Chapter 161: The Misty Sea Tribe (2)
“Chief Song Taewon!”
I called out to him while signaling to Noah. Noah quickly understood and came closer, lifting me up. With a powerful flap of his wings, he carried me straight to where Song Taewon and the others were.
“About the Plunder skill.”
I spoke as I assessed the giant’s condition. Perhaps because he had lost an arm, Choi Seokwon wasn’t recklessly charging in and was instead facing off against Liette. Spikes rippled ominously across the black dragon’s entire body, crackling with menace.
“You can apply it to weapons, right? Is it possible to activate the skill while someone else is holding a large spear?”
Thanks to the Dragon Rider skill, Kang Soyeong had a massive spear among her arsenal of weapons. She had often complained about how an A-grade weapon, bought at a steep price, was wasting away in her inventory because she lacked the necessary monster mount to use it properly.
“If the Plunder skill is applied, it should be enough to pierce through that armor.”
“That’s impossible.”
Song Taewon responded firmly.
“Plunder reduces the effectiveness of the weapon it’s applied to. This includes the weapon’s skills, abilities, and even its durability. The weapon would break before it could pierce through the armor. That’s one of the reasons I primarily use mid-grade weapons. I prioritize durability over performance.”
Even so, he said the weapons would still break after a few uses. Truly a double-edged sword. Since Song Taewon’s body was impervious to most skill-based attacks, it seemed he had no choice but to rely on hand-to-hand combat in most of his battles.
If Plunder applies to both parties, even an S-grade spear might not hold up against that armor, which was likely an SS-grade skill. Add the force of a charge, and the strain on the weapon would be immense.
If I could find a spear tough enough to withstand it despite being weakened by Plunder… Ah.
I have one.
“Hyung, what are you doing?”
Han Yuhyun frowned as he approached, seeing me removing the bracelet, Grace.
“You shouldn’t take that off.”
“It’s fine if I stay airborne with Noah. That thing doesn’t have wings, does it?”
“But still…”
“I’ll dodge safely right away. Grace.”
— Beep!
A blue bird fluttered into existence.
“As long as its damage-nullifying skill doesn’t activate, others can use it as a regular weapon, right?”
— Beep.
Grace chirped in response, as if confirming my words. If it couldn’t be wielded by anyone else, I wouldn’t have been able to lose it so many times already.
“Transform into a spear. The largest, most robust charge spear you can.”
The blue bird returned to its gemstone form, and the bracelet began to shift. It elongated rapidly, growing past my height. The weight increased so quickly that I had to set it down on the ground to keep from dropping it.
Moments later, a massive spear, about three meters long, appeared. It was translucent, with a blue hue that glimmered like a gemstone. Wave-like patterns were elegantly etched into its surface, making it look more like a decorative piece than a practical weapon. Honestly, it seemed so fragile that it might shatter if swung carelessly.
“It has an L-grade durability rating.”
“…What?”
“He said it’s unbreakable. On the other hand, that thing is only SS-grade.”
I declared confidently. Grace, likely the most durable item in existence, wouldn’t falter under the Plunder skill. Even weakened, it would remain above S-grade.
“Yuhyun, can you draw the giant’s attention? But don’t overdo it.”
“At that speed, it won’t be a problem.”
“Be careful; it seems to be getting faster.”
Despite everything, its stats were SS-grade. While some monsters like the giant toad Babar focused solely on defense and were slower and clumsier than mid-level Hunters, this one had Choi Seokwon as its base. Even with heavy armor, it was unlikely to be sluggish.
Yuhyun leapt into the air. Iryn swirled around his arm before igniting into flames. The spirit fire spread out gracefully, consuming the blue willow leaves scattered around.
Hundreds, thousands of fiery petals danced in the air.
‘So it can do that too.’
I’d never seen anything like this when he used Black Flame. Originally intended to obscure an enemy’s vision, the blue willow leaves turned into flames and swirled chaotically around the giant. The flames didn’t damage its body, merely fizzling out with a hiss when they touched it. However, the eyes made of mist were different. Each time a fiery petal touched them, they evaporated as if being eaten away.
The giant swung its massive arm with a creaking sound, but it was nearly impossible to swat away all the fluttering petals. While its vision was obstructed…
Iryn leapt off Yuhyun’s arm and dove toward the ground. Quietly blending into the earth, the fire salamander approached the giant’s feet and unleashed an intense burst of heat. The ground softened and melted, causing its heavy legs to sink into the softened terrain.
‘If Yerim were here, she could freeze it solid in this state.’
Yuhyun was doing well. Even without his memories, it seemed his body instinctively knew how to handle Iryn. There was no need to worry. I turned my gaze away from the staggering giant and shouted toward the black dragon.
“Liette, Hunter Kang Soyeong!”
At my call, Liette leapt back and came toward me. The dragon lowered its head, and Kang Soyeong, who had been perched on it, waved her hand in my direction.
Because Liette was so massive, rather than riding on her back like a typical mount, an apparatus resembling a saddle had been secured on her head. Thick ropes were tied firmly between the spikes, making the setup appear sturdy. It was the perfect position to charge with a spear in hand.
“Use this spear to attack.”
“That? Won’t it break?”
— It looks like it’ll shatter into pieces with just one hit.
“It won’t break. It doesn’t have any special abilities, but its durability is L-grade. Chief Song Taewon’s skill will be applied to it. You saw it earlier, didn’t you? When it weakened the armor.”
“Yes! But is it really L-grade in durability? That’s incredible!”
“It’s only good for its durability, though.”
While other weapons were durable too, they typically had added utility or stats that made them more versatile. There wasn’t much point in using something that only boasted durability when you had access to gear that boosted stats and came with useful skills. Grace, for example, was a bit of a specialty item for situations like this.
Song Taewon took the spear and leapt onto Liette’s head. Kang Soyeong received the spear and lightly aimed it forward, as if wielding a fishing rod. She secured the butt of the spear by wedging it between the dragon’s spikes, locking it into place.
Song Taewon also positioned himself next to her. As his hand touched the spear, a black shadow crawled up along the blue spear blade.
“Noah, you haven’t used your Stat Lending skill yet, have you? Please lend strength to Kang Soyeong and activate as many support skills as you can.”
— Got it!
Noah reverted to his human form, keeping only his wings out.
“It’s safer to stay in human form without the bracelet.”
He said this while lifting me into his arms and ascending into the air. Without Grace, it would’ve been a bit nerve-wracking to stay perched on the dragon’s back. In dragon form, Noah could have held me with his claws, but that risked injuring me. Mid-flight, Belare, who had been riding with Noah, nudged her head against me.
— Shiii.
“You’ve got it tough all of a sudden, huh?”
I had only brought her out thinking she’d go back in quickly.
“All set, unnie!”
Kang Soyeong shouted confidently. Her face was slightly flushed, likely from excitement. She must have been overwhelmed with power—combining the full stats of an S-rank Hunter with Noah’s borrowed strength stat was bound to make her feel invincible.
And now, with the boosted Liette to complete the equation.
— Karrurrr!
The black dragon let out a rumble that sounded almost playful. Lowering her head, she coiled her body and braced her legs against the ground.
The giant’s movement was still restricted by Yuhyun. It was a massive, slow target—the perfect prey.
A black aura shimmered at the tip of the spear, and Liette’s claws dug into the ground. Beneath her scales, tightly packed muscles rippled ominously.
And then, like a fully drawn bowstring being released, her massive body shot forward. The distance between the giant and the dragon closed in an instant.
Yuhyun pulled back his flames, and Kang Soyeong gritted her teeth. Just before the spear tip collided with the giant’s chest, Song Taewon maximized the mass of the already heavy spear.
And then—
BOOOOM!
A thunderous crash shook the entire area. The sheer physical impact of the spear’s charge resembled the simultaneous detonation of dozens of bombs, rattling everything around it.
The spear struck the giant’s chest dead-on. Its armor caved inward, and as the Plunder skill seeped into it, the armor was torn apart as if caught in a violent storm. The blue spear plunged in without resistance, slicing through the shredded armor like paper.
Deeper, and even deeper still.
Finally, a massive hole was carved into the giant, splitting its enormous body in half.
Kraaaaa—!
Even after piercing through the giant’s torso, the remaining force continued forward, obliterating the buildings in a straight line beyond.
“Noah, use your healing skill!”
With an attack of that magnitude, the recoil would’ve been immense. Sure enough, Kang Soyeong’s arms were completely broken, and the spikes on Liette’s back that had braced the spear had snapped off. Song Taewon’s hand, which had been pressing against the spear, was nearly pulverized.
While Liette and Song Taewon could manage, Kang Soyeong couldn’t even lift a potion herself. Noah flew over quickly and activated his healing skill.
Rumble.
The giant’s body, torn almost entirely in two, began to collapse. Kang Soyeong, who had been gritting her teeth through the pain, suddenly grinned wide.
“That was AMAZING! I could die fifty years from now and still have no regrets!”
…Fifty years from now? In this era of people living into their hundreds, that’s pretty short for an A-rank Hunter. Isn’t it too early to be talking about dying without regrets?
— Our Sweetie really doesn’t ask for much.
This was the same person who had boldly declared that she intended to collect every dragon in existence.
As I climbed down from Liette’s head, the spear transformed back into a bracelet. Sliding Grace back onto my wrist, I retrieved a mana potion and took a sip. The fatigue weighing down on me was intense. I deactivated my Teacher skill. There were too many S-ranks around. Even Kang Soyeong was at an S-rank level right now.
I just wanted to go home and collapse into bed. Speaking of which, where was Seong Hyunjae? Was he walking here or something? At this rate, he was going to show up ridiculously late. Maybe I should just text him to let him know the party’s over and to go home.
‘How am I supposed to recover Yuhyun’s memories?’
It would’ve been nice if they came back on their own. I turned to look at Yuhyun—
Rumble.
A deafening crash assaulted my ears, and I was suddenly flung into the air. Even after hitting the ground, I couldn’t immediately grasp what was happening.
Forcing my head up, I was met with the stench of thick blood. In the distance, I saw a figure standing in the place where the giant had fallen. I used my Promising Talent skill to assess him.
[Awakened ? Choi Seokwon (Clan of the Harmless)
Current Stat Grade: SSS
Potential Awakening Stat Grade: A~S]
For a moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Stat grade: SSS. It had risen a full level above what it had been when he was a giant. A Fear Resistance message window popped up in front of me, and the metallic scent of blood hanging in the air felt like it was clawing through my mind.
Still, no other message windows appeared yet. That meant I was still safe.
“…Choi Seokwon!”
I shouted as I forced myself to my feet. His gaze shifted toward me. Clenching my teeth, I quickly scanned my surroundings.
The first thing I noticed was the fallen black dragon. One of Liette’s shoulders had been deeply split open, pouring blood. She wasn’t unconscious—her golden eyes gleamed fiercely as she bared her teeth, but she couldn’t rise. Whether it was due to skill effects or pure exhaustion, I couldn’t tell.
Nearby, Kang Soyeong lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious. Beside her, Song Taewon was barely managing to lift his upper body. I wasn’t sure where he was injured, but bloodstains were visible.
And Noah… Noah was collapsed some distance away amidst the debris. His golden wings drooped lifelessly. He wasn’t moving, but since his Final Recompense hadn’t activated, he was still alive.
“You didn’t obtain that much power without paying a price, did you?”
I began to walk toward Choi Seokwon. He was clad in armor similar to what he’d worn as a giant. The skin visible above his collar was deathly pale, like that of a corpse. His hair, a murky blue like condensed mist, swayed unnaturally, and his eyes were no longer human.
“Tell me, what did you give up?”
Swallowing hard, I glanced to the side. My brother came into view. He wasn’t unconscious; he was sitting with his body curled up, staring at me with a bloodless face. There were traces of bloodstains spreading around him.
A chill ran down my spine, but he was still okay for now.
I turned back to Choi Seokwon and forced a smile.
“It doesn’t seem like you gave up something small. I might be able to help you, you know.”
“You can help me?”
Finally, Choi Seokwon spoke. His voice was dry, like the rasp of sandpaper.
“And how would you do that?”
“Well, I happen to know the jellyfish you made a contract with. We’ve met a few times. Judging by your current state, things don’t seem normal. Are you just going to let yourself fully turn into a monster? Or is this you burning your final flame?”
At my words, his lips twisted into a crooked smile.
“At first, it was half of the life I had left. Now, I’ve got about a day remaining. That first deal… damn it, it was practically a trap.”
“A trap? Come on. If some random person shouted, ‘Take my life and make me the strongest,’ they’d just get called edgy or something.”
F-ranks don’t even get offers like that. I continued speaking, enjoying the way Choi Seokwon’s face contorted in frustration.
“Want me to tell you how to survive?”
He moved. In an instant, he was in front of me, grabbing me by the collar and yanking me roughly.
“Hyung!”
I heard my brother’s cracked voice call out. Please, just stay put.
“Elixirs or curse removals won’t work. It’s not simply a matter of losing lifespan—it’s something that woman takes for herself.”
“Then it’ll be even easier. That jellyfish seems to desire me quite a lot.”
I smacked his hand lightly, signaling for him to let go of my collar, as I continued speaking.
“Far more than you, actually. So take me to her and negotiate.”
Beg her to spare your life.
–TL Notes–
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