4. Flood and the SphinxTranslated by EE, Proofread by Bloodadept, MrBaconator, Britsch, Shadowlink, Xandaar.

Weed bellowed out a Lion’s Roar.

He stood there, with his chest pushed out. His right hand grasped lightly on the spear he had stabbed into the ground earlier. Standing firm and tall, his body language screamed danger.

“Kill Weed!”“We have to kill that b.a.s.t.a.r.d first! Our Lord Belloni commands us so.”

Demons started to emerge from the flames that were burning down Serabourg Citadel. The large army encircling the Citadel broke away. Their only goal was to kill Weed.

The effect of Lion’s Roar was more than plenty in pulling the Embinyu Church’s attention.

“Hmm.”Even Weed did not antic.i.p.ate such a reaction. “My popularity is pretty amazing.”The realization of his fame at such a crucial moment!

"......."

Seo Yoon stared at him with a blank expression. She wondered just what kind of plan Weed had that he would so confidently provoke the Embinyu Church like this. She couldn’t help but doubt his sanity.

“I will be able to fight as much as I want.”“Let’s start a festival of blood.”Van Hawk and Torido prepared for battle. And Weed, turned his back without a second thought.

“Run for it!”Weed’s decision was to run.

Of course, there was no way that Weed would have planned to die, fighting the Embinyu Church till the bitter end. Such a thoughtless plan, was for Weed, the same as pouring out all his life savings on lottery or gambling.

Seo Yoon gave a small sigh of relief and followed suit. To her, running away seemed like the right course of action after successfully managing to draw the Embinyu Church’s attention. And especially, what purpose did stabbing his spear into the ground or giving out a Lion’s Roar serve?

But there was a huge leap in logic between the two.

‘For that few seconds, I must have looked cool.’As a man, he also wanted to try that pose.

Now that the whole army of the Embinyu Church was mobilized after him, the only thing left to do was run.

The Dark Paladins, seeing that Weed was trying to flee, chased after him on horseback.

“Time to run. Van Hawk, open up a path.”“Understood, Master.”

Running ahead on his Phantom Horse, Van Hawk pulled out his sword and gave a large swing.

Houyhing!The Dark Paladins, together with their horses, fell.

This was the Van Hawk that Weed treated coldly for reducing his experience points and being useless. But after levelling up, Van Hawk was showing his use as he made short work of these Dark Paladins. Wherever Weed was, people instantly pictured the Death Knight next to him on reflex. The Death Knight had become quite famous in his own right.

“Forward! Continue pus.h.i.+ng through!”

The Embinyu Church army moved in groups, trying to block their escape. The beginner players watching on the hill could see groups of Cultists and Demons moving in perfect order as they slowly closed in on Weed.

“Ah… I thought he said he was going to fight alone... running away also works!”“It must be terrifying. Just imagine, tens of thousands coming to kill just one person.”“Uwa! It must be electrifying!”

Watching the Demons all gathering in one spot gave a feeling of grandeur.

“We cannot stop here!”

Weed swung his Fire Lance Spear furiously.

The defensive lines formed by the Dark Paladins and Demons were smashed into the air by the Ice Troll. Though most of the enemies could withstand such a blow, there was no time to follow up and kill them.

“It’s bad form to leave prey alive… what a waste”

It was a miserable situation for Weed, when the monsters were stacked up for him to destroy he had to run away. But the progress of the battle was changing within the breath of a moment. The high ranked Demons were pulled back from the siege to come after him. In the vicinity were many Cultists, Dark Paladins and Witch Doctors as far as Weed could see.

“All who cannot follow the will of Embinyu are cowards!”

“These foolish heathens will suffer in agony forever, without a hope of salvation.”

Witch Doctors casted various hexes on Weed, Seo Yoon, Van Hawk and Torido. All over Weeds body were small skulls floating around dizzyingly, on his back were large burning hands that came back and forth. The area was thick with fog, like a riverbank at dawn, limiting the groups field of vision.

It was as they said, the Witch Doctors of the Embinyu Church were hard to deal with. In an instant, seven different curses were cast on the four of them.

“Gossiping about others is the most fun when there are plenty of people.”Especially when you are talking behind their backs, 3-4 hours, time just flew by!

Before Weed and Seo Yoon went on to engage the Embinyu Church, they received as many blessings as possible from the priests. But because of the curses, the blessings were counteracted, causing malaise and overall battle effectiveness to decrease.

“Don’t stop running, we need to get past the Dark Paladins!”

Curses could be purged faster by receiving blessings or having holy artifacts. Depending on the Resistance and Will Power, Dark Magic effects disappeared naturally over time. But right now, they had to focus on clearing past the Dark Paladins that were attacking the four persistently.

“I, Knight of Darkness Van Hawk, challenge anyone to a duel.”“The loyal servant of Embinyu, Derikda, accepts your challenge.”

Van Hawk skillfully defeated the high ranked Dark Paladin! Weed was finally reaping the benefit of levelling up the Death Knight till now. Weed, Seo Yoon and Torido also pitched in, clearing off the other Dark Paladins approaching them.

Seo Yoon was fully awoken to her Berserker state. Her attack strength was beginning to increase greater than normal and her vitality barely dropped. She was killing off the monsters before they could approach Weed.

The four of them managed to break through the Dark Knights, but after them was a line of Cultists holding their weapons. Having already faced them before, the Cultists did not offer much of a challenge. But having been slowed down by the Dark Paladins, the main Embinyu army that torched the Serabourg Citadel had gotten closer.

The Cultists would most likely delay them further and with the Embinyu forces encroaching in, soon they would be completely boxed in with no way to escape.

“This is the same feeling as getting all 6 of your credit cards declined.”It was a situation that was stifling to breath in, with no way out in sight!

Weed looked at Van Hawk and Torido. Thanks to the experience they had following him around in dangerous regions, they fought well. Seeing that they were Undead, their tolerance to curses and poisons was high. Van Hawk had serious injuries due to his fight against the Dark Paladins, but he could still hold his ground.

Seo Yoon, in a show of strength, finished off the remaining Dark Paladins and Demons before they could come close. The Berserker’s ability caused her true offensive potential to awaken as she defeated strong enemies.

Weed with his Ice Troll traits to emit a cold aura to his surroundings, slowing down the enemy.

Weed whirled his spear, crus.h.i.+ng the frozen Cultists and turning a high number of them into grey light.

Curses became weaker over time so their current situation was not as severe. But the biggest problem was what they had to do next.

‘I can’t positively say that we can outpace the pursuit, no matter how much we run. But then, if we slip away too early, the Embinyu Church army would become spiteful and target the refugees.’

They had to buy time, pull the Embinyu Church’s attention continuously, and had to stay alive on top of everything else. There was nothing more vexing than this.

“I could have slept in during the weekdays. I could have dumped jajangmyeon and ganjajang into one bowl and ate to my heart’s content. I could have watched television on the weekend and loafed my time away. Just my awful luck, and now I have to deal with this...”

*****

“Oohhhh!”“Kahahahaha.”“Just like I told you. This is Weed we are talking about. Only Weed could have adventures like this!”

The tavern Bart was in was rowdy with merriment. The tavern was crowded with customers who forgot about their beer and appetizers and instead decided to watch Weeds adventure on the large crystal orb.

Of course, Bart was watching with the crowd.

‘How is this any fun to watch? They got scared of some monsters, went through some dungeon and now they seem to be escaping in a group.’

But after a small amount of time had pa.s.sed...

‘Huh, this is a bit exciting, it strangely pulls you in. It’s nail biting how close the refugees are skating with death.’

And a moment after that, watching Weed with just one companion and his underlings going forward to act as bait.

‘Oh! Such a decision…...’

The tavern became as quiet as a dead mouse. They watched the large crystal orb as if they were hypnotized, forgetting to even refill their beer. The crowd forgot about everything as they were swept up by the tension of watching Weed, Seo Yoon and his subordinates fleeing as the Embinyu army dogged their every steps.

Bart, having no knowledge or experience of the battle mechanics, could not gauge how well Weed fought. Besides the wolves, foxes and rabbits, he had no idea how strong other monsters were. He accepted, at face value of what he heard, the people’s praises for Weed’s greatness on the battlefield, of his prodigious skills, and his movements that no one could imitate.

He could just feel that Weed was planning something. The meeting he had with Weed was short, but he had come out with the impression that Weed was not someone who would jump in front of the whole army of the Embinyu Church without a plan.

“But, that woman wearing the mask next to him… She seems familiar… It couldn’t possibly be my daughter, could it?”

*****

“Torido, take the left.”“Understood. Master!”

Torido called upon the Pure Blooded Vampire Clan. The vampires increased their levels as they attacked the Cultists. In a way, the Cultists were the best suited enemy for the Pure Blooded Vampire Clan as they had ‘pure’ blood.

The showdown between the Vampires and the Cultists was taking place everywhere. While there were also many Embinyu Priests, they tried to avoid the Vampires and only came after Weed. Killing Weed took priority before anything else.

Turning left, Torido was faced with a flowing river. This was the place where the Pyramid and the Lion Monstrosity stood towering over the landscape.

“Those who profane the Embinyu Church cannot escape!”

The Wyvern Knights joined in the pursuit, flying low to attack with their spears. And from afar, spells and arrows continued to rain down on them. The Embinyu army was getting closer and closer. From the other side of the Pyramid and the Lion Monstrosity were groups of Demons and Cultists, trapping them in.

They could no longer move freely, being completely encircled and isolated. The Embinyu forces were closing all possible escape routes. Because the Demons were so fast, they were too preoccupied beating back the Demons and Cultists to clear away from the Embinyu Church’s encirclement.

‘I failed to protect him again.’

Seo Yoon was prepared to fight till the end. No matter what happened, she decided to die first, fighting to protect Weed till the last moment.

“Don’t stop now, climb.”

Weed began to scale the Pyramid. As it was built as a Step Pyramid, Weed had little problem climbing up.

Seo Yoon had some doubts as going up was a dead end with very little advantage in terrain.

“Ah!”Having had an epiphany, Seo Yoon climbed the Pyramid.

“We are vulnerable to the enemy’s spells and arrows up here.”“Abandoning our escaping and choosing to fight till the end, it’s not bad Master.”Torido and Van Hawk stepped onto the Pyramid’s stone and began climbing up.

The Demons, Cultists and soldiers of the Embinyu Church were still after them. They were hara.s.sed by the the Wyvern Knights with every step they climbed. But with Weed and Seo Yoon, who was awakened to her Berserker ability, the Wyvern Knights were not much of a hurdle. With a third of their numbers left, they were even more persistent in their attack.

Finally, Weed reached the capstone. It was the king’s tomb he built by pouring out his heart and soul. While he was the anointed lord of Morata now, before he was a vicious entrepreneur that tapped into his latent potential for business to ruthlessly exploit people without regret to build such an immense structure.

Seo Yoon, Van Hawk, and Torido arrived at the stones right below him.

“Impressive view.”It was like looking from a mountain peak. Seeing from above, the Embinyu forces were swarming the area. The landscape was blackened by the Demons, Dark Paladins, Witch Doctors, Priests and Cultists crawling down below. Even the High Priest Belloni had left behind the flaming Citadel and was leading a personal force to the Pyramid.

“I guess with this, I managed to buy half the time I need.”

This was enough time for about two-thirds of the refugees to escape safely without any problems. But now with the old and the weak having to march the long distance, they refugees would move slower. Therefore, it was even more crucial for Weed to hold the Embinyu forces attention, now more than every.

"Release Sculpture Transformation."Weed s.h.i.+fted from the body of an Ice Troll to his original form. He took off the leather armor he equipped temporarily and also put his spear into his backpack.

At this climax where Weed had to fight the most, he threw away the physically advantageous body of the Ice Troll! The players watching the broadcast wondered why. The viewers thought that in his rush, Weed made a tactical error and climbed up the Pyramid by mistake. Suspicion creeped up in the mind of the viewers, that perhaps, Weed already gave up.

“There is one advantage of living in a mountain town. No matter how much it rains, it’s safe!”

Weed took out a sculpture from his backpack. It was the Fine sculpture, ‘Heavy Rain and Flooding River’. The sculpture was carved out delicately from rocks and with Nature Sculpting, Weed carved rain and river water for the finis.h.i.+ng of the Fine piece.

“Great Disaster Nature Sculpting!”

Weed used the Great Disaster Nature Sculpting at 1,005 Affinity to Nature he had steadily acc.u.mulated till now.

“Well, I am sure we are high enough to avoid the disaster.”

Till now, having used the skill twice, he learned his painful lesson. The Great Disaster Nature Sculpting was the perfect skill to kill the user if not activated properly. Having completed his strenuous climb to the top of the Pyramid, he could now use the skill without any worry.

Dark clouds started to gather in the sky and burst with rain. It was as if someone punctured the sky, causing a sudden downpour.

The rain soaked Weed, Seo Yoon, Van Hawk, Torido and the Embinyu forces.

“It’s getting started.”

The rain continued without abating. Until the Great Disaster Nature Sculpting was fully active, the four of them had to fight off the Demons clambering on the Pyramid through the rough weather.

“The Embinyu G.o.d is waiting for sacrifices.”“Climb! Show them the bravery of the Embinyu Church!”Demons and Cultists were crowding around the Pyramid. Witch Doctors, Magicians and Embinyu Priests sent spell after spell.

Weed pulled out the Helium Torch he had sculpted. The Helium Torch erected a Mana Barrier that blocked long range attacks, casted tolerance limit against dark magic and curses on the user, and increased mana recovery.

“Radiant Sword!”From Weed’s sword, birds made of light formed. The birds purifying the Demons and intercepting the spells mid-air exploded. Like the Berserker she was, Seo Yoon fought in front and center against the Demons.

Lights and magic exploded, bathing the top of the Pyramid in radiant glory. But to those holding the line at the highest point of the Pyramid, it was living h.e.l.l.

Only 3~4 minutes in, Van Hawk was spent.

“Master. This is the end for me. I regret that I cannot fight with you to the end.”

Van Hawk, having reached the limits of his health, was unsummoned.

If Weed could have afforded the time, he might have bandaged Van Hawk and sent him to the rear. But there was just no opportunity to take his eye’s off the situation. Arrays of spells from the Embinyu Magicians were sent toward him and he barely could dodge and block most with the Radiant Sword.

Weed’s health fell below 34,000 and Seo Yoon was only staying afloat due to her Berserker endurance. Seo Yoon was heavily injured as she went forth against the Demons rus.h.i.+ng for Weed and became target for curses and spells. She fought without a care for herself, delivering more attacks than Weed.

Rain beat down heavily, slightly weakening the spells and arrows and helping them endure a bit longer.

“At this rate, we are all going to die....”Droplets of rain fell down from Weed’s face. The Head Priest Belloni and his personal forces were coming within attack range of the Pyramid. Below, were the cries of Demons and Cultists as they stumbled on the wet surface of the Pyramid and falling on their own troops on the ground, causing the air to be filled with shrieks of agony.

Then, the disaster that Weed had been waiting for, finally started.

The place that the Pyramid and the Lion Monstrosity was built on was nearby the Rosenheim Kingdom’s Arud River. The Embinyu Church thinking that the heavy rain was just raising the river level slightly, began to notice that it was over flooding.

“Aarrg!”“Water. Water is rus.h.i.+ng towards us!”Water began to overflow, expanding everywhere. Soon, the Cultists, Demons and the Priests ankles were submerged. The rising water level didn’t show signs of stopping as it began to rise even more quickly. From the upper reaches of the Arud River, a frightening amount of water rushed by. The lowlands covering the mountains, hills and the plains around the Pyramid began to flood.

Great Disaster Natural Sculpting. Great Flood!

Waves the size of a house, slammed into Embinyu forces.

Kueeik!The violent waves toppled Karaclops with its strength. The ma.s.ses of the Embinyu forces were scattered, each trying to look for a way to survive. But the whole vicinity was flooded with water.

The water level quickly rose pa.s.sed the knees and engulfed the enemy. Buildings toppled and the siege weapons, rocks and, trees were wrecked and floated about. The previous roaring Embinyu Cultists and Demons drowned under the flood and were swept away.

Weed grinned happily as he watched the proceedings.

“This really is the most satisfying sculpting skill.”

But, Weed was still uncertain about the damage the flood caused to the Embinyu army. He was certain that the relatively weak Cultists would have no hope of surviving the flood. The Cultists could even have been killed instantly when they were swept by the torrent.

However the powerful Demons, Dark Paladins and Dark Priests had high health and resistance. The probability of most of them surviving the flood was high.

With the Embinyu army in disarray and swept up by the flood, now was the chance!

Weed used his skill toward the Lion Monstrosity.

“Sculpture Life Bestowal!”

Weed’s level was reduced to 405, and his Art stat was consumed. But the end results was the Lion Monstrosity of Rosenheim Kingdom coming to life.

“Graaar!”

The Lion Monstrosity woke up with a great howl.

“Gro-rol?!”

When it tried to step forward with it’s front limbs, it slipped and flopped in the water that came up halfway to its body. It was a less than stellar first introduction, but it wasn’t the first or second time Weed saw such acts from his sculptures.

“What is my name?”

The now living Lion Monstrosity stuck it’s head toward Weed as it asked. The Lion Monstrosity was similar in size to the tall Pyramid. It’s body was that of a lion but it’s head was a close resemblance to the previous king Theodrin.

“Your name is Sphinx.”“It does not matter if my name is Sphinx. I have no plans to be loyal to a master who knows nothing of honor.”

The Sphinx had a strong tendency to it’s own ident.i.ty and independence, and did not think highly of Weed as it’s master.

Weed had no plans to fight such matters right now.

“Let’s sort this problem out when we have time. Right now, we fight.”“The sea I desired.”

The Sphinx gave a bellow as it jumped into the water. It crunched the Dark Priests being swept away by the fast torrent with it’s mouth and crushed them with it’s forelimbs.

“Destroy that lion!”“The culprit Weed is over there. We must sacrifice Weed as an offering!”

The Embinyu Priests rode upon the swimming Demons. But some of them were swept away by the torrent or disappeared under whirlpools. The Embinyu Priests were in complete disarray and under the mercy of the overflowing river current.

The Sphinx, which was the same size as a large building, splashed around the river and preyed upon the Embinyu forces.

“Twenty. Twenty one. Twenty two.”

Weed armed himself with the High Elf Yurika bow and shot at the floating Demons. Seo Yoon and Torido stabbed at the Demons clinging onto the Pyramid. The great flood was sweeping away the Embinyu forces.

Grooooar!

The stroke of lightnings briefly showed Weed’s figure on top of the Pyramid. It showed the appearance of Weed, taking aim with his bow while being pelted by rain. Weed, fighting under the darkness with occasional light created an awesome scene.

Weed continuously shot arrows, this time changing his target to the Embinyu Priests. It was much more profitable to target the Priests which gave more experience than the harder to kill Demons. But the good times were quickly pa.s.sing by.

The effect of the Great Disaster Nature Sculpting was slowly receding and the rain was stopping. But the water level around the Pyramid was still rising and the torrents were becoming more violent.

“With this much, I have done what I could.”

Weed was not satisfied with the amount of Embinyu Priest he farmed but felt that it was time to leave. The number of Embinyu forces had decreased significantly due to the siege in Serabourg Citadel and the flood. But if they stayed here any longer, there was a real possibility that the remaining forces would engage themselves fully.

Even Seo Yoon was spent, as she fought against the Demons alone.

“We should have bought enough time for the refugees.”

It would take significant time for the Embinyu forces to reorganize themselve to chase after the refugees. A large number of Cultists and Demons were cast adrift to the lower reaches of the Arud River. Even if not many of them perished, the backwash was great.

In a war between Kingdoms, the Great Disaster Nature Sculpting would cause unimaginable havoc. The only small side effect was that the skill didn’t distinguish between enemies and allies.

“Sphinx, time to go.”“I want to keep on fighting.”“The enemies are reorganizing themselves. We need to escape now before it becomes impossible to escape.”

Head Priest Belloni and his personal forces, the giant Demons that were scattered by the flood. When the disaster ended, they would recover and come in full force. It was wise to hurry out of where they were, when considering the kind of enemies coming after them

“I do not wish to depart from this place.”“Why?”“I have to protect this place. I will protect king Theodrin’s tomb till the end.”"......."

The Sphinx chose the Pyramid over life.

A side effect of bestowing life on a sculpture! When it was a sculpture, it was meanta.s.signed to protect the Pyramid. It was the symbol of the king’s majesty. After being bestowed with life, the Lifeform did not forget it’s duty and had planned to fight the Embinyu forces till it’s last breath.

“You will die if you stay. This precious life you received, is it not a waste to throw it away?”“There is a meaning behind protecting what you have to protect.”“Even then, come with me. If you do, I will prepare meat for you everyday and give two days breaks every year.”But of course, there was no way he would keepcould guarantee his promise!

“I have already chosen my path. Go, I will protect this place.”

At the Sphinx’s faithful declaration, Weed’s eyes became wrinkled and wet.

‘It’s good that the rain didn’t stop yet. It can hide my tears.’

The tears were definitely not because Weed was touched by the Sphinx’s words. His precious Art stat and level! Weed had invested his precious experience in bestowing life on the Sphinx and now due to its extreme stubbornness, it was planning to die fighting.

“I should have thought this out before bestowing life. I should have granted it life when I had plenty of time and then beat the education into him.”

It was too late to regret now. Staying here any longer to convince the Sphinx otherwise would put him and Seo Yoon in a dangerous situation.

“Wy-Three!”Weed activated the Lion’s Roar. And a moments later, Wy-Three could be seen flying from afar. Wy-Three woke up at the crack of dawn without being able to wash his face so he could reach them.

When Weed and Seo Yoon got on Wy-Three’s back, the flood current was weakened. The Embinyu forces that were swept up in the flood could now touch the ground. The ground was a shamble with the half drowned Demons and Cultists.

The Embinyu Magicians and Priests began to ready their attack but the Sphinx protected them with it’s own body.

“Go now!”

Weed and Seo Yoon fled on the back of Wy-Three and Torido flew away from the battlefield with his own power. Looking from far, the Sphinx was fighting bravely but soon, it would be encircled by the Embinyu forces and would fight an uphill battle.

“It looks like he won’t make it.”

Trying to escape with a Sphinx that couldn’t fly might have been impossible from the beginning. But thanks to the Sphinx, Weed could escape without any problems.

“Wy-Three, don’t fly to the refugees. Rather, fly around and take a long detour.”“Understood, Master.”To prevent any possible pursuit, Weed commanded his Wyvern to take a detour before heading towards the refugees.

Pa.s.s the hills and slopes was an endless procession of refugees! Seeing Weed and Wy-Three above, the refugees cheered and waved their hands.

‘Doesn’t look like the Embinyu army gave a major chase.’

There were some attacks by the roaming monsters but that much could be handled by the players and the soldiers. After Weed left to bait the Embinyu Church, many players had already logged out. But still, a decent number of players stayed behind to disconnect from another area.

Weed continued to follow the refugees on Wy-Three’s back.

“Here, I have some bandages. Roll back your sleeve a bit.”Weed wrapped bandages around Seo Yoon’s arm, who was suffering the aftermath of the Berserker skill even after the battle had ended.

Following after them long after the sun had rose, the refugees at the forefront finally met up with the Rosenheim Kingdom’s army. This was the army that was dispatched to Serabourg Citadel after detecting the signal fire.

‘I can finally rest easy now.’

Weed logged out, after feeling a bit fatigued.

TL Note Reddit user believingunbeliever said I should leave notes behind about translation so here it is:

Lot’s of backtracking done this chapter. I just found out there was a proper terminology for ????. It’s an actual cla.s.s in Heartstone, it’s the Warlock. Every chapter has been adjusted to reflect the change in terminology. Especially vol 23 and 24. I apologies for this and the change it would cause to the reading experience.

??? - Dark Magic