– I defeated the Variant of Blood Mosquito!
– I defeated the Minescarabe!
– The Blood Mosquito’s······
With hundreds of defeat messages popping up from [Meteor], I couldn’t help but slap my forehead.
– Trait [Obsession] activated ‘Collect Everything’ and ‘Organize Haphazardly’!
– I’m gathering countless Mana Stones and neatly organizing them!
– I’m quickly packing and organizing the materials for Killbard!
Thanks to Trait [Obsession], that chaos got resolved quickly.
‘······What the heck are you, Obsession? A self-aware trait? I’m still not used to this.’
– [Obsession] reports that it is working hard!
‘Um… Yeah, sure. Anyway, this attack is quite rewarding.’
Among the numerous defeat messages, there were some I had been hoping for.
– I was the first to defeat Frizkana!
‘Oh… I defeated it even without Flame Energy. It must’ve had considerable defense, being covered in gems. Did it get smashed by a meteor?’
With this Meteor, I took down as many as four Frizkanas, and I got that many crystals!
– I acquired Frizkana’s ‘Ice Crystal’!
‘Finally gathered all the materials for Killbard. I might be able to make a sample? Nice! I’ll look into that after the battle is over.’
– Trait [Thievery] activated.
– Acquired Trait [Gem’s Smile]!
– Achievement [Pioneer] activated.
– All attributes increased by 1!
‘What the heck is this?’
[Gem’s Smile]
– Has a small chance to generate a small gem during battle and gift it to a companion. The gifted companion receives an attack power boost for a certain period and increases intimacy with you.
– You cannot possess the gem; it is randomly distributed among one of your companions.
‘What the… Huh? This is funny.’
The trait I got from Frizkana was an incredibly special ability.
‘Me making gems? What kind of gems? I’m curious.’
It seems like I can’t control this ability. Since it’s a low probability, I probably won’t get it often, and to make matters worse, I can’t even keep the gems. It’s all for my companions.
– Trait [Thievery] activated.
– Acquired Skill [Floating Crystal]!
– Achievement [Pioneer] activated.
– All attributes increased by 1!
[Floating Crystal]
– The shining light of the gem spirals and floats in the air, attracting everyone’s attention.
‘Ah… no, not this. I want magic!’
Frizkana has a skill that scatters the gems on its body into the air, bursting ice crystals all around.
It’s a pretty long-lasting ice magic, and during that time, Frizkana becomes a total counterattack state, damaging anyone who attacks. That’s what I wanted!
But I end up with just a gaze-attracting floating magic… It’s just a fancier version of the [Provocation] skill, isn’t it?
‘Since I already have it, there’s no helping it. By the way, the Asymbiotic Species and Frizkana’s abilities are definitely similar.’
The effects of the armor granted by the spirit governing the Asymbiotic Species resemble Frizkana’s abilities, which makes sense since the Asymbiotic Species is continuously searching for Frizkana.
‘Then… it’d be better to kill Frizkana first to weaken the Asymbiotic Species’ power. I’ll gain the materials for Killbard too.’
So I infiltrated the enemy territory, relentlessly searching for Frizkana.
Of course, it’s better to inflict at least a bit more damage on the enemies rather than just wandering around.
[Dreadful Land of Chaos]
With the activation of the ability, an intangible lethal aura spreads over a wide area.
Sensitive creatures are already reacting and trembling.
‘Found one.’
Zoom─
The Frizkana I encountered for the first time on the ground was already floating in the air, having activated [Floating Crystal] in the chaotic battlefield.
It was quaking as if it was about to unleash its skill.
‘Certainly can’t take my eyes off it. I keep getting drawn in.’
If a massive caterpillar studded with stunning jewels was floating in the air, anyone would be unable to look away.
‘Ssshh- Hoo─’
[Air Slash] Flame Cut
Slice──!
But if it stays still and stupid like that, it’ll end up getting sliced in half by me. My swordsmanship, which cuts through space, has no trouble splitting a one-meter monster.
Boom─!
Kwahzaka!!
‘Eek…! Dangerous.’
The moment Frizkana took a hit from me, it activated its skill, scattering the gem crystals it had on its body into the air.
As they burst, dozens of ice crystals filled the area, and their range was impressive.
Several Blood Mosquitos that entered the area turned into frozen chunks, making this comparable to the ice field that Noh Ha-yoon spent all her mana on activating.
‘This… my friends might be in a bit of trouble. This thing is incredibly powerful, isn’t it?’
This monster was still too much for my companions to handle.
I thought I would need to deal with it for a while longer, then I checked the message that popped up.
– I defeated Frizkana!
– Acquired a trivial amount of experience!
– Acquired Frizkana’s Ice Crystals!
‘I defeated an A-rank monster, yet I only gained a trivial amount of experience… How highly do they evaluate me?’
– ······.
After a moment of sulking at the system, I continued hunting.
With various species mixed in, and since the Ilseom Guild hunters are all melee fighters, the place was a complete mess.
‘This is actually an opportunity for me.’
After a while, I spotted a guy floating in the center of the Asymbiotic Species’ gathering.
‘The Asymbiotic Species’ leader… he seems incredibly strong.’
A monster that surpasses even the mid-level S-rank.
Judging by capacity, he might be below S-rank Hunter Ma Gwang-jin, but considering the power of the spirit attached to the Asymbiotic Species, his combat power should be several levels above that.
‘Just from seeing him block [Meteor] earlier, his abilities are proven.’
But he was merely a host of the spirit called ‘Crystalride.’
A much thicker worm-like creature, different from others of the Asymbiotic Species, wriggled in his ear, and his eyes were a deeper shade of blue.
– Aaaah!! I’m going to kill all these demon-like spirit bastards!!!
As I was pondering what to do, a woman screaming like she was dying caught my eye.
‘Kwon Hyun-a from the Ilseom Guild… she seems to have a grudge against the spirit. There must be some story with Crystalride.’
An excellent talent, she was the last opponent I faced in the duel with the Ilseom Guild.
Like a madman, she was indiscriminately slaughtering monsters, her figure no different from a demonic spirit.
‘If she pulls that kind of aggro—’
Before I could finish my thought, something the Asymbiotic Species’ leader activated completely froze the area where Kwon Hyun-a was standing.
Shjeooo──!
‘Oh no… why did she go and provoke such a monster.’
Kwon Hyun-a turned into ice.
Currently, I had no way to save her.
Turning my gaze away from Kwon Hyun-a, I tried to find Frizkana again.
‘Hmm?!’
Boom──! Kwang!!
But just as I took a step, a massive ice pillar shot up from the ground where I had been standing.
I barely avoided the attack and had no choice but to throw myself aside.
‘Can’t you attack without a signal?!’
The Asymbiotic Species’ leader, floating in the distance, seemed to have targeted me next after Kwon Hyun-a. I must have misjudged the distance to hide my presence from him.
BoomBoomBoomBoom───!!
Destructive magic continuously froze the area where I was standing.
I weaved through the monsters and dodged, but when it got too much, I quickly took to the sky.
‘You bastard!!’
[Flame Shot]
──────?!
As I evaded and shot off a prepared Flame Shot, the Asymbiotic Species’ leader looked startled.
Then, an enormous hand that was larger than my face began swirling with cold air, and it redirected my Flame Shot upwards into the sky.
Swoosh── Kwang!!
The Flame Shot exploded magnificently in the sky.
‘With a power of 1,000, you block it so easily?’
In terms of mana control, this monster was leagues above the minions of Escalon.
‘This isn’t good. Time to retreat.’
The moment my Flame Shot was blocked, I turned tail without looking back.
‘I’ll reset my mana with the Rune of Absorption first, then look for another chance—’
Chills—
Suddenly, a shiver ran down my spine, but the Asymbiotic Species’ leader merely looked in my direction. Thankfully, he didn’t pursue me.
‘Ugh… that was close. Almost had to use [Blink]?’
Focusing on swordsmanship, which consumes less mana, I quickly replenished my drained mana.
Not long after, a massive shockwave erupted, knocking me back significantly. It had occurred from the clash between the Asymbiotic Species’ leader and the elite instructors of the Ilseom Guild.
Their combined power reached the highest A-rank, but that alone probably wasn’t enough to face the leader of the Asymbiotic Species.
‘Not Hyun Il-hwan?’
A significant presence led the Ilseom Guild hunters.
I thought it was Hyun Il-hwan, but an unexpected figure made an appearance.
– The Guild Leader has arrived!
– Everyone, clear the way!!
‘Hyeon Joong-seob… he’s the younger brother of Joong-gil. But isn’t the guild leader Hyeon Joong-gil?’
Apparently, the minions following Hyeon Joong-seob had been calling him the Guild Leader for a long time. I wondered if there was really a need to do this with a perfectly fine guild leader around.
‘Hurry up and show up already, where were you till now, tsk—’
If he had been watching his minions sacrifice themselves just to show his presence to the hunters, he would deserve condemnation.
– Maintain formation─!!
‘Hyeon Joong-seob… they said your talent isn’t as good as your brother’s. But this doesn’t seem to be the case, does it? He must be at the upper echelons of S-rank.’
With him, Spearman Park Jin-gon from the White Knight Guild and Shin Young-ah, who temporarily helped our party during the Great Beast subjugation, also joined in.
With their numbers combined, it became a staggering fight of 17 against 1… no matter how monstrous the Asymbiotic Species’ leader was, blocking that much firepower would be an impossible feat.
Of course, soon, more of the Asymbiotic Species’ minions joined to protect their leader, but there were only eight of them.
The outcome was obvious.
However, after several minutes of evenly matched conflicts, I began to reconsider.
‘Hmm… why isn’t it collapsing as quickly as I thought?’
The Asymbiotic Species’ leader showcased incredible durability as if he were purposely using a strategy to withstand.
After battling for a bit longer, he eventually led his minions to retreat significantly to the back.
– Wooaaah!! We finally forced them back!!
– Haha, these filthy monsters!! As expected, how could we lose!
The hunters in the area cheered in unison, but I couldn’t help but tilt my head.
‘Hyeon Joong-seob wasn’t going all out after all… But the power of the spirit attached to that Asymbiotic Species is just too strong.’
– Krrgh…! What kind of coldness is this?
The ice traces were vividly evident on Hyeon Joong-seob’s body.
It must have been the counterattack damage he received after attacking the leader, and it looked considerable.
‘He’s almost at the level of being frozen···.’
At that moment, the wind spirit ‘Ran’ flew onto my shoulder.
(Il-wol, ‘Aizela’s’ aura is growing stronger. The spirit that attacked you earlier is no joke; be careful.)
‘Aizela? So she is the being giving power to that spirit?’
(Yes. She is on par with ‘Perunox’, the one granting power to Noh Ha-yoon. That’s all I know, so please don’t cause any trouble for the master.)
‘Got it. I’ll ensure we maintain safe distance.’
The spirits are said to be closer to divine beings than we are, so I’d have to take Ran’s opinions seriously.
‘Hmm… still, we’re not the main force in this subjugation, right? We just have to hang back and collect the spoils.’
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