Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Rune Dungeon Beckons
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There’s a saying that you don’t miss people until they’re gone, but you quickly notice when something’s empty. Still, the knights’ morale didn’t sink much just because Inerma had left.
Iris and Erika did voice some concerns once or twice, but that was it. According to them, since she’d chosen to leave the castle on her own, she must have her reasons, and they respected that.
When I’d said I was going off alone to take down the Headless Armored Knight, they teased me, saying they should’ve respected my choice too. Iris’s cheeks flushed bright red.
‘Well, my situation with Inerma is a bit different.’
I focused back on leveling up. My top priority was hitting level 20 to unlock a rune slot.
Sure, I could push the main story or throw down with bosses if I wanted, but I chose the safe path over the fast one.
This wasn’t a speedrun, and there was no one to praise me even if I cleared it quicker. Plus, I only had one life. With a safe route right there, I had no desire to court danger.
After that, I counted down the respawns of the trash mobs, and it took a full extra day before I finally reached that longed-for level 20.
[Stats]
[Level] 20
[Health] 1
[Mana] 1
[Faith] 1
[Endurance] 1
[Proficiency] 1
[Strength] 1
[Magic Power] 10
[Holy Power] 10
[Durability] 2
I dumped points into Magic Power up to 10, and put the last one into Durability. I didn’t need to invest much here—just enough to 7 later on for whatever weapon I wanted.
Now all that was left was waiting for Iris to mention the rune dungeon. Going there early wouldn’t work anyway, since it wouldn’t be open yet.
It was like a forced event, with no opt-out for the player.
Considering the Silver Dawn Knights route was designed for newbies just starting Brutal 4, spelling everything out like this was probably for the best.
“Sis, stop bothering the newbie. What are you doing, clinging to him like that since morning?”
On the evening I hit level 20, as we headed to the dining hall, Erika sighed deeply at Lize, who was plastered to my side.
Lize ignored her and kept poking my cheek with her finger.
“Bothering him? I’m servicing him with my whole body. Look, the newbie loves it. Right, newbie?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s great, so let’s just get to the dining hall already.”
They say humans are creatures of adaptation. Luckily, I’d built up a slight tolerance to Lize’s physical contact.
No matter what I felt inside, I’d reached the point where I didn’t show obvious fluster like before—I could play it cool. That was a real relief.
‘Though I still haven’t adjusted to the gap between her looks and personality.’
If she just kept her mouth shut, she’d seem like an aloof ice queen, cold enough that not a drop of blood would spill if pricked with a needle. Those actions suited Erika more, honestly.
‘Telling Erika that would get me punched.’
The fact that Erika treated me like her own sister was a sign we’d gotten pretty close, too.
Lize’s mix of charm and seduction continued all the way to the dining hall. Erika fussed, clearly embarrassed by her sister, trying her best to pry us apart.
Of course, it didn’t work a bit.
“Hey, newbie! Already walking around with two girls in tow? Quite the stud, huh?”
As we entered the dining hall, Claudia waved at us while chugging beer from a mug bigger than her head. There were already two more empty ones of the same size beside her.
‘That part’s just like the game.’
The NPC Claudia was based on was a hulking brute over two meters tall, with a straightforward, boisterous personality and a perpetual attachment to booze.
Her looks had changed from a burly, bearded dude to a slender-limbed, androgynous beauty, but unlike the other knight captains, her personality seemed unchanged.
Even if her hair was a cute, round bob in light pink, her eyes were light pink, and she wore dolphin pants in—you guessed it—light pink.
“Captain Claudia!”
Erika let out a squeak, suddenly lumped in with Lize. Claudia laughed it off heartily and gulped down more beer.
‘I wonder if she knows that’s really how it looks to others.’
The person in question was too busy prying Lize off me to notice, but from the side, it did look exactly like I had both Lize and Erika hanging off me.
Lize had picked up on it ages ago and kept quiet with a meaningful smile.
“Drink in moderation and keep your voice down, Claudia. And you, Lize—step away from the newbie now.”
Iris, who’d been quietly munching bread at the head table, finally spoke up.
The head seat was meant for Claudia, the Silver Dawn Knights’ number one in rank. But she’d given it to Iris because she found it uncomfortable and couldn’t eat there.
Unable to ignore Iris, Lize obediently stepped back a pace. Erika gaped in disbelief.
‘She says she doesn’t get hungry if she doesn’t eat, but won’t starve if she skips. What kind of logic is that?’
I grabbed a hunk of bread and a bowl of soup and headed to the table. Lize had already piled up seven loaves and three bowls of soup, munching away at her spot.
I sat next to her. Our seats were practically set in stone. Iris at the head, me and Lize on her right side, Erika and Claudia on the left.
No one had officially decided it, but with Iris at the head and Lize always next to me, it had become the unspoken rule.
“Oh, newbie. Before you get up, I have something to say. Wait a moment.”
As the meal—livened by Lize and Claudia—neared its end, Iris spoke up suddenly. I turned to her, curious.
“Do you happen to know about runes?”
‘Here it comes at last.’
The word “rune” straightened my posture instantly.
“That reaction says you do.”
“A bit.”
“Then this’ll be quick. We’re heading to a dungeon tomorrow. A cliffside collapsed, revealing a hidden dungeon there. The mana waves suggest a high chance of runes inside, or so they say. Aurora requested we investigate.”
Iris continued matter-of-factly.
This was the story for the first rune you get in the Silver Dawn Knights route: “Vitality Enhancement.” That’s why I’d waited for the mountainside to crumble and expose the dungeon before I could enter.
Runes were basically Brutal 4’s passives.
Once equipped, they gave near-permanent buffs until swapped or removed, and the difference with and without them was huge.
Combat fatigue alone could increase the gauge cap, reduce buildup per hit, boost natural recovery, and more—countless enhancements.
Especially in Darkest Light mode, where bosses threw ridiculous, modded patterns at you, proper rune use was essential.
“And so, if there really is a rune there, we knight captains already discussed giving it to you.”
“To me?”
It was unexpected.
In the game, the player went alone, and the captains stayed at the castle.
But here, we’d clearly go as a group, so I’d worried about rune ownership later. Turns out, it was settled simply. I was honestly a little surprised.
Iris nodded.
“I told you before. We plan to give you as much support as we can. Think of this as part of that. I can’t guarantee it’ll be useful since we don’t know what type it’ll be.”
‘Ah, right. They don’t know what’ll come out there.’
I knew it all by heart, but they wouldn’t grasp multiple playthroughs or anything, so they figured it was random.
“You don’t seem surprised at all. Don’t tell me you already knew about runes too, newbie?”
Lize, having polished off her mountain of bread and soup, looked at me with a clean plate and curious eyes.
How does she eat like that? She’s so petite, no fat anywhere—where does it all go?
*Jiggle.*
“…….”
Yeah, I got it now. I whipped my head away before Lize noticed my gaze. Too late, judging by the giggling beside me.
Iris, having finished speaking, picked up her empty plates and stood, adding one last thing.
“Any questions, newbie?”
“Nope, none.”
Why would there be? I grabbed my empty bowl and rose.
Now it was time to hunt the boss that had made me curse more than any other in Brutal 4.