Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: It's Fine Because I'm a Genius Even on a Time Limit
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Before [Epic of Balance] officially launched, in a rundown gukbap joint in Seoul.
Yoo So-young handed me a rough draft, asking for feedback.
At the time, I was encountering this world for the first time as a pure reader, and my somewhat dissatisfied first impressions were about the guy.
“Eh, isn't he too bland for a protagonist?”
“Who? Baek Sa-young?”
“Yeah, he's nice and all, but he's just so clumsy and frustrating... No appeal these days. This kind of protagonist.”
“Yeah, fair. But hey. *Slurp slurp.*”
Yoo So-young, who had been shoveling spoonfuls one after another, wiped her mouth and pointed alternately at the gukbap and the soda as she continued.
“Between these two, which one feels more like the main event?”
“Gukbap and soda? Obviously the gukbap.”
“Baek Sa-young is a gukbap kind of character. No fizzy kick like soda, but the longer it simmers, the more its true flavor comes out. And...”
Yoo So-young paused for a moment and gulped down some plain water instead of soda.
“Ahh—man, too bad it's not soju. If it weren't for this manuscript, I'd crack open a bottle,” she rambled on with that kind of small talk before saying,
“Baek Sa-young has one secret.”
It was a concept from her head that wasn't in the draft.
She rambled on about a setting closer to wild speculation.
It was something like a legend that had been erased from the world's lore.
The tale of the strongest clan, one even the arrogant top ten noble houses had to bow their heads to...
I listened intently because it piqued my interest, but I had no idea it would be my last chance.
Right around when we got into the main storyline part, Yoo So-young vanished.
.
.
The flashback faded into the back of my mind as my vision gradually brightened. Once my focus sharpened, I realized a pair of deer-like eyes was gazing down at me.
“You okay?”
I grabbed Baek Sa-young's outstretched hand and pulled myself up.
The embarrassment of having sprawled out alone melted away like snow the moment I took in the changed surroundings.
A stifling heat that caught my breath and a dry wind whipped across my face, while the barren land devoid of any vegetation stretched out in all directions, blanketed in sand.
“A desert? It's insanely hot.”
Baek Sa-young wiped the streaming sweat from his face and tossed aside the top of his training suit.
I tried to wipe away my own sweat...
[Leather Coat's temperature regulation function activates.]
...Oh, right. I'm fine.
I'd been so distracted by the scenery that I'd almost forgotten.
A quick pat-down confirmed it—my body felt as fresh and fluffy as right after a shower.
“Not hot?”
“Not really.”
“For real. How are you not sweating a single drop?”
Baek Sa-young stared at my face intently before nodding as if he'd figured it out.
“Blocking the heat with mana? That's supposed to be really advanced stuff.”
“What are you talking about?”
I took the lead before Baek Sa-young could form another weird misunderstanding.
“Where are we headed?”
Ah, did the Special Forces not tell him?
Well...
Come to think of it, they hadn't. They'd only discovered it—they hadn't gone inside.
Still, the structure wasn't that complicated, so it shouldn't be an issue.
“If there's anything, it's probably over there.”
I casually extended my hand toward the edge of the desert.
I pointed at the rock mountain that soared endlessly toward the sky.
Fitting for the resting place of the protagonist's armament, its peak—ringed by a halo of clouds—was occasionally wrapped in flashing sparks, exuding an ominous aura.
Baek Sa-young stared at it with newly widened eyes before hurrying after me.
“Looks like it. Let's hurry.”
We crossed the desolate wasteland, making for the rock mountain.
Thanks to my coat, I was in my usual state, but Baek Sa-young pressed on, enduring the harsh environment with his whole body.
After about twenty minutes...
The pace naturally slowed at the sudden sense of an unfamiliar presence.
I sensed they were coming and warned Baek Sa-young.
“Something's underground...”
But before I could finish, it happened.
*Rumble rumble rumble.*
A hulking stone mass burst through the shimmering ground cover...
A grotesque figure made entirely of rock rose up and charged straight at us.
*Shing—*
Baek Sa-young swiftly drew his sword and thrust it forward.
The blade traced a perfect arc, piercing the thing's abdomen.
*Squelch—*
But the opponent was a guardian of the armament.
A pure aggregate of mana—an mindless combat weapon.
*Creak—*
It nonchalantly gripped the sword lodged in its gut.
It yanked the blade deeper toward itself and advanced without hesitation.
White light erupted from its back as its mouth gaped wide—*crack*—and in that instant, a sharp metal spike shot out, burrowing toward Baek Sa-young's chest.
It was too sudden for an easy counter.
*Clang!*
But I wasn't about to stand by.
I hurled my dagger in a flash, batting aside the spike, then twisted its path to skewer the thing's maw.
“What the—?”
Baek Sa-young, startled, slashed diagonally downward, cleaving the creature's torso and kicking it away.
But it wasn't over yet.
The bisected body was instantly enveloped in white light and regenerated rapidly.
“You can't kill it with basic attacks.”
To block its core from recovering, I unleashed a flame bullet.
Ever since browsing the 2-star Fire Control Technique, my understanding had surpassed 90%, and with the buff of pure mana woven in, the flames that engulfed it burned fiercer than before.
*Whoosh!*
It halted its regeneration and slumped like a dead rat.
Seizing the lull, I told Baek Sa-young,
“It's a golem.”
“A golem?”
“Hold on.”
I approached it and triggered appraisal.
[Name: Low-Grade White Golem]
[Attribute: Metal (100%)]
[Description: A combat weapon created by magic. It has tremendous regenerative power and endurance, making it quite the nuisance, but exploiting its attribute makes it surprisingly easy to take down.]
Not only did it confirm the info, but it hinted at the existence of other attribute golems yet to appear: fire, water, wind, earth, wood.
“You don't know too much about this?”
Baek Sa-young asked in wonder, but I summed it up in one line.
“You know I have a big interest in monster studies.”
“Oh, right. But this...”
Baek Sa-young's lips twitched like he had more to say but was too embarrassed to voice it, so I did it for him.
“It's a matchup in your favor?”
“...Yeah. My trait. You know it.”
He scratched his nose sheepishly, but it was the truth.
Since he could wield all basic attributes, no matter what golem showed up, he could counter it with its weakness.
It wasn't coincidence—it was by deliberate design.
The Demonic Space itself was a kind of proving ground...
A place to confirm if the clan's pureblood heir was worthy of the armament.
Thus, Baek Sa-young had to pass three trials.
He had to prove the clan's first bloodline trait, 'Attribute Conversion,' through the golems—
Prove the second bloodline trait, 'Martial God Body,' by scaling the rugged rock mountain amid the harshest temperatures—
And earn recognition of his overall combat prowess in the final boss fight.
Only upon passing all three would the vanished clan's contingency activate.
Only then could he claim one of their heirlooms.
“Good thing you came along. If I'd charged in blindly, I'd have been in real trouble.”
“You know it.”
In the original story, you'd struggled for quite a while.
“I'll take point from here on.”
Baek Sa-young clenched his fist tight and strode ahead.
That chance came sooner than expected.
*Grgrrr—*
Not long after, the ground trembled, and Baek Sa-young's sword gleamed in a rainbow of colors.
* * *
We encountered all sorts of golems on the way up the rock mountain.
Red, green, blue, yellow...
Each time, I identified the attribute and relayed it to Baek Sa-young, who flaunted his prowess like a fish in water.
I could have handled any basic attribute using my manifestation power—limited to spells—but I kept it hidden.
It was the exclusive domain of the 'Lost Clan,' after all; I didn't want to arouse needless suspicion.
So I only stepped in for fire, water, and wind.
I unleashed my pent-up strength during the mountain climb.
Baek Sa-young was the one being tested, but we still had to ascend together.
“Huff... huff...”
But I hadn't expected it to be this bad.
I'd gained confidence in my stamina lately, and the coat's effects were nothing to scoff at, so I'd climbed with some assurance.
Yet every step felt like scaling a near-vertical 90-degree cliff...
[Stamina reduced by the influence of an unknown force.]
[Strength reduced by the influence of an unknown force.]
.
.
On top of that, the bizarre debuff etched across the entire rock mountain kicked in.
My body went limp like it had absorbed water, and with every step, it felt like invisible hands were yanking at my ankles.
I squeezed out every last ounce of strength to make it midway...
But after that, it was beyond my limits.
So I shelved my pointless stubbornness.
“No good. You go on ahead.”
“You beat? I can push from behind...”
“No. Go. That's how you help.”
I stubbornly sent Baek Sa-young on alone despite his reluctance.
Just as his silhouette faded at the edge of my vision...
*Whip!*
I fired a silk thread with crisp efficiency, closing the gap in one bound to catch up.
“Should've done this from the start.”
Trying to keep up proper had been hubris.
When you got down to it, Baek Sa-young was wrapped in his own cheat item, the 'Martial God Body.'
So we each did it our way.
He advanced steadily in his manner, while I took it easy and caught up in one go...
We scaled the mountain nonstop for half a day like that.
At some point, the golems that lunged sporadically stopped appearing, the blistering sunlight dulled, and my vision began to dim.
The end was drawing near.
As I sensed the final trial approaching...
Baek Sa-young, walking ahead, suddenly dropped low and beckoned me over.
When I drew close, he spoke in a voice stiff with confusion.
“Are there giant golems too?”
“Giants?”
No way.
According to the original, the final trial pitted him against six mid-grade golems.
Bigger and stronger than the low-grades, naturally—a grueling 1-vs-6 that dragged on for over two hours, as I recalled.
But a giant?
“You sure you didn't missee? Biggest they'd get is Lee Dae-ho size.”
“No way. Looks over 5 meters easy.”
“Maybe riding an ostrich. Or a combiner?”
“Huh?”
“Nah, must be a trick of the distance. No golem like that.”
I chuckled and crept forward stealthily.
Peeking out, I spotted a Greek-style temple of white marble, and at its entrance...
“What.”
But I couldn't help tilting my head in that instant.
Just as Baek Sa-young said, no sign of the six final boss brothers—only a single one.
A colossal golem, its entire body pitch-black and ominous like some evil deity, stood there imposingly.
“No way...”
“Why? What's wrong?”
I waved it off, then stared ahead with a faint hope.
.
.
But no reaction.
Meaning this anomaly was caused by me—not 4885's intervention.
Anomalies at every turn; by now, even breathing felt burdensome.
Then it hit me—a difference from the original and one resulting hypothesis.
What if...
I'd entered purely as a supporter.
But what if the Demonic Space recognized two heirs?