Chills──
In that moment, I felt a gaze full of hatred targeting me.
‘Jo Gi-man…’
That guy is staring at me.
With a silent aura, he’s trying to communicate, warning that if I take his clone, he’ll chase me to death and tells me not to touch it.
– All fragments left by the Avatar of the Seven-headed Dragon have been recovered!
‘Get lost.’
Well, that just means I have to grab more, doesn’t it?
Jo Gi-man must be severely injured.
The fact that he displayed a tremendous ability to switch bodies with his clone just before dying doesn’t change that.
So there’s no need to be scared just because he’s threatening me.
“No, you!! I told you to stay put—”
Inessa is angry, spitting blood, wondering why I’m not listening to her.
Honestly, I should be the one mad here; she has some nerve.
‘You’re not the only one who can see the future, you know.’
However, Inessa fell silent with her mouth agape as she watched the clouds left by Jo Gi-man get collected.
– Is it sucking in smoke?!
– H-how is that possible?
Things that have no substance can’t be contained in space.
That’s about as absolute a truth in this world as the fact that you can’t resurrect the dead.
So it’s not surprising even if it’s seasoned hunters who’ve gone through all sorts of trials.
Shhh—
‘What?!’
─────
[Blink]
Using Blink, I got as far away as I could.
That was already the second use. I have one left.
Hundreds of storms struck the spot I used to occupy.
‘Ah, damn— I almost died there.’
Dnarr, who failed to attack, clicked his tongue before trying to charge at me again.
Even though my appearance now is completely different from when I first met that guy, he recognized me instantly. Seems like he’s picked up on the aura of Goddess Irmana.
But.
Phew──
“Ugh?! Sniper!! Don’t get in my way!”
Patrick’s bullet halted him.
Dnarr managed to block the bullet somehow, but he had to endure damage that cracked his sword.
“Corrupted Knight… Are you actually challenging me? Didn’t we agree not to clash today?”
“Inessa!!”
“That’s mine, so don’t touch it!”
Inessa points at me with sticky fingers.
‘Since when am I yours?’
I wanted to burst out laughing at the absurdity, but Inessa sounded dead serious.
Did she foresee defeating the monster Dnarr? She seemed highly confident, but no matter how much I think about it, there’s no way she could overpower that beast.
“Ugh… Just you wait!”
‘Huh? Seriously gonna leave?’
“Get lost!”
The moment Inessa screamed like a spasm, Dnarr suddenly vanished.
Was Inessa’s aura too burdensome for him?
‘No way. Oh, right, that guy must have exhausted all his energy too.’
He released all his mana when he struck down Jo Gi-man, so he wouldn’t have had much left.
‘Whew… What the hell is going on?’
In an instant, an overwhelming fatigue washed over me.
The great beast that swallowed Jo Gi-man and Liu Xiao-Wo was nowhere to be seen, and Necrosquall was collapsing like it was melting.
Then, next to the brown mass that was Inessa, a portal to another dimension abruptly opened up.
A long arm extended from within and began healing her body.
It wouldn’t be surprising if an excellent healer was among her hunters.
“Ugh- cough- damn… that was dangerous.”
Having been struck multiple times by Jo Gi-man’s [Thunder Strike], she surely took quite a heavy hit.
‘I should either get out of here quickly or heal her!’
I’m not particularly worried about Inessa, but it feels like she’s relying too much on her ability to see the future.
What kind of confidence is that, if you can’t see every possible future?
I narrowed the waves of my senses and scanned the area.
‘Hmm… Speaking of which, I don’t see the faction Jung Tae-hyung mentioned—’
While I was keeping an eye out, I spotted a familiar energy among the thousands of people in a crowd.
Someone who couldn’t be seen by others— a person only I could recognize due to my age.
‘Is that Uncle ‘Jeok’?!’
The master tracker who had been bullied all his life by Jo Gi-man’s clone, finally freed after a series of twists and turns, with a unique skill set for avoidance.
I heard he went to China, but what’s he doing here?
The funny part is, Uncle ‘Jeok’ doesn’t seem to recognize me.
‘Why? Did I change that much in the meantime?’
In any case, Uncle ‘Jeok’s expression displayed more emptiness than that of a man who had lost his country.
Beside him was an awakened person, radiating an unfamiliar aura, and given the few who casually guarded her, she seemed to be an essential talent.
They were engaged in a hushed conversation, their expressions slightly excited.
Listening closely, the content was more interesting than I expected.
‘Were they trying to take the opportunity to strike Liu Xiao-Wo? Lucky or unlucky?’
Although their attempt failed, they were still hopeful.
They considered Liu Xiao-Wo getting swallowed by the great beast a great opportunity.
Having heard quite a bit about the events going on in China, I reconstructed the narrative in my head and came to one conclusion.
‘Uncle Jeok has sided with the non-awakened faction.’
He must have faced difficulties living as a hunter who crossed over from Korea.
Considering that, it’s understandable, but still, getting involved in an assassination plot against the strongest in China? That guy’s got some guts.
From my experience of smelling Liu Xiao-Wo right next to me, I can confidently say their plan must have failed.
The woman next to Uncle Jeok has some bizarre abilities, but can she really go against Liu Xiao-Wo?
‘No way. Lucky for you, Uncle Jeok.’
Leaving behind faces I was glad to see, I was already propelling my body forward.
‘Now that it’s come to this.’
With a determined cut, I aimed my great sword at the great beast.
[Flame Cut]
[Flame Explosion]
I quickly slashed through Necrosquall’s body and triggered the fourth flame explosion.
KWAAM!!
[Skeleton Bomb]
KA-BAAAAN───!!
‘Damn it, die already, you annoying bastard!’
As I resumed my attack, other hunters from China hurriedly joined in.
“Phew- Phew-”
Inessa shuddered as she watched the great beast being finished off, yet she made no other moves.
Even if she landed the final blow, her contribution wouldn’t skyrocket or anything. It’s just pride. Pride.
‘So just chill. Is it fine if I take this much?’
[Frost Enamel]
[Thunderhorn]
[Empty Slash] Fire Slash]
SHHRRREEEE—!
– You’ve defeated the great beast ‘Necrosquall’!
‘Done!!’
Having sharp senses often makes gauging an enemy’s health somewhat advantageous.
That’s why I gathered all my remaining strength into my soul to land the final blow.
Though it might not matter to others, it means a lot to me to land that finishing blow.
As the defeat message appeared, I stuffed Necrosquall’s corpse into space.
The image of the massive beast crumbled and folded up.
Wheeeoo—!!
In mere seconds, the gigantic great beast vanished as if it had never existed.
As it disappeared, the undead that had been swarming like cockroaches on the ground and the ‘Shajo’ in the sky dissipated like smoke.
‘Gah- that was a good meal.’
I had even swallowed the ‘Devouring Creeper,’ which had a larger size than this thing.
‘This isn’t a big deal.’
But that was just my perspective; the hunters around the area were thrown into chaos.
– The great beast has vanished?!
– I’m alive!! Hahaha, I’m in a party that defeated the great beast!
– This is historic!
– Wait, that guy!! The one in full armor sent the great beast’s leftovers somewhere else!!
– What?!
– That means… if we catch that guy, we can get the leftovers?!
‘These guys are furious, thinking I snatched all the rewards without realizing how much I contributed to the plan!’
Messages popped up in my head about how I provided significant help in defeating Necrosquall.
‘But still just an assist level. I’ll take that as expected.’
The top contribution for Necrosquall will probably end up being either Jo Gi-man or Inessa.
Either way, I scored some rewards for defeating the great beast.
The hunters glaring at me as if they wanted to kill me would feel the same; they approached me subtly, as if I had taken all the rewards for myself.
‘Bunch of idiots. Must be the residual effects from the energy of Necrosquall messing with their judgment.’
– Catch that guy!!
– Bloodline Clan!!
– Intricate Knot!
– Ruthless Suppression!!
‘A bunch of lunatics!!’
I wanted to cleanly break free from their bindings and counterattack, but I was already low on mana from the extended battle.
[Arcane Deflection]
Through magical reflection, I blocked and dodged several of the hunters’ skills dozens of times.
Having had enough, I jumped high into the sky and pondered.
‘Where in the world did Liu Xiao-Wo go?’
That woman was completely infatuated with me.
No matter what happens later, she will be a tremendous asset. Even if she just asked me to find a few artifacts, she’d hand them over immediately.
‘Phew─’
Floating in midair, I centered my focus.
As I spread my senses, I barely caught traces of the fish-shaped great beast that had swallowed her and fled.
‘Is that it?!’
I pivoted back, heading in the direction the great beast disappeared.
‘Just how far did it go?’
It had now created a distance that would require me to pursue for over ten minutes at my current speed.
‘Still, it hasn’t pulled away further.’
While pursuing it, I reviewed the messages I received from defeating the great beast.
– Your level has risen!
– Your level has risen!
Two level-ups.
– You’ve obtained the Rune of Vitality (Legendary)!
– You’ve obtained the Rune of Giants (Legendary)!
And I gained not one but two legendary runes.
‘So this really is the greatest great beast ever. Quite worthwhile.’
The rewards I received amidst the assault from thousands of hunters were pretty decent.
– Vitality Rune (Legendary) Health +244
– Giant’s Rune (Legendary) Strength +133
Leveling up, I invested my stats into wisdom, pushing the total past 1,000.
Swapping to the runes, my strength also exceeded 1,000.
Then the long-anticipated message appeared.
– You have blossomed your ability, and in an extremely early phase, your strength has exceeded 1,000!
– You’ve acquired the achievement [Power of the Little Giant]!
[Power of the Little Giant]
– Inflicts additional damage equivalent to 5% of your strength with skill use.
– Slightly decreases hostility from the Giant Tribe.
‘Oooh… Jackpot. Damage proportional to stats, huh?’
While the hostility reduction might not be immediately useful, it’s quite surprising as such descriptions are rare. I feel like I’ve met the minimum requirements of recognition from the giants.
– Your ability has blossomed, and in an extremely early phase, your wisdom has exceeded 1,000!
– You’ve acquired the achievement [Harmonious Wisdom]!
[Harmonious Wisdom]
– Your insight slightly increases, and your intuition sharpens a bit.
– When giving advice and wisdom to companions, you can provide substantial inspiration.
‘······ This one’s even better?’
As time went on, I’ve been relying more on my intuition to make decisions, so this is an invaluable ability.
Even inspiring my companions?
It makes me want to return to them as soon as possible.
But the biggest harvest was, of course.
– The trait [Thievery] has activated.
– You’ve obtained the trait [Bulwark of Rebirth]!
– You’ve obtained the skill [Brew of the Dead]!
– The achievement [Pioneer] has been activated!
– All attributes increase by 2!
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