Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Elatra's Blessing
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After Kim Hwan-soo disappeared, carrying Kang Young-chan on his back.
Do-jae was left alone before the monsters.
'I told him to go, but...'
Monsters that looked ready to attack at any moment, and mana that was nearly depleted.
He had consumed a great deal of mana during his scuffle with Kang Young-chan.
*Ziiing—*
Do-jae opened his subspace and took out a bottle of potion.
It came from one of the colorful boxes he occasionally received for clearing quests.
Mysterious boxes that yielded various items, but when opened, they never contained anything truly spectacular.
Still, they weren't to be dismissed, as items like potions could be a significant help.
Especially in a situation like this.
*Gulp— Gulp—.*
Do-jae downed the highest-grade potion on the spot.
Potions weren't like the magic of healers, which could instantly mend wounds.
Drinking one helped recover health and stamina and stimulated mana circulation.
It acted as a sort of restorative tonic, speeding up the healing of injuries and revitalizing one's energy.
For Do-jae, who had no external injuries, drinking the highest-grade potion was a great boon.
Even if it didn't restore him to his original condition, it was enough to survive against the numerous monsters.
'More importantly, that Red Orc Shaman. The mana it's emitting is unusual...'
He could feel the same unpleasant, ominous aura from the Red Orc Shaman looking down at him from atop the Sand Worm as he had from Kang Young-chan.
Kim Hwan-soo's expression hadn't changed, as if he couldn't sense that energy.
'Or maybe he already knew.'
Whether it was something only he could feel or something others could sense as well, he needed to find out.
He couldn't just stand by and watch someone who exuded the same aura as a monster.
Especially because of what Altein had said.
- The Fragment of Betrayal has already appeared before you.
'The Fragment of Betrayal...'
Was it referring to the Red Orc Shaman over there?
Or was it Kang Young-chan, who had picked a fight out of nowhere?
"Hoo... I guess there's no choice?"
A slight smile formed on Do-jae's face.
He'd just have to fight.
Everything, in the end, was telling him to fight.
*Flash—.*
- Quest Received!
A quest notification, at a time like this?
Do-jae immediately checked the quest.
[Quest]
Classification: Sub (Elatra)
Content: Execute the filthy followers and destroy the Fragment of Betrayal.
Restriction: None
Reward: Elatra's Blessing
On Failure: None
'A blessing? A blessing from a witch? Don't tell me...'
[Quest has been cleared.]
[Elatra's protection is bestowed upon you.]
[All abilities are temporarily amplified.]
[Mana recovery rate sharply increases.]
[Sense of pain is paralyzed.]
Notification messages appeared simultaneously with the quest completion.
At that moment, it began to react.
The Heart of the Golem!
*Thump—.*
*Thump— Thump—!*
The furiously pounding Heart of the Golem gushed forth a massive amount of mana like a waterfall.
An incredible stimulus, unlike anything he had ever felt before, coursed through the Nerves of the Golem.
The torrent of mana even affected his bloodstream, raising his body temperature.
Capillaries burst, making his eyes bloodshot, and veins bulged on the surface of his skin.
He wondered if his body could withstand it, but Do-jae felt no pain.
He only felt an electrifying thrill that made him want to charge forward immediately.
'That crazy witch. Using me again... Well, is this okay? Nothing to worry about... It might even be fun... Should I kill this one first? No, that one?'
An intense bloodlust surged within him.
Then, a scene he had never witnessed before flashed in his mind.
[Kill them! The filthy followers!]
[Burn them! Leave not a single one alive!]
[Build a tower of corpses, and build it higher! Until they fear us!]
The savage fury of a woman in a hawk mask!
It was beyond anger, bordering on madness.
The woman trampled on the heads of the already dead, and for those still living, she tore out their hearts and crushed them before their eyes.
Yet, she didn't even blink, instead bursting into laughter.
[Give them terror and despair!]
[Make them realize my wrath! Make them tremble in fear even in death!]
The woman's emotions raged.
The bloodlust Do-jae felt?
It wasn't even a tenth of the emotion the woman was feeling.
- Kill them.
Elatra's voice echoed.
The short phrase sounded so alluring it was dizzying.
Influenced by her emotions, Do-jae began to slowly advance toward the monster horde.
***
[Information]
Name: Lee Do-jae
Level: 62
Title: Golemancer
Health: 27,200 / Mana: 42,210 (+84,420)
[Stats]
Strength: 175 (+350) / Stamina: 160 (+320) / Agility: 170 (+34) / Spirit: 200 (+400) / Resistance: 140 (+280)
(Points: 15)
[Skills]
Passive: Heart of the Golem Lv. Max / Subspace Lv. Max / Eye of the Golem Lv. Max / Nerves of the Golem Lv. Max
Active: Golem Summon Lv. 4 / Golem Armor Lv. 5
[Options]
Effect: Elatra's Blessing (Remaining time: 1,610 seconds)
This was Do-jae's current state.
His stats, pumped up by Elatra's Blessing.
"Chwiik!"
A Red Orc swung its axe down at Do-jae's head.
*Swish—.*
Do-jae took a single step to dodge the axe.
And then one more step.
As he moved forward, the Red Orc collapsed.
A large hole was punched through its chest.
"Kigigigik!"
Next up was a Death Ent.
It must have barely survived the battle with the Red Orcs, as one of its legs was severed.
"Kigik!"
The Death Ent spat a viscous green liquid.
The liquid shot out like a bullet.
Do-jae casually swatted it away with one arm.
*Sizzzle—.*
The strong acid melted the Golem Armor on his palm.
The affected part immediately broke off, replaced by new stones.
The fallen stones, in turn, clumped together and shot forward, easily piercing the Death Ent's hard exterior.
"Grarrara!"
Next, an Ogre.
The Ogre, several times larger than Do-jae, suffered a humiliation.
Instead of dodging the incoming club, Do-jae easily caught it, and a brief power struggle began.
*Grind—.*
Using the Ogre's massive body as a shield, he pushed forward.
The Ogre, with a bewildered expression, gripped the club with both hands and resisted, but it was a futile struggle.
"Grara?"
With explosive strength, Do-jae lifted the Ogre, club and all, into the air and slammed it to the ground.
The Sand Worm and the Red Orc Shaman drew closer.
'This is annoying. I want to kill more.'
Do-jae was now tired of hunting them one by one.
His overflowing mana made something else possible.
*Thud—.*
*Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud—!*
Do-jae began to sink lower.
It was because he was absorbing all the surrounding earth, stone, and sand.
The result was the creation of a right arm of immense size.
It was nearly the size of a colossal statue's arm.
*Whooosh—!*
Emerging from the pit, Do-jae swung his arm, sending dozens of monsters flying.
With just two sweeps of his arm, a fan-shaped clearing was created.
Do-jae continued to mow down the monsters, advancing at high speed.
To level up, it would have been better to deal with them one by one, but he needed to take care of the Red Orc Shaman before Elatra's Blessing wore off.
And finally, he reached the Red Orc Shaman.
***
Atop the Sand Worm, the Red Orc Shaman raised its staff.
Black smoke seeped out and flowed down onto the Sand Worm.
Its wrinkled hide began to squirm.
*Flake—.*
*Flake, flake—.*
The Sand Worm's skin peeled off.
Was it molting?
No, the shed skin turned to ash, and the red flesh beneath melted away like ooze.
Finally, the Sand Worm was transformed, leaving only its stark white bones.
'A Dead Worm...'
Dead Worm.
An undead monster, and a boss monster.
By the hands of the Red Orc Shaman, the Sand Worm was reborn as a powerful Dead Worm.
"Insignificant human. Do not stand in my way."
Do-jae looked at the Red Orc Shaman with a rather surprised expression.
It was because it had spoken in perfect human language.
But he wasn't greatly shaken.
Elatra's voice was still echoing in his head.
- Kill that follower of betrayal.
Do-jae nodded at Elatra's command and advanced toward the Red Orc Shaman.
In response, the Dead Worm began its attack.
*Crash—!*
The massive body of the Dead Worm fell upon Do-jae.
Having been reduced to bone, it had gained speed and mobility.
It couldn't match Do-jae under Elatra's Blessing, but it was quite a nuisance.
What was even more annoying was the Red Orc Shaman's magic.
*Fwoooosh—!*
It shot fireballs at every spot Do-jae moved to.
They weren't simple fireballs, but explosive masses that detonated on impact.
*Fssst—.*
Where the explosions occurred, his armor melted into a red-hot, lava-like state.
If it weren't for the Dead Worm's interference, he would have dealt with the Red Orc Shaman first.
Just then, the Red Orc Shaman began chanting another spell.
Do-jae tried to evade, but he was bound by the Dead Worm's spine.
The Dead Worm was pouring all its strength into immobilizing Do-jae.
As Do-jae spread his arms to break free.
"High Berserk."
At that moment, black smoke shot out from the Red Orc Shaman's staff.
It hit Do-jae squarely.
"Kyahahaha. Become my faithful servant!"
The black smoke swirled around Do-jae's entire body.
The Red Orc Shaman thought it was over.
But nothing was wrong with Do-jae.
"What... What is this! Why isn't the berserk magic working?"
This time, it was the Red Orc Shaman's turn to be flustered.
High Berserk magic.
A superior version of Berserk that not only made the target lose their reason and turn into a berserker, but also allowed the caster to control them. And it hadn't worked.
"Too bad, my head is already full of Elatra's voice."
Do-jae replied with a blank expression.
That was right.
Compared to Elatra's voice tormenting him, the Red Orc Shaman's magic was a drop in the ocean.
If Elatra's influence was domination, the shaman's magic was merely a temptation.
*Ziiing—.*
The space above Do-jae's head split open.
The rift was nearly ten meters long.
And from within, massive stone chunks fell to the ground one by one.
*Thud—.*
*Thud, thud, thud—.*
They were all the Stone Golems that Do-jae had created.
Upon appearing, the golems immediately began to beat the monsters around Do-jae to death.
His tripled mana pool supplied the golems with ample energy, and they clung to the monsters, regenerating endlessly as if they were immortal.
*CRACK, CRACK—!*
Do-jae, who had been bound by the Dead Worm, also broke free with a burst of strength.
Four golems latched onto the Dead Worm, beginning to crack its white bones.
"What are you?"
Do-jae instantly closed the distance to the Red Orc Shaman.
And he asked.
The question "What are you?" contained the implied meaning of how a monster could speak human language and exude the same aura as a human.
However, the Red Orc Shaman erected a translucent mana barrier and gave a cryptic answer.
"I am a servant of the Holy One! I have come to build His kingdom in preparation for the day of His descent upon this land!"
*Crash—!*
Do-jae slammed his fist against the barrier and asked again.
"What is this 'Holy One'?"
"It is not a being that the likes of you could comprehend! Kill him!"
The Red Orc Shaman shrieked desperately.
Unfortunately for it, there were no monsters left to attack Do-jae, thanks to his golems.
*Thud—.*
*CRASH—!*
Do-jae repeatedly struck the barrier with his fist.
With each blow, cracks spread across it, and the Red Orc Shaman trembled in fear.
- Kill him. Kill the follower and make him realize my fury!
*BOOM—.*
*Shatter—!*
Finally, the barrier broke under Do-jae's fist.
The Red Orc Shaman looked up at the sky with a vacant expression.
"Ah... Father...!"
*Thwump—.*
Do-jae's fist pierced through the Red Orc Shaman's chest.
And the black clouds that had covered the sky began to slowly disperse.