BANG-!!!
A sudden explosion reverberated through the snowy mountains.
As if on cue.
The eyes of the mice, boars, and baboons who were in the midst of a brawl all turned to a single point.
What they saw was Jin, frowning as he rubbed his wrist after deflecting Silverback’s punch with his sword.
“Ouch. I even used mana… Is it because you’re a gorilla? You’re stronger than I expected.”
“Gr-r-r-r…”
Silverback bared his fangs at Jin, seemingly unable to believe that his punch, which could dent even steel armor, had been blocked.
Jin shrugged as he massaged his wrist and straightened his stance.
“I just wanted to test myself against you… But I guess this kind of power struggle won’t work. Master would probably scold me.”
In an instant, the atmosphere around Jin changed completely.
It reminded him of long ago, before he became the leader of the baboons, when he encountered a giant tiger while wandering the mountain paths alone in search of food.
Or perhaps, it felt like a seasoned hunter lying in wait with traps.
Silverback, startled by the sudden change in atmosphere, stammered.
“You… human… why aren’t you weak?” The human before him was not the frail creature he had seen through the lord’s eyes and heard about from the baboons.
While the other two humans fighting the baboons were also stronger than expected, the strongest among them was the black-haired human in front of him.
“What? You can talk? Didn’t know that. Maybe it’s because we always kill you on sight in Deisa.”
Jin’s lips curled into a sly smile as he readied his sword.
The beastly instincts honed over a hundred years began to blare warnings incessantly.
Those are the eyes of a true predator.
The human before him was confident of victory. There was no need to engage to know this.
Silverback’s fur bristled involuntarily with fear.
“You’re not thinking of running, are you?”
Swish-
Jin’s body vanished from sight for a moment. Silverback hastily closed his right eye.
He was using one of his abilities, the lord’s gaze, to locate Jin.
But all Silverback’s right eye saw was pitch-black darkness.
“R-r-r-rk!”
Terrified, Silverback turned around. After all, his opponent was still human.
If he fled with all his might, living in the mountains his whole life, surely the human couldn’t catch him.
Slice-
Just as Silverback was about to kick off the ground, a sharp pain flared near his Achilles tendons.
“No can do. If I let you go here, it would be troublesome for me.”
Jin, who had slipped into Silverback’s blind spot, had slashed his Achilles tendons like lightning.
“Roar!!!”
Silverback’s howl of pain echoed through the surroundings. His legs wouldn’t hold strength.
Though his ankles weren’t severed, he couldn’t move them properly.
Despite living over a hundred years and sustaining countless injuries, this was a first.
Whatever trick it was, the human had used some strange method to prevent his escape. The opponent was a seasoned hunter.
Caught in the trap, the only way to survive was to kill the hunter at all costs.
“Human… whatever trick you used…”
Silverback, glaring at Jin, continued to speak haltingly. A chill ran up his spine.
Sensing this, Silverback instinctively bent backwards.
Slice-
A cold sword light grazed where his nape had been. It was a merciless strike.
“Damn, so close. Tch.”
Jin clicked his tongue, genuinely disappointed.
“You…”
Silverback’s eyes began to darken with rage.
He was activating the second ability granted by the demon.
As his eyes turned black, three scars resembling beast claws appeared on his forehead.
The beast’s brand.
Seeing the common mark in Deisa, Jin muttered to himself.
“This bastard, out of all possible contracts, you chose a low-rank one… Ick.”
At that moment.
A silver mass shot from Silverback’s hand towards Jin’s nape.
It was an elongated finger, disregarding the laws of physics.
At the tip, blackened nails dripped with venomous poison.
“…How did you do that, human?”
Jin effortlessly dodged the surprise attack that no one had ever avoided. Astonished, Silverback bared his fangs and opened his mouth wide.
“You see, I’m pretty good with theory, but my lack of actual combat experience meant my body couldn’t keep up. My master said if I stayed this way, I’d struggle to survive.”
Swoosh-
Jin twisted his body lightly to evade it, frowning as he muttered.
“So, to bridge that gap, do you know what I did for two weeks holed up in an inn?”
There was no way Silverback could know. Jin continued his monologue, regardless of whether Silverback was listening.
“I fought over a thousand times a day against monsters like you in my master’s mental realm. That damn old man. No, my master. I must have come close to dying or lost thousands of times. Even though it was self-inflicted… tch.”
Jin sighed deeply, muttering incomprehensible words.
‘Human. You let your guard down.’
Seizing what seemed like an opportunity, Silverback tensed the tips of his five fingers.
Swoosh-
The five snake-like fingers flew towards Jin, targeting the five points of his body.
“But after rolling around like that, a person really changes. My body started moving ahead of my thoughts. Honestly, I was a bit burdened by the idea of dodging your second phase properly.”
Slice-
As the sword light flashed around Jin, three of the venom-blackened fingers fell to the ground.
“Roar!!!”
Unable to bear the pain, Silverback screamed.
Jin lightly sidestepped the remaining two fingers and approached his trembling opponent.
Then, looking directly into the heavily breathing Silverback’s eyes, he spoke.
“How did it feel, killing the innocent and weak to offer as sacrifices? Oh, those mercenaries lying dead over there are exceptions. They were bad guys anyway.”
“…”
Instead of answering, Silverback clenched his intact left hand tightly. For a perceptive opponent, [Elongated Fingers] and [Poisonous Nails] wouldn’t work.
In that case, there was only one method left.
To use the greatest ability given by his ‘master’ to defeat the human.
‘Use [Hardened Skin] to crush his head.’
It was the ability he used to defeat Robert with a single blow, making his entire skin as hard as steel for a brief period.
Combining his immense strength with this skin, if he landed a hit, the opponent wouldn’t even have time to scream and would be reduced to a bloody pulp.
Crrk-
Silverback’s fist began to harden. Not just his fist, but his entire skin started to turn as hard as metal.
“Is this the start of Phase 3? Hmm… a bit sooner than I expected. Are you getting impatient?”
As his opponent closed in, muttering incomprehensible words, Silverback sat on the ground, clenching his left fist tightly.
Just one more step.
Responding to his expectations, Jin, with a relaxed expression, took another step forward.
“Die… human!!!”
With a roar, Silverback launched his fist with all his might, aiming for Jin’s heart. He intended to obliterate Jin’s upper body along with his weapon.
Just as Silverback’s fierce punch was about to make contact with Jin’s chest…
‘Master told me not to use this yet… but I can’t hold back.’
Jin, holding his sword at an angle, visualized a vivid image in his mind. The process of swinging the sword, the feel of the blade, and the splattering of Silverback’s blood—all appeared intensely real and vivid before him.
Vroom—
The core of Hyunchong responded, starting to pulsate.
Simultaneously,
[Mental Manifestation: Incomplete]
[Single Flash]
Swoosh—
A dazzling blade light traced across Silverback’s upper body.
A sensation both cold and hot.
Silverback’s vision tilted as the snow-covered ground approached his face.
Thud—
His upper body and lower body separated at the waist, Silverback looked up at Jin in disbelief.
“How…”
“How did I cut through leather tougher and harder than metal?” The answer was simple.
Leather was just leather. With Hyunchong activated and a firm image of ‘cutting’ in mind, even the toughest hide could be sliced like paper. This was the basic principle of Hyunchong’s [Mental Manifestation].
Recalling Idreon’s teachings, Jin grinned and shrugged.
“You wouldn’t understand in your lifetime… cough.”
Blood spurted from Jin’s mouth as he continued speaking, while Silverback, struggling for breath, let his head drop to the ground.
- You have defeated [King of the Vibbies, Silverback].
- Defeating a demon-level opponent has significantly increased your [Strength].
[Strength]
▶ [302]
Jin’s strength had nearly increased by 80 points at once. He was about to rejoice but then grimaced.
The strain of using Mental Manifestation against Silverback brought a wave of crushing pain throughout his body.
Pale-faced, Jin grumbled.
“As expected, I’m not ready for this yet. I should avoid using it for a while. I should’ve listened to Master.”
Collapsing to the ground, Jin looked around.
The Vibbie creatures were backing away, terrified, while Rat and Buta stared at Jin with a mix of awe and shock. Baron Etvan had removed his eyepatch, gaping, and the coachman was crying tears of joy.
Seeing their varied reactions, Jin chuckled and shouted at the surrounding Vibbies.
“Hey, your boss is dead. I’ll give you 5 seconds. Get out of my sight before I change my mind about letting you go.”
“Kiiiiik-!!!”
Understanding Jin’s words, the Vibbies exchanged glances and fled into the snowy mountains.
Once they were completely gone, Jin gestured to Rat, who was sheathing his sword.
“I don’t have the strength to walk, so carry me to the carriage. And clean and pack the sword. Oh, and load that gorilla’s body into the carriage too.”
“Yes! Sir! At your command!”
Saluting, Rat picked Jin up and rushed towards the carriage.
“What is that…!!!”
From a distance, atop the snowy mountain peak, a red wolf widened its eyes in shock. Flames flickered from the wings on its back, scattering embers around.
“This is dangerous. It seems better to kill him now before he becomes a problem.”
Three claw marks, similar to those on Silverback, were etched into his forehead.
As the wolf took a step, intense heat radiated from him, melting the eternal snow around the summit.
“It’s best to remove the problem early.”
Just as he took another step, a delicate female voice called from behind him.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
The wolf had sensed nothing.
Startled, he halted.
“Who are you?”
“Violet Aster. Just call me Violet. I followed you because it seemed interesting, and it looks like I’ve found an unexpected prize.”
A familiar name.
Almost all of his kind knew of her existence.
“…The Witch of Reverse Consumption!”
“Oh my, an honorable demon recognizing little old me. But I don’t like that title. Just call me the Medical Front or Violet.”
Her voice, laced with laughter, tickled his ears. He tensed, gathering his aura.
“If you know me, you should quietly back off.”
“No, I haven’t finished talking yet.”
Ignoring the scorching heat, Violet continued to scan a parchment marked with the Seal of the Pillar Lord.
“Hmm…this seems to match. A demon resembling a wolf with wings of flame. Temporary designation, Bestia.”
“If you know me, you should step back quietly.”
Bestia growled in a low voice. Flames roared more fiercely behind him.
“I said, I haven’t finished talking.”
Despite the scorching heat, Violet calmly continued reading the parchment.
“Demon of the Beast, Bestia. Claims to be a higher demon but is actually a lower demon without a name. Grants some authority to spiritual animals…no need to read further. Just a small fry.”
Violet chuckled, tossing the parchment. It burned to ashes in Bestia’s flames, scattering black fragments.
“Well, anyway. You were trying to kill the young master, right?”
“…And if I was?”
“Then you die.”
A twisted smile formed on Violet’s lips. A chilling killing intent pierced him like a spike.
Panicking, Bestia prepared to leap away.
Swoosh—
A black mist rose from Violet, enveloping Bestia.
“What is this…”
Alarmed, Bestia unleashed his flames. It seemed somewhat effective, slightly weakening the mist advancing toward him.
‘I need to escape.’
This woman is a monster.
A monster so powerful even a demon like him couldn’t handle.
Realizing this, he knew he had to escape at all costs.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem as fast, merely watching his retreat.
“You wretched woman. I’ll repay this humiliation someday…”
Bestia stopped mid-sentence, sensing something wrong. He should be running, but his legs weren’t visible.
Instead, numerous insects were devouring him.
Crunch, crunch—
Different types of insects relentlessly gnawed at his flesh.
“…What?”
Bestia whispered in shock, seeing his legs stripped to the bone.
Insects had crawled up to his chin.
His core, which stored his demonic energy, seemed to have been devoured as no flames emerged.
Buzz—
A particularly black fly landed on his eyeball.
And then.
It was the last thing he saw in this world.
Crunch, crunch, crunch—
As Violet watched from the peak, Bestia was reduced to bones and devoured.
“Thank you for the meal,” she muttered.
