± Seol spotted Yeo-myeong, Noeul, and a few individuals who looked important. They sat around on a round table and simply nced at Seol. Why were they acting so important? Did they think they were the Knights of the Round Table or something? ¡°So he¡¯s the original Private?¡± ¡°You were in the middle of an Adventure then so you didn¡¯t see it, right? Man, it was a huge mess then. You should¡¯ve seen how many limbs we found in that temporary building¡­ Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Shh, quiet. Please don¡¯t talk when it¡¯s not your turn.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a nitpicker¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so warm today, right? Haha¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost winter soon¡­¡± ¡°I just have a lot of body heat, so¡­¡± ¡°Slippery like an eel¡­ as always.¡± Yeo-myeong and Noeul both stood up and walked to Seol. ¡°I heard that you were looking for me. More importantly, how did you know that I was here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping tabs on the ranking and the only person who I could think of with a score like that around here was you, hyung.¡± ¡°Did you know that I would be going to the Adventurer Association?¡± ¡°Yup. I sent some people to other ces as well, but that was the most likely ce you¡¯d go, so¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve be quite meticulous while I¡¯ve been away.¡± - Around here (X) In the whole world (O) - It would be weirder if the ground didn¡¯t copse when a giant like him is walking around LOL Yeonhui, who was next to Yeo-myeong, approached them. She then spoke to Yeo-myeong while looking at Seol. ¡°Yeo-myeong, we¡¯re here too. You should introduce us¡­¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. Hyung, so these are the guild alliance members. So starting from the left¨C¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to be doing that, sorry. I¡¯m quite busy. I¡¯ll probably have to go after listening to your request.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Y-Yeah? But who¡¯s that next to you? Is she a party member?¡± Karen took off her stuffy hood and introduced herself. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Karen.¡± ¡°A-An elf?!¡± ¡°An elf?¡± ¡°Woah¡­ this is my first time seeing one.¡± As multiple people childishly reacted, Yeo-myeong led both Seol and Karen to their seats. As Seol nced at Yeo-myeong, Yeo-myeong started talking. ¡°The reason that we¡¯ve been looking for you is because of Nobira.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°You already know about what¡¯s happened in Nobira, right?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Are you interested in it?¡± ¡°Not necessarily it, but I am interested in someone who is caught up in it.¡± ¡°Ah, is someone who you know kidnapped?¡± Seol shook his head and responded. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure if she was kidnapped or not. Not like there¡¯s any way to know though.¡± ¡°Ah, we have a list of deceased and a list of missing persons.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. If you want, we can look for them.¡± Since no one in Nobira knew about Chao, he quickly asked about Hamun. An alliance member left before shortly returning to give a report. ¡°It seems like the person named ¡®Hamun¡¯ has been kidnapped.¡± ¡°Is it first-hand testimony?¡± ¡°One of the ruin hunters who was sessful in their escape apparently saw Hamun get kidnapped.¡± Seol¡¯s expression turned sour. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± A few flinched at his fierce gaze. ¡°Damn it, so he had been caught up in it.¡± ¡°Hyung?¡± ¡°So, what do you want?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ So¡­¡± Yeo-myeong was unable to speak. He was frozen by Seol¡¯s intense mood. Yeonhui, who couldn¡¯t stand to waste time, stepped in. She was a confident woman who was sure of herself. ¡°We want you to help us in Kongory.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°With Nevenia not setting up appropriate measures for the next attack, the only people who can defend Kongory now are the transferees and the soldiers here.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know when the trolls who attacked Nobira will attack Kongory. We want to put our strengths together to prevent that from happening.¡± ¡°And you want me to help you with that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seol believed that it wasn¡¯t a bad trade for him either. With the trollspletely destroying his base, Seol believed that if he hadn¡¯t found another ce to go to yet, growing within the powerful alliance would be a hundred times better. However, their proposal was insulting to Seol. ¡°So you want to defend Kongory at least? Is that why you called me?¡± ¡°Do you dislike our proposal?¡± ¡°...Not only have you given up on fighting back, but you¡¯ve already been absorbed by them.¡± ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Me, myrades, my base, my town, my city, my country, my race. Are these really the things you value?¡± Seol¡¯s cold voice made Yeonhui flinch. ¡°Then¡­ is that not the case for you, Snowman?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡± Creak¡­ Seol and Karen stood up. ¡°I only fight for myself.¡± ¡°...Are you refusing our proposal?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°So you n on abandoning Kongory.¡± ¡°Kongory was never mine in the first ce.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ If you keep going like that, you¡¯ll run out of ces to go to someday.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I only need what¡¯s mine.¡± ¡°Are you running away?¡± Seol gave a confused expression and looked at the others. ¡°Running away?¡± ¡°...I thought you said you would be leaving Kongory.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°What else is that other than running away?!¡± Karenughed after hearing that. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?!¡± ¡°Ah! Sorry, sorry.¡± Seol looked at Yeonhui¡¯s eyes once more before giving a calm response. ¡°I¡¯m leaving to get Hamun back.¡± Chapter 86 Everyone in the room went silent after hearing Seol say that he would be leaving to get Hamun back. Shocked, Yeonhui asked back, ¡°Th-then¡­ does that mean¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be chasing after them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote. It has already been a week since Nobira was ambushed.¡± ¡°They must have crossed the border by now.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± responded Seol. ¡°A-Are you nning on crossing the border? Why?¡± ¡°Just like how you guys n on protecting Kongory, I n on protecting what¡¯s mine. What else is there to do when your things have been stolen?¡± Slide. Seol put on his hood once more. Karen, who was next to Seol, wore her hood as well and followed Seol outside. ¡°You just have to take it back.¡± Creak. Thud. As there was no one holding the door, Seol left with a thud. The people in the room werepletely silent even after he left, like a storm had passed by. ¡°He¡¯s insane. He must think he¡¯s the main character or something.¡± ¡°Why? I thought he was cool.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can say that again when hees back as a corpse? We¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Did you think that you¡¯d look cool saying that about someone else going into a dangerous situation while you¡¯re justfy at home?¡± ¡°...What did you just say?¡± ¡°Huh? You heard that?¡± ¡°Are you trying to¡ª¡± m! Yeonhui mmed the table, cracking it. ¡°Haha¡­ was I too loud?¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± Yeonhui resolved herself once more before talking to Yeo-myeong. ¡°It seems like¡­ I have done a discourtesy to you, Yeo-myeong.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°It also seems like trying to recruit Snowman was too tall of a task. Please, me me for acting rashly.¡± ¡°...It¡¯s fine. Noeul, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Uh, y-yeah¡­¡± Yeo-myeong grabbed Noeul¡¯s hand and tried to lead her out of the room. ¡°Oppa, it hurts¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, can you go back to our lodging for now?¡± ¡°Yeah, alright.¡± Yeo-myeong, without realizing, was holding Noeul¡¯s hand tightly. He then let go. And then, Yeo-myeong started running in the direction he expected Seol to go. ¡°Han Yeo-myeong?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that Han Yeo-myeong?¡± There were more and more people who recognized him now. Was it because of Seol¡¯s advice? Or was it because of the powers hidden in his ck hand? Regardless, the rate at which he became stronger was overwhelmingly faster than the other transferees. Even the alliance members recognized that Yeo-myeong was exceptional, even among exceptional people. And in an instant, he had be the symbol of Kongory. Though something like this could have made anyone arrogant, that was not the case for Yeo-myeong. He was happy simply to be able to protect his younger sister, Han Noeul, in a safer location and keep her alive. After running through lifeless alley after lifeless alley, Yeo-myeong was finally able to reach Seol. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Hyung!¡± ¡°Did you chase after me?¡± ¡°Yes! I did! Hold on! Could you please just wait for a second?¡± Yeo-myeong was resolved to protect his younger sister, Noeul. She was the only thing that he had left. So why? Why did he call for Seol? What Yeo-myeong wanted was fixed in Kongory. Seol simply looked at Yeo-myeong. ¡®He¡¯s changed a lot.¡¯ He was no longer the same immature person who asked for his help. Not only was his equipment much better than before, probably due to clearing multiple difficult Adventures, but he also had a sharp air about him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°About today¡­ I¡¯m sorry. It was my mistake. I knew you hated things like that, I just¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like there was nothing to gain for me either. Thanks to you, my goals became much clearer.¡± ¡°Ah! Are you talking about how you¡¯re going to rescue Hamun?¡± ¡°Yes, and I n to.¡± Yeo-myeong looked at Seol, directly into his golden eyes. ¡°L-Let me help you too.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let me help you. After all, you saved my life.¡± Seol understood him. Even so, he couldn¡¯t ept the request. ¡°Yeo-myeong, you can¡¯t help me.¡± ¡°I¡­ I became stronger. I¡¯m not the same person I used to be.¡± Seol nced at Karen. Karen, understanding Seol¡¯s intentions, stepped forth. ¡°Look, uh¡­ I know that you¡¯re confident but Master¡¯s right. You won¡¯t be able to help him.¡± ¡°You can test me if you want.¡± ¡°Yeah, I''ll test you.¡± Dash! Karen disappeared into a blur and reappeared behind Yeo-myeong. ¡°Hrgh!¡± Unsheathe! Yeo-myeong¡¯s ck hand quickly unsheathed his sword from his sheathe. ¡°Hm?¡± Karen flinched for a second, surprised by the unnatural reaction speed, but she quickly pulled out her own sword as well. ng! ¡°That¡¯s a pretty fun ability.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me. Here I go!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ng! aaang! ng! In an instant, Yeo-myeong unleashed abo that was able to push back Karen. In a fight between swordsmen, using a skill could result in death. As such, Yeo-myeong did not use any skills. ¡®If it¡¯s a pure fight like this without any skills, I can win!¡¯ Yeo-myeong was confident in his victory. After all, his haunted ck hand was something powerful that made him levels above any other swordsman he faced. aang! But after a while, there was a shadow cast over Yeo-myeong¡¯s face. Rather, it was Karen who looked rxed as she took on every attack. ¡®Why? Why¡­¡¯ Yeo-myeong continued swinging without realizing what was happening. After all, all he had to do was just scratch her clothes with his swords. Even that would be enough to show his growth. But¡­ Kick! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Karen found an opening to kick Yeo-myeong¡¯s chest. ¡°Sorry, did it hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. Let¡¯s go again. Hrah!¡± aang ng! But no matter how many times Yeo-myeong tried, the results were the same. His sword could not reach her at all. It was like her body was a mirage and the only thing facing him there was her sword. If he couldn¡¯t reach her, she was no different from a mirage anyway. Kick! With another loud sound, Yeo-myeong toppled over. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± tter¡­ Karen had lightly kicked his lower body, toppling him over. ¡°You¡¯re done, right?¡± ¡°...I lost.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite fast, but the rest is a mess. You¡¯ve never learned swordsmanship, have you?¡± ¡°...I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Your attacks are obvious and too light. Even if an attack is fast, it¡¯s useless unless there¡¯s weight behind it.¡± Yeo-myeong did not have any swordsmanship skill and his Strength was low. Since they were on the game board, that might have been a better exnation for him. ¡°You were right¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to help you.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to protect your sister? Why are you trying to follow me then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either, I just¡­ I¡¯m just anxious.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re worried about falling behind?¡± ¡°Yeah, probably.¡± As Yeo-myeongid on the ground, he saw the clear sky and Seol. ¡°You are precisely correct. You¡¯re falling behind.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What would you do if I said that I would kill your sister?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t stop Seol. He wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything other than watch as Seol killed Noeul right before his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s the truth behind the anxiety eating you away. The alliance¡­ a safe location¡­ all of it is useless unless you are strong yourself.¡± ¡°What should I¡­ What should I do then?¡± ¡°Staying here won¡¯t help you at all. I think it might be a good idea for you to travel far away from here.¡± ¡°But my sister would be alone here then.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t something I can help you with. Well then¡­¡± As Seol tried to leave, Yeo-myeong stood up to hand him something. It was a small statue. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an item that allows us to know where each other is. It¡¯s because¡­ I probably won¡¯t be staying in Kongory anymore, hyung.¡± Seol ced it into his inventory and said goodbye. ¡°I¡¯ll see you again. You must stay alive until the next time we meet.¡± ¡°Yeah! I promise!¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Immediately after splitting with Yeo-myeong, Seol purchased two healthy horses. ¡°What? Do you know how to ride a horse? Do you need me to teach you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it, but I had talent in it.¡± ¡°Where are you going to go then?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Going to Nobira now would be fruitless as the only thing there would be the remains of a piged city. ¡®Where should I go if I want to track them down?¡¯ Seol thought for a moment before picking a direction. ¡°We¡¯re going to Fortress Gulia.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the fortress near Wiggleton?¡± ¡°You remember it?¡± ¡°Kibo told us, no? The bread was so tasty that I was shocked. It¡¯s easy to remember things that shock you.¡± ¡°That sounds like something my idiot brothers would have done to remember things,¡± chimed Jamad from the Shadow Space. ¡°You¡¯re only able to say that because you didn¡¯t try any of the bread. Ah, do trolls even eat bread?¡± ¡°Trolls and humans have a simr diet. Except for the fact that we eat other races too.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ gross.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t like this part of my race either.¡± Since there weren¡¯t any wagons headed to Gulia from Kongory, Karen and Seol had no other option but to go there on horseback. Luckily for them though, the roads were well-maintained so it was unlikely that there would be any problems. The two slowly reared their horses before heading north. ¡°By the way, why are you interested in that Yeo-myeong guy?¡± ¡°I have a use for himter.¡± ¡°Even though he¡¯s that weak? His hand was special, though.¡± ¡°I was talking about his hand too.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. That makes sense, then. I was thinking that he talked way too much about his sister, for someone you were interested in. I don¡¯t really like people like that either.¡± Jamad chimed in once again. ¡°He¡¯s exactly like a certain somebody who talks about Karuna a lot, though.¡± ¡°This and that are two different things! We¡¯re twins!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get what the difference is.¡± ¡°Regardless, Master. Is there something we can do if we go to Gulia?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the ce closest to the trolls and we can look around Gulia to see if there¡¯s any ns we can join there¡­ something like that.¡± ¡°And if there isn¡¯t a n to go fight the trolls? What are you going to do then?¡± ¡°What else? Go there alone.¡± ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re crazy, really.¡± Just then, Jamad coughed to catch Seol¡¯s attention. It seemed like he was hesitating to say something. ¡°Ahem¡­ Hm¡­ I have something to say.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About the current situation.¡± ¡°Like what happened in Nobira?¡± ¡°Yeah, that. I have an idea as to why that happened. I also have an idea about their current location.¡± ¡°...What are you talking about?¡± Jamad spoke as if he was rummaging through his memories. ¡°It¡¯s a tribe that used to be allied with the Rock Mr Tribe. Well, we did have a conflict of opinion and I had to run away from there, though¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°The tribe alliance is spread all over the continent. But in truth, it¡¯s not like we talk to each other frequently. Like, what would two tribes, who exist on opposite sides of the continent, do if they talked to each other?¡± Seol was quite interested in what Jamad was talking about. In fact, even for a troll, it was difficult not to be captivated by what Jamad was saying. ¡°And that¡¯s why we created the Great Tribe Meeting.¡± ¡°The Great Tribe Meeting?¡± ¡°You can think of it as a meeting between the biggest tribe in the area and the other tribes in the area.¡± - They¡¯re talking about it like it¡¯s some Homeowners Association meeting LMFAO - We¡¯ll be talking about someone¡¯s tacky garden gnomes next¡­ - Jamad, the HOA Chairman. LMFAO Seol then asked Jamad a question. ¡°The biggest tribe near Nevenia would be¡­ the Sulfur Skull Tribe?¡± ¡°Huh? You know about them?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just because they¡¯re well-known.¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re undoubtedly the strongest tribe near Nevenia. Regardless, what I was trying to say was this. There were discussions about what''s happening now in the Great Tribe Meeting a long time ago..¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something that the young sessor of the Sulfur Skull Tribe had proposed. Well, it was rejected then, though.¡± - Why are you only saying this now? - Maybe his memory wasn¡¯t good because he didn¡¯t have tasty bread? - Ah, that makes perfect sense then. ¡°Open the map.¡± Unravel. Seol followed Jamad¡¯s instructions and opened the map. Jamad then continued to talk while looking at the map. ¡°Right now, they¡¯re probably¡­ here.¡± ¡°The Yognatun Volcano?¡± It was a volcano not too far from the kingdom¡¯s borders. Yognatun was also an active volcano. It was the reason why no civilization had taken root in the area near Nevenia¡¯s borders. ¡°Isn¡¯t this¡­ where Purga is?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s one of the ces where Purga, the Old God, resides.¡± Purga, the Old God. He was the god of fire and sulfur, and supposedly resembled a massive fire monkey. His power, since ancient times, has been a cmity in and of itself. Because of that, no one was bold enough to upset Purga, and the Yognatun Volcano continued to ze, allowing no one to approach it. However, Jamad then said something to Seol with absolute certainty. ¡°The Sulfur Skull Tribe ns to use Purga by offering him the sacrifices they¡¯ve captured.¡± Chapter 87 Seol asked Jamad a question after hearing Jamad¡¯s confident answer. ¡°They¡¯re trying to use Purga? Are you talking about the Old God Festival?¡± ¡°You know about the Old God Festival? How the hell do you know about that too?¡± Seol furrowed his brows and changed the subject. ¡°So that¡¯s why they abducted people from Nobira¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the attack on Wiggleton was also just a part of this. The captured citizens were likely all tossed into Purga¡¯s mouth to receive his powers.¡± ¡°...Then wouldn¡¯t the people captured from Nobira share the same fate if we do nothing?¡± ¡°Of course. And then they¡¯ll use Purga¡¯s powers again to attack another city or to attack Fortress Gulia.¡± ¡°I doubt it would be possible with just trolls¡­ oh no, is this also connected to Setena?¡± The Setena Kingdom was located to the east of the Nevenia Kingdom. Setena often fought with Nevenia as itsnd was harsh and infertile. If Setena was involved with the trolls, the situation was much worse than Seol had first thought. Jamad continued, almost like he was agreeing with Seol¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Even if Setena did amass as much power as it could, it would be impossible for them to defeat Nevenia¡¯s knights. However, there could be an opening if the Sulfur Skull Tribe caused amotion on a different border or if they attacked Fortress Gulia. This was all something that the little brat of the Sulfur Skull Tribe, Zando, suggested.¡± ¡°Why was the n rejected then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because some of the chiefs at the meeting, including me, rejected it. Our rtionship with Setena wasn¡¯t too good back then, and there were also a few other problems.¡± If everything that Jamad told him was the truth, he had essentially received valuable information for free. ¡°How much time do we have left then?¡± ¡°Until what? Ah, are you talking about the time left before they offer the captives as offerings?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I don¡¯t know what they did, but if they escaped throughnd then it would take probably a week¡­ yeah, they probably arrived at the volcano today.¡± This meant that it would also take Seol about a week, or even more, to arrive at the volcano. ¡°We have less time than I thought.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not necessarily true.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like the old god is their subordinate or anything, there¡¯s no way that an old god would go ording to someone else¡¯s schedule. Also, Purga¡¯s the type that enjoys fooling around, so he¡¯s probably toying with them now. They¡¯d probably start with a Constion Ceremony to make sure that they don¡¯t infuriate him, then take a lot more time before they ultimately sacrifice them.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Probably a month.¡± ¡°It takes that long?¡± ¡°Yeah. And since it takes that long, Nevenia could probably withstand their attack if they properly prepared for it. However, since Nevenia¡¯s royalty doesn¡¯t know about their ns, they¡¯re just stuck defending the fortress without being able to do anything.¡± Seol rubbed his chin and thought to himself. ¡°It¡¯s probably impossible, huh?¡± asked Seol. ¡°What is?¡± ¡°Convincing the army in Gulia to deploy elsewhere.¡± ¡°Hmph. So you¡¯re telling me that your n is to go to Gulia, convince themander there to deploy the army, and then have themander go to Nevenia to convince military authorities there?¡± ¡°Yeah, I get what you¡¯re saying. Alright, let¡¯s head to Gulia for now.¡± Karen gave a despondentugh. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same n as before?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different, I¡¯ve given up on persuading themander. In the first ce, their goal is to deter the attack and that doesn¡¯t matter to me at all. All I have to do is save Hamun.¡± ¡°Well, do whatever you want. Then, are we going to be leaving immediately after arriving in Gulia?¡± ¡°Yeah, we will.¡± Seol¡¯s eyes looked further north, at something which he couldn¡¯t see with his own eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading to the Yognatun Volcano.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * There were less than twenty members. And even then, the majority of them were gasping for air,pletely exhausted. It had already been a long time since they buried their horses, yet they pressed on further and further. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± ¡°Fucking bastards¡­ so they came through here.¡± ¡°The passageway isn¡¯t that big. Only a small number of them can pass through.¡± ¡°The exact amount they needed to attack Nobira.¡± ¡°Mira, what should we do? Shouldn¡¯t we notify Gulia?¡± Mira looked at herrades with bloodshot eyes. Their eyes were the same as well, likely due to theirck of sleep. Even though they were all tired and haggard, none of themined. ¡°We¡¯ll be toote if we pass by Gulia. And if they were going to make a move, they would¡¯ve done it earlier, those bastards¡­¡± ¡°I doubt those idiots even know about this. What the hell are they defending when this exists¡­¡± There was a tragic story behind how Mira¡¯s party had ended up all the way here. After absorbing all of the ruin hunters in Nobira, Kibo''s faction created a system. Kibo ceased personal participation in ruin expeditions and instead oversaw multiple independent ruin hunter factions under his leadership. One of these factions, obviously, was Yu Mira¡¯s faction. Mira¡¯s faction was sessful in their first expedition, but when they returned, they were faced with an iprehensible situation. [The location has been destroyed.] [Your location is no longer set as Nobira.] [You must now set a new location.] What greeted them was neither Kibo nor the residents of Nobira. It was the remains of a razed city. They searched through Nobira,pletely at a loss for what to do. They were simply hoping that there would be a hint or a clue that could help them understand what happened. As Mira hurried through the streets of Nobira. As she saw the survivors dying on the streets or quickly trying to escape the city, someone called her name. - Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Is that you, Mira? - Ahjussi! Mira ran into arade of hers who was caught under the debris of a destroyed building. Though he was luckily breathing now, it was clear that he didn¡¯t have much time left. - What¡­ What the hell happened?! - Nobira¡­ was crushed¡­ by them¡­ - Them? - The¡­ the trolls. Mira was furious, but barely managed to hold onto her senses. - J-Just hang on for a little bit, okay? I¡¯ll get you out of there¡­ - No¡­ it¡¯s toote for me. Just let me die. - Ahjussi! - Leave¡­ Forget about Nobira and live on, Mira. There¡¯s no ce for you here now. It was a shocking statement. It felt like her world was crumbling down. - ¡­What about Kibo? - He¡¯s dead. - Don¡¯t lie to me! - I guess I can¡¯t fool you, huh¡­ How shrewd¡­ He¡¯s been caught by them. - Where are they? - I don¡¯t know. But they did bring wagons with cages on them, so there are probably tracks¡­ - ¡­¡­ - You have to leave, Mira. You have to live on. - No, I can¡¯t do that. With the light of life slowly escaping his eyes, he left his final words for Mira. - Then¡­ What are you still doing here? Raise. - Hurry, go after them¡­ Thud. The man had died. - Find them. Mira and the ruin hunters scoured everyst inch of Nobira. And not too long after, they discovered tracks that were likely made by the trolls. - It¡¯s to the north. - What are we going to do now? A transferee which had survived and still remained in the city came closer to them. - Don¡¯t go after them, you¡¯ll all just die. No one chased after them. - ¡­What? - All of the transferees in Nobira received a revenge Adventure. Still, they all ran away to Kongory. Even if you chase after them, you¡¯ll be the only ones. Mira simply nodded. - Step back. - You¡­ You must be out of your mind! This is practically suicide! - What should we do, Mira? Mira pulled her hood over her head. - We¡¯re chasing after them. - Let¡¯s go! All of the transferees with Mira received a simr message. [Adventure ¡®Cold Revenge¡¯ is scheduled.] [This Adventure is very dangerous.] [You have skipped your Rest.] [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 13th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 13. Cold Revenge] ¡­¡­ And like that, Mira¡¯s party had tracked the trolls¡¯ traces all the way here. As they were unable to have a proper rest or even a proper meal, their conditions were at their absolute worst. After passing through a long, dark tunnel beneath the country¡¯s border, they arrived at a point beyond Nevenia¡¯s border. ¡°So from this point on, we¡¯re no longer in Nevenia, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve copsed the tunnel, but it wasn¡¯t done properly since we didn¡¯t have enough time. They can probably just restore it again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, we have more important business anyway.¡± Mira was looking further, at something that she could barely see. ¡°They¡¯re heading over there.¡± ¡°What are they plotting?¡± As she looked even further ahead, she saw a massive mountain. ¡°...Yognatun.¡± It was the Yognatun Volcano, a massive mountain where an old god, Purga, the Fire Monkey, resided. * * * Seol¡¯s party, like Mira¡¯s party, relentlessly headed north. There were no real issues for them other than the fact that the terrain became increasingly harsher. Furthermore, it was quite a bit louder now after the trolls¡¯ attack. It was to the point that even the bandits here, if they did exist, would have headed south after the recent events. ¡°How much longer until we arrive in Gulia?¡± ¡°About four days?¡± ¡°Damn, this is taking so long! Ah, but wasn¡¯t this around the time when you were supposed to meet Chao?¡± It was pointless to talk about. ¡°There is no way Chao would be waiting there when Nobira was burned down.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ We worked so hard to get the item she wanted though¡­ Was it all for nothing?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something to figure out after we finish this first.¡± ¡°So once again, we¡¯re in the same situation as before. Damn, it¡­¡± Jamad then asked Seol a question. ¡°Even if we head to Yognatun through Gulia¡­ How are you going to face the Sulfur Skull Tribe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to worry about that once we arrive there. We''d bete if we made ns first before we moved.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Karen then pounded on her chest with a proud look on her face. ¡°Just trust me and Karuna. We¡¯re invincible together, Master.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the exact reason why I¡¯m worried, though.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Karen and Karuna had a Unique Skill that made them stronger when summoned together. Karen was already powerful enough now, and if Seol had another summon just as powerful as her, saving Hamun wouldn¡¯t be difficult at all. ¡®The problem is¡­ I¡¯m unable to summon them both at the same time.¡¯ ¡°Look, elf. It looks like you haven¡¯t properly understood the situation here since you don¡¯t stay in the Shadow Space for long,¡± mocked Jamad. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Right now, it¡¯s very cramped.¡± That was the problem. Seolcked Shadow Space. Even though Seol was somehow able to summon Karen alone, it was impossible for him to summon Karuna too when his stats had been adjusted. ¡®I don¡¯t have enough Wisdom.¡¯ Currently, Seol had way too little Wisdompared to the number of summons he had. Though he couldmand them, he didn¡¯t have enough to perfectly control them. ¡°First, let¡¯s think of a way to quickly increase my Wisdom.¡± ¡°How would there realistically be a way to do that?¡± ¡°Either that or you have to face the Sulfur Skull Tribe on your own, Karen.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think really hard about it. I¡¯m sure we¡¯lle up with something if we all think hard.¡± - She switched sides so fast LMFAOOO - I guess the Sulfur Skull Tribe is too much, even for her. - She read too many murim novels LOL It had be night once more and Seol went to sleep after making Jamad, who slept during the day, stand guard. Fwooosh¡­ The further north they traveled, the colder the night air became. The chilling wind made Seol inch closer to the campfire. Closer¡­ Come closer¡­ Seol opened his eyes. ¡®What was that?¡¯ He heard someone¡¯s voice, like a phantasm. Seol shook his head and looked around him. Jamad then quickly spoke to Seol who had just woken up. ¡°So you woke up. I was just about to wake you.¡± ¡°...What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Look over there.¡± Beyond the dark field, he could sense somethinging closer to them. ¡°Wild animals?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a peculiar energy.¡± sh! As the thing approaching them shed a beam of light, Karen got up too. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Wild animals?¡± ¡°...So you were up too, huh?¡± ¡°Hehe, I just wanted to joke around. What should we do, Master?¡± After asking Seol, Karen walked toward her sword to grab it. ¡°Should I kill them before theye here?¡± Closer¡­ Closer¡­ ¡®...Again.¡¯ After realizing that the hallucinations he heard were rted to it, Seol stopped Karen. ¡°For now, let¡¯s just watch.¡± After a bit of time, it had reached close enough where they could recognize each other. Seol¡¯s party could now clearly see the being in the field. ¡°...A troll?¡± ¡°Are they a member of the Sulfur Skull Tribe?¡± What approached Seol was a troll. As all of the trolls near Nevenia¡¯s borders were likely members of the Sulfur Skull Tribe, they prepared for battle. But then, the troll showed that he recognized Seol. ¡°Snowman! It¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Who¡­ that voice¡­ don¡¯t tell me!¡± As the troll waved his finger, a bright light appeared in front of him. It was a troll wearing old-fashioned sses. ¡°It¡¯s me, Mael!¡± [The requirements have been met.] [Helper ¡®Mael, the Star Child¡¯ has appeared in this Adventure.] [Helper ¡®Mael, the Star Child¡¯ will join you in this Adventure as an ally.] ¡°Why is Mael here?¡± North of Nevenia, Seol had run into an unexpected ally. Chapter 88 In the vast fields near Nevenia¡¯s borders, Seol encountered a troll. Remarkably, it was the only troll that Seol had be acquainted with, aside from Jamad. - My name is Mael, the star child. Mael, a troll exiled from the Rock Mr Tribe. His appearance waspletely unexpected. ¡°Put your sword away, Karen.¡± ¡°What? You knew a troll other than Jamad, Master?¡± ¡°Through this and that, yeah.¡± Mael slowly approached Seol¡¯s party. It was only after confirming the troll¡¯s identity that Seol took a look at his clothes. He wore sses that made his eyes appear smaller, likely due to their high prescription, and carried a bag so full that it was being stretched to its seams. ¡°What is all that?¡± ¡°Old books, medicinal herbs, and a whole bunch of misceneous stuff, hahaha!¡± ¡°Mael, how have you been?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve traveled all across Nevenia; the human world truly is incredible. It was a good decision to descend the mountain.¡± Seol was delighted to have met a helper after so much time. Since the situation was so unexpected, Seol felt more excited to see him than he usually would. ¡°Come sit down, the winds are strong. You should warm up by the fire.¡± ¡°Then would it be alright? It was so cold that I thought my lips would freeze together, haha!¡± Mael shuffled over to the campfire. Though he was smaller than Jamad, he was still a troll and was considerably big. With him now sitting by the fire, the campfire, which once felt open, now felt cramped. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Karen. By the way¡­ do trolls wear sses too now?¡± Mael gave Karen a gentle smile before responding. ¡°I use them more for other misceneous uses than to supplement my vision.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I know it¡¯s a bit rude to say this, but you seem quite intelligent for a troll? You¡¯re different from the trolls I¡¯ve met so far.¡± ¡°Hey, are you talking about me, elf?¡± scowled Jamad. Karen simply shrugged without an answer. ¡°The belief that trolls are ¡®simple¡¯ is a misunderstood fact. Though their actions could seem foolish from the perspective of other races, we have our own established beliefs and cultures. Ah, obviously there are simple trolls too, though.¡± ¡°I see¡­ So, how did you meet Snowman?¡± ¡°Snowman is my savior who pulled me from the depths of despair. He is also someone to whom I have a debt to repay, howevercking I am.¡± ¡°Hm, I guess Master gets called a savior regardless of wherever he goes. Even though... he doesn¡¯t look trustworthy to me at all.¡± ¡°Many times, we may fail to understand something properly because we examine it too closely. How could this not also be true for people, when it applies to objects as well?¡± ¡°What?¡± Karen looked at Seol¡¯s face before cracking a smile. ¡°Yeah, you might be right. Man, it¡¯s so easy to have a conversation with this troll!¡± - I¡¯m sorry, but Mael¡¯s just bodying you. - He just walked up slowly and down smashed. - I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s actually an elf dumber than a troll¡­ - The greatest mind of our generation¡­ Mael! As Mael conversed with Karen, he locked eyes with Jamad. Observing Jamad''s massive size and imposing presence, he then remarked, ¡°Jamad, Tyrant of the Rock Mr Tribe¡­ it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°You know me? Who are you?¡± ¡°I am the son of Mayora.¡± The moment Jamad heard the name Mayora, his eyes grew wide. ¡°The female who the previous generation exiled. But¡­ she had a child?¡± ¡°She was pregnant with me when she was exiled.¡± ¡°Ah, so it was like that.¡± After hearing about Mael¡¯s circumstances, Karen got annoyed with Jamad for his reaction. ¡°How could you only say that after hearing his story?¡± ¡°What should I do then, huh? Cry?¡± ¡°Mael, he¡¯s always like this. I¡¯m not a racist, but I can¡¯t help but have prejudices when the troll that I¡¯m with always acts like this.¡± ¡°Even so, I am a troll as well.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± - Ah, right! You were a troll too! - LMFAOOOO - I¡¯m sorry but you¡¯re very biased against them already, Karen. LOL Jamad then spoke to Karen in an indifferent tone. ¡°I also lost my parents when I was young.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My father was drafted into a war and croaked there, while my mother died young. The funny part was that the previous generation offered my mother¡¯s corpse to the dragon as a snack.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°What about now, elf? Are you going to sympathize with me too?¡± ¡°Um¡­ sorry.¡± Seol didn¡¯t know Jamad had a story like this either. In the first ce, Jamad was an irregr whom Seol had encountered for the first time during that Adventure. It wouldn''t make sense for Seol to have any knowledge about him, considering he had never even seen Jamad before. ¡°Hmph, but now that I think about it¡­ you¡­¡± ¡°Me?¡± asked Mael. ¡°Yeah, you. You¡¯re the one who helped Snowman, weren¡¯t you?¡± Mael smiled. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°I knew it. I knew there was no way he could¡¯ve done it on his own. Did you use shamanic spells?¡± ¡°I used a potion infused with one.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ You¡¯re pretty good. It¡¯s a potion that I¡¯m not familiar with. I¡¯m curious about your level.¡± ¡°I am nothingpared to you, Jamad. I simply possess some useless knowledge that I haven¡¯t even made fully mine.¡± - How is Mael so good at buttering people up? - I bet even my boss would love him. Seol ended the pleasantries there and moved on to what he was actually curious about. ¡°What brings you to the north?¡± ¡°A prophecy.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°One of my talents is divination. I foresaw a huge disaster and came to prevent it. Obviously, of course, I knew that I¡¯d run into you again.¡± ¡°Did you foresee that too?¡± ¡°That one was more due to astronomy.¡± ¡°Hahaha, Mael! You really are incredible!¡± Mael was clearly extraordinary as he was able to find Seol through divination and astronomy alone in this vastnd. Seol was surprised by Mael¡¯s sudden appearance, but then he also remembered the message he received not too long ago. - Helper ¡®Mael, the Star Child¡¯ will join you in this Adventure as an ally. ¡°Mael, then are you here to help me?¡± ¡°Help you, hm¡­ Before I give you an answer, I should remind you that you still have yet to tell me what troublesome situation you¡¯re currently in.¡± - Ah, right! - Ah, right! Again! Seol started to exin the current situation. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the Sulfur Skull Tribe, is it not?¡± ¡°...You knew? How?¡± ¡°How long do you think that I have been waiting for you?¡± The fact that Mael knew he would meet Seol here, also implied that he had been waiting for Seol to pass by. ¡°How long have you been waiting for me here?¡± ¡°Divination and astrology both aren''t great at telling the exact time when something will happen. I¡¯ve been here for fifteen days.¡± ¡°Oh man¡­ Also, how did you know that the Sulfur Skull Tribe was the issue?¡± ¡°Because they passed by here.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mael adjusted his sses. ¡°The Sulfur Skull Tribe passed through this area.¡± ¡°When?! When did those bastards pass through here?¡± ¡°Calm down, Karen.¡± As Karen exploded in emotions before Seol could even speak, Seol quickly calmed her down. ¡°Hm¡­ After this night passes, it should be around four days. So some time ago.¡± ¡°Four days? It¡¯s only been that long since they passed by?¡± Karen couldn¡¯t believe that they had caught up to four days'' worth of progress from the trolls, but Seol nodded at Mael¡¯s words as if he had expected this. ¡®They should be much slower than usual because they¡¯re taking the kidnapped people with them.¡¯ They had managed to shorten the distance between themselves and the Sulfur Skull Tribe, and they were still closing the gap. ¡°But¡­ they would have escaped the kingdom by now.¡± ¡°Already? It should have taken them four days to even reach Gulia, though?¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about that fortress, right?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a useless fortress now though. How the hell were they able to sneak past the wall?¡± ¡°Snowman, let me ask you something.¡± ¡°Sure, Mael.¡± Mael looked at Seol. His calm, gentle eyes gave a chilling feeling. ¡°What do you n to do after tracking down the Sulfur Skull Tribe?¡± ¡°I n on getting back the people who were kidnapped.¡± ¡°The Sulfur Skull Tribe is not just any other ordinary group. They are a tribe ofpetent fighters. In fact, they are the most notorious, and violent tribe around here. Do you really think you can recover the abducted people with just three individuals?¡± ¡°...Do you think that it¡¯s impossible?¡± Seol looked at Mael with serious eyes. Mael slowly nodded back. ¡°It would be impossible with three people.¡± ¡°Look, troll! Are you giving up already?¡± As Karen retorted back, Mael smiled once more. ¡°However, it may be possible with four¡­¡± ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯ll help us?¡± ¡°If it was someone else, I would have just let them die. However, you are not someone who would do anything without reason, Snowman. I, Mael, shall be your guide.¡± ¡°Guide?¡± [You receive help from Helper ¡®Mael, the Star Child¡¯.] [An experienced shaman can help the party in a variety of ways.] [Mael can partake inbat, change the terrain, crowd control, support the party, and a variety of other things.] Essentially, Mael was a capable helper who could assist in everything, in a variety of ways. Lift¡­ Mael raised his hand and stretched his palm out into the sky. Glow¡­ Glowing particles gathered in his hand. The particles slowly formed into shapes before eventually turning into the shape of trolls. ¡°The Skull Sulfur Tribe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m simply showing you what the trolls who passed through here are doing. It seems like they¡¯ve set up camp and are sleeping.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­ How?¡± Mael smiled. ¡°I told you they passed through here, didn¡¯t I? When they passed through, I sprinkled some spirit powder on them.¡± ¡°Mael!¡± - GOD DAAAAAAAMN! I believed in you! - As expected from a heroic-ss helper. - I¡¯m sorry for looking down on you ?? ¡°The trolls didn¡¯t slip past the border with shamanic spells or other spells. They simply passed through a tunnel that wasx in security. If we can find it, it won¡¯t be too difficult for us to use the tunnel as well.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A few dayster, Seol and his party were led by Mael to the tunnel that Mira¡¯s party broke down. ¡°Oh no¡­ this doesn¡¯t look natural at all.¡± ¡°Do you think the Sulfur Skull Tribe did this?¡± ¡°I doubt that would be the case. They don¡¯t have a reason to.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Let me inspect it.¡± Inhale¡­ Fuuu¡­ Mael grabbed a handful of dust and blew it off his hands. The dust, as it scattered in the air, slowly found form. ¡°This is what the earth here remembers. It seems like¡­ it was done by humans.¡± ¡°I think I know who it was.¡± ¡°Someone you know?¡± The party was led by a woman at the vanguard. It was the same woman who was the prot¨¦g¨¦ of Kibo as she followed him around. ¡°It¡¯s Mira.¡± Jamad and Karen both reacted at the sound of her name. ¡°Hmph, she must be tracking down Kibo.¡± ¡°Mira? Who¡¯s Mira?¡± ¡°You should know Kibo since you met himst time, but¡­ basically she¡¯s his right-hand man.¡± ¡°Is she strong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Seol then asked Mael a question. ¡°What should we do then? Don¡¯t we have to go to Gulia now that we can¡¯t use the tunnel?¡± ¡°Hold on¡­¡± Mael pulled something from his backpack, resembling a berry. He then murmured a few words before tossing the berry into the destroyed tunnel. And then¡­ Rumble Rumble¡­ Chomp! A long bug, the size of an adult, emerged from the ground, snatching the berry before burrowing away. It was a bug that had no eyes and a lot of teeth in its mouth. ¡°Oho¡­ is that a rock bug?¡± Jamad showed interest in it. ¡°I noticed there were a few rock bugs in the area and rock bugs absolutely love kokurin berries. Since I imprinted the berry with a suggestion, that rock bug should soon open up a path for us.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re quite talented. It would have been a huge help to my tribe if someone like you was around.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing as useless as talking about the past. After all, the Rock Mr Tribe was a ce of resentment, not a ce to rest.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ well, that¡¯s life after all.¡± As the two trolls continued conversing, the rock bug hadpletely restored the tunnel. Seol, taking the lead, spoke to the rest of his party. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± And like that, Seol¡¯s party was easily able to go through the tunnel and arrive on the other side. ¡°So that¡¯s Yognatun.¡± ¡°It is a massive volcano. It is also the mountain where the old god of fire resides. We¡¯ve almost caught up to them, let¡¯s keep going.¡± As there was still a lot of time before nightfall, Seol¡¯s party continued their pursuit. ¡°It¡¯s their territory from this point on, so we need to be careful,¡± warned Jamad. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Even if they show up, I, Karen, will kill them all for you. If you¡¯re still scared though, you can hide behind me.¡± ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t look down on trolls. The tribe alliance is filled with skilled trolls that you can¡¯t even imagine.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ it¡¯s just because there weren¡¯t many trolls who were notorious in my time. But does the Sulfur Skull Tribe really have someone as skilled as that?¡± ¡°They do, one troll. An absolute monster.¡± ¡°Woah, really? What¡¯s their name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Everyone became more tense the closer they approached the volcano. As there wasn¡¯t too much left until they reached the foot of the mountain, they were all on alert. And then¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°A human?¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably a member of Mira¡¯s pursuit party.¡± At the top of a cluster of rough rocks was someone gasping for air. ¡°I''ll take care of it. I''ve also read some medicinal texts for situations like this,¡± said Mael before stepping forth. - Go Go Gadget Encyclopedia! - I¡¯ve also read some demonic texts for situations like this. - I¡¯ve also learned how to kick an overhead kick for situations like this. - He¡¯s a one-man army LMFAO - He¡¯s the protagonist now LMFAO OP MC! Mael wiped off the injured person¡¯s face with a wet towel before chanting a spell. Glow¡­ A strange light entered the man¡¯s body. Rustle¡­ ¡°This is a santuri leaf. Chew on this before swallowing it with water.¡± Chew¡­ chew¡­ The injured man did as Mael told him to. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± ¡°Can you breathe now?¡± ¡°...away.¡± The injured man tried tomunicate the moment he could. ¡°What?¡± Mael brought his ear closer to the man¡¯s mouth. And then, the dying man uttered hisst words before taking his final breath. ¡°Mon¡­ ster¡­ run¡­ away¡­¡± Chapter 89 Thud. The ruin hunter, who Seol assumed was a member of Mira¡¯s party, died. It was a vain death. ¡°...It looks like the Sulfur Skull Tribe realized that they were being trailed and tried to lose them.¡± Mael shut the man¡¯s eyes with a stiff expression. ¡°Weren¡¯t there roughly twenty people in Mira¡¯s group? How could they be defeated so easily?¡± ¡°Who knows what they¡¯ve been through¡­¡± Jamad then stepped in. ¡°Hmm¡­ If it¡¯s the Sulfur Skull Tribe, crushing them wouldn¡¯t be difficult at all.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Sulfur Skull Tribe are belligerent, and, as expected, their individualbat abilities are high as well. You especially cannot underestimate any of its leaders.¡± ¡°Are you saying that they have taken action?¡± ¡°Probably. However, not all of them have likely taken action. I feel bad for saying this about him, but the fact that he was still breathing means that only a small portion of the tribe¡¯s forces took action.¡± Seol¡¯s face grew dark. ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s definitely not good news that we have fewer allies now.¡± Seol looked at the corpse once more and fell into thought. ¡®They¡¯re strong enough to ughter twenty people¡­ I really can¡¯t underestimate the Sulfur Skull Tribe.¡¯ It was clear that what happened to the corpse could have also happened to everyone in Mira¡¯s party as well. In the worst-case scenario, the Sulfur Skull Tribe could have already killed them all. ¡®Are they all dead? Hm¡­¡¯ Seol had Mael, Karen, and even Jamad. However, his opponents were a small army. The fact that he had to overturn Yognatun with only four people hadn¡¯t changed either. Seol dusted himself off and stood up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to Yognatun.¡± Karen raised her hand. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not waste any more time. Regardless of the situation now, we cane up with a n once we¡¯re at Yognatun!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice that you¡¯re so simple.¡± ¡°I¡¯m decisive, not simple. I guess a troll like you is too scared though?¡± ¡°Hmph, even the Sulfur Skull Tribe is nothing to me. Whenever I showed up to the Great Tribe Meeting¡­¡± ¡°Argh, stop it! I don¡¯t want to hear about your past!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I necessarily enjoyed hearing you talk about Montra either.¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s true. Then let¡¯s both be nice to each other and listen to each other¡¯s stories.¡± ¡°Is this because you can¡¯t give up on talking about Montra?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± - Yup. - I¡¯ll listen to you since I want to talk about myself! - She can¡¯t give up on Montra LOL - The summons are all such boomers¡­ Seol¡¯s party continued their trivial conversation while heading to Yognatun. They had alreadye too far to head back. Now, they were much closer to Yognatun than to the border. Fwooosh¡­ [Mael used Shamanic Spell: Gentle Breeze Boost.] [You are protected from the heat.] Mael yed a huge role in making them feelfortable despite having entered a volcanic region. ¡°Mael, who did you learn your shamanic spells from?¡± ¡°My only master was these old tomes.¡± ¡°Incredible. I heard it was difficult to achieve results through books since they are filled with metaphors¡­¡± ¡°It bes easier to understand them if you read them every day. Did you not read such books, Jamad?¡± Jamad then looked to Yognatun. ¡°There was nothing for me to learn from books. They didn¡¯t contain any secret techniques to kill the previous generation, nor did they provide a solution to solve the tribe¡¯s food shortage.¡± ¡°What¡¯s required of a leader and what¡¯s required of a shaman are different, after all. I¡¯m sure you also gave up on a lot of other things in that process.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Now that I can solely focus on my life as a shaman, perhaps bing a shadow wasn''t necessarily the worst thing.¡± Karenughed. ¡°I agree as well! I can eat delicious food whenever I annoy my master and traveling the world is fun.¡± - Are we really sure that Snowman is the master? - Snowman = lunchdy - Are all high-ranking summons like this? Conversation flowed back and forth between the party until they arrived at their location. The Yogantun Volcano. The party was all in awe at the volcano¡¯s grandeur. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen Yognatun.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here now, right? Where are the trolls?¡± Mael looked around. ¡°It seems like they¡¯re gathered around the mouth of the volcano.¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably right. All of their ns revolve around the altar at the crater, after all.¡± Seol turned around and nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s climb the mountain.¡± * * * Yognatun Volcano was so massive that the mountain itself could be considered its own terrain. And climbing a mountain like that, unprepared, was no simple feat. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite a tall mountain.¡± ¡°It is Yognatun, after all.¡± One of the reasons they were struggling so much was because they were zing their own path up the mountain. It was obvious that taking the same route that the other trolls took would only result in their capture. ¡®We have to be especially careful from this point on.¡¯ If they left tracks, they could be ambushed like what happened to Mira¡¯s party. And they could not make that mistake. ¡®We have to make sure that we have the initiative.¡¯ They had to strike when the Sulfur Skull Tribe was the most vulnerable, when they could deal the most critical blow. Seol nned to wait for the moment to strike their heart before making his move. This was how he nned to offset hisck of allies. ¡°Finally¡­ we¡¯re¡­ here.¡± There was an intense heat radiating from the crater, so much so that Mael¡¯s Gentle Breeze could no longer mitigate it. Everyone, except for Karen, was having a difficult time. Seol looked at what stood at the edge of the crater. ¡°So that¡¯s¡­ the altar.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing it¡­ it¡¯s definitely massive.¡± Seol then noticed some unique chains hanging all around the crater. These very chains were also supporting the altar, resembling a pyramid with a blunt peak. At a nce, Seol could tell that the massive structure could amodate a substantial number of soldiers. As Seol scanned the crater for the scattered sentries of the Sulfur Skull Tribe, messages began to pop up. [Adventure ¡®Sulfur Skull¡¯ is scheduled.] [This Adventure is very dangerous.] [Because this Adventure is a ''Linked Adventure'' you cannot choose your next Adventure.] [You have skipped your Rest.] [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 13th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 13. Sulfur Skull] [Aventure 13. ¡®Sulfur Skull¡¯ The actions of the Sulfur Skull Tribe in Nobira have left a deep scar on the survivors of the incident. The entire city was burned down, and a portion of the survivors have been kidnapped by them. After learning about the incident, you have tracked down the Sulfur Skull Tribe and caught up to them. There is still hope. You might still be able to recover the kidnapped survivors. The people entrapped in that strange structure all desire one thing. For someone to save them. Though Nevenia may have abandoned them, you have not. Objective: Prevent the Sulfur Skull Tribe¡¯s ceremony or rescue at least half of the survivors. Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Remaining Time [23:59]] - My heart¡¯s pounding with anticipation at this description¡­ - The ¡®Though Nevenia may have abandoned them, you have not¡¯ part, right? Right? - ???: I don¡¯t know about this¡­ - Look at this increase in scale¡­ It¡¯s insane¡­ The moment Seol¡¯s party arrived at the crater, they immediately began analyzing the Sulfur Skull Tribe¡¯s forces. ¡°We were only able toe up here because there were so many holes in their defenses¡­ Are they just that confident?¡± ¡°At a nce, this only seems like a portion of the Sulfur Skull Tribe.¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly. The Sulfur Skull Tribe is the biggest tribe in this area and has a lot of trolls. The numbers here are impressive, but it¡¯s definitely only a portion of the entire army. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have this many gaps in their defenses.¡± ¡°Then, we don¡¯t have time to waste. When ites to saving people, even a moment of hesitation could lead to failure.¡± Seol, keeping Mael¡¯s and Jamad¡¯s words in mind, began the meeting. ¡°They must have finished their preparations for the Old God Festival, right?¡± ¡°They should have. Since they¡¯ve already gained Purga¡¯s attention, they just need to sacrifice the humans at the proper time.¡± Jamad scratched his chin. ¡°Then it¡¯s difficult to know exactly how much time we have left. Also, even though they¡¯re keeping the captives alive, it¡¯s hard to know if they cast mind-type shamanic spells on them or tortured them. Snowman, is there anything you¡¯ve thought of?¡± Seol closed his eyes and murmured out loud. ¡°There is¡­ something.¡± ¡°Of course, no one would¡­ Wait, what? You have?¡± Jamad looked at Seol, shocked. How was Seol able toe up with a n? It hadn¡¯t even been that long since they arrived at Yognatun. - The Sulfur Skull Tribe ns to use Purga by offering him the sacrifices they¡¯ve captured. In truth, Seol had been plotting since the moment Jamad told him that the Sulfur Skull Tribe was doing the Old God Festival. Though Seol already knew about the Old God Festival, he didn¡¯t have much knowledge on Purga. As such, he needed time to verify his assumptions. ¡°Mael.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve prepared for the festival, right? Then how long would it take for the ceremony itself to conclude?¡± ¡°The Old God Festival requires a lot of preparation, but the ceremony itself doesn¡¯t take too long. As the Old Gods are quite whimsical and can¡¯t stand boredom, they simply offer the sacrifices and make a request.¡± ¡°And that Old God Festival¡­ could we also do that ourselves?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you¡­¡± Jamad¡¯s eyes grew wide at Seol¡¯s question before giving a heartyugh. ¡°Hahahaha! What an incredible idea. Yeah, I knew you would think of something like that. But¡­ it won¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡°Precisely. Purga wouldn¡¯t mind if the person behind the ceremony changes, but he could be insulted by ourck of offerings and burn us alive.¡± ¡°The offering¡­ From what I know, an offering for an old god doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be living sacrifices, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. Normally, humans are offered as they are easy to acquire, but treasures and items could be offered as well if it¡¯s something the old god would like.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what about this?¡± Seol pulled out something from his inventory. Mael fixed his sses, inspected the item, and then gave Seol his answer. ¡°If it¡¯s this¡­ Even Purga would fall for this.¡± After the general direction of their n was set, they spoke a bit more and after a while, their whole n was ready. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡®It¡¯s over,¡¯ thought Mira. Did she overestimate her and her party members¡¯ strength? Even though the Sulfur Skull Tribe only sent two trolls after them, the two trolls ughtered her party like wolves massacring a flock of sheep. Her party was now separated and she was unable to tell who was alive and who was dead. ¡®That monster¡­ killed them all.¡¯ One of the trolls had a w-like weapon, and the other troll used a huge axe as his weapon. The two of them were both extremely skilled. Mira''s party could have had a chance if there was only one of them, but since there were two, and since Mira was the only person in the party who was considerably skilled, it was impossible. In the end, it resulted in this. ¡®Not to mention the fact that their leader didn¡¯t even step in¡­¡¯ And still, she failed. This was hopeless. Even so, this didn¡¯t mean that Mira nned on giving up. As long as there was a chance for a miracle, Mira nned on walking to the altar despite the dangers to her life. After all, Kibo was still there, alive. ¡°What should we do, Mira?¡± ¡°Jirmo¡­ you can go back.¡± ¡°You n on killing yourself, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re trying to go to the altar, no?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Take me with you.¡± Jirmo. He was someone who Mira got along with quite well from Kibo¡¯s faction. Though her party had been separated, luckily, he was still with her. The two skirted around the crater for a bit before resolving themselves to approach the altar together. Methods? Means? Wisdom? As the two of them had nothing on their side, the only option left for them was a frontal assault. As the two of them grabbed their weapons and tried to stand up, they felt a presence. Mira instantly regretted the fact that she didn¡¯t throw her handaxe. She initially hadn¡¯t because a corner of her heart believed that the presence could have been her party member. But there¡­ was a group of trolls. ¡°Y-You bastards!¡± ¡°Mira, no!¡± Fwoooosh! Mira charged at the trolls by herself. Her charge was definitely logical. Not only were there few of them, nothing about them was exceptional other than their size. Since she believed that the trolls were simply scouts, she expected to defeat them easily. sh! However, her assumptions were off. ¡®...Huh?¡¯ Before she realized it, she was looking at the sky. She had been defeated by them before she even realized it. ¡°Mira!¡± ¡°Shh¡­ Are you trying to kill us all?¡± ¡°...It knows the humannguage?¡± The trolls Mira had met so far all only made strange, unintelligible sounds, not actual words. However, the troll in front of her was speaking the humannguage fluently. Mira was absolutely clueless. As she was thinking to herself, one of the trolls approached her. ¡°Mira, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°...Who are you?¡± The troll who approached her had golden eyes and acted as if he knew her. Mira had seen those eyes before. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Snowman?¡± The troll made an awkward expression. It looked like it was trying to smile. ¡°So we meet again.¡± He was a strange man, and this was a strange meeting. Chapter 90 Mira was confused, she wasn¡¯t sure if the troll was just somehow able to speak the humannguage or if a human had transformed into a troll. ¡°Snowman? Is that you?¡± ¡°It is, Mira.¡± If it really was a troll, they would have captured her without conversation and tied her to the altar like the other captives. Thus, this troll was definitely the person she knew as Snowman. ¡°H-How did you be a troll? What did they do to you?¡± Seolughed. ¡°I guess you¡¯re shocked by my appearance. This isn¡¯t something that the Sulfur Skull Tribe did to me, but something I did of my own volition.¡± ¡°Why?! Why the hell would you want to turn into a fucking troll?¡± Snowman scratched his chin. ¡°I have to fit the part if I want them to let me in, no?¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because the trolls would just let me in if I look like this.¡± Mira was stunned, like a hammer had struck her head. However, before she asked any further, she quickly remembered a more urgent matter. ¡°C-Could you let go of me first though? I think my wrists are going to break.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. Did I hold it too tightly? I just didn¡¯t want to make any sounds as that would be troublesome.¡± The troll, which was in actuality Karen, slowly backed away after letting go. Mira lightly coughed before asking Seol another question. ¡°So¡­ Why are you here?¡± ¡°Why are you here then, Mira?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ to save Kibo¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m the same as well. I came here to rescue Hamun.¡± ¡°Then does that mean you n on fighting the Sulfur Skull Tribe too?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°With¡­ just four people?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mira shook her head as if she heard preposterous. ¡°Look, that¡¯s obviously impossible.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you also nning on just blindly charging at the altar with two people?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Mira then continued, weakly, ¡°It¡¯s because we had no choice¡­ This was the only option we had left¡­¡± ¡°To rescue Kibo, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°By the way, I met a man who seemed to be one of your party members.¡± ¡°W-Was he alive?¡± ¡°He was dead.¡± ¡°......¡± Their expressions grew dark. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. If I¡­ If I didn¡¯t bring everyone here¡­ this wouldn¡¯t have happened. If I wanted to kill myself, I should have just done it on my own¡­¡± Jirmo refuted her right away. ¡°Mira, this isn¡¯t your fault. We volunteered toe here because we all had a debt to repay to Kibo. Don¡¯t trample on the dead party members¡¯ honor. You can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Jirmo¡­¡± Jirmo then turned to Seol. ¡°We followed them to rescue Kibo, and we thought we were close to catching up to them. However¡­ after realizing that we were trailing them, they sent trolls after us.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ How many did they send?¡± ¡°It was¡­ just two trolls. Two trolls swept through close to twenty people on their own. Mira tried fighting while protecting the others, but ended up being pushed back by theirbined attacks.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°They¡¯re strong, those two especially. They weren¡¯t normal at all.¡± ¡°More importantly, the two of them were only another troll¡¯s subordinates.¡± Jamad showed interest after hearing that. ¡°Who? Did you get a good look at them?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. Other than the decorated clothes they wore, they had no special characteristics.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ then what about the two trolls who attacked you guys?¡± ¡°One of them used a long w-like weapon and the other used a big axe.¡± ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s Zoze and Kango. They¡¯re both skilled Sulfur Skull Tribe members.¡± ¡°Do you know them?¡± Seol asked Jamad. ¡°They¡¯re pretty good, but not to the point that we have to worry about them. They¡¯re just a pair of foul-tempered trolls. Rather, we have to be careful about the troll they serve.¡± ¡°Their master, huh¡­ Is there someone thates to mind?¡± ¡°Zando. The same troll who proposed this n.¡± ¡°Is he strong?¡± ¡°Somewhat? I¡¯ve never fought him myself so I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sure I would have crushed him if I fought him though.¡± Seol, after understanding the situation better, asked Mira a question. ¡°Mira, what do you n to do now?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°We n on heading to the altar. What do you n to do?¡± Mira felt emotions bubbling inside of her. After exiting Nevenia¡¯s borders, it had been one bad experience after another. Her allies had either been ughtered by the trolls or had scattered in fear, leaving her in the dark about their survival. Unfortunately, they were also unable to prevent the wooden cage carrying Kibo from reaching the volcano. It felt like the world was dragging her into the depths of despair. And now, just as she had be exhausted, Seol showed up. He then asked her a question. ¡°Do you wish to fight once more?¡± Mira supported her shaky legs with her handaxe before standing up. In her moment of desperation, herst and only hope extended its hands toward her, and she had no intention of letting go. Mira tightly gripped Seol¡¯s hand. ¡°Take me with you. Take me with you to the volcano.¡± Seol smiled. ¡°Then we¡¯ll need to prepare ourselves.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Close your eyes.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Huh?¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The chains that were supporting the altar of fire weren¡¯t ordinary chains. The chains were processed with shamanic spells to endure a lot of weight, and the chains themselves were also huge. Though only a few people knew about the chains¡¯ true origin, it was widely known that the chains were passed down from the Tribe Alliance¡¯s headquarters. And right now, a party was walking on those chains. It was Seol¡¯s party. As Seol¡¯s party was about to reach the altar, the guards shouted at them. ¡°Who are you?!¡± Seol, resembling a troll now, stepped forth. He then saw a few options. [[You have arrived at the Fire Altar¡¯s entrance. However, guards stand in your path. What do you do?] 1. Kill the guards before themanders realize it. 2. Ignore them and keep going. 3. [Required: Sleep Spell] Put them to sleep immediately. 4. [Required: Captive] im that you are currently transporting a captive. ¡­¡­] Seol raised the rope he bound Mira and Jirmo with. ¡°I¡¯m transporting a prisoner! Make way!¡± ¡°What? Are you telling the truth? Why is Zando not with you then?¡± - OMG Did they get caught? - Damn the guards are sharp! - Objection! Seol continued without even showing a hint of being flustered. ¡°We werete because we had to kill some stragglers.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol noticed that the guard wasn¡¯t fully convinced and began improvising. ¡°We don''t have time to waste here! If we end upcking offerings because a prisoner was transportedte, I''m going to bring it up when Zando asks me why." ¡°Argh¡­ fine! Come this way!¡± - Phew¡­ - I can¡¯t deny that Snowman has guts LOL - GRIFFITH!!! It was Karen, Jamad, Mael, Seol, Jirmo, and Mira. The party of six safely reached the end of the chain. Now, all they had to do was pass through the altar¡¯s entrance but the guard in front was suspicious of something. He was suspicious of Jamad. ¡°Hm¡­ Did we have a troll this big?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ He¡¯s about as big as Jamad from the Rock Mr Tribe.¡± ¡°Why are we talking about someone who¡¯s dead haha?¡± It was clear that Jamad was furious, just from looking at his expression, but Jamad tried his best to hide it. After all, the moment he killed that guard, their entire n would go awry. Though Jamad was furious because of them, it was also true that he was eye-catching due to his size. ¡°Well, regardless¡­ Did you guys not see it on your way here?¡± ¡°See what?¡± ¡°Ah, so you didn¡¯t hear about it? Magra ising to the altar with his army to receive Purga¡¯s blessing. I heard he was almost here, but I guess you guys haven¡¯t seen him yet.¡± Jamad¡¯s pupils shook greatly. ¡°Huh? Hey, you, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± "Regardless, the situation has be chaotic with Magra helping out in the ceremony. Zando is on edge because of the Old God Festival, so it''s crucial to be cautious." ¡°Thank you. Goodbye.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ You can leave already. I want to have fun with the prisoners.¡± ¡°...Are you hurting them?¡± ¡°Only those who are disobedient. I¡¯m just making sure they continue to fear us.¡± The brutality of the Sulfur Skull Tribe was already notorious throughout the neighboring kingdoms. They were specialists in extracting information from prisoners through torture. However, in this situation, they were simply torturing for amusement and to set an example. Since Mira didn¡¯t understand trollnguage like Jamad or Mael, she had no idea what they were talking about. But it was also thanks to it that she was able to maintain herposure. ¡°Well then, good luck.¡± ¡°Yeah. Open!¡± Rumble¡­ A door was opened on the south side of the altar. After Seol¡¯s party safely entered the altar, the door closed behind them. Thud¡­ Jamad, after confirming that there was no one around them, slowly began talking. ¡°Look, there¡¯s a problem.¡± ¡°Yeah, this is very dangerous¡­¡± ¡°The additional army is also a problem, but Magraing here is the biggest problem. Do you know who Magra is?¡± ¡°...An elder of the Tribe Alliance.¡± ¡°There really is nothing that you don¡¯t know. Then you must also know what this means, right?¡± The Troll Tribe Alliance. It was a group with a deep history behind it. Though it had many smaller groups within it, if one had to choose a representative entity, the immediate pick would be the Council of Elders. The Council of Elders wasposed of monstrously powerful elders from the previous generation, each representing a different tribe. As they were formed to ensure the health of the alliance, rather than leading the future of the alliance, they were essentially the symbol of the Tribe Alliance¡¯s strength. ¡®...I never expected Magra toe here.¡¯ Magra was a renowned shaman in the Council of Elders, representing the Sulfur Skull Tribe. ¡°It means that if we fail, we¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Saying that means nothing¡¯s changed. Alright, let¡¯s go. Mael, the central axis is going to be on the lowest floor.¡± ¡°Understood. I will find it immediately, then head to the altar.¡± After entering the altar, they split up into three parties. Jamad continued to act as if he was transporting the captives, Mira and Jirmo, while Mael ventured off on his own. Meanwhile, Seol and Karen had to proceed stealthily, ensuring they wouldn''t get caught. The n went like this¡­ While Jamad, Mira, and Jirmo rescued the prisoners, Mael would destroy the central axis of the altar, causing chaos, before rendezvousing with Seol. During that time, Seol and Karen had to prepare a path to where the Old God Festival was being held. It was a simple n, but one that could go awfully awry if a single thing went wrong. Even so, Karen looked calm. ¡°By the way, Master¡­ you look awfully ugly right now.¡± ¡°You do too, Karen.¡± ¡°Woah, this is my first time ever being called ugly. So this is what it felt like¡­ I¡¯m beginning to feel sorry for Jamad now.¡± - What did Jamad do to you LMFAOOO - Other trolls think Jamad is handsome, alright?! - In fact, he¡¯s even better looking than me! - ¡­Really? Good luck, dude¡­ They continued their conversation while heading down the stairs. Since there were many trolls talking to each other here, it looked very natural. ¡°By the way¡­ Do you remember ourst conversation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to remember specific conversations because you talk so much.¡± ¡°Argh¡­ I can¡¯t deny that. Regardless, it was during the Fog Ghost thing.¡± - There¡¯s only one way I can be sure of myself. When I arrive at the end¡­ the world would be a better ce then. ¡°I remember it.¡± ¡°What you said then¡­ I think you were right.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t someone who acts to save the world.¡± Karen wasn¡¯t wrong. Seol¡¯s party wasn¡¯t here to save the citizens in ce of Nevenia, or because he felt sympathy for the poor people of Nobira. It was solely for Hamun. He was risking danger to save someone useful to him. ¡°But the funny thing is, your actions do create a better world.¡± If Seol were sessful in this Adventure, he would end up preventing the Sulfur Skull Tribe from attacking Nevenia and also saving the captured citizens of Nobira, whether he intended to do it or not. Seol wasn¡¯t actively trying to save the world, but his actions did create a better world. It seemed like the path he intended to take was also such a path. ¡°So? What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± And then¡­ Rumble¡­ [Fire Altar¡¯s central axis has been offset.] ¡°It¡¯s a sess! Mael did it!¡± It made sense why Seol trusted Mael''s ability. Mael had just gone to the control room alone and offset the axis. Mael showed skills expected from someone who was Seol¡¯s first helper. Rumble Rumble¡­ Armed trolls flooded down the stairs. It was obviously to find the person that offset the axis, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to find Mael. After all, Mael was extremely confident in the role he was given. After the flood of troll soldiers went down the stairs, a troll arrivedte. He found Seol and Karen¡¯s actions strange. ¡°What are you two doing? Did you not hear Zando¡¯s orders? Why are you dawdling here?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because¡­¡± Unsheathe¡­ [Karen is no longer affected by the Potion of Camouge¡¯s effects.] [You are no longer affected by the Potion of Camouge¡¯s effects.] Karen smiled as she swung her sword. ¡°We¡¯re headed up.¡± At the Fire Alter, a ce where horrible events were about to unfold, a crack was formed. However, for now, it was just a small crack. Chapter 91 The Fire Altar was generally open, but here, inside of a secret room, two trolls were talking. The first was the Sulfur Skull Tribe¡¯s leader, Zando, and the other was the Troll Alliance¡¯s elder, Magra. ¡°Hahaha! I would have never expected you to listen to my request, Magra.¡± Zando, a red-skinned troll with a skull tattoo across his face, reached his hand out towards Magra who was wearing a robe. Magra bluntly rejected his offer as if he was dissatisfied. ¡°Let''s skip the greetings. You needed my help, and I epted your call for assistance, nothing more, nothing less. However, do not expect too much from me. I am not in a position where I can involve myself with the tribe¡¯s matters anymore.¡± "Of course, of course! Do you truly believe that I would ask for too much when the only reason the Sulfur Skull Tribe was able to grow this much was thanks to you?" ¡°Hmph. Zando, you¡¯ve only gotten better at sweet-talking. Do not act so lightly. Why aren¡¯t the othermanders present?¡± ¡°Because this must be donepletely by my own powers. It¡¯s obvious that if I receive help from the othermanders, the tribe¡¯s elders will im that I only became chief through the glory of my bloodline.¡± ¡°...That is reasonable. I pray that you have the ability to aplish it.¡± It wasn¡¯t clear why Magra was so irritated, but he gazed upon Zando¡¯s gorgeously decorated room ufortably. Zando, the Sulfur Skull Tribe¡¯s chief and high priest, read Magra¡¯s mood before continuing. ¡°After Jamad was defeated by the mysterious adventurer named Snowman, the Rock Mr Tribe has lost all of its powers. It feels like I¡¯ve removed the tooth that was causing me toothache. After all, the Rock Mr Tribe was a nuisance in our tribe¡¯s path.¡± ¡°Jamad, hm¡­ You are talking about a child in the same generation as you, no?¡± ¡°Yes. More urately though, he was in the same generation as me. He has now returned to the old gods¡¯ side.¡± ¡°It seems like you are quite pleased that the child is gone now.¡± ¡°How could you tell? Wouldn¡¯t it make sense for me to be happy when a futurepetitor for the leader of the glorious Troll Alliance dies? Furthermore, he was always opposed to my ns and was filled with distrust toward the old gods! Rather than someone like him¡ª¡± m! Magra mmed the table. ¡°......¡± As he did, he also gave Zando a look. A look that screamed that he could no longer stand Zando¡¯s disrespectful behavior. ¡°...Elder?¡± ¡°You are still so immature, Zando.¡± ¡°I am no longer at an age or position where I must try to answer riddles.¡± ¡°I am saying that you can never surpass your limits.¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t quite understand.¡± A dangerous, roaring fire burned in Magra¡¯s eyes. He then scolded Zando¡¯s foolish actions. ¡°Trolls are a lonely race. No one tries to coexist with us.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just because they¡¯re scared of us?¡± ¡°Let me ask you a question then. Do you want the other races to be scared of us?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? Do you think I¡¯m a fool?¡± ¡°...What a shame.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°...Jamad should not have left this world so early.¡± Magra spoke honestly. He remembered Jamad. Jamad overcame numerous obstacles at a young age through his own strength before climbing to the position of chief. - Hmph, I n on surpassing our limits. I won''t be bound by your antiquated rules. Someday, I''llpletely transform the alliance! I will rule everything in this world, be a king who rules through respect, not fear! The old gods are nothing more than indifferent obstacles standing in my way! ¡®He was the fresh blood that the alliance desperately needed.¡¯ The Troll Tribe Alliance. While some looked down on the trolls, few dared to look down on the tribe alliance. The alliance was a massive entitybining many massive tribes like the Mountain, Sulfur, Waterfall, Cloud, Lightning, and Whirlwind tribes. It was an organization based on shamanism and the old gods. Though it was an extremely powerful organization, it had a critical w. Their innate wildness. Trolls were quick to anger, and quick to crumble. It was impossible to be strong if one couldn¡¯t control their own heart and instincts, and as such, these limitations defined the trolls. That was the reason why trolls were more often regarded as beasts than equals by other races. They had a repeated history of humiliation. So, how ridiculous would it have been when Jamad, as a young troll, imed that he would surpass those limitations embedded with such a deep history, one that affected their entire race like a gic disease? ¡®...Jamad, I cannot believe your grand dream has only amounted to that much. To think you left this world so quickly¡­¡¯ Zando carefully read Magra¡¯s mood before speaking. ¡°Urm¡­ Magra?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about what I just said. Is there something you want? What about the sacrifices?¡± ¡°We have already prepared them at the altar.¡± "Alright. Even though this isn''t originally something I should involve myself in, I will ept your request." ¡°Thank you!¡± And then¡­ Rumble Rumble¡­ ¡°Wh-what was that?¡± Zando shouted in shock after one side of the altar lost its bearing. ¡°What is going on?¡± A troll soldier then quietly approached Zando before whispering. ¡°It¡­ It seems like something has happened to the altar¡¯s central axis. The connection between it and the chain has been affected.¡± ¡°The central axis was fine, so why did it suddenly act up?¡± ¡°Well... that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Tell me!¡± The soldier gave Magra a nce before whispering something to Zando. ¡°There seems to be¡­ a rat at the altar.¡± ¡°What? And who is it?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know precisely who it is yet¡­ But we did send some of the soldiers who were in the middle of inspection there.¡± ¡°Hmph. Good work. Since you said it¡¯s only one person, it should be resolved soon. Regardless¡­ How did they know to attack the central axis? Are they an insider? How dare they test the Sulfur Skull Tribe? We need to find out who they are!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Magra quietly waited for Zando¡¯s conversation to finish. Despite the shaky temple, Magra seemed to stand unfazed, maintaining hisposure. Zando looked at Magra and tried his best to not go against him. ¡°I apologize, Magra. There are enemies terrified of our actions and¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t mind it at all. However, I am concerned about their intent.¡± ¡°What?¡± As Zando knew that Magra was not the type of person who spoke lightly, he carefully paid attention to his words. ¡°If the central axis is offset, someone needs to endure the altar¡¯s weight with their shamanic energy while it¡¯s being repaired. And who do you think would need to endure that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably me¡­ Zando.¡± Slide¡­ Magra¡¯s eyes were aze. ¡°It seems like they were trying to tie you down¡­ It makes me worried as this happened right as we were about to begin the Old God Festival.¡± ¡°What do you think they¡¯re aiming for?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t judge since we don¡¯t know who they are yet. However, there is a possibility that this is just a distraction. What a cheeky n.¡± ¡°I apologize. I can¡¯t believe this happened just when you visited, Elder¡­ I am so embarrassed that I want to hide in a hole.¡± ¡°Maintain yourposure. Now that you are the tribe¡¯s chief, you must be bold.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± Zando was d that Magra did not say much after that. He then tried continuing the conversation. ¡°If we can just create a foothold within the Nevenia Kingdom, I, Zando, will¡ª¡± ¡°Zando.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Magra, once again, cut off Zando. ¡°It seems like it¡¯s on my mind.¡± ¡°What is¡­¡± ¡°The temple¡¯s intruders. What are they aiming for? Even if they are able to tie you down through offsetting the central axis, it¡¯s pointless unless they can achieve something within that time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re just trying to dy our ns as much as¡­¡± Zando stopped himself as Magra gave him a displeased look. ¡°Kango! Zoze!¡± ¡°Grrrrrr¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Magra!¡± Kango was a warrior who was controlled by his instincts. His pure strength alone was incredible. Zoze was someone who controlled Kango and was a troll practically serving as Magra¡¯s right-hand man. These two trolls were also the same individuals who ughtered Mira¡¯s group. ¡°Go downstairs. If there are any problems¡­ solve them.¡± Zoze nodded. Zando gave a big smile and weed their action. ¡°If Zoze and Kango are taking action, there¡¯s nothing to worry about! Let us show our enemies true despair.¡± ¡°Hmph. You can¡¯t make your move just yet when you¡¯re the chief of the Sulfur Skull Tribe. Do not worry about it and focus on regaining control of the central axis.¡± Zando happily nodded. ¡°Thank you so much, Magra.¡± ¡°Yeah, as long as you know.¡± Magra half epted Zando¡¯s gratitude as if something was bothering him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It feels like¡­ It feels like I¡¯m forgetting something.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Rumble¡­ Rumble¡­ As the trolls dispersed to find Mael, Jamad and Mira¡¯s party arrived at the prison the Sulfur Skull Tribe were keeping their prisoners. ¡°Sob¡­ Sob¡­ No¡­ Stop it¡­¡± ¡°Let us out! Please! Please!¡± It was a ce filled with screams and cries. Mira looked at the captives with rage-filled eyes. ¡°Oi, who are they?¡± ¡°Prisoners who got left behind. They¡¯re to be used for the Old God Festival.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± The troll, who seemed to be the prison guard, approached Mira. Huff¡­ Huff¡­ ¡°Her skin looks tender. Almost to the point that using her for the Old God Festival would be a shame¡­¡± ¡°...Do you eat humans? Isn¡¯t that just an old tradition?¡± Jamad asked in return. ¡°Hahaha¡­ You can¡¯t go back after you¡¯ve had a taste. Their unique smell¡­ the smell of weaklings¡­ it makes my blood boil whenever I smell it.¡± Jamad looked around. ¡°Regardless, are you the person in charge of the prison?¡± ¡°I am. Ah¡­ I got it. If you get on my good side, I¡¯ll give you a chance to have a taste too. It¡¯s hard right now, because it¡¯s the Old God Festival, butter¡­¡± ¡°So you¡¯re in charge?¡± ¡°I told you, I am.¡± ¡°Then¡­ It''s fine.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Jamad quickly reached out his hand and grabbed the troll by his head. ¡°H-Hey¡­¡± ¡°Thanks for the key.¡± CRUSH! A troll who had been grinning near the cages quickly stood up after seeing what Jamad did. ¡°Y-You¡­¡± ¡°Hrgh!¡± Mira released herself from her binds in an instant, grabbed her handaxe near jamad¡¯s waist, and threw it. Fwoosh! Psshk! ¡°G-Grghhh¡­¡± Thud. Jamad handed Mira her other handaxe. ¡°We have two keys. It seems like they¡¯ve split up the prison into two areas because they have a lot of prisoners. I want you to take care of this ce.¡± Nod. ng. Jamad handed over the key and left. Mira then headed toward the cages. ¡°M-Mira! Is that you, Mira? How did you¡­¡± ¡°Mira¡­ sob¡­¡± ¡°Everyone¡­ So you were all alive.¡± ¡°You idiot, why did youe here?! Did youe here to die? And what was that troll just now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this right now. Where¡¯s¡­ Where¡¯s Kibo?¡± And then¡­ ¡°Mira, behind you!¡± Fwooooosh! ¡°Krgh¡­ Krghhhhh¡­¡± Arge w pierced through Jirmo¡¯s chest, and he was immediately split into two. Stter! Jirmo had died in an instant. Mira then red at the person who did it. ¡°Jirmooooooo! You¡­ You bastard¡­¡± ¡°Were there more rats? I guess it was a good decision toe here as well. So, you are that girl from back then.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying right now, but I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Zoze had appeared in the prison. The odor of the blood made Mira dizzy. Fwirl! aaang! She swatted away Zoze¡¯s w with her handaxe. ¡°I felt it back then too, but you¡¯re pretty good!¡± aang! ng! Mira noticed something after her first battle with Zoze. From what she could tell, Zoze was slightly stronger than her. ¡®At this rate, I¡¯ll lose¡­¡¯ She was exhausted from her pursuit and felt light-headed as she hadn¡¯t had a proper meal in a while. Continuing this fight would only result in her loss. That was why¡­ During the beginning of the fight¡­ She had realized that her only chance of victory was to wait for an opportunity where her opponent let their guard down. Think short, act bold. It was one of Kibo¡¯s teachings. SLASH! [ILikeBeingAlone used Double-edged Sword.] [Damage increases by 50% for 30 seconds.] [Afterward, damage will decrease by 50% for 20 seconds.] [ILikeBeingAlone used Gnawing Fangs.] [The selected target will not be able to dodge for 2 seconds.] [Zoze, the Bloodied, has been selected as the target.] ¡°Wh-what?¡± Dash! 2 seconds. She had tond an attack on Zoze within that time. However, it was impossible to attack him while dodging all of his attacks. ¡°Haha!¡± Fwooosh! As Mira had already lowered her stance, there was nowhere she could go to dodge the attacks other than backward. But there wouldn¡¯t be a second opportunity if she did. As such, she pressed on. ¡°You¡­¡± Stter! Zoze¡¯s w scratched her left eye. Despite the pain, she still kept her eyes open. And right now, she was looking at Zoze¡¯s neck with her two furious eyes. Strike! Her handaxe was embedded in Zoze¡¯s neck. ¡°Krgh¡­ Krah¡­¡± Strike! ¡°Die! Die!¡± Strike! Strike! Thud¡­ [You have defeated Zoze, the Bloodied.] [You have received additional rewards.] ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± The cut she received on her eyelid would definitely be a scar. But it was fine. After all, she was still alive. [ILikeBeingAlone¡¯s Double-edged Sword activates.] [Damage decreases by 50% for 20 seconds.] Grab! When Mira grabbed the handle of her handaxe in Zoze¡¯s neck, she felt another presence. ¡°Grrrr¡­¡± ¡°God damn it¡­¡± Kango had appeared as she was trying to pull it out. She no longer had any means left. Kango had discovered her. ¡°Graaaaaah!¡± FWOOOSH! Kango swung hisrge axe and charged at her. Even though it was obvious that this would result in an awful fate, Mira didn¡¯t close her eyes. And then¡­ Grab! A huge hand suddenly grabbed Kango¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Kango. How¡¯s the old man?¡± ¡°Grr¡­ Grr?¡± ¡°Well then, farewell.¡± Jamad mmed Kango¡¯s head into the ground. CRUUUUUUSH! Crack¡­ Jamad, after defeating Kango in an instant, spoke to her. ¡°Hurry.¡± The crack was gradually bing bigger. Chapter 92 Thanks to Jamad defeating Kango, Mira was able to barely keep her life. Mira couldn¡¯t help but be shocked after Jamad saved her. ¡®I thought he was just one of Snowman¡¯s summons¡­¡¯ Despite willingly injuring herself in a desperate fight against Zoze, Jamad managed to defeat the axe-wielding troll, who was as strong as Zoze, with a single powerful blow. Even if it was a surprise attack, Mira couldn¡¯t fathom how powerful Seol actually was. She only knew Seol as someone skilled enough to take on Heka, this was the first time she had seen anything specific about his powers or abilities. It was also through Seol that she learned people could transform into trolls and make them their servants. ¡®How strong¡­ is he actually?¡¯ Even though she didn¡¯t know how many summons Seol had exactly, if they were all as powerful as Jamad, he would probably be the strongest transferee. Obviously, Mira didn¡¯t know every transferee. Still, that was the feeling she got from him. ¡°Hurry! Quickly! ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± She did not expect to form an organic connection with a troll like this and to feel safe after being saved by him. She also didn''t expect that troll to be a special one made from shadows. Today was filled with things that Mira couldn¡¯tprehend. Click. Creak¡­ ¡°I-I thought I was going to die.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mira! I¡¯ll pay you back for this.¡± ¡°But that troll¡­ is he on our side?¡± The captives stretched their backs as they stood up, relieved they were now free. And as time went on, Mira freed more and more people. Click. She even freed them from the strange restraints around their neck with a key disyed near the cells. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­ I couldn¡¯t use my skills because of that.¡± ¡°Those damned monsters! They took all my equipment!¡± ¡°What do we do now?¡± The freed prisoners chattered amongst themselves with hesitation, resembling lost ducklings. They all seemed unsure of what to do unless someone issued orders. ¡°Follow that troll. He¡¯ll protect you.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°You can trust him. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I wouldn¡¯t have made it here either.¡± ¡°He looked incredible then, too¡­ If he¡¯s on our side, then it¡¯spletely doable!¡± Mira then approached Jamad and asked, ¡°Would it be alright if I went looking for Kibo?¡± ¡°Do as you please. We need time until everyone¡¯s freed anyway.¡± ¡°...Thank you.¡± ¡°Hmph. You already yed your role the moment we entered the altar without getting caught.¡± What kind of troll even helped alleviate the burden on a person¡¯s heart? Mira thanked Jamad¡¯s consideration and passed the key to someone else. After that, she approached a middle-aged man who seemed to have a clue about Kibo¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°Where is Kibo¡­¡± ¡°He was¡­ He was dragged in that direction. I think they did it because it seemed like everyone was following him¡­¡± Mira ran in the direction before the man could even finish. Jamad quietly continued freeing people while remembering Seol¡¯s orders. - We have to find Hamun. Don¡¯t forget why we came here, Jamad. Since Seol came here to rescue Hamun, falling short in rescuing Hamun would practically make this Adventure a failure. Since Seol learned through Mael about the power one helper could have on an Adventure, he requested Jamad to ensure Hamun''s safety. ¡°Hmph¡­ how annoying¡­¡± Jamad kept opening cells, freeing multiple people, in search of Hamun. Jamad still somewhat remembered what he looked like. Since the cells were dark inside, he couldn¡¯t tell who was inside until he opened it. Click. Creak¡­ ¡°Th-thank you, S-Sir Troll!¡± ¡°We¡¯re alive! We¡¯re alive!¡± ¡°Sob¡­ I thought we were going to die¡­¡± They had various reactions as they were freed from the cells. However, in the deepest corner of the cell, someone was hesitating and didn¡¯t leave immediately. ¡°Look, stop being so slow. We¡¯re still in their headquarters.¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize. I was just thinking about something¡­¡± ¡°That voice¡­¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve heard that voice before?¡± Creak¡­ Jamad bent the steel bars. It was to properly check who was inside. ¡°Kyaaaaa!¡± ¡°H-He can do that?¡± They were all in fear of Jamad¡¯s incredible strength. Jamad practically tore off the cell¡¯s walls to check who was inside. And when he saw who it was, he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s you, Hamun. I¡¯m d that your head¡¯s still attached to your body.¡± ¡°Do you know me¡­ Wait, a shadow? If you¡¯re a shadow, then¡­ Snowman!¡± ¡°Yeah, Snowman sent me.¡± ¡°Oh my god! Why would you guys cross the border to¡­¡± "Why do you think we did this? It''s because the person who requested us went and got himself kidnapped, didn''t he?" ¡°N-No way¡­ Did you reallye here for me? Even though you could die?¡± ¡°We dide here for you, but saying that we could die is an exaggeration.¡± Only Seol and his party could say something so arrogant in the Fire Altar. ¡°Anyway,e out already.¡± ¡°By the way, I think I heard Mira¡¯s voice too earlier¡­ Where is she?¡± ¡°She went to find Kibo.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Hamun¡¯s face turned pitiful, simply looking in the direction he assumed Mira went. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No one¡¯s returned after being dragged away by them. It worries me quite a lot.¡± ¡°...It¡¯s not like worrying changes anything.¡± Click. Creak¡­ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * While Jamad and Hamun were having their conversation, Mira also arrived at the ce where Kibo was most likely at. Though she ran into a few trolls on her way, she was not so weak that she had to waste time on trolls who weren¡¯t Zoze or Kango. After all, she was also one of the strongest people in Nobira. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The smell of blood. The sticky smell of blood oozed out of the door. She had looked everywhere else. This was the only ce she hadn¡¯t checked yet. She didn¡¯t check this room first because she was nervous. Nervous that this blood could belong to Kibo. Because if, by chance, Kibo was already dead¡­ She didn¡¯t know what she would do. Click. Click. The door was locked. BAAAAM! She forcefully kicked down the door. It reeked intensely of blood. ¡°Bwrgh¡­¡± If her eyes were telling the truth, the things on the floor were human limbs. She tried her best not to step on the cold, lifeless body parts and passed through them. ¡°Kibo¡­ Kibo, I¡¯m here.¡± Stick¡­ The sticky blood clung to her boots. She then saw corpses all over the room. It was clear that they endured painful torture before they died. Nothing about their bodies was intact. Please¡­ Please¡­ Please don¡¯t let Kibo be here. She then resolved herself before bravely taking one step at a time. ¡°...Is that you, Mira?¡± However, her wishes did note true. ¡°Kibo? Is that you, Kibo?¡± ¡°Come¡­ closer, Mira.¡± She walked toward Kibo, who was sitting on a chair clearly designed for torture. ¡°Why did youe here?¡± ¡°Because when I came back¡­ Sob¡­ You were¡­ You were kidnapped.¡± ¡°You idiot. I knew you were dumb, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be dumb enough toe here. What about your party members?¡± ¡°They all died¡­ because of me.¡± ¡°Did you force them toe with you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t, but¡­¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. Ruin hunters weren¡¯t meant to live long anyway. It¡¯s enough that they could choose where they died.¡± Even in a horrible situation like this, Kibo was still calm and poised. And the more he acted that way, the more it pained Mira. ¡°You hurt your eye¡­ It must have hurt a lot. You can put yourself into dangerous situations, but you should¡¯ve tried your best to not get any scars on your face.¡± ¡°Sob¡­ Sob¡­ Grgh¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not what¡¯s important right now¡­¡± Mira couldn¡¯t hold back her tears anymore. It was because of Kibo¡¯s appearance. All of his fingernails were ripped off, and he was missing a few fingers too. But more importantly, more than anything, both of his legs were cut off. ¡°I¡¯m fine. But the trolls were pretty good. I don¡¯t remember when thest time I screamed was¡­ The styptics were painful, but they at least did their job and stopped the bleeding.¡± ¡°Kibo¡­ Ahhhh, Kibo!¡± Kibo patted Mira¡¯s shoulders as she fell to her knees, sobbing loudly. And then, he slowly told her something. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, little wolf.¡± ¡°Sob¡­ Sob¡­¡± ¡°The world is not brimming with hope like what the few empty transferees im. It is a ce where people¡¯s beliefs sh with others, and emotions only get in the way.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re the wolf now, Mira. I, your faction member, am hurt. Are you just going to cry when you¡¯re the leader?¡± You¡¯re the wolf now. It was like a dagger straight to her heart. The scar on her eyepletely changed her childish looks. Now, she really had to be a wolf. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll bring a cart.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Creak. Mira, remembering there was a cart nearby, went and brought it back. Kibo then stretched his arms forth. ¡°Load me into it.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Mira lifted Kibo then ced him into the cart. It was something she couldn¡¯t even think about doing before. Kibo was as big as a giant before, but now, that his legs have been cut off, he felt so small. Only because of that was Mira able to load him into it. ¡°What do you think? I¡¯m pretty light now, no?¡± ¡°...Don¡¯t make meugh.¡± ¡°The new captain is so harsh, hahaha¡­¡± Creak¡­ Creak¡­ Mira pulled the cart toward the other prisoners. Though people were talking to them, and about them, Mira and Kibo could only hear each other like they existed in their own world. ¡°Mira.¡± ¡°Are you really going to call your captain by their name?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ You got used to it so fast.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you wanted?¡± ¡°I did. I¡¯ve met and gone through many different captains in my life, but the ones who stayed the longest were always the cheerful ones.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not going to die, right?¡± ¡°You keep saying that almost like you want me to die. I¡¯m not going to die, you brat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief, old head. Even if it¡¯s like this¡­ I¡¯m d that you¡¯re alive. Let¡¯s go back to Nobira, no matter what.¡± Kiboughed. Through the many ups and downs in his life, this might have been the most sincere he everughed. ¡°This reminds me of something¡­¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re not trying to call me a horse, are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I just think that this situation is a lot like life.¡± Kibo then continued. ¡°If the journey is difficult, then all you have to do is lighten the load a little. It bes a lot easier once you do.¡± ¡°.....¡± ¡°Losing my legs is also just something like that.¡± ¡°Sob¡­¡± ¡°So don¡¯t cry, little wolf.¡± * * * [You have sessfully rescued all of the survivors.] [Rewards are being arranged.] [The Linked Adventure continues.] [You can only collect your rewards after all of the Adventures have been cleared.] When Mira arrived with the cart, everyone was in shock. ¡°K-Kibo¡­¡± ¡°How could this be¡­ How did you¡­¡± ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m not dead yet.¡± ¡°What should we do? Should we just try to escape the volcano now?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me? You should be asking Mira and the troll here.¡± ¡°Because¡­ A-Ask Mira?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve stepped down from being the captain. I know it was already separated, but Mira¡¯s seeding my ruin hunter group.¡± Mira looked at Jamad. Jamad nodded back. She then looked at the freed prisoners before sharing her intent. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ one thing I haven¡¯t told you guys yet. Right now, the Sulfur Skull Tribe¡¯s reinforcements have nearly arrived.¡± ¡°Th-then we should escape immediatel¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s toote to escape. Not only is it difficult to escape, but if they chase after us, the majority of you will die since most of you can¡¯t fight.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ S-So we¡¯re going to get imprisoned again?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want that! They¡¯ll kill us! Sob¡­¡± Jamad and Mira once again locked eyes before nodding. Since Mira was the one to exin the situation, Jamad had to suggest the alternative. ¡°We won¡¯t be heading down. We also won¡¯t be escaping either.¡± ¡°H-Have you lost your mind? What the hell are we going to do then?!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be heading up. Our only solution exists there.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mira exined to them what theirst resort was. ¡°We will be heading to our ally. We need to hurry! He¡¯s our only way out of here!¡± If their n went as expected, Seol should have arrived at the top by now. There was a path. It was definitely there. Chapter 93 Zando was sessfully stabilizing the central axis of the altar. However, this did not resolve everything. "Damn it. How could you not find even a single rat?" ¡°I-I apologize! I will notify you the moment I hear anything!¡± Zando, the high priest, continued to work, despiteining. Fwirl! GLOOOOOOOW! The fire-shaped tattoo on his face lit up like a me. re! Smoke surged out of him as he cast his spell. ¡°Hrmm¡­ Hrmm¡­¡± Rumble Rumble Rumble¡­ Thud. Zando nned to search the entire altar and locate the rat himself the moment he fully set the central axis. ¡°Magra, I apologize for letting you down. It seems like my subordinates have yet to find the rat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Themanders should be med for not being here.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± ¡°With a situation like this, I should just investigate it myself. Weirdly, I haven''t heard anything from Zoze and Kango yet¡­ It¡¯s very strange.¡± Zando turned his head. ¡°Have you not realized it yet, Magra? It¡¯s obvious what they¡¯re aiming for. What else would it be but me?¡± ¡°Are you implying that they are using the chaos to aim for your life?¡± "Of course. If they knew about the central axis''s existence, it would have been easy to also assume that I needed to use my powers to prevent it from falling. And our foes nned on killing me while I was defenseless!" ¡°...It definitely is logical. But what about the armory, the military warehouse, or the shaman warehouse? Wouldn¡¯t they be in danger too?¡± Zando nodded. ¡°I agree, but it¡¯s a necessary sacrifice. If our enemies attack that, then it means I''m just as much safer. Since it¡¯se to this, we should also dy mobilizing the soldiers a little bit.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± ¡°This is a bit embarrassing to say as the chief of the Sulfur Skull Tribe, but¡­ I request that you protect me until I canpletely stabilize the central axis.¡± ¡°That is not a hard request at all. Who would even attempt to kill you when I¡¯m here?¡± ¡°Thank you! It won¡¯t take too long for me to put it back into ce. The postponement of mobilizing soldiers. The eptance of a moderate amount of sacrifice. The moment their actions solidified, the situation became much simpler. All they had to do was turtle up, and protect Zando. It wasn¡¯t as if they had to mobilize the soldiers right away, and it wasn¡¯t time for the Old God Festival either. ¡®Hold on¡­ the Old God Festival?¡¯ Magra¡¯s quick wits realized the opening created by the n. ¡°Is there anyone at the Sacred Fire?¡± ¡°Some soldiers were dispatched there. The priests there are alsoing here before it gets too dangerous.¡± ¡°If they¡¯re aiming for the Old God¡­¡± ¡°How would they know about its existence, much less the way to summon it? I think you are worrying too much, Magra.¡± Zando wasn¡¯t wrong. The only people who served the Old Gods in Pandea were the trolls and other old races. ¡®Hold on, something¡¯s off?¡¯ Magra couldn¡¯t let go of that uneasiness in his heart and kept thinking to himself. Since they¡¯ve infiltrated the altar, they were poised tond a critical blow regardless of their actions. But then, a messenger interrupted his train of thought. ¡°Zando, the reinforcements are close to arriving!¡± said the messenger. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s a bit troublesome to let them in during such a messy time.¡± However, a second messenger arrived, skyrocketing their anxiety. ¡°Zando, there¡¯s a big issue!¡± ¡°What is it this time?¡± ¡°The sacrifices¡­ the sacrifices have been freed and have attacked the armory! They¡¯ve stolen weapons and are climbing up!¡± ¡°Damn it! I knew they were aiming for me!¡± ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s not it. You¡¯re not their objective, Zando. They aren¡¯t aiming for you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Magra¡¯s energy med up like an explosion. ¡°It¡¯s the Sacred Fire! We have to block them!¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Magra¡¯s hunch was correct. His worries were true. The soldiers guarding the Sacred Fire were in incredible danger. ¡°E-Enemies!¡± ¡°They¡¯reing here!¡± ¡°We have to notify Zando¡­ Damn it! He¡¯s blocking the door!¡± Seol and Karen were blocking off the path to the Sacred Fire. FWOOOOSH! [You have defeated Sulfur Skull Sacred Fire Guardian.] [You have gained experience.] Slice! [You have defeated Sulfur Skull Sacred Fire Guardian.] [You have gained experience.] The trolls near the Sacred Fire were elite monsters, requiring at least two yers to kill. However, Karen was killing those same monsters in one hit like she was a mixer. - Is she really killing elite monsters on her own like it¡¯s nothing? - She¡¯s not alone ?? She has a summoner with her - Summoner (Cheerleader) - Karen: My pet is cheering for me! As Seol cleaned up the trolls near the Sacred Fire, he saw messages pop up. [You have sessfully rescued all of the survivors.] [Rewards are being arranged.] [The Linked Adventure continues.] [This Adventure is very dangerous.] [You can only collect your rewards after all of the Adventures have been cleared.] ¡®Jamad must have seeded.¡¯ Everything so far was going ording to n. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 14th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 14. Pierce the mes] [Adventure 14. ¡®Pierce the mes¡¯ In a strange twist of fate, the residents of Nobira, the Ruins City, were kidnapped and transported to the Yognatun Volcano. Although they had initially given up on escaping, they were all freed thanks to your help. However, you are still at the Yognatun Volcano. Much remains to be done before you can confidently dere their rescueplete. You and the survivors are left with only one option. Escape from Yognatun by any means necessary. Objective: Kill the Chief of the Sulfur Skull Tribe or have at least 70% of the survivors arrive in Gulia. Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Remaining Time [167:59]] Seol was fine with it, since he expected the new Adventure¡¯s objective to be something like this. He skimmed the contents before concentrating on what was before him. The Sacred Fire existed on the top floor of the altar. It was a dangerous floor where everything, other than the floor, was open. ¡®I¡¯d die if I fell off from here.¡¯ Since he would be falling into bubblingva, it was clear that even his bones would melt. Even though one would expect security to be tough, given the location essentially being a building''s ceiling, it wasn''t difficult at all. ¡®Did Zando recall the soldiers to protect himself? It seems like the Sulfur Skull Tribe¡¯s chief this time is inexperienced.¡¯ As a result, Seol practically ran into nobody. 10 minutes. It didn¡¯t even take 10 minutes for Seol to ughter all the trolls in his path and arrive at the top of the temple where the Sacred Fire was. There was still plenty of time until the central axis was fully recovered. ¡°Defend the Sacred Fire!¡± ¡°Hmph! How dare you sully this sacred ce!¡± Even though the talking experience points tried to stop Karen, they were all easily cut like stacks of hay. [You have defeated Sulfur Skull Sacred Fire Guardian.] [You have gained experience.] The dead trolls all died with their eyes open in shock, like they couldn¡¯t believe they died so helplessly. ¡°Hm¡­ He should be arriving soon.¡± ¡°Were you looking for me?¡± ¡°...Mael.¡± ¡°So you weren¡¯t surprised.¡± Before Seol realized it, Mael was standing behind him. ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t worry, I saw him flinch.¡± ¡°How did you get here so fast?¡± ¡°With just a few shamanic spells and twists of the terrain, it was simple to avoid the rushing soldiers. However, I am worried. The soldiers who went down to catch me might also go to check on their captives¡­¡± ¡°Jamad¡¯s with them, so it should be fine.¡± Mael nodded. ¡°Then I will begin the ceremony right away.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± As they approached the Sacred Fire, Seol saw options. [[You are at a sacred location of the Sulfur Skull Tribe. What do you do?] 1. Destroy the brazier containing the fire. 2. [Required: Avenger] Turn the fire over. 3. [Required: Fire Pocket] Transfer the fire into the Fire Pocket. 4. [Required: Shaman] This is a ce where Sulfur Monkey Purga, an Old God, holds their ceremony. Go through the shamanic procedures to hold the ceremony. 5. [Required: Troll Language] Read the words written on the altar. ¡­¡­] Mael gathered his hands and began murmuring something. After a while, he then grabbed a dagger near the Sacred Fire before handing it to Seol. ¡°Pour your blood into the fire.¡± Slice With a stinging sensation, Seol¡¯s blood dropped into the brazier. Fsssss¡­ - World¡¯s 1st Adventure carried by a helper. - Seriously, Mael has insane value LOL I can¡¯t believe getting him some mushrooms snowballed into this. - I guess he¡¯s good at rolling snowballs since he¡¯s Snowman! HAHAHAHA! - I really want to punch something now¡­ Maybe I should punch your face? re! The fire shook after taking in the blood. Seol then repeated what Mael told him. "Oh, mighty fire! Oh, zing sulfur! Oh, Wild Purga, dormant in this volcano, reveal yourself to us, humble beings!" Bubble¡­ Bubble¡­ Bubble¡­ Suddenly, theva that the altar was hanging on started bubbling. And then, a whirlpool formed before the skies, and the earth shook. FWOOOOSH! ¡®Urgh¡­ that¡¯s hot.¡¯ Theva transformed into arge monkey of fire. It then approached the brazier. [You have witnessed an extraordinary being.] [Your Wisdom permanently increases by 5.] Boom! Frsss¡­ ¡°Krgh¡­¡± It was indescribably hot, and the pressure from Purga felt like it was pushing down on their entire bodies. If it wasn¡¯t for the Mael¡¯s protective spell he ced on Seol ahead of time, he would have screamed. Purga yfully approached Seol. ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing you, child. So, what made you so fearlessly wake me up?¡± Each one of Purga¡¯s words felt like lightning strikes to Seol. ¡°Purga, ept my offering!¡± ¡°Offering? Hahahaha! You¡¯re not the sacrifice, are you? Or maybe¡­ it¡¯s all of you?¡± Purga''s words were like a hammer practically banging on Seol''s head. By now, everyone in the altar, including Zando, would have realized that something must have transpired at the Sacred Fire. re! ¡°This is my offering.¡± Seol pulled out something from his inventory. [[Atarak¡¯s Heart] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg The heart of Atarak, thest descendant of Anachindria, an ancient spider. Though it has stopped beating, the ancient blood remains there faintly. However, this treasure¡¯s use is very limited. Bonus Effect: Cannot be determined.] Seol acquired this in the previous Adventure. But because he couldn¡¯t think of an appropriate ce to use it, he held onto it. It was Atarak¡¯s Heart, a heart containing ancient blood. Purga scratched his chin while inspecting it before giving a loud, heartyugh. ¡°Hahahahaha! Pretty good, it¡¯s pretty good! Yeah, you can definitely wake me up for something like this. Well then, I won¡¯t decline such a nice gift.¡± aaaaare! Arge fire took Atarak¡¯s Heart from Seol. And then, there were options before him. [[Purga, a Wild God, has appeared. What do you do?] 1. Taunt it. 2. Attack it. 3. Ask questions about ancient knowledge. 4. [Required: Summoning Magic] Ask questions about ways to increase one¡¯s summoning powers. 5. [Required: Spirit Magic] Ask questions about news rted to the Spirit Throne. ¡­¡­] After confirming there was an option to receive something for the item, Seol shouted at Purga. ¡°I want something as a price for the offering!¡± ¡°Hm¡­ this blood¡­ It''s excellent. Fine, what do you want?¡± [[Purga has asked you for what you want. You must choose your answer carefully.] 1. Tremendous wealth. 2. Purga¡¯s Sulfur Soldier. 3. Destructive power. 4. Move the Fire Rain. ¡­¡­] Many optionsy before Seol¡ªthirty varied and distinct choices. As he scanned through the possibilities, he found exactly what he wanted. Seol smiled. ¡°Shadow! The Ghastly Shadow!¡± ¡°Your greed shall be etched in mes.¡± Purga pointed his finger at Seol, and a tattoo formed on Seol¡¯s face. ¡°Aaaaaaargh!¡± It felt as if his face was melting. Nevertheless, Seol persevered, holding onto his consciousness, and soon, he realized the pain was only temporary. Eventually, the pain subsided, leaving him with a refreshing sensation. [You have received the Ghastly Shadow¡¯s Grace.] [Your maximum Shadow Space is increased by 1200.] [Shadow Space has increased in elevation.] [You are now able to summon three Shadow Summons at the same time.] [You have earned the special achievement ''Fire¡¯s Grace''.] [You have earned the special title ''The Burning One''.] ¡®It¡¯s so much power!¡¯ Seol expanded his Shadow Space, elevated it, and could now summon more Shadow Summons simultaneously. Everything rted to shadows had increased overall explosively. It was a ridiculous increase in power. However, this was all a miracle made through incredible timing. Not only did he have an important treasure on hand, but someone else also prepared the altar beforehand. Even if Seol wanted to do this again intentionally, he couldn¡¯t. This was only possible because of the knowledge he held beforehand was utilized to its maximum ability. Furthermore, he realized once more that each and every Adventure was important. Even though he couldn¡¯t summon his powerful summons due to hisck of Shadow Space, he could now do it thanks to the blessing he received. Now, Seol could use all of his summons. Purga stretched as if it was satisfied and returned to theva. ¡°...Is it over now?¡± Everything that Seol just went through felt like a dream. Not only did he meet an Old God, but he also received a portion of its strength. ¡°Then now¡­¡± And then it happened. BAAAAAAM! Crumble¡­ ¡°Pretty good¡­ I bet you¡¯re also the ones who killed my subordinates, aren¡¯t you?¡± It was Magra. He had brought over ten trolls with him. He had also ignored the freed captives and rushed here. However, he soon realized that he was toote. He could do nothing more than re at Seol¡¯s back. Pull. Seol turned around and took his hood off. A fire monkey tattoo stretched from his face down to his neck. ¡°Magra, huh? How unlucky. Why did it have to be¡­¡± ¡°A human knows me? And why were you after the sulfuric fire?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s set things straight, alright? You¡¯re the ones who kidnapped my friends.¡± "So it was the sacrifices, I see. However, your luck ends here now that you''ve run into me. This volcano will be your burial ground." ¡°Luck? You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve always been the unlucky type, however¡­¡± A powerful energy poured out from Seol¡¯s shadow. Glow¡­ And then¡­ Fwirl! A blue knight made from shadows awoke. Karen shouted after seeing him. ¡°Karuna!¡± [Twin Knights: Karuna has finished being passed on everything.] [You have currently summoned both Twin Knights.] [Twin Knights¡¯ Connected Soul activates.] [The two summons¡¯ current stats are doubled.] [Twin Knights¡¯ Equilibrium activates.] [The two summons¡¯ stats are summed together and divided equally.] ¡­¡­. Incredible messages poured in. Seol ignored the ceaseless messages and looked at Magra. ¡°Because I¡¯m so unlucky, I prepare quite meticulously.¡± ¡°...You bastard.¡± Karuna ced Seol behind him and spoke while looking at Magra. ¡°It was too long of a sleep.¡± The small crack had grown to the point of arge canyon. Chapter 94 Simultaneously being able to summon both Karuna and Karen was a breaking point for Seol. Now, he could summon two Legendary-rank summons, which also have unique skills that apply when summoned together, at the same time. And now, there were two reasons why hisbat capabilities increased massively. First, obviously, was the change in Karuna. Karuna¡¯s overall ability improved massively after rising to Legendary-rank from Heroic-rank. Among the countless messages that popped up when Seol summoned Karuna were messages about his newly unlocked skills. Second, the Twin Knights had their stats increase due to the effects of Connected Soul. In fact, their stats were doubled. Karen, already Seol''s strongest summon, not only doubled in strength but also enhanced Karuna, who matched her in power, making him even stronger in the process. Seol couldn¡¯t lose now. However, Magra, who didn¡¯t know their strengths,ughed. ¡°Hahaha¡­ In the end, they are just shadows. Sure, confidence is a key to bing brave, however¡­¡± p! Magra took off his robes and tossed them aside. Beneath his robes was a thin, yet sturdy physique. Hmph! Unsheathe! Unsheathe! It was Seol¡¯s first time seeing such weapons. A symmetrical de attached to the end of the sword¡¯s handle. It was closer to a spear than a sword, but more interestingly, there were two of them. Magra held onto his strange weapons tightly. ¡°I apud your bravado, but it¡¯s futile before me, Magra.¡± aaaare! mes engulfed Magra¡¯s body and sword. [Magra, the Scorching, used Scorching Hell.] [All living creatures within the attack range suffer fire damage.] Seol looked at Magra¡¯s information with his Eyes of Perception. [[Magra, the Scorching] Rank: Legendary Estimated Level: 25~35 Magra, the Scorching, is a member of the Council of Elders in the Troll Tribe Alliance. It would not be an overstatement to say that the reason the Sulfur Skull Tribe became such a massive tribe, despite its barrennd, was because the skilled Magra was a part of their previous generation. Born with the energy of fire, Magra left a deep mark in the world around him and is revered as a legend amongst trolls. Basic Skills: [Unknown 2], [Scorching Hell 1], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 3], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 3], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 3], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 4] Unique Skills: [Unknown 2], [Unknown 3]] It was Seol¡¯s first Legendary-rank enemy. Though Seol wasn¡¯t shocked by Magra¡¯s rank as he expected him to be this strong, he still clicked his tongue. ¡®Are these the limits of Eyes of Perception?¡¯ Even though Eyes of Perception may seem like an all-powerful artifact, it was impossible to see information about an enemy who was much higher-level than Seol. Not to mention the fact that Seol hadn¡¯t even fully awakened it yet. Seol thought it was a shame that he couldn''t read all of his opponent¡¯s skills, but he didn¡¯t think he would lose because of it. ¡®As long as I have Karuna and Karen, I can win!¡¯ Step. Step. Karen and Karuna inched toward Magra. Even so, Karen seemed more excited than anything and tried talking to Karuna. ¡°Karuna, you know¡­¡± ¡°Focus on the battle, Karen.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always focused, alright? More importantly, it¡¯s about us. Do you remember how long it¡¯s been since west fought together?¡± ¡°...Before Montra fell.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Yeah, exactly! Then¡­ Why don¡¯t we see if your skills have rusted?¡± Immediately after, Magra¡¯s weapon crashed with their swords. aaaaang! Creak! Magra¡¯s weapon creaked as it struggled with Karen¡¯s ordinary sword on one side and Karuna¡¯s Breath on the other. Creak¡­ Creak! Magra looked shocked after their first move. It was because he realized how strong they actually were. ¡°Th-this strength¡­?! Wh-what are you?¡± This question was not for Karen and Karuna but for Seol. He was standing in the back with his arms crossed, observing their battle. ¡°An unlucky bastard,¡± said Seol, coolly. ng! Karen swung her sword diagonally, and Magra tried his best to quickly block it. ¡°Hrgh!¡± Kick! Karuna¡¯s kicknded perfectly during the opening Karen made. The kick lifted Magra¡¯s body into the sky. It seemed like even Karuna¡¯s kicks carried a lot of weight behind them now. Frsss¡­ Magra somersaulted backward from the impact and quickly took a stance. ¡°Haha¡­ Where did monsters like thesee from?¡± Magra looked worried. And Seol, seeing that, was confident in his victory. ¡®I won.¡¯ Seol¡¯s n was to initially prevent Zando from moving, followed by splitting into two parties. The first party would free the prisoners, while the other party used the Sacred Fire to receive the Fire¡¯s Grace and summon both Karen and Karuna. Even though their objective was clear, the process leading up to it was dangerous due to the rush caused by the time constraints. If it were someone else, just receiving the Fire''s Grace¡ªno, they might not even have an offering prepared to receive it. Still, even if, by some chance, they managed to receive it, facing Magra would still be beyond their capabilities. But Seol was different. The path that Seol had taken so far¡­ Through enduring all challenges in this grueling world, he had built up a substantial foundation. And his foundation became a strength impervious to any gust of wind. He had be so strong that with just a bit of help, he could clear through any storm before him. Though Seol himself didn¡¯t know how powerful he became, he realized it today. He was right. The fact that he was the only transferee who could easily defeat a Legendary-rank monster was proof of his efforts. ¡®Even if Magra is powerful, he can¡¯t fight them both at the same time!¡¯ If his opponents were Legendary-rank, he just needed two of them. CLAAAAAAAANG! Frsss¡­ Even the ground that Karen stood on was burning because of Magra. ¡°Fuuu¡­ This won¡¯t be easy.¡± Fwoosh! Hmph! Magra¡¯s sword, which was covered in an indecipherable ancientnguage, was instantly engulfed in a green will-o''-wisp. aaaare! [Magra, the Scorching, used Sulfur Shamanic Spell: Will-o''-Wisp.] [Will-o''-Wisp increases the damage from fire-attribute attacks by 80%.] Fwoosh! Karen and Karuna both moved at the same time. Karen swung her sword at Magra¡¯s upper body while Karuna aimed for his legs. They moved quickly and naturally, like they had done this countless times before, and were faultless in their technique. Fwooosh! Fwip! aaang! ¡°Krgh¡­ Let¡¯s slow down a bit, youngins.¡± ¡°Haha! We were going slowly, though¡­ Were we too fast for you?¡± joked Karen. Fwip! Magra pushed away their swords and rained down an avnche of will-o''-wisps at them to turn the tables. BAAAAAAAM! The two knights quickly backed off, dodging the mes, almost like they were trying to unt that they were capable of more. And then¡­ Magra looked at Seol. A chill ran down Seol¡¯s back. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ His assumptions were wrong. Seol was definitely the type of person who should trust their own gut. Especially so when it was something that made him uneasy. Boooooom! Frsssss¡­ In an instant, Magra shot out a fist-sized fireball from his hands at Seol. Seol stiffened up, unable to react. It was just that fast and unexpected. It also seemed like Magra was aiming for this from the start. Karen and Karuna, seeing his attack, quickly tried to return to protect Seol. This, too, could have been Magra¡¯s n as well. After all, it was easy to attack an opponent who has their back turned to you. But then, Karuna and Karen noticed something and turned back around to fight Magra. Fwip! Magra¡¯s fireball was quickly flying towards Seol, but¡­ Singe¡­ Someone received Magra¡¯s attack with their arms. It was Jamad. Jamad had quickly blocked Magra¡¯s sudden attack with his Mountain Fists, and Karen and Karuna turned back around after seeing him. ¡°Krgh¡­ that¡¯s hot, old pal.¡± ¡°Jamad? Weren¡¯t you dead?¡± ¡°I came back because I still had unfinished business.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ I see. But now, you¡¯re no different from a dog guarding a house now. Perhaps that was the perfect role for you all along? Is this all you¡¯ve gained from turning your back on the Old Gods and cozying up to a dragon? How pathetic.¡± ¡°Hanging around with a human is not too bad of a life, old man. After all, you have to start understanding others if you want to get their respect. Furthermore¡­¡± Karen and Karuna stood together in front of Seol, defending him. Jamad bared his teeth. ¡°Even though I might not like it, I¡¯ve gained new friends too.¡± Rumble¡­ ¡°M-Magra, they¡¯re climbing up the stairs.¡± ¡°Hold the line! We¡¯ll kill them all once our reinforcements arrive!¡± Magra continued to insult Jamad, but his face looked much more frustrated than Jamad¡¯s. Jamad quietly spoke so that only Seol could hear. ¡°Magra¡¯s a sly old man. You don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll try to attack you, so don¡¯t let your guard down.¡± Seol nodded as that was enough for an answer. A chill ran down Seol¡¯s back. Jamad then spoke to the twin knights. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of our weak master here, so go crazy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re damn reliable in situations like this, alright!¡± Karuna and Karen took more aggressive stances than before. ng. [Karuna has entered the 1st Stage of Moonlight Surge, Crescent Moon.] Gloooow! Flinch¡­ ¡°...What?¡± As Karuna¡¯s energy changed, Magra shouted loudly. ¡°I told you, we were taking things slowly,¡± said Karen. Magra¡¯s expression changed again. ¡°This is¡­ worrying. It makes me worry if I will be able to see tomorrow,¡± embellished Magra. Magra then also unleashed more energy. [Magra used Sulfur Shamanic Spell: Indiscriminate Fire.] [Indiscriminately ignite both allies and enemies around you and increase your Strength and Dexterity by 50.] FWOOOOOSH! Buuuurn¡­ Everything around Magra started melting. However, he wasn¡¯t just radiating heat. His speed and strength had also definitely increased. Rumble Rumble! aaang! Another sh. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Spurt! Blood spilled from Magra¡¯s arms, but he quickly flicked his body to kick Karuna. Kick! However, thanks to his sturdy armor, Karuna absorbed the blow and was only pushed back. Skid¡­ Thud! Karuna somersaulted a couple of times before standing up in position. Fwooosh! Magra¡¯s sword, no, his spear, was flying toward Karuna. ¡°Hmph! Too obvious!¡± As Karuna was regaining bnce, Karen quickly deflected Magra¡¯s sword upward. Kang! Thankfully, the sword was repelled. However, it returned right to him. ng! ng! Karen was slowly speeding up. CLAAAAAANG! ¡°Krgh!¡± ¡°Hahaha! How fun! It¡¯s been so long since I fought like this!¡± ¡°You monsters¡­¡± Fwirl! She relentlessly attacked, throwing fire and sword strikes at Magra. Fwoooooosh! aare! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± CLAAAAAAANG! Thud! Magra tried his best to push her back as she rained down attacks from all directions, but he only continued to get more and more bloodied. Hmph! As Karuna came to attack as well, Magra dashed behind. Magra, a Legendary-rank monster, couldn¡¯t evennd a proper attack and continued getting pushed back. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ I guess I¡¯m old, too, now. Where are they from?¡± ¡°Way over¡­ Ah, I guess you won¡¯t understand even if I told you. It¡¯s before you were born.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ How ridiculous. Do you even know how long I¡¯ve lived?¡± ¡°Still, it wouldn¡¯tpare to us.¡± Magra would not have understood even if they told him. After all, Montra was a fallen kingdom that had disappeared long, long ago. Magra licked the blood which dripped down from his wound. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know this, but this is an unlosable battle for us,¡± said Magra. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Zando is going to return the altar to its original state soon. And once he does, he and I will toss you into theva. You¡¯ve done well to push me this far, but your ns have gone awry the moment I bought this much time. Also, what will you do about the reinforcementsing to the altar? You cannot escape.¡± Seol snorted. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you made me worry for a second.¡± ¡°...Why are youughing?¡± ¡°Because all I have to do is destroy the altar. In the first ce, this fight was unloseable for us the moment I reached the Sacred Fire.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯d fall for your bluff¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Karuna¡¯s energy violently increased once more. [Karuna has entered the 2nd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Half Moon.] Glooooooow! Even though he was still in his 2nd Stage, Karuna glowed as much as he did when he entered his 3rd Stage before he met Karen. That was more than enough for Seol to see how much he had grown. Magra¡¯s pupils shook slightly. Still, he did his best to hide it. ¡°It¡¯s useless! Soon¡ª¡± ¡°Karuna.¡± ¡°Yes, Master?¡± ¡°Show him.¡± [Karuna has entered the 3rd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Full Moon.] GLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! A gargantuan amount of power expanded out from Karuna. It was like the moon had fallen to the earth. Magra trembled before him. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± He despaired. The unluckiest person at the Fire Altar was no longer Seol. It was him. Chapter 95 Karuna had be more than just strong. His energy had changed immensely. Magra froze after seeing it. Fwip! ¡°Me first!¡± Karen leaped into the sky and swung her zing sword down at Magra. Booooom! ¡°Krrrgh!¡± Karuna followed up by also pressing down on Magra¡¯s sword. Creaaaaaak! ¡°Aaaaargh!¡± Magra¡¯s feet dug into the ground before the floor broke, making him fall into the room below. Crumble! It was the beginning of the Fire Altar¡¯s copse. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Magra, with blurred vision, looked at what he thought to be Sulfur Skull Tribe¡¯s soldiers. ¡°Magra! Magra! What happened?! Please, wake up!¡± It was a familiar voice. A voice he had heard a lot recently. ¡°Zan¡­ do¡­¡± ¡°Magra, are you alright?! Where are they¡­¡± Fwip. Fwoosh. THUD! Karen and Karuna fell through the opening, followed by Jamad and Seol falling through the hole together. Swarm¡­ After Seol¡¯s party fell through the floor, the freed captives came as there was no longer a need to go all the way to the roof. ¡°Snowman!¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s okay! We¡¯re alive thanks to you!¡± ¡°Wh-what should we do now? Trolls areing up from below!¡± Magra weakly raised himself up. Fuuu¡­ His breathing was heavy. He had to put all of his effort into just trying to talk. ¡°Cough¡­ Z-Zando¡­¡± ¡°Magra! What happened?¡± ¡°...There¡¯s a problem. A very serious problem.¡± ¡°What is it? The impact just now offset the central axis again. I can fight once I reset it again!¡± ¡°No, the central axis is not what¡¯s important right now. Compared to this, the central axis could break for all I care.¡± Seol patiently waited for Magra. After all, nothing would change regardless of how the conversation progressed. Magra had a serious look on his face. ¡°The Fire Altar is finished. Your ns havee to an end as well, so don¡¯t waste time here. Swiftly return to the tribe and inform the alliance.¡± ¡°What? What do you¡­ Is it because of those rats?¡± Magra shook his head. It was an emptyugh filled with self-pity. ¡°They weren¡¯t rats. We underestimated them.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I may be old, but my intuition is still sharp. Today¡­ I will die.¡± ¡°Magra, the reinforcements have arrived! Now, they¡¯re¡­¡± "Shut up and listen, Zando! Reinforcements won''t be sufficient. They''d merely be headless punching bags! I may die today, but through my sacrifice, the Sulfur Skull Tribe will survive. Contact the alliance. Let them know that I even resorted to using the Forbidden Spells. Those crones will understand just by hearing that. We don''t have time, go! Go, now!" ¡°......¡± ¡°And¡­ if you are resentful about my death¡­ never forget the shadow, Zando.¡± ¡°Magra!¡± ¡°Stop! There is nothing more to talk about!¡± ¡°...Thank you.¡± Magra stepped forth, letting Zando run behind him. This was a first for Seol, too. He never expected them to run away. The more surprising thing was how Zando did nothing more than bite his lip in frustration, ordering his few remaining soldiers out. ¡°W-We should catch them¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have the luxury to be doing that.¡± It was because, despite having arge number of people, theirbat ability was entirely dependent on Seol. Since the Twin Knights had to face Magra and Jamad had to protect Seol, their numbers were too scarce to even think about tackling more. However, Seol could only think about this briefly as Magra conjured a massive fire, seemingly attempting to divert Seol''s attention from Zando¡¯s retreating figure. re! And then, Magra resolutely spoke. ¡°I, Magra, won¡¯t hesitate to use all my strength in my final moments. I hope¡­ that you can be a finepanion.¡± Grrsh. Grrssssh. Magra¡¯s small figure started to grow and inte. His loose, wrinkled skin started to fill with muscle, making it taut. [Magra, the Scorching, used Forbidden Shamanic Spell: Divine Transformation.] [Magra¡¯s physical and shamanic abilities are maximized.] [The Forbidden Shamanic Spell uses the caster¡¯s vitality as cost.] Riiiiip! Magra transformed into an appearance resembling Purga, a monkey shrouded in mes. His eyes rolled back, and he drooled, giving the impression that he lost consciousness. SLAM! His attack on Karen was much stronger than before, managing to even push her back. ¡°That old troll!¡± Karen swiftly swung her sword back, deflecting his sword away. Karuna used that opening to stab Magra with Breath. ng! It was a clear ringing sound. Magra easily blocked Karuna¡¯s attack once more then prepared his next attack. aang! ang! ng! Their swords shed countless times in just a few seconds. However, they were so closely matched that it was difficult to say who had the upper hand. Then, the altar started shaking. Rumble! Boom! As the battle between the Twin Knights and Magra continued, the altar shook violently. It was likely because Zando stopped supporting it. Magra, now in a trance, was incredibly fast. Crash! ¡°Harder!¡± Crash! ¡°Faster!¡± Ruuuuumble! ng! ng! It was a strange battle. ¡°Burn! Burn! Hehehe! Fire!¡± Magra was as fast as lightning and his strength shook the entire altar. Even though Karen and Karuna were at their strongest point, they couldn¡¯t injure him. ¡®No, that¡¯s not right either.¡¯ Karen and Karuna were definitely injuring him. It was just that Magra healed his injuries the moment they happened. It was clear that Magra would die without fail once his Divine Transformation skill ended. But then¡­ Booooooom! A corner of the altar shook intensely before the entire altar started shaking altogether. Creak¡­ Creaaaaak! The altar was copsing. ¡°Kyaaaa!¡± ¡°Everyone, hold on! Don¡¯t fall off!¡± ¡°The cart! Someone help the cart!¡± ¡°Grab my hand! Grab daddy¡¯s hand!¡± It was pandemonium. The dangerous situation made people clump together like one big mass. Seol then observed Magra''s eyes returning to normal, sending an ominous chill down his spine. ¡°Dodge!¡± Magra had saved his final card for the moment when the altar was copsing. Crackle¡­ ¡°Hahaha¡­ it¡­ is toote. You won¡¯t escape. Let us die together, shadow!¡± Fss¡­ Fssssss¡­ [Magra, the Scorching, used Forbidden Shamanic Spell: Fuse.] [In a short while, Magra will explode.] Fssssssss¡­ ¡°Haha¡­ Fire will consume everything before you can escape. This altar¡­ you¡­ everything.¡± Fwiiiiii¡­ It was as if Magra himself became arge, living bomb. Arge amount of energy was building up inside of him. It was the energy and powers he had built up his entire life. ¡°R-Run¡­¡± ¡°How¡­?! How are we supposed to run away?!¡± It was a dire situation, moments before death. ¡°S-Save me.¡± ¡°Save us, Snowman!¡± ¡°Please save us!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to die¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ Mom.¡± The freed captives all looked to Seol. It was because he had sown a seed of hope in them. Everything he had done for them seemed straight out of a fairy tale to those who believed they had no chance of surviving after arriving in Yognatun. It was like he was telling them that they could survive. To not give up. All of their gazes were focused on Seol. Right as Seol was about to speak, someone stepped forth. tter. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no choice¡­¡± ¡°...Karen?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you 99 points.¡± It was the gray knight, Karen. ¡°You filled it all up. All 100 points.¡± - Yeah, and if you get enough, I¡¯ll really treat you as my master. The sound of Magra¡¯s explosions filled the air. BOOOOOOOOOM! Fwiiiiiip¡­ And at the same time, Karen ferociously started spinning. [Karen used Fire Flower.] [Karen absorbs all heat within a certain radius.] ¡­¡­ It was a strange meeting. The knight of a fallen empire arose again at the hands of an ordinary Shadow Summoner. Not to mention, the fact that Shadow Summoner was far toocking. After giving Jin¡¯s head to the usurpers, Karen had turned to ash. Her immense rage and sadness burned all of her heart. But why, after so long, did she stand again? For the cold human who raised her from the dead? They began their adventure. As ever, she had no reason to live. Though Karuna was close enough to finally reach now, she still was empty. Her adventure with the summoner was¡­ not that bad. She was a shadow now, but she still had an appetite and the world was filled with delicious food. Foodpletely unlike the food in her time. The vors had be much more sophisticated and stimting. But the most memorable food to her, even now, was the food the summoner made for her. When she sat around the campfire and blew into her stew before eating it, it felt like everything else had vanished from the world. It reminded her of the dreams she used to have when she napped in her room, in the Montra Empire. It was like¡­ she had be an Adventurer. She was still Jin¡¯s knight, and still wanted to be one, but for the first time, she felt like bing an adventurer was not all too bad of an option either. She could feel herself wandering during her travels. ¡®Wandering? Me?¡¯ Wandering between what? Life and Death? Jin and the Summoner? ¡®No.¡¯ She refused to believe that she was wavering. She wanted to be Jin¡¯s knight, eternally. But in the Shade Canyon¡­ - You can fly away if you want, Koopa. The summoner petting the massive bird¡¯s neck was a mysterious individual. Her heart broke down at his words for some reason. Even though their travels onlysted a few months, she was sure of something. Regardless of wherever they went, people wanted him. - Thank you¡­ Thank you¡­ sob¡­ sob¡­ - We were saved... What a miracle! Some people called him their savior, their miracles. ¡®He looks normal in my eyes, though¡­¡¯ Everyone watched him. But those eyes¡­ It was a secret, but those eyes made her conceited. - Heroes arezy. They didn¡¯t save me. That was why Gunt¡¯s final words were like a dagger to the chest. Those words scolded her wandering heart. Even though the world¡¯s like this, I¡¯m still aszy as ever. ¡®No! I¡­ I just¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t know what to do. Even though she had the strength to do whatever she wanted, she didn¡¯t know how to use it. But the summoner was different. His expressionless eyes were always looking elsewhere. They were confident, like he knew the right path. And she was envious of that. She could no longer control her wandering heart. It was because she already knew. Seol was right. Even so, she still feared. At this rate, she would forget Jin. And if she forgot him, her most important memories would disappear too¡­ Turn¡­ The summoner petting the bird turned around. But it wasn¡¯t Seol. It was Jin. "So, have you returned to me, my ever-faithful knight?¡± ¡°Yeah, Jin.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still hesitant, as always. Yeah, that¡¯s definitely you. You need to recognize that you¡¯re stubborn.¡± She knew it too. She also knew that seeing Jin meant that this wasn¡¯t reality. Booooooooom! ¡­ren! Creak¡­ Creaaaaaak! It was much more painful in real life. It was hot. And that was painful. If she stopped for even a second, the mes would engulf everyone. But that¡­ was more painful. ¡®It hurts¡­¡¯ What is a hero? Were they a person who shouldered the pains of everyone else? Though she was proud, the pain made her consciousnesse and go. And whenever she separated from reality, Jin came closer. ¡°What answer do you want?¡± ¡°...Jin.¡± ¡°Karen?¡± ¡°...You said that emperors are made by the era, and the era is made by the people.¡± Karen¡¯s imagination of Jin nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± "So, when... when do you... when do you recognize that it is time for a new era, for a new emperor to be born?" ¡°You want to know how?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jin answered immediately. ¡°Follow their eyes.¡± ¡°Their eyes?¡± ¡°Eyes are the windows to the soul. You just have to see where they look.¡± ¡°Where they look¡­¡± Spiiiiiiiin! Obviously, there was no way Karen could see where they were looking as she spun to restrict the fire. It was impossible. But somehow¡­ she could. ¡®I see it.¡¯ They were all looking at Seol. ¡®No, are they looking at me?¡¯ She wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Was that a suitable answer?¡± ¡°Yeah, Jin.¡± ¡°...Karen.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ for everything.¡± ¡°Karen.¡± FLAAAAARE! Her ashen world began to fill with color. Her world was aze, as if she were incinerating all the pictures depicting the memories of her past. Creaaak¡­ aaaaare! Creaaaaak! Finally, she stopped spinning. It began to clear up like a clear sky pushing away the clouds, and Magra¡¯s mes gathered around Karen¡¯s disappeared sword. It was as if she was controlling the space around her. ¡°Haah¡­ Haaah¡­¡± ¡°Karen!¡± ¡°Her hair is¡­¡± Her hair had turned to red from the ashen color. She was finally, finally back. ¡°Hahaha! It looks like¡­ It looks like I can still burn!¡± She looked happy. And it was followed by silence. The altar had ceased copsing, it appeared as though the massive impact had reset the central axis. Karen smiled. ¡°Oh, summoner!¡± ¡°Karen¡­¡± ¡°I do not know. I do not know how to wield my strength or what I should vanquish with my sword.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Even so, I am aware that you do know. Therefore, I ask you.¡± Her smile vanished. ¡°Could you teach me the path I should take?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± answered Seol. Karen then quietly murmured to herself. "I, Karen, the 10th Guardian of the Montra Imperial Family, hereby relinquish my position as Guardian as of today. Thank you for everything thus far." Fwooosh¡­ A colossal fire birthed from Karen¡¯s hands and pointed at Magra. [Karen used Red Lotus sh.] [Its power cannot be controlled.] [Red Lotus sh is improved.] ¡°Goodbye, Jin. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Even now, Karen saw a phantasm of Jin in her eyes. But then, the fire spread to his phantasm. The phantasm of him began to distort, as if he were a photograph from her past, consumed by mes. He smiled. - You can fly away if you want, Karen. The phantasm finally disappeared. Fsssssss¡­ A warm energy filled the altar. [Awakening! Karen awakens a new skill.] [Karen awakens Exceptional Skill: Sunset Draw.] [Exceptional Skill: Sunset Draw is born!] Now, was the era of purification. The insatiable evil and all that had fallen would be devoured by mes. ¡°Kr¡­ Krrrrgh¡­¡± Magra screamed in pain as he was engulfed by the fire. The dawn of the new era had been weed with a beautiful sunset. Chapter 96 All of Seol¡¯s viewers got chills from Karen¡¯s courageous actions. [¡®Sacred Fire¡¯ has donated 700 Madness!] [Sorry, I just went crazy for a second¡­] - Damn it! I can¡¯t believe he took my Karen! I won¡¯t forgive him! - Now I¡¯ll have to take Snowman so I can take Karen too! - Sunset Draw¡­ ?? ?? ?? - Excuse me, do you have any room for more summons? I¡¯m potty trained, and I can eat anything. [¡®I can hear it¡¯ has donated 500 Madness!] [The sounds of your screams¡­ I might get addicted to your donations.] - Krgh¡­ I can¡¯t hold back¡­ (donating more) - Karen looks much better with red hair¡­ It¡¯s like she got younger. - Exceptional Skill! Everyone, look at that Exceptional Skill! It¡¯s so exceptional! - Seriously, there¡¯s finally a skill that would continue the legacy left behind by Rasengan and Rokuogan for little kids to shout¡­ Sunset Draw is so scary, too¡­ Words weren¡¯t enough to describe how powerful Karen¡¯s Sunset Draw was. Sizzle¡­ The power was neither explosive nor destructive. Its heat alone had simply destroyed half of the altar. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­¡± Magra coughed. ¡®He survived?¡¯ Despite taking that attack directly, Magra was alive. ¡®No¡­ this can¡¯t be considered ¡®alive¡¯.¡¯ Magra waspletely burned to a crisp, and his body was charred. His quick regeneration wasn¡¯t enough. His lips, hair, clothes, and many other parts of his body were missing. Magra¡¯s intestines and flesh were burnt as well, it was incredible that he was still breathing. ¡°...Look, Jamad,¡± said Magra. Seol didn¡¯t know how Magra could still speak, but he allowed Jamad to talk to him. ¡°This is crazy, you old crone. When will you finally kick the bucket?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ I¡¯m no different from dead anyway, so don¡¯t fret too much. I just wanted to ask you something before I died.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you¡­ still have the same thoughts?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that I don¡¯t change much, so I don¡¯t know which thoughts you¡¯re referring to, specifically.¡± Magra weakly continued. ¡°That nonsense about bing the king of everything¡­ Do you still n on bing it?¡± ¡°I was wondering what you were talking about, so it was that¡­ Well, I made a mistake and died once already, but¡­¡± Jamad smiled while baring his teeth. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°...You really are strange.¡± ¡°I hear that a lot as well.¡± ¡°Regardless, has¡­ Zando left?¡± ¡°He has.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­ It¡¯s a relief, but I do have one regret. I shouldn¡¯t have told him to remember it¡­¡± Magra could no longer make any expressions. His eyes were drifting away, barely managing to focus in Seol¡¯s direction. ¡°I should have told him to forget the shadow.¡± Seol and Jamad approached Magra slowly. Even in his final moments, Magra still made sure to say everything he needed to say. ¡°Human, I will not serve you. I, Magra, will not¡­ and have not served anyone.¡± Thud. And like that, Magra, the Scorching, was extinguished. [You have defeated Magra, the Scorching.] [You have defeated an Elder of the Troll Tribe Alliance.] [You have earned the special achievement ''Expedited Era''.] [You have earned the special title ''The One Who Opened the New Era''.] [Great Match! Karen awakens a new skill.] [Karen awakens ¡®Passive: Fire Control¡¯.] [Karen has earned the achievement ¡®Engulfed Fire¡¯.] [Karen has earned the title ¡®mes of Purification¡¯.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Jamad slowly walked toward Magra¡¯s corpse. He mocked Magra¡¯s final words. ¡°No, you will serve me, Magra.¡± Jamad gave an ominousugh. ¡°Wee your new master, me.¡± Frssss¡­ Jamad extended his hand out toward Magra¡¯s shadow. [Jamad used Shamanic Absorption to absorb Magra¡¯s shamanic spells.] [The target is higher ranked than the caster. Shamanic Absorption could fail.] ¡°Haha! You¡¯re quite tenacious, old man! It¡¯s pointless to resist. Give me everything you¡¯ve got!¡± And then¡­ Surge¡­ Suuurge¡­ Jamad¡¯s muscles rippled as if he had been struck by a truck. [Jamad has failed to absorb Magra¡¯s shamanic spells.] [Jamad receives recoil damage.] ¡°Guaaaaargh!¡± Jamad appeared noticeably different from usual, indicating that the situation was dire. aare! A red me slithered through his shadow. Jamad was lit on fire as if oil had been poured all over himself. ¡°Krgh¡­ Krgh¡­ Th-that¡¯s hot! My entire body¡­ is so fucking hooooot!¡± The smell of burning flesh filled the air. The fire continued to burn, and it ate away at Jamad¡¯s sanity. [Jamad has failed to absorb Magra¡¯s shamanic spells.] [Jamad receives recoil damage.] ¡°Guaaaaaaaargh!¡± The firepletely consumed Jamad. Seol remembered hearing that the most painful death was to be burned alive. Jamad lost focus in his eyes because of the pain. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Did you¡­ Did you think that I, Jamad, would give up?! Jamad is the mountain! I will not waver, old troll! G-Grraaah! Let¡¯s see who will win in the end! In the end, I will win.¡± As it went on, Seol only became growingly worried. ¡®It¡¯s dangerous!¡¯ Even simple matters could go awry if one tries to force it. So, it was obvious that problems would happen if Jamad tried to forcibly absorb the spells of a powerful shaman like Magra. re¡­ ¡°Jamad¡­¡± Thud¡­ Jamad took a knee. Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ The only thing that resembled Jamad now were his hazy eyes. ¡°...on me.¡± Seol believed that Jamad had lost consciousness after enduring pain for so long. However, Jamad continued to mutter, under his breath. ¡°Don¡¯t look down¡­ on me.¡± [Jamad has failed to absorb Magra¡¯s shamanic spells.] [Jamad receives recoil damage.] aaaare! Who was he saying those words to? Who was the troll, taking a knee from the pain of being burned alive, speaking to with such difficulty? Seol believed that Jamad was either talking to himself, his ancestor, or to Magra who had turned to mes. ¡°I told you¡­ to not look down on me. I, Jamad, did not be a mountain overnight. I gathered rocks and sand to be a mountain¡­¡± Sizzle¡­. The mes grew stronger. It was almost like it rejected what Jamad said. [Jamad has failed to absorb Magra¡¯s shamanic spells.] [Jamad receives recoil damage.] Seol patiently waited for Jamad. ¡°All of my ancestors were idiots. They sold off their intelligence¡­ and trust because they were charmed by the old gods¡¯ strength.¡± It was now clear that Jamad was talking to Magra. Magra had turned into mes and rejected Jamad¡¯s Shamanic Absorption. It seemed like he was asking Jamad if he had the right to take his powers, if he had the qualifications to seed his strength. ¡°I, Jamad, am different. I am different from those idiots! I¡­ I shall be king through my powers alone!¡± Thud. Jamad fell to both knees from the pain. However, his closed eyes made it look like he had reached peace instead. Jamad quietly spoke on his knees like a priest, like a monk. ¡°Therefore¡­ I, Jamad, shall reach the truth¡­ for why the stars were born¡­ and for why I was born.¡± Jamad¡¯s hazy eyes started glowing. Sizzle¡­ He stood up. ¡°And to do that, I need the power you left behind, Magra.¡± aaaaare! A massive firepletely consumed Jamad¡¯s body. ¡°Jamad!¡± But this time, there were no cries of pain. The mes engulfing Jamad now were embracing him. ¡°Haha¡­ you old troll¡­ if you were going toe around like this in the end¡­¡± The countless messages that followed after that made Seol dizzy. [Jamad absorbed Magra¡¯s shamanic spells.] [Jamad, the Tyrant, has improved to Jamad, the Volcanic.] [Jamad¡¯s rank is improved to Legendary.] [Your summon can now use all of its original strength.] [Rock Armor has improved to Volcano Armor.] [Earthquake Stance has improved to Volcano Stance.] [Jamad awakens Passive: Moving mes.] [Jamad awakens Passive: Heat and Warmth.] ¡®Oh my god¡­¡¯ In the first ce, Seol never expected to use Magra as his summon. Even if Seol¡¯s Wisdom was high, there was no way he could turn Magra into his shadow without the support of something else. Furthermore, Magra used his final words to refuse bing a summon. Even if Seol did have another dish he could use, like the time with Karen, he would have hesitated in reviving Magra. However, Jamad was able to solve his problem. It was by devouring Magra¡¯s powers himself. Though Jamad went through tremendous pain from the recoil, in the end, he managed to absorb Magra¡¯s powers. But the result was more surprising. ¡®I can¡¯t believe the summon penalty is gone now¡­¡¯ Shadow Summoners had to invest a lot of skill points into their main skill, Shadow Summon. They had to invest two, then four, then eight skill points to enhance it. Since the skill was difficult to enhance, it was also, therefore, difficult for summons to recover their original strength. But through absorbing Magra, Jamad was freed from those restrictions entirely. Not only that, his stats had likely improved from the improvement in rank too. ¡®I should look at it all once we¡¯re back.¡¯ Not only Jamad, but Karen and Karuna too. His summons had all gotten stronger. But this wasn¡¯t the right ce to inspect it all. ¡®Fuu¡­ Regardless, there¡¯s a lot of things to do now.¡¯ As Jamad savored the feeling of using Shamanic Absorption, someone approached Seol. ¡°Snowman¡­ it¡¯s over now.¡± The person who approached Seol was Mira. Seol nced at her before approaching the cart carrying Kibo. ¡°We n on heading back to Gulia. Since it seems like most of the trolls left, we probably won¡¯t be tracked down.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow you soon after, too.¡± ¡°This would have been impossible without you¡­ all of the other survivors think so, as well.¡± Seol nodded before hurriedly interjecting like he had realized something. ¡°Kibo¡­ No, I have something to request from all of the survivors.¡± ¡°Anything. We¡¯ll do anything for you, tell us.¡± ¡°Could you¡­ leave my name out of this?¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean? How else would it make sense without you?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d do anything?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Are you perhaps worried about receiving attention from Nevenia?¡± Seol simply smiled in response. Kibo¡¯s intuition was correct. Snowman had nothing to gain from spreading his name in Gulia. Not only that, interest from Nevenia¡¯s military authorities afterward would cause trouble for his future Adventures. ¡®I could get dragged into the military or forced to take on a mission. And if that happens¡­ it¡¯s all over.¡¯ Seol could not refuse orders from a kingdom, especially since he didn¡¯t have the ability to do so right now. In the early stages of one''s Adventures, it was always better to avoid entanglements with the affairs of a kingdom. ¡°...Everyone heard that, right?¡± ¡°But how¡­¡± ¡°I-Isn¡¯t¡­ that impossible? No one in Gulia would believe us.¡± ¡°Then is what Snowman did for us believable?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°See? It¡¯s unbelievable either way, so let¡¯s just do as he wants. It wouldn¡¯t be too hard toe up with a story if we all work together. It doesn¡¯t have to be believable, either. Nevenia doesn¡¯t want things to escte anyway, so we just have to give them a story that they could believe.¡± The freed captives nodded and approached Seol, thanking him. ¡°Th-thank you so much. I can¡¯t believe you came here to save us when Nevenia abandoned us, too¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get this straight though! He came here for Hamun, hahaha!¡± ¡°Still, we were saved, weren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°We were.¡± ¡°I will be thankful to you for the rest of my life. My family thinks the same as well.¡± Seol felt incredibly awkward from this situation. Mira approached Seol for a few words as well. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. You''ve achieved simply as much as the effort you''ve put into it. The thing about Kibo, though¡­ is a shame.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be sad when he¡¯s alive andughing. If it wasn¡¯t for you, Snowman¡­ wait, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Kang Seol.¡± ¡°Kang Seol¡­ I¡¯ll remember it. Rather, it might be harder to forget it. Seol, I¡¯ll see you in Gulia.¡± ¡°What? See me?¡± ¡°Do you not want to? It¡¯s not that important, but I have something you must see.¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± Seol and the survivors agreed to move separately. Now that Seol knew Hamun was safe too, Seol told Hamun that he wanted him to go to Gulia with the other survivors. Seol nned on traveling back to Gulia through the secret tunnel made near the border by the Sulfur Skull Tribe. He chose to take the tunnel back as he had to destroy it regardless, and crossing the border normally could raise suspicion. And if he wanted to arrive at Gulia with aparable arrival speed as the survivors, he had to move quickly. ¡°Master, how was it?¡± asked Karen,ughing. Since it had been long since she and Karuna were reunited, she had been talking with Karuna for a while before finally returning to Seol. ¡°It¡¯s a nice view.¡± ¡°Yeah, an abomination like this doesn¡¯t belong here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Karen smiled. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Seol then saw messages. [The dreadful scheme that was nearly set in motion at Yognatun Volcano has been stopped.] [Secret Labyrinth ¡®Ruined Fire Altar¡¯ has opened.] [Secret Labyrinth ¡®Yognatun Sulfur Area¡¯ has opened.] [Snowman''s great achievements have caused changes in the world.] [Large and small changes happen in Pandea, The World of Eternity.] [The residents of Kongory, the Free City, sleep peacefully after hearing this news.] [The residents of Fortress Gulia sleep peacefully after hearing this news.] [Pandea¡¯s power bnce braces for change.] [Faction: Sulfur Skull Tribe shrinks away.] [Faction: Troll Tribe Alliance shrinks away.] [All yers can now select the ¡®Investigating the Details¡¯ Adventure from the base.] [All yers can now select the ¡®Border Defense¡¯ Adventure from the base.] [You have acquired Adventurer Points.] [You havepletely destroyed the Fire Altar.] [You have received additional rewards.] [You have discovered treasure that Zando left behind in a hurry during his escape.] [You have received additional rewards.] [Rumors about the Sulfur Skull Tribe¡¯s defeat spread through the neighboring kingdoms.] [The Nevenia Kingdom shows interest in this incident.] [The Setenia Kingdom shows no reaction to this incident.] And the final message¡­ [You have defeated the leader of the Sulfur Skull Tribe.] [Sulfur Skull Loot has been generated.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] As Karen was about to open the treasures like she always did, Seol shouted. ¡°No!¡± Chapter 97 Karen blinked a couple of times after hearing Seol scream. ¡°Are you¡­ mad at me right now?¡± asked Karen. ¡°I¡¯m not. It¡¯s just a bit troublesome to open that here.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± It was because once the rewards chest was opened, a time limit, separate from the Remaining Time, was introduced. And once either the new time was used or if Seol chose to end the Adventure, they would be transported to their location. ¡®But it would be dangerous if we did that.¡¯ It was because Seol¡¯s current rest location was Audenin. Even though Seol could have selected Kongory as his location when he came north, as he wanted to choose Gulia as his location, he skipped changing his location entirely. As a result, Seol¡¯s current location was still Audenin, which was far away from here. ¡®And if I were to be transported to Audenin, the Expedition System would trigger again.¡¯ Considering how much difficulty Seol facedst time, when he took the Expedition System lightly, it was clear that transporting all the way to Audenin would be like willingly stepping into hell. After all, Seol still had things to do in Nobira too. Seol ced his hands on Karen¡¯s shoulders. ¡°We can confirm it once we arrive in Gulia.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Karen groaned, struggling to move the box. ¡°It¡¯s a bit big, though?¡± ¡°Move, elf. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Jamad lifted the Sulfur Skull Loot over his shoulder. ¡°Woah¡­ thanks.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Since Seol needed to make the most out of his Remaining Time, he quickly went on his way. They had much to do left. Seol¡¯s party quickly left the destroyed Fire Altar and returned to where they came from. Not too long after, they managed to return inside Nevenia¡¯s borders through the tunnel that the Sulfur Skull Tribe made without crossing the border or passing through Gulia. Rumble¡­ Mael murmured in an unfamiliarnguage. Not too long after¡­ Ruuuuumble! Crumble Crumble! The tunnelpletely copsed, creating dust. Mael and Seol¡¯s party were uninjured as they already knew what Mael would do to it. ¡°Is it over with this?¡± ¡°Though it¡¯s unclear how they discovered the opening here, it¡¯s clear that the Sulfur Skull Tribe used this gap to prate their defenses. But now that this tunnel haspletely copsed, it will take them several months to repair it.¡± ¡°And Gulia would be properly prepared for them before that.¡± ¡°Since the freed prisoners have given their word to us, I¡¯m sure they''ll do it fine on their own.¡± Since Seol hadn¡¯t passed through Gulia initially, heading to Gulia directly from Yognatun¡¯s direction could have the guards use Seol with the crime of illegally crossing the border. However, if Seol headed to Gulia from within the border, he didn¡¯t need to worry about anything. ¡°It seems like my role is finished now.¡± ¡°Thank you for everything, Mael.¡± ¡°It was thanks to you that I was able to enter the outside world, Snowman. You do not need to thank me. Well then, I should take my leave.¡± ¡°Are you going to leave right away?¡± ¡°Since the future I worried about was solved splendidly, there is no more reason to remain here.¡± ¡°Where are you going to go then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I might leave Nevenia and head to the west, though. I heard new ruins were recently uncovered there.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re the same as always. We¡¯ll be able to see each other again, right?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± responded Mael while smiling. Mael then continued. ¡°I shall be there whenever you need help. Hopefully, my shamanic spells and ability to read the stars haven''t rusted by then. It may be convenient, but it is wrong at times." ¡°I¡¯ll see you again, Mael.¡± ¡°Yes, I shall see you again, Snowman.¡± Mael then lifted his bag, filled with an assortment of herbs and books, before disappearing into the horizon. Though his appearance may look humble to many, his power was undoubtable. ¡°We received a lot of help from him. He was pretty good.¡± ¡°I have a good eye, after all.¡± After Mael disappeared, Seol¡¯s party began going on their way to Gulia. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A few dayster, at a guardpost in Gulia, located in northern Nevenia¡­ The rxed guards shouted at a couple of travelers walking toward their post. ¡°Halt!¡± The guards were curious about the identity of the slightly unique travelers. The first traveler was Seol, and the other was Karen, carrying a huge cloth-covered chest. ¡°A-An elf?¡± The temporary identification card Kibo made for Karen when they were in Nobira was a huge help for them in situations like this. ¡°No issues here.¡± And with Karen cleared, Seol had nothing to worry about. ¡°Hm, all fine here as well. Since we¡¯ve confirmed your identities, we won¡¯t search that chest you¡¯re carrying.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°But have the rumors spread that far already?¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The rumors about the Sulfur Skull Tribe¡¯s defeat. I bring it up because a lot of travelers arrived to visit the nearby Fortress Gulia a couple of days ago, but even more came yesterday." It seemed like the survivors arrived safely at Fortress Gulia. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah, something like that.¡± ¡°Rumors spread fast, I guess. Anyway, Patrick seems to be searching for trustworthy Adventurers, so maybe you can look into that.¡± Seol smiled back. ¡°Thank you. Goodbye.¡± And like that, Seol arrived at Gulia on time. The first thing he did was find amodation to let Karen put down that heavy chest. Thud. ¡°Argh, damn, that was heavy,¡± said Karen, annoyed. ¡°Hey, you only carried it from Gulia¡¯s entrance to the room. I carried it from Yognatun to Gulia,¡± said Jamad from the Shadow Space. ¡°Regardless! It seems like we have fewer people in our party now that Mael¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Are you sad about that?¡± Karen then responded while touching her now-red hair. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sad about. It was the obvious conclusion.¡± ¡°Still, we would be traveling to Nobira with Hamun, so it won¡¯t be too lonely.¡± ¡°That old man¡¯s way too calm to get attached to. And even without him, we already have four people. Right, Karuna?¡± ¡°If Karen spoke a bit less, no one would think that we were a party of four.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Exactly! That elf talks for four people¡¯s worth.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ I¡¯m not going to talk anymore.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said that five times today already.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t count it, you fucking troll!¡± Even though only Seol''s summons surrounded him, the atmosphere was lively. In fact, if people heard the soundsing from this room, they would never have imagined that someone was doing it alone. ¡°I think¡­ we can open it now.¡± ¡°You know, I wanted to open it so badly that I thought I would die.¡± ¡°We were fortunate that Karuna was here to stop her. If it wasn¡¯t for him, she would have opened it while you were asleep.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to not snitch on each other to master?¡± ¡°Was there really such a rule? I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Seol found it ridiculous that they were establishing rules with each other as if it were a game show. Regardless, there was a reason that Seol came all the way to Gulia first before opening the Sulfur Skull Loot. Once Seol opened the Sulfur Skull Loot, the Remaining Time would decrease before transporting Seol to Audenin instead of Gulia. And as such, he nned on opening the rewards chest after setting Gulia as his destination. Karen then raised her hand like a child trying to ask the teacher a question. ¡°Master! Could I¡­ Could I open the chest?!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Click¡­ Gloooow¡­ Light poured out of the rewards chest. What was unusual this time was that the chest was significantlyrger than any of the chests Seol had opened before. [You open the Sulfur Skull Chest.] [You have leveled up.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [You have received skill points.] [Affluent¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have acquired Gaiters of Swift Recovery.] [You have acquired Ring of Grace.] [You have acquired Fire Monkey.] [You have acquired Firewood Boots.] [You have acquired Cape of Deep Slumber.] ¡­¡­ There were many more items than usual. ¡°Woah¡­ There were this many items? No wonder it was so heavy!¡± ¡°I know, but I was the one who carried that, elf.¡± ¡°Yeah, I could tell even just by carrying it a little.¡± - Why is she so bold when someone else did everything LMFAOOO - Karuna! Stop her! Since Seol had to leave for Nobira soon with Hamun, he went through the items quickly. First was the Cape of Deep Slumber and Gaiters of Swift Recovery. The two were rare-quality items and Seol gave them to Karuna and Karen respectively. There were also a pair of leather and steel boots. The two were treasure-quality items. Though they didn''t have any special effects, they were equipment with good stats. Seol gave the leather boots to Jamad, obviously, and thought about who to hand the steel boots over to. ¡®It should be Karuna.¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter whether Karen or Karuna received this item, but Karen had received quite a lot of equipment recently, and Karuna¡¯s equipment, other than his sword, were all old. The next was the ring. [[Ring of Grace] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 17-29 Resistance: 35 Durability: 70/70 Weight: 0.1kg A ring made in hopes of receiving Purga¡¯s grace. However, the materials used to make this ring are very worrying. Basic Effect: +12 Wisdom, +6 Constitution Bonus Effect: Once a day, deflect a curse.] These effects were perfect for a ring. Since Seol could wear two rings at a time, he equipped this ring right next to Wolf¡¯s Warning. There were only two items left now. Seol first looked at an item he was looking forward to. [[Fire Serpent] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 30-35 Damage: 70-87 Durability: 120/120 Weight: 8.0kg A ded weapon renowned for its association with Magra, the Scorching. Not only does it boast a distinctive shape, but it is also challenging to wield, rendering most individuals incapable of using it effectively. Crafted from a fire spirit stone, the weapon bears the residual energy of its previous owner, imbuing it with Magra''s own energy. Basic Effect: +15 Strength, +7 Dexterity, +5 Constitution Bonus Effect: Upon a sessful attack, apply a ''me Seal'' to the opponent. ''me Seal'' can stack up to 10 times, with each stack inflicting additional fire damage upon sessful attack.] ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol furrowed his brows. As always, Treasure-quality weapons boasted incredible effects. However, that was only the case for ordinary weapons. Seol tried lifting me Serpent. ¡®Heavy¡¯. Even though it was clear that Karen could use this weapon easily with her high Strength, it was a bit disappointing. There was also the problem with its shape. It was crafted in such an unconventional shape that it was clear an inexperienced person would end up cutting off their own fingers first. ¡®I guess my question is how Magra swung something like this so easily.¡¯ It could be because all Legendary-rank monsters were like that. As Seol looked at this awkward weapon, he nced at Karen. Could she properly use the unique weapon that Magra used? ¡°For now, I¡¯ll just hold onto it. I know how to use a spear, but it¡¯s my first time with something like this¡­¡± - Excuse me, no one told you to take it. - Stop trying to pretend like you¡¯re doing Seol a favor¡­ - She¡¯s so fucking obvious LMFAO Since there was no other real option, Seol handed Fire Serpent over to Karen. And the final item¡­ Seol looked at the cape that had a unique insignia on it. When Seol lifted it, he instantly realized that it was extraordinary. He also felt that the insignia was¡­ familiar. ¡®Purga?¡¯ The insignia greatly resembled Purga, the Fire Monkey. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Hey, be careful. I feel a strange energy from that.¡± Seol¡¯s summons gave him ominous warnings. Seol tilted his head and checked the cape¡¯s information, but when he did, it shocked everyone. However, the ones most shocked were the viewers. - What the¡­ is this real? - It¡¯s just going to show up like this here? - I¡¯m going to go insane WTFFFFFFFF - It pisses me off more because I can understand it LOOOOL - Honestly, it¡¯s a reasonable reward, no? - He cleared an Adventure alone that even a party would have had a hard time doing¡­ ?? - Tadah! I¡¯m sure we didn¡¯t forget that Magra was a Legendary-rank monster, right? Seol¡¯s viewers were shocked for one reason only. ¡°Peer¡­ less?¡± The cape with Purga¡¯s face drawn on it was a Peerless-quality item. Seol quickly read through the cape¡¯s information. Chapter 98 After seeing the item¡¯s quality, Seol understood why the energy felt unusual. Seol then read Fire Monkey¡¯s details. [You have acquired ¡®Peerless: Fire Monkey¡¯.] [You have acquired an item that didn¡¯t exist in the world previously.] [[Peerless: Fire Monkey] Quality: Peerless Rmended Level: 25-35 Defense: 70 Durability: 165/165 Weight: 0.1kg Magra, the Scorching, was a rebel in the Sulfur Skull Tribe. When he left the tribe, having once again etched the name of the declining Sulfur Skull Tribe into the world of Pandea, the tribe, in honor of his feats, held a ceremony for Purga. And on that day, Purga¡¯s insignia was etched into Magra¡¯s cape. Basic Effect: +20 to All Stats Bonus Effect: Truth and Lie (Unique), Dizzy Dizzy (Unique), Fire! (Unique). The damage you take from fire attacks is reduced by 90%.] ¡®Oh my god¡­¡¯ +20 to All Stats. It was extremely rare for equipment to give this many stats unless it was for key slots like chest tes, pants, helmets, and weapons. ¡®This might even be better than Space¡­¡¯ Even though Space¡¯s stat increase was amazing, Fire Monkey was on another level. - Why the FUCK is a cape giving 70 defense? - Imagine being a warrior who needs to wear a chest te to get 70 defense LMFAOO - ???: Come on¡­ How could a cape give 70 defense? LOL That¡¯s too far hahahaha - I didn¡¯t think Peerless items could be dropped too¡­ First time learning that¡­ - Isn¡¯t he the first transferee to get a Peerless item as a drop? - I¡¯m pretty sure there are a few transferees with Peerless waaaaay over there. - Yeah, but Snowman has three already ^^. He even gave one of them to his summon ^^. Not to mention the fact that this item gave 90% fire damage resistance. Seol calmly checked all of the unique effects the item gave. First, Truth and Lie made the wearer¡¯s dodge rate 20% if it was lower than 20%. If the wearer¡¯s dodge rate was higher than 20%, it would increase the wearer¡¯s dodge rate by 5%. ¡®Since my current dodge rate is below 5%, this is a huge boost.¡¯ It was an incredible effect that allowed a slower ss, like a summoner, to deftly dodge even a boss monster¡¯s attack one out of five times. - Truth¡­ and Lie¡­ - That¡¯s a shame, though. It would have been much better if he was a rogue or a monk. - This item wouldn¡¯t be that efficient on them though since their dodge rates are already high. - Guys, talking about who it would have been better for doesn¡¯t matter LOL! Peerless items are one of one. - True LOL! It would have been nice on a rogue, too, though. But who cares~ A summoner got it~ - Who does the Peerless item belong to? - The person who picked it up~ Next was Dizzy Dizzy. It was a passive effect that significantly diminished the wearer''s presence, making them appear hazier than others. ¡®This is also good. No, this is incredibly good.¡¯ Since the wearer, Seol, would attract less attention, Seol''s party would naturally face fewer risks protecting him. Since all three of Seol¡¯s summons were Legendary-rank, if Seol could just remove their only weakness, getting targeted himself, it would allow his summons to do much more in battle. ¡®However¡­ the effects are much weaker against enemies with high Intelligence. Still, it isn¡¯t bad.¡¯ Even though it was less effective against enemies like Magra, it would be extremely effective against enemies with low Intelligence, like demonic beasts. And luckily, most of the monsters in Pandea were demonic beasts. And as such, Seol could use this effect a lot. Thest effect was called ¡®Fire!¡¯ ¡®This is¡­¡¯ It was an effect that rolled ¡®Execute Dice¡¯ when an enemy¡¯s health reached 10%. ¡®This is an incredible effect!¡¯ - An execute? What? An execute? - Hold on, 10%??? How does a 10% execute make sense? - Woah, hold on! Even if it is an execute, he still has to roll a dice, no? - Don¡¯t fuck with me! I bet it lets him execute if he rolls a 4 or higher! - Quiet! I think it might even be a 3 or higher¡­ Let¡¯s just not talk about this! - This is insane, LOL Boss Killer Snowman hahaha! You¡¯re crazy! A 10% execute. It also obviously affected the damage that Seol¡¯s summons dealt as well, making it an incredible effect. ¡®There¡¯s nothing better than this for dealing with boss monsters.¡¯ Unlike normal monsters, boss monsters had enormous HP totals. Magra, who endured attacks from two Legendary-rank summons for an extended period, was also proof of it. But the skill ¡®Fire!¡¯ had a certain chance of removing 10% of a boss monster¡¯s HP entirely on its own. - The biggest mystery in Yognatun is why Magra fought Snowman without this LOOOOL - I¡¯m sure he thought he would win hahaha He took it off because he wanted to keep it clean. - It¡¯s sort of like how you take off your outerwear before you slurp noodles lol - I¡¯m sure he regretted it during the battle, though haha - ???: Ah, right! It¡¯s been getting cold recently so I should wear something! Karen¡¯s eyes looked possessed, looking at the cape. Seol smiled and equipped the cape himself. ¡°Ah¡­¡± - What do you mean ¡®Ah¡­¡¯? LMFAO - You have to rein her in right now. If you don¡¯t, she¡¯s probably going to run off with the chest someday. - Peerless belt and cape¡­ Even though he has two Peerless-quality items, they¡¯re both for non-important slots. R.I.P. - I mean, he still stat checks anyone with just those two, though LMFAO - He¡¯s way too strong now ?? - Fire Monkey is so cool¡­ The insignia is fucking sick too. - Seriously, it looks like a luxury item. After that, Seol checked his new titles. [[Special Title: The Burning One] Rted Achievement: Fire¡¯s Grace (Adventure: Pierce the mes) Bonus Effect: Immune to Abnormal Status: Burned.] [[Special Title: The One Who Opened the New Era] Rted Achievement: Expedited Era (Adventure: Pierce the mes) Bonus Effect: Skill cooldowns are reduced by 5%.] [[Special Title: mes of Purification] Rted Achievement: Engulfed Fire (Adventure: Pierce the mes) Bonus Effect: The damage you deal with fire attacks is increased by 10%.] Even if Seol wasn¡¯t affected by ¡®mes of Purification¡¯ as it was Karen¡¯s title, it did not matter. After all, the other titles were extremely useful. ¡®The reduced cooldowns would be good for my summons, too.¡¯ Since Seol only had Shadow Hand and Shadow Summon as his skills, cooldown reduction was not that important for him. However, since it also applied to his summons, it was an incredible boost to theirbat capabilities. ¡®And stacking more and more Abnormal Status immunities is always good.¡¯ Immunity to one Abnormal Status wouldn¡¯t change much, but once someone gained a variety of them, it became an entirely different story. Mythical physical conditions that only existed in murim novels like ¡®Immunity to Heat and Cold¡¯, ¡®Immunity to All Poisons¡¯, and ¡®Diamond Body¡¯ could only be reached once an individual built up many different immunities. Everything rted to the Fire Altar Adventure, from the equipment to the titles, was incredibly beneficial for Seol. ¡®Now that Karuna and Jamad are much stronger, for now, I¡¯m practically invincible.¡¯ Seol was extremely objective with himself, making him think of himself like this was rare. This was also Seol¡¯s reaction after checking Karuna and Jamad¡¯s stats since arriving in Gulia. ¡®They¡¯re 1.5 times¡­ no, practically three times stronger now.¡¯ Currently, Seol¡¯s summons were only able to maintain 50% of their original strength. But after Karuna¡¯s rank was improved to Legendary-rank, his stats were higher than what they were originally. Not to mention that summoning both him and Karen simultaneously would lead them to having 100% of their original strength. When Seol looked at it purely numerically, it was thrice his previous stats. Jamad was notcking either. After improving to Legendary-rank, he had his original strength which meant that his stats were now extremely high. The only thing he didn¡¯t get back were his skills. Still, it simply meant that all three of Seol¡¯s summons were now around the same power level. All three were at exceptionally powerful levels. - I don¡¯t have the confidence¡­ to lose! - Call an ambnce¡­ but not for me! - Guys, watch out! He¡¯s got a steamroller!!! Seol doubted himself every day. He wondered if this was really the best he could do, if this really was the best way to get stronger¡­ But now, while acknowledging that things could change in the future during his long and unpredictable journey, he was certain of one thing. At this very moment, he was the strongest. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * It was a room adorned with old-fashioned decorations and furnished with only the bare necessities. This was the office of Patrick Kates, Fortress Gulia¡¯s master, and a military officer. ¡°Look, Kibo. Are you really telling me to believe that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to the Fortress¡¯s master to decide whether to believe it or not, that¡¯s not a question for me.¡± ¡°How the hell am I supposed to believe that Purga was upset by the trolls and ughtered them all?!¡± ¡°Hah¡­ those are statements from people who came back after believing that they would die. Watch your words.¡± ¡°...And I am someone who needs to report this incident to the military. Why do you think I¡¯m dying my report? It¡¯s because you guys keep saying strange things.¡± "I understand, but we were also individuals who were on the brink of death in Yognatun, desperately waiting to be rescued." The Nevenia Kingdom had abandoned its citizens. Not a single soldier was dispatched to Yognatun to save its citizens. And thus, nothing the captain of Fortress Gulia could say could bring themfort. Since he could only move his army under themand of the royal family and military authorities, he simply protected the Fortress while people were dragged to Yognatun. As such, Patrick was relieved when Kibo and the other survivors returned, but he also found it strange. ¡°You¡¯re iming that the ceremony they worked so hard to prepare went awry¡­ but not only that, the majority of the prisoners returned alive?¡± ¡°Are we not allowed to return alive?¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I was implying. Why won''t you tell me the truth?¡± ¡°You asked for the truth, so I told you the truth. It was a miracle that we made it out alive after so many things, so when you tell us that you don¡¯t believe it¡­ it wears down our weary hearts even more.¡± Patrick nced at Kibo¡¯s two missing legs and sighed. ¡°You can head back. I will report exactly as you''ve told me to the higher-ups.¡± ¡°Thank you, Patrick.¡± Kibo pushed the wheels of the chair Hamun hurriedly made for him to leave. After everyone was finally released from Patrick, they all gathered to n out their future. ¡°Do we have to return to Nobira now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s habitable for people anymore¡­¡± ¡°It would be habitable if we make it habitable, no?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all people who have nowhere else to go but Nobira. Why don¡¯t we clean up the ruined buildings and rebuild?¡± ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go back to Nobira!¡± As everyone was excited about their new start, Kibo said something to Mira who was standing nkly. ¡°Mira.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Are you waiting for him?¡± ¡°...Yeah. He¡¯ste, though.¡± ¡°He¡¯lle soon, so don¡¯t worry. He was the only person who was fine in that hell, after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about him. I just thought it would be better if he came sooner. I n to return to Nobira with you after taking care of business with him anyway.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ and what are you going to do after you return?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I wonder what I have left now¡­¡± A shadow was cast over Mira¡¯s face, thinking about her dead party members. ¡°What do you think about forming your own hunting group now?¡± ¡°My own¡­ hunting group?¡± "Yeah, something you create on your own, not something I handed down to you. Haha¡­ Well, it''s not like I can just give you anything anymore, though.¡± ¡°That might not be a bad idea.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a wolf now, Mira. You overcame that hell. After everything you¡¯ve been through, uncovering secrets from some ruins will be a breeze for you.¡± ¡°Kibo.¡± ¡°What is it? Do you need more time to think¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. Let¡¯s talk about it next time.¡± ¡°...Ah.¡± Kibo and Mira looked at the fortress¡¯s entrance. Someone was confidently walking toward them. ¡°So he arrived.¡± * * * The first person Seol met after arriving in Gulia was Mira. She showed up the moment Seol thought he could catch a breath after passing the inspection gate. ¡°Mira?¡± ¡°So you arrived safely, Snow¨C I mean, Seol. Did everything go well?¡± ¡°Yeah, Mael handled it well. Did you make sure not to talk about the hol¨C¡± ¡°We exined it well, so don¡¯t worry. They won¡¯t suspect a thing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Karen had a pleasant expression on her face after seeing Mira. ¡°Oh? When did you guys get here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ just now¡­¡± ¡°Have a seat, have a seat! Master¡¯s pretty rude to his guests, huh? Here, take this.¡± ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± - He¡¯s talking to women! - He¡¯s talking to women¡­?! He makes me want to throw up. - Karen¡¯s acting like a host now LMFAO - Look at how weing she is¡­ she¡¯s not a shadow, right? - Mira and Seol¡­ they¡¯re calling each other by their names¡­ I¡¯m jealous. - Right? Man, Mira really seeded in life, calling Snowman by his name like that hahaha - What???? Seol sat down in a chair opposite Mira. And then, he asked her a question. ¡°So why did youe to see me?¡± Mira previously told Seol to see her in Gulia. But even now, Seol had no idea why. Slide. She had a mysterious look on her face and ced a ring on the table. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°I want to exchange this for Kibo¡¯s ring.¡± She hade to see Seol to reim Kibo''s symbol, the Wolf''s Warning. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol looked at the ring¡¯s stats. Chapter 99 The ring Mira showed Seol was extraordinary. ¡°This is¡­¡± [[Ring of Rushed Pact] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 20-30 Resistance: 40 Durability: 70/70 Weight: 0.1kg A ring imbued with a dangerous shamanic spell of the Sulfur Skull Tribe. The crystal, made through the solidified blood of many, supports its shamanic powers. Basic Effect: +10 Wisdom, +5 Constitution, +5 Spirit Bonus Effect: +20 Resistance] ¡®It¡¯s good. No, it¡¯s excellent.¡¯ It was a ring that was faithful to the basics. Furthermore, all of the stats it gave were beneficial to Seol. ¡°Are you trying to exchange this with the Wolf¡¯s Warning?¡± ¡°...Yeah.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol wasn¡¯t someone who was driven by his feelings. As such, it was natural for him to evaluate the value of both rings. Wolf¡¯s Warning was an excellent ring for anyone. After all, a warning effect is quite a useful effect. However, Seol realized two faults through using this. First, a few of the stats were wasted on him. It gave bonuses to Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence, all stats that didn¡¯t help him. Second, the effect didn¡¯t always activate. In fact, the ring hadn¡¯t activated even once during his fight with the Sulfur Skull Tribe. Even when Magra directly attacked Seol, which was clearly a dangerous situation, the ring didn¡¯t activate. The ring¡¯s effect was wed. ¡®And an effect which doesn¡¯t activate all the time is worth less.¡¯ After weighing the value of the two items, Seol handed Wolf¡¯s Warning to Mira. ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Seol then asked Mira, who was enjoying seeing the ring on her finger, a question. ¡°What do you n to do now?¡± ¡°I thought about it, and¡­ I n on staying in Gulia for a bit longer until Kibo recovers.¡± ¡°And after that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll probably return to Nobira. Even though it went to ruin, it was my main base, after all. And who knows¡­ the surviving members of the faction coulde back.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°By the way, Seol¡­¡± Mira gave Seol an affectionate look. ¡°I¡¯ve received so much help from you¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have made it back.¡± - Th-this mood¡­ don¡¯t tell me¡­ - Th-this is??? Mira stood up from her seat. Grate¡­ ¡°Let me know if you ever need help. I¡¯ll pay you back as much as I received from you.¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll see you again.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± - Ah¡­ - So it wasn¡¯t that¡­ - It was just a simple goodbye LOL. Seol watched Mira leave before ending the Adventure. [You have moved to a different location. The ¡®travel luck dice¡¯ are rolling.] [Travel Luck Dice has rolled a 3.] [You are decently lucky.] [The Adventures you undertake near Gulia now will proceed normally.] [The Adventures you undertake near Gulia now will have normal difficulty.] [The Adventures you select near Gulia now have a low chance of forcibly changing to a Sudden Adventure.] [Your luck is decent enough to take on the Adventures nearby.] Decently lucky. It wasn¡¯t too important since Seol didn''t n to stay here for long. And then, another message popped up. [Next is the Points Leaderboard up to Adventure 14.] * * * Not all transferees attempted to settle down in a single location. Just like Seol, some transferees only took on the key Adventures at a location before leaving, and there were other transferees who moved to a different location after each and every Adventure. And for most people who traveled often, they often had a set, consistent party instead of traveling alone. ¡°Man¡­ there really isn¡¯t anything here because it¡¯s a border city¡­ They don¡¯t even have a ss Training Center.¡± "Oppa, let''s not linger here for too long. Let''s just handle that investigation party thing Patrick is forming and then leave." "Yeah, I agree. Nothing good woulde from staying here for long." "Still, it''s a relief that the Sulfur Skull Tribe or, whatever they''re called, backed off. If they hadn''t, we wouldn''t have ventured anywhere near the north." ¡°Apparently, they dispatched scouts around Yognatun the moment the survivors arrived in Gulia. They said that the Sulfur Skull Tribe is all good. In the end, it¡¯s just good news for us.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll earn points while guaranteeing our safety! This is what¡¯s great about working with Nevenia. I¡¯m pretty sure knights and magicians will also be in the investigation party, right?¡± ¡°I heard there was.¡± Adventures given out by kingdoms, like Nevenia, were considered highly efficient amongst transferees. It was because most transferees still prioritized survivability over growth. It was also normal for most people to avoid dangerous situations as much as possible while growing. Transferees like Seol, who prioritized getting stronger over safety, were the small, small minority. Because of that, a lot of transferees came to Gulia after hearing rumors about Patrick forming an investigation party for Yognatun. This party was just one of many. ¡°Hey¡­ Hey! What is this?¡± ¡°What is what?¡± ¡°Gulia¡¯s Points Leaderboard¡­¡± ¡°We just looked at it, why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the updated one, you idiot.¡± ¡°Updated one? Let me see.¡± The warrior, often a ss that was the pir of the party, looked at the Leaderboard and slowly spoke. ¡°Hold on¡­ How does this make sense?¡± ¡°Right? Isn¡¯t it strange?¡± ¡°2.9 million points? Are they out of their minds? How is that possible?¡± ¡°There was a monster like this in Gulia? Why weren¡¯t there any rumors about them, then? I heard some people had abnormally high points in Kongory and Nobira, but¡­¡± ¡°Ah! What the hell¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The person with the point total disappeared.¡± ¡°Disappeared? Let me see.¡± The party member who mentioned it first rubbed their eyes while looking at the updated Leaderboard. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Was it an error?¡± ¡°Do you think this is a game? Why would there be an error?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a system, it¡¯s practically a game¡­ Well, that would exin it, though. How could someone reach 2.9 million points in such a short amount of time?¡± ¡°How many points do you have?¡± ¡°450 thousand. You?¡± ¡°470 thousand, loser.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Not too long after arriving in Gulia, Seol left immediately. The monster with 2.9 million points that the recently arrived transferees were referring to disappeared because Seol left Gulia. And Seol had only one reason for leaving Gulia so quickly. ¡°We must go to Nobira.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My smithies were spread throughout the city. Even if the city burned down, I¡¯m sure at least one of them survived.¡± Since Seol hadn¡¯t gone through Nobira himself, he wasn¡¯t sure whether Hamun was telling the truth or not. ¡°And I can only make Karen¡¯s equipment there. My precious materials are all there, too.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I understand.¡± ¡°We must hurry.¡± So, for this and that reason, Seol headed immediately to Nobira. But in truth, Seol also had no reason to stay in Gulia. Gulia did not have a ss Training Center, and joining Patrick¡¯s investigation party was not a worthwhile Adventure for Seol. In fact, it would be funnier if Seol did join the investigation party. After all, Patrick was trying to investigate what Seol did himself. ¡®Also, Rests aren¡¯t that important for me.¡¯ During his one-month-long Rests, Seol realized that he did not need to rest that long. After sleeping in the wilderness and camping for so long, he found it morefortable to sleep outside than in afortable bed. Though Seol had lived afortable life in Seoul, exercising only a couple of times, he had now be a fully-fledged Adventurer. Obviously, though, he only believed that one month was too long. He still recognized the importance of resupplying. He also knew that resupplying properly required a proper amount of time. Time was essential to repair equipment or buy new equipment to use. Seol also knew that resupplying would only be increasingly important in his future Adventures as well. This was also why Seol had spent his Rests busy while other transferees rxed. He continuously kept himself busy out of necessity. Seol and Hamun traveled quickly during the Rest before finally arriving in Nobira. Seol spent over a week traveling from Gulia to Nobira. Though most people would consider it a shame, Seol didn¡¯t mind it at all as he had to go through Nobira anyway. After arriving in Nobira, they were all shocked. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ less destroyed than I thought?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s because people were rebuilding it.¡± ¡°Ah, so they took down the burned houses and built on top of them.¡± ¡°I see a lot of people!¡± shouted Karen excitedly. Seol anticipated a deste city, but what weed him was a gathering of people in Nobira, all dreaming of a new beginning. [Your Rest location has changed to Nobira.] [You have moved to a different location. The ¡®travel luck dice¡¯ are rolling.] [Travel Luck Dice has rolled a 3.] [You are decently lucky.] [The Adventures you undertake near Nobira now will proceed normally.] [The Adventures you undertake near Nobira now will have normal difficulty.] [The Adventures you select near Nobira now have a low chance of forcibly changing to a Sudden Adventure.] [Your luck is decent enough to take on the Adventures nearby.] After that, Seol looked at the Points Leaderboard in Nobira. [Your information is set to Private.] [You have 2,900,100 Points.] [Adventurer Points Leaderboard 1. Private (2,900,100) 2. Private (628,010) 3. Neoguri2Kelp (589,360) 4. LumpyLumpy (572,210) 5. I''mLonely (550,140)] Just like in Gulia, Seol¡¯s point total was on another level. However, the disparity appeared even more pronounced because most skilled individuals had left Nobira when it was destroyed. [You begin your Rest.] [Your Key Location Rest is starting.] [Break 6. Destroyed Nobira.] [Break 6. ¡®Destroyed Nobira¡¯ In The World of Eternity, Nobira the Ruins City, located in South Pandea. Nobira once was a thriving center for exporting valuable items due to its proximity to ruins. However, after an ambush by the Sulfur Skull Tribe, it was destroyed. Despite its currentck of prosperity, the recently returned residents of Nobira are diligently working to gradually restore the city back to its original form. Adventurers must take plenty of rest and training here, or at another rest location, before preparing for the next Adventure. Objective: Rest and maintenance. You will be tired upon failure. Remaining Time: [About 20 days]] ¡®So the residents came back. No wonder¡­¡¯ Seol then had a thought. He believed that it wouldn¡¯t take long for Nobira to regain its original form. Regardless, after arriving at the city, Hamun quickly looked for his hidden smithies. ¡°...So this one¡¯s gone.¡± Wherever Hamun went, the only thing he saw were buildings, burnt to ash. And as Seol was starting to get worried, Hamunughed. ¡°How fortunate. This one¡¯s still fine.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Yes,e in.¡± Was it because the smithy was located far from the center of the battle? Luckily, one of Hamun¡¯s smithies was still fine. - This is why diversification is important for your portfolio. - Hamun may be smiling, but he isn¡¯t really smiling¡­ Hamun asked Seol a question after looking through a couple of his items. ¡°So, shall we continue with our dyed matter?¡± ¡°Yes, sure.¡± Seol handed Hamun Atarak¡¯s Blood. ¡°You¡¯ve gathered quite a lot. With this much, you won¡¯t ever have to worry about Karen¡¯s equipment getting damaged by her mes.¡± ¡°Is it enough?¡± ¡°Yes, I n on mixing this with spirit powder to create an oil. And if I dilute that, apply a thin coat of it to Karen¡¯s equipment, then let it dry, Karen should be able to use it fine.¡± Karen smiled at Hamun¡¯s words. ¡°Am I finally going to have proper equipment now, too?¡± ¡°That would be the case. However¡­ Didn¡¯t you also leave me with your sword?¡± - Then could I leave this sword to you? It happened quite a while ago, but those were the words Seol said to Hamun long ago. ¡°The sword you gave me then¡­ well, its handle and destroyed de¡­ I have stored them well.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t lose it?¡± ¡°Of course not. That was the only job I had. Obviously, I wouldn¡¯t store it carelessly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I was worried that it went missing with the events in Nobira. So, are there no longer any issues?¡± Hamun shook his head. ¡°In truth, there¡¯s one more thing.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± "While you may have obtained the spider''s blood, acquiring the fire spirit stone, the other crucialponent for this, has now be the challenge." Nobira was a city with a massive auction house. Fire spirit stone was a rare material, but it wasn¡®t impossible to acquire. However, that was a thing of the past. Given the impossibility of Nobira''s auction house surviving the attack, the only feasible option for Seol to obtain the fire spirit stone was by venturing out to acquire it himself. ¡°Haah¡­ so, fire spirit stone¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re okay with other materials instead, I could use something else and try to maximize¡­¡± ¡°Fire spirit stone¡­ fire spirit stone¡­¡± ¡°Snowman?¡± ¡°Fire spirit stone!¡± Seol abruptly looked at Karen. ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we use that?¡± ¡°That¡­ Ah, this?¡± Karen pulled out Fire Serpent, Magra¡¯s former weapon. It was a massive weapon with a strange shape that was also filled with fire energy. However, Fire Serpent was also notably made out of fire spirit stone. Chapter 100 Hamun was the first to react to Seol¡¯s words. ¡°Could I take a look?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± As the weapon proved to be slightly heavy, Karen carefully set it down on a suitable table for Hamun. First, Hamun was in awe of Fire Serpent¡¯s unique shape, and afterward, he was in awe of its material. "This is undoubtedly fire spirit stone. The energy... the energy is concentrated in a remarkably unique manner. It seems I''ll need to dedicate some time to studying this, as well." ¡°Then¡­¡± Hamun continued while touching Fire Serpent. ¡°I will make Karen¡¯s weapon.¡± ¡°How long will it take?¡± ¡°If all of my tools are still in their right ces¡­ roughly fifteen days.¡± ¡°Fifteen days¡­ Understood.¡± Since Seol had roughly twenty days until his next Adventure, it was plenty of time. After finishing their business, Karen yawned while exiting Hamun¡¯s smithy. ¡°Haah¡­ It¡¯s mostly solved now, right? What do we do next?¡± ¡°Next is to figure out where we¡¯ll head next.¡± In truth, Seol came to Nobira solely because of this problem. His problem being that he didn¡¯t know what to do for his next Adventure. ¡®Is Chao¡­ still here?¡¯ Chao granted Seol three months to procure a particr sleeping medicine for her. epting her request, Seol ventured out and aplished his mission. However, on his way back to Nobira, he discovered that it was attacked andpletely destroyed. As such, all of his ns went awry. It was possible that Chao had also been swept up in that incident and had to change her ns. ¡®Chao was Gregory¡¯s disciple too¡­ Is my connection to him going to disappear like this?¡¯ Gregory was one of the three most influential Shadow Summoners of this age. He was notorious for his cruelty and ill-temperament, but he was more known for his exceptional skills. Consequently, few dared to defy him. Furthermore, most of his disciples were known to be skilled individuals themselves. ¡®It¡¯s my first time hearing about Chao, though¡­¡¯ Even for Seol, understanding Gregory''s disciples¡¯ exact number and individual strength was impossible unless he lived with them. Even so, Seol had never heard about Chao. And as such, he grew curious. ¡®Her powers were the real deal though¡­ And what¡¯s important right now isn¡¯t whether Chao was Gregory¡¯s disciple or not.¡¯ The only important thing was whether Seol could find her. ¡°Is that why we¡¯re here again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a familiar ce, Master.¡± ¡°Huh? It¡¯s not as destroyed as I thought it would be.¡± Seol¡¯s party arrived at the manor, a familiar ce they had visited numerous times in search of Chao. ''Did this building survive the attack because it was on the outskirts?'' The manor stood there in silence, fully intact as it always was. When Seol first arrived, the ce seemed ominous, but now, with the other buildings reduced to ashes, it appeared strangely pristine. - Now, this is the real Diamond Hands¡­ - BECOMING THE BEST BUILDING BY DOING NOTHING???!!! - When you look at it like this, it looks pretty nice haha Seol¡¯s party tried entering the building. Click¡­ Click¡­ Click¡­ It seemed Chao had fixed the door during that time. Now, it hung on its hinges normally. ¡°Should I break it again¡­¡± ¡°No, Karen,¡± said Karuna. He gave her a serious look while stopping her. Karen pouted before quickly following after Karuna. - I feel so much better now. - Phew, LOL Karuna, thanks foring back! Seol¡¯s party then entered through the window in a carefree manner. Slide¡­ The manor was the same as always. The lobby stillcked the warmth of life.The only difference was that it was dustier than before. Seol¡¯s party left it as it was and headed to Chao¡¯s research room. Creak¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same?¡± ¡°That was a waste of time.¡± Everyone in Seol¡¯s party was a bit disappointed with the unfortunateck of progress. They looked at the walls, hoping she would have left something behind, but it was still the same. ¡®I should give up then.¡¯ Seol realized that trying to meet Chao again in Nobira would be asking for too much. Obviously, this would be the result as he had missed their promised time by a lot. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t she tell you something else too?¡± ¡°She did. I¡¯m pretty sure she said¡­¡± - Once youe back, tie a white cloth on the pir near the main door ande back here every midnight. Those were the words that Chao had left for Seol. She had told him to hang a white cloth on the pir next to the main door. ¡°Why don¡¯t we¡­ wait just a bit more.¡± That day, Seol tied a white cloth to a pir. And despite waiting all night, Chao didn¡¯t arrive. Seol¡¯s party visited the manor every night, hoping for Chao¡¯s return. ¡°Maybe¡­ she was just ying with us, Master?¡± Even Seol was starting to lose hope now, as there was no change. Still, life in Nobira had definitely improved while Seol waited for Chao. Though a lot of Nobira had burned down, even more things had been built on top of it in the city. Seol was beginning to see transferees in the city, too. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it practically an empty house now?¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°Ruins hunting. Isn¡¯t it a blue ocean now that the people in charge are all gone? And more importantly¡­ couldn¡¯t monopolize everything like them if we¡¯re the first to join?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your first time in Nobira, isn¡¯t it, you idiot?¡± ¡°Yeah, why, though?¡± The man with a loud voice, who enthusiastically tried to persuade his partner to go ruins hunting, audible enough for Seol to overhear, promptly fell silent once his partner responded. ¡°The two of us won¡¯t be enough to go ruins hunting. We need at least twenty people, archaeologists, porters, and hunters, to achieve anything. That¡¯s why the transferees who first ended up here all ended up following after the other ruin hunters like little ducklings.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do ten people¡¯s worth and you¡¯ll do ten people¡¯s worth. Wouldn¡¯t that be enough?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even eat ten people¡¯s worth, what makes you think you can do that?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ then would it be better for the ruins hunters to return then?¡± ¡°If they¡¯re still alive, then yeah. I¡¯m sure a few of them survived and went to Kongory, though.¡± ¡°Ah, did you hear the news about Kibo being alive?¡± ¡°I did. Apparently, some transferees returned to Nobira because of that.¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯s he like? Is it that important that he¡¯s back? Why would the transfereese back?¡± ¡°Because if he returns, the ruins hunter groups would return, too. And they¡¯d probably try to monopolize the Adventures that result because of him, no?¡± It seemed like the news about Kibo losing both his legs hadn¡¯t reached this far yet. Seol stopped listening to their conversation and left the restaurant. ¡°Master, did you see that?¡± ¡°See what?¡± ¡°That bakery from back then! It¡¯s reopened!¡± ¡°...Let¡¯s buy some bread on our way back then.¡± Karen nodded multiple times like a little child. - She loves bread so much¡­ - Bread is important, though. - Isn¡¯t today the fifteenth day now? Fifteen days. While staying in Nobira, Seol did two things while performing maintenance on his equipment. First was preparing the Adventures he would go on next in case he couldn¡¯t meet Chao. The second, obviously, was waiting for Chao at the manor. And despite fifteen days passing, she had not arrived. ¡°We should give up. I know it¡¯s a shame that we went all the way to Wet Fog Town because of her, but we also helped the people there, so it¡¯s not the end of the world,¡± said Karen while tapping on Seol¡¯s shoulders. - Cheer up, dude. - Straighten out that back! ?? - Hang in there, buddy! Seol was now headed to Hamun to see the results of his work. Hamun notified Seol that the weapon wasplete. So even though Seol was a bit disappointed by what happened with Chao, he headed to the smithy in good spirits. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hamun.¡± ¡°The sword isplete.¡± Seol looked behind Hamun. A red sword was on a disy stand. Even at a nce, Seol could tell the red sword¡¯s extraordinary energy. This feeling¡­ He felt it recently before¡­ It was the same feeling he received when he looked at Fire Monkey, his cape. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ Karen approached the red sword. She slowly approached it, like she was possessed by something. She then raised the sword, still in its scabbard. ¡°...It¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t ordinary spirit stone either. I assume that it was acquired outside of the reach of humans.¡± Click! Unsheathe¡­ A clear sound rang while Karen unsheathed the sword. The de had be thinner. Surprisingly, the sword emanated a considerable amount of energy, surpassing expectations set by its unassuming decorations. ¡®It¡¯s hot.¡¯ Seol could feel the heat emanating from the sword even though all he did was watch Karen. He could feel its intense heat despite the cool air. Karen observed the sword for a while, like she liked it, before sheathing it back. Click. She then handed it to Seol. [You have acquired ¡®Peerless: re¡¯.] [You have acquired an item that didn¡¯t exist in the world previously.] [[Peerless: re] Quality: Peerless Rmended Level: 20-30 Damage: 100-115 Durability: 220/220 Weight: 3.0kg A sword birthed through the meeting of the sword that Karen, the Red Lotus Knight, used and the miracle of Hamun, Orgo¡¯s Sessor. It has been enhanced through melting down the weapon that Magra, the Scorching, used, Fire Serpent. The sword''s power has improved to another level through the infusion of the blood of an ominous existence and fire spirit stone. Basic Effect: +28 Strength, +25 Dexterity, +35 Constitution, +8 to All Stats Bonus Effect: Forced Breakthrough (Unique), Single-Point Breakthrough (Unique). Deal 30% of your physical damage as additional fire damage. The cooldown of your skills that deal fire damage are reduced by 20%.] [¡®WTFFFF¡¯ has donated 300 Madness!] [Another Peerless item? I heard he got something amazing and came running to this stream.] - Snowman - Avengers-Level Threat. - I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m starting my morning with this LMFAOO - This is crazy hahaha [¡®You again, Hamun?¡¯ has donated 700 Madness!] [What do you think about making Hamun open to the public? This guy has made two Peerless items already. He¡¯s back in form] - Info) It was obvious that this would be a result based on the items Snowman gave him. - Seriously, are Atarak and Magra jokes to you? - World of Eternity: 2 Peerless-Quality Items, Any% Run. - I feel like he¡¯s going to deck out his summons in Peerless quality items at this rate LMFAO - Don¡¯t raise any gs, you fuck. I¡¯ll kill you. Seol then looked at re¡¯s unique effects. The first unique effect was ¡®Forced Breakthrough¡¯. Its effect made it so that when the target blocked the user¡¯s attack, the user still dealt 50% of their damage. ¡®You would still deal damage even when they block it?¡¯ Normally, blocking an attack sessfully reduces the damage it deals by at least 90%. So now, Karen was practically piercing through their defenses. - That¡¯s crazy. - You can¡¯t block her anymore LOL The second unique effect was ¡®Single-Point Breakthrough¡¯. Each additional hit by the user increased the damage dealt by 10%. Also, each sessful attack after that would increase this damage increase. It maxed out at ten hits, so it still had its limits. - So if she continuously attacks, she deals 200% of her original damage? - So, getting hit by her would only make it worse LMFAOOOO - How is this weapon real? - And Karen¡¯s the one using this too? The other bonus effects were perfect for Karen, as well, so Seol looked at Hamun with shocked eyes. ¡°It is a great sword. I hope you use it well.¡± ¡°...Thank you. How could I pay¡­¡± "You''ve done more than enough bying all the way to Yognatun to save me." - That¡¯s true¡­ - Yeah, he was almost monkey food LOL Hamun turned around after handing over the sword. He wobbled. It was clear that he stayed up all night. Karen¡¯s eyes shone while looking at the sword in Seol¡¯s hands. ¡°Could I¡­ carry that sword for you?¡± - LMFAOOOO Maybe if you carried the box. - Look at how tant she is! That¡¯s her charm! Seol smirked and handed over the sword to Karen. ¡°Haha¡­ thank you. I¡¯ll be good from now on. If anyone¡¯s bullying you, let me know, alright? Who¡¯s bullying you, is it him?¡± ¡°I get that you¡¯re excited, but calm down a little.¡± Karenughed embarrassingly at Jamad, who scolded her from the Shadow Space. She really did look happy. - I wonder if this is what it feels like to buy your niece a present. - You don¡¯t buy your niece a sword¡­ right? With this, Seol had gathered four Peerless-quality items. Seol didn¡¯t expect to gather this many so quickly. He then recalled something he hadn¡¯t been paying attention to. ¡®If I gather one more¡­¡¯ Seol remembered what would happen. He knew exactly what would happen once he gathered five Peerless-quality items. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * For one final time, Seol waited until midnight for Chao. ¡°She didn¡¯te¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s give up.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think this is where it ends.¡± His connection with the mysterious woman named Chao had ended here. Seol decided to let go of his regrets now. ¡®I¡¯ve prepared a good second alternative Adventure anyway.¡¯ Seol was a bit annoyed that he had to look for a new master for his Awakening, but there was nothing he could do. Still, Seol could count the number of times he went through Awakening the moment he hit level 10 on one hand. There were even times when he went through it at level 18, after all. ¡®The problem is that I¡¯m almost at level 18 now.¡¯ Seol was currently level 15. It was troublesome to dy it any further. But what could he do? Things had not gone the way he intended to. Not too long after, he saw some options. [[Despite it being midnight, Chao still has not arrived. What do you do?] 1. Wait until morning. 2. Search around the manor. 3. Write down where you will be heading and leave. 4. Burn the research room. ¡­¡­] - If there aren¡¯t any issues, I¡¯lle back within three months. But if I don¡¯te back, you know that room over there, right? Burn that room down. Chao left instructions for Seol, just in case. And Seol nned on using thatst resort. ¡°Karen, burn this room down.¡± ¡°Ah, are you talking about what she said that time? You really believe her?¡± ¡°Who knows. It¡¯s the only method I have left.¡± ¡°Alright! Leave the room then.¡± Fwip! Buuuurn¡­ As Karen reached out her two hands, the research room was engulfed in mes. Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ Seol was filled with regrets and lingering feelings. Well, he thought he was. Burn¡­ The walls suddenly began absorbing Karen¡¯s heat. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not burning?¡± ¡°Again! Quickly!¡± Burn¡­ Burn¡­ ¡°Argh, that¡¯s so annoying! I¡¯ll put in a bit more strength, alright?¡± aaaaze¡­ Karen created a massive fire, one big enough to turn the room to ash. However, the walls absorbed the mes once more. Fwooosh¡­ But this time¡­ words began forming on the wall that absorbed Karen¡¯s fire. Seol''s eyes snapped open in shock. He slowly began to read the words, starting with the first sentence. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still alive. Come¡­ find me?¡± Seol then received a message. [Adventure ¡®Tardy¡¯ is scheduled.] [This Adventure is very dangerous.] Chapter 101 Seol stood in shock. He hadn¡¯t expected this. ¡°Master?¡± ¡°If I knew it would be like this, I would¡¯ve burned this room down a long time ago.¡± ¡°R-Right?¡± Seol sighed, looking up at the sky. Behind that sigh, Seol released not only his annoyance at the wasted time, but also a sense of relief. ¡®Still, I could find Chao.¡¯ It was a relief that Seol could find Chao¡¯s traces in the end. The only things he lost were the sleepless nights waiting for Chao and the time spent investigating other Adventures. Obviously, even that was frustrating. However, when Seol looked at it purely in terms of results, it was handled well in the end. Seol spent the Remaining Time he had left sleeping, eating well, and resupplying. And like that, five days had passed. Glooow¡­ And his body began to be transported elsewhere. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 15th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 15. Tardy] [Adventure 15. ¡®Tardy¡¯ Through many twists and turns, you had encountered Chao. Chao left you with one request before leaving. Unfortunately, you were slow in returning after fulfilling her request. You have arrived in Nobira farter than the promised time. Fortunately, you are now on your way to a location she arranged for your next meeting. However, you are uncertain about what will happen there or the circumstances she may have found herself in. Objective: Break through the Wall of Awakening. This Adventure is dangerous. Remaining Time [N/A]] For the first time in a while, it was an Adventure without a time limit. Seol was transported into a forest without any signs of life. Seol first believed that this was the Great Forest. ¡®But¡­ What is this smell?¡¯ The smell of a burning car? No, it was something else¡­ Something much more familiar¡­ ¡®Cigarettes?¡¯ Not too long after, Chao appeared while puffing smoke out of her cigarette. ¡°Yo! You¡¯rete! Why were you sote?¡± ¡°Chao?¡± ¡°Did everything go well?¡± Seol pulled out the Sleeping Medicine from his inventory. ¡°It went well. There was a problem on the way back, so I only arrived in Nobira about a month ago.¡± ¡°A problem? Ah, those trolls?¡± ¡°Yes. By the way, did you fight with the Sulfur Skull Tribe?¡± ¡°No? Some weird-looking trolls appeared out of nowhere on my way to meet you, so I just left as fast as I could.¡± It was strange. To Seol¡¯s knowledge, Chao was strong. She was much stronger than any ordinary Shadow Summoner. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? Ah, are you trying to ask why I didn¡¯t help out in Nobira?¡± ¡°Did I make a face like that?¡± ¡°Yeah, very obviously.¡± Seol wasn¡¯t trying to berate her at all. He was simply curious. ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ it doesn¡¯t involve me at all, no? Not to mention, I¡¯m a very busy person.¡± She was the same type of person as Seol. ¡°You¡¯re busy?¡± ¡°Of course! Why else would I request something from a junior Shadow Summoner I just met?¡± ¡°Then, did you also know what was happening in Wet Fog Town?¡± ¡°Somewhat? But I couldn¡¯t solve it because they went into hiding. Uh¡­ I think her name was Sarah, right? Wasn¡¯t she cute?¡± ¡°She was a good person.¡± ¡°...She¡¯s not dead, right?¡± ¡°She was close to dying, but we managed to catch him before he could.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. What were his final words, though?¡± ¡°He just¡­ asked why he couldn¡¯t have been saved like the townspeople. He was sad about his fate.¡± ¡°Still, that doesn¡¯t justify ruining other people¡¯s lives. You¡¯re better at handling things than I thought, junior?¡± Seol had handled Chao¡¯s request well. This meant that Seol also had a right to request something from her. ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Hold on, that was the first stage. The real test is differ¡ª¡± Click. Unsheathe¡­ ¡°Should I just kill her, Master?¡± ¡°Hahaha! How loyal! It¡¯s quite nice to see. So, um¡­ what I¡¯m trying to say is¡­ woah, woah¡­ you should put that sword away¡­ yeah? That¡¯s a cool sword, though. Is it new? Regardless, let¡¯s use our words like intellectuals. Let¡¯s not be so cruel between people of the same sses.¡± Sheathe. Karen sheathed her sword. Seol had somewhat expected things to go this way. There was no way an Adventure would be ssified as ¡®dangerous¡¯ if all he had to do was break through the Wall of Awakening. ¡°Fuu¡­ Do I have to do something else as well?¡± ¡°Yeah. Well, I wouldn¡¯t say you have to do it, but¡­ well, I guess you do have to do it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Be my test subject.¡± Click. Unsheathe¡­ ¡°Like I said, could you put that sword¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean by bing your test subject?¡± ¡°Yeah, so I¡¯ve been researching something for a while, and it''s nearing its final stages now.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°The problem is that the research requires a Shadow Summoner of a certain level and a powerful summon who is on the same page as them.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you do it then?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I have some problems of my own. Regardless, that¡¯s why I was looking for someone else. And I just so happened to catch suitable test subjects in my, and it just so happened¡ª¡± ¡°To be me?¡± Nod. Chao nodded and bashfully smiled. Seol looked at her expression and thought. ¡°Is it dangerous?¡± ¡°Huh? No¡­ well¡­ yes.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°How dangerous is it?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t dangerous, physically. It¡¯s just dangerous, mentally.¡± ¡°Like I said, how dangerous?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to die¡­ once.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s funny, right?¡± What did she mean by having to die once? Seol then remembered something from deep within his memory. ¡°Is that why you stole that false death device from Griz¡¯s Laboratory?¡± ¡°Woah, you know that far? Then this will be much easier to exin. You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡± ¡°Somewhat. I confirmed that it was working.¡± ¡°So, what does bing your test subject imply?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. We¡¯ll use the False Death-Inducing Device to separate your consciousness far away from you. In some ways, you would be returning to your purest form. After that, you¡¯ll escape while connecting your mind to your shadow. Simple, right?¡± - What the fuck is she saying, LMFAO? - It¡¯s that easy. - This reminds me of Bob Ross telling people that it¡¯s easy to paint¡­ - I gave up¡­ meeting Chao was just a mistake. - It seems like it wasn¡¯t meant to be¡­ ¡°What are the odds of sess?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably different based on who¡¯s doing it, no? Personally, I think that you have a fifty percent chance of surviving.¡± ¡°Those aren¡¯t bad odds.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ll either seed or fail.¡± ¡°......¡± - You either die¡­ or die. - She really is something LMFAO Seol scratched his chin. ¡°For now, I understand the situation. So, what are the rewards if I were to be your test subject?¡± ¡°I knew it! I like being straightforward like this, it bes clearer like this. So¡­ what would be a good reward¡­¡± Chao thought for a while before hitting her palm with a fist like she had finished thinking. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you an ¡®Exceptional Skill.¡¯¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Hahaha! I knew we would get along.¡± - I might die? I won¡¯t do it. - Exceptional Skill? Bet. - Who¡¯d say no? LMFAOOO - How could anyone say no? HAHAHAHA Exceptional Skill. Like Karen¡¯s ¡®Sunset Draw,¡¯ Exceptional Skills were on apletely separate level from ordinary skills. Exceptional Skills were better than normal skills in every way, such as destructive power, efficiency, specialness, and ingenuity. That was what an Exceptional Skill was. Furthermore, not only was it very difficult to learn, but only very few people ever shared their Exceptional Skills with others. It was to the point that a person¡¯s Exceptional Skill was also practically their identity. Even when an individual learned an Exceptional Skill early in their Adventures, the power of that Exceptional Skill remained effective inter Adventures, as well. ¡°Is it one of Gregory¡¯s skills?¡± ¡°Nope, it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Then is it a skill you made yourself?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Chao was skilled enough to create her own Exceptional Skills. Seol looked at Chao in another way again. She wasn¡¯t just a skilled expert, she was an extremely skilled expert. ¡°Since the False-Death Inducing Device is at my hideout, why don¡¯t we head there while we talk?¡± ¡°Is it far?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that far.¡± ¡°Still, why did you create a hideout? Are you being hunted down by someone?¡± ¡°Well¡­ hm¡­ why don¡¯t I exin that on our way there, too? For now, let¡¯s start with some basic training?¡± ¡°Training? Sounds good.¡± Seol was ready to do whatever training it took to learn an Exceptional Skill. - A monster that hands out Exceptional Skills¡­ - Exceptional Skill Monster. ESM! ESM! TSM! ¡°Alright, gather around here. Bring out all of your summons, too.¡± The surroundings started getting dark as Seol headed closer and closer to Chao¡¯s hideout. ¡°Now, you will be sharing your true feelings with each other. You could share old stories, too!¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s the training?¡± ¡°Simple, right?¡± - I can¡¯t watch this LMFAO - Chao = Mike Tyson. Snowman and his summons = Pigeons. - Now kith. ¡°Why are we doing this training?¡± ¡°How much do you know about your shadows?¡± ¡°My shadows? Well¡­¡± Seol didn¡¯t know much. Rather, it was more urate to say that he barely knew anything. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to lose your way while under false death, you have to know everything about your shadows. Their regrets, grudges, lives, etc. You might never wake up again if you¡¯re hiding secrets from each other, alright?¡± ¡°Hold on¡ª¡± p! Chao pped her hands once, then started to drift away. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll give you guys room to share some quality time.¡± After Chao left, the only thing that followed was an awkward silence. This was simply a natural reaction to suddenly being asked to talk about oneself. - Scratch¡­ Scratch¡­ - Uh¡­ guys¡­ - Could anyone say something¡­ The first to break the silence was Karen. ¡°Then¡­ what about starting with that?¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°The thing Jamad mentionedst time when we were with Mael. He never got into the specifics. What about starting with that?¡± - My father was drafted into a war and croaked there, while my mother died young. The funny part was that the previous generation offered my mother¡¯s corpse to the dragon as a snack. - Silence¡­ - Fucking Karen¡­ - Karens can¡¯t read the room LMFAOOO Jamad thought for a second, then nodded. ¡°Not a bad idea.¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I talked about the specifics of this. In fact¡­ this might be the first time after bing chief of the Rock Mr Tribe.¡± Jamad quickly began talking about himself like he was excited. "Even in my earliest memories, I was an orphan. My father died after being drafted into the war before I could walk, and my mother sumbed to a chronic illness." ¡°...Could I take back what I said?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but I think learning about each other, even if it''s just a little, is the best way to get out of this annoying situation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. You can keep going.¡± ¡°Did you know this? Trolls offer their dead to whoever they worship as a sacrifice.¡± Jamad calmly continued. ¡°My mother was offered as a sacrifice to Tancreed, the Earth Dragon. And like that, I was alone. I had no brothers, no parents.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I knew about the tradition, but I couldn¡¯t understand it. My ancestors left and established themselves in the Pointy Mountains because they couldn¡¯t stand being ruled by the Old Gods anymore. However, the only thing that¡¯s changed was the object of worship, from the Old Gods to a dragon. We were still the same, worthless. We were¡­ a contradictory race who had to endlessly serve others.¡± Seol only had bits and pieces of information about the trolls. As such, this was also his first time learning about this. ¡°When I was still young¡­ So, before Tancreed entered her slumber, she visited the tribe once.¡± - Go away! Get out of here! - J-Jamad, that stupid fool! - Stop it! N-No! - Are you trying to kill our tribe?! ¡°I threw a stone at Tancreed. While everyone bowed down to her, I was the sole troll who held his head high and threw a stone at her scales.¡± ¡°That¡¯s incredible.¡± - Please forgive us, Tancreed! He¡¯s just a young child, he has yet to learn about your¡ª - K-Kill him! Drag him out of here! ¡°I told her to bring back my mother. I called her a barbaric lizard¡­ I¡¯m sure I said something like that, but I don¡¯t remember what exactly I said back then anymore.¡± ¡°How did you manage to survive?¡± - You¡¯re¡­ I see. So you are her child. ¡°She let me onto her back and took off with her wings. And then, she took me somewhere before letting me off. - This is¡­ - I remember your mother, little life. The young Jamad stood in front of a tomb covered in wreaths. ¡°It was my mother¡¯s grave. Though my tribe offered her to Tancreed as a sacrifice, Tancreed buried her. I cried in misery. That was my first, and will probably be myst time crying.¡± ¡°Why did you cry, though?¡± ¡°A sense of inferiority. I cried because of how inferior myself and my race were. She was a much more noble and beautiful existence than I had ever imagined. I was a member of an inferior race who lost control after losing his mother and tried to injure that noble dragon¡­ I was an inferior life form.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Then, Tancreed told me this.¡± - You have good eyes. - I-I apologize, Tancreed. - It¡¯s a big world, child. Right now, everything will be painful and difficult. After all, you are still small and weak. However¡­ ¡°And like that, she had be my life¡¯s goal.¡± - One day, your time wille. You willter learn about the reason for your life, the reason for all life. And through that, you will reach the truth. Work hard, little life. That was why Jamad despised the Old Gods¡¯ powers and tried to do things by himself. Seol learned a bit more about Jamad through that today. ¡°Regardless, that was how I was born. After that, I was given the Curse of Brothers and epted it as my fate. I guess the results of that aren¡¯t too good, though. Still, I¡¯ll finish my story there. I want to hear about your stories now.¡± Before Seol could even respond to Jamad, Chao abruptly appeared. Thump! ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± And then, she shouted in urgency. ¡°They¡¯reing! We have to leave here, immediately!¡± The Adventure¡¯s first danger had arrived. [The main contents of ¡®Tardy¡¯ have changed.] [¡¯Tardy¡¯ has changed to ¡®Those Who Chase the Shadows¡¯.] Chapter 102 Chao¡¯s desperate voice broke the campfire¡¯s peace. ¡°Quickly! What are you doing?¡± ¡°If people are chasing you, can¡¯t we just fight them? Why are we running away?¡± Since Seol had no idea who or what was chasing her, he thought that this could be a good opportunity to learn about them and measure their strength. ¡®There¡¯s nothing to lose from learning about how strong they are right now. I have to clear the Adventure eventually anyway.¡¯ Seol was confident in himself. After all, he had three Legendary-rank summons with him. Not only that, but when he considered his feats so far, he recognized that no one coulde close. His belief in himself became much more solidified afterpletely demolishing the Fire Altar. He couldn¡¯t lose. That was the result of his cold calctions. ¡®Not to mention the fact that I could just escape if things go wrong¡­¡¯ It would be impossible for his powerful summons to not even be able to buy time for his escape. So, that was the reason why Seol asked Chao to fight. He had considered everything. However, the only thing he was met with was her incredulous look. She forcibly stood Seol up. ¡°Are you fucking stupid?! Are you trying to die? The people who are chasing me are Shadow Hunters!¡± ¡°Shadow Hunters?¡± The Shadow Hunters. Seol had heard about their faction before. In Pandea, the World of Eternity, yers could choose from many basic sses, but even more hidden sses existed. And those hidden sses had differences that weren¡¯t just through the difference in skills or stats. For example, certain sses had Friendly Rtions and Hostile Rtions with the close and opposing factions of the world. For example, Heretic Inquisitors held close rtionships with churches but were opposed to an endless amount of cults. Magicians also didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with Mechanical Engineers. Shadows Summoners were not an exception to this rule, they also had organizations that they had Hostile Rtions with. ¡®Shadow Hunters¡­¡¯ They were a group that despised shadows, especially Shadow Summoners. Most people in Pandea believed that extracting the shadows out of corpses to use them as subordinates was a cruel and atrocious dark magic. However, most people simply scorned Shadow Summoners. Shadow Hunters hunted them. This was the extent of Seol¡¯s knowledge. ¡®I¡¯ve never run into them after all.¡¯ As such, Seol had no idea what Shadow Hunters meant to the Shadow Summoners. And because of that¡­ Chao¡¯s excessive vignce made Seol worry as well. ¡®This¡­ is likely dangerous.¡¯ Chao then yelled at Seol once more. ¡°If you understand, run! Go west, I¡¯ll meet you there! Well, if we can both survive¡­¡± Seol ran without hesitation. Not too long after, he heard someone shouting from a distance. ¡°The witch is running away! Get her!¡± Seol realized that Chao¡¯s pursuers were closer than he thought and ran without looking back. Dash! * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol¡¯s extremely high stats no longer made him look like a caster-type ss. Rustle¡­ Dash! The way Seol ran through the grass made him look like a Dexterity-based ss. Anyone who saw him now wouldn¡¯t have assumed that he was a caster. Seol was someone who always did what he had to do. If he had to run, he gave his all in running. Even as he was running out of breath, Seol kept running. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± Seol¡¯s Constitution was simr to most Warriors or Knights now, so the fact that he was gasping for air meant that he had already traveled a considerablyrge distance. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Guys¡­¡± Fwooosh¡­ The night wind was strong. Seol inhaled the cool air into his lungs, slowly returning to his senses. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Where is everyone?¡± Jamad and the Twin Knights. He was with them in the beginning as he ran, but Seol couldn¡¯t see them anymore. Did they return to his Shadow Space? Seol found it strange that they returned there without even saying anything to him. Grrrrr¡­ Bark! Bark! ¡°Damn it.¡± They were still chasing after him. Seol had been running away from the sounds of hunting dogs from the start, and whenever he believed he had escaped them, he heard their cries not too long after. It had reached the point where Seol was now beginning to suspect it was a spell. ¡®I have to get rid of it.¡¯ Since Seol had his summons, killing a hunting dog was nothing difficult at all. Gloooow¡­ Seol began gathering energy into his hands while running. ck energy concentrated in his hands before heading to Seol¡¯s Shadow Space. However, what came out wasn¡¯t Karuna or Karen, or even Jamad. It was a message. [You are within the influence zone of ¡®A ce Without Light¡¯.] [You are unable to use Shadow Summon.] ¡°...What?¡± - Are you fucking stupid?! Are you trying to die? The people who are chasing me are Shadow Hunters! The reason that Chao quickly warned him¡­ - This Adventure is dangerous. The reason that Seol was given this warning¡­ It became evident the moment Seol received this message. ¡°Fufufu¡­ You should have just kept running away.¡± Seol heard the pursuer¡¯s voice from afar. A siren lit up in Seol¡¯s head. ¡®This¡­ is dangerous.¡¯ Seol did not hesitate anymore. If he was too slow to escape his pursuers, all he had to do was be faster. Seol kicked the back of his left foot with his right foot. Kick! Boom! [Escape From Danger activates.] [Your movement speed massively increases for a short period of time.] The Boots of Narrow Escape existed for moments like this. Fwooooosh! Seol was much faster than before. He was like an arrow flying through the forest. He was so incredibly fast that the monsters Seol ran into couldn¡¯t react as he breezed past them. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± Seol suddenly thought back to the past. He recalled his first time in Pandea, before he acquired Karuna. He cleared the ruins on his own with nothing to his name other than the knowledge of Pandea he held. ¡°Fuu¡­ Fuu¡­¡± And then, he acquired a powerful summon. His victories continued. He continued acquiring more and more powerful summons, and continued to get stronger. But when he looked back on it now¡­ he had been walking in circles. Seol might have acquired powerful summons but he was still the same weak individual. ¡®I¡­ can¡¯t do this with just Shadow Hand.¡¯ Even considering plotting a way to defeat the Shadow Hunters right now would beplete lunacy. Therefore, Seol simply continued to run. His mouth feltpletely dry. Seol wheezed for air with his dried lips. But then¡­ Grrrrr¡­ Bark! Again. It was the same barking sound that Seol had gotten sick of. ¡°Hahaha¡­ you¡¯re a good child, aren¡¯t you? Since it¡¯s my first time seeing you, I¡¯ll hunt youter. Do you know where the woman you were with went? Where is Mirei?¡± Seol thought he had misheard it. ¡®Mirei? Did he just call her Mirei?¡¯ The name of the woman Seol had been with was ¡®Chao.¡¯ However, the hunter was searching for ¡®Mirei¡¯. Despite the confusing situation, the name ¡®Mirei¡¯ was not all too unfamiliar to Seol. ¡®Mirei! Mirei, the Expelled!¡¯ She was a woman who had been chased out of Gregory¡¯s territory. Also, she was not just one of Gregory¡¯s many disciples. She was one of his three most beloved disciples. ¡®She¡¯s Mirei, Gregory¡¯s 3rd disciple!¡¯ Seol couldn¡¯t help and instinctively looked in the direction of the person who mentioned Mirei. Seol¡¯s Eyes of Perception then saw him and his information. [[Mcus, the Blind] Rank: Heroic Estimated Level: 20~24 Mcus hunts Shadow Summoners due to his conviction that using shadows is wrong, stemming from the misfortunes he experienced as a child. He travels with his trusty hunting dog, Dir, and together, Mcus and Dir are nightmares for Shadow Summoners. Basic Skills: [Track Footprints 1], [Wild Vision 1], [Neutralizing Shot 2], [Realized Pain 1], [Nocturnal 2] Unique Skills: [Beast¡¯s Sense of Smell 2], [A ce Without Light 3]] ¡®A ce Without Light, so it was because of that.¡¯ Bark! Bark! Despite the confusing situation, Seol looked for his only way out of it. Obviously, it was to run away. ¡°Give up, child. You¡¯ll only make it more painful. Simply hand over your head to me, Mcus, obediently.¡± Seol did not respond to Mcus at all and simply ran away. It was obvious that talking to him would never lead to Mcus sparing his life, only wasting his energy. But then¡­ Seol had an eerie feeling and twisted his body. Fffft! Something scratched by his earlobe. It was clear that it was an arrow. [You are affected by Mcus''s Neutralizing Shot.] [Ring of Grace activates.] [It deflects the Curse of Neutralization.] ¡°Oho! You had something like that up your sleeve? Still, there won¡¯t be a next time.¡± Grrrrrrr¡­ ¡°Dir, bite his neck.¡± Bark! Bark! From the darkness, arge boar¡­ no, arge ck hunting dog the size of a boar sprinted out. ¡®This¡­ might be a bit difficult.¡¯ Seol hadn¡¯t given up, but it was clear that blocking the dog¡¯s attacks without taking damage would be impossible. Seol decided to allow some attacks as long as the dog could not reach his neck. Seol resolved himself. The moment Dir ran in, Seol used one arm to protect his neck. He was prepared to lose an arm in the worst-case scenario. But then¡­ Thud! With lightning speed, someone ran to Seol¡¯s side and kicked Dir away. Whimper¡­ Whimper¡­ ¡°Fufufu¡­ as expected from you, Mirei. I¡¯ve been looking for you for so long.¡± ¡°Argh¡­ I¡¯m so tired of this. It¡¯s so annoying. I¡¯m getting sick of my poprity now. Still, you can¡¯t hang on to me like this. I¡¯m not into old men like you.¡± ¡°Hahaha, child. It seems like Mirei has saved you.¡± ¡°You already spilled everything? You¡¯re as boring as ever, Mcus.¡± ¡°Did you think you could hide forever, Mirei?¡± Chao¡­ no, the mysterious woman had saved Seol. ¡°Chao, did you lie to me?¡± ¡°Haha, sorry about that. Still, I didn¡¯t trick you intentionally. You were the one who came looking for me and pestered me.¡± ¡°Mirei¡­ If you¡¯re Mirei, then doesn¡¯t that make you Gregory¡¯s 3rd disciple?¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems like you already know a lot about me. Then you must also know that I was expelled by him, right?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ What are you going to do, Mcus? I got my identity revealed because of you. I lost all of the mystery surrounding me. Fffffft! Mcus fired an arrow as an answer instead. Ffft! And Mirei grabbed the arrow like it was nothing. ¡°Something like that won¡¯t work on me.¡± Seol was in awe, but he had just as many questions. ¡®Is she really a summoner?¡¯ A summoner grabbing an arrow that a hunter shot with her bare hands? Something was definitely off. ¡°Look back at yourself, Mirei. The way you¡­ the other hunters will be arriving here any time now.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ I¡¯m so scared¡­ But unfortunately for you¡­ I haven¡¯t just been ying around either.¡± ¡°What?¡± Snap! Swoosh¡­ As she snapped her fingers, a ck fog grew. [Mirei used ck Fog.] ¡°Oh no¡­ ck Fog! You still had some left? Do you think I¡¯ll lose you?!¡± ¡°Haha, you are going to lose me though. After all¡­ all of my smell and sounds will vanish unless I¡¯m close to you.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Fwoooooosh¡­ Thanks to it, Seol could also hide inside the fog. Mirei ced her index finger on her lips, signaling Seol to stay silent. They then carefully left the area. However, as they were leaving, Mcus shouted something into the fog. It was something for Seol. ¡°Child, you are being tricked by that wolf.¡± Seol wanted to tell him to shut up as he already knew that, but saying anything would waste the ck Fog. As such, he silently continued to walk away. ¡°She¡¯s deceiving you! How dare she! How dare she fool a human?!¡± What was he talking about? Mirei¡¯s face grew stiff. ¡°She¡¯s already dead! Mirei definitely died! I-I saw my arrow pierce through her chest!¡± Seol couldn¡¯t understand the ridiculous nonsense Mcus was saying. However, he felt something as Mirei¡¯s grip on his arm tightened. ¡®Her body¡­ is ck?¡¯ Her hands were darker than Yeo-myeong¡¯s, not to mention her neck, which Seol could barely see between her hood, was pitch ck. Mcus shouted at Seol once more. ¡°She¡¯s a shadow! She¡¯s already dead!¡± Chapter 103 The ck Fog bought Seol and Mirei enough time to escape the Shadow Hunters. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Mirei, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just¡­ I just need to catch my breath.¡± Mirei pulled out a cigarette from her inventory and ced it in her mouth. It was lit shortly after, letting smoke roll out of her mouth. ¡°Haha¡­ how unsightly.¡± ¡°Is that¡­ a painkiller?¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Pandea had many kinds of painkillers in the shape of a cigarette. They often absorbed its effects by burning it and inhaling the smoke. ¡®She carries painkillers around with her?¡¯ As Seol gave her a suspicious look, Mirei simply shrugged. "It¡¯s because my body''s in pretty bad condition." ¡°...Is this what you meant about not having that much time?¡± - Hm¡­ What should I do¡­ I don¡¯t have that much time, though. Could you perhaps ask someone else? Those were the words Mirei told Seol when he first met her. ¡°You remember that?¡± ¡°Answer me. Don¡¯t hide anything from me anymore, either.¡± ¡°...Fine. You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t have that long left to live.¡± ¡°How much time do you have left?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either. At the longest¡­ it could be more than a year. At the shortest, I could even die tomorrow. But that¡¯s life, though, no?¡± Mirei gave a sheepish smile while exhaling more smoke. ¡°I feel a bit better now. Should we keep walking? My hideout isn''t too far from here. We have more than enough time to talk while walking. And I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t forgotten, but I am a pretty busy person, too.¡± After finishing her sentence, Mirei wobbled to her feet. ¡°Are you sure they haven¡¯t found your hideout, though?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Still, even if they did, it should take them some time. Those guys normally hunt Shadow Summoners through their sense of smell or instinct, so I prepared special measures for them there.¡± ¡°I see. One more question then, why can¡¯t I use Shadow Summon in front of the Shadow Hunters¡­¡± ¡°It was your first time meeting a Shadow Hunter, huh? Those guys are trained to hunt Shadow Summoners specifically. It isn¡¯t too strange for them to have a special skill or two. Well, it wouldn¡¯t work against someone on Gregory¡¯s level or anything, but it is dire for people like us.¡± As she said, being unable to use his shadows in his Shadow Space was a horrible experience that Seol did not want to have again. ¡®But then¡­ how did thwart Mcus when she couldn¡¯t use her summons?¡¯ Even if Seol could break through the Wall of Awakening this Adventure, what next? Was he really capable of defeating or avoiding Mcus? Seol''s demeanor shifted to seriousness in response to the critical situation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. If the experiment is sessful¡ª¡± ¡°Mirei, I can¡¯t trust you anymore.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°You hid way too many things from me. Your name, your pursuers, even the fact that you were a shadow.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t changed my mind. However, I do think that I have a right to know everything now.¡± Mirei scratched her head. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°Everything,¡± responded Seol. Mirei¡¯s hideout entered their vision finally. ¡°I want you to tell me what you are afflicted with, why the Shadow Hunters are chasing you, why your rtionship with Gregory soured, and¡­¡± Seol¡¯s golden eyes exchanged nces with Mirei¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why you became a shadow?¡± Mirei¡¯s lips twitched. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Gregory was an ill-tempered and heartless individual. ¡°You stupid idiot! Give up already!¡± "No! I don''t want to, Gregory, you stupid idiot!" Gregory was stupid. ¡°How dare you say that to your master?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any lessons like this!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± And Mirei hated Gregory. She couldn¡¯t understand why people revered him as a legendary individual. Still, regardless of how she viewed him, Gregory was undoubtedly a legendary Shadow Summoner. At a young age, he delved into the unique study of Shadow Summoning. Shadow Summoning was a study that the summoners of the past generation simply wrote off as ¡®delusional.¡¯ However, Gregory gathered the scattered fragments into one. And then, hebined them with his own theories to create his own study. That was how Shadow Summoners, a ss that never existed before, was born. Gregory had multiple disciples as well, but there was one disciple he treasured the most. That disciple¡¯s name¡­ was Mirei. She, his third disciple, was an orphan from a small tribe that he took in and raised, at a young age when she was still being breastfed. His decision to do so was deemed entric by others. However, Gregory saw it differently. ¡®She¡­ is a genius.¡¯ Mirei was a genius. Her intelligence was blinding. The rate she absorbed new information made Gregory believe that she could quickly reach the essence of Shadow Summoning. Gregory was in awe of her. ¡®Mirei will be greater than even me someday.¡¯ However, Gregory hadn¡¯t taken her nature into ount. Heter learned that Mirei¡¯s name meant ¡®kind flower.¡¯ Like her name suggested, Mirei was kind. She loved all life and cherished it. The problem was that her personality stood in the way of her reaching greater heights as a Shadow Summoner. ¡°Mirei, shadows are a tool. No, even describing them as tools would be dangerous. They are savage beasts. You must always keep a leash on them and teach them to be subservient.¡± ¡°No, shadows can be friends.¡± ¡°You are foolish¡­ I know the true power of shadows. They are a frightening existence. Showing an opening by cherishing them is a dangerous action. One day, they will devour you.¡± They always fought back and forth with their words like this. Gregory wished for her to obediently focus on his teachings. He even nned to pass down everything he owned to her one day. However, she refused it all. "Gregory, you are the smartest person I know. You''re smarter than me¡ªno, you''re smarter than anyone. However, for this... just this... I''m right. Shadows aren''t simple existences subservient to power. We also aren¡¯t their masters either. We simply need to understand them more." ¡°You fool¡­ shadows are dead. You, someone who¡¯s living, would have to bear all of their regrets. Do you really think you would be capable of enduring that? You would simply be swayed and used by them!¡± ¡°I will use my life to prove that I¡¯m right. And you, Gregory¡­ you¡¯re just a coward who¡¯s simply too scared of shadows to approach them.¡± ¡°You will one day learn the meaning behind my words, Mirei.¡± Gregory and Mirei¡¯s rtionship had ended there. After all, their approaches to Shadow Summoning were intrinsically different. Mirei then left Gregory¡¯s side, and after that, she traveled the world. However, as she had left Gregory¡¯s side, many who held grudges against Gregory began targeting her, too. One of such groups was the Shadow Hunters. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± She had gone through many difficult battles, but she was still diligent with her research. ¡°The Genius Mirei¡¯s 7th Log¡­ To coexist with shadows, we must go beyond assimtion. Assimtion is just another word for the summoner to hold onto the reins while they use the shadows as tools. There is a limit in understanding each other with this method.¡± A lot of time had passed. For Gregory¡­ For Mirei¡­ She had gone through many fake identities, shown many fake expressions¡­ She was now living while pretending to be someone else. However, Mirei still held onto one truth. ¡°Is it hard, Sodin?¡± Sodin was a shadow who had been with her for many years. And Mirei, like her name suggested, was always kind to him. ¡°...I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°Let me know if it hurts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, but¡­ how are you?¡± ¡°Me? Haha¡­ I¡¯m good, too.¡± Sodin always felt sorry for her. Despite her research going on for many years, no progress had been made at all. He, her shadow, believed that he was at fault for it. ¡°Mirei, your theories might be true. However¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°The reason your research has made no progress is because I am weak. It might be better to look for another shadow¡­¡± ¡°Stop talking about that. That¡¯s not the problem.¡± Mirei sincerely believed that. She also believed that with enough time, she could coexist perfectly with shadows, too. However, something unexpected happened. She did not have much time left. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°Mirei, you witch!¡± Her pursuers were persistent. Especially the group with the Shadow Hunter named Mcus. In the end, she was pierced by his arrow and swept away by the river. ¡°Haha¡­ How could this be¡­ To think that I, the genius Mirei¡­ cough¡­ would make a mistake like that.¡± It was a mistake getting onto the carriage like that. Mcus had caught her. She fought back well, but she couldn¡¯t avoid his arrow. Mirei used her wits to barely avoid him, but she was in a critical condition. She had spilled too much blood. Her consciousness was fading. Blood continued dripping out of her chest. ¡°Gasp¡­ Urgh¡­ What¡¯s the number this time¡­? Sodin, do you remember it?¡± ¡°...the 299th Log.¡± ¡°Yeah. Th-the Genius Mirei¡¯s 299th Log¡­ Uh¡­ I can¡¯t think anymore. Why can¡¯t I think? Sodin, dying is quite interesting. It hurts, but it also doesn¡¯t hurt. Was it like this for you, too, Sodin?¡± ¡°...It was.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still here, that¡¯s a relief¡­ Huh¡­ Huh? So that was it. Yeah, that was the problem!¡± ¡°What are you saying, Mirei?¡± ¡°I found out why we couldn¡¯t coexist. Cough¡­ N-No¡­ I can¡¯t die like this¡­ I only just learned now. I need to prove it to Gregory¡­¡± ¡°Mirei!¡± Mirei realized it moments before death. She realized that she was right. She realized the method to be one with a shadow. She discovered the method to go beyond the master-servant rtionship, the method to make them truly ept each other. ¡°The summoner¡­ has to experience death too. That¡¯s¡­ the only difference between shadows and summoners. All we had to do was understand that. But how? Urgh¡­ What do I¡­ I don¡¯t have enough time¡­ No¡­¡± Mirei¡¯s clear, ss-like eyes started to cloud. She was moments before death. But then¡­ Sodin opened his lips. ¡°Mirei.¡± ¡°Maybe if we temporarily put them into a false-death state¡­ ah, so it was that.¡± ¡°Mirei.¡± ¡°Sodin¡­ it¡¯s cold. Were you always this cold, too? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know. Th-there¡¯s a nket in the bag¡­¡± ¡°Mirei, listen to me.¡± Thud. Sodin fell to his knees in front of Mirei. As her eyes grew cloudier and cloudier, she asked him a question. ¡°Do you think Gregory was right about my death? Were you disappointed that I couldn¡¯t make your hopese true, Sodin? Are you going to eat me now because of it?¡± ¡°No. I swear to you that¡¯s not true, Mirei.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so relieved¡­¡± Sodin then spoke to Mirei while giving her a resolved look. ¡°You are a kind person.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ Yeah, thank you.¡± Grab. Sodin grabbed Mirei¡¯s hand. Strength was leaving her hand. Just like Sodin¡¯s cold hand¡­ Mirei¡¯s hand would soon be like that, too. And then, Sodin said something to her. ¡°I will buy you some time.¡± ¡°What¡­ What are you saying?¡± Thud. Sodin put his forehead to the floor. ¡°You must not die here. Weren¡¯t you the one who always said this? That you would leave behind a great mark¡­ That you would prove that Gregory was wrong¡­ That you would give shadows a life after death¡­¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I will give you my body. It won¡¯tst long, but it should still give you enough time to yell into the world.¡± ¡°No, Sodin. Urgh¡­ Don¡¯t do it! Don¡¯t do itttttt!¡± ¡°If I was stronger¡­ I could have protected you¡­ I¡¯m sorry for being weak.¡± Fwoooooosh! Sodin¡¯s ck energy pulled apart before wrapping around Mirei. It was as if she had been covered in a newyer of skin. Mirei¡¯s fading consciousness even returned, giving her enough time to hear Sodin¡¯sst words. ¡°Mirei, you were my hope. I hope that you can achieve your dreams. Goodbye, my friend¡­¡± * * * Smoke puffed out of Mirei¡¯s cigarette. The smoke held her memories. It also held Sodin¡¯s face, his voice, and his memories. ¡°The living and the dead epting each other¡­ It¡¯s easy to say, but is that really possible? That¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking, right?¡± ¡°...I understand everything now.¡± ¡°You know¡­ Gregory¡¯s summons are all powerful, but they all despise him. He restricts them and controls their actions.¡± Seol patiently listened to Mirei¡¯s words. ¡°But is that the right thing to do? I don¡¯t think so. So that¡¯s why¡­ I¡¯m going to challenge it. I¡¯m going to challenge it until the end, until I can leave behind that great mark.¡± She looked at Seol. There wasn¡¯t even a hint of yfulness on her face anymore. ¡°And I¡¯m going to do it through you. So now, choose. You¡¯re free to go back now if you want. If you do, it will be like we never met each other, and you will guarantee your own safety the further you go from here.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s the other option?¡± ¡°Assist me and see the end of this research. During that process, you will experience death too. So, what will you do?¡± Now that Seol knew everything, the only thing he had to do was choose. After a short thought, Seol opened his mouth to answer her. Chapter 104 Mirei had hidden many things from Seol thus far. And she still wanted Seol to trust her and continue the experiment? If a hundred transferees were asked this question, all one hundred of them would refuse. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I told you, I¡¯ll do the experiment.¡± Like always, Seol¡¯s decision went against expectations. - I can¡¯t believe he fell for her¡­ - He should just run away, though¡­ Mcus was fucking scary¡­ - Doesn¡¯t matter~ He¡¯ll just shit on him with the Exceptional Skill. - Doesn¡¯t matter~ It won¡¯t work on him~ - Doesn¡¯t matter~ Can you guys stop? - Doesn¡¯t matter~ Ok. ¡°Well, alright. If you¡¯ve already decided, there¡¯s no need to waste time. My hideout is over there.¡± The house was made out of lumped-together trees. Even if the vegetation around the house was covering it, the house was built way too carelessly. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s too obvious?¡± "I used some tricks so that the hunters wouldn¡¯t see it even if they looked at it head-on. Well¡­ at least it has worked so far.¡± Mirei stretched and continued talking. ¡°There isn¡¯t much time left until they find us. Especially Mcus, he doesn¡¯t know when to give up. I just got the short end of the stick, having him chase me¡­ Regardless, they¡¯ll likely find this ce soon." ¡°Then, are we starting the experiment right away?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not. We might be short on time, but there¡¯s still one important thing left before we can begin.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This experiment won¡¯t be sessful if you¡¯re the only person ready. Your partner needs to be ready, too. Also, you don¡¯t even know how this experiment works. Now that I¡¯m saying it out loud, you¡¯re a dude without backup ns. Did you really agree to it when you don¡¯t know what we¡¯d be doing?¡± - I¡¯ll do it. - The experim¡ª What? Seol asked her a question. ¡°Well, I had a rough idea. You want me to do something while I¡¯m in the false-death state, right?¡± ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m d that you can at least read between the lines. You¡¯re ready for death, huh? Alright, then I¡¯ll exin exactly how it will progress.¡± Mirei began by asking Seol a question. ¡°What do you think is waiting for you after death?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Yeah, and I, someone who has died before, don¡¯t know either. I''m also sure that your shadows don¡¯t remember, either. We have no idea whether the dead drift endlessly in a void or if there¡¯s a world exclusive to them, since we can¡¯t remember.¡± She smiled then ced a hand on the tense Seol¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though. Based on the instruction manual, the False-Death Inducing Device won¡¯t actually kill you. It just brings you close to death, then makes you dive into your deep consciousness.¡± ¡°Deep¡­ consciousness?¡± ¡°Basically, it¡¯s the deepest, darkest part of you. Something that isn¡¯t expressed logically, but with your heart. Anyway, there¡¯s a small side effect during that process¡­¡± ¡°Ha. There are side effects, too?¡± ¡°Yeah. Basically, it¡¯s difficult to enter your deep consciousness because it¡¯s so painful. It seeds maybe¡­ one every one hundred attempts?¡± ¡°...Didn¡¯t you say we¡¯re short on time?¡± ¡°Tadah! That¡¯s why I needed this medicine.¡± Mirei shed Gunt¡¯s Sleeping Medicine. ¡°You¡¯re not feeding me that, are you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I am.¡± - And for that reason, I¡¯m out. - The experim¡ª What? Gunt¡¯s medicine puts people to sleep before turning them into smelly, pus-covered monsters. And right now, Mirei was trying to feed that medicine to Seol. ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°Calm down. Why do you think it¡¯s called ¡®Medicine¡¯? I acquired a small amount of this medicinest time and analyzed it. Based on my research, you won¡¯t experience any side effects as long as you can wake up from sleep on your own. So, as long as you can control it, this medicine won¡¯t only be an effective sedative, but also the best painkiller.¡± ¡°Like you said, isn¡¯t that only if you wake up?¡± ¡°Are you not going to wake up then? You¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t wake up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I can wake up just because I want to, though.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. The False-Death Inducing Device and this medicine synergize well with each other. They cover each other¡¯s weaknesses.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple, but¡­ alright, what now?¡± Mirei put up a finger. ¡°First, you¡¯ll take this medicine and dive into your deep consciousness using the False-Death Inducing Device.¡± She then put up another finger. ¡°Also, it won¡¯t be just you, but also one of your shadows.¡± ¡°My shadow?¡± ¡°Yup. This experiment tests whether the shadow and shadow summoner can coexist, after all.¡± ¡°Why just one, though?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an easy question. It¡¯s because the False-Death Inducing Device is for two people.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°We could forcibly try including more shadows, but because we don¡¯t know what side effects would ur if we do that, we¡¯ll just have to pretend that option doesn¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°I understand. What next?¡± She then put up three fingers. ¡°Your deep consciousness, like how I mentioned earlier, will bring out any terrible regrets or memories you have. It will also try to keep you there. If you can escape, the experiment will end.¡± ¡°It¡¯s much simpler than I thought.¡± "It isn¡¯t. It''s like saying, ''I¡¯ll conquer the world,'' which is different from actually aplishing it. Now, while I prepare the experiment, I need you to choose which shadow you¡¯ll enter there with." ¡°Understood.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Karen, Karuna, and Jamad. The three of them left the hideout with Seol, all with dissatisfied looks on their faces. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, we couldn¡¯t leave the Shadow Space the moment that hunter bastard showed up.¡± ¡°Master, he¡¯s dangerous. I won¡¯t be able to protect you.¡± As this was their first conversation after being hunted by Mcus, it was obvious that the conversation revolved around that. ¡°Master, do we have to do this? Can we just not do it?¡± ¡°I agree with Karen. While facing the Shadow Hunters again is certainly dangerous, right now, this experiment is much more dangerous.¡± Seol nodded. ¡°I know. But that¡¯s why we have to do it.¡± ¡°Howe?¡± ¡°Because this will be a huge stepping stone to reach my goals.¡± ¡°...I guess we have no choice then. Let¡¯s do it.¡± There was no time for them to go back and forth like this. The moment Seol finished preparing, the experiments would begin immediately. ¡°We have to choose who¡¯ll go with me. All of you heard about what the experiment entails, right?¡± The shadow who would enter the deep consciousness with Seol would have to die once more. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die again¡­¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, what does it feel like to die?¡± ¡°Are you curious about that, Master?¡± ¡°Of course, after all, I¡¯m about to die right now.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ So, if I have to describe it¡­ it¡¯s like the ground you were walking on suddenly disappeared.¡± It was a hard to describe feeling. Karen continued trying to describe it, bringing her hand to her chin. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ swoosh¡­ boom¡­ it kind of feels like nothing¡¯s supporting you?¡± ¡°So what supported you disappearing¡­ What else?¡± ¡°Honestly, that was all I felt when I died. I was furious, the world around me turned red, and before I realized it, I lost consciousness. That was it.¡± ¡°Do you remember anything else? Like an afterlife or something?¡± ¡°You believe in something like that? Hm¡­ Well, it could exist. I just don¡¯t remember. Or maybe my memories were erased?¡± Karuna spoke after Karen. ¡°It¡¯s the same for me, as well. My world turned ck, and my head felt clear for a second before I lost consciousness entirely. Nothing felt particrly special.¡± ¡°I agree. There¡¯s nothing special about dying. It¡¯s the fate of all living creatures, after all.¡± Jamad as well¡­ As Seolbined their statements, he realized that he didn¡¯t need to worry too much about what would happen afterward. ¡®I¡¯ll experience it one day anyway.¡¯ As Seol thought, Karen spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The False-Death Inducing Device or whatever it was called¡­ I¡¯ll enter it with Master.¡± ¡°No, Karen. Anyone but you.¡± ¡°Karuna?¡± Karuna was opposed to Karen. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Did you not hear? It¡¯ll bring back your most painful memories. What memory do you think would be brought up if you go in that?¡± ¡°......¡± The memory of the usurpers taking Jin from her. It was clear that it would be that, but could Karen ovee it? She wasn¡¯t confident that she could. ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t go either.¡± This time, Jamad refuted Karuna. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything other than what happened in Montra. That¡¯s why¡ª¡± ¡°What if the deep consciousness pulls out something you¡¯ve forgotten?¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°If it brings out something you¡¯ve forgotten to hurt you, you might also fall.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen¡ª¡± ¡°Are you sure that won¡¯t happen? This isn¡¯t just your life on the line, but all of ours.¡± ¡°......¡± Jamad stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Jamad!¡± ¡°I remember everything I¡¯ve been through since I was born. I can ovee any memories that may be used to hurt me. After all, I overcame them once already.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Noints, right? Then it¡¯s decided. I¡¯ll do it.¡± - They¡¯re all begging to die wtf¡­ - But if I was the summoner in this situation and my summons were acting like this, I¡¯d be touched. - Get out of my way! I¡¯m going to be the one that dies! Mirei notified Seol that the experiment was ready, prompting Seol and Jamad to enter the wooden house. ¡°The device looks rather eerie.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± She awkwardlyughed at Seol and Jamad¡¯sints, then proceeded to bind their bodies with steel chains, securing them further with a lock. ¡°What are you doing, woman?¡± ¡°It might get troublesome if you move around and identally break the device before you escape.¡± ¡°Hmph! There¡¯s nothing that I, Jamad, can¡¯t escape.¡± ¡°Regardless, let me warn you both before you enter.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You will see each other¡¯s most terrible memories. Through that, you will understand each other. However, you mustn¡¯t help each other haphazardly.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± "If you haphazardly intervene in their memory to help them, not only could your partner sumb to their memory but also you. And if that happens, you¡¯ll both die." Seol looked at the Sleeping Medicine. Knowing how dangerous it was, it was hard for him to put a good expression on his face. Mirei, seeing that, spoke to Seol. ¡°Trust me. This might be for my research, but it¡¯s also a good opportunity for you. I want you to know that I would never intentionally harm you.¡± ¡°...Okay.¡± [You have acquired ¡®Mirei, the Shadow Summoner¡¯ as a helper.] [¡®Mirei, the Shadow Summoner¡¯ is a Heroic rank.] [Helpers have a chance of appearing in all Adventures.] [They will help you differently based on their favorability toward you.] After saying that, she became listed as Seol¡¯s helper. Seol, seeing that message, confidently nodded. Gulp¡­ Gulp¡­ Seol and Jamad both drank the Sleeping Medicine. Hummmmm¡­ The False-Death Inducing Device ran. Crackle¡­ Seol could feel himself drifting from reality. ¡°Now, I hope you enjoy your time in the sea of oblivion and emptiness.¡± Crackle¡­ Zap! With the sound of a bulb popping, the world turned to ck. Beeeeeeeeeep¡­ - What the hell? Why are we left behind here? - God damn it¡­ I should just go to sleep. - I knew this would happen, fuck¡­ * * * Drip. Drip. It sounded as if water was dripping down in a dark and mmy room. [[Davurg, the teau''s End, asked you a question. How do you respond?] 1. This was not my will. 2. You are correct, Davurg. You will die today, right here. 3. Davurg, please, calm down. 4. It is unfortunate that things have be like this. However, wouldn¡¯t you agree that you are at fault, too? ¡­¡­] ¡°Option 2. I¡¯ll choose option 2.¡± ¡°Yeah. We¡¯vee this far. We should see it through to the end with Davurg, right?¡± ¡°A good choice! Hahaha!¡± Seol nodded back. Before Seol realized it, a snowman mask had covered his face. Seol returned to his heyday, back when he was a winner who hadn¡¯t experienced defeat. Seol saw multiple options. ¡°Option 1. I¡¯ll go with option 1.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°This is perfect!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go option 3.¡± "Looking at it again, I don''t think he¡¯s made a single mistake!" ¡°At this rate¡­¡± ¡°Option 5.¡± ¡°Option 7.¡± In the end, Seol¡¯s piece had sessfullynded an attack on Davurg. [[Davurg pleads for mercy. It''s apletely unexpected situation. What end will you grant him?] 1. There is no mercy. Finish it. ¡­¡­] ¡°Option 1.¡± ¡°Of course! There will only be trouble in the future if we spare him now.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe Davurg is dying here! He killed so many of my pieces!¡± ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see Davurg die with my own eyes.¡± ¡°Everyone,e watch this! Snowman¡¯s about to kill Davurg!¡± ¡°No way! Davurg is going to die?¡± ¡°Where?! Where are¡­¡± It was¡­ It was always like this. He was always surrounded by them, receiving endless praise and basking in eyes filled with admiration. There were also individuals who waited for his fall and were envious of him, too, though. However, that didn¡¯t matter to Seol. Something that small didn''t matter. ¡®I just have to enjoy it.¡¯ The piece started moving. Crackle¡­ ¡®Huh? Now that I think about it¡­¡¯ Crackle¡­ It felt like Seol was on the verge of recalling a certain memory. ¡®Troll¡­ a small troll¡­¡¯ It was the memory of a small troll, a long time ago¡­ It was a memory of being with that troll¡­ ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Snowman?¡± Seol gave a big smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just for a second, I¡­¡± Crackle¡­ The memory of helping that troll. ¡°I just felt like I had forgotten something. It¡¯s probably just in my head, though. Let¡¯s continue.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Thud! Chapter 105 It was a different kind of darkness here. This space, which looked empty at a nce, was, in fact, filled with many small lives. And those small lives created their own worlds. I opened my eyes. ¡®Who am I? What happened?¡¯ Everything felt vivid. It felt real. ¡®Maybe¡­ this is reality?¡¯ As I touched my face without much thought, I feltrge fangs. What was I? If I were to guess what I looked like through these fangs, I would think I appeared frightening. ¡®Am I alone?¡¯ It didn¡¯t seem like it. The sounds I heard around me proved it. Crunch¡­ Crunch. Nom¡­ Rip¡­ The individuals voraciously eating something were children, all with long fangs. They had red eyes. ¡®Urgh¡­¡¯ For some reason, I disliked them. It was terrifying to approach them. Even so, I tried approaching them. Crunch! They were devouring the flesh of another creature like savages. It was the flesh of a human, an intelligent creature capable of conversation. I couldn¡¯t tell whether their flesh was originally red, or if it turned red from the blood covering them. ¡®Urgh¡­¡¯ My eyes began to turn red, just like theirs. Wildness cannot be tamed. It felt like the boiling blood in my body was screaming at me. ¡®Do I¡­ just have to ept it?¡¯ Reach. I stretched out my hand unwittingly. Even though they disgusted me, I might have been so weak that I couldn¡¯t resist my desires. ¡®I¡¯m¡­ hungry¡­ I¡¯m losing to my hunger.¡¯ My hand reached out to the blood-covered corpse. I could sense it. The moment I put that into my mouth, I would forever be subservient to savagery. Even so, I couldn¡¯t resist. The corpse¡¯s severed arm was heavy. I had to use both of my small hands to barely lift it. The feeling I had when carrying that weight wasn¡¯t annoyance or disgust, though. It was happiness. Drool¡­ I opened my drooling mouth. ¡®Huh? I shouldn¡¯t¡­ I shouldn¡¯t¡­ be doing this¡­¡¯ Then, I felt a gaze from somewhere, looking at me. I quickly looked behind me, like a criminal caught red-handed. It was a man. A certain man was looking at me. What was in those eyes? ¡®That¡­ was sympathy.¡¯ Pity, sadness, regret¡­ Maybe even disappointment. All of those feelings swirled in his eyes. Shake¡­ Shake¡­ The man carefully shook his head. Then he spoke to me. ¡°Don¡¯t do it.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t eat it?¡¯ He simply looked at me. For some reason, I felt embarrassed. I didn¡¯t want to let down his eyes, filled with expectations for me. Toss! That was probably why I snorted in anger and threw the corpse¡¯s arm aside. ¡°I feel nauseous. I won¡¯t eat something like this. Something like hunger¡­ I can just endure it.¡± The moment I said that, everyone looked at me. They looked at me, perplexed. However, it felt like I couldn¡¯t eat this with the man looking at me from afar. For some reason¡­ his face felt familiar. Hummmmm¡­ The space distorted. Beeeeeeeeeep¡­ A strange beeping sound struck my ears. ¡°Jamad, you are a troll.¡± An unexpected face appeared. They were the faces of old trolls, the shamans of the previous generation. Four trolls were also sitting down next to me. They all looked ridiculous. ¡°What are ¡®brothers¡¯ in the Rock Mr Tribe, Jamad?¡± "An eternalrade and ally, someone with whom you share pain and glory alike." ¡°From this day forth, the five of you will be brothers.¡± ¡°Brothers? These idiots will be my brothers?¡± ¡°They are. You will lead the Rock Mr Tribe with them.¡± I had a question. ¡®It''s strange. Besides, isn''t it normal to find it strange to be brothers with trolls you just met?¡¯ I refused it. ¡°...No. I won¡¯t recognize them as my brothers. I will choose my own brothers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pointless to resist. It has already been decided within the tribe. The five of you will now be given the Curse of Brothers.¡± ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to!¡± Someone¡­ Someone help me¡­ Please¡­ ¡®Is there¡­ Is there no one out there? Just look at what crazy things they¡¯re trying to do to me!¡± I looked at everyone around me, but they simply ignored my gaze. All except for one pair of eyes. Those golden eyes were watching me. ¡°Help me¡­ Say something for me!¡± Though I hoped, I didn''t expect anything. However, the man with golden eyes spoke in my stead. ¡°Those are not your real brothers.¡± Turn! Turn! Turn! Turn! All of the trolls looked at him. It was a frightening sight, but he didn¡¯t flinch. Rather, he boldly held his head high. Hummmmm¡­ The space distorted again. I thought it was a relief that the man was safe. ¡®Huh? This is¡­¡¯ It was an altar, also called the Old God Temple. Countless trolls bowed down, with their heads to the ground, wailing. It was a ce where sulfur hisses and lightning strikes, a ce where strong gusts of wind rips garments. The Old Gods looked down on the dim-witted trolls that bowed before them. The only thing I could feel from the Old Gods were contempt and arrogance. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t do it!¡± Don¡¯t serve them. They only n to use you. An offering was being ced on the altar. An elf with pearl-like skin, a plump orc, a small human, and corpses from other races¡­ But alongside them was the corpse of another troll. For some reason¡­ that corpse made me feel nostalgic. I knew who that female troll was. ¡°M-Mother?¡± She was my mother. I don''t know how I knew it, she was just a female troll with a blurry face. But I was sure of it. And then, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The Old Gods were looking at me. Purga breathed out sulfuric fire as he spoke. "Submit to us, savages. As your poweres from us, bow down and tremble before our strength." I could neither do nor say anything. As I was about to fall to my knees¡­ Suddenly, the fragrant smell of flowers flowed in. As I breathed in through my nose, the Old Gods¡¯ powers, which were pushing down on me, disappeared. As I straightened up my weak knees, I looked in the direction I smelled the flowers from. ¡®Who is it? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ It was the same man from before. He was standing with his back turned. I realized then why it smelled like flowers. There was a flower bed filled with different colored flowers. The man stood there at the windy hill, making something. He was tying flowers together, making a flower crown. The man then ced the wreath of flowers on something. Slowly, I passed through the flowers, and approached the man. He had ced the flower crown on a grave. ¡®...It¡¯s my mother.¡¯ The grave must have belonged to my mother. Otherwise, why did I suddenly cry so much? ¡®Why?¡¯ Why does he keep helping me? I was so interested in him that it was on the verge of spilling over from curiosity to hostility. ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± The man didn¡¯t respond and simply moved his finger. It was like he was gesturing to me to do something. ¡°You want me to duck? Why¡ª Urgh!¡± And then¡­ Fwooooosh! Fwoosh! The wing ps were so powerful that I thought it was a storm. I feared my small, young body would be swept away by its winds. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Woooooooooooosh! The strong winds prevented the hill¡¯s flowers from staying tall. I also knew who created those winds. Tancreed, the Earth Mother. She possessed a powerful body and exuded such nobility that I couldn''t gaze directly at her. She was a dragon, born with the stars. She was¡­ like overwhelming violence. And I was mentally defeated by her, by her incredible existence. ¡°Damn it¡­ Damn ittttttt!¡± I felt that, regardless of the method or tactic I attempted, I would never reach her. As I watched Tancreed¡¯s back as she flew into the setting sun, I despaired, and despaired. Woooosh! ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t fly.¡± Since I had no wings, I couldn¡¯t fly into the skies like Tancreed. I couldn¡¯t grasp the skies like her. And then¡­ The man appeared again. He was always like this. ¡°Jamad, let¡¯s go.¡± Grab. Pull¡­ The man who ced the wreath of flowers on the grave grabbed my wrists. He was pulling me somewhere. The man led me through the flowers, and after passing through a narrow path, we arrived at the edge of the hill. As he stood there without a word, I stood there, as well. And then¡­ I realized it. Fwoooosh. I could see the vastnd and rivers stretching beneath the hill. I could see countless lives. I was moved. It was a greater feeling than what I felt when I saw Tancreed. Tancreed was great. However, even she only had the skies, not the world. The world was just that vast. The world also exuded freshness, untouched by anyone. Barley ripened, animals were well-fed, and rivers flowed. That was how the world existed. In the end, thend wasn¡¯t smaller than the skies. ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s right.¡± Words started toe together in a corner of my heart. I am a troll. I am Rock Mr. ¡°...I am Jamad. Finally¡­ I finally know who I am.¡± My small body slowly began growing. My body was beginning to be clearly defined by muscles, my fangs grew bigger. I continued to grow and grow¡­ Until I fully recovered my original body. And finally, I opened my eyes to the world. ¡°I see, so it was you. Kuahahahaha!¡± The man who had helped me thus far had disappeared before I realized it. He had given a wake-up call to the straying young troll. He had watched over him until the young troll grew into an adult. He waited for him to realize his true self. ¡°Even though I am the one who will grasp the mysteries of creation and the truth of the stars¡­ Snowman¡­ How annoying. I could have stood up on my own.¡± This was a dream. A very terrible dream. - If you haphazardly intervene in their memory to help them, not only could your partner sumb to their memory but also you. And if that happens, you¡¯ll both die. Jamad looked at thend. The red glow in his eyes almost looked beautiful now. ¡°I am Jamad. And I¡­ will one day be king of thisnd.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Thud! [You are in a difficult situation. What do you do?] ¡°O-Option 4.¡± Like everything in life, it wasn¡¯t always smooth sailing. Right now, Seol made the wrong decision. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± The masked individuals covered their mouths and held theirughs. Seol bit his lips to the point of bleeding. He could feel them mocking him. ¡°Snowman, pffft¡­ Due to your incorrect decision, your swordsman now only has one arm.¡± In that instant, Seol could hear his piece screaming. ¡°Guaaaaaaaargh!¡± Seol¡¯s single mistake left his piece with an eternal scar. Thud! ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± The piece on the table turned around to look at Seol. He cried tears of blood as he showed his anger. ¡°You¡­ You made me like this.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You should have chosen the correct option. You shouldn¡¯t have made me like this!¡± Seol was terrified by his piece and put his head down. However, the horrific situation didn¡¯t end there. [[You are undergoing Vanishment. At this rate, you will lose all of your emotions. What do you do?] ¡­] ¡°Option 2!¡± Creak. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± A woman in a mboyant mask shed her teeth and conveyed sadness. However, Seol could tell that she was also suppressingughter. Thud! ¡°Oh no¡­ Your magician lost their eye this time¡­ And you weren¡¯t able to prevent Vanishment either.¡± ¡°N-No. This isn¡¯t my fault!¡± ¡°Are you making excuses right now? You chose that option.¡± A ck magician with bandages around one eye looked up to Seol. ¡°This is all your fault. Did you think you were better than us just because you were looking down on us from up there? Did you think you owned me? Answer me!¡± Seol couldn¡¯t say anything. He simply closed his mouth and lowered his head. He was in pain, like a criminal being interrogated. Thud! The gods he was rolling dice with¡­ The pieces on the table¡­ Even his own shadow¡­ It felt like the whole world was his enemy. It felt as if a knife woulde flying at any opening he provided to take his flesh. Thud! Seol¡¯s vision started to get blurry. This was a nightmare made from squeezing out everyst one of his vulnerabilities. Seol pretended to be normal, but he was far from it. He had strange dreams ever since he was young, which continued into adulthood. And surprisingly, he had still kept his secret. He never once told anyone else. It wasn¡¯t normal. Thud! How did he keep his secret? The reason was much simpler than expected. It was because he had contorted and twisted his inner self. Rather than the cold, lonely world he waspelled to endure, Seol found sce in the sanctuary of his dreams, whereughter echoed, and dice tumbled. For Seol, this was simply his dreams, but it was delusions in the eyes of others. And like that, the time he spent in reality and in his dreams reversed. Seol was invested in The World of Eternity to the point that he hated being awake. ¡®I¡­ I don¡¯t need any of that. I just need my friends and this.¡¯ His masked friends and his reality-like game. Seol had been swayed by them, more and more. No¡­ even Seol wasn¡¯t sure if they were truly his friends. ¡°Oh no!¡± ¡°Hahahaha! Snowman, what are you going to do?¡± It was only natural for someone like Seol to feel guilty for his pieces, as their injuries were a result of his own mistakes. He took responsibility for it. ¡°It looks like¡­ your piece is in an awful situation again.¡± It was another mistake. Seol looked to see which of his pieces were in danger. The piece looked like Seol as a snowman. ¡®What? That¡¯s me?¡¯ The godsughed wickedly. Thud! ¡°Hahahaha! Snowman, Seol¡¯s in danger. What are you going to do?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll die if you fail, you know? Hurry up and decide already!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have much time left. If you fail again here, it¡¯s really the end!¡± ¡°Choose now¡­¡± The gods revealed their true selves and hurried him. ¡°Choose.¡± Forked tongues and red fangs protruded from their mouths. ¡°Choose!¡± At that moment, Seol despised the pressure to decide. It reached a point where he contemted abandoning choosing entirely. His mental strain then revealed itself like reality. [[¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€?] 1. ¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€ 2. ¨€¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€ 3. ¨€¨€¨€¨€ 4.¨€¨€ ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ ¡­¡­] Life wasn¡¯t a game. It wasn¡¯t so easy that you could choose the path you would take in an instant. Thud! Thud! ¡°Aaaaaaaargh! Stop! Stop that damned thudding sound already! It¡¯s been way too noisy!¡± shouted Seol as he was pushed into a corner. It really was too loud here. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you hear it? That thudding sound?¡± ¡°Thud?¡± Thud! Thud! Seol stood up from his chair like he was caught in a trance. ¡°Wh-where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡­ definitely hear something here¡­ over here¡­¡± Thud! Like a doctor bringing their stethoscope to an injured area, Seol leaned his ear into an empty space. Thuuuuud! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Someone was there. Someone who wasn¡¯t one of the gods enjoying the game. Thud! Crackle¡­ A small crack formed in that dark space. Seol could see someone¡¯s eye from beyond it. They were the red eyes of a beast. Seol had seen those eyes before. It felt like a very old memory. Seol had saved a child with those eyes before. That same child had be an adult and was breaking down the walls that were trapping Seol. Seol then heard a sound from beyond the wall. ¡°Finally, you¡¯re looking at me.¡± Jamad spoke once more. ¡°I¡¯ve been pounding on it for a while.¡± Chapter 106 Seol lookedpletely pitiful as he was wrapped in chains and slept silently. ¡°Hey, Mirei! Is this really alright?¡± ¡°Nothing¡¯s happened yet, so I don¡¯t know either.¡± ¡°Even though Master is sitting still like he¡¯s dead?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a False-Death Inducing Device. He¡¯s essentially dead right now.¡± Karuna pondered with his eyes shut, leaning against the wall. Meanwhile, Karen was worried about both Seol and Jamad as nothing was happening. It wasn¡¯t as if Seol¡¯s summons waiting for him in reality felt easy either. Rather, it was more painful because they didn¡¯t know what was happening. Frrssss¡­ ¡°Huh? L-Look!¡± Seol¡¯s body was turning ck. ¡°Is it a sess?¡± Mirei looked at Seol with focused eyes. However¡­ ¡°Ah¡­¡± Slide¡­ The ck energy reached Seol¡¯s golden eyes and turned them ck. Seol¡¯s face looked not only eerie, but also somewhat frightening. Not to mention¡­ Bathump! Bathump! Seol¡¯s body contorted and bent like a bow as if his heart pounded intensely. Shaking the chains as well. ¡°This¡­ is bad¡­¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°It looks like he¡¯s having a harder time oveing his memories than I thought. This isn¡¯t the normal response. This¡­ means that the shadows are eating into him.¡± ¡°Are you serious?! What should we do then?¡± ¡°Nothing. We just have to wait and hope he ovees it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so irresponsible, though¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s something your master decided. Do you not trust him?¡± ¡°......¡± Step. Karuna stepped away from the wall and approached Mirei. ¡°Mirei, let me ask you a question.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Karuna then continued. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say¡­ that there was a method for us to enter our Master¡¯s nightmares?¡± ¡°Well¡­ um¡­¡± - We could forcibly try including more shadows, but because we don¡¯t know what side effects would ur if we do that, we¡¯ll just have to pretend that option doesn¡¯t exist. Mirei had said that in her conversation with Seol. She grabbed her head. ¡°I mentioned it as something only possible in theory.¡± ¡°I will go.¡± ¡°Karuna!¡± Karen shouted at Karuna. ¡°No, you won¡¯t be able to find your way. The deep consciousness is a maze, so you¡¯ll get lost. Regardless of your master¡¯s intent, you would fall into danger.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Karuna, take me with you!¡± ¡°Karen, this is dangerous.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m telling you to take me with you, you idiot! Are you going to leave me alone again?¡± ¡°......¡± Mirei listened silently for a moment before snapping her fingers like she had realized something. Snap! ¡°Yeah! You could just do that.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll definitely lose your way if you enter alone. Just finding where your master is could take¡­ in the time there¡­ about a month or even a year. However, it¡¯s different if it¡¯s two people.¡± ¡°You heard that, right?¡± ¡°What would be different about it?¡± ¡°The nightmares treat intruders as foreign entities. The two of you won¡¯t be weed there. And when that happens, a ripple will ur in the deep consciousness which in turn would create a resonance that would not only let you find each other, but also your master¡ª¡± ¡°Stop! I don¡¯t understand any of that! For now, just send us in! Master will die at this rate.¡± Though Karen was hasty, it was hard to me her for it. Mirei didn¡¯t tell them outright, but the two still realized that it was a dire situation where talking would be wasting time. Not to mention, it didn¡¯t matter to them whether they understood what Mirei was talking about. ¡°Get into position. I¡¯ll send you to your master.¡± ¡°Alright! Come on, Karuna. Come here.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± Craaaaaackle¡­ ¡°First, it will hurt like hell. We already used all of the medicine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Yup, for me too!¡± ¡°After you endure that, search for your master in the dark space. And then, run to the exit.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Hurry!¡± Karen and Karuna shouted after being attached to the False-Death Inducing Device. It was because the machine had started running. ¡°Guaaaaaaaaaargh!¡± ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaargh!¡± Zap! Beeeeeeeeeep¡­ Both of their heads sagged forward. ¡°...Then am I the only one left?¡± Mirei pulled out a cigarette from her inventory and lit it. ¡°Fuu¡­ Like master, like summon¡­ Wouldn''t you agree, Sodin?¡± As expected, there was no answer. ¡°Yeah. Honestly, I¡¯m a bit jealous. Those are the dreams I wanted to achieve. And as such¡­¡± It started to get louder outside. ¡°...nitely here! I can smell the witch!¡± Mirei opened her eyes. ¡°I n on looking over him until the end.¡± She stepped out of the hideout. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Karen, Karuna, and Mirei¡¯s worries were on the mark. Currently, Seol and Jamad were in a dire situation. Jamad had broken the wall and met Seol. However, the gods weren¡¯t going to just sit and watch. Crackle¡­ As they waved their hands, the cracked area immediately reformed. Seol nkly stared before asking them a question. ¡°Wasn¡¯t¡­ Wasn¡¯t there something here just now?¡± The gods feigned ignorance. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°Maybe you just saw it wrong?¡± ¡°Well, it could be due to the shock of making so many mistakes¡­ haha¡­¡± ¡°Come back here and sit down. You need to keep ying with us, Snowman. Don¡¯t you enjoy our games?¡± Seol¡¯s vision started to blur once more. ¡®Yeah, I want to y with them forever. That¡¯s what I want.¡¯ Seol looked at the game board once more. One of the strongest desires is the desire to control. The act of controlling something other than oneself provides indescribable pleasure. Did Seol move the pieces on the table to satisfy this desire? Was it really to let those pieces live their own lives like he had imed? Seol no longer knew the answer. He had be a fool, a child, and simply watched the game board. However¡­ ¡°...No, I¡¯m sure that I saw it correctly. I¡¯m sure¡­ I saw it.¡± ¡°Do you not trust us?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we your friends? You should trust your friends.¡± ¡°Friends¡­¡± Were we really friends? Seol, who had be a child, shook his head. And then he spoke. ¡°I want to leave here.¡± ¡°Haha! You¡¯re choosing that path? Everyone, look! Snowman¡¯s trying to leave!¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible?¡± Slide. A dice was handed to Seol. The hand holding the dice flicked their fingers, gesturing Seol to quickly take it. ¡°Roll the dice, Snowman.¡± ¡°It will all depend on what the dice say.¡± ¡°Whether you leave¡­ or stay¡­ all depends on this dice.¡± Seol silently looked at the dice. It was something that he had been with for 17 years. Its faces were smooth, and the corners sharp. Whenever Seol rubbed his fingers against the dice¡¯s sunken eyes, he felt uneasy. To Seol, the dice was his god, his fate, and his life. He had always lived as the dice told him to. Those were the rules. Toss. tter¡­ The dice spun. The dice that would decide everything. tter¡­ Stop. And finally, the dice stopped. It stopped on a 1. The dice had announced his death. ¡°Bwahahahahaha! It¡¯s a 1, Snowman.¡± ¡°What are you going to do now? You can never leave from here, Seol.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be with us¡­ forever¡­¡± Ah, really? I guess if the dice said it, then it must be true. Seol despised everything. He despised their mockingughs, the dice that rolled a 1, and the table itself. Seol despised it all. He held hostility toward everything. It was clear that he would be eaten away by his nightmares. He believed so too. But then¡­ the ground started rumbling. Thud! ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What did you do, Snowman?¡± Seol looked at the dice that rolled a 1. It had turned into a 2 from the rumbling. The gods, who didn¡¯t recognize it, started ming Seol. They used him of cheating. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it.¡± Thud! Thud! The rumbling became stronger. Roll¡­ Each time the ground shook, the dice continued to change faces. It would turn into a 4, then even turn back into a 1. ¡°Stop it, Snowman!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it isn¡¯t me!¡± ¡°Hmph, who else would it be?! Why won¡¯t you listen to the dice?!¡± Thud! Roll. The dice weakly rolled until it finally revealed a new face. 6. The dice had rolled a 6. It was the highest number a six-sided die could have. The gods were all in silence. Seol nced at the location where the rumblings came from. He saw his own shadow. "Look, Snowman. I''m a simple troll, so I only know how to do things like this. Hitting things is the best I can do." Seol noticed a fang, which reminded him of someone. ¡°Jamad? Is that you, Jamad?¡± ¡°How dare you look into my nightmares, Snowman. You¡¯re quite fearless, aren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°...Go back. The dice rolled a 1.¡± ¡°No, I never agreed to that.¡± Thud! Thuuud! Jamad continued to pound on the dark space. ¡°Who cares! Who cares about the damned dice!¡± ¡°But those are the rules.¡± ¡°Rules? Do you think rules exist in the world? Are you stupid?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m¡­¡± For a moment, Seol was about to say that he was Snowman. Why did Jamad ask him this question now? The snowman mask Seol wore started to feel ufortable. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Seol then gave his answer. ¡°I am Kang Seol.¡± ¡°I see. Seol, what is reality to you? Is rolling dice with these terrible bastards reality?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Then why are you hesitating? You always think too much. Sometimes, you have to be simple, like me.¡± The mask-wearing gods grabbed Seol¡¯s arms. ¡°Snowman, snap out of it! What are you doing?!¡± ¡°The dice rolled a 1. You¡¯re going to follow the rules, right? You¡¯ve always followed!¡± At that moment, Seol realized something. He realized that he should have told them something a long time ago. He should have told them the moment he became an adult, pioneering his own future. Grab. Slide¡­ Seol took off the snowman mask. His heart was swirling and surging with many emotions. He felt light and rxed, but also free. He carefully opened his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s boring.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re joking, right? You¡¯re going to stay with us, right?¡± Seol looked at them, expressionless. ¡°Things like this now¡­ it¡¯s boring.¡± He had finally be an adult. He had be an adult living in the real world. ¡°You can y these boring games on your own.¡± Throw! Seol grabbed the dice and tossed it aside. Jamadughed. Rumble¡­ The dark space started to tear down. Seol realized why he felt so hostile toward the world. It was because he hadn¡¯t met them. He, himself, chose to wear his mask and refused to face them head-on. And now, Seol turned around to look at his shadow. The same shadow that would turn its back on him if he would turn his back to it. However, this time¡­ he also saw another shadow. There, Jamad smiled. Seol called out to Jamad. ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡± The gods refused to let Seol go. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± ¡°Bad children like you need to be punished for breaking the rules!¡± Craaaackle! ¡°Aaaaaargh!¡± Seol¡¯s neck was burnt ck again. It was a memory that Seol had forgotten¡­ It was the same ring of lightning that was wrapped around his neck before he was kicked out by the gods. Once again, it materialized and choked Seol. ¡°Krrrgh¡­¡± ¡°The world only exists thanks to rules. Do you not know that a world without rules is chaos itself?!¡± At that moment, Seol¡¯s shadow crumbled away. Crumble! Jamad leaped out from it and stood side by side with Seol. ¡°I see¡­ so that ck mark around your neck was because of this. I finally learned everything about you, Seol.¡± ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± ¡°You had¡­ some very interesting thoughts. Let me ask you this then, what do you n to do now?¡± ¡°Krgh¡­ Krgh¡­¡± ¡°I should get rid of this annoying chain first.¡± The lightning godughed at Jamad¡¯s words. "Haha! That''s not something you can break with your powers!" ¡°Is that a rule too?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Then¡­ I will reject them.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jamad grabbed the ring of lightning that choked Seol and flexed his forearms, slowly pulling them apart. Crackle¡­ Craaaackle! ¡°No¡­ No way¡­¡± ¡°Rules are just promises made between cowards. I shall reject everything about you. Seol! Tell me! What do you desire?!¡± Seol gasped for air for a second before immediately responding to Jamad. ¡°Revenge. I only want revenge.¡± ¡°Kuahahaha! Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too small? How could a man abandoned by the gods only dream so little?¡± ¡°For my revenge¡­ I shall be a god. And I shall punish them from the same eye level as them.¡± Seol, who had be an adult, stood up. ¡°I will be a god.¡± Jamad gave a big smile and reached out a fist. ¡°Then you have the right. You have the right to join me on my journey to be king of all beings. I will prepare a spot for you in my glorious journey.¡± Seolughed as well. He reached out his small human fist to Jamad¡¯s big troll fist. Bump. ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh. I¡¯m going to use you for my Ascension.¡± ¡°Hmph! Regardless, it means that we have the same goal.¡± Jamad¡¯s eyes glowed red. He looked at the gods, who were the cause behind everything. ¡°Then¡­ let¡¯s leave here¡­¡± The two of them were now individuals who had rejected the rules imposed by the gods. Jamad finished off the sentence by quietly murmuring to himself. ¡°My true brother, chosen by my own heart.¡± Chapter 107 Seol and Jamad resolved themselves while looking at the gods. ¡®We¡¯re getting out of here.¡¯ If someone asked Seol when he would wake up from his dreams, his response would be when he realized everything was a dream. However, that wasn¡¯t the case right now. Even though Seol knew this was all a dream, he couldn¡¯t escape. As such, the situation became dire. ¡°Fine, do you hate us now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s so harsh. I can¡¯t believe you insulted us after we yed with a human like you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making us sound like we¡¯re the bad ones.¡± Jamad then warned Seol. ¡°Careful, we¡¯re going to break through them.¡± Nod. Seol also felt that if he escapedte, he would face a simr flood like when he delved into Karen¡¯s memories. ¡°Stay¡­ with us¡­¡± Crackle¡­ Snap¡­ Crackle¡­ The body of one of the gods started growing. Their body grew and grew like a balloon or a pufferfish, until they eventually popped. Pop! Stter¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­¡± With an awful smell, abominations started appearing. ¡°Guaaaaaargh¡­¡± ¡°Compared to my memories, yours are practically hell.¡± ¡°I agree. Even if these are my memories, I want to get the hell out of here.¡± These monsters looked like what would happen if one¡¯s flesh and skin were swapped. The horrific monsters slowly lumbered to block their paths. Pop! Pop! ¡°Guaaa¡­ Don¡¯t go¡­ let¡¯s y forever¡­¡± Jamad swung his massive fist at the monsters in front of him. Cruuuush! ¡°Kieeee!¡± Jamad and Seol ran. ¡°No one can stop my path!¡± Crush! Crush! ¡°Kieeee¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ you won¡¯t escape¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Crush! Watching Jamad felt like watching a brave, stalwart general. This scene reminded Seol of historical movies where a general would help their lord escape by breaking through an army. Thud! Punch! It wasn¡¯t just one or two gods that turned into abominations. ¡°Guaaaaaaargh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­¡± ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s never-ending.¡± The fortunate thing, though, was that the gods were fairly slow and didn¡¯t use other spells. Still, there were many of them, and they were tenacious. Seol and Jamad continued breaking through them until they finally felt free. It was because they had escaped the abominations¡¯ ring. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ the path separates.¡± The path was split. Jamad then asked Seol. ¡°Your instincts were always good. So, is it right or left?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Hey, Seol!¡± ¡°Right!¡± ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go!¡± There was no light in front of them. The only thing Jamad could rely on as his milepost was Seol, and even Seol didn¡¯t rely on the light. It was the darkness. The familiar darkness guided Seol forward. It whispered to him, guiding him in that direction, promising that if he persisted along that path, he would reach his desired destination. To the light he longed to see. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± ¡°How dare youmit the sin of sullying the heavens! You shall pay the price by being imprisoned in eternal darkness!¡± Suddenly, the gods appeared in their original form, riding strange-looking horses. Fsssssss¡­ A hot surge of steam shot out at Seol. Grab! Jamad grabbed that, too, with his hands. ¡°Krgh¡­ Hey, Seol! Get a hold of yourself!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You control this ce. You can do whatever you want. Stop being pushed around by their words, nothing is decided here! They¡¯re nothing more than your imagination!¡± The situation was getting worse and worse. ¡°Over there!¡± ¡°Tch, at this rate¡­¡± The abominations were increasing in number, making it harder to escape. Enemies appeared faster than Jamad could defeat. They had to do something here. During this moment, Seol was thinking about what Jamad told him. ¡®My imagination¡­ imagination¡­¡¯ Crush! ¡°Aaaargh! How dare you!¡± ¡°Seol!¡± Seol raised his head and looked at the enemies head-on. ¡°I thought of a way to get out of here!¡± ¡°If you have one, do something!¡± As Jamad mentioned earlier, if Seol were to feel fear for even a moment, his nightmares would be real. Each worry that Seol had would only appear to block their path. However¡­ ¡®What if I used it the other way around?¡¯ There was no guarantee that only Seol¡¯s negative thoughts would turn true. And as such, Seol''s imagination¡ªhis delusions¡ªcould be the key to escaping. ¡®Think¡­ Think¡­¡¯ What could Seol think of? It was always easier to imagine something specific. So, what specific thing could Seol think of here¡­ ¡®Could I¡­ borrow those?¡¯ Their items¡­ Their powers¡­ Seol closed his eyes and quietly thought. First, he thought of a fast way of travel that could help them escape. Frsss¡­ ¡°What¡­ what is that?¡± Squeaaaaaal! Neigh¡­ An enormous hog, capable of easily carrying Jamad''s weight, appeared in front of them, as well as a beautiful stallion with a blue mane. ¡®Hoggs and Grimbell.¡¯ The two of them were legendary mounts famous all throughout Pandea. Seol had imagined them, and they appeared before him. ¡°Get on! They¡¯ll help us escape!¡± ¡°Alright! Things are finally going well!¡± The gods wore shocked expressions on their faces the moment Seol and Jamad suddenly found ways to escape. ¡°St-stop! No one can be allowed to escape from here!¡± ¡°Shut up! Let¡¯s go, Seol!¡± [Jamad mounts Illusion: Hoggs, the Heavy.] [You mount Illusion: Grimbell, the Galloping.] Squeaaaaal! Rumble Rumble Rumble! ¡°D-Dodge!¡± ¡°Kyaaaa!¡± Chaaaaarge! As Hoggs charged at them, the gods were unable to avoid it and were deflected away like loose kites. Hoggs and Grimbell were beasts that Seol¡¯s pieces had ridden before. After materializing them with his imagination, Seol gained confidence. ¡®I can use their powers! Next is a path. I¡¯ll create a path!¡± Think. Think Seol. This isn¡¯t just your imagination. This is also your fantasy. Fwooooooosh! A rainbow was drawn on the ground beneath them. [You take a step on Illusion: Priminus, the Rainbow Path.] [Movement speed increases.] [Luck increases.] Priminus, the Rainbow Path. This terrain not only ensured that whoever stepped on it would reach their destination with certainty but also enhanced their luck. Furthermore, it also greatly increased their movement speed. Rumble Rumble! Jamad, on Hoggs, and Seol, on Grimbell, raced through Priminus. ¡°Stop them! They¡¯re trying to escape!¡± ¡°Witness the powers of a god! You damned insects!¡± Craaaaackle! A bolt of lightning flew toward Seol. It was something that he had been hurt by multiple times before. ¡°Seol!¡± Jamad couldn¡¯t protect Seol in time. If Seol were struck by the lightning bolt, he would undoubtedly be thrown off his horse. However¡­ [Illusion: Idley''s Mirror of Madness activates.] [Idley''s Mirror of Madness absorbs the elemental magic.] [It reflects the absorbed elemental magic with multiple times its original strength.] Woosh! BZZZZZZZZZZZT! ¡°Urgh¡­ Guaaaaargh¡­¡± A massive mirror protected Seol¡¯s back. Idley''s Mirror of Madness was one of the artifacts best at defending against elemental magic. ¡°Hahaha! Did you see that, you idiots?! You can¡¯t block us! Now that you know, get out of our way!¡± Jamadughed loudly, enjoying his victory. However, Seol was too busy focusing on something that he couldn¡¯t hear Jamad at all. ¡®Means of travel, path, artifacts¡­ they¡¯re all as I imagined. This is my imagination. And if that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯ There was still one more thing that Seol held himself back from imagining. ¡°Kaaaaaaaaargh!¡± ¡°Release the beasts! Block them!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let them escape! They broke the rules!¡± ¡°We must teach them the consequences of refusing to follow the rules!¡± There were more gods than before. In fact, there were likely more gods here now than there were in the heavens. Even though Seol tried his best not to think of them, the gods kept intruding into his space. It was a scene that demonstrated the extent to which the gods upied his thoughts. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy this time¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make them pay the price for looking down on us.¡± Gloooow¡­ The gods began gathering their energy. Even though all of this was a product of Seol''s imagination, created by fake gods, it was still undeniable that they had amassed an incredible amount of power. A colossal orb of energy emitted a radiant blue light. ¡°Hahaha! We¡¯ll destroy you!¡± ¡°ytime ends here!¡± They didn¡¯t shoot their mass of energy at Seol. It was at the path that they were taking. ¡°Krgh! No!¡± Jamad could not do anything other than shout. He had no means of blocking an attack like that. However, something strange happened. Fwooooosh¡­ Everything other than Jamad and Seol froze in ce. The path froze, the energy froze, and the gods froze too. Everything was encased in ice. [You used Illusion: Exceptional Skill: Frozen Shut.] [Everything freezes.] ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± ¡°Seol¡­?¡± The power that Seol just disyed¡­ Jamad tried his best to understand it, but he couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it at all. ¡°What¡­ is this strength?¡± ¡°My piece. It¡¯s his power.¡± Frozen Shut was one of the Grand Duke of Frost¡¯s Exceptional Skills. When he used this skill, he froze everything. ¡°Ha¡­ Hahaha! How fun, how exciting!¡± ¡°We have to leave as fast as we can. It won¡¯tst forever.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± Squeal! Neigh! The two raced forth, leaving behind the frozen gods. This was a golden opportunity for them to finally leave. However¡­ ¡°Stop there, Snowman.¡± Fwoosh¡­ After hearing someone¡¯s voice, everything around them disappeared like an illusion. And because of that, Seol and Jamad, who had been riding Hoggs and Grimbell, respectively, fell off them and rolled on the ground. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Despite the sudden disappearance of their mounts, Jamad quickly moved to cover Seol. ¡°Krgh¡­ what is it this time?¡± ¡°You are¡­¡± Seol¡¯s voice was calm as he looked at the god before him. The god wore a mask with a giant eye drawn on it. It was the same god who sent him down to Pandea, Kodon. ¡°How fun¡­ even if they are figments of imagination like this¡­¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t just my imagination. It¡¯s all things that have actually happened.¡± ¡°Haha, you are correct. Those things really did happen. However, it didn¡¯t happen to you.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Hoggs and Grimbell¡­ the glorious road of Priminus¡­ Idley¡¯s mirror¡­ not to mention¡­¡± Kodon¡¯s voice became nightmarish. ¡°The Grand Duke of Frost¡¯s powers!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± "Those are not achievements resulting from your efforts. Have you forgotten? The most you did for them was safely roll the dice while they suffered the consequences of your actions." ¡°......¡± ¡°The ones who took responsibility for your actions were your pieces. Wouldn¡¯t you agree that it¡¯s unfair?¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Why are you getting in my way? You¡­¡± ¡®You sent me down there.¡¯ As Kodon, the only god who sided with Seol in the heavens, blocked his path, Seol was shaken. ¡°It¡¯s because I was disappointed by you.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I believed that you could do much better¡­ but if this is the best that you can do¡­ having such high expectations of you might¡¯ve been a mistake.¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡± ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that I just wanted to see you suffer. Therefore, entertain me.¡± The ground started shaking. Fwooooooosh¡­ ¡°Krgh¡­¡± It was a chilling breeze. The Grand Duke of Frost, Seol¡¯s piece, which had lost one eye and his emotions, appeared. After him, more pieces started appearing from the darkness. The One-Armed Sword Saint. The Dragon Lord. The Immortal. And others. The amazing pieces of Seol that had failed Ascension and lived their own lives appeared by Kodon¡¯s side. Jamad stepped in front of Seol to protect him. ¡°Step back¡­ What is this strength¡­¡± ¡°Jamad¡­¡± ¡°They are so powerful¡­¡± Kodon smiled. ¡°Hey, these are your pieces. Why don¡¯t you say what¡¯s on your mind, huh?¡± The moment Kodon finished, the pieces began murmuring things on their own. ¡°You must atone¡­ You must atone¡­¡± ¡°.......¡± ¡°You¡­ have to atone¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ it¡¯s fun, right? Ah, am I the only one having fun? Snowman, why do you look like you¡¯re about to cry? Aren¡¯t you happy to see your pieces again?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sad.¡± ¡°Right? As expec¡ª wait, hold on! What did you just say?¡± Kodonughed at first but was shocked after hearing Seol¡¯s unexpected answer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t give you better lives. I¡¯m really¡­ sorry. I¡¯ve always wanted to tell you that.¡± ¡°...Did you really think they would simply ept it if you apologized now? You controlled them!¡± However, once again, something that Kodon didn¡¯t expect happened. The Grand Duke of Frost stepped forth and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± After him, more pieces stepped forth. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It was a satisfying life.¡± ¡°I have no regrets about my life.¡± ¡°Even if I gained another life, I doubt I could live a life as incredible as this one.¡± All of his pieces then spoke to him together. ¡°So, it¡¯s okay.¡± Kodon furiously swung his arms at them. They then disappeared like dust. Fwooosh¡­ ¡°Y-You¡­ You damned¡­ You have no pride, no backbone!¡± After being born into existence, everyone experiences life. However, where would it be if one had to draw a finish line for one¡¯s life? The ten incredible beings that appeared before Seol would answer the same thing in unison. Ascension. And Seol was an unrivaled yer who led all of them to Ascension. ¡°Urgh¡­ Then I guess I have no choice but to face you myself!¡± Craaaaaaackle! ck lightning appeared in both of Kodon¡¯s hands. ¡°How dare you¡­¡± As Jamad charged at Kodon, Kodon lifted a hand toward him. The ck lightningnded directly on Jamad. ¡°Aaaaaaaargh!¡± Jamad was under indescribable pain. It was a pain that he was helpless against. Kodon was more prestigious than the other gods. They all implicitly feared him. Even if Kodon¡¯s powers were a figment of Seol¡¯s imagination, he was incredibly powerful. Since Seol couldn''t use his imagination against Kodon, he had no means of winning. Kodonughed maniacally. ¡°Hehehehehe! Now, what are you going to do now? Now that you¡¯ve thrown away your friends, you¡¯re all alone. The only thing left for you, someone who¡¯s rejected the gods is¡­¡± Staaaaaaab¡­ ¡°Left¡­ is¡­ huh?¡± Two swords pierced through Kodon¡¯s back and exited through his chest. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Seol knew those two swords. After all, only one of each existed in the world. Breath and re. The two swords then took turns shing Kodon¡¯s body. Kodon then turned to smoke, his mask falling to the ground. Thud. ¡°Khrrrrrrgh¡­.¡± A groan came from the mask as Karen and Karuna appeared. Karen then growled toward the mask. ¡°Do not deceive my king, you illusion.¡± ¡°Cough¡­ Y-Your king? He¡¯s just using you! Hahahaha¡­ Someone helpless on their own like him is your king? How does that make sense?¡± Karen gave a bright smile. ¡°It does. Since I am his knight, he will inevitably be king. So watch us.¡± ¡°......¡± Karen then looked at the restrained Jamad before speaking. ¡°Good work¡­ and thank you.¡± It was the first time Karen had treated Jamad so kindly. Jamad reacted awkwardly at that warm reception. ¡°...Hmph. Why are you two here?¡± Karuna answered instead. ¡°The situation was getting dire, so we took on the risks and came here. Master, the exit is this way.¡± ¡°...Yeah.¡± Seol slowly walked toward the direction the light came from. ¡°Hold¡­ on¡­ Hey, are you really¡­ trying to forget us? Are we¡­ really no longer your friends?¡± asked Kodon in a dying voice. Countless masks suddenly appeared around Kodon. The mask-wearing gods. However, Seol no longer nned on wearing a mask. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re enemies now.¡± ¡°Howe¡­ why¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because¡­ I¡¯m an adult now.¡± ¡°...It was fun.¡± ¡°It was fun for me too. However, I won¡¯t evere back here.¡± ¡°......¡± Seol left behind his old memories and burdens before escaping into the light. Seol could no longer feel the dream-like atmosphere anymore. He only felt the chains wrapped around his body. Twitch¡­ tter¡­ Seol¡¯s eyes were still closed, but his body was shaking. tter¡­ tter¡­ Rumble¡­ The vibrations grew stronger and stronger until it was uncontroble. And then¡­ Blink! Seol¡¯s eyes opened. Chapter 108 Boooooom! The corpses of Shadow Huntersy all over. However, because their faces all looked like they had no idea why they died, the only thing anyone could discern about the person who killed them was that they were an expert. Still¡­ even an expert can¡¯t kill everyone. ¡°Cough¡­ cough¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve be weak, witch.¡± Mirei¡¯s body was covered in countless arrows. It was her defeat. Dir, Mcus¡¯s cold-hearted hunting dog, emerged from the forest. Grrrr¡­ Those fangs had left many scars on her body at this point. Not too long after, Mcus emerged from the forest as well. Though he couldn¡¯t see from his eyes, he was confident enough that even his gait felt nonchnt. He had cloudy eyes, which were impossible to see through. ¡°That dog¡­ I see. So you¡¯re quite the repugnant bastard yourself.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth. I rmend you do so if you wish to live even a moment longer.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ it hurts so damn much¡­ Why couldn¡¯t you go easier on me?¡± ¡°...Where is he?¡± ¡°...Who are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me. He reeked of shadows as well. Is he here?¡± ¡°What do you think about being satisfied with just me?¡± ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Answer me right now. If you don''t, this dagger will pierce your heart.¡± ¡°Stab me then.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Stab me, you coward. Stab my heart a hundred times for all I care. See if I¡¯ll talk.¡± Raise¡­ Mirei¡¯s senses were on edge. She could feel Mcus¡¯s intent as he slowly approached her. ¡®I guess this is the end¡­ the experiment was a failure too. I guess I bit off more than I could chew, Sodin. Sorry.¡¯ It was clear that after she died here, Seol, who was behind that wall, would die too. This would be the futile end of her life¡¯s research. ¡®No, I need to buy time. I can¡¯t just let him kill me!¡¯ Suddenly, Mirei thought of trying to buy as much time as she could before her death. ¡°Look, Mcus.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I have a question. You know the cliche, right? How viins ramble on and on the moment they get an opportunity to kill the main character. Stay true to your role, alright?¡± ¡°I am not a viin.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ How could you say something like that after you¡¯ve already killed me once? You¡¯re bad at looking at yourself objectively, huh?¡± ¡°I am not a viin.¡± Mcus turned his head to Mirei. ¡°I am a judge.¡± ¡°A judge? And what do you judge, then?¡± ¡°...You.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You, the Shadow Summoners.¡± ¡°What did we do wrong? No, let me ask it again. What did I do wrong?¡± ¡°Your existence. It itself is a sin.¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯repletely twisted. Why do you think that? You¡­ A Shadow Summoner did something to you, didn¡¯t they?¡± Flinch¡­ There was a reaction. And like a fisherman who felt a bite, Mirei held on to that moment and dug deeper. ¡°Maybe it involves your eyes¡­ or a grudge¡­ Something like that¡¯s involved, huh?¡± ¡°...It ispletely unrted to you, as you are weaker than me.¡± Mcus¡¯s eyes glossed over Mirei. He bore a haggard appearance, yet his gaze was far more sinister. Those were the eyes of someone solely dedicated to their goals, severing anything unrted. However¡­ at that moment¡­ Rumble Rumble¡­ ¡°So he¡¯s over there.¡± ¡°God damn it¡­¡± As an eerie sound rang out from the house made from trees, Mcus realized that someone was there. Seol clearly had to be there. Step¡­ Step¡­ Step¡­ "After I kill you, I will kill him as well." "...What will be after then?" "Rest... I will finally be able to take a break from my exhausting life." ¡°You psycho.¡± Mcus was now by Mirei¡¯s side. They were close enough to each other to hear each other¡¯s breath. Mirei did not avoid Mcus¡¯s eyes. Well, it wasn¡¯t like he would react to her looking at him, either. She simply just didn¡¯t want to look away from death. ¡°Goodbye, witch¡­ hm?¡± Whine¡­ Whine¡­ Dir, Mcus¡¯s intelligent hunting dog, approached Mcus and stopped him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Dir?¡± Something felt off. Whine¡­ Whine¡­ ¡°...Dir?¡± Dir was pushing Mcus with his head. It was as if Dir was trying his best to tell Mcus to leave as quickly as possible. Mcus felt a sudden wake-up call. ¡°Damn it!¡± Dash! Mcus quickly ran away, and the reason for Dir¡¯s warning revealed itself shortly after. BOOOOOOOM! A massive explosion erupted from the house, blowing it to bits. The walls had blown off the building, revealing the False-Death Inducing Device inside. Tremble! ¡°Urrrgh¡­ uraahh¡­ scary¡­ it¡¯s scary¡­¡± Mcus was shaking on the ground, drooling to himself. He didn¡¯t understand what was going on, as he was blind and could only hear an endless ringing. Even if he was blind, his reactions were still definitely strange. Mirei didn¡¯t understand why Mcus acted like this, but she realized this was her golden opportunity. She turned around and looked at the house. Crumble¡­ The trees that formed the walls were all destroyed, and she saw two individuals tied up in chains. Beeeep! Beeeeeeep! The False-Death Inducing Device blinked red multiple times while ringing an rm. ¡°...Was it a sess?¡± shouted Mirei. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol felt like he had just passed through a dark tunnel. He had finally ovee thest hurdle. tter¡­ tter¡­ He and Jamad were covered in chains. Seol was certain he had fallen asleep inside a house, but, for some reason, when he woke up, the walls and the ceiling were gone. ¡®Focus.¡¯ Seol decided to worry about the small stuffter and continued to focus. [You are within the influence zone of ¡®A ce Without Light¡¯.] [You are unable to use Shadow Summon.] Fwirl! Fwirl! Karuna and Karen returned to Seol¡¯s Shadow Space. Mcus, whom Seol had met previously, was here once more. However, that was also just a trivial issue. Right now, this was the most important event for Seol. Craaaaaaaackle! Seol had ck veins all over his body and ck eyes. His condition was not normal. And then¡­ Fweeeeeeee ¡°Kuaaaaaaargh!¡± Seol screamed in pain. The veins were climbing up his neck. The shaking chains creaked as something incredible was on the verge of happening. - Something¡­ Something¡¯sing¡­ - I just woke up. What¡¯s going on? - Snowman came out from his sleep - WTF IS THAT THOUGH??? - This is crazy¡­ Are you sure nothing went wrong? - Why do I feel like he¡¯s going to explode? - No! ¡°...Oh my god,¡± murmured Mirei to herself. She couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. Snap! Snaaap! Snap! The chains broke off one by one. While the chains restraining Jamad remained the same, those holding Seol were snapping off. However, it wasn¡¯t as if Jamad wasn¡¯t changing at all. In an instant, he transformed into a liquid-like form and slipped through the chains to reach Seol. ¡°It¡¯s a sess¡­ Sodin, it worked¡­¡± Seol changed once more when Jamad reached him. Seol was covered in ck, like the night had taken over him. ¡°Finally¡­¡± Slide¡­ The shadows began covering Seol¡¯s face as well. Hum¡­ Seol had turnedpletely ck. Was he devoured by the shadows? Frsssssssss! Seol still had the fire monkey tattoo on his face. Purga¡¯s blessing remained. However, its shape was changing. The tattoo melted down and slowly drifted near Seol¡¯s lips. Seol¡¯s eyes continued radiating a golden light as the Purga tattoo near his lips slowly transformed into a tattoo symbolic of Jamad¡¯s fang. Rumble¡­ Snap! Snaaaaaap! Boooooooom! Finally, the chains broke. Seol then immediately received a lot of messages. Despite his body feeling like it was burning, he began checking the new messages. [You have broken through the Wall of Awakening.] [Awakening! You awaken a new skill.] [You awaken Exceptional Skill: Night Crow.] [Exceptional Skill: Night Crow is born!] [You have earned the inaugural achievement ''My Own Path''.] [You have earned the inaugural title ''The One Who Walks Alone''.] [You have earned the special achievement ''The Path of Infinity''.] [You have earned the special title ''Master of Shadows''.] The messages continued. [You enter the Night Crow form with Shaman ¡®Jamad, the Volcanic¡¯.] [You absorb Jamad, the Volcanic¡¯s stats.] [Your ss is changed to Fighter.] [Shadow Hand is now influenced by Strength.] [You are able to use Volcano Armor.] [You are able to use Volcano Stance.] [You are able to use Passive: Moving mes.] [You are able to use Passive: Heat and Warmth.] The birth of an Exceptional Skill. Seol only expected to be bestowed an Exceptional Skill. He never anticipated owning a new Exceptional Skill entirely. [¡®AHHHHHH¡¯ has donated 1000 Madness!] [10/10] - I can¡¯t believe they¡¯rebining¡­ They¡¯rebiningggggggg! - Every giant mecha fan is popping off right now. - Everybody liked this. - Are you ready, J? - Of course, S! [¡®Exceptional Skill¡¯ has donated 700 Madness!] [He got an Exceptional Skill like this? Night Crow? LMFAOOOO My heart needs to calm down.] - I can feel¡­ my blood boiling!!! I¡¯m popping offffff! - Bubble¡­ Bubble¡­ - ¡­Could you choose a cooler-sounding effect? That sounds like someone¡¯s making soup. - No soup for you! Seol looked around. The first thing he saw was Mirei. ¡°Mirei.¡± ¡°I look like a porcupine, huh? Hahaha¡­ First, could you beat up that guy in the forest?¡± ¡°...Understood.¡± Seol headed into the forest where Mcus was waiting for him. Grrrrrr¡­ ¡°You reek of shadows¡­ In the end, were you devoured by it?¡± Seol looked at his changed self before responding. ¡°I like it though. What about you?¡± The fang-shaped tattoo moved as a voice poured out. ¡°This feeling of moving flesh and bones¡­ It''s been a while. I¡¯m satisfied with it too.¡± Mcus¡¯s shocked voice spilled out of the forest. ¡°A terrible existence has been born¡­ I shall free you from your terrible fate.¡± Seol asked Jamad a question. ¡°Is it really terrible?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a terribly good life.¡± Fwip! Fwip! Grrrrrrr¡­ Seol felt multiple presences around him. Mcus had begun his hunt. ¡°His movements¡­ I noticed this before too, but he definitely isn¡¯t normal.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Seol. What do you think about leaving your body to me?¡± Jamad talked around the subject, but it was true that he was the one morefortable with close-quartersbat, not Seol. Seol nodded. Immediately, the many presences Seol felt before shrank down to two. Baaaaark! ¡®Right¡­ or left?¡¯ Before Seol could make a judgment, Jamad moved his body. It was a strange feeling. Seol believed that this is what it would feel like if someone else moved his body. Fwoosh¡­ Bam! Whimper! Crush! Crush! It was a light blow. However, that was more than enough force for Dir to be pushed away through trees. Fwip! Fwip! Fwip! Mcus used that opening to fire multiple arrows. The hunter and his hunting dog were a fantasticbination. ¡°Hm?¡± Multiple arrows were about tond on Seol''s back. However¡­ Fwirl! Grab! Grab! Grab! All three arrows were caught. Seol was standing still in his Night Crow state, but his Shadow Hand had appeared from his back, grabbing the arrows mid-flight. Not only did Seol urately grab them all, but he also had enough strength to properly catch them. Shadow Hand was a fearsome spell now. After his Awakening, Seol was on apletely different level from before. ¡°Oho¡­ you¡¯re pretty good.¡± Jamadplimented Seol¡¯s reaction speed. Even though the one who attacked Dir was Jamad, Seol was the one who used Shadow Hand to protect them. The forest was silent for a second. Quietly, Mcus spoke once more. ¡°That¡­ that strength¡­ What are you?¡± ¡°Me?¡± asked Seol back. Then, the fang-shaped tattoo moved. ¡°Or us?¡± Chapter 109 The forest was filled with an eerie silence. Seol suddenly appeared from the forest after bing a shadow himself. Mcus, the blind Shadow Hunter, appeared shortly after as well. Grrrrr¡­ ¡°I will kill everyst Shadow Summoner.¡± ¡°Everyone has their desires, so I¡¯ll respect it.¡± ¡°...I will free all of your shadows from you. That is what¡¯s best for them.¡± ¡°I will respect that too. Now, let me tell you what I desire.¡± Seol stared down Mcus. ¡°I will beat you down for doing that to Mirei.¡± ¡°You cannot defeat me. Do you even know how many Shadow Summoners I¡¯ve killed?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, and that doesn¡¯t matter to me at all. After all, they weren¡¯t me. Comparison is pointless.¡± ¡°...I will make you regret your arrogance.¡± Slide¡­ Mcus disappeared in an instant, likely due to activating an artifact. Even so, Seol could still faintly sense his presence, indicating he was still here. [You are within the influence zone of ¡®A ce Without Light¡¯.] [You are a shadow.] [All of your stats are decreased by 20%.] ¡®So this was why he was so confident.¡¯ Mcus didn¡¯t taunt Seol and Jamad for no reason. Even so¡­ ¡®Even if my stats are decreased by 20%... My stats are so high that it¡¯s pointless.¡¯ A mountain doesn''t cease to be a mountain simply because it loses a chunk of stone. Seol was overwhelmingly powerful right now. Bark! Bark! [Dir, the Hunting Dog, used Pounce.] [Deal 50% additional damage, unless the attack is perfectly blocked.] ¡®So that hunting dog had skills too.¡¯ Seol could observe him with Eyes of Perception if he wanted to but decided it was unnecessary. Fwooosh¡­ Baaaam! Dir was shocked by the swing of Seol¡¯s fist and backed away. The fight could have been easily over if Seol had justnded that attack. ¡°Dir!¡± Ffft! ¡°It¡¯s pointless.¡± Grab! Grab! Seol¡¯s Shadow Hand flew out, grabbing the arrows once more. Crush! It was clear that no matter how many arrows Mcus shot, none would ever reach Seol. ¡°You lost, Mcus.¡± ¡°...I admit that you are strong. However, it is still too early to im your victory.¡± Grrrrrrr¡­ The forest turned silent once more as Seol received new messages. [Mcus used an Elixir of Revenge.] [Mcus¡¯s stats are increased by 30% while facing an opponent with the shadow attribute.] [Mcus¡¯s critical strike damage is increased by 50% while facing an opponent with the shadow attribute.] ¡°Is a potion really the only thing up your sleeve?¡± "It''s quite effective against your kind. It''s been proven countless times before as well." "You can mention the past all you want. It¡¯ll only prove your incorrect judgment." ¡°That¡¯s something we¡¯ll see in time.¡± Click¡­ [Dir is released from the Ne of Suppressed Wildness.] [Dir receives the effects of Concentrated Wildness.] [A portion of the damage received will be negated by Wildness.] [This effect will continue until the Wildness Value is all used.] [Fear is removed.] ¡°Let¡¯s have a proper fight now.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Seol, or more precisely Jamad in Seol''s body, bumped his fists together. Thud! With a thunderous roar, Seol''s body burst into mes. [You have changed to the Volcano Stance.] [All attacks will spread mes.] [An explosion will ur at the impact point of each attack.] [Passive: Moving mes is applied.] [There is a high chance that the mes will spread to whateveres into contact with it.] [Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.] [The damage you receive from the mes is reduced by 100%, while the damage your target receives from the mes is increased by 50%.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol had be a zing bomb. Baaaark! Creak! Fffft! Seol heard the sound of Dir sprinting toward him as well as the sound of a bow preparing to fire. It seemed like Mcus went on the offensive, ignoring that Dir could also be hit by his arrows. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Bark! [Dir, the Hunting Dog, used Desperate Battle.] [For a brief while, damage taken is reduced by 50% and quickly recover from shock.] [If the target begins bleeding, their bleeding rate will be increased.] A fearless beast is no different from a natural disaster. After all, it was vicious and felt unavoidable. ¡°Hah!¡± Strike! Bark! It was a swift attack thatnded perfectly on Dir¡¯s mouth. However, Dir recovered quickly and came charging back to bite Seol¡¯s neck. Dash! ¡°Urgh!¡± Shadow Hand snatched arrows midair once more, but the force behind them was markedly different. Judging by the strength of the arrows, it was evident that even permitting a single one could lead Seol to a disastrous fate. ¡°Don¡¯t overreact.¡± ¡°Maybe you should talk after taking care of your side first?¡± ¡°Hmph! It would only take a second.¡± Seol¡¯s body, which had been wrestling with the erged hunting dog, fixed its stance. Fwooosh! Seol¡¯s shoulder struck Dir¡¯s jaws from below. ¡°Caught you, you bastard.¡± ¡°Dir!¡± Jamad, in Seol¡¯s body, charged forward and mmed Dir into arge tree. Thuuuuud! Cruuuush! Therge tree fell over from the impact. Jamad then threw Dir into another tree which it also broke through. Crackle¡­ Burn¡­ aaaare! Everything the two of them came into contact with was engulfed in mes. ¡°Finally, we can¡­ damn it!¡± Bark! Dir recovered from the attacks immediately and came charging back. [Dir, the Hunting Dog, used Shadow Pounce.] [Dir will disappear while in his attack stance.] [Dir will reappear when he initiates his attack.] [If the target was unable to detect Dir, inflict the bleed status and increase the damage dealt by 50%.] ¡°So he wasn¡¯t an ordinary dog!¡± ¡°Obviously not. That dog¡­¡± Punch! Seol struck Dir¡¯s chin once more. Even so, Dir continued attacking relentlessly. His eyes turned red. ¡°is a shadow.¡± ¡°Oi, Shadow Hunter. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re a bit contradictory?¡± ¡°......¡± Fwoooosh! Fffft! Mcus seemed shaken by those words. His arrows were much more visible than before. [Mcus¡¯s Neutralizing Shot misses.] Punch! Seol¡¯s fist knocked Dir away once more. Whine! Cruuuush! Cruuuush! The trees surrounding Seol and Dir were all destroyed, it was a mess. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be the one controlling shadows against their will then?¡± ¡°Shut up! Dir¡­ Dir is my one and only friend¡­¡± ¡°Ah, so that was why. Still, are you sure that it wasn¡¯t against his will?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t you dare say something like thaaaaaaaaat!¡± Fwooosh! Fwooosh! [Mcus used Realized Pain.] [For a brief while, Mcus¡¯s arrows will deal true damage.] Ffft! It was pointless. No matter how many arrows Mcus let loose, none of them were reaching Seol. Rustle. Suddenly, Mcus leaped out from the forest with a dagger in his hands. It was clear he didn''t have many options left. Baaaaaark! As expected from Mcus¡¯sst resort, he moved swiftly, quick enough that anyone else would have died without being able to react. However, it didn¡¯t work on Seol. Grab! ¡°Krgh¡­ H-Hooooooot!¡± Baaark! Seol held onto both Mcus¡¯s and Dir¡¯s neck at the same time. Throw! Crush! He then threw Dir far away, as strong as he could, then mmed Mcus into the ground. ¡°Krgh!¡± ¡°How dare someone like you try to judge Shadow Summoners? You must be joking, right?¡± ¡°Dir is my only friend.¡± ¡°So? Is that why you revived your dead hunting dog? For yourself?¡± ¡°...If I don¡¯t have Dir, I have nothing. Because¡­ Because you Shadow Summoners took everything from me¡­ and the only thing I knew¡­ was your Shadow Summoning skills.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh. How could someone who judges Shadow Summoners do that? Do you even know what you¡¯ve done?¡± Mcus murmured to himself, looking at the sky. ¡°I know¡­ what I did was wrong. I¡­ I¡¯ve known it for a long time.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Because you Shadow Summoners took my parents, my eyes, everything in my life¡­ the only thing I had left was Dir. To me, who lost light, he became it.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°But when Dir died, before I realized, he was by my side once more. I¡­ used that deplorable spell without even realizing it.¡± ¡°Which made you contradict yourself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s when I realized it. Shadow Summoning¡­ is not evil¡­ It wasn¡¯t a foul spell made from an impure heart to control others.¡± Mcus, the Shadow Hunter¡­ He had found his answer there. ¡°...It was for longing. It was a spell because they longed to be with someone. It was not a cursed spell¡­ it was¡­ the meaning behind it was decided by the caster.¡± ¡°Why did you continue to hunt Shadow Summoners then?¡± ¡°Because I couldn¡¯t atone for it. It was a sin that could not be washed away¡­¡± ¡°You crazy¡­¡± Because he couldn¡¯t wash it away, he simply delved deeper into the filth. That was the way Mcus lived. ¡°Dir,e here, boy¡­¡± Whine¡­ The erged hunting dog returned to Mcus¡¯s side. Mcus was already dying. His neck was burnt ck, and his voice weakened by the second. ¡°You¡¯re a good boy, aren¡¯t you¡­ Don¡¯t be scared¡­ We¡¯re just going to sleep¡­ together.¡± Whine¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll be going to a ce¡­ where no one is hurt¡­ and no one is in pain¡­¡± Mcus then left behind his final words. ¡°I¡­ am a viin.¡± Whine¡­ Dir fell asleep by Mcus¡¯s side. When Mcus took his final breath, Dir drifted away into the wind like dust. Crumble¡­ Mcus was a viin up to the end. [You have defeated Mcus, the Blind.] [Viin''s Belongings has been generated.] [You have satisfied the Adventure Objective.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] [You have defeated Mcus, the Hunting Dog.] [You have been given an additional reward.] Seol looked behind him. Mirei was stumbling toward him. ¡°Haha¡­ that bastard. He was contradictory up to the end.¡± ¡°Mirei, are you alright?¡± ¡°No, I think I¡¯m going to di¡ª¡± She talked jokingly, but she clearly wasn¡¯t joking. Thud. She then fell over. ¡°Mirei!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ I really wish death could havee for me a bit more slowly. I could have watched you a bit more if I lived just a bit longer...¡± ¡°Your body is¡­¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s disappearing, right?¡± Her limbs were slowly disappearing. It looked just like how Mcus¡¯s dog, Dir, died. The only difference was that she disappeared at a slower rate than Dir. ¡°I guess the imperfect extension of my life will end here. Haha¡­ Now that I think about it, death might have waited for me a bit.¡± ¡°...What are you talking about?¡± ¡°In the end, I proved that I was right, right? That¡¯s why, surprisingly¡­ I don¡¯t have any shitty regrets left.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Snowman, did you know? We Shadow Summoners have two paths.¡± ¡°Two¡­ paths.¡± ¡°The first path is the beaten path that rules over shadows to bring out their maximum strength. The other path¡­ is a rough road where no one has zed through yet. A path of coexistence with the shadows. Which sid¡ª¡± Mirei didn¡¯t finish her sentence. Seol¡¯s unwavering eyes had already given her his answer. She gave a huge smile and weed his gaze. She pulled out a cigarette from her inventory and lit it. Inhale¡­ After a deep breath, she continued. ¡°Sodin¡­ Thank you for enduring this far. We did it.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°The Greatest Genius in the Universe Mirei¡¯s 300th Log¡­ No, Final Log. I proved it, Gregory. This is the final mark that I will leave behind in this world.¡± Her vision began to cloud. ¡°Go¡­ and show them your¡­ no, our world. That we¡­¡± Mirei tried her best to squeeze out everyst word. ¡°can¡­ coexist¡­¡± Thud. Mirei didn¡¯t say any more, leaving just the smell of her cigarette. This was Pandea. A world where even justice gets lost. Mirei, a Shadow Summoner who would change the world, and Mcus, a twisted Shadow Hunter, both died here today. [Helper ¡®Mirei, the Shadow Summoner¡¯ has died.] [The corresponding Helper will not appear in future Adventures.] Only Seol, the witness to their deaths, remained here and kept their peace. Chapter 110 Seol¡¯s shoulders looked heavy. Fwirl! Karen and Karuna summoned themselves regardless of Seol¡¯s intent. ¡°......¡± The two knights saw Mirei lying in front of Seol like she was asleep. They also noticed how her body was covered in arrows. As the shadow, the ck parts of her body, disappeared, Mirei¡¯s rotted corpse revealed itself. Karuna then stepped forth and carefully lifted Mirei¡¯s corpse. ¡°Where should I move her, Master?¡± ¡°Karuna.¡± ¡°Should we not bury her.¡± ¡°We should.¡± All that could have served as a memory was utterly destroyed. Not only was the house made of trees destroyed, but so were the nearby surroundings. Still, Seol found a suitable ce and buried her there. Seol then created a small grave before cing a broken wood fragment on top of it. He then wrote the names ¡®Mirei¡¯ and ¡®Sodin¡¯ on the piece of wood. ¡°What should we do about him? Leaving him for the animals to feast on is a bit¡­ much.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just bury him too while we are at it.¡± Karen then carried Mcus¡¯s corpse over. Seol didn¡¯t particrly feel anything about the Shadow Hunters, but he was interested in Mcus, who died in front of him. What especially interested him were his final words. - Because you Shadow Summoners took my parents, my eyes, everything in my life¡­ the only thing I had left was Dir. To me, who lost light, he became it. ¡®You Shadow Summoners¡­ what did the Shadow Summoner do to him?¡± Regardless of whatever hidden backstory Mcus had, he was Seol¡¯s enemy in the end. Not only that, but he also killed his helper, Mirei. Obviously, Mirei didn¡¯t have much left to live in the first ce, but it was still true he was the reason she died. Seol didn¡¯t feel sympathetic for his enemy. It was just that Mcus¡¯s strange feeling lingered. How did Mcus be so twisted? ¡°I have no clue.¡± ¡°Master, your body¡­ are you¡­ alright?¡± ¡°Ah, this?¡± Fwirl¡­ Seol and Jamad separated in an instant. [You exit the Night Crow form.] [Your ss is changed to Shadow Summoner.] Jamad cracked his neck as if his body felt tight. ¡°Moving someone else¡¯s body is more tiring than I thought.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to move myself next time.¡± ¡°Do you think that would be possible?¡± ¡°My senses feltpletely different. I would need some time to adjust to it, but I can¡¯t let you control me forever.¡± ¡°Do whatever you please.¡± Karuna then spoke. ¡°Mirei has left us. It¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°Yeah, it is. I felt like I got pretty close to her in that short time, too.¡± ¡°She was a good person. She was trustworthy too.¡± ¡°It makes me wonder if things could have gone differently if we had met her earlier or if we didn¡¯t head to Yognatun.¡± ¡°We''ll never know. After all, no one can glimpse into fate. Moreover, didn''t we also rescue many lives there?¡± Karuna was right. Seol had only one body. Creating future ns was more important than dwelling on past regrets. Karen tried to lighten the mood with a bright voice. ¡°The past is in the past! Let¡¯s just see what this viin had!¡± - Yeah! Exactly! Everyone around Snowman dies anyway! - Snowman has that Detective Conan buff! - They¡¯re all going to die anyway! This was not weird at all! - Seriously, it¡¯s probably easier to count the survivors lmfao. Seol smirked, then nodded. ¡°Yeah, we have to prepare for our next Adventure anyway.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯m going to open it now, then, alright?¡± Click! [You open the Viin''s Belongings.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [Affluent¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have acquired Belt of Crying and Laughing.] [You have acquired Gust Ring.] [You have acquired Crown of Clear Mind.] [You have acquired A Letter That Wishes to Be Read.] [You have acquired 10 tinum coins.] [You have acquired 37 gold coins.] [You have acquired 1 silver coin.] [You have acquired 1rge red potion.] [You have acquired 12 medium blue potions.] ¡­¡­ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [[Belt of Crying and Laughing] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 24-30 Defense: 28 Durability: 110/110 Weight: 0.1kg A leather belt decorated with aughing face and a crying face. asionally, the sound ofughing and crying can be heard. Basic Effect: +5 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +8 Constitution Bonus Effect: Each sessful attack increases all of the wearer¡¯s stats by 1 for 1 minute. This effect can stack up to 7 times, the effect¡¯s duration will not increase after it is fully stacked.] ¡®Good effects.¡¯ - He gets stats just for hitting? - It doesn¡¯t say +7 All Stats, though¡­? - Space has +15 to All Stats and a bunch of other options too, though. - You shouldn¡¯tpare a Peerless-quality item to a Treasure-quality item¡­ - Leather¡­ If it¡¯s leather¡­ Leather!!! Seol naturally handed Jamad the leather belt. ¡°Hm¡­ Well, he put in a lot of work.¡± Karen remarked as Seol handed Jamad the belt. ¡°Are you jealous?¡± ¡°Jealous? Who are you calling jealous¡­¡± [[Gust Ring] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 21-29 Resistance: 40 Durability: 75/75 Weight: 0.1kg A ring with brisk energy inside of it. Though the powers contained within are subtle, unveiling them would surprise anyone. Basic Effect: +2 Dexterity, +3 Constitution, +3 Intelligence Bonus Effect: Gathers wind as the wearer moves. When the umted wind reaches its maximum, a gust will emerge, increasing movement speed by 30%.] ¡®These stats are awkward¡­¡¯ Karen was licking her lips. ¡°So you know¡­ um¡­ so¡­ my um¡­¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t look particrly good for knights.¡± ¡°Um¡­ I agree with you, but like¡­ uh¡­ don¡¯t tell me this will also go to¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, thanks.¡± Jamad snatched the ring. As Jamad equipped it, it increased in size to fit him. ¡°You have gauntlets though! How does a ring fit in there?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a space for it inside.¡± ¡°...My bad.¡± - There¡¯s a space behind the pir. - There¡¯s room inside the gloves LMFAOOO - Awkward¡­ I mean, she¡¯s wearing rings while wearing gloves too, though LMFAO Karen gave Seol a look. ¡°Did something happen between you two? It feels like you¡¯re just giving him a lot of things¡­ you¡¯ve changed, Master.¡± - You¡¯ve just been taking everything¡­ - Dude, you¡¯ve changed! (He¡¯s the exact same) - Jamad¡­ What kind of life have you lived so far¡­ [[Crown of Clear Mind] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 18-28 Defense: 90 Durability: 78/78 Weight: 0.5kg A crown crafted for pdins who wished to avoid stuffy helmets. While not the most practical choice, its graceful appearancepensates for itsck of functionality. Basic Effect: +7 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +7 Constitution Bonus Effect: Elemental Spell Resistance is increased by 5%. Mind Spell Resistance is increased by 10%. This item will not fall off unless struck directly in battle.] Karen slowly reached out her fingers. She took a nce at Karuna. ¡°Can I¡­ take this?¡± Karuna shrugged. The moment Karuna shrugged, Karen gave a big smile. ¡°Hehe¡­ That¡¯s so like you, Karuna!¡± - Info) Karuna got nothing. - Karuna will remember that. - Seol just had to have two knights LMFAO - Splitting items is going to be a pain from now on. - Snowman¡¯s the single dad that needs to work hard to feed three children ?? - He¡¯s like every dad these days ??. What do you guys think about going to hug your parents? - They didn¡¯t like me hugging them??? - That¡¯s because you¡¯re¡­ There were many other misceneous items too. Still, as expected from a dangerous Adventure, the rewards were amazing and the other things Seol received were great, as well. The weight in Seol¡¯s shoulders had lightened a bit. Seol had a smirk on his face as he checked thest item. [[A Letter That Wishes to Be Read] Quality: Common Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg There is something written inside. Bonus Effect: Cannot be determined.] ¡®What is this?¡¯ Seol couldn¡¯t tell anything from just the envelope. Seol had a suspicious look on his face as he slowly opened the letter. ¡°......¡± The letters were written crookedly. Still, traces showed that whoever wrote this did their best to write, regardless. Seol then looked at the letter¡¯s contents. ¡°...It¡¯s Mcus¡¯s letter.¡± ¡°What? What does it say? Show me.¡± Seol read the letter out loud. ¡°Hello, I am Mcus. I cannot see. I hope for your generous understanding despite the messy handwriting. ¡­What?¡± ¡°Keep reading.¡± ¡°The Timbrian House is a small noble family, and I am it''s¡­ What does it say here? Suessor¡­ Is that it? Sessor. Well, I was until not too long ago.¡± ¡°Ah, so this esteemed noble was going around and killing Shadow Summoners. Does it say that it was the house¡¯s long-standing endeavor or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep reading.¡± - How did you, the person reading this letter,e into possession of it? I intend to carry this letter with me at all times, whether I am sleeping or in battle. However, if you find yourself holding this letter, it likely means that I have met an untimely demise due to unavoidable circumstances. If not, then you must be... ¡°...the person who killed me.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ that just hit a sore spot.¡± - Regardless, I ept any result. However, I do wish to share a certain story with you. Seol¡¯s interest in the rest of the letter greatly increased¡­ Mcus could still remember that day. His happy home was engulfed by fire. His father, a knight, and his mother, a magician, were both brutally murdered. ¡°No, don¡¯t do it! Mom! Daaaad!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ there was a child in this manor. Should I kill him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I do not want to do anything needless. I¡¯ve already acquired what I wanted, let¡¯s head back.¡± It was an ambiguous height. They had an androgynous voice. The robed person turned around and slowly walked toward the manor¡¯s exit. Mcus charged at them. ¡°Wh-why did you kill my parents?!¡± ¡°...Hm? How bold. Obviously¡­ it¡¯s to revive them.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fwirl¡­ The young Mcus couldn¡¯t believe what happened in front of him. His parent¡¯s shadows stood up. ¡°N-No¡­ No way¡­¡± ¡°Now your parents can live forever. Don¡¯t be too sad, okay?¡± ¡°You evil bastaaaaaaaaards! Give me back my parentsssssss!¡± Mcus charged in once more. ¡°You brat¡­¡± ¡°Argh!¡± The Shadow Summoner¡¯s glove slipped off as they swatted away Mcus. There was a ck rose tattoo on the back of their hand. As he fell over, Mcus ingrained that image into his memory. ¡®ck rose¡­¡¯ ¡°How annoying. Take his eyes. He''s witnessed things that were not meant to be seen.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Sizzle! A hot skewer was used to sear Mcus¡¯s eyes. ¡°Guaaaaaaargh!¡± ¡°You¡¯re weak¡­ Do you wish to get revenge against me?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll kill you¡­ it hurts¡­ I will find you again¡­¡± ¡°...I am a Shadow Summoner. I don¡¯t n on teaching you my name, so find it yourself. And if you are stronger when youe see me once more¡­¡± The young Mcus couldn¡¯t see the Shadow Summoner. Well, it was more urate to say he couldn¡¯t see at all. Even if the Shadow Summoner was right in front of him, he couldn¡¯t recognize anything about them visually. And because of that, he memorized the other aspects. He memorized their smell, their altered voice¡­ Mcus tried his best to remember it. To not forget their ck rose tattoo¡­ ¡°I will let you be with your parents¡­ for eternity¡­¡± ¡°Kid, since you lost your eyes, you¡¯ll need to beg to survive. Haha¡­¡± They left after that. The part about his past ended there. Seol gripped the letter tightly. ¡°So he went through something like that.¡± ¡°...Yeah. But his thirst for revenge was how he met his demise.¡± Seol then thought of what Mcus had said before. - I will kill everyst Shadow Summoner. In his madness, he believed that all Shadow Summoners were enemies. - ...I will free all of your shadows from you. That is what¡¯s best for them. He must have believed that it was right. Seol continued reading the letter. ¡°They have a ck rose tattoo on the back of their hand. It was impossible to tell their gender through their voice, and they weren¡¯t too big either. They smelled like medicine. I remember all of those perfectly. I have also left that person¡¯s scent in this letter.¡± ¡°Let me see¡­ Huh? It really does have a smell!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a unique smell.¡± A strange smell spread from the letter. It was the type of fragrance that was hard to forget. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve realized why I left behind this letter by now. Fuck¡­¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± - If you are not a Shadow Summoner, please find them. I am not asking you to kill them. I¡­ I ask you to free my parents from that monster¡¯s hands. I pray¡­ The letter finished off¡­ - that you are not a Shadow Summoner. Please, I hope you can help my parent¡¯s souls reach where they should go. The young Mcus desperately begs you. The letter was something young Mcus left behind before being consumed by his thirst for revenge. [You have received information on Hidden Adventure ''Stockholm Syndrome''.] [Once the conditions have been met, a Sudden Adventure will activate.] Chapter 111 Seol found information about a Hidden Adventure. It also seemed like the rted Adventures would also unlock once he satisfied a few more conditions. - They¡¯re warning him about a Sudden Adventure? - That¡¯s not sudden at all then, no? - Seriously¡­ - Why the hell do we need to solve our opponent¡¯s regrets~ Seol looked at the letter and started thinking. He wondered whether he should rip or keep the letter. Obviously, there was no answer. Seol sighed and carefully ced the letter inside his inventory. The letter¡¯s lingering scent strongly remained. It was strong enough to remove the smell of Mirei¡¯s cigarettes instantly. ¡°Hm¡­ Are you going to find them?¡± Seol was close with Mirei. And the letter Seol ced into his inventory contained the wishes of Mcus, the person who brought her death closer. The natural reaction would have been to rip that letter to shreds. ¡®But if it¡¯s her¡­¡¯ If Seol had shown Mirei this letter, she would have responded with something like, - What? His wish? Do it if you have the time. It¡¯s from someone who¡¯s dead, who cares? Seol had a small smile on his face as he thought of Mirei. He then responded to Karen. ¡°Depends on what happens. What if I run into them randomly?¡± - You¡¯re just saying you¡¯re not going to find him. LMFAO - ^ This. - I¡¯m also going to conquer the world if I have the timeter too. hahaha Karen smirked. ¡°If it¡¯s that, then¡­¡± This was just a brief pause in their mud fight, not the conclusive ending. Seol then checked his new titles. [[Inaugural Title: The One Who Walks Alone] Rted Achievement: My Own Path (Adventure: Those Who Chase the Shadows) Bonus Effect: The Exceptional Skill you created grows at a noticeably faster rate.] [[Special Title: Master of Shadows] Rted Achievement: The Path of Infinity (Adventure: Those Who Chase the Shadows) Bonus Effect: The probability of creating a new skill increases by 10%.] ¡°......¡± - That¡¯s CRAAAAAAAAZY! This is insane¡­ - Aren¡¯t both of their effects insane? - Yeah, they¡¯re broken. - But is there like a cooldown for creating another Exceptional Skill or something? - There isn¡¯t. It would be funnier if there was one already LOL. - A Shadow Summoner who only knows how to use Shadow Hand is a ¡®Master of Shadows¡¯? LMFAOOOOO Their reactions weren¡¯t too different from Seol¡¯s. ¡®There¡­ was a title like this?¡¯ Master of Shadows was an amazing title, but The One Who Walks Alone was overwhelming. In the case of Exceptional Skills, just awakening one was already hitting the jackpot. Not only was it a unique skill, but there was no precedent for learning each of them. As such, the best one could do to improve them was refine it and refine it more. For these reasons, Exceptional Skills often remained at the same level as when one initially learned them, with limited potential for proper growth. ¡®However, I have ¡®The One Who Walks Alone¡¯... with that, I can reduce the risks.¡¯ Even though there wasn¡¯t an exact number or percentage, there was no way the title would let him down when the phrase ¡®noticeably faster¡¯ was attached to it. With that, Seol finished confirming all of the titles as well. As expected from a dangerous Adventure, Seol had gained a lot from it. Seol, recognizing that there was nothing more to do here, sent Jamad and Karuna back into his Shadow Space. Fwirl! ¡°You¡­ It''s fine.¡± ¡°What? You want me to go back there too? Wouldn¡¯t you be lonely? There would be no one to protect you, right, Master? Right? Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°...That¡¯s why I said it¡¯s fine.¡± Karen shed a big smile. Since she looked exactly like an elf now with her red hair using Haze, no one would suspect that she was a shadow. ¡®Then I guess next is¡­ the ¡®Where the Trail Cuts Off¡¯ Adventure?¡¯ It was an Adventure Seol prepared in case the Linked Adventure for his awakening did not progress as intended. He had heard information about a ruin copsing due to not enough ruins hunters visiting it recently, leading to the demonic beasts inside escaping. The information he received led to Seol unlocking this Adventure as a potential option. Fortunately for Seol, this Adventure could be taken on without a party while also maintaining a considerable difficulty. Seol then ended the Adventure. Bzzzzzt But then¡­ [A powerful deterrent nearby activates.] [Adventure ''Where the Trail Cuts Off'' has been substituted with a Sudden Adventure.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡®...What?¡¯ [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 16th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 16. Overflowing Hell] Seol was surrounded by particles of light before being transferred. When he arrived at his location, he looked around, dazed. ¡°Th-thank god! It¡¯s a person! Someone came, Gyeongtaek!¡± ¡°Shh! Stop shouting! What will you do if we run into something because of you?¡± ¡°You fucking bastard! If I tell you something, you should fucking listen!¡± ¡°I-I¡­ I¡¯m sure that th-they¡¯re surprised too. L-let¡¯s be a bit more quiet¡­¡± What was going on? ¡®I was fucking sucked into a Sudden Aventure.¡¯ It also seemed like his current location wasn¡¯t too far from the previous Adventure. ¡°Woah! She¡¯s an elf!¡± ¡°What? Wait, she really is¡­ If she¡¯s an elf, then¡­¡± ¡°A-Are they not transferees?¡± Seol looked at Karen, then at the group in front of him. The first was a woman dressed a bit too extravagantly for an adventurer. The next was an ordinary-looking man. Thest was a middle-aged man who seemed tock a lot of confidence. It was a strange group. ¡®Were there other people with them too?¡¯ Seol opened his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m a bit lost, but¡­ were there other people here too?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­¡± The only thing they did was read each other¡¯s moods. However, they were noticeably dejected. - Snowman, read the room! - It¡¯s clear that there was a huge problem judging by their faces. LOL - It¡¯s like they shit their pants again today. - ¡­What do you mean again??? Even so, the man who seemed most amiable amongst them stepped forth. ¡°There were others originally. Well¡­ there were, but¡­¡± ¡°They¡­ died?¡± ¡°Yeah, like she said, they died.¡± Seol nodded as if he had expected this, then looked at the Adventure description. [Adventure 16. ¡®Overflowing Hell¡¯ Though it may remain unclear as to what forces are at y in the heart of the Great Forest, it is widely known that numerous powerful monsters inhabit its depths. Typically, these powerful monsters confine themselves to the center, and as a result, Adventurers have yet to encounter them directly. However, there have been instances of unfortunate ruins hunters venturing too deeply, only to leave untraceable corpses behind. Due to Nobira¡¯s recent downfall, the activity of ruins hunters has dwindled, likely contributing to the scarcity of detailed information about the Great Forest being shared with others. By chance, you have encountered helpless Adventurers within the Great Forest, hinting at untold stories. You must ensure their safety. Objective: Escort the Adventurers to Nobira. This Adventure is a Sudden Adventure. Remaining Time [About 7 days]] ¡°Hm¡­ could you tell me more about it in detail?¡± ¡°Before that, do you mind if we tell each other our names? It¡¯s just starting to feel like an interrogation¡­¡± responded the woman. Seol nodded, then shared his name. ¡°My name is Snowman.¡± ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that just a nickname, though?¡± ¡°...Am I not allowed to use it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, it¡¯s just¡­ Well, we call each other by our actual names. We¡¯re all Koreans, aren¡¯t we? So let¡¯s just use our names!¡± ¡°Kang Seol.¡± ¡°Just Seol?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a¡­ unique name¡­ but it¡¯s cool. My name is Han Somi. I¡¯m 22 years old.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m 25.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re older than me. Our group is a bit strict about that, so I¡¯ll call you oppa too.¡± ¡°...Sure, I don¡¯t mind.¡± Seol was surprised to hear that they were so strict about ranks like this when they weren¡¯t in the military or anything. Somi also looked at the man to her side while saying that. It was clear she was also saying it to him. ¡°Haah¡­ My name is Jo Gyeongtaek. I¡¯m 21 years old. I¡¯ll call you hyung as well.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°You can also talk to me casually. The others here already do that anyway.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°...Well, that was fast.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit quick to adapt.¡± - Alright. - I thought he would say ¡®bet¡¯ instead. LOL Then, the middle-aged man introduced himself. ¡°M-My name is Shin Munho. I am in myte 40s now.¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Hyung! Who is she?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Karen. Well¡­ Basically, just think of me as someone who travels with him.¡± ¡°...Are you two dating?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to ask something like that? Do I need to teach you something like that too? Sigh!¡± ¡°We¡¯re only a year apart¡­¡± ¡°What did you say?!¡± While the two transferees quarreled, Munho tapped Seol¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ Even so, you have no idea how much of a relief it is to see someone else.¡± Since they learned a bit about each other now, Seol freely asked him what he was really curious about. ¡°So, what happened here? I don¡¯t really understand the situation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­ Ah, I can speakfortably with you too, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°S-So, before you came here, Seol, what happened was¡­ Somi. Maybe it might be better for you to exin, Somi.¡± ¡°I knew this would happen. I¡¯ll tell you what happened, oppa.¡± Seol nodded in response. ¡°Basically, we met after epting an Adventure in Nobira to survey the Great Forest. Originally, there were five of us.¡± ¡°So two people died.¡± ¡°Yes, we never dreamed of something like that happening. The five of us thought it would just be a simple hike through the Great Forest. Do you believe that? There were five of us. It¡¯s not a lot of people, but it wasn¡¯t like this Adventure was supposed to be dangerous.¡± In other words, they were acting as scouts for Nobira. Typically, most scouts were swift, but not toopetent inbat. It seemed like they also fell into that stereotype. ¡°How did the two of them die? No, more importantly, I still haven¡¯t heard what the three of you are still doing here.¡± ¡°I will exin everything one by one. Um¡­. so the two of them. Basically, they ran into a monster.¡± ¡°A monster?¡± There were monsters all throughout the Great Forest. However, as the powerful monsters were concentrated at the center of the Great Forest and their influence did not extend to the outskirts, only weak monsters roamed in these areas. ¡°Yes. But¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t really know how to exin this part.¡± ¡°They died in the short time we separated to drink water, hyung.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They were brutally ttened, like they were pancakes. You have no idea how much I threw up while burying them¡­ sigh. It was my first time seeing such a mutted corpse.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why you believed monsters were behind it.¡± ¡°Yes, exactly. There was no way a human could have done that. No human in the world couldpletely tten another human like they were a press.¡± No, there were people in the world who could do that. In fact, Seol¡¯stter 10 pieces, as well as many other beings who were on a simr level of strength, had more than enough power to do such an act. Even so, this was still the early Adventures. The number of monsters who could do something like that was limited. ¡°Hm¡­ then there¡¯s a chance a monster from the center of the Great Forest slipped out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I said! It¡¯s a logical conclusion, no? Hah! My luckpletely turned around for the worse. I thought this was just an easy, rxing Adventure¡­¡± Seol quickly stuck to Karen to exin everything. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­ there are demonic beasts in the center of the forest and they¡¯re leaking out from there? Like pig piss?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s a weirdparison, but you have the right idea.¡± ¡°So, how strong are the monsters?¡± ¡°Well¡­ hm¡­¡± Seol thought to himself while touching his chin. ¡®How strong are they?¡¯ There were many types of monsters, and most of them appeared in forests too. Since Seol couldn¡¯t recall approaching the center of the Great Forest before, there was nothing he could reallypare it to. ¡°Are they stronger than Atarak?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s just take these guys out.¡± Seol nodded in response. Jamad, Karuna, and Karen. Seol was no longer a burden either. Even if he would fight enemies known to be somewhat strong, Seol didn''t have to worry. ¡°See? I told you they were dating.¡± ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day when you were actually right, Gyeongtaek. I thought she was just a mercenary¡­¡± "How can an elf be as beautiful as her and still work as a mercenary? You should have given a more realistic exnation." ¡°Tch¡­ they should get a room.¡± Somi and Gyeongtaek whispered back and forth to each other while giving Karen and Seol strange looks. ¡°...We aren¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ Ahem ahem¡­ What? Did we say something? Regardless, that¡¯s the situation, and we need to report this to Nobira.¡± ¡°What about the monster?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t there when we found our other party members. There¡¯s a good chance it wille back to kill us, though.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°So, on that note, I believe we should team up to escape together. Since we''re already in a party, all we need is for you to join us, Seol oppa!¡± ¡°How would we be teaming up?¡± The three looked at Seol with expectation-filled eyes. Somi then asked Seol a question. ¡°What¡¯s your ss?¡± And Seol gave his response. ¡°A summoner.¡± While the responses may havee from three different individuals, the words were identical. ¡°...Ah.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Chapter 112 The three of them sighed simultaneously as if they had practiced it. The situation turned awkward. - Yeah¡­ it was always like this. - This was what I was waiting for¡­ It¡¯s been a while since we had this reaction. - We will turn your mockingughs into cheers of joy! Somi, realizing what they did,ughed awkwardly. ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ It¡¯s incredible that the three of us did that at the same time like it was nned, haha¡­ That wasn¡¯t on purpose, oppa.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Hey, Gyeongtaek, say something.¡± ¡°Hyung, I think we¡¯re screwed.¡± ¡°You little! Do you want to die?!¡± ¡°Argh, who cares! What am I supposed to do when this is reality? Are you telling me to make up something positive?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, but¡­¡± Seol then asked the two party members who were fighting. ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± Gyeongtaek responded while scratching his head. ¡°The two party members that died were our vanguards. It¡¯s just be awkward now that our tanks have died.¡± ¡°Well, those are the facts. It would have been problematic if either group had died, though. But since you suddenly appeared out of nowhere when we had to confront an unknown monster, Seol oppa, we thought you would be our saving grace and fill that gap. Ah, I know she''s here too, but elves aren''t transferees, so...¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± They clearly ced expectations on Seol, counting on him to pull them out of an impossible situation, especially since he had recently joined their party. ¡®But that¡¯s the difficult part about summoners.¡¯ That was themon belief about summoners. A ss that wasn¡¯t particrly important whether you had one in a party or not. However, Seol didn¡¯tment further. After all, they wouldn¡¯t believe it unless they saw it. ¡°This might¡¯ve been for the better instead. We no longer have to worry about what decision to make, and we can solely focus on the objective. Don''t you agree, Gyeongtaek?¡± ¡°...That¡¯s true. We nned on doing that regardless of whether hyung joined our party anyway.¡± Their objective. What was their objective? ¡°What are your objectives right now?¡± ¡°First, are you aware of where we are?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this the Great Forest?¡± ¡°It is. Is this your second Adventure this cycle?¡± ¡°Yes, my first Adventure was in the Great Forest as well. I must have just happened to be near this area. I was dragged into a Sudden Adventure.¡± ¡°As expected¡­ You must have been in the Great Forest alone, huh?¡± ¡°I was.¡± ¡°So sloppy¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too sloppy, too clumsy. I¡¯m sure you were lulled into a false sense of security, right? Something like, ¡®It¡¯s normally a safe area, so a Solo Adventure is probably fine.¡¯¡± Somi nodded to herself constantly with a smug expression that showed that she believed she had read Seol. The perfect follow-up to that clich¨¦ would have been to ce her hands on Seol¡¯s shoulders and give him a pat. Like Sherlock Holmes had possessed her body. Seol smirked and yed along with her. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Huh? Well, obviously it¡¯s¡­ because we were the same?¡± - And you¡¯re proud of that? LMFAOO - She¡¯s super proud! - So it was an assumption made based on her experience LOOL ¡°Ahem, ahem¡­ Still, since you mentioned that you knew we were in the Great Forest, oppa¡­ I''m guessing you can also deduce our exact location, right?¡± ¡°... Are we extremely close to the center?¡± ¡°Correct. Woah, I just got goosebumps¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make such a fuss, noona. Anyone could have predicted that.¡± ¡°Shut up, Gyeongtaek! Stop butting in on everything that I¡¯m doing.¡± Seol then asked them a question instead. ¡°Have you guys known each other for a while?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°No! Me? And her?!¡± ¡°Rather, we¡¯re sick of each other. He keeps trying to make light of our age difference.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s hrious? We¡¯re just a year apart, yet she¡¯s acting like that.¡± ¡°You little¡­¡± The two quarreled again. When Seol¡¯s face started to sour, tired of their antics, the two stopped their fighting. ¡°Surprisingly, this ce is near the center of the Great Forest. Our guide was the one who happened to die as well, so we were wandering around before arriving here.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t your party nning on entering the center anyway?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? Why the hell would we go there? We¡¯re just trying to get out of here as fast as we can. I just want a nice hot bath right now¡­¡± For some unknown reason, the center of the Great Forest was brimming with monsters, and not only that, they stayed near there. Cases of monsters straying from the center were rare. ¡°Did you party members die nearby?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes, they did. The cause of all our troubles was their thorough scouting, even though we could have simply pretended to have done it.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I¡¯m just talking to myself, so don¡¯t worry about what I said, oppa.¡± - How am I supposed to ignore it when you¡¯re saying it to my face LMFAO - She¡¯s weird as hell too lol ¡°If we¡¯re near the center of the Great Forest¡­ our primary objective should be to return to Nobira.¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ since we don¡¯t know if the monsters who wandered from the center of the Great Forest will chase us, it should take us two or three days max to reach safety.¡± ¡°So, our options are either evading the monsters by running away or hiding from them for two to three days¡­¡± ¡°Yes, and since it''s not an invasion of many monsters but a single powerful one, Nobira should be able to handle it. They should be able to handle it easily since the Adventurers who ran away are slowly returning.¡± They would have done more than enough as scouts if they could notify them. ¡°Alright, then, let¡¯s n out our route.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Not too long after the party started moving toward Nobira, Somi broke the silence. ¡°It would be nice if it was like this the entire way.¡± ¡°Do you really have to jinx us?¡± And at that moment¡­ Kuaaaaaargh! Flinch! Everyone except Seol and Karen copsed to the floor while holding their ears. ¡®It¡¯s near us.¡¯ It was clear the monster was fairly close to them. Seol simply scratched his chin while waiting for everyone else to get back up. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ did you hear that?¡± ¡°That was insane. What kind of monster makes a sound like that?¡± ¡°I-I want to go back already¡­ Are we still far from Nobira?¡± ¡°We just started, ahjussi.¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Munho was very timid. When everyone shared their opinions, he was the only one who didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°As expected¡­ didn¡¯t we make our move too quickly? Should we have waited for morning?¡± ¡°Since we don¡¯t know what the monster is, we can¡¯t be sure what the correct decision is.¡± ¡°Right? So we should keep going, right?¡± Seol then spoke once more. "What''s most crucial right now is to distance ourselves from the center as much as possible. Even in the worst case scenario where we encounter the monster, being away from the center increases the likelihood of facing only one instead of multiple." ¡°We¡¯re only acting like this because even that one monster is too much for us to handle¡­ but I understood what you said, oppa.¡± ¡°...Then let¡¯s get out of here as carefully as possible.¡± The other party members nodded. The party then slowed down their pace to avoid attracting the monster. Although much slower than their initial speed, their silent, continuous movement already allowed them to cover a considerable distance. No, ¡®already¡¯ was not the appropriate word for this situation. The sun had risen, and they had spent a lot of time walking. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ The ground trembled faintly as if something massive was moving far away. "I wonder if the other transferees who came out to scout also got entangled in this." ¡°We should worry about ourselves first.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ that¡¯s true. But oppa, I¡¯m exhausted because all we did was walk for hours. We haven¡¯t properly eaten or slept yet.¡± ¡°...Let¡¯s take a break then.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Karen left to find a suitable ce and waved everyone in. ¡°This ce is surrounded by grass, so it will be hard to find.¡± ¡°Fuu¡­ that''s a relief.¡± ¡°I¡¯m way too sleepy right now, hungry too.¡± ¡°L-Let¡¯s sleep a little before we go then.¡± They grabbed a seat in the open area hidden by the grass. ¡°Haah¡­ I feel like I can finally breathe now. When should we start moving again?¡± They were only able to say that because nothing happened at night. Seol responded. ¡°Since it seems like the day is more dangerous, we should rest and go once the sun sets.¡± ¡°Then we have a bunch of time left. Urgh¡­ I can definitely sleep fine, but I¡¯m still hungry.¡± ¡°Did you run out of food?¡± ¡°We all ran out of the food we were carrying individually. A lot of it was ruined when our party members were crushed too. Normally, we would forage the forest, but as you can already tell, we can¡¯t really do that¡­¡± The three of them looked exhausted. The quickest way to make someone unhappy would be to starve them. They clearly haven¡¯t eaten a proper meal in a long while. ¡°What food do you like?¡± ¡°You¡¯re only going to make me hungrier¡­¡± ¡°Hyung, do you have food?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t not have food.¡± ¡°Really? Then could you give us some? I¡¯m okay with even dried foods. I¡¯ll just soak it up in water.¡± ¡°Is there anything in particr that you want to eat?¡± ¡°Me? I¡­ I like meat the most.¡± ¡°Gyeongtaek apparently used to work at a Korean BBQ restaurant. He worked a part-time job there because he wasn¡¯t sure what he wanted to do after graduating high school.¡± ¡°And Noona was someone who took the CSAT three times to get into college.¡± T/N: CSAT, or Suneung, is an eight-hour standardized test given once a year which ys an extremely high role in university cement. Oftentimes, students aren¡¯t satisfied with their test results and wait a year to retake it. ¡°Hey! Who said you were allowed to say that?!¡± ¡°And what gave you the right to tell him about my past then, huh?¡± ¡°Who cares if I retook the test three times?! Shouldn¡¯t I be apuded for my tenacity instead, huh? Also, hardly any of the people from my high school who attended college before me are still alive. You got that, huh? That is how autonomous I am. I can survive on my own splendidly!¡± ¡°Oho¡­ So that one year of difference makes you much more experienced in life than me, right?¡± ¡°Oppa, I hope it isn¡¯t too much trouble, but could you also kill a monster called Gyeongtaek too while you¡¯re at it? I¡¯ll make sure to give you plenty of rewards.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you double, hyung. Please just drop her down to hell.¡± Seol clearly only asked them what they wanted to eat. He wasn¡¯t sure how the conversation went the way it did. Still, Seol smiled without realizing it. It was because he remembered the kids from his orphanage. - Argh, Seol oppa! Look at what she just did! - Blehhhhhhh! You¡¯re telling Seol oppa again! Onlyzy, fat people tell on other people! sEoL OpPa! LoOk aT WhAt sHe jUsT DiD! - Argh! Fucking¡­ It¡¯s even more annoying because you¡¯re such a little kid! Hey,e right here! - Are you going to hit me, huh? - I¡¯ll show you what a ¡®Girl Crush¡¯ really is. I¡¯ll crush you! - Argh! Argh! How are you so strong¡­ stop hitting me! It was nothing more than a faint memory now. However, the lingering imagery shed in Seol¡¯s head as the two were simr. ¡°When was thest time you ate?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ a little over a day ago?¡± ¡°Give me a second then. I¡¯ll make something that won¡¯t be too heavy.¡± ¡°Wh-what? You¡¯ll make something?¡± Seol dug a small hole instantly and ced a warm stone inside. He used a warm stone instead of firewood, as monsters could easily spot thetter. Fssss¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ is that a mosquito repellent incense?¡± ¡°It¡¯s incense to block smells, you idiot. How does an Adventurer like you not know that? How did you survive up to this point? Huh? Please¡­¡± ¡°Noona, I just asked if it was a mosquito repellent. Were you charging up right now just to insult me?¡± Crack. The warm stone made a small sound as it overheated. Seol had learned about this method to use the warm stone as he made his meals. The warm stone temporarily became an impressive fire once it was overheated. The only drawback was that this effect was a one-time use. Seol ced a small cauldron on top of the warm stone and added the ingredients one by one. Having prepared the ingredients in advance and stored them in his Fresh Ingredients Pouch, he didn''t need to do much else. ¡®I¡¯m using this more than I thought I would.¡¯ The Fresh Ingredients Pouch was an item that Seol bought from J in the Madness Shop. It was an incredible item that kept ingredients fresh. It wasn¡¯t too expensive either. Well, it wasn''t expensive for Seol. After a bit of time, a savory smell filled the air. The party members were unfamiliar with this smell. ¡°Uh¡­ Uh¡­ Hyung, did you used to cook?¡± ¡°My talent is Cooking.¡± ¡°Oh my god. There was someone who picked that shitty talent? I thought it was just for decoration or something. The Cleaning talent was right next to it, so I¨C¡± ¡°Hey! Is that something you should be saying to someone who¡¯s cooking for us? Oppa, you picked that because men who can cook are popr nowadays, right?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°......¡± - Why are you making a sad face like that, Somi? LMFAOO - They¡¯re much more innocent than I thought. - The old man next to them is getting excited for food too haha. Not too long after, the dish waspleted. [You have finished cooking.] [You have made a Porridge With Salted Venison and Minced Vegetables.] [It smells great. The dish was a sess.] [Your cooking skills have slightly improved.] Gulp¡­ Gyeongtaek gulped. ¡°That¡¯s killer¡­¡± Karenughed. ¡°Why do you say kill so much? Haha¡­¡± ¡°Huh? N-No it¡¯s just because of the smell¡­¡± Somi, seeing Gyeongtaek be flustered, started to mock him. ¡°Look at his face getting red. You can¡¯t even hold yourself together just because you¡¯re talking to a beautiful woman. Pfft. I hope you can understand, unni. It¡¯s because he hasn¡¯t dated anyone yet.¡± ¡°...Stop.¡± Seol grabbed adleful of porridge and passed it around. Nom¡­ The hot porridge slowly coated their stomachs. The party members all reacted the same. ¡°Thank you for the meal, Seol. This is delicious, though. I bet you can sell this if you wanted.¡± ¡°Summoners might not be too bad of a ss?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know summoners were this important for parties¡­ Who said they were bad? - Huh? He didn¡¯t summon anything, though? - And you guys were the ones whoined LOL - If I want to be a summoner¡­ learn cooking too¡­ noted. Somi continuedughing as she ate her porridge. It seemed like she enjoyed the situation. ¡°It really was fortunate that we met you, oppa. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have a meal like this out here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°No, really. We were super fortunate. It almost makes me feel like nothing will happen until we arrive in Nobira.¡± - Why does she keep jinxing them? - She¡¯s crossing the line. Gyeongtaek butted in. ¡°We still have an open spot, though. Shouldn¡¯t they give another person a Sudden Adventure too?¡± - This piece of shit LMFAO - ???: You just have to wait and see for now lol Somi agreed. ¡°Yeah, it would be perfect if that person joined our party.¡± ¡°That person? Ah, them¡­¡± Seol, curious about who they were talking about, stepped in. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Did you not hear about it? The transferee who saved all the people that got kidnapped to Yognatun.¡± Seol paused as he lifted the spoon to his mouth. Chapter 113 ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°You know, that transferee¡­ did you not hear about them, oppa? I wonder why he came to Nobira, though.¡± ¡°Ah, I heard about them too, just not the specifics.¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Even if you are slow in catching up with recent events, this is way too slow, oppa. Are you the type of person who builds a wall around themselves from the rest of the world? Luckily for you, I¡¯m really caught up with everything. Information is king in Pandea! You basically owe me your life, oppa.¡± ¡°My life?¡± ¡°Your life depends on information, but you¡¯re slow in acquiring it! You can¡¯t survive in Pandea with a half-hearted mindset! Not to mention, you¡¯re a summo¡­ nevermind.¡± - You were about to say summoner just now, weren¡¯t you! - I know it! You were about to insult me! - Seol suddenly has a debt to pay lmfao. Seol felt how quickly rumors spread among the transferees, as even an ordinary one was already aware of what had happened in Yognatun. But another part of him was also curious. He was curious about what his actions meant to the other ordinary transferees. ¡°You know about Nobira¡¯s downfall, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware.¡± ¡°So the reason that happened was actually because of some terrifying trolls from beyond the walls. Who could¡¯ve known the wall protecting the kingdom had a hole in it?¡± ¡°When did you hear about this?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know? It¡¯s before we entered the Great Forest, so¡­ still, do you know how these rumors formed?¡± Somi lowered her voice as much as she could, like she was about to share vital information. ¡°Apparently, there was a transferee who didn¡¯t think it was enough to cross the wall and chased them down all the way to the Yognatun Volcano.¡± ¡°Really?¡± - (Trying his best to pretend he doesn¡¯t know) - (Shocked expression) - (Oh my goodness!) ¡°So... yeah. From what I heard, they defeated all the monsters in Yognatun and pushed back the trolls who were plotting something elsewhere. All of that was because of one person. By the way, do you know what his powers are?¡± ¡°Are there already rumors about that too?¡± ¡°Apparently, they were already quite famous around here. Nothing much about them had spread before, but since they dealt with one huge event after another... it was like boom! And everything started spilling out.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°They control shadows. Isn¡¯t that scary?¡± ¡°What? Scary?¡± ¡°I mean, that¡¯s something a clich¨¦ mastermind behind the shadows would use¡­ it¡¯s eerie too.¡± ¡°Are you saying they¡¯re bad then?¡± ¡°Not at all. Rather, they¡¯d be perfect for our party. My dream was to be a mastermind in the shadows. But¡­ you don¡¯t look surprised at all after hearing about this. Is this not shocking to you?¡± ¡°It is shocking.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised at all, though¡­ Ah, are you the type who¡¯s jealous of famous people? I used to leave hatements on celebrities too. I get it. It¡¯s just human nature.¡± ¡°......¡± - She¡¯s oversharing way too much LMFAOOO - How is that rted??? LOL - Why is Somi so funny lmfao ¡°So, the ¡®that person¡¯ I mentioned earlier was referring to them. Don¡¯t you think they¡¯d be absolutely perfect for our party?¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°First, I¡¯m the only woman in a party who¡¯s overflowing with charm¡­ nevermind, unni¡¯s here too. Well¡­ I guess I¡¯m not the only woman either now? Still, we have me, who¡¯s a great mood-maker.¡± ¡°Is your ss mood-maker?¡± Somiughed awkwardly and continued. ¡°Ahem¡­ and¡­ our party also has delicious food.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°So I¡¯m sure we could do a huge weing party if they join, right? We¡¯d also clear the Adventure easily, so wouldn¡¯t this be a win-win scenario?¡± ¡°I thought you wanted to be a ¡®mastermind hidden in the shadows¡¯? You¡¯re still going to give them a weing party?¡± ¡°Do you think whether I''m good or evil is really that important? Good and evil is just a matter of preference for exceptional people like them. Still, I guess I made some excessivements because justmenting about this isn¡¯t the best. It¡¯s because we wouldn¡¯t still be here if that person joined our party. We would have been back in Nobira by now. They¡¯re on apletely different level from us, but I guess it¡¯s also a problem if they did join our party. I bet they have a nasty personality. People who are a bit better than others are all ill-mannered. Judging by their ability to control shadows, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s true,!¡± ¡°I feel like the conversation shifted to you insulting them.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just because I have a personal rule of destroying anything that I can¡¯t get my hands on¡­¡± In the eyes of most transferees, Seol¡¯s actions were more than just special, they were insane. Even if someone could go to Yognatun alone and defeat the trolls all by themselves, it wouldn¡¯t be an easy decision to make. Because of that, their image of the mysterious transferee was someonepletely different from them. ¡°You know, I¡­ have a lot of experience.¡± ¡°Experience?¡± ¡°Like life experience! Even though we haven¡¯t been transferees for long, I¡¯m sure all of the survivors can all agree on one thing. There¡¯s a really easy, surefire way to survive.¡± ¡°An easy, surefire way to survive¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to know what it is?¡± - This sounds like a clickbait title LMFAO - The easiest way to survive in the wilderness! You¡¯ll regret not watching thister! - ???: I won¡¯t be an idiot who regrets not watching LOL. Let¡¯s watch this immediately! Somi quietly whispered to Seol. ¡°It¡¯s connections.¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°Like I said, connections. It¡¯s the same as our previous world, which revolves around connections. Whenever people gather, it¡¯s all the same.¡± ¡°How did you get to that conclusion?¡± ¡°Can you deny it, though? Consider this. The reason the transferee went to Yognatun alone was probably for someone else! The prisoners were only saved because the transferee''s friend was there. If their friend wasn''t there, everyone would have died!¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± - She¡­ makes a point! - I mean, she¡¯s not wrong. - Why the fuck would we go there if it wasn¡¯t for Hamun LMFAO - We would have just ignored them and went to Mirei. - Han Somi (22 years old, 3-time CSAT retaker, knows a lot about the world) Gyeongtaek then asked Somi. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that we need to make those sorts of connections?¡± "Everyone does this whether they recognize it or not. We''re just a bit behind. Nowadays, people call them the main members or main crew, right? That¡¯s just proof that skilled people only hang around with other skilled people." "Hah, and how exactly are we supposed to build connections then? Are we just supposed to pray that the person next to us suddenly bes special?" "No, but fortune does favor the brave. What do you think we can do when we''re nothing more than their backdrop? All we can do is read the room, right? We just have to scratch the itch of whatever bothers them and turn them into our people." ¡°Urgh¡­ do we really have to go that far?¡± ¡°This is why I call you young, Gyeongtaek. What wouldn¡¯t you do to survive? I¡¯d p while doing a handstand if it would let me survive, alright? My point is, we need to find someone exceptional and force our way into their circle.¡± ¡°Do you think we¡¯dst, though?¡± ¡°You have to do whatever it takes, Gyeongtaek! Don¡¯t you dare let this go in one ear and out the other. This is how heroes are born!¡± - Ma¡¯am, that¡¯s a lot different from the heroes I know. - This is the revised edition. - Ah, I see. Gyeongtaek then nodded his head multiple times. On the other hand, Munho was scooping up anotherdle of porridge, seemingly uninterested in the conversation. ¡°Mundo¨C I mean, Munho ahjussi¡­ are you not interested in this?¡± ¡°Nom¡­ Hm? What?¡± ¡°What she was talking about, like bing a hero.¡± ¡°People already insult old men like me with fat stomachs and bald heads. On top of that, I have no idea what they''d do If I''m delusional too. I know my ce.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, ahjussi! You¡¯re being pessimistic again.¡± It seemed like it wasn¡¯t Munho¡¯s first time behaving like this. Gyeongtaek and Somi expertly handled him. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Ahjussi, you¡¯ll find your daughter for sure, okay? What was her name again? Ye¡­ Hye¡­ Hyerin?¡± ¡°Yerin, Shin Yerin. I hope she¡¯s right by my wife¡¯s side.¡± Somi briefly exined Munho¡¯s situation to Seol. ¡°So¡­ he¡¯s been worried about his family since he came over into this world. Apparently, his wife and his daughter were living in another country.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± ¡°Still, ahjussi. Don¡¯t you think Yerin would like it if her father was a hero?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve grown older, I¡¯vee to realize that I¡¯m not the kind of person who can give to others. Only people with luxury could do something like that. I just need to find my daughter.¡± ¡°...It looks like you were fairly close with Yerin?¡± Munho, who had been quiet for a while, became talkative about his daughter. ¡°Well... Uh... I guess it wasn''t as good after she hit puberty? After that... Well, we lived apart, so calls grew scarce.¡± - D-Dad, get out of my room! - Mom! Dad¡¯s touching my stuff! - Why can I hear this¡­ - Don¡¯t make it too realistic¡­ Stop making it realistic. I¡¯m getting PTSD, you assholes¡­ Munho looked off into the distance with longing eyes. ¡°She wanted to y the piano, so she studied abroad in Germany with her mother.¡± ¡°Woah¡­ that must have been nice for her then. But doesn¡¯t that mean¡­ you were a ¡®goose dad¡¯?¡± T/N: ¡®Goose dad¡¯ is a Korean term for a man who works in Korea while his family is abroad in an English-speaking country for their children¡¯s education. They are called goose dads because they have to travel a lot or ¡®migrate¡¯ to meet their children. ¡°Yeah, I was a goose dad.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Ever since then, it has been awkward between us. Ah, I''m not ming my wife or my daughter either. How would I have the right toin when I don¡¯t even earn enough money to...¡± The viewers allmented on the souring mood. - Beep¡­ Beep¡­ - 4:36PM, the mood has died. - D-Doctor, please! Please save our mood! We can¡¯t just let it go like this. - I apologize, ma¡¯am. There¡¯s no hope¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but we have to send it off. - You guys¡­ why am I crying¡­ hahaha¡­ - I feel like getting older has made me a lot more emotional, I¡¯m bawling right now LOL. Munho let out a long sigh. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry, guys. I feel like the mood is all gloomy because of me. I¡¯m sorry, I really am.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re fine, ahjussi. Oi, Gyeongtaek! Say something gloomy too!¡± Gyeongtaek quickly nodded and spoke up. ¡°I-I have aichmophobia, a fear of sharp things!¡± ¡°...Don¡¯t you use a sharp weapon?¡± ¡°I do¡­ a spear¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay using that?¡± ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not used to it yet.¡± "I see, you little brat... You were pretending to be normal all this time and¡ª" "Your turn, noona." "Me? What do I... Ah, I thought of one. I have awful astigmatism. I can¡¯t recognize my parents without my sses." - Is this apetition to brag about their small ws? LMFAO - It¡¯s so trivial hahaha ¡°...Aren¡¯t you a hunter?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Fucking hell¡­ no wonder your aim was ass.¡± ¡°Hey, I heard you! And I have Dexterity Assistance now, so it¡¯s somewhat covered, alright?¡± ¡°Munho ahjussi is a rogue¡­ Seol hyung¡¯s a summoner¡­ our party is a fucking mess.¡± ¡°Seriously, our only option is to run to Nobira quietly.¡± - What is this awful party LOOOL - Seol¡¯s current party: an obese rogue, a hunter with awful eyesight, a spearman afraid of sharp things¡­ and Seol. - Alright, the leader of our group assignment will be¡­ - Seol! ?????????? - Oppa, I¡¯ll help a lot! (Won¡¯t help) - Leave the powerpoint to me! (Looks like a 2nd grader did it) - When¡¯s our next meeting then? (No one shows up) In this dizzying situation, Somi asked Seol a question. ¡°Oppa, by the way, I forgot to ask you something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What kind of summoner are you? I heard there were different types of summoners. What was that called again¡­ a demonic beast summoner? I heard they were pretty useful¡­¡± ¡°I just¡­ summon this and that.¡± Since saying he was a Shadow Summoner could expose Karen¡¯s identity as a shadow, Seol didn¡¯t directly answer. ¡°This and that? Are you a Junk Summoner, then?¡± ¡°...I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Junk Summoner¡­ hahaha¡­ that¡¯s so perfect.¡± Karen tried her best to hold back herughter but couldn¡¯t. ¡°By the way, unni, are you¡­ a knight?¡± ¡°Well, something simr¡­?¡± "Don¡¯t worry, unni. Don¡¯t feel pressured to do something alone if it gets dangerous. We¡¯re not those kinds of people." Her appearance and demeanor made it hard to tell how powerful Karen was. And because of that, Somi warned Karen in case Karen felt pressured to do something as the only vanguard. In an instant, Seol and Karen shifted their eyes. ¡®A presence¡­¡¯ Only Seol and Karen exchanged nces, like they were the only ones who detected it. Karen nodded her head. ¡°Then let¡¯s start heading out now. We have a long distance to go anyway.¡± ¡°Huh? We¡¯re not going to rest a bit more? We¡¯ve walked for so long, though¡­ and I thought we agreed to move at night¨C¡± ¡°I want to rest too. However, that isn¡¯t really possible right now.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± Thud¡­ Echoes of somethingrge barreling through the forest. As well as the sound of something very ominous and blunt. It sounded somewhat like footsteps. ¡°...Huh?¡± Thuuuud. ¡°Wh-what? It¡¯sing this way!¡± ¡°The sounds¡­ the sounds are getting closer.¡± Kuaaaaaargh! Thud! Thud! Thud! The mysterious monster screamed as it pounded on something. It was practically proven now that the monster was huge. ¡°Sh-should we hide?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to run away?¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s fast?! Then what will we do?!¡± ¡°F-Fighting is¡­¡± ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t fight¡­ I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± ¡°......¡± Munho covered his ears and murmured to himself. Sometimes, people feel the sensation of their body ¡®freezing¡¯ when they are in a perilous situation, like deer in the headlights. Munho just happened to be one of those people. After all, you couldn¡¯t fight a trucking at you. ¡°Please¡­ Please just go somewhere else¡­ please¡­¡± Thuuuuud¡­ Thuuuuud¡­ The party covered their mouths, not to let any sounds out. The monster¡¯s footsteps had disappeared. However, something was different from before. A shadow. A shadow was cast over their heads. Somi raised her head and looked up. She looked to see what was casting the shadow over them. Smile. A giant monster had stuck its head between the trees and looked down at them. It was a monster that brought fear with just its appearance and a horrid smell¡­ ¡°I-It¡¯s an ogre¡­ it¡¯s a Forest Ogre¡­¡± Kuaaaaaaaargh! ¡°Kyaaaaa!¡± It was as Somi said. What was chasing them this entire time was a Forest Ogre. The ogre was as big as a house, with a mouth sparse with teeth and a face that strangely resembled a person, along with the yellow eyes of a beast. An ogre was a monster whose features instinctively scared humans. ¡°N-No¡­ Don¡¯t¡­¡± Despite that, Seol and Karen exchanged nces. Seol then gave Karen a nod. [Turiax, the Bone Lover, used Bone Break.] Turiax raised his massive club and swung down. Fwoooosh! Somi, its target, screamed in terror. ¡°Stoooooop!¡± Slice! Cruuuuuuush! Everyone believed the club would crush Somi easily. Well, at least Somi and Turiax did. However, the club couldn¡¯t do anything. Creaaaak¡­ The club had been stopped, unable to go any further. Before they realized it, Karen unsheathed her sword and stopped Turiax¡¯s club. ¡°...U-Unni?¡± Karen had stopped a club multiple times her size like it was nothing. Somi quickly realized that Karen was much stronger than she had believed her to be. Furthermore, the more power she brought out, the closer she resembled a shadow. ¡°Wh-what¡­ is that¡­¡± aaaare! Karen¡¯s Red Lotus Sword ignited. Fsssss¡­ Kuaaaaargh! Turiax pulled back its club in fear. The party¡¯s gaze naturally went to Karen, then slowly switched to herpanion, Seol. Gloooow¡­ Seol was gathering ck energy in his hands. ¡°Can I still take you up on that weing party?¡± Chapter 114 The energy forming in Seol''s hands was clearly the same energy that Karen released. ¡°Shadow¡­¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me..¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t, right? Oppa, you¡¯re not¨C¡± Craaaash! Karen¡¯s violent attacks were blocked by Turiax¡¯s club. However, that was just Karen sizing Turiax up. Karen shifted to a more offensive stance after realizing that she could easily take care of the ogre. ¡°Still, your club¡­ it might be a bit annoying?¡± Crack! The club seemed extremely crude, but the fact that it blocked Karen¡¯s attack was more than enough proof that it was effective. After all, Karen¡¯s sword was a Peerless-quality item. Rustle¡­ aaaash! Kuaaaaaargh! Thud! Thud! Thud! Blood painted the grass red. And that blood belonged to Turiax, the ogre. ¡°Hm¡­ I thought my attacks cut you deeper¡­ you must be pretty sturdy.¡± That was also a characteristic of the trolls. Their thick skin, almost akin to a hide, was surprisingly resistant to a variety of things. Not only was it excellent at resisting physical attacks, it was also great at resisting elemental attacks. As such, ogre skin was considered a high-quality material for all kinds of equipment. ¡®It¡¯s not catching fire.¡¯ Monsters typically met one of two fates when facing Karen. Either their bodies were engulfed in mes and reduced to ash, or their heads were swiftly severed by Karen''s sword. ¡®I guess this one will be thetter.¡¯ Seol originally hoped to clear this Adventure quietly, but the situation changed and not allowed him to do so. Somi¡¯s party mumbled between themselves before finally speaking. ¡°Wh-what should we¡­ So, uh¡­ Excuse me, uhh¡­¡± ¡°We can survive then, right? We¡¯re making it out of here alive, right?!¡± ¡°Hyung! We¡¯ll be able to make it out of this, right?¡± Seol just silently looked forward and read through Turiax¡¯s information. [[Turiax, the Bone Lover] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 18~22 Forest Ogres have higher intelligencepared to other ogres. Not only can they use simple tools, but those tools be threatening weapons in their hands against humans. Turiax is a Forest Ogre who left the center of the Great Forest, and he enjoys consuming his meals down to the bones. His sturdy teeth make him more than capable of doing so. His diet includes any living creature, and obviously, humans are included as well. Basic Skills: [Bone Break 1], [tten 2], [Excite 1], [Grab and Crush 2], [Passive: Ogre''s Hide 2], [Passive: Ignore Pain] Unique Skills: [Horrifying Shout 1]] After quickly reading through Turiax¡¯s information, he noticed that he received more messages. [The main contents of ¡®Overflowing Hell¡¯ have changed.] [¡®Overflowing Hell¡¯ has changed to ¡®Shake It Off¡¯.] [Adventure 16-1. ¡®Shake It Off¡¯ The Adventurers stranded in the Great Forest were ordinary. However, being just ordinary in this situation is exceptionally dangerous. It is now revealed that the monster chasing them is a Forest Ogre. This massive ogre has emerged from the heart of the Great Forest to hunt them. Ordinary Adventurers would find it challenging to take down such an ogre. You must ensure their safety. Objective: Escort the Adventurers to Nobira. This Adventure is a Sudden Adventure. Remaining Time [About 6 days]] Seol confirmed both the Adventure information and the monster information. - Are these the effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution?! - The Information Age! - Ah! I see! So it was an ogre! Seol had to defeat the ogre while protecting Somi¡¯s party. The objective was simple and not too difficult. An ogre was tough but it would eventually die in the end to Karen after multiple attacks. In fact, it would end even quicker if Seol summoned Karuna as well. However, something was on Seol¡¯s mind. It was the knowledge of The World of Eternity that he had. The unspoken warning of not relying solely on your strength made Seol hesitate again and again. ¡®It¡¯s only one Forest Ogre?¡¯ Seol recalled the Forest Ogres he faced before while ying as his 30 pieces. Seol was practically a walking encyclopedia about them at this point. As those monsters appeared frequently, he not only knew about their reasoning but also their habits. ¡®Forest Ogres know about the importance of pack hunting. They¡¯ve learned that hunting in a group is much more effective than hunting on their own.¡¯ And for those reasons, they always hunted in groups. In fact, Seol had never even seen a lone Forest Ogre. ¡®There has to be more around here, then.¡¯ After all, defeating the Forest Ogres wasn¡¯t this Adventure¡¯s objective. The objective was to help the other Adventurers safely arrive in Nobira. Even if Turiax was the only ogre here and Seol¡¯s assumptions were wrong, there was no need for him to take a risk here. Karen could handle Turiax easily on her own anyway. Kuaaaaaargh! [Turiax used Grab and Crush.] Turiax reached hisrge hands out at Karen. Somi, scared, screamed out and warned Karen. ¡°U-Unni! Be careful!¡± mes erupted from Karen¡¯s body. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, huh?!¡± [Karen used Red Lotus sh.] aaaaare! aaaash! With a swift, refreshing sound, Karen cut off Turiax¡¯s right hand, the one he was holding his club with, at the elbow. Kuaaaaaargh! Kuaaargh! [Turiax used Excite.] [Turiax¡¯s Unique Skill: Horrifying Shout activates.] Kuaaaaaaargh! This scream was a bit different from the other ones. Unlike the rage-filled screams of before, this one was filled with pain and panic. The sound quickly shocked everyone as if a bomb had exploded. ¡°Nice!¡± ¡°Noona!¡± ¡°She beat him! It¡¯s all over now!¡± Despite Somi¡¯s party shouting with excitement, Seol had not let his guard down yet. ¡®They¡¯reing.¡¯ Thuuud! Kuaargh¡­ ¡°...Huh?¡± It wasn¡¯t Turiax¡¯s cry. It was another monster¡¯s cry. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°There¡­ there was another one?¡± ¡°There were two of them?¡± ¡°It¡¯sing here!¡± Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Turiax might have lost his arm to Karen, but due to his tenacity and cleverness in avoiding a direct confrontation with her, he managed to stay alive. Somi¡¯s party was also weak. So weak in fact that they would not even be an opponent for the injured Turiax. This meant that Karen had to face both ogres at the same time. And at the moment¡­ Kuaaaaaargh! The shouting monster came closer. It finally revealed itself to Seol. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Somi let out a scream as an ogre bigger than Turiax showed up, carrying a cleaver. [[Guliam, the Forest Predator] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 20~24 Forest Ogres have higher intelligencepared to other ogres. Not only can they use simple tools, but those tools be threatening weapons in their hands against humans. Guliam is an exceptional ogre, even among the Forest Ogres. He once led arge pack before, but as his vigor is no longer the same, he is no longer a leader. However, the experience he had built up has not gone anywhere. He remains a significant threat. Basic Skills: [Wring Blood 1], [Calm Down 1], [Methodical Swing 1], [Stomp 2], [Passive: Ogre''s Hide 2], [Passive: Ignore Pain], [Passive: Sharp Senses] Unique Skills: [Indiscriminate Destruction 1]] ¡°I-It¡¯s an even bigger one!¡± ¡°What do we do?! Do we run away?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to fight it?¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind? You think arrows would work on it?!¡± ¡°Obviously¡­ not.¡± Somi¡¯s party had an awful matchup with ogres. The ogre¡¯s thick hide could deflect not only Somi¡¯s arrows but also Munho¡¯s daggers, leaving Gyeongtaek''s spear the only thing capable of damaging it. However, due to the ogre¡¯s massive size, Gyeongtaek¡¯s spear was nothing more than a chopstick inparison. Kurrrrrgh¡­ It was a primitive type of strength. The ogre froze Somi¡¯s party with nothing more than the fact that it was born a demonic beast. Thud¡­ Guliam joyfully approached Somi¡¯s party like he was reaching into a freezer to grab ice cream. ¡°I-If Unni¡­ If Unni helps us¡­¡± ¡°Noona!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t rely on her, she¡¯s busy too!¡± Somi might have been in a terrifying position, but she was still able to swiftly make a decision. ¡°Run! We need to group up with Karen unni and finish off that one first!¡± ¡°Won¡¯t we just get in the way?¡± ¡°Regardless of whatever happens, we can¡¯t just do nothing!¡± ¡°Run!¡± Seol nodded as her decision was the proper one to make. He understood how she had been able to survive up to now. As Somi¡¯s party agreed to a decision, they instantly started sprinting to the injured Turiax. ¡°Unni, we¡¯ll help you!¡± ¡°What?¡± [CollegeStudentsMustDie used Piercing Shot.] [CollegeStudentsMustDie¡¯s arrows are given a 50% increased pration rate.] [The target will be inflicted with a bleed status if the arrows pierces through them.] Fwoosh! Ffft! Grgh¡­ The arrow managed to connect, but it was incapable of piercing Turiax. ¡°Haaaargh!¡± Gyeongtaek roared and charged in with a spear in his hand. [OnlyIAmCatless used Grand Charge.] [OnlyIAmCatless ignores all abnormal statuses, and inflicts damage to every enemy thates into contact with them.] [While charging, damage taken is reduced by 50%.] Chaaarge! Stab! His spearnded perfectly in Turiax¡¯s knee. ¡°Nice!¡± Kuaaaaargh! The attack seemed to havended properly, Turiax screamed in pain. Munho stumbled for a second, not knowing what to do, but then quickly grabbed his daggers and joined in on the Turiax fight. But then, Somi quickly shouted. ¡°S-Seol oppa? What are you doing?! Why are you still there?!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ Did he not hear us deciding to go over to Karen?¡± Seol nkly stood tall, remaining in front of Guliam. Krrrrrrrgh¡­ Drool¡­ Guliam drooled, stepping closer to Seol. [Guliam used Stomp.] [Targets caught underneath Guliam¡¯s feet will be dealt damage proportionate to his Strength.] Guliam raised his foot, preparing to stomp on Seol. Seol still stood there, ready to ept the attack. Fwooosh¡­ Dust scattered in the air as Seol¡¯s vision was filled with Guliam¡¯s foot. But then¡­ Seol released the ck energy he had been building up in his hands. Fwirl! The ck energy slowly took a knight¡¯s form before fully transforming into Karuna. Unsheathe¡­ Karuna unsheathed Breath immediately as he was summoned. The de shone in the light as it was taken out. Gloooow¡­ [Karuna has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] After that, multiple messages followed it. [You have currently summoned both Twin Knights.] [Twin Knights¡¯ Connected Soul activates.] [The two summons¡¯ current stats are doubled.] [Twin Knights¡¯ Equilibrium activates.] [The two summons¡¯ stats are summed together and divided equally.] sh¡­ Saatter! Guliam¡¯s foot was cut off at the ankle. All it took was a single attack from Karuna. Kuaaaaaaargh! Now that both ogres were severely injured, Karuna and Karen would have no difficulty in killing them. ¡°Oppa, no!¡± However, Somi screamed out once more. ¡°Hyung! Above you¡­¡± Something had appeared behind Seol. It appeared without a single sound¡­ Without ever revealing its presence¡­ [Toria releases Tiptoe.] [Toria releases Hold Breath.] [Toria is exhausted.] [Toria¡¯s damage is reduced by 30% for 5 seconds.] An ogre, a bit smaller than Guliam, appeared behind Seol. ¡°Noooooo!¡± shouted Munho. However, it was toote. Toria¡¯s fist was already shooting toward Seol. [The main contents of ¡®Shake It Off¡¯ have changed.] [¡®Shake It Off¡¯ has changed to ¡®Trio¡¯.] Fwooosh! However, something ck quickly covered Seol in that critical second. Toria¡¯s blow hadnded after it. aaaam! Chapter 115 Somi felt like she was dreaming. It felt like apletely ridiculous dream. ¡®Seol oppa¡­ was that transferee?¡¯ Kongory and Nobira. Those two cities were located somewhere between the north and central areas of the Nevenia Kingdom. And an incredibly famous person lives there. A person only known as ¡®Private¡¯. A transferee who kept all of their information and achievements hidden from others¡¯ eyes. However, roughly 90% of the transferees in this area were already interested in him. It was because of the ranking system. ¡®I heard¡­ they had close to 3 million points.¡¯ It was widely known that their Adventurer Points were nearing 3 million, a total that required an entire raid party of transferees to even attempt rivaling. That was the case. Private was a one-man army. ¡®How did they amass so many points?¡¯ The transferees Somi met so far also had considerably high Adventurer Points. Because transferees shared information with each other regarding Adventures and Rests, everyone knew about almost everything. Everyone was simr, having gone through simr experiences and embarking on simrly difficult Adventures. After collecting all of the information, Somi arrived at one conclusion. No one coulde close to Private if they continued going on regr Adventures. ¡®I thought¡­ they had to have cheated the system or something¡­¡¯ One would naturally arrive at that conclusion. Would the strange one be the one with an insurmountable point gap from others, or would it be the ordinary people who have points simr to each other? Obviously, the strange one would be the exceptional person. After all, everything in Pandea strangely happened in a routine and timely manner. Unless you did something special, you would only be given a normal Adventure of a normal difficulty. ¡®Like it¡¯s all a game.¡¯ Since there were phrases about the dice rolling from time to time, her theories were likely not too far off either. ¡®But this¡­ is practically cheating¡­¡¯ If this was a game, Seol would be a yer who abused the bugs. That was the only exnation for it. ¡°Haha! It¡¯s over!¡± re¡­ Turiax tried blocking the attack by giving his arm, but Karen had a Peerless-quality weapon that still allowed her to deal damage even if her target blocked. aaaash! Kuaaaaaaargh! Slice! After that, Karen¡¯s swift swordy made a clear sound ring out as the ogre¡¯s head fell to the floor with a thud. Thud. The head must have been quite heavy as well. The sound it made was loud. ¡°Fuuu¡­ this one¡¯s taken care of!¡± Karen sighed as if she had finished an annoying assignment. Even though this was surprising enough, Somi was more surprised by the ck knight who suddenly appeared from Seol¡¯s hands. Gloooooow! Fwoooooosh! The knight released an immense amount of blue aura before cutting down the ogre in front of him through his bones. What was an ogre to them? It was arge monster that was extremely difficult to take down, even with a party, unless you were a high-level Adventurer. The ogres had a somewhat high level of intelligence that made them more challenging to face than beasts. However, the knights in front of her had taken down one each. Somi only realized this now, but the knights in front of her weren¡¯t human. ¡®Shadows¡­¡¯ They were shadows. The cloudy ck energy flowing from them proved her hunch was right. The transferee used shadows. The transferee was overwhelmingly strong, even on their own. - Can I still take you up on that weing party? Somi thought to herself, recalling Seol words. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s dangerous!¡± shouted Somi. However, what she saw now was no longer Seol. It was a ck, murky being that was facing an ogre on their own. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [You enter the Night Crow form with Shaman ¡®Jamad, the Volcanic¡¯.] [You absorb Jamad, the Volcanic¡¯s stats.] [Your ss is changed to Fighter.] Fwiiiirl! During that dangerous moment, Seol was engulfed by shadows in an instant and confronted Toria¡¯s fist with his own. Thuuuuud! Seol was knocked back alongside a thunderous boom. Flip! Even so, Seolnded safely with his skills, not taking any damage from the impact. [[Toria, the Quiet] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 20~25 Forest Ogres have higher intelligencepared to other ogres. Not only can they use simple tools, but those tools be threatening weapons in their hands against humans. Unlike the other Forest Ogres, Toria did not fully grow. However, not a single individual looked down on Toria because of it. This was because Toria had honed a different skill set. Despite his massive size, which was characteristic of ogres, Toria was capable of moving very quietly and stealthily. He possesses a strong sense of camaraderie, and he is at his most frightening when his allies die in battle. Basic Skills: [Tiptoe 2], [Hold Breath 2], [Veilstrike 1], [Sweep 3], [Passive: Ogre''s Hide 3], [Passive: Ignore Pain], [Passive: Sharp Senses], [Passive: Nimble Maneuvers] Unique Skills: [Comradery 1], [Wind Hole 2]] As Seol was being attacked, the other battles had concluded. Slice! Burn¡­ [You have defeated Turiax, the Bone Lover.] [You have been given an additional reward.] Gloooow¡­ aaash! [You have defeated Guliam, the Forest Predator.] [You have been given an additional reward.] The only ogre left was Toria, the ogre that Seol was fighting. Seol¡¯s shadow opened its mouth. ¡°You¡¯ve got a good opponent there, Seol.¡± ¡°Jamad?¡± ¡°Concentrate. I want you to take control of your body from this point on.¡± In that instant, Seol¡¯s body felt incredibly free. At the same time, he felt an incredible amount of power surge from within him. Seol clenched his teeth, feeling more and more powerful. ¡°He¡¯s pretty agile for his size. It¡¯s practically perfect for your first opponent.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be difficult for me, though? I haven¡¯t fought since elementary school.¡± ¡°...So you¡¯ve grown up in a different environment than me. For me, living itself was a battle.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re sure I can do this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ingrain that sensation into your body, so I want you to feel it yourself.¡± As Jamad and Seol continued their conversation, Toria¡¯s eyes started glowing red. Kuaaaaaaaargh! [Toria has witnessed Turiax¡¯s death.] [Toria¡¯s Unique Skill: Comradery activates.] [Toria¡¯s stats are increased by 20%.] [Toria has witnessed Guliam¡¯s death.] [Toria¡¯s Unique Skill: Comradery activates.] [Toria¡¯s stats are increased by 20%.] Toria¡¯s ominous aura was multiple times stronger than before. Seol could sense his horrifying bloodlust. Seo heard Jamad¡¯s voice once more. However, the voice was much clearer this time. It was almost like Jamad was speaking directly into his head. - We¡¯ll just think of it as a crash course in fighting. ¡°God damn it¡­¡± [Toria used Hold Breath.] [Toria no longer makes a sound.] [Toria used Tiptoe.] [Toria no longer makes a presence.] Therge ogre had suddenly disappeared. - Concentrate, unless you want your head to go flying. ¡°Need help?¡± shouted Karen from afar. Seol didn¡¯t reply. Taking this as a sign that he didn¡¯t want help, Karen shrugged and then walked to Somi¡¯s party, with Karuna doing the same. They did so in case Toria tried to aim for Somi¡¯s party instead of Seol. Seol didn¡¯t pay attention to them at all and solely focused on himself. Jamad scolded Seol after seeing his awkward stance. - Widen your stance. Good movements start from the feet. Slide¡­ As Seol was inching his feet apart and correcting his position¡­ Fwoosh! [Toria releases Tiptoe.] [Toria releases Hold Breath.] [Toria is exhausted.] [Toria¡¯s damage is reduced by 30% for 5 seconds.] Toria jumped out and tried grabbing Seol with both hands. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Hmph! Seol leaped up into the sky, barely avoiding the attack. - Refrain from being in the air. Only those with wings can move freely in the air. ¡°I know! I know, but¡­¡± Fwooosh! Toria swung his elbow at the still mid-air Seol. ¡°Hrgh¡­¡± Spin¡­ Seol overexerted himself, twisting his body in the air, narrowly avoiding the second attack. - When are you going to attack, then? ¡°Haah¡­ This definitely isn¡¯t as easy as you said it was¡­¡± - Your lower body is weak. You might have received some of my powers, but your basic abilities are¡­ ¡°Mind telling me something useful now?¡± Krrrrrrgh¡­ [Toria used Sweep.] [Toria¡¯s attack radius is a bitrger now.] - Advice that¡¯s useful now? You should have told me earlier. Alright, since this is a crash course anyway, teaching you the fundamentalster wouldn¡¯t be toote. [Toria used Hold Breath.] [Toria no longer makes a sound.] [Toria used Tiptoe.] [Toria no longer makes a presence.] Hide¡­ Toria vanished once more. Seol doubted if he could dodge it this time as well. - There¡¯s a traditional Rock Mr Tribe dish made from wild animals. ¡°...This is your advice?¡± - Just keep listening. My voice is going straight to your head anyway, so it¡¯s not like you wouldn¡¯t be able to hear me just because you¡¯re concentrating. Fwoosh! [Toria releases Tiptoe.] [Toria releases Hold Breath.] [Toria is exhausted.] [Toria¡¯s damage is reduced by 30% for 5 seconds.] Toria appeared once more. Cruuuuush! This time, his attacks swept through the trees as well. The fact that Toria was capable of this only proved how high an ogre¡¯s strength was. ¡®I can¡¯t let himnd even a single attack on me!¡¯ - It¡¯s a dish named Noori, and it uses a particrly unique pepper for the seasoning. Do you know what¡¯s interesting about that dish, though? ¡°......¡± - Since you¡¯ll be listening anyway, you don¡¯t need to respond. The wild animals we used to create Noori all had an awful gamey smell. Since we used goral, boars, roe deers, and rabbits, it was inevitable. However, even though we used different types of meat each time we made Noori, the taste didn¡¯t change too much. Not only that, the foul, gamey smell had disappeared entirely. Why do you think that happened? aaam! ¡°Urgh¡­ I feel like¡­ I can almost see him now¡­¡± - The key was the seasoning, and Noori¡¯s taste mostly came from it. And in my eyes, you¡¯re a wild animal. You¡¯re lousy, and you have an awful gamey smell. Kuaaaaargh! [Toria¡¯s Unique Skill: Wind Hole activates.] [Any attacks made using Toria¡¯s body will now create a hole.] Crush! Toria¡¯s fists missed Seol andnded on a tree. The tree not only had a fist print imprinted on it but also a hole. ¡°That¡¯s a bullet¡­ not a punch¡­¡± - But it¡¯s fine. After all, the great Jamad¡¯sbat experience is the greatest seasoning in the world. ¡°To the point! He¡¯s about to turn me into a donut!¡± - What I feltst time when I used your body was that your movements were faintly imprinted into it. Still, they were so poor that I made your body forget it in an instant. ¡°Then that means¡­¡± Fwoooosh! Cruuuush! Seol was still only dodging. However, his movements were slowly improving. - Some of my movements are still imprinted into your body. I want you to use mybat experience to get rid of your lousy movements. ¡°You should¡¯ve said this from the start!¡± Seol found a path to break through and took it to avoid Toria¡¯s attacks. ¡®And from here¡­¡¯ Fwip! Kuaaaargh! Toria screamed in anger as he kept missing his target. Seol nodded to himself after escaping Toria¡¯s grasp. ¡®Jamad was right.¡¯ Jamad¡¯s instincts remained in Seol¡¯s body. He was just too tense to properly use it. The Seol now, who had realized this, was apletely different person from before. To the point that this training was practically pointless. Kuaaaargh! Toria pulled back his right arm before releasing another punch at the standing Seol. It was clearly a powerful attack, but it was filled with openings. - Do you see it? Jamad was referring to the huge openings in Toria¡¯s movements. However, Seol had already been running into Toria¡¯s attack before Jamad had exined it to him. - Get in there. Get in there if you¡¯re not a coward. ¡°Obviously¡­¡± Fwip! Seol was right in front of Toria¡¯s chest. ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± However, something unexpected happened as it was Seol¡¯s first time attacking. ¡®Is this enough?¡¯ A question formed in Seol¡¯s head. Would Toria really be defeated by just a simple punch? Jamad, catching that, gave Seol the answer. - Rather, it might be too much. [You have changed to the Volcano Stance.] [All attacks will spread mes.] [An explosion will ur at the impact point of each attack.] [Passive: Moving mes is applied.] [Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.] Seol focused on his movements so much that he had forgotten to change into the Volcano Stance. And for that reason, Jamad tuned the fine movements. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing that happened. Shadow Hand swelled up out of Seol¡¯s right arm. It was apletely different feeling than before. Rumble!!! Seol could feel that he had used the entirety of his mana. It was Jamad¡¯s work. ¡°You idiot! Then that means after this¡­¡± [Shadow Hand is influenced by Passive: Moving mes.] [Shadow Hand is influenced by Passive: Heat and Warmth.] [Master of Shadows¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You create a new skill.] ¡®...What?¡¯ Seol¡¯s arm grew until it was even bigger than Seol¡¯s body. Not only that, he swung that massive arm effortlessly. Fwooooosh! The attacknded perfectly on Toria¡¯s jaw. And in that moment, Seol realized. - There is no, ¡®after this,¡¯ when I do something. It was something Seol didn¡¯t even need to worry about. BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM! CRUUUUUUUUUUSH! CRUUUUUSH! CRUSH¡­ Crush¡­ Seol had blown off Toria¡¯s head with his massive fist. The decapitated head flew off and pummeled through several trees before finally stopping. [You have defeated Toria, the Quiet.] [You have been given an additional reward.] [You have sessfully cleared the Sudden Adventure.] [You have earned the achievement ''D-Don''t Panic''.] [You have earned the title ''Problem Solver''.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] Seol saw a lot of messages on his interface. [Awakening! You awaken a new skill.] [You awaken Night Crow: Iron Fist Rule.] [Night Crow: Iron Fist Rule is born!] Chapter 116 Seol was breathless after unleashing that monstrous attack. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± No one could have expected that he had enough strength to knock an ogre¡¯s head straight off. [Your mana is currently below 5%] [You have mana deficiency.] [Your mana recovery rate is reduced by 50% for 5 minutes.] [You have overused your mana all at once.] [You are afflicted by Abnormal Status: Dizziness for a day.] [The cooldowns for your skills are increased by 10%.] It was clear the risk Seol took had a price. ¡®It¡¯s reasonable, though.¡¯ Seol would have been the first person to suspect something was off if a skill capable of ripping a monster¡¯s head off had no risk. ¡®I should use this as a finisher¡­ or a gamble.¡¯ Iron Fist Rule could only be used while Seol was in the Night Crow form and used the majority of his remaining mana. This wasn¡¯t something he could fix by increasing his maximum mana either. ¡®I guess the only hope is either increasing its proficiency or changing the skill entirely?¡¯ It was a thought that would infuriate any Adventurer who heard it, considering they were limited to the skills they were given. However, Seol had the option to create more skills. Regardless of the situation, acquiring a new skill was always something to be happy about. In the first ce, Seol had no use for his mana other than for Shadow Hand. His summons could take care of everything independetly without Seol doing anything. It was a definite step forward since he at least had a use for hisrge mana pool now. Seol stood on the headless ogre¡¯s corpse and looked down on the party members watching him. Rustle¡­ He looked almost mystical as the sun set behind him. Seol did not intend for this, but it still made him appear like an all-powerful solo yer. ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°H-Hyung, you¡¯re that¡­¡± ¡°Seol, you¡¯re¡­¡± [¡®Oi¡¯ has donated 1200 Madness!] [That¡¯s my seat] - HE LOOKS SO COOOOOL!!! - Snap! Snap! Snap!!! (Shutter Sounds) - No¡­ Photos¡­ - Woah¡­ Is he really the same loser summoner who hid behind his summons?! [¡®Ogre Fist?¡¯ has donated 1000 Madness!] [Wrong! This is the Night Crow Troll Fist Era!!!] - Troll Fist! Troll Fist! - You¡¯re a god! - I lost my fucking mind at that¡­ - TF! TF! (TF means Troll Fist now) - Dopa, is TF mid good right now? [¡®Roach¡¯ has donated 1300 Madness!] [I don¡¯t really like this, though¡­ This is different from what a summoner usually does¡­ Shouldn¡¯t a summoner be using their summons? Why is he punching people now? Don¡¯t worry! CESCO killed any fucking roach saying that ^^!] - I believed in you, POSCO! - It¡¯s not them! - As expected from UNESCO! - Not them either! - That was pretty spicy, Tabasco-kun! - ¡­¡­ Karen and Karuna slowly approached Seol. ¡°Was that you, Jamad?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°It was Master? Woah¡­ that was pretty good¡­ I was shocked.¡± Seol in the Night Crow form, Karen, and Karuna. The three of them were much more threatening and menacing than the three trolls they defeated. Somi¡¯s party couldn¡¯t talk properly from the pressure they exerted. Who would have guessed that the summoner they thought could only cook was this powerful? Munho mumbled a bit before finally being able to say a word. ¡°Hah¡­ Haha¡­ I-I guess things ended up this way¡­¡± ¡°R-Right¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯re¡­ alive, though, right?¡± Fwiiirl¡­ Seol exited the Night Crow form. As he returned to his original state, Somi sighed long, relieved. ¡°Phew¡­ You¡¯re not going to eliminate us, though, right?¡± Seol asked back incredulously. ¡°Eliminate you?¡± ¡°Like in movies where the guy goes, ¡®You saw something which must not be seen¡­¡¯ and kills the others. So¡­¡± Only Somi could have such strange delusions. ¡°Ah, nothing like that.¡± Munho and Gyeongtaek both sighed after that. ¡°Phew¡­ that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°I was worried for a second, haha.¡± Seol corrected himself. Somi wasn¡¯t the only person to have such strange delusions. After the tension died down, Somi started brightly smiling at them. Somi¡¯s bright voice was like a brush, adding vibrant strokes of color to the otherwise bleak background. ¡°By the way, oppa¡­ Are you¡­ Private? The person with the super high points on the leaderboard who was recently at Yognatun.¡± Seol, who never expected to admit this, shrugged as an answer. ¡°Woah¡­ even his gestures are cool. I should keep this in mind forter.¡± ¡°We¡¯d look like idiots if we did that, though.¡± ¡°As expected¡­ experts really are different, huh? I bet even small things like this are what separates us.¡± ¡°Stop¡­¡± - Stop embarrassing him, Somi! - Somi¡¯s embarrassing attack was super effective! - She¡¯s making him look so good that it¡¯s suffocating! I can¡¯t breathe! ¡°How could there be a coincidence like this? It feels like just yesterday when I heard about what happened in Yognatun¡­ how did we run into you here?¡± Nothing special happened for Seol to consider this a ¡®coincidence.¡¯ Simply put, Seol underwent an Adventure nearby and got caught up in a Sudden Adventure, ultimately leading to him joining her party. ¡°I know what this is. It¡¯s that, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Fate. It was fate that we met like this!¡± ¡°Noona, let¡¯s open the loot here first. Don¡¯t you also want to check what you got, noona?¡± ¡°Gyeongtaek! Are you not going to listen to me? I was talking about fate¡­¡± - Ms. Han, stop your bullshit and just open the loot LOL - Somi vs Gyeongtaek, the match of the century, hahaha. Gyeongtaek continued speaking while sifting through the loot. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her too much, hyung. She¡¯s watched way too many K-dramas. She¡¯s also the type that likes famous people¡¯s posts on Instagram, so¡­¡± ¡°H-How did you know that?¡± ¡°You told usst time, noona.¡± ¡°Regardless! Why don¡¯t we check the loot first?¡± A chest appeared at the feet of everyone in the party. ¡°L-Let¡¯s talk after we see what we got.¡± Somi bent down to open her chest and inspect it. Seol simply kicked the chest open to confirm it. Click. Gloooow! * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [You open the Trio¡¯s Loot.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [Affluent¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have acquired Deceased Noblewoman¡¯s Gloves.] [You have acquired Necrowood.] [You have acquired Ogre¡¯s Fang.] [You have acquired Ogre¡¯s Fang.] [You have acquired 4 tinum coins.] [You have acquired 30 gold coins.] [You have acquired 22 silver coins.] [You have acquired 10 medium red potions.] [You have acquired 8 medium blue potions.] ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol didn¡¯t have a particrly good look on his face. ¡®I got three materials.¡¯ Necrowood and Ogre¡¯s Fang. Not to mention, Seol got two of the same thing. Neither of the materials was too useful for him. ¡®Their qualities are way too low.¡¯ The first problem was that both materials were Rare-quality items. Obviously, Rare-quality materials could be used to create Treasure-quality items too, but the odds of that were drastically lowerpared to situations where Treasure-quality materials were used to make one. Not only that, Seol already had multiple pieces of equipment that were the strongest that could be crafted at this stage in the game. Therefore, these materials didn¡¯t satisfy him. ¡®It makes sense, though, the Adventure was easy.¡¯ It was an Adventure that required him to simply kill a few monsters that left the heart of the Great Forest. Even so, Seol was rewarded with one Treasure-quality item for defeating the three ogres. [[Deceased Noblewoman¡¯s Gloves] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 22-28 Defense: 45 Durability: 92/92 Weight: 0.1kg A pair of gloves made from the silk of Dream Silkworms, exported from Mirshen. The silk from Dream Silkworms is worth more than its weight in gold. There are even myths about the silk bringing great fortune to the people wearing it. However, the fact that the previous wearer of these gloves died only serves to prove that it is simply a myth. Basic Effect: +9 Intelligence, +14 Wisdom, +10 Constitution Bonus Effect: Feelsfortable on the skin, as if it melts onto it. Corrects all actions made with the hands slightly.] Seol took off the Gloves of Spirit Protection and ced them into his inventory before immediately equipping his new gloves. ¡®If it¡¯s ¡®all actions made with the hands,¡¯ it should also includebat.¡¯ That effect made this item more than worth it, as it would inevitably help him when he was in the Night Crow form. Not to mention, the other effects were good too. ¡®A Fighter item with Wisdom is rare, after all.¡¯ - Summoner during the day, Fighter at night¡­ - He basically has two sses¡­ - Any item would be good for him now LOL ¡°Uhh¡­ Hyung¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Did you get anything good?¡± ¡°Not really/ The Adventure might have been a bit too easy.¡± - Stop. You¡¯ll make your Treasure-quality gloves cry LMFAO - If you consider the items he got so far, yeah, it¡¯s a bitcking!!! - Gyeongtaek: Ah¡­ Did Seol hyung even get items? - Will this child ever stop being hungry? ¡°Oppa! You know about that, right? Let¡¯s do it!¡± ¡°About what? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Have you ever been in a party before?¡± Seol thought about it, and he realized that he hadn¡¯t. Seol had always been alone during his Adventures. As such, Seol didn¡¯t respond. He didn¡¯t want to admit it himself. ¡°He just didn¡¯t understand you because you said it weirdly, noona. Hyung, she wants to exchange items. You know how people exchange items with each other after getting the loot? She¡¯s talking about that.¡± ¡°Ah, I thought it was something else.¡± Even though Seol said that, he had no idea about a tradition like that. It seemed like it was a widely spread culture amongst transferees. ce¡­ ce¡­ ce¡­ The party members ced their items on the ground one by one. ¡®Hm?¡¯ The items were so bad that Seol questioned if they were even rewards. The first items that they showed were Special-quality items. Seol specifically didn¡¯t show the Special-quality equipment he acquired as he considered them trash. But it seemed like his party members still considered those items as equipment. - I feel like¡­ the gap between the rich and poor is showing¡­ - The middle ss is disappearing? Huh? Why don¡¯t they just work harder?! - The rich will never understand the feelings of themoners. Even so, some of their equipment caught Seol¡¯s eyes. It was the Rare-quality ne that Somi put down and the Rare-quality ring that Munho put forth. They were both fairly good equipment forbat-based sses. In Seol¡¯s case, those items were great as a temporary measure before he could give his summons good items. ¡°Ah! You got Necrowood? That¡¯s Necrowood, right?¡± ¡°Ogre¡¯s Fang! I was hoping for that. I can¡¯t believe you got it!¡± Luckily for Seol, they also seemed to have desired his items. ¡®Necrowood is a great material for a bow, and Ogre¡¯s Fang is good for daggers.¡¯ Somi approached Seol with expecting eyes. ¡°Are you going to use that? Hm? Are you using it? Would a summoner even need Necrowood? Hm? The best you can do with that is nt it in your front yard, no?¡± ¡°Those fangs have a low chance of dropping when hunting ogres¡­ Getting two of them when you hunted three ogres is natural. So¡­ Um¡­ Those fangs¡­¡± Seol exchanged his materials for their equipment. It was a good trade for both parties. Before pressing the button that would conclude the Adventure, Somi handed Seol something. ¡°Oppa, this¡­¡± ¡°A piece of leather? Why¡­¡± ¡°Could you please sign this¡­? If you use a knife, the signature willst. I n on adding this to my weapon, so¡­¡± - Snowman¡¯s a celebrity? - Ah¡­ I guess that¡¯s what it¡¯s like to be famous¡­ Seol looked confused as he received a knife from her, but still signed the piece of leather like Somi had asked him to. ¡°Could you also add, ¡®You¡¯ll get into college next year, Somi. From Seol oppa¡­¡¯ too? Include the ellipses too, make it sound like you really mean it!¡± ¡°...How are you sure we¡¯ll make it back to Earth within a year?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to use it as a good luck charm.¡± - I hope you¡¯re always happy (Snowman) - The food here was great! (Private) - I hope you get a lot of customers (Kang Seol) Seol always felt drained of energy whenever he was around Somi, but he wasn¡¯t sure why. Regardless, her bright personality and energy also made him feel better. The party all ended the Adventure at exactly the same time. Gloooow They all began being transported to near Nobira. Since it was Seol¡¯s first time being transported with other people, he had an unfamiliar feeling in his chest. ¡°Phew¡­ We somehow made it back alive.¡± ¡°Seriously, each and every Adventure is like hell.¡± As Somi and Gyeongtaek began quarreling with each other again, Seol opened his interface. He and his party members all received the same message. [Next is the Points Leaderboard up to Adventure 16.] Chapter 117 Seol looked at the messages about his points after clearing his 16th Adventure. [Your information is set to Private.] [You have 3,456,300 Points.] ¡®I have over 3 million points now.¡¯ Seol wasn¡¯t sure whether his point total was high or low, but it clearly wasn¡¯t an easily approachable number, judging by how simr the numbers of other Adventurers were. Seol responded indifferently to his points. Still, even he couldn¡¯t help but react to the following messages. [You have surpassed 3,000,000 Adventure Points.] [You have earned the Inaugural Achievement ''Further Beyond''.] [You have earned the Inaugural Title ''Trustworthy''.] ¡®Inaugural Achievement¡­ and an Inaugural Title!¡¯ Seol received an Inaugural Achievement and an Inaugural Title when he surpassed one million points as well. The Title he received then was ¡®Affluent.¡¯ It was a great title that gave him additional skill points at the end of every Adventure, which yed a key role in increasing the gap between Seol and the other transferees. He couldn¡¯t use his skill points yet because of the events he had been swept into, though. [Adventure Points Leaderboard 1. Private (3,456,300) 2. ILikeBeingAlone (811,710) 3. Private (800,220) 4. DeadTreasuredTree (776,390) 5. WhoAteAllTheMangoes (720,440)] Somi¡¯s party waspletely shocked after seeing the leaderboard. ¡°Thr¡­Three million points¡­ that¡¯s insane¡­ that¡¯s you, right, oppa?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t we just on the same Adventure? Then, did our points increase that much too?¡± ¡°Gyeongtaek, are you not on good terms with your brain or something? Think about how much Seol oppa contributed to the Adventure and how much we contributed¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re right.¡± Somi immediately corrected Gyeongtaek¡¯s misunderstanding. And it was as she said. Even if the Adventure was done by a party, their points weren¡¯t shared equally. It was calcted based on each individual''s contribution. The system awarded Adventure Points based on how perfectly you performed your role for the Adventure. Also, since this Adventure wasn¡¯t something that would give a transferee like Seol a lot of Adventure Points. Adding the fact that hepletely dominated this Adventure and its points, it was unlikely for Somi¡¯s party to have received any proper amount of Adventure Points. The reason Seol received a lot of Adventure Points this time was likely from the previous Adventure he went on before the Sudden Adventure. It was also thanks to Sudden Adventures giving out additional points, unlike the normal Adventures. However, there was no way someone new to parties, like Seol, would have known any of this. ¡°Hyung, how did it feel to surpass a million points?¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°I still have a lot left until I can cross that¡­¡± Gyeongtaek had a sad look on his face. Seol didn¡¯t even give a lick of attention to Gyeongtaek and immediately focused on something else. What caught his interest was his new title. [[Inaugural Title: Trustworthy] Rted Achievement: Further Beyond (Adventure: N/A) Bonus Effect: Endless Hordes (Unique).] ¡®...What? A unique effect?¡¯ Except for special situations, unique effects only appeared on items that were Peerless-quality or higher. As such, it was extremely rare for a unique effect to appear on a title like this. ¡®Is this effect¡­ a passive one?¡¯ The effect¡¯s description stated that all allies within arge radius had a 10% increase in their damage, healing power, and healing rate. ¡°......¡± Seol¡¯s face stiffened after seeing the description. ¡°Hyung? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oppa?¡± - OH SHIT LMFAOOOOO - Damage and healing increased by 10%??? Is this fucking real? LOOOL - Don¡¯t talk to me right now! I¡¯m enjoying reading this! - Is it like an aura? This is crazy¡­ If it applies to all of his allies, it should even apply to an entire raid party too, no? - It¡¯s way too efficient¡­ And this is just a passive? No cost? - He¡¯s just gathering Inaugural Titles like it¡¯s nothing now¡­ Gloooow¡­ A geometric pattern appeared beneath Seol¡¯s feet. The pattern shed several times before evaporating like smoke and circling Seol. The energy of the patternbined with the ck energy of Seol¡¯s shadows created an entirely new force that felt mystical. And that same new force spread to all of Seol¡¯s party members. [Passive: Endless Hordes activates.] [Passive: Endless Hordes is applied to CollegeStudentsMustDie.] [Passive: Endless Hordes is applied to OnlyIAmCatless.] [Passive: Endless Hordes is applied to Yerin¡¯sDad.] ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°Endless Hordes? What is this? It says I have a buff.¡± ¡°Damage and healing increased by¡­ 10%? That¡¯s insane¡­ You had a skill like this, Gyeongtaek?¡± ¡°Why would I party with you if I had a skill like that, noona?¡± ¡°Hey! I would have partied with a celebrity if I had a skill like this too, alright?¡± ¡°I doubt they¡¯d include you even if you had a skill like this.¡± ¡°You little¡­ get over here!¡± As the party members talked with each other about the new buff, Seol checked if the buff applied to other things as well. [Passive: Endless Hordes is applied to Karen.] ¡®...This effect applies to summons as well!¡¯ Even though Seol was a solo yer, he was practically a one-man party. As such, damage, healing power, and healing rate were all important effects for him. But to think that one title gave all of those effects at once¡­ Seol didn¡¯t expect anything this spectacr. ¡°Huh? Hyung? Why are youughing?¡± Karen waved her hands at Gyeongtaek. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. He does that from time to time.¡± - Snowman¡¯s summons became used to him¡­ - To be honest, I get chills whenever heughs LMFAO [You begin your Rest.] [Your Key Location Rest is starting.] [Break 7. Recovering Nobira.] [Break 7. ¡®Recovering Nobira¡¯ In The World of Eternity, Nobira, the Ruins City, is located in South Pandea. Despite the lingering pain from the scar inflicted by the Sulfur Skull Tribe, the city is gradually reiming its former glory. Numerous facilities are stillckingpared to its prosperous past. However, thanks to the multitude of new challenges, Adventurers are increasingly gathering in the city. Adventurers must take plenty of rest and training here, or at another rest location, before preparing for the next Adventure. Objective: Rest and maintenance. You will be tired upon failure. Remaining Time: [About 30 days]] Somi spoke up the moment they entered the city. ¡°Oppa, have you decided where you¡¯ll stay yet?¡± ¡°Why are you asking that, noona?¡± ¡°Because I thought it might be nice if we stayed in the same ce¡­¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s that, isn¡¯t it?! The thing you said before about making connections and all that!¡± ¡°Shh! Shut your fucking mouth, Gyeongtaek!¡± ¡°You heard that too, didn''t you, hyung? She¡¯s finally revealing her true colors! Oh, right! Noona, did you forget how you insulted ¡®Private¡¯ near the end too? Did you forget that?¡± ¡°....Ah, right.¡± Somi said she would break whatever she couldn¡¯t have and even insulted Private enthusiastically near the end. She did all that, not knowing Private was right next to her. - Guys, this is why you should mind your own business. - What? - Mind your own business! Seol ignored the rest and simply answered Somi¡¯s first question. ¡°Where I will be staying?¡± ¡°Yes, your lodging.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be staying too long. I nned on leaving Nobira soon.¡± ¡°Huh? You weren¡¯t going to be staying around here?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t. Is there a problem?¡± ¡°N-No, there isn¡¯t, but¡­ Oppa, why don¡¯t we at least have a meal together¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, hyung. You can leave. Just let us treat you to a meal before you go. We could only return safely thanks to you. I feel like this would hang over me if I just let you go like this.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol nced at Karen. Karen shrugged in response, signaling that it was okay. ¡°Alright, then, let¡¯s have our meal now. Where would¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯ll pick the restaurant! Um¡­¡± - The best ce to go when you want to treat someone to a meal? McDonalds. - You have to be careful at McDonalds, though. The fries disappear before you realize it LOL - Seriously, LOL. It¡¯s like they have a mind of their own¡­ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The restaurant had a somewhat clean interior. Seol wasn''t sure if it was due to the materials used in constructing the restaurant, but the interior felt cozy. What greeted him wasn''t an unpleasant scent, but rather the warmth of others. ¡°So, you blew it all?¡± ¡°Yup, blew it all.¡± ¡°Then why¡¯d youe back?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Hahaha! I can¡¯t believe your reason for returning to Nobira after that terrible experience is, ¡®I don¡¯t know?¡¯! That¡¯s incredible!¡± Seol was shocked. ¡®It¡¯s quite crowded. It wasn¡¯t like this when I left.¡¯ Seol felt it too. Nobira was slowly recovering its life. However, he did not expect it to recover this quickly. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re going south?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Where? Audenin?¡± ¡°Probably?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Audenin¡­ There¡¯s a guy named Park Changsik there.¡± ¡°Is he someone famous?¡± ¡°Have you never been to Audenin before?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t. Have you?¡± ¡°No?¡± - She¡¯s acting like she went there though LMFAO - No? (Bold) ¡°I just heard rumors. All rumors.¡± ¡°How exactly are you hearing all of these rumors, though?¡± Seol was surprised that someone much weaker than him knew more than him. However, the answer was much simpler than he expected. ¡°You know about the transfereemunity, right?¡± ¡°I do. But shouldn¡¯t it still be hard to hear news about themunities in different locations?¡± ¡°It turned out that it wasn¡¯t too difficult as long as you¡¯re in the same country. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve only been using themunity in the Adventurer Association, oppa.¡± ¡°I have.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Did you hear that, Gyeongtaek? It turns out that oppa¡¯s much more innocent than we thought.¡± ¡°Hyung¡­ I¡¯m shocked.¡± Gyeongtaek really did have a shocked look on his face. It was as if his face screamed that there was no way his hero would be like this. Munho coughed and then taught Seol what he hadn¡¯t known. "Ahem¡­ So, you''re aware of the feature to message your friends, right? It''s that. I''m surprised you didn''t know, Seol, especially since I was aware of it too." ¡°Ah, that.¡± Seol knew the friend system existed. However, the thought of using it never even crossed his mind. Since he solely focused on bing stronger individually, he ignored the trivial systems as pointless. ¡°You know how you can use the Association to message back and forth between friends, right? That¡¯s where most of the information is exchanged.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It was rare for Seol to consider someone a friend. Not only did he possess a unique way of thinking and his own mental world, but there weren''t many opportunities for him to connect with the other transferees. In fact, Seol found himself much closer to his summons than to any of the other transferees. ¡°It''s much more convenient than you think. So I''m still in contact with this person I met during my early Adventures, you know? And even though they''re in Audenin and I''m here, we''re still in touch and keep each other updated on news.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°So, on that note¡­¡± Somi looked around. ¡°C-C-Can I¡­¡± ¡°Can I add you as a friend, hyung?¡± ¡°Dude! Step in line! And who would agree when you¡ª¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Nice!¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± It wasn¡¯t a bad exchange for Seol, either. Seol was confident he could use the intangible information they gave him and transform it into something tangible. Well, it was worth it as long as they didn¡¯t ask for stupid requests. Seol tried drawing the line there. ¡°However¡­¡± Somi quickly interrupted Seol. ¡°You don¡¯t need to help us. Just¡­ business? Yeah, think of it as just business! We¡¯d only send you messages when we have something to offer or news to tell. In exchange, we¡¯d hear about news from you as well. Wh-what do you think?¡± Seol nodded in response. It was a business that he would never lose from. [You have be friends with CollegeStudentsMustDie.] [You have be friends with OnlyIAmCatless.] [You have be friends with Yerin''sDad.] Somi bounced in her chair in excitement. ¡°Oppa, I¡¯ll make sure to keep your identity a secret.¡± ¡°...What? Well¡­ I do dislike things getting annoying.¡± Now that Seol was much stronger than before, he could handle situations before they even reached that point. Even so, he continued to conceal his true identity. It appeared that Seol didn¡¯t enjoy the attention. ¡°I-I¡¯ll keep your identity a secret, I promise. I¡¯ve seen stuff about the loneliness of being strong before¡­ in books.¡± ¡°...Is that so?¡± ¡°You¡¯re alone, aren¡¯t you?¡± - Not at all. - He has a happy family. - Yeah, a nuclear family (of four). - Nuclear bat ability) family (of four). Somi gave Seol wistful eyes like she understood her. However, at the same time, someone entered the restaurant. Creaaak¡­ Step¡­ Step¡­ ¡°So you were here.¡± A familiar voice. Judging by how the people surrounding them whispered to each other, they weren¡¯t any ordinary person. Seol turned around and faced the voice as if he had expected them. ¡°Mira.¡± Gyeongtaek immediately whispered to Somi. ¡°Woah¡­ It¡¯s Yu Mira.¡± ¡°She must have returned from Yognatun.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing her in person. But¡­ did she always have that scar near her eye?¡± ¡°What do you think? She¡¯s not that pretty in person, huh? I¡¯m prettier, right?¡± ¡°She has like¡­ an aura to her. This is crazy, her points are so high too.¡± ¡°...Hey, we¡¯re people who are friends with the Private, alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think she¡¯s his friend as well?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell just by looking at it? They¡¯re strictly business.¡± Seol gave Somi¡¯s party a look. Somi and Gyeongtaek immediately nodded and waved their hands, letting Seol know he was wee to leave. Creak¡­ Seol followed Mira outside of the restaurant. She was calm, way too calm. ¡°Was there something else left?¡± ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t call you about business between us. It¡¯s a separate problem. Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s more urate to say it¡¯s your problem, Seol.¡± ¡°A separate problem?¡± Mira¡¯s next words shook Seol to the core. ¡°Hamun left.¡± Chapter 118 ¡°Hamun left? Why would he suddenly leave?¡± Hamun showed no signs of wanting to leave when he came to Nobira with Seol to create Karen¡¯s sword. All he did then was look at Karen and re, satisfied. ¡°Yeah, I was shocked too. But this is probably better to hear from Kibo than from me. I didn¡¯t know Hamun that well.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°He left a few words with Kibo too.¡± It was likely Hamun would do something like that. In fact, Hamun would have definitely done that. Even though Hamun wasn¡¯t particrly close with Mira, he was definitely close with Kibo. ¡®Since Kibo was the one who connected me with Hamun, if there was anything Hamun wanted to convey to me, he would have left it with Kibo.¡¯ Seol cooly responded to Mira. ¡°Then we should go meet Kibo right away.¡± ¡°Yeah, Kibo¡¯s waiting for you.¡± Seol walked alongside Mira for a while and sensed that her earlier light mood had transformed into a more somber and refined one. ¡®Has she be a new person?¡¯ Seol assumed that the incidents at Yognatun changed her demeanor. As Seol continued pondering, they arrived at Kibo¡¯s headquarters. Kibo¡¯s base looked much worse than thest time he was there. Seol stepped inside. The first thing Seol noticed was theck of guards. The number of guards had dropped down to just a couple of people. Creak¡­ ¡°Kibo, I brought him.¡± ¡°Ah, Snowman. You really move way too fast, you know? You headed immediately to Nobira after arriving at Gulia, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°You need to take a break sometimes too, alright? Don¡¯t be too hard on your body.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern. But more importantly¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I called you here because of Hamun.¡± ¡°Did he really leave?¡± Kibo nodded. - What?! Give me Hamun back! - Our Peerless-quality item machine¡­ - We lost our golden eggying goose. - We should have cut his stomach open earlier if we knew this was going to happen. ¡°Are you sad he left without a farewell?¡± ¡°Not particrly, but I am a bit surprised.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ He didn¡¯t tell me anything specifically, but his face did look quite resolved.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°It seems like the incident in Yognatun changed him as well. Alright, take this. It¡¯s a letter.¡± Slide¡­ Seol received a letter sealed with wax. He quickly realized that its unbroken seal indicated that Kibo hadn''t read it yet. As Seol looked at Kibo, Mira responded. ¡°It was meant for you.¡± Rustle¡­ Seol broke the seal with a dagger on the table and began reading the letter. - This is Hamun. ¡®This sounds just like him.¡¯ Hamun¡¯s letter started with a blunt opening. Seol then continued reading the rest. - Snowman, I''m sure you are quite surprised as you read this letter. Well, if it''s you, you might have just considered this as something inevitable. Smirk¡­ Seol smirked. Hamun did have a talent for seeing through people, after all. - I know whatever thanks I say wouldn¡¯t be enough to repay you for what happened in Yognatun. As such, I will stop thanking you through words. Even this was like Hamun. - The reason that I left Nobira is because of that. It¡¯s because of you. ¡®Because of me¡­¡¯ Since Hamun wasn¡¯t the type to me others, there had to be a reason he was saying something like this. - You are more special than any other transferee I have met, Snowman. Your knowledge surprises me, and you even have the wisdom to match it. To me, you behave like someone who has already experienced Pandea, unlike the other transferees. ¡®...Did I go too far?¡¯ Seol already had extensive knowledge of Pandea, and he didn¡¯t necessarily hide it. That was likely the reason why Hamun felt something off about him. - And through that, you are changing the world. You are quite an interesting person, Snowman. Can you feel it too? The world has reached its limits after progressing through the Era of Myths, the Era of Dragons, the Era of Iron, the Era of Faith, and, finally, the Era of Lies one after another. Too many evils have filled the continent of Pandea. ¡°......¡± - There was a time when I had given up on the world. After my master, Orgo, left the world from disappointment, I didn¡¯t have the courage to face the world. I turned my back to the world, with the only thing in my hand being the sword he had left me. The pain Orgo felt had been transferred to his sessor, Hamun. And because of that, Hamun wandered this world without apass to guide him. - But one day, you appeared. The fact that I melted the sword my master gave me to give to you¡­ was a kind of gamble. A gamble on my future. I didn¡¯t have any noble belief or will that guided me, I simply¡­ For Hamun, who turned their back to the world, a newpass appeared. The newpass was Seol. - desperately prayed that you would be a good person. I missed the world. I wished for you to be my reason for facing the world again. I know it was a cowardly act. Normally, gambles like this end awfully. You would lose an astronomical sum of money and would have to face the bitter morning. Did he end up that way, though? - But for some reason¡­ my pockets were filled. And thanks to you, I had room in my heart to face the world once more. However, there was still one problem remaining. It was myself. Turning my back on the world for so long had made me twisted. ¡®...So that¡¯s why he left.¡¯ - I wish to forge an even greater sword. And I wish to give you that sword the next time we meet. So for now, I will say goodbye. Stay well. Seol closed the letter. ¡°...What did it say?¡± asked Mira. Mira seemed extremely interested in the contents of Hamun¡¯s letter. ¡°Nothing much. He simply stated he was leaving.¡± Kibo, who sat beside Mira,ughed. ¡°Haha¡­ That¡¯s just like Hamun. The way he left is just like him too. Still, don¡¯t you have any lingering regrets? He left yesterday, so if you go now¡­ let me see, hm¡­ if it¡¯s you, you can catch up to him. [The requirements for Adventure ''Desperately Clinging'' have been met.] Seol then saw a few options. [[Hamun, a powerful helper of yours, has departed. If Kibo''s words are true, you can still catch up to him. How do you respond to Kibo?] 1. I need to catch up to him right away. 2. Was this the only thing he left behind? 3. There was nothing about where he was headed. Do you know where he left? 4. Now isn¡¯t the time to cling to him. ¡­¡­] Seol smiled and gave his own answer. ¡°Let him go. We¡¯ll meet each other again someday.¡± [The requirements for Adventure ''Desperately Clinging'' have not been met.] [Adventure ¡®Desperately Clinging¡¯ can not be scheduled.] ¡°Oho¡­ Even though Pandea is massive?¡± ¡°Pandea¡¯s much smaller than you think.¡± ¡°Hahaha! I can¡¯t believe you, a transferee, is teaching me! However, you might be right too, Snowman¡­ Aren¡¯t these paths fated to converge the higher you climb?¡± It seemed like Kibo quickly realized what Seol was implying. Kibo spoke to Seol as if he knew that Hamun left to train himself. Seol nodded in response. ¡®This is a good opportunity.¡¯ Seol had received as much as he could from Hamun already. Hamun''s helper rank was Heroic. Despite that, thanks to the title of Orgo''s Sessor, Hamun managed to create two Peerless-quality items. However, that was likely his limit. It was a miracle that came together through good materials and a good opportunity. It seemed like Hamun knew that himself as well. He knew he had reached the limits of his ability, and he couldn¡¯t support Seol any further. Seol grew stronger at a pace much faster than any ordinary transferee. After every two Adventures, he returned significantly more powerful, as if he had undergone the equivalent of five or six Adventures. ¡®It¡¯s time for Hamun to rank up too.¡¯ Rank up. Just as Seol¡¯s summons ranked up from Heroic to Legendary, Helpers could rank up as well. Just as Koopa left the Shade Canyon to grow his wings and Mael roamed the world to gain new experiences, Hamun was about to do the same thing. ¡®I hope it goes well¡­ I¡¯m going to worry if he¡¯s gone for too long.¡¯ Seol gained an Exceptional Skill and was supremely strong, but there was never any guarantee in one¡¯s future. Seol needed Hamun to reappear the next time he needed to break through another wall. ¡®The closest ce would be the Tomb of Swords¡­ and I guess Marcellin, the Heart of Iron if he goes a bit further?¡¯ The Tomb of Swords was practically a holy ground for swordsmen and cksmiths, while Marcellin was a nation that exported the most weapons in all of Pandea. The nation was filled with many experienced cksmiths and high-quality steel. ¡®Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine on his own.¡¯ Seol stood up. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to leave now.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Have you found a ce to stay?¡± ¡°No, I n to leave Nobira immediately.¡± ¡°What? Hahahaha! I see now, that you and Hamun were just two sides of the same coin!¡± - LOL Look at his drive hahaha - Hamun: What? You too? - This is how it should be! What could they even gain by being together? Haha - Our jungler¡¯s pathing is insane¡­ Seol tried leaving the building after saying his goodbyes to Kibo. ¡°Hold on.¡± ¡°...Hm?¡± ¡°I have something to tell you. I just need a second.¡± Mira rushed out of the building before Seol and waited for him outside after asking for a word. Seol had an odd look as he followed her outside. It seemed like something that Mira didn¡¯t want Kibo to hear. The moment Seol stepped outside, Mira got straight to the point. ¡°Let¡¯s be friends.¡± Seol quickly realized what Mira was referring to. ¡°You¡¯re talking about adding each other as friends, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Seol messed with the interface as he learned it to add Mira. [You have be friends with ILikeBeingAlone.] - It says you like being alone, though?! - You lied to me! I believed in you too¡­ - Did she fall for Snowman? ?????? Seol added her for now, but he was still curious about her reasoning. ¡°Why did you want to be friends with me, though¡­?¡± ¡°I n to repay my debts. The debts from Yognatun.¡± ¡°...You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± ¡°No, I am.¡± Mira looked firm. A look that even surprised Seol. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I owe so many lives to you.¡± ¡°Mira¡­¡± ¡°My members and Kibo¡­ those innocent people¡­ We all owe you a lot, Snowman.¡± ¡°There is no need for you to repay all of their debts, though, Mira.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong. They¡¯re all things I have to repay.¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± Mira changed. Her eyes, her expression, and even her mood. ¡°Because I n to lead them now.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll meet too much in the future since I¡¯ll be staying in Nobira. That¡¯s why¡­ That¡¯s why I wanted to add you as a friend.¡± ¡°What do you n to do in Nobira, though?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡± Miraughed awkwardly. She had an awkward smile as if it was her first timeughing. Still, it was fine. "I n to conquer the Great Forest. I will conquer it with my own new ruins hunter party." ¡°I pray that you seed.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Snowman. Thank you, really. And I hope you remember this¡­¡± Mira then proceeded to say her final words. ¡°Let me know if you ever need my help. I might not be much help now, but who knows in the future? If there everes a time where you need help, Snowman¡­¡± Seol could feel her sincerity with every word she spoke. ¡°I will do my best to help you. I promise you.¡± Seol then gave her a small smile and left. He then quickly got into a carriage that was leaving Nobira. - Ah, so that route was impossible. - What a waste of time fuuuuck - Who the hell said to take on the Yu Mira route? - I wanted it to get sweeter! It was going well earlier! - Sir, please don¡¯t do this here. - Woah, they didn¡¯t even turn back to look at each other¡­ They¡¯re so fucking cool LOL * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol¡¯s carriage arrived at its location. After arriving, Seol immediately set the city as his location. [Your Rest location has changed to Audenin.] [You have moved to a different location. The Travel Luck Dice is rolling.] [Travel Luck Dice has rolled a 4.] [You are considerably lucky.] [The Adventures you undertake near Audenin now will proceed smoothly.] [The Adventures you undertake near Audenin now will have an easier difficulty.] [The Adventures you select near Audenin now have a near zero chance of forcibly changing to a Sudden Adventure.] [Your luck is fairly good to take on the Adventures nearby.] ¡°Phew¡­ that¡¯s a relief.¡± - Finally! Guys! We finally got a 4! - 4 is our lucky number! Fuck 7! - Just a reminder that the maximum number is 6. - 44444444444444444444 EZ! - There was a lot behind that sigh LOL - I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s this happy over a 4. Maybe human beings can be happy really easily? - I thought he was abandoned by the dice! - Dice: I¡¯ll let you slide this time. See you next time! Seol was beginning his new life in a different location. And he definitely started off on the right foot with this. Karen rubbed her eyes, yawning, and then ced her hand on Seol¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Yaaawn¡­ Are we here now?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s look for a ce to stay first.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Seol went deeper into the city to find an appropriate ce to stay. Seol slipped in and out of the winding alleyways as if he already knew of a ce to stay. The people trailing Seol picked up their paces as he walked in and out. As they quickly turned a corner to rush into another alley, something stopped them. It was Karen¡¯s sword. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time being trailed this awfully. Who are you?¡± ¡°H-Hold on!¡± ¡°A girl? Do you know them, Master?¡± ¡°No. And it isn¡¯t just her.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Step¡­ The alley was quickly filled with people who were pursuing Seol. They filled up both sides of the alley in an attempt to stop Seol. There were roughly 7 people around him. Seol, a bit annoyed, spoke. ¡°I think you¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± One of the people trailing Seol realized his intent and quickly tried de-escting the situation. ¡°Hold on¡­ Could you please just hold on and wait here? We don¡¯t intend to harm you.¡± ¡°...Wait?¡± Seol didn¡¯t understand this strange situation at all. Even though Seol was more than capable of leaving if he wanted to, he decided to wait as he was curious about their intentions. And not too long after, he heard a voice. ¡°Over here!¡± ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Did they wait long?¡± ¡°I am not sure.¡± ¡°Got it¡­ Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± A man was breathing heavily. He was a man who had desperately searched for Seol in the past too. He came out in his pajamas, running, to meet Seol. ¡°Fuuu¡­ I apologize for the discourtesy. Were you waiting for a while?¡± ¡°I¡¯m more upset about the method than the time wasted.¡± ¡°I apologize, I was just so anxious that¡­ For now, could you just please listen to what I have to tell you?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry. I haven¡¯t told you my name yet.¡± The man reached his hand forth as if he was going for a handshake. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. My name is Park Changsik.¡± He then smiled while shing his teeth. ¡°Pardon me, but are you perhaps ¡®Private¡¯?¡± Chapter 119 Seol¡¯s eyes immediately grew cold. ¡°Do you know me?¡± Changsik immediately turned to his side to look at the person who had run all the way into the alley with him. ¡°I knew it! You guys did it properly!¡± "I told you, hyung! You know I''ve been keeping watch at the northern gate! He just happened toe in at the perfect timing, so I came running to you!" ¡°Good job, great work!¡± Seol didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about. ¡°Like I said, do you know me?¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize. I shouldn¡¯t have done this in front of a guest¡­ By the way, haven¡¯t you visited Audenin before?¡± ¡°I have.¡± ¡°Haah¡­ So you really are the person that we lostst time. We have been waiting for you since then.¡± There was only one thing in Seol¡¯s head right now. ¡®They were waiting for me? Why?¡¯ Seol refused to get himself involved in something like friction or fights between guilds. Obviously, he would refuse requests that were even more trivial than that. ¡°Why were you waiting for me¡­¡± ¡°I will exin it to you slowly. However, you seem to have yet to find a ce to stay. We have already prepared a room for you, why don¡¯t you stay there? It should be much morefortable than wherever you¡¯d stay.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯ve prepared a room for me? As in a room to stay and sleep in?¡± Seol¡¯s image of Changsik shifted from just a very detailed person to someone so intricate it was almost revolting. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s been vacant for a while, but we¡¯ve been keeping it maintained since we didn¡¯t know when you¡¯d drop by. Why don¡¯t we head there first?¡± This was clearly a request one should refuse. How could anyone sleepfortably in a room a stranger prepared for you? Especially when you don¡¯t know anything about their motives? ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about anything. In fact, we¡¯re the ones who¡¯d face a greater loss if anything upsets you. We¡¯ve been desperately wanting to meet you.¡± ¡°For now, I understand.¡± ¡°Thank you. Jongseo, go to the room first with the others and make sure it has been properly maintained.¡± ¡°Got it, hyung.¡± ¡°Yeah, good work.¡± After the rest of the transferees left, it was only Seol and Changsik. ¡°Ah, is that woman¡­¡± ¡°Apanion.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve prepared multiple rooms so there is no need to worry.¡± Even though there wasn¡¯t a problem at all since Karen was a shadow, Changsik had a satisfied look on his face as if he had done something for Seol. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± Changsik¡¯s clothes were way too light for the current temperature. Changsik nodded multiple times at Seol¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, extremely cold. So let¡¯s get going, the night air is way too cold.¡± Seol instinctively knew Changsik had a reason for staying behind. Because if the purpose was simply to guide him to the room, he could have asked someone else to do it. If he was doing something so troublesome himself, there had to also be a suitable reason. ¡°Was there something you wanted to tell me?¡± ¡°Yes, there is. I need to do something about the guard you put against me for now. I think going there should be more than enough time to¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡± ¡°Haha, if it isn¡¯t, then it isn¡¯t.¡± Changsik was more broad-minded than Seol had initially thought. Changsik warmed his hands as he walked, blowing air into them. ¡°To get to the point, I need your help.¡± ¡°I despise getting involved in anything annoying.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have to worry about that. You won¡¯t think of it as annoying at all.¡± ¡°What is it then?¡± ¡°A while ago, even before you first arrived here, I found a certain item. The reason I¡¯ve been waiting for you is because of that item.¡± Seol felt something sinister from Changsik¡¯s words. It wasn¡¯t Changsik himself, but the item he was talking about. Changsik grabbed something out of his inventory and showed it to Seol. It was a small stone with a strange pattern inscribed onto it. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Information about the stone popped up shortly after. [[Qualification Token (Penance)] Quality: Rare Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg A token required to enter the Labyrinth of Penance. One token allows the entry of five people. Bonus Effect: You enter the Labyrinth of Penance.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°This is¡­¡± Seol had thought the stone looked familiar. Especially the pattern inscribed on it. ¡®It¡¯s abyrinth token!¡¯ Labyrinth. It was a type of ruins that existed all over Pandea. There were several reasons whybyrinths and ruins were separated, but if one had to pick the main reason, it would be their survival rate. Labyrinths, like their names suggested, were much more difficult to escape than ordinary ruins. Even though the monsters and traps inside thebyrinths were problems already, the most terrible thing about them was their intent to kill. ¡®Labyrinths want blood from their intruders.¡¯ It felt like thebyrinths themselves had a will. If exploring ruins was like entering a whale¡¯s carcass, exploring abyrinth would be like entering a live whale. Despite all of that, adventurers and mercenaries rushed in whenever they heard news about abyrinth. Because they were filled with mountains of treasure. Unlike the normal rewards and treasures you could acquire from ruins, the rewards frombyrinths were special. It was like a venus flytrap. The sweet scent of treasure sucked people in like flies. However, even if people did discover abyrinth, not everyone was allowed inside. It was because of the minimum requirement to enter one. A qualification token. And those tokens could only be acquired by defeating a powerful monster near thebyrinth. In other words, the token proved that the individual had the minimum qualifications to enter thebyrinth. ¡®Does the fact he acquired this¡­ mean that they also discovered abyrinth?¡¯ Seol had explored all of thebyrinths throughout Pandea. It was to the point that he could safely im he had already cleared the majority of them. Thesebyrinths moved to a different area once a person cleared it. For example, abyrinth cleared in the south could be faced again in the northern parts of Pandea. Obviously, though, the chances of that were low. ¡°Have you discovered abyrinth then?¡± ¡°I did. Like the name on the token says, it¡¯s the Labyrinth of Penance.¡± Seol asked Changsik, who seemed very calm. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why are you sharing this with me, an outsider?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ what do you mean by ¡®outsider¡¯? Don¡¯t create such a big gap between us. You were no longer an outsider the moment I told you about thebyrinth.¡± Changsik scratched his head andughed awkwardly. Though his response was witty, Seol¡¯s expression was still cold. ¡°...So you¡¯ve already entered it once.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ You¡¯re way too fast¡­ Do you already know a lot aboutbyrinths?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to say I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I see. Well, it does make sense, though, considering you have nearly triple my points. Maybe we can have a chat one day about your know-how¡­¡± ¡°More importantly, let¡¯s talk about thebyrinth.¡± ¡°Right,byrinth first. So¡­ Um¡­ Private? What should I call you?¡± ¡°Snowman.¡± ¡°Snowman, I see. That¡¯s fantastic, and your point total is so crazy¡­¡± Changsik gripped the token tighter. ¡°In truth, we didn¡¯t have just one token.¡± He put up his hand. He then showed three fingers. ¡°We had three.¡± ¡°So if you only have one left, that means¡­¡± ¡°Once again, you are correct. We¡¯ve already entered thebyrinth twice. I went personally on one of them too.¡± Seol suddenly began remembering his past, like images shing through his head, after he understood Changsik¡¯s situation. He had memoriese up from time to time like this before. It was because he hadn¡¯t regained all of his memories yet. ¡®The Labyrinth of Penance, huh¡­ So it was probably that.¡¯ The Labyrinth of Penance proceeded in a particrly special way. Even though Seol knew about it, he first listened to what Changsik had to say. ¡°The Labyrinth of Penance works in a pretty special way.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°First, as you saw on the item, five people are permitted into thebyrinth. No more, no less.¡± This was something most people who experienced thebyrinth already knew. Changsik was now ready to tell Seol a characteristic unique to the Labyrinth of Penance. ¡°First, when you enter thebyrinth, you are sent to a dark area. Your vision is greatly reduced, to the point where you can barely see the tips of your feet.¡± And then there should be a door. ¡°There are doors there. Five in total.¡± But one of them is different. ¡°However, the doors aren¡¯t all the same. While most of them look normal, one of the doors has a strange, eerie pattern. Almost like¡­ it¡¯s a devil¡¯s door.¡± Everything up to this point was the same. The question now is whether the rest is also the same or not. ¡°As the name Labyrinth of Penance suggests, each of the different doors makes you experience a different type of pain. The door I entered¡­ made me walk through apletely dark space.¡± Seol knew about that too. It was a room that dulled your sense of time as well as your other senses. It made it so you couldn¡¯t even know where you were going. ¡°Regardless, what¡¯s important isn¡¯t the door that I experienced. It¡¯s the door that was locked until the end.¡± ¡°How did you open that door?¡± "When the four of us entered through our respective doors, we heard the sound of the final door unlocking. It''s likely our fifth member entered through that door." ¡°I see.¡± ¡°And after a while, our party was able to escape thebyrinth.¡± Seol also knew the reason for that very, very well. ¡°It was because¡­ the person who entered thest room died.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°That was what I learned the first time I entered. There was also an instance after that.¡± ¡°If you¡¯ve only entered it once, though¡­ did you not go the second time?¡± "Even though we concluded that thebyrinth was difficult to clear, others didn''t share the same opinion. We had some conflicts because of that." ¡°With the guilds?¡± "You''re near the mark. Audenin has five major guilds led by the transferees of the city. They argued that the failure was on my part, not the transferees as a whole." ¡°How foolish.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t enter the Labyrinth of Penance themselves, after all.¡± Seol became curious about what happened next. He did have a good idea, though. ¡°To get to the point, we learned something after the second attempt.¡± ¡°What did you learn?¡± "Thebyrinth incessantly taints the person''s mind. After a while, it bes represented by a number. This was something we didn''t learn on our first attempt." ¡°What happens when that number fills up?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know. The person who entered the final door died before it reached that point.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡±g "However, the person who entered the final doorsted quite a while. They were, after all, an elite in the guild alliance." ¡°So what did you learn from that?¡± ¡°The final door was the key. The person in the final door must have done something too because a person in the other doors felt relieved from their pain.¡± Seol organized Changsik¡¯s points. ¡°Essentially, the person going through the final door holds their party member¡¯s lives in their hand.¡± ¡°There are multiple ways to fail. The party members could all die due to their inability to withstand the pain, or their minds could be tainted to the point of no return. However, there is only one way to seed.¡± Changsik looked at Seol. ¡°It¡¯s for the final person to clear through their door. That¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really valuable information. Now, tell me what you want from me.¡± Bow. Changsik bowed his head and spoke in a serious tone. ¡°Please be the person to go through the final door so that we may clear thebyrinth.¡± ¡°So you want me to take on all the risk, huh?¡± "I n on entering thebyrinth myself too, this time. However, I didn''t consider myself suitable for the role of the person entering the final door. I may be a bit ahead of the others, but not to the extent where I could allow four people to bet their lives on me." Changsik¡¯s eyes were fiery, burning with passion. ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared of dying?¡± ¡°Of course I am. In fact, though this is embarrassing to say, I vowed to myself that I would never enter it again after escaping it the first time. I was terrified of it.¡± Changsik must have sensed thebyrinth¡¯s bloodlust. ¡®It¡¯s normal to be scared of it.¡¯ Seol knew a lot about the Labyrinth of Penance. Two of his pieces, rather, two people, have already visited it. The first of them had been swallowed by thebyrinth. Seol wasn¡¯t sure whether they were alive or dead, either. Thebyrinth had tainted their mind, and he lost control of them. ¡°But what scares me more is that I¡¯d crumble, submitting to thebyrinth. I am not someone who should fall here. I can do so much more, so many more things. Thisbyrinth will just be the start of that.¡± ¡°And to do that, you need my help.¡± "I''ve met countless transferees, but you, Snowman, you have an overwhelming amount of Adventure Points, way beyond anything I''ve ever seen. And because of that, I thought you were someone I could risk my life on. I believe that even if a person can lie, the numbers don''t. Rather than some shallow, superficial trust, I''d rather believe in an overwhelming number. It''s embarrassing, but if you could please..." ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Seol spoke once more. ¡°We can discuss the details tomorrow. It seems like we¡¯ve arrived at the lodging.¡± Seol¡¯s piece had cleared the Labyrinth of Penance before. They were also one of Seol¡¯s strongest pieces, the Blood Saint. Chapter 120 The room Changsik guided Seol to was more than what Seol expected. ¡°Woah! It¡¯s super big!¡± Even though her room in the Empire was still much bigger, Karen made a loud fuss about the room. The lodging Changsik prepared was definitely way too big for just one person. As such, Karenmented to Seol about it. ¡°Seems like he¡¯s pretty serious about this.¡± ¡°He probably is.¡± Since Seol had experienced the Labyrinth of Penance before, he could understand Changsik¡¯s feelings somewhat. Seol suddenly became curious about something and asked Karen. ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Were therebyrinths during your time too?¡± ¡°There were. We called them something else, though.¡± ¡°Something else?¡± "We called them graves. Rumors were, they really were someone''s graves, and the people who went there never returned." ¡°No one returned?¡± ¡°Yup, no one. After that, Jin scared everyone by saying no one should ever go there, and the attention surrounding it died down. Well, there were crazy people back then too, and grave robbers that went in on their own, but¡­ obviously, no one came back.¡± Seol nodded. ¡®Sobyrinths have existed since way back then.¡¯ Since it wasn''t made recently, it was hard to discern someone''s intent for creating it. Not to mention that because it was so old, even if there was intent behind it, the reasoning must have be quite blurred. ¡®Who made thebyrinths? Why did they make it?¡¯ Seol had no way of finding out the reason now, nor was it particrly important. The most important thing for Seol right now was that he had to clear one. ¡®Still, the Labyrinth of Penance is at least doablepared to the otherbyrinths.¡¯ The difficulty of the otherbyrinths was already notorious among yers to the point that it didn¡¯t even need to be mentioned. Still, the Labyrinth of Penance was still challenging. It was only easy whenpared to the otherbyrinths. ¡®Especially when you consider the fact that we¡¯re entering one so early¡­¡¯ The difficulty would obviously be nightmarish. Seol wouldn¡¯t have entered abyrinth so early if it were a regr situation. It was impossible for any piece to clear abyrinth this early in the game. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Despite knowing all of this, Seol still decided to enter thebyrinth. Thebyrinth tested everything about a person. It tested their strength, wisdom, and even their mental fortitude. Even so, Seol had reasons to enter thebyrinth now. First, he was confident. He already attempted the Labyrinth of Penance with two of his pieces and gained a lot of information through that. Therefore, he was confident he could clear it as long as there weren''t too many problems. The other reason he was trying to clear the Labyrinth of Penance was because of the Blood Saint who cleared the Labyrinth before him. ¡®I wonder if I¡¯m stronger now than when I cleared thebyrinth with them¡­¡¯ If Seol¡¯s memories were true, he had also cleared thebyrinth rtively early with the Blood Saint. Obviously, though, that was still muchter than where he is now. And for that reason¡­ It wasn¡¯t strange at all for Seol to have some feelings. ¡®I¡¯ll go down the route the Blood Saint took.¡¯ Seol was filled with a sense of inspiration and exuberance. Though it was still a bit early to attempt clearing abyrinth, it was a good test to answer a question in his head: How far had hee thus far? He wouldn¡¯t allow himself to be behind his previous pieces, whether it was in strength or wisdom. ¡°Master, but the Labyrinth of Penance¡­ it won¡¯t be easy, right?¡± ¡°...It won¡¯t be.¡± ¡°Even the name is a bit off-putting.¡± The Labyrinth of Penance focused more on an individual¡¯s spirit than their strength. All of Seol¡¯s final ten pieces, the strongest of them all, failed in their attempt at Ascension. If Seol couldn¡¯t clear thebyrinth here, it was clear what his future would be. However¡­ ¡®I can do it. I¡¯m stronger at this point in my journey than they were!¡¯ Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on Seol¡¯s door. ¡°Someone¡¯s here.¡± He then heard a voice from behind the wall. ¡°It¡¯s me, Changsik.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll open the door for you now.¡± Creak¡­ Changsik¡¯s face didn¡¯t look well. ¡°There¡¯s a bit of an¡­ awkward problem.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * In the early morning, a few dayster¡­ Seol straightened up his clothes and then headed out with Karen. Audenin was a city where the five major guilds of that city led its transferees. As such, the influence transferees held on the city could not be understated. What symbolized their influence the most was the ¡®Lighthouse of Faith¡¯ that stood tall in Audenin. The building was only a lighthouse in name. In truth, it was just a structure made from luxurious stones. Even so, no one could deny its majesty. Seol and Karen were now headed there, wearing robes over their bodies. Step¡­ Step¡­ Eyes followed them with each step they took. The people watching them were the guild members of the five major guilds already there, awaiting Seol. ¡°He¡¯s supposed to be Private? He lookspletely normal.¡± ¡°How did Changsik convince him?¡± ¡°That fucking coward is still pretending like he¡¯s the leader¡­ sigh¡­¡± Transferees were doubting and ndering each other at the Lighthouse of Faith. Seol wondered why they had to be so contradictory with one another tobine their efforts. Even though Seol didn¡¯t want to get involved with something like this, he was forced toe here after what Changsik said that night. Seol sat down before a round table. ¡°Wee, erm¡­ Private?¡± The guild masters of the four guilds Changsik was in disagreement with were already seated at the table. - In truth, there is still a heated discussion about thest token. The consensus in the guild alliance was that failure wasn¡¯t an option since it was theirst token. And since Changsik had already failed once, he lost the alliance¡¯s trust. Currently, the public opinion in the alliance was this: The strongest individual should be the one to challenge the Labyrinth of Penance. Even if Changsik was the alliance¡¯s leader, he wasn¡¯t allowed to monopolize the opportunity. Still, there was a reason why Changsik¡¯s faction didn¡¯t back down either. - They don¡¯t know anything about thebyrinth. Even the transferees who entered thebyrinth the second time are all refusing to go back too. Despite the terror of thebyrinth, all they''re doing is weighing the pros and cons... The problem should not be about who is best suited to enter thebyrinth. It should be about who can endure it. It wasn¡¯t as if the guild masters were unaware of this either. Anyone could tell thebyrinth was extremely difficult, given they had already squandered two opportunities. - So, the conclusion we reached was to listen to the words of the person who invited the most suitable individual. After all, the person who enters the final door is the key to clearing thebyrinth. In fact, it might not even matter who the other four people are. As such, Changsik invited Seol as a candidate to be the person to take on the final door. - But¡­ it turned out they brought their own candidate. In the end¡­ I think you need to prove yourself. Is that¡­ alright? Those were Changsik¡¯s words to Seol. And Seol answered him. ¡°I understand.¡± To Seol, this process wasn¡¯t a matter of whether he could prove himself or not. It was simply¡­ annoyance. This was nothing more than an additional step he had to take to enter thebyrinth. Those were the feelings in Seol¡¯s heart as he walked in here today. One of the guild masters, a woman who introduced herself as Son Juyeon, asked Seol a question with a quizzical look on her face. ¡°...Are you listening to me?¡± ¡°...Ah, yeah.¡± - (While picking his ears) - (While ying with his phone) - To be honest, I¡¯m not interested in it at all LMFAOO Even her name, Son Juyeon, was something Seol would forget after this ¡°test.¡± Seol had no reason to put in the extra effort to remember her. "Since this is a necessary process to decide who would enter thebyrinth fairly, I hope for your understanding." ¡°Yeah, I understand.¡± ¡°However¡­ Changsik, is he really not going to reveal his nickname?¡± ¡°Does he have to reveal that? Even if you say so, I won¡¯t allow it. It¡¯s troublesome for me as well since that wasn¡¯t the condition the two of us agreed upon for me to invite him.¡± Changsik¡¯s response gave the other guild members an excuse toin about the situation. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to bet our lives on him? And he can¡¯t even share that?¡± ¡°Does he think he¡¯s a K-pop idol or something? Or is he just trying to cosy as someone mysterious?¡± ¡°Still, is that really true?¡± ¡°Is what really true?¡± "That he has more than 3 million points. I''m pretty sure everyone around here who surpassed 1 million points could be counted on with just our hands¡­" ¡°That¡¯s what they say, but¡­ we¡¯ll have to see to know for sure.¡± Juyeon and Changsik continued arguing with each other after this too, disguising it as a part of the meeting. After multiple exchanges, Juyeon, exhausted, gave up and said, ¡°It¡¯ll never end at this rate. We¡¯ll just bring out our candidate as well.¡± ¡°You should have just done that from the start¡­ All we did was waste our energy.¡± ¡°The rewards would have been split equally if you just let our candidate go in¡­ you¡¯re making things more difficult than they have to be.¡± ¡°Haha... that''s because it isn''t just once or twice I''ve fallen for your lies like that. I¡¯ll make sure to split the rewards properly, so why don¡¯t you just let our guild in instead?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t allow that. We don¡¯t trust each other, after all.¡± ¡°Like I¡¯ve said over and over again, if we send in someone inexperienced, they wouldn¡¯t make it out alive.¡± ¡°Hah! And those are just your assumptions. Boseok!¡± Creaaak¡­ A man donning a ck robe entered the room. The man had a disinterested look on his face as he asked Juyeon a question. ¡°Is it still not over yet?¡± ¡°It seems like we need you to do a couple of things in the end, Boseok. You¡­ remember our deal, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The guild members whispered to each other in the back. ¡°I-Isn¡¯t he¡­ that person?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ He¡¯s the guy who entered the ck Pilgrims as a transferee, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, Kang Boseok¡­ woah¡­ why is he here?¡± T/N: ??/Boseok also means gem or jewelry in Korean. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he the person who had over 1.5 million points?¡± Seol turned his head without thinking. ¡®The ck Pilgrims? A person who¡¯s a part of the ck Pilgrims is here?¡¯ The ck Pilgrims were a group dispatched by Varanoa, the Holy Nation. Their distinctive feature was wearing ck holy robes despite being rather secr. ¡®They were also fairly strong¡­ and quite dirty.¡¯ Unlike the name ¡®Pilgrims¡¯ suggested, they weren¡¯t particrly noble or clean. They acted sort of as ¡®cleaners¡¯ for Varanoa, taking care of its private, messy matters. ¡®Also known as¡­ maggots.¡¯ Despite being called ¡®the Holy Nation,¡¯ Varanoa was practically a gang of thugs who did all sorts of heinous actions. However, what Seol didn¡¯t understand right now, was why a ck Pilgrim was here when Varanoa was on the opposite side of the Great Forest. However, his question was answered quickly. ¡°My name is Kang Boseok. My ordination might have been done informally, but as you can see, I am a ck Pilgrim. Ah, the ck Pilgrims are unrted in this. But even so¡­ must we really go through this unnecessary process? Why don¡¯t you just yield your right to thebyrinth? It would look better if you did. There¡¯s no reason for us to work ourselves up, is there?¡± Seol understood it now. There were people near Boseok who had attire simr to his. ¡®They must have been dispatched for another mission¡­ and then he came here alone after catching wind of this?¡¯ Boseok was likely telling the truth earlier too. Seol was worried about what he would do if he imed the ck Pilgrims were behind this, but since Boseok didn¡¯t, Seol felt much more relieved. The pilgrims all had T-shaped tear tattoos near their eyes. Boseok, obviously, had them as well. Seol spoke up. "It seems like neither of us intends to yield. Perhaps we should engage in a friendly sparring match." ¡°Hm¡­ I doubt we need to do that to know the results, though¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you think you have the advantage just because your point total is higher than mine? If you knew what I went through¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, were my points higher? I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°...Alright, then. Well¡­¡± ¡°Karen.¡± Karen quickly stood up while kicking back her seat. ¡°She¡¯ll be fighting instead of me.¡± ¡°...Are you joking with me?¡± ¡°I am not.¡± ¡°Alright. Why don¡¯t we fight right here then?!¡± Juyeon quickly stopped them. ¡°F-Fighting here might damage the building¡­¡± Seol looked at Karen and asked. ¡°Can you do it without damaging the building?¡± ¡°Yup! No problem.¡± Seol then looked at Boseok. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°...I can as well, obviously.¡± Boseok grabbed hisrge battle hammer. Glooow¡­ [JewelryKang used Unwavering Faith.] [JewelryKang¡¯s Strength increases slightly for a long while.] In truth, Boseok wasn¡¯t confident in avoiding damage to the building. After all, a hammer was a tool to break things. Boseok followed up by using multiple skills to buff himself. Glow¡­ [JewelryKang used Endure Pain.] [JewelryKang will not flinch from attacks below a certain level of damage.] [JewelryKang used Prayer of Purpose.] [After targeting a single individual for a short time, all stats increase by 10%.] ¡°Hah!¡± Fwooosh! Boseok charged forward, swinging his massive battle hammer. Karen¡¯s body was barely in the way of the hammer¡¯s swing. ¡°W-watch out!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± At first nce, it looked like Boseok¡¯s attack was about tond perfectly on Karen. However¡­ Karen quickly dashed into Boseok¡¯s chest. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± sh! [JewelryKang used Repel.] [JewelryKang repels anything thates into contact with him for 2 seconds.] Hmph! Karen stopped her fists in front of Boseok¡¯s face, then twisted her body in the air to avoid his returning hammer. Fwip! Boseok was shocked for a moment, but he quickly regained his coolness. He was confident he could win with just one sessful attack. But that was a colossal misunderstanding. Chapter 121 Fwooooosh¡­ Cruuush! ¡°Ahhh! The floor!¡± Even though Juyeon wasn¡¯t the one hit by the hammer, she sure screamed like it. It was because Boseok¡¯s hammer left an unsightly mark on the innocent floor. Karen used that opening to strike Boseok¡¯s chin. Bam! Boseok seemed quite capable of taking hits as well. Boseok endured Karen¡¯s attack and shouted, swinging his hammer once more. ¡°Krgh¡­ Don¡¯t mock me! Unsheathe your sword!¡± ¡°My sword? That¡¯s not a hard request, but I don¡¯t want to identally cut you.¡± In other words, Karen was taking it easy on Boseok. Boseok started to be more and more furious. Karen hadn¡¯t used any skills at all, and despite that, Boseok couldn¡¯t even touch the tips of her hair. This proved that their skills were worlds apart. In fact, this was Boseok¡¯s first time facing such an opponent after being transferred to Pandea. Even so, Boseok saw a way to turn the tables. It was a method that was almost instinctual to him. ¡°Haaaaargh!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work¡ª¡± It was a downward swing. Karen easily avoided the hammer that had way too much force in it. However, Boseok wasn¡¯t aiming for her. Fwoooosh! He spun his hammer and aimed to strike Seol, who was observing the situation behind her. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Block it!¡± Shouts and screams filled the halls. And then, in an instant, it becamepletely silent. Grab! Seol had partially entered the Night Crow state with his right hand to easily stop Boseok¡¯s hammer. Fwoosh! No one could make a sound. Even though the audience felt the weight of Boseok¡¯s battle hammer each time he swung it, the moment Seol caught it with his hands, it looked iparably light. Karen swiftly unsheathed her sword and pressed it against Boseok''s defenseless neck. A drop of blood spilled out as Karen made a shallow cut. If she moved her sword even just a bit closer, it would slice Boseok¡¯s neck. Karen spoke in a furious tone. ¡°Can I kill this old man?¡± It was a question for Seol. Seol shook his head in response. Seol had already anticipated Boseok might resort to something underhanded like this and prepared for it. Boseok carefully raised his hands in surrender. ¡°I-I give up on thebyrinth.¡± p! That was the sound of Juyeon''s hand meeting her forehead. Simultaneously, someone shouted in shock after using an analysis skill. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s a Peerless-quality item!¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Her sword¡­ It¡¯s a Peerless-quality item¡­¡± Everyone¡¯s gaze focused on Karen¡¯s sword. Karen had obviously unsheathed her Peerless-quality sword, re. ¡°What? Peerless? Did you just say Peerless right now?¡± ¡°You could get a Peerless item this early?¡± ¡°How? How did he get one?¡± The majority of the conversation amongst the transferees revolved around Karen''s weapon. Juyeon, after realizing Karen had a Peerless weapon, bit her lips with a terrible look on her face. Changsik, seeing that, shouted triumphantly. ¡°With this, it¡¯s settled, right? We¡¯ll be the ones using thest token.¡± "...Yeah, I ept the results. It seems like the person you brought was better suited to take on the final door, Changsik." ¡°It was a good match.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± As Karen stepped away from Boseok while sheathing her sword, Boseok put his hands back down. ¡°Fuu¡­ Haaah¡­¡± Since having a sword to your neck was a rare experience, even he was dripping in cold sweat. Juyeon then asked Seol. "However¡­ there is one thing that I am curious about." ¡°What is it?¡± "Is she the one who will enter the final door?" ¡°...What?¡± "Those are the facts, right? Not only was she the one who defeated Boseok, but there''s only one person allowed in each door, right?" Karen guffawed after hearing that. ¡°Hahaha! Yeah, you could think that for sure. She¡¯s¡­ pffft¡­ not wrong¡­ pffft¡­¡± ¡°Wh-why are youughing?¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize. But there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± Karen gave her a meaningful look and then spoke once more. ¡°We can just do this.¡± Fwirl! Karen transformed into a ck whirlwind and was sucked into Seol¡¯s right hand. There was a heavy silence. After all, Karen looked exactly like an elf while she used her Haze skill. Even so, the image of her being sucked into Seol¡¯s hand¡­ Juyeon didn¡¯t know where to look. She began stuttering her words. ¡°Uh¡­ So, this is¡­ uh¡­ um¡­¡± Seol answered their questions with one simple response. ¡°She is my summon.¡± ¡°...What? What did you just say?¡± "That is why I should be the one to enter thest door of the Labyrinth of Penance." ¡°N-No way¡­¡± The audience erupted with shouts. ¡°No way! She was just a summon¡­?¡± ¡°H-Hold on a second¡­ Does this mean he gave a Peerless-quality item to his summon?¡± ¡°Is he out of his mind?¡± - Saying he¡¯s out of his mind might be a bit too far LOL - You should just say he¡¯s special ^^ - Stop making such a fuss when he has four of them ?? - Ah, I wonder if anyone will check out my cape (flexing my back) - Hah¡­ Commoners ^^ There was no way anyone would have anyints about Seol being the person to take on the final door now. Seol stood up with the members Changsik had arranged ahead of time. They stood in a circle and looked at each other¡¯s faces. ¡°Well then¡­ I¡¯ll brand us with the mark.¡± Glooooow¡­ The five of them, who were already in a party, were enveloped in light. [Your name has been engraved on the Qualification Token (Penance).] [Adventure ''Labyrinth of Penance¡¯ is scheduled.] [This Adventure is very dangerous.] [Because this Adventure is a ''Linked Adventure'' you cannot choose your next Adventure.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Things were handled smoothly after that, and now, their Rest was over too. The only thing left for them was to enter thebyrinth. After Seol''s battle to determine who took on the final door, many people lingered around the door to his room. Even though Changsik stepped forth to push them away, it didn¡¯t make it any less annoying. With each additional incident, Seol became increasingly cautious about revealing his true identity in the future. He only did so this time as there was no other way to enter thebyrinth. If he had other options, he would have used them. Regardless, thanks to Changsik¡¯s consideration, Seol was able to prepare for thebyrinth way before. ¡®Clearing thebyrinth is like a marathon.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a ce someone could quickly rush through. Well, it could end quickly if someone died instantly, but Seol wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would let that happen to them. ¡®It could take at least a month¡­ no, even more than three months.¡¯¡¯ Judging by the fact that the other Adventuressted at most a month, the extended time it took to clear abyrinth gave a new meaning to long-term. ¡®We could prepare all we want, but there¡¯s also a high possibility it¡¯s all pointless.¡¯ This was especially the case for the Labyrinth of Penance because, like its name suggested, it was a ce filled with pain. Though it was true Seol had experienced thebyrinth twice through his pieces, experiencing it himself would undoubtedly be different. If someone asked Seol if he was scared, Seol would answer like this, ¡®I¡¯m scared.¡¯ Still, Seol couldn¡¯t back down just because he was scared. He would be betraying the pieces he had ced directly into dangerous situations as if it were nothing. He would be a despicable person who enjoys pushing inferior lifeforms into danger while he remains safely distant. ¡®And if I can clear the Labyrinth of Penance, I will gain a lot of things.¡¯ Since there were many things to gain, Seol had to go. If Seol backed away just because he was scared, he would be acting in contradiction to the pieces he had pushed into danger. ¡®And there are things that I could gain from reaching the end of thebyrinth too.¡¯ It was widely known amongst everyone who cleared thebyrinths that their rewards were much more valuable than those from normal Adventures. Did Seol desire treasures like that? Or did he want something greater? It would only be known once Seol reached the end of thebyrinth. Knock, knock. ¡°It¡¯s almost time, Snowman.¡± Changsik hade to meet Snowman. The party members set to enter thebyrinth together and shared their true names with each other. Although Seol had only shared his nickname, no one had anyints about that. ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± Seol might have prepared thoroughly, but he was still unsure if he could use them. Seol then followed Changsik to thebyrinth. It was a bit away from Audenin and hidden by dense grass. The entrance to it also looked strangely simr to Yzmokan¡¯s ruins. ¡®The Statue of the gent¡­ so even that¡¯s here.¡¯ A statue with a pained expression, burdened by arge stone on its head, stood near the entrance of thebyrinth. Even though the five of them had varying amounts of time left on their rest, Changsik intentionally assembled the party with individuals who shared the most simr remaining time to ensure smooth coordination. Another lesson learned from their two previous attempts was that the transfer urred when thest person''s remaining time ran out. Seol, having the most time left, was about to initiate their transfer soon. One of the members of the party, a woman, spoke up. ¡°Changsik, we can¡¯t fail this time. You know that, right?¡± ¡°How is that supposed to make me feel better?¡± ¡°Regardless, you know what I meant. Juyeon unni might throw a fit again, so please seed and return triumphantly. Ah! You didn¡¯t forget that the treasures you bring back are shared with the alliance¡­ right?¡± ¡°Yeah, and you didn¡¯t forget that the people who went on the Adventure get half of it, right?¡± ¡°Of course not. We even signed the contract with our thumbprint, remember? Anyway¡­ I hope all of youe back alive. Juyeon unni might not say anything, but she worries about you a lot, Changsik oppa.¡± ¡°Did you hear it from her directly?¡± ¡°No? It¡¯s just a guess.¡± ¡°You little¡­ got it. And I¡¯m not the one who decides whether wee back or not. It¡¯s him, that person over there. All the rest of us need to do is endure.¡± Seol spoke up amidst the murmuring crowd. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Changsik and the party members nodded. A final person tried to support them once more before they left. ¡°Everyone¡­e back ali¡ª¡± Gloooow [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 17th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 17. Labyrinth of Penance] [Adventure 17. ¡®Labyrinth of Penance¡¯ The Labyrinth of Penance, one of the terrifyingbyrinths that manifests across the continent, has been discovered near Audenin. The tokens for thebyrinth were also discovered around the same time from Galia, the Gnawing, Homuru, the Wilted, and Juri, the Spiny. Two of those tokens were used to achieve nothing due to theck of qualification from the individuals attempting it. Now, only one token remains. Your name has been branded onto that token. You must prove yourself. You must prove that you are capable of marching onward, despite whatever paines your way. The Labyrinth of Penance shall be watching you. Objective: Clear the Labyrinth of Penance Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Remaining Time [N/A]] It felt as though they had ventured deep into a cave. Like Changsik exined before, Seol could only see the ends of his feet. Everything else around him was pitch ck. ¡°So it¡¯s still the same¡­¡± ¡°Changsik hyung, is this the right ce?¡± ¡°Yeah, Jaeho, it is.¡± Changsik brought a close younger friend of his, Seong Jaeho, here as well. It only proved how much Changsik would give to clear this Adventure. ¡°Over there¡­¡± Someone spoke up. Though it was likely that they were pointing at something with their fingers, the gesture couldn¡¯t be seen here. There were doors. Five doors. The Door of Emptiness, the Door of Pain, the Door of Doubts, the Door of Patience¡­ And the Door of Penance. Seol had a rough idea about the trials behind each door. He also knew that none of them were easy. ¡°H-Hyung¡­ You said you¡¯re going into the Door of Emptiness, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, because that¡¯s the one I went intost time.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to go into the Door of Doubts.¡± ¡°And me into the Door of Pain.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m going into the Door of Patience.¡± All of them looked at Seol. Even though Seol couldn¡¯t see them, he felt their gazes. ¡°I will go into the Door of Penance.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Each person stood in front of their door. ¡°I¡¯ll go in first.¡± Creaaak¡­ The Door of Doubts opened, and Jaeho disappeared. Creaaak¡­ The Door of Pain opened, and their party member, Kim Taegyu, disappeared. Creaaak¡­ The Door of Patience opened, and their other party member, Jang Heungsu, disappeared. ¡°Well then¡­ I hope to see you again.¡± Creaaak¡­ The Door of Emptiness opened, and Changsik disappeared. As all the doors met their guests, a change urred. ng. ng, ng. The chains on the Door of Penance began to snap off. ng! tter¡­ [Four doors have received their gents.] [The final door, the Door of Penance, has been unlocked.] Seol opened the Door of Penance. Creaaaaaak¡­ Click. As Seol disappeared through the door, and the Door of Penance closed behind him. [The Door of Penance has received the final gent.] Chapter 122 Seol let out a breath in the pitch ck darkness. Even though he clearly exhaled, he couldn¡¯t hear any sound at all. ¡®So it¡¯s the Gate of Emptiness.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see or hear anything. In fact, he couldn¡¯t smell anything either. Seol took steps, but he couldn¡¯t tell what he was stepping on. He didn¡¯t know whether it was tnd or mushy mud. But then, suddenly, he saw options. [[You wander through a mysterious ce. Here, there is nothing, and you are unable to discern anything. What do you do?] 1. Stand still. 2. [Required: Istia''s Ray] Clear away the darkness. 3. [Required: Aether''s Bell] Ring the bell to dispel the evil influences around. 4. [Required: Sylvie''s Feather] Leave this ce. 5. [Required: Sagacity] Ponder toprehend your surroundings. ¡­¡­] ¡®Haah¡­ Istia¡¯s Ray? Aether¡¯s Bell? Even though it¡¯s been a while since I saw it, it¡¯s still the same.¡¯ There were no options more detestable than these. Istia¡¯s Ray, Aether¡¯s Bell, Sylvie¡¯s Feather, etc. All the items required to select the options were extremely difficult to acquire artifacts. ¡®Basically, it¡¯s saying if you want an easy way out¡­ you need to bring at least a Treasure-quality artifact.¡¯ Those items, if Seol had to give them a quality, were at least Treasure. Using a treasure to clear just one gate was undoubtedly a waste. ¡®In the end, you just have to go through it.¡¯ The Blood Saint also cleared this gate without using an artifact. He cleared it with just his willpower. ¡®Now that I think about it, he really was ridiculous.¡¯ The Blood Saint was an incredible piece, to the point that even now, Seol felt a bit envious of him. Seol defined the Blood Saint as a ¡®good, but also strong individual.¡¯ The Blood Saint had already established his own skill system in ce when he entered the Labyrinth of Penance so there was nothing a gate like this could have done to stop him. Seol continued onward, stepping through the sometimes soft and sometimes hard floor. ¡®It slowly feels like¡­ I¡¯m going upwards.¡¯ Seol wasn¡¯t sure, though, as all of his senses were dulled. Even so, he continued. It wasn¡¯t as if standing still was the correct option, after all. ¡®How long did the Blood Saint take to clear this gate again?¡¯ Even though Seol didn¡¯t remember it perfectly, he knew that it still took a few days. ¡®And back then, I¡­¡¯ Since the only option worth selecting then was ¡®Walk while deliberating about it,¡¯ Seol probably just brute-forced his way through the Gate with that option. ¡®Haah¡­¡¯ In truth, it was the same method that Seol was trying now. Someone who saw this scene might say something like this, You haven¡¯t changed at all. You¡¯re still the same. Nothing about you has improved. ¡®No, I have changed.¡¯ In fact, Seol entered the Labyrinth of Penance much earlier than when the Blood Saint first entered it. There was another thing that was different too. Fwiiirl! Seol¡¯s body was enshrouded in shadows. [You enter the Night Crow form with Shaman ¡®Jamad, the Volcanic¡¯.] [You absorb Jamad, the Volcanic¡¯s stats.] [Your ss is changed to Fighter.] With this, Seol¡¯s stats werebined with Jamad¡¯s. ¡®Which would cause my Wisdom stat to increase greatly, and¡­¡¯ [You are in a sagacious state.] ¡®Alright, I cleared the minimum requirements.¡¯ Seol could now choose an option that even the Blood Saint couldn¡¯t choose. [Insight activates.] [You feel as if you¡¯re close to understanding something.] ¡®Damn it. This means I have to keep walking again.¡¯ Seol continued thinking as he walked. Since Seol didn¡¯t know of any other methods, this was the only thing he could do. He walked, and walked some more. During this entire time, he continued to think. The floor was soft and squishy at times, then hard and rigid. And before Seol realized it, he began smelling something strange. ¡®I¡¯m slowly regaining my sense of smell.¡¯ Seol focused on his senses. The floor began swaying as a strong smell pierced through his stuffy nose. Where was this? ¡®What did the Blood Saint experience again? Oh right, there¡­¡¯ The stomach of a giant whale. Randomly enough, the ce the Blood Saint wandered when he was inside the Gate of Emptiness was a whale¡¯s stomach. Seol remembered the yers around him chuckling when they found out about it. - Hahaha! That¡¯s crazy! - I didn¡¯t expect that at all! Since Seol had lost one of his pieces to the Labyrinth of Penance before, he concentrated on the situation more instead of justughing like the other yers. ¡®The most dangerous parts of the Gate of Emptiness are its unpredictability and the mental damage.¡¯ The more random the location, the more difficult it became to think, and the mental damage continued to umte throughout the process. ¡®I can¡¯t take too much damage during this Gate.¡¯ Given that Seol hadn''t even reached the main sections of thebyrinth yet, sustaining excessive mental damage would be extremely troublesome, as recovery from it was impossible. Especially more since the mental damage was lethal. ¡®A foul smell¡­ the ground that shifts from soft to hard randomly¡­ and the asional inclines¡­¡¯ Seol felt as if he was escaping out of the thick fog the more he pondered to himself. ¡®This smell¡­ it¡¯s blood.¡¯ It was a smell he was familiar with due to recent events. Even so, it was intense, to the point that he could feel it to his bones. ¡®The smell is strong¡­ there must be a lot of blood here.¡¯ Multiple images shed through Seol¡¯s head. ¡®A ce with a lot of blood¡­? A ughterhouse? Ab?¡¯ Seol was given more information the more he pondered to himself. ¡®The floor¡­ I think I know what it is.¡¯ He realized why the floor was randomly soft and hard, and why it was asionally inclined. A shiver ran down Seol¡¯s spine as he fully grasped his surroundings. [You have received a mental shock.] [Your mind is tainted.] Seol, in an attempt to relieve his heart, began thinking. ¡®Right now¡­ I¡¯m in the Labyrinth of Penance¡­¡¯ Faaaade¡­ The ck fog lifted to fully reveal Seol¡¯s surroundings. - ?????? - What the fuck¡­ - I got chills ?? - Seriously, I stopped eating because of this. Corpses. Seol was surrounded entirely by corpses. The corpses all had quizzical looks on their faces as the smell of their rotten flesh filled the air. There was no way the floor would be stable when it too was covered in skeletons and rotting corpses. Seol observed his surroundings with a calm expression. ¡®The door.¡¯ He then tried letting out a sound. ¡°Ah, ah. I can finally hear now.¡¯ Seol looked down at the floor once more. The corpses were all looking at him. Almost like they were trying to say, ¡®You¡¯re going to end up like this too.¡¯ Seol realized that they were those who had lost their lives to thebyrinth. With a carefree smile, Seol looked away and stepped toward the door. Creaaaak¡­. ¡°Take care.¡± [You have ovee Emptiness.] [Emptiness disappears from the Labyrinth of Penance.] [Mental Contamination: 13/100] [You have ovee Emptiness in the shortest amount of time.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A couple days had passed since Seol overcame Emptiness. What appeared after that was an arid wastnd. The soil was cracked as if a drought had struck it, and all of the trees were withering and crumbling away. It was a ce covered in dense fog as if it was trying to lull your senses. Seol continued to walk in that wastnd as well. However, he wasn¡¯t alone this time. He had Karen to his left and Jamad to his right. - Do you enjoy gore or something, Snowman? - His mental really is insane LOL - This dude was literally just rolling around in rotting corpses a while ago. - Really? He looked like he just came back from Chuck E. Cheese, though? - I¡¯m sure that¡¯s the amount of mental damage he took. - Rather, Chuck E. Cheese might be more dangerous! Seol was delighted with his current condition. It was because Seol realized what the trial was in an instant. ¡®It¡¯s Doubts.¡¯ Seol had a trait limited to those who had cleared all the Gates previously:posure. ¡®If this is the Gate of Doubts¡­ It¡¯s going as I predicted.¡¯ The order of the trials that the final gent had to go through was random. Even Seol didn¡¯t know which order they would appear in. However, because Seol knew he had to eventually go through them all, he was ready for it. Karen asked Seol. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Master?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°You look happy.¡± ¡°Leave him alone, elf. It¡¯s not like this is his first or second time acting like that¡­¡± Jamad and Karen shared a few words back and forth. Seol¡¯s two shadows, who hadn¡¯t been able to help him during the previous Gate, were now by his side, trying to be useful. ¡®My Mental Contamination is 24¡­ I still have a lot of room left, but¡­ it¡¯s steadily increasing.¡¯ This gate was simple. The gent who entered the room had to just think of it as a dream. But would anyone be able to remember how their dreams started? Dreams were like a hazy blur, unable to properly distinguish where one thing started and another ended. The Gate of Doubts was simr to that. ¡®I¡¯m sure this fog is affecting my mind too. I can feel my judgment slowing down.¡¯ A lot of things were influenced by, ¡®slow judgment,¡¯ that those words weren¡¯t enough to describe how awful the situation was. Your sense of direction, objectives, ability to trust, your understanding of yourself, etc. The Gate of Doubts influenced all of those, which made the gent start to doubt everything. ¡®Am I going the right way?¡¯ ¡®No, am I even in the Labyrinth of Penance?¡¯ ¡®Was I abandoned?¡¯ ¡®I didn¡¯t choose to enter the Labyrinth of Penance!¡¯ ¡®What¡­ am I?¡¯ The Gate of Doubts made the gent begin doubting everything in the end. But the worst thing about the Gate of Doubts was that it affected your ability to trust others. As Seol continued thinking to himself, Karen spoke up. ¡°This ce is awful, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t you agree, Jamad?¡± ¡°It is. I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s already been two days too. All we¡¯ve done these past two days is walk without being able to properly eat.¡± ¡°Seriously! It¡¯s awful, really.¡± Seol looked at Karen with dim eyes. ¡®I have to doubt everything.¡¯ And like that, it was a boring time. After walking for a few days more, Seol finally arrived at a door. ¡°It¡¯s the door! Master, the door!¡± ¡°......¡± However, there were too many of them. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ three doors?¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± Seol then asked Karen back a question. ¡°I don¡¯t know, which door do you think it is?¡± ¡°Me? Are you asking for my opinion?¡± Karen opened her eyes wide. Seol nodded and waited, calmly. Karen thought for a moment before picking the left door. ¡°This one.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah, I feel an energy behind it.¡± ¡°What about you, Jamad?¡± Jamad mocked Karen while crossing his arms. ¡°She¡¯s lying. It¡¯s the middle door.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh¡­¡± As the two fought with each other once more, Seol began seeing options. [[After an arduous journey, you have finally arrived at the end. In front of you, there are three doors. Which door do you enter?] 1. Trust in Karen and open the left door. 2. Trust in Jamad and open the middle door. 3. Ignore both of them and open the right door. 4. [Forced: Mental Contamination 100] All of them are fake! There is no door out of here! 5. [Required: Duran¡¯s Stick of Truth] Uncover the truth. ¡­¡­] ¡®...I can¡¯t even trust these options anymore.¡¯ Even these options felt like they were pressuring Seol to choose a specific one, almost as if he had no choice but to pick from them. As Seol was thinking, Karen and Jamad¡¯s fight was getting bigger. It seemed like they were doubting each other. ¡°Jamad! Are you saying I lied?¡± ¡°Lied? Hm¡­ Yeah, you did lie.¡± Jamad¡¯s eyes glowed a fiery red. ¡°You¡¯ve been lying this entire time!¡± Fwoooosh¡­ Cruuush! Jamad reached his arm out and grabbed Karen by her thin neck. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that damned elf would call me by my name. Wouldn''t you agree?¡± ¡°Grgh¡­.¡± ¡°Did you think you could devour us with a petty trick like this? How bold¡­¡± ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaa!¡± Snap! Jamad crushed Karen¡¯s neck. However, Seol didn¡¯t stop him at all. A few momentster¡­ Fsssss¡­ Karen¡¯s body disappeared like smoke. Seol nodded to himself. ¡®As expected, it was a ghost¡¯s trick.¡¯ Jamad scoffed. ¡°Hmph, I knew it was the evil spirits of thebyrinth. I finally feel better now. Alright, let¡¯s go! The real door is the middle door.¡± - I believed in you, Jamad! I fucking believed in you!!! - I knew you¡¯d do it! - Jamad¡¯s carrying the party like always! Unlike Seol¡¯s viewers, Seol had a cold, menacing gaze. ¡°It seems like you weren¡¯t able to read everything.¡± Jamad, feeling something off, asked Seol. ¡°...What are you doing right now?¡± ¡°The ghosts in the Labyrinth of Penance read the gent¡¯s memories to taint their mind.¡± ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°You¡­ are unable to read all of my memories, aren¡¯t you?¡± Jamad¡¯s face contorted and twisted for a moment. ¡°...How did you know? Is this not your first time in thebyrinth?¡± Jamad¡¯s body slowly faded before revealing a ghost of thebyrinth. - I didn¡¯t expect this at all ?? - I can¡¯t believe it was all just an act¡­ I believed in you ?? - What the hell? Was everything fake, then? The ghost of thebyrinthughed as it spoke to Seol. "Hahaha¡­ There''s something peculiar about your memories. It¡¯s missing here and there... Nothing is fully intact. I only took the portions that seemed normal, so I didn''t anticipate you discovering it... Where did it go wrong? Could you please tell me so I can fix it for next time?" ¡°Everything.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that would be the case¡­ I behaved like them almost perfectly.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s the problem.¡± Before Seol entered thebyrinth, he made a single request to his summons. - Don¡¯t do anything until I specifically ask for help, no matter what. Trying to help me will onlyplicate things further. Seol''s summons now had such unwavering faith in him that they would believe whatever he said. If Seol uttered something, they would ept it as an unquestionable truth. When looking at the results, Seol¡¯s preparation was perfect. ¡®Well, I couldn''t even recall that when I was first sent to the wastnd... I''m just d I managed to remember it, even if it''s now.¡¯ The ghost pretending to be Jamad asked Seol. "...Have you been waiting for us to pick the door for you?" "I knew it would take a few days to find the door on my own. It was like thatst time as well." Seol ignored the fake Jamad and headed to the right door. The ghost of thebyrinth tried to stop Seol. ¡°Wait! How did you know?! My imitation was perfec¡ª¡± Fwoooosh! Seol created a giant hole in the fake Jamad¡¯s chest. ¡°Krrrgh¡­¡± Seol¡¯s body suddenly turned ck. In the Night Crow form, Seol was practically a tank on the battlefield. And the fact that Seol could enter that form¡­ was also proof that Jamad was still inside Seol¡¯s shadows. That''s why, no matter how perfect the ghost''s imitation was, it was impossible to fool Seol. ¡°...My Mental Contamination is still increasing. Regardless, take care.¡± Ghosts began appearing by Seol¡¯s side as he tried to leave. You¡¯ll fail¡­ thebyrinth will devour you. You will despair when you reach the end. You will regret not begging us to kill you¡­ hahaha¡­ All of them were waiting for Seol to choose the right door. In truth, this was the only option left for Seol too. However, as he approached it¡­ ¡®...Huh?¡¯ Flinch. An eerie feeling bolted up his spine. [Insight activates.] [For some reason, it feels like you shouldn¡¯t enter that door.] ¡°...You¡¯re pretty good, huh?¡± What? ¡°I can¡¯t believe all of them were fake.¡± At that moment, the options in front of Seol vanished. [[After an arduous journey, you have finally arrived at the end. In front of you, there are three doors. Which door do you enter?] 1. Trust in Karen and open the left door. 2. Trust in Jamad and open the middle door. No way! How¡­ How did you know?! Seol pointed at his golden eyes. ¡°It¡¯s because I have some pretty good eyes.¡± Seol began following the trail of energy the Eyes of Perception showed him. After taking a few more steps and reaching the end, a door suddenly appeared from the void. [Eyes of Perception see through the truth.] [Insight¡¯s proficiency greatly increases.] [Eyes of Perception bes much stronger.] Once again, Seol reached the end of the Gate much quicker than he did with the Blood Saint. - You just activated my trap card! - I was aiming for that! You just activated my trap card! - I aimed for you aiming for that! You just activated my trap card! - I aimed for you aiming for me to¡­ - Please stop already, you assholes¡­ - We just share the same brain cells ?? One of the ghosts began cursing Seol as he was on his way out. Not yet¡­ Thebyrinth did not even start yet¡­ Thebyrinth is waiting for you¡­ These were ghosts who had now be a part of thebyrinth. Seol responded to the ghost while opening the door to the next Gate. ¡°I didn¡¯t start yet either.¡± [You have ovee Doubts.] [Doubts disappear from the Labyrinth of Penance.] [Mental Contamination: 28/100] [You have ovee Doubts in the shortest amount of time.] However, another message popped up at the end. [An individual¡¯s mind has beenpletely tainted.] Chapter 123 Earlier, before Seol cleared the Gate of Doubts, Changsik was experiencing hell. Whenever he spoke, his sounds were drowned out. He would look in front of him, but couldn¡¯t see or discern anything. The mysterious sensations brought fear, not curiosity. ¡®Someone¡­ let me out of here¡­¡¯ His memories of how he came in and what he was doing were all fading. It was because his mind was tainted. However, suddenly, Changsik¡¯s surroundings became brighter. [The final gent has ovee Emptiness.] [Emptiness disappears from the Labyrinth of Penance.] ¡°U-Uaargh¡­?¡± It was as if someone turned the lights on in his dying mind. ¡°Ahh¡­ Ahhhhh!¡±¡± Changsik had been drooling all over his armor to the point that it was wet. Changsik screamed and covered his eyes, the intense brightness causing him pain. ¡°Kaaaaargh!¡± And then, a moment of silence. ¡°I-I¡¯m alive? I¡¯m¡­ alive?¡± Touched by the words that escaped his mouth, Changsik felt a surge of emotions that almost made him cry. No, he was already crying. After being tortured in extreme terror that made him unable to even tell time, Changsik¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t calm down in the face of sudden freedom. ¡°Haaaah¡­¡± He let out a long, deep sigh of relief. Now that he was capable of judging the situation, Changsik started looking at his surroundings. ¡°Where¡­ am I?¡± He inspected the floor, but something felt off. The walls looked weird too, but more than anything was the smell¡­ An indescribably foul smell exuded from the floor and the connected cave. ¡°Is this a tongue?¡± It was an idea that suddenly appeared in Changsik¡¯s head. And the way the floor writhed and wriggled only made Changsik more sure of his assessment. [You have received a mental shock.] [Your mind is tainted.] ¡°I-I have to get out of here!¡± Rumble! As the tongue wriggled back and forth, the space got smaller. It seemed like it was trying to swallow Changsik. Changsik scrambled around before barely pulling on the door handle a short distance away. ¡°Ahhh!¡± And he lept into the door. Click. As Changsik vanished through the door, the tongue thrashed even more violently inside the mouth. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± Changsik felt gratitude for the fact he was still breathing and tried standing up. ¡°Where¡­ is this ce? Did Snowman seed?¡± If it wasn¡¯t for Snowman, Changsik would have definitely died due to his mind being tainted. The fear from being unable to sense or control anything had pushed Changsik¡¯s mind to the edge. It was definitely something that Changsik did not want to go through again. Changsik regretted it. And then, he epted it. Even despite his cautions, he had still taken the Labyrinth of Penance too lightly. ¡®Are the others¡­ still not here yet?¡¯ Changsik checked his surroundings, but there was only one stone chair. He couldn¡¯t see anything else other than that. Seating himself in the stone chair, Changsik examined what interested him the most. [Mental Contamination: 79/100] Mental Contamination 79. If things had gone wrong even just a little bit, or if Changsik had been pulled out of there even a momentter, he would have faced a terrible fate. ¡®If mine¡¯s this high¡­ then the other people¡¯s should be¡­¡¯ Changsik didn¡¯t finish that negative thought. He wanted to hold onto even the tiniest sliver of hope. And then, more messages came up. [You have ovee your penance.] [You are granted the right to challenge the truth.] [You must wait until the fates of all the gents are decided.] [Hunger disappears.] [Thirst disappears.] ¡°Is it¡­ telling me to wait?¡± It was almost as if the system¡ªno, thebyrinth was telling Changsik that. It told him to wait, that the most important thing had not arrived yet. Changsik, a bit frustrated, stood up and took a couple of steps from his chair. ¡°Urgh¡­ Aaargh!¡± Crumble¡­ The small rock he kicked fell off and into the void. ¡°Where¡­ is this ce?¡± The ce Changsik was at was a bit too special to be just called a ¡®room.¡¯ He felt almost like he was at the subway station, where a couple too many steps would lead to him falling down into the tunnels. A difference in height that might even cause a few broken bones. However, amid of that void, there was a floating square tform connected to the ce Changsik was at by a single bridge, just wide enough for one person to cross. Changsik ultimately decided not to make any rash decisions and waited for Snowman. After all, it was only thanks to Snowman that he was able to ovee his penance. ¡®We would have all died if he didn¡¯te with us, I¡¯m sure of it.¡¯ Still, it seemed like understanding the situation quickly was one of Changsik¡¯s strong points. Changsik sat down in his chair once more and looked in front of him. ¡°...Statues?¡± Five statues were all looking straight ahead. The first was the statue of a knight wielding a sword. The second was the statue of a robed magician carrying a staff. The third was of a priest in ceremonial robes carrying arge book. The fourth was the statue of a demonic beast carrying a treasure chest. And thest statue was of a reaper carrying an ominous scythe in one hand and amp in the other. Changsik felt oddly drawn to those statues, and as he had nothing else to upy his time, he spent a few days nkly watching them. However, all of it changed after a single message popped up. [An individual¡¯s mind has beenpletely tainted.] ¡°...What?¡± A door opened at the same time the message arrived, but it wasn''t the door Changsik came through. Instead, it was a door near it. ¡°Guaaaaaaargh!¡± Thuuud! The door opened with a loud thud as something slipped out. ¡°I-Is that a person¡­?¡± No, it was too gaseous, too liquid to be called a person. However, Changsik instinctively knew what it was the moment heid his eyes on it. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ is it a soul?¡± Someone¡¯s soul was screaming in agony as it flew off. It was flying to the statue of the scythe-wielding reaper. ¡°Gaaaaaaargh¡­¡± Fwiiirl! The soul was sucked into the reaper¡¯smp. Hummm¡­ Hummm¡­ Themp hummed for a moment before turning silent once more, as if nothing had happened. The reaper''s eyes shed red before slowly dimming down into nothing. ¡°N-No. This is¡­¡± It was a ce where escape was impossible, even through death. The Labyrinth of Penance had yet to reveal its true form. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Emptiness, Doubts. Seol felt peaceful after oveing the two penances. ¡®I¡¯m clearing the Labyrinth of Penance faster than the Blood Saint did, I¡¯m sure of it.¡¯ Seol was progressing through the Labyrinth of Penance much smoother and with better performance than a piece who attempted Ascension, despite being much earlier in the game. Seol was extremely encouraged as he saw a visible achievement right before his eyes. ¡®Still¡­ someone¡¯s mind was fully tainted already?¡¯ The mental damage became dangerous once the value reached 80. It was at that point you began hearing nonsense and seeing hallucinations. It wouldn¡¯t take too long after that for you to finally crumble. ¡®Now that I think about it, it¡¯s already been over a week.¡¯ Seol had taken a week to clear just two penances. Emptiness, Doubts, Pain, and Patience¡­ Seol was certain that the four gents who also entered their respective doors were struggling as well. ¡®The person who had their mind fully tainted¡­ It¡¯s most likely the person who entered the Door of Patience.¡¯ In Seol¡¯s opinion, Patience was the hardest, while Emptiness and Doubt had somewhat normal difficulty. Pain, on the other hand, was the easiest among the four. ¡®But to think they were fully tainted already¡­ it¡¯s a shame.¡¯ However, since everyone entered thebyrinth willingly, any emotion beyond that would be excessive. ¡®Mental Contamination 28¡­ It¡¯s not a bad start at all.¡¯ Seol had to ensure his Mental Contamination value didn¡¯t reach 100 before reaching the end of thebyrinth. And for that reason, he had to ensure his Mental Contamination value did not umte too high in the early easy and normal penances. ¡®The main problem is the Gate of Patience¡­¡¯ The reason Seol believed it required at least a month to clear thebyrinth was because of the Penance of Patience. In fact, the majority of thebyrinth was spent clearing this specific gate. The Penance of Patience demanded the gent invest a specific amount of time to clear it, and there were hardly any ways to reduce this duration. ¡®Well, that¡¯s for me to worry about after I clear Pain.¡¯ Judging by his dark surroundings, it was likely Seol was currently in the Gate of Pain. And just then, Seol heard a voice from his Shadow Space. ¡°Master! Are you alright?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± Fwiiirl! Fwirl! Karen and Karuna came out of his shadows to stand by his side. Karuna then spoke up. ¡°We were trapped in the Shadow Space by some unknown power¡­¡± Karen nodded. ¡°I was worried that they would trick you¡­¡± ¡°Trick me?¡± Seol slyly smiled at Karen¡¯s worries. Jamad spoke as well from the Shadow Space. ¡°She shouted so much despite the fact that you couldn¡¯t hear us¡­ it was a terrible experience.¡± ¡°Maybe he could have heard it?¡± Seol shook his head. ¡°Tch¡­¡± Karen crossed her arms and looked elsewhere. ¡°But where are we?¡± ¡°The next Gate.¡± ¡°It feels¡­ a little different, though? What are we supposed to do here?¡± ¡°This time¡­ it really isn¡¯t much.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Seol gazed into the dark space. Step¡­ A statue, roughly the size of Seol, appeared from afar. It wore armor and carried a longsword in its hands. ¡°What is that?¡± asked Karen. ¡°We just have to break it,¡± answered Seol. ¡°Really, is that it?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± Dash! Karen leaped at the statue. Fwooosh! The knight statue thrusted its sword at Karen. Fwip! After easily avoiding the attack, Karen swung re. Crumble! Karen cleanly sliced the statue¡¯s head off. Her swordsmanship was the kind that drew out admiration. Thud¡­ The headless statue fell to the floor. Karen turned around, back to Seol, and took a yful bow. ¡°How did you enjoy the swordsmanship of the Montra Empire?¡± p p p! ¡°It was amazing. So, on that note¡­ why don¡¯t you show us more?¡± ¡°...What?¡± [Pain has not been satisfied yet.] [Your mind is tainted.] Karen turned around to face the statue. However, this time, there were two. ¡°Well, shall I show you a bit more?¡± Seol shrugged. Dash! It wasn¡¯t too different from what happened earlier. Karen¡¯s sword swiftly beheaded the two statues. Thuud! ¡°Fuuu¡­ You saw that, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I fully enjoyed it.¡± ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± [Pain has not been satisfied yet.] [Your mind is tainted.] Seol winced as he shook his head. Karen, sensing something ominous, turned around once more. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± There were four statues now. ¡°How long¡­ do we have to do this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ until we draw out everything we have?¡± While the Penance of Pain was the easiest gate to clear, there were also no tricks behind it. All you had to do was give it your all in destroying the statues over and over again. Cruuuush! Cruush! Seol had a scowl on his face as he spoke. "Just think of it as a short trip into hell." * * * Cruuuuush! Thuuud! Stab! ¡°Argh! That hurts!¡± Baaaam! Crumble¡­ Karen swung her sword at the statue that had stabbed her, severing its head. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Haah¡­¡± Seol¡¯s party had be a total mess. Seol was so exhausted that maintaining the Night Crow form became difficult, and his summons werepletely drained of energy as well. The only thing they could see around them was the debris of countless statues. While the earlier cuts were delicate and clean, the subsequent injuries were brutal, as if a starving beast had charged across the room, tearing through the statues. Their remnants scattered across the floor, creating a flurry of dust. Thud. Only after using everyst drop of energy did Seol see the final message. [Pain has been satisfied.] Seol¡¯s mind felt hazy, like a cloud had been cast over it. [You have ovee Pain.] [Pain disappears from the Labyrinth of Penance.] [Mental Contamination: 41/100] ¡­¡­ Crumble¡­ Flinch¡­ It was only after a little while that Seol realized the next penance had already begun. Crunch¡­ There was sand in Seol¡¯s mouth. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Seol tried his hardest to help himself up. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Seol found himself in a desert with nothing but sand and the scorching sun. ¡®So the Penance of Patience has already started. But¡­¡¯ Seol did not know how much time had passed. But first, he opened his inventory to satiate his hunger and thirst. ¡°Haah¡­¡± The water he brought lost its original color. It was white, as if someone had poured ash into it. Looking at it with the Eyes of Perception, it was clear this would give him a painful death. ¡®I can¡¯t drink any of my water. Then what about the food¡­¡¯ Seol scowled after looking at his food pouch. ¡°It¡¯s all rotten.¡± Seol¡¯s Fresh Ingredients Pouch wasn¡¯t working. It was likely due to thebyrinth being a special location affecting it. Fortunately, his seasoning jar was still fine. However, that wouldn''t be enough for survival. ¡®This is rough from the start.¡¯ The three months'' worth of food and water Seol brought to clear the Penance of Patience had all turned rotten. Truthfully, Seol wasn''t even sure if he could bring in food in the first ce. He thought it would be fortunate if he could at least bring in water, but he was unable to save anything. ¡®Haah¡­ then I guess it¡¯s exactly like the time I attempted it with the Blood Saint now?¡¯ Even though Seol had wasted three months¡¯ worth of food and water all at once, he didn¡¯t despair and kept himself moving. The Blood Saint had survived a situation like this too. There was no reason Seol, who had already experienced the same hell once, wouldn''t be able to again. At least, that¡¯s what he believed. Like that, three days had passed. * * * It was around this time when Seol realized he had made a grave mistake. Even though he expected to find food much earlier, he still hadn¡¯t seen anything. ¡°Haaaah¡­ Haah¡­¡± Since he hadn¡¯t eaten anything, and there was nothing to sate his hunger either, his body was now facingplications. ¡°Damn¡­ it¡­¡± Thud. ¡®I didn¡¯t think it would drop me off in apletely different location this time¡­¡¯ Despite being dropped into a desert, the Blood Saint managed to find something to eat or drink at least once every two days. Consequently, this implied that Seol¡¯s situation was much harsher than his time as the Blood Saint. Seoly on the floor and looked up into the clear blue sky. How was there a ce like this in thebyrinth? Lately, Seol was having these kinds of strange thoughts, even more than thoughts about ways to find food. ¡°Haha¡­ at least give me something¡­¡± But then, something Seol didn¡¯t expect at all happened. ¡°Are you alive?¡± Someone had spoken to him. At first, he thought it was one of his shadows from the Shadow Space, but it wasn¡¯t. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m hearing hallucinations now¡­¡± ¡°Kid, how¡¯d you get in here?¡± ¡°...What?¡± It was only when someone obstructed his view of the clear blue sky that Seol realized these weren¡¯t mere hallucinations. ¡®...A person? There¡¯s¡­ a person in thebyrinth?¡¯ He certainly wasn''t someone who came to clear thebyrinth either. After all, no one would ept someone as old as him into their party. The man appeared to be in his forties or fifties, and had a full beard. The man then took out something from his inventory. ¡°I picked this dragon fruit a few days ago. If you¡¯ve copsed because of hunger, you¡¯re wee to eat it.¡± Currently, Seol was more shocked by the fact he had encountered another person here, than by the discovery of food after three days. Seol had a nk look on his face as he epted the fruit. He then asked the man a question. ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± ¡°Are you asking me for my name?¡± ¡°Your name¡­ Yeah, your name.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve said something other than ¡®I¡¯ or ¡®me¡¯.¡± The older man gave a smile, revealing a few missing teeth. ¡°Toki. I¡¯m pretty sure that was my name in the outside world.¡± ¡°Toki¡­? No way¡­ There¡¯s no way¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Toki, a shoddy monk from the backstreets. A person whom Seol loved dearly, as well as Seol''s first piece to challenge the Labyrinth of Penance. And... a piece Seol lost to thebyrinth. ¡°Kid?¡± ¡°...You were still alive?¡± Toki was still wandering thebyrinth. Chapter 124 Seol was more than just shocked. He was utterly astonished. ¡®My piece¡­ was still alive?¡¯ All of the pieces Seol had encountered so far were dead when he met them. While he could usually somewhat contain the intense surge of emotions upon meeting them, this time was different. "There''s nothing better than dragon fruit when you''re on an empty stomach like that. You''re free to skip it if you''re too suspicious, but are you sure you''ll be okay? You look like you''re on the verge of death." ¡°......¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk¡­ What¡¯s with your face? Ah, are you experiencing pain mentally?¡± Toki was referring to thebyrinth¡¯s Mental Contamination. Seol shook his head and answered back. ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Toki. I¡­ My name is Snowman.¡± ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°So how¡­ in here¡­¡± Tokipletely ignored Seol and simply watched the horizon. ¡°The sun will set soon. Since this isn¡¯t an appropriate ce to talk, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Go where¡­¡± ¡°Where else? My house.¡± Seol realized that Toki had arrived here using some form of transportation. Oink¡­ Oink¡­ Arge desert boar was nearby with luggage dangling off of its back. ¡®...Did he tame it?¡¯ Desert boars were monsters that appeared in the Penance of Patience. With a violent disposition and incredible strength, desert boars were prone to stabbing anyone who dared to provoke them with their tusks. ¡°It¡¯s two people today, Chubs. Think you can handle it?¡± Oink oink¡­ ¡°Alright, hop on.¡± Seol looked confused as he got on the back of the desert boar named, ¡®Chubs.¡¯ ¡®...It¡¯s morefortable than I thought?¡¯ - It¡¯s sofortable, Snowman thought it was a sedan. - Did you see how confused he got? LMFAOOO - Who would ride something like this¡­ (falls asleep) ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Oink oink¡­ Rumble¡­ Chubs wasn''t lightning quick, but its speed was stillmendable, especially considering the challenging desert terrain that would catch your feet. Fwooosh¡­ The hot desert winds breezed past Seol¡¯s skin. It was something that would¡¯ve originally annoyed Seol if he was still walking through the desert. However, now that he was riding on the boar''s back, it even felt somewhat pleasant to him. ¡®Why is Toki still here?¡¯ There were more than just a couple of questions in Seol¡¯s head. How was Toki still alive? How had he managed to survive? ¡®I need to ask him¡­¡¯ However, Seol found himself on the verge, both mentally and physically. Simply traversing the boundless desert on Chubs''s back brought forth all his umted exhaustion at once. Even though Seol would typically never do something like this, meeting his own piece had instilled in him a sense of security. ¡®I¡¯m a bit sleepy¡­¡¯ Nod¡­ And like that, he lost consciousness. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°May God watch over our wandering hearts.¡± Seol heard a voice amidst the sound of a crackling fire. Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ It was a familiar voice. The warm heat enveloping him made Seol quickly realize he was lying by a fire. ¡°Hm? You¡¯re already up?¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­ My body is¡­¡± ¡°I know, heavy, right?¡± Toki''s response sent a shiver down Seol''s spine. Had Toki done something to him while he was asleep? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s natural. It¡¯s normal to be like that for a while when you first enter the desert. It was like that for me as well¡­¡± ¡°My body¡­ isn¡¯t¡­¡± rms were ring in Seol¡¯s head. ¡®My body¡­ isn¡¯t moving.¡¯ [You are exposed to Abnormal Status: Dehydration.] [You are exposed to Abnormal Status: Malnutrition.] [Your Mental Contamination has reached 50.] [You are exposed to Abnormal Status: Mental Fatigue.] There¡¯s a saying, ¡®When it rains, it pours.¡¯ Despite being inside the Labyrinth of Penance, Seol found himself currently helpless. tter¡­ And it seemed like Toki was making something. ¡°Alright. It should be edible with this.¡± The pleasant smell of a savory, sweet aroma slowly spread from the fire and into Seol¡¯s nose. Fuu¡­ Fuuu¡­ Toki blew gently onto the hot food on his spoon, a gesture clearly showing concern about its temperature. ¡°Alright, eat this.¡± Seol avoided eating anything offered by others. His distrustful nature, akin to a disease, often led to him declining the goodwill extended by others. And like always, Seol refused the food given to him by a stranger. However¡­ ¡®I haven¡¯t eaten anything for days¡­¡¯ Agony from starvation consumed Seol, and due to his empty stomach, his guard was much lower than usual. ording to Seol¡¯s memories, Toki was a monk faithfully devoted to a god, and he was extremely good-natured. If Seol had met Toki elsewhere, he would have eaten the food Toki offered him without much worry. ¡®However, right now, we¡¯re¡­¡¯ In thebyrinth. Not to mention, Toki had survived here for quite a long time. The Labyrinth of Penance ate away at the minds of the people who entered it. Seol had no idea if Toki had experienced a change of heart and be extremely twisted. However, as Seol was busy thinking, Toki stuck his spoon into Seol¡¯s mouth. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten something like this before, have you?¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­ What¡­¡± It was a taste that made you feel better. Moreover, it was warm, just enough to providefort. Seol realized something as Toki shed a big smile once more. ¡®What did I just¡­¡¯ Seol doubted Toki even though he was the one who forced him into thebyrinth. The familiarity he felt from Toki slowly changed intofort, then trust. ¡®You haven¡¯t changed at all, Toki¡­¡¯ And like that, Toki began looking after Seol for a few days. Seol couldn¡¯t understand Toki¡¯s behavior at all. Why was he going so far to help a stranger in this empty desert? ¡°Your stomach must be shocked. You should sleep a bit more.¡± ¡°...Why?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Why¡­ are you being so kind to me?¡± ¡°Ah, I see. So you were curious about that, weren¡¯t you, kid?¡± Tokiughed and shed his missing teeth once more. ¡°It¡¯s because all this time¡­ I¡¯ve been lonely¡­¡± Seol fell asleep once more after hearing his response. Seol felt much better the following day. However, his body felt bloated, like a cotton ball that had absorbed way too much water. The most he could manage was to lie down, as even moving was difficult. Despite this, Toki continued taking care of Seol. A day had passed, and then another. - Is this the new nursing simtor? - Is the Penance of Patience supposed to be a battle against sickness? - So Toki¡¯s the MC, right? And like that, Seol eventually fully recovered. ¡°You¡¯re up.¡± ¡°I feel a bit better now.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s a relief. I would have left you if you couldn¡¯t get up today.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°It was just a joke. Don¡¯t take it too seriously.¡± Seol pulled himself out of bed. Still, that didn''t mean it was morning. It was night, and darkness had enveloped Seol and Tokipletely. As Seol was getting up, Toki was cooking something by the campfire. ¡°Is it meat?¡± It¡¯s been days since Seolst had meat. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s nothing better than meat when you¡¯re recovering.¡± Even though Seol was drooling, he had a bigger question. Where did Toki find the meat? ¡®Well, I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t that big of a problem.¡¯ Seol, in a short period of time, hade to trust Toki. After all, if Toki had bad intentions toward Seol, he would have acted when Seol was unconscious and couldn¡¯t move. Considering Toki had been the one caring for him during his struggles, it wouldn''t make sense for Seol not to trust him. ¡°Toki, I have a question.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ a question when you just got up? You really keep yourself busy, don¡¯t you. Alright, what is it?¡± - How did he know? - He does keep himself busy, though LOL Seol asked Toki while epting the meat Toki had cut for him. ¡°How¡­ did you end up here?¡± ¡°Ah, it was something like that?¡± ¡°I was curious.¡± In truth, Seol already knew about Toki¡¯s circumstances. After all, every piece in The World of Eternity included a detailed backstory when the yer created them. It offered yers all the necessary information about the character''s life so far and the reason why they got into this line of work. ¡°While I don¡¯t particrly enjoy talking about the past¡­ I guess there¡¯s no reason to hide it when it¡¯s been a long, long while since I¡¯ve met someone. It¡¯s not like you can spread rumors about me either, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°...Well, this is thebyrinth.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ exactly.¡± Toki took a bite of the meat and began talking about himself. ¡°I was an orphan, abandoned at a remote town when some epidemic was going around. The townspeople, taking pity on a baby who still needed breastmilk, took me in and raised me. It was a miracle when you considered how eating children wasmon then due to theck of food.¡± Seol nodded. Toki¡¯s backstory was exactly as Seol remembered it. "I always made an effort to express my gratitude. Repaying the people and the god who bestowed life upon me seemed only fair, didn''t it? I¡­ had faith that this hope would one day save me." However, Toki¡¯s faith did notst. As Seol expected, Toki¡¯s eyes showed a deep sorrow. ¡°One day, my wife, my daughter¡­ and most of the townspeople died.¡± - Hold on, I have to go. I can¡¯t watch this. - You cannot escape. This is thebyrinth. Toki looked extremely calm for someone who shared such a shocking story. "It happened while I was outside the house for a bit. Due to our vige''s remoteness, we often faced bandits who piged for food around that time of the year. I thought we had safely passed over such threats this year, but... that became the source of our troubles." ¡°Did the bandits do it?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was them.¡± ¡°......¡± "I devoted my entire life to the god I worshiped. Creating a happy family wasn''t just about personal fulfillment. It was also a means to draw closer to him and to protect my beliefs." There was a reason Toki went on about this. Seol simply nodded, a gesture for him to continue. ¡°I chased after them.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°I attacked their base. When I regained my senses, everyone was dead except one person, and I was grabbing that terrified bandit by his cor. Can you guess what he said, quivering in fear?¡± ¡°......¡± The entire situation would have been new for Toki. "God, please rescue me from this despair." ¡°...The bandit looked to god.¡± ¡°At that moment, I could feel everything inside me twisting and turning. It felt as if my intestines were being pulled apart and tied into knots, while my bones broke with each word he said. Everything that I believe in and I did¡­ was refuted.¡± The bandit whoid waste to the town had looked to god. Toki must have felt his faith was being tarnished by the bandit. ¡°I''m sure they were also facing hardships during the winter because of the scarcity of food. And I¡¯m also sure they couldn¡¯t ovee their ownziness and chose the easier option than farming. Everything, even the smallest of things, has a reason behind it. Just like how they had a reason to attack my town.¡± ¡°Toki¡­¡± ¡°The martial arts I polished because of my faith in god¡­ were used to break their skulls and tear off their legs. Despite my efforts to draw closer to him, I only encountered more difficulties in understanding his will, and... I drifted further away from him.¡± ¡°Thest bandit¡­¡± ¡°I lost him. In that moment, my desire to kill himpletely disappeared. Did the god I worship save him? Then why¡­¡± Toki continued with a heavy expression. ¡°Why¡­ Why did he leave me in despair? Why¡­ Why didn¡¯t he save me?¡± ¡°.......¡± ¡°After that day, I left the town and wandered the world, hoping to understand why my god had responded to the bandit and ignored me.¡± Toki smiled. ¡°And like that, I ended up here.¡± ¡°...How long have you been in here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ how long has it been? It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve counted the days that I don¡¯t remember it at all now.¡± It would have been roughly 10 years. No, since he had forgotten his time in thebyrinth, it might have been even more. ¡®Still, that¡¯s impossible¡­ He managed to survive in the Penance of Patience for over ten years? There¡¯s no way his mind should still be fine¡­¡¯ Toki asked Seol after seeing the look in his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Feel free to ask me if you¡¯re ever curious about something. Haha... I''vee to realize the significance of conversation in life only now, after spending a considerable amount of time alone.¡± Because of Toki¡¯s response, Seol asked another question. ¡°Do you perhaps¡­ know anything about the Penance of Pain?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ You¡¯re referring to the gate where you have to fight a bunch of statues, right?¡± ¡°I am. I don¡¯t know why. It just felt a little¡­ different from the other penances.¡± This was a question even the Blood Saint couldn¡¯t answer. Seol hoped that Toki might have the answers to it. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know about that for now.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll learn it naturally once you reach the end of thebyrinth. Nothing good will happen from learning about it right now. Rather, you¡¯ll just¡­ break down.¡± ¡°Break down¡­?¡± ¡°Any other questions?¡± - (Didn¡¯t answer the question and just rambled about something else) Any other questions? - Any other questions (that I could actually answer)? Seol had only one question. He slowly opened his mouth to ask Toki. ¡°How have you been able to survive in here?¡± ¡°Haha... You were just unlucky. The only reason you hadn''t encountered anything was because you were dropped into a ce where there was practically nothing. In fact, this desert is filled with things you can eat if you just look around. It was only the specific spot where you were that had no food.¡± ¡°Filled with things you can eat? What do you¡­¡± Even the Blood Saint had to simply endure his hunger with his exceptional spirit. The only edible things he found from time to time were dragon fruits and lizards. The Penance of Patience was a survival test with no known end date. ¡°Where do you think I got that meat you just ate?¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­? Isn¡¯t it from the animals in the desert?¡± "You onlye across those when you''re really lucky. And even if it were one, it wouldn''t be enough meat to fully satisfy us both. Now, where do you think I got it?" Seol thought to himself and arrived at the answer. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s¡­ Chubs?¡± - NOOOOOO!!! - Not Chubs! - You evil bastards! ¡°...Of course not.¡± ¡°Then that means¡­ Oh my god, it¡¯s monster meat.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°But monster meat has poison in it which¡­¡± Seol quickly realized something was off. ¡®The meat I ate didn¡¯t feel like that at all, though?¡¯ In fact, the only thing Seol felt was that it was tasty. ¡°Haha¡­ You can think of it as a secret skill I was forced to learn to survive in this desert.¡± ¡°A secret skill?¡± ¡°I call it ¡®Monster Cooking.¡¯ What do you think? Interested? - A secret skill for cooking? There¡¯s no way I¡¯d say no!!! - It¡¯s making me drool haha Seol then saw a few options. [[Toki had awakened ¡®Monster Cooking¡¯ as a means of surviving in this desert. He has asked you a question, are you interested in learning¡­]] Before Seol could even see all of the options, he answered Toki. ¡°Of course.¡± "Alright, it feels like I''ve gotten my first student. You''ll have quite a number of new experiences as you learn from me." [You have found a suitable master for Talent ''Cooking''.] [The hidden advancement process for Talent ¡®Cooking¡¯ to Talent ¡®Monster Cooking¡¯ is underway.] Chapter 125 Something was running toward Seol. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh! It¡¯sing! It¡¯sing!!!¡± Toki was running as fast as he could. In contrast to the somber atmosphere he exuded the previous night, Toki bounced up and down as if he were as light as a feather. However, there was a reason behind this. It was due to the incredibly swift and colossal lifeform relentlessly pursuing them. The Crimson Desert Crown Scorpion. Not only did the scorpion boast ferocious and deadly ws, but it also wielded a venomous tail capable of puncturing almost anything. ¡°I-I brought it like I said I would!¡± Toki hadn¡¯t told Seol anything. - Does anyone remember hearing anything? - Uh¡­ not me. - Me neither. Seol hurriedly tried to use Shadow Summon. Glooow¡­ Fizzle¡­ ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Nothing happened despite Shadow Summon using Seol¡¯s mana. It wasn¡¯t like this when Seol was in here as the Blood Saint either. It was evident it was simply thebyrinth¡¯s whimsy. ¡®Then¡­¡¯ Fwirl! [You enter the Night Crow form with Shaman ¡®Jamad, the Volcanic¡¯.] [You absorb Jamad, the Volcanic¡¯s stats.] [Your ss is changed to Fighter.] Seol¡¯s Exceptional Skill, Night Crow, activated in the Penance of Patience like how it had activated in the previous gates. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Toki rolled to the ground while switching positions with Seol. As Toki rolled, Seol used his ck fist to swing at the scorpion¡¯s head. Baaaaam! ¡®Baaam?¡¯ Seol realized something was wrong with the attack¡¯s sound and sensation. Swiftly, he dodged to the side. Swoosh! The scorpion¡¯s tail swept through the area he previously was at. Even though Seol managed to dodge it, the attack¡¯s power sent a chill down Seol¡¯s spine. ¡°It¡­ didn¡¯t die?¡± Seol expected the scorpion¡¯s head to snap off entirely from that attack. However, the scorpion seemed unharmed. It casually turned its head and looked around, giving the impression it suffered no damage whatsoever. ¡°Not the head! You have to aim for its tail and its ws!¡± ¡°Toki?¡± ¡°Hyaaaaa!¡± Toki yelled and changed at the scorpion¡¯s tail. [Toki used Pure Fist.] [20% of the damage dealt will now be applied as true damage.] Baaaaam! ¡®Baaam?¡¯ It was another ominous sound. Toki ran toward Seol once more without looking back. ¡°Not the tail! Aim for its ws!¡± - What the hell LMFAOOOOOOO - So Toki didn¡¯t know either hahahaha - He doesn¡¯t know anything properly LOL Seol dashed in, toward the scorpion. Since Seol was much smaller than the scorpion, the scorpion struggled to fight Seol. Grab! Seol grabbed the scorpion¡¯s right w. ¡°Hrgh¡­¡± Crack¡­ And he put all his strength into pulling it backward. Craaaack! Kieeeeeeek! [Crimson Desert Crown Scorpion¡¯s right w has been destroyed.] [Crimson Desert Crown Scorpion is unable to maintain bnce.] [Crimson Desert Crown Scorpion takes damage over time.] As those messages popped up, Seol heard a sound next to him. ¡°Haaaaaargh!¡± Craaaaaack¡­ [Crimson Desert Crown Scorpion¡¯s left w has been destroyed.] [Crimson Desert Crown Scorpion is now defenseless.] [Crimson Desert Crown Scorpion will receive 300% damage for a short period of time.] ¡°Now! Jump him!¡± As if setting an example, Toki leaped in while the scorpion was vulnerable and stomped on it to shatter its carapace. ¡°Die! Die!¡± - He looks like a thug LMFAO - Did Toki¡¯s actor change? - Yeah, they did. We hope for your understanding ^^ However, Seol was already aware that Toki was originally someone like this. But... Even though he was aware of it, it didn''t mean it didn''t surprise him. ¡®He¡¯s always had a¡­ a light¡­ personality.¡¯ Toki, the Unseemly. Those who did not know Toki¡¯s true nature often mockingly referred to him by that nickname. ¡°What are you doing?! Stomp on him!¡± ¡°...Yeah!¡± Seol followed Toki¡¯s orders and began stomping all over the scorpion¡¯s body. - You are the sum of the people around you. - No! Children shouldn¡¯t watch this! Crack! Crack! After stomping on the scorpion for a while, it finally took itsst breath. [You have defeated Crimson Desert Crown Scorpion.] ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­ Good work. Great teamwork.¡± ¡°...Good work to you as well.¡± - So, which faction are you from? LOL - Which gang are you from, old man? - The ck Bear Faction? Your boss and I are practically brothers! Toki smiled wide. ¡°I¡¯m going to break it down now, so watch carefully and learn, alright?¡± ¡°...Okay.¡± Toki gave detailed exnations to Seol while using his knife to separate the scorpion¡¯s flesh from its carapace and storing it. ¡°For now, we¡¯ll only take this much. These guys spoil easily even if you cook them, so we can¡¯t eat it for long.¡± Since then, Seol has hunted with Toki every day, and each night, after their hunt, they sit by the campfire and talk. ¡°Often, people assume that monster meat is safe to eat as long as it''s cooked, but that misconception could lead to dreadful consequences. I, as an expert in monster cooking, believe that it is dangerous to do.¡± ¡°Okay, then¡­¡± ¡°Monsters all possess distinct characteristics. Not only that, the potency of their venom varies, the location where the venom is found is also¡­¡± Toki¡¯s descriptions went on and on. However, his descriptions were also considerate. He frequently considered Seol and exined things until Seol grasped the concepts. - It¡¯s¡­ much deeper than I thought? - I thought he¡¯d bullshit again¡­ - His lessons are¡­ normal? Seol didn¡¯t miss anything Toki taught him and did his best to learn everything. Like that, time continued to pass. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * - So¡­ when do we get to the main lecture? - Huh? Are youining about the curriculum? Do you not like lectures? - I don¡¯t. - Me too ?? - Look at the view count drop, LOL I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s putting the viewers through a Penance of Patience too¡­ - The thing that¡¯s more surprising is despite all this time, no one¡¯s stille close to Snowman¡¯s points. - Godman¡­ - I was a 3 million point monster, but now I¡¯m a busboy in the kitchen? [You have finished cooking.] [You have made a Spicy Steamed Desert Mole.] [Beginner¡¯s Luck activates.] [It smells great. The dish was a sess.] [This recipe has never been seen before.] [Your Constitution permanently increases by 1.] [You have been inspired.] [You feel like you will be able toe up with a recipe the next time youe across a new ingredient.] [Your cooking skills have slightly improved.] ¡°...It was a sess.¡± ¡°Hahaha! You definitely have the talent for it! You¡¯ve learned most of it now.¡± Seol tasted the monster dish he made with Toki. Bite¡­ ¡®It¡¯s delicious.¡¯ There was a crucial difference between Monster Cooking and regr Cooking. You made it as you pleased. Toki would asionally repeat the phrase ¡®a chef''s instincts¡¯ as he cooked. And each time, the way he cooked his dish was different. Surprisingly, However, every single one of his dishes was delicious. Not to mention that Seol had never gotten sick while eating his food. Toki¡¯s ability to prepare the meat and separate it from its poisons was otherworldly. At first, the only thought in Seol¡¯s head was that it was extraordinary. However, as Seol practiced, he was getting a feel for it. It was to the point that he now began drooling when he started hunting the monsters, thinking of possible recipes in his head. Seol, through his efforts, also learned that Toki¡¯s Monster Cooking also had a lot more benefits than simply using monsters as a source of food. One of the biggest benefits revealed itself after the dish was fully eaten. tter. Seol ced his bowl on the ground after finishing his meal. [You had an excellent meal.] [Monster Cooking¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You are able to use ''Sand Breath¡¯ for a day.] [A random stat is permanently increased by 1.] [Your Constitution permanently increases by 1.] It was this. The additional effects that would normally only activate when using carefully selected, high-quality ingredients kept activating after Seol ate the meals like it was nothing. It seemed like monsters themselves were counted as a special ingredient. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard to keep up with my lessons.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to teach you. You will inevitably learn the rest as you increase your own proficiency.¡± Seol nodded, then looked at his Talents. ¡®...Huh?¡¯ Even though ¡®Cooking¡¯ should have changed to ¡®Monster Cooking¡¯ after his lessons, nothing had changed at all. ¡°But! There¡¯s one important thing left!¡± ¡°......¡± - Ah¡­ hahaha¡­ - ???: You need to learn for another decade! - You thought it was over, huh? ¡°In fact, this might be the most important part. It¡¯s how to pick the correct ingredients.¡± ¡°Picking¡­ the ingredients?¡± ¡°Precisely. I''m sure you already know this by now, kid, but each monster has its own kind of poison. So far, I''ve taught you how to remove that poison, making it safe for us to consume, and you''ve mastered that part perfectly. However¡­ that''s only a small portion of Monster Cooking!¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°What are you going to do in a ce where there¡¯s no seasoning, no fire, not even tes?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say something as weak as dering that you won''t eat monsters!¡± - D-Do you really have to go that far? - Why is he making up some story for the worst-case scenario? LMFAOOO - I¡¯ll create a situation where you have to eat it! ¡°What do you n to do if a situation like that urs?¡± ¡°Probably¡­ eat it raw?¡± ¡°Precisely!¡± Even though Seol said it himself, he still found it ridiculous. How could anyone think about eating a monster raw? ¡°The human body is a miracle. No matter how poisonous the food is, once you get used to it, you¡¯ll only think of it as a food with a bit of an extra kick! Alright, now¡­ let¡¯s begin adapting your body.¡± Click¡­ An awful odor spread throughout the camp. ¡°It¡¯s the flesh of the scorpion we huntedst time. I¡¯ve matured it to the extent that it''s significantly less poisonous, to the point where it''s now edible. Now, are you ready?¡± ¡°By ready, do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ are you nning on giving up now?¡± ¡°......¡± "Did you genuinely n on learning Monster Cooking from me when you didn''t have a lick of tenacity? Those with tenacity might not always finish first, but those without it will always finishst!" ¡°...I¡¯ll eat it.¡± - Like I said, you are the sum of the people around you. - In the end, it ended up like this. - Someone get the ¡®To Be Continued¡¯ meme ready. Toki, the embodiment of someone unrefined, grabbed a piece of the meat and yelled. ¡°May god watch over us. Hah! I¡¯ll be going first!¡± Nom. Toki ced the scorpion meat into his mouth. And then¡­ Thud. Toki fell unconscious. - ???: I¡¯ll be going first! (to hell) - Huh? What is that light? Maybe I should go to it? - At the Gates of Heaven: What? So, how did you die? Why can¡¯t you answer me? - Jojo ¡®To Be Continued¡¯ sign: What? You want me to go back? Seol ced a finger beneath Toki¡¯s nose and at Toki¡¯s wrist. He was still breathing, and his heart was still pumping. He simply fell unconscious for a moment from the shocking pain. Seol let out a deep sigh and then also took a piece of the scorpion meat. [It tastes awful.] [Your body trembles.] [You have earned the achievement ''We¡¯ll Cheer for You''.] [You have earned the title ''Foolhardy''.] Thud. And, like Toki, Seol fell unconscious. - Argh, that¡¯s way too far! Do you really have to go so far? - At the Gates of Heaven: Who are you? Are you the friend of the guy who just came here? - Jojo ¡®To Be Continued¡¯ sign: Why are you making me go back again? - WTF LOOOOOL Toki¡¯s scarier than the desert. - This stream taught us that dying from starvation and dying from poison are just two sides of the same coin. - Thank you for watching Snowman up to now! And like that, a month had passed. Nom. [It tastes awful.] [However, it is a taste that you know very well.] [You notice a new, different vor.] [You have been inspired.] [Youe up with a new recipe.] [Your cooking skills have greatly improved.] ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ finallypleted all of the lessons. I congratte you oning all this way.¡± ¡°......¡± Seol¡¯s eyes were fiery with anger. - Let¡¯s never see each other again! - Please don¡¯t make Monster Cooking at home! Buy it! Seol saw a flurry of messages show up on his interface. [The hidden advancement process for Talent ¡®Cooking¡¯ to Talent ¡®Monster Cooking¡¯ has finished.] [Talent ''Cooking'' has advanced to ''Monster Cooking''.] [You are now able to expertly cook monster meat.] [The poison of the monster meat you cook is significantly reduced.] [You have experienced a new horizon in cooking.] [Your cooking skills have significantly improved.] [Your odds of creating an exceptional dish is significantly increased.] [The influence of ingredients on the dish¡¯s quality is reduced.] [You are now able to use ''Taste Test''.] [You are now able to differentiate edible ingredients more easily.] Seol received more messages after that too. [The hidden advancement process for your talent has beenpleted.] [You are the first to advance a Talent to a Rare Talent.] [You have earned the special achievement ''Effort Is a Talent Too''.] [You have earned the special title ''Gifted''.] Chapter 126 ¡®A Special Title!¡¯ Even though it felt like Seol was now collecting titles whenever he breathed, it still felt amazing whenever he acquired a Special Title or an Inaugural Title. [[Title: Foolhardy] Rted Achievement: We¡¯ll Cheer for You (Adventure: Labyrinth of Penance) Bonus Effect: Your odds of being poisoned are slightly reduced.] [[Special Title: Gifted] Rted Achievement: Effort Is a Talent Too (Adventure: Labyrinth of Penance) Bonus Effect: The rate at which your Talent''s proficiency increases during study or practice is improved. Additionally, the rate you are inspired is increased.] ¡®It¡¯s a title rted to Talents.¡¯ Seol had two Talents. The first was Monster Cooking, which advanced from Cooking, and Insight. ¡®I was thinking Insight would advance soon too¡­ this will help it out.¡¯ Based on how Seol received a message that Insight¡¯s proficiency was greatly increased previously, it was likely that Insight¡¯s advancement would happen soon as well. And this title would reduce the time Seol needed to get there. - Finally ?? - I thought it¡¯d take 3 days at the most, but¡­ I guess it really is a deep study. - It would have went a lot faster if they didn¡¯t knock out every time LOL - Fainting is just a part of the curriculum ?? ¡®Even so¡­ has it been two months already?¡¯ It was nearing the three-month point since Seol entered the Labyrinth of Penance. However, he had spent over two months in just the Penance of Patience. ¡®I¡¯ve searched arge area around here, but I wasn¡¯t able to find any door.¡¯ There wasn¡¯t a specific, concrete method to escape the Penance of Patience. Even the Blood Saint wandered around for a while before stepping through a door that suddenly appeared. Seol slowly started to be impatient. [Your Mental Contamination has reached 70.] That was the message that appeared not too long ago. ¡®If it gets dyed any further¡­ it could be dangerous.¡¯ The next day, Seol approached Toki to receive his council. ¡°So¡­ Toki.¡± ¡°Hey, it looks like we have to move our base.¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Surprisingly, the first to bring this up was Toki. "Isn''t it slowly approaching the time... when you have to find the door now?" ¡°......¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then. It didn¡¯t seem like the door was anywhere near here. You haven¡¯t¡­ found anything around here, right?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± Seol had forgotten it. Toki, too, hade in here as a gent. ¡®He needs to find the door as well.¡¯ Seol had been searching for the door for two months, but Toki had been searching for it for ten years. Seol had been forgetting that fact. Toki smiled wide and spoke to Seol once more. ¡°Let¡¯s go find the door.¡± Since then, Seol wandered the desert with Toki and Chubs. Fwiiiiiii! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Sand continued to enter Seol¡¯s mouth despite his efforts to cover it. He had to conserve the water he had barely managed to scrape together. Even though Seol was somewhat able to solve his hunger, he wasn''t satisfied merely because his stomach was full. Toki¡¯s beard had grown to the point that it was practically a bush, and Seol had grown a beard as well. Fwooosh¡­ Particles of sand clung to their beards. ¡°Haah¡­ Haaah¡­¡± They had been wandering for ten days. To begin with, they hadn¡¯t found the door yet. Despite that, Toki didn¡¯t lose his smile. Toki remained positive even when Seol, someone who was a bit emotionally detached, struggled. ¡°What about here? We could set our base here for now and resume our search.¡± ¡°...Alright.¡± ¡°Cheer up. At least we don¡¯t have to starve anymore, right?¡± Toki shed his missing teeth. Still, Toki¡¯s smile was more than enough to wash away Seol¡¯s pessimistic attitude. Toki truly was a special person. He was also someone Seol loved dearly. This sentiment remained true even now, of course. Seol didn¡¯t know how to describe him. Toki was someone who had separated himself from the world and only kept happiness by his side while pushing down his pains. Even though it seemed impossible for someone like that to actually exist, Toki was proof they really did, in fact, exist. Each night, Toki would say the same thing to Seol. ¡°I pray that God grants you a pleasant dream.¡± The reason Seol¡¯s Mental Contamination did not surpass 70, despite spending over three months here, was likely because he was in there with Toki. He wasn¡¯t lonely. It was manageable. As long as he was with Toki. Smile Whenever he saw Toki¡¯s smile, he was reminded he wasn¡¯t alone in this painful desert. Their days together continued. Whenever it was bright out, he wandered with Toki. ¡°So, what I¡¯m trying to say is that effort won¡¯t solve anything, but you shouldn¡¯t make conclusions without putting the effort in first. Those without tenacity are pessimistic¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s the fifth time.¡± ¡°Huh? What is?¡± ¡°Your fifth time bringing this up.¡± ¡°Hahaha! That still isn¡¯t enough!¡± - Stop¡­ Please stop¡­ - I got it! So he¡¯s the real boss! - Gotcha bitch! Like that, Toki and Seol enjoyed such talks during the day, and¡­ Dash! Ffft! ¡°Your waist is open!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± Fwooosh! ¡°Your legs aren¡¯t sturdy enough!¡± Baaaam! ¡°Ah! Sorry!¡± Seol was tossed into a pile of sand. He spat out sand while dusting himself off and standing up. ¡°I have a bit of sand in my mouth, but I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°Are you upset?¡± ¡°Again!¡± ¡°Haha! Youth really is the best! I love that energy!¡± Seol wasn¡¯t just surprised by Toki¡¯s heart. Baaam! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s just because youck experience. Your movements aren¡¯t bad.¡± Every night, before dinner, Seol and Toki sparred to improve their skills. Seol''s Shadow Summon might have been sealed, but since he could still transform into an experienced fighter when he entered the Night Crow form, a monk made for quite a nice sparring partner. However¡­ Baaam. ¡°Krrgh¡­¡± ¡°W-Was that one too strong?¡± ¡°Bwrgh¡­¡± Seol fell to the sand and began vomiting. ¡®He¡¯s¡­ way too strong.¡¯ Toki was powerful. This was the true form of Toki, the Unseemly. Toki, despite being a monk, had nearly zero divine power, and his method of praying was always different. He did whatever he pleased. He was clearly a shoddy monk, but the strength that he had umted wasn¡¯t a lie. ¡®Well¡­ he did eat food made from monsters for over a decade¡­ his stats must be monstrous too.¡¯ Toki was strong originally as well, but he was even stronger now. ¡°How could you throw sand into my eyes like that?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry¡­ Should I wait for you to transform as well?¡± ¡°......¡± - He¡¯s not wrong LOL - I mean¡­ you gotta wait for them to transform, right? LOL - FOR SUUUUUURE ¡°There¡¯s nothing unfair in life.¡± ¡°I never said it was unfair.¡± ¡°Ah, really?¡± - He knew it himself too LOL - He admitted it haha Seol clenched his teeth and shouted again. ¡°Again!¡± ¡°Haha, nice tenacity!¡± Bam! Baaam! Their sparring sessions were a significant help in oveing the boredom that faced them wandering the desert. Toki¡¯s small teachings helped Seol fill what he wascking. One day, Toki suddenly said something to Seol. ¡°Let me pass down to you my secret skill.¡± ¡°Secret skill?¡± ¡°Watch carefully and learn.¡± Dash! Toki sprinted across the sands and weirdly punched the air before gesturing like he clenched something. ¡°Now! Attack him!¡± ¡°...What? What are you¡­¡± ¡°Huh?! This is why kids like you need to know how to read the room¡­¡± Toki then began exining. ¡°Now, this is a secret skill called ¡®Mob Beating...¡¯¡± - He¡¯s just jumping a dude LMFAOOOO - He¡¯s ganging up on someone LOLLL - I can¡¯t believe he talks about it like a secret skill hahaha - Toki pulled a Toki haha - Isn¡¯t this just being like, ¡°I¡¯ll grab him, you hit him!¡±? If it¡¯s a 17 vs 1, this is what the 17 would naturally do. - This is too embarrassing to even call a skill HAHAHA * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol showed his disappointment and asked Toki a question. ¡°Is that¡­ all?¡± However, it was Toki who felt more disappointed, not Seol. ¡°Why¡­ is it weird? Or¡­ are the motions embarrassing?¡± - Don¡¯t be sad! - You did nothing wrong, Toki! - Fucking Snowman! Hurry up and learn it! Seol shook his head. ¡°Not at all. I was just so interested in it that¡­¡± ¡°Haha! I knew you¡¯d recognize the point of interest in this. This secret skill isn¡¯t used to overwhelm someone when you outnumber someone. That would be too unfair, right?¡± - What? He knew it too? - Toki¡¯s capable of self-reflection. "This skill is used by the weak to fight the strong. Now! Follow along. This is Mob Beating.¡± ¡°...this is Mob Beating.¡± ¡°No, I was talking about the movements!¡± Like a ground move from MMA, Toki put his arms through Seol¡¯s armpits and sped them together behind his head. ¡°You can only call yourself a true fight once you are capable of this.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°The weird movements in the beginning are to take away their sight and to get closer. They will 100% notice it if you approach them from behind, especially if they are someone who¡¯s strong.¡± ¡°Do I¡­ really need to learn this?¡± ¡°You learned the other skills really well. Do you not like this one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ It just seems like it¡¯s not useful if only I know this skill¡­¡± ¡°No, you have thepletely wrong idea! This skill¡¯s point, surprisingly, is the person attacking, not the person holding the target.¡± Seol was surprised by it. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°The attacker must strike immediately for the one restraining the target to avoid being attacked. Keep that in mind. Drill this into your head! You have to pour out everything when that small opening is created. That''s why it''s a secret skill. So, um¡­¡± - I¡¯m dropping this course. - I can feel my course fees crying. - Can ya¡¯ll see this? This is why college is a scam! There were some teachings that Seol didn¡¯t understand, like that one, but he still learned a lot through their spars. Dash! Bam! In the beginning, Seol had a lot of unnecessary movements in his fighting style. However, now, he moved like an experienced fighter in the backstreets. The problem was that his movements were now too much like it. As Seol absorbed Toki¡¯s moments and worked on their teamwork, he received a message. [Superb teaching has elevated you to another level.] [Awakening! You awaken a new skill.] [You awaken Passive: Debauchee''s Movements.] - Superb teaching SHEEESH - Haha! It¡¯s a sess! You¡¯ve be a great debauchee! Now, let¡¯s go roll dice! - Even the system admits that it looks bad LOL As night came over the desert, the two went to sleep. Toki used to have minimal sleeping habits, allowing Seol to enjoy restful nights. However, as their search for the door continued, Toki''s sleeping habits worsened, eventually reaching a point where they started to disrupt Seol''s sleep. ¡°...Wh-why should I¡­ Why?!¡± ¡°...Toki?¡± ¡°Why¡­ should I¡­ here!¡± ¡°Toki!¡± Seol ran toward Toki, who was breathing heavily, and shook him awake. ¡°Krah!¡± Toki woke up, letting out a loud shout. ¡°Haah¡­ Haaah¡­ Th-thank you.¡± ¡°Were you having a nightmare?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s a dream I have often.¡± Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ They struggled to fall back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night. As a result, the two of them sat by the campfire to warm their bodies. Seol broke the silence. ¡°What kind of dreams were you having?¡± ¡°...Are you curious?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Toki thought for a moment before speaking. ¡°Have you¡­ ever thought that the fate given to you was cruel?¡± ¡°The fate given to me¡­ is cruel.¡± Seol was also a victim of fate. It isn¡¯t every day that you fall from the heavens and get wrapped up in a strange plot. ¡°Like I¡¯ve said before, I did note from the best home.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Still, even someone like me had a dream. I wanted to be an excellent monk, spreading peace and guiding those evil to good through faith. Perhaps, in those days, I believed that bing a monk was the route to redemption despite my troubled origins.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°That was probably the first time that I felt fate was cruel. One day, a priest came to me. He told me that he didn¡¯t even feel an ounce of divine power from me. He doubted if it would even ever sprout.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Could you imagine how much I despaired? Especially since I believed that a fist without faith was simple violence¡­ ah, there¡¯s a funny story about that too. The priest who told me that was caught visiting brothels with the money the people donated to the church. And because of that, he was beaten to death by the believers.¡± Toki sighed. ¡°Yeah, even though he died like that¡­ the priest''s words were right. I had nothing. Not mana, not divine power, not even athleticism.¡± ¡°Still, now you¡¯re¡ª¡± "I''ve managed to refine my body to this extent through my faith, but... this is my limit. Others are going forth into the world to make it better, but I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m still here. I wonder how unsightly my struggles were to them.¡± Toki sprinted with all his might, his gaze fixed solely ahead. However, to those ahead of him¡­ it would have appeared nothing more than child''s y. ¡°Toki, the Unseemly. That¡¯s what they called me. Do you think I¡¯m unseemly too?¡± ¡°...Not at all.¡± ¡°I lost track of what I was talking about. We were talking about how cruel fate was, right? Yeah¡­¡± Toki looked like he was in pain. ¡°When I first entered the Labyrinth of Penance and was put to the Penance of Patience, I had guts. I was young, and I had a strong body. I believed I would ovee this trial easily and go save the world. Even though¡­ I was someone who couldn¡¯t even save myself.¡± Seol had momentarily forgotten about it, but Toki had spent years here. Despite his prolonged effort, he had yet to find the door. Toki kept moving his mouth, but the words didn¡¯te out. He simply swallowed it over and over. Until¡­ He said something Seol didn¡¯t expect at all. ¡°To tell you the truth¡­ I¡¯m already dead.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Chapter 127 ¡°One day, I was so exhausted from this never-ending penance that I struck my own head. I distinctly remember doing so.¡± What kind of ridiculous statement was that? It looked like Toki was confused as well. Toki, who had been acting normal this entire time, spoke about strange things after waking up from his nightmare. ¡°I was sure everything ended after that, but¡­ the next day began as if nothing had happened. So, I struck my head again on that day too. Yet once again, the next day began.¡± ¡°Did you¡­ continue to kill yourself like that?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure whether I thought I was dead or if I was really dead. But one day¡­ I had a dream. Someone who had turned their back on me was scolding me.¡± Toki began mimicking someone. - You fool, you stupid fool! ¡°When I heard that, I shouted out in anger. Why?! Why did I have toe to a ce like this?! Why?! Why must I endure a life more difficult than others?! I¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t hold on anymore.¡± Toki murmured to himself. "Oh God, the pain is unbearable. But then, that guy responded to me like this.¡± - One day, you will understand the reason behind all of this. The reason it had to be you. The reason you must endure this painful, never-ending trial. Seol gritted his teeth. Right now, it didn¡¯t matter who it was that appeared in Toki¡¯s dream. It could simply be a hallucination born from Toki''s pain, or it might truly be a divine god. ¡®...It¡¯s me. The person who left him here¡­ is me. I¡­¡¯ But one thing was certain, Seol was his god. Toki¡¯s god was Seol. ¡®I am his god, and the cruel fate he condemned.¡¯ And for that reason, Seol had to simply shoulder his guilt. Seol was filled with an emotion that he couldn¡¯t describe. Toki continued talking. ¡°I held on¡­ believing those words. And I still do now.¡± ¡°Then, Toki, are you¡­ one of the ghosts of thebyrinth?¡± ¡°You know about them?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve run into them before.¡± "They are fugitives of thebyrinth. As thebyrinth eats away at you, youe to understand that it is, in fact, alive. After utterly shattering the mind of the gent, thebyrinth reaps them. These fugitives elude thebyrinth''s eyes because they wish to avoid such a fate." ¡°Then how are you¡­¡± "I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s been a long time since I died, and my mind broke down. Even if I want to see the end¡­ for some reason, I can¡¯t anymore." With that, Toki finished. Even though this was supposed to be a time to spill one¡¯s heart, this time only served to prove how exhausted they were from the penance and thebyrinth. It felt as if their search would only continue, never-ending, filling their hearts with tension, much like standing on a shaky bridge. However, change can alwayse suddenly. An incident urred that turned their tiresome journey on its head. * * * It had been a few days since that talk. The two of them were wandering through the desert. Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ ¡°Huh? Chubs? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Snort! Chubs began hopping around, squealing with fear. Toki, upon seeing what had shocked Chubs, joined in with a shout. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Fwoooooosh¡­ ¡°It¡¯s a sandstorm! Run, Chubs!¡± Snort! Snort, snort! While searching for the door, Seol and Toki had run into a sandstorm. The swirling sands approached them relentlessly, and as the storm closed in, the pair was enveloped by despair. ¡®We can¡¯t avoid this!¡¯ Fwooooooooooosh! The sandstorm, faster than a human could run, swept everything up and sliced through the desert. Of course, it had also swept up Seol and Toki. * * * Seol felt the gritty sand in his mouth. He felt the thirst he had been holding back. Seol looked around, still covered in sand. ¡°......¡± Nothing. There was nothing. Nothing but sand. What happened to Toki? Negative thoughts rushed to Seol''s head. The dark, awful thoughts in his heart began creeping up. ¡®Did¡­ Did you die, Toki?¡¯ Seol¡¯s Mental Contamination rapidly increased. ¡°Haaah¡­ Haaaah¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t even breathe properly. [Your Mental Contamination has reached 75.] No, he didn¡¯t want to be alone. ¡°Is¡­ Is there anyone out there?¡± [Your Mental Contamination has reached 78.] Please don¡¯t leave me alone in this desert. ¡°Toki! Toki! Nooooo!¡± [Your Mental Contamination has reached 82.] Seol sprinted through the desert like mad. However, Seol was now beginning to experience hallucinations as well, so even he was uncertain whether he was currently sprinting through the desert. ¡°Am I¡­ alone now¡­¡± [Your Mental Contamination has reached 85.] [Thebyrinth senses your Mental Contamination.] I can¡¯t do anything alone. Did I fail? ¡°I can¡¯t do it¡­ I know¡­ that I can never do it on my own¡­¡± [Your Mental Contamination has reached 90.] Yeah, let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s just give up. Seol epted his failure. He made a decision that he would never do originally. Thebyrinth was on the verge of breaking down his mind to the point of no return. But then, Seol felt something wrap around his body. It pulled him out of the sand. Grab. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°Wake up!¡± ¡°Kghh¡­ Krg¡­¡± ¡°Breathe! Breathe, you bastard!¡± ¡°Haaah¡­ Haaah¡­ Who¡­¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­ Didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t lose to thebyrinth? Look at me! Do you recognize me?¡± Seol¡¯s dull gazezily focused in. He saw Toki, smiling like always. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± Seol¡¯s Mental Contamination stopped climbing up after seeing his smile. ¡°Toki¡­¡± ¡°It seems like thebyrinth has contaminated your mind a lot. Thebyrinth was about to swallow you up, y¡¯know? You need to hurry up and get out of here.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no door¡­¡± Seol really did love Toki dearly. He was someone who always brought hope with him. ¡°I found the door.¡± Toki was Seol''s one true saint. * * * ¡°...You found the door?¡± ¡°Yeah, we can finally leave now!¡± As Seol shook his head to regain his focus, Toki continued. ¡°I¡¯m not lying. Now, get ready. We¡¯ll be getting out of here.¡± Toki moved and acted as if he was finalizing everything here. ¡°Chubs is dead. I think he got unlucky with an awkward fall¡­ a shame, really.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Chubs is¡­¡± Seol had also grown somewhat attached to Chubs, so he was saddened by the news. As long as it was something Seol could converse with, it didn¡¯t matter if it was a monster or a person. ¡°Still, I gave him a burial so he shouldn¡¯t be too sad. We¡¯ll leave tonight, so get ready.¡± Toki moved quickly, and his words seemed truthful, evidenced by his unwillingness to leave their spot. The two of them continued talking. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I am. Why are you surprised that my first love was the daughter of a noble?¡± - Because it¡¯s surprising. - Really surprising LOL The two continued to talk for quite a long while after too. However, Seol''s mind continued to be under attack, making it increasingly difficult for him to distinguish between reality and hallucinations. It felt like a dream. The situation itself¡­ the stories that Toki shared¡­ It was a scene that didn¡¯t fit the scenery. Seol was in the Labyrinth of Penance. And despite being in the Penance of Patience, the toughest of the Gates, he had been happily having conversations with someone else for months. For that reason, they savored their happiness more. Seol listened to Toki¡¯s every word, recognizing how precious this joy was. He did not miss a single word and treasured them all. And when it finally became night, Toki¡¯s stories stopped. ¡°Haha¡­ Looking back on it like this, maybe my life wasn¡¯t that bad at all! Then why don¡¯t we¡­ leave now?¡± ¡°Toki.¡± Seol became sure of something through their conversation. It was about the door that Toki had discovered. The origin of that door. ¡°Stop¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Toki.¡± ¡°...What are you talking about?¡± Toki was preparing to do something a fugitive of thebyrinth should never do. ¡°...You weren¡¯t able to find the door, were you?¡± ¡°...Kid.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t find the door! Tell me the truth!¡± Toki gave Seol a big smile. ¡°Yeah, I couldn¡¯t find it.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t look for it.¡± ¡°No, I must.¡± ¡°Why¡­¡± Toki¡¯s eyes were zing with passion. ¡°At this rate, we¡¯ll both be devoured by thebyrinth.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± While Seol found himself in a perilous situation with his Mental Contamination nearing critical levels, Toki, on the other hand, could endure as long as he wanted by simply continuing as he did before. Even if Seol failed, Toki was safe from thebyrinth. ¡°Snowman.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Have you¡­ realized the way to find the door?¡± Seol nodded. Usually, one should discover the door after traveling the desert for a while. There was only one possible reason they hadn¡¯t found the door yet. ¡°Toki¡­ there¡­ there has to be another way¡­¡± "You remind me of myself when I was young, so confident in myself despite my openings. I''m convinced God brought us together for this very reason." ¡°If someone has to die, then¡­¡± ¡°No! You¡¯re only saying that now because thebyrinth has eaten away at your mind. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll think of it differently once you escape thebyrinth. Also, this is a simple problem. It¡¯s a question of whether one of us dies or both of us dies. I thought you¡¯d at least be able to do subtraction¡­¡± ¡°...Both?¡± Toki spoke solemnly. ¡°I¡­ no longer have the confidence to endure it on my own. I¡¯ve learned how fun it is to be together.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°If only one of us can escape thebyrinth¡­ it should be you, not me.¡± Toki, with a grave look on his face, resolved himself and began his n. ¡°Oh,byrinth! I, Toki, am here! So¡­¡± Toki had endured all this time, hoping to learn why his life had been so difficult. But now, Toki was releasing the final barrier keeping his mind safe. An incredible energy swept through the desert. ¡°..e and take me!¡± [An individual¡¯s mind has beenpletely tainted.] Seol ran and shouted toward Toki, begging him to stop. However, he was the one who stopped after hearing Toki¡¯s words. ¡°We only have one opportunity! Don¡¯t waste it like a fool! Escape thebyrinth and greet the morning. As you already know, I¡¯m already dead. Something like this¡­ is a job for a person like me. And never give up, okay?! Those without tenacity¡­¡± Seol bit his lips and answered Toki. ¡°...will always finishst.¡± Smirk. ¡°So you haven¡¯t forgotten. Well then, don¡¯t best.¡± Creaaaaak¡­ The creak of a door opening. It was loud enough for both Seol and Toki to hear. Hum¡­ Arge, strange door opened. Hands of an ominous hue stretched out from the door and grasped Toki. Grab! Toki closed his eyes and murmured to himself as the hands wrapped around him more and more. "The reason I''ve lived up to now, the reason I''m here... I''ve realized it now. So, you''ve prepared me a seat for where I should be, haha! You really have no gaps, God. Urgh..." As the strange hands wrapped around him more and more, Toki left Seol with his final words. ¡°The reason behind everything¡­ was you.¡± Fwoooosh! ¡°Graaaaaaah!¡± Crack¡­ Snap¡­ Toki was sucked into the door by the mysterious hands. ¡°Toki!¡± Seol sprinted as if he was mad. He hoped that he could still grab him. However, the hands of thebyrinth were much quicker. Toki was dragged through the door in an instant. Then that meant¡­ there was only one way left to save Toki. Sprint¡­ After Toki was dragged through the door, Seol leaped into it just as it was closing. Creaaaaak¡­ Thud! The door closed. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Haaah¡­ Haaah¡­¡± ¡°Hyung¡­ I was just trying to help you¡­ Hyung¡­¡± ¡°Krgh¡­ Krah¡­¡± Thebyrinth¡¯s final gate. No one was seated in their chairs, but that didn''t necessarily mean everyone was standing up, either. Changsik looked down at Jaeho, who had Changsik¡¯s sword embedded in his stomach. As Seol was going through the difficult trial in the desert, they too were faced with a difficult trial. ¡°Why¡­ did you do that to Taegyu¡­¡± Taegyu was far from average after making it through the Penance of Pain. He was gasping for air with his chest caved in. It didn''t take long for him to breathe hisst breath. ¡°Hahaha¡­ It¡¯s because¡­ he was trying to stab m¡ª¡± Jaeho, who made it through the Penance of Doubts, also breathed hisst. Changsik was concerned when Jaeho hesitated to disclose his Mental Contamination value, but he never expected Jaeho to strike a fellow party member. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± What does it feel like to take the life of a close friend? If there was a devil, he would have surely asked Changsik that question. ¡°Arghhh!¡± [Your Mental Contamination has reached 77.] Changsik writhed in pain, grabbing his head with both of his hands. It was clear that if his Mental Contamination increased any further from here, he would also meet a simr fate. But then¡­ a loud sound came from the door behind him. ¡°Guaaaaaargh!¡± Thuuuud! Something had slipped out from the door. ¡®Did we fail?¡¯ Fwirl! Changsik cried as the soul was sucked into the statue¡¯smp. ¡°What¡­ What am I supposed to do now¡­? Wh-what am I supposed to do alone¡­¡± Changsik was in a panic, thinking that the soul had belonged to Seol. However, there was something that Changsik had missed. ¡°Cough¡­¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°Krgh¡­ Krg¡­¡± Seol heaved after he made it through the door, unable to recover from the shock. ¡°D-Did you seed?!¡± Seol then saw a few messages. [You have ovee Patience.] [Patience disappears from the Labyrinth of Penance.] [Mental Contamination: 91/100] Changsik quickly ran toward Seol and supported him. ¡°Is it finally over? Can we¡­ Can we escape this hell?¡± Seol sat down in the chair and slowly lifted his head. ¡°No¡­ not yet.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°We still have the final Gate left¡­¡± Seol gathered his breath and looked around him. ¡®A fight waits for you at the end of thebyrinth.¡¯ It was a fight with a strange wooden doll. When he cleared this Gate as the Blood Saint, he cleared it without much difficulty. In fact, it was the easiest Gate for Seol to clear. And then¡­ Hum¡­.! The statues began to quiver. Their eyes began to glow red as they spat out some yarn-like thing. [You begin the Final Penance.] ¡°...What is that? A doll?¡± The mysterious energy began to create something, resembling a doll. The creation had an appearance akin to a wooden doll, with distinctly unnatural joints. The doll, which had formed in the square space between Seol and the statues, stood still as if it had no soul. Everything up to this point was exactly as Seol remembered it. This also meant that Seol had practically cleared thebyrinth already. However¡­ nothing had ever gone the way Seol nned. [The division of pain begins.] [You must defeat the pain recorded within thebyrinth.] Fwooosh¡­ Something slipped out from the statues¡¯ eyes. It slowly, carefully moved forward before falling onto the doll. Click. The doll began moving. Rattling as it began to stand up. Seol knew many secrets about the Labyrinth of Penance, but there were still things that even he did not know. What happens to you after your soul is harvested? What is thebyrinth¡¯s purpose? Why did the Penance of Pain feel different from the other Penances? Seol then began recalling a conversation he had with Toki. - Do you perhaps¡­ know anything about the Penance of Pain? Toki hesitated for a moment before telling Seol this. - You¡¯ll learn it naturally once you reach the end of thebyrinth. Nothing good will happen from learning about it right now. Rather, you¡¯ll just¡­ break down. Seol now perfectly understood why Toki had told him that. ¡°Why¡­ Why did it have to be¡­¡± [Defeat Record of Pain: Finn Modria.] [Record of Pain: Finn Modria maintains only 20% of its original strength.] Thebyrinth, through the Penance of Pain, recorded the gent¡¯s strength. All in order to face the next gents. Creak¡­ The soul doll creaked its neck. A red light shone from its body. Shiiiiine! Fwooosh¡­ [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Vigorous Flow.] [The weakening effect is greatly reduced.] [Record of Pain: Finn Modria maintains only 25% of its original strength.] Seol looked at the soul doll. Finn Modria. He was one of Seol¡¯s pieces who challenged Ascension. ¡°...Why did it have to be you?¡± At the end of thebyrinth, Seol confronted the prints left behind by the Blood Saint. Chapter 128 Changsik shouted in shock. ¡°What¡­ What is that? What are we supposed to do? Are we supposed to¡­¡± ¡°...fight it.¡± ¡°Fuuu¡­ at least it¡¯s a doll. If it was a monster¡­¡± ¡°No. Haaah¡­ that isn¡¯t necessarily the case.¡± Seol continued. ¡°Right now¡­ that doll is the most dangerous thing here.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s 25% of his strength back then¡­¡± Finn had entered the Labyrinth of Penance after acquiring Blood of Origin from the Ancient Red Pce. ¡®That was the moment Finn¡¯s explosive growth began ¡­¡¯ Finn became incredibly powerful after clearing the Labyrinth of Penance, meaning he hadn¡¯t yet reached his prime while undergoing the trials within. When one considered the situation in that manner, there was no way a doll, who was only 25% as strong as Finn, could defeat Seol. However, the truth was different. There were two reasons for this. First, Finn entered the Labyrinth of Penance muchter than Seol. Seol had a clear direction for his piece, and it also possessed plenty of skills. ¡®And¡­ he likely has a few Exceptional Skills as well.¡¯ Seol possessed two Exceptional Skills as well. Karen¡¯s Sunset Draw was only usable in specific situations, and Night Crow was still iplete despite holding lots of potential. Possessing multiple skills meant that you had various paths to achieve victory. Seol, as he currently stands, isn¡¯t powerful enough to ovee them all. Second, it was a horrible matchup. Finn had extraordinary skills that were fatal to Seol. Since Seol didn¡¯t have many skills at the moment, Finn Modria was the worst opponent he could face right now. ''But just because I know that¡­ doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s a fight I can run away from.'' Seol had advantages to his side as well. First, Finn Modria only has 25% of his original stats from when he cleared the Labyrinth of Penance. While a 75% penalty was significant, considering how The World of Eternity granted more stats with progression, Finn Modria was currently at a simr level to Seol. Second, if thebyrinth was emting Finn¡¯s fighting patterns through the Penance of Pain, it should replicate them exactly as Finn did. However, Finn¡¯s fighting pattern was entirely created by Seol. Which also meant that Seol could predict most of what the doll would do. ¡®And¡­ that will be active too.¡¯ Lastly, Seol had experienced the Final Penance before. He knew about the special environmental changes that became active during the Final Penance. Not only did Seol know about them, but he also understood that leveraging those changes was the key to turning the tables. Step. Seol took a step toward the central square, ncing at Changsik. ¡°During this¡­ I won¡¯t be able to protect you.¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll protect myself, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll try my best to help.¡± Fuuu¡­ Tension filled the air as the two expected a brutal fight. Seol¡¯s heart felt heavier with each step he took. Sometimes, some fights were unavoidable. Seol stopped thinking about his odds of winning. If he had to fight, all he could do was try his best. Step. ¡°I want you to stay behind me first.¡± ¡°...Huh? O-Okay.¡± Changsik took a step behind Seol, his senses sharp. Step. As Changsik fully stepped into the square as well, a message popped up. [You have arrived at the end of the Labyrinth of Penance.] [The Linked Adventure continues.] [This Adventure is very dangerous.] [You can only collect your rewards after all of the Adventures have been cleared.] Frssss¡­ An ominous energy began swirling around them. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 18th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 18. Division of Pain] [Adventure 18. ¡®Division of Pain¡¯ At the end of the Labyrinth of Penance lies a certain individual''s pain. It is likely a pain that has been etched into thebyrinth. Objective: Defeat Record of Pain: Finn Modria Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Remaining Time [N/A]] ¡®It¡¯s starting now.¡¯ The soul doll began moving with the messages. Fwoooosh! Finn immediately gathered a red, coarse energy in his hand and released it. It was a swift attack that was difficult to handle. [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Blood Curse.] [The target struck by the projectile will bleed excessively.] [The target struck by the projectile will have blood clots.] A projectile shot out from Finn¡¯s hand like a bullet. Seol, as if expecting this, hid Changsik behind him. Ffft! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Blood Curse didn¡¯t deal significant damage on its own, but its difficulty to defend against and thepounding effects often led Finn to use it as an opening move in a fight. In exchange for its quick speed and powerful effects, the cooldown for the ability was quite long, typically allowing for only one use per battle. [You are affected by Record of Pain: Finn Modria''s Blood Curse.] [Ring of Grace activates.] [It deflects Blood Curse.] Thankfully, Seol had already prepared a provision for the curse. Seol, after nullifying the curse, moved on to the next step. Glooow! Fwirl! Fwirl! He summoned Karen and Karuna from his hands. Finn, as if he had been waiting for this, gathered a red energy in his hands. ¡®It¡¯sing.¡¯ [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Exceptional Skill: Ruby Mirror.] [Mimic the target¡¯s familiars.] [The mimicked familiars are limited to 50% of the original familiar¡¯s stats.] Finn used his Exceptional Skill. Ruby Mirror was the skill Seol had been worried about. This skill was practically a nightmare for any ss that used familiars like summoners or necromancers. If Finn were only capable of this, fighting him would have been manageable. However, almost as if to mock the notion, Finn¡¯s doll began using more skills. Fwooooosh¡­ A red fog encroached into the area. [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Exceptional Skill: Clogged Flow.] [Enemies affected by Clogged Flow will temporarily be unable to use a skill.] [Clogged Flow does not affect Exceptional Skills.] [The ¡®Spell Resist Dice¡¯ are rolling.] [Spell Resist Dice has rolled a 2.] [Snowman is unable to use Passive: Enhance Summons.] [Spell Resist Dice has rolled a 4.] [CarryMachine resists Exceptional Skill: Clogged Flow.] [Spell Resist Dice has rolled a 5.] [Karen¡¯s high resistance adds 1 to her dice roll.] [Karen resists Exceptional Skill: Clogged Flow.] Luckily, both Changsik and Karen resisted it. [Spell Resist Dice has rolled a 1.] [Karuna is unable to use Connected Soul.] However, that wasn¡¯t the case for Karuna. ¡®Damn it¡­ that was the worst-case scenario! Why did it have to be Connected Soul?!¡¯ It was fortunate that Karen resisted the Exceptional Skill, but at the end of it, Karuna''s Connected Soul was sealed. Connected Soul was a skill that doubled their stats when they were summoned together. Since Seol¡¯s Enhance Summons was sealed too, their stats had significantly decreased. Fade¡­ ¡°My strength is¡­¡± Karuna and Karen had dire looks on their faces, recognizing that something had gone wrong. However, Seol kept quiet. It would be hard to expect anything from them in this fight. ¡®At this rate¡­ the most they could do is go even with Ruby Mirror.¡¯ After all, even that would be a hefty challenge for them right now. ¡°Hrgh!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Dash! Karen and Karuna sprinted forth at the same time. They tried to cover their reduced stats with a shout, but it was hard to expect their usual vigor. It hadn''t even been a few seconds sincebat started for things to end this way. Part of the reason was that most of the Blood Saint¡¯s skills didn¡¯t require any sort of chant. Regardless, Seol and Changsik lunged forth as well. Seol, who had been in the Night Crow form this entire time, arrived at Finn earlier than Changsik. [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Refusal.] [The target is pushed back.] Bam! ¡°Hrgh!¡± Seol flew back like he was a rubber ball. ¡®Like I expected¡­ it¡¯s the exact same pattern!¡¯ Refusal, in exchange for its low damage, had a very short cooldown. This skill had an excellent matchup against sses that had to fight up close, like Seol in the Night Crow form. After deflecting Seol away, Finn attacked Changsik. ¡°Hraaaaah!¡± ¡°Watch your side!¡± Changsik dropped to the floor at Seol¡¯s orders. And then he quickly fell over backward. Fwoooosh! Finn¡¯s Blood Spear would have pierced through Changsik¡¯s head had he continued his charge. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Seol scowled. ¡®Finn is a turtle.¡¯ A turtle that hides behind its tough shell, only peeking its head out from time to time. An adversary whose incredible defense wasn''t the only problem, but also its blood-chilling attack. Fwooosh¡­ Fwooosh¡­ Finn¡¯s Blood Spear was still active. Though the destructive power of Finn¡¯s skills wasn¡¯t exceptionally high, getting hit by them would cause the skin to rupture, a unique effect of Finn¡¯s spells. ¡®However¡­ we aren¡¯t monsters.¡¯ Unless you were a monster that could easily withstand multiple hits, even one of Finn¡¯s attacks was enough to end your life. Fwooosh! Crush! Fwoosh! Crush! Each time Finn¡¯s spear struck the ground, a small explosion would ur with apanying tremors. ¡®It should almost be time soon¡­¡¯ Blood Spear wasn¡¯t Finn¡¯s only attacking skill, either. Refusal was difficult to handle, and Finn had a plethora of other skills as well. This was definitely not an easy fight. Since Seol knew about Finn¡¯s attack patterns, he approached him cautiously. Seol looked around, waiting for a change. ¡®I need a variable. I¡¯m pretty sure the season should change soon¡­¡¯ And then it happened. Rumble¡­ The statue of the sword-wielding knight began rumbling. [Penance: Season of Knights arrives.] [Swords will asionally fall over the battlefield.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Damn it, not this one¡­¡± said Seol while pulling away. A sword had fallen right where he stood earlier. Fwooosh! ng! Giant swords began raining over the battlefield. ¡°Argh!¡± Changsik screamed in terror, trying his hardest to avoid them all. Each time the air hinted at a flying object, a sword wouldnd there without fail. Finn¡¯s doll also swiftly began dodging the swords. Dash! Dash! As everyone on the battlefield concentrated on evading the swords rather thanunching attacks, something entered Finn¡¯s peripheral vision. Fwoooosh! A ck fist. It was Seol¡¯s fist. Despite the shock, Finn¡¯s doll reflexively casted Refusal. Baaaam! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Finn managed to negate Seol¡¯s attack through Refusal. However, it did not take long for Finn¡¯s doll to realize it was all a trick. CRUUUUUSH! A sword fell from the sky andnded squarely on Finn. It had been so busy negating Seol¡¯s attack that it hadn¡¯t noticed it. Seol had hoped the trick would be effective, but he was quickly let down. Glooooow¡­ [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Blood Barrier.] [75% of physical damage is negated.] [Blood Barrier had not been casted properly.] [50% of physical damage is negated.] One of its arms was in tatters. It seemed like it was still a huge blow despite negating 50% of the damage. ¡°You still act like a turtle, as always.¡± Saash! [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Proud Flesh.] [Rapidly recover 70% of the health you just lost.] ¡°......urts.¡± Out of nowhere, Finn¡¯s doll spoke. Seol carefully focused on the doll¡¯s words as it creaked and groaned. Creak¡­ ¡°It¡­ hurts¡­¡± This was the memory that Finn left behind in the Penance of Pain. A memory of Finn exhausted after a long battle. Creak¡­ Seol gritted his teeth as he responded, "Wait for me... I''ll get you out of there, even if you don''t want to!" Rumble¡­ The season began to change once more. [Penance: Season of Magicians arrives.] Chapter 129 [Interconnected portals appear throughout the battlefield.] Bzzzzt As the seasons changed,rge dimensional door-shaped artifacts emerged throughout the battlefield. Bzzzt Bzzt The first to move after the change of seasons was Seol. Dash! Why does he continue to run at me when the results are so obvious? Finn¡¯s doll tilted its head in confusion and raised its hand. Baaaam! It activated Refusal, pushing Seol far away. And in Seol¡¯s path¡­ was a dimensional door. ¡°No!¡± Just as Changsik shouted toward Seol, Seol¡¯s body fell through the portal and disappeared. Fwoooosh! Only to reappear at the dimensional door behind Finn. ¡°Hrgh!¡± Seol swung his fist as fiercely as he could. Baaaaaaam! ¡°...Damn it.¡± [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Blood Barrier.] [75% of physical damage is negated.] For an impromptu attack, it was fairly effective. However, Blood Barrier was just too strong of a defense to ovee. ¡®It¡¯s difficult to deal effective damage on my own¡­¡¯ Not to mention, any significant damage would be mostly healed immediately by Proud Flesh. It really did feel like facing a turtle hiding in its shell. Woosh! Blood Spear scratched Seol¡¯s nose as he narrowly avoided the attack. Fwoosh! After avoiding the spear by ducking, Seol prepared his next attack. Dash! He lowered his stance and prepared a tackle. However, once again, he was deflected by Refusal. Baaaaaam! Changsik used that opening to aim for Finn. Fwoosh! Fwooosh! The only skill Changsik had to ovee was Blood Spear. However, even that was too much for ordinary Adventurers, Changsik included. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Changsik had no way of closing the gap between him and Finn. Dash! Bzzzz¡­ Baaaam! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The progression of the battle frustrated Seol. Part of why was how Changsik couldn¡¯t keep up with his movements. The most Changsik could do was momentarily draw attention to himself. He had no ways of dealing meaningful damage, in fact, he couldn¡¯t even draw out Finn¡¯s Refusal. Well, rather than this being Changsik¡¯s problem¡­ ¡®That¡¯s just Finn¡¯s way of fighting.¡¯ That was the fighting method Seol came up with when controlling Finn. Deal with the weaker targets first, while restraining the stronger opponent with Refusal. Seol, after concluding he wouldn¡¯t be able tond a blow on Finn even during the Season of Magicians, changed his objective. Bzzzz Huuum¡­ Blink! While circling around Finn and maintaining its focus on him, Seol began checking which portal connected to which. ¡®The portals will connect the same way the next time this seasones around.¡¯ The seasons did not ur just once. They came and went. During the Season of Magicians, the portals are initially connected randomly but be uniform with how it was when they first appeared. ¡®Alright, I¡¯ve figured them all out now.¡¯ Rumble¡­ The season began changing. [Penance: Season of Priests arrives.] [A hymn of glory cries out for you.] Ahhhhhhhhh! Changsik looked around the battlefield after hearing a grandiose sound. ¡°Focus up!¡± yelled Seol. Changsik quickly turned around and solidified his gaze on Finn. ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯ This was the first opening Seol was waiting for. The first hymn. Each time the Season of Priests came around, hymns and requiems would resound. Luckily, the first to ur was a hymn, providing Seol an opportunity to attack. [gents are affected by the Hymn of Glory.] [gents have all of their stats increased by 35%.] ¡°Haaaaaargh!¡± Changsik, recognizing this change, used the skill he was saving. [CarryMachine used Chain 9th Technique.] [Each sessful attack increases your attack speed by 20%.] Fwoosh! Fwoooosh! Changsik''s swift attacks caught Finn off guard. With his stats suddenly boosted and an unexpected new skill, Changsik proved to be a more formidable threat than Finn had initially assumed. Fwoooosh! In an attempt to counter Changsik''s assault, Finn used Blood Spear. Dodge! However, unlike before, Changsik skillfully evaded Finn''s attacks with subtle movements, allowing him to concentrate fully on the offensive. Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Changsik¡¯s attacks were now powerful enough that Finn couldn¡¯t easily block them. It was clear even Finn wouldn¡¯t make it out safely after Changsik¡¯s Chain 9th Technique. There was only one way for Finn to repel him. Baaam! Finn was forced to use Refusal on Changsik. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± And as Changsik was forced back, Seol came running. ¡°Hrgh!¡± Seol pulled his arm back before unleashing a mighty swing. [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Blood Barrier.] [75% of physical damage is negated.] BAAAAAAAAAAM! ¡®Damn it!¡¯ As expected from the turtle. Finn was incredibly tough. However, Seol wasn¡®t someone who would give up there. Baaaam! Baaaam! Seol wildly swung at the barrier. Fwooosh! Fwoosh! Blood Spears flew in from all sides and aimed for Seol. But despite that, Seol focused on his assault. As he was, a thought came into Seol¡¯s head. ¡®Should I¡­ use Iron Fist Rule here?¡¯ Seol had only one chance to use it. Missing would mean certain death. Seol hesitated. The weight of that single opportunity clutched his chest. If I fail¡­ there is no next time. ¡®Not¡­ yet.¡¯ The hymn was about to end. If Seol had used his skill here, he would have beenpletely exhausted when the requiem started. Since it was evident that doing so would lead to his death, he chose not to use his skill there. Ahhhhhhh A new song filled the battlefield. [A requiem of sadness cries out for the pain.] [Record of Pain: Finn Modria is affected by the Requiem of Sadness.] [Record of Pain: Finn Modria has all of its stats increased by 35%.] ¡°Dodge!¡± Crush! Karen and Karuna. As well as Seol and Changsik. As the tides turned, all of them turned to the defensive. RUUUMBLE! Blood Spear rumbled much louder than before, even just flying through the air. Baaaam! ¡°Krgh!¡± ¡°Karuna!¡± The Twin Knights were also in trouble due to the summons from Finn¡¯s Ruby Mirror having their stats increased as well. ¡°Get away from him!¡± Bam! It seemed like even though Finn¡¯s Ruby Mirror could imitate their stats and skills, they couldn¡¯t copy their synergy. The battle between the summons continued. ¡°Damn it¡­ They keep regenerating!¡± Ruby Mirror. It wasn¡¯t an Exceptional Skill for no reason. It was also why Seol knew he had an awful matchup versus Finn. The Twin Knights were forced to fight themselves before they could assist Seol in taking down Finn. ¡®If only they still had Connected Soul¡­¡¯ It would have been manageable if Finn¡¯s other Exceptional Skill, Clogged Flow, hadn¡¯t sealed Connected Soul. In fact, they would have been able to ovee their counterparts by now and joined the fight against Finn. However, as always, it ended up bing the worst-case scenario. Fwoosh! Finn¡¯s attack strategy was so monotonous that despite the requiem crying out, Changsik and Seol were safe. ¡®But that¡¯s exactly Finn¡¯s style.¡¯ To never cross the line. Even until the final moments. Finn only emerged from his shell when the opponent let down their guard, providing an opportunity for a decisive attack to end it all. Rumble¡­ After the requiem ended, a new season arrived. The eyes of the statue of the demonic beast carrying a treasure chest glowed. [Penance: Season of Demonic Beasts arrives.] [Harsh winds rage on the battlefield.] Wooooosh! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± The Season of Demonic Beasts was the time of rest. The harsh winds removed all of the giant swords from the battlefield and swept away any debris and dust. Fwoooooosh! Baam! Baaaam! If you were unlucky during this season, you could get hit by a sword or debris, lose your bnce, and inevitably fall into the void below. Fwoooooosh! This season was challenging for both offense and defense. Everyone, Finn¡¯s doll included, simply lowered their stance and did their best to resist the winds. ¡®We were able to catch a breather here, but¡­ I need all of the seasons to arrive already.¡¯ After the final, remaining season, the Season of Reapers, it became the Season of Whimsy. Because the Season of Whimsy was abination of the other seasons, it was a perfect moment to take advantage of the variables. ¡®I have to hold on until then!¡¯ The battle would likely be decided then. Seol nned to turn everything around then and there. Rumble¡­ Fwooosh¡­ The winds slowly subsided before returning the square to its original state. Dash! Seol and Changsik ran toward Finn once more. It was creating another Blood Spear to harass the Twin Knights, and they were trying to stop him. Fwooosh! Baaaaam! In the end, Finn shot the spear at Changsik, while using Refusal on Seol. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The situation was no different from before. And it also seemed like this status would be maintained for quite a while. However, as the ground rumbled once more, the seasons began changing. Rumble Rumble¡­ The eyes of the statue of the reaper carrying a scythe andmp glowed. [Penance: Season of Reapers arrives.] [Soul dolls appear on the battlefield.] [The souls at the top of thempe to the battlefield.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Souls, or at least what seemed like them, oozed out of the reaper¡¯sntern and fell to the battlefield. Fwooosh! It took them only an instant to appear simr to Finn¡¯s doll. There were four of them in total. Creak¡­ Creak¡­ The dolls beganing to life. ¡®We need to survive this if we want to make it to the Season of Whimsy¡­¡¯ The Season of Reapers brought the collected souls of the dead onto the battlefield as soul dolls. As the majority of them were fully mentally contaminated when they were dead, these soul dolls only served to harm the gents. Seol and Changsik locked eyes. Changsik nodded. Someone had to take care of the soul dolls, and it obviously had to be Changsik. Though Seol could defeat the soul dolls in an instant, Changsik would also die during that time. Creaaak¡­ The dolls began to talk. [Hyung¡­ Why¡­] [It¡¯s because of you¡­ Changsik¡­] [It¡¯s because you abandoned us¡­] Creak¡­ Crack! Baaaaam! The dolls¡¯ movements were sharp and fierce. It only took an instant for Changsik to recognize who they were. ¡°Guys¡­¡± They were the party members who joined Seol and Changsik on this Adventure. Seong Jaeho, who went into the Door of Doubts. Jang Heungsu, who went into the Door of Patience. Kim Taegyu, who went into the Door of Pain. [It¡¯s me, hyung¡­] ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me¡­¡± Creaaak¡­ [Why did you kill me? Why?!] Baaaaaam! Though Seol struggled facing Finn on his own, Changsik was the person in the most danger. [Your Mental Contamination has reached 85.] Therades who entered thebyrinth with him all harbored a desire for his death, all as faceless dolls. [Your Mental Contamination has reached 87.] Changsik didn¡¯t know how this was possible, but¡­ He steeled his trembling heart and gripped his sword. He focused on the problem ahead of him, pushing aside the mental pain. He had no other options but to do so. After all, he had to fight with three dolls, each about as strong as him. ¡°St-stop this¡­ Just let us go!¡± One of the dolls tilted its head, confused. [Let you go? Why should we?] [Are you really nning to leave on your own?] [How dare you leave us to rot in here!] [You said you¡¯d take us with you¡­ I thought¡­ you would take us¡­] Changsik gulped and gripped his sword tighter. ¡°Die!¡± Two dolls charged straight at Changsik. aang! ng! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ng! However, as expected, Changsik struggled more than usual due to being shaken up. Saaatter! ¡°Guaaaargh!¡± Taegyu¡¯s doll stabbed Changsik in the thigh. It wasn¡¯t to the point that Changsik could no longer move, but it was still an injury that worsened with time. [Yeah, you deserve that! All of it is your fault!] ¡°Stop it! What do you even want me to do?!¡± [Then¡­ can you save us?] ¡°......¡± ¡®No.¡¯ Despite the answer being certain, the words couldn¡¯t escape Changsik¡¯s mouth. Though they were currently inbat, they still were oncerades who believed in and trusted each other. This answer would only serve to hurt them. However, silence was also an answer. Jaeho¡¯s doll murmured to himself. [I knew it¡­] Heungsu¡¯s doll, who had been observing from the back, could no longer contain his rage and sprinted toward Changsik, intent on stabbing him as well. [Die! You need to die too!] Changsik prepared to simply endure the attack, nning to ensure that he killed one of the dolls. ¡®If I can¡¯t reduce the number of dolls right now¡­ it¡¯s hopeless!¡¯ Truthfully, one or two fewer dolls wouldn¡¯t change the entirendscape of the battlefield. However, Changsik still tried to do what he could to help Seol. He knew he had to do whatever he could to create an opportunity for Seol. But then¡­ something strange happened. Crush! The doll that ttered toward Changsik had fallen over. ¡°Krgh¡­ what the hell?!¡± Changsik couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. The final doll, the doll that had been entirely silent, swept Heungsu off its feet. Crush! ¡°......¡± It didn¡¯t stop there, either. It quickly nted its foot on Heungsu¡¯s head, stomping until it broke. ¡®The dolls¡­ are fighting? But more importantly¡­ Who is that doll supposed to be?¡¯ Changsik was certain only three people challenged thebyrinth with him and Seol. However, four dolls appeared. There was an extra doll. A doll Changsik didn''t know about. Though it was clear they were someone who challenged thebyrinth, he didn¡¯t know anything about them. [Who¡­ Who are you?!] Fwoosh! Crush! The mysterious doll unleashed a punch,pletely shattering Jaeho¡¯s head. At the same time, the doll spun and let out a powerful kick. It aimed perfectly for Taegyu¡¯s temple, shattering its head as well. [Why are you blockin¡ª] CRUUUUSH! It all happened in a sh. Like a bolt of lightning, three dolls were destroyed before Changsik could even blink. The mysterious doll that destroyed the other dolls¡­ The doll shook its head as if it was confused. Seol immediately shouted. ¡°...Toki!¡± Creak¡­ The doll looked at Seol. ¡°...Is that you?¡± groaned the doll. ¡°Is that really you¡­ Toki?¡± The doll Seol called Toki raised its head as if it realized something. And then, it immediately began running towards Finn. Finn instantly used Refusal, recognizing the danger. Baaaam! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Toki rolled on the floor to mitigate the damage and stood back up. Skid¡­ After getting back up cleanly, Toki opened its mouth once more. ¡°It seems as if God has prepared this ce for me¡­¡± ¡°Toki¡­¡± The unseemly saint floundered, even in death. Just as he did in life, always ready to assist another ¡°...There is still a use for me here.¡± Gloooooow! Rumble¡­ [Penance: Season of Whimsy arrives.] [All of the seasons will be scrambled together.] Chapter 130 Seol was confident it was Toki after seeing its moves against Finn. It was a miracle born through the Season of Reapers. Though it hadn''t been too long since their separation, the line between life and death still divided them. Ruuuumble! [Penance: Season of Demonic Beasts arrives.] [Harsh winds rage on the battlefield.] [Penance: Season of Knights arrives.] [Swords will asionally fall over the battlefield.] The Season of Demonic Beasts arrived with the Season of Knights. ¡®This is dangerous!¡¯ A chill ran down Seol¡¯s spine. Everyone on the battlefield lowered their bodies in an attempt to resist the winds. Fwoooosh! CRUUUUUUSH! ¡°Kaaaaaaargh!¡± Karen¡¯s imitation was impaled by the massive sword that emerged from the void. Frsss¡­ However, she instantly recovered the moment she reconnected to the red thread tied to Finn. ¡®In the end, we have to finish off Finn.¡¯ It might have been impossible before, but it was definitely possible now. Seol nced at Toki¡¯s doll which was keeping their stance low. Even though the dollcked a face, he could still sense that Toki was smiling. Fwoooosh! A sword descended from the sky, initially aimed for the square¡¯s outskirts. However, a harsh wind abruptly altered its course, redirecting it toward Toki''s doll. ¡°No!¡± The sword crashed to the floor, embedding into the ground. THUUUUUUUD! At first, Seol couldn''t see anything. The dust obscured everything in his sight. However, as the dust settled¡­ he realized that Toki was safe, albeit missing an arm. ¡®Damn it! Before we could even do anything¡­¡¯ Fwoosh¡­ As the winds died down, Toki stood up. Creak¡­ Creak¡­ Toki reced his broken arm with the limb of another doll. As always, he proved to be a man of many talents, to the extent that it even surprised Seol. ¡°I guess it was a good decision to hold onto one.¡± ¡°Toki!¡± ¡°You ready, kid?¡± ¡°Ready¡­? For what?¡± Creak¡­ ¡°Ready to get out of here.¡± With that, their roles were decided. Changsik could no longer fight due to his injuries. Toki had now assumed Changsik¡¯s role. Dash! Dash! Seol and Toki moved together as the seasons changed. Their identical movements proved that they had the same n. Finn''s doll was taken aback as the two recklessly charged at him with matching speed. Just as before, Finn¡¯s doll used Refusal on Seol. Baaaam! However, that was a mistake. Toki skillfully evaded the Blood Spear in a movement that resembled slipping to the ground, only to use his hips to swiftly bounce himself back up. [Soul Doll: Toki used Pure Fist.] [20% of the damage dealt will now be applied as true damage.] Glooow! Hum¡­ [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Blood Barrier.] [75% of physical damage is negated.] Bam! Bam! Bam! Toki''s attacks currently dealt 80% physical damage and 20% true damage. As such, Finn''s doll continued to shake and quiver as Toki unleashed a flurry of attacks on the now-pointless Blood Barrier. Stter! Saatter! Blood Spears formed on each of Toki¡¯s sides. It was Finn¡¯s attempt to create distance. Toki, shocked, quickly rolled to the floor. Ruuuuumble! Seol dashed in from behind as the spears missed Toki and hit the ground. Fwoooosh! BAAAAAAAAM! Skid¡­ Finn was pushed back by the force of the impact against the barrier. Seol nced at Toki, who was beginning to stand up. Though Toki did not utter a word or even cast a nce in his direction, Seol could tell what his next moves would be. It was because Toki had used a particr skill in this exact situation before. - Do you know when the strong are defeated? - When they get tired? - No, when they¡¯re hit by a strong enough move to defeat them. - ¡­Isn¡¯t that obvious??? - And that¡¯s why I¡¯m going to teach you that obvious move. Toki''s movements started to resemble those of an animal. [Soul Doll: Toki used Debauchee''s Movements.] [Dodge rate increases by 10%. uracy increases by 10%.] Seol moved alongside him. [You used Debauchee''s Movements.] [Dodge rate increases by 10%. uracy increases by 10%.] Seol stood in front of the doll while Toki lunged to the doll¡¯s rear. Bam! Baaam! As Seol unleashed a barrage of attacks, Toki employed a skill. [Soul Doll: Toki used Chimney Sweep.] [Ignore defense by 40%.] Craack! Craaaaack! Crack! Crack! Crack! The pair continued pouring down a flurry of attacks at Finn. Caught between Seol and Toki, Finn''s doll shifted its body, attempting to position itself beside them rather than between them. And the moment it found an opportunity¡­ Finn¡¯s doll raised both hands. [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Exceptional Skill: Emergency Transfusion.] [Extract health from the being held in your hands.] ¡°Dodge it!¡± As Seol''s voice echoed, Finn''s hands unleashed a crimson wave. BAAAAM! Seol and Toki rolled back, seamlessly evading the attack as they had nned this maneuver together. Unfortunately, they had to stop their attack there. [Penance: Season of Knights arrives.] [Swords will asionally fall over the battlefield.] [Penance: Season of Magicians arrives.] [Interconnected portals appear throughout the battlefield.] Finn¡¯s doll capitalized on the opening created by the changing seasons to heal itself. Stter! [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Proud Flesh.] [Rapidly recover 70% of the health you just lost.] In the end, the little damage that Finn took through that barrier was mostly recovered. ¡°...That¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go again.¡± ¡°...Then I¡¯ll be going first!¡± Dash! Only then did Seol realize his smile. Why was Seol smiling? The thrill of the battle? Having a trustworthy ally behind him? Or¡­ confidence he could win? Regardless of the reason, Seol¡¯s movements, which resemble Toki¡¯s, began confusing Finn. Baaaam! Like always, the battle began with Finn using Refusal. Gripping the ground to prevent being thrown back any further, Seol observed Toki. Toki waved his arms wildly. [Soul Doll: Toki used Sand Throw.] [If the target is struck by the sand, their vision bes blurred.] It was a tactic Seol and Tokiughed about for its cheapness. Finn, shocked by Toki¡¯s attack, leaped back. Fwooooosh! CRUUUUUSH! A sword fell from the skies andnded on Finn. [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Blood Barrier.] [75% of physical damage is negated.] Finn¡¯s doll hadn¡¯t fully absorbed the impact just yet. Toki, catching that opening, kicked the floor and jumped toward him. Fwip! Those movements¡­ It was a move Seol had seen so much he had gotten sick of it. A move that was so difficult to even imitate. In fact, it was something he still hadn¡¯t learned. - Bwrgh¡­ What was¡­ What was that? - I didn¡¯te up with a name for it yet. Kick High, Kick Low? - Are you telling me¡­ you just beat me with a nameless skill? - Then I¡¯ll name it Kick the Sky, Kick the Ground. - You just came up with that right now, didn¡¯t you? - Don¡¯t show off how smart you are, alright? You won¡¯t make any friends that way. ¡°Hargh!¡± [Soul Doll: Toki used Kick the Sky, Kick the Ground.] [One of two skills will activate.] Finn attempted to take a defensive maneuver, but because it was unclear exactly where Toki aimed, Finn ended up getting hit. BAAAAM! Toki had aimed for Finn¡¯s leg. As Finn wobbled back, Seol appeared from the dimensional door beside it. Seol spun in the air, releasing a kick with the same movements as Toki''s Kick the Sky attack. BAAAAM! ¡°Nice hit!¡± shouted Toki at Seol. Crash¡­ Skid¡­ Grab¡­ Finn grabbed the ground, catching itself. However, Seol and Toki couldn¡¯t finish the job, and countless swords had fallen from the sky, preventing their path. Fwooosh¡­ Hum¡­ CRUSH! ¡®The swords can pass through the portals too.¡¯ Even though Seol could predict where they¡¯de from, closing the distance between them was still impossible. Finn began healing, mocking them. [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Proud Flesh.] [Rapidly recover 70% of the health you just lost.] Almost as if to prove that the Record of Pain was a part of thebyrinth, the seasons began changing as Finn recovered its health. [Penance: Season of Demonic Beasts arrives.] [Harsh winds rage on the battlefield.] [Penance: Season of Priests arrives.] [A hymn of glory cries out for you.] [gents are affected by the Hymn of Glory.] [gents have all of their stats increased by 35%.] ¡°Krgh¡­¡± The Season of Demonic Beasts made movement difficult for everyone. Winds bellowed from several directions, and losing your bnce once was more than enough to make you fall into the void. However, as this season affected everyone, it wasn¡¯t the worst-case scenario. As Seol was holding on, he saw a message. [The Season of Whimsy is about to end.] [After the season changes once more, the Season of Death will arrive.] [The Season of Death will harvest all lives on the battlefield.] ¡®Damn it¡­ the insta-kill pattern¡­¡¯ The Instant-Kill effect appears rarely in The World of Eternity. It often appeared when a piece was unable to satisfy a certain condition. ¡®It¡¯s because I¡¯m dragging this out too long¡­¡¯ Seol had to end it during this next season. If he didn¡¯t, the Season of Death would arrive, killing everything on the battlefield. Obviously, Seol included. Seol nced at Toki before hesitating. He couldn¡¯t find it in himself to bring this up. However, it seemed like Toki realized that the end wasing soon as well. The first to break the silence wasn¡¯t Seol, but Toki. ¡°Kid.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give up until the end, alright?¡± ¡°Toki¡­¡± ¡°And if you can¡­ make sure to do good deeds in your life.¡± The seasons changed once more, introducing a new season. The penultimate season, the season before the Season of Death. [Penance: Season of Magicians arrives.] [Interconnected portals appear throughout the battlefield.] [Penance: Season of Reapers arrives.] [Soul dolls appear on the battlefield.] [The souls at the top of thempe to the battlefield.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Fwooosh! Moments before the soul dolls were fully created¡­ ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± Toki bravely charged in. And like clockwork, Finn used Refusal on him. However, this time, it was different. Wooosh! [Soul Doll: Toki used Sand Throw.] [If the target is struck by the sand, their vision bes blurred.] Finn¡¯s doll took arge leap back once more to avoid the sand. ¡°......¡± And when it looked back, Toki was missing. His unseemly movements fooled Finn¡¯s doll. Fwip! Finn¡¯s doll prepared for the oing attack. However, what Toki had prepared wasn¡¯t an attack. It was a grappling move. Grab! Toki¡¯s doll grabbed Finn from behind, restraining both arms. ¡°Now¡¯s the¡ª¡± BAAAAAM! Finn scrambled in an attempt to dislodge Toki, but Toki''s doll clung to him like glue and refused to let go. ¡°Time¡­¡± The final season. It all had to end here. [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Exceptional Skill: Emergency Transfusion.] [Extract health from the being held in your hands.] ¡°Guaaaaaaargh!¡± Toki¡¯s doll screamed in pain, but it didn¡¯t let go. Finn hurriedly tried to prepare for Seol¡¯s oing attack. He had already used Refusal on Toki and it was on cooldown. Bzzz¡­ [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Blood Barrier.] [75% of physical damage is negated.] ¡°ARGHHHHHHHH!¡± Seol screamed in desperation. He had been waiting patiently this entire time for this one opening. The frustration Seol had unknowingly umted was released with that primal roar. As Seol screamed, Finn¡¯s doll spoke as well. ¡°Finally, I.. will be freed from this pain¡­¡± The barrier surrounding Finn¡¯s doll shrunk in size. Frss! [Record of Pain: Finn Modria used Link: Umbre Fold.] [A Blood Spear, on the same level as the Blood Barrier, takes shape.] [You are unable to use Blood Barrier while Link: Umbre Fold is on cooldown.] Finn had been waiting for this moment the entire time. For when the enemy would let down their guard after being sure of their victory. Fwoooosh! The Blood Spear grazed Seol, but it wasn¡¯t aimed at him from the start. It flew off in a different direction. Bzzzzz SPLATTER! Seol¡¯s vision was covered by a rain of blood. At the same time, he felt empty. That something was lost, that he was free of something. And also¡­ pain. Countless words could describe the situation, but Seol couldn¡¯t think of the perfect one. ¡°No!¡± shouted Toki. The Blood Spear had passed through a portal to aim for Seol¡¯s right arm. As a result of it, Seol¡¯s right arm was blown entirely off of his body. Seol felt unimaginable pain from the loss of a limb. Finn¡¯s doll was satisfied. It had waited in its shell the entire time and struck at the opportune moment. However, what followed was something Finn didn¡¯t expect. Seol continued running, unwavering. He rolled on the ground and sprinted once more. Even though he should have been in pain, even though it was something that he should not have expected¡­ Why did he not stop? ¡°I finally caught you, you damned turtle!¡± Finn''s doll was shocked, and it started attempting to flee. Grab¡­ Finn was able to move his feet. All he had to do was move just a couple of steps. That would¡¯ve been more than enough to win over Seol. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. Seol grimaced from the pain, but he still smiled. It was an expression that often came out when he was sure of his victory. ¡°Like always¡­¡± So you¡¯re still the same. ¡°...way too obvious.¡± The same coward. aaare! [You have changed to the Volcano Stance.] [All attacks will spread mes.] [An explosion will ur at the impact point of each attack.] [Passive: Moving mes is applied.] [Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.] Ripple! Shadows began to gather and surge from Seol''s severed limb. They became a massive arm that barreled forth. [You used Night Crow: Iron Fist Rule.] [Passive: Moving mes is applied.] [Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.] Seol overcame the strategy Finn¡¯s doll was faithfully following. In the first ce, he knew he would lose his right arm. But he needed to. If he backed down, there wouldn¡¯t be a next time. A moment of pain would be able to end everything. As the battlefield was beginning to fill with Seol¡¯s ck shadow, Toki smiled. ¡°At least you avoided finishingst.¡± Seol¡¯s erged arm punched both Finn and Toki, who had been keeping Finn tied down. CRUUUUUUUUSH! Doll fragments exploded from the impact, beingpletely shattered. With this, Seol had defeated his past. At the end of the Season of Whimsy, all had ended. In the remains of where his fistnded, there was a deep crater. Nothing else managed to survive its impact. [Penance: Season of Death arrives.] The message was left unfinished. In its stead, more messages flooded Seol¡¯s vision. Chapter 131 [You have defeated Record of Pain: Finn Modria.] [You havepleted the Final Penance.] [The surviving gents are granted the ''right''.] [Those granted the right can acquire a single thing of their choosing from thebyrinth.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] Fade¡­ The soul dolls on the battlefield scattered into the wind like dust. The imitations created from Finn¡¯s Ruby Mirror had disappeared long ago. Only four people were left on the battlefield. Seol, his summons, and the limping Changsik. ¡°Bwaaargh¡­¡± Seol began vomiting while clutching the broken railing. [Your mana is currently below 5%] [You have mana deficiency.] [Your mana recovery rate is reduced by 50% for 5 minutes.] [You have overused your mana all at once.] [You are afflicted by Abnormal Status: Dizziness for a day.] [The cooldowns for your skills are increased by 10%.] ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± Changsik limped to Seol. ¡°Is everything¡­ over now?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Can we¡­ finally leave thebyrinth?¡± Chomp¡­ Seol, missing an arm, retrieved a styptic and painkiller from his inventory and swallowed them, and offered one to Changsik. After that, he finally nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all over now.¡± With Seol¡¯s word, he had finally concluded this Adventure. The viewers, who had been waiting for him, all cheered. [¡®LabyrinthofPenance¡¯ has donated 1000 Madness!] [Are you serious?! And you still cleared this?! WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU] - LET ME SEE THOSE DONOS!!!!! - I believed in you! (Was actually unsubscribed) - He cleared this? - How? - Hold on¡­ it¡¯s already been 4 months? - That¡¯s insane¡­ This took so much time¡­ - I can see why people go insane from thebyrinth. [¡®YouTraitors¡¯ has donated 1200 Madness!] [All of you ran away during the Penance of Patience! Are you seriously onlying back now that he cleared it?] - Haha¡­ My heart was with him the entire time! (It wasn¡¯t) - Aren¡¯t you the stranger one for watching a guy get tortured for 4 months? - Seriously LOL There¡¯s no reason to torture me too. - Apparently, Snowman viewers are annoying asf in the other streams LMFAOOO - EX) Ah¡­ Snowman wouldn¡¯t have done that¡­ Snowman would have¡­ - EX) Huh? Snowman did that first, though¡­ Did you get permission from Snowman? - We should grab all of those viewers AND PUSH THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE - They came back now, though, dude LOL. We have to watch our words¡­ [¡®Live¡¯ has donated 800 Madness!] [Does everyone see the rate these viewers areing back¡­ it¡¯s the return of the king] - The way these numbers are going up is totally opposite to how my stocks usually climb :) - I don¡¯t know why, but it¡¯s making me happy as well¡­ guys¡­ I thought you forgot about Snowman! - Dude¡­ Why are you getting happy about it¡­ - But seriously, the way the viewership is skyrocketing is insane... It''s like they''re birdsing back from migration. - One Month Ago: We don¡¯t want to watch you! - What¡¯s more insane is the number of donations he¡¯s getting LOL. He¡¯s making more in a day than what the other trending streams make in a month. - That isn¡¯t everything either. It¡¯s dyed because he got so many¡­ [¡®Toki¡¯ has donated 1000 Madness!] [?????? Why did he have to go through that too, just let him rest¡­] - Isn¡¯t it alright now that he¡¯s dead? - Is death the end, though? It didn¡¯t look like it¡­ Those souls were sucked into that reaper, remember? - What the fuck is a Finn Modria? Why was he so strong? I never even heard of him¡­ - There¡¯s no info about him either. Someone teach us, please! [¡®Shanks¡­!¡¯ has donated 800 Madness!] [Y-Your arm!!!] - (Something something this straw hat is my gift to you.) - I didn¡¯t expect that. - Snowman really is that guy, though¡­ I can¡¯t believe he just punched a dude after losing an arm like that¡­ - He¡¯s fucked, though, now¡­ - The side-effects are whatever¡­ but losing an arm is¡­ - He beat the Adventure, but was it really worth it? - We won, but what a shitty ending! I guess he can¡¯t use Night Crow anymore now that he has lost an arm. - Snowman''s a legend, but his opponent casually used Exceptional Skills like they were nothing too. He even managed to sever Snowman''s arm¡­. - Thank you for watching Snowman¡¯s Adventure thus far¡­ we shall be entering our farming arc now. - Wait¡­ those arcs are kinda goated too¡­ As various people shared their reactions in the chat, Seol, unaware of it all, simply waited for the styptic to take effect on Changsik. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry about me, your arm¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Seol''s right arm had been severed at the shoulder. The cuts on Changsik''s thigh could be healed at a temple in the city, but there was no solution for Seol''s injury. Seol grimaced as he spoke once more. ¡°I¡­ feel a bit tired from the painkillers.¡± ¡°L-Let¡¯s cross the bridge for now.¡± The bridge, which had crumbled during their fight against Finn, had returned to its original state. This, too, was due to the powers of thebyrinth. Step¡­ Step¡­ The two looked haggard,pletely desperate. Seol, missing an arm and with a shadow cast over his face, struggled to approach the statue. Changsik limped, burdened not only by his own injuries but also by the weight of his fallenrades. If people didn''t know what they''d been through, they might''ve even been made fun of how by they looked. - It was a difficult fight for sure. - You have to work this hard if you want to get an Inaugural Title, guys! - Skills, summons, and tenacity¡­ What doesn¡¯t Snowman have?! - His right arm. - Ah! - You asshole¡­ Seol and Changsik passed through the battlefield and approached the statues. There were five of them in total. Suddenly, the statues began talking. The knight, magician, priest, demonic beast, and reaper spoke one by one. Changsik looked at Seol as if he was asking who should go first. Seol gave a slight nod to Changsik, gesturing for him to go ahead. ¡°Then¡­¡± Changsik limped to the knight statue. Changsik paused before heading to another statue. It was the statue of the magician. And then the priest statue. The statue of the demonic beast. Lastly, the reaper statue. Changsik had a hazy look in his eyes. For eyes filled with desire, they werecking a fire. ¡°I¡­¡± Changsik stepped before the statue of the demonic beast holding a treasure chest. ¡°I want¡­ thebyrinth¡¯s treasures.¡± [CarryMachine has selected the Wish of the Demonic Beast.] The statue¡¯s eyes began glowing. Thud! The statue of the demonic beast dropped the treasure it was holding. Changsik limped over and opened it. Click! ¡°......¡± A radiant light, an ominous light, and various other types of light began spilling out from the treasure chest. Despite only looking at it over Changsik¡¯s shoulders, Seol knew it was an incredible amount. - That¡¯s insane¡­ He got so many of them¡­ - Treasures and Abominations¡­ It doesn¡¯t look like he got any Peerless items, though? It would have looked different if he did. - Still, he got like at least a dozen of them¡­ - Info) The guild alliance is taking half of that :) Despite the numerous treasures, Changsik did not smile at all. - Why is he like that? - How could he smile when all of his friends are dead? - Yeah, I¡¯d be just like him¡­ - You would¡¯ve been sucked into thatmp, dude. You¡¯re not him. - Do you want to fight? Changsik sighed heavily and drooped his head while looking through the items. Step¡­ Step¡­ Seol had only desired one thing after resolving to enter the Labyrinth of Penance. He stood in front of the knight statue. Seol saw a few options. [[The knight statue of thebyrinth wants to hear your desires. How do you respond?] 1. I desire an extremely sharp sword. 2. I want the ultimate swordsmanship. 3. Knowledge that would take me to a higher path! 4. Please give me something that I need the most. ¡­¡­] Turn. Without responding, Seol headed to another statue. [[The magician statue of thebyrinth wants to hear your desires. How do you respond?] 1. I want to learn dimension magic. 2. A lot of wisdom. 3. A powerful magic tool! 4. I wish to peer over the Wall of Awakening. ¡­¡­] Turn¡­ Seol passed over the magician statue and the priest statue. He now approached the demonic beast statue that Changsik was in front of. - Treasures! Treasures! - Show me the money! - 10000 Minerals! 10000 Gas! - There¡¯s nothing better than payday after hard work LOL - Treasures¡­ Seol passed by the statue of the demonic beast before it could even talk. - ¡­What? - Not treasures? - The demonic beast looks so confused LOL - ???: Everyone here has the same prices. I¡¯ll make it cheaper for you, alright? As Seol stood in front of the reaper statue, it spoke. [[The reaper statue of thebyrinth wants to hear your desires. How do you respond?] 1. I want to learn about death. 2. I only desire that power. 3. I want to tame powerful souls. 4. Please teach me the secrets of thebyrinth. ¡­¡­] Seol looked through all of the options. He then unconsciously smiled. Smirk¡­ ¡°In the end¡­ I¡¯m going with the same option.¡± From the beginning, Seol only desired one reward. It was something others would deem crazy if they ever got wind of it. Seol carefully opened his mouth. ¡°I want you to free all of the souls from thebyrinth.¡± <...You may only choose one reward, gent.> For some reason, the statue didn¡¯t ept it right away. Seol followed up with determined eyes. ¡°I know. I know that, so¡­¡± He clenched his teeth. ¡°...give it back.¡± My piece. Seol¡¯s chat went silent for a second. - Wait¡­ what is he doing right now? - You worked so hard, why are you picking that?! - Are you really going to pick such shitty rewards? - That¡¯s insane¡­ - No! Fwoooooosh¡­ ng¡­ ng¡­ The reaper''smp emitted a soft glow. aaaaash! Souls began pouring out of themp and circling the ceiling of the battlefield. They all began to shout with excitement. [I can¡¯t believe this!] [Are we¡­ Are we finally freed from this pain?] [Why?! Why were we only freed now?!] [It¡¯s been so long¡­ It hurt for so long.] Fwoooooosh! The souls then descended one by one to approach Seol. [Thank you so much!] Each soul tried to hug Seol. Fwoosh¡­ However, as they attempted to embrace Seol, they simply turned to smoke and vanished. [You have received the soul¡¯s gift.] [Your Dexterity increases by 1.] Each soul said a word as they passed through Seol¡¯s body. ¡°You¡¯ve really¡­ been through such a difficult path.¡± [You have received the soul¡¯s gift.] [Your Strength increases by 2.] ¡°I thank you for your pure, good intentions¡­¡± [You have received the soul¡¯s gift.] [Your Wisdom increases by 1.] Fss¡­ Fsss¡­ The parade of souls almost seemed never-ending. However, as it drew to a close, Seol received a message. [You have received the Blessing of Souls.] [You have earned the special achievement ''You Didn¡¯t Need to Do All This''.] [You have earned the special title ''Godfather''.] Numerous souls had passed through Seol, but one lingered. Facing Seol, he stood firm. ¡°...Toki.¡± Toki descended from the ceiling and observed Seol with an expressionless face. [¡¯s Inheritance is starting.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * An endless desert. As Toki¡¯s body burned, his mind crumbled away. Rumble¡­! Toki had the same dream for multiple nights in a row. A colossal voice resonated from beyond the sandstorm. ¡°Please¡­ Please just let me die, you fucking assholes!¡± Rumble¡­! Once again, the damned god beyond the sandstorm rebuked Toki. ¡°I know! I know that, but¡­ but¡­ hrgh¡­¡± Tears flowed down Toki¡¯s face as he buried it in the sand. ¡°But there¡¯s¡­ nothing to hope for¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ hope? The thing I¡¯ve longed for this entire time? Look here, God.¡± Toki¡¯s eyes had turned red from the encroaching despair. ¡°I¡¯ve worked¡­ so hard¡­ this entire time¡­¡± <......> ¡°A low-ss birth, a weak body, a feeble mind¡­ I tried to change it all through my efforts. But¡­ can¡¯t you see it? My fate is to die here, alone, in a ce where no one knows. Am I¡­ Am I not allowed toin about my cruel fate even once?¡± Rumble¡­ It was a mysterious, heart-touching question. It might have been a single sentence, but that one sentence was what Toki had been waiting for his entire life. After all, fate had only taken things from him. Toki wept. ¡°I¡­ want to be remembered. M-Maybe everything that I¡¯ve done so far might be hypocritical! But¡­ Even so¡­¡± Toki inhaled sharply before letting out a roar. ¡°I want to be remembered by people! That I was a good person¡­ that I¡­ lived a good life. That thanks to me¡­ the world has be slightly better.¡± The entity that had turned its back on Toki responded. ¡°...What?¡± ¡°My¡­ god?¡± ¡°......¡± Rumble! * * * The memory Toki had just recalled wasn''t transmitted to Seol. All Seol could sense was Toki''s pain. Seol did not see or hear anything about the one who had turned their back on Toki. Despite this, the inheritance was sessfully finished. [You have inherited Toki¡¯s unfulfilled desire.] [A skill has been inherited from the deceased.] Glooow¡­ Seol¡¯s body began glowing brightly. An entrancing light enveloped his battered body. [You have inherited a rare skill.] [¡®Passive: Tenacity¡¯ has been inherited.] [You have inherited ¡®Passive: Tenacity¡¯.] [The proficiency growth rate for skills and talents is increased by 10%.] [The main contents of ¡®Fate: Things Which Must Be Recovered¡¯ have changed.] After everything, Toki¡¯s soul looked exhausted. ¡°...Oh, god.¡± ¡°......¡± Seol did not realize that the god Toki was referring to was him. He simply assumed that Toki was crying for his god like he always did. ¡°There is¡­ one final thing which I wish to ask.¡± ¡°...Toki.¡± Even with his fading gaze, Toki focused his eyes on Seol. ¡°Was¡­ the end of this tactless monk¡­ No, was even the end¡­¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Unseemly?¡± For Toki¡¯s fading soul, Seol gave him the words that he longed to hear the most. ¡°I will always remember you, Toki.¡± Toki¡¯s eyes lightened up after hearing those words. ¡°Then I, Toki, in my final moments¡­¡± Toki spoke to his god. ¡°...will smile.¡± Toki gave a big smile. His missing teeth only added to its luster. Faaade¡­ Toki¡¯s soul dispersed into the wind as it passed through Seol. [You have chosen to free the souls of thebyrinth as your reward for clearing it.] [You have earned the Feat ''True Penance''.] [You have earned the Feat Title ''gent''.] The piece saved its god, and in turn, the god saved its piece. It was the final period after the tiredma. And then¡­ ng! Seol turned his head. The reaper statue had made a sound. More urately, the sound came from the reaper¡¯sntern. Apartment on the bottom of themp had opened, releasing something within. Grab! Seol quickly grabbed it before it hit the floor. It was a small object, wrapped around a mysterious, bloody cloth. This was an item that could only be obtained once the individual had freed the souls from the reaper¡¯smp, leaving it empty. Seol slowly unraveled the cloth. He then read the words written on it. - I, Finn Modria, leave this for the gents. If¡­ This cloth was a letter the Blood Saint had left behind. And the item inside of the cloth¡­ Slosh¡­ was a crystal vial with some red liquid sloshing around in it. There was still onema left in thebyrinth to end. Chapter 132 A long time ago¡­ ¡°H-He cleared it!¡± ¡°Woah¡­ he beat it!¡± ¡°Finn really is strong, huh¡­¡± After hearing the news, the yers around Seol swarmed to his table. ¡°You cleared the Labyrinth of Penance?¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ that was actually possible?¡± ¡°So many of my pieces died there!¡± ¡°Finn! It¡¯s Finn!¡± Until now, no one had sessfully navigated through the Labyrinth of Penance. Thebyrinth posed a daunting challenge, proving difficult even for pieces with high stats because of its capability to wear down any piece''s mind. It had reached a point where sending a developed piece into thebyrinth was deemed foolish. That was why when Seol cleared it, the gods couldn¡¯t hide their surprise. ¡°Blood of Origin really is incredible, huh¡­¡± ¡°Finn isn¡¯t even fully developed, though, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Snowman just picked the right options as he always does.¡± ¡°I wonder what the loot will be. What is it? What is it?¡± ¡°Come on, quiet down¡­¡± The rewards from abyrinth that had never been cleared before¡­ What could it be? ¡°Huh? What is¡­¡± [Finn Modria¡¯s Peculiarity: Altruistic activates.] [Finn Modria ignores the selected option and acts on his own.] [Finn Modria¡¯s behavior is influenced by his disposition.] ¡°Huh¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fucked! Finn is¡­¡± As Seol bit his lips and observed the situation, the gods began talking on their own. ¡°He chose to free the souls?¡± ¡°He must be out of his mind!¡± ¡°He just wasted his reward!¡± Fwiiiirl¡­ A chime rang out for the Blessing of Souls. The gods quickly reconsidered their initial assessment after the feast of stat increases. ¡°Wait? If it¡¯s these many stats¡­¡± ¡°Still, we don¡¯t know what the demonic beast statue would have given.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ if he at least picked the priest¡­¡± ¡°Freeing the souls is 100% the wrong decision. I can¡¯t believe his peculiarity had to act up like that here¡­¡± ¡°Right? He worked so hard and¡­¡± ¡°Everyone, be quiet. Snowman¡¯s super upset right now.¡± In truth, Seol was neither furious nor upset. This was a situation he expected, after all. ¡®I knew he¡¯d do something like this, but¡­¡¯ Finn was special. And since Finn also acquired the Blood of Origin through his noble heart, it wasn¡¯t as if his peculiarity was only a negative. ¡®...but why?¡¯ Seol was curious. Why did Finn choose this option? Since Finn was the one who went through the penances, Seol didn¡¯t think anything of Finn¡¯s strange decision. He was¡­ simply curious. Seol continued watching Finn¡¯s actions. [Finn Modria rips off the hem of his clothes.] [Finn Modria writes something on his hem.] [Finn Modria wraps something in the hem and ces it into the reaper¡¯smp.] [The reaper¡¯smp returns to its original state.] But then... a shocking situation unfolded before Seol. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°...What is he doing?¡± ¡°Check it! Check it now!¡± ¡°What disappeared?¡± Seol''s jaw dropped as he inspected Finn''s inventory. ¡°...It¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What¡¯s gone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s gone¡­¡± The item that disappeared from Seol¡¯s inventory¡­ was the one thing he could never afford to lose. ¡°The Blood of Origin¡­ it¡¯s gone!¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol unraveled the cloth and checked its contents. ¡®I can finally read it now.¡¯ Seol had been curious about the contents of this letter for a long time. - I, Finn Modria, leave this for the gents. If you''re reading this letter, it means you''ve reached the end of the Labyrinth of Penance and have chosen to free the souls from the reaper''smp. Finn seemed to have a specific type of person in mind when he wrote this letter. - First, I thank you. Thanks to your actions, countless souls ensnared by thebyrinth have been freed. As it should be, and as they have desired. The contents of the letter weren''t long. - Guiding the wandering souls in itself is valuable, but your kind heart also deserves recognition. For that reason, I leave behind this item for you. Seol paused reading the letter and checked the crystal vial. It was filled one-third with a red liquid. - This is Blood of Origin, an item that can drastically boost the power of the blood flowing through your veins. It gradually reveals its true value as the user invests more effort. Initially, this vial was filled to the brim with blood. The person who drank the other two-thirds of it was finn. - Unfortunately, this strength has its ws as well. Consuming Blood of Origin will be an excruciatingly painful process, demanding a considerable amount of time. Not to mention¡­ the other side-effects. ¡®Side-effects?¡¯ Seol was shocked as this was his first time hearing about it. It made sense, though. There was no way he could be aware of everything happening in the world while ying it as a game from an external perspective. The only thing he could read was the messages of the interface, nothing else. - As you drink Blood of Origin, your mind bes susceptible to an external influence. Their will is like a child¡¯s, going back and forth between good and evil. If the individual who drank this sumbs to their influence¡­ it would bring forth a disaster. After all, I, too, wasn¡¯t confident in my ability to drink the rest of this. Hence, I contemted the best way to dispose of this item. ¡®...I see.¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t know about this at all. He was oblivious to the challenges Finn had encountered due to Blood of Origin. - That was why when I cleared thisbyrinth¡­ I made a decision to leave this item behind here. ¡°......¡± - I prayed that one day, someone with an indomitable mind would liberate the souls after conquering thebyrinth and obtain this. Please, I beg you, use this item carefully. And... Thunk! Seol popped off the unique lid of the crystal vial. He then drank all of the Blood of Origin without concern. Gulp¡­ A bitter taste filled his mouth. A rich, strong scent began flowing out of every orifice. Seol¡¯s body felt hot. - I hope to meet you one day. Finn¡¯s letter ended there. Seol dropped the cloth, which Finn used to write his letter, on the floor. Fwit¡­ Cruuuunch! ¡°Grrrrgh¡­¡± Changsik began taking steps away from Seol, fear in his eyes. ¡°Wh-what the¡­¡± Seol¡¯s body floated slightly in the air. Seol couldn¡¯t hold back his groans any longer. He let out a scream from the pain. ¡°Guaaaaaaaargh!¡± Crunch¡­ Snap¡­ It was a strange sight. Seol¡¯s missing right arm began to regenerate. A sticky, red, mucus-like substance intertwined with like strings before forming into lumps and very slowly began taking the shape of an arm. [You have taken Blood of Origin.] [Blood of Origin stirs and flows through your body.] [Blood of Origin transforms your body into its ideal state.] Fssss¡­ The blood, almost as if it had a mind of its own, not only reconstructed Seol¡¯s missing arm with a crimson haze, but also started expelling noxious fumes from his body. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Changsik made a noise in fright and stepped further away from Seol while blocking his nose. It was clear that standing near Seol and taking in those toxic fumes would be dangerous. Craaaack¡­ ¡°Guaaargh!¡± It almost sounded as if the blood was realigning Seol¡¯s bones. [Your body has returned to its pure state.] [Blood of Origin expands its area of control, satisfied with the results.] After settling down for a second, Seol received a second shock. Thuuud¡­ ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Fwiiirl¡­ Fwirl¡­ Seol¡¯s shadow thinned and elongated. They were Karen, Karuna, and Jamad. A red line connected Seol to his three shadows, making them share his pain. ¡°Khrghhh¡­¡± ¡°Grahh!¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± [Awakening! You awaken a new skill.] [You awaken Passive: Blood Ties.] [When in proximity with someone else with Blood Ties, gain 10% life steal. This effect does not stack.] Squirm¡­ Squirm¡­ The red line connecting Seol to his summons writhed, sharing their blood with each other. [Awakening! You awaken a new skill.] [You awaken Passive: Founder.] [Form a Lineage. Regeneration drastically increases.] [Awakening! You awaken a new skill.] [You awaken Passive: Good Lineage.] [Those who have inherited Blood of Origin have all of their stats increased by 20%.] Fwiiiiirl! After receiving those skills, Seol¡¯s summons returned to his shadow. ¡°Grgh¡­¡± Seol slowly descended to the floor, his eyes bloodshot. [Blood of Origin flows into the Skill Tree.] [New skills are unlocked on the Skill Tree.] ¡°Haah¡­¡± Seol sighed. He tried moving his right arm. There were no issues at all, as if it were his original arm. [¡®What¡¯s going on¡¯ has donated 1000 Madness!] [I thought he¡¯d use a prosthetic arm or something¡­ I wanted to watch him give up on his body¡­] - I lost my arm¡­ but I got it back! - I went to do the dishes, and when I came back, he got his arm back? - Go Go Gadget Arm! - How broken is that item? It gave him so many things¡­ - I doubted my eyes for a second¡­ - Is he cheating? [Blood of Origin falls asleep, satisfied with the results.] [You have earned the special achievement ''Sea of Blood''.] [You have earned the special title ''Founder''.] ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± The Blood of Origin was a skill capable of improvement. Simr to how Finn managed to develop numerous Exceptional Skills, the resulting effects weren''t the entirety of it. ¡®Still, it should be asleep for a while now¡­¡¯ Seol looked at the reaper¡¯s now emptymp. He took turns looking at the emptymp and the empty vial. ¡®Would I¡­ have made this decision still if I didn¡¯t know the Blood of Origin was in there?¡¯ - And if you can¡­ make sure to do good deeds in your life. Even though Toki¡¯s final words were embedded into Seol¡¯s heart¡­ he wasn¡¯t sure. There was no way to know right now, really. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Seol then checked the titles he received while clearing thebyrinth. [[Special Title: Godfather] Rted Achievement: You Didn¡¯t Need to Do All This (Adventure: Division of Pain) Bonus Effect: Permanently add 2 to your Spell Resist Dice when attempting to resist mind-type spells.] [[Special Title: Founder] Rted Achievement: Sea of Blood (Adventure: Division of Pain) Bonus Effect: Lineage development speed is increased by 10%.] [[Feat Title: gent] Rted Achievement: True Penance (Adventure: Division of Pain) Bonus Effect: The likelihood of the skills you create being Exceptional Skills significantly increases.] ¡®They¡¯re all good effects.¡¯ Seol once again experienced the significant impact that Spell Resist Dice could have in battle this time. The addition of 2 to the rolls was definitely impressive. ¡®And Founder¡¯s effects¡­ are rted to Lineage.¡¯ As expected, the effects were rted to the Blood of Origin that Seol drank. ¡®Lastly, the ¡®Feat¡¯ Title.¡¯ It was Seol¡¯s first time acquiring it as a Shadow Summoner. Unlike Inaugural Titles, this title was awarded to individuals regardless of the order in which they acquired it. As expected, its effects were incredible. ¡®It¡¯s just as difficult to acquire, though¡­¡¯ With this, Seol had checked even the titles. There was only one thing left to do before leaving thebyrinth. Thud. A small chest formed near Seol¡¯s ankles. It almost¡­ looked like a ring box. Click. When Seol opened it, he saw a ring inside. [You open the Labyrinth¡¯s Present.] [You have leveled up.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [Affluent¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have acquired gent''s Seal (Reaper).] [A wonderful discovery! You have discovered apletely new kind of relic.] [You are unable toprehend this relic with your shoddy Wisdom.] ¡®This is a pass to enterbyrinths¡­¡¯ There were manybyrinths throughout the continent other than the Labyrinth of Penance. Though you needed an invitation, the Qualification Token, to enter one for the first time, their numbers were limited. ¡®But with this seal¡­¡¯ As long as an individual possessed the seal acquired upon clearing thebyrinth, they could enter anybyrinth without needing a token. While these seals served as passes, their functionality wasn''t limited to that. In fact, they were moremonly utilized for their other effects. ¡®The seals themselves are powerful.¡¯ These seals possessed special effects that ordinary equipment couldn''t replicate. [[Wonder: gent''s Seal (Reaper)] Quality: Wonder Rmended Level: N/A Resistance: N/A Durability: 200/200 Weight: 0.1kg A seal given to those who have ovee the Labyrinth of Penance. Basic Effect: This item does not use an equipment slot. Durability gradually regenerates over time. Bonus Effect: Ignore curses from Abomination-quality items.] ¡®It¡¯s the same thing that Finn got.¡¯ - Ignore curses from Abominations? - So he can just equip whatever Abominations he wants? - That¡¯s really nice¡­ - That¡¯s crazy! This should at least require an equipment slot. The ring was thin and had a reaper¡¯s skull engraved on its head. Seol quickly equipped this ring, which functioned as ayered item of sorts, and turned toward Changsik. ¡°Now we should go ba¡­¡± ¡°......¡± Seol couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Changsik was looking down at his ring with empty eyes. He shook his head then turned to Seol before opening his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t have the right to take this.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you¡­¡± ¡°I killed my party members with my own hands¡­ I couldn¡¯t save anyone.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to¡ª¡± ¡°But you¡­ you were able to save everyone.¡± ¡°......¡± Changsik had a desperate look in his eyes. It seemed like he resolved himself to a decision after watching Seol free the souls. ¡°You were the only one who managed to conquer thebyrinth. I¡­ was broken by it. I don¡¯t n to return to a ce like this anytime soon, and¡­ I won¡¯t need this item, either. Please, use it in my stead.¡± A Wonder-quality ring. Seol wondered how it would feel to give someone else a treasure that could only be acquired from thebyrinth. Seol couldn¡¯t refuse his request after seeing his determined eyes. ¡°I will cherish this ring.¡± ¡°Th-thank you. I¡¯m sure myrades would have wanted this too¡­¡± The ring was engraved with the design of a demonic beast. As Seol equipped it on another finger, a strange thing happened. Slide¡­ Click! Fwiiirl¡­ The two seals were connected through a chain. Seol immediately checked the item once more. [[Wonder: gent''s Seal (Reaper-Demonic Beast)] Quality: Wonder Rmended Level: N/A Resistance: N/A Durability: 300/300 Weight: 0.1kg A seal given to those who have ovee the Labyrinth of Penance. Basic Effect: This item does not use an equipment slot. Durability gradually regenerates over time. Bonus Effect: Ignore curses from Abomination-quality items. Receive additional effects based on the number of Abomination-quality items you possess.] - The abomination set isplete! - These effects are really nice¡­ - I¡¯ll buy any Abomination-quality item~ Abominations4Gold~ - I like those chains hahaha - It looks like something an old guy who listens to heavy metal music would wear. - Hot Topic ring for real It was finally time for Seol and Changsik to return after their long journey. Flutter¡­ The two were surrounded by blue particles. Faaade¡­ Then, they were transferred. Bzzzz! The two returned to a ce near Audenin, their set location. ¡°Haah¡­ Haaah¡­¡± ¡°Bwrgh¡­¡± Their bodies reacted strongly to the fresh air. After being confined in a humidbyrinth for an extended period, their lungs joyfully responded to the change. As the twoy on the floor,ughing, a message entered their eyes. [Next is the Points Leaderboard up to Adventure 18.] Chapter 133 A disheveled woman sipped from a bottle of alcohol in the early morning. ¡°Unni¡­ did you drink all night again? It¡¯s almost time for your next Adventure. You should be taking care of your body right now¡­¡± "Haha, looking after my body? Yeah, that''s important. But, you know, Inyeong¡­ it''s not like only the fittest, buffest folkse back from Adventures, right? So, taking care of my body... is it really necessary?" ¡°You¡¯re drunk right now,¡± Choi Inyeong turned around, ¡°Ahjussi, you should go back now too.¡± Inyeong then faced the disheveled woman once more, ¡°Unni! You need to sober up.¡± The inebriated woman happened to be a crucial member of Audenin''s guild alliance, Son Juyeon. Seeing the usuallyposed and alert woman in such a state was tough. ¡°Just a bit more¡­¡± ¡°What? I can¡¯t hear you.¡± She had a mournful look in her eyes. ¡°Is it okay¡­ if I just wait a bit more?¡± ¡°...Unni, Changsik oppa is dead. So¡­ Can¡¯t you stop this now?¡± ¡°You¡­ Argh!¡± Shatter! Juyeon hurled a delicate ss cup at the wall, shattering it into pieces. ¡°Hrgh¡­ Hah¡­ Changsik isn¡¯t dead. He¡¯s not dead!¡± "I know... you tried to stop him from going, but he went anyway. And... that means it''s over." There was a reason why the atmosphere had been so somber when deciding on the individuals for thebyrinth expedition. While friction between the guilds yed a role, the primary concern was that Changsik was essentially their leader. Everyone was worried about his absence and the potential consequences if he didn''t return. This was especially the case for Juyeon. Which, in turn, became the reason why she looked for other people to undertake thebyrinth. It was a n that failed brilliantly with the appearance of Seol, though. Inyeong was someone privy to Juyeon and Changsik¡¯s private rtionship. In reality, Changsik was a popr figure in Audenin. Hismendable character and self-assured demeanor attracted a considerable following. With a somber look, Inyeong slowly approached Juyeon and began picking up the ss shards near her feet. ¡°He¡­ has been killed by thebyrinth.¡± ¡°Fucking¡­¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Watch yournguage! You¡¯re doing it again.¡± ¡°God¡­ fucking damn it¡­ Why did that idiot have to go there¡­¡± ¡°Unni.¡± ¡°He should¡¯ve just been satisfied with what the alliance was giving him. Why¡­ why did he choose to go?!¡± Inyeong grabbed Juyeon¡¯s hands. ¡°You know better than anyone that Changsik oppa wasn¡¯t someone who¡¯d do that, unni.¡± ¡°Asshole. Dumbass.¡± ¡°But that dumbass brought all of us together, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°...Sure, at first.¡± The first thing that disappeared after being transferred into The World of Eternity was trust. Mutual trust, promises, faith in party members, etc. Since everyone was grappling with survival, it didn''t matter to them who was pushed down in their pursuit to live. However, Changsik was different. He wasn¡¯t like them. And it was for that reason people began following Changsik, leading to the formation of the alliance. However, without him, the alliance was now just a boring group driven solely by self-interest and unsavory motives. The alliance without Changsik¡­ was lonely. ¡°The longest an Adventure has ever taken was three months.¡± ¡°...Three months?¡± ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s been four since Changsik oppa entered thebyrinth.¡± Four months¡­ since entering thebyrinth¡­ There was no room for hope. Once again, thebyrinth had killed its intruder. ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ to prepare for what¡¯ll happen next¡­¡± Suddenly, there was a loud noise. ¡°Juyeoooooooon!¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°Juyeon! I heard Juyeon was here! Haah¡­ Haah¡­ Juyeooooon!¡± A man¡¯s voice rang throughout the store that Juyeon was at. It was a familiar voice, so Juyeon assumed he was one of her guild members. And¡­ her assumptions were correctt. ¡°Why are you here? Juyeon unni drank all night and¡­¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­ So you were here¡­ Hold on, just let me catch my breath and¡­ Fuu¡­¡± The man was covered in sweat, indicating that he had hurried over here. What was so urgent that he ran here? Exhausted and inebriated, Juyeon buried her head in her arms. But then¡­ a chill ran down her spine. ¡°Are¡­ Are you¡­¡± The manughed. ¡°Haah¡­ Yeah.¡± Juyeon got up and attempted to leave the store to run to him but got tripped up by her own feet and stumbled. ¡°Unni!¡± ¡°It¡¯s you, right? It¡¯s you?!¡± shouted Juyeon, getting back up as if nothing had happened. The man nodded back. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± The wait hade to an end. * * * ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll fucking kill you!¡± Juyeon tightened her grip around Changsik¡¯s neck. ¡°Krgh¡­ Krrg¡­ S-Someone¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ breathe¡­¡± ¡°What the hell happened?! What happened in there?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ exin everything so¡­ l-let me breathe!¡± Inyeong wrapped her arms around Juyeon¡¯s waist and pulled her off Changsik. ¡°Unni, stop¡­ This is why I told you to stop drinking.¡± ¡°Let me go! That asshole¡­ You¡­¡¯ ¡°Fuu¡­ I can finally breathe now.¡± Changsikughed while touching his neck. He then looked around, judging the situation. There were onlookers all around them. ¡°Thebyrinth? Really, thebyrinth?¡± ¡°I thought they went there four months ago?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they all die? I thought you said it was hopeless?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either, I just got here.¡± With the crowd growing, Changsik began to believe that every transferee in Audenin had gathered here. Juyeon, after calming down, asked, ¡°But why¡­ are you alone?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°The others¡­¡± Changsik limped over to where the guild members had gathered. He then gave a deep bow. ¡°I apologize. Heungsu, Jaeho, and Taegyu¡­ all died in thebyrinth.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°It is all my fault for being weak, they¡­¡± Thud¡­ ¡°No¡­ Jaeho¡­ Jaeho died?¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying to us, right? Are they really all dead?¡± ¡°What about Private then? Is Private still alive?¡± ¡°Did that bastard leave behind everyone else to survive on his own, huh?!¡± They did not know. They did not know what happened in thebyrinth. For their respective reasons, they were seeking a target to vent their anger. Clench¡­ Changsik clenched his teeth, seething angrily as though the crowd had personally insulted him. Despite his fury, he made an effort to calm down before responding to them. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be talking about this here. Why don¡¯t we talk about it at the lighthouse?¡± Changsik and the other guild members distanced themselves from the crowd and headed to the lighthouse. After arriving, Changsik sat down at the conference table. Juyeon, who noticed Changsik¡¯s limp, called for a healer in the guild to look after it as they talked. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It should return to normal once he gets some rest.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ you smell like alcohol.¡± ¡°Have you been drinking since morning, Juyeon?¡± ¡°Nope, sincest night.¡± ¡°......¡± The leaders of the alliance all smirked andughed over it. They were all waiting for Changsik to speak. ¡°We¡­¡± Changsik then continued, sharing the details of what happened. His detailed story was so gruesome that it made the listeners cringe and draw away. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that in the end¡­ it was a fight with oneself.¡± ¡°And that was where people failed¡­ which was also why Jaeho attacked Taegyu and¡­¡± ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Some of the more sensitive people began to tear up. ¡°Then¡­ What happened to the people who had their souls taken away?¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t tell me they¡¯ll forever¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Changsik continued, telling them about what happened during the Final Penance. He told them about how powerful the final boss was¡­ and how powerful Private was to face it. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t able to help him at all, Changsik?¡± Eventually, it flowed to how Private defeated the final boss and the rewards they gained from it. Thud! Changsik ced a treasure chest on the table. Everyone could instinctually tell that it was the treasure from thebyrinth. Click¡­ ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­¡± ¡°These equipment¡­¡± There were dozens of extraordinary equipment, ancient coins, and even gems. But¡­ they weren¡¯t enough. ¡°The rewards that I selected¡­ were these.¡± Considering that three guild members lost their lives and had their souls trapped in thebyrinth, these rewards seemed far too inadequate. ¡°What about Private? Did he get something else on his own?¡± ¡°Where is he now?¡± ¡°I told him to return to the room I prepared for him so he doesn¡¯t get caught up in troublesome matters like this.¡± One of the leaders shot up. ¡°You¡¯re lying! I doubt that¡¯s the case. I bet you sent him ahead of time so that we can¡¯t im a right to his rewards.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! And if you look at it, the only reason he could get those rewards in the first ce was¡­¡± Changsik had a disheartened look on his face. The only person who caught it, though, was Juyeon. ¡°...What did Private choose for his rewards?¡± ¡°Why are you asking something so obvious?! He¡¯s obviously trying to monopolize his treasures¡­¡± Changsik shook his head. ¡°He freed the souls.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°He chose to free all of the souls trapped in thebyrinth. Even though he knew it wouldn¡¯t be an adequate reward for all that he went through.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°N-No way¡­¡± Changsik closed his eyes for a second. ¡°It was thanks to his goodwill¡­ the party members whose souls were trapped by the reaper were freed.¡± ¡°Are you seriously telling us to believe that right no¡ª¡± Changsik red. ¡°Do not insult him further if you value your life. He isn¡¯t someone who should be treated like that. If he puts in even the slightest of effort, he could silence everyone here.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s my story. Feel free to take a portion of the treasures as payment for me using the token. I¡¯m just¡­ tired now.¡± The room was silent. Though everyone was happy that survivors had returned, a heavy silence hung in the air due to the price they paid, the lives of theirrades. They were also speechless from Private¡¯s incredible actions. And then¡­ a woman, who had been quietly sitting in the corner, spoke up. ¡°By the way¡­ did everyone look at the newly updated rankings?¡± ¡°Ah, now that I think about it¡­¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t checked it yet.¡± A man who harbored jealousy over Changsik''s rtionship with Juyeon voiced his thoughts. "By the way, Changsik, did you know I''ve surpassed you now?" ¡°Really¡­?¡± The man nced at Juyeon after taunting Changsik. ¡°Well, points aren¡¯t absolute at representing one¡¯s strength, but¡­¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°The points! Everyone, check the points!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes headed to the rankings. Their eyes froze on the ¡®Private¡¯s who were listed 1st and 2nd. ¡°Changsik surpassed 2 million points?¡± ¡°Thebyrinth gave more than a million points?¡± ¡°M-More importantly¡­ look at the 1st ce¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± There was only one person in Audenin who could surpass Changsik¡¯s 2 million points. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [Your information is set to Private.] [You have 5,482,500 Points.] [You have surpassed 5,000,000 Adventure Points.] [You have earned the Inaugural Achievement ''The Front Lines''.] [You have earned the Inaugural Title ''Vanguard''.] [Adventure Points Leaderboard 1. Private (5,482,500) 2. Private (2,211,710) 3. WithWords (1,502,120) 4. SpoonMurderer (1,372,420) 5. WhoAteAllTheMangoes (1,240,130)] After entering his room, Seol changed out of his torn clothing and into hisfortable clothes. He was exhausted after spending so long in thebyrinth. It had reached the point where even checking his titles was a pain. [[Inaugural Title: Vanguard] Rted Achievement: The Front Lines (Adventure: N/A) Bonus Effect: It now costs one less to upgrade a skill that you''ve already unlocked on the skill tree.] ¡®Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve gathered quite a lot of skill points now¡­¡¯ - Woah¡­ It¡¯s such a nice effect, but Snowman¡¯s just so nonchnt about it. - ?? <- Snowman right now. - He looks like he¡¯s thinking about what to eat for lunch LOL - Is he really someone who just came out of thebyrinth? Hahaha - Inaugural Titles don¡¯t mean shit to him now! - Snowman¡¯s snowballing right now¡­ - The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer! He¡¯s just sweeping through all of these achievements and getting stronger! - But it¡¯s fun to watch him. Very exciting! - ?? I hope you read my dono~ Seol was confident that Changsik would organize everything for him and provide the detailster. ¡®For now¡­ I just want to rest.¡¯ Seol was exhausted after the ordeals he went through in thebyrinth. Heid down on a long,fortable chair, ready to sleep. However, as he was about to close his eyes¡­ Knock, knock. Someone interrupted his rest. ¡®Is it the alliance?¡¯ Seol had considered it a possibility. They might¡¯ve had some questions for Seol about thebyrinth. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°...Is it possible to have a talk?¡± ¡°A talk?¡± It was clear the person behind the door wasn¡¯t a member of the alliance. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Seol slowly got up and walked toward the door. ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me why you¡¯re here if you want me to open the door.¡± ¡°...meli.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°My name is Chameli, I am a ck Pilgrim.¡± ¡°A¡­ ck Pilgrim?¡± They were the organization that Boseok, the person Seol fought to enter thebyrinth, belonged to. Were they here to settle the debts of what happened four months ago? Creak¡­ Seol opened the door and looked at the person. They weren¡¯t particrly tall. And judging by how the clothes rested on their body¡­ they were a woman. The ck Pilgrim had a hood over her head, and behind her were more ck Pilgrims. ¡°I came here because there is something to discuss with you, brother,¡± said Chameli. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left Audenin yet?¡± ¡°Because we had to wait.¡± ¡°Wait for what? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°You are correct.¡± Chameli awkwardlyughed. ¡°We were waiting for you.¡± Chapter 134 The ck Pilgrims had shown up again, four months after the spar to decide thest person to enter thebyrinth. The pilgrims, all with dark, T-shaped tattoos below their eyes, entered Seol¡¯s room. - (TT) What they look like - Wait, why does that look so simr LOL - Why do they look so sad? Hahaha Seol looked at the individual standing at the front. The woman, who introduced herself as Chameli, seemed to be their leader. Despite her fearsome appearance, Seol had the feeling that without her tattoos, she would possess a pure and elegant demeanor. And near the back of their group was Boseok, who was awkwardly standing around. ¡°May wee in?¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s only one chair for a guest here, though¡­¡± Seol implied that there wasn''t enough room for all her followers to sit down. Chameli looked behind her with a sullen look. One of the pilgrims spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We can stand.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to consider us for small things like these.¡± Chameli nodded as if she had no other option. She sat down in the guest chair in front of Seol. ¡°I apologize for having to introduce myself like this. Allow me to reintroduce ourselves. We are the ck Pilgrims. I am their overseer, Chameli, the Nevenian Vicar of Varanoa, the Holy Nation.¡± The Vicar of Nevenia. Seol already recognized her high status from her essories and how she was treated by the people around her. ¡®The Vicar of Nevenia, though¡­¡¯ Despite Nevenia being a rtively small kingdom, the position of vicar held significant importance. After all, she was in charge of an entire kingdom¡¯s worth of believers. ''But why did a vicare here personally?'' There was a good chance she was also in the audience when Seol fought Boseok four months ago. Seol was curious about her intent. What could be so important that a vicar would spend four months here? Having a general idea of what Seol was thinking about, Chameli bowed her head. ¡°V-Vicar.¡± ¡°If you do that¡­¡± The pilgrims behind her were shocked but had no means or standing to stop it. Her actions, though humble, were dignified. ¡°Why are you bowing to me?¡± Seol was confused after receiving her bow. Chameli carefully opened her mouth. ¡°I wanted to use this time¡­ to apologize for testing you.¡± ¡°...Testing me?¡± Seol quickly realized what she meant. ¡®Was my fight with Boseok her means of testing me?¡¯ It didn¡¯t make sense for the ck Pilgrims to be interested in thebyrinth in the first ce. Varanoa was one of the wealthiest nations. Why would they be interested in abyrinth when they already receive support from Varanoa? The rewards from thebyrinth were appealing to adventurers, not them. "I see... Are you suggesting my fight with the pilgrim over there for thest spot in thebyrinth was your test?" ¡°I am.¡± ¡°How unpleasant.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing more I can really say, other than that I am deeply sorry.¡± ¡°What were you testing though?¡± Chameli and Seol looked each other in the eyes. Though the tattoos below her eyes were hideous, her eyes shined like jewels. ¡°Your strength.¡± ¡°My¡­ strength?¡± ¡°Do you have any thoughts of bing a pilgrim?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± - Nope - ? - What do you think you¡¯re doing LOL - I¡¯m just going to im you after you do all the hard work :) - It¡¯s kind of funny how he just rejected it immediately LOL - I¡¯m d that they went through this fast hahaha Seol knew it was just a worthless offer she tossed his way. She was going to show off her real intent now. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look that sad about it at all, though.¡± ¡°...Was it that obvious?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°To be honest¡­ I knew you weren¡¯t the type of person to ept this offer. I guess that¡¯s why I¡¯m not particrly sad about it.¡± ¡°So there¡¯s something else, right?¡± ¡°...Right.¡± They were finally getting to the point. ¡°I wanted to request you for help.¡± ¡°Help? Is support from Varanoa not enough?¡± ¡°The Holy Nation is having a difficult time due to various problems. They are in neither a good time nor situation to help us.¡± ¡°What problems are they going through?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t understand the question. Were you asking about the Holy Nation or us?¡± ¡°Both.¡± ¡°The issues within Varanoa are not something a simple vicar can share. However¡­ I am able to tell you about our problems in Nevenia.¡± Fwooosh¡­ As Chameli waved her hands, she created a backdrop around them that resembled the night sky. Frss¡­ And within it, a certain individual was taking shape. It materialized into a miniature knight wearing ck armor. ¡°This¡­ This is our problem.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Seol tried his best to hide his shock. ¡®Karuna?¡¯ The knight Chameli created looked almost identical to Karuna. The only difference between them was the mood they gave off. ¡°The ck Knight. He has many appearances and has revealed his traces throughout the continent for a very, very long time. And each time he leaves behind his traces, he also leaves innocent corpses beneath his de.¡± ¡°The ck Knight, huh¡­ how fun.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t think of it as ¡®fun¡¯ once you hear the details. Regardless, one of the ck Knights that Varanoa was tracking down has slipped into Nevenia.¡± ¡°Are there multiple ck Knights?¡± ¡°Urm¡­¡± Chameli bit her lips and thought for a second, troubled by Seol¡¯s question. She seemed to have resolved herself as she began talking once more. ¡°ording to the records¡­ Apparently, there were multiple ck Knights in the beginning.¡± ¡°Multiple? How many exactly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an estimate, but over seven¡­¡± ¡°Does that mean it¡¯s different now?¡± ¡°Yes. Now there¡¯s estimated to be¡­ two or three? We¡¯ve only sessfully managed to track down one, though.¡± ¡°...Why are there less of them now?¡± Chameli paused. ¡°...They seem to despise each other.¡± ¡°Despise each other?¡± ¡°I was told that when two ck Knights run into each other, the stronger ck Knight absorbs the powers of the weaker one. It¡¯s likely¡­ that they are in conflict with each other.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol began asking about other things as well now. ¡°How long has the ck Knight you''ve been tracking been here in Nevenia?¡± ¡°Likely half a year¡­ though there are some people who im it has been a year, though.¡± ¡°So recent, but you aren¡¯t sure of the exact date. Are you intending on stopping him?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already tried, but¡­¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t go as nned.¡± Chameli nodded. ¡°He is powerful.¡± "Is Varanoa not supporting you because the ck Knight is too powerful?" ¡°No matter how strong the ck Knight is, he is no match for Varanoa¡¯s holy army. Apparently, they are going through issues of their own right now, but¡­ I apologize. I do not know the specific reasons myself either.¡± ¡°Is Nevenia not doing anything?¡± Chameli gave a quizzical look as if Seol had said something ridiculous. ¡°Why would those corrupt royals do anything for the greater good? We¡¯ve already requested help, but it was pointless. In the end, it¡¯s something which must be handled by the parish.¡± ¡°...Hm.¡± "In truth, this matter doesn''t directly concern Varanoa. Nevertheless, the presence of the ck Knight jeopardizes innocent lives,pelling us to take action as we couldn¡¯t simply ignore it. Given Varanoa''s limited ability to assist, the responsibility fell upon us, the parish." A matter that doesn¡¯t involve them. Theycked the personnel, and it wasn¡¯t a simple problem either. However, the Holy Nation must never ignore the deaths of innocents. That was Varanoa¡¯s dilemma. Seol suddenly grew curious about something. Why did the vicar wait for four months? ¡°What did you n to do if I didn¡¯t return from thebyrinth?¡± ¡°But you did.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± She calmlyughed. ¡°Everything follows God''s will, and it was for his will that I tested you.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± In truth, Seol didn¡¯t particrly like Varanoa. In fact, Varanoa might be even more rotten on the inside than Nevenia. Seol posed the question as a measure of her response, and her gentle reply cast her in a more favorable perspective in Seol''s eyes. ¡°For now, I understand the situation. You need my help to stop the ck Knight¡­ is that right?¡± ¡°Yes, precisely.¡± ¡°And if the ck Knight really is powerful¡­ Isn¡¯t it possible that I hold no chance against him either?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. You are more powerful than any adventurer I have met so far.¡± ¡°Amongst the transferees that the parish has an easier time controlling, right?¡± Countless adventurers in Pandea were much, much stronger than Seol. Why wouldn¡¯t there be? After all, Pandea¡¯s history runs deep. Chameli avoided the question by smiling. She instead tried to appease Seol by now giving him the carrot. "While we are discreetly seeking your assistance, rest assured that a proper reward awaits you, akin to what we would offer under usual circumstances. Brother, is there anything specific you desire?" ¡°Hm¡­¡± A reward from the Holy Nation ensured that Seol could anticipate rare and valuable items. ¡®Leaving aside how powerful the ck Knight is¡­ the rewards are important.¡¯ No request held merit unless it offered fitting rewards. Such was the reality of an adventurer''s life. Seol pondered while rubbing his chin. He then smiled as if he had thought of something fun. ¡°If it¡¯s to the point that you would request me¡­ it must be quite urgent, right? And considering how you waited four months for me¡­ there probably isn¡¯t a suitable alternative.¡± "Kindly inform us of your desires, brother. I can respond once you''ve shared your wishes." ¡°I want a holy relic.¡± ¡°......¡± The pilgrims behind Chameli were all in an uproar. ¡°D-Did you just¡­?!¡± ¡°How impudent! Know your ce!¡± ¡°Vicar, we have no reason to listen to him further! He is looking dow¡ª¡± ¡°Stop! Everyone, stop!¡± The pilgrims immediately stopped as Chameli raised her hand. They were like an orchestra following their conductor. Seol sensed that their loyalty was abnormally high. ¡®Is¡­ Chameli a ¡®pure-blood¡¯?¡¯ Corruption amongst the leadership in Varanoa was rampant, to the point that Nevenia¡¯s corruption wasughablepared to it. Seol has associated with them multiple times while raising his pieces, and has looked into the depths of their corruption, but came to the judgment that they weren¡¯t people who should be kept close. Varanoa governed its subjects based on the legitimacy of one''s bloodline. Those descended from the founders of the nation were known as the ''pure-bloods¡¯, and the nation employed them as a mechanism for controlling its citizens. Seol had the feeling she was one of them after seeing how the pilgrims shuddered in fear when she raised her voice. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Chameli then spoke once more, her expression clearly showing that she was troubled by Seol¡¯s request. ¡°Brother, the holy relics of Varanoa are not allowed to be handed out to outsiders.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°However¡­ it might be possible if it¡¯s not a holy relic from Varanoa. In fact, we just happened to recently acquire an appropriate item. Something that¡­ we haven¡¯t reported to Varanoa yet.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t talking about that, Vicar, are you?¡± ¡°W-We can just do that then!¡± ¡°We can give that to him, yes!¡± Seol then asked them. ¡°If it¡¯s because it¡¯s defective or something¡­¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not that. It simply doesn¡¯t have any rtion to Varanoa¡¯s history.¡± Seol thought to himself as she continued. ¡®Is it a holy relic from another religion or another nation? Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡¯ Like how thebyrinth gave a Wonder-quality item for clearing it, Holy Relic-quality items also couldn¡¯t be acquired from normal adventures. Therefore, these rewards were quite appealing to Seol. ¡°We¡¯ve made our decision. What about you, brother?¡± Seol put his hand forth. ¡°My name is Snowman.¡± Chameli smiled as she put forth her pale hand. "Atst, I have the privilege of hearing your name, brother." [You have epted Chameli¡¯s request.] [Adventure ¡®ck Knight¡¯ is scheduled.] [Because this Adventure is a ''Linked Adventure'' you cannot choose your next Adventure.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * After Chameli and the ck Pilgrims left, Seolid his weary body on the bed. ¡®I don¡¯t want to do anything¡­¡¯ The events in thebyrinth were so intense that the outside world felt unnatural now. Whenever Seol closed his eyes, he returned to the scorching desert. He recalled the memories of eating monster meat to survive. ¡®Even that was funter, though.¡¯ Smile¡­ A natural smile formed on Seol¡¯s face. That was generally how good memories were made. Very naturally, they melted into one¡¯s being. The days he spent with Toki were bright, a memory impossible to forget even in hister years. ¡°Master¡­ you look a bit down.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Karen had slipped out of Seol¡¯s Shadow Space and was standing by the bed, looking down at him. ¡°Yeah, you look sad. Is it because of what happened in thebyrinth?¡± ¡°...Basically.¡± Though Seol acted calmly, withposure, it was hard for such intense memories to disappear so quickly. He still couldn''t shake the memory of witnessing a human life burn like aet across the sky. - We only have one opportunity! Don¡¯t waste it like a fool! Escape thebyrinth and greet the morning. Seol wondered what Toki felt as he headed to the reaper¡¯smp. Though Seol wasn¡¯t sure about a lot of things, he was sure of one thing. Slide¡­ As Karen waved the curtains, the sun greeted Seol¡¯s face. He had survived thebyrinth and had greeted the morning. Karen spoke to herself, seeing Seol¡¯s sleeping face. ¡°...You fell asleep already.¡± Seol fell asleep instantly from all of the exhaustion that had piled up. He anticipated having the most restful sleep he''d had in a while. However, he was swept up by some mysterious sensation. ¡®This feeling is¡­¡¯ Frssss¡­ It was a familiar feeling. It was difficult to move his body. He felt voices from beyond a wall. A dream within a dream. Combining all of these factors, there was only one thing that this could be. ¡®The¡­ Madness Shop?¡¯ A red haze surrounded Seol as he opened his eyes. [Someone seems interested in the Madness you have collected.] ¡°...I didn¡¯t use the invitation, though?¡± Seol had previously utilized the invitation to ess the Madness Shop. Given that he had received another invitation, he presumed he could now enter it at his convenience. Ribbit¡­ Ribbit¡­ He heard the sound of a frog somewhere. Ribbit! The problem was that the sound was loud, suggesting that the frog was massive. Faaaade¡­ The red haze subsided, revealing something. ¡°...A toad?¡± Ribbit! The toad puffed up its throat, looking down on Seol. It was significantlyrger than most monsters Seol had encountered. Open! The toad opened its mouth and lowered its tongue to the floor. When the tongue touched the floor, someone came down from the toad¡¯s mouth. A woman wearing clothes covered in jewelry. ¡°J?¡± The woman gentlynded on the floor. ¡°Stand by for now. He¡¯s an important guest, so this might take long,¡± said J to the toad. Ribbit! The toad turned around and hopped away. J tossed aside her ridiculous monocle and gave a childish grin. She then opened her arms annoyingly as if she was trying to wee Seol. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Snowman. How have you been?¡± Chapter 135 J had appeared in a¡­ unique way. Seol immediately pressed her with questions. ¡°What was that toad, and what are those jewels on your body?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all things I bought recently. What do you think? You like them?¡± ¡°Even that big toad?¡± ¡°Yes, and only refined merchants such as myself ride those elegant creatures.¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t get it at all.¡± "It''s difficult to grasp with human understanding. Nevertheless, I''ll try to understand even that part of you." Seol didn¡¯t understand what was praiseworthy abouting out of a toad¡¯s mouth and taking its tongue down to the ground. ¡°Is it like a trend in your world?¡± ¡°Kind of? It might look ridiculous to you, but do you know how much this costs? Well, that¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m using it, though.¡± ¡°Did you suddenly be rich or something? Your outfitst time was a lot more¡­ humble¡­¡± "Rich? Well, kind of, haha. Do Ie across as someone who just became wealthy and is squandering all their money?" ¡°A bit.¡± ¡°Woah, how honest. Well¡­ I guess I can¡¯t deny that I¡¯ve lined my pockets fairly well after receiving themendation.¡± ¡°Commendation?¡± J smiled and began boasting. ¡°It turns out that¡­ my trade volume was at the highest amongst the merchants or something like that. To be honest¡­ it was kind of inevitable. The other civilizations barely have anything, even if you try to squeeze it out of¡­ Uh¡­ I¡¯ll stop there.¡± ¡°Other civilizations? Squeeze what out?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said I was going to stop there. My higher-ups will scold me if I share information without permission.¡± ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t the type of person who cared about that.¡± ¡°Normally, you¡¯d be right. But I still need to pretend like I¡¯m listening to those fossils, you know? They¡¯ve lived hundreds, if not thousands of years more than me, after all.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Even though J didn¡¯t say much, Seol could still infer a few things from it. ¡®So, Madness likely doesn''t just exist on Earth and this connected world...¡¯ Despite the swarm of questions in his mind, Seol knew it was impossible to pursue them further. As such, he opted to ask other questions. ¡°But having the highest trade volume means¡­ Did you really trade that much Madness, J?¡± ¡°Of course! Ah, it was thanks to you too.¡± ¡°Thanks to¡­ me?¡± ¡°Yeah, I sort of¡­ mentioned your existence.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°There were some humans who were on guard against me. So I mentioned that you were one of my trade partners.¡± ¡°...Did it work?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Would anyone be able to resist trading if I revealed that the individual with over 3 million points exchanged over 10,000 Madness with me? Thanks to you, I made multiple trade partners and created better conditions for myself.¡± Seol thought she was ridiculous for doing that, but he chose not to do anything as he had also acquired a lot from working with her. Ultimately, the two of them were bound to each other through trades. As long as they could continue this exchange, everything else was meaningless. ¡°So¡­ why did you appear? I didn¡¯t use the invitation.¡± "It''s not as if I''ll only appear when you use the invitation. Certainly, we''ll trade when you want, but wouldn''t there be times when I''d want to as well?" ¡°You leave me at a loss for words.¡± ¡°Oh, also, I enjoyed watching your experiences in thebyrinth.¡± ¡°...You watched all of that?¡± With a shocked face, Jughed loudly. "Of course! It''s not as if we merchants work every day, you know? When we don''t have tasks at hand, we also observe you all, like the residents of other worlds. Observing you serves both as work and personal interest." She observed them to discern their needs and also because she was fascinated by them. Merchants seemed like an unusual bunch. ¡°But the reason I observed you in thebyrinth¡­ was mostly for thetter reason.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°If I could tell you something a bit funny¡­ a lot of merchants are talking about you these days.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m just gossip for them, huh.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong? But it isn¡¯t necessarily bad for you.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± "It means a lot more merchants want to do business with you now. There are plenty of entric merchants, but there are also those who only sell their wares to people they like, you know? And those merchants usually have a lot of special wares. What do you think? Doesn''t this get you excited?" ¡°Not particrly. But doesn¡¯t this just put your position at stake?¡± J¡¯s eyes were shocked wide with confusion. ¡°Me? No, not at all.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°The merchants who camest time topete spread a bunch of rumors. Rumors that you and I have a really close rtionship.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it at first either, but I nodded along once, right? And they all just swarmed me, believing it! Hahaha! Those idiots¡­ Well, it¡¯s better for me this way. Because of that, merchants believe that the items they want to sell to you have to go through me. All with a small fee, of course.¡± ¡°Do they really want to trade with me that badly?¡± ¡°They¡¯re also curious about your stories, but they also gain some status from trading with you. The more you trade with big spenders, the more reputed you be, so¡­ Well, you could essentially just think of it as the merchant¡¯s status being directly corrted with the famous clients they handle and how well they maintain that rtionship.¡± ¡°Is it really that important?¡± ¡°Of course. And thanks to that, you¡¯ll also get better trades, Snowman. You¡¯ll be shocked to see what I¡¯ve brought for you today.¡± ¡°Show me then.¡± ¡°Say less!¡± Flutter! In an instant, a colossal market, reminiscent of the scale of night markets, materialized. There were many items on stand and on disy. However, only an amateur would check each and every one of these items individually. Instead of looking at the individual items, Seol walked through the market while reading the interface in front of him. Scroll¡­ Scroll¡­ He didn¡¯t even nce at the items he didn¡¯t need. Madness was a scarce resource. For that reason, he had to focus on acquiring items that were currently difficult or impossible to obtain. Step¡­ ¡°Ah, that reminds me. The ingredients pouch I boughtst time didn¡¯t work properly in thebyrinth.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Do you have anything to say about that?¡± "...Well, what I had with me then was the low-end product. It turns out there''s a w that causes it to not work in special situations like that." ¡°So, what you¡¯re going to say is¡­¡± ¡°I will rece it free of charge. Happy now?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Seol gave a devilish smile and picked out the most expensive ingredients pouch he could find. [[Meticulous Ingredients Pouch] Quality: Madness Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: Ingredients will neither rot nor spoil in this pouch. Each container can be set to a different temperature, and there is a lot of room for ingredients to be stored. However, only food ingredients are allowed storage, and certain food ingredients cannot be stored. This is an improved model that has fixed its internal defect.] ¡°Ah! That¡¯s the high-end model, though¡­¡± ¡°¡®...High-end model, though¡¯?¡± ¡°So it suits you perfectly, Snowman. I guess the low-end model really was bad, huh?¡± Seol then requested J to upgrade his This&That Seasoning Jar from Special-quality to Rare-quality. After that¡­ he began scrolling again. ¡°Let me get this, this¡­ and this as well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re picking a lot of poisonous nts¡­ Ah, I think I know how you¡¯re going to use them.¡± ¡°Yeah, and¡­ huh?¡± Seol looked at an item. ¡®I can¡¯t believe this is here.¡¯ ¡°Let me get the ¡®Love-Hate Deer¡¯s Sachet¡¯.¡± ¡°Hah! I knew you¡¯d recognize its value right away. I was only able to get one of those.¡± ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°20,000 Madness.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s really expensive.¡± ¡°Because it will be that useful. Are you already aware of how to use¡­¡± As J began trying to read Seol¡¯s expression, he responded. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Great.¡± After making multiple purchases, the list of items that Seol had acquired had grown significantly. Seol, believing nothing left was worth purchasing, quickly scrolled to the bottom only to find something interesting. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about this, the ¡®Biometal Ingot¡¯.¡± ¡°Ah, I see! You¡¯ve picked something quite appropriate, haven¡¯t you?¡± The ''Biometal Ingot'' was a material obtainable only through a special monster known as the Armor Rat. Armor Rats, as their name suggests, possessed skin with exceptionally strong defenses resembling armor. Numerous individuals have sought to use Armor Rat''s leather as a material for their equipment. However, due to the scarcity of drops and the rarity of Armor Rats, it was a tremendous feat. These Biometal Ingots were the results of oveing such adversity and collecting the scarce drops. The effects were as below. [[Biometal Ingot] Quality: Madness Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 100kg Bonus Effect: An ingot crafted from the leather of countless Armor Rats. It has the effect of enhancing the raw damage of weapons. Though it cannot be applied to Peerless-quality items, it can still be applied to Divine Relic, Abomination, and Madness quality items.] J spoke up in a triumphant tone. ¡°20,000 for this one as well! What do you think?¡± ¡°How much Madness do I have right now?¡± ¡°Hold on¡­ Your current Madness¡­ Um¡­ Subtract that and that, and¡­ Ah, got it.¡± J scratched her head, thinking the Madness Seol had was a bit ridiculous. ¡°117,000 Madness.¡± ¡°Then give me as much as I can get with that.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Biometal Ingots. As much as I can get with 117,000 Madness.¡± ¡°H-Hold on. What should I¡­ I don¡¯t even know if I have that many ingots¡­¡± J shouted back when Seol shot her a disappointed look. ¡°It¡¯s a really rare material! I have 300kg''s worth because it¡¯s me, you know¡­¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Just wait a second, then! Hold on!¡± Fade¡­ A red haze surrounded J, and she began talking into the fog as if she was calling someone. ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s me, it¡¯s a bit urgent¡­¡± ¡°No, like right now. Are you deaf or something¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you the coordinates right now, so¡­¡± And after about five to ten minutes¡­ Fwoosh¡­ Fwooosh¡­ The space opened up, and two merchants appeared. ¡°Senior merchant! I was in the middle of a trade, you know? I hurried here because of you!¡± ¡°I only have one of these! How could you just suddenly ask for this from me?¡± The first voice sounded like a young man, while the second sounded like a young woman. The two were, like J, Madness Merchants. They began inspecting Seol the moment they entered the space. ¡°Woah¡­ Is he that¡­?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ve been enjoying your stream.¡± ¡°You little brats. Just give me your items and scram!¡± ¡°Tch¡­ you¡¯re only taking the good things for yourself.¡± ¡°Right?! This is tyranny, tyranny! J¡¯s a tyrant just because she¡¯s a big shot!¡± J did her best to hold back her anger, calming down. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll create an opportunity for you guyster too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always respected you, senior merchant. Farewell.¡± ¡°She really is kind to those who are nice to her. See you then, Snowman! Let¡¯s enjoy our time a bit more next time, okay?!¡± Five ingots were now ced into Seol¡¯s inventory. ¡°I can¡¯t lower the prices for these. These aren¡¯t sold because there¡¯s ack of supply, so¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll look forward to next time, hoping you¡¯ll call me first! Thank you for the good trade this time as well. This was J, signing off!¡± [You have acquired Biometal Ingot x5.] [You have acquired Meticulous Ingredients Pouch.] [You have acquired Love-Hate Deer¡¯s Sachet.] [You have acquired Starving Clown Mushroom Powder.] [You have acquired Regret Moss.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * It had now been twenty days since Seol arrived in Audenin. Everyone was discussing the public information released about the events in the Labyrinth of Penance. Seol was now in the Adventurer Association, looking through the posts. [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Coo¡­ Coo¡­ Guys, do you know this?] (Recent News) The Labyrinth of Penance disappeared somewhere. No one knows where it is now. - We knew about that three days ago¡­ - Recent? LMFAO - It¡¯s because of Coo¡­ Coo¡­ the time zones¡­ asshole.] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Coo¡­ Coo¡­ What did the alliance say about the events?] (News) The alliance is now sharing information about the Labyrinth of Penance. Surprisingly, they made an official letter of cooperation and paid some adventurers to go to other locations to share this. - We know about that too¡­ - Stop ruining my mood, Coo! - Where can we see the letter, though? - It¡¯s hard to understand anything about it, though¡­ - Ah, I summarized it before. Hold on¡­ I¡¯ll create a new post.] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: There was a noob who said they didn¡¯t see the cooperation request letter, so I¡¯m summarizing it.] 1. The Audenin guild alliance and an outsider they invited challenged thebyrinth. They attempted it three times, with 2 failures and 1 sess. However, the sessful attempt resulted in the most deaths. With that, a total of 5 people have died in their three attempts. 2. They don¡¯t n to share details about thebyrinth¡¯s trials. This isn¡¯t because they¡¯re trying to hold information but out of consideration. This is in case someone uses the limited information they could gather as confidence to attempt it. Thebyrinth gave awful rewardspared to its unimaginable difficulty. Basically, don¡¯t waste your time and don¡¯t go in. However, in case someone gets their hands on a token and wants to attempt it, we¡¯ll leave this behind. 3. The leader of the final party that cleared it had points in the early millions, and the person who took on the final penance had points in the mid-three millions. Park Changsik, the party leader, couldn¡¯t help at all, and the person who had three million points received severe injuries. The rest of the party members died. The monster that appeared at the end of thebyrinth was much stronger than the transferee who had 3 million points, and they were only able to defeat it through sheer luck. However, Changsik was unable to do anything at all. Changsik couldn¡¯t do anything as the monster carved out bits and pieces of the other transferee. As such, because we have reached a verdict that the Labyrinth of Penance is impossible to clear at this moment, we hope that this news spreads far. I emphasize this one more time. Don¡¯t enter thebyrinth. Don¡¯t go into thebyrinth, even if you have a death wish. - Huh? They really wrote it like this? - Nah, it was like 3~4 times longer than this? I summarized it. - Ah, thank you. - You guys have no readingprehension, after all :) - Woah, I guess it¡¯s worse to be theter person to enter thebyrinth then? - It might be better to enter it first, then. - It might be better to not enter it at all if you value your life. - Still, it took four months to clear? That¡¯s so fucking long LOL. - Your points go up like crazy, though. The person who entered it has 5 million points now. - WTF¡­ How strong are they, then? Will they really be that much stronger than me? Are points really everything? - They are. - I guess I can¡¯t deny it. I won¡¯t fuck with them.] Seol was satisfied with what the alliance did after clearing thebyrinth. ¡®Right now¡­ entering thebyrinth is essentially a death sentence.¡¯ It would be impossible to clear unless the individual had near 10 million Adventure Points. Obviously, even that wasn¡¯t a guarantee either. Seol looked through the various posts, and as he did¡­ he saw a familiar name. ¡®...Huh?¡¯ There was a blinking letter emoji near the name. It seemed like there were more messages as well. As Seol tapped on the letter, he saw a collection of them. ??[Friend ¡¯s Letter] [Send Date: 4 months ago] [Title: It¡¯s me, Somi! How¡¯s the south? Is it manageable?] That was probably her first letter. ??[Friend ¡¯s Letter] [Send Date: 3 months ago] [Title: Oppa? You haven¡¯t responded to me at all. Has something happened?] ¡®This was around the time I couldn''t contact her because I was in thebyrinth.¡¯ And this message¡­ arrived not too long ago. ??[Friend ¡¯s Letter] [Send Date: 10 days ago] [Title: Seol oppa, are you the one who cleared the Labyrinth of Penance?] Chapter 136 Seol realized that while themunity function at the Adventurer Association had its benefits, it wasn¡¯t wless. While sending and receiving information in simr locations was straightforward, it became much more challenging when there was a distance between them, necessitating additional steps. Like how couriers and messengers existed in the past on Earth, there were also people in Pandea who delivered information from one location to another. These adventurers, who had already nned to relocate, received a small fee to deliver information along the way. Some adventurers even chose to solely repeat information-delivery Adventures, avoiding dangerous Adventures altogether. Other ways for the Adventurer Association to deliver information existed as well. They contemted using a mana stone-based information delivery method to ovee the current system¡¯s inefficiencies. Over time, this mana stone informationwork gradually expanded. Thework had been partially established in the more advanced districts, yet regrettably, Nevenia was far from attaining such progress. This also resulted in the dyed delivery of information about Nobira in Audenin. However, it wasn¡¯t as if there weren¡¯t other alternatives. The most important methods were the ability to send direct messages between friends and the option to pay extra to make important information from any Adventure Association in Nevenia readable. Therefore¡­ This meant that those in Nevenia all had some way of figuring out what happened in the Labyrinth of Penance. Instead of reading through the older letters, Seol began by reading Somi¡¯s most recent letter. ??[Friend ¡¯s Letter] [Send Date: 10 days ago] [Title: Seol oppa, are you the one who cleared the Labyrinth of Penance?] [You didn¡¯t block me, right? I didn¡¯t expect a lot of messages back, but I did expect at least some¡­ Are you in Audenin right now? There seems to be a lot going on in Audenin, and this ¡®Private¡¯ that keeps getting mentioned seems really like you, so¡­ That¡¯s you, right, oppa? LOL I knew that would be the case. There¡¯s no way you¡¯d ignore messages from your sister of all people~ Regardless, that¡¯s incredible! Even people here are talking about thebyrinth being cleared. If I were any less tight-lipped, I might have spilled the beans about us knowing each other, haha. That would be taking it too far, though, right?] ¡®Sister?¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t remember making a rtionship like that. - When did they get that close? - I don¡¯t remember it at all¡­ - They were just normal friends. Seol couldn¡¯t help butugh at Somi¡¯s boldness. He then continued reading the rest of the message. [I¡¯m doing well in Kongory right now. Did you know that Kongory and Nobira have a really close rtionship now? I think the guild alliance in Kongry is expanding its influence in Nobira too. Well, that¡¯s not my problem, though. Oh, and the quality of the Adventures in Nobira rose as well! By the way, what was her name again¡­ Ah, Yu Mira! Apparently, her ruins hunter party grew pretty big. I¡¯m getting offers to join, but I¡¯m still thinking about it. By the way, did you know they built a new auction house? They¡¯re trying to make it even bigger than thest one!] ¡®Hm¡­¡¯ As expected from the talkative girl, she gave Seol a lot of information. ¡®It¡¯s also much more useful than I thought it would be¡­¡¯ By ¡®it¡¯, Seol referred to themunity functions, not Somi. Seol understood the situation by having an acquaintance in the area to provide him with information, even if he wasn¡¯t there himself. [Munho ahjussi left somewhere far. He messages me from time to time, but they¡¯re all about how he¡¯s still looking for his daughter. To be honest¡­ Nope! Happy thoughts, happy thoughts! Oh, and that fucker Gyeongtaek only replies with one letter after I send him two. Don¡¯t you think his attitude is a mess? Could you say something to him for me, oppa? I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll beg on his knees if it¡¯s you, haha!] Seol couldn¡¯t help butugh again. It was like watching two immature toddlers fight. It had been a while since Seol experienced such a lighthearted moment. Seol would look after the younger children in the orphanage like this too. Recalling old memories like this brought peace to his heart. ¡®Maybe I¡­¡¯ Seol realized that he had been on edge after returning from thebyrinth. He consistently felt exhausted and always remained vignt of his surroundings. Through spending time with Toki, Seol realized that he had neglected to pay attention to or assign any meaning to anything beyond Ascension. While that intensity contributed significantly to Seol''s rapid growth, it also wore down on his mind. In fact, his heart might have been thirstier now than his body had been in the desert. But through reading Somi¡¯s letter¡­ he couldn¡¯t help butugh innocently. No matter how much you train your body, it¡¯s impossible to be tougher than steel. Cuts and bruises are inevitable. The same holds true for the mind. Just because you''ve resolved yourself doesn''t mean you won''t wear down or be hurt. Seol needed to rest. ¡®...I should message them often.¡¯ The peace that this rtionship provided helped alleviate the burden on Seol''s heart. Ascension was a long and arduous path. This was a moment to ease his grip on the reins, not break down. [Ah, Gyeongtaek also said he wanted to ask you about something¡­ Was going to Illia in your ns? Gyeongtaek said that he moved his location to Illia so it might be a good idea to go see him if you¡¯re in the area. Either that or at least send him a message. He¡¯s also waiting for a response from you, oppa. Regardless, I was d to hear that you returned safely. Make sure to take care of yourself while you go on your Adventures! Ah, and please respond this time, okay? Promise me~] ¡®...Gyeongtaek has been waiting for a response from me?¡¯ Seol, after sending Somi a short response, looked for Gyeongtaek¡¯s message. ??[Friend ¡¯s Letter] [Send Date: 10 days ago] [Title: Hyung, you¡¯re back, right?] ¡°Hm¡­¡± Gyeongtaek¡¯s message wasn¡¯t particrly special. Essentially, he informed Seol that he was aware of Seol entering thebyrinth and sessfully making it out. Moreover, he expressed a desire to meet Seol if he intended to go to Illia. ¡®That¡¯s interesting¡­¡¯ In fact, Seol had already nned on heading to Illia, just as they had expected. ording to Chameli, the ck Knight''sst known whereabouts were near Illia, and they nned to begin their search there. ¡®I should go see him if I get the chance then.¡¯ Seol had spent thest four months away from the world, and he missed people. After sending Gyeongtaek a response as well, he left the Association. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * People moved in perfect unison, like soldiers marching in an army. These people, who all wore simr uniforms, were cleaning the area near Seol¡¯s amodation. ¡°Who mowed thewn like this? It should be uniform, no patches!¡± ¡°Unni, even this is¡­¡± ¡°And did you rece the sheets? What about the curtains?¡± ¡°Yeah, I reced them all.¡± The woman was like a control tower. She moved quickly, managing everyone around her. ¡°Has he eaten yet?¡± ¡°He said he usually skips breakfast, so¡­¡± ¡°And you let him just skip it? Have you not seen how thin his wrists were? I bet he¡¯s starving!¡± ¡°Th-then should we prepare brunch for him? He normally makes it himself, though¡­ he even shares it with us from time to time.¡± ¡°And you just let him cook for himself? Do whatever it¡ª¡± ¡°It did taste much better when he made it, though¡­ Honestly, I¡¯d cook myself if I was as good at cooking as he was.¡± ¡°...He¡¯s that good? I wonder if he has professional experience.¡± The person leading the others was none other than Juyeon. She had gone on an Adventure for five days a couple of weeks ago and had returned. ¡°Regardless, everyone has be way toox while I was gone¡­ Do none of you realize how important this moment is?¡± ¡°Juyeon, he isn¡¯t the kind of person who¡¯d like this. Rather, he might be annoyed by it.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s talking back to me right now¡ªHuh? Changsik?¡± Changsikughed, seeing Juyeon make a fuss. He seemed to have recovered quite a bit. The color had returned to his face. Juyeon might have choked Changsik when he had originally returned in her drunken stupor, but now she was carefully observing his reactions, as if the actions from before belonged to someone else entirely. "Everyone should get some rest. Make sure to eat lunch, and go for a walk if you want to." ¡°Ahem¡­¡± As Changsik poured cold water on the situation, the guild members dispersed. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit too harsh?¡± ¡°What else can we do though? This is our only chance.¡± ¡°Do you really think Snowman would stay here?¡± ¡°Honestly?¡± ¡°Yeah, honestly.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why are you working so hard?¡± "It''s just... even if he leaves, it would still be best if we maintained our friendly rtionship, right? You told me you could only survive the Labyrinth of Penance because of him.¡± Changsik had a faint smile on his face. ¡°Is it personal greed, or is it gratitude?¡± ¡°Both.¡± ¡°You can only choose one.¡± ¡°Haah¡­ I¡¯ll choose gratitude then. I won¡¯t ask for more, alright?¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Still, we need to have a way to be in contact with him at least..." ¡°We¡¯ve added each other as friends.¡± ¡°Really? You didn¡¯t force it on him, right?¡± ¡°...Yep.¡± ¡°Good. Then we¡¯ll at least be able to message each other.¡± Audenin''s guild alliance ceased internal conflicts after Changsik returned from thebyrinth. In fact, their rtionship was much better than before. Following the deaths of some key members in thebyrinth, they were able to realize what was truly important for them to maintain the alliance. As Juyeon and Changsik spoke to one another, another alliance member approached them. ¡°Uh¡­ Private is asking for where Audenin¡¯s ss Training Center is¡­¡± Juyeon turned to them immediately and began shouting. ¡°Follow him! Make sure to guide him all the way to the ss Training Center!¡± * * * ¡°Over here, sir.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± - Is he a celebrity or something? LMFAO - Is this really something to be escorted for? - He¡¯s even stronger than his bodyguard LMFAO - Judging by how Juyeon¡¯s acting like this, she must li-li-li¡­ - like controlling people! She¡¯s trying to control Snowman! - That¡¯s what I was going to say! Audenin''s ss Training Center was the biggest and most open facility Seol had visited thus far. Seol approached the robed man. ¡°So, during moments like those, you should¡­ Oh? Ah, do you need something?¡± The man was teaching a child who appeared to be around middle school age. [[ck Magic is researched here. The person who seems to be in charge of this facility has asked you why you¡¯re here. How do you respond?] 1. [Required: Skill Points] I wish to learn a new skill. 2. [Required: Skill Points] I wish to enhance a skill. 3. What are you teaching right now? 4: [Required: Awakened] I wish to work as an instructor here. 5. [Required: Awakened] Would you like to test each other''s skills? ¡­¡­] ¡°I came here to enhance my skills and learn new skills.¡± ¡°I see. Just so you are aware, the skill room here is a bit open¡­¡± ¡°Open¡­? What do you mean?¡± Usually, the training center had the skill tree in a dark, secluded room. The ¡®skill room¡¯ the man was speaking about here was referring to this room. So, what did he mean by open? ¡°Why don¡¯t you¡­ look over there?¡± Seol turned around and saw arge area reminiscent of a cathedral. There was a low tform, and a singlerge wall on top of it against one side. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s the¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, that is where the trainees¡¯ skill trees take form.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± "The founder of this facility believed that those who wield dark powers should be all the more upright, so..." ¡°Would people be able to see my skills then?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t necessarily the case. I''m unsure if you are aware, but just like how every individual has different fingerprints, smell, blood, and frame, skill trees are also unique. We instructors might be able to tell when it''s a sapling, but judging by your energy, even we won''t be able to discern your skills. However, your skill tree¡¯s shape, color, and liveliness might be revealed.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re reluctant to, you could always use a facility in another city¡­¡± Seol pondered while rubbing his chin. ¡®I gathered way too many skill points, though. It¡¯s probably best to just use them here.¡¯ Seol finally responded while nodding to himself. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll use this facility.¡± ¡°Okay, then, pleasee this way. Trainees, you can rest for now.¡± Over a hundred people were at the premises. Not only was there the guild member who took Seol to the ss Training Center, but other ck magicians were also there to simply use the facility. Despite that, there was only one skill room here. Well, ''room'' might have been the wrong word, considering the space was open, after all. ¡°Well then, I shall take my leave. If there is anything that you need, please call for an instructor.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Seol, after seeing the instructor leave, sat down near the wall. Hum¡­ The skill tree was beginning to take form. ¡°It looks like someone¡¯s using the skill tree¡­ huh?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that look a bit¡­¡± Seol¡¯s sapling began growing exuberantly. Wriiithe¡­ ¡°How is it so big?¡± ¡°More importantly, look there! That red thing! What is that?!¡± In an instant, the hundreds of people all focused on Seol¡¯s skill tree. The first thing that caught their eye was its size. The second was the red hue spreading, almost as if it were infecting it. Kieeeek¡­ A red snake infected a few branches entirely, turning thempletely bright red. The ss Training Center was utterly silent. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle rhythm of breathing. ¡®It looks almost exactly like Finn¡¯s tree.¡¯ The Blood of Origin permeated the skill tree. ¡®But except for a select few¡­ most of them werepletely new skills.¡¯ It seemed like the skills Seol received were different from Finn¡¯s skills as they had different sses. The first thing Seol did was pick out his most important skills. The ck branches began to deepen in color. [You enhance Shadow Summon.] [Vanguard¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You use 7 skill points.] [Upon a sessful Shadow Summon, the summon will now pass on skills more smoothly than before.] [You are now able to summon four Shadow Summons at the same time. However, there are circumstances where you will be unable to summon multiple at the same time.] [Shadow Summon has reached a certain level. All summons will have 10% of their original stats additionally passed on.] ¡®I have room for the next summon too now and¡­ hm?¡¯ Seol smiled after seeing one of his new potential skills. His fingers instinctively reached for it, pausing at the red branch. Drip¡­ With an ominous sound, a new skill revealed itself. [Sly Blood-Hue Snake] - Gain additional skill points for your Adventure rewards. The panel was dyed in a bloody hue. ¡®Isn¡¯t this¡­ the same effect as Affluent?¡¯ Since Affluent had already proven to Seol that it was an excellent title, he did not have to think about this for long. [Sly Blood-Hue Snake is awakened.] [You use 2 skill points.] [Gain additional skill points for your Adventure rewards.] Seol took his time going over all the new skills he could learn. After a bit, he decided on his next skill. As expected, it was a skill from one of the bloody branches. [Passive: Flesh and Blood is awakened.] [You use 2 skill points.] [Summons tied by Lineage can no longer be prevented from being summoned.] This meant that Seol was now immune to the summoner''s weak point ¨C skills that prevent summoning entirely. ¡®Blood of Origin really is incredible.¡¯ This was the core reason why Finn became so strong so quickly. The skills that appeared from the skill tree infused with the Blood of Origin had incredible effects for their low skill point cost. ¡®I have five skill points left now. I don¡¯t need to use them all now, but if there¡¯s a good skill¡­¡¯ Seol paused. ¡®...What?¡¯ The red branches and the ck branches¡ªthere was a spot on the tree where the colors intertwined, not belonging to either one. Chapter 137 Typically, Shadow Summoners had an entirely ck skill tree, from the roots to the trunk, extending to the branches and fruits. And like Shadow Summoners, most sses had a color that was intrinsic to them. As such, it was nearly impossible for this unique color to change, with the Blood of Origin being one such exception. Seol''s eyes were caught on a branch with both ck and red hues, and it hadn''t properlybined¡ªrather, it was taken up by half and half. Seol checked the sole Composite Skill that he was able to unlock now. [[Passive: Sticky Shadows(Composite)] - Your shadows gain viscosity. Furthermore, more skills can be derived from this.] It wasn¡¯t Seol¡¯s first time seeing a Composite Skill like this. In fact, the former owner of the Blood of Origin, Finn Modria, also had Composite Skills that mixed the white branches of a priest with the red branches of the Blood of Origin. ¡®These are my Root Skills.¡¯ Root Skills. They were named that because trees begin from the roots. They also referred to the foundational skills for each ss, such as Shadow Hand and Shadow Summon for Shadow Summoners. This skill was located right at the midpoint between Shadow Summoner skills and Blood of Origin skills. Through Sticky Shadows, more skills were about to be birthed. [Passive: Sticky Shadows(Composite) is awakened.] [You use 5 skill points.] [Shadows gain viscosity.] [New, rted skills can stem from this skill.] Drip¡­ As Seol stood up, the skill tree drawn on the wall disappeared. ¡°...Hm?¡± The hundreds of people quietly observing Seol¡¯s skill tree all focused their attention on Seol now. One of them spoke up. ¡°E-Excuse me! Why was there a part with a different color?¡± ¡°It looked like it was permeating it, not really a different part¡­¡± ¡°Who are you, by the way? It¡¯s my first time seeing you¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s the gent! The person who went to the Labyrinth of Penance! ¡­Or maybe not?¡± ¡°Hi¡­¡± People began swarming Seol. The guild member who guided Seol here quickly began calling for hisrades, seeking help to navigate through the crowd. ¡°Stop showing off and just tell us already!¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you tell us?!¡± ¡°W-We won¡¯t tell anyone else! Just us!¡± Before themotion could turn violent, the guild members swiftly escorted Seol out of the facility. * * * [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Fresh news, hot off the press.] Damn, that¡¯s hot. It was so hot that I dropped it. - What kind of new breed of idiot is this? - You should have worn gloves, Kim-kun~¡î - Hot potato, hot potato. - Here, let me try again.] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: I came back.] Fuu¡­ Fu¡­ Careful, it¡¯s hot. There¡¯s apparently a type of skill called Composite Skills. I just heard about it. - WTF? When can we startbining like Power Rangers? - Please let us fuse together¡­ please¡­ please¡­ - You¡¯re just making shit up, right? Is this real? - Apparently, the final gent gave people a peek at his skill tree. Everyone there agreed that a portion of his tree had a different color. - How did he get that? - Do you think he¡¯d tell you? ?? - He did - OMG - You just need an artifact or experience with specific bonus effects. - This is like when the professor tells you that all you need to do is study the textbook. - At least he told us that LOL. Y''all are asking for too much. - Even though he escaped the Labyrinth of Penance, he¡¯s still suffering because of you greedy pigs ?? - Give me more information! Give me your items too! ?? - Tell me everything if you don¡¯t want to die! ??] As information about Composite Skills spread through themunities like wildfire, Seol found himself at a secret location. ¡°The vicar has arrived.¡± ¡°...Let us depart immediately. It is time.¡± With that, Seol¡¯s break ended. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 19th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 19. Tracking the ck Knight] [Adventure 19. ¡®Tracking the ck Knight¡¯ The ck Pilgrims, a faction dispatched by Varanoa, the Great Holy Nation, havee in search of you. In secret, they have been tracking the ck Knight, a threat to the entirety of Pandea. To take down this formidable foe, the ck Pilgrims have recruited various individuals, and you are one of them. Objective: Track the ck Knight Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment¡¯s notice. Caution. This Adventure takes ce in ¡®Illia¡¯. Caution. Others may get caught up in this Adventure. Caution. If you happen to lose track of the ck Knight, this Adventure may be substituted for a different one. Remaining Time [N/A]] - Why are there so many warnings? - I know, right¡­ It¡¯s my first time seeing this. - Is this because it¡¯s a Field Adventure? Seol, Chameli, and a few of the ck Pilgrims stepped into a carriage before beginning their journey. The other ck Pilgrims stepped into a separate carriage, following them. Seol and the ck Pilgrims traveled together for two days, yet their interactions were limited to only a few exchanged words. Most of their conversations consisted of simple statements such as, ¡®Let''s camp here for today¡¯ and simr practical matters. "...Has there been any results from your attempts to track him?" ¡°Track him?¡± ¡°The ck Knight.¡± Chameli shook her head. "There are pilgrims in Illia, but the most they could discover are nearby traces.¡± "Doesn¡¯t that mean the ck Knight has already arrived in Illia?" "No, the ck Knight brings death with him. There would have been casualties by now if he were in the city." "Can the city guards not stop him?" "The city''s lord does possess formidable soldiers, but they pale inparison to the ck Knight. That has been the case thus far, so..." ¡°So, in the end, we have to take care of him. It seems like even though we¡¯ve managed to find traces of him, we haven¡¯t been able to track him down.¡± ¡°I understand your concern, but we are also doing our best. In fact, we¡¯ve even recruited an adventurer to track him down.¡± ¡°Are they a transferee?¡± "Yes, and a powerful one at that. The lord of Illia has also pledged his unwavering support. All we need to do now is simply locate the ck Knight." Seol was interested in the ¡®powerful transferee¡¯ Chameli mentioned but since he would run into them when he arrived at Illia, he didn¡¯t press further. She then warned Seol. "Just a warning, it could lead to trouble if you act recklessly in Illia." ¡°Trouble?¡± "The ck Knight is cunning. Why else would someone responsible for such mass murder elude capture for so long? Though formidable in strength, the true reason he could avoid being tracked lies in his cautious approach, avoiding any risks and traps." ¡°In other words, you don¡¯t want me to stand out.¡± ¡°He is a demonic beast capable of socialization, a monster capable of human speech.¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± "The pilgrims in Illia are exercising caution too, so as long as you act like them, there shouldn''t be any problems." * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The carriage finally stopped after four days. Although Illia wasparable in size to Audenin, itckedrge organizations such as the guild alliance found in Audenin. Most of the guilds there were small. However, it was precisely these circumstances that allowed transferees in Illia much more freedom. Freely, or in other words...wless. It had been two days since Seol arrived in Illia. "I''ll introduce you to the person who is aiding us in our pursuit of the ck Knight today," said Chameli. ¡°Ah, the ¡®powerful transferee¡¯.¡± "Yes, she is already at the rendezvous point, so let us hurry there.¡± Creak¡­ After arriving in Illia, Seol had spent his entire time indoors. Though it was partially due to Chameli¡¯s request, he also didn¡¯t particrly have a reason to step out. Rows of buildings lined the streets, as if boasting of the city''s size and grandeur. However, Seol felt something off as he strolled the streets. Run¡­ People were urgently running toward somewhere. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Seol''s eyes followed the running individuals, and Chameli''s did too. ¡°What do you think is going on?¡± ¡°It''s likely near here¡­¡± Chameli hesitated for a second before losing to her curiosity. ¡°We can also reach the rendezvous location while going that way.¡± ¡°Oh, really? And?¡± ¡°...Shall we stop by before heading there?¡± Even though her intentions were obvious, Seol epted it. After all, they all lead to the same location. The two began following the crowd with faint smiles on their faces. However, before long, Seol''s expression stiffened. Bam! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Hit! ¡°...bitch! Who do you think you are?¡± ¡°Stop it! Please¡­ stop!¡± ¡°Hah, you fucking¡­ look at you fucks. Did you not know who I was?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t¡­ We didn¡¯t¡­ We¡¯re sorry, we¡¯re so sorry¡­¡± Screams and shrieks pierced the air, mingling with wails and sounds of madness. A single man was threatening a group of people. He kicked and scowled as he continued to intimidate them. Chameli sprinted, appalled by his actions. ¡°Th-that cruel man is¡­!¡± ¡°Vicar, y-you shouldn¡¯t¨C¡± Before the pilgrims could stop her, Chameli quickly ced herself between the group and the man. Seol slowly followed behind her. ¡°Stop it! What do you think you¡¯re doing right now?!¡± ¡°...And who the hell are you supposed to be? Why are you butting in?¡± ¡°Vicar!¡± A woman standing beside the man confronting Chameli began speaking to him. ¡°She looks like a ck Pilgrim.¡± ¡°Those weaklings? Why are they acting up here? Hey, do you know who I am?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people watching now, Sehyeon. Why don¡¯t we stop now?¡± ¡°Are you fucking dumb? They messed with me. I was minding my own business! And when did I ever care about what others thought of me?¡± "I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but," Chameli said boldly, "It isn¡¯t right to use violence against people who aren¡¯t fighting back." ¡°Are you¡­ trying to teach me right now?¡± The first thing Seol noticed about the man was the tattoo on his neck. It was clearly done before they were transferred into this world. He then noticed the man¡¯s bnced body and threatening demeanor. However, what confused Seol more than anything else was the crowd''s feigned ignorance despite the merciless actions unfolding before them. The man being kicked by the tattooed man carefully opened his mouth. ¡°...ed it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We reserved that item first¡­ and you snatched it¡­¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°How could you just say ¡®So?¡¯...¡± ¡°So what? What do you want me to do? Do you want me to apologize or something?¡± ¡°......¡± The man on the floor couldn¡¯t respond. He could only look around. What met him were the cold gazes of the audience. Other than the single, mysterious woman standing between him and the tattooed man, everyone else merely observed the situation, refusing to intervene. He could tell what they were thinking. I¡¯m d it¡¯s him and not me. It was clearly something along those lines. However, the man found himself more upset about the situation. What was so wrong about pointing out the wrongdoings of someone who had done something unjust? With frustration bubbling inside him, the man screamed, a scream filled with anger. ¡°Yeah, apologize! Since you¡¯ve done something wrong, you should apologize to us!¡± A fire lit up in the tattooed man¡¯s eyes. ¡°What, do you want me to beg? You¡¯re right, sure. We snatched it before you could get to it. And since I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯ll return this back to you.¡± Toss. The tattooed man tossed an item to the ground, its contents spilling out of the pouch as it hit the floor. The man who had been kicked quivered with humiliation. ¡°However, since you did something wrong as well, you need to be punished.¡± ¡°I¡­ did something wrong?¡± "Since you talked shit to me without knowing your ce, I¡¯m going to take a tooth, alright? I won¡¯t kill you. I just want to take a tooth from you whenever I remember this incident.¡± ¡°St-stop¡­ Stop it¡­¡± ¡°Hey, grab them all. And if any of you tries getting in our way, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± As the situation continued to escte, a man stepped forth. He ced himself between the tattooed man and the group on the floor. However, the man didn¡¯t face the man named Sehyeon. Instead, he looked solely at the young man on the ground. ¡°Your voice¡­¡± The man who newly stepped forth between them was Seol. Initially, he did so to protect Chameli. It was for that reason, and that reason only. Seol wasn¡¯t the type of person to get involved in other people''s matters, after all. Or at least, that should have been the case. "Please raise your head for a second." ¡°...Huh? What?¡± Seol looked at the man''s bloodied face. His eyes were swollen and ck, blood mixed with saliva in his mouth before dripping out the corner of his lips. ¡°......¡± Seol turned expressionless. ¡°Why do people keep sticking their noses where they don¡¯t belong? Did something happen recently? Hey, do you know them too?¡± said Sehyeon before turning to face the man on the floor again, ¡°You have a lot of friends, prick.¡± Seolpletely ignored his taunts and dusted off the young man¡¯s clothes. ¡°It¡¯s you, Gyeongtaek, right?¡± ¡°Seol hyung? Is it¡­ really you?¡± ¡°Did you do something wrong to them?¡± Gyeongtaek let out a painful cry after realizing that the man in front of him was Seol. ¡°No¡­ No¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Gyeongtaek then grabbed Seol¡¯s ankles and started begging. The crowd around them had ignored the cries of the weak because they feared upsetting the strong. To think that Seol appeared in such a disgusting situation¡­ Gyeongtaek desperately grabbed Seol¡¯s ankles, begging. ¡°Please, please¡­ Please help us, hyung¡­ I didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­¡± Seol quickly stood up and turned around. He looked at the tattooed man and his group before opening his mouth. ¡°Then you guys must be the ones at fault.¡± Sehyeon scowled, cursing back at Seol. ¡°Haah¡­ this fucking¡­ What now? You want me to beg? Is that it?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± responded Seol. ¡°You little¨C¡± ¡°Beg.¡± Chapter 138 ¡®Has he lost his mind?¡¯ Kim Sehyeon confusedly tilted his head, a habit he had whenever faced with surprises or things he couldn¡¯t understand. The man standing in front of him actually requested that he beg. It wasughable that he responded so seriously to a light joke, but for some strange reason... his words also felt like a knife straight to his chest. Almost like he needed to beg¡­ That not begging would result in consequences¡­ ¡®Who the hell is he?¡¯ Sehyeon, who had never been so insulted in Illia, his chosen location, before, was furious. ¡°You want me¡­ to beg? You fucking¡­ hah, you must have lost your mind¡­¡± The woman standing next to Sehyeon erupted intoughter. ¡°Hahaha! Pfft¡­ Hey, Sehyeon¡­ You don¡¯t need to hold back today, alright? This guy¡¯s going to make me go crazy too.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t even know what to say right now. He just fucking looked down on me, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, he did. I saw it too.¡± Sehyeon looked around the crowd, like he was looking for someone. ¡°Fucking hell¡­ Where¡¯s Gyeongsu by the way? Is he still not here yet?¡± ¡°I already sent some people to look for him. He should be arriving any time now.¡± In truth, Sehyeon wasn¡¯t the leader. Though he appeared ordinary, his casual demeanor and carefree attitude made people hesitant to trust him. This was also why he hadn¡¯t been able to find his ce on Earth. The actual leader of this group was Jang Gyeongsu. Not only was he a head taller than most others, but he also possessed arge build and a wicked nature. For those who relished in thewless nature of the new world, he was an excellent leader. And that very same individual was on his way right now. The woman¡¯s words woke up the beast in Sehyeon¡¯s heart. ¡®I¡¯ll kill him.¡¯ Sehyeon was not only furious from being stopped multiple times but also flustered. Where did theye from? Why weren¡¯t they just going along? How could they have not heard about his name in Illia? ¡®I''ll ignore the pilgrim because it might getplicated, but... I''ll kill that bastard.¡¯ More than a handful of transferees in the city had already died because of their gang. Even though they would have rotted in prison if they were still on Earth, they were only warned by the city¡¯s lord in this world. Punishment never resulted from it. That was the moment their actions became even crueler. Their violence was solely focused on the transferees. On the outside, it might have appeared as if they were attempting to integrate with the residents of Pandea. However, in reality, they were merely seeking to exert dominance over the transferees. And for those reasons, no one in Illia defied their will. ¡®...Could it be them?¡¯ The person that the woman next to him, Yu Taerim, told him about a couple of days ago. Sehyeon was worried that the man in front of him was the mysterious ¡®Private¡¯. ¡®I heard they had over 3 million points¡­¡¯ Sehyeon, Taerim, and Gyeongsu only barely managed to pass 2.2 million recently. It was a total that no one couldpare to in Illia. As long as they weren¡¯t ¡®Private¡¯, he could easily handle anyone. Not to mention that there were three of them and only one of him. Sehyeon doubted if they could even lose. Taerim, seeing the look on Sehyeon¡¯s face, shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s not Private.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°The rumors say ¡®Private¡¯ is a girl. He¡¯s a man, can¡¯t you see?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s that then¡­ That fucker made me worried for no reason¡­¡± As Sehyeon contemted his decisions, Chameli apologized to Seol. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Because of me, you¡­¡± "It''s alright, step back. This could cause problems for the pilgrimster, so I don''t want you to get involved." ¡°......¡± Chameli gave Seol a sentimental look before stepping away. It seemed like there was a misunderstanding, but it didn¡¯t matter right now. Seol focused solely on Sehyeon and his party. ¡®A bit more than 10 people.¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t have a particr reason for counting them out. His actions held no more significance than counting the number of eggs in a carton. Fwip! Something flew toward Seol. Grab! Seol managed to grab it midair, but it stung slightly in his hands. When he opened his fist, he realized it was a coin. Seol looked at Sehyeon with a confused look. ¡°Have you ever heard of Charon''s obol? I¡¯m about to send you off into the afterlife.¡± ¡°......¡± "I ended up changing my mind. You and them¡­ I¡¯m going to feel a lot better if I just kill you all." "I''ll give you one final chance to reconsider. It''s yourst opportunity." ¡°I can¡¯t hear you.¡± Sehyeon changed his stance. [CoolSehyeon used Gash.] [Your weapon easily cuts through skin.] [Your attacks result inrger wounds.] [After multiple sessful attacks, there''s a certain chance of inflicting Abnormal Status: Heavy Bleed.] Sehyeon violently dashed toward Seol. He held a dagger in one hand and wore a glove on the other. Through this, Seol could tell Sehyeon likely had a ss centered around close-quartersbat. ¡®He¡¯s not a Duelist¡­ maybe a Highwayman?¡¯ Seol deduced Sehyeon¡¯s ss instantly after observing his stance, skills, and patterns. And through that, he could also predict Sehyeon¡¯s next action. ¡°First, I¡¯ll deal with yo¡ª¡± ¡°...Tch.¡± [CoolSehyeon used Flying Fish Stab.] [If Flying Fish Stab sessfullynds, gain Lawless every 2 seconds for 10 seconds.] Sehyeon twisted his body as he made his dagger dance. The attack started from below and ascended. It was the same Flying Fish Stab Seol had anticipated. ¡°Die!¡± Sehyeon swung his dagger, aiming for Seol¡¯s neck and face with a powerful attack that would have been lethal if it hadnded properly. However, Sehyeon was suddenly stopped. ¡°...Huh?¡± A dark red hand shot forth from Seol¡¯s hand, perfectly restraining Sehyeon''s right shoulder, which was key to this skill. ¡°Th-this¡­ This¡­¡± ¡°Watch out, Sehyeon!¡± However, something arrived much earlier than Taerim¡¯s screams or her attempts to help. It was Sehyeon¡¯s hand, the same hand that held his dagger. ¡°N-No¡­¡± Seol''s viscous ck hand gripped Sehyeon¡¯s hand, then used it to stab his own shoulder. Staaaab! ¡°Guaaaargh!¡± Sehyeon couldn¡¯t believe it. He was being forced to stab his own body. Sehyeon then rolled on the floor, writhing in pain. ¡°You fucker!¡± [Taerimi used Confidence in Victory.] [You gain confidence that you will win the match.] [Your high confidence increases your morale.] ¡°You¡¯re dead now!¡± [Tarerimi used Match!.] [Gambler¡¯s Match activates.] [You are unable to leave the designated area.] [While you are in the Gambler¡¯s Area, all stats increase by 20%.] [You currently have high morale.] [All of your stats increase by an additional 10%.] Taerim couldn¡¯t remember ever losing after activating Match!. Closing the distance quickly after using her skill, Taerim moved toward Seol. ¡°Car¡ª¡± Someone had shouted. She then heard something splitting the air. Fwoosh¡­ ¡®Behind!¡¯ Before Taerim even realized it, Seol¡¯s ck hand was slithering toward her. Grab! There was no surprise. Swiftly grabbed by Seol¡¯s hand, Taerim couldn¡¯t resist as she was hurled down toward the cold, stone path. Thud. Krgh¡­ Taerim was mistaken. The reason she had never lost before after activating Match! wasn''t because she was strong. It was because she had used it against opponents whom she could beat. ¡®Still¡­ this much damage is¡­¡¯ Though it had made a loud sound, the injuries she had received were much less severe than those Sehyeon had received. She believed it was due to him taking pity on her. It wasn¡¯t as if she couldn¡¯t read the mood at all, after all. The man in front of her was much, much stronger than she was. What she had to do now was search for a way to survive. The first thing that came to her mind was his weak heart. She had to take advantage of it. However¡­ Once more, Taerim was mistaken. Snap. Crunch. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± Seol stepped on Taerim¡¯s hand as she floundered on the floor. Judging by the sound, it was clear that he had broken a few bones. Taerim continued to wail and scream, to the point where it seemed likely she would injure her vocal cords. It only took a few moments for both Taerim and Sehyeon to be rendered unable to fight. Taerim¡¯s hand might have been crushed by Seol¡¯s foot, but the surprising thing was Sehyeon¡¯s hand¡ªhe was still stabbing his own shoulder. ¡°I-It¡¯s not getting off¡­ What the fuck is this¡­¡± ¡°S-Someone¡­ Someone please¡­¡± Sehyeon¡¯s right hand still had something sticky on it, tying it down so he couldn¡¯t remove his hand from his dagger. Though that was brutal enough, the more brutal sight was what happened to Taerim. Covered in tears and snot, she crawled on the floor. No one stepped forth from the crowd to help them. Not only were Sehyeon and Taerim taken down, but the other dozen or so party members were also swiftly brought down. Most of them were tossed into the air by Seol¡¯s ck hands and thrown to the floor. Thuuud! Snap! ¡°Gaaargh!¡± A man with a broken right arm, a woman with her foot twisted 180 degrees, etc. He was kind enough to not kill them, but they were all clearly injuries that would cause residual pain even if it was healed by a priest. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah! Hrgh¡­ Get out of the fucking way!¡± Arge man jumped into the scene with his underlings. The man, who was shirtless despite being in the middle of winter, was covered in tattoos. The man stood over 190cm tall, his body covered with both muscles and fat. His scarred face was focused on trying to deduce the situation. ¡°What the¡­ What the hell is all this? Sehyeon, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It hurts, fuck¡­ h-help us, Gyeongsu¡­ Th-that fucker is¡­¡± ¡°...Who did this?¡± ¡°H-him!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Even with just a nce, most people could tell that the three of them had simr auras. Seol wondered if they were the three notorious individuals in Illia that he had read about in Audenin¡¯smunity. ¡°...Hey, who the fuck do you think you are? Do you know what you just did?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s something I need to know, tell me.¡± ¡°You fucking¡­¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Suddenly, one of the audience members who had been watching the situation shouted loudly. ¡°I-I remember him! He¡¯s that¡­ that¡­¡± ¡°Who? Who is he?¡± ¡°The gent! The person who cleared thebyrinth!¡± ¡°The gent? Weren¡¯t they supposed to be in Audenin?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they supposedly join the guild alliance?¡± The crowd began to murmur loudly after hearing the word ¡®gent¡¯. The people who had observed an innocent man being attacked now began to whisper about how the situation would unfold from here. ¡°If he¡¯s the gent¡­ then he must have ties to the association. Man¡­ what are they going to do?¡± ¡°Are they trying to fight the guild alliance? There¡¯s no way they¡¯d be a match for them¡­¡± ¡°Is Audenin¡¯s guild alliance trying to gain footing in Illia too?¡± The murmurs grew louder. Even if Gyeongsu was a hotheaded individual, he couldn¡¯t help but cool down after hearing that the alliance was potentially involved. Even though the members of the alliance were individually weaker than them, there was nothing any gang in Illia could do to match a massive organization like Audenin¡¯s guild alliance. Gyeongsu turned around and looked at Sehyeon. ¡°The gent? What the¡­ What the hell have you been doing?!¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know¡­ Hrgh¡­ Taerim was a part of it too!¡± ¡°It hurts¡­ It hurts so much¡­¡± Taerim still hadn''t managed to regain herposure, and Sehyeon''s hand was still stabbing his shoulder. Gyeongsu quickly realized that the situation was more dire than he had initially thought. ¡®Damn it¡­ I thought Sehyeon had just caused a small problem again, and I could handle it, but¡­¡¯ Gyeongsu cursed their luck. Why did it have to be the most famous adventurer in this area of all people? ¡°Gyeongsu¡­ Wh-what do we do?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Gyeongsu finally reached a decision. He slowly approached Seol. ¡°He¡¯s going to fight!¡± ¡°They¡¯re so fucked, holy¡­¡± He then immediately bowed down. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! My friends messed with the wrong¡ª¡± ¡°Out of the way.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°The person I have business with is him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Seol passed by Gyeongsu and approached Sehyeon. ¡°D-Don¡¯te any closer¡­¡± Sehyeon tripped over his own feet and scrambled on the floor. Even so, he was much too slow to escape Seol. ¡°I¡¯ll beg! I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Toote.¡± ¡°Please¡­ Is this really¡­¡± Seol returned Sehyeon¡¯s words to him. ¡°I can¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°Someone! Someone please help¡­ Please, get this crazy psycho¡­¡± No one responded to Sehyeon¡¯s cries for help. This was no different from the situation Sehyeon had just put Gyeongtaek through. Strangely enough, Seol had managed to replicate that exact situation. ¡°I¡¯m going to start pulling out your teeth now. This won¡¯t change.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ stop¡­ Gyeongsu! Gyeongsu, kill him¡­¡± Grind¡­ Gyeongsu watched the situation unfold, but all he could do was stand aside and grind his teeth in frustration. He judged that this was the best way to appease Seol¡¯s anger. ¡®We¡¯ll all die if I do¡­¡¯ Gyeongsu felt it instinctively. He felt Seol¡¯s rage seethe out with every breath. He wouldn¡¯t dare do anything that would anger him any further. Strength only yielded to greater strength. That was the simple truth to this world. ¡°Sehyeon, just endure it¡­ if you don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± ¡°What? You¡­ Hey!¡± Seol grabbed Sehyeon¡¯s shoulder and reached into Sehyeon¡¯s mouth to pull out exactly one tooth. Pull¡­ ¡°G-Gaaaargh!¡± ¡°I want you to leave Illia today.¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ It fucking¡­ hurts¡­¡± Seol locked eyes with Sehyeon. The two had different looks in their eyes now. Toki¡¯s final words had opened a new path for Seol. - And if you can¡­ make sure to do good deeds in your life. Seol was no longer in a rush to be strong. He now had the luxury to look around him, to do good deeds in life. However, there was no reason for him to be kind to those who were evil. Hellfire raged in Seol¡¯s eyes. ¡°If I see you again¡­ I¡¯m going to pull out the rest of your teeth.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Can you hear me now?¡± The hundreds of people in the crowd were silent, his voice filling the empty air. A chill ran through everyone who heard those words. ¡°I-I understand. I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Gyeongsu helped his friends to their feet and then departed from the scene. Once they had finally left, Gyeongtaek stood up and approached Seol. He looked much more at ease than before. It was likely because he was healed by the pilgrims. ¡°Hyung¡­¡± ¡°Gyeongtaek.¡± ¡°Thank you, hyung¡­ I¡­ I was so upset and mad, but¡­¡± Chameli then followed up. ¡°Brothers, why don¡¯t we continue this elsewhere? First, we should take care of the injured. Why don¡¯t you go with the pilgrims, they will heal you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡± ¡°And Snowman, would youe with me for now? We arete to our promise.¡± ¡°Gyeongtaek, I¡¯ll see youter.¡± ¡°Huh? Okay, hyung.¡± And so, Gyeongtaek and his party departed with the pilgrims, while Seol and Chameli made their way to the rendezvous spot. The location was a building not too far from the square where the events had transpired. ¡°If she left because we took too long¡ª Ah, over there! She¡¯s over there!¡± Seol nced in the direction Chameli had indicated and spotted a woman dozing off. Adorning her back was a massive bow, and her long hair remained concealed beneath the hood of her attire. Chameli approached her with caution, moving slowly toward her. ¡°S-Sister¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Wh-what?¡± "I apologize for beingte," Chameli began, her voice trailing off as she hesitated. "A situation arose, and..." The woman ignored Chameli¡¯s apology and focused on Seol. Seol and Chameli locked eyes, refusing to break their gaze. For a few moments, they simply continued to look at each other. She then quietly let out a voice. ¡°...Night Crow?¡± ¡°...What?¡± Chapter 139 What flowed out of the woman¡¯s mouth was the name of Seol¡¯s Exceptional Skill. - Sh-she! - I can¡¯t believe she just said his ultimate skill in an open location like that! - It¡¯s so embarrassing! - She¡¯s eviler than the guys from before LMFAO - Pull out her teeth too! ?? - Dentist: Lift your hand if it hurts~ The shocked woman quickly covered her own mouth. ¡°Ah¡­ sorry.¡± Seol followed Chameli and sat down, continuing to think. ¡®Chameli said she was a tracker¡­ well, she definitely is one.¡¯ Trackers were split into a variety of categories. Whether it was the weapons they utilized or their tracking methods, there existed an endless array of tracker types, each with their own distinct characteristics and countless ways to enhance their skills. Through her simple statement, Seol could tell one of her skills had activated. ¡®She must have something like Beast''s Instincts or Danger Detection.¡¯ When a tracker possessed a skill like that, the interface disyed the skill they should be most cautious of. ¡®Is this her first time seeing an Exceptional Skill? Or¡­¡¯ As the mysterious woman continued to keep her gaze fixed on Seol, he simply returned her stare, his mind wandering to other thoughts. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± Chameli awkwardly stepped in between. ¡°This is Filia, she¡¯s our tracker¡­ and this is Snowman, the individual we recruited to take down the ck Knight.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you as well.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°......¡± Although Chameli wasn''t usually one to initiate conversation, she soon realized the silence would linger if she didn''t speak up first. ¡°I apologize for beingte, Filia. There was an incident on our way here¡ª¡± ¡°The square.¡± ¡°...Hm?¡± ¡°Were you not talking about the square?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, I was. How did you know?¡± Tap tap. Filia tapped on the window with her finger. ¡°Ah!¡± The square was visible from the window Filia was sitting at. ¡°Were you watching everything?¡± ¡°Yeah, I was getting bored while I was waiting for you. I ended up dozing off, though¡­¡± Filia then turned to look at Seol once more. ¡°It was quite¡­ fun.¡± - That was fun for you? - I mean, it was fun for us too LOL - TRUUUUUE ¡°Still, it isn¡¯t good¡­ to be so eye-catching.¡± ¡°Let me apologize instead. He only stepped in because I got involved¡­¡± Seol would have certainly involved himself even if Chameli hadn''t, but he chose to remain silent because revealing the truth would have been pointless. Chameli took turns looking at the both of them. "I know I''ve already exined it to you once, Filia, but now that Snowman has joined us, I''ll go over it again," ¡°Okay.¡± "Firstly, we''ve recruited both of you here to hopefully repel or subdue the ck Knight. The pilgrims will be assisting you as you fulfill your respective roles." Those were all things Seol already knew. Even so, Seol listened carefully, hoping to catch Chameli slipping up. ¡®Do they really know nothing else about the ck Knight?¡¯ Even though they were essentially in the same boat now, the only information the pilgrims had shared with them was that the ck Knight wore armor and posed a danger to civilians. ¡®It''s either that, or they''re hiding some ufortable truth.¡¯ As Seol silently pondered, Chameli finished her statements. "And with that in mind, we will be dividing into the ''tracking party'' and the ''subjugation party¡¯. Although, in truth, Filia has been assisting us for quite some time now.¡± ¡°Quite some¡­ time?¡± Filia responded in Chameli¡¯s stead. ¡°About two months ago. My previous Adventure was also ¡®Tracking the ck Knight¡¯.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Have you made any progress?¡± ¡°Is it okay to tell him, Chameli?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. He has already agreed to join us, after all.¡± Filia lifted her hood slightly. She gave off a delicate impression, contrasting with the massive bow strapped to her back. ¡®She must have a skill that gives her additional Strength.¡¯ Large bows demanded a significant amount of Strength to wield effectively. Consequently, trackers, who prioritized high Dexterity over Strength despite therge bow''s potential for high damage, often chose alternative weapons, deeming the Strength requirement too demanding. Therefore, a tracker proficient with arge bow typically indicated either a disregard for stat allocation or exceptional stats capable of handling its demands. Regardless, Filia began exining. "What I''ve gathered from my efforts in tracking him so far is that he mainly ughters small settlements, if you can even call them viges. They were all incredibly tiny, with less than five families each. Nevertheless, I''ve been using the traces he left behind there to keep tracking his movements.¡± ¡°Was there anything noteworthy about his tracks?¡± "There were nomon points between the victims. He''s like a killing machine, cutting down anything that even slightly annoys him. He''s more like a natural disaster than anything.¡± Chameli nodded along to Filia¡¯s exnation. Filia then shifted the conversation to something else. "His tracks vanished after arriving near Illia. It''s been one month since then. It would be nice if he could just vanish forever like that, but..." ¡°There¡¯s a chance that he could be in Illia.¡± ¡°Precisely. And if the ck Knight really did enter the city¡­ it would be a catastrophe.¡± The citizens of Illia would be ughtered like helpless sheep, and even the transferees might not be spared. "If he catches onto us and leaves, tracking him will be difficult. If he really did enter Illia, then subduing him would be hard." "There have been no records of him entering the city, but we must still be careful. Another important factor is how the lord of the city would respond when the worst-case scenario happens..." Seol and Filia both opted not to reveal their true names, addressing each other simply as Snowman and Filia. Since it appeared that Filia preferred this anonymity, Seol followed suit without question. Since their conversation solely revolved around work, it didn¡¯t take long for the meeting to conclude. The three then decided on their method of contact and brief future ns before separating. [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: The gent showed up, it¡¯s OVER!!!] He just destroyed those three annoying bastards LOL Everyone at the square almost pissed themselves from how scary he was. - He almost made a water park LMFAO - 3 Bastards? Not the 3 Brothers? - Not the triplets? - It¡¯s kind of funny seeing you guys act up now LMFAO. I remember seeing all of you keep your heads down when Gyeongsu walked around. It must be real easy hiding behind a screen, huh? Kind of gross if you ask me. - Sehyeon, are you still in Illia? You should go soon, you might miss your flight. Ah, I¡¯m busy so I can¡¯t take you to the airport, sorry~ - Do you really want to die? LMFAO, Man, I wish the gent just killed you today. - I doubt it¡¯s any of them, though. I watched them all leave the city LOL - These guys only listen once you beat them up.] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: I¡¯m so d they¡¯ve fucked off now. Someone get the salt!] Those assholes, seriously¡­ But hey, they totally deserved everything that came to them. Of all people, they just had to pick the one person who was friends with the gent LMFAO! - There are already rumors about them in different locations, so I bet they won¡¯t even be allowed to enter a city LOL! - There isn¡¯t a ce that would let them do whatever they wanted to like Illia. I bet they¡¯re kicking and screaming right now HAHAHA - No one¡¯s taking pity on them at all. I guess that''s what you can expect when you''re a bully. - Pity? I fucking saw Gyeongsu beat someone at a bar until he died. I still get shbacks about it at night. - Gyeongsu was annoying, but so was Taerim and Sehyeon. They were like leeches that thought they were all that because of Gyeongsu. - This is starting to get me pissed off again. I should just recall what happened during that day~ - I seriously hope they don¡¯te back.] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: But did the gent really fight for his friend?] From what I heard, they¡¯re close enough to call the other hyung. - I heard they were high school friends? - Nah, girlfriends. - What do you mean girlfriends? LOL, They were both guys. - Not triplets? - Why are you guys so obsessed with triplets??? - I¡¯m honestly so jealous, though. It must be nice to be friends with the gent. You could just be like, ¡®Do you know who the gent is~¡¯ whenever you want. - We¡¯re all really just high schoolers at heart, huh? That¡¯s so fucking high school. - I¡¯m friends with that senior~ - I''m d the gent seemed like a quiet person. He literally just appeared out of nowhere like a hero, took Sehyeon''s tooth, and then left. - Is he the tooth fairy? LMFAO - starring Dwayne ¡®The Rock¡¯ Johnson¡­] Themunity was in an uproar from the events that transpired in the morning. Seol, after finishing his meeting with Filia, left to go find Gyeongtaek. Gyeongtaek hadn''t fully recovered yet, so he couldn¡¯t stay for long. However, Seol still managed to hear all of the important information before he had to depart. - I was originally in Timbrian when a noble there asked me to acquire something. I came to Illia for it after hearing that a trader who frequently crosses national borders was visiting and... However, Sehyeon¡¯s party tried taking the item from Gyeongtaek after recognizing it. It appeared that the noble who made the request to Gyeongtaek was quite famous in Timbrian, judging by how rumors about it had spread to different cities. - Hyung, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to pay this backter! Seol smiled bitterly as Gyeongtaek bowed before wobbling away. Seol realized that if he hadn''t stopped by the square then, he might not have had the opportunity to speak with Gyeongtaek like this now. Nevertheless, upon returning, Seol opted to stay at the amodation with the ck Pilgrims. The lodging they arranged consisted of a main building and an annex, with Seol choosing to stay alone in the annex. ¡°Haah, it¡¯s been forever since I was out. I feel like I can finally breathe.¡± Karen had been walking around the annex for a while before Seol returned to the amodation. Nheless, she now mostly remained in the Shadow Spacepared to before. It was all possible thanks to the Blood of Origin that Seol had acquired. Being connected by blood seemed to grant more control than usual, further solidifying their hierarchy. - Phew¡­ Karen almost became like Pikachu. - At least Pikachu is a small rat. Karen¡¯s hugepared to it LOL However, it wasn¡¯t just Karen who was out of the Shadow Space. Jamad and Karuna were also walked around in the annex¡¯s garden. "Your Shadow Space isrger than before, but I still find it much morefortable outside. Honestly, if I weren''t so eye-catching, I''d ask you to keep me outside. That useless red-headed elf wasn''tining for nothing,¡± said Jamad. ¡°Who are you calling useless?!¡± ¡°Ah, she must have heard.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been acting like you¡¯re all that just because you¡¯ve been hanging around Master more¡­¡± Jamad and Karen began bickering and shouting at each other, their voices filling the cool night air. Seol turned away from them and looked at Karuna. Karuna was looking at the moon. ¡°...Karuna?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Karuna? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Karuna gripped his chest and grimaced. ¡°There¡¯s a pain¡­ in my chest¡­¡± It seemed like it was only for a moment, as Karuna¡¯s face quickly returned to a normal, rxed state. ¡°My chest has been feeling stuffy and numb ever since we arrived in Illia. Master, why do you think this is happening?¡± As there was no way for Seol to know either, Karuna couldn¡¯t find the answer he wanted. ¡°Karuna, are you alright?¡± asked Karen. ¡°Ah, yeah. I¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°See? He¡¯s sick because you force him into the Shadow Space all day, Master!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, though,¡± interrupted Jamad. ¡°Trolls should just shut up! It¡¯s an elf thing, alright?!¡± ¡°You make it sound so awful to be an elf.¡± ¡°Argh¡­ No more! You think you¡¯re allowed to say whatever you want just because you¡¯re big, huh?!¡± Karuna smiled while watching the two bicker. He then looked to Seol. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master. I¡¯ll probably feel better soon.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Two dayster, in Emild, a small city near Illia¡­ Though it was quite a distance away from Illia, it wasn¡¯t particrly close or far. ¡°Are we really going to leave?¡± ¡°Who cares about the gent?!¡± ¡°Both of you, shut up. Why are you two shouting when you both messed up?¡± ¡°Still, isn¡¯t it toome to just run away like this?¡± In a bar in Emild, Gyeongsu and his party were trying to calm their anger after hastily departing from Illia. However, Sehyeon couldn¡¯t control his anger. He threw his oak cup down on the floor, shattering it to pieces. Crack! ¡°Wh-what the¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them¡­¡± Other customers began murmuring after being startled by the sudden noise. ¡°What are you looking at? Do you want to die, huh?!¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Even though Sehyeon couldn''t do anything but tremble in fear in front of Seol, he became furious at the other people at the bar without hesitation. Well, truthfully, he was still trembling. His left hand shook on the table, causing the table itself to vibrate with it. "I can''t believe I have to live like this for the rest of my life... Gyeongsu. Your friend ended up like this. So why did you¡ª" Gyeongsu shot Sehyeon a re. Even if Sehyeon was drunk, he knew when to stop. It was the kind of look Gyeongsu only gave when he was furious. ¡°And? You want me to end up like you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Why the fuck are you talking after getting everyone else caught up in your mess? Huh? Answer me.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°...Do I sound like I¡¯m joking right now? Answer me. Why don¡¯t you repeat what you said just now to the other people who also ended up like you?¡± Taerim stepped in to stop Gyeongsu. ¡°Stop it, Gyeongsu. I¡¯m sure Sehyeon¡¯s just frustrated right now and¡­¡± ¡°The person who¡¯s most frustrated right now is me, Sehyeon. Do you have a disease that prevents you from being still? Why do you always have to do this shit? Why can¡¯t you just keep to yourself?¡± ¡°Fucking¡­¡± ¡°Fucking what? Try saying that again.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m going out to smoke.¡± As the mood shifted, Sehyeon bolted outside, desperately clinging to whatever authority he had left. Gyeongsu chugged his beer, trying to relieve his frustration. ¡°That fucking bastard¡­ How long is he going to keep acting like that¡­¡± ¡°Gyeongsu, I know Sehyeon talks like that, but his heart is¡­¡± ¡°What? In the right ce? My fucking ass¡­ I thought we already knew we were all assholes. Stop ying coy.¡± ¡°...Are you done, asshole?¡± ¡°I wonder if it would have ended this way if you didn¡¯t keep stirring the pot¡­¡± ¡°Why the hell are you bringing that up now?!¡± ¡°Because you two do the same¨C¡± Suddenly. Crush! Arge foot kicked down the door. Gyeongsu and Taerim flinched before immediately turning around to face the door. They initially thought it was Sehyeon seeking attention once again. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± Drip¡­ Drip¡­ However, standing in front of the broken door was a knight. Blood ran down his sword, dripping onto the wooden floor. The knight wearing ck armor took a bow after raising Sehyeon¡¯s severed head. ¡°Kyaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°R-Run away¡­¡± The ck Knight¡¯s voice split as he opened his mouth. ¡°...ser.¡± Slice! Saaatter! In an instant, four people''s torsos were severed from their bodies. ¡°The backdoor! Escape through the backdoor!¡± shouted Gyeongsu. Everyone hurriedly tried to leave the bar. Gloooow¡­ The ck Knight gathered ominous energy in his sword before releasing it as a horizontal line of energy. BOOOOOOOOOOM! The bar exploded in a violent eruption. ¡°I am¡­ slowly¡­ getting closer¡­¡± Fade¡­ After finishing his ughter, the ck Knight''s body waned before disappearingpletely. Chapter 140 [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: It¡¯s fucked, did you all hear about this?] I heard the people in Emild were brutally massacred. Apparently, Gyeongsu''s gang was in one of the buildings where everyone died. I''m getting goosebumps... - The only time I want to hear his name is when he¡¯s dea¡ªWhat? He¡¯s dead? - What the hell? Did someone get revenge or something? - No, it wasn¡¯t just Gyeongsu¡¯s party that died. The barkeep and ordinary citizens also died. - This is¡­ smelling fishy¡­ The gent! I bet it¡¯s you! - Hasn¡¯t the gent been with the ck Pilgrims the entire time? - Don¡¯t make shit up. He¡¯s been in Illia the entire time¡­ - Maybe he has a way to teleport? - Did he say that he can teleport?] [(NEW) [ ¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: This is a crime. I will think of myself as the criminal and guess their intentions.] Hm¡­ What should I eat for lunch? - Gotcha, bitch! - What perfect profiling work! There was no way he could have done that without being the criminal himself! - Still, I''m getting bad feelings about this. Should I go to Audenin instead? - We wouldn¡¯t be worrying about this if we had an alliance too¡­ It always sucks for the little guys ?? - I get that we were transferred here, but the security here is awful. - FR!!! I feel like I¡¯m going to get stabbed if I walk around at night. - What is the city lord doing? Why aren¡¯t they doing anything properly? - That¡¯s just the typical Nevenian noble. I bet a revolution will happen one day. - Not today, though~] [(NEW) [ ¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Someone has died. It wasn¡¯t during an Adventure either.] Someone died at a rest location, guys. Do you still not understand? - Obviously, I understand. But it¡¯s not like this is the first time someone died in a city, right? It happens a lot between transferees. - Yeah, it isn¡¯t strange at all. Even so, blowing up a building is a bit¡­ It¡¯s not like they¡¯re a terrorist organization or anything. - True. I feel like people aren¡¯t getting how bad this is¡­ - We can¡¯t really do anything else other than watch right now. What are we supposed to do when the city¡¯s lord isn¡¯t doing anything either LOL] Rumors about Gyeongsu and his group being massacred in Emild had already traveled to Illia. Their deaths caused such amotion that people''s curiosity only continued growing. However, not long after the incidents urred, someone visited Emild. Creak¡­ A woman stepped out of a wagon. She was draped in a cloak, carrying arge bow on her back. It was quite the eye-catching outfit. However, the same could be said for the people by her side. The ck Pilgrims silently escorted her. It was Filia¡¯s party, the party that had been tasked with tracking down the ck Knight. ¡®Is this the ce?¡¯ The bar had been left untouched since the events urred. ess to it was blocked to preserve the scene and prevent any further damage. However, Filia and the ck Pilgrims had already struck a deal with the lord of Emild before arriving. In fact, Emild''s lord even implied that they preferred for them to swiftly apprehend the criminal to reassure their citizens. Filia¡¯s nose recoiled. Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ [Filia used Keen Nose.] [Your sense of smell is more sensitive than usual.] ¡®Alcohol, wood¡­ and the smell of blood that washes it all out¡­¡¯ Filia began drawing out the scenario in her head. She approached the shattered wooden door. The ce where innocent blood was spilled. Lick. She licked her index finger and stamped it on the trail of blood. [Filia used Track Bloodstain.] [The target is dead.] [You are unable to track your target any further.] [Thest emotion your target felt will be conveyed to you.] Fsssss¡­ As Filia closed her eyes, a red energy began to cover her body. ¡®Surprise¡­ and fear. What did they see?¡¯ She paced back and forth in the bar, her eyes running through the sttered blood and shattered wood, hoping to uncover another clue. She even began to mimic the gestures of a patron at the bar, recalling the corpses she had discovered and examined earlier. ¡®It was a clean cut. The victims didn¡¯t even recognize they were cut. The corpses also weren''t spread too far apart either. This means that...¡¯ Either arge group of peoplemitted this crime, or¡­ ¡®A single, extremely powerful individual.¡¯ And if it was thetter, there was a high possibility that it was the ck Knight¡¯s doing. Still, it was too early to draw conclusions. Filia continued searching for more clues at the bar, hoping to uncover something else before the sun set. ¡°Hrgh¡­¡± She began lifting the broken wooden boards one by one. ¡°...Huh?¡± A carpet that had originally been at the bar¡¯s entrance had been flung all the way here by the force of the explosion. ¡®These footprints¡­¡¯ Filia had seen these footprints on the carpet before. She began rummaging through her inventory, pulling out countless scrolls. Finally, she retrieved the newest-looking one and unfurled it. ¡®...It¡¯s the same.¡¯ Teaaaaar¡­ She ripped the scroll in her hands. [Fillia used Persistent Tracking.] [These footprints belong to the same person.] [Your interrupted chase continues.] [Footprints will be etched.] Glooow¡­ Footprints, ones which only Filia could see, began to be drawn throughout the city. "Have you managed to obtain any results, sister? The evening is slowly approaching..." asked one of the pilgrims. ¡°I found it,¡± responded Filia. ¡°...What?¡± ¡°I found him, it¡¯s him¡­¡± Filia could see where the footprints were headed. Disaster loomed on the horizon. She had to stop him. ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Earl Brispin. Despite appointing a proxy to govern Illia, it was widely known that he remained the true ruler of the city. And right now, Seol and Chameli were at his home office. "Impossible," dered the earl, his voice filled with weight. "Earl Brispin... As I''ve mentioned, we intend to depart from Illia for a while. While we hope for the best, if circumstances take a turn for the worse... Illia would be the ce most immediately threatened." Chameli was trying her best to convince Earl Brispin. "But to suggest that I should enforce a city-wide lockdown and deny entry to anyone... How could I entertain such a ludicrous notion?" ¡°But if the ck Knight sneaks into the city¡­¡± ¡°And what if he doesn¡¯t?¡± "We must always prepare for the worst..." Chameli persisted despite her struggles. However, it was difficult for ideals to defeat practicality. "Only a fool prepares for the worst. A leader must strive to maintain a delicate bnce. After all, I am in charge of the lives and futures of my citizens. Their well-being is paramount. However, consider it from my standpoint. I''ll face criticism from all sides if I impose a city-wide lockdown if it were a trivial matter." Seol saw a few options as they continued to talk. [[Earl Brispin refuses to enforce a city-wide lockdown. How do you respond?] 1. Are you really acting like this just because you¡¯re afraid of a little criticism? 2. You don''t seem like a particrly wise leader at this moment either, though. 3. Shouldn¡¯t you prioritize lives above all else? 4. (Say nothing.) ¡­¡­] Seol looked through the options then looked away. ¡®This isn''t a situation where I can intervene.¡¯ There was little likelihood that an earl would listen to the advice of a transferee regarding Pandea. Additionally, Seol''s presence was solely to safeguard Chameli. He had no intentions of overstepping his bounds. Chameli protested. ¡°But it isn¡¯t for ¡®a trivial matter.¡¯¡± "Cities are living entities. They cannot be switched on and off like a simple device, as you seem to believe. Stopping its heart for an extended period¡­ would inevitably lead to its demise. Naturally, the lives of its citizens would also be impacted." ¡°This is a matter of life and death.¡± "I also bear the responsibility of ensuring that my citizens do not starve or freeze. It would be different if you had sessfully tracked the ck Knight, but even tracking him would pose additionalplications. And would you even be capable of swiftly subduing him if you did?" ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Chameli couldn¡¯t give the earl an answer. She herself was uncertain of the true extent of the ck Knight''s power. If the ck Knight proved to be stronger than she anticipated, the subjugation would take longer, also causing the lockdown tost longer. - I think the earl¡¯s right. - Yeah, a city-wide lockdown is the final option, not the first option. He can¡¯t just use it here¡­ - I thought they sessfully tracked him down? Why are they so worried? - They¡¯re just preparing for the worst-case scenario. ¡®It¡¯s a failure.¡¯ Seol hadn¡¯t expected the earl to be open to the idea of locking down the city in the first ce. The situation yed out just as he had predicted, yielding no results. More and more options appeared before Seol¡¯s eyes, but he ignored them all. Seol simply kept his mouth closed. "The first to deal with the aftermath is always the citizens, and then me. Do you know why humans have fingers? It is to point and assign me. If my decision to lock down the city fails, those fingers will be pointed squarely at me." ¡°...There will be victims.¡± "Let me share with you an unfortunate truth, people are indifferent to such concerns. They''d simply be d that they weren¡¯t the ones affected. But what''s truly absurd is that those very same citizens would raise a fuss if they were forced to miss even a single meal due to theirck of money. A ruler must consider their selfishness and determine the best course of action. Implementing a city-wide lockdown is simply not feasible." "...I understand. However, if the situation truly bes dangerous... I hope you''ll reconsider my proposal." ¡°I tend to listen to everything. Farewell.¡± Seol and Chameli were escorted out of the reception room after giving their final plea. Creak¡­ The reception room was silent. All except for one quiet voice. ¡°Enforcing a city-wide lockdown? Haha¡­¡± murmured Earl Brispin. * * * Drizzle¡­ At the entrance to a quiet vige¡­ Filia and the ck Pilgrims were shivering in the rain. ¡°It stops here¡­¡± ¡°Did you lose his tracks?¡± "No, he caught on to being tracked and erased his prints. I managed to track them all the way here, but... they abruptly stop at this point." ¡°Then does this mean¡­ there¡¯s a possibility he could be here right now?¡± ¡°It does, and I want to enter this vige for that reason. How close are Chameli and the others?¡± "We''ve had contact, and they''ve informed us they''ll be joining us soon, so they shouldn''t be too far off. I''m sure we''ll be within sight of each other once we share our location.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ What should I do¡­¡¯ ¡°It sounds as if you want to enter the vige.¡± "I just think if the ck Knight has already left, lingering here right now could be the critical reason why we lose his trail again." "Then we should enter the vige. I''ll keep rying messages. I''m sure they''ll follow us in." Nod. Filia and the pilgrims entered the vige, the pouring rain drenching them as they went. She noticed smoke rising from a chimney. By then, the pilgrims, who had scattered for a moment, returned. "There don''t seem to be any issues here. It''s likely he didn''te here." "Urgh..." The ck Knight was missing. He had likely noticed them tracking him and shifted course. In other words, they failed. The pilgrims tried tofort Filia, who was sighing in the rain. "Tracking him in the rain would be difficult. Why don''t we wait for the vicar first and then decide our next actions?" ¡°...I¡¯m so sorry. I thought I had him for sure this time.¡± Pour¡­ The rain washed away any and all traces, even the metallic smell of blood. Filia began looking around the vige, a futile look in her eyes. ¡°Kyaaaaaa!¡± A woman¡¯s scream. Creak¡­ Filia quickly pulled out herrge bow and aimed it in the direction of the sound, assuming that the woman had screamed after noticing something horrifying. ¡°What is it?!¡± asked one of the pilgrims, running toward her. "J-just now... there was something dark standing here..." ¡°No!¡± aash! The pilgrim¡¯s head flew into the air. The headless body struggled and swayed before copsing to the floor. [Filia used There?!.] [The odds of detecting your target greatly increase if they move.] Dart! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± In the rain, something ck moved again. This time, the pilgrim Filia had been talking with had his head cut off. A ck phantasm rushed in, aiming for Fillia. [Filia used Zero Distance Shot.] [Short-range arrows now have an 80% increased pration rate.] Fft! Filia let loose an arrow from close range. It was impossible to dodge. However¡­ Craaaaaack! The ck maelstrom spun, deflecting the arrow. Filia, shocked, hastily attempted to fire more arrows. ¡°No way¡ª¡± However, the phantasm was faster. The phantasm transformed into the ck Knight. He extended his hand, aiming directly for Filia''s neck. A chill ran down her spine. She knew exactly what he was trying to do. ¡®I¡¯m going to die¡­¡¯ It happened too swiftly for her to even register. She thought it was unfair that her life didn¡¯t sh before her eyes like she had seen in movies. Yet, against all odds, a miracle happened. BOOOOOM! Something ck appeared in front of her, stepping between her and the ck Knight. It shed with the ck Knight, then wed at the ground to regain its stance. ¡°What¡­ is that?¡± She realized why she didn¡¯t have that movie-like experience. It was because she wasn¡¯t meant to die today. Even so, she was curious. What saved her just now? Pour¡­ In the heart of a remote mountain vige, rain poured heavily as the ck Knight and a shadowy figure faced each other, exchanging blows. Amid their struggle, the ck entity seized the ck Knight''s wrists, tightening his grip on them. ¡°Is it you?¡± asked the shadowy figure. It was Seol, in the Night Crow form. Chapter 141 The ck Knight¡¯s eyes ignited. He swiftly swung his sword, knocking Seol away. aaang! Seol lowered his stance and swatted away the ck Knight¡¯s hand with the back of his own hand. He hoped the ck Knight would lose his grip on his sword, but the most he did was slightly shift the angle of the sword strike, nothing more. Fwip! Fwip! Seol leaped back while the ck Knight paused for a moment. ¡°Back away,¡± said Seol to Filia. ¡°O-Okay.¡± Filia followed Seol¡¯s instructions and began stepping back. After all, she was recruited to track the ck Knight. Even if she was a capablebatant, she would only be a burden in close quarters. ¡®His equipmen¡­¡¯ Seol felt something ominous from the ck Knight¡¯s equipment. The way the ck shadow writhed and thrashed was definitely not ordinary. ¡°Watch out!¡± shouted Chameli. As Chameli cried out, the voices of the ck Pilgrims began filling the vige. ¡°Envelop him!¡± [Snowman is enveloped in a halo.] [Your elemental resistance is increased by 35% and your action speed is increased by 20%.] Gloooow! A radiant light enveloped Seol. Fwip! Fwip! The two faced each other once more. Fwoosh! The ck Knight tilted his sword, attempting to cleave Seol in half. Dash! Seol feinted to the right, then darted to the left. He ced himself in the opportune spot to strike the ck Knight. Iron Fist Rule would be too slow. ¡°Hrgh!¡± Baaam! ¡®It worked!¡¯ Seol felt his attack properlynd. He could tell that his attacks worked on the ck Knight through that strike. However, what followed was outside of his expectations. [Insight activates.] [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer currently has an empty stomach.] [Hope Devourer digests all of the impact.] ¡®...What?¡¯ Seol rolled on the floor. aaash! Scatter! The ck Knight¡¯s sword carved a straight line on the ground, splitting thend in two. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± Seol was inches from having his head severed from his body. ¡®Damn it! Why did Hope Devourer have to show up here?!¡¯ Right now, the biggest problem wasn''t the ck Knight''s skills or cruelty. It was the ''Hope Devourer''. That notorious piece of armor just had to end up in his enemy''s hands. Dash! The ck Knight, sensing his advantage, didn¡¯t hesitate to chase Seol. ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯ Even so, Seol had no ns to just take it lying down. The ck Knight continued charging at Seol, who had yet to prepare anything. Seol remained silent as the ck Knight closed the distance. And then¡­ ¡®Now!¡¯ Seol focused on the ck Knight¡¯s sword, trying to predict its trajectory. aaang! He then parried it with his elbow, timing it correctly, and reached both his hands out front. The ck Knight, sensing something off, stepped back. But as he did, ck energy grew out from Seol¡¯s palms. Fwiiirl! aaang! Karuna aimed to strike the ck Knight immediately as he was summoned, but thanks to the ck Knight stepping back, he didn¡¯t receive much damage. aash! However, the ck Knight waspletely unprepared for Karen, who appeared behind Karuna. She swung her sword, aiming for the ck Knight¡¯s chest. Scraaaape! However, instead of the sound of flesh being cut, it was the sound of metal scraping against metal. [Insight activates.] [The ck Knight¡¯s Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [The ck Knight¡¯s Hope Devourer currently has an empty stomach.] [The ck Knight¡¯s Hope Devourer digests all of the impact.] ¡®Even that didn¡¯t work?¡¯ It was a ridiculous level of defense. The ck Knight was practically an iron fortress. Jamad¡¯s voice was transmitted into Seol¡¯s head. - This one¡¯s¡­ going to be a bit difficult. Seol was a bit dejected after seeing his scheme fail. Even so, he moved immediately. The fight was still continuing, after all. Gloooow! The light from the ck Pilgrims began glowing even brighter,pelling the ck Knight to retreat. The strategy was for Karen and Karuna to take turns attacking the ck Knight whenever the light stopped, while Seol looked for openings whenever he could. No one made any mistakes during this strategy. aang! Karuna, spotting an opening, swung his sword. Scraaape¡­ [Insight activates.] [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer currently has an empty stomach.] [Hope Devourer digests all of the impact.] ¡­¡­ Fwip! Following Karuna was a flurry of blows from Seol¡¯s Shadow Hand. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! [Insight activates.] [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer currently has an empty stomach.] [Hope Devourer digests all of the impact.] It was only then that they realized their strategy was wed. ¡°Our attacks¡­ aren¡¯t working on him at all.¡± ¡°Wh-what should we do, vicar? We need to change our strategy¡­¡± Chameli scowled as she focused on channeling more divine power. She knew there was nothing more she could do in this situation. Seol, who had assumed the most important role at this moment, calmly analyzed the situation. ¡®...Weck damage.¡¯ Hope Devourer was renowned as an item that countered melee sses. Not only did the armorpletely ignore small amounts of physical damage, but it was also capable of absorbing significant amounts of damage from powerful attacks. To inflict damage on someone with Hope Devourer, you needed to deal arge burst of damage. Alternatively, you could opt to stack umting damage. However, the problem with this approach is that if it takes too long, the Hope Devourer could absorb the damage faster than it is dealt. If that happens, the situation would simply revert to its initial state, making all of the efforts for nothing. ¡®Still, if I use Iron Fist Rule¡­ no, that¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯ Seol wasn¡¯t confident in Iron Fist Rule. In truth, Seol¡¯s attack patterns thus far have been far too simple. His pattern so far had been to enter the Night Crow Form and either overwhelm the target with his stats or kill them in one hit with Iron Fist Rule. Though this method had worked up until now, it wouldn¡¯t be effective against opponents who had simr stats to Seol or were swift enough to dodge Iron Fist Rule. Iron Fist Rule boasted incredible damage but it also came with just as many risks. And against a quick opponent,nding it was difficult. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ There was a reason behind his simplified attack pattern. It was because hecked base damage. Seol¡¯s Gallotta¡¯s Tongue had low damage since it was a summoner-exclusive item. While Jamad¡¯s Mountain Fists, although a Divine Relic, also suffered from low base damage due to insufficient investment. This meant that even though Seol had a high Strength Stat while in the Night Crow form, it wasn¡¯t efficient to attack since his weapon damage was low. His issues became clearly revealed during his fight with the ck Knight. ¡®Still¡­ I have to try for now.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t the time to pick out his own weaknesses. It was a time to pick his opponent¡¯s weaknesses. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Fwiirl! Karen spun wildly before aiming for the ck Knight¡¯s legs. She fought with determination, as she always did in battle, while wearing her helmet. aaang! The ck Knight was pushed back once more. An opening. It was much too far for Seol to reach. Dash! Staaaab! But just within range of Karuna¡¯s sword. The ck Knight couldn¡¯t ignore this attack either, as it was aimed squarely at his helmet, not his armor. Rumble¡­ Fwoosh! The ck Knight was skilled. He slipped off Karuna¡¯s attack with the side of his helmet before using the power of Karuna¡¯s stab to twist his body. He raised his leg and kicked,nding perfectly on Karuna¡¯s head. Baaaam! The only knight who had their helmet taken off was Karuna. ¡®N-Not yet!¡¯ Dash! Fwip! The ck Knight leaped back to not allow any more attacks. Fwoosh! Seol emerged from the ck Knight¡¯s blind spot, seeing it as an opportunity to push him back further. However, the ck Knight proved to be more formidable than Seol anticipated. Fss¡­ As the ck Knight pointed his sword at Seol, a chill ran down his spine. - Dodge it! Jamad shouted in Seol¡¯s head. Seol gave up on the attack and immediately dropped to the floor, rolling away. [The ck Knight¡¯s Agony used Meteor Point.] [The ck Knight¡¯s Agony pierces through a designated path.] [All enemies in Agony¡¯s path are dealt 170% of the weapon¡¯s damage.] [Those struck by Agony are afflicted with the Corrupted Wounds status.] Fwoooooosh! A ck line of energy zipped to where Seol stood before he dropped to the ground. Seol barely managed to dodge it by a hair¡¯s breadth. ¡°Did it just say¡­ Agony?¡± Agony. In Pandea, there were items known as ''Demonic Weapons'', which consumed the user''s mind, craving blood. Despite their ominous nature, countless people in the world desired them, as they were powerful enough to make the risks seem insignificant. ''Agony...? Isn''t that the lowest-rank demon sword?'' However, getting too caught up on the ¡®lowest-rank¡¯ part would be a mistake. A demon sword was still a demon sword. There was a reason it was still categorized as a Demonic Weapon. Swirl! Agony returned to the ck Knight andughed. [It missed! Hahaha! It missed!] ¡°......¡± The pilgrims, Karuna, and even Karen... all couldn¡¯t react after witnessing a talking sword. Agony might have had the weakest performance out of the demon swords, but its unique effect made up for it. The sword was capable of thought and evolved on its own. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he acquired Agony as well¡­¡¯ The ck Knight was clearly not an ordinary monster. Not only did he wield Agony in his hands, but he also had the Hope Devourer equipped. Seol tried using the Eyes of Perception to look at the ck Knight¡¯s information. [An ominous energy casts over like a curtain.] [Perception is repelled by the curtain.] [L???????????????o????????????????????????????r????????????????e?????????????????????????????m?????????????????????? ??????????????????i????????????????????????????p???????????????????????s????????????????????????u?????????????????????m?????????????????????? d????????????o??????????????l?????o?????????r?????????????????????????????? ???????s????????i???????????????????????t???????????????????????? ?????????????a??????????????????????????m????????????????e????????????????t??????????????? ???c????????????????o???n?????????????????????????? s??????????????????e?????????????????c?????????????????????????????t??????????????????????e???????????????????t?????????????????????????u??????????????????r????????? ????????????????a???????????????????? d??????????????????i??????????????????????p?????????????????i?????????????????s?????c???????????????????????i???????????????????n???????????g????????? e??????????????????l????????????????????????i???????t????????????? 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?????????????????????????e?????????????????????????????x?????????????e????????????r????????? c?????????????????????i??????????????t?????????????????????a??????????t??????????????????????????????i?????????o??????????n??????????????????????????? ???????u????????????????????????????l????????????????????????l???????????a????????????????????????????????m??????????????????c?????o??????????????????????? ???????????????????l?????a???????????????????????b??????????????????????o?????????????r?????????????????i?????????????????????????????s????? ??????????????n???????????????i????????????s??????????????i??????????? ??????????????????u????????????????????t??????????????? ?????????????????????a?????????????l????????????????????i?????????????????q?????????????????u?????????????i?????????p??????????????? ???? e?????????????????x?????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????e???????????????????????????a??????????????????????????????? ??????????????????? c?????????????????????????o?????????????????????????m????????????????????m????????o??????????????????????????????d??????????o?????????????? ?????????????????????c?????????????o????????????????????????n??????????????s???????????????????????????e??????????????????q???????????????????????????u??????a????????????????????t?????????????????????.????????????????? ??????????????????????????????D???????????????????????????u??????????????????????????i???????????????????????s???????????????????? ??????????????????? a???????????????u????????????????????????t???????????????e?????????????????? ????????????i?????????????????r???????????????????????????u????????????????????r??????????????????????e??????????????????????????? ????????d??????????o???????????????????????????????l???????????????o????????r????????????????????????? ????????????????????i??????????????????????n??????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????r?????????????????e???????????????????????????p????????????????????????????r???????????????????e?????????????????h??????????????????e????????????n??????????????????????d?????????????e???????????????????????????????r?????????????????i???????????????????????t?????????????????????????? ?????????i???????????????????????n????????????????? ] ¡®What¡­ are you?¡¯ Not only was Seol unable to acquire any information, but he also couldn¡¯t defeat him at all. At this rate, there would only be more massacres. Seol found himself backed into a corner. But then, one of the pilgrims cried out. ¡°Brother, get out of the way! We will be using that!¡± shouted Chameli. Seol recalled the n they had agreed upon before arriving here. The n they devised to subdue the ck Knight. - I¡­ have a Holy Relic that can subdue evil. - ¡­A Holy Relic? - The ck Knight definitely has an evil disposition. If you could buy us some time, we will be able tond a blow on him. - Then for now, let¡¯s save that as ourst resort. Seol, recalling that conversation, leaped back. As he did, Chameli reached out her hands and activated something in her hands. [Chameli used Extinguish Evil.] [Pirs of light descended from the heavens onto the target.] [The pirs of light deal a fixed amount of damage, dealing bonus damage if the target has an evil disposition.] Gloooow¡­ "Let light rain from the sky upon this evil being!" BOOOOOOM! Fwip! The ck Knight contorted his body in an attempt to evade the pirs of light but was ultimately unable to avoid them entirely. They were simply toorge. ¡°Aaaaaargh!¡± As the pilgrims focused their energy onto Chameli in unison, the pir of light grew bigger and bigger. It had grown to the point where a massive crater was formed at the center of the town. The attack clearly would have been dangerous for Seol too if Chameli hadn¡¯t warned him ahead of time. However¡­ like before¡­ the situation did not go the way they wanted it to. Faaade¡­ As the pir of light disappeared, nothing had changed. The ck Knight managed to endure the attack. All it had managed to do was knock off his helmet. In other words, it was for nothing. ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°How¡­ How does it not have an evil disposition?¡± Seol knew about Extinguish Evil as well. He knew about the weapon¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. ¡®If the target doesn¡¯t have an evil disposition¡­ it¡¯s not that powerful.¡¯ Unless the ck Knight somehow managed to endure Extinguish Evil¡¯s bonus damage, it simply meant that the ck Knight wasn¡¯t inherently evil. ¡®Then¡­ who are you?¡¯ The ck Knight dusted off his helmet and peered ahead. The moment Seol, Karen, and Karuna saw his face, they froze. A cut-off ear. ck veins all over his face. Eyes tinted in a red hue. Huge knife wounds covering his face. But beneath all that¡­ a handsome face. ¡°...Karuna?¡± Click! The ck Knight equipped his helmet once more. His body then began radiating a new, different kind of energy. A chill ran down Seol¡¯s spine as the cool energy poured out, bouncing the rain away. Gloooow¡­ [The ck Knight has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] Chapter 142 [The ck Knight has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] Glooow¡­ The blue energy that enveloped the ck Knight¡¯s body was simr to Karuna¡¯s. As the ck Knight glowed, so did Karuna. [Karuna has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] Karen, who had been holding her tongue the entire time, finally broke her silence. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± she gasped. Seeing the ck Knight use Soaring Moonlight, Karuna asked him a weighty question. ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± he asked. Though no one anticipated it, the ck Knight actually responded to him. ¡°All of you¡­ really are the same.¡± ¡°...What?¡± "Every reflection I''ve met has asked me that same question.¡± Raise¡­ Agony began to cry out. "You shall soon join them as well.¡± Seol revised his assessment of the ck Knight. ¡®He¡¯s dangerous.¡¯ While the ck Knight''s incredible strength was indeed dangerous, it paled inparison to his thoughts and very existence. The first thing apparent to Seol was his appearance. He and Karuna were clearly rted. And it was probably for a bad reason too. If they had a good rtionship, the ck Knight would have no reason to raise his sword against him. Glooow¡­ sh! Blue light poured out from Karuna¡¯s eyes. Two brilliant blue lights illuminated the area for a brief moment before transforming it into a nightmarishndscape. aang! ng! The two knights moved swiftly, appearing as two stars battling each other to the onlookers. Seol, while paying attention to the fight as well, noticed Karen in confusion as well. ¡°Why¡­¡± Glooow! [Karuna has entered the 2nd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Half Moon.] Glooow! The ck Knight mocked Karuna. ¡°...It¡¯s pointless.¡± The ck Knight began to gather more energy, so much so that Seol began to doubt that he was only in the Crescent Moon stage. Glooow¡­ The two shed once more. aaaaaang! The two knights faced each other with their swords. ¡°I doubt you can ept it,¡± said the ck Knight. ¡°...What are you talking about?¡± ¡°That you are a fake.¡± ¡°A¡­ fake?¡± ¡°Farewell and goodbye.¡± [The ck Knight has entered the 2nd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Half Moon.] Boooooom! A storm of power, stronger than even Karuna in his Full Moon stage, emanated from the ck Knight. Rumbleeee! The ck Knight pushed down with his sword, drawing Karuna¡¯s sword closer and closer to his own neck. [Karuna has entered the 3rd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Full Moon.] BOOOOOOOOOOOM! Karuna, with the strength of the Full Moon Stage, began to slowly repel Agony. "Ah... You appear to be quite the capable fragment. I hadn''t anticipated you making it this far. Nevertheless..." Another wave of energy exploded from the ck Knight. Craaaaaackle! [The ck Knight has entered the 3rd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Full Moon.] Overwhelming strength. Moments before Karuna was engulfed by the massive blue energy, another sword entered the fray with a resounding scream. ¡°No!¡± Fwoooosh! aang! Karen swung her sword at the ck Knight. ¡°How annoying¡­¡± Scraaape! The ck Knight deflected her sword with his left hand before pushing her away. Fwooosh! As the ck Knight directed his attention toward Karen, Seol emerged from behind Karuna. He unleashed a swift, high kick with his entire weight. Seol aimed perfectly for the ck Knight¡¯s head. Baaaaam! Thuuuud! The ck Knight, unable to redirect the attack, was sent flying and rolled on the ground by the force of the blow. However, he stood up once more, unfazed. As expected, there wasn''t much damage. However, this was all just a setup for the next attack. [Karuna used Moonlight sh.] Fwoooosh! SLAAAAAAAAAASH! Karuna''s Moonlight sh traced a graceful arc through the air. Even though Karuna¡¯s attack was as fast as light, the ck Knight scoffed and simply gripped Agony tighter. [The ck Knight used Moonlight sh.] Ruuuumble¡­ It was a tremendous strength that shook the earth. RUUUUUUUMBLE! The ck Knight''s ominous Moonlight sh shed with Karuna''s blue assault. However, the moment the two attacks collided, something strange urred as the very fabric of space distorted. [Two mirrors face one another.] ¡°Guaaaaargh!¡± ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Both Karuna and the ck Knight screamed in pain. A strange voice began filling the entire space around them. - Of course, our target just had to end up in Jin¡¯s hands¡­ - That was the reason why it took so long, wasn¡¯t it? Also, what should we do about her? - We can worry about thatter, and even if she dies¡­ We would only need to recover the seed. ¡°Aaaaaargh!¡± BOOOOOOM! The space between them twisted and contorted before erupting. The explosion from that knocked away not only the ck Knight and Karuna, but also Seol and Karen. Thuuud¡­ Strange echoes filled the air once more. - We can¡¯t restrain the seed¡¯s powers! We need to separate them! - Run! It¡¯s falling apart! - Th-they escaped! They escaped the temple! The ck Knight was the first to stand, his knees buckling as he did. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­ I will¡­ recover them all. I will¡­ I will get my revenge.¡± The ck Knight raised his sword once more toward Seol and Karuna. Agony gave a maddeningugh. [Hahahaha! I¡¯ll hit them this time! I¡¯ll stab them!] [The ck Knight¡¯s Agony used Meteor Point.] [The ck Knight¡¯s Agony pierces through a designated path.] [All enemies in Agony¡¯s path are dealt 170% of the weapon¡¯s damage.] [Those struck by Agony are afflicted with the Corrupted Wounds status.] Hummmm¡­ Fwoooosh! Agony surged toward the fallen Karuna. Seol swiftly attempted to block it, but he was too far. Instead, someone else stepped into harm''s way. aare¡­ Screeeeech! Karen''s re skillfully redirected Agony''s trajectory, sessfully shielding Karuna from harm. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± [Hahahaha! They blocked me! They blocked me again!] Fwirl¡­ Agony returned to the ck Knight¡¯s grip. ¡°Stop it!¡± shouted Karen. ¡°You¡¯ve been getting in my way for a while¡­ Hold on¡­ This voice¡­¡± The ck Knight paused. Chameli and the pilgrims, sensing his strange reaction, also paused for a moment. ¡°Karen? Karen, is that¡­ Is that really you?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Karen took off her helmet. Her face remained unchanged, exactly like her appearance during her life. The ck Knight cried out. ¡°Karen! I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still alive¡­ It¡¯s me! I¡¯m Karuna!¡± ¡°...You?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a fake! He¡¯s nothing more than just a piece of me! I¡­ I¡¯m your real brother!¡± ¡°A piece of you¡­ a fake¡­¡± ¡°Exactly! I¡­ I¡¯ve never stopped looking for you. I¡¯ve searched for you as I¡¯ve searched for my pieces.¡± ¡°...Searched for me? Why?¡± ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s to¡­¡± A fire zed in the ck Knight¡¯s eyes once more, turning it a deeper shade of red. ¡°Get revenge. We will be getting our revenge against them! For splitting us apart¡­ For destroying Montra¡­ For turning me into this¡­¡± ¡°...No.¡± ¡°With their blood, we¡¯ll¡­ what?¡± A teary-eyed Karen looked at the ck Knight. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not the Karuna that I know. Karuna is kind and warm. You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re just a monster.¡± ¡°Karen!¡± Patter¡­ Karuna and Seol slowly arose. ¡°I¡­ remember a bit of it now,¡± said Karuna. ¡°Karuna,¡±forted Karen. ¡°So I¡­ was shattered into pieces. That¡¯s why¡­ That¡¯s why I had no memories.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the real one! You¡¯re just a¨C¡± Throb! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Karuna and the ck Knight reached for their heads at the same time. [Karuna is unstable.] Seol braced himself as an ominous message appeared in his vision. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Karuna was in danger. A simr situation urred when they met Karen as well. ¡®For now, I need to separate Karuna from the ck Knight¡­¡¯ But then, at that exact same moment, the ck Knight abruptly let out a scream. ¡°Guaaaaaaaargh!¡± It sounded like the cry of an animal. Seol readied himself for the subsequent attacks. However, the ck Knight did somethingpletely unexpected. ¡°Guaaaaargh!¡± Daaaash! Fwip! He dashed through the rain-soaked mountains with such speed that attempting to chase after him would prove futile. Seol then saw options in front of him. [[The ck Knight has chosen to run. What do you do?] 1. [Dangers: Mud, Dangerous Paths, Ambush] Chase after him. 2. [Required: Tracking Skills] Track him. 3. Give up on chasing after him. 4. Head to a different location. ¡­¡­] Filia carefully approached Seol. ¡°...Chasing after him might be dangerous.¡± ¡°......¡± Seol turned back and looked at the copsed Karuna. Pour¡­ The craters and debris strewn around them were the only proof of the ridiculous events that had transpired here. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Luckily, Karuna recovered swiftly after the ck Knight retreated. It was clear their battle was the reason behind Karuna bing unstable. ¡°Fu¡­¡± Seol couldn¡¯t believe the current situation. ¡®There was another Karuna?¡¯ The ck Knight¡¯s true identity was another Karuna. Since Seol was curious about their rtionship as well, he waited for Karuna to wake up. ¡°He¡¯s up! Master, he¡¯s awake!¡± ¡°Ah, okay!¡± Karen made a fuss while urging Seol. Her hands were shaking even now. ¡®She¡¯s worried.¡¯ Seol caught a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. It almost seemed like she didn''t know what to do with Karuna. She was clearly feigning brightness. Seol, knowing that these were the moments where he had to be their foundation, approached Karuna, who had just woken up. ¡°Karuna.¡± ¡°...Master.¡± ¡°How did all of this¡­ What happened?¡± Karuna closed his eyes and carefully opened his mouth. ¡°A portion of my memories¡­ came back.¡± ¡°Could you tell us about them?¡± Karuna then opened his eyes, ncing at Karen. ¡°Okay.¡± Karuna''s story began a long, long time ago. "On my way to Montra, I was ambushed and fell into a stream. And I forgot everything after that.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember you telling us that before.¡± ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t die then. Someone saved me. And I think the people who saved me¡­ were the same people who made me like this.¡± ¡°...What else do you remember?¡± ¡°I only have bits and pieces of my memory, so I might be wrong, but I do remember them giving me strange medicines and performing strange ceremonies every day to control me. It seemed like they were trying to make me follow their every word, to never go against them.¡± Karuna then looked at the ceiling. ¡°But that probably reached a limit. I felt something bubbling inside of me before my entire existence was split.¡± ¡°Your existence¡­ was split?¡± "My personality and strength fragmented into countless pieces, and they ughtered everyone in the temple." ¡°And then the fragments began absorbing each other after that, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but¡­ that¡¯s probably what happened.¡± It all somewhat made sense. However, as Seol was in a rush, the details weren''t something to worry about at the moment. He left the room, leaving the twins alone. Karen gave Karuna a worried look. ¡°There¡¯s probably¡­ no way around this, right?¡± ¡°Are you not going to ask me if I¡¯m a fake?¡± ¡°Do you want me to? What would you even say if I did?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯m probably a fake, sorry?¡± ¡°Hahaha! Yeah, that¡¯s exactly how he would have responded.¡± Karen¡¯s face grew stiffer. ¡°The¡­ real Karuna would have said that.¡± ¡°Karen, that¡¯s not what¡¯s important right now. At least to me, it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°...Then what is important?¡± ¡°That we go visit the sea together in this life. I want to show you the waves and how the sun looks when it reflects against the water.¡± ¡°Is that really all you need?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Karuna¡¯s face remained the same, but Karen¡¯s expression shifted. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ Karuna too, right?¡± ¡°...Yeah, he¡¯s me.¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s not like you at all!¡± ¡°I think he took all of my negative emotions. My desire for revenge, hatred, despair, and other emotions like that.¡± ¡°...He must be in pain, right?¡± "It must hurt, tremendously." ¡°Then is there a way we can save¡ª¡± Karuna shook his head. Karen then asked Karuna a question. ¡°You¡¯re going to fight him, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to avoid him.¡± ¡°In other words, you are.¡± ¡°If ites to it.¡± Karen''s expression turned solemn. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll join you too.¡± ¡°Karen, you don¡¯t need toe to a decision. Later when¡­¡± ¡°So the person who wins bes the real Karuna? That¡¯s even stranger, don¡¯t you think?! It¡¯s so weird! So I¡­ What I¡¯m trying to say is just¡­¡± ¡°......¡± Karen gave Karuna a big smile. ¡°I want to go see the sea.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°This time for sure, alright?! I want to go see the sea. You¡¯re going to take me, right?¡± Karuna then smiled before petting her head. * * * The town¡¯s smithy was in an uproar. But an hour before that, Seol, Filia, and Chameli were having a conversation. ¡°Our opponent was too strong.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault, brother. We simply underestimated the ck Knight. That¡­ wasn¡¯t something a single individual could handle. We need to notify Varanoa right awa¡ª¡± Seol butted in, asking a question. ¡°Even if we were to deliver this information to Varanoa, reinforcements would take months to arrive, would it not?¡± ¡°...You are correct.¡± ¡°Not only that, we¡¯ve lost track of the ck Knight again. Can we even chase after him right now?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t possible, now, with it raining so much.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol pondered while grabbing his chin. As he did, Filia said a word. "Still, I might be able to track him once the rain stops. I''m sure he left some traces behind during the battle." "Even if we do manage to find him¡­ would we even be able to do anything?" asked Chameli. Everyone¡¯s expression changed. At first, it was Seol and Filia, but Chameli''s changed soon after too. ¡°There is one thing I can still try¡­¡± said Seol. ¡°The same for me as well¡­¡± Chameliughed after hearing the details. ¡°Then we should swiftly prepare for the next battle.¡± Seol finally finished organizing his thoughts. It was still raining, and Seol had no idea how much time he had left until he would encounter the ck Knight again. ¡®It¡¯s moments like these where I need to get a grip.¡¯ A dangerous situation for his summons was also a dangerous situation for him. He had to ovee this trial well. Buuuurn¡­ Seol, with the help of the town¡¯s cksmith, melted down metal into a liquid. Seol turned around, gazing at Jamad''s Mountain Fists atop a sturdy frame. Although Jamad would have ordinarily been furious with Seol for meddling with a divine relic, he simply watched, understanding the dire situation. Although Seol nned to use the Biometal Ingotster, when he felt a wall in his growth, he pulled out everyst ingot after the fight with the ck Knight. ¡®I¡¯m not the type to gamble, but¡­¡¯ Pour¡­ Seol poured the hot metal onto the Mountain Fists. Anyone who witnessed this would have been in an uproar. [Biometal shows interest in ¡®Mountain Fists¡¯.] [Biometal explores ¡®Mountain Fists¡¯.] ¡®This time¡­ I have no other option.¡¯ The biometal began to explore every crevice of the Mountain Fists, seeping into every corner. Chapter 143 - The ck Knight: You will never be able to defeat me, king! - That was like ying spot the difference. - So, which one of them was the real Karuna? - Sir, the Karuna that you brought is a fake. - No way! It was a gift, though?! Seol sat down on a chair in the corner of the smithy, restlessly gathering his hands. ¡°Are you praying or something?¡± ¡°Praying? No, my hands just felt stiff.¡± "I suppose that makes sense... I doubt there''s any god out there you would wholeheartedly believe in." Jamad could tell Seol¡¯s experience in the heavens wasn¡¯t something that he could openly talk about. Jamad nced at his Mountain Fists, then at the biometal that was exploring it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be worried. It doesn¡¯t weaken its effects or damage it in any way.¡± ¡°If you say so, then I believe you. I don¡¯t doubt you. I was¡­ just thinking that a lot of time has passed.¡± ¡°...A lot of time has passed?¡± "Tancreed''s scales were considered inherently holy within our tribe. They represented the guiding light of the Pointy Mountains, serving as the beacon of hope for our race." ¡°......¡± There was a slight somber tone in Jamad¡¯s voice. "But... Why dwell on the past? Those forging ahead always seek a new path." ¡°Everything¡¯s bound to change after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s that, but¡­ I''ve heard of a metal like this existing before, yet even though I''m seeing it with my own eyes, I still can''t believe it." "It''s because it''s an extremely rare material. First, you have to process the Armor Rat''s biometal without killing it. Then, you have to kill the Armor Rat instantly so the biometal thinks it''s still attached to its host, even after it''s been turned into an ingot." ¡°And after that?¡± "You have to melt the ingot and then bring it back to room temperature. When you do that, the biometal realizes it''s in danger and instinctively looks for a new host. In this case, the Mountain Fists." Jamad had a worried look on his face. ¡°And what you said about it not damaging it in any way¡­¡± "Biometal is theplete opposite of something that would do that. It simply wants a safe ce to stay, a home. And given its property of enhancing their homes, the chances of causing damage are extremely low." ¡°Is this the only item with those effects?¡± "Nope, consider how many strange things exist in Pandea. Other metals and non-metals exist that have simr effects. Obviously, though, they''re just as rare as biometal." ¡°How do you know all this when I, a resident of Pandea, don¡¯t¡­¡± - That¡¯s our question too. - Is this what job applications mean by ¡®Native speaker¡¯? - He¡¯s more than just a native here, though LMFAO The Mountain Fistsy on the worktable, but for some reason, they appeared evenrger than usual. Rumble¡­ Crack! A crack formed on the Mountain Fists. ¡°...No!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened?¡± [Biometal is unable to be in harmony with ¡®Mountain Fists¡¯.] [Biometal is unable to adapt.] [Biometal is destroyed.] Crumble¡­ Break¡­ The expression on Seol¡¯s face contorted like a sculptor who painstakingly carved a statue to only see it shatter into pieces. - Fuck! Fuck biometal! - Hamun! Where¡¯s Hamun?! - J! Where¡¯s my refund?! This one¡¯s fucked! - Forget damaging it! I doubt it¡¯s going to do anything at all LMFAO! ¡°...Was there something you forgot to exin to me?¡± ¡°...Yeah. Oftentimes, biometal fails to adapt to its host.¡± ¡°Like what percent?¡± ¡°Roughly¡­ Twenty five percent¡­¡± ¡°If it¡¯s that low, then¡ª¡± ¡°...chance of sess.¡± ¡°God damn it. How many ingots do we have?¡± ¡°We have four left now.¡± ¡°I thought ourck of time was the biggest issue, but I guess not.¡± Seol wasn¡¯t sure of the exact statistics, but the failure rate for the biometal ingot was definitely high. The simplest exnation for the biometal ingot would beparing it to a low-rank enchantment stone. Equipment upgrades, except for imbuing spells and the temporary measure of sharpening it with a whetstone, were all aplished through enchantment stones. And biometal ingots were ssified in the low-rank category. It wasn''t because biometal ingots were of low quality, but because they could only improve weapons to the 1st or 2nd level. To strengthen a weapon even further, other materials and methods were necessary. The enchantment process was quite mysterious, so it often didn''t work on Peerless-quality items. However, it could still be applied to items of any quality below that, including Treasure, Holy Relic, Abomination, Divine Relic, and other qualities, regardless of their unique effects. Because Peerless items were difficult to upgrade unless one melted them down and recrafted them, some yers even only used Treasure-quality items, putting as many enchantment stones into them as possible. Obviously, though, both methods were extremely costly. The first method was dangerous because melting down a Peerless-quality item didn¡¯t guarantee another Peerless-quality weapon. The second method was risky because enchantment stones were exceedingly rare. ¡°Are you going to keep going? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to¡­¡± ¡°This is the only method if we want to gain enough damage to quickly break through Hope Devourer,. Even if we can somehow deal with Agony, it¡¯s all for nothing unless we can break through Hope Devourer.¡± A few momentster, Seol poured hot metal onto the Mountain Fists again. Pour¡­ [Biometal shows interest in ¡®Mountain Fists¡¯.] [Biometal explores ¡®Mountain Fists¡¯.] ¡°...And the best tool to break an iron fortress like that is arge battering ram." Knock¡­ Knock¡­ The drizzle gradually ceased. ¡°Snowman?¡± Knock knock knock! ¡°I heard he was in here, though¡­¡± Creak¡­ The door slowly opened. Chameli peered her head in, looking inside. Glooow¡­ ¡°...Huh?¡± A strange light emanated from the building, originating from the gloves Seol was holding. The Mountain Fists glowed with a reddish hue, casting reflections in Seol''s eyes. [[Divine Relic: Mountain Fists] Quality: Divine Relic (Modification - Overhaul) Rmended Level: N/A Damage: 43(+4 per level)(Current Additional Damage: 76) Durability: 50/50 Weight: 5.0kg x 2 Divine Relic of the Rock Mr Tribe bestowed by Tancreed. Because it has a strong frame, it can continue to awaken. It has received Yzmokan¡¯s blessing. Basic Effect: All stats +3, Core Stats +5 Bonus Effect: +5 MP regeneration per second, the damage and range of shamanic spells is increased by 50%. Attribute Awakening (Level 2: Volcano), 20% additional light damage on hit, using a support skill will also apply it to another ally. Damaged areas will be automatically restored(Biometal).] ¡®...It was a sess.¡¯ This was the result of using all five of the biometal ingots Seol purchased, perfectly supplementing the low damage of the Mountain Fists. Seol then helped Jamad equip the Mountain Fists. Jamad flinched, as the gloves emitting a red energy, wrapped around his hands. - Will you marry me? - He¡¯s not proposing you idiots, LMFAOOO. Stop adding weird subtitles. - I like it, though. - ??? ¡°It¡¯s nice, I can feel power surging from it. With this¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be able to defeat him next time. Hm¡­?¡± It was only then that Seol realized Chameli was looking at him. Quickly, Chameli spoke up after seeing Seol turn around. ¡°Sister Filia, who left earlier, sent us a message.¡± ¡°Is it good news?¡± "It''s... It''s hard to say whether it''s good or bad." ¡°You could tell me.¡± "She mentioned that the ck Knight hadn''t gone too far. That if we leave now, we should be able to catch up to him as long as we move quickly." ¡°It makes me a little nervous that you¡¯re starting with the good news¡­¡± Chameli had a worried look on her face. ¡°Apparently, the ck Knight¡­ is moving toward Illia.¡± ¡°...Shit.¡± "We''re notte yet. Plus, considering the ck Knight''s slow pace, we might even catch up to him before he reaches Illia if we leave promptly!" ¡°...Have you notified Earl Brispin yet?¡± "Sister Filia and the ck pilgrims apanying her have already set off for Illia. I''m certain he''s heard the news by now, but..." ¡°He¡¯ll likely ignore the warning.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Fwirl! Seol returned Jamad into his shadow and left the smithy. As soon as he stepped outside, he turned around to face Chameli, his expression filled with shock. ¡°These horses¡­¡± "There was a horse trader nearby who owned arge ranch. The pilgrims went through the pouring rain and paid a considerable sum for these horses. Ah, do you happen to know how to..." Fwip! Seol skillfully mounted the horse, grabbing the reins with ease. ¡°So you do¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you were able to buy all of these horses¡­ I can feel the power of your parish, vicar.¡± "Even so... it''s woefully inadequate to subdue the ck Knight." ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It will be different this time,¡± said Seol, looking down the mountain. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A moment to rx. The ck Knight had wholly forgotten that such a thing even existed. The ck Knight never had a chance to look back on the path that he had taken. He had neither the reason nor luxury to do so. He simply, solemnly, killed his own fragments and absorbed them. Even when confronted with fragments stronger than himself, he utilized every method at his disposal to eventually ovee them. That was how he inevitably acquired Agony and Hope Devourer. [Let¡¯s kill! More lives! I want more! More blood! It¡¯s near here! There¡¯s more around here!] ¡°Stop¡­ Please stop.¡± [But you promised me! I¡¯m hungry!] The ck Knight had suffered so much from Agony that he yearned to block his own ears. Agony continued to eat away at his mind. However, it wasn¡¯t just Agony doing that. In fact, the ck Knight''s mind had been scarred long before encountering Agony, through the countless battles he had endured. Only now did he manage to look back, To reflect upon the path he had traversed thus far. The path of a murderous ghost, ensnared by vengeance and blood. - You¡¯re¡­ not the Karuna that I know. Karuna is kind and warm. You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re just a monster. It wasn¡¯t Agony¡¯s sinister whispers that gued him now. It was the words of Karen, his sister, whose survival he had never anticipated. Her words were like a dagger straight to his heart. And the reason he turned to look back on the path he had taken wasn''t because he suddenly had the luxury to do so. Regret. Like a piece of paper sttered with paint, there was no more room to sketch on the muddled surface. A piece of paper stained almost entirely ck. That was the ck Knight. ¡°For what reason did I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m not a fake¡­¡± [You¡¯re a fake! A fake! Hahahahaha!] ¡°Shut up!¡± [You messed up! Give me blood! Blood! Hehehe.] There was no way a deranged sword like this could mend his broken heart. The only thing he could do now was to make it shut up. Slide¡­ The ck Knight spotted a magnificent building shrouded in the darkness of the night in Illia. He nned to sate Agony there. Normally, he would never do something risky. However, he didn¡¯t care about it right now. ¡°I¡¯ll feed you until you¡¯re full, so¡­¡± Fffffft! Something tore through the air. Slide! Agony unsheathed itself and deflected the arrow hurtling toward the ck Knight from behind. Shake¡­ However, the sword also trembled, indicating it wasn''t an ordinary arrow. [I blocked it! I blocked it!] An individual emerged from the darkness of the night. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s you again.¡± It was Seol, the moonlight casting a reflective glow upon him. ¡°Where are you trying to go in such a hurry?¡± "I suppose I don''t need to go far. I''ll kill you and retrieve Karen.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Drag her along into your never-ending fight?¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll shut you up.¡± ¡°That might be a little harder this time.¡± Glooow¡­ [The ck Knight has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] Fwooooosh! [The ck Knight¡¯s Agony used Meteor Point.] [The ck Knight¡¯s Agony pierces through a designated path.] [All enemies in Agony¡¯s path are dealt 170% of the weapon¡¯s damage.] [Those struck by Agony are afflicted with the Corrupted Wounds status.] [Kill him! I¡¯ll kill him!] Seol watched Agony fly straight toward him. Hum¡­ He crouched low before swiftly twisting his body and delivering an uppercut. BAAAAAAAAM! [Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!] Agony let out an ear-piercing scream. Seol used that opening to close the distance between him and the ck Knight. Fwoosh! Fwoosh! The ck Knight wasn''t to be underestimated simply because his handscked Agony. Baaaaam! He perfectlynded a blow on Seol¡¯s face. Seol threw a counterpunch simultaneously, targeting the ck Knight''s abdomen. ¡°It¡¯s pointle¡ª¡± BAAAAAAAM! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The ck Knight''s body trembled upon being struck by Seol''s fist. [Insight activates.] [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer is slightly full.] [Hope Devourer digests a portion of the impact.] ¡°No way¡­¡± - Diamond hands never fail! - Nope! It¡¯s just the power of money! - Who cares! He¡¯s stronger! - The enhancements were enough to make him as strong as re, LMFAO - J! We¡¯ll let you flirt with Snowman! J! We¡¯ll let you flirt with Snowman! - This is capitalism, baby! Seol rose to his feet again after being knocked down during the exchange of blows with the ck Knight. Fwirll! He poured ck energy out of his hands, summoning the Twin Knights. The two warriors bore solemn expressions as they raised their swords against the ck Knight. ng. Their fighting spirit had significantly shifted from before, burning brightly and poised for action. Seol grinned ear to ear, shing his teeth. ¡°I told you it would be harder this time.¡± Chapter 144 Fwiiirl! Agony whined at the ck Knight after returning to him. [It hurts! I¡¯m in pain!] ¡°...Quiet.¡± The ck Knight scowled as he looked at Seol¡¯s Twin Knights. Clench¡­ [The ck Knight has entered the 1st Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Crescent Moon.] Glooow¡­ ¡°Careful! Prepare yourselves, everyone!¡± shouted Chameli. A momentter, the confrontation between the ck Knight and the ck Pilgrims ignited. BOOOOOOOM! [The ck Knight¡¯s Agony used Echo of Carnage.] [Each time Agony is stopped in its path, inflict 50% of the mitigated attack''s damage to the surrounding area.] ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Karuna sessfully defended against the ck Knight''s attack with Breath, but was still staggered back from the reverb. Karen seized the opportunity to dart to the ck Knight''s side and thrust with re. aaare! aaaang! [Forced Breakthrough activates.] [50% of the original damage is inflicted.] aaare¡­ ¡°Krgh!¡± Both sides took turnsunching attacks at each other. ¡°Now!¡± [Sacred Ground activates.] [The ground burns with divine energy.] [Allies receive increased health regeneration. Enemies receive 50% healing reduction.] Fssssss¡­ The ck Knight tapped into more power to break free from this troubling situation. [The ck Knight has entered the 2nd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Half Moon.] ¡°Haaaaaaah!¡± Craaaackle! Agony began gathering a dark energy. ¡°Dodge it!¡± shouted Seol. [The ck Knight used Moonlight sh.] Since they never expected the ck Knight to unleash a Moonlight sh while only in the Half Moon stage, they were unprepared. Instead of facing it together, they all focused on their own safety. BOOOOOOM! The ck shockwave tore through thend, cutting down every tree in its path. Dust billowed, and the people who had dodged to the floor slowly rose to their feet. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± ¡°Are there any injured?¡± Luckily, it seemed like no one was injured. ¡®...No one was hurt?¡¯ Seol had kept his eyes trained on the ck Knight but lost sight of him when the dust kicked up. He quickly realized that something had urred during that brief moment he couldn''t see him. Woosh¡­ And like always, his hunch was right. ¡°He¡¯s gone! Damn it¡­ He ran away!¡± ¡°Th-the horses¡­¡± Chameli swiftly attempted to pursue the ck Knight with the pilgrims. However, what unfolded next was unexpected. ¡°The horses we tied to the trees¡­ they¡¯re all dead¡­¡± ¡°He aimed for the horses in that short opening?!¡± ¡°We have to hurry¡­ The ck Knight is clearly headed to Illia!¡± Seol thought for a moment before speaking up. ¡°I¡¯ll chase after him first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous! Going alone is¡­¡± ¡°We have no other options. Pleasee join me as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Hold on¡ª¡± Seol swiftly ran toward Illia before Chameli could even respond. Fft! ¡®We can¡¯t waste time.¡¯ They were currently in Illia¡¯s vicinity. And as ¡®vicinity¡¯ implied, the distance was only a thirty-minute walk for most people. In this case, however, this worked to their detriment. With the ck Knight¡¯s speed, he would arrive in Illia within five minutes. ¡®I have to catch up to him no matter what.¡¯ If Seol couldn''t catch up to the ck Knight soon, Illia would be engulfed in a sea of blood tonight. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [I¡¯m smart! I was smart, right?] ¡°......¡± [Give me blood already! They¡¯re dangerous! I¡¯ll take care of them, so give me blood!] ¡°......¡± [The blood from those horses wasn¡¯t enough! Human blood! I like human blood!] Ffft! Ffft! The ck Knight continued to rey the situation in his head as he hurried along. ¡®How did he¡­ get so strong so quickly?¡¯ The growth rate of the fragment¡¯s master was abnormally fast. Perhaps that was precisely why Karen was drawn to him as her master. Also, the ck Knight understood that while he could prolong the battle, he would ultimately be defeated by his opponent had he kept going. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t matter¡­ I¡¯ll fight him again after I fill Agony¡¯s stomach here.¡± Agony wasn¡¯t a demon sword for no reason. By absorbing blood, it gained power corresponding to the amount of blood it had absorbed. ¡®First, I¡¯ll supply myself with blood from the guards here.¡¯ However, the ck Knight''s schemes went off track from the very start. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ no guards?¡± [Strange! It¡¯s strange!] Right now, the ck Knight stood at Illia¡¯s western gate. The ck Knight, expecting a significant number of guards typical of an entrance of arge city, was shocked by their absence. In fact, there wasn¡¯t even a single guard there. [What should we do?! What do we do?! I¡¯m hungry!] ¡°Shut¡­ up! I¡¯ll feed you until you¡¯re full.¡± Craaaaaackle¡­ [The ck Knight used Moonlight sh.] Boooooom! Crack! The wave of ck energy shattered a portion of the gate and prated inside. ¡°We¡¯re going in!¡± [Okay! Alright!] Ffft! The ck Knight entered the city, nning to kill whoever entered his sight. However¡­ ¡°......¡± Illia was divided into four quadrants, each aligned with one of the cardinal directions. In fact, there were even walls within, furtherpartmentalizing the city. However, the western district that the ck Knight had entered, had all of its lights turned off. [No one¡¯s here! I don¡¯t hear breathing!] ¡°What the hell is¡­¡± Rustle. The ck Knight heard a presence behind him. From the direction of the gate he broke down. ¡°You¡¯re so damn fast¡­ Couldn¡¯t you have just waited for me?¡± ¡°...Are you behind this?¡± ¡°Hold on, let me catch my breath.¡± Even Seol hadn''t expected the entire western district to bepletely deserted. He figured the pilgrims who left earlier to notify the earl in Illia were likely behind this. ¡®But that doesn¡¯t matter right now.¡¯ Because the city was shrouded in darkness, he easily spotted the people standing atop the walls dividing the quadrants. As Seol focused on them even more, he was able to make out some silhouettes. ¡®That group is probably transferees who came to watch... and is that Earl Brispin over there?¡¯ A loud hum emanated from the walls. Despite the considerable distance, Earl Brispin''s voice began to transmit from there, likely facilitated by some sort of magical device. ¡°So you¡¯re the bloodthirsty monster that has been running wild.¡± ¡°......¡± "I will not allow you to take even a single drop of my citizens'' blood. You will pay the price for your sins and vanish from Illia.¡± ¡°...The price? For my sins?¡± ¡°Precisely. You¡ª¡± ¡°Hah¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°Why are youughing?¡± ¡°Hahahahahahaha! The price for my sins¡­ pfft¡­ yeah¡­¡± [The ck Knight has entered the 3rd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Full Moon.] Craaaaaaaaackle! ¡°Wh-what is that strength?!¡± "Please, step behind us, Earl Brispin! Let others handle this. We must make our escape quickly¡­¡± The ck Knight¡¯s energy grewrger andrger. ¡°So, who is going to make me pay the price?¡± "S-Seize him! Bring him to his knees before me! In fact¡­ I''ll even allow you to kill him! I shall bestow a substantial reward upon whoever makes him pay the price!" As Earl Brispin finished his sentence, a message was delivered to every transferee in Illia. [A powerful deterrent nearby activates.] [Your break temporarily ends.] [Your next Adventure has been substituted with a Sudden Adventure.] [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 20th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 20. City Blockade] [Adventure 20. ¡®City Blockade¡¯ Earl Brispin, the lord of Illia, has ordered a citywide lockdown. As a result, the western district of Illia has transformed into arge trap, designed to apprehend a notorious murderer active in the vicinity. However, this is not the time forcency. If you fail to defeat him, his sword will dismantle the trap, enabling him to massacre everyone in Illia. Objective: Subdue the ck Knight Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment¡¯s notice. Caution. This Adventure takes ce in ¡®Illia¡¯. Remaining Time [N/A]] ¡®...No!¡¯ Seol started to feel uneasy, a nagging worry growing at the back of his mind. As he expected, transferees began leaping over the walls and flooding in. ¡°What¡¯s going on? The ck Knight?¡± ¡°Is this why they locked down the western district today?¡± ¡°Look at how many people there are. Damn¡­¡± ¡°Get him!¡± ¡°It¡¯s him, right? The dude in the ck armor?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that next to him, though?¡± ¡°Who cares?! Just kill the ck Knight!¡± Seol began to shout at them. ¡°No! Don¡¯te any closer!!!¡± ¡°Hah! Are you seriously trying to monopolize the rew¡ª¡± Ffft! The ck Knight swiftly cut down the first transferee that arrived in the western district. ¡°Ho¡ª¡± Slice! Thud¡­ Agonyughed as it was dyed in blood. [Hahahaha! Tasty! It¡¯s tasty!] The transferees heard the maniacalughter of a sword, followed by the thud of a transferee''s head hitting the floor. ¡°Kyaaaaaa!¡± ¡°R-Run away!¡± ¡°Open the gates!¡± However, the ck Knight was faster. As the ck Knight quickly dashed to cut down the transferees who had crossed over the wall¡­ aaang! Fsss¡­ Karuna deflected the ck Knight¡¯s sword. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way!¡± ¡°N-Now! Everyone, run away!¡± ¡°Monster¡­¡± As the transferees fled in panic, Seol swiftly pursued the ck Knight. Seol raised his leg in a strange stance. It was a stance he had practiced countless times in the Labyrinth of Penance. Baaaaam! Seol¡¯s kicknded squarely on the ck Knight¡¯s shoulders. [Insight activates.] [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer is slightly full.] [Hope Devourer digests a portion of the impact.] ¡°Urgh¡­¡± [Awakening! You awaken a new skill.] [You awaken Kick the Sky, Kick the Ground.] [One of two skills will activate.] [Debauchee''s Movements activates.] [Dodge rate increases by 10%. uracy increases by 5%.] Bam! Baaam! Seol ran at the ck Knight, unleashing a flurry of attacks. He continued until the ck Knight had no choice but to focus solely on him. ¡°W-We lived!¡± ¡°Wh-who is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the gent! I¡¯m sure it¡¯s him!¡± ¡°What? The gent?¡± ¡°You idiots! Stop talking and run!¡± Cruuuush! Seol moved like a wild animal. Thanks to Karuna and Karen expertly blocking the ck Knight¡¯s attacks, Seol could concentrate solely on the offensive. Baaaam! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± With two improvements, Seol no longer felt like he was punching mud when he struck the ck Knight. It feltpletely different from before. ¡®It¡¯s working!¡¯ Bam! Bam! Bam! [Insight activates.] [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer is slightly full.] [Hope Devourer digests a portion of the impact.] ¡°I¡¯ll feed you until your stomach pops.¡± [Danger! It¡¯s dangerous!] ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me!¡± Baaam! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Cruuush! The force of the ck Knight''s attack sent Seol flying through a wooden building, causing dust to kick up. As the ck Knight leaped in, attempting to finish Seol, two swords interposed themselves, blocking Agony''s path. aaaang! Scraaape¡­ Rage boiled within the ck Knight''s heart. Seeing Karen and Karuna blocking his path ignited an uncontroble rage within him. Clench! The ck Knight''s energy began to writhe and grow ominously. [Hahahaha! Yeah! Throw away your senses! Leave it to me!] ¡°I¡¯ll kill you allllllll!¡± Fwooosh! ¡°Watch out!¡± Baaam! Seol burst through the wall of a building, striking the ck Knight. Baaam! The ck Knight staggered back and took a moment. Seol furrowed his brows. ¡®What was that? That energy just now¡­¡¯ Ripple¡­ The ck Knight stumbled as he got to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ kill everyone.¡± Glooooow¡­ [The ck Knight has entered the 3rd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Blood Moon.] ¡°What is that?¡± Agony slowly crept into the ck Knight¡¯s body. [Hehehe! Let me in! I¡¯ll kill everyone again! Just like always! All you have to do is close your eyes for a second!] Tear¡­ The ck Knight¡¯s body slowly began growing. Rip¡­ Tear¡­ The ck Knight had grown red andrge, towering over Seol. His heavy armor expanded with him,pletely covering his erged form. tter¡­ The ck Knight opened his mouth. However, it was no longer his voice. It was Agony¡¯s. [I¡¯ll¡­ kill everyone.] [Hope Devourer''s damage capacity increases massively.] [Agony is materialized.] A ghostly presence emanated from the ck Knight''s body. Fwoosh¡­ [The ck Knight used Exceptional Skill: The Dark Side of the Moon.] [Physical strength is improved massively in exchange for your sanity.] [You no longer thirst for blood.] It was clear that Seol was now weaker than the ck Knight. He seemed much more powerful than before. However, Seol''s smile only grew wider after Agonypletely devoured the ck Knight. Then, with augh, he spoke. ¡°...You¡¯ve just made a big mistake.¡± Chapter 145 ¡°Wh-what the hell is that?¡± ¡°Open the gate! Open the gate!¡± The ck Knight appeared even more terrifying than before. Sensing something ominous, the transferees screamed and attempted to distance themselves from the ck Knight as much as possible. [Fear is fun! Fear is delightful! I¡¯ll eat you all!] ¡°......¡± [Are you still going to stop me, human?] Dash! Seol took the unseemly stance that Toki had taught him. However, in this moment, that unseemly stance appeared menacing. ¡°You talk a lot for an Abomination.¡± [I¡¯ve made a decision. I¡¯ll eat your blood first!] Fwooosh! Unlike before, the ck Knight engaged Seol in hand-to-handbat, not using his sword. Skid¡­ Seol managed to block the ck Knight¡¯s fist by using both arms, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about the residual force that pushed him back. [Hahahaha! It¡¯s pointless!] Ruuumble! Ruuuumble! The ck Knight shoved an entire building aside to close the distance between him and Seol. Agony''s attack was ruthless, enough to evoke a human¡¯s primal fear. ¡°Krgh¡­!¡± Despite the excruciating pain, Seol arose, preparing to retaliate. He leaped into the air and unleashed a kick onto the ck Knight¡¯s head. aaang! The other transferees trembled in fear as the sounds of Seol and the ck Knight''s battle echoed throughout the district. ¡°Sh-should we help him?¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind? How will you help him? Do you have two lives or something, huh?¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± aaaare¡­ Baaaaaaam! One of the onlookers unleashed a fireball at the ck Knight, causing an explosion. ¡°I-Itnded¡­¡± ¡°Get out of the waaaaay!¡± Seemingly furious, the ck Knight hurled debris from a building toward the direction the spell was cast from. ¡°Kyaaaa!¡± Grab! Fwoooosh! Thuuuuuud! The ck Knight huffed in anger, scanning the area to locate the magician. [Which¡­] Fwirl! Seol wrapped his arms around the ck Knight''s neck from behind, resembling a snake coiling around a bull''s neck. [You annoying¡­] The ck Knight quickly grabbed Seol and began striking him. Bam! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± [Die!] As Seol fell to the floor,nding amidst the debris, the ck Knight swung his arms down violently, attempting to crush him. However¡­ sh! ¡°Haaaaaah!¡± ¡°Haaaah!¡± Karen and Karuna both swung their swords horizontally, deflecting the ck Knight¡¯s arms. The two stood steadfastly by each other¡¯s side, responding to the ck Knight¡¯s attacks together. They quickly realized that their individual attacks wouldn¡¯t be effective against the ck Knight and adapted their strategy ordingly. [Damn it! It hurts!] Seol used that opening to slip away. Though the ck Knight did damage him, as long as he wasn¡¯t dead, the Blood of Origin would eventually heal him. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± [...You.] Despite the fact that Agony had taken control of the ck Knight¡¯s body, Seol and his summons have been expertly fighting him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this¡­ look like the gent has a chance?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­.¡± Inhale¡­ Exhale¡­ BAAAAM! [God damn ittttttt! I¡¯ll kill you all¡­ I¡¯ll kill everyone in this city too! Stop me if you can.] The ck Knight scanned for Seol, but Seol looked elsewhere, his expression nk. Fwoooosh! The ck Knight extended his right arm, attempting to grab Seol. Seol deflected the attack as best he could and aimed for the opening. As he did, the buildings copsed around them. Crumble¡­ [Arghhhhh!] The ck Knight let out an ear-piercing scream and swiftly moved his left hand, attempting to use both arms to crush Seol. However, as he moved his left arm closer, a problem arose. SPLAAAAATTER! [...Huh?] His left arm popped like a balloon. The ck Knight was confused. [Wh-what?!] [Filia used Exceptional Skill: A Bolt Out of the Blue.] [Consume energy to increase your next attack¡¯s range by 200% and arrow damage by 400%.] ¡°It finally arrived.¡± ¡°It missed, sorry!¡± shouted Filia from afar. Seol simply smiled and closed the distance between him and the ck Knight. ¡°It was more than enough.¡± [Guaaaaaaargh!] Only now did the ck Knight finally shout in pain. Seol pulled back his arm and readied an uppercut to the ck Knight¡¯s chest. BAAAAAAAAM! [Bwrgh¡­] The ck Knight''s massive body was lifted into the air, leaving the transferees watching in awe. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± ¡°H-He took him off his feet¡­¡± Seol quickly turned around and shouted at the pilgrims who had just entered through the western gate. ¡°Chameli!¡± Chameli stumbled for a second, surprised by what she saw. The ck Knight appeared even more menacing than before. ¡°Wh-what is going on¡­ The ck Knight¡­¡± ¡°Now!¡± ¡°Now¡­?¡± Chameli was momentarily stunned but quickly grasped Seol¡¯s intent. She reached into her inventory and pulled out an item. ¡°So the demon has finally revealed himself!¡± Extinguish Evil. It was the Holy Relic of Varanoa. "Brothers, sisters! Let us impart our teachings upon this demon!" ¡°Yes, vicar!¡± ¡°Yes, vicar!¡± ¡°All together now!¡± [Chameli used Extinguish Evil.] [Pirs of light descended from the heavens onto the target.] [Divine power is concentrated.] [The pirs of light deal a fixed amount of damage, dealing bonus damage if the target has an evil disposition.] Glooow¡­ The ck Knight shouted after sensing the strange energy. [It¡¯s futile!] Baaam! Seol seized the opportunity to strike the ck Knight before slipping away. [Krrrgh¡­] ¡°It¡¯ll be different this time.¡± Glooow¡­ BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM! Pirs of light fell from the sky to strike the ck Knight. Fssssssssssss! [Guaaaaaaaarrgh!] ¡°It might not be the case for the ck Knight, but it¡¯s definitely the case for you.¡± [It¡¯s hotttttttttt! It¡¯s hot!] Baaaaaam! Rumbleeeee! If the soul within Agony wasn¡¯t deemed evil, nothing in the world would be. This was the reason behind Seol¡¯s smile when Agony took over the ck Knight¡¯s body. ¡®I never expected him to dig his own grave.¡¯ It was almost as if it had entirely forgotten about Extinguish Evil. It was either that or Agony simply looked down on it after experiencing it once. ¡°Guaaaaaaaargh!¡± [Insight activates.] [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer is slightly full.] [Hope Devourer digests a portion of the impact.] Fsssss¡­ [Insight activates.] [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer is full.] [Hope Devourer digests a portion of the impact.] [Stop! Stop ittttttt!] [Insight activates.] [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer ispletely stuffed.] [Hope Devourer is unable to digest the impact.] Kabooooom! The ck Knight fell to his knees from the weight of the light. Fade¡­ And at the same time, the rays of light began to fade. ¡°Haah¡­ Haaah¡­¡± ¡°Vicar!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, so¡­ q-quickly¡­ take care of that monster¡­¡± Thud¡­ As Chameli fainted, a couple pilgrims stayed behind to guard her, while the rest charged at the ck Knight. ¡°Arghhhhhh!¡± To the city¡¯s residents, the pilgrims d in light seemed like a divine army descending from the heavens to vanquish evil. [The ck Knight is exposed to the Abnormal Status: Heatstroke.] [The ck Knight is exposed to the Abnormal Status: Anemia.] [The ck Knight is exposed to the Abnormal Status: Guilt.] Despite his hazy sight, the ck Knight could still make out Karen and Karuna charging at him. SLAAAASH! Their swords carved an ¡®X¡¯ on his chest, one red sh and one blue sh. It was an attack that should have been the final blow. However¡­ Gloooow! Thud! ¡°Krgh!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± The ck Knight unleashed an attack with his one remaining arm and rose to his feet. He wobbled and stumbled. Even a light breeze would have been enough to put him back down. The ck Knight, no, Agonyughed. [Ha¡­ Hahaha¡­ What a shame.] ¡°...What?¡± The ck Knight¡¯s body began to grow further. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * I hate them. The sentiment was pure, like that of a child''s. I hate them and their colors. One was a zing red, while the other was chillingly blue. My erratic mind sometimes painted reality as a dream. In those moments, I would see my reflection staring back at me from within their eyes. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Hideous. It was as if I was cloaked in filth, a mass of ckness. I had submitted to the monster known as Agony to ovee life-or-death situations. My days were marked with desperation and dread. The only thing left after all of those experiences¡­ was an abomination. ¡®No! This wasn¡¯t what I wanted!¡¯ Pure hatred. Hatred born from the loss of Karen. Hatred born from having Montra taken from me. Hatred born from my own self-destruction. I used everything as a weapon in my battles. All in pursuit of finding Karen once more and unraveling the truth behind Montra''s downfall and myself. However, the line between my methods and objectives began to blur. What was I fighting for? What was I fighting with? ¡®Why¡­ am I fighting?¡¯ Where did things go wrong? I regretted it. Karen, my other half, whom I had longed to meet for so long in the past. And even though I should have been next to her¡­ The other Karuna who stood by her side. There was no room for me between them, nowhere at all. I despaired and then gave up. ¡®It¡¯s over. I should just let it go.¡¯ I hoped to escape from this never-ending pain through that. But as I did, I heard Agony¡¯s voice. [You idiot! That¡¯s yours!] ¡°...What?¡± [She¡¯s yours! All you have to do is devour him!] ¡°She¡¯s¡­ mine?¡± [Exactly! Now, devour him! All you have to do is devour him and be stronger!] ¡°Is that really¡­ all I have to do?¡± [It is. All you have to do is listen to me like you always did¡­ This is the only way to get back your beloved sister.] ¡°......¡± Yeah¡­ that¡¯s all I need. * * * [The ck Knight used Harvest.] [Fragments are drawn in.] Fwoooosh! ¡°What the¡­¡± Woooooosh! The ck Knight solidified himself, resembling a massive lump of coal, and began to draw fierce winds toward him. ¡°H-huh? Grab onto something!¡± ¡°Everyone, hold on!¡± The strong winds caused everyone, including the transferees, pilgrims, Seol, and his summons, to stumble. Rumble¡­ Crumble¡­ The winds were powerful enough to even rip the walls off the buildings. Gradually, the ck Knight unveiled the true powers of the skill, causing everyone to shudder. Ring! ¡°No! Karuna!¡± There was something off with Karuna. The instant the ck Knight used Harvest, he acted like a marite whose strings had been abruptly severed. Grab! Seol quickly grabbed Karuna¡¯s hands. ¡°Krrrrrrrgh¡­¡± Clench¡­ Clench¡­ Slide! Karuna¡¯s hand continued to slip away from Seol. ¡°No!¡± Seol instinctively released his other hand and reached out, hoping to secure Karuna. ¡°Master!¡± Karen quickly noticed Seol releasing his grip and extended her arm to grab his other hand. Grab! Swipe¡­ ¡°Damn it!¡± Though Karen seeded in grabbing Seol, Seol failed to grab Karuna. Fortunately, Karuna''s body was caught in something, preventing him from being sucked in any further. A red line. The blood-colored line stretched out, binding Seol and Karuna together. ¡®Is this because of Lineage¡­¡¯ While Seol was able to catch a break thanks to the Blood of Origin, the situation only deteriorated further. Snap¡­ Snaap¡­ ¡°It¡¯s brea¨C¡± Snap! [Karuna is severed from Lineage.] The red line snapped. And as Karuna was helplessly being drawn faster and faster towards the ck Knight¡­ Jamad summoned himself from Seol¡¯s extended hand, stretching hisrge hand along with it. Jamad quickly swiped his hand, catching the severed red line to Karuna. ¡°I caught him!¡± ¡°Jamad!¡± ¡°Pull him in!¡± ¡°Arghhhhhhhh!¡± Jamad managed to pull Karuna in, their hands now connected, firmly linking them together. [Lineage is formed with Karuna.] sh! Karuna returned to his senses. The moment he woke up, he drew Breath and unleashed a powerful swing. Gloooow! [Karuna used Moonlight sh.] A bright blue wave of energy hurtled towards the ck Knight. BAAAAAM! Crumble¡­ The ck Knight''s ability faltered after taking damage, stopping his ability to draw objects toward him. However, the situation was far from over. The ck Knight had disappeared. Chapter 146 After the dust had settled, the ck Knight hadpletely vanished. ¡®Where¡­ Where did he go?!¡¯ Everyone instinctively knew that the ck Knight was on hisst legs. All that remained was tond one final blow on him. But then, someone began to shout while looking at the sky. ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Up there! Over there! Look at how battered he is¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s going up over there!¡± ¡°gent!¡± The massive ck Knight had returned to his original size and was scaling the clock tower nearby, the tallest point in the western district of Illia. ¡°Why¡­¡± ¡°The wall! He¡¯s doing that¡­ to climb over the wall!¡± shouted Filia in shock. The clock tower wasn¡¯t too far from the walls dividing the city¡¯s districts. Any average individual would consider that distance far, but to a monster like the ck Knight, it could even be considered close. ¡®If he climbs to the top of the clock tower and leaps toward the walls¡­¡¯ The western district lockdown would have been for nothing, and he would be able to ughter as many innocent civilians as he wants. Agony, the being controlling the ck Knight, had already climbed halfway up the tower. [We have to run! Run away! They¡¯re way too tough to eat! Let¡¯s eat the humans beyond the walls!] Seol wasn¡¯t sure whether Agony had no intention of concealing his own intent or if he was simply pushed into a corner, but Agony''s voice reverberated throughout the entirety of Illia. The citizens beyond the wall trembled at the sound of Agony¡¯s frightening voice. Seol quickly realized that following the ck Knight up the clock tower would be too slow. He wouldn¡¯t make it there to stop him before the ck Knight made it to the top. ¡®I need to stop him¡­ But how¡­¡¯ Seol caught Karuna looking up at the clock tower. Karuna then looked at himself, before meeting Seol''s eyes. Two resolute gazes locked onto each other. ¡°Karuna.¡± ¡°...Please send me there.¡± ¡°...Yeah, I think we¡¯re thinking the same thing.¡± Woosh! Seol leaped onto the roof of a three-story building before stretching his right arm. ¡°What is he¡­¡± Crack¡­ Snap¡­ Crackkkk! ¡°Wh-what the¡­¡± ¡°How does that¡­ make any sense?¡± ¡°His arm is¡­¡± Seol''s arm gigantified in an instant as he got into a stance to throw Karuna. Grab! ¡°Go!¡± Fwoooooosh! Ffffffft! [Your mana is currently below 5%] [You have mana deficiency.] [Your mana recovery rate is reduced by 50% for 5 minutes.] [You have overused your mana all at once.] [You are afflicted by Abnormal Status: Dizziness for a day.] [The cooldowns for your skills are increased by 10%.] Seolunched Karuna with all his strength, aiming for the clock tower¡¯s bell. However, he was slightly short. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± In an instant, Karen''s deep shade of red lightened, while Karuna''s blue grew as deep as Karen''s had be lighter. [Twin Knights'' Equilibrium copses.] [The summed stats heavily favor one side.] Karuna swiftly took two steps afternding on the clock tower''s wall, propelling himself to its peak. As he soared upward, he pulled back his arms, preparing his attack. Sensing Karuna''s presence, the ck Knight turned back around. [No! Don¡¯t!] Agony cried out. With determination, Karuna poured everyst ounce of his strength into his sword for his next attack. FWOOOOSH! Karuna hurled Breath, piercing perfectly through the ck Knight''s heart. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Thud. The ck Knight was sent flying, Breath lodged in his chest, until he collided with the clock tower''s bell. The impact caused the bell to ring, filling the district with its sounds. Ring¡­ Riiiing¡­ ¡°K-Krgh¡­¡± ¡°...It¡¯s over.¡± Agony¡¯s de was dulled and broken. The damage it endured while materializing into the ck Knight''s body seemed to have caused this. Even after reverting back into a sword, Agony continued to cry. [You idiot! We have to run! Run! Now!] ¡°Shut¡­ up¡­¡± said the ck Knight, lying on the ground. His pierced chest gurgled with blue and ck energy. It was likely not only his powers, but also his memories. ¡°Haah¡­ Krgh¡­ C-Could I¡­ ask you something?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°The fragments I¡¯ve killed¡­ All had different anomalies¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± The ck Knight continued. ¡°There were those who didn¡¯t remember Montra¡­ and even one who forgot Karen. And it was for those reasons¡­ that each and every one of us sought a different future¡­ so¡­ krgh¡­ what¡­ what do you think? Once you receive this power¡­ what will you¡­¡± ¡°I n to¡­¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°...show Karen the sea.¡± Karuna looked down at the ck Knight with unattached eyes, the moon behind his back. ¡°That is what I¡¯ll live for in this life.¡± A modest ambition for such prideful eyes. However, the ck Knight was visibly moved by this. ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ Hahaha¡­ the sea¡­ How¡­ Why¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The ck Knight took off his helmet. The helmet must have felt increasingly suffocating as death grew closer. He slowly revealed his face, wet with tears. But it wasn¡¯t just tears. He was also covered with snot and blood. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t remember the sea¡­ fuck¡­ that was what I was missing¡­¡± ¡°......¡± "Is the sea... more incredible than Montra... or our desire for revenge?" Karuna gently described to the ck Knight the beauty of the sea, his words flowing like a fairy tale. ¡°How could the world bepletely filled with water¡­ haha¡­ don¡¯t lie to me¡­¡± The ck Knight couldn¡¯t stop crying. ¡°...Why are you crying?¡± asked Karuna. ¡°Because of regret¡­¡± ¡°Regret? If you¡¯re regretful of your mistakes, then¡ª¡± "No, it''s not that. It''s just... realizing that the only thing I can leave for your futures is this disgusting hatred... I regret it deeply." Step¡­ Step¡­ Seol and Karen arrived at the clock tower. With Breath lodged in his heart, the ck Knight continued to speak, gradually voicing his final words¡ªechoing those of the defeated fragments who hade before him. "I-I ept my defeat. I offer you my strength and memories. Oh... Oh, Karuna... I pray that one day you will be the mirror that reflects the truth." Fwoooosh¡­ With those words, the ck Knight started to disperse into the wind, vanishing like smoke, starting from his feet. [No! No!] Faaaade¡­ Agony trembled for a moment before climbing into the smoke as well. However, something prevented Agony from going further. Fwirl! [Let go! Let go of me!] ¡°However, you must not take everything. You must take neither my hatred nor this demon¡­ Please, do not be tainted by the same hatred that I was¡­ Agony, they do not need the color ck where they are headed. You will remain here with me¡­¡± The ck light, which could be considered the root of the ck Knight¡¯s powers, held a firm grip onto Agony¡¯s dark energy. The ck Knight nned to die with Agony there. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Grab. Seol grabbed onto Agony¡¯s energy, despite the ck Knight¡¯s warnings. ¡°Where I¡¯m headed¡­ I¡¯ll need ck as well.¡± The ck light looked at Karuna this time. Karuna nodded back. ¡°We go together.¡± The ck light, having yearned to hear those words, scattered entirely into the wind. Fwoooooosh¡­ And then, it started to be drawn into Karuna''s Breath. A deep blue light radiated from Karuna''s eyes, and, strangely, his old memories began to rush back to him. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Karuna¡¯s memories returned to him piece by piece. While some of the memories flooding back to him were undoubtedly his own, others were strangely vivid recollections belonging to the ck Knight. Swish¡­ Swish¡­ Crash¡­ After being knocked off a cliff and into the river, Karuna found himself pulled back onto a small boat by someone. ¡°I got him!¡± ¡°...Good work. Let us leave immediately.¡± In the boat were two individuals, a young man, and an elderly gentleman. After that, time passed. Karuna found himselfter ced on a rock with intricate geometric patterns engraved on it, his mind in a blur as they performed a ceremony. The old man and the young man would intermittently reappear, as well as devotees of a temple. ¡°What I was trying to say is¡ª¡± ¡°Quiet! How could the guardian¡­¡± The two fought. Mostly, it was the old man scolding the young man, who quietly listened. However, as time went on, the frequency of their arguments diminished. It took a long time for the sounds of their fighting to turn into screams. ¡°Kyaaaa!¡± ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The surge of mana and the scent of blood yed a vital role in waking Karuna from his sleep. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± The young man returned once more, his hair disheveled and partially deranged, as he approached Karuna''s resting ce. His body was drenched in fresh blood, and he appeared to have aged significantly, now resembling a middle-aged man. "Did you... Did you truly believe I''d uphold that worthless oath until my dying breath? Of course not... Your assessment of me was wrong..." Oath. The word that the man mentioned was unfamiliar, yet nostalgic. "Hahaha... You foolish knight... Why did you choose to serve Jin? Why... Why did you choose to restrain yourself when you possess such power?" There was something off about the man. ¡°I¡­ am different from Jin. He failed to recognize the value of the treasure that fell onto hisp. But I¡¯m different! I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll use you to be born again!¡± Grab! The man growled while grabbing a handful of Karuna¡¯s hair. ¡°I will cut you into fragments and raise an army! Hahaha... No one... No one will be able to stop me. Just protecting things with all this power is too dull, isn''t it? Right?" Karuna felt something sprout in his heart. It was a moment he had experienced countless times. Hatred¡ªhatred was sown in Karuna''s heart toward that man. ¡°Haha¡­ Soon¡­¡± It didn¡¯t take long for that sprout to grow into a tree and bear fruit. Saaatter! The man tried his best to stem the bleeding from his neck, but it was toote. ¡°Gr¡­ Grgrggl¡­¡± His eyes, filled with hatred, were fixed on Karuna. However, the Karuna he gazed upon was iplete. Karuna had already fragmented, and this lone shard remained to exact revenge upon those in the temple who had wronged him. It was the fragment of hatred, the ck Knight. And like that, only after killing everyone, did the ck Knight leave the temple. He then searched exhaustively for his other fragments. He recognized each fragment he encountered as a part of himself, and in turn, they recognized him as one of their own. However, they also instinctively understood that they were destined to fight. The fragment of hatred was powerful. - I have been bested. I leave everything to¡­ - I lost. You are¡­ Strangely enough, each defeated fragment left behind their desires as they were absorbed. - Please protect the innocent. - Do not let darkness¡­ take over the world. - Please¡­ Karen¡­ The fragment of hatred could not understand them. ¡®Fools.¡¯ Why did they believe the strong would listen to the requests of the defeated? For what reason? The ck Knight could not understand the defeated fragments. And for that reason, he thought of their requests as burdens. He believed he was the most powerful of the remaining fragments, the one closest to embodying the original Karuna. However, he could not be further from the truth. It was only after encountering a special fragment that he realized his mistake. aang! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°You are vile and disgusting.¡± ¡°Sh-shut up¡­¡± ¡°...Leave.¡± The fragment of hatred fell unconscious, blood spewing as he did so. The other Karuna stomped on his hand before vanishing. ¡®...Who was he?¡¯ Bathump. For some reason... it felt as if a pair of eyes were watching them right now. Karuna sensed an insidious energy from those eyes. Bzzzt! The ck Knight¡¯s memories ended there. The light faded as if someone had closed the curtains on him. And then¡­ a ck light approached him. It was the fragment of hatred. ¡°I think I¡­ understand it now.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I understand why¡­ they left behind their desires.¡± The ck light wavered. "Karuna, do not forget Montra. Seek out our sister, flourish alongside her, and forge a benevolent world. These... were the wishes bestowed upon me by those who came before." Karuna slowly responded to the dark light while staring into the horizon. ¡°...What about your wishes?¡± The ck light was stunned. ¡°......¡± ¡°What are your wishes?¡± ¡°How could someone like me¡­¡± ¡°Your. Wishes.¡± The ck light wavered. It almost appeared as if it was crying. As if it was regretful. ¡°...Do not make the same mistakes I made. Do not¡­ hate the world¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible. The world is still filled with so much evil.¡± ¡°...Hatred and anger are two different things.¡± ¡°Anger, huh¡­¡± ¡°Also, please... Please find happiness with our sister. That is my wish.¡± Karuna nodded to the ck light. ¡°I won¡¯t forget them.¡± Faaaaade¡­ After Karuna¡¯s final words, the ck light slowly seeped into Karuna¡¯s chest. * * * Upon recovering the ck Knight''s memories, the blue light emanating from Karuna''s body intensified, marking yet another change. Craaackle¡­ There was another change as well. ¡®There¡¯s a pattern¡­ being engraved onto the sword.¡¯ Breath, crafted from Karuna''s Moonlight Sword, now bore a peculiar and enigmatic pattern. Countless messages rted to it continued to show up, obscuring his sight. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of the change. Writhe¡­ As Karuna opened his eyes, a ck energy thrashed in his eyes. ¡®What is this now¡­¡¯ Despite Seol''s desire to investigate every detail of the situation, the circumstances did not permit it. Seol quickly nced at the small ball in his hands. It was the remnants of Agony. [Yeah! Yeah! You want power, right?] ¡°Of course.¡± [That idiot only lost because he was dumb! I won¡¯t lose!] ¡°Oh really?¡± [I¡¯ll fulfill any wish! What do you want?! To be king? Do you want to be king? Or is there something else that you want? I¡¯ll fulfill whatever wish you desire!] ¡°Really? Then I want you to¡­¡± Agony continued spewing sweet, candied words, tempting Seol with promises beyond belief. Yet, with each uttered syble, it also exuded a sinister, demonic energy. All to taint Seol¡¯s mind, so that he would be corrupted like his previous master. Agony was confident. Until Seol finally gave his answer. ¡°...shut up for me, alright?¡± [...Huh?] ¡°That¡¯s the only way you¡¯ll live, so keep your mouth closed.¡± ¡°Hold¡ª¡± Plop. Seol contained Agony, now a swirling mass of energy, within a bottle and sealed it shut with a cork. Even though Agony was capable of breaking the bottle whenever it pleased, it hesitated, recalling Seol¡¯s words. As that happened, Earl Brispin asked Seol a question from beyond the wall. ¡°What happened?!¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and exin the situation!¡± Seol paused for a second before ringing the bell next to him. Ring¡­ Earl Brispin was confused after hearing the bell. ¡°What the¡­¡± Riiiing¡­ As the bell rang once more, Earl Brisprin finally understood. It was Seol''s answer to him. ¡°...Ah.¡± The earl turned back to his subordinates. ¡°Ring every bell in Illia.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Quickly!¡± A few minutes after the earl¡¯smand, the bells of every clock tower in each district began to ring. Riiing¡­ Riiiiing¡­ Riiiiiing¡­ Bells continued to echo across Illia as the nightmarish night drew to a close. It was an unforgettable evening, one that would be etched into their memories for a lifetime. [You have defeated the ck Knight.] [The ck Knight¡¯s Memento has been generated.] [You have satisfied the Adventure Objective.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] ¡°Woahhhhhh!¡± ¡°The gent won!¡± ¡°Open the gates, you assholes!¡± As the city erupted into celebration, Seol nced at the chest thaty at his feet. Since carrying it down the clock tower would be annoying, he decided to open the chest there. Kick! The chest opened after a light kick from Seol. Creaaaak¡­ ¡®Please¡­ Please be in there¡­¡¯ [You open the ck Knight¡¯s Memento.] ¡­¡­ Chapter 147 Seol prayed desperately for the chest not to emit a brilliant light, a stark contrast to his usual wishes. Was it thanks to his frantic prayers? Surprisingly, the chest emitted a calmer light than usual. [You open the ck Knight''s Memento.] [You have leveled up.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [You have received skill points.] [Affluent¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have received additional skill points.] [Sly Blood-Hue Snake activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have acquired Helm of Late Regret.] [You have acquired Twilight Leggings.] [You have acquired Hope Devourer.] [You have acquired 21 tinum coins.] [You have acquired 12 gold coins.] [You have acquired 16 silver coins.] [You have acquired 7rge red potions.] [You have acquired 1rge blue potion.] ¡®It¡¯s here¡­¡¯ Seol fixated on a single message as if he were trying to sear holes through it with his eyes. [You have acquired Hope Devourer.] ¡®It''s here!¡¯ Using Agony immediately was quite difficult, as it had been reduced to a mere piece of its original self. However, Hope Devourer was different. ¡®My new skill works properly too.¡¯ ¡®Sly Blood-Hue Snake¡¯ activated properly, giving Seol additional skill points. Seol recognized the importance of this, acknowledging the future gains he would reap from his initial investment. ¡®Fuu¡­¡¯ Like a child saving his favorite portions of the meal forst, he checked the other equipment first. [[Helm of Late Regret] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 28-37 Defense: 160 Durability: 92/150 Weight: 5kg A helmet previously worn by the ck Knight, a knight notorious near arge city in Nevenia. It appears that the powers within this helmet have been considerably corrupted. Basic Effect: +22 Strength, +11 Dexterity, +26 Constitution Bonus Effect: Increased field of view. If the wearer¡¯s mind bes corrupted, this item could transform into an Abomination.] ¡®These stats and an increased field of view¡­ a great item.¡¯ These were effects that knights and tank-type sses preferred. Most helmets with high defense restricted your field of view as they covered your face, but with the ''increased field of view'' effect, it was as if you weren¡¯t wearing anything at all. - Woah¡­ - Woah x2¡­ - That''s nice¡­ [[Twilight Leggings] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 26-35 Defense: 175 Durability: 136/170 Weight: 6kg Leggings previously worn by the ck Knight, a knight notorious near arge city in Nevenia. It appears that the powers within these leggings have been considerably corrupted. Basic Effect: +20 Strength, +18 Dexterity, +20 Constitution Bonus Effect: Elemental resistance is increased by 5%. ¡®Twilight Healing¡¯ automatically activates when the wearer¡¯s current health drops below 50%. If the wearer¡¯s mind bes corrupted, this item could transform into an Abomination.] - Woah x3¡­ - How much would you even pay for this? - Twilight Healing was worse than I thought, LOL. It only slightly increased your Constitution and your health regeneration. - Yeah, it¡¯s kinda shit, LOL. Might as well give Snowman better items~ - I mean¡­ I wouldn¡¯t go that far¡­ - It¡¯s alright, LOL. It¡¯s not like we had a conscience when it came to begging for things. Lastly, the item Seol had to acquire no matter what during this Adventure. ¡®This item was such a pain in the ass too¡­¡¯ Seol silently gazed at the armor emitting a ck light. This iron fortress was why the ck Knight could maintain the advantage against Seol and his party''s relentless attacks. Even though it had been frustrating during the adventure, Seol had silently hoped that he could obtain this item once it was all over. Seol then checked the item¡¯s description. [[Hope Devourer] Quality: Abomination Rmended Level: 40-50 Defense: 200 Durability: 200/200 Weight: 10kg There was an individual who dreamed of crafting an armor capable of defending against all attacks. He devoted his entire life to this singr goal. However, upon realizing the impossibility of creating such armor with conventional metals, he disappeared one day, foolishly taking only a de with him. This ominous, ck armor was discovered at the very location of his disappearance. Basic Effect: +20 Strength, +27 Constitution, +5 Dexterity Bonus Effect: Hunger (Unique). Defensive equipment connected to Hope Devourer are also affected by Hunger. Durability recovers automatically as long as the equipment is notpletely destroyed. Mentally corrupts the wearer.] ¡°......Alright.¡± - OH SHIIIIIIIIIT! - GOD ARMOR! GOD ARMOR! - I¡¯m going insane!!! Equip it already!!! - ?????? - Snowman: Mom¡¯s not hungry. I enjoy watching you guys eat~ - Watching him get this makes me so happy. Let me express this with an interpretive dance. - ?????? - ?????? - Where¡¯s the fortnite dancing emote? - Someone stop him, please. - I¡¯m going to call 911. - You guys look like you¡¯re having fun¡­ it¡¯s nice to see :) - ?? You enjoyed it? - Do you think there¡¯s ever been an Abomination as weed as this? - They¡¯re all stupidly expensive despite the fact that barely anyone uses them, so¡­ NO! Seol didn¡¯t hesitate. He promptly equipped them all onto Karuna. [You have equipped Karuna, the Moonlight Knight, with Helm of Late Regret.] [You have equipped Karuna, the Moonlight Knight, with Twilight Leggings.] [You have equipped Karuna, the Moonlight Knight, with Hope Devourer.] [Wonder: gent''s Seal (Reaper-Demonic Beast)¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have currently equipped 1 Abomination.] [All of your stats additionally increase by 10.] Surge¡­ As Karuna equipped the Hope Devourer, ck vein-like strings extended from it, connecting it to the rest of Karuna¡¯s armor. ¡®I¡¯ve already confirmed previously that Wonder applies to summons as well, so¡­ Still, I can¡¯t believe it increased all of my stats by 10 for equipping one Abomination. It makes me wonder what the other effects will be.¡¯ Seol stopped himself from delving deeper. There was still much to do before he could start imagining other potential effects. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * First, Seol needed to check all the messages he couldn¡¯t read earlier because of having to respond to Earl Brispin. [Twin Knights: Karuna has recovered a fragment.] [Passing on the skills.] [Karuna¡¯s shadow has sessfully copied Montra Swordsmanship.] [Karuna¡¯s shadow has sessfully copied Mind Control Resistance.] [Gallotta¡¯s Tongue¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You supplement it with your high wisdom stat.] [Soaring Moonlight¡¯s next stage has been unlocked.] [Gallotta¡¯s Tongue¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You supplement it with your high wisdom stat.] [Moonlight Sword now takes on different forms based on the stage of Soaring Moonlight Karuna is in.] [A portion of the fragment¡¯s stats have been passed on.] [All stats have increased by 28.1%.] The blue light enveloping Karuna¡¯s body had grown stronger. This too was a change. However, another change came along with it. ¡®There¡¯s a ck pattern on the sword.¡¯ A new and mysterious pattern had been inscribed on Breath, the sword crafted from Karuna¡¯s Moonlight Sword. As always, some messages came with it as well. [Moonlight Sword has recovered its lost energy.] [Moonlight Sword achieves its 1st Unlocked State.] [Moonlight Sword acquires Embracing Moon (Unique).] [Moonlight Sword achieves its 2nd Unlocked State.] [Moonlight Sword acquires New Moon (Unique).] It seemed as if Moonlight Sword had also changed quite a bit. Seol quickly checked the item¡¯s description to see what had changed. [[Peerless: Breath] Quality: Peerless Rmended Level: 15-30 Damage: 89-100 (+50) Durability: 200/200 Weight: 1.8kg A sword birthed through the meeting of the sword that Karuna, the Moonlight Knight, used and the miracle of Hamun, Orgo¡¯s Sessor. It has been enhanced through melting down Orgo¡¯s first work, Storm. New energy has infused with the sword, awakening a portion of the dormant powers within. Basic Effect: +35 Strength, +27 Dexterity, +36 Constitution, +15 to All Stats Bonus Effect: First Strike (Unique), Danger is Opportunity (Unique), Embracing Moon (Unique), New Moon (Unique). There is a fixed 25% chance ofnding a critical strike on a wounded target. The range and power of your attack skills is increased by 10%.] Seol noticed that the stats and descriptions had changed, but what truly caught his attention were the two new unique effects. [[Passive: Embracing Moon (Unique)] - Even if Moonlight Sword changes its shape or appearance, it deals additional moon-attribute damage equal to 50% of the maximum damage roll. [Passive: New Moon (Unique)] - The likelihood of Moonlight Sword being Peerless-quality or higher when forged into a new shape is increased.] [¡®MyInternKaruna¡¯ has donated 600 Madness!] [I thought you were just an intern, but¡­ I heard some surprising news today¡­ You¡¯re the¡­ CEO¡¯s son?] - No wonder you were so cool¡­. - Damn it! You should¡¯ve told me earlier! I would¡¯ve been nicer to you! - What the hell is going on¡­ - I only insulted thepany because I was drunk, you know¡­? Yeah¡­? Please¡­ [¡®What the hell is even that?¡¯ has donated 800 Madness!] [Why did he get more unique effects? WTFFFFF] - What¡¯s so weird about an intern driving a ferrari to work? If you have anyints¡­ - I didn¡¯t say it was weird. I just thought it was rare, haha¡­ I¡¯m also worried about the car slipping when you¡¯re driving back home¡­ - It¡¯s not even physical damage, it¡¯s fucking moon-attribute LMFAOOOO - Doesn''t this mean the damage increases even more when he boosts his maximum damage? That¡¯s brokeeeeen - The other effect is more broken LMFAO! Increased likelihood of Peerless or higher? Might as well just reroll that shit all the time¡­ - Say it with me, guys, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer¡­ - We should tax the rich even more! - Who needs other weapons when you have Moonlight Sword¡­ ¡®These¡­ are definitely a huge help.¡¯ Since the elemental damage was tied to the weapon¡¯s damage, there were countless skills that could multiply it in folds. Moreover, when the time came to improve Karuna¡¯s weapon, the second unique effect allowed Seol to worry less about the quality dropping. ¡®I probably won¡¯t ever have to worry about Karuna¡¯s weapon again.¡¯ Now, there was one final change to look at. The ck energy thrashing in Karuna¡¯s eyes. Seol began reading through the messages rted to it. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ [Great Match! Karuna unlocks a new element.] [Karuna unlocks the ¡®night¡¯ element.] [Night-attribute skills can now be unlocked.] ¡®Night¡­? There was an element I didn¡¯t know about? Then is this¡­ does Karuna¡­¡¯ Seol¡¯s eyes grew wide with shock. ¡®have multiple attributes?¡¯ [Karuna has earned the special achievement ¡®Multiple Attributes¡¯.] [Karuna has earned the special title ¡®Night Keeper¡¯.] [[Special Title: Night Keeper] Rted Achievement: Multiple Attributes (Adventure: City Blockade) Bonus Effect: The likelihood of unlocking night-attribute skills is significantly increased.] Seol knew about the benefits of having multiple attributes. Even so, hecked knowledge on the unique qualities and advantages of eachbination. As such, he was filled with mixed feelings upon seeing it, neither ecstatic nor disappointed. As Seol collected the rest of the things in the chest, someone came up the clock tower¡¯s spiral staircase. ¡°Snowman?¡± It was Chameli. ¡°Ah, I¡¯lle down now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I think we¡¯ll need to be a little careful.¡± ¡°...What? Why?¡± Seol was confused for a second but quickly realized why after Filia¡¯s exnation. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of people below¡­ who all came to see you.¡± ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°Earl Brispin¡¯s holding people back, though, so we should rendezvous with him.¡± Only then did Seol realize the incidents in the western district were loud enough to worry everyone else in Illia. ¡®Now that I think about it, the bells have been ringing since a while ago¡­¡¯ He heard the sound of bells continuing to ring in all the other districts. It was the brightest night Illia had ever experienced. * * * Twitch¡­ Four crystal chairs. They were arranged in pairs, facing each other to the left and right. By their side, stood arge throne made of skulls. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem like nothing.¡± ¡°......¡± The silent man closed his eyes, shutting down any further conversation. ¡°Tch¡­¡± Though it initially seemed as if they were on equal standings, the truth was far from that. An old man, who seemed to be the oldest there, asked a question. "Oh, knight... is there a problem?" ¡°...Why would there be?¡± ¡°Hoho¡­ could it be because of your past?¡± ¡°......¡± The man scowled. As he released a bit of energy, the braziers around them zed even more ferociously. aare! ¡°Haha¡­ for what reason are you getting angry?¡± ¡°Why are you bringing up memories I have long since abandoned?¡± "A flower doesn''t bloom simply because a seed is nted. Is there truly a reason to deny it as well?¡± ¡°...I am not a flower.¡± A woman who had been observing by the side spoke up. ¡°Leave him alone, old man. Let¡¯s just focus on our objective.¡± ¡°Of course. Regardless, I believe our meeting is supposed to conclude here today. I look forward to our next encounter.¡± "Are you really going to im that, old man, when you forgot our meeting day?" "Haha¡­ Memory worsens with age. It''ll be the same for you." ¡°I don¡¯t n to grow old though. Not at all.¡± Stand¡­ Stand¡­ The four leaders stood up before leaving the meeting room. Creak¡­ Light seeped through the crack in the door, revealing the knight''s face. It was Karuna. The face belonged to another Karuna. However, unlike the ck Knight, his eyes were different. They were resolute. It was the eyes of someone confident in the path they were taking. As he turned around, he saw countless devotees wherever he looked. They bowed down, touching the ground with their foreheads the moment theyid their eyes on him. ¡°Eternity, immortality¡­ Eternity, immortality¡­¡± they murmured. The other Karuna ignored them, simply walking to his room. Wherever he went, he saw devotees. They were the church¡¯s eyes, and he was their target. ¡°......¡¯ His room was the one ce where their surveince didn''t reach, the only sanctuary where he was able to act freely. The other Karuna slowly raised his head and gazed into the nk space. Though the walls obstructed his view, it was not as if he was looking at the walls. It was an oddity, perhaps a dream. Or a distant memory. He opened his mouth and quietly spoke to himself. ¡°It¡¯s almost time¡­ Jin. We¡¯re almost there.¡± The devotees outside grew louder as they gradually reached the finale of the prayer. ¡°Only one life shall endure for eternity!¡± Chapter 148 [You begin your Rest.] [Your Key Location Rest is starting.] [Break 9. Illia Overcame the Crisis] [Break 9. ¡®Illia Overcame the Crisis¡¯ Illia, one of thergest cities in Nevenia, had been gued by a series of murders perpetrated by a ruthless knight. With each new victim, Illia''s consumption and tax revenue suffered a severe decline. The citizens despaired, feeling that the city''s walls were insufficient to shield them from the looming threat. Doubts even arose regarding thepetence of Earl Brispin, the city''s true ruler. However, through Earl Brispin''s pragmatic and determined actions, the city managed to corner the murderer and ultimately defeat him, thanks inrge part to the efforts of a courageous adventurer. However, this danger was also an opportunity. The public now sings praises of Earl Brispin''s leadership and the heroism of the new savior of Illia. As the city enjoys the celebration, fatigue recovery rate increases, price of goods decreases, and favorability from citizens is gained at an increased rate. Adventurers must take plenty of rest and training here, or at another rest location, before preparing for the next Adventure. Objective: Rest and maintenance. You will be tired upon failure. Remaining Time: [About 30 days]] ¡°Hahahaha! He destroyed it in such a grand way!¡± ¡°Has the materials issue been resolved?¡± ¡°The Lord is taking care of it, so we should be alright.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a busy two weeks.¡± Life returned to the city. The transferees found it strange that the city¡¯s residents celebrated so enthusiastically simply because their worries had vanished. Nheless, they joined in the festivities wholeheartedly. And themunity, like the festivities, was livelier than before. [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: The unluckiest guy in the world.] The guy who got all hyped about the Sudden Adventure and jumped over the wall, only to get his head cut off instantly LMFAOOO. - Seriously, he should have at least waited a second or two LMFAO - He couldn¡¯t wait LOL - I waited two at least :)] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Honestly, if you have any conscience whatsoever¡­] You shouldn¡¯t make fun of the guys who were pissing their pants behind the wall LMFAOO. They were super pathetic, though. - Some people even said we shouldn¡¯t help whatsoever in case the ck Knight turns this way LOL - There were people like that? ?? - R-right? ??] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: To those guys who just hide behind the wall, honestly¡­] The restoration workersined about some kind of ammonia smell when they were cleaning¡­ Did you guys piss yourselves? - Yeah, I saw some yellow liquid flowing down the side of the wall¡­ - Honestly, I would¡¯ve pissed myself too. - It was scarier than watching a horror movie ale at night, LOL. You have to respect them pissing themselves, I pissed myself too. - Respect what? LMFAO, You pissed your pants. - Honestly, I would¡¯ve shit myself. All of you are only acting up because you didn¡¯t see him. - Seriously, apparently, everyone¡¯s the gent online. I bet all of you would¡¯ve shit yourselves until your pants filled up, and it dripped down your legs. - TMI but also, if you can turn that into a song, that¡¯s a free grammy right there. - Everyone calm down! Chill!!! - He made fun of me for pissing my pants! - Sorry, I don¡¯t understand¡­ we¡¯re making fun of how people shit themselves, right? - Comment sections were a mistake. - If anyone asks about the future of Pandea, show them thesements. - Our future¡­ ispletely dark!!!] [(NEW) [ ¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Do you know what the people in Illia are calling the gent now?] The Hero of the Clock Tower LMFAOOOOOO HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - I¡¯ve even heard some people call him ¡®The Herald of Tolling Bells¡¯ LOOOOOL - LMFAOOOOO I¡¯m going to fucking shit myself LOOOOL STOPPPPP - If I was the gent and I heard that, I would¡¯ve jumped off of that clock tower LOOOL - HAHAHAHAHA¡­ Why am I crying, though¡­ Is it because it¡¯s too funny? - To be honest¡­ The Hero of the Clock Tower sounds kind of cool¡­ I wish I had a nickname like that haha - Then I¡¯m ¡®The XXX of Tolling Bells¡¯ hehe - Want to call each other that? - Sure, what¡¯s your nickname? - Genghis Hotteok T/N: Hotteok is a popr Korean street food that¡¯s basically a pancake filled with honey and nuts. - Mine¡¯s Don¡¯t Put the Cucumber There - ¡­What the fuck is wrong with you? Cancel this. - Sigh¡­ Man¡­ I regret naming myself this] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Everyone in the city is talking about the gent. I¡¯m so jealous¡­ I bet he has a girlfriend too¡­] Is he dating the pilgrim who was traveling with her? - Nah, I saw him traveling with the archer girl more. - That archer looked really strong too¡­ - What¡¯s so cool about him anyways¡­ - LOLe on. He killed the ck Knight, guys¡­ It¡¯s not like you guys could have beaten him. - I would¡¯ve died in 5 seconds. - 5 seconds? You must be strong as fuck¡­ - What was that skill, though? He threw his summon like a shot put. - His aim was even more cool LOOL] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: What were your rewards?] I got 1 silver LOL - 1 potion haha - Damn, all of you got shit rewards. - I¡¯m sure the earl is going to give the gent his reward, right? I wonder what he¡¯ll give¡­ - Earl: It¡¯s me¡­ - That¡¯s an Abomination. I can¡¯t believe he got an Abomination as his reward. - What¡¯s the gent¡¯s nickname btw? - idk. - His nickname is idk? - No, like I don¡¯t know. - It¡¯s not like he¡¯s a kpop idol or something, why does no one know his nickname? LOL He¡¯s not even all that. - That¡¯s why people are just calling him the gent. - Still, it¡¯s better than the Hero of the Clock Tower. I just saw someone try to repeat that, and they cringed so hard they died.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol, Chameli, and Filia arrived at Earl Brispin¡¯s elegant manor. As they entered his room, heid out tea they had never seen before. Chameli was the first to indulge, giving it a sniff before taking a sip. ¡°The taste is fairly light. Did you purchase these tea leaves from the north?¡± ¡°That light taste is the charm of northern tea. It was brewed from flowers filled with vitality that managed to break through the frozen ground of the north. It''s quite alright if the taste is a little nd.¡± ¡°I see¡­ as expected, it was quite the expensive tea. Thank you for the kind reception.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing remarkable about boiling water with leaves... It''s no different from ordinary water for those who don¡¯t even like tea. Even so¡­¡± Earl Brispin stared at Seol. ¡°Do you¡­ not like tea? I know my reception toward you was coldst time, but I¡¯ve put considerable care into this. To think you wouldn¡¯t even take a sip of the tea¡­ Did I do something wrong?¡± Indeed, rejecting the refreshments prepared by a noble was already quite disrespectful. Even so, Seol attempted to decline with utmost respect. ¡°I apologize, but Ick the knowledge toprehend theplexities of such things.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ It is an old, stuffy hobby of nobles, after all. Nevertheless, I''m delighted to have the opportunity to host such esteemed guests at my humble manor,¡± said the earl while looking toward Chameli. Chameli showed humility toward his praise. It was also right for her to handle such formalities as Seol and Filia didn¡¯t have the knack for it. ¡°Esteemed guests is too much¡­¡± ¡°No, all of you have done incredible work for Illia.¡± "...We merely did what was necessary. The ck Knight posed a threat to all of Pandea, and Varanoa is always prepared to wield its sword in the name of Pandea''s justice." "The Holy Nation deserves praise for extending its generosity all the way to Nevenia. However, a few potential problems remain, so if I may, I''d like to address them here." ¡°Of course.¡± Brispin nced at Seol and Chameli before continuing. "First, let''s address the issue of the damage incurred during the city blockade." "Yes, our parish is¡ª" "I advise you to choose your words carefully. Words cannot be taken back once spoken.¡± ¡°...Is the damagerge?¡± "The total damage is substantial. Citizens are willingly assisting with repairs, so manpower is ounted for, but the cost of materials and the various associated problems..." Chameli began to slightly tear up. It was clear she found it unfair that she and the parish were tasked with funding the restorations, given that the ck Knight had caused the destruction. "However, I have no intention of seekingpensation for it." ¡°R-Really?¡± Chameli¡¯s eyes glowed as she quickly stood up. ¡°I, too, know shame and kindness. Requestingpensation from you would be dishonorable.¡± "...On behalf of Varanoa, I thank you for your thoughtful consideration." "However, since there is damage incurred, there''s a possibility of discontent among the citizens even if I cover all the expenses." Seol¡¯s party exchanged nces. Chameli gulped before continuing. ¡°So there are conditions behind it.¡± "I''m d you''re quick to grasp the situation." ¡°What do you¡­¡± "Haha... On that note... I wish to address the issue at hand first." "The issue at hand?" Lean¡­ Earl Brispin shifted his posture and directed his gaze at Seol. ¡°Your name is Snowman, correct?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°I announced that I would reward the individual who took down the ck Knight. Do you remember that?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°So, what do you desire?¡± Seol looked nkly as multiple options appeared in front of him. [[Earl Brispin is curious about what you would like as a reward for defeating the ck Knight. You must be careful with your response. How do you answer?] 1. How could I possibly request a reward when I simply did what was necessary? Consider it as my duty in service to your wise rule. 2. How could I possibly ask for a reward when my intent was solely to serve the citizens? 3. I will ept whatever you give me. 4. I request a sword. ¡­¡­] ¡®It¡¯s filled with double-edged answers.¡¯ Options like that often came up when dealing with nobles. They either skirt around the subject or hide their true intent, like options 2 and 3, in order to gain favor with the noble. However, Seol had no intent to do either of such things. ¡®I n to leave Illia soon anyway.¡¯ There weren''t any Adventures in the area that made it worth staying. Seol nned on leaving immediately after finishing his business with the ck Knight. Like how a person who intends to quit is the most vocal, Seol boldly told the earl what he wanted. ¡°I would like to be introduced to a skilled craftsman.¡± ¡°Oho¡­ So you were interested in something like that. There are many skilled craftsmen in Illia, though.¡± ¡°The craftsman I am looking for is a bit more special than the ones you are thinking of, Earl Brispin.¡± ¡°...Is that so? What sort of craftsman are you looking for, then?¡± Clink¡­ Seol set a medium-sized ss bottle on the table, containing a ck object that emitted piercing screams. [Are you still going to ignore me? I¡¯ll corrupt your mind, piece by piece, and¡­] Seol pped the bottle. p. [Stop it! Don¡¯t do that!] Chameli, Filia, and Earl Brispin were shocked. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± ¡°Is this perhaps¡­¡± Seol nodded. ¡°Your assumptions are right. This is Agony, the demonic spirit that controlled the ck Knight.¡± ¡°W-We need to burn this right now¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the purification ritual!¡± Agony cried in fear [I¡¯ll be quiet! I won¡¯t do anything! I¡¯m not doing anything!] Earl Brispin asked Seol a question. ¡°Are you¡­ looking for a craftsman topletely erase Agony?¡± Seol shook his head. ¡°I was looking for a craftsman that would help me use him.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ how absurd. Do you intend on bing the second ck Knight?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s too dangerous!¡± Raise¡­ Seol showed Earl Brispin the two rings on his fingers. ¡°This is¡­ I see, is this abyrinth token?¡± ¡°Are you aware of the fact that I cleared the Labyrinth of Penance, Earl Brispin?¡± ¡°It would have been stranger if I didn¡¯t know, with how much the transferees were talking about this. This token, though¡­¡± ¡°Nullifies an Abomination¡¯s curse.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­. I see, so that¡¯s why you were trying to do that with Agony.¡± Earl Brispin thought for a second before answering Seol. "Though I am unsure if they are the right person for the job, there is only one craftsman here in Ilia capable of handling it." ¡°Really?¡± In truth, Seol didn¡¯t expect Earl Brispin to know of a capable craftsman. Seol had already considered alternative rewards in case Earl Brispin couldn''t introduce him to a suitable craftsman. Luckily for Seol, the best case happened. Earl Brispin began to tap his fingers. ¡°Urgh¡­ I don¡¯t know if that old fossil will want to do it, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. An attempt will be more than enough.¡± ¡°Okay, I will introduce you to him. However¡­ As I have mentioned earlier, there is a condition with this. If you ept this, I will not ask forpensation and will even write you a letter of rmendation to the craftsman.¡± Seol recognized Earl Brispin''s extensive speech as an attempt to craft a scenario where he would have no choice but to ept. ¡®I hope he doesn¡¯t ask for too much¡­¡¯ Earl Brispin smiled as he put down his tea cup. ¡°I, Brispin, wish to be your sponsor.¡± ¡°What?¡± Spit! Chameli spat out her tea in shock. Chapter 149 It was a shocking offer. The sponsorship offer from a Pandean resident came as a shock, not just to Seol, the transferee, but also to Chameli and Filia, who sat beside him. ¡°My¡­ sponsor?¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± Earl Brispin nced at Chameli and Fil, causing them to immediately rise to their feet. "It doesn''t seem appropriate for us to listen in on this, so we''ll wait outside.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After a quick second, only Seol and Earl Brispin were left in the room. ¡®Why is he trying to be my sponsor?¡± Earl Brispin''s unexpected offer left Seol confused and taken aback. Earl Brispin, catching this, continued speaking. "Do not fret. There is no malice behind my request, as you might fear, akin to the actions of a fallen noble.¡± - Is this some prank? LOL - How did he know haha - Are we sure this isn¡¯t illegal? Seol gave a clean answer. "This is the first time I''ve heard of a Pandean resident sponsoring a transferee. I''m just worried about how this could negatively affect each other.¡± ¡°The times are changing.¡± ¡°......¡± "Do not assume that Pandeans are foolish. Just as there are transferees who are unhappy with the current societal system, there are also nobles who remain vignt against transferees as a whole." ¡°...You are correct.¡± "Ever so slowly¡­ the rift between them is growing. Friction among us resembles dried leaves, stacking higher and higher in the world¡­ with a single ember capable of igniting it all." - What the fuck is he talking about? - Basically, friction is growing between them. - Ah. Earl Brispin calmly continued. "Of course, the likelihood of something happening immediately is extremely low. Nheless, I am concerned for the future. If you were to ept my sponsorship, I would not impose any restrictions on you. The only thing I would offer is to relieve you of any troublesome matters while you are in Nevenia." ¡°Hm¡­¡± "You may have concerns that I would attempt to utilize you as a political tool, but I can assure you that this is absolutely not the case." - It¡¯s all for your best interests (mine*) - You won¡¯t lose anything from this (you will*) - I must be cheating you out of something (yup) These conditions were quite good. ¡®I doubt anyone would try to pick a fight with me while I have the earl¡¯s sponsorship.¡¯ Who would dare to mess with someone who¡¯s not only strong, but also has the backings of an earl? However, these kinds of trades always had a catch. A condition that coulde to bite Seol in the back at ater date. Seol carefully opened his mouth. ¡°Earl Brispin¡­ then what do you want from me?¡± The answer that Seol received was also unexpected. "What I require from you at this moment... I''m uncertain. Nothinges to mind at present." ¡°...What?¡± "As I mentioned earlier, this is an investment for the future. All I ask is that you lend me your ear when I find myself in an urgent situation down the road. That would suffice." ¡°Does this also mean you won¡¯t make any unreasonable requests?¡± ¡°I cannot promise that. I could make an unreasonable request to you. However, I will not coerce you into doing so.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± "And if you do choose to ept that ¡®unreasonable request¡¯, I promise to provide you with a suitable reward for your assistance." Seol couldn¡¯t quite see into Earl Brispin¡¯s mind, but this conversation did jog his memory about recent news he''d heard concerning events unfolding throughout Nevenia. ¡®There have been fights between transferees and the existing leaders¡­ Is Earl Brispin trying to prepare for that?¡¯ If things took a turn for the worse, a conflict could erupt between the Nevenian monarchy and the transferees, the emerging new power, potentially leading to extensive and devastating bloodshed. Seol surmised that Earl Brispin was devising a contingency n, anticipating the possibility of such a problem arising. "We could even document this if you find it hard to trust me. Although your freedom to travel might limit your assistance to me, rest assured, I will still provide valuable support to you. Do you have any ns to leave the kingdom?" "I might, but it won¡¯t be anytime soon." "Then this deal would be even more advantageous for you." [[Earl Brispin has offered to be your sponsor. How do you respond?] 1. I dislike you, Brispin. 2. Okay. 3. I was hoping for an even closer rtionship. 4. Are there any other rewards that you could offer me? ¡­¡­] Seol thought to himself for a second before nodding to Earl Brispin. [Faction Formed: You have established a friendly rtionship with Earl Brispin.] [Rumors about you are growing louder among the popce.] [Rumors about you are spreading throughout Illia.] ¡®I still can¡¯t forget that night.¡¯ ¡®There really is such a thing as a hero!¡¯ ¡®Tch¡­ Everyone¡¯s calling him a hero when he barely did anything¡­¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s just Earl Brispin¡¯s puppet in the end.¡¯ Seol scoffed after reading some of the rumors on his interface. "What''s wrong?" asked Chameli, who was by Seol''s side. "It''s nothing, nothing at all. More importantly... What did you wish to speak to me about?" ¡°Ah, it¡¯s about your rewards¡­¡± ¡°Right, the holy relic.¡± "Yes, we''ve properly rewarded Filia, so the only thing left is to reward you, Snowman, but..." Chameli and the ck Pilgrims had promised Seol a holy relic in exchange for his aid with the ck Knight. Now, all that remained was for them to uphold their promise. ¡®The way she said ¡®but¡¯ near the end¡­ something¡¯s off.¡¯ Chameli avoided Seol¡¯s gaze as if she hadmitted a crime. Seol¡¯s worries grew with each passing moment. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ is she not going to give me the holy relic?¡¯ Seol¡¯s mood soured in an instant. The only thoughts on his mind were to hold them ountable to their promise by any means necessary. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a problem.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t give me my rewards¡­¡± Chameli¡¯s eyes were wide with shock as she asked back. ¡°What? Us?¡± ¡°You¡­ can?¡± "Of course we can. Upholding a promise is the duty of those who hold faith in god.¡± ¡°...Then what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°The holy relic we mentioned before¡­ it isn¡¯t in our hands yet. It will take some time for us to give you your rewards.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chameli scratched her head awkwardly. "As it so happens, the holy relic keeper of the parish is currently researching it. Once we retrieve it from him, we will be able to reward you with it.¡± As the name implied, the ''holy relic keeper¡¯ was the individual responsible for maintaining the holy relics. Their knowledge of holy relics was extensive, like the expertise cksmiths possess with metals. Additionally, they were also capable of enhancing and refining holy relics. Given their uniqueness, even vicars hesitated to handle them carelessly. ¡°Would it be difficult to retrieve the item from them?¡± "Not at all. It''s not that, it''s just... the holy relic keeper is in Timbrian, so it would take some time for us to bring the holy relic back to Illia..." ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I nned to head to Timbrian after this anyway.¡± ¡°Then would it be alright if we apanied you?¡± ¡°Yes, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all.¡± Even though Timbrian was quite far from Illia, it was still close enough that Seol would be able to get the holy relic before the Rest fully ended. ¡®Regardless, Timbrian, huh¡­ Gyeongtaek should be there already.¡¯ - I was originally in Timbrian when a noble there asked me to acquire something. Seol now had the chance to have a proper conversation with him. ¡®After all, I was busy with the ck Knight then¡­¡¯ As Seol pondered, Chameli interrupted him to say something important. "By the way... You intend to use Agony, correct?" "Yes, that''s right." "...I personally believe that abominations are manifestations of evil, and that humans and abominations cannot coexist, much like water and oil." ¡°......¡± "However, it is also true that if there were a human capable of wielding one, it would be you. After all, you defeated the ck Knight, Agony¡¯s previous wielder. So, on that note... we would also be open to assisting you with Agony." Seol was shocked. He did not expect this offer from Chameli at all. ¡°What? Really?¡± "Yes, if our assistance can be of benefit to you, we shall serve as the foundation that enables you to reach higher. In fact, our holy relic keeper has experience dealing with abominations before. So, if things don''t work out with the person Earl Brispin introduced you to, feel free to turn to us." ¡°Thank you so much¡­ really.¡± Although Seol''s reward was slightly dyed, it was quite alright as he unexpectedly received assistance from them as well. ¡°So¡­ when will we be departing?¡± asked Chameli. ¡°I n to leave tomorrow.¡± ¡°Th-that soon?¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Rattle¡­ The wagon rattled as it crushed stones beneath its wheels. ¡°...The roads here are a bit rough,¡± said Seol. ¡°People don¡¯t travel here often, after all,¡± responded Chameli. "I¡¯m sorry for inconveniencing you... Especially since we didn''t necessarily need to travel together like this..." "Traveling together is quite pleasant though, wouldn''t you agree? Even if it is just a short journey to Timbrian, it is enjoyable to travel with you." Seol and Chameli were currently on the road to their next destination. And since Seol was also the type to leave immediately after concluding their business, it would take a while for the residents of Illia to realize he was gone. Filia and Seol also had a surprisingly cordial farewell. - Well then, see you next time. The two added each other as friends, clearly intending to ask each other for help when needed. However, if there was any confusion about the rough road between Illia and Timbrian, two neighboring cities, it was because Seol and Chameli weren¡¯t headed directly to Timbrian at the moment. They were making a stop beforehand. Neigh¡­ ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, vicar.¡± ¡°Ah, let us get off the wagon now.¡± They arrived at a remote area in the forest. Seol could hear the sounds of birds chirping here and there, yet instead of finding it beautiful, it sent chills down his spine. There, a lone, secluded cabin stood. It seemed like a house straight out of a fairy tale. Seol recalled Earl Brispin¡¯s words as he stepped out of the carriage. - Here''s the letter of rmendation. If the old man still resides in that cabin, all you have to do is hand this letter to him. As long as you don''t bother him too much, he''ll at least read it. As Seol slowly made his way toward the cabin, the door suddenly mmed open, breaking off its hinges, and a lively old man emerged with a thunderous voice. Snap! ¡°Fucking hell¡­ Who the hell is making so much noise this early in the morning? Are you thieves?¡± ¡°......¡± - His personality is a bit¡­ foul before you get to know him. So be careful. The old man stared directly at Seol. ¡°And who the fuck is this? Who sent you? You don¡¯t look like an idiot who¡¯d get lost in the forest¡­¡± - Woah, it¡¯s a homeless person. - Technically, he does have a home¡­ - Do you think he¡¯ll bite your hand off if you try to hand the letter to him? - Maybe he¡¯ll beat you up with the letter instead¡­ Seol quickly pulled out the letter of rmendation before the old man could m the door on his face. ¡°Are you Frannan?¡± ¡°I am. So?¡± ¡°Here, I have a letter of rmendation.¡± p! The old man swatted the letter away. ¡°Fuck off! Anyone with half a brain would''ve told you that giving me a rmendation letter like this wouldn''t have done jack shit." - Before you go, purchase some alcohol that costs at least 10 gold coins. He enjoys his drink, so don''t be too surprised if he''s a bit unsteady on his feet. Creak¡­ Seol pulled out a crate from the wagon. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to buy me off with gold¡­ mm¡­ sniff sniff¡­ this is¡­?¡± Click¡­ The crate was filled with expensive alcohol. ¡°I¡¯ve brought some liquor to celebrate the asion.¡± Frannan¡¯s expression changed instantly. ¡°So, where were you guys from? It¡¯s a bit chilly outside, so please,e in.¡± Frannan immediately called for his servant. ¡°Oi, hurry up and light the firece.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± As Seol, Chameli, and a few pilgrims stepped into Frannan¡¯s house, it began to fill up rather swiftly. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a bit cold inside, please understand. I prefer the cold.¡± "That''s perfectly fine." ¡°Now, why don¡¯t we read that rmendation letter?¡± Even though Frannan had swatted the rmendation letter into the air earlier, it somehow found its way back into his hands, being read. Near the halfway point of the letter, his face stiffened. He tossed it aside and turned his gaze toward Seol. ¡°Take it out.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The item. Bring it out.¡± Seol carefully ced Agony on the table. Click. Agony, once again, was loudly causing amotion. [Hehehehe! Geezer, I like your mana! If you kill everyone in front of you, I¡¯ll give you more power!] ¡°What atrocity is this?¡± ¡° This is Agony, the spirit inside the sword.¡± ¡°...Can you make it shut up?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the only way is to scare it¡­¡± ¡°I see. However, it is a shame.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Thunk! Frannan popped open one of the bottles of alcohol that Seol had brought and began gulping it down. "Kyah¡­ I''ve never seen anyone survive after handling a demonic spirit¡ªYou little! Take that firewood out right away. Are you trying to burn me alive? Our guests are about to leave, so help them on their way." ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ yes, sir.¡± ¡°Has Earl Brispin finally lost his mind? I can¡¯t believe he sent me this crazy¡­¡± - He''s rather impatient, so he''ll try to resolve the situation as swiftly as he can. Do your best to handle it. Seol remained seated, responding to Frannan without standing up. ¡°I can handle Agony, I promise.¡± ¡°Like I said, everyone who attempted to use demonic spirits all ended up¡­¡± Slide¡­ Seol showed Frannan his hand. More specifically, the rings on his hand, the rewards that Seol acquired from clearing the Labyrinth of Penance. ¡°...dead. Huh?¡± - But despite all that, once he epts your request, he is dependable. He might not look like much, but he was quite famous even just a few years ago. After all, he was¡­ Frannan turned to yell at his servant once more. ¡°What are you doing standing around over there? Light some firewood.¡± ¡°......¡± - an Aspect Magician, individuals who practically serve as the right-hand men for the 12 tower masters of Zodiac. Achoo! Frannan yelled at his servant once more after sneezing. ¡°And fix the damned door too! Our guests are getting cold!¡± Chapter 150 Frannan was definitely an entric. "I can''t do it here. This ce is where Ie to avoid all the annoying nonsense." ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said you were headed to Timbrian, right? I just so happen to have a ce there. Let¡¯s go together.¡± - ??? - What. ¡°What are you doing? Let¡¯s go already!¡± said Frannan before packing lightly. He then turned around to his servant. ¡°Take care of the house while I¡¯m gone, punk.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°And take care of the cobwebs in the storage!¡± ¡°Spiders aren¡¯t harmful, though¡­¡± ¡°But yourziness is, you punk! Anyway¡­ I¡¯ll be back!¡± ¡°Have a pleasant trip.¡± - My wife¡¯s going to see her parents out of town for a couple days¡­ - I think I just saw him do a little tapdance LMFAO - I bet the cobwebs will still be there when hees back hahaha After an affectionate conversation with his servant, Frannan joined Seol and the ck Pilgrims. Seol''s party began their journey, soon finding themselves navigating a forest path that even the moonlight struggled to prate. Despite thete hour, they decided to push forward without sleep, due to Frannan''s constant prodding. ¡°Why would we sleep? Do we have time to waste?¡± [Frannan¡¯s Night Eye is currently active.] [Your surroundings be illuminated.] [You might attract the attention of monsters.] Frannan¡¯s Night Eye. At a nce, it appeared like an ordinarymp that had countless magic forms drawn on it. Its effects¡­ were incredible. ¡°...It¡¯s almost as bright as day.¡± ¡°Right? I crafted them a long time ago, but I disposed of the rest after providing some to the royal family. The profit margin for thebor is small, and the side effects are too significant.¡± ¡°Are you referring to how they draw the attention of monsters?¡± ¡°Yeah. Still, I routinely clean up the nearby area, so there shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about.¡± Seol didn''t receive much information about Frannan from Earl Brispin. However, what he noticed now was that the two had pr opposite personalities. ¡®Still, he¡¯s an Aspect Magician, so¡­¡¯ Aspect Magicians and the 12 Towers of Zodiac. The Tower Masters of each tower were deemed the pinnacle of their respective towers. However, if you were to ask Pandeans whom they would choose as the person right behind the Tower Masters, they would all cite the respective tower''s ''Aspect Magicians''. After all, Aspect Magicians were the small group of elite elders boasted by each respected tower. ¡®I wonder how strong Aspect Magicians are¡­¡¯ While Seol¡¯s Grand Duke of Frost was the individual who founded Zodiac, he only established it, he did not contribute to developing it. Titles like ¡®Aspect Magician¡¯ or ¡®Small Star Magician¡¯ were all created by themselves. Seol read the mood for a second before carefully asking Frannan a question. ¡°Frannan, what did you do before¡­¡± ¡°Ah, did Brispin not tell you about me?¡± ¡°The only thing he told me was that you used to be an Aspect Magician.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I was, but that was a long time ago.¡± After that, silence settled in once more. Frannan was unable to shake off his tipsiness and drifted into sleep. ¡°Haah¡­ Ah¡­¡± After about an hour, Frannan woke up. "Finally, I feel refreshed. Good morning." ¡°It is still night, Frannan.¡± "Haha... It is incredible how little time passes, even after such a sound sleep. Why can¡¯t we manipte time with magic? The world is so boring already. Ah, anyway, let''s continue our conversation from before I fell asleep. You want information about me, right?¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Don''t you remember what you said? You said the earl didn¡¯t tell you about me properly. He dumped all the annoying stuff on me, that asshole¡­¡± ¡°How did the two of you meet?¡± ¡°Hm? His dad and I were friends. His father was quite outstanding. Well, not that it matters now that he¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°I see.¡± "Yeah, and since it''s a bit boring, I''ll tell you more about myself. Ahem..." Frannan cleared his throat and reminisced about his past as he gazed at the cloth ceiling of the wagon. ¡°I was a part of the Libra Tower. Do you know what Libra''s specialty is?¡± "I''ve heard that they primarily focus on researching supportive spells rather thanbat spells." ¡°...You said you were a transferee, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± "Hm... Most transferees shouldn''t know that, though, so how did you learn that? Well, regardless, I studied there. And because of that, while others created massive explosions and brought down mountains¡­ I quietly focused on my studies indoors. My specialization was in imbuing spells onto items.¡± The practice of imbuing spells onto items, also known as enchantments, was a study that few ventured into, regardless of their understanding of the field. Not only was the field clearly difficult, but even for those who attained a high level of skill, it was difficult to fully showcase one''s capabilitiespared to other fields of study. ¡®So that¡¯s why Earl Brispin introduced me to Frannan.¡¯ Seol had a suspicion that this would be the case. To wield Agony for himself, Seol needed a craftsman who was not only skilled in craftsmanship but also proficient in magic. And if Earl Brispin was introducing Seol to such a person, it implied that Frannan must be affiliated with the Libra Tower. Frannan continued. "If there everes a time when you need to choose an area of expertise, double, triple think it. If you don''t, you might end up like me, wasting away in ab indoors." Frannan then proceeded to talk about his aplishments and the research he had personally been involved in. As he went along, Chameli butted in to ask a question. ¡°What is Zodiac like?¡± As a vicar, Chameli must have had at least some idea of what Zodiac was like. However, given that Zodiac was a rather mysterious organization, hearing about it from someone close to the pinnacle would undoubtedly provide a different perspective. ¡°Haha¡­ Hm? Zodiac? Ahh, so¡­ I guess¡­ it¡¯s not that pretty of an¡­ organization?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± "Imagine how much influence a group of magic towers would hold, considering even a single tower is packed with it. And the atmosphere, it''s just... suffocating. Personally, I reckon my time before Zodiac wasn''t too bad either." ¡°Ah¡­ Okay¡­ Still, it¡¯s one of the Grand Duke of Frost¡¯s great achievements¡­¡± Frannan couldn¡¯t hide his annoyance after hearing ¡®Grand Duke of Frost¡¯. ¡°Yeah, that Grand Duke of Frost or whatever¡­ Did he really think he¡¯d be a legend after taking a massive shit and disappearing?¡± He did be a legendary figure, though. Seol wasn¡¯t sure about the ¡®massive shit¡¯ part that Frannan was referring to, but it was clear that the Grand Duke of Frost was a legend amongst magicians. ¡°Didn¡¯t he¡­ be one, though?¡± ¡°Tch¡­ It¡¯s just a figure of speech, alright? Damn it... that''s what gets under my skin. Thanks to him, every single magician feels like they¡¯re up against a massive wall. But that bastard''s also the reason for Zodiac''s existence, and they''re all kinds of weird too. By the way, vicar, do you know how magicians are seen in Pandea?" ¡°The pure magicians are¡­ seen as a bit of a headache.¡± ¡°Magicians are inherently imbued with a sense of superiority, like it¡¯s a fundamental trait. They''re not just your average Pandeans. They''re unmistakably the upper ss.¡± Chameli carefully responded to Frannan. ¡°But¡­ aren¡¯t their positions in a bit of danger recently?¡± "Haha... You''re pretty quick with the news, huh? Yeah, you¡¯re right. And it''s all thanks to the transferees too. Hey, you! What are the three basics of magic?" Frannan had heard earlier that Seol was a transferee, and now he was throwing a tough question Seol''s way to help exin his earlier point in simpler terms. ¡°Mana, Wisdom, and Intelligence.¡± ¡°...huh? Didn¡¯t you say that you were a transferee?¡± ¡°I am one.¡± ¡°But hey, you''re not as clueless as I thought you¡¯d be, huh? Well, I guess that''s why you asked for something so ridiculous from me. Anyway, transferees pick things up fast, but their knowledge is shallow, really shallow. And since Zodiac''s also a society of sorts, they don''t really acknowledge these new, mass-produced magicians. I get where they''reing from, though. It''d be pretty annoying to be lumped in with idiots who can shoot fire from their hands but don''t have a clue about the hows or whys, right?¡± ¡°...You aren¡¯t wrong.¡± "So now, they''re saying that you not only need to be able to cast the spell but also understand the theory behind it." Chameli added on, reciting the news that she recently heard. ¡°Still¡­ it looked like they were able toe up with a win-win n.¡± ¡°Ah, that? Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± It was news that Seol had also heard about. "They''re recruiting capable transferees as apprentice magicians. It''s a mutually beneficial arrangement. Transferees get a stable environment to refine their skills, while Zodiac can regte the use of magic and expand their influence. By the way, I apologize for interrupting our conversation, but..." Frannan looked around for a second before finishing his sentence. ¡°Let¡¯s rest here for a bit before we go further. I¡¯m starving.¡± Snap! And just as Frannan snapped, the wagon magically stopped. Seol looked outside the wagon, only to spot a massive magic circle drawn on the ground. [Frannan¡¯s Enchantment: Resting ce activates.] [While within the radius, all living beings feel rxed and take a break.] [While within the radius, regeneration increases by 20%.] Bzzz¡­ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Some time had passed since the carriage had stopped. Chameli quickly hurried to Seol''s side, wearing a downcast expression. ¡°I apologize¡­ Because he said he doesn¡¯t like dried foods¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t like dried foods either.¡± - I see. I¡¯ll be the cook today. - Why do the ck Pilgrims have NOBODY who can cook? LMFAO - It¡¯s time to take these bitches to vor town >:) I hope they like monster meat. Seol poured a handful of spices into arge wok, then stir-fried them. Sizzle¡­ ¡°Sniff¡­ Oh, that smells pretty good?¡± Frannan, who had been drinking on his own without anything to chew on, started sniffing the air as the smell of Seol¡¯s cooking filled the air. ¡°Really¡­ This almost smells like¡­¡± [You have finished cooking.] [You have made Seasoned Tontrio Ribs.] [It smells great. The dish was a sess.] [You have been inspired.] [You feel like you will be able toe up with a recipe the next time youe across a new ingredient.] [Your cooking skills have slightly improved.] Seol scooped the ribs into bowls and passed them around to Frannan and the ck Pilgrims. ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­¡± ¡°Ah, me too¡­¡± As Seol passed around the first round of food, people stood up to serve themselves, unable to resist the tempting aroma. And then¡­ ¡°Huh? This is¡­¡± ¡°What is this vor?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just good. I-It¡¯s fucking amazing!¡± Seol calmly began serving himself as the others enjoyed the food. ¡®It¡¯s a relief that I had some of the Tontrio ribs left from when I hunted them in the Labyrinth''s desert.¡¯ Seol and Frannan met gazes. "You have incredible skills... I doubt even the royal chef could make something this delicious. Were you originally a cook?" ¡°It¡¯s just a hobby.¡± "Haha! You and I will get along well! By the way, it''s my first time eating meat with a texture like this. It''s neither like pork nor chicken..." Of course, it would be new to him. After all, it was made from monster meat¡ªa meat that tasted somewhere in the middle between them. ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s Tontrio meat.¡± Drop¡­ drop¡­ The ck Pilgrims all immediately dropped their spoons in a panic and hastily spat out their food. ¡°Ptooo!¡± ¡°Bwaaarrgh!¡± ¡°Spit it out! You¡¯ll be poisoned!¡± ¡°Brother, why would you¡­¡± As the ck Pilgrims questioned and remained on guard against Seol''s actions, Frannan intervened to calm the situation. ¡°Stop. It doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s poison in here.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± "Yeah. I''ve dealt with Tontrios before in my research, and if there really was poison left, we would have definitely noticed it from just the smell." ¡°Huh? Then¡­?¡± "It should be safe to eat, right?" Seol nodded in confirmation as a response. Only then, after seeing Seol nod, did the pilgrims feel at ease and thoroughly enjoy the meal. [You had an excellent meal.] [Monster Cooking¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You are able to use ''Tireless Endurance¡¯ for a day.] Poison was certainly one of the reasons why people were repulsed by monster meat, but in fact, their appearance yed a huge role as well. Tontrio was a monster that looked like a mix between a pig and a chicken. Needless to say, it was hideous. - Let¡¯s see what Tontrio looks like¡­ bwrgh¡­ and why is it so big? - If it¡¯s just a big chicken, I¡¯d be down to eat it. - It¡¯s a stupidly huge chicken. Even itsb is the size of a roof. - Ah, got it. It¡¯s a meal from hell¡­ straight from Hell¡¯s Kitchen. Frannan turned to face Seol before speaking. "...Quite an interesting talent. Since you''ve treated me to such a fantastic meal, as an adult, I feel I should reward you too. Have you happened to face a wall recently?" ¡°What?¡± said Seol in response. "Quickly now, I''ve never taken on a disciple before. It''s unprecedented for someone to receive my teachings, so don''t squander this opportunity. Has anything been hindering you from reaching the next level?" ¡°From reaching the next level¡­ ah, there is.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Writhe¡­ Stick¡­ [Passive: Sticky Shadows(Composite) activates.] This passive ended up bing a concern for Seol. So far, this skill, abination of the powers of the Blood of Origin and Shadow Summoner, had shown ambiguous results. ¡®New skills haven¡¯t derived from this either. Am I using it wrong?¡¯ With no noticeable effects thus far, aside from his shadows bing sticky, Seol worried if he had wasted his skill points. "Hm... it''s absorbing the things around it, quite a transferee-like power¡­ It''s quite unique, but its efficiency is dreadful. Have you ever tried using this inbat?" ¡°I have, but it didn¡¯t perform as well as I thought it would.¡± ¡°Obviously. This doesn¡¯t seem like a skill you would use directly inbat.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°It seems much closer¡­ to a creation ability?¡± Frannan''s words triggered a sudden realization in Seol''s mind, causing his eyes to widen in shock. ¡®He¡¯s right! Why didn¡¯t I think of that before? If it¡¯s for that¡­ it¡¯s pretty simple, no?¡¯ Oftentimes, being fixated on the bigger picture causes you to overlook the finer details. This was a mistake Seol made because he thought he had found the solution before he actually had. The power of creation. It was an ability with a myriad of applications, such as the creation of golems and chimeras. Essentially, it gave the user the power to breathe life into inanimate objects and manipte them at will. ¡°Yeah, so have you used an ability like this before?¡± ¡°Ah, no. I¡¯ll try it out.¡± ¡°Oh really? Do you want me to teach you mor¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°...If you say so. I¡¯ll go sleep now, then.¡± Seol''s unexpectedly cold refusal shocked everyone around them, particrly Frannan. He inwardly scoffed as he retired to bed. ¡®That fool. You¡¯ll have to beg me in the morning if you want me to teach you anything tomorrow. Hah¡­¡¯ Frannan was upset by Seol''s apparent disdain, especially since he, the one offering help, used to be an Aspect Magician. Furthermore, creation and enchantment, Frannan¡¯s specialty, also had especially close ties. In fact, Frannan was so upset that he promised himself that he would only consider helping Seol in the far, far future. ¡®Let¡¯s see how you¡¯ll reactter, huh?¡¯ Chameli quickly stopped Seol. "Urm... This is a rare opportunity. What do you think about asking for his teachings¡­?" pleaded Chameli. ¡°I¡¯m alright. Have a good night.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ okay¡­¡± As everyone other than those on the night watch drifted off to sleep, Seol sat by the campfire and conjured up viscous shadows. [Passive: Sticky Shadows(Composite) activates.] ¡°Creation, huh¡­ First, I should start with something simple.¡± Hm¡­ Seol concentrated as he recalled his old memories. - Creation is the act of projecting one¡¯s consciousness. ¡°Creation is the act of projecting one¡¯s consciousness¡­¡± Writhe¡­ - Close your eyes and form a strong image. Catch it, don¡¯t let it go. Paint smudged the ck paper. - Creation is easier than brushing your teeth. ¡°Creation is easier than brushing your teeth.¡± Wriggle¡­ - Knead that image in your mind. Knead it over and over again. Knead it until you start to doubt whether you¡¯re overdoing it. - Creation is¡­ ¡°Creation is¡­¡± The voice in Seol''s old memories bore a smile. Seol smiled as he recalled the final teachings, mirroring the expression in his memories. - fun! ¡°fun¡­¡± This was the mark left behind on Seol by the Immortal, his piece, who had created countless monsters. ¡°...or not. Hmm, it¡¯s harder than I thought.¡± For now, Seol''s first attempt ended in aplete and utter failure. ¡­For now. ¡°Let¡¯s try this again.¡± Chapter 151 - Man, hunting must be so easy for the Immortal. I wish I could auto-hunt with creations like the Immortal too! - People would think creation is the Immortal''s only ability if they heard that. - How did he make that flesh golem? Is there a recipe or something for it? Ah, I¡¯m near you right now, if you aren¡¯t busy¡­ Ah, you¡¯re busy? The Immortal was an expert in creation, even recognized by the gods themselves. And Seol had those memories, the memories of someone whose horrifying creations had left a deep mark on history. However¡­ Crumble¡­ ¡°No¡­¡± It was difficult. Crumble¡­ ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± It was extremely difficult. His ck creations would repeatedly pop and crumble away. Seol had managed to pour out shadows from his hands but continuously failed to create anything with them. It really was way more difficult than Seol thought it would be. ¡®...I thought I¡¯d be able to do it right away.¡¯ - Don¡¯t tell me he thought he¡¯d do it in one go LOOOL - He thought he was a genius HAHAHA - Have you forgotten, Snowman? You¡¯re not Sasuke, you¡¯re Rock Lee. - You¡¯re the ¡®hard worker¡¯ character! Don¡¯t forget your true self! As the viewers suggested, Seol was known for his tenacity. Seol continued to knead his shadows. Crumble¡­ Crumble¡­ ¡°...This is impossible.¡± Seol made a mistake by refusing Frannan''s help. He had be too confident after learning that it was a creation ability. - Did he never take an art ss? LOL - I mean, even other sses make you do stuff like this¡­ - Argh¡­ You¡¯re not supposed to do it like that¡­ Seol only possessed the Immortal''s memories. He was not the Immortal himself. In other words, he did not possess the same talent as the Immortal. Crumble¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ again¡­¡± - Excuse me, is that your mental crumbling away? - It also kind of sounds like someone shitting themselves. - Who the fuck makes a ¡®crumble¡¯ sound when they go to the bathroom? - Ah, sorry. I¡¯ve been having stomach issues. - Ah¡­ I hope you get better, dude. As the viewers continued to mock and insult Seol, another voice chimed in as well. [Arghhh! I can¡¯t watch this anymore!] ¡°...What are you doing?¡± [It¡¯s so frustrating to watch! I can¡¯t stand it!] ¡°...Shut up and keep watching.¡± Crumble¡­ - Ed¡­ward. Big brother. - Why must you bring back the pain? - Yeah, you took it too far¡­ - His creations are worse, though¡­ - What the fuck is even that? - I didn¡¯t know Satan was remodeling hell in this stream. - Was it a bit loud? Sorry ?? As Seol kept failing, Agony shouted in frustration. [Ahhhh! Again! How are you so ipetent?!] ¡°I wonder whether you¡¯ll crumble or pop if I step on you.¡± [......] ¡°You make me want to test it out.¡± [...there¡¯s too many details.] ¡°What?¡± Agony spoke with an air of superiority. [You¡¯re making detailed trash! It should be simple and clear!] ¡°......¡± Seol''s expression stiffened, and Agony quickly realized its mistake, cowering in response. [I¡¯ll be quiet! I won¡¯t say anything from now on! I¡¯m quiet now!] Seol reyed Agony¡¯s words in his head. ¡®Simple and clear¡­ I feel like I heard that before¡­¡¯ And just like that, an old memory stirred in Seol''s mind. - Creations are all about sincerity! Practicality! Simplicity! ¡®...Yeah, Iplicated it too much. Let¡¯s just start with the necessities.¡¯ Practicality, simplicity. Seol had forgotten those. Knead¡­ What does it need? ¡®It needs to be small.¡¯ A small size. ¡®It needs to be able to move freely.¡¯ Wings. ¡®Eyes¡­ it would be nice if it had those too.¡¯ What else? ¡®Unnecessary. Those are the only things that it needs.¡¯ Seol¡¯s sticky shadows began to grow and swell in size. - Get ready, everyone! It''s about to crumble soon. - I¡¯m excited to see him get upset again HAHAHA - Crumble! Crumble! Crumble! - Why is it taking so long this time, though? - ¡­Right? Seol wore a serious expression on his face, while Agony, who had been ncing back and forth between him and his creation, looked utterly shocked. [...What?] Crumble¡­! - Hahahahaha! - It crumbled again! Like a cookie!!! - That¡¯s just the way the cookie crumbles!!! Though the viewersughed, Seol''s reaction was quite different. After the shadow had crumbled away¡­ something remained. It was a small bird. [Awakening! You awaken a new skill.] [You awaken Make Creations.] [The attribute of the new creation is designated as Sticky Shadows.] [The type of the new creation is designated as ''small winged creature''.] [New, rted skills can be derived from this.] - ¡­¡­ - Sasuke-kun? - It worked? The small bird trembled for a second before letting out a weak cry. Caaaw¡­ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Frannan was an aplished magician not only within Zodiac, but also within the era as a whole. However, with his entric personality, crude demeanor, and habit of always carrying a bottle around with him, he seemed like nothing more than a grumpy old man at first nce. Even so, no one could look down on him after hearing of his extraordinary aplishments. Born into a poor farming family, he quickly left home to join a nomadic mercenary group as aborer. However, he did not waste his time there. Eventually, he was able to persuade the mercenary group¡¯s magician to teach him magic. He was an exceptional genius. Frannan''s ability to control the flow of mana,bined with his brilliant intellect, was unparalleled. If the mercenary group hadn''t been forcibly disbanded after undertaking a dangerous mission, he would likely have ended up bing a magician for the mercenaries as well. However, finding himself alone, he approached the doors of the magic tower and knocked. Because Frannan hadn¡¯t learned magic from a young age, the magic tower rejected him. After all, it was a ce filled with young, talented, and tenacious individuals. There was no room for someone like him. - It¡¯s toote for you. - For you to be a magician, it¡¯s a bit¡­ -Talent like yours is a dime a dozen. Frannan was judged by them as if he were a b of meat, like a ve at an auction. The words he heard then hurt him much more than those he had heard from nobles during his broken past. After all, he didn¡¯t choose to be a farmer. But bing a magician... that was a choice he made. Oftentimes, humans fall into despair when something they''ve chosen, something they''ve poured their heart into, ispletely rejected like that. It can even be the catalyst for a lifetime of depression. However, Frannan was luckier than he expected. - Hmm¡­ he seems useful. Frannan only learnedter that this turn of events wasrgely due to Veil, the lone high-ranking magician of Libra at the time. Veil, known for his reclusive nature, spent his days immersed in research within his private chamber, rarelying out. - Even so, Veil, this child seems a bit too old... - Too old? What was your name again, child? Frannan? Frannan would never forget these events for the rest of his life. - Are you aspiring to be an archmage to conquer the world? - N-No¡­ - Then it¡¯s fine. If your goal is to just be an adequate magician, even now isn¡¯t toote as long as you put in the effort. - ¡­Wh-what? - When I first arrived here, I brought along a really special flower. But even now, after all these years, it hasn''t bloomed once. It''s quite the stingy little thing. - ¡­¡­ - So, if you''re wondering what odd things this old man is trying to say to you... The old man named Veil made eye contact with Frannan before giving him a big smile. - It just so happens that I need someone to take care of this flower after I''m gone. And that someone is you. Frannan felt disappointed. All Veil wanted was a disciple who would care for a flower. Veil then gently ced his hand on Frannan''s head. - From time to time... I would like to witness you blooming as well. At least I''ll have that to see before I pass, won''t I? - ¡­Yes! I promise I will! As time went on, Veil passed away, leaving Frannan behind, unable to fulfill the promise. - Frannan? Frannan? Answer me. - ¡­What? Frannan was surrounded by countless magicians of the Libra Tower. - Damn it, that flower was doomed from the start. Why would you wait for something like that to bloom¡­ - Frannan? - Well... even so, at least I was able to bloom before the flower. My flower... - Frannan! Answer me, have you resolved yourself?! Frannan continued to murmur to himself, a scowl on his face. - I was a bitte, old man. I wish... I wish you could have waited a bit longer. - Look here, Frannan! - Alright. - Make the vow! The promised words began to flow from Frannan¡¯s mouth. - With knowledge as my de and wisdom as my handle, I dere my omnipotence alongside my ipetence. In pursuit of truth, I embrace the contradictions within my ideas. - ¡­¡­ - I¡­ am a magician. - I bestow upon you the esteemed title of the Libra Tower''s Aspect Magician. Embrace the responsibility and the expectations it carries. - Woahhhhhhhh! - Frannan! Frannan! Damn it¡­ Damn it¡­ Damn it! ¡°Ahhhhhh! Damn it!¡± ¡°I-Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Frannan?¡± Frannan woke up screaming. ¡®Ah, it was just a dream. What an awful morning.¡¯ Frannan often dreamt of histe master, likely burdened by the guilt of blooming toote. Aftering to his senses and realizing that he was traveling with the ck Pilgrims and a strange transferee, he got up to his feet. ¡°Where is he?¡± asked Franan. ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re looking for Snowman, he¡¯s over there¡­¡± Frannan recalled the events of the previous night. ¡®I wonder if he¡¯s reflected a bit.¡¯ Even though Frannan was an aplished magician, having his craft, a nonbat skill, looked down upon by Seol was insulting. Furthermore, without a thorough understanding of the underlying theories of creation and the guidance of a seasoned mentor, even the most talented individuals would achieve no results despite devoting entire nights to their pursuit. ¡®Is he like this because he acquired powerful items and strong skills too quickly? Damned transferees... Transitioning slowly into adulthood is vastly different from bing an adult overnight. Even so, with time and effort, he can yield results.¡¯ Frannan paused for a brief second before resuming his thoughts. ¡®I¡­ doubt he¡¯d want to hear advice that anyone could offer, so I should teach him a way to expedite the process. But¡­¡¯ Sniff¡­ ¡°What¡­ What is this smell?¡± It seemed like the transferee was cooking a meal to return to Frannan¡¯s good side. ¡®At least he has tact. All he had to do was be diligent.¡¯ Frannan was secretly satisfied as he approached Seol. ¡°Are you making breakfast?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s almost done.¡± ¡°A-Ahem¡­ So, have you made any progress with that?¡± ¡°What? What do you mean by ¡®that¡¯?¡± ¡°You know, that¡­. the¡­ hm?¡± Frannan then noticed something that was rather displeasing. "Why are there so many crows here¡­ Ahh! Look, that one¡¯s eating the ingredients! What are you doing?!" scolded Frannan. But then¡­ he realized that something was off. ¡°This crow¡­¡± The crow¡¯s eyes had an auburn color. Crumble¡­ Seol sighed after watching the crow, his shadow, crumble once more and return to its original state. ¡°Ah¡­ so it doesn¡¯tst that long.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Is something the matter?¡± asked Seol. Frannan had encountered numerous geniuses during his time in the magic tower. Whether in terms of research, dedication, or even their lives, as a genius himself, Frannan was confident in facing conflicts such as this. ¡®But he¡­ don¡¯t tell me it only took one night¡­?¡¯ Seol scratched his head. ¡°Ah, this¡­ it was harder than I thought.¡± Frannan was stupefied upon hearing Seol¡¯s words. Even Frannan had times when he felt jealous after seeing people younger than him budding with talent. But this¡­ this was on another level entirely. He had already bloomed like a flower. ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± * * * ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± The party¡¯s carriage had arrived in Timbrian. "Are you... not going to your vi?" "It''ll be fine on its own. There''s no rush. I wouldn''t bete even if I visited Varanoa¡¯s branch before heading there." ¡°Then I shall dly guide you, Frannan,¡± said Chameli. ¡°Haha¡­ thank you.¡± Seol felt like Frannan was behaving oddly. ¡®Why is he acting like that?¡¯ The only thing Frannan did today was silently steal nces at Seol. He wasn''t as talkative as he was yesterday. ¡®I guess he¡¯s just prone to mood swings.¡¯ The party then entered Varanoa''s Timbrian branch, and a fat, middle-aged man in sses immediately rushed out in a fuss as he lumbered towards Chameli. "Vicar Chameli! I should havee out to greet you¡­" ¡°Brother Markon, your thoughts are more than enough. More importantly, have you received my letter?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ That uh¡­ That thing about youing here with some psychopath who wants to wield a demonic spirit, right¡­?¡± ¡°Wh-when did I say it like that?!¡± ¡°I mean, they have to be a psychopath if they want to wield a demonic spirit, right? Or am I wrong?¡± Frannan, who had been observing,ughed and put forth his hand. "I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d meet a friend who shared my thoughts so closely. Mind if I ask where you''re from?" ¡°¡±Who are you¡­? ¡­Ah! Are you the Aspect Magician?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°What perfect timing. There was something that I wanted to ask an expert magician like yourself.¡± ¡°Hm? What is it? I¡¯m fairly free right now.¡± ¡°Is this about the holy relic we promised to give Snowman?¡± asked Chameli. ¡°It is, I¡¯ve seen no results whatsoever. And it''s not as if I could simply tear it apart... I just thought a former Aspect Magician like him would have a clue or two.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ that¡¯s not a bad idea. For now, let¡¯s go in.¡± Markon, Chameli, and the other ck Pilgrims guided Seol and Frannan in. Inside the magnificent marble temple, worshippers gathered for mass while workers diligently maintained the premises. It was unexpectedly grand for what was intended to be merely a branch church in Timbrian. ¡°It¡¯s quiterge.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because the Timbrian chapter is practically the center of the parish¡­. How embarrassing. Now, this way.¡± The holy relic storage room. After passing through several guards, security locks, and barriers, Seol and the others finally entered the room. Bzzzz¡­ After pulling something out of storage with strange numbers that only they could read, Markon returned to them. ¡°This is it.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t know what this is.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just going to say it right away like that? Are you sure you got a proper look?¡± ¡°Are holy relics some fancy thing? If I can¡¯t tell it immediately, most of the time, I won¡¯t be able to tell, no matter what. Still, I¡¯ll take a closer look.¡± And after about a minute or so¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to take a closer look¡­?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. There¡¯s an unfamiliar energy inside of it, and it seems a bit different from normal holy relics.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ If you, an Aspect Magician, is saying that then¡­ I guess it¡¯s impossible to know.¡± Seol took a step forward. ¡°Let me take a look.¡± ¡°...Snowman?¡± - Haah¡­ is it my time to shine now? - Yare yare¡­ shoganai na~ Markon, despite clearly having no confidence in Seol, handed the sphere over. It was a white sphere, roughly the size of a piglet. But with Seol¡¯s knowledge, a holy relic like this is easily¡­ ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± - Rock Lee! I told you to sit still! - Guy-sensei, no! I must show them my ninja way! However¡­ Glow¡­ Fwirl! Karuna and Karen appeared simultaneously, emerging from the Shadow Space on their own ord, without Seol summoning them. ¡°What¡­ What are you¡­¡± ¡°Snowman?¡± Seol raised his hand, signaling to them that it was safe. After the others calmed down as well, Seol looked to his knights. Karen slowly raised the sphere and held it close to her face. ¡°Master, I¡­ I think I know what this is.¡± Chapter 152 After seeing the mysterious holy relic in Seol¡¯s hands, Karen and Karuna recalled apletely forgotten memory. It was a memory from the distant past, from when they first entered Montra''s secret storage room. * * * ¡°...And for that reason, we will be having an excursion.¡± ¡°Do apprentice knights normally have an excursion to the imperial family¡¯s secret storage?¡± ¡°A good question, Karuna. This is an opportunity you¡¯ve received because Karen, your older sister, incessantly begged him. Do you understand the situation now?¡± ¡°I do, Sir Lain. Karen has caused another incident.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Well, Jin is the type to listen to any request¡­¡± ¡°Still, she shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± While Lain scratched his nose, Karen spoke up, addressing both the storage keeper and Lain. ¡°What¡¯s that over there?! Where did you get that?¡± asked Karen. ¡°That¡¯s um¡­ hm¡­ it¡¯s definitely looted goods, but¡­ where did we get this?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s alright. I stopped wanting to hear after you said ¡®looted goods¡¯.¡± "It would be stranger if everything flowing into an Empire thisrge were ordinary. I don''t know much about them either, except for a select few. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ did you expect me to describe them kindly to you, Karen?¡± ¡°No! I didn¡¯t expect anything at all because Lain isn¡¯t kind!¡± ¡°I like your honesty. All knights should be like that. Now, what are you supposed to do when a senior knightpliments you?¡± ck! Karen quickly put her heels together. ¡°Ah! Thank you!¡± ¡°Get rid of the ¡®Ah!¡¯.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Nice, okay. I¡¯m teaching you this now for when you officially be a knightter, alright? It¡¯s all for your sake.¡± ¡°What a boomer¡­¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡± The group entered deeper into the secret storage. With a mischievous look, the young Karen then directed a question to Lain. ¡°So¡­ what are the ¡®select few¡¯ that you know¡­?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Don¡¯t be curious about it.¡± ¡°But I am curious, though? I¡¯m so curious I can¡¯t stand it~¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Even though we came all this way? Even though I¡¯d probably beg Jin again if we go back like this?¡± ¡°......¡± "Then we''d have toe back again, wouldn''t we? And you''d have toe back with us too, Lain~" ¡°Fine, I guess there wouldn¡¯t be any issues if I showed you. Open the inner door.¡± ¡°That¡¯s..¡± ¡°Quickly. Nothing will happen.¡± ¡°I understand, Sir Lain.¡± Rumble rumble¡­ Hummmmmm¡­ Karen marveled as the countless mechanics, traps, and spells installed in the secret storage activated. ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s shiny, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s shiny like your head, Lain.¡± ¡°You little¡­! My hairline just took a slight retreat, alright? It¡¯s not that bad yet!¡± ¡°...I thought you were a knight who didn¡¯t know the word ¡®retreat¡¯?¡± ¡°...There is nothing shameful about a strategic retreat. Regardless, don¡¯t touch anything. Observe with your eyes only.¡± With only the four of them in the massive treasure room, young Karuna and Karen were overwhelmed by its grandeur. After quietly observing for a while, Karuna eventually stopped in front of a certain item. ¡°Excuse me¡­ Sir Lain¡­?¡± ¡°We should head back soon now¡­ hm? Ah, Karuna. What is it?¡± ¡°Over here, it¡¯s about this¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Ah¡­ Ah! That¡¯s not something you should be looking at!¡± Lain quickly tried to use his body to hide the item from Karuna¡¯s eyes. And obviously, that caught the eyes of Karen, the supreme viin. ¡°Woah! You must have found something fun, Karuna!¡± ¡°Argh! Go away!¡± ¡°What is it? What is it? Why are you acting like this? Is it something embarrassing? Is it a naked statue of youuuu?¡±ughed Karen. ¡°You brat! Why would there even be something like that?!¡± ¡°What is it then? Show me, argh¡­ G-Get out of the way¡­¡± ¡°Argh! Don¡¯t bite me! Fine, okay! I¡¯ll show you! I¡¯ll show you, okay?!¡± Only Jin could have known the depth of humiliation endured by Sir Lain, the Sun Knight and captain of the guardians, at the hands of Karen. As Lain stepped back, he revealed three white spheres behind his back. And surprisingly, they were all the same size and shape. ¡°Woah¡­ are these jewels?¡± ¡°...They¡¯re not.¡± ¡°Do you know what these are then, Lain? You didn¡¯t know what anything else was.¡± ¡°Of course, I know. Any guardian would know what these are.¡± ¡°What is it then? What is it, huh? Tell me!¡± ¡°Are you curious too, Karuna?¡± ¡°...Yes.¡± ¡°Alright! So, from this point on, we¡¯ll be¡­¡± Lain began by exining the orb¡¯s origins. Karen and Karuna, after hearing the exnation, had questions. ¡°So you¡¯re saying¡­ these are the weapons for the imperial family¡¯s guardians?¡± asked Karuna. ¡°Precisely. Montra spared no expense in creating this through alchemy.¡± ¡°Then is your weapon made from this too, Lain?¡± ¡°Of course. There¡¯s an annoying process called ¡®session¡¯, though. Regardless, all of the guardians have a weapon made from this ¡®pearl¡¯.¡± ¡°This is¡­ a pearl¡­? So it is a jewel then.¡± ¡°Huh? Uh¡­ well, I guess it is when you look at it that way. But is it really a big deal?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Hmmm¡­¡± However, Karen, sensing something strange, asked Lain a question. "So why is this rotting away in some dingy storage room?" ¡°You brat¡­ I bet you¡¯re the only person in the world who would describe Montra¡¯s secret storage room as a ¡®dingy storage room¡¯. And you don¡¯t have to worry. These extras were onlypleted recently.¡± ¡°Extras?¡± "Basically, we''ll fall back on these if the next guardians can''t handle the current guardians'' weapons." ¡°...I see.¡± Montra¡¯s imperial family had a total of eight guardians. This fact has never changed. ¡°Why? Do you want it?¡±ughed Lain. ¡°What? N-No. I¡¯m not even a guardian. Why would I?¡± ¡°It¡¯s written all over your face, though.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me!¡± "Haha... If you want something, just put in the effort to get it. Who knows... maybe you two will be the ones wielding two of the three pearls." As Lain encouraged her, young Karen gave him a look. ¡°...Do you really think it¡¯ll happen?¡± "Who knows, but one thing I''m certain of is, if you don''t put in the effort, that day will nevere." ¡°Okay! Then let¡¯s train when we get back!¡± ¡°An excellent idea! Now, let¡¯s get into the horse stance until we get back!¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Have you given up already?!¡± ¡°No! Let¡¯s do it! Arghhhh!¡± ¡°Keep going! Do it, so you won''t have to apologize to tomorrow¡¯s you!¡± ¡°Sorry! I¡¯m sorry, tomorrow¡¯s me! I give up!¡± ¡°Oh no! When I transcended space-time to peek at tomorrow¡¯s you, she rejected your apology! I guess there¡¯s no other choice. Keep going!¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol blinked a couple times. ¡°So this is that pearl?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s that. Right, Karuna?¡± ¡°Yes, it''s likely that same pearl, Master.¡± ¡°But¡­ How did it end up here?¡± said Karen before turning around to give Chameli a stern look. Chameli spoke rapidly in shock. ¡°Th-the Holy Nation of Varanoa dedicates significant effort into the discovery and acquisition of holy relics. This is something that we, the Nevenian parish, acquired.¡± ¡°And where did you get this?¡± "There are too many routes to pinpoint the origin urately." ¡°Tch¡­ I bet it was a tomb raider.¡± "That''s... probably the case. Most of the holy relics we''ve acquired were obtained that way.¡± Seol quickly whispered something to Karen. ¡°Is it valuable?¡± "I can guarantee you that every holy relic she has onbined right now wouldn¡¯tpare to this. Even in Montra, where we piled up treasures like mountains, this pearl had special treatment." ¡°Then we should take this.¡± As the two whispered to each other, Markon and Frannan approached them. ¡°It looks like the two of you are having quite an interesting conversation. Mind if we join?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. We aren¡¯t interested in the item. We just want to know in case it could assist us with our research.¡± Seol hesitated for a second, recalling how Frannan hade all this way to assist him. Then, he began to exin about the pearl. ¡°Do you really expect me to believe that? That this was an item used by an ancient empire?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who asked me?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ then I¡¯m sure you also know how to use this, right?¡± ¡°Karen, could you exin it to him?¡± Karen began to exin it like it was nothing special. ¡°The person has to take on a trial from the pearl called ¡®session¡¯. It¡¯s important because the shape and power of the weapon change based on the sessor¡¯s will.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ that¡¯s quite interesting. And how strong is it?¡± "I''m not sure what I could say about that. It doese with special powers, but it was unique for each guardian.¡± ¡°I see¡­ is that so? Hey, Mareko.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Markon.¡± "Regardless, if you''re the holy relic keeper of such arge branch¡­ you must also be able to analyze holy powers, right?" ¡°I am, but¡­ I¡¯ve already tried and failed.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ that¡¯s because you didn¡¯t have me.¡± ¡°Do you have experience in this field as well?¡± ¡°Of course. There was nothing I didn¡¯t try to raise my skills.¡± "Then... then this could lead to some amazing discussions. You''ve ignited a fire within me as well." Frannan turned to Seol. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll be borrowing your item for a bit. That¡¯s fine, right?¡± Seol casually opened his hand, allowing Frannan to take the pearl. Frannan smirked seeing that, and grabbed it. ¡°Take some days to rest and repair your equipment. If this pearl really is as amazing as I think it is¡­ there might be hope for you to wield Agony.¡± ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Seol gave a small bow before leaving. Chameli quickly hurried after Seol, stopping him before he fully left the branch. "Snowman, I want to thank you once more. Because of you, we''ve managed to solve an issue that would have been impossible with our parish¡¯s efforts alone. Though I''m uncertain if the pearl suffices as a reward, please understand that our gratitude toward you is genuine." ¡°...Okay.¡± ¡°And on that note¡­ would it be alright if we continue to message you through our brother, JewelryKang?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine.¡± Chameli¡¯s expression noticeably brightened as she had a huge smile stered on her face. ¡°Thank you so much! I will make sure that your stay here isfortable!¡± ¡°Ah, okay¡­¡± Seol still wasn¡¯t used to such hospitality. After all, he was the type who believed everything came with a price. ¡®She might ask something annoying from me in the future¡­ Regardless, let¡¯s do maintenance now.¡¯ Creak¡­ Seol, after entering the amodation Chameli prepared for him, listened to the rest of Karen¡¯s story. As he was listening, he asked her a question. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying¡­ two of those pearls ended up bing your swords?¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°I was only able to remember it now. The Red Lotus Sword and the Moonlight Sword were both made from that pearl.¡± Karen and Karuna¡¯s swords had been a mystery until now. Not only were the powers within it mysterious, but Seol also found it strange that despite being forged intopletely new swords, they retained their original powers. ¡®Well¡­ I don¡¯t need to hear more to know that it¡¯s an incredible holy relic.¡¯ Because the swords had been reborn, as if they had souls of their own, Seol couldn¡¯t help but be intrigued by the newly acquired pearl. Seol pulled out a bottle from his inventory to look at Agony. He wondered what he had to do to rein in this evil spirit. Surprisingly, the answer came much sooner than expected. * * * After exactly three days, Frannan called for Seol. ¡°You were right.¡± ¡°What?¡± "We''ve finished analyzing it, and we''ve concluded that the pearl does, in fact, possess that power. To think this holy relic grants the sessor a power that best suits them... I still can''t believe it." ¡°Hahaha! Montra¡¯s alchemy does seem like miracles at times, yeah.¡± Frannanughed along as well as Markon continued. "If you''re interested in uncovering the truth behind the pearl''s powers, it could take us years. Would you like us to do that?" ¡°Of course not.¡± Frannan nodded. "I agree. If this were mine, I''d spend every day researching it, but... ultimately, this item belongs to you. It should work in your favor." ¡°...Yes.¡± "Now, there are four ways for you to wield Agony." ¡°...That many?¡± ¡°Have I finally shown off my prowess as an Aspect Magician? But more importantly¡­ I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve agreed to a reward for my assistance.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± "And in these situations, it¡¯s much faster if I just tell you what I want first. Something¡¯s been annoying me recently, and I would like for you to help me take care of it." ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just some minor problems surrounding the magic towers¡­¡± ¡°Even though I¡¯m an outsider? Is it really okay for me toe along?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something for me to decide. So, what do you think?¡± Seol thought for a second before nodding. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it.¡± "Alright, then let me exin how we¡¯d cook that monster in your inventory. You can pick whichever option you like the most after hearing them all.¡± Frannan then began his exnation. ¡°The first option, we¡¯d lower its intelligence.¡± ¡°...Its intelligence?¡± "Yeah, that little rascal has been sneakily corrupting its wielder to take their lives. An awful thing, really." [No, I haven¡¯t. I didn¡¯t, though? I never did that.] Frannan read Agony¡¯s expression before continuing. ¡°Once we reduce its intelligence, it would be nothing more than a strong fool. And those are always easy to handle.¡± ¡°Are there any side effects?¡± ¡°It would be too stupid to use all of its powers.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Second option, we¡¯d restrain it and forcibly take away its powers bit by bit.¡± ¡°There are issues with this option too, right?¡± ¡°Every option has issues. After all, this little shit is an issue.¡± ¡°That¡¯s reasonable.¡± ¡°Regardless, even though we could safely take its powers after restraining it, there¡¯s a chance that its powers could never recover. And if that happens, it would just be a one-time use item.¡± Gulp¡­ ¡°Are you scared?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I thought I heard you gulp just now.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t me.¡± It was the sound of Agony gulping. [H-Human! If you try to restrain me, I¡¯ll just kill myself! And if that happens, it won¡¯t go ording to your ns!] Frannan and Seol ignored Agony. ¡°Third option, we melt it with the pearl¡¯s powers.¡± [You demons!] - Agony¡¯s reunion with its long-lost master. - I¡¯m sorry, demon¡­ We humans are sorry¡­ "However, if we do that, the processing would make it weaker than its original state." "Judging by how all the options so far only involve wielding a portion of Agony..." ¡°Yeah, thest option is a bit different. Fourth option! We¡¯ll stuff it into the pearl.¡± ¡°...What? Is that really possible?¡± ¡°It is. After all, the most efficient method to purify a demonic spirit has always been to use a holy relic.¡± ¡°Would we be using the pearl¡¯s powers to melt Agony for this method too?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯d just be messing with its discernment between good and evil a little.¡± ¡°What?¡± "It doesn¡¯t know how to be good because it was born in evil. We¡¯d simply be tinkering with the moralpass in its head so that it does good from time to time and engages in evil less frequently." ¡°Theoretically, that¡¯s perfect.¡± Frannanughed. "I''ve always been theoretically perfect. I¡¯ve just failed in application. Now, do you need time to make a decision?" [[Frannan has asked you for your preferred method to make Agony submit to you. Which option do you choose?] 1. Lower Agony¡¯s intelligence. 2. Restrain Agony and slowly sap away its powers. 3. [Required: Adequate Holy Relic] Melt Agony to turn it into pure strength. 4. [Required: Adequate Holy Relic] Tinker with Agony¡¯s moralpass.] ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve already made my decision.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ so, your decision?¡± Seol replied, causing Frannan tough. "Oho¡­¡± Chapter 153 Crumble¡­ Another auburn-eyed crow crumbled away. ¡®Hm¡­ seems like theyst an entire day now.¡¯ Seol¡¯s creation was a crow that shared its vision with him. Even though Seol could create it in an instant now, utilizing it properly was another problem entirely. ¡®The most important things I need to fix are... my vision getting blurry and not being able to hear properly when I create a lot of crows.¡¯ Hearing was an ability Seol had recently added, and as expected from a new ability, its performance was rather poor. If it were just his vision, Seol could still manage to control a few crows, but... he struggled to share hearing with even a single one. And with that, another problem arose. Crumble¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Seol suffered damage whenever the creation he was focusing on died. Truthfully, this oue was expected. Creations relied on the creator''s consciousness or will to move, so it made sense that their sudden destruction would also affect the creator. ¡®Well, still¡­ this much is still very satisfactory.¡¯ It was only ¡®satisfactory¡¯ to Seol because he was a perfectionist. Anyone else would have been ecstatic that they could reach a level like that so quickly. It was incredible, really. Knock, knock. "Brother Snowman, Frannan haspleted his preparations and sent me to bring you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± Creaaak¡­ Snowman, after exiting his room, followed behind the ck Pilgrim. The branch waspletely quiet, as if they were all notified that a ceremony would be taking ce soon. Creak¡­ After passing through a pair ofrge doors, Seol entered arge room. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± said Frannan. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Come here, and take out the demonic spirit too.¡± Frannan, Markon, and Chameli stood inside the room, guarded by several vignt pilgrims. Slide¡­ Seol ced the bottle containing Agony in the center of the room. [You idiots! You¡¯re all idiots!] ¡°Oho¡­ and what exactly makes us idiots?¡± [Whatever! I won¡¯t cooperate with you at all! I¡¯ve never cooperated with anyone before either!] ¡°Why haven¡¯t you cooperated before?¡± [Because I used them all!] ¡°And?¡± [And because I¡¯m a demonic spirit!] Frannan then interjected. ¡°Oh, you foolish little spirit. That isn¡¯t a reason. Do you want me to tell you the real reason?¡± [No! Don¡¯t tell me!] "It¡¯s because you never learned. You''ve never learned how to cooperate, and you''ve never learned that it''s better to do so." [Lies!] ¡°I n to start the lesson soon, so follow along, alright?¡± Frannan then flipped his hair and lowered Agony. ¡°I still can¡¯t agree to this,¡± said Markon. ¡°It is way too dangerous for a human to wield a demonic spirit!¡± "And those are simply your opinions." "Are you certain, then, Frannan?" "Me?" "Yes, I''m asking if you''re confident that Snowman could make Agony submit to him through this ceremony." ¡°Well¡­¡± Frannan turned to Seol, who epted his gaze as if it were nothing. Frannan then had a thought. He wondered if this was how Veil had felt when he had epted him into the magic tower a long time ago. ¡®No, it¡¯s different from then.¡¯ Frannan was desperate, and there was a good chance that Veil had taken that into consideration more than his potential. In truth, there was even a possibility that Veil wasn''t entirely certain about Frannan''s talents. The situation then waspletely different from the situation now. Wielding a demonic spirit was exceptionally rare¡ªso rare, in fact, that it was uncertain if there was ever a precedent. Was it impossible then? Not necessarily. While it was theoretically possible, there were too many variables to ount for. However, the young man standing before Frannan possessed the ability to control those variables as well. ¡®Even though he¡¯s still just taking baby steps, he understood the principle behind creation over a single night. If he can¡¯t do it, no one can.¡¯ Frannan nodded to Markon. ¡°I¡¯m sure. So the only thing we have to do is do our job properly.¡± ¡°...Understood.¡± Frannan then approached Seol. ¡°Hey, sit down. You¡¯re going to be losing your consciousness during the ceremony.¡± ¡°...So what do I have to do after that?¡± Karen had already briefed Seol on the session ceremony process. But the reason Seol was turning to Frannan now was because he also had to deal with subduing Agony at the same time. ¡°When the ceremony starts, both you and Agony will go through the pearl¡¯s session process. By the way, you''ve learned these things too while learning the power of creation, haven''t you? Imagining and dreaming, then simplifying those dreams to draw them out, right?¡± ¡°...I have.¡± "Session is simr to that. The issue is Agony, but... it''s actually quite straightforward as well. It''s simr to enticing someone." "Enticing¡­ someone?" "Exactly. Once you step inside, there''s a good chance the two of you will fight right away. Its mental world is its territory, so it will go all out to hurt you. Your task is to face it head-on and drain as much power as you can." ¡°And after that?¡± "Lay a trap. Do you know when the best time to pry out a secret from someone you''re torturing is?" ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Frannan gave a big grin. ¡°When you suddenly stop the torture. That¡¯s when their hearts crumble the fastest.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Regardless, you¡¯ll get it once you¡¯re inside. I¡¯ll assist you with my magic, so let¡¯s deal with the rest once you¡¯re inside. Now, let¡¯s begin.¡± Click, click! Markonid out a chain coated in holy oil in the shape of a circle. ¡°This will prevent the evil energy from escaping. It also ensures that those outside the room remain unaware.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ then I guess all that¡¯s left is me. Let¡¯s see here¡­¡± Snap! Frannan snapped his fingers. Hummmmm¡­ With Seol, Agony, and the pearl at its center, a massive magic circle was suddenly drawn out. Even at a nce, the circle was intricate and striking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about failing. I¡¯ll kill you quickly and painlessly.¡± smiled Frannan. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Murmur¡­ Karen and Karuna began to chant unintelligible words. Click¡­ ck¡­ As they did, the pearl slowly began to contort in shape, gradually increasing in size until it transformed into a massive nket, which suddenly attempted to wrap around Seol all at once. As it did, Frannan pped his hands p! [Frannan used Exceptional Skill: Large-Scale Magic Circle Amplification.] [All prepared magic circles activate rapidly.] Crackle¡­ crackle¡­ The nket stopped in ce before growing evenrger. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± A vein bulged on Frannan¡¯s forehead. Mysterious letters began to emerge from the magic circles, inscribing themselves onto Seol, Agony, and the pearl. ¡°Krgh¡­ that¡¯s it!¡± Fwiiirl! As Frannan let go, the pearl finally engulfed Seol. [The pearl''s test begins.] [Snowman begins the session ceremony.] Seol and Agony disappeared into the pearl. ¡°Fuu¡­ I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯ll turn out as an Abomination, Holy Relic, or something else entirely, but... we¡¯ll see once he¡¯s out." * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * In this world, certain things are destined from birth. Just as fish navigate the water and birds soar through the blue sky, some destinies are fated from their very creation. So, what destiny awaits a newly born, ck entity? ¡®I¡­¡¯ It floated around. In a world that was forever filled with blood and rotting corpses. ¡°Krgh¡­ Ahhh¡­¡± It witnessed the death of a knight, a knight who did not wish to die just yet. How unfortunate. Yet, this was the battlefield, and hey among the defeated. Surrounded by lifeless bodies, all bearing the scars of war as he did. He had lost his life on the battlefield. But on the other hand, the ck entity¡­ ¡®I¡­ I was born here.¡¯ An entity tainted by the umted grudges and regrets of many souls. It was the embodiment of evil, born from the collective weight of their resentment. That was what it was. It had neither love, nor hope, nor trust. The only thing by its side was death and wailings. ¡°Do you want me to help you?¡± ¡°Cough¡­¡± ¡°ept me. I can help you.¡± ¡°Who are¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s me¡­¡± The fallen knight whispered to himself after seeing the phantasm. ¡°Ah¡­ you are my sorrow¡­ my regret.¡± The knight raised his hand toward the ck entity. ¡°Oh, Agony¡­ Please¡­ Please take me back to my mothend.¡± And like that, the ck entity was given a name. Agony enveloped the fallen knight, taking his body in. After it consumed him, it refused the knight¡¯s request. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna. I don¡¯t know how to do something like that. I¡¯m just going to kill whatever I want now!¡± Crackle¡­ The space around it distorted. Agony regained consciousness, slowly beginning to grow and swell before eventually returning to its peak. The demon had grown to a massive size, its body, fearsome and terrifying. ¡°Ahh¡­ that¡¯s right! I was trapped in here with that damned human!¡± ¡°Have you finally arrived?¡± ¡°Urgh?¡± Seol appeared suddenly behind Agony, causing it to scream. ¡°Have you been¡­ waiting for me?¡± asked Agony. "I was. I''ve experienced situations like this more often than I care to admit, so it was a piece of cake." ¡°Hahaha¡­ Look here, I am Agony. And you¡¯re just a human.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m a human, and you¡¯re just agony?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me!¡± BAAAAAM! With a swing of its fist, Agony destroyed arge area. The situation could not have been more different from its time of powerlessness, trapped inside Seol''s bottle. ¡°This power! This amazing power! Can you feel it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re excited.¡± ¡°Yeah! Have you finally learned the difference between us?!¡± Baaaaam! Fssss¡­ ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Seol held a pure white sword in his hand. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± "I feel bad for your sword, having a master like you." "I should be the one feeling that. I think I picked the wrong weapon. Swords aren''t for me." ¡°What?¡± Fwirl! And something incredible happened. The white sword slowly transformed into a winged staff. ¡°I¡¯ll destroy you!¡± Fwoosh! Agony¡¯s fist failed to reach Seol, swinging only at the air. Seol ducked to avoid Agony¡¯s attack, then swiftly swung his staff to cast a spell at Agony. Fwoosh! Countless Shadow Hands poured out from the staff. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! ¡°Urgh¡­ Ahhhh!¡± After taking a barrage of attacks, Agony rolled on the floor and swung its fists at Seol once more. Baaaam! Seol easily dodged the attack and swung his staff again. This time, a murder of auburn-eyed crows appeared. p p¡­ Peck! Peck! Peck! Peck! The murder swarmed Agony, pecking at various parts of its body. ¡°Argh¡­. You¡¯re nothing without your summons!¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that the same for you?¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re helpless on your own.¡± Those words stunned Agony. Though it swiftly destroyed the crows, it now stared nkly at Seol, unsure of what to do next. Agony shrank in size, just a little. It seemed like damage taken in the mental world took effect immediately. Seol looked at his staff for a moment. ¡°As expected¡­ that¡¯s so much better,¡± said Seol to himself. Fwirl! The staff changed shape once more, into a pair of gloves. "...I will corrupt you. I will instill in you a thirst for blood and teach you to relish extinguishing life!" ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy those, though.¡± Baam! Bam! Agony began going on the offensive, unleashing an onught. However, most of them missed, and even if one managed tond, Seol sessfully blocked it. Even so, Agony continued to attack. ¡°You bastarddddddd!¡± Fwirl¡­ Seol spun in the air, beforending a hit on Agony¡¯s cheek. Baaaaaam! Clench¡­ A part of Agony''s body flew off, causing it to shrink in size once more. ¡°Krgh¡­ Argh¡­ It hurtssss!¡± "You''vemitted too many sins. What do you think about doing good, even if it''s now?" "Haha... Don''t waste your breath trying to convince me now. I''ve been like this since I was born!" ¡°......¡± - It¡¯s because you never learned. You''ve never learned how to cooperate, and you''ve never learned that it''s better to do so. Agony wailed as it charged. ¡°D-Don¡¯t lecture me!¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡± BAAAAAAM! While Agony might have been a demonic spirit, unlike some of the more malevolent ones, it was merelyrge and strong. Itcked the finesse to properly wield its powers. It fought impulsively and recklessly. Even so, that crude method was more than enough to work¡­ until it met Seol. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± The light in Seol¡¯s eyes changed. In the end, there was no way for Agony¡¯s haphazard skills to ovee the level that Seol had reached with Jamad¡¯s keen senses and Toki¡¯s training. Bam. ¡°This¡­¡± Whaaam¡­ ¡°Bwrgh¡­¡± Seol was right. Bam! ¡°Ahhhh! It hurts!¡± Crunch¡­ ¡°Kieeek¡­¡± Agony really was nothing alone. Agony was a condensed mass of grudges and regrets. A life that had managed to be strong only through sheer luck. ¡°Haha¡­ Did you think I¡¯d lose to you?! Come at m¡ª¡± Bam! Baam! Agony refused to give up, even though deep down, it desired to do so. For if it did, it would mean total defeat. It wouldn''t just be submitting to Seol. Its existence as a demonic spirit would vanish entirely. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­ die like this¡­ I need to¡­ keep myself.¡¯ Agony wailed once more. ¡°Ahhhhhh! You bastardddddd!¡± Agony, despite continuously shrinking in size, continued to fight. It was stubborn. Stubborn to the point of impressing Seol. How long had they been fighting? ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­¡± Each moment Agony lost consciousness, a barrage of blows would follow. Eventually, the world around it turned pitch-ck, and it could no longer see Seol. Agony slowly came to the realization that Seol was no longer attacking him. ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ Hahahahaha! Yeah, you got tired! Because you¡¯re a human! So I won then, right? Right? Of course! There¡¯s no way a human could beat me here! Just you wait, I¡¯ll corrupt your mind and¡­¡± Twitch¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­ It hurts too much¡­ He was pretty strong. But who cares? In the end, I, Agony, won¡­ Is he gone because I beat him?¡± Twitch¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­ I need to get some rest, but¡­ huh?¡± A warm me appeared before Agony. ¡°...A fire?¡± And within the demon''s chamber, the fire flickered. A hideous demon statue had been carved on the door to the room. Click! The room opened. It opened as if it had been waiting for Agony. ¡°Haha¡­ This ce is perfect for me. Just you wait, human. After I rest here for a bit¡­ I¡¯ll end you.¡± It felt as if the demon statue was whispering to Agony. Come here. This room¡¯s for you. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll see youter.¡± Agony tiredly lumbered into the demon¡¯s chamber. Creaaak¡­ Click! The door closed, silence filling the air. Suddenly, a massive hand appeared, cing itself on the demon statue. With a twist, the hand began to turn, reshaping the room. After a few clicks, a new statue revealed itself from the opposite side of the room. It was the statue of a benevolent goddess with her eyes closed. It was a different energy than what Agony had initially believed. It was a holy energy. In truth, Seol hadn¡¯t been hiding. Agony had just shrunk to the point that it didn¡¯t recognize where it was. ¡°...Was turning it into amp the best I could do? Well, regardless¡­¡± The ''demon''s chamber¡¯ that Agony had entered was, in truth, the interior of amp crafted by Seol with the pearl. Seol smiled faintly as he held themp, which radiated with holy energy. ¡°...Caught you.¡± Chapter 154 Frannan, Chameli, and the other pilgrims worriedly observed the pearl on the magic circle. As everyone began to worry more, Markon, the holy relic keeper, began to bite his nails. ¡°This is making me¡­ way too nervous¡­¡± ¡°Stop saying things like that.¡± ¡°Are you sure the demonic spirit didn¡¯t just consume him?¡± "I wouldn''t have even started this if that''s what I expected. And I wouldn''t have said he could control it if I didn''t believe in it." ¡°Urgh¡­¡± "I understand your worries, but your silence right now is more helpful." ¡°Okay¡ª¡± It was then¡­ Glow¡­ Glooow¡­ The pure white pearl began shining in a myriad of colors. ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s finished.¡± Gloooow¡­ Glooooow¡­ Then, Markon pointed at the pearl. ¡°I-It¡¯s ck!¡± As Markon pointed out, the pearl slowly became tainted with a ck hue and remained unchanged thereafter. ¡°......¡± ¡°Pilgrims, ready our preparatio¡ª¡± ¡°Stop! We don¡¯t know yet.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± As Markon and Frannan made a fuss, unsure what to do, something slipped out of the pearl. Fwirl! ¡°Snowman!¡± ¡°What happened?!¡± yelled Frannan, worriedly. He seemed much more concerned than he had initially let on. ¡°......¡± Seol began tough, not saying a word. After seeing hisughter, the others in the room rxed as if all tension had suddenly left their bodies. Frannan then asked Seol. ¡°Then why is the pearl¡­¡± ¡°Not reacting?¡± And his question was soon answered. Bzzzt¡­ Countless messages poured into Seol¡¯s vision. [A grand experience! You have sessfullypleted the pearl''s test.] [All stats have increased by 2.] [Snowman concludes the session ceremony.] [The session ceremony continues.] ¡­¡­ Crackle¡­ The ck pearl began to change once more. First, the ckness in the pearl slowly coalesced toward the center, while the white sections filled the rest of the area. Crackle¡­ And as it did, the pearl slowly took on a new form. ¡°...Amp?¡± ¡°It¡¯s amp?¡± Craaaackle! The pearl transformed into the same peculiarmp that Seol had created within the mental world. tter¡­ As themp hovered in ce, chains extended outward, gracefully wrapping around Seol''s hand. [The pearl changes form to best suit the sessor.] [Warning! Impurities are detected within the pearl.] [The pearl absorbs the impurities, turning it into strength.] [Holy+Abomination: Agony is born!] [You have earned the Inaugural Achievement ''Mutation''.] [You have earned the Inaugural Title ''Collector''.] Seol read over the text multiple times to confirm it. ¡®Holy¡­+Abomination?¡¯ In The World of Eternity, item qualities were typically categorized as Relic, Holy Relic, Abomination, or Treasure, never abination. There had never been an instance of an item having multiple qualities. ¡®Then¡­ is it a mutation like what the achievement suggests?¡¯ [[Inaugural Title: Collector] Rted Achievement: Mutation (Adventure: N/A) Bonus Effect: While equipped with one or more Holy+Abomination quality items, resistance to all abnormal status effects is increased by 20%.] - ¡­What kind of fucking title is this? - Are titles not allowed to affect stats like that? - Nah, it¡¯s because if Snowman wants to raise his abnormal status resistance, he¡¯s ¡®forced¡¯ to equip that item. It¡¯s because there¡¯s a condition to it. - Ah, I see. Yeah, forcing you to equip an item is a bit annoying. Though Seol had used items with higher qualities before, it was his first time equipping an item as unique as this. It possessed a quality that had never even been mentioned in the strategy guides. ¡®Is it because of Agony? Then what about the effects¡­¡¯ [[Holy+Abomination: Agony] Quality: Holy+Abomination Rmended Level: 30-40 Damage: 100 Durability: 300/300 Weight: 1.0kg A miraculous item born from a pearl, an ancient holy relic, has transformed itself to the will of its sessor. During the session process, this peculiar weapon was supported by magic to allow a demonic spirit, a mass of demonic energy, to be imnted, enabling its powers to be effectively utilized without drawbacks. Through thebination of the Abomination''s traits and the pearl''s trait of growing with the sessor, an Exceptionality has been formed. Basic Effect: All stats +25 Bonus Effect: Tuner (Exceptionality), Diverse (Unique), Blood Connection (Unique). This item is regarded as both an Abomination and a Holy Relic. You may only equip one Holy+Abomination quality item at a time. Durability gradually recovers as long as the demonic spirit remains alive.] ¡®Exceptionality? This item has an Exceptionality?¡¯ Exceptionalities had effects that improved the user''s skills overall. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I got one so soon even though I¡¯m low leveled¡­¡¯ [[Tuner (Exceptionality)] - Your summons¡¯ stats are increased by 20%, Agony¡¯s damage is doubled while using Exceptional Skill: Night Crow, Shadow Summon¡¯s chance to pass on high-rank skills to summons is increased by 40%, 10% chance ofpletely recovering the mana used from Night Crow: Iron Fist Rule, Shadow Space is increased by 900, the level ofpletion for creations made by you, personally, is increased.] ¡®Oh my god¡­¡¯ Exceptionalities were like an explosion of skill improvements. They brought overall growth that suited the owner based on their current skills and traits. Typically, Exceptionalities only appeared in equipment made with the infusion of the wearer''s own mana or within ancient ruins. - There¡¯s so many effects? - I thought it was just going to be a simple effect, but there¡¯s so much shit LOL - Is this because of the pearl? Or Agony? - Does that really matter here? [[Diverse (Unique)] - If desired by the wearer, the demonic spirit can transform this item into a pair of gauntlets.] ¡®Wait, was this effect created because of Night Crow?¡¯ It seemed that this item would typically resemble amp and then transform into a pair of gauntlets resembling the Mountain Fists once Seol entered the Night Crow form. [[Blood Connection (Unique)] - The demonic spirit can instantly discern the wearer''s will. Furthermore, as the wearer grows, so too does the connected demonic spirit, which in turn contributes to the overall growth of the item.] ¡®The equipment¡­ also grows?¡¯ This was likely a part of Agony¡¯s original effect, the ability to be stronger the more blood it consumed. It seemed that this effect had been enhanced into Blood Connection. ¡®And if you add the fact that this item counts as both a Holy Relic and an Abomination¡­¡¯ The gent¡¯s Seal should alsoe into effect. [You have currently equipped 2 Abominations.] [All of your stats increase by 10.] [All of your skills have their mana costs decreased by 10%.] ¡®I knew it!¡¯ As Seol excitedly tried to grab Agony¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­¡± A ck light flickered from within the whitentern. Flicker¡­ Frannan took a defensive stance. ¡°It¡¯s about to wake up. Everyone, get ready just in case.¡± ¡°...Okay.¡± ¡°This is the most important part, so focus!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± As Seol carefully put his hand forth, thentern floated in ce before flying toward him. [My head¡­ it hurts, it hurts so much!] ¡°Are you up now, Agony?¡± asked Frannan. He carefully observed Agony, who was rolling around within Seol¡¯smp. [Huh? Ahhh¡­ Are you that¡­ old human?] ¡°I am. How do you feel?¡± [It feels awful¡­ Was I dreaming? Hahahahaha! But right now¡­ I don''t want to think about anything at all.] Agony''s voice remained as frightening as ever, like that of a demon. The pilgrims gasped as they epted the unfortunate result. ¡°It¡¯s clear that it failed¡­¡± ¡°I knew it was impossible.¡± ¡°Vicar Chameli, we should prepare the purification ceremony immediately¡­¡± Frannan turned around, raising his index finger to his lips. ¡®Please, shut the fuck up!¡¯ mouthed Frannan. After delivering his message to them, he turned back to Agony with aforting smile. ¡°Agony, what kind of evil things do you want to do today? Let me in on your ns.¡± re¡­ Agony, who had been resting in thentern, gave a devilish grin. [Yeah, that''s it! That''s what I forgot! Even so... I cane up with a terrifyingly evil n in an instant, for I am the great Agony, the genius of corruption! Hahaha...] Frannan''s hope dwindled after hearing that. He quietly murmured to himself, "So it failed..." And almost as if it were trying to drive the nail deeper into Frannan''s heart, Agony continued. [I n to do tremendous evil! That¡¯s what I enjoy the most!] ¡°Okay, sure¡­ so what do you n to do?¡± As everyone slowly prepared to purify themp, Agony spoke up. [Tonight¡­ I¡¯ll sleep superte.] ¡°...What?¡± [My body¡¯s trembling just thinking about it!] ¡°......¡± [Hey, want to join?] ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± [Why? Does it make your heart pound too fast? This is why humans are... Ah! I can''t hold myself back anymore! I should take a nap right now so I can sleep eventer!] Every single pilgrim contorted their faces in confusion, as if they had witnessed something that should never exist. ¡°H-How is this a demonic spirit¡­ This isn¡¯t the demonic spirit I knew¡­¡± ¡°What is this¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± - In this other world, the worst demonic spirit is just a little kid?! - Life is important! Kekeke¡­ - My wish is for world peace¡­ kekeke¡­ - I love you mom and dad, kekeke¡­ - Putting ¡®kekeke¡¯ at the end doesn¡¯t make you a viin ?? Frannanughed before whispering to Seol. "It seems like it was a sess. Agony will believe it''s the most evil thing in the world for a long, long while." ¡°Are there any worries about it reverting to its original nature?¡± "Not at all. No matter what you do, it won''t easily be evil. I made sure of that. The Holy Relic''s power is strong too, so do as you please." ¡°...Thank you.¡± Seol nkly looked at the chain connecting him to Agony before pulling it. tter¡­ As thentern shook because of it, Agony cried out. [Hey, you''re making it shake! I bumped into the wall because of you! ...Oh? Were you... perhaps up to evil deeds as well? Hahaha... How thrilling. To dare challenge me... I''ll make farting noises with my mouth when you''re around a bunch of people. They won''t say anything, but they''ll all think it''s you!] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * They arrived at Frannan¡¯s Timbrian vi. Though it was a vi, it wasrge enough tofortably amodate twenty or so residents at a time. Furthermore, it was impably maintained. The fact that it remained in such pristine condition despite Frannan''s prolonged absence only underscored his immense wealth. Regardless, Frannan, after concluding his business with Seol, had returned here and was indulging in strong alcohol. Was it because he was thirsty? Of course not. Then was it because he just wanted to drink like usual? It also wasn¡¯t that. ¡°Damn it¡­ shit¡­¡± There is always a reason why people seek stronger alcohol. He was, as ever, an Aspect Magician. Though he had abandoned the tower''s influence for some unknown reason, he was still tethered to it. Once a member of the magic towers, always a member of the magic towers. Knock, knock. ¡°Master, your guest has arrived.¡± ¡°Ah, him. Bring him here.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Creak¡­ Seol appeared with Agony, who was floating behind him. ¡°Wee. Have a seat.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be suspicious wherever you go with that thing floating behind you,¡±ughed Frannan ¡°...That¡¯s just something I¡¯ll have to deal with.¡± Pour¡­ Frannan filled his empty ss with more alcohol. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten the promise you made for me helping you¡­ right?¡± Frannan had used the pearl¡¯s powers to let Seol control Agony. And in exchange for Frannan¡¯s assistance, Seol had agreed to help Frannan with something. ¡°Yes, I remember it.¡± ¡°Sometimes when you make a trade¡­ there are those moments.¡± ¡°What moments are you referring to?¡± "When you suddenly profit, like when an item you were supposed to sell shoots up in price overnight." ¡°...Are you saying that you ended up making an unexpected profit, Frannan?¡± Frannan¡¯s face stiffened. Seol thought hard about what he meant. ¡®I agreed to help him, but the value of my help went up? That likely means that¡­¡¯ ¡°The problem I was supposed to help you with became harder, didn¡¯t it?¡± asked Seol. "Exactly. However, I don¡¯t like this either. It bes much harder for me as well." ¡°What could have happened¡­¡± ¡°Before I met you, the Libra Tower, the tower that I was affiliated to, sent me a request,¡± said Frannan. Frannan took a sip of alcohol before continuing. "The Tower Master had taken a brief leave, and due to the potential risk of the tower unity of Libra failing in their absence, they requested that I, one of the Aspect Magicians, assumemand." ¡°And you refused them.¡± ¡°I refused them, but I changed my mind. After meeting you.¡± ¡°Meeting me?¡± "Yeah. It would be boring if I went alone, but having apanion changes things. That''s why I nned to take you there while also showing you around every once in a while, but..." Slide. Frannan ced a letter with a broken seal on the table. ¡°Read it. It just arrived today.¡± Seol opened the letter made of a mysterious material and read through it. As he neared the end, a worried look filled his face. ¡°Is this¡­ real?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe it, huh? I didn¡¯t either¡­ at first.¡± Frannan put down his ss. ¡°The Tower Master is missing. They¡¯ll probably be making a search party.¡± ¡°Then that means¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be going, of course, and¡­¡± Frannanughed. It was a forcedugh. Heughed at himself. ¡°You¡¯reing with me. I won¡¯t let you refuse it either.¡± Countless messages appeared in Seol¡¯s vision. [Adventure ''Libra Search Party¡¯ is scheduled.] [This Adventure is very dangerous.] [This Adventure is expected to be a long journey.] [Because this Adventure is a ''Linked Adventure'' you cannot choose your next Adventure.] "I''ve heard some details about where the Tower Master was headedst, and... I can tell you, this is going to be an absolute pain to go through." Chapter 155 Seol¡¯s conversation with Frannan became rather long. Through their conversation, Seol had learned more details. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the search party¡­ will likely be crossing kingdom lines?¡± ¡°Yeah, it probably will. Is this your first time crossing borders?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been in Nevenia since I was transferred to this world.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, that makes sense. I¡¯ve heard that most transferees don¡¯t stray too far from where they were initially ced.¡± As Seol was forced to take on this Adventure, he had to extract as much information as possible. ¡°Then the current Tower Master of Libra¡­¡± ¡°Master Bornuil. You¡¯ve at least heard of his name before, right?¡± "Wouldn''t it be strange if I, a transferee, knew the names of all 12 of Zodiac''s Tower Masters?" "A sound argument. To be honest, I don''t remember them either. It''s not like most Tower Masters hold that position for long anyway." - Isn¡¯t that¡­ a huge problem? - What¡¯s the name of yourpany¡¯s CEO? - Uh¡­ Kim¡­ something Kim¡­ ¡°Why not?¡± "Heavy workload, old age, research, and a variety of other reasons. Tower Masters hold a lot of responsibility, and it isn''t easy." ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°Is it because you don¡¯t want to cross borders? Do you have a base here?¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± responded Seol while scratching his chin. Seol was simply worried about where he''d be headed after crossing the border and if he could still grow at the same pace he had grown here. ¡°But¡­ I am curious about why we have to cross the border.¡± "Well, we''re discussing the search party at the Libra Tower, right? The Libra Tower isn''t in Nevenia." "Right." "Furthermore, it''s because of where Bornuil headedst before his disappearance. Do you know about Alcatron?" It was Seol''s first time hearing about Alcatron. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. What is it?¡± "It is a recently discovered ruin. However, as it was being unearthed, a mysterious energy flowed out, halting progress." ¡°Hm¡­¡± "Well, as always, it could just be the monsters in the ruins. However, no one is taking this matter lightly. The Libra Tower Master isn''t weak enough to go missing without notice for no reason, after all.¡± "Which in turn means that there must have been a justifiable reason why he disappeared without contact." Frannan nodded. "Precisely. And another thing is worrying me. Our journey to the Libra Tower will be rather easy, but the path to Alcatron... might be a bit troublesome." ¡°...Ah!¡± ¡°Have you realized why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the monster areas, right?¡± "Yeah, there are also territories belonging to the other races mixed in, but... I doubt they''d clear a path for us so easily." ¡°Can¡¯t we just go around it, through the other nations?¡± "Unfortunately, that would make it meaningless. Time is sensitive, and that would take too long." The hostile other races and monsters¡­ Passing through their territories was a risk in and of itself. ¡®This might be¡­ a much more dangerous Adventure than I had initially thought.¡¯ Though Seol was confident in his ability to keep himself safe, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head. ¡®Since I can¡¯t refuse him¡­ I should just prepare more.¡¯ As Seol pondered, he glimpsed at Frannan. Frannan was definitely behaving strangelypared to before. Frannan continued to break out in cold sweats, as if there was an issue with his decision to return to the magic tower. Seeing the normally boisterous Frannan like this, Seol grew curious about his past. ¡°Is there¡­ a problem?¡± ¡°Problem? Haha! What problem? There¡¯s no problem¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if you really are, but¡­ you seem nervous.¡± ¡°......¡± "Had there been an issue back when you were an Aspect Magician?" ¡°What do you mean ¡®were¡¯?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°When did I ever say I ¡®was¡¯ one? I¡¯m still an Aspect Magician. I haven¡¯t given up my position yet. I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m just taking a break.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you give up your position?¡± Frannan, with longing eyes, looked elsewhere. ¡°Well¡­ if you want to be more precise, I wanted to give up on being a magician altogether.¡± * * * Two individuals, a man and a woman, both adorned in uniforms with gleaming shoulder pieces, conversed over a meal. Only by understanding the significance of their epaulets could one truly grasp the importance of these two figures. The two sharing the meal were Frannan and Yurin, Aspect Magicians of the Libra Tower. However, now, they were old enough to be seen as theirter years. Yurin took a bite of the meat as she spoke to Frannan. "You damned headache, magic isn¡¯t meant to be kept to yourself. When you use spells that others can¡¯t theoreticallyprehend, it¡¯s no different from using a spell to intentionally fool them." ¡°Well, that¡¯s the kind of magician I¡¯m trying to be.¡± ¡°Asshole.¡± ¡°What now¡­¡± ¡°You should be trying to pass on what you¡¯ve learned to the future. Do you know how much Bornuil is badgering me?¡± ¡°Why is he annoying you this time?¡± "He¡¯s using me to persuade you into taking disciples." ¡°I told him I didn¡¯t want to do that before, that old¡­¡± "You, me, him, we¡¯re all damn old, who cares! Argh, the only thing you care about is making yourself look cool. You never gave a rat¡¯s ass about doing something for the tower. I still have no idea why Veil epted a bastard like you when it only ended up causing him more stress." ¡°Hah¡­¡± Frannan was a master of enchantment. And Yurin, who was sitting in front of Frannan, was a master of mind spells. Frannan paused for a moment before lightening the mood with a different topic. ¡°Are you not going to brag about your amazing pupil today?¡± asked Frannan. ¡°Do you want me to?¡± "Nope, never. You''ve been bragging about every little thing recently. I was starting to think you would brag about how she was potty trained or something now." "If I start bragging about her, are you going to listen?" "Has this old witch lost her mind?!" ¡°Hold on, unlike you, I¡¯ve been taking care of myself. I still have the allure of a mature woman, alright?¡± ¡°Wow, it must be so amazing¡­¡± Frannan couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter. He never could whenever he talked with her. Most magicians lived very lonely lives. In the pursuit of knowledge, they had to stand alone as they traveled down their own individual paths. However, they also often felt relief when they saw magicians of simr levels also struggle to raise their fields. It was a reassurance¡ªa reminder that they weren''t alone. Yurin had a 17-year-old disciple named Ebony. Though Frannan didn¡¯t understand why Yurin had epted Ebony as her disciple, Yurin clearly seemed to enjoy it, which Frannan didn¡¯t like. "What are you going to do by taking in such a talentless pupil¡­" Though his words were harsh, it was a truth that Yurin also epted. ¡°She may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she¡¯s a good kid.¡± ¡°Why are you repeating yourself? We all know ¡®a good kid¡¯ is just another way to call them stupid.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that better, though? Even magicians aren¡¯t fully decided on whether character or skills matter more.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? It¡¯s skills.¡± ¡°It¡¯s character. How did you be like that when you studied under Veil?¡± ¡°But I never would have ended up casually having pointless conversations with you unless I caught up with you through my skills, no?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ It¡¯s frustrating, but you¡¯re not wrong either. You were damned stubborn¡­¡± ¡°Also, I haven¡¯t changed. I¡¯ve just realized the truth. Raising the future generation? Why would I when I still don¡¯t have enough time to do my own research?¡± Yurin wiped her mouth before continuing. "I guarantee you, no one, except for the first ever magician, learned magic on their own from the start. Humans may be weak, but we are a race that umtes knowledge. That is how we¡¯ve continued to advance magic further. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll go as far as I can before recording it all for the future generation.¡± "Leaving records and teaching are different. There¡¯s nopassion in leaving behind research. You would never be able to help someone who¡¯s faltering with research. Right now, all you¡¯re doing is building a wall the future generation can¡¯t break down." The two had frequently shed over these issues. Indeed, Frannan''s reluctance to ept disciples was a source of frustration for the Libra Tower as well. Frannan, carefully, revealed his true thoughts to her. ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯m someone who could do that. I am not a great magician.¡± ¡°...We aren¡¯t thinking of the future because we are great magicians¡­¡± Yurin looked kindly at Frannan. Her gaze was warm like the sun. ¡°...It¡¯s because we are magicians.¡± ¡°Still, Ebony was a bit much.¡± ¡°You asshole¡­ I told you, she¡¯s a good kid.¡± ¡®I should have stopped her. I should have intervened more until she gave up. A worthless disciple like that, Yurin¡­ is just a hindrance to you.¡¯ Those were the words that Frannan repeats to himself to this day. Frannan then recalled the events of thest day he saw Yurin. ¡°Yurin! H-Have you lost your mind?! No! Don¡¯t do it!¡± shouted Frannan. Hum¡­ ¡°Get back, Yurin! It¡¯s toote for Ebony! We can¡¯t save her!¡± ¡°No, I can save her! I¡¯m an Aspect Magician¡­¡± ¡°Her mana¡¯s running wild! Damn it, I told you! She¡¯s too far gone! It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re an Aspect Magician right now, just let her die on her own!¡± ¡°How could I¡­¡± Ebony¡¯s research had failed. Lacking the talent to seed at a young age, she had only made countless mistakes. And as a result of her mistakes, her mana had ended up running wild in her body. The wild mana would likely lead Ebony to losing her mind, turning her into a fool. However, in that moment, her master stepped forth in her ce. Frannan instinctively knew what Yurin was attempting to do. She was trying to shoulder Ebony¡¯s burden instead. ¡°She¡¯s my disciple, Frannan,¡± said Yurin. ¡°But you¡­ you¡­¡± ¡°Frannan, if something happens, and I fail¡­¡± She then made a request to Frannan. A request that Frannan could never forget. ¡°No! I¡¯m not going to do that!¡± ¡°Stop making such a fuss. Well¡­ I leave it to you.¡± ¡°Yurin! Why¡­ Why are you doing this¡­¡± Yurin gave a big smile, shing her teeth. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m a magician.¡± Craaaaaaaackle¡­ Lightning crackled as the storm of mind spells swept through the research room. The incident ended as swiftly as it began, leaving behind a sad story for those of the Libra Tower. And like that, Frannan left the magic tower. * * * ¡°Is it because of that?¡± asked Seol with a nk expression after hearing Frannan¡¯s story. Frannan took a sip of alcohol. ¡°Yeah, I still have nightmares about that day,¡± answered Frannan. ¡°I haven¡¯t moved on since that day.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± "My apologies for bringing up something so grim. Anyway, once we''re done getting ready, we''ll leave right away. Just a reminder." ¡°Understood.¡± Stand¡­ After Seol left, Frannan remained alone in the room. Crack! He tossed the ss cup in his hands, memories of Yurin after the incident flooding back. - Who are you, mister? - ¡­Do you not remember me? - Nope, it¡¯s my first time meeting you! - ¡­When did you arrive here? - Just yesterday! I officially became a magician yesterday! - ¡­¡­ - Mister? - How admirable. Though Yurin¡¯s old body was unharmed, her mind had regressed to that of a 7-year-old girl''s. - Are you some great person here, mister? - ¡­I¡¯m not. There was no way he couldn¡¯t break down after seeing his friend, an old woman, speak like a child. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back¡­¡± Ever since that day, Frannan''s only wish was to be able to run away forever. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you next time, hyung!¡± said Gyeongtaek. ¡°Yeah, sorry we couldn¡¯t talk for long,¡± answered Seol. ¡°It¡¯s alright, you¡¯re busy. Will youe back to Nevenia at least?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, we¡¯ll have to see.¡± ¡°Somi noona¡¯s going to get upset at me if you don¡¯t give her a definite answer, so make sure to give her a clear answer, please.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Gyeongtaek let out a long sigh of relief. Though Seol managed to meet Gyeontaek while he was in Timbrian, their time together was cut short by the pressing need for further preparations. ¡°Phew¡­ that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Have you finished your business well?¡± ¡°I did. Oh, the noble also wanted to thank you as well.¡± ¡°Thank me?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I kind of mentioned how I was helped by you¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have said anything, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s your choice.¡± Gyeongtaek smiled upon hearing Seol¡¯s response, relieved that Seol didn¡¯t dislike it as he had feared. ¡°Exactly! We¡¯re like brothers, and it¡¯s natural for younger brothers to brag about their older brothers, right?¡± ¡°I¡­ guess?¡± "Obviously! You have no idea how hard it was to hold myself back from saying that I knew you when people were talking about ¡®The Hero of the Clock Tower¡¯ or ¡®The Herald of Tolling Bells¡¯." ¡°......¡± After hearing Gyeongtaek, Agony interrupted. [Is that so? So you don¡¯t enjoy being called that¡­ huh? Okay¡­ Then I¡¯ll make sure to call you that the next time we¡¯re around people! Kekeke¡­ I knew it, I¡¯m evil!] - How did he instantly know what Snowman disliked? LMFAO - It really is a demonic spirit, huh¡­ - It might just be faking being tamed. Seol shot Agony a re, causing it to shut its mouth. ¡°Regardless, see you next time.¡± ¡°Of course, hyung. Stay safe and take care. Make sure to message us! Somi noona first too, before me!¡± Seolughed as he nodded and waved. Click¡­ A mboyant carriage opened its door behind Seol, revealing Frannan. ¡°Get in, we¡¯re going,¡± said Frannan, his body half-sticking out of the door. ¡°Yeah.¡± Seol stepped into the carriage. And when he did¡­ he saw someone he didn¡¯t expect to see. ¡°...Chameli?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ So¡­ I-It¡¯s nice to see you again?¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Frannan answered in her stead. "Zodiac sent a request to the ck Pilgrims. It won¡¯t just be the Nevenian Parishing to help either. There will probably be more." ¡°Is this that big of an incident?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it is, but it also isn¡¯t. Regardless, it will probably be quiterge-scale.¡± To think that Zodiac dragged in the ck Pilgrims who had nothing to do with this¡­ Seol thought once more about this Adventure, contemting the number of people who would be involved. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°...Oh?¡± There were more people in the carriage. Two individuals, whom Seol didn¡¯t recognize, were sitting with them, but for some reason... they felt familiar. ¡°Haven¡¯t we met before?¡± asked Seol while scratching his head. The two individuals were a man and a young woman. Though Seol couldn¡¯t recall the woman, he definitely remembered seeing the man before. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Snowman. It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Ah, so we have. So¡­¡± The man nced at Seol¡¯s belt. Seol immediately recalled it, though the man looked quite different from before. ¡°Ah! Back then, you¡­¡± He was a man who, despite his cold expression, offered warm advice for Seol¡¯s future. In fact, he was also the one who gifted Seol with the invitation to the magic tower, which now resides in Seol¡¯s inventory. ¡°ine?¡± Chapter 156 ine, the Hail Magician. - If you ever need to visit Aquarius, use this invitation. Being unfriendly to outsiders is an unfortunate custom of the Magic Towers, after all. While recalling his memories of ine, Seol also tried to recall his memories of the woman next to him. ¡°Are you¡­ Fryn?¡± ¡°I am! You remembered me?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve changed¡­ quite a bit¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t just ¡®quite a bit¡¯. She changed so much that Seol would have believed if Fryn called herself a shapeshifter. She had gotten rid of her pigtails and the sses that made her eyes look small. Now, she had long, luxurious hair and big eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve changed, haven¡¯t I? It''s because I don¡¯t have to do exhausting work anymore, I can go back to the tower.¡± ¡°Should I¡­ be congratting you for it?¡± ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t bad news, is it? You have no idea how hard it was for a delicate girl like me to sleep outdoors for so long,¡± said Fryn, feigning tears. It was evident to everyone in the carriage that she was joking around. She then followed up with a friendlyugh. ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re exactly the same as I remember you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the same?¡± ¡°Yeah! The aura of a hero I felt when I first met you, it¡¯s still there! I knew I had an eye for people.¡± ine cringed as Fryn made a fuss. ¡°You have no idea how much of a headache she was, asking every day about when you¡¯d be visiting the tower, Snowman. So, on that note, when will you be visiting?¡± "Next time, if I have the chance..." Seol''s response was weak, but Fryn didn''t mind at all. "It''s fine! We''re joining the meeting this time anyway." Hearing that the Aquarius Magic Tower was joining the meeting, Seol had more questions. ¡°But¡­ Why is Aquarius joining a meeting about Libra matters?¡± asked Seol. "It''s not just us, though. I''m pretty sure every magic tower in Zodiac has a representative." Frannan nodded after hearing that. "Yeah. I doubt they''re here to assist us directly, just to advise, but... even that is a huge help." Fryn raised a finger. "I''ve heard from various sources that apparently, this discussion will involve an unprecedented number of different organizations, from all societal levels!¡± ine nced at Frannan to read his expression before stopping Fryn. ¡°Fryn, this incident involves Master Bornuil going missing. It is not a light matter. Do not forget to be mindful of your actions.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ okay¡­¡± But instead, it was Frannan whoughed to lift the mood. "Hahaha! No need to dampen the mood too much. Who knows, maybe Bornuil just got dementia. You can be mindful once everything''s confirmed. It wouldn¡¯t be toote then, anyway. But anyway, ine..." ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Have you not be an Aspect Magician yet? I thought you¡¯d be the one to be the youngest ever Aspect Magician.¡± "How could someone as foolish as me dare to dream of bing one..." "Haha... you make me wonder if your humble nature is intrinsic or something you picked up." Fryn interrupted in an upset tone. "Aspect Magician Frannan! It definitely isn''t because Master iscking in skills! It''s just that the other Aspect Magicians are so incredible that..." "Well, that''s something I''m well aware of, too. Those old farts are practically the poster children for stubborn magicians. But achieving something like that so early will only lead to stress. You''ll just end up with wrinkles andin all the..." - I still have no idea why Veil epted a bastard like you when it only ended up causing him more stress. Frannan, who had beenughing along, suddenly stopped in the middle of his sentence. Though everyone noticed that something was off, no one mentioned it. The carriage continued its journey, and naturally, due to the considerable distance between Timbrian and the country''s border, they had to spend nights here and there in the open wilderness. ¡°Woah¡­ what kind of meat is this?¡± said Fryn. Fryn and ine were in awe of Seol¡¯s cooking. However, Chameli, who knew the truth behind Seol¡¯s dishes, wore a worried expression. "...In the scriptures, there is a verse that says knowing everything is more of a curse than a blessing. The fate of the schr Myolu, whose soul was inevitably taken by a demon before dying in pain, proves this,¡± said Chameli. ¡°Huh? Why are you mentioning that all of a sudden?¡± ¡°...Regardless, let¡¯s talk about something else.¡± As the carriage continued its journey, one day, while Fryn and Agony were asleep... "I know we''re heading south to cross Adeline''s border and reach the Libra Tower, but... do we have ns for whates after that?" "It will be decided at the meeting. The most likely oue is for us to continue southward." ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°For now, let¡¯s just worry about crossing the border first. I¡¯m worried that we¡¯d be thest to arrive at this rate.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * After a few more days, Seol arrived at the southernmost point of Nevenia, at its border. However, he had also encountered a brief setback. ¡°What the hell is this?!¡± ¡°This is quite¡­¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± There were countless people in line to cross the border, to the point that it was impossible to see the end from where they were. Seol grimaced in response. ¡®This is¡­ going to take longer than I thought.¡¯ It would clearly take a long, long while for the entire line to pass through inspection. It could even potentially take days. ¡°Wh-what should I do, sir?¡± asked the coachman. ¡°...Let¡¯s go to the front of the line and see what happened. If we wait for the line to clear up, we¡¯ll just be making the guests arriving at the Libra Tower wait.¡± In truth, this decision also came with its own risks. Moving to the front of the line would also take considerable time. If more people were to appear while they were on their way to the front, it would take even longer to pass inspection and cross the border. And as the carriage neared the front of the line¡­ ¡°Woah, woah! Hold on, stop!¡± ¡°Who the hell is this?!¡± ¡°Just give me a moment. Listen to me!¡± The carriage suddenly halted as voices could be heard from outside. It was dangerous for a carriage to stop abruptly, so this wasn¡¯t amon urrence. ¡°S-Sir Frannan, he¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you inside. You¡¯re the one in charge, right?¡± Tap, tap¡­ The man tapped on the carriage door. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a chat?¡± ¡°Y-You little¡­¡± The coachman was about to angrily shout at the man, but Frannan stopped him. ¡°It¡¯s alright. What is it?¡± ¡°I came to offer you a proposal. You¡¯re trying to cut in line right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°......¡± "It''s obvious. A shiny carriage with cute girls inside... You''re probably from some rich noble house, thinking you can bribe the guards to pass through inspection more quickly." ¡°And if I am?¡± asked Frannan back, amused. "Then you picked the wrong time. And that method''s been blocked off for a looong time. Anyone who ever took money had their heads taken off." "...Really?" "I sure am!¡± said the man before continuing, ¡°Transferees have appeared out of nowhere and are traveling wherever they want. Merchants and mercenaries smell money in the air and are on the move. The number of people trying to cross borders has increased fivefold. If you''re only going to wait in line, it''s going to take you roughly two days to pass inspection." ¡°Hm¡­ so?¡± "What do you think about this? We''ll include you in our party. It''s our turn soon, after all." ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± ¡°At just the low, low price of 50 gold coins. I¡¯m not even asking for a lot, don¡¯t you think? It¡¯s our turn soon too.¡± The coachman huffed in fury, clearly restraining himself from unleashing a tongueshing only because of Frannan''s order. Seol also saw a few options. [[A mysterious wanderer has offered to help you cross the border. How do you respond?] 1. Wouldn¡¯t that be the same thing as cutting in line? 2. Let me pay instead, Frannan. 3. We don¡¯t need to listen to him. There¡¯s nothing that money can¡¯t buy. I¡¯m sure even the guard will let us through if we pay him 50 gold coins. 4. 50 gold coins is nothing. Let¡¯s just pay him and cross quickly. 5. (Don¡¯t do anything.) ¡­¡­] Seol chose to do nothing. He chose to believe in Frannan, who was essentially the leader of this party. ¡°...50 coins is a bit steep.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you kidding me? I¡¯d be letting you skip two days of waiting!¡± - This dude¡¯s trying to cheat Frannan LMFAOO - He¡¯s trying to be Frank Abagnale. - Who the fuck is that? LOOOL Frannan smiled and declined the offer with a gesture. The man, angered by the disrespect, began grinding his teeth. ¡°Next time, it''ll cost you 80 gold coins.¡± ¡°Oh, the price went up so quickly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called interest.¡± ¡°It seems like you and I live in quite different worlds,¡± scoffed Frannan. ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh.¡± Frannan¡¯s carriage passed by the wanderer, straight toward the inspection checkpoint. ¡°Argh, seriously! Just let us through!¡± ¡°There is an order to things. What the¡­¡± The chaos at the checkpoint couldn¡¯t be described in words. The guards were clearly overwhelmed by the crowd which only seemed to increase. And that was exactly why they were more than furious when Seol''s party cut through the lines and proceeded to the front. In truth, it was a perfectly understandable reason to be upset. ¡°Halt! Who the fuck¡­¡± Click. Frannan opened the doors to the carriage and stepped out. ¡°We¡¯re in a rush right now, could you please pass us first?¡± asked Frannan. "Please, return to the back of the line. I''ll let this slide, but there''s a limit to how much I''ll tolerate." Slide¡­ Frannan pulled out something from his pocket. It was a broach, one with a unique design. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Even if I have this?¡± "A magic tower emblem... so you were a magician. Even so, I still cannot allow you to pass. This line is..." The wanderer who had made the proposal to Frannan earlier began tough loudly, clutching his stomach. ¡°Hahahahahaha! Would you look at that?! What? A magician? Wow, you were some incredible magician! But¡­ Are magicians any different from us? Hm? We all walk on two feet. You shouldn¡¯t act like that!¡± Frannan showed his patience. ¡°Look closely.¡± ¡°I did look closely. You just can¡¯t¡ª¡± Before the guard could finish his sentence, an individual who appeared to be in charge of the checkpoint was drawn in by themotion. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why aren¡¯t you working?¡± "It''s because this magician keeps trying to cut the line and pass through..." ¡°There are still magicians who act like that? When does he think this is? Let me handle¡­ uh¡­ huh?¡± ¡°Please, he¡¯s not listening at all¡ª¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°Where the hell are your eyes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ on my face¡­?¡± ¡°Are you sure they aren''t on your ass?¡± ¡°...Excuse me, sir?¡± ¡°Or did you leave them at home? Look for them again.¡± The guard, noticing something strange, started to falter. ¡°I-I¡­ I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re acting like this, sir¡­¡± said the guard. "That''s the Aspect Magician emblem, you fool! Haven''t you learned that ranks above Aspect don¡¯t have to go through border inspection ording to the international treaty?" ¡°......¡± ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°I did learn that, sir.¡± The captain of the checkpoint approached Frannan, carefully observed the emblem, then returned it with a bow. "I apologize for the discourtesy. In fact, we even received a letter of cooperation, but it seems it hasn''t been properly ryed to our lower-ranking guards. I''ll take responsibility for this oversight." ¡°Haha¡­ you don¡¯t need to go that far. Good work.¡± Frannan patted the captain¡¯s shoulder then whispered something to him. ¡°Understood!¡± answered the captain. ¡°Well then¡­¡± After Frannan¡¯s carriage passed through the checkpoint, the captain turned around to the wanderer and slowly approached him. "It''s troublesome when you disrupt the peace at the checkpoint. Please return to the back of the line." ¡°Wh-what? How could that be?! And how did I disrupt the peace?!¡± ¡°Then are you iming that an Aspect Magician of Libra lied? If you really want to make an issue out of things¡­ there are plenty¡­¡± ¡°A-An Aspect Magician of Libra?!¡± ¡°So, what would you like to do?¡± The wanderer looked around but it was to no avail. "If you could please create some room for my carriage to back away... I will return to the end of the line," said the defeated wanderer. ¡°A good decision. See? You could do it.¡± * * * A few days after crossing the border, the carriage had fully escaped the city and was traversing the open wilderness. As Seol gazed out at the vastnds, he was lost in his thoughts. ¡®Ah, right. The towers were quite far from the cities, weren''t they?¡¯ All goods were periodically imported into the towers through trade. Given that each tower was as vast as a city, a significant amount of trade also urred within them. ¡°We will be arriving soon. If you¡¯d look over there¡­¡± As the coachman continued, everyone in the carriage looked outside. ¡°The tower! It¡¯s the Libra Tower!¡± ¡°I see it over there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing the Libra Tower! Woah¡­ Master! It¡¯s much cooler than the Aquarius Tower.¡± "The Libra Tower does look the best. I''ll take you to the other towerster too." "That''s a promise!" ¡°Once you reach a higher level.¡± ¡°...Too far.¡± As they drew closer to the tower, they felt a sizzling sensation of mana. It was clearly the Tower''s barrier, designed to defend against outsiders. ¡°It seems that we¡¯re notst, at least. There¡¯s a carriage over there as¡­ huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± "It''s nothing. I must be seeing things." ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Just¡­ look over there.¡± The party in the carriage turned to look in the direction that the coachman was pointing. ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± ¡°Is that a monster?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a baku!¡± Baku. They were monsters that resembled rhinos, quite violent creatures that you had to run away from if you encountered them. However, someone riding a Baku was heading toward them. ¡°Huh? Huuuh? It¡¯s¡­ getting closer to us?¡± ¡°What should I do, Sir Frannan? It¡¯s way too close already.¡± ¡°How interesting. Keep going,¡± growled Frannan. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Rumble Rumble¡­ Brrrooooo! The baku let out a horrible shriek as it approached. While Fryn was terrified and shaking, the others were all curious about who the individual riding the baku was. ¡®Who could it be?¡¯ Well, first, judging by their robes, they were far from ordinary. After all, they were massive, to the point that the robe couldn¡¯t hide it. Rumble Rumble¡­ The baku closed in on the carriage, riding right alongside it, and the mysterious person finally spoke up. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at simr times, that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Huh? Who is that?¡± After hearing his voice, Frannan was confused, and the others shared in his confusion, as they had no idea who it was. However, Seol was the only one to stick his head out of the window. "This voice... don¡¯t tell me," Seol said. "Yes, it''s me," came the reply from the robed master of the baku. The others in the carriage were shocked. "A-A troll?" "It''s a troll!" "Mael!" Seol shouted, weingly. [The requirements have been met.] [Helper ¡®Mael, the Star Child¡¯ has appeared in this Adventure.] [Helper ¡®Mael, the Star Child¡¯ will join you in this Adventure as an ally.] Mael, who had grown a small beard, calmly gave Seol a smile from atop the baku. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Snowman!¡± Chapter 157 Seol was taken aback by Mael''s big smile as he rode the baku to the Libra Tower. ¡®Mael¡¯s joining this Adventure? He shouldn¡¯t have any connections to them, though?¡¯ Rumble rumble¡­ Seol, after promising himself to ask Mael questions the moment they arrived at the tower, patiently waited for just that. ¡°Halt. Everyone, please stop right there.¡± Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive at the entrance. ¡°Urgh¡­ The mana here is too heavy, Master,¡± said Fryn. ¡°That¡¯s to be expected, though. The Libra Tower is specialized in this, after all.¡± - Why did Mael show up here? - WTF? MAEL? - How is it all connected? - Why is a troll at the magic tower? - That¡¯s kind of racist. - But trolls aren¡¯t humans, though? - I guess that¡¯s true. I guess you¡¯re species-ist? - Ah, you¡¯re right. My bad. Those weren¡¯t the only reactions Mael''s unexpected appearance received from the viewers. Many also learned something from Seol¡¯s experience in Yognatun. - Holy shit¡­ How big is this getting if Mael is joining? - Honestly, Mael is just a sign that this Adventure will go crazy LMFAO - Seriously, he just makes things bigger¡­ - Just like how Conan is always around crime scenes¡­ - No, crimes happen because Conan shows up ?? After a few moments, Seol stepped out of the carriage to greet Mael. ¡°Have you been well?¡± asked Mael. "It''s always the same old for me, but... What brings you to the Libra Tower?" Mael gave a big smile once more before responding. ¡°It is likely for the same reason as you, Snowman.¡± Frannan had a confused expression after hearing that. ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t hear anything about trolls joining us?¡± asked Frannan. Mael turned to Frannan with a sincere expression. "Then have you perhaps heard about the Artifact Association being rted to this matter?¡± "I have. Ah, I see. So you were a member of the Artifact Association?" "I am." Only then did Frannan start nodding to himself, as if he understood the situation. "I knew the guys from the Artifact Association were freaks, but I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be hiding a treasure like this. Ah, that was apliment. I wasn¡¯t trying to insult you." "Then I will also ept it as apliment and thank you for it, human." Despite his extensive career as a magician, it was Frannan¡¯s first time encountering a troll perfectly adapted to human society like this. He gave Mael a curious nce before asking further. ¡°So, how did you two know each other?¡± "I owe a huge debt to Snowman," Mael replied. "He yed a significant role in allowing me to step into the world." "Oho¡­ that¡¯s quite interesting. Would it be possible to hear that story at ater time?" "Of course, it''s not a story that needs to be hidden. However, I wonder if we will have the time for it.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± Rrrrrnt The baku that Mael rode made a low growl as someone approached it. "Whoa, whoa... Good boy, Baku. Mael! I thought we agreed to stick together! What am I supposed to do when you go off on your own because you''re too excited?" "Ah, my apologies. I couldn''t contain my excitement after seeing my savior once more." "Hm? Oh my goodness... Frannan?" "Oh? Yofimba? Were you the one who came with this troll?" Yofimba, the individual standing next to Mael, was a dwarf. Though he was short, his body was stout like a log. "Hahahaha! How could we, the Artifact Association, stay still when the great Libra Tower needs help? In fact, I was so excited that I wanted to arrive sooner, but... as you can see over there, the others are a bit slow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s reassuring to have you personallye, but¡­ will you be the only one joining the meeting?¡± ¡°Of course not. Our Mael will be joining as well.¡± ¡°Our Mael? Hahaha¡­¡± Yofimba, the dwarf, cheekily smiled before turning to Seol. "Oh? I''m somewhat familiar with the others, but it''s my first time seeing this individual." "He''s a transferee." "...What?" "And... I think he also has a rtionship with the troll that you''ve brought?" Yofimba turned to Mael this time. "...Was the ''savior'' you were referring to before a transferee?" ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Yofimba slowly closed the distance between himself and Seol before carefully studying Seol''s face. ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± ¡°......¡± After the quick inspection, Yofimba put his hand forth. "If you''re a friend of Mael''s, then you''re a friend of the Artifact Association. Which means you''re also a friend of mine! Nice to meet you!" ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you as well, my name is Snowman.¡± "We''re slowly getting close to the meeting time, so let''s chat after it ends! Frannan, let''s head in. I''m sure everyone''s waiting." ¡°Mhm.¡± The guards, who had already confirmed Frannan''s visit, bowed deeply before greeting them. "We sincerely wee your visit. Furthermore... you have returned at a very important time, Sir Frannan." ¡°Can I go in now?¡± asked Frannan. ¡°Of course, O Guardian of Truth.¡± Hmmm¡­ As they stepped atop the magic circle, they were immediately transported elsewhere. When they arrived, they were greeted first by the cheers of others. ¡°I-It¡¯s Sir Frannan!¡± ¡°He returned! He really returned!¡± ¡°Aspect Magician Frannan! Wee back!¡± Countless magicians in the Libra uniform couldn''t hide their surprise upon seeing Frannan. Some were so shocked that they embarrassingly dropped what they were carrying. ¡°......¡± Frannan hadn''t taken even a sip of alcohol on his way there. He, with his overgrown beard, paid no mind to the moring magicians and continued on his way. ¡°W-Wait one second, Sir Frannan!¡± ¡°Oh? Is that you? It¡¯s been a while.¡± A magician chased after Frannan. The young woman gasped for air before earnestly passing something over to him. "I thought it might be best for you to wear your attire before heading in... so I brought this¡­¡± It was a uniform with an epaulet reserved for Aspect Magicians. It had been well-kept, clearly showing that someone had carefully maintained it. "Ah... This is quite a warm wee... ha... haha..." Frannan turned around to make a request to the others. ¡°Please give me a moment, I¡¯ll change quickly.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After a few minutes, Frannan returned with a transformed look, appearing neat and clean. - Woah¡­ - Clothes really do make the man. - Where did Frannan the Drunkard go? ¡°Thanks for waiting. Now, it really is almost time, so we should head in.¡± Seol quietly stood by Frannan¡¯s side and took in the magic tower¡¯s view. ¡®So this is the magic tower¡­¡¯ They were sometimes even thought of as the manifestation of intelligence that has taken root in Pandea, pursuers of wisdom on a national scale, expansive in their reach. And as expected from one of the 12 Towers of Zodiac, the Libra Tower was filled with grandeur. Seol and the others were all in awe as they walked through the tower. ¡°We will be heading into the meeting room now,¡± said the magician guiding them before opening the door to the hall where the meeting was held. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Entering now¡­ Sir ine and Miss Fryn, representatives of the Aquarius Tower. Vicar Chameli, representative of Holy Nation Varanoa¡¯s Nevenian Branch. Sir Yofimba and Sir Mael from the Artifact Association. And finally¡­ Sir Snowman, an adventurer, and Sir Frannan, Aspect Magician of Libra.¡± Seol felt a few res as he stepped into the room. ¡®...There aren¡¯t any pushovers here.¡¯ Seol noticed a couple of individuals who appeared to be as old as Frannan, likely representatives dispatched from the other magic towers. As well as¡­ ¡°Huh? A troll? Isn¡¯t that a troll?¡± "What the hell, ''an adventurer¡¯? It''s not a transferee, is it?" said a man d in leather armor with a lion engraved on it. ¡®Mercenaries,¡¯ thought Seol. Seol, through the whispers of a few people, learned that named leaders of mercenary groups had joined. Despite the clique-ish nature of magicians, it seemed that the Libra Tower had invited individuals from all different walks of life. ¡®It really is impressive howrge-scale it is.¡¯ Seol realized how incredibly powerful the Libra Tower was through its ability to gather this many known individuals. ¡°Frannan¡­ so you¡¯ve returned.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°It must have been a difficult decision. Come, have a seat. I don¡¯t want to trouble my old friend any further when it¡¯s been so long since we¡¯ve seen each other.¡± Frannan smiled bitterly. ¡°...Yeah, thank you.¡± Everyone slowly found their seats. However, as there wasn¡¯t enough room for the Aquarius Magicians at the long table, they ended up sitting with the outsiders. ¡®It¡¯s because it¡¯s not their business.¡¯ Whether it was the Libra Tower receiving assistance or the other towers offering it, there seemed to be an appropriate level of distance that was epted. Frannan sat down on a marble chair that seemed to have been prepared ahead of time for him, with Chameli sitting right beside him. Seats were also offered for the Artifact Association, but the two of them remained standing as if preparing to give a presentation. Now, all that was left was for Seol to sit down. For some reason, his chair was a bit separated from the people he arrived with. ¡®Ah, it¡¯s over there.¡¯ Seol''s seat was right beside the man who had just expressed dissatisfaction with Mael being a troll and Seol being a transferee. Step. Step. Seol slowly walked toward his seat and attempted to sit down. However, the man with the lion-engraved leather armor intervened, stopping him. tter¡­ He had kicked the chair away. ¡°......¡± A chill was in the air. ¡°Is this really a ce for you to butt in, transferee?¡± asked the man. ¡°Pfft¡­ hahaha¡­¡± "Aren''t your specialties passively observing? Why the hell did you show up here? You should have just kept ying ringleader like how you transferees love to do. Why¡ª" ¡°Stop it! He is a guest of Libra as well.¡± ¡°Haah¡­ is that so? Then who the fuck brought an opportunist like this?¡± ¡°...Sir Frannan.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Fine then.¡± The man only continued to stare down Seol, refusing to apologize for his actions. But then¡­ Fwirl! Seol used his Shadow Hand to reim the fallen chair. Grab. ¡°Hah¡­ interesting.¡± Seol opted to ignore him. Being in the midst of trouble served no purpose when they had assembled as allies for a mission. "Please understand," said an old man, one of the other Aspect Magicians, "The leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries has had numerous troublesome encounters with transferees." Seol absorbed the new information without a hint of care, then calmly took his seat. p! Yofimba pped to gather their attention. ¡°Ahem! Now that everyone¡¯s here¡­ let¡¯s begin immediately.¡± However, despite Yofimba¡¯s best intentions, the meeting started off with some trouble. Before Yofimba could even continue, one of the other mercenary leaders spoke up. ¡°Hey, dwarf.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a monster behind you. Aren¡¯t you scared?¡± ¡°......¡± The man was clearly treating Mael as a monster. ¡°What the hell did you say, you bastard?!¡± angrily shouted Yofimba. ¡°What did you just say to my friend?¡± ¡°Ah, he was your friend? So he¡¯s also a part of the Artifact Association? I knew you guys were freaks, but I didn¡¯t know it was this bad. Who would have thought that you¡¯d bring a troll to a ce like this! Since when were trolls our friends?¡± This time, it was another Aspect Magician who intervened. ¡°Stop it! We didn¡¯t gather here today to squabble with each other like this!¡± ¡°......¡± "If you intend to keep fighting, leave. We''d prefer to cancel our contract." After those words, the mercenaries finally quieted down. Yofimba reined in his anger and resumed leading the meeting. He began the meeting with an introduction to help things flow smoothly. After a series of information exchanges, he transitioned into the main topics. ¡°Next, we will be discussing where Master Bornuil went missing. It is also hisst known location.¡± Yofimba then turned to Mael and gave him a signal. ¡°Okay.¡± A mysterious sand began flowing out of Mael¡¯s sleeves. Swoosh¡­ The sand slowly clumped together to create a scene. ¡®That must be the ruin¡¯s entrance.¡¯ "Its name is Alcatron," began Yofimba. "It''s a ruin discovered in the southern parts of Adeline, bordering the territory of monsters. Even up to recently, this ce was still being unearthed, so I¡¯m sure there are a few people here that haven¡¯t heard about it.¡± ¡°So why is the Artifact Association leading this meeting?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a simple question to answer. It¡¯s because we, the Artifact Association, were in charge of excavating Alcatron.¡± ¡°I see¡­ then you must know a lot about it.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I know that I don¡¯t know much about it.¡± ¡°......¡± A mercenary leader, seated between the others and appearing to be the youngest among them, asked a question. "By the way... even if we ignore the elves that live there, what did you do about the troll tribe? The ck Thunder Tribe might not be too aggressive, but I doubt they left you alone after hearing the noise from the excavation process. Were there no issues then?" "Ah, an excellent question. We managed to entirely sidestep conflict by skirting around their territory. However, it did consume a considerable amount of time. We had to navigate through rough terrain to avoid the trolls." ¡°That¡¯s why I was curious. Aren¡¯t there a considerable amount of monsters there as well?¡± ¡°A thousand times better than sticking your head into a troll¡¯s mouth, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Pfft¡­ then what about the troll next to you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s my friend.¡± ¡°And the ck Thunder Tribe?¡± "They aren''t my friends yet. I haven''t even met them, so how could we be friends?" ¡°You are quite an open-minded dwarf. I should learn from you.¡± ¡°Regardless¡­ We halted our progress with Alcatron not too long ago.¡± Everyone nodded after hearing Yofimba¡¯s words. ¡°I knew that it was stopped, but we still haven¡¯t heard the reason why.¡± ¡°There was an ident. The majority of the people excavating it died.¡± ¡°...What? W-Weren¡¯t there quite a number of you?¡± "There were. There were five groups. The first two groups were fine, but the second pair of groups wentpletely missing. We were able to just barely save the final fifth group, but even they died not too long after." ¡°Why did they die, though?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°An infectious disease? An issue with the venttor?¡± Yofimba shook his head. ¡°It was neither of those. It seemed to be a mental illness of sorts, but¡­ we aren¡¯t even sure about that.¡± ¡°A mental illness? That¡¯s¡­ quite scary.¡± ¡°Is that why you called for the ck Pilgrims? Am I right in that assumption?¡± "Yes," answered Chameli. "We, the ck Pilgrims, vow to give our sincerest efforts to help solve this issue." "And we, the Libra Tower, promise to properly repay your generous heart," responded an Aspect Magician. That brief moment was all it took for the leader of the Silver Lion Mercenaries to resume inciting trouble with Seol. ¡°Hey, I just heard that you¡­ yeah, you,¡± pointed the leader. ¡°You apparently did something huge at Illia, huh?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I heard that you¡¯re quite famous amongst the transferees in Nevenia, is that right?¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y coy. So is that why you were brought here? Is it also true that you came back from the Labyrinth of Penance? Did you really do that?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Even though Seol provided just enough responses to diffuse the situation, the man perceived it as an opportunity to persistently bother Seol. ¡°Did you hear what they said about a mental illness going around in Alcatron? Wasn¡¯t it the same at the Labyrinth of Penance? Then you must know how to ovee stuff like that well, huh? Tell us, what did you learn from clearing thebyrinth?¡± The man continued to smirk and snicker to himself, clearly attempting to mock Seol. But despite all that, Seol only gave him a calm response. "I''ve learned not to get caught up in pointless arguments and to avoid conversations with idiots altogether." "...What did you just say?" the leader of the Steel Lions demanded furiously, swiftly standing up and kicking his chair back. tter¡­ [Blrrrp¡­] Everyone turned around and looked at the leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries. It was tough to look away when you heard a fart. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries slowly started to grow red. "Th-That wasn''t me! R-Regardless, those trash in Illia are trying to make you out to be something amazing... like the ck Knight rumor or something like that... What a ridiculous lie, don''t you think? You should know your ce and¨C" [Blrrrrp¡­] ¡°Argh! Who the fuck is it?!¡± Silence once again filled the hall as the mercenary leader regained hisposure. ¡°If you mess with me one more time, I¡¯ll kill you,¡± growled the mercenary leader. ¡°And you, do you really think you belong here? Don¡¯t you all agree? Why the hell is an untrustworthy transferee a part of the rescue party for the Master of the Libra Tower? What gives him the right to¡ª¡± m! The sound of someone mming the table echoed through the room, drawing everyone''s attention. All eyes turned to see Frannan. "The right? Yeah... he definitely has that.¡± ¡°...What do you mean?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s my disciple.¡± ¡°......¡± Everyone in the hall was shocked. In fact, Seol was shocked as well. It was because everyone here knew the truth. The truth that Frannan had never, ever epted a disciple before. - Why are you shocked too, Snowman? LMFAOOO - Who, me? ME? - Why me? Silence filled the halls once more before a single, quiet question broke through. ¡°S-Since when was he¡­¡± Frannan answered before they could finish. ¡°Since now,¡± he smirked. ¡°......¡± For a third time, silence enveloped the room. All except for a certain individual in Seol¡¯sntern. [Blrrrrp¡­] Chapter 158 Seol, though shocked, calmly sent Frannan a nce. ¡®...Why me?¡¯ Although Frannan had granted Seol the prestigious position of an Aspect Magician¡¯s disciple, Seol still didn¡¯t understand his reasoning at all. Seol also recognized the reality of the situation and knew that Frannan wasn¡¯t trying to be Seol¡¯s magic teacher. But then why¡­ Why did Frannan make himself the master of a transferee? ¡®Is he just trying to make me go with him no matter what?¡¯ It was true that if Seol and the leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries fought, Seol would be in more trouble than thetter. The mercenary group¡¯s leader had a faction behind him, and Seol was alone. It was also possible that the leader was exploiting this obvious fact to bully Seol out of the meeting. After all, if the two conflicted, it would naturally be harder for Seol to join the search party. Seol understood that the majority of the people in this room implicitly understood these facts. Even so, even the most obvious ns could fail if one fails to ount for their surroundings. Cartesin, one of Libra¡¯s Aspect Magicians, spoke up. ¡°A-Are you¡­ finally epting a disciple?¡± Another Aspect Magician, Ridwen, was also surprised. However, his reaction was slightly different from Cartesin¡¯s. ¡°But¡­ a transferee? Why did it have to be a transferee?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s right. Is there a reason you chose a transferee as your disciple? If it¡¯s alright with you, there are also excellent students at Libra that¡­¡± Frannan quickly cut off Cartesin. ¡°Enough. Let me do as I please. I care not if my disciple is a transferee of a child of Libra.¡± Cartesin quickly nodded and changed their attitude. ¡°That¡¯s fair as well. Who cares if they¡¯re a transferee when you, of all people, changed your mind? After all, Frannan, the most dangerous thing for the Libra Tower is if all of your individual aplishments were to disappear with you.¡± ¡°Hahaha! To think the day woulde when Frannan woulde to pass on his teachings, what could be better than this?¡± ¡°Precisely. I thought because of the incident with Yurin¡­¡± As Cartesin began to reference Yurin, Frannan immediately cut them off. ¡°Enough. There¡¯s no need to mention her at a time like this.¡± ¡°Ah, you are right¡­¡± The meeting paused for a moment as the Aspect Magicians spoke to one another, providing an opening for one of the mercenary leaders to change the topic. ¡°More importantly, how will we be going to Alcatron? I understand that we¡¯d be crossing the border once, but¡­¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± answered Yofimba. ¡°First, I¡¯m sure all of you are already aware, but this is an extremely dangerous and time-sensitive matter. Unless everyone resolves themselves, we won¡¯t be able to reach Alcatron.¡± ¡°What? Is it really that dangerous? Why? I thought the Artifact Association had already secured a path? Can¡¯t we just use that again to go to Alcatron?¡± Yofimba scratched his neck nervously, clearly troubled by that question. "Well... we sent some of our elite members earlier to confirm the trail, but... the roads we had used were destroyed by andslide. Because of that, we need to start restoring that path from scratch." ¡°What? But by the time we slowly finish restoring that route¡­ Libra might already be watching us from the heavens.¡± ¡°Mind your words. We are at the Libra Tower.¡± "But I''m right. I''m just saying what needs to be said. After hearing all this, it''s clear that the issue isn¡¯t manpower. How much more manpower could we get when we pulled in nearly every group that has previously worked with the Libra Tower? We all came here immediately after hearing that the Libra Tower was in danger. The problem is... it¡¯s that even with all of these people, there¡¯s a high possibility we don¡¯t have enough time.¡± Yofimba¡¯s expression soured after hearing that. He looked like he was contemting whether to continue or not. ¡°Hm¡­ on that note¡­ urm¡­ to be frank, there is another issue.¡± ¡°What is it? If you have something to say, tell us immediately. There¡¯s no time to waste.¡± ¡°I n to split the search party into two.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know how much of the roundabout way is cleared, and even if it is fully cleared, there is a limit to how many people can cross a day. In other words, if we all take that path, many of us will be stuck waiting until the situation has already concluded. That¡¯s why I n on splitting the parties for another potential route. Fortunately enough, we happen to have enough firepower to make it work.¡± ¡°How? I thought you said there was only one path. What would splitting the party into two even do?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s always been two paths. We¡¯ve just disregarded the other one.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°No, that can¡¯t be right!¡± The halls began to fill with murmurs. Yofimba then continued, confirming the answer everyone had already figured out. ¡°We n to go through the ck Thunder Tribe¡¯s territory.¡± "Hahahahaha! You must be out of your mind. Is everyone from the Artifact Association that crazy? I''d much rather slip off a cliff than be torn to shreds as monster fodder.¡± ¡°I agree. Isn¡¯t the ck Thunder Tribe one of the more powerful troll tribes as well?¡± ¡°You must be crazy to go in there willingly.¡± Yofimba was troubled after hearing their responses. Though he had expected some resistance, he didn¡¯t expect this much. ¡°Trolls are monsters. Even if we somehow get them to promise our safety, there¡¯s no guarantee they¡¯d change their minds and stuff us into their cauldrons.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong.¡± The Steel Lion¡¯s leader¡¯s expression shifted for a second, then turned around to ask Mael a question. ¡°Hey, what do you think?¡± ¡°...Are you asking me?¡± ¡°Yeah, you. You¡¯re a troll, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°In my personal opinion, not all trolls are the same. Though many trolls are hostile and aggressive, some aren¡¯t. Furthermore, their leaders'' personalities can also y a role, as there are instances of them reining in their aggression.¡± ¡°Really? Then what are the ck Thunder Tribe¡¯s leaders like?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ heard that they are brothers. I apologize. I did not hear much else other than that.¡± ¡°Hahaha! You don¡¯t know anything, do you?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid not. I was not a leader of my tribe, so I¡¯ve had no contact with them.¡± Mael, after saying this, nced at Seol. Sensing what Mael was trying to convey, Seol engaged in a conversation with a particr someone in his Shadow Space. An individual who could have potentially had contact with the chiefs of the ck Thunder Tribe. Jamad, the chief of the Rock Mr Tribe. ¡®You were listening, right? Do you know them?¡¯ - Of course, Ung and Ungus. They¡¯re brothers, and they¡¯re fairly decent trolls. ¡®Do you think they¡¯ll safely let us pass if we manage to have a conversation with them?¡¯ - I don¡¯t know¡­ It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯vest seen them that I can¡¯t be sure. Still, they¡¯ve got a good head on their shoulders, so a conversation might be possible? ¡®Hm¡­ is that so?¡¯ ¡°It might just be more realistic to ask us to beat a monster without any equipment¡­¡± said the leader of the Steel Lions. Yofimba took a second to pull back his anger and gave a response. ¡°Well, I can understand where you¡¯reing from. So that¡¯s why¡­ only those who wish to go that route will do so.¡± ¡°Those who wish to die, I guess. Where are you going to go, dwarf?¡± "Me? The roundabout way. There aren''t many from the Artifact Association who remember the original route, so I have to go. I''m one of the few who actually knows." ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go with you. Also, I have a condition.¡± ¡°...A condition? What condition?¡± "The troll and the transferee can''te with us. They could either leave the search party or join the suicidal party. I don¡¯t care. There is no amount of money you could pay me to travel with people that I don¡¯t trust. You could always just refuse my condition too. We¡¯ll just leave if that¡¯s the case." ¡°How could you just force our hand like¡­¡± ¡°This is the most I can concede. I also have people¡¯s lives to take care of.¡± - MAAAAAAAAN It¡¯s so obvious that he¡¯d change his mind once he tries Snowman¡¯s monster cooking. - Just have a taste,e on~ It¡¯s really good. - I can¡¯t believe he refused to bring Mael with him LOL. This is like when you try to carry someone in a game, and not only do they refuse to get carried, but they start insulting you too LMFAO - Carry Machine Mael is confused! While everyone was taken aback by the sudden turn of events, they could only steal nces at Seol and Mael¡¯s faces. After all, their responses would determine whether the Steel Lion Mercenaries would join them or not. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I ept your conditions.¡± All of them were shocked after hearing their response. ¡°A-Are you sure?¡± "It''s the ck Thunder Tribe, though. Don''t risk your lives for pride." "Yeah, and you shouldn''t make such a hasty decision either, Mercenary Leader..." "It''s fine. We''ll head toward the ck Thunder Tribe." Seol didn¡¯t make this decision because of the conditions of the mercenary leader. In truth, it didn¡¯t matter to Seol which route he took. What did matter, though, were the conditions of the route. ¡®The route I can take with Mael. That¡¯s the much safer route.¡¯ Mael was not an ordinary troll. Seol had already witnessed Mael¡¯s mystical powers at Yognatun. There was no reason to hesitate here. - The dangerous duo is reunited! - Are you sure you¡¯ll be alright, Pandea?! They¡¯re basically the Shaq and Kobe of this world. - Pandea: Krgh¡­ Why did it have to be those two¡­ The leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries scoffed at them before turning his attention towards Chameli. "Since we don¡¯t know what could happen, we should split the pilgrims in half, but¡­ Which group will you join, Vicar Chameli?" ¡°I¡­¡± Everyone in the room expected her to join the party with the leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries. After all, the party in the roundabout route clearly had much stronger individuals. With a distressed look, Chameli nced at everyone before making her decision. ¡°I will be joining the ck Thunder Tribe party.¡± ¡°...No way.¡± Clench¡­ The leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries forced out a response. ¡°Hm¡­ I understand.¡± In addition to them, the others in the room were also fully absorbed in dividing their groups into each route. As the discussions neared their conclusion, Yofimba grumbled about the disparity between them. ¡°Hm¡­ the ck Thunder Tribe party is a bitcking¡­¡± ¡°But what can we do? I thought we were only epting those willing to go there.¡± "It''s fine. I''m sure it will work itself out. Next is¡­ the most important matter." Yofimba looked around, at the Libra Tower¡¯s Aspect Magicians. ¡°Who will be taking responsibility for this expedition?¡± Even if the Tower Master went missing, not all three Aspect Magicians could leave their posts. They also had the responsibility of caring for the next generation, and if all of them died, the Libra Tower would face a dark period. ¡°I will.¡± An immediate response echoed through the room, the voice belonging to Frannan. ¡°What? Frannan! You taking responsibility would¡ª¡± ¡°Bwrgh¡­¡± Hurry, hurry¡­ Suddenly, a figure hastily darted out of the meeting room, dry heaving. ¡®...Fryn?¡¯ Despite the quick exit, Seol had confirmed that it was Fryn. ine, her master, quickly followed after her. ¡°I apologize,¡± said ine. ¡°My apprentice seems to be sick. I need to check up on her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, go.¡± Creak¡­ ¡®What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯ Fryn had been fine the entire time they were at the tower. In fact, while she was sightseeing, she was practically flying around. As Seol continued to mull over the question, the debate on who would take responsibility for the expedition continued. "It''s about time I took responsibility as well. Thank you for reaching out to me when Libra was facing challenges.¡± "Do you... truly intend to go?" ¡°I wish to.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not trying to run away?¡± ¡°......¡± "Are you sure you''re not trying to run away because of what happened to Yurin? Ever since that day... it''s felt like you''ve been running, as if to meet your end..." Frannan gave them arge smile. ¡°If I wanted to run away, I wouldn¡¯t have returned.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I came here to confirm it. Let me go.¡± Ridwen and Cartesin carefully nodded their heads. ¡°Okay, then next is to¡­¡± ¡°No need to ask. I will be going with my disciple.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°Then I guess the mercenary leader and Yofimba will lead the roundabout path.¡± Yofimba gave a loud, heartyugh. ¡°I doubt there are any objections, right? Hahaha!¡± "Hmph. Now that everything''s been somewhat settled, I will take my leave. I feel a headacheing from staying in the same room as a troll and a transferee." ¡°Th-That¡­¡± Stand¡­ After standing up, the mercenary leader headed toward the door. But as he did¡­ [Squeak¡­ Squeak¡­ Squeak¡­ Squeak¡­] Agony added sounds to each of his steps, mimicking those that small toddlers make when they walk around, making the mercenary leader¡¯s dignified appearance seemughable. ¡°Th-This¡­ Haah¡­ I will see you next time.¡± Creak¡­ Seol wasn''t sure whether the mercenary leader found it overly ridiculous or if he simply ran out of energy to get upset, but he disappeared without much else to say. Seol reached out his hand to thentern, gently stroking it to show praise. Agony, seeing this, quietly murmured to itself. [Hehehe¡­ So you praised my evil¡­ Your corruption is not too far. It is¡­ moments away.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Hurry, hurry¡­ ine raced through the magic tower¡¯s halls in search of Fryn. At first, he expected to find her quickly, but it took much longer than expected. Despite the dy, he eventually managed to find her. She had cornered herself in an isted area, clutching her legs tightly on the floor. ¡°Fryn¡­ there you were.¡± ¡°...Master.¡± ine looked into Fryn¡¯s eyes. Woosh¡­ A faint energy radiated from them. ¡°Did you see something?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I saw a vision. Even though I didn¡¯t want to see it¡­ I saw it.¡± Fryn had the ability to gaze into the future. Well, it would be more urate to say that they were cloudy visions she believed to be the future. Though her visions were typically urate, they were unclear, and deriving meaning from them was challenging. She had a habit of hiding somewhere like this after seeing an ominous future. ¡°What¡­ did you see?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you¡­ I can¡¯t tell you¡­ You¡¯ll think I¡¯m strange. I¡­ I¡¯m not cursed.¡± For Fryn, this ability was nothing more than a curse. After all, before the Aquarius Tower took her in, she was called ¡®The Curseseer Child¡¯. "It''s okay, it''s fine. We won''t involve ourselves in their matters. Their future is their burden to carry. All we''ll do¡­ is watch over them." ¡°Hrgh¡­ Haah¡­¡± ¡°Tell me, Fryn. What was the future that you saw¡­¡± Fryn carefully opened her lips. ¡°Corpses and blood¡­ I saw everyone die.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°A lot of people participating in this¡­ will end up dead. It is a horrible future¡­¡± ine remained silent as Fryn continued, hoping to allow her to speak about itfortably. ¡°Alcatron¡­ is not an ordinary ruin, is it? Everything rted to it is so strange¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m so scared, Master.¡± "Fryn, do you remember what I told you to do when you have a terrible nightmare?" ¡°To put it into a room¡­ and imagine closing the door shut behind you.¡± "Yes, exactly. And to find an adult after that. You''re a child who can''t do anything, right?" "Yes, I... I am a child." "Then tell me. Who is the adult that can take care of the room with the terrifying nightmare hidden behind it?" ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Wooosh¡­ Clouds cast over Fryn¡¯s vision once more. After a short while, she called out a name. ¡°He¡¯s the adult. I can see light faintly radiating from him.¡± ine, hearing her answer,ughed brightly. ¡°I knew it. I knew I had an eye for people.¡± Chapter 159 The search for Libra had to be addressed with the utmost urgency. And for those reasons, once the schedule, methods, and groups were settled, they immediately began preparing to leave. ¡°Supply Officer, where are the dried foods¡ª¡± ¡°Over there! Yeah, load it on that wagon there!¡± ¡°Here?¡± ¡°No, not that one! Yeah, the carriages headed to the Wet Fog Hills are already fully stocked.¡± ¡°Ah, okay¡­¡± The magic towers were their own self-contained ecosystem. Despite the sudden announcement of the expedition, they managed to procure all necessary supplies from their stockpile, eliminating the need for additional purchases. They provided food, clothing, equipment, and other essential items. Not only that, the Libra Tower also supplied them with dozens of horses as if it were nothing. Seeing this, Seol asked Frannan a question. ¡°Are all magic towers this wealthy?¡± "Huh? Ah... So that''s what surprised you. The Libra Tower is kind of the exception. Since we mostly focus on magic that could be used in everyday life rather thanbat spells, we''ve received quite a number of contracts rted to it. It''s also for those reasons that our spells and rted contracts are much more expensive than the others." ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Why? Are you interested in making money? There¡¯s nothing better than magic for making money. If you want, I could teach you a couple.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I knew you¡¯d refuse. I was just joking as well.¡± The two smiled andughed as they watched the porters fill their carriage. While they rxed, Mael approached them. "What are you two having so much fun talking about?¡± asked Mael. ¡°Ah, Mael.¡± "It was nothing. More importantly, how does it feel to be in charge of the expedition party heading to the Wet Fog Hills?" ¡°The person in charge is you, Aspect Magician Frannan,¡± responded Mael, confused. "Well, if we''re talking about who''s responsible for the expedition, that would be me. But while we pass through the ck Thunder Tribe¡¯s territory, and until we arrive at Alcatron, you will essentially be the one leading.¡± ¡°......¡± "After all, when trolls show up, the only thing I can do is fight. But you, on the other hand, have plenty more options." ¡°I understand.¡± "Well, please take good care of us.¡± Frannan sincerely rooted for Mael. Sensing Frannan¡¯s genuineness, Mael reciprocated with a polite bow and asked if any supplies hadn''t been loaded yet. ¡°We¡¯re done!¡± "Okay. We''ll be leaving at dawn, so make sure to sleep early tonight. It might be yourstfortable night''s sleep in a while." * * * As Frannan finished his instructions, they were given a moment to rest. Still, it was too short to even be called a break. Hummm¡­ The carriages were split into two groups, and even at dawn, they were still busy being serviced. ng¡­ ng¡­ As the leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries approached the group headed to the Wet Fog Hills, he continued to check beneath his feet. - LMFAOOOO I think he has a trauma. - Agony¡­ the greatest viin of our era¡­ - So it¡¯s normally a ¡®ng¡¯ sound LOL. That squeaking sound is still stuck in my head, though. "Well, I suppose there''s nothing more I can do now that it''se to this. I hope we all make it to Alcatron on time. ¡­If you can make it there.¡± "I wish you a safe journey to Alcatron as well." "Hmph. I never thought I¡¯d see the day when a transferee worried for a Steel Lion. Nevertheless, see you there." - Maybe¡­ he might be a good guy? - Were we the baddies¡­? - Agony definitely was. The leader gave Mael one final re before returning to his group. - Does he have a grudge against trolls or something? LMFAO Why is he like that? - Mael is fighting off speciesism on the front lines every day ?? ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ordered Frannan. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 21st Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 21. Alcatron Expedition Party] [Adventure 21. ¡®Alcatron Expedition Party¡¯ In Pandea, Zodiac is revered as the symbol of truth, with the Libra Tower among its 12 Towers. ''Bornuil, the Libra'', the most exceptional magician of the Libra Tower and a prominent figure of the previous generation, has disappeared. He wasst known to be headed to Alcatron, and it is clear that something has happened there. The Libra Tower has spared no expense in their search for him. Countless magicians, excellent mercenary groups, and unexpected individuals have joined the expedition. You have also joined this expedition and are now on your way to Alcatron to find the missing Bornuil. However, simply arriving at Alcatron poses a challenge, considering the dangerous hurdles that lie ahead. Objective: Arrive at Alcatron Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment¡¯s notice. Caution. This Adventure is expected to be an extensive journey. As such, there is a high possibility that you will not be able to rest properly. Remaining Time [About 15 Days]] To stay on schedule, the two groups of carriages made haste to clear through Adeline¡¯s southern border. Though they had traveled together up to this point, this was where they diverged paths and separated from each other. ¡°They left¡­ the ones headed to the roundabout path are¡­¡± said Chameli ¡°It¡¯s still possible that their route is more difficult than ours,¡± answered Seol ¡°So, is our route being difficult already a given?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Were you not aware of it when you joined this group?¡± ¡°You could still be aware of something and dislike it.¡± Seol nodded to Chameli¡¯s answer. The carriage they were riding was specially made by the Libra Tower. Not only was itrge and enhanced by magic, it could carry much more weight than any ordinary carriage. It was likely for those exact reasons that Mael left behind his baku at the Libra Tower and was riding the carriage with them. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry too much, though, human woman,¡± said Mael. ¡°The ck Thunder Tribe is praised as a tribe that knows honor and duty. Would you like to read this note that I¡¯ve written down?¡± Mael pulled out a small notepad and showed Chameli a page. On it, it was written, ¡®Unlike the other tribes, the ck Thunder Tribe is not belligerent¡¯. ¡°They¡­ know honor?¡± "Yes, they don''t typically kill humans. In fact, there were often cases of them only taking the goods from the merchants and letting them live." ¡°That¡¯s¡­forting.¡± Frannanughed loudly after hearing that and added his own knowledge. "Haha... he''s right. The ck Thunder Tribe are those rare kinds of trolls. They don¡¯t hunt humans for fun, and there have never been any cases of them raiding human viges. In fact, they¡¯ve only harmed humans for one reason.¡± ¡°Really? And what reason is that? All we¡¯d have to do is avoid that!¡± said Chameli, full of hope. ¡°When people step into their territory.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to understand, right?¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t we heading right into their territory? Or maybe they¡¯ll spare us because we are on wheels¡­?¡± "Are you hoping to hear that being stupid is your charm?" ¡°Then¡­ there will probably be a fight, right?¡± "Definitely. But what''s crucial here is when we encounter them. If wee across them near the entrance to the hills, we won''t be able to avoid a fight. However, if they only discover us as we''re about to leave the hills, we can concentrate solely on escaping and making it out safely." Chameli nodded along, seemingly satisfied by Frannan¡¯s answer. Seol added along next, shifting the topic. "The part about waiting for three days regardless of who arrives first... I''m not sure if that''s really efficient." "We might have a lot of manpower, but half of it won''t be enough to find Libra in Alcatron. Besides, even the Artifact Association failed to uncover Alcatron''s secrets despite exploring it for so long. This is a task we need to tackle together, so waiting those three days is non-negotiable,¡± said Frannan. As they conversed, Mael''s attention wandered. His face stiffened upon encountering certain notes he had left behind. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Two days had passed, and the carriage, which had been running freely, came to an abrupt stop. BAAAAAAM! The sounds of the two carriages colliding in front filled the air. ¡°Enemies ahead!¡± ¡°Are they trolls?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s arge monster! I-It looks like¡­ C-Cozalkebs!¡± Cozalkeb. They were monsters that could easily be likened torge mountain goats, and as expected from such creatures, their strength and charges were incredibly powerful. If one were to ram into a carriage, it would vanish without a trace. ¡°How annoying¡­ Is there any way we can avoid it by giving it a couple horses?¡± "It seems like we''ve been discovered. It''s heading straight toward us! And¡­ it looks like it''s already toote to do that.¡± ¡°Stop the carriages! We need to deal with it here!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Neighhhhh! The carriages stopped in the middle of the Wet Fog Hills. Pitter¡­ Patter¡­ As they stepped out of the carriages, they also noticed the drizzle outside. "We''re in a rush, and it''s drizzling as well..." scowled Frannan. "How annoying. Hey, disciple." "Are you talking to me?" asked Seol. Frannan smirked after seeing Seol¡¯s confused face. He was clearly unustomed to being called that. ¡°Can you handle that as well?¡± Frannan''s question was clearly a question about Seol¡¯s ability to cook cozalkeb meat. Hearing Frannan''s question, Seol responded with Toki''s answer. ¡°I haven¡¯t tried cooking it yet, but all I¡¯d have to do is keep trying until I can.¡± ¡°I like that answer. You¡¯ve given me a bit of motivation.¡± Kaaaaah! The cozalkeb let out a fierce roar, as if giving a warning of its impending charge. Snap! [Frannan used Magic Circle: Combustion.] [The target suffers fire damage.] [Frannan used Magic Circle: Donkey¡¯s Pack.] [The target is slowed due to the added weight.] Hum¡­ Fwooosh! Kaargh! The cozalkeb let out another scream as it writhed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll¡­¡± p! Mael then casted his spell while putting his hands together. [Mael used Shamanic Spell: Earth Shard.] [Stone shards surge toward the target.] Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Kaaaaaaaagh! As stone shards pierced its hide, the cozalkeb let out more screams. However, just as it seemed to be taken down, it quickly got back on its feet and charged at Frannan. Kaaaah! ¡°I-It got back up!¡± ¡°S-Sir Frannan, watch out!¡± Glooow¡­ As it charged toward Frannan, Seol gathered ck energy in his hands. Fwirl! ¡°Cut it?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Karen and Karuna both appeared, unsheathing their swords. Fwoosh! SLAAAAAAAAASH! Each of Seol¡¯s knights severed one of the cozalkeb¡¯s front legs, leaving only its hind legs intact. ¡°Oh my god¡­ th-the cozalkeb is¡­¡± ¡°Aspect Magician Frannan¡¯s disciple just¡­¡± ¡°So you can at least do your role,¡± snorted Frannan. Seol shrugged before moving toward the cozalkeb. However, before he could take another step, Karen stopped him. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Hold on a second, Master. Something¡¯s off.¡± ¡°...That.¡± ¡°Yeah, a spear. It¡¯s been embedded in it since it showed up.¡± A spear was embedded in the cozalkeb¡¯s thick hind leg. Seol shot Frannan a nce. ¡°Damn it¡­ it was their prey. Everyone, back into your carriages!¡± But before they could¡­ Rumble rumble rumble¡­ ¡°A-A pack of gryptos!¡± ¡°No! They¡¯re trolls!¡± Gryptos were ferocious reptilian monsters that walked on two feet. However, despite being as strong and fast as any other monster, gryptos were feared for another reason: trolls used them as a method of transportation. Thus, it meant that those packs of gryptos were also carrying a herd of trolls on their backs. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ already toote.¡± ¡°What should we do? Should we prepare a spell just in case?¡± Though Frannan would make the decision, Seol was in a position to at least give advice. [[Trolls are heading toward the carriage on the gryptos¡¯ backs. What advice do you give to Frannan?] 1. We need to protect the carriages! Everyone should prepare to fight! 2. We still have time. Let¡¯s climb into the carriages and run away. 3. We need to run away. Let''s give up the carriages. Running into trolls at hills like this is practically a death sentence. 4. We should split off into two groups and fight them. If even one group can make it out, it¡¯s worth it. ¡­¡­] However, before Seol could even say anything, the situation quickly worsened. Rumble rumble¡­ "Th-They''ve surrounded us." "Then it''s toote. Let''s wait and retaliate only when they attack. Stay on guard, everyone." "Yes, sir!" Rumble¡­ Rumble¡­ Kiaaah! The grypto pack closed the distance, then stopped at a certain point. From the front of the pack, a particrlyrge troll dismounted from the grypto and approached them. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a scar on their face?¡± asked Chameli to Mael. ¡°There¡¯s something ck on his face.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the ck Thunder Tribe¡¯s distinct feature. They are undoubtedly trolls from that tribe.¡± The troll, who had approached them, began speaking while waving his arms around. Frannan picked his ear and asked around. ¡°Who knows how to speak troll?¡± Raise¡­ Seol and Mael quietly raised their hands. ¡°What did he say?¡± Mael interpreted the troll¡¯s words for Frannan. "He asked us why we''ve intruded in their territory. Also, he asked why weid hands on the cozalkeb when it was a prey for their ceremony." ¡°Tell him that we¡¯d like to pass through their territory as guests, not intruders. That we also had no clue that the cozalkeb was for their ceremony.¡± ¡°One moment.¡± After exchanging a few words, Mael interpreted the message again. ¡°He said he¡¯s the one who will decide whether we are guests or intruders.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°These hills belong to the ck Thunder Tribe. We won¡¯t be able to go back safely when we¡¯ve already gone against their will.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t wrong. So, what do we need to do now?¡± ¡°He asked us to follow them.¡± ¡°And if we don¡¯t?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll put us into their cauldrons.¡± "Then let''s go. It''s raining as well, so it isn''t the worst thing. None of us want to end up in their pots, right?" It was a reasonable decision. If they faced off against the ck Thunder Tribe here, they would have to fight them all the way across the opposite side of the hills. ¡®Our odds of winning are only fifty percent¡­ they¡¯re much more familiar with the hill, so they might even have the advantage.¡¯ As Mael delivered Frannan¡¯s words, the trolls surrounded the carriages. All of a sudden, they found themselves under their protection. Chameli then said a word to Mael. ¡°I thought you said they weren¡¯t aggressive.¡± ¡°I thought so too.¡± Mael pulled out his notepad and changed a few lines. He changed it from ¡®Unlike the other tribes, the ck Thunder Tribe is not belligerent¡¯ to ¡®Unlike the other tribes, the ck Thunder Tribe is was not belligerent¡¯. Chamali gave Mael a dumbfounded look. But then, a loud voice echoed out from the group of trolls, one that even Seol could hear. "By the way, is there a human summoner here whomands an extremelyrge troll?" Chapter 160 Seol¡¯s party was horrified upon hearing that the trolls were looking for a human summoner. It was all because they could instinctually tell who they were looking for. ¡®Why are they looking for me?¡¯ Mael looked at Seol before interpreting the message to the rest of them. ¡°The trolls are looking for a summoner whomands a troll. It seems like¡­ they are searching for Snowman.¡± Chameli, shocked, spoke next. ¡°Uh¡­ Sh-Shouldn¡¯t we tell them he¡¯s not here? Wouldn¡¯t that be better? What if they try to hurt him¡­¡± Before they could continue their discussion, the troll sent another message. "Keep in mind, all of you will eventually have to face Ung. He has mystical powers that allow him to see through everything, no matter how hard you try to hide it. If weter find out that you hid something, we will tear off the limbs of five of you as an example.¡± Before even interpreting the message, Mael began counting with his fingers. ¡°One, two, three¡­¡± ¡°Why are you counting? What did he say?¡± ¡°Ah, so¡­¡± - I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s counting them off LMFAOOOO - Is he trying to see how long it would take before they pick him? HAHAHA - Mael realized the cruelty of society early on ?? Seol waved his hands, stopping Mael from rying the message. Interpreting their words would only cause more chaos, regardless of how they would react to it. [[It is evident that the ck Thunder Tribe¡¯s scouts are looking for you. What do you do?] 1. Hide without saying a word. 2. Tell your party the truth and go along with their decision. 3. Reveal the truth when you meet Ung. 4. Reveal your identity to the trolls. ¡­¡­] Seol thought for a moment before opening the carriage doors. ¡°Are you perhaps looking for me?¡± ¡°Hm? Human, you know how to speak our tongue?¡± ¡°Somewhat. More importantly, I doubt I¡¯d be the only person who fits that criteria¡­ do they have any other characteristics?¡± ¡°The events at Yognatun. Do you know about the Sulfur Skull Tribe?¡± ¡°Yes, I do,¡± smirked Seol. ¡°Were you there?¡± ¡°I was.¡± ¡°Are you rted to its downfall?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Fwip! Fwip! Fwip! The ck Thunder Tribe pointed all of their spears at the carriage that Seol was riding. ¡°Wh-what do we do?! What did you say?¡± ¡°They look quite upset¡­ Did you say something wrong?¡± ¡°Everyone, calm down. I¡¯m sure he will handle it.¡± ¡°And what if he can''t?¡± "Then we''d have no other option but to fight. We might be going along with them right now, but we also have more than enough power to resist. Let¡¯s just observe the situation for now.¡± Seol had a cold look as he spoke to the leader of the scouts. ¡°What are you doing right now? Are you trying to get their revenge?¡± ¡°......¡± The leader then waved his hand away. ¡°Put your spears away. We have much to go.¡± Woosh¡­ Woosh¡­ As their guards put their spears away, the tension between the expedition party and the ck Thunder Tribe eased a little. ¡°Phew¡­ I¡¯m d that it was a misunderstanding, at least.¡± ¡°I think we need to observe the situation more before we can make that conclusion.¡± ¡°What are they saying?¡± "I¡¯m still trying to figure out the exact context of their words.¡± As Chameli and Mael continued their conversation, Seol asked the leader of the scouts questions. ¡°If you¡¯re taking us to get revenge for the events at Yognatun¡­¡± "Not at all. Each tribe has its own lives. The Sulfur Skull Tribe may berge, but the ck Thunder Tribe is alsoparable in size. Unless the Sulfur Skull Tribe specifically requests something from us, their matters are their own to deal with." ¡°Then why were you specifically looking for me? We were busy enough already.¡± "Entering our territory means you will be using the roads we have been maintaining. Once we finish our business with you, you will be able to save time." ¡°Why do I also hear it as potentially taking as much time as I''d be saving¡­¡± ¡°As long as everything goes well, that won¡¯t happen.¡± Seol then quickly followed it up with a question, as he was unable to wrap his head around something. ¡°But... how did you know that I was there?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t.¡± "...What?" "It was likely fate that brought you here. We''ve simply asked that question to every human who has recently intruded on our territory, and if their answers weren¡¯t satisfactory, we''ve expelled them." "...Have you killed some of them?" "If we had to. Regardless, if you im you are the summoner, that is more than enough. I¡¯ve done the most I can, the rest is up for Ung to confirm and decide." ¡°Hm¡­¡± Ung. As there weren¡¯t any Required Adventures that involved the ck Thunder Tribe, Seol had never run into them before, even in his previous Adventures. However, Seol had an extremely handy troll database that he could use exactly for moments like these. ¡®Jamad, do you know Ung?¡¯ Jamad answered him immediately. - It would be harder not to know him. The ck Thunder Tribe¡¯s current leaders are Ung and Ungus. They are brothers, but not of the same mother, and they are leaders with pr opposite personalities. ¡®Is it possible that their rtionship is like the one you had with your four brothers?¡¯ - There¡¯s no way, that¡¯s impossible. If my memory serves me right, Ungus is the older brother, and Ung is the younger brother. Ung fell behind physicallypared to the other trolls ever since he was young. When ites to strength, Ungus is head and shoulders above. ¡®But if you hear them right now¡­ all they¡¯re talking about is Ung. Are you sure Ung didn¡¯t be the sole chief?¡¯ - ...I doubt it. I haven¡¯t heard much about them since bing chief myself, but it¡¯s impossible for Ung to surpass Ungus to be the chief. ¡®Maybe¡­ they fought over the chieftain spot? And Ung defeated him in that?¡¯ - I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll have to go there and find out. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The ck Thunder Tribe resided in the center of the Wet Fog Hills, their vige in the hignds, visible from anywhere in the hills. ¡°Humans! There are humans!¡± ¡°Are they intruders?¡± ¡°They must havemitted a sin! Human meat is too stringy, though...¡± ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll get a taste too?¡± As Chameli got off the carriage, she shuddered at the sight of the trolls surrounding her, talking to each other. ¡°Wh-what are they saying? Mael, what are they saying about us?¡± ¡°...They are giving us a very warm wee.¡± ¡°Ah, it was just something like that? I was worried that it was something else¡­¡± Mael pushed down the guilt from lying by closing his eyes and continued forward. It was quite prizingpared to Chameli who was waving her hands at the trolls. ¡°Hahaha! That woman is smiling at us!¡± "After we''re done with her, we should make sure to brew her bones!" Mael¡¯s expression grew worse and worse. Seol then asked the trolls that were guiding them. ¡°Does the ck Thunder Tribe still eat humans?¡± "We punish criminals like that to instill fear, but we don¡¯t usually. Humans taste awful." "By criminals... What crimes had theymitted to be considered criminals? I''ve heard you typically don''t interact with humans." ¡°For example, intruding into our territory¡­¡± - So we¡¯re already criminals? - We¡¯re on death row? - Dying like that might be better, though LMFAO. Imagine being bathed and thrown into a cauldron with carrots and onions. - I think¡­ we¡¯re fucked. - im that localw doesn¡¯t apply to you because you¡¯re a foreign citizen! As Seol¡¯s expression stiffened, the leader of the scouts smiled. ¡°But don¡¯t worry too much. If you¡¯re the human we had been looking for, you won¡¯t be on our dinner table tonight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll trust you.¡± ¡°Then wait here. Ung will soon decide whether you will be guests or intruders.¡± They arrived at the center of the vige. Seol and the others were first surprised by the location. It was enormous, like a square in arge city. But what surprised them even more was the number of trolls upying the area. It was to the point that their mere presence felt suffocating. Not to mention their fierce eyes, which only grew their worries. ¡°Woarghhhhh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so long since we saw humans! With this many, even we might get a taste!¡± For the first time ever, Seol regretted knowing the troll''snguage. Boom! Boom! Boom! The low sound of a drum beat out. ¡°H-He¡¯sing!¡± ¡°Ung ising!¡± ¡°Everyone, bow down!¡± Boom! Booom! The trolls kneeled, touching their foreheads to the ground in reverence. Patiently and silently, they awaited something. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It seems like their leader ising.¡± ¡°Are trolls normally like this?¡± "Each tribe has different cultures. Isn''t that the same for humans?" ¡°It is, but¡­ do we need to kneel down too?¡± "We probably don¡¯t. How they treat us now will depend on the conversation Snowman is about to have with them." As Chameli and Mael continued their conversation, a massive pnquin adorned with all sorts of animal bones approached them. Atop the pnquin sat a troll exuding a heavy aura¡­ ¡°......¡± His face, covered in ck from forehead to nose¡­. Ung had appeared. ¡°Ung! Ung!¡± ¡°Lord Ung!¡± Ung waved his hand. As he did so, not even the loud trolls made a whisper. ¡°Humans. Those who trespass into thends of the ck Thunder Tribe are doomed to be our meal. Yet here you stand, despite this knowledge..." ¡°Let¡¯s drink their blood!¡± ¡°Their meat! We need to eat their meat!¡± Seol stood still, maintaining a calm expression as he met Ung''s gaze from below therge pnquin. ¡°Though it would be pleasant to open a celebration with your blood and flesh, I have also heard something quite interesting. So, which one of you brought down the Sulfur Skull Tribe?¡± ¡°It was me,¡± answered Seol. ¡°Oho¡­ you seem to be an ordinary human, though¡­ to think you were hiding powers like that¡­ No, I guess that wouldn¡¯t be right. After all, those aren¡¯t your powers.¡± Ung¡¯s eyes shed open. "It was the work of the powers you are concealing!" The crowd of trolls began to whisper and murmur. The expedition party, unable to understand the conversation, grew increasingly worried. Some even began to tear up. ¡°...Now, show me,¡± said Ung. ¡°Show me that strength as well!¡± Seol gulped before asking Jamad a question. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ - We¡¯vee all this way. I should at least see his face. Fwirl! Jamad emerged from Seol¡¯s hands and set foot on the ground. Thud¡­ He was massive, much bigger than any of the trolls from the ck Thunder Tribe. ¡°I-Isn¡¯t that¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s Jamad! It¡¯s Jamad!¡± ¡°Mountain Jamad really was still alive!¡± ¡°Woahhh¡­¡± As Jamad appeared, everyone shuddered and stole meek nces. - What the hell? Was Jamad actually someone really important? - Jamad, the GOAT ¡°It¡¯s been a long while, Jamad,¡± said Ung. "It has. This is the first time I''ve seen you since my death." "Isn¡¯t it also our first time meeting each other again after that tournament a long time ago? And I suppose even death couldn¡¯t do much about the pressure you emit." "Hmph. Seems like your older brother is better at treating his guests than you." ¡°Hahaha¡­ I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re allowed to say that after the mess you causedst time as Ungus¡¯s guest, Jamad.¡± ¡°......¡± "Regardless, I was shocked once upon hearing of your death, and I was shocked again upon hearing of your appearance in Yognatun." Jamad fixed his expression, his eyes shining. "Even death cannot stop my ambition." ¡°You¡¯re going on about that again. You haven¡¯t changed at all.¡± "Of course, I won''t change until I achieve my goal. But... it is strange, nheless." ¡°.......¡± ¡°Where is Ungus? I wish to see my friend.¡± All of the trolls flinched at the mention of Ungus''s name. Something was off. ¡°Answer me, Ung. Where is your older brother?¡± Jamad was beginning to wonder if Ung had killed Ungus to be the sole chief of the tribe. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°Like I¡­ What?¡± ¡°Well, it might be more apt to say he might as well be dead.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about, Ung?!¡± Ung gave a defeatedugh before continuing. "He challenged Ambika, the primal god of lightning, and lost. Now, he is cursed to wait at the Thunder Hignds." It had been a long time since Seol saw Jamad this shocked. Seol could sense his desperate, mixed feelings. ¡°No way¡­ Why would Ungus challenge Ambika¡­¡± "It was because of your death, Jamad. After you died, Ungus felt desperate to sever the blood contract our kin faces, and he left alone to do it.¡± ¡°That fool! But¡­ waiting? Waiting for what?¡± ¡°You, Jamad,¡± said Ung. ¡°He¡¯s waiting for you.¡± ¡°......¡± Ung¡¯s eyes grew colder. ¡°Please kill my brother, Jamad. Please kill¡­ that cursed body¡­¡± ¡°Ung.¡± "He still waits for you there at the Thunder Hignds, his body scorched ck... please, go find him and grant him peace. This is something that even I, his brother, can¡¯t do... it¡¯s something only you can do." Multiple messages flooded Seol¡¯s vision. [The requirements have been met, activating Hidden Adventure.] [Hidden Adventure ¡®Awaiting Execution¡¯ is now active.] Chapter 161 The ufortable meeting concluded swiftly as the sun dipped below the horizon. ¡°Tch¡­ I thought they were intruders! Who would¡¯ve thought they were guests¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯s that Jamad! Watch your words. We don¡¯t want anything to happen again.¡± ¡°Why are you acting like that? What happenedst time?¡± "He got into a skirmish with the enforcers when he was a child, causing a huge fight that turned the entire vige upside down!" ¡°Th-the enforcers? Our elite guards?¡± ¡°Yeah, they might have even died if Ungus hadn¡¯t stopped him. It was a good thing we had a good rtionship with the Rock Mr Tribe. That was probably the only reason why it ended so well.¡± Chameli, hearing the murmuring, asked Mael, ¡°What are they talking about right now?¡± ¡°They¡¯re talking about Jamad¡¯s past.¡± ¡°Jamad¡­? As in Jamad of the Pointy Mountains?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s now Snowman¡¯s summon, though.¡± ¡°No way¡­ then was that troll from before¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it was.¡± "No wonder... I was surprised how kind the trolls suddenly became." The vige bustled with activity as preparations were being done all around them. Judging by the savory aroma mingled with the scent of blood, the trolls were busy preparing for dinner. ¡°By the way, Mael¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you know why this ce is called the Wet Fog Hills?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as the name suggests, these hills are foggy.¡± ¡°But there aren¡¯t any bigkes or oceans near here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ well, that¡¯s because of Old God Ambika.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± "For generations, the ck Thunder Tribe, like many other tribes, have been subservient to Ambika, the primal god of lightning. Primal Gods are like natural disasters. Wherever their influence reaches, strange climates emerge." ¡°I see¡­¡± "And that''s why it often rains in the Wet Fog Hills, with thunder crackling frequently." ¡°You know a lot, don¡¯t you, Mael?¡± ¡°Though I may look like this, I am still an active archaeologist of the Artifact Association.¡± After finishing her conversation with Mael, Chameli turned to look at Seol. ¡°What do you think he¡¯s doing right now?¡± ¡°He seems to be helping them cook.¡± "I would have been a bit concerned about the food if the trolls had prepared it, but... if Snowman is cooking, we can rx." ¡°I agree.¡± As Chameli and Mael had said, Seol was helping the trolls prepare dinner for their guests. As Seol lent a hand, a troll with a slightly twisted expression approached him. It was clear that this troll was the one typically in charge of cooking duties. However, it wasn''t just that one troll who made Seol feel uneasy. He also sensed something amiss from the other trolls around him. ¡°It¡¯s tasty even if you don¡¯t cook it. Cozalkeb meat is soft, human.¡± ¡°It¡¯s tastier if you cook it, though. Why are you guys so scared of fire?¡± "Cozalkeb meat burns fast! It gets all tough when cooked too much. And if it''s tough, trolls whine about their teeth hurting.¡± ¡°Then just cook it better.¡± ¡°That is true, we could just cook it bett¡ªwe know that, but it¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°Then just watch me carefully and learn.¡± ¡°Are you trying to teach us, human?¡± ¡°No, you are just learning.¡± ¡°So it is different. Okay, we will watch and learn.¡± - I can¡¯t keep up with their conversation at all¡­ - So tricking each other ismon in troll culture, I see¡­ - He¡¯s treating them like toddlers LOL ¡®They¡¯re clearly at the bottom of the tribe''s totem pole ¡­¡¯ In troll society,bat prowess reigned supreme. And since having someone weaker than you fight by your side would only lower morale, the weaker trolls were relegated to chores like this. ¡®It might seem cruel at first nce, but... there''s a subtle hint of care woven into it.¡¯ They weren''t abandoned or exiled, after all. If they had belonged to a less affluent tribe, that would have been their inevitable fate. Sizzle¡­ The cozalkeb meaty arranged in the fire pit, slowly cooking to perfection. ¡°Alright, this side¡¯s done. How much time did that take?¡± asked Seol. ¡°30 seconds.¡± ¡°Now, what if you do the same for the other side?¡± ¡°Then it will be 1 minute.¡± ¡°Good. I want you to start counting out loud now while the others cook with me. We will all be cooking for the same amount of time.¡± ¡°Are you ordering us?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re just listening to me.¡± ¡°So it is different. Okay, we will do it.¡± - Wait¡­ Snowman really might be the king of trolls at this rate¡­ - They¡¯re like the people who constantly fall for the same trick again and never learn¡­ Sizzzzzle¡­ The sound of sizzling meat filled the air. ¡®These guys¡­ don¡¯t know a thing about cooking.¡¯ Not only did the ck Thunder Tribeck knowledge about sanitation and spices, but they also had absolutely no idea about the concept of vor extraction. As Seol recalled Jamad''s stories, it became evident that while the Rock Mr Tribe possessed some knowledge, the ck Thunder Tribe had none. ¡®It¡¯s possible they didn¡¯t even see the value in cooking.¡¯ Regardless, Seol refused to settle for a subpar dinner. Throughout the entirety of the journey, the expedition party had been forced to rely on dried foods and had struggled to find opportunities for proper rest. This meal not only had to help take away their exhaustion but also had to be tasty and nutritious. Seol''s efforts weren''t just to get closer to the trolls, but also to support the expedition party. ¡°Is there anyone here who knows how to read and write?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ me.¡± ¡°Do you have any of these things?¡± Seol handed a note with ingredients listed on it to the troll. ¡°We have this and this. And this only grows during the winter.¡± "That''s fine, bring what you have. I''ll leave instructions on how to prepare and use them in writing, so read it from time to time even after I leave." ¡°Are you ordering me?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re just listening to me.¡± ¡°So it is different. Okay, I will do it.¡± Seol then finally began to showcase his true skills. He brought a sauce to a boil in a cauldronrge enough to fit even humans, and prepared vegetables on the side for the meat he had cooked. ¡°Urgh¡­ trolls don¡¯t eat nts.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Only animals eat nts.¡± ¡°...You need to eat your vegetables too.¡± ¡°nts taste bad.¡± ¡°You could be as big as Jamad if you eat your vegetables.¡± ¡°What are you doing right now? Give us more.¡± - Jamad was a vegetarian? - He eats whatever you give him LMFAO - So he¡¯s not a picky eater. Me neither, except beans. Therge amounts of cozalkeb meat they had were starting to run out. ¡°By the way¡­ didn¡¯t you say this meat was for a ceremony?¡± ¡°We could always do the ceremony tomorrow. Even Ambika turns a blind eye when we have guests.¡± As Seol passed tes to the countless trolls in the vige, he received a flurry of messages. [You have finished cooking.] [You have made Roasted Cozalkeb with Veggies.] [It smells great. The dish was a sess.] [This recipe has never been seen before.] [Constitution permanently increases by 2.] [You have been inspired.] [You feel like you will be able toe up with a recipe the next time youe across a new ingredient.] [Your cooking skills have slightly improved.] However, more messages followed. [You have made a dish that could feed an entire festival in one go.] [Your cooking skills have significantly improved.] [You have been inspired.] [Your understanding of ingredients improves to a genius level.] [The depths of your cooking have greatly increased.] [You have earned the special achievement ''Nourish and Nurture''.] [You have earned the special title ''Chef''.] [[Special Title: Chef] Rted Achievement: Nourish and Nurture (Adventure: N/A) Bonus Effect: Inspiration has improved, now allowing you to have ¡®shes of Inspiration¡¯.] ¡®These effects are purely for cooking.¡¯ Seol, thinking to himself that it would eventuallye into y someday, settled down next to Frannan. ¡°Ahem¡­ this is delicious.¡± ¡°Like always, right?¡± "Thanks to you, I''ve learned today that trolls do a strange dance when they''re happy." "...I''m not sure if I like that too much." Seol took a bite of his food before ncing around, noticing many trolls staring at him and whispering to each other. [Unozma''s favorability towards you has increased.] [Toruruk''s favorability towards you has increased.] [Hinui''s favorability towards you has increased.] ¡­¡­ ¡®...Is it because of Monster Cooking?¡¯ Even though Seol would have normally been happy to see favorability rise like this, too much attention from trolls was a bit burdensome, so he didn''t really like it. One of the trolls from the group then approached Seol and tapped on his shoulder. ¡°H-How did you make this?¡± ¡°Human, you¡¯re different from the humans that I know.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe we almost ate a human like this.¡± ¡°What a shame! I wish we could keep him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s Jamad¡¯s friend, though.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving tomorrow after staying the night, right?¡± ¡°Still, he¡¯s Jamad¡¯s friend¡­¡± ¡°That makes sense, though! If someone can cook food like this, I¡¯d keep him around too!¡± Seol felt awkward as the trolls began to treat his Monster Cooking as some fantastical ability. ¡®Regardless... I suppose it''s a positive thing?¡¯ As Seol continued to ponder, Chameli hurried to him and Mael with a desperate look on her face. ¡°What¡­ What should I do? I think the troll next to me is trying to feed me alcohol!¡± ¡°It is a drink made from fermented mountain goat milk. Don¡¯t humans also have a culture of sharing alcohol with their friends?¡± "But as a religious individual, alcohol is a bit..." "The troll next to you is much closer than your god right now, is he not?" ¡°Urgh¡­ I guess there¡¯s no choice. Just one drink¡­¡± ¡°...Are you sure you¡¯ll be able to handle it?¡± Gulp¡­ Chameli took a sip of the alcohol, her face contorting into a bitter expression. ¡°Bwrgh¡­ It tastes fishy¡­ This reminds me of a verse in Varnoa¡¯s scriptures. ¡®The wise do not seek the sun at night.¡¯¡± ¡°And what does it mean?¡± "The sun will always rise tomorrow, so conceal yourself in darkness, never forgetting the teachings. Wouldn''t this cup of alcohol be like that darkness? It really does taste absolutely dreadful, though..." "It seems vicars use many words to excuse their alcohol consumption," scoffed Frannan. Chameliughed brightly in response, "I''m sure gods do as well." Seol calmly epted the offered cup of alcohol, staring at it briefly before taking a sip. Sip¡­ ¡®Urgh¡­ She was right about the fishy taste.¡¯ Just then, Seol received a new message. [You have received a sh of inspiration.] [Youe up with a new recipe.] Seol then told Chameli exactly what came into his head. ¡°This will taste better if you mix honey and cinnamon into it.¡± ¡°Come on¡­ I doubt that will fix it at all.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± The two hesitated for a second before following Seol''s instructions to mix in honey and cinnamon. After taking another sip, they were shocked. ¡°It tastes delicious!¡± The trolls, seeing that, began to copy it as well. [Your influence in Faction: ck Thunder Tribe increases.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The following day, Seol, the expedition party, Ung, and the elite members of the ck Thunder Tribe departed from the vige, and made their way toward the Thunder Hignds. Jamad and Seol conversed while on the way to the Thunder Hignds. Following Jamad''s discussion with Ung the previous night, he acquired more information Seol needed to hear. ¡°So what kind of curse did Ungus receive?¡± "There is a tree in the Thunder Hignds that never burns down. The curse he received binds his soul to it, causing him to endure repeated strikes of lightning." ¡°Ambika is¡­ terrifying.¡± "All of the old gods are wicked. The only reason we survived our encounter with Purga the Sulfur Monkey was because he happened to be in a good mood. Nothing more, nothing less." ¡°And the way to save him?¡± ¡°Only death,¡± said Jamad, indifferently. ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t Ung killed him? I thought they had a good rtionship?¡± "It''s not because he hasn¡¯t. It''s because he can¡¯t." ¡°What?¡± "Ungus is the hero of the ck Thunder Tribe. His mastery of lightning surpasses that of anyone else''s. He¡¯s simple, but incredibly capable. It''s been quite some time since Ist saw him, so I''m certain he''s even stronger now." ¡°Is he really that much stronger than the others? I mean, can¡¯t you just bring him down with numbers?¡± "An old god''s curse is not so simple. Ambika likely made it so that if Ungus faces multiple opponents, his shamanic spells be significantly stronger." ¡°...He¡¯s practically treating him like a toy.¡± Seol¡¯s words only caused Jamad to nod. "The ck Thunder Tribe spends their entire lives honing the power of lightning within their bodies. And there''s a simple way to gauge the level that they''ve reached. Can you guess what it is?" Seol thought for a moment, then recalled the unique appearance of the members of their tribe. ¡°The ckened parts of their bodies?¡± "Exactly. Therger the ck markings on their bodies, the stronger they are. You''ve seen Ung''s face, haven''t you?" ¡°Yeah, half of his face was ck.¡± "Then what do you think Ungus will be like?" "......" "You''ll see for yourself. And... I also have a request." ¡°A request?¡± Jamad¡¯s face had grown serious. ¡°Could you¡­ leave this fight to me?¡± ¡°......¡± "I know it''s your body, but... I can''t just sit idly by when I need to send off my friend." ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°But¡­ let me help you. That much is fine, right?¡± Jamad nodded after hearing Seol¡¯s refreshing answer. "Yeah. Sending him off alone would have been tough, anyway." Booom! Thunder filled the air. Tap, tap. A troll tapped on Seol¡¯s carriage door. ¡°Get out of the carriage, humans. Unless you want to be struck by lightning.¡± Creak¡­ ¡°This¡­ is the Thunder Hignds.¡± Boooom! Craaaaackle! Chameli quickly grabbed Mael¡¯s arms after being shocked by the lightning. "I-I think lightning just struck right next to me just now." ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just your imagination.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure of it! I saw it! I saw it with my own two eyes!¡± ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just on edge.¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± - (Holding back curse words) - I feel like Jamad¡¯s going to be writing in his notepad even in hell LMFAOOO - His mental¡¯s insane haha Drip¡­ Drip¡­ As the lightning passed, what weed them next was light rain. It was the kind of weather where it was awkward to use an umbre. The raindrops felt cool and refreshing more than anything else. And though the rain never ceased, it wasn''t enough to create puddles. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Ung. ¡°My brother is waiting for you.¡± Stter¡­ stter¡­ The Thunder Hignds. A tree towering alone at the center of the thunderous hignds, capturing and holding the attention of all who entered. As Seol and the others ventured deeper into thend, the tree finally came into view. And there, someone was waiting. BOOOOOM! Lightning struck his body. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± ¡°......¡± With each bolt of lightning, his body thrashed and shuddered in pain. But, despite all that, his body never wandered from the tree. ¡°Hey, Ungus!¡± shouted Jamad. "I''m here. From what I''ve heard, you''ve gone and gotten yourself into trouble again, all on your own, huh?" ¡°Kghhh?¡± His body was charred ck and emitted a faint heat, as if he had been in the oven for too long. ¡°Krrrr¡­¡± Ungus waspletely ck. Chapter 162 Raise¡­ Sensing their presence, Ungus swiftly grabbed the two axes by his feet and held them in his hands. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward Seol and Jamad, who were at the vanguard. His movements were instinctual and instant. However, Seol and Jamad were able to respond in kind. Thentern behind Seol lit up, breaking into fragments before wrapping around Seol''s hands. Fwirl! Crackle! [You enter the Night Crow form with Shaman ¡®Jamad, the Volcanic¡¯.] [You absorb Jamad, the Volcanic¡¯s stats.] [Your ss is changed to Fighter.] CLAAAAAANG! Before Ungus could even swing his axe, Jamad caught his wrists. Creak¡­ "You''ve got quite a sear on you, don''t you? Ambika must have taken extra care of you,¡±ughed Jamad. Creaaak¡­ Ungus drooled over himself as his grip on the axes tightened. Jamad, observing in the Night Crow form, watched Ungus with concerned eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for keeping you waiting for so long. I heard you''ve been waiting for me." Jamad couldn''t help but reminisce about their past after seeing Ungus utterly devoid of reason. It was a memory from their childhood. - Why are you ck? - They told me that being ck means you¡¯re strong. - But I¡¯m strong and not ck¡­? - That¡¯s weird? No, I bet you¡¯ll turn ckter too. Jamadughed. "Haha... Yeah, you were right, Ungus. I turned ck too.¡± ¡°Krrrrrr¡­.¡± Craaackle! [Ungus, the ck, used Lightning Shamanic Spell: Lightning Devil.] [For a short while, all attacks discharge a small amount of electricity.] ¡°Kraaaaaaaah!¡± Ungus swung his axes at Jamad. aang! Craaaaackle! [Jamad used Volcano Armor.] Rumble! Jamad defended against the attack with a fieryyer of rocks that shielded his skin. And of course, he followed it up with a counterattack. Fwoosh¡­ BAAAAAAAAM! ¡°Krghhhh¡­¡± Jamad struck precisely at Ungus¡¯s abdomen, sending Ungus off into therge tree. Crackle¡­ The tree slightly cracked from the impact. ¡°Let me help you rest now.¡± ¡°Krrrr¡­¡± In the past, there was an event in the Troll Tribe Alliance that brought together children who were likely to lead the next generation. It was during a Great Tribe Meeting, a fairly frequent urrence at the time. Back then, Jamad was just a child with ambitions greater than he was ready for. - I will be king. - What? - I will be king and free the trolls from the Old Gods. - Bwahahaha! What a psycho. Ungus, let¡¯s just go. - He must be out of his mind¡­ Jamad stood out as the most unique among the five brothers of the Rock Mr Tribe. Not only that, he distinguished himself from all of them. However, the other sessors of the different tribes scoffed at his ideas. - Let¡¯s go, Ungus. Back then, Ung tightly gripped Ungus¡¯s arms to pull him away. However, Ungus instead approached Jamad and asked a simple question. - ¡­How? - What? - How are you going to do it? Ungus was the only troll who had asked Jamad how he would achieve his ambitions. ¡°Let me answer you that question now, Ungus.¡± Ungus also had grand dreams like Jamad. But now, he faced Jamad while channeling lightning through his axes. Pitter¡­ Patter¡­ Pour¡­ As the rain grew heavier, Ungus stood up from the tree. ¡°Krrrr¡­.¡± His body shone with light. Glooow! [Ungus, the ck, used Lightning Shamanic Spell: Lightning Fast.] [In exchange for greatly increasing your speed, leave afterimages trailing behind.] Fwip! Though Ungus had lost his mind after being cursed, his skills were still the same. Suddenly, Unguspletely vanished from Jamad''s sight. Fwip¡­ Despite the hignds filling with Ungus''s afterimages, Jamad remained steadfast and focused on Ungus¡¯s presence. In a sh, Ungus appeared before Jamad. BAAAM! But his attack was effortlessly blocked. Fsssss¡­ Jamad slowly began to radiate an immense amount of heat. ¡°And so¡­ Die here,¡± said Jamad. Craaackle! ¡°Where I can see you.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * As Jamad continued his battle with Ungus, Seol looked through Ungus¡¯s information. [[Ungus, the ck] Rank: Legendary Estimated Level: 26~37 Ungus, the hero of the ck Thunder Tribe. Ungus, born with the power of lightning within him, was destined to be the true chief of the ck Thunder Tribe. However, unexpectedly, he chose to wield those same powers to challenge Ambika, the primal god of lightning and the origin of his abilities. After his defeat to Ambika, his soul became tethered to the Thunder Hignds. The only way to free him from this curse is death. However, it will not be so simple. Basic Skills: [Unknown 2], [Lightning Fast 3], [Lightning Devil 4], [Unknown 3], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 3], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 3] Unique Skills: [Unknown 2], [Unknown 3]] For now, Seol gave Jamad full control of his body and only watched from the sidelines. ¡®A Legendary-rank shaman¡­ Is this the first after Magra?¡¯ Back then, even the mere sight of Magra filled Seol with a sense of worry that seared him to his core. But now, even in the presence of another Legendary-rank shaman, perhaps even stronger than Magra, that same sense of worry never came. ¡®Did I¡­ grow?¡¯ It was likely because Seol had grown unbelievably since then. Not to mention, when he first met Magra, Seol was barely around level 20. It has been a while since then. And now... it was time to see the difference. ¡®Though it might be more urate to say that Jamad will be the one doing it.¡¯ After all, Jamad was controlling his body right now. Fwip! Craaackle! [Ungus, the ck, used Lightning Shamanic Spell: Maic Field.] [The caster¡¯s surroundings crackle with electricity.] [Lightning skills be much more potent.] ¡®...It¡¯sing!¡¯ Stter! Fwoosh! An axe grazed Jamad''s face. Jamad twisted his body to avoid the attack, then retaliated with a kick. Crack! Itnded on Ungus¡¯s chin. ¡°Krggg¡­¡± Jamad used this momentum to continue his offense. [Debauchee''s Movements activates.] [Dodge rate increases by 10%. uracy increases by 5%.] Jamad¡¯s left hand moved quickly to unleash another attack as Ungus defended it with his axe. ¡®No, that¡¯s a feint.¡¯ Jamad quickly shifted his stance then used a skill. [You used Kick the Sky, Kick the Ground.] [One of two skills will activate.] Fwirl¡­ Ungus leaped back in response to the unpredictable attack, but it was already toote. Jamad''s strike dipped down, targeting his lower body. Jamad''s foot moved almost like a snake, twisting and coiling downward. BAAAAAAM! ¡°Kahhhhhh!¡± Wobble¡­ For a moment, it appeared as if Ungus''s leg hadpletely given out. ¡°Krgh!¡± Crackle! The energy surrounding Ungus changed once more. It seemed like hisbat instincts had finallye back to life. [Ungus, the ck, used Thunder Shamanic Spell: Crash.] [The caster¡¯s surroundings bepletely silent for a second.] [The target is afflicted with Abnormal Status: Dizziness.] CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH! Riiiiiiiiiiing As a painful, high-pitched screech filled Seol¡¯s ears, Ungus charged in once more. [Ungus, the ck, used Thunderbolt Shamanic Spell: Lightning Bolt.] [Upon collision with the caster, the target is dealt with immense lightning damage.] Craaaaaackle! An orb of lightning began charging toward the ck shadow. ¡°Th-that¡¯s!¡± ¡°Watch out!¡± The trolls of the ck Thunder Tribe turned pale, while the members of the Alcatron expedition party continued to nervously bite their nails. Ungus was nothing more than a monster that ceaselessly shot off bolts of lightning. Even Ung, the chief of the ck Thunder Tribe, found himself quietly muttering under his breath. "Jamad... Please confront the truth... Is this truly the future you desired...? My older brother, he..." Ung trailed off as he gritted his teeth, unable to finish his words. Each time heid eyes on them, Ung''s mind would be flooded with memories from their past, stirring up a whirlwind of emotions within him. - Alright, I¡¯ll be the king. - Then I¡¯ll be the general. What about you, Ung? - ¡­What¡¯s even left? - The general¡¯s right-hand man. - What kind of pointless title is that? - It¡¯s something that I just came up with. - I don¡¯t want to do it! - Watch your words! Because of your actions just now, you have been demoted to left-hand man. Craaaaackle! BOOOOOOOM! Ung couldn¡¯t think after seeing the massive explosion. As the bolt of lightning shed, it felt as if the entire Thunder Hignds was trembling. Rumble¡­ Rumble¡­ ¡°No!¡± ¡°Snowman!¡± None of the onlookers believed that Seol would emerge unscathed after being at the epicenter of such a massive explosion. However¡­ Bam! Fwip! Bam! Bam! Fwip! Turn! Their melee continued. Crack¡­ It appeared as if the Volcano Armor had absorbed most of the impact, as remnants of it fluttered about. ¡°W-We should help¡ª¡± Frannan shook his head before Chameli could continue. ¡°No, just watch.¡± Bam! Bam! Fwip! Bam! Seol was the one unleashing an onught of attacks at Ungus, while Ungus was mostly busy just trying to run away. ¡°He¡¯s overwhelming him¡­¡± ¡°Th-that must be Snowman¡¯s real strength!¡± ¡°So there was a reason Frannan epted someone like him as his disciple!¡± A few magicians and members of the Artifact Association were in awe of Seol¡¯s skills. Frannan nodded along. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about some exceptional transferees as well, but¡­ this one¡¯s aplete monster.¡± Kick! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Baaam! ¡°Bwrgh¡­¡± While Seol remainedpletely expressionless during the fight against Ungus, inwardly, Jamad''s face contorted more with each passing moment of the prolonged battle. Jamad let out a painful roar. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± - Ungus, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unfair? Even at a young age, Jamad was disillusioned with the world. Ungus, intrigued by that side of Jamad, was drawn toward him. - What do you mean by it? - The fact that the blood that flows through our bodies¡­ is not our own. - ¡­¡­ - In exchange for power, the Old Gods have cursed us with barbarism, forcing us into servitude. We¡¯ve been stripped of intelligence. We¡¯re only driven by instinct. - But even if it¡¯s unfair¡­ it¡¯s not like we can change it. The young Jamad was an ambitious daredevil. - We can change it, without a doubt. I will rise up to shake the world and turn it on its head. Watch me, Ungus. You''re the only troll I''ve confided in about this. Ungus had a shocked look on his face. - Woah¡­ but I don¡¯t want to. - What? - If you¡¯re going to rise up, I¡¯m going to rise up too. - ¡­¡­ The young Ungus pounded his chest with a fist, revealing his own ambitions to Jamad as well. - A warrior¡¯s blood flows through this great Ungus¡¯s veins! I don''t need thunder or lightning. I can fight whenever and wherever, as long as I have my heart. I will help you! Pouuuuur¡­ The downpour only intensified the horror of the fight. As Jamad regained his senses, he saw Ungus, who wobbled unsteadily after enduring a brutal beating. ¡°Ungus, why¡­ why did you end up like this¡­ Why did you have to challenge Ambika¡­?¡± Fwoosh¡­ Baaam! Ungus weakly swung his arm at Jamad. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Jamad epted the attack and returned one in kind. BAAAAAAAM! ¡°Kraaaah¡­¡± BAM! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± While Seol initially believed he had caught up to Jamad''s experience, in the end, he realized that their fighting styles werepletely different. Seol focused on a perfect fight, allowing no attacks tond on him. He minimized the amount of damage he took and focused strongly on counters and openings. Meanwhile, Jamad freely sacrificed his flesh if it meant he could break their bones. It was such an aggressive style that describing it as even shattering would be apt. And likely because of that, Ungus turnedpletely defensive, unable to retaliate at all. Jamad continued his storm of attacks, overwhelming Ungus. ¡°Hahhhhhhhhh!¡± sh! Ungus, realizing that as well, prepared the final card up his sleeve. [Ungus, the ck, used Lightning Shamanic Spell: Thunder Deer¡¯s Descent.] [Ungus¡¯s physical stats and shamanic powers drastically increase.] [Ungus¡¯s lightning energy is enhanced and turns ck.] Craaaaackle! ck lightning swirled around Ungus¡¯s body. Ungus then abandoned his axe and attempted to attack Jamad with his bare fists. Craaaackle! Rumble! With each swing of his fist, ck lightning surged forth. Ungus''s appearance had transformed to the extent that it bore a resemnce to Ambika, the primal god of lightning. He grewrge antlers, ferocious fangs, and bulging muscles. However, all of it was pointless. Jamad, with Seol in the Night Crow form, was too strong. ¡°God damn it!¡± Craaakle¡­ BAAAAM! ¡°Arghhh¡­¡± Overwhelming. Jamad''s fists pierced through Ungus''s stomach, emerging on the other side. "He... He won..." "U-Ungus!" The nervous onlookers seized the opportunity to draw closer to Ungus and Jamad. Crackle¡­ Thud¡­ Ungus lowered his arms, as if attempting to pull out Jamad''s fist from his stomach, butcked the strength to do so. All he could manage was to rest his arms on it. Though Jamad¡¯s victory was decided, he was in pain. ¡°Why¡­ Why did you challenge Ambika¡­¡± ¡°...you?¡± A quiet whisper escaped Ungus¡¯s lips. The voice was different from before. It was clear and strong. ¡°That voice¡­ is that you¡­ Jamad?¡± ¡°U-Ungus?¡± ¡°How¡­ are you alive?¡± ¡°I died. I died and became a shadow. All to achieve my ambition.¡± ¡°Bwahahaha¡­ You crazy bastard¡­ You¡¯ve died, and you¡¯re still going on about that.¡± Ungus¡¯s eyes were drifting away. They were clouded, as if he was looking into another world entirely. ¡°...Why did you challenge Ambika?¡± ¡°Ambika is¡­ strong. I couldn¡¯t even reach him once¡­ pffft¡­ What did I expect?¡± ¡°Tell me! Why did you¡­¡± ¡°Because I thought I would be scared¡­¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I was worried that without you¡­ I would be scared¡­¡± ¡°Ungus.¡± ¡°Ambika was a monster, though, Jamad. Why didn¡¯t you tell me that earlier, haha¡­¡± Ungus gathered strength into his arms. It was clear he wouldn¡¯t recover, he was just squeezing out everyst drop of strength he had left. ¡°Come with me, Ungus.¡± ¡°You want me to be a shadow? Don¡¯t make meugh¡­¡± Ungus forced out an expression. He was clearly trying to send off his friend with a smile. ¡°I was cursed by Ambika. My soul cannot be revived.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Ungus wasn¡¯t the only one in pain, though. Jamad forced out each and every word through his gritted teeth, his voice trembling. ¡°If you can¡¯te with me¡­ I will take your strength.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that was an option too, right.¡± ¡°Do you dislike it?¡± ¡°Not at all¡­ Take my strength.¡± ¡°......¡± Slide¡­ Jamad''s arm was pulled out of Ungus''s body, but it wasn''t an action taken by Jamad himself. Ungus pulled it out on his own. ¡°Khhrgh¡­ Haah¡­¡± ¡°Ungus¡­¡± Ungus stumbled for a second before taking a stance. Raise¡­ He raised both his arms. ¡°Jamad, you have the right.¡± Though blood ceaselessly poured out of his mouth, he did not stop his lips. ¡°Make sure, no matter what¡­ to achieve your ambition.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°It¡¯s our ambition.¡± Ungus gave a big smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to go now.¡± ¡°Farewell.¡± aare! [You have changed to the Volcano Stance.] [All attacks will spread mes.] [An explosion will ur at the impact point of each attack.] [Passive: Moving mes is applied.] [Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.] Ripple! [You used Night Crow: Iron Fist Rule.] [Passive: Moving mes is applied.] [Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.] Seol¡¯s massive right armpletely swept Ungus away. BAAAAAAAAM! But he didn¡¯t stop there, his attack even reached therge tree of the hignds. CRAAAAAASH! The tree uprooted from the impact and flew off. ¡°Th-the tree¡­ flew away.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Those who witnessed the being embodying both Snowman and Jamad were struck with awe. [Your mana is currently below 5%] [You have mana deficiency.] [Your mana recovery rate is reduced by 50% for 5 minutes.] [You have overused your mana all at once.] [You are afflicted by Abnormal Status: Dizziness for a day.] [The cooldowns for your skills are increased by 10%.] The mana deficiency that always followed. And¡­ [You have defeated Ungus, the ck.] [You have received the ck Thunder Tribe¡¯s favor as a reward.] [You may now use the path to Alcatron from the Wet Fog Hills.] "Wait for me there, Ungus." Jamad lumbered over to the tattered Ungus¡¯s corpse and ced his hand on it. Craaaaaackle! Lightning poured out, apanied by immense pain, enveloping Jamad. "Soon, I''ll send Ambika there too." Craaaaackle! ¡°With your strength.¡± Countless messages entered Seol¡¯s vision. [Jamad absorbs Ungus¡¯s shamanic spells.] A yellow lightning flickering with ck light tore through Jamad. Chapter 163 Pooour¡­ Craaaackle! The rain grew heavier as thunder raged throughout the hignds. Bzzzzzzt! ¡°Kraaaaaaah!¡± The lightning emanating from Ungus thrashed violently, as if it was intent on burning Jamad down. ¡°Snowman!¡± ¡°I-Is he alright?¡± ¡°Kuaaargh!¡± As Seol was in the Night Crow form,bined with Jamad, he was not free from the pain. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± He drooled in pain. ¡®It hurts so much¡­ My brain feels like it''s melting.¡¯ Under immense amounts of pain, coherent thought bes impossible. While people may grow ustomed to pain over time, intense pain like this only bes more and more unbearable. ¡®Krgh¡­ does it hurt this much for Jamad each time he tries to grow stronger?¡¯ It was even possible that it hurt more when Jamad absorbed Magra¡¯s shamanic spells. He was repeatedly engulfed in mes then, to the point that his body couldn¡¯t stop shuddering. Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ As Seol was in awe of Jamad¡¯s endurance and uniqueness, the lighting slowly grew weaker. Seol might have been freed from the pain, but Jamad had yet to open his eyes. Just then, he began to hear Jamad¡¯s voice from the tattoo near his mouth. ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot, Ungus. Now, I will bear your burdens.¡± Rumble! Lightning struck the earth as the sky cleared, and Night Crow shined brightly. [Jamad absorbed Ungus¡¯s shamanic spells.] [Jamad, the Volcanic, has improved to Jamad, the Rain of Fire.] [Jamad¡¯s rank is improved to Transcendent.] [Jamad has now attained the qualifications to be a Great Shaman.] [Great Shamans are able to use Primal Power.] [Jamad awakens Primal Power: Mountain.] [Jamad awakens Primal Power: Sulfur.] [Jamad awakens Primal Power: Lightning.] [Volcano Stance has improved to Rain of Fire Stance.] [Jamad awakens Passive: Static.] [Jamad awakens Passive: Quick Reflexes.] [You are the first to acquire a Transcendent rank ally.] [You have earned the Inaugural Achievement ''I Bet You Don¡¯t Have This~''.] [You have earned the Inaugural Title ''Transcendent Owner''.] There was one thing that caught Seol¡¯s eyes more than anything else. ¡®Primal Power!¡¯ They were skills a Great Shaman awakened once they reached a certain level. It was a distinct kind of strength, simr to the difference between a Magician and an Archmage. ¡®But how did he learn it already?¡¯ Even though Jamad had just be a Great Shaman, he was already capable of wielding Primal Power. ¡®Maybe¡­ it¡¯s because he can use both Magra¡¯s and Ungus¡¯s powers?¡¯ While there were Great Shamans who solely focused on one field for their entire lives, other shamans, like Jamad, sought to master a variety of powers. Those like Jamad might not possess the same depth as the specialists, but they wield a diverse array of abilities that can be utilized in various situations. Crackle¡­ Craaackle¡­ After absorbing Ungus¡¯s powers, Seol and Jamad were separated from the Night Crow form. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you share the pain.¡± ¡°That was only half of how much it hurts normally?¡± Jamad nodded. Seol reflected on the excruciating pain he had just endured, then chuckled upon seeing Jamad''s peacefulposure. Jamad closed and spread his fists. Crackle¡­ He created lightning. re¡­ Then fire. Crumble¡­ Then, lumps of rock. ¡°So this is¡­ Primal Power¡­¡± ¡°Think you¡¯ll be able to use it?¡± ¡°It looked so fantastical when the elders of the alliance used it¡­ but it turns out it''s nothing much.¡± ¡°......¡± - If I can do it, it¡¯s easy. - Do you want me to hit you? Huh? - Jamad¡¯s the GOAT for saying that¡­ As Jamad confirmed his new skills and powers, Seol also inspected Jamad. First, he checked Jamad¡¯s stats. ¡®Hm¡­ They¡¯ve increased overall by about 50%.¡¯ Even though Jamad was still the same level, his stats had increased overall by 50%. ¡®He can probably kill most monsters with just a punch now¡­¡¯ Jamad already had his Shadow Summon penalty removed upon reaching Legendary rank. But now, with Seol¡¯s skills and item effects that give bonus stats, Jamad was even stronger than most boss monsters of the same level. ¡®Well, his levels still aren''t that high yet, though¡­¡¯ However, this was mostly because Seol was taking on Adventures one or two levels higher than he was supposed to. [[Passive: Static] - All attacks are imbued with Lightning Shamanic Energy. Lightning Shamanic Energy holds the Thunder, Lightning, and Light attributes.] [[Passive: Quick Reflexes] - Lightning Shamanic Energy enhances your reflexes, greatly boosting both your physical and mental reaction speeds.] ¡®This essentially means that each sessful attack has a chance to apply an Abnormal Status.¡¯ It could deal additional damage through Shock or cause panic through Tinnitus. ¡®And Quick Reflexes¡­ essentially increases yourbat ability? Or at least that¡¯s what I can tell so far¡­ it¡¯s clearly good, but I need to experience it myself to know for sure.¡¯ Seol inspected the skills carefully. After all, Jamad¡¯s skills were also, in turn, his skills now. ¡®And the title¡­¡¯ [[Inaugural Title: Transcendent Owner] Rted Achievement: I Bet You Don¡¯t Have This~ (Adventure: N/A) Bonus Effect: For each Transcendent rank summon, both the summoner and their summons have their stats increased by 10%.] ¡®...That¡¯s insane.¡¯ Transcendent Rank. It was the rank right above Legendary for monsters and summons. In The World of Eternity, Transcendent rank also held additional significance beyondbat. However, since even Seol didn¡¯t know the specifics, he could only specte. One thing he was certain of, though, was that if he encountered a Transcendent rank monster at his current state, he would have no way to defeat it. Well, at least in normal situations. ¡®However, if Jamad was his enemy now¡­¡¯ Seol would have to face him to be sure, but he knew victory wouldn¡¯t be in his favor. Even if the Twin Knights were exceptionally strong, they wouldn''t stand much chance against overwhelming stats and skills. Seol was thankful once more that Jamad was his ally and not his foe. - If he grows any further than this, Snowman won¡¯t grow anymore¡­ - Jamad¡¯s going to take down the ck Thunder Tribe on his own¡­ - Magra was scary, but I think Jamad¡¯s scarier now LOOOL As Seol and Jamad were lost in thought, Ung approached them. He was walking toward his older brother¡¯s, Ungus¡¯s, corpse. ¡°...Brother.¡± A ck and sturdy corpse. Even in death, his dignified appearance remained. Ungus, the hero of the ck Thunder Tribe, was scorched ck from head to toe. And now, even on his lifeless corpse, his eyes were seared ck. Ung closed his eyes after seeing his older brother. ¡°Rest well, brother.¡± As Ung gave his final words, Seol saw more messages. [A Charming Individual activates. You receive additional favorability.] [You have acquired ¡®Ung, the ck Thunder¡¯ as a helper.] [¡®Ung, the ck Thunder¡¯ is a Heroic rank.] [Helpers have a chance of appearing in all Adventures.] [They will help you differently based on their favorability toward you.] [Your influence in Faction: ck Thunder Tribe increases.] [Your influence in Faction: Troll Tribe Alliance increases.] [You now have a friendly rtionship with Faction: ck Thunder Tribe.] [Faction: ck Thunder Tribe is deeply interested in your actions.] * * * They returned from the Thunder Hignds to the tribe. ¡°We¡¯re behind schedule,¡± said Frannan. ¡°We need to leave immediately.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay.¡± Seol and Jamad told Ung about their objective. ¡°Alcatron?¡± questioned Ung back. ¡°Are you referring to that ominous ruin?¡± ¡°Yeah, Ung. We¡¯re going there.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Ung had a strange expression on his face after hearing Jamad¡¯s words. "There is a road to it, but I''m concerned." "About what?" "There was a significant earthquake recently. There''s a bridge on the way to the ruin, but it was built a long time ago. I''m worried if it''s still intact." ¡°...I guess we can only check.¡± ¡°We will also send some of our men.¡± Seol and the expedition party were relieved upon hearing that they would be safe to leave tomorrow. ¡°Phew¡­ I thought it was over after the trolls caught us.¡± "Hahaha, the ck Thunder Tribe are not savages as people think. It''s just a misunderstanding from how harshly they punish the people who trespass into theirnds,¡± said Mael. ¡°Didn¡¯t we trespass into theirnd, though?¡± coldly responded Chameli. ¡°Hahaha, did we?¡± ¡°I feel like we don¡¯t get along at all, Mael¡­¡± ¡°Hahahaha¡­ I feel like we get along quite well, though?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The expedition party slept well that night. They were exhausted after seeing Seol¡¯s incredible fight at the Thunder Hignds. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The carriages were back on the road the following day. tter tter¡­ ¡°But¡­ Why is the ck Thunder Tribe following us?¡± ¡°I know, right¡­ It¡¯s likely because of what Snowman and Jamad did for them.¡± ¡°Wait, really? Did they do something wrong?¡± "It''s quite the opposite. Snowman did so well that they''re volunteering to guide us there on their own ord." ¡°...I guess it was the right decision toe here.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that¡­ We had to spend time forging a friendly rtionship with the ck Thunder Tribe, meaning the expedition party that took the roundabout path could be arriving first.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we still be faster?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± A few dayster, the carriage stopped. ¡°D-Did we arrive?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so.¡± Everyone stepped out of the carriages. The ck Thunder Tribe and the expedition party all stood before a steep cliff. Everyone was at a loss for words. Seol and Jamad turned around to Ung. ¡°What happened?¡± "So my concerns were justified. It appears the bridge copsed due to the earthquake.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± said Mael while pping his hands together. "So that''s why there was andslide on the roundabout path. That exins the breakdown." Chameli had tears in her eyes. ¡°But Mael¡­ Our road is broken too.¡± - ???: I thought only their house broke down? - But we can now see that our house broke down too. I cried when I saw it. - Seriously, what are these guys going to do LOL Seol and Frannan sighed after seeing the ruined bridge. Frannan looked especially sour. ¡°This is¡­ quite troublesome. If we go back, we¡¯d be a weekte¡­¡± ¡°Not to mention the fact that the expedition party that used the roundabout path would have arrived by now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± Pooourrrr¡­ The rain continued to pour on them as they looked across to the other side of the cliff. Seol then saw a few options. [[The bridge from the Wet Fog Hills to Alcatron has been destroyed by an earthquake. What do you do?] 1. Circle around for the indirect path. 2. Give up on the expedition. 3. Abandon the carriages and focus on getting the people across at least. 4. Look for another route. ¡­¡­] ¡®Hm¡­¡¯ Seol read through each and every option to find the best answer. ¡®Going back is a problem too, though¡­¡¯ Who could have known that the bridge to Alcatron from the Wet Fog Hills would have been destroyed. If they knew this ahead of time, making everyone use the roundabout path would have been much better. ¡®Well, I suppose we don''t know if anything happened to them yet either.¡¯ As Seol was deep in thought, Ung spoke up. ¡°There is no need to worry so much, human. Jamad, let me help you.¡± ¡°Huh? You?¡± ¡°Ung is going to help us?¡± ¡°We have managed thesends for a long, long time. The ones who built this bridge were our ancestors.¡± ¡°But judging by how it was built¡­ it wasn¡¯t built ordinarily. Am I right about that, Ung?¡± ¡°You are exactly right. It was built with shamanic spells. And fortunately enough, we have records of the spell used to create that bridge.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Before Jamad could finish, Ung turned around to face his tribe. ¡°Shamans of the ck Thunder Tribe! We will be rebuilding the bridge!¡± ¡°Yes, chief!¡± ¡°Bring out the shaman stones! We will be using them as guidelines!¡± ¡°Yes, chief!¡± Thud¡­ The trolls unloaded two massive shaman stones and ced them near the foundation of the bridge. Ung, seeing them, spoke out loud. ¡°That should be about the right size. Let¡¯s use the rocks in the vicinity.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Wooosh¡­ The shamans'' eyes turned white as strange energy began to flow all around. CRASH! Lightning shot out and struck the massive rocks, causing them to crumble into smaller pieces. Crumble¡­ However, since they couldn¡¯t break every singlerge rock in a short amount of time, this process took an entire two days. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± ¡°This much¡­ should be enough.¡± Ung nodded. He then stepped forth and ced both his palms on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m ready as well.¡± Ung ced his hands on a line made from animal blood, with the shaman stone on one side and the shamans on the other side. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± CRACKLE! Rumble¡­ The readied rock fragments began to levitate. ¡°Krghhhhh¡­¡± The ck Thunder shamans all focused, veins forming on their foreheads. Rumble¡­ Rumble¡­ Rumble Rumble Rumble! Shards of stone began to fly, weaving together to construct a bridge. Chameli was shocked. ¡°Oh my god¡­ how are they¡­¡± Frannan, too, was curiously rubbing his chin. ¡°How interesting. Is that the essence of shamanic spells? It really is different from magic.¡± They couldn¡¯t believe what was happening before their eyes. A bridge was forming in thin air. It didn¡¯t take long for the bridge to bepleted. In fact, the preparation took much longer than its actual creation. Rumble Rumble¡­ ¡°All done.¡± Though it wasn¡¯t arge bridge, it was still enough for a carriage to safely cross to the other side. ¡°Test it out with a grypto.¡± ¡°Yes, chief!¡± The trolls sent forth a grypto to slowly cross the bridge. It was perfectly fine. Ung, after confirming that the bridge was safe, began to shout. "Now, prepare shaman stones on the other side as well! It will be fixed into ce the moment we install it!¡± Rumble¡­ * * * A bridge was made in just a couple of days. And even though the expedition party saw it with their own two eyes, they still couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡®It only worked out because the ck Thunder Tribe decided to help us¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for them, we would have been screwed.¡¯ Everyone seemed to have simr thoughts as they returned to their carriages. ¡°What a relief! We could have beente¡­¡± "We might have even had to turn back when we were mere moments from Alcatron..." ¡°I doubt I could keep my head high if that happened.¡± ¡°We would have failed for sure if they didn¡¯t help us.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t even want to think about what would¡¯ve happened if we just ran away from them¡­¡± Creak¡­ One by one, the carriages took turns crossing the bridge. And finally, in thest carriage, Seol and the others were about to board. Ung approached them to say his farewell to Jamad. ¡°Jamad, please do not forget Ungus, my brother.¡± ¡°Ungus is with me now, Ung.¡± ¡°...I look forward to seeing you again. I shall wait for your ambition, brother.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Seol¡¯s carriage safely crossed the bridge as well. Now, Alcatron was truly within arm''s reach. Everyone was silent in the carriage. It was because they all knew that the real dangers would soon begin. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re there?¡± ¡°If it didn¡¯t take long for them to restore the path, then yes.¡± "Still, we should be arriving at around the same time. We might begin our search in Alcatron together." ¡°......¡± Chameli, to lift the heavy mood, asked Mael a question. ¡°Mael? What are you looking at? You¡¯ve been looking at that since the expedition started.¡± ¡°Ah, I wasparing the Artifact Association¡¯s records of Alcatron to this ancient document.¡± ¡°Ah, really? But even so¡­¡± ¡°But now¡­ I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°...Hm? Did you find something?¡± Mael''s expression had darkened considerablypared to before. "I''ve¡­ just learned catron¡¯s original purpose.¡± Chapter 164 Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on Mael. ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°How did you just now¡­¡± ¡°......¡± While Chameli asked Mael out of pure curiosity, Frannan was desperate to learn anything about Alcatron as he didn¡¯t know anything about it. Mael, knowing that, looked directly at Frannan before continuing. ¡°Mm¡­ Frannan. You know that I am a member of the Artifact Association, right?¡± "Of course. How else would we have gotten to know each other if not for that? Why?" "The Artifact Association gathers all kinds of records. While Zodiac may hold incredible amounts of knowledge, the records the Artifact Association possess don¡¯tg behind." ¡°Are you saying that the ¡®ancient document¡¯ you brought was from there as well?¡± ¡°I am,¡± said Mael. ¡°Please¡­ look here.¡± As Frannan scanned the thick pages, a strange expression grew on his face. ¡°Huh? The Artifact Association had documents like these?¡± "I spent daysbing through the Artifact Association''s library trying to find anything about Alcatron. I also went through countless ancient documents that we couldn''t understand, and this was one of them." ¡°That you couldn¡¯t understand? Howe?¡± ¡°There are several reasons why. Religious texts are often so convoluted that they''re impossible to understand. Most of the texts fall into that category. In such cases, they''re filled with pointless words that have little to do with the context, rendering them useless.¡± ¡°And the other instances?¡± "Well... there could be other potential reasons, but in the case of this book, it''s because thenguage doesn''t match anything we know." ¡°Hm¡­ but it likely exists, and you just can¡¯t decipher it, right?¡± ¡°Precisely!¡± The two were having a conversation that the others felt they could understand to some extent but also didn¡¯t. Because the two were Frannan, who had achieved remarkable academic feats, and Mael, whose depths of knowledge they didn¡¯t know the full extent of, the others could only listen, unable to participate. "Thenguage was likely lost over time." "Is there any chance that thenguage was lost simply because it was a regional tongue?" ¡°That is also possible, yes.¡± Seol skimmed through some of the book before asking Karuna and Karen in his Shadow Space. ¡®Is this Montra¡¯snguage?¡¯ The answer that he received wasn¡¯t the one he expected. - No, it¡¯s not. ¡®Hm¡­¡¯ Mael then pointed out more points that he had questions about. "By the way, did you notice anything strange about the paper''s materials?" "You''re right. This paper feels unlike anything I''ve ever felt. Do you know anything about this?¡± "The Artifact Association used every possible means to identify it, but... we couldn''t learn anything. However, we did learn one thing... here." Mael handed over a drawing on a piece of paper. ¡°Is this what catron looks like?¡± "Yes, this is a drawing from when we excavated it." ¡°Hm¡­ there¡¯s a simr drawing in the book.¡± "Yes, and I assume that the patterns carved in front of each locked room signify their purpose." ¡°Right, but this¡­¡± "Exactly. The patterns in the book are used within a specific framework, and those same patterns are used in a mixed manner in front of Alcatron''s doors. Don''t you think... these are extremely simr to the numbers we use?" ¡°There¡¯s potential behind that. Wait, numbers in front of doors¡­ that are locked?¡± Seol, Chameli, Jamad, and Frannan exchanged nces, all wearing the same look of realization. ¡°A¡­ prison?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything else it could be.¡± ¡°Then Alcatron could be a prison used to confine something¡­¡± "Urgh... The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. More importantly, even if we understand it''s a prison, wouldn''t it be difficult to confirm?" ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ I brought this along.¡± Mael pulled something out from his bundle, wrapped in cloth. Ooh ooh¡­ ah ah¡­ It was a monkey inside of a birdcage. Frannan¡¯s expression quickly stiffened. ¡°I doubt this is just any normal monkey. Is this¡­ what I think it is?¡± ¡°It is,¡± smiled Mael. ¡°It¡¯s a junkie.¡± "No way... aren''t junkies a rare resource in the Artifact Association?¡± Junkies. They were a strange monster even Seol knew of. ¡®The Artifact Association brought a junkie?¡¯ Chameli quickly poked Mael''s side, eager to ask a question. ¡°Urgh¡­ that¡¯s my weak point,¡± said Mael. ¡°A-Ah, sorry.¡± Even though she had been clearly ufortable with him before, as it was her first time meeting a troll in human society, the two seemed to have quickly be close. ¡°But¡­ What''s a junkie?¡± "Ah, so you don''t know what it is, vicar." "Yes, the parish doesn''t have much contact with the Artifact Association, so..." ¡°Junkies are monkeys capable of thought.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± "They wouldn''t be called junkies if that''s all they did. These monkeys have phenomenal learning speeds. Regardless of the field, if you hand a junkie a paper, they learn it extremely quickly." ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ooh ooh¡­ ah ah¡­ The junkie munched on a fruit that Mael handed it. ¡°But¡­ why can¡¯t it talk?¡± "Once it loses interest in something, it forgets all of its memories and returns to being a normal monkey." ¡°What is that¡­¡± "But that''s exactly how they acquire new information. They empty what they learned previously to make room for new knowledge." Everyone chuckled for a moment, as Mael almost sounded like a monk. Frannan then followed it up with a question. ¡°But¡­ the Artifact Association really handed you that monkey too?¡± "Yes, they did. It wasn''t necessarily because they trusted me, though. They were simply extremely curious about Alcatron." "They''re the type of guys who''d immediately get off the toilet if they hear the word ''ancient,'' so it makes sense. Regardless, was the monkey able to do anything?" ¡°It didn¡¯t show much interest in the records or the other ancient texts I gave it, but¡­ it did react to a document I brought.¡± ¡°...that you brought?¡± Thud. Mael pulled out something once more. ¡°Urgh¡­ what kind of book smells like this?¡± said Chameli, pinching her nose. ¡°Hahaha¡­ please bear with it for a moment.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± asked Frannan. "We discovered this book thest time we were unearthing Alcatron, lying around randomly in the middle of nowhere. This too was written in anguage we didn''t understand, so we desperately needed the junkie to help us." ¡°So, was it able to decipher it?¡± ¡°...Kiki, what does it say?¡± The monkey looked at the book for a moment before speaking in the humannguage. [Within this book, I have recorded the excavation status of the ruin that has yet to be named.] ¡°Th-the monkey¡¯s talking right now!¡± ¡°Quiet¡­¡± ¡°Ubwrgh¡­¡± The junkie continued. [This ruin is named Alcatron. I do not know why it is called Alcatron. The name simply entered my head the moment I entered it.] ¡°Isn¡¯t this¡­ exactly the same as the Artifact Association¡¯s records?¡± "It is. We called it Alcatron because the first excavation crew also called it that." ¡°Then¡­ does that mean there were people who discovered Alcatron before you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something for the junkie to tell¡ª¡± Suddenly. Creaaak¡­ All of the carriages stopped. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± As the coachman hesitated to answer the question, everyone stepped out of the carriage. There were traces of a camp, with the fire still warm and essential items scattered about. ¡®A camp?¡¯ Everyone stepped out. ¡°This¡­ is Alcatron.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me¡­ there''s no entrance, though?¡± "Where are the others? Judging by this camp, it''s evident that those who took the roundabout path arrived before us." Frannan rubbed his chin beforeughing. "Right now, I''m just d we don''t have to waste time setting up camp. First, let''s clear the surroundings, and those of you who need rest, take some." ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Since the camp had already been prepared, they didn¡¯t necessarily need to do anything further. The only thing they would need to do was expand it once the original owners returned and n for entering Alcatron. ¡®But¡­ Alcatron disappeared?¡¯ Seol did not know much about Alcatron. In fact, most of the people in the expedition likely knew only as much as he did, nothing more. ¡°Has the entrance disappeared?¡± The only reasonable exnation would be if someone filled up Alcatron¡¯s entrance with dirt again, but even that was ridiculous. As everyone was struggling to understand what had happened, one of the members of the expedition party shouted. ¡°There¡¯s someone here! Over here!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Libra Magician! He was someone who took the roundabout path!¡± ¡°Where?!¡± The members of the expedition party quickly gathered around him. Hey on the floor, cold sweat dripping down all over his body. ¡°Yoran?¡± asked Frannan. ¡°Is that you?¡± ¡°Aspect Magician¡­ Frannan¡­¡± ¡°What happened? Are you hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just slightly exhausted¡­ I¡¯ll get over it soon.¡± "I''m d to hear that it isn''t too serious. But... what happened here?" ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to exin this¡­¡± The magician named Yoran carefully opened his mouth once more. ¡°We arrived here exactly three days ago.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * 3 days ago. Yofimba leaned back as he let out a long yawn. ¡°You¡¯re lying, right?¡± "We''ve been through so much toe all this way, so what the hell is all this, Yofimba?" ¡°I know, but I¡¯m confused as well. Why is the entrance gone?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ are you sure this is the right ce?¡± "I''m certain. There are still traces of us excavating it around, see? So what the hell happened?" Alcatron¡¯s entrance disappeared. How could this have possibly happened? Yofimba¡¯s expression grew worse. ¡®Then where the hell did Libra disappear to?¡¯ While finding Libra¡¯s Tower Master was also an issue, the disappearance of Alcatron, which the Artifact Association was in charge of excavating, was also a massive concern that caused Yofimba a lot of confusion. ¡°How could an entire ruin disappear¡­?¡± ¡°What do we do now, then? Are we giving up the search?¡± ¡°Will we even be paid properly for this?¡± The members began to murmur amongst each other. "For now, let''s set up camp. We can make a decision when the Aspect Magician arrives. He has the final say anyway." ¡°Okay. But what are we going to do about that Yoran guy?¡± "People from the magic tower are taking care of him, so don¡¯t worry. Even if a problem arises, it wouldn¡¯t be our fault." ¡°Was our pace too fast? I should¡¯ve known that magicians had awful stamina.¡± There were no issues the first night. However, a massive one arose the next day. ¡°...We¡¯re missing members?¡± ¡°Yes, even a few of the night guards disappeared as well.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Yofimba and the mercenary group leaders increased the number of night guards as a temporary measure. However, that was a huge mistake. The next day, even more people had disappeared. It was already toote to regret their decision. ¡°Damn it! What the hell is going on?!¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°No one¡¯s allowed to sleep! It¡¯s obvious that something is happening at night!¡± * * * Back to the present day, Frannan asked Yoran more questions. ¡°So what happened after that, Yoran?¡± "Everyone... went there as if they were possessed. Even though I told them not to go... and tried to stop them." ¡°By ¡®there¡¯ do you mean¡­¡± Yoran weakly nodded his head. "Yes, Alcatron. The ruin didn''t disappear. It reveals itself at night, opening its maw to lure people in. In the end... everyone went there." "...So we have to wait until nightfall. Yoran, will you recover before then?" ¡°If the pilgrims take care of me, I should be fine, yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Seol couldn¡¯t help butugh in defeat. ¡®A ruin that only appears at night?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as if Seol hadn¡¯t heard of ruins like that in Pandea before. However, it was his first time seeing one with his own eyes so he was a bit shocked. Seol and the party immediately began a discussion. ¡°What should we do? Even if Alcatron appears at night¡­¡± ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a chance the earlier expedition party coulde back?¡± ¡°Likely not, right?¡± ¡°Our manpower¡¯s been halved.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be if we enter Alcatron, though.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ How troublesome¡­¡± Frannan thought for a while before heartily making his decision. ¡°We should go in. Thinking about it like this won¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°I agree. Too many brothers have already entered.¡± "It would be a bit strange to back out aftering all this way..." "Then we should quickly prepare to enter Alcatron tonight before it''s toote." With that, the meeting was over. Seol believed the situation was already beyond salvage, and it was toote to do anything else. ¡®Alcatron¡­ What are you hiding? And why did Librae here?¡¯ Though Seol only came here at first to pay the price for Frannan¡¯s services, as more strange urrences unfolded, even he became intrigued by Alcatron. ¡®Regardless of what it is, we will find out tonight. We''ll discover what happened to the earlier expedition party and what Alcatron truly is.¡¯ As the sun began to set, darkness took over the camp. ¡°Nothing¡­ happened¡­?¡± ¡°Right¡­?¡± ¡°For now, let¡¯s all stay awake and be ready.¡± A few more hours passed after nightfall. Contrary to what Yoran had said earlier, the situation didn''t rapidly change, nor did strange events unfold. Well, they believed that nothing was happening. Fwoosh¡­ Fwoosh¡­ Every torch and fire in the camp suddenly extinguished. Even though there was no breeze, it all extinguished very naturally. ¡°L-Look over there!¡± ¡°Alcatron! It¡¯s Alcatron!¡± ¡°The ruin appeared!¡± The eerie entrance to the ruin revealed itself, its passage leading directly underground and into the earth. [A grand experience! You have discovered Alcatron.] [All stats have increased by 2.] As Alcatron revealed itself, the party donned their backpacks and stood before it. "It seems like... I will be able to make quite the interesting memory in myter years as well." ¡°Mael, you¡¯re next to me, right?¡± ¡°Can you not see me? Even though I¡¯m this big?¡± Agony squirmed in Seol¡¯sntern. [Hehehe¡­ I will make an eerie whistling sound as you guys go down the stairs. Hehehe¡­ I¡¯m getting excited already. I want to see you crying until boogers starting out.] ¡°Don¡¯t do it! Don¡¯t do it, please! Someone stop it!¡± "Those with torches, stand at the front, and the rest of you, don¡¯t stray too far from them!" shouted Frannan with a severe expression. "We don¡¯t know what could happen in there!" Step¡­ Step¡­ The expedition party made their way into Alcatron¡¯s entrance. Ooh ooh¡­ Ah ah¡­ Chameli pinched Mael. ¡°Wh-what was that just now?!¡± ¡°It seems like the junkie has finished interpreting the next sentences.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it? That¡¯s a relief¡­¡± ¡°Kiki, could you read the next lines?¡± [You have entered Alcatron.] [Rewards are being arranged.] [The Linked Adventure continues.] [This Adventure is very dangerous.] [You can only collect your rewards after all of the Adventures have been cleared.] The junkie began to speak. [Alcatron is a prison.] ¡°I knew it!¡± However, their expressions all turned for the worse as the junkie continued. [I believe that something horrifying is slumbering in here.] Their footsteps slowly descended deeper and deeper into the darkness. Chapter 165 The expedition party poured into Alcatron, each member careful not to slip as they descended the long stairs one step at a time. [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 22nd Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 22. Alcatron] [Adventure 22. ¡®Alcatron¡¯ Thanks to your efforts at the Wet Fog Hills, the expedition party safely reached its destination. However, the expedition party¡¯s mission still remains unfinished. Yesterday, half of the group entered Alcatron in search of ''Bornuil, the Libra,'' and your group now follows after them. There is something ominous about this ce. Even so, you mustplete your mission. Find Libra. Objective: Find Libra Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment¡¯s notice. Caution. This Adventure is expected to be an extensive journey. As such, there is a high possibility that you will not be able to rest properly. Remaining Time [Unknown]] ¡®The Remaining Time¡­ is ¡®Unknown¡¯?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as if there wasn¡¯t a time limit. It was just unknown. Seol grimaced as he continued down the stairs. Suddenly, he heard a loud sound behind him. Thuuuuuud! ¡°Kyaaaaa¡­¡± Grab Mael quickly covered Chameli¡¯s mouth. "Quiet. We don¡¯t know what could happen here, so let''s be mindful of the noise,¡± said Mael. Chameli red at Agony. ¡°You made that noise just now, didn¡¯t you?¡± [......] Agony was silent. ¡°H-Hurry up and tell me that it was you.¡± Seol turned around and answered Chameli in Agony¡¯s stead. "It wasn''t Agony. The door closed. Well, it might be more appropriate to say that it disappeared.¡± ¡°The entrance¡­ disappeared? Then are we trapped in here?¡± ¡°Who knows? But since Alcatron appears every night, it is possible that the door will reopen tomorrow night.¡± "So we''ll need to spend at least a day in here, huh¡­¡± "Mael," said Seol. "Howrge did you guys estimate Alcatron to be when you were first unearthing it?" "I remember us surmising that it was a massive ruin... I wasn''t a member of the Artifact Association then and only learned this through the documents, but apparently, we didn''t explore much.¡± "So you¡¯re telling me... even though the Artifact Association only explored a small part of it, it was sorge that they couldn¡¯t tell the entire scale?¡± ¡°Yes, precisely. But now that I think about it¡­ it is quite strange.¡± ¡°What is?¡± Mael paused, rubbing his chin in thought, while Chameli quickly joined him at his side. ¡°D-Don¡¯t mess around like that¡­ What do you think is strange?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Finally! We¡¯ve reached the bottom.¡± ¡°Keep your voice down. Are you trying to call monsters?¡± Mael continued to be lost in thought. Seol, seeing that, asked him more questions. ¡°Mael, have there been any monsters discovered here?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve discovered an old corpse, but¡­ no monsters. More importantly¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m still not certain yet. Let¡¯s go a bit deeper first.¡± Step¡­ Step¡­ It has been a long time since Seol heard his footsteps so clearly and loudly like that. ¡®It almost feels like I¡¯m walking down a hall alone.¡¯ The fact that his footsteps echoed like that only proved Alcatron¡¯s massive size. ¡°We haven¡¯t met a single member of the other expedition party yet,¡± said Frannan. ¡°Are we far from the excavation site?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Hey, Mael?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already passed by it.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Mael had a serious look on his face. ¡°We¡¯ve¡­ already passed by where we halted the excavation. A long time ago, in fact.¡± ¡°...Are you joking right now?¡± "Right now, the area we''re walking through was once filled with rocks and debris. Yet, for some reason... we''re able to continue forward.¡± Mael continued, quietly. ¡°It¡¯s almost like¡­ they cleaned up, expecting guests¡­¡± Thud. The rumbling caused the expedition party to panic. ¡°Wh-what was that sound?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt that, right?¡± ¡°Something was shaking¡­¡± Frannan raised his hand before speaking. ¡°Hey, get ready.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Something is¡­ing.¡± Rumble Rumble! [The space around you distorts.] [Your body is deprived of its freedom.] [You are now a loner.] [Hidden Adventure ¡®Loners Must Die¡¯ is now active.] ¡®Damn it! What the hell is going on?!¡¯ Hummmmmm¡­ Seol thrashed in a desperate attempt to escape the transferring process, yet it only caused the light to envelop his body faster until he fully disappeared. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Drip¡­ Drip¡­ Stale water dripped from the ceiling on Seol''s head. Though only a single drop, its descent from the high ceiling caused a slight sting. It was also quite cold, like ice water. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± [Hey! Quitying around and get up!] ¡°What the¡­ what the hell just happened?¡± Seol promptly woke up and got up. [Adventure 22-1. ¡®Loners Must Die¡¯ You find yourself alone. It seems that analyzing this question could be postponed until after you''ve encountered others. Currently, you possess no information. Objective: Locate another member of the expedition party. Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment¡¯s notice. Caution. This Adventure is expected to be an extensive journey. As such, there is a high possibility that you will not be able to rest properly. Remaining Time [23:15]] ¡°...Loners must die?¡± Frowning as if he had just read an ominous letter, Seol nced around. ¡®But why is itpletely dark here?¡¯ It was strange. Well, the strangest thing would be how the expedition party had been separated by a mysterious power, but Seolcked the capacity to address that at the moment. Therefore, he focused on the most urgent matter at hand. Fwick! Fwoosh¡­ Seol grabbed a torch from his inventory and lit it up. ¡®Even though everyone should have had an emergency torch with them, considering it''spletely dark¡­¡¯ This ce should have been illuminated by countless torches. The fact that it wasn''t indicated there was a reason behind it. "Maybe the light from the torches doesn¡¯t extend beyond a certain distance?" [You have acquired new information about Loners Must Die.] [Confirming another person''s light beyond a certain distance appears to be impossible.] ¡®...What is this?¡¯ These sentences gave Seol the feeling of being in an escape room. He scratched his cheek as he continued to think about his next move. ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°As I expected¡­ no reaction.¡± Someone suddenly appeared by Seol¡¯s side, letting out a loud shout clearly intended to shock and scare him. However, Seol was more surprised by another fact entirely. ¡°...Who?¡± - Uh¡­ who are you? - S-Sorry, I think I have the wrong person. - Hahaha¡­ who were you again? He was a strikingly handsome man, his features almost seemed like they were sculpted by God himself. Draped in an old robe, a look of shock filled his beautiful face. ¡°You¡­ can see me?¡± ¡°Should I not be able to see you?¡± ¡°No way¡­ I¡¯m a ghost, though.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°You¡­ You just entered Alcatron, right?¡± - Hahaha, sure you¡¯re a ghost~ (scared as fuck) - I can¡¯t believe people still do jokes like these~ (can¡¯t breathe) - Ah! That surprised me, haha! Sure, I guess I was surprised! (going to sleep with my mom tonight) Though Seol was curious about the mysterious man, he was more curious about the secrets he might hold about this ce. But for the time being, since Seol needed to learn about him before anything else, he inquired about the former. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°You can¡­ be much morefortable with me! We¡¯re friends, right?¡± ¡°...That depends on your answer.¡± ¡°How uptight¡­ You hear that you¡¯re a hardhead often, don¡¯t you? I told you, I¡¯m a ghost! Look, a ghost!¡± The man attempted to touch Seol''s body, but his hand passed through as if it were nothing. ¡°...So you were.¡± ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? You believe me now, right?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± "My name? I don''t have one. Why would I need a name when no one here, other than you, can perceive me?¡± ¡°That¡­ makes sense¡­¡± ¡°But, if you really want¡­ maybe you could give me a name?¡± ¡°Me¡­ name you?¡± ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re the only one who can see me anyway.¡± ¡°Then what about Ner?¡± ¡°Ner?¡± ¡°Yes, Ner from ¡®loner¡¯.¡± - It¡¯s awful! Snowman¡¯s naming sense is awful! - If he ever gets married, his wife should name their kids! - What¡¯s wrong with Ner? Pffft¡­ I¡­ pfft¡­ like it¡­ - What is hisst name then? Hamburger? Nerughed brightly and nodded. ¡°Alright, and I like the meaning too! I¡¯m Ner now! Well then, friend, what can I help you with?¡± ¡°How did you be a ghost, Ner?¡± "How? There was no reason. I was a ghost when I opened my eyes." ¡°Hm¡­ and you have no memories of your life?¡± ¡°Nope, none at all! Maybe I¡¯m like a variant or something¡­? I¡¯m just a ghost!¡± Seol chuckled, as if finding it ridiculous, then fell silent, lost in his own thoughts for a moment. ¡°......¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Ner. ¡°Just before¡­ didn¡¯t you say ¡®no one here¡¯?¡± ¡°Yeah! No one here! What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± "Then does that mean... someone else besides us is here?" "Obviously... Duh," replied Ner, his eyes widening. "This is a prison! Of course, there would be prisoners!" ¡°...So Mael¡¯s theory was right.¡± Seol felt somewhat relieved after fully confirming the ruin¡¯s original purpose. ¡®If it¡¯s a prison, then all of its prisoners should be dead by now. It is an ancient ruin, after all.¡¯ ¡°Then the prisoners? They¡¯re all dead, right?¡± asked Seol. ¡°No? Why would they be dead?¡± ¡°......¡± "They were locked up, but... there was a loud rumbling a few days ago that allowed them all to escape." ¡°Damn it¡­ then that means¡­¡± Ner then began pointing into the darkness. ¡°Waaaay over there¡­ one of your friends is being chased.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They might die if you don¡¯t save them quickly.¡± Fwip! Seol quickly sprinted in the direction that Ner pointed. Ooh ooh¡­ Ah ah! ¡®A monkey?¡¯ Since nobody in his expedition party would imitate a monkey for fun in a life-or-death situation, it was likely just a monkey. And in Seol¡¯s expedition party, there was only one monkey. ¡®The junkie!¡¯ Ooh ooh ah ah ah! The junkie, recognizing Seol, quickly leaped into his arms, carrying variousrge papers. [You are no longer a loner.] Ooh ooh! Ah ah ah! The junkie kept pointing behind him, as if trying to indicate something. ¡®So there¡¯s¡­ something behind him.¡¯ Skitter¡­ An insect, two or three timesrger than the average human, appeared. ¡°A praying mantis?¡± Ner returned to Seol¡¯s side to speak once more. ¡°Oh, it was her.¡± ¡°Do you know it?¡± ¡°She used to be a prisoner on the first floor. She¡¯s got quite a nasty personality.¡± ¡°...The first floor? Are you saying that there are more floors to this ruin?¡± Seol¡¯s Eyes of Perception activated. Diiiiing! [[Unknown] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 28~34 Unknown Basic Skills: [Unknown 2], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 5], [Unknown 2] Unique Skills: [Unknown 2]] ¡°...You¡¯re joking, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± Even though it was just one of many prisoners in Alcatron, the Eyes of Perception were unable to read through any of its information. Moreover, the monster was Rare rank, a rank typically reserved for boss monsters. Kshaaaaaah! Therge praying mantis charged at Seol while swinging its ws. Fwiiirl! [You enter the Night Crow form with Shaman ¡®Jamad, the Rain of Fire¡¯.] [You absorb Jamad, the Rain of Fire¡¯s stats.] [Your ss is changed to Fighter.] However, even though it was a high-level, rare rank monster, it was no match for Seol in the Night Crow form. aaang! Seol effortlessly dodged the mantis''s attack, then struck its chest with his right arm. Despite its tough-looking carapace, a mere fraction of Seol''s strength was enough to cause it to crumble like tofu, his fist driving deep into its chest. Craaaackle! Electricity flowed throughout the mantis¡¯s body, shocking it. Kieeeeeee! Baaam! The mantis¡¯s eyes exploded from the impact. Thud. Before eventually copsing in front of Seol. [You have defeated 1st Floor: Malcurium.] Ner, the ghost, was in awe after seeing the mantis¡¯s corpse. ¡°Malcurium is likely the mantis¡¯s name¡­ but what does it mean about ¡®1st Floor¡¯?¡± ¡°Maaaaan¡­ you really are strong, huh? You just beat Malcurium in one hit like BAM! and made her explode.¡± ¡°Could you please answer me? What did it mean about the 1st Floor? Are there more floors than this?¡± "You didn¡¯t know? Alcatron has multiple floors, and you¡¯ve just arrived on the 1st." ¡°What do you¡ª¡± ¡°More importantly, your eyes¡­¡± ¡°Huh? What about my eyes?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s changed in a really cool way. They¡¯re turning red now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ in here?¡± Throb¡­ Seol shut his eyes tightly as they began to throb, as if they might pop out of their sockets. He had already sensed signs of its awakening since the Labyrinth of Penance. He had also significantly raised its proficiency by attempting to read the information of powerful opponents. And now, through attempting to read Malcurium¡¯s information, it had reached a milestone in proficiency. ¡°If you want to scream, you can. There¡¯s no one around you right now anyway.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­. Grahhhhhhhhhh!¡± Not too long after, Seol was overwhelmed with an immense amount of pain. [Eyes of Perception changes drastically.] [Blood of Origin bes active during the transformation process.] Chapter 166 Clench¡­ The veins in Seol¡¯s eyes began to throb so intensely that the blood vessels became visible. ¡°Urgh¡­ Grahhh¡­ It hurts¡­¡± ¡°Does it hurt that much? You can cry if you want. I¡¯ll pretend like I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Clench! Thud. Seol stopped moving. ¡°......¡± ¡°Is it over already? Good work.¡± ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± Seol¡¯s eyes slowly fluttered open. [Due to the Blood of Origin¡¯s influence, the Eyes of Perception has transformed into the Eyes of Foresight.] [You awaken Passive: Foresight.] [Passive: Good Lineage activates.] [Those connected to your bloodline also receive the Eyes of Foresight.] [Your creations can temporarily use the Eyes of Foresight.] [You are able to perceive invisible matter.] [You are able to perceive the various flows of power.] [Your vision greatly improves.] [You are able to see the statuses of elite monsters more clearly than before.] [You will be able to see more statuses, as well as the statuses of stronger monsters, the more you train these eyes.] [There is a high chance of seeing the exnation of important objectives.] [You will be able to see rarer objectives at a higher chance the more you train these eyes.] [Insight¡¯s proficiency greatly increases.] [Insight has reached its maximum proficiency.] [Talent ''Insight'' has advanced to ''Intermediate Insight''.] [Insight now activates more frequently.] [Insight now activates for more reasons than before.] ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Man¡­ your eyes look so much cooler now.¡± Seol¡¯s eyes were now a beautiful blend of gold and scarlet. However, as he cried blood, it looked more horrifying than anything. ¡®...Did the Blood of Origin take effect?¡¯ The Blood of Origin demanded ceaseless changes to Seol¡¯s body. Even minor, mundane transformations could be drastic if the Blood of Origin took effect. As such, there was no greater treasure than this to enhance your body. ¡®Even so... I can''t believe Eyes of Perception wasn''t enhanced, but instead transformed into the Eyes of Foresight.¡¯ ording to Seol¡¯s knowledge, once you acquired an eye-rted ability, you were stuck with them unless you reced your eyes entirely. Even when enhanced, the natural process for the Eyes of Perception was to remain as the Eyes of Perception. Seol even took that into consideration when he first unlocked them, deeming them a worthwhile investment. ¡®Foresight¡­ is this what I think this is?¡¯ [[Passive: Foresight] - You are capable of predicting events in the near future.] ¡®These effects are essentially¡­ no different from future sight¡­ What is this?¡¯ - There are too many effects! - The Blood of Origin¡­? Again¡­?! - These effects are insane though haha - Honestly, I was getting a bit tired of theck of rewards, but¡­ I should be fine now ?? - I don¡¯t know what half of these effects do¡­ - Proficiency up = shing eyes!!! - What the fuck is going on lmaooo ¡®And the part about it affecting those connected to my bloodline... it means it affects my summons too, right?¡¯ Though Seol didn¡¯t know the specifics of these effects, he doubted they would be harmful, especially considering how they also applied to his summons. ¡®Regardless, I didn¡¯t expect my creations to be affected by this as well.¡¯ As Seol continued to think to himself, Ner interrupted him. "Mind letting me join you instead of keeping it to yourself?" ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sorry to say this, but¡­ your monkey¡¯s been acting weird since a while ago.¡± ¡°...Are you talking about Kiki?¡± ¡°Yeah, look at it.¡± Ooh ooh¡­ ah ah¡­ Kiki''s eyes had beenser-focused on the unknown person''s excavation logs in his hand since he entered Alcatron. Seol carefully approached Kiki. ¡°Kiki, I¡¯ll find Mael for you soon, so don¡¯t worry, and¡­¡± Kiki, without turning around at all, spoke out loud. [We encountered difficulty the moment we entered the ruin. Twenty people have already died so far from unknown reasons.] ¡°...Kiki?¡± [With each passing day, more members sumb to mental illness. They continue toin about hearing a voice beyond the firmly locked door, yet we remain unable to open it.] ¡°......¡± Kiki hurriedly flipped through the pages. [Is this a dream? Even though we excavated this ce andpletely cleared it out yesterday, it¡¯s filled to the brim with rocks and debris again.] Seol felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu from the section that Kiki had just read. - Right now, the area we''re walking through was once filled with rocks and debris. Yet, for some reason... we''re able to continue forward. ¡®What Mael said before!¡¯ Even though the Artifact Association hadn¡¯t excavated through it, it waspletely cleared out with no debris in sight. If that was possible, then the events in Kiki¡¯s records must also be possible. Kiki continued. [Someone is clearly watching us.] - You can stop reading now, Kiki! I¡¯m going to piss myself! - Why?! Why do you have to read?! Kiki! Waikiki! - Not a bad pun¡­? - It was good, huh? ?? - It¡¯s fucking scary, though. Ooh ooh¡­ Ah ah¡­ Kiki stopped reading the documents and quickly scurried toward Seol, longing for a hug. Ooh ooh! Ah ah! ¡°Your monkey looks a bit scared¡­?¡± ¡°...He does. Ner, how long have you been in here?¡± "I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been, but I do know that I only woke up recently." ¡°Then are all of the prisoners here alive too?¡± "I doubt it. I''ve definitely seen some bodies rotting away in the cells, as well as prisoners who''ve taken their own lives.¡± ¡°Then there shouldn¡¯t be many prisoners roaming around in Alcatron, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just wishful thinking! Alcatron is massive! Even if a portion of them died, there are still way more than your entire party. I wonder how they made a ce like this¡­?¡± Seol ced his hands on his chin and pondered. ¡°Now that I think about it, I didn¡¯t even think about that. Who made Alcatron?¡± ¡°I doubt anyone knows. Didn¡¯t you hear that monkey just now? It¡¯s ancient, even before the previous era.¡± ¡°Then, Ner¡­ could you please help me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m helping you already, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°My friends are¡­¡± "Ah, now that I think about it... were the people who came before you your friends too?" Ner was likely referring to Yofimba and his party. ¡°You saw them?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Where did they go?¡± ¡°I think they went a bit deeper than here? I don¡¯t know the specifics either. But¡­ a few of them definitely went down to the floor below.¡± ¡°...How many floors are there?¡± ¡°At least four underground floors.¡± ¡°At least¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how many more floors there are after the 4th one. There could be one, there could be multiple. Ah, just so you know, the deeper down you go, the more wicked the criminals be.¡± ¡°Have you seen the criminals on Floor B4?¡± ¡°Of course. There¡¯s no way I couldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you see. Hehehe¡­¡± Seol then asked the most important question. ¡°Are they¡­ strong?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Stronger than me?¡± ¡°Probably?¡± - I hereby announce¡­ we¡¯re fucked! - We¡¯re so fucked! - Fucked! Fucked! Fucked! It¡¯s joever! - Snowman: Since I¡¯m alone now¡­ maybe I should just go home¡­? * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Fwip! Ner turned his head, toward a different direction. ¡°Over there! I see another one of your friends!¡± Dash! Seol quickly sprinted toward the direction that Ner pointed at. While Seol could easily defeat a monster like that with a simple punch, it would likely be a challenging opponent for the other members of the expedition party. As Seol ran further and further, the silhouette of a human slowly emerged. ¡°D-Don¡¯te any closer!¡± Those words weren¡¯t directed at Seol, but at arge hedgehog-like monster in front of him. [[1st Floor: Yorman] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: 27~32 A monster of unknown origins. The thorns on its body are capable of piercing through even armor. Basic Skills: [Thorn Cover 1], [Thorn Spray 2], [Secrete Poison 3], [Cut Steel 1], [Ball Roll 5], [Great Spin 2] Unique Skills: [Golden Thorn 2]] ¡°Ah¡­¡± As Seol swiftly passed by the man¡¯s side to face the monster, he shouted out as well. ¡°Watch out!¡± Fwirl! Kieeeeeee! Yorman quickly curled up into a ball, turning its thorns toward the front. After calmly dodging the attack, Seol aimed to counter with his right fist. Faaade¡­ ¡®...Huh?¡¯ An afterimage-like mirage gave Seol an image of Yorman¡¯s next movements. Seol quickly pulled back his hand and swung his left hand instead. Kieeee! Yorman thrust its head forth, as if attempting a headbutt, but it failed to connect with Seol¡¯s right hand. Instead, Seol¡¯s left handnded perfectly on its chin. BAAAM! Kieeek¡­ Craaaaackle! Ki¡­ Kieeek¡­ Yorman quickly copsed in an instant. Thud. [You have defeated 1st Floor: Yorman.] ¡®Was that¡­ Foresight?¡¯ Though Seol originally nned to reserve judgment on Foresight until after the Adventure was over, he had somewhat reached a decision after just thisbat. ¡®It¡¯s¡­ better than I thought?¡¯ Furthermore, considering that his summons were also affected by these effects, Seol''sbat capabilities increased by an indescribable amount. ¡®Still, they will take some time to get used to.¡¯ As Seol scratched his nose after defeating Yorman, the man who was chased by the monster ran up to him. ¡°Y-You¡¯re Aspect Magician Frannan¡¯s apprentice¡­ right? It¡¯s me, Yoran!¡± ¡°...Yoran? Ah, that¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I was the one lying down from an illness, haha!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Did you not go through the same thing that I did?¡± ¡°So you were transferred as well¡­¡± Seol then exchanged some more information with Yoran, but he did not learn much. Just as he was beginning to feel disappointed, Yoran said something peculiar. ¡°Did you hear the thing¡­ about ¡®Loners Must Die¡¯?¡± ¡°Loners Must Die?¡± "Yes, moments before I was transferred, I heard that in my head. I remember other people talking about it as well. I¡¯m sure everyone must have heard it, no?" ¡°Hm¡­¡± Loners Must Die. Seol still had no clue what that meant or what would happen if he was considered a loner. Regardless, Seol was no longer a loner now that he had found Yoran. After weing him, the two then wandered around, looking for a path. Seol did not know how much time had passed. ¡®Damn it. Since we can¡¯t see in front of us, it¡¯s taking way too much time just trying to find our way¡­¡¯ Seol then asked Ner a question aftering up with a great idea. "Ner, could you tell us how to head to the lower floor?" ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ think I¡¯m allowed to.¡± ¡°...Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I hear voices too. A voice telling me to split all of you up.¡± ¡®They must be a massive psychopath if they¡¯re talking to ghosts too,¡¯ thought Seol. ¡°What are they saying?¡± asked Seol. ¡°To¡­ stop getting in the way of their fun.¡± ¡°...their fun?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t think I can help you with this. You need to do this on your own.¡± ¡°I understand. Calm down, Ner.¡± Ner was trembling. Seol wondered who could scare a ghost with just their voice. Regardless, Seol was nearing the end of his Remaining Time. The only lives he had met after an entire day were Kiki and Yoran. ¡®Did everyone else head down?¡¯ And just then, Seol found someone. ¡°Mael!¡± ¡°S-Snowman! Kiki too? And Yoran as well?¡± ¡°It is!¡± ¡°Hahaha! I guess it was a good decision to walk in this direction. Vicar Chameli is with me as well.¡± ¡°Snowman, it¡¯s me!¡± Seol couldn¡¯t help but smile after seeing the two of them. He had been worried about them, fearing that something terrible might have happened, especially considering that the two of them were incredible assets if he could be with them. ¡°By the way, did you hear that? The thing about ¡®Loners Must Die¡¯.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­ I heard about it from Yoran.¡± ¡°So I guess transferees can¡¯t hear it¡­ I heard that we were given a day. Did you hear that as well?¡± ¡°Yes, that was what I heard as well.¡± ¡°This is a huge problem then¡­ The day has almost passed.¡± ¡°Then we should move for now. Let¡¯s exchange information while we look for the way downstairs.¡± ¡°A good idea.¡± The party began to move. ¡°...You met a ghost?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°...Where is he right now, then?¡± asked Chameli. ¡°Well¡­ he¡¯s right next to you, vicar.¡± Chameli quickly stiffened up. ¡°Wh-what the¡­¡± - What the fuck! - What the hell! - I kind of want to see her swear haha ¡°Don¡¯t say something so scary¡­ You¡¯re messing with me, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Kyaaaaaa!¡± Chameli quickly leaped to Mael¡¯s side. Thud¡­ As she did, she identally kicked something by her ankles. ¡°Wh-what was that¡­¡± ¡°...A corpse.¡± ¡°Hrgh¡­¡± ¡°Wait, he¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s the leader of the Ghost Wheel Mercenaries.¡± ¡°No way! How could someone like that die alone here¡­¡± The party then exchanged nces. ¡°...alone?¡± ¡°A¡­ loner?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± [You have acquired new information about Loners Must Die.] [Those who are alone die when time runs out.] Rumble! As mysterious mana began to swell in the air, Mael shouted. ¡°Damn it! It¡¯sing agai¡ª!¡± [The space around you distorts.] [Your body is deprived of its freedom.] [Hidden Adventure ¡®Get Caught and You¡¯ll Die¡¯ is now active.] Hummmm¡­ Mael¡¯s mouth was clearly shouting, but nothing could be heard. Thud! This time, Seol was transferred without losing consciousness. However, Kiki, Yoran, Mael, and Chameli were all gone. ¡°Are you up?¡± ¡°Ner¡­ you found me right away.¡± ¡°Yeah! I am a ghost, after all.¡± ¡°Damn it. Was this¡­ repeating?¡± ¡°Right¡­? I didn¡¯t know either.¡± Seol ground his teeth as he checked the new Adventure. ¡°Get Caught¡­ and You¡¯ll Die?¡± Seol looked around to see if anything had changed on the 1st floor. Unlike before, something caught his eyes immediately. ¡®...What is that?¡¯ The Eyes of Foresight then detected something ominous walking around within the darkness. Seol, after seeing their information, quietly whispered to himself. ¡°A¡­ warden?¡± Chapter 167 A being covered in ck. Not only that, but the only part of the warden¡¯s face that moved was their mouth, almost as if they had never had eyes, a nose, or ears. They were strange and suspicious. First, Seol distanced himself from the warden as fast as he could. Once he deemed it safe, he read through the new information he had received. [Adventure 22-2. ¡®Get Caught and You¡¯ll Die¡¯ The warden, yet another dangerous figure of Alcatron, has appeared before you. Their true identities and origins are of no importance. What matters is that they are undoubtedly a troublesome existence. You must keep that in mind. Currently, you possess no information. Objective: Survive. Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment¡¯s notice. Caution. This Adventure is expected to be an extensive journey. As such, there is a high possibility that you will not be able to rest properly. Remaining Time [11:55]] ¡®I have less time than before, and¡­ well, I¡¯m d that the Objective is clear, at least.¡¯ ¡°Giiiiiiii¡­¡± The warden slowly moved his feet as he looked around. ¡®In other words, I need to head down to B2 while avoiding the guard, right?¡¯ Seol thought for a moment before eventually asking himself. ¡®But why do I need to avoid them? They don¡¯t look that much stronger than the prisoners here¡­?¡¯ ¡°Giiiiii!¡± Dash! The warden quickly ran somewhere after discovering something. ¡®They¡¯re fast!¡¯ Even though the warden had been slow as a snail just moments before, the instant they found their target, they hunted them down swiftly like a panther. The warden sprinted in the direction opposite of Seol Kieeee! The prisoner, their face concealed beneathyers of bandages, bolted in shock upon spotting the warden. ¡°Giiiiiaaa!¡± Kieeeeeeee! The prisoner tried their best to escape, but the guard was faster. Thud. It was a light tap. The warden¡¯s long arms just barely reached the prisoner¡¯s body. Writhe¡­ Grow¡­ Bulges began to grow on the prisoner''s head, protruding in various directions. Pop! And like that, it exploded. ¡®....What was that?¡¯ [Intermediate Insight activates.] [You have identified hidden information about the wardens.] [You have acquired new information about Get Caught and You¡¯ll Die.] Seol read through the warden¡¯s information with his Eyes of Foresight. [[Upper Floor: Warden] Rank: Rare Estimated Level: Unknown A being influenced by the special magic of Alcatron. They are practically invincible as long as their spells remain intact. They are especially strong against the prisoners of Alcatron. Basic Skills: N/A Unique Skills: [Alcatron: Physical Damage Resistance], [Alcatron: Elemental Damage Resistance], [Brand of the Sinner], [Sear Brand]] ¡®What kind of monster is this?¡¯ Seol, inwardly thankful that he hadn¡¯t fought the warden, then turned to Ner. Ner shrugged his shoulders. ¡°They need to be in charge of the prisoners on the upper floors, after all. They should be stronger than them, no?¡± ¡°Do they patrol like this often?¡± "No, I''ve only seen them by chance here and there... regardless, you should never fight them. As long as they''re on the upper floor, they''re practically invincible." ¡°Upper floor? Then are there no guards on the lower floors?¡± ¡°Nope. It would be pointless.¡± ¡°Howe?¡± ¡°Because the prisoners down there are stronger than the guards.¡± ¡°......¡± Seol couldn¡¯t hide his shock. ¡®Do the prisoners be much stronger once I reach the lower floors?¡¯ ¡°Well, regardless¡­ I think whoever¡¯s behind this seeded in entering the heart of Alcatron.¡± ¡°The¡­ heart?¡± "Like the control room. Judging by how the wardens are following theirmands... The guards are essentially puppets that follow orders. You need ess to the control room to manipte them.¡± ¡°Then is it impossible to escape from Alcatron?¡± "I''m not entirely certain, but likely, yes? It wouldn''t make sense if you couldn''t control who enters and leaves with ess to the control room, right?" Seol nodded as he thought of other things. ¡®I hope Mael and Chameli are safe.¡¯ Seol worried they might have encountered a warden. ¡®But there''s nothing I can do. Each of us became responsible for our own lives from the moment we entered here.¡¯ Seol no longer had any questions for Ner. The rest, such as more details about the wardens and the way down, were left for him to discover on his own. ¡®Alright, then I should¡­¡¯ Fwirl! Seol''s n was to utilize his creations. After crafting crows of suitable sizes, he dispersed them in various directions. ¡®With this, it¡¯ll be easier to keep track of the guards too.¡¯ Caaaw¡­ Flutter¡­ Seol dispersed six crows in different directions. ¡®...I can see.¡¯ However, it wasn¡¯t as if the crows could see clearly through the darkness. The darkness was thick and heavy. The crows could barely make out outlines in the dark, unable to discern anything else. But¡­ whenever Seol activated the Eyes of Foresight¡­ Glooow¡­ The crows gained the ability to see over quite a distance. ¡®They don''tst long, and it''s mentally taxing, so I can''t do it for 24 hours, but... even this is huge.¡¯ Seol could now scout his surroundings as if he had gained a bird''s-eye view of the entire floor. ¡°Giiiiii¡­¡± Seol spotted a guard with one of the crows. ¡®Now¡­ why don¡¯t I try something out?¡¯ Caaaw¡­ Seolmanded a crow to circle around a guard. 10M. ¡®A bit closer¡­¡¯ 7M. p p¡­ 5M. Grab! The guard quickly reached for the crow. Crumble¡­ Seol immediately canceled his creation. ¡°Giii?¡± The guard looked around confused but soon returned to its usual dull self. ¡®So they detect you once you¡¯re within 5 meters. I just need to be careful of that then.¡¯ Seol also concluded that it would be better to avoid the other prisoners if possible. After all, he didn''t want to attract the guards¡¯ attention. ¡®This... seems like I''d have a very low chance of running into other people from the expedition party..¡¯ Currently, Seol¡¯s odds of running into a prisoner or warden were much, much higher than running into hisrades. ¡®It''s probably better to head down to a lower floor as quickly as I can, then rendezvous afterward.¡¯ Now that Seol had settled on a goal, he continued to search with that in mind. ¡°Oho¡­ you could do something like this too?¡± said Ner. ¡°I know how to do a lot of things.¡± ¡°That¡¯s incredible¡­¡± Since Seol had his crows watching his surroundings, there was no chance of him running into any enemies. Unfortunately, though, he also didn¡¯t run into any of his allies. ¡®Did they all head down already?¡¯ However, that was just wishful thinking. Seol then began to spot corpses, seemingly former members of the expedition party. Seol checked each and every one of them, scanning their faces to see if he recognized any. Fortunately, if "fortunate" is the right word... they were all people he didn¡¯t recognize. Twitch¡­ Seol, through one of the crows, sensed the flow of air nearby. ¡®Maybe¡­ that¡¯s the way down?¡¯ Just as Seol began to feel relieved from finding the stairs heading down, someone grabbed the crow. ¡®...What?¡¯ Someone had grabbed the crow and was now observing it. ¡®It¡¯s a prisoner!¡¯ However, this prisoner was much different from the ones he had run into before. He appeared human. Though his lips were sewn shut, his face definitely resembled a human¡¯s. Just as Seol was about to read the prisoner¡¯s information with the Eyes of Foresight¡­ Crush¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The prisoner crushed the crow with his grip. Seol quickly ran toward the spot where the crow had been destroyed. ¡°...Found you.¡± As expected of the way headed down¡­ a prisoner was wandering around it. ¡®But¡­ he doesn¡¯t look normal at all.¡¯ Seol looked around, but the only living being in sight was that one prisoner. ¡®......¡¯ Everyone else was a corpse. ¡®Maybe he came upstairs after the second transfer and killed every member of the expedition party he ran into?¡¯ [[2nd Floor: Humer, the Puppeteer] Rank: Heroic Estimated Level: 31-35 A powerful prisoner of Alcatron. The puppets he wields are stronger than they were while living. Basic Skills: [Marite 2], [Sew Flesh 1], [Stitch 3], [Forced Dance 2], [Separation Anxiety 4], [Intestine Explosion 5] Unique Skills: [One Consciousness 2]] The man with the sewn mouth made a bizarre expression as he raised his puppets. [Humer, the Puppeteer, used Marite.] [Those bound to him move to his will.] [Marites gain powerful physical abilities.] ¡°Guahhhhh¡­¡± ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­¡± As the man moved his fingers, the corpses lying on the floor began rising. ¡°......¡± Seol then spotted a familiar face amongst the corpses. - Y-You¡¯re Aspect Magician Frannan¡¯s apprentice¡­ right? It¡¯s me, Yoran! It was Yoran, the magician Seol had just been with. Unfortunately for him, he arrived at the entrance to the second floor before Seol. The marite wearing Yoran¡¯s skin began to groan. ¡°K-Kill¡­ me¡­¡± Seol¡¯s face stiffened. Ner, seeing this, began to warn Seol. ¡°Isn¡¯t he¡­ the puppeteer?! Watch out, he¡¯s¡ª¡± Glooow¡­ Fwirl! Fwirl! The ck energy in Seol¡¯s hands transformed into the Twin Knights. Karen and Karuna, who had been observing the situation, did not hesitate to unsheathe their swords. Slice! Slice! Swords began to swing at incredible speeds. Slice Slice Slice! Saaattter! And it took only moments for all of the puppets to turn into lumps of meat. Humer, shocked, began to stumble away while extending his hands out in front of him, as if he were trying to push them away. Swoosh¡­ sh! With one swift swing, Karuna sliced off both of Humer¡¯s hands. Karen instantly followed up with an attack on the defenseless Humer. sh! Humer¡¯s head fell from his body, his eyes wide with shock, unable toprehend the situation. It was over in an instant. In just the blink of an eye, a Heroic-rank prisoner from the second floor lost their life. Ner was shocked after seeing it. "What? Was Humer this weak? That shouldn''t be... More importantly, you were a summoner?" ¡°......¡± ¡°Why are you so angry¡ªAh! That guy. We ran into him just a while ago, right? What a shame. He just had to get unlucky and run into a prisoner from the 2nd floor¡­¡± Ner tried to console Seol. Seol then saw a few options before him. [[You have found the way down to the lower floor. What do you do?] 1. Go downstairs. 2. Don¡¯t go downstairs. ¡­¡­] There were only two options. And Seol chose the former. He slowly made his way down the stairs. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Alcatron, Floor B2. Wardens patrolled this floor as well. Seol, with fewer crows than before, scouted the second floor in the same way. The prisoners on this floor were all Heroic-rank or higher. Obviously, they weren¡¯t challenging opponents for Seol, but because there was a chance that the wardens could be drawn into it as well, he proceeded cautiously. Crush! Another one of Seol¡¯s crows had been caught. - Why do they always get caught? LMFAO - I think the crows should unionize so Seol can¡¯t abuse them anymore. - ???: Union! Power! Union! Power! - ???: Let¡¯s create a win-win rtionship with our creator! Labor rights¡­ ¡®What is it this time?¡¯ This time, the crow wasn¡¯t immediately destroyed. After all, the person who discovered it was Seol¡¯s ally. Mael seized the crow. ¡°What¡­. Snowman? I knew you¡¯d be fine. Are you around here?¡± Seol made the crow nod its head. He then recalled the other crows before immediately heading to Mael. "Phew... I was worried. Because of the warden or whatever it¡¯s called making a fuss..." ¡°Have you seen the vicar?¡± "I haven¡¯t run into her yet, which makes me worry. More importantly, though... have you fought some of the monsters on this floor yet?" ¡°I have.¡± "They... were humans. This makes me also think that Alcatron was a prison built by humans as well." ¡°It¡¯s very likely, yes.¡± "With the current circumstances, most of the expedition party will likely die. It''s best to resolve this as quickly as we can." Seol and Mael nodded to each other before exchanging information. However, truthfully, since Mael didn''t know much, it was mostly Seol sharing his information with Mael. And for those reasons, Mael¡¯s eyes shone with each detail Seol gave him. ¡°I see¡­! So my assumptions of Alcatron being an ancient prison were true! Alcatron was likely built by humans but was abandoned for some reason or another, or... forgotten entirely. Regardless, what a cruel game. To think our lives are just the ythings of someone¡¯s will¡­¡± ¡°In the end, to solve this¡­¡± ¡°Libra can be dyed. We must first look for Alcatron¡¯s control room or¡­¡± Mael nodded. ¡°We could kill whoever¡¯s behind this.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Then for now¡­¡± Rumble¡­ ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ right?¡± ¡°Please¡­ Please don¡¯t be¡­¡± [Rumble¡­] Seol and Mael both grimaced as they prepared for the space to distort once more. Blink. Blink blink. ¡°Huh? We¡¯re fine.¡± ¡°Phew¡­ I¡¯m d that we weren¡¯t being transported again.¡± Agonyughed at them from inside thentern. [Pffft¡­ I enjoyed watching the two of you cower.] ¡°......¡± [Your worried expressions were quite the sight.] But then¡­ Rumble¡­ ¡°...Huh?¡± ¡°What?¡± Rumble rumble rumble¡­ CRUMBLEEEEEE! The ground beneath their feet cracked and crumbled, especially under Seol. Fissures surrounded him, leaving him no time or space to escape. ¡°Snowman, grab my hand!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Mael quickly reached his hand out in an attempt to catch Seol, but it was too far. Agony cried as it fell into the abyss. [Ahhhhhh!] And like that, both Seol and Agony fell into the darkness. Fwirl! The most that Seol could do to prepare for the impact was enter the Night Crow form. [Hidden Adventure ¡®Alcatron''s Great Copse¡¯ is now active.] * * * Thud¡­ ¡°Krghhhh¡­¡± Even Seol wasn¡¯t spared from the impact of falling through the ground. As he waved hisntern around, Agony remained unresponsive. Agony was likely knocked out. Seol shook his head and slowly got up. ¡°Urgh¡­ Where¡­ am I?¡± - 3 in a row, really? - I can¡¯t believe they just copsed the ground beneath him LMFAO - They got tired of distorting space so they just broke it ?? Pant pant¡­ pant pant pant¡­ ¡°A dog?¡± Seol was definitely hearing the sound of a dog panting around him. Grrrr¡­ It really was a dog. Grrrrrrrr¡­ There were no other words necessary to describe it. It really was just a dog. ¡®A dog? But¡­ is it on guard?¡¯ A ck dog circled around Seol, on guard but not approaching. Seol, while surprised that a dog had survived Alcatron, recognized that it wasn¡¯t the most important thing right now. ¡®How far did I fall?¡¯ Turn¡­ Turn¡­ As Seol looked around to confirm his surroundings, the dog stole nces at Seol. ¡°...Tch.¡± Seol dug into his inventory before pulling out jerky made from monster meat. Throw! The dog swiftly and easily caught the piece of jerky that Seol had thrown at it. - Nice catch! - I¡¯m going to fall for him LMFAO - But why is a dog here? Seol smiled at the dog, but his expression froze shortly afterward. Giiiii¡­ A warden appeared from behind the dog. ¡®Damn it, a warden! They must have also fallen down here!¡¯ Wardens were hostile to any and every living being around them. As such, unfortunately for the ck dog, its life would soon end here. Whine? As the dog slowly walked closer to Seol for another piece of jerky, it spotted the warden behind it. ¡°Watch out!¡± said Seol. His words were clearly intended for the dog. After all, if the dog was like the prisoners on the first floor, it wouldn¡¯t take even a moment for the warden to make it pop like a balloon. But that was only if¡­ the dog was like the prisoners on the first floor. Crunch! Snap! In an instant, the dog sunk its teeth into the warden¡¯s neck before ripping out chunks of its flesh. ¡°...What?¡± The ck dog let out a deep growl as it feasted on the warden¡¯s blood. Grrrr¡­ The dog grew in size as its eyes grew more violent. Snap¡­ Crunch¡­ As the dog grewrger andrger, until it was even bigger than Jamad, Seol activated his Eyes of Foresight. Ding. [A wonderful discovery! You have discovered a mysterious lifeform.] Seol quickly scanned through the dog¡¯s information, searching for a way to survive it. ¡°Oh my god¡­ Transcendent-rank? Not to mention¡­¡± Grrrrrrr¡­ Bark! Bark! ¡°The 4th Floor? I¡¯m on Floor B4?¡± Seol currently found himself on Floor B4 of Alcatron after falling through the floor. His allies, the ones who could save him, were still on Floor B2. Completely shocked after witnessing a warden''s death, Seol recalled the conversation he had with Ner earlier. - Upper floor? Then are there no guards on the lower floors? - Nope. It would be pointless. - Howe? - Because the prisoners down there are stronger than the guards. Grrrr¡­ The ck dog slowly inched closer to Seol. It had grown to a point where it clearly wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with jerky anymore. It would definitely be satisfied by Seol though¡­ ¡®Still¡­ if I can y my cards right¡­¡¯ Toss! Seol threw another piece of jerky like earlier. Pant pant¡­ The ck dog seemed confused as it slowly regained its appetite. It almost looked at Seol as if he were a goose thatid golden eggs. ¡®Damn it¡­ that was thest piece of jerky I had¡­¡¯ - He¡¯s fucked! - ckie: Give me all your food >:) - Give me food unless you want to be my food >:) As Seol scrambled through his inventory for something to rece the jerky, a growing worry gnawed at him. If he took any longer, the dog would simply eat him instead. ¡®Damn it¡­ If it¡¯se to this¡­ It¡¯s better to use this here than to die while saving it!¡¯ Grab¡­ Seol quickly pulled out a certain item from his inventory, just moments before disaster struck. It was an item he had purchased from J at the Madness Store. [You used the Love-Hate Deer''s Sachet.] Chapter 168 The Love-Hate Deer''s Sachet. It was a consumable item that cost Seol roughly 20,000 Madness, a simr price to the biometal ingots he had purchased from J. While the biometal ingot provided a permanent buff, like enchantment stones, the Love-Hate Deer¡¯s Sachet was only a consumable. Therefore, one could and should expect incredible effects befitting of that price. ¡®Damn it¡­ I needed to cook this to amplify its effects, but¡­¡¯ Seol wasn¡¯t in a situation where he could ask for time. Grrrr¡­ If Seol didn''t feed it now, he would have to fight the ck dog deep inside Alcatron. Grrr¡­ ¡®Did it¡­ work?¡¯ Sniff sniff¡­ The dog, moments away from tearing Seol to shreds, quickly buried its nose into the Love-Hate Deer¡¯s Sachet Seol handed him. Female Love-Hate Deer are rare monster that emit a peculiar scent to attract males when they are in heat. The issue is that the pheromone they produce is so potent that it doesn¡¯t just affect male Love-Hate Deer but a variety of species as well. ¡®It¡¯s essentially a special pheromone.¡¯ An intense scent filled the air, so potent that it caused even Seol to momentarily lose consciousness. [[Love-Hate Deer¡¯s Sachet] Quality: Madness Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.5kg Bonus Effect: Forcibly establish a ''friendly'' favorability rtionship with a target, regardless of whether favorability typically affects them. Afterward, increase the rate which favorability increases with them. However, this effect cannot apply to a target if they are extremely hostile towards you. Favorability gained through this item decreases more rapidlypared to favorability gained through regr means.] ¡®Please work¡­ If things go wrong here, I won¡¯t just have to deal with this dog, but the other monsters that mighte as well.¡¯ Sniff sniff¡­ sniff sniff sniff¡­ The ck dog began to shrink, as if it had managed to calm down. ¡°I guess¡­ it was a sess?¡± Pant pant¡­ pant pant pant¡­ As Seol calmed himself down as well, he began to read through the dog¡¯s information with the Eyes of Foresight. [[Koko, the Starving] Rank: Transcendent Estimated Level: 40~45 In the vast array of life on Pandea, there exist beings that defyprehension. In the distant past, the beings that roamed the world were far purer and simpler. And for these very reasons, they were stronger and greater than their descendants today. The shadow wolf is one such creature that symbolizes the past. Born in the shadows, they spend their entire lives there. Their teeth, capable of tearing down mountains; their ws, capable of excavating entirekes. However, time has caused even the great shadow wolves to hide themselves from it. Koko is likely thest shadow wolf in the world. And that great being is very, very hungry. Basic Skills: [Bite 5], [Scratch 5], [Ferocious Wolf 1], [Lonely Howl 3], [Shadow Move 2], [Charge 2], [Wallop 3], [Rip and Tear 3], [Blood Scent 1], [Passive: Shadow Beast 2], [Passive: Pack Leader 3], [Passive: Friendly Shadow 3], [Passive: Berserk 2] Unique Skills: [Ancient Wildness 2], [Hellfire 2], [Gifts of the Wild 5]] ¡®...What is this?¡¯ Seol was dumbfounded, like he had just seen somethingpletely absurd. [¡®Koko¡¯ has donated 1200 Madness!] [He survived this? God damn¡­] - It¡¯s over level 40? LMFAO! Hold on a second, guys¡­ Other people are barely running into level 20 monsters, and Snowman¡¯s fighting a level 40 Transcendent-rank monster? LOOOL - How he ran into it is so funny too LOL. He just fell through the ceiling and the dog was waiting for him hahaha - Koko: Wee to hell, kiddo. I¡¯ve been waiting for you. - My name¡¯s Koko, and I¡¯m crazy for cocoa puffs! - Once again, we must admit that the world is unfair. - How did he manage to survive it, though haha - I can¡¯t believe he just threw something at it and lived ?? - More importantly¡­ It was a wolf? ¡®It would have been dangerous if I fought him¡­¡¯ Seol likely wouldn''t have lost. After all, Jamad was also Transcendent-rank and possessed Primal Powers, powers exclusive to the Great Shamans. And with the Twin Knights by his side, it seemed near impossible for Seol to be defeated. Even so, it would still be foolish for Seol to fight Koko here. A battle between two Transcendent-ranks also implies that both parties would sustain significant damage from each other. ¡°Woah¡­ so you ended up meeting the ck dog. It¡¯s been a while, ckie.¡± ¡°Ner?¡± "Hahaha¡­ Looks like you zoomed all the way down to Floor B4, didn''t you, my friend? Congrattions on the best¡­ Well, fastest time.¡± Ner appeared before Seol while scratching his cheek. It seemed that even he found the current situation ridiculous. ¡°Ner¡­ does Alcatron break down like that often?¡± "Not at all... That was a first for me too, so I was also shocked. It was never this bad, even when Stompy threw a tantrum..." ¡°...Stompy?¡± ¡°Yeah, Stompy. You need to be careful of Stompy, though. He¡¯s different from the ck dog. He¡¯ll probably try to kill you the moment he sees you.¡± ¡°And how do you know that?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s killed any prisoner that went close.¡± ¡°......¡± "Still, Stompy''szy, so he tends to linger in one area for a while. He also doesn¡¯t move around too much, even when he decides to." Seol thought about asking Ner for more information, but¡­ the message before his eyes immediately stopped him. [Koko''s favorability towards you has decreased.] ¡°...Hey, Ner?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a ck dog¡­ He''s a wolf.¡± ¡°Oh, really? You learn something new every day.¡± "His name is Koko... Do you have any tips on how I could get him to like me?" ¡°Hm¡­ that¡¯s an easy question. ckie likes to eat food.¡± ¡°I know that too¡­ Wait, eating?¡± "Yeah, he''s one of the predators on this floor. Whenever the other prisoners see ckie, they run away, afraid he might eat them." ¡°Hm¡­ if it¡¯s eating, then¡­¡± With an idea, Seol began pulling out ingredients from his Ingredients Pouch. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Around that time, an individual had just reached the staircase between Floor B2 and B3. ¡°...Found it.¡± It was Frannan, an Aspect Magician of Libra. He was likely the person who was descending Alcatron the fastest, excluding unique cases like Seol. ¡°Damn it¡­ What was the rumbling from earlier?¡± Frannan could not have possibly known that the rumbling earlier caused Seol to fall down to B4 on his own. And just then¡­ Frannan noticed a presence in the dark. ¡°Fucking¡­ Who is that over there¡­ Wait, Aspect Magician Frannan? Is that you, Frannan?¡± ¡°That voice¡­ Yofimba? Are you Yofimba?¡± "Hahahaha! I''ll have you know, Frannan, I almost died multiple times back there!" "I''m d to see you too. I couldn''t have asked for a more trustworthy person in this situation." ¡°Aw shucks¡­ still, wouldn¡¯t you prefer your student over me?¡± Frannan nodded whileughing after thinking of Seol. "Obviously, he would be great as well. But there''s no need to mention him when you''re here, right? More importantly, have you learned anything?" ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°What did you learn?¡± Yofimba shared some of the information he managed to uncover. "This ce seems to be a prison to lock something up, and I sense a strange blend of present and ancient matters." ¡°I agree on the prison part, but¡­ what do you mean by the blend of present and ancient?¡± ¡°Well¡­ First, the unpredictable architectural methods and the mechanisms that frequently activate aren¡¯t techniques that aremonly used nowadays. They felt¡­ unnatural.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ those are the characteristics of ancient ruins, though. What do you mean about the present blending?¡± "It''s in way too good condition to be considered ancient. Not to mention... the fact that the prisoners are still alive." "I thought it was strange as well. No living being has ever achieved immortality. And if it really is an ancient structure... it wouldn''t make sense for the prisoners here to still be alive." "Precisely. And that''s why I... hm... That''s why I was thinking it''s almost as if someone snipped Alcatron from the past and brought it into the present..." ¡°What a funny theory¡­¡± "If not, it could also be a structure that hassted all this time, but everyone has forgotten. And if that''s the case, then..." ¡°As expected from someone from the Artifact Association. Any other theories?¡± Yofimba scratched his head. "Unfortunately, I can''t think of any because I''m too hungry. However, I''ve noted the other special points of interest here." ¡°Really? Let me¡­ Watch out!¡± ¡°What? ¡­Hrgh!¡± tter! Chains sliced through the air. A prisoner appeared, chains wrapped around their wrists, and left a crack in the ground with their previous attack. CLAAANG! After barely dodging the attack, Yofimba pulled out something massive from his inventory in rage. It was a gun. It looked shoddy, but it definitely resembled a gun. ¡°You bastard! Eat gunpowder!¡± Click¡­ Bang! Ffft! The prisoner wobbled for a second after taking Yofimba¡¯s attack before disappearing. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± Click¡­ Bang! Click¡­ Bang! The prisoner was faster than Yofimba expected. It didn¡¯t take long for him to realize that the prisoner was likely from the 3rd floor rather than 2nd. ¡®Damn it¡­ did theye up from B3? Where the hell did someone like them¡­¡¯ Yofimba then discovered something else about the prisoner. Inhale¡­ The prisoner gathered both of his hands in front of them. ¡°Wh-what¡­? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Click A sound that shouldn¡¯t have been heard came out from their voice. Frannan¡¯s eyes grew wide in shock. ¡°Dodge it!¡± Bang! Thankfully, Yofimba had just enough time to dodge and roll away from the prisoner¡¯s attack. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­ That¡¯s insane¡­ Where the hell did someone like theme from¡­¡± said Yofimba. "Did they only catch guys like them in this prison? It''s just getting more and more ridiculous the further you go down... Anyway, step back,¡± warned Frannan. ¡°Aspect Magician Frannan? W-We should face them together¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m more than enough.¡± Crack¡­ Frannan cracked his neck to warm up before saying a few words to the prisoner. "I just came up with 163 methods to kill you right now, and I chose method 151. Have fun dying." Hum¡­ Frannan created magic circles in each hand, each with a hexagram at its center. Thuuuuud! The prisoner began to be pushed downward. ¡°......¡± Clench¡­ The prisoner red at Frannan with bloodshot eyes. Frannan, with a disinterested look, prepared his next spells. Hum¡­ Hummmm¡­ Hum¡­ In an instant, Frannan readied and casted more than three spells. Rumble rumble¡­ Just as the prisoner was on the brink of being ttened like a bug, they began to retaliate. Crackle¡­ ¡°Oho¡­ Trying to get out, are you? So you interpreted my spell, huh?¡± Crackle¡­ Crackle¡­ Yofimba readied his gun as the prisoner began to free himself from Frannan¡¯s spell. ¡°F-Frannan! Isn¡¯t this too dangerous?¡± ¡°Just watch.¡± Crackle¡­ Rumble¡­ And then¡­ Poooooop! The prisoner¡¯s head flew off of their body. ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Hmph, so the most they could do was copy. How pathetic.¡± ¡°Wh-what just happened?¡± "He copied my spell for a moment, but that was all he could do. Power isn¡¯t everything in magic. Without understanding the theories and application behind it, a spell could bacsh and kill the caster instead. It¡¯s one of the basic principles of mana." ¡°So you predicted that far¡­ You are incredible. And to think you had 163 methods.¡± ¡°Did you think just anyone could be an Aspect Magician? And also, that was a lie.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°I only came up with¡­ 3 methods?¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ hm¡­¡± "Regardless, let''s head down. That rumbling from before still worries me. There¡¯s¡­ definitely something wrong with Alcatron." The two slowly headed down the stairs and into Floor B3. * * * Nom nom nom¡­ Pant pant¡­ ¡°You knew how to cook?¡± ¡°I know how to do a lot of things.¡± Nom nom nom¡­ [Koko''s favorability towards you has increased.] [Koko''s favorability towards you has increased.] Koko devoured Seol¡¯s food in an instant, as if he were a vacuum. Thankfully, Koko''s favorability also rose just as fast, but Seol doubted that this situation wouldst for long. ¡®How much more is he going to eat¡­ I¡¯m almost out of ingredients.¡¯ At this rate, Seol would run out of ingredients, and he would end up bing Koko¡¯s next meal. ¡°I think¡­ something¡¯sing from over there,¡± said Ner. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I think a prisoner nearby smelled your food.¡± Grrrrr¡­ A lizard with massive tusks appeared, bearing human-like features, resembling a lizardman. ¡®...They look strong.¡¯ They appeared iparably strongpared to the prisoners Seol had encountered on the 1st and 2nd floors. [[Cro, the Bleary] Rank: Legendary Estimated Level: 33~37 Cro, grown through eating the damp energy of the swamp, preys on nature. Cro is¡­] Before Seol could even read through its information, something moved faster. Fwoosh¡­ aash! Saaaatter! ¡°Kraaaaah!¡± Seol was shocked after seeing Koko, who had just been enjoying his meal, tear a Legendary-rank monster to shreds in an instant. ¡°......¡± Cro¡¯s blood sttered on Seol¡¯s face. - Our dog doesn¡¯t bite. ?? - He just kills you. - Look at his face LMFAO - He must have had a moment of realization haha - Are you crying? LOOOL Koko had killed Cro in an instant, before they could even retaliate. ¡®Is this a good situation or a bad one?¡¯ Seol didn¡¯t know what to make of it, and rushing to a decision wasn¡¯t the answer either. Trying to defeat Koko would cause amotion, potentially attracting other prisoners, while Seol would be defenseless after their fight. Seol wasn¡¯t sure if he could defeat them in that vulnerable state. However, that also didn¡¯t mean Seol had some surefire way of clearing Floor B4 either. ¡®It¡¯s not like I could just cook all day for Koko either¡­ haah¡­¡¯ But then, something unexpected happened, catching Seol off guard. Pant pant¡­ Koko brought Cro¡¯s severed torso to him. ¡°You want me to cook it?¡± Pant pant¡­ ¡°Did you think I was your personal chef or something¡ª¡± [Koko¡¯s Unique Skill: Gifts of the Wild activates.] [Koko gifts you with a portion of his prey¡¯s, Cro, the Bleary¡¯s, stats.] [You receive the Gifts of the Wild.] [Your Wisdom increases by 3.] ¡°...because you¡¯d bepletely right, no doubt about it. At least for a while.¡± - My dream was to be a housewife. - You¡¯re a chef now, Snowman! - Why did his stats have to increase LMFAOOO - Don¡¯t tell me this activates every single time¡­ right? - He¡¯s farming MORE stats??? ¡°You¡¯re a good boy, aren¡¯t you, Koko? Do you like walks?¡± Pant pant¡­ Koko¡¯s tail began to wag like a propeller. [Koko likes you.] Chapter 169 Fwooosh¡­ He hunted. [Koko¡¯s Unique Skill: Gifts of the Wild activates.] [Koko gifts you with a portion of his prey¡¯s, Hos, the Sharp¡¯s, stats.] [You receive the Gifts of the Wild.] [Your Intelligence increases by 2.] Kieeee! And hunted some more. [Koko¡¯s Unique Skill: Gifts of the Wild activates.] [Koko gifts you with a portion of his prey¡¯s, Isa, the Cool¡¯s, stats.] [You receive the Gifts of the Wild.] [Your Dexterity increases by 2.] ¡°Haah¡­¡± Pant pant¡­ Over several days, Seol had been expanding his search area on Alcatron¡¯s B4 Floor through Koko. ¡®I haven¡¯t heard anything, even though it¡¯s been three days already.¡¯ The expedition party had roughly 100 members when it began. Despite the numbers suggesting that at least one person should have arrived by now, Seol still hadn''t encountered anyone. Seol was now surmising a reason why. ¡®Either something happened upstairs, or¡­they¡¯re regrouping before heading down.¡¯ Alcatron was vast. It was to the point that even ¡°vast¡± wasn¡¯t enough to describe its size. As such, the odds of regrouping thepletely scattered expedition party were extremely low. ¡®Then... the best chance of sess would be to gather on the stairway headed down.¡¯ Gather on the upper floors to head to the lower floors together. Given the prisoners¡¯ strength, it wouldn''t have been a difficult conclusion for the expedition party''s leaders to arrive at. ¡®I would¡¯ve done the same thing.¡¯ In fact, if he could, even Seol would have headed up to regroup with the expedition party. However, it was extremely difficult to do so in his current situation. Right now, he was doing his best with what he had. Pant pant pant¡­ ¡°Good work, Koko.¡± Pant pant¡­ Seol ran his fingers through the back of Koko¡¯s neck. Koko, who seemed like such a gentle dog, was, in fact, the predator of Alcatron¡¯s B4 floor. ¡°...Did he get a little bigger?¡± Koko had grown, almost as if Seol had intentionally fattened him up. Even though it wasn¡¯t particrly important, as Koko could clearly control his own size, it was evident that he had indeed grown. ¡®After all, I¡¯ve grown as well.¡¯ Seol¡¯s stats were increasing at a rapid pace, all thanks to hunting down the prisoners scattered throughout the 4th floor. Koko¡¯s unique skill, Gifts of the Wild, was responsible for his swift growth. ¡®Though I wouldn¡¯t have been able to grow this much if it was only that.¡¯ Seol¡¯s Monster Cooking was also steadily increasing in proficiency. Not to mention, valuable ingredients were scattered everywhere around him. All he had to do was cook and eat them to increase his stats. - He¡¯s practically printing more stats! - He¡¯s ¡®pretending¡¯ to work hard to hunt. He¡¯s ¡®pretending¡¯ to pick difficult Adventures. I want to punch his stupid face ?? - Snowman is invincible. - And Koko is a god. - That was a nicebo. Now, take this and get away from here. ¡®In the end, it¡¯s a win-win for both Koko and me.¡¯ Seol¡¯s stats had grown to the point where there was a massive gap between his stats and those of the other high-ranking transferees. ¡®At least triple¡­ maybe even quadruple their stats?¡¯ Seol¡¯s stats had risen to the point where even he was beginning to be confident in their disparity. Pant pant pant¡­ Even so, Seol had a slightly dissatisfied look as he nced at Koko. ¡®Still, it would have been best for me to fight directly if I want to hone and improve mybat senses.¡¯ Though Koko did increase his stats, since Seol wasn¡¯t fighting his opponents himself, he was losing the experience of fighting against stronger opponents. Seol thought that was quite unfortunate. ¡®Still¡­ it¡¯s not like I¡¯m just ying around.¡¯ Seol¡¯s cooking skills weren¡¯t the only thing that had improved on this floor over the past 3 days. Glooooow¡­ p p p¡­ Like a magician pulling pigeons out of their hat, ck energy writhed in Seol¡¯s hand before transforming into crows and scattering away. Seol had created at least 10 crows in an instant. Over the past few days, Seol had been researching ways to handle his creations, as well as techniques rted to them. Seol had already used this ability extensively during the Alcatron Expedition. Nevertheless, he continued researching it in hopes of potential growth, and his efforts were duly rewarded. [Awakening! Your creation awakens a new skill.] [Your creation awakens Stealth.] Faade¡­ The crows slowly faded into thin air. In a dark ce like this, having crows with Stealth and the Eyes of Foresight was essentially no different from having stealth reconnaissance drones all around you. ¡®I should alsoe up with a way to use them inbat as well.¡¯ Seol could clearly feel his concentration increasing as he gained more experience controlling his crows. However, he had yet to test the effects of his heightened focus inbat. Regardless, Seol had learned one thing through using his crows as scouts. Alcatron was unimaginably massive. This was something that even Ner, an involuntary resident of Alcatron, agreed upon. ¡°Here? Yeah, it¡¯s stupidlyrge! It¡¯s probably even bigger than B1.¡± ¡°So, does Alcatron get bigger the further down you go?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ probably?¡± The first image of Alcatron that popped up in Seol¡¯s head was a pyramid. ¡®I could also think of it as a cone too, but... I can understand the need for space, but isn''t this ce too big?¡¯ Seol was beginning to feel more annoyed about the size than anything. Not to mention the multiple times he could have potentially died if Ner hadn¡¯t helped him. ¡®I haven¡¯t been able to rest at all ever sinceing here.¡¯ Seol sensed something was wrong with his deal with Frannan. Seol''s task was to help find Libra and ensure their safe return. And unfortunately, in this current situation, maintaining positive thoughts was difficult. ¡®There¡¯s a good chance Libra is already dead.¡¯ Even if he was an archmage, going missing in a dangerous ce like this meant there was a high probability of his death. However, now that they had already entered, the expedition party had to at least confirm the lowest floor before making their way back, as Ner had also mentioned. Seol hadpleted the time he allocated each day for scouting. ¡®Is it almost time to sleep now? I¡­ don¡¯t want to sleep, though.¡¯ Each time he tried to sleep in Alcatron, he continued to have strange dreams. It was almost like someone was behind a curtain, trying to speak to him. - ¡­¡­ The voice spoke in a strange and uniquenguage. Though Seol asked Karen and Karuna after he woke up, even they did not recognize it. ¡°Still, I was able to scout a lot today.¡± Seol had discovered the door to Floor B3 today, but he hadn¡¯t been able to approach it. It was because way too many prisoners were roaming around it. That was the biggest reason Seol couldn¡¯t rendezvous with the other members on the upper floor. ¡®I should start luring out some of the prisoners to thin out their numbers tomorrow¡­¡¯ Seol resolved to do so, regardless of how long it would take. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A man gripped his bloodied stomach as he leaned against the wall, looking toward a troll and a woman before asking them a question. ¡°What the hell¡­ are you two?¡± ¡°We are passing members of the expedition party,¡± answered Mael. ¡°Why are you just¡­ passing by¡­ Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m injured¡­?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t requested us for help yet. I assumed you would be upset if we helped you before you asked.¡± ¡°Who would be upset¡­ urgh¡­ krgh¡­¡± The man huffed as he gritted his teeth, clearly angry. The clearly upset man was the leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries. "See?" said Chameli, standing next to Mael. "We were right, weren''t we?" ¡°You were¡­¡± said Mael. ¡°The Steel Lion Mercenaries Leader I knew wasn¡¯t like this¡­¡± The man grimaced as he began to yell at Chameli. "Open your eyes, Vicar Chameli! Trolls are our enemies! He will end up changing his mind to eat us. I promise you!" "It seems your mind is clouded by prejudice. Such excessive worries are merely delusions." ¡°Hah¡­ Prejudice?¡± Steel Lion gritted his teeth harder as he began to growl. "If acknowledging my experiences is considered prejudice, then I shall dly live with it for the rest of my life!" ¡°What did you just say¡­? Your experience¡­?¡± ¡°My family¡­ were all eaten by trolls.¡± ¡°......¡± "My father was a peddler, skilled enough to trade with a neighboring troll tribe. But it was his skill that ended up killing our family." ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± "It''s exactly as you think. The trolls we traded with held us captive and took not only his wares but also our lives. I managed to desperately escape, but I was the only one. Do you understand now? Trolls are... trolls are monsters like that." Suddenly, Mael made an animalistic growl as he slowly approached the Steel Lion. ¡°Grrrrrrr¡­¡± ¡°M-Mael?¡± ¡°Grrrrrrrrrr¡­¡± ¡°See! He¡¯s finally revealed his true colors¡ª¡± Slide. Mael stuck a finger into his mouth. "I have something stuck between my teeth. Oh, shoot, that¡¯s quite arge one. Alright, I¡¯m fine now. It finally came out. This is why tusks are so annoying." ¡°Mael¡­ you scared me.¡± "Haha, I''ll make sure to warn you ahead of time next time, then. I wouldn''t want to scare you." ¡°Vicar, don¡¯t be fooled! He¡¯s¡­¡± Mael stuck his face in front of the furious Steel Lion. "Don¡¯t be mistaken, human. I don¡¯t mind if you dislike my race, but don¡¯t impose your hatred onto others." ¡°What?¡± "Just as you don¡¯t ce bandits on the same scale as priests, don¡¯t judge all trolls the same way." p! With a loud noise, Mael stuck something onto the Steel Lion¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Argh! Wh-what did you just¡­¡± "I used a potent herb. However, it''s also a type of poisonous nt, so you''ll be fine once you wake up. Why don¡¯t you use that time to rein in your temper tantrums?" ¡°You¡­¡± Flutter¡­ The Steel Lion¡¯s eyes began to close. Mael, carrying him over his shoulders, then spoke to Chameli. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Step¡­ Step¡­ It didn¡¯t take long for them to find the entrance to the lower floor. ¡°Yo! You¡¯rete.¡± ¡°Frannan? And Yofimba?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here as well.¡± The ce was crowded with people, roughly forty in total. ¡°You two are probably thest ones. Mostly because we can¡¯t wait any longer than this.¡± ¡°How long have you been waiting here?¡± ¡°Ten days.¡± ¡°......¡± "It''s a relief that nothing strange happened on B3. If something did, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to gather like this. But... did he note with you guys either?" ¡°Who are you¡­ Ah!¡± ¡°My disciple,¡± said Frannan, with a stiff expression.¡± ¡°Sir Frannan, I have something to say¡­¡± Mael then began to ry his experiences on Floor B2. ¡°What? So that earthquake made my disciple fall through a hole in the ground? Bwahahaha!¡± "Yes, unfortunately, that is the truth." ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen it too, haven¡¯t you? He¡¯s more resilient than a fucking cockroach.¡± Mael smirked after hearing that. ¡°Yes, I have as¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, friendo! Have you finally arrived?¡± ¡°Yofimba!¡± The disheveled dwarf, Yofimba, hurried over to Mael before grabbing his hands. "Haha. I was just about to get tired of debating archaeology with fools who don¡¯t know a lick of it. Thanks for surviving, Mael." ¡°I should be the one who¡¯s thankful, Yofimba.¡± "Now, I shall share everything that I''ve uncovered, as well as every potential theory, with you!" "How amazing! That sounds so nice!" "We are currently in a very amazing ce!" Frannan then gave them a nce. ¡°Hey, you two. Read the room. A lot of people have died.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re right.¡± There were forty people, not even half the original number of the party when it was first formed. However, it was still too early to give up. There was still a fire in all of their eyes, eyes filled with both despair and madness. They all seemed desperate to head further down. ¡°We were a bit slow, but¡­ let¡¯s head down.¡± ¡°We¡¯re departing now! I¡¯m sure all of you know this already, but the prisoners be more dangerous the further we head down! Believe in each other and stick together! If you get separated¡­ you¡¯ll die.¡± Step¡­ step¡­ The energy grew denser as they headed down. ¡°This is¡­ demonic energy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand this ce at all¡­¡± "Even if we simply bring back the information we gained here... it will turn the world upside down." ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t know¡­ Let¡¯s see if we can go back first¡ª¡± Frannan¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Iing.¡± ¡°Prepare yourselves!¡± Slither¡­ Slither slither¡­ The moment they stepped foot on Floor B4, they were greeted by a pair of massive eyes. It was a colossal snake. It was a monster whose silhouette was more than enough to strike fear into the expedition party. The pressure it exuded also wasn¡¯t normal. That colossal snake was currently slithering toward them rapidly. "God damn it... Once again, it''s another monster I''ve never seen or heard of before. What a warm wee, huh?" ¡°It¡¯s not just one¡­ There¡¯s two of them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re bothing here. Did they spot us?¡± ¡°Everyone, prepare for battle¡ª¡± ¡°Damn it! Run away! They¡¯re running away!¡± ¡°Running away? What? What are you talking abou¡ª¡± ¡°Hurry back upstairs! Something¡¯s¡­ Something¡¯sing!¡± Fwooosh! With a sh, a howl echoed throughout the floor. Graaaaaaaah! Krhhh¡­ ¡°It already killed the two of them! It¡¯s going to kill us after the snakes!¡± Slither¡­ After catching therge snakes that even frightened the expedition party, the mysterious ck monster eventually caught up to them as well. Crunch¡­ Drip¡­ Crunch! Crunch! It only took an instant for the snakes to be rendered into simple chunks of meat as the monster ripped and tore into them. Frannan quickly came to a realization. The moment they turned their backs to that monster, the monster would simply ughter them all. ¡°...It¡¯s toote. Everyone, go back upstairs.¡± ¡°Aspect Magician Frannan!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy time. So first¡­¡± Suddenly, he heard a voice from the darkness. ¡°This voice¡­ Frannan?¡± "Oh my god... It''s you! You''re alive! Come, hide over here!" Fade¡­ Seol appeared from the darkness. Despite being on the 4th floor, Seol smelled like meat as if he had been eating and sleeping well. In fact, even his hair looked well-groomed. ¡°What?¡± asked Seol with a confused look on his face. ¡°We have to go back upstairs! Once it finishes its meal¡­¡± Grrrrr¡­ The ck, furry monster reappeared before Frannan realized and was rapidly approaching him. ¡°...It will be us next.¡± ¡°Next? There is no ¡®next¡¯.¡± Seol put his hand forth, at the monster. ¡°Koko,e here, boy.¡± ¡°What are you¡­¡± Pant pant¡­ Shrink¡­ The massive wolf slowly shrank until it was just slightly bigger than a human. ¡°...Are you the one behind this?¡± "Yes, I just barely finished clearing up all of the prisoners near the entrance. Where are the others? Don¡¯t tell me you came here by yourself." From behind, Frannan and Seol began to hear a torrent of shouts and cries. ¡°We can¡¯t let Aspect Magician Frannan die like this!¡± ¡°To think he sacrificed himself for us¡­¡± ¡°If we¡¯re going to die, we die together! We agreed to not split up!¡± The expedition party, which previously fled without resistance, was quickly returning as if they had regretted their decision. ¡°You heard that, right?¡± said Frannan. ¡°Let me take the credit¡­ alright?¡± Chapter 170 As the expedition party reentered Floor B4 after resolving themselves once more, they were greeted not only by the sight of three brutally deceased prisoners, but also by Seol and Frannan, who casually looked down upon them. Pant pant¡­ Along with a dog they saw for the first time. ¡°Wh-what is all this¡­¡± ¡°To think he took care of them all in just that short moment¡­¡± ¡°Aspect Magician Frannan! Are you injured anywhere?¡± Frannan then looked behind at them with a profound look in his eyes. ¡°Ah, as you can see, I¡¯m not.¡± "Krgh¡­ We made apse of judgment at that moment. Please, forgive us." "It¡¯s fine. Being afraid of something isn¡¯t a crime. In fact, oveing your fear should be something worthy of apuse.¡± Frannan was essentially using many words to say nothing at all. However, to the members of the expedition party, Frannan appeared as a magnanimous and grand figure. ¡°I see¡­ as expected of an Aspect Magician of Libra.¡± ¡°But who¡¯s that next to you¡­ Snowman?¡± Mael hurried to the front while confirming Seol¡¯s face. ¡°I knew it! I knew you¡¯d be alive!¡± ¡°Mael.¡± ¡°I was so scared then. But how did you¡­ don¡¯t tell me you were down on this floor the entire time¡­?¡± Seol simply nodded. The others began to murmur. ¡°Hested over ten days here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what he ims¡­¡± ¡°Alone?¡± ¡°Come on¡­ Even if he¡¯s Frannan¡¯s disciple, that¡¯s just¡­¡± Before the crowd got too loud, Seol quickly settled the mood. "For now, let¡¯s go. You all came down here intending to go further, didn''t you?" Frannan gave an insidiousugh. ¡°Hehehe¡­ If we¡¯re going to die regardless, might as well get one more nice sight in before we die. Everyone, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Seol then led them to the camp he had prepared beforehand. Still, it was much too shabby to properly be called a ¡®camp¡¯. Seol simply led them to an open prison cell, the ce he had been using for the past 10 days. The first to share information was Frannan. ¡°So¡­¡± Everything that Frannan shared was something that Seol already knew. None of the expedition members, except for a handful, seemed to know more about Alcatron than Frannan. 1. Alcatron is an ancient prison. 2. The prisoners be stronger the deeper down you go. 3. There is an individual plotting in Alcatron who has ensnared them within it. That was the extent of the information that Frannan managed to gather. However, to the other members of the expedition party, such understanding was considered remarkable insight. ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°As expected from Aspect Magician Frannan!¡± ¡°We could have never seen through so much!¡± The magicians of Libra were especially praising him, like little chicks following around their mother. Seol spoke up after Frannan finished. ¡°What I learned isn¡¯t all too different, but¡­ I also learned a few more things.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Seol paused for a moment before exining that he had encountered a ghost here, visible only to him, through which he gathered various information. ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°A ghost is helping Frannan¡¯s disciple?¡± While the people behind him murmured, Frannan waspletely silent. Then, Seol shared the most worrisome information he had learned. ¡°There¡¯s a chance our opponent has taken over the control room.¡± ¡°I disagree.¡± The person who directly refuted Seol¡¯s im was Yofimba. ¡°Did the ghost tell you that there was a control room?¡± ¡°He simply told me that there was the possibility of one.¡± "Fufu¡­ Allow me to demonstrate the true worth of an archaeologist. Kiki, and you, the one holding the torch over there. Come here." ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yeah, quickly now.¡± Yofimba ced his finger on the wall. ¡°Bring the torch here.¡± ¡°Okay. Huh¡­? There¡¯s¡­ something here.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Right? Can everyone see this?¡± There was something buried in the wall where Yofimba pointed at. ¡°A¡­ light?¡± said Seol, carefully. ¡°Ah, exactly. Then can you also see the letters above it?¡± ¡°Where are the letters¡­. Huh?¡± A small, eerie-lookingnguage was written above the lights buried in the walls. Bathump! ¡®...What? What was that?¡¯ Seol could feel his heart pounding quickly. Cold sweats covered his face, and he even began to feel dizzy. ¡®These letters¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve seen them before.¡¯ Seol has definitely seen them before. His body was reacting to it, though he wasn''t sure where he had seen it before. "Obviously, we can''t read or trante a sentence written in an ancientnguage, but¡­ Kiki!" Ooh ooh¡­ Ah ah¡­ The junkie climbed up Yofimba¡¯s legs before resting on his shoulders to read the letters. [Tatatubar.] sh! The walls began to illuminate with light. ¡°...Urgh.¡± ¡°Th-there¡¯s light!¡± Yofimba then repeated what Kiki said. ¡°Tatatubar.¡± Fwip! In an instant, all of the lights turned back off. Frannan had a serious look on his face. ¡°What was that?¡± "I had an idea after seeing the wardens. How could an entity created solely to guard be so strong? And why would people who couldmand something like that necessarily need something as annoying as a control room? Surprisingly, there were clues littered about." ¡°Mind if I test it out myself?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Tatatubar,¡± said Frannan while cing his hands on the walls. sh! Frannan chanted it once more to turn off the lights. Afterward, he turned around to the other expedition party members. ¡°This¡­ is a magic word. I felt it use up a bit of my mana just now.¡± ¡°Exactly. You now understand why Kiki looks tired now, right?¡± ¡°To use such a high-level form to simply turn the lights on and off¡­¡± "It seems like an ancient, advanced civilization was the one who built Alcatron. Well, at least when we consider how amazing magic words are." "Hm¡­ what are you trying to say?" ¡°I¡¯m beginning to think that whoever trapped us in Alcatron didn¡¯t reach a control room, but instead, learned all of the magic words here. Either that, or they knew it from the start.¡± ¡°That is a possibility, yes¡­¡± Yofimba then continued. "Then it is also possible¡­ that the means tobat the demon of Alcatron, which has troubled us thus far, could be found here." ¡°Because if we can control that¡­ then we could also restrain them.¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Thud¡­ Thuuuud¡­ ¡°Is this really the only method?¡± ¡°If we want to go downstairs without engaging in a fight, this is the only method.¡± ¡°That ''Stompy'' or whatever they''re called... they really know how to scare someone.¡± Once every three days, Stompy, the other predator of Floor B4, heaves his massive body around to scout his surroundings. Though none of them had encountered Stompy yet, it was inevitable that they would be shocked and on guard once they did. ¡®After all, Stompy is a giant.¡¯ Stompy was a giant made of rocks, carrying around a wooden club the size of a house. Though his movements seemed a bit awkward andughable, the threat was undeniable. The way to avoid him was simple. The moment he leaves his territory to look around, the expedition party would use that opening to proceed through the alleyway in his territory. Obviously, though, they would have to reuse this method on their way out. It wasn¡¯t as if they hadn¡¯t thought of facing Stompy head-on. But it was clear there would be casualties. Therefore, since the expedition party had to head down to the lower floors with minimal casualties, only one option was suitable for them. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ ¡°Shh¡­ quiet. Don¡¯t make any sounds.¡± ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Just a bit closer¡­¡± Originally, Stompy would be snoring here while taking a nap. However, as he had left his territory for some unknown reason, the expedition party was able to arrive at the alleyway. Thuuuud¡­ Thuuuuuuud¡­ ¡°Huh? D-Doesn¡¯t this sound closer than before?¡± Seol¡¯s expression stiffened. Seol, who had been informed much earlier than the others thanks to his crows, now felt an extreme sense of urgency. ¡°Run!¡± ¡°What? Okay!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ he¡¯sing back! We have to go downstairs right now!¡± The sounds began growing louder. Thuuuud! Thuuuuuud! Thuuuuuuuuud! ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­ He¡¯s reallying back!¡± ¡°What are you guys at the front doing?! Why aren¡¯t you going down the stairs?!¡± There should have been a set of stairs once they turned the corner of the alleyway. As that had been the case for the previous floors, everyone in the expedition party also expected it to be the case for this floor. However¡­ ¡°There¡¯s a door¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a door.¡± What faced them was arge door, one big enough for even Stompy to pass through. Thuuud! Thuuuud! Thuuuuud! ¡°Fuck! Break it then!¡± Hummmm! re! Baaam! They unleashed all sorts of spells onto the door, but it was pointless. ¡°Nothing¡¯s working!¡± ¡°Rather, it¡¯s absorbing the mana!¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± said Yofimba. ¡°We have to either trante therge spell words written on that door, or¡­ wait¡­ over there, there¡¯s a keyhole!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a keyhole! There should be a key around here, then!¡± ¡°But that keyhole is big too¡­ wouldn¡¯t the key for that be really easy to spot?¡± Seol, after hearing those words, had a sh of realization. ¡°Ah¡­ so it was like that.¡± ¡°So what was like that?¡± asked Frannan in response. ¡°I think I know who has the keys to the door.¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± Thuuud! Thuuuuud! Cruuuush¡­ Stompy finally appeared before the expedition party. ¡°Grrrrrrrrr¡­¡± It was a terriblyrge monster. Stompy, the rock giant, gave a fiendish smile after spotting the expedition party. [Hidden Adventure ¡®Gatekeeper Stompy¡¯ is now active.] Twitch¡­ Seol''s eyes stung as he read through Stompy''s details. [[Stompy, the Hard] Rank: Transcendent Estimated Level: 45~50 How Stompy arrived in this cursed ce is unclear. How such arge entity was able to fit through those doors is also a mystery. Regardless, one thing is clear: Those who built Alcatron wished for Stompy to be here, and he is here now. Basic Skills: [Stomp! 5], [Stomp Stomp! 5], [Stomp Stompy Stomp! 5] Unique Skills: [Eat Rocks 2], [Rock Shower]] ¡°He¡¯s¡­ not a prisoner,¡± said Seol to the expedition party. "Yeah," answered Frannan, "He''s a¡ª" Before Frannan could finish, Stompy let out a deafening roar, cutting him off mid-sentence. ¡°...warden. Haha! We fell for it," Frannan concluded with augh. The party then spotted a chain around Stompy¡¯s neck with something attached to the end of it. It was a key. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to fight him if we want to go down.¡± ¡°Yeah, everyone, prepare for¡ª¡± Stompy then trampled his feet around. [Stompy used Stomp!.] [Deal significant damage to targets stomped on.] Thuuuuuud! ¡°Wh-what the hell is that?!¡± It was like an earthquake or explosion urred when Stompy stamped his feet. [Stompy used Stomp!.] [Deal significant damage to targets stomped on.] Thuuuuuud! One of the expedition party members failed to avoid Stompy''s foot and waspletely ttened. The sound of Stompy''s steps was so loud that they couldn''t even hear the sound of bones breaking. ¡°Bwrgh¡­¡± ¡°I-I think I¡¯m going to throw up!¡± ¡°Everyone, focus! Spread out! Spread out first, then attack it!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll die if he stomps on you! Concentrate and fight it!¡± [Stompy used Stomp!.] [Deal significant damage to targets stomped on.] Thuuuuuud! ¡°Kyaaaaaa!¡± Riiiiiing¡­ Even though Stompy only had three skills, his overwhelming power was more than enough to rattle the expedition party. ¡°Hrgh¡­¡± The first to prepare themselves was Frannan. Hum¡­ Hum¡­ [Frannan used Magic Circle: Shift Center.] [Disce the target''s center of gravity.] [Frannan used Magic Circle: Whoops!.] [Greatly increase the damage inflicted upon the target when they trip over. The effect bes stronger the more the target weighs.] Gloooow¡­ ¡°Sir Frannan?¡± ¡°Watch carefully!¡± [Stompy used Stomp!.] [Deal significant damage to targets stomped on.] As Stompy raised his foot to use Stomp!... Wobble¡­ ¡°Huuuh?¡± ¡°Get out of the way! You¡¯ll be crushed!¡± Thuuuuuud! As a deafening explosion-like sound filled the air, Stompy tripped over and fell to the floor. ¡°Now! Attack him!¡± However, their opportunity disappeared as quickly as it came. Stompy began to thrash his arms around, mming the ground. [Stompy used Stomp Stomp!.] [Indiscriminately destroy the surroundings. The effect is stronger in rocky terrain.] Thuud! Thuuuuuuud! Suddenly, rocks began falling from the sky. At the same time, the ground began to be dug, leaving some with no chance of escape from the rocks falling onto their heads. Crush¡­ ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m hit! I-I¡­¡± As everyone struggled to approach the fallen Stompy¡­ Grrrrrrrr¡­ Out of nowhere, a massive ck wolf appeared. ¡°Sic him, Koko!¡± [Koko used Rip and Tear.] Chapter 171 A week before Seol met up with the expedition party, he was in the middle of a conversation with Ner. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­ Even though they''re both predators on Floor B4, Stompy is much stronger than Koko, right?¡± ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s because of the matchup.¡± ¡°And Stompy is a rock giant, right?¡± ¡°You saw it too, didn¡¯t you? The way he stomps around everywhere. Him being a rock giant is good, though. If he wasn¡¯t, then he would be eating the prisoners instead of rocks.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ couldn¡¯t it be different if they fought head-on?¡± "Yeah, it could be different. But I can feel it. Stompy¡¯s much stronger. Koko won¡¯t be able to bite him at all. Well, even if Koko does manage to bite him, Stompy will still win. The most you can hope for is probably a tie." ¡°So facing him head-on is probably out of the picture... One more question. Are Koko and Stompy the only predators on this floor?¡± Before answering, Ner looked up into the sky, as if he was trying to recall something. ¡°There were a bunch of them, but Stompy killed them each time they got out of line. I¡¯m pretty sure there was one more, but I don¡¯t see them around anymore. They were quite an interesting friend with six arms, but... I¡¯m pretty sure Stompy probably killed them as well.¡± After finishing his conversation with Ner, Seol contemted. ¡®What do I do if I have to fight Stompy?¡¯ It would be ideal if they could pass by him as nned, but Seol also had to prepare for the worst. While Ner clearly knew some things, he didn¡¯t know everything. Not to mention, the person behind everything told Ner that if he told Seol any more than this, they would take action as well. ¡®Regardless of who awaits us below¡­ it''s clear they want to meet us.¡¯ Though the mysterious person kept ying tricks on them, in another sense, it could be seen as a test to weed out those too weak to meet them. Seol, opting to address those questions by meeting the mysterious individual face-to-face, then turned his thoughts to other matters. First, was on how he¡¯d pass Lineage onto Koko. Cut¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Seol made a cut on his palm before squeezing out blood. Since he possessed the Blood of Origin anyway, an injury like that would heal in seconds. Seol had been gathering his blood over the past couple of days to give to Koko to drink. Whine¡­ At first, Koko rejected it. However, as Seol began mixing it in with Koko¡¯s food and water, he eventually weed it. Pant pant¡­ Still, there was no real reaction. ¡®Is it because he¡¯srge? Or is consumption not a suitable method to pass on Lineage?¡¯ For example, by creating an actual family to pass it on instead. ¡®Or¡­ maybe it isn¡¯t working because he isn¡¯t my summon?¡¯ Twitch¡­ Twitch twitch¡­ Koko began to shudder. ¡®Finally, a reaction!¡¯ Whiiine¡­ Koko shuddered as if undergoing something painful. [Lineage is formed with Koko.] [Passive: Good Lineage activates.] [Those who have inherited Blood of Origin have all of their stats increased by 20%.] [Those connected to your bloodline also receive the Eyes of Foresight.] ¡®Nice!¡¯ Koko was a Transcendent-rank monster. Increasing all of his stats by 20% was clearly a significant upgrade. Whine¡­ Lick. After changing his eyes to look a bit more simr to Seol¡¯s eyes, Koko rubbed his body against Seol''s leg. [A Charming Individual activates. You receive additional favorability.] [You have acquired ¡®Koko, the Starving¡¯ as a helper.] [¡®Koko, the Starving¡¯ is a Transcendent rank.] [Helpers have a chance of appearing in all Adventures.] [They will help you differently based on their favorability toward you.] ¡®...In the end, it ended up like this. I should try toe up with a way to take him with me, though.¡¯ Seol was preparing for the worst-case scenario, but he hoped he would never have to find out the answer to the question, ''Could Koko defeat Stompy if he consumed the Blood of Origin?''. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [Koko used Rip and Tear.] [Injuries inflicted by this attack result in bleeding three times more severe than normal.] [Bleeding from this effect does not stop easily.] [This effect does not affect targets immune to bleeding.] Grrrrrrrr! Grah! Kargh! Kraaaargh! Of course, the mass of rocks didn¡¯t bleed. Rock giants had an innate immunity to bleeding, after all. Seol didn¡¯t dwell on the obvious and instead, focused on what truly mattered. ¡®Koko¡¯s attacks are working! They¡¯re working on Stompy!¡¯ Stompy swung his arms, knocking Koko away, and quickly stood back up. However, Seol hadn¡¯t just been observing. Craaaackle! Seol casted Volcano Armor on both himself and Koko. After that, he let Koko do whatever he pleased. Seol wasn¡¯t Koko¡¯s summoner, and Koko wasn¡¯t Seol¡¯s summon. There was nothing he could do to control him. Glooooow¡­ Fwirl! Seol, after quickly summoning the Twin Knights, gave them amand. ¡°Save the others!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The reason Stompy was so terrifying wasn¡¯t because of his 1 vs. 1 skills. It was because of his immense defense and the wide area each of his attacks covered, dealing massive AoE damage. ¡®Karuna and Karen¡¯s attacks likely won¡¯t work on Stompy.¡¯ If they wanted to deal damage to Stompy with ded weapons, it would require considerable force behind each strike, and even then, sess wasn¡¯t guaranteed. And for those reasons, Seol ordered Karun and Karen to strictly save the others, to minimize the number of casualties. Rumble Rumble Rumble! Gnash! Crash! Koko was massive, but even then, he couldn¡¯tpare to Stompy. Stompy was practically a walking skyscraper in the eyes of the expedition party. The difference between their size was like that of a human and a dog. [Koko used Wallop.] [Koko¡¯s damage increases by 20% and attack speed increases by 30% for a short duration.] Grrrrrr¡­ Kraaaaaah! With each swing of his front paws, Koko carved out rocks from Stompy''s body. Ruuumble! ¡°Kuaaaargh!¡± Seol began attacking Stompy¡¯s feet as if he didn¡¯t want to lose out to Koko. ¡®...He¡¯s tough.¡¯ Still, most of his attacks weren¡¯t working. ¡°Kuur? Kraaaaaaah!¡± Stompy unleashed a roar. It seemed like he was quite frustrated by the expedition party attacking him while dodging the falling rocks. [Stompy used Stomp Stompy Stomp!.] [Rocks plummet to the ground, fracturing as they fall. For a brief period, the shattered terrain and falling rocks be more susceptible to further destruction, with the fragments gaining increased damage. Additionally, these fragments scatter over a much wider area than usual.] ¡°Run awaaaaaay!¡± shouted Seol. Rumble Rumble! Rumble Rumble Rumble! From the rocks falling from the ceiling to the debris from Stompy¡¯s body¡­ They all came barreling down at once, like an avnche. Rumble rumble rumble¡­ ¡°Krrrrgh¡­¡± ¡°Do¡ª¡± It was like multiple grenades had just gone off. Seol spotted countless expedition party members who had failed to dodge the falling rocks. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ As if trying to solidify his victory, Stompy activated his Unique Skill. [Stompy¡¯s Unique Skill: Rock Shower activates.] [The rocks that fell from Stompy''s body erupt into fury.] Rumble rumble rumble¡­ Small rocks around Stompy began to float before slowly beginning to spin. "Everyone, this way!" shouted Chameli. Chameli¡¯s voice pierced through the chaos, turning everyone¡¯s heads toward her. She and the pilgrims around her were preparing a spell, chanting. ¡°May you guide us to your safends!¡± Gloooooow! [Chameli activates Sanctification: Paradise.] [While Paradise is active, deflect the majority of iing projectiles.] ¡°Quickly, this way!¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± The expedition party quickly ran toward the golden bubble the pilgrims worked together to create. ¡°O-Over there!¡± ¡°The Steel Lion is¡­¡± The leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries was running toward the bubble while carrying someone on his back. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± ¡°Let me go¡­ just leave me behind¡­ it¡¯s toote for me¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t die, Yofimba!¡± shouted the mercenary leader. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ quite a nice guy, aren¡¯t you? It¡¯s toote for me¡­ my organs are already ripped up.¡± ¡°Damn it! This is why you should¡¯ve watched your weight!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll die too at this rate¡­ Don¡¯t die like this.¡± ¡°Shut up! I cannot taint the Steel Lion name!¡± The Steel Lion rushed faster toward the bubble while carrying Yofimba, who was covered in blood. However¡­ ¡°B-Behind you!¡± ¡°No!¡± Stompy swung his tree-sized bat down toward the Steel Lion and Yofimba, who were moments away from being crushed. ¡°Block it!¡± Hummm¡­ [Frannan used Magic Circle: Lighten.] [For a short while, the target is 90% lighter.] [Frannan used Magic Circle: Hesitation.] [Temporarily reduce the target¡¯s Strength by 20%.] Before Frannan could activate his magic circles, someone appeared by the Steel Lion¡¯s side. It was Seol, his summons, and Mael. Cruuuush! ¡°Krghhh¡­¡± ¡°Urghhh¡­¡± Despite their valiant defense against Stompy''s initial attack, he relentlessly pressed on, trying to grind them into the ground. Clench clench¡­ Suddenly, Mael¡¯s body grew tremendously, to the point that his shirt began to rip off. ¡°Krahhhhhhh!¡± [Mael used Blood Shamanic Spell: Hatred.] [Temporarily overload your muscles to explosively increase Strength.] [There exists a chance of losing your sanity.] ¡°Kraaaaaaaaaah!¡± Fwoosh! Thuuuuuud! Thankfully, that provided more than enough time for the others to cast spells and deflect Stompy¡¯s wooden club. They hurried over and finally arrived at the golden bubble casted by the pilgrims. ¡°Yofimba!¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s lost too much blood!¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright, so go and fight¡­ you bastards¡­¡± said Yofimba before fainting immediately. Bark! Bark! As Koko drew Stompy¡¯s attention, Frannan said a word to Seol. ¡°Even your dog¡¯s useless against that rockhead.¡± ¡°...He¡¯s a pain.¡± ¡°It''s your head that suffers when your body is weak. His defense is the main issue¡­ I wonder if we have anything with enough power that could actually deal damage to him¡­¡± said Frannan while ncing at Seol. He was essentially asking Seol if he had that kind of power. ¡°...I might have something.¡± "Alright. And you''re aware that giants have ridiculous vitality that allows them to survive even with copsed hearts, right?" ¡°I do.¡± ¡°So, where do you aim for?¡± ¡°The head.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I¡¯ll drag his head down to a good height for you.¡± As Rock Shower stopped, Stompy began his rampage once more. Frannan began murmuring to himself. As he did, Seol and the otherbatants did their best to buy time for him. ¡°Thest time I used this spell was during the Giant Subjugation¡­ It¡¯s been a long time.¡± Hummmmm¡­ [Frannan used High-Rank Magic Circle: Leg Breaker.] [Temporarily unleash 300% of your spell power as force damage to a designated area.] ¡°Not yet¡­¡± [Frannan used High-Rank Magic Circle: umtion.] [The effects of the magic circles ovep.] Hummmmm¡­ [Frannan used High-Rank Magic Circle: Copse.] [The effects of the next force-type spell are increased by 75%.] ¡­¡­ The expedition party began to whisper to each other after seeing Frannan concentrate for the first time. ¡°Wh-what is he¡­¡± ¡°How manyplex spells is he going to ovep¡­?¡± Thanks to Seol and Koko buying time, Frannan managed to safely finish his spell. ¡°I¡¯m done! Get out of the way!¡± ¡°Koko! Dodge!¡± Seol and Koko dashed off the sides of Stompy''s body and into the air. Frannan¡¯s mana began to swell and surge throughout the room. ¡°You little shiiiiiiiiiit!¡± [Frannan used Exceptional Skill: Respect Your Elders.] [Deal force damage to a designated area.] Crackle, Crackle, Craaaaackle¡­ Countless magic circles began to twist the air as they exploded. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Crumble crumble¡­ ¡°Kraaaaaaaaah!¡± Stompy¡¯s legs had been severed at their kneecaps. Well, ¡®destroyed¡¯ might have been a better word to describe the impact. Fwoooosh¡­ ¡°R-Run awayyyyy!¡± ¡°He¡¯s falling over!¡¯ Stompy fell over backward. Thuuuuuud! The impact was so powerful that it felt like the air also shook. However, all wasn¡¯t good. Rumble rumble¡­ Dust and rocks began to gather at the site where Stompy''s legs had broken off, as if attempting to form new ones. ¡°My dear disciple! Is my order still not ready yet?¡± Fwiiirl¡­ Seol leaped into the air beforending precisely on Stompy''s chest. From there, Seol could execute an easy, unavoidable attack on Stompy''s head. Clench¡­ Rumble rumble¡­ Crackle crackle¡­ [You have changed to the Rain of Fire Stance.] [All attacks will spread mes.] [An explosion will ur at the impact point of each attack.] [Thunderbolts will spread at the impact point of each attack.] [Passive: Moving mes is applied.] [Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.] [Passive: Static is applied.] Ripple! [You used Night Crow: Iron Fist Rule.] [Shadow Hand is affected by Passive: Moving mes.] [Shadow Hand is affected by Passive: Heat and Warmth.] [Shadow Hand is affected by Passive: Static.] Arge, ck arm, roughly the size of Stompy¡¯s massive arms, filled the room, crackling with lightning and engulfed in mes. ¡°Arghhhhhhh!¡± Fwooooosh¡­ And then, it struck the ground. Booooooom! Crackle crackle! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Flinch¡­ Whiiish¡­ Frannan was shocked. Despite Seol''s attack having destroyed half of Stompy''s face, rocks were once again beginning to gather around him. ¡°Oh my god! He¡¯s still alive! No! He¡¯s still¡­¡± Seol gritted his teeth. As expected from a Transcendent-rank giant, he managed to survive Seol¡¯s strongest attack on his weak point. ¡®Damn it. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d survive¡­¡¯ At this rate, Stompy would likely recover once more before going on another rampage. Yet, luck wasn''t solely on Stompy''s side. [Tuner(Exceptionality) activates.] [Recover all mana used by Iron Fist Rule.] Agony¡¯s effect had activated. Seol quickly grew his arm again after sensing his mana return. Grooooow! ¡°Just fucking¡­¡± Fwoooosh¡­ ¡°...die already!¡± Baaaaaaam! Crackle crackle¡­ With that final strike, the remainder of Stompy''s head was blown away. Crumble crumble¡­ After losing his head, Stompy''s body started to crumble away. Gradually, even his limbs disintegrated. [You have defeated Stompy, the Hard.] [You are the first to defeat a Transcendent-rank enemy.] [You have earned the Inaugural Achievement ''Superhuman Path''.] [You have earned the Inaugural Title ''Superhuman''.] ¡­¡­ Countless messages entered Seol¡¯s vision. No one in the expedition party could believe what they just saw. ¡°H-He¡¯s a human like us?¡± ¡°Even if Aspect Magician Frannan was expected¡­¡± ¡°Who is he¡­¡± There were a variety of reactions. But despite all that, only one thing caught Seol¡¯s eye. As Stompy''s body began to break down, it gradually unveiled something. ¡®This is¡­?¡¯ A spherical, hard marble. Seol carefully lifted it into his hands. And then¡­ Rumble¡­ [The rock giant¡¯s core quakes.] [Mountain Primal Power shows a reaction.] Chapter 172 The transformation began the moment Seol ced his hands on the rock giant¡¯s core. [The rock giant¡¯s core fills your Mountain Primal Power.] [The Mountain Energy in the rock giant¡¯s core is ¡®Abundant¡¯.] [You are unable to fully absorb the Mountain Primal Power.] [The Primal Power¡¯s overwhelming energy enhances your shamanic spells.] [Volcano Armor has improved to Passive: Earth Armor.] [Rain of Fire Stance¡¯s passive skills improve altogether.] [You are now immune to Abnormal Status: Petrification.] [Primal Power: Mountain is currently full.] Rumble rumble¡­ ¡°Wh-what is happening?¡± ¡°The giant¡­ is disappearing.¡± Stompy''s body was turning into dust, then being absorbed into the marble in Seol''s hands. And that marble, in turn, was being absorbed into Seol. Faaaade¡­ As both Stompy¡¯s body and the rock golem¡¯s core disappeared¡­ the only thing that remained was a man d in sturdy rock armor. ¡®So this is¡­ Primal Power.¡¯ Though this was Seol¡¯s first time seeing it, he could instinctively tell it waspletely different from spells and mana. Previously, Seol had to concentrate if he wanted to use Volcano Armor. But now, he no longer had to go through such a troublesome process. Seol, after confirming the changes, nodded his head. ¡®I guess it¡¯s automatic now.¡¯ Then what mattered now was how long Earth Armor took to be active. Seol nned to test that outter. - Buying Primal Power. I¡¯ve never tried it before. - The power looks so cool¡­ - I don¡¯t know what happened, but something happened! - How do you use Primal Power, though? - He hasn¡¯t used it even though he got it¡­ There were a few reasons why Seol hadn¡¯t used Primal Power yet. The first and biggest reason why he didn''t was because to use Primal Power, you had to umte it first. Normally, it was done through training or duties. The natural powers that Great Shamans wield aren''t attained easily, like turning on a faucet to ess water. If one wanted to use it in such a manner, they would have to follow the necessary steps and first fill the hypothetical water tank with water. And now, Seol had just satisfied that first condition. - Hey, can you feel it? It was Jamad. ¡®You¡¯re talking about this power, right?¡¯ responded Seol. - Yeah, I''ve seen the Tribe Alliance''s monsters use it a few times before, but... I never thought I''d be able to acquire it so quickly. Another reason Seol hadn''t utilized Primal Power yet was that, at their current levels, both Seol and Jamad found it nearly impossible to wield naturally. There were still a lot of preparations left before they could make it as effective as their otherbat skills. ¡®Well, that wille with time as well, though. More importantly...¡¯ Seol also saw messages of the achievement he earned from defeating Stompy. [[Inaugural Title: Superhuman] Rted Achievement: Superhuman Path (Adventure: Gatekeeper Stompy) Bonus Effect: Every hour, there is a certain chance that a random stat or skill will be enhanced for five minutes.] ¡®I can¡¯t get a good feel for this one. I think I need it to trigger for me to really know.¡¯ - Is this good? - Well¡­ a 5 minute buff every hour is just eh? - We need to see how much it buffs by. - fr This could either bepletely busted or pointless. Seol¡¯s assessment of this title was simr to that of his viewers. As Seol could only make a proper assessment once he saw how much it was enhanced or how it was enhanced, he chose to postpone his assessment forter. Seol finished the short checkup of his skills with that. He didn¡¯t take even a minute to read through it all, which showed just how roughly he skimmed through it. Normally, Seol wouldb over everyst detail, but he didn¡¯t have the luxury to do that right now. As Seol returned to the expedition party, they all cast nces at him. ¡°Did you see that? His body changed and turned ck.¡± ¡°His dog also grew to the size of a house.¡± ¡°Is he really Frannan¡¯s disciple?¡± ¡°Are we sure that Frannan isn¡¯t the disciple?¡± Frannan, hearing their whispers, carefully approached Seol. "Ahem¡­ they''re quite the noisy bunch. But yeah, how much are you hiding from me? I''ve never seen an ability as powerful as the one you used to destroy that lump of rocks." ¡°That was everything.¡± "I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯ll have to see it for myselfter. More importantly, let¡¯s hurry over there." ¡°Why is everyone gathering around?¡± ¡°A lot of people have died¡­ and there¡¯s someone who will die soon.¡± Seol then recalled the injured dwarf on the Steel Lion¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Yofimba?¡± "Yeah, it seems healing him is difficult." - Maybe he might survive if Snowman feeds him the Blood of Origin? - Are you new here? That was the first thing that Snowman did when he got it. - So he failed then¡­ - Yeah, the blood¡¯s probably too thin to have an effect. The two then approached Yofimba, who was surrounded by the expedition party. Beside Yofimbay several allies who had failed to dodge the falling rocks, lying as if they were asleep. His face was pale. ¡°Cough¡­ cough¡­¡± ¡°Yofimba! I¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°Stop shouting like that. You¡¯re making my ears hurt.¡± The Artifact Association members cried as they called out Yofimba¡¯s name. ¡°Don¡¯t die, Yofimba! H-He¡¯s still conscious, Vicar Chameli¡­ Please, help Yofimba¡­ our friend Yofimba is¡­¡± ¡°......¡± Yofimba gave a mischievous grin. ¡°You idiots¡­ don¡¯t make such a ridiculous request. Even if you¡­ cough¡­ even if you bring the head of Varanoa, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do a thing about it. I¡¯m¡­ going to die. See? Look at her face. Hey, girlie. Could I make one final request?¡± ¡°Yes, Yofimba?¡± answered Chameli. ¡°I have some words to leave behind. You can¡­ do that, right?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Fwoosh¡­ A gentle breeze flowed through the dark corridors, leaving a brilliant seal on Yofimba¡¯s bloody forehead. [Chameli used Remembrance.] [The target is immune to all damage and attacks.] [The target does not feel pain.] [The target is unable to use any skills.] [After a few moments, the target will inevitably die.] Yofimba was branded for death. Though he bought some time through this, he also had to give away his hope. ¡°Why¡­ why¡­¡± "Much better¡­ Move your disgusting faces away, you bastards. And Mael,e closer." Mael still had yet topletely recover from his shamanic spell. He followed Yofimba¡¯s orders, but with a horrible expression on his face. "What are you so scared of, Mael, you damned troll?" ¡°Yofimba¡­¡± ¡°Stand tall! You look like someone died or something.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± It was quite a unique sight to see arge troll sulking in pain in front of a dwarf. "You''ve been like that since the moment I met you. You''re way too soft. It doesn''t suit your size or wildness at all¡­" "There aren''t anyws that force you to act as your appearance suggests, are there?" ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. You¡¯re soo amazing¡­ you rascal.¡± ¡°...Yofimba. You can say your final words now. We are ready to record them.¡± Yofimba cleared his throat before speaking to the remaining Artifact Association members. "You fearless fools of the Artifact Association, I, Yofimba, am about to die in the best way possible. I will be dying in an old and ancient, yet living ruin. It''s a death I have been dreaming of¡­ but I have one regret. My one regret is that I will never be able to see beyond that door. And for that reason, if you think of me as a friend¡­" Yofimba shed a smile. "Go see beyond those doors in my stead. I will keep a dwarf¡¯s door open for you after my death, soter¡­ muchter¡­e see me and tell me what was beyond those doors." "That door might be a bit too small for a troll like me to fit in," chuckled Mael. "I¡¯m going to make you crawl through that door, Mael!"ughed Yofimba. "You¡¯re rather annoying, so I¡¯ll be happy to see you suffer." ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Click¡­ ¡°I want you¡­ to use this gun. You remember the workshop I trade with, right?¡± ¡°...Thank you, Yofimba.¡± "And you guys from the Artifact Association, listen well. Right now, we are somewhere no one has gone before. We are the Artifact Association. We are psychos more obsessed with the secrets in ruins than with our family and friends." Yofimba looked at the remaining members of the Artifact Association one by one. "I don¡¯t honestly think that all of you will make it. But¡­ if by some miracle, if at least one of you survives¡­ let the world know what happened here. And with your chest open, tell the world this¡­" ¡°......¡± "We delved into secrets! We battled amidst these ancient halls. Now, I¡¯m done talking, so everyone, fuck off." Mael grabbed Yofimba¡¯s hands. ¡°Yofimba, I will record your life and store it in the end of the Artifact Association¡¯s ancient records.¡± ¡°Until dust piles on it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± "Haha¡­ To be born in flesh and blood, to die as a book... that''s... incredible..." Thud. And like that, Yofimba, a leader of the Artifact Association, passed away. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Alright, open the door.¡± Arge key remained where Stompy¡¯s corpse had disappeared. The Steel Lion lifted it over his shoulders and headed to the keyhole. Before he ced the key into it, he hesitated for a second. "I¡¯m sorry, troll," said the Steel Lion to Mael. "...I apologize for my discourtesy thus far." It appeared he had changed his mind after seeing Mael¡¯s desperate actions for him and Yofimba. Click¡­ Creaaaak¡­ As the key entered its hole, the door let out a long creak. It had clearly been a while since the door wasst opened. ¡°You can hit me once if you¡¯re still upset at me,¡± said the Steel Lion. ¡°If I hit you, you¡¯ll be the first among us to pass through the dwarf-sized door,¡± answered Mael. ¡°......¡± - LMFAOOOO - One punch to send him to Yofimba¡¯s side. "If we manage to make it out of here..." Mael began, while sheepishly touching his erged muscles, "how about you buy us all a drink?" ¡°What?¡± Mael''s timely remark helped ease everyone''s tension. ¡°Sure,¡±ughed the Steel Lion. ¡°I¡¯ll buy a lot, so just give me the chance.¡± The mood was rxed as they descended down the stairs. Pause. However, Seol, who was following them at the rear, suddenly paused for a moment. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s nothing.¡± Seol had been staring at the inscriptions on the door for a long time before they finally opened it. ¡®What could it be?¡¯ Previously, Seol felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu from the magic words used to illuminate the room. That same feeling was washing over him right now. Seol definitely had a good memory. He could recall most things in detail as long as they weren¡¯t too minor. So it made sense he would have questions when he couldn¡¯t remember something after being transferred. ¡®But then I learned I could regain my memories once I get back my pieces¡­ But this is apletely different feeling¡­ this is¡­ different¡­¡¯ The feeling Seol had upon seeing the magic words¡­ He didn¡¯t know them, and yet he did. If the memories with his pieces felt like a book with pages torn out of it, this felt more like a book with perfectly normal pages, but withpletely different contents. Almost as if he was reading a revised version of the book¡­ ¡°Solitary Confinement.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just¡­ I just think the words on the door meant that.¡± ¡°What are you saying, really¡­¡± And like that, Seol followed the rest of the expedition party down the stairs. As they headed down, one man remained behind the door. It was Ner. ¡°Sorry, this is as far as I go¡­¡± Fade¡­ Ner then disappeared. * * * Drip¡­ Drip¡­ Alcatron Floor B5. ¡°I can feel it¡­ this is¡­ incredible.¡± ¡°This energy¡­ everyone, stick together!¡± ¡°They¡¯re quite weing, aren¡¯t they? Judging by how they¡¯re just letting us into their living room like this¡­¡± Seol felt an ominous energy brush past his skin. Floor B5 wasn¡¯t particrly dark. Surprisingly, quite a number of dim lights were in the air. ¡°I doubt¡­ they¡¯re weing us, right?¡± said Seol. ¡°Obviously. I bet it was just a whim.¡± ¡°I just hope that something shows up soon, anything¡­¡± Suddenly, the expedition party heard a voice. ¡°Frannan! Frannan, it¡¯s you! Ohohoho.¡± Frannan¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°This voice is¡­ Damn it, I wasn¡¯t expecting that at all¡­¡± The voice spoke once more. ¡°It¡¯s me, Bornuil.¡± Bornuil. Finding him was the expedition party¡¯s objective, even if it was just his corpse. Bornuil, the Libra. Woosh¡­ Fwoo¡­ Fwoo¡­ Fwoo¡­ Small fires formed in the air, almost as they were creating a path. At the end of the path sat a hunched old man, facing away from them. ¡°Bornuil!¡± shouted one of the magicians. ¡°Master Bornuil!¡± ¡°Tower Master, it¡¯s us! Are you alright?¡± Frannan raised his hand, preventing them from walking toward him. ¡°You idiots¡­ Why are you asking him that?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t Libra.¡± The old manughed insidiously. ¡°Ohohoho¡­ You realized it, Frannan?¡± ¡°Where is Bornuil?¡± ¡°He is¡­ inside me.¡± ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± ¡°I¡­ am over there.¡± Bornuil gestured with his chin. Fwoo¡­ Fwoo¡­ The mes paved a new path. There, the figure of a human floated, their limbs wrapped in chains like a straitjacket, their face sealed by a mask. ¡°...I can¡¯t tell anything about you from that.¡± Suddenly, the old man began to twitch. A horrifying, terrifying voice emanated from him. ¡°Hold still! You still¡­¡± It was clear that it wasn¡¯t just one soul inside Bornuil. Frannan¡¯s expression stiffened. "Hey, you. The bastard who fearlessly entered Libra''s body." ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± ¡°Yeah, you.¡± He was also the one who dragged them into this hidden ruin and stole Libra¡¯s body as well. ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± Bornuil¡¯s eyes began to glow red as the evil within him smiled. Chapter 173 Seol could feel Bornuil¡¯s skin-piercing bloodlust. ¡®How is that¡­ possible?¡¯ Seol had only felt bloodlust like that from monsters and demons, never humans. ¡®Libra is being mind controlled? No, more importantly¡­ who is he then?¡¯ The evil taking the form of Bornuil answered the question. ¡°My name is Ur. Have you heard of me before?¡± Frannan shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± "I see¡­ Exactly how much time has passed?" ¡°Tell me¡­ Who¡­ and where are you from?¡¯ Bornuil¡¯s mouth opened wide, as if it was trying to split apart. ¡°I¡­ am the root.¡± ¡°The root?¡± Both Seol and Frannan turned pale upon hearing those words. Bornuil sensed that his opponents understood the implications behind those words. ¡°Yes, those trees inside of you. They all stemmed from me.¡± Seol couldn¡¯t hide his shock at all. ¡®He¡¯s¡­ talking about the skill trees!¡¯ The skill trees. Each tree had its unique shape and color, and one could make their efforts bear fruit by literally making the tree bear fruit. ¡®So the skill trees weren¡¯t just born on their own?¡¯ Then how? How was Seol, who prided himself on his knowledge of Pandea, so clueless? The man named Ur continued. ¡°I am the me that was gifted to the humans¡­ and the first wizard.¡± ¡°The first¡­ wizard? What do you mean by wizard?¡± ¡°Do you not know of wizardry?¡± ¡°I know about magic.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ so an imitation is the best you are capable of, I see.¡± ¡°Bwahaha¡­ Look, we neither care nor want to know whether you¡¯re the first wizard or not. The only thing I¡¯m curious about right now is¡­ why did you steal poor Bornuil¡¯s body?¡± Ur gave Frannan a straightforward answer. "I woke up from a long, deep sleep. I sensed my chains had grown loose, and not too long after, my consciousness settled here." ¡°So you have been sleeping all this time¡­ Then why did you take Libra¡¯s body? Is it to get revenge on the ones who imprisoned you?¡± ¡°It is. However, after reading through this individual¡¯s memories, I was utterly shocked.¡± ¡°Bornuil¡¯s¡­ memories?¡± ¡°Yes, do any of you know the name ¡®Cron¡¯?¡± The expedition party¡¯s expressions stiffened. ¡°Cron? I¡¯ve never heard of that name before.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­ then it truly was this person¡¯s memories. Is Cron¡­ dead?¡± ¡°Look, regardless of whoever or whatever this ¡®Cron¡¯ is, does that really matter when they¡¯re likely gone?¡± ¡°Revenge was my greatest motivator, but it wasn¡¯t my only motivator.¡± ¡°Then what motivates you now?¡± ¡°Fascination,¡± answered Ur. ¡°Fascination?¡± "I will reenter this world and learn all its new knowledge." ¡°...And then?¡± Ur finally revealed his true colors. ¡°Use that knowledge to rule over all life.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s insane.¡± ¡°I simply will because I have the ability to do so.¡± All of a sudden, a different voice flowed out of Bornuil¡ªnot Ur''s, but Bornuil''s. ¡°Frannan, did you bring this many people¡­ to find me?¡± ¡°Bornuil? Are you alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. More importantly¡­ you must stop him here.¡± A new,forting voice emerged from Bornuil, addressing the expedition party. ¡°He is evil,pletely wicked to his core. I only managed to catch a glimpse into his heart, but¡­ it was just endless darkness.¡± "Even in your final moments, you continue to give us homework." ¡°...If you¡¯re the one here, Frannan, and not another Aspect Magician, then there is still hope.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°After all, you¡¯re the only Aspect Magician who has devoted himself to magic as much as me, Frannan.¡± Frannan closed his eyes. He recalled a memory of Bornuil¡¯s teachings. - Bnce exists everywhere in all of the Libra Tower¡¯s teachings. It is essential to recognize that. "O Libra, I shall think of these as our final words. Do you... have any advice?" ¡°Go all out from the start. Like a magician.¡± Smile¡­ Frannanughed. Bornuil, seeing that, continued. ¡°Then now, I want you to give it your all¡­ to kill me.¡± ¡°...dly. I will grant you your wish.¡± Fwip! Bornuil¡¯s voice vanished like a spark, and Ur reappeared once more. ¡°How annoying¡­ Let me offer you a proposal.¡± ¡°A proposal?¡± "Is there anyone among you who wishes to wee a brand new world with me?" A few options then entered Seol¡¯s vision. They were troublesome options, more so than his usual selection. [[You stand at the crossroads between life and death! In the heart of Alcatron, a demonic dungeon, you''ve encountered Ur, an individual who ims to be the first wizard. He has proposed that you follow him. How do you respond?] 1. ept Ur¡¯s proposal. 2. Change the conditions. 3. Convince Ur. 4. [Dangers: Death] Face Ur. ¡­¡­] Seol looked back at the expedition party. ¡°......¡± Their tense faces made Seol¡¯s heart pound faster. tter¡­ Seol, the Steel Lion, and Frannan stood at the vanguard. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to exin everything, so I¡¯ll transfer it directly into your heads,¡± said Frannan. Snap! [Frannan used Quick Lessons.] [Your intent is delivered to your target.] Crackle! With a bolt of lightning, Frannan''s intent was conveyed to everyone in the expedition party. ¡°Especially you, disciple. You have an important role. I¡¯ll take care of whatever happens here, so conserve as much power as you can.¡± Frannan¡¯s n was delivered directly into Seol¡¯s head. ¡°I understand,¡± said Seol while nodding his head. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Frannan smiled, as if he felt he could trust in Seol, then took another step forward. "Hey, you, the first-ever whatever the fuck. Do you know what demonic spirits are?" "Scraps of demonic energy and wicked intentbined together. They''re just trash, aren''t they?" Seol then heard a sound from hisntern. [Toot.] ¡°......¡± Frannan then responded to Ur. ¡°Yeah, I thought so too¡­ at first.¡± ¡°...At first? Are you iming that you hold a different opinion now?¡± "Everything exists for a reason, including demonic spirits. A long time ago, I had a big fight with Bornuil because of the demonic spirit research I was conducting." ¡°Interesting. And?¡± "Bornuil didn¡¯t approve of my research. Demonic spirits are dangerous, after all. Yet, he couldn¡¯t deny their power. Nheless, I informed him that I intended to stop my research there,¡± scoffed Frannan. He then pulled out a pair of gloves from his inventory. ¡°That was a lie, obviously. I continued my research. And now, it¡¯s finallyplete. Hey, Bornuil, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re listening right now, but¡­¡± Frannan shed Ur his palms. There was a closed eye at the center of each of his palms. ¡°Say hello to ¡®Teeth Grinder¡¯ and ¡®Snorer¡¯.¡± ¡°What are those demonic spirits actually going to do?¡± ¡°Afterpleting these two fes, I¡¯m¡­¡± Frannan had a strange smile on his face. ¡°stronger than Bornuil.¡± ¡°......¡± "This spell can activate once I p my hands after exining its principles to my opponent. Simple, right?" Frannan turned back, looked at the expedition party members, then gestured with his head. Ffft! Fwoosh! In an instant, the expedition party surrounded Ur in a circle. Thanks to Frannan¡¯s Quick Lessons, everyone in the expedition party moved in a coordinated manner, as if they all shared the same mind. "These two really hate being woken up from their sleep. They just sleep around all day, but when they wake up... they end up despising the first person they see, to the point of wanting to kill them." ¡°...And?¡± "The target of their hatred bes exposed to the eyes of others. Not just to me, Teeth Grinder, and Snorer, but to everyone else as well. The longer the target is seen, the more their mana decreases. And then, the moment the target¡¯s mana equals mine..." Ur red at Frannan. ¡°the target dies. Now¡­ It¡¯s morning, Teeth Grinder and Snorer! Let¡¯s get to work, youzy bastards!¡± p! With Frannan¡¯s p, the two eyes on his palms opened. [Who was it?] [Who was it?] The eyes then looked at Ur. [Was it you?] [Was it you?] ¡®For now, I¡¯ll go with his n.¡¯ As Koko wasn¡¯t capable of intricate movements, Seol let Koko do whatever he pleased while he followed Frannan¡¯s ns. Frannan¡¯s n was quite simple. ¡®Keep your eyes on Ur.¡¯ It was a more concise order than to fight Ur and kill him. Hum¡­ [Ur:Bornuil used Seal Divine Power.] [Divine Power cannot be used within this spell¡¯s distance.] ording to the information that Frannan gave them, Bornuil¡¯s specialty was in spells that controlled space. He was especially good at spells that allowed him to suppress and restrain anything that could be dangerous. ¡®Frannan said that no one will be able to do anything once the battle drags on. I guess first was Chameli and the pilgrims.¡¯ Ur waved his hand. [Ur:Bornuil used Mire.] [Movement speed is reduced by 50% within this spell¡¯s distance.] Frannan then casted a spell to resist this. ¡°Hargh!¡± Hum¡­ [Frannan used Magic Circle: Crush Magic.] [Nullify the low-level spell cast by the target.] Faaade¡­ ¡°Five minutes left! Don¡¯t take your eyes off him!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ur scoffed as he casted another spell. [Ur:Bornuil used Sandstorm.] [Targets have reduced vision and take damage over time within this spell¡¯s distance.] Fwoooooosh! A sandstorm suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield. Ur nned to prepare another spell while avoiding their gazes. ¡°A good idea, but!¡± Frannan prepared another spell. [Frannan used High-Rank Magic Circle: Copy Magic.] [Copy the mid-level spell cast by the target.] Fwooooosh! Frannan summoned a sandstorm as well, which collided with the one Ur had conjured. WOOOOOOSH! No one in the vicinity could keep their eyes open as the fierce winds raged on. ¡°Urgh¡­ I can¡¯t keep my eyes¡­¡± ¡°Sir Frannan!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright! I¡¯ve kept my eye on him the entire time!¡± Urughed after hearing that. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s alright when I should be the one thankful to you?¡± Suddenly, Koko appeared, charging in toward Ur. Koko must have sensed an opening with his wild instinct. Graaaaar! ¡°No, Koko!¡± Words then flowed out of Ur¡¯s mouth, but they clearly weren¡¯t normal words. It was a spell. [You, fly away.] Humm! ¡®This feeling¡­¡¯ - This¡­ is a magic word. I felt it use up a bit of my mana just now. Seol felt a simr sensation to the magic words used to activate the lights in Alcatron. However, this felt entirely different from before. These were much more explosive than the ones they used previously. Fwoooooosh! Whimper! Even Koko, a Transcendent-rank monster, could do nothing as he was blown away. Koko clearly suffered damage too, judging by how he weakly rolled on the floor after the initial blow. ¡®That monster¡­¡¯ Drip¡­ However, it wasn¡¯t as if Ur waspletely fine. He wiped his nose as he spoke once more. "...I suppose this old body has its limits. Maybe I can manage one more? Well, regardless, it¡¯s fine." Ur smiled from ear to ear. ¡°I now see the trick up your sleeve. Hah!¡± Ur shot off missiles of magic from his hands. Bam! Bam! Crumble¡­ Something sticky fell from the ceiling after being struck by Ur¡¯s magic missiles. "A creation... Since when have you been hiding this? Who''s behind this?!" ¡°Hahaha! It looks like he caught on, Snowman! Try hiding it a bit better!¡± Seol gritted his teeth. Frannan¡¯s original n was for the expedition party to keep their eyes on Ur, but his interference made it more challenging than they had anticipated. As a result, Seol secretly summoned his crows to keep track of Ur instead of relying on the expedition party toplete Frannan¡¯s spell. Realizing this, Frannan conjured another sandstorm to hinder Ur from spotting Seol¡¯s crows, or at least to dy it as much as possible. After all of this, Frannanughed. Thanks to Seol, they had been able to buy a lot of time. ¡°There''s only one minute left now. You¡¯ll die in a minute if you can¡¯t avoid our eyes!¡± ¡°Thanks for the reminder.¡± Hum¡­ [Ur:Bornuil used Seal Summons.] [Summons cannot be used within this spell¡¯s distance.] [Passive: Flesh and Blood activates.] [Summons tied by Lineage cannot be prevented from being summoned.] p p p! The crows that Seol summoned continued to fly around Ur, keeping their eyes on him. As they did, Ur¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Hm¡­ I guess you¡¯re decent. How annoying¡­¡± Hum¡­. [Ur:Bornuil used Bombing Run.] [Inflict damage on all entities identical to the initial target struck by this spell.] Fwooosh! Bam! Crumble¡­ As one crow was struck down by Ur¡¯s spell, the rest of the crows immediately crumbled away. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± shouted Seol, writhing in pain. ¡°There you were! I¡¯ll kill you first!¡± [Ur:Bornuil used Spinning Stake.] [Deal damage to a target. Any excess damage is used to pierce through and damage another target.] Fwoooosh! A spear made of rocks materialized in the air before hurtling toward Seol. Suddenly, multiple members of the expedition party around Seol leaped in, attempting to block the attack. ¡°Block ittttt!¡¯ ¡°Krghhhhhh¡­¡± Craaaaackle¡­ Roughly ten people stepped in simultaneously to protect Seol. The rock spear was unable to pierce through them all. ¡°...That is precisely what I despise about humans. Though it is their strength¡­¡± Urughed eerily. ¡°it, too, is their weakness.¡± ¡°What is he saying?¡± "I enjoyed the show, magician. However, humans are unable to transcend because of the faith we ce in each other." ¡°...What?¡± "I''ve already seen through your spell. If those demonic spirits attack me... this frail, old body clearly won¡¯t be able to endure it. However, you probably aren¡¯t able to use it immediately again if it gets canceled, right?" ¡°How¡­ did you know?¡± ¡°Because I am a wizard. Now, stop your pointless resistance.¡± Ur then uttered a magic word. It was a spell that would render the expedition party¡¯s efforts futile. [All of you, close your eyes.] ¡°N-No!¡± ¡°If we close our eyes¡­¡± However, there was none among them who could resist that spell. Not even Seol. ¡®Damn it¡­ then I¡¯ll have no choice but to¡­¡¯ The only option left for Seol then would be to face Ur head-on. ¡°...Why?¡± However, as everyone opened their eyes a momentter... they saw a strange sight. Crunch! Crack! Crunch¡­ Two demonic spirits had escaped from Frannan¡¯s hands and sunk their teeth into Ur¡¯s body. "Whatpels you to go this far?" inquired Ur. Seol immediately turned his eyes to Frannan. ¡®How did the spell activate?¡¯ Everyone had to have closed their eyes from Ur¡¯s magic words, including Frannan. But for some reason... the spell still fully activated. Seol quickly realized why. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Frannan¡¯s eye floated in the air, detached from his body, while blood flowed from the closed eye socket. ¡°Because I am a magician. My creed is to go all out from the start.¡± ¡°...I see. So you didn¡¯t trust in the other humans.¡± ¡°I did trust in them. I just trusted in myself more.¡± ¡°...I see.¡± Snap! Crack! Snorer and Teeth Grinder tore through Ur¡¯s body. "Even robbery can qualify as high-level if it''s done this well, don''t you think?" Chapter 174 Snap¡­ Crack¡­ As Snorer and Teeth Grinder sank their teeth deeper into Bornuil, Frannan, for some reason, found himself recalling his past. His master, Veil, looked down at him, seeing someone who had yet to fully bloom. - What a terrible problem. - Huh? - Frannan, why do you not give it your all inbat? - Well¡­ - Want me to guess the reason? You¡­ can¡¯t trust others, can you? Veil was right. Ever since Frannan was young, he had always seen himself as someone destined for another path. Though his birth was ordinary, he intended to end it grandly, no matter what. In the end, Frannan realized his greatness¡­ but it came at the cost of his ability to trust others. - Because if I fail after I give it my everything¡­ then it really is the end¡­ - Why would that be the end? What about your peers? - ¡­They¡¯re different from me. They fail easily. - Haha... You¡¯re quite out of ce in Libra, where we prioritize bnce above all else, aren¡¯t you? To think you would choose to increase your burdens... - Why should I trust others? - Because you are a magician. People think magicians are incredible, but... in truth, we¡¯re all just conceited idiots. - Magic is incredible. - Magic is incredible, but not magicians. Magicians are a bunch who can¡¯t do anything on their own. Snap! As Frannan was deep in his thoughts, Seol received another message. [You have defeated Ur:Bornuil.] ¡°I-Is it finally over?¡± asked a member of the Artifact Association. Frannan dryly responded to them. "How many people died?" "We''ve only spotted two so far." ¡°Haah¡­ Where are they?¡± ¡°Here, we¡­ huh?¡± After Frannan dismissed his demonic spirits, he and the expedition party attempted to identify the corpses of those who died in the battle. However¡­ ¡°I-It¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°One of the corpses¡­ it¡¯s gone¡­¡± The expedition party all looked at each other and quickly tried to assess the situation. ¡°Wh-what are you saying?¡± ¡°How could a corpse disappear?¡± ¡°I was sure it was here¡­¡± Suddenly, a voice emerged from the darkness. ¡°Looking for me?¡± ¡°God damn it¡­ No wonder it felt so easy.¡± A figure exited the darkness with a sly grin. It was unmistakably the corpse that had disappeared. After all, blood was still flowing from their crushed head. The expedition party couldn¡¯t believe that someone with such a severe injury could be walking around as if nothing had happened. ¡°...Ur?¡± ¡°It seems like you¡¯re capable of remembering my name, at least. I was quite shocked. You guys were much better than I thought.¡± Multiple expedition party members turned pale. ¡°N-No way!¡± ¡°How did he¡­ We saw the demonic spirit eat his body¡­¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be real!¡± One of the mercenaries quickly charged at Ur with a sword in his hand. ¡°You fucking bastard! Just stay dead!¡± Grab! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Ur grabbed the mercenary by his neck and choked him. ¡°I can kill you whenever I want. In fact, I could even steal your bodies as well. I''m sure you''ll believe me now that I¡¯ve shown you. My mind will never die." Frannanughed in disbelief. ¡°Haha, this isplete¡­ I thought you died for sure¡­¡± "It was an impressive attack. I could have even died from it, but, well... that¡¯s just too unlikely." "Your skill... it must have quite a lot of conditions to use it on a living target, huh?" ¡°......¡± ¡°Why else would you enter a corpse¡¯s body to threaten us, don¡¯t you agree? Couldn¡¯t you have just taken my body if you could?¡± ¡°A keen observation. Still¡­ it is unfortunate.¡± ¡°What is?¡± "I was trying to select an appropriate body to enter the new world, but... I''m starting to feel a bit annoyed at the pain I''ve experienced after so long." Thud¡­ The corpse that Ur took over copsed to the floor. A few secondster, another figure emerged from the darkness. Thud¡­ Thuud¡­ The pressure emitted by the new figure was on apletely different level than before. Each time the figure took a step closer to the expedition party, the air trembled. ¡°I¡­ will kill you all.¡± The new target Ur took over was a monster with 6 arms, ferocious fangs, and horns. Not only was their bodyrge, but it was also covered in hardened muscles. Seol, after seeing their appearance, thought of his conversation with Ner. - So facing him head-on is probably out of the picture... One more question. Are Koko and Stompy the only predators on this floor? - There were a bunch of them, but Stompy killed them each time they got out of line. I¡¯m pretty sure there was one more, but I don¡¯t see them around anymore. They were quite an interesting friend with six arms, but... I¡¯m pretty sure Stompy probably killed them as well. ¡®Those arms¡­ he must be that predator Ner mentioned!¡¯ Seol got the feeling that this wasn¡¯t going to be easy. Frannan then began to murmur in a low tone. ¡°This is why¡­ It never ends well when you use everything at the start¡­¡± Frannan rummaged through his inventory, then sighed. He had only one demonic spirit left now. Snorer and Teeth Grinder had finished their meal and fallen back asleep. Frannan wasn¡¯t sure if he could defeat Ur after he changed into this new body. He had failed. Frannan hoped that by seizing the opportunity while Ur''s guard was down and delivering a powerful blow with everything he had, they could easily resolve the situation. But now, his hopes were shattered. A greater trialy ahead of him. This was Frannan''s first true battle since his hiatus. The memories he had repressed with alcohol slowly returned to him. He first recalled Yurin losing her memories due to her useless disciple. - Yurin! Why¡­ Why are you doing this¡­ - It¡¯s because I¡¯m a magician. He then recalled the time his master, Veil, reprimanded him. - Why should I trust others? - Because you are a magician. Magicians are insignificant. ¡°I see. So this is how powerless magicians are on their own.¡± Crumble¡­ Ur then spoke up. "This one''s body is quite tough, but it can only cast one type of spell. I didn''t use it before because I didn¡¯t like that fact, but... oh well." Frannan let out a sigh upon seeing the monster before stepping forth. He wondered if this was what soldiers felt when dragged into impossible wars. But then¡­ Step¡­ ¡°How about catching your breath?¡± ¡°...What?¡± Seol stepped forward in Frannan¡¯s ce. After uttering a few more words to Frannan, Seol slowly began to turn ck. ¡°I will try to buy time.¡± [Hidden Adventure ¡®Solitary Confinement¡¯ is now active.] [Adventure 22-5. ¡®Solitary Confinement¡¯ ¡®Ur¡¯, the reason for the creation of Alcatron and the prisoner who took over Libra, has appeared. After many years of imprisonment, his restraints have loosened, and now that he is finally awake, he intends to enter the new world. You must stop him. You don¡¯t know what might happen if you fail. Objective: Defeat or seal Ur. Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous. Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment¡¯s notice. Caution. This Adventure is expected to be an extensive journey. As such, there is a high possibility that you will not be able to rest properly. Remaining Time [N/A]] Seol read through information about the new quest and nced at the details about Ur''s new body. ¡®This one¡¯s a Transcendent-rank too¡­ Damn it, why are there so many Transcendent-rank monsters?¡¯ Seol cracked his neck, preparing himself. Crack¡­ Ur smiled upon seeing Seol. "That''s right, you were here too! I needed a younger body than his, so I might need to consider yours!" ¡°And what about my opinion?¡± ¡°...Do we really need it?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll give everything that I¡¯ve got as well.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to¡­¡±ughed Ur. ¡°No one will be able to help you now, after all.¡± Fwoooosh¡­ A mystical energy gathered around Ur¡¯s body. ¡°What the¡­¡± shouted Frannan in shock. Crackle¡­ An invisible, sturdy wall surrounded Ur and Seol, pushing everyone else away. [Ur:Gaugoku used An Unavoidable Situation.] [No one outside the barrier can intervene with those inside.] It was quite a simple skill. However, whenbined with the horrifying body that Ur had taken over, it was truly remarkable. After all, the body belonged to Gaugoku, a predator of Floor B4. Despite all that, Seolughed. ¡°Why are youughing?¡± asked Ur. ¡°It just happened to be right on time. Let¡¯s start.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Like Jamad had previously done, Seol summoned forth an energy from within him. Rumble rumble¡­ The energy surging through his entire body like a wave was the Primal Power of the earth. It was as if the newly acquired energy within him was yearning to be released. ¡®I didn¡¯t want to use this unless I had to, but¡­¡¯ Unlike other skills, Primal Powers had a particrly irrational aspect to them. This irrational aspect pertained to how the power was consumed. ¡®Primal Power¡­ disappears after being used once.¡¯ It meant that they wereparable to the ¡®vtile skills¡¯ that Seol used before. The best-case scenario, always, would be to defeat his opponents without resorting to it. - He¡¯s strong. We need to use everything. We¡¯ll just end up dead trying to save this here. As Jamad consoled Seol, he helped release the Earth Primal Power within them. Rumble rumble! Arge, ck stake grew from his arms. Cruuuuush! Seol stuck it directly into the ground. Craaaackle! [You use Mountain Primal Power Shamanic Spell: Land of Abundance.] [The area is filled with abundant energy.] [Earth Armor applies to everyone within the area.] [Abundance breeds opportunity.] [All stats temporarily increase by 30%. These bonus stats gradually diminish over time.] [The odds of a skill temporarily improving are greatly increased within this area.] [The odds of awakening a new skill are greatly increased within this area.] This was the result of Seol using all of the Earth Primal Energy he acquired from the rock giant¡¯s core. Fwirl. He then summoned Karen and Karuna to protect his side. Urughed. "That power... It seems you are also a branch of mine. Shadows... is it? No, there''s also something different about you. I like it!" ¡°What do you mean?¡± "I like your body. It would have been quite annoying to keep using this one. I don¡¯t enjoy using my body too much, after all." Step¡­ step¡­ As an invisible barrier blocked Seol and Ur from the rest, the two collided. Baaaaam! Ur was the first tond a hit on Seol. However, all it did was slightly damage Earth Armor. Seol smirked. ¡°Yeah, I can tell.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never trained your body, have you?¡± BAAAAAAAM! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Ur was lifted into the air for a moment after Seol''s uppercut. It was a powerful enough blow to shellshock anyone. Ur quickly began swinging his six arms. ¡°Arahhhhhh!¡± Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Bam! Bam! Seol dodged most of Ur¡¯s attacks, deflected a few, and then countered with his own strike. Though the expedition party saw it as an extremely dangerous situation, Seol continued to smile faintly. What does it truly mean to give it one¡¯s all? While Seol had been weak in the beginning, he had grown strong extremely quickly. And yet, he had been unable to use it all effectively. Even now, he didn¡¯t know how much he was capable of if he used everything in his arsenal. ¡®Why don¡¯t I¡­ test it out?¡¯ ¡°Arghhhh!¡± yelled Seol. Fwip fwip fwip! Bam bam bam bam bam bam bam! Seol battered Ur¡¯s body as if he were the one with six arms, not Ur. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Bam! As he pleased. BAAAAAAM! ¡°Grgh¡­¡± Really, as much as he pleased. Bam baaaam! Craaaaackle! ¡°Krgh¡­ You bastard¡­¡± He finally met an opponent he could beat down as much as he pleased. Though his hands began to sting as if he had been punching metal sheets, Seolughed. The expedition party was in shock from watching their fight. ¡°How in the¡­¡± ¡°How is he so strong¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s overwhelming him!¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s winning?¡± The expedition party couldn¡¯t tell who the monster was in this scenario. In fact, Seolughing maniacally while fighting seemed much more like a monster to them than the six-armed monster. Frannan tightened his fist while watching the scene. ¡°We really are¡­ insignificant.¡± Frannan realized that right now¡­ he had ced his faith in Seol. Though Frannan had always been told that a moment woulde when he would be forced to trust someone, he had never realized it until now. Frannan thought that Yurin and Veil must have looked forward to this moment for a long time. - Frannan, I¡¯ll do my best to buy time, but defeating him won¡¯t be the end of it. The fight won¡¯t end unless we can put him back to sleep. I¡¯m sure you understand what I¡¯m trying to say. Those were Seol¡¯s words to Frannan before he began his fight. And Frannan quickly understood what he meant. ¡°We need to look for the magic word to seal him while he¡¯s focused onbat! We will never win unless we can find it! It has to be here!¡±manded Frannan. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± As the expedition party was about to split up, Mael appeared from the darkness. ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± ¡°Mael?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already found where it is.¡± ¡°R-Really?!¡± Mael pointed a finger upward, toward the ceiling. Countless small fireflies floated around. ¡°...What are those?¡± ¡°Some of the insects I control. They¡¯re called starseekers.¡± ¡°But¡­ Why are they¡­¡± "They follow traces of mana and illuminate once they spot it. There are plenty around all of you as well." As Mael said, there definitely were firefly-like insects over their bodies. Frannan twisted his mouth. ¡°Alright, so it¡¯s on the ceiling¡­ then we¡¯d need to light up our surroundings.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, Sir Frannan.¡± ¡°Me? I don¡¯t know any spells to illuminate a room.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Urm¡­¡± interrupted Chameli. She stepped forth as she was much more well-versed in light magic. ¡°All I need to do is light up our surroundings, right?¡± ¡°Yes. We need to decipher it as fast as we can.¡± ¡°Alright. Pilgrims, please assist me!¡± Craaaaackle¡­ [Chameli used Sanctification: Daybreak.] [Create a light source while Daybreak is maintained and fill the affected targets with warm energy.] ¡°There! It¡¯s up there!¡± ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t that too long?¡± Mael''s assumption was correct. The magic words were indeed written on the ceiling. However, they were much longer than anyone could have expected. Though it could also be considered obvious. After all, it was used to seal a monster like Ur for such a long time. ¡®In the end, it¡¯s still just a couple of sentences¡­ please¡­¡¯ Mael lifted the junkie he had prepared onto his shoulders. ¡°I leave it to you, Kiki!¡± Ooh ooh¡­ ¡°Interpret it!¡± Ah ah¡­ Kiki''s eyes scanned through the letters on the ceiling. Chapter 175 If Seol had to ssify Bornuil, the Libra, into a rank like a monster, he would be at least Transcendent-rank. The six-armed monster Seol was currently facing was also likely a Transcendent-rank monster during its life. ¡®A monster that can control Transcendent-rank monsters as he pleases¡­¡¯ Seol hadn¡¯t encountered even one Transcendent-rank monster before entering Alcatron, with the exception of Jamad. However, here, he had already encountered three. ¡®Koko, Stompy, and that muscr Gaugoku monster¡­¡¯ And Ur, the individual within solitary confinement who treated these monsters as toys. Even now, Seol couldn¡¯t see Ur¡¯s rank with his Eyes of Foresight. ¡®What are you¡­¡¯ Fwooosh! Ur managed to catch Seol¡¯s fist as if he had slowly grown ustomed to Seol¡¯s movements. ¡°To acquire this much strength at such a young age¡­ What are you¡­¡± Ur''s thoughts weren''t that much different from Seol''s. He also couldn''t conceal his surprise at Seol''s skills. Fwirl! Karen seized that opening to deliver a horizontal sh at Ur¡¯s legs. aaang! Fssss¡­ "Both of you," Ur said to Karen and Karuna, "What a curious power." "Neither of you are ordinary shadows... The more I see, the more iprehensible things I find. Is this just a natural result of the new world? Or are you two just exceptional existences? I still don¡¯t know yet..." The Twin Knights continued their assault on Ur, ignoring his question. ng ng! aaaang! Thanks to the increased stats from Land of Abundance, though Karen and Karuna were unable to deal damage, they were more than capable of drawing his attention. aaang! ¡°Exceptional!¡± Grit¡­ ¡°Are you making fun of us?¡± growled Karen. ¡°I would never! I was simply impressed! But¡­ Your powers are being restrained.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Even though it was only a couple of attacks, Ur was able to immediately discern a peculiarity of the Twin Knights. "There''s no reason to be so surprised. I, Ur, am the master of all branches. What do you think? I will allow you to serve me." Karuna, who couldn¡¯t bear to hear any more of Ur¡¯s words, cut him off. ¡°There is only one fate for your new life.¡± ¡°Darn. And I liked you two so much¡­¡± Griiiind! Bam! Ur slowly began to regain hisposure despite being attacked by multiple opponents. In fact, he was even beginning to retaliate properly. He then smirked. ¡°It seems that I can only use one magic word with this body. Hm¡­ How should I use it?¡± Ur thought for a second before finally opening his mouth. [Destroy.] Seol readied himself for Ur¡¯s magic word but felt nothing. ¡°......¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I guess he must have such awful mana that even the effects are dyed. Oh well.¡± Ur was confident. Even so, there was something that even he did not expect. Bark! A ck entity soared up from the shadows. "Huh? When did you get in here?" Koko had quickly sunk into Seol¡¯s Shadow Space before Ur activated his skill. It was all thanks to Koko¡¯s passive skill, Friendly Shadow. aare¡­ Koko gathered a ck fire in his jaws. [Koko used Unique Skill: Hellfire.] Roaaaaaaaar! A massive me engulfed Ur¡¯s body. ¡°Hmph!¡± Sizzle! A dark, zing inferno, one that seemed capable of burning everything down, circled Ur. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Even Seol couldn¡¯t step in easily with the intense heat radiating from them. The only thing he could do was wait for an opportunity. ¡®How many hits can he fucking take?¡¯ It seemed that Gaugoku¡¯s body had considerable elemental resistance, enduring the mes as if they were nothing. Crsh¡­ crshh¡­ Ur waded through the mes and calmly approached Koko. With each step, immense pressure radiated out from him, causing the ground to sink beneath him. However¡­ Rumble rumble¡­ Ur quickly halted and turned around. ¡°You¡­¡± [Karen used Fire Flower.] [Karen absorbs all heat within a certain radius.] [The range of all fire attacks is increased by 100%.] [Karen takes 50% reduced damage from all sources while she spins.] [Karen deals 360% of her damage with each spin.] [Karen spins 35 times.] The Hellfire slipped away from Ur and drew toward Karen. ¡°Tch¡­¡± Ur raised his arms as high as he could, preparing to defend against Koko¡¯s fires on one side and Karen¡¯s attack on the other. aaaaare! ¡°Haaaaaah!¡± [Karen used Exceptional Skill: Sunset Draw.] [Channel all of the heat into a single attack, dealing 150% of its usual damage.] Sizzleeeeeee! Ur, quickly realizing that Karen¡¯s attack was much more powerful than he had initially thought, swiftly twisted his body to lift both hands in Karen''s direction. Even so, he waste. SLAAAAAAASH! Slice¡­ Fssss¡­ ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Karen managed to cut off two of Ur¡¯s left arms. He seemed to have taken more damage from the attack itself than the residual mes. [Land of Abundance activates.] [Karen has acquired a lead to Hellfire.] ¡°Kraaaah!¡± Seol used that opening to make a move as well. Fwoosh! Crackle¡­ [You have changed to the Rain of Fire Stance.] [All attacks will spread mes.] [An explosion will ur at the impact point of each attack.] [Thunderbolts will spread at the impact point of each attack.] [Passive: Moving mes is applied.] [Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.] [Passive: Static is applied.] Ur was shocked after seeing Seol¡¯s changed form. ¡°What the hell?!¡± Crackle¡­ ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Craaaaackle! ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± Woooosh! Ur was hurled toward the barrier separating them from the rest of the expedition party. BAAAAM! A loud echo boomed out from the impact. It was an overwhelming difference in strength. Seol had the Twin Knights, who were barely a step down from Transcendent-rank, Koko, a Transcendent-rank monster, and he evenbined with a Transcendent-rank summon himself. Even if Ur had strength that put Transcendent-rank monsters to shame, his original body was currently in chains. In fact, just how he couldst this long against Seol with a body he wasn¡¯tfortable with was an incredible feat. But now, even that was nearing its end. ¡°Grrrgh¡­¡± "Ran out of energy to talk?¡± ¡°Hah¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°...Why are youughing?¡± "I am just looking forward to seeing you in despairter." ¡°What?¡± "Look, summoner, I realized something while facing you. And my realization will be my weapon that guarantees your defeat." Seol had no idea what Ur was talking about. Even though Seol had managed to push Ur back this far, he was still filled with confidence. Seol felt both uneasy and worried. ¡®I think I bought a lot of time already¡­¡¯ Any longer than this, and Seol would just be giving Ur time to recover. As his Primal Power slowly began to run out, he couldn¡¯t wait any longer for them. ¡°Die.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Even so, as Seol was unsure of the traps Ur had prepared, he didn¡¯t use Iron Fist Rule. Instead¡­ [Karuna has entered the 3rd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Full Moon.] Gloooow¡­ re¡­ Karen and Karuna gathered red and ck energy into their swords, respectively. ¡°Haha!¡± Ur quickly stood up before sprinting toward Seol. Seol, holding no intentions of avoiding a head-on fight, faced Ur with the Twin Knights and Koko. [Karuna used Moonlight sh.] [Karen used Red Lotus sh.] aaaash¡­ Ur fell to the floor before even reaching Seol. He copsed helplessly, in a pathetic manner. ¡°Haha¡­ This is why I don¡¯t like bodies that can¡¯t use magic.¡± ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°No, let¡¯s enjoy it a bit longer, summoner,¡±ughed Ur. Ur¡¯s body had beenpletely cut in half. It was clear that he only had a few more breaths left. It wouldn¡¯t have been weird for him to die at any second. With his dying breath, Ur said one final word. ¡°Summoner¡­ that will soon break¡­¡± Thud¡­ [You have defeated Ur:Gaugoku.] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Faaaade¡­ The barrier that Ur made slowly faded away. And with that, the expedition party celebrated. ¡°You beat him! You fucking beat him!¡± ¡°I thought he was never going to die!¡± ¡°He died for sure this time, right?¡± Frannan walked toward the corpse to check it. ¡°He is, he definitely died this time as well. I never thought you¡¯d be able to just defeat him one-on-one like that though. You damned monster¡­¡± ¡°Woahhhhhhh!¡± ¡°So all we have to do now is seal him, right?¡± Seol nced at the cheering expedition party before looking to Frannan. ¡°How did it go, Frannan?¡± ¡°Look up.¡± ¡°Up?¡± Seol looked up at the ceiling. As Frannan said, words, likely magic words, were written all over the ceiling. Seol was filled with warmth as Chameli¡¯s Sanctification filled the room. Seol then silently looked up at the ceiling, staring at the words. ¡®It feels¡­ familiar. Those letters. I feel like I¡¯ve seen them before¡­¡¯ As Seol continued to ponder while rubbing his chin, a scream came from the expedition party members. ¡°Kyaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°Damn it! No!¡± Frannan and Seol both ran toward the noise. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Mael, with a miserable look, showed them Kiki, who had gone limp. ¡°Kiki¡­ died.¡± ¡°...How?¡± Kiki bled from his nose and eyes. "It likely¡­ overworked itself while trying to decipher the words¡­¡± ¡°Then what do we do now?¡± ¡°We might be fine for now since Ur is dead, but he will revive. We need to quickly acquire another junkie and¡ª¡± Mael stopped mid-sentence, his face frozen. ¡°...Snowman?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± asked Seol. Mael then pointed at Seol¡¯s waist. ¡°Since when¡­ has your belt been like that?¡± ¡°My¡­ belt?¡± Seol quickly looked down to inspect Space. A crack had formed on it. ¡°When did it¡­¡± Seol¡¯s belt hadn¡¯t taken damage at all, even during his fight with Ur. ¡®So then why¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯ Seol quickly recalled something that Ur said. - [Destroy.] ¡°Was it because of that?¡± Crack¡­ Seol¡¯s belt then shattered into pieces, as if it had been given the signal to. [Peerless: Space¡¯s durability has been exhausted.] [Peerless: Space is destroyed.] [You have earned the special achievement ''You Destroy Everything That Falls Into Your Hands''.] [You have earned the special title ''Nephew''.] Fwooooosh¡­ An immense amount of energy began to escape Space. The expedition party began to stumble as if a storm had just appeared within the prison. ¡°Krgh¡­ What is going on¡­¡± ¡°S-Something came out of the belt.¡± Seol quickly realized that with Space being destroyed, the powers sleeping within it had also escaped. He then recalled ine¡¯s prior warnings to him. - This item is dangerous. He also said something like this¡­ - Once they are off bnce, the spirits¡¯ individual powers could eventually merge into one. Fwooooooosh! An enormous, ck spirit appeared and looked down at Seol. ¡°Shades¡­¡± muttered Seol. The ck spirit grinned from ear to ear before responding. ¡°I¡¯m quite disappointed. I can¡¯t believe it only took a few seconds for you to be unable to recognize me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Are you¡­?¡± The ck spirit folded its arms and then cackled manically. ¡°Kahahahahahahaha! Did you enjoy your short-lived victory, summoner?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Why should I, Ur, the Wizard, bring you down with such barbaric methods? If I want to defeat you, it has to be¡­ this power.¡± Rumbleeee! [Ur:Shades used Vacuum Bomb.] [Knock everyone away with an explosion of air.] BAAAAAAAAM! ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°Khrghh¡­¡± Every single expedition party member, including Seol, was blown away. Riiiiing¡­ There were even a few with blooding out of their ears and hearing a ringing sound. ¡°I can¡¯t hear anything!¡± ¡°What¡­ was that¡­¡± Rumble! [Ur:Shades used Howling Winds.] [Fierce winds blow.] Fwoooooosh! Woosh woosh¡­ The windsing forth from Ur¡¯s hands destroyed the stake that Seol nted into the ground. [Land of Abundance dissipates.] ¡°This overwhelming mana¡­ This may be my first time taking control of a spirit-type monster, but it¡¯s much better already.¡± ¡°...Were you aiming for my belt from the start?¡± ¡°I was. Spirits are much better than humans when you consider they¡¯re pure lumps of power, after all. Did you fall for my tricks?¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°You can give up now. There is no way a human can defeat-¨C¡± Koko quickly charged in at Ur, seeing this as an opportunity. ¡°Koko, no!¡± ¡°This is why brainless monsters are¡­¡± [Ur:Shades used ck Fang.] [Deal both physical and shadow damage to the target.] Pieeeerce! Whimper¡­ Seol was shocked. Though it was true that Seol was using Koko, Koko also had faithfully followed every order that Seol gave him. Even though Seol had been considering ways to take in Koko after the Adventure ended, Koko died before Seol could do anything about it. [Helper ¡®Koko, the Starving¡¯ has died.] [The corresponding Helper will not appear in future Adventures.] [Koko, the Starving, has left behind a core.] ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Ripple¡­ Shadow Hands grew from Seol¡¯s right arm, swelling it up in size. However¡­ [Fly away.] WOOOOOSH¡­ Seol tumbled on the ground multiple times before finallying to a stop. "Cough..." Blood dripped from his mouth as heypletely still, unable to move from the sudden force that had pushed him away. "It appears I can utilize a lot more magic words with a spirit''s body. Oh? It seems like all of you have been quite clever, huh?" Urughed as he saw the illuminated ceiling. "How could you fools, who don''t even know how long Cagon has existed, decipher the essence of Cagon wizardry''s magic words?" ¡°......¡± ¡°Khrgh¡­¡± Some from the expedition party began to despair. Currently, Ur was much stronger than he had been before. ¡°Are we going to die like this¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡± As everyone trembled in fear, Seol quickly scanned the area. Seol only had the opportunity to do so as Ur was already confident in his victory. ¡®I¡¯m sure of it! I¡­ definitely know those letters.¡¯ What mattered now wasn''t how he knew but that he could decipher and interpret it. That was the only thing that mattered right now. ¡°Haha¡­ We¡¯re¡­ going to all die.¡± Upon hearing the voice, Seol realized Frannan was beside him. The Vacuum Bomb spell Ur had cast earlier had blown him away this far. Seol quietly whispered something to Frannan. ¡°If you can buy time¡­¡± Frannan quickly nodded, catching that Seol had a n, and stood up. ¡°Hey, over here, Ur!¡± shouted Frannan. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Your proposal from earlier¡­ Is it still on the table?¡± ¡°Aspect Magician Frannan, what are you saying?!¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t do it!¡± ¡°What are you doing right now?!¡± Aftering this far, a few members of the expedition party believed the situation had progressed to the point where they were willing to do whatever they could. And for those reasons, seeing Frannan not only give up but willingly be their opponent''s pawn left a sour taste in their mouths that painted Frannan as an even more despicable viin. ¡°I am disappointed in you, Frannan.¡± ¡°Die, you shitty human!¡± Ur couldn¡¯t stopughing after seeing the humans fight with one another. "Yes, humans are a race that despises each other. They are, at most, walking manifestations of negativity. Nothing more, nothing less.¡± ¡°Then¡­ will you ept me?¡± asked Frannan. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± The expedition party continued to hurl all sorts of insults at Frannan. Despite that, Frannan ignored them all and solely focused on saying what he had to say. ¡°I¡¯m quite useful. In fact, I even have another useful demonic spirit left.¡± ¡°Not interested.¡± ¡°Just listen, this demonic spirit is extremely unique. Its name is Sassy, and it has the ability to emit a loud noise that can disrupt the target''s spellcasting. What do you think, cool, right?¡± ¡°And why are you exining this to me?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m going to use it on you, of course.¡± Fwip! Frannan tossed something into the air. ¡°Sassy, don¡¯t you think he¡¯s loud?¡± A small orb quickly sprouted eyes, a nose, and a mouth, then began shouting at Ur. ¡°It¡¯s so louuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud!¡± Riiiiiing¡­ Though Ur tried to shout in response, Sassy absorbed all the sound within the area. ¡°Now!¡± Seol began reading through the ancient text on the ceiling. [We suppress the evil within us not by virtue, but by reason.] Realizing that he couldn¡¯t cast any spells, Ur began charging at Seol. ¡°Stop himmmmm!¡± The expedition party quickly stepped in between, stopping Ur. [O root of all evil.] ¡°...o!¡± Baaaaam! Sassy, unable to hold back any more of the sound, exploded. Despite that, Frannan smiled. Seol was on the verge of finishing thest sentences. [Light shall never greet you again whence you look up.] ¡°No! How are you able to¡­¡± Seol shouted thest lines. [May you be forgotten with Alcatron, Ur.] Rumble rumble rumble! Floor B5 began to rumble intensely. tter tter! The words on the ceiling began to glow as massive chains poured down, catching Ur¡¯s wrists. ¡°NOOO!¡± [Alcatron reactivates.] Chapter 176 aaang! aaaaang! Countless chains poured down from the ceiling to restrain Ur, who had turned into a spirit. There were so many of them that it felt like every chain in the world had been called upon. ¡°No! Stop it!¡± tter tter! The expedition party cheered and shouted in excitement. ¡°You fucking demon! Die already!¡± ¡°Rot in there for the rest of your life, you damned monster!¡± tter ng! Ur was ensnared in chains, like an insect caught in a spider¡¯s web. As the bindings tightened around him, he was gradually moved to a ce next to his old body. ¡°Gasp¡­ gasp¡­¡± ¡°Snowman!¡± Thud! Seol fainted from the shock of using the magic words. * * * The world in Seol¡¯s dreams felt like a watercolor painting. His peripherals smudged and wavered as the colors slowly turned monochrome. - It¡¯s my turn! - Hahaha! Seol was rolling dice with the gods. ¡®This dream again¡­?¡¯ Even though this was a memory Seol no longer wanted to remember¡­ Why was he recalling this now? Seol looked expressionlessly at the game board. However, a new expression quickly formed. A very surprised expression. ¡®I¡¯ve never¡­ seen this board before?¡¯ - Hahaha! - You damned Cagon bastards! How dare you do that to my piece! - That¡¯s why you should¡¯ve been careful! Cagon. Seol heard the name ¡®Cagon¡¯ from their lips. Seol initially believed it was his first time hearing that name, as he had no memory of it, but it seemed like in a corner of his memories... a ce named ¡®Cagon¡¯ surely left a mark. ¡®I knew Cagon?¡¯ No, Seol did not. Even now, Seol did not know where Cagon was, since when it existed, or what kind of ce it was. ¡®Then why does it feel familiar?¡¯ It was unfamiliar, yet it felt familiar. Seol didn¡¯t know how to ept these facts, much less describe these strange feelings. ¡°...up.¡± Suddenly, he had a headache. ¡®Urgh¡­¡¯ ¡°Wake up!¡± ¡°Please!¡± As his dreams shattered into pieces, Seol opened his eyes. ¡°Haah¡­!¡± In front of him were Frannan, Chameli, and countless other members of the expedition party. ¡°He woke up!¡± ¡°What a relief! Hrgh¡­ I really thought¡­ I really thought something bad had happened.¡± ¡°Did anyone think a promising young talent like him would actually die? Hahaha!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all good now!¡± The expedition party members all excitedly talked to one another. "Now, if we can all just escape safely, I''ll have a story to tell for the rest of my life!" ¡°I¡¯m done. After this job is over, I¡¯m going back to my hometown.¡± "Regardless of what happens, I just want a hot bath. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve had blood on me." Despite their journey''s awkward start and initial guardedness toward each other, after enduring countless trials together, they now shared afortable sense of peace, as if they had been lifelong friends. [¡®NODPSBREATHINGMACHINE¡¯ has donated 1500 Madness!] [Is everyone alright now?] - Mom, what should I try to be when I grow up? Mom, what should I try to be when I grow up? - Try to be Snowman! Try to be Snowman! - I lost my mind so much I think I was knocked out¡­ [¡®MadnessEatingHippo¡¯ has donated 1200 Madness!] [He cleared this? Is this for real?!!] - How the hell did he read the magic words?! - If you were going to do that¡­ why make Kiki¡­ - The difficulty of this Adventure was ridiculously high¡­ and he still cleared it¡­ - He¡¯s making me want to send him off into weirder ces now¡­ [¡®Peerless¡¯ has donated 1000 Madness!] [One is gone now. Today is a sad day.] - But it¡¯s alright! We cleared it! We beat the dungeon! - You assholes are only interested in items ?? Think about Koko - Right, Koko ?? I miss you already! - Don¡¯t go already! Seol received countless donations. His viewers, sensing the Adventure''s ridiculously high difficulty, judged that the odds of Seol clearing it were low. But Seol managed not only to ovee that absurd difficulty but also to do it excellently. ¡°The seal is¡­¡± ¡°Look, over there!¡± Chameli excitedly pointed at the ceiling. ¡°......¡± Ur, who had wielded control over their lives, was now ensnared in chains to the extent that it was appropriate to say that he was buried in them. ¡°This is all¡­ thanks to you, Snowman.¡± [You have sealed Ur.] [The Haunted Ground¡¯s Lost Keepsakes has been generated.] [You have satisfied the Adventure Objective.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] Arge chest formed by Seol¡¯s feet. ¡°So this is the ¡®transferee reward¡¯ I heard so much about.¡± ¡°Yeah, it must be! Still, it¡¯s so novel¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s thanks to these that transferees can quickly grow and adjust to our world.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°So, what are you doing? Why aren¡¯t you opening it up?¡± As Seol was the only transferee in the entire expedition party, people gathered around him and his treasure as if they had witnessed something incredible. Though Seol didn''t particrly enjoy opening his rewards in front of others, if he could boost the expedition party''s morale after enduring such a long and arduous adventure, he didn''t mind confirming his rewards in front of them. Click¡­ [You open the Haunted Ground¡¯s Lost Keepsakes.] [You have leveled up.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [You have received skill points.] [Affluent¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have received additional skill points.] [Sly Blood-Hue Snake activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have acquired Deep Underground Belt.] [You have acquired Thunder Ring.] [You have acquired Stompy''s Rock Head.] [You have acquired Cape of Tenacious Vignce.] [You have acquired Atonement.] [You have acquired 27 ancient gold coins.] [You have acquired 3 extrarge red potions.] [You have acquired 12rge red potions.] [You have acquired 4rge blue potions.] [You have acquired 4 potions of dark sight.] ¡­¡­ ¡°Oho¡­ So that was how it worked?¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t get too close to it! Don¡¯t touch it either! Those all belong to the transferee!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to see it,e on¡­ ah, I see¡­ so that¡¯s how it worked.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve worked with transferees before, so I knew how it worked, but¡­ I¡¯ve never seen a chest as big as this¡­¡± - Huh? Are they filming a movie? - Am I going to be on TV? - Everyone¡¯s trying to get a peek LOOOL Seol didn¡¯t mind their envious eyes and simply focused on checking the important items. [[Deep Underground Belt] Quality: Abomination Rmended Level: 35-44 Defense: 70 Durability: 180/180 Weight: 0.1kg A belt embedded with a gem found deep underground, born from the humidity and darkness. This item causes the wearer to have nightmares. Basic Effect: +10 All Stats, +30 Constitution Bonus Effect: Stat increases are doubled at night.] - Even though his old belt is gone¡­ - We got a pretty good new one¡­ - It¡¯s not bad at all! - I thought Snowman¡¯s next belt was going to be shitty after Space, but¡­ he basically became a tank? - Seriously, LOL is it because of the high levels? Also, losing Space¡¯s unique effect sucks, but this one has really nice stats. - It¡¯s also an Abomination. I bet Snowman gets more stats out of it now. Seol did need a new belt after Space had been destroyed. Without hesitation, Seol quickly equipped the Deep Underground Belt. [You have currently equipped 3 Abominations.] [All of your stats increase by 10.] [All of your skills have their mana costs decreased by 10%.] [Shadow Space increases by 1,000.] As the viewers suggested, Seol didn''t find his new beltcking at all, especially since it also applied the Abomination bonus. ¡®No longer having the unique effect is a bit of a shame, though.¡¯ Even so, it was difficult to shake off the feeling of loss, considering how exceptional Space''s unique effect had been. [[Thunder Ring] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 33-40 Resistance: 60 Durability: 100/100 Weight: 0.1kg A ring imbued with lightning energy. Basic Effect: +18 Wisdom, +14 Constitution, +15 Spirit Bonus Effect: The wearer''s lightning abilities are enhanced.] - This one¡¯s for Jamad. - Can¡¯t Snowman wear it too? - Snowman doesn¡¯t have lightning spells, though. - Yeah, it¡¯s Jamad¡¯s. As such, the Thunder Ring was given to Jamad. Seol equipped Karen with Stompy''s Rock Head, which, despite its name, was a steel helmet. Then, he handed the Cape of Tenacious Vignce to Jamad. The expedition party was confused and perplexed by Seol''s distribution of items. ¡°He¡¯s giving all of those good items¡­ to summons?¡± "I just checked their gear. All of his summons have incredible equipment!" ¡°Where did he get all of them?¡± And the final item that everyone was looking forward to¡­ This item had a particrly different aura than the others. Slide¡­ ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± It was a ne adorned with a ck gem at its center. [You have acquired Peerless: Atonement.] [You have acquired an item that didn¡¯t exist in the world previously.] [[Peerless: Atonement] Quality: Peerless Rmended Level: 35-45 Resistance: 120 Durability: 140/140 Weight: 0.1kg The heart of sin. A ne forged from malevolent energies and an ominous sense of guilt. Basic Effect: +20 All Stats Bonus Effect: Repentance (Unique), Share Pain (Unique), Confession (Unique). 50% chance to negate curses. If unsessful, reduce the curse''s duration by 50%. [Repentance (Unique)] - If dealt over 30% of your maximum health from one attack inbat, gradually recover 80% of the damage taken. [Share Pain (Unique)] - While engaged in close-quartersbat, there is a certain chance to transfer a portion of the damage taken back to the opponent. This damage cannot be reduced. [Confession (Unique)] - When the wearer is afflicted with a new Abnormal Status, there is a certain chance to remove all Abnormal Statuses currently afflicting them.] - Ring the broken item rms! - Koko ss 1! Announcing a Koko ss 1! - Pant¡­ Pant¡­! - WTF¡­ these effects are insane¡­ - Obviously, he would get another Peerless item when his old one got destroyed LOL - It¡¯s a bit unfortunate he didn¡¯t get two of them ?? - These are literally the best utility effects. - BiS! He already got the Best in Slot nes! It¡¯s over! ¡°......¡± ¡°Th-that ne is¡­ shining?¡± ¡°Frannan?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re drooling¡­¡± Frannan nodded, realizing he must have looked rather unseemly while staring nkly at Seol''s new ne. "Ahahaha... sorry about that. More importantly, so this is why transferees were growing at an unprecedented pace." ¡°Yes¡­ it really is incredible.¡± After awkwardly rushing through the Peerless item¡¯s effects, Seol stood up. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get going now?¡± "Yes, let¡¯s. We can always talk about what happened outside." ¡°The way out is¡­¡± Rumble!!! Suddenly, Alcatron began rumbling. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Why is Alcatron¡­¡± Thuuuuud! ¡°Damn it¡­ Something must have happened! Everyone, gather up!¡± ¡°The walls are crumbling!¡± ¡°Hands! Grab each other¡¯s hands!¡± ¡°Gather around the pilgrims!¡± Crackle crackle! There had been signs of Alcatron giving away before as well¡­ ¡°At this rate¡­¡± Rumble rumble! Crash copse! Craaaash! The walls copsed onto the expedition party. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be real¡­¡± ¡°How could this be?¡± The expedition party fell into a panic. After a deafening rumble, Alcatron copsed, leaving only the area where the expedition party stood surrounded by bedrock. ¡°There¡¯s nothing!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way to escape!¡± Chameli, upon hearing from the rtively uninjured party members that they couldn¡¯t find a way out, sank to her knees. ¡°Is it really okay for a person¡¯s feelings to go back and forth like this? I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?¡± said Chameli. ¡°......¡± She sighed after seeing Ur¡¯s sealed body. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for his seal, we would¡¯ve been buried by the rubble as well,¡± continued Chameli. ¡°You really never know how things end up¡­¡± The expedition party then approached Frannan. ¡°What should we do, Sir Frannan? We¡¯ve already run out of food¡­¡± ¡°The bigger issue in a small area like this is ourck of oxygen.¡± ¡°Are we¡­ really going to die like this after going through so much?¡± ¡°Not¡­¡± Frannan tried to say something but couldn¡¯t. Even he didn¡¯t have a method to make it out. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Frustration also struck Seol. ¡®Damn it¡­ I should¡¯ve considered the rumblings sooner¡­ was the ground unstable?¡¯ Seol initially suspected that the copse was caused by Ur freeing himself from his seals, but it became apparent that the two events were unrted in the end. ¡°Everyone¡­¡± ¡°Mael?¡± Mael was carefully observing something in the corner alone. ¡°Did¡­ Kiki not die earlier?¡± ¡°Huh? What are you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking in case I¡¯m misremembering something.¡± ¡°K-Kiki died, yes.¡± Mael then pointed into the shadows. ¡°Then what¡¯s that?¡± A monkey with glowing eyes stared at the expedition party. Something had taken the form of Kiki and was now looking at them. ¡°Ohohoho¡­ All of you seem to be in a rather difficult position.¡± ¡°Bornuil?!¡± shouted Frannan. ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°You were alive?¡± ¡°Libra is alive!¡± The expedition party was filled with an indescribable feeling of excitement upon seeing Bornuil, whom they believed to be dead, return through Kiki¡¯s body. ¡°Ohoho¡­ quite a dire situation.¡± ¡°Bornuil, how did you end up in that body¡­¡± ¡°As Ur was being sealed, I did this and that¡­ But, well¡­ is that really important right now?¡± ¡°O-Of course. Then do you know of a way to escape this situation?¡± ¡°Ohohoho¡­ I do not have a way to escape this situation, no.¡± ¡°You damned old man!¡± yelled Frannan. ¡°Who the hell do you think you¡¯re ying with?!¡± ¡°S-Someone, stop Frannan!¡± Seol reyed Bornuil¡¯s words in his head while looking at Kiki. And then, he asked a question. ¡°May I ask a question, Bornuil?¡± "Oh? I always wee questions from young ones like yourself." Seol raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you¡­ the only one in that body?¡± Bornuilughed in response. ¡°...So you noticed. I am not the only individual inside this body. Now, why don¡¯t youe out now?¡± The monkey¡¯s expression quickly shifted. It was an expression filled with annoyance and discontent. ¡°Serves you right¡­¡± ¡°That voice¡­ Ur!¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you sealed?!¡± ¡°No!¡± As everyone began to shout and scream in fear, Bornuil calmed them down. "Ohoho! Calm down, everybody. Ur''s body has been perfectly sealed. The only thing within this monkey''s body is his consciousness that he barely managed to send out. He was in such a rush that even I, this sleeping Bornuil, thankfully managed to go along with him. But regardless, the important thing is that his powers are sealed inside that body. In fact, I have more control than him in this body." ¡°In other words, it was an emergency escape.¡± ¡°Phew¡­ I was so shocked.¡± ¡°I thought we had to fight him again¡­¡± ¡°But to survive through taking over a monkey¡¯s body¡­ I respect his will to live, at least.¡± - Fucking¡­ I thought they¡¯d have to deal with that 3 times in a row LOL - Who would ever go through something like that hahahah¡­ - I was scared for a second, though. It would have been impossible if they had to fight him now. - So¡­ he¡¯s just a monkey now? LMFAO - He was trying to run away but got so scared that he messed up LOOOL - Ooh ooh! Ah ah! - I want to try asking him if he wants a banana HAHAHAHA - Bleh~ I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re a monkey hehehe ¡°It does. And¡­¡± The monkey suddenly began to tap its head. ¡°Don¡¯t tell them!¡± ¡°Ohoho¡­ I¡¯m going to tell them.¡± The monkey began to struggle as if it were an actor pretending to y two roles. And then, after a while¡­ It seemed that in the end, Bornuil won. ¡°He knows a way for all of you to escape from here.¡± Ur furiously shouted after Bornuil finished his words. "I told you not to tell them!" Chapter 177 It was quite a ridiculous situation. Ur, whom they had worked so hard to seal away, was now the key to helping them return to their homes. ¡°Wh-what do you¡­¡± ¡°...What do we have to do then?¡± The expedition party became agitated. Seol, Frannan, the few leftover mercenary leaders, Chameli, and Mael stepped forward. Each of them had earned the right to be called a leader within the expedition party. Certainly, Seol had less im to leadership than the others, as his only title was being the disciple of an Aspect Magician. However, considering all he aplished during this journey, he could easily be ranked near the top. Regardless, they all stepped forward to converse with Ur to better understand and organize the situation. Ur scowled for a second before forming a twisted grin. ¡°Ah¡­ I thought too rashly. Alright! I will help you escape from this hell and see sunlight!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± Even though they all believed that Ur wouldn''t help them due to his grievances with them, for some reason, he was surprisingly willing. But in the end¡­ Ur was Ur. ¡°However¡­ I want to go with you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°So hurry up and unseal me. Revive me. If you do, I will handsomely reward your loyalty.¡± ¡°This bastard¡­¡± ¡°Bwahahahaha! What did this monkey just say?¡± ¡°I think he wants us to scratch his back!¡± - They¡¯re pretty good at making fun of him LOL - But¡­ Do you guys even have a n? - You aren¡¯t making fun of him for no reason¡­ right? Ur puffed up his cheeks. It seemed like an expression an upset monkey would make. ¡°Y-You nasty¡­ hmph!¡± Ur crossed his arms and turned around. "I''ll take that as your rejection of the deal.¡± ¡°......¡± "I can understand you refusing my proposal if you don¡¯t mind dying here. I doubt all of you are oblivious to your own situation. Bing heroes? That''s fantastic! I''m sure all of you are eager to be heroes,¡± said Ur. Ur¡¯s words were like daggers to the hesitant mercenary leaders. "The heroes who sealed this mighty Ur, a wizard and the root of all powers! However... do you really think anyone will remember your names? I highly doubt they''d even know what happened, let alone be curious! Because that''s just how humans are, you self-centered bastards!" Ur continued further, seemingly satisfied with the tongueshing he had just given out. ¡°All of you will be forgotten here with me! Forever¡­¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t want that¡­¡± shuddered one of the expedition party members. After hearing that, more continued. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°I never even thought about dying.¡± ¡°Instead of choosing to die, why don¡¯t we talk with Ur more¡­¡± ¡°What would happen if we free Ur?¡± ¡°What if we seal him again after we free him¡­¡± ¡°If we free Ur¡­ would there even be a way for people to know we were behind it?¡± Eventually, the conversation flowed in a way which it shouldn¡¯t have gone. Ur¡¯s speech had shaken up everyone. ¡°Could you let us discuss first?¡± asked Frannan, waving his hand. ¡°Suit yourself. There is only one conclusion, though.¡± The expedition party¡¯s leading members then began their conversation to solve this troublesome issue. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°He¡­ made quite an annoying offer.¡± "At this rate, he''ll have aplished his goals and backed us into a corner." ¡°Is there a way for us to use him, without freeing him, to escape?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be impossible? As Bornuil said, he¡¯s powerless inside Kiki¡¯s body. He left the rest of himself inside of that spirit.¡± ¡°Haah¡­¡± The leaders began to grimace and hold their heads. Then, one person slowly opened their mouth, seemingly resigned to defeat. ¡°Maybe¡­ Maybe the best thing for the world is for us to be forgotten here with Ur.¡± ¡°No! How could you¡­¡± "There''s no way that insane demon would earnestly help us. And what do you suppose we do after we unseal him? Don''t tell me you n on fighting him again." ¡°......¡± "Don''t forget we already lost to him once. If it wasn''t for Snowman, we''d all be dead. He''s also more tenacious than a bug. If we free him, it will be a disaster." The group descended into chaos. Agreeing to Ur¡¯s proposal would be like turning all of their efforts up to this point into nothing, yet the thought of dying alongside the demon left them equally frustrated. But, despite all this¡­ Seol hadn¡¯t spoken yet. ¡°Hm?¡± Frannan thought for a long while before asking Seol. He secretly hoped that Seol, the person who sealed Ur, would have some way to ovee this situation. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I just had a question.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If Ur revives¡­ what body would he be in?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If we hypothetically must revive him¡­ which form should we choose? His human body or his spirit body?¡± Though Frannan didn¡¯t understand why Seol was asking that question, he didn¡¯t ask why. In the end, he was a transferee. It was almost obvious that he was prioritizing himself over the good of the world. ¡®Does he n to revive him¡­?¡¯ Frannan would be lying if he said that he wasn¡¯t a bit disappointed. Even so, he did his best to hide it before responding to Seol. ¡°Hm¡­ He only has a bit of mana left in his original body. So wouldn¡¯t he want to be revived in the spirit body?¡± ¡°Spirit body¡­ the spirit body¡­¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d have a method or something, but I guess not.¡± Chameli then interrupted, with a defeated tone as well. ¡°No matter how hard I think about it, I can¡¯t possibly ept his offer. We should¡­ in here¡­¡± ¡°...there might be one.¡± ¡°What?¡± Someone had butted in, interrupting Chameli. It was Seol. ¡°There¡¯s just one¡­ one method that I managed to think of.¡± Frannan, shocked, quickly asked back. ¡°What? How?!¡± ¡°I¡­ will be making him mine.¡± The others then understood what Seol meant. Seol nned to turn Ur into his shadow summon. ¡°You must have lost your mind! You can¡¯t evenpare him to a demonic spirit like Agony! Even if it¡¯s you¡ª¡± ¡°Calm down and listen to what I have to say first,¡± said Seol. ¡°I don¡¯t even need to¡ª¡± ¡°Frannan.¡± ¡°......¡± Even Frannan couldn¡¯t say much after seeing Seol¡¯s serious expression. ¡°Fuu¡­ Fine, tell me.¡± Frannan calmly listened to Seol exin his n. Initially, they wore worried, quizzical expressions. However, as Seol continued and they grasped the intricacies of his n, their expressions shifted. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Wait this¡­ maybe¡­¡± Seol then finished his exnation. ¡°However, since I¡¯m not sure if this is even possible¡­ I was hoping to hear your opinions.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ Yeah, that could be possible.¡± ¡°Frannan?¡± ¡°Actually, this is definitely possible. No! This might be our only method.¡± Mael nodded. ¡°It is aw of the world, after all. Even Ur wouldn¡¯t be able to free himself from it. However, there are a few things that we must consider.¡± ¡°Consider?¡± ¡°Would you be alright, Snowman? To tie him down to you¡­¡± ¡°We have no other methods. And after facing him once, he could definitely be useful to me on my path.¡± ¡°What Mael¡¯s trying to say right now is that he¡¯s worried you¡¯ll be tempted by him, right?¡± said Frannan, jokingly. As Mael shrugged, Seol shook hisntern. This caused Agony, sleeping inside of it, to wake up. [It¡¯s shaking¡­ It¡¯s shaking! Is it another earthquake?] ¡°It won¡¯t happen,¡± said Frannan. ¡°However, the odds of him going along with our n are low. So for that¡­ what do you think about using Bornuil?¡± ¡°The Libra?¡± ¡°Yeah, since he¡¯s the one who put us through this mess, it''s only fair that he gets his hands a bit dirty too.¡± After hearing Frannan¡¯s exnation, everyone nodded, finalizing their n. The expedition party then called Kiki from afar. ¡°Hey, Ur!¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Have you finally finished talking? Not like you have any other options.¡± ¡°We want to talk with Bornuil!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s to properly review your offer!¡± ¡°Hm¡­ fine.¡± Kiki¡¯s eyes twitched for a moment before a new voice came forth. ¡°Ohohoho! Were you looking for me?¡± ¡°Bornuil¡­¡± Frannan asked Bornuil if it was possible to talk without Ur hearing. ¡°Do not worry. Ur cannot hear us right now.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Frannan then exined the n to Bornuil. ¡°Oho¡­ I see¡­ Ohohohoho!¡± Bornuil¡¯s first reaction was to ask a question back to the expedition party. ¡°And who came up with this brilliant n?¡± ¡°My disciple,¡± answered Frannan. "I gave you such a hard time because you weren¡¯t taking in any disciples, but you managed to do it in the end, Frannan. That''s fantastic!" ¡°Well¡­ it ended up like that. But¡­¡± ¡°dly! I will dly offer up my body to make this n a sess! If this is the only way for all of you to escape safely, I, Bornuil, will do whatever it takes. Furthermore¡­ It is also quite fun to mess with Ur. Ohoho¡­¡± And like that, after finishing all of their preparations, they woke up Ur. ¡°So, what now?¡± asked Ur, confidently. ¡°We¡¯re changing the conditions.¡± ¡°The conditions? Fine, I¡¯ll hear them out.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t free you.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s pointless.¡± ¡°But, we do know of a way to bring you out.¡± ¡°How?¡± Seol stepped forth. ¡°For you to be my summon.¡± ¡°You must have lost your mind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s our only method. We have no way of freeing you from your seal.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Ur went pondered. ¡®I wouldn''t have faced this humiliation if I had just properly gathered my energy... but bing a summon, hmm... how fun. Well, it wouldn¡¯t be that bad if it¡¯s only for a short while.¡¯ All Ur had to do was kill his summoner after escaping the prison, after all. And he would just have to gather his strength after that. ¡®I am the root of wizardry. He dares to try and make me into his summon?¡¯ Ur ground his teeth, fixating on the summoner¡¯s face. He then imagined how it would look when it gradually shifted into a horrified expression. ¡°Fine! If it¡¯s just that, then¡­¡± ¡°We also have another condition.¡± ¡°Quite a lot of them.¡± ¡°Bornuil¡¯s soules with us as well.¡± ¡°What? His soul too?¡± ¡°All of us came here to rescue him. That was our objective. If we¡¯re going to revive you, his soul must alsoe.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Ur quickly realized what they were plotting. ¡®So they n to control me through his soul. Those idiots¡­¡¯ Ur wasn''t one to fall for such an obvious trick. But for now... he pretended to have fallen for it. Furthermore, since Bornuil was unimportant to him, all Ur had to do was kill him once moreter. ¡°Fine!¡± ¡°Then abandon that monkey¡¯s body and return to the spirit¡¯s body. We¡¯ll start the ritual immediately.¡± Ah ah¡­ ¡°You aren''t lying to me, are you?¡± asked Ur. ¡°Our lives are on the line as well. Let¡¯s just focus on the task at hand.¡± "Alright, now, you know how this is going to go, right?" ¡°Death is simply the beginning of a new life. Is there anyone who understands this truth better than I?" said Ur. Fwoosh¡­ Smoke streamed from Kiki''s nostrils. It then, like a shimmering haze, slowly floated over to Ur¡¯s spirit body wrapped in chains. "Grgh... I can''t continue like this. Look, I''ve divided my powers so that even you can summon me. Now, destroy my core." ¡°Are you unable to even kill yourself when you¡¯re sealed like that?¡± ¡°Did Cagon¡¯s bindings seem like a joke to you? You should have recognized my, this great Ur¡¯s, greatness the moment I was able to divide my powers in this sealed state.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Seol raised arge rock spear before stabbing Ur with it. ¡°Khrgh¡­¡± And then¡­ As they had promised earlier, Chameli took action. Glooow¡­ [Chameli used Remembrance.] [The target is immune to all damage and attacks.] [The target does not feel pain.] [The target is unable to use any skills.] [After a few moments, the target will inevitably die.] ¡°What? What are you doing¡­¡± Ur suddenly twitched and shook before losing all strength in his body. ¡°Ohohoho! You¡¯ve seeded! And I managed to put Ur to sleep as well.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time, Bornuil! Quickly!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Bornuil, after taking over Ur¡¯s body, began speaking rapidly. "I, Ur, pledge to faithfully serve Snowman until hisst breath, cherishing all life. Moreover, I will harbor no ill will towards the expedition party and will never act in any way that could harm them. I, Ur, will veer away from darkness, drawing nearer to the light, and will obey themands of my master, Snowman, remaining by his side. If I fail to uphold these vows...!" Ur, no¡­ Bornuil¡¯s eyes began to glow radiantly. ¡°My existence shall be brought to an end! Ohohohoho!¡± Thud¡­ Ur¡¯s body went limp. [You have defeated Ur:Shades.] ¡°Then¡­¡± Seol put his hand forth. ¡°Serve me!¡± Craaaaaaaackle! ck energies began to run rampant. Seol had definitely grown immensely. But even so, that was nearly not enough to take in Ur as his summon. ¡®That¡¯s exactly why he divided up his powers, though.¡¯ Ur, except for his core powers, separated everything else from him. It was solely due to it that the difficulty in summoning him decreased significantly, to a point where even Seol could summon him. And to think, Ur''s n this entire time was to use that separated power explosively for the expedition party¡¯s escape¡­ the expedition party was fortunate that Ur possessed such immense power. Craaaackle¡­ [You have sessfully summoned Ur the Sealed¡¯s shadow.] [Passing on the skills.] [The summon is extremely high-ranked.] [You are only able to pass on its core powers, nothing else.] [Wizardry has been fully passed on.] [Tuner(Exceptionality) activates.] [An additional high-rank skill has been passed on.] [Maverick has been fully passed on.] Craaaaaaackle! A small, tiny ghost escaped free from the mountain of chains. tter¡­ The ghost was in shackles, with a small chain connecting its shackles together. Ur¡¯s eyes began to sh. After cing his hand on the dead spirit¡¯s corpse, he then spoke. ¡°For now¡­ let us leave this ce.¡± Huuuum¡­ [Ur the Sealed used Whale¡¯s Breath.] [Explosively rise to the top.] ¡°Everyone, prepare yourselves!¡± ¡°Expedition party! Stick together!¡± A few secondster, an immense force propelled them upward, shattering through Alcatron''s ceilings to ascend even higher. BAAAAAAAM! BAAAAAAAAM! BAAAAAAAAAAAAM! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± A massive pir of light illuminated the earth,rge enough to be visible from a distance. Fwoooooosh¡­ The expedition party had been expelled from the dungeon in an instant. ¡°W-We¡¯re outside!¡± ¡°My eyes¡­¡± ¡°Wait¡­ sunlight? It¡¯s morning?¡± ¡°H-Hold on! We¡¯re falling!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let go of my hands!¡± [Chameli used Sanctification: Downhill.] [Greatly reduce fall speed.] ¡°Hahaha!¡± ¡°It was a sess!¡± ¡°We did it!¡± ¡°We made it out safely¡­ hrgh¡­¡± The expedition party relished in their victory before evennding on the ground. Urughed upon seeing it, judging that it was time to proceed with his n. ¡°Now, I will¡­ you¡­¡± Land¡­ Land¡­ Despite everyonending on the ground, Ur had yet to finish his words. He paused for a second before opening his mouth once more. ¡°Why¡­? Why do I get the feeling that I shouldn¡¯t kill any of you?¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s because Bornuil made a promise with us while you were asleep.¡± Bornuil¡¯s voice quickly exited out of Ur¡¯s body. ¡°Ohohohoho! I made a promise with them because you seemed busy, Ur.¡± ¡°A promise like that, I could just¡­ Hold on¡­¡± Ur then looked down at his body. Seol gave Ur a moment to think, then spoke after seeing his devastated expression. ¡°A spirit must keep its promise. It¡¯s one of the strongestws in the world.¡± ¡°No¡­ How dare you!¡± ¡°You will cease to exist for real if you oppose me now, Ur.¡± Ur then began to yell at himself, as if he was a person with a split personality. ¡°How dare you make a promise like that?!¡± ¡°Ohohohoho! Were youpletely deceived?¡± Agony¡¯sntern slowly drifted over to Ur, who was also in the air. Float float¡­ Agony then spoke to Ur. [Ahem¡­ You do know that I am your senior, right?] ¡°...What?¡± [You know what I¡¯m talking about. Well¡­ regardless¡­] The tiny demonic spirit then began whispering into Ur¡¯s ears. [Let¡¯s corrupt him together. We can achieve it swiftly if you assist me..] ¡°.......¡± [Want some jerky? I hid some from him, kekeke¡­ What do you think? Your senior is quite evil, isn¡¯t he?] ¡°No¡­ Not like this¡­¡± Seol left Ur, who appeared to have lost the will to live, alone, and proceeded to inspect the details of his new summon. He was shocked. ¡°This is¡­¡± Chapter 178 Seol couldn''t help but feel excited checking Ur''s stats. But after seeing the stats¡­ Seol¡¯s expression went stiff. [[Ur the Sealed] Title: N/A Rank: Immortal Race: Shadow Level: 24 HP: 100/100 MP: 100/100 Unallocated Stats: 0 Strength 10 Dexterity 10 Constitution 10 Intelligence 10 Wisdom10 Spirit 10 Talents: Master Linguist, Knowledge Seeker, Legendary Teacher] ¡®Why are his stats so low? Aren¡¯t these¡­ just the basic stats?¡¯ - This wasn¡¯t what I ordered¡­ - It was, though? Look at the receipt. - Hahaha¡­ That¡¯s weird¡­ But it isn¡¯t, okay? Ur appearedpletely absent-minded. Upon seeing Ur¡¯s face, Seol believed those stats might have been urate, but something still felt off. ¡®He¡¯s Immortal-rank, isn¡¯t he? It¡¯s one rank above Transcendent, so why?¡¯ There was definitely something else in y here that Seol was missing. ¡®Ah¡­ now that I think about it¡­¡¯ There were still a couple of things Seol hadn¡¯t checked yet. Ur¡¯s skills. Before, when Seol acquired new summons, they all had 2 or 3 skills despite being Heroic-rank. ¡®But... Even though Ur is Immortal-rank, he has only two, just like the others.¡¯ Seol, while thinking, checked Ur¡¯s skills. First was Wizardry. [[Wizardry] - Wizardry serves as the foundation for all mana-based skills. It is influenced by the environment, the type of mana, and imagery, apletely distinct field from conventional magic.] ¡®That¡¯s¡­ all?¡¯ - Alright, ss~ We¡¯ll be learning about wizardry today! - And that was all! Everyone enjoyed our lesson today, right? ?? - EZ! - But wasn¡¯t Ur originally a bad guy? He was also strong before¡­ - But now he¡¯s just chilling next to me in bed ?? Seol couldn¡¯t discern much from this description. He couldn¡¯t gauge Ur''s strength, his new summon, nor could he grasp the nature of his skills. ¡®I guess the only thing that¡¯s left is¡­ Maverick?¡¯ Since Wizardry¡¯s description was a bitcking, Seol hoped that Maverick¡¯s description was more detailed. Seol then meticulously read through all the details, ensuring not to miss even a single letter. [Maverick] - All other summons are canceled upon Ur''s summoning. While Ur is present, he gains stats equivalent to the total stats of the canceled summons. However, this effect is not absolute. There are also many situations where summoning Ur is not possible.] - OH SHIIIIIIIIT! - Ur had a n! - So this is why his stats were shit, eh? - That¡¯s insane¡­ How strong can he get then? Seol finally felt relief after reading Maverick¡¯s effect. ¡®Fuu¡­ At least he won¡¯t be a waste of Shadow Space.¡¯ Since Ur could be extremely powerful with just that skill, Seol felt immensely relieved. ¡®Still, it is a bit sad that I can¡¯t use him with the other summons.¡¯ Jamad wasn¡¯t considered a summon while Seol was in the Night Crow form so, that was fine, but he couldn¡¯t use Ur with the Twin Knights. ¡®Then summoning Ur should have just as many benefits, and... what does it mean by summoning is not possible?¡¯ Unfortunately, there were no additional details about that. ¡®Is it just something that I¡¯m supposed to figure out? Hm¡­¡¯ There was no longer a reason, or need, to split up the expedition party. However, thebined members now numbered much fewer than half of the original party. They then discussed the route they would take to return and ultimately decided to go through the Wet Fog Hills. They had a friendly rtionship with the ck Thunder Tribe now, after all. There was no reason to take the roundabout way. Creaaaaaak¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll be setting up camp here today! Get it done!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Whether it was the magicians, who initially appeared toozy to lift anything, or the pilgrims, who seemed as if they had never done something like this before, everyone pitched in enthusiastically. ¡®It makes sense that they¡¯ve changed after all we went through, though.¡¯ There was a fire in each of their eyes. The adventure in Alcatron had be a catalyst for change for everyone in the expedition party. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The camp was a bit wet, but it wasn¡¯t inhospitable. Since the expedition members who took the roundabout path all swore this path was much nicer, there was no reason for anyone toin either. With no more food left, Seol once again showcased his skill with the hunted monsters and spices he had brought along. ¡°Haah¡­. This is so good.¡± ¡°Hahaha. I think I might cry when we have to split up. I¡¯ll miss this food too much.¡± "Seriously, it would have been better if I had never eaten it. All I¡¯m going to do after this adventure ends is hole up in my research room and do nothing." Whether it was the magicians with their beards that had grown to ridiculous lengths or the pilgrims praying for the fallen, therge-scale adventure was nearing its end. It was a strange time where emptiness and fulfillment co-existed. ¡®Is this why everyone joinsrge-scale adventures?¡¯ Having a number of people all move toward one objective was rather appealing. Seol especially felt this way because he had been mostly embarking on solo adventures until now. ¡®Still¡­ it¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯ Forrge-scale adventures like this, there are often cases where, even if you prepare as best as you can, it is still impossible. The difficulty was high, as it required a lot of people to clear, and there were often unpredictable variables as well. If you weren¡¯t able to instantly adapt to the situation, it only took a second for you to die. ¡®This adventure would have been impossible too if it wasn¡¯t for Frannan. Well, if we didn¡¯t have Mael and Chameli, a lot more people would have died as well.¡¯ Since everyone was valuable, you had to protect everyone. That was the dilemma ofrge-scale adventures. ¡®And that¡¯s exactly what I don¡¯t like.¡¯ Seol had his hands full just keeping himself safe, as he had been on equally perilous adventures the entire time. Slide¡­ "What are you up to?" asked Chameli as she approached Seol and sat next to him. It wasn¡¯t necessarily strange that she did that. After all, Seol was currently quite popr in the expedition party. Many had called out to him, and just as many believed he was more helpful on this expedition than even Frannan, the Aspect Magician. Only after Frannan threatened to find anyone who thought so did people stop expressing such opinions. Nheless, many remained curious about the identity of the Aspect Magician¡¯s apprentice. Chameli was excluded from this, obviously, as she already had a good idea of the type of individual Seol was. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ thinking about this and that.¡± "Ah... So you''re experiencing post-expedition symptoms.¡± ¡°Post-expedition¡­ symptoms?¡± "There''s a saying that goes something like this: Ten people go, but only three return. A hundred people leave, but only tene back home.¡± ¡°So the after-effects from loss, huh?¡± ¡°There¡¯s that too, but¡­ a lot of things happened. Some people lost a close rtionship¡­¡± said Chameli before looking at Frannan. ¡°And some lost an eye. A lot of things happened in a short amount of time.¡± ¡°I see,¡± answered Seol. As the mood became gloomier, she shifted the topic. ¡°So¡­ is that tiny spirit really that terrifying Ur?¡± ¡°...Hmph.¡± Ur still hadn¡¯t opened up his heart to Seol. He sat cross-armed, turned away from Seol like an upset child. ¡®Well¡­ it¡¯s not like I¡¯mpletely open to Ur yet, either.¡¯ Though Seol pondered over Ur, who remained aplete mystery to him, he eventually reached the conclusion that all he could do was slowly learn about him. As Seol stared at Ur, he shouted back, clearly upset. ¡°I have nothing now!¡± ¡°...What?¡± "The power I built up... my absolute mana... it''s all gone. This is all because you turned me into your summon. And that''s why I can''t help you. I''m ipetent!" Faaaaade¡­ For some reason, Ur¡¯s body seemed hazier than normal. ¡°H-his body is turning blurry!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What if he dies like that?¡± Only then did Ur fix his attitude. "W-Well, I can still do a few things if I give it a bit more attention. Maybe it¡¯s just a matter of will?" Fwoosh¡­ ¡°Phew¡­ he turned back to normal. That was dangerous.¡± Frannan approached the pair before sitting by them as well. ¡°The real ones in danger are us,¡± said Frannan. ¡°It all depends on how he acts now.¡± A new voice spurred out of Ur. ¡°Ohohoho¡­ No need to worry, Frannan. Ur can no longer separate himself from me, so he will have to deal with my scrutiny for the rest of his life.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever respected you as much as this, Bornuil,¡± said Frannan. ¡°I am not doing this for respect. In fact, I am a bit excited that I have something to do in myter years!¡± As the two conversed, Seol pulled out something from his inventory. ¡°Frannan, could you take a look at this?¡± asked Seol. ¡°Let me see¡­ hm¡­ is this that¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, the thing that Koko left behind.¡± "Hm... Demonic spirits, not monsters, are my specialty, so... unfortunately..." After hearing that, someone else butted in. ¡°Ohoho¡­ this must be¡­ their traces, no?¡± ¡°Their traces?¡± Bornuil continued. "Powerful individuals always leave behind their traces. Just as a tree picked up by a storm leaves behind traces of its roots andrge beasts leave behind their tracks, so too do powerful individuals. It is likely that Koko..." "I thought it was an old person trait to ramble on and on about things they didn¡¯t understand in only my era. Is it still the same? I¡¯m shocked.¡± ¡°...Ur?¡± While Seol wasn¡¯t surprised about two voices exiting the same body, as it''s something he does as well with Jamad, he was definitely surprised by Ur joining the conversation on his own. ¡°Ohoho¡­ Are you saying I¡¯m wrong?¡± said Bornuil. ¡°Then what? Are you telling me that you can¡¯t hear this wolf¡¯s whimpering?¡± ¡°Whimpering?¡± "This isn¡¯t his trace. It¡¯s a shadow wolf¡¯s defensive measure." ¡°Defensive¡­ measure?¡± ¡°Yes. When I attacked the wolf, I felt it quickly concentrate its powers into that. I didn¡¯t break it because it was unimportant to me, though, but¡­ hey, summoner. Is he¡­ your summon?¡± Though Koko had acted as if he was Seol¡¯s summon, he wasn¡¯t. - We aren¡¯t friends, but we did get burgers before¡­ - McDonalds? - Nah, Burger King. - Ah¡­ that¡¯s a bit ambiguous then¡­ ¡°He isn¡¯t my summon.¡± ¡°Is that so? How strange.¡± ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡± "When shadow wolves sense death approaching, they concentrate all their powers to revert to their primal form. While this might make them sound like phoenixes, who are revered as divine beings, their methods have ws. Firstly, it requires a portion of their energy to revive. Secondly, theyck the ability to revive on their own." "....They can¡¯t revive on their own? No, more importantly, if they can revive¡­ are you saying Koko cane back to life?" "Let me finish speaking first," said Ur. "If a shadow wolf doesn¡¯t have anyone they can trust near them when they¡¯re about to die, they would never revert back to their core. They would just ept their death." ¡°Then you¡¯re saying that¡­¡± ¡°He believes that you will be able to wake him from his core. Didn¡¯t he follow you rather well? Still, it is quite interesting¡­ shadow wolves are difficult tomune with, after all.¡± Bornuil finally spoke up after Ur finished exining. ¡°Then¡­ the great Ur must definitely know of a way to wake the shadow wolf from its core, right?¡± ¡°Obviously I¡­¡± Ur, who had initially responded to Bornuil incredulously as if it was an obvious question, quickly halted his response. ¡°Hold on. Why am I telling you this?¡± ¡°Ohohoho¡­¡± ¡°Did this old fuck irritate me on purpose?¡± ¡°Ohohoho¡­ I apologize, Snowman. I was caught.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you anymore!¡± Ur almost looked like he was sulking right now. As such, Bornuil spoke in his ce. ¡°Do not worry too much, Snowman. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll say more the more you irritate him. Ur is the kind of person who loves to brag about how much they know. Even though he¡¯s so young, he acts like such an old man, tsk tsk¡­ It¡¯s unfortunate. Regardless, the more foolishly you behave, the more he will teach you.¡± - I just finished picking all the parts for my pc guys! I bet no one can make a pc better than this~ - Go refund all your pieces before I shoot you. I¡¯ll tell you what to pick. - Ur, the asshole on the inte who lowkey gives good advice. Seol thought for a moment. ¡°Ur,¡± said Seol. ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t know how to do it?¡± ¡°What?¡± "Yeah, so that¡¯s why you stopped talking¡­ You should¡¯ve just told me earlier. I wouldn¡¯t have had to waste time then." ¡°Waste¡­ time?¡± Ur scoffed as his eyes turned red. ¡°Take back those words right now. How dare you say something so ridiculous to a fountain of knowledge like me¡­¡± ¡°Who¡¯d believe someone that only calls themselves a fountain of knowledge¡­¡± Seol carefully observed Ur¡¯s expression as he continued. - Come on¡­ Who would fall for that LOL - It would be weirder if he fell for it LOL ¡°Fine! You must be a fool to test my knowledge! I shall give you a peek into the depths of my knowledge!¡± - He fell for it? - He did? - He¡¯s a weirdo too? Anger. Everyone holds certain things in high importance, sacred and untouchable by others. For Ur, it was the knowledge he had amassed over the years. Through this conversation, Seol considered himself fortunate to have learned what Ur¡¯s pet peeve was. ¡°Let me¡­ give me that!¡± Grab! Ur quickly swiped Koko¡¯s core from Seol¡¯s hands before inspecting it. ¡°Hm¡­ It seems like¡­ it would be impossible for him to be revived as your summon.¡± ¡°I knew you were lyi¨C¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. Also, I don¡¯t lie. More importantly, I said that it would be difficult for him to be revived as your summon. I didn¡¯t say that he couldn¡¯t be revived at all.¡± ¡°Then that means¡­¡± Ur reverted to his original smug expression. ¡°Resurrecting things is my specialty.¡± Ur, an expert of resurrection, smiled insidiously. Chapter 179 Ur slowly began his exnation. ¡°The easiest way to revive a shadow wolf is to restore it as a summon. By forging a strong bond like that, returning them to their original form bes easy." ¡°Then why can¡¯t I do that?¡± "Well, there are two reasons. First, you told me the shadow wolf wasn¡¯t your summon, right? And secondly, your pathetic shadow." ¡°My shadow?¡± Fwirl! As if capable of changing its body as it pleased, the small spirit assumed the arrogant expression of an old man before exining. ¡°Precisely. Your shadow is at a dreadful level.¡± ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve looked through the souls in your shadows and¡­ they were quite good. Not to mention how each of them has their own circumstances, but¡­ Currently, you are too inexperienced to handle them.¡± ¡°......¡± - Look, you little shit¡­. - Hey! Snowman might be a bit inexperienced, but that¡¯s too far! - He¡¯s a good kid! With a disinterested look, Ur grabbed a snack from earlier. Nom nom¡­ ¡°You had me, the pinnacle of wizardry, join you¡­ but you want to add a shadow wolf on top of that too? Not only will it not fit, it might even bepletely destroyed.¡± ¡°What would?¡± ¡°Obviously, your shadow.¡± ¡°......¡± Seol was shocked. ¡®Did I grow too quickly?¡¯ In games, characters'' stats are often depicted as a hexagonal graph. When a character is well-developed, their stats form a perfect hexagon. However, if Seol were to describe himself currently¡­ it would be closer to a triangle. ¡®The quality of my summons, mybat ability, and my level of closeness with them¡­¡¯ Ur criticized how Seol¡¯s shadow magic and shadow space fell far below the level of his other aspects. ¡®But I expanded my Shadow Space by a lot already¡­¡¯ Seol had Purga¡¯s blessing, Tuner, and the bonus from equipping multiple Abominations. Seol had plenty of effects that increased his maximum Shadow Space. ¡®But to think it still isn¡¯t enough¡­¡¯ Seol¡¯s maximum Shadow Space definitely wasn¡¯tcking. However, considering the rank of his shadows for someone whose level was in the early 20¡¯s, it was definitelycking. 2 Legendary-ranks, 1 Transcendent-rank, and 1 Immortal-rank. It was especially problematic since the Twin Knights seemed on the verge of improving their ranks after meeting with the ck Knight. As Seol donned a serious expression, Ur continued. "Don¡¯t be too disappointed, though. Shadows, too, are a power that has stemmed from me. Just a bit of my attention is more than enough to make you strong.¡± - Ur¡­ you¡¯re a good guy, aren¡¯t you? - I¡¯m still not letting you go, though¡­ - Dobby doubts Master will be parting with his socks... ¡°There is one thing you must know first, though. Even though you seeded in getting close with the shadow wolf, you were unable to use even half of his powers. Did you know that?¡± ¡°Half¡­ of his powers?¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I guess you can¡¯t really consider that your mistake. It¡¯s likely he has never been a part of a pack. The best way to survive in the wild is to learn the most effective methods from your parents, after all. There¡¯s no way you¡¯d fail, and it¡¯s safe. Did you know this, though? Shadow wolves normally don¡¯t grow that big.¡± ¡°Then why was Koko that big?¡± ¡°He likely chose to make his body bigger himself. But if he had allocated his strengths elsewhere, he would have been exponentially stronger. Shadow wolves are notorious, after all. Not to mention¡­¡± Ur smirked. ¡°You just so happen to have a perfect ability for this situation.¡± ¡°A perfect¡­ ability?¡± ¡°Yes, but I will tell you that in time. More importantly, since we can¡¯t revive him as a summon, we need to use a different method. In my opinion¡­ it would be best for you to use your other ability.¡± ¡°And by other ability, you mean¡­¡± Seol hadn''t particrly used skills other than his summoning skills. He especially didn¡¯t use any spells either. ¡®Ah, did he mean¡­?¡¯ Ur raised a finger. ¡°Those noisy crows of yours. They¡¯re your creations, right?¡± ¡°They are.¡± ¡°We will be making Koko or whatever his name was into your summon.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I¡¯m not supposed to do? If we do that, his consciousness will¡­¡± ¡°Obviously,we¡¯d be using his core when we recreate him. Don¡¯t worry. He will maintain his memories and intellect. That was how they were made in the first ce, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief, but¡­ how?¡± ¡°Doing it right now would be difficult.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°To do so, we¡¯d need a considerable amount of shadow essence. But¡­ you don¡¯t have any on you, right?¡± ¡°What¡¯s ¡®shadow essence¡¯?¡± ¡°As you can assume, it¡¯s the byproduct of using a shadow as a sacrifice. Well, it isn¡¯t too painful for them since they¡¯d just be reverting back to their original form, and it isn¡¯t particrly painful either, but a sacrifice is still a sacrifice. In the past, we used to catch living things for shadow essence, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s considered fine in this period.¡± ¡°Was it considered fine in your period?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t necessarily considered moral back then either. But people did do it openly.¡± - So you justmitted crimes like nothing? LMFAO - This is like those youtube videos where they bring a former mob boss ¡°Regardless, I will find you a method.¡± After Ur''s confident deration, Seol stared at him before asking another question. ¡°Ur, how strong are you right now?¡± "I can¡¯t even use a tenth of my original strength, and I¡¯m not exaggerating either. But¡­ my skills heavily rely on my powers, so if you use them wisely, you can certainly narrow the gap." Powers. By ¡®powers¡¯ Ur was likely referring to Wizardry and Maverick. ¡®I was luckily able to grab one more skill through Tuner¡­¡¯ Ur continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s something that you did, but because you kept my powers intact somewhat well, I¡¯ll be able to recover my strength faster than expected. Also¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for some unknown circumstances, you wouldn''t have been able to be my opponent at all.¡± - Ur (0 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss) - Excuses pffft - But Snowman really did almost lose, though LOL "Because I had a more difficult time gathering the malevolent energies inside Alcatron than I expected, not only was my resurrection dyed, but my strength was also below what I anticipated. It''s quite strange, but¡­ there may have been a leak somewhere. Well, regardless, that¡¯s in the past now. Hey, summoner. I have a goal now." ¡°Is it to find the traces of Cagon?¡± "You¡¯re quicker than I expected, you¡¯re right. I''ll search for tracks of Cagon by your side. I need to find out how the powerful Cagon Empire fell¡­ how none of you know anything about it¡­ I need to uncover it all." That was a question lingering in Seol''s mind as well. He still needed to understand how he could decipher Cagon¡¯s magic words. ¡°Still, my goalse first,¡± said Seol. Nheless, that wasn¡¯t Seol¡¯s primary objective. ¡°Of course. Your goals are nothingpared to mine. I will take care of them easily.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡± snickered Jamad from the Shadow Space. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Rumble rumble! The expedition party looked back at the ck Thunder Tribe, which had left after confirming their identities. Most of the people who stared at the trolls were people who took the roundabout path. ¡°Oh my god¡­ they even gave us food before they left.¡± "Are we sure they''re still the same ck Thunder Tribe we once knew?" "They''re big and look just as fearsome as rumors suggest, though¡­¡± The Steel Lion then asked Mael a question. ¡°...How did you manage to pass through here before?¡± "We encountered a couple of obstacles, but Snowman took care of them too, so it wasn''t too challenging." The Steel Lion then shifted his nce from Mael to Seol. The expedition posed a significant challenge for the Steel Lion as well. However, as the mission progressed, he came to realize that the two individuals who had initially irked him were actually two of the most crucial pirs of the expedition. ¡°How incredible¡­ really,¡± said the Steel Lion without realizing it himself. ¡°...He really is incredible.¡± "Seeing as how I am having a difficult time epting it... I might truly be getting old. By the way, what''s your name?" ¡°Mael.¡± ¡°And its meaning?¡± ¡°Child of the stars.¡± ¡°A good name,¡± said the Steel Lion, rubbing his chin. ¡°I¡¯ll remember it.¡± ¡°What about your name?¡± asked Mael in response. ¡°Neal. Neal, the Steel Lion. You can just call me Steel Lion, though.¡± ¡°Neal, I see. I will remember that as well.¡± ¡°We might split up once this mission is over, but¡­ I will definitely remember both of your names.¡± Nevertheless, nothing too eventful happened as the expedition party traversed the Wet Fog Hills. As they continued on their way, they eventually passed through Adeline¡¯s borders once more. This news was then ryed to the Libra Tower, which was a relief for them as it meant there was at least someone who could provide a detailed exnation of what had urred. Rumble rumble¡­ All the magicians residing in the magic tower directed their attention toward the returning expedition party, to the extent that all activity came to a halt in anticipation of their arrival. ¡°They¡¯reing! I can see them!¡± ¡°You idiot, I told you to give your report before noon! If it waste because you were too distracted¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± The young magician wasn''t the only individual distracted. ¡°Woahhhhhhh!¡± ¡°The expedition party is returning!¡± However, the next person¡¯s words damped the mood. ¡°...There are fewer wagons than before.¡± ¡°Obviously, there would be les¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot less¡­¡± ¡°......¡± The magicians all quieted down. There were also magicians who had been dispatched from the other towers to hear the results. Among them was ine and his apprentice, Fryn. ¡°Fryn¡­¡± ¡°He¡­ did it.¡± "Are you telling me... that this small group of people was the best-case scenario?" ¡°Yes! In fact, he brought a better future than the one I caught a hazy glimpse of!¡± ine smiled bitterly. "Then that''s more than sufficient. It appears he''s aplished a great deal." Creaaaaaaak¡­ Click. The carriage¡¯s door opened as its passengers stepped out. There was no one who appeared uninjured. ¡°......¡± Step¡­ The gatekeeper gasped, as Frannan stepped out of the carriage with a bandage wrapped around one of his eyes. ¡°A-Aspect Magician Frannan!¡± ¡°Gather the other Aspect Magicians,¡± said Frannan. ¡°I need to report the results of the expedition and discuss the future.¡± * * * The expedition party felt like monkeys in a cage. [You begin your Rest.] [This ce is a simple base.] [Your Key Location Rest is starting.] [Break 10. Libra Magic Tower] [Break 10. ¡®Libra Magic Tower¡¯ The Libra Magic Tower ys a significant role in Zodiac. Although they are typically extremely reluctant to permit outsiders to stay within its premises for an extended period, as they generally dislike outsiders, currently, there are numerous outsiders within it. As treatment toward the expedition members will be determined ording to the tower''s decision, in the worst-case scenario, you could be forced to depart. Adventurers must take plenty of rest and training here, or at another rest location, before preparing for the next Adventure. Objective: Rest and maintenance. You will be tired upon failure. Remaining Time: [Unknown]] ¡®Does the countdown start once the tower makes a decision? That''s a relief. More importantly...¡¯ Seol was in a suffocating situation with Frannan. While the other expedition party members were rxing and removing their equipment, Seol, in his exhausted state, was dragged to a room with Franan and seated in a chair. It was because he was deeply involved in this expedition. Ridwen and Cartesin. The two other Aspect Magicians of Libra wore menacing looks as they sat across from Seol and Frannan. Cartesin ran his hands through his long, white beard before speaking. ¡°Are you telling us to believe that right now?¡± ¡°And if you don¡¯t?¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane¡­ This ispletely insane¡­¡± ¡°Libra is dead. Well, more urately, his soul has beenbined with an extremely evil individual¡¯s soul.¡± ¡°Even though you¡¯ve lost a majority of the expedition party, your words are..¡± Suddenly, Bornuil, from within Ur''s body, interjected. ¡°Ohohoho¡­ Cartesin, it seems you¡¯re still fond of worrying about pointless details.¡± ¡°...Bornuil?¡± "Did I not tell you multiple times that this stunts your growth? Ohohoho... Or maybe I didn''t?" ¡°B-Bornuil! Are you really Libra?¡± "I don''t know what I could do to make you believe, but I am. I am Bornuil." Bornuil then began to speak about the events at Alcatron, providing detailed ounts of the expedition party''s struggles. ¡°So that¡¯s why Frannan¡¯s eye is¡­¡± "It''s unfortunate, but there was no other method. The decision he made was just what I expected from him." ¡°......¡± Frannan spoke next. ¡°I believe the details about what happened in Alcatron must not be leaked.¡± ¡°What?! But if you do, then¡­¡± "I agree. If rumors about Ur spread, it could attract countless individuals obsessed with magic or power-hungry tyrants eager to analyze me, Bornuil." ¡°Haah¡­ that might be difficult, though. Do you think it¡¯s possible to keep the expedition party¡¯s mouth shut?¡± ¡°If we give them ample reward¡­ we would at least have time to prepare before the rumors spread. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± "You are absolutely right. I willpensate them based on their achievements outlined in the report." ¡°Alright.¡± Ridwen then nced at Bornuil. "More importantly... Can you still fulfill your duty as tower master with a body like that?" ¡°Why would I do something like that?¡± ¡°...What?¡± "I am considered dead. Since the Libra Tower has lost its tower master, a new one is required. And for that... I need all of your opinions." Bornuil slowly looked at the three Aspect Magicians. ¡°I need to know which of the three of you is most apt for that position.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°......¡± Frannan closed his eyes while the other Aspect Magicians looked around. Frannan looked exhausted. Cartesin spoke up. ¡°Frannan, do you remember how you ruined my research before?¡± "Ah... that? I was trying to help you, but the results were dreadful." ¡°Apologize for it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Apologize for it. Right now.¡± "How pointless... Fine. To be honest with you, I''ve also still felt remorseful about ruining that." ¡°Good. Then I want you to be the next Libra.¡± Ridwen nced at Cartesin while Frannan wore a perplexed look. ¡°What?¡± "Because once it''s after the fact that you apologized, you''re the one who''s best suited to be Libra." ¡°You must be out of your mind¡­ I¡¯m just a drunkard¡­¡± "This is something I''ve contemted for a long time, even before you departed. It''s just all falling into ce now." Ridwen agreed as well. "Exactly. It''s something we''ve discussed extensively in the past. We''ve had conversations about who should be the next Libra before, haha..." ¡°We?¡± Ridwen and Cartesin exchanged nces. ¡°Yurin whole-heartedly shared the same sentiment as well.¡± ¡°...Yurin?¡± "She never once ceasedplimenting you. If you overlook the negative aspects... well, it might still be bad, but she''s a bit better now, isn''t she?" Frannan continued to repeat Yurin¡¯s name under his breath. ¡°Yurin¡­ I¡­¡± "You are a great magician, Frannan. Though it seems like you still don''t believe it yourself." ¡°......¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s just for Yurin¡¯s sake¡­ be the next Libra.¡± Bornuil interjected once more. "Ohohoho! We can discuss that among ourselvester. Our guest should be our priority for now." ¡°I agree. So this child is the one who saved the expedition party, correct?¡± ¡°If you look at it more broadly, he saved more than just that.¡± ¡°And he will likely be traveling with Bornuil in the future¡­ We should prepare some additional rewards.¡± Ridwen, Catesin, and Bornuil exchanged opinions. ¡°What about the Lie Seeking Staff?¡± ¡°That¡¯s too awful.¡± ¡°What about a male and female pair of Illusion Butterflies?¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t mythical creatures that adventurers can handle.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± This was bad for one reason, and that was bad for another reason. Bornuil gave a reason to reject every single one of their proposals. ¡°This¡­ almost seems like you¡¯re doing this on purpose.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something you want to give him, isn¡¯t there? You know you¡¯re being unreasonable right now, right?¡± ¡°Ohohoho¡­ is that so?¡± ¡°Just tell us what you want to give him.¡± Bornuil looked at each of their expressions before throwing in the bomb. ¡°The Crown of Order.¡± Stand¡­ Stand¡­ ¡°Bornuil!¡± ¡°Have you lost your mind?!¡± ¡°Ohohoho¡­¡± All Bornuil could do was awkwardlyugh. Chapter 180 The Crown of Order. Seol couldn¡¯t hide his excitement after hearing that name. ¡®That was here?¡¯ Even Seol knew about it as it was quite a famous item. In the distant past, a massive ruin was discovered near the central region of Pandea. Countless factions fought to acquire the treasures from within the ruin, and the Crown of Order was one such treasure that symbolized the events. Though its powers are still unknown to many, most were still able to discern that it was far from ordinary. However, as it was an item from the distant past, even Seol had only heard of it through rumors. ¡®If this goes well¡­¡¯ Though Seol had been dragged into Alcatron because of his promise to Frannan, luck had found its way after all his effort. ¡®But¡­ how did the Libra Magic Tower acquire the Crown of Order?¡¯ Ridwen and Cartesin began to vehemently reject Bornuil''s proposal, to the point that they were even unintentionally spitting. ¡°The Crown of Order is not only the symbol of Libra, but it is also a treasure we acquired by using everything we had! How could we just hand this over to some¡­¡± "Since when was the Crown of Order the symbol of Libra? Not only is it essentially stolen goods, but we only acquired it by chance, no? Ohohoho..." - They stole it? - So a stolen item was the symbol of Libra¡­ - Judging by their reaction, Bornuil¡¯s telling the truth¡­ Ridwen sat back down before continuing. "Even so, that doesn''t change anything. The Crown of Order is now in the Libra Tower, and it will remain with us." After hearing that, Frannan butted in. "But it''s just an item," said Frannan. "If no one''s going to use it, it''s just shiny junk that takes up space." "Frannan! An expensive item ys its role even if it''s just in its spot!" ¡°I disagree.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Bornuil interjected to warm up the cold mood. "If this old man can say a couple of words..." started Bornuil. "Whether we wanted to or not, this expedition has drawn a lot of attention from a variety of people. And though we can prevent the spread of information about the events in Alcatron, we can''t prevent them from praising the person who saved them." "Just as you can''t hold onto the wind with your hand, we can''t prevent people from praising or gossiping about others,¡± agreed Frannan. Bornuil nodded before continuing. "He saved everyone. When we consider how multiple factions are showing interest in us and who we''d announce as the next Libra¡­ if we reward the person who achieved so much during the expedition poorly, how would that reflect on us?" ¡°Ahem¡­¡± ¡°Please, consider it.¡± Ridwen and Cartesin scowled and thought to themselves. ¡°Then, let me ask you this, Frannan,¡± said one of the Aspect Magicians. ¡°Is he truly worth that much?¡± ¡°Worth¡­ that much?¡± "I am asking you if entrusting someone unaffiliated with any faction, whose identity we don''t know, with the treasure of Libra is that valuable." ¡°If you¡¯re asking that, then¡­¡± Grab¡­ Frannan handed over a scroll as if he had been expecting this. ¡°What is this?¡± Seol nced at its contents for a second and was shocked. ¡°Did you do a background check on me?¡± asked Seol. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just you. It was everyone in the expedition party,¡± answered Frannan. ¡°It¡¯s something I had to do as the person in charge of the party.¡± Cartesin was astonished after reading the scroll. ¡°I-Is this¡­ all true?¡± "You''re shocked, huh? Do you think there has ever been an individual... no, a faction who has achieved so much in such a short time?" Seol''s achievements were remarkable for something aplished by only one individual. He defeated the Rock Mr Tribe in the Pointy Mountains, stopped Yognatun¡¯s Sulfur Skull Tribe from invading, cleared the Labyrinth of Penance, and even killed the ck Knight who attacked Illia. Even if you excluded all of the other unknown achievements Seol had done, Seol''s aplishments were quite notable. ¡°......¡± "He''s lived his life like that. And no one can deny that he used his strength to help us. The Crown of Order? He already has multiple items as valuable as that." ¡°Hm¡­¡± "He probably isn''t even interested in the Crown of Order. But the reason we''re trying to give it to him is to foster a friendly rtionship for the future. After all, he aplished something no one else in the expedition party could do all on his own. And considering the pace of his growth, we have yet to fathom how valuable he could be to us in the future." There was only one thing wrong in Frannan¡¯s statements. His assumption that Seol wasn¡¯t interested in the Crown of Order. - His eyes seem desperate, though LOOOOL - You¡¯re wrong¡­ Frannan¡­ your disciple wants the item¡­ "There''s still one really important thing left, isn''t there?"ughed Bornuil. ¡°There is. This child here¡­¡± Frannan nced at Seol before finishing his words. ¡°is my one and only disciple.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The expedition party had to stay at the Libra Tower for quite a while. While the rewards were indeed a part of it, there was another reason entirely. Neal, the Steel Lion, tapped Mael¡¯s shoulders. "Do you not have to return to the Artifact Association, Mael?" "I can always make my report after I see how the rest of the expedition is handled." ¡°Excuses¡­ Be honest, you just want to stay here a bit longer, don¡¯t you?¡± "Hahaha... I don''t know if you should be the one saying that, Neal. Did you not already receive your rewards? I doubt you have any reason to stay now, especially since you need new members to maintain the Steel Lion Mercenaries'' name." ¡°I¡¯ve already sent a few of my men back to take care of that. I, the leader, can take my merry time..¡± Chameli quietly poked their sides. Poke¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Ch-Chameli¡­¡± She then gave a big smile. "Are we really going to waste a good day with such pointless chatter? We''re all here to witness something truly rare, aren''t we?" ¡°U-urgh¡­ I was just¡­¡± "Chameli, when you put it like that, it makes us sound like a bunch of ckers without anything to do, doesn''t it?" ¡°Were you two not? And what¡¯s so bad about not having anything to do?¡± ¡°......¡± "We''ve lost a lot of people. If we want to ease their sorrow, we need just as much joy. Since today is the day they announce the new Libra, I want all of you to be happy too!" "Then I won''t hesitate to enjoy it as well." "It truly is a rare sight, though, to think we''d be able to witness the announcement of a new Tower Master." ¡°Are the other tower masters here too?¡± "Due to the distance... I''ve heard they''re most likely sending magicians bearing their emblems instead. Oh, I see one over there!" Magicians with epaulets of various designs entered the tower in rows. ¡°Oh! Scorpio¡­ Scorpio came.¡± ¡°Really? Is that them?¡± A short, stubborn-looking magician gathered the attention of many around them. ¡°Hmph¡­ Bornuil always acted as if he had all the luxury in the world but he ended up being the first to go. I was right, wasn¡¯t I?¡± said Scorpio to the magician behind them. ¡°Aries! It¡¯s Aries!¡± ¡°Sir Santio!¡± The curly-haired magician named Santio adjusted his sses before responding. ¡°That¡¯s strange. When Ist saw Bornuil, I got the impression that he would be alive for a while¡­¡± ¡°A magician shouldn¡¯t believe in superstitions! When are you going to stop believing in them?¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do when I was born with this? Regardless¡­ hm?¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Santio?¡± "Hm... you give me a unique impression. Are you the type who often leaps into danger, just a second from death?" ¡°...What?¡± Santio was currently looking and talking to Seol. ¡®...What is going on?¡¯ Seol took a step back as Santio asked him a strange question, raising his guard. ¡°I see countless deaths surrounding you. I doubt you will be able to live an ordinary life.¡± Just then, a Libra magician arrived to guide Santio. ¡°Urm¡­ Excuse me, Sir Santio¡­ the appointment ceremony will start soon¡­¡± ¡°Oh! I apologize. Let us depart immediately.¡± Santio took a few steps back, locking eyes with Seol, before entering the ceremony room. Though his entric behavior seemed ridiculous, it was also worrisome. After that, more tower masters and high-ranking magicians, each bearing the tower master''s emblem, entered the room in session. Mael clenched his fist. ¡°So this is¡­ Zodiac¡­¡± ¡°The mana emanating from them¡­ is incredible¡­¡± "They are considered the pinnacle of intelligence in human society, after all. I never thought I''d see this incredible sight with my own eyes so soon, though." ¡°Let¡¯s go to our seats.¡± Ur moved within Seol¡¯s Shadow Space. - Not bad¡­ for thieves¡­ The ceremony was held in the banquet room closest to the highest floor. Surprisingly, the moment they entered the banquet room, the scenery around them changed, making it appear as if they were outside. A vast in stretched beneath the sky, with clouds driftingzily above. A cool breeze blew past every once in a while, tousling people''s hair. And as everyone took their seats, the appointment ceremony began. Ridwen and Cartesin stepped onto the tform. "On behalf of Libra, we would like to thank every magician who has made the journey here.¡± "As you have made time for us despite your busy schedules, we will also reciprocate by answering questions before the ceremony." It was an unusual order. They likely did so because there were high-ranking magicians here only present to satisfy their curiosity about the Alcatron expedition. A magician with a cold expression was the first to ask a question. "Was the Alcatron expedition a failure? I heard many people lost their lives." The young magician spoke bluntly and boldly to an Aspect Magician. However, Ridwen didn¡¯t mind it at all. After all, the true individual asking that question was the Tower Master of Capricorn, who lent his emblem to the young magician to speak. "Though we managed to fulfill our objective, because many people died, we can''t im it was a sess or failure. However, when we consider how dangerous Alcatron was, the fact that so many people could return could be seen as a small sess." ¡°Hmph¡­ do the other expedition party members also think that?¡± The people began to murmur. "I am the leader of the Steel Lion Mercenaries who participated in this expedition. We believe that the expedition could be considered a sess." ¡°The Artifact Association¡­¡± ¡°The ck Pilgrims¡­¡± As everyone agreed, Capricorn''s tower master fell silent. Next was Scorpio. "So, I heard Alcatron copsed... but what was inside?" ¡°Well¡­¡± Libra¡¯s magicians minimized the details in their response. They informed Scorpio about the ancient evil lurking in Alcatron and how the expedition party all worked together to defeat it. ¡°Hm¡­ Something¡¯s rubbing me the wrong way, though¡­¡± A few more questions followed, but Ridwen and Cartesin managed to answer them satisfactorily. "We will continue addressing questionster as well, so... let us now proceed with the most significant event of today: the appointment of the next Libra." Hmmm¡­ Frannnan entered through the banquet hall¡¯s doors, donning the Tower Master¡¯s uniform. The eyepatch he wore added a touch of wildness to his appearance. Step¡­ Step¡­ ¡°So he really did lose his eye¡­¡± "You never really could deny his skills." ¡°I feel like the mood around him has changed.¡± Frannan stepped through the murmuring people and stood on the tform. Ridwen then spoke in a serious tone. "When news of Bornuil, the Libra''s disappearance reached us, the magicians of Libra were thrown into a panic. However, heroes are always born from crises. Frannan, Aspect Magician of Libra, you have led an expedition party to sessfully uncover Bornuil''s fate, as well as defeat a great evil hidden within Alcatron''s chasms.¡± It could have been quite embarrassing to receive such praise. However, no oneughed. "We came to the realization that we needed a new Libra to maintain our bnce. And that..." said Ridwen. ¡°is you, Frannan.¡± Cartesian and Ridwen each brought out a medal. ¡°We beseech you to maintain our bnce. Will you ept?¡± Frannan maintained the same cold expression. However, for official settings like this, he had to recite the magician¡¯s oath. ¡°With knowledge as my de and wisdom as my handle, I dere my omnipotence alongside my ipetence. In pursuit of truth, I embrace the contradictions within my ideas.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I¡­ am a magician.¡± A twisted smile formed on Frannan¡¯s lips. ¡°I may becking, but I will do my best.¡± Scorpio quickly stood up from their seat. ¡°Scorpio recognizes the new Libra!¡± shouted Scorpio. Hum¡­ A scorpio emblem filled up the sky. ¡°Pisces recognizes the new Libra as well!¡± ¡°Virgo¡­¡± More and more insignias filled the sky. In the end, the sky was filled with eleven different insignias. Frannan felt the weight of the Libra epaulet adorning his uniform. Frannan, the new Libra, stepped forward to speak on the tform. "Ah, ah... Is this boring ceremony finally over now? From now on, I''m the new Libra, right?" Everyone was shocked at Frannan''s disrespectful tone, especially given his formality just moments ago. ¡°There might be people on the same level as me in Zodiac, but no one¡¯s above me, right?¡± ¡°...Wh-what?¡± "Ah, the only exception might be if the Grand Duke of Frostes back from the grave." While most of the magicians grimaced at Frannan¡¯s attitude, there were also many who enjoyed it, especially among a few Tower Masters, including Scorpio. ¡°Bwahahahaha! How fun! You and I will get along well!¡± "Bornuil was on the more boring side, but this new Libra is quite entric." As Ridwen was at a loss for what to do, the other tower masters waved their hands. "It looks like he has more to say. Go ahead." "There''s no one who can stop you anymore. I was just getting bored, so this came at the perfect time." Frannan''s single eye bore a serious expression. "Then... the first thing that I want to say is..." began Frannan. "I hate you magicians, you fucking bastards." Frannan looked directly at an old woman relying on a device to help her move, as well as the female magician assisting her. While the old magician didn¡¯t show much of a reaction, the young magician held a dark mood around her. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± "It''s exactly as I said. Magicians all do this because they enjoy feeling superior to others, don''t they? I was the same. I... was exactly the same." Frannan''s eye grew distant, as if he was recalling a dark past. "I thought I could do anything. That''s why I didn''t so much as give a nce to the people who were behind me. Because I... was better than all of them." ¡°Haha¡­ everyone goes through that.¡± ¡°There were a lot of stuffy, old-fashioned magicians who tried to correct me.¡± Veil, the magician who took him in. - Because you are a magician. People think magicians are incredible, but... in truth, we¡¯re all just conceited idiots. Yurin, whose mind had reverted to that of a child''s. - I guarantee you, no one, except for the first ever magician, learned magic on their own from the start. Humans may be weak, but we are a race that umtes knowledge. That is how we¡¯ve continued to advance magic further. "They all did whatever they pleased... They even tried to correct one of the fundamental things about me." ¡°Magicians don¡¯t know when to keep their nose out, after all.¡± ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s right, Libra! So, are you still like that?¡± Frannan answered coldly. ¡°No.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°In the end, I lost.¡± He sighed deeply. "I realized my limits through this expedition. A foul magician is always left on their own, after all." ¡°......¡± "However, the heavens blessed even a person like me with people whom I could trust." Frannan first looked at Seol before looking at the other expedition party members. "The reason the expedition was a sess wasn''t because of my pitiful magic. It pains me to admit this, but it was because of myrades." ¡°How obvious, Frannan.¡± ¡°And?¡± Frannan then continued. "So, because I am an adult who took so long to learn and say something so obvious... I n to finally convey my feelings, sincerely." Frannan addressed Yurin, who had mentally reverted to a child, and Ebony, her disciple, standing beside her. ¡°Ebony.¡± ¡°...Yes.¡± ¡°Before Yurin saved you, she gave me a request.¡± ¡°What kind of¡­¡± Ebony had stayed by Yurin¡¯s side since that day, considering herself a sinner and seeing it as a way to atone for her sins. But... Yurin had left words for her before the ident? Frannan closed his eyes. - Frannan, if something happens, and I fail¡­ - No! I¡¯m not going to do that! - Stop making such a fuss. Well¡­ I leave it to you. Yurin¡¯s final request to Frannan. - Could you tell her that it¡¯s fine? Tell my cute little disciple that¡­ I¡¯m okay. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ebony.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Yurin said that it was okay.¡± ¡°......¡± "She told me to tell you that if something went wrong." ¡°Urg¡­¡­¡± "I''m sorry it took so long for me to tell you this. It took far too long for me to say it with a sincere heart." ¡°Urg-Ahhhhh¡­¡± Finally, after all this time, Ebony felt a weight lift from her heart. She hadn''tughed in years, fearing that Yurin might have despised her for the ident. With a teary-eyed smile, she looked at Frannan, the new Libra. Sensing that Frannan was done, Ridwen and Cartesin moved on to the next matter. "Lastly... we will be awarding the individual who has contributed the most to the expedition. Please step forward!" Step¡­ Step¡­ Seol and Frannan, the new Libra, locked eyes. [A Charming Individual activates. You receive additional favorability.] [You have acquired ¡®Frannan, the Crooked Libra¡¯ as a helper.] [¡®Frannan, the Crooked Libra¡¯ is a Transcendent rank.] [Helpers have a chance of appearing in all Adventures.] [They will help you differently based on their favorability toward you.] [Your influence in Faction: Libra Magic Tower increases.] [Your influence in Faction: Zodiac increases.] [You now have a friendly rtionship with Faction: Libra Magic Tower.] [You are now able to both give and receive assistance from Faction: Libra Magic Tower.] [Faction: Libra Magic Tower is deeply interested in your actions.] Frannan, the Libra, spoke to the other Aspect Magician. ¡°Bring it.¡± Frannan held a chest and offered it to Seol, who opened it. Creaaak¡­ A radiant light shone forth as the crown revealed itself. [You have acquired Peerless: Crown of Order.] [You have acquired an item that didn¡¯t exist in the world previously.] ¡­¡­ And with this new item, Seol¡¯s next step was readied. [You have obtained 5 Peerless-quality items.] [You have received information on Hidden Adventure ''Glory to be Gained''.] [Once the conditions have been met, a Sudden Adventure will activate.] Chapter 181 Though the Crown of Order exuded immense energy, it was rather small. It was clean and shiny like Wukong¡¯s golden headband, with two diamond-shaped decorations side by side near the front. The magicians were so shocked that they forgot to mind their appearance. ¡°That¡¯s the¡­ the C-Crown of Order!¡± ¡°Are you serious? Is that really the Crown of Order?!¡± "I''m sure of it! I saw it in the documents!" ¡°Is that the real one?¡± ¡°How much did he do in Alcatron to get rewarded that¡­¡± ¡°More importantly, why does Libra have the Crown of Order?¡± Raise¡­ Seol equipped the Crown of Order. He was worried at first, wondering what he would do if the crown was too tight, but to his relief, the item began to melt away like snow. Sizzle¡­ The crown slowly imprinted itself onto Seol¡¯s forehead like a tattoo. Which, in turn¡­ meant that tremendous pain followed. ¡°......¡± ¡°You can scream if you want to.¡± But perhaps due to standing in front of other people¡­ the pain was much more manageable than Seol thought. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± "You''re used to pain, I see..." After even the tattoo of the Crown of Order disappeared, the people were shocked. Faaaade¡­ It was because of the energy that Seol was radiating. ¡®Is it because I met the conditions?¡¯ There was no way anyone could be considered ''normal'' after collecting over 5 Peerless-quality items. As Seol''s collection of Peerless-quality items hummed together, they radiated energy. ¡°Hrgh! What is that energy?!¡± ¡°What incredible force! The Crown of Order was this strong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that¡­ It might be just him that¡¯s special.¡± ¡°Oho¡­ How interesting.¡± Fade¡­ As the instantaneous energy Seol radiated faded away, he returned to appearing as an ordinary person. "It may becking, but we hope this proves useful to you in the future." ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Slide¡­ An emblem with a Libra design on it. [You have acquired Honorary Libra Emblem.] [The Libra Magic Tower attests to your identity.] ¡°And this will help you from time to time as well.¡± ¡°......¡± The anointing ceremony ended with Seol receiving his rewards. While many in the audience were busy individuals and left immediately after the ceremony, some remained to enjoy the mood. ¡°Kuahaha! Is it that kid over there?¡± A man with a Taurus emblem approached Seol. "Hm... I can feel a strong spirit inside you! I, Haket, can sense it!¡± A man whose muscles were so pronounced that even his robes couldn¡¯t conceal them. He seemed like someone with theplete opposite body type of what a magician should look like. "Sir Haket, no one would believe you even if you came here personally, so why would he believe you when you¡¯re in that body?¡± said an androgynous man wearing a Virgo emblem as he stepped in, beginning to restrain therge, muscr man. ¡°Ahem!¡± said Haket. "No matter how far away he may be, I can still sense it. So, how far has your magic reached?" - S-So¡­ - Shadow Hand! - And? - Lots of Shadow Hands! "Hrgh¡­ He¡¯s supposedly Libra¡¯s disciple. You may get on Libra¡¯s bad side if you show too much interest in him.¡± "Ah, right! I didn¡¯t even think about that! I finally met someone who I could get along with among the annoying tower masters. I can¡¯t be leaving a bad first impression like this." More incredible people appeared after that to greet Seol. ¡°Nice to meet you, I am Tilond, an Aspect Magician of Cancer. From what I heard¡­¡± ¡°Strik, Leo Aspect Magician. Feel free to just call me Strik.¡± Multiple magicians continued to appear and show interest, either because they were drawn to the energy Seol radiated on top of the tform or because they sensed traces of his energy within. Among the magicians were Scorpio and Aries, who drew a lot of attention even before the appointment ceremony began. ¡°How interesting. I bet you feel like ab rat, huh?¡± Scorpio said to Seol. ¡°...What?¡± responded Seol. A magician, who seemed to be Scorpio¡¯s attendant, quickly began whispering to Scorpio. "Sir Joneh¡­ it seems he has a hard time rting to people. Instead of trying to rte to him more, I rmend you try a more natural approach." ¡°...You do know that your voice is quite loud right now, right?¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Scorpio, with a considerably inattentive apprentice magician by his side, pointed at Seol before continuing. ¡°Libra is quite lucky. Why can¡¯t we find guys like him, huh? The ones in our tower look normal, but they¡¯re all quite talentless.¡± The apprentice magician loudly whispered again. ¡°Well¡­ our funding¡­ Since we aren¡¯t like Libra, who are often hired by royalty for jobs, our funding is a bitcking¡­¡± Joneh was so surprised by that answer that he didn¡¯t even critique the magician¡¯s loud voice this time. ¡°What? I mean¡­ Our funds are that low?¡± ¡°We need to have proper results if we want to receive funding, but we¡­¡± "Stop! Don''t reveal such sensitive internal information! And lower your voice!" "Ack!" Suddenly, Santio, the Aries, appeared behind Seol, sniffing his head. Sniff sniff¡­ ¡°...What are you doing?¡± "You possess good energy. I examined you too hastily earlier, and failed to assess your scent. Now, I realize you''ll be a valuable asset to us. We''ll frequently cross paths again in the future. Do visit the Aries Tower when you get the chance." ¡°Ah¡­ if I can find the time, sure.¡± Santio paused and thought for a moment, trying to recall if someone had ever responded to his proposal in such a manner. After all, even kingdoms and royalty customarily answered the call of a Zodiac Tower Master. ¡°Well then¡­¡± And with that, the after-ceremony events came to a close as well. Seol, after meeting a few important people, quickly returned to his amodations to not draw any further attention. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * It was finally time for the expedition party to leave the magic tower. The first to leave were Neal, the Steel Lion, and the other mercenary groups. "I need to calcte the specifics, but considering the substantial rewards we''ve received, I intend to ept another job from them if the opportunity arises again. Will I have the chance to see you once more then?" ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± responded Mael. Mael was shocked by Neal¡¯s kind tone and words. ¡°Yeah. It wasn¡¯t too boring while I was with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure¡­ but it may be difficult. We look for ruins, not jobs, after all.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ that is true. You are a part of the Artifact Association, after all. Well then¡­¡± Neal, after saying his goodbyes to the rest, left. ¡°Let us see each other again.¡± [A Charming Individual activates. You receive additional favorability.] [You have acquired ¡®Neal, the Steel Lion¡¯ as a helper.] [¡®Neal, the Steel Lion¡¯ is a Heroic rank.] [Helpers have a chance of appearing in all Adventures.] [They will help you differently based on their favorability toward you.] The next to leave were the remaining members of the Artifact Association and the ck Pilgrims. Chameli, in fact, had received good news from her home country, Varanoa, the Holy Nation. "Varanoa has decided to dispatch more people to the parish! They must have viewed the rise in our influence, particrly through the ck Knight and Alcatron incidents, favorably!" Mael and Seol smiled as well after seeing her innocent expression. "So like this... people depart, and new faces fill the void,¡± said Chameli. ¡°Such is life, after all,¡± responded Mael. ¡°Tch¡­ you always talk as if you know everything, Mael.¡± ¡°I am older than I look, Chameli.¡± ¡°But age doesn¡¯t mean you know everything.¡± ¡°Hahahaha! You¡¯re definitely right about that.¡± Before entering the carriage headed to her parish, Chameli took a second to look at both Mael and Seol. "Do you think... a day wille when we can gather like this again?¡± Maintaining hisposure, Mael responded leisurely, "If the winds of the era guide us as such." ¡°Seriously?! Even now?!¡± ¡°However, I wish that day woulde quickly as well.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll work hard for that day!¡± smiled Chameli. ¡°I hope we can go on an adventure again!¡± [A Charming Individual activates. You receive additional favorability.] [You have acquired ¡®Chameli, the ck Pilgrim¡¯ as a helper.] [¡®Chameli, the ck Pilgrim¡¯ is a Legendary rank.] [Helpers have a chance of appearing in all Adventures.] [They will help you differently based on their favorability toward you.] After Chameli left, Mael and Seol were left on their own. ¡°Shall we go as well?¡± asked Mael. ¡°Thanks for your help again, Mael,¡± said Seol. Mael shook his head in response. "Through this expedition, I''vee to realize that the power I''ve amassed is still insufficient. Yet, in this short span, you, Snowman, have grown immensely." ¡°......¡± "Though I''ve achieved much on this expedition... When we meet again, I''ll repay you with the same sentiment I felt. Look forward to it.¡± [Helper Mael, the Star Child¡¯s rank improves.] [¡®Mael, the Star Child¡¯ is a Legendary rank.] [Helpers have a chance of appearing in all Adventures.] [They will help you differently based on their favorability toward you.] ¡°Well then¡­¡± ¡°I will see you again.¡± As Mael departed, Seol also readied himself to leave. However, someone hastened toward him. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe how much work there was¡­ are you leaving now?¡± said Frannan. ¡°Yeah, I am,¡± responded Seol. ¡°......¡± When Seol first encountered Frannan, he appeared as nothing more than a red-faced drunkard. However, now in a clean uniform, Frannan seemedpletely different. ¡°If you ever need help, use the Libra emblem. You could use it to contact me through the Adventurer Association as well.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Also¡­. Thank you. I¡¯m sincerely thankful to you.¡± With that parting farewell, Seol mounted the horse provided by the Libra Tower and swiftly departed. * * * [[Peerless: Crown of Order] Quality: Peerless Rmended Level: 34-44 Defense: 140 Durability: 160/160 Weight: 0.1kg A crown from an unknown era. Though this item vanishes upon being equipped, leaving behind only traces, the energy of the Crown of Order lingers with the wearer. Basic Effect: +35 Intelligence, +40 Constitution, +42 Wisdom Bonus Effect: Maintain Order (Unique), Fair and Square (Unique), Collective Responsibility(Unique). The wearer''s resistance is increased by 50% of the defense increased by the Crown of Order. [Maintain Order (Unique)] - The wearer¡¯s lowest stat is increased by 20% of the wearer¡¯s highest stat. [Fair and Square (Unique)] - When facing a higher-leveled enemy, two of the enemy''s stats are randomly decreased by 10%. [Collective Responsibility (Unique)] - When a specific stat is reduced by an Abnormal Status or external factors like traps, the reduction is evenly distributed among all stats to maintain bnce.] ¡°That¡¯s pretty good?¡± - A really shameless guy is entering Timbrian! - Snowman(20 years old, single) said that a Peerless item is ¡®pretty good¡¯ and is now being criticized. - I feel like the Crown of Order needs a new owner who¡¯d value them ?? - Seriously LMFAO! It would have been valued more if it was just inside of storage. - This is why you shouldn¡¯t leave your house¡­ - But the Crown of Order messes with stats a lot, huh? - Right? I respect it though¡­ - It¡¯s good, right? - How could a Peerless item be bad? LMFAO - TRUEEEEEE The Crown of Order, as its name suggested, had unique effects that significantly impacted stats. Moreover, the stats that it gave were ideal for summoners. ¡®It increased my Wisdom by 42¡­¡¯ Since most of Seol''s recent items had increased all stats rather than a specific few, seeing a huge number like 42 filled him with excitement. ¡®Maintain Order will increase my Strength by 20% of my Wisdom¡­ and Fair and Square will almost always be active for me.¡¯ The only effect Seol had questions about was Collective Responsibility, but he knew that it would prove effective if he found himself in the worst-case scenario. ¡®Because if I ever face an opponent that lowers my Wisdom stat¡­ I can rely on this to slightly mitigate it.¡¯ After reading the effects of the Crown of Order, Seol found himself moments away from arriving at Timbrian. Just a few more minutes remained. - But man¡­ he really is stubborn¡­ - I can¡¯t believe he only read the effects now¡­ - I bet he was the type of kid who wouldn¡¯t eat the marshmallow. - We all ate it right away! It was painful to wait! - I guess he just has a lot¡­ - So is this the reason why she ghosted me¡­? Seol had promptly made his way to Timbrian after departing from the Libra Magic Tower. Fortunately for him, the Remaining Time had started a bitter, allowing him some spare time to reach Timbrian. - Still, he might not have enough time to find a good Adventure¡­ - Don¡¯t you think the extra Remaining Time was a bit too much, though? - Info) There have been more cases of Snowman not getting time to rest than him using all of it. ¡®I should visit the Adventurer Association right away.¡¯ Part of the reason was to swiftly decide on the next Adventure, but also because Seol could only keep track of ongoing events by checking the Association''smunity function. ¡®If I can¡¯t find a good Adventure¡­ maybe I¡¯ll message Gyeongtaek?¡¯ It was more likely that Gyeongtaek had already left a message for Seol, though, considering his personality. Regardless, Seol passed through the guards and entered the city. And the moment he did¡­ [Next is the Points Leaderboard up to Adventure 22.] Ding¡­ [Your information is set to Private.] [You have 10,012,400 Points.] [You have surpassed 10,000,000 Adventure Points.] [You have earned the Inaugural Achievement ''There¡¯s Always Someone Better''.] [You have earned the Inaugural Title ''Someone Better''.] Once again, Seol¡¯s scores broke through the limits set by others. ¡°10 million points?¡± The messages continued after that. [Rumors of an incredible adventurer in Timbrian spread throughout the city.] [The city''s crime rate slightly decreases.] [Timbrian''s Hidden Adventures activate.] ¡­¡­ Chapter 182 [Influential figures in Timbrian extend their reach of influence.] [Individuals facing hardships seek out a powerful adventurer who could alleviate their concerns.] ¡­¡­ Seol¡¯s vision was flooded with such messages. It seemed the more Adventure Points you gathered, the more urrences like this tended to happen. ¡®If my identity gets revealed, I could get dragged into more annoying things.¡¯ It''s almost a rule of thumb that people ask for money when they find out you''ve won the lottery, after all. Seol imagined a flood of people seeking help with dangerous, non-rewarding adventures. ¡°Huh? Huuuh? Did you see that just now?¡± ¡°The message?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s my first time seeing this¡­ I wonder what this means¡­¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡± Seol slipped past the transferees on the main street. ¡®It seems that the messages weren¡¯t only sent to me¡­ were they sent to all of the transferees?¡¯ Even if they were, since the transferees and the city''s residents didn''t particrly have a way of distinguishing Seol, he could keep things quiet as long as he was cautious. Seol then checked the message that had initially caught his eye¡ªthe message about his title. [[Inaugural Title: Someone Better] Rted Achievement: There¡¯s Always Someone Better (Adventure: N/A) Bonus Effect: Gain additional skill points for your Adventure rewards. There is a high chance to receive 1 additional skill point and a low chance to receive 2.] - Ah¡­ another effect to give him more skill points ?? - The bonus he keeps getting! More skill points! - Honestly, his other titles and skills don¡¯t seem that brokenpared to the ones that give him additional skill points¡­ It had a simr effect to Affluent, a title Seol received when he first reached one million points. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t too strange that he received a simr one for reaching ten million points. However, there was a slight difference from Affluent. ¡®There¡¯s a¡­ slight chance to give 2 additional points? Then does that mean¡­ there¡¯s a chance to receive four additional skill points when I go on a Linked Adventure?¡¯ This meant that Seol had a chance to earn double the stats that he would normally acquire. And given that skill points were what transferees perceived as the symbol of bing stronger, the effects of this new title were truly remarkable. ¡®This is exactly why you have to always be ahead of the others.¡¯ With the introduction of transferees, the World of Eternity that Seol knew became increasingly tailored to the strong. The system ensured that winners always gained more, offering them opportunities to grow faster. Fortunately, Seol found himself ahead of those who were already considered ahead. With this title, which gave him even more skill points, he could easily maintain that lead. ¡®Then for now¡­ I should go visit the Adventurer Association.¡¯ The ce where information is gathered. The Association¡¯s Community function was a ce where new information constantly spread. * * * After stepping into the building, Seol immediately checked the mood. The adventurers all seemed to be on edge. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ The Adventurer Association''s Community function operated in two ways. The first was essed through a fixed machine, but in more developed cities, mobile devices were also avable for people to use while walking around the building. In Timbrian¡¯s case, it was thetter. Thanks to that, the Community in Timbrian was quite active. [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Woah¡­. Woaaaaaaaaaaaah!] Fuckkkkkkkkkkk! Who¡¯s the person with 10 million points?! - They¡¯re in our city! I saw it! They¡¯re in the city! - Info) But this is arge city. There are a lot of people whoe and go every day¡­. - They¡¯re not your friend just because you¡¯re in the same city, alright? LOL] [(NEW) [ ¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: This is unfair¡­] Why is there a Dragonite in Pallet Town¡­ - Professor Oak: Who¡¯s that Pokemon~ WTF is that?! - Are you reading this, individual with the 10 million points? If you can, tell Raphtalia to run away from you and find a different hero¡­ - Raphtalia is mine, though?] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Godzi¡¯s here!] Godzi arrived! It¡¯s Godzi! Ruuuuuuuuun! He¡¯s going to eat all our points! Ahhh! He¡¯s going to step all over us! - Crush¡­ - Godzi¡¯s OP, but my money¡¯s on King Kong. - How the fuck would King Kong beat Godzi when Godzi can shootser beams out of his mouth??? Who¡¯s the dude with 10 million points, though?] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Let¡¯s think about this logically.] Do you think you can clear an Adventure on your own if you have 10 million points? Yes/No? - No. Do you think Adventure Points could rece numbers? - But points are numbers, though¡­ - I see! Then it¡¯s possible! - How did they gather 10 million points so fast, though? Did they just go on one long Adventure after the other? - Evenrge-scale Adventures divide the points based on the members. It¡¯s then divided again based on your contributions. If you divide one thing and then divide it again¡­ it¡¯s kind of like how your wages get taxed. - You can cheat it, though. - How? - You could decrease the number of transferees a lot by bringing people from Pandea. There are a lot of people who do that too. - Oh, really? Still, that''s even riskier. Even Pandea''s residents are after the transferee rewards now, lol. - Seriously LOL! I¡¯ve had people I¡¯ve signed contracts with pull out a knife at thest moment. - That¡¯s scary¡­ Is this Compton or something? Lmfao - Regardless, I can¡¯t understand how someone was able to build up to 10 million points¡­] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: I¡¯m going to tell a story.] A friend of mine is affiliated with the Libra Tower. And I¡¯ve just received exclusive, valuable information from them. You know how the Libra Magic Tower recently hired a bunch of mercenaries, right? And you also recall how they rejected any mercenary groups with transferees in them because they feared information leakage, right? Apparently, it was all for arge-scale Adventure. - Oh shit¡­ tell us more. - Please! - There was apparently a single transferee there in thatrge-scale expedition. - WTF They¡¯re just monopolizing the points! So that¡¯s it! - They really just abused it like that?! I won¡¯t recognize someone who cheats the system. - They cleared it in the end, but most of them died. Does that still count as cheating the system? - Nope. It was a fair adventure. ?? - But apparently, the transferee was the one who carried the Adventure even though there was an Aspect Magician with them. Maybe the person with 10 million points was the person who went on it? It makes sense, time-wise as well. - You just made me lose all of my faith in you lmfaoooo - How did a transferee carry the Adventure when an Aspect Magician was there? LOOOL - Don¡¯t believe it if you don¡¯t want to.] ¡®Information¡¯s spreading faster than I thought.¡¯ Seol was relieved to see most transferees being skeptical. After all, it could be quite challenging to do anything if information about him spreads to the others. [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: I heard the same thing, so it must be real.] There are also rumors about the transferee being that Aspect Magician¡¯s apprentice. - WTF¡­ they must be a magician then, right? I bet they shootsers out of their hands. Meanwhile, our party¡¯s magician¡¯s only barely better than a lighter. - I can do something like that but the efficiency is shit lol. It devours mana, the power is mid, and controlling it is hard. - But if they really are an Aspect Magician¡¯s disciple, didn''t they make it the furthest out of any of us? Or maybe not? I did hear rumors about someone who entered the royal pce¡­ - Oh, them, LOL, You¡¯re talking about Nevenia, right? The person who went in there as the representative of transferees. - Yeah. But I don¡¯t remember making them our representative? - Me neither. I never asked them to be my representative¡­? - Who picked them then? - Total bullshit, that¡¯s what LOL. Did none of you realize how messed up Nevenia''s political status is? They all preach "harmony" and munication" while trying to squeeze as much out of us as possible. - I want them to be taken down already, seriously... I need to leave Nevenia soon too. I''ve heard rumors about transferees coborating in the outskirts and near the borders, possibly nning a rebellion. - But the princess is nice! The prince and the old ass king are annoying, though. - Haah¡­ I would kill them in one hit, I swear. - Pce Guard Lv52: What did you say? - Please end it in one hit ^^] [(NEW) [¡¯s Letter] [Send Date: 10 days ago] [Title: Hyung, can we talk when you get back?] [I wanted to get some advice about something¡­] ¡®...What?¡¯ Seol read through the rest of Gyeongtaek¡¯s letter. [ - I lost contact with the people I''ve traveled a bit with. They''re the same group you saved when you rescued me in Illia. What¡¯s on my mind¡­ is the Timbrian noble who gave us that initial request. They invited us to House Gatiff¡¯s manor as a token of thanks when wepleted the mission. I had other business, so I didn¡¯t go, but... I think my friends visited them a few times even after that initial visit. And not too long after that, they all vanished into thin air.] ¡®Hm¡­ that is suspicious.¡¯ Seol then read the next letter. ??[Friend ¡¯s Letter] [Send Date: A day ago] [Title: Hyung, I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to wait for you.] [I¡¯m getting too worried that something happened to them and sitting around like this is just making me worry more, so¡­ I¡¯ll leave you another message if everything goes well!] ¡°...Shit.¡± Gyeongtaek did not send any more messages after that. Seol then quickly read through Somi¡¯s recent letter. ??[Friend ¡¯s Letter] [Send Date: A day ago] [Title: Oppa, if you¡¯re in the Timbrian area, could you tell me if anything happened to Gyeongtaek¡­] Stand¡­ There was no time. After writing a letter to someone as a safety measure, Seol swiftly departed the building. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°I asked you if a man with that appearance visited this manor yesterday.¡± ¡°Y-You¡­ Do you have any idea where you are?¡± The Gatiff manor''s gatekeeper became furious, as if he were a member of House Gatiff himself. - He literally just walked up to them and asked LMFAOOOO - Snowman-style interrogation technique. - Working undercover! By putting them under the dirt >:) - I¡¯m sure he¡¯s just that busy~ - But honestly, I¡¯d do the same if I was him. - Why? - If they feign innocence, kill them. If they say yes, ask them where they are now. - Gyeongtaek could be dying while he¡¯s asking around, so¡­ - Don¡¯t you know you just make it harder on yourself if you¡¯re weak? Snowman¡¯s strong enough to plow through these guys like a bulldozer. "I heard my friend was close with the youngdy of House Gatiff. And I also heard he visited this manor yesterday." ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Even if that is the case¡­ I don¡¯t know why I should tell you anything.¡± ¡°......¡± "To simply barge into House Gatiff¡¯s manor, as if they aren''t the very pir of Timbrian..." Seol stared daggers at the arrogant gatekeeper. ¡°Wh-what are you¡­¡± ¡°You will tell me.¡± ¡°Y-You little¡­¡± Suddenly, a woman who appeared to be the "youngdy" Seol mentioned earlier emerged. ¡°Please stop, Sir Joraz.¡± ¡°B-But Lady Seras, he¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I will handle it myself,¡± said Seras. ¡°Excuse me, but¡­ Are you perhaps Snowman?¡± Seol felt a chill. Neither of the two before him had shown any threat. He was simply concerned that she knew about him. ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°I heard about you from your younger brother. He always talked about you, as if it was a habit, but¡­ I never thought I¡¯d be meeting you like this.¡± She was likely referring to Gyeongtaek. After all, he always took pride in his rtionship with Seol. ¡°I¡¯m here because of him.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t keep a guest waiting outside like this. Sir Joraz, please allow him entry.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­¡± ¡°...Quickly now.¡± ¡°Y-Yes! Understood.¡± Joraz unwillingly opened the gate for Seol. "I just happened to be enjoying some refreshments. I''ve also baked these cookies myself, so I would like to hear what you think of them." ¡°...Okay.¡± If Seol had met her under different circumstances, ones where Gyeongtaek wasn¡¯t involved, there was a good chance he would have let down his guard. Step¡­ Step¡­ The manor¡¯s interior appeared normal. There were no other words to really describe it other than tidy. However, Seol noticed something. The air here felt extremely heavy. Seol wasn¡¯t the only one who felt something off. - Found it! Ur insidiouslyughed from inside Seol¡¯s Shadow Space. - I never imagined we''d find so much Shadow Essence gathered like this... There are shadows concentrated somewhere here. Soon, you''ll be reunited with that wolf who loved you so dearly. Ur then ended with one final statement. - Take control of the shadows here. Seol slowly nodded as he looked around the interior more. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t too disappointed by ourcking wee. Your visit was rather abrupt¡­¡± ¡°Why would I? More importantly¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Inhale¡­ Seol inhaled the air around him. Or, more urately, the scent that had been permeating the manor''s halls. ¡®This smell ising from her, not the manor itself. This smell¡­¡¯ Seol retrieved a crumpled letter from his inventory. He then took in its scent. ¡®It¡¯s the same smell.¡¯ Seol had long memorized the letter''s contents. It belonged to Mcus, the Shadow Hunter, who was present when Seol awakened his Exceptional Skill. A letter that Seol retrieved from his corpse. - Hello, I am Mcus. I cannot see. I hope for your generous understanding despite the messy handwriting. I am from a small noble family in Timbrian, and I am it''s¡­* *TL/Note: Mcus¡¯s letter has slightly changed due to a trantion error. ¡®Now that I think about it¡­ Mcus was from Timbrian as well.¡¯ - They have a ck rose tattoo on the back of their hand. It was impossible to tell their gender through their voice, and they weren¡¯t too big either. They smelled like medicine. I remember all of those perfectly. I have also left that person¡¯s scent in this letter. The moment Seol realized that Seras Gatiff was rted to Mcus¡¯s tragedy, a message entered his eyes. [You have received additional information on Hidden Adventure ''Stockholm Syndrome''.] [Once the conditions have been met, a Sudden Adventure will activate.] ¡®...There¡¯s something here.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Seras Gatiff as she settled herself onto the reception room¡¯s sofa. ¡°It''s nothing,¡± Seol smiled. Faaade¡­ Seol silently released invisible crows into the manor from his shadows. Chapter 183 As Seol settled into a sofa opposite Seras, their conversationmenced. "To think I¡¯d unintentionally invite someone so renowned in this area into my humble manor. It makes me quite nervous." ¡°You don¡¯t need to concern yourself so much. I¡¯m also at fault foring here unannounced.¡± ¡°Even so, a guest is a guest.¡± p p¡­ Seol had to focus to not lose track of the conversation as he was simultaneously controlling nearly 10 crows to search through the Gatiff manor. Meooow¡­ Seol nced at the cats in the reception room, basking in the sunlight as they stretched. There were a little over five of them, clearly Seras''s pets. Seras, seeing Seol¡¯s gaze, quickly added on. ¡°Are you ufortable around them?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°They are my beloved pets.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine with them.¡± "Still, I apologize. Some people do feel uneasy around them on their first visit.¡± Seol took his time, observing each of the colorful cats. ¡®...They also faintly have that same smell. Could it be because of her?¡¯ Seol quickly paid them no mind. After all, he didn¡¯te here for the cats. p p¡­ Seol''s crows used their beaks and talons to go through various doors in the manor. As they continued to spread out, he mentally mapped the information they gathered. - Kuku¡­ You seem to be focused on things other than your conversation with her. ¡®Why don¡¯t you keep your mouth shut if you know?¡¯ - I doubt she could ever imagine you doing something like this behind her back. As Ur noted, Seras Gatiff appeared oblivious to the situation, simply continuing to pet her cat. Meow¡­ "Okay, okay¡­" Seras said to her cats before turning to Seol. "Oh! By the way, what was the reason for themotion earlier?" Essentially, she was asking Seol why he was causing such a mess in front of her manor. As it was customary for a guest to properly state the reason for their visit, Seol told her the truth. ¡°Did someone named ¡®Jo Gyeongtaek¡¯ visit this manor yesterday?¡± ¡°Jo Gyeongtaek¡­¡± Seol knew that Gyeongtaek actively used his real name instead of his nickname. In fact, quite a number of people operated under their real names instead, as their nicknames were rather odd. "Yes, he did," answered Seras. "I invited him to a meal to thank him for sessfullypleting a request I made of him before." ¡°...And?¡± p p¡­ There was no way Seras would tell Seol the truth. As such, he focused more on exploring the manor with his crows to find traces of Gyeongtaek himself. Flutter¡­ Seol then received a reaction from a crow he sent to the annex, not the main building. ¡®...So it¡¯s in that direction.¡¯ As Seol couldn¡¯t find anything suspicious in the main building, he made all of the crows head toward the annex. p p¡­ As Seol¡¯s crows began darting through the garden, the gardener, noticing them, tilted his head in confusion. "Why are there so many crows¡­?" Meanwhile, Seras, unaware of the crows, continued her conversation with Seol. "After our meal, he stayed for a while before leaving in the evening. I¡¯ve prepared a guest room and a bed for him just in case, but he refused." ¡°I see, but¡­¡± Seol looked directly into her eyes. "I''m also aware that it wasn''t just him who was invited." ¡°......¡± Seras went silent for a second before responding. "Ah... you''re referring to his party members, I see. Yes, I do remember inviting them for meals multiple times before, as well. They''ve alsoplimented my refreshments. It actually made me so happy that I''ve invited them multiple times since then." She then nced at the table. The only cookies that had been eaten so far were the ones she herself had eaten. ¡°Are you¡­ not going to try my snacks?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy snacks, so no.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I am not here as a guest today.¡± ¡°......¡± At first nce, it might seem like Seol was threatening her. However, considering that people went missing here, it would have been even more unusual if Seol didn¡¯t take any action. Seras let out a long sigh. ¡°Haaah¡­ I heard you have a connection to Earl Brispin, is that correct?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Seol wondered why she had suddenly asked that. ¡°I, too, frequently confer with Earl Brispin. I should mention that it is quite troublesome if you suddenly visit my manor without any prior word for personal business.¡± "...Now that I think about it, you¡¯re right." Pretending to agree, Seol subtly nced at the back of her hand. - They have a ck rose tattoo on the back of their hand. It was impossible to tell their gender through their voice, and they weren¡¯t too big either. They smelled like medicine. I remember all of those perfectly. I have also left that person¡¯s scent in this letter. ¡®She doesn¡¯t have the rose tattoo.¡¯ So, does that mean Seras Gatiff wasn''t the one who pushed Mcus into hell? Then, was Gyeongtaek¡¯s disappearance after visiting this manor just a coincidence? And was her having a scent simr to the one that Mcus left behind also just a coincidence? ¡®No, there¡¯s definitely something more.¡¯ Meoooow! A white cat jumped onto Seras¡¯sp. The cat coyly cried as it snuggled against Seras before fixing its gaze directly on Seol. Its emerald eyes almost seemed to be urging Seol to leave, as if to stop annoying Seras any further. Seras quicklyforted the cat. ¡°Okay, yeah. I understand.¡± While the cat captured Seras''s attention, Seol also received some good news. p p¡­ ¡®...Found it!¡¯ Seol¡¯s crows had managed to find traces of something hidden in the annex, prompting him to quickly stand up. ¡°I apologize. I must have been mistaken.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite alright,¡± answered Seras. ¡°I¡¯m sure you were just worried that something happened to someone close to you. I would have done the same thing.¡± ¡°Thank you for allowing me in.¡± "It was nothing, really. Jurie, please guide our guest to the exit.¡± ¡°Yes, this way.¡± Step¡­ step¡­ As Seol followed the attendant out, Seras let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°Fuu¡­ He¡¯s finally gone.¡± Meoooow¡­ ¡°It¡¯s fine now.¡± Who could she be talking to? But then¡­ Transform¡­ The white cat leaped from herp and transformed mid-air, turning into a human. ¡°Nyaaaaa¡­ I hate it. I don¡¯t like it at all. Being suspected is awful.¡± ¡°Th-that is why I said that getting ourselves involved with transferees would be¡­¡± Despite having turned into a human, the woman still retained her cat ears and tail, along with her cat eyes. The cat that Seras had been holding onto was, in truth, a beastman. ¡°Would be¡­?¡± ¡°It¡­¡± ¡°Seras¡­ stay in line. I, your master, will make all the decisions.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°And my will is essentially the same as theirs. I¡¯ve made deals with them for a long, long time. I¡¯m sure you understand what I¡¯m trying to say, right?¡± ¡°That if I go against you¡­ I¡¯d die.¡± Fwip¡­ The beastwoman quickly grabbed Seras¡¯s chin. ¡°Then why are you acting like that when you know it so well? It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re trying to make me want to cut you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ he just seemed to be extremely suspicious, so¡­¡± As the beastwoman¡¯s hand ran down the side of Seras¡¯s face, it revealed a ck rose tattoo on the back of her hand. "It¡¯s fine. Your acting was passable, so I doubt he¡¯de back for a while. You¡¯re quite good at deceiving others. Maybe it¡¯s from your mother." ¡°...He didn¡¯t realize anything, right?¡± ¡°Realize what?¡± ¡°That we¡¯re rted to the missing transferees. We¡¯ve already taken so many¡­¡± "Ah, hold it right there. I understand your fear, but there''s no need to worry. He''s left, and even if he''s suspicious, what can he really do? Even if he noticed something, how else can he investigate besides trying to interrogate you? He doesn''t even know where his brother is... In fact, he might choose to keep his distance, thinking that getting closer would only make things worse." ¡°You¡­ are right.¡± "All you need to do is follow my instructions. Keep ensnaring good transferees into your spiderweb, just as your mother hunted adventurers in the past." Despite nodding in response, Seras''s body continued to tremble, though not because of the beastwoman in front of her. "Yes, but... I''m still so worried. Not only because of his fame, but his eyes... they were terrifying." "In the end, it''s just one transferee. There''s nothing humans can do on their own. I doubt he''d even be able to jump over the Gatiff manor''s walls.¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Around that time, Seol slipped past House Gatiff¡¯s condescending gatekeeper and scouted the surroundings. After checking all sides, Seol reached a conclusion. ¡°Hm¡­ let¡¯s jump the wall.¡± - There¡¯s no choice, let¡¯smit crimes. - I can hear Agony smiling from here! - ???: Kukuku¡­ your end is near. Ur, Seol''s powerful summon, agreed with his basic n. - Kuku¡­ it may seem foolish, but it is also the fastest method. I couldn¡¯t sense any magical barriers or rms either¡­ not that it would matter with me by your side. But to think it would be this flimsy¡­ was their weak gatekeeper really that trustworthy? Seol then saw a few options. [[You have a feeling that Seras Gatiff has a connection to Mcus. However, there is nothing you can do with just a hunch. What do you do?] 1. Return to the gatekeeper and draw his attention. 2. Investigate the Gatiff manor with Earl Brispin. 3. Sneak into the manor at night. 4. Look into rumors about the Gatiff manor. ¡­¡­] Seol, considering that waiting until nightfall would be a waste of time, first sent his crows over the wall to scout it out before leaping over it in a single jump. Fft! Fwooosh¡­ Despite its explosiveness, the only sound it made was a small rustle that a gentle breeze would make. Seol quickly headed to the annex, avoiding the guards. ¡®Is it normally unused?¡¯ Seol, sensing no presence within, spected that it was likely a guest room. Fwoosh¡­ The way the crows went in was too small for Seol to fit through. As such, he chose a window that would likely attract the least attention and broke it to enter. Crack¡­ Seol did his best to make little to no sound. Fwip! Fwooosh! After entering the annex, Seol quickly ran to the door his crows spotted earlier. An ominous door stood in the way to the basement area. Not only did it bear an eerie pattern, but it also seemed as if forcing it open would produce a loud noise. ¡®...What should I do about this lock?¡¯ - Fufufu¡­ watch carefully. Ur summoned himself from the Shadow Space and ced his hand on the door. ¡°Let me show my true worth.¡± [Ur, the Sealed¡¯s Wizardry activates.] [Ur, the Sealed, deciphers the unidentified spell.] [Spell deciphering in progress.] [The spell has been sessfully deciphered.] [Ur, the Sealed, confirms the spell ''Magic Circle: Housekeeping Dog''.] [Ur, the Sealed, confirms the spell ''Magic Circle: Dramatic''.] ¡­¡­ - Woah¡­ he looks like an expert lol! - Let¡¯s gooooo - Dababy: Let¡¯s gooooooo - So what is Wizardry exactly? - I don¡¯t¡­ know? I think only Ur knows. "Hm... I thought it was rather weak, but... it''s slightly better than I anticipated. Still, it''s so dull it makes me want to yawn. They likely ced their faith in these spells rather than the guards. After all, this is something that would take weaklings days to dispel, but..." Ur began tough. [Devour Magic activates.] Gulp¡­ [Ur, the Sealed, is consuming Magic Circle: Housekeeping Dog.] [Ur, the Sealed, is consuming Magic Circle: Dramatic.] As Ur''s Adam''s apple moved up and down, the magic circles on the door slowly began to fade away. - Leave magic circles to me! Spirit man! - He said they were pretty good = I¡¯m better than a pretty good guy, so praise me. ¡°For me, it only takes seconds.¡± After saying that, Ur took subtle nces at Seol. It was clear he was desperate for something. Seol, catching on, said a word. ¡°...Incredible.¡± "Kuhuhu... don''t praise me too much. It¡¯s embarrassing as a wizard to be praised for something as minuscule as this.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± - That¡¯s it? - Praise me more! - He doesn¡¯t give empty praises, though! - At least Snowman was nice enough to praise him in the first ce! In truth, Seol waspletely in awe of Ur¡¯s skill. Though Jamad and the Twin Knights were clearly helpful, Seol has had to handle everything magic-rted by himself until now. ¡®He¡­ definitely will be a huge help.¡¯ Though Seol had yet to test Ur out inbat, his knowledge and skills were more than enough already. ¡°Then¡­¡± Creaaaak¡­ As Seol opened the door,plete darkness weed him, apanied by messages signaling that the circumstances had changed. [You have received additional information on Hidden Adventure ''Stockholm Syndrome''.] [The conditions for the Sudden Adventure have been met.] [Sudden Adventure ¡®Stockholm Syndrome¡¯ is now active.] [This Adventure is very dangerous.] [Because this Adventure is a Linked Adventure, you cannot choose your next Adventure.] [You have skipped your Rest.] [You begin your next Adventure.] ¡­¡­ Seol¡¯s eyes quickly adapted to the darkness. Chapter 184 Creaaak¡­ Thud! After seeing the door close behind them, Ur said a word to Seol. "Hm... So they''ve also included a spell that recreates the magic circles when it''s closed again.¡± ¡°Would that be an issue?¡± ¡°Not at all. In fact, they¡¯ve just made hiding our tracks easier. If it were me, I would¡¯ve changed out the entire design of this first¡­¡± Seol, quickly recalling Ur¡¯s skill from earlier, asked him a question. ¡°Ur, what was that skill just now?¡± ¡°Skill? When did I use a skill?¡± ¡°You just consumed that magic circle.¡± ¡°Something like that can¡¯t even be called a skill. Have you forgotten who the father of all magic was?¡± Ur was the first wizard. His actions were currently beyond Seol¡¯sprehension. ¡°However, there are restrictions behind it.¡± ¡°Restrictions¡­?¡± ¡°This is all because I¡¯ve be your summon. When Ist checked, this body¡¯s limits were deciphering, dismantling, and condensing.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± "It''s simple. I can decipher mana-rted items and mana itself and break it down to its core: pure mana." "And condensing?" "I could then condense the dismantled mana into arge mass.¡± ¡°What would you use that for?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? To kill my enemies.¡± ¡°......¡± "It''s also my only method of attacking at the moment. In essence, I devour spells to store them, condense the mana, and then unleash it upon my enemies." ¡°...That¡¯s all you can do? Really?¡± ¡°Quiet! This is all because of you! Did you forget that you could only summon me because I weakened myself to match your pathetic level? It¡¯s almost my first time being so weak. It¡¯s awful!¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± "Not to mention, I''ve always focused on things other thanbat." ¡°Other things?¡± Urughed insidiously. "Nurturing and refining. You have no idea how many wizards I''ve guided who have left their mark on history." ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like anyone remembers wizards anyway.¡± ¡°...There¡¯s a mistake. It¡¯s clear that something went awry.¡± Seol paused his conversation with Ur for a moment to check the contents of the Sudden Adventure. [Your 23rd Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 23. Stockholm Syndrome] [Adventure 23. ¡®Stockholm Syndrome¡¯ Rare is the asion when one feels not only sympathy for the viin but also swayed by their plight. Yet, undoubtedly, it urs. Mcus, once an adversary who pushed you to the brink, had lost both of his eyes and family to the hands of unknown assants when he was young. His life was then consumed by rage and despair. Through the letter he left behind, you had learned of his past. Boldly, he requested the reader to seek vengeance on his behalf. Your willingness to heed his plea fluctuates day by day. Some days, it matters little; others, you feelpelled to act. Such is the trivial bond between you and Mcus. By chance, you encounter someone bearing traits reminiscent of those who deprived Mcus of his family. And also by chance, you uncover a hidden chamber, a secret kept by them. Today is a day filled with many coincidences. For you¡­ And for your opponent as well. Regardless, you n to uncover the secrets of this basement. Objective: Uncover the basement¡¯s secrets. This Adventure is a Sudden Adventure. Remaining Time [About 3 days]] ¡®Yeah, it really is a coincidence.¡¯ In truth, Seol cared little for Mcus''s past. What significance did Mcus''s life hold for him, after all? Nheless, Seol found himself in the role of Mcus¡¯s avenger. ¡®How ironic.¡¯ Bornuil quickly borrowed Ur¡¯s body to get a word in. "Ohoho... the basement is quite spacious. We shouldn''t regard it as a mere storage area." Bornuil typically remained asleep, allowing Urplete control. Despite the belief that one sleeps less as they age, that didn''t seem to be the case for Bornuil. [Intermediate Insight activates.] [You have found traces of swept-away cobwebs.] [You have found unerased footprints.] [It is clear that this ce has been recently cleaned.] Seol inspected everything as he descended further underground, like a detective. p p¡­ A crow Seol had dispatched earlier showed a reaction. ¡®That way.¡¯ Even though it was underground, it didn¡¯t feel damp at all. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Seol entered an isted room, following the crow. Within, a man drooled, his arms and legs bound to the wall with iron chains, his gaze fixed straight ahead. ¡°H-Hyung?¡± ¡°...Gyeongtaek.¡± ¡°Hyung?! Is that you?¡± The drooling man was Jo Gyeongtaek. All of his equipment had been stripped from him, leaving him only in his underwear. ¡°Hyung¡­ Y-You have to run away¡­ this ce is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s alright now.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Gyeongtaek''s head hung low. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I just am.¡± Crush! Seol broke the iron cuffs with one swift tug. Luckily, Gyeongtaek didn''t appear to be particrly injured. He simply seemed to have some difficulty moving after being tied down for so long. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I am, but¡­ where are we?¡± ¡°...Do you not remember?¡± Gyeongtaek did not seem to be in the right state of mind. Not only were his pupils rolling around, but he also continued to gaze upward as if searching for something in the sky. ¡°What¡­ What happened to me?¡± ¡°What do you remember, Gyeongtaek?¡± "I went to the Gatiff manor because of my party members, and I sat down after being led by one of the employees... but I don''t remember anything after that. I was here when I woke up." ¡°...Can you move?¡± ¡°Yes, my body feels normal. More importantly, hyung¡­ how did you¡­¡± Seol calmly exined to Gyeongtaek how he ended up there. Gyeongtaek, after hearing that, thanked Seol. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you came here just for me¡­¡± ¡°It was easier than I thought.¡± ¡°And hyung¡­ it¡¯s marked as a dangerous Adventure¡­ It¡¯s my first time seeing a warning like that¡­¡± Oftentimes, a message stating, "This Adventure is very dangerous" would pop up from time to time. However, Seol learned that it wasn''t necessarily a cause for concern. ¡®Alcatron was just a unique case.¡¯ The warning didn¡¯t necessarily indicate that the Adventure was difficult to clear. It was a message that automatically appeared when it exceeded the difficulty level typically manageable for someone at that level. ¡®It shouldn¡¯t matter as long as my level is simr.¡¯ It was no longer something Seol had to mind at all. After all, he was fine even in Alcatron. Seol was currently in the middle of Timbrian, in a noble''s basement. Nothing here couldpare to what he experienced in Alcatron. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± ¡°Th-then¡­ Do you think my party members¡­ could be here as well?¡± "Let''s search for them since we have time." Squeak squeak¡­ squeak¡­ Seol nudged the rats away with his foot as he continued. Then, he checked his inventory for any spare equipment before handing them over to Gyeongtaek. It was certainly better than leaving him walking around in his underwear. ¡°Aren¡¯t these all¡­ Rare-quality or higher?¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t like them, keep them on until we get out.¡± ¡°...Okay.¡± Ahem¡­ Ur spoke to Seol from the Shadow Space. - I smell blood. ¡®I sensed it too.¡¯ Seol swiftly stopped after smelling blood nearby. While Seol was used to corpses and blood, the same couldn''t be said for Gyeongtaek beside him. ¡°Gyeongtaek.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I smell blood.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°It could be your party members.¡± ¡°...It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll prepare myself.¡± Step¡­ step¡­ The two entered another secret area. ¡°This is¡­¡± A putrid odor permeated the room, emanating from the leather sacks stacked in the corner. There were also bloodied tools, which Seol couldn''t determine whether they were meant for some sort of experiment or torture. Gyeongtaek walked toward one of the leather sacks before opening it. ¡°Bwrgh¡­¡± He quickly turned his head away before vomiting. After emptying his stomach, Gyeongtaek spoke to Seol. ¡°Corpses¡­¡± ¡°...Let¡¯s look elsewhere.¡± Gyeongtaek¡¯s face turnedpletely pale. It appeared that witnessing one horrifying scene after another would have that effect on anyone. Open¡­ The two opened another door. ¡°Over there! I see my equipment!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah! Let me change real quick.¡± Seol nodded in response. At first nce, this room seemed like a treasure trove. ''Well, perhaps "treasure" wasn''t the right word,'' Seol thought. These items were likely left behind by the deceased, belongings of the corpses from the earlier room. Unlike the earlier rooms that had been neglected, this room appeared to have been well-maintained. The items were neatly organized by type, allowing Gyeongtaek to quickly locate all of his original equipment. Seol, noticing that most of the items here were of low quality, shifted his interest to other things. Flutter¡­ ¡°Papers?¡± Seol, seeing a bundle of papers in a corner, began rummaging through them. Fwip¡­ Fwip¡­ Seol saw various important documents likend certificates and inheritances. "These are all just spoils.¡± Things that the individual behind it all took after killing the victims. Seol gritted his teeth in anger at the culprit''s cruelty as he sifted through more and more documents. But then¡­. ¡°......¡± Seol¡¯s hands stopped at one particr certificate. A painful memory came flowing back to him. - I can¡¯t¡­ do it anymore¡­ I want to go back. Isn¡¯t this more than enough? ¡®No, it can¡¯t be.¡¯ - I''m telling you, I''m done with these damned adventures! I''m going back home to farm instead! My family is waiting for me, and I have no intention of dying in a ce like this! ¡®A plot ofnd in Adeline¡­ So, here¡­¡¯ After inspecting thend certificate, Seol proceeded to locate its position on the map. After that, Seol walked over to Gyeongtaek. ¡°Hyung? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°...Let¡¯s go. I need to check something.¡± Seol, carrying thend certificate that troubled him, exited the room with Gyeongtaek. Before arriving in this room, only Gyeongtaek was worried. But now, the situation had changed. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * The two began to navigate the underground faster than before. It didn¡¯t take long for Gyeongtaek to locate his party members. ¡°Gyeongtaek!¡± ¡°Hyomin noona!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here too!¡± ¡°Kangoh hyung!¡± Gyeongtaek only saw two of them. He didn¡¯t see the others. ¡°Where¡¯s¡­ everyone else?¡± ¡°They¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re all dead! I saw those masked bastards kill them with my own two eyes!¡± Grind¡­ ¡°Those fucking bastards¡­¡± Gyeongtaek quickly freed the woman named Hyomin and the man named Kangoh from their restraints. Thanks to Gyeongtaek bringing along some spare equipment earlier, they were able to avoid any embarrassing moments. Hyomin, realizing her situation, quickly spoke up. ¡°W-We have to run. Gyeongtaek! We need to run, now¡­¡± ¡°Why? Those bastards killed¡­¡± "It''s because we overheard what they were discussing. This... This isn''t something we should involve ourselves in.¡± ¡°But what about our dead party members?!¡± Gyeongtaek shouted in anger. ¡°......¡± However, the option wasn¡¯t theirs to choose. ¡°We¡­ can¡¯t go back yet.¡± ¡°Who are¡­ wait¡­ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re?!¡± ¡°Hyung! Seol hyung¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Really? Is that really him?¡± ¡°Yeah! So just believe in him!¡± The two smiled upon recognizing Seol, as if they had gained an army of support. However, after hearing Seol''s next words, their expressions quickly turned to frowns. "We have to uncover what''s going on in here." ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just do as he says, noona,¡± said Gyeongtaek. ¡°Trying to escape on our own would be more dangerous.¡± After some quick convincing from Gyeongtaek, Kangoh, and Hyomin agreed to follow Seol once more, and the group resumed their exploration of the underground. However, their search quickly came to an end. - Up ahead. Seol nodded in response to Ur''s voice and pressed forward. Iron cages littered their surroundings, containing some kind of humanoid creatures trapped within. ¡°...I see.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­ aren¡¯t they all shadows?¡± ¡°Hyung, is this¡­ really alright?¡± Seol peered into the cages at the shadows trapped within. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Uarrrr¡­¡± The shadows spoke unintelligibly. Names were written at the top of the cages, likely identifying the individuals whose shadows were trapped within. As Seol examined one name after another, he noticed that they were arranged in alphabetical order. ¡®If so¡­¡¯ Seol quickly walked through, looking for a specific name. ¡®It won¡¯t¡­ It can¡¯t be here.¡¯ However, not long after, Seol came to a halt in front of a particr steel cage. ¡°Urrrrrrrrr¡­¡± The shadow in the cage, resembling a middle-aged man at first nce, attempted to say something upon seeing Seol. And at that exact moment¡­ Craaaaaaash! A few daggers flew through the air,nding where Seol had stood moments before. A voice emerged from the darkness. ¡°Fufufu¡­ You dodged that? You¡¯re pretty good for a transferee, aren¡¯t you?¡± A female beastman resembling a cat appeared from the halls behind them. ¡°...That awful-smelling cat from earlier?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me¡­ but why¡¯d you have toe here? You ended up revealing everything. What should I do, hm¡­ You seem pretty strong too¡­¡± said the beastman. Hyomin, from behind Seol, whispered to him. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous¡­¡± ¡°......¡± The female beastman reacted to Hyomin¡¯s voice. ¡°You¡­ You know something, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Who am I?¡± ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Then who do I work for?¡± ¡°Stop, please¡­¡± "The Church of Eternal Life again?" Seol remarked in a t tone. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right! I¡¯m working for the Church of Eternal Life. Now¡­ what should I do with you¡­?¡± Gyeongtaek was shocked after hearing their name. ¡°Th-The Church of Eternal Life?!¡± ¡°Fufufu¡­ It seems like you¡¯ve heard of us as well, child,¡± said the female beastman. ¡°.......¡± Gyeongtaek''s expression froze. It appeared that information about the Church of Eternal Life had spread to the transferees as well. Contrastingly, Seol''s expression remained unchanged as he regarded the beastman with a cool demeanor. "The Church of Eternal Life wouldn''t stoop to something like this. They aren''t interested in such matters. Their leader is the only thing on their minds.¡± ¡°How did you know that?¡± "Acts like these¡­ are onlymitted by pathetic bastards who aspire to join them. Bastards like you.¡± ¡°Fufu¡­ You might have been right in the past, but¡­ the Church of Eternal Life is a bit different now.¡± ¡°...Is that so?¡± Despite their conversation, Seol¡¯s gaze had remained fixed on the steel cage in front of him. Feeling ignored, the catwoman began to growl andsh out in frustration. ¡°Focus on me! Ah! Don¡¯t tell me¡­ is that shadow someone you know?¡± ¡°Yeah, unfortunately.¡± The name on the steel cage: Lian Kuruos. An individual who used to be Seol¡¯s piece. A piece that Seol had returned to his family. Why was he here? Everyone had lines that others couldn''t cross, boundaries that, when vited, could trigger uncontroble rage. For Seol, that line was his life¡ªhis pieces. ¡°You¡­ will die here.¡± "Pfft... yeah? But oh no... I doubt the Church of Eternal Life would just sit back if you did that.¡± Crossing the line meant invoking Seol''s fury. ¡°If the Church of Eternal Life gets in my way¡­ I¡¯ll end them as well.¡± Glooow¡­ ck energy began to gather in Seol¡¯s hands. Chapter 185 The deeper yers delved into The World of Eternity, the more they thought about the concepts of effort and talent. Eventually, yers concluded that no matter how hard you worked, catching up to a character with a powerful Innate Talent was impossible. These talents rarely appeared when creating a character. As the name suggested, these talents were given to a character at birth, setting them apart from others. ¡°Howe I¡¯ve never gotten an Innate Talent before?¡± ¡°A lot of people haven¡¯t gotten one yet. It¡¯s almost my first time getting one.¡± The most important period in The World of Eternity was undoubtedly the early game. If a yer could obtain a skill early in the game that enhanced their growth, it could snowball to the point of creating an insurmountable gap in thete game. ¡°I-I got one!¡± ¡°Snowman! What did you get? What?!¡± Just saying it excited Seol. Lian Kuruos. ¡°I got¡­ an Innate Talent.¡± ¡°Let me see¡­ Oh my god¡­!¡± ¡°Everyone, look! Snowman¡¯s got a real monster over here!¡± Seol had begun to distinguish himself as someone who raised his pieces well, and with a weapon like this, all the other yers began to anticipate the heights this new piece would reach. However, something unexpected urred. - I-I don¡¯t think I¡¯m cut out for this. Bwrgh¡­ ¡°Again?¡± ¡°I know, right¡­¡± Even with talent and effort, bing a legend wasn¡¯t guaranteed. Lian Kuruos had no interest in being an adventurer. This¡­ might just be what people called ¡®aptitude¡¯. - I want to go back to my family¡­ I¡¯ve earned as much as I need, so¡­ I¡¯m going to buy a small plot next to my home¡­ Lian had one of the best Innate Talents that Seol had seen so far. It was as if fate itself had singled him out to be extraordinary, to be an adventurer. However, each adventure only brought him pain. - This time, Visian died¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ do this anymore. It¡¯s too painful. I¡¯m going back¡­ I want to go back. I¡¯ll buy a farm. What would be good to grow? Grapes? Actually, pumpkins might be better. ¡°......¡± Witnessing that, Seol eventually came to a decision. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± ¡°...I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Do you know how hard it is to get an Innate Talent?! And you¡¯re giving that up?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Seol gazed at the downcast, cowering piece on the table before speaking. ¡°He¡¯s in pain. He wants to return to his family.¡± ¡°...Are you really caring about what some stupid piece is saying?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just know I want to do it.¡± "Haah... fine. Do whatever you want. I doubt he would''ve even made it through the mid game like that.¡± Seol¡¯s decision came as a shock to the others. To think there was a yer who would do as their piece wanted them to. While everyone was astonished and confused by Seol¡¯s actions, he had already decided. Lian''s family home was tucked away in the impoverished Adeline countryside. Seol wasted no time. He approached thendlord who owned Lian¡¯s home and a couple of plots nearby and bought them¡ªfulfilling Lian''s long-held dream. ¡°Lian.¡± [[Would you like to give up on Lian Kuruos¡¯s Adventure?] 1. Yes. 2. No.] ¡°I hope you find happiness with your family.¡± [Adventurer Lian Kuruos will now pioneer his own path and fate.] [Though this heart-racing Adventure is over, his life will still continue.] ¡°It was fun while itsted.¡± Seol and Lian¡¯s rtionship ended there. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [You have uncovered the basement¡¯s secrets.] [Rewards are being arranged.] [The Linked Adventure continues.] [You can only collect your rewards after all Adventures have been cleared.] [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 24th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 24. Basement¡¯s Secrets] [Adventure 24. ¡®Basement¡¯s Secrets¡¯ You have finally uncovered the secrets of the Gatiff manor. It is undeniable that terrible atrocities have urred within these walls. The mastermind behind it all is now attempting to silence you. You must resist. Objective: Defeat Zeri, the Profiteer. This Adventure is a Sudden Adventure. Remaining Time [About 3 days]] The second Sudden Adventure arrived just as abruptly as the first one. With his Eyes of Foresight, Seol observed the catwoman. [[Zeri, the Profiteer] Rank: Heroic Estimated Level: 30~32 Zeri, the Profiteer, would trade anything for profit. Though she was born penniless, she now lives avish lifestyle. Her secrets are as potent as venom. Having thrived on selling weapons, ves, and even children, she has now found an even more lucrativemodity to sell: the shadows of others. Basic Skills: [Acrobatics 3], [Daggery 4], [Sudden Death 1], [Choke 5], [Coin Toss 2], [Shadow Summon 2], [Emergency Substitution 2] Unique Skills: [Indiscriminate shes 1]] Seol¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t even trust the ¡°This Adventure is very dangerous¡± warning anymore.¡¯ As he had expected, Zeri, the Profiteer, who appeared to be the final boss of this Adventure, did not seem strong at all. "What? Are you scared? If you are, just say so. I''ll make it easy on you," Zeri taunted. ¡°...How pathetic.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Seol felt that his anger was a waste. If his opponent had been stronger¡­ at least they could have withstood his emotions. Seol smiled bitterly, as if he had be upset at a child. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ too weak.¡± Zeri, the Profiteer, retorted with an angry re. "You must be feeling confident, huh! Ah... I almost forgot. You''re a Shadow Summoner too, right?" ¡°......¡± "Then you''re my junior, right? Let me, your senior, teach you how to control your shadows. Summon them!" ng! Zeri''s underling suddenly appeared and began chanting a spell. As they did, most of the steel cages opened. ¡°Shadows¡­ are supposed to be used like this. I¡¯ll give you a worthy wee.¡± Junior. It had been a long time since Seol heard that word. - Snowman, did you know? We Shadow Summoners have two paths. - Two¡­ paths. - The first path is the beaten path that rules over shadows to bring out their maximum strength. The other path¡­ is a rough road where no one has zed through yet. A path of coexistence with the shadows. Which sid¡ª Seol recalled Mirei, who had helped him awaken his Exceptional Skill. Even though Zeri was the exact opposite of Mirei, she still managed to evoke memories of his past. Seol grimaced as if genuinely upset. Today was a day filled with memories of various people in his past. As Seol was about to enter the Night Crow form, Ur stopped him. - Hold it right there. ¡®...What? Why?¡¯ - I''m sure you''ll be able to end it in an instant. After all, tearing her head from her body would likely take no more than a second. But... isn''t that what you''ve always done? ¡®...What are you trying to say?¡¯ Ur then began to exin. - Just this once, trust me. After all, I have mentored many and have reached the pinnacle of wizardry. Ur did possess a Talent called ''Legendary Teacher''. But how was it meant to be used? - If you don¡¯t, your knights will face a wall and won¡¯t be able to grow from here. Ur wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong here. After acquiring the Night Crow form, Seol relied more on himself than his summons to fight. He had regarded Karen and Karuna as essories more than anything. And because of that, he hadn''t been paying attention to their growth. - Or¡­ do you not believe in them? After all, Seol in the Night Crow form was stronger than them. What Ur was trying to point out was Seol¡¯s current method of thinking. Seol stopped himself from entering the Night Crow form and summoned the Twin Knights from his hands. ¡°Pffft¡­ You only have two summons? How cute.¡± Seol ignored Zeri and looked directly at his two knights. [Passive: Resonance activates on Karen.] [Passive: Resonance activates on Karuna.] A skill that originally belonged to Kiri, Koopa¡¯s master. The Twin Knights, fueled by their master''s emotions and will, trembled with rage. ¡°Protect the others, and¡­¡± Point¡­ Seol raised a finger at Zeri. ¡°Bring her to her knees in front of me.¡± Karen and Karuna both responded instantly. ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± Gyeongtaek and the others quickly gathered to Seol''s side. ¡°H-Hyung¡­¡± ¡°Make sure to stay right beside me.¡± BAAAAAM! As arge shadow kicked open the door to its cell,bat began. ¡°Hrgh!¡± aaang! The Twin Knights quickly decided their roles. Karen¡¯s role was to defend the party from the onught of shadows. sh! Saatter! And Karuna¡¯s role was to face Zeri, the mastermind behind it all. Bam! Karen''s swift kick to the shadow''s face resulted in an eyeball popping out. ¡°Hahahah! More! Get over here!¡± Kick! Punch! aaaaaash! Fwooosh¡­ Karen indiscriminately cut, crushed, and burned the shadows much weaker than her. ¡°...Wh-what?!¡± Zeri was momentarily distracted but quickly retrieved a fang-shaped sword from her inventory to face Karuna. aaaang! She was in shock after deflecting a light attack from Karuna. ¡°What the¡­¡± A wave of shock coursed through her body as even a light attack from Karuna proved too much for Zeri to handle. Karuna¡¯s eyes slowly began to glow red. Receiving Seol¡¯s anger felt like it was awakening the ck Knight''s powers and ferocity within him. - Rage¡­ It felt as if the ck Knight was screaming that in Karuna¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me!¡± Fwoooosh! Zeri threw multiple daggers to create distance between herself and Karuna. [Zeri, the Profiteer, used Daggery.] [Deal 50% additional damage for each dagger that strikes the same target.] It was a fierce attack that was not only strong, but tricky. Zeri believed that this was her opening. ¡®Now! If I can aim for his neck while he swats the daggers away¡­¡¯ However, Karuna reacted differently than she had expected. ng¡­ ng ng¡­ Karuna neither avoided nor deflected the daggers. As they weren¡¯t aimed for his vitals at all, Karuna simply charged through them. As a result¡­ [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer currently has an empty stomach.] [Hope Devourer digests all of the impact.] Zeri¡¯s face turned pale as she wildly swung her fang-shaped sword. ¡°What the¡­ What the hell?¡± Fwooosh! With one swing, Karunapletely destroyed her weapon. Cruuuush! Zeri then felt Karuna¡¯srge hands cover her face. ¡°Hrgh¡­¡± SLAAAAAAAAM! Karuna mmed her head directly into the wall, leaving a crater that resembled the impact of a cannon. ¡°Krahhh!¡± The situation was growing dire for Zeri, not only for herself but also for her shadows. aare! Fwooosh! Swish! Swish! There were already more dead shadows than ones charging at Karen. ¡°Th-they¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Only¡­ summons?¡± ¡°What is going on¡­¡± Gyeongtaek had already met Karen once before. As such, he was less shocked than his other party members. Even so, she felt much, much stronger than the Karen he had met before. Watching her effortlessly ughter all the charging shadows made Gyeongtaek feel as if a god had descended onto the battlefield. ¡°Hahaha! More! More!¡± Seol also had new thoughts after seeing Karen and Karuna. ¡®They were this strong?¡¯ Recently, Seol had only fought by their side. It had been a long while since he hadst observed them as their summoner. - It''s because of the skill you''ve gained. Most summoners don''t fight side by side with their summons. It''s obvious that repeatedly fighting like that has dyed their growth. And if that happens, my ns would get dyed as well. Still, luckily for you, this is my forte. Stter¡­ The situation had changed. ¡°Urg¡­ Grgghghh¡­¡± Zeri was now missing everything below her right elbow. Karuna had cut it all down as if he were slicing through meat. Zeri had to improvise. ¡°Come!¡± A shadow flew toward Zeri and reced her right arm with itself. [Zeri, the Profiteer, used Emergency Substitution.] [The substituted life perishes.] ¡°You¡­¡± Stter! This time, Karuna cut off her right arm. With a cold, expressionless face, he continued to butcher her. ¡°One more time!¡± Fwirl¡­ Another shadow came flying to Zeri¡¯s side. Slice! ¡°...What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pointless.¡± ¡°Did you just¡­ cut the shadow?¡± Zeri felt a chill run down her spine after seeing the monstrous knight in front of her not only catch a shadow midair but also cut it down. Now that the situation hade to this, she resorted to herst option. ¡°Everyone, to me!¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Come to me already¡­ why¡­¡± Zeri looked at the empty cells. Fwooosh¡­ She then looked at the burning limbs and torsos on the ground. Next, she nced at Karen, who looked back at her after defeating all of her shadows. Zeri felt her heart stop. ¡®I need to get out of here!¡¯ Then she heard a voice, a voice that sounded like her salvation. ¡°Master Zeri, are you alright?!¡± The subordinates she had called for earlier finally arrived through the emergency escape. Zeri quickly gave them orders while running past them. ¡°Stop them! He¡¯s¡­¡± Wooosh¡­ Zeri felt another chill run down her spine. She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned her head back around. Karuna had yet to draw his sword from its scabbard. So why was she so terrified? Fwoooosh¡­ Zeri felt as if time itself had stopped. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn''t take another step. ¡°M-My body is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting sucked in!¡± ¡°M-Master Zeri!¡± Fwooooosh! Ur cackled loudly. - Yeah! That''s it! Click! A clear sound rang out as Karuna pulled out his sword and unleashed an attack. BAAAAAAAAM! Karuna¡¯s sword reached toward the horizon, cutting down everything in its path. ¡°K-Khrgh¡­¡± ¡°Bwrggghh¡­¡± Zeri''s subordinates copsed, their intestines spilling out as they fell to the floor. [Karuna has acquired a lead to ck Wave.] Ur sighed after seeing that. - Tch¡­ if only they were stronger. Click¡­ click¡­ Zeri crawled on the floor in fear, desperately trying to climb up the steps. As she attempted to crawl, Karuna unleashed another attack, severing both of her legs. ¡°D-Don¡¯te any closer¡­ you monster¡­¡± Reach¡­ Grab! Karuna grabbed her by the neck and dragged her before Seol. Thud¡­ As he flung her to the ground, she fell to her knees. Karuna, his eyes raging with an ominous energy,manded her. ¡°...Swiftly, confess your sins to my master.¡± Chapter 186 Zeri¡¯s gaze remained downcast, unable to make eye contact with Karuna. ¡°Why are you¡­ doing this to me¡­ why¡­¡± Grit¡­ Gyeongtaek clenched his teeth at Zeri¡¯s brazen demeanor. ¡°How could you be so shameless when you hunted transferees like that?!¡± "Ah... is this about the dead transferees? Your party members were among them, weren''t they? They weren''t particrly strong, but... I''ll make it up to you! I''llpensate, okay? Then everything will be fine, right?" ¡°Compensate? Compensate?!¡± Gyeongtaek shouted. Gyeongtaek raised his hand as if he were about to strike her, but his party members quickly grabbed his arms and prevented him. Zeri seemedpletely perplexed by his reaction, as if she couldn''tprehend why he was so upset when she was offeringpensation for their losses. Seol looked down at her. ¡°Lian Kuruos. Why did you turn him into a shadow?¡± ¡°Lian? Ah, that headache¡­ is this really because of some shadow that can¡¯t even be sold? You should have just told me! I¡¯ll give him to you for free!¡± ¡°No, I am asking about the details. Why did you turn Lian into a shadow?¡± Zeri thought quickly, searching for an answer that might spare her life. However, the words she ultimately chose only weighed heavier on Seol''s heart. ¡°B-Because wandering adventurers don¡¯t go for much¡­ and no one looks for them¡­¡± ¡°He had a ce to return to.¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know. That¡¯s a shame. So, how much? Huh? I¡¯llpensate.¡± As the Profiteer continued to offer deal after deal, Seol posed a question. ¡°How much do you think it will cost you?¡± Sensing the danger, Zeri hesitated to respond. However, before she could utter a word, Seol made another request. ¡°Tell me everything you know about the Church of Eternal Life.¡± ¡°About¡­ the Church of Eternal Life?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Will you let me live if I do?¡± ¡°No,¡± coldly responded Seol. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°......¡± Her death was already inevitable. Seol regarded her as if she were already dead, like a fly that could be swatted away with a flick of his hand. Zeri did not want to die. However, no method to escape this hell came to her mind. Zeri had to buy time. ¡°Wh-what do you know about the Church of Eternal Life?¡± asked Zeri. ¡°A cult with their leader as the central pir.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but¡­ then I¡¯ll exin things from the start, okay?¡± Zeri thought that it was a relief. The more she could divulge about the cult, the longer she might keep her life. This could provide for more openings and a chance for Seras to intervene on her behalf. Though Zeri couldn¡¯t expect much from her, currently, Seras was her only chance. "The Church of Eternal Life originated from a demonic manter known as the Immortal. He rose to leadership and gathered many followers under his wing.¡± ¡°And?¡± "Within his church were numerous uncontroble, evil individuals, but they were all obedient to the Immortal''smand. The rumors of their widespread atrocities across Pandea arergely fabricated. However, they didmit some heinous acts, albeit in secrecy¡­¡± "Enough circling around. I want to know what happened to the Church of Eternal Life after the Immortal''s departure." "After the Immortal departed... So, the recent Church of Eternal Life. Understood. After the Immortal left to ascend to godhood, the Church of Eternal Life splintered into four factions." ¡°They splintered into factions?¡± Originally, the Church of Eternal Life was like onerge lifeform. The power wielded by the unified sect alone was enough to instill fear merely by their name. Zeri carefully observed Seol¡¯s reaction. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know the specifics either, but¡­ maybe they struggled to stay united without the Immortal? The figure that bound them together was gone, after all.¡± "Sure. So, which faction were you in contact with?" "I''ve been trading with Bria, the leader of the Shadow Faction. I would offer her shadows, and she would pay me for them." ¡°Hm¡­ Bria, huh¡­ but¡­ I also know that isn¡¯t how the Church of Eternal Life does things.¡± Zeri flinched before looking at the floor. "The Church of Eternal Life has been focusing on amassing power for quite some time." "Why?" Zeri then looked up, meeting Seol''s gaze. ¡°Because¡­ revival is near.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°The Immortal¡­ urrrrrr¡­¡± Zeri suddenly stopped speaking, drool dripping from her mouth. The veins near her eyes began to bulge and pulsate before finally... Stter! Zeri¡¯s blood and flesh showered the party before dripping down their skin. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°......¡± Zeri¡¯s head had popped like a watermelon. [You have defeated Zeri, the Profiteer.] [Zeri¡¯s Valuables has been generated.] [You have satisfied the Adventure Objective.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] Ur sounded troubled. - Is that the annoying energy I sensed earlier? The suggestion was done at quite a decent level. ¡®Should I revive her?¡¯ - Didn''t you hear everything you needed to? And as I mentioned before, your Shadow Space is already at max capacity. Don''t even consider a new summon for the time being. Even Seol couldn''t maintain hisposure after witnessing someone''s head pop like a balloon right before his eyes. ¡®More importantly, revival, huh¡­ is the Immortaling back?¡¯ - The Immortal? Is that someone you know? ¡®It is.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t something that Seol could deny. After all, the Immortal was also him. ¡°Regardless¡­ For now¡­¡± Faaade¡­ Suddenly, a shadow emerged from Zeri''s lifeless body. It belonged to a different woman, not Zeri. ¡°Who¡­ are you? What did you do to my cute little underling?¡± ¡°...What are you?¡± - Oho¡­ So it wasn¡¯t just some ordinary suggestion. No wonder¡­ The shadow scowled. ¡°I see¡­ So you¡¯re the one who killed my cat.¡± ¡°Are you Bria?¡± ¡°...I will find you and turn you into my shadow.¡± Seol scoffed before grinning, his teeth shing. He had a tendency to be a bit unhinged whenever his pieces were involved, after all. "I''ll find you first." ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Stter! As Seol waved his hand, Bria''s shadow dissipated like a watercolor painting in the rain. Then, he casually wiped his hands, treating their encounter as if it were no big deal. [Your influence in Faction: The Church of Eternal Life increases.] [You now have a hostile rtionship with Faction: The Church of Eternal Life.] [You are now able to fight with Faction: The Church of Eternal Life.] [Faction: The Church of Eternal Life is deeply interested in your actions.] - I get the feeling that you¡¯ll be fighting them a lot¡­ Seol didn''t necessarily address Ur''s concern. It''s just what happened, after all. More importantly, there was still something important left. Countless shadows had perished at Karen''s hands during this battle, to the extent that the word ¡®ughter¡¯ seemed insufficient. But despite all that, one shadow remained. ¡°Uah¡­ Arrrrrr¡­¡± Lian''s shadow, still unable to coherently utter a single word. Seol slowly approached Lian¡¯s cell. The ends of Lian''s body had been crushed, causing shadows to continually disperse. Because his master, Zeri, had died, his end was hastening. Faade¡­ Lian¡¯s right foot crumbled away. Thud¡­ He eventually lost his bnce and fell to the ground. - This one¡¯s¡­ on the verge of being broken down. ¡®...Is that possible?¡¯ - It isn''t impossible if he vehemently resisted bing a shadow when he still had a fragment of his will. The conditions for it were likely met long ago. ¡®Any ways to prevent it?¡¯ - None. ¡®I see.¡¯ Seol and Lian locked eyes. ¡°Urrr¡­ Uahhhhh¡­¡± Seol felt as if¡­ he knew what Lian was trying to say. ¡°Are you saying¡­ you want to go home?¡± The tiny fragment of Lian''s will within his shadow began to nod frantically, a desperate plea. Seol bit his lips. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Seol. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Smile¡­ Only then did Lian finally smile. And then¡­ Faaaaaade¡­ The shadow scattered into the wind. Seol reached down, attempting to grasp the empty space in which he existed before. But there was nothing to hold onto. Only regrets and pity remained. [¡¯s Inheritance is starting.] Lian¡¯s memories began to pour into Seol. * * * These were Lian¡¯s memories. ¡°Lian, why are you smiling so much?¡± "Because this is my final adventure. I''m really going to quit now.¡± "Even though I''ve never seen anyone with as much talent as you in all my career as an adventurer... all you ever talk about is wanting to quit." ¡°Everyone has things they¡¯re suited to, and I¡¯m just not fit for something like this. I don¡¯t have the heart for it, and I¡¯ve never once properly handled something.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re getting better, though? Isn¡¯t that all that matters?¡± Lian smiled after hearing that. ¡°It also means I¡¯m being worn down. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really just not suited for this line of work.¡± "Grgh... Well, I suppose that settles it. But now that I think about it... you''ve only ever talked about quitting. I don''t recall you ever mentioning what you''ll do once you''ve quit." ¡°Do you want to know?¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t say no. Tell me.¡± Lian exined his ns to his party member. "I''m going to use the money I''ve saved to buy a house and a piece ofnd next to it to start farming." ¡°Huh? That¡¯s it?¡± "Yeah, it''s something I couldn''t even imagine before I started working as an adventurer." ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°I was a tenant farmer, and¡­ one day, my son came back home after fighting with thendlord¡¯s son.¡± "Oh no... What happened next?" ¡°I immediately scolded him... without even asking why he fought... Thendlord''s son had mocked my son for being the child of a poor person.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t even say a word back. It was true, after all.¡± Lian''s eyes welled up. ¡°Because I really am poor.¡± ¡°Lian¡­¡± "The thing about poverty... is that it¡¯s scarier than any disease." "What do you mean?" "Because it doesn''t just hurt you. It hurts everyone around you. Poverty... also spreads like an infection." ¡°So that¡¯s why you became an adventurer.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I made a lot of money thanks to you, hahaha!¡± Lian looked off into the horizon, like he was looking back home. "I''m going to farm. Not someone else''s field, but on mine, Lian''s field." ¡°Hahaha¡­ how interesting.¡± ¡°Would pumpkins be good? I thought about grapes too, but¡­¡± "Whichever crop you choose, do whatever makes you happy. But, did you know¡­¡± ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°Even though you always look like you¡¯re on the verge of tears¡­ you always smile whenever you talk about your family.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I think you might be happier about seeing your family than oveing poverty.¡± ¡°You might be right.¡± "Go back home. You can be a proud father now.¡± After a few more conversations like that, Lian was ambushed from behind by a mysterious group. He copsed to the ground, blood gushing from his head. ¡°I¡­ have to¡­ go back¡­¡± His vision blurred. And his lingering regrets¡­ ¡°I¡­ need to¡­ go home¡­¡± * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol gritted his teeth as he was finally freed from the headache with the memory ending. Lian¡¯s feelings continued to eat away at Seol¡¯s heart. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± He felt like vomiting. ¡°H-Hyung? Are you alright?¡± ¡°Haah¡­ haah¡­¡± Gyeongtaek¡¯s party member, Hyomin, was shocked after seeing Seol¡¯s face. ¡°He¡¯s breaking out into cold sweats! Something¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± [You have inherited Lian Kuruos¡¯s unfulfilled desire.] [A skill has been inherited from the deceased.] [You have inherited ¡®Innate Talent: Explorer¡¯s Compass¡¯.] [You are able to use Explorer¡¯s Compass on your Adventures.] [The contents of ¡®Fate: Things Which Must Be Recovered¡¯ have changed.] ¡®I guess¡­ the skill returned to me in the end¡­¡± In the end, Lian''s Innate Talent found its way back to Seol. Explorer''s Compass was an incredibly valuable Innate Talent many yers considered a game changer. Its effects were simple. It visually disyed the direction and distance to the Adventure''s Objective. And currently, the Adventure that thispass applied to was¡­ [You used Explorer¡¯s Compass on Fate: Things Which Must Be Recovered.] [The needle moves.] Click click click click¡­ A massive arrow appeared in front of Seol. ¡®It¡¯s far. And it¡¯s to the southwest? Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯ As Seol constructed a mental map, a piece also came to his mind. ¡®I''m not certain, but... I¡¯ll need to investigate it.¡¯ Now that he acquired Explorer¡¯s Compass, Seol could locate his pieces hidden throughout Pandea much more easily. This would likely greatly elerate the rate of progress. Ur, after the inheritance process, spoke to Seol. - Oh¡­ How intriguing¡­ I just sensed you absorb some sort of mystical power. Is this another one of your abilities? ¡®Well, I have my own circumstances, so¡­¡¯ Unable to hear Seol¡¯s internal conversation with Ur, Gyeongtaek worried about Seol. ¡°Hyung¡­? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Then we should¡­¡± ¡°Gyeongtaek, could you give me a bit of time?¡± ¡°Huh? O-Okay.¡± ¡°Yeah, and step away from me for a second.¡± It wasn''t surprising that they obediently followed Seol''smands after witnessing his strength out of awe. Gyeongtaek''s party quickly pressed themselves against the walls, while Ur spoke up, recognizing Seol''s intentions. - Kuku¡­ I didn''t expect you to acquire so much shadow essence so quickly... Fortune appears to be smiling upon you. All that was left now was to revive Koko. ¡®So, how am I supposed to wake up Koko?¡¯ - It¡¯s simple. You need to draw an image in your head, like when you create your crows. However, as you do, make sure to hold onto his core. Seol pulled out Koko¡¯s core from his inventory. - Begin. As Seol closed his eyes to concentrate, the ck orb began to pulse. Bathump¡­ Bathump¡­ The ck haze around him, the shadow essence, started to swirl around Seol. Swiiiiiiiirl! ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± ¡°What is he trying to do¡­?¡± Craaaaackle! Lightning crackled within the swirl of ck haze, conjuring a wolf-like figure that appeared and vanished in an instant. - It¡¯s near! Wake him up now! Despite the dangerous situation, Seolughed and tightened his grip on Koko''s core. ¡°Come here, Koko¡­ It¡¯s been too long since we went for a walk.¡± Fwoooosh! The shadows began to thrash even more wildly after those words. Chapter 187 Craaaaaash! ck lightning filled the underground room, striking the metal cells, melting and disintegrating them into shards. Crackle! Craaash! Gyeongtaek''s party was fortunate that Seol had warned them earlier. If they had stayed by Seol¡¯s side, they would likely have perished in the storm of shadows. Tighten¡­ Seol grimaced as he tightened his grip on Koko¡¯s core. Even though the storm had been raging for a while, nothing significant had urred. Seol began to worry that it would just fizzle out like this. ¡®The number of shadows is decreasing too¡­¡¯ Despite the room initially being filled with shadow essence, as it rapidly got absorbed into Koko''s core, Seol started to fear that the process would end before Koko could be revived. ¡®Was it not enough shadows?¡¯ And then¡­ Crack¡­ Arge crack formed on Koko¡¯s core. ¡°What¡­?¡± - Finally, a reaction. It''s normal, so concentrate. Seol calmed down and focused on shaping the energy pouring from the core. Crack¡­ Baaaaaaam! ¡®...The core exploded!¡¯ The ck orb was destroyed. Seol briefly worried if something had gone wrong, but his concerns were for nothing. Fwiiiiiirl! The ck storm around him began to subside. Faaaade¡­ Until it vanished altogether. However, Seol still couldn''t spot Koko anywhere. Pant pant¡­ Seol turned around to nce at his shadow, only to find Koko poking his head out from his Shadow Space. He looked much better, and much happier than before. [Awakening! You have made a new creation.] [Your new creation is Koko, the Happy.] [Your creation has inherited memories from Koko, the Starving.] [Your creation has inherited some skills from Koko, the Starving.] [The attribute of the new creation is designated as Sticky Shadows.] [The type of the new creation is designated as ''medium beast''.] [New, rted skills can be derived from this.] [Awakening! Your creation awakens a new skill.] [Your creation is now able to use Mark Territory.] [Awakening! Your creation awakens a new skill.] [Your creation is now able to use Hellfire.] [Awakening! Your creation awakens a new skill.] [Your creation is now able to use Boss.] [Awakening! Your creation awakens a new skill.] [Your creation is now able to use ck Arrow.] Pant pant¡­ Koko hopped out of the Shadow Space to nuzzle against Seol¡¯s ankles. - Wizardry is the best! Wizardry is the future! - Ur, the best advisor! I will dly listen to your advice! - The cutest dog in the world, Koko, has returned! Get ready to go on walks, everybody! - Ur, the true teacher! Seol petted Koko¡¯s head as he spoke to himself. ¡°So he didn¡¯t get all of his skills.¡± - Of course not! Did you forget that we weren''t turning him into a summon but a creation? There''s no way you could fit Koko as a summon with your shoddy Shadow Space. Consider yourself blessed for at least aplishing this much. The numerous skills Koko initially had when Seol met him disappeared like smoke in the wind. ¡®Still, I should consider myself fortunate for getting a bunch of useful skills¡­¡¯ ck Arrow was a skill that enabled Koko to ambush someone from the Shadow Space, while Boss increased the stats of all creations, including himself, by 20%. ¡®Hellfire is probably the same skill as before, but¡­ what¡¯s Mark Territory?¡¯ As Seol tried to read through its description, Ur intervened. - It''s a shadow wolf¡¯s unique skill. More urately, it''s the unique skill of a tamed shadow wolf. ¡®...It continuously increases the Shadow Space?¡¯ - Yeah, while the shadow wolf is in your Shadow Space, it will naturally grow in size. If you give him enough time, he will eventually make itrge enough to not make it so cramped in here. Seol rubbed his chin. He had no idea Koko had such a ridiculous ability. Munch munch¡­ Suddenly, Koko shifted his attention elsewhere and started attempting to eat something. [S-Save me! He¡¯s trying to eat me!] Only after noticing his emptyntern, did Seol realize it was Agony in Koko''s mouth. [I¡¯m not a snack! You shouldn¡¯t eat me! I¡¯ll get you sick! I¡¯m serious!] Seol swiftly retrieved Agony from Koko''s mouth. Agony safely returned to itsntern and closed the door tightly behind them. [Haah... Hrgh... Bwrgh... I smell like spit. This humiliation... I''ll pay it back tenfold, you damned mutt! Hey! Could you check if the door is securely closed, yeah?] Creak¡­ Seol then double-checked the door, closing it once more. Regardless, with Koko''s sessful revival, Seol had aplished everything he had set out to do on this Adventure. ¡®I also resolved Mcus''s regret along the way, and I''ve gained information on the Church of Eternal Life. Plus, I''ve resolved both the issues with Lian and Koko at once.¡¯ Seol had gained a lot from the brief time he had invested in this Adventure. While Gyeongtaek mostly just felt sorry for receiving Seol''s help, in truth, Seol should have been the one thanking him. Especially since he helped Seol find Lian. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * A few dayster, Gyeongtaek''s party began to worry after recalling everything that had taken ce in the manor of House Gatiff, a noble family. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to us now, hyung? Are people from Nevenia going to arrest us?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Gyeongtaek''s party found it difficult to trust Seol''s words, but knowing that Seol was someone who wouldn''t lie, they simply waited. Not long after, everything was resolved, just like Seol had said. ¡°I apologize.¡± The young man held the crystal ball while Seol continued to converse with the older man reflected within it. The man within the crystal ball was Earl Brispin. Before Seol had even set foot in the Gatiff manor, he had quickly informed Earl Brispin of the truth. Though Seol had only left a letter outlining potential events, in essence, Seol, a transferee, was about to take on House Gatiff. Brispin responded while running his hand through his beard. ¡°Thank you for your generosity.¡± ¡°What are they?¡± Earl Brispin continued. ¡°......¡± ¡°Second, the Church of Eternal Life.¡± Earl Brispin looked directly at Seol before continuing about the Church of Eternal Life. "I think I''m already entangled with them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± After that, Seras Gatiff was ced on house arrest. It appeared that the royals of Nevenia were still deliberating over her punishment. After the situation had been resolved, Gyeongtaek quickly departed. There was nothing more that Seol could do for him now, and Gyeongtaek also had no intention of seeking further assistance. It would ultimately bring harm if Seol continued to help him. Gyeongtaek was satisfied with just seeing Seol healthy. They both knew traveling with each other would only bring each other harm. - Did he¡­ go? - I think he did¡­? - Now! After Gyeongtaek and his party departed, Seol opened the rewards he had received for this Adventure. Click¡­ [You open the Zeri''s Valuables.] [You have leveled up.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received skill points.] [You have received skill points.] [Affluent¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have received additional skill points.] [Sly Blood-Hue Snake activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have received additional skill points.] [Someone Better¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have received additional skill points.] [You have acquired Miser''s Ne.] [You have acquired Coat of Dark Paths.] [You have acquired Ring of Brilliant Snowy Fields.] [You have acquired 12 tinum coins.] [You have acquired 8rge red potions.] [You have acquired 8rge blue potions.] ¡­¡­ Seol had received multiple messages about acquiring skill points. Despite typically acquiring only 2 skill points on a Linked Adventure, Seol had somehow earned four times as much. - Is this what happens¡­ when you know the owner? - This is like those employees that hook it up¡­ - I didn¡¯t order this, though¡­? The only downside of the rewards were the items. None of them were particrly useful. Miser¡¯s Ne had an effect that gave bonus gold at the end of an Adventure while the Ring of Brilliant Snow Fields was only as valuable as the jewel embedded into it. Seol thought it was a shame that both had terrible effects despite being Treasure-quality items. ¡®They¡¯re both exactly like Zeri.¡¯ Since they weren¡¯t the type of items Seol wanted, he nned to sell them on the auction house. The only useful item among them was the cape. [[Coat of Dark Paths] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 28-33 Defense: 45 Durability: 130/130 Weight: 0.1kg A cape overflowing with ominous energy. Despite its appearance, it is quite capable at retaining heat. Basic Effect: +10 All Stats Bonus Effect: Blend into the surroundings at night. Upon ambushing while blended in, all attacks deal 15% additional damage for 20 seconds.] It was a cape suitable for assassins or rogues. Since Karen hadn''t received a better cape in quite a while, Seol gave it to her for the time being. ¡®But there really isn¡¯t anything good in the auction house.¡¯ The equipment that showed up were all items useful for other sses. As equipment was the one aspect that couldn''t be upgraded solely with wealth, transferees ahead of others were at a disadvantage. And since those trying to catch up could simply purchase the gear from those ahead, bridging the gap was much easier. ¡®Still, I should be thankful Ur can¡¯t use equipment.¡¯ Since Ur was a spirit, he didn¡¯t use equipment, which was fortunate for Seol, as it would have been quite the headache to also worry about Ur''s gear. After organizing the items, Seol prepared to leave. However, one thing was still left on his agenda before leaving Timbrian. "What brings you here today?" asked a man dressed in a robe as dark as the night. [[ck Magic is researched here. An instructor, who seems to be a resident of this facility, has asked you why you¡¯re here. How do you respond?] 1. [Required: Skill Points] I wish to learn a new skill. 2. [Required: Skill Points] I wish to enhance a skill. 3. I would like to spar. Are there any suitable training partners? 4. [Required: Awakened] I wish to work as an instructor here. 5. I have business with the individual in charge of this facility.] ¡°I came here to enhance and learn skills.¡± "I see. The Timbrian office requires a small fee to use the individual rooms, would that be alright? If not, you could use the open¡ª" "I''m fine with the fee." Seol much preferred to pay a fee than to deal with the extras that came with using the open tree fromst time. - Take my money please! - Hyung! Hyung! You¡¯re not supposed to do it like that¡­ - Why is your skill tree red and ck? - Is it ketchup or something? Hyung? Hyung? - Ahhhh! Fuck these kids. ¡°Then pleasee this way¡­¡± Thud¡­ As the door closed behind him, Seol raised his hand, causing a skill tree to grow on the wall. Grow grow¡­ The tree seemed much thicker than before. Furthermore, the ck and red branches were much more bnced. Fwirl! Ur summoned himself to inspect Seol¡¯s skill tree. "Oho... I thought you were quite unique. You''ve got something quite interesting on your tree, don''t you?" ¡°Get out of the way.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ You did quite well, but¡­ you¡¯re still at quite a low level. Verycking.¡± Seol questioned Ur¡¯s words. ¡°Lacking?¡± "And even though you make so many creations... youck talent in special summons." ¡°Well, that¡¯s because¡­ I neglected it.¡± Seol had focused solely on summoning while ignoring his creations entirely. ¡®I also didn¡¯t have enough skill points either.¡¯ Ur then continued. ¡°What do you think about listening to me this time?¡± ¡°To you?¡± "Yeah. You''ve just obtained a powerful creation. Why not use it? If you keep going as is, you''d essentially be burying gold." ¡°Hm¡­¡± Seol already achieved his summoning goals for his current level. Therefore, since he wasn''t in any rush, he became interested in what Ur had to say. ¡°What skill is it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯ll have to find right now.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll¡­ find it?¡± Ur leaned into the wall. ¡°Have you forgotten? I am essentially the teacher of all wizards.¡± Ur then looked at the skill tree. ¡°I am wizardry. I am the root of everything.¡± [Ur, the Sealed¡¯s Wizardry activates.] [Ur, the Sealed, deciphers the skill tree.] [Skill tree deciphering in progress.] [The skill tree has been sessfully deciphered.] ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Now, why don¡¯t I use a bit of my powers?¡± Fwiiiiiirl! Ur was sucked into the skill tree. - What??? - 911? Yeah, someone just¡­ I mean, a spirit just entered a skill tree!!! - What did I just see? Seol was bewildered to see Ur enter the drawing as if it were nothing. And not too long after... he noticed another change. Hissss¡­ A snake had appeared and was slithering up the tree. - What the fuck is that?!!! - Get it out of there!!! - That¡¯s insane LMFAOOOO. I¡¯m cryingggggg - Everyone, show your respects. Ur, the root of all wizardry, has be a snake. - A pickle? The snake then spoke to Seol. "I''m going to tidy up a few of the messy branches. It''s just sapping away energy that should be used for new skills, after all." Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Skills that Seol would have never picked up, in the form of fruits, fell to the floor along with the branches. [Division has fallen from the skill tree.] [Invoke Panic has fallen from the skill tree.] ¡­¡­ - Take me, Ur! - Wizardry is the future! Wizardry is the best! "Fuu... is it because it''s been too long? I''m already tired after just this much. I''ll only do this much for now. Next is..." Ur clicked his tongue after seeing the branches with skills rted to creation. ¡°Tsk tsk¡­ This is why¡­ then¡­ I wonder where that is hiding¡­?¡± The snake disappeared to the back of the tree, a ce where even Seol couldn''t see. Rustle¡­ Rustle¡­ After searching for a while, Ur returned with a long stalk in his mouth. At its end was a dark red fruit. It was a massive fruit, easily thergest among those that Seol could harvest on the skill tree. ¡°This is¡­¡± Chapter 188 The fruit in Ur¡¯s mouth was clearly different in size and color than usual. ¡°What¡­ is this?¡± "Isn''t it obvious? It''s a fruit you would have only been able to harvest once your tree grew bigger. I, the great root, pulled it out for you." ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°Are you doubting me?¡± ¡°No, not at all. I was just worried if there would be any side effects.¡± "Pfft... you really are worried over nothing. There is no need to worry as long as I am with you. Even if a problem does ariseter, I could find a solution for you in no time." Seol then looked at the skill that Ur brought out. [[Passive: Sudden Appearance(Composite)] - The creations'' skills can now be influenced by the summoner and their summons. The deeper their bond with the creations, the stronger and more frequent this effect bes.] ¡®This affects the creations¡¯ skills?¡¯ Ur gave an additional exnation. ¡°Creations, unlike summons, are restricted in the skills they can learn. But in exchange, they can learn them much more freely than summons.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re making use of that?¡± "Precisely. They will be acquiring many more weapons that can turn the tides, not only from yourself, but from your summons as well." Pant pant¡­ Koko stuck his head out of Seol''s shadow, prompting Seol to give him a nce before nodding. He then decided to harvest the blood-infused shadow fruit. [Passive: Sudden Appearance(Composite) is awakened.] [You use 16 skill points.] [Creations are now influenced by the summoner and their summons¡¯ skills.] [New, rted skills can stem from this skill.] This ability cost Seol arge chunk of his skill points, and he felt a chill run down his spine as they dwindled away, like leaves falling from a tree in autumn. Even so, he didn¡¯t worry. He could instantly recover his skill points with Someone Better, anyway. ¡®Since I''ve already raised my summoning to a pretty high level, it wouldn''t be a bad idea to diversify.¡¯ Since strengthening his creations meant that Seol had more tools to work with, there was nothing to lose from improving it. Afterward, Ur brought forth another fruit. [Passive: Through Ups and Downs is awakened.] [You use 6 skill points.] [Themunion with your creations gained through Adventures is greatly increased.] [New, rted skills can stem from this skill.] To support his new Sudden Appearance skill, Seol unlocked more skills alongside it. ¡®The skills rted to creations eat up a lot of skill points¡­¡¯ But that was because creation-type skills were inherently high-tier skills. And since Seol knew this as well, he didn¡¯tin at all. Fwoosh¡­ After finishing his work, Ur exited the skill tree and turned to Seol. "With this, the range your creations can roam is essentially increased as well. Even if you don''t do anything, they''ll do things on their own." Regardless, with Ur''s unique ability to go up and down the skill tree, Seol¡¯s future growth was essentially guaranteed to be fruitful. In a secluded room in Timbrian... no one could have foreseen that someone had just grown exponentially. * * * [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: I want to beat up all of the Pandeans¡­] I can¡¯t believe they just brutally murdered innocent transferees like that¡­ Are there even any Pandeans that we can trust? - Stop transferee hate! - It¡¯s seriously the worst¡­ - They¡¯re the idiots for getting caught lmfao. - Judging by your IQ, you must be next. - The mood in Nevenia is awful right now¡­] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Get out of here! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s just leave!] We can just leave Nevenia! I¡¯m sure it would be much better elsewhere! Anyone have news on what it¡¯s like in other countries? Or at least news about the bordering areas¡­ - Border control has gotten really strict. Transferees aren¡¯t allowed to leave or enter a country without reason now. - Apparently, Adeline¡¯s onplete lockdown. Even contracted merchants can¡¯t leave. - And the North? - I heard the Sulfur Skull Tribe was returning? Even without that Setena¡¯s strict as hell. - I guess the only option is the Great Forest in the west¡­ - Who the hell would want to go there? LOOOL] This was the information Seol had collected about the other countries before leaving Timbrian. ¡®It¡¯s gotten worse than before.¡¯ Crossing borders seemed difficult, but so what? Seol''s next destination awaited him there, and he couldn''t hesitate. ¡°There¡¯s not¡­ much of a line as I thought there would be.¡± Arriving at Nevenia¡¯s border, Seol noticed that the line to the inspection checkpoint wasn''t particrly long. It also didn''t take particrly long for him to find out why. ¡°Damn it¡­ how long do we have to stay here?¡± ¡°I have an important trade to do as well. Why did it¡­¡± The area around the checkpoint was teeming with people, likely those who hadn''t passed inspection. As Seol observed, he noticed that only one out of thirty people were passing. As a result, it made sense why the line was dwindling rapidly. Before long, it became Seol¡¯s turn. The people near the checkpoint began to snicker. ¡°It¡¯s pointless, I tell you. They won¡¯t let you pass if you don¡¯t have any connections.¡± ¡°Juste talk with us instead¡­¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± shouted the checkpoint¡¯s guard. ¡°Please do not cause amotion at the checkpoint!¡± ¡°Ah, yeah¡­ sure¡­¡± The soldier seemed already on edge, clearly dissatisfied with the current situation. ¡°Transferee?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Next.¡± ¡°Are transferees not allowed to cross the border?¡± "Haah... Did you not hear the news? Currently, transferees are not allowed to cross into Adeline without a special reason. Or do you have a special reason that allows you to cross that I should know about?" Seol then saw multiple options in front of him. [[Nevenia¡¯s border checkpoints have stepped up inspections. At this rate, you will not be allowed to cross the border. How do you respond?] 1. I am not a criminal, but by the time I cross the border, I just might be one. I might havemitted a murder. 2. How many transferees do you think are here near the checkpoint? It would be quite interesting to see them cause a riot, wouldn''t it? 3. Let¡¯s just cut to the chase. How much to pass the damned border? 4. What time do you get off? I don¡¯t have any ulterior motives. I just want to get close to you, yeah? I promise. I swear it¡¯s only that. 5. Do you¡­ have any children? I bet your children will be waiting for their father for a while today¡­ ¡­¡­] Multiple violent, threatening options appeared. However, having only options like these essentially proved it was impossible to pass the border with ordinary methods. Seol thought for a moment, then pulled out something from his inventory. It was an item with a lot of fond memories for Seol as well. - And this will help you from time to time as well. Fwip! Seol flicked the emblem toward the guard like a coin. Grab! The guard quickly snatched it out of the air and grew enraged at Seol. ¡°How dare¡­¡± However, the guard also sensed that the coin-like thing in his hand wasn¡¯t ordinary. It was heavier and bigger than one. As such, he had a duty to check it. On it was drawn arge scale, and on the other side were sentences written in small letters, stating that the Libra Tower attests to the identity of this emblem''s owner. ¡°How dare¡­ What I meant to say was¡­ How dare I block the path of someone so important. Y-You pass! Please proceed.¡± ¡°I can just go through?¡± ¡°Y-Yes sir¡­ You may pass.¡± It seemed that blocking an Aspect Magician of Libra in the past at the checkpoint had caused a lot of internal reprimanding, to the point that as long as someone rted to the magic towers wasn''t a criminal, they could pass freely. ¡°Why¡­ Why did he get to pass?¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± The people at the checkpoint who hadn¡¯t managed to pass got rowdy after seeing Seol slip through. However, it didn¡¯t take long for their voices to be inaudible to Seol. - Life is all about school ties, regional ties, and blood ties~ - You don¡¯t have these connections, do ya? * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Upon arriving in Adeline, the first thing Seol did was head to an impoverished countryside area. "Seriously, normally, people don''t venture out to the boonies like this. And if someone does..." Fwip. Seol tossed the coachman a gold coin. The coachman, after checking the coin, nodded and turned back around. ¡°It¡¯s never a bad thing to enjoy the nature around us! Let¡¯s go!¡± Before Seol came here, he hired people to handle some misceneous jobs. Among them was finding andlord who had disregarded a certificate he held to continue their tenant farming. It even included threatening thendlord that he would kill them and everyone rted to them if something like this happened again. However, as this specific part could cause problems in the future, Seol took part himself. The oldndlord, terrified by Seol, promised he would never even go near thend ever again. And now, with a slightly lighter heart, Seol arrived at a rural vige and approached a certain house. But when Seol stood before the door, his heart felt as heavy as lead. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Knock knock¡­ No reaction. One more time. Knock knock¡­ ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°I came here on behalf of Lian¡¯s request.¡± Seol then heard a loud sound inside. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Creaaaak! ¡°My father? Did you just say you came here on behalf of my father¡¯s request?¡± Seol and Lian''s grown son¡¯s eyes then met. But for some reason... Seol couldn''t hold his gaze. "Yes, I havee all this way at Lian Kuruos''s request." ¡°But my father¡­ left home.¡± ¡°I am aware of that.¡± ¡°Where is he right now?¡± ¡°......¡± When Seol couldn¡¯t respond, Lian¡¯s son began to frown. ¡°Did youe here¡­ to tell me¡­ that? Why¡­¡± ¡°It is not. I came here for a different reason.¡± ¡°Huh? Then¡­¡± Seol then pulled out a sheet of paper. And certificate. It was the same certificate Lian tried to bring back home. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Something Lian left behind. He also left this behind.¡± tter¡­ Seol then handed over arge sack of coins. Though it was essentially pocket change for Seol, for those as poor as Lian¡¯s son, it was more than enough to change their lives. ¡®That¡¯s for the Explorer¡¯s Compass, Lian.¡¯ After receiving the deed and coins, Lian¡¯s son broke down in tears. ¡°Grgh¡­ Ahhhhhh¡­¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°I waited for him¡­ every day¡­ thinking he woulde back. Hrgh¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Hrgh¡­ Do you think¡­ he was sick of us?¡± ¡°Lian always spoke about wanting to go back home. To his family¡­¡± ¡°Grgh¡­¡± Lian¡¯s son then forced himself to stop crying and calmed himself down. Seol then asked him a question. ¡°What will you grow here?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ I never had the luxury to think about it¡­ but if I¡­ have to grow something¡­¡± Seol then saw Lian''s face reflected in his son''s features. ¡°Pumpkins? I think pumpkins would be good. Do you think it will be fine?¡± Seol then gave a big smile beforeughing. ¡°Pumpkins sound fantastic!¡± * * * ¡°Why would you waste precious time visiting a ce like that?¡± asked Ur. ¡°The only person who could put value to time is the individual themselves,¡± responded Jamad. ¡°You aren¡¯t living a better life just because you¡¯re more efficient.¡± "What are you saying? Efficiency is the weapon of reason." "Your situation doesn''t seem particrly happy for someone who desires so much efficiency.¡± ¡°Krgh¡­¡± As the two fought in the Shadow Space, the twins also joined in. "Yeah, true," said Karen. "We can finally agree on something. Our master has a delicate side to him that we have to protect. You haven''t learned that yet, though, because you haven''t been with him for long, huh?" ¡°Why are you picking fights, Karen?¡± asked Karuna. ¡°Because that bastard¡¯s way too close with Master recently! Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± responded Ur. ¡°Is this what it¡¯s like to deal with territorial people?¡± [Ahem¡­ Ahem¡­ Would you like me to help you?] ¡°......¡± Agony suddenly began speaking to Ur. [Let me know if you ever need someone on your side. We¡¯re both trying to corrupt him, after all.] ¡°Since when was I¡­ haah¡­¡± Before he realized it, Ur had be a part of Agony''s schemes. ¡°Everyone, quiet,¡± said Seol. ¡°We¡¯re about to enter a town.¡± Seol then stepped into a town in the western part of Adeline. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t too far from Lian¡¯s house. [Your Rest location has changed to Azelphog.] [You have moved to a different location. The ¡®travel luck dice¡¯ are rolling.] [Travel Luck Dice has been fixed to a 3.] [You are decently lucky.] [The Adventures you undertake near Azelphog now will proceed normally.] [The Adventures you undertake near Azelphog now will have normal difficulty.] [The Adventures you select near Azelphog now have a low chance of forcibly changing to a Sudden Adventure.] [Your luck is decent enough to take on the Adventures nearby.] Since the travel luck dice had no chance of rolling lower than a three due to Seol¡¯s title, this didn¡¯t matter too much in the grand scheme of things. Next was the Points Leaderboard that appeared whenever he transferred to a different location. [Next is the Points Leaderboard up to Adventure 24.] Ding [Your information is set to Private.] [You have 11,056,100 Points.] [Adventurer Points Leaderboard 1. Private (11,056,100) 2. Private (7,421,200) 3. Private (6,000,320) 4. Private (5,780,700) 5. Private (4,100,140)] [Rumors of an incredible adventurer in Azelphog spread throughout the city.] [The city''s crime rate slightly decreases.] [Azelphog''s Hidden Adventures activate.] [Influential figures in Azelphog extend their reach of influence.] [Individuals facing hardships seek out a powerful adventurer who could alleviate their concerns.] ¡­¡­ ¡®7 million points?¡¯ 7 million points. Seol wasn¡¯t as surprised by everyone making their nicknames private as he was about the points of the person in 2nd ce on the leaderboards. ¡®They must be quite good.¡¯ Though they still paled inparison to Seol, they managed to create a significant distance between themselves and the others. Seol became curious about their identity as he casually strolled into the city. Before finding a ce to stay, Seol decided to have a meal first and headed to a restaurant that gave off an appetizing aroma. Creak¡­ However, trouble arose before he could even sit down. Thud! Break¡­ Seol turned around at the loud thud, spotting someone who had flipped a table. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯ Seol then focused on his hearing to listen in on the situation. "Are you implying that you cannot fulfill the promised payment?" ¡°Promised? When did we promise something like that?¡± ¡°People did tell me to be careful when dealing with your group¡­ I should have listened to them.¡± ¡°Hahaha, you idiot! And that¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t just take whatever job you get offered!¡± The person who refused to pay wasn''t Korean. They appeared to be South American or just have features reminiscent of individuals from that region. ¡®I heard about people fighting with foreigners, but¡­ why does the other person¡¯s voice¡­ sound familiar?¡¯ Seol pondered, trying to recall that voice. He was certain he had heard the man''s voice somewhere before. Then, the woman next to him spoke. "Let''s just go, Yeo-myeong... Just think of it as getting unlucky and stepping in dog shit..." "I''m not so sure. It doesn''t seem like I''m the unlucky one today." Seol finally recalled his name after hearing it from her. ¡®Han Yeo-myeong?¡¯ Only then did Seol notice his bandaged right arm. Stand¡­ Stand¡­ As Yeo-myeong stood up, foreigners at another table began to stand up as well. ¡°So this was all nned from the start, huh?¡± ¡°How about for your reward¡­ you can keep your life? I¡¯ll let you live, so leave the city.¡± ¡°No. I n on getting my pay¡­ no matter what.¡± ¡°Why do you have to make things so difficult? Do you not know how strong we are?¡± Yeo-myeong paused for a second after hearing that. Whistle! Suddenly, a whistle pierced the air from a table behind them. Yeo-myeong and the foreigners in the restaurant all turned their heads in unison. A long table near the terrace. Seol was seated there, smiling happily. Chapter 189 Yeo-myeong looked utterly confused. His mouth hung agape like it was silently screaming, ''Why is he here?''. He then pulled out something from his inventory. Hummm¡­ He had pulled out a small statue, one that Seol also possessed. - It¡¯s an item that allows us to know where each other is. It¡¯s because¡­ I probably won¡¯t be staying in Kongory anymore, hyung. Seol pulled out the same statue and showed it to Yeo-myeong. Hummm¡­ The two statues turned to face each other and began to vibrate more. Yeo-myeong, seeing that, gave a big smile. ¡°Hyung!¡± ¡°Someone¡­ you know?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± Seol nced at the individuals around Yeo-myeong before asking him a question. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± asked Seol. "Well... it looks like I''m now entangled with some dirty bastards..." ¡°Do you¡­ need help?¡± Seol had recently made amitment to look around him and help those his hands could reach. In truth, his former self might have just brushed off Yeo-myeong and said something like, "I see. Good luck." Even so, Seol wasn¡¯t helping Yeo-myeong purely out of goodwill. ¡®His use wille soon.¡¯ Seol needed Yeo-myeong, someone who possessed the Haunted Hand. It was for those exact reasons Seol had kept an eye on him since their first meeting. And now, Seol would probably require his assistance soon. But regardless of all that, Yeo-myeong¡¯s answer was incredible. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seol blinked a couple times before looking at Yeo-myeong again like he couldn¡¯t believe it. Pleased that he had surprised Seol, Yeo-myeong let out a brightugh before exining his rationale. - I didn¡¯t be strong to save people who do nothing while they wait to be saved by others. Save yourself, Yeo-myeong. ¡°You taught me then. I need to save myself.¡± Seol shrugged in response, causing Yeo-myeong to turn back around to the other man. "You''ve gone back on our earlier arrangements. I''vepleted Marcelo''s request. All I''m asking for is my fair payment." ¡°And I¡¯m telling you, this is what Marcelo wants, alright? Why? Are you that upset that we fooled you?¡± ¡°Then I should just go figure things out with Marcelo instead.¡± "Hah? And how do you n to meet Marcelo? If you want to see him, you¡¯ll have to get a lot closer to us, yeah?" The foreigner then continued to mock Yeo-myeong with rude gestures, disying such talent that even Seol began feeling upset. ¡°Then why don¡¯t we get closer now?¡± answered Yeo-myeong. Grab. Yeo-myeong ced his hand on the sword at his waist. Even though it was still in its scabbard, Seol could feel its ominous energy. ¡®It¡¯s probably a sword synergistic with Yeo-myeong¡¯s energy.¡¯ Seol would have to see the sword directly to be sure, but it clearly wasn¡¯t a normal sword. "Listen up, Yeo-myeong. You''ve clearly misjudged Marcelo with your pathetic skills... He''s not someone you, without any resolve, can go up against, got it?" ¡°Resolve?¡± "The resolve to die. We''re not ying house like on Adventures, okay? This is the adult world. But... what would you know?" said the man, poking Yeo-myeong''s chest. But in an instant¡­ Saaaatter! ¡°...What?¡± The foreigner¡¯s right arm flew into the sky, severed from the rest of his body. Seol had initially remembered Yeo-myeong as a naive kid with a straightforward side to him. "Oh..." But now, his perception of Yeo-myeong had shifted. Seol now regarded Yeo-myeong as a finely honed sword, so sharp that even brushing a finger against it would draw blood. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± said Yeo-myeong, coldly. ¡°This bastard¡­! Kill him!¡± The fight began with Yeo-myeong¡¯s attack. Since using long-range attacks in the cramped restaurant was impractical, they all began to charge at him, brandishing swords and axes. Fwip! Yeo-myeong kicked a table into the air. What was typically used for dining now became an obstacle, blocking their vision on him. Fwip! Tack! Tack! As the table caught some of the throwing axes¡­ Shwing! With a clear sound, Yeo-myeong unsheathed his sword and cut the table in half. ¡°Krgh¡­¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Those at the opposite side of the table were also cut down, their heads flying through the air, severed from their bodies. ¡°Get in there! Don¡¯t give him space to move!¡± However, Yeo-myeong wasn¡¯t their sole opponent. The woman whispering next to him was also their foe. Fwooosh! ¡°Hrgh!¡± The woman kicked a table up in the air, just like Yeo-myeong, before immediately thrusting her palm onto it. And as she did¡­ Baaaaam! Craaaash! The table spun in the air as it flew into the enemies in front of her. ¡°The bitch is with him! Ki¨C¡± Snap! A single swing of her hand was more than enough to turn an opponent¡¯s head 180 degrees. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°Kill her!¡± Stter! sh! Craaaash! The scene inside the restaurant seemed straight out of a battlefield. Thankfully, since Seol was seated on the terrace, he wasn¡¯t involved in the fight at all. Thus, he could leisurely observe their skills. ¡®She¡¯s pretty good too¡­ Who is she?¡¯ There was a good chance she already had rumors about her that Seol didn¡¯t know because he wasn¡¯t interested in the others. As Seol casually observed the fight, he felt a presence approach him. ¡°You! You were on their side too, weren¡¯t you?!¡± A foreigner came charging at Seol with a sword in his hands. It seemed that their conversation from earlier was more than enough for the foreigners to tell they were close. But¡­ that was also their misfortune. Fwip! Something ck shot out of Seol¡¯s shadow and lunged directly at the man''s neck. Snap! A single bite was more than enough to snap their neck. It was Koko. Pant pant¡­ Koko then returned to Seol, seeking praise, prompting Seol to silently pat Koko. Seol turned his gaze back to see the interior of the restaurantpletely destroyed. A few foreigners seemed to be missing as well, as there was only one bloodied foreigner left with a sword in their throat. ¡°M-Marcelo will have problems with this. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s already heard of everything.¡± ¡°A shame, we lost a few of them. I should¡¯ve been more prepared for that¡­¡± ¡°You two are lunatics, you hear me?! Are you nning to go to war with Marcelo? Do you know who¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Shh¡­ Don¡¯t waste my time.¡± sh! A clean sh from Yeo-myeong finished him off. - tsk tsk tsk tsk! Snowman Academy¡¯s 1st graduate! Han Yeo-myeong! - Han Yeo-myeong: The only reason I was able toe this far was thanks to Snowman, who silently watched over me! - Doesn¡¯t that just mean he did nothing? LMFAOOO - Watch your words! We don¡¯t need to be so blunt! - I never expected him to change like this haha - Snowman changed a personpletely¡­ - A person? Just one? - ¡­¡­ * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°Haah¡­ What should we do¡­¡± ¡°Haah, Yeo-myeong. You¡¯ve ended up causing problems again.¡± As the woman who seemed to be with Yeo-myeong pulled her hood back, Seol noticed she was also a foreigner. ¡®She was a foreigner too?¡¯ Her features definitely weren¡¯t Korean, with a high nose bridge. The two calmly walked to Seol¡¯s table and stood before him. Yeo-myeong was the first to speak. ¡°Can we sit down with you, hyung?¡± Seol nced around at the restaurant before responding. ¡°Yeah, have a seat. I think this is the only table intact.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Feel free to sit down as well,¡± Seol said to Yeo-myeong''spanion. ¡°Thank you for your kindness,¡± said the woman. ¡°My name is Marie. Marie Bonnaire.¡± ¡°Marie is French. Well¡­ I guess I should say she was French?¡± ¡°I see.¡± Marie, after sitting down, immediately began rebuking Yeo-myeong. ¡°You were too rash. We shouldn¡¯t have messed with Marcelo.¡± Hearing that, Seol asked a question instead. ¡°I keep hearing his name, but¡­ is he someone famous?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know Marcelo?¡± asked Marie in response. ¡°Hyung has been in Nevenia the entire time.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± "Marcelo Machado. He''s a notorious figure from Brazil. There are rumors that he used to be part of a gang there, but... regardless, we''ve gotten caught up in something messy. To think we''d get involved with Marcelo of all people." ¡°How did you end up getting involved with him?¡± ¡°We epted a request, only to find out that he was connected to the people who hired us. When you think about how the item I wanted was offered as the reward... it''s obvious what happened, isn''t it?¡± ¡°So you got scammed.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to be so blunt¡­¡± - You were a dumbass, Yeo-myeong! - You¡¯re still the same! - The same idiot! - At least he got stronger¡­ Yeo-myeong continued. ¡°Marcelo¡­ likely casted a to create a connection with me.¡± ¡°A?¡± ¡°Marcelo is weaker than me¡­ but his group is much bigger.¡± ¡°How many?¡± "I wasn''t specifically referring to their members. I''m not sure if you''re aware, but if you head further southwest from here, there is a massive cartel in that region. They''ve already seized control of the local residents and are extorting them." ¡°Are you telling me Marcelo is the leader of that cartel?¡± "No, and it''s quiteplex because there are multiple interests in that region. But to simplify, he''s essentially one of the cartel''s leaders." "So, fighting Marcelo is troublesome because of the potential future consequences¡­ And if that urs, traveling southwest as ordinary transferees would be challenging... that''s the gist of it, right?" "Exactly. The cartel is steadily expanding its influence. It''s reached a point where they¡¯re even encroaching into Adeline. Now that we''ve gotten entangled with Marcelo, our only options would be to head to Nevenia or a different country, but... while that unfolds, in Adeline, they''d..." ¡°Yeo-myeong,¡± said Seol. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± ¡°How have you been?¡± asked Seol, calmly. ¡°...Ah.¡± Yeo-myeong had been so caught up in discussing the current situation that he had overlooked something so basic. He scratched his head before delving into his own experiences. First, after being defeated by Karen, he promptly took Seol''s advice and crossed the border. Intentionally venturing as far as possible, he journeyed westward toward more dangerous Adventures. Since he had grown immensely as a result, to the point of even shocking Seol, his decision could be seen as the correct one. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, hyung.¡± - Ahem¡­ You grew well. - So this is what a positive influence can do on someone¡­ - He turned the restaurant into a sea of blood the fuck you mean ¡®positive influence¡¯? LOOOL - Then we should celebrate his evilness! Snowman¡¯s evilness! - He turned Yeo-myeong into Skull Greymon ?? ¡°What would happen if we leave Marcelo alone then?¡± asked Seol. ¡°They''ll eventually encroach into Nevenia¡­ then my sister would be in danger.¡± ¡°That could be a possibility as well.¡± Seol then thought for a moment before speaking once more. ¡°Do you need help?¡± Taken aback by Seol¡¯s offer, Yeo-myeong''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°If I said yes, would you?¡± "Normally, I would never do something like that. It''s not my business, after all. You''ve also be someone who doesn''t require help anymore, but..." Seol trailed off before finishing his words. "The time is approaching." "By ''the time'', you must mean... ah!" - Next time, I¡¯ll be the one calling you. ¡°I need you alive until then,¡± said Seol. ¡°Are you saying¡­ I can finally be useful?¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite an awful way to say it, but¡­ I do need your help with something, yes.¡± Yeo-myeong smiled after hearing those words. ¡°You have no idea how uplifting it is to hear that¡­ I understand. Let me know when you need my help.¡± Stand¡­ Seol stood up after their conversation and left the restaurant immediately. Since he couldn''t even order a meal due to the fight, he didn''t need to pay anything either. "Food in a ce that reeks of blood like this isn''t exactly appetizing, so I''ll catch you next time." Yeo-myeong gave a deep bow to Seol as he left, continuing his bow until Seol could no longer be seen. A few momentster, Marie showed up and tapped Yeo-myeong on the shoulder. ¡°Yeo-myeong, why are you acting like that?¡± ¡°Huh? Like what?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t like you at all.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Marie then pointed at the chair that Seol had been sitting on. ¡°Why were you groveling to him? Did you do something wrong?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t grovel. I was just showing my respect.¡± ¡°No, it didn¡¯t look like that at all. That was way too much. Are Koreans normally like that?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ No, but he¡¯s my savior.¡± ¡°Your savior? Oh! That person?¡± "Yeah, the person who rescued me and my sister. The one who''s cold yet warm." "I''m not so sure about that. He seemed cold-blooded.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°But even if he is your savior, that was too far. You¡¯re strong, Yeo-myeong. There¡¯s no need for you to be so scared like that.¡± Yeo-myeong paused for a second before finally opening his mouth. ¡°Because he¡¯s terrifying.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Only then did Marie notice Yeo-myeong''s condition. His body appeared as stiff as a board, more than just tense. ¡°He¡¯s a terrifying person.¡± ¡°...Is he strong?¡± "Enough to scold me for trying to hide how tense I was earlier." "Then... Do you think he can be helpful to us if we fight Marcelo?" Yeo-myeong thought for a moment. ¡°Do you remember what you said earlier?¡± asked Yeo-myeong. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The part about stepping in dog shit.¡± "Yeah, I remember. And then you said something like... ''I''m not the unlucky one today!'' or something like that." "Yeah, so if I''m the dog shit people feel unlucky about stepping on..." Yeo-myeongughed, confident in hisparison. "Then Seol hyung would be andmine." ¡°What?¡± "When you step on shit, the worst-case scenario is throwing away your shoe. But step on andmine? You''d die. That''s the difference." Chapter 190 Marcelo Machado. A man born in the slums of Brazil whoter became a member of a gang based in S?o Paulo. He, who had to survive off of rats, bugs, and scraps of food when he was young, realized something as he became an adult. He was incapable of sympathizing with others. It was a natural conclusion, after all. How could someone who had to solely focus on their survival have the luxury to develop something so unoriginal? However¡­ For Marcelo, this was also a blessing. Killing others brutally or making them submit to him didn¡¯t bother him at all. In fact, he even found it amusing. It was almost a natural conclusion for him to gravitate toward the side of evil. Everyone is presented with numerous opportunities to choose how they will live their lives. However, Marcelo believed that he had yet to encounter such an opportunity. He had simply lived as fate handed it to him. But one day, as all of humanity was transferred to a new world, everyone was given an opportunity. An opportunity to choose how they would live in the new world. Marcelo ultimately opted for the easy,fortable choice. Currently, Marcelo was in a manor in the heart of Azelphog. He sat on an ornately decorated chair with subordinates at both sides like he was an emperor. Originally belonging to a noble, this manor fell into Marcelo''s gang''s hands. Obviously, it wasn''t acquired through amicable means. ¡°Marcelo, don¡¯t you think they went too far?¡± "Yeah! Jonas is dead, and the others either died there or returned missing limbs!" Despite his subordinates shouting and ming him, Marcelo remained cool and quiet. It was amon urrence. It was also something Marcelo simply had to deal with, as he was someone who handled thugs. ¡°Jonas had never been particrly useful,¡± said one of the leaders who often helped Marcelo. ¡°He¡¯s had a limp since hisst job. We would have just tossed him aside after a couple more uses.¡± ¡°...What?¡± "Did you think this was a ce to fulfill our hopes and dreams? Let''s just focus on being useful to each other, alright? Regardless, Jonas served his purpose. What''s our next move, Marcelo?" Marcelo rested his arm on a chair and leaned into it. ¡°...The hunters will be arriving in Azelphog soon. Las Cabras sent them.¡± Las Cabras. T/N: Portuguese for goats. Marcelo was a part of a cartel known as Las Cabras, where all its leaders were referred to as Cabra. ¡°Hunters? Who?¡± ¡°The triplets.¡± "Th-those guys who move only for money?" "Yeah. 20 tinum coins to kill them, 40 to capture them alive." ¡°Th-that much? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too much for the Haunted Swordsman?¡± The Haunted Swordsman was another one of Yeo-myeong¡¯s nicknames, given to him for the ominous nature of his arm. ¡°The Haunted Swordsman is strong. He¡¯s why I called the triplets. And since he¡¯s from Nevenia, he could be useful in the future as well¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we handle this ourselves?¡± "We could if I fought as well, but... how many of you do you think would still be alive after it all ends?" Nod. After agreeing with him, Marcelo¡¯s subordinates then changed the topic. ¡°By the way¡­ did you see that?¡± ¡°The monster who appeared this morning?¡± ¡°What should we do about them? I think it might be better to wait until we figure out who they are¡­¡± ¡°You idiot.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Normally, you¡¯d be right. But if we don¡¯t respond to the Haunted Swordsman right away after what he did to us¡­ people would think that I was afraid of him,¡± said Marcelo. ¡°...Ah!¡± ¡°And if people start to fear me less... it bes much more difficult to control them. I need to embody fear itself to those I control. You can''t be human if you want to handle humans.¡± ¡°Then how should we allocate our men¡­¡± "Leave finding them to Gustavo. We''ll take care of the Haunted Swordsman. Han Yeo-myeong was our primary objective, after all. And who knows... maybe if we manage to get the Haunted Swordsman on our side, taking down that monster might also be possible." ¡°This will be hisst night,¡± said Marcelo, calmly. "...The time for talking is over. If he''s going to mess with Las Cabras, it''s time for action." * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Thud¡­ A member of Marcelo¡¯s gang copsed to the floor. Yeo-myeong had choked him until he fainted and then dropped him. ¡°Since we¡¯vee this far¡­ let¡¯s just go in,¡± said Yeo-myeong. ¡°Yeo-myeong¡­ Are you sure?¡± asked Marie. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we contact your savior first and go in with him?¡± ¡°I already left him a message in his room, but I don¡¯t think he was there when I went. I think he was busy with his own things. Regardless, if negotiations with Marcelo don''t go well, he¡¯ll arrive on time.¡± ¡°Then... that means the two of us will enter Marcelo¡¯s base on our own... right?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll ambush us first if we take too long. Also, I want to try and handle everything on my own before asking someone for help. That''s how I was taught, after all.¡± "Not at all! I doubt anyone would have taught you like that! I bet you just believed that on your own!" ¡°How could I just leave matters in other people¡¯s hands without first putting in the effort myself? Especially for something as important as this.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°You can help me if you think it¡¯s getting dangerous. Marcelo... is nowhere near either of us.¡± ¡°...Points aren¡¯t everything, though. Marcelo is notorious for being ruthless. You¡¯re just being conceited right now.¡± ¡°Yeah, I could be¡­ but this is the only way I know to get stronger. I only know how to face things head-on.¡± ¡°Haah¡­ you stubborn little¡­ Yeo-myeong, can I hit you?¡± ¡°No,¡± smiled Yeo-myeong. He then continued. ¡°Still, it''s not every day you have such reliable backup. It might be a better learning experience for me if I tackle things directly, since I can fail without repercussions.¡± ¡°What interesting final words you¡¯re leaving behind¡­ You¡¯re seriously out of your mind.¡± Yeo-myeong''s reckless nature was something he developed while heading westward. He fought desperately to survive there, and as a result, he became who he is now. Yeo-myeong and Marie entered the manor. The moment he did, Yeo-myeong¡¯s face stiffened, not because he was frozen with fear, but because he was simply readying himself forbat at any time. ¡°Marcelo¡¯s waiting for you, Haunted Swordsman.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s open to talking.¡± Open¡­ The door leading to Marcelo¡¯s room was a set of sliding doors that had to be pulled on both sides to open. Such small details were more than enough to reveal Marcelo¡¯s fondness for shy, showy things. As Yeo-myeong stepped into the room, he saw Marcelo seated on his throne with his men by his side. ¡°Marcelo, I came here to talk.¡± ¡°To talk? I love talks. I would love to talk with someone who killed half of my men and maimed the others.¡± ¡°I just want my reward. That was our promise from the start anyway.¡± ¡°Ah, right¡­ that.¡± Marcelo then pulled out a small box from his inventory. Click¡­ Gloooow¡­ The small box revealed a ck orb radiating an ominous energy within. ¡°This is a bit upsetting, though. If we could have just talked it out from the start, my innocent subordinates wouldn¡¯t have had to die. Don¡¯t you feel guilty?¡± asked Marcelo. ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ how cold. But¡­ the situation has changed, Haunted Swordsman.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Work for me. If you do, I won¡¯t punish you for killing my subordinates.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°Think carefully about it, would you? You¡¯d be an idiot to not group up with others. Pandea is bound to fall into our hands, and we have countless people from our world who are experienced with power. Do you think you''d be able to stop them all?¡± ¡°I might not be able to¡­ but I know someone who can.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How exhausting. Now what?¡± ¡°If you refuse my offer, I have no choice either.¡± Step¡­ In an instant, three identical triplets entered the room. Though Yeo-myeong couldn¡¯t discern how they had entered, he could tell how experienced they were at concealing their presence. ¡°...Damn it,¡± smiled Yeo-myeong bitterly. ¡°You called the triplets?¡± The leftmost triplet then addressed Yeo-myeong. ¡°Should Manh? do it? Or maybe Noite instead?¡± ¡°Tarde will do it.¡± ¡°Then Manh? should handle the girl.¡± ¡°Noite will just watch then.¡± "Alright. And we¡¯ll split the pay evenly between the three of us." T/N: Portuguese for morning - Manh?, afternoon - Tarde, and night - Noite. The three referred to each other as Manh?, Tarde, and Noite. They were also known as the demons who would do anything for money. ¡°Let¡¯s capture the girl,¡± said Tarde. ¡°And also capture the guy if we can. That was the request.¡± Marie¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Yeo-myeong, let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Yeo-myeong shook his head. There was a fact that only the two of them knew, and Yeo-myeong was cing his faith in that. Even so, Marie couldn¡¯t understand his decision at all. But because splitting up here would only result in both of their deaths, she followed his judgment. ¡°Hmm¡­ strong,¡± muttered Tarde under his breath. ¡°15 minutes to subdue him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s long! Need help?¡± ¡°No.¡± As Tarde was stubbornly wanting to fight Yeo-myeong on his own, Noite then asked Manh? a question. ¡°What about you?¡± asked Noite. ¡°3 minutes to subdue them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quick.¡± Tarde then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. [Tarde used Appointment.] [Tarde has scheduled an appointment for 15 minutes from now.] [As long as Tarde isn¡¯tte to their appointment, all stats increase by 20%.] [Appointments cannot be interfered with by anyone other than the caster.] [Tarde will be punished if they arete to their appointment.] Manh? did the same. [Manh? used Appointment.] [Manh? has scheduled an appointment for 3 minutes from now.] [As long as Manh? isn¡¯tte to their appointment, all stats increase by 50%.] [Appointments cannot be interfered with by anyone other than the caster.] [Manh? will be punished if they arete to their appointment.] ¡°Begin.¡± Fwip! Fwip! Theirbat began quickly. Yeo-myeong and Marie first created distance between themselves. The triplets were notorious for theirbination attacks, after all. Marie faced Manh?, who used a pair of daggers, while Yeo-myeong faced Tarde, who used a longsword. The three of them were assassins Las Cabras raised. The three, who strengthened themselves from assassinations, were all monsters with nearly 7.5 million points. Fwirl! aaang! Tarde¡¯s upward strike opened Yeo-myeong¡¯s guard as his sword went high into the air. Creaaaaak¡­ ¡°...You¡¯re fast.¡± Yeo-myeong was undoubtedly among the faster swordsmen at his level. As long as his Haunted Hand worked properly, he was undeniably quick. ¡°Hah!¡± Yeo-myeong turned to the offensive. Fwip! Fwiiiirl! ng! aaang! ng! It only sounded like one swing, but Tarde could tell that it was three consecutive attacks. ¡°Strong¡­ I wonder if 15 minutes will be enough.¡± Kick! Tarde kicked Yeo-myeong away from him, creating distance. Crack¡­ Tarde stretched his neck. ¡°Try blocking this as well then,¡± said Tarde. [Tarde used Time Difference.] [For a short while, your attacksnd a secondter.] Fwirl! Tarde¡¯s sword twisted at a strange angle to strike Yeo-myeong¡¯s leg. Still, Yeo-myeong managed to deflect it. But then¡­ he felt a strange sensation. Fwip! Despite their swords crossing, it felt way too weak. ¡®That¡¯s dangerous!¡¯ Yeo-myeong prepared for the following attack. Fwooosh! Tarde didn¡¯t miss this opening. Fwip! Bam! ng! Fwooosh! After the dyed attacknded, Tarde prepared more dyed attacks, umting them to push Yeo-myeong back even further. ¡°This might end faster than I thought¡­¡± said Tarde, swinging his sword. However, Yeo-myeong was no pushover. Yeo-myeong¡¯s eyes radiated a ck energy as he unleashed a flurry of stabs. [Yeo-myeong used Exceptional Skill: Airhole.] [The damage dealt by stabbing attacks increases proportionally with their attack speed.] [Characteristic: A Haunted Hand supplements the attacks.] ¡°Hrgh!¡± Tarde grunted before attempting to block the attacks with the side of his sword. ng! ng! Snap¡­ Staaaab¡­ Saaatter! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°...Tch.¡± Unfortunately for Yeo-myeong, Tarde wouldn¡¯t die from one hit. Tarde then dashed back and exchanged his broken sword. ¡°That was dangerous¡­ I¡¯ve made a misjudgment. 15 minutes won¡¯t be enough.¡± Tarde then quickly tended to his shoulder, trying to stop it from bleeding. [Tarde used Time Extension.] [The appointment is dyed by 30 minutes.] [All stat increases are fixed at 10%.] [The remaining time cannot be extended further.] At a nce, Yeo-myeong seemed to have the advantage, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily the case. ¡°Caught you.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Thud¡­ Manh? managed to defeat Marie. The blood on his daggers likely belonged to her. ¡°Marie!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move. If you don¡¯t want to lose her, you¡¯ll have to¡­¡± Yeo-myeong¡¯s defeat was guaranteed at this rate. However, it didn¡¯t take long for the reinforcements to arrive. Saatter! The subordinate who had been restraining Marie had his headpletely severed from his body. It happened in the blink of an eye. By the time they noticed, his head had already been twisted off like a cap. An elven knight now carried Marie over her shoulders. Rather than being upset over losing his prey, Manh? was more curious about the knight¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°Who are you?¡± However, it wasn¡¯t Karen, smiling happily, who responded. It was the man who leisurely strolled in. ¡°Ah¡­ are you guys okay with meing in with my shoes on?¡± The uninvited guest who entered Marcelo¡¯s base was Seol. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ still breathing?¡± said Karen. ¡°They didn¡¯t kill her. Are you sure these guys are the bad guys? They¡¯re too nice¡­ maybe we got the wrong house?¡± ¡°Oh, really? That¡¯s good then,¡± said Seol before turning to Yeo-myeong. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Manh? took a stance once more. Though he was worried as he couldn¡¯t feel any energy from the man, he also had a trick up his sleeve for situations like these. ¡°Marcelo!¡± ¡°Hm¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be paying us extra for this, right?¡± ¡°...Of course.¡± Manh? then looked to Seol. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you in 10 seconds.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Manh? used his skill immediately. [Manh? used Exceptional Skill: Phantasmagoria.] [The appointment is set to 10 seconds.] [As long as Manh? isn¡¯tte to their appointment, all stats increase by 50%.] [While active, time feels slowed down.] [Appointments cannot be interfered with by anyone other than the caster.] [Manh? will not be punished, even if they arete to their appointment.] Fwooosh¡­ The only thing the others could discern was that Manh? had vanished. To be more urate, though, he was simply moving so quickly that others couldn¡¯t keep up with his movements. When Manh? used this skill, he felt omnipotent for 10 seconds. He felt as if he could kill anything. And it was true as well. No one had been able to survive this skill, no matter how strong. ¡®Too slow!¡¯ Seol was quick at gathering ck energy in his hands, quicker at summoning a knight-shaped shadow, and that same knight was extremely quick at drawing his sword. But in Manh?¡¯s eyes, it was much too slow. Or at least that was what he thought. ¡®A summon? Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll first cut him and¡­¡¯ sh! Manh? felt something cool brush against his right arm. Even so, he maintained his focus on the current situation. He knew that if he diverted his attention there, he would lose to his opponent. Therefore, he fixed his gaze on Seol. ¡®I lost my right arm! When did I¡­¡¯ Time still felt slow to him. Manh? clenched his teeth. ¡®I¡¯ll give him an arm. I can¡¯t believe I took damage.¡¯ Manh? then swung his left arm at his target¡¯s neck. Fwooooosh¡­ Time felt slow to him still. No, it didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t feel that sensation anymore. ¡®Why¡­ do I¡­ feel so slow now? And what is that ck energy?¡¯ The ck, ominous energy from the knight made him feel as if he was iling underwater. aash¡­ As the ck energy surged toward him and began to epass his body, Manh? realized the reason behind it all. ¡®It didn¡¯t feel slow¡­ I was¡­ just slow.¡¯ His vision spun. Rather than feeling like his entire was body spinning, it was closer to feeling like his head was spinning in the air on its own. ¡®I¡­ died.¡¯ Saaaaaatter! Manh?¡¯s limbs flew in all different directions as if he had been put through a blender. [Awakening! Karuna awakens a new skill.] [Karuna awakens Passive: ck Wave.] ¡°......¡± ¡°What the¡­ hell was that¡­¡± Manh? did not only fail to keep his promise of 10 seconds, but ended up as a dismembered corpse. Marcelo and the triplets¡ªwell, twins now¡ªcould not believe the situation. The three slowly looked at Seol. ¡°So¡­¡± bragged Seol, looking down at them. ¡°Which one of you is Marcelo?¡± Chapter 191 Chunks of meat from what used to be Manh? were scattered throughout the room. As the disturbing sound of sttering human meat filled the room, the gang members from the garden came rushing in. In front of Seol stood Marcelo¡¯s group, while gang members blocked the path behind him. ¡°Who is he?!¡± ¡°Wh-what the fuck? Who the hell is that? Marcelo! What do you want us to do?¡± The gang members acted daringly, unable to tell the difference between their strength. ¡°Shut up for a second,¡± said Marcelo. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything until I make a decision¡­¡± It was obvious why Marcelo would be upset by the current situation. But there were two people more furious than him: Tarde and Noite, Manh?¡¯s twin brothers. ¡°Manh?¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. There¡¯s no point in a coffin either.¡± Even though their brother had died, Tarde and Noite were calm. It was because anger wouldn¡¯t do anything for them right now. In fact, it would only make things worse. They took a deep breath to calm themselves down before talking to Marcelo. ¡°Marcelo, this is different from our agreement. Wasn¡¯t the deal to just deal with the Haunted Swordsman?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know who he is either.¡± Marcelo, who had reached his position in the cartel through brutality and audacity, was now stuttering at the unexpected situation. The person losing their mind the most was him. "Who are you? What did we do for you toe to my manor and do this?¡± ¡°He¡¯s likely the Haunted Swordsman¡¯s friend,¡± said another one of Marcelo¡¯s executives. ¡°Judging by their conversation earlier and how the situation is going¡­ it¡¯s probably that.¡± ¡°I hate when unexpected variables show up¡­¡± With a better grasp of the situation, Marcelo shot Seol a question. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell us your name first, then, friend? Name?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall ever bing friends with you, though?¡± ¡°Hiding your name even after all of that¡­ fine. Starting a conversation is the hardest part, anyway. Tell me what you want.¡± ¡°What I want?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t youe here with a goal? Ah, that might be good. I¡¯ll give you what the Haunted Swordsman wanted.¡± Yeo-myeong scoffed after hearing that. ¡°I was supposed to receive that item from the start. You''re only giving it now?¡± ¡°I understand. To make up for the dy, I''ll throw in something extra as a gesture of apology and sincerity. How does that sound?¡± Yeo-myeong didn¡¯t respond. There was only one person here who had the right to make a decision. ¡°I don¡¯t need money.¡± ¡°What do you need then?¡± ¡°I want all of you¡­ to leave Azelphog. If you do, I¡¯ll let you keep your lives.¡± ¡°Hah, you must be¡­pletely out of your mind.¡± Retreating from Azelphog essentially signified that the cartel had sumbed to pressure from others. A criminal organization retreating in fear would undoubtedly be aughingstock, to the point where they essentially wouldn''t be able to maintain their credibility anymore. Not to mention, Azelphog was the frontline for Las Cabras. It was a city all of its executives were wary of. Therefore, retreating from Azelphog while sparing him from Seol would inevitably result in him being targeted and killed by Las Cabras. Marcelo¡¯s opponent was aware of this fact as well. Judging that the conversation was pointless, Marcelo turned to Tarde and Noite. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you extra. I¡¯ll alsopensate you for the loss of your brother.¡± ¡°...You want us to fight him?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other choice. If we turn tail here, Las Cabras will kill us instead. Is that what you want?¡± "The return is too small. I think my back might break from the risk involved." ¡°You won¡¯t be disappointed. I swear on my life.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Tarde then looked back and forth between Marcelo and Marcelo¡¯s subordinate. ¡°Hey, you.¡± ¡°What? What is it?¡± ¡°Take my punishment.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡± As Tarde grabbed his arm, something strange happened. [Tarde used Pin the me.] [The target is punished instead.] Snap¡­ Twist¡­ His arm began to twistpletely, as if it were demonstrating what a 180-degree rotation truly looked like. ¡°Huh? Wh-wha¡­ Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± ¡°Marcelo¡¯s making me take on another job, after all.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll kil¨C¡± ¡°You? You¡¯re going to kill me?¡± ¡°......¡± Tarde and Noite stood side by side. Seol had a thought while looking at the two of them. ¡®Karuna probably has a lot more stats than them.¡¯ There was clearly a gap between monsters and transferees of the same level. After all, monsters existed to be taken down by multiple transferees, not just one. And because Rests existed, even if a difference in levels between transferees did exist, it wouldn¡¯t be to the point of being overwhelming. Therefore, it meant that Seol and them were at simr levels. Under these circumstances, for a transferee to have statsparable to Karuna, a Legendary-rank summon, was nearly impossible. The only exception would be transferees like Seol, who grew rapidly through unordinary means. ¡®And since Karuna has Connected Soul too¡­¡¯ With the Twin Knights¡¯ Connected Soul, Karuna''s stats were doubled. Additionally, Seol had a plethora of skills and effects that further boosted his summons¡¯ stats. Ultimately, it meant that even if the triplets attacked Karuna simultaneously, he would have ughtered them. While Seol did have 11 million points, it would be a mistake to believe he was only that strong. Seol could easily perform at a much higher level than what those points suggested, to the extent that if another transferee with 11 million points did exist, Seol could easily overwhelm them. Sensing that his opponents weren¡¯t a match for Karuna, Seol reached the conclusion that it would be pointless to make him fight. After all, it would be much faster if he took care of it himself. However, Ur stopped him. - He¡¯s about to break through the wall. Don¡¯t do anything. Karuna had just awakened ck Wave. But did that still not constitute him breaking through the wall? Seol was doubtful, but since the results were already decided, he agreed to Ur¡¯s ns. Tarde and Noite looked to Marcelo. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to capture him alive.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Pull¡­ Tarde then pulled out something from his inventory. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Seol looked at it for a second before responding. ¡°A¡­ pocket watch?¡± ¡°Yeah, the Pocket Watch of Equality. Are you curious how we got our hands on this?¡± ¡°Not¡­ necessarily? I didn¡¯t expect you to be the talkative type.¡± "Then I¡¯ll just skip to the main point. This pocket watch can only activate its effect if the other party knows its effects." A conditional activation. Often, ridiculously strong effects came with conditions like that for activation. An example would be Frannan¡¯s Snorer and Teeth Grinder from before. ¡°We¡¯ve even killed a transferee with over 8 million points by using its effects before.¡± ¡°...Is that so?¡± ¡°In three seconds.¡± In truth, it didn¡¯t matter to Seol whether they had 8 million points or 10 million points. But Seol did be a bit curious after hearing their confident tone and the ridiculous im that they beat someone stronger than them in three seconds. ¡°For 10 seconds¡­¡± said Tarde. ¡°We give up 5 years,¡± finished Noite. ¡°...What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± Click! [Abomination: Pocket Watch of Equality activates.] [Tarde''s stats have increased by 100%.] [Noite''s stats have increased by 100%.] [They lose 1 year of their lifespan for every 2 seconds.] Hummmmm¡­ It sounded as if metal was being torn with every step. Seol, readying himself to enter the Night Crow form at any time, observed the battle closely. Tarde readied his sword while Noite prepared spiked gauntlets. ng! Despite the first attack being the hardest to block due to its suddenness, Karuna easily deflected Tarde¡¯s assault. Fwoosh¡­ Noite¡¯s follow-up attack was then negated by Karuna¡¯s kick. Crush¡­ His gauntlets cracked from Karuna¡¯s kick. The fight almost seemed like the twins were trying to convey, "This is what it means for us to go all out." But, more importantly, Seol still couldn¡¯t believe the pocket watch¡¯s effects¡ªan effect that used the lifespan of its user¡ªit was terrifying. Fwoosh¡­ Karuna, sensing their change, activated ck Wave. A viscous, ck energy surged forth, attempting to wrap around Tarde¡¯s sword. Fwirl! Tarde leaped into the air and unleashed a powerful horizontal sh to counter it. aaaash! Tarde was iparably stronger than when he faced Yeo-myeong. Even so, Karuna easily blocked the attack. Karuna¡¯s eyes began to glow. Baaaaam! His entire body was a weapon. Crush! Baaam! Their sh erupted in a burst of energy as Noite and Karuna''s fists collided. Noite¡¯s hand waspletely destroyed. Karuna, too, had to endure the same damage. After all, that was only fair. However¡­ Seol¡¯s items weren¡¯t. [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer currently has an empty stomach.] [Hope Devourer digests all of the impact.] The twins were shocked to see Karuna¡¯s armor absorb the blow. However, being shocked was one thing; the battle was still ongoing. [Noite used Aftermath.] [Temporarily recover 90% of the damage you have taken.] [After a while, take damage equal to the amount you recovered.] Aftermath wasn¡¯t a skill that should be used in most scenarios, but since they had already activated the pocket watch, there was no reason to not use it. ¡®This fucking¡­ monster!¡¯ cursed Noite in his head. Despite activating the pocket watch, they only seeded in equaling Karuna. Even though they expertly managed to close the distance, risking and taking damage to deal damage back, nothing changed due to Karuna¡¯s extremely high defense. ¡®I can¡¯t rush myself, though¡­¡¯ The pocket watch was the only reason they could even hold their own in a fight against him. They wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against this monster if their attention was focused on the pocket watch''s penalty right now. Baaam! aang! ng! ng! Tarde was worried as well. Not to mention the fact that he took damage during his fight with Yeo-myeong, so he wasn''t in peak condition. ¡®We messed up! We shouldn''t have lost Manh?!¡¯ If the triplets still had Manh? with them, theirbined attacks would have been capable of taking down this monster. It was a huge shame. Even so, the twins did all they could. Fwirl! The two then hurled daggers at Karuna, yet he didn¡¯t bother to block them. [Hope Devourer consumes the impact.] [Hope Devourer currently has an empty stomach.] [Hope Devourer digests all of the impact.] Karuna ignored the weaker attacks, as his armor could just absorb them, and solely focused on deflecting the stronger attacks. If Tarde and Noite manage to push beyond their limits and somehow emerge alive, they would undoubtedly experience tremendous growth from their battle with Karuna. It was obvious to the observers as well. Their jaws hung open, many of them unable toprehend what unfolded before them. Tarde and Noite, noticing their expressions, felt a strange sensation growing within them. aang! Baam! ¡°Bwrgh¡­¡± The feeling of giving your all to challenge a formidable opponent. The exhration that came with sprinting toward your goal. Instead of being saddened by Manh?¡¯s death, they found themselves more excited by these feelings. However, they weren¡¯t the only ones growing through this fight. Karuna, too, had gained a lot through this. Originally, he should have grown much more after absorbing the ck Knight, but he hadn¡¯t. It was likely because he hadn¡¯t fully taken in the ck Knight¡¯s rage. He worried that epting it would change a part of him. In the worst-case scenario, he would end up beingpletely consumed by rage like the ck Knight. For those reasons, he held back his anger, repressing his emotions. However, repressing it would never make it die down. In fact, it would only make the inevitable explosion bigger. It could have even been dangerous if Karuna had repressed his emotions further. And now... he nned to unleash the deep-seated rage within him, the very emotion he had attempted to suppress. He wanted to¡­ let it all out. To just let it out and clear his head. As the fight slowed down, he reached a decision. Fwirl! Click! Karuna sheathed Breathe once more. Thud¡­ Rumbleeeeee! Karuna took a step, causing the ground beneath him to tremble, copse, and be drawn toward him. Rumble rumble¡­ The twins, now white-haired old men, leaped toward him, exerting every ounce of their remaining strength. Yet, they couldn¡¯t reach him. The two old men felt exhrated by the incredible strength they sensed from Karuna. Their hearts pounded faster, like it was going to explode. ¡°How¡­ incredible.¡± Unsheathe¡­ What they saw next wasn¡¯t Karuna¡¯s sword, but simply a void of ck. Everyone''s vision became engulfed in darkness as light was stripped away from them. FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! [Awakening! Karuna awakens a new skill.] [Karuna awakens Exceptional Skill: Night Sea.] [Exceptional Skill: Night Sea is born!] A pitch-ck, crescent wave of energy smashed into the manor, sweeping everything away. Chapter 192 BOOOOOOOM! Like trees being swept up by a storm, the ck wave destroyed and swept through everything in its range. The manor had been split in half. Well, maybe ¡°split¡± wasn¡¯t the most appropriate word to describe what had happened to the manor. ¡°Disappeared¡± was a much better way of describing it. ¡°Haah¡­ Haaah¡­¡± Marcelo¡¯s subordinates began retreating in fear after witnessing something so absurd. Fwip! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Fwoosh! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± They were weak, defeated soldiers at best. However, as they were members of the cartel, Yeo-myeong wasted no time in killing the remaining remnants. By the time the dust settled, everything else settled alongside it. ¡°Let go! Let me go!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth, Marcelo,¡± said Yeo-myeong. ¡°You¡¯re free to talk more if you want to die faster, though.¡± Noticing Marcelo attempting to flee while the twins were upied, Yeo-myeong swiftly grabbed him and prevented his escape. Marcelo had quickly realized that the twins would lose and had tried to slip away. However, he had been caught by Yeo-myeong. Even if it weren¡¯t for Yeo-myeong, Seol was already aware of his presence, so Marcelo couldn¡¯t have escaped. Regardless, his attempt failed. ¡°You bastards¡­ You think you can just mess with us¡­? You¡¯re walking corpses now.¡± Yeo-myeong tossed Marcelo face-first into the ground before taking the item in his hands. ¡°This is my rightful reward and¡­¡± ¡°You bastards¡­ Are you really doing this over just one fucking item?¡± ¡°One item? No, this is your punishment.¡± Seol nced at Karuna, who appeared lost in thought, and realized he needed a moment. Turning back to Marcelo, Seol walked toward him. ¡°...Hey,¡± said Seol. ¡°Y-You¡­!¡± shouted Marcelo. ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°What are you¡­ Las Cabras?¡± ¡°Yeah, those bastards who should¡¯ve just been grazing on some grass.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll tell you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Marcelo¡¯s eyes shifted back and forth. He paused for a second before continuing. ¡°I-If I tell you¡­ will you let me live?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± boasted Seol, calmly. ¡°Ptoo! Go fuck yourself, you¡­¡± Marcelo thrashed around and reached for a weapon on him, but... sh! Yeo-myeong swiftly cut Marcelo¡¯s head off. ¡°How dare he¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s more tenacious than I thought,¡± said Seol. "It''s because he would have been killed by the cartel even if he somehow made it out of here alive. He knew that better than anyone, so..." Karen slowly put Marie down. Lower¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­¡± It seemed like Marie was waking up. ¡°Marie!¡± [Intermediate Insight activates.] [There are signs of poison.] Seol quickly pulled out an antidote from his inventory and fed it to her. ¡°Urgh¡­ it hurts¡­¡± Seeing Marie waking up in pain, Yeo-myeong quickly supported her. ¡°Are you okay, Marie?¡± ¡°You¡¯re way too loud right now¡­ dumbass.¡± Luckily, she didn¡¯t seem to be at risk of losing her life at all. Seol then carefully observed Karuna, who had just unleashed a massive attack. ¡®It¡¯s making me worry¡­¡¯ Ur exined the situation to him from Seol¡¯s shadows as if he sensed Seol¡¯s thoughts. - Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s probably just the aftermath of him breaking through the wall that had been blocking him. ¡®Isn¡¯t that dangerous, though?¡¯ - It could be... but we can do nothing about it. He''d obviously be shocked if something empty was suddenly filled in this entire time. It was now clear that Ur had been aware of Karuna¡¯sck of ego. - I¡¯d gauged it before while testing your skills. Though his exterior seemed like a stiff doll, something was bubbling within him. If it manages to break down entirely, his personality might change quite a bit. However, Seol didn¡¯t worry too much about that. Even if Karuna had be more violent than before, there was no way it would havepared to the ck Knight. And even if he did, Karuna would undoubtedly return to normal. Fwoooosh¡­ Contrary to Seol¡¯s concerns, Karuna looked at peace. He seemed satisfied, refreshed from letting all of his anger out. In truth, Karuna¡¯s action of absorbing the ck Knight was not the appropriate way to do it. It was simr to how humans could eat lumps of metal to increase their weight, but they could never digest it, causing a whole other slew of imbnces. Eventually, the growing anger within him ate away at his insides, particrly given he wasn¡¯t the type to disy his emotions. But luckily¡­ another variable had been included. Resonance, a skill Seol had gained from Kiri, which allowed him to share his emotions with Karuna. Seol¡¯s cool, calm personality not only helped to quell some of the bubbling anger but also, at times, to remove it entirely. That was how the anger brewing with Karuna managed to be expelled like this, instead of erupting inside him. If it weren¡¯t for Resonance, there would have been huge issues. Though Seol had considered Resonance a weak skill, it had its uses. Fwooooosh¡­ The ck wave that destroyed the manor then began returning to Karuna. And like that, the Twin Knights had managed to break through their wall. Fwoooooosh! ck waves continued to surge back and forth from Karuna. Though the energy had felt strong before, now it seemed so powerful that it was imprable. Karen began to feel the aftermath as well. ¡°...What?¡± She then erupted into mes. [Twin Knights¡¯ Connected Soul activates.] [The two summons¡¯ ranks are improved to Transcendent.] [Your summons can now use all of their original strength.] [Your summons have now attained the qualifications to be Great Generals.] [Great Generals are able to walk their own paths.] [Different skills will be improved based on the paths they choose.] [Twin Knights: Karuna¡¯s Soaring Moonlight has been improved.] [When Soaring Moonlight is activated, it will now always be the Full Moon Stage.] [Twin Knights: Karen¡¯s Fire Flower has transformed to Burning Fixed Star.] [Burning Fixed Star¡¯s damage per spin is increased, and the created mes are greatly improved.] [Twin Knights: Karuna¡¯s Passive: ck Wave has been improved.] [ck Wave now decreases more stats, and the slowing effect is increased.] [Twin Knights: Karen awakens a new skill!] [Twin Knights: Karen awakens Passive: Best Friends.] [Twin Knights: Karuna''s physical abilities are greatly increased.] [Twin Knights: Karen''s physical abilities are greatly increased.] [Twin Knights: Karuna awakens Stand Alone.] [Twin Knights: Karen awakens Stand Alone.] [Connected Soul¡¯s stat increases are active even when the Twin Knights are not summoned together.] ¡­¡­ Seol read through the countless messages. - They finally broke through their wall. As Karuna underwent a change, so did Karen. While it was certainly due to Connected Soul''s effects, truthfully, Karen had been ready to grow long before Karuna. When she finally escaped Jin¡¯s shadows at Yognatun, she likely had been ready to climb to a higher level since then. However, she was held back by Karuna, who wasn¡¯t ready to ascend, so the moment he became ready, she improved together with him. Seol skipped through the intuitive skills and focused on the more important ones. [[Passive: ck Wave] Passively emit a ck aura that debuffs enemies, capable of stacking. Each stack of the aura decreases their stats by 1~3% and increases the slow effect. The effect can umte up to a maximum of 10 stacks. Upon reaching 10 stacks, enemies receive 20% more damage from attacks than usual.] - How ridiculous¡­ - Karuna¡¯s a monster now¡­ - 10 stacks = auto-win. - He¡¯s going to auto-win regardless¡­ [[Passive: Best Friends] Passive: Sudden Appearance¡¯s effect always activates, appearing in the creation you are closest to.] - What the fuck does this mean? - We have to know what Sudden Appearance does to understand it lmfaooo - I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a good thing~ - It cost a bunch of skill points, so it better be good¡­ - Why did both of them rank up, though¡­ - What¡¯s the Great General¡¯s path??? - Idk either. Seol knew the answer to his viewer¡¯s questions about the Great General¡¯s path. They were new skills that knight sses attained upon reaching a certain level, determined by their inclinations. For example, wearing heavy armor and wielding a shield would steer them toward the Path of Loyalty, while opting for a two-handed greatsword would guide them along the Path of Mettle. ¡®I guess this will get naturally chosenter on?¡¯ Just as Jamad became capable of using Primal Power after bing a Great Shaman, they will also receive new skills. ¡®Hm?¡¯ After confirming his summons¡¯ new skills, Seol noticed something on the ground by Karuna¡¯s feet. ¡®Isn¡¯t this¡­ their pocket watch?¡¯ The pocket watch that stole Tarde and Noite¡¯s lifespan. It had somehow found its way into Seol¡¯s hands. ¡°It was¡­ a rather strange item.¡± While a watch that stole its user''s lifespan was eerie and strange, that wasn¡¯t the important part. The watch didn''t merely steal the user''s lifespan. It elerated their aging process. In other words, using this watch meant that the user''s time passed by that much more quickly. Seol was surprised by how an ordinary item like this could affect time in such a way. Seol grabbed the watch. Its ss face had a crack forming on it. [[Pocket Watch of Inequality] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: When activated, the user''s stats are drastically increased, but it causes them to age quicker for each second this remains active. As it is broken, it is unable to determine the extent of the user''s stat increase or the rate of aging per second.] [Intermediate Insight activates.] [It seems like this item could only be used one more time.] ¡°...What?¡± For now, Seol stowed the item into his inventory, while Ur gazed at the watch for a long while. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Luckily, Marie recovered quickly. Not only did she possess a healing skill, but the poison impairing her movement before was also just an ordinary paralysis poison. After the situation settled, Yeo-myeong came to Seol. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe,¡± said Seol. ¡°...It¡¯s all thanks to you, hyung.¡± ¡°I get the sense that you¡¯ve changed quite a bit.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°In a good way.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ R-Really?¡± In truth, his skills and aura really werepletely different from before; Seol hadn¡¯t been lying to him. ¡®I felt it before too, but¡­ he¡¯s really grown.¡¯ Scratch¡­ Yeo-myeong scratched his head in embarrassment. ¡°It also seems like you¡¯ve been through some things as well,¡± added Seol. Nod¡­ Yeo-myeong behaved sincerely with Seol, like a child trying to impress their older brother. Seeing that, Seol smiled. ¡°But you¡¯ve definitely grown. I¡¯m happy.¡± Smile¡­ The corners of Yeo-myeong¡¯s mouth kept twitching, unable to hide his happiness. Bam! ¡°Argh!¡± Marie poked his side with her elbow. ¡°You¡¯re acting like an idiot, Yeo-myeong.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Marie then looked at Seol. She clearly didn¡¯t fully understand the situation right now. She couldn¡¯tprehend why, while she was knocked out, Marcelo¡¯s gang had been annihted and vanished from Azelphog. ¡°Summoner¡­ a summoner¡­¡± ¡°What is it, Marie?¡± ¡°He was a summoner?¡± "Ah, hyung? Yeah. You read with me the letters that Noeul sent, didn¡¯t you? The part where she questioned how a transferee cleared thebyrinth, thinking it was a lie." ¡°The gent?¡± ¡°Yeah, him! Hyung, that was you, right?¡± Nod. Seol nodded in response to Yeo-myeong¡¯s question. Marie¡¯s eyes were widened with shock. ¡°Y-You really cleared thebyrinth?¡± asked Marie. ¡°What was it like?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± - What do you think? It was fucking hell¡­ (while smoking) - Don¡¯t even talk about it! (while drinking) - I don¡¯t think she wanted an answer like that¡­ - Wait, this is a huge problem! She¡¯s so curious she¡¯s going to get heartburn! Someone call 911! Marie then unloaded questions onto Seol as if she were interrogating him. ¡°Then how many points do you have?¡± Such as questions like that. ¡°11 million? Why didn¡¯t I notice¡­ How? No, seriously¡­ how?!¡± - Haha¡­ Thebyrinth didn¡¯t even give that many points, either~ - You can stop now~ I¡¯m getting embarrassed~ - A lot more happened than that, though~ I guess those rumors didn¡¯t spread yet~ Marie then nodded to herself. ¡°I see. No wonder Yeo-myeong was going on and on about you¡­ I didn¡¯t know you were someone like this¡­¡± - Yeo-myeong¡¯s shoulders = Everest. - Mountaineer: Wtf I thought this was a mountain. This was just someone¡¯s shoulders? - He¡¯s so proud of it LMFAOOO - My brother¡¯s cooler, and stronger, and faster than your brother!!! Yeo-myeong then asked Seol a question. ¡°Hyung, did you, by chance¡­ see me fight?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ So you didn¡¯t¡­¡± He appeared to be sinking into despair, clearly saddened by the fact that Seol couldn¡¯t watch him fight. ¡°But¡­ I can clearly tell how much you¡¯ve grown. Right, Karen?¡± Disinterested in their conversation, Karen responded to Seol while petting Koko. ¡°Why do you keep calling¡ªHuh? Yeah¡­ you did. You were sloppy before, but I can tell you¡¯ve hardened yourself up a bit.¡± ¡°I-I intentionally picked out the difficult missions. I knew I had to train my body, but I thought I needed to train my mind as well¡­¡± Yeo-myeong¡¯s transformed demeanor shed through Seol¡¯s mind. His merciless, cold methods¡­ His ability to quickly make decisions¡­ ¡®I guess it¡¯s fine, though, since he still retained his positives.¡¯ ¡°Seol!¡± beamed Marie. ¡°What do you n to do now? If you haven''t chosen your next Adventure yet¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already decided on my next few Adventures.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Marie¡¯s shoulders drooped, clearly sad that she couldn¡¯t go on an Adventure with him. After promising to see Yeo-myeong again in Azelphog after this Adventure, Seol left the manor and went to his amodation. * * * A few dayster, Seol was waiting to be transferred to his next Adventure. It had been a long while since Seol couldzily wait for his next Adventure to begin. It was because he hadn¡¯t been able to start his adventures when he wanted to. Now, after receiving thepass from Lian, Seol began his search for his pieces. And obviously, the most important thing when you start something new is how you start it. Seol''s absence before heading to Marcelo¡¯s manor was also due to his preparation for his next Adventure. ¡°I knew it; the arrow¡¯s pointing toward Gollun.¡± - Gollun? Ur was confused, it was his first time hearing that name. Seolughed in response, glossing over it. Glooooow¡­ After being surrounded by light, Seol was transferred into a damp cave. Fwoosh¡­ Seol then lit up a torch he had prepared beforehand. Squinting, he looked around the cave. ¡®I don¡¯t¡­ particrly have good memories about this ce.¡¯ [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 25th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 25. Grave Robber¡¯s Tomb] ¡­¡­ This cave... was where his piece, Gollun, the Grave Robber, met his end. Chapter 193 Gollun, the Grave Robber. He was one of Seol¡¯s pieces, the first to etch the name ''Snowman'' into the memories of the gods who enjoyed the game. Gollun started out as just another of Seol¡¯s ordinary pieces. He was, at least... until his peculiar traits revealed themselves. [You have earned Tendency: Kleptomaniac.] [From now on, you will unwittingly take other people¡¯s belongings.] [You realize that you have a fondness for graves.] [You will only feel fulfilled by uncovering all graves.] Seol could finally decide on Gollun¡¯s path after having these two abilities awaken. The adventurer¡ªno, rather, a grave robber¡ªbegan uncovering graves from that day forth. While Lian''s potential grew exponentially after his Innate Talent was revealed, Gollun''s Tendency caused Seol many headaches. Firstly, he couldn¡¯t enter cities or towns because of his kleptomania. Essentially, he was no longer allowed to rest or stockpile on necessary materials from stores. If Seol ever carelessly wandered into a town, Gollun would inevitably be adorned with other people¡¯s possessions, like fruits on a tree, and spend the entire day being pursued by the town¡¯s guards. Not to mention, Gollun was essentially incapable of taking on ordinary missions. If Gollun stumbled upon signs of a grave during an Adventure, he would disregard everything else to uncover it, even the Adventure¡¯s Objective, as if he only had a single brain cell. However, shadows only exist in the presence of light. [You are now able to smell the scent of money.] [You can quickly find hidden treasures.] [You have earned Tendency: Hoarder.] [You are no longer able to sell the items that you collect, but in exchange, hoarding them in a specific location will increase your stats.] Seol had earned this effect while uncovering a tomb with Gollun. This skill marked Gollun''s transformation from a caterpir into a soaring butterfly. While the ''scent of money'' effect didn¡¯t always trigger, when it did, it practically guaranteed extraordinary riches within the tomb, like discovering a colony of barnacles clinging to the hull of a ship. With his new ability, Gollun could gather treasures more swiftly than ever. And Hoarder. Unable to enter cities, Seol was forced to sell Gollun''s items to wandering traders or on the ck market. As such, he could never fetch a fair price for them. But what other choice did he have? It was pointless to hold onto useless items, after all. But now, with Hoarder, there was no longer a reason to sell the treasures. In fact, just gathering them was much more beneficial, even if it meant purchasing some. Seol began unearthing graves to store the treasures he acquired from them in the designated spot, increasing his stats and enabling him to take on increasingly more dangerous tombs and graves. With a clear path to sess, Gollun rapidly grew stronger through this method. Gollun''s hoard grew massively, turning him strong enough to overpower anyone at his level. However, it wouldn¡¯t continue for long. It became an open secret among the yers that Gollun stored his treasures at a certain location, and people began searching for them. Not only were other tomb raiders and ruin hunters on the lookout, but even ordinary adventurers joined the search for Gollun''s hidden hoard. In fact, even trolls and yer-killers joined the fray. It would have been at least somewhat manageable for Seol if it had been only them, but even notorious Pandeans began their hunt for Gollun¡¯s treasures. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * [Adventure 25. ¡®Grave Robber¡¯s Tomb¡¯ By chance, you''ve stumbled upon the entrance to an unguarded tomb. You venture into the darkness, still unsure if this is indeed someone''s grave. The air smells damp, and your feet feel heavy. What secrets lie within this tomb? At this moment, it''s impossible to discern. Objective: Discover something of significance. Remaining Time [About 3 days]] Seol began by taking a deep breath. Though he was underground once more, like in his two previous Adventures, the air was different from theirs. It was damp, but not stuffy. It was dark, but not to the point that it was unnerving. ¡®Is it because I¡¯m familiar with this ce?¡¯ Seol had no reason to worry, as this tomb and its traps were all something that he made, after all. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± - Have you been here before? ¡°No, I just get that feeling.¡± Seol didn''t necessarily have the best memories about this ce, so he chose to ignore it entirely. Even when there were talks about yers targeting Gollun''s treasures, even after his death, Seol paid them no mind. ¡®It''s not like there were any particrly important treasures either.¡¯ While Seol wasn¡¯t fully sure, as it was impossible to test, he got the sense that he was already stronger than Gollun at his peak. And when you consider the fact that Gollun hoarded these treasures, believing they were too valuable to discard yet not good enough to use, Seol would be fortunate to find even one useful item. While the items here were definitely valuable and useful for many Adventurers, they held little appeal for Seol. Despite this, no other adventurer would likely want toe here. ¡®It wouldn''t be worth it for them, after all.¡¯ The items Seol stored here as Gollun weren''t just treasures. There were also sentinels Gollun prepared as countermeasures for theft and treasures that could be dangerous if mishandled. As there was little value in raiding this tomb despite its numerous dangers, it was natural to conclude that people wouldn''t want to visit it if given the chance. ¡®The only reason I came here is because of Gollun¡­ I need to retrieve his will.¡¯ Crack¡­ As Seol stepped on a skull, it shattered beneath his feet. Nheless, he continued forward. [Intermediate Insight activates.] [There is a trap nearby.] Seol knew exactly what it was. It was likely the old arrow trap he had installed long ago. It was shoddy and mostly served to just weed out theughably weak. ¡®I doubt it would even work anymore¡­¡¯ Seol was in control of Gollun a long, long time ago. There was no way the trap would still be operational. Step¡­ Ffft! ¡°......¡± An arrow shot from the trap as Seol stepped on the te. Seol turned his head to the side, dodging it, before continuing. Step¡­ Step¡­ Fft! Fffft! Seol had initially thought it was just his bad luck, but... they were all operational. Fwirl! Seol used Shadow Hand to retrieve an arrow embedded in the wall. He was shocked after seeing them. ¡®These¡­ aren¡¯t the arrows I prepared.¡¯ Someone had tampered with Seol¡¯s traps. This truthpletely shocked him. Seol would have understood if someone had disarmed his traps entirely. After all, he had resupplied and fixed his traps as Gollun had done multiple times before. But¡­ had there ever been an instance of someone tampering with it and resupplying it with more arrows? Was someone trying to be the new owner after Gollun¡¯s death? Step¡­ Fft! Step¡­ Fft! Seol continued to think while leisurely dodging the arrows. ¡®Is¡­ Gollun still alive?¡¯ It was impossible. Seol was there for Gollun¡¯s death, after all. No one knew this fact better than Seol himself. Then¡­ that means that someone else is maintaining this tomb. After Seol passed through the area filled with arrow traps, Insight activated again. [Intermediate Insight activates.] [There is a trap nearby.] ¡®The next traps were pitfall traps.¡¯ Seol remembered them clearly, as these traps were annoying to reset. ¡°......¡± Everyst tile had been rearranged. ¡®Someone tampered with these traps like the arrow traps from earlier.¡¯ Seol, who originally entered this tomb solely to retrieve Gollun''s unfulfilled desires, grew interested in the mysterious person behind it all. Seol intentionally stepped on a tile. [It¡¯s a trap!] [The ground beneath you copses!] Crumble¡­ Arge area beneath Seol''s feet crumbled away, but he was fine. Seol was too swift to fall for traps like these now. Seol looked down at the pitfall from above. It was quite deep and dark, so he wasn''t sure at first, but through the Eyes of Foresight, he quickly spotted something down there. ¡°...Huh? That corpse¡­?¡± Steel spikes pointed up at the bottom of the trap, and Seol spotted the corpses of people who had fallen for it before. However, what interested him currently was the newest corpse that had been ced next to them. ¡®...That one died recently.¡¯ Its flesh had begun to rot but hadn''tpletely deteriorated yet. It was definitely a fresh corpse. It hadn''t been long since they died. ¡°...How interesting.¡± - He said it was interesting! - LOOOL I wonder what he found so interesting¡­? - It¡¯s kinda creepy¡­ It didn¡¯t matter whether the corpse belonged to a transferee or a Pandean. What mattered now was that uninvited guests were still visiting Gollun¡¯s tomb. Fwip! Step! Crumble¡­ [It¡¯s a trap!] [The ground beneath you copses!] Fft! Seol swiftly dashed from one tile to another like a panther, ignoring everything else. After clearing the pitfall traps in an instant, Seol swiftly began navigating through the other traps as well. Whether arge boulder came rolling down at him, the ceiling caved in, or he found himself locked in a room filled with poisonous mist... ¡®They¡¯ve all been properly maintained.¡¯ Seol had already cleared through a number of traps. And now, he was looking at his next one. It was ced in an open area. A maze, the pinnacle of traps, faced him head-on. - Whoa, it¡¯s nice to see a maze again LOL - You can clear it easily by just sticking to the left wall. - But I won¡¯t. - Why not? - Because it won¡¯t be fun? - This guy seems¡­ pretty fun? Surprisingly, Seol could immediately recall his memories of building this maze the moment he saw it. Back then, the gods were interested in Seol after witnessing how much Gollun grew and how he continued to embark on Solo Adventures. - What is he doing alone right now? - Setting traps. - Traps? Why would you¡­ What is this? - A maze. - A maze¡­ huh? Wow¡­ it¡¯s sorge¡­ - What do you think? - ¡­There are more traps, right? - Huh? Ah¡­ yeah. - How do you maintain them all? - Ah¡­ I just so happened toe up with something earlier¡­ Seol was brought back from the past and found himself sprinting through the maze. [[You are currently in a maze. Which direction do you go?] 1. Right. 2. Left. 3. Forwards. 4. Go back. ¡­¡­] ¡°The right¡­¡± Fwip! [It¡¯s a trap!] Fwoooosh! Snap! Snap! Seol continued forward after deflecting all of the iing arrows. ¡°Left this time.¡± As he headed left, he was blocked off. [It¡¯s a dead-end.] ¡°......¡± - He was confidently wrong! - It¡¯s all about confidence, baby! - It¡¯s kinda shitty¡­ but I respect it! Seol then began running around the maze as if he had realized something. Fwip! [It¡¯s a trap!] Fwoosh! [It¡¯s a dead-end.] - This is a bit weird¡­ - Didn¡¯t he just pass through here? - LOL! Scary topics aren¡¯t allowed. - This is¡­ Seol reached a conclusion. ¡®The maze¡­ is moving.¡¯ The maze was set uppletely differently from how he had initially arranged it. Seeing that, he let out an emptyugh. ¡°I wondered what it was¡­¡± Seol looked around him before continuing. ¡°Come out, you rat bastards.¡± It waspletely silent. ¡°I already know everything. Come out already.¡± - Rat¡­ bastards? - Was Seol in the mob? - Don¡¯t tell me¡­ it was another transferee?! - Is Las Cabras already here? Seol then heard the skittering of rats all around him. Squeak¡­ squeak¡­ Rumbleeeeeee¡­ And at the same time, the walls began to rumble as the maze shifted. - What the hell? - The maze is angry! Rumble rumble¡­ As the maze continued to change, Seol recalled his past once more. - So you¡¯re going to be raising grave rats here? - Yes, they''re smart, so I''m sure they''ll maintain it like it was their own house. They''ve frequently appeared in ruins as well. - But... that''s because they really do believe it is their house. They''re quite annoying monsters too... And don''t they also grow through eating treasures? Are you sure this won''t cause any problems in the future? - That¡¯s why I prepared something for that as well! The maze''s walls began to surround Seol like an MMA ring, preventing him from walking in any direction. After a short second, the entire earth beneath Seol copsed. [It¡¯s a trap!] Rumble¡­ Seol gripped the wall as he fell to slow down his descent. Rumble rumble rumble¡­ Fft. He finallynded on the floor. It wasn''t too deep, not as much as Seol expected it to be. Squeak¡­ squeak squeak¡­ Large, people-sized rats waddled toward him, ring at him the entire time. Behind them loomed a particrly fat rat, exhaling noxious fumes with each breath. Squeak¡­ squeak¡­ ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be taking customers anymore when we¡¯re closed down,¡± said Seol, casually. Squeak¡­ squeak¡­ Normally, grave rats didn¡¯t grow this big. ¡®I bet they ate the treasures on the other side as well.¡¯ The massive grave rats drooled as their gazes fixed on Seol. Fwirl¡­ Seol summoned Karen. [Hidden Adventure ¡®Like Master Like Rat¡¯ is now active.] Squeaaaaaak! As the swarm of rats charged at Seol, he issued an order to Karen. ¡°Burn them all down.¡± Karen gripped her sword tightly. aaare! [Karen¡¯s Passive: Best Friend activates.] [Passive: Sudden Appearance activates.] [Karen¡¯s skills influence Koko, the Happy.] Chapter 194 [Adventure 25-1. ¡®Like Master Like Rat¡¯ You have stumbled into a trap! The maze was designed as an inescapable trap from the start, withrge grave rats operating it from behind the scenes. These creatures, known for establishing their territories in ruins and ancient graves, thrive by absorbing mana from valuable treasures. Currently, an endless swarm of fattened, bloated grave rats are charging at you. It seems that it has been quite some time since theirst prey. Why did the tomb''s owner release so many grave rats? Or did the owner perhaps never anticipate them to grow this much? You must stand firm unless you want your final memory to be of these voracious rats tearing your body to shreds with their fangs, greedily feasting upon your flesh. Objective: Kill the grave rats or escape from them to safety. Remaining Time [About 2 days]] ¡®...There¡¯s so many of them.¡¯ Humans often fear life forms much smaller than themselves, like flying insects or swarms of rats. It was an instinctual fear. This instinctual fear, driven by the understanding that even the tiniest organisms could possess weapons capable of threatening them. And it was for those exact reasons thoserge, fattened rats disgusted Seol even more. Squeak¡­ squeak squeak¡­ Not to mention their incessant, grating squeaks, which only add to Seol¡¯s disgust. Seol stepped back behind Karen and read through the particrlyrger grave rat¡¯s information. [[Giant Grave Rat] Rank: Heroic Estimated Level: 29~35 Grave rats burrow into the ground in search of tombs and ruins, earning them the moniker "grave robber rats.¡± They do so as it allows them easy ess to valuable items to absorb mana from. This rat serves as an example of howrge a grave rat can be with a continuous supply of mana. Basic Skills: [Rat Swarm, Attack!], [Put On Airs 2], [Eat Treasures 3], [Transmit Disease 5], [Gnaw 5] Unique Skills: [Passive: Awful Smell 3]] Squeak¡­ squeak squeak¡­ - I¡¯m hopping off the stream for a bit. - I think I¡¯m going to throw up¡­ ?? I remember the spider cave being awful too. - This is awful in a different way¡­ Squeaaaak! [Giant Grave Rat used Rat Swarm, Attack!] [All grave rats within a certain radius have Awful Smell¡¯s range slightly increased and a 100% chance to transmit diseases upon a sessful Gnaw.] Squeak squeak! A swarm of rats began racing toward Seol, causing the ground to tremble as if a mass of boulders were charging at him. Ur made a remark. - Hm¡­ the ground is unstable. You should avoid arge fight if you can. Shrng¡­ aaare¡­ Karen and Koko positioned themselves between Seol to shield him from the oing swarm. Seol refrained from confronting the swarm himself or summoning Karuna because he shared the same idea as Ur and Karen. Karen wanted to test her strength after achieving Transcendent-rank, and Ur also wished to see it. Obviously, it only happened because Seol agreed with their sentiments too. Karen then looked at Koko. ¡°Why are you out here, though?¡± Wag wag¡­ Koko simply looked back at Karen with innocent eyes and wagged his tail. ¡°Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s fine.¡± aaare¡­ Karen¡¯s body erupted into mes. Seol felt an immense amount of heat radiating from her. ¡°Not bad,¡± said Seol. Agreeing with Seol¡¯s sentiment, Karen looked at her palm before resolving herself. ¡°Then why don¡¯t I¡­¡± said Karen. Fwooosh! An ominous sound filled the air as she swung her sword. Despite the strength of her swing, the sound that trailed it was surprisingly quiet. It resembled the gentle fluttering of petals in the spring breeze, a fittingparison as the mes danced and flickered in the wind. Squeak! Squeak squeak! [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated Fully Grown Grave Rat.] ¡­¡­ [You have gained experience.] [You have defeated Fully Grown Grave Rat.] ¡­¡­ [The umted experience has reached its maximum limit.] [The Skill Point Dice is rolling.] [Skill Point Dice has rolled a 3.] [You have received a skill point.] [You have received a skill point.] [You have received a skill point.] ¡°Oh¡­¡± Seol''s umted experience from defeating monsters had finally reached its limit, triggering the Skill Point Dice. As a result, he received 3 skill points as his reward. Seol was a bit disappointed, as it was his first time receiving them after 24 Adventures, but it didn¡¯t feel as bad when he thought of it as a bonus. ¡®Most of my Adventures weren¡¯t focused on defeating arge number of monsters, anyway.¡¯ Compared to other transferees, Seol frequently encountered single powerful monsters rather than facing multiple weaker ones. It made sense why it had only triggered now, as powerful monsters often gave different rewards. Fwooosh¡­ Grrrrrr¡­ This time, it wasn''t Karen''s mes rampaging, but Koko''s. While Karen¡¯s mes were stable, Koko¡¯s was like hellfire. Squeaaaaak! Burn¡­ Each time Koko passed through the rats, pirs of me erupted into the sky, resembling a mountain fire. As Koko leaped into the air, all that remained was the fire¡ªa beautiful and spine-chilling sight. While Seol managed to keep track of Koko, he had difficulty discerning the details amid the chaos. Seol then turned back to Karen as she entered a stance. [Karen used Burning Fixed Star.] [Karen absorbs all heat within a certain radius while also generating her own heat as she spins.] [The range of all fire attacks is increased by 150%.] [The range of fire attacks can increase by up to 300% while she spins.] [Karen takes 50% reduced damage from all sources while she spins.] [Karen deals 500% of her damage with each spin.] [Karen¡¯s stance is perfect.] [Karen¡¯s spin rate increases by 50%.] [Karen spins 65 times.] Kreeeeeeeeeee! That was the sound of Karen cutting down one rat after another at zing speeds. The rats at the front were forced to face her de before her mes engulfed them¡ªa fate for which they could only be thankful. Fwooooosh! A tempest of fire swept through the horde of rats. Their flesh was burned to a crisp, their bones scattered by her winds. - Was Karen¡­ this strong? - I bet Karuna¡¯s shocked too¡­ - Maybe¡­ we just need to get used to it? - Honestly, I¡¯d be scared if she was in my party LMFAO - DW We have Jamad - Ah, then we¡¯re fine BET Fwooosh¡­ Koko gathered mes in his maw. Fwooosh! His mes flew toward Karen, engulfing her sword. Rather¡­ it might be more appropriate to say that his mes were deflected by Karen. aaare! The orb of hellfire collided with her sword before being deflected off in all directions. Baaaaaam! Squeak! Baaaaaam! Squeak! Squeak! Each time the orb of hellfire exploded, rats cried out in pain all around. Shocked by its power, Karen looked directly at Koko. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good, aren¡¯t you?¡± Pant pant¡­ As if it were an illusion, the swarm of rats, along with their flesh and stench, mostly vanished. Suddenly, Koko rushed toward Karen. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Koko leaped toward her before turning into a mass of fire, shocking not only Karen but also Seol. Karen paused for a second beforeughing. ¡°You¡¯re a little rascal.¡± Now, a zing inferno, Koko circled around Karen. Seol became even more shocked after seeing Karen¡¯s fires absorb Koko. ¡®Had Ur been aiming for this?¡¯ Despite costing a lot of skill points, Sudden Appearance had done nothing so far. Only now, through Karen, did Seol have a general idea of its effects. ¡°This is¡­¡± - Yes, mystical creatures like shadow wolves are also strength itself. They, too, adhere to every rule andw. aaare¡­ Karen¡¯s mes began turning ck, just like Koko. It was different from the Hellfire that Koko had used earlier. It was much darker, much deeper. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Karen grit her teeth as she endured the mes. Seol could sense that the mes were stronger than before, even from a distance, making him question how much hotter it was for Karen herself. She then closed her eyes. Squeak¡­ Squeak squeak¡­ Thergest grave rat began waddling back, ordering the other rats to go forward to protect him. Squeak! Squeaaaaak! However, even those rats began running away. There was no way they could approach Karen, who was radiating so much heat. And then¡­ she opened her eyes. [Awakening! Karen awakens a new skill.] [Karen awakens Passive: Inferno.] The first thing Karen noticed when she opened her eyes was the small ember circling around her. She then opened her mouth, and spoke directly to it. ¡°This is seriously hot, Koko. Get ready.¡± Fwooosh¡­ As the crimson knight circled her sword, she transferred all of the ck fire around her to it. She then raised it to the sky before pointing it toward the swarm of rats and firing it at them. [Awakening! Karen awakens a new skill.] [Awakening! Koko awakens a new skill.] [Karen awakens ck me Cannon.] [Koko awakens ck me Cannon.] [This skill can only be used while Passive: Best Friends is active.] Taking the form of a charging wolf, the cannon hurtled through the air before colliding squarely with the Giant Grave Rat. BOOOOOOOOOM! Arge, ck explosion. No screams or flesh followed, only heat and death. [You have defeated Giant Grave Rat.] [You have been given an additional reward.] - ¡­Are you serious? - Rat: We¡¯re sting off againnnnnnnn! - What? She¡¯s going to get stronger each time she gets summoned? - I don¡¯t know¡­ That¡¯s the truth now¡­ I guess¡­ - Calm down and stop crying. Use your words, tell me what¡¯s wrong. Karen dusted off her mes after neatly finishing everything off, then proceeded to embrace Koko. ¡°You¡¯re incredible, huh?¡± Pant pant¡­ Koko briefly let Karen hold him before retreating to Seol¡¯s shadows. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Karen looked at the nk space, devastated by it. - Koko: It was just business. - Bad Boy Koko LMFAOOO Seol was greatly satisfied with Sudden Appearance¡¯s effects. ¡®...I thought it was going to make an Exceptional Skill near the end.¡¯ ck me Cannon¡¯s power was incredible. It was also simple to use, without a lot of restrictions. Seol believed that he would utilize this skill often when he couldn¡¯t use Exceptional Skills. Ur read Seol¡¯s mood for a second before saying a word. - Good. It seems your knight and wolf have good synergy. ¡°......¡± Seol looked at Ur in his Shadow Space with a confused look. - When the newly hired employee is better than you LMFAOOO - Ur: I can¡¯t let him go into Jamad¡¯s faction¡­ - Our new hire is too good¡­ - Fine, I¡¯ll admit it! He¡¯s¡­ kinda good! Regardless, with the situation settled, Seol let out a long sigh. ¡°We should get out of here for now and¡­¡± Rumble¡­ Ur let out a sigh as well. - Haah¡­ Get out of the way. It¡¯s copsing. ¡°...I feel like I¡¯ve been through something like this before.¡± - How interesting. I think I¡¯ve been through something like this as well. Bam! Rumble! Crumble! The walls began to crumble away. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * - Let¡¯s just not go underground anymore¡­ - Everything is caving in nowadays LMFAO Seol looked at Karen. ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t because of me,¡± protested Karen. - Huh¡­? Then who else could it be? The voice belonged to Jamad. ¡°Obviously, Koko!¡± said Karen. ¡°Right, Koko?¡± Pant pant¡­ ¡°See? He agrees with me!¡± Ur spoke up this time. - Koko refused to answer. ¡°And how would you know?!¡± - I understand mostnguages, whether it''s higher or lesser beings. If it''s just simple intent, I can understand it easily. ¡°...Is he telling the truth, Koko?¡± Pant pant¡­ - Koko is thanking me for rifying his intent and clearing his name. ¡°...I don¡¯t think he said all that.¡± - ¡­I might have mixed some of my opinions into it as well. ¡°It¡¯s all just your opinions, isn¡¯t it?¡± Thinking of their quarrel as them admitting they were fine, Seol looked around him. His actions immediately led to some results. ¡°Found it.¡± ¡°Found what?¡± ¡°The exit.¡± ¡°Then we can get out of here now?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s the exit from here to the storage room.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± "I doubt those slow rats could have opened the storage room themselves, so I was looking for it, and... as I expected, they made a hole." Seol and the others passed through the hole that connected elsewhere. Seol was the first to stick his head out. "Hmm... that''s going to be a problem," Seol muttered to himself. "I didn''t expect that to still be operational." ¡°What? Why are you¡­¡± Karen trailed off after seeing the scene outside the hole, dumbfounded by what she saw. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Thuuuud¡­ A massive golem trudged around, circling arge pir at the center. On the opposite side of where Seol and the others stood, was a massive door. ¡°We can just go through that door and leave, right?¡± Seol shook his head. "We either need the golem''s permission, or we need to temporarily stop it.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Is it hard?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± answered Seol. ¡°It¡¯s hard.¡± This golem was the reason Seol had been able to protect his treasures for so long. [Hidden Adventure ¡®Giant Outside the Rat Hole¡¯ is now active.] Chapter 195 Seol recalled a time when he was first creating what was now the Grave Robber¡¯s Tomb. ¡°So why is this¡­¡± Seol nced at a man sitting alone in a corner, his eyesser-focused on the game board. A god, wearing a mask with strange leaves and branches protruding out of it, was engrossed in a game on his own. He was a yer that enjoyed ying on his own. Seol slowly approached him. ¡°Excuse me¡­ SturdyPaulowniaTree¡­¡± ¡°Seriously, why is this¡ªHuh? Snowman? What is it?¡± Not only was SturdyPaulowniaTree a renowned yer, he was also the reason Seol becamepletely entranced by The World of Eternity. And as Seol had yet to leave his mark, it made sense why he was acting so meekly toward him. ¡°I have a request,¡± said Seol. ¡°A request? Ahh¡­ a request!¡± SturdyPaulowniaTree was quite the unique individual. He didn¡¯t talk with the others and simply enjoyed the game on his own. Despite that, he was extremely famous because of his piece. ¡°You''ve helped me out quite a bitst time. It''s only fair that I help you in return. To be honest, though, I didn¡¯t really mean that. I really don¡¯t want to take on your request.¡± ¡°......¡± His personality was also quite unique. ¡°Is your golemist¡­ still alive?¡± asked Seol. ¡°Quite to the point, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re alive! They¡¯ve evenpleted their Exceptional Skill. That¡¯s a secret, though.¡± ¡°A-An Exceptional Skill?!¡± Even considering that this was the beginning of their journey into The World of Eternity, the high-ranking yers were surprisingly weak. This was because most individuals died during Adventures, and the high-ranking yers were those who grew by avoiding dangerous encounters¡ªindividuals whose growth was stunted. Though some yers seeded in multiple dangerous Adventures one after another, they all inevitably met their demise. This meant that the number of pieces that knew Exceptional Skills could be counted on one hand. As such, since the yer in front of him hadpleted an Exceptional Skill¡ªa symbol of high-ranking yers¡ªSeol was even more shocked and excited. Anyone would be excited when seeing an expert of their hobby. Seol was no different. ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s incredible. Do you think I¡¯ll be able to make one too?¡± ¡°Hahaha! I don¡¯t know if you¡¯lle up with one as good as mine, but¡­ I can see potential in you, Snowman.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°No. I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± ¡°......¡± This was why he couldn¡¯t get along with anyone. Regardless, young Seol persisted, trying to overlook his words. ¡°So my request is¡­¡± began Seol. ¡°Your request?¡± ¡°I received a copy of a nk sentry golem and¡­¡± ¡°I heard about that. The trade was a loss for you, wasn¡¯t it? I remember the treasure you sold being worth quite a lot.¡± ¡°It was. But a golem is more valuable to me right now¡­¡± ¡°Still, a shoddy sentry golem like that wouldn¡¯t be able to protect anything¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking for¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± shouted SturdyPaulowniaTree. ¡°Is your request to remodel it?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Golems are my expertise, you came to the right ce. Remodeling? I won¡¯t be doing it myself, of course. I¡¯m just annoyed that my game piece will be doing it! More importantly¡­ how did you want to remodel it?¡± ¡°Essentially, I¡¯m trying to¡­¡± SturdyPaulowniaTree expressed his disapproval after hearing Seol¡¯s n. "Hm¡­ are you sure that¡¯s a good idea? Increasing its effectiveness isn¡¯t an issue, but it seems like a waste to just keep it in your treasure storage." ¡°That treasure storage is the source of my power, though,¡± responded Seol. ¡°Also, it won¡¯t be invincible just because it can use the powers of your treasures. You have some treasures with a lot of restrictions,parable to Abomination-quality items, too, after all.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to defend it otherwise. Mybat ability isn¡¯t too high.¡± "Okay then! I¡¯ll immediately get to work! Snowman¡¯s treasure storage¡­ no, what was his name again?¡± ¡°Gollun. Gollun, the Grave Robber.¡± ¡°Okay, I will immediately begin modifying the invincible golem that will defend Gollun, the Grave Robber¡¯s treasure storage!¡± ¡°Yeahhhh!¡± ¡°Obviously, my piece will be the one making it, not me, so don¡¯t shout too loudly!¡± ¡°...Okay.¡± SturdyPaulowniaTree, as always, was a difficult man to talk to. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Seol recalled how he brought therge sentry golem here. It almost felt like he was reliving those memories. [Adventure 25-2. ¡®Giant Outside the Rat Hole¡¯ While you managed to survive the falling rocks, your current situation remains precarious. Fortunately, you¡¯ve made a discovery: the terrain here is highly unstable. Through your investigation, you''ve discovered a rat hole likely used by the grave rats to sneak into the treasure room and pilfer its treasures. In front of you lies a door, but you also notice a golem patrolling the room. It appears that to escape, you''ll need to deal with the golem somehow. Objective: Defeat the golem or sneak through the next door without being detected. Remaining Time [About 2 days]] Thuuud¡­ Thuuuuuud¡­ The golem SturdyPaulowniaTree created was circling around the treasure room. Arge pir stood at the center of the room, and the golem simply walked around it. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ ¡°Why not?¡± asked Karen. ¡°We can just break it, no?¡± Ur and Seol both vehemently disagreed. [Intermediate Insight activates.] [Physical Damage Mitigation is being applied.] [Elemental Damage Reduction is being applied.] [Tremendous Strength is being applied.] [Brilliant Mirror is being applied.] [Health Regeneration is being applied.] [Elemental Restoration is being applied.] [Thorn Armor is being applied.] ¡­¡­ Countless more messages continued to appear even after this. ¡®Did I¡­ go too far with the remodeling?¡¯ SturdyPaulowniaTree had poured his heart and soul into the golem. Seol¡¯s Eyes of Foresight quickly read through the golem¡¯s information. [[Masterwork: Paulownia Tree Sentry] Rank: Heroic Estimated Level: 32~36 Sentry golems seem to always appear where there are valuable items. However, they are typically slow, dull, and clumsy. The Paulownia Tree Sentry, however, is different. If you were curious why there were so few corpses despite the number of people aiming for this tomb, look no further than below its feet. As long as treasures exist within the storage room, defeating the sentry will be difficult. Surprisingly, this sentry isn¡¯t made from paulownia trees. Basic Skills: [Temporary Storage 3], [Treasure Power 5], [Utilize Everything 3], [Annihte 5], [Self-Recovery 5] Unique Skills: [Passive: Golem''s Turf 2]] After reading its information, Seol went into thought. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to slip past it as long as it is active.¡¯ Seol then looked at the door the golem had just passed by. ¡®The sentry can use the power of the treasures. We won¡¯t be able to defeat it in the treasure storage.¡¯ A golem that can wield the power of treasures. It was a masterwork that SturdyPaulowniaTree only perfected after remodeling it over and over again. - What¡¯s that bag on its back? - Does it get stronger if you put treasures into it? - He¡¯s like reverse Santa. Like the viewers mentioned, the Paulownia Tree Sentry had a pouch-like object on its back. With a hint of hesitation, Ur spoke to Seol. - Destroying it seems possible, but... it will take way too long. I can already sense tenyers of barriers on it. We would need at least a day if we want to defeat a dumb lump of steel like that. Not to mention, even one hit from that thing will be enough to kill us. ¡°What do we do then?¡± asked Karen. ¡°Could we just sneak past it?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible.¡± Seol quickly cut her off. There were countless magic circles set up throughout the room. Upon detecting any irregr movement, they would ry the signal to the Paulownia Tree Sentry, prompting it to fight. ¡°It¡¯s set up so you¡¯re forced to fight the golem unless you can fly.¡± While the Paulownia Tree Sentry was only a Heroic-rank, it had gained strength way beyond its capabilities through cing a restriction on itself. The restriction being that it can¡¯t leave this room. ¡®The problem is that we need to go through it.¡¯ Seol then saw a few options before him. [[The Paulownia Tree Sentry is guarding this room. What do you do?] 1. Attempt to converse with the Paulownia Tree Sentry. 2. Attempt to sneak through the Paulownia Tree Sentry. 3. Investigate the grave rats¡¯ territory. 4. Use one person as bait to escape. ¡­¡­] All of those choices seemed dreadful. Particrly the third, which would require Seol to not only backtrack but also inspect the mutted corpses. - We can¡¯t fight the golem head-on. We already learned the terrain here is unstable, fighting it would be like asking for a cave-in. Karenughed after Ur¡¯s warning. ¡°You can bring us out if it caves in again, right?¡± - I don¡¯t have enough mana to do that anymore. I squeezed out everyst drop of my mana to do that back then. ¡°What do we do then?¡± Seol rubbed his chin. ¡°I¡­ have one method in mind, but¡­¡± ¡°You do?¡± asked Karen in response. Sensing what Seol was going to say next, Ur spoke up. - Are you nning to use the pocket watch? ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking about.¡± The two were referring to the pocket watch that the triplets¡ªone was dead when it was used, so¡ªtwins used. For some reason, the Pocket Watch of Equality had transformed into the Pocket Watch of Inequality when Seol picked it up, its quality also changing from Abomination to Treasure. Seol was trying toe up with a way to use it. - At least you''ve got your head on your shoulders. It seems that the golem uses treasures to defeat its enemies, and... cing the treasure into the sack on its back is probably the method to prompt it to do so. It only took Ur an instant to figure out the Paulownia Tree Sentry. - Toss it in. I''m sure it''ll do what you expect. "How can you be so sure, though? It might not affect it, and... I don''t even know how much time it has left." - Trust me, I can guarantee its quality. Also, I can sense how much time it has left and who it can affect. Seol waspletely shocked. ¡°You¡¯re guaranteeing its quality? How?¡± - Because it is from Cagon. ¡°...What?¡± - That pocket watch is from Cagon. I could tell right away. ¡°You¡¯re talking about the empire you used to live in, right?¡± - I am. Seol was still shocked, but that pocket watch had been strange from the start. ¡°I knew its effects were ridiculous, but¡­¡± An item with the effect of using one''s lifespan to enhance power would never be anything normal. - To rify, it isn¡¯t an ability that maniptes your lifespan, it maniptes time. Cagon¡¯s wizardry was advanced enough to achieve that. ¡°Manipting time¡­¡± - When I was imprisoned, Cagon''s wizardry had been divided into two distinct methods at the time: time maniption and magic words. This must be a creation from the time maniption side. ¡°Still¡­ is it right to use this here?¡± Seol thought using such a valuable item here to defeat the golem was a waste. However, Ur disagreed. - It will just be dead weight if we hold onto it anyway. More importantly, we need to extract the mana inside. That watch is essentially a m hiding a pearl. ¡°A¡­ pearl?¡± - That''s the distinction between wizards and magicians. Wizardrypresses mana for its utilization, allowing you to efficiently recover it. This principle also applies to the watch as well. ¡°And¡­ what are you going to do with that mana?¡± - Isn''t my low amount of mana a hindrance to you? That''s what it would fix. ¡°Is it possible for you to extract the clock¡¯s mana yourself?¡± - So, who''s going to activate the watch? Just so you know, the clock is on the brink of destruction. Whoever activates it will likely be mentally assaulted. Seol silently gave Ur a look as he ignored his question. - No one else can handle the mana. An ordinary magician trying to absorb mana filled with personality like this would be burned alive. Only I, the origin of all wizardry, can control such purepressed mana. - I¡¯m the goat, heh. - I¡¯m not even a human, heh. - I¡¯ll just die, I guess, heh. In the end, Seol chose to use the clock. During this entire time, the Paulownia Tree Sentry continued to circle around the room. - So, who¡¯s throwing the clock in? ¡°I should be the one to do it,¡± said Seol. As he was the one who created it, he should be the one to destroy it. - It¡¯sing. Get ready. Fwirl¡­ Seol gripped the clock with his Shadow Hand and waited for the timing. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ The rumblings grew louder as the Paulownia Tree Sentry lumbered closer. Thuuuud¡­ ¡°Now!¡± Seol carefully ced the pocket watch into the Paulownia Tree Sentry¡¯s pouch. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ The Paulownia Tree Sentry showed no reaction and simply continued to circle around the pir. ¡°Nothing¡­ happened?¡± - Just hold on a second. It will start soon. As if Ur¡¯s voice was the signal, the golem showed a reaction. [Paulownia Tree Sentry used Temporary Storage.] [Consume all of the stored item¡¯s durability to activate its effect.] [Paulownia Tree Sentry used Treasure Power.] [The treasure¡¯s effect is slightly increased.] [Treasure: Pocket Watch of Inequality activates.] [Paulownia Tree Sentry''s stats have increased by ???%.] [They lose ??? years of their lifespan for every 2 seconds.] Tick tock¡­ The sound of a ticking clock filled the room. Thud¡­ Thuuuud¡­ The Paulownia Tree Sentry continued to circle around the pir without any issues despite the pocket watch activating. ¡®I guess it will take a while for us to see its effects.¡¯ However, contrary to Seol¡¯s expectations, the results came quickly. The Paulownia Tree Sentry seemed fine at first as it was walking toward the other side of the pir, but as it was returning¡­ Creaaaak¡­ The golem began to crumble away. Crumble¡­ Crumble¡­ The golem was slowly turning to dust. Seol¡¯s eyes were shocked open. ¡°So this is the power of time¡­¡± - More urately, the power of Cagon. Time maniption seemed convenient, but there were a lot of discussions about it. Not to mention the side-effects that magic words don¡¯t have¡­ Well, regardless¡­ Crumble¡­ Crumble crumble¡­ Creaaaak¡­ Paulownia Tree Sentry began to lean before finally tumbling over. Thuuuuuuud! [You have defeated Masterwork: Paulownia Tree Sentry.] [You have been given an additional reward.] [You have earned the special achievement ''No Hands''.] [You have earned the special title ''Invisible Hand''.] Fwooooosh¡­ A fierce wind blew from the direction of the Paulownia Tree Sentry. Soon, arge, blue orb began to hover in the air. - Excuse me, elf. ¡°...Huh?¡± Fwirl¡­ Karen was swiftly returned to the Shadow Space. [Ur, the Sealed¡¯s Maverick activates.] [Ur, the Sealed, gains Karen''s stats as her summoning has been canceled.] As Seol looked at Ur with worried eyes, Ur wagged his finger. ¡°Just a necessary step for the procedure. Well then¡­¡± Craaaaackle¡­ [Ur, the Sealed¡¯s Wizardry activates.] [Ur, the Sealed, deciphers the unidentified mana.] ¡­¡­ The pale blue orb unfurled like a string before being drawn into Ur''s body. Chapter 196 Fwoooosh¡­ [Ur, the Sealed, deciphers the unidentified mana.] [Mana deciphering in progress.] ¡­¡­ [The mana has been sessfully deciphered.] [Ur, the Sealed, is consuming the mana.] Ur¡¯s body began to sh as the torrent of blue mana surged toward him. As Ur continued to absorb the blue threads, his presence grew stronger and stronger. "Its design was much worse than I thought, the mana efficiency is horrid. I can¡¯t believe this is all of the mana that¡¯s left¡­ Well, I somewhat expected this." And then¡­ Craaaaaaaaackled! Ur stretched his arms after devouring all of the mana. ¡°Still, it was edible.¡± Ur had not physically changed much from before. He was roughly the same size, his body and color were still the same too. But¡­ one thing had changed. He was wearing a strange pair of sses. Small, circr sses rested on Ur¡¯s face. ¡°...What¡¯s with those sses?¡± asked Seol. ¡°I think haphazardly absorbing the mana brought back some of my old appearance, but... I could remove them if I wanted to, but using my mana for that when I have so little would be a waste, so I¡¯ll keep it for now.¡± Seol hoped that Ur had changed at least a little since his appearance had changed too. And almost as if to answer his worries, Seol saw multiple messages in front of him. [Awakening! Ur, the Sealed, awakens a new skill.] [Ur, the Sealed, awakens Passive: Cast Wizardry.] [Awakening! Ur, the Sealed, awakens a new skill.] [Ur, the Sealed, awakens Passive: High-Speed Processing.] [Awakening! Ur, the Sealed, awakens a new skill.] [Ur, the Sealed, awakens Passive: Parallel Thinking 1.] Ur had received 3 new passive skills. Seol quickly looked through them one by one. [[Passive: Cast Wizardry] You are now able to cast wizardry without being summoned. However, you are unable to perform attacks.] The first skill¡¯s description was short and to the point. ¡®This clearly means Ur can cast spells while in my Shadow Space, right?¡¯ Ur¡¯s wizardry had been extremely convenient. Seol repeatedly felt that while traveling with him, especially after seeing how he not only deciphered and dismantled a spell but also absorbed it. Though he wasn¡¯t sure where the mana was being stored, just dealing with troublesome spells like that made Ur more than essential to Seol now. However, wizardry also came with its own restrictions. Not only was Ur difficult to summon, but Seol had to summon Ur alone if he wanted to use his wizardry during a fight. However, Cast Wizardry dealt with that inconvenience. Though he was still restricted from directly attacking enemies, being able to use wizardry without summoning Ur was extremely useful. [[Passive: High-Speed Processing] The rate of deciphering, dismantling, andpressing mana is massively increased.] ¡®How much is ¡®massive¡¯?¡¯ As Ur stated before, thatpressing mana was for an attack, Seol strictly assessed it based on the speed of Ur¡¯s deciphering and dismantling. However, the most crucial factor was Ur¡¯s ability to dismantle spells. ¡®Is it fast enough for fights now?¡¯ Judging by Ur¡¯s current speed, it would need to be significantly faster to be useful in battles. After all, Seol had only witnessed it being used to nullify spells in ce or spells that took a long time to cast. Seol mentally made a note, reminding himself to confirm itter. [[Passive: Parallel Thinking] You can now handle up to 4 simultaneous actions.] This passive seemed to be useful for deciphering and dismantling as well. Ur¡¯s skills were all slightly connected to each other like this. ¡°Now that I¡¯m done with my business¡­¡± said Ur, staring at Seol. ¡°I¡¯m going to go back.¡± Fwirl! Ur quickly returned to Seol¡¯s Shadow Space. Seol then took a second to look at the golem¡¯s remains before approaching the massive door it had been defending. ¡°Fuuu¡­¡± Rumble¡­ As the door opened, weing Seol, darkness poured out. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Thanks to SturdyPaulowniaTree¡¯s help, the golem worked extremely well. Seol experienced what it felt like to no longer fear something. Furthermore, through his conversations with him, Seol learned that SturdyPaulowniaTree was actually a nice person. He was just a bit¡­ special, that¡¯s all. ¡°Snowman.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°This golem will protect Gollun for a long, long while.¡± ¡°It will! I¡¯m sure that it will¡ª¡± ¡°Even so, I¡¯m worried.¡± As SturdyPaulowniaTree transferred ownership of the golem to Gollun, he also handed over another item. ¡°What¡­ is this?¡± ¡°This is Lamu, the Thunder Ghost''s Pot.¡± Seol was confused. ¡°And¡­ what is that?¡± ¡°It is a precious treasure that my piece gained on an Adventure. Inside, a terrifying thunder ghost is sealed.¡± ¡°Why are you¡­ giving this to me?¡± ¡°In case something unexpected happens¡­ unseal him.¡± ¡°What? What would happen then?¡± ¡°Your piece, Gollun, would die.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°However, those who are threatening you will also die. Well, as long as they aren¡¯t stronger than Lamu. In other words, I want you to use this for revenge.¡± ¡°Is this jar¡­ really that dangerous?¡± SturdyPaulowniaTree shook his head. ¡°Items are just items. The real danger is the situation that you will be forced to use this item in.¡± ¡°But why are you giving me such a powerful item¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? It might just be a whim.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Snowman, do you know why I don¡¯t go on Adventures with others?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it because the others annoy you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re only half right. They do annoy me, but I do get lonely from time to time as well. Even so, I don¡¯t want to go on Adventures with other people.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because I was betrayed once.¡± ¡°Betrayed¡­?¡± Seol could sense his rage and sadness behind the mask. ¡°My piece was killed by a detestable piece hunter. He betrayed my trust to kill my piece.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°He giggled after killing my piece. I understand that there are people who only find fulfillment in this game through that. In fact, he even reprimanded me for getting upset after killing my piece. Since the aspect we found the game enjoyable was different, I learned that discussing it through words was impossible, and¡­ I came to hate the others.¡± ¡°......¡± After a few seconds, SturdyPaulowniaTreeughed. It was the same mischievous smile as before. ¡°Ohoho¡­ I believe everyone here is a liar. In fact, I can guarantee that it¡¯s true! So on that note¡­ I pray that you don¡¯t give them an opening either, Snowman.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Not too long after Seol received SturdyPaulowniaTree¡¯s advice, Gollun died. * * * As humans gained the ability to reason, trust rose to prominence as the highest virtue. But why? Why was trust considered the highest virtue when it seemed to be the pr opposite of reasoning? The naive readily invest their trust in others, often unable to see beyond the facade of smiling masks. ¡°Fuu¡­ It no longer smells like blood.¡± Step¡­ step¡­ Fwoosh¡­ As Seol lifted his torch, he surveyed the interior of the room. A single jar was ced on the central altar, surrounded by corpses. ¡®Damn murderers¡­¡¯ Seol''s Gollun had been killed by murderers, who cackled withughter as they ended Gollun''s life. Despite their own pieces dying as well, they were more than satisfied knowing they had ruined things for Seol. Seol couldn¡¯t understand them then, but now that he had learned the people he was ying with were gods, he believed that they were likely evil gods. ¡®Well¡­ I guess they¡¯re all evil gods now.¡¯ To Seol, they were all evil gods after he learned they were sacrificing countless lives to earn Madness. He felt his chest tighten a little. The pain he felt from being betrayed by them still hadn¡¯t healed yet. - It looks like¡­ something happened here? - It¡¯s just a bunch of skeletons¡­ - Did they not keep any treasures here? - I think the grave rats from earlier ate all of the treasures? I think that jar is the only thing that¡¯s left. - Aw, man¡­ Seol then inspected the pot on top of the altar. [Intermediate Insight activates.] [The pot has been unsealed.] ¡°......¡± Seol looked around at his surroundings before opening his mouth. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get up now?¡± Between the skeletons, there was a single bloodied corpse. ¡°I know you¡¯re there,¡± Seol repeated, looking directly at it. ¡°Right?¡± Craaackle¡­ The corpse released a quick bolt of electricity before getting up. It was a man with red eyes. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Are you serious? It¡¯s obvious when there¡¯s a single corpse that hasn¡¯t decayed.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Jamad then said something to Seol from the Shadow Space. - It¡¯s a ghost. An evil spirit from the east. ¡°Oho¡­ I didn¡¯t expect anyone to recognize me right away like this. My name is Lamu. I was sealed but freed, as you can see, and I killed the people who freed me. Why don¡¯t I¡­¡± Seol stared directly at Lamu, his eyes honed in on him. His gaze was way too harsh for Lamu to simply think of it as interest. ¡®Not to mention¡­¡¯ thought Lamu. ¡®He¡¯s not even looking at me.¡¯ Lamu¡¯s assumptions were correct. Seol wasn¡¯t looking at Lamu, he was looking at the flesh that Lamu had possessed. ¡°So that¡¯s what he looked like,¡± said Seol. ¡°Even just looking at you is pissing me off.¡± ¡°...What?¡± ¡°I was worried how I¡¯d react if rats or insects ate his meat, but¡­ your possession seems to have preserved it." Lamu was confused by Seol¡¯s calm demeanor. ¡®How is he¡­ so calm? Is he not afraid of me?¡¯ Ghosts were meant to be objects of fear, and humans were weak. Even when he wasst unsealed, every human around him trembled in fear. In an attempt to take the initiative, Lamu growled while lowering his voice. ¡°I am the one who walks on the other side¡­¡± ¡°A ghost, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re possessing that fucking bum¡¯s body, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong about that either,¡± added Lamu. ¡°Good. I can take care of it all in one go then.¡± Lamu scoffed. ¡°And that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong.¡± Ffft¡­ Lamu''s body appeared to be dispersing into thin air, spreading out. [Lamu¡¯s Host used Deadly Combo.] [The damage of your opponent''s counterattack after dodging or defending is reduced by 50%.] Fwirl! It had been a long time since Seol had entered the Night Crow Form. However, he did not want to leave his revenge to someone else. He knew he would only be satisfied after getting revenge with his own two hands. [You enter the Night Crow form with Shaman ¡®Jamad, the Rain of Fire¡¯.] [You absorb Jamad, the Rain of Fire¡¯s stats.] [Your ss is changed to Fighter.] Baaam! The host did not hold any weapons either, the two men shed with their fists. Bam! Bam bam bam! Seol effortlessly blocked Lamu¡¯s attack. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you leave after finding a host?¡± asked Seol. ¡°Haha!¡±ughed Lamu. ¡°Because he¡¯s a corpse. I need a new body if I want to leave.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just descend into the world?¡± Raise¡­ Baaam! Seol grabbed the host¡¯s fist, blocking him. "Because forcibly descending would only weaken me. You seem to know more about ghosts than I initially presumed you would.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just picked up on a couple things here and there.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡±ughed Lamu. ¡°Well, are you done asking questions now?¡± Seol, his face turning cker every second, nodded. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s get it over with.¡± ¡°...What?¡± In an instant, Seol released an explosive amount of energy from his body. Crush¡­ Seol crushed the host¡¯s fist, causing bones and blood to pierce through his skin. ¡°What the¡­ Hrgh¡ª¡± Fwooooosh¡­ BAAAAAAAAAAM! Seol threw the host by his arm, into the wall. Crumble¡­ The host quickly returned to his feet. ¡°...Hah!¡± The host¡¯s body was mangled. Not only was his arm a distressing sight to behold, but blood was also streaming from his head. ¡°Human bodies are so weak.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a human too,¡± answered Seol. ¡°You should just take care of that body better.¡± ¡°...I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡± CRAAAAAAACKLE! The host''s body shed for a moment, revealing a charred form when the light dissipated. Fwoooosh¡­ A gust of wind rushed in, snuffing out the torch and plunging everything around them into darkness. sh! [Lamu, the Thunder Ghost, descends.] [It was done without a proper ritual.] [Lamu, the Thunder Ghost, maintains only 50% of their original strength.] sh! The room flickered with Lamu''s lightning, exposing his true form with each sh. He resembled a demonic spirit. With each flicker, his horrifying appearance, one that would even make a troll flee in fear, became more and more distinct. Fwip! Fwoosh! Fwip! Fwoosh! Lamu¡¯s quick attack cut Seol¡¯s cheek, causing it to bleed. ¡°Hahahaha! Where did your confidence from earlier go?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°You¡¯re just a toy to me, human!¡± Lamu''s insults, apanied by intentionally shallow physical cuts, stirred up an unpleasant memory for Seol. ¡°You¡¯re just like him.¡± Clench¡­ Rumble rumble¡­ Crackle crackle¡­ [You have changed to the Rain of Fire Stance.] [All attacks will spread mes.] [An explosion will ur at the impact point of each attack.] [Thunderbolts will spread at the impact point of each attack.] [Passive: Moving mes is applied.] [Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.] [Passive: Static is applied.] As Seol¡¯s aura grewrger, Lamu instinctively took a step back. ¡°Let me show you the same hell that I experienced.¡± Craaaaaaaaackle¡­ Lamu gathered both hands to summon lightning. [Lamu, the Thunder Ghost, used Qilin''s Lightning.] [Your next attack is imbued with lightning, dealing an additional 150% elemental damage.] [Inflict Abnormal Status: Shock.] Craaaaaackle! As Lamu''s lightning grew more intense, so did his confidence. ¡°Now! Why don¡¯t we¡­¡± Fwip! Lamu, transforming into a single bolt of lightning, charged toward Seol. But then¡­ [Ur, the Sealed¡¯s Wizardry activates.] [Ur, the Sealed, deciphers the unidentified spell.] [Spell deciphering in progress.] [The spell has been sessfully deciphered.] [Devour Magic activates.] [Ur, the Sealed, is consuming Qilin''s Lightning.] Multiple messages flooded Seol¡¯s vision. Weaken¡­ The lightning that surrounded Lamu¡¯s body disappearedpletely as he charged toward Seol. Ur then made a remark from the Shadow Space. - Thanks for the meal. Lamu did not understand what had happened, but he continued forward. And that was his mistake. Kick! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Seol¡¯s kick dug into Lamu¡¯s stomach. Strangely, he found himself unable to gather any strength after Seol''s counterattack. Grab¡­ Seol gripped Lamu''s neck, choking him, while maintaining an expressionless stare directly at him. Tighten¡­ ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Seol began to choke Lamu tighter and tighter. Clench¡­ The armor surrounding Lamu¡¯s neck began to crumble away. ¡°D-Don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°What was that about hell¡­?¡± Seol popped Lamu''s head as if it were a pouch filled with sand. Saaaatter! Chapter 197 As Seol crushed Lamu''s head, lightning scattered into the air. Craaaaackle! [You have defeated Lamu, the Thunder Ghost.] [You have been given an additional reward.] [The Linked Adventure continues.] [You can only collect your rewards after all Adventures have been cleared.] [You begin your next Adventure.] [Your 26th Adventure is starting.] [Adventure 26. Ghost¡¯s Pot] [Adventure 26. ¡®Ghost¡¯s Pot¡¯ Thunder Ghost Lamu, a terrifying apparition, has been freed from his prison. Though you managed to deal a critical blow to him during your battle, it was not enough. While an ordinary foe would have been defeated, unfortunately for you, your opponent is a ghost. Ghosts do not die by ordinary methods. In fact, he will likely soon recover his form and return to attack you. You muste up with a way to defeat him before then. Objective: Defeat or seal Lamu, the Thunder Ghost. This Adventure is a Sudden Adventure. Remaining Time [02:29]] The viewers were all confused by the Adventure¡¯s description. - What? Didn¡¯t he just kill him? - I guess ghosts return¡­? How did he survive that? LMFAO - Isn¡¯t that broken? - You just have to defeat it again, duhhhh - Is Snowman just going to be stuck here for the rest of his life? LOL Craaackle¡­ Craaaaackle¡­ Lamu''s lifeless bodyy on the floor, unmoving. However, the scattered lightning eerily began to gather once more around Lamu''s head. As it was evident here, ghosts were extremely difficult topletely finish off. Step¡­ Seol slowly walked toward the jar that had sealed Lamu before. He then saw a few options before him. [[Though you have defeated Lamu, the Thunder Ghost, you have failed to finish him off. What will you do now.] 1. Tear Lamu¡¯s body to shreds. 2. [Required: Holy Spells] Purify Lamu¡¯s soul. 3. [Required: Gemma¡¯s Pot] Seal Lamu¡¯s soul in the pot again. 4. [Dangers: Pursuit, Curses, Grudges] Run from here. ¡­¡­] Fortunately for Seol, the pot used to seal Lamu was right in front of him. Most transferees would understand this as a hint and use Gemma¡¯s Pot to seal Lamu once more. However, as always, Seol¡¯s decision was a bit different. ¡°Jamad, can you do it?¡± - Exorcizing ghosts isn¡¯t my specialty, but¡­ A weak ghost like him isn¡¯t a problem. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± A ghost''s natural enemies were shamans, priests, monks, and other sses with exorcism skills. And luckily for Seol, he had a Great Shaman close by who anyone would be jealous of. Fwiiirl! Thuuud¡­ It had been a long while since Jamad had been summoned. ¡°Hm¡­ You should have just ran away¡­ You¡¯ve chosen such a foolish death.¡± Craaaackle¡­ As if trying to resist Jamad, Lamu¡¯s body began to crackle once more. Jamad scoffed as he looked at Lamu¡¯s pointless struggle before raising both hands toward him. ¡°Then why don¡¯t I¡­¡± Fwoooosh¡­ A gust of wind blew through the room as Jamad began absorbing Lamu¡¯s lightning with his hands. Craaaaaaackle! Lamu¡¯s lifeless body quivered before beingpletely sucked into Jamad¡¯s hands. Ghosts were essentially just a mass of energy. Though that fact came with advantagespared to other ordinary monsters, it also brought with it weaknesses. [The thunderscale quakes.] [Lightning Primal Power shows a reaction.] Craaaaackle! Lightning began to shoot out of Jamad''s eyes. [The thunderscale fills your Lightning Primal Power.] [The Lightning Energy in the thunderscale is ¡®Fierce¡¯.] [You are able to fully absorb the Lightning Primal Power.] ¡°This is patheticpared to the core fromst time,¡±mented Jamad, unsatisfied with his meal. [You have ended Lamu, the Thunder Ghost.] [Grave Robber¡¯s Treasure has been generated.] [You have satisfied the Adventure Objective.] [If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.] - If he¡¯s this weak¡­ isn¡¯t that golem from earlier the real final boss? - This was like a pic for them¡­ - Great Shamans are broken wtf¡­ He just cleared a Linked Adventure in like 5 seconds. Seol smirked as he looked at therge chest in front of him. This Adventure had gone much more smoothly than his recent Adventures. It was expected, though, as the previous few adventures had been difficult enough to even surprise Seol with their level of challenge. However, Seol did not enjoy easy adventures. He only felt like he was growing when he faced extremely difficult adventures; they were the key to bing stronger, after all. Despite that, there were two reasons why Seol chose this Adventure. The first, obviously, was to recover Gollun¡¯s unfulfilled desire. Seol now had to locate Gollun''s corpse among the skeletons to inherit his will. However, the second task was the pot in front of Seol. [You have acquired Special Reward: Gemma¡¯s Pot.] [[Gemma¡¯s Pot] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: N/A Weight: 0.1kg Bonus Effect: This pot is capable of sealing souls and evil spirits. Its efficacy varies ording to the user''s strength. If the user is unable to influence it, they will still be capable of sealing ''fairly strong'' opponents.] Seol came here specifically for Gemma¡¯s Pot. ¡°It was a waste to use this pot on Lamu.¡± Lamu wasn¡¯t a particrly strong ghost. While Gemma¡¯s Pot was a Treasure-quality item, SturdyPaulowniaTree was mistaken in assuming that Lamu, the ghost sealed within, was powerful. However, though weak, Lamu proved strong enough to fulfill SturdyPaulowniaTree''s promise by killing everyone around him. ¡®I can go onto the next step now.¡¯ Seol had reunited with Yeo-myeong, an individual with the Haunted Hand, and had now acquired Gemma¡¯s Pot. The two of them would y a massive role in Seol¡¯s next Adventure. ¡®I might be able to take on Glory to be Gained earlier than I thought.¡¯ Glory to be Gained was a Hidden Adventure that activated once an individual acquired five Peerless-quality items. If Seol managed to clear it, he would be able to take a massive leap in terms of strength. ¡®But that¡¯s forter¡­ I should check the chest first.¡¯ Creaaak¡­ [You open the Grave Robber''s Treasure.] [You have leveled up.] [You have leveled up.] [You have received a skill point.] [You have received a skill point.] [Affluent¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received an additional skill point.] [You have received an additional skill point.] [Sly Blood-Hue Snake activates.] [You have received an additional skill point.] [You have received an additional skill point.] [Someone Better¡¯s Bonus Effect activates.] [You have received an additional skill point.] [You have received an additional skill point.] [You have received an additional skill point.] [You have acquired Trap Disarming Gloves.] [You have acquired Diligent Sentry''s Leather Armor.] [You have acquired Thunder Ghost''s Pants.] [You have acquired 15 tinum coins.] [You have acquired 16rge red potions.] [You have acquired 7rge blue potions.] [You have acquired 1 potion of skittering footsteps.] ¡­¡­ - He¡¯s getting so many skill points lmfaooo - He¡¯s growing so fast even though he didn¡¯t do anything¡­? - How did I ce first on the exam? I just studied the textbook. - My textbook has all of the answers. - The exam supervisor is my mom. It¡¯s also an open textbook exam. - This is a secret, but¡­ I have three brains. The first thing Seol did was set aside the Trap Disarming Gloves. As its name suggested, its effects were all rted to disarming traps and suited rogue-type sses much more. As such, Seol quickly decided to sell this instead. The other items were both things that made Seol nod in approval. [[Diligent Sentry''s Leather Armor] Quality: Treasure Rmended Level: 28-36 Defense: 130 Durability: 150/150 Weight: 1.1kg A surprisingly sturdy leather armor. A sentry¡¯s will has been imbued into it. Basic Effect: +17 Strength, +16 Intelligence, +22 Constitution Bonus Effect: Gain a shield that blocks a small amount of damage each time you sessfully defend or dodge an attack. This shield can stack up to 10 times and has a cooldown of 5 seconds. The shield dissipates when the wearer is out ofbat.] As Jamad was the only one in the party who used leather armor, it naturally went to him. [[Thunder Ghost''s Pants] Quality: Treasure Required ss: Shadow Summoner Rmended Level: 30-37 Defense: 120 Durability: 120/120 Weight: 0.2kg A pair of pants imbued with lightning energy. Unfortunately, it often causes static. Basic Effect: +20 Wisdom, +17 Spirit, +16 Constitution Bonus Effect: Increase the stats of your Shadow Summons by 10%. There is a low chance for your summons to discharge electricity when struck to the attacker. (The probability of this effect changes based on your summon¡¯s ss).] It had slowly be time for Seol to change out the pair of pants he purchased from the Madness Shop. However, Seol hadn''t bought anything yet, as he wasn''t satisfied with the effects of the pants he had seen so far. But now, at the perfect timing, Seol had found a great pair. ¡®I should check the title from before as well. [[Special Title: Invisible Hand] Rted Achievement: No Hands (Adventure: Grave Robber''s Tomb) Bonus Effect: Significantly improve finesse with your hands, elevating the rank of all hand-rted abilities by 1. (Rted Skills: Monster Cooking, Shadow Hand)] - LOOOOL this effect is shit. - Finesse lmfaooo, he doesn¡¯t even have any hand-rted skills. - Snowman can get a dud from time to time, I see¡­ - Dud? LOL Did you guys miss where it said Shadow Hand? - Ah¡­ I fell for it again As Shadow Hand was a useful ability to Seol, it wasn¡¯t a bad title at all. - Do you think Seol could cook ghosts? - I don¡¯t know¡­ It might be fun to see him make ghost soup, though. - I¡¯d be down to try ghost soup¡­ Would it haunt you if you ate it? LOL - Nah, fuck that. - Lamu: Just kill me¡­ - I feel like Seol can eat anything, though¡­ - I bet he¡¯d even get more stats out of it. He¡¯s so broken¡­ There was only one reward left to im in this Adventure. Step¡­ Step¡­ Seol looked around, checking the skeletons one by one. After a few steps, he paused. ¡°There you were.¡± He spotted a skeleton wearing arge backpack. [¡¯s Inheritance is starting.] Once more, Seol nced into another one of his lives. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * ¡°S-Stop it!¡± ¡°Where should we stab next, huh? Your side? Your shoulder?¡± Gollun hobbled away from the men behind him, but there was nowhere to run in this tiny room. ¡°Why don¡¯t you beg that golem outside, huh? Beg it to save you.¡± ¡°I-If you want treasures, I¡¯ll share them with you!¡± begged Gollun. Gollun begged those despicable humans. Gollun saw them as demons who would devour humans alive, filling him with terror. ¡°We were already going to take them,¡± mocked one of the voices. ¡°Why are you doing this to me¡­ We went on adventures together, didn¡¯t we?¡± pleaded Gollun. ¡°We knew each other for so long¡­¡± ¡°Us? And you?¡± "I can''t believe a rat who digs up graves thought he was on the same level as us." ¡°Hahaha¡­ What a joke.¡± ¡°Our only goal from the start was to steal your treasures.¡± Gollun''s eyes were brimming with sorrow and anger. ¡°...Is that why you poisoned my tea? Why didn¡¯t you just kill me then?¡± ¡°How else would we have dealt with that golem outside? Now¡­ why don¡¯t we see what you¡¯ve hidden here¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hide anything! My treasures are all outside!¡± ¡°Lies¡­ You¡¯re lying again.¡± ¡°You guys are the ones who lied to me!¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s that jar in your hand? It¡¯s obvious that it¡¯s a treasure.¡± The voices were referring to Gemma¡¯s Pot, which was sealing Lamu. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t something that should be opened. Please, I beg you. Just¡­ Just leave me alone.¡± ¡°Hah! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll change your mind after we cut off a hand or two.¡± They were trying to kill him for his treasures. Gollun''s rage intensified as he realized he was about to die at the hands of these crazed murderers. Tear¡­ He swiftly removed the paper seals around Gemma¡¯s Pot. ¡°...What are you doing?¡± asked one of the murderers. ¡°If you really want to kill me so badly¡­ Why don¡¯t we all just die, you demons.¡± ¡°What are you¡­¡± Craaaaaaackle! Gollun then ced Gemma¡¯s Pot on top of the altar. A strange monster, surrounded by lightning and thunder, escaped from the pot. The murderers all gasped in fear. ¡°I-It¡¯s a¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s an evil spirit! Shit!¡± Lamuughed maniacally. ¡°Finally!¡± said Lamu. ¡°Finally, I am free.¡± Gollun then turned to Lamu. ¡°Please¡ª¡± SLASH! As Lamu raised his hand, Gollun''s vision spun. That was Gollun¡¯s final memory. * * * Craaaaaackle¡­ Returning after delving into his past piece''s memories was always agonizing. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡± However, this memory was especially painful. Seol leaned on the altar as he was covered in cold sweats. ¡°Haah¡­ Haah¡­¡± Seol''s experience with Gollun was the reason he began refusing food and drinks from others. It was a painful, sad, and infuriating memory. In fact, Seol went on Adventures alone for a while after that day from the trauma. ¡°Fuuuuu¡­¡± A breeze of sand circled around Seol, a manifestation of Gollun''s skill, before assimting with him. [You have inherited Gollun¡¯s unfulfilled desire.] [A skill has been inherited from the deceased.] ¡­¡­ ¡°...Wait.¡± The following message made Seol¡¯s expression quickly change. Chapter 198 Fondness for Graves, Kleptomaniac, Scent of Money, Hoarder, etc. As Seol wondered which of Gollun¡¯s traits he would acquire, he had just one wish. ¡®Please don¡¯t give me Kleptomaniac.¡¯ And then, he saw the messages. [You have inherited an unlucky skill.] [You have inherited Tendency: Kleptomaniac.] [From now on, you will unwittingly take other people¡¯s belongings.] ¡°God damn it¡­¡± - LMFAOOOOOOOOOO - Look at his face, HAHHAHAHAAHHAA - The Nerf Snowman Party is popping champagne right now. [¡®Robbed¡¯ has donated 1500 Madness!] [Want me to¡­ call 911 for you?] - Why? Ah¡­ is it because¡­ you stole my heart? - Stop. [¡®Got You¡¯ has donated 1200 Madness!] [I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for 23 years¡­ I finally caught you, scumbag!] - He can¡¯t enter towns anymore, LMFAOOOO - Nah, he should just be like, ¡°And?¡± whenever someone tries to press him about it. - I mean¡­ he is strong enough to get away with it. Tendencies were like tattoos branded onto your pieces. They weren¡¯t something you could turn on and off. As such, it was now inevitable for Seol to have conflicts with whoever he met. ¡®Why did it have to be this one¡­¡¯ It wasn''t Gollun''s fault either. Seol doubted that even he would want to pass on this skill to someone else. He felt horrid as he imagined the headache this skill would cause in the future. However¡­ they were followed by more messages. [Tendency: Kleptomaniac is affected by your incredible finesse with your hands.] [Your thievery skill drastically increases.] [Targets you steal from will have a much harder time noticing your theft, thanks to your enhanced sneakiness and swiftness.] [You will target valuables first.] ¡°...Whoa.¡± - What do you mean, ¡°Whoa¡±? LOOOOL - I¡­ will be the greatest thief ever! - Snowman was supposed to be the good guy, though¡­ Even so, the core problem remained, nothing had changed. And almost as if in response to Seol''s concerns¡­ more messages began to appear. [Tendency: Kleptomaniac is affected by Shadow Hand.] [Tendency: Kleptomaniac is changed to Tendency: Shadow Theft.] [You are now able to use Shadow Hand to steal, all effects applicable to it are applied.] [Shadow Hand is affected by your incredible finesse with your hands.] [Shadow Hand is now even stealthier and swifter than before.] Still, those weren¡¯t enough to appease Seol¡¯s worries. ¡°......¡± Seol silently waited, hoping that more messages would follow, but that was it. ¡®This is going to be a pain¡­ I might end up fighting other transferees because of this.¡¯ Seol now had to keep his distance from other people to avoid fights. While he could easily defeat most transferees, it wasn¡¯t always guaranteed to be easy. ¡®Still¡­ I don¡¯t want to give up resting in cities¡­¡¯ To put it bluntly, Seol would have to camp outside to avoid other people. While most transferees, including Seol, were ustomed to sleeping outdoors now, cities offered benefits beyond just sleeping in inns, making this adjustment challenging. - There¡¯s no need to worry so much. It was Ur¡¯s voice from the Shadow Space,forting Seol. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but it¡¯s fine. We can just alter it.¡± ¡°Alter¡­ it? Are you able to deliberately alter skills?¡± ¡°Yes, but I won¡¯t be able to alter much if you want me to forcibly change it. Even so, it would be worth the time to do it.¡± If Ur truly was capable of altering skills, even changing just a single word would be more than enough to make this skill better. ¡®If I could just remove the ¡®unwittingly¡¯ part¡­ It would all be better.¡¯ Regardless, through this Adventure, Seol learned that inheriting his old piece¡¯s unfulfilled desires didn¡¯t always lead to a happy ending. * * * Not too long after, there was a smallmotion at Azelphog¡¯s Adventurer Association. ¡°They really were plotting for it, huh? I heard that transferees in Adeline are working hard toward getting rid of Las Cabras as well.¡± "They''re basically telling them to go back to where they came from. Adeline''s not letting them in to prevent their city from turning into a breeding ground for criminals." ¡°It¡¯s a war¡­ a total war. But how was it possible for Adeline to drive them away this quickly? I heard Las Cabras was already teetering on the edge.¡± ¡°Adeline might have been staying quiet because the surrounding countries were all bing active, but¡­ Las Cabras went too far. That¡¯s why they attacked them immediately the moment the incident happened.¡± ¡°I doubt they have any options left since they¡¯re getting pushed back from all directions¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, though! Those damned criminals should be wiped out, that¡¯s the only way! All those damned transferees acting like this is their country should¡­¡± ¡°Quiet¡­ Everyone here is a transferee.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, you¡¯re right. Huh¡­?¡± The man quickly rummaged his pockets. Grab¡­ Grab¡­ The man checked all of his pockets, finding nothing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked the other man. ¡°Th-that¡¯s weird¡­¡± ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡­ I lost my wallet.¡± ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t leave it behind at the restaurant we were at?¡± ¡°I definitely remember taking it with me¡­¡± ¡°Look harder then. Check the floor too.¡± ¡°Haaah¡­ Where did I drop it?¡± ¡°Man¡­ I¡¯ll go to the restaurant and ask them for you, alright?¡± ¡°Th-thanks.¡± At the same time, Seol sat in the corner of the Adventurer Association, checking themunity function. ¡°...God damn it.¡± He was also confused about what to do as he held an unknown person¡¯s wallet in his hand. - LMFAOOOO He missed the timing to return it! - ???: Ah, so¡­ I didn¡¯t notice it either¡­ - ???: What? Are you going to report me to the police? What do you mean? Shit¡­ Karen, use Sunset Draw! - You gotta use an Exceptional Skill to kill them for sure LOOOL ce¡­ ¡°Did I drop it on the floor around here¡­?¡± As the man searched under the table for his wallet, Seol ced it on the table without him noticing. ¡°Argh, where did I¡­ Huh? Did I really not notice my wallet on the table? Let me see¡­ My money¡¯s all there too¡­ God, I¡¯m such an idiot.¡± - I¡¯ll let you go this time¡­ - I¡¯m taking all of your money next time! - (unintentional) Robin Hood. Luckily, the man seemed to have glossed over it. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± Originally, Seol had nned to meet Yeo-myeong here after his Adventure. However, things didn¡¯t go as expected. Yeo-myeong was currently absent from Azelphog. ??[Friend ¡¯s Letter] [Send Date: A day ago] [Title: Hyung, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m leaving first.] [I¡¯m sure you already noticed the situation when you came back, but... the situation in Adeline is evolving quickly. Las Cabras is currently being pushed back by Adeline¡¯s hard-line response. Strong transferees are also joining Adeline to help dismantle the cartel, but Las Cabras is putting up a fight as well, resulting in injuries on both sides. Since I was partly the reason for everything happening, I couldn¡¯t just sit still and went there to help. Normally, I would have waited until you finished your Adventure to tell you in person, but there was no time, so I¡¯m leaving this letter behind. When youe back...] ¡®Hm¡­¡¯ Seol couldn¡¯t believe the current situation. It wasn¡¯t just about Yeo-myeong¡¯s letter; after all, Seol was also at fault for not informing Yeo-myeong how long he would be gone in the first ce. Partly, it was because Seol himself was uncertain, as his recent Adventures had gone longer than he had originally expected. ¡®If he left yesterday, I could still catch up to him, but¡­¡¯ Yeo-myeong had written down where he was headed in the letter as well, so Seol would just have to follow behind him. It was fine if Seol didn¡¯t catch up to him either. The entire situation would likely be handled during the month break, and Seol could just rendezvous with Yeo-myeong after it was all over. ¡®Las Cabras¡¯ headquarters.¡¯ As Yeo-myeong would eventually head there, another option Seol could take was just to head directly there from the start. ¡®He¡¯s be much more aggressive in the time that I hadn¡¯t seen him. Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s fine since the next Adventure is near there anyway.¡¯ The Adventure that Seol nned to go on with Yeo-myeong was on the western side of Adeline so there were no issues with that whatsoever. Before leaving to rendezvous with Yeo-myeong, Seol checked themunity. [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: So who was it?] Which of you fuckers destroyed Marcelo¡¯s mansion? I already heard it wasn¡¯t Adeline¡¯s soldiers. - This entire situation is because of them. - They could still kill the rest of those cartel members LOLLLL - I¡¯m scared of the transferees who think they can do everything on their own¡­ - This is like a middle school fight LOL. No matter how strong you are, you can¡¯t beat a gang on your own. What are you going to do about numbers? LOL - Beat ¡®em up! Beat ¡®em up! - I mean, they shouldn¡¯t have acted up in the first ce LOOL. Who are they to try and control other transferees? LOL - Transferees have knives too, you know? Las Cabras is brutal? So. Are. Transferees.] It seemed that Seol¡¯s actions had a bigger effect than he thought, triggering a swift chain reaction toward Las Cabras. [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Hmmmmmm¡­ This reminds me of something¡­?] I came down here from Nevenia, and there was a simr incident there. - They probably ran away from Nevenia because it looked like a civil war was going to happen there LOOOL - And? How was I supposed to choose where I was transferred to? - MB. What did you have to say, though? - When I was in Nobira, there was a really fucked up Pandean named Heka. He had his own faction and fought with another guy named Kibo. We thought that Heka would win because he had more men than Kibo. - Ah¡­ ¡®That incident¡¯. - But the moment they began their fight, Heka had his head cut off. We still don¡¯t know who did it or what happened. It¡¯s clear Kibo sent someone, but¡­ regardless, Heka was stupidly strong but was killed off instantly. After that, the rest of his faction crumbled away. But isn¡¯t this¡­ simr to what happened to Marcelo? - I mean, I guess¡­? Marcelo did die off randomly, though¡­ - I thought it was infighting in the cartel, but I guess not? - Las Cabras is fucking stupid, though LOL. How were they going to take control of the transferees without having someone who¡¯s extremely strong? Do they think the rest of us are just idiots? We already go through shitty adventures once a month¡­ - We weren¡¯t idiots¡­? - I am. - Me too.] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: Is this real?] I can¡¯t calm down at all¡­ I¡¯lle back in a second. - Dumbass.] [(NEW) [¡¯s Post] [Post Date: Just now] [Title: I came back after calming down.] Neveniapletely shut down their borders. The transferees and Pandeans at the border are fighting. - OMG¡­ - Civil warrrrrrr! - Civil warrrrrrrrrr! - What do we do?!!!!!! - I¡¯m in Adeline though~ - Same hahaha - As long as it isn¡¯t me~~~] * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * Two weeks after Adeline and Las Cabras began their battle, in stan, a city located toward the far west of Adeline... ¡°Fuuuu¡­¡± Fwooosh¡­ As she released the bowstrings, a single arrow whizzed through the air. Saaaatter! An individual''s head exploded from the impact. Whether they were fortunate or unfortunate for not even being able to scream is unknown. ¡°Twelve¡­¡± Fwoooosh¡­ She released the bowstrings once more. Saaaaatter! The same scene repeated itself, like a video stuck on loop. ¡°Thirteen¡­¡± She gathered her breath, her bodypletely hidden in the camouge. She was currently waging war against Las Cabras. ¡®Well, I guess I¡¯m already at war with them if I¡¯ve killed this many of them.¡¯ ¡°Hrgh!¡± Fwoosh! Baaaaam! ¡°Krgh¡­¡± Baaam¡­ ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Watch out for the arrows! D-Damn it¡­ They¡¯re above us! They¡¯re shooting at us from above!¡± ¡°Find them!¡± [Filia used Withdraw.] [You cannot be sensed by detection skills.] ¡°Fifteen¡­¡± The individual drawing her bow once more was Filia, an individual Seol worked with while facing the ck Knight. She was currently taking care of the cartel members in stan. However, it wasn¡¯t just her alone. She was working with other transferees as well as a small force from Adeline. F had be stronger. Normally, she would ignore circumstances like these to concentrate on further growing stronger. After all, it was a more efficient use of her time. ¡®Why am I here¡­¡¯ Though she wasn¡¯t suffering from amnesia, she often struggled to remember what had brought her to this point. However, it didn¡¯t take long for her to remember it. ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ I have to be here.¡¯ - Uh¡­ N-Next time, can we¡­ - I¡¯m sorry. We won¡¯t be going on any Adventures together after this. - Ah, okay! Okay, s-sure. She recalled a much younger girl who awkwardly scratched her head in response to her refusal. - If it¡¯s just at a rest location¡­ Let''s see each other around. - R-Really? Thank you! Thank you so much! - You don¡¯t need to thank me¡­ - Thank you, unni! Filia despised being tied down. As she always strived for freedom, she also did not give affection to others easily. However, she was currently entangled in something that didn''t involve her at all. ¡®......¡¯ A week ago, the same girl that she had been talking to had died. She had be a victim of Las Cabras¡¯ misdeeds. She couldn¡¯t give a reason why, it was just¡­ instinctual. This was the pinnacle of inefficiency, but she didn¡¯t hesitate to join them. It wasn¡¯t necessarily out of a sense of justice either, it was just¡­ Fwooosh¡­ ¡°Sixteen.¡± She had killed a total of sixteen people today. ¡°It pisses me off¡­¡± The situation¡­ Herself¡­ As Filia was about to draw another arrow, she paused. She noticed the space itself rippling near her. Step¡­ A man appeared from it. It was Proud, the man known as stan¡¯s Cabra. ¡°There you were.¡± ¡°......¡± Filia¡¯s fingers began to tremble. The man in front of her exuded much more pressure than the cartel members she had been attacking. ¡®He¡¯s strong¡­¡¯ She quickly tried to build distance between them. Fft! Rope extended from her hand. [Filia used Evasive Maneuver.] [Quickly move to where the ropends.] Fwiiirl¡­ As Filia turned behind her, she noticed the man smiling. The tattoo on his face began to glow. Click¡­ [Proud used Alchemy: Armor.] [Equip yourself in enhanced armor.] Proud quickly transformed into an armored knight. Filia scowled as she ran further and further away. ¡°Come on,¡±ughed Proud. ¡°Why don¡¯t you shoot at me too?¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Are you scared?¡± She would need a much more powerful attack to pierce through heavy armor like that. Not to mention the fact that she had already exposed her weak point. ¡®Should I retreat for now?¡¯ That single second was more than enough of an opening for Proud. As Proud raised his fist, multiple people had climbed up to where Filia was. ¡°Trying to run away now?¡± mocked Proud. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± His underlings began to scream and shout at her. ¡°We¡¯ll drag you down to the ground!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t die an easy death¡­¡± Proud smiled sinisterly as his underlings continued their threats against her. ¡°You can run away if you want, but¡­ We¡¯ll also need to have our own fun. I¡¯ll make you scr¡ª¡± Suddenly¡­ FWOOOOOOOOOSH! An unidentified ck object hurtled toward him. Even though Proud could see it, he knew he was too slow to dodge. ¡°...What?¡± Proud quickly raised a shield that surrounded him. [Proud used Alchemy: Turtle.] [Reduce all damage taken by 25% for 2 seconds, but suffer a 30% decrease in movement speed for 5 seconds afterward.] Craaaackle¡­ A turtle shell-shaped shield surrounded Proud. However, it moved too slowly to fully envelop him before the ck object collided with him. BAAAAAAAAAAM! An intense heat radiated from it. Fsssssss¡­ Filia quickly turned toward the direction of the attack, trying to realize the situation. Sizzle¡­ The makeshift roof she made waspletely destroyed, and the cartel members were all dead. ¡®Wh-what just¡­ Proud is¡­¡¯ Proud was also nowhere to be seen. ¡®Did Proud just¡­pletely melt¡­?¡¯ Someone then approached Filia. ¡°I¡¯m still having a hard time holding back, sorry. Are you alright?¡± ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you remember me?¡± Filia was confused as she tried her best to remember the red-headed elf. ¡°Are you from back then¡­?¡± ¡°So you did remember me!¡± A man then followed behind the red-headed elf. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Filia.¡± ¡°Snowman¡­¡± Filia¡¯s expression instantly shifted, turning into a scowl. Seeing that, Seol checked his hands. He had a rather thick brown wallet in his hand. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ my wallet¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Chapter 199 As they were both headed toward the same location, they decided to travel together. After all, there was no reason to journey separately when their destinations aligned. However, despite beingpanions on the road, an oddly quiet mood hung between them. ¡°Like I said, I have a Tendency called Kleptomaniac that activates without me knowing, how am I supposed to¡­¡± ¡°......¡± It was more than just oddly quiet. It was freezing. They continued on horseback, the mood growing increasingly awkward with each passing moment. - Awkward¡­ - I like this too! - ???: I didn¡¯t want to steal it, alright? And I¡¯m not saying this just because I got caught! However, what certainly didn¡¯t help were Agony¡¯s quips that it couldn¡¯t stop itself from making. [It¡¯s been a while, woman!] ¡°Who¡­?¡± Agony gave Filia a wide smile. [Fufufufu¡­ It is I¡­ the fearsome Agony!] ¡°...So, who are you?¡± [...Do you really not know who I am?] ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing you before¡­¡± [I was scary-looking, like Kwargh!!! Do you not remember a sword like that?] ¡°Ah!¡± [Do you¡­ Do you remember me now?] ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± [Th-think really hard, okay¡­ I¡¯m sure I scared you so much you covered yourself in bed with your nkets¡­] ¡°Sorry¡­ I really don¡¯t remember you.¡± [...I hate humans.] For some reason¡­ it felt like Filia¡¯s horse was further away than before. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Seol let out a deep sigh, epting the situation. He had continuously failed to meet up with Yeo-myeong due to the ongoing battles, which not only dyed their encounters but also hindered timelymunication through letters. As the situation evolved with each passing second, Seol ultimately decided to head to Las Cabras¡¯ headquarters, Parte, instead of pursuing him. While on his way, Seol also decided to quickly help out each city he passed through. Typically, this involved him swiftly dealing with the remaining cartel executives in the city. ¡°So you were Crow.¡± ¡°Crow?¡± ¡°People have been calling you Crow because you¡¯ve been dealing the final blow to the remaining Las Cabras members in each city. I think it¡¯s because crows are scavengers that eat corpses.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± At first, Seol was shocked, thinking the nickname stemmed from people noticing his creations. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t that. ¡°Isn¡¯t that way too disrespectful, though? Someone like you shouldn¡¯t be called something like that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I wasn¡¯t doing this for respect anyway.¡± ¡°Then why are you¡­¡± "Because I¡¯m busy. There¡¯s somewhere I need to go, and I had to take care of them quickly to get there on time." ¡°Ah¡­ okay¡­¡± Filia and Seolpletely dismantled the cartel in each city they visited on their way to Parte. Rumors about them spread not only to Adeline¡¯s knights, who were waging war against Las Cabras, but also to the other transferees. ¡°We¡¯ll be arriving in Parte soon,¡± said Filia. ¡°We¡¯re ahead of schedule too. I think we¡¯re almost caught up to them¡­¡± Filia nodded in response. "The cartel''s end is guaranteed now.¡± ¡°We''ve already inflicted enough damage,¡± said Seol. ¡°It would be impossible for them to recover from this. However, I am surprised Kaio didn''t flee from Parte." Kaio Matos. He was essentially the head of Las Cabras. In truth, Kaio was just one among many leaders and executives. However, as their battle with the transferees and Adeline¡¯s soldiers dragged on, all of the other key figures perished, leaving Kaio as the sole remaining authority. ¡°Who knows,¡± said Filia. ¡°He could have a trick up his sleeve¡­¡± ¡°We should be careful then.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if that word suits you, though.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already seen how reckless you are¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± - I always do my best! Even against elementary school kids! Because that¡¯s my ninja way! - I will destroy everyst middle schooler on Earth!!!! Filia smirked after seeing Seol¡¯s awkwardugh. Despite their exhausting schedule, it would soone to an end once they arrived in Parte. * * * Parte, Las Cabras¡¯ final bastion, and arge city located in the far west of Adeline. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°Evacuate! Run away!¡± ¡°Run where?!¡± ¡°Anywhere! Just get out of the city!¡± The citizens were in a panic as they ran off in all directions. Las Cabras also didn''t attempt to stop them, likely because they either gave up or considered it a waste of resources to allocate men to restrain them. Neigh¡­ Clip clop¡­ The sound of horses echoed throughout the streets. It was a sign the cavalry had arrived. ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived at Parte.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Bren!¡± "I am sick of these criminals," continued Bren. "I wish to return to the royal pce quickly to rest." Bren, a man with shoulder-length curly blonde hair and mysterious blue eyes, was also the leader of the Veregion Knights. ¡°Excuse me, uh¡­ Sir Bren? I rmend you wear your helme¡ª¡± "I already know that, hmph. I only have it off right now because it¡¯s stuffy. I''ll put it back on when I enter the fray, so hold on for now." ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Bren then nced at the people charging ahead of him. ¡°Spread out!¡± shouted one of the people fighting. ¡°Don¡¯t let them hit all of us!¡± ¡°This way!¡± Bren shot a contemptuous look at the men desperately fighting in front of him. ¡°Transferee trash¡­¡± muttered Bren. Bren did not particrly like transferees. In fact, it would be much more apt to say he despised them. He didn¡¯t despise just the cartel members either, he even hated the transferees fighting on his side. Obviously, he wasn¡¯t so foolish as to make it obvious to others or to make back-handedments here and there. After all, only low-ss people would engage in such behavior. In the end, associating with trash only meant that you were trash yourself. Bren simply ignored the transferees. Neigh¡­ His horse was beginning to be excited by the sound of shing steel and screams. ¡°Calm down, Richel. You can get excitedter,¡± said Bren before turning to the woman by his side. ¡°Lalsa.¡± ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°Forward.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The woman named Lalsa was wearing equipment that seemed ill-suited for knights. It was a peculiar goggle-like item with lenses that had strange numbers constantly appearing and disappearing. ¡°So, what do you think about Veregion¡¯s newest equipment?¡± asked Bren. "It''s incredible! I can''t believe there''s an item capable of determining someone''s power level... I''m amazed that an item created in conjunction with the magic towers has already reached this level!" The goggles she was wearing were an item that quantified the energy radiating from someone to estimate their strength. It was simr to how transferees could gauge each other''s strength through the Points Leaderboard. However, there were a few differences too. First, it was impossible to give an exact number like Adventure Points. It simply stated, ¡®...Points or higher¡¯ as its result. Furthermore,bat points often surpassed Adventure Points by a significant margin. But there was nothing that could be done about it. After all, these goggles solely recordedbat ability, not Adventure Points. Regardless, Lalsa didn¡¯t report these issues to Bren. Bren was closed-minded. Knowing that, Lalsa knew that Bren wouldn¡¯t believe in anything she said unless he experienced it himself. Not to mention the fact that he often ignored anything negative she had to say. ¡®It¡¯s probably better if I don¡¯t report it to him,¡¯ thought Lalsa. ¡®If I want to do it, though, I should do it after the expedition.¡¯ Lalsa then checked Bren¡¯s power level. ¡®8 million points¡­¡¯ Lalsa then recalled the Haunted Swordsman she had seen earlier, who had roughly 10 million points. ¡®There¡¯s no way I can tell Bren that he¡¯s weaker than a transferee¡­ never.¡¯ If she did, he woulde up with all sorts of methods to demote her. After all, there had been plenty of instances of that already. Bren calmly closed his eyes, taking in the sounds of shing steel. ¡°In the end¡­ Is there no transferee stronger than Kaio Matos? I guess there is no choice¡­ I must defeat their leader myself. To think my de would have to be covered in foul transferee blood of all things¡­¡± Lalsa was extremely worried. It had already been reported that Kaio Matos had over 8.5 million Adventure Points. As Adventure Points were often much lower than one¡¯sbat ability, there was a high chance that hisbat level was over 8.5 million as well. Bren would surely lose to him. ¡°Excuse me, sir¡­ What do you think about leaving it to the Haunted Swordsman¡­¡± ¡°You wish to give him the honor of doing such a thing?¡± ¡°N-Not at all, sir. I am simply worried for your well-being and¡ª¡± "Hmph. His swordsmanship is sloppy. He is fast, however... Would his speed work even on me, the great Bren? What do you think, Lalsa?" Hrgh¡­ Lalsa thought to herself, holding back her hups. ¡®What do I say¡­ It¡¯s so obvious the Haunted Swordsman would win¡­¡¯ Lalsa quickly came up with lies that Bren would want to hear. ¡°It would be impossible for his sword to reach you, Sir Bren.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I knew it.¡± ¡°There is no transferee who could be an opponent for you, Sir Bren.¡± "Hahahahaha! You have quite the keen eye, Lalsa! The Veregion Knights finished our previous job quickly to sweep up this criminal trash, and it¡¯s only natural for us to make them pay the price. Don¡¯t you agree, everyone?" ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Veregion is invincible!¡± ¡°Woaaaaaaargh!¡± It was a disy of collective madness. However, as the Veregion Knights were a gathering of fools who deluded themselves into thinking this was fighting spirit, they continued their shouts. ¡°Let¡¯s show them our strength!¡± ¡°Sir Bren has ordered us to sound the horns!¡± Baooooooo¡­ ¡°Everyone, charge!¡± ¡°Woaaaaaaargh!¡± As the cavalry suddenly charged through the city¡¯s streets, people stopped to watch the spectacle. With ferocity, they barreled toward the eerie building, which appeared to be a fortress nestled within the city. * * * Trantor - goguma Proofreader - Karane * * * At the same time, inside the fortress¡­ ¡°Kaio, some idiots are charging toward us.¡± ¡°Kill them.¡± ¡°Civilians will get caught up, though?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡±mented Kaio, sounding sick of the questions. ¡°Nope,¡± smiled the man before rushing toward a cannon. Creaaaaak¡­ Ignite¡­ He lit the cannon''s wick. It didn''t take long for the fuse to run out, summoning a pir of fire from the cannon''s mouth. With a thunderous sound, a cannon ball was fired onto the street the cavalry was stampeding through. Baaaaaaaaam! ¡°Graaaaaaargh!¡± Neeeeeeigh! ¡°Argh! ¡°Khrgh¡­¡± One died from being directly hit by the cannon ball, another perished from being kicked by a falling horse, and a third died due to the smoke blocking their vision, causing them to collide with someone else. ¡°Quite a nice scene,¡±mented Kaio. Bren narrowly managed to dodge the attack, but his prized horse also died from the impact. ¡°Th-those scum¡­ Who uses gunpowder inside the city?!¡± ¡°Where did they get so much gunpowder¡­¡± ¡°How noisy,¡± said Kaio. ¡°Make them quiet down.¡± Fsssss¡­ Kaio¡¯s subordinate quickly lit up one cannon before reaching for a second. Baaam! However, unexpectedly, the first cannon misfired, causing it to explode. ¡°What happened?¡± asked Kaio. ¡°It¡¯s another transferee!¡± ¡°How annoying¡­¡± Bren gave the magician, who bought time for them, a nod before charging forward. ¡°Hmph! I guess they can be of use from time to time. Remember their name for me, Lalsa. Make sure to properly reward them.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Though Lalsa wasn¡¯t sure why Bren was making her remember a name that even he was toozy to remember, eventually, after many sacrifices, they reached the fortress. ¡°I will go ahead! Everyone, clean up the lower floors as youe up!¡± ¡°S-Sir Bren!¡± ¡°Lalsa! You follow me!¡± ¡°What? U-Uhh¡­¡± Fwip! Bren quickly wrapped his arm around her waist before rising to the sky. Fwip¡­ Fwooosh! Bren began scaling the wall, ascending higher and higher with each step. Lalsa struggled to keep up with the sudden speed and began to heave like she was going to throw up. Bwrgh¡­ Fwip! Bren leaped up, reaching the top with onest quick step. ¡°Did you think this abomination could stop me, the great Bren?!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ The stupid knight reached the top¡­¡± mocked one of the cartel members. Clench¡­ Kaio cracked his neck before taking a stance as more transferees entered the fray. As more and more transferees reached the top floor, Kaio gave an order once more. ¡°Fire.¡± Baam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Argh!¡± The guns in Pandea were muskets at best, so the shower of bullets ended soon. Nheless, that quick bombardment was more than enough to bring the transferees to the floor. Surprisingly enough, Lalsa and Bren weren¡¯t hit by any of the bullets. This was something Kaio did intentionally. ¡°Do you understand the situation now?¡± asked Kaio. ¡°...Lalsa, how strong is he?¡± ¡°...He has roughly 10 million points.¡± ¡°And next to him?¡± ¡°8.7 million¡­¡± ¡°And the other guy?¡± ¡°9.1 million¡­¡± ¡°...So it was a trap.¡± Las Cabras had been pretending to retreat while gathering their forces at Parte. ¡°Lalsa, how strong am I?¡± ¡°8-8 million.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Hey, what are you guys having so much fun talking about?¡± asked Kaio,ughing at them. ¡°Sir Kaio, let us have a talk. If you continue to indiscriminately murder innocent civilians like this, Adeline will officially¨C¡± BAAAAAM! A bullet whizzed past Bren¡¯s ear. ¡°What the hell is this dude saying?¡± ¡°He must have lost his mind.¡± ¡°Should we shoot him with the cannon?¡± ¡°That could be fun too!¡± Creaaaak¡­ A cartel member turned the cannon and aimed it toward Bren. But then¡­ Ffft! ¡°Khrrrgh¡­¡± The cannoneer quickly grabbed his neck before falling to the ground. The man who killed the cannoneer then stopped in front of Bren. ¡°Sir Bren, are you alright?¡± ¡°H-Haunted Swordsman.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time, Kaio,¡± said Yeo-myeong, turning to Kaio. ¡°The other cartel members are all dead. It¡¯s time for you to join them in hell.¡± Baam! A sudden shot. However, Yeo-myeong was faster. Unsheathe! Ting! ¡°Khrgh¡­¡± No one could believe what they just saw. Not only did Yeo-myeong manage to deflect the bullet with his sword, but he also managed to make it hit another cannoneer. ¡°Hah, look at him¡­¡± Though they were taken aback by his skill, the cartel members weren¡¯t scared of Yeo-myeong at all. ¡°Still¡­ There¡¯s nothing you can do on your own.¡± ¡°When did I say that I was alone?¡± ¡°Hmph. Stupid transferees are always¡­¡± Yeo-myeong then turned around, facing the empty space. "She¡¯s here. Like I said," said Yeo-myeong before turning back to Kaio. "It¡¯s time." ¡°What? Who¡ª¡± BOOOOOOOOOOOM! The entire building shuddered under the weight of the mysterious woman whonded on the roof. It was Karen. ¡°...Who the hell is this now?¡± Bren was utterly shocked by Karen¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡®She¡¯s strong¡­ Incredibly strong!¡¯ He could tell even without the goggles, just from the energy that radiated off her. ¡°I-It is nice to meet you. A-Are you perhaps here to help me¡­¡± asked Bren. ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡± Karen turned around, revealing her red hair, causing Bren to gasp. ¡°A-An elf¡­?!¡± ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen your face, though?¡± Bren then turned to Lalsa, asking her a question. ¡°Lalsa, h-how strong is¡­¡± ¡°18 million¡­¡± ¡°...What? Are you sure that thing isn¡¯t brok¡ªNo, an elf shouldn¡¯t be a transferee, so... She definitely came here to help me!¡± However, someone else joined them on the rooftop as well. Step¡­ ¡°Is this our final stop?¡± asked the man. ¡°Yeah!¡± answered Karen. ¡°Yeo-myeong¡¯s here as well.¡± ¡°Hyung!¡± The man leisurely stepped up, as if he was out here on a jog. Bren then nudged Lalsa¡¯s side with his elbow. ¡°......¡± ¡°Lalsa?¡± ¡°......¡± Lalsa simply took off the goggles and tossed it to the side. ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked Bren. "Sir Bren," Lalsa replied assuredly, "I am certain the goggles broke from the impact just now."