Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Ranged Weapons and Goblin Guests
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After that embarrassing exchange, Shin Somi excused herself for a moment, saying she had other business to attend to. Yoo Seongwon, meanwhile, writhed and squirmed like a caterpillar spinning its cocoon, as if his mental resistance simply couldn't withstand the first confession-like words he'd ever uttered in his life.
Still, on one hand, a sense of relief settled in one corner of his heart from the satisfaction of having finally done what needed to be done.
"I'm disappointed, mister. I thought this time you'd finally let me call you Dad."
As Yoo Seongwon floundered about not knowing what to do, Ayoung approached and looked down at him with pitying eyes.
She must have heard everything despite stepping away.
Yoo Seongwon uncurled from his grub position and shot to his feet.
"There are circumstances."
"Is there something wrong with my mom?"
"No, the problem's with me. Ah! And it's not some physical defect or anything! Don't look at me like that! It's just confusion from a guy who's lived alone from the orphanage up to thirty-two, only now starting to figure out how to even understand the concept of family!"
"Just live together if your hearts align. What's so complicated~"
Shin Ayoung stared at him with utter incomprehension, but he couldn't relate at all.
Having grown accustomed to solitude and living by the philosophy of "whatever happens, happens," the very idea of family was utterly alien to him.
Unable to understand his dilemma, Shin Ayoung spoke casually, but Yoo Seongwon—filled with anguish and stung by her bluntness—blurted out something that crossed the line.
"You might end up like your real dad that way, so shouldn't you think about it? It's because she's someone I've been with before, so I'm being extra cautious. Just leave me be for a bit."
"Ugh, you got me there. No comeback to that."
"Ah, sorry. I think I went too far. Anyway, that's enough on that topic. I saw your combat position's completely changed?"
It was a conversation he'd already had with Shin Somi, but Yoo Seongwon went over it again with Ayoung, expressing his gratitude to her as well.
It was true that she'd filled in his weak spots, allowing him to fight without worry, and he emphasized just how important their presence had become.
"...So in conclusion, your new position perfectly covers my shortcomings, which means I'll reinforce that. In other words, is there anything you need?"
"The armor you're wearing, mister!"
"That's soulbound, so I can't give it even if I wanted to. No, I really do want to..."
That damn armor came back on its own no matter how many times he tossed it away, so no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hand it over.
Still, from the nuance of her words, it was easy to guess she needed defensive gear.
"You need armor?"
"After getting cut off from my constellation, all my internal energy and qi-related skills vanished, so I can't control the Phoenix Dance flames anymore, and my clothes just burn up. I've tried heat-resistant materials and runes, but nothing works. So I need good armor."
"Hmm~ Well, let's see what we can do. Hang on... Ah, here it is."
"Consultation?"
Without answering Shin Ayoung's question, Yoo Seongwon immediately stood from his chair, slipped on the ring blessed by the Slaughter King, and summoned Voxy, the merchant under the Slaughter King's command.
The fox beastkin recognized Yoo Seongwon, whom she hadn't seen in ages, and bowed with joyful eyes.
Seeing this, Shin Ayoung yelped in surprise at the monster's appearance and scurried behind Yoo Seongwon.
[Kyuu! Long time no see, Mr. Yoo Seongwon. I heard the news. Congrats on taking down Lord Legorn and now even Lord Remrem. And so soon after, you've become the hero's face? I'm falling for you~ Kyuu!]
"Cut the lip service and buy up Remrem's materials. I've got 'em to sell. Oh, and do you take the gear she was wearing?"
[Of course! As an apostle of Lord Slaughter King, it's protective gear he made himself! I'll handle it right away! Kyuu!]
Familiar with him as she was, Voxy swiftly collected the materials and gear Yoo Seongwon offered and settled them into points on the spot.
Combined with what he had before, it totaled 74,300 points.
Remrem had fetched a higher total than Legorn, despite Legorn yielding slightly over 50,000.
"Well, the pricier the better for me..."
[Thank you so much for the business again. Kyuukyuu! May I go now?]
"No, now that I've earned points, time to spend 'em. No Remrem skillbook dropped this time—got anything? I want to learn that Counter Remshield."
The skill that "reflected enemy attacks" was incredibly appealing, so Yoo Seongwon asked, but Voxy shook her head with a regretful expression.
[Kyiing~ That's a direct authority granted by Lord Slaughter King himself, so there's no separate skillbook.]
"...Yeah, figures they wouldn't sell off a cheat skill like that. Alright, gear first then. Any skills or equipment that can control Phoenix Dance flames? She learned it, but the fire makes it hard to use."
[Kyaaang? To learn 'Phoenix Dance' in the first place, you need qi body techniques or fire affinity aptitude... How'd you manage it?]
"I had the class when I learned it... but recent changes..."
[Kyaaang! Well, it happens with those guided by 'constellations' or sudden class changes. In that light, 'Phoenix Dance' is too good to waste, so I'll find something right away.]
With that, Voxy began rummaging eagerly, opening and closing her inventory dimensional gate, setting items down one after another.
Skillbooks were a given, along with transparent orbs swirling with flames, chunks of weird lizard meat, scales, and all sorts causing chaos as they spilled out.
Armor appeared too, but its overly flashy designs bred more aversion than appeal.
"There's a ton... Anyway, you know your body better than I do, so pick from these. I'll shop for myself and your mom on the side."
"Huh? Okay! How many can I get? I want some for Mom too..."
"Aim for about 30,000 points. I'll consult and pick something useful for your mom, so don't worry."
"Yay! Thanks, Dad!"
"...Not yet!"
Leaving Ayoung happily browsing Voxy's wares, Yoo Seongwon began considering shopping for himself and Shin Somi.
His stamina and fatigue issues for sustained combat—his perennial weak point—had long been supplemented by choosy skill picks, so what he needed now was a different kind of weapon.
"Bluntly put, I need ranged weapons. I've got a dragon mount that can fly! But with just this one weapon..."
It was a problem he'd mulled over for a while.
He'd shelled out points and learned the skill to summon and ride Eldraen, but with limited weapon reach and ranged attack options, he'd mostly used her magic and presence to hold the rear rather than riding into stylish combat.
"I even tried bows and guns... but my traits won't let me. Still, I need ranged capabilities..."
[Can't you learn magic?]
"I could, but there's way too much I need..."
Unlike martial talent skills that solved everything at once, magic was a different story.
His stats were plenty, but from mana sensitivity onward, the required skills were endless.
With combat skills like Heavenly Sword Army activation already stretched thin, magic naturally got shelved.
Plus, even if he learned spells, without the brainpower for countless "calculations" and mana-weaving formulas, it'd just be for show.
'And anyway, Eldraen's got most decent spells covered, so no real need.'
[Kyarrung~ How about spears then?]
"Spears? But from dragon-back, they'd need to be insanely long."
[Ah, no. I mean 'javelins.' That should skirt your ranged weapon ban. Even 'knights' used them.]
For humans—the animals most adept at 'precisely targeting points'—'javelins' had been one of the powers enabling fights against mighty beasts since prehistoric times.
Bows came later, but factors like hard-to-source materials, separate arrow crafting, and steep mastery curves kept 'javelins'—easy to make and dual-use as melee—in play in certain civilizations long after bows appeared.
Knights also hurled them from horseback into enemy lines, so Voxy's suggestion piqued Yoo Seongwon's interest.
"Javelins, huh? Hmm, feels kinda caveman-ish. But yeah... regular ones have short range, so you'd need to get close to kill... Hey, got a spare spear lying around? Something to scrap?"
[Kyung! Yes, right here.]
"Let's see... Hmph!"
Screeeeech!
BOOOOM! Splashhhh!
Yoo Seongwon took the crudely wooden spear from Voxy and hurled it full-force toward the lake.
Air ripped with a shriek as a massive explosion erupted on the water, raining it down like a storm.
"Oh? No complaints? Bows or guns and it'd be all 'That's against knightly honor!' hysterics..."
[Kangkang! 'Swords' symbolize battle, victory, and authority, but 'spears' represent the soldier's weapon and civilization's guardian. In legendary heroes' tales, bows might be cowardly, but 'javelins' never were.]
"What kind of logic is that?"
Either way, with his finicky traits staying silent, Yoo Seongwon no longer needed to agonize over ranged weapons.
He figured stacking javelins like missiles and tossing them one by one would suffice—then his own weapon came to mind.
"...Hold up! Got more of these?"
"'Titan Stakes'... Kyung! Kyuung! We do. They came in as spoils through various channels. Made of divine steel—heavy, tough—but unless you're a related constellation, you can't reforge 'em, and they're awkward to discard, so we've been storing them..."
"I'll take 'em all. As many as points allow."
[Thank you! Customer!]
Thrilled at unloading dead weight, Voxy wagged her tail furiously and piled Titan Stakes before Yoo Seongwon.
Just as he'd seen in the gear shop, they came in dedicated cases, totaling a whopping 15.
"This many?"
[Keyung~ No, this is just a fraction. Hundreds go into binding one titan, you know. They're surprisingly common. No one can use 'em, that's all. I could bring more, but didn't know how many you'd want..."
"I'll take 30,000 points' worth. Rest next time..."
[They surpass Legendary grade but with limited users, so deeply discounted: 3,000 points each! Ten in total! Thank you, customer!]
And so Yoo Seongwon acquired ten more Titan Stakes.
He then maxed out the remaining points: 30,000 for Ayoung's items, plus extras for gifts to Shin Somi, totaling a full 70,000 spent.
"Talk about a finisher weapon. Who needs missiles when you've got these?"
"That weight hurled around? Yeah, no missile could compete."
"Anyway, time to summon Eldraen and test 'em~"
Beaming, Yoo Seongwon called Eldraen at once, asked her to erect a barrier with magic, then drew a new Titan Stake and took aim.
True to 'stake,' it had a handle and a spear-sharp tip—perfect for throwing.
"Huu~ Deep breath~"
[Defensive magic deployed in seven layers. Ground's fortified too, so no burrowing worries.]
"Okay. Test one, incoming!"
Thud-crack-boom!
Confirming the barriers, Yoo Seongwon hurled the Titan Stake with full power.
It shredded the defenses and streaked away like a missile.
Yoo Seongwon glanced at a flustered Eldraen, who gaped in disbelief.
The stake was already gone, leaving only a distant glint.
"Whoa... that's a straight-up missile."
"...You said you put up defenses?"
[Didn't expect that raw power. Anyway... hop on.]
Agreeing with Eldraen, Yoo Seongwon mounted and flew to retrieve his stake.
En route, eyeing the missile-like gouges on the ground, he approved of the power but noted he'd need recovery methods.
He recovered the stake precariously embedded in a rocky cliff, returned, and flopped down to rest—only to find an unwelcome guest.
"...Yoo-cheong? Jinseok? What are you doing here?"
"The area was noisy, so we were patrolling to ensure no issues with Your Majesty's person."
"No problems. Actually, it's gotten pretty late... Time for dinner. Tell 'em I'm skipping that damn banquet or whatever... But why are these guys here?"
Beside Yoo-cheong and Jinseok knelt two familiar runts: the Goblin Emperor and mage goblin Mulblin, the former owners of this place.
They groveled on their knees like Yoo-cheong and Jinseok, awaiting an audience with Yoo Seongwon.
A bad premonition stirred, but with a sigh, he decided to ask anyway.