The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor

Volume 36 Chapter 1 — Commander of the Dark Army, Van Hawk

Weed welcomed his subordinate.

“Hey Van Hawk. Have you been well in the meantime? Your bones seem to have become chubbier from your laziness.”

“Why did you call me here?”

Van Hawk answered coldly. His pride and fighting spirit had soared to the sky after becoming an Abyss Knight. Now his master could only be called a weakling!

“Of course I brought you back here to work. I’m busy so I’m going to leave you some chores.”

“Return me to where I was originally.”

“Aren’t your words a little short?”

“I won’t hit you for the sake of old times. But you could die if you refuse. Use this opportunity to release me.”

Weed sighed deeply. He hadn’t beaten his subordinates for a long time so they were rebelling.

“I haven’t been hitting you enough in the meantime. The area between your ribs have become very greasy.”

“……”

“The quality will hurt when a parent doesn’t pay attention to them. I will properly manage my subordinate for three days and nights.”

“Don’t let such careless words come from your mouth. I am no longer the same as I am in the past.”

“Once I am your master, you must serve me for the rest of your life.”

“Shut up. Even my patience has limits. I will take out my sword and let you watch carefully.”

“Yes, I spoke too much.”

Weed reflected again. Dialog wasn’t necessary for persuasion. He would listen better from a beating.

Weed took out the horn obtained from the Fire Salamander King. It wasn’t a proper combat weapon but it was hard.

“I’ll talk later after hitting you a little bit.”

“I’m taking out my sword.”

Van Hawk kicked at the ground and sprang forward. An Abyss Knight was swinging at him. A ghastly sight!

Van Hawk’s eyes had a red sheen around them. Those whose levels were low would feel like they were weighed down by an evil spirit and die. The deep power of the Abyss came from every direction.

Van Hawk didn’t doubt his victory.

‘I shouldn’t kill him. But I will gain my freedom after achieving victory. In order to get revenge on the Haven Empire!’

Weed didn’t block Van Hawk’s sword. He just reached out.

“Absolute Defense!”

The effect wasn’t significant but his entire body became harder than steel.

-The enormous effect of the armour has reduced damage by 31.

The effect of the skill has been increased by 28%.

There will be a perfect repair after it is finished.

Health has decreased by 9,484.

Van Hawk’s attack was among the strongest in the warrior class and had the capacity to shred fierce animals to pieces. But Weed who received the blessings of the gods, was the best warrior in the desert and had an influence on history managed to block it.

“You have indeed become strong. Your appearance has only changed a little bit so I didn’t realize you had become an Abyss Knight.”

“How did you prevent my attack without being harmed?”

An Abyss Knight formed from rising from a deep despair so their fighting spirit could become broken if they were frustrated. If their willpower was low then it was common for them to be unable to move their body.

But Van Hawk felt atrophy after meeting Weed’s eyes.

-You have met a strong man you can’t go against.

The aura of darkness is warning you.

When facing a holy warrior, the blessed flesh will cause mental atrophy.

Fighting spirit has declined and all combat stats will decrease by 6%.

If this state fails to be released quickly then paralysis symptoms will occur.

“Why is this happening…?”

Van Hawk had become the legendary Abyss Knight of the undead but he was being topped by the human Weed.

Of course, that situation would change after he returned to his original body but for now it was a one-sided fight.

“A skeleton should be tight.”

Pabababak!

And the beating began. An Abyss Knight was being stepped on and punched with no mercy!

Weed clutched a horn in his right hand and skilfully used his hands to harden Van Hawk’s bones.

“An Abyss Knight can endure for a long time. This is just a little taste.”

“This humiliation, I will absolutely never forget it!”

Van Hawk couldn’t tolerate it and the summoning was cancelled. Weed just used mana to summon Van Hawk again. Although the summoning had been cancelled, his body was still present in this age.

“Taste my anger that is sleeping like an active volcano.”

“Did you know? My heart is right.”

And he was continuously hit and summoned again!

Hawk pulled his sword again with the intention of fighting but Weed treated him like a young child playing a joke. He didn’t use any attacks skills but used his previous experience fighting against rare or special monsters to easily break the unique skills of an Abyss Knight.

The countless, dangerous combat experience during this final secret sculpting technique quest was an important asset! He had faced many knights so he was accustomed to Van Hawk’s attacks.

“Well, I must admit it. You are stronger than me.”

Eventually Van Hawk’s will broke because there was already a master/slave relationship.

“I can’t hear what you are saying.”

“I know that Master is strong so you can stop now.”

“There is a long way to go. I will let you feel the true taste of my hands. Isn’t this just like drinking a cool smoothie before entering a karaoke room?”

…

“I am too sick. Gently…”

“Sick? This is medicine for a sick hawk. Now what areas are sick?”

“My whole body is aching. In particular, my flank is hurting.”

“That’s right. I’ve been beating that side a lot. Yet there seems to be no broken ribs.”

……

“Master! You can look forward to my loyalty in the future.”

“You said such things in the past. Yes, you were always like that. You are just aiming at my back the entire time, waiting to betray me.”

“Absolutely not!”

“No, that’s right.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Originally the world is like that.”

……

“Please spare me. I will give you absolute obedience.”

“You still have the strength to say that!”

He continued hitting the sore spots! It was a bizarre situation that showcased the worst aspects of human nature as well as their craftsmanship.

Thus Van Hawk returned to his position next to Weed. His recovery was much higher now that he was an Abyss Knight but he couldn’t last against Weed’s undivided attention.

The only consolation he felt was when he saw the roof of a nearby wrecked house.

The person sitting on the roof of the house with a pale complexion and black cloak was the Vampire Lord Torido. He had been dragged here before Van Hawk.

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“Thank you for waiting. Weed the God of War, what adventure has he been on? The viewers’ curiosity will now be satisfied as the broadcast begins.”

“Modifiers aren’t necessary for this adventure. The scale of Weed’s adventure is so large that it can be called the Return of the King!”

The viewers looked forward to Weed’s adventure that started broadcasting! Each of the stations showed it at exactly 6 p.m.

The delivery places like pizza, chicken, ham hocks etc. were also waiting for this time. The audience would become hungry while watching the television and would get food delivered.

The viewers also made delighted posts on the bulletin boards.

-Finally.

-I was so thrilled that I couldn’t sleep yesterday.

-The time until I’m discharged from the army seems to be slowing down.

-Royal Road is good but it is fun to see Weed’s adventures.

-My spirit is thoroughly immersed when looking at it. It is like seeing a goblin only to realize he is a Bone Dragon slayer!

-I broke up with my girlfriend to watch this.

-You did well.

-Congratulations.

And the first image KMC Media showed was a golden, sandy beach with calming music playing.

Weed was wandering around Borota Island looking for stories of Nodulle and Hilderun. A few people might be bored but it was necessary to show the first step of the quest.

“Do you know Nodulle and Hilderun?”

“I know but it is annoying to say it. Many people have asked me about them.”

Weed met people on the island who shared their stories. Little children talked about Nodulle and Hilderun while picking up shells and stones on the pretty beach.

-Human.

-Weed the God of War has this hidden side to him.

-This is the delicate sensibility he used to make his sculptures.

At that time, Wed stole a piece of squid that was being dried and ate it.

“Ahh, salty.”

-Weed-nim also does bad things.

-This is the charm of a human.

-I also want to taste stolen squid too!

-I will immediately develop a Squid Grass Porridge Unit.-A new porridge development team.

His visit to Nodulle’s residence and consequent steps in the quest were also broadcasted.

After a brief introduction, CTS Media and LK Games showed the scene of his escape from an island in the middle of a storm. At first, the provocative images pulled up the ratings. But viewers would rather leisurely watch the quests so the ratings for KMC Media was much higher.

-Who are Nodulle and Hilderun?

-I don’t know. Are they a pirate couple?

-Maybe they are lovers like Romeo and Juliet.

-The background music gives the island a completely romantic atmosphere. Where is that island now?

-Borota Island.

-Oh, I want to move to a warm, sunny island.

-Judging by this, Borota Island will become a popular tourist destination in the future.

-How much money would it cost to build a house on that island?

-Recently a user bought a cast amount of land on Borota Island so the real estate prices has soared. For example, it has soared by 10 times compared to the past.

They were curious about Nodulle and Hilderun and also leisurely viewed the relaxing scenery of Borota Island. They also waited for other exciting, future developments in the future.

Weed’s adventure was connected with danger and suffering on another scale. The viewers knew that he would change the important history of cities on the continent so they were looking forward to future information.

The lyrical and romantic view of Borota Island! Holding onto a piece of wood in the sea while being threatened by the followers of the Sea God.

In the beginning, Seo-yoon’s face didn’t appear intentionally. This only served to raise the viewer’s curiosity.

-She is an absolute beauty based on the rear view alone.

-I want to marry her just looking at the hands that are rowing.

-The brief sound of her voice is enough to pull out my soul.

All the attention within Royal Road was focused on Weed’s adventure. The ratings were also a big bang! But the number of antis also significantly increased.

-I’m doomed because of Weed. The destruction of the city dealt a blow to my business. Even the goblins wouldn’t want to rob me.

-The house I worked hard to prepare is gone. Who will be responsible for this damage?

-The indiscriminate destruction of the city. In the meantime, I’ve been building up intimacy with the residents. Is it right for Weed to do this?

-I understand that the Haven Empire is his enemy. But what am I guilty of?

A considerable number of users damaged by Weed’s actions on the Central Continent demanded compensation during the broadcast. The Hermes Guild also diligently took advantage of this to accuse him.

-Weed was originally bad. He couldn’t hide his innate nature in Continent of Magic.

-Weed is really vicious. He deceived the people of the north that he was a good person.

-Weed’s adventures are all due to his own greed. Please be a little more calm.

-Grass Porridge Cult? It is funny that people would join such a ridiculous group. The Central Continent is full of prosperity and development.

Weed’s broadcast was a hot topic from day one.

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“This incompetent bastard.”

Weed kept on abusing Van Hawk who didn’t say anything.

An Abyss Knight might be described as the pinnacle of the undead but he knew who was in charge. It was absurd that he was still following a human like Weed after he had switched professions.

“I will leave the 1st Army Corps to you. Can you lead them well?”

“Of course.”

When he was under the reign of Barkhan, Van Hawk had been the commander of the dark army! He now assumed the role of leading 80,000 soldiers.

“You…”

Van Hawk saw that half the soldiers were composed of riff-raff.

They were conscripted youths so they were undisciplined and their stance when holding a sword was a mess. Weed deliberately gave him those with no combat experience and the fanatics of the Embinyu Church. They were cannon fodder so he hadn’t bothered teaching them.

A legendary monster, the Abyss Knight had appeared but the soldiers didn’t speculate.

“You will die fighting so it isn’t necessary to fight well. Just die early. That will hopefully be your only obligation.”

“Yes!”

Van Hawk and the 1st Army Corps rushed to the vanguard. A myriad of soldiers died from the enemy’s arrows or cavalry!

“Huhuhu.”

“My body is cold, cold. I want to drink hot blood!”

The soldiers then became zombies and skeletons. Compared to when they were alive, they had a fast and strong power. The power of the Abyss Knight could revive subordinates from the dead.

Half of the troops were affected by Van Hawk’s darkness. The 80,000 army changed to half undead and half humans. It even increased by 20,000 as the bodies of the enemies were changed by dark forces. Van Hawk could control exactly 100,000 undead with his dark powers!

The maximum size and quality of the army kept on improving. Countless ghosts, Dullahans, Death Knights etc. began appearing.

“Yes, this is really nice. Having the undead listen to orders is really good.”

Weed used the undead to actively fight against the Mapon Kingdom. The power of Weed’s desert warriors was being raised with a high speed. The conscripted slaves, elephant troops and undead troops were organized.

The majesty of a true conquering army!

He also used the vast riches looted from the principalities to hire mercenaries. Not only that, the nobles and members of the royal families surrendered without a fight. The number of troops went over 100,000 and the surrendered soldiers were placed at the vanguard.

Weed’s army went beyond 300,000 as he struck the Central Continent.

“I’ve already wrecked 20 cities. This will certainly be recorded in history. Nevertheless, to be able to leave a name behind after death…it is very honourable.”

He would go down in history as a villain who committed terrible actions! Weed’s absolute force and charisma meant the soldiers didn’t dare take a breath or relax in front of him.

Having the undead as colleagues and destroying all the cities made the soldiers somehow feel more comfortable.

Only cities that opened their gates and surrendered could avoid complete destruction. The desert troops passed through the cities and kingdoms and forcefully conscripted combat slaves.

Hope was lost and they could only fight.

“We have been caught by a vicious mastermind.”

“Should we try to escape tomorrow?”

“No. We can’t escape from his range of vision even at night. And you know what will happen if we get caught trying to escape.

If 1 person tried to escape then the entire unit consisting of 2,000 people would be annihilated.

An army dominated by fear! Weed allowed them to kill the enemy and loot to their heart’s content. The soldiers that used the despair of their enemies to overcome their hopelessness and became more cruel.

“Charge.”

The soldiers ran forward like caught wild horses at Weed’s order.

“Hihihihit!”

“Kill. Kill them all!”

“Snatch everything.”

The mental state of the soldiers was the worst. They weren’t equipped with stability, gold, equipment or skill proficiency. The army only waged war!

“We should obtain a total victory.”

The absolute strength and dominance meant the army was victorious every time. In addition, the cruel soldiers helped in the destruction of the Central Continent.

Ddiring!

-You have fulfilled 6 of the conditions necessary for the Advent of the Conqueror quest.

The objective of the quest has already been exceeded.

The fanatics in the Dagan Kingdom have been completely destroyed.

Destruction of the cities surrounding the Herr River has been completed.

Devastate the training base of the fanatics in the Ruprea Principality has been completed.

Set the city of Itua on fire has been completed.

You have sniffed out some of the royals who were secret follower of the Embinyu Church.

The Droma Kingdom has collapsed and a new dynasty will emerge.

This was a considerable achievement when taking into account that he couldn’t travel to cities and kingdoms far away. In order to avoid a battle with the Embinyu Church, he had only aimed to achieve 3 goals.

But he needed to make sure he destroyed certain kingdoms when completing the quest. Once he returned to his original world, his level of 824 would disappear. It was like trying to paddle when water was entering the boat.

In addition, this conquest war was fun. He came into the past so it was good to heat things up. Users didn’t exist in the warring period but the presence of outstanding knights meant it was hard to conquer the continent.

Weed had a bad side. But he didn’t have the opportunity to commit bad actions. People viewed him as an honest and steady person but Weed had wanted to be a villain in the first place.

His teacher in elementary school asked him what his dream for the future was. Weed’s answer was ‘a villain who will destroy world peace.’ The forbidden chance to achieve his childhood dream had been opened.

“Kill everything. Don’t let them live even if they surrender. And don’t touch the riches in the castle’s warehouse. That is mine!”

Tyrant Weed! The slave soldiers that surrendered were dragged into the next war.

Now the kingdoms in the warring period started having an active response.

“We have to prevent the barbarians from coming to our kingdom.”

“Those fellows are merciless. Send the knights to bring back Weed’s head.”

“I heard that Weed is a great warrior. I don’t know why he is opposing us but the dignity of the Royal Family can’t allow him to pass.”

The kingdoms moved their troops in order to suppress him. Hundreds of thousands of elite troops marched to annihilate Weed and the Red Knife army.

In addition, the Embinyu Church also moved.

-We are carrying God Embinyu’s trust.

-A huge force is coming from the south to stop us. Get rid of them.

The anxiety deeply rooted in the continent has become parasitic. The Embinyu Church forces gathered in forests, complex underground caves and secret places in the kingdom were shown in a video.

An amazingly huge turtle more than 400 metres large was flying through the air above the Embinyu Church, with 300 archers on board. An Embinyu army was running around with crossbow devices and siege weapons that could cover the sky with rocks. And there was a 10 storey tower with Earth Giants following behind. Fanatics covered the plains or dug stones with pickaxes.

These fanatics weren’t an insignificant presence.

Nodulle had caused the fall of the Embinyu Church with Ahellun until it eventually recovered in the future. They could cut off limbs and tear iron armour.

The 4th and 6th sect. High Priest Motuls and High Priest Igrig led the dark army. They were level 700 priests that could freely use magic but their ability to lead their men in battle was much superior. The High Priests of the sects used curses and black magic so sacrifices were inevitable.

The priests in the present day Embinyu Church also led hundreds of people. The warring period meant the priests could led more than 10,000 people to commit atrocities. They used brainwashing, deception and all types of dark magic in the Embinyu Church. Even the evil Pechet threatening the Keltun Kingdom joined them to mobilize an unprecedented army.

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Weed and Seo-yoon.

There were the only 2 users on this huge continent filled with NPCs. Numerous quests sprang up or disappeared and the recorded history was changed. They caused a big war that would be written in history.

That’s how large the scale of this quest was. When thinking about it calmly, this was a quarrel between the desert area and the enemy. The revealed army of the Embinyu Church was more terrible than expected.

Weed finally realized what happened in the past.

“No, Nodulle’s success was a case of a typical and archaic hero!”

The latent strength of the Embinyu Church that emerged in the world could easily change. Weed led a desert army to conquer so his analysis of the situation was very accurate.

Although the desert warriors were strong, the Embinyu Church contained all sorts of odd creatures and fanatics.

“But I can’t do that. I need to obtain a stronger power in cause the tower is successfully built and the Chaos Dragon awakens.”

The Embinyu Church had thoroughly prepared and planned. And they were irreparably damaged by Nodulle and Hilderun.

The hero in the story used a might power to stop the villain, the Embinyu Church from conquering the continent.

“These ugly bastards.”

Weed was understandably upset about the Embinyu Church. They brainwashed many kings and nobles to follow them. The aim of conquering the continent was naturally difficult to accomplish. The sweat and passion of the villains had disappeared.

“This is really stupid. If I was the head of the Embinyu Church then I would use all sorts of despicable means. I would rather receive a quest to help the Embinyu Church dominate the continent.”

Anyway, the Embinyu Church in the past changed due to Weed. The Embinyu Church woke up an army in order to prevent Weed and his army of desert warriors.

“I caused an accident with those guys. Was I too greedy? I should’ve acted moderately while playing a hero.”

He now had a very large burden to defeat the Embinyu Church.

In fact, Weed hasn’t been comfortable acting out the role of Nodulle. He was forced to follow the righteous acts of a hero.

However, the desert army invading the Central Continent was Weed’s choice. His frustration over his destiny had already rolled away.

“All my actions will break the history of the future. Well, it can’t be helped.”

It was an extremely rare opportunity against the backdrop of the entire continent. The level 800 armed forces swept through the continent during this chaotic period. He conquered vast lands and cities as well as struck against the Embinyu Church.

Weed and Seo-yoon wanted to live like this forever. The exhilarating fun of war and adventure!

“This is an uncommon opportunity to do bad things. For the sake of justice, I need to teach the Embinyu Church what a true villain is.”

It was like watching cartoon villains from a young age only to get the chance to release all his frustrations. Now it was time to lead the troops to loot the city.

Weed climbed on the Bactrian Camel and held out his hand to Seo-yoon.

“Grab on.”

“Thank you.”

When moving long distances, Seo-yoon rode on the camel with him. It was a practical reason since she hadn’t raised her level. But it wasn’t just for quick movements that the two became familiar with riding together.

It was severely cold in the desert and as they headed north from the southern area. Memories piled up as they travelled that route.

‘Youth is fleeting and life is short. I will be reminded of these memories over time in the future.’

The two people spent a happy and romantic time together. And they used experience and hard work to overcome and live. As a person became older, they realized how important these things were.

It was shrouded in countless suffering but Nodulle and Hilderun’s quest also had a romantic aspect.

He wasn’t the type to help a complete stranger who was suffering. Yet Weed was the first one to stretch out his hand to her.

‘I’m not that type of person.’

He had lived in poverty since childhood so he wasn’t confident about love. He felt a sense of insecurity about bringing suffering to a woman. That’s why he kept feeling sorry.

There were times in junior high and high school where he stopped himself and just looked at the back of a nice female. He might have a good heart but he was scared to show it.

‘But if it is this woman…’

He gained some faith during the time spent with Seo-yoon. He didn’t want it to but the possibility slowly formed in his mind.

‘Well, it’s not like she doesn’t have flaws. Eventually these conflicts will be resolved one day.’

Weed hid his cowardice deep down in his thoughts. He felt like that while watching Seo-yoon’s actions.

‘Ah, now she is a lot like me.’

It was being revealed even if the other side tried to hide it.

It had been quite some time since he carved the Goddess of Freya Statue in Baran Village. At that time, Seo-yoon’s heart had been closed off.

Weed used her as a model for the statue that had a bright and beautiful appearance. And he had secretly written down a sentence in a hidden place.

-This smile is good…I hope you can smile like this…

He hoped that Seo-yoon would go back to that little village and find the phrase. Their meeting in the instructor’s house was short but it created a special sculpture.

And then they had met on the Plains of Despair when he was Karichwi. The reason was unknown but Weed had felt something special after seeing her behaviour and eyes. Weed carved a sculpture while accompanying her through the plains.

A sculpture of her smiling that caused tears! Seo-yoon didn’t express it but her heart had always been crying and in pain. She felt doubts and anxiety but had a vulnerable and pure side hidden. The sculpture was able to elicit tears and ease the pain.

Since then, she was always willing to model for Weed’s sculptures. His sculptures were beautifully carved and made Seo-yoon even prettier.

Weed was also scared of exposing his heart. But the sculptures were honest.

The sculpture of Warm Lovers while hiding in a cave with Alveron! In the sculpture, Weed and Seo-yoon were hugging each other while sharing warmth.

This had expressed a little bit of something contained deep in his heart. The two people had each suffered pain and suffering in their lives. And after some time and incidents, they shared many events together.

Now they could close their eyes and understand the other person’s mind.