I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 206

Chapter 206: Those Who Rage (6)

It was a bit different from the usual method, but it seemed like I had laid the groundwork.

The fact that Talfon had given me conditions instead of rejecting my offer outright meant the story was progressing as I knew it.

However…

[1. Give him the inscription stone and entrust him with the contract and inscription.]

[2. Slay the Scorpion King in the Urome region. (0/1)]

[3. Achieve 80% or higher Completion Rate in a duel with Talfon.]

I still didn’t understand why there was an extra condition.

“Carsein? Where are you going?”

“Where else? To hunt the monster Talfon mentioned.”

“I know that, but why are you getting on a horse? Shouldn’t you gather some people to go with you?”

Oh, right. There was supposed to be a conversation with Tasha at this point.

Since Harnie was here instead, I had completely forgotten.

“I’m going alone.”

“What?!”

Harnie’s eyes widened in surprise.

“He didn’t say you had to go alone! Let’s go together!”

“No.”

“The Scorpion King is a formidable monster! You can’t hunt it alone!”

She grabbed my arm, preventing me from leaving.

“And besides, you didn’t mention this earlier, but… why did you just leave after giving Talfon your inscription stone? You know that’s dangerous!”

I knew it was dangerous.

The game had made it abundantly clear.

But there was a reason for this seemingly reckless behavior.

‘It’s all about affinity.’

Talfon hadn't explicitly stated it, but how I cleared these conditions would affect my score. And that score would, in turn, affect his affinity level and Lilpet's overall perception of me.

That was the key.

Since the Lilpet Tribe was essentially hired muscle for Shatrain, increasing their affinity would increase the number of tribesmen willing to follow my orders, expanding my influence within the territory.

In other words, earning their trust and recognition would directly translate to better performance.

Affinity = Agent Rank.

‘But Harnie doesn’t know about that.’

I needed to explain, to get her to understand.

I held up one finger.

“First, I gave him the inscription stone to build trust.”

“Trust?”

“Yes. The Lilpet Tribe has been betrayed by Imperials countless times. This is probably the first time something like this has happened. I could have easily taken advantage of the situation, but I chose to show him that I trust him, even at the risk of him manipulating the contract.”

I held up a second finger.

“And second, Talfon is testing me with those conditions.”

“Testing you? I thought it was a proposal…”

“Westerners always test those who seek alliances or request their services. They need to know what kind of person you are, whether you’re worthy of their trust.”

“A test… Come to think of it, Westerners rarely accept employment or requests from outsiders…”

Thankfully, she seemed to understand the connection. Harnie touched her lips thoughtfully.

“It’s the same principle. According to my research, only those who have slain the Scorpion King are recognized as true warriors in Lilpet. So, he’s testing my strength.”

“I’ve never heard of that before… But why does that mean you have to hunt the Scorpion King alone?”

“I have to prove my strength. If I want to earn the respect of Talfon and the Lilpet Tribe, I have to do it alone.”

That was also the way to raise his affinity.

“Hmm.”

Harnie narrowed her eyes.

I thought that was enough explanation, but she still seemed suspicious.

“And how did you do this ‘research’?”

“Is that what you’re worried about?”

“Of course. You don’t know much about the West.”

Harnie’s suspicious gaze intensified.

Well…

I had simply used information from the game. What else could I have done?

‘…There’s no other way.’

I had to throw someone under the bus.

“I asked Pollux. I sent him a letter asking about Lilpet.”

“…Sigh. Why would the Marquis of Ipheros tell you something like that?”

She grumbled, saying she would have to scold him later.

Sorry, Pollux!

I had no choice!

“Alright. Then… I’ll go with you.”

“Harnie, I told you, I have to go alone—”

“Absolutely not.”

Harnie cut him off, tightening her grip on his arm.

“I won’t let you go unless I come with you. It’s dangerous! I have to protect you!”

“…”

“I don’t want to see you collapse again. I’ll give in on everything else, but not this.”

Harnie’s sharp gaze and her tight grip on his arm made him sigh.

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

“That’s what you should have said in the first place.”

Finally releasing his arm, Harnie smiled.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Excuse me? What are you… Whoa!”

He lifted her effortlessly with one arm and placed her on the horse.

“Wh-What are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m helping you onto the horse.”

He told her to let him know if she was uncomfortable.

“…Honestly, you…”

“Yes?”

-Thwack!

Harnie glared at him and punched him lightly in the chest before turning away.

“Harnie?”

“Don’t talk to me.”

“…Did I do something wrong?”

“I said, don’t talk to me!”

“…”

Why was she so angry?

He didn't think he had done anything to offend her.

…Whatever.

Let’s just go.

***

▶ You have entered the Urome region. ◀

▶ Warning! Powerful monsters inhabit this area. ◀

I had been expecting it, and the status window confirmed that we had entered a new field.

And then…

[ Scorpion King ]

[ Lv. 85 ]

[ HP: ■■■■■■■■■■ ]

A status window appeared above a creature so large, it looked like a small mountain.

The giant scorpion was curled up, basking in the warm sunlight, fast asleep.

I dismounted and reiterated my warning to Harnie.

“I told you before, but please don’t interfere. I’ll signal you if I need help.”

“…”

I had explained everything during the carriage ride, but Harnie still looked worried.

She clearly didn't approve of his plan.

But she agreed to follow his instructions.

“Use that artifact if you sense any danger. Understood?”

“Yes.”

-Step, step.

The Scorpion King was known as one of the most dangerous monsters in the West. Even the Lilpet Tribe usually hunted it in groups of four or five experienced warriors.

The key was to evade its powerful attacks, wear it down, and then neutralize its offensive capabilities one by one. This information was readily available in the Monster Compendium.

But fighting the Scorpion King alone?

Even the Lilpet Tribe would call him crazy.

‘But I have no choice.’

I had to maximize Talfon’s affinity to earn his trust. If I failed, I wouldn’t have enough manpower from Lilpet, my Agent’s rank would decrease, and I wouldn't be able to solve Shatrain’s problems.

That would mean a bad ending, so I had to defeat this monster, no matter how absurd it seemed.

‘Stay calm. Just follow the game’s strategy.’

I had hunted monsters countless times.

Just like in the game, I had gained experience by fighting respawning monsters and occasional bandits to raise Carsein’s stats.

And I knew exactly how to fight the Scorpion King.

-Swish.

I drew my sword as I walked across the sandy ground, a slight breeze swirling around me.

The Scorpion King’s red eyes snapped open.

Its massive pincers, capable of tearing a human apart, clicked menacingly. It had sensed my presence and woken up.

I had anticipated this.

The Scorpion King’s first attack pattern.

-Crash!

Was a pincer slam.

“Haa… I know the pattern, but this isn’t easy.”

Sand and debris rained down as the ground cracked beneath the force of the blow.

Having to dodge these attacks with my actual body, instead of using a keyboard was a daunting task.

But there was an advantage.

-Swish!

“Kree?!”

A gap appeared between its shoulder blades.

This kind of precision was impossible in the game, but now, controlling my body directly, I could exploit these weaknesses.

If I could identify and utilize these advantages, fighting it alone might not be so impossible after all.

-Clang!

And I had the stats to back it up.

This was a fight I could win.

***

The battle began with a pincer slam.

I dodged its attacks, parried its blows, avoiding any serious injuries.

But it wasn't easy.

“Ptoo!”

“That again? Damn it!”

-Sizzle!

A greenish liquid splattered on the sand, releasing a cloud of white smoke.

If I hadn't dodged quickly, it would have been my flesh melting, not the sand.

“This damn game! Why are there extra attack patterns?!”

This wasn’t in the game.

The pincer slams, the poisonous stinger, the sweeping tail attacks, the charges…

I had memorized all of its original attack patterns, I could even dodge them without taking any damage, but this… This acidic spray attack wasn’t in the original game.

“I can’t just keep dodging.”

▶ Stamina below 30%! ◀

▶ Damage taken increased by 50% due to low stamina. Caution! ◀

“Damn it.”

I cursed under my breath, trying to catch my breath.

Based on my countless hours of gameplay, I knew that while this game was notoriously unfair, raising my stats had allowed me to overcome most monsters by exploiting their weaknesses.

But this acidic attack couldn't be neutralized by stats alone.

I calmly analyzed its attack patterns, searching for a solution.

The standard strategy for fighting the Scorpion King, the one used by the Lilpet Tribe, was to have multiple warriors constantly deflecting and blocking its attacks, eventually neutralizing its offensive capabilities.

But there was no way to counter this new attack pattern, this corrosive spray that changed the color of the ground on contact... Which meant I couldn't get close enough to deliver the final blow.

This kind of monster… was weak against close-range attacks. That's why it used this spray to keep its enemies at bay.

“Then there has to be a way to neutralize this attack.”

The acidic spray had a limited range.

It was probably the Scorpion King’s mana, converted into a corrosive liquid.

I quickly formulated a plan.

“Infuse my sword with mana and neutralize the Scorpion King’s magic.”

Mana could neutralize mana.

If I could disperse the mana within the acidic spray, it would lose its corrosive properties.

It seemed like a sound strategy.

But it was also a risky one.

I had no idea how to manipulate mana, apart from using it to enhance my hearing. There was no mana gauge in the combat UI.

Logically, I should retreat. My knowledge of this world’s mechanics was still insufficient. This path could lead to my death.

I had no idea whether I could succeed.

But if I failed… I would lose everything, even the little progress I had made.

And if I retreated now… I would be met with a bad ending.

I was trapped, both paths leading to certain doom. My only option was to defeat the Scorpion King.

After all I had endured, after being treated like dirt by my family, was I going to die in this absurd game?

No way.

“I’m going back to reality. Alive and well.”

I had poured my blood, sweat, and tears into escaping that family.

I refused to die here, for such a trivial reason.

I would survive.

I wiped the sweat from my brow and tightened my grip on my sword.

-Dash!

I charged forward, baiting the Scorpion King into attacking. It responded with another pincer slam, followed by a sweeping tail attack, a stinger strike, and a charge.

I dodged and parried, flawlessly.

And then, the final attack.

It saw me approaching and unleashed a torrent of acidic spray.

“Ptoo!”

This time, I didn’t retreat.

I charged forward, straight into the spray.

And then… I saw something strange.

Faint, shimmering threads, visible only to me, swirled within the green liquid.

Instinctively, I knew I had to sever those threads.

Three meters.

Just as the corrosive spray was about to reach me…

My sword flashed, cutting through the green mist that was obscuring my vision.

No.

That wasn’t it.

My sword, its form expanding, had cleaved through the spray and something else.

-Thud!

The Scorpion King’s head, severed cleanly, fell to the ground.

“…”

So this was it.

The feeling of mana.

I would never forget this sensation.

-Ding!

▶ Mana awakening successful. ◀

▶ Passive Skill: Wederos Kingdom Swordsmanship Lv. 1 acquired. ◀

“…Wederos Kingdom Swordsmanship.”

This was the passive skill Carsein acquired when he awakened his mana.

***

One horse was missing from Lilpet.

And two people were missing.

Talfon, using his keen sense of smell, could tell what had happened.

Just one horse, one sword, and an Imperial noblewoman capable of using magic.

They hadn’t brought any additional manpower to hunt the Scorpion King.

It was foolish.

A group of experienced Lilpet warriors were usually required to take down the Scorpion King, and they had gone with only two people?

“If they’re smart, they’ll give up and come back.”

But contrary to Talfon’s expectations, they returned much sooner than anticipated.

“…!”

He smelled it.

From the entrance.

The distinct scent of the Scorpion King’s venom.

“Huh. Just the two of them… no, the scent… He killed the Scorpion King alone?”

-Ding!

▶ Talfon’s affinity increased due to completing the trial at a higher difficulty. ◀

[ Current Affinity: -5% ]

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