Rolling Guardians - Chapter 67
"Eek!"
Whoooosh—
BOOM!!!
Startled by the sudden level-up alert, Vulcan let out an involuntary gasp—and the ash giant immediately zeroed in on him.
Thanks to his amplified agility and sharp instincts, he'd dodged it, but he'd come that close to eating a direct hit.
A level-up out of nowhere...? Wait, no way?
Discovery EXP? Nah. The peak area around Kuzar Mountain had already been visited by others—probably those puppets—and some had even taken down ash giants. The reason no drop items had been found was likely because they'd only killed the ash clump versions, not the real deal like this one.
Seeing the thing? Doubtful. You didn't get EXP just for spotting a monster that wasn't tied to a specific zone.
That left only one possibility in Vulcan's mind.
The Life's Guardian that had taken a hit from the ash giant moments ago and plummeted down the mountainside. Had it done something down there?
Timing-wise, it must've squashed something flat.
Maybe it'd crushed a whole pack of monsters on the way down. The guardian was pretty tough, but most monsters around this mountain were on its level or higher. In a straight fight, it could win hunts, but wiping out multiples that quickly? No way.
Hold up... what if?
Then a fun idea sparked in Vulcan's head.
If that worked, he might level up way easier than expected.
Recalling Kuzar Mountain's terrain and monster distributions, Vulcan cracked a sly grin.
"Agility boost."
But first things first—deal with the problem right in front of him.
Cranking his speed, Vulcan blurred forward and thrust his sword. The sharp tip of Despair Serpent pierced the orange mass, then he pulled back from the ash giant.
"K-Kieeeek!!"
It all happened in a flash, and Vulcan's speed was insane, but the ash giant barely reacted. It didn't even block or chase—just stood there dumbly.
Which made sense. Its puppet master was in full panic mode.
Despair Serpent brought excruciating pain on top of the damage, scrambling the enemy's mind. No way it could control properly like that. Vulcan widened the gap, then slammed the blade down, pinning it to the ground sword-first.
- Hmm, this guy?
Tud seemed to recognize it, but whatever—it was still the enemy. Vulcan ignored him, pulled Judgment Mace from his inventory, and smashed its head with everything he had.
BOOM!
BOOM!
CRASH!
CRASH!!
Even neutralized, it was a boss monster—tough life force. It took several more mace strikes to finish it off.
You have defeated Ash Prankster Chomer.
You have successfully hunted the hidden boss of Kuzar Mountain!
The curse on Kuzar Mountain has been lifted.
All monsters inhabiting Kuzar Mountain are freed from Ash Curse and regain their original power.
"Huh?"
And right on cue, unexpected alerts popped up.
Killing the hidden boss had lifted the curse on Kuzar Mountain.
Vulcan had assumed the debuff-ignoring effect on the monsters was just flavor from the volcano eruption lore. Turns out it was a curse-granted ability. Now his stomach twisted a bit.
A curse lift meant their other stats would buff up, right? Excluding the debuff ignore.
He wondered if he'd poked something he shouldn't have, but the next alerts froze his thoughts.
The Ash Tyrant senses the death of its child.
The Ash Tyrant feels immense rage toward you.
"Ash Tyrant? What the hell... why's that thing showing up here?"
- This just got interesting. Ash giant clans have low numbers, so they dote on their kids like crazy.
"You knew and didn't say anything?"
- When did you ask? And you killed it before I could even speak—who're you blaming?
"Urgh."
With Chomer's death, the powerhouse known as the Ash Tyrant had locked onto Vulcan.
Unlike ash giants cobbled from volcanic ash, the Ash Tyrant was born true giant stock— a monster that dominated the region with overwhelming might, just like its name. Estimated level in the high 390s, no current player could touch it. A boss beyond bosses.
And he'd pissed it off? For Vulcan, barely past level 100 early-game, it was terrifying.
I'll be fine, right?
But it wouldn't march an army across the continent right away. The Ash Kingdom was newly discovered, far off with hardly any hunters nearby—and Vulcan was miles from it too.
Even if it invaded human lands, border armies had heavy-hitter general NPCs holding the line. It wouldn't act rashly.
Unsettling, but no immediate threat.
Eventually, as Vulcan leveled and grew, they'd clash—but whatever.
Worst case, I bail to another zone.
By then, he'd have the gear to handle it. Or just hunt far away. Late-300s zones weren't just Ash Kingdom-exclusive.
Sighing deeply, Vulcan grimaced bitterly and checked the drops first.
◈ A mana crystal made of ash infused with ash giant power.
◈ Grants Ash Blessing to those who qualify, or Ash Curse to those who don't.
◈ Ash Blessing: Immunity to low/mid-tier status effects while held.
◈ Ash Curse: Applies low-tier status resistance and stat-down effects while held.
◈ Use Restriction: Recognized by ash giants, or Mental 500+
"Whoa."
The Ash Crystal's options were simple—just two—but true to Unique grade, they packed a punch.
Status resistance or immunity!
Higher zones wrecked players not with raw physical stats, but endless status effects creating chaos, making already tough monsters scarier. Nailing Ash Blessing wiped out a huge hurdle.
"They want me to use this or not?"
But the restriction was a killer.
Recognition from ash giants? No player territory. Maybe later with high levels, Ash Kingdom entry, and affinity quests—but as a hostile race, it was basically "don't."
Mental stat 500? Also iffy.
Mages invested some, but not as primary. Not to 500.
"Mages bump it a bit, sure... but who the hell maxes it to 500?"
Intel boosted mana pool and some spell power, so most min-maxed Mental low and dumped into Intel.
Mental was just for resisting mental/debuff spells, slight cast success, minor stamina savings—bare minimum.
500? That'd shrug off most statuses anyway.
"Guess it's mine then."
You have received Ash Blessing.
Immunity to low/mid-tier status effects.
Item Master laughed off restrictions like that. Vulcan was now immune to mid-tier and below statuses.
Mid-tier meant around level 200s, so no worries until 300s.
Or I could fake it for ambushes.
Pretend to get statused, then strike. Worth the aggro from a powerhouse. Vulcan grinned.
Unique secured. Time to hunt Gray Mountain Trolls for tendons—but first, unfinished business.
Ash fog clearing, peak all gray, Vulcan acted on his earlier idea.
"Life's Guardian, craft."
Rummaging inventory, he dumped out all his Life Orbs.
- What're you up to all of a sudden?
"Just wait and see."
Rumble rumble rumble—
Supplying matching materials, Life's Guardians took shape one by one.
3-4 meter humanoids, bodies of various metals, emerging into the world.
"All of you, over here!"
Grinning at their massive bulk, Vulcan led them to the peak's edge—where the copper Life's Guardian had launched toward the ash giant.
"You and you. You and you. Rest of you pair with the guardian next to ya and interlock fingers...."
To confirm the mid-fight level-up source—or execute the plan he already knew would work.
"Roll down the mountain! Crush everything!!"
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—!!!
Pairs of Life's Guardians gripped tight, rolling from peak to base like boulders.
Pinwheel style. Spinning like windmills, pulverizing everything in path.
This zone saw few players, but some hunted here precisely for that. Risk of accidental PK? Nah—none.
Spirit Land opening had drawn most hunters there. Dragon Eye confirmed no users in the path.
This is basically a natural disaster.
Vulcan got exactly what he wanted, easy.
Individuals weren't far from guardian levels, but none survived the weight + momentum smash.
"Rock and roll!!"
Watching them tumble, Vulcan yelled for fun.
No friendlies in way, but it felt right to narrate.
And moments later, system alerts confirmed his hunch, flooding his view.