Chapter 142: The Weapon Thief
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 142: The Weapon Thief
“Hide it!”
There was even one man who shoved his weapon into his clothes and ran. In a case like that, it was impossible to take the weapon. I could only take weapons that were in my line of sight. As I kept swapping weapons, my mana began to run low.
I stuffed the items into the bag Abar was carrying on her back. We had definitely started with an empty bag. Seeing it so full now was deeply satisfying.
Just in case they tried to counterattack, I poured mana into my eyes and ears and observed their reactions. To my surprise, one soft-hearted female priestess had burst into tears as she ran.
“Sob… sob…”
Since I hadn’t properly checked the functions of the stolen items, I casually pulled one out of the bag. Its exact stats immediately became visible.
[The Goddess’s Sojourn]
[A staff where the Goddess of Wisdom once briefly resided. It was used by a follower of Wisdom to defeat a demon. The staff was crafted by soaking a branch, grown with divine power, in holy water. Reduces the mana cost of spells. Increases casting speed. Contains the built-in divine spell, Recovery.]
[Intelligence +4]
‘Jackpot.’
I could see why she was crying. It was a staff worth at least 1,000,000 points, with incredible stats. Having a built-in divine spell was a huge advantage. An ordinary priest would have to spend an enormous amount of time to gather that many points.
She must have gone through a lot to get it. An item she’d obtained by sacrificing sleep and overcoming dozens of near-death crises. Naturally, an item like this is more precious than land or a house.
To use an analogy, it was as if the deeds to her house and land had fallen into the hands of some unknown ruffian.
“My… my staff!”
“Getting away is the priority right now.”
Honestly, it was a bit heartbreaking to see the man who looked like the leader comforting the priestess as they ran. A pretty wise party. If they had gotten worked up and charged at me, they might have been able to catch me, but they would have suffered heavy losses.
Park Hyeri of the Spider Clan was strong enough to be unaffected by her weapon, but powerhouses of that level aren’t common. Usually, people like me or the executives of the Blood Dagger Clan are quite dependent on our weapons. It was clear that it would be the same for these guys, who seemed to be on a similar level. It’s dangerous bare-handed. They were probably thinking the same thing.
The group kept moving, spitting out curses. Seeing a magician shoot a firework spell into the air, it looked like they were trying to call for help. We were far away, but if a little more time passed, others in the area would surely gather.
Since it seemed I’d made a pretty big profit, I patted Abar’s back.
“We’re heading back.”
“Grrrrrrowl.”
This was more than enough for today. Now that I’d roughly figured out the method, doing it a second time would be easy. Seeing me retreat, another scream erupted from behind, but I paid it no mind.
“Oppa! Oppa! He’s… he’s getting away! That… that bastard, sob! He’s running away!”
To think such a curse would come from the mouth of such a sweet-looking priestess. It wasn’t just her. Most of the humans were hurling curses at me as I fled.
Even as the distance between us grew, the priestess’s mana-infused curse stabbed into my ears. It seemed she wasn’t even afraid of attracting nearby monsters. Right now, venting her anger seemed more important.
“You… you thieving bastard! The Goddess of Wisdom will punish you!”
“She will definitely punish you!”
Too bad, but I know that the beings called gods in this world don’t directly interfere with the continent.
Their bodies were lighter, and so was my spirit.
To be honest, I was pretty heartbroken when I first received ‘Weapon Switch’ as my unique ability, but now that I’ve actually used it, it seems far more incredible than I thought. Of course, I can’t say for sure that it’s better than Park Hyeri’s unique ability to materialize sound into attacks, or the Green Goblin’s ability to turn shiny things into flashbangs, but it suits me well.
I was now able to get my hands on dozens of weapons I could only have dreamed of back when I was Kim Taesung. Items that would have made my eyes go wide in the past were now rolling around in my bag. It would be strange if I wasn’t in a good mood.
They had been carrying about twenty items in total. Excluding sidearms like the daggers the archers had, that number should be about right. Naturally, I was aiming for their main weapons, not their sidearms. I don’t remember exactly, but I think I snagged about sixteen of them.
Adding Park Han Cheol’s Dark Bat, that made seventeen in total. It wasn’t exact, but I figured it was worth around 7,000,000 points. Of course, I’d get much less if I sold them to the goblin at the Item Shop, but I didn’t really care.
The thievery doesn’t end today. Of course, they’ll be more on guard once the rumors spread, but if I can catch them from behind again, I figured stealing one or two more items would be a piece of cake.
As I wandered through the forest with these thoughts, it gradually grew dark. Believing my tracks were sufficiently covered, I finally headed back to the settlement.
The feeling of a father returning home with chicken in both hands after a day’s work—that’s how good I felt as I entered the settlement.
Park Han Cheol could only stare at the sky, dumbfounded. There was no way to catch up. If he had a skilled archer or assassin, they might have been able to give chase, but he was too anxious to send his younger comrades alone.
“Damn it…”
A curse he rarely used escaped his throat. Looking at the cheap dagger in his hand, Park Han Cheol unconsciously tightened his grip. Just as he was about to slam the dagger down with enough force to shatter it, his reason took hold.
In a way, it was the only piece of evidence. He didn’t know if he could find the demon or not… no, to be precise, the chances were high that he couldn’t, but this dagger was the only thing that demon had left behind. Just looking at it made his anger surge, but there was nothing he could do.
More than that, he was ashamed to face his comrades.
Of course, he had saved up a lot of points since then, so he had enough to buy a decent weapon. It wouldn’t be as good as the Dark Bat he’d had, but it would probably be effective enough.
But this was a matter of heart. Seeing his comrades sadder than he was made his own heart ache.
“I’m sorry…”
“I was a fool to let this happen.”
It was his comrades, as always, who gave him strength.
“No. It’s okay, Oppa. We can just buy new items. I’m just happy that everyone is safe.”
As his cherished female comrade offered him this small comfort, he felt his eyes begin to sting. He felt incredibly fortunate to have companions like these.
It was then.
He began to sense a presence somewhere nearby. When he focused his mana, the first thing he heard was the chilling sound of a woman’s cry.
“Sob… That son of a bitch… sob…”
There were about twenty of them. It could be a group of Murderers, so he couldn’t let his guard down. Park Han Cheol’s hand tensed. If they ran into the Spiders without any weapons, he could lose his comrades. He had heard rumors that Park Hyeri was active in this area recently, which made him even more tense.
“Everyone, prepare for battle.”
“Ye-yes! Hyung.”
“Yes, Oppa.”
It was then, as they were tensely watching the path ahead, that a group of about twenty men and women slowly emerged. He could immediately tell who they were from the crests on their chests.
‘The Greenbelt Clan.’
It was a clan he knew very well. They weren’t from the great city of Hadum. They were a small, elite group that had made quite a name for themselves in a small eastern city. He remembered the clan because its founding purpose was also very impressive.
To investigate the ecosystems all over the continent.
In other words, this was a clan that valued the exploration of the continent and adventure into unknown lands. Naturally, Park Han Cheol had gone hunting with them before. Not often, but their dispositions were quite similar, so they were people he had quickly befriended.
But they looked quite different now.
A follower of the Goddess of Wisdom who always maintained a bright smile and never hesitated to help those in need, Choi Jihye was bursting into tears and spewing curses.
“Sob… That thieving bastard… He’ll face divine punishment. He will…”
And what about their leader, Kim Sangyong, who was always so confident? He looked incredibly shabby and pathetic. His face, which had never once shown irritation, was completely crumpled.
There was one thing all of them had in common as they walked with their heads hung low like defeated soldiers.
They were all holding the same kind of dagger that was in his own hand.
Watching them, Park Han Cheol cautiously revealed his presence along with his comrades. The Greenbelt Clan members, startled for a moment, soon seemed to recognize Park Han Cheol and began to greet him. The first to speak was the Greenbelt Clan’s master, Ha Juyoung.
“You were out hunting.”
“Ye-yes. I apologize for you seeing us in such a sorry state. We were… attacked by a monster…”
His face showed he wasn’t sure whether to call it an ‘attack’ or not. He’d never heard of a creature that only steals weapons. Ha Juyoung was clearly feeling the same way. The second to greet him was Choi Jihye.
“H-hello, Han Cheol-ssi. Wh-what a coincidence.”
Her face looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. He felt the same way, so he supposed it couldn’t be helped. In the incredibly somber atmosphere, Park Han Cheol slowly held out the dagger in his hand.
“I met him, too.”
“Th-that’s…”
“Yes. A demon with long horns, riding a wolf. He stole my weapon. In the blink of an eye, my weapon was swapped with this dagger. It was a Named Monster I’ve never seen around here before.”
So this is what it feels like to be in the same boat. Tears burst from Choi Jihye’s eyes once again.
“The item I worked so hard for… for years… was stolen.”
Everyone must have felt the same.
Choi Jihye’s words cast a solemn pall over the group. Watching them, Park Han Cheol spoke up.
“For now, I think it’s best we return to the city. We can’t stay out here without our equipment… If you don’t have a place to stay, you can come to my home for now. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to discuss countermeasures together.”
More heads are better than one. Not only to recover from the damage, but to figure out who that creature was and prepare future countermeasures together.
The Greenbelt Clan’s master, Ha Juyoung, closed his eyes and thought for a moment before nodding at Park Han Cheol’s words.
“Then we’ll be in your care for a little while.”
And so, Park Han Cheol and the Greenbelt Clan departed, their faces bitter. A demon that appears out of nowhere, steals weapons, and runs away—naturally, it wouldn’t be easy to find any information on it. No, it would be nearly impossible.
But no one among them voiced that thought aloud.