Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: Divine Beast Hunt (4)
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"Unicorn..."
It was a divine beast, no less. A level 400 one at that. What if the Legend Rider effect stacked on top of this?
Just thinking about it brought a smile to his face.
[You have been exposed to the Fairy's Illusion Spell.]
"Oh, right."
Rokan snapped out of it, finally noticing the fairies' trickery that had crept up on him unnoticed. It was different from what happened with Drokshi, but his mouth had been hanging open all the same.
He glanced around. Massive monsters were closing in, narrowing the distance.
Grotesque, enormous beasts he'd never laid eyes on before.
But Rokan remained utterly calm. He'd already secured the unicorn—there was no reason to avoid the fight now.
"I see right through you all."
The giant beasts exuded an intimidating presence just by looking at them. Yet Rokan's eyes were fixed on something tiny.
Not the illusory hulks conjured by the spells, but the fairies themselves at their core.
"Rampaging Chariot."
Rokan surged forward with a ferocious burst of energy. Ignoring the massive axe that would have required Gale Incarnation to block, he slammed straight into the creature.
Or at least, that's how it appeared.
"Wild Slaughter!"
Bam-bam-bam-bam!
But his strikes hammered a single point.
The fairy's illusion was intricate, but Rokan possessed eyes that pierced through all creation.
Eyes that saw through lies and pierced the truth spotted the fairy's true form.
Kieeeek!
He didn't know about its magic prowess, but its vitality was pathetic. The forest fairy let out a dying screech and burst with a pop.
It wasn't fleeing. It vanished into fairy dust—an item—before Wild Slaughter's flurry even ended.
"Heh, nothing special."
Kiiiieeeeeeeek!
With that, the fairies encircling them changed their tune.
Realizing this was no longer child's play, they bared their hostility and charged.
"Damn it. No choice!"
Even the passive Drokshi had no option but to go all out now.
He hated antagonizing fairies, but he wasn't about to die for it.
He couldn't pierce the illusions like Rokan, but he had a pretty decent AoE skill.
"Weapon Explosion!"
Boom!
No hiding behind phantoms could save them from an AoE blast.
Several fairies got caught in the explosion from the sacrificed unique-grade weapon and vanished in one go. Rokan, not one to be outdone, moved swiftly.
"Unicorn!"
He summoned the unicorn. It wouldn't fall for the fairies' petty tricks.
Puhin?
"Take them out!"
The unicorn, still groggy as if it hadn't fully woken up, glanced around at Rokan's command. But with the ownership properly registered, it soon unleashed its aura.
"Whoa."
Splat!
Its attack was simple. It charged headlong and impaled them with its grand, beautiful horn. That was it.
But the illusions had no effect— the fairies' forms vanished instantly.
One-shot.
Its raw charging power might even surpass Rokan's.
[You have been exposed to the Fairy's Sleep Spell.]
[Divine Beast Unicorn's Blessing negates all effects.]
"Kuhahaha, perfect!"
That wasn't all. True to its divine beast name, the unicorn's mere presence nullified the fairies' spells, protecting not just itself but its owner, Rokan, as well.
Meanwhile, Rokan's swift, powerful strikes shattered the fairies' forms one by one. Was there a better hunting ground than this?
Having confirmed the unicorn's effects, Rokan went wild like he'd been holding back all this time.
[You have leveled up.]
Fairies gave stingy EXP for their level, but befitting the Fairy Forest, their numbers were overwhelming.
After a solid hunt, he gained another level.
Drokshi, vulnerable to fairy magic, was starting to struggle, but Rokan only grew more energized, rampaging on until no more fairies dared approach.
"Ready to head out?"
"Huff, huff. You're a monster..."
With no fairies left to kill, Rokan dusted himself off lightly and exited the Fairy Forest.
He hoped another divine beast might pop up on the way, but reaching the village safely would set him up for the next one.
"No divine beasts on the way back?"
"You're too greedy. Divine beasts aren't that common, you know."
Drokshi still refused to use honorifics despite it being about time he got used to it, stubborn to the end.
Fine, whatever.
After seeing him snag both the imugi and the unicorn, Rokan doubted the dwarf was lying anyway.
"But..."
"But?"
"Nah, nothing."
It was a cryptic remark, but Rokan didn't dwell on it. Even if Drokshi led him into a trap, he was confident he could bust out.
The two trekked onward. Flying would have taken a while, so walking meant at least a full day, but snagging EXP from random monsters along the way made it worthwhile.
Rokan had to log out midway but had warned Drokshi not to wander off, solving that neatly. The contract forced absolute obedience for now.
"Just past here, and we'll hit the village."
Finally, they neared the village.
"Here?"
But Rokan's face twisted slightly at the spot Drokshi pointed to. The terrain looked anything but easy to cross.
"Ahem, this is the River of Purification. Soak in it, and everything gets purified, so stash your gear in sub-space. And as you can see, those bomb clouds up top make flying impossible."
"A river, huh..."
Bomb-shaped clouds hung low, detonating like actual bombs.
'Can't just have Kai blast them away, can I?'
That left swimming. He could swim, but the thought of underwater monsters lurking made him uneasy.
"Monsters in there?"
"Divine fish, yeah. Oh, they're not classified as divine beasts, so don't get ideas about hunting them. They won't attack unless provoked, so no worries there."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Well... if you're not celestial, fail to cross in time, and your stats reset."
"Stats reset?"
"Creation and combo skills go first, though."
What kind of nonsense was this? Purification water wiping stats?
Dumbfounded, Rokan alternated glances between the river and Drokshi, but the dwarf's expression was dead serious—no joke.
"Celestials are fine, but why... Ah."
A quick scan of Drokshi revealed the reason.
Dwarven stubby limbs. No damage, but he'd have to swim way farther than most.
"This is..."
Bitter, but his own priorities came first. The river was wide; hitting the time limit even with mobility skills seemed dicey.
"Hm?"
Then, an idea flashed through Rokan's mind.
Arms and legs.
If short limbs slowed Drokshi down, longer ones should speed things up, right?
Decision made, Rokan grinned and unequipped his gear.
As Drokshi said, losing the Lion King's sacred gear to purification would be a disaster.
Naked now, Rokan did some quick stretches and charged toward the River of Purification.
"See ya on the other side. Hurry your ass up!"
He started his run-up from as far back as possible, then unleashed at the perfect spot.
"Gale Incarnation!"
His body ballooned in size.
Rokan took a massive running leap, soaring far into the river.
[You have been exposed to the Purification Water.]
He glided as far as possible with a dive. Freestyle was fast, but diving was fastest.
Pumping his giant limbs furiously, he cleaved through the current.
At this rate, the other side in minutes.
"Stroke! Stroke!"
Using freestyle from his old swimming pool days, he crossed deep into the river. The purifying energy seeping through his pores triggered something.
[The Purification Water cleanses your body.]
[Waste is purged from your body.]
[Pure mana infuses your body.]
[All stats increase by 10.]
"!"
He nearly forgot how to swim from shock.
Late crossing resets stats? But they rose instead? Did Drokshi lie?
'No, impossible.'
Rokan sorted his thoughts. Overdo it, and reset probably kicked in.
'Alright, then...'
He swam as fast as possible.
Purification kept cleansing, stats auto-rising.
[All stats increase by 100.]
Cumulative +100 across all stats!
Rokan nearly crossed as his body adapted.
'Wait.'
Satisfy and bail?
No.
He recalled Drokshi's words: creation/combo skills reset before stats.
He could remake those anytime—might as well push it.
[All stats increase by 200.]
[All stats increase by 250.]
Staying submerged, ready to bolt, stats climbed steadily.
Past 200, 250—no end in sight. Acceleration even.
[All stats increase by 300.]
[Creation skill Counter deleted.]
'Now!'
At +300 cumulative, creation skills began deleting.
Rokan timed it perfectly, using Jump to escape the river unscathed.
"Good thing I'm not celestial."
Perfect outcome. Lost one creation skill, but not the slot.
He glanced at Drokshi still flailing with his stubs, then recreated Counter right there.
Pure profit crossing the River of Purification.
"Puha! That skill's busted! I should whip up something similar..."
Drokshi arrived late, drained and whining, but Rokan just grinned and pressed on.
Stamina from a swim? Couple potions fixed that—no need to wait long.
[You have entered the Gateway to the Heavens.]
Thirty minutes later, in high spirits, they reached the first heavenly checkpoint his flying mount had scouted first.