I Became a Disaster-Class Newbie by Stealing Abilities - Chapter 22

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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 22. The Wall (1)
Three alarm chimes.
It could only mean one thing.
The “wall” that divides humanity from everything else—that boundary had been breached.
Something from beyond had crossed over to this side.
For an alarm to sound, the situation had to be serious enough.
Maybe a Named-Class entity had arrived.
“Move quickly!”
“Fall back to Namhansanseong Fortress!”
The soldiers sprang into action.
“Shouldn’t we help?”
“In our current state, we’d only get in the way. The knights and border guards will handle it just fine.”
Both stamina and mana had been wrung dry, and rest was desperately needed.
Simply sitting on bare ground felt like a blessing—the exhaustion ran that deep.
For now, the priority had to be restoring the body to peak condition.
It was then.
Boom-boom-crash!
Kaboom!
In the distance, toward Namhansanseong Fortress, a thick plume of smoke rose into the air.
A massive invasion of Hanam would be coming soon.
In the past, this would have caused considerable tension, but…
‘Things are different now.’
Jusang’s gaze turned toward Baek Seolgi and Amy.
Two Catastrophe-Class Beings.
Just looking at them felt as reassuring as a full bowl of rice soup with two extra servings of rice.
Ahh.
So this was the satisfaction of gathering calamities.
Most were extraordinarily difficult to manage, but there were still a few useful ones among them—including Baek Seolgi and Amy.
He hoped to make contact with those others soon.
Yet contrary to his spiraling joy, reality proved less forgiving.
“Saekmok-in. If you ever harbor ill intentions toward me, I won’t hold back. You wouldn’t want to become an ice statue with that pretty blonde hair, would you?”
“I—I’ve never had any such thoughts. You’re my benefactor, after all.”
The atmosphere was quite delicate, admittedly.
But it would be fine.
Amy had decided to return to Vatican with Antonio once he regained consciousness.
The plan was to use the Church’s backing to accelerate her own growth.
In exchange, she promised to drop everything and rush over whenever truly needed.
‘Lucky. No one saw Amy act as a Catastrophe-Class Being.’
Because of that, the worst-case scenario of Vatican’s pursuit could be avoided.
At least for now.
“Then, take care of yourself.”
“You as well. Ah—and thank you again for your help. Because of you, I could protect the people who matter to me.”
Amy bowed with a bright smile.
The warmth she’d shown at their first meeting remained untouched.
* * *
A motel near Starfield was booked, a hot shower taken, and then complete collapse.
When he woke, far too much time had passed.
‘Over forty hours asleep.’
Given how intense the battle had been, it was understandable…
But even to his own judgment, it had been excessive.
‘Still, I feel refreshed. Sleep really is the best medicine.’
At this point, ninety percent of his condition had been restored.
Then, shall we move?
Jusang rose from the bed and headed straight for the administrative office.
He needed to claim his reward for the work done at Starfield.
[Merit Points on Hand: 2,000]
[Imperial Bank Balance: 35,120,000 Won]
“If you need money anytime, just let us know. We’ve just released some excellent products for our autumn promotion at this branch.”
A rather cute female clerk smiled brightly.
‘Excellent products, my ass.’
Just because you’re a former hero doesn’t mean I won’t squeeze you dry.
With credit loans, the annual interest rate hits a staggering 99.9%.
Three missed payments and you’re sold off as a combat slave or harvested for organs.
And they say even anesthesia is so expensive they won’t bother—who in their right mind borrows money here?
“For now, it should be manageable.”
More precisely, it would remain manageable for the foreseeable future.
“Ah, well, there is a way to earn additional Merit Points. Would you happen to be interested? The minimum per person is 500, and depending on performance, you can earn up to 3,000, or so I’m told.”
The female clerk laid out an unexpected proposal.
The minimum qualification to cross into Gangdong was March Citizen Rank.
That required spending 10,000 Merit Points.
‘If all goes well, this job could get me halfway to the goal.’
Despite being early in the journey, the possibility of reaching an upper-tier zone was already beginning to take shape.
“What kind of work?”
“It’s mercenary work. As you know, there’s been fierce combat around Namhansanseong Fortress these past two days. The security forces sent down an emergency notice overnight.”
But the way she said it meant the situation was grave indeed.
It was possible Namhansanseong Fortress was already half-fallen.
“Should I leave right away?”
“Just show this Participation Certificate to the field manager on-site. Then, good hunting, and bring back plenty of earnings.”
When you send someone into danger,
someone else’s performance improves.
This was the nature of such a world.
Moments after stepping outside, a problem erupted.
Ju-sang struggled to contain his fury as he addressed the source of the incident.
“Seolgi.”
“Yes!”
“I asked you to behave yourself while I waited, and I even bought you cotton candy—one for you and one for Seolgi. Each.”
“It was so sweet and fluffy, absolutely delicious. I already want more.”
Yes, it would have been delicious.
It was premium full-topping royal cotton candy—50,000 won apiece.
And he’d put such expensive stuff in her mouth.
“What on earth happened here?”
Crackle-snap.
All around, people had been turned into ice statues.
“Oh, some worms of vermin were mocking me. So I taught them proper manners.”
[Due to the trait ‘Twisted Taste’, your inner energy increases by +10.]
The more she froze people into ice sculptures or killed them brutally, the stronger she became.
He’d momentarily forgotten, but now he felt anew just how dangerous a Catastrophe-Class Being Baek Seolgi truly was.
“Still, you can’t just freeze people like that. Much scarier people might come looking.”
“That’s fine. If they do, I’ll turn them into ice the same way.”
Whether soldiers came,
or knights arrived,
she would slaughter them all—a madness radiated from her words.
Baek Seolgi was fully capable of it.
Sigh.
Ju-sang had a distinct feeling that this troublemaker would cause any number of spectacular incidents.
‘First, I need to handle this disaster.’
Disciplining her could wait.
Ju-sang pulled out his smartphone and made a call.
Not long after, Yang Myeong-ho of the Red Fox Guild came in person.
“Pulling off something this catastrophic in broad daylight… Even for a lawless zone like Hanam, that’s a bit much.”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Knowing as I do that you’re a bloodless, tearless killer, I confess the chill runs down my spine.”
“I said it wasn’t me!”
Fortunately, the ice statues turned out to be members of a notorious human trafficking ring with active wanted notices.
And thanks to Yang Myeong-ho’s thorough explanation to the soldiers that it was Seolgi’s self-defense, no serious trouble arose.
This was why connections mattered.
A single favor could be leveraged again and again.
Yang Myeong-ho even arranged a carriage to take them as far as Namhansanseong Fortress.
A luxury model at that—a one-way trip alone would cost a million won.
“By the way, I have to ask—are you really going to the Wall?”
“There are some things to gain, including Merit Points.”
“You’re so strong that it should be fine, but still—be careful. There are rumors that the situation there is far more dire than what’s been made public.”
She sounded like someone who had genuine intelligence, as befitted a master of the Red Fox Guild.
“Do you happen to know which Named-Class monster crossed over?”
“It’s a creature called Keruja, presumed to be Star Rank Six. Given that it’s survived for well over ten years, it may well have reached the peak of Rank Six or even Rank Seven by now.”
Keruja…
A colossal bird with four pairs of wings.
Its defining traits were its long steel beak, white feathers, and the way it spewed fire from its mouth.
A legion-type creature commanding a clan of over thirty thousand.
‘It’s famous for never straying far from its own territory…’
Yet that creature had abandoned its nest and chosen open warfare.
Something didn’t sit right.
There was only one way to find out—go and see for myself.
Ju-sang and Baek Seolgi climbed into the carriage.
* * *
They arrived at Namhansanseong Fortress well past noon.
Rumble…
Boom-crash!
Beyond walls that stretched over three hundred meters high, a blast of light erupted with a deafening roar.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Hold the line! We cannot let it through!”
The heat of battle was suffocating.
The soldiers had fought straight through two nights without rest, and it showed on every face.
The wounded poured in endlessly, and the body count had long since surpassed several hundred.
If hell existed, this was what men meant when they spoke of it.
Yet the walls themselves had not yet fallen completely.
Not yet, anyway.
“This looks terribly precarious.”
Baek Seolgi’s eyes narrowed to slits.
From her vantage point high atop the fortress, the ending of this battle was already taking shape in her mind.
“Yeah. So don’t push yourself too hard. We can’t hold this anyway with what we have.”
It was only a matter of time.
The fall of this place was a foregone conclusion.
But then, in that very moment.
“Aerial attack! Everyone take cover!”
An urgent shout echoed from atop the wall.
In an instant—barely a heartbeat between warning and impact.
Thunderous crash!!!
Something plummeted down like a meteor.
Debris scattered in all directions.
A billow of dust rose from the massive crater.
“Grrrrr.”
A low growl rumbled forth as something began to clamber free.
A bird.
More precisely, a bipedal avian creature emerged into view.
Its form was sleek and elongated.
The dark talons on both its arms exceeded thirty centimeters.
“It’s a Sorrow Talon!”
“Damn it. That cursed thing’s crossed over again.”
.
Curses erupted from the soldiers and mercenaries who had been stationed below.
Its defense was so formidable that one could only stop its movement by targeting its vital points.
The problem was…
…that its only weak spot kept shifting constantly.
[Ashvolt activates the skill Mana Detection!]
A blue aura unfurled from the tip of the mage’s staff.
“Aim for the left thigh!”
The weak point would hold for roughly three seconds.
Mana Detection could not be used continuously, so the soldiers had to finish it in that window.
Men rushed in from all sides.
To pierce through the mark on her left thigh.
But the Sidae-jo was far faster.
“Screeeee!”
With a nimble dodge, the Sidae-jo whirled its hook-shaped talons in one fluid motion.
Slice!
The upper half vanished entirely.
Even thick armor couldn’t withstand it—ordinary defenses were hopeless.
Thud!
Crack!
“Ahhhhh!”
“No!”
One. Two.
The Sidae-jo, cutting through soldiers as it charged, reached the space between Ju-sang and Baek Seolgi.
“How vulgar. You don’t know your place, daring to act this way.”
With a voice as delicate as silk.
Ring.
A snow-white blade was drawn.
“Fool!”
“Striking anywhere but its weakness does nothing!”
Those watching gasped at the small girl’s swordsmanship.
It was common enough.
Mediocre swordmasters dying in reckless bravado before the Sidae-jo.
Especially frequent for those facing it for the first time.
But.
All expectations shattered spectacularly.
Slice!
A crimson thread joined the creature’s beak to its neck.
Splash!
Blood sprayed in an arc.
She had severed the beak itself—considered its hardest point—clean through.
A flawless strike, beyond reproach.
It transcended beauty and entered the realm of pure art.
‘Different class entirely,’ Ju-sang thought.
He smiled faintly.
Weakness?
That was something the weak desperately sought out when facing the strong.
But from birth, the strong never bothered with such things.
They simply crushed everything with overwhelming force.
Well. This ought to be stage enough.
“My apologies for the youngest’s disruption. I told her not to touch someone else’s quarry, and yet….”
He spoke plainly.
“Please understand—she’s recently become obsessed with the joy of wielding a sword.”
This much would suffice.
“Such a powerhouse is merely your youngest?”
“D-did you both come together?”
“I’m Oh Hyeon-min of the Baekdu Guild, based in Gangdong. If you’re not affiliated, how about joining us?”
“We’re the Cheok Ho Dae, operating out of Jamsil. You’ve likely heard of us—our Master just ascended to Star Rank.”
Interest poured down like a torrent.
It couldn’t have been otherwise.
For mercenaries, the crux of everything was how skilled the recruits gathered locally were.
Both rewards and survival rates.
The difference was heaven and earth, depending on composition.
So then.
From now on, it was simply a matter of waiting and watching.
To see whose bid would be highest.

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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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