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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Dieeee!”
“Gah… cough…”
Slash!
Crackle…
Pandemonium. A scene from hell. There were other words to describe the current state of the Rock Tusk Tribe, but what mattered now was whether there was a way to quell this chaos.
‘There isn’t.’
The Potion of Madness wasn’t invincible. It lasted about twelve hours. They had drunk the potion at midnight, so they would only come to their senses at noon. If they could isolate the tribe members before then, they could minimize the damage.
‘But that’s going to be difficult.’
The problem for the leaders was that all the tribe members had drunk the potion. Some were less affected, but most were still brandishing their weapons, ready to kill each other. There were too many to control.
‘And I’m not just going to sit back and watch.’
To shake someone, a series of small incidents was more effective than a single large one. He had taken advantage of the leaders’ preoccupation with the Potion of Madness to raid the treasure vault and sow suspicion among them. And now, he was at the next stage of his plan.
The residence of Makgata, the youngest of the five brothers. He was an earth shaman and the leader of a faction. Makgata, the weakest of the brothers in both personality and power. Kang Seol easily broke through the weakened security and infiltrated his residence.
Creak…
As he opened the door, Makgata greeted him with a grim expression. He must have known someone had infiltrated his residence.
“…It’s you.”
A human holding a shining moon staff. Makgata, seeing Kang Seol’s brazen appearance, unleashed his inner beast. He, too, had been significantly affected by the Potion of Madness. His eyes turned red.
“You’ve thrown the tribe into chaos, human!”
– Correct.
– Anyway, the troll’s words make sense.
– In troll culture, someone like Snowman is called a cunning bastard.
– Oh, that’s interesting. They say the same thing in human culture.
– Cunning = you’re a master
– High praise!
Kang Seol confirmed he was in the right place and nodded.
Swoosh.
Lunar Knight Karuna emerged from his shadow.
“Kill him.”
Karuna nodded.
Swoosh—!
Karuna’s Moonlight Sword, emitting a brilliant light, surged towards Makgata.
“Kroooo!”
Clap!
As Makgata clapped his hands, a mound of earth rose from beneath his feet.
Thud, thud, thud!
Slash!
Slash!
Karuna calmly cut through the mud mound, but he wasn’t strong enough to overwhelm Makgata.
“Hahahahaha!”
Thump.
Makgata felt that his opponent wasn’t as strong as he had expected and could be defeated. So, he decided to attack aggressively and, by defeating them, solidify his position within the tribe. Perhaps he could even push out Jamad and become the supreme leader of the five.
Thump, thump.
Troll soldiers made of earth, created by Makgata, entered the fray. Karuna was fighting well, but he couldn’t overwhelm them. If the battle continued like this, Kang Seol wouldn’t be able to defeat Makgata quickly. An elite monster was an elite monster.
– Huh;; what; was the shadow summon penalty that severe?
– Wasn’t he supposed to be able to just beat Makgata?
– Misjudgment, lol. Now the 5 brothers will combine.
As Makgata’s soldiers clung to him relentlessly, Karuna was also busy defending.
“Kahahaha!”
Makgata was excited at the thought of dismembering his opponent and proving his strength. That’s why he looked at Kang Seol, the summoner, with gleaming eyes. But… Kang Seol just stared back with a cold gaze, not flustered at all.
‘I’ve confirmed enough. As expected, there are no variables.’
Karuna had been fighting Makgata with only his base stats and basic swordsmanship. As if to prove this, moonlight began to gather on Karuna’s body.
Hooooong!
Karuna accumulated moonlight during battle. In other words, the more he moved, the stronger he became.
Remembering that Karuna was most threatening in the Forgotten Moon Ruin when his armor was imbued with moonlight, one could imagine the difference in combat power between the beginning and the end of the battle.
Slash!
Slash!
The Moonlight Sword emitted a brighter light than before. Karuna’s sword, like a lightsaber, sliced through the earth soldiers.
“Wh-What!”
Makgata, momentarily flustered, chanted a spell. But…
Swoosh!
Karuna didn’t allow the spell to be completed. His body slid forward, instantly closing the distance, and the Moonlight Sword unleashed its light.
Hooooong—!
Slash!
“Aaaaaah!”
Makgata’s left arm was severed at the shoulder. The battle was effectively over.
Swish, swish!
Slash!
His two legs met the same fate. A caster who allowed a swordsman to close the distance had to be prepared for this. Karuna, having just absorbed a little moonlight, had become so fast and ferocious that Makgata couldn’t handle him.
“K-Khaaaaa….”
Makgata thought, ‘I have fallen so easily, but if my brothers unite, can’t they stop this disaster?’
“Ha… haa…”
Why hadn’t he done so sooner? He knew the reason. His brothers weren’t true brothers, bound by blood. They were just competitors, playing at being brothers while watching each other’s backs. Kang Seol slowly approached. Death loomed over him.
– Karuna is so strong… the majesty is majestic…
– You used ‘majestic’ twice…
– Where did the person who said he would lose go?
– The swordsman is OP ㅡㅡ the shaman got wrecked ㅠㅠ
Makgata, realizing he was going to die, did what he had to do.
Swoosh.
He pointed a finger at Kang Seol. To cast a curse. A curse that only affected the caster, not the summon.
“A grudge? That won’t do.”
At that moment, Makgata’s curse activated.
Makgata’s grudge was a fatal curse that reduced Strength and Agility. But for a summoner like Kang Seol, Strength and Agility weren’t very important stats. He had targeted Makgata for this very reason.
‘Normally, this curse would have to be shared among the party members.’
Investigate the settlement, gather information about the curse of grudge. Then, defeat the five brothers, and the job that was least affected by the curse would take the hit.
That was the standard strategy. If all his party members had been alive, he would have chosen this method instead of going back.
‘But fortunately, I’ve come this far.’
Makgata, despite being cursed, left his last words to the emotionless Kang Seol.
“M-My brothers… ugh… will avenge… me…”
Thud…
Makgata breathed his last. Kang Seol grinned and said, “Your brothers… but they’ll be much busier now.”
Before the final battle, he set fire to Makgata’s residence.
Fwoosh—!
Perhaps a relatively sane aide would see this and report Makgata’s death to the leaders.
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By the time the leaders learned of Makgata’s death, Kang Seol was boldly in the center of the settlement.
“Aaaaagh!”
“Die! Die!”
“Gah… cough…”
He ignored the smell of blood and acrid smoke and entered a suitable house.
– Is this a good sign?
– It’s a fire. Get a grip.
– I don’t know about anything else, but his mentality is top tier lol, how can he be so calm there?
– But isn’t the adventure over? Why isn’t he leaving?
– No one knows, so we’re just watching;
– I think some people have already cleared it and left.
– That’s probably just by meeting the minimum requirements.
He approached a small cauldron in the center of the house.
(Gray)- Hey! He seems to be up to something?
– Masaka! Another Potion of Madness?
– Another potion of madness is ridiculous
As he approached the cauldron, an alert sounded.
– Suddenly?
– Hey, no way?
He began to take out what looked like food and herbs from his pocket.
– So domestic all of a sudden?
– Is he hungry?
– What exactly is the Cooking talent?
– A useless talent. They say it can’t even compare to other talents without a recipe?
– ??? : How~ delicious is it?
He stoked the fire and cooked the herbs and food in a set order. He hadn’t eaten all day, but he wasn’t doing this because he was hungry.
He took out the seed, looked at it for a moment, and put it in the cauldron. He had obtained the Moon Seed from the Forgotten Moon Ruin. The most common way to consume this item was to cook it first. And he also knew the recipe.
‘The last battle will probably be difficult, so I have to use this as a volatile ability, even if it’s a waste.’
The Moon Seed had various effects, usually divided into two types. One was a permanent increase in ability, and the other was the acquisition of a volatile ability.
A volatile ability, unlike other abilities, could only be used once. Instead, it brought a powerful effect, so it was often used when facing a difficult situation.
Sizzle…
He put the food in a suitable bowl and ate it almost in one gulp. It was bland, as it hadn’t been seasoned and the ingredients were herbs and vegetables.
– Why is he cooking all of a sudden?
– Is this right?
– Strange, is this the room I was watching?
– There must be a reason why you’re doing this ㅠㅠ
When he finished the bowl, a message appeared.
– …What?
– An ability just from eating?
– I’m going to lose my mind! I’m going to lose my mind!
– How does he know this?
– ??? : You saw, right? Just watch quietly.
A flood of messages followed.
‘Breaking News’ donated 200 madness!
“I checked the setting book. It says Moon Stage is a wide-area magic that buffs moon-attribute beings and debuffs others. Fuck. I just saw this.”
– What kind of conscience-less ability is this?
– Well, this was a top-tier reward from the previous adventure, and he even post-processed it…
– And since it’s a volatile ability, he can only use it for one day, guys! Can’t he only use it once?
– It’s an ultimate skill, an ultimate skill 😱
‘It was a good choice to pick Cooking as a talent.’
There was always a reason for a veteran’s choice. Among the many talents, Cooking was the most accessible and had various effects, so players who dreamed of being all-rounders often chose it.
Of course, since there was a recipe system, the effects varied greatly, but the number of recipes he knew was by no means small.
‘It’s easy to grow, and as it grows, the effects become stronger…’
Wasn’t the biggest problem in life eating and living? The effect of the Cooking talent was more satisfactory than he had expected. He was finally ready.
He went outside and quietly headed towards the highest point of the jagged mountain. The brothers who had heard the news would all be there. The final battle would be there.
“It’s the end.”
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