The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-172

The transformation began the moment Seol placed his hands on the rock giant’s core.

[The rock giant’s core fills your Mountain Primal Power.]

[The Mountain Energy in the rock giant’s core is ‘Abundant’.]

[You are unable to fully absorb the Mountain Primal Power.]

[The Primal Power’s overwhelming energy enhances your shamanic spells.]

[Volcano Armor has improved to Passive: Earth Armor.]

[Rain of Fire Stance’s passive skills improve altogether.]

[You are now immune to Abnormal Status: Petrification.]

[Primal Power: Mountain is currently full.]

Rumble rumble…

“Wh-what is happening?”

“The giant… is disappearing.”

Stompy's body was turning into dust, then being absorbed into the marble in Seol's hands. And that marble, in turn, was being absorbed into Seol.

Faaaade…

As both Stompy’s body and the rock golem’s core disappeared… the only thing that remained was a man clad in sturdy rock armor.

‘So this is… Primal Power.’

Though this was Seol’s first time seeing it, he could instinctively tell it was completely different from spells and mana.

Previously, Seol had to concentrate if he wanted to use Volcano Armor. But now, he no longer had to go through such a troublesome process.

Seol, after confirming the changes, nodded his head.

‘I guess it’s automatic now.’

Then what mattered now was how long Earth Armor took to become active. Seol planned to test that out later.

- Buying Primal Power. I’ve never tried it before.

- The power looks so cool…

- I don’t know what happened, but something happened!

- How do you use Primal Power, though?

- He hasn’t used it even though he got it…

There were a few reasons why Seol hadn’t used Primal Power yet.

The first and biggest reason why he didn't was because to use Primal Power, you had to accumulate it first.

Normally, it was done through training or duties.

The natural powers that Great Shamans wield aren't attained easily, like turning on a faucet to access water.

If one wanted to use it in such a manner, they would have to follow the necessary steps and first fill the hypothetical water tank with water.

And now, Seol had just satisfied that first condition.

- Hey, can you feel it?

It was Jamad.

‘You’re talking about this power, right?’ responded Seol.

- Yeah, I've seen the Tribe Alliance's monsters use it a few times before, but... I never thought I'd be able to acquire it so quickly.

Another reason Seol hadn't utilized Primal Power yet was that, at their current levels, both Seol and Jamad found it nearly impossible to wield naturally.

There were still a lot of preparations left before they could make it as effective as their other combat skills.

‘Well, that will come with time as well, though. More importantly...’

Seol also saw messages of the achievement he earned from defeating Stompy.

[[Inaugural Title: Superhuman]

Related Achievement: Superhuman Path (Adventure: Gatekeeper Stompy)

Bonus Effect: Every hour, there is a certain chance that a random stat or skill will be enhanced for five minutes.]

‘I can’t get a good feel for this one. I think I need it to trigger for me to really know.’

- Is this good?

- Well… a 5 minute buff every hour is just eh?

- We need to see how much it buffs by.

- fr This could either be completely busted or pointless.

Seol’s assessment of this title was similar to that of his viewers.

As Seol could only make a proper assessment once he saw how much it was enhanced or how it was enhanced, he chose to postpone his assessment for later.

Seol finished the short checkup of his skills with that.

He didn’t take even a minute to read through it all, which showed just how roughly he skimmed through it.

Normally, Seol would comb over every last detail, but he didn’t have the luxury to do that right now.

As Seol returned to the expedition party, they all cast glances at him.

“Did you see that? His body changed and turned black.”

“His dog also grew to the size of a house.”

“Is he really Frannan’s disciple?”

“Are we sure that Frannan isn’t the disciple?”

Frannan, hearing their whispers, carefully approached Seol.

"Ahem… they're quite the noisy bunch. But yeah, how much are you hiding from me? I've never seen an ability as powerful as the one you used to destroy that lump of rocks."

“That was everything.”

"I don’t know… I’ll have to see it for myself later. More importantly, let’s hurry over there."

“Why is everyone gathering around?”

“A lot of people have died… and there’s someone who will die soon.”

Seol then recalled the injured dwarf on the Steel Lion’s back.

“Don’t tell me… Yofimba?”

"Yeah, it seems healing him is difficult."

- Maybe he might survive if Snowman feeds him the Blood of Origin?

- Are you new here? That was the first thing that Snowman did when he got it.

- So he failed then…

- Yeah, the blood’s probably too thin to have an effect.

The two then approached Yofimba, who was surrounded by the expedition party.

Beside Yofimba lay several allies who had failed to dodge the falling rocks, lying as if they were asleep.

His face was pale.

“Cough… cough…”

“Yofimba! I’ll—”

“Stop shouting like that. You’re making my ears hurt.”

The Artifact Association members cried as they called out Yofimba’s name.

“Don’t die, Yofimba! H-He’s still conscious, Vicar Chameli… Please, help Yofimba… our friend Yofimba is…”

“......”

Yofimba gave a mischievous grin.

“You idiots… don’t make such a ridiculous request. Even if you… cough… even if you bring the head of Varanoa, they wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it. I’m… going to die. See? Look at her face. Hey, girlie. Could I make one final request?”

“Yes, Yofimba?” answered Chameli.

“I have some words to leave behind. You can… do that, right?”

“I understand.”

Fwoosh…

A gentle breeze flowed through the dark corridors, leaving a brilliant seal on Yofimba’s bloody forehead.

[Chameli used Remembrance.]

[The target is immune to all damage and attacks.]

[The target does not feel pain.]

[The target is unable to use any skills.]

[After a few moments, the target will inevitably die.]

Yofimba was branded for death.

Though he bought some time through this, he also had to give away his hope.

“Why… why…”

"Much better… Move your disgusting faces away, you bastards. And Mael, come closer."

Mael still had yet to completely recover from his shamanic spell. He followed Yofimba’s orders, but with a horrible expression on his face.

"What are you so scared of, Mael, you damned troll?"

“Yofimba…”

“Stand tall! You look like someone died or something.”

“I’m sorry.”

It was quite a unique sight to see a large troll sulking in pain in front of a dwarf.

"You've been like that since the moment I met you. You're way too soft. It doesn't suit your size or wildness at all…"

"There aren't any laws that force you to act as your appearance suggests, are there?"

“Yeah, you’re right. You’re soo amazing… you rascal.”

“...Yofimba. You can say your final words now. We are ready to record them.”

Yofimba cleared his throat before speaking to the remaining Artifact Association members.

"You fearless fools of the Artifact Association, I, Yofimba, am about to die in the best way possible. I will be dying in an old and ancient, yet living ruin. It's a death I have been dreaming of… but I have one regret. My one regret is that I will never be able to see beyond that door. And for that reason, if you think of me as a friend…"

Yofimba flashed a smile.

"Go see beyond those doors in my stead. I will keep a dwarf’s door open for you after my death, so later… much later… come see me and tell me what was beyond those doors."

"That door might be a bit too small for a troll like me to fit in," chuckled Mael.

"I’m going to make you crawl through that door, Mael!" laughed Yofimba. "You’re rather annoying, so I’ll be happy to see you suffer."

“Hahaha…”

Click…

“I want you… to use this gun. You remember the workshop I trade with, right?”

“...Thank you, Yofimba.”

"And you guys from the Artifact Association, listen well. Right now, we are somewhere no one has gone before. We are the Artifact Association. We are psychos more obsessed with the secrets in ruins than with our family and friends."

Yofimba looked at the remaining members of the Artifact Association one by one.

"I don’t honestly think that all of you will make it. But… if by some miracle, if at least one of you survives… let the world know what happened here. And with your chest open, tell the world this…"

“......”

"We delved into secrets! We battled amidst these ancient halls. Now, I’m done talking, so everyone, fuck off."

Mael grabbed Yofimba’s hands.

“Yofimba, I will record your life and store it in the end of the Artifact Association’s ancient records.”

“Until dust piles on it?”

“Of course.”

"Haha… To be born in flesh and blood, to die as a book... that's... incredible..."

Thud.

And like that, Yofimba, a leader of the Artifact Association, passed away.

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

“Alright, open the door.”

A large key remained where Stompy’s corpse had disappeared.

The Steel Lion lifted it over his shoulders and headed to the keyhole.

Before he placed the key into it, he hesitated for a second.

"I’m sorry, troll," said the Steel Lion to Mael. "...I apologize for my discourtesy thus far."

It appeared he had changed his mind after seeing Mael’s desperate actions for him and Yofimba.

Click…

Creaaaak…

As the key entered its hole, the door let out a long creak. It had clearly been a while since the door was last opened.

“You can hit me once if you’re still upset at me,” said the Steel Lion.

“If I hit you, you’ll be the first among us to pass through the dwarf-sized door,” answered Mael.

“......”

- LMFAOOOO

- One punch to send him to Yofimba’s side.

"If we manage to make it out of here..." Mael began, while sheepishly touching his enlarged muscles, "how about you buy us all a drink?"

“What?”

Mael's timely remark helped ease everyone's tension.

“Sure,” laughed the Steel Lion. “I’ll buy a lot, so just give me the chance.”

The mood was relaxed as they descended down the stairs.

Pause.

However, Seol, who was following them at the rear, suddenly paused for a moment.

“What is it?”

“...It’s nothing.”

Seol had been staring at the inscriptions on the door for a long time before they finally opened it.

‘What could it be?’

Previously, Seol felt a sense of déjà vu from the magic words used to illuminate the room. That same feeling was washing over him right now.

Seol definitely had a good memory. He could recall most things in detail as long as they weren’t too minor.

So it made sense he would have questions when he couldn’t remember something after being transferred.

‘But then I learned I could regain my memories once I get back my pieces… But this is a completely different feeling… this is… different…’

The feeling Seol had upon seeing the magic words…

He didn’t know them, and yet he did.

If the memories with his pieces felt like a book with pages torn out of it, this felt more like a book with perfectly normal pages, but with completely different contents.

Almost as if he was reading a revised version of the book…

“Solitary Confinement.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, it’s just… I just think the words on the door meant that.”

“What are you saying, really…”

And like that, Seol followed the rest of the expedition party down the stairs.

As they headed down, one man remained behind the door.

It was Ner.

“Sorry, this is as far as I go…”

Fade…

Ner then disappeared.

* * *

Drip…

Drip…

Alcatron Floor B5.

“I can feel it… this is… incredible.”

“This energy… everyone, stick together!”

“They’re quite welcoming, aren’t they? Judging by how they’re just letting us into their living room like this…”

Seol felt an ominous energy brush past his skin.

Floor B5 wasn’t particularly dark. Surprisingly, quite a number of dim lights were in the air.

“I doubt… they’re welcoming us, right?” said Seol.

“Obviously. I bet it was just a whim.”

“I just hope that something shows up soon, anything…”

Suddenly, the expedition party heard a voice.

“Frannan! Frannan, it’s you! Ohohoho.”

Frannan’s face stiffened.

“This voice is… Damn it, I wasn’t expecting that at all…”

The voice spoke once more.

“It’s me, Bornuil.”

Bornuil.

Finding him was the expedition party’s objective, even if it was just his corpse.

Bornuil, the Libra.

Woosh…

Fwoo… Fwoo… Fwoo…

Small fires formed in the air, almost as they were creating a path.

At the end of the path sat a hunched old man, facing away from them.

“Bornuil!” shouted one of the magicians. “Master Bornuil!”

“Tower Master, it’s us! Are you alright?”

Frannan raised his hand, preventing them from walking toward him.

“You idiots… Why are you asking him that?”

“Huh?”

“He isn’t Libra.”

The old man laughed insidiously.

“Ohohoho… You realized it, Frannan?”

“Where is Bornuil?”

“He is… inside me.”

“Who… are you?”

“I… am over there.”

Bornuil gestured with his chin.

Fwoo… Fwoo…

The flames paved a new path.

There, the figure of a human floated, their limbs wrapped in chains like a straitjacket, their face sealed by a mask.

“...I can’t tell anything about you from that.”

Suddenly, the old man began to twitch.

A horrifying, terrifying voice emanated from him.

“Hold still! You still…”

It was clear that it wasn’t just one soul inside Bornuil.

Frannan’s expression stiffened.

"Hey, you. The bastard who fearlessly entered Libra's body."

“Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah, you.”

He was also the one who dragged them into this hidden ruin and stole Libra’s body as well.

“Who… are you?”

Bornuil’s eyes began to glow red as the evil within him smiled.