Chapter 9
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Rock Key Heist
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There were 12 hours left until noon, the deadline for the adventure.
Within that time, one of the Rock Fang Tribe's leaders had to be eliminated.
The Friendly 5 Brothers was fundamentally an elite adventure designed for a 5-person party.
Naturally, every monster was far more powerful than in solo adventures. They were meant to be faced by five people, after all.
And if regular monsters were this tough, did that mean tackling the boss would be easy?
Far from it.
Even after successfully getting every tribe member to drink the madness potion, Kang Seol held off on rushing the boss. This was why.
'It's still too iffy to make a move.'
The ultimate goal of Kang Seol's plan wasn't hunting down tribe members—it was taking out all five Rock Fang leaders.
It was a plan so insane that no one would bat an eye if you called it madness for trying it solo. But Kang Seol had no intention of backing down.
There were a few reasons for that.
First, he had a precise memory of this adventure. And more than that, it was unfolding exactly as he remembered.
Not every future adventure would play out according to his recollections, of course.
The Eternal World was a place where the worldview constantly shifted—thanks to the actions of the "horses."
As the adventure progressed, the mid-to-late game content could end up completely different.
'If that happens, the edge I have vanishes.'
That's why perfectly memorized adventures like this one needed to be milked for maximum rewards—to prepare for whatever threats came next.
Second, in this solo adventure where he'd been forced into his current plan, the difficulty gap between facing one leader and all five wasn't that wide.
Third—and most crucially—the rewards.
The Eternal World calculated rewards from multiple angles.
How ingenious the process was, how many people were involved, the adventure's inherent difficulty, any secret tools used, and so on.
From that perspective, Kang Seol's current situation wasn't all bad.
If he truly took down all five Rock Fang leaders alone, using every trick in the book? The payout would be top-tier, even among the top rewards.
That was why he was trudging down this grueling path.
Swish...
Anyway, he'd slipped away while the gathered trolls returned to their posts, ending up somewhere specific.
'The Rock Fang treasure warehouse...'
Kang Seol had memorized the surroundings while climbing the mountain because he was after something in particular.
The tribe's treasure warehouse. Luckily, it was just one level below the top floor. He couldn't enter it, but regular tribe members could at least reach that level.
The Rock Fang Tribe dumped all their treasures into one warehouse.
'Nothing but junk...'
They were worthless trinkets by any tribal treasure standard, but to trolls, they held immense historical value.
Like some dusty antique that seems pointless in real life but fetches billions from experts.
'Still, one item in that warehouse is the real deal.'
There was exactly one genuine treasure in the Rock Fang Tribe's warehouse.
'Rock Fist.'
Kang Seol recalled the tribe's lore.
The Rock Fang Tribe served Earth Dragon Tankrid.
Tankrid, taking pity on them, gifted the tribe an item forged from his own scales.
The "Rock Fist"—a gauntlet that granted the power to shatter boulders just by wearing it. For shamans, it bestowed immense sorcery might.
'Up to here, it's your standard troll tribe...'
One might think the Rock Fangs would thrive after getting Rock Fist, but it was the opposite.
They faced attacks from countless envious tribes. Even within their own ranks, fights broke out repeatedly.
'The problem was all those internal factions.'
Every generation, five shamans born with rock sorcery powers appeared in the Rock Fang Tribe.
The previous era's shaman bound them with a "brotherhood ritual" to preserve that power—even though they weren't related by blood.
Forcing unrelated beings into brotherhood.
If it'd been a willing bond like the Peach Garden Oath in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, maybe. But this coerced tie fueled factionalism.
'Five factions checking each other... Without that, they'd have been a real powerhouse.'
This was all from the Eternal World official codex and in-game lore.
And Kang Seol was a player who knew how to exploit those details.
Lost in thought, he passed several dwellings undisturbed and finally found what he wanted.
Confirming the treasure warehouse's location, Kang Seol bided his time.
The harvest festival had slackened security around the warehouse.
'About an hour since I dosed all the trolls with madness potion. Reactions should kick in soon.'
After waiting another five minutes or so, the signal he awaited arrived.
Kraaaaaah!
Grraaaaa...
Harrowing roars pierced the night air—not from one or two, but many.
Madness-filled screams echoed from every corner of the village.
Once the potion circulates, the trolls will turn on each other. I diluted it to avoid detection, so it'll only mildly worsen the leaders' conditions.
That alone would be a huge help to Kang Seol.
He stayed near the warehouse despite the ongoing roars.
If regular tribe members were reacting, guards here would too, soon enough.
"What?! What the hell is that noise?"
"If there's trouble, a messenger will... Urk..."
"Wh-what's wrong wi...?"
Kraaaaaah!
As mentioned, at midnight during the harvest festival, every tribe member drank blood.
This was an ironclad rule.
Meaning the warehouse guards had drunk it too.
Krunch!
A guard cleaved his double-headed axe into the one beside him.
Exactly the scene Kang Seol wanted.
Grrr...
Excited by the blood scent, the guard abandoned his post and bolted toward the village.
Kang Seol scanned the area, then slipped quietly into the warehouse.
Stepping just inside, a voice leaked from within.
"You're late! Stay back! Something's wrong with my body! Hurry and tell Jamad and the broth—"
The Rock Fang Tribe appointed a troll unaffiliated with any faction as treasure keeper.
That was their rule.
The keeper was a fine warrior, but far weaker than the 5 Brothers.
His body convulsed; foam bubbled from his mouth as he whirled to face Kang Seol.
Grrr...
Already lost to madness, the keeper charged like lightning.
"Karuna!"
Whoosh, clack!
The troll gripped his spear firmly, red eyes locked on Kang Seol's throat.
He thrust hard.
Claaang!
But the strike failed.
A black shadow had parried the spear with a sword.
"Grk... Grrrk!"
Kang Seol flashed a dark smile and ordered Karuna.
"Kill him."
Karuna nodded and attacked. Their clash began.
Long story short, no matter how strong the keeper, he was no match for Moonlight Knight Karuna, apostle of the moon.
Early-game, Karuna was an untouchable monster in straight fights.
Even party-designed foes couldn't match this clone's stats.
'If it were the real Karuna, a troll like this would've died in one swing...'
Even at this level, Karuna's clone could take any of the 5 Brothers except Jamad.
As a clone, it took a dozen exchanges, but the treasure-guarding troll's throat was ultimately pierced by the Moonlight Sword.
"Kek... Kahk..."
[Defeated the Rock Fang Treasure Keeper.]
[Acquired Rock Key.]
Lmao he's raiding the warehouse now??
Isn't the Rock Fist in there? What’s he planning with that?
Wtf dude; insane; Rock Fist ain't no Infinity Gauntlet lol
Right! Joke 1 lol
Joke 2! Number's up!
This guy's nuts?
Kang Seol held the Rock Key for a moment, lost in thought.
Assassinating the keeper and snagging the warehouse key was another branching point.
'Choices should pop up.'
As he approached the solidly locked stone wall with the key in hand, the prompt appeared right on cue.
You have acquired the Rock Fang Tribe's treasure warehouse key. What will you do?
1. Use the Rock Key to open the warehouse door immediately.
2. Take the Rock Key.
3. [Requires: Shaman] Analyze the sorcery engraved on the Rock Key.
4. [Requires: Thief] Check if the key can be duplicated.
5. [Requires: Stealth] Hide here.
...
This choice had nearly 10 options.
The Rock Key was a massive branching point.
'Taking the Rock Fist could work too.'
Open the warehouse, grab it before anyone notices.
Some player had definitely tried that before.
'Ended in disaster, though.'
To reiterate, Rock Fist was the tribe's sacred relic.
The five factions united to reclaim it, tearing the thief limb from limb.
'This is the branch for solo clears. The right answer is...'
Kang Seol went with option 2.
He just took the key—no opening the warehouse or stealing the Fist.
With that done, he slipped out of the cave and raced to a village spot overlooking the warehouse.
Moments later, the Rock Fang leaders rushed to the warehouse one after another.
Amid tribe members lost to madness slaughtering kin, they'd come because of the keeper's death.
They'd sensed it via sorcery.
The youngest, Earth Sorcerer Makgata.
Fourth, Gravel Sorcerer Troggo.
Third, Mud Sorcerer Miyam.
Second, Rock Sorcerer Kron.
And the eldest, Mountain Sorcerer Jamad.
"What the hell is going on?! What's this chaos in the village?!"
"The keeper's dead! One of you orchestrated this!"
They spoke in order of arrival.
Only Jamad listened silently.
Realizing the Rock Key was stolen, he rumbled heavily.
"Break it."
To check the most vital thing, they smashed the warehouse entrance.
Krunch!
Booom!
Sorceries flew wild, demolishing the structure.
"Haaah!"
Jamad finished it with a massive boulder spell, blasting the entrance.
Booooom!
The tremor reached even distant Kang Seol.
The leaders posted aides and entered to inspect.
Kang Seol watched the trolls with a sneer.
'Search all you want—no issues.'
Nothing stolen, nothing missing.
They'd find no theft.
'That's the gap.'
No stolen goods.
That would drive them mad.
"Who?! Who pulled this vile stunt?!"
"Not me! Jamad, it has to be you! Stirring chaos to eliminate us and rule with iron fist!"
"That makes sense!"
"Oh ho! Stole the Rock Fist to murder your brothers, eh? Sacrilege!"
"You think that'll fly? Even with the ancestral brotherhood curse binding us!"
The 5 Brothers began suspecting each other.
Denials flew to dodge blame, so others harbored doubts inwardly while feigning trust outwardly.
Jamad drew the most suspicion.
Maybe wielding envy under suspicion's guise. He was the strongest, noblest brother, after all.
But words aside, no rash moves.
The Rock Fist was still there; no other thefts confirmed.
With madness spreading and suspicion poisoning brotherhood.
"First, subdue the rampaging tribe members, then we'll find a solution!"
The 5 Brothers assigned relatively sane soldiers to joint guard duty, then left.
'On track so far.'
The Rock Key was a sorcery-enchanted item. Replicating it would take days.
'No key means smashing the warehouse.'
And they'd smashed it.
Barring guards, no means left to protect the Rock Fist.
The broken warehouse would nag at the 5 Brothers.
What if someone stole it?
What if a brother broke rules and seized it...? Endless worries paralyzing them.
Suspicion festered in every heart.
Mad tribe members attacking kin, raid traces at the warehouse.
No leader would think the tribe collapsing yet, in this dire state.
'Except one...'
Kang Seol knew the Friendly 5 Brothers beat inside out. Push the crisis this far, and a bold one acts first.
'...Here he comes.'
Swish.
A guard spotted someone and tensed.
"Lord Jamad?"
The eldest leader, Jamad, followed the guard and vanished into the warehouse.
Before his brothers moved, he'd acted.
'He's taking the Rock Fist.'
Tribe crisis was his crisis.
Securing it confirmed the suspicion poison among his fake brothers—and prepared for threats.
'As expected from the most dangerous leader.'
Kang Seol nodded at Jamad's retreating figure, then moved for the adventure's next phase.
Time to light the final fuse of this fight.