Chapter 1437: Side Story 46
Chapter 1437 - Side Story 46
The most significant advantage of Named NPCs was in their strong regenerative abilities. No player could continuously recover and regenerate their injuries, but almost 50% of the Named NPCs had that ability. Add that to their high defensive power, and their monstrous HP made it hard for players of the same level to deal with them. It would take at least three people to hunt NPCs with such abilities. The same was true for the Immortals.
As for the pain? To them, it was just a mere animalistic sensation that would pass by in an instant. Living beings were afraid of pain because they feared what came after it and what would happen to their bodies. In contrast, the Immortals were not scared because they knew that they would recover from their injuries anyway.
Unfortunately…
[Ten Thousand Li Sword.]
[The Ten Thousand Li Sword will cut down all of your enemies on the spot and inflict an additional 15,000% damage regardless of where you are.]
[Injuries inflicted by the Ten Thousand Li Sword cannot be healed.]
The first thing that the hundreds of Immortals were shocked about was the eye-opening pain that ripped through their flesh. The second thing was…
“Why… Why am I not healing?”
“Kghhk. I’m bleeding too much.” “My… my hand. My hand is not getting reattached!”
Usually, when their hands were cut, they would just stick it back on, and it would reattach itself in seconds. This time, their wrists, arms, hands, ankles, and legs did not stick back. It was just like they were normal human beings. They had never felt or experienced this in their lives before.
There was also the 15,000% additional damage. If Minhyuk’s damage increased by that much, then it would certainly go beyond any common sense. The HP of almost all of the Immortals fell by nearly 40% in just one go. This left them all in a panic. Finally, as if to add salt to injury…
[The Immortals have fallen into extreme fear.]
[All of their stats have fallen by 15%.]
[All of their AGI has fallen by 20%.]
The Immortals who had always mockingly stared at the humans as they fell from their swords were now shaking like a leaf. The very same beings who thought, ‘This is fun.’, ‘As expected of humans, they are weak when they are in fear.’, ‘They’re too cowardly.’ were now being devoured by the same fear that they had harnessed before.
“G… Get a grip! This is exactly what he wants!” Ji-Hoon shouted, trying to calm the terrified Immortals down. Unfortunately, his heart was also pounding wildly as the fear consumed him.
He felt as if his mind was about to just give in and collapse when he saw his left hand fly away and fall to the ground just like that. Unfortunately, he could not do that because that was what the man wanted.
In the meantime, two dice appeared behind the man’s back as he kicked the ground and charged forward.
“It hurts… hurts… IT HURTSSSS!!!” One of the Immortals screamed as he cradled his arm. In just a blink, his head fell to the ground with a thud.
Flash!
Then, the man jumped up and stabbed the heart of one of the Immortals standing on a tree. The Immortal glared at the charging man after barely overcoming the fear that devoured him. He stared at the man as he stabbed his sword in the air from a distance.
“Frenzied Blade.”
Thud! Thud, thud! Thud!
The power that could easily attack an enemy’s vital points from a distance turned another of the Immortals into ashes.
“MOVE!!!”
The voice of the Immortals’ Five Skies shook the frightened Immortals from their fear, just as the Hanja that represented Crazy appeared on the blade of the man’s sword.
‘Crazy?’
The Hanja that they saw meant crazy, like ‘out of their mind’, ‘lunatic’, and the like.
Meanwhile, the five Immortals jumped down at the same time, their weapons aiming at the man.
Rumble!
The wind whistled as they surrounded the blade of the now-branded sword. The moment it touched the blade of one of the Immortals…
Bang, bang, bang!
The wind grew sharp, tearing all of the Immortals apart and leaving their corpses in its wake.
One of the Immortals tried to creep behind the man’s back.
Clank, clank, clank!
A chain fell and slowly wrapped around the Immortal’s neck.
Thump!
“Come at me!”
He was just a single enemy, yet they all flinched.
Seon-Hwa, one of the Five Skies, jumped down and landed in front of the man. Her appearance was meant to raise the morale of their men.
“Did you think that we would fall for your scare tactics? That’s nothing but a mere psychological warfare!”
The weapon that she wielded was a rapier, and she moved twice as fast as others. She raised her rapier and stabbed toward the neck of the man, Minhyuk, like a bee flying to sting its enemy.
Ji-Hoon smiled. ‘She’s going to stab him…!’
Seon-Hwa did it! But…
“Overpower.”
THUD!
An irresistible and absolute power that could stun the enemies stopped her in her tracks. The tip of Seon-Hwa’s rapier stopped just a few centimeters in front of Minhyuk’s throat.
“Did you say psychological warfare?”
Swoosh!
Thud!
Another of the Skies fell.
“Hiiiiiik…!”
“How dare you… to Lady Seon-Hwa…!”
Their fear turned into rage. Then, another one of the Five Skies, Tae-Sok, jumped down. Tae-Sok cherished Seon-Hwa, and he charged toward Minhyuk in hopes of killing him.
“Overpower.”
With just one word, Tae-Sok also stopped in front of the man.
Swoosh!
Another of the Skies fell.
Ji-Hoon could not understand what was happening. ‘How? How can he deal with the Skies so easily…?’
Stun skills were said to be top-ranking powers. After all, they could prevent the enemies from moving. Even if it could leave an enemy immobile for just two seconds, it could still be a fantastic power. A person could do a lot of things to the enemy in those two seconds.
Nonetheless, even if that was the case…
‘How many times can he do this?’ Ji-Hoon thought.
Min-Woo descended from the sky, his weapon already pointed at Minhyuk as he said, “This is the end! There’s no way that you have another stun skill…”
Minhyuk just looked up at Min-Woo calmly as he uttered slowly, “Absolute Monarch.”
THUD!
Min-Woo lost his grip on his sword as he was forced by the power to fall and kneel on the ground. He tried to get up from his kneeling position, but before he could even struggle, a flash appeared, and his body was torn in half.
They all saw the glint in Minhyuk’s eyes through Min-Woo’s split body.
‘M… Monster…’
Ji-Hoon could not approach him recklessly. He was not sure how many stun skills this man still had in his arsenal. Perhaps he had a never-ending supply of such skills?
‘I don’t even know if he’s really a human being!’
“U… Uweeeeeeeck!”
Except for Ji-Hoon, all of the Skies had fallen. And they all died at the hands of a mere human being. The terrifying shackles of fear wrapped around him and brought him down to his knees.
The leisurely smile on the man’s face was reflected in Ji-Hoon’s shaking pupils.
The Immortals could no longer take a step forward. They no longer dared to approach him.
***
‘I’m f*cked.’
Minhyuk might be smiling, but the truth was he was sweating. He had used up all of the control and stun skills that he could use to deal with the most annoying ones right away.
Of course, using the control and stun skills on boss-class beings was only right. But what if? What if the Immortals overcame their fear and charged at him? If that happened, then he wouldn’t be able to last long.
‘I will only be able to use Absolute Defense, which will grant me ten seconds of reprieve.’
Even if he could do that, it was still hard to determine if he could cut down six people. The problem was that there were still around 450 Immortals, albeit looking very terrified, in front of him. Although they were afraid, they would eventually come to realize over time that there was no business in numbers.
‘I have to evacuate Leviathan somehow.’
Just then…
“It seems like four of the Skies have lost.”
A heavy and solemn voice rang. The voice carried both majesty and dignity. Following the voice that sounded as if it was looking down on him and treating him as someone inferior, Minhyuk saw a man descending from the sky as if he was walking on stairs.
[The Immortals’ King Tae-Hoo has appeared!]
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Immortals’ King Tae-Hoo. Level 1107.]
The man’s nonchalant gaze landed on Minhyuk.
“AAAAH! My king!”
“Finally! The king has arrived!”
“You bastard! You’re done for!”
[The Divine King.]
[The Immortals overcome their fear. All of their stats have returned to their original state.]
[With their divine king, Tae-Hoo, the Immortals are not afraid of any enemy in their path!]
Tae-Hoo dragged Cho-Rong, who was bound tightly and had already passed out long ago, behind him as he descended to the ground.
At that moment, the words that Haenyeo Ok-Chun told Minhyuk echoed in his mind.
–When you gather two or more of the Sacred Beasts who protect the land, the sea, and the mountains, you will be able to obtain a weapon of great power.
Cold sweat dripped down Minhyuk’s back.
***
At the peak of one of the mountains.
The expression on the face of Philos, who was riding atop the Land God, was hideous. Why? Because hundreds of people had surrounded her dear oppa!
“My oppa…!”
Philos wanted to rush to her oppa’s aid right away. Unfortunately, she was fueled by nothing but the reckless courage and empty bravado of a child.
[You cannot, Philos.]
[That’s not an opponent we can handle.]
The Land God held her back.
“Chirp. Chirp, chirp…!”
At that moment, the Mythical Bird flew right beside her. Philos recalled the words that Minhyuk told her before.
–There was a time when this guy, the Mythical Bird, exaggerated the situation with Jenel. He told the others that Heavenly King Jenel stomped me with his shoes while he demanded that my qualifications be proven.
–Then? What happened next?
–The people said that this guy cried so sadly to the point that they had to leave behind the things that they were doing to run to my aid. Anyway, I’m very grateful to this bird.
–Wow.
–It’s not something worth being amazed at. Do you know how embarrassing that was for me back then?
Minhyuk told her that he was very grateful to all the people who rushed to his aid without any hesitation.
At that moment, an idea flashed in Philos’s head.
“Mythical Bird.”
“Chirp. Chirp, chirp?”
The Mythical Bird’s owner was Minhyuk. That was why seeing its master in a crisis also left it in tears.
“What’s your name?”
“Chirp?”
The real name of the Mythical Bird was the Mythical Bird Who Cries Sadly For You. When its name was heard, people would usually associate the Mythical Bird with some kind of stupid bird.
“This time, it’s real. We’re not joking around, alright? Our oppa is really in a crisis. Do you understand what I’m getting at here?”
“Chiiiirp! Chirp!”
“Gather them all! Fly quickly!”
“Chiiiiiirp!”
The Mythical Bird flew swiftly, disappearing in a flash. After watching the bird disappear, Philos grabbed the reins of the Land God and said, “Our destination is the Beyond the Heavens Empire.”
[Hihihihihihing!]
The Land God raised its hooves and immediately ran in the sky above the clouds.
***
Minhyuk gripped his two swords tightly as he looked at the hundreds of Immortals charging toward him. At this moment, he knew that he could not save his skills anymore.
He immediately used the Intangible Sword and attacked the dozens of Immortals who leapt into the air.
Thud, thud, thud!
He quickly stepped back, evading the tip of the swords of the Immortals who had already appeared in front of him. He bent his knees and jumped out, breaking the balance of the enemy right in front of him. This forced the Immortal to collapse on the ground, creating a fissure in the ground.
Ping! Ping, ping!
They attacked him from all directions. Of course, Minhyuk did not let the opportunity slip. The number of Immortals who died by his sword kept on piling up. Nevertheless, the rate at which his HP fell was much faster than the rate at which the Slaughterer’s Absorption could recover it.
The powerful sword lights constantly struck him. The appearance of Tae-Hoo had transformed the Immortals into completely different enemies. They could even easily ignore the damage dealt by the damage reflection that was attached to Minhyuk’s armor. Even if they got torn apart, they continued to charge forward and tried hard to cut Minhyuk down.
“Absolute Defense.”
In the end, Minhyuk’s HP fell below 20%. He had no choice but to use Absolute Defense and make a breakthrough. He used the protection of the skill to cut, cut, and cut his enemies down.
“The Annihilator’s Sword.”
At the same time…
“Transcendence.”
A storm of black energy surged out and swept away the enemies that surrounded Minhyuk. He cut down ten… twenty… twenty-five… thirty people in one go. Alas, the moment the Absolute Defense ended, Minhyuk felt a sense of crisis. When he looked up, he saw one of the Skies, Ji-Hoon, aiming for his neck.
“Transcendental’s Spear.”
“Keuhaaaaack!”
Rumble!
A spear carrying an overwhelming power appeared and tore Ji-Hoon apart.
Clang, clang! Clang, clang, clang!
Minhyuk’s mouth grew dry. His throat was already seeking water. Fighting with a considerable number of enemies could dramatically increase one’s senses. Nonetheless, even if his senses were raised to the extreme, there was no way he could do anything to deal with these people who were pushing him back with their numbers.
‘The worst part is the fact that the guy named Tae-Hoo hasn’t made a move yet.’
Tae-Hoo stared at Minhyuk with interest. “What a wonderful spirit. It’s quite amazing to see someone not giving up and continuing to move forward despite knowing the fact that their only ending is to lose. Your will is commendable, but…”
Tae-Hoo, whose level exceeded Level 1,100, made a move.
Minhyuk had dealt with many enemies like this. Still, there had always been people fighting alongside him back then. This time? He was alone. During those cases, he had always been energetic and lively, not exhausted like this.
Tae-Hoo’s figure flashed. At the same time, his sword moved, and Minhyuk was cut eight times in a split second.
“Kghhk!”
Tae-Hoo had just swung his sword as he stood in front of the groaning Minhyuk, but…
Vwoooong!
A strong wind sent Minhyuk flying away. Although he was sent flying away, his landing was gentle. Minhyuk tried to jump up but ended up stopping in his tracks as he realized, ‘Did he calculate everything?’
Minhyuk had retreated to Leviathan’s vicinity after being pushed back by the enemies. Now, the strong wind that sent him flying completely separated him from the dolphin. And right now? Tae-Hoo had already tied up the frightened dolphin and was stroking her body as if in a trance.
“...it’s over,” Tae-Hoo said as he stroked Leviathan’s body. Then, he took out a brush and wrote something on Leviathan’s skin.
Meanwhile, the Immortals had already picked Cho-Rong up and dropped her in front of Tae-Hoo. And just like Leviathan, Cho-Rong also had ink painted all over her fur.
“ROAAAAAAAAAR!!!”
The unconscious Cho-Rong suddenly screamed as a berserk and uncontrollable energy surged out from within her. Leviathan, on the other hand, had already lost consciousness. However, she was also in a similar state.
[Kihyaaaaaaack!]
“ROAAAAAAAAR!!!”
[Two of the Three Sacred Beasts have been gathered.]
[The one who has ruled over the Three Sacred Beasts is evil.]
[The power of the Three Sacred Beasts starts to awaken and turn evil.]
When the power of the person who gathered the Three Sacred Beasts was evil, they would be given the power to destroy the world and summon countless evil and ferocious beasts. If the power of the person who gathered the Three Sacred Beasts was good, then they would be given the power to enrich the world.
Rumble!
A mighty wind blew, pulling out the trees on the mountain from their roots. Tae-Hoo was delighted to see the black and ominous evil energy that flowed out of the two Sacred Beasts in front of him.
“It’s done.”
[The Power of Evil is creating a weapon.]