Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: The Breaker
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The next day, House Head Everick summoned Arsen and introduced him to the warriors.
These were the ones who would be mobilized for the war against the Olmu.
Five knights and thirty regular warriors. All the warriors hailed from nearby settlements that served the Guide bloodline as their liege.
Each carried a crossbow and wore a large sword at their side.
"Greet him properly. While Arsen is technically my great-grandnephew in private, in this war against the Olmu, he is the representative of the surface-dwellers who will play a major role—so treat him with the utmost respect, without any negligence."
"Understood!"
The number of them who lightly bowed their heads toward Arsen in greeting was exactly five.
They included Shatia and the other three young knights who had come with him, plus one more slightly older knight.
Contrary to initial expectations, the Guide bloodline possessed a staggering eight knights in total. Considering the clan numbered only around sixty members, it was an extraordinarily high proportion.
Lending out three of them might seem cause for complaint at a glance, but looking at the three knights who remained behind, it was clear Everick had made an effort to provide substantial support.
"Regrettably, I can't spare any more than this."
"No, Grandfather, this is more than enough."
One was a girl three or four years younger than Arsen, too immature to expect much from yet. Another was House Head Everick himself, already past seventy and no longer at his peak.
The only fully capable one among them was the middle-aged man—Everick's youngest brother and, to Arsen, something like a granduncle—who could truly be called reliable combat strength.
With two knights unable to perform their duties, leaving the settlement without even this one would have been too burdensome.
Everick nodded silently at Arsen's words, then introduced another person.
"And this is Uncle Oron."
"Pleased to meet you..."
The old man waving at Arsen appeared to be over ninety at first glance. His back was hunched, his eyes clouded over to the point where the bloodline's signature purple hue was no longer visible.
Oron was the one who had retrieved the Isht spear—the drill spear—that Arsen wielded, from the underground secret chamber.
He was also one of the two Guides currently existing within the bloodline.
"I'm truly grateful for bringing out the spear, Uncle."
"Eh?"
Oron seemed to be hard of hearing even in his thin ears, gesturing as if he hadn't caught Arsen's response.
It was a wonder how such an old man had hauled that heavy spear from underground. Perhaps Oron had simply held the spear, while Everick carried Oron.
Everick stepped closer and shouted into Oron's ear.
"He says he's grateful, Uncle!"
"Oh, oho! Of course, it's the least I could do. Not just me— you've been working hard too, Everick. Lucky for us I'm so scrawny these days."
It was a statement that proved Arsen's hypothesis.
The old man spoke in a cheerful tone, then suddenly widened his eyes at Arsen.
His cataract-clouded purple eyes came into view.
"Once you've wiped out the Olmu, I'd like to take a look at the surface myself sometime. It'll make for a fine spectacle before I kick the bucket."
The old man grinned, revealing his toothless gums.
* * *
They traversed the underground swiftly via various secret passages, just as they had come. The addition of the regular warriors slowed their pace somewhat, but it was still quick.
On the way, Marun looked utterly dejected. He had finally visited such an exotic place, only to mess up and miss out on any sightseeing.
Suddenly, his eyes caught on one of the weapons dangling from Arsen's Jin.
A bizarre weapon with what resembled a spike instead of a spear blade at the tip.
"Sir Arsen, is that the weapon you got here? It looks so strange."
"Yes. It's a powerful relic. It'll be a huge help. I haven't tested it on a real opponent yet, though."
"How does it work?"
"Not easy to show right now. It's way too loud."
Using it in such a narrow passage—especially at full power—would echo so intensely that even Arsen himself might lose his hearing.
Of course, the sound-sensitive Olmu and other subterranean magic beasts would suffer far worse.
For serious use, he'd need a wider space.
It wasn't long before they stumbled upon two human corpses during their march.
The bodies bore black stains and puncture wounds. Shatia and the other bloodline knights grimaced as if they'd seen something they wished they hadn't.
"Urgh... this is that thing, right? The one that uses poison?"
"Fierce Poison Thorn Snake. What a pain."
"Can't just leave it be, though. Gotta catch dangerous ones like this when you spot them. Letting it grow will only make it more trouble."
Fierce Poison Thorn Snake.
A massive serpent covered in spines dripping venom from its back and flanks. Uneatable and extremely hazardous, it was a magic beast that had to be exterminated on sight.
Though ten meters long, its snake-like slenderness made it ideal for narrow underground passages.
Even Olmu avoided it unless in large numbers—it was called the tyrant of the depths.
Shatia let out a sigh and turned to Arsen.
"Arsen, we need to take this one out. It's too aggressive to ignore. And we're not far from our settlement here."
"Of course. I'll help."
Shatia nodded gratefully at Arsen's words, then turned to Wigen.
"Where is it?"
"Hang on, snake sounds, snake sounds..."
The sharp-eared Wigen pressed his ear to the ground and closed his eyes.
A few seconds later, he slapped the floor and stood.
"Left side up ahead. Heavy dragging sound, like its belly scraping. Looks like it's made a nest on the left pan of the scales."
Marun piped up at that.
"What's the left pan?"
"The terrain around here looks like a scale when mapped out. And among..."
"Stop. You're talking too much."
As Wigen started rambling in response to Marun, Shatia quickly cut him off.
Wigen shut his mouth and nodded cautiously.
"I'll guide you."
Following Wigen, Arsen lightly stroked the new weapon tied to his Jin.
Thanks to Marun's curiosity, an opportunity to test it had arrived.
This time, the opponent wasn't an Olmu, but a magic beast.
* * *
"It's hiding so blatantly. Amazing we only found it now."
"Probably hasn't been here long. Would've been spotted ages ago if it had."
As someone had said, the Fierce Poison Thorn Snake's lair brazenly advertised its presence.
Not in a narrow passage, but smack in the middle of a spacious cavern large enough to serve as a settlement if the entrance were concealed.
Bits of gnawed metal, other materials, and creature bones woven into a spherical nest—it evoked a swallow's home.
Atop it, a single serpent coiled in slumber.
It showed no wariness, as if proclaiming itself the apex predator of the underground.
On the surface, it wouldn't be considered particularly huge, but among the preponderance of small magic beasts down here, it was a top predator.
Arsen stepped forward first and declared,
"Hold on. I'll handle it alone—to test the weapon."
The newly joined middle-aged knight—roughly Arsen's cousin once removed—voiced mild concern, but the other four nodded as if to say, do as you wish.
Having witnessed Arsen's prowess already, they figured this was no issue.
As he drew the spear, Marun asked admiringly,
"Oh, so I get to see that relic's power?"
"Yes. Haven't checked its real combat performance yet. Perfect chance to test it beforehand."
Answering, Arsen gripped the spear and slowly urged Black Lion forward. Once he'd closed to a certain distance, the serpent in the nest against the wall began uncoiling with a slither.
It had detected Arsen's presence.
'Already?'
Snakes typically had degenerate hearing, but whether due to being a magic beast with keen ears or sensing vibrations, this one immediately opened its eyes to the intruder's approach.
It reared its head and gaped its jaws wide.
"It spits venom from its mouth too!"
Someone's advice came from behind.
Would've been nice if they'd mentioned that with the features earlier. Grumbling inwardly, Arsen focused on the snake's maw.
Sure enough, venom sprayed from its mouth at that instant.
Like dodging a sneeze's spittle, it was too fast for normal reaction.
'Let's see...'
But with his thought acceleration maxed, Arsen could track the dark liquid shooting forth— even watch it bead, scatter, and merge.
He twisted his body sharply, evading every drop.
Thanks to Black Lion's elastic movement, the venom sliced harmlessly through empty air to splatter on the floor.
'No wonder it's such a nuisance.'
Word was, its poison caused instant shock death in commoners and agonizing pain in knights severe enough to make them want to amputate the afflicted area. Leather armor got riddled with holes.
A beast that unleashed such horror so swiftly would be a tough opponent. Charge recklessly and get dosed, and it'd be game over.
Arsen calmly maneuvered Black Lion, circling to dodge sprays while closing in.
The ancient master craftsman's pinnacle creation—the Jin's explosive agility—made such feats possible.
A few tiny droplets did splatter his armor, but they inflicted no damage.
'Here we go!'
Judging the distance right, Arsen channeled mana into the drill spear.
KIIIIING—it began to spin.
A deafening roar reverberated, tormenting the ears of Arsen who gripped it. Logically, the wielder endured the worst of a weapon's noise.
But Arsen wasn't the only one suffering.
SSSSSHHHHHH------------!
Incredibly, the snake writhed in agony, thrashing wildly. Its considerable bulk made the ground quake with each spasm.
It seemed hypersensitive to noise, taking heavy impact.
'Excellent—way better than expected.'
Pleased with the superior results, Arsen circled behind it. The zone shielded by fierce poison spines, which most avoided approaching.
As the spear pierced its back, he maxed the mana, ramping rotation to full—the drill shredded the embedded spines mercilessly with a grinding whine.
Like an electric saw devouring branches, and considering the spines' famed hardness as weapon material, it was phenomenal.
SSSSSHHHHHH------------!
The beast hissed madly, thrusting its head back to defend its spines. For Arsen, it was most welcome.
The test was over; the subject was expendable.
Carrying his momentum, Arsen rammed the spear into the proffered head.
A massive horn erupted atop its skull.
"Hah!"
The instant the spear struck, a crunch echoed as the drill splintered the tough cranium like bamboo.
Burrowing in, it whirred furiously, blendering the brain matter into pulp.
Naturally, no creature survived that.
SSSSHHH-----!
Even amid it, the snake uttered a final screech of pain and despair before going limp.
Standing before the corpse, Arsen gazed at the drill spear and let out a low murmur of admiration.
"...Oh."
He hefted his axe and struck a section where spines remained intact, testing personally.
Incredibly, even with his strength and skill, shattering them wasn't easy. The drill had pulverized them effortlessly on contact.
All thanks to rotational destructive power.
'This exceeds my wildest imaginings.'
Overwhelming devastation, plus the roar's ability to disrupt sound- or vibration-sensitive creatures.
A treasure of treasures, all the more regrettable since it was borrowed, not gifted.
If it had been his, he'd have passed the now-obsolete Wind Axe to another knight.
Arsen caressed the spear wistfully.