Chapter 180: Nowadays, Boss Monsters Are All Like This.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 180: Nowadays, Boss Monsters Are All Like This.
A message stating that he despises and ignores everything belonging to the lowly.
At first, I didn't quite understand what that meant.
What’s the criteria for 'lowly'... and what exactly am I supposed to do?
However, as I continued to pummel Kim Min-su, I began to understand the message perfectly.
"Why... why...! Why isn't Smite working!"
Min-su’s scream, born of pure spite, was as good as a skill description.
Even while being beaten, he had thrown a desperate punch loaded with Smite, but he couldn't comprehend why it dealt no damage.
This is a total cheat.
The skill rank of Smite is A.
The skill rank of Tyrant is S.
[The Tyrant looks down upon the underling's tricks as trivial!]
A 'Tyrant'—a term for a fierce and wicked ruler.
Generally, it refers to someone who ignores those who defy them and is intoxicated by their own power.
True to that definition, the Tyrant possessed the power to ignore most skills of a lower rank than its own.
In other words, unless it was an exceptional skill, one could not escape the Tyrant's contempt.
"It says you're an underling, Min-su."
Wham!
"Squeeeeeeeeeak!"
As I slammed the club into his bewildered face, a refreshing sound—like a pig having its throat slit—echoed out, a sound I hadn't heard until now.
Min-su Land, which had been playing a warm and peaceful background track, began to crumble bit by bit.
"Are... are you crazy? If... if you beat me here, you can't leave! Ever! Just stay still and take it!"
"The situation has changed, Min-su."
You should have enjoyed yourself more before things turned out like this.
You should have used that Brush Sword to inflict wounds so deep I couldn't recover.
Stupid bastard.
I'll make him bitterly regret the fact that I was holding back, thinking he was a fish already caught in the net.
Kung.
"Urgh!"
Kung.
"Aaagh!"
Ta.
"St... stop... pfft...!"
[Kung Kung Ta activated! The third strike is empowered!]
Beating the panicked Min-su was easier than eating cake, but there was one problem.
His recovery speed is no joke.
I had been methodically breaking his bones to see how effective his skill was, but they mended almost instantly.
To see a body recover in real-time... just how good was the skill he obtained?
The most chilling part was that he displayed this much power after clearing just one Gate.
If he refines himself a bit more, he’ll be Alpha Male tier.
His power was comparable to an Alpha Male who had merged about three skills.
They didn't call him a 'Protagonist' for nothing.
"Fine! Let's just end this! Black Dragon!!!"
The black lines remaining from every path Min-su had swung his sword merged together, transforming into a dragon.
It had been quite a while since he obtained the Brush Sword, but all Kim Min-su could do was summon dragons or tigers.
Despite the potential to draw anything, his utilization of it was the absolute worst.
"So many things are truly wasted on you."
"Shut the hell up!"
The Brush Sword, enveloped by the black dragon, swung down as if to split my head in two.
Seeing him grip the sword tightly with both hands just in case made me think he wasn't entirely brainless.
He was likely trying to use his slight physical advantage to press down with both hands.
But this isn't exactly a contest of strength.
I struck the side of the descending Brush Sword with my club, veering its trajectory to the left.
Shifting my body to the right, I used the recoil from the collision to immediately bring the club down on Kim Min-su's skull.
"Kuegh!"
Kim Min-su perfectly recreated a scene from a cartoon where a head gets squashed flat.
I wonder how I should beat him most effectively.
Typical recovery skills usually heal the user after they've been hit.
However, Kim Min-su's skill was tricky because it healed him even as he was taking damage.
It felt like I’d been given a quest to suppress a training dummy with infinite health.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
As soon as he took the hit, Kim Min-su scrambled backward to secure a safe distance.
"Where are you going now?"
"I'm about to tell you something amazing."
As he said that, he proudly pulled something that looked like a pocket watch from his shirt.
A pocket watch all of a sudden? Looking closely, there was a clockwork-like mechanism attached near the top.
Is that an output control device exclusive to Kim Min-su?
But why a pocket watch?
"This is a main skill output control device specially made for me by Victory Academy... the new model. It's a masterpiece among masterpieces, the only one in the world, and I even personally supervised the design."
Everyone has one of those.
I couldn't bring myself to say that, so I just watched Min-su chatter away excitedly, like a child who had just received a new toy.
Min-su, whose body had already fully healed, continued speaking with an expression that suggested he’d never been hit at all.
"The reason it's a pocket watch is because that is the dignity of a gentleman... Anyway, you'll be shocked to know that I've been facing you with only 5% of my output so far."
From now on, he was going to over 50%.
With a serious expression, Min-su fiddled with the pocket watch.
Oh right, I should turn mine up too.
I also manipulated my Gold Bracelet.
The performance was the same even if the shape differed; to exert more than half of one's output, manipulating the control device was essential.
I had rarely used my main skill properly, so I had even forgotten about this part.
It seemed the main skill was restricted in every Gate.
"Huh...? Um... uh... why is there no change?"
"Because I raised my output by the same amount, you moron."
Deciding I’d seen enough of this stand-up comedy, I lunged toward him.
If he got stronger, I just had to crush him with Coercion.
This was possible because, from the very beginning, my character design was meant to be Kim Min-su's counter.
The power of a Hero that strengthens oneself, versus Coercion, which neutralizes the power of living beings.
As long as I activated my skill, Kim Min-su would never become stronger than me.
"I'll have the advantage in a war of attrition anyway!"
"We'll see about that."
Just before the Brush Sword and club collided, I let go of the club and stepped into Kim Min-su's embrace.
Using my trailing left foot as an axis, I rotated my body, transferring power through my legs, waist, and shoulders directly into my fist.
"Kuegh... cough... heeek... ack...!"
The moment the punch landed squarely on his liver, cutting off his breath—
[Recall activated! The club returns to your hand!]
[Kung Kung Ta! The third strike is empowered!]
Activating Recall, I caught the club in my right hand and spun my body in the opposite direction, delivering an uppercut to his jaw.
The empowered strike sent Kim Min-su flying into the air.
No matter how good his recovery was, he wouldn't be able to ignore a direct blow to the brain.
Still, it's nice to be able to hit him without holding back.
A punching bag I didn't have to worry about killing.
There was nothing quite like Min-su for stress relief.
Since the quest clear condition was victory, landing a solid clean hit should satisfy the requirement.
Just as I was about to deliver a finishing blow to Min-su's face as he slowly fell toward the ground—
"Stop! You should stop! You two have a precious bond! You'll die at this rate!"
The Troll King suddenly appeared behind my back.
I didn't prepare for—
Boom!
With my back completely exposed, a fist the size of a truck slammed into my spine.
"Kh...!"
Was a boss monster summon included in the Gate rewards along with the physical enhancement?
I’d only taken one hit, but there was no way that kind of power could come from a C-Class.
At least S-Class.
If it had been buffed as a summoned beast, it could be even higher.
"Kh... Hahaha...! That's right... a Hero always has allies! Now it's a fair play! You... huh?"
The moment the Troll King appeared, making it a 2-on-1, the expression of the man who had been gloating began to slowly freeze.
A chill that hadn't been there before began to settle over Wonderland.
Frost began to form on the hot air balloons floating high in the sky, and white mist escaped with every breath.
A sudden winter had arrived.
"What kind of low-born bitch dares to interfere in a fight between men? I truly want to kill you. I was just... quietly, anxiously, heart-thumpingly watching because My Lord told me to stay still... but this is really crossing the line. My Lord! This girl shall kill them all and just take the scolding later."
[Seong Chun-hyang, feeling Wrath, manifests!]
It was Chun-hyang's entrance.
"No, it's fine. You did well. Good call."
"Oh my, in that case, My Lord, once this is all over, could you give this girl's cervix a thumping glans kiss—"
"...Let's talk about that later."
Even though she was angry, I let out a hollow laugh seeing Chun-hyang calmly demand the satisfaction of her lust.
Right, she never lets go of that, no matter the situation.
"Later, I definitely want to try outdoor urination with dog play—"
"Please, stop. I'll listen to everything, so just deal with that first."
"Ahem, I understand."
By the way, this is the first time I'm fighting alongside Chun-hyang.
If I had to categorize her, she was a mage with very high health.
Or perhaps a debuff-type who spread frost from the front lines.
I wasn't worried about our coordination.
She was my summon.
She'd figure it out.
"What... are you... You had one too...? No, but why are you... why is yours so..."
So pretty for a summon.
Kim Min-su stared blankly at Chun-hyang, unable to finish his sentence.
Even though they had both cleared a Gate and received a boss monster as a reward, the difference was far too stark.
"Didn't you know? Nowadays, boss monsters are all like this."
They have a second phase as standard, and even a separate demonization.
[Demonization activated! Demonization has been triggered while Tyrant is active! A heavy burden is placed on the body!]
"Beg for your life."
If you bark like a dog, I'll stop hitting you.