The Berserk Owlbeast
I activated Eagle Eyes.
The opponent's level is similar to yours.
A blue-tinged aura. I checked just in case, but it was exactly as I expected.
I stared at the enraged Owlbeast for a full second.
Whoooong!
The mana gathered in my heart stirred violently.
Activating Sentence of Weakness.
The engraved area will have its defense reduced by 20%.
A strange rune appeared on the enraged Owlbeast’s chest. It was the power of the essence I had obtained from the Blue Goblin Shaman.
At the same time, I deployed a Mud Trap directly in front of it. The Owlbeast, which had been charging straight at me, slowed down slightly.
“Fireball.”
Whoosh!
The flame orb formed at the tip of the ring shot forward and struck the Owlbeast right as it escaped the Mud Trap.
A deafening explosion rang out, followed by acrid black smoke.
“Buuuuwoooong!”
The enraged Owlbeast let out a pained scream.
“Nice try acting hurt.”
The enraged Owlbeast had high magic resistance. Even though it had been at the center of the blast, the only damage was a few slightly singed feathers. It was completely fine.
Clever bastard. It was pretending to be in pain to lure me into letting my guard down.
Quite intelligent for a mere beast.
“It can even use magic.”
Hoh, it truly resembles you.
The moment Nyx finished speaking, the enraged Owlbeast swung both arms wide.
Wind Cutter
Shraaaak!
Translucent green blades flew toward me. They were more than twice as fast as my Fireball.
From the instant the Owlbeast’s arms began to move, I had already extended Devourer’s Maw in anticipation.
A dark crimson energy surged from the maw. Mana Absorb swallowed the Wind Cutter whole. Since I had just used Fireball, my depleted mana was instantly restored.
“Buuuwoooong?”
The enraged Owlbeast showed clear signs of confusion.
I seized that brief opening.
Activating Agile Hind Legs.
Activating Cloud Flow Steps.
Instead of using Full Sprint, I activated Agile Hind Legs. I accelerated instantly and stepped using Cloud Flow Steps.
Thanks to the Owlbeast’s charge, the distance between us had already narrowed once. In a single breath, I slipped into the monster’s striking range.
“Haaaaah!”
A thunderous roar erupted from my throat. The Owlbeast’s body trembled faintly. It wasn’t completely immune to the penalty of my roar.
Using the Blood Claw Technique, I tore straight across the enraged Owlbeast’s chest. My Sharp Claws, further strengthened by Greed’s Blessing, ripped through the monster’s hide.
Its feathers were originally harder than steel, but the Sentence of Weakness had already lowered its defense. It couldn’t withstand the cutting power of my repeatedly reinforced claws.
Sssssshk!
Tentacles formed from Polar Night energy burrowed into the wound. The Owlbeast’s feathers were so tough that shaping the energy into blades would have made it difficult to inflict damage.
But this was different.
“Using it this way changes everything.”
Even its tough feathers couldn’t protect its internal organs. I shaped the Polar Night energy that had penetrated the wound into countless thorns and tore the Owlbeast’s insides to shreds.
At the same time, I unleashed the Blood Claw Technique up to the third form, ripping the monster’s wide-open chest into tatters.
“Buuuwoooong!”
The enraged Owlbeast let out a monstrous shriek and swung its arm in a diagonal arc. A heavy blow. If I took that head-on, a third of my armor’s durability would vanish instantly.
Activating Back Step.
My feet slid across the ground as I retreated ten meters. The Owlbeast’s swing cut through empty air by a hair’s breadth.
As repayment, I fired another Fireball.
Kwaaaang!
From within the rising smoke, another Wind Cutter came flying.
Well, the response was obvious. I absorbed it with Mana Absorb just like before, instantly recovering the mana I had spent.
“Buuuwoooong!!”
The enraged Owlbeast charged again. A strange sonic wave flowed from its beak.
You have been exposed to high-frequency waves.
Your sense of balance is disrupted.
It was a skill that stimulated the eardrums with special sound waves, throwing off the body’s senses. Since it was a wide-area debuff, the cooldown was long, but its effect was undeniable.
Activating Ultrasound.
I used ultrasound to push back the Owlbeast’s shriek. Because the monster’s scream was far louder, protecting myself was the best I could manage. Still, since this wasn’t a team fight, it was enough.
The moment I regained my balance, I used Agile Hind Legs and leaped diagonally. The Owlbeast arrived a beat too late. It charged with its shoulders raised, but there was nothing to hit, so it stumbled and nearly fell.
“Buuuwoooong!”
Emotion flickered in the enraged Owlbeast’s eyes. I could feel the ‘rage’ that perfectly matched its name.
I smirked.
“What are you going to do about it?”
What a truly detestable smile.
Nyx’s exasperated voice lingered in my ear.
The Owlbeast’s combat style was hybrid. It possessed overwhelming power and toughness. In exchange for slow speed, it had Wind Cutter to strike distant enemies and the wide-area debuff skill High Frequency.
It used Wind Cutter to keep agile opponents in check, then finished them off with a decisive blow in close combat. Even the hidden boss of the second floor, the Enraged Owlbeast, didn’t deviate much from this pattern.
But what if I removed Wind Cutter and High Frequency from the equation?
“It’s just a slowpoke.”
I maintained distance and circled around the Owlbeast. Whenever it charged, I dodged by a paper-thin margin and raked its flank with my Sharp Claws.
To a third party it might have looked precarious, but since I could read all of its movements, it was easy.
When it used Wind Cutter?
Activating Mana Absorb.
I absorbed it with Devourer’s Maw. No matter how furiously the enraged Owlbeast thrashed, it couldn’t touch a single hair on my head.
I have a question.
“What is it?”
You had many chances to end that monster’s life. Why are you dragging this out?
“The Enraged Owlbeast has a second phase.”
Second phase?
“When its life is in danger, it goes berserk.”
A berserk Owlbeast squeezed out every last drop of its stamina and vitality to move. Facing that head-on would be dangerous even for me. The reason it took so long to develop a strategy even after its appearance conditions became known was because of that berserk pattern.
Is it similar to the Berserk you used?
“No way. It’s not even comparable.”
I clicked my tongue. It was a skill that didn’t exist on Owlbeasts found in the middle layers of the Tower. Since this was a hidden boss on the second floor, it must be a unique ability granted only to it.
I hoped the essence it gave me would be related to that berserk skill.
About ten minutes later.
The enraged Owlbeast’s aura began to change. Its round, bloodshot eyes. Its once-white feathers were now dyed pink.
“Buoooooooong!!!!!”
Berserk
The enraged Owlbeast let out a shriek an octave higher. When I checked with Eagle Eyes, its aura had turned blood-red.
So that is what berserk looks like.
“Yeah. In that state it can’t use Wind Cutter anymore.”
That doesn’t seem like much of a disadvantage.
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
What a hideous creature. Losing its reason and rampaging like that.
Well. My own appearance after absorbing the essences of countless creatures probably doesn’t look beautiful either. At this point, the term ‘grotesque chimera’ suited me perfectly.
I swallowed my thoughts and watched the enraged Owlbeast closely.
Thud! Thud!
It charged at me with even greater ferocity than before. But its direction was strange.
Is it not angry at you?
I followed the Owlbeast’s charge and saw a single person. It was one of the players who had been watching from afar. When the enraged Owlbeast charged at him, his face turned deathly pale and he stumbled backward.
“Idiot.”
I clicked my tongue.
So there was a reason that hideous monster charged at him.
“When it goes berserk, it targets the weakest first.”
This was something you had to be careful about when hunting the enraged Owlbeast in a party. Once it entered its berserk state, it would prioritize attacking support-type players at the back. To be precise, it targeted those with the lowest combat ability.
“Hiiik!”
The fleeing player swung his sword, but it bounced off the pink fur. The Owlbeast’s fist smashed into him.
“Buooooooong!”
Thud!
In a single strike, the player turned gray. The Owlbeast had a passive skill called Owl Eyes that allowed it to see through concealment and stealth. That was why it had been chosen as the hidden boss of the second floor.
Its round eyes swiveled left and right before spotting another hidden player nearby.
Furious Charge
The Owlbeast, wrapped in red energy, charged at three times its normal speed. Explosions rang out in succession. Another player was eliminated.
Only three remained.
“This is getting annoying.”
Wouldn’t it be easier if that hideous thing exhausted more of its strength?
“Before the berserk Owlbeast runs out of energy, the remaining players will all be wiped out.”
I kicked off the ground.
Activating Full Sprint.
Activating Cloud Flow Steps.
My body shot forward with every step. The berserk Owlbeast glanced at me, then turned its head in the opposite direction.
“Already found the next target?”
Tsk. If I left it alone, it would kill everyone else and I would end up clearing the mission as the last survivor. I could still get the hidden mission reward, but then I wouldn’t be able to devour the enraged Owlbeast’s essence.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
I shouted loudly as I closed in on the Owlbeast. Even after I got this close, it was going to ignore me?
“Buooooong!”
The Owlbeast interlocked its fingers and swung both arms. Its speed had increased dramatically. And since I had stepped into its embrace, there was no way to dodge.
Activating Shadow Dominion.
Layers of dark barriers appeared. Bang! Bang! Each time they collided with the interlaced fists, they shattered like glass. Every time one layer broke, I immediately recreated it with Polar Night energy. In 0.1 seconds, the barrier was regenerated.
Of course, the speed of destruction was far faster than the speed of creation. The dark barriers shattered one after another. Although its power had decreased significantly, a head-on fight was still disadvantageous.
Activating Back Step.
My body was pushed backward. The Owlbeast’s hands slammed into the ground.
“Buooooong!”
The moment it realized its attack had missed, it charged straight at me again. Its reaction speed had more than doubled. Back Step had a ten-second cooldown, so I couldn’t dodge the same way again.
“Fireball.”
The flame formed at the tip of the ring struck the Owlbeast’s left shoulder once more. It furrowed its brow, pulled its right arm back, and thrust it forward.
Berserk
Brute Strength
A surge of exhilaration coursed through my entire body. I channeled that momentum into my fist.
Jjeoooong!
It was just a collision between flesh-and-blood fists, yet a massive shockwave echoed across the entire plain.
My right arm was dislocated. The bone, broken by the impact, pierced through the flesh and protruded outward.
Partner! Are you alright?!
“Yeah. Don’t make such a fuss.”
No. In truth, I was not alright. The pain was so intense it brought tears to my eyes, but I endured it with superhuman willpower. The Tower System tried to reduce my pain, but I refused even that.
To win a fight, you had to get used to pain. Since my body after regression had never experienced pain intense enough to turn the mind white, this was actually good.
Cold Blood has activated.
The skill that allowed me to maintain composure in any situation. The pain eased slightly.
“Buooooong!”
The Owlbeast roared again and swung its fist once more. The reckless move from earlier had paid off. I had lost the contest of strength, but the important thing was that the monster’s attention had shifted from the weaklings to me.
The berserk monster continued to chase after me. After that, the situation was the same as before. Even though my dislocated arm dangled uselessly, I slowly recovered it using Regeneration. Even if my arm was out of commission, I could still use the ring’s options.
I kept my distance and spammed Fireballs, waiting for the Owlbeast’s energy to run dry.
“Buooooong.”
As long as I was careful of its Furious Charge, I wouldn’t get hit. It had been ten minutes since it entered its berserk state.
“Buooooong……”
Strength rapidly drained from the Owlbeast’s voice. Its taut muscles shriveled, and the luster on its feathers disappeared. It was the aftereffect of berserk.
I had also suffered a stat reduction penalty from the aftereffects of Berserk, but I used Full Sprint, Cloud Flow Steps, and Back Step to slip past the Owlbeast’s attacks. While my right arm was still recovering, I moved my left arm.
“Let’s end this now.”
Blood Claw Technique, second form. Using the Hoe Claw, I stabbed into the Owlbeast’s nape. Dark blades penetrated the wound created by my claws.
Puuuuk!
The weakened Owlbeast’s neck was severed, and a fountain of red blood gushed into the air.
You have acquired a large amount of experience.
Your level has increased.
There had been variables, but I had successfully hunted the enraged Owlbeast.
I placed my hand on the headless corpse.
Using Devour on the Enraged Owlbeast.
Essence devoured: 100%
Essence Grade: Ancient
You have perfectly absorbed the essence of one species.
Ancient grade?!
The moment I confirmed the Owlbeast’s essence grade, my heart began to pound violently.