Fury of the Flame Scout
The Flame Scout closed the distance in an instant.
It spotted Carpe and cried out in shock.
"Unauthorized intruder! You've embraced an evil power!"
"Evil power?"
Carpe tilted his head at the scout spewing furious rage.
Was it referring to the new Demon God Tool he'd just acquired?
But it didn't take long to realize that assumption was wrong.
Servant Lord's Token reacts to the flame spirit's energy.
Servant Lord's energy is faintly released.
With the alert, the ring began to vibrate, and a blue aura slowly seeped from it.
Target's rank is at the level of a High Flame Spirit.
The Flame Scout partially resists the Servant Lord's energy. Effects of Servant Lord's Token are reduced.
Target's attack and defense reduced by 15%. Cold resistance reduced by 30%.
"Ah."
The "evil power" the Flame Scout mentioned was the power of the Servant Lord.
Considering how the flame spirits in the Flame Spirit Haven had panicked at the Servant Lord's power before, it was a reaction that made sense.
"What the hell did the Servant Lord do to make every flame spirit we meet freak out like this?"
-Yeah, right? Did it go and kill the Flame Spirit King or something?
"Anyway, this is great. It's a tough bastard, but these debuffs are stacking up nicely."
It was minor compared to the debuffs on low- and mid-level flame spirits, but it still helped a lot.
"Evil intruder! Begone!"
The Flame Scout swung a massive fist, and Carpe and his retainers immediately scattered.
Boom!
The flame fist smashed into the ground, shattering it. Taking it head-on would've left anyone on the brink of death in one hit.
But no matter how strong the attack, it meant nothing if it didn't connect.
Carpe easily dodged the first strike and fired off a spell.
"Ice Arrow!"
An ice arrow shot toward the scout at high speed for probing.
"Pathetic!"
The scout swatted away the incoming ice arrow with a sweep of its massive arm. Carpe's spell evaporated without dealing any real damage.
"Yeah, simple attacks like that won't cut it, huh?"
But that was fine. He'd gauged the scout's reaction speed from its response.
"Hyang!"
"Kyoot!"
At Carpe's call, Mukhyang flailed its front paws, activating its skill Spell of Eight.
Ice attribute applied to weapon.
At the same time, he pulled a piece of Ignioron meat from his inventory and popped it into his mouth.
With its heavenly taste came the alert window.
Strength +15, Vitality +5, Mana +5.
Fire attribute damage reduced by 20%.
"Doping and buffs are on—let's do this for real!"
Whoosh!
Carpe activated Blue Dragon Step and dashed into the scout's range in a flash. The scout swung its massive fist in response, but Carpe—having already clocked its speed—ducked ahead of time.
The huge fist whistled over his head, singeing a few hairs with its heat.
Exposed to intense heat.
Afflicted with Burn status.
Unlock activated. Burn status removed.
"Ugh. Still hits the spot."
This was all anticipated.
Without hesitation, Carpe slammed his fist into the scout's side.
"Ma Sword Penetration Mirror!"
Boom!
"Gah! Intruder! Not bad!"
Ma Sword Penetration Mirror hits. Ignores 50% of target's defense.
For 5 seconds, target's physical and magic defense reduced by 50%.
Attribute defense reduced by 30%.
Target's body is a High Spirit Body 'Flame Incarnate'. Physical skill effects halved.
Attacked Flame Incarnate. Receive fire damage.
"Huh? High spirit body?"
-It's a catch-all term for vague entities. Ghosts, spirits, that sort. Non-physical mental forms without flesh.
"Ah, got it. Yeah, those kinds usually have physical resistance in other games too."
Unlike low- and mid-level spirits, high-level ones seemed to have that trait.
But it was fine. The debuff landed, even if halved.
Carpe's combat style was mostly the same against non-special foes.
First, close in and slap on the Ma Sword Penetration Mirror defense shred.
Then...
"Permafrost!"
During the 5-second debuff window, unleash his strongest skill!
Crackle—!
An icy wave surged out from Carpe.
The Flame Scout, right in front of him, had no chance to dodge. Ice began clinging to its lower body.
The 9-star skill's power was tremendous—even a fire giant could be frozen solid in an instant.
"Graaaah! You bastard!"
Ice and flame mixed, billowing massive steam. The scout's roaring flames shrank dramatically.
"My lord! We're joining in!"
"Hohoho! I am Gillian of the Dark Army! Show yourself, enemy general!"
"Ice Needle!"
"I'll crush you flat!"
Tina was already mounted on the now-gigantic Mukhyang.
In her hands was the massive charge lance La Mancha.
"Kyuuut!"
"Charging in, Hyang!"
Mount skill activated.
Combat boost granted to mount and rider. Mount's mobility slightly increased.
Mukhyang charged at full speed toward the Flame Scout.
With Mukhyang's speed combined with Tina's Mount, it wasn't just a cavalry charge—it evoked a chariot assault.
"Grk! No chance!"
As Cheonma had mentioned several times, high-rank spirits were on another level from mids.
Even hit by Permafrost, it twisted its body and swung a massive fist.
"A knight's charge knows no retreat! I shall not yield!"
Tina didn't slow down, and soon the lance clashed with the scout's fist.
Boom!
The momentum-packed lance charge exploded the Flame Scout's fist.
"Kuh!"
"Kyung!"
But Tina and Mukhyang took damage too.
Unable to fully absorb the massive force, they were flung back.
"Hyang, are you alright?"
"Kyukyu! Kyu!"
"Good."
They sprang back up and rejoined the fray, seemingly unscathed.
Gillian's greatsword cleaved the scout's body, while Mirage briefly transformed into the elf queen to unleash spells.
The Flame Scout occasionally launched big attacks, but Royard tanked them solidly.
With Carpe pressing the assault relentlessly, the scout could only take hits helplessly.
'I was worried since it's high-rank, but this is way easier than expected.'
-Damn. You're way stronger than I predicted. Adding Royard and the Demon God Tool is OP. Still, don't get cocky. Low chance, but if this thing glitches out...
Right then.
"Dangerous intruders! I won't let threats to the Spirit Realm live! Even if it costs my life!"
As the flames scattered and the scout's size halved, its special pattern triggered.
A sudden red glow erupted from its chest.
-Shit. It's really activating.
"What? What's that?"
-These scouts have a trait: at under 30% HP, low chance of self-destruct. Like 5%?
"...And we hit that 5% now?"
-Yep. Talk about luck—good or bad...
"Self-destruct? Not Holy Sacrifice-level power, right?"
-No way. But it could one-shot low-HP folks, so unsummon Kyukyu and Mirage.
"Got it... Huh?"
As Carpe moved to unsummon his retainers, an unexpected alert appeared.
The Spirit Realm operates under different laws from the human realm.
Interdimensional travel restricted by dimensional laws.
Dimension Gate skill disabled.
Cannot return to Room.
Reverse summoning impossible unless retainers' HP reaches 0.
"Crap."
Just like the warning when entering the Spirit Realm, some of Carpe's skills and functions were sealed.
His go-to reverse summon was blocked, so he hurriedly shouted Unlock. But sadly, no response.
-Too late to run! Can't escape the blast radius now. Minimize damage!
"Damn it!"
Carpe cursed and charged forward.
No Room cheese left—he had to tank the self-destruct head-on.
"Hyang and Mirage, fall back! Royard, front! Tina!"
"Yes, my lord! Radiant Command!"
Ding.
Radiant Command activated.
For 30 seconds, all allies' physical and magic defense +100%!
"Ice Shield!"
Carpe activated the 5-star Elemental Shield to raise an ice wall.
And at that moment...
The red glow in the scout's chest peaked.
"Invaders! Die!"
KABOOM!
The scout's body exploded, engulfing them in intense flames.
Long story short, Carpe and his group survived the self-destruct.
Except for Carpe and the flame-resistant Royard, most were down to under 30% HP.
"Everyone okay?"
"Yes, my lord. Hyang and Mirage are safe too."
"Uuu... Master, I hate fire. Thought I was gonna burn up."
"Kyuuung...."
"Hyang. Hyang. Cool me down with something cold."
"Kyu!"
Mukhyang sprayed cold air with Spell of Eight, and Mirage finally slumped in relief.
Carpe let out a big breath, feeling the cool chill.
"Phew. Close call. Didn't expect Room reverse summon to be blocked. First fight here was spicy."
-Yeah, risky. Who knew the 5% would proc...
"I've said it a million times—5% is basically guaranteed. They're giving it away."
-Goddamn...
It was an unexpected curveball, but compared to Holy Sacrifice, it wasn't hard to tank.
Radiant Command, fire resistance from Ignioron meat, and crucially, the new Red Anvil Tribe Resist Set shone.
As the name implied, the Resist Set cut attribute damage by nearly 50%—top-tier elemental defense gear.
"What an inauguration."
And then, an alert appeared before Carpe.
The 10-Star Player Strengthened by Draws