Chapter 141
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: The Face Beneath the Helmet
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The eyes inside the Black Knight's helmet blazed fiercely.
He swung the sword in his other hand, striking at Kang Seol.
Claaang-!
Kang Seol dropped low and smacked the Black Knight's hand with the back of his own. He'd hoped the impact would make him drop the sword, but it only altered the blade's trajectory—nothing more.
Whoosh-
Whoosh-!
Kang Seol flipped backward while the Black Knight paused for a moment.
"Fall back."
"Got it."
Philia obeyed Kang Seol's command.
She was part of the tracking team, after all. Even if she joined the fight, she'd just be a liability at this close range.
'That gear...'
Kang Seol sensed an ominous aura from the Black Knight's armor and sword. The dark, swirling energy suggested they were no ordinary items.
"Watch out!"
Chameli's scream pierced the air.
At the same moment, the pilgrims' solemn voices echoed through the village.
"Descend upon us!"
[Glory descends upon Snowman.]
[Snowman's elemental resistance increases by 35%, and action speed rises by 20%.]
Hwooooosh-!
A brilliant light enveloped Kang Seol's body.
Pop-!
Pop-!
The second clash.
Hwooom-!
The Black Knight's sword curved diagonally, aiming to slice Kang Seol from shoulder to hip.
Flash.
Kang Seol feinted in his movement, snapping his head in the opposite direction.
This created the perfect opening to strike the Black Knight's abdomen.
Iron Fist Rule was too slow for that.
"Hup-!"
Thud-!
'It landed!'
A heavy, satisfying impact transmitted through Kang Seol's fist.
He could tell it had done real damage.
But what happened next shattered his expectations.
[Insight activates.]
[Hope Devourer consumes the impact.]
[Hope Devourer is in a hungry state.]
[Hope Devourer digests all impact.]
'...What?'
Kang Seol rolled across the ground immediately.
Screeeeech-!
Splooosh!
The Black Knight's sword cleaved the earth in a straight line, like a pickaxe ripping through soil.
"Hah... hah..."
He'd nearly been split from crown to crotch.
'Damn it! Hope Devourer, right here, right now?'
The Black Knight's skill or brutality wasn't the issue.
The problem was that Hope Devourer—an infamously notorious item Kang Seol knew well—had ended up in the enemy's hands.
Flash-!
Sensing his advantage, the Black Knight lunged at Kang Seol without hesitation.
'In that case...'
Kang Seol had no intention of just taking it.
Screeeeech-!
The Black Knight charged before Kang Seol could brace himself.
Kang Seol stayed silent until the enemy was nearly upon him.
And then.
'Now!'
He'd focused solely on the sword's path amid the Black Knight's movements.
Claaaang-!
Timing it perfectly, he struck the flat of the blade with his elbow, then thrust both arms forward.
The Black Knight sensed danger and stepped back just as black energy erupted from Kang Seol's palms.
Whirrr-!
Claaaang-!
Karuna targeted the Black Knight the instant he was summoned, but the knight met him at a safe distance, suffering no real harm.
Screech-!
But he hadn't anticipated Karen bursting from behind Karuna.
Her sword aimed straight for his torso.
Kagagagak-!
Instead of flesh tearing, metal screeched against metal.
[Insight activates.]
[The Black Knight's Hope Devourer consumes the impact.]
[The Black Knight's Hope Devourer is in a hungry state.]
[The Black Knight's Hope Devourer digests all impact.]
'No good either?'
It was absurdly tough.
The Black Knight was an iron fortress.
Jamad's words echoed in Kang Seol's mind.
—This opponent... won't be easy.
Kang Seol felt a hollow frustration as his prepared moves were effortlessly countered. Still, he kept moving. The fight wasn't over.
Hwoaaah-!
The pilgrims unleashed a barrage of holy light, pushing the Black Knight back.
The strategy: Karen and Karuna alternated engaging him, with Kang Seol striking any openings. No one slipped up in executing it.
Claaaang!
Karuna's sword swung at the exposed gap.
Kadududuk...
[Insight activates.]
[Hope Devourer consumes the impact.]
[Hope Devourer is in a hungry state.]
[Hope Devourer digests all impact.]
...
Pop-!
This time, Kang Seol's Shadow Hand barrage.
Tududududu!
[Insight activates.]
[Hope Devourer consumes the impact.]
[Hope Devourer is in a hungry state.]
[Hope Devourer digests all impact.]
And that's when everyone realized the strategy itself was flawed.
"Our attacks... aren't getting through?"
"Wh-what should we do, Parish Leader? Should we change tactics...?"
Chameli furrowed her brow, focusing on channeling her holy power. It was the only help she could offer right now.
Kang Seol, playing the biggest role on the field, analyzed the situation coolly.
'...Not enough attack power.'
Hope Devourer was the nemesis of frontline melee classes. It ignored minor physical damage and absorbed major hits up to the armor's limit.
To overcome it, they needed to inflict massive damage in a short burst—or accumulate an insane amount over time.
Of course, if accumulation was too slow, Hope Devourer would digest the damage faster, resetting everything.
'Iron Fist Rule might... No, too risky.'
Even Iron Fist Rule wasn't a sure thing. His attack patterns so far had been too simplistic.
Transform into Night Raven, overwhelm with stats, or finish with one Iron Fist Rule shot.
It had worked until now, but against foes on his level or quick enough to dodge Iron Fist Rule, it failed.
Iron Fist Rule packed devastating power but carried huge risk—especially against fast opponents.
'Damn...'
There was a reason his patterns were so basic.
His base attack power was lacking.
Galrota's Tongue, used as a summoner weapon, had low attack to begin with. Mountain Fist was a divine item but unupgraded, leaving its base pitifully low.
No matter how high Night Raven's strength was, low weapon power meant poor efficiency.
The Black Knight fight exposed this flaw starkly.
'Still... no choice but to try.'
This wasn't the time to dwell on his weaknesses.
It was time to find the enemy's.
Whirl-!
Karen spun dramatically, targeting the Black Knight's legs.
In battle, she always donned her helmet and approached with grim seriousness.
Kagagang-!
The Black Knight recoiled as if repelled.
An opening.
But too far for Kang Seol to exploit.
Flaaash-!
Screeeeech-!
Instead, Karuna's thrust was in range. The Black Knight couldn't ignore it this time.
Because the sword targeted his helmet, not his armor.
Drdrdr...
Hwoom-!
The Black Knight was seasoned.
He deflected the thrust off his helmet's side, using the momentum to spin and kick toward Karuna's head.
Thuuud-!
Of the two, only Karuna's helmet flew off.
'Not yet, not yet!'
Pop-!
Flash!
To prevent follow-ups, the Black Knight retreated.
Hwooom-!
Kang Seol emerged from the Black Knight's blind spot. This felt like a chance to press him.
But the Black Knight wasn't that easy.
Shiiik...
As the Black Knight thrust his sword at him, Kang Seol felt an indescribable dread.
—Dodge!
Jamad's sharp voice.
Kang Seol couldn't halt his charge and tumbled across the ground.
[The Black Knight's Lament uses Meteor Arrow.]
[The Black Knight's Lament pierces a straight path.]
[Lament deals 170% of weapon attack power as damage to all enemies in its path.]
[Enemies hit by Lament suffer the Impure Wound effect.]
Screeeeech-!
A black line streaked through where he'd been charging.
A near-miss strike.
"Lament...?"
Lament.
In Pandea, there were things called demon swords—items that devoured their user's mind and craved blood.
Though sinister, countless sought them for their overwhelming power that made the risks seem trivial.
'Lament... the lowest-tier demon sword?'
"Lowest" was misleading.
It was still a demon sword, with all the prestige that implied.
Whirl-!
Lament returned to the Black Knight, letting out a voice.
【Missed! Uwahaha! Missed!】
"......"
The pilgrims, Karuna, and even Karen froze momentarily, stunned by the talking sword.
Lament ranked low among demon swords in raw performance but had a unique trait.
The sword itself thought and evolved.
'Even Lament in his possession...'
The Black Knight was no ordinary demon beast.
Kang Seol's Insight Eye tried to read the info on the Black Knight wielding Lament and wearing Hope Devourer.
[An ominous aura drapes like a veil.]
[Insight bounces off the veil.]
'What the hell... are you?'
No info, no way to subdue him. Leaving him be risked another massacre.
A dilemma.
Then, a shout erupted from the pilgrims.
"Brother! Get away! He's about to use it!"
It was Chameli's voice.
Kang Seol recalled a sidelined memory.
The discussion on tactics to subdue the Black Knight.
—I have a holy relic that slays evil.
—...A relic?
—The Black Knight is clearly steeped in evil. Buy me time, and I can land a decisive blow.
—We'll save that as a last resort.
Remembering, Kang Seol hurled himself backward.
Chameli thrust her hand forward, activating what she held.
[Chameli uses End of Sin.]
[A pillar of light descends on the target of End of Sin.]
[The pillar inflicts fixed damage, plus extra if the target is tainted by evil.]
Hwoooo...
"Fall to the light, evil one!"
Kwaaaaa-!
Pop-!
The Black Knight twisted to dodge the pillar, but its wide radius engulfed him anyway.
"Grrrrraaaaaagh!"
The pilgrims poured their power into Chameli, swelling the pillar.
It carved a massive crater in the village center—power that could've endangered Kang Seol if he'd lingered.
Yet things didn't go as hoped.
Ssssss...
When the light faded, nothing had changed.
The Black Knight stood firm, his helmet merely knocked to the ground.
No real effect.
"N-no... way..."
"How can this be... not evil... not evil?"
Kang Seol knew End of Sin well—its power and its flaw.
'If the target isn't evil-aligned... it's just average.'
Unless it had blocked the evil bonus too, the Black Knight wasn't born of evil.
'Then... what are you?'
The Black Knight shook off his helmet and looked ahead.
In that instant, Kang Seol, Karen, and Karuna's faces froze in chill recognition.
Half-severed ear.
Black veins bulging across his face.
Crimson, corrupted eyes.
A deep scar slashing across his features.
And a handsome visage.
"...Karuna?"
Clunk-!
The Black Knight donned his helmet again.
A chilling aura, different from before, erupted from him, repelling the rain.
Shoooo...
[The Black Knight enters Moonlight Ascension Stage 1: Crescent Moon.]