abcnovels
Chapter 17
Chapter 17
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 17
Flames erupted like waves from the sword Baekya wielded.
Whoosh!
The four executives were flung in all directions like bowling pins hit by a bowling ball, tumbling across the floor.
"Aaaaagh!"
They didn't just roll a few times and stop; they skidded for dozens of meters, their faces and backs scraping against the ground, before finally coming to a halt.
Executive Hwang, clutching his cauterized left arm stump with his right, looked up at Ilha.
'We're screwed.'
'It's a Reawakening. It has to be a Reawakening.'
'Why did it have to happen at our company!'
In web novels and various modern media, it was a common cliche for an oppressed F-Rank to Reawaken and take revenge.
Executive Hwang had also imagined countless times Reawakening as an A-Rank or S-Rank after suddenly meeting a Constellation.
Instead of this plain white ring-shaped halo, he would have a geometric halo with vibrant colors and diverse shapes.
And a life where he exuded an otherworldly aura and climbed to the top of the Tower as a Ranker.
The protagonist of such a story was standing right in front of him.
As an enemy.
'We messed with the wrong person.'
He finally understood how the boss and Million Loans had met their demise.
Whether the Reawakening or the scam came first, the result was that they had provoked a Reawakened.
He lamented the misfortune of those two.
Executive Hwang slammed his head on the floor and prostrated himself.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't recognize you."
The other executives grasped the situation.
"..."
Among those who lived by the sword, there was a way to understand just by crossing blades once.
Whether they could handle it or not.
In this era, survival depended on quick wit.
Two of the four executives immediately followed Executive Hwang's lead and bowed their heads.
"We're sorry!"
"Please spare our lives!"
The remaining two turned and fled towards the Gate's entrance.
"Shit!"
"Where the hell did that monster come from!"
An Awakened running for their life was as fast as the wind.
Tap, Tap!
Their movements, leaping between stone pillars and sprinting across the uneven terrain as if it were flat ground, were a desperate, frantic scramble for survival.
However, on this plateau lived a Golem thousands of times more dangerous than a snow leopard in the Himalayas.
Boom!
The rock that one of the executives had kicked vibrated.
Crack, Crack!
It was a massive rock, reaching the height of a four-story apartment building.
Stone dust fragments fell.
The crystalline joints emitted a pale, ominous light.
The Golem with glowing blue eyes roared.
"-----!"
Aitel sounded a warning alarm at the appearance of a powerful enemy.
?Warning! Warning! Warning!?
?Aringen's Rock Giant (B)?
The fleeing executives froze in their tracks like frogs staring into the eyes of a snake, unable to move.
The best they could do was roll their eyes with all their might.
?Status Effect: Intimidation?
?Overwhelmed by the difference in power.?
?All stats decreased by 50%.?
Thud!
The Golem shook the ground as it moved its foot.
The two executives' faces paled, and their groins grew damp.
'No, no, no!'
Although they operated this place as a mining dungeon because the Golems were non-aggressive mobs, if a fight were to break out, it was an enemy they could never defeat.
B-Rank and above were classified as 'High-Rank.'
It was a level that couldn't be handled with old-fashioned firearms.
The wall between B-Rank and C-Rank was several times higher than that of D-Rank and C-Rank.
The Golem approached the two.
Thud!
The two executives squeezed their eyes shut.
The sky within the dungeon was always hazy and gloomy, but the ground, shimmering with crystal and Mana Stone fragments, shone like the night sky.
In this world where heaven and earth seemed reversed, the giant, the earth itself, took a step.
Crunch.
One of the executives turned into a pool of blood.
The second executive was about to meet the same fate.
Executive Hwang couldn't bear to watch and tried to turn his head away.
But then.
Step.
At that moment, Ilha walked towards the Golem without hesitation.
'What?'
Executive Hwang, drenched in cold sweat from the Golem's overwhelming presence, stared at Ilha's back.
'How can he move? No, how can he even think of fighting? Is he immune to Intimidation?'
Ilha shot a Flame Arrow towards the top of the Golem's head.
Whoosh!
And then, using the skill popularized by Baekya, 'Descent from the Crimson Flame,' he teleported above the Golem's head.
Boom!
Emerging from the flames, Ilha plunged downwards, sword aimed at the Golem's neck.
Clang!
But Ilha's blade bounced off the Golem's neck, sending sparks flying.
Only a slight scratch remained on the carapace of rock and crystal.
'Even with Reawakening, he still can't win.'
Executive Hwang squeezed his eyes shut.
He didn't want to see the gruesome scene that was about to unfold.
Those who lived as Awakened were rarely granted a peaceful death.
He, too, had unconsciously accepted that reality.
He heard the sounds of a few sword swings, metallic clangs, and the Golem's footsteps.
How many minutes had passed?
Rumble—!
A deafening roar, like a landslide, echoed through the air.
At the same time, the oppressive pressure that had been weighing down on everyone vanished.
?The status effect 'Intimidation' has been lifted.?
The Aitel system notification appeared in the corner of his vision.
Executive Hwang abruptly stood up from his prostrate position and looked towards the Golem.
"...Did he win?"
His voice trembled slightly.
Including him, the four surviving executives all wore stunned expressions.
"Did you think I couldn't?"
Ilha stood firmly on the ground, which shimmered like a sea of stars under the cloudy sky.
His white halo, the same as theirs yet somehow completely different, cast a shadow on his handsome face.
Before him, the Golem's massive body lay crumbled like a ruined fortress.
"Let's go. I'm done saying my goodbyes."
Ilha gestured vaguely towards them with his chin.
The Gate's interior was dim.
But to Executive Hwang, it felt as if Ilha was standing under the sun.
* * *
?Your constellation 'Sunny' has successfully defended against the status effect: 'Intimidation.'?
'Thank you.'
Baekya thought as he watched the Golem rise.
'It's definitely harder to find them in a cleared dungeon when they're non-aggressive. I missed it even though I passed through this area before.'
He was grateful that it had appeared on its own.
'Let's finish this quickly. Hardening skill? Artifact? What will it drop?'
Crunch.
One of the executives turned into a pool of blood.
He felt no human sympathy.
Judging by their behavior, this mining company seemed to be half a group of scammers, the kind of people who would think anyone deserved to die at any time.
Baekya had always believed that fraud was the worst crime.
But at the same time, Baekya was also the Sun of Humanity.
What was he supposed to feel when he saw monsters killing people?
To put it crudely, it pissed him off.
"Constellation, I request your assistance."
?"Go ahead. Burn to your heart's content."?
?Your constellation 'Sunny' will bear 25% of the Mana consumed.?
The higher an Awakened's ascension rank is, the more direct assistance their Constellation could provide.
Considering that other Constellations struggled to provide even 10% support to their 7th Rank contractors, this was more than enough aid.
Baekya, well aware of this, smiled brightly and fired a Flame Arrow.
Whoosh!
The moment the arrow passed over the Golem's head...
?Descent from the Crimson Flame?
Boom!
Baekya's body vanished from the ground and reappeared above the Golem's head, over a hundred meters away.
Even from a height of over 20 meters, there was no fear in Baekya's eyes.
He gripped the Champion's Sword in a reverse grip and thrust it downwards with all his might.
He aimed for the gap between the neck and shoulder.
Clang!
But the Champion's Sword bounced off, sending sparks flying.
A gouge nearly a finger deep was left, but the Golem was a mass of rock.
'Just a few more times!'
Baekya continued to strike the Rock Golem's weak points with the Radiant Light Sword.
His movements were surprisingly agile and nimble for someone with his muscular build and height.
Bang!
He dodged the Golem's stomping foot and aimed for its hamstring.
He used the Golem's forearm as a stepping stone to leap up and strike between its neck and chest.
He evaded the 'Crystal Breath,' which spewed noxious gas, and targeted its jaw joint.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
The Champion's Sword rained down like a shower.
However, only minor cuts and scratches appeared on the Golem's body, no fatal wounds.
?Aringen's Rock Giant (B) is enraged!?
It seemed he had only fueled its anger, provoking the Golem's fierce attacks.
?Ground Leveling?
Rumble!
The Golem stomped its foot violently.
Shockwaves spiraled out from its foot, which had sunk nearly 2 meters into the ground.
Crack! Crack!
The earth's surface rose, forming countless sharp spikes.
The ground within a 100-meter radius rose sharply like shattered glass.
Even for Baekya, there was nowhere to escape this attack on the ground.
'Then I'll just go to the sky.'
Whoosh!
Once again, he used the Flame Arrow and Descent from the Crimson Flame combo to escape into the sky.
300 meters above the ground.
From this height, even the massive crystal Golem looked small.
Whoosh!
He began to fall, gaining speed rapidly.
His short hair fluttered behind his forehead.
'It seems I'll have to use a close-range attack.'
?"Isn't that too much?"?
?"Your body won't be able to handle the recoil."?
'I have this, don't I?'
Baekya grinned, holding out his left hand and looking at the 'Hardening' ring shining on his middle finger.
It seemed like it would be a one-time use, but if he could take down a B-Rank Golem with a 'Normal' grade artifact, it would be a profitable trade.
?"Then it might be worth a try."?
?Your constellation 'Sunny' smiles with anticipation.?
The Rock Golem watched Baekya falling from the sky and clenched its fist.
Crack!
Layers of white shockwaves gathered around its angular fingers.
Hum. Hum. Hum. Hum.
Instead of clenching his fist, Baekya opened his palm.
The sensation of the wind passing between his fingers was refreshing.
?Radiant Wave (S+)?
Bzzzzzt—!
Even with the Constellation's assistance, the Mana in his body instantly plummeted to zero.
The power, compared to before, was like a ripple before a tsunami.
However, the Radiant Wave, a technique utilizing high-heat radiation wavelengths and their vibrations for aerial combat, was Baekya's favored close-range skill, both in the past and present.
The preferences of the strongest always held value worthy of being chosen by the strongest.
The red energy gathered in front of Baekya's palm, pulsating as if eager to burst forth.
Intense radiant heat left a comet-like trail behind Baekya.
The Rock Golem, the ruler of this field, threw its fist with the intent to crush the insolent being who dared to look down upon it.
Whoosh!
As Baekya watched the fist approach, the absurdity of his situation struck him.
'Hang on a second, I'm facing a B-Rank with a measly C-Rank!'
He remembered how his disciples had reacted when they'd done something similar.
'Siyeol.'
'Yes, Master?'
'If you have a death wish, just let me know.'
Now, he could empathize with their concern.
'Alright, I'll admit it. It's utterly reckless to gamble your life for a shortcut to a place you could reach eventually. But that's also what makes it thrilling.'
He thrust his palm, imbued with Radiant Wave, forward.
?Underdog?
?Increases attack power and defense penetration by 10% against enemies 2 or more grades higher.?
The final Aitel notification flashed across his vision and faded.
Crack!
The Golem's fist and Baekya's palm met in mid-air.
Rumble!
Immense force and white shockwaves surged upwards, threatening to pulverize Baekya's arm and shoulder.
It was a full-powered strike from the Golem, one that could crush a C-Rank Awakened in a single blow.
But that strike was halted as effortlessly as a child's fist against an immovable mountain.
Baekya's image was reflected in the Golem's crystalline eyes.
Bzzzzzt—!
The heat and color of the Radiant Wave penetrated the Golem's rocky body.
Crack, Crack!
Thick cracks spread through the crystal that held the rocks together.
"?!"
Just as the Golem was about to let out a roar...
Crack
The spreading cracks reached the Golem's jaw, causing it to fall off.
* * *
Boom, Crash!
Baekya landed and watched as the Golem's massive body crumbled.
'To think I could barely handle even this much.'
Despite achieving a feat that would shock everyone in this Gate, his expression wasn't bright.
His left arm was still trembling.
The 'Hardening' ring he had worn on his left middle finger had crumbled without a trace.
If it weren't for that ring, his left arm would have met the same fate.
?"No, you did well enough."?
?"To be honest, I thought you wouldn't be able to win, so I was imagining a scenario where you'd have to run away."?
'Oh, Constellation!'
Of course, his uncharacteristic gloom didn't last long.
The wall between B-Rank and C-Rank was incredibly high.
Even with all sorts of traits assisting him, defeating a B-Rank as a C-Rank was something to be proud of.
?You have acquired 'Hardening (B).'?
?Your body becomes as solid as rock, and you will not be easily injured by most attacks.?
?Health +100, Strength +75?
As if to praise him, an Aitel notification appeared.
Baekya couldn't believe his eyes.
'Huh?'
He had been prepared to hunt at least ten of them.
'The drop rate is this high?'
And the notifications didn't stop there.
?Congratulations.?
?An artifact has been dropped.?
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]