Ending Maker Chapter 48 - EPISODE 48 – SUNFLOWER (3)

Chapter 48 – EPISODE 48 – SUNFLOWER (3)

Terms used in this chapter:

Dolswe (돌쇠) – one of the popular male servant names of the Joseon dynasty in Korea. It is often used in Korean traditional or historical dramas.

Princess Maker – a series of life simulation games developed by j.a.panese company Gainax. In this fantasy game, the player raises a young girl (daughter) to adulthood, having her learn skills and gain personality attributes through attending cla.s.ses and working part-time jobs. How she is raised will depend on the player’s actions and will decide what ending she gets. The best ending of course, is becoming a princess or queen.

I feel like the author played this game so much because they have two series (Dungeon Maker, Ending Maker) with the ‘maker’ word in the t.i.tle, hahaha.

Ghostblade – This was previously translated as ‘Sword n.o.ble,’ which I thought was just part of Kamael’s nickname. However, I found out today that it is based on a unique cla.s.s from the game Dungeon Fighter Online. Because of that, all the previous translations with the words ‘Sword n.o.ble’ have now been changed to ‘Ghostblade.’ – Source: Dungeon Fighter Online wiki

Pair annihilation – this is something physics-related and is a reaction that occurs when two opposing forces collide with each other, causing both to disappear and release energy. Yin and Yang are opposite forces/energies, so if these two are combined, it will cause total annihilation/extinction.

“Giddyap, giddyap! Run, run!”

When Cordelia shouted cheerfully as she rode on Jude’s back, Jude’s eyes narrowed.

“Ma’am.”

“What is it, Dolswe?”

“Please be conscientious and give me some carrots before telling me to run.”

“Carrot is bullsh*t. Rather than that, how about a whip? Don’t you think I’ll be good at it?”

At Cordelia’s words, Jude momentarily imagined Cordelia using a whip.

Though the outfit was a little tight-fitting, he felt that it was quite fitting for an incomparably beautiful girl.

“Hey, you’re imagining something strange, aren’t you?”

“That’s not true. Rather than that, my princess, this dad never raised his child to be like that.”

“Then how did you raise her?”

“Something like the Princess Maker?”

“Congratulations. It’s the Queen ending. She is very good at whipping. The time has come for you to be punished for luxuriously enjoying the money your daughter got from the part-time job you made her do.”

“We have returned.”

“We’re back.”

While they were exchanging their usual nonsensical conversation, they had arrived at the power room.

Jude corrected his carrying posture again before asking Cordelia.

“Can you stand up?”

“I can, but since we’ve come all the way here, please carry me to our lodgings.”

“Okay.”

Though Cordelia was talking cheerfully, her complexion was pale.

It was caused by her overworking herself.

When Jude had a worried expression, Cordelia smiled and patted him on the back again.

“Let’s go quickly, giddyap.”

“Neeeiiigh.”

Jude danced to her tune and quickened his steps.

And about a minute or so again.

While lying down on the camp bed, Cordelia abruptly let out a small laugh.

“Why?”

“No, it’s just that I’ve stayed here for a few days, but I felt relieved as if I had come home.”

“So you’re a homebody. You were born with it, huh.”

“I am.”

Cordelia giggled as she stretched her body once more before forcibly closing her eyes.

She couldn’t easily fall asleep because the immediate future was too serious.

“Sisioth.”

“The demon of the blade. Wind attribute. A monster that specializes in melee combat and is famous for being outrageously wicked when the seal is released.”

Originally, it was a demon that they met in the middle of the game when they directly confronted the Devil’s Hand.

But at the present moment, they were still early in the game.

If they calmly looked at it, Sisioth wasn’t an enemy that Jude and Cordelia could fight with. In terms of ability, they were still lagging behind Farragut.

“Out of the frying pan into the fire.”

They were able to defeat the White Snake easily, but they now had to face Sisioth after Farragut.

Jude said with a bitter smile as he consoled Cordelia.

“Even so, I know its real name and the sealing ceremony…or to be exact, the restriction control technique, so there exists a chance of winning. Moreover, if my guess is correct, there will be allies outside the door.”

“Count Hræsvelgr.”

“That’s right, because if you considered the situation, Farragut must have destroyed the seal on the Great Gate.”

Count Hræsvelgr had installed a large seal on the Great Gate.

In the original story, most of the monsters couldn’t enter inside Frost Anvil because of the seal on the Great Gate.

It was to the extent that some of them found a side road or a hidden road in order to come in.

But this time, the situation was different from the original.

The Devil’s Hand, which originally should not have come and appear in Frost Anvil, had completely destroyed the seal on the Great Gate.

“If that seal is broken, the wizard would instantly know. Because the seal is that important. I’m sure they’ll send troops to investigate on what had happened here.”

Furthermore this time, there was the incident of Jude and Cordelia’s ‘elopement.’

From Count Hræsvelgr’s perspective, the possibility that Jude and Cordelia had destroyed the Great Gate’s seal would also be considered, so he had no choice but to send troops one way or another.

Cordelia’s expression became serious at Jude’s words.

It was not because she was worried about being involved with Count Hræsvelgr again.

“The damage will increase if he sent a few rangers to investigate.”

Their opponent was the demon Sisioth after all.

When Cordelia was worried about the possible casualties, Jude shook his head and said.

“It’s all right. I’m sure that Count Hræsvelgr would have realized the monsters’ abnormal movements. He would have dispatched more than a certain size of troops.”

“Is…that so? That’s a relief then.”

Cordelia smiled as she felt relieved, and Jude smiled with her too, but he had other thoughts inside him.

‘The damage must already be significant.’

He must have dispatched ten or so rangers together if it was over a certain size of troops.

And on that scale, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Sisioth.

He could reasonably guess the high likelihood that more than 10 victims have already been reported.

If they met Count Hræsvelgr’s forces outside the Great Gate, they would be the second dispatched unit, and not the first one.

However, Jude held back this thought to himself.

He’d rather not disturb Cordelia’s mind at the moment.

“Anyway, there is one thing that we need to do right now.”

As Jude deliberately spoke cheerfully, Cordelia was influenced by his cheerful words and smiled too.

“Is it about the preparation for that restriction technique?”

“Yes, I have to do that too. But before that, we have to finish the power-up.”

He hadn’t been able to completely absorb the Sunflower’s energy yet.

At Jude’s words, Cordelia spoke and beat on her chest though she was lying down.

“I’ll protect you this time as well. Trust in this noona.”

“Yes, but this time, you have to do it too.”

“Huh? Me too? Do I also have to eat the Sunflower?”

Cordelia blinked her eyes, wondering what he was talking about, and Jude said after impulsively pinching her cheek.

“No, you’re doing something else.”

‘What are you talking about?’

Cordelia thought as she then pinched Jude’s hand that was pinching her cheek.

***

“It’s the spirit stone of the White Snake. If I had to give it a name, perhaps it’s Snake Heart?”

“It somehow looks weak for a Snake Heart, so let’s just use spirit stone.”

“Okay.”

Jude and Cordelia were looking at the red stone in front of the heart, located in the torso near its head, which was about one-fifth of the giant White Snake’s body.

It was the spirit stone of the White Snake that they had taken out of its heart.

“There’s not much left as it had used up most of the stored mana for the past 1000 years…but it’s still the spirit stone that the demonic monster of Leviathan possessed. It would be very much helpful at Cordelia’s current level.”

“But in the original, wasn’t it revealed that it can’t be used?”

“That’s right, because it’s the demon’s spirit stone.”

Using the White Snake’s spirit stone was impossible for Lucas or anyone else.

“The demon’s mana is poisonous to ordinary humans. Absorbing it can cause a major abnormality in the body…and in the worst-case scenario, they may become a demonic human and a demon’s puppet.”

“It’s amazing every time you speak like that. Like, how can you recite all that?”

“In any case, like what the lines of companion A said, the spirit stone is generally not absorbable. That is why it didn’t drop as an item in the game after all. But Cordelia, if I’m correct, you would be able to absorb it. Because…”

“Because of the Witch Transformation.”

Cordelia nodded after completing Jude’s words.

She had often pa.s.sed all the thinking to Jude lately, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t thinking herself.

The power of the witch, which is the source of the Witch Transformation, originally came from the demons.

If she used the Witch Transformation, it would be possible for her to absorb the spirit stone’s power.

“But just in case, if you feel that something’s weird, stop right away. Okay?”

“Yes, dad. Don’t worry.”

Cordelia nodded her head after answering, as her hand then carefully touched the red stone which was about the size of a human head.

She could feel the strong mana pulsating inside.

“Okay…it might be difficult right now, but I’ll try it as soon as I transform into a witch.”

“All right, then I’ll be going back to our lodging and finish absorbing the Sunflower’s energy. If it’s within my expectations…I’ll be opening my eyes again by tomorrow morning.”

“So will your Gueumjulmaek be cured this time?”

“I would like it if that happened, but maybe not. I had stopped midway, so I have to absorb it again. It would be better if I had done it all at once, but it couldn’t be helped.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

“Well, it would be closer to a state of being almost completely cured. So even if you want to hit me, just be patient a little more, my princess.”

“What is this crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d saying?”

Cordelia kicked Jude’s a.s.s, but he easily dodged it using Twenty-Four Gale Steps.

“Then, let’s meet again tomorrow morning.”

“Be strong and come back.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The two smiled and headed to their respective work.

And that night…

Or more like, at dawn, when the morning approaches.

After sitting cross-legged and reciting the mnemonic chant of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors while he absorbed the Sunflower’s energy, Jude suddenly opened his eyes.

He understood it.

That was all that he could absorb right now.

He could only absorb around 50 percent of the Sunflower’s energy.

But thanks to that, more than 70 percent of his large and small meridians, which had been blocked by Gueumjulmaek, were finally opened. His lower abdomen that housed his inner Qi became several times bigger than before, tripling the amount of inner Qi that he possessed.

And there was one more thing that he gained from this.

A voice was heard in his mind, like the times when he got a t.i.tle.

“Yin-Yang…Body?”

There were several unique physical const.i.tutions in Legend of Heroes 2.

There was Cheonmujiche (Heavenly Martial Body), the manifestation of martial arts talent from the heavens.

There was Ghostblade, the absolute talent of swordsmans.h.i.+p that Lucas and Kamael possessed.

There was Manbyeonsinche (Innumerable Illnesses Body), a const.i.tution that lets one understand innumerable illnesses, which the main character Maximilian was born with. Although the name was strange, the performance itself can only be described as crazy.

T/N: I’m not 100% sure of Manbyeonsinche, and what it is capable of. Personally, I interpret that ‘understand innumerable illnesses’ part as him being immune to all diseases because his body ‘understands’ all diseases, thus giving him immunity. We’ll just have to see in the future chapters if this is elaborated more.

None of the playable characters were born with the Yin-Yang Body physical const.i.tution.

However, if one expanded it to the entire Pleiades, there is one more person born with the Yin-Yang Body.

‘Archbishop Manuela.’

Landius’ target and a powerful enemy who exerted a powerful influence throughout the entire Legend of Heroes series.

Manuela freely handled both of the opposite energies which a normal person could not use simultaneously.

In particular, the spell, which deals both Yin and Yang energies to cause pair annihilation, was Manuela’s signature spell, and one of the strongest magic in the Legend of Heroes series.

‘Yin-Yang Body.’

A body that can freely handle the two opposing energies of Yin and Yang.

Jude didn’t know much about it right now, so he thought that it was necessary to study on how to use it first, but that didn’t keep him from smiling though.

‘Well, it’s a trait that the final boss enemy has.’

And isn’t it the unwritten rule of RPGs for the traits/characteristics of final boss-cla.s.s enemies to be too overpowered/broken?

“This is good.”

Yin-Yang Body and Cheonmujiche.

He was a little sorry for Lucas, but acquiring the Sunflower event was a rewarding outcome for him.

‘Did Cordelia do well too?’

Jude became curious and quickly looked at Cordelia’s camping bed on the other side, but it was no different from yesterday. It seemed like she had spent the night outside.

“Cordelia?”

Jude went outside as he repeatedly called her name, and afterwards, he finally found Cordelia.

But instead of continuously calling her name, his face went blank as he stared at her.

She was at the spot where the Sunflower bloomed.

Cordelia was beautifully seated as if she had replaced the Sunflower.

Her black hair fluttered like waves, and a soft blue light enveloped Cordelia’s whole body.

She looked at ease and had a small and faint smile on her face.

She somehow reminded him of the witch’s soul and the Fairy Queen, as her G.o.ddess-like elegance was unimaginable if it was the usual Cordelia.

How many seconds has it been since Jude stared at her like that?

The G.o.ddess opened her eyes.

But instead of an elegant one, she spoke in a cheerful voice.

“Did you wake up?”

“Ah…I woke up.”

When Jude answered rather awkwardly, Cordelia tilted her head, but she soon smiled and took a step after standing up.

And at that moment, the Witch Transformation was released. Her hair color returned to a vivid red, and the blue light surrounding her whole body also dissipated.

She was back to the usual Cordelia…or not.

Jude could feel something different about her.

“Yes, something has changed.”

Cordelia also said it. Jude opened his eyes wide at the faded appearance of the spirit stone, which had rolled about when she stood up.

“Wait a minute, did you really absorb it all?”

“Oh, it was a little difficult at first, but after some back and forth, it gradually became easier.”

As Cordelia answered with a faint smile, Jude blinked again.

“What is it?”

“I feel like I’m seeing a cheat character.”

“That’s what I wanted to say though?”

No matter how you look at it, Jude’s memory was a cheat.

But Jude’s words weren’t wrong either.

Cordelia was not only gifted in combat.

Strictly speaking, the combat talent was from Cordelia’s previous life, Yellow Storm’s Hong Yoo Hee.

The Cordelia of this life was born with an overwhelming ability to adapt to mana.

Thinking that these two talents were added, Jude had no choice but to imagine something similar to Farragut.

‘How much of a monster will you become later on?’

Of course, the more she became a monster, the better for them.

‘Because Cordelia is our monster.’

The convinced Jude nodded his head alone, and Cordelia said while knitting her brows.

“It seems like you’re imagining something strange, so I won’t ask. Instead, when are we leaving?”

“We’ll leave right away after having breakfast and a little rest.”

“What about the restriction technique?”

“I’ll draw it after eating breakfast.”

At Jude’s reply, it was Cordelia this time who looked strange.

“Why?”

“I feel like I’m seeing a cheat character.”

Cordelia knew it because she was a wizard.

The magic circles that Jude usually drew were not something one could simply draw if they had a good memory.

Understanding it was also needed together with memorization.

Even though he was not a wizard, Jude had understood all the complex formulas of the magic circles.

“Well, the more of a cheat character he is, the better for us.”

Cordelia weakly mumbled, and she nodded her head as if she was convinced. On the other hand, Jude laughed.

“Why?”

“No, it’s just… Anyway, let’s go and eat first.”

“Yes, dad.”

And that afternoon.

After finis.h.i.+ng their last meal at Frost Anvil, the two reached the 1^st floor lobby.