Ending Maker

Chapter 11 – EPISODE 11 – DUNGEON BOOK (5)

The Fury Wolf and other ‘wolf’ race monsters shared one characteristic.

‘Straight line attack.’

Use a powerful angular force to rush forward like a bullet.

However, the trajectory of the attack was as simple as that. Therefore, I could avoid it as much as I could with the right timing.

The Fury Wolf kicked the ground.

Roughly pushing the ground with its hind legs, the whole body of the Fury Wolf shot forward at the moment.

Cheu-pa-hak!

Lightning rose from the horns. It burst sharply, and the sound ripples was pierced through by the Fury Wolf.

A speed that was hard for the eye to chase.

The same was true of Jude.

He was level 8, but it was only 8. It was impossible to capture the movement of the Fury Wolf with the eye of Jude.

But there was something he could do.

The moment it departed.

When the Fury Wolf hit the ground, Jude also began to move. He threw himself to the left without any hesitation.

Kwa-jik!

The Fury Wolf had penetrated the spot where Jude stood. Jude had rolled down the floor, and Cordelia screamed.

“Outboxer!”

It wasn’t that I was mistaken that Jude allowed a valid strike.

Cordelia knew. The memories of Yellow Storm shouted.

The consecutive attack comes.

The Fury Wolf, who penetrated the air, hit the ground. It rotates and spins simultaneously with a terrifying angle.

Jude was rolling on the floor. He had not even been able to get up yet.

So, it cannot be avoided.

This attack will end up hitting him!

Cordelia raised her wand. I tried to invoke magic by instinct without thinking.

The target area is the empty space between Jude and the Fury Wolf.

It is impossible to hit the Fury Wolf. So, I directed the attack between it and Jude!

‘Please!’

The spell has been activated.

This was not a magic that had a proper composition, but an attack that simply sends out magical power.

But that’s why it was fast.

She was able to push the explosion of mana between Jude and the Fury Wolf.

Kwa-jik!

But there was no explosion. Lightning broke out from the horn on the Fury Wolf’s forehead, and the mana agglomeration, which was hurriedly created by Cordelia, broke down into pieces.

“Keo-heong!”

The Fury Wolf pierced through the remnants of mana. Cordelia screamed out loud, and Jude raised his upper body.

The Fury Wolf struck Jude. Cordelia could see it then. The Fury Wolf’s sharp teeth will tear off Jude’s neck at once!

Bang!

But it was not.

Instead of Jude’s scream, instead of the gruesome sound of broken bones and flesh, a small pang sounded.

Just before the Fury Wolf reached Jude.

Between the moments created by Cordelia to break through the agglomeration of mana.

“Ke-kaeng!”

The Fury Wolf suddenly rolled on the floor in a painful cry. Far from biting Jude, it went further and struggled.

How.

How the hell!

“The smell of dogs is thousands of times that of humans!”

Cried Jude. Thanks to him, I held my breath and struggled for a short time.

Cordelia understood.

Without thinking about it, I found out what he did the moment I saw it.

‘Smell!’

It was as Jude said.

The dog’s sense of smell was a thousand times than that of humans.

Furthermore, the opponent is the Fury Wolf.

All abilities were superior to ordinary dogs.

It was a paper envelope that Jude had burst.

It was a special odor bomb created by combining various items!

He had planned for this from the start to the end.

He had to level up first in the dungeon, so he couldn’t beat the Fury Wolf with the frontal attack method (attacking fairly without using tricks) when he first planned this.

Thus, he aroused its sense of smell.

Evading the first straight line attack and then detonating the odor bomb during the second turn attack.

Thereby temporarily neutralizing the Fury Wolf.

An intolerable smile spread over Cordelia’s face.

She laughed and clenched her fists.

Yes, this is Outboxer.

He’s the #1 in the server rankings that I’ve never won against!

“Kuhak! Kak! Cordelia!”

Jude coughed as he shouted, and Cordelia did not miss his cry.

No, she was already on the move when Jude started yelling.

It wasn’t only Jude who had prepared a number of hidden provisions.

Cordelia had prepared for the moment too!

“<Dig>!”

Cordelia activated the magic stone in her left hand.

Like the piece of paper inscribed with the magic circle used by Jude, the stone was filled with mana.

It was created by Count William Chase, who was the Chase’s family head at that time before Cordelia’s father.

The spell was activated.

It was a pit with 3 meters in diameter and 3 meters in depth, which was formed with the Fury Wolf at the center, who was still tormented by the smell.

“Kke-ching?!”

The Fury Wolf that was suddenly stuck in the pit made a sneezing sound, but Cordelia did not stop.

As soon as I stopped in front of the pit, I wielded the wand to invoke magic this time.

“<Dig>!”

“<Dig>!”

“<Dig>!”

Most of the beginners of Legend of Heroes 2 always chose attack magic as the first magic to learn.

It was not strange.

Attack magic was needed to deal damage to the enemy.

However, attack magic was not the only way to attack the enemy.

Moreover, the wizard was not just an artillery unit that fired off attack magic.

‘The wizard is the one who controls the situation.’

Among the rankers of Legend of Heroes 2, it was Cordelia who risked her life more than anyone else, but she did not forget the most important fact.

The wizard was not just an artillery unit.

They were the ones who controlled the situation. They were the ones who made it possible to win fights that could not be won.

Therefore, Cordelia was not obsessed with attack magic.

I learned <Grease> to make the floor slippery.

I learned <Dig> to dig a pit that can transform the battlefield.

“<Dig>!”

It couldn’t compare to Count Chase’s <Dig>. However, it worked because it was used four times in a row on an existing pit.

7 meters deep.

If it’s only this deep, the Fury Wolf can somehow escape.

But it was okay.

Because Cordelia knew it.

Because Yellow Storm believes it.

“Outboxer009.”

As soon as she was exhausted and fell on her lips, Cordelia said quietly. And in response to her call, Jude, who had been running, tore up all the remaining magic circles in the pit.

“Bingo.”

Immediately after speaking in a low voice.

Jude threw himself at Cordelia. He fell almost at his stomach, and at that moment the ground shook with a loud roar.

Kwagagagagagak-!

Flames, lightning, and wind were rampant. The magic in the narrow space influenced each other to create a greater explosion.

Kwagwang!

The last roar.

Jude and Cordelia raised themselves up almost simultaneously. The two of them slid their heads into the pit side by side, and soon smiled contentedly.

“The level has gone up.”

Jude spoke loudly, and white rings of light swirled round the bodies of Jude and Cordelia in succession.

One, two, three.

Jude’s level was 11, and Cordelia’s level was 10.

And that was not the end.

[You acquired the title ‘Caught the Fury Wolf before level 10’.]

[Permanently increases all stats by 1.]

The phrase came into my mind.

I couldn’t open the status window, but I felt a new surge of energy coming up like when I level up at the moment.

“Title.”

Bonus points you can get when you achieve something.

Jude held out his fist to Cordelia.

“Fine play.”

“Fine play.”

Cordelia who bumped fists with him, replied with a smile but only for a moment.

“Ugh, the smell! Hey, get away first! You smell like shit right now!”

When the odor bomb was burst, the smell had clang to Jude too.

In response to Cordelia’s reproach, rather than feeling sad, Jude laughed and leaned towards Cordelia.

“Ugh, I’m suddenly feeling anemic because of my Gueumjulmaek…”

“Hey! I can see you’re acting!”

But still, Cordelia reflexively supported Jude.

Jude leaned on against such Cordelia and pointed his chin at the sky.

“I guess it finally came out.”

“It’s true… Wow!”

Cordelia who was trying to push Jude away, opened her eyes wide and admired. I had no choice but to.

“B-rank skill book.”

Two columns of light formed in the shape of a book and floated in the air.

Jude and Cordelia exchanged looks, and a bright smile spread across their faces.

***

Skill book.

As the name implies, it is a book which you use to acquire skills, and it’s the most popular means to acquire skills in Legend of Heroes 2.

‘Because it’s easy and simple.’

Using the skill book, you could acquire the skill right away without having to learn it.

Of course, each skill has its own skill level, so it was impossible to master it as soon as you learn it, but its biggest advantage was being able to use it right away.

‘Learning from the NPC or self-studying by reading from a book takes time to learn.’

However, one drawback to this skill book is that it was a one-time use only.

When you get the skill, the skill book disappears.

Therefore, it is impossible to share it with others.

“Wow, it’s really B-rank, B-rank. Can you see that border color? Is our suffering worthwhile?”

Pointing at the silver border surrounding the skill book, Cordelia smiled brightly.

It was the same in the game, but when compensation time came, Yellow Storm really liked it like a child.

‘I’m raring to see the reward.’

The number of skill books is two.

Moreover, one was martial arts and the other was magic, so there was no need for Jude and Cordelia to quarrel with each other in the first place.

“This was my favorite time.”

“What? When opening the item?”

“Oh, I’m just nervous about what’s coming out.”

Cordelia who showed a charming girl like an absolute beauty, brushed the dirt off after standing up and then reached towards the sky. Then the B-rank skill book slowly flew towards Cordelia.

“Whoa, it’s a real B-rank. Hehe, what will come out? But is this a confirmed item? Do you know what will come out?”

“Yes, it’s a confirmed item. Mine is footwork as I’ve said before.”

Jude also reached out to the sky to get the skill book.

The color of the cover changed according to the rank of the skill book, and red symbolized the B-rank’s color.

Skill book with a red cover and a silver border.

Cordelia turned to Jude, embracing her share of the skill book.

“So, what is it? What footwork?”

“Cheonhasamsip-yukbo (Thirty-Six Worldly Steps).”

“Cheonha-what?”

“Cheonhasamsip-yukbo.”

T/N: Cheonhasamsip-yukbo (천하삼십육보, 天下三十六步) literally means world (천하) thirty-six (삼십육) steps (보), so it’s “World’s Thirty-Six Steps”, but “Thirty-Six World Steps” sounds better. I’ll be spelling numbers in their word forms (Thirty-Six) instead of their numerical value (36) because it’s more formal-looking for a technique name.

In response to Jude, Cordelia frowned and was puzzled. I thought I’ve heard it from somewhere, but clearly nothing came to my mind.

“It’s a B-rank Mugong. Besides, you like magic more than martial arts.”

When Jude shrugged and made excuses instead, Cordelia strained her lips, but she didn’t pretend to know.

“So, what is it after all?”

“As the name suggests, it is a footwork technique made of 36 steps. It specializes in evasion.”

“And?”

“Hey, this is B-rank?”

Looking at Cordelia’s eyes to see what more she wanted to know, I nodded.

‘There is actually more to it.’

The reason why Thirty-Six World Steps is so special compared to other B-rank mugong.

‘This is an upgrade.’

The Thirty-Six Worldly Steps was just the foundation.

When learned perfectly, the door to the next stage was opened, and the number of steps that make up the footwork decreased as the stages progressed.

A-rank footwork technique, Twenty-Four Gale Steps (Jilpung-isibsabo).

S-rank footwork technique, Twelve Faith Steps (Sinloesib-ibo).

And the so-called ultimate fantasy footwork technique, EX-rank footwork technique, Nine Celestial Steps (Cheon-gugubo).

‘Can you hide from the sky in nine steps?’

In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the king and end goal of all existing footwork techniques in Legend of Heroes 2, and even for Outboxer009, he only knew of the footwork technique but never got to learn it.

“Thirty-Six World Steps…come to think of it, it has a similar name to the Twelve Faith Steps you often used.”

“Yeah.”

Jude, who responded moderately to the naively talking Cordelia, grinned and laughed before pointing to Cordelia’s chest – to be exact, the skill book she held in her hands.

“Yours?”

“Huh? You really don’t know?”

“I really don’t know. I told you I’d never woken up as a wizard.”

“Heh, really? So, it’s really your first time opening it? I’m excited.”

Cordelia smiled brightly like a child with a gift box in front of her and opened her skill book. Then the title appeared on the cover.

[Fire Missile – B-rank]

“Oh! This is good. I like this one.”

As Cordelia laughed and stroked her skill book, Jude nodded unconsciously.

‘It’s custom-made.’

The reason why Yellow Storm could stay 2^nd in the server rankings, whose knowledge of Legend of Heroes 2 was less than Outboxer009 – no, it was even less than the guys in the top 30.

Yellow Storm lived in dealing damage, and mainly played as a wizard who was good at dealing damage with the highest efficiency, clearly showing why her nickname was “storm” in each battle.

‘The baptism of magic bullets that swept like a storm.’

While others deal with ten at the same time, she was literally creating a storm, dealing hundreds of magic bullets that were difficult to handle at the same time.

Having the flame attribute of magic bullet in such a Yellow Storm’s hands was like giving the artisan a perfect tool.

“Okay, both of us seem to be satisfied. Shall we slowly get ready to go back?”

Jude looked back at where the Fury Wolf first appeared. A billowing spatial door to escape the dungeon, which was shaking like the surface of a windy lake, had appeared.

“Wait a minute, let’s change clothes first. We do smell a little. Dahlia will definitely ask.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

In fact, Jude had also brought a change of clothes. It was in his intentions to use an odor bomb in the first place.

“Don’t look back.”

“Just you.”

Jude and Cordelia, who turned their backs on each other, hurriedly began to change clothes.

“By the way.”

“Yes.”

“The title in on, right?”

“It came up.”

“There is no status window, but the title itself is there and its benefits should be applied, right?”

“Maybe.”

As soon as I answered, a smile was drawn on Jude’s face.

This is because I have a few titles in my head that I can use right now.

“Well, then.”

“Yes.”

“You and I are both over level 10, right?”

“No more.”

“Do you have anything in mind for the next step?”

“Yes. What about you?”

“Me too.”

The rustling stopped for a moment.

Instead of looking back, Jude opened his mouth again, grooming his clothes.

“Shall we speak at the same time?”

“Okay.”

“One.”

“Two.”

““The Devil’s Hand.””

Jude and Cordelia spoke the same words at the same time, and both smiled.

“You’re good at it?”

“Just you?”

Devil’s Hand.

I wasn’t talking about items or new skills.

In ‘Cordelia’s Main Scenario’, it was the roaring antagonist – in short, it was the name of a group of demon followers.

Legend of Heroes 2 had a variety of playable characters, each with their own main scenario.

The main scenario of Cordelia was half a year earlier than Jude’s main scenario, but the day of its beginning was approaching.

‘About 15 days in the future?’

Cordelia’s main scenario began when she traveled to join a social gathering of children from the 12 northern families.

‘The main event in the beginning is that the Devil’s Hand attacked the gathering of the 12 northern families.’

Because of that event, some of the children of the 12 northern families were killed or injured, and some were kidnapped by the Devil’s Hand and even brainwashed.

‘In the game, I had to be contented that Cordelia alone managed to run away…’

But this was not a game anymore. Moreover, there were two people who knew what was going to happen in the future.

‘We should stop the Devil’s Hand.’

In the first place, Jude and Cordelia’s purpose was not to follow the scenario of Legend of Heroes 2 as it was.

The promised bad ending of Armageddon would be waiting for them then.

Make a new ending.

Stop the Great Summons and the world destruction that lead to Legend of Heroes 3.

Stopping the Devil’s Hand was the first step in that journey.

“There, so to speak…”

“To speak?”

“That…”

“That?”

When Jude asked again, Cordelia pouted and got angry.

“You know, right?”

What Cordelia herself is trying to say now.

Still, Jude shook his head deftly.

“No, I don’t know. I’d have to hear it myself.”

“Hey, just now, you already know the answer, right?”

Jude laughed pleasantly. It was as Cordelia said.

“But can’t you just tell me first? That’s how I get motivated.”

“F*ck, I really can’t.”

Cordelia, who mumbled quietly, took a big breath once and then said in a small but clear voice.

“Let’s go together.”

The social gathering of the 12 northern families will be held at the northern heart of Langesthei.

‘Jude Bayer’ did not originally go to Langesthei.

It was because long-distance travel was impossible due to his Gueumjulmaek.

But now it was different.

If you are the Jude now, it was possible to go together.

‘It was why I was in a hurry in the first place.’

It was one of the reasons for hastening the treatment of Gueumjulmaek.

“If my beloved Lady Cordelia wishes for it.”

On Jude’s answer, Cordelia shuddered for a moment, but only for a short time. After smiling brightly, she finished the hem of the skirt, turned around and said.

“Okay, you can turn around.”

“I’m already looking.”

“F*ck?”

Jude, who completely laughed at Cordelia’s blushing face, walked towards the spatial door and said.

“Anyway, hurry up. Time is gold, right?”

“Just talk, only talk.”

Cordelia, who was grumbling and pouting her lips, stood beside Jude, and the two took a step at the same time after looking back at each other.

The two began their first steps towards a new ending.