I Became a Disaster-Class Newbie by Stealing Abilities - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 14. The Jester (2)
The fair-skinned girl slowly took in the scene unfolding before her eyes.
The one who had granted her freedom.
Her benefactor, who bore deep internal wounds for granting her that freedom.
The first person she had wanted to stand beside was being threatened.
“…What exactly are you doing right now?”
The words that left her lips were serene.
No particular emotion colored them.
She neither made threats nor spoke curses.
Yet everyone present understood one thing.
Beneath that calm lay an unimaginable fury, writhing and coiled.
The very calm before the storm.
The moment before a catastrophe capable of swallowing the world tore through.
“I was just…”
Crack!
With each step forward, frost bloomed across the ground beneath her feet.
“You were answering my question.”
The entire Circus Grounds began to freeze over.
“About your audacity to show disrespect before me.”
That madness.
That killing intent.
Every living thing in the Dungeon held its breath.
-Partner. Fall back.
“What? You’re backing off for just one girl? How many times do I have to tell you—we need to rack up the Most Kills here to earn the reward!”
Bora-doli shouted toward the Jester.
Toward himself.
-I’ve already pushed myself too hard to manifest. Staying conscious any longer is beyond my limits.
Sustaining two personalities within one body came with countless restrictions.
But even if he were in perfect condition, without any such excuses…
There was no certainty.
Whether he could win against that monster.
“How amusing that you speak as though escape were still possible if you desired it.”
Baek Seol-gi drew her blade.
Brilliant swordlight announced the beginning.
Single Flash.
Slash!
As a single line of light flickered, the Jester’s body was severed in half.
……
Yet for someone who had just dispatched an enemy, Baek Seol-gi’s expression looked far from satisfied.
The impact hadn’t felt quite right.
[The Jester activates the Trait: Replication!]
The very trait she had most coveted shone brilliantly.
A duplicate capable of reproducing up to forty percent of the original’s stats.
It could even be applied to certain items.
Its value surely warranted an SS-rank rating, perhaps even higher.
-My dear girl. Would you be all right? A waltz with a jester always ends in a sad ending, you know?
Four replicated Jesters emerged from all directions, closing in on Baek Seol-gi.
Simultaneously, countless colored floor patterns erupted with dazzling light.
[Near Death] [Stun] [Confusion] [Distortion].
Gimmicks laden with various debuffs unfolded in dozens of patterns.
But then.
“You do talk a great deal. I wonder if turning you into an Ice Statue might keep things quieter?”
Baek Seol-gi, who had taken sufficient rest in the Subspace, operated on a different plane altogether.
The moment the Iceflame Divine Sword opened, the floor patterns themselves shattered entirely.
She pushed forward.
Overwhelmingly.
Clang-crash-bang!
The Jester, raising his black scythe in defense, found himself driven inexorably into a corner.
His stance crumbled.
His center of gravity wavered.
Just a few more exchanges and this will be decided.
—Hack!
Crash!
The Jester’s scythe couldn’t withstand the blizzard and was knocked flying.
That was the killing blow.
Whoosh!
A pure white blade drove into the Jester’s heart.
Blood sprayed like a fountain, and the fight came to an end.
It should have been over.
[The Joker Card activates!]
—Phew. That was close. The hero of this tale nearly made an exit just then.
The Jester drove the Joker Card into his own neck faster than his heart could be pierced.
[Your body temporarily becomes shadow!]
Once he’s in that state, there’s no killing him, no matter how much you want to.
Unfortunate, but time’s up.
—Well then, we’ll meet again. Things won’t go the same way next time.
“Especially you! This humiliation—I will never forget it. Remember this well. It’s me who will crush you!”
“Got it, Bora-doli. Next time, bring Tobi and Nana along too.”
“Argh! You bastard…!”
With curses too vile for words, Bora-doli and the Jester vanished completely.
* * *
“I’m sorry. I let them slip away.”
Baek Seol-gi bowed her head, looking dejected.
“Disappointing.”
Quite, quite magnificent!
“I never thought you’d fail to subdue a single opponent like that.”
To drive back a Ranker so decisively.
This is why calamities are called natural disasters.
A double-edged sword, certainly—but handled well, there was no more reliable ally.
“I should have wrapped it up on my end if I’d known it would come to this.”
“You suffered serious injuries though… are you truly all right?”
“Any master worth their salt carries a trump card or two. Of course I have a technique or two to access my full strength.”
“Wow, just as I thought! I’d really love to see your power sometime, Master.”
“Ahem! Ahem! Well, naturally I’ll show you when I get the chance. But this isn’t the time for that. Do you have any idea how much work needs doing? Ugh. So busy, so very busy.”
Master quickly changed the subject and hurried away.
After that, he focused on hunting the remaining monsters and raising his skill proficiency.
How much time passed that way?
[You’ve raised your Most Kills record!]
[Choose your reward!]
The status window unfurled before him.
Of course, he’d already decided what to pick.
[You selected the Moon’s Core.]
The power source that could bring the broken Smartphone back to life.
Click!
The moment he inserted the Moon’s Core into the Smartphone…
Light filled the blackened screen.
[Battery 35%]
35% in one go—not bad at all.
It was more than enough to use several functions, including accessing all messages.
With this, he’d secured everything this Dungeon had to offer.
* * *
By the time he exited the Dungeon, the sun had completely set.
11:45 PM.
Ever since he’d arrived in this place, he’d been rolling and rolling without rest, and here it was, this hour.
“I suppose I should sleep soon.”
“Just a moment. Let me find us a place to rest.”
Baek Seol-gi rummaged through the dim Alley and soon gathered fallen leaves and scraps of newspaper, fashioning something like a nest.
Wanting it to look cozy, she’d even stuck a withered dandelion into it.
She’d also brought a few Ice Statues—her prized possessions.
“Seol-gi. What are you doing?”
“It’s a dragonfly. There were far more materials in the Labyrinth, and they were much finer too, so it turned out quite well.”
Ta-da!
A satisfied, proud expression bloomed across her face.
That was genuine.
She truly believed she’d crafted a masterwork and was beaming about it.
“Sigh.”
It wasn’t even some flower ornament.
My head was beginning to spin even more.
* * *
After securing two hotel rooms built for distinguished guests, I added a package that included hot bathwater and dinner and breakfast.
‘1.1 million won per person per night — that’s well over the line.’
The kind of money that could stretch to a month’s living expenses if I was careful.
I’d blown it all in a single night.
But I had no regrets.
I wasn’t about to celebrate our victory in a bed swarming with bedbugs and thin rice porridge.
At least for tonight, I’d intended to taste what proper capitalism felt like.
Above all else.
‘I need to treat her well.’
I watched Baek Seol-gi, who was utterly absorbed in eating.
Munch, munch.
She’d dunk soft white bread deeply into creamed chicken stew, then cram it into her mouth in one bite.
She drank the cola with ice floating in it just as ravenously, barely pausing for breath.
‘Skinny as she is, she sure knows how to pack it away.’
Little antlers perked up on her head.
Eyes transformed cat-like.
The atmosphere was such that if I even tried to steal a single bite, it felt like we’d end up in a fight to the death.
“I-I won’t give you this! No matter what you say, I won’t!”
“Fine… eat as much as you like.”
I hoped she’d eat until her stomach was round and full, and above all, that she wouldn’t fall into corruption or depravity.
If my carefully nurtured character twisted out of shape, I felt like I’d collapse clutching the back of my head.
“I’m going to sleep first. The bathwater is still warm, so just finish eating and go wash up.”
I took a sip of the black tea served as dessert and rose from my seat first.
Moments later, sounds of continuous exclamation drifted from the room next door.
It seemed she’d only ever washed herself in ice-cold water until now — a hot bath was apparently a first for her.
I buried myself into the plush bed filled with duck down.
A comfort washed over me that felt like it would sweep away all the fatigue of the day.
Snap.
I closed my eyes for just a moment and lost consciousness.
But the next day.
“We hear there’s a dark-haired hero in this place!”
“Where is the bastard?”
“Room 805! That’s where he’s staying!”
Something jolted me from my sound sleep.
Crash!
Soldiers who’d raided the hotel burst through the door.
All fully armed.
They’d come prepared.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
At least let me hear the reason.
It did bother me a little that Baek Seol-gi had swept up all the complimentary popcorn in the lobby, but surely they wouldn’t drag someone away just for that.
“We heard you had a dispute with the Red Tiger Guild in front of the Dungeon yesterday. After that, the entire attack party went missing. And you’ve become rich enough to spend money lavishly in this expensive place.”
Robbery and murder.
They were trying to pin such charges on me.
“We did have a dispute, that’s true, but we didn’t kill anyone.”
“Shut your mouth! We’ve already secured more than enough evidence. If you resist arrest, immediate execution is all that awaits you.”
There couldn’t possibly be any evidence of what happened inside the Dungeon.
Yet seeing them press the matter nonetheless, it was clear they’d already decided on my guilt.
‘Do I need to handle this?’
I hesitated for a moment, then shook my head.
The opposition was nothing less than the Empire’s security forces.
If I touch this now, I’ll end up siding with the Jester and worshipping some dark god instead.
“Understood. But before I go, might I be permitted one phone call?”
“A criminal asking for favors. How audacious.”
“Imperial Law, Section 102, Clause 33 grants the right to retain legal counsel, or so I’m told.”
I’d picked up a thing or two about law along the way.
“…I’ll give you exactly one minute.”
“Much obliged.”
I pulled out the Smartphone I’d been keeping inside my robes.
“That’s an unusual-looking device. It doesn’t appear to be a communication stone, though….”
The soldier examining the Smartphone for the first time showed a flicker of curiosity, though it passed quickly.
* * *
[Provincial Courthouse]
Inside a room bearing a golden nameplate sat three figures.
The Master of the Red Tiger Guild.
A Grade 5 Official from Hanan.
The Merchant Lord who controlled the central market with an iron fist.
They were the embodiment of Hanan’s power, force, and capital.
“Regardless of anything else, we cannot let someone who dares mock the Red Tiger live.”
“Don’t worry yourself. Trial and execution will both be concluded by day’s end.”
“Hehe. The fool was foolish enough to lay hands on the Master himself. What a pity.”
A bug that dares challenge the heavens must be crushed beneath the heel.
These three possessed more than enough strength and ability to do so.
It was at that moment.
“We’ve brought the prisoner!”
Soldiers appeared with Ju-sang in shackles.
“Is this the one?”
“Yes. Matches the witness testimony perfectly.”
“Good work. We’ll take it from here. Wait outside.”
The middle-aged man wearing the Grade 5 Official’s badge waved them away.
Once the soldiers had vanished, the Official crouched down before Ju-sang.
“Heroes from Earth, every last one of you, fail to grasp your station. Do you understand? Disrespect toward us is disrespect toward the entire Empire. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that in this place, our word IS the Emperor’s word.”
He wielded his authority like a hammer.
Typically, such tactics left people’s faces ashen and their bowels emptied.
But.
“Hmm. A village headman,”
Ju-sang pointed a finger at the Grade 5 Official.
“An alleyway gang leader.”
The Master of the Red Tiger Guild.
“A corner shop owner.”
And finally, the Merchant Lord.
“Yet here you all stand, deluded that you’re the Emperor himself. I fail to see who exactly needs a lesson in understanding their place.”
“Is this man truly mad?”
“His audacity knows no bounds.”
“Interesting fellow. I wonder if he’ll talk like that when he’s dying.”
A flood of similar reactions erupted.
I’d merely stated facts, and they bristled like that.
These were men who lacked self-awareness.
“Let’s start with a finger.”
The Official drew a short sword.
“Now, if you lay a hand on me, my lawyer won’t take it well. You’ll regret it—I assure you, she’s terrifying.”
“Right. You made a phone call just before your arrest, didn’t you? Do you have some connection we should know about?”
“Pffft! This guy is hilarious. Did you call your mother or something?”
One should at least choose the right audience for bluffing.
All of Hanan’s highest powers had gathered in this room—what did it matter who I called?
“Wait. This place is—AAAAAAHHHHH!”
A scream pierced the air from outside.
“What madman dares commit violence within these sacred courthouse walls!”
The Official bellowed toward the door.
Crack!
And as the door split open—
A man with a face full of displeasure stepped into view.
“I did give you my business card, but that wasn’t an invitation to use it in this manner.”
The blond man exhaled a long, weary sigh.
“Wait—surely not?”
“Why would he be here…?”
In that instant, the three men who had been burning with rage froze where they stood.
How could they not know?
How could anyone fail to recognize him?
Benner Moff.
The second son of the Rephelon family—one of the most distinguished houses in the realm—and a Ranker who had earned the title of Slayer, granted only to those who had single-handedly slain boss monsters of the ninth star or higher.
To these men who held what little power existed in the Frontier Region, he was an untouchable sky.
“Oh! Counselor! Over here!”
The Merchant Lord waved his hand with an easy smile.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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