Curse Application Method (3)
Uwaaaah—
The archer zombie saw me charging and retreated, firing arrows in rapid succession. Its firing speed was far faster than Oralisa’s, as if the undead archer had once been a skilled marksman in life.
“Hmm.”
I twisted my body mid-stride and dodged every arrow that whistled toward me. My instincts had already decided the path before my conscious mind could catch up, and my body obeyed without hesitation.
The arrows grazed my sides by the narrowest of margins, slicing air that still carried the faint chill of death.
“Hyach!”
Thud—!
I closed the distance in a blur and drove my sword straight into the zombie’s belly. The blade sank deep, then punched through its back hide and emerged on the other side with a wet crunch.
Uwaaaah—
Even as it died, the archer zombie kept loosing arrows. Zombies felt no pain; their bodies were already empty shells.
“That was quite the move.”
The decisive strike still fell short. I turned my head at the last second and let the arrow whistle past my ear.
It was the kind of flawless, theatrical kill that belonged in a funeral procession rather than a dungeon crawl.
Pleased with myself, I kicked the corpse away from my sword, then brought the flat of my blade down across its neck. The severed head rolled once before I stomped it flat.
Swaaaaah—
“...?”
A black, oily energy oozed from the archer zombie’s corpse, thick with revulsion. The energy split into four streams and shot toward the other four intermediate-boss zombies. Each was absorbed in an instant.
Kwooooooo—
Uwaaaah—
Kwaaaaah—
Ooooooo—
“… What a weird bunch.”
The four other zombies swelled as they drank the black energy. One had died; the rest were being reinforced.
“Why four? I took out the spear-user zombie’s head… Wait, no, the healer zombie.”
I had definitely bisected the spear-user’s skull. Yet the healer, hidden in the rear, had somehow kept it alive. The severed head never reattached, but the spear-user still moved with half its face missing.
“Thuk! Stringy bastard, damn it.”
The spear-user’s nose cavity gaped like a cartoon monster from that old webtoon drama. Its nickname had probably been “Stringy” or something equally ridiculous.
Kwooooooo—
Uwaaaah—
The half-truncated sword zombie and the curse-user zombie charged me. The only mercy was that the healer was still channeling magic into the spear-user; no spells flew at me.
Their speed had skyrocketed after absorbing the archer’s power.
“Damn things. Still… you aren’t the only ones with backup, right?”
“Uwooooooo!”
Kwaang—!
Abraham slammed into both zombies with his shield from the side. The impact sent the two undead tumbling together across the floor like tangled sacks.
“Alan, I’ve got your back!”
“Master, I will assist!”
“Oralisa is here too!”
While I handled the intermediate bosses, the rest of the party finished clearing the trash mobs and rejoined us.
“Kanisia! Oralisa! Take care of those two over there! Kanisia and Abraham, you’re with me on the rest!”
“Understood, Alan!”
“I obey, Master!”
I gave the orders and charged the two zombies still trying to rise.
Thirty minutes of brutal fighting followed.
Uwooooooo—!
The last sword zombie collapsed with a final, rattling cry.
*****
“Kanisia, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Talk? Sure, go ahead.”
We had finished the second underground floor and confirmed the stairs leading down to the third. We returned to the base camp.
While the fairies went to wash, I recounted my fight with the intermediate bosses to Kanisia.
“Is it even possible for the Gigaesingwan’s curse to produce this kind of effect?”
“Um… I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve seen it. But didn’t the boss say the curse was the type that expresses desire?”
“Yeah.”
“So a curse can actually boost stats like that?”
“Hmm…”
In Fairy Masters, turning combat senses into raw power through curses was never a system. But this world was different—real, not a game.
I had only been here a year. Kanisia, who had lived here much longer, would know the rules better than I did.
She didn’t seem to know about the method either.
'It’s not like there’s no way to get stronger through curses.'
It was possible. In the original game, some rankers had risen by using curses to strengthen fairies. To pull it off, a character needed at least four curse-related traits.
For example, the rare trait [Cursed One] would spike stats and skill damage when activated by a curse.
You could wipe out entire enemy parties in seconds, but the curse’s side effects hit your allies too. The thrill never lasted long enough to become a habit.
'But I’m not that type.'
I didn’t have [Cursed One]. My approach was different.
“Kanisia.”
“Yeah?”
“If I can use this properly… it could be useful, right?”
“What? Useful? What are you talking about?”
Kanisia’s face twisted the moment she sensed my tone. Before she could refuse outright, she spoke.
“You saw how I fought the bosses. Honestly, without the curse I don’t think I could have done it. But if I’m cursed, maybe I could take down even the Gigaesingwan easily.”
“Haa… Alan. That’s… I don’t even know how to explain this.”
She sighed and scratched her head, clearly struggling for the right words.
“So you’re saying it’s like a drug. If the curse makes me stronger, I could handle bosses easily. But the way you fought before… even if I told you to copy it now, you couldn’t.”
“But Alan, our goal isn’t just clearing the Catacomb. We still have to look ahead. What happens after we use the curse? Honestly, when you fought alone you were frustrated as hell, weren’t you? No curse.”
“… Yeah.”
I nodded without argument. Her words had hit home. My body had felt heavy, like sandbags tied to my limbs.
“What if we hit another dungeon later? You’ll feel that frustration again. How are you going to handle it then?”
“Then what…”
“Alan, I don’t have the words right now. But one thing is certain: getting stronger that way eats away at your real potential. It’s not your true power.”
“.....”
“You can train to move like you’re cursed. Besides, we’re growing naturally. You’re stronger now than before we met. Honestly, no one grows as fast as us in this world.”
There were plenty of people who grew faster if they had enough growth stones. But that wasn’t real power.
True strength was stats, traits, and skills working together in harmony. Overpowered stats without skill levels or traits just wasted potential.
Kanisia was trying to wake me up.
'Yeah… I get it. Even the orthodox way I can get strong enough. No need for shortcuts.'
I was strong enough already. The problem was there were simply more monsters who were stronger than me.
“Anyway, the method you’re suggesting is the opposite of what I think.”
“Hmm. If that’s your opinion, I understand.”
I nodded.
But I hadn’t completely given up on the idea. Using the curse was still a growth factor.
The Ferdium Empire, Palos’s Bird, and the 10-star Uroboros. Too many strong enemies. I was still too weak to beat them the hard way.
*****
“Uwaaaah! Home!”
The mansion felt like coming home after a week. Oralisa bounded out like an excited rabbit.
The rest of the party looked cheerful too. They hadn’t complained, but following my exploration style had clearly taken a toll.
Before pushing into the Catacomb’s third floor, we had taken a short break in Littleberry. The dungeon had been cleared for a while, and finishing only the third floor would wrap it up, so we needed a recharge.
We decided to rest fully for three days and clear the Catacomb completely.
“Then go in first and rest. I have something to do.”
“Montblanc?”
“Yeah.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“What together? It won’t take long. Go rest first. Aquaril, you go too.”
“Really? Then let’s go, Abraham.”
“Yes, Master.”
Kanisia nodded and entered the mansion with Abraham.
“I will serve, Master.”
“Go rest.”
“I’m not tired at all. I’m fine.”
Aquaril was surprisingly stubborn for a fairy. She refused the order to rest… How insolent!
“Yeah, then let’s go together.”
“Yes, Master.”
In the end, Aquaril and I headed to the guild run by Montblanc. On the way I chatted casually with her to pass the time.
We arrived, showed the pass, handed over every spoil from the Catacomb run, and received gold.
“Lord of the Mayami Guild, is she inside?”
“Yes. Did you make an appointment?”
“I didn’t, but please tell her I want to see her.”
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
We sat in the reception room with Aquaril. A staff member soon returned.
“Please come this way.”
“I’ll be back in a minute. Rest here.”
“Yes, Master. Please go.”
Leaving Aquaril behind, I followed the staff to Montblanc’s office.
“It’s been a while, Alan. How have you been?”
“.....”
Montblanc still looked beautiful after all this time.
“You haven’t been doing well, you damn woman!”
I strode over, grinning, and swung a fist at her.
'... I was about to say that~'
Of course, that was only in my head.
“Nice to meet you, Montblanc. You’re still as beautiful as ever.”
“Huhuh.”
It was still the time to fawn on her. Still.
---
The chapter continues with the waiting-room conversation, but the core exchange ends there as Alan and Montblanc speak privately.