Chapter 27: Scarlet Devil Mansion (4)

[Translator - Night]

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Chapter 27: Scarlet Devil Mansion (4)

The use of Beryl wasn't limited to just the [Mercenary] trait.

‘Well, this is its original purpose, after all…’

A sturdy shield protecting the party from unknown threats—that was the role of the tank.

“Ugh! These annoying kobolds!”

It was the fifth battle with the Kobold Warlord.

As if squeezing out his last bit of energy, Beryl let out a loud shout and charged toward the Warlord.

Kieeeek-!

Not to be outdone, the Kobold Warlord let out a roar.

Swoosh-

The first to move was the Warlord's massive club.

Bang!

When the club hit the ground, it left a deep crater.

Kyakkyakkyak!

The Warlord raised the club again, readying another strike.

No matter how skilled a 7th-rank employee might be, getting hit by that club directly would be devastating.

"…A regular 7th-rank would think so."

I mumbled to myself as I watched Beryl’s back.

Despite having witnessed the power of that club dozens of times, Beryl’s movements remained unhindered.

"A tank. What would happen if an employee whose endurance is at a superhuman level were combined with the [Nightmare Talisman], which lowers physical specs?"

This time, I instructed Beryl not to dodge the club.

- What did I do to deserve this…?

- I'll stop after this experiment is over. Unless you want to run five more laps… What do you say? Want to give it a try?

- …I'll do it.

Though Beryl’s voice trembled, I knew the truth.

Beryl could endure the club’s blow.

Of course, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt.

‘Even an employee with superhuman endurance feels pain.’

Choosing to take a hit when you could dodge it is a fool's errand.

‘But I need to test the effect of the [Nightmare Talisman].’

I took a yellow talisman out of my pocket.

[Nightmare Talisman]

- When used, it lowers the enemy's stats and induces confusion but also inflicts mental damage on the user.

“Let’s see how effective this is.”

I used the talisman on the Kobold Warlord.

I felt a sharp headache for a moment, but it quickly passed.

[The Foundation's Star protect you.]

“The die is cast. Now to see what happens…”

The question didn’t linger for long.

Swoooosh-

A chilling roar echoed as a shadow loomed over Beryl’s head.

It was the Kobold Warlord’s club.

Staring at the incoming blow, Beryl grinned as if resigned to his fate.

At that moment—

"Come on! I’ll take the hit and finally get some rest!"

He steadied himself and raised his shield.

Swoosh—

Bang!

The shield collided with the club.

By common logic, Beryl should have been knocked flying, shield and all, but…

Kieeek?!

It wasn’t Beryl who was thrown back.

The Kobold Warlord flew through the air as if hit by a shockwave and collapsed.

Boom!

I immediately activated a spell.

And I locked onto the Kobold Warlord’s club.

[Flame Skin]

Fwoosh-

Kieeeek!

The Kobold Warlord dropped his club, startled by the sudden burst of flames.

And soon after—

The club quickly turned to ash.

I could have incinerated the Warlord on the spot, but I didn’t for a simple reason.

‘I need to make the most of this.’

The talisman's cooldown was a day.

It felt wasteful to defeat the weakened Kobold Warlord so easily.

So, what could I do by sparing him?

Simple.

"Beryl, keep that shield raised."

“…Yes, sir.”

Training Beryl’s shield skills.

And doing it safely and quickly.

Kieeek!

Enraged, the Kobold Warlord stood up and swung his fists wildly at Beryl.

Kieeeek!

But wild, uncoordinated attacks are the easiest to block.

The Kobold Warlord’s strikes were all met with Beryl’s shield.

Bang!

Bang!

Though the Warlord’s massive frame made his attacks seem threatening, Beryl was surprisingly holding his own.

“Haha. What’s with this guy? He’s so weak now. I could do this all day!”

Watching Beryl’s rising confidence, I muttered.

“What? You can do this all day? Then let’s make it an all-day thing.”

"Eek!"

It was half a joke, but Beryl’s face went pale.

‘Mid-tier skills are beyond the realm of regular humans…’

When Mari first reached the intermediate level with her archery, she became far stronger than before.

The same was true for other skills.

‘Beryl's Shield Skill was definitely at LV. 4, right?’

That meant he could soon advance to Intermediate Shield Skill.

“Hmm! Hit me harder!”

Beryl, who was taking the weakened Kobold Warlord's punches, laughed heartily.

“With that level of strength, you won’t be able to break through this oak shield!”

Well, it was good to see he was motivated.

‘...The party’s stability significantly increased starting from Intermediate Shield Skill, right?’

Unlike archery or swordsmanship, Intermediate Shield Skill could create a barrier.

The user's endurance influenced the durability and duration of the barrier.

‘If Beryl, who has reached the level of a superhuman, uses it...’

While the barrier was active, there would be no risk of injury for staff members at [Silver] or [Gold] rank.

‘...There's no need to rush.’

Even if he pushed himself too hard from the start, there was no guarantee the skill level would increase, and there was still plenty of time before the festival.

‘Reaching the intermediate level can be achieved through training.’

So, there was no need to be impatient.

After all, it wasn’t me who was doing the hard work, but Beryl.

Having organized my thoughts, I approached Beryl, who was still sparring with the Kobold Warlord.

“Your shield is down! Hold it up properly.”

The training continued until the Kobold Warlord, exhausted, collapsed on its own.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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* * *

With a day left until the festival, Beryl reached Intermediate Shield Skill.

[Intermediate Shield Skill LV. 1 has been applied to the 'Administrator.']

“Waaaah! This awful ordeal is finally over!”

Beryl sprawled out on the floor of the waiting room.

It seemed holding a shield and blocking attacks had been tougher than expected.

“You did well.”

Leaving Beryl lying on the floor behind me, I went to find Yon.

“You've arrived, Administrator?”

Yon, knowing exactly what I had come to do, naturally accompanied me.

‘He’s gotten used to this.’

He couldn’t help it; for the past six days, all I had done was train Beryl in shield skills and knock on the door of the secret shop with Yon.

‘Will we be able to enter today...?’

I stopped with Yon in front of the quarantine area marked [Luci’s Secret Shop].

Yon muttered as he looked at the quarantine area door.

“I hope we can go in today.”

I nodded in agreement with his murmur.

Although it was within the company, this quarantine area was not a place I could enter just because I wanted to.

[Luci’s Secret Shop]

- Quarantine area directly connected to the secret shop. (Entry is not allowed without Luci's permission.)

“...If we fail again today, there’s no other way.”

In reality, if we couldn’t enter today, we wouldn’t be able to try knocking on the door for at least three days.

“We have to prepare for the festival as well.”

I grabbed the doorknob of the quarantine area.

...

‘As expected, it doesn’t budge.’

Well, it was understandable since Luci wasn’t one to stay in one place.

‘It's unfortunate, but we’ll have to try the secret shop next time...’

Just as I was thinking that and let go of the doorknob,

Creak—

The door opened, and Luci popped out.

“Oh, what? Were you trying to come in?”

It was Luci.

She came out of the quarantine area and wandered around the company.

“This is perfect. I had something to give you. But wait a moment...”

She said this while circling around me.

Then, as if she was impressed, she murmured.

“...Wow. You really used the Nightmare Talisman.”

I didn’t know how she figured it out, but she had noticed that I had used the Nightmare Talisman.

“With this, I really can’t not give you a present.”

Luci hummed cheerfully as she took out a bottle of red liquid from her bag.

“A present.”

As I glared at the red bottle she handed me, a system message appeared.

[Vampire Potion]

- Grants the user immunity to magic for 5 minutes.

- There is a 99% chance of falling into permanent madness upon consumption.

Magic immunity was a highly valued option.

‘It’s useful against mages...’

However, the added penalty was severe enough to negate any advantage from using it.

‘...There’s no way I can let anyone else in the staff use this.’

Madness, as the name suggested, was a condition where one went insane.

‘Of all the penalties, it had to be madness...’

I looked at the Vampire Potion with a weary expression, recalling what kind of ability "madness" was.

‘Ordinary mental treatment doesn’t work.’

Employees swallowed by “madness” would go out of control, wreaking havoc as if possessed.

Various spells and scrolls, and even the help of the headquarters, couldn’t cure “madness.”

‘Unless one had a special ability or had broken through the limits of mental strength, everyone would be consumed by madness.’

It was easier to think of it as permanent mental damage.

‘...’

Seeing her bring this as a present made it clear that Luci wasn’t in her right mind either.

‘It’s true Luci wasn’t sane...’

She was always competing for the top two or three spots in the rankings of the craziest people in Keepworld.

I squinted my eyes and stared at Luci.

As if wondering what was wrong, Luci tilted her head with an innocent expression.

‘She’s giving this as if it's a reward for my hard work, but...’

In reality, it was the opposite.

Luci was asking me a question right now.

You endured the Nightmare Talisman penalty?

Then, let’s see if you can withstand this as well.

I would have never drunk from the poisoned chalice if I were still a player. But...

'...Alright, let's give it a try.'

I smirked inwardly and accepted the vampire potion Luci handed over.

'To me, mental penalties are no longer penalties.'

It's different when I, not the staff, use it myself.

It was obvious this vampire potion would make me... no, the company, even more prosperous.

As I received the potion, Luci smiled mischievously and began explaining it.

"When you drink that potion, you won’t take magic damage for about five minutes. Pretty cool, right?"

Her tone sounded somewhat like a scammer, but this time, I didn't mind getting fooled.

'After all, I got the item for free.'

At that moment, a cold chill ran through my entire body.

[Sixth Sense LV. 2]

Instinct recognized the cause of this strange phenomenon before reason did.

'It's already time?!'

I turned to look at the main entrance.

A golden knight was already entering through the now open door.

I scanned the surroundings.

It was like time had frozen; the staff stood still, as if in a trance.

Except for one person.

"What's this? The Executor?"

Luci waved as if she knew Nice.

"What, what? Isn’t it too early for collection day?"

Nice hesitated briefly upon noticing Luci, but soon composed himself and walked toward me.

"Nice, what brings you here?"

Luci circled around Nice, asking questions, but he paid no attention to her.

Internally, I admired how Nice handled the attention-seeker.

'...He really knows how to deal with someone like that.'

But that admiration was short-lived.

Nice let out a quiet sigh.

"Haa. I don’t know why Luci is here... but anyway, time is up."

Time.

It meant the festival was about to begin.

"As you know, the Administrator’s Zone is currently a [Silver]-rank company, which means normally, you wouldn’t be able to receive the coordinates for the festival."

That made sense.

Without coordinates, we wouldn't be able to head to Camelot.

'I expected a guide to be sent...'

But I hadn’t thought he'd come to greet us in person.

"Don't worry. That’s why I’ve come myself. Only five people, including yourself, can go to the festival."

Hearing the word "festival," Luci jumped out of her silence.

"What?! It’s festival time already? Take me with you! It’s Camelot, right? It’s Camelot this time, isn’t it?"

Luci’s eyes sparkled as she squeezed between Nice and me... but Nice used an invisible force to push her far away.

"I like festivals too!"

Leaving behind Luci's distant cries, I reflected on what Nice had said.

'So, excluding me, I can only bring four people, huh.'

In truth, I wasn’t planning on bringing too many people, and the number of available spots was limited.

'At most, I'd take Khan, Mari, and Beryl...'

The reason I excluded Yon was simple.

'Someone has to stay behind to protect the company.'

"Grade 7 staff: Khan, Mari, Beryl, and myself. That makes four."

"Will four be enough?"

"It’s enough."

"Then please sign the contract here, and write the names of the staff who will participate below."

Nice handed over a piece of golden paper as he spoke.

I filled out the participant list on the paper Nice gave me.

"All done."

I wrote down the names of Khan, Mari, Beryl, and myself, and handed the paper back to Nice.

Nice read the names aloud as if to confirm them.

"Khan, Mari, Beryl, Shin Seongjin... and finally Luci... is that correct?"

"...What?"

Startled, I looked to Nice’s side and saw that Luci had sneaked in and written her name.

"Whyyy? Take me with you."

Even Nice seemed momentarily at a loss, glancing between Luci and me in surprise.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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