Episode 66
Zeke followed King Fist, heading toward the place where the scent of the Gakuk lingered.
True to his barbarian nature, King Fist moved swiftly through the trees, as agile as a wild animal, treating the Giant Mountain Range like his own backyard.
Suddenly, he stopped and dropped to the ground, lying flat.
Zeke crouched beside him.
King Fist pointed somewhere.
Zeke enhanced his vision with his dragon eyes to see where King Fist was indicating.
“A cave.”
His master had once told him that the Gakuk despised light and preferred dark, damp places. Conveniently, the sun was just beginning to rise.
It seemed the Gakuk had fled into the cave to escape the sunlight.
In a low voice, Zeke asked King Fist, “Got a plan to catch it?”
King Fist simply opened his palm and slammed it with his fist.
No plan, just brute force. Zeke clicked his tongue internally.
“That’s why you keep losing them.”
After quickly surveying the surroundings, Zeke explained his plan to King Fist.
But for a barbarian, who had little use for strategy, Zeke’s explanation was hard to grasp.
Zeke decided to act on his own.
“King Fist, you go in and hit it. I’ll back you up from behind.”
With this simple instruction, King Fist nodded vigorously, satisfied.
For a barbarian, strategy was unnecessary. They charged in, smashed everything, and it was over before it began.
King Fist crept toward the cave, his body low.
Blessed with the vision of a barbarian, he could see clearly even in the dark cave.
He followed the scent of the Gakuk deeper inside.
Then it happened.
Thud!
The ground beneath King Fist’s foot gave way.
“Whoa!”
With a shout, he used the momentum to leap into the air.
He cleared the trap and landed on solid ground on the other side.
Looking down, he saw sharp animal bones and human weapons embedded in the pit below.
The clever Gakuk had set a trap for intruders.
King Fist continued to follow the scent deeper into the cave.
Eventually, he reached a dead end, a wall blocking his path.
The scent of the Gakuk was strongest at the base of the wall.
Upon closer inspection, he saw something coiled and black.
King Fist steadied his breath and charged toward the Gakuk, wrapping his thick arms around it, intending to rip its head off.
Crack!
The head came off, but something was wrong.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t the Gakuk but a dead bear, curled up.
The Gakuk had smeared its scent all over the bear’s corpse.
As King Fist turned in surprise, something coiled around his ankle.
Swish!
“Ugh!”
The Gakuk, hidden beneath the ground, had extended its tail to ensnare King Fist’s ankle.
As King Fist tried to charge at the Gakuk, it vanished into the shadows, all the while draining his life force with its tail.
“Ugh!”
Even a barbarian couldn’t withstand having their life force drained indefinitely.
Conversely, the Gakuk grew larger as it absorbed King Fist’s energy.
Gritting his teeth, King Fist lifted the bear’s corpse and hurled it at the Gakuk.
Crash!
But the Gakuk easily dodged the flying bear.
It sneered at King Fist, who was growing weaker by the moment.
Then, emerging from the shadows, the Gakuk stretched its body and approached King Fist.
“Chirr!”
The Gakuk was a beast, black as night, resembling a primate but with longer arms and sharper claws and teeth.
It extended its claws, ready to strike King Fist.
“Chirr!”
With a chilling laugh, the Gakuk swung its claws at King Fist.
Slash!
Expecting to see King Fist’s body split open, the Gakuk was taken aback when its own wrist was severed instead.
“Chirr?”
It looked at its severed wrist in confusion.
At that moment—
Buzz!
A barrier formed around the cave.
As the Gakuk tried to blend into the shadows and escape, Zeke’s voice rang out.
“Water’s Domain.”
Zeke’s sword sliced through the Gakuk’s body as it attempted to merge with the darkness.
“Screech!”
The water blade could cut even the intangible.
The Gakuk tried to flee, but Zeke’s barrier trapped it.
The Gakuk bared its sharp teeth at Zeke, realizing escape was impossible, and inflated its body into a massive primate form.
“Roar!”
Zeke raised his Bahamut sword, observing the Gakuk.
“Inflating when cornered, just like in my past life.”
The Gakuk charged at Zeke, shaking the ground with its steps.
Zeke swung his sword, slicing the Gakuk’s leg.
“Screech!”
But even as the leg was severed, it quickly reattached, merging with the shadows.
Zeke, who had once used a healing factor himself, found the endlessly regenerating enemy irritating.
“Annoying creature.”
As Zeke and the Gakuk faced off, waiting for an opening, King Fist, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly rose and grabbed the Gakuk’s waist.
“Roar!”
The Gakuk struck King Fist’s head with its elbow.
But King Fist held on, preventing the Gakuk from merging with the shadows.
Zeke seized the opportunity.
Whoosh!
Leaping into the air, Zeke swung his sword at the Gakuk.
Dragon Slayer Technique: True Dragon Sword Art
Chapter 2, Verse 1
Earth Slash
Zeke’s sword cut a long arc.
A red line appeared on the Gakuk’s neck.
“Gurgle!”
Blood gushed from the Gakuk’s neck, and its head fell to the ground.
Before the Gakuk could regenerate, Zeke used his Devour ability.
Rumble!
Zeke’s shadow rose, swallowing the Gakuk’s head first.
Simultaneously, the Gakuk’s body, still held by King Fist, sank into the shadow.
[You have devoured a corrupted ancient species completely consumed by tainted energy.]
[Your stamina, mental strength, and mana are replenished.]
[You have absorbed the bloodline ability of the devoured corrupted ancient species and acquired the active skill Invisibility (Grade A).]
“Invisibility skill?”
It seemed to be the Gakuk’s ability to blend with the darkness.
Zeke cut off the Gakuk’s arm, which was still protruding from the shadow, and took a finger as a trophy, handing the rest to King Fist.
“Proof of the hunt.”
King Fist, holding the Gakuk’s arm in his large hand, teared up again.
He looked up at Zeke and said, “Thank you, Zeke!”
King Fist embraced Zeke.
After wiping his tears, he said, “Zeke, come visit my village. I’ll roast a delicious ogre for you.”
Barbarians lived by hunting the monsters around them. Their bodies were immune to the toxins in monster flesh.
In his past life, Zeke had understood their culture and occasionally traded monster hides and food with them.
Zeke asked King Fist, “Which tribe are you from?”
Puffing out his chest with pride, King Fist replied, “The Strong Rock Tribe.”
Zeke was slightly surprised to hear this.
The Strong Rock Tribe was known for being the largest and fiercest among the barbarians.
“Being friends with a warrior from the Strong Rock Tribe can’t be a bad thing.”
Zeke warmly clasped King Fist’s hand and said, “The hunt was amazing.”
He wanted to say something grand and moving, but the barbarian language had its limits.
Yet it seemed to resonate with King Fist, who teared up again.
Remembering something, Zeke cast a wide-area buff to heal King Fist.
Buzz!
As his body glowed with a golden light, King Fist marveled at it, then decided it was time to move and said to Zeke, “Zeke, you must visit our village!”
“Got it!”
With the Gakuk’s arm in hand, King Fist dashed out of the cave.
Zeke followed him outside, but King Fist was already out of sight.
In the forest, there seemed to be no creature that could match a barbarian.
Zeke stored the Gakuk’s finger in his pocket and headed back to the campsite where Felix was.
He arrived shortly, but Felix was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did he go?”
Just then, Felix emerged from the nearby forest, rushing toward Zeke.
“Sir Zeke!”
He ran over, leaves in his hair and dirt all over his legs.
Zeke eyed him sharply.
“Where were you off to in such a hurry?”
Felix scratched his head awkwardly and replied.
“I-I was in a hurry and slipped while… taking care of business…”
Zeke noticed the dirt on Felix’s knees and feet and sensed something was off.
‘Could he have been spying on my fight with the Kingfist?’
During the battle, Zeke couldn’t detect anyone at a distance, so it would have been difficult to notice Felix hiding near the cave. Especially if Felix had special training to conceal his presence, it would have been nearly impossible to detect him.
Felix nonchalantly brushed leaves off his head and shoulders and asked, “Did you catch the beast? And what about the barbarian who went with you…?”
Zeke, still suspicious of Felix, answered his question. “I caught the beast. The barbarian took the carcass back to his village.”
Felix’s face lit up. “Wow! You caught it in just one day? That’s incredible, Sir Zeke!”
“It’s not over yet. There might be more beasts around, so we’ll check the area as we head down the mountain.”
Felix was impressed by Zeke’s cautious approach, even though he had every right to boast about his achievement. Yet, Zeke continued to eye Felix with suspicion.
In the days that followed, Felix accompanied Zeke as they scoured the mountain. They managed to capture a few more hidden monsters along the way.
Only after thoroughly searching the area did Zeke return to the village. The news of the captured beast and monsters turned the village into a festive scene.
The villagers, overjoyed, insisted that Zeke stay for a celebration before heading to Atlas. He agreed to stay for a day and joined the festivities.
The village chief set up a feast so grand that the table legs nearly buckled under the weight, seating Zeke at the place of honor and offering a toast. “To the knight who protected our village!”
“To the knight!”
The villagers ate and drank until they were tipsy. Zeke joined in, drinking just enough to keep up appearances, but his sobriety left the villagers in awe. Even the village’s most notorious drinkers challenged him, only to be defeated.
After mingling for a while, Zeke excused himself, claiming fatigue, and headed to his lodgings. But someone followed him.
Zeke already knew who it was. “Felix.”
Felix, who had been trailing Zeke since the village hall, flinched and revealed himself. Zeke addressed him sharply. “Why were you following me?”
“W-well, I…”
Suddenly, Felix dropped to his knees in front of Zeke. “What are you doing?” Zeke asked.
Felix shouted, “Please accept me, Sir Zeke!”
Zeke was taken aback by the unexpected plea. “Accept you? What do you mean?”
Felix looked at Zeke earnestly. “Please take me as your squire, Sir Zeke!”
“A squire?”
Felix nodded and stood up, then unexpectedly drew his sword.
Vwoom!
The sword hummed with a clear ring. With a determined expression, Felix began to demonstrate his swordsmanship.
Whoosh!
Zeke was astonished by Felix’s display. ‘Is that… the Paladin’s sacred sword technique from the Holy Kingdom?’