I Became a Disaster-Class Newbie by Stealing Abilities - Chapter 62

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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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Chapter 62. Lord (1)
[The Shaman Ivar activates Mark of Bravery!]
[Effect: Resistance to poison and harmful effects increases by +10. (Duration: 30 minutes)]
[Intermediate Detoxication Potion is administered.]
[Effect: Healing power against poison and harmful effects increases by +5%. (Duration: 22 minutes)]
After buffing up with various enhancements and potions,
I move out.
Breaking through the fog that hangs thick in the air.
“Forward, everyone!”
“Take your positions!”
An Attack Party of roughly 150 members poured out from beyond the Holy Ground, heading toward the Swampland.
130 of them were Barbarians, and the rest belonged to my faction along with a handful of Elf Rangers and those from the Invader organization.
“This is really reassuring, huh? There’s no substitute for having plenty of meat shields, after all.”
“Hong, isn’t that comment a bit discriminatory toward certain roles?”
As Hong Su-ah hummed tunelessly, Bang Dong-hyeok let out a long sigh.
“Anyway, I don’t see that pretty-faced cutie around.”
Hong Su-ah glanced about the group.
“You talking about Heukbi?”
“So that’s the name. Yeah, that one.”
“I gave them a separate mission.”
There was something only Heukbi could accomplish, so I’d sent them ahead through a different route some time ago.
“Shame. They were totally my type.”
So that’s why she took an interest.
Even in war, love finds a way to bloom.
It’s remarkable that such thoughts cross my mind even in a situation where lives hang in the balance.
Still, this is better than a desperate atmosphere.
Perhaps Hong Su-ah is deliberately spouting nonsense for exactly that reason.
Thump-thump-thump!
How long had we been running?
The terrain gradually began to shift.
“We’ve reached the Central Region!”
Someone shouted.
Finally, halfway there.
The exhaustion of hours of hard travel was beginning to feel worth it.
But in that very instant—
A chill ran down my spine.
A thick fog rushed in from all sides.
It was a harbinger of despair.
[Predator’s Domain is declared!]
[Resistance drops by 50%!]
[Fear Index rises by 2x!]
Red status windows cascaded down one after another.
“Krraaagh!”
“Aaaargh!”
Blood poured from the nose and mouth of two shamans on the Barbarian side.
It comes.
No—it’s already here.
The undergrowth split left and right….
“Grrrrr….”
A beast of massive frame emerged into view.
A pair of yellow eyes gleaming with an otherworldly malice.
The breath it exhaled.
And the dark power that scorched the very air.
All spoke the same truth.
That it itself was the calamity of this world.
I wetted my lips with my tongue.
‘This will be fun.’
Even as a delicious tension coursed through me, my body thrummed with exhilaration.
[Plunder Condition: Gung-gi has an irresistible temptation and a natural predator it cannot face. Mimic or create that predator and force the target to retreat.]
[Reward: For each instance of forcing a retreat, randomly Plunder one ability, trait, stat, memory, or item from the target’s possession.]
An opportunity had emerged to plunder a Minor Calamity’s abilities.
A creature born with innate talent, the result of countless efforts and fortunate circumstances.
And I could simply snap my fingers and seize it all?
Nothing had ever felt quite so exhilarating.
Fortunately, the Plunder Condition appeared solvable using the method I’d prepared to face Gung-gi.
Luck was favoring me in more ways than one.
‘But I’ll need more time to use it.’
I pulled out the Fragment of the Ark and the talisman Heukbi had given me.
“Rodbrok!”
“Already on it!”
Rodbrok immediately activated the sacred relic he’d prepared.
[The sacred relic ‘Heroes’ Flag’ is activated!]
[Through the Shared Pain effect, the damage taken by the tank line is distributed!]
An ability to divide the damage one person should suffer equally among all warriors.
Crack!
The lightning bolt that surged from Gung-gi’s tails immediately spread across the entire Attack Party.
“Gasp! Wheeze! I-I felt like I’d just come back from Valhalla!”
“Ugh….”
If just one or two of us had taken that, our organs would have been completely charred.
We were fortunate, but I couldn’t simply breathe easy—
‘Heroes’ Flag has a limited number of activations.’
Ten times in twenty-four hours.
After that, its effectiveness drops rapidly.
Whoosh!
Among Gung-gi’s seven tails, magical energy concentrated in the one wreathed in green flames.
One of the seven masters’ abilities—’Venord’—was about to activate.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
A floor-sweeping inferno claimed a radius of dozens of meters.
And in an instant almost simultaneous with the flames—
[Baek Seol-gi activates the Ice Blade Sword ‘Snowmelt Bloom’!]
The rushing cold instantly froze the green flames solid.
“My lord, please grant me the freedom to unleash my full power so I can eliminate that cat.”
“Not yet.”
Baek Seol-gi was indeed my strongest card, but her true strength consumed a magical cost beyond imagination in combat.
If she fought at full capacity, the recovery time for her power would be far too long.
I had to save her unless it was a certain moment to finish its life.
Only when its health and mana dropped below fifty percent.
Or when I’d forced it to expend both of its most troublesome traits.
At minimum, one of the two conditions needed to be met.
“Rrraaahhh!!!”
Gung-gi began its all-out rampage.
The sacred relic’s activation count depleted in an instant.
The prepared consumables also melted away in the blink of an eye.
“Next is a water-based attack! Where the mist turns blue, damage doubles—never stand in a straight line!”
I commanded from the front lines.
“First line, fall back and regroup. Deploy the second line. Shield warriors, prepare for its charging attack! The moment its body turns red is the timing!”
Precision as intricate as clockwork was required.
“Yes!”
“Follow the commander’s orders!”
Trust built through our journey so far.
[Lord Stats activates!]
The strength I possessed as a commander.
“We can do this!”
“Fear not. An hero fights at our side!”
All of it created this moment.
An Attack Party that should have been annihilated long ago continued pushing forward.
But as the raid wore on, everyone’s focus gradually fractured.
Finally, a mistake came.
[Gung-gi activates the skill ‘Mouse Fire Play’!]
The aggro broke, and Gung-gi’s attack scattered toward the damage dealers.
“Aaaahhh!”
The elf ranger’s body was swallowed by the inferno.
Of all times to lose such a valuable asset—someone who could actually handle spirit magic.
“Stay focused! One mistake and an ally dies!”
Above all else, Taunt couldn’t lapse for even a second.
Boom!
Crack-crack-crack-bang!
The shield buckled inward; bones splintered.
“Healing! I need healing!”
“Damn it! You monsters, take a hit or two! Just because you’re screaming for heals doesn’t mean we can keep channeling indefinitely!”
The few shamans they had unleashed healing skills in a frenzy.
Then came the moment.
“That’s enough! I’m taking over now!”
Ju-sang, her preparations complete, called out.
[Sacred Relic ‘Unpleasant Sanctuary’ activates!]
[A safe zone forms for 5 minutes!]
* * *
A joint creation using fragments of the Fragment of the Ark and Heukbi’s Talisman.
Within the safe zone now established, something extraordinarily special became possible.
For instance.
Creating a third entity visible only to Gung-gi.
In that instant, Gung-gi—who’d been leisurely savoring the hunt—froze.
An impossible transcendent being had materialized before his eyes.
“Ahahaha! Ahahaha…!”
It was Hundon, one of the Four Inauspicious Beasts and simultaneously ranked as the highest in hierarchy.
Though its size was only marginally larger than a human, its malevolence defied measure.
Step.
The phantom of Hundon moved forward a single pace.
At that, Gung-gi instinctively backpedaled.
“Grrr…”
He knew better than anyone the nature of Hundon—that it slaughtered everything that dared challenge it.
The pleasant pastime had transformed in a heartbeat into a battle for survival.
“Kyaaaooo!!!”
Gung-gi raised every tail skyward.
A declaration: this was his hunting ground; do not interfere.
But.
[Illusion Magic Formula ‘Land of Chaos’ activates!]
Hundon did not stop.
Squelch-squelch!
Shadows rippled outward without restraint.
This was an ultimatum.
Show fangs again, and death would follow—his death or its slayer’s.
It was, undoubtedly, an illusion.
Yet this phantom, so unnervingly close to reality, blurred the line between fiction and truth itself.
In the end.
Whoosh.
Gung-gi vanished into the mist.
“Huff… huff. Spirit Warrior. What was that just now?”
Rodbrok asked, breathing hard.
“Buying time.”
She’d expended a precious Hidden Card to drive it back once.
Of course, it wouldn’t take long for it to see through the deception.
It would resume its pursuit, angrier than before.
‘At least I’ve bought us twenty minutes.’
Beyond that.
The most critical condition had been met.
[Gung-gi Defeated: 1]
[You may now Plunder one skill if you stop here.]
[Should you continue and fail, you forfeit all rewards earned thus far.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
[yes / no]
A message that stokes human desire.
Greater rewards await if you push forward, but excessive greed leads to losing everything—a kind of gambling condition.
Of course, leaving it purely to chance is what newcomers do.
Veterans weigh conditions and variables, calculating favorable odds and possibilities.
‘Looking at the length of fur and whiskers, he can’t be much over three thousand years old.’
Moreover, the escape technique used against Hundon was Phantom Fog.
Mastering this came with the drawback of reduced charm and seduction resistance.
‘To create synergy, he likely picked up Weather Transformation or corrupted rainfall.’
That was the best-matched and most powerful combination.
The strategy updated itself, piece by piece.
He mentally calculated the possibilities, determining how to maximize successful attempts.
The final conclusion: three times.
Yes.
Three times is doable, no matter what.
* * *
[Ariadne’s Thread activates!]
He withdrew the item he’d brought from the auction house.
He’d originally brought it for use in a massive labyrinth, but it was perfect for stripping the souls right out of feline monsters like Gung-gi.
Whip-whip-whip-whip!
The endless stream of golden thread proper triggered the hunting instinct.
On top of that, he’d liberally dusted everything with Catnip Powder beforehand.
“Meeeow!”
As expected, Gung-gi immediately switched targets.
[Gung-gi Defeated: 2]
That made two.
The odds of plundering a powerful ability kept climbing.
“We’re almost at the destination!”
“Just a little more, a little more! You can do it!”
The morale of the Barbarians soared.
They were holding their ground against a creature incomparable to any ogre—naturally they were exhilarated.
But misfortune struck alongside the momentum.
The first was an increase in the fog’s density.
“Cough! Hack—”
“My—my body feels like it’s burning.”
As buffs and potion effects wore off, the situation worsened.
They had to move faster.
Warriors were about to start dropping out soon.
“Slaughter every last heretic!”
“Kiii-hiii!”
The second problem was the Immortal Cult committing fully to combat.
Black Knights and cultists who’d been lying in wait in the Swampland launched their assault.
Clang!
Clang-clang-clang!
The cultists could be dealt with easily enough, but—
The Black Knight was the problem.
[Artrolang activates the Soul-Severing Sword!]
A unique swordsmanship that drew on Dark Power streaming forth relentlessly.
…He was strong.
Shriek!
The tank’s shield shattered in a single blow.
“Hong Su-ah!”
“Tch! Got it. I’ll take him!”
Each time, he matched the most suitable person to the task.
Bang Dong-hyeok was assigned to sweep through the priests using curse skills from the rear.
With his charge-type skills and immunity traits, he was perfect for this kind of role.
“Kha-ha-ha! There’s a real taste to smashing skulls, isn’t there! Meet me, I am Rodbrok, Warrior of the Storm!”
Rodbrok himself faced off against another Black Knight.
He’d attached three elf rangers as backup, so nothing too disastrous would happen.
But it was about time for that to arrive….
“Grrrrrr.”
Sure enough, a familiar beast’s roar echoed from behind.
Could it be the accumulated frustration from being toyed with repeatedly?
Gung-gi was absolutely seething.
[Gung-gi activates the trait ‘Weather Transformation’!]
Whoooosh!
Chills ran down my spine at the sight.
The force of the whirlwind tearing through the air was unlike anything casual.
If we took a direct hit from that, buffs and sacred relics alike would be shredded to nothing.
But we hadn’t exhausted all our Hidden Cards yet.
Hummmmm!
The ring on Joosang’s right hand flared with a soft radiance.
[The ‘Last Winter Ring’ activates!]
It absorbed the ability and returned it amplified 2.25 times over.
‘I’d been saving this for the moment when he’d be most livid.’
So let him get a taste of his own power turned against him.
The charging whirlwind swelled even larger.
[The trait ‘Weather Reversal’ activates!]
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
In an instant, it reversed course and came screaming back toward Gung-gi.

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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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