Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 24: Someone Else's Opportunity is Best Taken First (4)
As the Unholy Blessing repelled the curse, the impact cracked the mask.
The Masked Beast's focus wavered, and the purple glow briefly flickered.
"Fafnir, charge straight ahead."
【Are you sure? The Masked Beast might target you, Master.】
"We have these guys."
Reinforced with bone armor, the Armored Zombies could withstand the destructive light to some extent.
Seven had been destroyed while caught in the reconstructing temple.
'If they can just hold out, I can minimize losses.'
The best option was to position them as close to the Masked Beast as possible and react to its movements!
【Master, don't die meaninglessly.】
"I'll block the Masked Beast's curse. You focus on attacking."
【Hahaha. Leave it to me.】
"Ugh. Small prey. Annoying."
The Masked Beast's eye sockets were once again dyed purple.
Crackle!
The purple light once again surged towards Fafnir with explosive momentum, as if to swallow him whole.
[Dark Aura]
The black air current wrapped around Fafnir's legs condensed and was released towards the ground.
A massive gust of wind created by the Dark Aura ruffled Yoojin's hair.
Fafnir charged in a straight line at a speed several times greater than usual, quickly closing the distance to the Masked Beast.
"Big prey. Not letting go."
The large pupil, resembling the Devil's Eye, followed Fafnir a step behind.
However, the beam didn't bend as quickly as expected.
Mana released in the direction of its gaze.
Although the magic beam reached its target in an instant, to alter its trajectory, all the mana concentrated in its eyes had to be moved.
Naturally, the speed would inevitably slow down.
【So you anticipated this far.】
Fafnir, charging as Yoojin instructed, threw a punch with an exclamation of admiration.
Dark Aura imbued with Fafnir's will.
Skin tougher than steel was torn, and muscle fibers twisted hundreds of times over were destroyed.
Thud—
The Masked Beast lost its balance and flailed its arms.
Immediately after withdrawing the death ray, its eyes focused on Fafnir.
[Ectoplasm]
[Contaminated Skin]
Otherworldly mana poisoned Fafnir's soul.
Blue bubbles bubbled up on the draconian's skin.
"I knew it would do that."
The moment various curses tried to corrode Fafnir, Yoojin, who had already gathered his divine power, deployed a holy spell.
Divine power and curses were diametrically opposed.
Although the Masked Beast had an overwhelmingly greater amount of mana, [Unholy Blessing] was more effective on Fafnir, who was undead.
The holy spell permeated before the curse could expand its domain.
Once again, with the backlash of the spell being canceled, a part of the mask covering the beast's face shattered with a crack!
【A skill befitting my Master.】
[Kenex Combat Arts]
[Seventh Stance]
[Ten-Strike Flurry]
The martial arts he displayed during sparring.
Fafnir's tightly clenched fists struck the Masked Beast's thigh in rapid succession.
Skin tough enough to withstand a steel sword was torn.
Blood droplets sprayed from the ruptured muscles.
Finally, the leg bone, as thick as a tree trunk, snapped with a clear, solid sound.
The bone protruded.
If it were a human, it would have screamed and fainted from such a wound, but...
The Masked Beast converted the pain into rage.
"It hurts! You. Die!"
An arm as thick as the pillars supporting the temple was pulled back and then thrust forward.
【I can clearly see where you're aiming. Do you think I'll just take it?】
Fafnir's stats were beyond 3 Star.
All stats were increased by 20% due to Unholy Blessing.
And since he was already in the middle of hunting, the Punishing Spike had also stacked to its maximum.
Although the Masked Beast was abnormally strong for a 2 Star Gate's boss monster, Fafnir wouldn't lose in a head-on confrontation.
【Well, there's no reason to deliberately avoid what I can see.】
The Masked Beast's fist cut through the air.
Bubbles rose from the spot where it had just struck, and the torn muscles began to reattach with an acrid smell.
【Its regenerative ability is comparable to a troll's.】
"It's Chaotic Frenzy, which restores injuries by consuming the target's life force."
Because it's a spell that consumes a large amount of life force, it's prone to side effects like aging.
The wrinkles that appeared on the Masked Beast's skin were proof of this.
"Nothing is free."
[Using Bone Control.]
The Cursed Fang dug into the healing wound and tore it open.
Splatter!
Some of the flesh caught on the sharp edges fell to the floor.
"Small prey. Die!!"
The Masked Beast released all the curse power accumulated in the white mask at once.
[Curse Technique]
[Wave of Darkness]
Power that accumulates each time a curse is used.
It doesn't inflict physical damage, but it's a strange wave that pushes away anything, tangible or intangible.
【Ugh. I can't withstand it.】
Fafnir, who had been trying to resist the Wave of Darkness, was pushed back dozens of meters.
The Masked Beast glared at Yoojin and concentrated mana in its eyes.
It was understandable for the Masked Beast to be enraged.
Not only had its curse been neutralized, but its wounds were being further aggravated from a distance.
"Block it!"
"Gaaaah."
An Armored Zombie moved between the Masked Beast and Yoojin, just as a beam fired a moment too late, incinerating the bone armor.
Acrid smoke billowed from the point of impact.
[Using Bone Armor.]
Yoojin reinforced the eroding bone with spirit power.
The Armored Zombie, unable to deflect the energy contained within the death ray, took the full brunt of the attack with its body.
"Groan..."
Despite being reinforced with Bone Armor, it only held out for about four seconds before collapsing onto the ground, charred black.
【Are you looking away from me?】
Fafnir, who had been pushed back by the shock wave, quickly closed in and carved a long gash into the Masked Beast's side.
"Big prey. Don't interfere!!"
The Masked Beast let out a furious scream.
＊ ＊ ＊
The Masked Beast was no easy opponent.
He left the attacking to Fafnir and focused on neutralizing the beast's curses, keeping it in check with magic armaments, and defending with Armored Zombies, but...
Crackle!
"Groan..."
Over half of the Armored Zombies were burned.
'If I send the remaining minions to the front lines, I could seize victory quickly, but...'
Yoojin continued the battle cautiously.
The fearsome thing about the Masked Beast was its ability to handle both close-range and long-range attacks.
'Using magic armaments for defense is a temporary measure.'
He could manage to block the Devil's Eye's attacks, but the Masked Beast had an extraordinary amount of mana, so the output of its death ray was much stronger.
He had put so much effort into making the Cursed Fang.
He couldn't carelessly lose his armaments here, so he had to act prudently.
"Small prey. Big prey. Hate both."
The Masked Beast's appearance had also changed significantly.
The wrinkles on its skin were noticeably increased.
Some of its wounds hadn't regenerated, and blood dripped down.
The biggest mark on its body was the fracture Fafnir had inflicted first.
Although the wounds had all healed, the broken bone hadn't regenerated, causing it to limp with each step.
【This will never end like this.】
"Fafnir, how much strength do you have left?"
【Enough to deploy Dark Aura once or twice.】
"Then let's finish this."
That's enough.
To end its life.
"Keep the pressure on, and I'll exploit its weakness."
【I'll follow your instructions.】
Fafnir closed the distance to the Masked Beast once more.
The moment it swung its arm in a frenzy—
[Releasing Punishing Spike.]
The impact stacks accumulated through repeated battles were released at once.
It struck the Masked Beast's healthy leg, greatly shaking its entire body.
Even while losing its balance, the Masked Beast didn't lessen the force in its fist.
He could sense its tenacity in that action, but...
【Fighting isn't just about willpower.】
Fafnir, who hadn't missed a single movement of the Masked Beast, lowered his waist slightly.
The fist grazed his back.
Although it carried enough force to create a gust of wind, it didn't reach Fafnir.
【Even a strong attack is useless if it doesn't land.】
The Masked Beast had swung its arm almost to the point of falling over.
Its upper body was exposed to Fafnir.
[Kenex Combat Arts]
[Fifth Stance]
[Focused Strike]
All energy except the minimum spirit power needed to maintain his body was concentrated.
He materialized it as Dark Aura and struck the exposed upper body of the Masked Beast with all his might.
Crack!
Ribs were broken, and the shock that penetrated deeper reached its heart.
"Cough."
The Masked Beast collapsed with a single shriek.
[Acquired a massive amount of experience points.]
[Level Up!]
[Current level is 29.]
"Wow."
As soon as the Masked Beast fell, his level rose by 2.
The amount of experience it would normally take him a day or two to gain...
Perhaps it was because it was a boss monster exceeding 2 Star.
A smile automatically spread across his face at the unexpectedly large increase in experience.
"Not bad for an appetizer."
【What's the main course?】
"The altar behind it. I think there's something there."
Yoojin casually mentioned the information he had heard in his previous life.
Deep within the underground chamber, on an altar befitting the name of a temple, lay armor with a silvery sheen.
【Oh ho. That looks like some extraordinary armor.】
"Indeed it does."
Yoojin stepped onto the altar and slowly examined the armor.
'It's a bit different in shape from what I saw back then.'
The artifact worn by the Phoenix Guild Leader.
The appearance of the Dragon God Armor was a full plate mail that covered the entire body and had a brilliant golden hue.
On the other hand, the armor on the altar was a breastplate that protected the torso.
The size was also much smaller, making him worry whether it would even fit him.
'As expected, artifacts are different.'
Yoojin wasn't fazed by the different appearance of the Dragon Scale Armor from his memory.
Shape transformation was an option often attached to famous artifacts and masterfully crafted weapons.
[Dragon Scale Armor]
Rank: Transcendent
Category: Armor
Restriction: None
Durability: 5,000/5,000
Powerful armor made from dragon bones. It synchronizes with the user's mana and can change shape at will.
*Equipment options change depending on the form.
*Growing artifact.
*Capable of self-repair. Durability recovers naturally unless completely destroyed.
‘As expected. It's just that the appearance is different.’
It was indeed the same artifact that Yoojin remembered.
'A shape transformation option. There will be an abundance of ways to use this.'
The moment he touched the Dragon Scale Armor—
Bzzt—
Yoojin's mana flowed into the armor through the point of contact.
'Look at this guy.'
Yoojin didn't stop his mana from leaking out.
The armor gradually turned black.
"It's not just mana that you need to absorb."
[Using Midnight Sun.]
[Mana → Divine Power]
The synchronization process.
How would the Dragon Scale Armor react if he poured divine power into it as well?
White ripples appeared on the surface of the Dragon Scale Armor, which looked as if it were made of solid iron.
When the armor was completely drenched in darkness—
Clank! Clank!
The Dragon Scale Armor transformed into chains, spreading out in dozens of strands and wrapping around Yoojin's torso.
At first glance, it seemed to be hostile towards him, but...
Yoojin, sensing that the mana and divine power permeating the armor weren't out of control, calmly observed the transformation.
Clank! Clank!
The Dragon Scale Armor became a top with scale-like ripples engraved on it.
"Look at this. It's even better than I thought!"
Yoojin grinned.
He had completely misunderstood the function of the Dragon Scale Armor.
It was an amplifier that changed according to the user's will and increased its output in response to the owner's mana.
The reason it took the form of casual wear was that Yoojin was wearing casual clothes right before he infused the Dragon Scale Armor with mana.
[Impact Defense Lv 12]
[Magic Resistance Lv 7]
[Agility + 10%]
Poor defensive power befitting its appearance.
Instead, it provided additional bonuses to his movements.
'If I imagine something else...'
Clank!
The metallic sound of chains colliding echoed, and the Dragon Scale Armor, which had been as light as casual wear, transformed into heavy armor that covered all exposed areas except his eyes.
[Impact Defense Lv 12 → 47]
[Magic Resistance Lv 7 → 35]
[Agility + 10% → -5%]
'This is similar to the form the Phoenix Guild Leader took.'
Checking the options, he saw that the defense had greatly increased, but there was a penalty to agility.
〔I thought it was unusual. A transformation option.〕
'The potential applications are endless.'
〔The defense seems low for a Transcendent rank, though.〕
"It's a growing artifact."
Currently, even if transformed into full plate, it was only at the level of a Rare rank armor, but...
Since the artifact grew stronger in proportion to the user's strength, time would solve that problem.
【Oh ho. It will be even more useful to Master.】
"To me?"
【Spear techniques. I left them alone in actual battles because you weren't familiar with them, but now that you have this excellent armor, you can use them properly, can't you?】
He had a knack for saying terrifying things with a smile.
Still…
"There's no better experience than actual combat."
Yoojin didn't deny Fafnir's words.
Crackle!
A blue crack appeared on the altar.
With the boss monster, which served as the Gate's core, gone, an exit appeared.
【Let's go back now.】
"I need to take the boss monster's corpse."
The moment he shoved the Masked Beast into the Ring of Midnight—
Thud—
The mask that had been covering its face and a book fell to the floor.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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