The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor Volume 50 Chapter 1 part1

[Note from Mimosab] Hi guys, we’re back! Here the beginning of the volume 50. We got some issues on past weeks… the translator got too much contract at the same time… and we were a bit left behind. But it’s resolved now!

W’ll start again with one part weekly and do our best to post more when it’s possible (depends of the translator and proofreaders availability)

… and thanks again to @Eternal and @Ecrin for their changes that improve greatly the whole quality 😉

– A battle that will determine the fate of the Versailles Continent!

– The beginning of a great war in the Garnav Plain.

– Royal Road: Will we watch the rise of the emperor who will unite the whole continent?

– In 15 days, more than a billion people go to war.

The news of a head-on match between Weed and the Hermes Guild became the headlines of various broadcasting channels. Through crystal balls or on TV, people could watch the sight of the great number of users from both the Northern and Central Continents gathering in the Garnav Plain.

"I've come to fight for the Arpen Kingdom. Once the battle begins, I'll throw my life into it."

"I might be a mere sparrow, *tweet!*, but with these wings, there is no place I cannot go!"

"Have a bowl of grass porridge, people!"

There were numerous users having an interview with broadcasting stations, and large bonfires were made in the Garnav Plain.

"Will Weed-nim really fight against Bard Ray?"

"There will be a full-frontal battle with all the users in the field joining in… I wonder if there will be a chance for them to meet each other in person?"

"I hope there will. But isn't a one-on-one fight going to be very disadvantageous for a sculptor?"

"Well, he has become master sculptor and now he got the new profession as a Necromancer, so I don't think that would be a problem."

"But Necromancer isn't exactly a good profession for fighting alone, is it?"

"Hmm, that's true."

From the very beginning of Royal Road, Bard Ray had reigned as the most powerful user of the game, and had been the owner of the nickname 'the God of War'. On the other hand, his opponent was the person who, with the profession of a sculptor, had earned great fame by accomplishing a number of almost miracle-like quests, and who had raised the small and insignificant village of Morata into a kingdom that currently dominated the entire Northern Continent. There were so many users who were looking forward to the epic fight between the two most iconic players of Royal Road.

"Weed-nim will win."

"Yes. However the situation may turn out to be, we can trust Weed-nim."

"Impossible? That is one word that is not in Weed-nim's vocabulary. There hasn't been a single easy task in his path of life up until now."

"He is a legend. A legend!"

The number of users who supported Weed was simply overwhelming, not only because of the sympathy they felt for the relatively weaker of the two, but also because of the many great achievements Weed had attained to date.

However Weed, the center of all that anticipation and attention, was currently devising a terrible and devious scheme with his living sculptures.

"I just can't fight this fair and square. Do you know why people use cheap tricks? It is because they are effective!"

"Moooo….!"

"Golgolgol[1] !"

The various sculptural lifeforms, Yellowy and Geumini among them, cheered enthusiastically in response; flattery was a virtue these living sculptures had had to learn, as fate had dictated that they had to serve under such an ill-tempered master.

"I can't help but feel that we've met the wrong master. Golgol."

"If it weren't for my honor as a knight… I would leave to seek my freedom."

"Would it be so difficult to just make me a crown, for all the hard work I've done? My Ice Breath attack has become quite good now, too…"

For the battle of the Garnav Plain, all the sculptures that had been the subjects of Weed's constant bullying were assembled together. Each of them was a force to be reckoned with in any battlefield, including Bahamorg, the warrior of blood and iron.

– Kuuuaaarggh!!

– *Blaaaaze*

King Hydra gave out a great roar as he shook his three snake-like heads, and Phoenix let its flaming feathers fly in all directions like falling snow. Binryong, Deathworm, Imugi and Fire Giant were all creating a very imposing picture just by standing there, due to their enormous sizes.

However, even at this splendid sight of the legion of sculptural lifeforms, Weed was still rather doubtful of their power.

"Sure, these guys are strong, but they wouldn't be able to hold off even just one Legion of the Hermes Guild Army by themselves."

Not that his sculptural creatures were incompetent, but the power of the Hermes Guild was simply too great. While it was true that Weed and his living sculptures had spent a long time improving their skills and strength through much effort, the Hermes Guild had just as much time to grow their forces and influence as they dominated the core regions of the Continent. At the time when Weed first started the game in the Rosenheim Kingdom, he wouldn't even have been able to imagine that he would, one day, fight against this very Hermes Guild.

"They eventually managed to kill even Bar Khan himself; I cannot finish this war with these creatures alone."

However, a well-devised trick had a power to reverse the disadvantageous situation in a dramatic way. Among many world-famous wars in history, it was easy to find a case in which a few tricks completely changed the outcome of a battle. How awestruck Weed had been, reading the stories about those genius strategists.

'That is some remarkable cleverness.'

To be perfectly frank, Weed knew that he did not belong to this sort of brilliant strategist type, and that was all the more reason why he needed an appropriate trick to overcome the many obstacles.

'When there's a person with a great talent, I'll just have to make the best use of their talent; just as what I did with Hestiger.'

He had drawn a big picture in his mind which had been conceived based on his Resurrection Sculpting skill — this meant that there would be yet another historical figure revived by his hands.

Weed spoke in a deep, solemn voice.

"My subjects, have you ever heard of the age during which every sculptural lifeform enjoyed peace and prosperity, under the reign of the great emperor who led the art of sculpting to the path of glory?"

Golden Bird, which had been drowsing, raised its head, its sleek and sparkling feathers giving off a spark of brilliance.

"Geihar von Arpen!"

"Yes. Golden Bird may remember. There once was a glorious age when the great living sculptures united this entire land, and commanded respect from every other species of the world."

The emperor who united the Versailles Continent for the first time in history: Geihar von Arpen. Surprisingly enough, he was a sculptor and this great achievement of unifying the whole continent had been possible through the collective power of the sculptural creatures that he created.

'Just by imagining it I can see it must have been an extremely difficult task. How effectively he must have sweated his sculptural servants! The extent of exploitation involved must be difficult to even fathom.'

A legendary exploiter whose equal would not be easily found in history books; in a certain sense, this emperor sounded more like a successful slave trader.

Weed made a declaration in front of the sculptures gathering around him.

"I shall once again create a world in which every sculptural lifeform can live as a proper slav- I mean, live with happiness and dignity. Your task is to find other sculptural lifeforms scattered across the entire continent. Through this war, I will turn this world into a place for them!"

Wyverns and other creatures that were capable of flying soared high into the sky and flew away. Deathworm, Fire Giant, Cerberus, Seville, Eltin and Gernika all turned around and began to march as well, each of them showing off their majestic appearance to match their power as a boss-level monster that could dominate the entire region.

"Farewell, master. Mooo."

"I wish you luck. I promise to bring any sculptural lifeforms I can find. Golgol."

However, just as Yellowy, Gumini, White Tiger, Nile the giant crocodile and Countryside Snake[2] were about to leave like the others, Weed stopped them.

"Hey, I need you guys to stay here with me."

"Squeak!"

Countryside Snake rolled its eyes apprehensively, and just when the rest of the sculptures that had been left behind began to regret not having been quick enough to move away before they were caught, Weed used a skill.

"Travel Sculpting!"

< The Travel Sculpting skill that transcends time and space has been used. >

A portal consisting of thousands of rays of light opened up. It was an advanced Time Sculpting technique which allowed the user to travel into a past moment in history.

"You guys will come with me."

"Do we really have to, master?"

Yellowy asked Weed as it looked up at him with its innocent eyes.

"You don't want to go there? Well, since I respect your free will I'll give you two options."

"Thank you, master."

"Either you get beaten up first and go, or just go without complaining."

The crime was theirs for having met the wrong master. Weed put Geumini and Yellowy through the portal one after the other. The next moment, Pale, Irene, Romuna, Surka and Zephyr arrived through Yurin's Picture Teleportation — the top elite members for an adventure. Maylon couldn't join them, as she was busy at work with broadcasting the war between Weed and the Hermes Guild.

"Let's go."

Weed directed his comrades towards the portal so that they could go before him. It was a natural precaution, in case any of them would take their chance and run off. The closer you are to a person, the more vigilant you need to be not to let your guard down in front of them.

Pale renewed his resolution right before stepping through the portal.

'I am a battle slave; I have no concept of an ego!'

He was determined to do nothing but hunting for the 15 long days.

'I just need to take it simple. After 15 days, I can be free. At least there's some hope here.'

Zephyr was finding the whole situation quite odd.

'So these are the members for a hunt? And even Weed-nim's sister has joined us this time?'

He had been intending to flee right away if Yurin hadn't been there. In order to avoid Weed's grasp, he had even learned some diving technique as part of his profession as a fisherman; Weed wouldn't be able to call him to a hunt when he was deep under the sea.

'Considering that Yurin's here… this might just be a quest rather than a hunt. Then it shouldn't be too difficult, should it?'

On the other hand, even after so many experiences of being exploited by Weed, Surka was still her naïve and innocent self.

'He said we are going to have an interesting journey, that we are going to see and experience many wonderful things…'

In a way, Surka was the one who had the most positive, prejudice-free opinion of Weed among them.

'His lips were dry when he said that. It wasn't a lie![3] '

She was certain that Weed had been honest, at least for this time.

Irene trusted Weed without a single shred of doubt. He asked her to join him to this adventure, so she followed him willingly: her skills would be needed more if there were a lot of heated battles involved.

The first thing Weed and his companions saw when they stepped out of the portal was a view that was so magnificent it made their jaws drop.

"Wow…"

"Ah…"

"This is great!"

Beautiful birds in hundreds of different colors were flying in the clear, blue sky. In the green field bloomed many flowers, and there were life forms of butterflies and bees with markings they had never seen before. In a plain further away, other life forms similar to water buffalos, horses and elephants were wandering about lazily.

"Mooo."

Yellowy and other living sculptures that had arrived before Weed's party were also appreciating the scenery. Such a peaceful, pretty sight; the herbivores were leisurely grazing in the field, tending to their young. Just looking at it put a smile on their faces and relieved their stress.

Pale asked Weed hesitantly.

"Weed-nim, do we have to… kill those things this time?"

Each of Weed's companions here was a seasoned hunter, but they all looked reluctant to wipe out the creatures in this place. Weed scanned the animals with his sharp eyes.

"They've got some nice hide. Bones look quite solid, too… I'd say they'll make fine materials for smithing, not to mention carving."

*Gasp*

"I'm joking. For now, let's just enjoy this great view for some time. I'll cook some food for you."

"What? You haven't even licked your lips before lying like that this time[4] …"

"I'm not lying."

Weed took out his cooking tools and started a fire. Using a frying pan, he made some simple sandwiches and gimbap[5] . Surka also picked a few fruits and made fresh juice out of them.

"My, they look delicious!"

As Irene clapped in delight, curious animals began to gather around them, cute things like rabbits, deer and kangaroos that didn't avoid them even in the presence of Countryside Snake and Nile the crocodile. Yellowy already had his eye on a female buffalo and was sitting beside her.

Pale and Zephyr were both feeling fearful.

"He's already feeding us so well this early in the journey… how hard is he going to drive us this time?"

"I think we'll all have to brace ourselves for at least a couple of deaths each."

They had never seen Weed do anything for them without getting something in return. But even as they solidified their resolve once more, they couldn't help but enjoy the landscape surrounding them.

"The atmosphere here is really nice."

"I feel so content as if I just stepped into paradise. All of my fatigue that has been accumulating is gone, too."

A cozy place for a rest, deep within the heart of the nature.

In actuality, the Versailles Continent was a place for people who wanted to live their life as they chose. Weed spent his entire time on adventures and hunting, going from a dungeon on one day to a hunting ground on another, but that was not the only correct way of life; even if one decided to while away their life building a cabin and looking at the calm blue sea, there was nobody who would judge them.

"Here, take your time to enjoy the food."

"Okay."

"I will."

Once they had decided to embrace the death that may come later, Pale and Zephyr had regained their calm. Weed usually finished his meal so quickly that other people had difficulties keeping up with his eating speed, but right now he was extremely relaxed as if he had just had a bowl of Ramyun with some additional steamed rice.

'Looks like we're really going to die in this quest. Maybe he'll offer me as a living sacrifice this time.'

'Right. What kind of boss monster is he going to defeat this time? I guess it can be counted as an honor to join him.'

After they finished the meal, they followed Weed to take a walk across the field. Soon they arrived at a nearby hill where cool breezes greeted them. Beyond it, a vast emerald sea and coral reefs stretched out far and wide.

"Wooow."

"This is incredible."

–

You have arrived at one of the unexplored lands of the world.

–

The discovery of The Wulhoff Reef!

It was the largest coral reef of the Continent, spreading over the distance of 876 kilometers from the Strait of Rudin to the Alcard Sea. The depth of water ranged from 3 meters to maximum 80 meters, and it was home to 600 species of corals and 1,890 species of various sea creatures. As one of the Nine Unexplored Lands of the Versailles Continent, numerous adventurers had hoped to find this place since the early days.

—————————————————————————————

– Your adventure has earned you 6,940 points of fame.

– Your level has increased.

– You have discovered a historical region. Your Knowledge and Wisdom have increased by 10 points each as a result of this special experience.

– The wonderful scenery has increased your Art stat by 8 points.

– You will obtain additional rewards for reporting the rare discoveries.

—————————————————————————————

"Huh…"

"We've even leveled up. By gods…"

All they had done was to walk a little with Weed's guidance, yet the amount of fame and experience points they earned was enormous. The field of coral reefs seen through the clear sea was beautiful beyond belief; the colors of the ocean made them stare at it blankly on and on, not even caring to take time to check all the message windows popping up.

At that instant, something burst upward from the sea.

– Foooo!

A blue dolphin broke the surface and leaped up, then disappeared again.

Clarifications and questions from the translator

[1]At first I thought this was a sound made by a purring cat and translated accordingly, but later I realized that this is most probably the sound made by Gumini, or Gold Man.

[2]I looked up the LMS Wiki page to use the proper names for Weed's sculptural creatures, and found it very interesting that this creature's name was translated as Countryside Snake, because its original name in Korean actually means "Country Mouse", as in the tale "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse." I'm assuming this translation is because the species of the creature is in fact a snake. Just something that I thought I should point out.

[3]There is a Korean expression that is directly translated as something like "At least lick your lips before lying." which is often used to tell off people who lie through their teeth. Surka's logic here is that since his lips were dry when he said this things to her, he didn't lick them before speaking, and therefore he was being honest.

[4]Another reference to the same expression explained above.

[5]A very popular Korean dish that is made by rolling steamed rice (bap) and other ingredients in a sheet of dried seaweed (gim). This dish is most commonly prepared for a picnic.

Chapter end