"Phew… got it safely," Pepper sighs, returning from the perilous cliffside path to the crater's edge. The platform's trap, judging the party's collective karma, would have dropped them into the lake if their score was too low. Had Pencilgon been there, Aitouil and Bilac might have faced permanent death. Shanfro's devs must love adventure games or thriller movies… Pepper shudders.
Descending, the party—Pepper, Laser Marlin, Bilac, and Aitouil—heads toward the area boss, Raging Mountain Goat-Deer Dickhorn, guarding the path to Shanfro's fifth city, Fival. "Pepper-san, why do Brookeslumbers keep fleeing? Is it Lycaon's Curse Marking?" Laser Marlin asks, watching the pelican-ostriches pivot and bolt.
"Yeah, the curse's aura leaks through my cloak. It's scared them off since the climb, but it's making skill testing and leveling tough," Pepper replies. The Vorpal Soul Collar boosts stat points and skill growth but complicates combat grinding.
"You fought the Night King head-on, so the curse fits," Bilac chuckles. "Pepper-han's got a blazing Vorpal soul," Aitouil adds. "Vorpal soul?" Laser Marlin tilts his head. "Not sure, but probably 'noble spirit' or 'defiant heart,'" Pepper guesses, expecting clarity from advancing the unique scenario.
"Focus up, everyone. Boss ahead," Pepper warns. The 7-meter-long Dickhorn—gazelle head, buffalo horns, goat fur, and chimeric body—snorts white steam, scrapes the ground, bares its teeth, and swings its horns menacingly.
"With four of us, let's take it down quick and clean," Pepper says. "Fresh game's best," Aitouil agrees. "I'm with you," Bilac nods. Each readies their weapon—hammer, naginata, or mallet—planning a swift, merciful kill.
But Laser Marlin steps forward. "Um! Can… I handle this? You saved me from Brookeslumber, so let me repay you! Also, Dickhorn has a… trick."
"What the hell was that!? That goat-gazelle went down too easy!" Pepper exclaims. The battle ended far from expectations. Laser Marlin's tactic: instead of damage, burn Dickhorn's fur with fire magic, then douse it with water magic. This triggers no combat XP but makes the beast flee in humiliation, counting as a defeat for area progression. It's a gimmick so absurd it begs a developer's sanity check.
"It ran off bald… pfft," Bilac snickers. "Don't laugh too hard," Aitouil giggles. "Like a kids' show villain scorched black and fleeing naked," Pepper groans. "My sister's clan, SF-Zoo, found this by accident while studying Dickhorn's ecology," Laser Marlin explains.
Shanfro's monsters often fall to creative tactics, Pepper reflects. He's been rigid, relying on retro games and animal documentaries. Laser Marlin's clan's trick shows he can fight more freely. "What's your sister's clan?" he asks.
"SF-Zoo, led by my sister. They study Shanfro's monsters and animals, take photos, and… get bitten or decapitated for 'bonding,'" Laser Marlin says. Pepper blanches—animal-obsessed fanatics would swarm Bilac and Aitouil if they knew. They'd definitely try to recruit them.
"Uh, Laser Marlin, keep Bilac-san and Aitouil secret from your sister, okay?" Pepper urges. "Y-Yes… um…" "You want to chat again, right? I'll have fun stories next time," Pepper promises. "Thank you!" Laser Marlin smiles.
The brief exchange was fruitful, sharing monster strategies. Laser Marlin heads to Fival to report Brookeslumber findings, while Pepper's party disbands to mine Bluelet Rock inside the volcano.
Parting with Laser Marlin, Pepper enters Eiko Saisho's Dead Volcano Lake's interior, sprinting toward the Bluelet Rock vein. Aitouil hides in his cloak, Bilac disguises as a fur coat, and Pepper repels monsters with his cursed right hand. Navigating the labyrinthine tunnels, he reaches a surreal space—ruby-red and sapphire-blue veins, mingling heat and cold without humidity.
"Weird vibe… not damp, but off," Pepper says. "Not hot or cold," Aitouil notes. "No humidity with this temperature mix? Strange," Bilac adds. Using Madness Breaker, crafted by Bilac, Pepper mines the vein, yielding marbled red-blue ore like swirled bread.
Item: Bluelet Rock. "Hot like a hand warmer, cold like a chilled cola," Pepper observes. Description: Mined from Eiko Saisho's Dead Volcano Lake. Cold as water, hot as flame, a paradox stone. Born from the volcano's pulse and thermal contrasts, it awaits one to prove its existence.
(Online info says the volcano's dead, but this says it's alive? What's up?) Pepper wonders, dismissing it as flavor text. He mines enough for Madness Breaker's evolution.
Unbeknownst to him, a hidden presence lurks in the volcano, unnoticed until another player, sent by Weissash, visits later.
The party dashes back through the tunnels, passing the cleared boss area, arriving at Fival—Shanfro's fifth city, preparing for the bottomless pit ahead.
The Opposing Attribute Stone Hints at the Mountain's Secret
PN: PepperLevel: 38Main Job: BackpackerSub Job: None
Stats
HP: 15 MP: 10 Stamina: 90 Strength: 70 Agility: 91 (+11) Dexterity: 35 Technique: 50 Durability: 26 Luck: 25 Remaining Points: 25
Equipment
Left: Vorpal Ledge Right: Lycaon's Curse Marking Legs: None Head: Leather Cap (+1 Durability)
Torso: Blade-Resist Leather Vest (+4 Durability)
Waist: Blade-Resist Leather Belt (+4 Durability)
Legs: Blade-Resist Leather Pants (+4 Durability)
Accessories
Chainmail (+10 Durability)
Traveler's Cloak (+2 Durability) V morpal Soul Collar
Money: 21,100 ManiInventory: Blue Toy Ostrich Feather, Rising Volks Gear, Bluelet Rock
Skills
Ladder Slash Life-End Thrust Repel Counter Drive Throw Alzeid Edge Meias Work Volberg Strike Grasharas Impact Strength Smasher (Lv. 1)
Over Top Beat Infight (Lv. 1)
Seven-Boat Leap Skate Foot Jet Attack Cross Slash (Lv. 1)
Ballistrider Actus Dash (Lv. 5)
Stick Piece (Lv. 4)
Grip Strike (Lv. 3)
Throw (Lv. 4)
Climb Kick (Lv. 5)
Neck Snap (Lv. 3)
Moon Jumper Body Purge (Lv. 3)
Life of Change Straight Fist Back Kick (Lv. 4)
Dual Flip Fulls Shoot (Lv. 2)
Oppression Kick (Lv. 3)
Iron-Breaking Life Strike (Lv. 1)
One-Shot Annihilation (Lv. 1)
Envy Fusion Taunt (Lv. 1)
Vorpal Sword Art [Half Moon Sever] Vorpal Hammer Art [Full Moon Stamp]
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