Chapter 21
Was it too reckless?
In the deathly silence, the Tyrant stared at me with his mouth firmly shut. That was the thought that crossed my mind.
‘To propose a bet to a man who stands among the strongest on the continent.’
It was an act that only someone with either a heart of steel or a mental illness would dare attempt.
But words once spoken cannot be taken back.
It was already too late for regret, so I faced Wolfgang with steady eyes as well.
At that moment.
“Khahaha!”
Wolfgang threw his head back and burst into laughter.
Whether from genuine amusement or not, tears even welled up in his eyes.
At the very least, he didn’t seem to have taken my words offensively.
“Khhuhu……! Ah, forgive me. It was such a refreshing experience. Ever since I became known as the Tyrant, everyone who stands before me has only bowed and groveled like hunchbacks.”
“……”
“I truly never imagined that a young man like you would stand tall and propose a contest. If my laughter offended you, please forgive me generously.”
“Not at all.”
“But do you know what was truly amusing?”
Wolfgang, who had wiped away his tears, looked down at me with eyes full of leisure.
“The fact that you are showing such boldness in a contest you cannot win. You claim you will achieve better results in the ‘Trial of Entur’ than I did?”
“……”
“Three years from now, you might barely manage it. Ten years from now, you would do it with ease. But not now.”
Even though I was the only successful candidate who had defeated Walter, Wolfgang spoke with certainty.
He was convinced that I could not surpass his achievement.
‘That’s understandable.’
When Wolfgang challenged the Trial, he had already reached the mid-level of the Master realm.
On the other hand, my current realm was still far below his.
Wolfgang’s conclusion that it was impossible wasn’t out of disdain, but a rational judgment based on common sense.
However.
“If I succeed, will you accept the conditions I proposed?”
“Hmm?”
I was confident.
If I didn’t have even 1% confidence, I wouldn’t have boldly proposed a bet in the first place.
I had challenged the ‘Trial of Entur’ a total of six times while playing the game.
And all six times, I had achieved the same results as Wolfgang.
This time would be different.
This time, I would achieve results that surpassed Wolfgang’s.
“Well, fine. If you win, I will show you the complete forms of ‘Frost Fang’. No — I will even give you the full manual.”
“……”
“But if you fail, you must take responsibility for the words you have spoken. As promised, you will become a sword that serves only Aigon for the rest of your life.”
“Of course.”
The best manual would simply be you demonstrating the sword forms in front of me.
Still, since he said he would give it, there was no reason to refuse.
He was offering more because he thought I would fail anyway.
As I silently stared at Wolfgang with a faint smile in my mind, he slightly tilted his head.
“Is there something more you wish to say?”
“Yes.”
I decided to make the most of this rare opportunity of a private meeting with Wolfgang.
“There is one more thing I would like to tell you, My Lord.”
***
The next day. As soon as dawn broke, the successful candidates moved toward the location where the Ice Dragon Entur’s remains lay.
Along with Wolfgang, two escort knights, and a small group, they climbed the highest peak of the Lokan Mountains in <Aigon>.
After climbing the steep mountain path, the moment they reached the summit,
A vast, desolate ice field like a desert — hidden by the snowy mountains — came into view.
The northern sea that the Ice Dragon had frozen in its lifetime was right here.
“Oh……”
“Wow.”
The same successful candidates — Edan and the black mage woman (whose name, I learned yesterday, was Mirati) — let out exclamations of awe.
They weren’t marveling at the ice field itself, but at what lay upon it.
Dragon bones.
Even from this distance, the enormous remains of Entur filled their entire field of vision, resting at the center of the ice field.
‘As expected of this shitty game’s ridiculous scale.’
I had seen it six times in the game, so I thought I would be indifferent, but seeing it in reality was completely different. It was overwhelmingly majestic.
“Hmm……!”
Edan clenched his fists with a determined expression, as if vowing not to tarnish his family’s reputation.
As for Mirati,
“……”
She stared at the remains with eyes gleaming with a somewhat sinister desire before quickly returning to a poker face.
My senses, greatly enhanced by the Rank stat, did not miss it.
‘Those who challenge the Trial naturally carry their own desires, but…….’
The desire she showed just now had a different nature.
To put it simply, it was like the impatient hunger of a person who had starved for a long time upon discovering a luxurious feast.
The look in her eyes said she would only be satisfied if she devoured it right away.
Of course, since I already knew she was a black mage, it could just be my bias……
‘Still, I should prepare just in case. The <Dark Blood Society> are not people to be trusted.’
If Mirati tried anything suspicious,
I had already prepared countermeasures last night.
If she quietly finished the Trial and left, nothing would happen.
But if she was plotting something dirty, the measures I prepared would take her life.
Shing—
As I was lost in thought, Wolfgang stepped forward and drew the sword at his waist, raising it high.
Then, infusing his voice with aura that shook the sky, he roared.
“The Tyrant of the North pays his respects to the great Dragon!”
The shout echoed and reached Entur’s remains.
Then.
Kugugugu—!!
From the remains that had shown no movement, a suffocating purple death energy surged forth.
Not only me and the other candidates, but even Wolfgang broke into a cold sweat. Yet he did not stop his invocation.
“New challengers humbly seek to test their worth! O Ice Dragon, please grant them your generous permission to face this trial!”
A summoning ritual to call forth the dragon’s lingering thoughts.
To challenge the Trial, Wolfgang first had to attempt communication with Entur’s soul.
Because he was the only human recognized by Entur.
Whoooong.
The death energy overflowing from the remains instantly flew toward where we stood.
Soon after, with his aura withdrawn but his voice even more solemn, Wolfgang spoke.
“Kneel and pay your respects to the Ice Dragon’s soul. With that, the Trial begins.”
We immediately knelt on one knee as instructed.
Immediately afterward.
The death energy swirling in the air began to envelop my body.
[You are challenging the ‘Trial of Entur’!]
***
The moment the death energy covered me, I was transferred to another space.
A desolate space with nothing but stone ceilings, floors, and walls.
I sharpened my senses to prepare for anything that might come, when a message appeared.
[You have entered the ‘Foot’.]
The Trial of Entur consisted of a total of five stages.
Foot, Leg, Torso, Neck, Skull.
This was the lowest part of the body — the ‘Foot’ stage, which was relatively the easiest.
Of course, “relatively” was the key word.
Hwaruk—! Hwaruk—!
Clack, clack…….
Black flames burst through the ground from all directions, followed by the rattling sound of bones.
Soon, as the flames receded, black-boned skeletons gripping spears and swords revealed themselves.
However, these were on a completely different level from ordinary skeletons that would crumble from a single hit.
‘Entur’s Dragonfang Soldiers.’
Monsters whose bodies were forged from the fangs of an ancient dragon.
The Dragonfang Soldiers were superior entities that surpassed skeletons in every aspect.
They possessed intelligence more wicked than humans, merciless hunting skills, and ferocity……
Dozens of such creatures, each one difficult to deal with alone, had formed a group and surrounded me.
‘From the very first stage, I have to fight a horde of Dragonfang Soldiers alone. No wonder Wolfgang had to thoroughly filter out the weaklings beforehand.’
This was a hell where the weak could not survive.
In fact, the test condition of lasting five exchanges against a 7-star knight felt almost insufficient.
With only enough skill to endure, it would be impossible to break through the black bones of these Dragonfang Soldiers.
The fangs of an ancient dragon were far harder than steel, and these monsters had bodies forged from those very fangs.
Ordinary destructive power would barely scratch them.
Yes.
Ordinary destructive power.
Shwaaaa—.
Blood ki rose from my hand and coiled into a spiral before condensing into a sphere.
It was not the usual crimson color, but a sinister purple.
KyaAAAAAAAH—!!
With ear-piercing shrieks, the Dragonfang Soldiers surrounding me from all sides charged.
The moment their spears and swords, filled with terrifying killing intent, thrust toward my vital points,
Tap!
I leaped high enough to nearly touch the ceiling, then hurled the blood ki orb — compressed to the size of a bowling ball — toward the ground.
That was enough.
To wipe out nearly half of the dozens of Dragonfang Soldiers.
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!!
The purple blood ki orb exploded like a grenade, producing a deafening roar.
The blood ki fragments that swept in all directions mercilessly tore through the black bones — harder than armor — and turned the Dragonfang Soldiers into dust.
“Huh.”
I couldn’t help but admire the terrifying power that shook the entire space.
‘With this level of power… it could easily be called another wide-area skill.’
Well.
Considering the hell I went through to obtain this skill, it should be this powerful.
【Blood Poison Creation】
Creates a Blood Orb imbued with Theresa’s poison.
The Blood Orb can be detonated at the skill holder’s will. After detonation, it spreads a poisonous mist over a certain radius.
The skill I unintentionally gained after the fierce battle with the Poison Demon.
I had checked the skill information last night, but this was the first time using it in actual combat.
The result was more than satisfactory.
In terms of pure destructive power alone, it might even rank right behind <Devouring Spirit Summon>.
Moreover, as the system description suggested, the true value of <Blood Poison Creation> was only just beginning.
Shaaaa—.
The moment the explosion ended, a thick purple mist spread rapidly.
Poison fog.
Blood ki imbued with lethal poison filled the entire space.
Even the Dragonfang Soldiers outside the blast radius could not escape the poisonous mist.
Watching the creatures submerged in the fog, I was certain. With this, the first stage of the Trial was complete.
It was then.
Grrrr—.
Graaaaaah……!!
Fierce roars erupted from beyond the thick fog.
The screams of the Dragonfang Soldiers.
“What the…”
Beyond the mist, the Dragonfang Soldiers were faintly visible, writhing violently.
It wasn’t writhing from pain. These creatures had no sensory organs to begin with, so screaming in agony was impossible.
That meant they were behaving this way for another reason……
[‘Entur’s Dragonfang Soldier’ is absorbing ‘Deadly Poison’.]
[‘Entur’s Dragonfang Soldier’ is growing stronger by absorbing death energy.]
[‘Entur’s Dragonfang Soldier’ is absorbing death energy and becoming stronger…….]
Ding! Ding! Ding!
A series of bewildering messages appeared one after another.
Every time the poisonous mist seeped into their black bones, the creatures’ killing intent grew exponentially stronger.
I landed on the ground and faced the Dragonfang Soldiers whose eyes now glowed with dark crimson light, a faint smile forming on my lips.
“I didn’t expect this.”
The Dragonfang Soldiers were undead monsters that used death energy as fuel.
I never dreamed that the poison mist would instead empower them.
In terms of compatibility, this actually put me at a disadvantage.
Crunch—!!
One of the charging creatures swung its longsword down at terrifying speed.
Dodging it was simple — I just had to kick off the ground and retreat — but the sharp sword wind grazing my cheek and the fragments exploding from the floor proved how much stronger they had become.
‘I need to take this seriously now. Using <Blood Poison Creation> was a mistake.’
Baang—!!
I smashed the skull of the creature that had attacked first using a hammer created with <Blood Weapon>.
The tingling pain transmitted through my grip. If this had been before I bathed in the <Lava Pond of Evolution>, I probably wouldn’t have even dealt proper damage.
Just as I was regretting using the skill,
[You have defeated an enemy of a higher level than normal! Your Rank has increased significantly!]
[The stronger the enemy you defeat, the greater the increase in Rank!]
“……?”
My mind briefly froze as I read the message that appeared in the corner of my vision.
Now that I thought about it, a similar message had appeared when I defeated a powerful enemy like the Poison Demon.
It said my Rank had increased significantly after defeating a powerful foe.
It seemed the system had recognized the Dragonfang Soldiers strengthened by the blood poison as ‘powerful enemies’.
Even if they were ‘powerful enemies’, they were still trivial compared to the Poison Demon.
“Well then.”
The moment my Rank increased, I felt a surge of overflowing power and twisted my lips into a smile.
And then.
Shaaaa—.
Once again, purple blood ki began swirling in my grasp.
“Good thing I used the skill.”
After quickly switching tactics, I threw the Blood Orb toward the ceiling and
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!!
Detonated it.
As expected, poisonous mist spread from the exploded Blood Orb, engulfing the Dragonfang Soldiers below.
[‘Entur’s Dragonfang Soldier’ is absorbing ‘Deadly Poison’.]
[‘Entur’s Dragonfang Soldier’ is growing stronger by absorbing death energy.]
[‘Entur’s Dragonfang Soldier’ is absorbing death energy and becoming even stronger…….]
[‘Entur’s Dragonfang Soldier’ has reached the limit of its reinforcement!]
The news that the enemies were growing stronger was actually good news for me right now.
“I’ve fed them enough.”
Time to start the experience farming.