The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor

Vampire Kingdom Todeum.

Weed and his party arrived to their destination.

The first glimpse was the projecting spires shooting toward the sky; of which belonging to dozen of old rustic castles surrounded by mountains.

Broken gravestones and burial mounds.

Essential indicated a cemetery within the mountain ranges.

"Ahh, this is Todeum."

"So many castles."

"Lots of graves."

The energy flown out from Toteum was eerie.

There was the cold, but from some unknown place, the chills were creeping in!

Due to the thick fog that encompassed the area, the far away horizon could not be seen.

Todeum!

Tori's promised location.

Weed slowly stepped forward. He pretended to be undaunted, but still could not settle down.

'I cannot relax. If I do, my devastatingly huge misfortune will consume me.'

Arrival at the kingdom should have been comforting; but, if anything, it has brought in more vigilance.

'It's always the calm before the storm. Have to be on alert for any requests before accepting them.'

He was thinking about the compensation to the difficulty ratio of quests prior to spending energy after reception. When everything was checked out accordingly, then expectations can be high.

He didn't want quests that were similar to having a watermelon flung at you from behind that came out of nowhere!

Then, it couldn't be avoided.

And the run is over.

Those quests are just the temptation at first sight and leads to nothing else but death.

They first quest they accepted in Seirun was already a rank B quest, from what seemingly a town for starters; so it was understandable to speculate that the Vampire Kingdom Todeum quests would be much more difficult in comparison.

'There are indications of quests. But nothing alarming.'

Each elegant and classically built castle was connected to each other, forming a huge citadel. But the feeling weren't the least human.

There were no traces of living beings or to a smaller extent, bats, observed within this giant fortress.

The colossal Todeum appeared menacing.

Near the gate, Weed discovered fragmented pieces of wood written in cursive by someone.

"......"

Weed thought it was absurd, but he continued reading.

At that, Weed took a quick glance at the wooden boards below.

The long narration as to why the Vampires and Unicorns had deep hatred for one another spanned over a total of seven pieces (of wood.) It was something trivial such as the Unicorns snatched away virgin Vampire maidens, or stole jewelry or gold, etc.

Ttiring!

Grade A difficulty quest finally revealed itself!

"Ueaaaaaaahhhhh."

"I can't believe this! Such a difficult commission."

"Pegasus! Levels around 420. And the Unicorns are a bit higher."

"Plus, they can take to the sky. We can't accept this request."

This was the first time the members of the party encountered an A difficulty quest, and all were in panic mode.

However, Geomchi and the instructors had a different mindset.

"Geomchi2."

"Yes, Master."

"What are these Pegasus and Unicorn bastards?"

"Their powers are legendary."

"Stronger than me?"

"Is that even possible? Master is invincible."

Flattery was the best way to handle this.

Especially when the risk of getting a hole blown into his body was located next to him.

Geomchi3 quickly shouted.

"Even infants know that Master is a Celestrial Being!"

In normal cases, Geomchi and the instructors' willingness to fight might seem a bit creepy.

But they had been relaxing while viewing the scenery for more than ten days already, so everybody was itching for a battle.

The practitioners were also in favor of the request.

"Why's the pending, isn't it good to kill strong guys?"

"That's right! This is a chance to see the Pegasus to their deaths, isn't it so rare?"

"I think we should check up on the Royal Road's board, to check how we'll fare against them."

"Well, Weed will think of something!"

They had no countermeasure.

They figured the situation will somehow take care of itself, so they weren't at the bit least worried.

'That's right. Weed showed this side before.'

'If it's Weed nim, we can trust his judgment.'

The party turned their attention to Weed. Until now, they have put their faith onto Weed to make the best decision.

In fact, the request didn't make sense in the first place.

The Pegasus and Unicorns can use magic affiliated with nature, while they move fast and could also take to the sky.

Therefore, aside from their levels, it was already hard enough to have such monsters as the opponents.

'Forget about it.'

'It'd be easier to commit suicide.'

Fighting back against the desperate pleading eyes of his party members, Weed placed his gaze on the rewards.

"The Vampire's treasury and Koldeurim's Liberation."

The treasury must contain some unknown item, as a grade A quest's compensation shouldn't be this simple. Yeurika's Bow, Baharan's Bracelet, becoming the Earl of Morata was such quests' rewards.

Koldeurim's Liberation reward stated was huge.

"23, 000 points of Public Relation is tremendous."

The points can be exchange for items, and can even be use to borrow soldiers. And can even be helpful when buying goods; in Weed's case, although not necessary, it can even be use to increase Reputation or even obtain a title.

"A jackpot to encounter this grade A quest with such good rewards."

Facing this terrific compensation, his usual mindset was lost.

Weed said at once.

"Ima accept this quest."

Then he took out his carving knife and engraved his name onto the board.

"Eos." (ack!)

"Weed nim!"

Everyone gasped in surprise. No matter how unreasonable the quest was, Weed readily accepted it.

Weed didn't hesitate once bit and continued to engrave the other's names onto the board.

Pale, Maylon, Surka, Irene, Romuna ...

Each time Weed engraved a name onto the board, a new window message followed. As the leader of the party, each time he wrote a name on the board, the written person will automatically accept the quest.

"Keuheuheuheu."

"It's a fight."

The still without-a-countermeasure Geomchis were joyous.

Pale couldn't help but ask.

"Weed nim. You must have some sort of plan to deal with these Pegasus and Unicorns, right?"

"Nope. I'll gradually think of one..."

"Then shouldn't we wait before accepting?"

"We've come this far, why not see how you fare against Todeum's caliber?"

If they didn't accept this quest, they would have to retrace their steps back to Seirun.

From there to here and back takes at least 20 days!

As the monthly fee for Royal Road was expensive, this was something Weed could not afford.

"We will respect Weed nim's judgment. But why did you write our names on there?"

"I didn't want to die alone......."

"......"

Weed calculated in his head.

'Pegasus and Unicorns' leather. Superbly fine tailoring item. If I sew using these items, the skill proficiency will rise dramatically, and I'm sure I can sell the produce at a high price.'

Leather wasn't the end of it.

The Unicorn's horn magical property can be use as the main ingredient to create excellent grade staves.

The magic staves are one of the most expensive weapons!

Not only blacksmithing and sewing skill would improve, the fabricated products were excellent sellers, an opportunity no one should ever miss.

Koldeurim's Liberation and the Vampire's treasure were important, but to compare which was easier to bring back between the gifts and monsters' mats, monsters' mats win out easily.

Then, another message window popped up.

Ttiring!

For Weed, another reason why he must unconditionally complete the current given quest appeared.

A second quest.

Many have desperate sought out the Intermediate Training Center, only to discover that it was in fact the Hero's Tower in the Versailles continent.

The Intermediate Training Center presented in the form of a quest.

'At the very least, I need to reach the third floor.'

Unknown difficulty!

The Basic Training Center and the Beginner Training Center was considerably difficult. For the BaTC, it required a tremendous amount of patience; whereas the BeTC forces one to face an oncoming group without a single rest while going through a dark passage.

For the ones that have no combat sense, they would never be able to break through the passage.

Weed had passed the Beginner Training Center back in the day; at the time, only 400 contestants passed the challenge in Versailles continent.

'That number prolly increased a lot more now.'

The Geomchis also passed the BeTC through the use of martial arts.

Now, the locations of the BeTC were no longer a secret.

So those that have passed the BaTC will most likely try and challenge the BeTC. There were those who've encountered failure; but through efforts, most succeeded.

At this point, there were about 3,000 people who have passed the BeTC.

But for those who have passed the Intermediate Training Center, the number did not exceed 150.

By passing each of the two training centers, one can obtain stronger skills or new abilities.

Weed made up his mind.

"Ima sneak into Todeum. I'll map out the Unicorns and Pegasus' locations and their number, I'll also look for their weakness."

"No no no!"

"That's suicide!"

The party was trying to discourage everyone. But Weed was stubborn.

"We need information if we are to enter Todeum. In any case, we're gunna have to launch an attack anyway."

"If that's why, I'll go with you."

"Hyeong nim, I'll regret it if I let you do this alone."

Pale and Zephyr tried to offer their assistance for the infiltration.

Weed shook his head.

"Your power is important that Pale nim remains to watch out for our members."

"Hm?"

"The Archer's skills are essential to detect any Unicorn and Pegasus roaming around."

Pale could not deny it.

It was the characteristic of the Archers. The party's safely rely heavily on their power.

Though with weak defense, low vitality to take on opponents attack, and can be charmed; but in this case with flying monsters, the Archer was the most essential.

Hwaryeong smiled slightly.

"Then I'll go with you too."

"Hwaryeong nim can't go either. It'd be dangerous at any moment and I won't be able to accommodate you all the while."

"If Weed and I are together, we can work around the fact that a singular are more susceptible to a surprise attack, don't you want that?"

"If more people are coming, there'll be a higher probability for us to be founded out. So I'm gonna do this alone."

"Will you be alright?"

"This isn't the first time I've gone on a reconnaissance on a horde of monsters."

Hwaryeong did not hide her deep affection or discomfort.

"How long until you come back?"

"If it's a short while, maybe a day, longest will take a couple of days."

"Hm? Why is it that long?"

"Because Todeum is a large castle. To check up on everything, I need that much time."

"Wouldn't it be fine if we look on from just the entrance?"

"I'd start with that anyway. In additional to identify the location of the monsters, we need to have a deeper look into Todeum."

Weed's aim was a thorough inspection.

It was a must to identify Todeum's geography, to the location and the number of the enemies. In addition, he must find the most secure path to the Unicorn and Pegasus at each location.

If they didn't accept the quest, it didn't matter. But since the quest was accepted, they must succeed for the compensation rather than going in blindly.

Yurin readily held out her sketchbook.

"Brother, do you want to use my sketchbook?"

"Huh?"

"Whether the positions of monsters or locations of traps, it'd be easier for you to draw them out."

"Ah!"

The words made sense!

Adventurers and artists alike, they all had the skill to create maps by default. Adventurers could make map by pinning down the exact coordinates of monsters and traps or list information regarding dungeons, but it all pale in comparison to the Painter's accurate illustrations.

"I didn't learn how to draw."

"I'll bestow it. You'll learn it fast."

Weed took a bit of time to learn how to draw from Yurin.

The skill acquisition process was just to simply draw an apple. Since Weed's Wisdom and Dexterity was unusually high, he could learn it easily and drop it later.

Meanwhile, Hwaryeong and Irene did not hide their expectation.

"Since he could sculpts so excellently, he'll learn how to draw in minutes."

"He could really do all sort of works(art), huh?"

Contrary to their speculations, Weed's illustration was hard to look at.

The apple looked like a rat had munched on it!

Rather than a round apple, it looked like an elongated melon!

He redrew the simple apple several times because he kept committing mistakes.

Because art requires time.

In order to draw a picture, the minimum requirement was a sketchbook and a pencil. In addition, crayons or paint or such were necessities to paint the picture.

So for Weed, the lack of such said materials meant he never drew once before. Therefore, to say he had no sense on how to paint was not an exaggeration.

From his beginning, the 'talent' to sculpt was built through vigilance endeavor rather than talent itself.

He continued to sculpt to increase the skill's proficiency.

And through every piece his work became better and better and his selling price increase!

Without a single loss in concentration, he continued to work on the picture and became susceptible to the defects and modified them.

Then it became easier for Weed to draw a fitting picture, but there was a big mistake.

He still did not learn how to paint nor did he want to, and there was a reason why.

Ttiring!

Two kinds of essential skills of the Painter were transferred.

In fact, as a sculptor, Painting could be a quite handy skill. Beside being able to create colors from materials obtained, the completed sculpture could be coated with layers of paint from the then attained paint colors.

Weed also knew that he could get these skills from a Sculptor Guild, but he didn't want to get them until now.

The reason was simple.

'There's no way I can buy the materials!'

The spirit of the skinflint that won't even pay for the skill.

Though speaking frankly, whether painting was good or not was hard to say; on one hand, it may increase the Artistic Value of the finished sculpture, and conversely, it could decline.

Reasons being the fabrication materials or the coloring was mismatched, or the painting skill was too low in terms of the level.

Therefore, it was best to not touch the sculpture after its completion.

Weed said after returning the sketchbook and pencil into Yurin's arms.

"By any chance that I'll die, I'll tell you guys how far I got and how many there were through Yurin. If our levels aren't adequate enough, you'll have to grind here. Then, I'm off."

Weed stood tall and looked onward, then entered through Todeum's gate.

With the final footstep disappearing from sight, it wasn't the only thing that was heavy or lonely. Hwaryeong sighed.

"Whew! I hope he's successful."

Her heart was filled with anxieties and insecurities.

It was perilous to venture alone to scout out the Unicorns and Pegasus.

However, this dangerous task was taken up by him because he deemed it necessary.

"This disciple was brought up well."

Geomchi laughed proudly.

Geomchi2 hurriedly pulled out his blade.

Weed's aim was a thorough reconnaissance, so no one knew how long it'll take. Rather than idling in his absence, Geomchi2 practiced to improve his skills in the meantime.

Zephyr held out his fishing rod in the nearby river, while Pale and Maylon left to catch for rabbits and birds.

Incase they'll be going for Todeum, food was a necessity.

Heading toward Todeum, Weed fearlessly walked at a quick pace; the moment he stepped past the gate, his attitude made an 180o turn.

Salgeumsalgeum! (sneakysneaky!)

Every footstep he took, he tried not to leave any prints.

It was the best choice seeing as his fellow companion was already out of sight.

'I don't wanna get caught.'

If he saw lone Pegasus or Unicorn, he would fight. But it'd be a different matter if the enemies appeared together.

Weed placed his hands and legs against the wall and pushed his body toward it.

He didn't care how lame he looked.

"Survival comes first. Confucius said for three people, the others (2) are teachers in disguise for the third (paraphrasing). There's a reason why rats and cockroach are good at not dying." (the full Confucius saying is "If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself."

So instead of applying this quote to imitate human beings, Weed decided to learn from rats and cockroaches.

It's better than reflecting and regretting when you died!

Ttiring!

He then dropped to the ground to get into the best position that he could to start using the skill.

"I'll use it." (remember how he had to imitate animals, and Hwaryeong and Mapan saw him acting like an animal they were like 'we don't know that person.')

Weed activated the skill quietly.

At that moment!

Weed's moving speed was very fast.

Syasyasyasyasyak! (him moving.)

Like a cockroach crawling, he swiftly roamed around the ground.

Weed felt the excitement.

This elevating pleasure.

There was no one who could match Weed's crawling speed!

'This is the best.'

Though trivial, he felt proud.

Todeum was a very large citadel. It was basically dozens of Rojaim Kingdom's Saraborg castle conjoined together.

Basic reconnaissance completed!

Weed with his body lie close to the ground while concealed in water, found his targets.

Located near the tallest spire, the silver Unicorns and red Pegasus were in flight.

The situation was similar to the Jinhyeol(Tori's) vampire clan infiltrated and encamped Morata village, but the differences started from there.

The vampires were walking slowly on the ground. Most of whom were in their human forms, to easily avoid the attention of the scouts. Though it seems with just one drop of blood, the vampires will swarm to the area.

However, the silver Unicorns and the red Pegasus' speed were far superior.

Their tails and manes waved as they raced around Todeum.

And occasionally, some spread their wings while on the ground and began to soar in the sky.

Weed hid as much as possible using the alleys.

Close to where he hid his body, more than ten Pegasus dashed by in a flurry.

Dudududu!(galloping)

Weed's body shook.

The body of the Pegasus was nearly three meters long, and as large as a troll.

'It's tough. It's really not an easy quest.'

Though it was suspected of a grade A difficulty quest.

Not only were the Pegasus and Unicorns divinities, they also possessed the quality of aerial animals. While mainly active in groups along with their quick speed, they've proven to be difficult.

Even with the currently used skill, he wouldn't be able to escape them if they were to give chase.

Sometimes, while Weed was hidden in the alleyway, the Unicorns and Pegasus snuffed into his direction not allowing him a single breather.

'First, I'll need to find more about Todeum, and the scale of these bastards.'

Weed snuck into Todeum's smallest white castle undetected.

The ornate palace was decorated with numerous works from the vampires. Candlesticks made with silver, armor embedded with gold, wall paintings and sculptures were also presented.

With just viewing an excellent illustration through his eyes, the skill proficiency increased. It was the same case as the sculptures; but in the case of appreciating works of art, the skill proficiency leapt through sight was a huge help.

Since his Illustration skill was at beginner level 1, the increase was a lot; nearly 1 or 2 percent increment each time!

It was a rare sight to see arts that were beyond those of the masters. For Weed, he gained as much as 650 Art points and his skill proficiency gained even more.

Weed simply walked around the castle viewing all the works.

Though the level of the sculptures were low and weren't as helpful, his beginner level Illustration skill gained aplenty.

His drawing skill rapidly increased.

However, Weed had no desire or satisfaction from the growths, since he knew too well the limitation of these.

"In elementary school and even middle school, no matter how hard I try my drawings never got any better!"

In his childhood, he once dreamt of becoming a mangaka. (yes, that's right, I used it. Cartoonist is the term)

He tried to doodle and paint as best as he could, only resulted to nothing but crap.

To express the object via drawing was very difficult to him.

There were too many differences between that and creating sculptures via feeling and carving.

That was the case for Weed.

Such as many Maestros of history.

Genius sculptors also need the foundation in other areas as well.

Math, physics, human anatomy, architecture, and invention were the foundation for such geniuses!

Whether it was sculpting or painting, these required activities in many other fields.

Whether it was the painters or sculptors, the difference between them was not large.

The reason was simple.

Aptitude!

Weed since then decided to abandon drawing.

In the beginning, the skill level can grow quickly. With his high Art and Dexterity stats, these advantages can help him to create drawings. And at most, he could reach level 6, 7 of beginner level illustration.

But, there was no way he could get past that.

With his inherent horrid hand writing, the fact that he'd have to start at the novice level of drawing was hard to overlook. Sure the skill could help to some extent, but from there he'd have to create something on his own!

He saw that it was better to invest his time in other areas rather than drawing.

After completed his tour of the castle appreciating the arts.

He was still wandering around the hall slowly to avoid the Pegasus and Unicorns!

And in the midst of the lobby, there seemed to be a red casket.

"A vampire's coffin?"

Ttogttog! (knock on wood.)

Weed knocked on the coffin.

"Is anybody in there?"

"......"

There was no returned reply.

Weed shook the casket from side to side.

"It's empty?"

Then from within the casket, a roar.

"Keuahahang!"

A vampire screamed wildly. But the lid remains unopened.

That sounded very uncomfortable as well!

People who are asleep does not like being woken up.

Weed left the casket alone and went to check on the rest of the castle. As a result, within the castle, there were approximately 30 Unicorns presented.

'30 of them will be pretty hard. No, realistically, it's nearly impossible.'

Weed shook his head.

Even with the Geomchis, it still wasn't enough to fight level 400+ monsters.

Their damage output weren't bad, but the continuous damage that will be inflicted was the major problem.

The problem was that they don't wear armor!

If they were impaled by the Unicorn's horn, it would spell a sure death.

Weed through the use of Piece Destruction could hold has much as two of them, but as for the rest, he wouldn't be able to.

Thereby, they were overwhelmed by the damage output comparatively.

'So far, 92 people have been killed, making this difficult situation even more so.'

Weed ate the bread he prepared in advance as he remained in the castle for the whole day, to avoid being impaled to death in the midst of Unicorns outside.

"With Todeum's under these circumstances, we can't fight them effectively. We'll have to catch the Unicorn or Pegasus outside."

Weed left the castle and returned to the street once again.

Before him were the Vampire residents and the Pegasus and Unicorns flying above.

At first glance there were more than several hundreds of groups!

Including those on the ground in Todeum and all the other places, the number seemed to be over 2000.

In the smallest castle, he had seen at least 30 Unicorns presented, the cumulative number could result to something tremendous. That said, there were at least 40 castles in Todeum.

"I rather go catch a dragon."

Finally, Weed began to whine.

Until then, he remained quite quiet.

Whether it was completing quests or raising his sculptures, listening to people narrating stories, Weed tried to remain as humble as possible.

But, he could not see an escape route now.

Even with Weed, Geomchis, and his other companions, there was no way to resolve the quest.

With the dragon, it would probably be similarly difficult, but there is a slim hope. Whether it is death or for the win, there's only one to fight!

Although its breath may be terrifying; with the use of the single point attack, and possibly a significant amount of sacrifices, they could come out with a win.

But in the case of the Unicorns and Pegasus, they were presented in flocks.

No matter how good the items they were using, it'd come to naught. They were heavily outnumbered.

"I could give life to sculpture. This could even the odds."

However, Weed until now had no desire to do so.

Every time he grants life to the sculpture, it costs him 2 level and 10 Art stats will decline. He calculated that it'd take him at least 50 sculptures be granted life to create an even fight; and the loss would be too enormous.

"They'll have to be Classic or Magnum pieces to be on par with the Unicorns. Plus, I don't think I can make them in this short while, along with the fact that they'll only be disposable here."

This is the world of Vampires.

Even if the sculptures are to survive the battle, they can't be transport back to the Versailles continent.

"Fucking quest!"

Weed broke out in rage.

A grade A difficulty quest, no matter how hard, shouldn't have been this tough.

Even for Oberon who led the Northern Expedition; for them, half a day in Todeum would face a complete and utter slaughter.

The rewards weren't even sufficient.

This quest should have been labeled as the premium of A-grade difficulty!

Although not reaching the level of S-grade difficulty quests where it can change the balance of the continent, this was still on par in terms of difficulty.

An ordinary person might have just give into the frustration and git-up-n-leave.

But Weed was different.

"I've gotta somehow break even. There's gotta be a path to do so."

Weed continued to search through out Tudeum.

A day went by, then another, he did not give up the search. For the slightest hope, he searched high and low and even areas no one would bother.

And finally, he discovered a place.

In the middle of the city there was a creek flowing, a place where the monsters in Todeum huddled together for a drink of water. Usually 10 or 12 monsters each time, the numbers were smaller than the rest. (comparing to the 30+ for each castles, and 2000 for the central.)

However, they didn't come on a timely basis, while at times there were hundreds of groups waiting to use the creek.

"Here is still impossible!"

Weed with his growing frustrations!

But seeing how Todeum was an aggregation of many castles, he did not give up on the expectation of finding a suitable location for the fight.

Afterward, he discovered a dark castle before him.

This was the sole black castle amongst the abundant beautiful red, yellow, and even green castles!

Now, after going through several castles, he piled up on knowledge.

Usually near the main entrance of the castle, there's a plaque present.

Count Christopher's Castle.

Viscount Burachya's Castle.

In this way, others could see who the owner of the castle was; but this black castle had no such thing.

Weed carefully infiltrated the black castle.

He found a path to the basement, traveling down the passageway and found himself a warehouse filled with coffins.

'I don't feel any presence here.'

Weed left and went for higher grounds in the castle.

The largest room in the castle where the owner stayed!

Even here, there were Unicorns and Pegasus moving around in the corridors.

Patience and wait!

Every time each one of them coming down the corridor, he could hear their loud footsteps rang.

Weed waited for a long time for their passing to get his way into the lord's room.

In the center of the spacious room there was a large black casket.

'Must be the master of the castle.'

Weed didn't expect much when he came toward and touched the casket. Then from within, he heard a raspy voice.

"I love pretty and cute girls. If you are not a girl, GTFO of here."

The gloomy voice spoke severely with girls as the subject.

Even though hearing the vampire's voice shouting loudly was unexpected, Weed somehow felt as if he had encountered this voice before.

Weed asked.

"Who are you?"

"Me? You asked the young and beautiful me a very pointless question. But since I've just lain to rest I've been too unsatisfied, so I'll specifically tell you. I'm the new Count of Todeum, and also lord of a mighty clan."

No matter how it sounded, he seemed to recall a similar voice.

Weed said with a lump in his throat to the coffin.

"I'm Weed."

"......"

"Who are you?"

After a long pause, the vampire from the coffin said.

"I absolutely am not Tori."