Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Chapter 2-1. Calypso's Nightmare
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In an instant, a long message popped up before my eyes, making my body flinch instinctively. But I quickly grasped the situation and dismissed the messages one by one. The earlier ones weren't particularly important—just the repetitive notifications that appeared every time I acquired a fragment.
Still, seeing nearly all my stats—strength, stamina, agility, mana, and magic resistance—increase by 1 each felt incredibly satisfying. Even skimming Artemisia's options, it exceeded my expectations. No way could I get a weapon like this for just 15 gold coins.
'That's two now, huh?'
Remembering I needed to collect twenty-four, this was still just the first step. But it was smooth sailing so far. Like Russia's traditional matryoshka doll, I confirmed a new dagger form inside the dagger. A shard of the broken glass blade was caught inside, but a light tap with my finger sent it falling to the floor. Flipping the dagger over, a slightly smaller one slid out. Its blade gleamed blood-red and stretched straight as an arrow, looking utterly righteous.
The fragment on the ground, battered by the rain, hummed softly as if tempting me, its body quivering faintly.
"Ha."
Seeing how it affected Karp Diem too, it seemed each fragment had some strange power to stir the heart. I tossed aside the now-useless empty hilt of the glass dagger and picked up [Tenth Fragment - Artemisia]. The moment its smooth, enveloping texture settled in my hand, its usage imprinted itself in my mind like muscle memory. There was a throbbing pain, but rather than that, a bizarre thrill made me grin.
"Yuda, are you alright?"
Jeanne, startled by the shockwave from the shattering glass dagger, asked me in a fluster.
"Yeah. Actually, I feel great. Why? Do I look weird?"
"It's nothing, but... you suddenly seem brimming with confidence."
She was sharp. The instant I gained the fragment and saw the message about the current moment being saved, the anxiety in my heart—that dying might send me back to taking Ea's attack—vanished like mist. The thought that death would just return me to this safe point fueled my confidence, seeping into my actions. I just gave her a small smile.
"Now I have a weapon to take down the wraiths. Shall we go?"
"...Yes."
"Oh, no need for full armor. Just in case, summon your shield and protect me. If a wraith gets close, wrap it in mana and swing."
"Got it."
Jeanne nodded and, as she replied, silver particles gathered on her left hand, forming a rectangular shield. I switched the dagger from my right hand to my left. I could hit targets throwing with my right, but it felt awkward compared to my left, and I needed the skill bonus anyway.
Standing before the dilapidated house, gripping the doorknob sent a chill creeping up my fingers. My whole body bristled—quuuiver. A hollow laugh escaped me. It felt like the moment I first hunted the black wolf. Ha. In games or novels, they face new monsters or enemies without a hint of tension, fighting like pros. What is this?
I steadied my breath, watching raindrops slide down my robe from above. Then, with bold resolve, I flung the door open.
The first things that caught my eye were corpses dangling in the air, with black silhouettes laughing beside them. As if welcoming us, the wraiths manipulated physical force to work the corpses' mouths.
The rotting corpses' teeth clacked together. One couldn't hold its weight and dropped from the neck with a thud.
Something from inside its body rolled out across the floor. Whether coincidence or wraith meddling, it came right to my feet—an adventurer's guild plate.
The guild guide's words flashed back: Adventurers sent to find Edrun had gone silent. These must be them. I bent down and picked up the plate.
The wraiths hovered near the fallen torso, laughing and chattering gleefully. Narrowing my eyes, I stored the plate in my <Bag> and threw back my hood.
"Noisy bastards, for dead men."
I flicked Artemisia from my hand. No need to infuse mana—the fragment itself could damage spiritual beings. It sliced through the air like a bullet, striking a wraith. The black silhouette flew like it was hit by a shell, slamming into the wall, then screamed as it got sucked into the dagger.
───!
The shriek grated on my ears. The moment they registered the attack, the other wraiths charged fearlessly. I activated Shadow Heresy 2nd Form - Demon Eye Open/Seal, quickly gauging their positions and numbers.
"Block the front, Jeanne."
"Yes!"
She darted forward, shield of mana-infused white light at the ready. Meanwhile, I opened my palm. Red energy gathered, forming an identical Artemisia—same weight, feel, sharpness. With a wrist snap, I hurled it, piercing the forehead of a wraith charging from the corner.
No need to draw from my waist meant minimal motion for rapid throws. Before they closed in, I tossed two more daggers. Dead accurate. None missed.
Shwaaaaa!
Kiyaaaaa!
Cool rain poured outside like it would wash the world away, while horrific screams that could shake it echoed inside. But these death-experienced things pressed on undeterred, even after seeing their kin vanish.
Jeanne's mana-charged shield collided with the charging wraiths, batting them away.
"?
The recoil was so light it surprised her—she'd braced for impact. No sound on contact, but the sensation was definite. Seeing the wraiths roll and rise, she spotted one gaping wide and lunging a grotesque hand from the side. As she turned her shield, red light slashed the air, plunging into its mouth. It flew back at matching speed, embedding in the wall.
"Jeanne, right side!"
She whipped her eyes right at my call. The risen wraiths advanced again.
"Confirmed!"
She swung her shield, smacking them like balls. One got hit too hard and passed through the wall outside.
'Four down. Seven hiding. With the visible ones... twelve left?'
I glanced down. In the darkness, my red-glowing eyes left hazy afterimages. With wraith-like menace, I conjured a new Artemisia in my right hand and slammed it down. A wraith about to emerge shredded with a scream.
The feel of slashing or stabbing them was uncanny. Like cutting wet tissue paper? Intangible yet transmitting through my fingertips—indescribable. A cold sensation at my back; I yanked the embedded dagger and swung behind me. My senses were spot-on—the wraith emerging from the wall met the same fate as the floor one, sucked into Artemisia.
Their very existence seemed like life force; even grazing the red blade nearly erased them.
'Five, six now?'
No sooner thought than I hurled both daggers. The right one missed, but it grazed, disorienting a flying wraith into a stagger.
'Seven. Eight!'
Conjuring and throwing another, I felt slight fatigue. Recalling the skill [One yet Ten Artemisia] consumed 1% stamina per activation explained it—each summon tired me despite no hits. But recovery seemed quick too.
'These guys have no fear.'
They laughed and chatted like they had intelligence, yet no retreat. Two left—they'd been smashed by Jeanne's shield into rags or oblivion. The screams inside fell silent like a lie. Artemisia embedded in walls, ceiling, floor dissolved into the air like mist, leaving only the one in my hand, which vanished into my palm.
'Convenient.'
Perfectly concealable, summonable anytime in a pinch—a great perk.
"Good work, Jeanne. Thanks to you, it was easy."
Her shieldwork was top-notch. She blocked most approaches, letting me hunt effortlessly. Just spot and handle ambushers from walls, floors, ceilings. Choosing her as a companion was spot-on. Confirming no wraiths left, she lowered her shield with a smile.
"You too, Yuda. That dagger's really effective. Could pass for a fragment. Right now, anyway."
She didn't buy it as a real fragment.
'Even I'd doubt if someone said, "This is totally a fragment!"'
Unable to check item names or stats like me, dismissing it as a lie made sense. With house wraiths cleared, only the dangling corpses remained.
"What do you think about leaving them like that?"
I'd gutted countless black wolves, so corpses didn't faze me visually, but touching them triggered instinctual revulsion. Especially rotting ones that might crumble. Jeanne shook her head firmly at my words—no need to think.
"If it were urgent, maybe, but we're out of the rain with time. We should let them rest. Burying's tough in this weather—pile them in a corner?"
"...Ugh. Fine."
Sighing, I grimaced and approached a noosed corpse. The nightmare sight and stench made me hesitate. Jeanne realized her slip—Yuda seemed mature beyond years, but this could still unsettle him. She grabbed my hand as I reached out.
"I'll do it, Yuda. I'll lay them down; you just check for adventurer plates."
She cut the ceiling ropes, caught the bodies deftly, and laid them neatly in a corner. All I did was rummage pockets for plates. It felt off leaving them exposed, so I pulled cloth from my <Bag> to cover them. Then Jeanne pried planks from the collapsed wall to screen the bodies.
"By the way, Yuda."
"Yeah?"
"Haven't eaten since leaving the castle. I'm hungry. Any... food?"
At her request, I chuckled softly and nodded.
Right—rain till dungeon clear. Best eat hearty here with shelter and time. I opened my <Bag> and pulled food Tia packed when leaving Serenia Castle.
'Said for me alone, but sorry, Tia. Just sharing with Jeanne.'
Apologizing inwardly, I portioned into an empty dish. Eating warm food in a corpse-cornered house once wraith-infested... yeah.
========== Author's Note ==========
(Scratch scratch)
Took a bit longer preparing the next part.
Anyway, time to release the hostage!
What? More demands? Three in a row...
Can't be helped. Sadly, abandon the hostage.
Withdraw!
Sleep well, everyone!