Seol’s shoulders looked heavy.
Fwirl!
Karen and Karuna summoned themselves regardless of Seol’s intent.
“......”
The two knights saw Mirei lying in front of Seol like she was asleep.
They also noticed how her body was covered in arrows.
As the shadow, the black parts of her body, disappeared, Mirei’s rotted corpse revealed itself.
Karuna then stepped forth and carefully lifted Mirei’s corpse.
“Where should I move her, Master?”
“Karuna.”“Should we not bury her.”
“We should.”
All that could have served as a memory was utterly destroyed. Not only was the house made of trees destroyed, but so were the nearby surroundings.
Still, Seol found a suitable place and buried her there.
Seol then created a small grave before placing a broken wood fragment on top of it. He then wrote the names ‘Mirei’ and ‘Sodin’ on the piece of wood.
“What should we do about him? Leaving him for the animals to feast on is a bit… much.”
“Let’s just bury him too while we are at it.”
Karen then carried Malacus’s corpse over.
Seol didn’t particularly feel anything about the Shadow Hunters, but he was interested in Malacus, who died in front of him.
What especially interested him were his final words.
- Because you Shadow Summoners took my parents, my eyes, everything in my life… the only thing I had left was Dir. To me, who lost light, he became it.
‘You Shadow Summoners… what did the Shadow Summoner do to him?”
Regardless of whatever hidden backstory Malacus had, he was Seol’s enemy in the end. Not only that, but he also killed his helper, Mirei.
Obviously, Mirei didn’t have much left to live in the first place, but it was still true he was the reason she died.
Seol didn’t feel sympathetic for his enemy.
It was just that Malacus’s strange feeling lingered.
How did Malacus become so twisted?
“I have no clue.”
“Master, your body… are you… alright?”
“Ah, this?”
Fwirl…
Seol and Jamad separated in an instant.
[You exit the Night Crow form.]
[Your class is changed to Shadow Summoner.]
Jamad cracked his neck as if his body felt tight.
“Moving someone else’s body is more tiring than I thought.”
“I’ll try to move myself next time.”
“Do you think that would be possible?”
“My senses felt completely different. I would need some time to adjust to it, but I can’t let you control me forever.”
“Do whatever you please.”
Karuna then spoke.
“Mirei has left us. It’s a shame.”
“Yeah, it is. I felt like I got pretty close to her in that short time, too.”
“She was a good person. She was trustworthy too.”
“It makes me wonder if things could have gone differently if we had met her earlier or if we didn’t head to Yognatun.”
“We'll never know. After all, no one can glimpse into fate. Moreover, didn't we also rescue many lives there?”
Karuna was right.
Seol had only one body. Creating future plans was more important than dwelling on past regrets.
Karen tried to lighten the mood with a bright voice.
“The past is in the past! Let’s just see what this villain had!”
- Yeah! Exactly! Everyone around Snowman dies anyway!
- Snowman has that Detective Conan buff!
- They’re all going to die anyway! This was not weird at all!
- Seriously, it’s probably easier to count the survivors lmfao.
Seol smirked, then nodded.
“Yeah, we have to prepare for our next Adventure anyway.”
“Alright! I’m going to open it now, then, alright?”
Click!
[You open the Villain's Belongings.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have received skill points.]
[Affluent’s Bonus Effect activates.]
[You have received additional skill points.]
[You have acquired Belt of Crying and Laughing.]
[You have acquired Gust Ring.]
[You have acquired Crown of Clear Mind.]
[You have acquired A Letter That Wishes to Be Read.]
[You have acquired 10 platinum coins.]
[You have acquired 37 gold coins.]
[You have acquired 1 silver coin.]
[You have acquired 1 large red potion.]
[You have acquired 12 medium blue potions.]
……
* * *
[[Belt of Crying and Laughing]
Quality: Treasure
Recommended Level: 24-30
Defense: 28
Durability: 110/110
Weight: 0.1kg
A leather belt decorated with a laughing face and a crying face.
Occasionally, the sound of laughing and crying can be heard.
Basic Effect: +5 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +8 Constitution
Bonus Effect: Each successful attack increases all of the wearer’s stats by 1 for 1 minute. This effect can stack up to 7 times, the effect’s duration will not increase after it is fully stacked.]
‘Good effects.’
- He gets stats just for hitting?
- It doesn’t say +7 All Stats, though…?
- Space has +15 to All Stats and a bunch of other options too, though.
- You shouldn’t compare a Peerless-quality item to a Treasure-quality item…
- Leather… If it’s leather… Leather!!!
Seol naturally handed Jamad the leather belt.
“Hm… Well, he put in a lot of work.”
Karen remarked as Seol handed Jamad the belt.
“Are you jealous?”
“Jealous? Who are you calling jealous…”
[[Gust Ring]
Quality: Treasure
Recommended Level: 21-29
Resistance: 40
Durability: 75/75
Weight: 0.1kg
A ring with brisk energy inside of it.
Though the powers contained within are subtle, unveiling them would surprise anyone.
Basic Effect: +2 Dexterity, +3 Constitution, +3 Intelligence
Bonus Effect: Gathers wind as the wearer moves. When the accumulated wind reaches its maximum, a gust will emerge, increasing movement speed by 30%.]
‘These stats are awkward…’
Karen was licking her lips.
“So you know… um… so… my um…”
“This doesn’t look particularly good for knights.”
“Um… I agree with you, but like… uh… don’t tell me this will also go to…”
“Hmph, thanks.”
Jamad snatched the ring.
As Jamad equipped it, it increased in size to fit him.
“You have gauntlets though! How does a ring fit in there?”
“There’s a space for it inside.”
“...My bad.”
- There’s a space behind the pillar.
- There’s room inside the gloves LMFAOOO
- Awkward… I mean, she’s wearing rings while wearing gloves too, though LMFAO
Karen gave Seol a look.
“Did something happen between you two? It feels like you’re just giving him a lot of things… you’ve changed, Master.”
- You’ve just been taking everything…
- Dude, you’ve changed! (He’s the exact same)
- Jamad… What kind of life have you lived so far…
[[Crown of Clear Mind]
Quality: Treasure
Recommended Level: 18-28
Defense: 90
Durability: 78/78
Weight: 0.5kg
A crown crafted for paladins who wished to avoid stuffy helmets. While not the most practical choice, its graceful appearance compensates for its lack of functionality.
Basic Effect: +7 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +7 Constitution
Bonus Effect: Elemental Spell Resistance is increased by 5%. Mind Spell Resistance is increased by 10%. This item will not fall off unless struck directly in battle.]
Karen slowly reached out her fingers.
She took a glance at Karuna.
“Can I… take this?”
Karuna shrugged.
The moment Karuna shrugged, Karen gave a big smile.
“Hehe… That’s so like you, Karuna!”
- Info) Karuna got nothing.
- Karuna will remember that.
- Seol just had to have two knights LMFAO
- Splitting items is going to be a pain from now on.
- Snowman’s the single dad that needs to work hard to feed three children 😭
- He’s like every dad these days 😭. What do you guys think about going to hug your parents?
- They didn’t like me hugging them???
- That’s because you’re…
There were many other miscellaneous items too.
Still, as expected from a dangerous Adventure, the rewards were amazing and the other things Seol received were great, as well.
The weight in Seol’s shoulders had lightened a bit.
Seol had a smirk on his face as he checked the last item.
[[A Letter That Wishes to Be Read]
Quality: Common
Recommended Level: N/A
Weight: 0.1kg
There is something written inside.
Bonus Effect: Cannot be determined.]
‘What is this?’
Seol couldn’t tell anything from just the envelope.
Seol had a suspicious look on his face as he slowly opened the letter.
“......”
The letters were written crookedly.
Still, traces showed that whoever wrote this did their best to write, regardless.
Seol then looked at the letter’s contents.
“...It’s Malacus’s letter.”
“What? What does it say? Show me.”
Seol read the letter out loud.
“Hello, I am Malacus. I cannot see. I hope for your generous understanding despite the messy handwriting. …What?”
“Keep reading.”
“The Timbrian House is a small noble family, and I am it's… What does it say here? Su…ccessor… Is that it? Successor. Well, I was until not too long ago.”
“Ah, so this esteemed noble was going around and killing Shadow Summoners. Does it say that it was the house’s long-standing endeavor or something?”
“I’ll keep reading.”
- How did you, the person reading this letter, come into possession of it? I intend to carry this letter with me at all times, whether I am sleeping or in battle. However, if you find yourself holding this letter, it likely means that I have met an untimely demise due to unavoidable circumstances. If not, then you must be...
“...the person who killed me.”
“Urgh… that just hit a sore spot.”
- Regardless, I accept any result. However, I do wish to share a certain story with you.
Seol’s interest in the rest of the letter greatly increased…
Malacus could still remember that day. His happy home was engulfed by fire. His father, a knight, and his mother, a magician, were both brutally murdered.
“No, don’t do it! Mom! Daaaad!”
“Oh… there was a child in this manor. Should I kill him?”
“It’s fine. I do not want to do anything needless. I’ve already acquired what I wanted, let’s head back.”
It was an ambiguous height. They had an androgynous voice.
The robed person turned around and slowly walked toward the manor’s exit.
Malacus charged at them.
“Wh-why did you kill my parents?!”
“...Hm? How bold. Obviously… it’s to revive them.”
“What?”
Fwirl…
The young Malacus couldn’t believe what happened in front of him.
His parent’s shadows stood up.
“N-No… No way…”
“Now your parents can live forever. Don’t be too sad, okay?”
“You evil bastaaaaaaaaards! Give me back my parentsssssss!”
Malacus charged in once more.
“You brat…”
“Argh!”
The Shadow Summoner’s glove slipped off as they swatted away Malacus.
There was a black rose tattoo on the back of their hand. As he fell over, Malacus ingrained that image into his memory.
‘Black rose…’
“How annoying. Take his eyes. He's witnessed things that were not meant to be seen.”
“Yes!”
Sizzle!
A hot skewer was used to sear Malacus’s eyes.
“Guaaaaaaargh!”
“You’re weak… Do you wish to get revenge against me?”
“I-I’ll kill you… it hurts… I will find you again…”
“...I am a Shadow Summoner. I don’t plan on teaching you my name, so find it yourself. And if you are stronger when you come see me once more…”
The young Malacus couldn’t see the Shadow Summoner.
Well, it was more accurate to say he couldn’t see at all. Even if the Shadow Summoner was right in front of him, he couldn’t recognize anything about them visually.
And because of that, he memorized the other aspects.
He memorized their smell, their altered voice…
Malacus tried his best to remember it.
To not forget their black rose tattoo…
“I will let you be with your parents… for eternity…”
“Kid, since you lost your eyes, you’ll need to beg to survive. Haha…”
They left after that.
The part about his past ended there.
Seol gripped the letter tightly.
“So he went through something like that.”
“...Yeah. But his thirst for revenge was how he met his demise.”
Seol then thought of what Malacus had said before.
- I will kill every last Shadow Summoner.
In his madness, he believed that all Shadow Summoners were enemies.
- ...I will free all of your shadows from you. That is what’s best for them.
He must have believed that it was right.
Seol continued reading the letter.
“They have a black rose tattoo on the back of their hand. It was impossible to tell their gender through their voice, and they weren’t too big either. They smelled like medicine. I remember all of those perfectly. I have also left that person’s scent in this letter.”
“Let me see… Huh? It really does have a smell!”
“It’s a unique smell.”
A strange smell spread from the letter.
It was the type of fragrance that was hard to forget.
“I’m sure you’ve realized why I left behind this letter by now. Fuck…”
“Oh no…”
- If you are not a Shadow Summoner, please find them. I am not asking you to kill them. I… I ask you to free my parents from that monster’s hands. I pray…
The letter finished off…
- that you are not a Shadow Summoner. Please, I hope you can help my parent’s souls reach where they should go. The young Malacus desperately begs you.
The letter was something young Malacus left behind before being consumed by his thirst for revenge.
[You have received information on Hidden Adventure 'Stockholm Syndrome'.]
[Once the conditions have been met, a Sudden Adventure will activate.]
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