Chapter 24: Awakening (2)
TL: Hanguk
When a monster is killed, its body disintegrates into a powder of blue light that disappears.
Perhaps as a sign of overcoming adversity, the death effect of the monster is one of the few pleasing sights in this mad world.
“Huff... Huff...”
When I came to my senses, the town of Gauido, which had been caught in chaos, was immersed in silence.
Moreover, blue light powder was fluttering like snowflakes all around the town, making it so dreamlike that I wondered if this was the Gauido I knew.
'No, it's not dreamlike, it might just be that my vision is blurry from being out of breath.'
The number of orcs I had killed exceeded fifty.
And that in just a few minutes.
'Later on, even the orc guys struggled when they worked together.'
Breathing heavily, I used my sword as a crutch to support myself.
Then I lowered the silhouette goggles that had been resting on my head onto my eyes.
The silhouette goggles display humans and NPCs in white, but monsters are marked in red.
Hence, they were the perfect item for finding hidden monsters.
“You, you worked hard. How about taking a break now?”
Some villagers cautiously approached me, but Woof-woof appeared swiftly and blocked them from coming any closer.
The villagers seemed to think the situation was resolved since they couldn't see any monsters, but I knew better.
'There was no orc territory near the village.'
The unexplainable presence of orcs, appearing from nowhere, continued to bother me.
'Huh?'
Then a particularly red dot near the slime spawn area was caught on the silhouette goggles.
“Woof-woof!”
I immediately mounted Woof-woof, and at my call, it leaped over walls and rooftops, heading straight for the designated location.
While Woof-woof was heading towards the destination, I pulled out a low-grade recovery potion from my inventory and drank it.
Not that I was injured, but it was to quickly rejuvenate my tired body.
Soon enough, my body began to revitalize.
“Sorry, I'm going to step and jump.”
-Clang!
I stepped on the running Woof-woof's back, and leaped off.
The view of Gauido spread out below me as the landscape whizzed by.
Soon enough, I found the target I was looking for and shot magic bullets at it.
-Bang! Bang!
[Gah!]
One of the two hastily shot magic bullets hit the fleeing target's leg.
I landed on the ground like a superhero, stylishly.
The Leap skill included landing corrections, so even leaping from high places didn't cause much impact.
-Thud!
The monster I faced was a wild-looking male with a sturdy body nearly 2 meters tall and gray skin.
It looked similar to a human, but besides its skin color, there was a more noticeable alien feature.
Long horns were sprouting from its head.
Despite its unnecessarily intimidating appearance, I confidently approached the mysterious monster, wielding my sword.
-Kuekkkk!
Then.
Orcs hiding nearby suddenly rose for a surprise attack.
However, I noticed the ambush during the landing process through the silhouette goggles, and I killed them without hesitation.
[Half Ogre Zerka / Level: 30]
Soon after, the Exploration skill revealed information about the unidentified monster.
[You, what are you exactly?]
The fact that it was called a 'Half Ogre', a term I had never seen before, was surprising enough, but the moment it directly spoke to me, I was certain that it was an 'Elder Monster'.
'I couldn't believe it... Why would an Elder Monster be on this island?'
I had heard that Elder Monsters appear in areas with many people or monsters.
Of course, Willia had clarified that the possibility of appearing on a remote island wasn't 0%, but it was a very low chance, and yet it had happened.
'Should I call this good luck or bad luck?'
If I had been just a little later, Gauido village would have been wiped out.
But my early arrival in Gauido diverted the disaster.
It felt as if my good fortune had neutralized the bad luck of Gauido.
And from my perspective, it wasn't all that bad...
'To encounter an Elder Monster of a level that's easy to deal with.'
Its presence looked like easy prey.
“What do you mean, who? You're the one who attacked the village people.”
Willia had informed me that the initial level of Elder Monsters ranged from 20 to 50.
Moreover, when considering that Elder Monsters can absorb each other to become stronger,
Without other Elder Monsters to absorb and being at a mediocre level, this one was nothing more than a treasure chest.
[Damn it, why is someone like you here in this remote wilderness!]
"I'm trapped because of you monsters. Fuck you."
I raised my sword and took an attack stance.
Then, the Half-Ogre Zerka said something unexpected.
[Wait. Let's try to talk it out first.]
The request for a dialogue from a monster was surprising.
I had heard that Elder Monsters were intelligent, but this was an absurd development.
But why was he so agitated before we even started fighting?
Did he watch me fight and decide he couldn't win?
"Huh, talk?"
[Yes, yes.]
"Why would I need a talk when we were the ones attacked?"
I saw no reason to heed a monster's request.
I refused any further conversation and charged at him.
[Damn!]
Zerka, failing to persuade, let out a roar filled with rage, and drew a long sword from thin air.
'First, inventory addition confirmed.'
One thing's for sure, if I kill him, I'll get his inventory.
I'd also appreciate if it could cough up the impressive long sword it was holding.
-Chang! Chaechaechang!
I unleashed a fierce attack.
Zerka, despite his wild appearance, displayed basic swordsmanship; it was fast and destructive but rather easy to handle because of it basic nature.
[You're Flailing around!]
Unlike the boss monster Kallia of the same level with an unconventional fighting style, Zerka relied on overpowering with sheer force.
-Whoosh!
And Zerka was fairly skilled, occasionally landing blows hard to ignore.
His attacks seemed intent on cleaving everything in sight.
When his strike imbued with sword aura targeted a gap, I too raised my sword's aura in response.
-Kang!
Of course, I had no intention of engaging in a battle of strength.
The sword aura was simply to protect my sword, and I relaxed my wrists and shoulders to deflect Zerka's attacks.
Thanks to that, its attack harmlessly grazed past me and plunged into the ground.
At the same time, I put all the power into my wrist and shoulder at once, propelling my sword upward, aiming for Zerka's neck.
-Pit!
[Gah!]
He avoided the attack with almost animal-like reflexes, but his cheek was slashed.
Also, the injury on his leg from a magic bullet hindered his movement...
-Swoosh! Swoosh!
Anticipating this, I naturally poured out a continuous attack, pressuring Zerka.
-Kwang!
Of course, it doesn't make sense for Zerka not to swing back even once while I attack twice.
Although the continuous attack was blocked, I tauntingly said,
"Bite."
[What!?]
-Kwajak!
The moment all of Zerka's attention was focused on me, timed perfectly, Woof-woof attacked.
Its dagger-like teeth sank into Zerka's shoulder.
[Let go!]
-Kyung!
But the skin was so tough that the bite didn't seem to penetrate deeply.
'This is enough.'
Although a bit disappointing, the guy who couldn't even gain an advantage in a 1:1 situation now sustained additional injuries.
The outcome of the ensuing battle was all but decided.
[It's not over yet! It starts now!]
Although Zerka, unwilling to accept this fact, burned his soul in a last-ditch effort...
"So what."
Unmoved, I kept my distance and fired a barrage of magic bullets, as if to taunt him.
[You coward!]
Without letting my guard down despite the advantage, I further weakened my opponent.
It's a life-or-death battle, it doesn't matter if it's cowardly or not; winning is all that counts.
-Chang! Chaechaechaechang!
After inflicting additional injuries on his knee and abdomen with magic bullets, I finally closed the distance as he wanted, but followed with quick close-range strikes, not giving him a chance to swing his sword.
[Stop, stop.]
In the end, he couldn't hold on and declared a surrender.
But since we were not playing a sport, I ignored him and continued to push, driving Zerka to near-death.
"Heup, hoo..."
Having even lost his grip on the sword, Zerka lay prostrate before me, humiliated to a degree that the term seemed too mild.
[Spare me. I'll do anything if you just spare me.]
It's moments like this that make high intelligence seem like a nuisance.
It would be nice if he would just die without fuss, but he knows the value of his own life.
He burned villages and attacked people, but now I feel like I'm the villain.
Of course, I had no intention of sparing him.
Unlike Woof-woof tamed by an item, I don't trust him enough to take him in.
'I have a good idea.'
However, before I kill it, there are two things I want to confirm.
"If you give me some useful information, I might spare you."
[Information?]
"Like the weaknesses of the Elder Monster, or their future plans."
[What do you mean...?]
First.
I wanted to know if it's possible to gather information about Elder Monsters.
But the only thing Zerka knew was about its own abilities and methods to combat it, so it was of no help.
"That sword looks good?"
[Do you need it?]
The second thing I want to confirm.
Can equipment be looted directly from monsters?
If the monster dies, it randomly drops the items it possesses, but if I can forcibly take them, I can get the item I want 100% of the time.
[Trading with monsters is not possible.]
But this too was a failure.
Monsters, unlike NPCs, seem to be lacking in many ways.
'Useless.'
Sighing deeply, I...
-Slash!
Mercilessly swung my sword.
And thus, the Elder Monster Zerka's neck fell off with a thud.
I had protected Gauido village from an unexpected attack by an Elder Monster.
***
Starting in Seoul, large-scale survival camps were being set up nationwide, and Gyeryong base inevitably became busier.
Now, without differentiating between your tasks and mine, orders are being given, and Colonel Seo In-ho, who unexpectedly ended up supporting a supply mission, rubbed his deepened dark circles and let out a groan.
Of course, he knew that his position was more comfortable compared to the people fighting for survival outside, but that didn't make his difficult job any easier.
"Let's rest for 30 minutes."
"Yes, sir!"
In the end, Colonel Seo In-ho took a deep sigh and chose to rest, and the subordinates who were with him on the mission answered in unison as if they were pleased.
Colonel Seo In-ho went into his room.
Knowing if he remained visible, his subordinates won't be able to rest comfortably.
And he was just about to close his eyes for mere 30 minutes of sleep...
[A Korean named Seo** has been the first to subjugate an Elder Monster.]
[This great achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame.]
[Please congratulate Korean Seo**.]
A somewhat familiar message popped up before his eyes.
Seeing it, Colonel Seo In-ho let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity.
"Again?"
This time, apart from the fact that the person was a 'Seo', there was not enough evidence to suggest it was his son.
But at this point, he couldn't think of anyone else.
Colonel Seo In-ho was convinced that the person in the message was his son.
"How strong has this kid become?"
While others were dying or struggling amidst chaos, his son seemed to be in a different world.
***
[First subjugation of an Elder Monster. The great achievement is recorded in the Hall of Honor.]
[Additional rewards are given for subjugating an Elder Monster.]
[First subjugation of an Elder Monster, additional rewards will be given.]
A situation similar to when the dungeon was first cleared.
Unexpectedly, the presence of the Korean Seo** was once again imprinted on people's minds.
I chuckled and turned my eyes to the following messages.
[You have gained 15,500 experience points for defeating Half Ogre Zerka.]
[You have gained 10,000 experience points for the first subjugation of a Half Ogre.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Upon leveling up, all your 'injuries' and 'abnormal statuses' have been recovered.]
[Rewards for defeating Half Ogre Zerka are given.]
-You have obtained 4,552 coins.
-You have obtained 1 Orc Taming Necklace.
-You have obtained 3 additional inventory slots.
-You have obtained Zerka's sword.
[First subjugation of Half Ogre, rewards are given.]
-You have obtained 1,000 coins.
-You have obtained 3 Advanced healing potions.
The messages that were satisfying just to look at greeted me.
'Oh, I got that good-looking sword?'
I picked up the sword with a satisfied expression and soon my eyes widened at the unexpected item description.
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TL: Finally!!! So, I will start posting its chapters as well, but the release rate will be a bit sporadic. Currently, I have planned to release 3 chapters weekly (but it might change depending on my free time). Also, I plan to translate advance chapters for this novel so that I can post it regularly too. Anyway, Enjoy!!!!
P.S. I might have translated some of the terms differently from how I translated them in previous chapters because I have forgotten what terms I used previously. If you come across any terms like that, please let me know on Discord so that I can change them to the previously used terms for consistency.
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