The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 135: Even Things That Fall Have Wings

Blue smoke rapidly spread, filling the clearing entirely. The trees and fruits that came into contact with the smoke quickly rotted and twisted, and the blackened, dead ground and withered weeds clearly showed that this land had become a place of death.

“Kugh!”

Of course, people were no exception. Sting, unable to even launch his Lightning Spear, clutched his throat and collapsed. It felt as though his nose and mouth were being filled with flour!

“Kugh, kuugh!”

[You’ve caught the Blue Plague.]

[You will lose 1,500 HP per second.]

[All skills are 25% less effective.]

[-20% movement speed.]

Created by gathering the energy of a hundred spirits, the Blue Plague that Kai had unleashed was a devastating strike!

I worked my butt off hunting to gather that energy.

This was the first time he used the Blue Plague after collecting the energy of a hundred monsters, but he was confident that he could thoroughly crush the Black Bees.

Now, those guys will have a hard time even while doing moving casting. Even their spells will be significantly weakened.

Moreover, without a Cleric among them, unless they carried expensive antidotes, there was no way for them to remove the status effects.

That’s something I confirmed when I used Fermi’s Venom on Claude during the orc expedition.

Other than their difference in level, Claude and the Black Bees’ elite members weren’t much different in terms of being Wizards.

“Ugh...”

With trembling hands, Sting opened his inventory and brought a potion bottle to his lips.

But of course, Kai wasn’t about to just watch that happen!

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Kai swiftly kicked the potion bottle away and grabbed Sting by the collar as he writhed in pain.

“How... How dare you...!”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead and enjoy your arrogance while you can, because today’s the last day you’ll get to do it.”

Without hesitation, Kai drove his sword into Sting’s abdomen.

Then, bringing his face close to Sting’s ear, he whispered, “Flood of Blades.”

Whirr!

“Aaaargh!”

Sting screamed at the indescribable feeling of the strange sensation as though something was spinning inside his body. It wasn’t physically painful, but it was an experience so horrific that he never wanted to go through it again.

“I’ll... get back at you for this someday...”

“You won’t get the chance. Not unless I quit the game,” Kai coldly declared as he released Sting, whose HP hit zero.

White polygons scattered onto the ground.

“Oh, he left something nice behind.”

Kai picked up the staff that Sting had favored and turned around with a smirk.

In his line of sight were the terrified Wizards, along with Blizzard and Mimic.

Kai lightly gestured to his summons, “Finish them off.”

***

“Kugh...!”

Mimic swung its sword, taking down the last remaining Wizard.

The Black Bees had been defeated! It was an event so unbelievable that even if a news anchor reported it on the morning news, people would find it hard to believe.

“Phew... It’s finally over.”

The forest clearing, which had been packed with two hundred players just an hour ago, now held only three standing figures.

“You did well, Blizzard, Mimic.”

Kai praised his pets for their efforts and then unsummoned them. He intended to let them rest after all their hard work.

Finished collecting the items... It’s quite the haul.

The gear dropped by the eighty or so Wizards amounted to a whopping twenty-eight items! Among them, twenty-four were Rare items, and Sting had dropped a Unique-grade staff.

“I’ll put these up for auction later and make some good money.”

However, there was something he had to do first. He lifted the Unique staff high, made a cheese pose, and took a screenshot.

“Hehe, let’s make a meme that’ll make Sting eternally suffer, shall we?”

That photo was quickly posted to the community under Unknown’s name.

Unknown’s account was already famous in the community, so it didn’t take long for it to gain attention.

-What is this?

-Hey, wait a minute. I think I’ve seen that staff before...

-Isn’t that the Staff of the Deceived Wraith?

└ That’s the Unique staff Sting uses, right?

└ No way, why does Unknown have it... Wait, could it be?

-Is this for real?

For a moment, the players couldn’t comprehend Unknown’s photo, but that confusion lasted only briefly. The meaning behind his victory cheese pose was all too clear.

-Unknown did it!

-That’s crazy! Cheonhwa actually took down the Black Bees!

-If that staff is in Unknown’s hands... It means Sting died at least once, right?!

-Insane, absolutely insane! Where on earth did this guy even come from?

The community players loved to gossip as it was, and now they had the defeat and fall of a top ten guild to fuel their chatter!

Kai smiled as he watched the players excitedly chatter away.

“Even things that fall have wings.”

Even if those wings belonged to bees.

Kai closed the internet browser and looked around him.

“Ugh. But what should I do about this?”

Due to the aftermath of the Blue Plague, the trees, plants, and fruits in the clearing had all died. It was a sight that the elves, who considered themselves the guardians of the forest, would never appreciate!

Kai anxiously placed his hand on the ground.

“Sunlight’s Warmth.”

Whooom!

As the skill was cast and bright light touched the ground, surprisingly, the dead soil began to sprout weeds.

At the same time, Kai’s expression brightened.

Oh! I think I can restore this.

Since Kai planned to visit the Elven Village, he couldn’t afford to upset them!

Though he wanted to rest his tired body, he went around the clearing, reviving the dead land.

The Blue Plague skill is powerful, but I can’t use it recklessly.

He especially wouldn’t be able to use it in a city, as turning an entire city into a land of death would put a bounty on his head.

“Phew, all done.”

Just as Kai finished cleaning up, his message window began to flood with notifications.

“Well, the queen of Cheonhwa sure is impatient,” Kai chuckled to himself.

***

"What exactly happened?" Seol Eun-Yeong asked, her face mixed with shock, confusion, joy, and more confusion.

"I fought, and I won," Kai replied.

Unfortunately, it was a simple answer that didn’t live up to her expectations.

She let out a light sigh before saying, "...Alright. I suppose it’s not polite to ask any further."

Smart. She knows the difference between what she should and shouldn’t ask.

Kai was impressed with Seol Eun-Yeong’s tactful response.

A player’s skills, items, and battle patterns were precious assets, and the higher one climbed in the rankings, the more valuable that information became.

If I hadn’t seen Blade Tempest in the Black Bees’ raid videos...

He wouldn’t have been able to devise the strategy he just used!

"Here," Seol Eun-Yeong said as she placed a heavy pouch of gold on the table.

"Hmm. It looks like there’s more in here than we agreed upon."

"I added more. You did far, far better than I expected. It’s a token of my gratitude."

"I’m not one to refuse a gift, but..."

As Kai trailed off, Seol Eun-Yeong, understanding immediately, shook her head. "There’s no catch. I swear on my name that this money is solely for you defeating the Black Bees.”

"In that case, I’ll gladly accept it." With his doubts cleared, Kai smiled and put the pouch of money into his inventory. "But wasn’t the success fee supposed to be given when Cheonhwa becomes a top ten guild?"

"We will make it for sure. If we don’t rise after everything you’ve done, that would be a failure on my part," Seol Eun-Yeong said with a smile she had never shown before.

Seeing the confident determination in that smile, Kai nodded and stood up. "Then I wish you a long life and success in your business... no, in your guild."

"If our interests align, let’s work together again. The doors of Cheonhwa are always open."

"I thought you’d try to recruit me again, but you’re not even trying this time."

"Would you stay if I did? No, right?"

She figured me out way too quickly.

Kai smiled faintly under his helmet and then left Cheonhwa’s guild headquarters.

"Let’s see... Whoa, how much did she put in here?"

Kai was shocked when he checked the gold pouch in a back alley of the city. It contained a whopping 2,000 gold, equivalent to two hundred million won in real money.

I was supposed to get 1,000 gold... but she just doubled it. Definitely a golden spoon!

Money could make even ghosts dance!

Kai, now grinning from ear to ear, closed his inventory.

What was supposed to be a simple visit to the Elven Village ended up taking longer than expected.

But he was relieved to have wrapped things up well.

The Black Bee bastards will log in once their penalty is over though...

Being at the top was a position that couldn’t accept defeat, and the Black Bee guild, having been crushed by Unknown, could no longer reign as champions.

Still, their power won’t just disappear. I’ll have to be careful for a while.

With that resolve in mind, Kai logged off.

***

[By a vote of 9 in favor and 0 against, Sting has been expelled.]

[Vulcan: Any final words?]

[Sting: ...]

[Sting has left the chat room.]

Sting left the chat room on his own, preserving what little pride he had left.

After he left, the heavy atmosphere in the chat room slightly lightened.

[Vulcan: I never thought Sting would be taken out.]

[Goliath: A defeated dog has no place in this room.]

[Xao Lin: I read in the articles that he was taken down by Unknown.]

[Sandro: I’ve thought this for a while... but that guy is something else. I never thought he would take down Black Bee.]

[Katherine: Haha, but even so, the Black Bees were the weakest among us...]

[Minerva: ... They’re not, actually. Which is the problem. What do we do now?]

[Yoshiatsu: ...]

[Katherine: What do you mean? We were all going our separate ways anyway, right? Whether a pillar collapses or a mountain crumbles, just don’t worry about it.]

[Goliath: In any case, one thing is clear. From today onward, the names of Cheonhwa and Unknown...]

[Leonard: ...Have risen to a level comparable to the top ten guilds.]

[Vulcan: I’m curious to see his next move.]

To the guild masters, Unknown was no longer just a rookie or a shooting star.

Any chance he gets, he would come for my head...

A fierce hunter.

But at the same time, if we could bring him into our guild...

We could create an overwhelming power gap between us and the other top ten guilds.

All the powerful figures had their eyes on Unknown’s next move.

***

After a long night’s sleep, Kai went through his routine of brushing his teeth, washing his face, eating cereal, and logging into the game.

... I’ve made a ton of money. After this quest, I should find a nice place with a view and treat myself to some steak.

It was the simple life of a gaming addict... no, a professional gamer!

Crack.

Feeling refreshed after a good stretch, Kai wasted no time heading toward the Elven Forest.

“This is the spot where Unknown wiped out the Black Bees!”

“Get your Unknown skewers here! Tender chicken topped with mustard, BBQ sauce, or ketchup!”

“Honey, am I in the shot?”

“Yep, one, two, three, cheese!”

In just one day, the Elven Forest had turned into a tourist attraction! Previously, only those seeking the Elven village would visit, but now it was packed with people.

All these people are here because of the rumors about me?

Vendors were selling their goods with his name slapped on everything, but anyone could see that they were just ordinary chicken skewers or popcorn!

Yet, the popularity was undeniable.

“I’ll take an Unknown skewer!”

“How much for an Unknown popcorn?”

This... this can’t be real.

Watching the bustling crowd, Kai realized that from now on, he would have to be mindful of every action and word he made. It dawned on him that his influence had grown beyond that of a mere player.

Sigh, is this the burden of fame...?

It was a secret pain he could share with no one!

With a heavy heart, Kai went deeper into the forest.

Following the map given to him by Ayana’s mother, he intended to enter the Elven Village.

“Just a little further and...”

Just as he was muttering to himself and looking at the map, the screen suddenly turned red.

[You have been struck by a poison arrow.]

[Poison Master skill activated.]

[Successfully resisted Saloneta’s poison.]

Kai was speechless.