The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor
The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor - Volume 51 Chapter 1.3: part3

V51C1P3 鈥?The Star of Palrangka

鈥?Break through the enemy ranks!

In no time, Van Hawk took control of the Death Knights and initiated a forward march.

鈥?Assaulting Footsteps of the Dead!

The Death Knights brutally tore down the defense formation of the Bromba Kingdom鈥檚 army.

Torido grabbed one of the soldiers and bit him in the neck, sucking the blood deeply as if to quench his thirst. With massively increased Life Force and Mana reserves, he then began to cast vampiric magic.

鈥淏lood Storm!鈥?/p>

Drops of blood swept through the whole area, killing the soldiers one by one.

鈥淵ou evil creature!鈥?/p>

One of the knights raised his sword and swung it down on him, but Torido blocked it with his long claws and sank his teeth into his neck as well.

鈥淲e have to save Landerk!鈥?/p>

鈥淧etrification!鈥?/p>

The other knights who were rushing in to rescue their comrade instantly turned into stone statues, unable to move. Until now, Weed had only summoned Van Hawk and Torido to use their help in his quests. He had kept a tight rein on them while frequently calling them for difficult missions and arduous hunts. Although their abilities had grown along with Weed鈥檚 as a result, Death Knights and Vampires were inherently evil creatures.

The knights that had their blood drained by Torido became his faithful slaves.

鈥淕o fight them.鈥?/p>

鈥淵es, my Lord!鈥?/p>

It was not as easy as summoning undead, but Vampires also had a mean to multiply their thralls.

鈥淪o many living souls here. I never expected to see such a marvelous place!鈥?/p>

Torido seized domination over units of archers through his charming spell and made them shoot arrows at the other troops of the Royal Army.

鈥淎n ambush!鈥?/p>

鈥淪ome of our own troops are shooting arrows at us.鈥?/p>

鈥淭hey are betraying us!鈥?/p>

The Bromba Kingdom鈥檚 royal army soon fell apart into a chaotic mess.

Since the Palrangka War was an event that had already taken place in the past, those soldiers were given a temporary existence due to the quest.

For this event, Weed lifted any restrictions he had put on Van Hawk and Torido, allowing them to run amok as much as they wanted.

鈥淪-Sir Knight?鈥?/p>

Weed could feel the shiver from Princess Remi鈥檚 body on his back. How could she have known鈥?the knight that she had thought that she could rely upon to protect her in the middle of the battlefield actually turned out to be a commander of an evil undead horde!

鈥淗ow come you are able to use the Summon Undead spell?鈥?/p>

鈥淭his is just one of the few cheap parlor tricks I鈥檝e come to learn as I lived.鈥?/p>

鈥淏ut鈥?what about your honor as a knight?鈥?/p>

鈥淚鈥檝e always been a sculptor, actually.鈥?/p>

鈥溾€︹€?/p>

****

About two days before.

The story of the forgotten one.

鈥淗mm, this is not good.鈥?/p>

Python was under a difficult predicament. He was left alone on the Path of Struggle after Weed had entered the Gate of Trial alone.

鈥淲ell, now that things have turned out like this, I guess I should also go in.鈥?/p>

Python was feeling a little hesitant, but walked up and opened the Gate of Trial.

A lone challenger!

The Advanced Training Hall summoned a great amount of new enemies in the Path of Struggle.

鈥淜ughhhh鈥︹€?/p>

He put down his greatsword after killing all the enemies. A greatsword consumed a lot of stamina to wield, but had a great attack power and was very useful for defense as well.

Truthfully, he enjoyed exerting himself with all his might as he fought a strong enemy. Dealing with a large number of enemies over a long period of time was not really to his taste, but as a warrior, he knew that he shouldn鈥檛 be picky about the opponents he fought against.

鈥淚鈥檓 not stopping here.鈥?/p>

He continued forward, narrowly beating the monsters on the way. While he was taking a short break, he sent a private message to Weed:

鈥淭his is quite a鈥un place.鈥?/p>

He did not give away any hint of his current exhaustion, as befitting a man who never backs away from a combat.

鈥?Weed: It鈥檚 not so fun to me.

For just a moment, Python was filled with happiness by the thought that this time, he was doing better than Weed. Even if he failed to clear the advanced training hall, he had still won the victory in the contest against Weed as real men.

鈥淗uhu. But isn鈥檛 it fun to fight against a constant stream of enemies that are actually worthy of your strength? Challenging the more powerful monsters is quite exciting, too.

鈥?Weed: Really? You think this is that difficult?

鈥淗uh?鈥?/p>

鈥?Weed: I mean, what kind of 鈥淕ate of Trial鈥?doesn鈥檛 even have any traps or any mechanism to stab you in the back? And all the monsters appearing here can be taken down really easily by simply beating them up; they can鈥檛 even use any of those annoying tricks like cursing or restraining skills.

This was before Weed had received the blessing of the God of Fighting, Batalli. Even so, he was already overwhelming the monsters using only his sense of combat and his experience! On top of that, with his incredibly high stats relative to his current level, he was powering through the Path of Struggle while dealing with all the monsters on the way.

鈥?Weed: Still, I guess this hunting ground is worth the effort in terms of payoffs, albeit just barely.

鈥淗e鈥檚 referring to the advanced training hall as hunting ground鈥︹€?/p>

Python put his brain to work.

鈥楳aybe he is just talking big? It wouldn鈥檛 be a complete bluff, considering Weed鈥檚 capacity in combat. But he鈥檚 most likely still tired.鈥?/p>

Because they took up the challenge individually, they could not meet until they had completely cleared the Gate of Trial. But as they entered the path almost simultaneously, they could compare who survived for a longer time and slew more enemies.

鈥業 pride myself on being a true warrior. I will never lose.鈥?/p>

Python continued fighting.

As a greatsword burned one鈥檚 stamina quickly, weak warriors would not be able to hold out for long.

He didn鈥檛 have any choice but to rest occasionally and continue on with the forced march, several times more rigorously than usual.

10 hours passed by like that, and Python was proud of himself.

鈥業 think I did enough. Quite excellent. I fought well.鈥?/p>

He was feeling that he should take a moment to compliment himself. He needed a short rest anyway, as presently he was quite low on stamina. He knew it would become increasingly difficult to recover his condition as time passed since he couldn鈥檛 consume any food, but he still wanted to let his tired body relax a little. Python sent a private message to Weed, another challenger like him.

鈥淗aha. I must say, it鈥檚 a little tough.鈥?/p>

He expected Weed to start speaking more honestly and at least apologize for going in alone at the Gate of Trial.

鈥業 shouldn鈥檛 forgive him so easily. Maybe I could ask him for some useful items? Perhaps some sculptures鈥?He would be willing to give me a few as souvenirs, right?鈥?/p>

鈥?Weed: You are joking, right? This is way too easy.

鈥淒id you say easy?鈥?/p>

鈥?Weed: I had high expectations for this鈥?But this place is just subpar. It鈥檚 disappointing.

鈥淒isappointing鈥︹€?/p>

鈥?Weed: You鈥檒l receive a blessing as you stroll through, doing some fighting. It鈥檚 really simple.

鈥溾€?鈥?/p>

Weed, who was ahead of Python, started explaining as what he must have thought was a piece of advice for the fellow challenger.

鈥?Weed: Once you get the blessing as you fight, everything will work out from there.

This was simple but there had been no one else who knew how to exploit this trick properly. Batalli the God of Fighting only bestowed his blessing to those who challenged the path alone and led a difficult battle to victory through hard fight. The God鈥檚 blessing helped relieve the hunger, enhanced one鈥檚 attack power or restored some Life Force.

It was as good as a cure-all medicine, allowing one to maintain an above-average body condition for the whole venture through the Path of Struggle and to continue having high-quality combats against strong enemies. It was just as the name suggested: a path to struggle on, not a place to starve until you collapse and die.

鈥楤ut how come I didn鈥檛 receive much of anything?鈥?/p>

The problem was that in order to receive a really nice blessing, you had to push yourself to the absolute limit. This meant that until now, Python had still left some reserve strength as he fought.

鈥業 see鈥?I should fight more.鈥?/p>

Python got up and walked toward the next enemies.

Stamina was a second thing to worry about; he was getting mentally tired of seeing the endless waves of monsters after fighting for more than 10 hours.

鈥楾his is such a difficult place to clear鈥?Even if I know the solution to break through, it鈥檚 still horrible.鈥?/p>

鈥?Weed: You don鈥檛 even need to rest. If you have strength to hold a sword, then just fight. It will work out somehow so long as you continue pushing on.

鈥楾his is a brutal trial. If I pass this, I won鈥檛 ever be coming back anywhere near here even for just a trip.鈥?/p>

He also learned how to use the Heraim Fencing skill.

It wasn鈥檛 easy to make continuous attacks using a greatsword, but the technique could still be applied in various ways such as pushing off the enemy鈥檚 weapon and then landing a blow.

鈥?Weed: Now that I鈥檝e got the knack, it keeps getting easier and easier.

After much struggle, Python was also granted the blessing that relieved his hunger. Weed might have told him it was very easy to get, but he had earned this blessing as a result of a lot of efforts. He was so happy鈥?Until he received yet another private message.

鈥?Weed: I received the blessing again. Now I鈥檓 almost feeling full.

鈥溾€︹€?/p>

He was about to take some rest after 16 hours of straight fighting; he was only human, and thoroughly sick and tired of seeing more monsters coming at him. They weren鈥檛 even some simple enemies that could easily be overwhelmed: he had to use all of his might and skill in every single encounter.

鈥?Weed: Now I鈥檓 getting warmed up. I believe you鈥檙e having fun?

Each monster Python saw made him feel weary and tormented, but Weed鈥檚 private messages were starting to feel just as unbearable to him.

鈥楾hat guy鈥?is not human.鈥?/p>

He had always thought of Weed as a rival, but during this adventure he had fully realized that he was something entirely different.

鈥楢t least I鈥檝e found out what kind of place this Path of Struggle is. I can still clear this by going slowly, without trying to compete with Weed.鈥?/p>

Python decided to take short breaks and continue to pass through more patiently.

He probably would not receive the God of Fighting鈥檚 Blessing as often as it was possible, but he decided to put up with a small loss like that. He knew that he would already be gaining an incredibly large amount of blessings, such that other users who were not Weed could not even compare.

鈥楾hat鈥檚 good enough for me. I鈥檓 only human, after all.鈥?/p>

****

Geomchi as well as the instructors and disciples had arrived at the Garnav Plain a few days before.

鈥淢aster! Here, try this food.鈥?/p>

鈥淗mm. It鈥檚 delicious.鈥?/p>

Geomchi and the instructors were having chicken skewers as a snack between breakfast and lunch. As there were all sorts of delicious cuisines from all over the continent, they had been stuffing themselves with eight meals per day.

In the giant crystal globe, they could see the video of Weed鈥檚 battles in the advanced training hall, which was being broadcast.

鈥?Hooray!

鈥?Weed-nim won again!

鈥?Grass Porridge, Grass Porridge, Grass Porridge!

The Garnav Plain was brimming with the excited hysteria of the cheering crowd.

鈥淥ur Little One is doing well, isn鈥檛 he?鈥?/p>

鈥淭he timing with which he pierces through enemy defense is indeed sharp.鈥?/p>

鈥淗e鈥檚 also doing a good job at creating a chance to strike. He deliberately exposed an opening that he could easily have blocked. It would have been hard not to take that bait.鈥?/p>

Even as they were eating, Geomchi and the trainers discussed the topic of Weed鈥檚 combat as a side dish. Other common users would take a look at the battle and simply think it was quite epic, but they had a better understanding of the hidden meanings behind those exchanges of swords.

It was difficult to use the Heraim Fencing skill properly without being able to see at least three or four moves ahead of time. One had to have full awareness of the traits and attack patterns of the monsters, steering the combat to their advantage.

Geomchi was feeling quite proud as he observed Weed鈥檚 movements.

鈥淗e is properly using what I taught him.鈥?/p>

鈥淟eaping up off the opponent鈥檚 leg as he hit the head, and making 4 attacks in midair. It looks like he had taken into consideration the change of direction and the remaining Life Force of the enemy.鈥?/p>

鈥淲ell he is doing adequately. I see he used some larger movement for the viewers.鈥?/p>

鈥淚 wish he was a little more aggressive鈥?but this is still quite excellent.鈥?/p>

It was extremely rare for Geomchi and the trainers to compliment a pupil.

Weed鈥檚 combat style was clean yet bold; he would make some intentional tricks but he never made a mistake. If his overall fighting ability was 100, not only was he able to exert all of it in any situations, but he knew how to make use of his power so that it felt as if it was 200 or 300 while the opponent only had about 80 or 90.

Geomchi2 put three chicken skewers into his mouth.

鈥淥ur sword technique is one that is used to duel against other people. *Yum Yum*. Our Little Brother鈥檚 abilities have been optimized for Royal Road, it would be difficult to match him in terms of his use of skills.鈥?/p>

Geomchi3 agreed.

鈥淵es, since he even considers things like the enemy鈥檚 morale and other various characteristics when he fights..鈥?/p>

Weed had grown so strong that now the video of him in combat was making a great impression on them. He was rough, fast, and flashy, yet the theoretical aspects of martial arts hidden beneath that combat style were incredibly profound, which accounted for his continuous series of Super-Moves that would simply astound any ordinary user while hiding the firm foundation of basic skills behind them.

Geomchi put down his beer.

鈥淥ur Little One went to such a fun place all by himself鈥︹€?/p>

鈥淚鈥檓 jealous.鈥?/p>

Geomchi2 agreed.

But they had their own mission to accomplish.

60,000 Desert Warriors!

The trainers had to take charge of the elite troops from the Southern desert region.

Some disciples had also been appointed with conducting squads of the Grass Porridge Cult, and for this task they even had to study a few books which they so rarely read.

鈥?A Stamina-based Knight: the Standard Procedure of Charging

鈥?Introductory Workbook to Warfare in Royal Road

鈥?Beginning of Party Hunting

鈥?Leadership Skills for Customer Satisfaction

Most of the books they had brought were the ones they had picked up half-heartedly from the best sellers sections of bookstores.

****

The Death Knights were the central force, and the skeletons were supporting them.

Weed raised a large number of zombies from the field full of cadavers.

鈥淜kkkkkweeeeek!鈥?/p>

鈥淧upupum!鈥?/p>

In terms of basic combat abilities, those zombies swinging the hands of the deceased were quite weak. However, they were useful for increasing the number of undead in a short time.

鈥淶-zombies!鈥?/p>

鈥淕lory to the Bromba Kingdom. Repel those zombies!鈥?/p>

The horde of zombies quickly swooped upon the Bromba Kingdom鈥檚 royal army.

An assorted set of 17 different types of zombies, including the infected, the corrupted, and the half-rotten!

As the skeleton legion that formed the central shaft of the undead army fought against the main forces of the other kingdoms, more zombies rose up in bulks from the ground in the nearby areas.

The raised corpses were also an excellent tool for bringing up chaos and confusion.

鈥淒o not be perturbed by the zombies. Just kill them!鈥?/p>

During the Warring Age, the Bromba Kingdom was famous for their heavy infantry. Knights and soldiers were putting their strength together, halting the advance of the zombies.

Having noticed this, Van Hawk raised his sword and commanded the Death Knights.

鈥淔ormation!鈥?/p>

At his order, the Death Knights riding on the phantom horses lined up in one straight line.

鈥淏ring death upon this land!鈥?/p>

< A March of Death!Life Force will be consumed at the rate of 796 points every 10 seconds.The combat capacity of the Death Knights will become temporarily enhanced, and they will gain immunity against all types of interruption skills. >

Death Knights rode their ghost horses forward.

Their duty was to fight against the enemies up until the very moment they fell to their death.

鈥淩otten Cloud, Sweeping Fear, The Alliance of the Long Dark Shadows.鈥?/p>

Weed happily bombarded the battlefield with area-of-effect cursing spells, the specialty of Necromancers.

鈥淐orpse Explosion!鈥?/p>

It was also a basic practice to cast Corpse Explosion occasionally in the places dense with troops, to make good use of the skill鈥檚 destructive power!

The Bromba Kingdom鈥檚 royal soldiers were able to hold out against the undead, but their defense was beginning to be shaken little by little by the fierce attacks from the Death Knights led by Van Hawk鈥?/p>

鈥淭his should be enough. We will head North.鈥?/p>

He summoned additional Death Knights and Skeleton Soldiers to initiate a fight against the Kelton Kingdom鈥檚 army.

鈥淗onorable soldiers from the Kelton Kingdom, an undead horde is coming toward us.鈥?/p>

鈥淟et us fight. Till the end. Our chivalry and swords will never bend.鈥?/p>

The Kelton Kingdom鈥檚 royal knights cried out. As their swords shone in bright light, the soldiers鈥?morale and stamina were restored.

As humans fought to stop the undead, an incredibly intense battle was taking place.

The Palrangka War, where 7 kingdoms fought among themselves!

Weed was sending his undead troops here and there, trapping every nearby area in chaotic fights. His purpose, of course, was to obtain as much loot as possible鈥?/p>

鈥淵ou! Necromancer! A creature feeding on maggot-infested corpses! This shall be the place where you die and burn in hellfire!鈥?/p>

Heroes from the royal army of the Bromba Kingdom were all swarming in towards him without Weed having to lure them.

鈥淔or Justice!鈥?/p>

鈥淭ogether we will kill!鈥?/p>

鈥淭he Necromancer!

鈥淕o, Bromba Kingdom鈥檚 swords!鈥?/p>

The fabulous shouts from the knight commanders of the Kelton Kingdom and the heroes of the Bromba Kingdom! They had come to stop the Necromancer, rather than meeting their demise while fighting in the Palrangka War.

(Continued on next part鈥?