Chapter 6
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Abandoned One
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Kang Seol made his way up to the midpoint outpost on the mountain ridge, the spot where the Rock Fang Tribe first made their appearance.
"Hmm..."
The outpost lay in ruins, completely devastated.
Scorch marks from fire scarred the structure, troll corpses strewn about haphazardly, and the only standout detail was the green flag fluttering nearby.
'Flag... It's harvest festival time.'
The Rock Fang Tribe only flew the green flag during specific periods. Only for the harvest festival, when they prayed for the Earth Dragon Tankred's blessing.
Anyway, that wasn't the priority right now—the whereabouts of his comrades were. Confirming the area was empty, Kang Seol pressed on a little further.
Even in a mess like this, he needed to check things properly.
And at last, he found them.
"...They're all dead."
Four stakes.
Four people impaled upon them.
Their outfits were unmistakably similar to Kang Seol's—no doubt about it, these were his party members.
What do you call a situation like this?
Second-hand party, right? Looks like it...
Total wipeout;; shocked What the hell happened here?
Second-hand party.
It was a term for when you joined a group that hadn't filled all slots and had already made some progress.
People would say, "I joined a second-hand party."
'These folks must've been the ones who cleared just the first checkpoint in Adventure 1...'
Unable to wait for Kang Seol, who'd gone all the way to the final checkpoint, they'd pushed ahead on their own.
And the result? Four corpses staring back at him.
Kang Seol gazed at the four stakes with regret.
'This throws the straightforward strategy out the window...'
This place was essentially the lowest layer of the Rock Fang Tribe's territory. Getting stuck here meant none of the leaders had been taken down.
In other words, he'd have to face a boss that required a full party—all by himself.
Yet strangely, Kang Seol showed no signs of giving up.
No, his eyes grew even more serious.
'...Looks like I'll have to use that method.'
To get a precise read on the situation, Kang Seol began piecing it together.
'Judging by their outfits: one priest, two vanguards, one archer? Solid comp...'
If they'd followed his lead, they could've cleared Adventure 2 without a hitch. But now they were gone for good.
Their eyes still wide open in death—must've been pretty pissed about it.
'Spilled milk... Frontal assault's off the table. Time for another approach.'
Kang Seol's mind brimmed with countless strategies from the Friendly 5 Brothers.
But even for him, optimal plays matching this nightmare scenario were few and far between.
Just then, a choice popped up before his eyes.
You've arrived at the Rock Fang Village. What will you do?
1. Methodically attack the Rock Fang Tribe's settlement from the lowest layer.
2. Wait for night.
3. Scout the surroundings for information.
4. …
Abandon your team! Got abandoned by your team...
I'm a solo player... A true solo...
This is straight-up tearjerker material... What a shitty twist;
Any way to clear this?
As if; The setting docs say it's a party adventure with tons of stuff, but nothing jumps out as doable solo...
Option 1 was risky, even summoning Karuna as a familiar. Option 2 offered night raid advantages but would just waste time solo.
That left option 3 as the smart pick.
And once he chose to scout, it branched further.
As he set off with scouting in mind, another choice appeared.
Where do you want to focus your scouting?
1. Scout inside the Rock Fang Village.
2. Scout the outskirts of Pointed Rock Mountain.
With only about a day left, leaving the area entirely wasn't feasible.
So most who picked scouting stuck to the village interior.
But Kang Seol was different.
He knew every setting and hidden mechanic in this adventure inside out.
Naturally, targeted scouting—not blind wandering—would yield exactly what he wanted.
'Backtrack.'
Decision made, Kang Seol turned around and withdrew from the Rock Fang Village.
Giving up lol
How are we supposed to clear this?;
At least he'll last another day...
The Eternal World wasn't a strictly linear adventure.
Choices led to wildly different outcomes, rippling into future adventures.
Among these, the ones etched into "history" were the top-performing horse's worldline.
That worldline got shared with every player of the Eternal World.
In that sense, if Kang Seol's current plan succeeded, it had a high shot at becoming history.
He aimed to solo the adventure—and snag the best rewards to boot.
Back to the adventure: Kang Seol was now searching the lowest peak among Pointed Rock Mountain's five summits.
Five peaks in total.
The Rock Fang Tribe claimed the tallest; others hosted different denizens.
Not outright enemies of the tribe—just side characters with their own backstories holding the rest.
'Rock Fang exiles.'
Beings banished from the tribe for one reason or another, now scattered across the peaks.
Sounds irrelevant at first glance, but this setup was crucial in the Friendly 5 Brothers adventure.
Most hidden mechanics stemmed from these exiles.
That's why Kang Seol combed the lowest peak so thoroughly.
'It has to be here...'
The being he sought was described as hiding on the lowest of the five peaks.
Kang Seol had leveled countless characters, but piecing together game hints for real finds was tricky.
Snap...
Crunch.
Ting-a-ling...
"...A bell?"
A bell dangled from a long cord.
The cord stretched between trees.
'Not a trap... Alarm, maybe?'
The bell's chime rang clear through the mountains.
No ordinary sound.
A tiny bell like that couldn't carry so far naturally. Must've had sorcery woven in.
"Found me, have you?"
The one he sought was close. Now just pinpoint a shelter.
But unexpectedly, the voice called out first.
"A human... Who are you...?"
Slurred speech.
Kang Seol took it in stride, weaving through the trees. Talking without being seen? Mystic power at work.
Ting-a-ling...
The bell rang again, followed by a panicked voice.
"D-don't... come closer..."
"I'm not dangerous."
"Y-you're... human."
"......"
Kang Seol halted.
Not because of the words—he'd just spotted a likely shelter.
A dilapidated hut clung precariously to the slope.
Well-hidden even on the peak; he'd nearly missed it in the shade.
"St-stay back, I said..."
"Like I told you, I'm not here with bad intentions."
"Liar! The Rock Fangs sent you! What do you want with me?!"
A choice appeared before Kang Seol.
The Abandoned One fears you. What will you do?
1. Threaten him.
2. [Req: Persuasion 1] Claim you got lost.
3. Order him to help wipe out the Rock Fangs.
4. [Req: Sorcerer] Ask for sorcery teachings.
5. [Req: Insight 1] Point out something's off about him.
Confirming the options were spot-on, Kang Seol called out.
"Why can't I come closer? Is something wrong?"
"I said stay away!"
Picking an option didn't auto-resolve everything.
Dialogue choices just guided direction—the system didn't speak for you.
"Stay back from me..."
"Are you... sick?"
It wasn't obvious from here, but Kang Seol knew the lore: the guy was ill.
Still, he probed gently to draw out the reaction he wanted.
Swish...
The Abandoned One emerged fully from the hut.
Not human—a troll.
His slurred speech? Probably those overgrown fangs protruding from his mouth.
Anyway, this wasn't your average troll.
Wounds covered his body.
"...See? Back off—it's contagious."
"I want to hear more."
"...Don't make me more miserable."
shocked Contagious disease!
Social distancing! Back away!
Assuming Kang Seol would retreat, the Abandoned One just stared gloomily.
The Abandoned One is afflicted with a contagious disease. What will you do?
1. Retreat.
2. Insult him.
3. [Req: Toxicology 1] Ask if it's poison-related.
4. [Req: Medicine 1] Offer to examine him.
5. …
Kang Seol was a gambler.
At least, his Eternal World self was.
Step, step.
"...What are you doing?"
"I want to hear more of your story."
"Come closer and... it'll spread."
"Stay back, and I can't hear the details."
"......"
The troll stared straight at Kang Seol for a moment.
Then sighed and ducked back into the hut.
The Abandoned One lowers his guard.
"...I won't take responsibility."
"Can I come in?"
"...If you want to hear my tale, by all means."
Kang Seol smiled and followed him inside.
The hut hit him first with the thick scent of herbs, then the sight of shelves crammed with books.
"...Books?"
"Strange?"
A bookish troll—what isn't strange about that?
Kang Seol held back, then blurted,
"Not really."
"......"
The Abandoned One squatted and lit a fire.
Crackle...
"Tea? No fine blends, but I've got herbs aplenty—herbal brew's on offer."
"I'd rather pick up where we left off."
"What exactly piques your curiosity?"
"Anything."
"......"
The Abandoned One answered with silence, then flashed an awkward smile, resolved.
"W-well... Mind if I tell my story?"
"That's why I'm here."
"Alright, then..."
He spun his tale.
Nothing too outlandish, really.
Pointed Rock Mountain had an endemic disease from way back, one that spread to trolls. It recurred across generations, claiming many lives like a plague.
Ancestral Rock Fangs racked their brains over it, eventually enacting a harsh rule.
"Exile?"
"Yes... Exactly."
"So you were exiled..."
"No, not me. My mother."
"......"
He continued.
His mother was pregnant with him when exiled. She begged to leave the child with the tribe, but they refused.
He figured their choice might've been right.
"I was born with the sickness, after all..."
"......"
"Even dying, my mother cursed the tribe. Said they all... all had to go."
"Who?"
"The tribe, the disease... and me."
Painful stuff, but he recounted it calmly.
Kang Seol asked,
"Incurable?"
"That's why I buried myself in books. Learned human tongue with sorcery, pored over every scrap of knowledge on the endemic."
"...Results?"
"Near success. Just one ingredient short..."
Kang Seol was almost at the info he wanted.
"Corpse Finger Mushroom... It's somewhere on this mountain. But..."
"Couldn't find it."
"Right. Old records mention it only on cliffs... And the disease weakens my bones—cliffs are beyond me."
"Other trolls... Oh... right."
"Forgot? I've been alone since birth. Anyway, that's my story. First visitor, so I rambled... Anything else you want...?"
"That mushroom..."
"...Pardon?"
"Mind if I fetch it?"
"Why... what for...?"
Kang Seol smiled faintly.
Rock Fang lore, troll lore, leader lore—he had it all mapped out.
He could help this troll.
"Call it a simple trade."
"...If—if you actually bring that mushroom, I'll do anything."
Hidden Adventure: The Abandoned One