Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Twenty-Fourth Fragment, Carpediem
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I had no idea how long it had been since a quest message last appeared. No matter what I did, quests hadn't shown up, but now one had finally revealed itself. It didn't specify the reward, but passing it up felt like a waste. Judah was quite excited by the first quest since the tutorial.
'Yes! Finally! I've been wondering why no quests were popping up all this time!'
This one had to be cleared. He didn't know what the reward would be, but a sudden pop-up quest like this might at least grant bonus stats. Judah decided to take the risk.
'Even if I die, I'll just respawn.'
Fortunately, he'd saved just four days ago. If he died, it wouldn't be a restart from the beginning—just from four days back. Judah made his decision swiftly.
"...Let's do it."
-Really?
"Yeah. Fighting a hundred wolves sounds way harder than this."
Tia stuck out her tongue as she looked at Judah. Was this really a twelve-year-old kid? He was braver than most mercenaries. The black wolf seemed to sense Judah's acceptance and turned around.
-Good. Hop on my back, then.
"Uh, is that okay?"
-Why not?
It was a novel experience. He'd seen her shift into her beastkin form plenty of times, but riding on her back was a first. She lowered her stance to make it easier, and Judah hopped on lightly. It was warm and cozy.
-Ah, hold on. What are you grabbing?
"?"
He'd only wrapped his arms and legs around her torso, but she jolted in reaction.
...He had no idea what he'd touched, but it must have been a sensitive spot.
When he asked what he should hold onto instead, she told him to loop his arms around her neck. He obeyed meekly. The lead wolf took off without looking back once it was ready, and Tia followed close behind.
It was incredibly fast. Objects around them whipped by like he was on a motorcycle. The moonlight helped, but racing through this pitch-black area as if it were broad daylight was astonishing. A quick glance back showed dozens of wolves with glowing eyes trailing them.
'Split the stats now?'
He checked the quest details again. A 1:1 duel with the leader wolf 'Korrkan.'
In game terms, it was definitely a named monster. Naturally stronger than regular black wolves. After a moment's thought, Judah opened his status window and allocated his saved points.
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「Status Window」
[Name: Judah Arshes]
[Title: None]
[Level: 15]
[Occupation: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden A)]
[Revival Count: 1]
[Strength: 40 (C) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 38 (D) / Potential S]
[Agility: 40 (C) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 41 (C) / Potential B]
[Magic Resistance: 51 (C) / Potential S]
[Knowledge: 17 (F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 84 (A) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 0]
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He put 4 points into Strength, 1 into Stamina, and 9 into Agility—14 points total. The moment he finished, his heart throbbed powerfully, pounding once. A dizzy spell hit him briefly, and he closed his eyes. After deep breaths, he could clearly feel the change in his body.
'Is this enough?'
He had no clue how strong leader wolf 'Korrkan' was, but Judah steeled himself. They'd been traveling for about thirty minutes without arriving. The map showed the wolves heading deep into the southern forest. The lead black wolf showed no sign of slowing. Then Tia yelled to hold tight and leaped lightly. His body floated up like on a roller coaster.
Suddenly, the forest opened into a vast plain. The woods before had been too dense for the moonlight to penetrate properly, but here it shone brilliantly.
"!"
He couldn't help but gasp. It was a plain so wide it seemed unbelievable such a place existed nearby. Rocky hills dotted the center, with a narrow river snaking between them.
Most astonishing was the sheer number of wolves filling the plain—hundreds, by rough count, milling about or lying on their bellies. The trailing wolves slowed and stopped following.
As they moved toward the center, a scarred wolf lay proudly on the tallest rock cliff, bathed in moonlight.
'Requiem!'
Judah recognized it instantly as the Black Wolf Leader he'd designed.
Requiem was one of two bosses in the southern forest of Serenia Castle. True to its boss status, he'd made it intimidating: over two meters tall, scarred around the eyes, and so on. As the first boss, he'd put extra effort into it, giving it quite a few patterns for an early-game foe. The problem was...
'This isn't a game.'
The odds of it following the designed patterns were low. He'd had the guts to follow this far, but he had no desire to test if the patterns worked by fighting Requiem directly. Respawning was fine, but reliving the past few days wasn't.
First things first: the duel with Korrkan, not Requiem. The wolves had already cleared a wide space below the central rock where Requiem perched.
The black wolves sat encircling the edges like spectators at an arena, leaving the center empty. Moments later, one wolf emerged from their midst, growling with bared teeth from the start.
-It says get lost. Want me to duel in your place?
"No, I'll do it."
-Are you sure?
Judah dismounted and stroked Tia's back.
"I'm good."
Using not just Shadow Sword Arts but Heresy Arts too would give him a shot at winning. Tia eyed him discontentedly. He tried to meet her gaze and smile, but the tiger's flashing eyes brought subtle pressure, so he looked away.
Amused, Tia let out a rumbling chuckle like "krung" and sauntered back. Whether because tigers outranked wolves as apex predators or to avoid needless conflict, the wolves vacated space for her. Judah faced Korrkan and roused his battle spirit.
Kya-hya-kya-kya!
As their eyes locked, Korrkan suddenly let out a eerie cackle. It felt like it was yelling, "Draw your weapon already!"
"Huu..."
Judah exhaled deeply and slowly drew his sword. The blade, soaked in much blood, gleamed in the moonlight. Smelling it, Korrkan sniffed, then shot a displeased glare.
Compared to regular black wolves, its 1.5 times larger build and aura were intensely threatening. That glare alone could terrify most people. Seeing Judah unfazed, Korrkan made an impressed "kyak" sound.
It began circling Judah slowly. The crunching footsteps seemed deliberate. Watching it, Judah completed his Shadow Heresy Arts deployment. The area darkened with shadows, and he locked onto it with his Demon Eye.
Testing the waters, it bared its teeth, saliva dripping from its fangs.
"......"
In their staring standoff, Judah struck first. His left hand darted to his belt, drawing a honed dagger and hurling it swiftly at the gap between its neck and torso—a straight, honest path.
Thrown to gauge its reaction. With only three daggers, predicting and aiming precisely wasn't feasible.
Kyeng!
Korrkan scoffed-like bark and leaped upward lightly. The dagger embedded diagonally at its feet, and before it landed, Judah lunged.
Thrusting forward, he slashed with his longsword. Korrkan, now grounded, crouched its four legs and dodged the horizontal blade with surprising agility for its bulk. A few strands of fur—that was the result of the dagger toss and swift longsword swing.
As Judah gritted his teeth to retreat, Korrkan sprang up. The Demon Eye warned of its attack. Judah pulled back his swung sword and readied a step backward. Korrkan propped itself on hind legs and tail, flailing its forepaws wildly. Timing his retreat two steps, Judah watched the sharp claws slice the air repeatedly. So close, the wind-cutting sight sent chills down his spine.
After several swipes, Korrkan kicked off with hind legs, head lowered to charge. Judah braced his longsword's flat with his hand, blocking the rush. Korrkan's head hit the blade and bounced back; Judah steadied his stance.
Lucky it was a short-range charge, not a running start—no real damage. Bounced about three steps back, Korrkan closed in again to attack.
Shick, shick—
The claws cutting air were fierce, but Shadow Deployment and Demon Eye let him dodge most. Unavoidables, he parried with his sword. Fighting it, Judah admired Korrkan's battle sense—it was exceptional. It used hind legs and tail without hesitation. Caught off-guard by the tail once, he took a slap to the cheek. Judah grimaced distastefully; Korrkan cackled "ki-kyak."
Its patterns differed from regular black wolves.
With seasoned combat experience, it launched unpredictable strikes.
"Huu—, huu!"
Breathing roughly, Judah glared at it. Adrenaline surged from the close-quarters skirmish, heat rising. His pounding heart echoed in his head. Yet his mind stayed calm amid the frenzy. Maintaining composure, he never took his eyes off Korrkan.
========== Author's Note ==========
Ughhh...
Why? Why am I so unmotivated?
What's the problem? Ah, this damn heat. Winter, come soon, please...
Thanks to everyone who sent coupons __
Thanks for the comments, recommendations, and favorites too.
Every single reaction means the world. Haha...
Except this godforsaken weather.