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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Makgata, the Earth Sorcerer
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"Dieeeee!"
"Gah… Guh… heuk…."
Splash!
Sizzle…
A living hell.
A descent into pandemonium.
There were plenty more ways to describe the current state of the Rock Fang Tribe, but what mattered now was whether there was any means to quell this chaos.
'There isn't.'
The Madness Potion wasn't invincible.
Its duration was about 12 hours.
Since they'd drunk it at midnight, the tribe members wouldn't regain their senses until noon.
If he could isolate them within that time, the damage could be minimized.
'But that's going to be tough.'
The problem for the leaders was that 'all' tribe members had taken the potion.
Some were less affected, but most were still at each other's throats with weapons drawn.
There were too many to control.
'And I can't just stand by and watch.'
To shake things up, it was more important to trigger a chain of small incidents than one massive event.
While the leadership was distracted by the Madness Potion issue, Kang Seol had raided the treasure warehouse, sowing suspicion among them.
And now, he had arrived at the next location in his plan.
The dwelling of Makgata, the youngest of the Rock Fang Tribe's five brothers.
He was an earth sorcerer and the pillar of one faction.
Makgata, the leader evaluated as the weakest in both temperament and power among the brothers.
Kang Seol easily breached the lax defenses and infiltrated his abode.
Creak…
As he opened the door to the chamber, Makgata greeted him with a hardened expression. It seemed he'd known someone had intruded for some time.
"…It's you."
[Earth Sorcerer Makgata recognizes your identity.]
[The Disguise Potion's effect is released.]
[The potion's efficacy alters your constitution.]
[You fully comprehend Troll 1.]
[Troll 1 lingers in your talents.]
A human clutching a glowing full moon staff.
Makgata drew out his inner beast as he eyed Kang Seol, who appeared with a brazen expression.
He too had been considerably influenced by the Madness Potion.
Soon, his eyes turned red.
"You're the one who's thrown the tribe into chaos, human!"
- Correct.
- Huh, turns out troll speech makes sense too.
- In troll culture, they call guys like Snowman spineless bastards.
- Oh, interesting. Humans say the same thing.
- Spineless = You're the master.
- Extreme praise!
Confirming he'd come to the right place, Kang Seol nodded.
Rustle.
Moonlight Knight Karuna suddenly emerged from Kang Seol's shadow.
"Kill him."
Karuna nodded.
Shing-!
Karuna's Moonlight Sword radiated brilliant light as it surged toward Makgata.
"Grroooar!"
Clap!
Makgata clapped his hands, and a mound of earth erupted from beneath his feet.
[Makgata uses Mud Wall.]
Boom boom boom!
Slash!
Slice!
Karuna calmly cleaved through the earthen mounds but didn't display the overwhelming combat prowess needed to crush Makgata.
"Hahahahaha!"
Thud.
Makgata felt the opponent wasn't as strong as expected and thus manageable.
He even judged that overpowering them could solidify his position within the tribe.
Perhaps he could even push aside Jamad and claim the top spot among the five leaders.
Thud thud.
Mud trolls fashioned by Makgata began intruding one by one.
Karuna fought well amid them but couldn't dominate.
If this battle dragged on, it seemed Kang Seol couldn't subdue Makgata in short order.
Elite monsters were indeed elite.
- Wtf;; What? Is the shadow summon penalty that bad?
- Isn't Makgata supposed to be an easy win?
- Judgment miss, gg. Now 5 brothers fusion incoming.
As Makgata's soldiers clung tenaciously, Karuna was forced onto the defensive.
"Kahahahaha!"
Makgata was thrilled at the thought of dismembering them to prove his strength.
That's why he glared at Kang Seol, the summoner sorcerer, with gleaming eyes.
But.
Even in the midst of this, Kang Seol merely cast a cold gaze, showing no panic.
'I've confirmed enough. No variables, as expected.'
Up to now, Karuna had only been using raw stats and basic swordsmanship against Makgata.
As if to prove it, moonlight began gathering on Karuna's body.
[Karuna enters Moonlight Ascension Stage 1: Crescent Moon.]
Whoooosh!
Karuna accumulates moonlight during battle.
The more he moves, the stronger he becomes.
Recalling that in the Forgotten Moon Ruins, Karuna was most threatening when his armor brimmed with moonlight, one could guess the gap between early and late battle power.
Slash!
Slash!
The Moonlight Sword now glowed more intensely.
Like a beam of light, Karuna's blade sliced through the mud soldiers clean.
"Wha… What!"
Startled, Makgata began chanting a spell.
But.
Swoosh!
Karuna didn't allow it to complete.
His form slid smoothly, closing in on Makgata in an instant, and the Moonlight Sword scattered light.
Whoooosh-!
Splatter!
"Gaaaaah!"
Makgata's left arm was severed from the shoulder.
Essentially, the fight was over.
Swish, swish!
Splurt!
Makgata's two legs met the same fate as his arm.
When a sorcerer yields distance to a swordsman, this is what they must brace for.
Karuna had merely taken in a bit of moonlight, yet he'd become impossibly fast and ferocious for Makgata to handle.
"Guh… guhhaaa…."
Makgata thought to himself.
He'd fallen so pathetically, but if his brothers united, could they stop this tribe's calamity?
"Ha… haa…."
Why hadn't they done so from the start?
Deep down, he knew why.
His brothers weren't true blood kin.
They were mere rivals playacting at brotherhood, watching each other's backs.
Kang Seol slowly approached Makgata.
Like death itself looming over him.
- Karuna is insanely strong… So majestic… majestic…
- You used majestic twice…
- Where'd the guy who said we'd lose go?
- Swordsmen are OP ㅡㅡ Sorcerer got smashed lol ㅠㅠ
Realizing his life was forfeit, Makgata did what he had to.
Swoosh.
He pointed a finger at Kang Seol.
To cast a curse.
This curse worked only on the summoner, not the summoned beast.
"Resentment? Can't have that."
At that moment, Makgata's resentment curse activated.
[Earth Sorcerer Makgata harbors resentment toward Snowman.]
[Snowman is afflicted with lethargy.]
[For one week, strength and agility are reduced by 50%.]
Makgata's resentment was a deadly curse that diminished strength and agility.
But for a summoner like Kang Seol from the start, those stats weren't particularly vital.
Knowing this, he'd targeted Makgata.
'Normally, you'd pass this curse around among party members.'
Investigate the village, gather info on the resentment curse.
Then, while taking down the five brothers, have the class least affected by the curse bear it.
That was the standard strategy for the five brothers.
If his full party were alive, Kang Seol might've stuck to that without looping back.
'At least I made it this far.'
Makgata left his final words to Kang Seol, who stood expressionless despite the curse.
"M-Makgata's brothers… kuh… will avenge… me…."
Thud…
[Experience gained.]
[Earth Sorcerer Makgata defeated.]
[Rock Fang Tribute generated.]
[Adventure goal fulfilled.]
[Adventure can be concluded upon time expiration or reward selection.]
Makgata breathed his last.
Kang Seol grinned, baring his teeth.
"Your brothers… but they're about to get even busier."
Before the final battle, Kang Seol set Makgata's chamber ablaze.
Whoosh-!
If any relatively sane subordinate was nearby, they'd check the place and report Makgata's death to the leaders.
* * *
By the time the leaders learned of Makgata's death, Kang Seol had boldly entered the village center.
"Graaaah!"
"Die! Die already!"
"Guh… guheuk…."
Ignoring the stench of blood and acrid smoke reverberating everywhere, he entered a suitable house.
- Good luck?
- It's on fire. Get it together.
- Whatever else, his mentality is S-tier lol. How's he just chilling there?
- But isn't the adventure over? Why hasn't he dipped?
- No one knows, just watching;
- Some probably cleared and left already.
- Nah, they just met minimum conditions.
Kang Seol approached the small cauldron in the house's center.
(gray)- Moji! He's up to something?
- Masaka! More Madness Potion?
- Again with the potion lol.
As he neared the cauldron, a notification rang.
[This is a place where cooking is possible.]
- Suddenly?
- No way?
Kang Seol began pulling out what looked like ingredients and herbs from his inventory one by one.
- Getting all domestic in this rush?
- Suddenly hungry?
- But what talent is cooking exactly?
- Jack-of-all-trades. Can't mix with others without recipes, they say?
- ???: Wanna eat~ mana?
He stoked the firewood flames and cooked the herbs and foodstuffs in sequence.
He hadn't eaten all day, but hunger wasn't why he was doing this.
[Moon Seed]
Grade: Unique
Appropriate Level: 1 - 5
Weight: 0.1kg
Special: Can be consumed in various ways. Effects unknown.
Kang Seol took out the seed, eyed it briefly, then dropped it into the cauldron.
The Moon Seed was what he'd obtained from the Forgotten Moon Ruins earlier.
The prime consumption method for this consumable was reprocessing via cooking, and Kang Seol knew the recipe.
'The last fight will be tough, so pity, but I'll use this as a volatile ability.'
Moon Seeds had various effects, typically split into two types.
One was permanent stat boosts, the other acquiring volatile abilities.
Volatile abilities, unlike others, couldn't be reused after once.
But their power was immense, used when facing dire straits.
Sizzle…
[Cooking complete.]
[Lightly Stir-Fried Greens with Unique Seed complete.]
[Beginner's Luck applies.]
[A pleasant aroma. Cooking successful.]
[Mental power permanently increases by 1.]
[Inspiration awakens.]
[New ingredient recipes will come to mind upon encounter.]
[Cooking skill slightly improves.]
Kang Seol scooped the dish into a suitable bowl and devoured it like a vacuum.
No seasoning, and with herbs and veggies as ingredients, it was bland.
- Why cooking all of a sudden?
- Is this right?
- Weird, is this the stream I was watching?
- There's gotta be a reason ㅠㅠ
As he emptied the bowl, a message appeared.
[Excellent meal consumed.]
[Moon Seed special effect activates.]
[Volatile ability 'Moon Stage' usable for one day.]
- …Huh?
- Ate food and got an ability?
- Mind blown! Mind blown!
- How does he even know this?
- ???: You saw it. Just watch quietly.
Then a barrage of messages.
'Breaking news' sponsored 200 Madness!
[Checked the wiki. Moon Stage is an AoE spell that buffs moon-attribute beings and debuffs others. F*ck. Just saw this now.]
- What kind of runaway conscience is this ability?
- Well, it's top-tier adventure reward plus full clear…
- And volatile means one day only, guys! Not permanent after one use?
- Ultimate move, ㄷㄷ
'Definitely chose the cooking talent wisely.'
Veteran picks always have reasons.
Among countless talents, cooking had great accessibility and diverse effects, so all-rounder players often picked it.
Sure, recipes determined outcomes wildly, but Kang Seol's repertoire was vast.
'Easy to grow, and growth amps effects….'
Isn't food the biggest issue in life? The cooking talent exceeded Kang Seol's expectations.
Preparations were finally complete.
Kang Seol slipped outside and quietly headed to the summit, the highest point of Pointy Rock Mountain.
The brothers, having heard the news, would all be there. Settling it there would end it.
"Time to wrap this up."