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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Kang Seol moved to the mid-level guard post on the mountain where the Rock Tusk Tribe first appeared.
“Hmm…”
The guard post was devastated. It was scorched black, and troll corpses were scattered about. The only unusual thing was a green flag fluttering nearby.
‘A flag… the harvest festival season.’
The Rock Tusk Tribe only raised a green flag at a specific time: during the harvest festival, in honor of the earth dragon Tancreed. But that wasn’t important right now. T
he whereabouts of his companions were. Confirming that no one was around, Kang Seol moved on. He had to see it for himself. And finally, he found them.
“…They’re all dead.”
Four stakes. Four figures were impaled on them. Their attire was similar to his, confirming they were his companions.
– What do you call this kind of situation?
– A used room? I guess….
– It’s completely trashed;; ㄷㄷ what happened?
A used room. It happened sometimes when parties weren’t full. When you joined an adventure already in progress, you’d say you’d “entered a used room.”
‘These people only passed the first gate of Adventure 1…’
They must have gone ahead without waiting for him to return from the last gate. And the result was four corpses. He looked at the stakes with regret.
‘This makes the standard approach impossible…’
This was the lowest level of the Rock Tusk Tribe’s territory. If they were stuck here, they hadn’t killed any of the leaders.
It meant he had to face a boss that required a party, alone. But strangely, he hadn’t given up. His eyes were more serious than ever.
‘…Then I’ll have to use that method.’
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He began to assess the situation to make a precise judgment.
‘Judging by their attire, one priest, two vanguards, and one archer? A good combination…’
A combination that could have easily cleared Adventure 2 if they had followed his instructions. But now they were dead. They had died with their eyes open, as if in agony.
‘What’s done is done… a frontal assault is impossible, so I’ll have to use another method.’
Numerous strategies for the Five Brothers were in his mind. But even for him, there weren’t many optimal strategies for this terrible situation. Just then, choices appeared before his eyes.
– Ditch your team! Ditch your team? You’ve been ditched by your team….
– I am an individual… a real individual….
– This is a really tear-jerking situation… it’s so fucked up;
– Is there a way?
– No way; I checked the setting book, it’s a party adventure, so there are a lot of things, but if he can’t see it all at a glance, there’s no way this guy knows….
Number 1 was dangerous, even with Karuna as a summon. Number 2 offered the advantage of a night raid, but since he was alone, it would just be a waste of time.
That left him with only option 3. And from there, the choices branched out again. As he decided to explore and took a step, another choice appeared.
There was only about a day left. Leaving the area was a difficult choice. Therefore, most people who chose to explore did so within the settlement. But Kang Seol was different.
He knew all the settings and hidden mechanics of this adventure. Naturally, with a clear purpose, he could achieve his desired result.
‘Go back.’
With that conclusion, he turned around and retreated from the Rock Tusk settlement.
– He gave up ㅈㅈ
– How are you supposed to clear this;
– But he’ll probably live for another day….
Adventures in the Eternal World weren’t always linear. The outcomes varied greatly depending on the process, and these results would affect future adventures.
The worldviews of the pieces that achieved the most outstanding results were often recorded as ‘history.’ Their worldviews were shared with everyone playing the Eternal World.
In that sense, if his current plan succeeded, the result was highly likely to be adopted as history. He intended to clear the adventure alone. And obtain the best rewards.
Back to the adventure, he was now searching the lowest of the five peaks of the jagged mountain range. The Rock Tusk Tribe had settled on the highest peak, and other beings occupied the others.
Not hostile forces, but supporting characters with their own stories.
‘The exiles of the Rock Tusk.’
Beings exiled from the tribe for various reasons. They lived scattered on the peaks. It seemed like an insignificant detail, but it was crucial to the ‘Five Fraternal Brothers’ adventure.
Most of the hidden mechanics started with these exiles. That’s why he was searching the lowest peak so thoroughly.
‘He must be here somewhere…’
The being he was looking for was said to live in seclusion on the lowest of the five peaks. He had raised many characters, but it was difficult to actually find something with only the hints from the game.
Rustle…
Thud.
Jingle…
“…A bell?”
A bell was attached to a long string, tied between two trees.
‘It doesn’t seem like a trap… is it an alarm?’
The clear sound of the bell echoed through the mountain. It wasn’t an ordinary bell. Such a small bell couldn’t produce a sound that could be heard by everyone nearby. It must have been enchanted.
“Found it?”
The being he was looking for was nearby. He just had to find where it was staying. But then, unexpectedly, the other party spoke first.
“A human… Who are you…”
A slurred speech. He took it as a given and walked forward. It was a mysterious power, to be able to speak to him without being seen.
Jingle…
The bell rang again, and a flustered voice came from the other party.
“D-Don’t come closer…”
“I am not a dangerous person.”
“You’re… a human.”
“…”
Kang Seol stopped in his tracks. Not because of the other party’s words, but because he had finally found where he was staying. A dilapidated hut was precariously built on the mountainside.
It was in a well-hidden location, so it had been difficult to find. It was also in a place where the sun didn’t shine well, so he could have easily missed it.
“I-I told you not to come closer…”
“As I said, I didn’t come with bad intentions.”
“Lies! The Rock Tusk sent you! What are you… what are you going to do to me!”
At that moment, a choice appeared before his eyes.
He confirmed that the choices were correct and spoke, “Why shouldn’t I come closer? Is something wrong?”
“Don’t… don’t come closer!”
Choosing an option didn’t solve everything. Especially with dialogue choices, it only provided a direction, the system didn’t speak for you.
“Stay away from me…”
“Are you… sick?”
He couldn’t see clearly from here, but he already knew from the setting that he was sick. But to get the desired reaction, he asked step by step if he was sick.
Swoosh…
The abandoned one came out of the hut. He wasn’t a human, but a troll. His slurred speech was probably due to his long tusks. Anyway, he wasn’t an ordinary troll. His whole body was covered in sores.
“…You see? Go away. It’s a contagious disease.”
“I’d like to hear more details.”
“…Don’t make me more miserable.”
– Eek, a contagious disease!
– Maintain social distance! You have to back away!
The abandoned one, expecting him to back away, just stared at him with a dejected expression.
Kang Seol was a gambler. At least, the Kang Seol of the Eternal World was.
Thud, thud.
“…What are you doing?”
“I want to hear more.”
“If you come closer… you’ll catch it.”
“I can’t hear the details if I don’t get closer.”
“…”
The troll looked at him for a moment, then sighed and went into the hut.
“…I’m not responsible.”
“May I come in?”
“…If you want to hear my story. By all means.”
He smiled and followed him into the hut. The first thing that hit him was the musty smell of various herbs, and then the sight of books neatly arranged on shelves.
“…Books?”
“Is it strange?”
If a reading troll wasn’t strange, what was?
He held back his words and said, “Not particularly.”
“…”
The abandoned one crouched down and lit a fire.
Crackle…
“Would you like some tea? I don’t have any good tea, but since I have a lot of herbs, I can offer you some herbal tea.”
“I’d rather hear the rest of your story.”
“What are you so curious about?”
“Everything.”
“…”
The abandoned one answered with silence, then, as if having made a decision, smiled awkwardly.
“Th-Then, may I tell you my story?”
“I’d like that.”
“Then…”
He began to tell his story. It wasn’t particularly special. There was an endemic disease in the jagged mountains, and it had spread to the trolls.
It would reappear every few generations, like an epidemic, and had claimed many lives. The previous Rock Tusk Tribe members had struggled with it and had created a rule.
“Was that exile?”
“Yes… that’s right.”
“Then, you were exiled…”
“No, it wasn’t me who was exiled. It was my mother.”
“…”
He continued. His mother was pregnant with him when she was exiled. She had begged to leave the child with the tribe, but they had refused. He said that their choice might have been right.
“Because… I was born with the disease…”
“…”
“My mother, even as she was dying, resented the tribe. She said that everything… everything should be destroyed.”
“What do you mean?”
“The tribe, the disease, and me…”
It was a painful story, but he told it calmly. Kang Seol asked, “Is the disease incurable?”
“That’s why I delved into books. I used shamanism to learn the human language and studied all sorts of books to research the endemic disease.”
“…The result?”
“I almost succeeded, but there’s one… ingredient I couldn’t find.”
He was getting close to the information he wanted.
“It’s called the Corpse Finger Mushroom… I’m sure it exists on this mountain. But…”
“You couldn’t find it.”
“No. Even after looking through old records, all I found was a mushroom attached to a cliff… And my disease also weakens my bones, so it was impossible for me to search the cliffs.”
“Other trolls… ah…”
“Have you forgotten? I’ve been alone since I was born. Now, that’s all of my story. It’s the first time I’ve had a visitor, so I might have rambled on… Anyway, if there’s anything else you want…”
“That mushroom…”
“…Yes?”
“May I look for it?”
“What… for what…”
He smiled faintly. The setting of the Rock Tusk Tribe, the setting of the trolls, the setting of the leaders, and the problems intertwined with them. He, Kang Seol, knew all of it. He could help this troll.
“Let’s call it a small deal.”
“…If, and I mean if, you can find that mushroom, I will help you with anything.”
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