Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Transcendent Lightning
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Shwaaa...
Rumble-!
The rain grew heavier by the minute, while thunder roared ceaselessly across the highlands.
Bzzt!
"Grrraaaah!"
The lightning power extracted from Ungus rampaged through Jamad's body, as if trying to incinerate him from the inside out.
"Snowman!"
"A-Are you okay?"
"Gaaah!"
Kang Seol had also taken on the form of the Night Raven merged with Jamad, leaving him no less tormented by the pain.
"Urgh..."
Drool trickled from the corner of his mouth.
'This pain is insane... It feels like my brain is melting and dripping out.'
The overwhelming agony was stripping away his very thoughts. They said pain became familiar after a moment, but this intense torment only seemed to grow worse.
'Urgh... So this is the kind of suffering Jamad endures to grow stronger?'
When he'd absorbed Magra before, the pain had probably been even greater. His body had felt like it was burning alive multiple times over, and even that hadn't gone smoothly, causing backlash that made him convulse.
Bzzt...
As Kang Seol marveled at Jamad's endurance and extraordinary nature, the lightning began to subside bit by bit.
Kang Seol was freed from the pain first, but Jamad still hadn't opened his eyes.
Then, a voice emanated from the tattoo of Jamad drawn on Kang Seol's mouth.
"You've done well, Ungus. I'll take it from here."
Rumble-!
Lightning flashed, illuminating the sky, and at the same moment, the Night Raven's body flickered briefly.
Absorbing Ungus's sorcery.
Mountain Sorcerer Jamad strengthens into Lightning Sorcerer Jamad.
Familiar's rank strengthens to Transcendent rank.
Familiar now qualifies as a Grand Sorcerer.
Grand Sorcerers wield Origin Power.
Familiar awakens Origin Power: Mountain.
Familiar awakens Origin Power: Sulfur.
Familiar awakens Origin Power: Lightning.
Volcano Stance strengthens to Lightning Stance.
Persistent: Awakens Crackle.
Persistent: Awakens Swift Nerves.
First time possessing a Transcendent-rank ally.
First achievement 'You Don't Have Anything Like This' accomplished.
First title 「Master of Transcendence」 acquired.
The first thing that caught Kang Seol's eye was the standout message.
'Origin Power!'
A ability awakened by Grand Sorcerers once they reached a certain realm.
It was a different kind of strength from that of a Grand Mage.
'But why has he awakened it already?'
Jamad had only just become a Grand Sorcerer, yet he could already wield Origin Power.
'Is it because he can handle both Magra's and Ungus's powers?'
Typically, some Grand Sorcerers devoted their lives to mastering a single sorcery deeply, while others, like Jamad, wielded a broad array of powers. Not deep, but wide-reaching.
Bzzt...
Bzzt...
With the absorption complete, Kang Seol and Jamad's bodies separated.
"Huff... huff..."
"Sorry for sharing the pain with you."
"And this was the pain split in half?"
Jamad nodded.
Kang Seol recalled the shudder-inducing agony from moments ago and let out a hollow chuckle at Jamad's composure.
Jamad fiddled with his hand for a moment.
Bzzt...
Lightning flickered over his palm.
Whoosh...
Flames erupted next.
Clatter...
Then they turned into chunks of rock.
"This is... Origin Power..."
"Can you handle it?"
"The old fogeys in the alliance made it seem so mystical when they used it, but it's nothing special in reality."
"......"
If I can do it, it's no big deal.
Sir, want a smack? Huh? Want one?
Damn, but that's why he's so cool!
While Jamad tested his newly awakened power, Kang Seol checked out Jamad's new abilities.
First, he took a quick look at Jamad's stats.
'Whoa... That's gotta be about 1.5 times stronger.'
He remembered Jamad's previous stats at the same level, and now they were nearly 50% higher.
'He could punch most monsters to death now...'
Ever since Jamad reached Legend rank, the shadow familiar penalty had vanished anyway.
On top of that, Kang Seol had gear and skills that doubled his familiar's stats, making Jamad stronger than a same-level boss in practice.
'Of course, his level isn't that high yet...'
In truth, this was because the adventures Kang Seol was tackling were one or two tiers higher than what same-level players would face.
[Persistent: Crackle]
- All attack actions infuse lightning sorcery. Lightning carries effects like thunder, bolts, flashes, etc.
[Persistent: Swift Nerves]
- Lightning stimulates the nervous system. Physical and mental reflex speeds increase dramatically.
'Infusing sorcery into attacks means successful hits can inflict status ailments, right?'
He could even aim for extra electrocution damage or disorientation from ringing ears.
'And Swift Nerves... boosts combat power? I'll have to test it to feel the effect, but it's definitely a good ability.'
He needed to examine the abilities closely.
Once he became the Night Raven, Jamad's powers became his own.
'And the title...'
[First Title: Master of Transcendence]
Related Achievement: You Don't Have Anything Like This (Adventure: None)
Special Ability: For each Transcendent-rank familiar, summoner and all familiars' stats increase by 10%.
'...Game over.'
Transcendent rank.
The tier above Legend in classifying monsters and familiars.
In the Eternal World, this rank held value beyond just combat power, though Kang Seol could only guess at the criteria.
What he knew for sure was that facing a Transcendent-rank monster right now would be impossible.
In normal circumstances, anyway.
'If the current Jamad were an enemy...'
He'd only know for sure in a real fight, but it would be nearly impossible to win.
Even the Twin Knights would struggle to perform at full strength against such overwhelming stats and abilities.
Of course, Jamad was an ally now.
Everyone else is growing, but Snowman isn't...
Jamad could solo Black Thunder by himself lol;;
For real, Jamad looks scarier now than when we first saw Magra lmao
As Kang Seol and Jamad pondered these things, Unggora approached them.
He walked over to his brother Ungus's corpse.
"...Brother."
The body was pitch-black and sturdy.
Even in death, Ungus's majestic presence hadn't faded.
The hero of Black Thunder, scorched utterly black in every way—even his eyes were now dyed pitch-black.
Unggora closed his eyes and murmured at the sight.
"Rest well, my blood kin."
The moment he spoke, new messages appeared in Kang Seol's view.
Charismatic Being activates. Additional affinity gained.
Ally 'Black Thunder Unggora' acquired.
'Black Thunder Unggora's rank is Hero.
Allies have a chance to appear in every adventure.
They provide aid to the player based on affinity.
Influence over faction: Black Thunder increases.
Influence over faction: Troll Tribe Alliance increases.
Relation with faction: Black Thunder changes to Friendly.
Can now exchange aid with faction: Black Thunder.
Faction: Black Thunder takes deep interest in your actions.
Back at the village from Thunder Highlands.
Frannan said to Kang Seol,
"We've delayed a bit. It was unavoidable, but now we must depart."
"Yes, let's do that."
Kang Seol and Jamad explained their goal to Unggora. Unggora asked Jamad,
"Alcatron? You mean that creepy ruin?"
"Yes, Unggora. That's our destination."
"Hmm..."
Unggora's expression turned strange after hearing Jamad out.
"There's a path, but something feels off."
"What is it?"
"There was a massive earthquake around here recently. There's a bridge toward that ruin, but it was built so long ago, I'm not sure it's still intact."
"...We'll have to check it out."
"I'll look into it too."
Having heard they could safely set out tomorrow, Kang Seol's group sighed in relief.
"Phew... I really thought we were done for when the trolls caught us."
"Hahaha, Black Thunder isn't that vicious. People just get the wrong idea from how brutally they deal with intruders in their territory."
Chameli shot back coldly at Mael's response.
"Weren't we the intruders who barged into their territory?"
"Ahaha, were we?"
"I guess Mael and I just don't click..."
"Hahaha... I think we get along fine?"
"Ugh..."
Those who had witnessed the nail-biting scene at Thunder Highlands fell into exhausted sleep quickly.
The next day, the wagons started rolling again.
Clop clop clop...
"By the way, why is Black Thunder following us?"
"Well... It seems because of what Snowman and Jamad handled together."
"Oh? Is something wrong?"
"No, quite the opposite. It went so well that they're volunteering as guides."
"...Choosing this route was the right call."
"Maybe... We've spent time mingling with Black Thunder here, so the search party taking the detour might arrive first."
"We're still faster, right?"
"That's..."
A few days later, the wagons halted.
"D-Did we arrive?"
"I don't think so..."
Everyone disembarked.
Black Thunder and Kang Seol's group stood before a sheer cliff.
The others were dumbfounded.
Kang Seol and Jamad looked at Unggora.
"What happened?"
"My bad feeling was right. The earthquake broke the bridge."
Mael slapped his palm and said,
"Ah, so that's why there was a landslide on the detour. The path collapsed because of that."
Chameli made a tearful face.
"Hey, Mael... Our path collapsed too."
went to check out the neighbor's house collapsing
came back and mine was gone too, burst into tears on the spot
What can ya do lol
Kang Seol and Frannan sighed at the collapsed bridge.
Frannan especially frowned and said,
"This is troublesome. Detouring would set us back at least a week from the original schedule..."
"Even crossing here now, the detour group might arrive first."
"Exactly."
Shwaaa...
They stared endlessly at the opposite side in the rain.
A choice appeared before Kang Seol.
The bridge to Alcatron from Mist Hills has collapsed due to earthquake. What will you do?
1. Turn to the detour route.
2. Abandon the expedition.
3. Abandon the wagons and proceed on foot.
4. Search for another path.
'Hmm...'
Kang Seol scrutinized the choices meticulously for the surest answer.
'Going back now would cause its own problems...'
Who could've predicted the bridge in Mist Hills would collapse.
Maybe taking the detour all along would've been better.
'Though who knows what happened there.'
As Kang Seol frowned in deep thought, Unggora spoke up.
"No need to worry too much, human. Brother, I'll help."
"Hm? You will?"
"Unggora's going to help?"
"This has been our territory since ancient times. Black Thunder ancestors built that bridge."
"From the structure, it doesn't look ordinarily built... You sure, Unggora?"
"Spot on. It's sorcery. Fortunately, we have records of the sorcery used to build it."
"Then..."
Hearing Jamad out, Unggora shouted,
"Sorcerers of Black Thunder! We rebuild the bridge now!"
"Yes!"
"Bring the prepared sorcery stones! Use them as blueprint!"
"Yes!"
Thud...
Two massive sorcery stones from the supply wagon were embedded at the bridge's foundation points.
Unggora eyed the huge nearby rocks and said,
"That size will do. Use those rocks nearby."
"Begin!"
"Yes!"
Whoosh...
The sorcerers' eyes showed their whites, and an ominous aura enveloped the area.
Rumble-!
Lightning rained down, smashing the giant rocks.
Crack...
The rocks began shattering into smaller pieces. Of course, it couldn't be done in one go, so this process took a full two days.
"Huff... huff..."
"This should... do it."
Unggora nodded.
He stepped forward and touched the ground.
"This side's ready too."
Where Unggora touched, lines drawn in animal blood connected one sorcery stone to the other sorcerers.
"Let's start."
Groan-!
Whoosh...
The prepared rock fragments floated up.
"Nngh..."
All the Black Thunder sorcerers focused with veins bulging on their foreheads.
Plop...
Plop plop...
Clatter clatter clatter!
Rock pieces flew in, starting to form the bridge. Chameli was stunned.
"Impossible... How is this...?"
Frannan stroked his chin.
"Fascinating. So this is the essence of sorcery? Different from magic."
It was unbelievable even seeing it.
A bridge was materializing from empty space.
It didn't take long for the rock bridge to form in mid-air where nothing had been. The preparation had taken far longer.
Clatter clatter...
"Done."
It wasn't wide, but perfectly connected to the opposite cliff—wide enough for wagons.
"Send a gripto across."
"Yes!"
The trolls' mount, a gripto, crossed slowly. The bridge held firm.
Confirming its sturdiness, Unggora yelled,
"Now install the sorcery stone on the other side! It'll be perfectly fixed once done!"
Thud...
A new bridge had been built in mere days. Hard to believe even with one's own eyes.
'Good thing Black Thunder stepped up... Otherwise, we'd be totally screwed.'
Everyone seemed to think the same; as they boarded the wagons, they buzzed about Black Thunder.
"What luck! We almost fell behind..."
"Could've faced the humiliation of turning back with Alcatron in sight."
"I'd never live it down."
"Without their help, the mission would've failed for sure."
"Don't even wanna think what would've happened if we'd shaken off the trolls back then..."
Screech...
Finally, the wagons began crossing one by one.
The last wagon carried Kang Seol's group.
As they parted, Unggora said to Jamad,
"Brother, don't forget Ungus—my brother."
"Ungus is here, Unggora."
"...See you again. I'll be waiting for your ambition."
"Yeah."
The wagon crossed safely.
Alcatron was now within arm's reach.
The group fell silent.
From here on, real danger awaited.
"Did we arrive first?"
"If they fixed the detour quickly, maybe not."
"We should arrive around the same time anyway, so we can start searching Alcatron together."
"......"
Chameli tried lightening the heavy mood by talking to Mael.
"Mael? What've you been staring at this whole expedition?"
"Oh, cross-referencing excavation records and relic auction ancient documents on Alcatron."
"Really? Even so..."
"Now I'm certain."
"...Huh? Did you find something?"
Mael's expression darkened unlike before.
"I just figured out Alcatron's original purpose."