Chapter 298
Chapter 298
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: Land of Judgment (1)
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“Jamoheta, yo, sob sob.”
Exactly five minutes after Rokan equipped the sealing collar, Drokshi declared his surrender with a puffy, swollen face.
And with that came the automatic three months of slave life.
Awkward polite speech began, and Drokshi fell into a state of near-total resignation.
Even in the previous instance, which hadn't lasted a full month, he'd wanted to die. Now it was a full three months.
Under Rokan, no less—a man at odds with the Celestials, to the point where calling it enmity wouldn't be an exaggeration.
- Never cooperate with Rokan.
He'd received such orders before, but there was no helping it now. Failing to honor the duel’s conditions would bring not the wrath of the Celestials, but of the Heavenly Gods themselves.
“What’re you gonna make me do this time? Yo.”
“Simple. Make me some gear.”
“……Gear?”
Was he planning to use him as a crafting slave this time? Drokshi shot him a puzzled look.
Wouldn't plenty of people covet a skilled dwarf like him?
A strange mix of pride and despair twisted his face into a complicated expression. Then a bundle of hides dropped in front of him.
“Can you make a cloak or hood out of this? It has to withstand repeated lightning strikes.”
“Lightning? Then this is…….”
Drokshi's eyes changed as he examined the material. The artisan's innate challenge sparked to life.
“With this…… yeah, I can do it, yo.”
Rokan nodded in satisfaction at Drokshi's positive response.
Then he brought up the next item on the agenda.
“Alright, then……. Empty your pockets.”
“Pockets? What…….”
Drokshi feigned ignorance, but he'd been through this once before. When Rokan glared, he started pulling out the items he'd crafted one by one, looking on the verge of tears.
Crunch crunch.
Rokan fed them to his belt.
It hadn't shown much growth even after devouring several Unique-grade items, so he hadn't fed it in a while to build discipline. But free food was free food, right?
He picked out just the Unique-grade ones from the pile and stuffed the belt full.
Snap snap snap snap!
Of course, the Demon God's Fang Belt never seemed satisfied no matter how much it ate, but it was more than enough for one growth spurt.
[Demon God's Fang Belt grows one stage via Predatory Growth effect.]
Flash.
The belt, emitting a sinister black glow, didn't change much in appearance. But its options saw some tweaks.
[Demon God's Fang Belt][God-grade]
A belt made by the Demon God himself using a fragment of his own fang.
It looks like it could chew and swallow anything.
-Defense: 6,666
-Durability: Indestructible
-Strength +500
-Vitality +500
-[Predatory Growth] Available
-Additional Defense +1,000
-All Stats +50
-Movement Speed +5%
It had gained additional defense, stats, and movement speed.
No telling if it was linked to the options of the fed items, but it was plenty satisfying regardless.
The extra options weren't overwhelmingly powerful on their own, but he'd boosted it without needing new gear for that slot.
Normally, you'd risk item destruction via enhancement for far less gain, right?
God-grade items couldn't be enhanced anyway, but if it could grow like this, it was superior to fully reinforced gear in other slots.
“Wh-what the hell is that……!”
Drokshi stared fearfully at the belt radiating ominous energy, but that was it. When Rokan didn't explain, he gave up and headed to his workshop.
“How long will it take?”
“If it were me? One day’s plenty, yo.”
“That so? Take three days then. Use up all the materials by then and crank out the best options you can. You know you’re stuck waiting here while I’m gone, right?”
“……Got it, yo.”
Fortunately, crafting wouldn't take long.
Rokan had supplied all the auxiliary materials, so nothing was lacking. It was just special treatment on hides—cutting, sewing, done.
For a top-tier dwarf like Drokshi, one day was ample.
Hearing that, Rokan grinned and headed elsewhere.
Simple reason: sourcing materials.
He had plenty for the processed goods from the Millennium Lightning Eel hide, but wasting a craftsman like this on a one-off was a shame, no?
Might as well have him whip up a generous stock of Unique-grade items for the belt.
And so, the promised three days passed.
Rumble.
“No way, what the hell is……!”
Drokshi gaped at the mountain of ores piled in his workshop corner. Every single one was notoriously hard to work and exorbitantly expensive.
Mined exclusively in the heavens, with a heavy skew toward demon realm minerals rather than celestial ones. Many carried demonic energy inherently.
He could handle them, but god knows what monstrosities he'd forge from these.
“What else? Craft some gear with these. Use as little material per piece as possible!”
“……As little as possible?”
But contrary to his fears, Rokan's goal was singular: mass-produce Unique items.
His skill could easily handle breastplates or greatswords, but why bother? Belt food in the end.
Better to minimize material per item and maximize output.
“……Fine, yo.”
Drokshi wore a baffled expression but had no choice. Orders were orders.
Plus, refining these premium ores into gear wasn't a loss for him.
No—it was a massive experience grind.
As both warrior and artisan, 'crafting' was a prime leveling method, yielding huge XP based on what he made.
So instead of rebelling against Rokan, he ignited his artisan spirit.
[Millennium Lightning Robe][Unique]
A robe crafted from Millennium Lightning Eel hide.
Focused purely on enhancing the material's properties—not suited for combat.
-Defense: 4,500
-Durability: 100,000 / 100,000
-Lightning Attribute Attacks Nullified
-All Stats +20
-Face Recognition Blocked While Worn
Millennium Lightning Eel hide, and it barely hit Unique—not even Epic.
Full leather armor or extra options could've easily pushed Epic, but per Rokan's orders, it concentrated solely on lightning nullification. Hence the weak options and grade.
Unthinkable, intolerable to a dwarf's pride. But slave life meant obey.
“Nice!”
At least Rokan was thrilled.
He'd hoped for damage reduction at best, but full nullification? For his situation and goals, this was beyond satisfaction—ecstasy.
‘Handy against Celestials too.’
And one more thing: Lightning nullification would shine versus Celestials.
Robes and cloaks overlapped slots, so he might ditch Gale Wings, but Celestials favored lightning attacks plenty.
In that sense, Drokshi might've just poisoned his own heavenly home.
“Catch you later.”
Rokan donned the robe in place of his self-repairing Gale Wings, pulled out the Heavenly Rune Book, and warped to the celestial realm.
‘The Land of Judgment…… this way, right?’
Its face-obscuring effect meant no wary stares like before.
Even pure Celestials passed the wandering, factionless test subject without a second glance.
“Could you show your face?”
One snag, though: Celestial transport required ID checks.
Showing his face would restrict access, so he skipped public transit and walked out of the city.
“No choice. Unicorn!”
He summoned and mounted his unicorn instead.
Kai in great peng form would be faster, but monsters might swarm.
A divine beast like unicorn? No worries. Anything touched by holy aura would yield the path, and it wasn't slow.
Celestials might recognize it, but he stuck to remote trails they avoided, minimizing risk.
Mixing in legend rides kept a moderate pace, and after three full days, Rokan reached the Land of Judgment.
“It’s here.”
He saved the location to his Heavenly Rune Book and pulled his hood deeper.
Heart pounding slightly, he left the distant village and entered the lightning zone.
Flash! Rumble!
Lightning rained ceaselessly on the Land of Judgment, 24/7.
Countless bolts hammered the ground like raindrops, charring anything beneath.
Even Celestials feared it—no defense spell lasted beyond seconds.
‘Exile spot. Basically a death sentence.’
They shoved major offenders in to die, calling it 'exile.'
Semantics—anyone entering died. No resistance lasted half a day.
Crackle!
The perilous Judgment Lightning struck its new visitor.
[Struck by Judgment Lightning.]
[Millennium Lightning Robe defends against the lightning power.]
[No effect taken.]
Rokan, who'd braced with Gale Incarnation ready as backup, smirked.
Drokshi delivered.
Physical force lingered, but barely dented his defense—like a shoulder massage.
Legs lighter, Rokan pushed on, seeking the Lightning Titan somewhere beyond the bolts.
To fill the last slot of the Heart-Devouring Demon's heart.