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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Missing Key
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There were 12 hours left until noon, the deadline for the adventure.
Within that time, one of the Rock Fang Tribe's leaders had to be eliminated.
The Friendly 5 Brothers was fundamentally an elite adventure premised on a five-man party.
Naturally, every monster was far more powerful compared to solo adventures. They were meant to be faced by five people, after all.
And if even the regular monsters were this strong, did that mean taking down the boss would be easy?
Not at all.
That was exactly why Kang Seol had succeeded in making every tribe member drink the Madness Potion but still hadn't rushed into tackling the boss.
'It's still too iffy to step up now.'
The ultimate goal of Kang Seol's plan wasn't hunting the tribe members—it was subjugating all five Rock Fang leaders.
It was a plan so insane that no one would bat an eye if someone called him a lunatic for trying it solo, but Kang Seol had no intention of backing down.
There were a few reasons for that.
First, this was an adventure he remembered perfectly, and it was unfolding exactly as he recalled.
No future adventure would play out precisely according to his memories.
The Eternal World's world fundamentally shifted and changed over time—due to the actions of the Horses.
So, as the adventure progressed, the mid-to-late game content could end up completely different.
'If that happens, the advantage I have vanishes.'
For that reason, perfectly memorized adventures needed to yield the best possible rewards to prepare for the threats that would come later.
Second, in this solo adventure where he'd been forced into this plan, the difficulty difference between facing one leader and all five wasn't all that great.
Third, and most importantly, the rewards.
The Eternal World calculated rewards from multiple angles.
How ingenious the process was, how many people were in the party, the adventure's difficulty itself, the secret tools used, and so on.
From that perspective, Kang Seol's current situation wasn't something to view purely negatively.
If he truly took down all five Rock Fang leaders alone using various means, the rewards would be top-tier even among the top rewards.
That was the reason Kang Seol was walking this arduous path and enduring the hardship.
Rustle…
Anyway, taking advantage of the moment when the gathered trolls had all returned to their posts, he had slipped away to somewhere else.
'This is the Rock Fang Tribe's treasure warehouse….'
Kang Seol had memorized the surrounding locations while climbing the mountain because he was searching for something specific.
Namely, the Rock Fang Tribe's treasure warehouse. Fortunately, it was one level below the topmost floor. He couldn't enter the warehouse itself, but regular tribe members could ascend to that floor.
The Rock Fang Tribe dumped all their treasures into a single warehouse.
'Not much of value, though….'
They were nothing but junk compared to true treasures, but among trolls, these items held high historical value.
Like antiques that seemed useless in the real world but were appraised at billions by experts.
'Still, one item in that treasure warehouse is the real deal.'
There was exactly one genuine treasure in the Rock Fang Tribe's warehouse.
'Rock Fist.'
Kang Seol recalled the tribe's lore.
The Rock Fang Tribe served the Earth Dragon Tankred.
Tankred, taking pity on them, gifted the tribe an item made from his own scales.
A gauntlet called the 'Rock Fist,' which granted the power to shatter rocks just by wearing it—and especially bestowed immense sorcery power on shamans.
'Up to here, it's just like any ordinary troll tribe….'
After obtaining the Rock Fist, the Rock Fang Tribe seemed poised for prosperity, but the opposite happened.
They faced attacks from countless tribes coveting the Rock Fist, and even internal conflicts broke out multiple times within their own ranks.
'The problem was the multiple factions within the tribe.'
Every generation, five shamans bearing the power of rock sorcery were born in the Rock Fang Tribe.
The shamans from the previous era bound them with a 'brotherhood sorcery' to preserve the rock sorcery power, even though they weren't related by blood.
In other words, unrelated beings were forcibly tied as brothers.
If they had bound themselves willingly, like the Peach Garden Oath in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it might have been different—but this forced brotherhood fueled factionalism in the tribe.
'With five factions checking each other… otherwise, they could've been a major power.'
This was all from the official Eternal World lorebook and in-game settings.
And Kang Seol was a player who knew how to exploit these minute details.
Lost in thought, he passed several residences without interference and finally found what he was looking for.
Confirming the treasure warehouse's location, Kang Seol bided his time.
Due to the special circumstances of the harvest festival, security around the warehouse had weakened considerably.
'It's been about an hour since I made all the trolls drink the Madness Potion. The reactions should start soon.'
After waiting another five minutes or so, the signal he'd been expecting arrived.
"Grraaaaaah!"
"Grrrrr…"
Roars pierced the night air—not just one or two, but many.
Mad screams echoed from all corners of the village.
- Once the potion's effects kick in, the trolls will attack each other. I diluted it to avoid detection, so it'll only mildly worsen the leaders' conditions.
Even that much would be a huge help to Kang Seol.
Ignoring the ongoing roars, he stayed near the treasure warehouse.
If regular tribe members were reacting, reactions would show up here soon too.
"What's that! What's that noise?"
"If there's trouble, a messenger will… Ugh…"
"Why… why are you…"
"Graaaaaah!"
As mentioned, at midnight during the harvest festival, every tribe member drank blood.
This was an absolute rule of the festival.
Meaning the guards watching the treasure warehouse had drunk it too.
Crack!
A guard brought his double-bladed axe down on the one right beside him.
It was exactly the scene Kang Seol wanted.
"Grrr…"
Excited by the smell of blood, the guard abandoned his post and charged toward the village.
Kang Seol glanced around, then quietly slipped into the treasure warehouse.
As he stepped a little inside, a voice leaked from within.
"You're late! Don't come near me! Something's wrong with my body! Hurry and tell Jamad and the brothers…"
The Rock Fang Tribe appointed a troll unaffiliated with any faction as the treasure keeper.
That was their rule.
The treasure keeper was a fine warrior, but far weaker than the Five Brothers.
His body twitched, foam bubbled from his mouth, and he whirled to face Kang Seol.
"Grrr…"
The treasure keeper had already surrendered to madness, charging at Kang Seol like lightning.
"Karuna!"
Whoosh, thwack!
The troll gripped his spear firmly, his eyes blood-red as he aimed for Kang Seol's throat.
And thrust hard.
Clang!
But the attack failed.
A black shadow in sword form had deflected the spear.
"Grk… Grrrk!"
Kang Seol flashed a dark smile and ordered Karuna.
"Kill him."
Karuna nodded and attacked the treasure keeper. Their battle ensued.
To cut to the chase, no matter how strong the treasure keeper was, he couldn't match Karuna, the apostle of the moon.
Early-game, Karuna was a monster impossible to face in straight combat.
Even one designed for party hunts, his stats outstripped this troll—even a clone of his.
'If it were Karuna's main body, a troll like this would die in one swing….'
Even at this level, he could probably take one of the Five Brothers except Jamad.
Since it was a clone, not the body, the fight dragged on for a dozen exchanges, but the troll guarding the treasure ultimately had his throat pierced by the Moonlight Sword.
"Kkh… Khaak…"
[The Rock Fang Treasure Keeper has been defeated.]
[You acquire the Rock Key.]
- Lollll, raiding the warehouse like this.
- Isn't the Rock Fist or whatever here? What's he gonna do with it?
- Wtf;;; OP; Rock Fist ain't the Infinity Gauntlet lolll
- Exactly! Joke one lol
- Joke two! Number's up!
- This guy??
Kang Seol held the Rock Key for a moment, lost in thought.
Assassinating the treasure keeper and obtaining the warehouse key was another branching point.
'The choices will pop up.'
As he approached the solidly locked stone wall with the Rock Key in hand, the prompt appeared as if waiting.
[You have acquired the Rock Fang Tribe's treasure warehouse key. What will you do?]
1. Use the Rock Key immediately to open the warehouse door.
2. Take the Rock Key.
3. [Requires: Shaman] Analyze the sorcery engraved on the Rock Key.
4. [Requires: Thief] Check if the key can be duplicated.
5. [Requires: Stealth] Hide in this location.
…
Nearly ten choices this time.
That was how massive a branching point this Rock Key held.
'Taking the Rock Fist could be one option.'
Open the warehouse and grab the Rock Fist before anyone notices.
Some player had surely thought of that before.
'The result was the worst.'
To reiterate, the Rock Fist was the tribe's sacred relic.
The five factions united to reclaim it, and the player who took it ended up torn into five pieces.
'This is the branching point for solo clears. The correct answer is….'
Kang Seol chose option 2.
He simply took the Rock Key without opening the warehouse or stealing the Rock Fist.
Finishing his action like that, he left the chamber and swiftly moved to a spot in the village overlooking the treasure warehouse.
* * *
Shortly after, the Rock Fang leaders rushed to the treasure warehouse one after another.
While many tribe members were swept into madness, committing the tragedy of kin-slaying, they had come here upon learning of the treasure keeper's death.
They had sensed his demise through sorcery.
The youngest of the Five Brothers, Earth Sorcerer Makgata.
Fourth, Gravel Sorcerer Troggo.
Third, Mud Sorcerer Miyam.
Second, Rock Sorcerer Cron.
And the eldest, Mountain Sorcerer Jamad.
"What is this! What chaos has gripped the village!"
"The treasure keeper is dead! One of you orchestrated this!"
They spoke in order of arrival.
Only Jamad listened silently to their words.
Realizing the Rock Key had been stolen, Jamad spoke in a heavy voice.
"Break it."
To check the most important thing, they began smashing the warehouse entrance.
Crack!
Boom!
All sorts of sorceries flew, demolishing the structures guarding the warehouse.
"Haaaaah!"
Jamad finally unleashed a massive boulder sorcery, blasting open the entrance.
BOOOOM-!
Even Kang Seol, far away, felt the tremor.
The leaders posted aides and entered to inspect the warehouse.
At that moment, Kang Seol sneered at the trolls.
'No matter how much they search, everything will be fine.'
He hadn't stolen anything, so nothing would be missing.
They wouldn't find any stolen goods.
'That's the gap.'
No stolen items.
That alone would drive them mad.
"Who is it! Who committed this vile act?"
"It wasn't me! Jamad, it's you, isn't it! Stirring chaos to eliminate us and seize iron-fisted rule!"
"That makes sense!"
"Oh ho! You stole the Rock Fist to murder your brothers! How irreverent!"
"You think it'll go as you plan? Even with the ancestral curse binding us as brothers!"
The Five Brothers began suspecting each other.
When one resisted vehemently to deflect suspicion, the others harbored doubts inwardly while pretending to drop them outwardly.
And Jamad drew the most suspicion.
Perhaps wielding the blade of jealousy under the pretext of suspicion. Jamad was, after all, the strongest and noblest of the brothers.
But contrary to their words, they didn't act rashly.
For now, the Rock Fist was still there, and no other thefts were confirmed.
With madness spreading through the tribe, the venom of suspicion now poisoned relations among the brothers too.
"First, we'll suppress the rioting tribe members, then seek a solution!"
The Five Brothers assigned relatively stable soldiers to guard the chamber and departed.
'So far, it's going according to plan.'
The Rock Key was a special item enchanted with sorcery. Making a replacement would take days.
'And without the key, they have to smash the warehouse.'
The warehouse was smashed.
Aside from the guards, there was no means left to protect the Rock Fist.
The broken warehouse would nag at the Five Brothers' minds.
What if someone stole it?
What if another brother broke the rules and took it by force… Such thoughts would paralyze them.
Suspicion had taken root in everyone's hearts.
Tribe members lost to madness attacking each other, traces of an assault at the treasure warehouse.
No leader would yet believe the tribe was collapsing amid this dire situation.
'Except one….'
Kang Seol knew the Friendly 5 Brothers adventure inside out. Worsening things this far would prompt a bold someone to act first.
'…Here he comes.'
Swish.
A guard spotted someone and went on alert.
"Jamad-nim?"
The eldest leader, Jamad, followed the guard's guidance into the warehouse.
Before his brothers could move, he took action.
'He's going for the Rock Fist.'
The tribe's crisis was his crisis.
Taking the Rock Fist was his way of preparing for threats, confirming the poison of suspicion among his false brothers.
'As expected of the most dangerous leader.'
Kang Seol nodded at his retreating figure, then moved on to the next phase of the adventure.
Now it was time to light the final fuse of this fight.