Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Giant Venom Stinger Scorpion
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The strategy for taking down the Giant Venom Stinger Scorpion was simple.
Just pierce its tough exoskeleton and deal sustained damage to the insides.
Simple in theory, but far from an easy process.
Breaking through that exoskeleton was no walk in the park to begin with.
And the knights hammering away at it proved the point.
“Hup!”
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
They were wrapping themselves in Aura and striking relentlessly, but not a single scratch.
From the looks of it, they’d been struggling against that shell the whole time...
‘Their Aura’s too weak.’
Compared to the scorpion’s exoskeleton, their Aura power was laughably feeble.
To crack a shell that tough, you’d need Aura at least on par with Silver-Haired Knight Shuhan’s level.
‘Tch tch, how are these so-called upper knights worse than Shuhan?’
Honestly, the knights looked a bit pathetic.
With skills like that, it was like they were advertising, “I got my upper knight rank through connections~”
‘Knights need a complete system overhaul, as always.’
Unlike mages, knights’ promotions were heavily influenced by their family background.
Even with the skill, no good lineage meant stalled advancement. Great family? Skill didn’t matter—you’d climb anyway.
That’s why you often saw talentless hacks wearing upper knight badges, like right now.
Of course, there were real knights who rose purely on merit.
‘Shuhan was the real deal.’
The thought drifted that way for a moment.
Silver-Haired Knight Shuhan Philedia.
Wonder what that guy’s up to now.
Not hard to guess, really.
‘Probably still roaming around, hunting for my heart.’
He’d likely hit mid-tier knight by now.
The guy already had the skills for it.
Maybe even upper knight.
I etched the fact into my mind once more: a monster like that was after my heart.
But.
‘Think I can take him now?’
Honestly, he didn’t scare me anymore.
I was a proper 5th-circle mage now.
No—practically 6th-circle power.
Upper knights might be a stretch, but mid-tier? I could handle them no problem.
Sure, if Shuhan hadn’t fully shown his hand yet, it could go either way.
But that just made it more exciting.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
What would happen if we clashed now?
That curiosity filled me up.
“...Yeah, calm down.”
I’d find out eventually anyway.
I settled my racing heart and refocused on the situation at hand.
Analyzing its movements so far, with me, Barundel, and even those idiot knights pitching in, we could definitely take it down.
Decision made, I called out.
“Barundel!”
“I’m ready!”
I signaled him and charged into the fray.
The thing immediately turned its gaze our way.
Sensing the killing intent, maybe.
Sharp senses, as expected from a variant.
Screeech! Scree-screeech!
It thrashed its body, letting out that nauseating insect screech.
And right then.
Whoosh!
A stinger that could kill in one hit came streaking toward us.
I naturally slowed my charge, while Barundel swung his axe like he’d been waiting.
Thwack!
The Giant Venom Stinger Scorpion’s stinger veered off course from [Anatak’s Massive Axe].
And that flowed right into my magic.
“Take a flashbang.”
Boom!
The orb of light I’d hurled erupted in a blinding flash right in front of its eyes.
The scorpion froze for a moment, screeching in agony.
Screeeech!!
One downside: the mini flashbang didn’t do much.
Scorpions, living in the dark, had poor eyesight to begin with.
They sensed vibrations through their underbelly and hunted with superior sensory organs.
A single mini flashbang wasn’t enough for a solid hit.
But.
‘Just need a second.’
That brief window was all I wanted.
Right on cue, Barundel—who’d turned his head—leaped forward with all his might.
His [Anatak’s Massive Axe] swung parallel to his path.
The scorpion belatedly raised its claws upon sensing the approach, but too late.
Clang-clang-clang!
Barundel burrowed in and smashed its body.
Sparks flew from the clash of metal and hide.
A stark reminder of how tough that exoskeleton was.
But.
‘Not against a legendary artifact.’
Crack-sizzle!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the supposedly unbreakable shell.
Thanks to the unique effect of the legendary artifact, [Anatak’s Massive Axe].
-Physical Penetration +50
That +50 penetration boost.
Reason why [Anatak’s Massive Axe] was top-tier among legendaries, outcutting even same-class swords.
50 was equivalent to a decent knight’s Aura.
Add Barundel’s raw power and axe mastery, and it was a miracle the shell held at all.
Scree-screeech!
The scorpion, struck in the torso, sensed danger and shifted into a defensive stance.
Far more guarded than before.
Seemed like it planned to counter anything that came close...
That was the difference between regular mobs and variants.
Normals just charged mindlessly, desperate to attack.
And even.
Ssssh! Ssssh!
It sprayed venom from its tail, pooling poison around itself.
Made closing in way trickier.
Definitely smarter than the average beast.
But it overlooked one thing.
I was a mage.
Whoooosh!
A shimmering light gathered in my palm.
It shaped into a spear, and I naturally assumed the stance.
The javelin throw I’d mastered by now.
Crunch...
The world seemed to hush, my vision tunneling to just the Giant Venom Stinger Scorpion.
Advanced focus, honed from magic practice, kicking in.
Holding that focus, I carefully extended my arm.
Legs anchoring to the ground.
Waist coiling for torque.
Arm exploding with final speed.
Every muscle fired at once.
Boosted by soul imprint, awakening, and holy power.
Bang!
The light spear I’d poured everything into rocketed straight at it.
Screech!
It raised both claws to block.
Even variants had intelligence limits, huh.
Poor choice.
“Don’t block—dodge.”
Clang-clang-crash!
The spear pierced its claws.
Sparks led to a satisfying sound.
Thud!
Screeeeech!!
Its claw punctured, the thing howled.
The others weren’t standing idle.
Barundel vaulted over the poison puddle into the air, while the sharper knights flanked its rear.
Then the all-out assault.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Screech! Screeeeech!
Bombarded from all sides, it flailed in confusion.
It kept trying to stab with its stinger between swings, but Barundel blocked each one with his axe.
I chipped in with light swords.
The result.
Screeee...
Its strength visibly ebbed.
We pressed the attack without mercy.
That one-sided beatdown boosted morale among the volunteer mercenaries and regular soldiers holding off the other demons.
“W-We’re winning!”
“Those mages are incredible...”
“Just hold on a bit longer! Don’t let a single one through!”
How much time passed?
Scree... screeee...
Thud!
After enduring forever under the onslaught, it finally collapsed.
Its exoskeleton shattered beyond recognition.
Only flimsy, yellowish flesh barely held it together.
Barundel strode up casually and swung.
Slice-!
Its head came off clean.
He shook the blood from his axe.
“One more down.”
His flat tone sounded like the war was already over.
***
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Heavy footsteps echoed endlessly.
An endless column marched behind.
Third rift sealed right on schedule—reinforcements had arrived.
Elbert shook hands with the reinforcement commander and briefed him.
“I hear the casualties were minimal... Sir Elbert, your command skills never rust, do they? Impressive.”
“Haha, all thanks to the soldiers following orders. Can’t match the 2nd Knight Commander’s talent, though.”
“No need for such humility. Your reputation precedes you...”
What... Well, less briefing, more mutual ass-kissing.
Not weird.
Knight commanders, field officers—they were all office politicians at heart.
“No new rifts so far. As reported, three upper demons total from the rifts...”
“Oh? All downed? Exceeding expectations.”
“Special note: unstable demonic energy from the third rift...”
Anyway, handover complete.
Elbert Tyron gathered us in the command tent.
Like day one, gearing up for a speech.
We waited, exhausted, as he stomped in with his boots.
His bright expression suggested today’s battle pleased him.
“Soldiers, you’ve done well. Far better than yesterday.”
“......”
“......”
Everyone too beat to respond, maybe.
Elbert nodded understandingly, arms crossed.
“No need to look so glum. I’ve meticulously recorded every single one of your deeds.”
Flutter-flutter.
He pulled a paper from his sleeve and waved it.
Too small to read, but crammed with writing—looked like he really tracked every contribution.
“Rewards will match your efforts. Those who fought honorably get wealth and glory. Slackers? They get what they earned. Right?”
“Yes, sir!”
“So work harder, yeah? Look at this—one crazy mage’s tally. When this war ends, he’ll be richer than me.”
“Heh heh heh.”
The soldiers chuckled and nodded at Elbert’s joke.
He smirked back, then pumped morale one last time.
“So enjoy the grind. Dismissed.”
[Prophecy of the Red Moon] Wave 2.
We’d survived the day, and things were still going smoothly.