V51C3P2 – Weed’s Song

Using Yurin’s Picture Teleportation skill, Weed and his companions arrived at the Garnav Plain where the battle was taking place.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

They could hear the loud drum sounds and people shouting.

♪♫♬

We sing

Of victory, of glory, of love and future.

With cheerful, merry heart

With courage we possess, we rise.

You, who sculpted the stars,

a.s.sembled the grounds,

And lead the people onwards.

♬♫♪

Marey the bard was singing the Song of Courage which was Weed’s theme song. More than ten thousand bards were playing the tune together with him, and the users in the Garnav Plain were also chorusing along in unison.

♪♫♬

The footsteps ahead, the traces of greatness

Put a warm smile on the faces of those

Who follow them, hand in hand.

You who wishes to dream

Do not be afraid to answer the call of fate

For we are not alone,

And will walk this path together.

♬♫♪

As ‘Music in the Wilderness’ — the bards’ Special Skill — came into effect, countless fragments of light began to form and mingle in the sky. They crossed paths, clashed, and merged into a bigger shape, creating a great display of colors.

“The mood here doesn’t seem to be so bad, does it?”

“Indeed. Strange, we’ve been reported that they were struck hard by the Hermes Guild.”

Pale and Bellot each made a remark.

As mighty as the Hermes Guild’s attacks had been, the Garnav Plain was a vast place, so the impact of the flaming meteors and the aftermath of the Alkin disease had not spread to the area where they presently were. Only the pa.s.sionate atmosphere made by Marey’s singing filled the air.

“Huh? That guy over there just popped up out of thin air.”

“Teleport? That’s a Mage skill… then…”

“Hey, I think I’ve seen that person somewhere quite a lot… Is it just me?”

The users who were standing nearby pointed at Weed and his company. Naturally, Weed straightened his shoulders and stiffened his neck; one enjoyable benefit of seizing power and success in life would be having people recognize you wherever you go.

“That’s Pale-nim, the Battle Slave!”

“There’s the fisherman Zephyr-nim, too.”

“He’s really handsome. Such a well-proportioned body too.”

“That’s Hwaryeong-nim standing next to him. I didn’t recognize her at first as she’s wearing a robe.”

“Wow… Surka-nim, too! They are all here!”

However, what attracted people’s attention first was the sight of Pale and the other companions.

A typical effect of Weed’s ordinary looks!

The fact that he looked quite different than usual due to Fabio’s heavy armor he was wearing instead of the novice outfit also made him even more unrecognizable.

But eventually after a few second, people came to notice him.

“Weed-nim!”

“W-W-W-Weed-nim is here!”

♪♫♬

The footsteps ahead, the traces of greatness

Put a warm smile on the faces of those

Who follow them, hand in hand.

You who wishes to dream

Do not be afraid to answer the call of fate

For we are not alone,

And will walk this path together.

♬♫♪

Marey’s song continued, but the excitement at Weed’s sudden appearance was spreading rapidly among the users.

“Weed-nim is here?”

“Is that really THE Weed-nim? The G.o.d of War?”

“Wow. And I’ve been watching the broadcast until just now!”

“It’s real! Weed-nim has come to us!”

Mages soared into the air for a better view, and the crowd was bustling with joy. In the span of mere 20, 30 seconds after the arrival of Weed and his companions, the word had reached everyone within 3 kilometers in radius through private messages and chat channels.

“Let’s go see him!”

“I’m such a huge fan. I’d die in peace if I can see him in person just once in my life.”

“Weed-nim! Could you speak a word, please?”

Wild cheers broke out from the gathering crowd. From their position the hovering mages could see the countless people in the Garnav Plain thronging in like a swarm of ants following the scent of a candy.

Having noticed that everyone was distracted, Marey the Bard was about to stop playing the music but Weed sent him a private message.

“Please, continue your song.”

Weed himself was a pract.i.tioner of art, although his experience as a sculptor was arguably closer to manual labor rather than creative work. Before Weed appeared Marey had been singing in great pa.s.sion, harmonizing with his audience in performance. Weed did not want to interrupt the music that had the power to paint the very sky with colorful lights.

♪♫♬

Sing

Sing even louder!

You, who listen to the sound of forming wind,

The clear drops of water,

And the great tremor of the land.

Your pulsing souls burst

And shake the whole world.

Sing,

Raise your eyes and behold.

Let us all march in unison.

You, the people who share this time of miracle!

♬♫♪

The grand tune had hit its last note.

Weed, who was the focus of every user’s attention, raised his hands and began to applaud. Pale and the rest of the gang also clapped eagerly.

“Excellent!”

“That was some great piece of music.”

Thunderous applause and cheers rose from the audience as well.

< You listened to the Song of Courage.

You heard the song that was played by 10,239 Bards together, the largest performance in the whole continent.

For just one day, all of your recovery abilities will be improved to 200% of original efficiency.

Your physical condition receives a boost, increasing your maximum Stamina by 25%.

All stats increases by 7%.

Heroic Willpower!

The proficiency of your profession’s main skill increases by a few percents [1], depending on the number of people standing nearby, up to maximum 12%.>

< You listened to Music in the Wilderness.

You acquire more knowledge thanks to your Insight.

Your performances become 20% more effective.

Your Knowledge increases by 2 points.

Your Art stat increases by 7 points. >

All the beneficial effects of listening to music!

Weed’s lips curled into a slightly evil smirk.

‘Bard is quite a nice profession, too. I think there are loads of things I can make good use of.’

Now he was even thinking of changing his original plan and selecting Bard as his next profession after he has mastered Necromancer skills.

A Bard who can make his undead minions dance!

‘I’m already good at singing, so I’ll just have to practice playing musical instruments a bit. I can play the harp so that could be helpful.’

A grave delusion that could potentially threaten the auditory sense of every Royal Road user!

Swordsmans.h.i.+p and other main combat skills could be improved faster when one had a related profession. However, Weed’s skill level had long reached over Advanced 8, and he had earned some additional proficiency in the Path of Struggle. Currently he was at 68% of Advanced 8 level — this meant he hardly needed to switch his profession to a swordsman, which was why he could seriously consider taking Bard as his new cla.s.s. He had acc.u.mulated a ridiculous amount of Art stat as a sculptor, so it was quite possible that he would instantly be called a maestro after he switches to another artist profession such as Bard.

‘That way, I can expand my abilities in many different fields at once like octopus tentacles, in order to draw a big picture.’

This was quite a.n.a.logous to a major conglomerate with many affiliated companies attempting to extend their business to street food market.

While Weed was deeply occupied with such a thought, Marey and the other performers were being deafened by the clapping and cheering sounds from the a.s.sembled people. They had set a new record for the best audience reaction each time they performed in the Garnav Plain, but now that the actual battle had begun they were receiving the most pa.s.sionate response as yet.

“Ahem, hem.”

When Weed began to walk towards Marey, a path opened up in the middle of the crowd like a parting sea.

“Weed-nim…”

Marey was deeply touched, his eyes glistening with welling tears.

‘He must be coming to give me a word of encouragement.’

He had gathered many like-minded performers for this battle, making songs and practicing together. All of their effort and sweat, and the feeling of accomplishment! He thought his hard work in preparing a great performance for everyone was going to be acknowledged by none other than Weed.

Weed ascended onto the stage and spoke.

“Thank you for the song. I’d say you are not too bad at singing.”

“Thank you. I shall try harder.”

“I’d like to make a request, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure. I’m all ears, Weed-nim.”

Even before Weed said anything Marey’s mind was set. Weed allowed him to continue his performance until the end, and besides, he wished to observe Weed’s adventure and achievement as up close as possible. He was ready to accept any difficult request so he could befriend him.

“I’m thinking of singing a song myself, could you play it?”

“You mean your own song?”

“Yes, I’m going to sing it right now.”

“That would be an honor.”

Marey answered instantly without thinking, and immediately realized what exactly those things one called ‘Weed’s songs’ had generally been like so far.

***

People knew that the army of the Haven Empire was currently invading from the outer edges of the Garnav Plain. They knew that another disaster like the Alkin disease, the Phanzellope Order of Phantom Knights or flaming meteors might fall upon them in any minute. Despite all that, what they were looking forward to the most at this moment was the song Weed was about to sing.

“Dear viewers, I think this warrants your attention; it seems Weed the G.o.d of War is going to start singing.”

“Weed’s song… this is to say he is announcing the beginning of a full-on war against the Haven Empire.”

Every broadcasting station was transmitting this sight in real time. In addition to the one million users concentrated on the area where Weed had showed up, the total of more than a hundred million people currently in the Garnav Plain were mostly watching this as well. Everyone who was not fighting against the Haven Imperial Army in this very moment was paying their attention to the broadcast.

“Weed-nim is going to sing?”

“He has finally come.”

Even the users who were dying with the Alkin disease were watching Weed through their crystal b.a.l.l.s. Until now, all they could do was to be beaten down hard by the Hermes Guild, but a hopeful thought dawned on them that Weed might be able to change the current flow of battle. He had always achieved things that were deemed extremely difficult or outright impossible. His talents and luck would have played a part, but all of his achievements had been based on hard work and readiness to take on any challenge.

The MCs of the broadcasting programs raised their voices in eagerness when Weed appeared.

“There was another instance of Weed’s singing during fight against the Immortal Legion. He made such unbelievable outcomes possible after that song.”

“That song of Karichwi the Orc is a true cla.s.sic. Musicians might not agree, but it has gained such popularity among children that there’s hardly any kid who doesn’t know the song.”

“Yes, I heard that kindergarten students often sang that song together when they were on a school trip.”

***

After agreeing to play the song with the other bards, Marey asked Weed:

“Do you have the score of your song?”

“No.”

“Then how should I play to your singing?”

“You can just improvise once the song begins.”

“Ah…”

A performance in which one must create music on the spot according to the vocalist’s singing!

It would be a risky and highly difficult task, but Marey had studied applied music in university after he became a Bard in game. With his knowledge of song composition that he had worked on so diligently along with plenty of experience, it didn’t seem so impossible to pull it off. Most importantly, the thought of taking on a new challenge stimulated his burning pa.s.sion. Marey wished to present his audience of one hundred million people gathering in this place with music that would be remembered throughout centuries.

“Still, in order to make a better performance, I think it would be a good idea if you could let me know the song’s rough structure or the first few lines in advance.”

“Well, I haven’t started making it yet.”

“You… haven’t?”

“Yes, I’m going to do it now.”

Marey felt his blood pressure rising, but tried to regain his composure and said:

“Maybe you can tell me the song’s main subject or lyrics first. If we know the lyrics we can at least grasp the general atmosphere of the song.”

“Yeah, I’m going to come up with the lyrics now, too.”

“…”

“Just let your soul go with the flow of music. Good music comes from following your own emotions.”

Weed had absolutely no hesitation in saying something that only those who devoted their entire life to music might have the authority to say. Marey pressed his right hand to his forehead as he asked Weed:

“Out of curiosity, is that how you wrote all of your other songs before?”

“Yes.”

“If one depends solely on improvisation when composing-“

“Well, I haven’t had any problems with my method so far.”

When Weed stood in the middle of the stage full of confidence, Marey was suppressing the urge to smash the back of his head with his baton.

‘In front of the audience this size, we’re playing an improvisation song without even knowing the main melody, following the lead of this tone-deaf idiot…’

Doubts arouse in his mind, threatening to question his whole life dedicated to music, but Marey sent a signal to the ten most talented Bards on the spot. As they were going to play an impromptu, it was imperative that different parts do not get tangled up in the middle of the song, so Marey first selected only the most skillful performers who would be able to follow Marey’s lead. Among them there were a few users who had also learned the Special Skill of Bards like Marey. The eleven greatest Bards of the Versailles Continent were currently all present in this stage.

– Marey: everyone, brace yourself. However low your expectations, this music might still fail to uphold them.

The Bards clenched their teeth in determination.

‘Alright, bring it on. Whatever you do, we’re going to nail it.’

‘A song that heralds the beginning of the war… He will most probably choose a grand and majestic melody. That means we could just stick to simple rhythms…’

‘Should I perhaps intentionally play off-beat to go with his singing?’

Weed did not care much about what the Bards were thinking.

“Before I sing, excuse me for a moment, please.”

After he asked the crowd to wait, he pulled out his carving knife.

“Oooooohh!!”

The mood heated up the moment the audience saw Weed’s knife. With so many sculptures that had been made in the Garnav Plain, the popularity of sculpting was tremendous among people.

“As this is not any ordinary stage, I’ll need to carve something.”

*Sc.r.a.pe Sc.r.a.pe!*

The knife began to move smoothly around a large rock. His hands were so magically swift they were almost able to carve shapes as soon as he pictured them in his head.

The eyes furrowed with selfish-looking wrinkles and the mouth hanging open with greed, and the nose full of desires!

The large and thick teeth protruded out of the lips, and the muscles and scars looked savage.

As it was such a widely-known figure, the crowd recognized the sculpture instantly.

“No way, that is…”

“Kyaaaah!”

“That’s so gorgeous!”

“Karichwi! Karichwi!”

Weed was carving a sculpture of Karichwi the Orc.

One may strain their eyes to search for any artistic value from this carving, and it would be to no avail. Ever since the war against the Immortal Legion became a hot issue among the public, countless sculptors took up the challenge to carve a sculpture of Karichwi the Orc, yet no one had been successful in that task. They might be able to replicate his appearance, but they would not dare to make a sculpture of the Orc that perfectly expressed all the subtle emotions — the endless craving, obsession, spite, and the greed overflowing all the way from the eyes to the jagged teeth — contained in his face. The sculptures of Karichwi were the reason why Weed was known to possess the most outstanding skills among the sculptors.

‘Money. Money. Money. Money. Money.’

Weed was thinking of money as he made the Orc’s sculpture. One would not notice it unless they observed it very closely, but compared to the past, this Karichwi’s belly was ever slightly more bulging, symbolizing Weed’s richness of mind due to his current wealthy state. However, as the saying ‘the rich are often stingier than the poor’ goes, the Orc’s eyes looked even more intimidating, and his teeth were sharper. The thighs that looked like large tree trunks had also become thicker, and the veins were bulging even more aggressively. Weed managed to successfully carve the figure of Karichwi the Orc that depicted how he would have looked if he became meaner as he aged.

An absolutely overwhelming sculpting technique.

The crowd could see in person how Weed’s knife carved the statue of Karichwi without a single pause.

“This is so marvelous…”

“It’s a sculpture that conveys many emotions… Yet his hands never stop.”

“I can see those artist-type professions are truly on another level from the rest, especially Sculptor.”

“Yes. I think the difficulty level really cannot be compared. So you have to be THAT good to become a master, huh?”

Weed probably would have gone through quite a lot of thought if he had been trying to carve a true piece of art, but Karichwi the Orc was one of the easiest things to carve for him, next to deer, foxes and rabbits that he had made so many sculptures of in order to sell them as souvenirs and rip off other users.

“Sculpture Transformation!”

Weed also transformed into Karichwi using Sculpture Transformation skill in front of the audience. His limbs elongated, his entire body turned into muscles as he raised his arms upward. His ample-sized human arms had changed into those of an Orc, rough and wild looking.

Weed’s showmans.h.i.+p to electrify his audience!

“Oooooooaaahh!!”

“Karichwi! Karichwi!”

After his transformation, somebody even threw him a glaive from under the stage.

“Tssskk! Tssskk!!”

He grabbed the glaive and swung it, making an intimidating pose.

Products such as plush dolls and emoticons of Karichwi were sold in tremendous quant.i.ties every day.

‘After I transform into him one more time in such a large stage, the sales will surely go up, too.’

No matter how busy he was, Weed always had time to spare to support his character products that were already selling like hot cakes! That was the true spirit of Karichwi the Orc that no other sculptor would be able to reproduce.

“Tsssshhhkk!”

As time was running out, Weed quickly tuned his nasal voice and went straight into the improvised singing.

( Continued on next part…)