The SSR Spearman (Doesn’t) Hide His One-Shot Damage - Chapter 27

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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 27

[Select one of the three rewards!]

“….”

I’ll admit I was a little surprised.
Rewards for clearing a labyrinth were always random.

‘That’s why you’d sometimes get items you had no use for at all, or some bizarre trait slapped on that ran counter to how you wanted to grow.’

▶ [One Holy Power-Infused Weapon (Setanta-exclusive) granted]

Like this one, for instance.
I have no use for this right now.

Why?

[Out of the Gods’ Favor (-)]
-Holy Magic affinity is fixed at 0. May cause friction with heroes of deep faith.

I currently possess the ‘Out of the Gods’ Favor’ trait, so.

‘Holding a Holy Power-Infused Weapon in this state would be utterly useless.’

Setting aside the fact that it wouldn’t work.
My own body would reject it, so my stamina would drain faster than usual.
And since it’s granted as an exclusive weapon, I can’t even sell it off.
A pretty-looking thing that’s really nothing but a burden, in other words.

‘I’ll skip the second reward and choose between the first and the third.’

▶ [Permanent Stat Increase – Random 1 to 5 points]

Hmm…
Honestly, this one tempts me quite a bit.
The catch is that the stat increase is completely random.

[Accessing your character information.]

[Setanta (SSR) Lv. 3]
[Class: Lancer Knight]

[Stamina: 9/9]
[Strength: 16/16]
[Agility: 8/8]
[Intelligence: 7/7]
[Wisdom: 8/8]
[Charisma: 11/11]

[Traits: Great Strength (+), Rapid Regeneration (+), Extreme Picky Eater (-), Out of the Gods’ Favor (-)]
[Passive Skills: Lesser Spear Art, Intermediate Swordsmanship, Basic Mana Manipulation]

So this is where I stand right now.

If I could pick a specific stat to raise… I suppose stamina first.
Agility would be a decent choice after that.

“If the Intelligence stat gets randomly stuck at 1p, the lowest possible value, that would be the worst.”

For reference, Intelligence governs the precision of mana.
Wisdom determines the total amount of mana.
Those options matter mostly to Mage-class users, so for me, Setanta, they aren’t especially valuable stats.

“….”

I cut my brief hesitation short.
At last, I settled on my reward.

▶ 【Trait Acquisition (Hidden Route Only)】

…The final reward.
I’d take the new trait that could only be obtained on the Hidden Route.

[Select 【Trait Acquisition (Hidden Route Only)】 as your Labyrinth clear reward? Y/N]

I reached straight for the hologram window.

▶ [YES]

Fwoosh!
Before long, my vision flared bright white.

[An unknown power settles into your body.]

…Ding!

[New trait acquired: 【Blessing of Ailand (+)】!]

“…!”

The new trait was carved into my body.

【Blessing of Ailand (+)】
-If an Ailand Faction Hero is in your Party, all your stats increase.
Per Hero: Stamina / Strength / Agility / Intelligence / Wisdom / Charisma increase by 15% each.
(Maximum increase cap: 45%)

“Oh…?”

Naturally, I’d never seen this trait before.
And the increase rate was truly staggering.

‘Just by keeping heroes from the same faction in my Party, all my stats can rise by up to 45%?’

I read the trait description in a daze, and without meaning to, I swallowed hard.

This…
The effect is ridiculously powerful.

[【Blessing of Ailand (+)】 is currently in effect.]

Ding!

[Two Ailand Faction Heroes are present in your Party.]
[Current stat increase rate: 30%]

[Note – Stat boosts from traits are applied automatically and do not appear as individual values on the Character Window.]

“…….”

I moved my arm lightly, testing it.
My body felt even healthier.
I was nimbler than before, and a surge of energy seemed to fill me.

‘Fifteen percent per person, capped at forty-five percent. So it applies to up to three people.’

…Thirty percent is already ridiculously overpowered, and my stats can rise another fifteen percent on top of that?
Just by adding an Ailand Faction hero to the party?
Honestly, I can hardly believe it.
A trait this broken? It’s practically a balance-breaker.

At the same time, a creeping unease reared its head.

‘What kind of insanely brutal labyrinth is waiting for us, that they’d hand out a trait like this right from the start?’

If I die here, the real me will be left as a vegetative patient.
One single mistake, and it’s all over.
In this merciless, hardcore game with no do-overs, I have to reach the Hidden Ending using only the One Coin.

“Outsider, surely you too have a wish you wish to fulfill?”

“…….”

But if only I succeed.
If only I can see this journey through to success.
Then…

Just as my mind was drifting farther and farther away—

“Ugh… S-Setanta-nim…?”
“…Setanta, Setanta?”
“Oh.”

Rian and Ailin had finally come to.
And no sooner had they stood up than—

“Setanta! I-I just came face to face with the Great Mage’s thought-projection!”
“Setanta, did you see it too? The Great Mage’s thought-projection made us a proposal…!”

They began to gush passionately about the ‘reward’ the Great Mage had promised.

‘Did the Great Mage get into these two’s minds and show them an illusion?’

I looked at Rian and Ailin with a somewhat hazy mind.
Having lost their country to the Empire, and then even their last refuge, the Underground City, taken from them, new hope had quietly settled into their eyes.

“Setanta, did the Great Mage make you the same offer?”
“…Yes.”

When Rian asked whether I had seen the same thing, I only answered that I had received a roughly similar offer.

…I decided not to mention that I was actually a being from another world,
or that once everything was over, I would be sent back to my original world.

“The Great Mage of a thousand years ago will personally grant our wishes? If that’s the case, we can restore everything to how it was…!”
“…….”
“I could recover my damaged Mana Nerve, and go back to researching at the Magic Tower…!”

Rian’s gray eyes sparkled.

“No, actually, I could even build a new Magic Tower! One that doesn’t discriminate against Ailanders, and I’d run it as its Tower Master…!”
“…Then you’d be the one giving out Red Bean Tea instead of receiving it, I take it.”
“Yes! I’ll finally claim the fame I should have had all along, and…! I’ll bring that man, once a professor, in as my assistant under me!”

‘It’s working… very well indeed.’

To put it simply.
Clear every Labyrinth that appears from here on, and save this world from the Great Mage’s corrupted magic.
Save the world, and you’ll be granted one Wish Ticket.

For these people, who had always been robbed and oppressed in this world, the reward was one they could never refuse.

“….”

Ailin said nothing, but I suspected she was turning over a wish like ‘the independence and reconstruction of the Ailand Kingdom.’

According to the checklist from before…
That one was supposed to be the last descendant of the Ailand royal house.

【Earn the Princess’s Trust】
-Earn the trust of Erin O’Murchadha Kivanach, last descendant of the Ailand royal house.

…Erin.
By a cruel coincidence, the name that means Ireland itself in myth turns out to be my true name.

“Everyone’s ready, right?”

Gripping my spear shaft, I spoke to the party.

“Let’s move on to the next city now. The next Labyrinth is due to appear there soon.”
“Setanta-nim, how could you possibly know that…?”
“The Great Mage has sent me a revelation. Information from here on that will help us on this journey.”
“…!”

I had decided to pass off the game knowledge I already had as ‘information the Great Mage told me.’
That way, it wouldn’t seem strange that I knew so many things about this world in advance.

“…Go there and eliminate my corrupted soul. That is the Great Mage’s message.”
“Ah, so the Great Mage has made you the proxy, Setanta-nim…!”
“It seems so. Since we’re at it, let’s save the world and make all our wishes come true.”

At my words, eyes filled with firm resolve turned toward me.

“Yes, Setanta-nim!”
“…I’ll follow.”

In that instant, each of them seemed to see a different desire take shape in their minds.
Everything from the modest wish to restore their broken Mana Nerves to the absurd fantasy of erasing this Empire from the map and enthroning a new Ailand Kingdom in its place.

‘The original plot has diverged quite a bit, but in the end, what I have to do is much the same.’

Clear the Red Labyrinths that spring up everywhere, one after another, and eliminate every last corrupted soul of the Great Mage.
Then watch the ending of the Hidden Route.
Once that’s done, I can return home with one wish in hand.

◈Epic Quest◈
【At the End of This World】
-Become the savior of Ailand, and reach the end of the story.

[Clear Condition: Reach the Hidden Route Ending]
◆ On quest success: Return to the Original World, and one wish.

‘Now that I think about it, they did say they’d grant one wish back then, too…’

Getting the True Ending with One Coin.
It might be hard going, but I don’t think it’s impossible.
Clearing this damn game was the one thing I was ever really good at.

…Ding!

[Checklist has been updated.]
[Hidden Route progress: 9.5%]
-(New!) 『Travel to the Neighboring City』

“Come on, let’s get going. We need to reach the midway stop before it gets dark.”

I took the lead and started walking.

To become the savior of Ailand,
so that someday I could reach the end of this story.

* * *

We walked the whole half day and arrived at the midway stop, an inn.
Along the way we ran into a few lesser mutated demonic monsters, but there were no Special Mutants, so we pushed forward and cleared them without much trouble.

「Welcome to the Forest Inn!」

I raised my head and looked up at the inn.
Against the sun sinking into dusk, a wooden building standing alone by the roadside came into view.

‘There aren’t any monsters around here at all. Is it because we’re so far from the capital?’

It was normally a common stop for adventurers traveling between cities, an inn-slash-tavern where they’d spend a night.
Now, though, it was eerily quiet.
Most likely everyone was keeping their heads down since word had spread about the chaos in the capital.

‘Still, at least they’re open.’

Smoke was rising from the chimney, so there were clearly people inside.

Phew, I can finally rest.
I can stretch out on a bed at last!

I strode toward the inn with a light, springy step-.

‘…Hm?’

But there was one serious problem.

It was this-.

「Warning! Please check before entering.」
「Dogs, cats, livestock, and Ailanders are not permitted entry.」

“….”

That we, in this world,
were nothing more than colonial slaves.

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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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