RIP—!
The Elicro split in half.
Its white bones broke apart as the two halves fell to either side.
“GRAAAH!”
The Armed Zombie Warrior let out a bestial roar.
Whenever its axe traced a path through the air—
RIP!
An Elicro fell.
There were no exceptions.
SLASH!
RIP!
RIIIP!
The two undead cut down Elicros as though competing with each other.
As their numbers increased, the area they could cover expanded.
And because the enormous Armed Zombie Warrior drew even the enemies that would have targeted me—
Sir Isra could swing its sword without worrying about its rear.
【Subordinate. That will not do.】
“Grrrugh?”
【There is no dignity in your fighting!】
“Grrrugh.”
Sir Isra.
Please stop.
You are making me want to cry just watching this.
Sir Isra’s combat was like watching a dance.
It pressed forward with agility.
It effortlessly redirected the enemy’s strength.
It struck the crucial points with exquisite precision, even parrying their attacks.
Sir Isra’s attributes were only a little stronger than those of an E-rank Hunter.
In a contest of strength, it would not last five seconds against an Elicro.
Yet it made up the entire difference through technique alone.
“GRAAAH! I split them!”
The Armed Zombie Warrior was the opposite.
It charged straight ahead with unwavering force.
It cleaved Elicros of similar size in half with a single blow.
That did not mean it relied only on brute strength.
RIP—!
After severing an Elicro’s neck, the Armed Zombie Warrior did not lose momentum. It twisted its body further.
An Elicro attacking from the side offered its body to the axe blade.
The axe sank more than halfway into its body, and it collapsed with a gurgle.
“The day has finally come when I can benefit from a Necrosmith’s abilities.”
The undead shared the effects of Heavenly Martial Physique.
When I had been cursed with terrible coordination, Necrosmith’s abilities had been endlessly frustrating.
But after obtaining Heavenly Martial Physique, my undead’s combat capabilities had soared.
【Look at that.】
CLANG!
Even the Elicros’ sharp claws and teeth could not pierce armor crafted from sturdy Owlbeast bones.
【Why does it allow attacks it does not need to take?】
“Perhaps because it only gets scratched?”
【That lacks dignity!】
Sir.
You said the exact same thing earlier.
Why were you competing with it?
“Sir Isra, shall I remodel you like that?”
【No.】
“Would it not be much easier with stronger defense?”
【It does not suit my fighting style.】
Then could you please stop being competitive with the Armed Zombie Warrior?
“GRAAAAR!”
【Be quiet!】
I no longer knew which one was the monster.
Not long after entering the Gate, the Armed Zombie Warrior had already reached deep into the swamp.
It slaughtered every Elicro in sight.
Moving through the swamp and extracting Magic Stones was harder than the battles themselves.
SPLASH!
“Ugh. I hate this.”
【You chose this swamp yourself. Endure it through sheer stubbornness.】
Damn it.
“Grrrugh. Master. I will carry you.”
It was drenched in Elicro fluids.
And it wanted me to climb onto its back?
I politely declined.
“At this rate, we will clear the Gate within a day.”
【Was that not your intention?】
What?
I had only come to see how well the new undead fought.
I had not intended to clear a Gate designed for up to ten people by myself.
【Set your sights higher.】
“Do I have to find ambition even in clearing a Gate?”
【If you are the lord of Isra, you should naturally do so.】
Fine.
It had said that much.
Let us go all the way.
Deep within the swamp stood a three-meter Elicro covered in scars and tattoos.
[Elicro Warrior]
“Ugh. It looks fierce.”
It had quite the face.
【Scars are a warrior’s medals.】
“Then the Armed Zombie Warrior is an excellent warrior too.”
【Ahem. Those are unnecessary scars, so I cannot acknowledge them.】
Society had agreed to call that a double standard.
“GRAAAAAAR!”
[You are exposed to an Intimidating Presence.]
[All attributes decrease by 10%.]
[Fear Lv. 8 is applied.]
[Your judgment is clouded by fear.]
……
[Heavenly Martial Physique resists physical interference.]
[Fear has been removed.]
It startled me, but that was all.
The chilling sensation vanished like melting snow.
Heavenly Martial Physique.
What could it not do?
“Still, I do not think those tattoos were carved in for appearance alone.”
Through Spirit Sight, I saw Mana circling the tattoos in a consistent pattern.
They seemed to provide some form of buff.
【Correct. They are a kind of sorcery representing elemental resistance.】
“Then they are meant for magic defense.”
Elicros’ weakness was their low magic resistance.
If it covered itself in magic-defense tattoos like that—
It could completely compensate for that weakness.
Wow.
How ruthless.
It had truly resolved to make Hunters entering the Gate suffer.
【That does not apply to us.】
Sir Isra laughed.
“Grrrugh.”
【Give the command.】
Why ask for an order now?
“Take it down.”
【Yes. My Lord.】
“Grrrugh. Kill.”
The Armed Zombie Warrior charged directly at it.
Sir Isra moved around to the side.
“GRAAAAR. I can see you.”
The Elicro Warrior glanced around and leveled its greatsword.
SPLASH! SPLASH!
It moved with the same vicious speed as if it were running on dry land.
It was clearly trying to deny Sir Isra any opening as it circled around.
The distance between the two giants closed in an instant.
The Armed Zombie Warrior swung its axe with all its strength.
[Ulsidian Axe Technique]
The Elicro Warrior raised its greatsword and swung downward.
CLANG—!
A sharp metallic crash rang out.
The Armed Zombie Warrior took two steps back and ground its teeth.
“Grrrugh.”
It was impressive enough that it had endured a head-on clash with the boss.
Sir Isra was circling back, but it was still some distance away.
“GRAAAAR!”
The greatsword slashed down at an angle, shattering the Bone Armor and embedding itself in the Armed Zombie Warrior’s shoulder.
Even better.
The Armed Zombie Warrior was incredibly sturdy.
Its defense was enhanced by the armor, of course.
But the Spiritual Energy Circuits had also strengthened its overall abilities.
“GRAAAH!!”
More importantly.
Even if one of its shoulders dangled uselessly—
Even if its heart was shattered—
An undead would never fall.
You.
Had made a mistake.
“You should have aimed for its head.”
With one hand, the Armed Zombie Warrior grabbed the greatsword.
With the other, it reached for the Elicro Warrior’s neck.
“GRAAR!”
The monster released the greatsword with one hand and thrust that arm into the axe’s path.
The axe blade sank deep.
Yet without enough force behind it, the axe only cut halfway through its forearm.
The Armed Zombie Warrior released its grip.
SPLASH!
The axe fell into the swamp.
【Well done, subordinate!】
[Imperial Swordsmanship (Revised)_Isra Form]
[5th Form — Flash Step]
At that moment.
I saw it.
The power that formed the foundation of an undead.
Spiritual Energy flowed from Sir Isra’s heart to its thigh, then to its foot.
Then it burst forth with the force of a raging wave.
Sir Isra shot forward like a bullet.
I remembered.
When we first met, it had broken through the Goblins’ encirclement.
So that was how it had charged through them.
Thanks to Heavenly Martial Physique, I understood a little of the mechanism.
FLASH!
Like sunlight streaming through a window the instant it was opened—
By the time I recognized the attack, Sir Isra had already cut past its opponent.
SPLASH!
A massive arm fell into the swamp.
“GRAAAAAAR!”
The Elicro Warrior screamed after losing its arm.
It had cut through the very place injured by the axe in an instant.
This was what it took to be called the greatest swordsman on the continent.
“Grrrugh. You will not pass.”
The Armed Zombie Warrior shoved its body deeper into the greatsword’s reach.
It had lost one arm.
If it lost its weapon too, it would have no chance of winning.
But if it held onto the greatsword, it could not drive the Armed Zombie Warrior away with only one arm.
Wow.
If I were in its position, I would truly feel desperate.
SLASH! SLASH!
The Armed Zombie Warrior restrained it.
Sir Isra cut it down.
Having lost an arm, the Elicro Warrior could not find an answer between its two choices of death.
【This is the end.】
Piercing through its tattered scales—
The Bone Sword cut through the same wounded area again and again before piercing its heart.
[Your level has increased.]
[You have cleared the D-rank Gate — Deep Swamp.]
[Rank — SSS]
[You have received 100 D-rank Magic Stones as a reward.]
***
After defeating the Elicro Warrior, I gathered all the rewards and passed through the wormhole leading outside.
FWOOSH!
The scenery changed the instant I stepped into the blue sphere.
“You returned safely!”
“I can see why this Gate is unpopular.”
“Still, it is fortunate that you returned without injuries after facing Elicros.”
The Rift Management Agency employee spoke with clear relief.
He had been worried that I might refuse to enter earlier.
“Will you come again next time?”
“I do not think I will ever come here again.”
The Gate had already been cleared.
And I had no desire to step into a swamp again.
Even if I wanted to revisit it, I would not be able to.
I was about to tell him that I had killed the boss.
But the Rift Management Agency employee did not give me a chance to speak.
“Sir, this Gate is actually quite decent as long as you watch out for the boss.”
The Elicro Warrior, the boss monster, was powerful enough that even a standard five-person team struggled to hunt it.
But he repeatedly emphasized that it was a good Gate because Elicros had a high Magic Stone drop rate.
Hm.
Was the Elicro Warrior really that powerful?
The Rift Management Agency employee pleaded as though he might burst into tears.
I should properly explain why I could not come again.
“I have finished the boss raid.”
“Pardon?”
“The Elicro Warrior. I killed it five minutes ago.”
The Gate would close soon, too.
I looked behind me and indicated the blue wormhole with my eyes.
It had shrunk significantly.
The Rift Management Agency employee repeatedly turned his head back and forth.
“W-wait a moment!”
He checked the shrinking wormhole with the same device he had used to measure the Mana Distribution.
“S, S, an SSS-rank clear?!”
His eyes widened so much that they looked ready to pop out.
“How did you clear a Gate that had gone uncleared for so long……!”
Ah.
So that was why he had explained everything in such detail when I entered and exited.
Well.
I had already cleared it, so it did not matter.
“Keep up the good work.”
I said goodbye to the stunned Rift Management Agency employee and left.
Retracing my steps, I returned to my room.
CREEEAK—
I opened the basement door and turned on the lights.
Now.
Let us organize what I gained from this Gate clear.
Elicros — 47 D-rank Magic Stones.
Elicro Warrior — Guillotine Skillbook.
Gate Clear Reward — 100 D-rank Magic Stones.
“I did get more Magic Stones than I did from the Living Armor.”
【I would prefer not to revisit a swamp.】
“I cannot go back even if I wanted to.”
Do not make me repeat myself.
The total came to 147 Magic Stones.
If I sold them all, I would earn around 80 million won.
Heh.
The day had come when I could make nearly 100 million won in a single day.
The struggle through that swamp must have been difficult.
Otherwise, there was no way my eyes would be sweating.
Hehehe.
【Are you crying?】
“What are you talking about? It is sweat. Sweat.”
【Hahaha! You are definitely crying.】
“I said it is sweat.”
I slowly raised my index finger to my lips.
Say one more word.
I would make it practice silence.
Besides the Magic Stones, there was also the Skillbook dropped by the Elicro Warrior.
[Guillotine Skillbook]
Rank: Rare
Restriction: Close-Combat Class
Durability: 1/1
Swings a raised sword vertically downward.
*Additional damage proportional to Strength.
*Inflicts Stun Lv. 25 when striking a living target.
Oh.
“This should sell for a good price.”
Additional damage and a Stun effect.
It was an excellent skill that any close-combat Hunter would want.
It was Rare-rank as well.
Would it not sell for at least 50 million won?
【It does not seem all that impressive.】
Sir Isra grumbled.
What skill could possibly impress the greatest swordsman on the continent?
I had checked all the rewards from clearing the Gate.
【There is still one remaining.】
“It is not a reward, so I categorized it separately.”
That was right.
The things I gained from a Gate were not limited to Magic Stones and Skillbooks.
For a Necrosmith, the greatest reward was the boss monster’s corpse.
[Death Space]
[2/10 → 1/10]
The Elicro Warrior’s corpse, which had been stored within my specialized skill, appeared.