Chapter 317
Chapter 317
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 317
Chapter Title: Crossing the Desert
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It looked just like what you'd expect if someone passed out drunk on the street. Arhil was snoring away beside Yuda, fast asleep, and Lime had stuffed himself with food, nursing sips of fruit wine until he suddenly keeled over.
Yuda watched their sleeping forms for a moment, then noticed the chill from the protective barrier still lingering inside even after Lime had dozed off. He pulled blankets from <Bag> and draped them over Arhil and Lime. Since <Bag> was already open and the sky was darkening toward night, he also took out a glowing mana stone.
It was all so leisurely. Yuda wanted to sleep too, but there was still food left. He pulled out two more bottles of fruit wine and handed one to Iris. They clinked bottles silently in a toast. Popping the cork by hand released a fresh, fruity aroma.
"Guh!"
The cool fruit wine slid down his throat, drawing out an involuntary sigh of satisfaction. The slight buzz felt wonderful. In this desert, enjoying crisp air, cold drinks, and fresh food was nothing short of a blessing.
Yuda took a big bite of a sandwich while summoning the system messages he'd skipped earlier. He consolidated duplicates for clarity—the system had too many trivial features. The long messages streamlined neatly.
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[Mana has increased by a total of 9 due to the power of the Fragment <Rudmilran>.]
[Your magic resistance has risen by 3 from prolonged activity in an area teeming with unusual magical energy.]
[Level increased by 2.]
[You have uncovered one of the secrets held by the Fragment!]
[The Fragment can draw close to its original power once it absorbs enough mana to break free from Perlnen's restrictions.]
[This is called <Awakening>. Your keen intuition in revealing a Fragment's secret impresses us—knowledge +3, senses +2.]
[Victory over the bewitched Dragonkin Queen grants +2 strength and +2 agility.]
[You have successfully subjugated Dragonkin Queen [Esther Serion].]
[You owned the Fragment and rescued her from over a century of torment in the <Otherworld>, where time and space were warped by its influence.]
[You have forged a new fate. Achievement points +1.]
[Titles acquired: [Otherworld Veteran], [White-Horse Prince Who Saved the Ill-Fated Princess], [Fragment Collector].]
[Otherworld Veteran]
You entered and exited an Otherworld where time and space were warped by a Fragment.
-Experience gain +10% upon Otherworld entry.
-Fatigue accumulation during combat -10% upon Otherworld entry.
[White-Horse Prince Who Saved the Ill-Fated Princess]
You rescued the despairing, screaming Dragonkin Queen. She desperately sought someone to stop her and end the infinite loop of horrors. Neither angels nor demons could save her, but you did. To Esther Serion, you are no mere hostile, inferior human—you are a god or savior.
-Limited to Esther Serion: Favorability gain increased.
-Limited to Esther Serion: She trusts you, will never betray you, and will follow you.
-Limited to Esther Serion: All her stats +1 during joint combat.
-Limited to Esther Serion: Her Dragonkin Transformation skill effect x2 during joint combat.
-Limited to Esther Serion: She gains mental stability in your presence.
[Trait [Fragment Collector] acquired.]
[Fragment Collector] - Rank: S / Workmanship: Master
You have collected eight of the twenty-four Fragments. The lords' mana within them subtly influences your body.
Each new Fragment acquired boosts all non-special stats by 1 and reduces special conditions/mana cost for Fragment use by 10%.
Fragment power +5%, increasing by an additional 5% per subsequent Fragment.
[Acquired the sixth Fragment, Requiem of the End.]
[Autosave at current point.]
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「Status Window」
[Name: Yuda Arshe]
[Titles: White-Horse Prince Who Saved the Ill-Fated Princess(7)]
[Level: 68]
[Job: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman(Hidden A)]
[Revives: 27]
[Strength: 74(B) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 63(B) / Potential S]
[Agility: 84(A) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 65(B) / Potential B]
[Magic Resistance: 75(B) / Potential S]
[Charisma: 43(C) / Potential A]
[Leadership: 33(D) / Potential S]
[Senses: 68(B) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Knowledge: 34(D) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 89(A) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 9]
[Achievement Points: 3]
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After reading the overlooked system messages, the updated [Status Window] appeared automatically, as if prompting him to check his changed stats. Chewing his food, Yuda stared at the holographic display, unable to hide his satisfaction.
Mana—the stat he'd considered his weakest—had jumped by a whopping 9 points. He'd seen occasional messages about absorbing the dead Dragonkin' mana via Rudmilran, but he'd guessed it was only 4 or 5. This far exceeded expectations. It must have been because he'd drained every last drop from Esther Serion, who had lost control and absorbed a massive amount while enthralled by Requiem.
He'd also gained two titles. [Otherworld Veteran] was meh, and [White-Horse Prince] was Esther Serion-specific. The other effects were skippable, but the final one—granting her "mental stability"—caught his eye.
'...Well, after over a century of that hell, staying sane would be impossible.'
She should have snapped long ago. Yuda almost wanted to applaud her mental fortitude for holding out this long. The title's effects suggested the original game had her die, and now it was saying to take responsibility to the end.
Even if he released her subjugation, the title ensured she'd never betray him and would follow any order with full trust.
He'd also gained a trait he'd ignored until now: [Fragment Collector]. It was easy to acquire relative to its rank in the game—randomly obtained after collecting a certain number of Fragments. The sooner you got it, the better for Fragment power boosts and stat gains; late-game, it was unnecessary.
'With sixteen Fragments left, it's not bad for me.'
Quite the opposite—it was great. And realizing he'd never focused on traits before, he saw he only had six. Yuda reviewed his stats quietly, then chuckled softly and glanced back.
Inside the tent, Esther Serion's tail and feet were visible as she slept. Her tail tip twitched just as he looked, like she was stirring in her dreams. Yuda grabbed the elven fruit wine beside him, took a swig from the bottle, and checked her status.
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「Status Window」
[Name: Esther Serion]
[Title: Ill-Fated Queen]
[True Name: Ruler of Dragonkin]
[Level: 83]
[Job: Queen(A)]
[Race: Dragonkin]
[Strength: 82(A) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 93(S) / Potential SS]
[Agility: 89(A) / Potential A]
[Mana: 81(A) / Potential A]
[Magic Resistance: 85(A) / Potential S]
[Charisma: 90(S) / Potential SS]
[Leadership: 84(A) / Potential S]
[Will: 89(A) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Charm: 85(A) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Knowledge: 73(B) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Luck: 80(A) / Potential A] ◀ Special
-Trait 'Shattered Resolve': All stats except special stats and stamina -10%
-Trait 'Broken Will': Special stat will -25%
-Mental trauma from guilt and despair: All stats -5%
-All stats -15% when Yuda Arshe is absent
[Favorability: 69(Interest)]
[Trust: 100(Friendship)]
「Traits 10/10」
[Dragonkin] - Rank: A
[Bloodline Awakening] - Rank: A
[Queen's Charisma] - Rank: A
[Emotion Assimilation] - Rank: S
[Martial Prodigy] - Rank: A
[Melee Master] - Rank: A
[Versatile] - Rank: A
[Leader] - Rank: A
[Shattered Resolve] - Rank: A
[Broken Will] - Rank: A
「Skills 7/7」
[Dragonkin Transformation] - Rank: A
└Body Activation, High-Speed Regeneration, Sensory Activation
[Dragon's Breath] - Rank: A
[Dragon Tongue] - Rank: S
[Dragon Eye - Predator's Gaze] - Rank: S
[Domain Declaration - Ruler's Land] - Rank: A
[Continued Combat] - Rank: A
[Sixth Sense - Intuition] - Rank: A
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Yuda's expression shifted constantly as he scanned Esther Serion's [Status Window]. He started with shock at her stats, hardened into a stiff frown as he read on, and ended with a sigh.
The initial surprise was because her stats weren't this impressive in his memory. He'd given her decent A-rank+ skills and traits as a favored boss, but her base stats were lower. Even her potentials weren't this high. They matched or slightly trailed Organ, Metatron's apostle with a Fragment and starfish, among those he'd met. Of course, her two trash traits and trauma were tanking her stats badly now—but once she overcame them, she'd be a huge asset.
Iris watched Yuda's face cycle through grins, frowns, and sighs, then pulled out her notepad.
-What's got you making all those faces? What's on your mind?
Yuda, about to check Requiem's info, paused at her movement and turned. Reading her note, he opened his mouth to speak, but the buzz made his head spin.
"Ah..."
He wasn't slurring yet, but the relaxed drinking had hit him hard. After a moment's thought, he held out his hand—signaling a written chat, like old times.
Iris smiled warmly, no objection, and handed over her pen too.
-The queen lying in that tent back there.
-Why her? Doesn't she match the prophecy from your dream?
Dream? Prophecy?
For a second, he blanked, then remembered. When Iris had gone to her, he'd worried about making contact and convincing her, so he'd bullshitted about being a prophet.
'
Like Zhuangzi's butterfly dream?
Was it the butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi, or vice versa?
The thought surfaced suddenly. Yuda sometimes wondered if he was dreaming as the game's creator or if he was in Yuda's dream. The alcohol muddled it. He chuckled, then wrote.
-Yes.
He dotted the i, then pondered his next words. "Prophecy from a dream" above his note stuck in his mind. It wasn't entirely wrong.
-In the dream, she died. For ages, enthralled by the Fragment, she killed her own kin and destroyed her empire with her own hands, over and over. Then some guy like us entered the Otherworld with his party, fought her, and pierced her heart with a sword. She said nothing... just looked sadly at the blade through her chest, knelt, stared at the ground, closed her eyes, and died.
The notepad was small. That filled most of it. Yuda wrote in the margin.
-But the dream's ending changed. I saved her when she was supposed to die.
-Can I ask one thing? Why did you save her?
Iris wrote on a fresh page and passed it. Her face showed genuine curiosity.