Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Branch Point (4)
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Helin's expression stiffened awkwardly. A hunch crossed her mind, but she couldn't shake the thought that it was still just bravado.
Killing every last hostage and pinning it on the kidnapper—if that was sincere, it was hard to say who the real villain was between her and that bastard.
But that hesitation and doubt didn't last long.
Slash.
"Gah...."
Rokan charged in like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through everyone who tried to block him.
"You mad bastard!"
The living talisman dolls, unlike the others, could use combination skills.
But that alone didn't make them stronger.
Compared to the steelwood talisman dolls, their attack and defense were somewhat lower, and above all, they were heavily influenced by the shaman.
To heighten control, their free will had been minimized, causing their timing to intercept Rokan to be delayed.
"Flames of Fear!"
That didn't mean they were pushovers, however.
Helin, flustered, scattered overlapping talismans while summoning a massive blaze. It wasn't just large—it packed terrifying destructive power rivaling high-tier fire magic, a blaze of annihilation.
The approach was too swift to dodge.
Rokan chose to set up a tank, just like his opponent.
"Clone Summon."
Boom!
He used the clone as a meat shield to press forward.
The clone's health plummeted, falling out of combat, but Rokan shoved with his body, burning through its last scraps of life.
"Whirlwind!"
He pierced the scattering clone's body with a ferocious slash.
"Shield of Protection!"
The hastily conjured barrier shuddered and shattered, but it succeeded in defending.
If it had been Berserk Slash, it would've destroyed the bastard's flesh along with the barrier, but unfortunately, it was on cooldown.
Even so, Rokan's attack power and ferocity, beyond expectations, had already shaken Helin's resolve. Despite the thick stack of talismans still at her waist, it forced her to pull out her final card in haste.
"Puppet Charm. Superior Soul Descent!"
Crack, crunch.
Using the rebound from the shattered barrier to spring back, Helin immediately cast a spell on herself. A technique that turned her own flesh into a puppet reinforced by shamanism. On top of that, she summoned a higher soul to bolster even her spirit.
'Who the hell....'
It was a sudden transformation, but Rokan chose not to pursue aggressively. Instead, he widened the distance, observed the foe's movements, and threw light probes.
"Bombardment."
Boom!
Of course, it was too powerful to call a mere probe, but the opponent wasn't ordinary either, and the attack fizzled out easily.
"Kuhuhuhu.... Interesting. A half-elf's body, no less."
"Who are you?"
The momentum had flipped. But knowing Helin had become a "different entity," Rokan asked calmly.
"This body belongs to Troll Great General Hatsuken, you frail human scum! I don't know what amusing trick you've pulled, but my host desires it—you torn apart and dead. The Golden Lion faction disbanded in the meantime? Whatever. I have no interest in heeding a half-elf's words, but a sniveling human opponent piques my curiosity. You won't die cleanly, worm."
The one possessing Helin's enhanced body was none other than the soul of a troll great general.
Even if he wasn't exactly sane, summoning an enemy faction's great general's soul into her own body was insane.
Rokan clicked his tongue and slung his axe over his shoulder.
He issued his verdict lazily, as if annoyed.
"Idiot. What the hell are you babbling about? If you'd called a mage or spiritist, I might've flinched. Now you're just doubling down on the stupidity."
It was a shaman's body, even enhanced.
He might've been tense if she'd summoned a high archmage with some synergy or a spiritist leveraging half-elf racial traits, but a mere troll?
She boasted of being a great general, but Rokan looked down on him. No—he treated him like a moron, his face souring with lost interest.
A great general would be master level, but inhabiting a shaman's body meant poor adaptation, difficulty wielding full power, mismatched mana circuits and skills making it impossible to properly manifest even some of the soul's engraved master skills. The more power he drew, the more he'd just wreck the host's body.
He'd self-destruct just standing there.
Whether to call it bad luck or stupidity, Rokan's eyes darkened with disinterest.
"Berserk."
No need to lure out complacency for a berserk counter. Pure power and control—that alone would crush him. He ignited his savage fury for that purpose.
* * *
[You have leveled up.]
[Information on the shaman has been revealed to the world.]
[Server-wide announcement. New job: shaman added. It is now possible to acquire or change to the shaman job.]
"It's open."
Succeeding in slaying Helin also auto-updated the info Rokan had been locked from.
The debut of the shaman class.
The Lord featured jobs and races unlocked by specific quests or branches like this. The shaman was one such, destined to catalyze the game's job diversity.
"Whether it's a boon or a bane, time will tell."
Shamans, who carried around countless magic scrolls, synergized extremely well with mages, enabling diverse patterns and unconventional skill combos.
Those who grasped the shaman's advantages quickly chose or switched to it, but the problem was its cost.
The 'shaman paper' and 'monster blood' needed for talismans weren't cheap, so many quit midway. Even after building decent levels and proficiency, hunting often barely broke even for a while, meaning high-level shamans would take time to emerge.
But in exchange for the difficulty, reaching mastery would unleash terrifying power. Its might would vary wildly by judgment and preparation.
[You have acquired Puppet's Secretary.]
The shaman class's emergence also served to reveal The Lord's hidden jobs. Users curious about shamans would now roam in search of hidden classes.
Anticipating the butterfly effects from the shaman unlock, Rokan checked an item that had entered his inventory.
Puppet's Secretary.
It was a unique skillbook for the shaman class, unavailable in shops, but its significance was extraordinary.
"Completion with this?"
No separate quest, but it greatly accelerated the human race quest's finale.
Through past quests, he'd found ways to revive the ancient emperor and reconstruct his body, but the revival ritual had stalled because he lacked a method to control him.
Reviving him uncontrolled could turn the human race's hero of revival into a calamity.
The council was researching that now, and dragging it out would yield quests for methods later, but as a 'noble' with a loud voice, Rokan could seize the initiative.
"Use Imprint."
With a satisfied smile, he used another item from Helin.
An imprint scroll.
[You have used the shaman imprint.]
[Which shamanism to imprint? Body Enhancement Charm/Anti-Magic Charm/Curse....]
Unlike other imprints, shaman imprints were uniquely special. One scroll could engrave multiple abilities.
Perhaps because they were in the same vein as imprints, but fail to choose all at once, and the chance was lost—requiring careful decision.
"Anti-Magic Charm and Transcendence Charm."
To ensure nothing missed, Rokan engraved them one by one before finalizing.
[You have used the Anti-Magic Charm imprint.]
[You have acquired resistance to all powers derived from mana.]
The Anti-Magic Charm imprint boosted resistance to all attributes, even Force and Aura.
[You have used the Transcendence Charm imprint.]
[When using power at its limit, it grants power beyond the limit.]
The Transcendence Charm imprint made it so that pouring out limit-reaching power would unleash even more.
[Imprints cannot be strengthened or deleted.]
[Imprints have a maximum acquirable quantity per type.]
[Current imprints: 4/5]
"Good."
The Anti-Magic Charm imprint was coveted by all users needing magic resistance, but the Transcendence Charm imprint was unexpected. Even in his past life, few used it.
The reason was simple. Ordinary people couldn't output power at their absolute limit.
Even in a game, fear of self-inflicted pain, psychological aversion to self-harm, or subconscious limits tied to real-world capabilities kicked in at the last moment.
Even just the Body Enhancement Charm massively boosted overall physical stats, making it stable and potent.
"But the safe and steady has no meaning for me now."
Rokan was confident. Pushing himself to the brink and slaying foes with power beyond limits—that was his specialty.
In the past, crappy early imprints filled his slots, denying him this. But not this time.
Just as the few who obtained it caused massive ripples across The Lord, he intended to unleash a tsunami this time.
And this Transcendence Charm would play a key role.
"Now to deal with those."
Having mopped up everything from Helin, Rokan's gaze turned to the former puppets, still dazed.
He'd originally planned to kill them all as promised to Helin, but with less damage than expected, there was no need for total annihilation.
If half or more had been slaughtered as anticipated, he'd have finished them off, but a few sacrifices could be glossed over as tactical necessities.
Though still out of it, as time passed, awareness returned to their eyes.
All Rokan had done in the interim was protect them from monsters, but with the Nokorokon Village NPCs also regaining their senses, he could rightfully claim the promised reward.
"Thank you! What do you want? What can I do for you?"
Confirming the village normalized, the Nokorokon lord asked Rokan his wish as agreed.
Ironwood was pricey, so even thousands of gold would be fine, but Rokan's choice was set.
"I want to learn Engineering."
"...Engineering? Hm, alright. Not difficult."
Permission came swiftly.
With his Gnome Friend title granting eligibility for gnome engineering, tutelage from a skilled artisan was an easy request to grant.
[Engineering proficiency has increased by 0.2%.]
[Engineering proficiency has increased by 0.1%.]
[Engineering proficiency....]
With an artisan master tutor plus Third Hand skill, his stagnant Engineering proficiency surged.
Normally, he'd need to self-enlighten and grind to 70%, but starting from just over 50%, being spoon-fed shot it past 60% to 70%, letting him step into realms beyond human tech.