Chapter 1138

The black panthers that attacked Siegfried’s party were native to the Coral Planet.

However, these were nothing like ordinary black panthers found back on the continent or even in the real world.

These creatures that resembled black panthers had six eyes, a short tail, two tentacles sprouting from their backs, and their massive size rivaled that of a lion—no, they were far larger than lions.

These creatures only resembled black panthers; they were actually scary beasts that were far more ferocious than most panthers. In fact, they would be the most fearsome predator in the jungle if they were unleashed onto the continent.

[Mosbach]

[A carnivorous creature native to the Coral Planet.]

[They hunt in packs and are extremely dangerous.]

[Type: Neutral Creature]

[Race: Beast]

[Level: 300]

[Note 1: Resistant to physical damage.]

[Note 2: They receive reduced Physical Damage.]

[Warning: Extreme caution is advised when facing these creatures.]

“You’ve gotta be kidding me! A damn black panther is Level 300?! What the hell is this?!” Siegfried exclaimed after flashing his Rune of Insight at the black panthers.

The fact that a neutral creature was Level 300 was beyond absurd to him. Then again, it wasn't supposed to be all that shocking to him if he simply thought of how ridiculously strong the members of the Coral Race were in general.

“

Kyaaah!”

“Grrr!”

The Mosbachs circled Siegfried’s party like a pack of hungry predators. They bared their fangs and snarled, ready to lunge at them at any moment.

‘

These bastards are resistant to physical damage?’

Siegfried thought after reading their description. Now that he learned that they were resistant to physical damage, he had no intention of engaging them in

hand-to-claw

combat.

Ssseuu...!

Instead of charging in and swinging his weapon, he decided to use his favorite skill when it came to dealing with large groups of weaker enemies—Green Hell Magno.

Unsurprisingly, he made the right call, as his choice paid off immediately.

“

Yelp!”

“Kyaaaak!”

The Mosbachs dropped one after another, unable to resist the radioactive energy unleashed by Siegfried.

Even though they possessed resistance against physical damage, their poison resistance was not that high. Green Hell Magno dealt immense damage to them, instantly killing them.

On top of that, Siegfried was wearing an item that massively boosted Green Hell Magno’s skill level, making it brutally effective against enemies with low poison resistance.

“

Kyuuu!

It looks like even these forest animals are absolute monsters here! We have to be careful, owner punk!”

“Yeah, you're right,” Siegfried replied with a nod. Then, he said, “No time to waste. Let’s keep moving.”

“

Kyuuu!

Got it!”

“Let us make haste, elder.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The party resumed their desperate dash.

Despite running as fast as they could, the native creatures living in the forest continued to ambush them nonstop. These neutral creatures were far stronger than some of the strongest mobs found on the Nurburg Continent, and Siegfried’s party had to slow down to deal with an ambush.

After dealing with countless ambushes, the sun eventually sank below the horizon, and darkness fell over the land.

“

Huff... Huff...

I cannot go any further, Young Master...” Betelgeuse said through labored breath, huffing and puffing.

“

Ah...

” Siegfried muttered.

He concluded that they had no other choice but to take a quick break after seeing the old man’s exhausted state. The fact that Betelgeuse managed to run this far at full speed while fighting against the neutral creatures of the forest despite his condition was nothing short of a miracle.

‘

Damn it... We still have thirty kilometers to go to reach the exfil point...’

Siegfried was feeling anxious about the sudden unplanned stop, but he knew that he couldn’t push Betelgeuse any more than this. He had to let the old man catch his breath first before they could continue onward.

Siegfried decided to use this opportunity to check on Daode Tianzun.

Unfortunately, he was still fast asleep and yet to regain consciousness.

‘

I hope he’s fine...’

Siegfried thought, looking down at the old man.

“

Kyuu?!

Do you sense that, owner punk?!” Hamchi exclaimed, his ears perking up and twitching.

“Yeah, I did,” Siegfried replied, immediately having his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp ready.

He sensed multiple enemies closing in, and they were just ten meters away.

‘

There are at least twenty of them. And they’re quite strong too.’

This was the worst case scenario for Siegfried, as Betelgeuse was still exhausted and in no shape to fight. This meant that Siegfried had to face all alone whatever threat was prowling around them.

“They are coming, Elder.”

“This is bad, Young Master.”

“We will manage somehow. Even if you cannot fight, please protect Elder Daode Tianzun at all costs.”

“Leave him to me.”

“Hey, Hamchi. Stay with Elder and help him.”

“

Kyuuu!

Don’t worry, owner punk!”

A short while later, the enemies finally emerged from the shadows.

***

The enemies that emerged from the shadows were elite Coral Warriors belonging to the squadron active in these regions.

[Coral Ranger]

[Elite Coral Warriors specializing in combat on mountain and forest terrain.]

[They possess exceptional combat ability and immense mobility.]

[Type: NPC]

[Race: Coral]

[Affiliation Coral Ranger Regiment]

[Note 1: Escaping from them in mountainous terrain is nearly impossible.]

[Note 2: Surrendering to them will be better than running.]

One Coral Ranger, who seemed to be the captain of the squad, stepped forward and sneered at Siegfried with a mocking grin.

“You’ve run quite far, haven’t you?”

‘

Damn it... This guy is Level 400...’

Siegfried stole a glance at the Coral Ranger Captain’s level.

The Coral Ranger Captain was not even a high-ranking commander. He was just a squad captain at best, yet he was a whopping Level 400, which meant that he was far stronger than most Adventurers on the continent.

The Coral Ranger Captain shrugged and nonchalantly sai, “Just surrender without a fuss. It will save you from dying or being maimed. That sounds way better than dying a meaningless death, don’t you think so?”

“Nope. Dying sounds better to me,” Siegfried shot back.

“What? You would throw away the opportunity to be rebirthed as a glorious Coral Warrior?”

“My ass is more glorious than your pink ass,” Siegfried sneered. Then, he said in a voice dripping with scorn, “You’re nothing but invaders wearing fancy armor.”

Sseuuu...!

A thick green mist began to pour from Siegfried’s body.

“So you would rather die?”

However, the Coral Ranger Captain did not seem to be taking much damage, and it was proven by how he was standing firm without even grimacing.

‘

As expected...’

Siegfried thought, gritting his teeth.

No matter how strong Green Hell Magno was, in the end, it was just a skill to dispatch weaker enemies. Against elite enemies, it couldn't even deal enough damage.

In that case...

‘

Let’s try to use elements against him.’

Siegfried thought of another item he had bought in the marketplace, one that boosted the skill level of Elemental Shower by ten levels and reduced the enemy’s attribute resistance.

Shwaaaa!

He unleashed Elemental Shower and...

Fwaaaaah!

Karma Flare ignited the Coral Rangers with debuff flames.

“

Arghhh!”

“Ackk!”

“Ghrrrk!”

Fortunately, Karma Flare seemed to be capable of burning the Coral Rangers.

‘

Ah!’

Siegfried immediately understood what was going on. Karma Flare was a fire attribute skill, so combined with Elemental Shower lowering the Coral Rangers’ elemental resistances, the damage Karma Flare dealt skyrocketed.

‘

Nice,’

Siegfried thought, flashing a grin.

Then, he cast Absolute Zero.

Flash!

A bright white light flashed.

C-Craaack! Crack!

A blizzard erupted, enveloping everything nearby.

“...!”

The Coral Rangers were instantly frozen solid by the cold. With their resistances shredded by Elemental Shower, they stood no chance against Absolute Zero.

‘

Time to wipe them up!’

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Siegfried raised his weapon and prepared to finish the Coral Rangers with Betelgeuse’s secret technique, Heaven and Earth Cleaving Blade.

However, he suddenly came to a halt.

‘

No... I can’t waste this skill.’

The frozen Coral Rangers would be severed cleanly if he were to use Heaven and Earth Cleaving Blade. Unfortunately, it meant damaging their armor as well. Their armor fetched a fortune, so there was no way Siegfried would destroy such precious loot.

‘

I should just make them vanish,’

Siegfried thought, unleashing Wave of Annihilation at the frozen Coral Rangers.

Three, two, one—

Shwaaa...!

The Coral Rangers dissolved into dust, leaving not a single trace behind except for their armor.

[Alert: You have gained experience points!]

[Alert: You have gained experience points!]

[Alert: You have gained experience points!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have gained experience points!]

A massive amount of experience points flooded in.

[Alert: You have leveled up!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 451!]

The massive amount of experience points pushed Siegfried’s EXP bar to the fullest, leveling him up.

‘

No time to celebrate. I have to collect the loot.’

Without missing a beat, Siegfried summoned the Three-Legged Crow to sweep up every piece of Coral Ranger item dropped.

[Alert: You have obtained Coral Ranger Belt!]

[Alert: You have obtained Coral Ranger Boots!]

[Alert: You have obtained Coral Ranger Pants!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have obtained Coral Ranger Shoulders!]

(omitted...)

After the Three-Legged Crow swept up the items, Siegfried turned back to Betelgeuse.

“Let us get going again, Eder—”

It was then.

Shwiiiik!

Betelgeuse swung his hand like a blade, cutting across Siegfried’s chest.

Shwaaaaa!

Siegfried’s chest was cut wide open, causing blood to spray forth like a fountain.

It was a flawless ambush.

***

Thud...!

Siegfried collapsed to the ground after getting caught by Betelgeuse’s ambush.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: You are severely bleeding!]

[Alert: HP is decreasing!]

[Alert: HP is decreasing!]

Betelgeuse's attack was so powerful that it split Siegfried’s armor apart, tearing them cleanly in two.

“

Kyuuu!

Owner punk! Are you okay?!” Hamchi cried out, scrambling to his side.

“

Ughh...”

Siegfried groaned in response.

“

Kyaaaah!

What the hell are you doing, you crazy old man?!” Hamchi cried out, his furs bristling and fangs bared.

It was an unexpected betrayal.

An ally he had trusted with his life almost killed him in a heartbeat.

If Siegfried hadn't twisted and turned at the last moment, his head would have been cleanly severed.

“W-Why...?” Siegfried groaned.

“I... am a warrior of the... Great Coral Race...” Betelgeuse replied in a low voice.

“W-What...?!”

“You are an enemy of the race... You must be eliminated...” Betelgeuse said. Then, his eyes turned red, just like the color of blood.

‘

Damn it!’

Siegfried cried out inwardly after realizing that Betelgeuse was actually brainwashed by the Coral. He looked normal just moments ago, which meant that the brainwashing had to have been lying dormant until it activated just now.

“Die, enemy of our race!” Betelgeuse roared and lunged forward.

‘

Shit!’

Siegfried instinctively jumped back.

The killing intent Betelgeuse was radiating was simply suffocating. This was the true power of a Grandmaster, and his title of "Sword Emperor" was certainly no exaggeration.

‘

Damn it!’

Siegfried quickly transformed his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield to block the oncoming strike.

He couldn’t use a weapon, as Betelgeuse was still an ally. The enemy had just brainwashed him.

There was no way Siegfried could cut him down. After all, Betelgeuse was an NPC. In other words, he would end up dying for real if he suffered fatal damage.

Siegfried only had one choice—to subdue Betelgeuse without killing him.

Of course, this was no easy feat.

Betelgeuse was a Grandmaster, and he was an opponent that Siegfried had to fight with his life on the line to beat. Siegfried had the superior skills and stats, but even he could die if he made just one wrong move here.

Subduing an opponent like that without dealing fatal damage? That was something nearly impossible.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Betelgeuse’s strikes slammed into the shield, and the impact of each strike went straight into Siegfried’s bones.

All Siegfried could do was hold on and wait for an opening to strike.

Ding!

Just then, a quest popped up before him.

[Alert: You have received the Quest — Surpass the Master!]