Chapter 65 (1/2)
Episode 4: The Great Colonizing Age / Chapter 65: Demon King (6)
TL: emptycube
Editor: Obelisk
{T/N} Because Retribution is a stat rather than points, I switched Retribution Points into Retribution.
“But the guardian is a healer?”
Lee Jinhee raised a question. As a healer, Bae Jinman’s karma was fixed at the ‘Heal’ trait. Like how the karma trait shop didn’t sell the ‘Heal’ trait, Bae Jinman couldn’t change his karma trait as well. He would improve their state simply by using his trait. So how would Bae Jinman make the Berserkers even madder?
However, Baek Seoin only stared at Bae Jinman as if he couldn’t hear Lee Jinhee’s question. Bae Jinman rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment before replying.
“… I’ll try it.”
“What? You can do it?”
Lee Jinhee asked in surprise. However, this time Bae Jinman was in deep thought and didn’t reply. Instead, Baek Seoin replied for him.
“There’s only a paper-thin margin between medicine and poison. They both have similarities in their influence on the body. Depending on when or how you use it, poison can turn into medicine and medicine into poison… I thought that healing and buffs were the same.”
“Really?”
Lee Jinhee, who had only believed that the more medicine she ate, the healthier she would get, widened her eyes at this new information.
At this time, Bae Jinman finished conceiving a plan. He released his karma with a changed version of ‘Get Up’. Increase vitality, enhance the mind, and strengthen sympathy. Bae Jinman especially worked hard on ‘strengthen sympathy’.
Normally, it would be a useful buff, however, now it would add oil to the flames known as madness. Increase vitality would support the Stamina they had consumed due to madness, and enhance the mind would make those who had fallen into a state of futility and numbness become even more intensely enraged and sorrowful. Also, above all, ‘strengthen sympathy’ would make the Berserkers sympathize with each other’s pain and rage. Simply put, it made all the Berserkers clearly sense each other’s pain. Like how Jung Minji felt…
Berserkers, who were burdened with their own pain, were flooded with the indiscriminate pain of others.
The result was a more severe madness.
The sudden change came remarkably. Even Choi Hyuk, who was fighting by himself in the distance, could sense this change.
The noise of the battlefield. The rhythm had changed. A rain shower had turned into a hail storm. Tennis b.a.l.l.s grew to baseb.a.l.l.s. The formation of monsters, that would occasionally endure or occasionally get penetrated, started shatter like gla.s.s.
Choi Hyuk nodded his head. Due to the Berserkers, the pressure, from the countless number of monsters that blocked his way, lessened.
He now didn’t need to be concerned with the battlefield and could fight the boss to his heart’s content.
“Then, is it my turn now?”
With the monsters’ commanders, the ‘eyeless observers’, in front of him, Choi Hyuk slowly stretched his shoulders. He threw the Flaming Devil in a corner. The Flaming Devil, whose other leg had burned off on the way here, was pitifully writhing on the ground.
There were only trails of flame, and the ashes of the monsters that had been burnt black, behind him.
He pretended to be composed, but he didn’t find his current situation very lax. ‘Flaming Wing Dance’ was a skill that consumed a lot of Stamina, and Choi Hyuk’s Stamina was only at 3-star with 366 (3★) points. It w
as very low compared to his Power, Speed, Control, and Retribution which were all over 4-star, meaning he couldn’t maintain Flaming Wing Dance for a long time.
“Hooo…”
He let out a big breath and drank down a special karma recovery potion in one shot.
“Keu… It’s not enough to send a message to my liver.”
This was a temporary method… And he obtained the strength to fight once more.
The moment he tossed the empty bottle behind him.
Blaze!
Flames violently erupted once again.
In front of him were around 100 eyeless observers. Each one was stronger than the Wyvern of Destruction. They were 4-star rank monsters. The real enemy of the mission this time wasn’t the hundreds of thousands of monsters but the hundred eyeless observers.
{Kyahh!}
Feeling threatened, the eyeless observers let out a cry.
“You’re too late.”
By the time they cried, Chio Hyuk’s sword had already sliced through the front most monster.
A geyser of flames.
The flames that sprouted from its wounded chest spread to its four limbs and its face. The eyeless observer twisted its body, and its long flesh that covered its eye brilliantly dispersed as it burned.
As expected of the Flaming Wing Dance that possessed power beyond that of 4-stars. It burned up an observer with a single strike. Yet, Choi Hyuk’s expression was serious.
‘As expected, wide area damage doesn’t work.’
Normal monsters would turn to ash once they came into contact with the flames he emitted. Without wielding his sword, the majority of monsters would burn to ash and disappear.
However, the eyeless observers were different.
Tssss…
{Kii.}
Although it looked like it was burnt, he wasn’t able to completely burn it before the flames died out. The burn wounds quickly recovered. To properly burn them, he would have to cut each one with his sword, but he couldn’t endure that with his Stamina.
It wasn’t easy. When Choi Hyuk thought this, a smile hung on his lips.
“Yeah. It needs to be like this.”
Pssft-
Choi Hyuk immediately gave up on the Flaming Wing Dance. The flames that had engulfed his body died down. The Flaming Wing Dance was an area attack; it wasn’t very effective in this situation where he had to kill each one individually.
As the flames died down, the pitch-black sword that s.h.i.+ned within, the Predator’s Blade, was revealed.
——————–
{Tyrannical Predator’s Blade}
Rank: B (Unique, Growth-type)
Sharp and st.u.r.dy. The more blood it absorbs of strong foes, the stronger it will get. It has almost reached the limit to its growth.
Blood Drain: Absorbs the blood of enemies to replenish its owner’s karma and heal their wounds. Able to absorb 1L of blood per second.
*Second Blade: Sacrifice the Evolution stat to imbue karma into the blade. No extra karma consumption.
Durability: 98,573/100,000
Evolution: 11/1,000
——————–
The driving force behind how he was able to endure up until now with only 3-star Stamina was due to the Predator’s Blade. He was able to recover small amounts of Stamina with its absorption ability and reduce his karma consumption with its outstanding cutting force.
The Predator’s Blade had evolved once more during this time. Since it was a B rank weapon, if enough force was added, it was able to penetrate through 4-star Endurance. On top of that, if he reinforced its cutting force with the Second Blade, it was able to rip through most protective skills.
“Second Blade.”
{Evolution reduced from “11” to “6”}
Choi Hyuk resolutely invested its Evolution stat to activate its Second Blade.
Swish.
A frightening sound of an enormous snake slithering. The Predator’s Blade was imbued with black karma. It was a different color from Choi Hyuk’s deep blue karma. It was a Karma Blade that the Predator’s Blade created itself.
“Let’s fight.”
Choi Hyuk began to only utilize his karma inside his body. He used the ‘karma pathways’ that extended to all four limbs from his dantian, where the Karma Heart was located. The heart and the ‘karma pathways’ became new muscles and tendons for Choi Hyuk and moved his body faster and stronger.
This was how Choi Hyuk was able to minimize his Stamina consumption.
{Kuahh!}
The eyeless observers swung their hands at Choi Hyuk. Their hands were especially large. They were about three times as large as a person’s head. Their skin was white like limestone, and they possessed tough claws.