Chapter 309
Chapter 309
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 309
Chapter Title: There's a Trick (1)
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“Unicorn, summon.”
Hiiing!
No need to go far. Rokan summoned the Unicorn right there on the spot.
Having merged with Rokan to slay a mid-level demon before being reverse-summoned, the Unicorn rubbed its cheek against him, seemingly worried.
And then.
[4. Subjugated beings level 400 or higher 1 / 10]
One slot in the quest filled up automatically. His prior actions hadn’t been retroactively applied, but this ‘reconfirmation’ earned it official recognition.
The Unicorn, registered as Rokan’s mount, was also a level 400 entity.
So it was only natural for the quest condition to be fulfilled.
“Giant Butterfly, summon.”
Rokan followed up by summoning the Giant Butterfly as well, filling another quest slot.
“I wonder if those guys are still alive…….”
Then he thought of someone.
Sharac and Kirito.
They were level 400 beings too, and allies bound by pact. Meeting them would fill two more slots out of ten.
That would mean nearly half of the toughest condition cleared.
Assuming they were still alive, of course.
“Guess they are…….”
Realizing this, Rokan immediately checked the contracts.
If they’d died, the contracts would’ve burned away too, but even as Turubi crumbled to ruin, the two sheets remained intact. They’d survived somehow.
Whether they’d fled or been captured and enslaved as Gromtan boasted, it didn’t matter. As long as they lived, they’d prove a huge boon to the quest someday.
“Better tackle the easy ones first.”
The former would be hard to track, and the latter impossible to approach. Gromtan wouldn’t have left them in comfort.
So Rokan set them aside for now. If they were alive, they’d cross paths eventually.
Once prepared, he’d hunt Gromtan first anyway.
With his thoughts sorted, Rokan left the village. He’d respawned in neutral territory, but Gromtan and his minions—aware of the visitor trait—could show up anytime. Better to move.
“Guess I’ll start by meeting that guy.”
Leaving the village, Rokan headed straight for the mining village where Drokshy had set up shop.
Using the Heavenly Rune Book, he located the workshop in one corner and found Drokshy.
“Huh?”
Something was off. Last time, Drokshy had looked half-dead, haggard and worn. Now his face gleamed with oily sheen, radiating excess leisure.
“Been slacking?”
Rokan couldn’t help suspecting negligence, contract and artisan pride aside.
“Hahaha!”
“Huh?”
Lost in thought, Rokan noticed the quest window—still open—had updated.
[4. Subjugated beings level 400 or higher 3 / 10]
“No way…….”
Rokan’s eyes went wide. Why’d it jump? No way……?
[Creator of Vengeance Drokshy][Lv 400]
Staring in disbelief, sure enough, Drokshy’s level read 400.
“What the hell did you do?”
Unbelievable. Rokan had scraped to 399 through life-or-death wars, yet this hammer-banging shut-in hit 400 first?
Level aside—already close—that he’d cleared the Grand Master promotion quest was the real shocker.
“Good materials aplenty. Thanks to them, I reached transcendence.”
Grateful words, but Drokshy’s eyes blazed with fury.
Like glaring at his revenge target.
Grand Master attainment must’ve granted resistance; even as the contract’s power triggered pain, he endured and snapped back informally.
“Well, damn.”
Rokan wasn’t mad. If anything, the reaction—the choice—delighted him.
Having tackled the same Grand Master quest, he grasped what this decision and success meant.
“Hand ’em over.”
“W-what?”
“Your items, obviously.”
“R-right. Got plenty of Unique-grade stuff stockpiled. Epics too, a bunch. Those’ll do? Oh, and lower grades, sure.”
Drokshy stammered, words tumbling out in flustered haste.
But Rokan saw through the wordplay.
“Nah, all of them.”
“T-that……!”
Drokshy’s face darkened at the response.
He’d preempted with chatter before ‘all’ could drop, but Rokan called the bluff.
Hiding something Epic or better.
‘If I’m his revenge target, he’d craft gear to beat me. Not some mere Epic.’
What completion condition earned ‘Creator of Vengeance’?
Cranking out endless items per grade, like Rokan? Maybe, but he doubted it.
More likely: forging the ultimate revenge-enabling item.
High odds that was the quest.
Watching Drokshy reluctantly pull them out one by one confirmed it.
“Ahem, days—weeks—lost in crafting bred attachment to one piece. Could you spare just that?”
Now polite speech flowed naturally, pride bending.
“Yep. No.”
Rokan wouldn’t fall for the cheap ploy.
Drokshy despaired at the firm refusal, bawling like a child as he emptied everything.
“Oh?”
[Vengeful Breastplate][Legendary]
Breastplate infused with a creator’s vengeful soul.
Power scales with user’s emotions.
-Defense: 20,000
-Durability: 100,000 / 100,000
-All Stats +400
-All Stats +50% vs. prior defeats
-All Attack/Defense +100% vs. prior defeats
-Ignores Defense Penetration effects
-All options scale with user’s emotions
-Reflects 50% of all damage
-[Time of Vengeance] available
Insane. God-tier options. Revenge-target limited, sure, but conditional perfection in defensive gear.
Against that foe, it rivaled beyond Legendary.
‘Yeah, this could’ve…….’
If Drokshy had worn it, Rokan couldn’t guarantee victory.
Immortality could bypass reflections, but [Time of Vengeance] was the killer.
[Time of Vengeance]
For 30 minutes, steals 50% of designated revenge target’s stats.
Combat-ready Grand Master Drokshy, at full buffs, swiping half Rokan’s stats? He’d outlast Gale Incarnation and succeed in revenge, high chance.
Now Rokan owned it, not Drokshy.
“Impressive. I’ll put it to good use.”
The Demon’s Fang belt chattered teeth at the tasty scent, glowing hungrily, but no chance.
Rokan patted it down like training with the Celestial Starlight Gauntlets, sweeping Drokshy’s treasures into inventory.
Most would feed the belt eventually, but not yet. Uses remained.
“Waaah!”
Grinning wickedly at the openly sobbing Drokshy, Rokan paused, then continued.
“Since we’re at it, come with?”
“Huh?”
Drokshy blinked blankly, catching Rokan’s devilish grin.
His body flinched instinctively.
But no escape—Rokan dragged him along to somewhere.
Shwooooom!
Their destination: the Rainbow Transfer Tower.
Hunted by Heaven and Demon realms alike, lingering in the heavens hindered quest completion. Ground offered easier, faster hunting.
“T-the ground…….”
Born in the heavens, first time planetside, Drokshy gawked around wide-eyed.
Vengeful Breastplate gone, revenge path lost—despair lingered, but fresh curiosity stirred him.
“Follow along. Hey, Grand Master now—you’ll craft something similar eventually, right?”
“T-that’s…….”
True enough. Legendaries—even Epics—demanded insane luck, but odds tied to creator’s level, skill, fortune.
Keep crafting, and someday: equal or better. Probability existed.
Grand Master now? Even easier. Hollow comfort, but it sparked false hope in Drokshy’s eyes.
“You’re here.”
Leading the somewhat revived Drokshy, Rokan arrived at the imperial palace.
The former emperor turned prime minister briefed briefly; short interval since last visit meant no major issues demanding attention.
If any: time passed, users leveled furiously—Master-level users surged, High Masters emerged aplenty.
Not threats to near-Grand Master Rokan.
From their view, same High Master tier—maybe worth a shot.
“Summon every Master or higher.”
“Pardon? ……Declaring war, sire?”
The prime minister’s eyes flashed surprise at the abrupt order.
All Masters and above to the palace, out of nowhere. Baffling, but no position to resist or refuse.
“……Understood.”
Rokan said no more, so he issued a kingdom-wide decree via authority.
Black Dragon Legion or Golden Lion factions might react, but irrelevant.
Rokan had no immediate war plans; they’d know he’d disperse the Masters after, so they’d watch warily but not act rashly.
Thus began Rokan’s audience with every Master or higher.
“What do I do, huh?”
One more thing.
While Rokan held audiences and filled quest slots, Drokshy faced idleness. Rokan issued new orders.
“You’re off to the Dwarven capital.”
“……And?”
“Become their chief. They pick leaders by crafting skill, right? Grand Master—you won’t lose to some High Master, will you?”