Chapter 24
Chapter 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Groundless Rumors - 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Pale Moon was a monster that primarily used mental attacks.
In particular, its "Recollection" skill forcibly made the target relive their past, preventing them from using skills properly—one of the most notoriously filthy attacks in the game.
Just like how Veronica kept losing her mind every time she tried to use a skill, rendering her unable to provide proper support.
Of course, it wasn't without countermeasures. A bard's or clown's mental healing, or a warrior's physical healing, would snap them out of it.
But that was the standard method for casual players. Veterans like me took a slightly different approach.
Namely, using an indiscriminate area-of-effect mental attack to weaken the Pale Moon's mental assault—with poison to counter poison.
That was exactly why I'd brought those two troll-level adventurers along.
Wilkers's nonstop chatter and Lark's pig-slaughtering songs and performances.
The mental shock produced by those two not only hammered the Pale Moon but also hit our entire party, keeping Veronica from staying trapped in Recollection.
Of course, it came with quite a bit of mental strain on our side.
"Veronica! You okay?!"
"...Yeah."
The silver-haired beauty, who had been staring blankly at me for a moment, suddenly snapped out of it. Was it Lark's Death Lock that did it? She scowled deeply and grumbled.
"My ears are ringing."
"Told you."
Anyone not used to that performance and chatter coming out unscathed wouldn't be human.
But thanks to Veronica's high mental resistance, she didn't seem completely addled or lost in confusion.
Even if she did fall under it, it wouldn't be a huge problem.
"If it's too much, fall back and rest!"
I could cover for her for a short while.
I pulled on the hand I was holding hers with, and she barely managed to stand, glaring at the Pale Moon before biting down hard on her lips.
Blood welled up from her lips and trickled down.
"Would any priest rest with such evil right in front of them?"
Gripping her Divine Mark tightly, she checked her status and activated her most powerful available skill.
Blessing of Light.
An advanced priest skill that healed the entire party's health and mental strength while erecting protective barriers.
Being a skill, it made Veronica's eyes glaze over again—a sign she was about to fall under the Abnormal Status "Recollection." So I slapped her cheek hard.
-Smack!
It wasn't because I disliked her or anything.
This was just a warrior's physical healing.
"Gasp."
A red flush spread across Veronica's pale face.
I felt bad for slapping someone I was pretty close to like that, but it couldn't be helped.
Lark wasn't in great shape either, and he couldn't keep holding out forever.
Blood dripped from his fingers after strumming the lute who-knows-how-many times, and his coughing from the nonstop singing was getting worse.
Leaving it all to those two was starting to seem impossible...
"Uwaaaah! Murder! Murder! Murder! Murder!"
"Ugh! Why is this thing so damn tough?! Why won't it go down?! Uwaaaah! It's ridiculously strong! Back when I was in Trilbania, there was this guy who was just as strong..."
...Yeah, I could leave it to them more.
What tough bastards.
"...Am I holding you back?"
"Whoa. No way. You're doing amazing right now."
Seeing her stressing over not being helpful, I grabbed her shoulders firmly.
"You're seriously helping a ton, so cut that out!"
Stress reduction was a supporter's job.
I tossed the throat lozenges I'd made with alchemy last time to the two of them. As they caught them, cleared their throats, and resumed attacking the Pale Moon, I lifted her chin and stared straight into her eyes.
"Eek!"
Veronica met my gaze and quickly looked away. Had I hit her too hard? Her cheeks were turning redder.
"Th-that's... really... true?"
"Damn right."
"Better than the Hero Party?"
"What kind of obvious question is that?"
"...Better than the Princess?"
Why bring up Lucille here?
Anyway, lowering her stress meant I could throw in that much sweet talk.
"Something like that?"
"Will you come to me after this is over?"
"Nah, not that."
People have limits to what they can yield.
"...Tch."
She looked disappointed, but her spirits seemed lifted as she steeled herself again.
"Sage! Something's off with it!"
At Lark's shout, I turned to the Pale Moon. Its countless tentacles had stopped moving. The eyes on its egg-shell-white surface had closed.
"Hoo... Is it... over?"
"No! Wilkers! Get your ultimate ready! Hey! Lark! Hate to say it, but no choice!"
"Huh?"
"Duet time!!"
"What?!?!"
Lark and I had wildly differing musical tastes, but oh well. I grabbed my lute, and Lark hesitated before pulling a sheet of music from his pocket and tossing it over.
"Can you play this?"
No way in hell I could.
"How the hell do you play something this complicated?! Just follow my lead! Veronica! Get ready!"
"H-Huh? Okay!"
"Hymn. 'Light Comes to Me' starts now! Everyone, stay sharp! Don't get confused when you see the transformed form!"
-Crack!
A fissure appeared on the Pale Moon's surface. A sign that something else inside was about to emerge. We tensed up, and as the tension peaked...
-Crash!!
The white surface shattered. What burst out was a horrific monster with dozens of eyes, four arms, two legs, and hundreds of tentacles on its back.
"Uwaaaack! What the hell is that?!"
"Lord of Light..."
"Somehow it's kinda cool?! Whoa! Sage! It's striking a chord in my soul!"
...I couldn't comprehend Wilkers's tastes. Calling something that grotesque "cool."
Anyway, good that at least one of us was holding up.
Lark and Veronica froze at the sight of the Pale Moon's true form, but Wilkers and I could still move.
-Rooooaaarrr!!
With its roar, Phase 2 began. Spotting it swing its elongated arms for a direct all-party attack unlike before, Wilkers immediately raised his staff.
"Shadows shall halt all in this place!!"
As Wilkers lifted his staff, dozens, hundreds of shadow tendrils surged up, binding the monster.
That was the shaman ultimate: Multiple Shadow Bind.
A powerful technique that could bind even the Demon King, the final boss of the main story, if used right.
It was the main reason casual players brought shamans into parties—a fantastic ultimate that was just as good in reality.
"How long do we hold?!"
"Until those two snap out of it! Just wait!"
I plucked the lute I'd drawn. The tune: Spring Breeze. We couldn't fail this time...
-Ting-a-ling~ Tin-a-ling~ Ding-ding-ding~
Fortunately, no fumbles in the performance. As the song ended, the stiffened Lark and Veronica finally exhaled.
"Huff... Huff..."
"Haaah..."
"Lark! Duet prep! Veronica! Attack when Wilkers's skill wears off! We'll handle support!"
"Ugh... I hate hymns."
"Just align our musical tastes this once!"
It was the most effective hymn I could play.
And as a hymn, it'd buff Veronica into main DPS.
-Ting-a-ling~ Ding~
Lark grumbled but harmonized as I started playing. And then.
"When spring's light takes root here~ Blessed saint~ Grant eternal rest~!"
Next was Lark. The issue was how he'd sing it...
Would he swallow his musical pride?
No way he'd troll us here, right?
"Truth's light is a blessing~ Eternal rest~ Banish the darkness from this place~"
...What the hell was that voice.
"W-Wow..."
"Oh my god..."
This guy could sing like that and chose to belt out those abominations normally?
Shocked not just me but Wilkers and Veronica too as we stared at Lark, his scales flushing slightly red as he continued the hymn.
"As madness's darkness recedes from here~ Spring's saint shall receive blessing~"
Our duet hymn began empowering Veronica. She snapped out of her daze, gripped her mace tight.
"Here I go!"
Only Veronica got the hymn's buffs, but that was fine. I'd seen Wilkers handle worse in dungeons.
So our job was...
"Light~ Oh light~"
Just sing our hearts out from the back and play till our fingers bled.
[Achievement: Pale Moon Subjugation achieved.]
[Achievement Reward: Event "Church's Blessing" now available.]
-Ruuuuumble...
Thanks to the buffs from our relentless hymn, Veronica's attacks were more than enough to damage the Pale Moon.
Pummeled by her mace and caught in Shadow Bind multiple times, the Pale Moon finally shattered completely. We panted heavily as we stopped the hymn.
"We got it...?"
Veronica muttered, watching the crumbling Pale Moon. Normally it'd revive, but nope—we'd slain it.
Wait, hold up. More importantly...
"Hey! Lark! You sing that well, so why the hell do you normally do that crap...?"
"What?! 'Crap'?!"
"Yeah, crap! You punk!"
He sang better than court musicians or singers. As Wilkers and Veronica stared in wonder, he thrashed his long tail and grumbled.
"Masters like me must walk the path of masters."
Dude... don't walk that path...
The three of us were dumbfounded, but Lark just snorted.
Whatever. If he insisted on his musical path, who were we to argue.
"...For the Princess's birthday party, can't you stick to the basics?"
"Hmph. I won't stop until my path spreads to the royals and nobles."
Ah. Yeah. Be gone then.
"Whew... So we're done now?"
"Yeah."
Achievement done, just loot left.
I walked to the Pale Moon's remains, now silent debris like stone dust. What I wanted was...
"Found it."
A cylindrical sword hilt.
"What's that?"
Veronica followed curiously. No need to hide it, so I showed her.
"A sword hilt?"
"Yeah."
"What's it for?"
"The weapon Moonlight."
"A weapon? This?"
"Yeah. Used like this."
I brought my lute to the hilt, and it got enveloped in light, absorbed into it.
"Huh? What happened? To this?"
"The moon changes shape. Moonlight does too. Register a weapon, and it transforms into that form."
A Sage who could use all job skills naturally handled countless weapons.
But carrying them all?
Even in-game, inventory limits made proper Sage play tough.
Especially since skill effects often scaled with weapons.
So the devs made Sage-specific weapons like this.
I reverted Moonlight from lute form to original and tucked it at my waist.
"Sage! We done now?"
Glancing at curious Wilkers, I checked the achievement log.
Yeah.
Done.
What we had to do here was...
"...Sage. You worked hard this time... Could we stop by the church briefly?"
Veronica, looking utterly spent as she gathered Pale Moon fragments, gazed at me. Probably wanted me as a witness and to explain.
Church, huh.
Of course we'd go.
To claim the linked event achievement.
Author's Note
Hehe, have a good night~