novelraw Chapter 138: Tarot Card: Strength
Chapter 138: Tarot Card: Strength
While verbally attacking, Loren didn't let his knife stay idle either. Taking advantage of Mara's stunned state, he severed both her legs with a single slash. After Mara fell, she didn't even cry out;
the pain in her heart had long surpassed the pain in her body.
"Is what you said true?"
"True. I, Loren, never lie."
An aura of despair emanated from Mara's body. Loren knew this meant she had entered Requiem's execution threshold;
just one more attack would cause her instant death.
Originally, Loren had severed Mara's limbs to prevent a last-ditch counterattack, but that was unnecessary now.
If given a knife at this moment, she would choose suicide over attacking Loren.
This had nothing to do with Requiem's characteristic. It was simply that Mara had completely lost all hope.
She had lived until now solely by clinging to the fantasy of her parents' love. If that never existed, what was the point of her living?
Loren's words weren't very credible, but Mara wasn't a fool. Over all these years, she must have noticed some things herself. She hadn't hidden her identity;
she had been publicizing her status as a half-human, half-merfolk hybrid precisely to attract her father.
Moreover, her mother's death was also suspicious. If the merfolk truly hated her mother so much, why were they so grief-stricken when she died?Everything, everything, was a virtual world Mara had constructed for herself. She wanted to drown in this virtual world her entire life. Finally, at the moment of her death, Loren shattered it all.
"I let you die with clarity. This is my final act of mercy. Goodbye."
This had nothing to do with Requiem's trait. It was simply that Mara had completely lost all hope.
Even without limbs, Mara wasn't completely incapable of resisting, but now she was left with only the desire for death.
[Devour successful. Stamina +2, Intelligence +1, Agility +1]
[Level Up! Attribute Point +1. Current Level: 27. 80% remaining until next level.]
Combined with the experience from the earlier finishing move, Loren successfully leveled up. He immediately allocated the extra attribute point to Stamina. Loren planned to get his Stamina to forty first.
Name: Loren
Level: 27 (50%)
Strength: 10
Stamina: 28
Agility: 21
Intelligence: 31
Mana: 5210/5310
Remaining Attribute Points: 0
Accessories: [Weeping Blood Wedding Ring] [Lurking Fangs]
Blessings: [Truth Discernment] [Pluto's Mouth] [True Sight Eye] [Clear Conscience]
Curses: [Shattered Love] [Scorn of All Beings]
Talent: [Sensitive Heart]
After everything was over, Loren wasn't in a hurry to leave. He began tidying up the Statue of the Dawn Princess. The statue was quite sturdy, and the damage Mara inflicted wasn't severe.
The Dawn Princess was Loren's favorite character besides the witches. She truly was like a communist warrior, with pure roots and a red core, selflessly helping the weak and openly publishing countless invaluable magics.
Loren expended some effort to piece the statue back together. The statue of the Dawn Princess wore a long robe with the hood pulled over her head, obscuring her face.
She extended a hand, as if reaching out to aid the world, her figure appearing increasingly majestic.
Only after retrieving a peculiar conch from Mara's belongings did Loren head towards the exit.
This conch was the token for the ghost ship. As long as one held this conch, they could control Mara's ghost ship.
Her ship wasn't considered top-tier. The old Loren would have looked down on it, but now, having something usable was enough.
Moreover, ghost ships were rare and hard to come by. A significant reason for Mara's great achievements in her past life was precisely the ghost ship.
Her ship was named "Raging Tide," which was also the source of her nickname. The Raging Tide could summon tsunamis. Most ships encountering the Raging Tide's tsunami would be shattered instantly. However, to facilitate plundering treasures, Mara generally didn't use this move lightly.
"Master Mentor!"
The moment Loren emerged, Anna rushed over, but Starnight beat her to it, landing on Loren's shoulder.
Only then did Naclis breathe a sigh of relief. Although she believed in Loren, she was only completely at ease after seeing him come out.
Loren came out alone. The outcome went without saying.
"Let's board the ship first. Did anything happen outside?"
"Nothing much. Some Magical Beasts attacked, but we dealt with them all."
"That's good."
Using the conch, Loren summoned the Raging Tide. Only after everyone had left that troublesome place did Loren take out the Stone Tablet to examine it.
This Stone Tablet was nearly indestructible. If not for urgently needing the Strength Card, this tablet could even be kept as the ultimate shield.
"Come, grab hold of this tablet with me."
Here, the Dawn Princess had set up another safeguard. Only when friends simultaneously held the tablet, and in their hearts truly believed each other meant more than everything else, would the true reward appear.
The Dawn Princess was Loren's favorite character besides the witches. She truly was like a warrior of a noble ideal, with pure roots and a red core, selflessly helping the weak and openly publishing countless invaluable magics.
[Tarot Card: Strength]
Effect: Can transform inner fortitude into real strength. This strength cannot be restricted. Simultaneously, this strength can also be transmitted to others through emotion.
Description: This is the truly fearsome strength, capable of destroying anything.
The card depicted a knight pierced by a scythe, with a frail peasant holding the scythe.
The effect of the Strength Card was simple. Translating it meant a power surge, a group power surge, the kind seen in shonen manga.
It really was like shouting about bonds and such before charging forward.
However, what Loren valued was another effect of the Strength Card: Control Break. It could remove charm and hypnosis type mental controls, and to some extent, remove physical restraints as well.
So, with the Strength Card, Loren no longer needed to fear being ambushed. Many things with a 99% chance of success became 100% with the Strength Card, significantly reducing the danger factor.
After storing the Strength Card in the Unabandoned Casket, Loren felt refreshed and clear-headed.
"By the way, Master Mentor, we just obtained some things..."
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you. After the people inside pass the trial, the people outside on the contrary get the rewards."
"Those who abandon treasure to guard the door for their friends are the ones who deserve the treasure. That's what the Dawn Princess thought."
"What did you get?"
The things given by the Dawn Princess shouldn't be bad. At the very least, they should be somewhat helpful to them.
"There are many rings."
Naclis extended her hand. In her palm lay many rings. Loren counted them;
there were exactly seven.
If calculated based on the people who stayed outside, it should be six. If including Loren and Mara, it should be eight.
So...
"Starnight counts too... but that's a good thing..."
Loren took the rings from Naclis's hand and recognized what they were: Virtue Rings, capable of increasing attribute points, and what's more, the prestigious percentage-based kind.