Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Translation: godtl
Flower petals falling upon the finale of a performance.
Or perhaps volcanic ash disguised as the first snow.
Ssssssss.
Gray powder scatters across the beautiful field.
As if time itself had frozen.
-......
-?
Even the heated chat window fell silent for a moment.
Of course.
-Did Withered Bark just get one-shot...?
-This is insane... No, seriously, this is f*cking insane!
-Is this a lie? Are you filming a prank right now?
-You're telling me she one-shot Withered Bark with just her bare fist and no equipment?!
-I'm losing my mind I'm losing my mind I'm losing my mind I'm losing my...
The chat exploding like this lasted only an instant.
Especially since.
-Wasn't that Fist Energy just now?
-This person is Silver-rank! How can she use Fist Energy?
-Looks like we have a lot of new viewers. She's used Fist Energy before too.
-Yeah. There are quite a few people who can Manifest Qi at Silver-rank. Most of the top-tier Players now were like that back then.
-Wait, even if it's Fist Energy, one-shotting a boss is f*cking absurd? She's Magic Class and doesn't even have a weapon!
-Withered Bark just has insane physical resistance, its actual HP isn't that high for a boss.
-For real. Even Platinum ranks treat it like a punching bag. The important thing here is that she's Magic Class.
The real Awakened—not the unawakened.
And among them, the active Players were particularly lively in their discussion.
-There's definitely a Trait related to those fingers. She's not wearing any equipment either.
-What the hell, man. Do you think Traits are some kind of omnipotent cheat? Even with an SSS-rank Trait, one-shotting a boss at this stage is impossible.
-You're talking nonsense. Are you an SSS-rank Trait holder? How would you know?
-I'm an SS-rank holder, okay? Your tone is sh*t. What's your tier, huh?
-I'm upper Platinum. What about it? Wanna go? Judging by how you talk, you probably rode your Trait's coattails up here—feeling confident?
-LMAOOOOO. I'm upper Platinum too, lol. This is ridiculous. Where do you live, man?
-Currently a Diamond-rank Player from the Hwarang Guild. This chat isn't just yours, so tone it down.
-For real lol. The Diamonds are staying quiet, so why are these Platinum brats so noisy?
Bronze Silver Gold.
The so-called Deep Sea Rank Players didn't dare speak up.
Platinum-rank, commonly classified as upper-tier in the Galaxy Arena.
And now, Players who seemed even beyond that were appearing one after another.
For reference, unawakened individuals might not know this, but...
Awakened couldn't hide their personal information on Arenia, which was linked to the Galaxy Arena.
-Shiver... Calm down, you heavenly-tier legends.
-Why are so many upper-tier Players in a Deep Sea broadcast lol.
-What do you mean "so many"? There aren't even 10 of them.
-Ugh, pathetic brat. Inferiority complex exploding already. You think 10 upper-tier Players in a Silver broadcast is few?
-Exactly. The inferiority here is legendary lol.
Ordinary Players and unawakened viewers couldn't easily voice their opinions.
Naturally.
-What kind of magic is this? Enhancement-type? Even then, physical abilities like this don't make sense.
-Could it be a Double Class?
-Double Classes are even worse early on. You have to raise almost twice the stats and EXP.
-She outright said she was Magic Class in her last broadcast. Probably not a Double Class.
-So she really is Magic Class. But just looking at her movements so far, she's on par with a Platinum-rank Combat Class...
-This is confusing. So confusing.
With chat messages from what seemed like upper-tier Players flooding in, the atmosphere grew oppressive.
But unfortunately.
The star of the broadcast, Si-mun, couldn't see the current state of the chat.
It wasn't simply because he had closed the chat window.
[You have defeated the boss monster in a single strike.]
[You have achieved the feat 'One-Punch Man.']
[You have earned 500 Achievement Points.]
With the death of the Withered Bark, the achievement notifications popped up.
Especially—
[The Withered Bark has fallen in a single strike without drinking from the 'Spring of Purification.']
[A hidden boss, 'Crazed Vegetation Keeper Murie,' has appeared due to special conditions being met.]
The system messages that followed made Si-mun's eyes widen in shock.
"A hidden boss?"
A hidden boss.
Those grotesque beings that often wield power far beyond their designated rank.
The Hobgoblin that had appeared in the previous arena, [Corrupted Goblin Outpost], had been one such entity.
But there was a clear difference between that Hobgoblin and the hidden boss now.
'Back then, it felt like they just shoved a hidden boss in there for no reason.'
The proof was in the 'name.'
A true hidden boss usually had its own unique name.
Naturally, being a named monster among boss monsters meant its strength went without saying.
That's why the Hobgoblin from the last arena couldn't really be called a proper hidden boss.
'Even before considering its nerfed stats, it didn't even have a name.'
But.
'This time, it's different.'
Didn't this hidden boss have a name—Murie?
Si-mun's gaze sharpened slightly as he stared ahead, tension creeping in.
Splash—
A clear, blue puddle surged upward like a waterspout.
And then—
"Kyahaha!"
A child's laughter.
Yet, mixed into that laughter was a chilling, eerie malice that spread across the beautiful meadow.
"The tall uncle's dead! He's finally dead!"
The owner of the voice emerging from the rising water took the form of a Vegetation Keeper, just as the name suggested.
Only, unlike the Vegetation Keepers that had appeared earlier—
No one would call this one small or cute.
"So jealous! So, so jealous!"
Skin flushed red like overheated metal.
And sprouting all over it were—
"Scales?"
Scales.
But that wasn't all.
The wings, reminiscent of a fairy's, were made of tattered, ragged membranes.
Above the sharply torn mouth and narrowed eyes, awkwardly protruding horns jutted out as if forcibly shoved in.
The sight was unmistakable—
'Isn't that... Dragonkin?'
Was Si-mun's assumption wrong?
[Constellation Zeus expresses displeasure.]
[Constellation Heavenly Demon frowns.]
[Constellation Black Goat grins with murderous intent.]
The Constellations, who had remained silent throughout the arena, simultaneously voiced their displeasure.
'Come to think of it, the Constellations never seemed fond of Dragonkin.'
At least the three Constellations who took an interest in him were like that.
'Then does that mean this hidden boss is connected to Dragonkin?'
The possibility was extremely high.
Just look at that reptilian appearance—wasn't it way too blatant?
"I saw everything! You-you-you! The one who put the tall uncle out of his misery in one hit!"
Murie's gaze locked onto Si-mun.
Then—
"Thank you so much! As thanks, I'll put you out of your misery too! Kyahahah!"
A crimson light flickered in Murie's sharp eyes.
The same hue as the Withered Bark's glowing gaze.
At the same time—
Whoosh!
A sharp whistling sound pierced his left ear.
Si-mun's eyes flicked to the razor-sharp root that had just grazed the side of his face.
It was Murie's nature magic.
That was close.
Had his [Black Panther's Body Tissue] not been fully active across his entire body—
He wouldn't have even been able to react to that attack.
"Oh? You're pretty fast, aren't you?"
Murie tilted her head, puzzled.
A Magic Class Hidden Boss... This fight's going to be a pain if it drags on.
Tap.
Si-mun immediately kicked off the ground and lunged straight for Murie.
As if she had been waiting for it—
"Kihihit!"
Murie's eyes and mouth twisted into a grotesque grin.
At the same time, a crimson haze bloomed around her.
"I'll carve right through you!"
Murie charged toward him with terrifying speed, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Her speed was so fast it left afterimages in its wake.
But—
Snap.
The moment Si-mun flicked his fingers—
Thud-thud-thud!
Razor-sharp earthen spikes erupted from the ground beneath Murie.
"Oh?"
Despite her previously overwhelming speed—
Swish.
Murie effortlessly dodged the spikes, her movements almost leisurely.
Her sharp eyes momentarily rounded in surprise.
"You use nature magic too? Were you one of our friends?"
Friends?
What was she talking about?
Of course, there was no time for Si-mun to ask.
"Kihit! Then I'll just have to kill you even harder!"
Like an enraged wasp—
Murie flared her membranous wings and instantly closed the distance, appearing right in front of Si-mun.
Swoosh!
A crimson afterimage slashed viciously across Si-mun's neck—
The scaled arm of the creature cutting horizontally through the air.
But it didn't end there.
"Kihihi! Murie is kind, you know!"
True to her title as a Hidden Boss—
"I'll make sure my friend is comfortable! So you don't end up like me!"
Whoosh!
Using the advantage of flight, she launched relentless attacks from all directions.
Si-mun retaliated with his superior physical abilities, honed through body refinement, and strikes infused with the essence of the Heavenly Demon Arts—
But.
Too fast.
Keeping up with Murie's speed alone was already pushing his limits.
Especially when, between her charges—
"Hey, little ones! Help me kill our friend!"
Shwiiing!
Screetch!
Grass, flowers—
Even the wind itself sharpened into blades and came flying at him, making the fight all the more frustrating.
As expected of a Magic Class. She's a pain to deal with.
A razor-sharp blade of grass shot up from beneath his foot.
Si-mun deflected it with his refined arm and immediately retreated.
If I weren't a Magic Class myself, this fight would've been over long ago.
Generally, Magic Class players had superior supernatural senses compared to other classes.
That was the only reason he could withstand her absurd speed and the relentless barrage of nature magic.
This back-and-forth continued for a staggering five minutes.
—Is this guy even human?
—Even for a Magic Class, dodging spells while keeping track of her movements is insane. Avoiding those charges is next-level.
—LMAO, at this point, I can't even laugh anymore.
—This guy's about to rank up to Platinum, but... does he even think he can win?
—At this point, I'm dying to see his Status Window.
Going one-on-one against a Hidden Boss—
Si-mun's movements as he dodged Murie's attacks were nothing short of miraculous.
But his expression was far from pleased.
The reason was simple.
With my current specs, countering her is impossible.
He could evade the nature magic flying at him from all directions thanks to his heightened senses as a Magic Class.
"Kihit! Our friend dodges so well!"
And while he could barely keep up with her afterimage-inducing charges using body refinement—
"Kihihi! You missed again~ Friend, you're too slow!"
He couldn't land a single counterattack.
There was nothing he could do.
Murie, as a Hidden Boss, was no ordinary opponent—mixing high-speed charges with nature magic made her an absolute nightmare to fight.
'If this keeps up, I'll be the first to tire out.'
A battle of attrition would inevitably put the purely defensive side at a disadvantage.
Therefore.
'I have to end this before that happens.'
But how?
That question didn't even cross his mind.
Having witnessed and experienced countless battles of powerful beings in his past life, Si-mun already knew.
'If she makes it explode over a wide area, even at that speed, there'd be no way to dodge.'
He was well aware of the common countermeasures against those with overwhelming speed.
'The Philosopher's Stone.'
—Hehe! I was already preparing it~. Oppa, I know~ exactly what you're thinking, don't I?
Her bright, excited voice made him forget they were in the middle of combat.
She must have found joy in performing alchemy.
[To compensate for the insufficient Philosopher's Stone, Equivalent Exchange requires 500 Achievement Points.]
[Do you accept? (Yes / No)]
Without hesitation, Si-mun selected 'Yes' on the pop-up system window.
The expended Achievement Points filled the gap in causality, gathering at his fingertips.
With a flick of his finger—
KWA-RRUNG!
A thunderclap, utterly out of place in this beautiful meadow, resounded.
And it wasn't just sound.
ZZZAAK!
A streak of lightning plunged directly in front of Si-mun.
"KYAAAH!"
It struck Murie, who had been charging straight at him.
To be precise—
"Didn't expect you to dodge that."
—it only grazed the tip of her wing.
But the impact must have been substantial.
"K-Kheehee!"
Murie let out a pained cry as she soared back into the air.
Her wingbeats were visibly strained as she examined the lightning bolt that had struck before Si-mun.
"Tingly-tingly~. Lightning?"
"Correct."
Si-mun affirmed.
Along with his words, a white rod rose into view.
Like a snake baring its fangs—
The white rod crackled incessantly with sparks.
"Weird? Our friend shouldn't be able to wield lightning."
"That's also correct."
Si-mun nodded again.
As Murie's eyes narrowed sharply at the sight of him gripping the white rod.
"I get it! Kheehee! You tricked me! You tricked me! I'll kill you...!"
A murderous shriek erupted from her—
But it never reached its conclusion.
Because before she could finish, Si-mun, now gripping the white rod, twisted his body with all his might and hurled it.
The motion was eerily reminiscent—
'Wait, isn't that the same stance that tall guy used earlier?'
The moment Murie recognized the posture—
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Strike: Tyrant Emperor Break — Astrapē.
An unbearable roar and a flash of light too blinding to keep her eyes open engulfed Murie.
[Hidden Achievement 'Defeating Hidden Bosses (2/?)' has been completed.]
[You have single-handedly defeated the Hidden Boss 'Crazed Vegetation Keeper Murie'.]
[You have earned a total of 1,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]
The floating messages announced the death of the Hidden Boss Murie.
But Si-mun—
No.
—.......
"......."
Not just Si-mun, but every single being watching the 'Heart of the Evergreen Forest' fell into complete silence.
It was only natural.
As if to prove the aftermath of the calamity that had just occurred—
Lightning Rod.
ZZZZT!
Over the charred, blackened meadow, pale-blue currents of electricity still danced.
Even a rough estimate suggested the radius easily exceeded 30 meters.
That was the size of this area's original boss, the Withered Bark.
'Did... did I go too far?'
Before the exhaustion could even set in—
Si-mun stood frozen, stunned by the sheer destructive power he had unleashed.
Amid this overwhelming silence—
[Constellation Zeus gapes, 'To think my lightning could cause such devastation...']
[Constellation Heavenly Demon chuckles, 'Hoho... Isn't this what they call a "collab" on Earth? Never thought I'd join forces with you.']
[Constellation Black Goat cackles, 'All those colors were pissing me off, but this is refreshing! Hey, kid! Do it again!']
Only the Constellations, who had been watching Si-mun all along, continued to chatter.