I Became a Disaster-Class Newbie by Stealing Abilities - Chapter 59

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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 59. The Four Inauspicious Beasts, “Gunggi” (1)
Sting!
The skin burned.
‘Even with Anti-Demon Resistance at 52, this is rough. The rest must be suffering badly.’
Ju-sang glanced back over his shoulder.
“Ugh.”
“This… level of thing.”
“Here! Give us more potions!”
As the mist thickened, heavy groans rose from all directions.
[High Elf Leaprin activates the skill “Forget-me-not Dew”!]
[Jung Yu-hwa activates “Holy Blessing”!]
Using purification and healing skills.
Splash, splash, splash!
Pouring potions continuously was all they could manage to endure.
“We need to hurry!”
Hong Su-a’s voice turned sharp.
Being in this thick mist was dangerous, then.
Poor visibility and loss of direction sense—the danger had doubled.
“I don’t see what the fuss is about. Everyone’s acting like they’re dying.”
Baek Seol-gi, personifying unwavering calm.
“Your Highness, wouldn’t it be better if Seok-ha went and drew that spring water or whatever it is?”
Only Heuk-bi, plastered with talismans like a zombie, remained unaffected.
“No, I have to go myself.”
The Silver Spring Water was indeed broken, but simply gathering it wouldn’t unlock the full 100% of its effects.
To use it more effectively, there were some tricks that needed to be done to the spring water itself.
All the materials were already gathered, so there was nothing to worry about on that front….
But there was something else weighing on his mind.
“We’re almost there!”
A ranger’s voice from the front scout line cut through his thoughts.
“Yes!”
“Just a bit more—hold on!”
But the moment they reached the wide Spring.
The sense of wrongness he’d felt continuously became real.
“This spring water belongs to the Haemosu Guild and the Mythology Group! We claim it to rescue everyone from the wicked demonic beasts, and we ask for your broad understanding.”
So, it was happening as expected.
The Twilight Battlefield was a Labyrinth well-known to many.
It was inevitable that information about the Silver Spring Water would be widely known as well.
“Bullshit!”
“You’re just saying you lot will survive!”
“If you run right now, you can make it to the Barbarians’ Plateau or the Elves’ forest. The mist hasn’t reached there yet. You’ll be able to hold out until we hunt that thing down.”
“And if we refuse?”
“Then, for the greater good, we’ll cut you all down.”
Whoosh!
Those from the Haemosu Guild and the Mythology Group deployed their formation around the Spring.
Mages began casting, and all manner of auxiliary equipment and consumables appeared in their hands.
They knew, of course.
That securing this spring water was the only way to survive.
Even if someone attacked them, they’d calculated that they could raise their resistance—so one way or another, this wasn’t a bad hand to play.
“Ugh.”
“Damn….”
Everyone swallowed their curses and took a step back.
The Haemosu Guild, one of the top guilds in Gangdong, allied with the Mythology Group, ranked in the top thirty of Korea.
Sweeping away the rabble here would be no difficult task for them.
“Should we kill them all?”
Baek Seol-gi waited for Ju-sang’s command.
It might come to that.
There was no way he could hand over the Silver Spring Water to these fools.
But if battle erupted, the Immortal Cult would notice what happened here.
The losses would outweigh the gains.
So then….
“I have a proposal. It’s the only way to create the best outcome for everyone.”
Ju Sang stepped forward.
“I’m afraid I have no intention of hearing any proposal. Stand down.”
“Wait, Shin Seung-hun, Vice Master! That person—he’s the one who subdued the Ghoul executive during the Merit Evaluation.”
One of the Haemosu Guild members recognized Ju Sang.
“I heard he recently brought an Attack Party back alive from Demon’s Throat.”
“That’s right. I remember now. The Saulabi Guild had him listed as their top priority for recruitment.”
Accounts of his exploits surfaced from all corners.
“…Indeed, quite the accomplished individual. So you’re Shin Seung-hun, Vice Master of the Haemosu Guild. Might I hear what this proposal of yours entails?”
Shin Seung-hun’s expression, which had been imperious from the outset, softened considerably.
This was why accomplishments mattered so much.
To see a person’s demeanor change so dramatically in an instant.
In any case.
“I know how to enhance the potency of Silver Spring Water. I’m confident it will increase at least tenfold.”
By raising the quality substantially, we overcome the limitations imposed by the limited quantity.
“If you truly accomplish that, there would indeed be enough for everyone to use with plenty to spare. Assuming, of course, that what you say is true.”
“If the effect doesn’t materialize, I’ll face your attacks immediately. What use would lying be?”
“True enough. So, if you succeed, what do you want in return?”
“Ownership of the spring water. I’ll distribute an appropriate amount to each of you, so you needn’t worry about shortages.”
“That’s rather like highway robbery, isn’t it? Providing just enough for you and your companions. That’s as much as I’m willing to concede.”
Shin Seung-hun drew the line firmly.
Making clear this was his final word.
“You seem to be under a misunderstanding.”
Ju Sang smiled thinly.
And at the same moment.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!
A terrifying wave of mana surged forth.
“I’m not making this proposal because I fear you.”
The aura of the Destructive Star Current and the Ice-Fire Divine Sword intertwined.
“And certainly not because I’m afraid of those waiting in the back.”
An alien yet overwhelming force began to dominate the space.
“It’s simply to prevent wasting effort on needless things and squandering time.”
Whoosh.
Baek Seol-gi and Heuk-bi also unleashed their full power.
Like the sensation of thousands of venomous snakes crawling across the nape of one’s neck.
There were more than dozens of the Guild’s elite present here, but….
Shin Seung-hun felt it instinctively.
If they clashed at full strength, they would be no match for these three.
“Y-yes, I shall do so.”
Shin Seung-hun forced his stiffened tongue to move.
“Thank you for making the wise choice.”
Ju Sang then produced what he had prepared.
Plip.
First, he dripped a liquid called Moon’s Tears.
Pitter-pat.
Next, he added Gem Sugar received from the elves, then
added 25 grams of Peverock Seeds and 128 grams of Abek Ant Eggs respectively.
And then.
Whoooosh….
A beautiful radiance burst forth from the Silver Spring Water.
[Silver Spring Water reaches maximum potency!]
[Resistance to Mist increases by +20!]
“Ohhhhh!”
“With this, even a small amount is enough to hold our own!”
“Truly remarkable. Not even an Alchemist could manage this—it’s simply a talent bestowed by heaven itself.”
“No wonder the Saulabi Guild covets him so. Who wouldn’t want such talent?”
Despair did not take long to transform into hope.
And for good reason.
While slaying a single person yields +2 Resistance, this grants a whopping +20—ten times as much.
And this level of effect came simply from being nearby, without even drinking it.
She couldn’t begin to imagine what would happen if she drank it.
That was when it happened.
“Tsk, tsk. I was hoping to witness mutual slaughter. What a tedious turn of events this is.”
An unfamiliar voice cut through the chaos.
Sticky and repugnant, the intonation burrowed deep into her eardrums.
“Personally, I’ve always favored exquisite tragedy. It lends such meaning to finite lives, you see.”
Hope’s transformation into despair required no more time than that.
[Gunggi, one of the Four Inauspicious Beasts, activates Blood Boundary Violent Dance!]
Before anyone could respond to anything.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
A vortex of blood mist and droplets erupted skyward.
* * *
The Spring evaporated entirely.
“Grrrr.”
And in its place stood a beast of colossal proportions.
A monster that lay far beyond the realm of comprehension.
Gunggi—one of the Four Inauspicious Beasts.
‘Terrifying. I can’t even gauge its rank.’
Her gaze flickered toward Gunggi’s tail.
That was the proof it had been reinforced using the seven rulers of the middle region as material.
Now that creature stood at the strongest state any Gunggi had ever achieved.
Fur bristling and quivering.
Stronger than Barkan.
Its patterns and skills would be far more diverse and troublesome as well.
Baek Seol-gi might manage.
The rest couldn’t possibly survive.
“Ahhh….”
“Ungh….”
Those around them had fallen into despair.
“Don’t be so frightened, all of you. There’s nothing quite as tiresome as crushing insects that don’t even resist.”
An elderly man, shabby and weathered, chuckled and stepped into view.
She knew this person.
‘Lucion Dante.’
So one of the cardinals had actually come.
Now she truly grasped how far beyond salvaging this situation had become.
His guards, flanking him on either side, were each exceptional powerhouses in their own right.
Boradoli was among them.
This was no all-star match.
It was layer upon layer of catastrophe.
“In that spirit, shall we have a simple diversion? I’m offering you a chance at survival.”
At Lucion’s words, one figure from the Haemosu Guild stepped forward.
“I am Shin Seung-hun, Vice Master of the Haemosu Guild. What manner of diversion did you have in mind?”
“Whoever kills three others besides themselves receives this spring water as a prize… a game of those terms, so to speak.”
Lucion gestured toward the dwindling supply of Silver Spring Water.
“Of course, you’re free to decline. Provided your body is sturdy enough to escape this place alive without the water.”
So he saw no need to pursue them himself.
Then again, several were already breathing heavily from the dense concentration of Mist.
Red welts were blooming across their skin.
Time was running short—that much was clear.
Shin Seung-hun’s hand clenched into a fist.
His lips trembled as he bit down hard, then released a long, resigned sigh.
“V-Vice Master…?”
“Surely you don’t mean to… side with the Immortal Cult?”
“We have no choice. We need to survive first, don’t we? Or would you prefer to choose a death where your whole body melts away?”
A death too horrifying awaited those who refused.
No one would want such an end.
And so the blades of those from the Haemosu Guild and the Mythology Group turned toward the remaining Hunters.
Tragedy had begun.
And no one could stop it.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Bang!
Splurch!
“Ahhhhh!”
“Kill them. Just kill them all!”
Screams and the stench of blood mingled together.
Lucion Dante had created exactly the hunting ground he wanted—one stripped down to primal survival instinct, raw and visceral.
In that moment.
Thrust!
The old man moved.
“Ahhhhh!”
He’d targeted those Lucion Dante brought with him—the weakest among them.
In seconds, three fell to his blade, and the old man turned to Lucion Dante with an expression of utter contempt.
“You little rat!”
The man in black immediately drew his sword, but—
Clang!
Baek Seol-gi blocked the attack.
“Woman. This is no place for you to meddle!”
“I think I should start by cutting out your tongue. It doesn’t seem worth keeping in that mouth of yours.”
Clang-clang-clang!
Two blades unleashed a shower of sparks across the empty air.
“So you’re the one that fool mentioned. I’ve been curious when you’d finally show yourself.”
“I needed to prepare myself mentally before making a move on someone of your standing.”
“Heh heh! You really do despise me. But what a shame—that sneak attack just now was a complete failure, wasn’t it?”
“Whether it failed or not is irrelevant. I’ve killed three as promised, so hand over the water.”
“Ah. So that was your objective?”
“You never said you’d exclude yourselves from the game.”
“True enough. Three dead, conditions met. Fair’s fair.”
Lucion Dante smiled, seeming genuinely pleased.
Utterly psychopathic.
His own people were dying, and he didn’t care in the slightest.
Yet he did seem to follow his own rules—he didn’t go back on his word.
Toss.
Lucion Dante threw a small glass vial filled with Silver Spring Water.
“I’ll honor my promise, though I don’t see what you’ll accomplish with this pittance. The Mist won’t stop until it fills the entire Labyrinth.”
“That’s my concern, not yours.”
I’ll admit the original plan is now in ruins.
But I won’t let myself labor under the delusion that this state of affairs will continue indefinitely.
‘Black spots appeared on everyone’s fingertips.’
Confirming that single detail had given me information worth far more than the Silver Spring Water itself.
I’d figured out how they were planning to escape the Labyrinth.
Which meant.
This much spring water is sufficient.
‘As long as Gunggi doesn’t chase us, we have every chance.’
Given that creature’s taste for watching things struggle within inescapable death, I wasn’t about to worry on that front.
Right then.
“Before you go, there’s just one thing I’d like to ask.”
Lucion Dante’s voice sent a chill racing down my spine.
“We’re in a position where every second counts for escape, so I’d prefer to save the questions for later…”
“It’s your eyes during conversation that told me so much.”
At Lucion Dante’s words.
Thump-thump!
My heart, which I’d worked so hard to calm, began to race.
“I’m curious why they keep drifting to my fingertips instead of my eyes.”
Thump-thump!
The blood in my veins seemed to freeze.
Without a single word spoken, he’d begun piecing together the truth.
“Yes. You’ve caught on. To our plan.”
Damn.
The old fox had scented the trail perfectly.
“Run!”
The old man’s voice tore through the air.

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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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