The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-249

Ur’s voice reached him in the dead of night.

‘How am I supposed to answer him, though?’

Though Seol knew multiple ways to communicate with his summons when they spoke to him in his mind, he was at a loss now because they were somewhere completely separate.

- Hey, Seol. Close your eyes.

Fortunately, Ur proposed a method first.

Seol began doing what Ur asked of him.

Normally, closing his eyes would plunge him into complete darkness, but instead, he started to see a fog-like shape.

He then saw Ur’s face.

It was as if Seol were looking at his face through a movie screen, a sense of distance existed between them as if he were a person from a different dimension.

“It’s been a while,” said Ur. “You almost feel like a stranger now.”

“It’s been a while, Ur.”

The two of them smirked after shooting each other a glance.

Seol then asked a question after seeing the background behind Ur.

“What’s the situation, exactly?”

"We were desperately hanging on the entire time because of the void being constructed. You've really passed on such an absurd thing, huh?" laughed Ur. "Regardless, I've finished constructing a portion of it, at least. I used the remainder of my strength to talk to you. So, what's it like right now?"

“It’s bearable with Karuna here.”

“That’s good. I didn’t think his reckless actions would actually be able to help you.”

Karuna was the incredible one for being able to reach Seol, Ur's judgments were not wrong at all.

“Look, Seol.”

“Yeah.”

“How much do you know about the void?”

“Just that summons and creations are able to grow stronger while in the void.”

“I guess you didn’t know that it would take this much time to construct it.”

“...Yeah.”

Perhaps it took the Immortal much quicker because his creations weren’t sentient?

Regardless, there was a clear, definite difference in the construction speed.

“So, how much longer will it take?” asked Seol.

“It’s already complete. I just need some time to acclimate to it, and… once it’s ready, we can leave one by one.”

“One by one? Is it that difficult to leave?”

"Essentially, we put everything inside first, before we built the house. Although making the door is a problem in itself, compared to the current size of the void, the ones here are too strong. So, I need some time. Once we can expand the space more, I’ll be able to make a bigger door.”

“...I understand.”

Crackle…

The vision of Ur began to wrinkle.

“Damn, the connection’s cutting off already. Look, Seo—”

As Ur tried to adjust his glasses, someone pushed his face aside and filled the screen.

“Ah! Why are you hiding here? Huh? Master? Is that you, Master?”

The ever-lively Karen smiled after seeing Seol.

“Karen.”

“Master, wait for us! We’ll get there no matter what, alright?! Ur, this fucking bastard… How dare you talk to him without us?!”

"I excluded you because we would have gotten side-tracked if I didn't. I see now that it was the right decision."

As Karen lunged at Ur, grabbing him by his collar, Jamad also showed up.

“Jamad.”

“...Looks like you’re safe,” said Jamad.

Ur continued to shout in the background.

"Argh... Stop! Fine, if you have something to say, say it now. I already said what I needed to."

“Huh? Huuuh?”

“You said you had something to say, right?” said Ur, once more. “Say it now.”

Sensing Seol’s gaze, Karen twiddled her fingers together while looking around, embarrassed.

“Uh… Urm… So… You can go first, troll!”

“Me?”

“Yeah!”

Jamad flashed a big smile.

“Don’t die until I can get there, Seol.”

Seol smiled and nodded back.

Crackle…

The screen began to fade even more.

“Karen.”

“Yeah… Uh… Let’s see each other again, yeah?”

Jamad and Ur quickly chipped in.

“How emotional…”

“Shut the hell up, you fucking fanged-monst—”

Click…

Their connections swiftly cut off.

Seol’s smile quickly faded from his face.

He found himself not wanting to open his eyes, like someone desperate to return to the dream they had just woken from.

A midnight reunion.

Seol lingered on those feelings for a bit longer before finally returning.

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

Click.

Seol placed a large chest on the table.

The Evil Ghost's Remains was covered in black stains and eerie-looking charms.

[Haah… That was nice.]

Agony finally returned to Seol after taking a long bath.

With a wet towel over its head, Agony used its tail to open and close the doors before finally lying in a corner of Seol’s bed.

- It’s not an evil spirit. I saw it.

- Agony’s a middle-aged man, for sure.

Seol glanced at Agony before opening the chest.

Creak…

[You open the Evil Ghost's Remains.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have received a skill point.]

[You have received a skill point.]

[Affluent’s Bonus Effect activates.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[Sly Blood-Hue Snake activates.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[Someone Better’s Bonus Effect activates.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[You have acquired Early Evening Vestment.]

[You have acquired Icicle Wall.]

[You have acquired Dreary Acrobatics.]

[You have acquired Dusk.]

[You have acquired 32 platinum coins(Khan).]

[You have acquired 8 extra-large red potions.]

…...

Seol quickly read through the messages, picking out the equipment he did not need.

‘I can look at Icicle Wall and Dreary Acrobatics later since no one can use them. Though, the other items…’

Early Evening Vestment and Dusk.

Seol examined the stats of the black robe adorned with gold embroidery.

[[Early Evening Vestment]

Quality: Abomination

Recommended Level: 41-48

Defense: 120

Durability: 145/135

Weight: 0.2kg

A vestment that appears to be adorned with the night sky. It bestows knowledge upon the wearer each day but drains much more vitality in return.

Basic Effect: +35 Wisdom, +30 Constitution, +29 Spirit

Bonus Effect: Every 30 days, the wearer’s Wisdom, Intelligence, or Spirit increases by 3. However, in exchange, the wearer suffers a curse that reduces Constitution by 2.]

- This equipment’s a trap.

- It still pisses me off that it gives Constitution, though LOL

- It’s an Abomination so he can’t even wear it, even if the stats are good.

- Abomination?

- Abomination?????

Seol immediately equipped the Early Evening Vestment.

[You have currently equipped 4 Abominations.]

[All of your stats increase by 10.]

[All of your skills have their mana costs decreased by 10%.]

[Shadow Space increases by 1,000.]

[All of your stats increase by 20.]

Though Seol had only changed his top, his stats exploded massively.

- Flagellant’s Seal is busted.

- It doesn’t even take an item slot, and it gives a +30 to all stats???

- The fact that it’s just a bonus is even more ridiculous…

- You didn’t complain about it then, what are you going to do now? LOL

Next was the necklace named Dusk.

Truthfully, Seol was looking forward to this.

‘Items normally have shorter names the better they are, after all.’

Space, Breath, Flare, Atonement, Fire Monkey, etc.

All of these items with short names had been incredible.

Seol could instinctively tell from the energy radiating from the chest that Dusk was not an ordinary item.

And then…

[You have acquired Peerless: Dusk.]

[You have acquired an item that didn’t exist in the world previously.]

Seol gripped the necklace in his hand.

- Let’s go!

- Caution! Caution! The viewers are about to get insanely jealous!

- Run away!!!

[[Peerless: Dusk]

Quality: Peerless

Recommended Level: 42-50

Resistance: 140

Durability: 150/150

Weight: 0.1kg

A necklace imbued with the powers of Phantom, a cruel and vicious legendary ghost. With Phantom’s soul dispersed, the evil energies within the necklace have been purified.

Basic Effect: +25 All Stats

Bonus Effect: Fear (Unique), Pitch Black (Unique), Night's Domain (Unique). The wearer no longer suffers damage from ghost energy and instead heals from it. The wearer has an extremely high chance of resisting Abnormal Status: Bleed when injured by a sharp weapon.]

- Finally! It’s been a while!

- Wasn’t this Phantom’s item, though? Why isn’t it Haunted?

- Right? Who the fuck purified it?! Snowman doesn’t care about things like that! He wants it as is!

- I bet Spectre would’ve come too as a package deal if it was Haunted, though 😭

- I feel like the viewers are becoming more and more like Snowman… you’re all so greedy.

‘I like the ghost energy effect, but the resistance to bleeding is… ambiguous.’

While Seol already had an effect that allowed him to resist ghost energy, Dusk allowed him to recover from it instead.

However, Seol did not find the resistance to Bleed particularly useful, as he already possessed the Blood of Origin.

‘Though it’d be stranger if it were always useful effects.’

Seol couldn’t do anything about the somewhat useful effects that appeared from time to time.

Still, Seol considered himself fortunate. After all, he was only experiencing this now.

[[Fear(Unique)]

- If the enemy’s stats are 20% lower than the wearer’s, gain stats equal to 30% of the difference.]

- So it’s for slaughtering weaklings, lol

- Not enough! Give us more!

[[Pitch Black(Unique)]

- If the wearer deals over 5% of the enemy’s maximum health, there is a small chance to inflict Abnormal Status: Blindness for 2 seconds.]

- Stevie Wonder Punch! Stevie Wonder Punch!

- So it’s like hitting them so hard they become dazed…?

[[Night's Domain(Unique)]

- Increase the size of all area-of-effect skills by 30%.]

- Where the fuck is Phantom?????

- He’s cheating!!!!

- I thought we were safe after seeing the resistance to Bleed but I guess not!

Satisfied, Seol smiled before thinking of what to do next.

‘I already have Atonement, though…’

The equipment slots overlapped.

It was the first time he had encountered this problem, and in the worst case, he might have to give one up.

Luckily, though, Seol had a really good way of dealing with this.

“Karuna.”

“Thank you.”

“......”

- Things Karuna won’t share with Karen: the chicken leg in a six-piece meal, the armrest on a plane, and Peerless items.

- I feel like you slipped in what you liked in there LOL

- You’ve become stronger, Karuna! Sharing is for the weak!

[You have equipped Karuna, the Moonlight Knight, with Peerless: Dusk.]

Next were the titles.

[[Special Title: Darkness Banisher]

Related Achievement: Fearless (Adventure: Dragon War)

Bonus Effect: Reduce dark-attribute damage received by 20%.]

‘Simple.’

Seol’s fight against Phantom would have been much easier if he had this title beforehand.

Still, it was also thanks to that difficult fight that Seol was able to learn more skills.

Close…

After taking only the necessary items, he closed the chest once more. Suddenly, Agony called for him.

[That!]

“Hm?”

[That came out of the chest too! That!]

Seol quickly turned his head in the direction Agony was pointing.

A strange, small, smoke-like entity hovered in the corner of the room, watching carefully. Seol tilted his head in confusion before realizing what it was.

‘Is that…?’

Seol did see Phantom’s traces seep into the Evil Ghost’s Remains.

However, he thought it was purely visual, nothing more. Seol now realized that it was something more significant.

‘Then that means…’

“That’s Phantom!” shouted Seol. “Or maybe his soul?”

[What? That?]

“Grab him!”

Seol, considering himself lucky that he had kept the door closed, chased after Phantom.

Fwip!

Fwip!

However, he couldn’t catch him at all, likely because he did not have any physical body.

‘Damn it…’

But then…

[Caught him!]

“...Huh?”

Agony caught him rather easily.

[I got him! I got him!]

Agony proudly shouted as it clung tightly to Phantom.

[Hey, hold still!]

Slap! Slap!

Agony began slapping the black smoke with its short arms.

But then… something neither expected happened.

Fwip!

[What should I do—urgh… krgh… kegh… ahhh…]

Fwoosh!

The smoke entered Agony through its mouth.

Agony had swallowed something that even Seol didn’t know the exact identity of.

“Agony, spit it out!”

[Wragh… I can’t… He disappeared!]

“...Are you alright?”

Agony scratched its head.

[It’s… not bad? He’s kind of tasty too. But… Huh?]

“What is it?”

Gurgle, gurgle…

[I-I don’t feel so good… my stomach…]

Seol quickly checked Agony’s stats.