The Birth of Rex
You may bestow a name upon this undead.
* Race: Undead
* Classification: Predator
* Rank: A+
⚡ Strength:1,840
💨 Agility:1,457
❤ Stamina:1,594
🛡 Durability:1,657
✨ Mana:515
* Skills
― Immortal Legion [A]
― Primal Species [A]
― Aura [A]
― Beast Instinct [A]
― Hunting Instinct [A]
― Predator’s Prestige [A]
― Predatory Cannibalize [A]
A presence larger than even the enhanced Draco. The monster that could no longer be called a mere raptor slowly rose to its feet.
Its form resembled a Tyrannosaurus, yet the finer details set it apart. The greatest difference lay in its arms—long enough to wrap a man in a crushing bear hug. Being embraced by those limbs would not end with mere broken bones.
It surveyed its surroundings, then flared its blue eyes with a predatory gleam.
“Kwarurururu!”
An overwhelming force of will packed into that roar. Goosebumps raced across my skin.
“Hmm.”
“A little dangerous, this one.”
“May this humble servant step back, Great Lord?”
Even my subordinates tensed for a moment under its presence—all because of one of its skills, Predator’s Prestige.
Its specs were staggering as well. Physical stats that rivaled the enhanced Draco’s, with lower mana compensated by superior bodily power.
This individual is a Primal Species.
Physical ability-related stats increase by 50%.
Dinosaur-type monsters like raptors received the Primal Species correction. That was why, even when classified as C-rank, their actual hunting difficulty felt far higher. The Immortal Phoenix hunters had suffered plenty in the Wave of Primordials Gate.
I had succeeded in extracting the essence, yet I never expected the finished product to carry a Primal Species judgment as well. Looking purely at the numbers, it might even surpass some S-rank monsters.
“Heh heh.”
A hollow laugh escaped me at the birth of a monster that shattered every calculation.
Predator is a special species that opens new possibilities for the undead.
By gathering the essence of Primal Species, it can be realized in a recorded form.
If the projected image and the corpse’s form do not match, creation of a Predator species will fail.
So that was why Megus had kept harping on about the image. Even a rotten herring still has its value—the title of Arch-Alchemist clearly wasn’t won at poker.
【This old man’s insight. How about it? Impressive, is it not?】
“Tch. Frustrating as it is, I have to give you credit for this one.”
“I am content to remain my Lord’s first sword.”
“This humble servant specializes in archaeology, so the crafting side is beyond me, Great Lord.”
【Master. Imprint?】
Even the subordinates seemed ready to acknowledge Megus’s contribution. Alchemy. A power unrelated to direct combat, yet I had gained a subordinate who would aid undead enhancement and research.
“Right. I need to give it a name.”
I wanted to call it Tyranno, but an undead grown from a mutant raptor as its core simply didn’t reach that size. A 0.7 Tyranno, maybe. No choice. When the best option fails, take the next best.
“Rex.”
The official name of this undead is Armed Rex.
Predator – Rex is recorded in the Akashic Records.
The “Predator” prefix stayed, it seemed. Come to think of it, the system had mentioned something about a new species earlier.
You have crafted a deceased not recorded in the Akashic Records.
You have realized the extinct ancient race – Predator.
The user’s achievement is engraved upon the Akashic Records.
An achievement! How long had it been since I last saw this message?
A flat 10% all-stat increase for every undead I craft. Predators get another 20% on top of that, for a total of 30%. And just like Undead Maker, it stacked onto the final stat values—meaning it would balloon the numbers to absurd heights when combined with other skills and achievements.
“Insane. This is insane.”
“It is enough to contend with the commander of a decent knight order, my Lord.”
“What level of commander are we talking about?”
“An Aura Blade user—in other words, a Master-class powerhouse.”
Aura Blade meant S-rank hunter territory. Projecting the image of a Tyrannosaurus had been the right call after all. When it comes to dinosaurs, it’s always Tyranno!
“Though that assumes mutual destruction, or at least dealing a fatal wound before falling oneself.”
“That’s still incredible.”
S-rank and A-rank. Only one step apart on paper, yet the actual combat power differed by several times. The mere fact that it could stand against an S-rank even while prepared for a double suicide was already remarkable.
“If only I could mass-produce Rex…”
【Impossible, Master.】
Megus cut me off coldly.
【That mutant raptor you mentioned acted as a singularity that made this miracle possible.】
“A singularity?”
【An abnormally powerful monster. That is why it could bear the image you imposed upon it.】
“Then I just need a stronger Primal Species corpse.”
【It would need to be at least an A-rank boss monster, I suspect.】
The mutant raptor’s value was equivalent to an A-rank boss? Good thing I had kept it in storage instead of selling it.
In any case—
“So mass production is off the table for now.”
Gates where Primal Species appeared were rare. With so few specimens on the market, prices stayed high. I had already asked President Baek separately to secure more Primeval Hearts.
Should I commission GGG? No. Creating one Rex was enough for the moment. There was no urgent need.
“And there’s no guarantee of success next time either.”
If the goal was short-term power growth, producing more Death Warriors would be more efficient. Better to treat this as a long-term research project.
“It would be wiser to study it carefully over time.”
“How strong the undead army may yet become—truly something to look forward to, my Lord!”
“You mustn’t forget this humble servant either, Great Lord.”
【Holy. Me alone.】
Ugh. No matter how strong the minions get, they won’t take your jobs, you know. Especially you, Zaug. I’ve benefited plenty from your stealth and assassination skills, so don’t get too tense.
The more souls from other worlds I gathered, the stronger I became—I felt that truth anew. As Megus’s knowledge gradually accumulated, just how powerful could the undead army grow? I was already looking forward to it.
“President Baek, could you look into any gates where Primal Species appear?”
I tossed the question out on a whim.
“GGG is currently managing one fixed-type gate.”
The answer came immediately. What the—scary.
“How did you know that?”
“I have checked every fixed-type gate under GGG’s management.”
No, I mean—why did you check them?
“I listed them so that if Hunter Park needed any byproducts, I could supply them at once.”
He had already prepared a list. Truly a terrifying man.
“I will request a sample be sent.”
“No need. It’s not urgent.”
Rex had been born from a perfect storm of coincidence and luck. I would need to analyze this one thoroughly before I could even estimate the cost of producing more Predators.
“Understood. Contact me when you need it.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.”
“And I hear training resumes today.”
What training? The support team’s training—they had hit C-rank max level.
“Max level in three months. That’s seriously impressive.”
Apparently the support team had rested only the bare minimum and kept diving into gates. President Baek had fully sponsored their consumables and gear. Money, time, and effort had formed a perfect trinity and rocketed their levels skyward.
“Hunter Park should not be the one saying that.”
“Me? Why?”
“Perhaps place a hand on your conscience and reflect.”
Good grief. What did I say to bring the word “conscience” into this? Too much!
“I took two months to rank up myself, you know?”
“You are also the B-rank who slaughtered ten A-rank hunters.”
“That has nothing to do with ranking up.”
“You handled all your other business and still ranked up in two months.”
Blacksmith practice. Undead crafting and research. The scolding that I had reached max level while juggling all of that left me speechless.
“Ah, and from today Miss Yeondu will also join the training officially.”
“Doesn’t matter to me.”
She had been training with us unofficially for ages already. The support team friends visited the Death Blacksmith for the first time in a while. The moment I saw their faces, words failed me.
“Didn’t the president feed you guys?”
Hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. Their gazes looked ready to kill a man.
“Hwaaaah. Long time no see, hyung-nim.”
“Following you… our crotches nearly split.”
“Just rank up! Just rank up!!”
“Freedom from hunting hell!”
Yeah. They were in rough shape.
“Hahaha! Such passionate spirits are a joy to behold.”
You think that looks good? Even a rotten fish’s eyes would have more life than the support team right now.
“I’m here!”
Yeondu bounced in with a cheerful voice. The atmosphere between the two groups clashed completely.
Wait a second.
“You. School?”
“CSAT’s over.”
“You still have to go to school.”
“The promise with Mom was only until the CSAT.”
“So you’re just skipping regular classes?”
“If I’m going to live as a hunter, spending that time learning from the Knight of White Light is way better!”
Ugh. Back in my day, skipping school just because you awakened was unthinkable. I was such a good kid who always listened to the teacher. Kids these days…
“Uncle, you’re thinking something else right now, aren’t you?”
“N-no.”
“It’s written all over your face.”
Tch. The power of the landlord’s daughter is terrifying. She saw right through my perfect poker face!
“Not going into gates?”
“I’m already max level.”
She had hit the level cap while clearing the uninhabited island gate last time.
“My goal is A-rank on the first promotion attempt.”
“Sir Isra will do her utmost to help you achieve that goal.”
“That sounds like ‘work her even harder,’ but I’m probably imagining it, right?”
I dislike kids with sharp instincts like you. I pretended not to hear and glanced at Sir Isra.
“You four, come this way.”
“Mijeong, you’re with me?”
Training split into two teams. Zaug licked his lips.
“This humble servant can also teach his techniques, Great Lord.”
“I’ll take the thought for the sentiment.”
One-hit kills and ambushes. That style didn’t suit the support team or Yeondu.
“If my Lord also joined the training, nothing could be better.”
“Busy. Later.”
Analyzing Rex and the enhanced Draco was already tight on time.
“Why analyze Draco as well?”
“You iron-headed fool. Their construction mechanisms are similar.”
Ingrid was right. Predator. Draco. Neither was a normal undead. My skills and luck played a part, but they possessed high specs that couldn’t be explained by that alone.
【It is reasonable to view this as a peculiarity of Master’s class.】
Even the Arch-Alchemist and the Witch of the Solar Eclipse could not fully grasp the origins of the Necrosmith’s power. So what else could I do? Research further.
“Next time we will definitely train in swordsmanship!”
Leaving Sir Isra’s regret-filled eyes behind, I threw myself into research. Time flew by between training and study, and before I knew it, the day of the promotion examination had arrived.