The Shepherds Are Dense – Chapter 348

Chapter 348
Wolfram Was Drenched in Sweat
—Could not curse.
—Could not find a target.
Prince of Giants, Wolfram, felt sweat beading on his forehead.
His strongest curse, ‘Three Great Sins,’ was completely ineffective, and this alone put him under pressure. This was the curse he used to intimidate and punish traitors among the Noble Red who disobeyed him.
It was also the only curse in his arsenal that could kill directly without requiring a direct catalyst from the target. This was because it was essentially a ritual. It was less of a curse and more like directly summoning a Heavenly Envoy to mark an enemy and then delivering a punch. It was just that this power manifested in the form of a curse.
But he had already been weakened by that damnable Eivass. If he fought the opponent in this state, he would instead be at a disadvantage.
Wolfram was now in a difficult position. Like a gambler with bloodshot eyes, he was unwilling to take a loss for no reason. He thought that to turn the tables, he would need to pay some price.
Yes, he had lied to the Punisher Demon.
He had said he would use a curse that required no price, but such a thing did not exist. A Curse Master had to bathe themselves in the curse. A catalyst could greatly reduce this process. But he couldn’t find a suitable catalyst. So, he needed to use the power of a ritual to establish a connection.
This meant he himself had to pay a price.
However, he drove a curse-wrapped nail into his own palm, using the Third Tier curse, ‘Nemesis Curse.’ He searched for a long time but couldn’t find Eivass. He could sense Eivass’s existence, but the curse couldn’t latch onto him. It was as if Eivass had set up some kind of anti-curse barrier.
Considering Eivass was indeed a Third Tier Priest, such holy rituals weren’t impossible for him.
So, Wolfram upped the ante.
To increase penetration, he used a Fourth Tier curse—‘Nightmare Art.’ This curse attached to a person’s will through the Dream Realm, causing them to wake up startled for no reason. The activation time could also be chosen by the caster. Although the effect wasn’t strong, it could turn the tide at a critical moment.
The price he paid was tearing his own intestines.
To enhance the curse’s effect, he piled on the human materials he had previously obtained.
—This time, it was even more disastrous. His consciousness wandered blankly in the Dream Realm for several cycles, completely losing track of Eivass.
It was as if he had suddenly gone to another world.
Afterward, refusing to believe it, he used the Fifth Tier curse, ‘Scarlet Dancing Shoes.’ He drove two red-hot iron nails into his feet, offered a sacrifice to the Shadow Heavenly Envoy in the Shadow Realm, and called out the enemy’s name and information with intense hatred. The Shadow Heavenly Envoy, possessing the concept of “revenge,” could then transmit this curse to the target.
It attached to the feet, causing excruciating pain to intensify whenever their feet touched any ground, making it unbearable and even powerful enough to tear apart one’s spirit. It was like dancing on hot iron, and one had to keep dancing to maintain sanity.
This curse was not fatal and could be dispelled by a simple action like “sitting down.” According to the principle of curse “reciprocity,” the difficulty of casting this curse was relatively low, its penetration was extremely strong, and it would quickly regenerate once dispelled. In Star Antinomy, a queen had once been afflicted with this curse and suffered for two to three months before being completely cured.
Even the royal family of Star Antinomy couldn’t completely evade this curse.
Could you possibly block this too!?
—Ah, you really could.
Wolfram’s mana had been depleted by nearly half, his internal organs were injured, and his feet were almost crippled, yet the curse remained completely ineffective. The ultimate effect was that his spirit became even more listless.
It was as if he had successfully cursed himself.
“As expected of Jacob’s grandson…”
Wolfram muttered hatefully, finding a reasonable explanation: “That old geezer really held back…”
—My teacher never taught me how to evade curses!
A Third Tier Priest completely resisting a Fifth Tier Grand Sorcerer’s curse—did that make any sense?
Wolfram had thought of countless methods, yet he couldn’t fathom how Eivass was intercepting these curses. Although he himself had ways to deal with it, that was only if he knew in advance what kind of curse the opponent intended to use. He could then prepare corresponding dispelling magic to eliminate the curse or its root cause immediately.
But you couldn’t possibly have predicted my every move, could you?
Or, could this be the effect of the ‘Book of Law’?
But if the ‘Book of Law’ only allowed one to evade curses, Wolfram would be somewhat disappointed.
According to the information Wolfram obtained, the ‘Book of Law’ contained powers related to Heavenly Envoys.
—Since it involved the power of a Heavenly Envoy, and it was left behind by the Grand Sorcerer Jacob, it must be a Fallen Heavenly Envoy or a Ring Heavenly Envoy. Whichever it was, it could potentially allow the Bear Heavenly Envoy to advance further.
It was said that the Crown Heavenly Envoy was able to ascend beyond Supreme Heaven only with the help of a Transcendent Path Heavenly Envoy. How could the Bear Heavenly Envoy not be able to transcend back now?
“…I can’t waste any more time.”
He glanced at the sky, realizing he had to enter the village.
He had previously analyzed the village’s barrier for the Punisher Demon. Its essence was to guide those in the forest at twilight into Eagle Cape Village. Because of this, entering the forest and the village would always feel like twilight, regardless of the actual time. It was merely a matter of order.
If he missed this window, he wouldn’t be able to enter.
He had no interest in that King of the Wild Hunt. He could also tell that the Punisher Demon wanted to trick him into dealing with the King of the Wild Hunt.
He was not as foolish as his own kind. These many years of contemplation in the dim prison had made him one of the few meticulous giants.
But even so, he remained arrogant. If he analyzed a place to be dangerous, his choice wasn’t to avoid it, but to prepare himself and then stomp directly through it, destroying all obstacles!
Danger could not be evaded by hiding. Perhaps it could be evaded for a time, but never for a lifetime.
Only ‘Power’ could bring him true safety!
Wolfram firmly believed this. He was a loyal follower of Supreme Heaven.
He was not afraid of the Punisher Demon’s conspiracy because he had a way to escape.
A Grand Sorcerer’s ability to preserve life was extremely strong, and a Bound One possessed powerful life force.
…Even though he had already lost half his life due to the failed curses, it wasn’t a major problem.
The King of the Wild Hunt wouldn’t pursue him endlessly; it was just a distraction. A Fifth Tier Punisher Demon, plus a Fifth Tier Grand Sorcerer doubling as a Fourth Tier Bound One, fighting a Third Tier Priest doubling as a Demon Scholar… and at most, a Fourth Tier, or Fifth Tier at best, butterfly-shaped fire-elemental Phantom Demon.
Grand Sorcerers feared pure elemental enemies the least. The more simplistic the enemy, the easier they were to target.
The Demon Avatar might have some trouble using a fire-nullifying barrier, but a Grand Sorcerer could summon such a barrier with ease. He could also elevate its tier and forcefully raise it to Fifth Tier to resist the opponent’s firepower.
According to the Punisher Demon’s description, his fire-nullifying barrier could significantly weaken the opponent’s attacks, but not completely nullify them. Therefore, raising it by one tier should be sufficient.
Thus, after casting states like [Fire Immunity Barrier], [High Storm Resistance], [High Negative Energy Resistance], [Mirror Body], [Resist Curse], [Foresight], [Dispel Resistance], [Armor of Valor], [Petrified Skin], and [Surging Power], Wolfram entered the forest just in time.
—Curses might be ineffective against you, and you might have ways to break rituals.
But can you withstand the physical attacks launched by a Fourth Tier giant!?
He had even prepared [High Storm Resistance] and [High Negative Energy Resistance] for the Punisher Demon and the Undead.
The former was to prevent teammates from betraying him with a sneak attack.
The latter was to prevent the King of the Wild Hunt from having too many minions.
Although he possessed [Resist Curse] to gain immunity to the curse aura bestowed by the King of the Wild Hunt, and [Armor of Valor], [Petrified Skin], [Surging Power], and [Foresight] to resist the physical attacks launched by the King of the Wild Hunt, the King of the Wild Hunt was still an Undead, and its followers also possessed negative energy attacks.
Those chilling attacks mixed with earth and dark elements were difficult for the living to resist. Even a Fifth Tier Grand Sorcerer would be wary of them.
[Dispel Resistance] was to prevent Eivass from dispelling the buff states granted by his rituals.
When Priests reached a high level, they loved to dispel on sight. Very cunning. Although Eivass was still young and might not have mastered this combat style of old Priests, dispel resistance could make their dispelling attempts less effective.
At this moment, Wolfram was clad in the steel mirror armor manifested by the ritual. The armor shone with a dazzling white light in the dim forest. His body was enveloped in a dark red glow, laced with lightning and black flowing streams. His muscles had expanded by two sizes, and his entire body had turned a grayish-white.
From a distance, he looked like a god of war.
Full of special effects.
And just as Wolfram charged into the depths of the forest.
He felt as if he had entered a barrier—his own barrier and the new barrier rubbed against each other, emitting a sharp noise. This was proof that he had entered someone else’s barrier.
He had entered Eagle Cape Village!
The Prince of Giants looked up and saw dark clouds gathering in the sky.
Howling Storms raged from all directions, and the sky had turned completely dark. It was difficult to tell if it was twilight or night, as the dark clouds had completely obscured the sky.
It was a scene akin to divine punishment—the Punisher Demon, wielding a halberd, flew through the air, and a dazzling white bolt of lightning rose upwards like a pillar, connecting it to the thunderclouds high above, causing the thunderclouds to grow visibly.
Looking at this scene, Wolfram understood the Punisher Demon’s strategy.
He didn’t know what preparations or traps were in place—
But in short, blasting everywhere would solve the problem!
The next moment, a dense lightning storm, with the momentum to destroy everything, descended equally upon them!
Chapter Two, Update Complete!
My sleep schedule is still messed up. The caretaker isn’t home today, so I only had my delivered breakfast at 1 PM.
Tomorrow’s update might also be in the afternoon. I’ll gradually adjust my schedule forward—
Time to watch the match!