Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Duel with the Axe Warrior
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Mid-tier dungeon, Sahā Realm.
Through a forest teeming with snakes, two men were sprinting.
One was a Sword-Tooth Clan boy with black hair and three tails whipping behind him.
Hanok Wilbria.
The other was a blue-haired man who looked like he had a foul temper.
The younger brother of the Steel Wolf Guild master, a large guild.
The spoiled brat, Liren.
Right now, Hanok was being pursued by Liren.
He chased Hanok relentlessly, swinging his axe with vicious intent.
Liren's class was Axe Warrior.
His attribute was lightning.
True to that attribute, currents of electricity crackled from Liren's axe.
Lightning Discharge (A).
An A-rank attribute skill.
On top of that, he had the passive skill Strength Enhancement (B).
These two skills made Liren's axe extraordinarily fearsome.
Even blocking it head-on would send electricity surging through your sword.
For Hanok, dodging was the only option.
The problem was that Liren's axes numbered more than one.
Whirr!
Hanok swatted away the flying hand axe with his one-handed spear.
Endless Pursuit (A).
A skill that locked onto a target and hounded it endlessly until it shattered.
Because of this, the hand axe kept tormenting Hanok without cease.
Even for nimble Hanok, it wasn't easy.
"Running around like a damn rat!"
Liren bellowed as he gripped his axe again.
Clearly, Liren had Hanok cornered.
At this rate, he'd seize victory smoothly.
But Hanok's responses were more composed than expected.
"Keng!"
Whether out of habit, Hanok let out growling cries now and then.
He deflected Liren's power repeatedly, flowing with the strikes.
It almost resembled a predator luring its prey to exhaustion.
That realization only fueled Liren's rage further.
'You're the prey, not me!'
Hanok's eyes held an endlessly feeble glint.
They were the eyes of the weak.
Yet for some reason...
A strange pressure emanated from Hanok.
"Like a filthy rat!"
Liren lacked experience in prolonged fights.
Back when he was pioneering as a settler...
His older brother had already reached mastery and made a name for himself.
Liren had always been protected by Steel Wolf Guild members.
So his experiences were inevitably biased in his favor.
In other words...
It was natural for Liren, unaccustomed to drawn-out battles, to pull out a desperate move to end it quickly.
Crackle!
Liren's axe began tracing a different path than before.
He kept Lightning Discharge active.
But he kicked off the ground and started spinning.
His axe whipped into a vortex in sync with the rotation.
Liren's skill, Whirlwind (B).
An axe spinning while unleashing lightning.
That alone was plenty threatening.
But Liren didn't stop there.
Craaaackle!
He activated Thunder Leap.
As a result, the spinning, lightning-spewing axe lunged at Hanok.
Crunch crunch crunch!
Trees in the jungle were sliced away effortlessly.
Liren became a hurricane of lightning, rampaging wildly.
This is dangerous.
Hanok threw himself backward.
But Liren's ultimate technique, amplified by Thunder Leap, was faster than he'd anticipated.
Liren's Thunder Leap ultimately caught up to Hanok.
It's over!
That was the moment Liren thought so.
"Keng!"
A roar-like shout burst from Hanok's mouth.
The growls he habitually uttered mid-battle.
But this one was different.
Primal Roar (B).
A taunt skill designed to seize attention poured from his lips.
At the same time, Hanok spun toward Liren.
He crouched low, raising his shield high in a defensive stance.
Caught at last, so now he'd try blocking the axe?
Liren sneered.
An axe swung by Liren couldn't be blocked by a shield.
He'd shred both shield and body to pieces.
Clang!
In that instant, Liren felt his axe clash against something with a violent shudder.
Ziiiiing!
A numbing sensation shot through his hands and arms.
Liren's eyes fixed beyond the axe.
There was a tree.
Any normal tree would have been cleaved without resistance.
But this tree was different from ordinary ones.
It was gray.
The so-called steel tree found in the Sahā Realm jungle.
No matter how much power Whirlwind and lightning output added...
Slicing through a steel tree thicker than a man's body in one go was impossible.
As a result, the axe ricocheted off the steel tree.
The backlash made Liren stagger.
His arms were numb.
Gripping the axe was a struggle.
Liren's eyes widened in fury.
"Kuh!?"
Only then did Liren realize Hanok's intent.
Hanok hadn't been fleeing while fighting until now.
From the start...
He had been luring Liren here.
The growls Hanok habitually let out.
They were to bind Liren's attention completely with Primal Roar at the perfect moment when he least expected it.
In the end, Liren, fixated solely on Hanok, hadn't noticed the steel tree.
No.
He hadn't even known about steel trees in the first place.
He always left scouting to others when entering dungeons.
He'd visit dungeons leisurely every time.
He was ignorant of dungeon knowledge.
Hanok was different.
He had learned in detail about the Sahā Realm dungeon from Leyzon.
Leyzon had an uncanny depth of knowledge about dungeons.
Thus, at this moment, he actively utilized that knowledge.
And gained complete superiority in the duel.
Hanok's bright yellow eyes gleamed.
Hanok was a born Sword-Tooth Clan warrior.
The moment an opponent showed an opening...
A Sword-Tooth Clan warrior would tear into their neck.
Clang!
Hanok deflected the pursuing hand axe from Endless Pursuit with his shield.
His body lowered at an angle.
Instead, he thrust his shield forward aggressively.
The distance between Liren and Hanok closed in an instant.
Hanok's shield filled Liren's vision.
Seeing this, Liren's eyes bulged as he gnashed his teeth.
Unlike before, red sparks now flew from Liren's axe.
This was a skill even Liren hesitated to use due to its strain.
But in this moment, he activated it.
Magnetic Link (B).
The red current around Liren's axe connected to Hanok's shield.
In that instant, Liren's staggering axe abruptly altered its trajectory.
"Grrgh!"
Liren felt as if his arm was being torn off.
An axe that had wildly ricocheted once.
Forcing its path back was a natural consequence.
But this was a crucial move to turn the tables.
The axe swung toward Hanok's shield at tremendous speed.
Hanok had already committed forward with his shield.
He couldn't retreat now either.
On top of that, Liren went all-in.
Not just his axe.
Electricity erupted from his entire body.
Kaboom!
Liren's final skill.
Thunder Strike (A).
A skill that electrocuted everyone within a 10-meter radius during a downward strike.
Electricity coursed through Hanok's body, stiffening him momentarily.
Liren's eyes flashed.
The moment he was certain of victory and brought his axe down...
"Six."
A voice echoed from Hanok's mouth.
Beyond the shield.
Hanok's eyes met Liren's.
Hanok, who should have been shocked rigid, was moving.
Six.
What did that mean?
Liren realized it, his eyes gradually widening.
Liren was a 6-Ascension settler.
That meant he possessed exactly six skills.
Skills created countless variables in battle.
Thus, when settlers clashed...
Gauging the opponent's skills and engaging in a battle of wits was fundamental.
Hanok had adhered strictly to this principle.
From the beginning until now...
Not once...
Had Hanok let his guard down as he analyzed Liren's skills.
And now, at the end...
Hanok had identified all six of Liren's skills.
Visible beyond Hanok's shield was a one-handed spear stabbed upside-down into the ground.
The one-handed spear was originally Hanok's weapon.
Temporarily, it served as a lightning rod.
As a result, the current from Liren's Lightning Discharge was sucked into the spear...
And absorbed into the earth, vanishing.
Hanok's Primal Roar, which drew attention, had been calculated up to this point.
Thud!
The strap on the shield in Hanok's hand came loose.
As if prepared to discard it at any moment from the start.
Hanok released the shield from his hand.
Whirr!
The shield flew toward Liren's axe, pulled by magnetism.
Clang!
Liren's axe collided with the shield.
Thunder Strike (A) demonstrated its power, crumpling the shield.
But that power wasn't meant for the shield.
It should have struck Hanok.
Hanok, with his three tails whipping, filled Liren's already tilted field of vision.
"Ah."
A short voice leaked from Liren's mouth.
Hanok's hand was already reaching for Liren's throat.
Like the fangs of a lunging tiger.
His sharpened fingers dug into Liren's neck.
The innate skill of Sword-Tooth Clan warriors.
Sword-Tooth Fang (B).
Clearly, Liren held the advantage in all skill ranks and equipment.
Yet the result for him was defeat.
Carelessness and inexperience.
No amount of skills or gear could bridge that gap.
Slash!
A chunk of flesh tore from Liren's neck by Hanok's hand.
Drip drip.
Liren staggered, blood gushing from his neck.
He stumbled back two steps before collapsing entirely.
Thud.
The light began fading from the fallen Liren's eyes.
"B-Bro..."
Sensing death, he called out to the brother he trusted and followed.
And then lost consciousness.
Crack!
In the meantime, Hanok blocked the incoming hand axe.
It was Liren's final struggle, infused with Endless Pursuit.
Until the very end...
Hanok truly never let his guard down once.
The Endless Pursuit on Liren's hand axe vanished.
Hanok turned to look at Liren.
Then he hurled the hand axe at him.
Splat!
The hand axe embedded into Liren's skull.
The final confirmation kill.
With that done, Hanok caught his breath and gripped the bone necklace around his neck.
Liren's last moments, crying out for his brother before dying...
It reminded him of his own brother, the Shadow Warlord.
Hanok shuddered and shook off the thought.
"Hui, it hurts."
Hanok's eyes returned to their feeble glint.
It had been a long time since such a life-or-death brawl.
His body ached all over.
Still, victory felt good.
"Gotta brag to Leyzon."
Hanok picked up his one-handed spear and the dented shield.
Then he dragged Liren's body and shoved it into dense underbrush where it wouldn't be easily found.
Afterward, Hanok looked regretfully at the dented shield.
"Uh, what now."
Leyzon had gifted him the shield just recently.
Turning it into this mess might earn him a scolding.
But Hanok soon shook his head.
In his eyes, Leyzon wasn't the type to get mad over something like this.
Time to head back.
As Hanok grabbed the shield and turned to leave...
Fwoosh!
A blinding white flash erupted through the jungle.
It was so intense that even for a split second, Hanok squeezed his eyes shut.
Seeing it, Hanok stared wide-eyed in that direction.
"Leyzon?"
At the same time, an ominous feeling spread through his body.
Leyzon had just done something moments ago.
His instincts screamed.
Something outrageous was about to happen.
Whatever it was, Hanok bolted through the jungle.
"Leyzon!"
Hanok burst through the underbrush.
And soon, one person came into view.
There stood a face he'd never seen before.
A boy with long hair blending stark white and black.
His face was so strikingly handsome it made even mask-hidden features pale in comparison.
That face was Leyzon's true visage.
"...I really didn't see this coming."
Leyzon muttered in a daze.
Blood dripped steadily from his hand.
A sign that things had taken a dire turn.