Chapter 98: 98
It was an orc with dense muscles and a height close to two meters . The orc originally had a necklace, the Symbol of the Meadow . It was the orc that had given Hyeonu his only defeat since starting Arena . The master of all these titles—it was Meadow Fighter, Dakan .
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‘Of course, it isn’t actually him . ’
Hyeonu speculated that this test only implemented the data of Dakan and that it wasn’t actually Dakan . Dakan of the Black Forest couldn’t actually appear here . At this moment, there was a voice that turned Hyeonu’s speculation into reality .
-The summoned race is a chimera created using the memories of the students who came to Laek as its base . It might be weaker or stronger than the original race .
‘There is some good news in the misfortune . ’
It was unfortunate that it was Dakan that appeared from among the orcs, dark elves, dwarves, and lycanthropes, but it was fortunate that this Dakan could be weaker .
‘What if he is stronger?’
Then it would be the worst . Originally, Dakan was a strong opponent for the current Hyeonu . It was ridiculous if he became stronger .
-Shout ‘start’ to begin the Stage 8 test, and the duel with the other race will begin .
Hyeonu realized that he had to do his best . It was time to bring out his own secret weapon . “Come out, Tang-E . ”
Tang-E, Hyeonu’s secret weapon, appeared . Appearing with a colorful magic circle, Tang-E glanced around him before racing to Hyeonu . “Master dude, did you finally stop hunting? You did, right?”
Tang-E was relieved when he saw the landscape had changed . ‘I don’t have to hunt anymore . ’
“By the way, where is this place? I don’t think it is the Black Forest, so why is this uncle here? Are you fighting with Uncle again?” Tang-E continued to wonder .
Hyeonu quickly answered the key point in Tang-E’s words, “This isn’t Dakan . It is a copy, a type of dummy made for the test . ”
Tang-E nodded like he understood Hyeonu’s words . “Then Master dude should go ahead and defeat that copy . I’ve had a hard time and will take a break . ’
Tang-E sat down the moment he finished talking . Then he waved his paws at Hyeonu .
‘I have to put up with it . I . . . ’
“I’m not telling you to fight . Just buff me . ”
Hyeonu thought it was good that he was wearing a mask . Otherwise, Tang-E would’ve seen his face and known he was lying again . However, due to the mask, Tang-E didn’t see Hyeonu’s expression and buffed him .
[You have received Bear’s Momentum . ]
[Physique has increased . ]
[Strength has increased . ]
[You have received the Forest’s Blessing . ]
[Physique has increased . ]
[Health will continue to recover . ]
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Once Hyeonu saw he had received the buffs, he swung his fists at Tang-E’s head .
Tak!
“Ouch . It hurts . ”
“Next time you should go out first . The pet shouldn’t stay back while the master is hunting . ”
“Damn Master dude, you’re dirty . That’s why you don’t have a woman . Damn Master . ”
Tang-E remained strong in the face of Hyeonu . He leaned against one side of the wall and patted his stomach . His posture was as comfortable as lying on a riverbank .
‘Sigh, that damn pet . ’ Hyeonu sighed as he walked toward the fake that had the appearance of Dakan . Once he was five meters away from the orc, Hyeonu’s mouth opened, “Start . ”
Starting with Hyeonu’s words, the orc started to move . “Chwik!”
This was the real beginning of Stage 8 .
[Master of Combat is activated . ]
[Your stats have increased . ]
[The stat ‘fighting energy’ has caused your stats to rise . ]
[The other party is stronger than you . ]
[Your stats have increased . ]
[Mindset of a Murderer has activated . ]
[All stats have increased by 15% . ]
Once Hyeonu pulled out the half-sword, the system recognized he was in a combat situation and the skills were activated .
‘Let’s take a look first . ’
Hyeonu gently swung the sword like it was a whip . Then a dark sword energy was fired from Hyeonu’s sword . The orc, that was based on Dakan, quickly swung his weapon at Hyeonu’s sword energy . Surprisingly, the orc neutralized Hyeonu’s sword energy without any impact .
‘He seems to be at least level 180 . He can also manifest sword energy since I don’t see the effect of repulsion . ’
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Hyeonu started to evaluate the orc with this one move . The more the attacks and defenses continued, the more detailed the evaluation became . The moment the evaluation became perfect was the moment when the orc collapsed .
‘This is a great opportunity . How long has it been since I fought a humanoid monster?’
Hyeonu couldn’t remember the last time he fought a humanoid monster, especially in close combat . Perhaps the last time was when he fought against Lebron . He fought a lot of rankers in Masked Fighting King, but that was it . There was no tension or feeling of joy . They didn’t have the skills to make him reveal himself . However, it seemed possible with this orc .
Hyeonu’s sword energy and the orc’s broadsword collided . It sounded like a bomb had detonated . In the confrontation between the two, it was Hyeonu who was pushed back .
‘He is ignorant and strong . ’
Hyeonu’s attack power was no different from all the warrior classes in Arena . Due to the defense penetration option, Hyeonu was better than everyone else in terms of output . That was only when the attack was successful . If he were fighting a humanoid monster like this, he wouldn’t be able to take full advantage of his attack power unless the opponent was a fool and took the offense head on .
‘However, what if things change?’
[Giant’s Power has been used . ]
[Your strength stat has increased . ]
[Giant's Nature has been used . ]
[Your strength stat has increased . ]
Hyeonu was unable to overcome the shock and flew away . Then he used his giant skills . His strength stat rose in an instant . Hyeonu’s body was full of pleasant energy .
“Haap!” Hyeonu once again swung the half-sword toward the orc . This was an action with the same trajectory as before, but the results were different . It was an overwhelming victory . The orc’s body was thrown back extremely hard . However, the impact didn’t seem to be too great, and the orc quickly rushed back toward Hyeonu .
The orc fought hard, but Hyeonu wasn’t a fool . There was no reason to counter such attacks . Hyeonu stepped back and dodged the orc’s attacks . The orc’s strike only hit the innocent ground .
At the next moment, Hyeonu kicked off from the ground . It was really exquisite timing . The orc was forced to allow Hyeonu’s attack . A solid line was drawn over the orc’s shoulders, and blood burst from the gap like a fountain .
[The illusion monster has received the abnormal condition ‘bleeding’ . ]
Crasul’s Curse kept the blood flowing from the orc’s wounds, and it started to flow with a stronger force . Yet the orc just kept swinging his broadsword at Hyeonu, seeming like he did not care about his wounds .
‘I think he is faster than before?’ It wasn’t Hyeonu’s imagination . The orc was indeed different from before . He was growing faster and stronger over time .
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‘What are the characteristics? The lower his health, the higher his stats?’ Hyeonu calmly grasped the state of the orcs . ‘Still, I’m not being pushed . I should end this quickly . ’
The remaining time for the giant skills was two minutes . If he didn’t finish it in two minutes, then he might not be able to withstand the orc’s attack power once the giant skills disappeared .
‘It can’t be helped . ’
Hyeonu realized it was time to use Cursed Spear, which he had been saving for the remaining two stages . At this moment, Hyeonu disappeared . It was the Mysterious Sky Steps from the Mysterious Sky Demonic Art . The location Hyeonu reappeared in was behind the orc . Hyeonu held a large spear in his hand, and he stabbed it into the orc’s back without hesitation .
[The illusion monster has received the abnormal condition ‘bleeding . ’]
Crasul’s Curse was cast once again . This time, bleeding was applied . In addition to the original wound on the shoulder, blood now flowed from the opponent’s abdomen .
“Kuaack!” The first scream emerged from the orc’s mouth . The orc was full of anger as he swung his sword .
‘It is just a doll compared to the level . ’
Hyeonu prepared for the final blow against the orc . He was nervous for a moment before he thought the doll was Dakan . Then this made him laugh . The black crescent sword energy cut through the orc’s body . The duel with the Stage 8 monster was over .
-You have passed the given test perfectly . Compensation will be paid before moving on to Stage 9 .
[Experience has been acquired . ]
[The ‘fighting energy’ state has been acquired . ]
[You already have the ‘fighting energy’ stat . ]
[Your fighting energy stat has risen by 100 . ]
[Your strength stat has increased by 10 . ]
[Your agility stat has increased by 10 . ]
[Your physique stat has increased by 10 . ]
[Your magic power stat has increased by 10 . ]
The rewards were enormous . Fighting energy was at 197, and it rose to 297 . The fighting energy stat, which only rose by one or two after countless hunting, increased by 100 points in a flash . It was something that only occasionally rose when he leveled up or defeated boss monsters . Additionally, all other stats gained 10 points .
“The rewards are really generous . I wish I could break two or three more dungeons like this . . . ”
He was just regretful he didn’t get any skills or items . Hyeonu seemed to be sitting on intangible rewards and felt a bit disappointed .
“There are still two stages left . I might get something there . ”
Hyeonu now entered the gate in a familiar manner . There were only two stages remaining .
Stage 9 was no different from Stage 8 . It was a blocked arena area just like when he first entered the dungeon .
“What will come out this time? Tang-E, do you know?”
“It should be similar to when you fought Uncle, so won’t it be another fight? Master dude, think about it . This is why I hear that Master dude is stupid . ”
Hyeonu grabbed his head that was getting dizzy from Tang-E’s bombardment of facts and asked, “Who said I was stupid?”
“It’s me . Stupid Master dude . ”
“You?!”
Bang!
Hyeonu eventually couldn’t bear it and swung his fists .
During the time when Hyeonu and Tang-E were arguing, a polite voice rang through the space, -Welcome to Stage 9 . Stage 9 is the gateway to the heart of iron and blood . There has always been the betrayal of a loved one throughout history . Gain a heart of iron and blood through a battle with a precious person .
“Precious person? Who will appear?”
Numerous names popped into Hyeonu’s head . A fallen father and a mother who cared for such a father . . . Yeongchan, Yeongjun, Yuri . . . There were also people he made a connection with in Arena .
Soon, a human form started to take shape . Based on the outline, they were quite tall . They seemed to be at least 180 centimeters tall .
‘It isn’t my mother or father because they aren’t this tall . ’
Hyeonu was relieved . It was impossible for him to fight against his mother or father . Finally, the full picture of the person was revealed . After seeing it, Hyeonu’s spirit flew up like Archimedes who had discovered the principle of gravity .
“A huge profit!”