Chapter 28
He chased the albino. It wasn’t that fast, so he could catch up with it after running for a short while.
“Where could it be heading? Is it also trying to escape to a cave?”
He recalled the time he witnessed the albino coward.
After running for a long time, it went into a low cave and self-destructed.
Why did it self-destruct?
There is only one way to find out.
“Is that thing going to self-destruct as well?”
He had to follow it.
Perhaps the ‘truth’ he sought was heavier than he thought.
But Johan did not hesitate, for the truths he sought were always worth risking his life for.
Despite the high difficulty of B rank, he did not back down.
“There it is.”
The village, made from old cloth like a nomad’s settlement, was crafted so skillfully that it could almost be mistaken for a human’s.
It probably belonged to humans in the past.
Nomads.
Guards were stationed at the entrance of the village.
With yellowish-brown skin, grotesquely distorted faces, and towering bodies nearly 2 meters tall, their sturdy figures wielding brutal-looking hammers and clubs made them look like minions guarding the gates of hell.
The albino passed through the guards as if it was familiar with them and entered the village.
The guards did not stop the albino. Instead, they nodded as if showing respect.
“To pursue it, I need to deal with these first.”
It wasn’t called a B rank quest for nothing. Eliminating dozens of Uruks was indeed a challenging task.
“At least, it was in the past.”
Johan pulled out two Tau from his casket.
Thud.
The ground trembled with the Tau’s footsteps.
The guards, spotting the gigantic Tau, began to tremble in fear.
Due to its immense size, they spotted it from quite a distance.
“Wow. That’s fierce.”
Even more fearsome with its bandages wrapped around, the upper predator Tau was a stark contrast to the other, somewhat cute, attendants.
Its presence was overwhelming.
The Tau bowed down in front of Johan. Despite being only two, their presence was unmatched.
The guards fumbled and threw rocks at them in panic. But their attempts were futile.
“Let’s wipe them out.”
The Tau, surveying the surroundings with its dead eyes, finally roared.
Roar-
The guards, supposed to protect the village, were overwhelmed by fear and continuously retreated.
With every step the Tau took, the guards took five steps back.
It was overwhelming.
If Uruks were wolves, the Tau was a tiger.
Even among D rank creatures, the hunting prowess of pack Uruks and the solo prowess of the Tau were worlds apart.
Hiss!
One of the retreating creatures bravely charged at the Tau.
The instinct to protect their home overcame their fear.
Crash
But reality is harsh.
The creature crushed under the Tau’s foot died instantly without even a scream.
Seeing this, another guard charged in anger, but the result was the same.
“It wasn’t just two of them. It was two of them.”
These out-of-standard beings changed the course of the battle.
The ranks assigned to monsters created even harsher differences than those assigned to awakened beings.
An Uruk’s axe, drawn by the commotion, dug into the bandages.
Did it cut about an inch?
Screech?
A mere shake of its shoulder dislodged the weakly embedded axe.
For the five-meter tall Tau, it was just a scratch, and it picked up the dropped axe and threw it back to where it came from.
Slash
Its neck fell hopelessly. The body slipped down.
At the same time, the vibration of dozens of Uruks running shook the mountains.
Now it begins.
The enraged creatures would charge without hesitation to eliminate their target.
“Tau, smash their formation so no one can assist each other.”
The Tau’s eyes turned red upon receiving the command.
The dozens of Uruks visible in the distance.
More than fifty of them charged, all infuriated by the Tau’s intrusion into their territory.
“Is there a shaman?”
Their state was unusual. They seemed crazed, like when a King used berserk.
“It must be back there.”
The frenzied state, a specialty of the shaman. Sometimes more influential than the chief, the shaman is the first to be dealt with when attacking a village.
Attacking an Uruk village carries many implications.
Not just warriors, but also shamans, great warriors, and the chief must be dealt with.
Only by killing all of these can the village be truly conquered.
Boom
With a blast, those who collided with the Tau were sent flying.
In the area where the collision occurred, a horn over a meter long pierced through the Uruks in the front line.
Rip
The Tau grabbed the creatures with torn bellies and tore them apart. Wielding the split Uruk as a weapon, the Tau resembled a yaksha (demon).
Hiss!
The creatures surrounded the Tau and poured all their weapons onto it.
Various weapons tore at the Tau’s body.
However, the Tau did not feel pain.
Pain that cannot be cut only makes the Tau stronger.
Hiss!
And the Uruks also forgot pain.
Those who forgot even fear bit into the Tau’s entire body with powerful jaws.
Chunks of flesh were torn away.
At this rate, one of its limbs would soon be torn off.
But that would never be allowed to happen.
“Badger.”
He called the badger. There was a need to deal with the shaman controlling them from the rear.
“Find the monster holding the staff with skulls hanging from it.”
Nod
The badger, catching Johan’s command, quickly burrowed into the ground.
It would probably find it quickly.
Shamans, who have the habit of tapping the ground with their staff, are the easiest type of monster for the badger to locate.
As expected, the badger, having quickly left the range of Johan’s control, roamed around and soon returned to Johan.
The badger pointed somewhere with its long claws.
“Ah, that way? It’s a bit far, huh?”
Nod
Johan’s current range of control was up to 40 meters. Since it was out of sight, it must be at least 100 meters away.
The badger then mimed tapping the ground with its hands. This confirmed that it had found the shaman.
“Go and neutralize it, but don’t kill it.”
Thump-thump-
The badger disappeared again, this time with a murderous intent.
Squeal!
Soon, a pig’s cry was heard from the back. It seemed the badger’s attack was successful.
At the same time, the Uruks began regaining their senses.
The creatures that had forgotten fear and charged in berserk now hesitated.
“Now, you will feel it too. The emotion called fear.”
Johan opened the coffin. From the darkness of the opened coffin, Uruks began to be expelled.
A kin clad in a power darker than death appeared.
The trembling among them intensified.
The emotions swept over them like a wave, leaving nothing but a one-sided slaughter.
Hiss
The creatures began to flee inward. With their frenzy dissipated, they chose to flee like the monsters they were.
The badger blocked the retreating creatures.
Being a different breed, the C-rank boss monster badger slashed them apart with a single swipe of its claws.
Overwhelming destructive power, the Tau steadily advanced, tearing apart any creatures it encountered.
“Hello?”
The Uruk shaman appeared. With resentment in its eyes, it gritted its teeth as its wrists and ankles were cut.
“Why are you pretending to be pitiful? You’re the ones who plunder more than anyone.”
A pile of countless skeletons lay in the middle of the village. Over twenty.
All of them were residents of this world. The creatures had eaten them and used their remains as their weapons.
Squeal!
In the meantime, the perfect hunting strategy had concluded.
Dozens of Uruks had died in an instant.
The remaining Uruks, ten in total, had no thought of resisting and awaited their turn.
“They should appear soon.”
Johan, too, was waiting for his turn.
With their numbers reduced to below ten, they would soon appear.
The guardian of the village who never leaves the village.
A gigantic Uruk burst out of a tent in a rage.
Wearing a helmet made of reindeer skulls, with 20 cm long tusks interlaced above and below. Blood, like tattoos, covered its body.
Its mouth, torn like a hippo’s, looked like it could swallow its opponent in one bite.
Its presence rivaled even the Tau, showing at a glance that it was the absolute ruler of this area.
“Why are you acting tough when all your subordinates are dead?”
Although he said that, Johan couldn’t hide his tension.
The chieftain of the Uruk tribe, the tyrant Urus.
Born with divine power, it sat in the chieftain’s seat as soon as it was born, exuding an aura different from other Uruks.
For a moment, Johan felt a chill.
“Is it behind that?”
Swoosh
Something moved inside the tent. Seeing the white body, it seemed to be the albino that had entered earlier.
Now, if he could defeat this creature, he could capture the albino.
He could learn the truth.
Hiss hiss
A body twice as large as an Uruk’s.
Rough snorts came out. Urus twirled his massive hammer, looking for the source of the massacre.
His gaze fixed on the Tau.
Urus chose the Tau as his first target and charged furiously. His hammer flew towards the Tau’s head.
Crack
The Tau’s hand, which blocked the hammer, was grotesquely twisted.
Urus easily surpassed the strength of the Tau, enhanced by command, and continued to pummel the Tau with the hammer.
Shoulders and ribs were crushed.
Proving himself as the ruler of this area, he grabbed the Tau’s head with one hand and hammered it until it was destroyed.
At this rate, it would be completely ruined.
“Fall back! Badger!”
At Johan’s call, the badger lunged at Urus, aiming for his lower body.
The badger’s sharp claws were not to be underestimated.
Urus defended against the attack by slamming the Tau’s head into the ground. He didn’t dodge but used a strategy.
At the same time, he kicked the badger away to create distance.
“Definitely different. Is this how a true C-rank moves?”
It was like watching a hunter, not a monster.
His physical abilities were impressive, but his combat sense was extraordinary.
Two Tau combined could barely match him.
He would need to deploy all his servants to make a decisive blow.
Despite the anxiety, greed rose within Johan. If he could acquire this creature, any C-rank dungeon would be easily managed.
Shiver
Perhaps feeling Johan’s gaze, Urus’s body trembled.
This was probably the first time Johan had targeted his body.
“I wonder if you can attack your subordinates. Come.”
He raised the corpses as his servants.
Those who had died horribly were revived with indifferent blue eyes.
Hiss
The bewildered Urus quickly scanned his surroundings.
No matter how powerful he was, seeing his revived subordinates was a first.
“Let’s go. We need to bring the boss here too.”
The Uruks, clad in their own spirits, bared their teeth at their chieftain.
Slowly gaining speed, they charged.
The startled Urus pushed away the subordinates who had revived.
It was an unexpected sight from the ruler who had emerged after they had all died.
On the other hand, the Uruks relentlessly bit and struck at his body.
Johan noticed a gap in the panicked creature’s defenses and gestured to Tau.
Tau, running on all fours like a bull, accurately pierced Urus’ shoulder.
Crash
The impact caused Urus to fall unceremoniously, and the Uruks climbed on top to subdue him.
“Badger!”
Slice
During this, the Badger’s claws aimed for Urus’ neck, but Urus skillfully blocked it with his helmet.
In the following attack, Urus used one of the Uruks as a shield to escape.
Growl
Urus, whose body was now a mess, raged.
It seemed as if all his patience had exploded, and he completely let go of his rationality.
He tore apart the Uruks one by one who had climbed on him.
Rip rip
Respect for his kin ended there, as Urus shredded the Uruks like jerky and cleared the area.
Now, numerical superiority meant nothing. They had to use the creature’s impaired judgment to deal damage.
“Everyone out! Full attack!”
As Kim and Kowan emerged from the coffin, they charged at Urus.
Kowan, as usual, swung his dagger aiming for Urus’ ankles.
Bang!
But Urus was a creature different from any other monster they’d faced.
Kowan was sent flying with one kick.
Despite leveling up countless times, Kowan couldn’t easily overcome the difference in species.
Kowan, whose chest was crushed, couldn’t easily get up and whined.
King, as if to avenge Kowan, charged and swung his battle axe.
Slash
King’s strength definitely worked on Urus.
Despite the difference in size, King managed to inflict a deep wound inside Urus’ thigh.
Cut
Thanks to the unguarded attack, he succeeded in cutting Urus.
But King didn’t care and swung his axe at the other thigh.
While Urus was distracted by King, the Badger approached and pierced Urus’ abdomen.
Though Urus, spitting blood, turned to pull out the claws, he couldn’t avoid Tau’s kick aimed at his wounded abdomen.
Thud
He was strongly kicked in the pierced abdomen.
Blood started pouring out of the gaping wound.
Urus couldn’t regain his senses due to the profusely flowing blood.
A relentless rotation battle
Johan realized once again the power of these creatures.
How advantageous it was to be able to bring out the full potential of a monster’s original abilities.
The Badger didn’t miss the chance. He pierced Urus’ chest.
Urus, who was trying to stand, collapsed helplessly.
Having his lung pierced, Urus, losing his vitality, looked at Johan approaching him with resentful eyes.
“You must take revenge, it must have hurt quite a bit.”
Kowan, who had approached unnoticed, swiftly pierced Urus’ heart.
His fierce eyes seemed to show his anger towards Urus.
Urus, trembling, fell lifelessly. His wide-open eyes deeply reflected a sense of injustice.
[Urus]
Rank: C
Karma: 2500
– It is said that chieftains who are different from ordinary Uruks have ogre blood mixed in, possessing innate divine power. Urus has killed and ravaged 50 humans and oppressed other Uruks with force, treating them like slaves.
“Oh, why did you feel so wronged?”
Both the grade and karma were top-notch.
Indeed, he lived up to the nickname of a tyrant.
“Servant.”
The coffin voraciously swallowed Urus. Johan confirmed the increased morale and checked the dropped item.
[Urus’ Hammer]
Rank: C
Durability: 100
– This is the hammer used by Urus, the chieftain of the Uruk tribe. Made of steel, it is so heavy that it is almost impossible for ordinary humans to lift, but the destructive power from its weight is also considerable.
As described, the hammer was too heavy for Johan to wield easily.
It would be much better if Urus, now a servant, continued to use it.
“No need to covet their weapons. They’ll use them again anyway.”
There was no need to give them other weapons. The weapons they used while alive were the best for those who remembered their movements.
“Come out, Urus.”
At Johan’s command, the coffin spat out Urus.
The mummified Urus, with his grotesque face covered, gave an imposing impression.
[Urus]
Level: 1
Rank: C
Unique Ability: Hunter (A)
Skill: Chieftain’s Roar (C)
– The chieftain of the Uruk, who must prove his abilities daily, is also a master of hunting. Despite his large size, his movements are swift and precise.
Urus knelt. Now that he was an ally, he felt more reliable than anyone.
He chuckled.
“Oh, of course, not as much as our Kowan.”
Following King and Badger, this was already the third boss monster.
Johan decided to call him “Urusa.”
After all, a name should evoke a sense of familiarity.
Crash—
The creature inside the tent, who had witnessed everything, stumbled and fell.
It seemed it never thought Urus would lose and was now in a panic.
“Come here. Why do you run away to such a place and make things difficult?”
That damned Albino needed to be caught and punished.
At the very least, he needed to deliver a powerful punch to feel satisfied.
“But why didn’t that guy run away?”
He focused on a more fundamental reason.
The creature that had been running away well earlier, why didn’t it escape this time?
If it had run away as soon as it saw Urus die, it would have been hard to find.
“No way?”
Johan clapped his hands, realizing the creature’s intentions.
He never would have guessed it was because of this.
“Because of the shaman?”
The shaman was lying on the ground, gasping for breath.
With physical abilities insufficient to match, it was bleeding endlessly from its arms and legs, which hadn’t been staunched, and was dying.
The Albino’s gaze was fixed on this shaman.
It seemed the two had some kind of relationship.
“This will be easy to resolve. That’s a relief.”
Having found a way, Johan approached the shaman without hesitation.
Holding the priest’s dagger, he exuded an intimidating aura in all directions.
Ssssss!
As if his prediction was correct, the Albino burst out of the tent.
If it had been a person, what would it have shouted?
“Don’t touch him!” perhaps?
Thunk
He stabbed the dagger into the shaman’s back.
Ssssss!
A mournful scream.
The Albino raised its hands. It was a gesture of surrender.
“Lead me to your shrine. Then I’ll spare you.”
