◈ Episode 84. Blooming in the Swamp (1)
[Predator Swamp]
[Recommended Level : Lv.500]
[Rift Collapse : 0.9%]
The rift was located in the northern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula in Europe.
It was about two thousand miles away from Korea.
As long as there was a portal.
The distance didn’t matter.
“Ugh! What the hell is wrong with the weather?”
“Cold resistance or whatever. What’s with the wind?”
“Ugh, I’d rather fall into a swamp. Really!”
Yeah, that’s right, it’s the cold wind that’s the problem.
The swamp of predators.
In front of the rift, the players had already set up their base camp.
According to the information of the players who entered first, the scale of the rift was as vast as the name of the predator zone.
“Good news. There’s a lot of mobs down there.”
“Good news, right? Level 500 for this rift. This rift.”
“High risk. High return. Don’t you know, as*hole?”
“It’s not my place to say, but players have no fear.”
Obviously, it’s going to take a long time to clear.
A base camp to rest is a must.
Of course, before the base camp arrived.
Some people entered the rift earlier.
They couldn’t stand the cold.
They must have been motivated.
Swoosh!
A swampy environment where every step was sinking.
At the same time, a message flashed before their eyes.
[Movement speed slows slightly].
But there’s no time to complain.
I’ve told you many times.
This is predator territory, where the strongest gather.
That means every single monster I see will be absolutely unfriendly.
Yeeeeeeeee-ing.
Which means that those insect-like creatures are no ordinary creatures. A giant flying mantis, a Skyblade. Its forelegs shimmered.
Swoosh!
I must have dodged it.
I could feel myself being pushed back by the strong wind pressure.
But there was no hesitation.
“That’s it. That’s enough to make me want to hunt.”
Nam Tae-min, the strongest Barbarian.
He had been faithfully fulfilling the class quest that was started thanks to him.
The Call of the Wild, which was hard to activate at first, was now somewhat under his control.
Pow!
Nam Tae-min jumped out of the swamp.
His movement speed had dropped.
His leaping power had also decreased.
“Brothers. Nam Tae-min is just flying around!”
As if that was a minor problem.
Nam pursued his prey with explosive speed.
He moved like an animal in a frenzy.
It wasn’t enough to stop him from approaching.
“This is the same Nam Tae Min who fought the Demon Corps leader!”
A predator zone where the strong gather?
Wasn’t this the same Nam Tae-min who had followed Ho-yeol and fought even worse?
The Demon Corps leader, Horikan, was one of them.
So the battle was brief.
Thud.
Wings were ripped off, forelimbs were ripped off, and then…….
There was no further explanation.
The man who was broadcasting the scene shouted into the camera.
“I told you, it’s going to be a great snow day!”
-LaughlinNamTaeMin He just put wings on it, really…
-You were fighting with Hisagi before the class quest, weren’t you?
-It was ridiculous when you think about the level difference.
-He’s just a good fighter.
Viewers immersed in the battle.
No wonder.
The monsters in the Predator Zone all had Named Monsters-level combat power, so even a simple hunt can’t help but feel thrilling.
“Crazy. The next mob just charged Nam Tae-min?”
And the battles never stop.
It’s not for nothing that Netubers sniffed out the content.
It wasn’t much different on the other side.
“Wow. I guess Berserkers aren’t called crazy warriors for nothing…….”
The battle continues.
The berserker only gets stronger as it gets hurt.
For Leonie, the predator zone is the perfect hunting ground.
“Shining and Heavenly Unity definitely move efficiently, as do the guilds as a party. They don’t give the monsters an attack angle. Scary shitty angles. Everyone.”
Guilds ranked first and second.
Not to mention Shining and Heavenly Unity.
They moved methodically, hunting down the monsters.
Besides, the location where the rift appeared was a location.
Even the EU’s guilds, which were suddenly gaining attention.
Their battles.
No, their constant battles.
I couldn’t help but think it was like a Coliseum.
Who would be the last fighter standing?
“I can assure you that whoever it is, they won’t be able to stand.”
Poof.
This was a swamp, after all.
You’re going to get swept away just standing there.
The only thing you can do as a Netuber is talk.
It’s a wordplay that allows me to spit it out.
But even though it’s a joke, you shouldn’t overdo it.
Even if you’re tired from battle after battle.
Even if it was a boggy swamp.
A man who can’t help but stand tall beyond the point of no return.
“……It’s up, it’s up!”
Because there was a fever.
A swamp of predators.
Entering the rift, Hoyeol looked down at the swamp.
His expressionless gaze seemed colder than usual.
A NetTuber holding his breath whispered.
“The look on his face says he’s here to take over the predator zone, doesn’t it?”
A moment of silence.
A flood of chat.
“Oops. Sorry about that.”
The netizen quickly picks up the pieces.
He’s polite and formal.
“I will correct it! It looks like you came to the reception?!”
* https://pindangscans.com
Always (constant).
My attire was the same as always.
The location of the crack, the North Pole?
The cold didn’t matter anymore.
I had the [Warmth] buff.
[Jewel Box with Warmth]
[Rank: Unique]
[Limit: None]
[Effect : Grants a stored jewelry item ‘Warmth’ for a period of time].
[Description: A jewelry box passed down to a noble family, a mother’s heart for her daughter passed down from generation to generation].
A battle with the demon Decarabia.
A longsword, a favorite of the Duke of Swalin, and an item that was sacrificed in the Exorcism Ritual. The effect was to grant the accessory the [Warmth] buff.
[Warmth keeps the body in peak condition].
The effect was simple.
But the effect on the body was profound.
I didn’t have to wear a heavy coat, I didn’t have to wear tights, and I didn’t feel cold.
It meant that I didn’t have to shiver in the cold wind anymore……!
And yet, here I am.
I entered the crack with a majestic stride.
I stopped right away.
The swampy water came up to my waist.
Naturally, my clothes get dirty.
It’s terribly embarrassing.
It’s all due to my poor state of mind.
I’m used to living in dirtier places than the swamp.
Still, it’s a little uncomfortable to set foot in a swamp like this.
I was in the middle of an unexpected snowball fight with the swamp.
Something came into view.
“!”
It was a lotus leaf floating through the swamp.
Just yesterday, I would have dismissed it as just a lotus leaf, but not anymore. I had the [Pentagram of Pure Knowledge].
“An unusually large leaf.”
The continent of Arcana.
I had acquired knowledge of every mineral and plant.
“A lotus of graphite.”
I could recite the exact name and characteristics of the lotus leaf, and the meaning of the words was simple.
So simple that I could skip the process. That lotus leaf was a familiar object for me to explore.
‘Actually, in a way, so am I.
I wanted to teleport out of there like Marcelo or Vanguard.
I wanted to be like the senior mages of the tower. Why, I wanted to levitate like Jesse Heinness.
“Like a real mage.
Yet only level 296.
There’s no way that’s possible with such a lowly amount of mana.
I’d have to conserve it for when [Natural Enemy] was activated.
Besides, this was the predator zone, where battles were constant.
“I’m saying this is the best I can do.”
It’s complicated, it’s crude, but I can’t help it.
It’s all about mana cost.
No exploration.
I went straight to interfering with the lotus leaves.
Just enough to support my weight.
A level of interference that simply adjusted the strength.
No more than turning mana into fire, then electricity.
No wonder it takes less mana.
No wonder.
I stepped onto the lotus.
I walked up and down the stairs of the stupa without a care in the world.
This is nothing.
“Not bad.”
I can feel their cold gazes.
Yes, from players who don’t know my secret life.
“……What the hell is that skill?!”
Well, I’m sure they’re all there.
But this is a body that doesn’t care what others think.
He wasn’t intimidated by the elder mages of the Magic Tower.
“No, he went beyond that and shamelessly interrogated them.”
I mean.
“You’re as naive as I’ve heard.”
The only problem for me is the monsters.
Indeed, a predator zone with only fight-crazed monsters.
There’s one monster that lunges at me as soon as it senses my presence.
Squirming.
Crimson pupils radiating life.
Its massive body rises from the bottom of the swamp.
And a tongue that never stops flapping.
I recognize a name from the update.
[Savage Predator Anaconda : Lv.530]
Not an easy start. It’s really……!
level, it’s nothing to get excited about.
It’s not even a decent level 500 rift in the first place.
Even those boasting a higher level than the wild beast predator anaconda were numerous in the update history. Anyway, it was a look that fit the modifier of a beast of prey.
‘What the hell did you swallow?’
A snake, a serpentine jar.
How much did it swallow, this thing.
It’s gotten bigger and bigger and bigger.
But it’s still not full.
Kiaaaaaaaa-!
It opened its gigantic mouth to me.
“As expected, you’re not as formal as I expected.”
That’s my impression of the threat.
“Among other things, you’d better learn some table manners.”
I drew up my enchantment.
The first thing to consider is mana cost-effectiveness.
I need to keep fighting with as little energy as possible.
To do that, I had to make do with what I had.
And at the right time.
‘I thought really well. It’s me from the past.’
The level difference between me and him was roughly 230 levels.
And he’s not even a demonic monster.
A level 1, level 1 gap in the arcana system.
Considering that, a one-on-one battle with him would be suicidal, especially since my class is a demon hunter with no special skills.
However, my specialty is subject matter.
And knowing that.
I’ve been working on that for a while now.
I’ve been doing class quests every day, improving my [Strength] and [Dexterity] stats.
As if that wasn’t enough, I’ve been reading magic books like crazy. I didn’t do that for nothing.
Of course, that included training in swordsmanship.
I pulled a sword from my inventory.
[Legacy of an Nameless Blacksmith – Longsword]
[Rank: Unique]
[Limit: Lv.280]
[Effect : When attacking, has a high chance to inflict the status abnormality “Bleeding” on the opponent].
[Description: The blacksmith’s last work, only regaining its true value after a near-grudge was resolved].
Grandfell’s talent is not going anywhere.
The feel of the hilt in his hand was all too familiar.
Even if he hadn’t held the sword in a while, the sensation was still vivid.
What the words meant was simple.
“Predator.”
I leaned down and spoke.
“Do you have what it takes to devour a lion?”
Lionheart.
The flawless posture that knights of the Lionheart aim for.
Naturally, there was no middle path to mastery for me.
I simply watched and copied Harkon’s stance.
So this stance, this simple pointing of the sword.
I don’t know why, how great it is.
The answer is that I don’t know why.
But.
Suiiiit-?
Well, it just needs to be effective, doesn’t it?
As if it was going to devour me any second.
The creature that was approaching stopped.
Then it stopped moving.
Kiyao-oo-oo-!
He had fought countless beasts, and predators like himself, and had survived.
He had crossed the death line. Perhaps he sensed the harkon’s presence from my stance.
By the way.
“…… is pretty important information, isn’t it?
Just by holding the sword and taking a stance.
I can restrict my opponent’s movement.
…… Practicality is no joke. is it?
In a word, bluffing.
You don’t even understand how a flawless stance is flawless.
I was the kind of person who could use it to good effect.
Why, just like now.
Searching, interfering, manifesting.
Magic pouring down on a creature who couldn’t move.
He’s still keeping me at bay with my sword pointed at him.
He’s taking a lot of damage.
[A ‘burn’ is inflicted on the predatory anaconda].
[An apex predator anaconda is ‘bleeding’]…….
I looked at him with my usual posture.
“It is polite to refrain from unnecessary conversation during meals.”
You never know when your posture might slip and you’ll be attacked…….
.
. https://pindangscans.com
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A lotus leaf floating in a swamp.
Hoyeol stands on such a lotus leaf.
There was not the slightest hint of danger in his appearance.
It was like a lotus flower blooming on a lotus leaf.
“……What is that skill?!”
That alone should have been enough to make anyone surprised.
“That’s a sword, but what is that? It’s not a staff, it’s a sword!!!”
An unexpected sword blossomed from such a lotus flower.
Astonishment was inevitable.
Furthermore.
-Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
-No, he just picked up a sword and the mob stopped???
-Homen
The moment you realize that the sword isn’t actually sharp.
-Wait, I recognized that stance from the harkon analysis video!!!
-Lol??? What do you mean by that???
-You can’t even use a sword at the level of Lee Hoyeol’s and harkon?!
No wonder the world is turning upside down!