NOVEL WEB
Chapter 33
“There were more people with the beast transformation skill than I thought.”
Separated from other hunters, Suho was crossing the jungle without hesitation. But in his way, numerous ghosts appeared and attacked him. Meanwhile, tainted branches aggressively targeted him from all directions, attempting to kill him.
Screech!
[Banshee activated the Skill: “Wail”]
[Directional sense is lost for 10 minutes.]
To make matters worse, a Banshee began to wail overhead, disorienting Suho’s mind.
Ruler’s Authority! The invisible hand reached out and grabbed the Banshee’s throat, snapping it.
The Banshee perished with a shocked cry.
[Banshee has been defeated.]
[Skill: “Wail” has been canceled.]
“You better not cry or else Santa Claus won’t give you any gifts,” Suho chuckled as he systematically killed off every Banshee as they appeared.
He then went after the clusters of ghosts coming at him from every direction as his dual swords spun like windmills.
[Skill: “Storm Slash” has activated.]
[Ghost has been defeated.]
[Ghost has been defeated.]
[Ghost has been defeated.]
Storm Slash was highly effective in battles against multiple foes. However, even after defeating so many ghosts, there was no sign of his level increasing.
Then I’ll just have to kill more! After all, he had no choice but to defeat all of them to move forward.
[Skill: “Storm Slash” has activated.]
[Skill: “Storm Slash” has activated.]
[Ghost has been defeated.]
[Ghost has been defeated.]
The days of Storm Slash depleting his mana with a single use were long gone. He was able to use the skill a whopping eight times with his current mana pool.
But even after defeating so many, I’m not leveling up... It felt as if he was gaining zero experience points. Could it be... Are they mere parts of a whole?
Suho’s eyes gleamed with a blue coldness as he scanned his surroundings. Thanks to his heightened sense stat, his field of vision was just as good as the beast-transformed hunters. Found it. He immediately pinpointed the most dangerous presence in this intricate jungle, and he swiftly changed direction and sprinted toward it.
His sword-turned-compass, Rakan’s Fang, asked for clarification, “Where are we going?”
“We’re just making a quick stop.”
The sword was leading them toward a slightly different path, but the brief detour wasn’t completely off course.
“What’s this now?”
Shortly after sprinting off, Suho spotted a peculiar-looking tree.
[Phantom Tree]
“Phantom Tree?”
“A sacred tree that protects the sanctuary.” Rakan’s Fang identified its nature.
“This is considered sacred?” Suho raised his head to examine the Phantom Tree.
It looked more like a sinister tree used for rituals than a sacred entity. Fittingly, new ghosts were sprouting from the twisted branches of the Phantom Tree like fruits.
Beru explained with a gleam in his eyes, “It seems like this is a ghost tree that grew by absorbing and nourishing itself with the corpses of humans who died on this land.”
“So, the ghosts are an extension of this thing. No wonder I wasn’t leveling up.”
In the end, he had found the right target. Beaming, Suho raised Rakan’s Fang in the air using Ruler’s Authority. He held Vulcan’s Horn with both hands and swung it like an axe, ruthlessly hacking away at the Phantom Tree. A tremendous sound echoed through the area, but the Phantom Tree stood firmly in its place.
You think you’ve got high defenses, huh? Let’s see who wins. Suho gritted his teeth and began a relentless assault on the Phantom Tree.
Suddenly, a loud howl filled the air, and sinister crimson shadows lunged at Suho as he attacked the Phantom Tree. He quickly stepped back and parried their clawed attacks with his sword.
[Dungeon Jackal]
[Dungeon Jackal]
The Dungeon Jackals menacingly surrounded Suho to prevent his escape. Their eyes had already identified him as prey. As guardians of the sacred tree of the sanctuary, their aura was distinct from ordinary Dungeon Jackals. However, this made Suho even more delighted.
“Great. You guys might be worth the trouble.” Suho licked his lips as an explosive surge of energy radiated from his body.
[Title: “Wolf Slayer” buff effect has been activated.
When facing beast-type monsters, all stats increase by 40%.]
Wary of the new threat, the Dungeon Jackals instinctively crouched down and were ready for battle. The one they had seen as weak prey now exuded the aura of an overwhelming predator.
Roar!
Suho swung his sword at the Dungeon Jackals charging towards him.
***
[Shadow Jackal - Level 1 - Normal Grade.]
[Shadow Jackal - Level 1 - Normal Grade.]
The new shadow soldiers were shrouded in dark energy. Beru stood atop their heads with a smug expression, nodding nonchalantly.
“Hehe. Yes, from now on, serve the Young Monarch obediently.”
“This is why we lost the war...” Rakan’s Fang’s voice was accompanied by a sigh.
Ignoring his sword, Suho fervently hacked away at the side of the Phantom Tree. Numerous ghosts tried to hinder him, but now the shadowy jackals were in between providing reliable protection.
Suddenly, an indignant voice rang out, “No, you are supposed to protect the Phantom Tree, not allow intruders to do this...!”
“Hey! Whose side are you on?!” Beru exclaimed.
“It wasn’t me who said that,” Rakan’s fang retorted.
“Huh?”
It seemed like Suho was being watched by the other artifact from a distance.
“I think that will do it,” Suho said as he landed his final blow, and the massive Phantom Tree began to fall backward with a resounding thud.
[The Phantom Tree has been destroyed.]
[The surrounding ghosts will vanish.]
At that moment, the ghosts that had been swirling around Suho scattered and disappeared.
[Level Up!]
“Woah, I leveled up just like that?” Suho’s eyes widened. He had leveled up after chopping down just one tree.
Suho quickly scanned the surroundings and then leaped onto a nearby tree to reach a higher vantage point. He looked ahead to assess the situation in other areas. He could see more ghosts in the distance roaming around and attacking hunters.
Seems like there’s more than one Phantom Tree! Suho’s eyes lit up. He knew that the locations of the next two were well-known to their former guardians.
“Lead the way!”
With his command, the Shadow Jackals charged ahead toward the location of the second Phantom Tree.
***
“What was that?”
The sound Miho heard suggested that something big had collapsed somewhere in the jungle. She had already dealt with all the Hyena Guild members and was surveying the area. She turned her head towards the source of the sound. That’s where that man went earlier, isn’t it?
She also noticed that there were slightly fewer ghosts around, and hoped she wasn’t imagining things. No, it’s not my imagination. Their numbers have definitely decreased... by one-third to be exact.
This allowed her a chance to catch her breath. Miho turned to the only werewolf she kept alive for information. He was covered in blood and pinned down.
Her crescent-shaped pupils met the terrified eyes of the survivor before her. “Do you want to live?”
“Y-yes, I want to live!” the werewolf answered desperately.
“Then prove it. Show me why I should spare your life.”
“Excuse me...?”
“Tell me everything you know.”
As Miho bared her teeth, the werewolf felt like a helpless animal before its hunter.
“Monarchs?” Miho blurted with a curious expression, shortly after the werewolf’s explanation. She hadn’t expected much, but the information the werewolf had provided was turning out to be quite valuable. “So, you’re saying that there was a king who ruled over magic beasts?”
“Yes, exactly! But that king died and disappeared a long time ago. And now the throne is vacant!”
“So, all this commotion is over choosing a new king?”
“Yes, that’s right. We came running here because we suddenly heard strange voices in our heads.”
The werewolf, unwilling to die like his other companions, spilled every single thing he knew. It seemed that the Hyena Guild members had thought that the voices inside their heads were unique to them. Since they had awakened from drinking the blood of the Fang Clan, they had judged themselves to be worthy of being the next King of Beasts. But they quickly realized how wrong they were once they entered the jungle. Any hunter with the power of a beast was qualified to be king, and every hunter worth their salt was gunning for the title in a fight to the death.
“Hmm.” To be king... Baek Miho was lost in thought for a moment. She would be lying to herself if she denied her ambition. Even at this moment, the voice in her head was stoking her desires, urging her to prove her worth.
“Prove you are worthy of being king!”
But it still smells fishy. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t imagine that magic beasts had approached humans with good intentions. Let alone let a human become their next king... This is all a sick joke. Miho chuckled and clenched her fist.
It was the right decision not to step forward. However, she was curious about the outcome of the Trial of the King. In fact, she was afraid of the outcome. She wondered what kind of evil the magic beasts could be planning under the pretext of the trial.
Why did Father have to be absent at a time like this? She let out a heavy sigh, thinking of her father.
If magic beasts truly intended to choose a human as their king, there was no one more qualified than the S-rank hunter, Baek Yoonho.
But Miho was certain. If Father were here, he would have undoubtedly made the same decision as me.
“Prove you are worthy of being king!”
“Ugh. Why can’t someone turn that thing off?” Miho’s head throbbed as the voice continued to appeal to her competitive urges.
“Kill them, and kill them again!”
Suddenly, the same loud noise from earlier echoed throughout the jungle, and the voice deviated from its usual repertoire.
“The one who survives till the end... Argh! Please stop this nonsense!”
“Huh? What’s going on now?”
The voice had erupted in frustration. Miho and the other hunters looked bewildered and raised their heads in surprise. Even the werewolf who had been begging for his life perked up his ears with a puzzled expression. Just like that, the mysterious droning in their heads came to an abrupt halt. They also noticed that the number of ghosts had dwindled by half.
What’s happening? Is the trial finished...? Miho asked herself.
But that wasn’t the case. After a brief pause, the voice started again, pretending as if nothing had happened, “Prove you are worthy of being... Ouch! No! Please! Not that one! That’s the only one left, I tell you!”
“Huh? What on earth is happening?”