I Became a Disaster-Class Newbie by Stealing Abilities - Chapter 16

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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 16. The Second Calamity
Clang!
“What on earth is Veneroff thinking….”
The Warehouse Keeper opened the door with a face full of displeasure.
The empire’s military storehouse was a place reserved solely for knights and soldiers.
Opening it to outsiders was something he’d never imagined.
“Forgive the intrusion.”
Jusang and Baek Seol-gi scurried inside together.
“Squeak!”
Seol-tang flicked his tongue eagerly and followed after them.
Swords and spears, shields and more.
All manner of weapons and armor lined the shelves in neat rows.
At first glance, everything was well maintained.
[All subspace abilities are currently restricted within this military storehouse.]
“As you understand, you may select only one item from here. I’ll be watching with eyes wide open, so I trust you won’t entertain any improper thoughts.”
The Warehouse Keeper issued his warning.
“Don’t worry. I’m not so lacking in conscience as to repay kindness with betrayal.”
Jusang called out as if to say, what kind of person do you take me for, and began moving between the items.
As he went, he smeared some white sugar powder on several of them.
“Squee….”
Seol-tang, following behind, quickly looked left and right.
Then.
Gulp!
He swallowed the marked item whole.
* * *
About twenty minutes later.
“I’ve decided. I’ll go with this.”
Whoosh!
Jusang swung a well-honed longsword through the air.
[Sword of Punishment]
[Acquisition Difficulty: B]
[Attack Power: 100]
[Durability: 1,000 / 1,000]
[Special Effect: By consuming 100 durability, you may use ‘Holy Power’.]
The center of gravity was good, and it was light.
For a B-ranked weapon, the attack power was respectable.
More than anything….
[Holy Power]
Being able to use an ability granted only to those blessed by the divine appealed to him most.
Even though it required consuming durability, it was well worth the price.
“Hmm.”
“What is it? Is something wrong?”
“Not quite….”
The Warehouse Keeper tilted his head repeatedly.
Meanwhile, he stared intently at Seol-tang.
“Wasn’t that snake originally much smaller?”
He could have sworn it was a small, cute baby serpent.
Now it had grown to nearly the size of a boa constrictor.
It was large enough to make even the Young Prince beat a hasty retreat.
“Squeak. Squee….”
Seol-tang struggled, his body writhing with effort.
“Tsk! A man consumed by affairs of state, and you suspect him? Now?”
Clang! Clang!
Each time Seol-tang moved, there seemed to be a metallic ringing, though it must have been a illusion.
This was a storehouse packed with iron implements, after all.
“I, I’m not suspecting you. But no matter how I look at it, something seems rather amiss, doesn’t it?”
“What’s amiss? The child just has a constitution where he gains weight immediately from drinking water alone. That’s all it is.”
“But those shield and spear shapes protruding from his belly—what kind of creature gains weight in such a manner?”
“Have you lived your whole life being deceived, or would you feel better if you split open this adorable creature’s belly? Sure. If you insist, we can arrange that. Yes. What’s one more dead snake, anyway? Where should I start cutting? Lower belly? Upper belly?”
Jusang rolled up his sleeves and spat on the blade.
“Cu…uu….”
Seol-tang’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“If nothing comes out… then I’ll make you just like our child. Much more slowly. Much longer.”
A terrible killing intent radiated from Baek Seol-gi’s body.
The temperature plummeted as an icy chill swept through the air.
In the end.
“P-please. Just please, go.”
Unable to withstand the brutal threat, the Warehouse Keeper surrendered everything.
“Ahem! This is just this one time, understand? Don’t go suspecting animals like that.”
As someone who’d come from Cheonho-dong Snake Mom, he’d made a real concession.
Thanks to him, we’d managed to do some solid shopping for enhancement materials.
* * *
The office of the Jeokho Guild, located in Hanam Knowledge Industry Center.
“I had the kids do some digging, and we’ve narrowed it down to about ten suspect locations.”
Yang Myeong-ho laid out the intelligence he’d gathered before me.
Ten places….
Not bad for information gathered in such a short time, but the search area was still far too broad.
“Was there anywhere among those ten where you found thick, sticky black puddles? They tend to smell like sulfur.”
“Oh? Now that you mention it… there was one place showing those symptoms… but how did you know that?”
“I’ve had dealings with those bastards more than once.”
As expected, my suspicion had been correct.
The Immortal Cult, which should have been causing trouble in Eastern Europe right now, appearing in Hanam was unexpected.
‘So they came to awaken the sacred relic.’
An Artifact of the Evil God.
A medium necessary to manifest the Demon King, awakening it was one of the Immortal Cult’s highest priorities.
And if the artifact was here….
‘Then there’s a high chance the Great Calamity came to this place as well.’
Another potential companion candidate after Baek Seol-gi.
If by some chance they had come here, I’d have to recruit them by any means necessary.
“Where is the location?”
“It’s Starfield, but are you really certain about this? It’s a place overflowing with bizarre and inexplicable incidents—even the Cleaners won’t go near it.”
Now that the location was pinpointed, he’d be suggesting I report it to Veneroff and make my exit.
Of course, even just this much would earn me 2,000 Merit Points, which wasn’t bad.
Not having to risk danger was what he’d always preached, though it was just empty talk.
But.
‘Then I can’t recruit the Calamity, and I can’t steal the artifact either.’
This was a chance to catch both rabbits—I couldn’t possibly give up halfway.
“First, I’ll go directly and find concrete evidence. Oh, but about that request I made—”
“Which person asked? We obviously got it. The Holy Water did come at a high cost, though.”
Yang Myeong-ho placed glasses with a blue light filter function and a small glass vial containing Holy Water on the table.
Certainly convenient and worth using.
Saving Yang Myeong-ho had been the right call, looking back on it now.
As I left the Jeokho Guild’s office, I headed straight toward Starfield.
How far had I traveled in the Magic Stone-powered carriage?
Finally, a massive cement tomb appeared.
Whoooosh….
An ominous, desolate wind blew in.
The interior, devoid of any light.
The sprawling shopping complex that once teemed with crowds was long gone.
Only an abandoned building remained, evoking memories of Guigok Mountain Manor.
‘The entrance should be over there.’
A broken automatic door came into view, unmoving.
Well, before going in, let me show off a little skill.
[Activating the skill ‘Essence of Fire’!]
Whoosh!
I carved Rune Language into the glasses using my flickering flame-wreathed fingers.
Hisss!
Blue light pulsed, and brilliant characters appeared before me.
Click.
Now I dripped a drop of Holy Water onto each lens.
Very well.
[You have crafted the Glasses of Truth!]
[Acquisition Difficulty: C]
[Description: These lenses pierce through falsehoods consumed by darkness, revealing the truths hidden within.]
Flawless. Absolutely perfect.
‘Heh. My Rune Language mastery really does deserve recognition.’
In Starfield, consumed as it is by the artifact’s influence, these glasses would prove invaluable.
“Wow. Lord. How on earth did you manage that?”
Baek Seol-gi’s eyes went wide as saucers.
“It’s nothing. Just one of the many talents I possess.”
“Your abilities seem boundless, Lord. If I may ask—what is your Divine Rank?”
Heh.
She really doesn’t hesitate to pry into personal matters.
“Ten….”
“Rank ten?”
“No. That’s not what I mean….”
You’d have to divide that by two.
Then subtract about one on top of that.
“You mean it’s even higher than that?”
“Yes. Let’s just say something like that.”
I was trying to tell you the truth, but you’re the one who cut me off.
“As expected, you…!”
Leaving Baek Seol-gi with an indescribable expression on her face, Jusang turned toward the entrance.
But then.
“Is this the place mentioned in the revelation?”
“Definitely. There’s something wrong. The Holy Stones are already turning black.”
A group of people approached from the opposite direction.
Not the Immortal Cult.
Rather, they belonged to a faction standing in direct opposition to it.
[Vatican]
Servants of the God of Light had arrived in Hanam to purify an Artifact of the Evil God.
Every one of them was a priest trained in Holy Power.
Among them, one figure in particular caught Jusang’s attention.
Brilliant golden hair cascading to her shoulders.
Porcelain-white skin and eyes the color of rubies.
“Come on, everyone! Let’s drive out the darkness and save the people!”
A girl wielding a large shield and combat hammer rallied her squad forward.
Her fresh smile and natural vivacity warmed the heart merely to behold.
‘Finally meeting her.’
Jusang’s eyes narrowed.
The Great Calamity who would one day earn the epithet “Black Plague’s Holy Mother.”
Amy von Bastion—heir to a fallen noble house.
* * *
Amy von Bastion.
As a Shield Warrior, her offensive power ranked at Rank 2, but her defensive capabilities were assessed at the peak of Rank 5.
A Tanker specialized entirely in protection, meant solely to shield her team.
‘I must succeed. No matter what.’
Amy gnawed at her lip.
Yes.
By any means necessary, she had to complete every mission the Vatican had given her.
Building a small sandcastle, grain by grain.
Only then could she one day wash away the shameful stigma that had stained her family name.
With resolve steeled, Amy moved forward.
But then.
Just before entering what was presumed to be the Immortal Cult’s headquarters, she encountered a man and woman.
“Are they converts to the Cult?”
Antonio, the Holy Knight commanding the assault squad, spoke up.
A tall man, easily reaching 190 centimeters, armed with a substantial greatsword that seemed to carry considerable weight.
“I sense no aura of dark magic.”
“There’s no sign of that peculiar laughter converts of the Cult are known for.”
The priests under his command answered swiftly.
Which meant they were original residents of this place.
“I am Antonio, a Holy Knight of the Vatican. Who are you?”
“We’re from the Jeokho Guild. I’m Ju-sang. And this is Baek Seol-gi.”
Ju-sang produced the guild identification that Yang Myeong-ho had given him.
“The Jeokho Guild…?”
“We have considerable standing in Hanam. We’re connected to the administrative authorities as well.”
Strictly speaking, the Vatican was the outsider here.
The Jeokho Guild was one of the oldest establishments in this place.
“Tch. This is becoming tedious.”
Antonio’s brow furrowed.
It was a covert mission—he couldn’t speak freely about the revelation.
Blending threat and warning seemed the best course to make them leave.
“This is an extremely dangerous place. You should withdraw at once. Those who cannot wield Holy Power may forfeit their lives.”
But then.
Pfft.
Ju-sang smiled, as if amused by Antonio’s words.
He channeled mana into his sword.
[The Sword of Punishment activates!]
[100 Durability consumed!]
Whoom!
Blinding radiance blazed forth through the blade.
“Holy Power, you say? Well, is it something like this?”
He spoke as casually as if it were nothing—
the sort of tone that suggested every household worth mentioning kept at least one golden calf on hand.
“Holy… weaponry?”
“Our master is quite generous with resources. We receive substantial support.”
“I warned you plainly. Whatever transpires inside, you alone bear the full weight of that consequence.”
“Our bodies are sturdy enough to manage. There’s no need for concern.”
Had it not been for Amy, he wouldn’t have engaged at all.
But if they were to move together, this much dialogue was a necessary concession.
In the end, the party was set: thirty Vatican assault troops, plus Ju-sang and Baek Seol-gi. Thirty-two souls in all.
And so they ventured inside….
What unfolded defied belief.
“Come now, try these! Meat skewers—eat two, die two! A special offer!”
“Cheap! So cheap! Buy one get one—no, it’s on the house! For a handsome bachelor, I’ll do buy one get two!”
It was nothing like the abandoned structure they’d imagined Starfield to be.
Appetizing food sizzled and steamed on grills.
Countless wares glittered beneath bright lights, displaying their wares with lavish splendor.
“This can’t be….”
“What happened here?”
The priests’ eyes widened like rabbits as they turned their heads, taking in the surroundings.
The scene before them was 180 degrees removed from the intelligence they’d received, leaving them utterly dumbfounded.
Whoosh.
Ju-sang put on the prepared spectacles.
Screech!
Hehehehe.
Unidentified meat dripping with black liquid.
Items of grotesque form lined the shelves.
‘The whole place has already been consumed.’
Through the thin panes of glass, illusion and reality had been inverted.
As if proclaiming that this was the true nature of this vast world.
[The Aberration ‘Sweet Home’ gazes upon the new prey that has entered.]
There was a phrase commonly attached to its name.
Those who break the taboo
shall not leave alive.
Or so it was said.

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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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