Chapter 128
Rio, the captain of the 013 Station guard, shouted with the rest, but inside he only gave a bitter murmur.
They’re the real heroes. Beings unlike ordinary people like me....
Wizards, priests, and knights were commonly seen as the chosen ones.
All I can do is watch those heroes in action. I’ll probably go through my whole life without ever receiving one of those powers, or gifts from angels, or whatever they call them.
In truth, Rio had also been designated by Ho-yeong as a Pioneer of 013 Station and granted a skill, but he had no idea. It was only natural, since no separate status window or notification had appeared.
No, even being able to witness a historic scene with my own eyes is an honor.
And so Rio had just barely swallowed a small sigh into the roar around him when he was startled.
“Captain Rio. Step forward.”
“S-sorry, I didn’t catch that?”
“Holy knights, bring our hero over here.”
Not only had the Byeonbangbaek called his name, but the holy knights were actually coming to attention for him.
“Me? A hero? My men and I only held our ground under Your Lordship’s command....”
“I’ll keep this simple, since it overlaps with what Lord Demis said earlier. Rio, you seem to enjoy playing chess. You must be very good at it, aren’t you?”
“Chess... you say? I only play a little, really.”
Ho-yeong smiled at the status window, and the other soldiers chimed in.
“That’s right! Captain Rio here is the western highway’s chess champion.” “That man could fight us with his dragon taken away, and we still couldn’t beat him.”
Like Ho-yeong, who also enjoyed chess, he explained it in chess terms.
“What piece is strongest in attack?”
“The king... I suppose?”
“Then what piece is best at defense?”
After a moment’s thought, Rio finally caught Ho-yeong’s meaning and answered.
“The pawn.”
“Exactly. The king is the strongest, but if he’s captured the game is over, so he has to be handled carefully. The knight has good mobility, but it can’t stay in one place. Only the pawn can keep holding a single point, and several of them can even stack on the same square. A defensive line made with pawns placed well is the most troublesome thing there is for an attacker. Just by standing there stubbornly, the pawns create a powerful deterrent.”
If the station guard had not followed orders so well, things would have become dire when facing the trolls, especially mutant trolls like squat trolls.
“The station guard are also the kingdom’s heroes. Everyone, come forward! Rio, as their representative, you have every right to receive the angels’ gift.”
Bathed in Meyril’s radiance, every member of the 013 Station guard was moved to tears.
Of course, Ho-yeong had not called them over purely for the sake of a touching scene.
“Still no sense of it, is that it? Then let us test your strength!”
He drew a large circle on the ground, herded the soldiers inside it, and then summoned the minocentaurs.
“Minoho? (My lord, can we be heroes too?)”
“I’m afraid not for now. Go on and have lots of children, nice and steadily. Then you’ll be able to receive skills too.”
“Minoooom.... (Sulk...)”
There were still only two minocentaurs, so they could not yet appoint a Pioneer.
“Minho, Eollugi. Push those soldiers out of the circle within ten seconds! The side that pushes out more of them will be appointed a Pioneer in the future!”
“Minooom! (Understood!)”
The minocentaurs, who had been downcast just moments before, burned with enthusiasm.
“Trying to hold back minocentaurs pushing in at full force... is that really possible?”
By contrast, Rio raised his shield with a doubtful look. The soldiers standing behind him were just as uneasy.
“It’s more than possible. Rio, imagine those minocentaurs are Ringring and the cult leader, and the soldiers are your family. Then dig in with everything you’ve got. Feel as though you’re wrapping your whole body’s aura around your shield!”
“Understood!”
Rio’s ability was the C+ passive skill Hold Buffer.
Hero Skill Guide: Hold Buffer
- Activation Condition: When you possess a strong will to defend a specific location, the following effects activate automatically.
- Effect 1: You can absorb or repel the impact you receive. This consumes Rio’s health and aura.
Effect 1 is a little narrow, since its range is limited to the front.
After reading the tooltip, Ho-yeong felt a flicker of concern and told the minocentaurs to take it easy, but it was needless worry.
“Minoho?! (Eh?!)”
Rio held firm even as Minho shoved with all his strength.
“Uaaagh!”
“Minohoong?”
In fact, he even bounced Minho back.
“Minooom! (I’ll try! )”
“Ughh....”
But by then Rio’s stamina had already been drained quite a bit, so against Eollugi, who was stronger than Minho, he looked a little overwhelmed.
Hmm... so this is what C+ grade amounts to? It’s not bad, but...
Ho-yeong was privately disappointed, but then...
“What are you lot doing, just leaning on the captain while he’s straining himself? Push together!”
Positive event triggered. Because of Rio’s struggle, the additional effect of Hold Buffer has been unlocked.
Rio achieved results not through luck, but through will.
- Effect 2: Grants a buff to nearby allies, giving them the firm will to defend that location.
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers who had been bracing themselves against Rio’s back turned around and began pushing him forward with all their strength. The aura produced by their unwavering resolve surged into Rio’s shield.
“Minooom?! ”
Eollugi, who had been on the verge of pushing the soldiers out of the circle, was sent flying even farther back than Minho had been.
“Ohoho...! Incredible. I only used the chess metaphor as a figure of speech a moment ago, and yet you actually banded together and formed an iron wall.”
Ho-yeong, who had stirred them with his speech yet secretly expected very little, felt himself reflect on his own assumptions.
“Wow! We held back the minocentaurs!”
“Mino-mino. Minooom! (You didn’t hold them back, you pushed them out. You won.)”
The morale of the entire 013 Station guard soared. The minocentaurs had also come to acknowledge them, so it seemed safe to expect good cooperation in the future.
“Minoho. Minohoo. (Eollugi noona is right. We want to get abilities soon too.)”
“Minooom. (If you want abilities, you’d better hurry up and have children first.)”
“Minoho? (Look at that strong presence from big sis.)”
Eollugi, who had been somewhat prickly, had paired up with Minho, so that was one more good thing.
“Good. Let’s head into the elf den!”
Reassured at last, Ho-yeong shouted with renewed energy.
Quest Progress
1. Party formation (Incomplete)
2. Confirm the corpse of Hogryphon Vulcher (Incomplete)
3. Go to the enemy’s hideout (Incomplete)
Ho-yeong ran into a problem right from the first step. Following the agreement with the Cliad Sect’s cult leader, should he take only five people, or should he bring the whole force and storm the place?
“I don’t know whether they’re being singled out or not, but I can’t send my sister away. I’d rather go in her place, yo-o!”
“Meyril, I’m truly grateful for that thought. But I can’t send you there either. I already made a promise to His Lordship.”
Meyril, on the verge of tears, stepped forward and offered to go in Peach’s place, and Peach, too, teared up as she hugged her.
It was a deeply moving moment, but Ho-yeong found himself at a loss.
Hmm... if that cult-leader bastard loses it because I broke the promise and tries to hurt the hostages, that’s going to be a problem.
At that point, Garza stepped up and made an intriguing suggestion.
“Your Lordship, how about this? We polymorph Miss Meyril into Peach’s appearance. I’m confident in my polymorph spell.”
“Oh? So there’s a method like that too? Disguise her!”
The unexpected idea startled everyone.
“Both of them are female, and Miss Meyril is a mage with abundant mana, so the spell should go down much more easily.”
“Yes. Polymorph has a higher success rate when the target has a similar appearance.”
“You really are skilled with magic, just as they say. As Your Lordship pointed out, the success rate goes up, and the duration and ability to perform movements are much better too....”
Garza grew animated as he explained, pleased that Ho-yeong was listening.
“While we’re at it, how about switching me with big brother Kristian too? My eldest brother is a little behind me in magic, but his face is quite similar to mine, so this should last a long time as well.”
“What are you talking about, Garza? Behind you in magic? Don’t be rude to the family heir!”
“You’re the heir, so if anything goes wrong it’ll be disastrous. That’s why this younger brother will go.”
“Hey, then what, it’s fine if I go wrong?”
“Second brother, maybe read the room before barging in.”
Watching the marquis’s sons display such brotherly affection, Ho-yeong was tempted, but...
“Ah! We can’t do that after all. Let’s cancel the switch plan.”
“W-why not?”
“You couldn’t have seen it, Garza, but those fanatical elf bastards can use a power called Purification to perform something like a dispel.
“You mean magic removal?”
He remembered the abilities Lucy Perhela had shown and grew wary.
“Right. They dispelled the magic I’d placed on the minocentaurs and made the magic circle I’d built evaporate, mana and all. And in an instant, too. This old man also thinks polymorph is dangerous.”
The marquis nodded, agreeing with Ho-yeong’s opinion.
“T-to erase my father’s magic circle in an instant? Is that possible...?”
Seeing Garza’s shock, Ho-yeong made up his mind.
That fox-faced elf hag—I turned her into half a gag character, but she’s actually strong. She’s a double class, priest and mage.
Not letting his guard down was one of his greatest strengths.
“We’ll cancel the human switch for now. But Garza, I think we can still make good use of polymorph itself.”
“Pardon? How?”
Once he explained the plan to Garza, a notification appeared.
Positive event triggered! The Angel of Patience, Duriad, is granting extra time for the important quest.
Because the captured soldiers and Shrakhim are fighting desperately even in the depths of despair, the Cliad Sect’s plan has been delayed slightly.
Time remaining until the start of Meeting the Cliad Sect Cult Leader: 6 hours 30 minutes
Rescue Lord Shrakhim
📍 Location: Rescue Shrakhim before the time limit runs out
🎁 Reward: Obtain crucial information about the Cliad Sect
Since it looked like he would need to rescue Shrakhim immediately.
“For now... I’ll go to the elves’ hideout with five people. Just as I promised that cult leader bastard. The children’s safety comes first.”
After much thought, Ho-yeong made his decision.
“But how can you be certain they’ll keep their promise? If they break it, what then?”
The marquis voiced his concern.
“If those bastards break their word? Then I’ll make them regret it so badly they’ll choke on it.”
Ho-yeong fixed his face into a hard mask and drove the point home.
“I do have a plan, but to be honest, I’m not sure it’ll work. If we want to be thorough, we need to rescue Shrakhim quickly and get the information first.”
Quest progress notice: 1. Party formation has been completed.
The location of Vulcher’s corpse was marked on the map.
* * *
Item Effect [Spirit Detection] activated! The spirit of Hogryphon #005, Vulcher, is nearby.
Vulcher’s corpse was lying there haphazardly.
“Lord! Be careful! Th-there’s a trap! The elves have been up to something around here.”
“You... even after death, you’re still worrying about me.”
With a heavy heart, Ho-yeong looked down at Vulcher’s corpse and barred anyone from approaching.
“Move Vulcher.”
Once the mages moved Vulcher’s body, the magic circle hidden underneath was revealed.
Quest progress notice: 2. Confirm the corpse of Hogryphon Vulcher has been completed.
“Your Lordship, while we restore Vulcher, please identify this magic circle. It’s a teleport portal, no need to even look at it, but they’ll have set all sorts of traps beyond the destination.”
“Understood. I’ll find out where the coordinates lead.”
The Marquis of Iolid activated his skill Mana Scan.
“Use Haria's Tear.”
Meanwhile, Ho-yeong dripped the transparent liquid from the earring onto Vulcher’s corpse. The wounds covering its body healed, and the feathers that had fallen out grew back anew.
“Hogru?! ”
“You’re alive... you’re really alive again, Vulcher!”
Vulcher rubbed its beak against its master and acted spoiled.
◈ Skill granted to Vulcher, Lv. 1
◈ A mine-laying ability that brings heroes forth among the Hogryphon flock
* * *
According to what the marquis found, the magic circle’s coordinates led to a basin in the mountains.
“So that’s where their hideout is. Good. I was half afraid it might be somewhere far off, like Salia.”
Ho-yeong smiled when he realized it was closer than expected, but the marquis still wore an anxious expression.
“Lord Tamer, wait. Is that truly the hideout of those pointy-eared bastards? It might just be a place where they’ve set a trap.”
“Then wouldn’t it do to use mana detection on it? I heard elf mana reserves are huge, so they’re easy to pick up.”
“I tried a detection spell, but something is interfering with the casting. If only we had a measuring device for times like this.”
“Ah, that monocular thing that looks like a scouter? It blew up while measuring Garza’s mana. Hm, now what?”
If he used the Marquis of Iolid’s skill Mana Scan, he could search the mana and magic at that location.
But as Daliha had said, its cooldown was still remaining.
“Location and search... So that was an option.”
As Ho-yeong reached into his pocket for a potion, he thought of another method.
“Good. Territorial Conversion!”
Territorial Conversion
- Unlike Area Conversion, which activates around Lord Guardian, Territorial Conversion can designate a distant region in its entirety.
- Its power and EP consumption vary depending on distance, area, and the number of identified monsters.
The ability had been unlocked long ago, but he had never had a chance to use it.
Select a territory.
When he marked the basin on the status window map, an unfamiliar UI appeared.
Select a target for conversion. You may choose from the following races:
- Umbrella bats: 353
- Scorpa-gants: 244
- Chimera carapace bug kimo larvae: ???
- Gargoyles: 10 or more
The list displayed all manner of animals and monsters.
- Elves: 20 (Conversion success rate is very low)
- Humans: 17 (All are already sufficiently converted)
When Ho-yeong saw the last item, his eyes widened.
“Bingo.”