Chapter 52

SKREEEE!

Shadow Centipede bared its vicious teeth at Randolph, who had dared direct his killing intent at its master.

RUMBLE!

Its enormous body writhed and lashed into Randolph.

"Aaargh!"

He flew backward and slammed into the wall. How many times was he going to suffer this humiliation in a single day?

But Randolph still remembered that Suho was a summoner.

"Your pathetic summons are nothing! Once I kill the summoner, they'll all—!"

CRUNCH!

He never got to finish.

* * *

Despite having defeated Randolph, Suho looked grave.

"Where did an A-rank hunter get injuries like these?"

It was only because Randolph was so tough that he had managed to unleash such tremendous strength in that condition. The problem was that whatever had done this to him lay up ahead.

"Just what's in there?"

Esil looked equally grave.

"I've got a bad feeling about this. If I were alone, I'd get out of here right now."

Suho's Perception stat was sending increasingly frantic warnings as he approached the heart of the labyrinth. Yet at the same time, he couldn't deny another strange feeling.

'I don't know why, but it feels like something is waiting for me.'

There were the mummies, artificially created magic beasts. There was the prophecy, too. Above all, he desperately wanted to know what Grand Shaman Kandiaru, who had designed the leveling system, had been doing in this pyramid.

The answers to all those questions would be just beyond.

Before he knew it, Suho stood before an enormous door. His eyes gleamed as he looked up at it.

"Let's go in."

"W-wait. Strategy break!"

Esil called out urgently and pointed at Vulcan's Horn in his hand.

"If things go bad, I'm jumping straight in there, okay?"

"Why not just get in now?"

"S-should I?"

The first time was always the hardest. The second was easier.

Terrified, Esil quickly assumed spirit form and possessed Suho's sword.

[Vulcan's Horn devours a demon soul.]

"It's been eating and spitting things back out a lot today. Hope it doesn't develop an eating disorder."

After lightening his mood with a little nonsense, Suho finally threw open the door.

CREEEEAK!

An enormous crocodile humanoid came into view!

[Ammut, the Crocodile That Devours Death]

"Grrrr!"

'Ammut? I think that's a name from Egyptian mythology.'

Suho recalled what he knew. Ammut was a monster with a role similar to Cerberus in Greek mythology. It was usually depicted with a crocodile's head, a lion's mane and upper body, and a hippopotamus's lower body. This creature, however, was simply a muscular crocodile humanoid.

The instant Ammut spotted Suho, he charged straight at him.

"Graaarr!"

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

His massive footsteps shook the entire pyramid.

"Everyone, attack!"

At Suho's command, his shadow soldiers launched themselves at Ammut, led by Shadow Centipede.

GRAAAWR!

SKREEEE!

Shadow Centipede coiled around his massive body, while the shadow spider bound his arms and legs in webs to immobilize him. The sight of the Shadow Mummies seizing that opening to attack as one was truly spectacular.

The problem was that he was far too powerful.

"Grrrr!"

CRASH!

Ammut's powerful arm seized Shadow Centipede by the neck and slammed it into the floor. Then, wearing an utterly vicious smile, he rained both fists down on its prone body.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

His might was truly overwhelming!

"Suho!"

"Right. We're going in too."

At Esil's shout, Suho charged at him as well.

[Using Skill: Giant’s Armor.]

WHOOOOSH!

"Grr?"

Ammut's eyes flashed as Suho suddenly doubled in size before him. But his transformation wasn't over yet.

"Spirit Possession!"

[The spirit of Pet: Gray possesses the shaman's body.]

SWOOOOSH!

Suho's hair turned silver, and a spiritual wind swirled around his entire body.

[Using Skill: Wind of the Grasslands.]

[Movement speed temporarily increases by 30%.]

[Attack speed temporarily increases by 30%.]

WHOOOO!

Moving at a vastly increased speed, Suho unleashed all his strength on Ammut.

[Using Skill: Storm Slash.]

BOOOOM!

"Graaar!"

As though it were beneath him, Ammut punched straight into the storm of blades raging toward him. It was a simple punch, but its force tore through the wind and threatened even Suho beyond it.

"Young Monarch! Look out!"

WHOOSH!

Suho used Ruler's Authority to change direction in midair, narrowly evading the attack. At the same time, he twisted at the waist and furiously swung both swords at Ammut.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

"Grrrr!"

Ammut grabbed the head of Shadow Centipede, which he had been beating so mercilessly, and swung it at Suho like a whip.

BOOOOM!

SKREEEE...!

Calling it a whip hardly did it justice. The enormous centipede's body shattered the marble floor and smashed through walls with terrifying force. Shadow Centipede shrieked as if in pain.

Barely dodging the outrageous attacks, Suho kept swinging his swords, searching for an opening.

Then Suho's eyes flashed.

"Shadow Centipede! Come back!"

SKREE!

The body Ammut was swinging dissolved into black smoke.

"Grr?!"

For the first time, Ammut looked bewildered as he found himself suddenly empty-handed.

"Arise!"

Shadow Centipede burst from Suho's shadow, fully restored, coiled around Ammut's thick neck, and sank its teeth into him.

SKREEEE!

"GRAAARR!"

The giant monsters clashed in earnest. But as they had already seen, the gap between them was clear.

"Shadow Centipede can only buy us time!"

Listening to Esil's cry, Suho quickly assessed the situation.

'His skin is too thick and tough. A blade can't penetrate those defenses.'

Against an opponent like this, a blunt weapon might work better than a blade. In other words, overwhelming force.

Suho quickly checked his remaining mana.

'I need to land one solid blow.'

If it worked, all the better. But if it failed, he would have to escape as quickly as possible and regroup.

"Smite."

SWOOOOSH!

[Using Skill: Smite.]

Ruler's Authority enveloped Suho's fist, forming an armament shaped like an enormous gauntlet.

"Haaaah!"

Without hesitation, Suho drove his fist down at Ammut as he grappled with Shadow Centipede.

BOOOOOM!

"GRAAAR?!"

The attack, concentrated with all of Suho's strength, sent blood bursting from Ammut's mouth. He had finally inflicted meaningful damage!

But then it happened.

"... Grr."

A faint light returned to Ammut's eyes, which had been red until now. Astonishingly, his bloodied mouth opened, and words Suho could understand emerged.

"... I-Iron Body Arts?"

"Huh?"

"Gahahaha! It's been so long since I've been hit with a fist like that!"

Suho could only stare in bewilderment as Ammut suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

"W-what's going on?"

"Kieek?! Young Monarch, that creature just..."

"He's speaking human language?"

Ammut's transformation bewildered everyone fighting with all their might, leaving Suho with no choice but to stop attacking for a moment.

Of course, he took advantage of the opening.

CLINK.

[Purchased Item: Lesser Mana Potion.]

'First, a quick mana refill.'

Suho deftly downed the potion while keeping an eye on the situation.

Yet Ammut genuinely showed no further intention of attacking him. Like a child who had discovered an interesting toy, he simply stared at the fist that had struck him, his eyes sparkling.

"Hey."

He addressed Suho without preamble.

"Do that again."

"W-what? Smite?"

"Smite? Is that what you call it?"

Ammut chuckled even as he spat blood.

'If he's asking me to hit him, there's no reason to say no.'

Suho glanced at his remaining mana first. In the past, a single Smite would have drained it all, but thanks to the Ring of Horus he'd received from Rio Singh, he still had plenty to spare.

[Using Skill: Smite.]

SWOOOOSH!

Suho's fist turned black again. But just as he raised it, Ammut spoke.

"Wait. Hold it right there."

Ammut's slit reptilian eyes rolled as he scrutinized Suho's fist. Then he burst into another hearty laugh.

"Gahahaha! Don't tell me you can only use Iron Body on your fist! What a half-baked amateur!"

"... Seriously, what is going on?"

And what was this Iron Body thing, anyway?

Suho finally lost his will to fight. What hunter in the world had ever been treated like a half-baked amateur by a dungeon boss?

Just then, a message arrived from the distant World of Repose.

[The King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, snickers as he watches the situation unfold.]

"Now you're laughing too?"

[The King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, informs you that he is the master who trained the previous Monarch of the Iron Body.]

"The master who trained what?"

"KIEEEK?! What?! He trained the Monarch of the Iron Body?!"

Unlike the puzzled Suho, Beru was beside himself with shock.

"Grrr. What's this? So you do know Tarnak? I knew it."

Listening to their conversation, Ammut grinned, tore apart Shadow Centipede—which was still gnawing at his neck—with both hands, and shook it off onto the floor.

SKREEEE!

Shadow Centipede regenerated and lunged at Ammut again, but Suho recalled it and asked him a question.

"Tarnak?"

"Tarnak, King of Monstrous Humanoids and Monarch of the Iron Body."

Ammut spat out the black blood lingering around his lips and chuckled.

"I'm the master who taught him the Iron Body Arts."

"I've heard about that before."

WHOOOOSH!

Esil emerged from Vulcan's Horn and continued.

"The previous King of Monstrous Humanoids was called the Monarch of the Iron Body because he used a peculiar technique called the Iron Body Arts."

"Heh heh. That's right. And I'm the one who taught him. Ugh, these old bones. Not that it matters. I hear he's dead?"

Ammut plopped down on the floor. Even then, his gaze remained fixed on Suho's blackened fist as though he were entranced.