<Chapter 11. Lightning Tooth >
[Lee Shin Woo: Then I'll get going now. I'll come back later.]
[Lloyd H.K.: Alright. Don't die, Lee Shin Woo. Hmm... yeah. Anyway, let's talk later.]
[Erian Ruparte: Are you leaving already? Jin Jin will be disappointed.]
[Prince Altania: Hey, I'm just putting this out there, but don't go overboard with the romance. If your relationship gets too deep and one of you dies first, the other will go crazy.]
[Lee Shin Woo: Romance? Hahaha...]
It seems that his senior heroes who, after hearing that he'd saved a hero of the opposite sex, thought it was plausible given the situation and had misunderstood, but... so long as Ye Jin Jin didn't have an extremely peculiar disposition, he didn't think they had anything to worry about.
Indeed, if his seniors were to ascertain his true identity, what would they think? Lee Shin Woo couldn't stop laughing at the thought. However, around the time when he'd quickly left the chatting channel, Jin called to him with some nice timing.
"Shin Woo, we're here."
"Wow."
It had only been a few minutes since he started talking to his seniors, yet he realized that the landscape had completely changed in that short time and exclaimed. It had definitely been flatland just a little while ago, but right now, it was the edge of a plateau.
"The view's nice."
"You think the view's nice? It's terrible compared to my homeland's natural environment... To the point that I feel nauseous."
Lee Shin Woo laughed bitterly at Jin's statement. There wasn't anything remaining in the underground empire to call 'natural' anymore, so he wasn't wrong.
As an aftereffect of the curse, all the grass, flowers, and trees decayed, so all this empire really had left was rock, dilapidated buildings, filth, and undead. But when he looked down from up high in a remote location, he admired the view; it looked quite nice.
It felt like the moment Charlie Chaplin won 1st place again. When one looks at their life, their battles, or even this dirty and crude underground empire from afar, it actually looks quite nice.
"You'll have to survive in this Empire as well from now on, so try your best."
"I'm really jealous of that mentality of yours."
They tried to find the traces of where they had just been. They had left it just a little while ago, and as such, they saw the city they had departed from not very far away; strangely, the surrounding area was completely covered with a black mist, yet only the city was covered in a faint mist. It seems like it was an effect of them clearing out all of the undead.
"Hmm...?"
At that moment, Lee Shin Woo discovered something peculiar. He wanted to see what lay beyond the city, but there was a truly huge wall that blocked his vision, so he couldn't check. Seeing the wall that was god knows how high, he gasped.
However, when he looked thoroughly, he saw a huge hole at the bottom of the wall. It was a passageway that allowed access to the city.
"That means... that's the external passageway that leads to the surface. Does this mean this is the end of the Empire?"
"How do you think they made a wall like that...?"
"It's the opposite. They dug through the ground here and created the Empire, so they probably weren't the one who made the wall. Though they were probably the ones who strengthened the wall."
In a sense, that was even more amazing. They had dug a tremendous depth and width underground to fit the Empire, and fixed it so that the ceiling or the walls wouldn't collapse... After listening to Lee Shin Woo, Jin seemed to have realized something and sported a vacant expression.
"It's something I couldn't even imagine happening in my home world."
"So your world didn't have magic either, huh."
"I'm more surprised that you came from a world without magic."
Lee Shin Woo chuckled at Jin's reply and turned around. They couldn't be overwhelmed by the scale of the Empire forever. Rather than figuring out the magic that they used to create the Empire, it was more important to improve his stats right now.
"Then... Huh?"
He looked around, and pondered where he should start his conquest. However, it was troubling that this vast area was a plateau, as there were no undead in sight.
Indeed, there was nothing to think deeply about; ultimately, undead were beings which had once been alive and had been reborn, so they would appear in environments which could foster life, not a place like this where there were only rocks and boulders.
"I don't sense any undead here."
"You said you wanted to find monsters. I never said anything about them being undead."
"You're right, but... From the start, most of the monsters that can move around in the fields are undead, aren't they?"
Lee Shin Woo recollected the unwavering thesis regarding the curse that covered the Empire, and spoke. The curse would kill all living organisms and transform them into the undead. It had already been several dozens of years since the curse had emerged, so there shouldn't be any other living organisms within the Empire, aside from the heroes.
The only exception would be the living organisms living in an environment cut off from the Empire, the dungeons. Even so, the individuals who bore the curse, entered the dungeons, and died would ultimately become undead. Like the Pauls who were in the secret facilities.
"Nope. There are some, you know?"
However, Jin stubbornly persisted, and disagreed. Lee Shin Woo sighed, as he didn't know where to begin with this newbie hero, but soon, he was faced with the proof that Jin wasn't wrong.
[Sensing mana response from living bodies. Beginning movement.]
[Stopping outside entry. Unless directed otherwise, automatically removing trespassers.]
[Lv3 Stone Golem]
[Lv3 Stone Golem]
"Oh..."
"See, what did I tell you?"
Lee Shin Woo, who saw the neglected rocks and boulders within the plateau gradually gather together and form into a huge shape, stared dumbfounded while listening to Jin's proud boast, and just nodded his head.
'They weren't alive from the beginning, so there's no way they'd be affected by the curse. However, even so...'
To think he'd sees slimes and then golems so soon after being dropped into the Empire; after all, they were regulars in fantasy. He just needed to meet goblins, elves, and dragons now, and it felt like he wouldn't have any regrets. Though it was probably impossible.
He raised his weapon whilst thinking of something so idiotic. He wasn't wielding Bone of Thunder Lasting, which had established itself as his main weapon; instead, he wielded the Melting Bone Double Axe, as he felt a weighty axe would be more effective against huge and crude enemies like golems.
[Removing trespassers.]
[Beginning attack in order to figure out the enemies' magic patterns.]
The huge golems, which seemed to be about 3 meters tall, spoke politely and then dashed towards them, stamping on the ground while doing so. They gave off a truly bizarre pressure, but Lee Shin Woo didn't fall back. He tightly gripped the axe that was almost as tall as he was, exerted his strength, and his (nonexistent) eyes gleamed.
"Grasping my magic pattern, huh... I'm doing the same."
Seeing them run was enough for Lee Shin Woo to tell that their agility was low for level 3s. But they were definitely a lot higher than him in terms of strength and health. However...
"Shall we?"
"I heard you just say that you're definitely weaker than them just now."
"Let's take down the leftmost one first, so that we don't get surrounded. Charge!"
"Ah, seriously!"
Even while complaining, Jin followed his command and rushed towards the leftmost charging golem. Jin sprinted at such a speed that the golem couldn't even react!
Lee Shin Woo desperately focused so that he wouldn't be treated like a package again. He instinctually activated his Combat Sprint and focused all his attention in front. They quickly passed by the surrounding landscape, and in that accelerated time, the golems moved extremely slowly... Then the golem they had chosen as their target soon appeared!
'I already knew, but he's really fast! Plus, he's so precise that it makes me feel goosebumps...!'
Indeed, Jin's ability was astounding. He applied his agility, which was incomparable to that of the Stone Golems, and had superb control, getting them close to the golem without ever touching it.
Though their communication was still poor, if they took into consideration the fact that Jin hadn't received any special training as a horse, his skill was amazing.
[Tress...pass...!]
Was it because he was communicating with the highly agile Jin? It wasn't enough that his dynamic visual acuity had been enhanced, but he was also starting to hear things at a slower pace as well. It was funny, as the golems sounded like they were bugged, as they kept cutting off.
The end came quickly. One breath was divided into ten, and he then divided them into another ten; when he counted six of those, he found his timing! He wasn’t as surprised at Jin’s shocking speed so much as he was able to match and respond to it.
'Now! Power Slash!'
The moment Lee Shin Woo passed by the left golem, he narrowly matched the timing and struck with his axe. As quick and powerful as lightning! While only muttering those words!
Though it was the first time he'd wielded the axe, the superlative martial arts technique, Bursting Thunder was amazing, and though the strike wasn't sharp, it allowed him to pack the weight of the axe within the strike.
[Critical Hit!]
The moment his axe struck the golem's flank, the slowed down passage of time instantaneously returned to normal. An absurd roar spread throughout the plateau.
The outcome was truly brutal. The golem wasn't able to bear the force of his attack and crumbled right on the spot. After breaking the golem into pieces, Lee Shin Woo and Jin couldn't be at ease, as they were struck by a rebound force that shook their entire bodies; it was to the point that it was momentary difficult for them to stand.
[You have hunted a Lv3 Stone Golem.]
"Oh."
Lee Shin Woo hadn't expected this development, and spoke perplexedly. He thought it would've taken at least two or three hits to beat it, but a one touch kill? Moreover, he had moved so fast and had taken care of the enemy so quickly that the other golem hadn't figured out his location yet.
"You... you're so overpowered."
"From my point of view, you're the overpowered one."
The two heroes looked at each other in amazement. They realized that they made up for what the other lacked, but this was still too ridiculous.
Of course, Jin's role in helping Lee Shin Woo take down the Stone Golem, which was rumored to have an especially high defense, was huge.
It was obvious logic that the faster they moved, the more powerful the attack would be, and Jin's speed had changed a normal attack into a killing blow. Though, it required him to adapt to that speed and be able to control it during the moment before striking to optimally use it.
If Jin's part was 60%, then 30% of it was the weapon. The Melting Bone Double Axe was a suitable intermediate weapon to fundamentally gather all his strength into one point and burst it out all at once, and its level was also higher than the Stone Golem, being a level 4 weapon.
Furthermore, since the weapon had an option that increased his strength by 25, it was the most suitable weapon for destructive power. Besides, it had an option for acid. Even if he didn't finish his enemy off in one hit, the Acid Poison that came after would pour out into the area and melt them.
The remaining 10% was obviously Bursting Thunder, which allowed him to use the two elements properly and land a hit on his enemy.
Just by learning the skill, the practitioner is able to properly wield a weapon they've never held before, keep their center of gravity whilst gripping the weapon, and deduce the enemy's weaknesses; if he didn't have this skill, regardless of how amazing the individual elements were, he wouldn't have been able to finish off the Stone Golem in one hit.
[Confirming the destruction of 1 Autonomous Puppet.]
[Adjusting the assessment of enemy's strength upwards.]
[Impossible to respond to enemy's speed. Initiating long range bombardment mode.]
While Lee Shin Woo briefly spaced out due to the much too unexpected result, the golems recognized the severity of the situation and began to move differently. Lee Shin Woo felt slightly anxious when he heard about their long range bombardment mode, but Jin looked confident as ever.
"Those are slow too. Don't worry."
"Right, you said you came here before."
If that's the case, then he had the time to collect the loot. Lee Shin Woo bent his body and collected the loot from the floor. He was really looking forward to the appearance of a 'pet that collects the loot for you' that always appears in games, but it would never happen.
[You have acquired 3,700 Perium.]
[You have acquired an Autonomous Defensive Type Core. The core is changing. You have acquired an Autonomous Defensive Type Bone Core.]
"A core, huh..."
"Is this another material for Bone Reinforcement by any chance?"
"Of course it is. Plus, I don't even need to burn them one by one, so it's better than the slimes."
"Burn? Slimes?"
He had felt slightly anxious when he'd stood atop the plateau and seen the golems, but after picking up a core, he thought differently. He didn't have time to waste when his growth was right before him!
[Firing...]
"Heup!"
Lee Shin Woo counted the number of golems that had revealed themselves in the entire area, and the moment he raised his axe for the second time, Jin, who he had communicated with, kicked off the floor without even needing a signal.
Before the golems could even fire their prepared bombardment, Lee Shin Woo and Jin had already closed the distance. Then, Lee Shin Woo swung his axe with all his strength.
[Critical Hit!]
The level 5 Treasure Eater roamed the underground in search for higher leveled treasures.
However, by leveling up, the Treasure Eater's eyesight had drastically improved, and there weren't many items that it recognized as treasures. Thunder Lasting, which had dropped to level 3, had returned to level 4 and had actually become more powerful, transforming into the Lightning Tooth, thereby becoming enticing enough prey to draw the Treasure Eater.
[Lv5 Treasure Eater]
In the end, it wasn't a level 4 Treasure Eater that had arrived, but a level 5 one! He knew there'd be a day that he'd meet one again, but he didn't think he'd have to fight against one that was two levels higher than him...
Despite feeling slightly concerned, Lee Shin Woo greeted the Treasure Eater with unmistakable excitement and joy.
"Hey, Steve...?"
[Guwoooooooooooh!]
[The Treasure Eater used Shriek of the Dead. Those exposed to this shriek momentarily fall into a frenzied and fearful state.]
[Invisible Heart nullifies the effects of Shriek of the Dead.]
However, the Treasure Eater responded to his lively greeting with Shriek of the Dead. ‘What shitty manners,’ he thought, while Jin spoke from beside him whilst persistently gritting his teeth.
"You learned that yelling skill from the same species as that weird bug, right?"
"Yep. How're you holding up?"
"Somehow..."
Lee Shin Woo naturally wasn't affected by the scream, and Jin wasn't either. It wasn't because they were undead, or because Jin was a horse, but because of his Horseback Riding skill; it was because they were connected, albeit superficially.
In other words, the status ailment that Jin should've received was shared with Lee Shin Woo, and in the process, Invisible Heart had completely taken care of it.
[Gooooooooooh!]
Since its shriek was ineffective, the Treasure Eater seemed pissed and charged. The golems that were spread across the highlands rolled to either side, making a path for the Treasure Eater so that they wouldn't get in the way. It was as if they were saying 'It's not our problem. Take care of it amongst yourselves, whether you have to fight or kill each other.'!
Jin spoke slightly urgently towards Lee Shin Woo, who was nodding, feeling as though the golems' IQ was higher than he had thought.
"How the hell are you going to fight against that idiot?"
"Hmm... I'll think about it after getting some more info."
The level 2 Treasure Eater didn't have any special abilities aside from Shriek of the Dead or Roar of Healing.
However, the level 3 Treasure Eater possessed an outrageous ability, the Flames of Resentment, instead of the Roar of Healing (it might've had it, but at the very least, he didn't see it use it against him). So he didn't have any ways of knowing right now of what abilities, besides Shriek of the Dead, the level 5 Treasure Eater possessed.
It may have all of those abilities, or it may have something even more outrageous. Since this Treasure Eater was his first encounter with a level 5 monster, and it was also an elite, he couldn’t know for sure.
"Could you maintain this distance for me? Can you do it?"
"Yeah, that's not a problem."
Treasure Eaters tended to have high magic and health. In other words, compared to its size, its speed and strength aren't very impressive. Of course, it was level 5, so its stats should be amplified accordingly, but to Jin, who had overwhelming speed even at level 4, there was no way it would be able to catch them.
Even while Lee Shin Woo rode on his back, that fact didn't really change. Jin strode across the rugged highlands as if it were flatlands and leisurely widened the distance between them and the Treasure Eater!
[Guooooooooooh!]
"Yes, yes. I'm over here. Catapult!"
[Kuhaaaaaahk!]
For starters, he needed to figure out whether his Catapult would be effective against it or not. Lee Shin Woo moved as quickly as possible and shot his index finger, but the Treasure Eater instantly emitted a horrific shriek and the flying shot exploded in midair.
He had expected it to evade it or block it, but he didn't think a method like that would exist! Seeing that, Jin spoke in disgust even whilst running.
"Don't learn that skill. If you don't want to burst my eardrums."
"You don't have any eardrums to burst... Never mind, sorry. My bad. Please don't drop me."
Lee Shin Woo desperately regained his balance atop the excessively shaking Jin and pointed both hands at the Treasure Eater this time. Of course, this attempt didn't come from a complacent idea like 'one didn't work, so let's fire several simultaneously, and hopefully, one will eventually hit the mark.'
"Firing!"
All 10 of his fingers, from his thumbs to his little fingers, were coated in flames and fired. However, they lost their power midflight, as if he had shot them improperly, and fell to the ground! Steve trampled those bones as if it were mocking him, and attempted to keep charging but...
"Self-Destruct!"
[Kuwoooooohk!]
[Critical Hit!]
At that instant, Lee Shin Woo yelled vigorously, and all of the 10 bone pieces exploded, hitting its abdominal area hard, causing it to roll onto the floor while spurting blood! Though he was on the cusp of becoming level 4, a level 5 elite monster had been successfully struck by a level 3 hero's blow!
"Hoo, it worked..."
"You should've told me ahead of time."
Lee Shin Woo, who had already fought Treasure Eaters a few times before, knew that the skin covering its head and its back were tough, and that only its stomach area was weak. He had shot his first Catapult in order to ascertain its abilities.
He acted as though he didn't have a suitable way to deal with it, lulled it into a false sense of security, and then, sprung the trap at the most opportune time; weren't these the basics for a Duelist? Though he wasn't a Duelist!
"Then... it's time. Jin, run!"
"Run!? You said we couldn't run back then!?"
"Temporarily! We need to run in order to get the last piece in place!"
Jin, who was surprised that Lee Shin Woo suddenly told him to run when it'd finally seemed like they'd have a shot at beating it, asked back, but Lee Shin Woo didn't explain at length.
Though they had an opening where they could get a huge hit in, a difference of 2 levels was huge. A similar attack likely wouldn't be effective twice, and if that's the case, they would lose if they kept going at it like this, as the Treasure Eater was unfathomably tough.
What could they do then? The answer was the cheat skill he had; he needed to activate his Avenger skill.
Him attacking the Treasure Eater was to satisfy the activation conditions of his skill. Whether he inflicted damage on it, or he took damage, they both count as being in battle!
"Tch...I got it!"
He knew that Lee Shin Woo's decision making in combat situations was much more accurate than his own, so Jin turned his body around and dashed away. Jin was running at his max speed, and Lee Shin Woo barely endured so that he wouldn't fall off!
As a result, they arrived within the flatlands he'd remembered seeing before in less than two minutes. The message Lee Shin Woo had been waiting for also appeared at an opportune time.
[You have acquired a target for the Beginner Avenger skill. When you meet the target again, all abilities increase by 36%.]
"Nice, now I should be overflowing with strength...!"
The Avenger skill was key in allowing him to fight enemies that were a higher level than him.
He felt anxious because the target this time around was a monster two levels higher, but he had Jin right now. If he supported him with his high agility, he may even be able to defeat the Treasure Eater more easily than the King Slime.
However, at that moment, Jin spoke thoughtlessly.
"Is that also a skill it normally has?"
"Huh? ...What the hell?"
Upon hearing him speak, Lee Shin Woo turned his head and his (nonexistent) eyes widened. From afar, the Treasure Eater was chasing after them with frightening vigor, and dozens of blackish whips poured out of its body and were violently flying towards them.
No, they weren't whips. It was blood! It was controlling whips that originated from its blood!
"Hold on tight!"
"Ugh!?"
The whips were ridiculously fast compared to its main body. Immediately after seeing them move, Jin began to quickly gallop away but they would soon reach them any minute now.
[You have found the target of your revenge. When you fight it, all abilities increase by 36%. Flames of Revenge receive an additional 36% increase.]
"Nice... Take this!"
Lee Shin Woo clicked his tongue and shot out his Flames of Revenge, which were amplified by his Avenger skill; though the whips, originating from its blood, met with the flames, they didn't evaporate easily. Especially because several more whips were crazily flying towards them!
"Jin, run! Run for now!"
"Damn it. If it weren't for those weird tentacles, we could've completely slipped away...!"
[Guwooooooh!]
Was it considerably angry that it had been harmed by Lee Shin Woo, who was a lower level than it? The Treasure Eater, which had recovered from the pain and stood upright, divided the blood spilling from its stomach into dozens of whips and controlled them, simultaneously moving its main body and charging.
Lee Shin Woo grit his teeth. There were way too many of them to take down one by one with his flames! Yet, using Acid Poison would consume too much mana, and its characteristic of fundamentally focusing all of the poison at one point wouldn't be suitable at this very moment.
"Shin Woo!"
"Guh!"
Lee Shin Woo couldn't perceive the pattern of its attacks, and one of the whips latched onto Lee Shin Woo's arm the moment he panicked, stubbornly coiling and tightening around it. He was then afflicted with a horrific pain.
It was as if the whip contained the level 5 Treasure Eater's physical strength, and just from its exterior, seemed to possess an unimaginable toughness. The whips were overwhelmingly faster than its main body, and it had fully transferred its physical strength into them; this was the first time he'd experienced such a cheap ability!
"Tch... Catapult!"
"You!?"
Lee Shin Woo had a hunch that even if he tried to resist, he would just end up getting dragged by the whip, so instead, he gave in and shot off his grabbed arm! For just a moment, it felt like the tremendous pain would've dragged his consciousness under, but Lee Shin Woo resisted with only his tenacious spirit.
[Kueeehk!]
Even Steve, who possessed that bizzare ability, hadn't expected that Lee Shin Woo would get out like this! His launched arm, as well as the whip flew dizzily through the air, and the whips flying towards them ended up becoming tangled in one spot.
Lee Shin Woo didn't miss that golden opportunity. He treated those whips as travelling companions and unhesitatingly blew up his bone arm! As if it were proving that it had blown off the Acid Ghoul's head entirely on the spot, it exploded magnificently. It completely burned down the blood whips in the entire area.
[Kyaaaaaaaahk!]
"Does it hurt? It really hurts for me too! Anyway, you're always using such crazy attacks...!"
The moment the whips were swallowed up by the explosion and dissipated, the Treasure Eater also seemed to take quite a bit of damage, as it momentarily paused in its pursuit and agonizingly yelled. It was a great advantage to learn that damage to its blood whips would cause its main body harm.
"Are you alright!?"
"I'll be fine if I apply the bone powder. Just keep an eye out for those whips and move carefully."
Jin was astonished at Lee Shin Woo sacrificing his arm without any hesitation, but Lee Shin Woo didn't think much of it, and used the bone powder from within his inventory, activating Bone Reinforcement around his shoulder area. Though he used a sizeable lump of bone powder, he was able to regenerate without even using a drop of mana.
"You're really..."
"Jin, it's moving again!"
"Ugh."
It wasn't possible for it to attack with its main body anymore. The Treasure Eater simultaneously stretched out dozens of new whips and left half of them close to its body, while the other half shoot out and attacked them.
Even so, it was a relief that he'd spread his Flames of Revenge on its main body when he'd burst its stomach.
'I've lost my arm once already, yet it’s only spilled blood once. Moreover, the number of whips popping out are almost endless. So this is a level 5 elite monster, huh...'
If he could, he would've ran until the Flames of Revenge claimed its life, but no matter how calmly he thought about it, he couldn't afford to keep running away from it until then.
Then... Lee Shin Woo thought he had no other choice... in the end, he gritted his teeth and raised his head.
It was time to battle it face-to-face.
<Chapter 11. Lightning Tooth >
[Lee Shin Woo: Then I'll get going now. I'll come back later.]
[Lloyd H.K.: Alright. Don't die, Lee Shin Woo. Hmm... yeah. Anyway, let's talk later.]
[Erian Ruparte: Are you leaving already? Jin Jin will be disappointed.]
[Prince Altania: Hey, I'm just putting this out there, but don't go overboard with the romance. If your relationship gets too deep and one of you dies first, the other will go crazy.]
[Lee Shin Woo: Romance? Hahaha...]
It seems that his senior heroes who, after hearing that he'd saved a hero of the opposite sex, thought it was plausible given the situation and had misunderstood, but... so long as Ye Jin Jin didn't have an extremely peculiar disposition, he didn't think they had anything to worry about.
Indeed, if his seniors were to ascertain his true identity, what would they think? Lee Shin Woo couldn't stop laughing at the thought. However, around the time when he'd quickly left the chatting channel, Jin called to him with some nice timing.
"Shin Woo, we're here."
"Wow."
It had only been a few minutes since he started talking to his seniors, yet he realized that the landscape had completely changed in that short time and exclaimed. It had definitely been flatland just a little while ago, but right now, it was the edge of a plateau.
"The view's nice."
"You think the view's nice? It's terrible compared to my homeland's natural environment... To the point that I feel nauseous."
Lee Shin Woo laughed bitterly at Jin's statement. There wasn't anything remaining in the underground empire to call 'natural' anymore, so he wasn't wrong.
As an aftereffect of the curse, all the grass, flowers, and trees decayed, so all this empire really had left was rock, dilapidated buildings, filth, and undead. But when he looked down from up high in a remote location, he admired the view; it looked quite nice.
It felt like the moment Charlie Chaplin won 1st place again. When one looks at their life, their battles, or even this dirty and crude underground empire from afar, it actually looks quite nice.
"You'll have to survive in this Empire as well from now on, so try your best."
"I'm really jealous of that mentality of yours."
They tried to find the traces of where they had just been. They had left it just a little while ago, and as such, they saw the city they had departed from not very far away; strangely, the surrounding area was completely covered with a black mist, yet only the city was covered in a faint mist. It seems like it was an effect of them clearing out all of the undead.
"Hmm...?"
At that moment, Lee Shin Woo discovered something peculiar. He wanted to see what lay beyond the city, but there was a truly huge wall that blocked his vision, so he couldn't check. Seeing the wall that was god knows how high, he gasped.
However, when he looked thoroughly, he saw a huge hole at the bottom of the wall. It was a passageway that allowed access to the city.
"That means... that's the external passageway that leads to the surface. Does this mean this is the end of the Empire?"
"How do you think they made a wall like that...?"
"It's the opposite. They dug through the ground here and created the Empire, so they probably weren't the one who made the wall. Though they were probably the ones who strengthened the wall."
In a sense, that was even more amazing. They had dug a tremendous depth and width underground to fit the Empire, and fixed it so that the ceiling or the walls wouldn't collapse... After listening to Lee Shin Woo, Jin seemed to have realized something and sported a vacant expression.
"It's something I couldn't even imagine happening in my home world."
"So your world didn't have magic either, huh."
"I'm more surprised that you came from a world without magic."
Lee Shin Woo chuckled at Jin's reply and turned around. They couldn't be overwhelmed by the scale of the Empire forever. Rather than figuring out the magic that they used to create the Empire, it was more important to improve his stats right now.
"Then... Huh?"
He looked around, and pondered where he should start his conquest. However, it was troubling that this vast area was a plateau, as there were no undead in sight.
Indeed, there was nothing to think deeply about; ultimately, undead were beings which had once been alive and had been reborn, so they would appear in environments which could foster life, not a place like this where there were only rocks and boulders.
"I don't sense any undead here."
"You said you wanted to find monsters. I never said anything about them being undead."
"You're right, but... From the start, most of the monsters that can move around in the fields are undead, aren't they?"
Lee Shin Woo recollected the unwavering thesis regarding the curse that covered the Empire, and spoke. The curse would kill all living organisms and transform them into the undead. It had already been several dozens of years since the curse had emerged, so there shouldn't be any other living organisms within the Empire, aside from the heroes.
The only exception would be the living organisms living in an environment cut off from the Empire, the dungeons. Even so, the individuals who bore the curse, entered the dungeons, and died would ultimately become undead. Like the Pauls who were in the secret facilities.
"Nope. There are some, you know?"
However, Jin stubbornly persisted, and disagreed. Lee Shin Woo sighed, as he didn't know where to begin with this newbie hero, but soon, he was faced with the proof that Jin wasn't wrong.
[Sensing mana response from living bodies. Beginning movement.]
[Stopping outside entry. Unless directed otherwise, automatically removing trespassers.]
[Lv3 Stone Golem]
[Lv3 Stone Golem]
"Oh..."
"See, what did I tell you?"
Lee Shin Woo, who saw the neglected rocks and boulders within the plateau gradually gather together and form into a huge shape, stared dumbfounded while listening to Jin's proud boast, and just nodded his head.
'They weren't alive from the beginning, so there's no way they'd be affected by the curse. However, even so...'
To think he'd sees slimes and then golems so soon after being dropped into the Empire; after all, they were regulars in fantasy. He just needed to meet goblins, elves, and dragons now, and it felt like he wouldn't have any regrets. Though it was probably impossible.
He raised his weapon whilst thinking of something so idiotic. He wasn't wielding Bone of Thunder Lasting, which had established itself as his main weapon; instead, he wielded the Melting Bone Double Axe, as he felt a weighty axe would be more effective against huge and crude enemies like golems.
[Removing trespassers.]
[Beginning attack in order to figure out the enemies' magic patterns.]
The huge golems, which seemed to be about 3 meters tall, spoke politely and then dashed towards them, stamping on the ground while doing so. They gave off a truly bizarre pressure, but Lee Shin Woo didn't fall back. He tightly gripped the axe that was almost as tall as he was, exerted his strength, and his (nonexistent) eyes gleamed.
"Grasping my magic pattern, huh... I'm doing the same."
Seeing them run was enough for Lee Shin Woo to tell that their agility was low for level 3s. But they were definitely a lot higher than him in terms of strength and health. However...
"Shall we?"
"I heard you just say that you're definitely weaker than them just now."
"Let's take down the leftmost one first, so that we don't get surrounded. Charge!"
"Ah, seriously!"
Even while complaining, Jin followed his command and rushed towards the leftmost charging golem. Jin sprinted at such a speed that the golem couldn't even react!
Lee Shin Woo desperately focused so that he wouldn't be treated like a package again. He instinctually activated his Combat Sprint and focused all his attention in front. They quickly passed by the surrounding landscape, and in that accelerated time, the golems moved extremely slowly... Then the golem they had chosen as their target soon appeared!
'I already knew, but he's really fast! Plus, he's so precise that it makes me feel goosebumps...!'
Indeed, Jin's ability was astounding. He applied his agility, which was incomparable to that of the Stone Golems, and had superb control, getting them close to the golem without ever touching it.
Though their communication was still poor, if they took into consideration the fact that Jin hadn't received any special training as a horse, his skill was amazing.
[Tress...pass...!]
Was it because he was communicating with the highly agile Jin? It wasn't enough that his dynamic visual acuity had been enhanced, but he was also starting to hear things at a slower pace as well. It was funny, as the golems sounded like they were bugged, as they kept cutting off.
The end came quickly. One breath was divided into ten, and he then divided them into another ten; when he counted six of those, he found his timing! He wasn’t as surprised at Jin’s shocking speed so much as he was able to match and respond to it.
'Now! Power Slash!'
The moment Lee Shin Woo passed by the left golem, he narrowly matched the timing and struck with his axe. As quick and powerful as lightning! While only muttering those words!
Though it was the first time he'd wielded the axe, the superlative martial arts technique, Bursting Thunder was amazing, and though the strike wasn't sharp, it allowed him to pack the weight of the axe within the strike.
[Critical Hit!]
The moment his axe struck the golem's flank, the slowed down passage of time instantaneously returned to normal. An absurd roar spread throughout the plateau.
The outcome was truly brutal. The golem wasn't able to bear the force of his attack and crumbled right on the spot. After breaking the golem into pieces, Lee Shin Woo and Jin couldn't be at ease, as they were struck by a rebound force that shook their entire bodies; it was to the point that it was momentary difficult for them to stand.
[You have hunted a Lv3 Stone Golem.]
"Oh."
Lee Shin Woo hadn't expected this development, and spoke perplexedly. He thought it would've taken at least two or three hits to beat it, but a one touch kill? Moreover, he had moved so fast and had taken care of the enemy so quickly that the other golem hadn't figured out his location yet.
"You... you're so overpowered."
"From my point of view, you're the overpowered one."
The two heroes looked at each other in amazement. They realized that they made up for what the other lacked, but this was still too ridiculous.
Of course, Jin's role in helping Lee Shin Woo take down the Stone Golem, which was rumored to have an especially high defense, was huge.
It was obvious logic that the faster they moved, the more powerful the attack would be, and Jin's speed had changed a normal attack into a killing blow. Though, it required him to adapt to that speed and be able to control it during the moment before striking to optimally use it.
If Jin's part was 60%, then 30% of it was the weapon. The Melting Bone Double Axe was a suitable intermediate weapon to fundamentally gather all his strength into one point and burst it out all at once, and its level was also higher than the Stone Golem, being a level 4 weapon.
Furthermore, since the weapon had an option that increased his strength by 25, it was the most suitable weapon for destructive power. Besides, it had an option for acid. Even if he didn't finish his enemy off in one hit, the Acid Poison that came after would pour out into the area and melt them.
The remaining 10% was obviously Bursting Thunder, which allowed him to use the two elements properly and land a hit on his enemy.
Just by learning the skill, the practitioner is able to properly wield a weapon they've never held before, keep their center of gravity whilst gripping the weapon, and deduce the enemy's weaknesses; if he didn't have this skill, regardless of how amazing the individual elements were, he wouldn't have been able to finish off the Stone Golem in one hit.
[Confirming the destruction of 1 Autonomous Puppet.]
[Adjusting the assessment of enemy's strength upwards.]
[Impossible to respond to enemy's speed. Initiating long range bombardment mode.]
While Lee Shin Woo briefly spaced out due to the much too unexpected result, the golems recognized the severity of the situation and began to move differently. Lee Shin Woo felt slightly anxious when he heard about their long range bombardment mode, but Jin looked confident as ever.
"Those are slow too. Don't worry."
"Right, you said you came here before."
If that's the case, then he had the time to collect the loot. Lee Shin Woo bent his body and collected the loot from the floor. He was really looking forward to the appearance of a 'pet that collects the loot for you' that always appears in games, but it would never happen.
[You have acquired 3,700 Perium.]
[You have acquired an Autonomous Defensive Type Core. The core is changing. You have acquired an Autonomous Defensive Type Bone Core.]
"A core, huh..."
"Is this another material for Bone Reinforcement by any chance?"
"Of course it is. Plus, I don't even need to burn them one by one, so it's better than the slimes."
"Burn? Slimes?"
He had felt slightly anxious when he'd stood atop the plateau and seen the golems, but after picking up a core, he thought differently. He didn't have time to waste when his growth was right before him!
[Firing...]
"Heup!"
Lee Shin Woo counted the number of golems that had revealed themselves in the entire area, and the moment he raised his axe for the second time, Jin, who he had communicated with, kicked off the floor without even needing a signal.
Before the golems could even fire their prepared bombardment, Lee Shin Woo and Jin had already closed the distance. Then, Lee Shin Woo swung his axe with all his strength.
[Critical Hit!]
The level 5 Treasure Eater roamed the underground in search for higher leveled treasures.
However, by leveling up, the Treasure Eater's eyesight had drastically improved, and there weren't many items that it recognized as treasures. Thunder Lasting, which had dropped to level 3, had returned to level 4 and had actually become more powerful, transforming into the Lightning Tooth, thereby becoming enticing enough prey to draw the Treasure Eater.
[Lv5 Treasure Eater]
In the end, it wasn't a level 4 Treasure Eater that had arrived, but a level 5 one! He knew there'd be a day that he'd meet one again, but he didn't think he'd have to fight against one that was two levels higher than him...
Despite feeling slightly concerned, Lee Shin Woo greeted the Treasure Eater with unmistakable excitement and joy.
"Hey, Steve...?"
[Guwoooooooooooh!]
[The Treasure Eater used Shriek of the Dead. Those exposed to this shriek momentarily fall into a frenzied and fearful state.]
[Invisible Heart nullifies the effects of Shriek of the Dead.]
However, the Treasure Eater responded to his lively greeting with Shriek of the Dead. ‘What shitty manners,’ he thought, while Jin spoke from beside him whilst persistently gritting his teeth.
"You learned that yelling skill from the same species as that weird bug, right?"
"Yep. How're you holding up?"
"Somehow..."
Lee Shin Woo naturally wasn't affected by the scream, and Jin wasn't either. It wasn't because they were undead, or because Jin was a horse, but because of his Horseback Riding skill; it was because they were connected, albeit superficially.
In other words, the status ailment that Jin should've received was shared with Lee Shin Woo, and in the process, Invisible Heart had completely taken care of it.
[Gooooooooooh!]
Since its shriek was ineffective, the Treasure Eater seemed pissed and charged. The golems that were spread across the highlands rolled to either side, making a path for the Treasure Eater so that they wouldn't get in the way. It was as if they were saying 'It's not our problem. Take care of it amongst yourselves, whether you have to fight or kill each other.'!
Jin spoke slightly urgently towards Lee Shin Woo, who was nodding, feeling as though the golems' IQ was higher than he had thought.
"How the hell are you going to fight against that idiot?"
"Hmm... I'll think about it after getting some more info."
The level 2 Treasure Eater didn't have any special abilities aside from Shriek of the Dead or Roar of Healing.
However, the level 3 Treasure Eater possessed an outrageous ability, the Flames of Resentment, instead of the Roar of Healing (it might've had it, but at the very least, he didn't see it use it against him). So he didn't have any ways of knowing right now of what abilities, besides Shriek of the Dead, the level 5 Treasure Eater possessed.
It may have all of those abilities, or it may have something even more outrageous. Since this Treasure Eater was his first encounter with a level 5 monster, and it was also an elite, he couldn’t know for sure.
"Could you maintain this distance for me? Can you do it?"
"Yeah, that's not a problem."
Treasure Eaters tended to have high magic and health. In other words, compared to its size, its speed and strength aren't very impressive. Of course, it was level 5, so its stats should be amplified accordingly, but to Jin, who had overwhelming speed even at level 4, there was no way it would be able to catch them.
Even while Lee Shin Woo rode on his back, that fact didn't really change. Jin strode across the rugged highlands as if it were flatlands and leisurely widened the distance between them and the Treasure Eater!
[Guooooooooooh!]
"Yes, yes. I'm over here. Catapult!"
[Kuhaaaaaahk!]
For starters, he needed to figure out whether his Catapult would be effective against it or not. Lee Shin Woo moved as quickly as possible and shot his index finger, but the Treasure Eater instantly emitted a horrific shriek and the flying shot exploded in midair.
He had expected it to evade it or block it, but he didn't think a method like that would exist! Seeing that, Jin spoke in disgust even whilst running.
"Don't learn that skill. If you don't want to burst my eardrums."
"You don't have any eardrums to burst... Never mind, sorry. My bad. Please don't drop me."
Lee Shin Woo desperately regained his balance atop the excessively shaking Jin and pointed both hands at the Treasure Eater this time. Of course, this attempt didn't come from a complacent idea like 'one didn't work, so let's fire several simultaneously, and hopefully, one will eventually hit the mark.'
"Firing!"
All 10 of his fingers, from his thumbs to his little fingers, were coated in flames and fired. However, they lost their power midflight, as if he had shot them improperly, and fell to the ground! Steve trampled those bones as if it were mocking him, and attempted to keep charging but...
"Self-Destruct!"
[Kuwoooooohk!]
[Critical Hit!]
At that instant, Lee Shin Woo yelled vigorously, and all of the 10 bone pieces exploded, hitting its abdominal area hard, causing it to roll onto the floor while spurting blood! Though he was on the cusp of becoming level 4, a level 5 elite monster had been successfully struck by a level 3 hero's blow!
"Hoo, it worked..."
"You should've told me ahead of time."
Lee Shin Woo, who had already fought Treasure Eaters a few times before, knew that the skin covering its head and its back were tough, and that only its stomach area was weak. He had shot his first Catapult in order to ascertain its abilities.
He acted as though he didn't have a suitable way to deal with it, lulled it into a false sense of security, and then, sprung the trap at the most opportune time; weren't these the basics for a Duelist? Though he wasn't a Duelist!
"Then... it's time. Jin, run!"
"Run!? You said we couldn't run back then!?"
"Temporarily! We need to run in order to get the last piece in place!"
Jin, who was surprised that Lee Shin Woo suddenly told him to run when it'd finally seemed like they'd have a shot at beating it, asked back, but Lee Shin Woo didn't explain at length.
Though they had an opening where they could get a huge hit in, a difference of 2 levels was huge. A similar attack likely wouldn't be effective twice, and if that's the case, they would lose if they kept going at it like this, as the Treasure Eater was unfathomably tough.
What could they do then? The answer was the cheat skill he had; he needed to activate his Avenger skill.
Him attacking the Treasure Eater was to satisfy the activation conditions of his skill. Whether he inflicted damage on it, or he took damage, they both count as being in battle!
"Tch...I got it!"
He knew that Lee Shin Woo's decision making in combat situations was much more accurate than his own, so Jin turned his body around and dashed away. Jin was running at his max speed, and Lee Shin Woo barely endured so that he wouldn't fall off!
As a result, they arrived within the flatlands he'd remembered seeing before in less than two minutes. The message Lee Shin Woo had been waiting for also appeared at an opportune time.
[You have acquired a target for the Beginner Avenger skill. When you meet the target again, all abilities increase by 36%.]
"Nice, now I should be overflowing with strength...!"
The Avenger skill was key in allowing him to fight enemies that were a higher level than him.
He felt anxious because the target this time around was a monster two levels higher, but he had Jin right now. If he supported him with his high agility, he may even be able to defeat the Treasure Eater more easily than the King Slime.
However, at that moment, Jin spoke thoughtlessly.
"Is that also a skill it normally has?"
"Huh? ...What the hell?"
Upon hearing him speak, Lee Shin Woo turned his head and his (nonexistent) eyes widened. From afar, the Treasure Eater was chasing after them with frightening vigor, and dozens of blackish whips poured out of its body and were violently flying towards them.
No, they weren't whips. It was blood! It was controlling whips that originated from its blood!
"Hold on tight!"
"Ugh!?"
The whips were ridiculously fast compared to its main body. Immediately after seeing them move, Jin began to quickly gallop away but they would soon reach them any minute now.
[You have found the target of your revenge. When you fight it, all abilities increase by 36%. Flames of Revenge receive an additional 36% increase.]
"Nice... Take this!"
Lee Shin Woo clicked his tongue and shot out his Flames of Revenge, which were amplified by his Avenger skill; though the whips, originating from its blood, met with the flames, they didn't evaporate easily. Especially because several more whips were crazily flying towards them!
"Jin, run! Run for now!"
"Damn it. If it weren't for those weird tentacles, we could've completely slipped away...!"
[Guwooooooh!]
Was it considerably angry that it had been harmed by Lee Shin Woo, who was a lower level than it? The Treasure Eater, which had recovered from the pain and stood upright, divided the blood spilling from its stomach into dozens of whips and controlled them, simultaneously moving its main body and charging.
Lee Shin Woo grit his teeth. There were way too many of them to take down one by one with his flames! Yet, using Acid Poison would consume too much mana, and its characteristic of fundamentally focusing all of the poison at one point wouldn't be suitable at this very moment.
"Shin Woo!"
"Guh!"
Lee Shin Woo couldn't perceive the pattern of its attacks, and one of the whips latched onto Lee Shin Woo's arm the moment he panicked, stubbornly coiling and tightening around it. He was then afflicted with a horrific pain.
It was as if the whip contained the level 5 Treasure Eater's physical strength, and just from its exterior, seemed to possess an unimaginable toughness. The whips were overwhelmingly faster than its main body, and it had fully transferred its physical strength into them; this was the first time he'd experienced such a cheap ability!
"Tch... Catapult!"
"You!?"
Lee Shin Woo had a hunch that even if he tried to resist, he would just end up getting dragged by the whip, so instead, he gave in and shot off his grabbed arm! For just a moment, it felt like the tremendous pain would've dragged his consciousness under, but Lee Shin Woo resisted with only his tenacious spirit.
[Kueeehk!]
Even Steve, who possessed that bizzare ability, hadn't expected that Lee Shin Woo would get out like this! His launched arm, as well as the whip flew dizzily through the air, and the whips flying towards them ended up becoming tangled in one spot.
Lee Shin Woo didn't miss that golden opportunity. He treated those whips as travelling companions and unhesitatingly blew up his bone arm! As if it were proving that it had blown off the Acid Ghoul's head entirely on the spot, it exploded magnificently. It completely burned down the blood whips in the entire area.
[Kyaaaaaaaahk!]
"Does it hurt? It really hurts for me too! Anyway, you're always using such crazy attacks...!"
The moment the whips were swallowed up by the explosion and dissipated, the Treasure Eater also seemed to take quite a bit of damage, as it momentarily paused in its pursuit and agonizingly yelled. It was a great advantage to learn that damage to its blood whips would cause its main body harm.
"Are you alright!?"
"I'll be fine if I apply the bone powder. Just keep an eye out for those whips and move carefully."
Jin was astonished at Lee Shin Woo sacrificing his arm without any hesitation, but Lee Shin Woo didn't think much of it, and used the bone powder from within his inventory, activating Bone Reinforcement around his shoulder area. Though he used a sizeable lump of bone powder, he was able to regenerate without even using a drop of mana.
"You're really..."
"Jin, it's moving again!"
"Ugh."
It wasn't possible for it to attack with its main body anymore. The Treasure Eater simultaneously stretched out dozens of new whips and left half of them close to its body, while the other half shoot out and attacked them.
Even so, it was a relief that he'd spread his Flames of Revenge on its main body when he'd burst its stomach.
'I've lost my arm once already, yet it’s only spilled blood once. Moreover, the number of whips popping out are almost endless. So this is a level 5 elite monster, huh...'
If he could, he would've ran until the Flames of Revenge claimed its life, but no matter how calmly he thought about it, he couldn't afford to keep running away from it until then.
Then... Lee Shin Woo thought he had no other choice... in the end, he gritted his teeth and raised his head.
It was time to battle it face-to-face.
