Chapter 221
Chapter 221
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: Chapter 5-2. Rest
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Lüsen Ardahan's specs and additional information appeared before his eyes. Standing there, Judah read through them carefully and felt his head nodding in satisfaction. It wasn't much different from what he remembered.
Surprisingly, for a fragment, the skills seemed rather plain and unremarkable. But that was only because it lacked the grand Lucete and Memento Mori. Once he acquired those two fragments later, he would see its true potential, so he just needed to be patient for now.
That didn't mean the current Lüsen Ardahan was complete trash. Even if it couldn't unleash its full power, the fact that it granted a single individual the combat strength of an entire legion was more than enough to pass with flying colors. Plus, it was stored in the subspatial pocket, so he could summon it anytime he wanted. It was a reliable backup force like no other.
Adding Lüsen Ardahan made five out of the twenty-four fragments he'd collected so far. Not bad.
He said it every time he got a new fragment, but at this rate, he might gather them all within a few years.
"Kukuku."
A laugh escaped him naturally, and his face brightened. Turning around, he saw the landscape filled with frozen corpses, but his good mood made even that scene look somehow impressive. Judah, hood of his robe pulled low, stared down at one of the dead bodies and tilted his head, lost in thought.
"Langritsa Magic Tower..."
It was about time he needed a mage companion. However, in the game, anyone skilled or renowned only appeared in the late stages.
'But this isn't a game.'
This was reality. Recruiting companions was entirely possible. Like how he'd luckily met Arhil in Calypso. If possible, he wanted not just any ordinary mage, but a skilled one.
Taking an elf was one option, but elves drew too much attention. With the news spreading that Silran had waged war against the elves' forest and lost, people would try to capture any wandering elf to figure out what happened.
'Above all, the elf herself wouldn't want to leave.'
She might hate humans even more now, so there was no reason for her to look favorably on him. The easiest way to recruit a skilled mage was to head to the Langritsa Magic Tower in the mage kingdom of Calypso, where countless geniuses gathered.
The problem was that the Langritsa Magic Tower wasn't a place anyone could enter at will, and no skilled mage would follow a stranger for no reason. But that didn't mean there was no way.
Judah pulled his robe hood lower and began rummaging through the dead man's pockets. At first, pangs of conscience had made him hesitate, but after a few times, it felt nothing.
The first time was always the hardest. But money wasn't his goal right now. What he was looking for was the badge carried by the leader of the Battle Clan Cheriu.
Just as adventurers and mercenaries carried rank badges to prove their identity and skill, mages in Calypso carried badges too.
They indicated clan affiliation, position, and rough mage rank.
"Found it."
It took about five hours. He'd hoped for a flashy robe to make it easier, but with so many and none standing out, he had to check them one by one. Luckily, this one was at the front; if he'd been at the rear guarding safely, it would've taken the whole day.
[Name: Leader Badge of Battle Clan Cheriu]
[Rank: Unique]
[Description]
[Badge owned by Shinbalre, leader of Battle Clan Cheriu affiliated with Langritsa Magic Tower.]
-Identity Proof (Passive): Shinbalre Cheriu, 6th Rank High Mage, Leader of Battle Clan Cheriu under Langritsa Magic Tower
-Recovery (Passive): Return to Langritsa Magic Tower upon acquisition for a reward.
-Langritsa Magic Tower (Passive): Inscribed with special spells and patterns, making replication extremely difficult. Authentic.
It was an extremely simple item. No special descriptions or effects—just proof of identity. But this badge was Battle Clan Cheriu itself. They wouldn't reissue it without exceptional cause, so clan leaders cherished these badges dearly.
If someone else brought the badge, it meant something had happened to the clan leader. In exchange for returning it, he could probably recruit a mage companion.
He pulled the badge from the corpse—eyes wide in shock, mouth agape in a foolish expression, as if death had come unfairly—and held it up to the sunlight. It gleamed brilliantly. Feeling like he'd unearthed treasure, he carefully stowed it in the <Bag>.
And he didn't just take the magic badge. Every mage dead here was a pile of money. From magical items, scrolls, and return stones they carried, to quality spears, swords, shields, and armor. Until now, he'd been in a rush looking for something specific, but with business done, he started looting freely.
The more, the better.
No storage limits, so everything he picked up piled up steadily in the <Bag>. Above all, the thrill of finding usable <Codes> was addictive. Most were common rank, but he snagged a few unique ones too.
Before he knew it, the sun was setting. Time flew.
This should be enough.
Checking the <Bag> inventory, it was a mess.
After Serinia Castle, Phloria, and Urun tabs, he added one for the elves' forest and moved all the recent loot there. Smiling in satisfaction at the thousands-plus items he might or might not use later.
'Hm?'
While sorting codes, Judah spotted something unfamiliar.
「Code 前: Judah Arsher's, who offered hundreds of thousands of living sacrifices to Bel-Terza」
Huh.
It bore his own name, and it wasn't even unique rank—it was legendary. Judah let out a hollow laugh. He had no memory of picking it up or seeing a message about acquiring it.
Selecting the mystery code whose acquisition date he couldn't even recall, he checked its options.
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「Code 前: Judah Arsher's, who offered hundreds of thousands of living sacrifices to Bel-Terza」
Rank: Legendary _ Weapon Exclusive
Effect: Attack Power +15%, Ignore 15% of enemy Defense.
Damage taken +10% upon hit.
Bel-Terza's Faint Curse: Applies curse effect for 30 seconds on strike.
(Reduces lowest stat by 6, 4, 2, 1. Non-stackable.)
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"Amazing, really."
Magic towers could appraise code names and abilities. They sometimes bought them at high prices. A legendary rank would be worth a fortune, but the name was too suspicious.
It had the name of the sixth demon lord Bel-Terza, and even Judah's name attached as the one who offered sacrifices. He couldn't show it to anyone. At first, he took it in stride, but thinking it over, it was the highest rank: legendary. The options were insanely good the more he looked.
There was a penalty of +10% damage taken on hit, but the benefits outweighed it. Especially Bel-Terza's Faint Curse—it was incredible. If it reduced from the highest stat, it'd be the ultimate code, but lowest stat was a shame.
'Where to apply it?'
After some thought, he applied it to the fragment Altemia. His most-used weapon, and one he'd keep using, so it fit best. One issue, though...
[Bel-Terza, to whom Judah Arsher offered hundreds of thousands of living sacrifices' "Tenth Fragment - Altemia"]
The item's name became ridiculously long. But he wouldn't see it daily or show it off, so whatever. He summoned Altemia once and swung it—no noticeable difference yet—so he unsummoned it and returned to Roengrim.
Wondering if Arhil was still at the guild hall, he stopped by, but she was gone. An elf said she'd gone ahead, so he headed home.
"I'm back~"
He expected a reply, but none came. Entering through the entrance, he looked around the first floor—no Arhil.
Hadn't come home yet?
Tilting his head, he went up to the second floor and knocked on the closed door. A light rap echoed. He waited, but no answer. Turning the knob carefully yielded a click.
Locked.
Opening the confirmed she was inside the room.
"Hmm..."
Judah stood there awkwardly, shrugged, and went back downstairs. Skipping lunch had left him hungry. What to eat? He remembered the side dishes Tia had packed from Serinia Castle just for him. If not now, when? He heated rice and the still-warm sides, eating alone. In case Arhil woke hungry, he left a packed meal from Glory Hall in Aslan, Phloria's capital, on the table, then went upstairs and slipped under the bedcovers.
'Nothing to do.'
Back in his original world, he'd kill time with his smartphone or PC games if sleep wouldn't come. Calls passed time too. Lying there staring at the ceiling made him miss games even more.
In this world, there was nothing fun to do alone. The magic stones from the demon realm enriched life but couldn't make computers.
"I wanna play games..."
The thought made him desperately want to cry. Sighing repeatedly, he closed his eyes to sleep.
Creeeak!
But shortly after drifting off, the door opened. His sharp senses pulled his fading consciousness back.
========== Author's Note ==========
1) I said next chapter, but I thought it was the next one too... Still, couldn't skip that...
2)
Q. When are you coming?
A. Sunday! Went skiing for the first time in 10 years!
Q. Reminded me of Norse mythology more than anything—after Groth ends, starting Norse, Lüsen would count as a summon, right? Did you not take it to Norse? + Armania says in item desc anyone the ego likes can use it, but you said only women for Seru? Setting error? Or just polite since Sigmund couldn't?
A. Didn't expect Norse myth question here. As far as I remember, summon slots were limited, and Armania can be used by anyone. But excluding the original owner Perlnirn, it didn't choose men, so only women—my memory. Explanation was lacking.