The Mad Butcher's Axe
Unfortunately, there weren’t any particularly valuable items or runes worth keeping. Still, we’d harvested an enormous amount of Etherium, so it wasn’t a total loss. We split the Etherium according to our agreed ratio. Once the distribution was finished, roughly 250 pieces of various Etherium fell into my share. Nearly 240 of them were 1-star Etherium, which was disappointing, but with 15 pieces of 2-star Etherium and 5 pieces of 3-star Etherium, the haul was more than satisfying.
‘What should I do with these?’
I had no idea how to use the Etherium. If I had been a warrior-class Awakened—a DPS—I would have swallowed the red Etherium first. But as the Guide, I had no clue which Etherium would actually benefit me.
“I was thinking of taking a short break. What do you think?”
“Sounds good.”
“Then we’ll rest for about an hour.”
Thanks to Captain Im’s timely suggestion, I finally had time to think. 1-star Etherium held little value for me. Etherium worked best when consumed at the matching grade. A 2-star Awakened like me would gain very little ether from 1-star Etherium. Conversely, even 3-star Etherium wouldn’t yield much more than 2-star. Better, but not by much.
‘Let’s try one at a time.’
Deciding to test it directly on my body, I swallowed a 2-star red Etherium.
[2-Star Red Etherium] absorbed!
Ether increased!
Strength increased!
Attack Power increased!
Vitality increased!
…Up to this point, the reaction was expected. I had eaten red Etherium, after all. But something was wrong. I had clearly consumed red Etherium, yet other stats were rising as well.
Magic Power increased!
Defense increased!
Intelligence increased!
Looking closer, every single stat had risen at once.
‘What the hell? Why are they all going up?’
The effect defied common sense. I couldn’t understand it.
‘Did something go wrong?’
Just in case, I tried a 2-star green Etherium next.
[2-Star Green Etherium] absorbed!
Ether increased!
Strength increased!
Magic Resistance increased!
Attack Power increased!
Vitality increased!
Poison Resistance increased!
Healing Power increased!
Green Etherium’s main effects were supposed to be healing power and poison resistance. Yet a wide variety of other stats had risen alongside them.
‘It can’t be that every Etherium raises all stats. No way.’
I kept experimenting with the other 2-star Etherium—purple, gold, white, black. The result was the same. No matter what I ate, every stat grew evenly.
‘This… this is impossible!’
I screamed inwardly, afraid someone might hear. The fact that any Etherium raised all stats was an incredible blessing. A miracle. Didn’t everyone else only gain specific stats from specific Etherium?
‘Is this why the support class was marked as infinite?’
An absurd thought crossed my mind. Perhaps my class, the Guide, was an all-purpose existence that encompassed every role.
Watching me consume Etherium like some kind of lab rat must have looked idiotic to the others.
“Eating random stuff won’t make you stronger, you idiot.”
“Why are you scolding me again?”
“You have to eat what suits you.”
Choi Yoo-ra offered advice.
“Eat something that matches your class. That’s how you get stronger. Look, my class is Warrior. DPS. Do you think I’d get stronger by eating blue Etherium?”
Yeah, yeah. You probably wouldn’t.
“Well, your ether would go up a little, I guess.”
“So you do know that much.”
“It’s basic information on Google.”
“Then why are you stuffing your face with whatever you find?”
“What does it matter? It’s mine, so I’ll eat what I want.”
“Hah. Forget it. I’m done talking.”
Choi Yoo-ra shook her head in exasperation, clearly regretting her attempt to help.
‘With 2-star Etherium, I should just eat everything I can get. That way I can raise my grade faster.’
Advancing past 3-star was difficult, but with enough Etherium, going from 2-star to 3-star would be quick.
‘I should test the Alchemy card while I’m at it.’
On impulse, I pulled out the [Alchemy] card I had obtained this time.
※ Etherium can be embedded into cards for enhancement.
※ Captured Spirit Swords can be combined to create new Spirit Swords.
※ Etherium can be embedded into Spirit Swords for enhancement.
Ah! So that’s why I was able to loot Spirit Swords. Convinced this was the key, I took out my Spirit Sword cards. Nearly twenty cards floated gently around me.
Without much thought, I inserted three cards into the [Alchemy] card.
A surge of ether burst from the Alchemy card, followed by the sound of hammering—clang, clang!
‘Not great.’
I added two more cards and used [Alchemy] again. Another hammering sound rang out, and a new Spirit Sword was created.
The second result wasn’t much better either.
‘I’ll keep going. Nothing to lose anyway.’
I kept feeding pairs of cards into [Alchemy], rotating them with the [Rusty Longsword]. After discarding everything except the potentially useful cutter, I finally hit the jackpot. A powerful surge of ether erupted, and a red-glowing hand axe floated into the air.
“This is…”
I stared at the [Mad Butcher] in my hand, unable to believe it. A 4-star Spirit Sword in the hands of a mere 2-star hunter.
‘This is insane.’
I could instinctively feel how powerful the [Mad Butcher] was. The fact that it was an axe—the weapon I was most familiar with—made it even better. We were entering the era of blunt weapons. Against monsters, after guns, axes, maces, tonfas, and clubs were the most practical.
‘If I fight with this… I might be stronger than most DPS.’
It was just a feeling, but it felt right.
“You… what the hell are you?”
“Cha Eun-seong, just what…”
Choi Yoo-ra and Captain Im stared at me in utter disbelief. Looting Spirit Swords from the dead and forging new ones completely shattered common sense.
‘Let’s stop here for now.’
I had wanted to try embedding Etherium into the Spirit Swords and cards, but showing that much would expose too much of my strength. I decided to hold back.
“Let’s rest a bit, then clear the dungeon and head out. We can open the jars on the way.”
“Yeah.”
After a short rest, we left the rift and headed for the 9th floor where the boss awaited.
From the 7th to the 9th floor, fewer monsters appeared, but they were far stronger. Most of them weren’t beasts—they wore human forms.
Shing!
Creatures reeking of rotting corpses blocked our path. Knights, servants, maids, soldiers—various human figures, now cursed, radiated hostility toward us.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to wipe them out?”
Clatter-clatter-clatter!
Choi Yoo-ra swung her chains without hesitation.
“Remember—Eun-seong comes first! Got it?”
“Yes!”
Captain Im’s team formed a protective circle around me and engaged the approaching monsters. Meanwhile, I charged straight forward.
“Eun-seong-niiiiiim!”
“He ran off again!”
“Stay put, damn it!”
My sudden action drew near-screams from Captain Im’s team. Sorry. Honestly, it was a nuisance. I was making the people who were supposed to protect me suffer. But I couldn’t help it. I wanted to fight. Right now, I didn’t want protection. I wanted to test whether I could function as a DPS.
Clench!
I gripped the [Mad Butcher] tightly. The enemy appeared—a cursed servant. Not an especially powerful specimen, but still a 4-star monster. A support-class hunter would struggle against it. Could I really face a cursed servant? The same kind of opponent that had once required me to stake my life as a supporter in my previous life?
Whoosh!
From above to below—I swung the [Mad Butcher].
CRACK!
The cursed servant’s head split vertically. But it didn’t stop there. The axe cleaved through the head and continued down the chest until the body was halved. The cursed servant collapsed in a V-shape.
“It… it works.”
I felt dizzy. I couldn’t believe it. I had just split a cursed servant in one axe swing.
‘More… more!’
I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to keep fighting. I immediately swung the [Mad Butcher] at the next target.
Slash!
A cursed soldier’s head flew off.
Next came a knight clad in plate armor. I wondered if my attack would even work. It didn’t matter. Even if I couldn’t cut or split the enemy in one blow, what mattered was whether I could fight at all.
Thud!
The axe blade tore through the plate armor and split the cursed knight’s chest. The knight swung its sword in retaliation. I calmly ducked, pulled the axe free, and struck at its thigh.
Slash!
Crash!
The cursed knight lost one leg and toppled over.
‘Now.’
Seizing the opening, I brought the axe down on the fallen knight’s head.
CRACK!
The knight’s skull split apart.
Ten seconds? That was how long it took me to eliminate three high-ranking monsters in a 4-star dungeon.
A surge of emotion welled up in my chest. My eyes grew moist. It felt as though all the accumulated grievances were rushing forth at once.
‘Get a grip, Cha Eun-seong. This isn’t the time.’
Grind!
I clenched my teeth. I could release my emotions after the battle. Preferably after clearing the dungeon and returning home.
‘I’m no longer… a supporter.’
With that thought, I focused on the fight.