I Became a Disaster-Class Newbie by Stealing Abilities - Chapter 58

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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 58. The Demon God’s Sacred Relic (2)
One of the Four Inauspicious Beasts.
A Chimera created by absorbing the seven Masters here.
In such a case, a monster with an entirely different form from the known Four Inauspicious Beasts would be born.
‘The Empire won’t even know the Martial World was involved.’
They’d have no choice but to think it a natural disaster.
At the same time, the Empire would have to dispatch a powerful expedition to deal with the calamity that struck Gangdong-gu.
‘They’ll lose the momentum to continue the war with the Martial World.’
Maintaining two fronts would be a burden even for the Empire.
Meanwhile, the Immortal Cult gains a perfect sacred site for the Demon King’s Manifestation.
And through the process of creating the Chimera, they could achieve perfect dominion over the Four Inauspicious Beasts.
A transaction that benefits both the Martial World and the Immortal Cult.
At least, until the entire plan came unraveled at the last moment.
“Who exactly are you? How could you formulate such a hypothesis just from my reaction?”
“Instead of wasting time with questions, shouldn’t you be running? I’d suggest you hurry before I change my mind.”
“You’ll regret ever interfering with our plan.”
I never could understand why villains always had the same parting lines.
It’s not as though there’s a textbook for it.
“How laughable.”
With Ju-sang’s barely suppressed snort,
Whoosh!
The man caught by the Immortal Cult vanished.
“I can capture him within three seconds. Should I deal with him, Ju-sang?”
“No, let him go.”
If I killed someone who’d answered all my questions through the Demon’s Whisper, I’d be cursed by demons for twenty-four hours in return.
Besides, it’s already impossible to stop their plan now.
They’ve laid the groundwork far too perfectly.
But if there’s one weakness to exploit, it’s the human element.
If the cult members, gripped by uncertainty, make even one small mistake…
Letting him go will have been worth it and more.
“Let’s move.”
It would take at least another day before they fully released the Four Inauspicious Beasts into the Labyrinth.
Until then, I needed to gather every card I could play to reverse the situation.
“Yes!”
“Move out.”
Ju-sang, Baek Seol-gi, and Heuk-bi quickened their pace once more.
How long had we been running?
In the distance, I could see where the elves were.
But something was off from what I’d expected.
We’d already successfully rescued all the young Rangers captured by Tribune. Yet their faces were all dark, drawn.
As though they’d encountered something far more devastating.
“Something… terrible happened.”
Hong Su-a, who’d been in the lead, staggered toward us.
What could have happened to make even that stagnant woman wear such an expression?
“Calm yourself and tell us. What is it?”
“G-Gungi. It… it got loose.”
Gungi. One of the Four Inauspicious Beasts.
Of all things, the Immortal Cult had brought precisely the worst of the worst.
‘Dammit.’
I could already guess what Hong Su-a was about to say.
With these conditions and circumstances…
The creature would have perfect conditions to trigger its main ability.
* * *
The Meeting Plaza—where those trying to leave after acquiring their Profession met with those newly entering the Labyrinth to obtain theirs.
“Wow, we’re jealous of you seniors. Are you heading out now?”
“Two months of working like dogs. Still, having been personally taught the Shield Technique by a Barbarian warrior of the upper ranks—I can’t say it was all for nothing.”
“You can do it too. Hang in there.”
“Of course. From now on, we’ll do our best to follow in your footsteps. Haha!”
Warm words of encouragement passed between them.
Since they might someday become comrades and raid together, both the veterans and the newcomers showed proper respect to one another.
But in that very instant.
Something changed.
Without warning.
Thud.
It was a living creature of immense bulk.
Walking on four legs….
Thud!
Bearing a pair of long horns and razor-sharp teeth.
Some saw a fox in it. Others saw a wolf, still others a tiger.
Its face was so varied, its presence so dreamlike, that no single creature quite fit.
But the strangest thing about it was its tail.
Seven tails, each with a different form and aura of power, possessed an enchantment so mesmerizing one could scarcely tear one’s eyes away.
“A…monster?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Not just in this Labyrinth.
Nowhere in the world had it ever been recorded.
An unidentified new specimen.
“C-could it be? Did it come from beyond the wall?”
There was no other way to explain it.
Whatever the case, it was catastrophically dangerous.
In a world where knowledge was survival, ignorance meant death.
“Treat it as a boss-class creature and mount a full assault!”
“Burn through every Potion and Scroll you have. Supporters and Healers, calculate your cooldowns carefully and use your skills accordingly!”
The first to step forward were those affiliated with the various Guilds.
Unlike the fresh rookies who’d only recently acquired their Professions, these were seasoned veterans of rank 6 and above.
[Seong Myeong-jin activates the skill Torch of Courage!]
[Emel Siyences activates the skill Wind’s Guidance!]
[Kang Yeon-hui activates the skill Saint’s Voice!]
They unleashed their skills in practiced succession, hunting for weakness.
But.
“N-no effect. Its Demon Resistance is absurdly high.”
The more they fought.
“Physical defense and regeneration are both off the charts. We’re just wasting our magic at this point!”
The more they learned.
The answers that came back were despairing.
The creature’s power was so overwhelming that measuring its Rank became meaningless.
“A Calamity…that’s what it is.”
One of them murmured it aloud.
A being that could annihilate a city and nation.
An existence feared and shunned by all.
The very word “Calamity” filled hearts with unspeakable dread.
They had to run.
In every mind there remained only the primal instinct to survive.
[Fear Index surpasses 88%.]
[Condition fulfilled!]
[The Four Inauspicious Beast Gungi activates the skill Mist Play!]
[Each time a life is sacrificed, resistance to the mist increases.]
A stinging sensation rippled across their skin.
At once, a sharp pain followed the contact.
For now it was only this, but as time passed the mist would thicken, and pain beyond all comparison would descend upon them.
Following the rules of Mist Play, someone would have to die for the rest to survive.
A game had begun where allies would betray each other, where daggers would find their way into the backs of their own kind.
“Everyone, keep your wits about you! Don’t fall for such wickedness—we must combine our strength while the mist is still bearable!”
A high-ranking official of one of the Guilds shouted it out.
“Don’t make me laugh! You just dumped every skill you had, didn’t you? And you’re still pretending?”
“Y-yes. Better to draw lots or…or to sacrifice those who serve no purpose for the greater good.”
Such words would never convince anyone.
Reality rarely bowed to ideals.
“You craven wretches! Any who dare harm their comrades and fall for the monster’s tricks shall be executed under Imperial law!”
“And you’re not just hoping to offer up whoever you kill as a sacrifice?”
“What—what now?”
“Exactly! Top-tier guilds like yours pull these selfish stunts all the time. How are we supposed to trust you?”
Voices rose.
Internal conflict spiraled into chaos.
“How dare a gutless insect without even a class question my honor?”
“Cough! Ptui! No class, maybe—but I’ve got sword skills to spare.”
“Draw your blade!”
In moments, allied forces turned against one another.
Steel screamed; crossfire erupted.
The Meeting Plaza descended into bedlam.
The reek of blood hung thick in the air.
“Mmm, very satisfactory indeed.”
Lucion, Cardinal of the Immortal Cult, watched the carnage unfold with a satisfied smile.
He’d pushed harder than planned to accelerate the ceremony.
But the reward for his effort was exquisitely sweet.
Now the true hunt could begin.
By the time the sun rose tomorrow morning, not a soul would be left breathing in this place.
* * *
Cuckoo-cuckoo-cuckoo!
Roiling magical force.
So he was deploying Mist Play first, then.
Among the novices crowding the Meeting Plaza, it would spike the Fear Index instantly.
It was undoubtedly the most efficient way to cultivate Gungi.
“We need to get outside and request aid from the Empire. Once they learn that the Martial World and the Immortal Cult are allied, they’ll dispatch the Knights immediately.”
“Lady Hong’s right. A calamity like the Four Inauspicious Beasts is beyond what we can manage here.”
Hong Su-a and Bang Dong-hyeok spoke in unison.
Of course they were right.
Conventional wisdom was to evade calamities, not confront them.
But this time—
—that option wasn’t going to work.
“The creature laid its mist right at the Labyrinth’s entrance.”
First: Mist Play expands gradually as time passes.
Second: the concentration is thickest at the source and thins the farther you travel from it.
Those were its defining characteristics.
The Elf Forest and Meeting Plaza lay far apart—by the time anyone reached it, the concentration would have climbed to unbearable levels.
“You’re saying we’re rats in a trap?”
“Exactly. And this Labyrinth is different from others—it has no normal clearance route.”
There are creatures known as the Eight Masters, certainly.
But no boss monster governs the entire Labyrinth.
No matter how many monsters you kill, no new gate appears to let you escape.
“So we either flee toward the outer edges, dodge the mist, and die miserably—or we kill people to raise our resistance. One or the other.”
No.
There was a third option.
The Immortal Cult had to escape this Labyrinth somehow too.
If they tried to leave through the original entrance with Gungi, they’d face point-blank bombardment from the Empire’s forces.
They likely planned to use some third route entirely.
‘Planning this meticulously means they’ve already secured whatever that means is.’
Identifying it was the key.
“We’ll help as well. I’ll petition the Five Elements Spirit Mages to mount a counter to this curse.”
Shanes stepped forward.
If they could even slow the spread of the mist, it would make a real difference.
Though even that was only a stopgap measure.
“Furthermore, we’ll dispatch selected ranger units for support. I can assign fifteen skilled ones immediately, with reinforcements to follow based on the situation.”
“Is that… truly possible?”
“Of course. With the entire Labyrinth in jeopardy, how could we simply stand idle?”
Elves, adept at archery and spirit magic, were well-suited to countering one of Gungi’s special abilities.
The numbers were lean, but even so—it was something.
The real problem was the vanguard.
‘We’re short on tankers.’
If combat erupted, every position needed to function in concert, each role playing its part.
But the truth was, there was essentially only one Tanker—Bang Dong-hyeok.
Even then, his innate traits, skill set, and equipment were too ambiguous to serve as a main tank.
‘He’s more of a Bruiser than a true Tanker.’
A position that endured adequately while dealing critical damage to enemies.
Betting everything on a single Bruiser left slim odds of victory.
Even as deliberation continued, time slipped away.
Ten seconds, twenty, and then thirty.
When the minute finally elapsed, Ju-sang made his decision.
“We’re heading toward that mountain from here.”
“You’re thinking of using the Silver Spring Water.”
Shanes saw through Ju-sang’s intention at once.
“That’s correct.”
A gift of nature, specialized in purging malevolent energy from the body and granting peace of mind and spirit.
One of the few options capable of withstanding the Gungi’s mist.
Far better than raising resistance by taking lives.
But there was one problem.
“That place is close to the Meeting Plaza. The mist’s density aside, there’s a real risk of being attacked by that dreadful beast.”
Yes. This was the greatest obstacle.
The danger that Gungi could charge at them at any moment was far too fatal.
“I have a plan.”
It couldn’t be called entirely safe, but this was the best he could offer.

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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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