Chapter 396
Chapter 396
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 396
>Chapter Title: The Raven Takes Flight
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In the place called the Void, those who had reached the supreme realm gathered together and brought down the Black Labyrinth.
The emergence of a new force.
This phrase felt familiar.
He had definitely seen it before.
It was the messages from when the Immortality Church was created.
[Beings bound by deep ties.]
[A secret society is born!]
[A new force is formed!]
[The scales of karma begin their measurement.]
[Order or chaos?]
[The scales' measurement is complete.]
[The secret society's alignment is decided.]
[The group's alignment is chaotic good.]
The birth of a secret society.
More precisely, it could be considered a force.
Kang Seol already possessed power so immense that he could no longer be seen as an individual—he had become a walking force.
[The era force possessed by the secret society is decided.]
[The era force is determined by the stories held by its members.]
[The secret society is granted era force.]
[A bounty is set. If a society member dies, a portion of the era force is transferred to the killer.]
[The secret society's name must be proclaimed to the world.]
[What is the name of this great secret society you belong to?]
After a moment of thought, Kang Seol smiled faintly. A fun idea had come to him.
Heh...
It was a nostalgic name.
A name that would never come again.
“Veil… It’s Veil.”
[The secret society's name is set to ‘Veil.’]
[The secret society ‘Veil’ generates a fixed amount of era force simply by existing.]
[More era force can be acquired based on the secret society’s activities.]
[The great expedition reaches its midpoint settlement.]
[The Treasure of the Black is acquired.]
[The Treasure of the Black is stored in the Void.]
If it was an item obtained after conquering the labyrinth, it would be worth spending the whole day examining.
Perhaps worried that such a treasure of immense value would be sadly tucked away in the Void’s warehouse.
The labyrinth handed one item directly to Kang Seol’s hands.
[The Ebony Seal is obtained.]
[The Ebony Seal encompasses the Seal of Austerity.]
The pattern on the Seal of Austerity began to change.
Whoooosh...
A pattern in the form of dark mist.
[Indescribable: Ebony Seal]
Rank: Indescribable
Appropriate Level: None
Resistance: None
Durability: 400/400
Weight: 0.1kg
A seal given to those who conquer the Black Labyrinth. It has absorbed the seal from the Labyrinth of Austerity.
Basic Ability: Does not occupy an equipment slot. Durability recovers over time.
Special Ability: Ignores the curse of monstrosities. Basic stats granted by monstrosities are doubled.
Along with acquiring the seal, an achievement message appeared.
[The first achievement ‘The One Who Shattered the Darkness’ is unlocked.]
[The first title 「Ebony」 is obtained.]
...
‘First? Shin Kang… Ah!’
Shin Kang had left without finishing the labyrinth. Thus, Kang Seol was effectively the first to conquer the Black Labyrinth.
No, to be precise, it was more like blowing it up.
Lucia, Belian, and Belder did not receive the seal.
Lucia and her sisters approached.
Plop...
Lucia buried her head and muttered.
“G-God...”
“......”
She had completely lost it.
Belder and Belian glanced around before burying their heads like Lucia.
Well, it must have been a bizarre sight.
Supreme beings appearing out of nowhere. And their master.
It didn’t make sense to think these dangerously powerful figures would casually send them back to the world.
Unless they went mad… No, they knew they had to pretend to be mad just to escape this place.
‘...Well, they haven’t caused any real harm. However...’
Kang Seol figured their worship could be useful.
“…Begone. I may call upon you someday.”
“Y-Yes... Y-Yes...”
Belian and Belder had ties to the Relic Society, one of the forces, and Lucia was a powerhouse in her own right.
How to use them could be decided later. For now, he needed a way to contact them.
There was a suitable method for this.
- Aigoo! Friend exchange is so uncool!
- Hey! Even gods need friends!
- Gods don’t want to eat alone either!
They left the labyrinth with nothing gained.
No, more precisely, they survived with only minor aftereffects, which might be as good as gaining a lot.
Sss...
[Now, decide on the secret society’s symbol.]
[Visualize the desired symbol.]
[It can be easily changed later.]
For the Veil’s symbol, it had to be that pattern, of course.
Sss...
As Kang Seol visualized the pattern, a small brooch was given to each member.
A brooch that could be attached to a cloak, robe, or even upper clothing. As mere decoration, it didn’t occupy an equipment slot.
“A crow? Isn’t that too gloomy?”
Karen grumbled, but Kang Seol just laughed it off.
For the Veil, no other symbol but the crow would do.
[The final reward.]
...
‘There’s still more reward?’
They had spent quite a long time in the labyrinth, so the rewards kept coming.
[Your existence is redefined.]
[You are no longer a Shadow Summoner.]
[You are a Raven.]
‘...Ah.’
He had expected as much.
Upon completing the legend adventure, a new job name is decided based on the direction of the abilities developed so far.
A new framework and path are presented. If he had focused only on summoning, he would have gotten an advanced Shadow Summoner job, but Kang Seol had awakened a variety of abilities.
He needed a job that could wield them all.
A being that was neither Shadow Summoner nor Shadow Swordsman.
Raven.
It was a pure job name unrelated to the Veil.
Now, with talent in both swordsmanship and summoning, he could expand his realm without penalties.
[The ability tree is reorganized.]
[Ability points are refunded based on the branches extended so far.]
[Fruits are borne.]
[The Fruit of Good and Evil is granted.]
The Fruit of Good and Evil resets invested ability points.
It meant to use it and recover the points spent on the previous tree.
[The Raven is a being that shines all-weather on the battlefield.]
[Endurance: Cloth Specialization changes to Endurance: Leather Specialization.]
“......”
However, this change was a serious issue.
There would be no penalty for continuing to use cloth as before, but it was obvious that leather would be far more efficient going forward.
In close combat, the material of armor could change the flow of battle.
‘If it’s changing… maybe everything should change.’
This was something to think about slowly.
Finally, all rewards had ended.
Now it was time to leave.
But then, Shin Yu called out to Kang Seol.
- Seol-ah, could you give me a piece of paper?
‘Paper?’
Kang Seol handed Shin Yu an old sheet of paper and a brush. A brush would be more familiar to him than a pen.
‘...Ah.’
He knew what Shin Yu intended to do.
It was what one did when offering a rite.
The superstition that burning paper with words left unsaid to the departed would deliver them to those already gone.
- I’m done.... Could you...
“Burn it?”
Shin Yu hesitated briefly before nodding.
Crackle...
The edge of the paper began to scorch.
The writing on it burned away.
- Shin Rip, Shin Hyeon, my brothers. Are you at peace in that place you all went to first? Everything here is new, and I’ve been anxious. But I think I’ll get used to it soon. It all feels good.
With the burning paper, the dark days in the labyrinth also billowed out as smoke.
- And... Kang Seol is by my side. With him, it feels like I could fly even farther than Brother Kang River... Though it’s just a feeling for now.
Shin Yu remembered everything that happened here.
- Brothers, I was too young to accept my death and yours. But now, I think I understand. We died. And... that doesn’t mean our story has ended—I know that all too well.
When it’s time to leave, you leave.
- Our path continues. Through my sword, through Brother Shin Kang’s sword. Farewells grow longer with more words, so I’ll keep it short.
The second death after the first.
- I will always miss you.
Shin Yu’s words echoed back.
- Farewell, brothers....
His hand commemorated them in the most certain way he could.
His hand waved side to side.
Sending off the departed.
[The Black Labyrinth collapses.]
[The Black Labyrinth vanishes into history.]
Rumble...
As they left through the door spilling light, leaving the labyrinth’s collapse behind, the federation members were in chaos over the news.
“It’s collapsing!”
“Fall back!”
With no word for two years, this change must have been a huge shock to them.
Everyone outside the labyrinth breathed in and out.
Hoo...
Breath misted in the air.
The weather was cold.
No, it was freezing.
- Leather spec means cloth gets pierced right through lololol
- Shin Yu, please don’t tell me you’re wriggling to put it in your own pocket?
Whoooosh...
And...
Snow was falling.
The midday of winter that would never stop.
- Seol-ah, it’s snow.
“......”
- It’s snowing....
Kang Seol smiled.
He felt Shin Yu’s heart warm in contrast to the cold weather. And he felt the same.
Snow he hoped would never stop.
Snow that had paused once.
“Yeah… it’s winter.”
When it snowed, it felt like she was right beside him. Just that made Kang Seol feel good.
Now, the old ones were with him.
Jamad, draped in a large cloth, spoke.
“So, where is the Veil heading now?”
“More importantly, is that actually covering your body?”
“......I’ll pass on the petty nitpicking.”
“No, it’s not petty at all. Please don’t pass—I’m begging you. Did you leave anything in the Void? Like your conscience....”
“Quiet, you’ll draw attention.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying—you’re drawing way too much attention.... A hill-sized thing is moving.”
The fairy and troll bickering again, for the first time in a while.
Kang Seol savored the pleasant noise as he caught the falling snow with his right hand.
Shin Yu enjoyed the chill.
Breathing out mist, he said.
“We’re heading back.”
Kang Seol clenched the snow tightly, turning it to water, just as ice became water and everything changed.
At the end of the crossroads, the raven takes flight. For the promise yet unkept.
Once more, the change of seasons began.