Shattering the Servant Lord's Fragment
The fragment of the Servant Lord was seething with extreme rage.
Even more so than when it had encountered the human who dealt it a mortal wound 800 years ago.
It had been just one step away from completing its life.
How dare it.
How dare it.
How DARE it!!!
"You pathetic worm! That is no trinket for the likes of you to devour!"
The Servant Lord's fragment spat out its furious rage and charged at the seemingly insignificant black squirrel.
It was fine. It wasn't too late yet.
Sever the neck with its ice scythe and claim the fruit.
Whoosh!
As the fragment lunged, it swung its foreleg at Mukhyang.
But.
"Chit-chit!"
Mukhyang was just a tad faster.
With a slightly cheeky squeak, it activated its skill right then and there.
Shadow Step.
Mukhyang's exclusive skill, allowing it to teleport from its own shadow to its master's using shadows!
The moment the skill triggered, Mukhyang—with the World Tree's fruit still in its mouth—slipped whoosh into its own shadow.
The scythe sliced through empty air by a hair's breadth.
And the Mukhyang that had vanished into the shadow.
"Chyu-chyu-chyu!"
Instantly burst out from Carpe's shadow beneath the World Tree.
"Good job, Hyangie! You're the best, as always."
"Hyang. You've achieved the greatest feat. Hm. Honestly, I'm a bit envious."
"Chyu-chyu!"
Basking in the flood of praise, Mukhyang planted its forepaws on its hips and struck a pose.
...Though its cheeks were puffed out from the fruit, ruining the cool effect.
"Alright then, Hyangie. Time to hand over the fruit."
"Chyuu... Chwing."
Hyangie's expression looked far happier than usual.
Because its mouth was stuffed full of the World Tree's fruit.
The indescribably sweet aroma of the flesh. And the unusual taste of the rind on its tongue.
Just imagining the paradise that would unfold the moment it crunched down was enough to make its body tremble.
It was an unbearable temptation for the still young and naive Mukhyang, but...
"Chit."
Mukhyang summoned superhuman willpower.
It obediently approached Carpe's palm, spat the fruit onto it.
"Chyuuu..."
And then cried.
"W-whoa, crying? Hyangie, did I do something wrong? Why the tears?!"
Carpe panicked and tried to soothe it, but tears welled up in Mukhyang's big eyes.
The immense sense of loss the instant it spat out the fruit!
It felt like being kicked out of heaven—Mukhyang couldn't help but cry.
"Phew. You did amazingly well. Just a bit longer, and we'll have protected the fruit."
Regardless of Mukhyang's state, the Magic King let out a sigh of relief. And at that moment, an alert appeared before Carpe's eyes.
The quest item 'Rudram's Fruit' is a special item that cannot be stored in your inventory for a set duration.
Time remaining: 6 minutes 17 seconds
"What? Non-storable item? There's such a thing?"
-It's a common type in quests where you have to protect specific items. If you could just inventory it, the quest would be too easy.
"Makes sense when you put it that way... So what do we do with it? Can't fight one-handed."
Not just Carpe—Tina and Dretsch couldn't fight one-handed either.
...In the end, there was only one way.
"Chyu! Chyuu-chyu!"
"Hyangie, seriously, do not eat it. Got it?"
"Chyuuu..."
Mukhyang nodded tearfully, and Rudram's Fruit settled back into its mouth.
And at that exact moment.
"You FOOL!!!"
The Servant Lord's fragment leaped straight down from a World Tree branch, landing on the ground.
BOOM!
The earth shattered from the massive impact, dust billowing up.
"I'll tear every last one of you to shreds!"
The fragment roared with a ferocity that made its hairs stand on end.
"...It looks pretty pissed."
-Why talk like it's someone else's problem? That anger's heading your way soon.
"Still, it's way more manageable now, so that's a relief."
Thanks to Dretsch's final burst of mana casting Stone Curse, the fragment had exhausted most of its power.
Molting for arthropod-like insects consumed an unimaginable amount of energy.
And the body right after molting was extremely vulnerable.
Insects don't molt in open, predator-prone areas for nothing.
Being spotted by a predator mid-molt or right after meant death.
All stats -50% for 2 days. After 2 days, all stats +10%.
Normally, the fragment would have hidden away to recover for days, but.
"Hand over the fruit!"
The fragment spat its rage and charged at the party.
BAM!
There was no flashy battle like the initial clash between Dretsch and the fragment.
Compared to then, it was a crude mudslinging brawl.
But far more desperate.
Tina blocked the ice scythe aiming for Dretsch's neck.
Carpe's fist clashed with the mantis leg, sparks flying.
Magic flew, shattering the fragment's body only for it to regenerate; Carpe took an ice spear to the side, his HP dropping below half.
Tina and Dretsch weren't unscathed either. Not a single part of their bodies was intact.
But the absolute advantage lay with Carpe's group.
One minute. Another. And another.
Time dragged on endlessly, but the fragment couldn't seize the momentum.
Should it give up?
Continuing meant truly risking death.
As its life hung in the balance, its mind cooled, and rationality returned.
Did it have to have the fruit?
Even without it, a thousand years of recovery would heal its wounds.
Yes. Survival first. If it must have the fruit, wait for the next one. It had the lifespan for it.
Retreat.
The fragment judged thus and moved to withdraw—
BAM!
A bolt of lightning struck atop its head.
The damage wasn't huge, but enough to rattle its nerves.
"...You!!!"
The caster? None other than Mukhyang.
Confirming that, the fragment's rationality shattered once more.
Every fiber of its being whispered to it.
Devour the fruit.
Become complete.
An incomplete life has no meaning.
It must claim it.
"GRAAAAAH!!!"
The fragment roared and unleashed its final strike, burning its life force.
Permafrost!
An icy wasteland began forming centered on the fragment, and Dretsch cried out in shock.
"Impossible! It should still be on cooldown!"
The 9-star skill Permafrost had a cooldown as long as its power.
Mirage had blocked it once at the fight's start, so it should have been unavailable now.
-No way, Quarter Life?! Insane. What kind of boss at this level packs two 9-star skills?!
Quarter Life, the 9-star skill.
The eternal number one wish for all skill dealers.
Its effect was simple yet devastating: Consume 75% of current HP to reduce all skill cooldowns by 75%!
Crackle-crackle!
The wave of ice surged forth.
Its power was negligible compared to the previous Permafrost—stats had plummeted from molting.
"Kuh!"
"My body?!"
Even so, freezing the surroundings was no issue.
Dretsch and Tina's legs from the waist down froze solid.
Afflicted with the status ailment Frostbind.
Unlock activated.
Status ailment 'Frostbind' removed.
Of course, Carpe with Unlock shook it off instantly.
"Die!"
But during that brief delay of binding and release, the fragment swung its scythe.
Carpe, balance disrupted by the momentary frostbind, couldn't dodge.
Instead, he crossed his gauntleted arms to block.
"Gahk!"
The scythe's force sent him flying into a tree.
-Hey! You okay?!
"Kuh. Nearly died there. That death throe packs a punch."
Truly, the strongest foe he'd faced, bar none.
-Sheesh. Even a level 300+ boss solo raid wouldn't be this brutal.
"Difficulty's insane. They made this to be beaten?"
-That's why it's not meant to be beaten solo!
"Nngh... Should I give up?"
Carpe checked the quest window again.
1 minute 7 seconds until completion.
Good. That was enough time for Hyangie to just run and stall.
The staggering fragment didn't look like it could chase in its state.
But Carpe overlooked one thing.
"Come to me."
"Chyu?!"
As the fragment muttered, Mukhyang's body stiffened like it was electrocuted.
Its eyes glazed over, and it began walking toward the fragment.
"Chyuu..."
Quarter Life reduced all cooldowns, as mentioned.
Not just Permafrost—most of its skills reset.
Allowing the fragment to use Mind Control.
It didn't work on elves blessed by the World Tree, but non-elves were fair game.
"Kuhahaha! Victory is mine!"
The fragment cackled at Mukhyang slowly approaching.
The two humans were frozen; the unfrozen one was far off.
Plop.
Mukhyang reached right before it and spat out the fruit from its mouth.
"Such fragrance at last... I shall finally be complete!"
"Damn... that bug!"
"Kuh. Hyang! No! Snap out of it!"
The frozen pair shouted, but nothing changed.
It had won.
In the final, final moment.
Its life-or-death gamble succeeded!
But.
"Says who?"
"What?!"
The fragment couldn't believe its eyes.
The squirrel vanished.
And in its place, the human flung far away appeared before it?
Startled, it whipped its head toward the tree where Carpe had crashed.
"Chyuu..."
There sat the little squirrel.
"Phew. Good thing I learned this."
The reason Carpe appeared before the fragment in an instant.
5-star Skill – Castling
Swaps positions between user and familiar.
Thanks to the ultimate backstab skill he'd drawn from a card pack recently!
"Now, let's end this!"
Carpe swung his hand. Target: the fragment's right armpit, wounded mortally in the fight with the Magic King.
"You dare, human?!"
But the fragment didn't yield till the end.
An ice shield formed around the weak spot.
Still okay. Block this strike, then counter immediately...
Stab!
"...!?"
But the fragment's hope was dashed.
Unlike before, Carpe now gripped a dagger.
Spell Breaker
Dispels all magical effects on struck target. Cannot dispel 9-star skills. Destroys after 3 uses.
The dispel dagger Carpe had used to tear the barrier when first entering the elf forest.
That dagger pierced the ice shield and embedded in the wound.
"Farewell."
"N-no... Not here... completion...!"
Crackle-crackle!
Countless cracks spiderwebbed from the dagger's entry.
Shatter!
The fragment's body crumbled, raining down ice shards.
You have defeated Event Boss 'Servant Lord's Fragment'.
Where the fragment vanished, three items remained.