Chapter 261: Chapter 259

It was all Beru's scheme.

From the moment Suho received Kamish's Wrath as a reward.

From the moment Sung Jinwoo's main weapons, the daggers, were finally held in Suho's hands.

[KIEEEEEEEEK!] Beru began to pester Yoo Jinho as if he had been waiting for this all along.

[Dagger! Dagger! Dagger! By any means necessary, find runestones related to daggers and bring them to me!] But Yoo Jinho, who was suddenly grabbed by the collar, was no longer the young boy who used to cower before the shadow ant.

– Leave it to me. I'll make it happen somehow. – He met Beru's eyes with a dependable adult's gaze and asked,

– So, what were my brother's skills?

The Ruler's Authority and the shadow power were obviously impossible, but other skills could be learned as long as they had the 'rune stones.' Only Sung Jinwoo and Sung Suho were irregular. It was an everyday routine for all Hunters on Earth to search for rune stones. There was no other way to become stronger... As such, it was only natural that the price of rune stones skyrocketed. Depending on the value and rarity of the skill, the price was literally whatever the seller asked for.

Skill: 'Slaughter'

This was a top-tier skill that only a few assassin-type Hunters in the world possessed, and its value was even higher than that of 'Stealth'. Items like this were never released on the market in the first place. It was much more profitable for the Hunter or guild leader who obtained the rune stone to learn it themselves than sell it. But learning just any skill without careful consideration was an astronomical loss. It was common sense that assassin-type skills were best utilized by assassin-type Hunters. Therefore, it was standard practice to keep rune stones in the guild vault until the right person for the skill was found. And Yoo Jinho managed to rummage through their vaults to find what he wanted. No, let's rephrase that.

He squeezed them until he found it.

– I told you, if you squeeze them enough, it will eventually appear. – Yoo Jinho's dependable and wicked voice was still vivid in his ears.

[...He's grown up well.] Beru muttered with a sinister smile, implying various things. And he looked ahead.

[Using Skill: 'Slaughter'.]

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash—!

Suho's two daggers were mercilessly slashing at the enemies. The speed gradually increased until it was impossible to follow them with the naked eye.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz—!

Black trails filled his vision. Following those, the high elves' bodies were being mercilessly cut down.

[Can you see, my King?] Beru's voice echoed faintly at that sight.

"Kraaa...!"

It was simply beautiful. The screams of the high elves erupting here and there resonated like an opera.

Crackle—!

BZZZZZT—!

The thunderbolts striking down from above their heads were like the sound of an angel's trumpet.

Flare! Whoosh! Whoosh—!

Beautiful Elvenwood instantly turned into a sea of fire with the flames of destruction.

[?? has been defeated.]

[?? has been defeated.]

[?? has been defeated.]

[?? has been defeated.]

[...]

[Blessing: 'Blessing of Gluttony' amplifies experience points.]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

...Beru burst into laughter at the sight of the fierce battlefield, where all these elements intertwined, resembling a majestic requiem.

[Can you hear, my King!] He called, Hoping his voice would reach Sung Jinwoo in outer space.

[Behold! Your son is following the path you walked!] For Beru, all of this was a prayer and a ritual offered to the king he served. Skill: 'Slaughter' was Beru's offering for Sung Jinwoo, not Sung Suho. Just then...

Twitch.

Beru's antennae twitched, and his eyes stared intently somewhere.

[...Found it.] It was natural for battles to occur during a war. But it wouldn't do to forget the initial objective because of being engrossed in the fight.

[The energy of the Outer Gods!]

Battle was one thing, but Beru hadn't forgotten why Suho set foot in this suspicious city. The fundamental cause that turned this area into a field-type dungeon. As Elvenwood burned, the location of the energy, previously hidden by the forest and trees, was finally found by Beru's senses.

[My liege! I found the Gates! I can sense three Gates underground!] Someone reacted to Beru's shout before Suho.

"How dare you!" Forest grit his teeth while stretching out his arm, half-severed by Suho's dagger, and wrapped it around the neck of another high elf burning and screaming beside him.

Crack—!

'...?!'

Like plucking an apple from a branch. Forest lightly snapped his fellow elf's neck and pulled off his head. And then something amazing happened.

Whoosh—!

The spirits erupted like a fountain from the neck of the headless high elf. Like when you shake a cola bottle and open the cap. Countless spirits gushed out explosively, and began to swirl around Forest's body.

Crackle! Crackle!

Then, the other high elves fighting Suho began to follow suit. They tore apart the bodies of their comrades that were damaged by his attacks and absorbed the spirits inside.

Graaaaaaaaaaa—!

Then, at an astonishing speed, the high elves' bodies began to grow and swell. They now looked like giant trees only resembling elves.

"Oh-oh my god...!" It might have seemed like a beautiful sight at first glance, but not to Sirka, who was an elf. To her it was horrifying to the point of nausea.

"It's not just one! How many spirits are inside each body?!"

"Huh. Young elf. Why are you so scared? Didn't you know this was the relationship between you elves and us?" Forest's smile as he looked down at the terrified Sirka was grotesquely distorted. It was chilling for a fellow elf.

'That's not an elf.' He, no, 'they' were something imitating elves. Now she understood. They didn't need eyes in the first place. Countless eyeballs were already crammed inside their bodies, peeking at the world outside. So many that they would spill out even with a small hole!

'That's a high elf?' If that horrifying thing was a high elf, she would definitely decline. Sirka shuddered as she recalled her desire to become a high elf, even for a moment.

"Suho! These guys are a collective of spirits! They're much worse than the ice golems we saw in the Echo Forest...!"

"How dare you compare us to mere ice golems!"

Crash—!

"...!"

Was he offended by Sirka's words? Forest's giant hand tore through the wind and fell vertically from the sky.

Bang—!

The hideous palm, filled with the eyes of countless spirits, struck Sirka as if swatting an insect. But fortunately, there were two shadow soldiers who rose before her just in time.

[...Hmm. Is that all you have?]

[Easy.]

Greed and Iron, armed with large shields and full-body armor, stood side by side and blocked Forest's palm. Sirka's eyes widened at their dependable backs. For reference, they were the High Priest and Priest in the Cult of the Outer Gods until recently. The sight of the high elves devoured by spirits felt a little different to them.

[It's quite novel that they thought of embedding Starpieces in their eyes. Does this make them see something different?]

[Maybe they can see the Outer Gods directly in exchange for losing their sight?]

Kraaa!

As Forest's size grew even larger, tremendous pressure bore down on Greed and Iron.

"Sirka! Freeze him!" The ice elf, startled by Suho's sudden shout, activated her 'Blessing of Frost.'

Whoosh— Crack—!

A blizzard raged, freezing Forest's hand and arm solid. And Suho, who flew over the frost-covered limb, struck down with his dagger.

Crack! Shatter—!

As the weapon, blazing with heat, collided with the rapidly frozen wood, Forest's arm broke off.

[It's useless!]

Whoosh—!

At that moment, countless spirits erupted from the broken arm, shouting in unison and attacking Suho's body all at once. Elvenwood forest burned and lightning struck everywhere. But... for some reason they were still smiling.

[We!]

[Do not die!]

Whoosh—!

"Suho!" Cha Hae-In, still fighting the trees, shouted urgently and rushed towards her son being swallowed by the numerous spirits.

[My liege—!] Beru also flew towards Suho in dismay.

And at the center of it all, the spirits whispered in Suho's ear in unison,

[Huh. Did you say they might be able to see the Outer Gods if they embed Outer Gods stones in their eyes?] They were mocking Greed and Iron's words.

[Can't you think of the opposite case?]

'The opposite? Don't tell me?' Suho realized an important fact at those words.

"Don't tell me the Outer Gods are seeing this side through your eyes..."

Whoosh—!

At that moment, the spirits scattered in all directions and attacked Suho.

Flare!

The black-red shadow that was engulfing Suho's body repelled them. And the spirits immediately changed direction and chose an alternative.

Sirka.

The bloodline of Sillad, the King of the Ice Elves.

[Young elf.]

[We'll give you a chance.]

[Become one with us.]

"...?!"

Whoosh—!

Sirka's pupils dilated. Her body froze as all those grotesque things rushed towards her. But then... What came out of Suho's mouth as he desperately reached out to Sirka wasn't her name.

"Sillad!" At that moment...

[Skill: 'Unknown' is activated.]

Flash!

Suho's mind fell as he barely managed to grab Sirka's hand. Distant darkness or somewhere in the light. his mind was trapped in a storm raging within. But even as he was tossed around in that storm, Suho simply closed his eyes peacefully.

[...Long ago, the ice elf warriors who participated in the Monarch Wars were always accompanied by the blessing of the ice spirits.] A voice reached Suho.

[When a bow or any weapon was held in their hands, all their attacks were imbued with the 'Curse of the Frost'.]

'...Sillad?' He finally realized the identity of the voice. Ah, he succeeded. This was the world of the King of the Snowfolk, the Monarch of Frost.

[Those hit by our arrows would have that part frozen, and those cut by our blades wouldn't bleed, but a chilling and cruel coldness would penetrate their blood vessels through the severed part.]

But Suho still had his eyes closed. And Sillad wasn't visible. Only his calm voice was telling him an old tale.

[As those attacks accumulated, the opponent would eventually freeze to death. Everyone feared us. ...But this was only the story of elf warriors who used spirit magic. On the other hand, the fate of the elves devoured by spirits was miserable.]

Suho suddenly recalled. He had already fought elves possessed by spirits in the sanctuary on the Island of Facade. Esil clicked her tongue as soon as she saw them back then. What a sight. Snowfolk devoured by ice spirits? Just how weak were they in life...? Elves, whose specialty was spirit magic, were devoured by spirits instead of controlling them. It was truly an absurd situation. But now the circumstances were quite different from back then. Sillad's voice continued.

[At least the high elves of Elvenwood here weren't devoured by spirits because they were weak. Rather, they must have accepted the spirits by choice, to become even stronger.]

'...' Suho, trapped in the storm, finally opened his eyes. He could see Sillad beyond that.

[Perhaps their original goal was to accept the 'Primordial Darkness' into their bodies, not the spirits. That's the only way to become a Monarch. But to do that, they would have had to find where the Primordial Darkness was first.] Sillad's expression as he looked at the storm engulfing Suho... seemed a bit bitter. No matter how he looked at it, this wasn't normal spirit magic.

[Starpieces...? To embed such suspicious things in their eyes. Even those idiots wouldn't do that. Some guys must have tricked or forced them.]

Whoosh—

As Sillad stretched out his hand, a white wind swirled and seeped into the storm engulfing Suho. And as Sillad clenched his hand again, someone's will, swept away in that storm, bloomed into a small ice flower. Sillad clicked his tongue as he looked at that pathetic ice flower.

[It's been a while, Forest. My tenacious nemesis.]

[...] As no answer came, Sillad's expression gradually filled with anger.

[Speak. Who are the ones who put you in this fishbowl and raised you?]