Chapter 38 Part3 (1/2)
<chapter 38.=”” the=”” peddler=”” and=”” the=”” adventurer=”” -=”” 3=””>
The other humans or even the golems didn't have a chance to intervene. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo ran across the battlefield alone, spreading flames everywhere. His greatsword's flames wouldn't abate until its targets were burned to a crisp, and he, like the flames, continued to burn bright, regardless of the magic or stamina cost.
But that was only natural. No matter how much he looked like a human, he was undead. So he would never tire, and his magic...
'Good. This ability's the best when handling elemental power.'
When Lee s.h.i.+n Woo reached level 7, he became able to influence the ambient mana. It wasn't the same as the level 8 Archmage, Feotane Von Seldin's ability to dominate mana, but befitting his t.i.tle of a Breathing Bone Joker, he could influence nearby mana whenever he expelled mana, as if breathing.
And the longer he used that ability, the quicker he could influence the surrounding mana. By now, he could influence a huge area. In other words, it would take some time to power it up, but if given enough time, he could even take on a level 8. At least in terms of controlling mana.
'And if the element itself becomes a medium, then that speed increases significantly.'
His manmade flames infected the ambient mana, which in turn, created new flames. Of course, he could absorb those flames with his Absorption ability and revert them back into mana, but Lee s.h.i.+n Woo wasn't actually using up any mana right now.
It would be different if he were using an extrlarge skill, but simply creating flames with the Fire element would barely leave a mark on his magic. On the contrary, he absorbed the flames that came back to him, ensuring that he had almost a full tank of magic. Although he'd caused this, it was almost scary even to him.
”It's become a sea of flames.”
”Jin, the boss is coming.”
He'd fought for only 3 minutes, yet half of the monsters had been annihilated. There's no way the boss wouldn't notice that! The boss looked at Lee s.h.i.+n Woo sharply and soon began to run towards him.
[Baaaaaaaa!]
”Guuuuu, that thing's making the same sound you make.”
”Hey, isn't that too harsh?”
The Mad Goat Ghoul, surrounded in flames, took a single step and cried out, as if it had just stepped into h.e.l.l, and then charged through!
Its cry released a magic resembling death. It spread throughout the entire area, and simultaneously strengthened the undead and weakened the living. Unfortunately, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo wasn't living, so it hadn't affected him at all!
'The darkness of death is permeating the area. The Darkness element... Or is it only a fraction of it? Those who it shares its ident.i.ty with, or in other words, those it's connected to are strengthened while it simultaneously rebuffs those it's not connected to; a very complicated buff skill. Though it's probably using the skill without even knowing it's using the Darkness element.'
But the problem was that the monsters which had transformed into the undead inherently possessed the Darkness element. If this were normal, then there should've been some sign of their transformation. Because the Mad Goat Ghoul possessed a skill powerful enough to affect the entire dungeon and change all the monsters into the undead, it had skipped all of the intermediate steps and went directly to the result.
[Baaaaaaaa!]
[Kihiiiiiiik!]
[Kueeeeek!]
There was another problem: the Mad Goat Ghoul's resurrection. While Ghouls ate humans too, their strength would increase the most when eating corpses!
When the Mad Goat Ghoul realized how powerful Lee s.h.i.+n Woo was, it ate any undead in its path, like Metafel Rerdan had done in the past, and its power continued to increase.
If he hadn't intervened and the boss had invaded the city unimpeded, then the city would've fallen, as its death ability would spread, killing every living being inside. Perhaps it would harm other cities as well, eventually resulting in the birth of a level 7 elite undead.
”Weak.”
Well, that's what would've happened had Lee s.h.i.+n Woo not been here at least.
[Baaaaaaaaaa!]
”You really are weak.”
The Mad Goat Ghoul reminded him of Metafel Rerdan, as it did everything that he had once done. It led an army and then proceeded to eat said army. He looked at the Mad Goat Ghoul and clicked his tongue as if disappointed. He would've hated it less if it had evolved, but...
”You're base stats are too low. Even if you ate everything here, you still wouldn't reach level 7.”
”When did you figure that out...?”
”I didn't know I could before, but I could somewhat tell after I checked its bone data and its mana level.”
”Bone data...”
To think he could use bones to thoroughly ascertain its abilities. What's worse, it wasn't even completely composed of bones like a skeleton, but a ghoul, which almost completely retained its previous body! Jin was fearful, as he wondered just how far Lee s.h.i.+n Woo's Rule of Bone skill would grow.
[Baaa!]
”Hoo. Now then.”
If he knew with absolute certainty that it would evolve to level 7, then he would wait patiently, but if it couldn't, then there was no point in waiting any longer.
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo looked straight at the approaching Mad Goat Ghoul and lightly raised his greatsword. He waited until the goat had gotten so close that Jin could even feel its breath and then...
”Heup!”
Swung his sword downwards!
[Baaaaa!]
Of course, the Mad Goat Ghoul was a dungeon boss and could use the Darkness element, albeit poorly. Despite the speed of his attack, the Mad Goat Ghoul responded quickly, forming a magic s.h.i.+eld, casting a curse on him, and drawing the nearby undead corpses to in an attempt to defend itself.
However, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo let it be, not because he didn't know what it was doing, but because nothing would change even if it tried anything. So he just let it do its thing.
[Ke... Keh...]
”Hoo.”
The Fire Dragon's Scale Greatsword burrowed deep into the ground and released flames as though it were coughing. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo twisted the sword, softly removed it from the ground, and sighed.
Right after, the Mad Goat Ghoul's body was split in half and burned. All that remained was Perium and a single goat horn. The horn emitted a dense concentration of darkness, so a magician researching the Darkness element would find it valuable. But to Lee s.h.i.+n Woo, who could already use High Rank Darkness, it was pointless.
”You want it?”
”Nope.”