Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Remnants of the Thunder Tribulation
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[[Remnants of the Thunder Tribulation] activates.]
“Ugh!”
After swinging his sword a few times, Jae-hyeok couldn’t hold back a groan.
His trembling hands fumbled impatiently as he removed his gloves.
‘This isn’t something I can endure with mental fortitude. Fifteen seconds is my limit.’
The Remnants of the Thunder Tribulation was truly a fearsome curse.
Lightning crashed through his body, rampaging with enough ferocity to incinerate every single cell, making the pain nearly unbearable.
[Knights’ Valor and Honor: The Lightning Slayer]
Fought against a natural disaster and proved your valor, earning honor.
*Skill [Thunder Sword] unlocked.
*Halves the power of the Thunder Tribulation when enduring it.
*Lightning resistance increased by 30 percent.
*Lightning affinity increased by 30 percent.
‘And the remnants themselves grant another 10 percent resistance.’
Jae-hyeok’s total lightning resistance came to 40 percent.
Even so, he could only withstand the remnants for fifteen seconds. It was honestly disconcerting.
‘Blake must have mistaken me for the Thunder Emperor.’
Jae-hyeok had endured the remnants in front of Blake for just a few seconds.
Yet even that brief moment had shocked Blake.
He had probably tested the full power of the remnants on his own body.
‘Worthy of an S-Rank player, I suppose.’
Somehow, the guy was still alive.
Letting out a hollow chuckle, Jae-hyeok equipped a flashy earring adorned with a green gem and a round shield.
[Earrings of Delusion]
Rank: Legendary
Every time the earrings sway, they have a moderate chance of inflicting confusion on targets within a one-meter radius.
*Skill cooldown reduced by 10 percent.
*The wearer is also subject to confusion.
[Heavy Moon]
Rank: Legendary
Fully absorbs the impact when blocking an attack.
Cooldown: 1 minute.
*Stamina +20.
*When on cooldown, afflicted with <Immobilized> curse.
*Cannot unequip the shield while immobilized.
Items obtained for free, much like the remnants.
From a normal perspective, they could easily be classified as ‘trash.’
Take the Earrings of Delusion, for starters.
A slender green gem dangled from a gold chain about the length of a finger joint.
Even slight vigorous movement caused them to jangle noisily, brushing the edge of the wearer’s vision.
And merely looking at them triggered confusion.
On top of that, only targets within one meter.
In the end, they posed a greater risk to the wearer than any enemy.
At least the rare cooldown reduction made their legendary rank somewhat understandable, but…
‘Most people wouldn’t use them even if given for free.’
The Heavy Moon was much the same.
A small, round blue shield.
In terms of performance alone, it was exceptionally impressive.
Shields rarely ‘fully’ absorbed impacts as a rule.
Certain attacks could render defenses useless depending on their form or power.
The Heavy Moon’s ability to absorb any impact so long as it blocked the attack naturally justified its legendary rank.
But the effect was limited to once per minute, and activation imposed the fatal drawback of <Immobilized>.
Once immobilized, the shield couldn’t be unequipped, eliminating any workaround, and it locked away the flexibility of swapping gear.
It was like saving your life once only to corner yourself off a cliff.
Trash that most wouldn’t use even if handed to them, just like the earrings.
However, for Jae-hyeok…
Step.
He wasn’t immobilized even when the Heavy Moon’s effect triggered, allowing him to unequip it.
But there was a serious problem.
[[Curse of the Dead Serpent] activates!]
[Resist curse... Failed.]
“…!”
Poison, blindness, paralysis, necrosis.
A torrent of debuffs hit all at once, bringing excruciating agony.
Jae-hyeok collapsed without even screaming, only recovering slowly after removing the white serpent bracelet.
‘Two is my limit.’
[Your flesh and spirit, tempered through repeated endurance and overcoming, boast a high rank.]
[Resists low-grade status effects.]
Thanks to overcoming his limits for 3,000 consecutive days, Jae-hyeok’s very being had elevated in rank.
This allowed him to resist certain status effects on his own.
*The knight’s mental fortitude is staunchly tempered, resisting most status effects and enduring pain well.
The effect of his first skill [Noble Knightly Virtue] resisted most status effects as well.
In other words, he couldn’t resist them perfectly.
That was why he couldn’t suppress the Remnants of the Thunder Tribulation.
It was also why he couldn’t equip three or more cursed items.
‘High-rank status effects, or resisting multiple at once, is impossible.’
It would improve in time.
As his rank rose further or Noble Knightly Virtue leveled up, he could resist stronger and more numerous effects.
But not right now.
‘Good thing I didn’t take too many items.’
Blake had told Jae-hyeok to take everything.
But Jae-hyeok had taken only three.
Among Blake’s items, the three swords were the best, but they paled compared to Iyarugt, and the rest were less practical than the earrings or shield, so he left them behind.
Largely to plant the impression that he’d incurred a ‘debt’ to Blake.
Recalling the middle-aged man’s tearful gratitude, Jae-hyeok waited for his body to recover, then donned the white gloves.
[Two Sickles to Halt the Cart]
He activated the skill.
Flash!
Lightning struck from the sky.
*Very high chance upon skill use for the Thunder Tribulation remnants to frenzy and trigger.
The curse of the remnants had activated.
Even though he was prepared, it was too fast.
Boom!
Before he could recover from the swing he’d used for the skill, a brilliant yellow bolt engulfed the boy.
-Ar-Are you okay!?
The Lion Statue couldn’t hold back and shouted.
-Showing up out of nowhere late at night, hurting yourself over and over—what the hell are you doing?
“Sorry for worrying you.”
-You... nearly died just now, and you’re grinning like that?
“Didn’t die, so I smile.”
After removing his gloves and pouring potion over his charred black shoulder, Jae-hyeok closed his eyes quietly.
‘Received an incredible gift.’
A curse that summoned the Thunder Tribulation.
How many in the world would actually seek the experience of facing it while suffering [Remnants of the Thunder Tribulation]?
‘Probably just me and the Thunder Emperor.’
Jae-hyeok’s lightning resistance was 40 percent.
He could endure the remnants for a short while, and a single bolt of the tribulation wouldn’t kill him.
It wasn’t the real thing to begin with, after all—its power was reduced.
‘With Noble Knightly Virtue, if I avoid vitals, I might even tank two...’
Jae-hyeok’s heart pounded.
Having laid the foundation to summon and study the Thunder Tribulation at will thrilled him to no end.
The Lion Statue eyed his wriggling grin as if beholding a madman.
-Getting struck by lightning made him even crazier.
***
‘Need to stock up on potions.’
Stagger.
Dragging his ragdoll-like body, Jae-hyeok wobbled, on the verge of collapse.
Having trained through the night and taken several tribulation strikes, his body could barely hold up.
Exhausting, but rewarding.
Attempting defense and evasion against the Thunder Tribulation’s inhuman speed was training in itself.
‘Want to let Da-hee and Do-jin experience it too.’
Unaware of how insane the idea of dropping tribulation lightning on his friends was.
“Hm...?”
Pushing through the brush, Jae-hyeok halted abruptly.
Park Hae-rin.
The quietly diligent girl sat in meditation in a small clearing.
Her back straight, shoulders at perfect right angles.
Fallen leaves piled from the breeze suggested she’d been at it for quite some time, yet her posture showed no flaw—impressive.
‘She’s good at meditation too.’
Park Hae-rin had been one of the rare kids with a good first impression.
When Jae-hyeok first enrolled and faced hostility from Kim Jin-myeong and the other students, she’d subtly lightened the mood.
On top of always excelling in classes and training, she was flawless.
She was the only one in Class B who’d never gotten kicked in the ass or chewed out by Jae-hyeok.
‘That’s why things feel a bit awkward.’
Wondering if he’d disturb her, Jae-hyeok started to slip away quietly.
“Aren’t you practicing shield arts? Meditating on mana instead?”
A boy who’d appeared from the opposite brush plopped down beside Park Hae-rin and said.
“......”
Park Hae-rin silently opened her eyes.
Her upturned eyes and large, vivid pupils.
It was astonishing how eyes like that could make her seem so gentle.
“Why? Reluctant to let your hard-earned first skill go to waste?”
“Sorry.”
“No need to apologize to me. But as the heiress of the Guardian Guild, if you can’t handle a single shield properly, it’ll shame the Master. It’ll put our parents and guildmates in a tough spot too. I get it more than anyone, but I’d appreciate if you kept your position in mind.”
“...I don’t want to be heiress.”
“I know.”
The boy, wearing a kind smile, carefully brushed dirt from her skirt.
“But you’re the Master’s only daughter. I’ve told you since we were kids it’s your duty to succeed him.”
“......”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll handle what you hate, so just bear with it a little. Our parents will help too. Trust me.”
“...Okay.”
After hesitating, Hae-rin unwillingly nodded.
“The night air’s cold—let’s head back. Losing sleep will ruin that pretty skin, and it’ll hurt my heart.”
From a third-party perspective like Jae-hyeok’s, the boy’s tone carried an undercurrent of displeasure.
Constantly reminding her that every action affected others.
“...Ugh, always nagging like a damn kid.”
After Hae-rin left, pushed along by a pat on the back.
The boy dropped his kind smile, revealing his true colors.
“Must be exhausting living with her. At least she’s pretty.”
“Hmm.”
Leaning against a tree, Jae-hyeok replayed their conversation.
‘Park Hae-rin... wasn’t a tank?’
It was welcome news mid-conversation.