4) Eye of the Storm

“Kill!”

“That body will receive Embinyu’s punishment. Bring the soldering irons!”

“Cut off the limbs and mince the fles.h.!.+”

The fanatics clamoured furiously.

Weed had nowhere to escape! Only followers of the Embinyu Church were nearby and the desert army couldn’t be seen at all. There was also a considerable number of experts blocking the path to the fortress. And of course, the Mapon and Beiner Kingdoms wasn’t going to come rescue him.

“Well, it is only one army.”

Although others might panic, Weed just looked curiously at the Embinyu Army.

The battlefield was filled with priests, magicians, witches and elite monsters. The worst appearance was a monster with dark green that was dripping saliva.

Embinyu had improved the monsters so they had a variety of combat skills, high resilience and could also spread diseases. They were strong compared to the fanatics but there were only thousands of them.

Weed gave a deep sigh.

“I haven’t done anything wrong. Just look at what is going to happen in this world.”

“……?”

“Fanatics might believe in Embinyu in this warring period but later a great kingdom called the Arpen Kingdom will be created.”

“……!”

A comparison to distinguish which one was better!

The residents of the Arpen Kingdom were suffering from hunger and poverty until King Weed brought them culture, commerce and adventure.

In fact, loyalty when managing the Arpen Kingdom wasn’t required. However, the taxes set were quietly increased under various pretexts. It was currently a peaceful period but sooner or later they would need to compete with the Haven Empire.

Weed felt a pain that could be compared with people suffering from terminal cancer! He hoped that the kingdom would survive and he could raise the taxes later. If the Haven Empire suddenly met its downfall and the taxes rose then residents of the Arpen Kingdom would be eating potatoes, sweet potatoes and bean sprouts.

“Don’t listen to the savage!”

“That big body has no respect for Embinyu.”

The fanatics held small swords as they threatened him. The senior priests and monsters prepared to attack him. Igrig and Motuls had just been watching the battle at Dulmore Fortress but now they approached Weed. A statue of Embinyu wearing a purple necklace was drawing in power. The witches flapped their wings and hissed with snake like tongues. They had prudent characters so they didn’t want to attack first.

Fighting against such odds was difficult. There were excessive numbers of them. Weed didn’t know how long he could hold out against all these enemies.

However, Weed hadn’t lost his rationality when he entered deep into the enemy’s territory. Rather than fighting efficiently with minimal damage, he had fought recklessly.

This was all part of the plan. The operation name was Dead Rat!

“Even a rat can bit back when cornered by a cat!”

In order for his plan to succeed, he needed to be in the middle of the enemy. It was a risk but it was the best way to maximize Weed’s sculpting skill.

“Let’s die together. You should try to survive the sky.”

Weed pulled out a sculpture! It was a sculpture with a flat, eerie landscape. A thick whirlwind was moving while rain fell from the sky. The earth also had deep cracks. It was a work that expressed a complex disaster. It looked more destructive than the wind magic that Andre of the Beiner Kingdom used.

The magic only impacted a narrow area and could be adequately controlled. However, the wide range of the disaster made it difficult to predict. In addition, the wind magic was weaker than the disaster. Andre was a wind master but the spell consumed his mana. The benefit was that it could be used with the chant was completed and it was safe.

In contrast, Great Disaster Nature Sculpting depended on his art stat and affinity to nature as well as a proper sculpture! Weed had superior art and affinity to nature values so he could cause a disaster with astronomical power.

“Great Disaster Nature Sculpting!”

-A Masterpiece Sculpture. A fearsome havoc will be exerted that can kill you.

Even so, do you want to use the skill?

“Let’s see who can kill me!”

-You have used Great Disaster Nature Sculpting.

20 Art stats have permanently disappeared.

20,000 Health and Mana has been consumed.

All stats have been temporarily reduced by 15% for 3 days.

Affinity to Nature has fallen.

Great Disaster Nature Sculpting can only be used once a day.

When a great calamity is called upon, fame or infamy can be increased depending on the damage.

It is possible to die in the middle of the disaster so be careful.

“Catch him!”

The monsters and fanatics launched their attacks after he triggered the disaster.

“This world is doomed. Get rid of the illusion that they can stop us.”

“He absolutely can’t escape!”

Weed swung the Extermination Sword at the incoming enemy. The knights and fanatics were like dealing with young children but the monsters needed a few hits to kill them. They had high health and the blessing from Embinyu meant they wouldn’t fall quickly in battle. He used the power of fire to burn away the flesh perfectly.

Meanwhile, the Knights and Priests of Atrocities were being rapidly deployed. With the exception of Motuls, Igrig and Pechet, the remaining enemies had surrounded Weed so that he couldn’t escape.

-Blood Curse!

An unknown energy has entered your body.

Whenever blood is shed, health will recover more slowly than normal.

-Dark Zone of Hatred!

An area of darkness has been declared.

The dark aura will restrict movement and decrease your resistance.

Curse magic will be more effective.

-Drooping Body!

Strength and vitality has decreased by 14%.

Movement is reduced.

The power of the curse has weakened ‘Will of a Brave Warrior.’

-Innate Weakness!

You have fallen victim to the priests’ punishment magic.

The middle of your chest has weakened and a red dot will appear, luring the enemies to you.

You will be attacked up to 15 times more.

Extermination Sword increased his resistance to curse magic but it didn’t protect him perfectly.

The effect of curses had decreased up to 64%.

The curses fell on him!

He was so busy fighting the enemies in front of him that he didn’t bother identifying the curses nestled in his body.

The dark priests opted for weakening curses rather than attack magic. Weed had items with a basic resistance to curses but the priests kept trying.

“We promised to dedicate our blood and lives to Embinyu. Forgotten Pain!”

The sacrifices meant the magic had a very high hit rate. Weed felt his fighting condition rapidly deteriorate. His movements changed from a young man to an elderly person. The barbarian’s survival skills and recovery was significantly slowed.

The scary thing was that the priests also blessed the fanatics and monsters. The Embinyu magic that could change the potential of a living being. The side effect was that it would only last for 10 minutes and might cause death. But they would become like elite bosses.

The level of the dark knights and atrocity knights changed. The originally strong boss monsters were transformed even further!

“I encourage you to bring it on. I will wipe you all out!”

Weed wielded the Extermination Sword among the enemies. The curses on his health and vitality was continuously being removed and reapplied. It was the worst situation but he confidently greeted the enemies. Flames stretched out dozens of metres with every swing of the Extermination Sword.

He drew closer to the Priests and Knights of Atrocities. They hadn’t let their guard down but was a.s.sisting Igrig and Motuls in a ceremony to maximize their divine power. An att.i.tude of waiting until the ceremony was complete!

However, the remaining enemies were constantly attacking him. Weed couldn’t avoid receiving injuries. A barbarian was large with strong damage but the size made it impossible to avoid the small stings from the dwarves. Even a barbarian had natural enemies.

-Health has been reduced to 51%.

“Embinyu is nothing. No one can stop me!”

Weed cried in a loud voice.

“The savage is quite brave!”

The priests of the Embinyu Church couldn’t help praising the courage of the enemy.

“You are the only one who can stop us now. The world will be destroyed after your death.”

“I will defend the continent from the Embinyu Church. On behalf of the elves, orcs, dwarves, humans and all the species that live on the continent.”

Weed gave a brusque reply to the priest’s words.

He was seen many blockbuster movies where the hero confronted the enemy. He laughed at the hero’s embarra.s.sing words but secretly thought it was pretty cool. Now that day had arrived for him!

‘If this is broadcasted then I will be an idol to all kindergarten and elementary school students.’

Royal Road wasn’t only popular in Korea but all around the world. In other words, Weed would be the idol of children around the world. Adding toxic chemicals to the dreams of young children! The probability of them dying in dangerous battles would be higher because they wouldn’t shrink back in fear.

He hadn’t calculated any of this. He just wanted to look cool while fighting as a barbarian.

Then fat raindrops started falling.

“Now!”

Weed looked up at the sky like he was welcoming rain after a drought. The shower of raindrops suddenly changed into a heavy storm. A vortex of wind started forming and the earth shook wildly.

“It worked well.”

Weed smiled wildly.

The great power of the Embinyu Church was gathered together so he could kill them all at once. The scene of a ma.s.sacre due to a Great Disaster Nature Sculpting created with a masterpiece sculpture! The monsters were affected by the heavy rain.

“But there is still something lacking.”

Weed felt like lukewarm water had emerged from a broken boiler.

“The monsters have high health so they might be able to survive the disaster.”

Even if there was a disaster, their high health and resilience meant that many were likely to survive. Weed’s level was very high so he didn’t need to worry about dying from the disaster.

“A number of high ranking officials in the Embinyu Church will also survive. Not to mention the elite monsters and demons.”

Demons were still pouring out of the Gates of h.e.l.l. The Great Disaster Nature Sculpting wasn’t enough to deal with all of them.

“The level of risk should be enough to kill me. Otherwise it will be boring.”

Weed pulled out a slip of paper. It was an old and crumpled paper but it contained the ultimate magic spell.

Summon Meteor!

A large meteor would fall that was enough to completely wipe out a capital city. No one had ever experienced it so he wasn’t aware of the full extent of its power.

“I will judge it now.”

Weed ripped the Summon Meteor scroll.

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Myeongdong’s loan sharks!

They thought hard about why there were in this situation.

“Wrong. There must be someone with a grudge against me. Did President Choi hit me in the back of the head? Or is someone in the company trying to get rid of me?”

They became suspicious of everyone in the world. It needed to be someone with the power to mobilize the prosecutors and the IRS. The principle rule they followed was being strong against the weak and acting weak towards the strong.

“I don’t know the reason.”

The loan sharks were still optimistic that someone would come to save them. They were afraid that someone would show up to kill them so initially they sought a way to escape. But they couldn’t find a secret pa.s.sage no matter how much they looked at the ceiling and walls in the small room.

“Anyone pa.s.sing by is good. If only they can save me….”

They were trapped 300 metres underground. It was an area made of natural rocks. They couldn’t dream of any escape and was eventually resigned to just survive in that place. After 3~4 months, it was inevitable that they would become familiar with captivity.

Their only interest was watching the television. News were of no interest but they enjoyed sports and dramas. The loan sharks unexpectedly fell to the charm of morning dramas.

They found the provocative material of the human world exciting. Dying, fighting the enemy, reconciliation, fighting again, birth secrets and other contents of Hollywood movies were interesting.

And Royal Road! They were trapped in a narrow s.p.a.ce so the loan sharks were envious of the wide world of Royal Road. Royal Road was a medium that lifted the happiness of people. The loan sharks also sat in front of the television and watched Weed’s adventures.

“Weed is now causing a disaster. Weed the G.o.d of War is using his trademark disaster in the midst of the Embinyu Army!”

“The disaster doesn’t seem to be wiping out all the enemies.”

“His combat style is really bold and aggressive. Where is his courage coming from?”

The CTS Media commentators were heatedly discussing it.

It was the climax of the crisis where Weed had entered the midst of the Embinyu Army. It was natural for them to receive the highest ratings since the audience intuitively sensed the climax was coming.

It wasn’t just CTS Media but all the other broadcasting stations were like that as well. The voices of the commentators became agitated whenever they witnessed a great scene or crisis.

And then Weed pulled out a slip of paper.

“That is a magic scroll.”

“A peculiar looking red paper. It seems to be a fairly advanced magic.”

“It is natural for a user like Weed to be able to pull out a high ranking magic scroll.”

“Did he obtain it in the desert? Or while conquering and looting?”

“I’m guessing it is a teleport scroll in order to escape.”

“The magicians of the Embinyu Church won’t permit it…it is unclear if the spell will be successful.”

The television commentators said quickly. They didn’t have any information so they could only speculate based on the situation. The emotions and interest of the audience was heightened.

“The red paper indicates that it is a magic scroll in the fire series.”

“Ah, Weed matches that really well. He seems to be unleas.h.i.+ng a great magic attack.”

“It is common sense that it would be a rain of fire magic but….the situation needs to be taken into account. That isn’t Weed’s answer.”

“If a very strong fire spell is used then the rain will affect it. There won’t be explosive fire magic.”

“Ah…now I have received information from a reliable source. The ident.i.ty of that scroll is the ultimate magic Summon Meteor!”

“Summon Meteor!”

A disaster that would cause unknown effects. Even if the disaster just swept past, it would decrease the Embinyu Army by half. The commentators knew that heartily praising Weed would gather the attention of the viewers.

The reaction to the broadcast of Royal Road was very important. But this time the commentators sincerely freaked out. It was like their cousin had won the lottery!

“S-something absurd is happening. The ultimate magic Summon Meteor! Just like the name, it is a magic that summons a burning meteor. The result is the same.”

“He is really summoning a meteor? If the magic scroll works properly then it will be the first time the Versailles Continent has seen a meteor being summoned.”

“It is an honour that I can even see such a spectacle. A magnificent view will be produced. It is difficult to imagine.”

They never thought he would summon a meteor when facing the Embinyu Church. Each of the stations had an emergency meeting. All the employees were prepared to broadcast realistic images of the summoned meteor.

“This is crazy!”

The loan sharks watching television were so shocked that the barley bread fell out of their mouths.

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-The scroll with the magic spell Summon Meteor sealed in it has been activated.

Please set the location where the meteor will fall.

Weed had carried the scroll without using it. He had a suspicion that the magic scroll might be a defective product. If the scroll was valuable then the magician Roderick wouldn’t have forgotten it while travelling.

“I hope it works properly. Nevertheless, it is still a luxury. The characters have bad handwriting and it is folded like a ticket.”

There was a large chance that there would be an error with Summon Meteor.

“I need to decide the location. So that it will miss me. Huhuhu, I am really smart.”

Weed placed his foot where he decided the meteor would fall.

-The location has been specified.

The meteor will fall after a while.

Once it hits the ground, the impact will be over a wide area so you should be careful.

“I’ve decided that this is the best method. However….I feel uneasy for some reason.”

A chill could be felt through his entire body. But he decided to just wait.

The rain and whirlwind swept through the battlefield. There were screams as fanatics and monsters flew around in the air. Numerous members of the Embinyu Army were swallowed up by cracks in the ground.

“Hihihihit, I am dying!”

“I am falling towards the distant bottom. I am very honoured!”

Unlike the regular soldiers, the fanatics didn’t have their morale reduced by the disaster. They regarded Weed’s disaster as a sign of the end of the world.

The bodies were caught by the whirlwind and carried in different directions. Other monsters and fanatics pushed back and forth in order to fall into a hole in the ground.

There was a scary sound as the earth became like smashed tofu. It was a terrible disaster for humans to experience. Weed’s conscience was slightly p.r.i.c.ked at the scene of people trying to die.

Weed was large so he had a lot of resistance to the wind. His resilience of a barbarian was also weakened due to the curses.

“Weeeeek!”

He leaned his upper body forward and endured as monsters rolled into him. It wasn’t like the arrows as he had no way of avoiding the numerous monsters swept by the wind.

“N-No!”

Weed’s ma.s.sive body started to be scooped up like a fly. He was caught up in the wind with the fanatics and monsters. His hands couldn’t catch anything and he spun round and round in the sky. He couldn’t do anything! He became involved in the disaster.

Phoenix’s Health was a skill that allowed him to withstand any attack for 3 minutes but he couldn’t use it in the sky. Weed spun so fast that his view of the earth and sky kept on reversing.

Monsters crashed against his body while flying at a scary speed. The collisions didn’t decrease his health to a dangerous level but he was in a precarious state.

“Absolute Defense, Close Eyes Tightly!”

He mobilized his defensive skills!

Kwarururung!

Thunder struck in the immediate vicinity. The whirlwind raised him high into the sky. The power of the disaster that allowed him to pierce through the clouds! He suddenly didn’t feel the wind pus.h.i.+ng against his body as he saw a bright light.

“Eueuum!”

His eyes saw the clear sky and the sun. He had broken through the dark clouds into a calm world. However, that only lasted for 2~3 seconds! The whirlwind pulled his body back again.

“Kuwaaaaah!”

This time he was dropping at a fearsome pace towards the ground. It felt like he was riding a roller coaster in an amus.e.m.e.nt park. However, a roller coaster only dropped a few hundred metres at best and he didn’t have any safety devices as he fell from the clouds.

“I don’t need to see. Close Eyes Tightly!”

Weed re-used the defense skill. The whirlwind cut at his flesh and many fanatics and monsters crashed into him. Some flying swords and spears also pierced him.

Kkuuuung!

There were even monsters that latched onto Weed’s legs. The long, sharp teeth within a monster’s mouth bit into his legs.

Pepek!

But in the end, Weed’s kick connected and it flew far away.

‘This disaster is lasting for a long time.’

He didn’t know how long he was embroiled in this but it felt like a very long time. It was like being in the army and waiting for a vacation!

‘A long time. Shouldn’t I have hit the ground by now?’

Weed cancelled his defense skill as he opened to eyes to look for the ground. He was falling towards a deep gap in the earth.

A stunning speed. And his body was still turning in circles.

“Momentary Herculean Strength!”

A skill that consumed vitality to exert an enormous power! The 5~6 curses still remaining in his body were removed.

‘I need to catch something.’

Weed started looking around. A monster with a long, thick tail and limbs flew headed towards him.

“Severe Blow!”

Kwaaek!

The monster had been swept by the wind so it didn’t have a lot of health left. It died immediately after one hit. Weed used the repulsion force to decrease his speed a little bit.

‘This isn’t enough. I need a few more.’

The wind was blowing in one direction so he could search everywhere. He continuously attacked flying monsters, fanatics and stones! Sometimes Weed’s attacks missed but they hit far more often.

His speed and direction changed a little bit but he was still falling towards the crack in the earth. The situation would end if he was sucked into the ground!

‘I was careless about this disaster.’

He belatedly regretted it but it was useless. Just as Weed was near the ground, he suddenly received a tremendous shock.

“Keheok!”

He b.u.mped into a bronze giant. But the conflict meant he crashed into the precipice of the deep crack.

-Health has decreased by 19,374 due to the reduced impact.

His health wasn’t an issue but he was falling down again.

“I’ve got to live!”

Weed stretched out his hand and grabbed an overwhelming rock.

Sususuk!

The rock couldn’t bear the weight of a barbarian and was crushed like tofu. He fell a few dozen metres before barely stopping.

“A-alive.”

Weed sighed with relief. If the quest failed then his final secret sculpting technique would fly away. He looked at the top as fanatics and monsters continued falling into the gap. The wind continued howling loudly.

“I almost died coolly. Well, this is good for me.”

Weed climbed up the cliff. He didn’t want to get caught by the wind again so he didn’t climb up to the ground. He stopped 10 metres away and relaxed.

-The earth G.o.ddess Mi-ne has blessed you.

The energy from the earth has restored your health and vitality.

He placed his hands on the wall and supplemented his health and vitality. This recovery ability and his high resilience allowed him to enter the heart of the enemy.

“How many millions of people have suffered damage? It would be nice if many witches and priests died in the chaos.”

Weed organized the work he needed to do in the future while waiting for the disaster to stop. Then he had a sudden thought.

‘What about the meteor I summoned?’

The disaster was a trailer while the meteor was the main event. If it fell in the wrong place then it would be impossible to properly measure the intensity.

A disaster at the level of a calamity!

‘I barely survived the disaster so it will be difficult if the meteor falls here. The Embinyu Army will perish.’

But Weed couldn’t give a smile of satisfaction. Who knew where the meteor would drop! There was no guarantee that Dulmore Fortress and the desert army wouldn’t be wiped out.

The raindrops falling from the sky decreased and the wind calmed down slightly. However, the sky suddenly shone a blazing red. The dark clouds were helplessly scattered like fog melted by a hot sun.

“Is this the meteor being summoned?”

Weed raised his head. There was suddenly a small stone in the sky.

“A small meteor means the magic scroll was successful. But isn’t this level close to defective?”

Disappointment filled his chest. But the small stone fell at a dreadful speed.

When he first saw it, the stone was half the size of his finger but now it was as large as his palm. Specifically, he was seeing the size when it was still a colossal distance away and it expanded exponentially.

Weed’s instincts warned him.

‘This isn’t a joke. Just pa.s.sing by will be enough to leave a trail of death.’

The hairs on his body stood up as he felt a sense of crisis.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t easy for him to move. The disaster wasn’t over yet and he didn’t know where the meteor would crash.

‘Go somewhere else. Go away.’

Weed became desperate as the size of the meteor increased. He couldn’t be calm.

‘I need to check the facts again. It will continue to grow bigger as it approaches closer. It is natural for the meteor to crash into the earth. And what does it mean if it moves above my head?’

It meant the meteor would fall exactly here! It wasn’t aimed at Weed but the area he was in was within the range. Weed had placed the location of the meteor in the centre of the Embinyu Army.

The worst case situation might really happen. His luck meant he was also suffering misfortunes.

“Somehow I need to avoid it.”

Weed checked the surroundings. Even the deep crevices didn’t seem safe. The destructive power of the meteor would be enough to devastate the whole area. The meteor was going faster and faster so he didn’t have a lot of time to think calmly.

“Sink or swim.”

Weed jumped out of the crack in the ground. The rain, whirlwind and ground shaking resembled a dance. But the power of the disaster was weakening so it would disappear soon.

Weed could already feel the hot burden overhead. The blazing fire from the meteor burning in the sky could be directly felt. There was no other way.

“Sink or swim. Wind Sprint!”

Weed blindly ran forward. The barbarian had long legs so he had a good speed.

The good news was that no one from the Embinyu Church interfered with him. They had seen the meteor and was trying to escape.

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Warrior-1 and Warrior-2.

The sculptural lifeforms commanding the desert army watched the fight from distant hills.

“As expected from the Great Emperor.”

They couldn’t help admiring Weed’s superior combat power. He even turned into a barbarian at Dulmore Fortress.

Weed used mysterious sculpting techniques to fight. And a disaster took place as promised. The desert army were waiting for the disaster to finish before starting their a.s.sault. The combat slaves, elephant troops and vampire forces were ready to fight.

The desert army had swept through the continent but they had a low chance against the Embinyu Army.

Weed drew in enemies to Dulmore Fortress. A plan to drive them together and use a disaster!

“Ready for the a.s.sault. Mount the horses and camels.”

But they decided to stop after seeing the sky turn red.

“Retreat!”

Rather, they moved further from the battlefield. A colossal meteor was heading towards Weed and the Embinyu Church.

Weed thought it was meaningless to preserve all his power when trying to save the continent. A big impact hit the camp of the Embinyu Army!

It was like they were seeing the sun as stones, wood and sand started surging. Wind blew strongly enough to push back their bodies.

Some combat slaves with low vitality died but the damage wasn’t severe.

“Did the Great Emperor survive?”

“I don’t know. He isn’t visible.”

The sky turned red again before they could confirm Weed’s fate. Warrior-3 pointed a finger to the sky.

“It is coming again!”

Meteors were pouring from the sky. Surprisingly, the Summon Meteor magic didn’t call one meteor but dozens of them. The impact caused clouds of dust as the long, burning tail of meteors fell.

The land was astonished. It was a vivid scene as the earth became like ice cream.

Warrior-1 spoke after a while.

“Did the Great Emperor die in peace?”

Warrior-2 replied with confidence.

“He would’ve been in pain.”

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