Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Calypso's Nightmare
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"Consider that a job well done?"
The wraiths buzzed around Count Jinmu with voices full of incredulity. Rage laced their tones. One of them thrust its head right up to the count's face.
"It's the bastard who ruined the long plan we've been preparing!"
"Not us. You lot did that."
"It wasn't all for reviving your wife and son?"
"I was the fool who fell for the temptation. If I'd thought rationally even a little, I'd have known it was impossible."
"So? After coming this far, you're just going to back out?"
Count Jinmu curled his lips at the wraiths' words.
"Of course, I've wanted to bail for a long time. But wasn't it you who possessed my body and acted on your own?"
"That doesn't erase your sins. You planning to atone?"
"Atonement? Hardly. I'm just regretting letting myself get played by wraiths as a necromancer."
Words weren't getting through. The wraiths tried shoving their formless souls back into Jinmu's body, but they bounced right off. They hovered in confusion, spewing curses and maledictions.
The magic circle had been steadily draining Jinmu's mana. Then Yuda had forcibly destroyed the crucial core, causing the ritual to fail and unleashing a backlash shock. The displaced mana lost direction and ravaged his body. That had expelled the wraiths and let Jinmu reclaim his flesh, but his condition was now too wrecked for even simple possession. With mana still churning through him, it was no wonder they kept getting repelled no matter how hard they tried.
Jinmu burst into laughter at the wraiths' panic.
"Kukuku. Try all you want. You won't enter this body again until the moment I die... How amusing. It's been ages since I've seen you this furious."
Mid-sentence, he suddenly hacked and spat up a glob of blood. Dark red blood soaked his clothes stickily. It trickled down his bushy beard. He looked utterly exhausted and in pain, yet his eyes held a profound peace.
"Come on, kid. This is your chance. Kill me."
Yuda approached him, letting his bastard sword hang low. The wraiths menaced as if to keep him away, but they didn't dare get close. They even flinched at the slightest twitch of his left hand gripping the dagger.
"......"
"No regrets?"
Yuda spoke to the man, who had closed his eyes in serene acceptance, exposing himself defenselessly. It might seem like pointless pity, but he was curious. Was he unafraid of death? No lingering attachments to this life? Jinmu opened his eyes and met Yuda's gaze.
"Curious about that? Regrets... yeah, I have them. Plenty. But bigger than the regrets are the things I'd do over. I'd go back and change what I did. But I've come too far for that now."
He let out a wry chuckle.
"That's why I don't want to live. Death is all that's left for me. My fate ends here."
His eyes urged: Enough chit-chat. Just kill me already. Yuda wanted to ask more, but instead stepped forward, raised his sword, and brought it down. The blade whistled through the air, severing the man's neck in one stroke. The head rolled across the floor, face serene. Yuda stepped back to avoid the gushing blood, frowning as he glanced at his hands. Severing a person's neck didn't feel good.
With his death, the wraiths bound to his soul shrieked in unison and began to manifest.
"Aaah! Damn you, Jinmu! I'd chew you up and it still wouldn't be enough! If you were going to die so pathetically, you should've handed over the body sooner! So infuriating! We were so close!"
"That lord, that lord could have come to this land! If Bel-Terza had arrived here!"
The wraiths Yuda and Jeanne had culled numbered nearly a few hundred, but even more appeared now. Each spat its piece, turning the cavern into a noisy marketplace in seconds. The din was ear-splitting. Then Yuda spotted one wraith devouring another in the back.
"We can't end like this. I'll eat you all and sacrifice myself to pray to that lord."
What did they hope to pray for by summoning Bel-Terza to this land? Pointless anyway. Lords were beings that might not even manifest with hundreds of thousands of lives and souls offered. These few thousand souls here couldn't budge so much as his pinky.
Even in the game, Bel-Terza only appeared in the mid-to-late game. Lords' asses were notoriously heavy; sightings in the middle realm were rare. Yuda sneered pityingly and just watched.
Soon other wraiths started devouring neighbors, and their numbers plummeted despite filling the cavern moments ago. Only the swollen giants remained.
"This will be a noble sacrifice. To bring that lord here!"
A few survivors hurled themselves into the magic circle. Yuda couldn't fathom what they hoped to achieve summoning Bel-Terza. Resurrection? Better to possess a healthy human and live. Curious about their motives for sacrificing even their souls, Yuda grabbed Jeanne from atop the circle—just in case—and pulled her out. Thousands devoured each other and offered themselves, but predictably, nothing happened. The circle absorbed their souls and flickered briefly. That was it.
"...Is it over?"
"Seems like it."
Count Jinmu was dead, and no wraiths remained. In a game, there'd be a flash and loot popping out to confirm it, but here—no drops outside code—so yeah, done.
「Calypso's Nightmare」
[You have defeated Count Jinmu.]
[The necromancer lost control of his body to the wraiths and committed unspeakable acts.]
[Numerous villages became ruins under uncontrolled wraiths, their inhabitants sacrificed for the ritual to summon Bel-Terza.]
[Had you arrived later or failed to defeat Count Jinmu, the summoning ritual would have completed.]
[The ritual was doomed to fail, but it might have opened a passage to the demon realm.]
[In that case, it wouldn't have stopped at nearby villages—part of Calypso's lands would have become a deathscape overrun by wraiths and fiends.]
[What you and your companion accomplished is undoubtedly a great feat, but with no witnesses, no one will acknowledge it.]
[Don't worry, though. Report it to the Adventurer's Guild, and Calypso's mages will investigate and give due credit.]
[Your level and your companion's level rise by 5.]
[The lowest among Strength, Vitality, Agility, Mana, Magic Resistance increases by 3; the highest by 2.]
[Shadow Heresy Arts/Sword Arts proficiency rises by 2.]
Right on cue, the rewards rolled in.
Not material, but far more satisfying.
Level +5, stats +5 total, plus Heresy Arts/Sword Arts +2 proficiency—plenty. And this was for both him and Jeanne. Yuda glanced around. Time to exit the dungeon. He'd loot anything worthwhile before leaving. That's when he spotted something gleaming atop the altar in the magic circle's center.
"Yuda? Where are you going?"
"Hang on. Something on the altar. I'll check it out. Rest up."
Jeanne nodded and unstrapped her gear. The count's head rolling nearby was unsettling, but fatigue won out. She'd never imagined fighting a senior Blue Lance Knight here. She shuffled to the stairs, plopped down, propped her chin, and watched Yuda climb to the altar.
Scattered atop the flat altar were shards like broken orbs, glowing red—the same kind Yuda had absorbed into Altemia before.
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[Name: Fragment of the Mana Core Possessing Numerous Sacrifices]
[Grade: Rare]
[Effect]
Consuming restores Vitality, Mana, diseases, and status ailments.
[Description]
The core of vile black magic. Formed only from blood and souls as offerings, it's exceedingly rare. A complete one is priceless. But this mere fragment is too small for spellcasting. Still, made from life force, it outperforms most potions—practically a panacea. Before using it, remember: If someone learns of this fragment, they'll report you. Suspicion of countless blood and souls sacrificed for it.
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'Quest reward too?'
After skimming the description, Yuda thought of Edsen's daughter. Just head back to the capital Aslan now. Quest neatly done. Smooth sailing. All that remained was sorting valuables from the mansion and returning to Cheriu Village. He pocketed the fragment in <Bag> and turned to descend—when the magic circle lit up and activated.
"!?"
What the—?
It had definitely failed. No time to rush down. A massive presence erupted from the circle amid dark light. Yuda's mind blanked. He couldn't move.
Kukukukung—!
The unknown pressure crushed him. Something tugged at his feet like it was dragging him down. Reflexively, he looked to Jeanne. She sat on the stairs, trembling from the presence too. She forced herself up and staggered toward him, legs shaking like aspen leaves—an unfamiliar sight.
"Yuda, get over here quick!"
Her quavering voice somehow stayed steady. But then mana exploded from the circle in a shockwave. It hurled her back against the wall as if mocking her effort, and she slumped unconscious. It happened too fast for words. Yuda strained to move his rooted feet toward her.
『Where do you think you're going?』
A resonant voice boomed from behind. Simple words, yet laced with primal terror. Hearing it made his hackles rise, cold sweat pouring like rain.
But that paled against the heart-pounding dread.
Without <Player>, he might've lost his mind. He knew not to look, yet his body turned against his will. And Yuda beheld a colossal skull shrouded in black cloth.
A translucent phantasm, but it matched one illustration etched in his memory perfectly.
It was the [Sixth Lord, Bel-Terza].
* * *
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「Status Window」
[Name: Yuda Arsher]
[Title: Little Hero of Selenia Castle (2)]
[Level: 30]
[Job: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden A)]
[Revives Remaining: 2]
[Strength: 42 (C) / Potential A]
[Vitality: 45 (C) / Potential S]
[Agility: 46 (C) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 44 (C) / Potential B]
[Magic Resistance: 54 (C) / Potential S]
[Charisma: 5 (F) / Potential A]
[Knowledge: 17 (F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 84 (A) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 15]
「Traits 4/10」
[Player] - Rank: S
[War God] - Rank: S
[First Lord's Blessing] - Rank: C
[Chosen One] - Rank: A
「Skills 3/10」
[Shadow Heresy Arts/Sword Arts] - Rank: A
[Mercenary Left-Hand Dagger Arts] - Rank: C
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「Status Window」
[Name: Jeanne Artroar]
[Title: None]
[True Name: Wolf of the Blue Moon]
[Level: 26]
[Job: Blue Lance Knight (B)]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: 34 (D) / Potential A]
[Vitality: 38 (D) / Potential S]
[Agility: 30 (D) / Potential B]
[Mana: 37 (D) / Potential B]
[Magic Resistance: 55 (C) / Potential S]
[Charisma: 8 (F) / Potential A]
[Knowledge: 18 (F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 56 (C) / Potential C] ◀ Special
[Affection: 35 (Interested)]
[Trust: 70 (Trusts)]
「Traits 3/5」
[Blue Moon] - Rank: A
[Wolf's Blessing] - Rank: A
[Apprentice Blue Lance Knight] - Rank: D
「Skills 4/5」
[National Spirit] - 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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========== Afterword ==========
1) Aaaah, I don't wanna go to school!!!
Tomorrow's school? Me, school? Nooooo!
2)
Q. Does collecting fragments raise innate talent limits too?
A. Innate talent doesn't rise. But even if your talent is low, you can exceed it. Say talent caps at A (89). With stat points or item effects, you can hit 99 (S). But beyond 99 requires special feats—unless you have fragments, which let you go further.
Q. Holding your chicken coupon hostage—double post within 24 hours or else.
A. Posted yesterday at 2016.08.30 01:37. Current time 2016.08.30 01:19. Not 24 hours yet, so this counts as double post!?