Chapter 35

His relentless barrage finally paid off.

[Effect: Critical Wound has activated.]

The special effect attached to Rakan’s Fang had activated—a 15% chance to deal critical damage of at least twice the normal amount.

That was only the beginning.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

[Effect: Critical Wound has activated.]

[Effect: Critical Wound has activated.]

...

As Suho landed more and more attacks, critical hits kept triggering.

CRACK!

At last, one of Arachne’s leg joints broke, unable to withstand the force.

“Graaaargh!”

Arachne staggered with a monstrous shriek. Suho seized the opening, immediately stepping onto the broken leg and springing up onto its back.

Gripping both swords in reverse, he drove them into its hard carapace—or, more precisely, into the joint socket visible between its plates.

CRUNCH!

Green blood spattered, accompanied by a monstrous scream.

“Graaagh!”

CRASH! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Arachne thrashed violently, slamming itself against the walls in an attempt to shake Suho off. But the harder it struggled, the more tenaciously he clung to its back, driving his swords deeper.

Then it happened.

“Skreeee!”

[Arachne, the Grave Spider, uses Skill: Puppet Show.]

[Arachne, the Grave Spider, uses Skill: Puppet Show.]

SWISH!

'Behind me!'

Suho instinctively flipped his body and leaped high into the air. A sharp attack sliced through the space he had just occupied.

SLASH!

Landing on Arachne’s back again, Suho turned to identify his attackers.

“S-sorry!”

“Our bodies are moving on their own...!”

The hunters attacking him were deathly pale, their limbs tightly wrapped in spiderwebs.

'So that’s what it means by puppets.'

The people who had been hanging from the walls and ceiling were floating through the air, their bodies forcibly manipulated by the webs. Their movements were grotesque, like those of zombies.

“Beru!”

Suho shouted as he clung to Arachne’s back, being flung this way and that.

Beru promptly appeared.

[“Yes, sir! You called?”]

What more needed to be said?

Beru had stayed out of the fight until now for fear of stealing Suho’s experience. Conversely, as long as he did not take any experience, there was no reason he could not participate.

He whipped his head toward the hunters attacking Suho and roared ferociously.

[“What vermin dare interfere with the Young Monarch’s glorious crusade!”]

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

[“SKREEEEEE!”]

Beru’s claws slashed at the hunters with incredible speed.

“Aaaaaah!”

“Please, don’t kill—!”

The hunters screamed in sheer terror.

But then...

“... Huh?”

SNAP-SNAP-SNAP...!

Every strand of web binding them snapped. The hunters suspended in midair plummeted to the floor, literally like puppets whose strings had been cut.

CRASH!

“Aagh! Ow, ow...”

Having landed hard on their backsides, they rolled across the floor, groaning in pain.

Then they abruptly raised their heads to look for Suho—and their eyes went wide.

“... Holy shit.”

An absurd sight was unfolding before them.

CRUNCH! CRACK! CRRRACK!

“Graaaargh!”

He was... tearing off Arachne’s carapace with his bare hands.

'If its defense is too high, I just have to rip off its shield!'

[Strength: 51]

The tendons in his forearms bulged as though about to burst. Sweat poured off him like rain.

“Skreee! Grrrk!”

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

Arachne’s struggles grew fiercer, and Suho desperately held on with the strength of his core and grip.

Then his eyes flashed.

'The daily quest!'

He called up the reward he had saved for precisely such a moment.

[The following reward is available.]

Reward 1. Full Recovery (Unclaimed)

'Accept reward!'

A flash of light erupted. Refreshing energy coursed through him, restoring him to peak condition.

“All right!”

Suho grinned and tightened his grip even further. Yet it still wasn’t enough.

'I need more strength...!'

Instinctively, he thought of a way to make up the difference.

'Ruler's Authority!'

Light flashed, and the invisible hand hovering in the air instantly overlapped his right arm.

Just like before—just like the moment he had sent the Association hunter, Team Leader Han Jaehyuk, flying with brute force.

Dark energy seeped into Suho’s arm.

CRRRUNCH!

At last, the largest plate of carapace came away in his hand like a crab’s shell, exposing Arachne’s flesh beneath.

Suho drove his fist straight down into that completely unarmored spot.

KABOOOOM!

[You have learned Skill: Smite Lv.1.]

That merciless blow crushed Arachne’s massive body in half.

“...!”

[You have defeated Arachne, the Grave Spider.]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

Arachne collapsed without so much as a scream. Planting his foot on its body, Suho reached inside and tore out the relic that had been living within it.

RIP!

[You have acquired Item: Rakan’s Fang-2.]

A sword identical to his original Rakan’s Fang came free in his hand.

Even its personality was similar.

-Who dares covet the king’s sword!

A sinister voice burrowed into Suho’s mind.

-I shall devour your body!

WHOOSH!

Red energy burst from the sword and engulfed him. At once, shadows surged up from beneath his feet and swallowed the sword. The red energy that had attacked so boldly subsided.

-W-what is this energy?! Could this be the Shadow Monarch’s...!

“Is that some kind of stock line you guys all use?”

Just as Suho chuckled and addressed Rakan’s Fang-1...

THUMP!

...!

The two relics, the two Rakan’s Fangs, suddenly resonated with each other.

DING!

[The items Rakan’s Fang recognize one another.]

[Sanctuary of Beasts activates.]

At the same time, system messages began appearing before Suho in rapid succession.

DING! DING!

[You have learned the passive skill (Unknown).]

[Passive skill (Unknown) activates.]

The skill information window opened automatically, displaying a newly added passive skill.

[Skills]

Passive Skill: (Unknown) Lv.max

'What is this...?'

As Suho puzzled over this unexpected development, his shadow spread in every direction with a great rush, staining the entire world.

... And time stopped.

* * *

'Where am I...?'

Suho looked around blankly.

A world of absolute emptiness.

He stood alone at the edge of a vacant horizon. Both the Crow Mask he had been wearing and Rakan’s Fang in his hand had vanished.

'Beru.'

Suho tried to call him, but no sound came from his mouth.

'Is this a dream?'

As the thought crossed his mind, a voice suddenly spoke.

[“It is not your dream.”]

'...!'

Suho stared ahead, eyes wide. At the far end of the empty horizon, he saw a man watching him.

He was enormous, seemingly well over two meters tall, and dressed in something resembling animal hides. He exuded a wild charm—no, not wild charm, but wildness itself.

[“A pleasure. So you are his descendant.”]

The man smiled at Suho, revealing pointed fangs.

'Who are you?'

He answered Suho’s question.

[“My name is Rakan. I am an eternal specter, slain by the Shadow Monarch.”]

At that moment, the system displayed a message before Suho.

[The King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, is watching you.]

'...!'

Suho’s eyes widened. Suddenly, he could feel an immense presence emanating from the man.

A bear—no, a tiger. A lion, a shark, a crocodile, a venomous snake... Could any predator in the world inspire such overwhelming dread?

'A king.'

Suho understood. This was the King of Beasts in the truest sense.

The moment he realized it, the figure’s silhouette swelled in his vision with a sudden rush.

'...!'

Only then could he see it: behind the man in human form, an unimaginably enormous, pure-white wolf was looking down at him.

[“Oh? You can see my true form? What a curious talent.”]

The giant wolf, Rakan, stretched his mouth into an intrigued grin.

[“Then again, you managed to summon me from my wanderings through the world of nothingness. Perhaps this much is only natural.”]

'I summoned you?'

Suho looked puzzled.

[“Yes. I do not know how you did it, but you awakened me. Thanks to you, my soul, which lay in eternal rest, began to dream of you.”]

'Dream?'

[“Indeed. You are inside my dream.”]

Rakan chuckled and surveyed his surroundings.

[“... There is nothing here.”]

Suddenly, he gave a hollow laugh. It was a truly empty sound.

[“Well, I suppose that is only natural.”]

Ordinarily, the dead did not dream. Thus, this dream, too, was emptiness itself.

[“Heh heh. Isn’t it amusing? The Monarch of Fangs, who killed and trampled so many beasts in life, has come to this.”]

He turned his eyes back to Suho and realized something.

This young human who had inherited the Shadow Monarch’s power—this small, frail human child—was the only thing to see in this empty dream.

[“... I see.”]

Rakan’s gaze deepened as he regarded Suho.

[“From now on, you will be my sole source of amusement.”]

His lips curled into a broad grin.

When a Monarch died, they entered eternal rest: a world of nothingness where all sense of self vanished and even dreams ceased.

But no longer.

[The King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, is watching you.]

The same message appeared again.

[“Heh heh. I can now watch your life through my dreams. I look forward to it.”]

Suho frowned at Rakan’s words.

'You can spy on me now? Why?'

[“Why ask me? Your power was what summoned me in the first place.”]

'My power?'

He suddenly recalled his new skill, Unknown.

Rakan chuckled at Suho’s displeased reaction and continued.

[“Do not worry. I cannot see every moment of your life. I can only look in on you when you use my power.”]

'Your power... You mean Rakan’s Fang?'

[“Yes. Ah, I should also be able to see you when you are with my descendant.”]

'Gray?'

[“Yes, that is the name you gave him. I am grateful that you took my descendant in rather than killing him. Ah, doing this should bring some pleasure to my empty rest.”]

Rakan smiled, evidently struck by an idea. A mysterious light soon poured from his enormous body, flaring brilliantly before descending upon Suho.

[The King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, grants you a blessing.]

Suho looked in puzzlement at the light bathing his body.

[Blessing: Rakan’s Blessing is applied.]