Chapter 12

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Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 12

Chapter Title: The Awakened Mountain Fist

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Kang Seol clenched his fist as he watched Karuna's body ignite with moonlight.

'How... we've come this far.'

There were many ways to take down the Five Brothers. Among them, the method Kang Seol had chosen was by far the trickiest.

Sowing discord between the brothers to make them turn on each other.

The big picture was clear, but the conditions were quite stringent.

1. Sow chaos within the tribe using an exile or some other ploy.

2. Tamper with the tribe's sacred relic, the Rock Fist, to plant seeds of doubt in the Five Brothers' minds.

3. Ensure the strongest leader claims the Rock Fist.

4. When the blame falls on the eldest, who is the chieftain, kill one of the brothers. (Account for the curse that will follow, and set your target accordingly. Note: Exclude the second brother.)

5. Now stay put, and the second brother will rally the others to rebel against the eldest (The rivalry between the first and second brothers is fixed, excluding their personalities. Thus, this is a fixed event. However, if the eldest doesn't hold the Rock Fist at this point, he loses.)

6. Watch the eldest win. (It must be the eldest, not the other three, because when he triumphs, he absorbs all their 'Resentment' curses, making him easier to handle.)

7. Take down the eldest once he's burdened with the curses.

All of this had been set in motion by Kang Seol since midnight.

'What a ordeal...'

The unexpected party wipe.

But it was for the highest reward adventure, so he'd pushed this far.

Now, the hardship was almost over.

His seven-step plan to conquer the Five Brothers ended there. And they were in the midst of step seven.

'Still, there's a mountain left to climb.'

Defeating Jamad.

The key here was that the eldest, holding the Rock Fist, was insanely strong—forcing party hunts.

Moreover, Mael had warned just how powerful Jamad was.

The Five Brothers' personalities changed each time in this early basic adventure, and the eldest's strength determined the strategy's difficulty.

Jamad was probably going to show otherworldly power.

Kang Seol felt his grip tighten unconsciously.

'But let's mix in that curse somehow. Anyway, it has to go according to plan.'

Kang Seol's thoughts ended there.

Now it was time to focus on the battle.

Because Jamad and Karuna had just clashed.

Kwaaaaaang!

"Graaaah!"

"......"

Crescent Moon Karuna met Jamad's attack head-on.

Kwaaaaaang!

Chiiiik...

Karuna was pushed back a few steps, but showed no further damage.

'At this level...'

Proof that Karuna could handle Jamad sufficiently. So, he could leave Jamad to him.

Kwagagagak!

The noise from Karuna and Jamad's clashes echoed across the area, yet the tribesmen, lost in madness, couldn't even reach the grand assembly hall.

'They didn't approach even when the brothers fought each other, so we can fight without worry.'

This was why Kang Seol had timed it right after Jamad killed his brothers in the grand assembly hall, not some other moment.

Jamad was now isolated at the top with Kang Seol.

"You dare target the Rock Fangs? I'll feed your corpse to the wild dogs!"

Kagagak!

Jamad favored primal, straightforward attacks.

He was drained from the Resentment sorcery and clearly buying time to recover his sorcery power, but even so, he matched Karuna evenly.

Kaaang!

Kang!

'Damn... the Shadow Summon penalty hurts bad.'

Karuna wasn't weaker than Jamad.

Without the Rock Fist, and without penalties, they'd probably be even.

The issue was Karuna's abilities restricted to 20% from lower Shadow Summon, barely matching the exhausted Jamad boosted by Resentment sorcery.

'Not that there's no way, but... the timing...'

Deudududu!

Fortunately, the sorcery succeeded, and immense energy poured from Jamad's body.

"You think this puny power can conquer a mountain?!"

Jamad's Earthquake Stance.

A ability that steadily consumed sorcery power to generate vibrations.

He unleashed it when his stamina had drained to a certain point.

Whoosh!

Kagagagagak!

Karuna barely blocked Jamad's fist.

Jamad assaulted fiercely, as if trying to shatter the Moonlight Sword.

Kaaang!

Deududu!

Kang!

Dududu!

Karuna struggled against the vibrations spreading from each clash point.

"Jamad is the mountain! I place all beneath my feet!"

Kwagagagak!

Karuna was pushed back again while shielding Kang Seol.

Crescent Moon state couldn't take down Jamad.

'Weird. By now, the Rock Fist's backlash should've turned him into a rag...'

He'd confirmed this multiple times in solo plays.

Continuously being pushed by Jamad in Crescent Moon didn't make sense based on his calculations and experience.

'Something went wrong? Did I miss...'

Kang Seol quickly reviewed the past steps, but nothing seemed amiss.

That meant the problem was happening now, not before.

Whooooong!

One difference between before and now.

Jamad himself.

Kang Seol had faced many eldest brothers, but this was his first time against Jamad.

Jamad's Rock Fist let out a roar once.

Immediately after, his fist slammed the ground.

Kwaaaaaang!

"Kuk... Karuna!"

Kaaang!

Kang!

Karuna deflected every rock fragment hurtling toward Kang Seol. The Moonlight Sword screamed each time, revealing the immense power in every shard.

'Wait, that Rock Fist...'

Kang Seol noticed something off about the Rock Fist.

It should be depleted and recharging by now.

Yet it kept emitting sorcery power.

"Power! Power surges through my body!"

Probably.

The current Rock Fist wasn't tormenting Jamad with backlash—instead, it kept empowering him.

'Damn... how did this happen...'

Everything has probabilities.

Especially in the Eternal World, where they played a sensitive role.

Like acquiring the Moon Seed—something he'd never seen in 17 years of play—only when playing the world itself.

Probability, that cruel fate, trips up players.

'The Rock Fist... evolved into the Mountain Fist.'

A brief note from the setting documents.

- Overview: Mountain Fist

"When the Rock Fist fills with earthly energy, it blossoms into the Mountain Fist. No precise records of this item remain."

An Easter egg where the Rock Fist absorbs earth's energy for greater power.

Of course, it never happened in Kang Seol's 17 years. Cursed luck, not once.

"That's why the worthy succeed and the unworthy fail..."

"Be crushed! Invader!"

Kwaang!

Kwaaaang!

That was the evolved Mountain Fist.

By the time Kang Seol sensed the anomaly, it was already too late.

'Run? No, do I even have options left?'

His strongest weapon: experience.

Now, that experience was useless.

Kwagagak!

Kwagak!

"I'll smash you, crush you flat!"

Ignoring Resentment curse and relic backlash, Jamad relentlessly drove Kang Seol toward death.

Facing death's terror, Kang Seol muttered with vacant eyes.

"Karuna! Danger..."

Kwagagagagagak!

Kwaaaang!

Jamad's attack sent Kang Seol and Karuna flying far away.

"Kuhuk......"

The intense impact of crashing into the wall blackened Kang Seol's vision for a moment.

Five players watched the game board, including Kang Seol.

Peering in, the situation looked grim.

"Snowman, let's run."

"Yeah... at least we escape. Can't clear this. Just toss some pieces and let the salvageable ones live."

"......"

Kang Seol remembered this moment.

Couldn't recall the exact age, but he was very young.

Before Snowman's legend fully formed.

Party members in peril from their mistakes; as leader, he had to decide.

'What was I thinking then? Ah, I remember...'

The pieces are pitiful.

Too pitiful to die like this.

They'd fought so hard.

That tender child probably thought something like that.

"Snowman..."

"I'm not running."

"Why? We can't win! Just lose a few pieces and—"

"No, it's not about a few pieces. We all worked to get here..."

"We're fine—"

"That's not it. I'm not talking players."

"...Then?"

"The pieces. How far they've come— they can't die so pointlessly."

"......Haa. Over some pieces?"

"...Reckless."

Snowman was reckless.

But anyone who'd played with him once wanted to again. His judgments were spot-on, and he never wasted piece lives.

He played like they truly lived in that world.

"...Can you do it?"

"There's still a way."

Snowman had an unofficial code.

Crisis comes to everyone, anytime, anywhere, without reason.

In such crises, which piece dies first?

'The ones that don't fight. The fleeing ones...'

No fight, no win. Fleeing means no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠victory.

The reason Snowman's pieces always wrought miracles: they faced crises head-on.

"Damn it, fine! Save us, please?"

"Snowman, we beg you!"

"Shit... I'll fight too, Snowman!"

The woman in spear-and-shield mask said to Snowman.

"Choose, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Snowman."

"Number 3. Swing the sword at Giant Jure's ankle."

"Bold... Can Snowman's strike save his comrades? Very low odds..."

Rattle roll.

The die rolls.

As always, cloaked in probability, delivering fate.

"The die rolls. May a miracle find you."

Before checking the die, he snapped from the memory.

Kaaaaang!

"Kuh... Ka, Karuna..."

"......"

Karuna had splendidly protected the unconscious Kang Seol.

But holes gaped in Karuna's shadow here and there. He'd faced multiple crises.

"Now, I'll end this..."

Jamad's momentum only grew fiercer.

What seemed like a wrap-up turned ever graver.

Deududu!

'Landslide!'

Jamad's technique, scraping together every ounce of sorcery power.

Swept by it, death was certain.

He halted.

Kang Seol forcibly stopped his fleeing body.

And calmly focused his mind.

'Earthquake Stance Landslide total damage... Karuna fighting in Crescent Moon for about... 5 minutes...'

Stop thinking, and die.

'Damn, how long was I out? Need that time...'

Then, as if waiting, welcome news arrived.

Crackle!

Whoooaaaang!

Karuna's armor shone with radiant moonlight, just like in the Forgotten Moon Ruins.

"Yes!"

Kwagagagak!

Jamad's Landslide nearly complete.

Pointed Rock Mountain shook violently.

"Behold! This is the mountain!"

"Karuna!"

Karuna raised his sword to the sky, gathering moonlight.

His armor blazed fierce blue.

'Still not enough, he'll get swept by Landslide!'

He had to cover the shortfall.

Jamad mocked his efforts.

"Kuhahaha! Be crushed by Tankrid-nim's power!"

Kang Seol swiftly pulled out the technique he'd saved for unexpected crises.

"...We haven't lost yet!"

Whoooong!

A chilling aura began emanating from Kang Seol's body.

Swooooosh...

Vast moonlight poured from the sky, as if to incinerate Pointed Rock Mountain's highest peak.

And shining brightest in that light was none other than Karuna.

Flash!

A trickle of power drained from Kang Seol, the supporting actor.

Jamad, another supporting actor, was shocked as power rapidly fled his body, but hurried to finish his sorcery.

"What?!"

'This... surpasses Landslide!'

Calculations done, Kang Seol bared his teeth in relief.

"Don't lose, Karuna!"

Karuna murmured softly as he swung his sword down.

"The moon waxes full... be humbled..."

Immense light burst from his Moonlight Sword.

Karuna's low voice echoed across the peak amid the roar.

"Now, I shall fulfill my will."

Whoooaaaang!

Kwaaaaaaaaaa!

Countless rock fragments collided with light so intense it was visible everywhere on Pointed Rock Mountain.

Kagagagak!

Kagagak!

What if the calculations were wrong?

Landslide, Earthquake Stance, Mountain Fist.

Were all the numbers exact?

But he'd chosen, and the die was cast.

'Please... please...'

"Graaaaaah!"

Kagagak!

Kwajik!

Tremendous clash.

Karuna's momentum was incredible, but Jamad matching it was monstrous.

The entire mountain shook.

The ground under Kang Seol rocked.

The roar and dust lasted nearly 30 seconds.

Aftershocks from Landslide's side effect.

Kwagak!

What was the outcome?

Kang Seol waited for the dust to settle.

Swoosh.

And soon, the battlefield lay bare before his eyes.