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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 121: Work Properly, Opportunity-Finder(2)
A large footprint remained on the ground.
As he followed the direction in which the wraith had disappeared, he was able to find traces of the Basilisk.
Not long after, he discovered a burrow.
The Basilisk was yawning leisurely in front of it, its mouth wide open.
[Using Unholy Blessing.]
[Using Punishing Spike.]
【Master! These buffs are so energizing every time I receive them!】
Fafnir surged forward, brimming with fury.
The Basilisk, mid-yawn and still drowsy, abruptly narrowed its eyes, sensing the approaching threat.
Powerful mana flickered in its eyes.
[Petrification Gaze]
Flash!
A beam of light, reminiscent of the 'Devil's Eye' they'd faced at the [Forgotten Temple] gate where they'd claimed the Dragon Scale Armor, shot from the Basilisk's Magic Eye towards Fafnir.
"Kraaa?"
Fafnir blinked.
【Huhu. My eyes sting a bit.】
The petrification curse, designed to turn living beings to stone by reversing their life force, had no effect on the already deceased.
Realizing its foe was undead, the Basilisk rose, screeching—
"Kraaa!!"
【You have a good voice. You must be good at singing too.】
Fafnir retorted.
The Basilisk then charged, its powerful legs churning the ground.
The surrounding terrain was distorted just by the force of its powerful leaps, with the bushes shaking or falling violently in its wake.
【Hmm. So the large species is indeed different!】
Fafnir's eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
The Basilisk, though a 6 Star, was closer to a mid 7 Star in power—a 6.5 Star, perhaps?
Even top-tier 6 Star hunters avoided direct confrontation.
【'A frontal assault would be suicide.'】
Fafnir thought, gauging the Basilisk's overwhelming aura.
The power difference was palpable.
【’If so…’】
He raised a foot and slammed it down with all his might.
Thud—!
Unlike the Basilisk's widespread shockwave, Fafnir's stomp channeled the impact forward, focused and precise.
The ground buckled, cracks radiating in a sharp triangle from his foot.
The charging Basilisk faltered, its momentum broken
"Kraaa?"
The Basilisk stumbled to a halt.
The results were disappointing.
Despite pouring a significant amount of spirit power into the ground with his Stomp, he couldn't even scratch the Basilisk.
Even the stone fragments failed to leave a mark on its hide, which was tougher than steel.
"Well done."
A strange man's voice echoed from above the Basilisk.
Yoojin, who had climbed a tree beforehand, seized the opportunity as the Basilisk paused and leaped down.
[Retrieving a corpse from the Ring of Darkness.]
A dark shadow loomed over the Basilisk.
Yoojin, landing on its back, released Brutal into the air.
The 6-meter-tall giant plummeted downwards.
A cacophony of sounds erupted as bones and flesh were crushed.
【Whether it's ingenious or reckless...】
"If you're going to say one, why not choose 'daring'? It means the same thing."
【A Mage jumping at an enemy is more reckless.】
Brutal crashed onto the Basilisk.
Based on an ogre, it was further enhanced with the flesh of various monsters and troll bones, making it even heavier than it was in life.
Dropping a multi-ton monster onto its back...
The Basilisk suffered severe damage.
【With this much mass, it's like dropping a bomb.】
The Basilisk, pinned under Brutal, flailed its limbs.
The area it was hit was critical, hindering its movements.
-Groooar!!
Brutal, perched on the Basilisk, swung its clasped hands mightily.
Crack— Crack!
With each arc of its hands, the massive body swayed violently.
"Kraaa!"
The Basilisk's tail lashed around Brutal's waist.
Bracing its legs, it thrust its upper body forward and whipped its tail back, using the momentum to fling Brutal off and regain its freedom.
【It knows how to use the flexibility unique to reptiles.】
"It's just a lizard in the end."
The Basilisk's hide was tough as steel, but its vulnerable belly scales, usually scraping the ground, were now exposed to Fafnir as it tried to dislodge Brutal.
【Things are going according to master's plan.】
[Kenex Combat Arts]
[Fourth Stance]
[Thrusting Fist]
Dark Aura coiled around his forearms, thick and sturdy as a building's pillar.
Soon after, his fist concentrated at a single point, like an axle.
And struck the Basilisk's belly.
"Kraaaraaack!!!!"
A scream erupted from the Basilisk's maw.
Driven beyond its limits of pain, it writhed, its posture the exact opposite of when it had thrown off Brutal.
Broken bones were visible through its torn belly.
Crushed organs and blood dripped down.
【Master's design. Truly terrifying.】
"Just exploiting its habits."
【It's like you've been a hunter for 35 years.】
‘…He's perceptive. Although it's usually wasted in unnecessary places.’
Yoojin thought.
"It's not dead yet. Focus."
"Kraaaraaack!"
【Lizard. Relax your body a bit. It'll hurt a lot if you don't.】
Fafnir clenched his fist once more.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Kraaa..."
The Basilisk slumped over, its tongue lolling out.
Thanks to crippling its waist early on, the hunt concluded without major complications.
[Acquired a tremendous amount of experience.]
[Level has increased.]
【Huh. To kill a Basilisk this easily.】
"Ever fought one?"
【During the monster wave. I struggled so much to avoid eye contact.】
"How'd you even fight?"
【By sensing its mana's fluctuations and its movements.】
‘That's more monstrous than the Basilisk itself.’
Yoojin thought.
‘It's not an enemy you can easily defeat head-on, even without its petrification and poison. And he did it solo, with limited vision? Who's the real monster here?'
He chuckled inwardly and retrieved the Basilisk's corpse.
【What kind of undead are you going to revive it as?】
"I have some candidates. But I can't create anything right now."
【Are you lacking materials?】
"No. My level isn't high enough."
【Come to think of it, master, you're still a 3 Star.】
"Are you going to criticize me for not even breaking through the wall?"
【Sometimes I forget your rank because your abilities are so amazing.】
A mere 3 Star can control a summon (Fafnir) with pure specs equivalent to a peak 5 Star.
Even with the support of the Tower of Darkness, commanding hundreds of undead far exceeds the abilities of that rank.
The support of the [Ring of Darkness].
And the added experience of a regressor. It's only possible through repeated layers of irregularity.
"It's nothing much."
Since he couldn't explain everything, he lightly chuckled and dismissed Fafnir's admiration.
〔Don't forget the purpose of your visit here.〕
‘Of course not. How could I?’
He even risked entering the One-Eyed monster's territory.
While the Basilisk's corpse was a significant achievement, the real prize, the opportunity seen with the [Broken Kronos' Pocket Watch], lay within a burrow deeper inside the battlefield.
"I'll leave the perimeter security to you."
【Understood.】
According to the vision shown by [Memento], there were no dangers inside the burrow.
The problem was external factors. What if the entrance was blocked while he was inside?
‘That would cut off my escape route.’
That's why he brought Fafnir, the most powerful and reliable among his subordinates.
Whether he stayed in the burrow for a long or short time, the potential danger wouldn't disappear.
Thump— Thump—
As he entered the burrow, where sunlight barely reached, his footsteps echoed loudly.
After a few more steps, a book visible at the end of [Memento]'s vision came into view.
〔Kuhahahat! Witness the power of the divine spell bestowed upon you by me!〕
‘Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Your Holiness.’
〔Praise me more! The noble name, the Heaven-Defying Giant!〕
‘Sure, whatever you say.’
He gave a soulless response while retrieving the skill book.
⋯⋯⋯
[Monarch's Command]
Rank: Unique
Category: Skill Book
Durability: 1/1
Restrictions: None
This book contains instructions on how to use the 'Monarch's Command' skill.
⋯⋯⋯
“Wow.”
He couldn't help but exclaim.
What he liked most was that it was a high-grade command skill.
The second best thing was that there were no usage restrictions.
〔Shouldn't it be the other way around?〕
‘Even if I can't learn it, I can have my subordinates learn it.’
Though the efficiency would be somewhat lower.
More importantly, he easily obtained a rather excellent 'Command' skill.
Thanks to [Memento], he already knew what kind of skill book it was.
But there was a significant difference between 'knowing' and 'confirming' it with his own eyes.
‘Time was tight. Someone else was supposed to get this book in 10 days.’
A dark shadow loomed over the skill book.
It was clearly a human figure.
That's why he hurriedly entered the One-Eyed monster's territory.
It was risky, but the gamble was worth it.
[Using the Monarch's Command Skill Book.]
[The essence of the skill is imprinted in your mind.]
Swoosh!
The book turned to dust.
The essence of the command skill recorded in the skill book was imprinted in his mind.
⋯⋯⋯
[Monarch's Command]
Category: Command
Rank: A
*Increases the two highest stats among the stats of those who are in the same affiliation (guild, family), subordinates, or those in a contractual relationship with the user by 20%.
*It also reduces the chance of feeling fear during combat.
*The area of effect of the Monarch's Command is 10 km centered on the user.
*Stat increase and morale boost.
⋯⋯⋯
‘The morale boost is useless for my undead.’
Yoojin noted.
‘But that 20% stat increase is significant.’
〔It would have been better if it increased all stats.〕
‘Don't be greedy.’
Yoojin chided.
‘A 10 Km radius buff is already generous. Boosting all stats would be overpowered.’
He considered the skill further.
‘Increasing core stats like Strength or Mana is useful, but this is better. It enhances any primary stat, regardless of the subordinate's role.’
[Using Monarch's Command]
He felt his spirit power drain.
‘The cost is a bit higher than [Unholy Command], but manageable.’
Considering the enormous range and stat increase effect, it wasn't overly burdensome.
‘I can replenish it with Life Drain or Unholy Command.’
Before regression, managing spirit power at low rank levels was a constant headache.
It's true that undead are cost-effective summons.
Even so, you have to constantly expend spirit power for their creation and maintenance.
Now, with the cheat skill [Life Drain], which converts life force, spirit power, and health, the burden was lessened.
〔Kuhahahat! It's all thanks to my grace!〕
‘Yes, of course. Absolutely.’
〔Your honest words are pleasing.〕
‘Ha...Why is the guy so hyper today?’
He pressed his temples with both hands, trying to shake off the sudden surge of fatigue.
【Master. We need to leave quickly.】
"Is someone approaching?"
【A monster is approaching rapidly.】
"How long until we encounter it?"
[1...]
‘One minute. That's good enough.’.
...or so he thought.
A shockwave, powerful enough to reach the burrow, sent him staggering.
[0.]
‘You should put units like 'seconds' or 'minutes' after numbers!’
About to scold Fafnir for his absurd announcement, he glanced outside.
"Huh?"
His mouth wide open.
A huge ogre was confronting Fafnir.
It was about 8 meters tall, and a long scar covering its right eye was eye-catching.
【I guess this is the one, right?】
"That's him."
Yoojin confirmed, his voice grim. A wave of dread washed over him.
‘Wow. This is bad… Really bad.’
He'd thought securing the skill book meant a safe return home.
Instead, he'd stumbled upon the one creature he'd hoped to avoid in this region.
"One-Eyed..."
He breathed, the name escaping his lips like a curse.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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