Episode 92 – Predation and Evolution (2)
“What the hell is this…”
“Don’t worry too much. “His choices have never been wrong so far.”
It was extremely embarrassing for Eva, who had been quietly staying at home before being dragged away. I couldn’t even imagine that I would be chosen.
But the hunters, who were also her seniors, comforted her. They were equally surprised that she, a member of a different race, was chosen and not anyone else, but they decided to believe that this was his choice anyway.
They too are those who chose to become hunters as a result of his choice to recognize talent in ordinary warriors. Because they had experienced it themselves, they were able to advise Eva that everything would work out well.
“What is needed to create equipment from mutant by-products is not just dexterity. If you cannot properly feel and handle the power within it, no matter how hard you try to create it, you will not be able to utilize that power.”
Meanwhile, the workshop master handed Eva a hammer, one of the production tools.
“Try it. “This will reveal whether you have talent or not.”
“but…”
Eva accepted the hammer the Master held out with trembling hands. The way to check whether you have talent or not is to use a hammer to split the hard shell and process it to see if the texture of the power contained within it is not damaged.
The game was structured as a kind of rhythm game, but Eva had to rely on her senses to swing the hammer herself.
‘Is this possible?’
Of course, failure was impossible for her. Because I knew all that and brought you here in the first place. Eva, who was touching the large, thick carapace of the monster thrown in front of her, flinched when she felt something she did not recognize.
‘This raccoon, where did you get this person from?’
The Master’s eyes flinched when he saw that. She recognized the insight of the raccoon that was quietly watching her as if it knew this would happen.
And immediately after that, Eva began to use a hammer to break the carapace apart little by little. She processed the shell as if she were carving it, relying only on her senses, and the magical power of the mutant within it was gathered into the processed shell without loss.
[Characteristics: Dexterity, Craftsmanship]
‘I have awakened.’
Watching this from behind the monitor, he smiled with satisfaction as the latent traits in her status chart fully blossomed.
“That’s amazing. It’s a great talent. “I’ll learn it quickly.”
The Master chuckled as he looked at the shell she had processed first. It was the moment when a craftsman capable of processing bug by-products was born in the village.
[Achievement achieved: Self-sufficiency]
‘If we can provide a stable supply of equipment, another task has been completed.’
He put away the achievement message that appeared on the screen and looked at Eva, who was learning how to make equipment in earnest in the game.
It wasn’t like a game where you suddenly developed skills. Although he has talent, that only means he can learn it quickly, and in the end, the process of learning it is necessary.
However, if Eva learns the skills inside and comes out to open a workshop in the village and teach others, the number of artisans will increase just as the number of architects and miners has increased in the village.
“It seems like there was a bit of a crisis, but how did you overcome it?”
He stretched while yawning and grabbed the mouse and keyboard again.
On one side, you work hard to learn how to make equipment, on one side, you fight monsters and train hard, and on the other side, you work hard on building walls or scouting and fighting bugs.
Although the residents, led by Varun, have now grown up and are taking care of things on their own, he has become less concerned, but he has not run out of work to do.
“You’re here.”
He replayed Dark Blood, which Riena had accessed. As his character moved, Riena smiled and greeted him.
‘This game is now purely for her.’
He looked at Riena like that and raised his thumb in greeting.
While other games have a strong sense of maintaining the village or collecting resources for the residents, Dark Blood is a game played purely for Riena alone.
In fact, it is enough for now to transfer warriors, give them skills, and train them. However, as the chapters were repeated and progressed to the next level, the growth of Riena, who became the main character of the game, increased noticeably, as if she had truly become a player in the game.
Her body and mind become stronger as she experiences and encounters things that cannot be experienced in the original world.
‘I wonder how far it will go. Does he really reach the level of a half-human and half-god at the end like a game character? Or will there be a change in that too?’
He was now in a position to look forward to and watch Riena grow. Moreover, as she became stronger, it became easier to defeat powerful enemies, so it was not a practical justification.
“The cold…”
Riena bit her lip as the cold feeling enveloped her entire body.
The enemy they now face is the boss of Chapter 3. The Demon Lord of Frost ruled over the brave Margrave as his host, and the King of Frost even gained the power of bugs, transforming him into a stronger being.
“Come, hunter. The divinity I feel in you is also strangely different. “Are you also related to these bugs?”
The boss grinned as he watched them come here after killing all of his men.
A black armored figure riding a huge skeletal dragon that appeared after breaking the fortress wall. On the skeleton dragon’s chest, a huge tumor made of parasitic bugs was writhing.
“Those monsters are monsters that only want to eat the world. “No matter how evil he is, he can’t handle it.”
Riena shouted at the demon lord who was trying to take advantage of the bug. I could say this because I saw firsthand the danger of the bugs that were trying to destroy the Dwarven Kingdom and devour the world.
“Don’t be cocky. These guys are nothing more than simple beasts. I can tell. “How simple the thinking circuit these guys have is… their mechanical purpose to kill you is all they have.”
The boss exhaled cold air and grinned. The devil, who has the ability to see through the psychology of others and dig into the cracks, was also able to see through bugs.
The bugs the boss saw were just beasts. Of course, the strong purpose of killing everyone in the master program was too strong to be considered a beast, but that was something the boss did not need to know.
“The fact that these guys have appeared means that your era is coming to an end. “The ones who are four years behind us now.”
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“I would never…”
Riena became angry at the words of the boss who was pointing fingers at her and ridiculing her, but she was unable to continue speaking.
This is because someone moved their hand and grabbed his shoulder.
‘I have to fight anyway, so there’s no need to talk loudly.’
He, who was listening to the boss, stopped Riena. Although her expression was hidden behind the mask, she knew what he meant and nodded.
“Are the preparations complete? Then disappear!”
The boss also confirmed his determination and grinned. At the same time, the skeleton dragon spread its wings and spewed powerful cold air from its mouth in front.
***
‘Is this going to work?’
When you barely avoid an enemy’s breath by moving your character. I urgently looked at Riena. I can die, but she can’t.
Fortunately, she has much better reflexes and motor skills than me, so she quickly dodged the breath by lowering her body and kicking the ground.
“—!”
Then he counterattacked. A cross-shaped slash shining golden light erupted from the sword she swung and struck the skeleton dragon’s body.
“How dare this guy…!”
With that blow, one of the wings of the skeleton dragon that was trying to spread out and fly was shattered. Due to Riena’s quick judgment, the entire annoying pattern of attacking while flying around in the sky was deleted.
‘A joint attack from both sides.’
I ran in the opposite direction from her and fired magic to divert the enemy’s aggro.
Because set patterns were meaningless, I focused all my attention on the enemy’s movements. Fortunately, it is valid to say which action represents which attack.
‘Avoid.’
I avoided the skeleton dragon’s tail sweeping the floor and destroying it by repeatedly hitting the jump key. In the meantime, the guy stretched out his sword and slashed at Riena, but her eyes flashed and she slashed the sword vertically with a golden flash, cutting the enemy’s attack in half.
“Was the light of judgment originally that strong?”
I was so dumbfounded that I burst out laughing for a moment. Although the original effect of the Light of Heavenly Guardian Judgment was to enhance damage, no matter how you looked at it, there was a big difference from the depiction in the game.
By its setting, the Light of Judgment is the caster’s faith manifesting as power. This meant that Riena had strong faith.
“go away! no!”
Riena and I continued our joint attack, and the damage to the screaming enemies continued to accumulate.
After avoiding the mouth of the enemy who was trying to bite her, she struck the head of a skeleton dragon larger than a truck with her fist, breaking its jawbone, and I also used the magic I fired to hit the boss, who was focused on Riena, precisely on the back.
This maximizes the benefits of multiplayer.
“Ugh, ahhh! Ahhh!”
The problem arose from there. The boss, who looked like a daughter to everyone, suddenly screamed and stumbled.
“—!”
‘No way, this guy.’
I blocked Riena’s path as she ran towards me. Before our eyes, the boss was being eaten by the bugs he had borrowed power from.
“Where, where are you climbing, you beasts!”
The bugs that were parasitic on the skeleton dragon and lending it its strength all at once stretched out their creeping bodies and spread throughout the boss’s body.
As the boss’s power weakened, they went back and ate his body, as if they had targeted this moment.
‘It doesn’t work.’
I quickly used my skills to strike, but the bugs were devoured in an instant, and the demon lord, who had become arrogant after obtaining the incarnation, was eaten by the parasites.
[Frost Lord Baros (Pollution)]
The sign above his head also changed. The boss, whose entire body was taken over by writhing black parasites, raised his sword again while cackling.
“—. –.”
At that time, Riena stepped in front of me and approached them with a sword.
At that moment, I was shocked to see her face looking at me on the screen. Of course she intended to fight and win.
I, who play this game with her for her growth, cannot stop it.
‘Wake. ‘I should at least use a meat shield.’
I quickly followed her as she ran.
“Key, this…”
The boss, who lost his temper after being taken over by bugs, moved the skeleton dragon to block us. Unable to bite with its broken jaw, the skeleton dragon swung its skull like a weapon, and the boss stretched out his hand and shot out the parasites wrapped around his body like tentacles.
“–!”
Convinced that the same diversionary maneuver as before would not work against the bugs, I quickly dashed forward and struck a tentacle attack instead of Riena. It is a gamble worth taking for the most efficient win.
Immediately my character stopped moving according to my controls. It moved randomly as if it had a debuff, and there was a delay.
Riena was shocked to see me, but did not stop. Since we hadn’t even worked together once or twice, I took advantage of the opportunity I had created and cut off the skull dragon’s head and body with a single sword, sending the boss crashing to the floor.
‘I won.’
In the screen where noise gradually began to appear, Riena was seen stabbing the boss who had fallen on the floor with a sword and stomping on it with her golden, burning feet. All the remaining bugs died from her footsteps that shook the ground, and those attached to my character also fell off.