Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Episode 24
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“Urk! Brother, I... I can’t do it anymore...”
Thud.
“Quit your whining.”
Park Jeong-pil, who had been hauling the third wooden pillar, finally collapsed onto the ground.
I called it whining, but honestly, lugging three of those thick logs by himself was pretty impressive in its own right.
Of course, I’d only half-jokingly assigned it to him in the first place, so it didn’t really matter. The real heavy lifting would come from someone else.
“Just need to move them?”
“Yeah. Help out the twins over there. Once you’re done, we’ll start sparring right away.”
“Got it.”
Kang Han-cheol grabbed a wooden pillar without so much as a change in expression and began carrying it.
The number of trees Se-woon had felled was easily dozens, just by a rough glance—an astonishing amount. But with Kang Han-cheol, it wouldn’t take long to haul them all.
In fact, he was carrying two at a time, one tucked under each arm.
“Whoa, Oppa Han-cheol is seriously strong!”
“How many is that already? With this much, we could not only repair the fence but expand it too.”
The twins were getting excited too, chattering about what they could build now that they had so much material.
Watching them, Se-woon sheathed Durandal and stepped into the camp.
He’d already heard Park Jeong-pil’s report and was thinking ahead to the next spot.
“Urgh!”
“M-My arms have gone numb! This isn’t... no, right? Please...”
“Uwaaak!”
The makeshift infirmary the twins had set up.
It was little more than soft grass laid on the ground with a roof of twisted branches and leaves to block the sunlight, but that was it.
Having endured three waves without Se-woon’s help had led to more injuries than expected.
Yet there were no critical cases or fatalities, thanks to...
“Just hold on a moment! I’ll treat you as soon as I’m done with this one!”
...that woman darting frantically between patients.
Se-woon knew her well—they’d exchanged a few brief words before.
She was always at the forefront, treating the wounded last time too.
There were no proper tools here for treating anyone.
And yet, everyone she touched stopped groaning and relaxed into peaceful expressions.
In this situation, there were only two ways that could happen.
First, unlocking a unique ability related to healing.
Or second...
Being chosen by a constellation.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Constellation Bloodied Lion growls lowly while licking the scattered blood around Player Lee Ha-neul. Bloodied Lion.
Marbas, the Rank 5 Demon King.
Known as the Grand Physician of Hell, Marbas could inflict diseases that rotted the body from within—and conversely, heal wounds and illnesses.
As proof, wounds were visibly mending wherever she extended her hand, borrowing the constellation’s power.
She still seems inexperienced, but she’ll soon grasp the true nature of her ability.
She could barely wield the constellation’s power yet, but once she got the hang of it, she’d be a force in both healing and combat.
For instance, widening enemy wounds or worsening bleeding. Marbas’s power was notoriously brutal even among the Demon Kings.
She still needed help, though.
“Let’s split the work.”
“...And you?”
“I’ll handle the ones with severe external injuries. You take the feverish ones and internal damage cases. That’ll be most efficient with Marbas’s power.”
“How do you... Alright, got it.”
Se-woon approached the nearest patient.
He had Cure Light from raiding Mammon’s vault before, but that was just a 1-circle spell for minor wounds or stopping bleeding.
Not suitable for these serious injuries.
So...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Treasure Vault of Greed has been opened. [Heal] One of the White Tower's basic healing spells, so versatile and effective it's the most commonly used in the field. Time to use a new spell.
Heal, a 2-circle spell, should handle even fairly deep wounds without issue.
Bzzz!
“Ngh! Uh... ugh...”
As the spell’s light flared, the patient’s groans gradually faded.
Lee Ha-neul, watching, let out a small gasp of admiration.
“Your skills have improved even more. You were impressive before, but not this good.”
Of course she’d think that.
Heal was a 2-circle spell, leagues ahead of the 1-circle Cure Light in performance.
The downside?
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Healing spells do not receive the Black Tower's enhancements, so power boosts do not apply. Unlike Chain Lightning, Heal wasn’t boosted by the Dark Mana Circle. Or rather, the fact that its healing wasn’t weakened was a win?
That was thanks to his first circle, the Blue Mana Circle.
Without it, the healing might have been negligible or failed outright.
“Give it a little more time, and you’ll surpass me at healing.”
“Me?”
“Bloodied Lion. The constellation you contracted with is that powerful.”
“I only contracted because it promised healing magic like yours...”
“Marbas is one of the milder ones. Make it work.”
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Constellation Bloodied Lion scratches its mane, feeling oddly pleased at human praise. Constellation Raven with Bowed Head nods, thinking it’s a perfect title for Hell’s Grand Physician. Bzzz—
With so many injured, Se-woon cast Heal until his circle’s mana ran dry.
After a full round of the infirmary, the patients’ conditions had noticeably improved.
“Thank you.”
“Once my mana circle refills, I’ll do another round. Call if you need me.”
“Yes!”
A contractor of Marbas, huh.
The camp’s structure was turning out more solid than expected.
He hadn’t led it at all while climbing the rock mountain, so he hadn’t anticipated much change.
Next up...
Se-woon headed to his next stop—the place he’d wanted to visit first upon arriving.
Yoo Seo-ah’s sword looked pretty solid.
When Se-woon arrived, the twin blades Yoo Seo-ah wielded weren’t the cheap shortswords she’d bought with points long ago.
Coral-hued blades radiating sharp, vicious auras. Weapons made just for her.
Kang Han-cheol’s the same.
He mainly fought barehanded, but his fists were no longer bare.
Scarlet leather gloves made from wolf hide, studded with sharp bone fragments—enough to slice enemy flesh with a punch.
And greaves to boost his kicks’ power.
Where they’d gotten such gear was obvious without asking.
“Elder.”
“Oh, you’re here.”
Soldier with Golden Crown.
Berith, Rank 28 Demon King—the one who’d taken an interest in him. Go Chang-seok.
Clang, clang!
He was still swinging a hammer at something furiously.
But the sound wasn’t like striking metal.
A bit rougher?
Looking closer, he was sharpening bones from a freshly hunted Red Monkey—god knows when he’d gotten them.
With long wooden poles prepped nearby, he was clearly making bone spears.
“Oho! What’s this? That sword!”
A true blacksmith.
Go Chang-seok spotted the change in the sword at Se-woon’s waist instantly. He dropped his tools and hurried over to inspect it closely.
Unable to ignore the piercing curiosity, Se-woon reluctantly drew the sword for a proper look.
He knew it was pure curiosity, not greed.
“Same essence, but the power infused is totally different—you’d believe it! What’s the material to make it this sturdy?”
Ting—
Not content with looking, he flicked the blade to test its resonance and strength.
Leave him be, and he’d stare at Durandal all day. Se-woon cleared his throat and sheathed it.
“You’ll poke a hole through the sword at this rate.”
“Hrm. I wondered where you’d gone, and you come back with a treasure like that.”
“The gear everyone’s wearing—you made it, right? All from monster materials.”
“The constellation watching me? He liked this sort of thing.”
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Constellation Soldier with Golden Crown gazes down at your sword in great admiration. Soldier with Golden Crown, Berith.
Fitting for a Demon King, he was more skilled with monster materials than plain metal.
Though rare ores like adamantium or orichalcum would be another story.
“So, what brings you? That sword doesn’t need sharpening.”
“First, take a look at this.”
Se-woon pulled out a material.
A dark gray stone.
At a glance, like any old rock tumbling around the mountain—but Go Chang-seok recognized its value immediately.
“Ho, quite the unique ore.”
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Constellation Soldier with Golden Crown strokes his golden crown habitually, noting it’s decent material. The ore Se-woon pulled out was the Giant Rock of Monkey Rock Mountain.
Obtained from slaying the rock mountain’s boss, Monkey Climbing the Cliff.
Once the tower proper began, rarer ores would outshine it—but in the tutorial, it was top-tier.
“I’d like you to make some armor with this.”
“Hmm, armor. The cloak wasn’t enough?”
“It’s good, but cloaks can’t block every kind of attack.”
Against the bats on the rock mountain, Se-woon had used Lizardman Scales to cover his cloak’s blind spot: his abdomen.
The scales’ defense was solid, but as a last resort.
Even in the tutorial, a boss or named monster could pierce them easily.
Se-woon wouldn’t just take hits, but insurance for the unexpected was wise.
“Alright. I’ve made weapons for the camp already, so I’ll get on it.”
“Before the next wave?”
“Next wave? Then the time left...”
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Tutorial First Act – Adaptation Time until 10th Monster Wave: 22 hours 03 minutes The final wave, indeed.
Previous waves gave at most half a day; this one granted a full day.
Still, tight for a craftsman to make proper gear.
“Hrm, more time than usual. Something urgent?”
“Yes.”
The tutorial’s first act finale.
Yoo Seo-ah and Kang Han-cheol had grown stronger than expected, but facing the last wave was a stretch.
Failure wasn’t in Se-woon’s vocabulary, though.
“I plan to go a bit wilder in the next wave.”
“Wilder than that? Guess I’ll have to make some sturdy armor.”
To minimize camp casualties, the fight ahead would be tougher than anticipated.