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Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter 18




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Chapter 18:

The City of the Dead 

AARON AND I walked a dilapidated, run-down path between fields by the warm light of the setting sun. I activated my Night Vision to help me navigate the fading twilight. 

“Ah, so you have the Night Vision skill, I see,” said Aaron. 

Did anything escape the old knight’s notice?! 

“You can tell?” 

“I have it also, and I can see the skill in the way you move.” 

This wasn’t all that surprising. Aaron clearly had no trouble navigating around the rocks and fallen trees strewn across our path. Rather, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Aaron’s own surplus of skills—he seemed to possess far more than most adventurers I’d met. Just from what I’d seen, he had Identify, Conceal, and Night Vision. It was also safe to assume he had the Holy Sword Technique, given that he fought with the necessary weapon. Because he used Conceal to hide his skills, however, I couldn’t truly know how many abilities he had. 

Aaron seemed to read the curiosity in my gaze as I studied him. “You’re probably wondering exactly how many skills I have. I wonder the same about you, Fate. Would you consider deactivating Conceal so that I might see them?” 

“Those are one thing I really can’t show you,” I said. 

“I expected as much. After all, what’s the point of a Conceal skill that goes unused?” 

Despite his request, Aaron showed no sign of sharing his list of skills with me, either. In that regard, we were the same. 

We proceeded farther and farther west, and as we walked, the earthen path became a road paved with stone. Mist rose from the ground around us. Through the white haze, an enormous castle towered ahead of us: an old fortress, surrounded by a city. The ruins gave the impression that, once upon a time, it had been a lively, energetic city. 

Aaron gazed at the cast as well, and he spoke its name with nostalgia heavy in his voice. “And so my journey brings me back to Hausen.” 

“Hausen…” 

“Yes, the name of the territory I once governed. The city of Hausen, stolen from me by the lich lord.” 

In my half-starved state, I easily sensed the crowned beast’s presence. The lich lord’s scent wafted from the old castle, and the aroma was unbearably tempting. Gluttony pulled me toward it, urging me to defeat and devour it. When Gluttony hungered, it cared not for any torture it put me through. I pressed a hand to my right eye. 

“Does it hurt?” Aaron asked, worried. 

“It does, but it’s bearable. For now.” 

“Once we enter Hausen, the fight’s on. Skeleton knights and skeleton archers patrol the outskirts of the castle. The knights should prove no issue; I’ve taught you everything you need to handle them. But be careful of the archers. They’ll attack from well outside of our strike zone. I can stop their arrows with my blade, but I suspect that technique may still be a bit difficult for you.” 

“Let me handle the archers,” I said. 

Dodging and slicing arrows fired at me from every direction certainly did sound dangerous. That was why I intended to stop the archers before they even had a chance to fire. 

“How, Fate?” Aaron glanced at my blade—the black sword Greed—and narrowed his eyes with skepticism. As far as he could see, it was a normal sword, offering no long-distance support. 

Explaining would take too long. I drew Greed and transformed the black sword into the black bow. “This is how.” 

“What a fascinating piece of equipment—a weapon that changes form. Can it become anything else?” 

“A scythe, at times.” 

“Most impressive. I’ve never seen anything like it!” Aaron chuckled. “The longer you live, the more you learn. Very well, I’ll leave the archers to you. You leave the knights that block our path to me.” 

Now, Hausen’s gate loomed before us. The gigantic doors listed open, wrecked and broken, which at least made for easy entry. Before we got inside, however, we had to handle the monsters that stumbled forth from the ruins. Skeleton knights emerged, lurching toward us while they clutched rusty two-handed swords. Above them, eyeless skeleton archers peered out from the high walls surrounding the city, their bows aimed directly at us. 

To get a better sense of the foes we faced, I used Identify. 

Skeleton Knight, Lv 35 

Vitality: 2,290 

Strength: 2,540 

Magic: 1,230 

Spirit: 1,120 

Agility: 1,740 

Skills: Two-Handed Sword Technique, Agility Boost (Low) 


Skeleton Archer, Lv 35 

Vitality: 1,290 

Strength: 1,440 

Magic: 1,110 

Spirit: 1,230 

Agility: 770 

Skills: Bow Technique, Marksmanship 

These skeletons were little more than minnows swarming between me and my feast. I already had Two-Handed Sword Technique, but I didn’t have Agility Boost (Low), so I’d be sure to help myself to that skill. I was curious about Bow Technique and Marksmanship, so I Identified those two more closely. 

Bow Technique: Increases bow attack power. Unlocks the tech-art “Charged Shot.” 

Marksmanship: Increases bow’s effective firing range. 

The Marksmanship skill was a dangerous one, but it paled in comparison to the base abilities of the black bow. Greed could hit anything regardless of distance, so long as the target was within my field of vision. The Charged Shot tech-art increased an arrow’s ability to pierce the flesh and armor of enemies based on how long an arrow was notched, pulled, and readied to fire. Not bad. 

If the fifty skeleton archers taking aim above us combined Charged Shot and Marksmanship, the ensuing flurry of arrows would be too furious to defend against. I had to shoot first. 

“Aaron, I’ll start on the archers. Good luck with the knights.” 

“Can you hit them from this range?” 

“They won’t be a problem. Every shot will find its mark.” 

I aimed at one far-off archer and fired a magic arrow from the black bow. It sped through the air and straight between the eyes of the archer. 

“That’s one down. Wait…what?!” 

The archer I’d just hit lurched back to its feet as if nothing had happened. Aaron laughed. 

“Your magic bow is truly impressive, but arrows alone won’t kill the undead. To bring one down, you’ll have to do this!” 

Aaron ran his sword through the ribs of an approaching skeleton knight. He lifted the skeleton into the air and imbued the sword with holy magic. All around him, white light emanated from the ground at the feet of the surrounding skeleton knights. He had activated the Holy Sword tech-art “Grand Cross.” 

Compared to the meager version of Grand Cross I’d seen Hado Vlerick wield, Aaron’s execution of the technique was on an entirely different scale. His attack range was far wider, for one. With a single use, he wiped out a group of nearly a hundred skeleton knights. 

At the same time, I wished he’d left at least one on the field for me to steal a skill from. But being able to think such thoughts in the heat of battle was, truthfully, a luxury. I needed to concentrate. 

“ There’s how to fight the undead,” said Aaron. “Think you can handle it?” 

“I’ll find a way.” 

It wasn’t a matter of whether I could handle this method of combat. If we wanted to get inside Hausen, I had to. 

When Aaron used a holy skill to attack the undead, he had shown me what to do: imbue my attack with elemental magic. He had used holy magic, but I would use Fireball. My fiery plan was instantly followed by a better idea. 

Through the black bow, Greed felt my intent. I heard the grin in his voice as he spoke. “An interesting attack you’ve got in mind, Fate…” 

“I just think fire might be overdoing it. Plus, it takes too long to light each arrow. This is quick and effective!” 

I readied the black bow and aimed at the same skeleton archer I’d knocked down earlier. This time, I imbued the arrow with Sandstorm, the spell I’d taken from the sand golem. The bronzed arrow, glimmering with a sandy shell of elemental earth magic, darted through the air and once again pierced deep between the eye sockets of the archer. On hit, the archer turned to stone. In a matter of seconds, it hardened into a dusty, unmoving statue. 

Gluttony skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +1,290, Strength +1,440, Magic +1,110, Spirit +1,230, Agility +770. New skills added: Bow Technique, Marksmanship. 

I was already moving on to my next target as the metallic voice echoed inside my skull. 

Aaron watched me at work, impressed. “A weapon you can load with magic…” he said. “The Kingdom of Seifort experimented with that concept for a time, but it proved too dangerous to control. All our tests ended in explosions, and the test subjects died in the destruction. Since then, the kingdom has put a halt to all attempts at combining magic with bows. And yet here you are, doing it with such ease. That’s quite the secret weapon you’ve been hiding, Fate!” 

I laughed, suddenly shy. “It’s not that amazing… It’s just…arrows…with magic.” 

Even though Aaron showered me with praise, the truth was that I barely had anything to do with the strategy. Greed did all the heavy lifting. The black sword was full of surprises. 

Hearing Aaron’s words himself, Greed wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to comment. “Now do you finally understand the overwhelming superiority of the mighty Greed, Fate? Worship me! Worship me, and kneel before my strength! From this day forth, you may call me the great Lord Greed! Do you hear me, Fate?!” 

“Keep your new name to yourself,” I muttered. 

I had bigger things to worry about than my sword letting his power get to his head. I had an army of skeleton archers to bring down. 

I would not allow a single monster to survive. 



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