Chapter 130
Chapter 130
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Branch Point (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A wish. It was nothing less than a wish. The Nokorokon lord had promised to grant anything within his power.
A gnome's word could be trusted far more than a human's promise, so there was little risk of him reneging after the fact.
Of course, Rokan could have solved everything first and sought him out afterward, but he'd awakened the lord early for this very reason.
If the lord regained his senses after it was all over, he wouldn't grasp the gravity of the situation, and the reward would surely have been diminished.
Thanks to that, Rokan secured the best possible reward and swiftly departed the lord's castle.
‘This is the place.’
Pinpointing the cause of the anomaly wasn't easy. Normally, it would require rousing fragments of the villagers' minds with every trick in the book, piecing together scattered info to form clues.
But Rokan didn't need to bother. He already knew where the culprit lurked, no need to laboriously gather and connect the puzzle pieces.
It was the Iron Forest, not far from the territory. Named for the ironwood trees—trees as hard as steel—that grew there. This ironwood was also the territory's prized specialty.
‘That's why everyone fell victim.’
Gnomes, masters of mechanical engineering, crafted all sorts of tools to fell ironwood without needing dwarf-like strength. Explosives, for instance.
Thus, not just able-bodied men but women and children joined the production efforts—and that was precisely why the entire village fell at once.
No telling when it had set up shop, but the spider weaving its web in the forest had its prey walking right in.
“Then the heart of the Iron Forest by now...”
[You have been exposed to Illusion Maze Formation.]
[Resisting Illusion Maze Formation due to the effect of Unyielding Will.]
Venturing deeper confirmed Rokan's memory was spot on. The damned Illusion Maze Formation had activated.
In his past life, this formation—straight out of wuxia novels—had kept players spinning in circles, delaying the clear.
But not this time. Whether magic or curse, it registered as a 'negative mental ability' producing illusions, rendering it nullified.
The anti-illusion items he'd prepared as backup were now redundant—though he could always resell them, and money was no object.
“There you are.”
Pushing further in, a familiar sight greeted him.
Creak, creak.
At Rokan's arrival, it stiffly rose—a wooden puppet.
[Experimental Sorcery Puppet][Lv 254]
Low completion, as the "experimental" tag suggested, but no room for complacency. Their bodies were made of ironwood, after all.
Plus, faint sorcery enhancements linked them, granting formidable attack and defense.
Thwack!
“Don't be a nuisance. Get lost.”
Clumsy as their movements were, they posed no obstacle to Rokan.
Shattering a bunch of experimental sorcery puppets in one go, he pressed relentlessly toward the center.
[You have entered the public dungeon Steel Forest.]
[First entry bonus: Acquisition EXP increased by 30% for 3 days.]
[First entry bonus: Drop rate increased by 30% for 3 days.]
[First entry bonus enhanced by 10% due to the 'Pioneer' title effect.]
His target: the public dungeon Steel Forest, accessible from the Iron Forest's core.
In his past life, it was dubbed a gathering dungeon—weak monsters inside, ironwood and even tougher steelwood nearly impossible to chop without special means, a pie in the sky for players.
But now? High-level sorcery puppets, and in numbers.
“This spot looks good.”
Knowing that, Rokan claimed his position the moment he entered.
Normally, you'd dash around hunting max monsters before the first-entry buffs expired, but this dungeon's mobs were different.
[You have been exposed to Detection Sorcery.]
[You have been exposed to Tracking Sorcery.]
No sooner had he picked a spot than sorceries flew in, clinging to him.
Harmless on their own, but they'd reveal his position to the enemy—definitely a threat.
“No need to hold back—come at me!”
Rokan welcomed it, though.
He knew the enemy's style. If it knew his location and kept sending tricks his way, that was ideal.
[Sturdy Sorcery Puppet][Lv 268]
[Destructive Sorcery Puppet][Lv 271]
Soon, new sorcery puppets appeared.
But leagues beyond the outer ones. Fluid, natural joint movements, fresh forms.
Whinny, whinny.
Not just humanoid wooden puppets—bison-shaped sorcery puppets, dwarf-mimic wooden puppets, forms galore.
“Groar!”
Even traits varied by form. Mimicking the original's skills and tactics to the letter, it felt like battling dozens of monster types at once.
“That's more like it!”
Yet the apex predator was Rokan.
Sorcery puppets copying targets packed a punch, but lacked combo skills—a fatal flaw.
Attack and defense might surpass the original, but only basic skills available.
Racial or class skills? Sure. But unique combo or creation skills? No dice.
That gap proved decisive, overwhelming.
“Kraaaah!”
Mana in the mad roar shredded their signaling systems.
Sorcery-sustained bodies crumbled momentarily, slowly reforming.
“Scatter!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Meanwhile, puppets around him were diced and smashed. Ironwood and steelwood, tough as nails—Rokan’s axe showed no mercy.
Slicing clean like vegetables, sorcery talismans attached shattered too.
No more talismans auto-repairing like golem cores—left as mere sturdy logs.
[Acquired Ironwood × 3.]
Control lost, sorcery puppets turned to pricey materials. Drop rate up 40%, too.
Rokan could chop here with his strength, but why bother when puppets dropped stacks?
“Slit the golden goose? Hahaha!”
That's why he'd held position, welcoming them.
Stay put, and they'd keep sending puppets, fattening EXP and inventory. Why hunt early and revert it to a gathering dungeon if the boss died?
Thus, no advancing for at least three days.
Materials everywhere, enemy would steadily send more sorcery puppets.
Swish, swish, swish.
After a long hunt, a lull hit.
They'd burned through a wave—time to replenish, muster stronger ones.
Rokan whet his axe blade while waiting for the next.
Using a dwarven whetstone to restore durability slowly, honing his edge against potential ambushes anytime.
* * *
Three days. Full dive nearly nonstop, Rokan milked the first-entry bonuses dry.
Inventory brimmed with heavy ironwood and steelwood—pricier than same-weight silver ingots—plus bonus EXP leveled him repeatedly.
Even hit Lv 260.
Tougher EXP per same-level monster, but sheer numbers enabled the blistering pace.
“Time to move.”
Thereafter, shuttling village-dungeon, camping out hunting, he hit Lv 265 before rising.
Puppet assailants still slightly higher level, but efficiency dipped—he judged.
“Started with kindling, right? Ice Enchant.”
Sweeping an assault wave, he dashed their way, ripping a scroll from memory.
Attribute enchant. The reason soon appeared.
Roooar!
“Kiyaaaaah!”
What he'd dubbed kindling: burning sorcery puppets.
Not just aflame—absorbed fire damage, "indestructible" to non-attribute hits. Madness.
Even with Force active, couldn't destroy controlling talismans without attributes—impossible to advance unprepared.
But Rokan was prepared.
“Earth Enchant.”
New attribute puppets? Counter-enchant scrolls ripped, blitzing ahead.
Attribute ones tricky, but no extra EXP or loot—better clear fast, skip numbers, reach the boss.
“Burn, die!”
After smashing through hordes, the mid-boss and second area's final appeared.
[Gigantic Burning Sorcery Puppet][Lv 280]
Same as before. Save one thing: house-sized. At least 5 meters, flaming colossus flattening all—crushed or incinerated if you couldn't dodge.
Devs meant it for raids, after all.
If Rokan weren't the foe.
“Rage Slaughter!”
As it lunged with [Trample], Rokan unleashed power. Piercing the bulk overwhelmingly, shredding the control talisman. Silencing it.
Flame damage piled up meantime, but titles galore granted solid fire resistance. He endured the sauna-like heat with heavy exhales.
‘Final phase now.’
Mass steelwood haul in pocket, Rokan neared his goal.
Puppet types blocking him changed.
[Living Sorcery Puppet][Lv 273]
Level gap slim. But these 'lived'. Reason Nokorokon village seemed underpopulated.
Here it was.
“How dare you smash my children—I’ll make you pay dearly!”
With the living sorcery puppet came the mastermind.
Shockingly, in 'half-elf' form.
‘A real half-elf, alright.’
[Twisted-Minded Half-Elf Sorcerer Hellin][Lv 281]
Freak who spurned half-elf aptitude for effortless magic and spirit arts, mastering oddball sorcery instead.
“Heh heh heh, yes—these are the missing Nokorokon folk you came to save. Can you really harm them?”
Anticipating Rokan's pause, it cackled mockingly. Ones to rescue, now charging alive—how would he respond?
Face alight like a show, smile full. Killing them clashed with the lord's plea to save territory and folk.
At last, Rokan raised his axe. Curling one lip, he spat.
“What, so? If they all die here—who do you think folks’ll blame?”