Chapter 60
Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Curse of the Bolton Family
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Evil Tail] had been in service for years, yet there were two stats that players had never fully figured out.
Faith and Dexterity.
Of course, based on their experiences so far, people had come up with some rough definitions for the two stats.
They mainly had a greater impact on NPCs than on players.
Faith was interpreted as willpower.
Thus, the higher one's Faith, the lower the chance of falling into status ailments like panic.
But conversely, high Faith tended to make someone prideful and stubbornly obstinate over trivial matters.
'That's why mercenaries with high Faith are rated as exceptional in combat but difficult to handle.'
Dexterity was literally skillfulness.
It was usually tied to skills—the higher the Dexterity, the faster one learned skills, and even the same skill would produce greater effects.
'To see a value over 100 in the Dark Forest. Well, now the key is what skills this guy has...'
Woojin checked the remaining list below Chason's status window.
Trait: Spirit of the Seafarer
▶ 10% increased damage against water-attribute monsters
Bolton Secret Technique
▶ The swordsmanship of the Bolton family, shaped like waves.
▶ Consists of three forms filled with feints, making it hard to learn but yielding superior results for those with exceptional skill.
- Dexterity 70+: 50% Attack Power increase
- Dexterity 80+: 80% Attack Power increase
- Dexterity 90+: 100% Attack Power increase
"Worth sparing and bringing along."
Woojin smirked as he looked at Chason's skill window.
"Use this. Better than nothing."
He picked up a rusty longsword that had fallen among the wreckage of the shattered ships and handed it to him.
"I promise. No matter what, I'll get you back home."
Woojin strode toward the pristine white lighthouse, answering Chason.
"Let's go check it out."
* * *
Flicker— flicker—.
It was dark, but finding the way wasn't hard.
The lighthouse beam kept shining as if beckoning the group onward.
'No entry notification yet, so it's not a dungeon proper.'
High chance it was a field dungeon, but no monsters in sight either.
'Guess we'll know once we enter the lighthouse.'
Woojin stood before the lighthouse, drew a deep breath, and nodded to Luen and Chason.
Clunk—.
Turning the doorknob, the rusted iron door opened smoothly, as if well-maintained.
"Never expected to meet anyone here."
That was when it happened.
The voice from beyond the door made the group instinctively reach for their weapons.
"Put your weapons away. No need to fight here."
As the door swung open, the lighthouse interior felt warm and cozy, unlike the dank black mist outside.
"...Hm?"
A neat bookshelf, a rug on the floor.
A fireplace crackling on the wall, steam rising from a kettle atop it.
"You must be the Great Sage Harper Gwain."
The white-haired handsome man lounging in the rocking chair gave a subtle smile at Woojin's words.
"You know me?"
"Heard about you from Charson in White Flower Valley."
"Charson... A welcome name."
'Met Harper Gwain, but no Great Sage quest completion.'
Woojin thought as he watched him.
'Linked quest, then.'
Harper Gwain gazed at the Lady anchored outside the lighthouse.
"A Bolton family ship. They've been to these waters before."
"Yes. We're here searching for Captain Hartwin, who vanished here five years ago."
"Five years... Don't you think he's long dead?"
"We heard from the crew. They said they escaped by sacrificing him. But no musk scent on his ship."
At that moment, Harper looked at Setsuna.
"Remarkable. Someone who can still wield an illusion fox... Impressive."
He rose and took blue leaves from a cupboard.
"Care for some?"
-Nom nom!
Setsuna devoured the leaves as if entranced.
"Leaves from the sweetgrass plant. Illusion foxes love them."
"Worthy of the title spirit dragon."
"Far from it."
Though he said so, the man seemed pleased by Woojin's words.
"Why are you here, though? Doesn't seem fit for living."
At Woojin's question, Harper handed him a teacup.
"Know about the black mist?"
"Only that only Bolton blood can enter."
"Long ago, there were those who sought to surpass the gods. The Boltons were among them."
Harper glanced at Chason.
"Great ones, but they crossed a line they shouldn't have."
"Tried to stand above the gods."
Harper's eyes widened in genuine surprise at Woojin's reply.
"Hah, a foreigner versed in continental history? Correct. The gods created beings infused with their will to punish them."
'Talking about Sarbandin.'
Woojin focused, sensing he might get a crucial clue.
"The gods birthed three animals bearing their will, swiftly punishing those who defied them."
Rumble rumble rumble...
A thunderous beastly roar echoed through the pitch-black darkness.
"The gods' might was immense, but humans were no pushovers. They slew one of the divine beasts."
"No way..."
"Yes, the Bolton family. The slain divine beast birthed the black mist, cursing them in turn."
Harper pointed out the window.
"That's the curse—the black mist."
Gulp.
Tension made the group swallow dryly.
"I've wandered the continent seeking curiosities. Found this here."
He pulled a weathered stele from a drawer.
"'The Bolton family can never escape the black mist.'"
He recited the inscription.
"Th-that can't be...! I was born and raised in White Flower Valley!"
"Yet here you are, in the black mist."
"What?"
"Your father, and now you—drawn to the black mist in the end."
Chason paled at his words.
"So what have you been doing here?"
"Guarding the barrier. Keeping the mist from spreading further."
"The mist... could spread more?"
"Of course. It's been growing, bit by bit."
If time passed and it reached the continent...
Horrific.
'Evil Tail's future is doom.'
Woojin recalled what he'd briefly forgotten.
"How to break the curse?"
"Simple, surprisingly. Eliminate the curse's source."
"The source being...?"
"Slay the Bolton lions trapped in the black mist."
[Great Sage → Curse of the Bolton Family]
Continue the quest?
As Woojin expected.
Quest: Curse of the Bolton Family
▶ Grade: B
▶ Slay the Bolton family's lions dwelling in the black mist and lift the curse.
"Where to?"
"Follow the lighthouse beam. But it won't be easy."
"Better than the mist spreading to the continent."
Harper's eyes changed at Woojin's response.
"A hero."
"Hero? Just an adventurer."
He pulled a sword from a box.
"Found this amid the shipwrecks."
Name:Seawater SwordGrade:A
Description:Heirloom of the Bolton family.
Forged from purified seawater, it holds holy power.
Doubles power when used by one who masters the family secret technique.
Smooth blade, untouched by time despite being an heirloom.
"You should use this instead of that rusty thing."
Woojin handed the [Seawater Sword] to Chason.
"Follow the lighthouse light. What you seek lies at its end."
"Got it."
"Even if you're just an adventurer now, lifting the curse and banishing the mist... That would make you a true hero."
Harper said to Woojin as he stepped out.
"Even the dragons would take notice."
Woojin paused at his words.
'...He knew.'
A Great Sage indeed.
For some reason, he knew Woojin was on the Dragon Lord quest.
"Wonder if you're one of those dragons."
"Who knows. But... ever notice? Dragons love spectacles."
Harper bowed with an enigmatic smile at Woojin's question.
"And nothing fascinates them more than a hero's journey."
"Good answer."
Woojin moved on.
At the harbor's end, the black mist thinned.
"This is..."
Shock spread across the group's faces.
They stood atop a high cliff, a massive city sprawling below.
The dungeon entry alert had rung clear.
Not a field dungeon.
Yet...
"What the hell? It's huge!"
Woojin was just as stunned as the others.
A city encircled by towering walls.
He hadn't seen the central continent, but even Parta, the Dark Forest's largest, paled in comparison.
"Look! Lights over there!"
Luen pointed at streetlamps dotting the city and shouted.
"Maybe people still live here?"
Chason looked at Woojin with hopeful eyes at her words.
"Who knows."
But Woojin's response was cool.
'City-type dungeon. If anyone's there...'
Just raises the monster odds.
"People would be nice."
Woojin replied without much hope.
At that instant, light flashed atop a mansion at the city's far end.
Rumble rumble rumble...!!
Simultaneously, the cliff beneath them crumbled away.
"Watch out!!"
"Uwaaack?!"
Sliding amid collapsing debris, they tumbled down to the city walls below.
Splash... splaaash...!
"Ugh... What the—?"
Chason grimaced, shoving dirt aside and grumbling.
"...Whoa?!"
Suddenly, a fierce force yanked his body forward.
"Run—now!!!"
[A massive wave approaches.]
Kaboom boom boom—!!!
In that moment, a colossal torrent crashed from behind them.
[The city is sinking into the sea.]
▶ Time Limit: 20 minutes