7) Spirit King’s Sculpture

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 quant.i.ty 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 a.s.surance 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. .h.i.t 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 c.o.c.kroaches that won’t die even if we’re stepped on.”

Weed’s other colleagues also agreed.

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“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.

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“Calling the fire elemental, lullulu!”

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.

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 pa.s.sages. 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 cla.s.s 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.

The other clones then jumped onto the Ice Locker. Weed aggressively continued with his attacks.

“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 partic.i.p.ate 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 cla.s.sic 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 G.o.ddess’ Knight Armour so he didn’t feel the need to conserve his use of Sword-cloning.

The Geomchi pract.i.tioners 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?

-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.’

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“Kuhuhuhuk.”

“Sa-hyung, this is really nice.”

“Yes. This is the taste of hunting.”

The Geomchi pract.i.tioners 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 ma.s.se. The Geomchi pract.i.tioners 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 pract.i.tioners 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 acc.u.mulated 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 pa.s.sed 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 pract.i.tioners also like it.”

The dojang pract.i.tioners 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 pract.i.tioners 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.

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.”

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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. Cla.s.s 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!

“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!

“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.

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 b.l.o.o.d.y 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 G.o.ds 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 j.a.ptem 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 pa.s.sed brilliantly.

Ddukk.u.m!

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.

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!