Chapter 101: CH 101

Deep within a forest, an orc was meditating atop a large flat boulder. The orc was about a hundred and ninety centimeters tall and had a well-built body. The orc hero, whose name was Sungmuk, had led the Forest of Despair monster corps and had brought pain to many users. He silently meditated with his Blue Steel sword strapped to his back.

Tap. Tap.

All around him, rain droplets started hitting the surface of the boulder. The drops were fairly large, as if they signaled an imminent downpour.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The number of droplets started increasing. Soon, a droplet fell right above Sungmuk’s head.

Ping!

However, the rain droplet didn’t wet his hair. Without any sound, Sungmuk had taken out his Blue Steel and halved the droplet mid-air.

P-Ping!

The halved droplet was halved once more with another strike. Those four equal sized water droplets were struck by two additional sword strikes. Soon, eight water droplets were formed.

P-P-Ping!

The droplet that was falling onto his shoulder was struck. Then, raindrops falling on his forehead, nose, neck, and calf were struck in succession and scattered away from his body.

Whoosh!

Numerous lines started forming in the air. There were the lines created by the streaming raindrops, and then there were the numerous sword strike lines that Sungmuk was sending above him. Soon, the number of sword strike lines started outnumbering the number of raindrops falling upon him.

Ring!

Eventually, a plum blossom started blooming. The falling raindrops scattered away from Sungmuk’s body as soon as they hit the bloomed plum blossom. Though it was raining, the surrounding area started to be saturated with a plum blossom fragrance, and the plum blossom looked so clear and real that it seemed as though a flower really had bloomed above his head.

Tap.

The rain continued to fall for 10 minutes before stopping. Once the rain stopped, Sungmuk put away the sword in his hand as quietly as when he had taken it out.

Not a single drop of rainwater had landed on his body.

“Hmm? What kind of fog is this?”

A wind started to blow and clear the fog that surrounded Sungmuk. Soon, a large-framed ogre became visible. The monster had a species level of 8. Just from growing older, this monster among monsters would naturally reach level 8 and become a force that could take on modern warfare machines.

“What is it, Jooyoung. This isn’t your territory.”

“Hey~ it’s been a long time, but your reception is so cold. However, I never expected that you’d become an orc, so it took me a while to find you.”

Though Jooyoung was an ogre, he had an interesting and unique look. His size and height were like an ogre’s, but his muscle structure was much more concentrated and defined, and overall his body was light and quick. He wore a black martial arts uniform, and his legs seemed firm and strong, enough to sustain a strike from a modern missile. His hands seemed strong enough to tear through solid steel.

“I sense your bloodlust. How many beings did you kill on the way here?”

“I couldn’t help it. Orcs are stupid, so they couldn’t understand what I was saying.”

Monsters weren’t predisposed to stupidity. Of course, there were many monsters that possessed intelligence levels similar to simple beasts and animals, but there were also monsters that were intelligent enough to use magic. Moreover, there were also low-level monsters that possessed intelligence levels similar to humans.

In truth, the orc species were intellignet enough to use language to communicate, create weapons and gear, and come up with strategies to contend against humans. Additionally, the orcs living within the Forest of Despair possessed relatively strong combat powers and a high level of intelligence, so they wouldn’t have had an issue giving someone directions.

“You haven’t changed at all. The orc and ogre species have been a relatively new creation, but you’ve already established a clear habit of discrimination.”

“That’s because I’m strong enough to do so. Stupid orc.”

Whoosh.

Jooyoung took a step forward, and a large oppressive qi aura spread throughout the area. The oppressive force came from the overwhelming amount of internal energy possessed by the ogre. Ogres would naturally become stronger as they aged, to the point that observers wouldn’t consider them natural beings; however, this ogre was on a completely different dimension.

Sungmuk scoffed. “What idiocy. Do you think you can defeat me with your current physical body?”

“Hahaha. If you think your words are going to convince me to retreat, you’re wrong. This place is different from the Central District. I have a higher level than you. That means I’m more powerful.”

“You don’t understand why you have a strong and powerful body.”

“Ha. Sorry, but I know all too well. The reason why I’ve gained such a strong build is because ‘they’ knew that your body would be weaker than mine. Actually, ‘they’ might have even considered it wasteful to give you an orc’s body.”

With a sinister smile, Jooyoung raised his fist.

Boom!

With a thunderous strike, the ogre smashed the boulder that Sungmuk had been on into small pieces. However, Sungmuk was untouched. “Heaven and Earth Palm… have you given up on martial arts?”

“Hmpf. If you can’t block it, I guess you’re only left with the option of avoiding my attacks.”

Seeing Sungmuk effortlessly avoid his palm strike, Jooyoung smirked. Jooyoung then started to bring out a greater amount of his internal energy. Previously, Sungmuk was a woman who was stronger and more powerful than him, so he couldn’t do anything to her, but now, the tables had turned. Jooyoung possessed an unnaturally strong body. Moreover, Jooyoung had enough internal energy to give him the confidence to blow away an entire mountain range. While crossing over to the world of DIO, Sungmuk had become weaker, but Jooyoung had become stronger.

“… Pathetic.”

However, Sungmuk didn’t waver or shake. Without even a shred of fear, he stared at Jooyoung. Sungmuk hadn’t even taken out his sword. The ogre’s expression turned ugly. Jooyoung had planned on stomping Sungmuk, but it didn’t seem like Sungmuk was afraid of anything of the sort.

“You bitch. Let’s see how long you can keep your composure…”

However, Jooyoung was momentarily confused. He had received an unexpected message.

“Your title…”

Above Sungmuk’s head was the following description,

/[Ruler of Dark Sky Demon Forest]/

/[Sword Sovereign, Sungmuk]/

The Dark Sky Demon Forest wasn’t a faraway land. In fact, the land that Sungmuk and Jooyoung currently stood on was part of the Dark Sky Demon Forest, which was an inner area within the Forest of Despair that was populated by ultra-high-level monsters, most of which users had not yet seen.

“What’s wrong? Did you see something unexpected?”

Sungmuk spoke in a low voice. Jooyoung couldn’t help but frown. They were currently in Dark Sky Demon Forest, but why was Sungmuk the ruler of this forest? Sungmuk was level 13, which wasn’t a low level by any means, but there were many other monsters that possessed much higher levels within the Dark Sky Demon Forest. Moreover, how could an orc, a species that didn’t possess a potential to develop and become stronger, be the forest’s ruler? However, what was even more surprising was Sungmuk’s given title.

“Sword… Sovereign?”

Jooyoung had never heard of such a title. Most titles alluded to a monster’s occupation or specialty area, as titles weren’t handed out on a personal basis. However, Sungmuk had a personalized title, which meant that he was recognized as someone special. Since the orc species had a species level of 3, Sungmuk had accomplished much to become a Hero Class orc. But it seemed that Sungmuk had overcome an additional barrier recently.

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“You’re in the… Freedom Class?”

If one’s control over internal energy went beyond a certain level, one could become free from the restrictions of the physical body. It would be difficult to defeat a wolf or tiger with a normal human body, but the reason why a normal human body could become as strong as a modern warfare machine was based on this principle. Realizing this truth, Jooyoung bit his lips. Sungmuk stated,

“Physical force or internal energy, all of that doesn’t matter. You and I have one main difference.”

“One difference… what is that?”

“Power class.”

Ting!

Sungmuk’s sword rang out. With his monstrous, innate reaction speed, Jooyoung was able to take a step back and avoid the oncoming sword strike, but Sungmuk’s sword strike created a path that scattered his sword qi into the air.

Ring.

A suffocating smell of plum blossoms saturated the area. Of course, this wasn’t a physical phenomenon. Sungmuk’s Plum Blossom Sword Art’s Sword Truth had reached a level where it could cause one’s senses to misinterpret natural phenomenon input. Hence, if one tried to find qi-based plum blossom properties in Sungmuk’s sword qi, there wouldn’t be anything to find. In other words, there was no actual scent of plum blossoms in the air, but any living organism that entered the area Sungmuk dominated over would be inundated with the sensory smell of plum blossoms. Since this concept didn’t actually deal with the sense of smell, even living organisms which had lost the sense of smell or were born without such a sense would feel this effect.

Sss…

After seeing Jooyoung’s body, which had been shredded to pieces and turned into black smoke that scattered in the air, Sungmuk put his Blue Steel sword back into its scabbard.

“He’ll probably be reborn soon… but this should at least have taught him something, so he shouldn’t be coming around again anytime soon.”

It was a tiresome connection that followed from a previous lifetime. Jooyoung had been born as the first son of a well-known clan. Sungmuk had slapped the arrogant Jooyoung around a little at the time to teach him a lesson; however, Sungmuk never thought that such a connection would continue for so long.

“Anyway, it’s already been half a year… since things have been getting a little loud around here, it seems the users have been developing at a fairly quick pace.”

Users had been arriving at the front steps of the Forest of Despair’s inner area for some time now. The Forest of Despair was the largest among the four hunting fields, so a tremendous number of users entered there. However, the deeper one went into the forest, the more powerful the monsters became, so it wasn’t easy to enter the inner area. Moreover, monsters reappeared in the areas where they were previously killed, as monsters were given designated areas to defend. Hence, as time passed, users would eventually be pushed back, as they would have to constantly deal with regenerating monsters.

“Come to think of it, there’s that guy who killed me as well.”

Sungmuk recalled Arthur’s move. Arthur had used Dispersing Light Sword Technique with his left hand and Bright Tai Chi Sword Technique with his right hand. With just those two sword techniques, Arthur had already reached a nearly undefeatable level. The two sword techniques were polar opposites, and it was immensely hard to even master one of those techniques, let alone both. However, Merlin was able to master both of these polar opposite techniques. Moreover, by utilizing both techniques on separate hands, Arthur was able to block any attack and attack through any defense. To be sure, Sungmuk had not been in top form since he had sustained damage from the other users, but even if he was at full strength, he wouldn’t have been able to defeat Arthur; Sungmuk would have inevitably fallen to Arthur.

“I wonder who would win now?”

Sungmuk was fairly certain that he’d win now, but that was assuming he was facing the Arthur of the past, when they last clashed. With the passage of time, Arthur probably became stronger. Arthur had completely mastered the Bright Tai Chi Sword technique in 100 days; thus, with half a year having passed, Sungmuk was sure that Arthur wasn’t at the same power level. Even in the best-case scenario for Sungmuk, Arthur was probably already a monstrous being. However, with this thought in his mind, Sungmuk smiled.

“I should get out of this forest to gain some field experience. Normally, monsters wouldn’t move in such an unpredictable way… but since they said they’d allow me some freedom, I don’t think they’ll mind much.”

With a broad smile on his face, Sungmuk started walking. He was walking toward Starting.

***

In a wide-open space, twenty or so naked goblins were laying down on the ground. At first glance, one might think that something inappropriate was going on, but the actual atmosphere of the area was very solemn.

“Once it’s all been absorbed, apply it on another body part and then complete the spell. Mr. Dawon, I’m sure you’re tired, but please keep up the good work. This is the last group.”

“Oh, this is all for the goblin species, so I’ll happily do it.”

With a horn that took up about half its face, an elder goblin gave a tender smile while holding up his goblin bat. The glowing gold light from his bat illuminated the otherwise gloomy surroundings. The golden bat was proof that he was an elder.

Bling!

When the bat hit a laying goblin squarely on its head, the laying goblin’s entire body started trembling. Obviously, the elder wasn’t attacking the goblin but imbuing a spell onto the goblin’s body. It was just one wave of the bat, but sweat started dripping from Dawon’s brow.

“Don’t just stand around and watch! Everyone who is able should assist Mr. Dawon.”

“Yes, Ms. Heavenly Flower!”

Under the direction and orders of the 190-centimeter-tall figure, goblins and foxes started busily moving all over the place. They were working on the last group. Once this was done, the goblins would become stronger, as they would be acquiring a warrior company of 100 warriors.

“Hmm?”

Amid giving orders and directing the goblins and foxes, Heavenly Flower suddenly turned her head to one area of the sea. Although nothing seemed out of place, Heavenly Flower knew that something was rapidly approaching from within the sea.

“He’s arrived.”

The monsters were currently working atop a sheer cliff. For their safety, they were working at a safe distance away from the edge. Soon, something popped out of the sea.

Boom!

Something shot tens of meters out of the water like a flying fish. Although Merlin didn’t possess the ability to fly, he had 80 base points and 150 bonus title points in HP, as well as some movement abilities as an internal user, so although he was falling back down a considerable distance after shooting out of the water, he wouldn’t be injured. In fact, even if he were to free fall from a 63-story building, he wouldn’t die.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With a loud sound, Merlin landed on the ground. Since he had also traversed a horizontal distance of 100 meters through the air, one would have expected that he’d be rolling on the ground to stop his momentum; however, Merlin was able to stop with just three steps. Three deep footsteps formed where he had planted his feet to stop his forward momentum, but to any observer, it seemed effortless.

Splash!

His body had been soaked with salty seawater, but once he lightly brushed his hair, all the saltwater on his body fell to the ground. He didn’t just shake the water off; Merlin had used his water attribute affinity to completely expel all the excess water on his body. He was now squeaky clean.

“Gear 1. Hello, Heavenly Flower~!”

“It’s been a while.”

“Are you done with your work?”

“Almost.”

Wearing a red robe and large brimmed hat, Merlin surveyed his surroundings. Many naked goblins littered the area, and each of the naked goblins were surrounded by groups of foxes chanting spells, which helped the goblins better absorb a liquid that was being applied to their bodies.

“That One-Horned Fire Snake’s corpse was so large, but nothing has gone to waste,” Merlin remarked.

“It was a spiritual being that had lived a long life, so its body parts are useful for many different applications.”

When the One-Horned Fire Snake was killed, Merlin thought that the only useful piece of the snake’s corpse would be the snake’s inner qi core, but he was mistaken. As soon as the One-Horned Fire Snake died, Heavenly Flower secured the area and started preserving its corpse. She had done this because she knew that the One-Horned Fire Snake was an ancient spiritual being and monster whose body parts could be used in various applications; moreover, as a monster who knew how to use magic, she knew exactly what needed to be done to properly process the corpse.

Using a purification spell, the One-Horned Fire Snake’s blood could be purified of its poison and processed. It would then be given out to the foxes and goblins that could use magic. Since the blood contained a strong spiritual property, it could be used to greatly reinforce and strengthen spells. The One-Horned Fire Snake’s skin was also purified of toxins and then melted into a medical salve for ten days; the salve could then be applied to the skin with the help of a melting spell. Once fully absorbed into one’s skin, the salve would reinforce one’s skin, making it stronger against any form of shock and less puncturable from a sharp blade attack.

“Did you bring the Life Grass?”

“Yes, where should I put it?”

“On top of that boulder over there.”

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