Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Lifting the Curse
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"Wait, hold on...!!!"
Seeing the light pouring from the cross, Chason shouted in a panicked voice.
Watching the black mist drain from his body, he clutched his face with both hands and sobbed.
"Please... just let my father go now."
"I can't..."
"You're the only one who can do it."
At that moment, Harterwin's hand gripped his shoulder.
[...My son.]
It was the eerie, gruesome voice of the dead, but to Chason's ears, it was simply the beloved voice of his father.
[Forgive me... for placing our family's curse upon you... to save your life.]
"Fa... Father..."
[I was so glad... to see you again...]
Clank—
He brought the tip of his [Seawater Sword] to his own chest.
[Don't... worry. There's no need... for you to do... something so cruel. With the curse... lifted... you can no longer... become the family head.]
Though his spirit was faint, his smile seemed perfectly clear.
[So... don't be sad. I'm just... going to meet... your mother...]
Stab—
Harterwin thrust himself onto the blade.
"Father!!!!!"
With Chason's cry, Harterwin's spirit scattered into ashes.
As Harterwin's spirit vanished, the torches lining the darkened hall walls ignited one by one with blue flames, illuminating the space.
As the first to conquer this uncharted area, his level shot up a whopping two stages.
-Whoa!
Luen had also reached level 44, and Setsuna jumped straight to level 15.
Sunlight streamed in through the windows amid the flames, as if the darkness had never been, bathing the city in beauty.
"...We're alive."
Luen collapsed, her legs giving out beneath her.
'A legendary rank title...'
Woojin stared at the details on the window, unable to close his mouth.
Not only was the stat boost double that of other titles at +10, but the traits and skill were all rare gems.
The stat and EXP boosts were nice, but being able to breathe underwater was a massive advantage.
The Labyrinth Tower had underwater floors, and the biggest reason parties wiped there wasn't monsters—it was drowning.
'Community posts mention items that slow breathing consumption...'
But even those forced you to surface eventually.
Exceed the time limit, and even top rankers dropped dead instantly.
Eliminating that constraint dramatically boosted clear chances.
'A new swordsmanship...'
Even just the first form was a godsend for Woojin, who only had Dragon Heaven.
Besides, the Bolton sword style was technique-heavy, the polar opposite of Dragon Heaven's raw power.
'This'll be useful in all sorts of ways.'
The downside was his Dexterity wasn't high enough for the rest.
"Hmm."
Raising Dexterity could unlock reaction-based traits like the one he'd just used, but sacrificing other stats for a few perks felt burdensome.
'If not from level-up points...'
There was one way.
Runes.
'If I go to that other world and farm runes...'
The thought drew a wry smile and a headshake from him.
'Am I losing it already? Forgot how close I came to dying? Kim Woojin.'
But it wasn't mere greed.
To conquer the top floor of that wish-granting tower, he'd have to go back eventually.
'Next time, prioritize runes.'
In the game, even low-grade runes were a hassle, but there, he could hunt in the Dark Forest for them.
'But what's this skill...'
Woojin tilted his head at the final skill.
'Slash spirits...? What does that mean?'
Destroy them? Purify them?
Unlike other skills, the vague description was annoyingly unhelpful.
"Too bad there aren't any banshees left on the first floor..."
The cleared mansion held no more monsters.
Waiting for respawns was an option, but the timer was too long.
'Once a day... Uncharted dungeons are different from regulars.'
"Gonna be packed from now on."
Woojin wondered what the community reaction would be.
'Good that Setsuna and Chason aren't counted in the party size... but the time sucks.'
Woojin frowned at the Dungeon Board record.
Waiting for the [Pilgrim's Cross] reset had eaten too much time.
'This'll get broken quick.'
Maybe wait a day for reset and reclear?
But then—
Ding—!
"...Huh?"
Conquered Black Mist without killing special NPC 'Chason'
Ding—
"Whoa!"
Woojin couldn't help but laugh amid the endless notifications.
It felt underwhelming after the legendary title, with just one trait as reward—but Woojin inwardly cheered at its description.
'Perfect for me.'
It was a tough journey, but the rewards were solid.
But the real prizes weren't over yet.
Click—
Woojin opened the chest left where Harterwin had vanished.
'The real rewards are in the warehouse.'
Woojin gripped the old key from the chest.
"You should have this."
He handed the uniform from the reward chest to Chason.
He had no interest in cosmetics, and while he could sell it dear to collectors, he wasn't that hard up for cash.
'Better with someone who truly values it.'
Chason's trembling eyes made the NPC feel oddly real; Woojin gave a wry smile.
"Thank you..."
Chason clutched the uniform to his chest.
"Sob... Hic..."
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
Woojin waited quietly as he wept.
"Someday... I'll repay this kindness."
"No need. Who knows if we'll meet again. Just live well."
"Thank you."
Chason nodded at Woojin's words.
Ding—
'...Hm?'
Woojin eyed the unexpected notice.
Evil Tail had no explicit favor system; it was known you didn't grind NPC affinity like other games.
'But with Chalsson before, and now this... there must be something.'
Not just quest grinding, but real relationships built on multiple factors.
Then Woojin glanced at Luen.
'Mercenaries get the worst treatment among NPCs.'
On the Central Continent, most hired them as meat shields.
"...?"
Luen tilted her head at his gaze.
"Nothing. Just... thanks."
"...Huh?"
Setsuna giggled behind her hand at Luen's baffled look.
Clank—
Woojin inserted the key into the massive iron door at the hall's rear.
"Let's see what's inside."
What treasures lay in a thousand-year family?