Chapter 50
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: A Song of Courage
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Music and war share an inseparable relationship.
To be more precise, music is what is born even amidst the falling shells of war.
Just as children are somehow born even in the throes of a fierce conflict.
So, why do musicians create songs in the midst of war?
There was a simple reason hidden within.
It was to inspire soldiers to march on even under fire, to give them the strength not to give up even in the worst of situations.
Sometimes it breathed hope into the despairing,
and at other times, it comforted the warriors returning from battle.
In essence, it was about soothing human emotions with music.
To offer courage, hope, and comfort.
Courage for Cedric.
In that sense, the piece Yuhyeon was creating was a song of courage.
So that Cedric might listen to this song, break free from the fear that was eating away at him, and move forward.
Skrrt! Skrrrt!
Yuhyeon's pen moved without hesitation across the parchment.
Technique? Polish? Nothing can be omitted when creating a piece, but
Today, there was something more important.
Even if it meant leaving everything else out, he could never compromise on that one thing.
The ecstasy of victory, the joy. So that he may find courage.
What mattered most was sincerity.
This might be something only Yuhyeon could create.
Why?
Because Ive had times like that too.
Because he, too, had lived a past riddled with regrets, just like Cedric.
That was why he could understand his heart better than anyone.
I lost my hearing in an accident, and there were times I barely survived on the meager income from composing.
It had been like that just a month ago.
Like the dim, blue-green light of a rusty old water tank, his life had been utterly bleak.
Everything changed after I entered Wonderland. I could hear again, and I was able to reclaim the life I had lost.
But after logging into Wonderland, everything changed.
He could once again hear the sounds he had so desperately longed for, and he began to dream of a second act in his life as a musician.
It would have been impossible without Sangcheol.
All thanks to the small gesture from Sangcheol.
If he hadn't told him about the game, or if he hadn't dragged him along, even paying his way.
None of this dream-like situation might have ever happened.
I want to convey the feelings I'm experiencing right now.
He wanted to pour those dream-like emotions, that ecstatic joy, onto the musical score.
Skrrrt!
Before long, Yuhyeon's eyes narrowed.
The world slowed down, and his hand drew the notes faster than his mind could think.
Immersion! He had reached what people often call the zone.
Skrrt! Skrr-rr-rrt!
And as time flowed on, after a short thirty minutes had passed.
Skrrt! Skrrt!
Yuhyeon's hand stopped.
Tiring!
Sheet music creation is complete.
Calculating grade...
The rank of this sheet music is...
A flood of notifications appeared before him.
However, Yuhyeon didnt read the messages and went straight to Cedric.
Partly because the afterglow of his immersion lingered, preventing him from reading.
It was the best piece I could possibly create.
Also, there were things he knew without having to look.
That this piece was the greatest he could create.
He could feel it in his boneshe had created something so magnificent.
What one would call a magnum opus.
This was a tribute, a piece to comfort the Yuhyeon of the past and to give courage to the Cedric of the present.
It was a powerful beat of wings, an anthem to shake off the past and dream of a brilliant future.
Could one dare to assign a rank and value to such a piece?
No, that was absolutely impossible.
Yuhyeon believed there was something that couldn't be accessed by systems and numbers alone.
Because he believed in something essential that transcended ranks.
Its finished.
And so, he intended to prove it.
I dedicate this to you.
That this short performance right now.
Please, I hope you will listen with a joyful heart.
Could save a man who had fallen into despair.
What on earth is happening?
Cedric couldn't comprehend what was currently taking place.
And for good reason
Piiii!
A clear melody, completely out of place in a dungeon, was spreading through the air.
A beautiful sound that seemed like it belonged in a green meadow or a peaceful village.
Im familiar with musical performances. I heard them occasionally at my familys estate as a child
The Belvern family had been granted a fief by the emperor for their meritorious service in the Northern Conquest.
It was a family that held, quite literally, overflowing wealth, a place where they could enjoy all the honors of nobility.
So much so that salon musicians would visit and perform whenever there was a festival.
But creating a song in a dungeon this is the first time in my life Ive heard of such a thing.
Even knowing that the outsiders possessed special abilities, the idea of composing in a dungeon was something he found quite difficult to understand.
To Cedric, music was nothing more than entertainment for enjoying festivals.
It should have been just that.
What is this feeling?
As the beautiful melody of the recorder spread, he felt the anxiety that had surrounded him being washed away.
A pleasant tingle filled his ears, his heart grew warm, and the unexplainable anxiety began to fade.
It was like the peaceful state of mind just before falling asleep.
And at the same time.
Piiik! Pibibik!
A dramatic tune unfolded, one that music experts would recognize.
It was reminiscent of the Battle of Leningrad in Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7.
Thump. Thump-thump!
Yuhyeon stomped the ground, adding the bass sound of a kick drum.
This added a thrilling melody that was difficult to express with the recorder alone.
Soon, as the intensity of the percussion overlaid the melody, it felt as if an entire orchestra was playing alongside him.
Its as if its not just one person, but dozens standing behind him
Amazingly, it was as if the magnificent voices of a choir, which couldn't possibly be there, were ringing in Cedric's ears.
Kämpfen!
Fight!
Nicht nachgeben! Gott sei mit dir.
Do not give up! Gods blessing is with you.
Sie werden gewinnen!
We will win!
The ecstasy and joy of the coming victory.
The sound of a trumpet call to advance, to fight on without giving up!
Why
Listening to the performance, Cedrics eyes began to tremble rapidly.
is the music I heard back then coming to mind?
As he listened to the music, memories of the past strangely began to surface.
From his early childhood, when his father, the heroic knight Winchester, returned after completing the Northern Conquest.
The time when renowned musicians and dancers came to celebrate the victory of House Belvern.
For House Belvern!
Hoorah!
At the time, no one had expected House Belvern to win.
They were outnumbered, and their opponents were the northern warriors, famous for their savagery and valor.
- If there is a God, please protect him.
The image of his mother crying silently on the day his father left for the conquest was still vivid in his mind.
Begging for him to just return alive.
And his father performed a miracle.
The barren land, the fierce blizzards and wind.
He broke through the relentless onslaught of the northern warriors and finally achieved the conquest.
Simply to protect his honor as a knight, to never retreat even if it meant death!
I wanted to be like that, too.
Cedric was the youngest son of House Belvern.
In his family, which followed primogeniture, the moment the eldest son was named heir, there was no place left for him.
For there could only be one head of a house.
Father, please send me to the knighthood.
That was why he had left his family at a young age to join the knighthood.
If he couldn't become the head of the house, he wanted to become a heroic knight like his father.
He wanted to elevate the family's prestige in his own way.
To show that your son is doing so well, that he is demonstrating his valor here!
I didn't want to run away.
But in that moment, facing death, Cedric had shamefully turned his back.
Even if it was the mistake of a mere thirteen-year-old boy, he shouldn't have done it.
He should have upheld his honor as a knight, even if it meant death.
Just like my father, who marched forward, risking his life.
That was the knight Cedric dreamed of being, the kind of knight he wanted to become.
It's as if I'm hearing the music of victory I heard back then.
Yuhyeon's performance seemed to be saying just that.
- You can do it. Don't give up, move forward.
- I will help you achieve the dream you've longed for.
And at that, extending a hand to him first.
Can I do it?
Honestly, no matter how much courage he mustered, he wasn't confident he could defeat the Treant.
The Elder Treant was too powerful an opponent for an intermediate knight like himself.
He knew that courage without conviction was merely arrogance.
But.
There's nowhere left to retreat from here.
Was it right to throw away this opportunity that had finally come his way?
He was a knight who had never been chosen by anyone, branded with the stigma of failure.
And now, thanks to Yuhyeon's small gesture, he had come this far, standing before the boss room.
Just one step, a single step remained.
This is no time for a weak heart.
There was no time for weakness now.
He wasn't a little thirteen-year-old boy anymore; he was a grown man who had come of age.
If he retreated now, all that would remain was defeat, and the stigma of repeated failure.
The only way to survive was to advance.
I will defeat the Treant and reclaim my lost honor.
As a proper knight, and as a shining talent of House Belvern!
Debating whether I can win or not is meaningless. The only thing I must do is win
At that moment, a light flashed in Cedric's eyes.
Tiring!
Mercenary Intermediate Knight: Cedric resonates with your music!
Cedric temporarily enters an awakened state.
A change begins to occur within him...
.
.
.
Notifications heralding Cedrics change.
Cedric is changing
The change wasn't just for him, but for Yuhyeon as well.
Tiring!
Magical Sheet Music Creation (Mythic) and Heavenly Performance (Mythic) create a synergy.
You have found a hidden condition for the Mythic skill.
The unique skill of the Conductor of Melody is being passed down to you!
A new trait is granted to the Magical Sheet Music Creation (Mythic) skill.
Then, as if a pen were writing letters, skrr, a skill began to be added to a previously locked slot.
Magical Sheet Music Creation
- Creates a synergy with Heavenly Performance, allowing you to remove one debuff from a target. New
- (Locked)
Remove one debuff from a target?
Yuhyeons eyes shook as he stared at the skill.
Tiring!
You are the first bard capable of removing an opponent's debuff!
This is a unique ability granted only to you, the inheritor of the Conductor of Melody's power.
Tiring!
Achievement Unlocked!
You have acquired the title Found a Hidden Condition for a Mythic Skill (1).
As a First Achievement Reward, all stats except Divinity and Charm increase by 5.
A bard who could remove debuffshe had never even heard of such a thing.
Wh-What is all this
But that wasn't the end of it.
Cedrics transformation was still underway.
Tiring!
Granting a new trait to Mercenary Intermediate Knight: Cedric.
The trait Chicken-hearted (S) has been removed and replaced with Desperate Courage (A).
This may disappear permanently or resurface depending on Cedric's journey.
Current Personality: Desperate Courage (A) - When overcoming the fear of death to fight, all stats increase by 50 for 1 minute.
Chicken-hearted is gone, and a new trait has appeared.
Yuhyeon's eyes widened like saucers.
His greatest weakness, Chicken-hearted, had vanished, and a new trait was granted in its place.
The skill Desperate Courage, which could bring about explosive stat growth upon overcoming the fear of death.
And as if to prove his personality had changed.
Sir Yuhyeon.
Cedric spoke in a deep and powerful voice.
I will protect you, even if it costs me my life.
A determined and serious gaze, an intense aura that promised to overcome any opponent.
The Cedric who had grown cocky after catching a few Treants was nowhere to be seen.
...Cedric. Are you really okay?
Upholding my honor is the only thing a knight can do.
For the first time since meeting Yuhyeon, Cedric showed a smile.
He had undergone a complete transformation in a short time.
How reassuring.
In response, Yuhyeon also replied with a gentle smile.
Shall we go, then?
Nod.
Yuhyeon and Cedric stood before the door to the boss room.
Wooooo.
A black aura of unfathomable depth still emanated from the door.
The light of death that had driven Cedric to despair.
...O Lord, grant us victory.
But the frightened young knight who feared death was no more.
Only an honorable knight, seeking nothing but victory, remained in his place.
Yuhyeon looked at Cedric and said with a smile.
We will be victorious.
A knight of prodigious talent who had conquered his fear, and the one and only bard who had inspired courage within him.
For the two who possessed such a brilliant light, there was no fear.