Episode 121
Bzzzzzz—
The moment Zeke cast the double spell, it felt as if his very soul was being torn apart.
“Ughhh!”
He was on the verge of losing consciousness, teetering on the edge of oblivion.
[You have acquired the special skill ‘Soul Infusion (S-rank)’.]
The sudden message snapped Zeke back to reality.
“A skill registration… So the double spell was the true soul infusion all along.”
With sheer willpower, Zeke clung to consciousness.
Gripping his sword, imbued with the will to cut, Zeke leaped off Bucephalus’s back.
Boom!
As Zeke descended, the Hydra’s nine heads opened their jaws wide, aiming at him.
Roar!
Nine streams of breath surged toward Zeke.
Crackle!
Zeke swung his sword at the incoming breath.
Slash—
His strike cleaved through the breath itself.
“Argh!”
The power of the soul was a different kind of energy, unlike mana, aura, or elemental force. It was the ability to draw upon the essence of existence and alter the fundamental nature of reality. Soul Infusion was a technique that brought this abstract concept into the physical realm through the middle dantian.
Having learned a technique humans weren’t meant to wield, Zeke’s body was under immense strain from using the double spell.
“Haaah!”
His eyes were bloodshot, and veins bulged across his body.
Piercing through the Hydra’s breath, Zeke swung his sword.
Soul Infusion
Double Spell
The Will to Cut
The wave of intent from his sword sliced through the Hydra’s body.
Thud!
Zeke landed on the ground after his strike.
Bucephalus galloped to his side from the air.
Zeke gripped his sword and struggled to stand.
“Ugh!”
The cost of forcibly drawing on the soul’s power was severe.
Even with his healing factor, Zeke could barely move.
Gritting his teeth against the pain of his muscles tearing, he raised his sword toward the Hydra.
But the Hydra remained motionless, as if frozen.
‘What’s going on? Did the double spell not work?’
Just as doubt crept in, the Hydra’s body split open.
Crack—
Black smoke seeped from the wound Zeke’s sword had made.
The Hydra’s nine heads let out a grotesque sound.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Hydra staggered backward.
Roar!
The Hydra, which had been roaring, suddenly turned its gaze on Zeke and opened its mouth wide.
Rumble!
The nine heads prepared to unleash their breath again.
Zeke gripped his sword, clenching his teeth.
‘Damn it. The Soul Infusion seems to have worked, but the double spell is still incomplete…’
Sensing the danger, Bucephalus took to the air with Zeke on his back.
Roar!
The Hydra unleashed its breath.
Whinny!
Bucephalus dodged the breath attacks, weaving through the air.
Zeke, barely holding on, thought, ‘I need more time to recover.’
But the Hydra had no intention of giving him that time, thrashing its heads more violently as it charged at Zeke.
Screech!
Then, suddenly—
Thud!
A massive stone spear embedded itself in the Hydra’s neck.
The Hydra turned its head.
The barbarians, having dealt with the other beasts, hurled stone spears coated in a special oil at the Hydra.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Dozens of stone spears flew toward the Hydra.
Rumble!
The Hydra, already weakened by the Soul Infusion, couldn’t dodge the barbarians’ spears.
Then, the leader of the barbarians picked up the largest stone spear and hurled it at the Hydra.
Whoosh!
The spear cut through the air, heading straight for the Hydra.
Thud!
The spear struck the Hydra’s eye.
Screech—
The Hydra writhed in agony, black smoke pouring from its wounds.
The barbarians, having thrown all their spears, quickly retreated.
Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light erupted behind the Hydra.
The nine heads turned to look.
A massive hammer of light descended upon them.
Boom!
The Hydra, struck by the hammer of light, staggered, unable to maintain its balance.
In the time the barbarians had bought him, Zeke had recovered. He donned Agamemnon’s mask and drew Bahamut.
‘It’s my first time using this on a beast, but it worked on Richmond, so it should work here!’
He activated the purification skill, channeling aura into his sword.
Vroom!
The power of purification enveloped his blade.
The formless purification energy slowly seeped into Bahamut’s blade.
At that moment, a golden aura surged from Zeke’s sword.
[You have acquired the skill ‘Blade of Purification (A-rank)’.]
As the purification energy took form like an aura blade, a new skill was born.
‘With this, I can use dragon-slaying techniques with purification power.’
Zeke raised the Blade of Purification and urged Bucephalus toward the Hydra.
He assumed the stance for the dragon-slaying technique.
Vroom!
The ultimate move of the Dragon-Slaying Sword Art unfolded through Zeke’s blade.
Dragon-Slaying Sword Art Secret Technique
Third Form
Great Dragon Slash
Boom!
The massive golden blade Zeke wielded cleaved through the Hydra’s nine heads.
Thud!
The Hydra’s severed heads fell to the ground, black smoke rising from the wounds.
Thud! Thud!
The headless body, unable to regenerate, staggered backward and collapsed.
Zeke leaped from Bucephalus’s back, landing atop the Hydra’s body.
He drove his sword into the Hydra’s heart, which he had located with his dragon’s eye.
Crunch!
As the heart was destroyed, foul-smelling black ichor gushed from the Hydra’s body.
Zeke quickly activated his devour ability as the Hydra’s body began to disintegrate into black dust.
Sssss—
Zeke’s shadow absorbed the massive corpse of the fallen Hydra like a swamp.
Fortunately, he managed to devour the Hydra’s body before it completely disintegrated.
A message window appeared before his eyes.
[You have devoured a fully corrupted dragon species tainted by dark energy.]
[Your depleted stamina, mental strength, and mana are replenished.]
[You have fully absorbed the bloodline ability of the devoured dragon species, gaining a constitution immune to all poisons.]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Hydra’s Venom’ from the devoured dragon species’ bloodline ability.]
[The Hydra’s Venom skill is linked to the lowly dragon summons, Gulav and Richmond.]
[You have acquired the special skill Soul Infusion, increasing your soul’s rank.]
[The skill level of Dragon Speech has increased.]
[By absorbing the heart of the ancient dragon species Hydra, part of Bahamut’s heart seal is released. Current compression seal level: 70%.]
[The black sword Bahamut has grown, unlocking some of its sealed functions. (Form transformation, mana absorption)]
[You have been awarded 1,500 Karma Points as a reward.]
[You have been awarded three random boxes as a reward.]
Zeke looked at the flurry of messages with a satisfied expression.
“It was worth the effort.”
He first checked Bahamut’s information.
—Black Sword Bahamut Information—
Description: A sword forged from the hardest fang of the cursed dragon Bahamut by a master craftsman with the spirit eye, tempered with blue flame.
Unique Abilities: Indestructible, Mana Conversion, Form Transformation, Mana Absorption
Special Note: Partial seal release (Seal level 70%)
Zeke tilted his head at the part about form transformation.
“Form transformation… does that mean it can change shape?”
He imagined Bahamut’s blade extending.
And indeed, the blade lengthened.
“What the…?”
Zeke imagined a completely different sword shape while holding Bahamut.
Moments later, Bahamut transformed into that very sword.
Returning Bahamut to its original form, Zeke exclaimed in awe.
“Incredible. This is an unbelievable ability.”
Previously, he had to use a different sword to hide his identity, limiting his aura usage. Now, he could use Bahamut without issue by changing its form.
Zeke also checked the information on the other new skills.
Blade of Purification: The power of purification is condensed, giving it properties similar to an aura blade. When used against undead and demons, it has double the attack effect. (Activates when wearing Agamemnon’s mask)
Hydra’s Venom: A colorless, odorless, tasteless poison. Can be created in liquid or mist form. The potency of the poison can be adjusted.
Both were skills that would be highly useful in battle.
Moreover, he had accumulated over 4,000 points this time.
“I’ll check the random boxes and points while resting in the village.”
Just then, Richmond and the barbarians emerged from the forest.
“Zeke!”
The leader of the barbarians, Kingfist, ran toward Zeke.
He pulled Zeke into a tight embrace.
“Did you see him take down the Hydra? Zeke, you’re the strongest!”
Not just the one with the massive fists, but other young warriors from different tribes also approached Zeke, wrapping him in hearty hugs.
Though the bear hugs from these giant men weren’t exactly welcome, Zeke figured it was part of the barbarian culture and let it slide.
After receiving hugs from everyone and finally extricating himself from the warriors’ grasp, Zeke turned to the one with the massive fists.
“The Hydra’s body vanished. Sorry about that.”
“No worries. Catching it was what mattered.”
Unless it was for a trial or to sell, the barbarians didn’t have much use for monster corpses. Even they, who subsisted on monster meat, couldn’t eat the flesh of beasts tainted with dark magic.
With nothing left to hinder them, Zeke prepared to head up to the village where Golin was, alongside the one with the massive fists.
Just then, Richmond, who was standing nearby, spoke to Zeke.
“Master, there’s something strange over there.”
Richmond pointed to the cave where the Hydra had been lurking earlier.
“Are you sensing dark magic?”
“Well, it’s similar, but not quite the same.”
Zeke was about to head toward the cave when he noticed something odd on the ground and paused to examine it.
There were traces of the black fluid that had oozed from the Hydra’s body, leading toward the cave.
Zeke turned to the one with the massive fists.
“Wait here a moment. I need to check something.”
“Need help?”
“No, I’ll just take a quick look.”
“Understood.”
Zeke, with Richmond in tow, entered the cave.
Even without the Hydra, the cave was still filled with a foul stench.
As they ventured deeper into the cave, Zeke’s keen eyes spotted something.
When the Hydra had been there, it had obscured the view, but now Zeke could see an entrance leading to a deeper part of the cave.
Richmond pointed it out to Zeke.
“Master, over there.”
Zeke drew his sword, Bahamut, and stepped through the entrance.
The trail of black fluid continued inside.
After navigating a narrow passage, they emerged into a spacious chamber, its walls made of stone.
What was astonishing was that this space wasn’t naturally formed; someone had constructed it.
In the center of the chamber, Zeke noticed something unusual.
‘What is that?’
A staff, exuding an ominous aura, stood in the middle, surrounded by the black fluid that had pooled around it like a massive puddle.
The fluid began to bubble and swell, slowly taking shape.
Zeke, holding Bahamut at the ready, asked Richmond, “Richmond, what on earth is that?”
Richmond stammered, clearly flustered. “I-I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it!”
The shape formed from the black fluid was grotesque, resembling a human with its skin peeled away, exposing raw muscle beneath a slick, sticky surface.
The hideous entity, born from the black fluid, reached out and grasped the staff.
Sssssss—
Suddenly, a powerful dark magic surged from the staff.
Zeke quickly activated his Light Shield skill.
Crack!
The Light Shield deflected the dark magic.
The monstrous figure holding the staff noticed the Light Shield and began to move its mouth, speaking in an unintelligible language.
”????????????????????????????!”
Unable to understand, Zeke remained on guard, his sword poised.
Then, a message appeared before him.
[Detecting the language of the Demon Realm.]