Chapter 248: Chapter 248

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 248

Alessandro regained consciousness only after Jeong-hoon had left.

Though his injuries were severe, Amelie Reina had healed him, allowing him to come to his senses.

As a hidden-class Inquisitor, she possessed exceptional abilities in healing and removing debuffs. It wasn’t for nothing that she was called a Saint.

Thanks to her efforts, Alessandro quickly began to recover his condition.

“Damn it…”

Seething with frustration, Alessandro slammed his fist into the ground. Yet, oddly, it felt like his strength had vanished.

‘What is this... this strange feeling?’

Even as a mage, all his stats should have been enhanced, including his physical strength. So why did his body feel so weak?

“Alessandro, I don’t know what he did to you, but… I can barely sense your energy.”

“You can’t sense it?”

“Yes.”

Alarmed, Alessandro Bryden quickly opened his status window.

===

[Player Information]

Nickname: Alessandro Bryden

Level: 503

===

The level was unchanged.

But the problem lay elsewhere.

===

[Detailed Stats]

Strength: 11

Agility: 11

Stamina: 10

Defense: 10

Wisdom: 9

Mana: 12

Mental Strength: 10

===

Alessandro rubbed his eyes and looked again.

His Mana had previously exceeded 1,000, and all his other stats had been over 500. Yet now, these pitifully low numbers mocked him.

“W-What is this? Is this a dream?”

“What happened? What did he do to you?!”

James Marcus, standing nearby, couldn’t fathom that Alessandro’s stats had dropped so drastically. He assumed Jeong-hoon had temporarily sealed Alessandro’s powers and was already considering how to reverse it.

But as he observed Alessandro’s despair, it became clear that the situation was far worse than he had imagined.

“My stats! My stats are gone!”

“Gone…?”

“Yes! My Mana is only 12 now!”

“What the…?”

The concept of stats being reduced was unheard of.

“Damn it! What the hell is going on here?!”

Alessandro urgently attempted to cast a spell.

However, every one of his spells required more Mana than he currently possessed.

In other words, he couldn’t use any spells above the third circle.

To cast magic again, he would need to raise his Mana stat—a task far from easy.

Leveling up was the most straightforward method, but as a Level 503 player, it was nearly impossible for him to increase his stats through leveling.

“Alessandro… calm down for now.”

James tried to soothe Alessandro, but his words didn’t reach him.

“Argh! That damned bastard! He did this to me!”

“Alessandro!”

That smug Eastern man who had humiliated him—he was undoubtedly the culprit behind this predicament.

Yes.

That tiny demon he’d seen before losing consciousness!

Since his memory had gone blank after seeing that summoned creature, it was undoubtedly connected to it.

“The summoned creature! What did it do to me?! Tell me now!”

“…That creature clung to you and wouldn’t let go.”

“Wouldn’t let go?”

“Yes. If your stats have dropped, it might be related to that.”

“Damn it! Where is that Eastern bastard?!”

Alessandro frantically searched for Jeong-hoon.

But Jeong-hoon was already long gone.

“Alessandro, I understand, but for now, please calm down.”

“Shut up! Calm down? James, are you joking with me right now?!”

“Hah, you’re the one who caused all this. Why are you making such a scene?”

Amelie’s voice suddenly interrupted.

Both men turned their gazes toward her.

Alessandro, in particular, glared at her with eyes full of fury, as if he intended to kill her.

In response, Amelie simply smiled.

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

“Amelie! Why are you acting like this too?”

James scratched his head in irritation.

“James, didn’t you see that man’s actions with your own eyes earlier?”

This entire situation was undeniably Alessandro’s fault.

“…”

As such, James Marcus had no way to refute her words.

“Hah, so what? Are you saying we should just part ways here?”

“Why not? You said your stats are gone, right? Doesn’t that mean you’re useless as a teammate now?”

“You bitch! James! Get this filthy woman out of my sight, now!”

“Hah, I heal you, and this is the thanks I get?”

“Did I ever ask you to heal me? James, get rid of this woman and find new allies. That would be better.”

James Marcus remained silent.

“…”

Seeing this, Alessandro glared at him.

“What? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…Alessandro, exactly how bad are your stats right now?”

“Why do you ask?”

At that moment, James's figure vanished, reappearing behind Alessandro.

With a light push against Alessandro's back, James sent him sprawling to the ground with surprising ease.

James was at a loss for words as he observed Alessandro collapse so helplessly.

'I barely applied any force. For him to fall like this…'

It meant that nearly all of Alessandro’s stats had been reduced to the level of a complete novice.

Amelie Reyna couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“Pfft.”

“You… you—!”

Alessandro scrambled to his feet, his face flushed bright red with humiliation.

“Alessandro, it seems this is where we part ways,” James Marcus stated with finality.

“What…?”

Alessandro’s expression turned blank in disbelief.

“It’s not just because your stats have dropped that I’m excluding you as an ally,” James clarified.

He had been deeply disappointed by Alessandro’s discriminatory remarks and attitude.

James sought teammates with potential and skill who could face harsh realities with him.

But someone who chose to discriminate on a whim could never unify with the group.

Thus, this was where he would bid farewell to Alessandro.

“James… you’re joking, right?”

Alessandro’s trembling eyes showed his desperation.

For a moment, James felt a twinge of guilt, but his decision was firm.

“James, let’s just go,” Amelie urged.

In the end, James left with Amelie Reyna, leaving Alessandro standing there alone, frozen in shock.

The blow had hit him so hard that he didn’t even move.

***

“Wow, seriously, what’s up with that guy?”

“Is he insane? How dare he throw magic at hyung-nim?”

Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo were busy criticizing Alessandro.

They, too, were well aware of who Alessandro Bryden was.

The first mage in the world to surpass Level 500.

Who wouldn’t know such a renowned figure?

They had even admired him at one point and had secretly hoped for his autograph when he appeared alongside James Marcus.

But never in their wildest dreams did they think Alessandro would turn out to be such a despicable person.

“Calm down. He got his lesson, didn’t he?”

“Lesson? What kind of lesson is just knocking him unconscious?”

“Exactly! You should’ve just twisted his neck and finished him off!”

Unaware of the fact that the Seven Deadly Sins could absorb stats, the two couldn’t hide their frustration.

They had hoped Jeong-hoon would leave Alessandro at least half-crippled but were disappointed that it seemed to end with him merely being knocked out.

“When did I only knock him out?” Jeong-hoon interjected.

“But you did knock him out! Then your summoned creature approached, and—wait. Speaking of which, what exactly was that summoned creature?”

“Well, it’s about time you asked…”

Jeong-hoon shot Ha-Jin an exasperated look.

Ha-Jin coughed awkwardly and avoided Jeong-hoon’s gaze.

“Ahem… So, what was that summoned creature?”

“A summon capable of stealing stats,” Jeong-hoon explained casually.

“Wha…? A summon like that actually exists?” Ha-Jin asked, his eyes wide with astonishment.

“It does.”

“Then, Alessandro…?”

“He’s probably been reduced to a beginner’s level.”

“Ah, so that’s what happened?”

“Aha! Serves him right!” Bong-Goo and Ha-Jin finally burst into laughter.

Seeing the arrogant Alessandro Bryden completely humbled was immensely satisfying.

“Well, anyway, that guy won’t be causing any more trouble,” Jeong-hoon remarked, smirking.

He suspected that Alessandro might have been cast out from James’s group already.

Despite her nickname as the Saintess, Amelie Reyna earned that title for her exceptional skill, not her compassion. She despised weakness.

If Alessandro had become weak, it was highly likely she’d sever ties with him.

“Ha! Alessandro, you pathetic fool!” Ha-Jin guffawed.

“We should’ve gotten a hit in too,” Bong-Goo added with mock regret.

“Yeah, feels like a missed opportunity,” Ha-Jin agreed.

Their camaraderie was undeniable, their banter perfectly in sync.

Jeong-hoon watched them for a moment before addressing them.

“Alright, enough of that. We’ve wrapped up HoneyTube, met James Marcus, so it’s time to move on to the next thing.”

“Next thing?”

“What is it?” Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo tilted their heads in curiosity.

“Fourth advancement.”

“Ah…”

“Ugh…”

At the mention of fourth advancement, their expressions darkened.

“…You two need to get stronger, don’t you? Why do you think I turned down James Marcus’s offer?”

“Wait, you turned it down… because of us?”

Jeong-hoon shrugged as if the answer was obvious.

“Of course. He only wanted me. You think I’d leave you two behind?”

“Jeong-hoon!”

“Hyung-nim!”

Their faces lit up with emotion as they gazed at him.

“Now, listen up. Two weeks.”

Jeong-hoon held up two fingers.

“Two weeks?”

“No way…”

As their expressions grew increasingly grim, Jeong-hoon grinned mischievously.

“That’s right. Wrap up your fourth advancements within two weeks.”

***

Fourth Advancement.

Challenging, but an essential milestone to overcome.

After sending Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo off, Jeong-hoon headed home.

“Looks like Mom hasn’t finished yet.”

His mother was likely still in the middle of her own fourth advancement, as she wasn’t at home.

It made sense—her hidden class, Genesis Sniper, came with an advancement quest of unparalleled difficulty.

It was only natural that it would take a long time.

[Master, are you okay?]

Mukho cautiously asked.

“What’s wrong?”

[Your expression looks grim.]

“My expression?”

Jeong-hoon entered the bathroom and looked into the mirror.

As Mukho had said, his face was set in a hard, stern expression.

‘My emotions are showing through my expression? I still have a long way to go.’

The reason he couldn’t maintain his usual poker face was soon revealed.

Boom!

A loud rumbling sound filled the air, followed by a tremor.

‘What is that sound?’

“Penalty,” Jeong-hoon muttered.

‘Penalty? But I removed all the penalties.’

As Anima had pointed out, Jeong-hoon had closed the penalty dungeons long ago.

Of course, there were still some penalties he couldn’t remove from all regions, but they weren’t anything to be too concerned about.

However, the recent tremor was different.

“Force penalty.”

A forced penalty.

This penalty was something that could not be erased in advance.

In other words, it meant that he had no choice but to receive the penalty forcibly.

[Huh?! What happens now?]

‘Are monsters going to destroy the surface again?’

At the beginning, during the manifestation event, monsters had ravaged the surface, creating chaos.

That had also been considered a forced penalty, and now it seemed to be happening again.

However, this time, monsters wouldn’t be appearing.

Instead, natural disasters would occur endlessly.

“The buildings are collapsing!”

“What the hell?! Why is this happening all of a sudden?”

People on the surface screamed in terror.

Buildings that had seemed perfectly stable began to crumble unexpectedly.

The first forced penalty had caused the collapse of buildings due to an earthquake.

As time passed, the intensity of the forced penalties would only grow.

‘Eventually, meteors will start falling to the ground.’

While it wouldn’t reach the level of complete destruction, the damage caused by falling meteors was unimaginable.

Therefore, he needed to prevent things from escalating to that point.

[Forced? Is there no way to stop it?]

“No, there is a way.”

While it was impossible to stop the penalty from being imposed, it was possible to prevent its intensity from escalating.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]