Chapter 40: The Lord Who Beats Operators
Bread gripped his dual swords tightly at those chilling words.
'Me? Tense?'
Absurd.
The lord in front of him was, at best, still in his Lord Protection Period.
This dungeon was questionable even for lords with over a year of experience.
Yet this guy kept growing stronger with some unknown power, showing no signs of fatigue.
'He's done for.'
But Arthur was hiding it.
He was exhausted.
To the point where a single tap would send him crumpling.
'It's almost over.'
Just hold on a little longer.
You may now face the Boss Monster.
Bread kicked off the ground.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tang!
Sparks flew through the air.
Bread was definitely different.
Suuuung!
One of Bread's dual swords barely grazed past Arthur's cheek.
As Bread thrust toward Arthur's solar plexus, Arthur backpedaled.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
Bread chased after him.
Kwajak!
While pursuing Arthur, Bread swung his dual swords relentlessly.
Suuung! Suuuung!
Arthur dodged with seasoned skill, but a chill ran down his spine.
'He's desperate. Refusing to let even a single blow land.'
Bread knew it.
All of this guy's stats were higher than his own right now.
Yet he was fighting like he couldn't afford a single hit.
As if taking one would mean death.
'That might be the case.'
Bread decided to end it quickly.
Kwak!
His dual swords flashed for an instant.
A single swing, but the Triple trait activated, striking three times.
Ta-reng! Ta-reng! Ta-reng!
Arthur blocked the first attack, but the three impacts furrowed his brow.
Unable to withstand the force, he dropped Kazaven's Unique Spear.
"It's over."
As Bread closed in with his dual swords, Arthur soared upward with a whoosh.
And vanished.
Srurur!
Taat!
Kazaven's Unique Spear flew back to the reappearing Arthur.
'That was close.'
'So near, yet so far.'
Arthur let out a sigh of relief, while Bread spat regret.
Tat-tat-tat!
They clashed again.
Kwak!
Critical strike triggered!
This time, power surged into Arthur.
Kwajik!
The dual swords, which had blocked the spear tip, plunged toward the floor.
In that instant, Arthur thrust the spear at him with all his might.
Pujik!
Bread hastily twisted his body.
The spear tip grazed his side.
And a notification rang for Arthur!
Stun triggered.
Chance!
Bread froze in shock for a moment.
His body wouldn't move.
He saw it in his eyes.
Arthur's spear swinging wide toward his neck.
Kyaak!
Thud.
Roll roll.
Bread's head cleanly severed and fell.
With it, Arthur collapsed to the floor as well.
"Hah... hah... kuhk."
A chill gripped his heart.
One slip, and his own head would have flown.
Cold sweat dripped as he wiped the blood from his face.
'This guy...'
Worth using Death Painting on.
His first time using the skill.
"Death Painting."
Arthur murmured.
Unlike Memory of Art, Death Painting wasn't something he drew himself—the skill handled it.
As he activated it, a translucent brush appeared in Arthur's hand.
His hand began rapidly painting in the air above Bread's cold corpse.
With each stroke, a clear form took shape.
"Whoa..."
"Hiya..."
The soldiers marveled at the wondrous sight.
And Arthur was stunned by how perfectly and swiftly Death Painting rendered the image.
Just 5 minutes.
In that time, the skill completed.
It looked far cruder than the fallen Bread.
'Low skill level?'
That seemed likely.
Death Painting. You can now command Dark Elf Warrior Bread as a summon.
You may change Summon Bread's name.
Depending on Death Painting level, Bread's stats are limited to 60% of original.
60%. Arthur first checked Bread's status window.
Arthur nodded.
Impressively high.
Even subtracting 40% from those stats would put it around D+, which was still excellent.
Ghost of the Battlefield quest completed.
Stolen Bread's trait: Triple.
Acquired Absolute Sense +1.
Acquired 5,000 cash.
Arthur checked the Triple skill he'd plundered via the quest.
Not bad.
'Pair it with the Berserker's Ring...?'
The ring had a 20% critical chance to begin with.
Three consecutive strikes meant a high probability of a critical in the Triple.
'Perfect for a decisive blow.'
Next, Absolute Sense.
'This stat seems as rare and powerful as Luck.'
He clicked for details.
'Each level enhances all five senses.'
The five senses.
Vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch.
'Better vision improves eyesight, hearing helps detect enemies. Smell similar, taste for flavors, and enhanced touch might boost reflexes.'
Arthur nodded.
Absolute Defense deactivated.
Right on cue, the Mad Injection's effect ended.
Mad Injection buff effect ended.
But the Slaughterer's Sweet Gum was at 97%.
Arthur chewed his gum and headed deeper with the soldiers.
He needed to find Aris.
As they advanced, no more dark elves appeared.
A few corrupted spirits lingered, but they hunted them effortlessly.
Soon, the Slaughterer's Sweet Gum hit 100%.
Now, it increased all stats by 1% per hit, not just kills.
Then, it finally appeared before Arthur's eyes.
The noble Aris, trapped in ice.
Gazing at her nude form, Arthur murmured unwittingly.
'Beautiful.'
Aris was an incredible beauty.
No, Arthur had never seen a woman as stunning in his life.
Even the soldiers were lost in admiration.
As Arthur approached—
Kuwoong!
A barrier suddenly descended from the air, blocking the ice encasing Aris.
'What the hell?'
Arthur furrowed his brow.
It was already blocked before. Why this new barrier out of nowhere?
Something was off, and Arthur sensed it.
Operator Dayden stood nearby in stealth mode, clutching his chest.
'Kirrek, what the hell is this guy's deal?!'
Unbelievable events unfolded.
Bread and the dark elves were placed here by his superiors.
Yet they were all dead.
'Kirrek, I can't let him take Aris too!'
That was Dayden's thought.
So when the lord boy approached her, he used his authority to create the barrier.
In a pre-made dungeon, and one evolving into a Fate Dungeon.
If lords cleared it legitimately, operators weren't to interfere.
They earned their clears and rewards fairly.
Dayden's actions disqualified him as an operator.
But he had to protect Aris somehow.
'Kirrek, that barrier has 999 defense. Impossible to break.'
Dayden thought that.
'Kirrek, no one will notice.'
Though he'd broken rules, no one would catch it.
Then the lord boy stepped toward the barrier, one foot at a time.
And punched it with full force.
Kuuuwoong!
Druuuu!
The barrier shuddered violently.
But not a single crack.
Breaking a barrier with that defense was impossible from the start.
Yet the boy punched it repeatedly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The barrier didn't budge.
Dayden snickered.
'Kirrek, rescuing the trapped Aris is the dungeon's core. Fail that, and the exit stays sealed.'
Even this impressive boy would end up trapped and dying with his soldiers.
Dayden cackled in satisfaction.
Suddenly, the lord boy froze.
He glanced around.
"Ah, there you are."
The boy grinned.
Dayden's stealth gaze fell on the rock beside him.
'Kirrek kirrek, stupid human!'
Like hitting a rock would shatter it.
The lord boy approached slowly.
Dayden didn't move.
Stealth mode, but just in case the guy noticed.
Soon, the boy bent down and picked up the rock in front of Dayden.
Dayden held his breath, just in case.
"Heave-ho!"
The human stood up.
Then he softly grabbed Dayden's collar.
"Gotcha."
"Ki, kirrek...?"
Dayden looked down at the hand gripping his collar, tilting his head in confusion.
Then the boy met his eyes and grinned wickedly.
"Ki, kirrek... n-no way...!"
Could he really see him?
No, how?!
But that wasn't the point.
The boy grinning evilly.
He punched Dayden with all his strength.
Pa-buk!
"Kurek!"
Dayden realized.
This guy could definitely see him.
After taking a punch to the face, Dayden shouted.
"Kirrek, d-do you know what happens if you harm an operator?! You'll lose your Monarch Game privileges. That means you die!"
"You new here?"
"Ki, kirrek..."
The boy—Arthur—hit the nail on the head.
Dayden was a rookie with just six months under his belt.
Even then, rushed in without training after the previous zone operator died.
"Per operator regulations, if an operator causes undue harm to a lord, that lord faces no penalties for harming the operator. Operator Law Article 13, Clause 2."
"Ki, kirrek...?"
Such a law existed?
No, more absurd that a lord knew it.
"Kirrek, what are y—"
Arthur punched Dayden's face.
Pa-buk!
Dayden's face went slack from the hit.
"Kirrek, who in the world hits an operator?!"
He trembled, staring at Arthur.
Arthur leaned in close to his ear and whispered.
"Me."
Pa-buk!
Another punch.
While pounding the barrier, a notification had rung.
From the Lord Nurturing Device.
Important Information View.
The current operator was committing misconduct.
And for a friendly 2,000 cash, it pinpointed the operator's location.
The device reacted specially to operator foul play.
So he'd snuck up casually, grabbed the collar, and the form fully revealed.
Arthur said.
"That barrier's got 999 defense. Looks like you'd need about 200 punches from you to break it. You summoned it, so take responsibility."
"Kirrek? Wh-what do you...?"
Dayden panicked.
The guy's expression saw him as more than a sandbag.
Like he planned to get something out of him.
"Say something if you're about to die. I'll give you time for an operator potion."
Incomprehensible words.
No, 200 punches?
Implying 200 hits from him would break the barrier?
And how did a mere lord know about operator potions?!
"Kirrek, what the hell...?"
"Shut up."