Chapter 252

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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Swish-

Han-bit, who was running through the gloomy forest, headed toward the center.

There were quite a few players he met along the way, but they were only a minority.

‘They’re swarming in.’

Players who had figured out the direction through the broadcast all started swarming toward the center.

Those who purely wanted to interfere with Han-bit and those who wanted to clear the private area first by any means.

There were even quite a few like the Black Banquet who tried to gain harvest through PK.

Tak-!

As he moved while checking the situation with Clairvoyance for about 5 minutes.

Han-bit stopped in front of a semi-transparent red wall.

It was the barrier created by the Witch of Lamentation.

Swish-

He passed through without resistance and advanced, feeling a more gloomy atmosphere.

The monster holding the last Fragment of Emotion was a humanoid undead.

To be precise, it was the commander of the knight order of the fallen ancient kingdom.

Since it was an identical being in appearance and ability, it was considerably difficult for an ordinary player to defeat.

Ssss-

As Han-bit advanced further inward, black haze came into his view.

On the flat ground ahead stood a man clad in full armor.

[Elite: Commander of the Knights Consumed by Anger (Lv.???)]

-ㄷㄷ;

-Look at the atmosphere.

-Monster boss;

-The sword is freaking huge.

-If hit, the head would split.

The knight commander holding a massive greatsword showed no reaction.

But if an enemy appeared, that monster would transform into a monster that swept through the battlefield and sweep everything away.

Honestly, for Han-bit in his current state, it was difficult to handle.

‘This is ambiguous.’

Han-bit, thinking of the Great Bow of the End, gave up early.

A weapon with different principles and usage from ordinary bows.

It was regrettable to use a charge, but the situation itself was not suitable in the first place.

Because there was the time required for preparation and many interferers.

Sss-

The rustling bushes moving here and there were clearly visible.

It was the situation where other players he had been watching with Clairvoyance were gathering.

The number was in the hundreds.

It was tricky in various ways to handle them all alone.

‘About 5 minutes.’

The limited time to obtain the last Fragment of Emotion.

If time ran late, the conquest of this private area would only remain a failure.

Swish-

Han-bit, who straightened his sword, walked forward.

Several plans he had drawn before arriving here.

It was a way to make use of those numerous players waiting for an opportunity.

Krrrk-

As he stepped out of the bushes, the knight commander let out a strange sound and turned his body.

And the moment his hand holding the greatsword twitched.

Kwang-!

With an explosion sound, the creature kicked off.

Hwook-!

The knight commander who closed the distance in one go swung the greatsword with incredible agility.

Kang-!

Han-bit, who deflected the attack, quickly lowered his stance.

At the same time, something grazed his hair.

Shweek-!

A red crack carved along the trajectory of the greatsword the creature swung.

It was as if seeing Charlotte’s power.

That was because it was one of the founders of Space Swordsmanship.

Tak-!

Han-bit retreated to widen the distance.

But the knight commander immediately followed as if reacting instantly.

Hwook-!

Shhk-!

The greatsword swung like a madman and the space that split consecutively was overwhelming.

A moment of carelessness was enough to lose one’s life.

‘Shall we go?’

Tak-!

Han-bit turned his body and kicked off.

The target was the group of players hiding in the forest.

It was where hundreds of baits were.

Shweek-!

Han-bit charged quickly wrapped in wind.

And the knight commander also followed behind with tremendous momentum.

Kwagag-!

Shhk-!

The monster swinging the greatsword like a madman, shattering and splitting the terrain.

For the players who had been tailing, it was an unexpected disaster.

“Wh, what is it!”

“Damn this!”

The startled people tried to hastily flee from that disaster.

But that was a too late judgment.

Puk-!

Shhk-!

Players being randomly cut by the swung greatsword and the splitting space.

That sudden massacre continued as it swept through the forest.

Whoosh-!

Han-bit, who was checking the enemies’ positions with Clairvoyance, eliminated the interferers just by running.

The time it took for the hundreds of players to reduce to single digits was about one minute.

It was thanks to truly sprinting.

-No……

-What is that?

-Extreme charging becomes a strategy.

-All the stealers died. hahaha

-But it must have been freaking scary.

Shhk-!

The power and speed of the knight commander who had been slaughtering them while following were visibly weakened.

The power of anger that decreased as life was taken away.

That was one of the methods to conquer the knight commander.

Tak-!

Han-bit, who gradually widened the distance, turned in the opposite direction.

He met the gaze of the approaching monster and immediately used the World Tree’s Authority.

Kwadud-!

Without any sign, hundreds of World Tree vines surged from the ground and trees.

It was a tremendous amount that filled the surrounding space.

Kwajik-!

Shhk-!

The knight commander, trapped by the obstructions, diligently cut the vines.

But the power of the World Tree that surged as if multiplying was not something that could be cut off.

Tak-!

Han-bit, who was checking the location with Clairvoyance, went inward.

And the moment he manipulated the vines to create a gap in the path.

Shweek-!

He charged at the knight commander with his sword thrust forward.

Puk-!

The sword blade that pierced through the gap in the armor of the creature that could not respond properly was deep.

It was an attack that would have been blocked if the power of anger had not been quickly depleted.

Swish-

The knight commander, whose neck was pierced, slowly moved his gaze.

The red pupils visible through the helm.

The light disappeared from there soon enough.

[Obtained Fragment of Emotion (Anger).]

Fortunately, the last Fragment of Emotion obtained within the time limit.

Han-bit, who turned his gaze, leisurely strolled through the locations where players had died and roughly collected the gold and items.

There was no need to take separate actions for what came next.

Because a message followed soon after.

[All Fragments of Emotion have been collected.]

[Moving to the location of the Witch of Lamentation.]

Swish-

With the message that rose, his vision blurred.

As if being sucked into something, he arrived in front of a small house.

“An unwelcome guest.”

A middle-aged woman sitting at a table near the entrance looked at Han-bit with a dry expression.

The name tag floating above her head was vivid.

[Boss: Witch of Lamentation (Lv.???)]

An intellect so firm that she could not be thought of as a monster.

It was a rare trait on the surface, but a common characteristic among the demons underground.

-?

-Why is she okay?

-I think she was crying earlier.

-??

Viewers expressed doubts at the witch’s composed appearance.

But all the phenomena that occurred in the outer space were due to separated emotions.

The witch visible now held no emotions.

“I will approach.”

“Stop.”

When Han-bit tried to move, the witch quietly warned.

She only shifted her gaze and continued in a low voice.

“Do you know what it means for those emotions to return to me?”

“I know. If you have them, you will suffer the curse’s pain again.”

“…You must have obtained unnecessary knowledge.”

The emotions separated from the witch during the madness of repeating her son’s death.

It was a phenomenon caused by the domain created as she transformed into a monster.

“If I go mad, you also cannot avoid death. Perhaps this entire space might disappear.”

The witch, with no hostility or anything else, presented a pure result.

The Witch of Lamentation, who had become much stronger than when she destroyed the kingdom.

If one made her mad and fought, the odds were infinitely close to zero.

Of course, that was not the purpose.

“I have no intention of dying. My purpose is to lift the curse.”

“That is absurd. There is only one way to lift a curse caused by a relic. It is meaningless unless it is the power of the same relic.”

“Yes. That is why I brought it.”

Han-bit took out the Seal of Apostasy from his inventory.

“……?”

The witch’s gaze reached the small red plate.

Very few people knew of this item’s existence, but it was definitely within the witch’s knowledge.

“You will disappear once the curse is lifted.”

“…I suppose so.”

The witch, who lowered her gaze, looked at her own hands.

A monster’s body that had been made unable to die even if she wanted to.

The death of her son, depicted daily, gnawed even at her heart where emotions had vanished.

But to think she could meet that end, she could not feel it was real.

“Can I truly be free?”

The witch, who quietly murmured, fell into thought.

After a little more time had passed, she raised her head and spoke.

“What do you wish from me? I don’t have anything great.”

“Anything is fine. My original purpose was to resolve this space.”

“If you are an adventurer, that would make sense.”

The witch, who nodded, finished her own speculation.

Since he had come for the private area’s conquest, it was the exact correct answer.

Swish-

When she reached out, the Seal of Apostasy that Han-bit was holding floated up.

It flew at high speed and reached the witch.

“You may use what is in the house freely. Of course, if you need it.”

She, who spat out the words casually, unhesitatingly grasped the seal with both hands.

Pop-!

Immediately, red light burst out as if exploding.

The relic’s power bloomed like haze and covered the witch’s body.

Whoosh-!

At the same time, three fragments from Han-bit’s possession headed toward her.

They were the Fragments of Emotion scattered in the space.

Ssss-

An ominous black energy separating from the witch’s body.

Along with the relic’s release, her body was also dispersing.

It must have been painful, but the witch’s reaction was completely different.

“I can finally meet you.”

The low voice that rang out held vivid emotion.

And when a faint smile appeared on her face, the Witch of Lamentation completely disappeared.

Ding-

[The private area is released due to condition achievement.]

Pop-!

With the message, blue light descended from the sky.

Han-bit, who turned his gaze, looked at the completely changed scenery.

‘So this is how it becomes.’

What he saw was the appearance of a city in its complete form.

It was a sight returned to a slightly earlier time than what he saw in the first private area.

It seemed to be a structure where time gradually rewound as one progressed through the areas.

Since it was said to be a space containing the goddess’s regret and remorse, perhaps she wanted to return to its former appearance.

Ding-

[Special rewards are granted for the first liberation of the private area.]

[Entry qualifications are granted to the player who liberated the second private area.]

[Obtained Witch’s Research Journal (Rank 9/Unique).]

[Obtained Echo of Memories (Rank 9/Epic).]

The items that disappeared along with the witch’s house.

The first appearance of Rank 9 was not surprising.

Because even Han-bit found it difficult to properly assess the value of these items.

-Eh?

-??

-Rank 9 comes out?

-And two of them ㄷㄷ;

-How much is it in cash?

-Priceless.

Viewers also seemed quite surprised, as the chat window began to burn.

Han-bit, who shifted his gaze, slowly looked around.

‘It seems everyone was kicked out.’

No player was visible anywhere.

Unlike the first private area, it was an open field structure, and various changes occurred due to the update.

He would need to check the entry qualifications once.

‘Shall I look around a bit?’

Han-bit tried to move his steps toward the city interior.

That was when.

Zzzik-

A noise felt along with a strange sensation.

At the same time, a voice completely different from the alarm resonated in his mind.

[A portion of the shackles placed on the Goddess of Silence is removed.]