Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Instant Kill
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“ Ah… S-sorry… I… I, Lord Halibal…”
With those final words, Mine gave some basic instructions on how to use the potion and fled the scene like she was escaping.
I couldn’t even say thank you.
I’ll make sure to thank her properly if we meet again later.
But first things first—Black Cloud.
I wiped my tears with my sleeve and opened my Abyss Core.
Click.
╔═════════╗
◈Abyss Core - Rene◈
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▸ Equipped Shards: 16/16
□ □ □ ■
● ● ● ●
● ● ● ●
◆ ★ ★ ◎
╠═════════╣
□ = Red Shards 3
■ = Blue Shard 1
● = Yellow Shards 8
◎ = Green Shard 1
★ = Black Shards 2
◆ = [Black Cloud]
╠═════════╣
▸ Stat Bonuses
Attack Power 3
Physique 1
Defense 8
Critical Hit 1
Mobility 10
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Mobility 10. My chest swells just thinking about it.
As soon as I equipped Black Cloud, energy from the Abyss Core flowed through my body, permeating every inch.
My muscles tightened tautly, and my entire body felt like a coiled spring, brimming with elasticity.
‘So this is the effect of Mobility 10.’
I’m certain now. At this speed, I won’t lose the first move in most situations.
‘If I get lucky, I might even seize initiative against Adelin?’
Shukarit was an exception—an absurdly fast boss designed to screw players over. The bosses that come after aren’t nearly as quick.
I was reveling in the surging vitality when—
[Special Shard equipped. Unique ability unlocked.]
[Special Shard: Black Cloud]
[Special Ability: Instant Kill]
“……?”
A new message appeared above the Abyss Core.
A message I’d never seen before—which means it didn’t exist in [Doomsday Academy].
The shard system there didn’t unlock abilities just from equipping special shards.
So what the hell is this?
[Instant Kill - If the user’s combat power overwhelmingly surpasses the opponent, defeats the enemy instantly without entering combat.]
Reading the description, I got the gist.
“A mob skip feature?”
One reason turn-based games get flak these days is their sluggish pacing.
You encounter a monster, enter combat, wait for your turn, press attack, watch the enemy fall, see the results screen.
You repeat this entire sequence for every fight, against every foe—even trash mobs that would die to a basic attack in an action game.
No matter how well-crafted the combat sequence, it’s fresh and fun at first. But eventually, your stats outscale everything.
Then it hits: we’re both one-shotting each other anyway, so why bother with turns? That moment is inevitable.
Throw in random encounters, and you’ve got a recipe for turning off turn-based newbies.
Modern turn-based games have tried all sorts of ways to break this monotony.
The prime example? Mob skips.
‘Anyway, you’re a one-shot. Just die.’
Implemented with that mindset, mob skips appear in nearly every recent turn-based game under different names.
Combat recording, auto-battle, repeat battles, whatever.
Some purists gripe that it ruins the turn-based charm, but I welcomed it.
This one system alone could drastically improve the game’s tempo.
So this must be a new feature added now that my battles are turn-based.
‘Too good to be true?’
Truth is, it was always a pet peeve during my shard farming training sessions.
Even against spiders or wild dogs that were one-shots, I had to go through full turn-based combat every time.
“If this existed, you should’ve given it to me sooner.”
I have no idea why it appeared.
But better to have it than not.
‘Wonder if other special shards unlock different abilities?’
No clue.
Maybe, maybe not.
Only way to find out is to equip another special shard.
With that, I immediately started discharge procedures.
“Ooh! Lord Halibal, creator of the Halibal Style, in the flesh!”
“Halibal Breeeeak!!”
“Breeeeak!!”
Please, just shut up.
I can’t even count how many times I heard that while walking the infirmary halls.
Anyway, I headed straight for the Magic Beast Dungeon entrance.
I’d already cleared from the start to the midsection, so the path to the depths should be open now.
The vague condition for Instant Kill—“If the user’s combat power overwhelmingly surpasses the opponent”—made me want to test it on midsection beasts.
But when I arrived at the entrance, something unexpected happened.
“Sword of Mourning Halibal Belder!”
“Halibal Breeeeak!!”
Shit.
No way the salute changed to that, right?
It’s exactly the kind of thing Adelin would do, which sent chills down my spine for no reason.
“Apologies, Lord Halibal, but the dungeon is off-limits for now.”
“What’s going on?”
“Haha. Thanks to you, monster spawns at the entrance have stopped. So we’re building a base camp for the depths assault.”
In games, base camps pop up with a button press. But this is reality.
Of course it takes time. Paperwork, new troops, the works.
Must be a mountain of tasks.
“Sorry.”
“No need! We’re the ones who should apologize! We’d love to open the dungeon for you…”
“It’s fine. Disappointing, though.”
“Ah! The base camp should be done in about a month. Come back then!”
Yeah, sure.
Tch. I smacked my lips and turned away.
What now? Spider Dungeon’s left, but testing there feels too boring.
Instant Kill would trigger anyway, and what matters is the activation condition, not whether it triggers.
Plus, no shards drop there.
‘Guess I’ll just do training today.’
trudging back to the barracks like that—
“Um… You’re Knight Halibal, right…?”
I turned to see a woman in plain villager clothes, hood pulled low over a robe, approaching.
She dropped to her knees before me and pleaded through sobs.
“Please, help me…!”
“Tell me what’s wrong first. Stand up. I’m not the kind of person who deserves such formalities.”
Red hair spilled from under her hood as she rose.
‘…What, a klutz?’
In [Doomsday Academy], only two female characters have red hair.
And only one would show up in front of me like this.
Alicia Cyrus, princess of the Cyrus Empire.
One of the game’s heroines—and later, student council president when the player enrolls in the academy.
Third heroine. I half-expected this, but meeting Alicia here?
In the story, Alicia is the classic “shady mastermind” brainiac type.
Chapter 1 ends with a sudden cut to the palace, where her silhouette chuckles “Kuhehe” while monologuing grand plans tied to the academy.
Naturally, players assume she’s the villain. But reality is the opposite.
Her plans get leaked wholesale to Evil God cultists, her prized weapons explode in dungeons.
She comes off so incompetent that players turned her into a meme character.
Still, every appearance oozes “shady mastermind” vibes.
So much so that players joked: Alicia shows up, trouble follows.
“And I’m not a knight.”
“Oh, that… Everyone calls you that… I’m truly sorry if it bothered you…”
“It’s fine. What did you need from me?”
Of course, commoner Halibal wouldn’t know the princess by her hair color.
Plus, she came in hot with the dramatics, so I’ll play along.
“I-I…!! My friend went into the northeast dungeon and hasn’t come back…! Please, save her…!”
Northeast dungeon—Golem Dungeon?
Right, that’s the one.
Golem Dungeon’s difficulty sits between Spider and Magic Beast Dungeons.
Decent shard drops, perfect difficulty to test Instant Kill.
How’d I forget?
“Tell me the location.”
“Aah… Thank you! Truly, thank you!”
⁎⁎⁎
Right after Halibal entered the Golem Dungeon, a black-haired man stepped out from behind a tree.
“…So, what do you think?”
A woman looked up from the shadows of her leather robe, red hair cascading over her shoulders.
She was Alicia Cyrus, princess of the Cyrus Empire.
A few days ago, the Stormstrike Squad’s Sword of Mourning had conquered the Magic Beast Dungeon entrance, making waves nationwide.
She’d come here herself to see the man behind the rumors.
But approaching as princess? Pointless.
He was a commoner. Flaunting royal authority would only hide his true nature.
So Alicia made her choice.
Approach as a commoner and confirm if he matched the hype.
If the Sword of Mourning fell short of rumors, she’d leave.
But if the rumors were true…
“Kuhet. Just as the rumors say. Accepting a stranger’s plea so readily.”
“Foolish, in your view?”
“No.”
Alicia’s lips curled into a smirk.
“I find it amusing.”
Golem Dungeon wasn’t one of the Seven Greats, but it was infamous as a squad-killer.
Every golem was tough, especially tricky for swordsmen.
The boss was said to be over twice as strong as Magic Beast Dungeon elites.
Hali bal’s body and mind likely hadn’t fully recovered from his recent delve.
Yet he dove in without question at a stranger’s request.
“Reckless. But intriguing.”
Alicia traced patterns in the air with her finger, humming.
“So, I’ve decided. Halibal Belder. If he returns alive, he’s mine from that moment. I’ll raise him. I’ll wield him.”
Kuhet. Her signature laugh spread across her lips.
“Time to return to the palace, Princess.”
“I know.”
With that curt reply, the pair left the forest.
Results were all that mattered.
The moment she heard Halibal cleared the dungeon, Alicia would be ready to add him to her collection.
“But did the princess need to move personally?”
At her guard’s question, she gazed skyward and spun gracefully.
“Some things can’t be gained from a palace cage. The royals, nobles, academy—they’re mere decorations. What matters is who stands on stage.”
Her eyes gleamed coldly.
“Great actors are born from the lowly seats. The throne obscures what’s plain as day below.”
Alicia tucked her red hair into her robe, flashing a chilling smile.
‘One day, I’ll drop the mask and face you. I can’t wait to see your expression.’
Kuhehe.
Her low laughter rippled through the forest.
⁎⁎⁎
Golem Dungeon depths.
Groooaaar—!!
A deafening roar echoed as the massive golem’s body shattered into pieces.
I alternated glances between the scattered stone chunks on the floor and the sword in my hand.
“…This is unexpected.”
Instant Kill triggered against the boss.