I Became a Disaster-Class Newbie by Stealing Abilities - Chapter 44

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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 44. After the Battle
[Skill ‘Shattering Gale’]
[Acquisition Difficulty: BB Rank]
[Description: Releases a shockwave of wind in a straight direction, launching the opponent airborne. When the opponent is airborne, their overall defensive ability decreases by 25%. (Cooldown 10 minutes. However, cooldown decreases upon a successful hit.)]
What I’d taken from the Minotaur wasn’t a unique ability—just a skill.
Rank alone didn’t mean everything.
‘The synergy with my current abilities.’
And the combinations I’d gain from future powers—that’s what mattered.
If I used the Air Born ‘Shattering Gale’ and ‘Extinction Star Stream’ as a combo, I could maximize slash damage.
Conversely, mixing it with ‘Icy Flame Divine Sword’ would add dulling and freezing effects on top.
There were countless ways to apply it.
Next came the time to examine the ability I’d acquired from Barkan.
Please.
‘Shadow Heart’ or ‘Phase 2’.
I’d hoped it was one of those two.
Jusang opened his eyes cautiously.
[Skill ‘Black Sun’]
[Acquisition Difficulty: S-Rank]
[Description: Condenses demonic energy to summon a black sun. The power and range of the black sun vary depending on the amount of demonic energy you possess.]
Hah. What’s with this mix of satisfaction and disappointment?
This is exactly how you’d feel if you didn’t get into your first-choice school but got into your second.
Still.
‘Black Sun isn’t bad at all.’
I’d experienced firsthand just how devastating that skill was.
Especially since I didn’t yet have a proper area-of-effect ability, this would be invaluable in countless ways.
Right. That’s settled.
Now came the moment I’d been saving for.
My gaze turned toward the final reward I’d set aside.
[Ability Enhancement Voucher].
The previous choices mattered, but this was incomparably more important.
Depending on how I used it, it could collapse the entire balance.
After a moment’s thought, I made my decision.
“I’m upgrading the Gate of Avici.”
Whoosh!
Golden flames enveloped the ability as it strengthened.
[Gate of Avici]
[Acquisition Difficulty: Transcendent Rank]
[Description: The countless beings that dwell in Avici Hell. You can summon fragments of their bodies or portions of their powers.]
[However, the magical cost is immense, and summoning more powerful entities carries the risk of mental erosion.]
[Due to the enhancement, the frequency of higher-tier entities appearing has increased dramatically.]
Yes.
If I had to pick just one, this was undoubtedly it.
‘It could create the greatest variable.’
Looking at the Gate of Avici upgraded from SS-Rank to Transcendent Rank, my heart felt warm.
Now that I’d done everything, I might as well savor this moment.
I’d been craving a beer anyway.
“Here, would you like to try something I made?”
Amy handed me some sauce she’d prepared herself.
My fingers were trembling slightly.
I hadn’t been this nervous even fighting Barkan—I couldn’t understand why.
“Sir, please try this too. The flesh is so firm—it’s perfect with liquor.”
Hyang Pyeong-jak offered me a thick slice of flounder sashimi.
He’d said he’d drink soju, and somehow it had already switched from baijiu.
Right, you know a thing or two.
Nothing pairs better with sashimi than soju, after all.
But just then.
Thud!
Multiple people appeared inside the bar.
An emblem showing three mountains.
Hunters belonging to the Taesan Group, one of Korea’s five major guilds.
“Taesan Group?”
“What are those bastards doing here….”
The drinkers stirred uneasily at the commotion.
Taesan Group—a major guild that had grown explosively under the patronage of its parent company.
True to its reputation, each guild member bore weapons and gear that spoke of formidable strength.
“These people sure are lucky. Their entire raid team dies in the dungeon, barely one makes it out alive, and they’re celebrating? What are they celebrating?”
“The ‘Five Great Guilds’ talk is ancient history now. They’re saying we need to call them the Four Great Guilds from now on.”
They were openly picking a fight.
Even if Jeokseong’s reputation had taken a crack from this raid, it was excessive.
“Jang Ha-min….”
Kim Dae-hyeon’s jaw clenched as he recognized his opponent.
He kept a tight grip on his composure and issued a warning.
“This establishment is rented out by Jeokseong. If you’re planning to drink, find another shop. There are plenty around here.”
“Oh. Our Mr. Kim Dae-hyeon. You’re not about to draw your sword, are you? Ever since you became the Demon Race’s lackey, you don’t seem to see Taesan or anything else anymore?”
“What…did you just say? That’s nonsense. We’re not the Demon Race’s servants!”
“Then how exactly did you escape alive from a higher-tier Demon Race? Even the main strike forces of Jushim or Ssaulabi couldn’t manage that.”
It was a raid that required at least several Knight-Rank fighters.
With additional support from high-level mages and priests.
“That is….”
Kim Dae-hyeon trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
In truth, he himself didn’t know exactly what had happened inside the dungeon.
He could only guess that the Master and Amy had done something.
“See? You can’t even explain it properly yourself.”
“Enough. We too lost people we held dear in that place.”
Parbon cut in as Jang Ha-min’s provocations continued.
As a former military mage, his voice alone made the air around him vibrate.
“Look at that. I didn’t know the toothless tiger was here either. You’re willing to do any raid as long as there’s money in it, aren’t you? Did you go that far?”
“What I do is none of your concern.”
“Of course not, of course not. But the suspicions keep piling up, you see? It’s not just me—there’s been a lot of talk.”
Beginning with the Immortal Cult, which was becoming a threat to the entire empire, subtle currents were spreading among various factions.
A storm was gathering.
Unlike anything that had come before.
And so.
It was easier on the nerves to quickly cull those who might betray their side.
“I’m warning you. Don’t speak carelessly about things you don’t understand.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I’ll have no choice but to force you out.”
Pzzzt.
Parbon rearranged his magical power.
As various elements combined, terrifying sparks crackled and burst forth.
“Has the old man lost his mind? Trying to threaten me, a member of Taesan’s main strike force…? How exactly?”
The atmosphere shifted dramatically.
Murderous intent began to crystallize between them.
Just then.
Splash!
Beer poured down Jang Ha-min’s face in a steady stream.
“Looks like our young friend here was terribly thirsty for a drink. Go on—let me pour you a nice, cold one, and let’s call this settled.”
It was the Master.
“You bastard!”
Crash!
Without another word, Jang Ha-min swung his blade.
A table split cleanly in two.
“Oops.”
But the Master had already slipped away with ease.
Swoosh!
Clang!
Those following Jang Ha-min immediately drew their weapons.
“Just as I thought. On behalf of the empire, I’ll arrest all these wicked cultists and have them tried for heresy.”
“Bullshit. You just want to pad your record with witch hunts while you wrap this up in your lie of ‘truth.'”
“What… what?”
At Joo-sang’s blunt words, Jang Ha-min froze for a moment.
He hadn’t expected to hear such things spoken outright.
But it lasted only a moment.
As if he’d come with his mind already made up, he began skillfully deploying an encirclement.
“A cornered rat playing tricks like this? I’ll make sure you pay dearly for that beer. From now on, you won’t be able to drink liquor through your mouth again.”
A bloodstained smile spread across Jang Ha-min’s lips.
“Sir. There are more outside.”
“I can see multiple magic users at two and four o’clock. We might have to level this whole place if things go south.”
Amy and Hyang Pyeong-jak had already shifted into combat stance.
But.
“It’s all right. There won’t be any need for a prolonged fight.”
Besides, it was about time anyway.
Soon enough, they’d all learn who the real cornered rat was.
Soft.
In that instant, a small snowflake drifted into the tavern.
* * *
Hair as white as snow.
Skin pure and unblemished as porcelain.
Pointed deer antlers rising from the crown of her head.
A small, slender girl moved forward with measured steps.
“What is the meaning of this?”
A soft voice rang through the space.
Joy and longing dripped from her eyes and face.
After being apart for days, there were mountains of things she wanted to say.
Yet.
So this was what the long-awaited reunion looked like.
“I’m truly angry. These contemptible creatures, lower than insects… they’ve ruined our most precious time together.”
[Niflheim’s Ice Flame forms an absolute domain!]
Numbing cold that defied imagination crashed down.
Crackle-crack!
The wooden floor.
Pillars and ceiling froze solid all at once.
“Gahhh….”
“Wheeze…”
Those belonging to the Taesan Group dropped to their knees where they stood.
The breath they exhaled had already turned frigid.
Their hearts beat slowly, their vision growing hazy.
Shiver-shiver-shiver!
“N-now… use magic. Burn this whole place if you have to… hurry!”
Jang Ha-min shouted, clinging to his senses.
His mind held nothing but the desire to escape this cold.
Burns could be treated through priests later.
But.
Nothing answered.
The dozens of people stationed around the tavern remained silent, as if they’d all been neutralized in conspiracy.
“That’s… impossible.”
Had they all been taken out?
In that brief moment?
He’d even hired seasoned mercenaries as backup.
Even against a ranker, they should’ve been able to hold out for ten minutes.
‘Unless… she’s above that?’
She looked like nothing but a beautiful girl.
Yet he felt no will to resist, standing before a predator beyond heaven and earth.
It hadn’t felt this way even when he’d stood before the guild master.
Yes, this was definitely….
A Knight Commander.
The sensation was similar to what he’d felt from that superhuman.
-Regardless of what pretext you use, bring me all fifty survivors from the dungeon.
Orders that had come from above.
He’d swelled with hope at grasping that golden lifeline at last….
It had all been nothing but a fleeting dream.
“Stay frozen in that posture, begging for your life on your knees like a worm. Who knows? You might end up living forever as a decoration of mine.”
Baek Seol-gi’s eyes grew increasingly flooded with madness.
I needed to stop this soon.
One wrong move and she really might kill him.
“Seol-gi.”
“Yes?”
“I’m not done talking with this fellow yet.”
“I’m, I’m so sorry. I got carried away… I’ll stop right now, please forgive me.”
Baek Seol-gi hurriedly bowed her head.
The bitter cold that had been so relentless vanished in an instant.
* * *
‘What… what just happened?’
‘By any measure, that’s upper Knight-Rank. And yet such a monster cowered like that.’
‘I thought he must’ve used some shortcut… but could it be that the captain really did hunt Demon Races?’
Kim Dae-hyeon, Parbon, and every other survivor stood slack-jawed.
They’d known Jusang was impressive, but they’d never imagined it to this degree.
For a Taesan Group hunter to suffer such humiliation was unprecedented.
“Gasp… gasp…”
Jang Ha-min released the breath he’d been holding.
The consciousness that had been fading and blurring returned gradually to him.
“Looks like there’s more going on here than meets the eye, what with priests and mages deployed. Come clean about it all, and I’ll let this slide.”
“Cough, spit! Get lost. I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
Yeah, that’s more like it.
I would’ve been disappointed if he’d actually confessed.
I’d been meaning to teach him about K-culture anyway.
The Birthday Drink, as it’s called.
Traditionally, it’s a highly concentrated essence prepared to celebrate someone’s birthday.
“Now then, let’s see just how righteous you all are with what’s in this bowl.”
Incidentally, whoever ends up last must drink every last drop that remains.
That’s why it’s called the Righteousness Drink.
Those who come first must do their best for those who come after.
However.
Blub-blub…
The Righteousness Drink looked decidedly more abnormal than usual.
Various liquors, snacks, and sauces were the basics.
But I’d heaped in Black Fire Chicken sauce, Thai chilies, mint chocolate, and wasabi on top of it all.
Drinking this wouldn’t just mean an upset stomach—you could literally die.
“There’s still time to back out now. I’ll spare the first one to speak up.”
Of course, whoever made it to the end would get a firsthand lesson in just how resilient the human stomach can be.
Right then.
“Everyone stand back!”
Jang Ha-min stepped forward first.
He lifted the enormous bowl with both hands and brought it to his lips.
“Ugh… uwaaaak…”
Even as he retched repeatedly, he swallowed every single drop of the Righteousness Drink without spilling any.
“Team leader…”
“For us…”
The members of the Taesan Guild bit their lips.
Some even glistened with tears as emotion overwhelmed them.
Wow, that’s impressive.
Like something straight out of a gangster film.
My chest felt a swell of warmth.
“Then shall we move on to the second round?”
“S, second round?”
Jang Ha-min’s pupils trembled.
“The Righteousness Drink from Leaf Village comes with a refill.”
If someone doesn’t understand, it gets refilled a third time, a fourth time, or even infinitely depending on the situation.
That’s why it’s also called the Infinite Refill Righteousness Drink.

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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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