Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Calypso's Nightmare
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After purchasing a map from the guild, Judah and Jeanne headed straight for the village two days' journey away.
They wondered if the gates were closed and they couldn't leave, but when they called over a soldier and spoke to him, he opened the gate for them.
The soldiers' stares, as if they were looking at madmen as they passed through, were unforgettable.
In this kind of weather, traveling on foot instead of taking a carriage wasn't exactly sane.
The people of Calypso respected others' autonomy like mages did, so after one warning, they said nothing more.
Sure enough, walking along a rain-soaked road justified their stares.
But waiting for the rain to stop would be ridiculous.
With rain falling nonstop for ten days, it could be the dungeon's influence.
Judah lifted the edge of his dripping robe and looked up at the sky.
If the dark clouds drifting on the wind would pour rain elsewhere too, that would be nice—but these clouds hung stubbornly overhead, dumping rain steadily without budging.
"I really hate rainy days."
Jeanne, following behind, spoke in a tone laced with irritation.
"Me too."
Judah sighed in agreement.
Walking through the sticky mud turned into sludge was exhausting.
Splash!
At first, they avoided puddles, but now they didn't even bother.
Mud and unknown grass clung to their shoe soles.
Thanks to his code's effect, Judah periodically shed foreign matter, smells, and moisture—but Jeanne couldn't.
At least he'd given her an umbrella, so her head stayed dry.
"How much longer until we arrive?"
"Who knows. Getting there isn't the issue—sleeping will be.
We could pitch a tent in this weather, but it'd only keep out the rain, nothing more."
"Ugh…!"
Lying down in pouring rain on wet ground was as bad as it got, but not impossible.
His <Bag> held plenty of waterproof items.
They could even light a fire in the rain, so it wasn't as dreadful as it seemed.
But Jeanne frowned, clearly thinking otherwise.
"I hope we find somewhere to shelter on the way, even if it's a rundown shack."
That would be nice.
And as if by magic, a dilapidated house appeared in the distance.
Its shape was unmistakable amid the pouring rain.
Did things really go this smoothly?
Or was it a mirage, like spotting an oasis in the desert only to find it a hallucination?
Judah turned to check with Jeanne.
"Jeanne, can you see that house over there?"
"No, I see it too."
Her voice brightened a little, but soon turned puzzled.
"But a house out here? Isn't that strange?"
"Well, not really. Like how we set up a base in the eastern forest, it could be for villagers resting while traveling to and from the castle."
But staring at that house sent chills down his neck.
Not just from the rain cooling the air—it was that eerie feeling from ghost stories with friends.
'Oh, right. The monsters from the dungeon and ruined village were specters, weren't they?'
That explained the chill.
His senses, sharpened since coming to this world, had never been wrong.
That house definitely had specters.
'Figures.'
Skipping it was tempting for a comfortable sleep, but too alluring.
They'd have to fight specters ahead anyway, so this was good practice.
He resumed walking toward the house.
As they drew near, Judah's heart suddenly pounded wildly.
'Whoa, shit.'
Shapes wriggled on the roof, grinning down at them.
Not one—several.
He tensed like when he first faced the Black Wolf.
Seeing ghosts straight out of movies and comics with his own eyes was shocking.
But his heartbeat soon steadied.
Never had his <Player> and [Martial God] traits felt so grateful.
The specters that met his gaze giggled, writhing before slipping into the building.
Judah stopped.
"What's wrong?"
"Jeanne."
"Yes, Judah."
"Have you ever seen a ghost?"
"No."
Jeanne shook her head.
Her expression under the umbrella asked why he was asking out of nowhere.
"Not scared?"
"No, I'm not. But why ask?"
Good—no fear in her eyes.
Judah pointed at the house.
"Look at the roof. See the shapes between the raindrops?"
A few had gone inside, but some remained on the roof.
Her eyes narrowed as she spotted them.
"Yes, I see them. They're smiling. In a really creepy way."
"Specters. Ones harboring grudges against the living. What do we do? Actually, the answer's obvious."
"Of course. Sleeping outside in this weather is insane. Walking here was insane too, but I want to sleep comfortably out of the rain."
Judah nodded in satisfaction at her response.
Right—even if they were crazy, no one slept on wet ground.
"But I heard specters have no form. How do you plan to deal with them?"
"A priest would be ideal, but we don't need one. Infuse mana into a weapon, and you can beat them down fine."
Plus, both he and Jeanne had anti-magic resistances far higher than others at their level.
No need to worry much about specter attacks.
This reckless confidence could backfire sometimes, but Judah had insurance: if he died, he returned to the past.
'Oh yeah, need to acquire that fragment too.'
His current save point was mid-fight with Savage Ea.
Reviving there meant death loops.
Facing someone he thought gone forever was horrific, but breaking the dagger from Aslan yielded the tenth fragment—no big worry.
He'd held off on fragments around Jeanne, but with half a year until she returned to the Byron Empire, he planned two more.
Hiding them from her would be tough.
He glanced at her info window.
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「Status Window」
[Name: Jeanne Artroar]
[Title: None]
[True Name: Wolf of the Blue Moon]
[Level: 20]
[Job: Blue Lance Knight (B)]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: 30 (D) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 37 (D) / Potential S]
[Agility: 27 (D) / Potential B]
[Mana: 37 (D) / Potential B]
[Magic Resistance: 52 (C) / Potential S]
[Charisma: 8 (F) / Potential A]
[Knowledge: 18 (F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 56 (C) / Potential C] ◀ Special
[Affection: 33 (Interested)]
[Trust: 62 (Friend)]
「Traits 3/5」
[Blue Moon] - Rank: A
[Wolf's Blessing] - Rank: A
[Apprentice Blue Lance Knight] - Rank: D
「Skills 4/5」
[Guardian Spirits of the Country] - Rank: A
[Knightly Code] - Rank: B
[Imperial Shield Arts - Blue Lance Knight] - Rank: B
[Imperial Spear Arts - Blue Lance Knight] - Rank: B
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'Trust is higher than expected.'
But with Jeanne, trust wasn't a concern.
The steadfast Jeanne Artroar never betrayed Cain despite fragment opportunities in the game.
Since settings carried over, telling her about fragments should be fine.
Walking toward the house, he slowed to match her pace.
"Something to say?"
"Jeanne, remember this?"
He pulled the dagger from his <Bag> and showed her.
She nodded reluctantly.
It looked sharp and ornate, but seemed more decorative than practical.
"I still don't get it, Judah. Was that worth the price?"
"You'll see its value now."
"...Sorry to be negative, but is it a fragment or something? Effective against specters?"
Judah feigned surprise playfully.
"How'd you know?"
"Pardon?"
Her confused look, as if she'd misheard, made him chuckle softly.
"Right on both counts. It's a fragment and threatens specters. A graze would kill them."
"You're joking."
"No joke."
He glanced at her baffled expression, then used [Shadow Heresy 4th Form - Lesser Black Artifact Creation] on his left hand, crafting a hefty dagger—or rather, a blunt club unworthy of the name.
"Wait, what are you doing, Judah?!"
He paused mid-swing.
"As you see—breaking the dagger."
"Suddenly why…? Are you possessed by a specter?"
Judah burst out laughing.
No way.
With <Player>, he was immune to mental attacks.
But unaware, she had reason to suspect possession—especially in pouring rain stirring primal fear.
"Don't worry. No specters nearby yet."
Jeanne stepped back warily.
Shocking, sure—but smashing a 15-gold item without using it properly?
Anyone would question sanity.
Judah raised the club overhead and smashed down hard.
Crack!
One blow shattered the blade like glass—or glass coated meticulously to look metallic.
As the dagger fragmented, unlike with <Carpediem>, an eerie mana wave emanated.
[Acquired Tenth Fragment - Altemia.]
[Save point set to current location and time upon revival.]
[Consumed save point restored.]
[Gathered two fragments. The world doesn't know you have them yet, but fragment bearers may sense you instinctively. Strength, Stamina, Agility, Mana, Magic Resistance each +1.]
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[Name: Tenth Fragment - Altemia]
[Grade: Legendary _ Magic Sword]
[Equip: Dagger]
[Attack Power: 125]
[Effects]
Strength +2, Agility +3, Charisma +2
Stamina Recovery +300%
[Description]
The tenth piece of Perlnen's Heart Fragment.
A sharp dagger with a red blade.
Unable to beastify among the seven lords, he endured illnesses due to his frail body and crafted this dagger recalling those memories.
It absorbs others' life force for immunity to disease and immortality—but achieved about 70% success.
With Third Lord Even Haiyan's aid, it gained "Division" power, later basing Twenty-Second Fragment "Red Petal."
Sixth Lord coveted it for life force theft to restore his own.
Granted authority is "Blood," with a trace of "Division."
'Hm. I like this. Give it to me?'
'A dead guy using a life force absorber? No. Can't have it. Scram.'
'Harsh.' - Conversation between 4th and 6th Lords.
-Liberation (Active): Consume 5% Stamina to release blood from Altemia's blade. The spinning blood deals area damage, usable in various ways. High power.
-One yet Ten Altemias (Active): Consume 1% Stamina to summon identical daggers in hand. Same form, size, weight, attack. Using all ten vanishes fakes, summoning true Altemia.
-Dominion (Active): Exert control over unclaimed blood. Attack using blood from others' wounds.
-Immortality (Active): Not true revival. Monstrously boosts recovery. Scales with "Vault" stage.
-Life Force Absorption (Passive): Absorb life force from stabbed/slashed targets to restore Stamina or heal body.
└Bleeding (Passive): Riiiip! Reduces target's regeneration from wounds, increasing bleed volume.
-Dagger Proficiency Increase (Passive): Boosts dagger skills' throw accuracy, crit chance, damage.
└Dagger Attack Power Increase (Passive): Attack rises with Vault stage.
-Vault (Passive): Post-combat, Vault stage rises with absorbed blood quantity/quality.
-Disease & Infection Immunity (Passive): Absolute immunity to diseases/infections from absorption. Exception: Sixth Lord Bel-Teraza reduces it to 60%.
-Tenth of Perlnen's Twenty-Four Hearts (Passive): Tenth heart's power is "Blood."
-Inheritance (Passive): Collect all 24 heart-forged artifacts to inherit Demon King Perlnen's power.
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* * *
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「Status Window」
[Name: Judah Arsher]
[Title: Little Hero of Selenia Castle (2)]
[Level: 23]
[Job: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden A)]
[Revivals: 2]
[Strength: 42 (C) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 42 (C) / Potential S]
[Agility: 44 (C) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 44 (C) / Potential B]
[Magic Resistance: 53 (C) / Potential S]
[Charisma: 5 (F) / Potential A]
[Knowledge: 17 (F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 84 (A) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 8]
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========== Author's Note ==========
1) Holding coupons hostage? No way. Hah, unforgivable. Fine, I'll sacrifice myself to free them. Next chapter soon—I'll hurry and upload!
2)
Q. How old is Jeanne? Around 20?
A. Exactly 20.
Q. If you save right before an inescapable death loop? Endless revival torment?
A. Yep, but Xian would probably solve it somehow!?
3) To novelwanttoreadnim, [Lun]nim, exbladia-nim, neighborhooddog-nim, Wind~nim, Jiong-nim, TwilightCivilization-nim, Offro-nim, Endogeny-nim, aeeer-nim, Silo-nim, Nellon-nim, Nostar-nim, Cheersnim, ㅂㅈㄷㄱㅁㄴㅇㄹnim, fdsgsre-nim, argent924-nim, Luensiron-nim, Sadalmelik-nim, Devilruna-nim, supernoonting-nim, Blackshot-nim, BlackLightPerson-nim, Astra-nim, DestinyofFatenim, Ledios-nim, WaterLantern-nim, Perryrose-nim, sdsad-nim, Lushaberry-nim, gfdj1536-nim, Orangeb-nim, Shatus-nim, carzycross-nim, Ryubakryong-nim, Gudals-nim, sin2-nim, dok2-nim, Sotmiseon-nim, setsue-nim, Philajophy-nim, PleaseEnterAccount-nim, ImABearToo-nim, soso3-nim, GreenAid-nim!, CamelAppeared-nim, Pelang-nim, JCloudS-nim, Laragongjak-nim, EmperorTuna-nim, Nickname357-nim, AABDA-nim, BlackMoon(黑月)-nim, wjahyunw-nim, ThousandNightShadowless-nim, MuscleMacho-nim, Nidel-nim, Audreamakery-nim, SSaKiDa-nim, RollingVivaChe-nim, SkyWanderer-nim, fdsgsre-nim, Ronan-nim, T.L.O.R-nim, nosmirc-nim, draw-nim, MoonlightSculptorForever-nim, Ellyunes-nim.
Deep(ly suck)est thanks to all who gave manuscript fees, coupons, comments, and recommendations. __.