◈ 158. [STAGE 6] Reinforcements
[Karma Eater (SSR) Lv.45]
– Classification: Long Sword
– Attack Power: 30-40
– Durability: 20/20
– Strength +10 Intelligence +10
– Those who seek the middle ground knife. Devours the skewed states of Light and Dark, Chaos and Order, and converts them into power.
– It consumes ‘propensity level’ to create sword energy. Sword skill deals magic damage twice the weapon’s attack power. Cannot be used when the corresponding propensity value reaches 0.
< Expand the list of applicable propensity values >
“It’s up!”
Frightened, he grabbed the longsword. Really! Karma Eater rises here!
This weapon is an equipment with a terrible concept of increasing damage by feeding the propensity level.
You may think it’s difficult to write because you have to keep feeding your propensity values to show your performance, but what if you think the opposite?
It is possible to reset the incorrectly raised propensity level with this weapon!
For example, a paladin who went dark due to being mistakenly implanted with negative traits, or a necromancer who was accidentally blessed and filled with light… … When I was playing the game, these kind of network characters were inevitably created.
If I couldn’t find a way to reset this, I had to throw away the characters with tears in my eyes.
But what if you have a karma eater? Easy to fix!
This is why in the game, rather than using it as a weapon, I used to play it to rescue characters who were misoriented due to mistakes in training.
‘Of course, it’s a weapon that can pull out huge deals if you keep feeding the propensity level and maintaining the sword, but it’s easier said than done… … .’
I stopped thinking. oh wait a minute
I opened a list of propensity values that [Karmater] could eat. And eventually found.
< Humanity propensity level >
[Beast ↔ Divine]
is also there.
Human personality traits [Beastization] and [Sacredization].
To put it simply, if you give up your humanity and walk the path of a beast, your level of beastization will rise, and if you acquire too much humanity, you will gain divinity and ascend to heaven.
‘Either way is the way to give up on humans… … .’
When the level of beastization rises, bonus stats are added to physical attack and physical defense, and the exclusive passive ‘sixth sense’ is acquired.
However, if the number rises too much, it turns into a blood-crazed beast that knows nothing but combat.
When the sanctification level rises, bonus stats are added to magic attack and magic defense, and the exclusive passive ‘Revelation’ is acquired.
However, if the level rises too much, the ego melts into the divinity and becomes a puppet of a higher god.
It’s a way to add plus alpha to the character’s basic performance, so it gets stronger right away, but it can be said that it is a forbidden characteristic that eventually gets out of the player’s control no matter which route you take.
Most characters don’t even get a chance to see this trait.
Throwing away and adding humanity is easy to say, and it is a concept that is usually difficult to understand.
‘Lucas, how did this guy wake up alone… … .’
I remembered the beast boots Lucas used in the last defense. The figure of my knight who shook like a wolf.
I thought I’d tell you not to use it again.
‘… But what if there is a karma eater?’
Raise the level of beast propensity by using beast shoes → Feed the increased propensity to the karma eater and burn it with a sword → Raise the level of beast propensity by using beast shoes… … Isn’t that infinite power possible?
“Mmm.”
Thinking, I shook my head.
If he stumbles while walking on a tightrope while checking his tendency, our protagonist, Lucas, may cross an irreversible river.
After eating Karma Eater, I have to leave out the increase in my Beast Flower level and make sure I can’t use it again.
“Whoa.”
I organized all the items I ate today.
I don’t know how the front line operation will go in the future, but everyone will help.
‘Don’t use it wisely.’
Thinking of the lives lost in this defense battle once more, I lowered my head.
I will never waste the major you earned with your lives.
‘… I’m a little annoyed that you split my exclusive equipment into five pieces and gave me one.’
Hey, that crossed the line, honestly!
***
I decided not to go on free exploration until the next defense.
The wounds from the last battle never healed.
Damaged equipment could not be repaired either. It was decided that it would be unreasonable to do free exploration for the rest of the time.
Rest your party members, fix broken equipment, order new equipment, repair walls and artifacts… … .
three days after that.
I visited the temple
“Lord.”
Lucas, who was in charge of the search mission inside the temple, was waiting at the entrance. I nodded.
“Lucas. How was it?”
“I thoroughly searched the inside of the temple, but other than the statue of the goddess at that time, there were no items used for espionage.”
“Right. What about Marherita?”
“Since that day, I have been confined to the head priest’s office. I’ve been closely monitoring it, but I’m not doing anything particularly suspicious. but… .”
“but?”
Lucas hesitated and scratched the back of his neck.
“I am still drinking.”
“alcohol… ?”
“yes. ‘Why should I be in this situation’ while saying things like this… … .”
“… .”
“That cigarette… like smoking… … .”
A cold sweat broke out on his back. The saintess is drinking and even smoking? I need to see your face and talk to you soon.
“You did a lot of research, Lucas. Now, this is a gift.”
“I just did what I had to do. A gift by the way?”
At Lucas, who was surprised, I held out the [Calmatizer] with its sheath.
Lucas took it cautiously, bewildered, then smiled brightly.
“Thank you very much, lord. In addition to the long sword, Seong gave me another famous sword like this… … I will cherish it.”
I smiled at him and pointed at Karma Eater and said,
“It’s a sword that can calm the ‘Beastization’ you used.”
When the story of the beast came up, Lucas’ shoulders stiffened slightly. I put my hand on his shoulder and patted him.
“Lucas. I don’t know why you touched that power, but don’t use it from now on.”
“… .”
“You are strong enough even without borrowing that kind of power.”
Lucas shook his head quietly.
“no. Lord I… … Weak.”
“what?”
“I may have had a brief advantage against Selendion this time, but in the end I was overwhelmed by him. I reached out to dangerous power myself, but the monsters were still stronger than me.”
Power went into Lucas’s hand holding the scabbard.
“I have to get stronger. To protect the lord, much more… … .”
“Lucas.”
I calmly and quietly rebuked him.
“There must be many ways to become stronger. But I want you to walk the right path. Even if it’s slow, I want you to steadily advance step by step.”
“… .”
“Thank you for working hard for me. But don’t leave you for me Keep this in mind.”
Lucas silently lowered his head.
“I will engrave it on my heart, sir.”
I don’t know if he really accepted my words or if he just pretended to listen and borrowed the power of a beast from now on.
Anyway, I put a safety device like Karma Eater on, so you can be a little relieved.
“Oh, prince! You are here!”
At that time, Damian ran out from inside the temple. Lucas looked at Damian and nodded.
“Damian has been helping me for the past three days. Thanks to that, the search was easy.”
“I wanted to show that this temple is a sincere and good place.”
Damian looked me in the eye and spoke cautiously.
“It’s a pity that the saintess… … The other priests are just focusing on healing sick soldiers. I wanted the prince to know this… … .”
“Yeah, I got it. okay.”
I smiled and took the [Secret Dawn] set out of my bag and handed it to Damian.
“Come on, Damian. I brought you a present too.”
Giving presents to good children makes me feel like Santa Claus for some reason.
“It is a piece of equipment that allows you to hide whenever you defeat an enemy. Make good use of it.”
“omg! Can I use something so good?!”
What are you talking about, cheat character guy. You should use the best of us.
While Damien accepted the set and opened his mouth and let out a whoaaaaa sound, I asked him to trust me.
From now on, the Black Queen will only fire three more shots and will not be used after that.
“All right! three feet! I’ll keep that in mind!”
Nodding his head, Damien’s eyes are fixed on his new equipment. If I knew you would like it this much, I would have matched your armor a long time ago.
With Lucas’ help, I turned my head inside the temple while Damian put on his new armor.
“Now then, shall I go and appease the saintess?”
***
Priest’s Office.
Marherita, who was sitting on a chair in the corner, was blowing on a bottle with a bottle in her mouth, her dark circle face sunk into the table.
There are several empty bottles of alcohol and a full ashtray on the table. oh my.
“… .”
Seeing this miserable appearance, I raised my forehead.
Marherita has always been my main healer in the game.
As long as you use the temple consistently, you can definitely hire it, and there are no other utilities or deal skills, but one heal and shield performance is outstanding, so it was convenient to operate.
He was a fixed member who played an active role until the end even in the clear round of hell.
In the meantime, here at Crossroads, he always healed patients with a strict and upright face… … It was an image worthy of a ‘saint’. How did you become like this?
“I just genuinely wanted to heal the wounded… .”
Marherita muttered in a drunken hiccuping voice.
“Because I believed that that was the reason the goddess bestowed healing power on me. Hiccup!”
“… .”
“But at the Great War, they recklessly promoted me to the rank of priest… Ordered here at Crossroads… … Still, I came to treat people, but doesn’t His Majesty send espionage out of nowhere? Doesn’t His Highness put them on the wall to fight the monster… … .”
“… Over there, saintess.”
“Then the espionage activities were discovered… Everyone is looking at me with suspicious eyes… … Seriously, I’ve told you many times that you can’t do something like this… … Dog-like central bastards… .”
“That saintess. Calm down for now.”
“I don’t know anymore, I just… Please send me home. Hiccup. Get rid of the saintess and whatever and retire… … .”
“… .”
I cautiously sat down on the chair next to Marherita, who began banging her forehead on the table.
“Lady. Calm down and listen to me. Anyway, now we have to do well together.”
“Your Highness is going to put me on top of the castle wall… I don’t like it, monsters are scary… … Jeoluga… … .”
“Put aside the monster problem and think about it, saintess. The fact that the saintess was a spy was discovered. Even the means of espionage were discovered.”
Marherita rolled her eyes and looked in my direction. I grinned.
“I don’t know, but it’s the Daeshinjeon now, and the Ambugo must have gone mad. Priest intelligence networks across the continent must have gone through a full overhaul. Maybe the dark department is overturning the intelligence system itself that has been built.”
“… !”
“And all of this happened because the saintess was caught on me. There’s no way the dark woman wouldn’t hold the saintess accountable, right?”
Marherita, her face white, asked in a trembling voice.
“Then what will become of me now… ?”
“In the worst case, the rats and birds will be eliminated without even noticing.”
“Huh.”
“So we are on the same boat.”
I brought my head closer and whispered softly.
“Sincerely, stick to my side completely. saintess. Enter the power of the 3rd Prince Ashe, who is neither the center nor the Great War. Then I will keep you safe.”
“… .”
“Even if I don’t know anything else, he takes good care of my people.”
It’s built on top of a wall, though.
Is it the monster in front of you or the human behind your back? It was time to choose and avoid the more frightening side.
“how is it?”
At my suggestion, Marherita muttered with a tear-stained face.
“… Anyway, I don’t have any other options, Your Highness… … .”
I smiled brightly.
You’ve always been my primary healer in the game, Marherita. There were a lot of things, but let’s do well together this time too.
***
I sorted out my internal affairs like that. Continue to prepare for a defensive battle over and over again.
Time flies like an arrow, four days later.
The morning of the day of the defense battle was bright.
I prepared hard for the past week, but I ran out of time.
The heroes still suffered minor injuries, the equipment ordered was less produced, and the repair of the wall was incomplete.
However, the monsters showed up regardless of the circumstances of the humans.
“They are coming!”
The skirmisher roared loudly.
I raised my telescope and looked at the southern sky.
Splitting the cloudy sky, hundreds of wyverns appeared with their wings wide open.
The entire area became dark because the formation of monsters blocked the sunlight for an instant.
fuck. so many fucking
I was reluctant, but I asked Lucas, who was standing next to me.
“Reinforcements from the ecliptic?”
Lucas also responded cautiously, as if he was unwilling.
“… No news yet.”
Here, ‘no news’ means that the scouts sent north did not find any reinforcements coming.
No matter how large or small the reinforcements come by land, my scouts cannot fail to spot them.
However, it is still unconfirmed news.
I grinded my teeth.
These damn central cubs… ! Damn second brother!
‘Was the reinforcements a lie? Fucking me like this?’
Even while doing this, the Wyvern Legion was flying towards the Crossroads at terrifying speed.
It was right in front of me now.