Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

In the Lands of Galia 

IDENTIFY CONFIRMED IT: my stats had been sacrificed to strengthen the black sword Greed. As I expected, they were right back to where they had been when Greed and I first met. 

Fate Graphite, Lv 1 

Vitality: 121 

Strength: 151 

Magic: 101 

Spirit: 101 

Agility: 131 

Skills: Gluttony, Identify, Telepathy, Conceal, Night Vision, Brawl, Marksmanship, Holy Sword Technique, One-Handed Sword Technique, Two-Handed Sword Technique, Bow Technique, Spear Technique, Fireball (Spell), Sandstorm (Spell), Hallucination (Spell), Strength Boost (Low), Strength Boost (Medium), Strength Boost (High), Vitality Boost (Low), Vitality Boost (Medium), Magic Boost (Low), Magic Boost (Medium), Magic Boost (High), Spirit Boost (Low), Spirit Boost (Medium), Spirit Boost (High), Agility Boost (Low), Agility Boost (Medium), Health Regen, Fire Resistance 

My skills have really increased in number since all this began , I thought. 

I hoisted the black shield to get a feel for it. It had real heft. It was probably the heaviest of all the weapon forms so far. I could handle it with one hand, but it seemed much more stable to grip with both. 

“So, what do you think of my Third Level form?” Greed asked. 

“I like it. Up until now, whenever I had to deal with a wide area-of-effect attack, I couldn’t get out of the way or defend myself well—and never mind others! So…I guess I’m wondering…just how much can this shield defend against?” 

“It shrugs off most attacks. The shield’s area of defense grows depending on how much magical energy you put into it.” 

“So, you’re saying I can also defend against a wide area-of-effect attack?” 

“It’s possible. It really comes down to how you use it.” 

Hm…he seems to mean that my area of defense depends on my Magic stat. 

With this black shield, perhaps I’d finally pull off what I was worst at—fighting and defending in equal measure. Of course, ultimately, it was just as Greed said: what mattered wasn’t the innate abilities of the shield, but how well I used it. Fortunately, we were in Galia, and there was no shortage of foes to practice on. 

As I lifted the shield once more to admire it, Myne came over with an amused look on her cute face. 

“You released a new weapon level, here in the middle of Galia… I’m shocked.” 

“I didn’t have a choice,” I said. “Greed doesn’t give me the luxury of time or place. This sword isn’t just greedy, it’s selfish.” 

“Ah, so he really hasn’t changed a bit, then. I’d forgotten for a moment there.” 

Greed and Myne were old acquaintances, linked by some unknown past neither was eager to talk about. Their relationship was not one defined by affection. Instead, it was like a relationship between warriors forced to fight side by side. They knew each other, but their bonds didn’t run particularly deep. That said, they didn’t get in each other’s way. If the battle called for it, they cooperated. 

But what about me? As another bearer of a Skill of Mortal Sin, how well would Myne and I get along? As if I was in a position to worry about any of that right now . I had something else I needed to ask Myne about. 

“Myne, I need a favor. Do you mind?” 

“Depends on what it is.” 

“Well, it’s, uh, like this—when I released Greed’s new level, I lost all my stats. I really need your help getting some back up so I can hold my own out here. Please. I’m begging you!” 

Myne stood still for a moment, contemplating my request. I was about ready to get on my knees and beg for real. With my current stats and the high-level monsters that roamed Galia, I was a dead man walking. With the stampedes to deal with, too, this was really a tight spot. I squirmed with worry. 

Myne eyed me, then slowly smiled. There was something…terrifying about her expression. “Okay, I’ll lend a hand. You did help me defeat Haniel. And it would be troublesome for you to die on me.” 

“Thank you!” 

“But, before that, will you help me dig a resting place for her?” 

Myne pointed to Haniel’s remains. Most of the corpse had crumbled into dust that drifted into the wasteland on the desert wind, but a small amount of the chimera remained. 

I’d eaten the monster’s heart and soul. The least I could do now was give its body a place to rest. “Of course,” I said. “I’d be happy to.” 

Myne’s reply was barely more than a whisper. “Thank you, Fate.” 

I’d come to realize, through the time we’d spent together, that this soft whisper and emotionless face was occasionally how she hid her embarrassment. 

We got to work making a final resting place for Haniel in the village center, aligned with all the other graves. Myne dug the hole with a single strike from her axe while I watched from the sidelines. We placed what was left of Haniel in the grave with great care, so as to avoid the rest of her crumbling into dust. Still, there wasn’t much of Haniel left to bury, so the whole process didn’t take very long. It was surprising to think that the monster had been so immense, yet left so little behind. But I’d annihilated Haniel myself using Greed’s Deadly Inferno. 

Myne and I filled the grave together. When we were done, Myne found a piece of debris to use as a gravestone and shoved it into the ground. Haniel’s simple resting place was complete. 

“It’s over,” she said. 

“Yeah. It is.” 

Myne stood there for a time, gazing at Haniel’s grave. She shook her head as if clearing her mind and starting afresh. “Okay, Fate. It’s your turn now.” 

“Thanks, Myne.” 

“You’re in luck, too. A horde of orcs is approaching. The sounds of our battle probably riled them up.” 

“How many orcs?” 

Myne said there were two squadrons. Her ability to sense the presence of enemies was phenomenal. I wondered whether perhaps she read the magical energy in the air. It was a skill I wanted to learn myself, so I wouldn’t have to rely on Gluttony’s sharpened senses. 

“Are you ready?” Myne asked. 

“When you are,” I replied. 

“Then let’s make it quick. I’ll give you the last hit on all of them, but you’d better not miss.” 

“Uh, thanks.” 

Myne was strict, even on my low-stats state. At the same time, she was doing me an enormous favor. She might have been blunt, cold, and mostly unfriendly, but she really did have a good heart. 

I transformed Greed into the black bow and decided to use the long-distance approach. I’d wait until my stats rose before I fought up close again. I considered maybe trying out the black shield’s new abilities, if circumstances allowed, but I definitely had to make sure I didn’t do anything too hasty right now. 

My body was exhausted from the harrowing battle with Haniel, yet I was filled with an unquenched desire to fight. The feeling came from Gluttony. It had eaten Haniel, and now it wanted a little palate cleanser. I’d give it what it asked for, feeding it in exchange for higher stats. If I didn’t, I’d never survive. 

Myne and I stepped out of the village ruins and saw an ocean of green approaching us. Two squadrons was quite a number of orcs to behold, and every one of them looked delicious. 

“Let’s do this!” I shouted. 

“Look at you,” Myne said, “a wimpy noodle raring to go.” 

“I’ll be strong again in no time. It’s the one thing about me you can always rely on!” 

It was the cycle of Gluttony, a skill that stole my enemy’s powers when it devoured their soul. With it, I had gone from all my stats locked at one to defeating an enemy as powerful as Haniel. I was weak again now, but that strength would return soon enough. 

Myne had said Gluttony’s power was limitless. She’d even gone so far as to say that Gluttony surpassed the boundaries defined by the gods themselves. That power came at great cost. My mental state would likely erode before I ever reached divine heights. As I came to accept and face my Gluttony, I began to understand my burden. I realized that if I ever devoured something as powerful as the Heavenly Calamity, I would need someone to… 

“What’s wrong, Fate?” Myne called out. 

She stood upon a pile of orc corpses, her head tilted. She’d finished most of the heavy lifting already. As I cleaned up the scraps with a few shots, the metallic voice rang in my head, informing me of my rising stats. It was as cold and as lifeless as ever. 

Little by little, my arrows snatched back some of the stats I’d lost. Quickly, I felt strong enough to take down this horde’s high orc leader by myself. I approached the monster with the black sword at the ready. The orc moved as if it planned a counterattack, but it was entirely too slow. I whipped past, severing its head in a spray of gore. 

Gluttony skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +203,400, Strength +217,500, Magic +175,300, Spirit +154,300, Agility +168,400. New skills added: Strength Overload, Vitality Boost (High). 

With these stats, I wouldn’t need to rely on Myne to get by anymore, even in Galia. As we stared at the fallen orcs before us, I spoke. “What will you do now, Myne?” 

“I’ll continue to wander Galia. Will you come with me?” 

Now, I knew why she had bought so much food before we left. I’d been curious about that, especially given her habit of stealing from my own stash. It wasn’t because she’d had a change of heart. It was because she knew she planned to leave. 

“No, I have to go back to the border fortress. There’s somebody there I…want to protect.” 

“I see. That’s a shame. So, this is goodbye.” With that, Myne abruptly began to walk off into the depths of Galia. She strode away without a hint of reluctance or regret. 

I felt a little conflicted, but then I stepped forward and called out to her. “Myne, can I ask you to do something for me?” 

“What?” 

“If I…lose myself to Gluttony…if I stop being me…I want you to kill me, Myne. You’re…you’re the only person I can entrust this task to.” 

I asked her this last favor as one Mortal Sin bearer to another. I knew that if I was consumed by Gluttony, and if I went on a rampage because of it, the only person who could stop my carnage would be Myne. I needed to make sure I had a plan in place for that. 

Myne’s eyes grew wide. It was an expression she didn’t show often. She sighed, stuck her black axe in the ground, and hugged me. It was a motion entirely out of character for her, and a tight, surprisingly painful embrace. I appreciated it anyway. 

“Myne…” 

“Okay, Fate. When that time comes, I’ll kill you.” 

“I’m sorry, Myne. But…thank you.” 

She said nothing more after that. In my heart, I apologized to her again. Still, now that I had a solution for my worst-case scenario, I could fight freely and without hesitation. I heard Greed belittling my sentimentality through Telepathy, but I paid it no mind. This was important to me. 

I bid farewell to Myne and headed back the way I’d come. It was time to return to the sentinel city where Lady Roxy had to be by now. I’d finally be able to show her that I was no longer somebody who needed protecting. 

Once again, I took the skull mask from my vest.