Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Hidden Piece (3)
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“...Ah.”
Bran opened his eyes.
He was still on the back of the Dementia Serpent.
Aside from the hand gripping his blade, he had no sensation left.
“This place...”
He must have blacked out for a bit.
He had no memory of getting to the surface.
A familiar sight filled the area around him.
It was the central control room that oversaw the entire Underground Farm.
“Gaaah!”
“S-Stay back!”
But it was vastly different from when he'd first seen it.
【Kirelererk!】
The Dementia Serpent was smashing everything in sight.
The once-proud bandits had been reduced to sniveling cowards, no better than frightened children.
Pfsh! Pfsh! Pfsh!
Volleys of tentacles fired one after another, skewering three bandits at once.
“...Of all places, here.”
Bran let out a sigh.
He'd thought escaping the vine would be enough, but he hadn't expected to emerge in such a wildly unexpected spot.
The plan he'd devised had crumbled into worthless scraps not even a goat would touch.
“Return to where you came from!”
At that moment, an irritatingly polite voice echoed from somewhere.
Bran, staggering to his feet, furrowed his brow.
A man with black lipstick was charging straight at him.
“Fucking homo...”
It was Delgato.
He gripped a massive war hammer—his signature weapon.
The muscles in his forearms bulged beneath his shirt, ready to burst.
“Hup!”
The Dementia Serpent lunged at him, but Delgato didn't dodge.
Instead, he charged head-on, swinging his hammer.
Kwaaaang—!
The hammer scraped across the floor before rising to smash into the serpent's head.
【Kiririk...!】
The serpent's head snapped back as silvery fluid burst forth.
For a brief moment, its massive body lifted off the ground. Two of its three remaining eyes shattered instantly.
The shockwave rippled through the serpent's entire form—and Bran, clinging to it, was no exception.
Crack!
The blade buried deep in its flesh snapped, sending Bran flying.
“Kuhk!”
After tumbling through the air, Bran face-planted into a pool of blood.
It was still warm. Human and otherworldly blood mingled together.
Silver and red fluids seeped into his mouth.
Desperate screams echoed from all around.
“Surround it and attack! We have to buy time until Big Sis arrives!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Remember! We absolutely cannot kill it!”
Delgato hadn't even noticed Bran's presence.
He was commanding the bandits, pouring everything into capturing the serpent alive.
It was the natural response.
The moment that monster died, Black Stone Fortress was finished.
But the Dementia Serpent was no easy foe.
Shwick!
A tentacle shot forward like an arrow, tearing into Delgato's side as it passed.
“Kgh!”
“B-Boss!”
Delgato clutched his wound, staggering.
The Dementia Serpent was in its death throes, its tentacles lashing out more wildly, slaughtering the bandits.
“Heh. Serves you right.”
Bran chuckled.
The fewer bandits the serpent took out, the easier his escape would be.
But it was also a mocking reminder aimed at him.
His body wouldn't move.
“Kuhk. Khek.”
He'd thought fresh air would help, but it seemed he'd reached his physical limits.
Injuries he'd overlooked came into view. They were severe.
Bruises, abrasions, and deep gashes. White bone peeked through a tear in his thigh.
⚠️ Stamina critically low! ⚠️
Physical abilities reduced!
Status ailment 'Exhaustion' inflicted!
Red messages flashed one after another.
Their obvious nagging irritated him to no end.
I fucking know I'm screwed, okay?
Even the faint echo of Michael Jackson's song had faded away.
Is this it?
The sounds around him were growing quieter.
The blood was still warm, but he couldn't taste or smell it.
Loss of senses.
Bran knew better than anyone what that meant.
Death was leaning in to kiss him.
“Just... a little... longer...”
Bran mumbled.
The world darkened like a stage after the curtain fell.
“Fuck...”
Truth be told, making it this far was already a miracle.
Any normal person would have been a cold corpse long ago.
At least twenty weeks of recovery time, plus a shower in Harmeno's deadly poison—and still clinging to life.
But he couldn't give up.
“I'm... going to... live...”
I'm a weed.
Even if I'm cut and trampled, I grow back. That's my one trick.
Bran repeated those words endlessly, desperately clutching the fraying thread of his consciousness.
Of course, it had little effect.
At best, it would delay death from seconds to minutes.
The damage etched into his body was too deep to overcome with words and will alone.
So what was the point?
He didn't know.
But he didn't want to resign himself to death.
He refused to end his life with platitudes like "I did my best" or "I lost, but I fought well."
To the very end, desperately.
Believing in miracles, thrashing until the absolute last moment. Just like the Nameless Hero.
“Live...!”
Even his voice was failing now.
Complete darkness enveloped the world.
His faint mutterings were about to snap—
.
.
.
Faint light of morning blesses you!
With the translucent message, his vision suddenly brightened.
“What?”
Bran raised an eyebrow.
The darkness had vanished without a trace.
A hazy glow, like a cloudy sunrise, shimmered over his skin.
Stamina slightly restored.
Temporary resistance to toxins acquired.
Athletic abilities greatly enhanced temporarily!
Messages popped up in sequence.
Bran slowly rose to his feet.
The stench of blood assaulted his nose. The slime dripping down his ankle felt disgusting.
His lost senses were returning one by one.
“It's tiring out too! Hold on!”
“Stay out of tentacle range!”
【Kirururururu!】
He could hear the Dementia Serpent clashing with the bandits again.
The melee raged on. Blood and flesh fluttered like petals.
Another new message.
While the blessing lasts, you may imbue physical attacks with morning's radiance.
Reading the description, Bran froze.
“This is...!”
He remembered seeing this text before.
The performance was incomparable—far weaker—but the essence was the same.
The unique skill of Radiant Holy Knight Astreia: Morning's Blessing.
In all of Black Stone Fortress, only one person could use it.
“B-Bran! You're awake!”
Suddenly, a tearful voice rang out from the control room.
Bran whipped his head up.
It was the fifth-floor command center.
Through the shattered window stood a blond boy.
He was waving his arms energetically and jumping up and down like a total goofball.
“I-I thought you were dead! You weren't moving at all...!”
“Kael.”
“Run away now! If they catch you, we're all dead!”
“How are you...?”
Bran's eyes widened.
It was unmistakably Kael.
Why was this kid—who should be on the ground level—up here?
He had a ton of questions, but none of that mattered right now.
“You did it.”
Bran grinned.
Kael's hair was emitting a dim glow.
Proof that he'd awakened his divine power.
Raweina's grace enveloped him.
And that wasn't all.
Returned from the brink of death! Overcame hardship, activating Tenacity of the Weed!
Mental Strength, Muscle Strength, and Endurance greatly increased.
The Nameless Hero's unique trait triggered, massively boosting his key stats.
He'd basically died and come back, so it counted as hardship, naturally.
The surge was so significant he felt it immediately.
Vitality returned to Bran's eyes.
He slapped his cheeks with both palms, then snatched up a longsword from the floor.
“Good.”
It was some nameless bandit's relic.
He'd overcome the immediate crisis, but his deadline hadn't changed.
To truly survive, he needed to deal with the serpent and Delgato first.
“A sword, huh.”
He'd never handled such a long blade before, but he wasn't worried.
What was there to fear after dying and coming back?
Spinning the sword once, Bran let out a short kiai.
“Hup!”
He kicked off the ground and charged.
Kwang!
The distance closed in an instant.
Even accounting for his boosted stats, it was ridiculously fast—thanks to Morning's Blessing.
This weakened version was still worlds apart from having none at all.
“Shit, what's that brat?!”
“What? Brat?”
Only then did the bandits notice Bran.
He ignored their idiot shouts.
The Dementia Serpent was coiled up, weathering the assault.
【Kiriririk! Kirik!】
Fortunately, the bandits were holding its attention.
Even after that bloody fight inside the Harmeno vine, it ignored him—beast was beast, after all.
Bran's target was clear.
The last remaining eye bulged from the upper part of its elongated body.
Kwajik!
Gripping the hilt with both hands, Bran leaped onto the serpent.
“Haaap!”
【Kireuk?!】
A faint light crept up the blade.
The moment the eye turned toward him, he slashed.
Shwaaaaak!
The blade that severed the eye emerged from the opposite side of its body.
【Kiririk...!】
“One down.”
Bran landed.
The bisected body collapsed, spewing a fountain of silver.
The Dementia Serpent was done for. It would just take time to die.
As he shook the blood from his sword, a horrified scream erupted from across the room.
“H-How...! W-What is this?!”
Delgato.
Seeing the halved serpent, he was in full panic.
Bran charged him immediately.
He had to finish before the blessing wore off. Delgato was weakened from his injury anyway.
If he couldn't take this guy out too, Kael's blessing would just be a fleeting last gasp.
Delgato, facing Bran, gasped.
“You...”
He recognized him.
Bran didn't care—he accelerated.
Delgato should've been more rattled, but as a seasoned fighter, he countered swiftly.
“Do you even know what you've done?!”
Delgato bellowed.
His polite facade finally cracked.
Kwang!
Delgato lunged forward, sweeping his war hammer wide in a horizontal arc.
It was a familiar pattern—one that squeezed tears from noobs.
A clumsy response would shatter your weapon—and you—along with it.
Kwaaaaa!
The crow engraved on the hammer head rushed at Bran.
“Hup!”
But Bran's movement exceeded Delgato's expectations.
No block.
No thrust.
Thung!
Like a high jumper, he stabbed the longsword into the ground and vaulted.
The swung hammer struck empty air.
A shadow loomed over Delgato's face.
“What.”
Delgato's eyes widened.
Too late to counter. His side wound had dulled his mobility.
He desperately raised the hammer shaft to defend.
“You bastard!”
Smart move.
The solid steel shaft could block most attacks.
But Bran had no intention of holding back.
As he gripped the hilt tightly, the light flowing along the blade intensified.
Morning's Light enhances Heavy Strike!
Time to pour everything into it.
Activating Heavy Strike, Bran flipped forward in midair. Acceleration piled onto the slash.
Squeeee!
The sword, infused with morning light, trailed golden afterimages as it descended.
“What...!”
Delgato's eyes bulged in horror.
He tried to shout, but Bran didn't stop.
The blade cleaved through the shaft and into his crown.
Kwaaaaang!
The sword emerged below his crotch and smashed into the ground.
“B-Boss!”
The bandits cried out in shock.
The vertical line bisecting Delgato slowly parted.
Spluuurt!
Blood and guts poured out. The halved corpse toppled to either side.
Almost simultaneously, the Dementia Serpent went still.
【Rurururu...】
Its final tentacle fell limp.
First otherworldly being slain. Resistance to all elemental damage increased!
Slayed the Dementia Serpent that gnawed on the vine.
The great tree Harmeno sincerely thanks you for your efforts!
Finally.