[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 121
Bzzzzzt!
As soon as he used the double spell, he felt a pain as if his soul was being ripped apart.
"Ugh!"
It felt like his consciousness would fly away into the distant void at any moment.
[You have acquired the unique skill "Concentrated Spirit (S-Rank)."]
Zeke's mind cleared at the sudden message.
'Skill registration... Was the double spell the true Concentrated Spirit all along?'
Zeke barely held onto his consciousness with mental strength.
Holding the sword imbued with the will of Sever, Zeke jumped off Bucephalus' back.
Whoosh!
As Zeke leaped from the air, the Hydra's nine heads opened towards him.
Kaaaaaaaa!
Nine streams of breath poured towards Zeke.
Crackle!
Zeke swung his sword at the breaths pouring towards him.
Slice!
The breaths themselves were cut by Zeke's sword strike.
'Ugh!'
The power of the soul was a completely different type of energy from aura, elemental power, or magic power, which were created from mana.
It was the ability to draw upon the power of existence and change the essence behind the physical world.
Concentrated Spirit was a technique that drew this abstract concept into the physical world through the ether hall.
Since he had been taught a technique that humans originally couldn't use, Zeke's body was under tremendous strain from using the double spell.
"Haaaap!"
His eyes became bloodshot, and the tendons in his body bulged and protruded.
Zeke swung his sword, piercing through the Hydra's breaths.
Concentrated Spirit
Double Spell
Will of Sever
A wave of will surged from the sword, cutting through the Hydra's body.
Thud!
Zeke swung his sword and fell to the ground.
Bucephalus immediately rushed to Zeke's side from the air.
Zeke gripped his sword and barely managed to get up.
"Ugh!"
The price of forcibly drawing out the power of the soul was severe.
Even Zeke, with his Healing Factor, couldn't move his body.
He gritted his teeth against the pain of his muscles tearing.
He barely managed to get up and pointed his sword at the Hydra.
However, the Hydra wasn't moving at all. It was completely still.
'What's going on? Did the double spell not work?'
Just as he was feeling anxious, the Hydra's body cracked open.
Crackle!
Black smoke seeped from the spot where Zeke's sword had cut it.
Krrrk!
The Hydra's nine heads made a strange noise.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Hydra staggered and retreated.
Kaaaaaaaa!
The Hydra, which had been roaring for a long time, suddenly glared at Zeke and opened its mouths wide.
Rumble!
Its nine heads were about to unleash breaths.
Zeke gripped his sword and gritted his teeth.
'Damn it. It seems the Concentrated Spirit worked, since there are no more strange changes, but was the double spell still incomplete...?'
Sensing the ominous energy, Bucephalus immediately took Zeke and soared into the air.
Kaaaa!
The Hydra unleashed breaths from its mouths.
Hieeeing!
Bucephalus circled in the air, dodging the breaths flying from all directions.
Zeke, on Bucephalus' back, barely managed to steady himself.
'I need a little more time to recover.'
But the Hydra, as if unwilling to give him time, thrashed its heads even more fiercely and lunged at Zeke.
Kyaaa!
It was then.
Thud!
A large stone spear lodged itself in the Hydra's neck.
Krrk!
The Hydra turned its head.
The Barbarians, having dealt with the smaller monsters, had thrown stone spears coated with horsetail flower oil at the Hydra.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Dozens of stone spears flew towards the Hydra.
Ku ku ku ku!
Weakened by Concentrated Spirit's Severing, the Hydra couldn't avoid the stone spears thrown by the Barbarians.
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Then, King Fist picked up the largest stone spear and hurled it towards the Hydra.
Whoosh!
The stone spear flew towards the Hydra with a sound that split the air.
Thud!
The stone spear thrown by King Fist struck the Hydra's eyeball.
Keeek!
The Hydra, with a spear lodged in its eye, roared and writhed.
Black smoke flowed even thicker from the cut wound.
The Barbarians, having thrown all their stone spears, quickly retreated.
Suddenly, an intense flash of light erupted from behind the Hydra.
The nine heads turned back.
A giant Mace of Light fell upon its heads.
Crash!
Keeek!
The Hydra, struck by the Mace of Light, couldn't properly control its body.
Zeke, who had recovered while the Barbarians were buying time, equipped Agamemnon's Mask and drew Bahamut.
'This is my first time using it on a magical beast, but since it worked on Richmond, there's a chance!'
After using the Purification skill, he concentrated the aura on his sword.
Woooong!
His sword was imbued with the power of purification.
The formless power of purification gradually permeated Bahamut's blade.
At that moment, a golden aura surged and formed on Zeke's sword.
[Acquired skill 'Purification Blade (A-rank)'.]
As the power of purification took shape like an aura blade, a new skill was created.
'With this, I can use the Dragon Slaying Technique with the power of purification.'
Zeke held up the Purification Blade, steered Bucephalus, and charged straight towards the Hydra.
Then, he took the stance of the Dragon Slaying Technique.
Woooong!
The ultimate technique of the True Dragon Swordsmanship Style unfolded through Zeke's sword.
True Dragon Swordsmanship Style Secret Art
Three Union Style
Giant Dragon Slash
Crash!
The giant golden blade Zeke swung cleanly severed the Hydra's nine heads.
Thud!
The Hydra's heads, severed by the Purification Blade, fell to the ground.
Black smoke rose from the severed wounds.
Thud! Thud!
The headless body, unable to regenerate any further, staggered backward and collapsed.
Zeke leaped from Bucephalus' back and climbed onto the Hydra's body.
Then, he stabbed his sword directly into the Hydra's heart, which he had located with Dragon Eye.
Crack!
As the heart was destroyed, black fluids, emitting a foul odor, gushed out from the Hydra's body.
Seeing the Hydra's body gradually turning into black dust, Zeke hurriedly activated Gluttony.
Slurp!
Zeke's shadow swallowed the Hydra's giant body like a swamp.
Fortunately, Zeke was able to completely consume the Hydra's body before it crumbled.
Suddenly, a message window popped up.
[Consumed a completely corrupted dragon-type consumed by malice.]
[Replenished consumed stamina, mental strength, and mana.]
[Completely absorbed the bloodline ability of the consumed dragon-type and gained the constitution All Poisons Immunity.]
[Absorbed the bloodline ability of the consumed dragon-type and acquired the skill 'Hydra's Poison'.]
[The Hydra's Poison skill is also linked to the insignificant dragon-type summon Gurab and the extremely insignificant dragon-type summon Richmond.]
[Acquired the special skill Concentrated Spirit, increasing soul rank.]
[Increased the skill rank of the dragon-type skill Word Soul.]
[Absorbing the heart of the ancient dragon-type Hydra partially unseals Bahamut's Heart. Current compression seal level is 70%.]
[Black Sword Bahamut grows, and some of its sealed functions are unlocked. (Shape Transformation, Magic Absorption)]
[1,500 Karma points awarded as a reward.]
[Three random boxes awarded as a reward.]
Zeke had a satisfied expression as he saw the messages popping up one after another.
'It was worth the effort to catch it.'
Zeke first checked Bahamut's information.
—Black Sword Bahamut Information—
Description: A sword forged from the hardest fang of the cursed Wyrm Bahamut, tempered with blue flames by a skilled artisan with spiritual sight.
Inherent Abilities: Indestructible, Mana Conversion, Shape Transformation, Magic Absorption
Special Note: Partially unsealed (Seal level 70%)
Zeke tilted his head at the 'Shape Transformation' part among the inherent abilities.
"Shape Transformation? Does that mean its shape changes?"
He imagined Bahamut's blade lengthening while holding it.
Then, Bahamut's blade actually extended.
"What's this?"
Zeke held Bahamut and imagined the shape of a completely different sword.
And after a while, Bahamut really transformed into that sword.
Zeke, returning Bahamut to its original form, exclaimed,
"Oh my god. To think this is possible. This is an incredible ability."
Whenever he concealed his identity, he had to use the Woonchul sword, which limited his aura use, but now he could use Bahamut without any problems by changing its shape.
Zeke also checked the information of the other skills he had acquired.
Purification Blade: The power of purification has condensed, acquiring properties similar to an aura blade. When used against undead or demonic creatures, it deals double damage. (Activates when wearing Agamemnon's Mask)
Hydra's Poison: A colorless, odorless, and tasteless poison. Can be produced in the form of liquid or smoke. The intensity of the poison can be adjusted.
Both were skills that could be useful in battle.
Furthermore, he had accumulated over 4,000 points this time.
'I should check the random boxes and points while resting in the village.'
Just then, Richmond, who had been hiding in the forest with the Barbarians, appeared.
"Brother Zeke!"
King Fist ran towards Zeke.
He hugged Zeke tightly.
"I saw you catch the Nine-Headed Dragon! Brother Zeke is super strong!"
Not only King Fist, but young warriors from other tribes also approached Zeke and hugged him tightly.
Although he wasn't fond of being hugged by the giant men, it seemed to be Barbarian culture, so he let them be.
After being hugged by everyone and finally escaping from the Barbarian warriors' embrace, Zeke asked King Fist,
"The Nine-Headed Dragon's body disappeared. Sorry."
"It's okay. Catching it is what matters."
Unless it was for a coming-of-age ceremony or hunting monsters for sale, the Barbarians didn't have much use for the bodies of monsters.
Even the Barbarians, who mainly ate monster meat, couldn't eat the flesh of monsters tainted with malice.
Now that there were no obstacles, Zeke was about to head up to the village where Golin was with King Fist.
Just then, Richmond next to him said to Zeke,
"Master, I have a strange feeling coming from over there."
The place Richmond pointed to was the cave where the Hydra had been curled up.
"You're saying you sense malice?"
"Hmm, it's similar, but a bit different."
Zeke was about to head towards the cave, but he suddenly noticed something strange on the ground and stopped to examine it.
There were traces of black fluids that had flowed from the Hydra's body towards the cave when it died.
Zeke said to King Fist,
"Wait a moment. I'll go check it out and come back."
"Need help?"
"No. I'll just take a look around."
"Alright."
Zeke took Richmond and entered the cave.
Despite the Hydra being gone, the cave was still filled with a foul odor.
Zeke and Richmond went deeper into the cave where the Hydra had been.
As Zeke examined the area with Dragon Eye, he discovered something.
There was an entrance leading deeper into the open space, which he hadn't seen before because the Hydra had been blocking it with its body.
Richmond said to Zeke,
"Master, it's over there."
Zeke drew Bahamut and entered the entrance.
He could see traces of black fluids that had flowed through.
After passing through a narrow and long passage, a wide space made entirely of stone appeared.
Surprisingly, it wasn't naturally formed but an artificial space created by someone stacking stones.
Then, Zeke spotted something in the middle of the space.
'What's that?'
It was a staff emitting an ominous aura.
The black fluids that had flowed in from all directions were gathering towards where the staff was embedded.
The black fluids, pooled around the staff like a giant puddle, soon started bubbling.
Then, it gradually swelled and began to form a shape.
Zeke pointed Bahamut at the mysterious shape and said to Richmond,
"Richmond, what the hell is that?"
Richmond stammered in surprise,
"W-well, I don't know! I've never seen anything like that before!"
The shape formed by the swelling black fluids was that of a human with its skin peeled off, a truly gruesome sight.
Muscles were exposed where the skin should have been, and a sticky mucus flowed over its surface.
The repulsive being created from the black fluids reached out and grabbed the staff.
Slurp!
Then, a powerful malice started emanating from the staff.
Zeke activated the Shield of Light skill.
Clang!
The Shield of Light deflected the malice.
The horrifying being holding the staff looked at the Shield of Light and started to speak, moving its mouth.
"????????????????????????????!"
Zeke, wary of the incomprehensible language, pointed his sword at it.
Just then, a message popped up.
[Detecting the language of the demon world.]
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]