The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-211

Seol received a few messages.

[You have acquired new information.]

[Sudden Adventure 'An Uninvited Guest at Night' is now active.]

[Adventure 29-2. ‘An Uninvited Guest at Night’

You have managed to escape from the collapsing smuggling route safely. Your pursuers from Nevenia are struggling to chase you because of the rocks blocking their way.

You have put a lot of distance between yourselves and them in the Nogurs Mountains. However, due to your party’s lack of endurance, you must spend the night here.

Though stopping isn't ideal given the incoming pursuers in Adeline, you’ve judged that rushing ahead isn’t any better.

But now, are you facing the consequences of that decision?

Someone appeared in the middle of the night.

Objective: Defeat the uninvited guest.

This Adventure is a Sudden Adventure.

This Adventure is dangerous.

Remaining Time [Unknown]]

“I’m not interested in things like that,” said Shuro.

“Oh, really?”

“Instead, I’m more interested in other sounds.”

Fwirl…

Shuro quickly reattached his dismembered arm, using his shadows to bind the pieces together.

“Like screams and such, but more importantly...” began Shuro. “Crow, who are you? This is the first time I’ve ever heard of you.”

“Isn’t this our first time meeting? I don’t know who you are either, but…” Seol continued, staring at Shuro reattaching his arm. “I think I have an idea of where you’re from.”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah.”

Seol turned for a second, checking Riona and Chadorf’s safety before facing Shuro again.

“The Church of Eternal Life.”

“Huh? How’d you know?” asked Shuro, completely shocked.

“You’re definitely from the Church of Eternal Life if you can’t tell why.”

“Why would you explain it like that… I can’t have a conversation with you at all…”

“I don’t like the Church of Eternal Life,” said Seol. “And as I expected, you’re from there. Did Bria send you?”

Shuro’s expression quickly changed.

It was as if a lake had frozen over in a second.

“...Don’t say that name so easily.”

“I’m right once again,” smiled Seol. “Thank you for being so easy to read.”

“How does someone like you know who Miss Bria is?”

“If I had to put it in one word, I guess we’d be enemies. More importantly, are you just going to keep talking?”

Raise…

Shuro formed a greatsword from the shadows.

“No… Of course not. If you and Miss Bria have a hostile relationship… I should quickly remove you.”

“Yeah, we’re busy as well. Let’s go already.”

“You arrogant… Argh!”

Fwoosh!

Shuro moved swiftly, at the same speed that Chadorf couldn’t match. Confident of an easy victory, Shuro acted without much thought.

‘He’s probably a summoner… I should take off that weird crow mask first and…’

Fwip…

However, Karuna quickly stepped in between them.

Not only was Karuna fast enough to keep up with Shuro, but Shuro also got the sense that Karuna was even faster than him.

“Where do you think you’re looking?” asked Karuna.

Baaaaaam!

“Bwrrrrgh…”

Karuna’s kick struck Shuro’s stomach like a whip, sending him flying.

Cruuuush!

Shuro crashed into a tree, breaking it with the impact.

As Seol and Shuro’s fight continued, Riona was busy trying to treat Chadorf.

“Oh my… Chadorf! Chadorf, wake up!”

“......”

“Don’t leave me alone, Chadorf!”

Chadorf slowly began to wake up as Riona continued shaking him.

“Urgh…”

“Chadorf?”

“I-I apologize… Your Highness. S-So you died with me….”

“Huh? What are you talking about?! Who are you calling dead? No one’s dead?”

“Wh-what…? What do you…”

As Chadorf slowly tried to get up, still completely confused about the situation, Earl Brispin came running from a distance.

“Haah… Haah… Wh-what is going on?” panicked Earl Brispin.

“We were ambushed.”

“What?! Th-then what’s happening right now, Your Highness?”

“Crow is currently…”

Turn…

Princess Riona found herself at a loss for words trying to explain the situation. So instead, she led Earl Brispin to witness the indescribable scene himself.

Claaaaang!

Claaaaaaaaaang!

“Damn it…”

Baaam!

“Urgh…”

They initially expected Shuro to overwhelm Seol due to the clear difference between Shuro and Chadorf, but… the situation was quite the opposite.

“What the…”

Bam!

“Krgh…”

Cruuush!

“Ahhh! That hurts, damn it!”

Seol’s black knight was completely overwhelming Shuro.

In fact, it was so one-sided that it almost seemed unfair.

Fwooosh…

Shuro continued to heal himself with his shadows, but he was clearly tired.

“Haah… You’re pretty good?”

“And you’re not.”

“Stop messing with me… Know your place…”

Grind…

Seol had a few questions after seeing Shuro heal like that. Shuro was undoubtedly a shadow; Seol could sense it.

‘Then… what’s with his body?’

A shadow constantly healing itself through more shadows was something Seol had never even heard of before.

‘Did the Church of Eternal Life… make something annoying again?’

Crack…

“It was a good thing I listened to Miss Bria,” bragged Shuro, cracking his neck. “I’ll do it properly now.”

Fwirl!

Fwirl!

Two shadows, roughly the size of two adult males, appeared by Shuro’s side.

“Viran and Vidon, say hi.”

“Kieeeeeee…”

“Kah! Kaaaaaaah!”

The two monsters had torn mouths, with teeth protruding in each and every direction. It was as if their creator was trying to make them look as hideous as possible.

“Viran, Vidon… get ready.”

“Kiaaaaaaah!”

Fwoosh!

The situation quickly transformed into a 1 vs 3.

Swish!

Fwooooosh…

Karuna’s sword began to vibrate weakly.

His energy then began to slowly rise before exploding entirely.

Gloooooooow!

[Karuna has entered the 3rd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Full Moon.]

Flinch!

Shuro was shocked by Karuna’s sudden burst of energy, but knowing he had more up his sleeve, he acted calmly and patiently.

Thuuud!

Viran’s attack landed on the ground, missing Karuna’s arm.

An opening.

As Karuna tried to use the opening to land an upward strike…

Viran had continued to keep his eyes on Karuna.

Hum…

[Viran used Scorn]

[The target is sent away from Viran.]

Fwooosh…

A strange energy shoved Karuna away, ruining his stance.

“Vidon!”

This time, Vidon looked at Karuna.

Hmmm…

[Vidon used Admiration.]

[The target is brought closer to Vidon.]

Hum…

It felt as if someone was pushing his back.

Karuna spun in an attempt to redirect it, but it was futile.

“Here!”

Fwooosh!

Claaaaang!

Shuro’s greatsword struck Karuna’s armor directly.

[Hope Devourer consumes the impact.]

[Hope Devourer currently has an empty stomach.]

[Hope Devourer digests all of the impact.]

“...What is that now?”

Fwip!

Karuna used the opening created by Hope Devourer to create distance.

“That’s cheating…”

Raise…

Sensing that his opponents were strong, Seol readied to summon Karen, but…

Karuna raised his hand.

“Master.”

“Karuna?”

“I’m fine.”

“...Okay.”

Unlike before, the Twin Knights kept their stat increases even when summoned alone, thanks to Stand Alone.

As such, there was no real downside to not summoning Karen here.

Still, Karuna would be facing three enemies alone… The question was whether he was capable of defeating them.

Seol accepted Karuna’s wishes for now and simply observed.

Fwooosh…

“Did you know…”

Shuro was now addressing Karuna, not Seol.

“I’m special.”

Karuna chose to reply.

“I understand that you’re special.”

“Hehehehehe… I was chosen by Miss Bria,” grinned Shuro. “I was chosen… by the Church of Eternal Life… So that’s why…”

Fwip!

“You should just die already!”

“Kiaaaaah!”

“Kieeee…”

The four began their fight.

Claaaang!

Fwoooosh!

Karuna focused primarily on Viran, the one who had sent him away, as that ability was the most bothersome.

Hum…

[Viran used Admiration.]

[The target is brought closer to Viran.]

Glooow…

Karuna’s eyes began to glow in a black hue.

Karuna wasn’t surprised by it at all, as he had considered the possibility of both monsters being capable of using both skills.

Fwirl!

Shuro’s greatsword appeared from his blind spot.

Clang!

Karuna defended it. Now, it was time to counter.

However, his opponents wouldn’t let him do so easily.

Vidon focused his glare on him to send him away. However, Karuna shot out something from his hands before Vidon could do anything.

Fwooosh!

“Kiaaaaaah!”

After landing a dagger on Vidon’s eye, Karuna rushed in.

“Urgh…”

Karuna was much stronger than Shuro.

As such, Shuro was limited to going on the defensive until Vidon recovered.

But… Karuna’s target wasn’t Shuro.

Splaaaatter!

“Kieeeeeeh!”

Karuna successfully severed Viran’s arm.

Shuro gritted his teeth as he quickly stepped in to stop Karuna’s assault.

Claaang!

Clang!

“Die! Die already! Die now!”

Shuro held a unique position within the Church of Eternal Life. As a member of its next generation, he was among those destined to lead the future.

Endowed with special powers, they were talents groomed for this purpose, and Shuro was no exception.

Claaang!

Clang!

“It’s… It’s never been like this before…”

Claaaang…

“Kiaaaah!”

Swish!

Karuna found another opening and, this time, cut off Vidon’s arms.

“Stop it!”

Hum!

[Viran used Scorn]

[The target is sent away from Viran.]

Thud…

“Haah… Haah…”

“......”

Karuna quickly fixed his stance.

Karuna had undoubtedly won this quick interaction.

As long as he kept their potential skills in mind and was prepared for it, there was no way he would lose.

However, on the other side, Shuro was completely shocked by his loss.

“I… was chosen… so why…”

Though Seol was confident in his victory, he did have some worries after seeing Shuro’s mental state.

‘He gives me a bad feeling…’

Shuro clenched his fists, his body trembling, before…

“Right… There was always that method.”

Shuro quickly opened his mouth wide and began inhaling the air around him.

Wooooosh!

Well, it would be more accurate to say that he was inhaling the shadows.

“Kieeeee!”

“Kiaaaaaah!”

Shuro absorbed both Viran and Vidon into his mouth.

“Haah… Haah…”

Seol kept his eyes honed in on Shuro.

Grow…

His body… began to be shrouded in shadows like Seol in the Night Crow form.

“I… won’t lose.”

Shuro then recalled a memory.

“Shuro, you were chosen.”

“Really…?”

"Yes. Never forget that I, Bria, chose only you out of countless children."

Her words held truth, yet a lie was also woven within them.

The other children who went through the experiment had all died.

Shuro was the only one who had managed to survive it.

It was an experiment that directly implanted shadows into individuals who they saw had potential.

Shuro was the sole survivor of that experiment.

His body accepted the shadows, allowing him to survive any injury as long as his head remained.

Bria believed that as long as he had time to grow, Shuro possessed more than enough potential to replace the Immortal. This belief led her and the other leaders to spare no expense in aiding his development.

Furthermore, she discovered another unique aspect of Shuro.

“Shuro, you grow stronger the more you fight.”

“What do you mean by that, Miss Bria?”

“The shadow inside of you is able to quickly adapt to your opponent’s movements. You are much more sensitive, you can remember your opponent’s moves more easily.”

“Then… as long as I don’t die…”

“Precisely. As long as you don’t die, you will be able to defeat anyone.”

Clench…

Tighten…

Shuro quickly returned from his memories to face reality.

Seol had more questions after seeing Shuro’s new form.

‘Is it Night Crow? No… it’s slightly different. He’s forcibly holding the shadows.’

“Hehehehehe…!” laughed Shuro. “I’m invincible! I was chosen!”

Split!

As he placed his hand onto his greatsword, it split into two.

Fwooooosh!

After having absorbed Viran and Vidon, Shuro charged at Karuna much faster than before.

Clang!

‘Not yet…’

Claaaaaang!

‘Not yet…’

Shuro fiercely swung both swords, gaining speed with each passing second.

Claaang!

Claaaang!

‘Still not enough!’

Claaaaaang!

Shuro was slowly entering a stance.

“He’s getting faster,” said Seol.

Shuro heard Seol as well. And those words gave him confidence.

‘I can win! I’m getting stronger! I’m getting faster!’

Shuro then recalled the words Bria had told him.

As long as he doesn’t die, he will get stronger.

‘Faster! Even faster!’

Claaaaang!

‘More! More!’

Shuro was putting his all into each and every attack, but…

Something… Something felt off.

‘Why… Why is it… still the same?’

He soon realized why.

[Karuna has entered the 4th Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Black Moon.]

Fwoooooosh…

The black knight began to radiate more dark energy.

‘No… This can’t be it! I… should be faster… I was chosen… I need to be complimented by Miss Bria…’

Am I slower right now?

Or did he become faster?

Or is it…

‘Both…’

Shuro quickly came to a realization.

It would take a lot more to defeat the knight in front of him. The moment he realized this, his combat senses quickly activated.

“Dieeeeeee!”

His attack was a feint.

Shuro then activated the skill he had been saving for his final play.

Hum!

[Shuro used Someone Else's Shoes.]

[You swap places with the target you have your eyes on.]

A new skill he acquired after devouring Viran and Vidon.

Shuro had swapped places with the pawn to charge at the king.

He wasted no time and unleashed a powerful attack.

“If you just… If you just died already…!”

“Then what?”

“Why are… you…”

Shuro was prevented from going any further, as if a large magnet was pulling his body away. It felt as if someone was holding him back by his hair.

“Goodbye,” waved Seol.

Rumble rumble rumble!

Shuro was then pulled back as if a hurricane was sucking him in.

Splaaaaatter!

He was then cut in half by the black wave Karuna had created.

“Khrgh…”

Drip…

Drip…

Shuro gave a fiendish shriek after seeing his severed legs.

“I’ll kill you bastaaaaaaaaards!”

Shuro fearlessly attempted to use another skill after screaming at them in an effort to intimidate them.

[Shuro used Humiliation.]

[You are briefly immune to all slow and crowd control effects.]

Fwirl!

Shuro threw his body over the cliff, appearing like a deflated balloon.

He had to survive. For now… all he had to do was live.

Shuro’s survival instincts had kicked in, saving him.

There was no one chasing him as he safely lowered himself down the rest of the cliff.

Wooosh…

Shuro’s lower body had regrown already.

Though his regeneration speed was ridiculous, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t taken any damage at all.

“Haah… Haah… Th-they’re… monsters… I need to… I need to tell… Miss Bria…”

Shuro rummaged through his inventory, searching for his crystal ball as he wobbled. But...

“Where… did it go?” panicked Shuro, his eyes wide with shock.

“You were a good liar, weren’t you?” laughed Seol, after seeing Shuro escape.

Karuna had grown much more, and at a much quicker pace, than he could have ever imagined. Seol sensed it once again through this battle.

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

“N-No way.”

“So he was that strong…”

Riona and Brispin were in awe of Karuna’s skills.

Chadorf couldn’t believe it either, he continued to blink as if he were doubting whether this was real or not.

Seol turned to face the rest of them.

He first asked Chadorf who was the most injured.

“Are you alright?”

“A-Ah!” Chadorf flinched. “Luckily, I don’t think anything’s broken… sir.”

“Huh?”

“Ahem… I’m saying it hurts a lot, but I can still move… sir.”

“...Okay.”

“What should we do?” Riona asked worriedly. “Who do you think sent him?”

“What did he say to you?”

“Urm… Right! He was looking for a statue.”

“A statue…? He must be from the Church of Eternal Life.”

“Th-the Church of Eternal Life?”

With a somber pose, Earl Brispin closed his eyes.

“If the Church of Eternal Life is after us too… the situation is much worse than we thought.”

“For now,” said Seol. “Let’s try to get more information.”

“More information? How?”

Raise…

Seol lifted a brilliant crystal ball from his inventory. He then clicked his tongue, as if he had somewhat given up.

“It’s much more useful than I thought…”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing.”