Chapter 20. Master of the Snowy Mountains (1)
It was a contradictory sensation in which fear and exhilaration intertwined. They tangled together and violently shook my mind.
My breathing quickened as fear surged from the depths of my instincts.
My heart pounded furiously. Blood began circulating rapidly throughout my entire body.
Every nerve in my body sharpened, and all my senses became more acute.
Yet a strange pleasure blossomed within those sensations.
I was unquestionably experiencing the primal fear of a living creature. Yet an inexplicable thrill coursed through my body like electricity.
Even amid that fear, I felt a sense of satisfaction.
My instincts continued issuing warnings without pause.
However, the powerful desire to overcome this crisis smothered all my fear and terror.
Unrestrained excitement.
And then it happened.
◆The Sudden Quest [You Think You’re That Strong?! Follow Me to the Snowy Mountains!] has begun.
== [You Think You’re That Strong?! Follow Me to the Snowy Mountains!] ==
[Objective]—Survive the Gelu-Drake.
[Reward]—Unlocks <Title>.
[Upon Failure]—Death.
Translucent messages suddenly appeared before my eyes.
This was a “Sudden” Quest, following the Tutorial, Main, and Affinity Quests.
Apparently, it was a type of quest that occurred without warning, just as its name suggested.
A quest merely presented a direction.
I could survive the Gelu-Drake by “escaping”.
Or I could survive by “fighting”.
It didn’t determine how I was supposed to reach the objective. The choice of how to accomplish it belonged entirely to me.
I would also bear full responsibility for the resulting consequences.
However, this quest was slightly different.
My choices were practically being forced upon me.
Now that I had encountered the Gelu-Drake, the option to “run away” had already been erased.
That hunger it directed toward me—
There was no possibility of escaping from it.
Since things had come to this, I had to fight.
When I refocused my gaze, the Gelu-Drake was silently staring at me. Its reptilian yellow eyes slowly rolled within their sockets.
The Gelu-Drake didn’t recklessly charge toward me.
But it wasn’t trying to assess my strength. Nor was it attempting to determine whether I was prey worth hunting.
The Gelu-Drake was called the Master of the Snowy Mountains.
Within these mountains, it had no natural enemies.
Therefore, its behavior was—
Nothing more than an amusing game in which it toyed with its prey.
In an instant—
Thud!
Crunch!
The Gelu-Drake kicked off the snowy ground.
Its speed was tremendous.
....My reaction was too slow.
More accurately, I couldn’t react at all. With a sickening sound, my entire right arm was bitten off.
The resistance granted by Toughened Skin [D] was useless.
I couldn’t save the arm.
Immediately changing my plan, I clenched my left fist.
In exchange for sacrificing my right arm, I struck the Gelu-Drake’s torso.
Booom—!
The impact and deafening noise made it feel as though I had struck a thick steel plate.
The Gelu-Drake staggered.
Taking advantage of that opening, I swiftly retreated.
The Gelu-Drake didn’t pursue me.
It continued staggering, apparently having suffered a considerable impact from my strike.
My Strength Stat had reached an incredible 22.
Strength equivalent to twenty-two adult men was enough to deal effective damage to the Gelu-Drake.
However, the damage I suffered in return was far too severe.
Every bone in my left fist had been pulverized.
My right arm had been completely torn away. There was now nothing but empty space where my right arm had been.
It reminded me of Ian.
....But now that I thought about it, Ian had lost his left arm.
No, this wasn’t the time to think about something so trivial.
Blood was pouring from the stump of my severed right arm. The maddening pain threw my mind into chaos.
“Urghhh...!!”
Just as I gritted my teeth and swallowed the pain through sheer stubbornness—
A translucent message suddenly appeared, and the maddening pain vanished all at once.
Only then did my reeling mind regain clarity.
I immediately activated Regeneration.
◆You can use the skill “Regeneration [B-]” to regenerate the damaged body part.
◆Required nutrients—Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat, Vitamins, Phosphorus, Iron, Sulfur, Magnesium....
The list of nutrients required for Regeneration continued endlessly.
That was only natural, considering my entire right arm was gone.
But it was fine.
◆You can use the skill “Nutrient Synthesis [C+]” to synthesize the required nutrients.
◆Excess Calories—230 kcal.
◆Temporarily blocking your Sensory Nerves!
Nutrient Synthesis [C+] had become stronger.
Thanks to its advancement, I could synthesize every nutrient required to reconstruct my body.
However, I had nowhere near enough calories.
But even that wasn’t a serious problem.
◆Retrieving “Alakron Flesh” from the Inventory.
I retrieved a piece of Alakron flesh I had prepared beforehand and began chewing it.
I had consistently stored monster meat throughout the past two weeks of hunting.
I had plenty of nutrients.
Gulp.
The moment I swallowed the flesh, my severed right arm regenerated instantly.
My pulverized left fist also regenerated and returned to normal.
After Regeneration advanced to [B-], its efficiency and speed had improved tremendously.
-Grrk?
The Gelu-Drake trembled in bewilderment.
It had initially believed that I was human.
But after seeing Regeneration comparable to that of an Ice Troll, it appeared to be wondering whether I might be a “Troll”.
Then it tilted its head because my appearance was far too different from one.
-Grrrrk?!
The Gelu-Drake’s expression twisted strangely as it regarded me like a creature it had never encountered before.
With my fully regenerated right hand, I drew my sword.
I had a reasonable chance of victory.
“Go ahead. Keep biting pieces off me.”
Sacrifice the bone to take the flesh.
* * *
Boom! Kaboom!
Explosions continued erupting, drawing the attention of Kai and the soldiers.
Each explosion was accompanied by a tremendous roar that shook the snowy mountain.
The impacts shattered the mountain’s silence, causing masses of accumulated snow to break away from its peaks.
At first, the movement was quiet.
However, it quickly grew larger, faster, and heavier.
Enormous masses of snow and ice began cascading down the mountain—
Rrrrrrumble...!
A violent roar shook the mountain as white snow covered the entire sky.
A towering wall of snow surged downward.
It rushed down the mountain, swallowing everything in its path like an exploding ocean.
“W-Whoa!”
“Everyone, watch out!”
The soldiers panicked.
Unable to maintain their balance against the vibrations shaking the ground, they collapsed one after another.
The cascading avalanche shattered boulders as it relentlessly approached the soldiers.
They would all die if they remained there.
Kai shouted like a thunderbolt.
“All troops! Gather behind me!!”
Kai’s voice was infused with Aura, instantly awakening the panicking soldiers.
They moved in perfect order and assembled behind him.
After confirming that every soldier had gathered, Kai drove his sword into the ground.
He greatly expanded his Aura.
A translucent Sword Barrier formed around the sword embedded in the ground.
At that exact moment, the avalanche struck.
Everything within their vision turned white. The air became filled with freezing dust and snow.
Nothing could be felt within it except destructive force.
How much time passed?
Only after the avalanche reached the flatlands below and formed a massive white grave did silence finally return to the snowy mountain.
“Mother save us...!”
“W-We nearly died...!”
The strength left the soldiers’ legs, and they collapsed onto the ground.
Nothing remained in the place the avalanche had swept through.
“Is everyone….all right?”
Kai checked the soldiers’ conditions.
He had confronted the full force of nature head-on, so his injuries were only natural.
The soldiers had never imagined something like this could even be possible.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a human had opposed nature itself.
Kai had sustained considerable injuries as a result.
Nevertheless, he hadn’t fled.
He had confronted nature and protected the soldiers.
What would have happened if Kai hadn’t stood in front of them and blocked the avalanche with his Aura?
How many of the soldiers would have survived?
“We’re all right!!”
“We’re unharmed!!”
The soldiers’ eyes were filled with profound respect and awe as they looked at Kai.
At that exact moment—
KABOOOM—!!
Another tremendous explosion erupted from the snowy mountain.
It couldn’t exactly be called fortunate, but since one avalanche had already occurred, another didn’t follow.
The explosions continued coming from the same location.
Kai’s instincts warned him. He must never go there.
“A Gelu-Drake...!!!”
One of the soldiers shouted.
“W-What did you say?!”
“Why would a Gelu-Drake be here...?!”
The soldiers’ faces instantly turned deathly pale.
There wasn’t a single soldier who didn’t understand what that name represented.
And it wasn’t only the soldiers.
Everyone in White Wolf County knew that name.
In fact, every living creature throughout the northern continent undoubtedly knew it.
That creature was a catastrophe surpassing even the natural terror of an avalanche.
* * *
Clang—!
The Gelu-Drake’s hide refused to allow my sword blade to penetrate.
However, that didn’t mean it could absorb the entire force of the impact.
The strike from the metal weapon caused the Gelu-Drake to stagger.
I swiftly created distance between us.
The sword I was using was the same type carried by the soldiers of the Count’s Castle.
It had no remarkable characteristics, but it was a perfectly serviceable steel sword meant for real combat.
It wasn’t an impractical, excessively decorative rapier like the one I had used before.
Even so, I couldn’t cut the creature.
Forget cutting through it—I couldn’t leave even a scratch.
‘Its hide is too hard.’
It wasn’t merely resilient.
It was “hard”.
That was because the Gelu-Drake’s hide had also been inherited from Dragons.
Of course, it couldn’t compare to the scales of a true Dragon.
Nevertheless, the Dragon Genetic Factor was engraved within its hide.
Unless a weapon was an Aura Sword, it couldn’t cut through the Gelu-Drake’s hide.
But I couldn’t control Aura.
I couldn’t even control mana.
‘The sword is useless.’
I would have to settle this through blunt-force attacks.
I quickly reached that conclusion and threw away my sword.
The Gelu-Drake didn’t dodge.
Clang—!
Sparks flew as the thrown sword collided with the Gelu-Drake’s hide.
I had thought this earlier, but that wasn’t hide.
It might as well have been metal.
In other words, I couldn’t defeat it merely by continuing to strike it.
However—
I was no longer the delinquent of the Count’s family.
I had served in the Special Task Force under the Coalition Operations Command.
I had been the Special Warfare Unit’s Covert Operations Commander.
If the Dragon Genetic Factor was engraved within the Gelu-Drake—
Then every memory and experience I had accumulated as the Coalition’s Predator was engraved within my mind.
◆Activating the skill “Promote Metabolism [E+].”
◆Strength decreases by [-25%].
◆Agility and Stamina increase by [+10%].
Thump!
Every function connected to my nervous system was temporarily amplified.
The sword I threw failed to inflict any damage. However, it caused the Gelu-Drake to hesitate briefly.
And within that brief hesitation—
Tap-tap-tap!
I charged through the opening.
My movements had suddenly accelerated, causing the Gelu-Drake to lose sight of me for an instant.
Its flank was left completely exposed.
I clenched my fist tightly.
Promote Metabolism [E+] increased my Stamina and Agility in exchange for reducing my Strength by [-25%].
In other words, my Strength Stat of 22 fell to 16.5.
I lost Strength equivalent to five and a half adult men, weakening the impact I could deliver to the Gelu-Drake.
However, Promote Metabolism [E+] was an [On/Off] skill.
Immediately before my strike landed, I deactivated Promote Metabolism [E+].
My reduced strength returned in an instant.
The full force of 22 strength struck the Gelu-Drake directly in the ribs.
KABOOOM—!!
A tremendous impact erupted, and the Gelu-Drake’s body shook violently.
Crunch!
The sound of breaking bones rang out.
But it hadn’t come from the Gelu-Drake.
◆You can use the skill “Nutrient Synthesis [C+]” to synthesize the required nutrients.
◆Temporarily blocking your Sensory Nerves!
Thanks to the messages appearing before my eyes, I felt no pain.
When I lowered my gaze, I saw my mangled fist hanging limply.
The Gelu-Drake, on the other hand, merely staggered several times. It shook its head a few times before quickly regaining its senses.
At this point, it didn’t feel as though I had struck the Gelu-Drake’s ribs with my fist.
It felt as though the Gelu-Drake’s ribs had struck my fist.
Sacrifice the bone to take the flesh.
It sounded like a completely absurd strategy.
But for the person I had become, it was an exceptionally effective one.
◆You can use the skill “Regeneration [B-]” to regenerate the damaged body part.
I activated Regeneration [B-] and Nutrient Synthesis [C+] simultaneously.
I retrieved monster meat from my inventory and began chewing and swallowing it.
My shattered fist regenerated instantly.
-Grrrrr...!
The Gelu-Drake’s gaze changed as it stared at me.
Until moments ago, it had regarded me as nothing more than prey to be hunted.
But that was no longer the case. It now saw me as an equal predator.
A competitor that might devour it if it made a mistake.
My eyes met the Gelu-Drake’s.
Neither of us recklessly charged forward. The standoff seemed as though it might continue forever.
I curled my finger toward myself, provoking the Gelu-Drake.
“Go ahead. I told you to keep biting pieces off me.”
Even then, the Gelu-Drake didn’t recklessly attack.
It wasn’t quite afraid, but it had unquestionably become “wary” of me.
However, that lasted only briefly.
“What’s wrong? Are you scared?”
At those words, the Gelu-Drake’s eyes rolled back in fury, and it kicked off the snowy ground.
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