Ending Maker Chapter 11
Ending Maker Chapter 11
Chapter 2 - Dungeon Book #5
Wolf-type monsters, including the Fury Wolf, all shared one trait.
'Straight-line attacks.'
Using their powerful leg strength, they charged forward like bullets.
But by the same token, their attack trajectories were simple. So as long as you got the timing right, you could dodge them easily enough.
The Fury Wolf kicked off the ground.
It shoved roughly against the earth with its hind legs, and in an instant its entire body shot forward.
ZAP—!
Lightning flared from its horn. It burst sharply, and the Fury Wolf pierced through the lingering sound.
A speed hard to follow with the eyes.
It was the same for Yuder.
He had reached level 8, but that was still only 8. It was impossible for Yuder's eyesight to perfectly track the Fury Wolf's movements.
But there was something he could do.
The instant it launched.
At the instant the Fury Wolf kicked off the ground, Yuder began moving as well. Without a moment's hesitation, he threw himself to the left.
CRACK!
The Fury Wolf pierced through the spot where Yuder had been standing. Yuder rolled across the floor, and Cordelia screamed.
"Outboxer!"
It wasn't because she mistakenly thought Yuder had taken a clean hit.
Cordelia knew. Yellow Storm's memories were screaming.
A follow-up attack was coming.
The Fury Wolf, having pierced through empty air, kicked off the ground again. With terrifying leg strength, it performed a turn and a charge at the same time.
Yuder was still rolling on the floor. He hadn't even managed to get his body up yet.
So he couldn't dodge.
This attack was going to land!
Cordelia raised her staff. Without thinking, she tried to activate magic on pure instinct.
Her target was the empty space between Yuder and the Fury Wolf.
Hitting the Fury Wolf was impossible. So she would wedge an attack between it and Yuder!
'Please!'
The magic activated.
It wasn't a spell with a proper formula—just an attack that simply fired raw mana.
But precisely because of that, it was fast.
She managed to force an explosion of mana between the Fury Wolf and Yuder.
CRACK!
But no explosion occurred. Lightning burst from the horn on the Fury Wolf's forehead and shattered the mass of mana Cordelia had frantically created.
"GRAAAH!"
The Fury Wolf pierced through the remnants of mana. Cordelia let out a near-scream, and Yuder pushed himself upright.
The Fury Wolf pounced on Yuder. Cordelia could see what came next. The Fury Wolf's sharp fangs would tear through Yuder's nape in a single breath!
POP!
But that wasn't what happened.
Instead of Yuder's scream or the gruesome sound of bone and flesh being crushed, a faint whoosh rang out.
Just before the Fury Wolf reached Yuder.
In the split second it took the Fury Wolf to break through the mass of mana Cordelia had made.
"Yip!"
The Fury Wolf suddenly let out a pained cry and rolled across the ground. Far from biting Yuder, it thrashed to get away from him.
How.
How in the world!
"A dog's sense of smell is thousands of times stronger than a human's!"
Yuder shouted, sucked in a breath from the effort, and immediately broke into a painful coughing fit.
Cordelia understood.
She understood what Yuder had done the instant she saw it, without needing to think it through.
'Smell!'
It was just as Yuder had said.
A dog's sense of smell was thousands of times stronger than a human's.
Moreover, the opponent was a Fury Wolf.
A monster whose every ability was so superior that it couldn't even be compared to an ordinary dog.
What Yuder had popped was a paper bag.
A special stink bomb made by combining various items!
Everything had gone according to plan from start to finish.
Because even if he leveled up partway through, there was no way to beat the Fury Wolf through straightforward methods.
He would awaken it.
After dodging the first straight-line attack, he would set off the stink bomb during the second turning attack.
He would neutralize the Fury Wolf, even if only temporarily.
An irrepressible smile spread across Cordelia's face.
She clenched her fist and beamed.
Yeah, this was Outboxer.
The server's #1 player—the one I could never beat!
"Ghk! Kgh! Cordelia!"
Yuder shouted while coughing, and Cordelia didn't miss that call.
No, she was already moving the moment Yuder began to shout.
Because Yuder wasn't the only one who had prepared a trump card.
Cordelia had prepared one too!
"Dig!"
Cordelia activated the magic stone in her left hand.
Like the paper bearing the magic circles Yuder used, it was a stone imbued with magic.
It had been made by Cordelia's father, Count Arthur Chase, the current head of the Count Chase Household.
The magic activated.
Centered on the Fury Wolf as it writhed in agony, a pit three meters in diameter and three meters deep appeared.
"Yip?!"
The Fury Wolf, suddenly dropped into the pit, let out another pained sound, but Cordelia didn't stop.
The moment she stopped in front of the pit, she swung her staff and activated magic again.
"Dig!"
"Dig!"
"Dig!"
When beginners in Hero Legend 2 chose their first spells to learn, almost all of them picked only attack magic.
That wasn't strange.
Because to deal damage to enemies, you needed attack magic.
But attack magic wasn't the only way to attack an enemy.
Moreover, a mage wasn't merely an artillery piece for spamming attack spells.
'A mage is someone who controls the situation.'
Among the rankers of Hero Legend 2, Cordelia was more obsessed with raw damage than anyone else, but she never forgot that most important fact.
A mage wasn't a simple battery.
A mage was someone who controlled the situation. Someone who could turn an unwinnable fight into a winnable one.
So Cordelia didn't obsess over attack magic alone.
She learned Grease, which made the floor slippery.
She acquired Dig, which could reshape the battlefield by digging pits.
"Dig!"
It couldn't compare to Count Chase's Dig. But after using it four times in a row on the pit that was already there, the difference was noticeable.
Seven meters deep.
It was a depth the Fury Wolf could escape from somehow with its leg strength.
But that was fine.
Because Cordelia knew.
Because Yellow Storm believed.
"Outboxer009."
Cordelia murmured it as she collapsed onto her rear, completely drained. As if answering her call, Yuder—who had already rushed over—tore up all the remaining magic-circle sheets and threw them into the pit.
"Bingo."
Immediately after his low reply,
Yuder threw himself toward Cordelia. He practically pounced on top of her, and at that moment, the ground shook with a thunderous roar.
RUMBLE—BOOOOM!
Flames, lightning, and wind raged. The spells activated in that confined space interacted with one another, producing an even larger explosion.
Boom!
The final roar.
Yuder and Cordelia pushed themselves up almost simultaneously. Side by side, they peeked over the edge of the pit, then smiled in satisfaction.
"Level up."
Yuder said it aloud, and rings of pure white light wrapped around Yuder and Cordelia's bodies in succession.
One, two, three.
Yuder reached level 11, while Cordelia reached level 10.
And it didn't end there.
[You have acquired the title 'Defeated a Fury Wolf Before Level 10.']
[All stats permanently increase by 1.]
The message appeared in their minds.
They couldn't open the status window, but for a moment, they felt new vitality surge through their bodies, just like when they leveled up.
"Title."
A bonus point awarded for accomplishing a feat.
Yuder held out his fist to Cordelia.
"Nice play."
"Nice play."
Cordelia bumped her fist against his with a clack and answered with a smile, but only for a moment.
"Ugh, the smell! Hey, get away from me! You reek right now, you know?!"
Yuder had also been doused in the stink bomb at close range.
At Cordelia's scolding, Yuder didn't look hurt at all. He just grinned and leaned toward Cordelia instead.
"Ugh, sudden anemia from the Nine Yin Meridian Blockage......"
"Hey! It's totally obvious you're faking it!"
But even as she said that, Cordelia reflexively supported Yuder.
Yuder leaned against Cordelia all the more and pointed at the sky with his chin.
"Anyway, looks like it dropped."
"Is that a real...... whoa!"
Cordelia, who had been about to push Yuder away, opened her eyes wide in admiration. She couldn't help it.
"B-rank skill books."
Two masses of light shaped like books floated in the air.
Bright smiles spread across the faces of Yuder and Cordelia as they turned to look at each other.
* * *
Skill books.
As the name suggested, they were books that let you acquire skills, and among the various means of obtaining skills in Hero Legend 2, they boasted the highest popularity.
'Because they're easy and simple.'
Using a skill book let you acquire the skill immediately, without having to learn it separately.
Of course, since each skill had a proficiency rating, it was impossible to master it the moment you learned it, but being able to use it right away was the greatest advantage.
'Because if you learned from an NPC or studied a book on your own, even the acquisition itself took time.'
However, these skill books had one drawback: they were single-use.
Once you acquired the skill, the skill book disappeared.
So it was impossible to share them with others.
"Wow, it's really B-rank, B-rank. See that border color? All that hard work was worth it, huh?"
Pointing at the silver ring surrounding the skill book, Cordelia smiled brightly.
It had been the same in the game—Yellow Storm really did get happy like a child when reward time came.
'Well, she grinds for those rewards.'
There were two skill books.
Moreover, one was a martial art and the other was magic, so there was no need for Yuder and Cordelia to fight over who got what in the first place.
"I like this part the best."
"What? Opening loot?"
"Yeah, it's exciting not knowing what's gonna come out."
Cordelia, showing a charming smile befitting a peerless beauty, dusted off her rear and stood up, then reached toward the sky. The B-rank skill book began to fly slowly toward Cordelia.
"Hoo, it really is B-rank. Hehe, what's it gonna be? But is this a guaranteed drop? Then you know what yours is, right?"
"Yeah, it's a guaranteed drop. Mine's a movement art, like I said before."
Yuder also reached toward the sky and called the skill book to him.
A skill book's cover color changed according to its rank, and the color symbolizing B-rank was red.
A skill book with a red cover and silver border.
Cordelia hugged her share of the skill book and turned toward Yuder.
"So what is it? What kind of movement art?"
"Thirty-Six World Steps."
"Thirty-Six what?"
"Thirty-Six World Steps."
At Yuder's answer, Cordelia narrowed her brow and tilted her head. It sounded like she had heard of it somewhere, but nothing came to mind right away.
"It's a B-rank martial art. And you preferred magic over martial arts anyway."
When Yuder shrugged and supplied the excuse for her, Cordelia pouted but didn't force herself to pretend she knew.
"So what is it, really?"
"Like the name says, it's a movement art made up of thirty-six steps. Specialized in evasion."
"And?"
"Hey, this is B-rank, you know?"
When he looked at her as if asking what more she wanted, Cordelia nodded.
'Actually, there's a bit more.'
The reason Thirty-Six World Steps was special compared to other B-rank martial arts.
'This one can be upgraded.'
Strictly speaking, Thirty-Six World Steps was the foundation.
If you completely mastered it, the door to the next stage opened, and with each stage, the number of steps composing the movement art decreased.
The A-rank movement art, Twenty-Four Gale Steps.
The S-rank movement art, Twelve Thunderbolt Steps.
And the EX-rank movement art called the ultimate, fantastical movement art—Nine Celestial Steps.
'With nine steps, one can hide even from the heavens.'
It was a movement art that could be called the final boss of all movement arts in Hero Legend 2 without exaggeration—one that even Outboxer009 only knew existed but had never mastered.
"Thirty-Six World Steps, huh...... Now that you mention it, it sounds similar to Twelve Thunderbolt Steps, which you used a lot."
"Yeah, it does."
Yuder answered Cordelia's innocent remark casually, then smiled and gestured with his eyes toward Cordelia's chest—more precisely, toward the skill book she was holding preciously in both arms.
"What about yours?"
"Huh? You really don't know?"
"I really don't. I told you I never cleared it as a mage."
"Heh, really? Then this is a real first opening, huh? Exciting."
Cordelia smiled brightly like a child with a present in front of her and immediately opened the skill book. Then a title appeared above the inner cover.
[Fire Missile - B-rank]
"Oh! This is good. I like this."
As Cordelia giggled and stroked the skill book, Yuder nodded without realizing it.
'It's tailor-made.'
That was how Yellow Storm—whose knowledge of Hero Legend 2 lagged behind Outboxer009's, or even that of most players in the top 30—still held the #2 spot on the server.
Yellow Storm, who lived and died by raw damage, mainly played mages who were good at squeezing out maximum damage efficiency, and Yellow Storm showed in every battle exactly why her nickname was 'Storm.'
'A baptism of magic bullets surging like a storm.'
She could control hundreds of magic bullets at once—when most players struggled to handle even ten—and literally create a storm.
Now that Yellow Storm had gotten her hands on a fire-attribute magic bullet, it was like handing a master craftsman a tool that fit her hand perfectly.
"Alright, looks like both sides are satisfied. Should we start getting ready to head back?"
Yuder looked back at the spot where the Fury Wolf had first appeared. The blue portal out of the dungeon rippled like the surface of a windswept lake.
"Hold on, let me change clothes. You do something about that smell too. Dahlia's definitely going to ask."
"Mm, she probably will."
Actually, Yuder had brought a change of clothes too. He had planned to use the stink bomb from the start, after all.
"Don't turn around."
"You're one to talk."
Yuder and Cordelia turned their backs to each other and hurriedly began changing clothes.
"By the way."
"Yeah."
"The title popped up, right?"
"It did."
"There's no status window, but the title itself exists, and we should assume it's applied, right?"
"Probably."
A smile spread across Yuder's face the moment he answered.
Because several useful titles came to mind.
"Then, hey."
"Yeah."
"Both you and I are over level 10 now, right?"
"We are."
"Do you have something in mind for the next step?"
"I do. You?"
"Me too."
The rustling sounds paused for a moment.
Instead of turning around, Yuder straightened his clothes and spoke again.
"Should we say it at the same time?"
"Sure."
"One."
"Two."
"Devil's Hand."
Yuder and Cordelia said the same thing almost simultaneously, and both of them smiled.
"Not bad."
"You're one to talk?"
Devil's Hand.
It wasn't an item or a new skill they needed to acquire.
It was the name of the hostile faction operating in secret in 'Cordelia's main scenario'—in short, a group of demon worshippers.
Hero Legend 2 had various playable characters, each with a main scenario of their own.
Cordelia's main scenario began about half a year before Yuder's, and its starting date was drawing near.
'About fifteen days from now?'
Cordelia’s main scenario began when she set out on a journey to attend a social gathering of the children of the Twelve Northern Houses.
'The early main event is Devil’s Hand attacking the children of the Twelve Northern Houses.'
Because of that event, some of the children of the Twelve Northern Houses died or were injured, while others were kidnapped by Devil’s Hand and even brainwashed.
'In the game, I had to be satisfied with Cordelia escaping alone.......'
This was no longer a game. Moreover, there were now two people who knew what was going to happen.
'We stop Devil's Hand.'
Yuder and Cordelia had never intended to follow Hero Legend 2's scenario exactly as written.
If they did, the only thing waiting for them was the guaranteed bad ending known as Armageddon.
They would create a new ending.
They would stop the Great Summoning Ritual and prevent the destruction of the world that led into Hero Legend 3.
Stopping Devil's Hand could be called the first step of that journey.
"Hey, so about that."
"About what?"
"Well......"
"Well?"
When Yuder feigned innocence and asked the question back, Cordelia pouted and snapped at him.
"You already know, don't you?"
What Cordelia was about to say right now.
Of course he knew.
Even so, Yuder put on an innocent face and shook his head.
"No, I don't know. I need to hear it directly from you."
"Hey, that answer itself proves you know, okay?"
Yuder laughed merrily. Cordelia was right, after all.
"Still, can't you just say it out loud? That's what gets me motivated."
"F**k, you're really the worst."
Cordelia muttered very quietly, took one deep breath, and then spoke in a small but clear voice.
"Let's go together."
To Langesthei, the heart of the north, where the social gathering of the children of the Twelve Northern Houses would be held.
'Yuder Bayel' originally did not go to Langesthei.
It was because long-distance travel was impossible due to the Nine Yin Meridian Blockage.
But now it was different.
The current Yuder could go with her.
'That's one of the reasons I hurried in the first place.'
One of the several reasons he had hurried to treat the Nine Yin Meridian Blockage.
"If my beloved Lady Cordelia wishes it so."
Cordelia shuddered for a moment at Yuder's answer, but only briefly. She smiled, finished adjusting the hem of her skirt, and turned around as she spoke.
"Okay, you can turn around now."
"I'm already looking."
"F**k?"
Yuder snickered at Cordelia's face turning bright red and walked toward the spatial door as he spoke.
"Anyway, let's hurry. Time is money, right?"
"You're good at talking, I'll give you that."
Grumbling and pouting her lips, Cordelia stood beside Yuder, and the two of them looked back at each other one last time before stepping forward together.
They took the first step toward a new ending.