Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Babylonia
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“Man, this is way too easy.”
I clicked my tongue at the pile of lizardman corpses stacked up in front of me.
Just swapping out one piece of gear had made the fights a total breeze. It felt like I’d been fighting with sandbags tied to my ankles this whole time and had finally kicked them off.
It was all thanks to the new gear I’d picked up.
[Lightweight Mudflat Armor (D)]
[Defense 0. Durability 10. Weight 0.5]
[Lightweight effect reduces weight by 50%.]
My body weight was 65kg, plus 15kg from armor and throwing weapons—totaling 80kg. Thanks to the lightweight magic, that was down to 40kg.
‘Definitely feel lighter on my feet than before.’
It had cost a pretty penny, but I didn’t regret it one bit. I’d paid with lizardman mana stones instead of cash, after all.
‘Let’s see. Three 2-star mana stones—that’s gotta be around 30 million won, right?’
Not a small sum, but if it let me take down the lizardman nest, it was a bargain.
Rustle!
As you might’ve guessed, I’d already reached the lizardman nest.
‘Around forty lizardmen inside. Even if only one in ten drops a mana stone, that’s ten stones.’
But the real prize would come from the boss monster. My eyes fixed on the massive creature in the center of the nest.
A monster with two heads, four arms, and eight snake tails splayed out like legs.
A 3-star monster: the naga.
Its two heads always faced opposite directions, leaving no blind spots. Each of its four arms ended in long, needle-like claws.
And those claws were slathered in thick, dark blue poison—stronger than what the lizardman raiders carried, no doubt.
Its eight snake tails stretched out in all directions, making it look like a giant kraken octopus.
‘This won’t be easy.’
Lizardmen and raiders were no big deal no matter how many there were, but this single naga gave off a suffocating pressure.
It reminded me of my first orc encounter. The difference? The naga was on another level—way more threatening.
If an orc was a massive wall, the naga was a small mountain. That was the gap between 2-star and 3-star.
‘Fighting it head-on would be suicide.’
No amount of gear made this a winnable fight. I’d need to hit at least level 20 to stand a chance.
Luckily, I still had time. If I grinded levels hard over the next month, I might just pull it off.
* * *
[Level Up!]
[Cha In-hyeok. Lv 18. (3.7%)] [Mana 7/26]
[Strength 52, Agility 52, Vitality 53, Intelligence 40]
[Unallocated Stat Points: 10]
I’d pushed as hard as I could for speed, but the experience requirements kept ramping up. Level 18 was my limit.
‘Disappointing, but no choice. Time’s up.’
I dumped the unallocated points into Intelligence.
[Cha In-hyeok. Lv 18. (3.7%)] [Mana 1/26]
[Strength 52, Agility 52, Vitality 53, Intelligence 50]
[Active Skills]
[Illusion(F), Quick Draw(F), Heavy Strike(F), Stealth(E), Charge(E), Camouflage(E), Paralysis Poison(E)]
I’d picked up Paralysis Poison just in case, but as expected, it did nothing against lizardmen. It did build up a slight resistance, though.
‘I still need the antidote for now, but someday I’ll shake it off without one.’
I spent all remaining mana hiring lizardmen. That brought my lizardman minions up to three.
“Hiss!”
They stood by my side now. I’d brought them along this time, figuring I couldn’t solo it.
I left the others behind. The Demon King’s Castle needed guarding, and the swamp terrain wasn’t kind to the rest anyway.
Even so, they wouldn’t help much in a straight fight—mutual immunity to paralysis poison and all.
So I’d prepared.
My trump card.
“Hiss hiss!”
A lizardman’s tongue flicked over the claw strapped to its wrist. The new weapon felt awkward as hell.
Claw.
It looked just like Wolverine’s blades. Named “claw”—or “talon” in some translations—because it mimicked a beast’s.
I could’ve picked better weapons, but claws fit the lizardmen’s traits.
These guys didn’t know tools from holes in the ground.
They’d gotten by on swamps and poison, never bothering with weapons. Their hands weren’t even built for gripping.
‘If they had decent Intelligence, I could train them, but….’
No such luck—their smarts were orc-level. So I’d rushed some claws and strapped them to their wrists.
‘Poison’s a wash since we’re immune. It’ll come down to who’s got the better weapons.’
A clawed lizardman could probably take two or three normals easy.
‘Alright. Let’s go.’
I’d already stealth-killed the perimeter guards. Only the ones hunkered inside remained.
Around twenty lizardmen.
Two lizardman raiders.
And one naga.
Manageable.
“Alright! Charge!”
* * *
“Hiiiik!”
A short cry, and the raider blocking the entrance lost its head. Path clear.
I plunged straight into the naga’s lair.
It was cozier than expected. Aquatic plants walled off the space, and a 2-star gate yawned at the center.
Guarding it was the 3-star naga, coiled like a serpent.
“Hiiiik—hu, human… why….”
The naga finally rose. Eggs spilled into view from under its bulk.
No wonder it hadn’t shown during the skirmishes—it’d been brooding.
“Damn… makes me feel like the bad guy here.”
“Vi, vile! Hu, man scum!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t touch the eggs.”
“Die!”
The naga charged in a fury. Its eight snake tails churned the water, closing fast.
‘What the hell! It’s insanely quick!’
If I was a 1 in the water, lizardmen a 2, the naga was pushing 4.
Boom!
Too fast to dodge—I met it head-on with my weapon. But its size and weight sent me flying.
Thud!
I slammed into a wooden pillar ringing the nest like a wall. It bent just right, springy enough to cushion me without snapping.
‘The lightweight gear?’
Halfway up the pillar, I eyed the naga. I’d figured the eight legs meant speed, but not like this.
‘Can’t match it in speed. Gear won’t bridge that gap.’
Luring it to land wasn’t an option either—protecting the eggs was its top priority.
Unless it hauled every last one, it wouldn’t leave the nest.
Slip.
“Whoa!”
Water-slick, I started sliding. Instinct kicked in—I jammed a dart into the pillar.
‘That’s it!’
A counter flashed in my mind.
The nest’s outer ring of pillars sealed it off from the outside.
‘Climb these, and I can move as fast as that thing.’
Tap! Tap tap!
I yanked all my darts and hurled them at the pillars.
No guarantees it’d work. But a fair fight wasn’t winning this.
“Hiiiik—foo, l! At, tack missed!”
The naga mocked my “desperate” move, then churned forward on its eight legs again.
I gritted my teeth and pillar-hopped. The darts held firm underfoot.
“Wha—!?”
“Too early to be surprised.”
I kicked off a dart, leaped, and swung Gentle Breeze.
Whoooosh~
Wind whistled between pillars like a ghost’s wail.
Sensing danger, the naga blocked with a claw. But Gentle Breeze packed 40 attack power.
Plus, my levels had pushed Strength past 50. Heavy Strike sent it over 100.
Slice!
The naga’s iron-hard claw sheared clean off. I swung for the follow-up…
Splash splash!
The naga had retreated far back. Too slow to pursue, I gawked like a dog after a chicken on the roof.
Bubbling.
Foam bubbled from the stump as a new claw regrew. Ridiculous regeneration.
I clung to a pillar, waiting for an opening.
‘Can’t land a finisher without binding its legs. Gotta tie ’em down. How?’
Scanning around, I spotted cracks on a lizardman egg. Hatching soon.
‘Means it’s been brooding for days, maybe weeks.’
That egg bond ran deep. Could I use it? Nah—I shook my head.
‘No, that’d make me worse than a monster.’
I knew it was dumb to spare monsters’ feelings. Ruthless hunters exploited everything, fair or foul.
But these didn’t feel like emotionless beasts to me.
I knew they had feelings. Parent-child bonds.
‘Using hatchlings as bait? That’s not human.’
Besides, I could win clean.
“Haat!”
I hurled Gentle Breeze with everything. The naga learned—sidestepped instead of tanking.
Fine by me. I was already charging.
‘Recall!’
Gentle Breeze curved behind it. I timed my tomahawk swing.
Pincer attack.
Most would fixate on the front and eat the backshot, but two heads meant no blind spots.
Clang!
It batted the tomahawk, blocked Gentle Breeze with its other arms—no, tanked it with its body.
Stab!
Gentle Breeze lodged deep in its forearm. Pain froze it solid.
I whipped out throwing knives, hurling them full-force at its snake legs to pin it.
Tap tap!
Five or six sank in instantly.
“Shieeeek—!”
It screamed, slashing with claws. I blocked, but a graze scored my hand.
“Ugh!”
Just a nick, but my hand turned blue fast.
Tremble tremble.
It shook against my will, creeping up my arm.
Antidote down—tremors eased a bit, but paralysis lingered. Fitting for a higher-grade monster.
‘Damn it…!’
I crammed moss in my mouth too. Finally, the shaking stopped.
“Still got a ways to go!”
I swung the axe, flung knives, desperate to bind its legs.
Each wound slowed it more. Weapons stuck in delayed healing.
“Hiss—hiss!”
Finally, its legs locked. Knives ran out just in time.
“Use, less. Thish woundsh nothing.”
“Sure. Left alone, you’d heal. But can you tank till then?”
I opened my inventory. Eighteen slots now post-level-up, minus the golden key—all filled with javelins.
“Survive this, and I’ll salute you.”
I whispered.
「Gate of Babylonia.」