Chapter 280
Volume 29 Chapter 7
7) Spirit King’s Sculpture
Sponsored Content
Weed informed his other colleagues of the information he obtained . Irene smiled lightly .
“The King of the Fire Spirits cursed the continent to be hot because people carelessly touched his relics . ”
Surka also expressed her excitement at the interesting story .
“I like hearing about unusual stories of the past . Aren’t we the only ones who know about this unknown history of the Versailles Continent?”
Hwaryeong and Bellot were discussing putting on a show about King Belsos .
There were a lot of small scale performance venues in Morata . Performances often occurred in Light Square or Bingryong Square and stats would increase depending on the success and audience reactions .
Weed created sculptures with historical stories and this historical information would have a good effect on the performances . The audience welcomed this with performances because they could gain more knowledge stats .
Of course, it was only possible to gain some stats the first time hearing the historical fact . That’s why the audience kept on demanding better performances . It was the reason why bards travelled around the continent asking for stories .
“Then I just need the Agate crystal . ”
Weed found numerous Agate crystals in one place . The quantity was quite a lot as he saw at least 120 of them .
“But I don’t know if I can take it!”
Belsos’ tomb had many treasures such as a desert warrior’s equipment . But there was no assurance that he could leave with the sculpting material .
“I have to do this somehow . ”
Weed was deep in thought The treasures couldn’t be opened that easily . Some traps might be installed! In this case, he had to be suspicious and watch the boundaries .
Weed felt even more suspicious thanks to his experiences so far .
“The Dragon’s Quest won’t end this simply . Why else would the Spartoi be sent for support? We wandered a short while looking for the ruins and there was a fight against the monsters but I can’t really say that we struggled . ”
Usually quests of this difficulty would work out fine and he would feel happy until he was hit in the back of the head . So far he had many experiences with high difficulty quests .
“There is nothing that can be easily solved in this world . ”
His colleagues stood quietly and waited for his choice . If the wrong choice was made then everyone would be in trouble so they had to believe in him and wait .
Zephyr whispered .
“I’ll just believe in Weed-nim’s decision . ”
Bellot also spoke in a low voice .
“These are also my thoughts . We will become cockroaches that won’t die even if we’re stepped on . ”
Weed’s other colleagues also agreed .
“I won’t do that . ”
Weed decided not to touch the sculpting materials .
He felt tremendous anguish but the agate crystal was more important than gold or jewels . The Crimson Wings Guild had touched the treasures out of greed and suffered for it .
“It is like ordering a fried chicken that came marinated . ”
Weed looked around the king’s chamber for other materials and treasures . Based on the memories he witnessed from King Belsos’ sculpture, he needed to discard greed .
“I understand that he made a lot of elemental sculptures . ”
Belsos had lived an arduous life from an early age and the spirits were his friends . And he discovered a statue of a Fire Spirit that was half finished!
It wasn’t made with an ordinary skill . It had the appearance of King Belsos ling in the desert and his entire body seemed to consist of an elemental spirit . Weed looked at the unfinished sculpture and it seemed like a puzzle had snapped in place .
“The Agate isn’t a treasure but I don’t know if I can take it . I don’t know if a curse will happen or not . ”
Weed had his Sculptor profession in common with Belsos . Sometimes having spirits as partners would lead to social problems .
“But King Belsos was a Sculpting Master so he must have Elemental Sculpting . ”
Weed had learnt the skill on his own but judging by the memories he saw in the sculpture, King Belsos 100% had Elemental Sculpting .
“If I complete this sculpture then I would probably learn Elemental Sculpting . ”
If so, he obviously had to finish this sculpture . This was a place related to a sculptor so the statue could be seen as a very important key . His colleagues just continued to watch as Weed’s thoughts got deeper and deeper .
“How are we going to do this?”
“I don’t know . I don’t think we can escape with the treasure right now… . . ”
“Let’s check the surroundings once again . ”
“Ah, he’s laughing!”
A rotten, confident smile was on Weed’s face .
“Calling the fire elemental, lullulu!”
Sponsored Content
Weed sang as he carved the sculpture of the spirit .
“Indeed, this luxury is really different . ”
King Belsos had left an unfinished sculpture behind and there were materials available to complete it .
If an elemental shaman went on this quest then they could build up achievements . Or they would discover a high ranking spirit turned to stone . The power of the spirit inside the stone would match the shaman’s attribute .
Flames rose significantly every time Weed carved the stone . It was like adding oil to a hot frying pan in a Chinese restaurant .
-Your health has decreased by 237 after being burnt by the fire .While Weed was suffering making the sculpture, the others were just eating jajangmyeon with pickled radishes .
Flames continued surging as he sculpted the figure . It was the best environment for the formation of an elemental sculpture .
Pale came and informed him .
“Weed-nim, it is time for those guys to appear . ”
“It has already been 1 hour . ”
King Belsos’ tomb was infested with the beasts . They periodically entered the stone chamber via other passages . Weed also needed to handle them with his group . He could leave it to his colleagues and the Spartoi but he wanted to hunt directly .
“Radiant Sword!”
The degree of proficiency had increased and now 5 sparrows of light appeared . Flashy effects occurred as the 5 sparrows collided with the monsters . His sword techniques had clearly become stronger as Sword Mastery increased .
“Weed-nim, this time it is the Ice Locker . ”
The boss class beast, Ice Locker!
“Sword-cloning skill!”
Weed used Sword-cloning instead of Radiant Sword . The effect of Sword-cloning when hunting against 1 strong monster was really good .
Sya sya sya sya syak .
Weed formed 9 clones .
Grrrr… . .
The Ice Locker looked confused as its eyes alternated between the clones .
Pale, Zephyr and Surka had yet to attack .
“I’m going!”
Weed ran towards the Ice Locker . His clones also ran at the same time .
Kyaho!
The Ice Locker breathed out strongly in front of him . Extreme cold!
It hit one of the running clones and the body froze .
Kyahahahak!
The Ice Locker’s elbow then struck the clone violently . The clone turned into a grey light and scattered . The enemy’s special attack was effective at neutralizing the Sword-cloning skill .
While the other clones induced the monster’s attack, Weed’s Daemon Sword struck the neck of the Ice Locker .
-You have dealt a fatal blow!The other clones then jumped onto the Ice Locker . Weed aggressively continued with his attacks .
-You have dealt a fatal blow! -You have dealt a fatal blow! -You have dealt continuous fatal blows! -The Ice Locker has hit its head and has become confused .“Step on it!”
After it fell into confusion, everyone gathered together and mercilessly showered attacks upon it!
“Die . ”
“Hit it!”
Now Zephyr and Surka who had been waiting struck . Romuna’s magic and Pale’s arrows also hit .
Weed’s ‘Step on it!’ was the signal!
Hwaryeong and Bellot who had low attack, defense and health normally couldn’t participate in close combat but they also played an active role . They poked with a dagger and hunted with steel instruments . Weed attacked the opponent with Sword-cloning while Zephyr and his other colleagues supported him .
It was a classic party combat when dealing with strong monsters! The monster was weakened after being confused by the continuous fatal blows so it was easily taken care of .
His battle style really changed after learning a secret sword technique . Sword-cloning had a tremendous effect when hunting several monsters at the same time . The clones helped with defense and also improved overall damage .
Although the rapid mana consumption was a disadvantage, it made hunting significantly faster . Furthermore, his mana regenerated quickly thanks to his ring, Baharan’s Bracelet and the helium in the Goddess’ Knight Armour so he didn’t feel the need to conserve his use of Sword-cloning .
The Geomchi practitioners still couldn’t take advantage of the skill properly but Weed was perfectly utilizing it .
“This secret sword technique is really great!”
He gained skill proficiency, experience and loot!
Weed and his colleagues had brought a lot of bags into the dungeon . It was filled with loot every time they hunted .
-Should I depart now?
Sponsored Content
-Waiting a little longer is acceptable .
Mapan periodically sent whispers to Pale to confirm the situation . Recently he had bought 12 tamed gargoyles for a very expensive price . Only the highest level merchants could have a flying gargoyle transportation unit .
Mapan was prepared to come and trade at any time .
Weed’s group used various ways to hunt in the ruins .
“This is a great hunting ground . ”
There were many beasts so somethings King Belsos’ jewels would drop as loot . It would be different if he came alone but his trusty companions were professional and organized . Now that Weed had taken care of the boss monster, he didn’t worry about defense as much and had higher damage .
His companions’ skills also harmonized well . They had grown together from the early stages of the game so they could understand the meaning with just one look .
‘He intends to hunt for 3 more hours . Ugh, I can’t feel my legs . ’
‘So many of these beasts have come out . I once again raised my Perseverance stat while hunting with Weed-nim . ’
‘Ah, I would like Weed-nim to prepare a good meal and I want to walk around wearing the new shoes and clothes that I bought . ’
“Kuhuhuhuk . ”
“Shyung, this is really nice . ”
“Yes . This is the taste of hunting . ”
The Geomchi practitioners also used Sword-cloning and Radiant Sword . The monsters were getting increasingly stronger so it took more then the basic sword skills to hunt them properly .
They found it fun to find treasure in dungeons or hunt boss monsters together . It wasn’t possible to catch the boss monsters by themselves but their combined power was like a death penalty .
Wielding a sword while riding a horse or a wyvern was a man’s romance!
“It is exciting . ”
“Yes, Teacher-nim!”
“Let’s have unlimited fun!”
Orcs were now in the vicinity of Vargo Fortress and high level users had come en masse . The Geomchi practitioners defeated the monsters and seized the rugged mountains .
They climbed to the top of a high mountain and shouted wildly . The clouds moved around underneath them . It was a wonderful sight . They enjoyed a wild life while depending on their strong power!
The Geomchi teachers and practitioners didn’t care about their levels . They were just satisfied at being able to fight freely . They ran down the mountain trails covered with the dew of dawn and felt an exhilarating feeling as they fought against monsters .
Their Weapon Mastery skill had increased and they were thankful they could fight like this .
Experience accumulated and they acquired more levels and loot . They had adapted after the time spent in Vargo Fortress and recently fewer people had died .
“No . 2 . ”
“Yes, Teacher-nim . ”
“We have a pretty old map of Royal Road . ”
“Time has passed already, Teacher-nim . ”
“Yes……”
Geomchi looked at the iron sword in his right hand .
‘I’ve realized the taste . ’
He thought that virtual reality was really wonderful . As the flesh became more developed, there were fewer chances to show it in reality . Even if a quarrel occurred with someone else, you weren’t supposed to fight or hit the person . Martial arts were only used to entertain the crowd .
Royal Road helped to relieve his desires .
“The student who was caught holding an iron pipe in junior high really likes this . ”
“The practitioners also like it . ”
The dojang practitioners adventured in Royal Road while risking death in every battle . They willingly entered the capsule even on weekends or breaks .
“But it is really strong . ”
While Geomchi was inspecting his sword, Geomchi5 came and asked quietly .
“If we don’t do our best here then wouldn’t our pride be hurt?”
The instructors and practitioners accepted death lightly .
In Royal Road, it would be difficult to win if there was a large difference in level or equipment . The judgement and reaction of the body was a huge help but it was limited .
“It sounds like a fun dream . Here… . . ”
“I want you to learn this sword . By learning the sword, you will end up looking at yourself . ”
In reality, even if they trained for decades then one mistake would cost them their lives . They were full of vigour when young but became weaker once they aged .
Sponsored Content
Even if it was impractical, that was still life . That’s why the instructors chose the rough roads when learning the sword . If they experienced real physical suffering, threats to their lives and the joys of becoming stronger then they would be great swordsmen .
Once all these things got stronger, they would find their inner voice .
“We will become stronger in this place . ”
“Then……”
“This will be a good learning experience . ”
Weed only had 6 days left to spend in King Belsos’ Tomb . That’s because Akryong Kaybern’s quest had a time limit!
“This rude, spoiled lizard has done nothing to help!”
While hunting and creating the sculpture, he heard rumours from outside .
-Bardray has completed yet another quest .
-Was it shown on a broadcast?
-Not yet . The news just broke . It will be broadcasted this evening .
Bardray had succeeded in his 15th Master Quest . Class Master Quests normally had between 15~20 steps so he had almost reached the end .
Weed was only on the 14th quest . The Sculptor Quest might have been shorter than the Black Knight’s due to some luck but he was at a disadvantage .
“Eueuum!”
He felt a pain in his stomach as he continued making the elemental sculpture .
“If I’m feeling a pain in my stomach then I need to eat some medicine . ”
When taking into consideration that he couldn’t be late to meet Kaybern, there wasn’t a lot of time left . The advantage was that half of it was already done but it was difficult to express the rest .
The elemental sculpture caused huge flames every time used Sculpting Knife so the environment was bad . It reduced his health and also obstructed is vision . He had to bear with the fire difficulties in order to complete the tricky sculpture . Working faster could ruin the work so he needed to be focused and meticulous .
“If I somehow manage to raise my level then I will kill that lizard… . . ”
He had hunted dragons when playing Continent of Magic . Weed made a promise for the future .
Ddiring!
-Please set the name of the new sculpture .“A Tribute from a Junior Sculptor to Belsos La Deus the 3rd . ”
Weed had completed the elemental sculpture . Flattery while setting the name was indispensable!
-A Tribute from a Junior Sculptor to Belsos La Deus the 3rd is correct?“It is a great honour to be able to work on the elemental sculpture originally made by the King . That’s correct!”
Weed cried out . He had 6 days left to complete Kaybern’s quest .
-Magnum Opus! A Tribute from a Junior Sculptor to Belsos La Deus the 3rd has been completed . King Belsos lived a lonely life while making the sculptures . Not a lot is known about his sculptures so artists can’t evaluate it properly .King Belsos left the work unfinished and the genius Sculptor Weed who has been rising like a comet on the continent has completed it .
Sculptor Weed is also the King of the Arpen Kingdom . His sculptures have always been a big topic on the continent and nobles covet his pieces .
If this remarkable piece of work becomes known then it will be an opportunity to evaluate King Belsos’ artistry . Artistic Value: Source belongs to Master Sculptor Belsos and a joint work with the next sculptor= 19,834 Special Options: Belsos…health and mana regeneration will increase by 31% for a day . Power over the fire spirits across the continent will increase by 3 . 2% .
The level of the Summon Fire Elemental skill will increase for 1 week .
More fire spirits will appear .
The power of any fire magic in the vicinity of the sculpture will increase .
All stats increased by 24 . The effect doesn’t overlap with other sculptures . Current number of Magnum Opus created: 15 . -The skill proficiency of Sculpting has improved . -The skill proficiency of Handicraft has improved .
-Fame has increased by 1,953 .
-Art stat has increased by 21 .
– Perseverance has increased by 7 .
-Charisma has increased by 9 .
-Fighting Spirit has increased by 3 .
-Affinity to Nature has increased by 37 . -You have created a sculpture of the Fire Elemental King . Due to the special experience, your fire resistance has increased by 3 . 4% . -All stats will gain an additional 3 points for making a Magnum Opus sculpture .
Weed didn’t create the sculpture by himself so he obtained less stats . Even so, it was a Magnum Opus so it was a great harvest!
‘All my effort and bloody sweat I shed has been rewarded . This thing was exceptionally difficult . Not every sculpture will be easy . ’
King Belsos had flames wrapped around his entire body . It was difficult because he had to express it naturally, not artificially but he managed to accomplish it with no mistakes despite the flames .
Most sculptures blended in with the surrounding scenery . Some gave the feeling of serenity under a clear sky filled with white clouds . The Garden of the Gods was a magnificent work of art that stretched into the sky and incorporated the earth as well .
The light emitted from the Fire Elemental King sculpture gave off a strong presence .
Weed was satisfied with himself .
‘These materials are really good . ’
His colleagues also admired the work .
“As expected from Weed-nim, you made a Magnum Opus . ”
“I knew that a great work would come out . ”
His companions accepted the sculpture he made with so much difficulty like it was natural!
Weed forced a smile onto his lips .
Thanks to the rise in fire resistance, hunting became easier . Typically ice magic was more dangerous . The body couldn’t move and it would lose combat power . But many monsters utilized fire and there were dangerous fire spells .
Furthermore, if his fire resistance reached 100% then he could use the Dragon Sword, the Red Star . Weed’s fire resistance was already over 7% thanks to the magic circle in the Jigolaths and now it had increased by 3 . 4% . If he wore an accessory like the Ring of Famous Fire then his fire resistance would increase even further .
‘If I buy a necklace or bracelet then I can increase it by 79% . ’
If he used Sculptural Transformation into the relevant race and his blacksmith skill was applied then he could take advantage of the Red Star .
‘A day will come when I can use that item . I can’t throw anything away . ’
Picking up japtem gave him a rewarding feeling . It was the spirit that wanted to save so much it would transfer a used diaper to another child!
The resistance would change depending on the species he changed into with Sculpture Transformation . But if he prepared it in advance then he could utilize it .
It would be possible to become the original owner of the Dragon Sword .
“That is the difficult thing about stolen goods . ”
After meeting Akryong Kaybern, Weed realized he couldn’t use it for normal hunting . If he utilized it moderately in important moments then he could see it for a high price when the time came .
Then the temperature of the stone chamber rose . The high temperate was like flames were occurring at midday in the desert .
The huge, golden statue of the scorpion opened its eyes .
“Eueuum… . . ”
“Isn’t this really serious?”
“Somehow the signs don’t look good . ”
Weed’s and his companions recalled the suffering of the Crimson Wings Guild in the past . King Belsos had wiped out the entire expedition and the continent fell under a curse .
“Gulp . ”
Weed was as vigilant as the time he heard that city gas prices were rising on the 9 o’clock news .
Flames spread quickly and a fire spirit came flying out . The fire spirit wandered around inside the stone chamber . It was a cool but frightening sight .
The Fire Elemental sculpture started burning even though he hadn’t given it life .
-Humans have visited my land… . .
The second coming of King Belsos! Weed quickly kneeled down .
“I have a lot of respect for the Great King Belsos and it is an extreme honour to meet you . I am a junior sculptor wandering the continent . I came here due to the request of the wicked Akryong Kaybern but it is an honour to meet you!”
Weed fired off flattery like a quick fire gun! King Belsos looked at Weed and his companions .
-You are qualified to meet me . Without being blinded by greed… My test was passed brilliantly .
Ddukkum!
He wasn’t just talking to Weed but the party in the corner .
-And there is a person following my path to glory .
King Belsos was covered with fire . And King Belsos walked with his fire towards Weed .
-Raise your head and stand up . People who realize true beauty don’t have to bow .
-Dignity and Honour have increased by 24 after being recognized by Belsos, the Fire Spirit King .Weed’s head spun fiercely . If he could live like that then the world would be good . However he did everything possible in order to live .
‘Would I score more if I lived like that? It is imperative that I be polite . This might seem like the rules of decorum among sculptors but it is strange for another sculptor to receive equal treatment . ’
Weed decided to lower his head a bit more .
King Belsos had a ruthless persona . It was the same in the past when he was a human and when he cruelly expressed his displeasure to the Crimson Wings Guild .
He was even scarier now that he was so polite . It was like the neighbourhood child in the public baths who would behave before drawing on the bodies of other men there .
“No it is okay . This is easy for someone like me who is following the path of a sculptor . ”
He had no prior knowledge of King Belsos but the words fluently flowed out of Weed’s mouth .
It was a voice that was a master of flattery!