The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-109

The forest was filled with an eerie silence.

Seol suddenly appeared from the forest after becoming a shadow himself.

Malacus, the blind Shadow Hunter, appeared shortly after as well.

Grrrrr…

“I will kill every last Shadow Summoner.”

“Everyone has their desires, so I’ll respect it.”

“...I will free all of your shadows from you. That is what’s best for them.”

“I will respect that too. Now, let me tell you what I desire.”

Seol stared down Malacus.

“I will beat you down for doing that to Mirei.”

“You cannot defeat me. Do you even know how many Shadow Summoners I’ve killed?”

“I don’t, and that doesn’t matter to me at all. After all, they weren’t me. Comparison is pointless.”

“...I will make you regret your arrogance.”

Slide…

Malacus disappeared in an instant, likely due to activating an artifact. Even so, Seol could still faintly sense his presence, indicating he was still here.

[You are within the influence zone of ‘A Place Without Light’.]

[You are a shadow.]

[All of your stats are decreased by 20%.]

‘So this was why he was so confident.’

Malacus didn’t taunt Seol and Jamad for no reason.

Even so…

‘Even if my stats are decreased by 20%... My stats are so high that it’s pointless.’

A mountain doesn't cease to be a mountain simply because it loses a chunk of stone.

Seol was overwhelmingly powerful right now.

Bark! Bark!

[Dir, the Hunting Dog, used Pounce.]

[Deal 50% additional damage, unless the attack is perfectly blocked.]

‘So that hunting dog had skills too.’

Seol could observe him with Eyes of Perception if he wanted to but decided it was unnecessary.

Fwooosh…

Baaaam!

Dir was shocked by the swing of Seol’s fist and backed away.

The fight could have been easily over if Seol had just landed that attack.

“Dir!”

Ffft!

“It’s pointless.”

Grab!

Grab!

Seol’s Shadow Hand flew out, grabbing the arrows once more.

Crush!

It was clear that no matter how many arrows Malacus shot, none would ever reach Seol.

“You lost, Malacus.”

“...I admit that you are strong. However, it is still too early to claim your victory.”

Grrrrrrr…

The forest turned silent once more as Seol received new messages.

[Malacus used an Elixir of Revenge.]

[Malacus’s stats are increased by 30% while facing an opponent with the shadow attribute.]

[Malacus’s critical strike damage is increased by 50% while facing an opponent with the shadow attribute.]

“Is a potion really the only thing up your sleeve?”

"It's quite effective against your kind. It's been proven countless times before as well."

"You can mention the past all you want. It’ll only prove your incorrect judgment."

“That’s something we’ll see in time.”

Click…

[Dir is released from the Necklace of Suppressed Wildness.]

[Dir receives the effects of Concentrated Wildness.]

[A portion of the damage received will be negated by Wildness.]

[This effect will continue until the Wildness Value is all used.]

[Fear is removed.]

“Let’s have a proper fight now.”

“Hmph.”

Seol, or more precisely Jamad in Seol's body, bumped his fists together.

Thud!

With a thunderous roar, Seol's body burst into flames.

[You have changed to the Volcano Stance.]

[All attacks will spread flames.]

[An explosion will occur at the impact point of each attack.]

[Passive: Moving Flames is applied.]

[There is a high chance that the flames will spread to whatever comes into contact with it.]

[Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.]

[The damage you receive from the flames is reduced by 100%, while the damage your target receives from the flames is increased by 50%.]

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

Seol had become a blazing bomb.

Baaaark!

Creak! Fffft!

Seol heard the sound of Dir sprinting toward him as well as the sound of a bow preparing to fire. It seemed like Malacus went on the offensive, ignoring that Dir could also be hit by his arrows.

‘However…’

Bark!

[Dir, the Hunting Dog, used Desperate Battle.]

[For a brief while, damage taken is reduced by 50% and quickly recover from shock.]

[If the target begins bleeding, their bleeding rate will be increased.]

A fearless beast is no different from a natural disaster.

After all, it was vicious and felt unavoidable.

“Hah!”

Strike!

Bark!

It was a swift attack that landed perfectly on Dir’s mouth.

However, Dir recovered quickly and came charging back to bite Seol’s neck.

Dash!

“Urgh!”

Shadow Hand snatched arrows midair once more, but the force behind them was markedly different. Judging by the strength of the arrows, it was evident that even permitting a single one could lead Seol to a disastrous fate.

“Don’t overreact.”

“Maybe you should talk after taking care of your side first?”

“Hmph! It would only take a second.”

Seol’s body, which had been wrestling with the enlarged hunting dog, fixed its stance.

Fwooosh!

Seol’s shoulder struck Dir’s jaws from below.

“Caught you, you bastard.”

“Dir!”

Jamad, in Seol’s body, charged forward and slammed Dir into a large tree.

Thuuuuud!

Cruuuush!

The large tree fell over from the impact. Jamad then threw Dir into another tree which it also broke through.

Crackle…

Burn…

Flaaaaare!

Everything the two of them came into contact with was engulfed in flames.

“Finally, we can… damn it!”

Bark!

Dir recovered from the attacks immediately and came charging back.

[Dir, the Hunting Dog, used Shadow Pounce.]

[Dir will disappear while in his attack stance.]

[Dir will reappear when he initiates his attack.]

[If the target was unable to detect Dir, inflict the bleed status and increase the damage dealt by 50%.]

“So he wasn’t an ordinary dog!”

“Obviously not. That dog…”

Punch!

Seol struck Dir’s chin once more.

Even so, Dir continued attacking relentlessly.

His eyes turned red.

“is a shadow.”

“Oi, Shadow Hunter. Don’t you think you’re a bit contradictory?”

“......”

Fwoooosh!

Fffft!

Malacus seemed shaken by those words. His arrows were much more visible than before.

[Malacus’s Neutralizing Shot misses.]

Punch!

Seol’s fist knocked Dir away once more.

Whine!

Cruuuush! Cruuuush!

The trees surrounding Seol and Dir were all destroyed, it was a mess.

“Wouldn’t you be the one controlling shadows against their will then?”

“Shut up! Dir… Dir is my one and only friend…”

“Ah, so that was why. Still, are you sure that it wasn’t against his will?”

“Don’t… Don’t you dare say something like thaaaaaaaaat!”

Fwooosh! Fwooosh!

[Malacus used Realized Pain.]

[For a brief while, Malacus’s arrows will deal true damage.]

Ffft!

It was pointless. No matter how many arrows Malacus let loose, none of them were reaching Seol.

Rustle.

Suddenly, Malacus leaped out from the forest with a dagger in his hands.

It was clear he didn't have many options left.

Baaaaaark!

As expected from Malacus’s last resort, he moved swiftly, quick enough that anyone else would have died without being able to react. However, it didn’t work on Seol.

Grab!

“Krgh… H-Hooooooot!”

Baaark!

Seol held onto both Malacus’s and Dir’s neck at the same time.

Throw!

Crush!

He then threw Dir far away, as strong as he could, then slammed Malacus into the ground.

“Krgh!”

“How dare someone like you try to judge Shadow Summoners? You must be joking, right?”

“Dir is my only friend.”

“So? Is that why you revived your dead hunting dog? For yourself?”

“...If I don’t have Dir, I have nothing. Because… Because you Shadow Summoners took everything from me… and the only thing I knew… was your Shadow Summoning skills.”

“Don’t make me laugh. How could someone who judges Shadow Summoners do that? Do you even know what you’ve done?”

Malacus murmured to himself, looking at the sky.

“I know… what I did was wrong. I… I’ve known it for a long time.”

“What?”

“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.”

“......”

“But when Dir died, before I realized, he was by my side once more. I… used that deplorable spell without even realizing it.”

“Which made you contradict yourself.”

“That’s when I realized it. Shadow Summoning… is not evil… It wasn’t a foul spell made from an impure heart to control others.”

Malacus, the Shadow Hunter…

He had found his answer there.

“...It was for longing. It was a spell because they longed to be with someone. It was not a cursed spell… it was… the meaning behind it was decided by the caster.”

“Why did you continue to hunt Shadow Summoners then?”

“Because I couldn’t atone for it. It was a sin that could not be washed away…”

“You crazy…”

Because he couldn’t wash it away, he simply delved deeper into the filth. That was the way Malacus lived.

“Dir, come here, boy…”

Whine…

The enlarged hunting dog returned to Malacus’s side.

Malacus was already dying.

His neck was burnt black, and his voice weakened by the second.

“You’re a good boy, aren’t you… Don’t be scared… We’re just going to sleep… together.”

Whine…

“We’ll be going to a place… where no one is hurt… and no one is in pain…”

Malacus then left behind his final words.

“I… am a villain.”

Whine…

Dir fell asleep by Malacus’s side. When Malacus took his final breath, Dir drifted away into the wind like dust.

Crumble…

Malacus was a villain up to the end.

[You have defeated Malacus, the Blind.]

[Villain's Belongings has been generated.]

[You have satisfied the Adventure Objective.]

[If the Remaining Time runs out or if you choose to take your reward, you may choose to finish your Adventure here.]

[You have defeated Malacus, the Hunting Dog.]

[You have been given an additional reward.]

Seol looked behind him.

Mirei was stumbling toward him.

“Haha… that bastard. He was contradictory up to the end.”

“Mirei, are you alright?”

“No, I think I’m going to di—”

She talked jokingly, but she clearly wasn’t joking.

Thud.

She then fell over.

“Mirei!”

“Urgh… I really wish death could have come for me a bit more slowly. I could have watched you a bit more if I lived just a bit longer...”

“Your body is…”

“I know, it’s disappearing, right?”

Her limbs were slowly disappearing. It looked just like how Malacus’s dog, Dir, died.

The only difference was that she disappeared at a slower rate than Dir.

“I guess the imperfect extension of my life will end here. Haha… Now that I think about it, death might have waited for me a bit.”

“...What are you talking about?”

“In the end, I proved that I was right, right? That’s why, surprisingly… I don’t have any shitty regrets left.”

“......”

“Snowman, did you know? We Shadow Summoners have two paths.”

“Two… paths.”

“The first path is the beaten path that rules over shadows to bring out their maximum strength. The other path… is a rough road where no one has blazed through yet. A path of coexistence with the shadows. Which sid—”

Mirei didn’t finish her sentence.

Seol’s unwavering eyes had already given her his answer.

She gave a huge smile and welcomed his gaze.

She pulled out a cigarette from her inventory and lit it.

Inhale…

After a deep breath, she continued.

“Sodin… Thank you for enduring this far. We did it.”

“......”

“The Greatest Genius in the Universe Mirei’s 300th Log… No, Final Log. I proved it, Gregory. This is the final mark that I will leave behind in this world.”

Her vision began to cloud.

“Go… and show them your… no, our world. That we…”

Mirei tried her best to squeeze out every last word.

“can… coexist…”

Thud.

Mirei didn’t say any more, leaving just the smell of her cigarette.

This was Pandea.

A world where even justice gets lost.

Mirei, a Shadow Summoner who would change the world, and Malacus, a twisted Shadow Hunter, both died here today.

[Helper ‘Mirei, the Shadow Summoner’ has died.]

[The corresponding Helper will not appear in future Adventures.]

Only Seol, the witness to their deaths, remained here and kept their peace.