Chapter 21. Master of the Snowy Mountains (2)
Explosive power unleashed from a colossal body nearly ten meters long.
I couldn’t see the Gelu-Drake move.
I could only faintly perceive its blurry afterimage.
‘My agility is far too low.’
Agility did not simply refer to the ability to move quickly.
To be precise, it referred to “the brain’s ability to transmit commands through the nervous system”.
That was why a high Agility stat allowed someone to move quickly.
The better the brain’s ability to transmit commands through the nervous system, the faster the interactions between the nerves became, accelerating the body’s reactions.
Conversely, it also increased the speed at which stimuli received through the nervous system were processed.
Kwaaak!
Reflexes that allowed an immediate response to an enemy’s attack.
Dynamic vision that allowed one to track an enemy’s movements.
As Agility increased, these abilities improved along with it.
Simply put, every action performed through the nervous system was related to Agility.
Even manual dexterity fell under Agility, so raising such an ability through physical training alone was extremely difficult.
That was also why I had invested all the bonus stat points I gained from leveling up into Agility.
As a result, my current Agility stat was 8.
By using Promote Metabolism [E+] to gain a 10% boost, I could raise it to 8.8.
But it wasn’t enough.
That was nowhere near enough to track the Gelu-Drake’s movements, let alone react to them.
My entire side was torn away.
Before the pain could overwhelm my mind, I blocked my sensory nerves and swallowed it down.
Where was the Gelu-Drake?
Its movements were restricted because it was busy tearing into my side.
Sacrifice bone to take flesh.
I clenched both fists tightly. Then I brought them down like hammers upon the Gelu-Drake’s back as it tore into my side.
Kkwagwang!
The Gelu-Drake was slammed straight into the snow covering the mountain.
I did not follow up with another attack. I quickly widened the distance between us.
Regeneration was not omnipotent.
Enhanced Regeneration [B-] could easily regenerate severed limbs.
But it could not recover from “instant death”, such as losing the heart or head.
Regeneration was not an ability capable of resurrecting the dead.
If I hadn’t hastily twisted my body just now, it would have torn out my heart instead of my side.
Therefore, I couldn’t become impatient.
If I couldn’t kill it in a single blow, I only had to keep inflicting damage.
◆The Inventory is empty.
....What?
My mind snapped into focus.
At the same time, translucent messages appeared one after another before my eyes.
◆The damaged body can be restored using the skill “Regeneration [B-]”.
◆The required nutrients can be synthesized using the skill “Nutrient Synthesis [C+]”.
When I activated Regeneration [B-] and Nutrient Synthesis [C+] simultaneously, my missing side regenerated in an instant.
It consumed an enormous number of calories, but that was fine.
I could take monster meat out of the Inventory—
Inventory is a place where items owned by the player are stored and is classified as “Subspace”.
Only “items” may be stored within the Inventory.
Furthermore, they must be “owned” by the player.
As long as they are items owned by the player and capable of being stored, there is no restriction on their type or quantity.
However, items exceeding the maximum storage weight cannot be stored.
The Inventory’s maximum storage weight varies according to the player’s stats and is calculated as [the player’s Strength stat] × [40 kg].
* * *
====
◆The Inventory can currently store up to [880 kg].
I already knew that.
The Inventory had a storage-weight limit.
That was why I couldn’t collect all the corpses of the monsters I hunted in the Snowy Mountains.
Still, I had thought 880 kilograms would be enough....
That was when it happened.
Kai led the soldiers toward the site of the explosion.
What they eventually encountered was, as expected, the Gelu-Drake.
The Gelu-Drake was a monster classified as a member of the dragon species.
If dragons were the masters and calamities of the continent, the Gelu-Drake was the Master and calamity of the Snowy Mountains.
It rarely descended from the mountain’s summit, but whenever it did, it would obliterate one or two villages.
Murmur, murmur.
Suddenly, a commotion arose farther down the mountain.
The best course of action was to avoid provoking the Gelu-Drake.
To be honest, even Kai lacked confidence.
He wasn’t certain he could subjugate the Gelu-Drake by himself.
That was why the shock Kai felt was closer to astonishment.
A lone man was currently fighting the Gelu-Drake.
“It’s Lord Adrian!”
“Lord Adrian is fighting the Gelu-Drake!”
Adrian was engaged in a bloody struggle against the Gelu-Drake. Blood of uncertain origin was splattered all across the pure-white snow.
Moreover, this was not the Gelu-Drake’s territory.
They were a considerable distance from the mountain summit where it lived.
Therefore, Adrian had not drawn the Gelu-Drake here. The Gelu-Drake had descended of its own accord.
Kai did not know why it had come down from the summit. But now that it had descended, it would not simply return.
It would continue searching for prey until its stomach was completely full.
The easiest prey to find in the Snowy Mountains were the residents of the County.
At least several dozen residents would fall victim to the Gelu-Drake.
They would have to prepare for one or two villages to be completely destroyed.
Therefore, the Gelu-Drake had to be subjugated.
“All units, prepare for battle!!”
At Kai’s shout, the soldiers swiftly moved into formation.
Their disciplined movements reflected their unwavering training.
They were no less capable than elite soldiers.
Even so, deep fear hung over their faces.
The Master of the Snowy Mountains, the Gelu-Drake.
Casualties were all but inevitable.
At least several dozen.
Perhaps complete annihilation.
Kai drew his sword at the very front of the formation. If he wanted to minimize the soldiers’ losses, he would have to endure the brunt of every attack.
Even then, casualties would be unavoidable, but the Gelu-Drake was a monster that absolutely had to be subjugated.
Just as Kai tightened his grip on his sword—
“Pull the soldiers back!!”
Adrian shouted.
Even at that moment, the Gelu-Drake continued attacking him.
Adrian barely evaded its attacks before shouting again.
“The Gelu-Drake isn’t an enemy those soldiers can handle!!”
He was right.
The Gelu-Drake was both the master and calamity of the Snowy Mountains.
It had not earned such infamy for nothing.
Nevertheless, this battle—
“Kai! You and I will face the Gelu-Drake together!!”
Adrian’s shout rang out once more.
Kai’s mind snapped into focus.
A strategy in which only Adrian and Kai faced the Gelu-Drake.
That would..minimize the soldiers’ casualties.
It would do more than merely minimize them.
It could eliminate them entirely.
But Kai had never imagined Adrian would say such a thing.
To be honest, he had expected Adrian to throw the soldiers out as bait to preserve his own life.
But it was the exact opposite.
Adrian intended to make himself the bait to protect the soldiers.
‘Why in the world...?’
He was completely different from the Adrian Kai had known.
Contrary to Kai’s suspicions, Adrian had not been consumed by madness.
His reason remained perfectly intact.
He was making an exceedingly calm and rational judgment.
Wasn’t Adrian currently holding the Gelu-Drake here to prevent it from descending the mountain?
If Adrian had not kept the Gelu-Drake occupied here….what would have happened?
Kai couldn’t say for certain, but countless people in the County would undoubtedly have been sacrificed.
However, Adrian had merely managed to hold the Gelu-Drake in place.
Adrian and Kai.
Ultimately, the problem could only be resolved if the two of them subjugated the Gelu-Drake.
....But could they do it?
To be honest, their chances of victory were not high.
Kai already found it difficult to face the Gelu-Drake alone. If he had to estimate his chances, they would be slightly above thirty percent.
That was the kind of monster the Gelu-Drake was.
How much could Adrian’s presence increase their chances of victory?
One thing was certain.
Adrian was no longer the delinquent of the Count’s family.
Kai considered his options and finally reached a decision.
“All units, descend the mountain immediately.”
“What?!”
“B-But...!”
The soldiers cried out in surprise. Not one of them agreed with Kai’s decision.
That was only natural. They were all soldiers of the House of White Wolf.
They were soldiers who endured grueling training every day to protect the families, friends, and lovers living in the County.
They knew perfectly well who would be sacrificed if they fled in fear and allowed the Gelu-Drake to descend the mountain.
Therefore—
Kai became even more certain of his decision.
“That is an order. All units are to descend the mountain immediately and as quickly as possible. Inform the County of the situation and evacuate the residents to a safe location.”
Until then—
“We’ll hold out somehow.”
Even after receiving Kai’s order, the soldiers did not readily move.
It wasn’t because they didn’t trust Kai. It was because they couldn’t trust Adrian.
Kai felt the same way, but there was no other choice now.
“Hurry!!”
The soldiers began descending the mountain.
Only after Kai shouted did they reluctantly begin moving one by one.
“Once we’ve evacuated the people, we’ll return with reinforcements!”
“You must survive until then!!”
* * *
The soldiers rapidly descended the mountain.
The reason I had ordered the soldiers to retreat was simple.
‘Its heart must not be damaged.’
If the soldiers intervened, the Gelu-Drake’s “heart” would almost certainly be damaged.
After all, attacking the heart was the surest and fastest way to bring down the Gelu-Drake.
‘I can’t allow that.’
I could never stand by and watch that happen.
I had to consume the dragon’s Genetic Factor imprinted within the Gelu-Drake in perfect condition through Predation.
How could I possibly allow such a Genetic Factor to go to waste?
However, that was not the only reason I had sent the soldiers away.
The soldiers were no match for the Gelu-Drake. To put it crudely, they would be nothing more than meat shields.
Of course, that didn’t mean they would be useless.
And perhaps the old me—
The delinquent of the Count’s family—
Would undoubtedly have sacrificed the soldiers.
But I was no longer that person.
As the Predator of the Coalition Forces and the Special Warfare Unit’s Covert Operations Commander, there was something I always told the agents of the Special Task Force.
To survive on the battlefield, you must be willing to sell everything you have. You must be prepared to cast aside things like pride and even your soul without hesitation.
But there is one exception.
Never sell out your comrades.
If selling out your comrades is the only way to survive, then just die instead.
I would sooner die myself than ever throw my comrades away as sacrifices.
Of course, the soldiers of the Count’s Castle were not my comrades in the Coalition Forces.
They were soldiers who followed the Monarch of Frost.
Strictly speaking, they were soldiers belonging to an enemy faction.
But what had they done wrong?
Their only crime was obeying orders from above.
The targets I had to kill were strictly limited.
Now that I had decided to hunt the Gelu-Drake, sacrificing the soldiers was unnecessary.
However, hunting it alone would be difficult.
That was why I had asked “one person” to remain.
Former Commander of the Frost Legion.
Current Chief Knight of the House of White Wolf.
In that instant—
Long golden hair embroidered the pure-white world. His movements resembled a flash of golden light.
Slice—!
Kai became a golden wolf and tore into the Gelu-Drake.
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