Chapter 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Trader (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bran cupped Kael's face in both hands.
"Kael. You're the key to this operation."
"Ugh, m-me?!"
"Yeah. We'll draw their attention, so you secure Old Man Leodorn's safety. Don't use the blessing until then. They have to completely forget you even exist."
About fifteen minutes earlier.
This was the conversation the two had shared while Ilrak had charged out alone and was getting pummeled.
Kael asked cautiously.
"...Can we win without the blessing?"
"Of course we'll get beaten one-sidedly. They're no ordinary foes."
"Th-then why?!"
"Even with the blessing from the start, we'd still be at a disadvantage. We need to strike at an unexpected moment for any chance of victory. And if they find out you can grant blessings, they'll prioritize taking you out first."
The Iron-Blooded Twins were strong.
If Ilrak were in perfect condition, maybe, but as things stood, their side was clearly the decided underdog.
To overturn that difference in weight class, they needed to use their heads.
Kael stammered.
"I-I..."
It wasn't as dangerous as what Bran or Ilrak faced, but it was still incredibly risky.
The kind of mission that made him want to roll his eyes back and pass out right then and there.
But he couldn't.
Memories of their journey through the south flashed before his eyes like a panorama.
Whoosh.
Kael took a deep breath and nodded with a resolute expression.
"Yeah. I'll do it."
"Thanks."
Bran smiled.
Their faces were so close that Kael unwittingly averted his gaze.
After parting from Bran, he crept stealthily toward Leodorn.
Muttering to himself in a voice devoid of confidence.
"You can do it, Kael. You can do it. Ugh, still scary...!"
In the end, their plan succeeded.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Gah!"
Blood gushed from Jerban's mouth.
The tip of a longsword protruded from his back like a thorn.
"Hup!"
Bran twisted the blade with all his might and swung the sword.
Slash!
The blood-soaked blade tore through Jerban's side as it withdrew.
Fresh blood sprayed out like a fountain, soaking the cavern floor.
"Argh!"
A scream of agony erupted.
Jerban swung his arm wildly to shake Bran off and quickly retreated.
Clutching his wound, Jerban dropped to one knee.
"N-no... urk, Bellan!"
His gaze lingered on Bellan.
Her head completely crushed, her corpse twitched in postmortem spasms.
Jerban cried out.
"You—you bastards! Do you even know what you've done?!"
"We took out the smaller trash first between the big trash and the small trash."
Bran replied flatly.
They seemed pretty close, but that was none of his concern.
Ilrak held out his sticky, bloodied palm—smeared with Bellan's brain matter—for him to see.
"Nothing special."
"You bastard, youuuu...! Ack!"
Jerban, gasping for breath, slumped his head down.
Both hands pressed against the ground. His sharp claws dug deep into the floor.
Crunch.
A guttural growl began to leak from his gaping maw.
"Grrrrraaah! Grraa, grrraaah!"
"Wh-what the hell's wrong with that guy all of a sudden?"
Ilrak flinched.
It was like he'd caught acute rabies or something.
Kael's face turned pale at the bone-chilling roar.
"Eek...!"
"Get ready. Phase two."
Bran said.
Proof that they'd met the conditions for the hidden phase.
Phase two was really just a final spasm.
A special pattern that only triggered after killing Bellan first and breaking the armor.
Pop! A red warning window appeared before his eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
The Blood and Steel of the Iron-Blooded Twins, Jerban, uses 'Beastification'!
It was the same type of message that appeared when Spera used her ultimate.
Crunch!
Jerban's body began to swell rapidly.
This wasn't some mere body-hardening technique. His bones twisted, his organs rearranged.
The scarlet fur blazing like fire turned a dark, murky crimson, like a dying sun.
His claws and fangs grew tougher, his body bulkier.
Finally, the beastified Jerban revealed himself.
"Grrr! Grrrrowl!"
It was a massive red wolf.
Looking at its bus-sized frame, even Iron Bull would make a fine snack.
By lore, the armor Jerban wore wasn't defensive gear—it was a restraint to suppress his feral nature.
With his armor shattered and his partner Bellan lost, Jerban devolved into a mindless monster.
Bran muttered.
"Every time I see it, damn. Bloodline really matters."
The weight class was different.
Just as Ilrak bore the blood of the Fire Dragon, Jerban carried the blood of an ancient beast.
The Crimson Wolf.
No average knight or mage could even scratch its hide.
"Roooaaarrr-!!"
Jerban reared back on all fours and howled.
Dozens of stalactites tumbled down from the thunderous shockwave of sound.
"Kyaaak!"
"Fuck, what is that?!"
Ilrak and Kael's bodies stiffened.
The ancient beast's roar carried power that shook the soul.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
The ferocity of the ancient beast intimidates you.
High mental strength shakes off the fear!
No physical debuff occurs.
The only one unaffected was Bran.
The effort he'd poured into raising his mental strength since the Underground Farm had paid off.
It was a boss with insane physical specs, but the strategy to defeat it was well established.
Thwack!
Gripping the hilt with both hands, Bran leaped at Jerban and shouted.
"Kael, blessing!"
"Gasp."
Kael's eyes refocused.
Whoosh!
The moment he thrust out his staff, morning light surged along Bran's sword.
Heavy Strike activated. Power of the Great Tree still lingered.
Bam!
Bran slammed his arm upward with full force, driving the longsword into the center of Jerban's upper jaw.
"Kyaaah!"
Jerban thrashed.
Slow to react right after transforming.
Bran pressed down on the hilt with all his strength.
Crack! Crunch!
The blade pierced the roof of the mouth, skewering tongue and lower jaw before emerging beneath the chin.
Jerban's gaping maw slammed shut.
"Got it."
Bran grinned.
Lightning-fast execution—the core of the phase two strategy.
Most of the quadruped beast's attacks relied on its mouth.
Seal the jaws right after transformation, and clear chance skyrocketed.
"Ilrak! Finish it off!"
"Fuck, just leave it to me!"
Ilrak nodded.
Serene morning light enveloped her body.
Boom!
She kicked off the cavern wall, launching into an aerial side kick straight into Jerban's flank.
"Guhk...!"
A shockwave rippled across its hide.
Blood spurted between Jerban's teeth.
Slash!
Claw marks gouged the ground as it skidded back ten meters, writhing in pain.
"Grrk! Growl!"
Seemed like internal damage. Blood bubbled from pre-transformation wounds.
Yet it wouldn't fall. Ilrak spat curses in shock.
"Fuck, it tanked that?!"
"It's fine! One more big hit!"
Bran shouted.
His strength was waning.
Forcing the jaws shut as they strained to open wasn't easy.
Ilrak was winding up a full-weight punch when—
Boom!
Jerban suddenly spun and leaped deep into the cavern.
"What?! Where's it going?!"
"Eeeek! Bran!"
Ilrak panicked. Kael covered his mouth.
Rumble!
Jerban became a red whirlwind, bolting away in an instant.
"Grrooo!"
"So tenacious...!"
Bran gritted his teeth.
The wind pressure felt like it would rip his face off. It was a passage used as a gangway. A long uphill slope stretched ahead.
He wanted to stop it now, but all Bran could do was hold the jaws shut and endure.
How far did they run?
A crack etched in the distant darkness caught his eye.
"Wait. No way...!"
Bran gasped.
A dead end by all appearances, yet Jerban didn't slow.
Bracing for impact and lowering his stance, Jerban smashed into the crack.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar of shattering bedrock, Bran's view opened wide.
"Ah."
Bran's eyes widened.
Night wind blasted his bangs back.
The ground was dizzyingly far below. They soared hundreds of meters in the sky.
They'd burst out mid-slope of the Red Mountains bordering the city.
Steel District's lights twinkled below.
"Shit."
That was the problem.
It was flying strong, but this mutt had no wings—it couldn't avoid crashing.
By speed and trajectory, it'd land smack in Steel District's center.
High chance Jerban survived, and as a mindless beast, it'd slaughter and destroy everything in sight.
Even conservatively, dozens dead.
"No choice."
Time to gamble.
Bran yanked the hilt from the upper jaw.
Schlup. The white blade withdrew, spraying blood.
"Hup!"
He'd love to decapitate in one stroke, but it was too thick.
Spinning the sword, Bran thrust it into Jerban's neck.
Splat!
Jerban's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
"...!!!"
For a moment, it froze.
The blade sank deep—Bran felt it through his hands.
Dead?
As Bran thought so, Jerban's throat bobbed.
"Grrk."
"Fuck."
Bran clenched his teeth.
Gamble failed. Still breathing.
With its maw free, Jerban twisted its neck to glare at Bran.
Its torn lips evoked a grin.
Red light surged up its esophagus.
Blood, feral instinct, ancient curse—all woven into a radiant glow.
The moment Jerban's jaws parted.
BOOOOM-!
A red beam erupted from deep in its throat.
Bran jerked his head aside. The beam grazed his cheek by a paper's width.
The moon-slaying blast traveled nearly a hundred meters before dissipating into particles.
"We're screwed."
A blunder. Things had worsened.
A plain monster wolf had become a freaking laser monster wolf.
Power of the Great Tree had long expired.
Bran drew his sword for a slash, but it bounced off.
Clang!
Jerban twisted, flinging Bran away.
"Urk!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
Bran above, Jerban below.
The giant wolf lay belly-up, staring—but no submission.
Tsss...
Red light gathered inside its open maw.
"Damn it."
Absolute crisis. No escape mid-air.
Bran, knowing the beam's power, saw no hopeful future.
At least if his feet touched ground...
As life's highlights flickered before him—
"Bran!"
A familiar voice rang from behind.
Before he could turn—
Thud! Ilrak shot in like wind, grabbing the falling Bran.
"Ilrak."
"You okay?! What was that beam?!"
She'd followed Jerban's path.
Leaping this far—impressive leg power.
Suddenly, hope glinted in Bran's eyes.
Ilrak asked back.
"Don't tell me that fucker shot... fuck!"
Mid-sentence, she twisted her shoulder.
BOOOM!
Another beam grazed her tail.
"Argh!"
Ilrak screamed in pain.
The tail tip smoldered like embers.
If not Fire Dragon hybrid, it'd have vanished without trace.
As she cursed, Bran thrust his longsword out.
"Ilrak! Grab the hilt and infuse mana!"
"What?! What the hell?!"
"No time! Hurry!"
"L-like this?"
Ilrak gripped the hilt in a daze.
Too small for her, but irrelevant now.
Bran gripped the remaining hilt with one hand and shouted again.
"Good. Now slam all your remaining mana in!"
His other hand overlaid hers.
Ilrak did so.
Vast Dragonblood mana poured into the longsword like a tidal wave.
A novel sensation transmitted through his palm—Bran's eyes widened.
'This is...'
The first time he felt mana.
Worth commemorating, but duty called.
Focusing, a murmur escaped Bran's lips.
"Heavily."
Flash! The blade gleamed.
The sword's master's command intertwined with Ilrak's mana.
Numeraite's unique effect—mass conversion—began.
"Ugh?!"
Ilrak's body tilted sharply.
The sword weighed like an anchor now.
Bran shouted.
"Good! Now shove me at that fucker!"
"Fuck. No idea what you're planning, but...!"
Ground neared. City lights loomed.
Ilrak hurled Bran like a shot put.
BOOM!
Bran, gripping the sword two-handed, rocketed at Jerban.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Die already, you mangy mutt!"
One shot.
Unwieldable weight mid-swing. Shifting center of gravity spun him forward.
As another beam brewed, the blade bit into Jerban's neck.
"Grrk...?!"
Jerban's eyes bulged.
Different from before. Spinning blade accelerated, slicing hide.
Hide. Muscle. Vertebrae. Hide again.
As the blade tore free from the nape, end-of-battle messages appeared.
⚔ STATUS ⚔
Miraculous Feat! Defeated the Blood and Steel of the Iron-Blooded Twins, Jerban!
Annihilated the Iron-Blooded Twins. Tenacity of the Weed activates after overcoming hardship!
All stats growth rate greatly increases!
Defeated Jerban, who manifested ancient beast blood. Conditions met—additional rewards granted!
"Ha."
Bran smiled.
Valkeros's nightscape poured over his head.
Exhausted and plummeting, but victory was victory.
The beast's head separated from its body.
The light faded from Jerban's madness-filled eyes.
Splash!
Fresh blood bloomed over the nightscape, staining the moonlit night.