4) Collapsing Castle

Weed carried Seo-yoon on his back. It was dangerous so Zahab was leading the way.

“Shall we go to the office of the king? No. He is a warlock so he should have something like a magic laboratory.

But there is no safety since a battle is happening in the yard.” The Portu’s Royal Castle was collapsing.

Historically that was true but it would change if the devil took over Seo-yoon. Weed needed to find the sealing bead before then and break it. Of course, he needed to find it, defeat the king and escape from the castle safely.

“It is like searching for something on the beach.”

It was impossible unless he was a little lucky! The difficulty level was just like a recent movie called that had become popular.

There was also no meaning in watching Nodulle using the Sands of Time. There was already a large time difference from when Nodulle invaded and when Weed rescues Seo-yoon.

“I said it before but Nodulle is really unlucky. It will be hard for one human to settle this.”

He could see the traps if he watched Nodulle using the Sands of Time but he decided to use his own judgement. His only hope was that the king was a warlock. Most magicians were physically weak. This was a great opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

“Zahab-nim.”

“Yes, tell me.”

“We have to remove a few knights of the Raum Kingdom.”

“The reason?”

“They will have a map.”

Those that lived in the palace didn’t need guidance. But the knights of the Raum Kingdom who came here after taking care of the warlocks would have maps! The next part was to look at the map and find a suitable place for the king to be.

‘ Perhaps he is waiting somewhere for the devil to wake up.’

The Royal Castle was very s.p.a.cious so it would be difficult to go back if he made a mistake. The devil would wake up before the castle collapsed. He had to check the behaviour of the knights and warlocks and see where they had gathered.

“Fire!”

“Kyaaaak!”

“The walls are crumbling!”

While he was coming down from the tower, chamberlains and female maids were running around in an uproar. Thick pillars connected to the ceiling were falling on soldiers and fire was spreading as the walls collapsed.

‘Now is the time that Nodulle entered.’

There were many guards in Portu Castle but they were running around everywhere and didn’t pay attention to Weed, Zahab and Seo-yoon. Their priority was stopping the Raum Knights invading the collapsing castle.

Weed ran through the corridor while carrying Seo-yoon. Then he suddenly stopped.

“Wait a minute.”

“Why?”

“The chamberlains and female maids running away aren’t heading towards the right side.”

The people escaping weren’t heading to the right hallway and were only going to the left side. Of course, it could be due to the risk of collapse or fire but he thought it was the opposite.

“There seems to be more there than the collapsing castle and Raum Kingdom knights.”

“It seems so.”

Weed followed his instincts at that moment.

“We’re going to the right side.”

He didn’t know the reason why everyone was going towards the left side. But in a situation like this, he decided to go to the right for the quest.

‘Just a little. In the worst case scenario, Seo-yoon will die and the devil will wake up.’

It was a plan of desperation in the collapsing castle! But he belatedly regretted it.

‘I arrived here much earlier than Nodulle. If he got rid of the sealing bead…maybe there were more collapsed stairs or hallways while he carried Hilderun.’

It meant there was more closed areas so Nodulle didn’t have to wander around as much. He came early so there were more places to search.

“Intruders! This place is prohibited for everyone except for a few people.”

“This is His Majesty’s command. Kill all intruders!”

A hallway was being guarded by 5 Royal Knights. Weed stepped back while piggybacking Seo-yoon.

“Zahab-nim!”

“I will take care of it. Continuous Storm Slas.h.!.+”

Zahab ran forward and used a distinctive skill. His skills really had outstanding effects.

“Ugh!”

“He is very strong. Be careful!”

The Portu Royal Knights were overwhelmed. Zahab’s power surrounded the Royal Knights like a storm and wreaked havoc. Light and wind combined to form a spectacular effect!

“The aura of heavy earth inhabiting this sword. Sword of the Land!”

Zahab also used the power of the land. Zahab’s sword that cut the enemy became 5~6 times heavier.

“Done. It is sorted.”

“Thank you very much.”

The blockade of the Royal Knights was easily penetrated thanks to Zahab. He processed the enemies quickly and protected Weed so that not one fingertip touched him. He was a Master Swordsman for a reason so it was worth bringing him.

He changed his thinking as the fighting continued.

‘I’m thankful we came here so early.’

‘His combat abilities are really wonderful.

‘If it wasn’t for Zahab then this quest would be really tough.’

‘That is the armour of the Portu Royal Knights! If I take it then it will be an antique. The money when selling it to a collector….’

‘The jewels are overflowing.’

‘Another item has come out. Zahab is good. I wouldn’t have any luck without this guy.’

‘After seeing this, there is no need to thank Zahab. I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to raise our intimacy. I just need to accept what he is giving.’

‘Aigoo, this time there are 8 knights. Some knights holding a kite s.h.i.+eld will be hard to handle. I should’ve brought a stronger guy.’

‘How useless.’

His emotions deteriorated to jealousy after seeing Zahab fight a lot!

“Everyone has been put away.”

“Uh, yes.”

Weed ran forward carrying Seo-yoon.

“Intruders! How dare you come here!”

Now 4 warlocks wearing dark robes appeared. The warlocks used black magic and curses to attack. Although other professions used curses, the warlock was the most difficult to resist due to sacrificial offerings.

Weed now had to be much more careful.

“Take care of them before they use magic!”

“Understood.”

“Get rid of the one on the right side first!”

Zahab threw his sword. It flew with a dreadful light and pinned the body of the warlock to the wall. Then Zahab ran up and touched the sword with his hand.

“Moonlight Sculpting Blade!”

Light emerged from his hand as he used the sword skill. He was a master so he had the ability to exert Moonlight Sculpting Blade. Zahab freely utilized the rays and hurled them towards the warlocks.

“Howling….”

A warlock’s magic could exert terrible power in battle so they couldn’t be allowed to complete their magic spell. After Zahab ran and attacked with his sword of light, the warlock couldn’t do anything and died.

Zahab collected his sword and murmured.

“These warlocks…this really is a great place like you said.”

“Okay, let’s go. Haven’t you eaten enough?”

“What?”

“It is nothing. Zahab-nim. Come quickly!”

They broke through the pa.s.sages where the warlocks were standing guard! Zahab killed a combination of warlocks and knights.

Weed was in the vanguard so he had no choice but to wish that Zahab won. The enemies didn’t have the ability to resist so he just needed to wait impatiently.

“I can’t just stand back.”

Weed prepared to use a sculpting skill.

“It is valuable but it is better than feeling regret.”

He took out a Fine sculpture that he collected when he returned to his original time. A gold bull lying down! It was a great piece of art that he could utilize.

His spirit was squeezed.

“Sculptural Destruction! Everything into Agility.”

At that moment. Weed’s body became light.

They were techniques that could be used to deal damage and avoid attacks!

“I had to use this. Trying to live is really hard.”

Meanwhile, Zahab finished cleaning up the Royal Knights and the warlocks.

“Let’s continue!”

Zahab took the path where a considerable amount of enemies emerged. The Master Swordsman and Sculptor Zahab! Traps, magic and the knights’ attacks didn’t connect with him.

Now that his Art stat had been converted into Agility, Seo-yoon wasn’t heavy anymore. Yet Weed felt a vaguely ominous feeling.

‘So far it has been very easy. Somehow I feel like I can’t easily move forward.’

Nodulle would’ve probably suffered more because he didn’t have the help of Zahab and the sculpting skills.

Weed had personally prepared a plan and it was mostly progressing as planned. It would’ve been better if he could escape from the tower with Seo-yoon immediately but the path to the king was much more smooth than expected.

‘It is dangerous. This is a temptation that I shouldn’t fall into.’

Shortcuts in life were also a.s.sociated with traps. Of course, there were people who lived life running through a successful road.

Those who joined prestigious guilds in the early days of Royal Road gained access to good hunting grounds and were provided with the appropriate equipment, quests and people to help them grow. They might feel like life was easy.

Weed had experienced many things and developed an absolute keen sense of danger.

‘The final sculpting technique quest can’t be this lax. It is a sign that something isn’t good.’

Of course, the quest wasn’t even finished yet. There would be a growing danger as it became closer to collapse.

For instance, he could take the wrong path and die. If he was surrounded by enemies then he would die. Even falling stones would cause death! He hadn’t even glimpsed the sealing bead yet so Zahab needed to be rested enough to protect him.

“Wait!”

“Why? Shouldn’t we hurry before the castle crumbles?”

“Umm.”

The situation were definitely something where he had to hurry but his feet couldn’t move for some reason.

‘There is a risk of the castle collapsing or being in danger from the knights, warlocks and the Portu King.’

The bottom line was that the entire situation was dangerous. But there was a feeling of being dragged into a larger trap so he couldn’t move his feet.

‘It is like a pig running towards a slaughterhouse….’

Weed decided to give up and just enjoy the benefits in the meantime.

The battle was ongoing but he had come here far earlier than Nodulle. It would be useful to quickly get out of the crumbling castle but right now the powerful enemies were more dangerous. He didn’t need to encounter the strong enemies early.

“Let’s go to a safe place and wait.”

“What is this? We should move quickly.”

“Please believe in me. I’m not proud of it but an unfortunate person like me…on average, I have no luck.”

He was uncertain so Weed decided to wait. Still, he couldn’t just waste time.

“I should pack some valuables, artwork and antiques in the area.”

The riches of Portu’s Royal Castle outweighed his sense of danger.

??????????????????????????

The stations hadn’t broadcasted the final secret sculpting technique quest yet.

Weed had requested it be kept a secret so they speculated that he was in the middle of an amazing quest. They patiently waited and prepared for the day the quest finished so they could broadcast it.

The users of Royal Road were still interested in the first person who would complete the Master Quest. But no one knew about the last secret technique that could stop time.

Yoo Byung-jin knew all the secrets. He was the only one who knew all the secrets of the Versailles Continent.

“What about the chef’s final secret technique?”

-If a chef doesn’t start it but the time winter hits the Versailles Continent, the secret technique will disappear. Judging by the progress of the chefs so far, there isn’t one person who can challenge it so the final secret technique will be h.o.a.rded.

“They will have to wait a while after that.”

-3 or 4 years will be necessary.

If the quest for a secret technique failed then it would disappear. Once time pa.s.sed, the growth of a NPC or development of certain areas meant it was possible to receive the quest again. But people who mastered the profession was rare.

The possibility that they would collect all the secret techniques and challenge the final secret technique was slim.

Sadly, the final secret technique of a chef who could have the best flavour under the sky was going to disappear.

“Doesn’t the Painter’s final secret technique had to start soon?”

-The Master Painter El Greco will die soon. Once he dies, the quest won’t be able to proceed for a minimum of 5 years.

“It is unfortunate.”

Yoo Byung-jin had large expectations for the painter’s final secret technique.

The final secret technique of combat professions tended to be related to fighting. They could hunt dragons or have an outstanding performance in war.

But art professions could gain the skill to create something new.

The painter’s final secret technique ‘Creation.’ It was a skill would the painter could draw and create a new continent with terrain, animals, monsters and species.

This was a colossal skill so it could only be used once. And the continent created wouldn’t give any benefits to the painter. The new continent must be developed from the beginning by the residents that inhabited it. But if the continent became prosperous then the name of the painter would be constantly mentioned. Creating a continent was the greatest honour and pride for a human.

Of course, if Weed was a painter then he would make something with his own self-interest and selfish desire in mind.

‘I don’t need deserts that don’t have money. Why do I also need something like cliffs? Breadbasket! I need to make a fertile breadbasket where I can sprinkle seeds. And mountains full of gold mine and gem mines will be good. The coast should be a peaceful place for marine transport. There doesn’t need to be various monsters. I need to make sure a bunch of goblins can be captured to use as slaves.’

A continent full of resources for the picking! The skill to create a land fit Weed’s apt.i.tude.

Unfortunately, no one was attempting the painter’s final secret technique. The only one challenging the final secret technique of a profession was Weed.

Yoo Byung-jin watched as Weed embarked on such an adventure.

“Well, the path was figured out quickly….”

The map of Portu Castle displayed on the monitor showed a very complicated structure. It was close to impossible to find the sealing bead in a place like that. Even if he did find the location, the king would still be a problem.

Weed had grasped the inner terrain due to Nodulle’s video so he had quickly determined the path. He was able to have a full understanding of the structure despite running around carrying Seo-yoon on his back. The spatial ability that he mastered during milk and newspaper deliveries!

“That is the relatively right road. It might be frustrating but it is the relatively right direction. If he continues going that way, huhuhu….”

Weed was heading towards the deepest place where the Portu King was.

However, it was the place where all the power of the Portu Kingdom was gathered. It contained the king, Royal Knights, soldiers and warlocks.

They were getting sacrifices ready for black magic that would open the Gates of h.e.l.l. Once the magic was exercised, the red Gates of h.e.l.l would open in the sky above Portu’s capital city. The Gates of h.e.l.l that ate away at a person’s vitality.

Even if Weed was prepared to disrupt the warlocks, he was going to a place where there was nothing he could do. It was a place where he would die.

“Now if he goes forward a little more….huh?”

Weed ridiculously went into an empty room and started looting it with Zahab.

The knights of the Raum Kingdom and their allies grabbed control of the interior and started heading towards where the Portu King was. It was like going to a tiger’s den early.

Yoo Byung-jin had been looking forward to the situation yet Weed suddenly wasn’t in a hurry and started gathering artwork, antiques, gold and silver. He used the chance to loot during his biggest crisis!

“What is he doing? Did he have a special feeling?”

If Weed heard those words then he would be complaining. But Yoo Byung-jin knew everything about the circ.u.mstances so his words were correct.

He knew even the slightest deployment of troops. He knew when Royal Knights stepped into a pa.s.sage and grasped the full internal structure of the castle.

Older people who experienced many adventures could sense trouble or their joints would hurt when it was about to rain.

In this situation, Weed wasn’t careless at all. He had the survival instinct of a c.o.c.kroach!

“This is his ability.”

Even if the castle was crumbling, Weed would survive until the end. It felt like he would never die.

In the buildings and infrastructure in Korea were destroyed in a war, they would be restored after dozens of years. In a situation where everyone was afraid, Weed would just try to gather up more sc.r.a.p metal. Of course, an unexpected bomb falling would still kill a person.

??????????????????????????

“I’ve lived a lifetime with a sword and overcome many fights with my sword. Obviously I need to use that to make my secret sword technique. Skill….”

Geomchi recalled the time he felt the best when handling a sword.

It was when he was holding a sword in a heavy rainstorm. He was tired from a hard practice but at that moment, he had become one with the sword. A sword that could cut down any opponent, even in moments that seemed insignificant.

“A sword that can cut anything.”

“A sword that can slash any enemy or object.”

A sword slas.h.i.+ng skill that could cut anything!

“Of course.”

Once Geomchi made a skill, it was Geomchi-2’s turn immediately afterwards. Geomchi-2 only lived for the sword.

‘I am Teacher-nim’s successor who will inherit the dojang.’

His dream was to each young disciples for the rest of his life.

“I want to make Sword that Cuts Anything

“Second.”

“I just want to develop the skill that Teacher-nim chose.”

Choosing the wrong skill due to flattery.

Unlike Weed who used the important chance to make a profound secret technique, Geomchi-2 wasted the opportunity.

“Hrmm.”

Instead of a sword, Geomchi-3 wanted to become one with the art of spear fighting. A spear exerted great power in a war. Holding a long spear while riding a horse was the best feeling.

“I would like to learn Sword that Cuts Anything.”

But in the end, Geomchi-3 decided to choose the same skill. That was also a problem from Geomchi-4 and Geomchi-5.

‘This isn’t it…..’

‘Oh, something is going wrong.’

They felt it was strange but the atmosphere couldn’t be reverted. Geomchi-2 hadn’t thought it would be this deep when he first started it.

“I will also choose Master-nim’s Sword that Cuts Anything.”

“I feel the same way as Geomchi-4.”

They inevitably had to commit to it! Of course, it wasn’t a large damage but they couldn’t get the skill they desired.

And when it came time for the selection of the trainees!

‘The only way to live is to choose that secret sword technique.’

‘If I select a different skill alone then I’ll probably have to spar every day.’

The trainees had large worries.

But fortunately, Geomchi managed to rectify this. He thought they were a pitiful lot. Geomchi thought it was stupid for everyone to choose the same secret sword technique.

“You should make a different technique.”

“I understand, Teacher-nim!”

“We would like to learn from Master-nim.”

Geomchi said seriously.

“Learn other things. If you continue doing this then we will be ignorant like everyone thinks.”

That’s why the trainees freely chose their skills! 200 people chose a secret technique related to a sword. A variety of techniques with flashy effects and options were acquired.

Geomchi-207 was especially interested in sprucing up the effect.

“When the skill is used, I would like thunder to strike and five colours of light to wrap around me and protect me with a large roaring sound.”

Others chose secret techniques focused on reducing mana. Other trainees chose long range attacks with bows and spears and s.h.i.+elds were also popular.

“I would like to learn Sword that Cuts Anything.”

83 trainees also chose flattery. They decided this was a very wise decision after that day.

Geomchi and Geomchi-2 were forgiving on those that chose other skills but Geom-chi-3 was different.

“All the children who made new skills should a.s.semble before me.”

And he made them train all night long! Geomchi-3 showed the dirty character that he was normally hiding.

The next day was Geomchi-4.

“A lot of children are looking for individuality and romance these days? Let’s see what type of skills they have.”

Geomchi-5 also spoke the next day.

“I didn’t say anything before. Discipline has completely collapsed.”

The students had to go through gruelling training. Sometimes they watched the general public and thought they were weak.

“They get tired after running 10 kilometres. Everyone should be able to run at least 30 kilometres.”

“I don’t know what is so tiring about driving a car towards the east coast. If I have a bicycle then I can take the 400 kilometres round trip.”

“I can take a day trip and then play a game of football in the evening.”

“I can stay up all night and then go to work at the dawn market while feeling refreshed.”

The trainees could feel stronger after earnest training.

Systematic theory, training and quality.These were words that would emerge from textbooks. Humans had great adaptability. Those that felt terrible would become stronger.

Geomchi, the instructors and the trainees proceeded to the next step of the Martial Artist Master Quest.

There were unique but easy quests where the Geomchis had to rescue NPCs or break through dungeons within a specified amount of time.

Geomchi-101 thought that training time was more important than anything else. The body was reliable as long as it was trained.

“I will swing the sword all night long to learn the skill.”

“I would like to play. Why don’t you come with me to play?”

“I need to learn this before going to play.”

A level 130 NPC said.

“I think you are strong enough. Please go hunt monsters.”

“Stop it. I will die if I carelessly wander out with these skills.”

“That is okay. Teacher-nim will understand your heart.”

“Shut up. I will kill you with my own hands!”