The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor - Chapter 280

Chapter 280

 Volume 29 Chapter 7

7) Spirit King’s Sculpture

Weed informed his other colleagues of the information he obtained .  Irene smiled lightly .

“The King of the Fire Spirits cursed the continent to be hot because people carelessly touched his relics . ”

Surka also expressed her excitement at the interesting story .

“I like hearing about unusual stories of the past . Aren’t we the only ones who know about this unknown history of the Versailles Continent?”

Hwaryeong and Bellot were discussing putting on a show about King Belsos .

There were a lot of small scale performance venues in Morata .  Performances often occurred in Light Square or Bingryong Square and stats would increase depending on the success and audience reactions .

Weed created sculptures with historical stories and this historical information would have a good effect on the performances .  The audience welcomed this with performances because they could gain more knowledge stats .

Of course, it was only possible to gain some stats the first time hearing the historical fact .  That’s why the audience kept on demanding better performances .  It was the reason why bards travelled around the continent asking for stories .

“Then I just need the Agate crystal . ”

Weed found numerous Agate crystals in one place .  The quantity was quite a lot as he saw at least 120 of them .

“But I don’t know if I can take it!”

Belsos’ tomb had many treasures such as a desert warrior’s equipment .  But there was no assurance that he could leave with the sculpting material .

“I have to do this somehow . ”

Weed was deep in thought The treasures couldn’t be opened that easily .  Some traps might be installed! In this case, he had to be suspicious and watch the boundaries .

Weed felt even more suspicious thanks to his experiences so far .

“The Dragon’s Quest won’t end this simply . Why else would the Spartoi be sent for support? We wandered a short while looking for the ruins and there was a fight against the monsters but I can’t really say that we struggled . ”

Usually quests of this difficulty would work out fine and he would feel happy until he was hit in the back of the head .  So far he had many experiences with high difficulty quests .

“There is nothing that can be easily solved in this world . ”

His colleagues stood quietly and waited for his choice .  If the wrong choice was made then everyone would be in trouble so they had to believe in him and wait .

Zephyr whispered .

“I’ll just believe in Weed-nim’s decision . ”

Bellot also spoke in a low voice .

“These are also my thoughts . We will become cockroaches that won’t die even if we’re stepped on . ”

Weed’s other colleagues also agreed .

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“I won’t do that . ”

Weed decided not to touch the sculpting materials .

He felt tremendous anguish but the agate crystal was more important than gold or jewels .  The Crimson Wings Guild had touched the treasures out of greed and suffered for it .

“It is like ordering a fried chicken that came marinated . ”

Weed looked around the king’s chamber for other materials and treasures .  Based on the memories he witnessed from King Belsos’ sculpture, he needed to discard greed .

“I understand that he made a lot of elemental sculptures . ”

Belsos had lived an arduous life from an early age and the spirits were his friends .  And he discovered a statue of a Fire Spirit that was half finished!

It wasn’t made with an ordinary skill .  It had the appearance of King Belsos ling in the desert and his entire body seemed to consist of an elemental spirit .  Weed looked at the unfinished sculpture and it seemed like a puzzle had snapped in place .

“The Agate isn’t a treasure but I don’t know if I can take it . I don’t know if a curse will happen or not . ”

Weed had his Sculptor profession in common with Belsos .  Sometimes having spirits as partners would lead to social problems .

“But King Belsos was a Sculpting Master so he must have Elemental Sculpting . ”

Weed had learnt the skill on his own but judging by the memories he saw in the sculpture, King Belsos 100% had Elemental Sculpting .

“If I complete this sculpture then I would probably learn Elemental Sculpting . ”

If so, he obviously had to finish this sculpture . This was a place related to a sculptor so the statue could be seen as a very important key .  His colleagues just continued to watch as Weed’s thoughts got deeper and deeper .

“How are we going to do this?”

“I don’t know . I don’t think we can escape with the treasure right now… . . ”

“Let’s check the surroundings once again . ”

“Ah, he’s laughing!”

A rotten, confident smile was on Weed’s face .

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“Calling the fire elemental, lullulu!”

Weed sang as he carved the sculpture of the spirit .

“Indeed, this luxury is really different . ”

King Belsos had left an unfinished sculpture behind and there were materials available to complete it .

If an elemental shaman went on this quest then they could build up achievements . Or they would discover a high ranking spirit turned to stone .  The power of the spirit inside the stone would match the shaman’s attribute .

Flames rose significantly every time Weed carved the stone .  It was like adding oil to a hot frying pan in a Chinese restaurant .

While Weed was suffering making the sculpture, the others were just eating jajangmyeon with pickled radishes .

Flames continued surging as he sculpted the figure .  It was the best environment for the formation of an elemental sculpture .

Pale came and informed him .

“Weed-nim, it is time for those guys to appear . ”

“It has already been 1 hour . ”

King Belsos’ tomb was infested with the beasts . They periodically entered the stone chamber via other passages .  Weed also needed to handle them with his group .  He could leave it to his colleagues and the Spartoi but he wanted to hunt directly .

“Radiant Sword!”

The degree of proficiency had increased and now 5 sparrows of light appeared .  Flashy effects occurred as the 5 sparrows collided with the monsters .  His sword techniques had clearly become stronger as Sword Mastery increased .

“Weed-nim, this time it is the Ice Locker . ”

The boss class beast, Ice Locker!

“Sword-cloning skill!”

Weed used Sword-cloning instead of Radiant Sword .  The effect of Sword-cloning when hunting against 1 strong monster was really good .

Sya sya sya sya syak .

Weed formed 9 clones .

Grrrr… . .

The Ice Locker looked confused as its eyes alternated between the clones .

Pale, Zephyr and Surka had yet to attack .

“I’m going!”

Weed ran towards the Ice Locker . His clones also ran at the same time .

Kyaho!

The Ice Locker breathed out strongly in front of him .  Extreme cold!

It hit one of the running clones and the body froze .

Kyahahahak!

The Ice Locker’s elbow then struck the clone violently .  The clone turned into a grey light and scattered .  The enemy’s special attack was effective at neutralizing the Sword-cloning skill .

While the other clones induced the monster’s attack, Weed’s Daemon Sword struck the neck of the Ice Locker .

The other clones then jumped onto the Ice Locker .  Weed aggressively continued with his attacks .

“Step on it!”

After it fell into confusion, everyone gathered together and mercilessly showered attacks upon it!

“Die . ”

“Hit it!”

Now Zephyr and Surka who had been waiting struck .  Romuna’s magic and Pale’s arrows also hit .

Weed’s ‘Step on it!’ was the signal!

Hwaryeong and Bellot who had low attack, defense and health normally couldn’t participate in close combat but they also played an active role .  They poked with a dagger and hunted with steel instruments .  Weed attacked the opponent with Sword-cloning while Zephyr and his other colleagues supported him .

It was a classic party combat when dealing with strong monsters! The monster was weakened after being confused by the continuous fatal blows so it was easily taken care of .

His battle style really changed after learning a secret sword technique .  Sword-cloning had a tremendous effect when hunting several monsters at the same time .  The clones helped with defense and also improved overall damage .

Although the rapid mana consumption was a disadvantage, it made hunting significantly faster .  Furthermore, his mana regenerated quickly thanks to his ring, Baharan’s Bracelet and the helium in the Goddess’ Knight Armour so he didn’t feel the need to conserve his use of Sword-cloning .

The Geomchi practitioners still couldn’t take advantage of the skill properly but Weed was perfectly utilizing it .

“This secret sword technique is really great!”

He gained skill proficiency, experience and loot!

Weed and his colleagues had brought a lot of bags into the dungeon .  It was filled with loot every time they hunted .

-Should I depart now?

-Waiting a little longer is acceptable .

Mapan periodically sent whispers to Pale to confirm the situation .  Recently he had bought 12 tamed gargoyles for a very expensive price .  Only the highest level merchants could have a flying gargoyle transportation unit .

Mapan was prepared to come and trade at any time .

Weed’s group used various ways to hunt in the ruins .

“This is a great hunting ground . ”

There were many beasts so somethings King Belsos’ jewels would drop as loot .  It would be different if he came alone but his trusty companions were professional and organized .  Now that Weed had taken care of the boss monster, he didn’t worry about defense as much and had higher damage .

His companions’ skills also harmonized well .  They had grown together from the early stages of the game so they could understand the meaning with just one look .

‘He intends to hunt for 3 more hours . Ugh, I can’t feel my legs . ’

‘So many of these beasts have come out . I once again raised my Perseverance stat while hunting with Weed-nim . ’

‘Ah, I would like Weed-nim to prepare a good meal and I want to walk around wearing the new shoes and clothes that I bought . ’

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“Kuhuhuhuk . ”

“Sa-hyung, this is really nice . ”

“Yes . This is the taste of hunting . ”

The Geomchi practitioners also used Sword-cloning and Radiant Sword .  The monsters were getting increasingly stronger so it took more then the basic sword skills to hunt them properly .

They found it fun to find treasure in dungeons or hunt boss monsters together .  It wasn’t possible to catch the boss monsters by themselves but their combined power was like a death penalty .

Wielding a sword while riding a horse or a wyvern was a man’s romance!

“It is exciting . ”

“Yes, Teacher-nim!”

“Let’s have unlimited fun!”

Orcs were now in the vicinity of Vargo Fortress and high level users had come en masse .  The Geomchi practitioners defeated the monsters and seized the rugged mountains .

They climbed to the top of a high mountain and shouted wildly .  The clouds moved around underneath them . It was a wonderful sight .  They enjoyed a wild life while depending on their strong power!

The Geomchi teachers and practitioners didn’t care about their levels .  They were just satisfied at being able to fight freely .  They ran down the mountain trails covered with the dew of dawn and felt an exhilarating feeling as they fought against monsters .

Their Weapon Mastery skill had increased and they were thankful they could fight like this .

Experience accumulated and they acquired more levels and loot .  They had adapted after the time spent in Vargo Fortress and recently fewer people had died .

“No . 2 . ”

“Yes, Teacher-nim . ”

“We have a pretty old map of Royal Road . ”

“Time has passed already, Teacher-nim . ”

“Yes……”

Geomchi looked at the iron sword in his right hand .

‘I’ve realized the taste . ’

He thought that virtual reality was really wonderful .  As the flesh became more developed, there were fewer chances to show it in reality .  Even if a quarrel occurred with someone else, you weren’t supposed to fight or hit the person .  Martial arts were only used to entertain the crowd .

Royal Road helped to relieve his desires .

“The student who was caught holding an iron pipe in junior high really likes this . ”

“The practitioners also like it . ”

The dojang practitioners adventured in Royal Road while risking death in every battle .  They willingly entered the capsule even on weekends or breaks .

“But it is really strong . ”

While Geomchi was inspecting his sword, Geomchi5 came and asked quietly .

“If we don’t do our best here then wouldn’t our pride be hurt?”

The instructors and practitioners accepted death lightly .

In Royal Road, it would be difficult to win if there was a large difference in level or equipment . The judgement and reaction of the body was a huge help but it was limited .

“It sounds like a fun dream . Here… . . ”

“……”

“I want you to learn this sword . By learning the sword, you will end up looking at yourself . ”

In reality, even if they trained for decades then one mistake would cost them their lives .  They were full of vigour when young but became weaker once they aged .

Even if it was impractical, that was still life .  That’s why the instructors chose the rough roads when learning the sword .  If they experienced real physical suffering, threats to their lives and the joys of becoming stronger then they would be great swordsmen .

Once all these things got stronger, they would find their inner voice .

“We will become stronger in this place . ”

“Then……”

“This will be a good learning experience . ”

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Weed only had 6 days left to spend in King Belsos’ Tomb .  That’s because Akryong Kaybern’s quest had a time limit!

“This rude, spoiled lizard has done nothing to help!”

While hunting and creating the sculpture, he heard rumours from outside .

-Bardray has completed yet another quest .

-Was it shown on a broadcast?

-Not yet . The news just broke . It will be broadcasted this evening .

Bardray had succeeded in his 15th Master Quest .  Class Master Quests normally had between 15~20 steps so he had almost reached the end .

Weed was only on the 14th quest .  The Sculptor Quest might have been shorter than the Black Knight’s due to some luck but he was at a disadvantage .

“Eueuum!”

He felt a pain in his stomach as he continued making the elemental sculpture .

“If I’m feeling a pain in my stomach then I need to eat some medicine . ”

When taking into consideration that he couldn’t be late to meet Kaybern, there wasn’t a lot of time left .  The advantage was that half of it was already done but it was difficult to express the rest .

The elemental sculpture caused huge flames every time used Sculpting Knife so the environment was bad .  It reduced his health and also obstructed is vision .  He had to bear with the fire difficulties in order to complete the tricky sculpture .  Working faster could ruin the work so he needed to be focused and meticulous .

“If I somehow manage to raise my level then I will kill that lizard… . . ”

He had hunted dragons when playing Continent of Magic .  Weed made a promise for the future .

Ddiring!

“A Tribute from a Junior Sculptor to Belsos La Deus the 3rd . ”

Weed had completed the elemental sculpture .  Flattery while setting the name was indispensable!

“It is a great honour to be able to work on the elemental sculpture originally made by the King . That’s correct!”

Weed cried out .  He had 6 days left to complete Kaybern’s quest .

Weed didn’t create the sculpture by himself so he obtained less stats .  Even so, it was a Magnum Opus so it was a great harvest!

‘All my effort and bloody sweat I shed has been rewarded . This thing was exceptionally difficult . Not every sculpture will be easy . ’

King Belsos had flames wrapped around his entire body .  It was difficult because he had to express it naturally, not artificially but he managed to accomplish it with no mistakes despite the flames .

Most sculptures blended in with the surrounding scenery .  Some gave the feeling of serenity under a clear sky filled with white clouds .  The Garden of the Gods was a magnificent work of art that stretched into the sky and incorporated the earth as well .

The light emitted from the Fire Elemental King sculpture gave off a strong presence .

Weed was satisfied with himself .

‘These materials are really good . ’

His colleagues also admired the work .

“As expected from Weed-nim, you made a Magnum Opus . ”

“I knew that a great work would come out . ”

“…… . ”

His companions accepted the sculpture he made with so much difficulty like it was natural!

Weed forced a smile onto his lips .

Thanks to the rise in fire resistance, hunting became easier .  Typically ice magic was more dangerous . The body couldn’t move and it would lose combat power .  But many monsters utilized fire and there were dangerous fire spells .

Furthermore, if his fire resistance reached 100% then he could use the Dragon Sword, the Red Star .  Weed’s fire resistance was already over 7% thanks to the magic circle in the Jigolaths and now it had increased by 3 . 4% .  If he wore an accessory like the Ring of Famous Fire then his fire resistance would increase even further .

‘If I buy a necklace or bracelet then I can increase it by 79% . ’

If he used Sculptural Transformation into the relevant race and his blacksmith skill was applied then he could take advantage of the Red Star .

‘A day will come when I can use that item . I can’t throw anything away . ’

Picking up japtem gave him a rewarding feeling .  It was the spirit that wanted to save so much it would transfer a used diaper to another child!

The resistance would change depending on the species he changed into with Sculpture Transformation . But if he prepared it in advance then he could utilize it .

It would be possible to become the original owner of the Dragon Sword .

“That is the difficult thing about stolen goods . ”

After meeting Akryong Kaybern, Weed realized he couldn’t use it for normal hunting .  If he utilized it moderately in important moments then he could see it for a high price when the time came .

Then the temperature of the stone chamber rose .  The high temperate was like flames were occurring at midday in the desert .

The huge, golden statue of the scorpion opened its eyes .

“Eueuum… . . ”

“Isn’t this really serious?”

“Somehow the signs don’t look good . ”

Weed’s and his companions recalled the suffering of the Crimson Wings Guild in the past .  King Belsos had wiped out the entire expedition and the continent fell under a curse .

“Gulp . ”

Weed was as vigilant as the time he heard that city gas prices were rising on the 9 o’clock news .

Flames spread quickly and a fire spirit came flying out .  The fire spirit wandered around inside the stone chamber .  It was a cool but frightening sight .

The Fire Elemental sculpture started burning even though he hadn’t given it life .

-Humans have visited my land… . .

The second coming of King Belsos! Weed quickly kneeled down .

“I have a lot of respect for the Great King Belsos and it is an extreme honour to meet you . I am a junior sculptor wandering the continent . I came here due to the request of the wicked Akryong Kaybern but it is an honour to meet you!”

Weed fired off flattery like a quick fire gun! King Belsos looked at Weed and his companions .

-You are qualified to meet me . Without being blinded by greed… My test was passed brilliantly .

Ddukkum!

He wasn’t just talking to Weed but the party in the corner .

-And there is a person following my path to glory .

King Belsos was covered with fire . And King Belsos walked with his fire towards Weed .

-Raise your head and stand up . People who realize true beauty don’t have to bow .

Weed’s head spun fiercely .  If he could live like that then the world would be good . However he did everything possible in order to live .

‘Would I score more if I lived like that? It is imperative that I be polite . This might seem like the rules of decorum among sculptors but it is strange for another sculptor to receive equal treatment . ’

Weed decided to lower his head a bit more .

King Belsos had a ruthless persona . It was the same in the past when he was a human and when he cruelly expressed his displeasure to the Crimson Wings Guild .

He was even scarier now that he was so polite .  It was like the neighbourhood child in the public baths who would behave before drawing on the bodies of other men there .

“No it is okay . This is easy for someone like me who is following the path of a sculptor . ”

He had no prior knowledge of King Belsos but the words fluently flowed out of Weed’s mouth .

It was a voice that was a master of flattery!