The war had already begun anew.
“Lineage of Eve.”
However, user Kim Suhyun does not have the option to choose which attribute will decrease, as it has already been predetermined by Ganesha.
If the fourth condition is selected, user Kim Suhyun’s stamina attribute will decrease by 2 points, reverting to 4 points. (All other conditions remain unchanged.)
User Kim Hanbyul’s Amor Nuntios: This is the effect of a wish spoken solely with user Kim Suhyun in mind.
After emerging from the second basement level, I stared blankly at the message floating in the air.
The conditions of the Lineage of Eve had been updated.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say they had been expanded? The three original options had now become four.
This was undoubtedly a gain. Activating the fourth condition would initially drop the stamina attribute by 90 points. However, the 2 points lost would immediately revert to 4 points, and the doubled points could be used to increase any attribute below 91 points.
In other words, it meant I could raise my stamina attribute again without being restricted by the condition. Ultimately, I could increase it to 94 points, effectively gaining an additional 2 points.
But that wasn’t all. I still had 6 free attribute points remaining. By adding these, I could potentially raise my stamina to 100 points.
This meant that while I might not reach the 101 points needed to fully master Hwa-jeong, I could at least achieve the second awakening at 100 points.
Hwa-jeong had been grumbling about the situation, clearly dissatisfied.
Two points or even one point…
I fell into quiet contemplation. But it didn’t take long for a solution to come to mind.
The Iron Mountain Range.
Every user who conquers the Iron Mountain Range and enters Atlanta is awarded 1 free attribute point. Even with just this method, I could raise my stamina to at least 101 points.
So, using Hwa-jeong to its fullest was no longer just a dream. My heart raced with excitement as I gazed at the user information window.
In any case, should I try to raise it to 100 points for now?
Huh?
Why? Can’t you at least give me a hint?
“Oppa? Oppa?”
“Huh?”
Just as I was trying to calm Hwa-jeong’s insistence to head to the Iron Mountain Range, a voice called out to me.
Looking up, I saw Yujeong, who was busy stripping equipment from a deceased user.
“I called you several times, but you didn’t answer. What were you thinking about? Maybe how pretty my hair is? Heehee.”
Yujeong playfully shook her ponytail, and I had to admit it suited her well, so I nodded lightly.
“Yeah, it is pretty. But seriously, why did you call me?”
“Well… I was just wondering if what we’re doing is okay.”
“What do you mean, ‘is it okay’?”
“It’s fine.”
Before I could respond, a voice answered from beside me. Glancing over, I saw Woo Jungmin, arms full of equipment. Below him lay a nearly naked user, clearly deceased.
“We conquered this ruin, so we have every right to do this. It’s practically an unspoken rule in Hall Plain. Isn’t that right, Clan Lord?”
“Ah, yes. It’s also a kind of achievement.”
I agreed with Woo Jungmin’s words.
With the second basement level cleared, the conquest of the dragon’s mountain was nearly complete. However, there were still matters to attend to, so I divided the clan members into three groups.
The first group, including myself, remained on the first basement level.
We didn’t head straight to the surface after coming up from the second basement level. We needed to explain the situation to some of the awakened users, and the equipment of those in the swamp was still intact. We were in the process of collecting the equipment worn by users during their lifetime. This could be a significant source of income, and sometimes we hit the jackpot.
The second group consisted of Vivian and Helena.
I left them on the second basement level because of the Stone of Wishes. Despite thousands of years, it still functioned properly. Believing it could be useful in the future, I gave Helena a special task: to seal the second basement level securely and, if possible, bring back any crucial components needed for its activation.
I also planned to relocate the Stone of Wishes if conditions allowed, so I gave Vivian instructions as well. Vivian was already the de facto owner of the magical city of Magia. If it could be moved, there was no better place for it than Magia.
The third group consisted of users with high strength, including Ahn Hyun, who had not yet awakened. They were sent to the surface. The corpse of Magna Carta was still there, and it was another important achievement to collect.
I had seen them struggling to carry the sleeping users up, so they were likely in the process of dismantling the dragon’s corpse by now. By the time the clan members remaining underground finished their tasks and came up, the dismantling would be nearly complete. Then we could begin our journey back.
“Ugh.”
After stripping the equipment from a relatively intact male user, I straightened my back.
Looking around, I saw seven or eight clan members diligently stripping the deceased users. Most of the visible bodies were nearly naked. It seemed like we could finish this task with just one or two more trips.
Strictly speaking, this process wasn’t exactly pleasant. It could be somewhat distasteful, but none of the clan members showed any signs of discomfort. In fact, I could hear the occasional hum, as if they were excited about returning soon.
After gathering an armful of equipment, I headed outside.
With over a hundred deceased users, there was a lot of equipment, but we had the Chaos Mimic. We had brought the entire family—father, mother, and baby Chaos Mimic—so we could easily carry both the equipment and the dragon’s corpse.
As I carefully walked to avoid dropping anything, the outskirts came into view. Some of the awakened users were sitting dazedly, and Ansol was comforting them. Nearby, the father Chaos Mimic was panting heavily, its body slightly bulging.
I was contemplating whether to bring out the mother Chaos Mimic when a clan member caught my eye.
”…”
It was Hanbyul. Her hands were empty, suggesting she had just returned from the Chaos Mimic.
After watching her for a moment, I changed direction and walked toward her. I wanted to thank her and also ask what had happened.
However.
“Hanbyul?”
As soon as I called her name, Hanbyul looked up at me.
“I, I… it’s…”
“Huh?”
We locked eyes for about three seconds before Hanbyul suddenly turned her head and mumbled something under her breath. Then she quickly scurried off in one direction.
Watching her retreating figure, I was left bewildered. Why was she running away?
Even though I was carrying heavy armor and equipment, my agility was at 98 points. Hanbyul’s agility wasn’t bad, but it was nowhere near mine. Wondering where she thought she was going, I quickly started to chase her.
Realizing I was pursuing her, Hanbyul seemed to panic.
“Huh…? Oh? Oppa?!”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?!”
“No, why are you running? Just stop for a moment.”
But Hanbyul didn’t stop. She only picked up speed, almost breaking into a run. Matching her pace, I increased my speed as well.
Just as the distance between us began to close, I suddenly had to stop.
Thud!
“Eek!”
With a yelp, Hanbyul tripped over a corpse and fell. She hadn’t been watching her step while running, and she ended up sprawled out in the swamp, creating a small splash.
”…Wow.”
For a moment, silence hung in the air.
Hanbyul lay still for a while, then slowly pushed herself up with her hands.
When she finally looked at me, her eyes were brimming with tears. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and she gave me a look of reproach. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like I had made a mistake.
”…Sniff.”
”…Sorry.”
I turned away and headed back toward the father Chaos Mimic.
Why was she crying? What did I do wrong?
It took us about an hour to strip all the equipment from the deceased users. After receiving a progress report from Helena, who was in charge of the second basement level, I instructed everyone to head to the surface.
Once we reached the ground and started moving, we saw the dismantling process was nearly complete, just as expected. The clan members had clearly put in a lot of effort. The skull, torso, and wings were neatly disassembled and stacked by parts, and only the tip of the tail remained.
As I accepted the bag handed to me by Han-gyeol, I glanced over to see Helena Lu Aeyens watching the dismantling with a satisfied expression.
After a quick look around, I whispered quietly, “How does it feel to see your own remains? Unpleasant?”
Helena glanced at me and smiled beautifully. “I can’t help but think even the bones are handsome.”
“Oh? So it doesn’t bother you much?”
“Not really. I’ve decided to live as a great hero, after all. I don’t feel any particular way about it, so please make good use of them.”
”…If you say so.”
Helena shrugged her shoulders. Relieved by her easygoing nature, I rummaged through the bag. The main Chaos Mimic was full, so I had no choice but to take out the spare.
But when I couldn’t find it by touch, I peered inside and saw a baby Chaos Mimic hiding in a corner, covered by its mother.
Without much thought, I pulled out the baby Chaos Mimic. It was still immature, making the act of tearing open the box all the more satisfying.
As I lifted the baby Chaos Mimic, the mother clung to it, as if pleading not to take her child. But I roughly separated them.
Looking down, I saw the baby Chaos Mimic trembling, its mouth tightly shut.
I grabbed both sides of its mouth and tore it open with force.
“Eeek!”
Startled by the sudden scream, the clan members turned to look at me with surprised faces. But once they saw the Chaos Mimic, they nodded and returned to their work.
“Eek… Eeeek…”
“Quiet, you.”
Thud.
“Eeek!”
After giving the crying baby a punch, I approached the pile of dragon bones. I grabbed one and stuffed it into the mimic’s mouth, calling out, “Alright, once we pack this up, we can finally leave. Those who didn’t participate in the dismantling, please help me out.”
The clan members rushed over, eagerly stuffing bones into the Chaos Mimic. Some seemed eager to leave, hurriedly cramming the bones in.
“Eeeek… Eeeek…”
Amidst the pitiful whimpers, we calmly packed up the last of our spoils.
Now, all that was left was to leave.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
『Comment Summary for Episode 443 (Total 101 votes).』
『Character (Name) / Votes / Rank / Remarks』
Han So-young / 16 votes / 1st place / Advanced to the second round.
Nam Da-eun / 14 votes / 2nd place / Advanced to the second round.
Vivian / 9 votes / 3rd place / Advanced to the second round.
Cha So-rim / 9 votes / 3rd place / Advanced to the second round.
Im Han-na / 6 votes / 5th place / Advanced to the second round.
Kim Soo-hyun / 5 votes / 6th place / Not advancing to the second round (Reason: Votes may be skewed towards the protagonist. This vote aims to determine the most popular character excluding the protagonist, and an illustration of the protagonist is planned before the conclusion anyway.).
Ro Yu-mi / 5 votes / 6th place / Not advancing to the second round (Reason: -_-).
Kim Yoo-hyun / 4 votes / 8th place / Advanced to the second round.
Seraph / 4 votes / 8th place / Not advancing to the second round (Reason: Illustration already exists.).
Yumi (Unicorn) / 4 votes / 8th place / Not advancing to the second round (Reason: Illustration already exists.).
Yoo Hyun-ah / 3 votes /
Go Yeon-joo / 2 votes /
Kim Han-byeol / 2 votes / • / Automatically advanced to the second round (Reason: One of the two lowest vote-getters in the first round.).
Ro Yoo-jin / 2 votes / • / Oh, come on.
Baek Han-gyeol / 2 votes /
Ahn Hyun / 2 votes /
Yeon Hye-rim / 2 votes /
Park Da-yeon / 1 vote /
Sun Yu-woon / 1 vote /
Sun Yul / 1 vote /
Shin Sang-yong / 1 vote /
Shin Jae-ryong / 1 vote /
Woo Jung-min / 1 vote /
Lee Man-sung / 1 vote /
Lee Yoo-jung / 1 vote / • / Automatically advanced to the second round (Reason: One of the two lowest vote-getters in the first round.).
Jung Ha-yeon / 1 vote /
Heo Jun-young / 1 vote /
『Characters Advancing to the Second Round of Voting.』
Kim Yoo-hyun.
Kim Han-byeol.
Nam Da-eun.
Vivian.
Lee Yoo-jung.
Im Han-na.
Cha So-rim.
Han So-young.
The voting will likely start tomorrow. If you have any words or phrases that capture the essence of each character, please feel free to suggest them. I’ve thought of most already, but I’m open to better ideas. For example, Kim Yoo-hyun could be described as a “little brother fool.” Haha.
Oh, lines from “Memorize” are welcome, or you can create your own. Just keep them short, please. :D