Chapter 248
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 248
Chapter Title: The First Forced Penalty
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Alessandro came to his senses right around the time Jeong Hoon left.
His injuries were severe, but Amelie Reinas treatment allowed him to regain consciousness.
She was a hidden class Heresy Inquisitor, yet she boasted unparalleled skill in healing and debuff removal.
It wasnt for nothing that she was called a Saintess.
Thanks to her, Alessandro quickly recovered his condition.
Damn it.
Alessandro slammed his fist into the ground in frustration.
But for some reason, unlike before, there was no strength behind it.
Whats this sense of incongruity?
Even as a mage, all his stats had risen, so his strength should have been supplemented. Why did it feel so feeble?
Alessandro, I dont know what he did, but I can barely sense your aura anymore.
Barely sense it?
Yeah.
Alessandro Braiden hurriedly opened his status window.
Player Information
-Nickname: Alessandro Braiden
-Level: 503
Yes.
His level was still 503.
The problem was
Detailed Stats
-Strength: 11
-Agility: 11
-Vitality: 10
-Defense: 10
-Wisdom: 9
-Mana: 12
-Mental Strength: 10
Alessandro rubbed his eyes and looked again.
His mana had exceeded 1,000, and all his other stats had surpassed 500. What the hell were these pathetic numbers?
W-whats going on? Am I dreaming right now?
What? What the hell did he do?!
James Marcus hadnt imagined Alessandros stats had plummeted to absurd lows.
He merely assumed his power had been temporarily sealed, so he planned to look for a way to release it.
But seeing Alessandro in despair made him realize the situation was far more serious.
My stats! My stats are gone!
Gone?
Yeah! My manas only at 12!
What the.
Hed never heard of stats actually decreasing.
Damn it! What the hell is going on?!
Alessandro hurriedly tried to cast a spell.
But every one of his spells demanded more mana than he had.
In other words, he couldnt cast any magic beyond 3rd circle at all.
To cast spells again, hed need to raise his mana, but increasing mana was incredibly difficult.
Leveling up was the easiest method, but for someone at level 503, recovering his stats that way was next to impossible.
Alessandro calm down for now.
James decided to try calming Alessandro first.
But Alessandro wasnt hearing a word of it.
Aaagh! That fucking bastard! That fucker turned me into this!
Alessandro!
The Easterner who had toyed with him.
That damn guy must have pulled some trick.
Yes.
The little devil hed seen right before blacking out!
His memory had cut off after spotting that summon, so it had to be related.
The summon! What did that summon do to me?! Tell me now!
That summon stuck to you and wouldnt let go.
Wouldnt let go?
Yeah. If your stats dropped, it might be connected.
Damn it! Whered that Eastern bastard go?!
Alessandro frantically searched for Jeong Hoon.
But he was already gone.
Alessandro, I get it, so please just calm down.
Shut up! Calm down in a situation like this? James, are you screwing with me right now?
Ha, youre the one who screwed up, so why are you throwing a fit like this?
That was when Amelies voice cut in abruptly.
Both men turned to her.
Alessandro especially glared at her with murderous, blazing eyes.
Amelie flashed a bright smile.
Why? Did I say something wrong?
Amelie! Why are you taking his side too?
James irritably scratched his head.
James, didnt you witness that mans outrageous behavior with your own eyes earlier?
This whole mess was entirely Alessandros fault.
.
Which was why James couldnt offer any rebuttal.
Ha, so what? You wanna split up here?
Why not? Your stats dropped, didnt they? That makes you pretty useless as a teammate now, doesnt it?
You fucking bitch! James! Get this filthy bitch out of my sight right now!
Ha, I healed you and this is the thanks I get.
Who asked you to heal me? James, ditch this bitch and recruit some new guys. Thatd be better.
James Marcus said nothing.
.
In response, Alessandro shot James a fierce glare.
What? Why arent you saying anything!
Alessandro, just how bad are your stats right now?
Why?
In that instant, Jamess figure vanished, then reappeared behind Alessandro.
James gave Alessandros back a light tap.
He fell over with astonishing ease, leaving James speechless.
I barely put any strength into it. And yet he topples like this.
It meant most of his stats were gone, dropping him to beginner level.
Amelie Reina snickered at Alessandro.
Pfft.
Th-this!
The sprawled Alessandro scrambled to his feet.
His face was flushed beet red.
Alessandro, I think our partnership ends here.
James delivered the killing blow.
What?
Alessandro stared back blankly.
Its not about kicking you out because your stats dropped.
It was the racist remark.
James was utterly disappointed in Alessandro over that.
To confront this brutal reality, they needed to recruit comrades with exceptional potential and skill.
But if he spouted discriminatory crap like that, they could never truly unite.
So this was farewell to Alessandro.
James youre joking, right?
Alessandros eyes trembled.
Jamess resolve wavered for a split second at that gaze, but he had no intention of taking it back.
James, lets just go.
In the end, James followed Amelie Reina and left the scene.
Left alone, Alessandro stood frozen in place, not even twitching.
The shock had hit him too hard.
Wow, what the hells with that guy?
Hes gotta be insane, right? Daring to blast magic at hyung-nim?
Ha-jin and Deok-gu were ripping into Alessandro nonstop.
They knew plenty about Alessandro Braiden too.
The worlds first mage-class player to break level 500.
Who hadnt heard of that?
Theyd even admired him for it, and when he showed up with James Marcus, theyd wanted autographs.
But they never dreamed he was such a total scumbag.
Calm down. We gave him a proper thrashing, didnt we?
Hey! Just knocking him outhows that a thrashing?
Exactly! We shouldve just snapped his neck and been done with it!
Not knowing the Seven Deadly Sins could absorb stats, the two were frustrated.
Theyd secretly hoped Jeong Hoon would at least half-cripple the guy in that moment, but hed just knocked him out and called it a day.
When did I just knock him out?
You did, though? And then the summon got real close Huh? Wait, what even was that summon?
You sure took your time asking.
Jeong Hoon shot Ha-jin a look of disbelief.
Ha-jin cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away.
Ahem So, what was that summon?
One that can steal stats.
Huh? Theres a summon out there with that kind of power?
There is.
Then Alessandros?
Probably down to beginner-level stats by now?
Oh, so thats what happened?
Aha! Serves the bastard right!
Only then did Ha-jin and Deok-gu let out satisfying laughs.
Theyd properly smashed that scumbags ego.
Anyway, that asshole wont be causing trouble anymore.
Hed probably get booted from Jamess crew.
Amelie Reina might be called a Saintess, but it was just a nickname for her insane skills.
She despised the weak that much.
So if Alessandro had turned weak, the odds were high.
Puhaha, serves you right, you Alessandro prick!
We shouldve landed a punch on him ourselves.
Yeah. Kinda regrettable.
They really clicked.
Jeong Hoon watched them and spoke up.
Anyway, HoneyTubes a success, we met James Marcus, so now onto the next thing?
Huh? Next?
What is it?
Ha-jin and Deok-gu tilted their heads.
4th job change.
Ah.
Ahem.
The words 4th made Ha-jin and Deok-gu avoid Jeong Hoons gaze.
You guys need to power up fast. Why do you think I turned down James Marcuss offer?
Turned down? No wayyou didnt do it for us, did you?
Jeong Hoon shrugged.
Why ask something so obvious? That bastard only wanted me. You think Id be crazy enough to go?
Hoon-ah!
Hyung-nim!
The two gazed at Jeong Hoon with moved expressions.
So, two weeks.
Jeong Hoon held up two fingers.
Two weeks?
No way?
As their faces rapidly darkened, Jeong Hoon grinned.
Thats right. Finish your 4th job changes within two weeks.
4th job change.
Itd be tough, but a hurdle they had to clear.
After sending the two off, Jeong Hoon headed home.
Looks like Mom hasnt finished hers yet either.
His mother was in the middle of her 4th job change quest, so she wasnt home.
Of courseshe was a hidden class, Genesis Sniper.
The quest difficulty was incomparable to normal classes.
It was only natural that it would take time.
Master, you okay?
Muk-ho asked cautiously.
What.
Your face looks scary?
My face?
Jeong Hoon stepped into the bathroom and checked the mirror.
Just as Muk-ho said, his expression was rigidly set.
Emotions showing on my face like this. Ive still got a long way to go.
The reason he couldnt maintain his usual poker face.
It wouldnt stay a mystery for long.
Rumble.
Not long after, an earthquake struck.
Whats that noise?
Penalty.
Penalty? Didnt you close all the penalty dungeons, Master?
Just as Anima said, Jeong Hoon had shut down the penalty-imposition dungeons.
He couldnt erase every penalty across all regions every time, but it wasnt a major issue.
However, this earthquake was different.
Forced Penalty.
Forced Penalty.
Those couldnt be preemptively removed.
Meaning, they were imposed whether you liked it or not.
Heek! So what happens then?
Monsters ravaging the surface again?
Back during the initial realization phase, monsters had turned the surface into a wasteland.
That could be seen as a forced penalty too, and this was the same.
But this time, no monsters appeared.
Instead, natural disasters would strike endlessly.
The building collapsed!
Fuck! Why the hell is this happening out of nowhere?!
Screams erupted from people on the surface.
Perfectly fine buildings began collapsing out of nowhere.
Earthquake-induced structural failures.
This was the first forced penalty.
And as time passed, the forced penalties would only grow stronger.
Eventually, meteors will start falling.
Not extinction-level ones, but the damage from meteors would be beyond imagination.
Which was why he had to stop it from reaching that point.
Forced ones theres no way to block them, right?
No, there is.
He couldnt prevent the forced penalties from being imposed.
But he could stop their intensity from ramping up.
