HPDBC Chapter 314
Chapter 314
Chapter 314
The gem was undeniably luxurious at first glance.
Inside, a darkness that seemed to burn flickered and writhed.
“What is this? Just looking at it gives me a bad feeling.”
That’s only natural. After all...
‘This was used by Legion Commander Kelzad.’
The first legion commander who retreated to the Demon Realm after being pushed back by the Continental Alliance.
Kelzad, the 3rd Legion Commander.
‘This was where he made his initial appearance—Carpathia. And this is also where he’ll reappear later.’
So, it’s not surprising that Kelzad’s jewel is found here. It’s not an entirely implausible plot point.
‘The problem is, this is too good of an item for the early stages of the game.’
Human, animal, insect, beast, demon.
To summon a demon, a ‘living being’ must always be offered as a sacrifice.
But Kelzad was different.
He summoned demons and wielded powerful black magic without sacrificing any living being.
In the past, and again when he reappears in the mid-game story.
He demonstrated his immense power without sacrifices, and the source of that power was this very item.
‘Kelzad’s Jewel.’
‘I’ve stumbled upon something truly unexpected.’
It wasn’t a bad thing. No, it was so good that it left me dazed.
And why?
‘I never imagined I could so easily strip away one of Kelzad’s and the final boss’s powers...’
The skill that activates when the final boss battle begins.
[Master of All Things].
Skills, items, mysteries, and more.
It absorbs not only what the player’s team lacks but also the abilities of living Four Heavenly Kings and legion commanders.
That’s what the [Master of All Things] skill is.
‘That’s why it’s crucial to eliminate as many legion commanders and Heavenly Kings as possible.’
The more of them you eliminate, the weaker the final boss becomes.
This is why every player made a relentless effort to take them down.
‘But the best most could do was eliminate one legion commander and two or three Heavenly Kings.’
Particularly in the mid-game episode ‘The Descent of Kelzad,’ players often faced severe challenges.
As I explained earlier, losing Carpathia would severely disrupt the Empire’s military operations.
The Empire was well aware of this, so they launched an all-out war, and players could join the battle if they wanted to, but...
‘The issue was that Kelzad’s appearance was in the mid-game, not the late game.’
At that point, players’ levels were low, skills were lacking, they weren’t equipped with proper gear, and their parties weren’t fully formed.
As a result, most players ended up with the ‘death’ ending.
It was practically a death sentence to say, “Don’t go to support; just surrender Carpathia.”
‘Even if you succeeded, the losses would be enormous. You’d be lucky if half your party survived.’
In any case, Kelzad, befitting his status as a legion commander, displayed immense power.
He had many troublesome abilities, but the most problematic was his ability to wield powerful magic without sacrifices.
Yuridia’s [Demon Slave].
Imagine that kind of skill being unleashed in all directions. And yes, it happened every turn.
‘But to think I’ve acquired Kelzad’s Jewel?’
Not only had I obtained Kelzad’s power, but I had also stripped away one of the final boss’s abilities.
“Keke, this is an item used by a legion commander.”
“A l-legion commander?”
“Yes, it belongs to Kelzad, the 3rd Legion Commander. It holds the power to use trash as a substitute for sacrifices.”
“S-so I can use black magic without killing anyone!?”
I nodded indifferently.
Of course, the efficiency wouldn’t be as high as using a living being, especially a human, as a sacrifice.
But it would be a great help to Crowell.
He hesitated at the thought of killing, and he was under the significant restriction of not being able to sacrifice anyone who wasn’t a black mage.
Perhaps realizing this, Crowell’s eyes began to sparkle.
He seemed to ignore my advice to sacrifice other black mages entirely.
‘It’s my restriction... so I guess I have to take responsibility.’
I had no plans to become a black mage, so I didn’t need the item.
Given the risk that it might fall into enemy hands if Crowell were to die, handing it over to him wasn’t the best idea.
But I had a hunch.
‘Crowell... might just be the key to taking down the final boss.’
Crowell, who couldn’t kill anyone who wasn’t a black mage. And right before him, the [Kelzad’s Jewel] appears.
It was clearly a scenario the developers had deliberately designed.
Yes, this wasn’t just a hunch.
It was ‘statistics’ derived from the countless hours I’d spent playing the game.
So, I decided to pass the jewel to Crowell. But of course...
“A legion commander’s power... If I turned this over to the Empire or someone else, I could make a fortune.”
Making a show of it was an entirely different matter.
“N-no way! If I used black magic, I’d be executed. Who would want that?”
“Hmm... I suppose that’s true.”
“But as a rookie black mage, I can use it freely. It’s the perfect item for someone like me who aspires to become a high-ranking black mage.”
Like sand slipping through their fingers, the hope gradually diminished.
Then, with Joseph running back to them on his own two feet, it was only natural that tears of joy would flow.
“Where have you been all this time?”
“I got caught by a black mage and almost got in big trouble.”
“A b-black mage!?”
“Yeah, but it’s okay. A hero and his animal friends saved me.”
“Animal friends?”
“Yeah! I thought they were bad people, but I guess they weren’t. They even brought me back here.”
Was it just a dream?
Joseph kept talking after that, but his parents couldn’t understand any of it.
They didn’t know what had happened. But.
“Thank you... Thank you so much...”
They could only express their heartfelt gratitude to the unknown heroes who saved their child.
The sunset painted the sky.
Three figures, dressed in black robes adorned with fluttering red clouds, stood atop a roof, each wearing an animal mask.
Their gazes were fixed on Joseph and his family, who were still embracing each other.
[Someone is expressing boundless gratitude to the ‘Dark Beast Squad.’]
[Reputation increased by 5.]
[Current ‘Dark Beast Squad’ Reputation: 9]
“S-so touching...”
Tears welled up in Rabbit Mask’s eyes as she blew her nose loudly.
To be moved by something like this... Truly, the rabbit’s emotions were as fragile as that of a pufferfish rabbit.
‘As for the quest reward... Whatever, it doesn’t matter.’
There was a quest to find Joseph, but I didn’t take it in advance, so I couldn’t receive the reward.
Well, revealing my identity to get the reward wasn’t an option anyway.
No player had ever cleared that quest, and the reward wasn’t substantial, so it didn’t bother me.
Cat Mask... no, Luna, stretched her arms toward the sky.
“Ah~ That was great. Dark Beast Squad! We resolved a case! The organization’s reputation is skyrocketing!”
A dark organization that safely escorts children home. What a terrifying group.
“But this is strange...”
“What is?”
“Why did we help someone else? That Crowell guy, and those two annoying girls...”
Those two annoying girls—she was probably referring to Yuridia and Victoria.
It was natural for Luna to be confused. The word ‘kindness’ didn’t exist in her vocabulary.
This was a good opportunity to explain.
Kindness without expecting anything in return.
“That’s what we call ‘kindness.’”
“Kindness? Do you really think that exists?”
“Of course. Luna, didn’t you share the elixir with me?”
“That’s because... we’re friends.”
“Kindness isn’t exclusive to friendships. You’ve seen and experienced it over the past few days, haven’t you?”
Luna’s eyebrows furrowed as she frowned, making her expression subtly change.
Smiling slightly, I lightly patted Luna’s head.
“Luna, not everyone in this world is bad. There are plenty of good people too.”
In fact, there are far more good people. Otherwise, this world would have perished long ago.
Whether it’s Earth or this world.
Good people are in the majority. We just often fail to notice them.
“Luna.”
“What?”
“Promise me one thing. Don’t assume everyone you meet is bad.”
“...You’re too nice. You’re going to end up dead sooner or later.”
Luna spun around so fast that the wind rustled.
Along with her fluttering light pink hair, a pleasant scent tickled my nose.
“But... I’ll give it a try. Since it’s advice from a friend.”
That was enough for now. If she could keep progressing bit by bit like this.
‘One day, she’ll be able to make friends and live happily without me.’
Even after I return to Earth, she’ll be able to live happily and have fun.
The Luna I’ve come to know, the Luna who’s my friend, is fully capable of doing that.
Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Luna smiled brightly and said.
“So, when’s our next Dark Beast Squad activity?”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s also come up with a cool pose. One so intimidating that people tremble in fear just by looking at it!”
“Y-yes! If the enemy is terrified, maybe we won’t even have to f-fight!”
Luna and Rezé struck weird poses and began discussing it seriously.
I guess there’s no other way. The Dark Beast Squad...
Is officially disbanded starting today.
–TL Notes–
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