Chapter 142: In a grand way (2)
Chapter 142: In a grand way (2)
Godmother.
Since when did she start impersonating Simuards mother?
After being freed from possession, her body quickly lost vitality.
In the state when the exorcism was activated.
The possessed human body wouldnt have been harmed.
She was a corpse. With white bones. In powder form.
It dispersed into thin air along with the demon, leaving no trace.
During that period of time that the human body cannot endure.
She had deceived Simuard.
I was starting to understand.
Why people with outstanding mental strength like Marcelo and Belliere were afflicted with the demons status abnormality.
It was a status abnormality passed down from generation to generation.
It was literally a curse.
Soon, traces of Yula Simuard disappeared completely.
I held onto the end of the message that appeared.
Defeat the demon possessing Yula Simuard and break the cursed contract. (Succesful)
[Youve met the conditions.]
[You will be rewarded.]
Reward?
It was a welcome but unfamiliar message.
Including the class quests.
There were only a handful of times I received rewards while doing quests related to demon hunters.
Of course, the steadily rising stat alone was a huge reward.
Whether I catch a great evil or a demon king.
The message never said a word about how hard I had worked.
Of course, I didnt have high expectations.
Wasnt this a request from back when Akshan existed?
Again, thanks to not having expectations.
[Your relationship with Akshan has increased.]
[Your influence in Akshan has increased.]
What.
Huh.
First of all, I wasnt being let down.
Anyway, what did this really mean?
[Akshans Annihilation].
As you could see from the class quest.
Akshans existence itself had disappeared.
However, my relationship with Akshan and my influence increased?
The contradictory message inescapably seemed meaningful.
However.
Even if it doesnt exist, their pride continues.
In short, I sorted out my complicated mind.
Yeah, it would be difficult to infer information about Akshan at this point.
It wasnt the time.
In any case, I had achieved my first goal.
I break the contract. The curse of the terminal illness must have disappeared, too.
This wasnt a rupture, it was the Arcana Continent.
I couldnt figure out the situation of the Mage Tower in real-time, but lets have faith. The situation I was in right now was too urgent to even think about that.
Isnt it more hopeless than urgent?
The demons eyes hang in the sky.
According to Demon King Yula, the demons seemed to call it the evil eye. Indeed, you could tell its purpose just by looking at it.
They were able to grasp the dynamics of the Arcana Continent from far above in the sky.
It was as if they were glaring at me with their eyes wide open.
But there was a procedure for everything.
I followed the order with pride.
Now you may rest in peace.
I said so to the air where there was nothing left.
These were words addressed to Yula Simuard, or rather, the unknown distant ancestor of the Simuard family.
Grandfels pride couldnt let it pass without giving consolation. Even if she was possessed by the demon, she had no choice but to watch as she harmed her descendants with her own body.
Could my stiff farewell be considered a comforting consolation?
Sss
It was fleeting, but there was a ripple in Lake Narnia.
It was only then that I raised my head.
I looked at the sky.
Even the thing that made me raise my gaze. It will be reflected in the disposal.
As always.
I continued on as arrogant as ever.
But apart from what I said, it was really grim.
Its surprising that oppressing the demon king was effective.
I only trampled on the three demon kings.
It was hard to believe that the demons momentum had subsided.
The night view of the Arcana Continent was a magical landscape itself.
Flash
Was it interfering with their sleep?
The number of evil eyes, which were only a few dozen at most, began to gradually increase.
From dozens to hundreds.
No, there were many so many that it was hard to count them.
[Skill, Natural Enemy Relationship is activated.]
My level had risen.
Thanks to this, my senses as a demon hunter had become sharper.
I could feel the presence of demons flocking to me within a wide detected radius.
How loud was my voice?
Their number made me feel resentful all over again.
Seriously, not only did it reach the night sky, my voice even reached the end of the earth.
It was not a metaphor or exaggeration.
Literally.
I sensed that every demon on the Arcana Continent was watching me.
More than that, I was the last demon hunter.
In order to kill me, their last natural enemy.
I could feel them rushing here.
I gave a short speech.
Its a desperate situation.
First, I checked the current status.
Yula Simuard, the amount of mana consumed in the battle against her was approximately 30 percent.
If this was before I defeated the Demon King Flauros and the evil dragon.
I probably would have been struggling in the lake because of the mana exhaustion by now.
The difference of one point gets bigger and bigger.
In addition, the World Trees blessing buff had been activated.
Still, youve really grown, Hoyeol.
However, there was no time to praise myself.
My remaining mana was 70%.
Even considering the great mana regeneration items
It wasnt enough mana to fight off the demons that were flocking towards me. No, Marcelo. Even if the demigods, Senios or Karimjeva, came here, wouldnt it still be impossible?
I estimate there are millions of them.
This wasnt just false bravado.
I couldnt even dare to count the demons that were immediately visible to the naked eye.
But I was prepared. Ever since I decided to enter the Arcana Continent.
But a big crisis is also a big opportunity.
the Arcana Continent.
Every evil eye was watching me.
Me, a natural enemy, the survivor of Akshan, the last demon hunter.
But I didnt back down.
Even in the face of the imp, a petty low-ranking demon.
Even in the face of the demon king, the king of demons.
Even under the great evil and the evil eyes floating in the sky.
I stood straight as always.
Yeah, with the usual upright posture.
I was struggling to not sink.
So I struggled and moved in all my preparation.
Come. Ill match you for today.
Even if I said I was fully prepared, was there really any meaning in it?
Just hunt demons until I die.
Yes, of course, that was the pride of Grandfel.
It was also a conclusion that was consistent with my, Lee Hoyeols, idea. Experience and level might be just numbers for Grandfel, but they were extremely important numbers for me!
Lets not forget, the death penalty.
In the days when it was just a game, Arcanas death penalty was famously notorious. Of course, as you could see from the title effect of [The Last Adventurer], I wouldnt be able to access the Arcana for 24 hours.
The additional drop in experience points was also no joke.
Therefore.
After going through all this trouble, shouldnt I get my moneys worth?
To make up for the death penalty.
I would hunt as many demons as possible and die.
That was my real intention.
I didnt know what was going on inside, but I was glad that the conclusion came true for the first time in a while.
Perhaps because of that.
There was no hesitation in my action.
Clang
I raised my sword from my waist.
The sword aura became clearer on the battlefield of life and death.
As I said, this was a battlefield where I had to die anyway.
I had to take out everything I could, including experience points and sword skills.
You, too, have finally met an enemy with whom you can set your teeth against.
Oh my God.
Really, it was a relief no one was watching.
Now I even came to the point where I talked to an item, not just to myself. Still, I was glad I didnt forget. I used my mana to raise the tooth, [Evil Earth Dragons Fang], in the air.
And I stared at the battlefield.
Thump
Thump thump
A tremendous vibration.
They were different from the demons that I had seen in reality and in the ruptures.
More than anything else, they were huge.
They were beast-type demon-type monsters that were not demon lords but they radiated an evil energy comparable to that. Now that I faced them I could understand.
Why the Arcana Continent collapsed without resistance.
I dont see any hint of grace in your steps.
Regardless of grace, they didnt seem to be creatures I could communicate with.
However.
I headed toward the great army.
I will not allow any further disturbance.
Near the lake, Simuard Mansion.
Inside the mansion were Simuards servants.
It hadnt been long since they got released from the status abnormality.
They must be busy trying to figure things out.
I couldnt get them involved in the battle.
With continuous short-distance teleportation.
I widened my distance from the lake.
Indeed, their only purpose was me.
Roll
The evil eyes rolled and quickly caught me.
Lets see, this was not on the lake.
From now on, there would be no unnecessary consumption of mana.
The time really had come for an all-out war.
[Number of currently stored attribute magic: 31]
The number of stored attribute magic in White Elytra was approximately 30.
Even if I manifested all of them, I wouldnt be able to knock down a few demons.
In that case, I had no choice but to compete with [oddity].
[Aesthetic: Medium]
Like copy-paste.
An effect that could simplify complex interference processes.
Even the senior mages of the Mage Tower were surprised by the mana efficiency of the aesthetic stat. Yes, I manifested [oddity] with the aesthetic stat into the strongest weapon I had.
[Evil Earth Dragons Fang]
[Grade: Unique]
[Restriction: Lv.800]
[Effect: None]
[Description: A sword made from the fangs of an earth dragon that failed to become a dragon. Although it has no special effects due to the earth dragons inherent limitations, its destructive power is not inferior to that of any weapon.]
Crackle
Unlike the biting attribute magic.
It was pure magic that competed with destructive power alone.
I recalled the magic of the Senior Mage of Pure Magic, Banglet, and manifested it.
Pure mana wrapped around the earth dragons fangs, which were floating in the air.
At that moment, the effect of [aesthetic] activated.
What appeared in the manifestation of [oddity] was a magical dragon that wriggled as if alive.
My remaining mana was only 70 percent.
Of course, even if I poured all my mana into it, it would have been impossible for me to manifest it on a scale as large as the Being That Must Not Be Awakened.
But it was big enough to match the beast-type demon over there.
I let go of the leash of the teeth-baring dragon.
Run as much as you want.
Grizz!
Destructive power added with destructive power.
Now, with the addition of [oddity], the synergistic effect was more than just addition.
There was no demon left in the place where the dragon of mana passed through.
The demons that fell short were hit by the destructive power of pure magic, and the ones that survived were pierced by the earth dragons fangs.
Messages appeared incessantly.
[Your level has gone up.]
[Your level has gone up.]
Of course, I couldnt afford to be complacent.
As a result, I used mana until just before the point of exhaustion.
For the time being, no further magic was possible.
But that was fine.
Because I wasnt a mage.
I was a natural enemy that they were afraid of more than anyone else.
I was a demon hunter.
I held a sword in my right hand while my left hand reached out toward the inventory.
What I brought out was none other than a crossbow.
[Legendary Assassins Crossbow]
[Grade: Unique]
[Restriction: Lv.300]
[Effect: When attacking, there is a high probability that the status abnormality bleeding will occur to the opponent.]
[Description: An old crossbow favored by a legendary assassin. The level is increased with the energy of the user.]
It was not an item purchased at an auction house.
An item like this would never be registered in an auction house.
Level restrictions and grades.
It was an item that would make any long-distance class players mouth water.
Indeed.
This was a crossbow from Wolf Saccharin, 2nd seat of the Shadow Mercenary Corps. If I were to trace back my relationship with him, I would have to go all the way back to our first meeting right after I oppressed the demon kings.
Its an honor to accomplish this feat together. Sir Hoyeol.
Somehow, he seemed more like a leader than Kitch.
In the midst of all my preparations, I had another conversation with Wolf.
Of course, shooting is my specialty, but are you interested in it? Slowly, I started to fear Sir Hoyeol in a different way No. I will help you to the best of my ability.
Just to dig another hole to live in.
This was the skill window of a demon hunter that was simple by nature.
When you had low mana, even the few skills you had would be too much of a waste to let go of.
Skill
Silver Mastery (91%)
Shooting Mastery (78%)
Apart from skill proficiency.
Wolf was amazed.
All hits from such a long distance!
-I dont think theres anything else I can teach you.
If you dont mind, can you take this?
Its not anything special, its a crossbow I used when I was inexperienced. I dont want to sell it to other people and I had no idea what to do with it, but it seems to have found a good owner.
It was a less intense reaction than Harkon or Matis, but it was still a strong reaction. I was once again able to benefit from the setting of those days when I just liked everything nice and cool.
Click
I loaded a bolt into Wolfs crossbow.
Naturally, it was a silver bolt with a silver tip.
I was not the person who was troubled by a single silver arrow in the past.
Just because I had pure integrity didnt mean I didnt have money.
I didnt have to worry about money.
I had so many of them that I had to be wary of spending it carelessly.
Dont quarrel. There wont be enough to share.
I didnt have to worry about running out of bolts.
I took a combat position.
!
It was the posture of the Knights of Lionheart that had no visible flaw.
The demons that were rushing in paused for a moment.
Taking advantage of that, I fired crossbows one after another.
Hit
It was impossible to reload with one hand.
Hit
However, I also shot out a small amount of mana.
Hut
I couldnt manifest grand magic, but I could load the crossbow.
The force of the shot was proportional to the nimble stat.
Even if my combat power had increased due to [Natural Enemy Relationship].
Compared to the archer-class players at the same level, it was natural that my force was less destructive.
But I had [Silver Mastery].
With [Natural Enemy Relationship].
This was the skill with the highest efficiency in the Great Demon War.
Its proficiency was also approaching its limit.
Gaah!
Im going to kill you! Im going to kill you!
Human!
Even if they were high-ranking demons, it was still capable of inflicting a critical hit or causing a stagger. I didnt miss the opportunity. I rushed among the demons and unleashed my aura.
Swaaagh!
Damn it.
Everywhere, there were demons everywhere in sight.
I was not a real sword master.
Naturally, I couldnt avoid all their attacks.
Side.
Cheek.
Back.
Thigh.
I could feel pain all over my body.
This was what it felt like to be hit by a monster.
Damn, it made me respect melee-class players like Nam Taemin and Leonie. However, like my inner feelings, the pain was also invisible.
A posture that didnt bend in the face of sharp pain.
This was what Grandfels pride was.
Of course, I, Lee Hoyeol, had no intention of completely enduring all the evil energy. There were items I had been wearing for that purpose.
[Pure Emerald Ring].
Restore vitality when attacked.
[The necklace of promise]
When attacked, theres a low probability of activating the skill Intermediate Protection.
Was it pathetic?
It couldnt be helped.
At this moment, I had to be pathetic to the last moment.
Until the end, I must hold on to as many demons as possible.
Only then I could have a grand finale.
What did I say earlier?
Did I say that the passage of time didnt matter to me?
I felt like those words had become a reality.
Dazzling light.
Extreme limit.
Everything was starting to look slow.
A battlefield of life and death.
Was it because of that?
!
I felt as if I had opened my eyes.
It wasnt an illusion.
In contrast with the vitality that was running out.
At some point.
The sword aura was getting clearer.
Its not a sword aura, its a sword force.
As deep as Harkons.