Chapter 463: Another War Has Already Begun.
Chapter 463: Another War Has Already Begun.
『Eve’s Bloodline.』
4. At the wish of User Kim Hanbyul, a new condition has been unlocked by the power of Ganesha. This new condition allows for the designation of a stat to be lowered.
However, User Kim Soohyun does not have the right to choose which stat to lower; it has already been designated by Ganesha's will.
Upon selecting the fourth condition, User Kim Soohyun's Stamina stat will decrease by 2 points and then be converted back into 4 points. (All other conditions will apply as usual.)
User Kim Hanbyul's Amor Nuntios: This is the effect of a wish made solely for the sake of User Kim Hanbyul and User Kim Soohyun.
After leaving the second basement floor, I stared blankly at the message floating in the air.
Eve’s Bloodline had updated its conditions.
No, to be precise, it was more of an addition. The number of choices had increased from three to four.
It was a clear benefit. Activating the fourth condition would first lower my Stamina to 90 points. But the 2 points I lost would immediately be converted back into 4 points, and because of the condition, those doubled points could be used to raise any stat below 91.
In other words, I could raise my Stamina again, as it wouldn't be restricted by the condition. Ultimately, I could raise it to 94 points, which was a net gain of 2 points.
But that wasn't all. I currently had 6 free stat points remaining. If I added those, I could raise my Stamina to 100 points.
This meant that even if I couldn't reach the 101 points needed to fully handle Eternal Flame, I could still reach 100 points and achieve my Second Awakening.
—Ugh… Hey! Isn't there anywhere we can get two more points? Or even just one?
Eternal Flame had been groaning for a while, clearly disappointed by the situation.
Two points, or even one.
I sank into thought. But I opened my eyes almost immediately, as a way to get additional points had flashed into my mind.
The Steel Mountains.
All Users who conquered the Steel Mountains and entered Atlanta would be granted 1 free stat point. With that method alone, I could raise my Stamina to at least 101 points.
That meant using Eternal Flame to her full potential was no longer just a dream. My heart suddenly began to pound, and I found myself staring endlessly at my Player Status window.
Anyway, should I raise it to 100 for now?
—No. Don't raise it right now.
Huh?
—Do it later. In a quiet place where no one can bother you. Anyway, forget about it for now and let's just hurry up and go to that Steel Mountains place. Come on!
Fine, but you could at least give me a rough explanation of why.
“Oppa? Oppa?”
“Hm?”
Just as I was trying to calm down the insistent Eternal Flame, who was telling me to forget it and just go to the Steel Mountains, a voice called out to me again.
I looked up to see Yoojung, who was in the middle of stripping the gear from a dead User.
“I called you a few times, but you didn't answer. What were you thinking about? Were you thinking about how pretty my hair is? Hehehe.”
Yoojung teased, swishing her ponytail back and forth. I had to admit it suited her, so I gave a slight nod.
“Yeah. It is pretty. But what did you really call me for?”
“…Oh. It’s nothing, really. I was just wondering if it's okay for us to be doing this.”
“If it’s okay?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The moment I asked, an answer flew in from my side almost simultaneously. Glancing over, I saw Woo Jungmin with his arms full of equipment. In the swamp below him lay a User who was practically naked, also already dead.
“We’re the ones who cleared this ruin, so of course we have the right. It’s pretty much an unspoken rule in the Hall Plain. Isn’t that right, Clan Lord?”
“Ah… yes, that’s right. This can be considered part of our spoils.”
I immediately agreed with Woo Jungmin’s words, which seemed to be seeking my approval.
With the second basement floor cleared, the conquest of the Sleeping Dragon Mountains was essentially over. However, there were still things to take care of, so I had divided the clan members into three groups.
The first group, including myself, remained on the first basement floor.
We hadn't gone straight to the surface after coming up from the second floor. We needed to explain the situation to some of the awakened Users, and the equipment on the Users in the swamp was still intact. We were in the process of stripping and collecting the gear they had worn in life. This could be a major source of income, and sometimes, you could even hit the jackpot.
The second group consisted of just two people: Vivian and Helena.
I had left them on the second basement floor because of the Altar of Wishes. It had activated normally despite thousands of years having passed. Judging that it could be useful in the future, I gave Helena a special order: to seal the second basement floor securely and, just in case, to bring back any important device required for its activation.
I also planned to move the Altar of Wishes if the conditions were right, so I gave Vivian an order as well. She was already the de facto master of the Magic City Magia. If it could be moved, there was no more fitting place for it.
Finally, the third group was composed of Users with high Strength. I had sent them to the surface with Ahn Hyun and the other Users who had yet to awaken. Magna Carta's corpse was still on the surface, and that too was an important spoil to collect.
I’d seen them struggling to carry the sleeping Users up earlier, so they were probably in the middle of butchering the dragon's corpse by now. By the time the clan members left in the basement finished their work and went up, the butchering would be nearly complete. Then we could head back immediately.
“Oof.”
I straightened my back after stripping the gear from a man who must have arrived relatively recently, as his body was still in decent shape.
Looking around, I saw six or seven clan members diligently stripping the dead Users. Most of the corpses in sight were nearly naked. It looked like this task would be finished after one or two more trips.
Strictly speaking, this kind of work was hardly a pleasant process. In fact, it should have been at least a little unsettling, but I couldn't see a hint of that on any of the clan members' faces. On the contrary, I could occasionally hear them humming, seemingly excited at the thought of going home soon.
After gathering an armful of equipment, I started walking toward the outer edge.
With well over a hundred dead Users, there was a lot of gear, but we had the Chaos Mimics. I had brought the whole family—Papa, Mama, and Baby Chaos Mimic(?)—so we would have more than enough room for the equipment and the dragon's corpse.
Walking carefully so as not to drop anything, I began to see the outskirts of the area. A few Users who had woken up were sitting there blankly, with Ahn Sol alone comforting them. Next to them, Papa Chaos Mimic was breathing heavily, its body slightly bulging.
Just as I was wondering if it was time to take out Mama Chaos Mimic, one clan member caught my eye.
“……”
It was Hanbyul. Her hands were empty, as if she had just returned from the Chaos Mimic.
After watching her for a moment, I changed direction and walked toward her. I planned to thank her and, while I was at it, ask briefly what had happened.
However.
“Hanbyul-ah?”
The moment I called her name, Hanbyul’s head shot up to look at me.
“I, I… It’s…”
“Huh?”
After we made eye contact for about three seconds, Hanbyul suddenly whipped her head away. She muttered something in a whisper and then scurried off in one direction.
I felt completely bewildered as I watched her disappear into the distance. Why is she running away?
I was carrying a full load of equipment, including heavy armor, but my Agility was 98. Hanbyul’s Agility wasn’t bad, but it was far below mine. The thought, Where do you think you're going? crossed my mind, and I immediately started chasing after her.
Realizing I was chasing her, Hanbyul let out a gasp.
“Huh…? Uh? O-Oppa?!”
“Yeah? What?”
“W-why are you suddenly doing this?!”
“No, what are you doing? Just stop right there.”
But Hanbyul didn’t stop. Instead, she picked up her pace, now practically at a full sprint. So, I doubled my own speed to match hers.
Just as I felt the distance between us closing, I was forced to a sudden halt.
Splat!
“Kyah!”
With a short scream, Hanbyul tripped over a corpse and fell. She must not have been watching where she was going while running, because she made a small splash as she landed spread-eagled in the swamp.
“…Damn.”
For a moment, silence fell.
Hanbyul lay face down, still as a mouse, before slowly pushing herself up with both hands.
When she finally looked back at me, Hanbyul’s eyes were brimming with tears. Biting her lip, she sent me a resentful glare. I wasn't sure what, but I got the feeling I'd done something wrong.
“…Hic.”
“…Sorry.”
I turned around immediately. Then I trudged back toward my original destination, where Papa Chaos Mimic was.
Why is she crying? What the hell did I do wrong?
*
It took us about another hour to strip all the equipment from the dead Users. After receiving a progress report from Helena, who was in charge of the second basement floor, I gave the order to head to the surface.
When we arrived, we saw that the butchering process was, as expected, in its final stages. The clan members who participated seemed to have put in a lot of effort. The skull, torso, and wings had been dismantled one by one and neatly stacked by part. Only the very tip of the last remaining tail was left.
As I took the bag Hangyul handed me, I discreetly glanced to the side. I saw Helena Lu Ayens watching the dismantling with a pleased expression.
After a quick look around, I whispered in a quiet voice.
“How does it feel, seeing your own corpse? Is it unpleasant?”
Helena glanced at me and smiled beautifully.
“I’m just thinking how handsome my bones are.”
“Oh-ho. So it’s not that unpleasant for you?”
“Not really. I’ve already decided to live as a Great Hero. I don’t really feel that way, so please, make good use of them.”
“…If you say so.”
Helena shrugged. Relieved by her easygoing nature, I rummaged through my bag. Papa Chaos Mimic was full, so I had no choice but to take out the remaining ones.
But I couldn't feel them, so I peered inside. Tucked away in a corner, I saw Baby Chaos Mimic, with its mother covering it protectively.
Without much thought, I pulled out the Baby Chaos Mimic. The box's mouth was still tender, which made ripping it open all the more satisfying.
A moment later, as I lifted the Baby Chaos Mimic, I saw its mother come up with it, still clinging tightly to her young. She looked as if she were begging me not to take her child, but I callously pried the mother off.
I looked down and saw the Baby Chaos Mimic trembling, its mouth clamped shut.
I grabbed both sides of the Chaos Mimic's mouth and, with all my strength, ripped it wide open.
“Scree!”
Startled by the sudden scream, the clan members all turned to look at me with surprised faces. But they soon seemed to identify the Chaos Mimic, nodded, and went back to their work.
“Scree… Screee…”
“Shut up, you brat.”
Thwack.
“Screek!”
After punching the sobbing little one, I walked over to the pile of dragon bones. I grabbed one of the heaped bones, shoved it deep into its mouth, and shouted.
“Alright, everyone. Once we pack this up, we can finally leave. Clan members who didn't help with the butchering, please give me a hand.”
The clan members rushed over in a flash and began grabbing bones and stuffing them into the Chaos Mimic. Some of them seemed eager to leave, and I could see a few hands hastily cramming the bones inside.
“Scree-ek… Scree-ek-ek…”
Amidst the mournful sobs, we calmly packed away the last of our spoils.
Now, all that was left was to leave for good.