Chapter 130: Settling of Accounts
Right after exiting the gate.
Cool air washed over his entire body. Then, as if it had been waiting for this moment, the level-up notifications appeared.
[Level up.]
[Level up.]
[Level...]
The notifications had only shown up after he left the gate, not right after he exterminated the Soul Eater, but Walfred wasn’t particularly fazed.
It was one of the things he’d already learned through the Hunter Community.
’They said you can’t level up inside a gate.’
He didn’t know the exact reason why.
But apparently, no matter how many monsters you exterminate inside a gate, your level doesn’t go up. Instead, only after you exit the gate do the levels come all at once, like a settling of accounts.
’Same with the Community and the Hunter shop.’
A lot of features get restricted inside gates, huh.
Just as he was nodding at the thought, a now-familiar notification appeared.
Ding!
[Notice: Formidable Foe Extermination Complete]
[Channel: International / Region: New America Republic]
-----
[Target]: Soul Eater (Mutant)
[Type]: Elite / Ghost
[Rank]: A+
[Exterminated by]: Walfred
[Contribution]: 100% (Solo)
-----
The formidable foe extermination notice.
Only, something was different this time.
Normally, exterminating an A-rank Elite triggers a notification only in that region, but the one that had just appeared covered a far wider range.
’Is it because it’s A+ rank?’
In any case, since the thing had devoured a Boss Monster, maybe it was being counted as something close to S-rank.
Just as he wrapped up his little theory.
Someone suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Wait, come to think of it..."
Where did Colton go?
Don’t tell me he got caught up in that fight with the Skinwalkers earlier and ended up as a chunk of ice too?
Struck by the ominous thought, he combed through the area where the man had been, but there was no ice shard that looked like Colton. No corpse either.
’Did he manage to run at just the right time?’
If so, that was a relief.
Walfred let out a short sigh and headed out of the R&D facility. Before long, grotesque sounds rang out from every direction.
"Hrk! Grrrgh!"
"Gwaaargh!"
People collapsed, clutching their throats.
Or more precisely, Skinwalkers imitating people. Their bodies shriveled up bit by bit, like earthworms left out under harsh sunlight.
With their mother, the Soul Eater, exterminated, its spawn seemed to be meeting their ends one after another.
’Helen must be in there somewhere too.’
Given the circumstances, she’d apparently become a Skinwalker.
Then there was no need to go hunt her down and finish her off. Leaving the slowly dying Skinwalkers behind, Walfred looked up at the sky.
He was thinking of calling Elsa.
But right then.
"Dad!"
Elsa’s voice rang out from not far away.
He turned his head, and there was Elsa, already back in her human form, running toward him.
Soon, along with a notification that [Blessing of the Frost Dragon] had activated, Elsa arrived right in front of him.
"The smell went away, so I came down!"
Apparently, when the black fog vanished along with the Soul Eater’s extermination, the awful smell had disappeared too.
As he was reuniting with Elsa,
"Oh! There’s some here too."
Elsa’s eyes sparkled.
As if she’d discovered something.
Her bright blue eyes were aimed at the shriveled corpse of a dead Skinwalker. Elsa crouched down in front of the corpse and immediately started rummaging through it.
And then.
"Found it!"
Snow of pure mana.
It was a tiny amount, barely the size of a fingernail, but Elsa, with a blissful look on her face, went to pop it into her mouth.
Then.
"Ah."
Her eyes met Walfred’s.
Elsa hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Walfred and held out the snow of pure mana.
"Hehe, you can have it, Dad."
"Hm?"
"I feel bad that I’m the only one eating."
What an admirable answer.
That aside, though, the mana snow Elsa was trying to hand him did not look like something he wanted to put in his mouth. It was mixed with unidentifiable fluids and bits of flesh.
’I appreciate the thought, but this is a bit...’
He did not want to eat it.
Walfred shook his head.
"No, I’m good."
"Huh? Why?"
"I ate a lot earlier."
With one last awkward smile,
he politely declined Elsa’s kindness.
"So you can have my share too. Eat it all."
"Really? Okay!"
Thankfully, Elsa didn’t suspect a thing.
She just tossed the tiny piece of snow straight into her mouth. Watching her eyes crinkle as if it were delicious, Walfred promptly flipped his backpack upside down.
And then.
Whoosh!
The snow of mana that had been inside the Soul Eater’s belly poured out in a heap. Seeing the mana snow pile up, Elsa’s eyes went round.
"Whoa! Where did all this come from?"
"I brought it for you, Elsa."
"Wow, really? I can eat all of it?!"
"Yeah."
Walfred nodded readily.
The more mana snow Elsa ate, the more he benefited too. Whether she knew that or not, Elsa beamed.
"Thanks, Dad!"
With that heartfelt thank-you,
Elsa plopped down and began shoveling snow into her mouth in earnest. Meanwhile, Walfred sat down beside her and dug through his pockets.
He wanted to look over the spoils he’d gotten from exterminating the Soul Eater. As always, the first thing he pulled out was a skill book.
[Skill Book - Blessing]
A somewhat unfamiliar type of skill book.
But he knew what a blessing was, so Walfred opened it with a look of anticipation.
And a moment later,
a burst of bright light, and the blessing was bestowed.
-----
[Divine Protection: Blessing of the Frozen Sea]
[The King of the Frozen Sea blesses you.]
[While on a frozen sea, the effects of all frost-attribute skills are increased fivefold.]
[Additionally, the longer you remain on a frozen sea, the more your physical abilities are dramatically enhanced.]
▷Activation condition: On a frozen sea
▷Skill effects: x500%
▷Physical enhancement: +10% per second
(Max +3,000%)
▶Special Ability: You will not be attacked first by any frozen-sea-type monster except Bosses.
-----
"...?"
Walfred tilted his head.
Normally, spoils tend to be connected to the target you exterminated.
But this time was different.
’The King of the Frozen Sea?’
No, who is that?
Judging by the name alone, it seemed to have absolutely nothing to do with the Soul Eater. As he sat there puzzling over it, a guess suddenly flashed through his mind.
’Ah! Could the frost-attribute Boss Monster the Soul Eater devoured be...’
this King of the Frozen Sea?
If so, it made sense.
Having resolved the question on his own, Walfred looked over the blessing’s detailed effects.
’The activation condition is pretty restrictive.’
A blessing that only applies on top of a frozen sea. That made it just about the most demanding activation condition of any skill he’d obtained so far.
That aside, though,
its performance was, frankly, insane.
’Five times the skill effects...’
That alone was incredible.
For Walfred, whose skills were mostly focused on enhanced physical abilities, it was practically the same as saying all of his physical abilities would increase fivefold.
And that wasn’t all.
’...my body gets stronger by the second?’
Walfred’s eyes went round.
It was hands down the best of every physical enhancement effect he’d obtained so far. Granted, it only worked on a frozen sea.
’Of course, who knows how often I’ll ever end up fighting on a frozen sea...’
But if that day ever came,
it was a blessing boasting a buff so powerful it deserved to be called the strongest there was.
After marveling over and over,
Walfred examined the next spoil. It was a black eyeball, slightly smaller than a fist.
-----
[Name]: Eye of Illusion Piercing
[Rank]: Unique
[A demonic eye that sees through all illusions.]
[If brought to an eye on a body part where the demonic eye is not equipped, it will automatically replace it. As an added ability, it also increases maximum mana.]
▷Grants the ability to see through illusions
▷Maximum mana: +2,000
-----
Right after reading the details,
Walfred recalled the Soul Eater’s hallucinations.
His sister’s warm touch.
Jenna’s vivid laughter. The hallucinations the thing had conjured back then had been lifelike enough to believe they were real.
’I managed to break out of it this time, but...’
What if he got trapped in something worse?
What if, say, a hallucination of Jenna in danger appeared right in front of him?
He probably wouldn’t be able to stay as levelheaded as he had this time.
He might get pinned in place, or get attacked while lost in the hallucination and lose his life.
’Yeah, I should take it with me.’
That was Walfred’s judgment.
There was no guarantee another creature with abilities like the Soul Eater’s wouldn’t show up again someday.
"At least it’s not something I have to eat, I guess?"
Letting out a chuckle at the silly thought,
Walfred grabbed the eyeball. And the moment he brought it up to the eyelid of his left eye.
Squelch!
Like a chunk of iron snapping onto a magnet,
the eyeball clamped tight against his eyelid.
And then.
"...!? Gaaah!"
Tremendous pain came flooding in.
Pain like his eye being seared with a red-hot branding iron.
No, worse than that. More like something twisting deep inside his eye.
Walfred let out a sound that was nearly a scream and dropped to his knees.
"Hrk! Nnngh!"
The tears wouldn’t stop.
Just as he was gritting his teeth and enduring the pain,
Elsa, who had been shoveling snow beside him, spoke up with a startled face.
"Dad!? What’s wrong?"
"I’m fine. My eye just, hurts..."
"Really? But you don’t look fine at all!"
"...It’ll pass, in a little bit."
Desperately holding out against the pain,
Walfred smiled faintly.
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