Chapter 624: Elvenheim (5)

Fenrir.

It might now be dismissed as a legend from the distant past, but that would be a mistake.

The name Fenrir had originated in Norse mythology to begin with.

And Fenrir had already been a legendary wolf several years ago.

Even if countless new legends had emerged since then, its brilliance had never faded.

That was also why Hyunsoo’s solo raid against Fenrir was still spoken of as a legend.

In any case—

Fenrir Charge.

For a full eight seconds, the more-than-ten-meter-tall Fenrir charged forward in a frenzy, trampling everything in its path.

Anything it trampled took damage equal to an additional 250% of Fenrir’s already absurd Attack Power.

Splash damage also struck the surrounding area and spread within a five-meter radius, giving Fenrir Charge a range that defied common sense.

Nell had once said that if Fenrir Charge were unleashed while the Parion Empire Army was tightly packed together, it could annihilate an army of one hundred thousand in a single charge.

Fenrir Charge was one of Hyunsoo’s trump cards.

The proof appeared immediately.

[You have hunted 5,330 of Vadalla’s monsters.]

[513 fairies have been purified.]

[756 ents have been purified.]

[471 centaurs have been purified.]

[The amount of Gold acquired is too great.]

[The amount of EXP acquired is too great.]

[The totals will be calculated once all hunting has concluded.]

Hyunsoo had already switched to the Twin Dragon Swords.

As he walked through the forest Fenrir had devastated, Vadalla demanded,

“Wh-Who the hell are you?!”

Hyunsoo saw no need to give him his full name.

“Hyun.”

Vadalla frowned at the terse answer.

“Hyun...?”

Naturally, Vadalla had no idea who that was.

Far too much time had passed since he had tamed countless monsters across the continent and come here.

What was that wolf just now?

Fenrir had appeared and vanished in an instant, leaving devastation in its wake.

Then Vadalla realized what had felt so strange.

That’s right. That enormous wolf is gone.

There was no reason for him to feel uneasy.

No reason to be afraid.

The man had initially commanded forty thousand wolves, but only twenty thousand remained.

Vadalla’s vast army had swept the rest away.

And it appeared that he could summon that wolf only once.

Vadalla had lost roughly one-sixth of his army, but it did not matter.

He retreated several steps, and the monsters that remained in fighting condition filled the space before him.

In particular—

The Big-Headed Ogre lumbered forward, each footfall landing with a thunderous boom.

The legendary monster known as the Big-Headed Ogre.

It was a creature of monstrous strength and stamina.

Even while enduring the attacks of a hundred ogres on its own, it could lead them all like a great warrior of ogrekind.

It was twice the size of an ordinary ogre, and its grip was strong enough to tear other ogres apart.

The Big-Headed Ogre brought its axe down upon the man.

CRAAAACK—!

The tremendous blast of displaced air shook the surrounding trees.

But then—

The man smoothly evaded the blow, and his sword cut through skin that other ogres could not even scratch.

[Guaranteed One-Hit Kill.]

[x3 damage will be applied.]

[You have successfully struck a vital point.]

[Critical Hit!]

Critical hits from vital-point strikes could occur even without a skill.

A successful strike against a vital point also dealt anywhere from 30% to 70% more damage than usual.

And now that bonus was being compounded by x3 damage and critical-hit damage.

Combined with the astonishingly high damage of the Twin Dragon Swords, it was nothing short of absurd.

CRAAAAASH—!!

[You have dealt 556,190 damage.]

The Big-Headed Ogre’s chest was ripped open so deeply that its bones were visible.

On top of that—

[The status ailment Deep Laceration has been inflicted.]

[The status ailment Excruciating Pain has been inflicted.]

Wh-What...?

Vadalla stared at the “legend of ogrekind,” now wounded by a frail human barely one-third its size, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“KWOOOOOR!”

The creature had shown no pain even while surrounded by a hundred attacking ogres.

Seeing it writhe in agony was utterly alien.

But the Big-Headed Ogre was not about to take the assault lying down.

Yes. Show him your power.

Gripping its axe in both hands, the Big-Headed Ogre successfully slammed it into the man’s shoulder.

CRAAAASH—!

“...!”

Joy blossomed across Vadalla’s face.

But only for an instant.

[Overlord.]

[Returns x3 the damage received and ignores all Defense.]

RUMMMBLE—

A tremendous light erupted from the man’s black armor.

An overwhelming force crashed directly into the Big-Headed Ogre’s shoulder.

CRAAAAASH—!!

[You have dealt 634,013 damage.]

The power returned triple the damage while ignoring all Defense.

The result defied common sense.

It literally blew the creature’s shoulder apart!

“KWAAAGH! KWAAAAAGH!”

With only one arm remaining, the Big-Headed Ogre dropped its axe.

CLANG—

Then the man who had introduced himself as Hyun severed the Big-Headed Ogre’s head in a single stroke.

THUD—!

The motion flowed as smoothly as running water, and the ogre’s head fell to the ground.

Vadalla was stunned.

What the hell is that bastard?

It had taken the man less than ten seconds to kill the Big-Headed Ogre.

The creature might not have compared to the greatest among the countless Legendary beings known throughout the world, but it was still undeniably a legend.

After killing the Big-Headed Ogre, Hyunsoo heard another notification.

[Legendary monster.]

[You have hunted the Big-Headed Ogre.]

Naturally, this reward would also be included in the final calculation after all the hunting was over.

But something else was steadily accumulating in real time.

I noticed it before, but what exactly is this?

It was something called “essence,” which he had already seen earlier.

It seems like a quest item.

There was no precise explanation of what it was used for.

However—

Unlike EXP and artifact drops, essence was not being withheld and consolidated into a single total.

When Fenrir had charged through and slaughtered thousands of monsters—

[You have acquired 356 essence.]

And when the ents, fairies, and centaurs had been purified in the process—

[The fairies have gifted you 3 essence.]

[The ents have gifted you 5 essence.]

[The centaurs have gifted you 6 essence.]

The beings of Elvenheim were giving Hyunsoo essence as they were purified.

In particular—

[You have acquired 23 essence for hunting the Big-Headed Ogre.]

[You completed the hunt at an astonishing speed.]

[You have acquired an additional 23 essence.]

It continued to accumulate like this.

Even as the wolves hunted other monsters, more and more essence kept pouring in.

For the moment, Hyunsoo set aside the question of what to do with the enormous quantity he was amassing.

“Even so, how do you intend to face so many beings by yourself?!”

Vadalla.

The dark-skinned elf was strikingly handsome.

Contrary to the expectation that he would carry a bow, Vadalla wielded a staff.

He was the very image of a tamer.

“The Ent King, Fairy King, and King of Centaurs remain unharmed and stand at my side.”

BOOOOM—!

He struck the ground with his staff, unleashing a heavy surge of power.

Every Legendary monster that had faltered moments ago snapped its head up and advanced toward Hyunsoo.

[The Dark Elf’s Fury has taken hold.]

[The abilities of every monster under his command increase by 18%, and their resistance to status ailments increases by 50%.]

[They lose all fear and begin fighting solely to kill as their morale surges.]

Vadalla raised his black staff high.

“Behold! This is the Holy Grail bestowed upon me by a demon. A noble and beautiful treasure placed in my hands by the demon himself.”

Vadalla took greater pride than anyone in having entered into a pact with a demon.

“The power of a demon you have never even witnessed surges within me!”

BOOOOM—!

Another violent tremor shook the entire land.

At that moment, Vadalla reached a decision.

He would show the demon race to the one who dared defy him!

“Ah... Great Demon Vadia.”

He invoked the name of that exalted and sacred being, one that made humans tremble in terror.

Vadalla expected the human to shrink back in fear.

“Manifest here, if only for a moment, and drown this man in terror.”

BOOOOM—!

He drove his staff into the ground once more, and black currents began seeping from it.

[High-Ranking Demon Vadia has begun descending.]

Vadalla’s face lit up.

Lord Vadia had answered his call!

“Do you know who Count Vadia is? He is a high-ranking demon who challenges the authority of the Seventy-Two Demons. He commands tens of thousands of demonic beasts and may soon contend for one of the Seventy-Two Thrones. Fear him. Tremble before him. Worship him.”

Spreading his arms wide, he demanded that the human bow in worship.

Hyunsoo said nothing.

He simply watched Vadalla.

But Vadalla did not care.

Soon, that expression would be dyed with horror.

[High-Ranking Demon Vadia appears with the tens of thousands of demonic beasts under his command!]

FWAAAAASH—

Flames resembling the eternal fires of Hell blazed upward.

Ferocious demonic beasts in the Level 580 range began emerging from within them.

They were creatures that could never be seen in the human world.

[Hellhound Lv576.]

Their bodies looked as though they were melting and running down their own frames.

“Grrrrr...”

“Bark! B-Bark!”

“Woof! Woof!”

“SKREEEE!”

Vadalla gazed in ecstasy at the foul, hideous demonic beasts soaring through the sky.

Ah, my master...

He had sold his soul to this great demon, who had then become his master.

How could he not rejoice when such a being had personally descended for his sake?

At last—

“Haaaa...”

A demon manifested.

A supreme demon that mere humans could live their entire lives without ever witnessing.

Clad in pitch-black armor, Count Vadia looked every bit the noble and beautiful being Vadalla believed him to be.

Vadalla knelt before the fully manifested demon like a faithful servant.

“Master of tens of thousands of demonic beasts, demon who granted me the power of a tamer, my father...!”

“Yes. Why have you summoned me?”

Vadia was rather fond of Vadalla, who had sold him his soul.

If Vadalla had summoned him, he must have needed assistance.

“I ask that you personally punish the one who defies your power, Lord Vadia.”

“Is that so?”

Vadia looked at the human as though he were an insignificant insect.

His gaze swept him from head to toe, and he clicked his tongue.

“Who is that?”

Vadalla spat out the worthless name.

“He called himself Hyun.”

“...?”

Vadia tilted his head at the name.

“Hyun...? The one who created Babylon...?”

A rumor had spread throughout the Demon Realm.

A human had forged a masterpiece called Babylon, a blade capable of destroying even great demons, and had slain the great demon Gremory.

It had been centuries since a great demon had died at human hands.

And the man responsible was named Hyun.

The instant Vadia realized that, he began making excuses.

“Now that I think about it, affairs of the human world should be handled by those who live in the human world.”

Vadalla sensed something was wrong as the demon rambled.

“What? Then why did you answer my summons?”

But Count Vadia was already tearing open space and hastily crossing through it.

“...Never summon me again. Ever!”

“...?”

At that moment—

[High-Ranking Demon Vadia flees in abject terror.]

[Merely hearing Hyun’s name has made his knees buckle, and he has concluded that he must escape this place immediately.]

“...?”

Vadia had fled.

He had been in such a hurry that he had even forgotten to take his tens of thousands of demonic beasts with him.

Realizing that something had gone terribly wrong, Vadalla looked at Hyunsoo.

Hyunsoo had merely watched with his arms folded and an arrogant smile on his face.

Now he spoke.

“My turn, right?”

“...?”

His turn?

What did that mean?

Vadalla failed to understand.

Hyunsoo answered in kind—an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

“Summon.”

“????”

“Demon Grout.”

At that instant—

FWAAAAASH—!

A vast surge of energy erupted from a demonic sword and began taking shape.

When the figure fully emerged, Vadalla witnessed a sight unlike anything he had ever seen.

BOOOOM—!

BOOOOM—!

The tens of thousands of demonic beasts Count Vadia had abandoned were bowing before a true demon.

And in that moment, they revealed just how insignificant they were in the presence of the real thing.