Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: The Reckless Rogue
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‘Special title!’
Now that his realm had risen, even just breathing seemed to grant him minor titles left and right, but the thrill of acquiring a special title or a first-of-its-kind one was always fantastic.
[Title: Reckless One]
Related Achievement: Eat and Cheer (Adventure: Labyrinth of Penance)
Special Ability: Probability of poisoning slightly decreases.
[Rogue]
Related Achievement: Effort is Talent (Adventure: Labyrinth of Penance)
Special Ability: Proficiency gains from learning or training increase. Probability of flashes of inspiration also rises.
‘Talent-related titles.’
Kang Seol's representative talents were cooking—which had now advanced to monster cuisine—and insight.
‘Insight might upgrade soon too... This’ll help.’
He’d seen a message recently about insight’s proficiency surging, so its upgrade was probably imminent.
And this title’s effect would shorten the time to get there.
Finally ㅠㅠ
Thought it’d take 3 days, but it was some seriously deep stuff.
If he hadn’t passed out midway, it would’ve been way shorter lol
Passing out was part of the curriculum lol
‘Anyway... it’s been two months already?’
It had nearly been three months since entering the Labyrinth of Penance, over two of them spent in the Trial of Patience.
‘We’ve scoured this whole area pretty thoroughly, but no door.’
There was no clear method established for escaping the Trial of Patience. Even the Saint had wandered here for ages before a door suddenly appeared.
Kang Seol was starting to feel impatient.
[Mental Corruption Level has reached 70.]
The message that had popped up for him recently.
‘Staying any longer... could be dangerous.’
The next day, Kang Seol brought it up to consult with Toki.
“Um... Toki.”
“Listen, I think we need to move our base.”
“...Pardon?”
Surprisingly, it was Toki who spoke first.
“We’re running out of time... we have to find that door, right?”
“......”
“Come on, it doesn’t seem to be around here anyway. We’ve searched everywhere nearby, haven’t we?”
“Yes.”
Kang Seol had momentarily forgotten.
That Toki was here as a pilgrim too.
‘He must be searching for the door as well.’
For Kang Seol, it had only been two months of wandering in search of the door, but for Toki, it had been over ten years.
He’d forgotten that for a moment.
Toki smiled brightly at Kang Seol.
“Let’s go. To find the door.”
From that day on, they embarked on a grueling nomadic life with Tongtong in tow.
Whiiiiiish—!
“Ugh...”
Even covering his mouth, the gritty sand got in.
They had to ration the water they’d scraped together from various spots.
Hunger was manageable enough, but a full belly didn’t make every part of life satisfying.
Toki’s beard had grown into what could almost pass for shrubbery, and Kang Seol’s had grown out somewhat too.
Whiii...
Sand clung thickly to their beards.
“Haa... haaa...”
Nearly ten days since leaving camp.
To cut to the chase, they hadn’t found the door.
Toki hadn’t lost his smile yet.
This was a lifestyle harsh enough to wear even on Kang Seol, whose emotions barely fluctuated, but Toki remained relentlessly positive.
“What do you think of here? Looks good to use as a base and search the surroundings again.”
“...Sounds good.”
“Chin up. At least we won’t go hungry anymore, right?”
His teeth were a ragged mess.
Yet Toki’s smile somehow washed away Kang Seol’s negative feelings entirely.
A truly mysterious man.
The kind of person Kang Seol genuinely liked.
And that hadn’t changed now.
He seemed like someone who’d kept the world at bay, always with happiness by his side—while burying his own pain deep down.
People might say no such person exists, but after meeting Toki, Kang Seol was convinced otherwise.
Because Toki was that person.
Every night, he’d say:
“May the Lord grant you sweet dreams.”
Even after over three months enduring the Trial of Patience, Kang Seol’s mental corruption hadn’t spiked probably because he had Toki with him.
Not lonely.
Bearable.
With Toki.
Snicker.
Looking at Toki’s smile made even this harsh, painful desert feel less lonely.
And so their routine continued.
At dawn, they’d set off with Toki.
“So, you can’t solve everything with effort alone, but you shouldn’t jump to conclusions without trying. Without grit, you’re always pessimistic and...”
“Fifth time.”
“Hm? What?”
“That talk. Your grit theory.”
“Hahaha! Still a long way to go!”
Stop... please stop...
Got it! The real boss of the Trial of Patience!
Caught ya, you rascal!
Days were spent enjoying Toki’s tedious lectures.
Smack—!
Smack—!
“Your guard’s wide open!”
“Oof—!”
Whoosh—!
“Lower body’s weak!”
Bam—!
“Whoops! Sorry!”
Kang Seol pulled himself out of the sand, spitting out a mouthful of grit with a puh.
“Sand’s a bit chewy, but I’m fine.”
“You mad?”
“Again!”
“Haha! Youth is the best! Full of energy!”
What surprised Kang Seol about Toki wasn’t just his mindset.
Thud—!
“Urk...”
“Haha, lack of experience. Your moves aren’t bad.”
Before dinner every evening, Kang Seol and Toki sparred.
Even with summoning sealed, taking night raven form turned Kang Seol into a seasoned fighter, making him a decent sparring partner for a monk.
But.
Thwack.
“Gaaack...”
“T-Too deep?”
“Blerghhh...”
Kang Seol collapsed from the impact, vomiting into the sand.
‘Too... too strong.’
Toki was strong.
This was the sloppy Toki’s true face, hidden away.
A monk with zero divine power, praying to the Lord in his own haphazard way.
Clearly a hack monk, but the power he’d built was no lie.
‘Well... stuffing your face with monster cuisine for over ten years would make your stats monstrous too...’
He’d always been strong, but now even more so.
“Throwing sand in eyes? Really?”
“Whoops... sorry. Should I wait for your full transformation?”
“......”
No words lololol
But he does wait for transformation lol
Can’t break the national rules lol
“What’s dishonorable about the world?”
“Didn’t say dishonorable.”
“Oh. Right?”
He knows it himself, the rascal!
Shooting himself in the foot lololol
Kang Seol gritted his teeth.
“Again!”
“Haha, great grit!”
Smack!
Smack—!
These spars were a huge help in enduring the boredom of crossing the desert.
Toki’s every little movement filled in Kang Seol’s gaps.
One day, Toki said:
“I’ll teach you a secret technique.”
“Secret technique?”
“Watch closely and follow.”
Pop—!
Toki charged forward with a dot dot dot, threw some weird punches in the air, then made a gesture like he was clamping something down.
“Now! Attack me!”
“...Pardon? What’s...”
“Hey now, how can a young guy be so dense...”
Toki explained.
“This is a secret technique called the Group Beating.”
That’s a gang-up, right?
Ends up as group assault lololol
Acting like it’s some big deal lol
Classic Toki lol
I’ll hold ‘em, you hit! Classic tactic? 17v1 is 17-way strategy lololol
Too shameful to call it tactics lolololol
Kang Seol gave off a disappointed vibe.
“That’s... the answer?”
Toki looked even more disappointed than him.
“Why... not good? Is it... the moves that are embarrassing?”
Don’t look so down!
Toki did nothing wrong!
You damn snowman! Learn it quick!
Kang Seol shook his head.
“No. It’s just... too intriguing...”
“Haha! So you already knew the basics of combat! This isn’t for ganging up on one—that’d be dishonorable.”
What, he knew?
Surprisingly self-aware.
Toki puffed up proudly.
“It’s a technique for the weak against the strong. Now! Try it. This is the Group Beating.”
“...This is the Group Beating.”
“No, the moves!”
It looked exactly like a ground technique: slipping arms under the opponent’s from behind and locking them upward.
“Master this perfectly, and you’re a true fighter.”
“Ah...”
“Those clumsy initial moves distract and let you slip behind. Approach from the back straightaway, and they’ll notice every time—especially if they’re strong!”
“Do I... have to learn this?”
“You absorbed other techniques fine. Don’t like this one?”
“It’s not that... Even if I know it alone, I can’t really use it...”
“No, no! The key—surprisingly—is the hitter, not the grabber.”
That was odd.
“Why?”
“The hitter has to charge without hesitation in one breath, or the grabber gets countered. You time it for that rhythm. Remember! Against the strong, you throw everything into that split-second gap! A true killing move. Hm...”
Withdrawing from this course.
Tuition melting away.
Can you see it? Your tuition exploding everywhere!
Some teachings made no sense, but the spars brought real progress anyway.
Pop—!
Pop!
His movements, once clunky, now flowed like a streetwise brawler’s.
The problem? They reeked a bit of back-alley thug.
As time passed with Kang Seol absorbing and syncing with Toki’s moves, a message appeared one day.
[Excellent instruction elevates to a new stage.]
[Epiphany! Awakening new ability.]
[Persistent Ability: Awakening Ruffian’s Movements.]
Bootleg tutoring!
Haha! Success! Now a fine delinquent! Let’s go catcall some ladies!
System-approved sloppiness lololol
When night fell in the desert, they reliably fell asleep.
Toki and Kang Seol, neither with much sleep-talking, rarely woke midway.
But one night, while still door-hunting, Kang Seol woke up.
“...Why, why am I... why!”
“...Toki?”
“Why... am I... here!”
“Toki!”
Kang Seol rushed to Toki, who was mumbling in ragged breaths, and shook him.
“Gah!”
Toki convulsed awake.
“Huff... huff... th-thanks.”
“Nightmare?”
“...A recurring one.”
Crackle...
Crack...
Sleepless now, they sat by the fire warming themselves.
Kang Seol asked.
“What kind of dream?”
“...Curious?”
“Yes.”
Toki fell silent a moment, then began.
“Have you ever thought the fate given to you was cruel?”
“Fate... cruel.”
Kang Seol was a victim of fate too.
Falling from the Heavenly Realm and getting tangled in some bizarre scheme wasn’t exactly commonplace.
“As I said before, my origins are humble.”
“Yes.”
“Even I had dreams. To preach hope to others, guide the wicked with radiant divine power—a fine monk. Maybe back then I thought monkhood was the way to gild my lowly birth with nobility.”
“......”
“First time I felt fate’s cruelty was then. A priest came and told me he sensed not a shred of divine power in me. Said my faith wouldn’t sprout.”
“I see.”
“I believed faithless martial arts were mere violence, so imagine my despair. Oh, funny aside—that priest got caught sneaking to brothels with donations and beaten to death by parishioners.”
Toki sighed.
“Even that scum... his words were true. My body has nothing. No mana, no divine power, not even athletic talent.”
“But now...”
“I honed my body with my own beliefs, but this is my limit. Everyone races ahead bettering the world... while I’m stuck in place. How laughable my struggles must’ve seemed.”
Toki ran hard staring ahead, but to those outpacing him, it looked like mere play.
“Sloppy Toki. That’s what they called me. Do you think I’m sloppy too?”
“...No.”
“Got sidetracked. Topic was fate’s cruelty, right? Yeah...”
Toki looked tormented.
“When I entered the Labyrinth and hit the Trial of Patience, I was full of spirit. Young, sturdy body. Vowed to conquer any trial, save the world. Even though... I couldn’t save myself.”
He’d forgotten briefly, but Toki had endured here for ages. Yet no door.
Toki mumbled, trying to speak then swallowing words.
For a long while.
Then he revealed something Kang Seol didn’t know.
“Truth is... I died long ago.”
“...Pardon?”