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Chapter 33: Before the Assault
Brandon glanced at the sheer, knife-edged cliff in the distance and turned back to instruct Roma to put on the Ring of the Spiderweb. He had noticed that she possessed an unexpectedly keen perception, and this ring would further enhance her already sharp senses.
Roma had been eyeing the beautiful black-and-white-patterned ring for quite some time, so she was naturally delighted. However, curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, “Is this another magical ring, Brandon?”
“Yes,” he replied. “It will allow you to hear more clearly. Keep an ear out for any movement underground. If you notice anything, alert Freya. I’ll be back soon.” Brandon knew that aside from the Golden Magic Tree in this valley, there was also a Stone Burrowing Worm—a rare elite creature from the Earth Elemental plane that had once ambushed him during a game, nearly throwing him into chaos.
“Are there other enemies?” both girls asked in unison.
“There might be,” Brandon said vaguely. “Better safe than sorry, right?” He didn’t want to pretend to be a prophet—it would only complicate things later—so he left his answer deliberately ambiguous.
Freya nodded in understanding, gripping the sheathed longsword with both hands as she positioned herself protectively in front of Roma. “I’ll keep Roma safe. Please hurry back.”
“Hmm?” Brandon gave her a surprised look. When did this girl become so cooperative? It left him momentarily flustered, though she didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives. After a brief hesitation, he set down his backpack, rummaged through it for a coil of rope and a grappling hook, cast one last glance at the two girls, and carefully began climbing out.
“Freya, is it really okay for Brandon to go out there alone?” Roma whispered.
“Brandon has his own plans. We can’t help much, but we can ensure he doesn’t have to worry about us,” Freya replied calmly.
“Freya?”
Freya flicked her long ponytail behind her, her bright eyes reflecting determination. She wasn’t giving up—she simply recognized the limits of her current strength. This future Valkyrie was beginning to realize that her abilities were still insufficient. To become a leader, she needed to push herself harder, to demand more of herself.
She exhaled deeply, clutching the sword close to her chest, and resolved to do just that.
Meanwhile, Brandon was making his way along the steep cliffside, now less than thirty meters from the crevice he remembered. He couldn’t help but glance back nervously. Fortunately, the Golden Magic Tree and its minions relied on sound and fluctuations in magic energy rather than sight to detect intruders. Otherwise, his position would have been far too conspicuous.
He grabbed onto a protruding rock, feeling the gravel slide between cracks beneath his fingers. The sound was faint, but he was cautious not to make any sudden noise that might draw attention. Every movement was deliberate, every step calculated.
Less than thirty meters to go. Almost there.
So far, no Soul Gems had fallen along the way, but Brandon knew he had one last chance. Hidden within the crevice ahead was a treasure—not exactly a treasure in the traditional sense, but rather a collection of relics. According to the lore of the game, about ten years ago, a young noble named Borg Nesson, an avid adventurer, had come to this canyon. Separated from his companions during an attack by treants, he managed to escape and take refuge here, only to succumb to his injuries.
He left behind his belongings and a token, which could be used to complete a quest in Braggs. Though the reward was meager, it had been better than nothing for Brandon back then. But what made the noble’s possessions interesting was their randomness. Depending on luck, all sorts of items could appear. On one occasion, Brandon had even found an amber stone. This time, however, he wasn’t counting on such luck. All he hoped for was a Soul Gem, as his memory suggested they had a high drop rate here.
He soon reached the crevice. From the outside, it was nearly invisible, but inside, everything matched the game perfectly. There, slumped against the wall, lay the skeletal remains of the unfortunate noble. For a moment, Brandon felt as though he had stepped back into the world of the past.
Shaking off the illusion, Brandon carefully navigated around the bones and focused on a small pouch nearby. But something caught his eye—a brittle, dust-covered piece of parchment resting atop the bag.
This hadn’t been part of the game.
He picked it up gently and realized it was a will, written in short, hurried lines:
“To Marsha, I may not have much time left. Should I perish, and should anyone find this letter, I hereby legally bequeath all my personal belongings to them. Additionally, I possess a secret family inheritance, which I wish to divide into three parts: one for the finder, one for my wife, Seddi, and one for my daughter (the rest of the sentence was illegible)…
If the reader of this will wishes to claim this inheritance, please deliver it along with my token to my wife and tell her ‘The Appointment at the Baden Ball.’ She will understand my meaning.
Lastly, I am sorry, Seddi. May Lady Marsha punish me—”
Brandon paused, stunned. He was certain he had never seen this before. In the original questline, the task ended simply by retrieving the noble’s signet ring and delivering it to the citizen registry in Braggs for a modest reward. There had been no mention of a will or further developments.
Why was this here now? Was this world different from the game? Brandon shook his head, unwilling to believe that. Everything else had aligned perfectly—why would there be an exception here? What could explain it?
Then it struck him: perhaps only the first person to discover this place received this unique quest? Amber Sword, the game, had many “first-only” missions, but he had never heard of such mechanics applying to instances like this.
After some deliberation, Brandon carefully folded the will and the signet ring together, tucking them securely into his clothes. The quest felt vaguely familiar, as if someone might have completed it in the past—but unfortunately, the details about the noble’s daughter and her whereabouts were blurred beyond recognition. Still, Brandon wasn’t overly concerned. The more complicated the quest, the greater the reward. At the very least, he now had two leads: the noble’s name and his wife’s name. That would suffice for now.
Putting the matter aside, he turned his attention to the loot. Inside the pouch were two rubies, a handful of coins worth about thirty silver pieces—a substantial sum—and a pipe, a dark gray stone shard, and a glass bead. Disappointed, Brandon sifted through the items again, confirming there was no Soul Gem. He sighed. While these rewards would have been impressive in the game, what he needed now wasn’t wealth or materials but something to immediately boost his strength.
Still, disappointment aside, Brandon swept everything into his pouch. He didn’t have time to sort through what was useful and what was junk. Survival came first.
With the spoils gathered, Brandon took one last look at the skeleton and retraced his steps. Everything went smoothly, and when he returned to the crevice where Roma and Freya waited, he saw the relief wash over their faces.
“Brandon, you’re finally back! Without you, Freya and I were so tense. It was eerily quiet,” Roma said, patting her chest.
“Don’t drag me into this—” Freya blushed slightly.
“I just scouted the area. There’s a patrol outside, six treants. We need to deal with them quickly,” Brandon explained.
“Do we have to go out?” Roma asked.
“We don’t have to. We could wait until later and leave through the other side of the mountain path. That would avoid combat, but we’d lose time,” Brandon replied.
“How much time?” Freya inquired.
“About two hours.”
Freya hesitated. “How far is it from here to Ridenburg?” She had rarely ventured far from home, with Weyburn being the furthest she’d ever traveled. Ridenburg was merely a name she’d heard adults mention.
“To put it simply, if we delay by two hours, we’ll be racing against Madara’s undead army,” Brandon said, glancing at Roma. “We might reach Ridenburg first, but we won’t have much time left.”
“Would killing the tree be faster?” Freya asked.
“There’s a hidden passageway behind it, dug by merchants to bypass checkpoints. I read about it in Braggs’ municipal archives when I served in the militia there—” Brandon lied smoothly, though the existence of the passageway itself was true; he had learned of it in the game.
Freya eyed him skeptically.
“Is the tree dangerous?” she asked, pointing outward.
“Extremely. We have about a fifty-fifty chance of failure,” Brandon said seriously. As much as he wanted to gamble on defeating the Golden Magic Tree, he knew he had to be honest about the risks. He bore responsibility for all three of their lives.
In a team, everyone had the right to choose how to face danger—that was a fundamental rule of the Amber Sword. No one could force another.
Freya fell silent.
“What about you, Roma?” she asked.
Roma shook her head. “I love adventure. Life is meant to be spent on meaningful pursuits.”
Freya nodded, her resolve firm. “I understand, Brandon. Lead us to victory. If we fail, I won’t regret it.”
Brandon smiled, surprised by Freya’s determination. “It’s not that dire. I’ll guide you on how to handle it. But first, let’s deal with the patrol. Six treants—you know them well by now. This time, we need to end the fight in an instant.”
He led the two to the edge of the crevice, where they could clearly see the patrol of the Golden Magic Tree’s offspring. Brandon gestured to outline their approach. “We’ll sneak up from here. Wait for my signal to strike. Move slowly and quietly—we can’t let them detect us.”
“We have at least half an hour, so no rush.”
“Freya.”
“Yes?”
“Roma and I will attack from the right. You hide under that rock on the left. When we engage, target the last two treants—their weak points are in their limbs, remember?” Brandon paired himself with Roma to protect her and ease Freya’s burden, as Roma lacked combat prowess.
Freya nodded. Treants’ sensory organs were located in their limbs; without them, they posed no threat. Still, she felt a pang of nervousness. They had always dealt with treants using clever tactics like rock traps. A direct confrontation—and ending the battle instantly—was daunting. She trusted Brandon’s abilities, but doubted her own.
Brandon noticed her unease and understood. Every novice had doubts, and Freya, despite being an “NPC,” was no exception. “Don’t worry too much,” he encouraged. “Your Half-Body Armor of the Wind Sovereign gives you a significant advantage. Go all out—I believe in you.”
Freya nodded, steeling herself for the fight ahead.
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!!! Thank god someone actually picked this up it's one of my favorties despite only being able to read half of it, please don't give it up, also would love if the names are consistent with the other ones > brendel , romain and such, thank you^
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, the names will not be the same as the previous translator's. Otherwise, I would've started from where he dropped.
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