Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Duel in the Serpent Jungle
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Sahā Realm Dungeon, deep in the Snake Den's jungle.
Pensaldor and Leyzon were still locked in a tense standoff.
'That red shadow just now.'
Pensaldor had no idea what the shadow surging up from beneath Leyzon's feet had been.
But he could only hope it was a one-time stroke of luck on Leyzon's part.
If he failed to kill him here, the Steel Wolf Guild's atrocities would come to light.
The blame would fall squarely on Pensaldor, leading to his excommunication—it was obvious.
Liren would gladly sell him out without a second thought.
And the Empire would brand him a criminal on the spot.
This was the last thing Pensaldor wanted.
'Tch, I never should have taken this escort gig.'
Pensaldor flung his robe open with a sharp whoosh.
In that instant, the daggers lining the inside jingled faintly.
His class was Dagger Master.
A specialist in wielding daggers freely, he was especially formidable in PvP combat.
That might have been why.
Why he'd ultimately given up on clearing the dungeon himself.
What you fought in a dungeon weren't humans, but Phantasmal Beasts.
Shhrrrr!
But his opponent now was human.
Just someone with some unknown special skill.
'Every skill has its strengths and weaknesses.'
The stronger the skill, the longer the cooldown and the harsher the restrictions.
If that shadow under Leyzon's feet was a skill...
It was bound to have other limitations.
'Ever since it first appeared, that guy's been standing stock-still without moving an inch.'
Maybe it was a skill that only triggered if he stayed rooted in place for a set time.
A dagger slipped from Pensaldor's sleeve into his hand.
Even as this unfolded, Leyzon wore that same relaxed smile.
Far too composed.
It meant he had something to back it up.
Pensaldor pegged Leyzon as a full-on threat.
Thud—
Finally, Pensaldor kicked off the ground and leaped forward.
His foe was some bizarre shadow-wielding mage.
'That skill from before was poison-related.'
Black bandages erupted from Pensaldor's neck, swiftly covering his entire body.
His Unique-grade gear, Black Bandages.
It blocked debuff-based attacks for a limited time.
This would buy him enough window to figure out a counter.
Black Bandages (Unique)
Blocks debuffs for a limited duration
His dagger shot out from his grip.
Whirr!
The blade thrust straight toward Leyzon in an instant.
Clang!
But once again, it stopped just short of Leyzon.
A surging red shadow blocked it.
Pensaldor didn't let up.
Swift Step (B)
Boosts Dagger Master's agility and movement speed during activation
He footworked around, relentlessly hurling daggers at Leyzon.
Clang! Claaang! Clang!
But Leyzon's shadow deflected every single one.
Pensaldor circled Leyzon nonstop.
Daggers poured from him, only to bounce off and scatter.
For the first time in ages, Pensaldor felt the ache of overexertion in his fingers.
He'd thrown so many, yet Leyzon hadn't budged.
'Confirmed.'
That shadow only activates when he's stationary.
His total lack of reaction was proof.
'In that case...'
Just force him to move.
Pensaldor's hand emerged from his sleeve.
No dagger this time.
Instead, he pinched his thumb and middle finger, aiming.
The countless daggers scattered around, blocked by the shadow.
They all began glowing red in unison.
Leyzon eyed the crimson glow with half-lidded eyes.
Snap!
Dagger Detonation (B)
Detonates marked daggers
BOOM!
The ground where Leyzon stood caved in from the massive blast.
Leyzon plummeted into the crater below.
Pensaldor leaped into the smoking pit.
At the same moment, his hand thrust upward toward the crater's rim.
Shadow Veil (B)
Cloaks user in darkness / Blocks light
Normally used to hide in shadows, but here he cast it over the crater to seal out light.
Shadows need light to form.
The moment the dark veil blanketed the pit...
Nothing was visible inside.
But Pensaldor welcomed the darkness.
Eagle's Eye (B)
Sees through darkness
His Eagle's Eye pierced the gloom.
Leyzon falling below was crystal clear.
Pensaldor twisted midair.
Clang!
Daggers danced from his fluttering robe in unison.
Hundred Blades Dance (A)
Unleashes 100 daggers in merciless assault
The Dagger Master's offensive skill unleashed.
A barrage of a hundred daggers hurtled toward Leyzon, weaving through the air.
Straight shots.
Curving arcs.
Zigzagging paths.
A hundred blades rained down in unique trajectories.
No shadow in the Shadow Veil.
Leyzon hadn't even recovered his vision yet.
No time for defensive spells.
Pensaldor added extra caution.
Skills and gear.
To counter those variables, he imbued his daggers with a skill.
Magic Pierce (A)
Dagger Master exclusive: Pierces magic barriers
A Dagger Master skill that pierced even mages' superiority.
It enveloped all hundred daggers.
Shwick shwick shwick!
The instant they engulfed Leyzon...
Clang clang clang clang!
Pensaldor saw daggers ricocheting every which way.
His meticulously sharpened blades.
Not a single one embedded. All scattered on the ground.
Pensaldor's eyes widened blankly.
He couldn't easily accept the scene before him.
He'd countered everything he'd deduced about Leyzon.
Yet now...
Why hadn't a single dagger reached him?
And then he sensed it.
The chilling presence filling the darkness.
In the shadows.
Between the crater walls.
Red shadows slowly descended.
The hairs on his body stood on end.
An alarm blared in his mind.
This darkness he'd created...
He realized too late who truly controlled it.
"Fierce Poison Spread."
A voice reached Pensaldor's ears.
Leyzon's.
Fierce poison poured from his staff, instantly filling the pit.
Pensaldor's Black Bandages absorbed and blocked it.
But that was fine.
The entire space brimmed with poison now.
Leyzon's lips curled up.
From battle's start till now.
He hadn't lost his smile once.
That fact hit Pensaldor even harder.
"Fierce Poison Explosion."
A green glow ignited.
At the same instant, Pensaldor spotted the red shadow enveloping Leyzon.
'Damn it, enough already.'
Overwhelmed by utter powerlessness, he squeezed his eyes shut.
Steel Wolf Guild, Liren, whatever.
Dead was dead. Pointless.
He had to escape this madman now.
'Ditch everything and run!'
He'd take a lifetime hunted by Rafila over death.
With that resolve, his figure vanished in a blink.
Escape Artist (A)
Instantly returns along a previous path (Dungeon limited)
Pensaldor's final A-grade skill.
It let him zip back along a path he'd taken.
Couldn't exit the dungeon, though.
Usually offensive, rarely for flight.
But he used it true to name for once.
The jungle from earlier sprawled before him.
Pensaldor stomped the ground.
Power surged into his legs.
Run.
Just run somehow.
That was his call—
"Oh? Welcome."
A voice echoed in his ears.
He looked up. A woman stood demurely there.
The Half Dark Elf was strikingly beautiful.
She clasped her hands politely, smiling softly.
"Intel on a mid-tier Pioneer Dagger Master was a bit thin. Perfect timing."
He scanned her instantly—but drew a blank.
Obviously.
She wasn't someone his Eagle's Eye could read.
Pensaldor's eyes flew wide.
Even high-tier Pioneers yielded some info.
Zero info? What did that mean?
'Hero-tier. No, beyond standard Hero!'
His face drained white.
But his legs were already pounding the earth.
A bit farther and he'd reach the exit.
Just get there. Figure the rest out—draw Empire guards' eyes or whatever!
Terror of death.
His final desperate thrash against fear began.
Squelch!
Too late, he realized his foot met nothing.
His legs were shins only now.
Clang!
The shadow at his feet had severed his ankles.
Without feet, he tumbled across the ground.
"Gah!?"
Bleeding out, his body convulsed.
He couldn't comprehend this bolt from the blue.
As blank despair etched his face...
The woman from before leaned in close.
Her face beamed innocently.
Up in his grill.
Seeing it, a dagger surged from his sleeve.
Last gasp.
It halted right before piercing her skull.
Stopped—
By a single finger.
Pensaldor's arm trembled violently.
Just one finger, yet the dagger wouldn't budge.
The girl smiled through his flailing.
"Nice. Do more."
She even praised him, urging on.
Staring dazedly, realization dawned.
He was a puppet in her grasp now.
"Ah... haha..."
Life felt utterly screwed.
Leyzon emerged from the pit with his Bone Broom.
Then leisurely touched down on solid ground.
He'd never planned a head-on clash with Pensaldor.
Without Syria's request, he'd have spammed Fierce Poison Spread from the shadows.
"I want to see how a Dagger Master fights!"
Pensaldor got to struggle because of Syria's whim, nothing more.
Leyzon turned.
There lay Steel Wolf Guild members, sprawled dead.
Mid-tier Pioneers couldn't survive his poison.
A couple exceptions aside, most were goners.
Farther off, Oberizel—who'd been ambushed by them.
Injured in the fight, apparently.
A massive gash across his chest.
Already cold.
Leyzon looked away from Oberizel.
Instead, he eyed Liren and Hanok still battling.
Help? Nah. Hanok's eyes gleamed coldly.
Good matchup.
'They'll be fine.'
If dicey, Syria would step in.
Right on cue, Syria's voice.
White Jade Serpent secured.
Leyzon's lips twisted into a grin.
Peerless Gem: Upgrades any skill's rank.
Rare material in hand.
'I'm the man. Luck favors me.'
Fortune favors the bold.
"Leyzon-nim, here!"
A hand rose from the shadow.
Syria, butchered and handing over the Peerless Gem.
Leyzon took it.
This pure white radiance.
Dazzlingly beautiful.
He gulped, eyes gleaming with avarice.
Peerless Gem
[World Exclusive] [Legendary]
Raises one skill rank on use.
"Alright then."
He knew exactly where to use it.
The nagging question till now.
'Is there a rank above EX?'
EX, pinnacle skill grade.
Leyzon had Auto-Growing Undead Creation (EX).
He was dying to know if a Peerless Gem worked here.
'Smuggling it out risks trouble.'
Especially tangled with Steel Wolf now.
Better use it fresh.
Curiosity killed the cat? Nah, satisfy it.
'Can't hold back!'
The instant Leyzon used the Peerless Gem on Auto-Growing Undead Creation...
A brilliant white light poured from it.