Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Translator: Penny
Chapter 53
"There's going to be quite a feast," Agron muttered, eyeing the serpent's plump body.
Hiss!
As if understanding his words, the serpent thrust its blocked head forward and opened its jaws wide.
The creature was massive enough to swallow not only humans but even the wild boar that had flown in moments earlier.
Yet no matter how it writhed and snapped, it couldn't escape Agron's grip on its head.
Hiss! Caw!
The serpent grew enraged.
How dare this mere mouthful of a human restrain its head?
In that instant, the serpent's tail coiled like a spring and lashed out at Agron.
An ordinary person would have been helpless against such a devastating attack.
Agron, however, didn't even flinch, let alone retreat.
Thump!
He blocked the serpent's tail with his bare hand.
The impact was so tremendous that it sounded as if every bone in his body might have shattered.
"Hmm, reminds me of the Imugi from the Snowfield," Agron murmured in the same detached tone as before.
But now, a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, as if he were finally finding this somewhat amusing.
Swish!
The serpent snapped its jaws wildly, desperate to bite its opponent.
Teeth the size of a human torso flashed sharply in the air.
"Hmm."
Agron stared intently at the creature before suddenly leaping into the air.
He swung his fist at the serpent's head.
Kwaaang!
A massive shockwave erupted from the serpent, radiating outward in all directions.
The trees swayed violently as the wind howled relentlessly.
People raised their arms or crossed them to shield themselves from the gale, but even so, they staggered uncontrollably, collapsing to their knees or rolling across the ground.
Kueeeck...
The serpent twisted its head from side to side, drool dripping from its jaws. It seemed dazed by the earth-shattering impact, unable to regain its senses.
"D-did he just punch the Demonic Beast's head?"
"Is that even human...!"
"Is this real?! Pinch me! Aaaah! Who told you to punch me?!"
The Central Nobles watched the bizarre spectacle from a distance, swallowing hard.
Demonic Beasts were creatures that only the most elite Adventurers—the Demonic Beast Hunters—could handle with ease.
While Demonic Beasts roughly the size of ordinary animals could be handled by Demonic Beast Hunters alone, creatures like the one now before them—so powerful they dwarfed even other monsters—required the full might of the military to subdue.
"I've never seen anything like this in my life..." a noble who had fought in wars muttered.
The nobles were mesmerized, as if witnessing a scene from an ancient myth told by a wandering bard.
"If it's a Demonic Beast, it should understand human speech," Agron said casually as he approached the Serpent's massive body.
How many could grasp his true intentions?
"N-no, don't..."
As everyone stood frozen, staring blankly, only Lawrence realized Agron's purpose and spoke up. His face, drained of color, trembled as he stammered, "Please, don't do this... please."
Lawrence's hands flailed helplessly in the air, trying to stop him.
Surely you wouldn't ask that question to a non-human creature, Agron.
But Agron, oblivious to Lawrence's silent plea, spread his arms wide and firmly gripped the serpent's torso from top to bottom.
A cool sensation spread through his forearms and across his face.
The serpent's belly, slightly softer and more yielding than its flanks, felt strangely tender.
Agron posed the question he felt compelled to ask:
"Serpent, are you a warrior?"
"Don't do it, you madman!" Lawrence shouted from a distance.
Shlurp...?
"I'll find out."
In that instant, Agron's forearm muscles bulged as he tightened his grip on the serpent's body with all his might.
Screeeech...!
The serpent hissed in pain, a sound like air escaping from its mouth—a sensation utterly foreign to it.
Its writhing body, twisting like a crushed earthworm, and its head slamming against the ground, made it look almost pitiful.
"Hang in there, Serpent! Just a little longer, and you'll become a Warrior Serpent!"
"There's no such thing, you warrior-obsessed lunatic!"
"Hmm, Lawrence? Did you come to watch the warrior too?"
"Just kill it already!"
Lawrence glared at the handsome, powerful madman, veins bulging in his neck.
What does it matter if the Serpent becomes a warrior or not?
"Don't interfere with the Serpent's path to becoming a warrior!"
"Not a warrior (戰士), you idiot! Just let it die (戰死) already!"
"Aren't you happy to see the Serpent growing?"
"No! It's a Demonic Beast—just kill it! Can't you see how terrified everyone else is?!"
"Hmm... I suppose I have no choice."
Agron looked genuinely disappointed, but seeing the terrified, blank faces around him, he decided to kill the Serpent.
"May you be reborn as a warrior in your next life."
Sss... sssslurp...
Crack!
With a final surge of strength, Agron snapped the serpent's neck.
Even after its neck was broken, the serpent's mouth continued to gape open and shut. Though dead, its body still moved due to lingering reflexes.
"Hmm."
Agron snapped a long branch from a nearby tree, sharpened one end to a point, and drove it through the serpent's head, pinning it to the ground.
The serpent twitched briefly before falling still.
The nobles who had been saved stared blankly for a moment before erupting into thunderous applause for Agron.
"Thank you, Count Agron! Thank you!"
"You saved our lives! We will repay this debt to your family when we return home!"
"Hic... Thank you, Your Excellency, Count! We will pass down this honor through generations!"
They were not merely grateful for their lives; they were deeply moved by Agron's overwhelming martial prowess.
For a noble, meeting a distinguished hero is one of life's greatest joys.
Just then, a group of riders galloped toward them from the distance.
"A-are you alright, Your Grace, Duke Belmond?!"
Count Kopellus rushed forward, his beard flying in the wind, to check on Belmond's safety.
"I-I'm fine. But we should check on my brother first..."
Like many others, Belmond remained half-dazed.
Despite Agron's remarkable combat skills, the sheer scale of the catastrophe hadn't fully registered in his mind.
"Where did these Demonic Beasts even come from...? Ah, Count Agron, are you alright?"
"Well, I'm not feeling too well, to be honest."
"N-not feeling well?! Where does it hurt? I'll summon a physician immediately!"
"No, I'm not feeling well."
"...What?"
"I should have killed it after making it a warrior."
"...??"
Count Kopellus blinked, more bewildered by this situation than by any Demonic Beast.
What on earth is he talking about?
"Ah, what Agron means is... he regrets not giving the Serpent a proper warrior's send-off."
"A warrior's send-off?"
"He's a great warrior, you see. Even against a monstrous Demonic Beast, he respects life."
"Ooh, Count Agron, you're truly remarkable!"
"Hmm? That's not it. I mean, I should have made it a warri—"
"Shut up, you idiot!"
Lawrence swiftly reached out and clamped his hand over Agron's mouth.
The award ceremony was nearly canceled due to the Demonic Beast, but Count Kopellus insisted on proceeding as planned.
While several nobles were injured, Agron's swift actions ensured no fatalities.
This meant the hunting competition wasn't a failure, but rather a resounding success.
Count Kopellus even intended to amplify the incident's notoriety, spreading the tale throughout the Kingdom.
The Count of Veilain Fief subdued a 40-meter-long Serpent Demonic Beast that appeared during the hunting competition, saving the lives of numerous nobles, including the Duke of the Kazandor Empire and the Prince of the Kingdom.
He selected talkative, heavy-drinking servants and instructed them to disseminate this narrative throughout the Capital.
Agron had now surpassed Wolfgang within the Kingdom of Astraria—
No, he would soon become one of the undisputed strongest nobles, rivaling even the Five Golden Lions in status.
"Then I take it there are no objections to Count Agron receiving the grand prize?"
Count Kopellus surveyed the assembled nobles, who had gathered for the hunting competition awards ceremony, and declared almost imperiously.
"But that was a Demonic Beast, not an ordinary animal, was it not?"
At that moment, a noble raised his hand, voicing his dissent.
Kopellus turned his gaze toward the speaker.
He couldn't recall the man's name, but he recognized him as one of Count Vanel Roy von Soltidis' vassals.
"Whether beast or Demonic Beast, it's all game, isn't it?"
"But doesn't the rule explicitly state 'animals native to the forest'? Demonic Beasts aren't native to this forest. They're monsters brought here by those strange fellows."
His argument seemed reasonable at first glance.
If this interpretation were accepted, they would have to allow creatures brought from outside the forest in future hunts. This would create a loophole, allowing someone to "smuggle in" prey and falsely claim victory.
"Are you suggesting Count Agron deliberately rigged the hunt?"
"...I didn't go that far. I'm simply advocating for strict adherence to the rules."
"So, what's your opinion? Who do you believe is the rightful victor?"
"I believe His Grace, Duke Belmond of the Kazandor Empire, is the rightful victor."
Kopellus glared at his opponent, clenching his fists tightly.
That rat-like flatterer.
Count Soltidis' fief, the Atyuban Fief, lay between the southern regions and the Kingdom's central territories, geographically close to the Kazandor Empire.
Count Soltidis exploited this proximity, maintaining close ties with Kazandor while remaining a Great Lord of the Kingdom, thus reaping benefits from both sides.
Consequently, many Central Nobles of the Kingdom harbored resentment toward him.
"Your Grace, Duke Belmond's stag was indeed the largest."
"His hunting skills are truly remarkable."
"He seems to have inherited his grandfather, His Grace, Duke Praman's exceptional talent."
These remarks, initiated by one noble, sparked a torrent of flattery toward Belmond from all corners of the hall.
However, the opposing faction refused to yield ground.
"No matter how large the deer was, could it possibly compare to Count Agron's demonic beast?"
"If you had actually witnessed him slaying the demonic beast with your own eyes, you wouldn't be saying such things now."
"That wasn't human agility. He was a hero—a true hero!"
As the nobles indebted to Agron and the followers of Count Kopellus raised their voices, the conference hall quickly erupted into a noisy uproar.
"Puhahaha! Look here, Brother. Are you watching this? They're arguing over our prey!" Duke Belmond chuckled, speaking into the Translation Talisman.
This talisman had been crafted by Baek Woon for Belmond, who couldn't speak the local language, during their rescue from Kobuul.
"Hmm, Duke Belmond's trophy seems quite impressive as well."
"Of course! Didn't I tell you? I'm quite skilled at hunting."
"I see. It doesn't really matter if I lost. I just wish we could finish the awards ceremony quickly and eat the boar."
Agron crossed his arms and let out a soft sigh.
Just then, Lawrence, who had been leaning against the wall with his chin propped in his hand, spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"Hey, speaking of boars, I heard there was a flying pig."
"What are you talking about?"
"Before you arrived, some boar flew down from the sky and crushed the assassins to death."
"I saw it too, Brother. Could someone have used magic to make it fly?"
"Magic to lift a boar that size... If so, it must have been an incredibly powerful mage, Your Grace."
"I agree, Your Highness. I've heard flight magic is incredibly difficult."
Agron, who had been listening to their conversation, tilted his head.
"I threw that boar."
"Pfft... Come on, tell me another one. It was easily over four meters long, and it fell from the sky!" Lawrence scoffed, shaking his head and chuckling as if Agron were joking.
"I deliberately threw it in that direction. Another assassin told me there were allies in that area."
"Heh heh heh, what a joke—are you serious?"
"Hmm, a warrior doesn't lie."
Lawrence and Belmond exchanged bewildered glances.
"Do you have any proof you killed it...?"
"Proof? I did pull out its tusks and use them to kill the assassin... Would that count?"
Belmond leaped to his feet.
The sudden movement drew all eyes to him.
"Count Kopellus, let's go see the boar!"
Belmond, visibly excited, bared his teeth in a grin and dashed outside.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny