The Crazy Battle God Has Returned - Chapter 279

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

A Mad Swordsman Returns – Chapter 279

Sufficient resources had accumulated.
Now came the task at hand: constructing a Unique Facility.
But before that, there was something else I needed to do first.

“I should restore the Mana Core first.”

Originally, I had planned only to construct the Unique Facility.
But from attacking the Hunting Force and collecting resources from that region, I had obtained materials that could be utilized.
With those resources, I could raise the level of the Mana Core.

‘With the resources I have now, I should be able to construct two Unique Facilities.’

For that, I needed to restore the Mana Core.
Han Yu-sung made that determination.

[Injecting 1,000 Mana Ore and 500 Steel Ingots, 300 Twisted Wood into the ‘Mana Core’.]
[The Mana Core, having absorbed sufficient resources, begins restoration.]
[The level of ‘Mana Core’ has risen by one stage.]
[The number of installable Unique Facilities has increased.]
[‘Lord’s Banner: War’ is strengthened by one stage. A new effect is added by absorbing a mighty lord’s banner.]

Without hesitation, I poured the resources into the Mana Core.
The Mana Core blazed with brilliant light. The resources poured into it erupted outward, scattering in all directions.
Soon, portions of the Wreckage began to restore themselves.

“Hmm, it looks like the bottom of the ship has been restored?”
“This is fascinating. I wondered how self-restoration would work, but it really does repair itself automatically.”

The lower section of the ship, which had been completely destroyed, appeared to be roughly restored.
Still, it resembled a wreck more than an actual vessel.
There was still a long way to go.
I examined the messages that appeared before my eyes.

[【Mana Core (Lv.2)】.]
[This is the core of the floating vessel that has now become a Wreckage. The fortunate aspect is that the Mana Core possesses a ‘self-repair’ function. When resources scattered throughout the Collapse Point are channeled into the core, restoration begins.]
[The Mana Core emanates a subtle mana aura: Skill damage +20% for all nearby allies, Mana consumption -20%, Cooldown reduction -10%.]
[Currently installable ‘Unique Facilities’: 0/2.]

[【Lord’s Banner: War】.]
[A banner that grants power to the War Covenant Members.]
[Effect: All stats +20%, Attack and Defense +10%, Resource gathering speed +50%.]
[Additional Effect: Buffs are constantly applied to allies near the Wreckage. However, the buff’s effectiveness is reduced by half.]

I could see the buff had been added to the Mana Core.
And as a bonus, the Lord’s Banner was strengthened as well.
The increase wasn’t particularly large, but the additional effect was quite promising.
Now I had a way to grant buffs to my allies defending the Wreckage.

[Hmm, it seems absorbing the banner creates an additional effect. Given that it’s called a powerful Lord’s Banner, it appears this effect occurs when absorbing a Lord’s Banner bearing a true name… though I’m not entirely certain.]
“That seems to be the case. Good news indeed.”

In this Trial, I would inevitably clash with the forces of multiple Lords.
There would be plenty of opportunities to absorb banners. This would prove useful in many ways.

“Then, what remains now…”
[Building Unique Facilities. Two of them, no less!]

Which Unique Facilities should I construct?
The first one to install was obvious.

Whoooosh!

The Mana Core blazed with brilliant light. Simultaneously, countless materials stored in my inventory surged upward, and
in an instant, the ‘Steel Fortress’ materialized across the area.

[Unique Facility, 【Steel Fortress】, has been constructed.]
[The effects of this Unique Facility have been adjusted to suit the Trial.]

The first thing visible was the City Walls forged from steel.
Atop the walls were numerous installations designed to aid in repelling enemy attacks, and from what appeared to be a ‘barracks’ within the Fortress, soldiers clad in steel armor continued to be summoned.
And at the heart of the Fortress, the ‘Mana Core’ floated alone.

[Unique Facility: Steel Fortress.]
[A fortress constructed of steel. It protects the Wreckage.]
[Effect 1. Constructs the ‘Steel Fortress’ to protect the Wreckage. Within the Steel Fortress, defensive installations are installed to repel attacks.]
[Effect 2. The Mana Core grants allied forces a buff called 【Will of Steel】. This buff grows stronger depending on the Mana Core’s level.]
[Effect 3. Soldiers are automatically generated to defend the Fortress. The maximum number generated increases based on the Mana Core’s level.]

The Steel Fortress.
It was the optimal Unique Facility for protecting the Mana Core.
It would prove invaluable to the Oath-takers defending this place as well.

“This should extinguish the immediate crisis.”
“Yes. We should be able to resist even if enemies attack. Even if the offensive is overwhelming, we can buy time.”

Baek Min-jun, standing beside me, nodded in agreement.
The area around the Wreckage was merely flat terrain scattered with debris. It wasn’t particularly suitable terrain for repelling enemy attacks.
That’s why the Hunting Force had fallen so helplessly.
Now that the Steel Fortress stood here, we wouldn’t meet the same fate they did.

“There’s still one more Unique Facility I can install…”
[What will you install? There seem to be many useful options.]
“Hmm, I’m not sure.”

Han Yu-sung fell into thought, examining the Unique Facility list.
The Immortal Forge? The Spring of Evolution? The Temple of Struggle would also be worthwhile.
But there was one Unique Facility that seemed even better than those.
After deliberating, I quickly reached a decision.

[Unique Facility, 【Spirit Mausoleum】 has been constructed.]
[The effects of this Unique Facility are adjusted to suit the Trial.]

“The Spirit Mausoleum seems like the best choice.”
[Spirit Mausoleum, hm… there’s merit to that selection.]

Kakasha expressed his agreement.
Just as when the Steel Fortress was constructed, the Mana Core emitted brilliant light, and materials flew forth to create the Unique Facility.
Soon after, the ‘Spirit Mausoleum’ was installed near the Mana Core.

[Unique Facility: Spirit Mausoleum.]
[The sacred tomb of those who worshipped the human who ascended to godhood.]
[Effect 1. By consuming resources, you can summon those who served the Star God Astreos as soldiers.]
[Effect 2. When invaded by enemies, your forces receive beneficial buffs. These buffs grow stronger based on the level of the ‘Mana Core’.]
[Effect 3. When conditions are met, you can select one Oath-taker and grant them ‘Astreos’s Blessing’.]

I could summon exceptional soldiers and grant my forces buffs when enemies attacked.
But the most crucial effect was the third one.

‘Astreos’s Blessing.’

An effect that granted one person an immense buff.
If I bestowed it upon Baek Min-jun, Chu Gyu-il, or Sung Ha-yan, I could turn the tide of battle itself.
There was no reason whatsoever not to choose this Unique Facility.

“Commander. Then, shall we…?”
“Yes. I’ll move separately. I’m not sure how long it will take, but I’ll return as quickly as possible. You take command here, Baek Min-jun.”
“Understood. Will you be moving alone?”
“Bringing too many will only slow me down. About fifty should suffice. I think the Hunting Oath-takers would be most suitable…”

The Hunting Oath-takers were exceptionally fast.
With them, I could move swiftly.

“And I’ll mix in Chu Gyu-il and some of our Oath-takers as well.”
“Ah, me again? Why do you keep dragging me along?”
“I need your unique ability.”
“Sigh, honestly…”

Chu Gyu-il grumbled while gathering his equipment.
He complained with his words, yet he always followed orders faithfully.

“Leave Sung Ha-yan here. When enemies attack, grant her ‘Astreos’s Blessing’.”
“Understood. Ha-yan will need all the support she can get. With the items I received from the Lord, I’ll make full use of them to hold the line.”
“Good.”

I had items torn from the fallen Lord of the Dead.
I distributed the useful ‘Eternity’-grade items among those I could trust—the Baek Min-jun Party, Sung Ha-yan, and Chu Gyu-il, one each.
That would prove invaluable.

“Then, shall we move?”

It was time to seek out the Apostle’s Reward.

* * *

Finding the Apostle’s Reward itself proved far less difficult than anticipated.
I owed this to the unique blessing I possessed.

[A Special Space has appeared somewhere within the Collapse Point.]
[The ‘Blessing of Trials’ guides you to that location….]

A blessing that allowed one to discover ‘Hidden Pieces’ within Trials.
It seemed the Apostle’s Reward was being treated as a type of Hidden Piece as well.
Thanks to this, an arrow appeared to guide the way.
With it, I could navigate the path with ease.

“The path is remarkably treacherous.”

If there was one problem, it was that the journey itself was not without difficulty.
I had to climb mountains, sometimes plummet down cliffs, and at other times push through spaces teeming with monsters guarding resources.
Though it wasn’t entirely unpleasant, as I could gather resources along the way.

“…It’s unavoidable when traversing a mountain.”
“Without the Hunting skills, I would have grown exhausted. It’s proving useful.”
“….”

The expression of Adriel, the Hunting Apostle following behind, became peculiar.
Though the path was harsh, the journey itself was not arduous.
This was thanks to the skills possessed by the Hunting Oath-takers. Adriel in particular held something like a grace that eased the march of our forces.
Because of this, I could traverse the treacherous terrain swiftly.

“…So, where exactly are we headed?”
“You’ll understand once we arrive.”
“In other words, you have no intention of telling us.”

There was no reason to tell them anyway.
As I advanced through the treacherous terrain, I sensed the presence of those around me.
A smile naturally formed at the corners of my mouth.

“There’s no real benefit to becoming too famous.”
“…I was just about to mention it, but you sensed it. There are those tracking us from a while ago.”
“Right. And it’s not just one or two—multiple factions.”

I could feel the presence of those following us from various directions.
Along with gazes filled with greed. The factions that had learned of my existence were tracking me, thinking there must be something valuable. It was an entirely natural move.
Utterly predictable.

[Consider the ‘Hidden Pieces’ you’ve found in the Trials thus far. It’s not particularly strange that they’re tracking you.]
“The problem is it’s annoying. Is Achiros among them?”
[Hmm… The distance is too great to tell. Besides, if it’s him, he’d track without revealing his presence.]
“It’s better to assume he’s following us.”

Achiros had connections with many Lords.
There was a high chance he’d been contacted by those Lords.
So one way or another, we’d clash with him this time.

“Han Yu-sung, the Mountain has ended.”

Just then, the treacherous terrain that had continued finally came to an end.
The party stopped. Before their eyes, beyond the end of the rough terrain, a vast Plains stretched out with nothing in sight.
Adriel, gazing at the Plains, furrowed his brow.

“Something’s off. It feels… distinctly alien. Like a space that shouldn’t have existed was forcibly grafted here.”
“You have good instincts.”

Hunting is connected to nature in many ways.
Perhaps that’s why he’d noticed something strange about the Plains.
The direction guided by the ‘Trial’s Blessing’ was the Plains. On the surface, nothing appeared to be there, but something was certainly hidden.
I kicked off the ground and landed on the Plains.
Then.

Boom!

A tremendous vibration shook the entire Plains.
Soon, a massive ‘Gate’ of sorts rose from the ground.
A message appeared before my eyes.

[You have discovered a Special Space where the Apostle’s reward is hidden.]
[Explore the Dungeon and acquire the hidden reward.]

“Found it.”

A welcome message confirming I had reached my destination.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————