Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 132
>Chapter Title: Shadow Lycanthrope
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>[Shadow Lycanthrope]
>-Title: Elite Dungeon Boss
>-Type: Lycanthrope
>-Characteristics: Weakness Disdain, Agile Body, Shadow Claws
>-Description: The king of lycanthropes who have gained some of the power of shadows.
>His claws, wrapped in shadows, can tear rocks like sheets of paper, and his agile body never misses its prey.
>[Stats amplified due to the current full moon energy.]
>[Physical abilities greatly enhanced due to the Weakness Disdain effect.]
The messages floated up like a warning.
Do-hyun closed the info window without a care and gripped Thousand Changes.
[Thousand Changes transforms into 'Radiant Taksinel's Blue Sword.']
Was it because the shabby club had become a blue-tinged work of art like a sword?
Kr... ?
The Shadow Lycanthrope, which had been grinning at the strange sight, stopped smiling.
But that lasted only a moment. It soon snorted derisively, as if it were pathetic.
Sure, he had some mystical trick up his sleeve, but in the end, he was just a puny human whose Weakness Disdain had triggered so intensely.
It was like watching a bug perform a stunt. That was all.
Krr...
The Shadow Lycanthrope was confident of victory but didn't move quickly.
Since a human had come along after so long, it planned to toy with him slowly before killing him.
'Full of openings, kuhuhu...'
Look at that. Even as it prowled around, gradually closing the distance, he wasn't doing a thing to counter.
That tempting nape—it seemed like it could snap his neck anytime it wanted.
Gulp.
'...Can't hold back. Too hungry.'
Succumbing to that sweet temptation, the Shadow Lycanthrope changed its mind.
Its feeble reason couldn't overcome its instincts.
Ta-at!
Kicking off the ground with its agile body, the 20-meter distance closed in an instant.
Just a step away from sinking its fangs into that juicy nape.
Thud.
Kr...?
Instead of the nape, the blue sword clashed with its teeth.
...He'd clearly been standing still, so why was the sword blocking it?
Before it could even question that, its body slipped, and its vision tilted downward.
[Parry successful.]
“You come at me with that filthy muzzle first thing?”
That wasn't the end of the weirdness.
Thud. Kwang—
Mid-slip, Do-hyun lightly kicked its leg, sending it crashing shoulder-first to the ground.
Stab! Stab-stab!
Stab—!
A barrage of thrusts came flying in an instant.
An insane speed that was hard to even follow with the eyes!
Kuh, kuheong! Kyeng!
The Shadow Lycanthrope screamed like a pup as its body was shredded in agonizing pain, struggling to escape—but no dice.
“Where do you think you're going!”
Grabbed by the scruff and flung away, only to face an immediate follow-up assault.
Stab! Stab-stab! Stab!
Crack—!
-Ugh... Brutal. A knee to that spot hurts like hell.
>-...Liza-riza.
>-Hmm...! So... damn efficient!
At the one-sided, brutal beatdown, Jihard covered Eliza's eyes.
Even Charlie was struggling for words to describe the fighting style, pondering a review.
The Shadow Lycanthrope, suddenly the object of pity, flailed for a few more seconds before rolling desperately to the side.
Roll-roll—
It was a sight far from befitting a king of its kind, but pride wasn't the priority right now.
'Kr, kraaa! It hurts! Hurts!'
As it rose and pawed at its wounds, its face twisted in pain—but the confusion was just as great.
Why does it hurt? Its expression seemed to say.
Of course it did.
Among lycanthropes known for their tough vitality, this one was exceptional.
[Shadow Lycanthrope's HP is below 70%.]
And yet, in that brief moment, it had felt its life truly threatened.
Just a few seconds—a mere instant—and it had been stabbed who knew how many times.
If it had kept getting stabbed like that, it probably would've died without a fight.
Krrr...
That realization brought fear, and with it, surging rage.
It, suffering like this at the hands of a single human man?
It, a king?
Ghostly apparitions, maybe—but a mere human man? The blow to its pride was immense.
[The dungeon boss, 'Shadow Lycanthrope,' activates the 'Shadow Claws' characteristic.]
>[Phase 2 begins.]
Its enraged claws turned pitch black.
Fine. It admitted it had let its guard down.
That thing was enough to warrant going all out and ripping to shreds.
Slash—slash-slash—
With a light swing at a nearby glowing ore, it shattered like glass.
This was the power of shadows.
This power was what had made it a king.
Kr. Krrr.
Confirming its strength with its own eyes seemed to fill it with certainty.
The Shadow Lycanthrope started grinning again.
And seeing that, Do-hyun lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Oh, you’ve got some grit too?”
Kr...?
Do-hyun smirked and gripped Thousand Changes tight. The blue sword suddenly became shrouded in darkness.
An ominous energy rippled from the blade, exuding a ferocious aura.
Ku, kyeng!?
Its eyes went wide at the presence that didn't yield an inch to its own shadow power.
No way—no fair if a guy who didn't even need to shroud his weapon did it just as well!
But unfortunately, that wasn't the end.
Flash—!
A golden light flickered through the darkness, and an immense mana form erupted from the sword.
The black mana form didn't just cover the blade—it stretched out long, making the sword look extended.
[Striking effect: Physical attack power +40.]
>[Sword Aura used.]
>[All sword attacks enhanced; cutting power increased.]
>[Effective against fluid forms or magic.]
>[Mana consumed per second.]
The effects of Striking and Sword Aura.
Normally, Sword Aura, being neutral, would manifest as translucent mana...
[Sword Aura affected by Darkness Shroud, gains darkness property.]
>[Darkness property effects additionally applied.]
'Didn't see that coming... Jackpot?'
Since Sword Aura used the user's mana, it had been influenced by Darkness Shroud.
The two abilities had merged as a result.
'...Hidden piece?'
It didn't seem like an intentional feature, no matter how he thought about it.
The AI probably never imagined a user combining Sword Aura with a 'shroud' skill.
Whatever the case, it was good for Do-hyun.
His already powerful Sword Aura had become even more devastating.
Kuheong! Kyeng!
In the blink of an eye, its arm was sliced, and the Shadow Lycanthrope let out a pitiful scream.
It tried backing away to flee, but the silent black blade wouldn't let go.
Roll left, and its left arm was severed; retreat right, and its side was pierced as if waiting.
Shh—
Every attack approached without a sound.
Already hard to track visually, now silent too—like an invisible sword hunting its life.
Kyaeng... Kyung....
Gone was any kingly dignity; now it whimpered like a pup facing a tiger.
Do-hyun, unconcerned, grinned at his Sword Aura-clad sword.
“Yeah, that's it—cuts way better for sure.”
Before, he'd had to put effort into slicing; now, it sliced on contact.
That tough hide and muscle felt like tofu.
The extended reach made slashing even easier too.
The one downside: no signature Sword Aura ripping sound...
'Less romantic, but more efficient.'
The noise—Sword Aura's pro and con—was gone, making it even scarier to foes.
A savage beast with stealth to boot.
[Shadow Lycanthrope's HP is below 20%.]
'Time to wrap it up.'
He was just getting into it, but the boosted damage was too much for the boss.
Regretfully saving the rest for next time, Do-hyun assumed position.
[Sword Aura - Slashing Strike used.]
'Last one's gotta be this.'
The pinnacle of Sword Aura: Slashing Strike!
Shrouding with Sword Aura offered great performance with enough mana, but the real star was this strike.
“Hup!”
In an instant, aura surged, and Do-hyun swung mid-guard.
About 6 meters to the lycanthrope.
Too far for the blade to reach, but certainty filled Do-hyun's face.
----!
And as if answering that certainty, the aura exploded outward.
Following the sword's path, it swept across the unreachable distance, engulfing the Shadow Lycanthrope.
That was it.
[Dungeon boss, Shadow Lycanthrope, defeated.]
>[Harvest Shadow Lycanthrope's essence orb?]
>[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]
>[New swordsmanship executed; swordsmanship proficiency EXP greatly increased.]
>[Swordsmanship proficiency reaches LV17.]
>[First encounter: New boss type defeated.]
>[Predation effect: All stats +6.]
>[Level up.]
Such was the power of Slashing Strike.
Massive burst damage and mid-range reach.
No wonder it was called the flower of Sword Aura.
Of course, it wasn't all upsides.
[All power poured into Slashing Strike.]
>[Cooldown applied.]
>[Temporarily exhausted all power; stunned for 3 seconds.]
Three seconds.
Short on the surface, but in a critical moment, it could decide life or death.
Fatal in raids or PvP to be a sitting duck for three seconds.
Plus, Sword Aura deactivated post-strike, unusable for a full three minutes.
So Slashing Strike was reserved for sure-kill moments.
Or when allies could cover you.
'Plenty of raids where you can't use it at all.'
Many bosses prevented it outright, leading safe raid players to skip it entirely.
A balance patch penalty.
[Trait 'Hero' blocks mental corruption.]
>[Stun effect ignored.]
“Nice. That's what I'm talking about.”
A non-issue for Do-hyun, of course.
He always thought no trait matched Hero's utility.
All his traits were top-tier, but Hero's benefits came most often.
Made sense.
'Only nine users officially have the Hero trait.'
The ultimate status resistance trait—barely anyone got it.
No wonder Hero swordsmen got top treatment.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Then came the familiar applause again.
Used to it by now, but this time it felt even louder.
A glance sideways revealed Charlie's sparkling, deeply moved eyes.
-Magnificent, my lord!! To manifest Sword Aura... This humble blade is awestruck once more!
'Oh, right. To Charlie, it must look like I've become a Sword Master.'
Knight Commander-level NPCs all wielded Sword Aura, so nothing special—yet his reactions were always spot-on.
But this was Do-hyun's misconception.
-Sword Aura alone is impressive, but to infuse it with an attribute! Wielders of such Sword Aura are rare even in history, my lord! Ah... My eye for talent was true. This humble blade pledges eternal loyalty.
“Ah...?”
He'd been shocked by the Sword Aura and Darkness Shroud synergy.
-I want one too! That explosion was so cool... I mean, swordsmanship!
>-Liza-riza!
Even Jihard and Eliza were excited.
The effects were flashy, after all.
That dark mana sweeping space in an explosive burst!
'Bit of a shame the signature kiiing— sound didn't happen thanks to Darkness Shroud.'
Visually stunning, and that silent explosion had a certain cool vibe.
Black and explosive?
-Too beautiful....
>“...”
No wonder they were losing it.
Do-hyun shot Charlie a look, but he was too immersed in awe.
Shaking his head, Do-hyun turned away.
Screw it—ignore them and check rewards. He approached the essence orb and reached out.
[Essence orb harvested.]
His face hardened instantly.