CH.84
Request (1)
It didn’t take long for the mystery to be solved.
In the situation where the cooldown for [Declaration of Domination] was in progress, there was only one rune or skill that could inflict an abnormal state on me.
‘Gaze of Stiffness!’
Another rune reward obtained while conquering the Forest Covered by Snakes.
[Gaze of Stiffness].
It was a rare rune that Basilisk, an A-grade monster, possessed, and its performance was lower than the legendary rune [Evil Eye of Petrification].
It didn’t have any derived skills, but it had a special effect that, with a very low probability, would put the opponent in a ‘stiff’ state when their eyes met during battle.
In other words, Red Drake had been immobilized by this effect.
Seeing that it turned a creature that couldn’t be stopped even with considerable physical force into a single abnormal state, I could confirm how effective [Gaze of Stiffness] was.
‘I thought it was a useless rune because of its very low probability…’
In truth, I didn’t have high expectations for [Gaze of Stiffness].
Honestly, it was a rune that had already fulfilled its value by increasing my magical power by 5.
Because of that increase in magical power, my magical power reached 30, unlocking the ultimate skill.
However, the rune’s effect came into play at the right moment during a crisis.
It had never appeared in all the hunting I had done before.
It could be attributed to just having ‘good luck’, but…
‘In other words, the guy has a low willpower attribute.’
The probability of [Gaze of Stiffness] special effect depended on the rune level and the opponent’s willpower attribute.
I couldn’t just dismiss it as luck; I had to consider the possibility that Red Drake’s willpower attribute was excessively low.
I quickly kept these points in mind and…
I raised my magical power with both hands on the sword.
In a situation where the target unexpectedly fell into an abnormal state.
I couldn’t afford to waste this golden opportunity.
“Ugh…!!”
Sss-
Pop- Phew-!!
High-level magical power gathered in [Penitent’s Sword].
The magical power that had been accumulating in a blue light.
Soon it changed its color to white.
The color was so pure that it gave a sense of nobility to the gathered magical power.
Then, the magical power formed a shape.
Its appearance was like a musical note, taking on a form of resolute determination.
Red Drake’s paralysis was lifted, and as soon as the shape was completed.
“Now that we’ve had a good run, it’s time to settle this.”
The completed resolute determination was poured onto the creature at the speed of light.
An inherent skill in [Penitent’s Sword].
It was the manifestation of [Divine Slash].
Kwah, Kwaah-!!
-Grrk! Grrrk…!!
The intense magical blow struck Red Drake.
The guy who had fallen into a paralysis state without taking any defensive posture had to endure the full force of [Divine Slash].
[Divine Slash] covered the magical power with sanctity.
It was a skill that shot magical power in the form of a determination towards the opponent.
It was effective against undead or opponents dealing with curses, but it was highly versatile as a magical attack, just like now.
Especially for monsters like Red Drake, who were focused solely on offense and had weak resistance to magical attacks.
-Grruuh…!!
After enduring one blow of magical attack.
Red Drake once again tried to assume a charging posture.
However, perhaps the impact of [Divine Slash] was quite significant.
It didn’t feel as destructive and threatening as before.
I calmly gripped the sword and stared at the creature.
‘Clearly, the willpower attribute must have been low…’
Being affected by the [Gaze of Stiffness] effect.
This meant that there was a high probability that the creature’s willpower attribute was low.
And runes that had different effects depending on the willpower attribute.
It wasn’t the only one I had.
-Grrue…?
The speed of Red Drake’s charge, which had been significant, suddenly slowed down.
[Simple Curse].
A rune I had acquired while defeating the Goblin Shaman.
It corresponded to the effect of ‘slowing’ in the shaman’s curse.
It was one of the few spells I had learned through the [Cursed Spellbook], and I had found a use for it somehow.
“This seems to work.”
With a low willpower attribute, even a Level 2 curse took effect.
Well, if a recovery-type Holder had put a debuff on it, the strategy would have been much easier.
-Grrurrr…!!
Avoiding the significantly slowed charge was easy.
Using [Agile Agility], I dodged the charge and then quickly advanced towards the creature.
‘My magical power… just enough to use the ultimate skill.’
I want to use lightning or fire-type elemental magic just like before, but I don’t have enough magical power. Since entering the boss room, I’ve used too much magical power. I left enough magical power to use [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] and faced the creature with physical attacks only.
Clang- Clang-!!
-Grrruuh…!!
A head-to-head battle with an A-grade monster was not easy. Despite having a low willpower attribute, the creature’s physical abilities were formidable even among A-grades. Its robust endurance couldn’t be easily penetrated by [Penitent’s Sword], and its strength and speed overwhelmed me, making the battle challenging.
‘Still, it’s easier than Grizzly Drake.’
It was much easier than the previous boss, Grizzly Drake. That creature was focused on enhancing both its physical abilities and runes, and it even had [Oppression], which made it stronger when facing weaker opponents. In contrast, Red Drake was a creature focused on charging. I managed to somehow block its charges, so I held my own.
There didn’t seem to be any runes related to physical enhancement, and it felt like I was fighting against someone with high stats alone.
Moreover, I had [Sturdy Stamina].
In the same conditions, I wouldn’t tire out in terms of stamina.
Red Drake, who had been planning to finish the battle quickly with a charge, began to show several openings as the battle turned into a prolonged one, just as expected.
For me, who had saved magical power to deliver one final blow…
Those openings were a definite chance to end the fight.
“Explode.”
Kwah-
Kwaah-!!
I thrust the sword into Red Drake’s throat in an instant.
A tremendous amount of magical power exploded from within it.
It was the activation of [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] that I had saved until the very end.
Red Drake, which had already endured numerous magical and physical attacks, couldn’t withstand the devastating power of [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword].
It couldn’t withstand it even in terms of durability, not to mention that it couldn’t even reach the level of Grizzly Drake… The creature, which had exhausted all its magical power, met its end with the ultimate skill.
Thud-
After approaching its corpse and confirming the kill…
I realized that the long-lasting battle had finally come to an end.
“Ha… I barely got it.”
I collapsed in the boss room just like that.
And I acknowledged it cleanly.
Hunting all the way up to the boss monster was just greed. Honestly, when I first entered the dungeon, I only intended to check the rewards from the previous strategy, but the performance of the runes and items was so good that I got carried away without realizing it.
I managed to defeat it somehow, but…
Hunting an A-grade monster alone was still challenging.
[You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent’s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.]
[1. Rage Rush 2. Ruthless charge (unselectable) 3. Concentration 4. Agility 5. Lizard scales (unselectable)]
The information window of [Rune Hunter] appeared as if to congratulate the victory.
I noticed that there was no ‘contribution’ in the first information window.
The result of a one-on-one duel victory that had just appeared after a long time.
It was information confirming that I had defeated Red Drake alone.
It might not be much, but it gave me a sense of pride.
“Well, there’s no choice in this.”
I chose [Rage Rush] without looking further.
Most of the choices were runes I already possessed or were of a higher grade than I needed.
After looking at this rune setup…
It showed how much of a charging-focused monster it was.
All the runes were concentrated on assisting the charge, and there were hardly any runes that enhanced the body.
It didn’t even have the common [Quadruped Combat] rune.
I could understand why the battle became easier after stopping its charges.
[You have chosen Rage Rush. Since it’s an 11-level rare rune, its level will decrease to 6.]
[You gain 1 Speed from the rune’s nature.]
<Rune Information>
◎Name: Rage Rush
◎Rank: Rare
◎Level: 6
◎Carved Location: Knee
◎Special Effects: –
: Speed +1
: Can change direction during a charge. Even if you suddenly swerve or reverse, the rune’s support doesn’t end.
◎Derived Skills:
–
◎Detailed Information: –
: You can run faster and more recklessly. The charge filled with rage continues without end.
[Rage Rush], a rune superior to [Sprint].
My estimate that it was at least a rare rune turned out to be correct.
Although it didn’t have any derived skills or special effects, the ability to change direction or reverse during a charge seemed to have more merits than expected.
I had been quite flustered during the recent battle myself, so I thought I could gain an advantage in specific situations if I used it wisely.
“Let’s go home now,” I said, taking a deep breath and getting up from my seat.
Although I had succeeded in defeating the A-grade boss monster solo, but… I honestly thought it was quite a hassle for a weekend. I wanted to go home quickly, take a shower, and rest.
“But I still need to mine magic stones.”
Now that the initial exploration of the dungeon was complete and the rest area had disappeared, there was nothing else worth obtaining as material rewards except for magic stones. Items like leather might also fetch a decent amount of money, but without any runes related to butchery, I didn’t have the confidence to acquire them properly. Should I try to defeat opponents in duels forcibly to obtain runes related to butchery?
Bzzzzzzz-
As I was mining the magic stone from the Red Drake, my phone vibrated.
[From: Moon Ga-eun]
I quickly checked the message, and it was from Moon Ga-eun. Seeing the familiar name made me feel happy.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Moon Ga-eun.”
It seemed like I hadn’t seen her much since the academy went on vacation. We had been in regular contact, but it had been over two weeks since I last met her in person. Unlike Kim Chae-eun, who had gone to Pohang and Daegu together, or Kang Juyeon, who was active in the clan with me. Also Park Jin-woo stays nearby, so we duel often… Moon Ga-eun was the least visible among my underground dungeon party members.
I unlocked my phone while thinking about this.
Bzzz-
Bzzz-
Bzzzz-
“Oh, I see. Why is she suddenly like this?”
Unable to wait any longer, I checked the messages three more times.
I read the texts one by one, and my head started to spin.
“….”
She sent me a barrage of messages, and it seemed like a real emergency. How urgent could it be for her to act like this?
