The Fertile Land (2)
“What on earth is all this commotion!”
A booming voice echoed from inside the manor.
Count Aurelius appeared.
His radiant blond hair gleamed in the sunlight, and his emerald eyes—proof of his imperial bloodline—shone with a cold light.
A deep blue cloak, as if woven from silk, fluttered elegantly in the wind.
Every gesture was that of someone raised under centuries of aristocratic discipline. Graceful. Ancient. Precise.
“Since taking up residence here, I have welcomed every visitor with open arms,” the count said, looking down slowly at Kim Jun and Andras. “To the hungry, I have offered food. To the weary, rest. And to those who wish to grow stronger, opportunities for training. All of it without condition, and solely as a matter of hospitality.”
In truth, the Aurelius county had been known among hunters before the regression as a “safe haven.”
There were no hostile monsters here, and the place came fully equipped with shops, inns, and even training grounds.
But Kim Jun knew better.
He just dressed up his real intentions to look respectable on the surface.
The count’s true purpose.
“And what, exactly, is this?”
The count pointed at the shattered gate and the fallen soldiers, his anger plain.
“To trample my goodwill underfoot like this… I’m truly disappointed.”
Even so, there was still a trace of composure in his eyes.
It was the kind of gaze one might reserve for watching a pair of ants scurry about.
“However.”
The count lifted his chin and flicked his fingers, putting on a display of dignity.
“I am a noble descendant of imperial blood. As one of legitimate lineage, passed down over centuries, I am willing to show mercy.”
He spread one hand with elegant restraint, still wearing a confident smile.
As if he were in complete control of the situation.
“If you lay down your weapons now, I will receive you as honored guests. I’ll provide the finest food and the best accommodations. And if you wish, I’ll even bring out items from my personal collection.”
But Kim Jun’s reaction was nothing like what the count expected.
Not even a twitch disturbed his expression as he said in a cool voice, “Count.”
“…?”
The count’s brows rose slightly. He looked genuinely caught off guard by the title.
Kim Jun folded his arms and regarded him flatly. “Shut up and transform already.”
“Yeah. I want to see it too. Transform.”
Andras chimed in, and confusion flickered across the count’s face.
The aristocratic smile on his lips began to stiffen.
“What in the world are you talking abou—”
Before he could finish, Kim Jun cut in again.
“Do you have, what, four arms right now? Six?”
“…!!”
The count’s face froze.
He stared with wide eyes, struck dumb, his embarrassment obvious.
The benevolent, elegant mask he had worn until now vanished in an instant.
His features twisted, becoming ugly and savage.
“You…”
He seemed about to say something, but Kim Jun only pressed him on with the same calm expression.
“Hurry up and transform. I’m curious how many you’ve collected.”
“Transform! Transform! Transform! Transform!”
Andras started shouting like he was cheering from the sidelines, piling on without mercy.
His voice grew louder and more delighted by the second, only further provoking the count.
Blue veins bulged on the count’s forehead.
“I don’t know how you found out, but…”
“Ah, skip the preamble. Just transform.”
“Ah, stop talking! Transform! Transform! Transform!”
Crack.
“You’ll regret this.”
Then, all at once—
Jolting, squelching.
The count’s body began to change with a grotesque sound.
“Grrrrr, KRAAAAHHHH!!”
From his spine, from his ribs, from his shoulders, flesh swelled and burst as new arms erupted one after another.
The first arm shot out from his back and seized a massive spear.
The second and third tore through his ribs, each gripping a sword and an axe.
The fourth emerged from behind his shoulder and swung a mace, while the fifth and sixth sprang from his sides, clutching a dagger and another mace.
The graceful nobleman was gone.
In his place stood only a monster with six arms.
[[Hidden Quest Triggered]]
Quest: Defeat Wants-All Aurelius
Content: Defeat the count who collects bodies and establish a new count in his place
Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Reward: Rare item acquisition, massive EXP gain, random stat increase
Failure: Death
“Oh. The system gives you a reward if it kills you.”
Kim Jun glanced at the system window and said, “Shut up.”
His health was less than half of Lion King Raugard’s.
But his level was higher, and as befitted a hidden quest, the atmosphere itself was unsettling.
“Dieeeeeee!”
With a mad howl, Aurelius swung all six arms at once.
Whoosh!
The first spear shot toward Kim Jun’s chest with lightning speed.
Pretty fast.
Kim Jun hurriedly raised his greatsword.
The spearhead slammed into the blade, sending a tremendous shock up his arm.
Crack!
Before he could even catch his breath, a sword flashed in from the side, aiming for his throat.
Kim Jun ducked quickly, but a few strands of hair were still cut away.
That one’s pretty fast too.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
This time, an axe and a mace attacked from both sides.
Kim Jun threw his body backward, but the axe blade skimmed his armor with a harsh metallic ring.
Clang!
“This isn’t over!”
Aurelius laughed and swung the remaining two arms as well.
The dagger and another weapon went for Kim Jun’s side.
Tch!
Kim Jun moved to block, but his timing was off.
Thud.
The dagger grazed his shoulder. Red blood sprayed out.
“Guh!”
Kim Jun clutched his shoulder and stepped back.
“Hahaha! What do you think? This is my power! The power of one fit to sit on the throne!”
Aurelius shouted, drunk on victory.
The six weapons around him trembled menacingly.
Multiple attacks at once make them a pain to block.
Want me to help, Master?
Hmm. No. I’m enjoying this a little longer.
Kim Jun muttered as he checked his wound.
I’m starting to see the pattern...
“Again.”
“What?”
“Attack me one more time. The same thing you just did.”
Kim Jun’s tone was provocative.
“There’s no way that’s all you’ve got. Show me more.”
Aurelius’s face twisted.
“You arrogant bastard! How long are you going to keep pretending to be calm? I’ll kill you!”
“I’m not pretending.”
Six weapons flew at him again.
This time, Kim Jun focused more carefully.
Whoosh!
The spear came first. He angled his greatsword and deflected the count’s attack.
Clang!
Immediately after came the sword, but this time it was within the range he had already predicted.
Ching!
He blocked it successfully as well.
So there is a habit.
Right. Spear, sword, axe, mace, dagger.
Looks like he attacks in the order he holds them.
You’ve grown, Master.
Don’t get cocky.
Heh heh.
Whoosh!
Just as expected, the axe came next.
Kim Jun planted his greatsword at the perfect timing.
Clang!
And then, at that moment—
The arm holding the axe suddenly came to an unnatural stop.
As if the muscles had frozen by force, the forearm trembled violently and lost all function.
Huh?
Kim Jun’s eyes flashed.
The other arms were still moving.
The sword, spear, and mace kept coming without pause.
So it isn’t the whole body… only the arm that gets parried is stiffened?
Normally, a successful parry would stagger the entire opponent and leave them open.
But Aurelius was different.
It was as if each of his six arms were separate bodies altogether.
Only the arm that had been parried froze for a moment, while the others continued attacking as though nothing had happened.
A hidden quest with four stars… Yeah, it’s not labeled that way for nothing.
The corner of Kim Jun’s mouth slowly lifted.
“Wow. You really are hard to deal with.”
“Stop talking and die already!!”
Aurelius snapped and attacked even more ferociously. The mace and dagger came in succession.
This time, the timing was slightly faster. Kim Jun blocked the mace, but the dagger cut him again.
“Still not perfect.”
Kim Jun wiped the blood away and said it with an expression that looked less irritated than intrigued.
“What do you mean, not perfect?”
“I’m figuring out the pattern. Just keep going a little longer.”
“You little—!”
Aurelius shouted in rage and attacked again.
Third attack. Fourth. Fifth...
Kim Jun kept taking them on.
At first, he could barely block half of them, but his success rate kept climbing.
On the fifth exchange, he blocked four out of six.
On the sixth, he blocked five.
And on the seventh—
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
He blocked every single strike perfectly.
The corners of Kim Jun’s mouth lifted.
“Perfect.”
“What’s perfect about it!”
“The pattern’s completely clear now. Spear, sword, axe, mace, dagger, then the last weapon, all at 0.3-second intervals.”
He spoke with the relaxed air of someone who had mastered a boss pattern after dying dozens of times, calm and utterly in control.
“If you break it this quickly, there’s no fun in the strategy at all.”
“You son of a bitch…”
“Still, it was the perfect sparring partner for parry practice. Thanks.”
Crack.
Aurelius launched into an even more frenzied barrage.
But to Kim Jun, who had already fully read the pattern, it was no longer a threat.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The flawless parries continued.
And then, in that split second—
All six arms were struck by stiffness at once.
A very short opening. Less than a second.
Now.
Twisting his body, Kim Jun flashed his greatsword into the air.
“Slash.”
Swish—
Slice—
Fssssssssssh—!
Six attacks burst out in an instant.
Slash was weak in raw power, but it struck with tremendous speed.
Kim Jun drove each blow precisely, without hesitation, into the vital points of the stiffened arms.
“Graaah—!”
Sharp wounds split open on every arm.
For a normal monster, that would have been a mortal blow already.
But because he was a boss, it seemed, Aurelius endured the attack with a hideous shriek.
Boss Count Aurelius has been defeated!
Reward acquired: Agility +5, Royal Seal
Hidden Clear achieved!
Parry all of Wants-All Aurelius’s arms and strike their vital points
Hidden Clear Reward: Parry C, Vital Strike C
49
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