Chapter 301
Chapter 301
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 301
Chapter Title: 68. Den of Evil (6)
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Overcoming the Devourer's predation ability with greed for money.
It was the moment that proved desire, when strong enough, could rival the power of noble will.
Pure desire, through and through.
-...Here, little feet.
The vulgarity was astonishing.
Bang the Great Hero couldn't help but be shocked.
Was this what Earthlings, humans, were like?
"Get it out quick!"
But what was shocking wasn't just the humans' vulgarity.
Kwaaaak!
As the Devourer's body tilted greatly from Yeong-woo's second sword strike, the orcs in the area let out cheers.
-Wow!
-Ah...!
It was inevitable for the orcs.
On their home planet, the Devourer was like an invincible colossal ship.
No matter how brave the brothers were, they couldn't stand before the Devourer, so combat wasn't even possible, and its outer shell was so thick that ordinary cold weapons couldn't even scratch it.
If you picked the one thing that took the most lives from their brothers back home, it would undoubtedly be the Devourer.
So when they thought of the moment their home was taken, the first image that came to mind was the Devourer's unstoppable advance.
And now, that Devourer...
Kwajit!
With Yeong-woo's third sword strike, the massive Devourer's body finally split wide open left and right, and its legs, writhing like an angry octopus, all stopped moving at once.
―......
So probably.
-I-Is it dead?
-Really...?
-The Devourer is dead?
The Red Feet orcs widened their eyes and glanced around where the Devourer had fallen.
They were so curious if it was really dead, but none dared approach the site.
Then, for the first time.
Cheok!
Orc Lord Bangtu Bangtung stepped forward first.
-Little feet! Are you alright?
Of course, he knew full well that the little monster was fine.
But even so, Bang the Great Hero earnestly scanned Yeong-woo's body up and down.
This was politics.
The moment little feet cleaved the Devourer, this monster had become the future of the Red Feet tribe.
Sure, beings who could wipe out brothers with a gesture probably littered the universe.
But among all those powerhouses, the only one willing to join in revenge against Mara was little feet, Jeong Yeong-woo07.
-Any injuries? If something hurts, tell me. I still have some red ointment left.
As Bang the Great Hero approached saying this, Yeong-woo kicked one of the Devourer's sprawled legs.
"Ah, I'm fine. If you can spare it, how about a cup of water?"
Yeong-woo, with his mutation disguise, could survive without eating or drinking, but that didn't mean he'd lost all the associated sensations.
Humans generally quench physical or mental thirst through the act of drinking.
And they often drink to acknowledge that some issue has been resolved.
A sort of ceremony.
So Yeong-woo requested water to celebrate the end of this battle he'd been inwardly tense about, and Bang the Great Hero gladly accepted.
-Bring water!
As Bang the Great Hero ordered water from the rear, the brothers, realizing this was a victory celebration, finally surged forward.
To see the Devourer's corpse, which they'd never laid eyes on before.
And around then, a system message appeared to Yeong-woo.
「You have defeated Devourer Daltio!」
Then, the kill record increased by one more.
「You have 2 kill records eligible for the Monument of Victories.」
'Definitely dead.'
Only after confirming the system message did Yeong-woo relax.
If the Devourer wasn't fully dead and suddenly started spewing mist again, all those brothers charging over there wouldn't just vanish?
With each surviving brother yielding over 30,000 karma daily, having them line up and die like before was a nightmare for Yeong-woo.
"Now that we've taken down the Devourer... can the remaining brothers cross over here?"
As Yeong-woo looked beyond the portal and spoke, Bang the Great Hero made an uncertain expression.
-If there are still living brothers over there, someone will surely show up.
The number of brothers guarding the holy land Aratubank numbered in the tens of thousands.
But now that it was confirmed the Devourer had ravaged the holy land, it was impossible to guess how many survived.
Especially the holy land guardians, who were exceptionally brave—they surely charged in first for a glorious end, knowing they couldn't stand against the Devourer.
Thus, the key was the timing of the Devourer's appearance.
From inside the portal, they could only see this side's scenery, not hear sounds, so the best they could do now was have flag bearers wave flags.
-Hmm.
Bang the Great Hero let out a groan at the unoptimistic outlook, and Yeong-woo placed a hand on his forearm to comfort him.
"Still, now they know it's possible to take down the Devourer, so that's encouraging. Anyway, we've confirmed the risk is manageable up to 50%, right?"
Meaning the 100 million invested this time could be recovered next time, but Yeong-woo didn't add that part.
"Thanks to this, we can save more brothers. Gotta think long-term."
As Yeong-woo said this, the Devourer's corpse lying before the portal began dispersing into the air.
Shiiiiaaaat...!
Then, just like when he defeated the Illusion Dragon Morakus, a sword appeared where the corpse had been.
"...Void Flesh."
He could tell just from the appearance.
Then, as Yeong-woo looked at Bang the Great Hero, he looked back and nodded.
-Little feet, you kept your word. The brothers' souls must have received ample comfort.
With that, Yeong-woo wordlessly stepped toward the sword.
Clink, clink.
He placed his hand on the second Void Flesh rising at his feet.
Tap.
It instantly turned to smoke and seeped into the Void Flesh he originally had.
「Void Flesh」 - Void One-Handed Sword
【Absorbs another Void Flesh.】
【Illusion Dragon: 10% increased damage to living targets.】
【Devourer: 15% increased psychic damage.】
'Whoa, what is this? The coefficient is huge.'
The effect added to Void Flesh from defeating the Devourer was 15% psychic damage.
No small number even for a single piece of gear, but this weapon's effects stacked with each new flesh acquired.
In other words, meeting another Devourer would boost psychic damage by 30%, and another after that to 45%.
'Insane. Makes me want to hunt every Devourer in the world.'
Of course, as a born human, Yeong-woo could only gain psychic damage through gear.
「Heretic」 - Unique Full Armor
【15% of attack power converts to psychic damage.】
With only 15% of total attack power as psychic damage currently, if he planned to keep growing Void Flesh, he needed more psychic damage sources.
'Anyway, mutation drops are coming soon, so I should gather some psychic gear today.'
But from experience so far, psychic attribute gear was rare to begin with, and conversion-type items even rarer.
'Ironically, now there's something money can't buy.'
Flip it around, and it meant his inaction level had entered another dimension.
"......"
Yeong-woo's gaze naturally shifted inside the stone chamber beyond the portal.
'Is there no way to go directly inside there? If possible, I could massively amplify psychic damage at least.'
Yeong-woo wasn't obsessed only with money—he was obsessed with power too.
And into his such field of view, soon bundles of money appeared.
"...Huh?"
As Yeong-woo, staring at the stone chamber, blinked, the scene sharpened.
"Brothers!"
From the previously quiet interior of the stone chamber, another group of brothers appeared.
"Flag bearer! Raise the flag!"
Money-mad Yeong-woo directed the brothers as if he'd been an orc since birth.
Then he drew his sword, preparing for any more Devourers that might appear.
'One more would be nice. Ah, of course, saving brothers is better.'
As Yeong-woo eyed the brothers with greedy eyes... no, the space behind them, Bangtu Bangtung sensed the odd focus and paled.
-Little feet, what are you waiting for?
"...Just worried something chasing the brothers might show up."
Yeong-woo said this, then sheathed his sword back at his waist.
Clunk!
"But doesn't seem like anything else is coming."
Meanwhile, the brothers who crossed the stone chamber quickly passed through the portal.
Swish!
Then Bangtu Bangtung grabbed one brother who had just set foot on Earth.
-Are you all? How many brothers remain in the holy land now?
The one grabbed by Bangtu Bangtung grimaced and replied.
-The barrier in the ceremonial hall collapsed too, so by now all guardians should be heading here.
-That's a relief at least.
-But with so many unclean things, I wonder if...
The orc, continuing with a somber face, suddenly shut his mouth.
Then he drew his sword with a furious expression.
-Y-You... you, you bastard!
Stammering in shock, he shook off Bangtu Bangtung's hand and charged toward the coffin-shaped holy relic box placed to the side.
Tatata!
Because right now, some alien was daring to touch the holy relic, which was the holy land Aratubank itself.
-Brother, stop! That's no longer our holy relic!
Bangtu Bangtung's panicked voice came from behind, but it didn't reach the ears of this young orc, who had devoted his life to guarding the relic and holy land.
What filled his eyes and ears now was.
Kwak!
The mad alien ripping off the sealing plate of the holy relic box.
-Why is everyone just watching! Guard the holy relic!
Amid an inexplicable unease wrapping his whole body, the young orc hurled the sword in his hand.
Whiiiish!
At the unclean otherworlder daring to touch the holy relic.
However.
Shiiiing!
Even from just 15 meters away, his blade didn't reach the opponent.
Ping!
-Ugh...!
The filthy alien blocked the thrown sword with two fingers on his left arm without even turning his head.
And meanwhile, its right hand.
Kwajajak!
Completely tore off the sealing plate guarding the holy relic box.
-Ah!
With the young orc's lament, tremendous energy burst from the holy relic box.
Kwaaaaaaaa!
This dense energy, enough to dye the chamber milky white.
-Aratubank!
-Aratubank...!
-Ah, the heroes!
Aratubank.
The souls of the ancestral heroes themselves, who enabled the existence of later Red Feet.
"Wh-What is this?"
Even Yeong-woo, who personally ripped off the sealing plate, blinked at the far more spectacular unboxing show than expected.
Even without the brothers' explanation, he realized the massive energy vortex filling the area now was some kind of souls.
"...These folks, why couldn't they pass on and were all gathered here?"
The energy density felt through skin and soul right now vividly showed how deep the Red Feet orcs' history ran.
And soon.
Shiiiiaaaa...!
Amid the swirling energy, faint whispers came.
This was akin to the transcendent language used by cosmic higher beings, embedding directly into consciousness without passing through Yeong-woo's senses.
―Who awakened us.
―The time has come.
―Pitiful.
―Is it war?
So these were awakening for the first time since becoming heroic spirits.
No wonder—for an Earthling, this relic was like parents' urn of ashes.
That was why Bang the Great Hero never thought of the relic as mere 'gear.'
Even with a 'myth' in possession, they revered it so sacredly that they'd kept it unused even under Mara's invasion.
But.
'No, it's gear anyway.'
Yeong-woo saw a large shield inside the glowing relic box, shaped like a coffin.
So he reached for it.
Chwak!
Instantly, tremendous heat generated, melting the tips of Yeong-woo's fingers.
"What the fuck, you bastards?"
Yeong-woo reflexively cursed in anger, but it was justified.
Without regeneration, that one touch would have permanently cost him one segment each from his right index and middle fingers.
"Seems like the ancestors are rejecting me."
As Yeong-woo looked at Bang the Great Hero standing to the side, he rolled up his sleeves with a resigned look.
-Daring to wake Aratubank from slumber is sin enough; we must avoid greater rudeness.
Meaning he, a pureblood Red Feet, would use it.
After all, wasn't it fact that they'd dared remove the relic from the holy land, and an outsider shattered the seal, signaling the tribe's dire crisis?
It also meant the Red Feet had grown that weak.
So, sorry to the ancestors, but they had no choice but to borrow the great myth's power.
Thud!
As Red Feet Lord Bangtu Bangtung took his first step toward the 'myth,' Yeong-woo drew Illegitimate Child and pointed at Bang the Great Hero.
"Hey, hold it."
-......?
"What do you think you're doing? We had a deal. This relic is mine now."
Little feet's greed rivaled the Devourer's aura.
Even seasoned Bangtu Bangtung flinched momentarily at the energy little feet exuded.
-H-Ha, but... Aratubank rejects you. No other way.
"Why no other way? You gonna say that without trying?"
Then Yeong-woo moved the tip of Illegitimate Child toward the relic.
Swish.
"Introduce yourselves. Same myth-grade, you should recognize each other."
Then he uttered words no orc in history had dared.
"Feeling antsy to show the descendants a taste of myth? Cut the crap, lower your guard. Here I go again."
And Yeong-woo extended his right hand toward the relic once more.
Meanwhile, his two fingers had regenerated as if nothing happened, and soon.
Tuk.
Yeong-woo's fingertips safely touched the relic's surface, outputting an alarm he'd never seen since the reset.
≪|l||I-A 「Myth」 has appeared on Earth.≫