Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: The First Gift (2)
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Kang Hyun-soo headed straight for Beslpersil, the major city under the Dragon Tiger Guild's control, right after rumors of the doppelgangers began to spread.
‘I'll wrap this up quickly before those Dragon Tiger Guild bastards pull any tricks.’
It would be ideal if this attack could cut off Dragon King Lee Ji-yong and Tiger King Lee Geun-taek for good.
‘Realistically, that's unlikely. Still, I need to sow some chaos first.’
Kang Hyun-soo summoned the summoned beasts he had appointed as squad leaders.
Sword King Jang Seok-won and Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hu had wanted to join when they heard it was an assault on the Dragon Tiger Guild.
Kang Hyun-soo turned them down.
‘Those two are too famous.’
If it were a country other than the Terra Kingdom?
The chances of their identities being exposed would be almost zero.
But in the Terra Kingdom?
‘Even just using their signature skills would give away that they’re Sword King Jang Seok-won and Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hu.’
Within the Terra Kingdom, the only guilds capable of challenging the Dragon Tiger Guild's dominance were Balhae Guild and Goryeo Guild.
In that situation, if two of the attackers used skills suspiciously like those of Sword King Jang Seok-won and Benevolent Army King Shin Chang-hu?
It could easily spark a war.
‘There can't be a war.’
He couldn't sacrifice innocent players for no reason.
‘The price of sin should be paid by the sinners themselves.’
Kang Hyun-soo, having summoned his beasts,
-Attack.
issued the attack order.
The summoned beasts simultaneously drew on their mana and unleashed attack skills.
Kwaaaaaang!
A barrage of all sorts of attack skills hammered the Dragon Tiger Guild executives' quarters.
‘They've layered on defense skills everywhere.’
He had aimed to grind them to dust.
But it only partially shattered the structures.
“Enemy attack!”
“Everyone, scatter!”
Players poured out of the Dragon Tiger Guild's guild house like a swarm of bees.
‘Regular guild members aren't targets.’
What Kang Hyun-soo was after were the Dragon Tiger Guild executives who had contracted with demons and become the Demon King's lackeys.
-Kill.
At Kang Hyun-soo's command,
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Players enveloped in all manner of auras charged toward the Dragon Tiger Guild executives crawling out of the shattered quarters.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Huge explosions erupted one after another as the summoned beasts clashed with the Dragon Tiger Guild executives.
“Keuk!”
“So strong!”
“Named players!”
The Dragon Tiger Guild executives dropped like flies.
There were named players and rankers among the executives.
But they couldn't withstand the summoned beasts' concentrated assaults.
“You arrogant fools!”
“How dare you attack the Dragon Tiger Guild!”
That was when Dragon King Lee Ji-yong and Tiger King Lee Geun-taek made their appearance.
As Dragon King Lee Ji-yong activated his skill,
Hwaaaaaak!
Dragon-type monsters were summoned amid a blaze of bright light.
In Tiger King Lee Geun-taek's case,
Udeuk! Udeuk!
His muscles swelled, and thick fur sprouted across his body.
At the same time, sharp fangs grew in his mouth, and blade-like claws extended from his fingertips.
-Kuhwaaaang! You bastards!
Now in a full half-beast form, Tiger King Lee Geun-taek charged at the summoned beasts.
Kyauuuuung!
The summoned dragon-type monsters spewed breath attacks at Kang Hyun-soo's summoned beasts.
‘Dragon King and Tiger King, huh.’
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong was a rare summoner.
One who specialized in dragon-type monsters.
‘At first, I thought it was just some unique skill.’
Later, he learned it was power granted by the demon he had contracted with.
Tiger King Lee Geun-taek
‘possesses an innate skill similar to Beastification.’
The skill was called Mountain Beast Descent.
Upon activation, he transformed into a half-beast tiger form, with all physical abilities surging dramatically.
‘I considered replicating it once.’
It was a skill he had ultimately passed on after obtaining a top-grade Beastification replica from Duke Kalmus.
‘Still, might as well check it out, just in case.’
Kang Hyun-soo cast Replica on Tiger King Lee Geun-taek as he joined the fray.
Kaooo!
The dragon-type monsters roared furiously and lunged.
There wasn't a single low-tier dragon-type among them—most were mid-to-high tier.
‘I’ll slice them all down in one go.’
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Blood-red aura surged from Kang Hyun-soo's sword.
At that moment.
Kyauuuung!
The dragon-types about to attack froze in front of Kang Hyun-soo, tilting their heads quizzically.
In that gap,
Seogeuk!
Kang Hyun-soo's sword, wrapped in blood-red aura, swept through the dragon-type monsters.
The same thing kept happening.
“What the hell is that guy?”
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong scowled and sent his top-tier dragon-types—Drakans and Dragonians—at Kang Hyun-soo.
-Dragon King's enemy!
-Krreung! Kill the enemy!
But.
-Th, this one is...
-My lord.
The top-tier dragon-types, charging in with murderous intent and high spirits,
Thud!
all dropped to their knees before Kang Hyun-soo in unison.
‘It works, huh.’
Kang Hyun-soo wore an odd expression.
‘I never got a chance to use it before, so I didn’t realize how effective it was.’
It was one of the skills from hunting Demon Dragon Karas: the EX-Rank skill, Lord of Dragon-type Monsters.
A passive skill.
Since he hadn't hunted dragon-types much since, it had been hard to notice its utility.
But now.
‘It’s finally shining.’
The option to dominate lower-tier dragon-types had seemed a bit meh.
But if even top-tier ones like Drakans and Dragonians were lower than him?
‘Essentially, I can dominate virtually all dragon-type monsters.’
The reason Dragon King Lee Ji-yong earned his title was his near-limitless ability to summon and command dragon-types.
But if the dragon-types he painstakingly summoned obeyed Kang Hyun-soo instead?
‘He’s nothing but a figurehead.’
He hadn’t expected much.
‘If things go well, I might even take his head.’
Kang Hyun-soo charged toward Dragon King Lee Ji-yong, surrounded by dragon-types, and
“Everyone, stand down.”
issued the command.
Zuak!
The dragon-types guarding Dragon King Lee Ji-yong parted to either side in unison.
“You mad bastard! Kill him! Kill him now!”
Startled, Dragon King Lee Ji-yong barked orders at the dragon-types.
-Dragon King's command! Kill that human!
Some of the top-tier dragon-types lunged at Kang Hyun-soo.
“Move aside.”
Kang Hyun-soo commanded again.
-Lord's command! Clear the path!
The dragon-types split into two factions and fought among themselves.
‘Ones near me obey me, and ones closer to him obey him.’
Perhaps Dragon King Lee Ji-yong also
‘has a skill similar to Lord of Dragon-type Monsters.’
It might even be the exact same skill.
‘Performance seems comparable.’
That much was clear from the dragon-types slaughtering each other.
“What the fuck is this! How is this happening!”
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong spat curses.
Whenever Kang Hyun-soo approached?
The dragon-types obeying Dragon King Lee Ji-yong switched sides and attacked their former allies.
In other words, no matter how many dragon-types he summoned to guard him, they were meaningless against Kang Hyun-soo.
“Just die!”
Taak!
Ignoring the dragon-type guards with ease, Kang Hyun-soo closed in on Dragon King Lee Ji-yong.
Udeuk! Udeuk!
At that instant, Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's body began to change.
His muscles bulged, golden scales sprouted across his body,
his snout protruded with sharp fangs,
a tail emerged from his hips, and horns from his forehead.
‘Dragonoid Transformation.’
The source of Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's strength.
Even as a summoner type,
‘he had powerful close-combat prowess.’
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Kang Hyun-soo's blood-red aura-clad sword clashed head-on with Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's golden aura-clad claws.
Kwaaaaaang!
A massive boom devastated the surroundings.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Kang Hyun-soo swung repeatedly, pressuring Dragon King Lee Ji-yong.
But.
‘He’s tough.’
Encased in golden scales, Dragon King Lee Ji-yong took big and small wounds.
Yet he never exposed a vital spot.
‘Even with Vampiric Aura active, this level of defense.’
Vampiric Aura was real-time shredding Dragon King Lee Ji-yong's protective aura and defense skills.
Despite that,
Dragon King Lee Ji-yong blocked Kang Hyun-soo's attacks with his golden scales' immense durability.
But.
‘That’s all he’s got.’
He couldn’t dream of counterattacking Kang Hyun-soo or creating an opening to flee.
At that moment.
[Using Unique Skill Replica – SS-Rank.]
[One stack is consumed.]
[Creating replica of Mountain Beast Descent – EX-Rank.]
[Replica Skill: Mountain Beast Descent – F-Rank has been created.]
[Replica Skills possess 200% of the original's stats.]
He had acquired the Mountain Beast Descent skill.
‘Let’s see.’
Kang Hyun-soo checked the Mountain Beast Descent skill details.
‘Some stat amps are better than Beastification.’
But the penalties were too severe.
‘Strength, agility, stamina go up, but mana and mental stats go down.’
It turned you into a pure attack-oriented melee dealer.
That suited Tiger King Lee Geun-taek, who was one.
‘Not for me, though.’
Kang Hyun-soo was a player who could handle tanking, dealing, and healing—all roles.
A drop in mental stats was unfit for tanking.
A drop in mana reduced the power of skills like Vampiric Aura, Anti-Heal, or Immortal Sanctification.
‘Useless.’
Better to delete it.
‘Then, shall I snag Dragonoid Transformation this time?’
Not strictly necessary.
But worth dissecting like Mountain Beast Descent.
Plus, using Replica on Dragon King Lee Ji-yong would
‘reveal his full skill list.’
Kang Hyun-soo cast Replica on Dragon King Lee Ji-yong.
But.
[Using Unique Skill Replica – SS-Rank.]
[One stack is consumed.]
[Creating replica of Dragonoid Transformation – EX-Rank.]
[Replica Skill: Dragonoid Transformation – F-Rank has been created.]
[Replica Skills possess 200% of the original's stats.]
He got Dragonoid Transformation in one go.
‘Lucky.’
Kang Hyun-soo examined the Dragonoid Transformation options.
But.
‘What’s this?’
Dragonoid Transformation was just as extreme as Mountain Beast Descent.
‘All-in on defense.’
No wonder he was so damn sturdy.
Upon activation, it massively boosted physical attack resistance, skill attack resistance, stamina, and mental stats.
‘And self-healing too.’
But it had one major drawback.
‘Strength, agility, and mana drop sharply.’
On top of that, a cheat option: all defenses tripled if stationary.
‘Well, yeah.’
It seemed odd at first.
But it made sense quickly.
‘He’s a summoner anyway.’
Zero mobility wasn’t a huge penalty.
Sacrificing mobility for defense and self-healing was actually better.
As long as he protected his own body solidly?
His summons handled the enemies.
‘A living dragon-type summon totem.’
Objectively, the skill combo and synergy were top-notch.
It just didn’t work against Kang Hyun-soo, who had Demon Dragon Karas's gift: the EX-Rank Lord of Dragon-type Monsters.
‘Well, it’d work fine on others.’
Truth be told, Dragonoid Transformation was an amazing skill for summoner types like Kang Hyun-soo.
But.
‘It’s not worth a Replica slot.’
Kang Hyun-soo wasn’t a strategist staying back and sending summons forward.
He was a general fighting on the front lines, swinging his sword alongside them.
For such a Kang Hyun-soo, Dragonoid Transformation was
‘not very useful.’
Kang Hyun-soo deleted the Dragonoid Transformation skill.