Chapter 27 Consume (2) (1/2)

[The proficiency of Bathory’s Vampiric Sword is too low. Adjusting the grade of obtained the skill.]

[The skill ‘Heat Wave’ has been modified to ‘Flame Infusion’]

[Flame Infusion]

Rating: D+

Proficiency: 0.0%

Description: Downgraded form of Hargan’s (Lizardman King) innate skill, Heat Wave. Imbues the desired tool with fire. Fire of higher temperature can be created depending on the skill proficiency.

“Innate skill? And it’s a buff skill?”

Yeon-woo clenched his fists as he checked the skill description. He felt as if the after effects of combining skills was being washed away.

Even if it had been downgraded to a lower rating, it was still an innate skill from a boss monster.

Innate skill.

It was similar to a Unique skill, but slightly different.

They were both exclusive to specific beings ‘only’. Normally, no one except for the original owner could acquire such skill. Not only were they powerful, but they were also rare.

However, unlike Unique skills which were limited to players, innate skills belonged to boss monsters. This meant that, even if the boss monster with an innate skill died, it would appear once again as the monster respawned in every round. This was also the reason for Hargan’s appearance in this tutorial round, even though he had already been slain by his brother long time ago.

So even though Heat Wave was Hargan’s innate skill, it was also possible for other players to obtain it. But this was only in theory.

Being present only in high-tier skills, the ability to extract skills wasn’t commonly found in The Tower, much less in the tutorial. In particular, Bathory’s Vampiric Sword was at the top of such skills, so it was safe to assume that Yeon-woo was the only one capable of stealing Hargan’s skill at this stage.

Because of the lack of skill proficiency, he didn’t obtain Heat Wave as it was, but this was still a great achievement. He got his hands on a buff skill that can even infuse a tool with the fire property.

‘An artifact’s power will increase when imbued with certain properties. That’s why artifacts with elemental buffs are usually traded at high prices.’

Now, Yeon-woo didn’t need to find an artifact with elemental buffs. Furthermore, Flame Infusion could be used for various other purposes. Fire was a very offensively-oriented and versatile element.

‘I’ll have to test it later.’

Yeon-woo slowly closed the skill window in a satisfied mood. While he was focused on his newly acquired skill, the after effects he was suffering from also ameliorated to a certain degree.

He rose slowly from his seated position while trying to maintain balance. Seeing this, Kahn and Doyle came to support him.

“Dude, your body…”

It wasn’t easy for Kahn to speak, as he was too worried about Yeon-woo.

Yeon-woo had directly faced Hargan’s last Heat Wave. Several burn marks could be seen through his half burnt clothes. His white mask was also distorted from the intense heat.

“Don’t worry, I’m all right. It’s just hard to move, but it will get better over time.”

If he hadn’t been able to heal his injuries with the energy drained by Bathory’s Vampiric Sword, it would have been the end for him. But Yeon-woo waved his hand to express that he was fine.

“Let me check, man.”

“Yeah Hyung. Sit down for a moment in case you’re hurt anywhere else.”

However, Kahn and Doyle didn’t take their worried looks off of him. They couldn’t just leave him alone.

Yeon-woo thought for a moment of how to get them off of him, and as he realized that there were still people locked up in the cages, he pointed towards the lair with his chin.

“I’m okay, I really don’t need your help. But there are still people over there, is it okay to leave them like that? They might be in danger because of the fire.”

Only then did Doyle remember the people still trapped in the human farm. He took Kahn with him and hurried over to the cages.

Yeon-woo was finally able to rest with his back against a half-burnt tree stump. Then he closed his eyes and immersed himself into meditation in order to completely alleviate the aftereffects.

* * *

The slaves were successfully rescued.

Fortunately, Hargan’s Heat Wave did not reach the human farm. Perhaps because it was a place assigned to preserve food for the hatchlings, it seemed they had designed this space to suffer less damage from outside impact.

“Thank you, thank you very much!”

“Uhunghung!”

People burst into tears as their shackles and chains were being unlocked.

And after recovering, some of them even started to brazenly kick Hargan’s dead body over and over again. Other players even vented their anger on some of the remaining Lizardmen.

They had been brought back from the brink of death, but their teammates who they had been laughing and chatting with just a few days ago had been eaten alive by the Lizardmen hatchlings right in front of their eyes. It was natural for their blood to boil just from looking at the monsters.

Kahn and Doyle just stood there watching until they finally settled down.

After the people had somewhat alleviated their anger, a middle-aged man with bald head approached them to express his gratitude.

“I’d like to thank you one more time. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to avenge our teammates… With the monsters dead, they’ll be able to rest peacefully.”

Kahn and Doyle waved their hands.

“No need to thank us, we only did what we were supposed to do.”

Kahn calmly shook his head. With his character, he would have answered proudly, but right now he contained himself because he had noticed the heavy atmosphere. Still, his eyes were filled with pride.

Then the middle-aged man asked him.

“Oh, by the way, may I ask you a question?”

“Yes. Say it.”

“I was wondering if you’re Kahn, the Blood Sword. Are you him?”

“Oh, wow. I tried to keep it a secret. Haha!”

Kahn pretended to be embarrassed by scratching the back of his head, but he couldn’t stop his lips from curling upward.

People’s eyes grew wider.

“Is, is he really Kahn, the Blood Sword?”

“No wonder! I can’t think of anyone else capable of slaying the Lizardman King.”

“I’ve only heard rumors about him, but he really is great. I can’t hold a candle to him.”

“Then, the person next to him… isn’t he Foxy Tail?”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.”

The more the people praised him, the broader his grin became.

Doyle shook his head as he looked at Kahn. He wondered how could Kahn love being shone under the spotlight that much.

Even though Kahn was smirking, he did not forget to give his teammates due credit.

“Haha! Thank you all for your compliment. But I must say, I’m not the only one who participated in Hargan’s raid. In fact, I was only there helping our teammate. If we didn’t have our friend over there, hmm… I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened.”

Kahn shook his head as he spoke in a humorous manner.

Thanks to his efforts in making a pleasant atmosphere, people were slowly making themselves at ease. However, as soon as they turned their heads towards the direction Kahn had pointed, their faces became stiff again.

Yeon-woo was sitting there.

Unlike Kahn and Doyle, he was sitting far away from the crowd, lost in meditation.

People immediately looked away from Yeon-woo. Some of them even frowned or spat on the floor as if they had seen something disgusting.

Kahn noticed the change in atmosphere, so he cautiously inquired the man.

“Is there something wrong?”

“That person over there, is he your teammate?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Then I must warn you, please be careful going around with that man.”