Chapter 337: Snowball (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 337: Snowball (1)
There was a strange chill running up my spine. When I opened my eyes at the sensation, my surroundings were dark.
Beep!
I heard something like a beep from somewhere nearby.
What is that? I don't think I heard it wrong...
Slide.
I first lifted myself up. The surrounding area was very dark, but not to the point that it was hard to see what was up ahead. This was thanks to the white light coming from a jewel on the ground where I lay.
The Fragment of Records Stone?
That thought occurred to me so I quickly picked it up.
What, it's just a light gem?
When I took a closer look, though, it was just an ordinary magical device, the kind every adventurer either saw or used at least once in their career. Its only function was to emit light. But why had it been left here? Even as I thought that, I held the light gem up high so that the light could reach further.
Shaaaaaa!
When the radius of the light broadened, my surroundings became more visible.
[Your location has been confirmed.]
Around me was a stone castle with no signs of life. Unlike Rafdonia, the road was not paved with stones. All the structures and shapes matched the exact spot I was in just a moment ago. If there was a difference, it was that it seemed that a lot of time had passed between then and now.
Hmm, it does look like we returned to the present... Then what about Amelia? Why isn't she next to me?
Unlike the first time we went to the past, Amelia wasn't there. Did she wake up first? True, I woke up before her on Farune Island. It was possible Amelia found this magical device somewhere and turned it on before leaving me. Which meant there was a good chance she was nearby.
"Ahem." After coughing a few times to clear my throat, I shouted with all my might, "Amelia!"
The shout of a barbarian gifted with vocal cords of steel was powerful enough to reverberate and echo through the whole city. But even after waiting several minutes, there was no answer. The silence felt ominous somehow. Was I the only one who had been returned to our original time period through the Fragment of Records Stone? The possibility suddenly flashed through my mind.
I should wait for a while first.
I decided not to make any hasty moves for now and wait here.
But since it's boring to just sit tight... I should check on my physical condition.
I started a self-inspection.
[Information Accuracy Rate: 83%]
[Your character information needs to be updated.]
[Updating and synchronizing...]
As expected, the essence I took in the past had remained unchanged. However, I calmly continued the inspection. Right after taking the essence, I stayed at the inn and hung around in the city for a day before coming straight down to Noark. There had been no time to take proper stock of it.
[The Essence of the Corpse Golem that was absorbed into your soul has been removed. Your Pain Resistance has decreased by -70. Your Strength has decreased by -15.]
As Pain Resistance dropped, some of my dulled senses recovered. Thanks to the +30 attached to the essence of Bayon, my Pain Resistance wasn't completely gone, but a stat decrease of about 70 was something you could feel in the day-to-day. Of course, this wasn't a huge problem. Aside from Pain Resistance, my overall stats had increased significantly.
[The Essence of Vol-Herchan has been absorbed into your soul. Your Physical Resistance has increased by +75. Your Natural Regeneration has increased by +40. Your Poison Resistance has increased by +120.]
Physical Resistance and Natural Regeneration were two essential stats for a tank, plus Poison Tolerance. Though there wasn't Strength attached to this essence, it had more superior stats that could replace it.
[Your Muscle Mass has increased by +15.]
Muscle Mass was an ultra-rare stat that could only be obtained from certain monsters ranked three and above. Its effects were simple. For every point of Muscle Mass, your Strength value rose by 1 percent.
An additional 20 percent on top of my current stats means my Strength must be a little over 60.
With an additional +30 to Endurance, +20 to Vision, and +80 to Bone Strength, my total stats had been raised tremendously with just one essence. Conversely, some stats had been reduced.
[Your Agility has decreased by -30. Your Flexibility has decreased by -50.]
[Synchronization complete. Character log transmission has been resumed.]
Surprisingly, the decline in Flexibility was more noticeable than in Agility. My body felt much stiffer than before. Just the drop in Flexibility limited some movements that used to be possible for me, and the drop in Agility had slowed me down.
Still, compared to what I gained, you can't even call that a drawback.
Stats were one thing, but the biggest advantage of Vol-Herchan's essence lay in its skills. Its passive, Evolving Shell, granted different effects when your Physical Resistance stat reached 70, 350, 750, and 1500. For reference, the effect of stage one was as follows:
[Your Physical Resistance is over 70. You have been granted a 50% resistance against sword-type weapons thanks to Evolving Shell.]
This was an effect I used to call Sword Invulnerability and the reason why this essence was useful for countering auras. An aura was unconditionally classified as a sword-type weapon. With this one skill, auras' absolutely wild ability to slash through 90 percent of your Physical Resistance was reduced to 45 percent.
Anyway, I need to turn on Giantization to reach stage two.
Taking just one more essence would unlock stage three when I was in a fully doped-up state, and stage four was detrimental to the mind in a way that I couldn't even imagine now. That was because most magnifying buffs like this came with limits. As a key example, the Orc Sorcerer's Frenzy ability, which tripled a user's Physical Resistance for ten seconds, didn't increase it above 300.
But... is she really not nearby?
After taking some time to check on my character development, I was starting to get anxious waiting for Amelia. I couldn't be sure but it felt like almost two hours had passed, and I still hadn't heard a single peep nearby.
"Hmm, this makes no sense..."
It didn't add up for several reasons. By the time I opened my eyes, the light gem had already been emitting light. Even if it weren't Amelia, the person who activated the device had to be nearby.
...I should look around first.
At this point, it would be foolish to stay put out of fear of missing each other, so I used the light gem to illuminate the way as I slowly walked. Come to think of it, there was something else that was strange here.
It's kind of weird that this city is so empty in the first place.
In the present, the people of Noark had fled outside the castle walls to avoid an invasion from the palace, and the palace had occupied the city. But right now? It was so quiet that you'd be hard-pressed to hear an ant crawl.
[The Essence of Vol-Herchan has been absorbed into your soul. Your Physical Resistance has increased by +75. Your Natural Regeneration has increased by +40. Your Poison Resistance has increased by +120.]
Physical Resistance and Natural Regeneration were two essential stats for a tank, plus Poison Tolerance. Though there wasn't Strength attached to this essence, it had more superior stats that could replace it.
[Your Muscle Mass has increased by +15.]
Muscle Mass was an ultra-rare stat that could only be obtained from certain monsters ranked three and above. Its effects were simple. For every point of Muscle Mass, your Strength value rose by 1 percent.
An additional 20 percent on top of my current stats means my Strength must be a little over 60.
With an additional +30 to Endurance, +20 to Vision, and +80 to Bone Strength, my total stats had been raised tremendously with just one essence. Conversely, some stats had been reduced.
[Your Agility has decreased by -30. Your Flexibility has decreased by -50.]
[Synchronization complete. Character log transmission has been resumed.]
Surprisingly, the decline in Flexibility was more noticeable than in Agility. My body felt much stiffer than before. Just the drop in Flexibility limited some movements that used to be possible for me, and the drop in Agility had slowed me down.
Still, compared to what I gained, you can't even call that a drawback.
Stats were one thing, but the biggest advantage of Vol-Herchan's essence lay in its skills. Its passive, Evolving Shell, granted different effects when your Physical Resistance stat reached 70, 350, 750, and 1500. For reference, the effect of stage one was as follows:
[Your Physical Resistance is over 70. You have been granted a 50% resistance against sword-type weapons thanks to Evolving Shell.]
This was an effect I used to call Sword Invulnerability and the reason why this essence was useful for countering auras. An aura was unconditionally classified as a sword-type weapon. With this one skill, auras' absolutely wild ability to slash through 90 percent of your Physical Resistance was reduced to 45 percent.
Anyway, I need to turn on Giantization to reach stage two.
Taking just one more essence would unlock stage three when I was in a fully doped-up state, and stage four was detrimental to the mind in a way that I couldn't even imagine now. That was because most magnifying buffs like this came with limits. As a key example, the Orc Sorcerer's Frenzy ability, which tripled a user's Physical Resistance for ten seconds, didn't increase it above 300.
But... is she really not nearby?
After taking some time to check on my character development, I was starting to get anxious waiting for Amelia. I couldn't be sure but it felt like almost two hours had passed, and I still hadn't heard a single peep nearby.
"Hmm, this makes no sense..."
It didn't add up for several reasons. By the time I opened my eyes, the light gem had already been emitting light. Even if it weren't Amelia, the person who activated the device had to be nearby.
...I should look around first.
At this point, it would be foolish to stay put out of fear of missing each other, so I used the light gem to illuminate the way as I slowly walked. Come to think of it, there was something else that was strange here.
It's kind of weird that this city is so empty in the first place.
In the present, the people of Noark had fled outside the castle walls to avoid an invasion from the palace, and the palace had occupied the city. But right now? It was so quiet that you'd be hard-pressed to hear an ant crawl.
"Could it be...?" A not-so-great thought came to me but this was not the time to jump to conclusions. I decided to focus on what I could take care of right now—for example, finding something to cover myself with.
Bang!
Entering the first inn I saw, I dusted off a tablecloth and wrapped it around my waist. There wouldn't be clothes around here that fit me anyway.
Still, now I look like a civilized person.
This made me feel more like a human, but human greed knew no bounds.
...Is there anything to eat?
Once the "clothing" part of food, shelter, and clothing was resolved, hunger set in. I went around each room rummaging through drawers and cupboards. Lodgings like these were mainly used by adventurers, so I was able to find preserved food to satiate my appetite.
This is like being in some post-apocalyptic world.
Looking for food in a building that was basically abandoned felt weird.
"Then... should I look around some more?"
Now that my stomach was full, I exited the building and roamed the eerily quiet city. A long while later, I arrived at an empty Dimension Square, where a single barrack came into view.
The palace...?
The military barracks, which had a large rendering of the royal family's emblem on the side, looked like it had been set up by the army that occupied Noark.
Slide.
I didn't sense any presence anywhere nearby so I carefully pushed the cloth aside and headed in. But did they take everything with them when they retreated? Besides one large desk, the interior of the barracks was filled only with dust.
"Motherfu..."
That was the biggest red flag for me. I abandoned the possibility that time could have stopped in the present while I was in the past the moment I saw that the city had turned into a ghost town.
"But to think it wasn't even a one-to-one ratio."
I swept the desk with my index finger. There was at least an inch of dust. Considering Noark's climate, this wasn't an amount that could accumulate in just six months.
"...When the hell am I?"
My ominous premonition had become a reality, and a shiver was running down my spine when a familiar voice rang out behind me. "Finally..."
When I reflexively turned around, the face I had been so longing to see was standing there. "Amelia...!"
Amelia Rainwales, my SSR-Rank comrade I had just managed to recruit after twenty years. Okay, thankfully, I didn't come back alone. It looked like she really did wake up first and had simply gone somewhere.
"Where on earth have you been? I thought you disappeared." Glad to see her, I was about to start in on a lecture when my brain suddenly sputtered to a stop—and rightfully so. "What is that...? That equipment?" Unlike me, who woke up naked, Amelia was clearly not in the same boat. She was fully decked out in custom-made equipment.
Is it possible to farm equipment of this level just by waking up a little earlier?
Just as I was overcome by that strange feeling again, Amelia grabbed my wrist, her grip forceful. "I'll explain as we go. Just follow me!"
***
If a car suddenly skidded to a stop by your side, the door opened, and someone shouted at you to get inside, what would you do? My answer would be "SAY YES."
There must be a reason.
Even if it were an unfamiliar stranger, I would still at least consider it. But if that someone was my comrade, of course the wisest course of action would be to listen to them.
Huff, huff...!
So, although this was a little out of the blue, I ran down a dark street with all my might to keep pace with Amelia. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious, but it wasn't like I couldn't ask while running.
"Amelia... What is going on? At least give me a brief explanation!"
At my request, Amelia really did give me a brief answer. "Someone is chasing us."
"What?"
"One of the members of the Seven Powerful, the Blood Spirit."
"What?"
"Sorry. This was my mistake. I didn't know she'd already progressed to a point where she could deceive my sensors and track me down..."
My head was spinning. I didn't understand a word she was saying. What the hell were the Seven Powerful? And who was the Blood Spirit? I had a lot of questions, but time was limited, so I decided to ask about the most important thing first.
"Is she strong enough to defeat both of us?"
"She's strong. If we fight head-to-head, I will inevitably lose."
"What? Who the hell is this person...?"
"I guess it's only natural that you wouldn't know. You knew that woman before she signed with the Elemental Ruler and went on her rampage." As Amelia ran, she turned around and looked at me. "Erwen Fornacci di Tersia."
"...Huh?"
"The reigning master of the pureblood and the ninth contractor of the Elemental Ruler. That is that woman's name."
My mind momentarily went blank. Pureblood? Elemental Ruler? "...Erwen?"
She's gotten that strong? No, before all that...
"Just how much time has passed?" The question left my mouth without conscious thought, but I guessed she heard even that small whisper as she ran.
"Two years and six months," Amelia answered in a bitter tone. "It's been two and a half years since your alleged 'death.'"
Holy shit...
"Could it be...?" A not-so-great thought came to me but this was not the time to jump to conclusions. I decided to focus on what I could take care of right now—for example, finding something to cover myself with.
Bang!
Entering the first inn I saw, I dusted off a tablecloth and wrapped it around my waist. There wouldn't be clothes around here that fit me anyway.
Still, now I look like a civilized person.
This made me feel more like a human, but human greed knew no bounds.
...Is there anything to eat?
Once the "clothing" part of food, shelter, and clothing was resolved, hunger set in. I went around each room rummaging through drawers and cupboards. Lodgings like these were mainly used by adventurers, so I was able to find preserved food to satiate my appetite.
This is like being in some post-apocalyptic world.
Looking for food in a building that was basically abandoned felt weird.
"Then... should I look around some more?"
Now that my stomach was full, I exited the building and roamed the eerily quiet city. A long while later, I arrived at an empty Dimension Square, where a single barrack came into view.
The palace...?
The military barracks, which had a large rendering of the royal family's emblem on the side, looked like it had been set up by the army that occupied Noark.
Slide.
I didn't sense any presence anywhere nearby so I carefully pushed the cloth aside and headed in. But did they take everything with them when they retreated? Besides one large desk, the interior of the barracks was filled only with dust.
"Motherfu..."
That was the biggest red flag for me. I abandoned the possibility that time could have stopped in the present while I was in the past the moment I saw that the city had turned into a ghost town.
"But to think it wasn't even a one-to-one ratio."
I swept the desk with my index finger. There was at least an inch of dust. Considering Noark's climate, this wasn't an amount that could accumulate in just six months.
"...When the hell am I?"
My ominous premonition had become a reality, and a shiver was running down my spine when a familiar voice rang out behind me. "Finally..."
When I reflexively turned around, the face I had been so longing to see was standing there. "Amelia...!"
Amelia Rainwales, my SSR-Rank comrade I had just managed to recruit after twenty years. Okay, thankfully, I didn't come back alone. It looked like she really did wake up first and had simply gone somewhere.
"Where on earth have you been? I thought you disappeared." Glad to see her, I was about to start in on a lecture when my brain suddenly sputtered to a stop—and rightfully so. "What is that...? That equipment?" Unlike me, who woke up naked, Amelia was clearly not in the same boat. She was fully decked out in custom-made equipment.
Is it possible to farm equipment of this level just by waking up a little earlier?
Just as I was overcome by that strange feeling again, Amelia grabbed my wrist, her grip forceful. "I'll explain as we go. Just follow me!"
***
If a car suddenly skidded to a stop by your side, the door opened, and someone shouted at you to get inside, what would you do? My answer would be "SAY YES."
There must be a reason.
Even if it were an unfamiliar stranger, I would still at least consider it. But if that someone was my comrade, of course the wisest course of action would be to listen to them.
Huff, huff...!
So, although this was a little out of the blue, I ran down a dark street with all my might to keep pace with Amelia. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious, but it wasn't like I couldn't ask while running.
"Amelia... What is going on? At least give me a brief explanation!"
At my request, Amelia really did give me a brief answer. "Someone is chasing us."
"What?"
"One of the members of the Seven Powerful, the Blood Spirit."
"What?"
"Sorry. This was my mistake. I didn't know she'd already progressed to a point where she could deceive my sensors and track me down..."
My head was spinning. I didn't understand a word she was saying. What the hell were the Seven Powerful? And who was the Blood Spirit? I had a lot of questions, but time was limited, so I decided to ask about the most important thing first.
"Is she strong enough to defeat both of us?"
"She's strong. If we fight head-to-head, I will inevitably lose."
"What? Who the hell is this person...?"
"I guess it's only natural that you wouldn't know. You knew that woman before she signed with the Elemental Ruler and went on her rampage." As Amelia ran, she turned around and looked at me. "Erwen Fornacci di Tersia."
"...Huh?"
"The reigning master of the pureblood and the ninth contractor of the Elemental Ruler. That is that woman's name."
My mind momentarily went blank. Pureblood? Elemental Ruler? "...Erwen?"
She's gotten that strong? No, before all that...
"Just how much time has passed?" The question left my mouth without conscious thought, but I guessed she heard even that small whisper as she ran.
"Two years and six months," Amelia answered in a bitter tone. "It's been two and a half years since your alleged 'death.'"
Holy shit...