Level Up Monster
Chapter 18
"Please confirm that it is the correct item."
Kim Yu-Rin is still beautiful. It was very different from back when he was alive and refreshing; however, he still found his robot and his cold mannerisms as alluring as before.
"This is it . "
Kim Yu-Rin hands the suitcase containing Mana Crystal to Sae-Jin. From that small crack, a light shone from the Mana Stone. Sae-Jin talks while giving her a transfer certificate.
"Thank you very much . "
One more handshake followed that. Their business-like behavior really fits the claims of this meeting as a first. Their focus is solely on official business completion, leaving little gap for anyone to join. Still, Kim Yu-Rin finds Sae-Jin's demeanor quite pleasant as she shows no ulterior motives to him.
"Ah. Then you two. Can we go somewhere and eat together?"
Suddenly, the director of the Hyunwol Auction House spoke after observing the two for a while.
His proposal was actually not a procedure that needed to be followed, where the director of the auction house invited the seller and bidder to eat after a successful transaction. Most of the time, it is requested by the buyer, and the seller who refuses the invitation will be considered impolite.
One could argue that honestly, this opportunity to eat was one of the reasons why the price of the last hammer of Mana Crystal exceeded the expected maximum amount of $ 3. 5 million . After all, the opportunity to eat together with Kim Yu-Rin would be worth it.
"Then shall we go? I know a good restaurant is frequented by the Knights of our Order."
At this suggestion, Kim Yu-Rin smiled politely and tried to guide Sae-Jin.
But, behind all expectations, Sae-Jin shakes her head.
"Is it possible to postpone eating for a date later? I'm currently short on time."
Kim Yu-Rin's body stopped dead, still on the way to the elevator. Sae-Jin cannot see it, but her face is strangely distorted at that moment. A profession busier than a High Level High Knight would be somewhat difficult to find …
He worked hard to straighten his face and turned to stare at the bottom of his face before opening his mouth. Since the hood of the robe was pulled low, he could only see the bottom of his face.
"I'm sorry, but if not today, then I won't have enough time either. Another date a little …"
"If that's the case, then let's forget the food. Apologies, for lack of time."
Sae-Jin insists on her position. By the time she opens her mouth to say something, Sae-Jin is already walking past her and entering the elevator.
"T, wait a minute !!"
When he was perplexed after receiving this strange indifference for the first time in his life, the elevator doors had already closed.
"… wow. Miss Yu-Rin, you just got rejected, right ?!"
The surrounding junior knights spoke in a shocked tone. They did not mock him, but, they seemed to be completely shocked as well.
st floor, unable to even make a retort . But Yu-Rin confusedly watched for a long time the elevator that had now arrived back to the 1st floor, unable to even make a reply.
*
"Take me to Seoul Station."
Sae-Jin checks the rest of the time after she takes a taxi. About 70 minutes. Fortunately, there was enough breathing room left.
Sighing in relief, he again made sure that the Mana Stone was carefully placed inside the suitcase. A thick smile automatically spread on his lips.
Once he arrived back at the cave in Gangwon Province, he would absorb this Mana Stone and wait in his spare time for evolution to happen ….
But such a relaxed mind cannot last long.
Kwaaahang !!
First, there was a deafening explosion of noise, and soon after, a huge tremor shook the frame of the car. This unidentifiable event makes Sae-Jin's body float, and when she regains consciousness, she finds herself thrown out of a taxi.
"…. Oh, ** * * …"
From a blurred view, he could see the twisted carcass and debris strewn across the asphalt. Suppressing the pain from her head and ribs, Sae-Jin confirms the status of the item on her arm. Fortunately, the Mana Stone was still intact.
KyahakKyahak~!! " " KyahakKyahakKyahak ~ !! "
An evil shackle dominated his ringing ears. He followed the voice back to its origin, and looked past the twisted wreckage of the car.
The bat wings on his back, seemingly reminiscent of a miniature demon, a monster named Gargoyle was there.It mindlessly slammed his body against the bad cab and completely destroyed it.
"… Keuk."
Sae-Jin's body trembled as she stood up.
When he began to think why on earth a Gargoyle appeared in the middle of the city, a completely unrealistic sight a hundred times worse than the one unfolding before his eyes.
And it was the countless hordes of Monsters. There are monsters in the sky and on the streets. From the trash groups of monsters like Orcs and Skeleton Soldiers, to Wyvern who sliced through the air and blocked the sunlight with his huge body, and even the Ogres were shaking the earth violently every time they took a step forward. All of this took place in less than three minutes.
Unable to discern whether this was still the Korean capital, Seoul, or the monster field from this ongoing spectacle, Sae-Jin momentarily stood there, her mouth agape in a daze.
A Monster Outbreak, 1st level alert!! – Monster Outbreak, alert level 1 !! All citizens must evacuate the area. Knight's order will arrive soon …
Sae-Jin awakens from her stupidity thanks to an automatic warning coming from somewhere. Only then did he realize that Gargoyle was staring at him with a dagger. With gray eyes like a full moon.
"…."
He showed no further reaction, but slipped his hand slowly into the suitcase. The Gargoyle was a shrewd and cruel monster. He heard that because of his abundant curiosity, this Monster was known to play around with human victims.
"Yahoo !!"
"S, save me !!"
"Mama!!"
On the sudden attack of these monsters, the surrounding environment quickly deteriorated past the level of Purgatory Flame, and now resembled Hell. The shattered cars exploded and flames rose from the place, dyeing the world a deep red. The building collapses, and a child cries in fear after losing sight of his parents.
Keirv . " "… Keeruek. "
But Gargoyle just stared at Sae-Jin. Looking at his slightly bent nape, he could tell it was now thinking of him as a toy.
Gargoyles were Mid Tier level monsters. Although it was not due to his physical strength, but, due to his cunning characteristics that chose to set traps and such, but the Gargoyle participating in the Plague would raise his stats to a higher level. It is absolutely impossible for Sae-Jin right now to beat this thing.
"…."
Sae-Jin's sweat-soaked hand blindly stumbles inside the case until she can feel what she's looking for. It's hard and cold – Stone Mana Werewolf.
[Will you absorb the Mana Stone from the Mid Tier Werewolf? Yes/No (Warning: Right now, this Monster is much stronger than the host.)]
Whee-icks.
At the same time as the message window appeared in his view, Gargoyle flapped his wings and flew away. There was that warning, but he couldn't think too much about it. Gritting his teeth, he pressed "yes".
And at that moment, Sae-Jin could only open her eyes abruptly.
"Keu-uuurk !!"
The pain is incredible. From all over his body, the bones began to grow uncontrollably, tearing apart his flesh and internal organs. This indescribable pain, was comparable to being pierced by a steel pipe dozens of times in one second. Tears of blood dripped from the corner of his reddened eyes and a mixture of saliva and blood came out of his freely hanging mouth.
A keek? " "… Keek? "
Upon seeing a man who looked like he was suicidal, Gargoyle tilted his head and approached.
*guttural groan in pain*.." "*crazy groan of pain * …"
Throughout his body, the bones were repeatedly stretched and then pulled from his flesh before being pulled back. Seeing him spew a bucket of blood with a whimper of pain every time it happened was enough to make Gargoyle smile widely.
Keek Keek Keek . " " Keek Keek Keek. "
Gargoyle slowly flies off and lands on Sae-Jin's back after he collapses on the asphalt. He stuck his head out with a finger for a while, then as if finding this funny, the monster chuckled again.
Keek Keek Keek. " "Keek Keek Keek… "
Unfortunately, Gargoyles are the type of Monsters that get bored easily. The ugly creature raised its sharp claws with a smile on its face after instantly losing interest in him. The claws that could easily tear one's body were like cutting a cold gleaming radish.
The weapon was held high in the air. And Sae-Jin's head will soon be split with ugly claws …
[Partial absorption has been completed. From now on, "Beast Mode" can be utilized. Beast Mode will activate automatically when the host's life is in danger. ]
It was also at this moment when Sae-Jin's eyes shone in deep yellow. Just when the claws reflected sunlight down on his head.
The claws looked very slow. Also, it looked weak, as if it would probably shatter into pieces after he shook it a few times. Perhaps, this is what predators must feel when they see their prey.
Sae-Jin lightly swings one of her arms and throws the creature away.
* Sound of massive destruction *
But the end result cannot be called "light" at all. The Gargoyle's claws completely broke and scattered in the air, and his body was thrown into the distance with a loud sound and exploded as if exploding a drum.
heavy breathing*… . " "….. * Heavy breath * …. "
Only then, does the flow of time return to normal; Sae-Jin tries to catch her boiling heart as she takes a deep and outgoing breath.
Unfortunately for him, the idea of feeling relieved was as far away as possible.
"… What …"
His hands became bigger and sharper like wild beasts, and his body was covered in fur. A tail came out from behind him, his jaw stretched out, and his teeth became even more terrifying.
Sae-Jin confusedly looks at her hand, now covered in black fur. This .... is Werewolf's appearance in "Beast Mode". He hurriedly scanned his surroundings. Fortunately, in this hellhole there was no one with enough leeway to notice his sudden change.
'Human Form. Why can't I go back to Human Form? '
That's his first question. Why is he now in the form of a bipedal beast, not a human? Thankfully, the friendship system solved the problem for him.
[Until the Mana Stone absorption is complete, the Human Form will not be available to the host. ]
Right after the message, many other warning windows swarmed in front of his eyes, enough to block his entire view.
\=\=\=
Complete Condition: The Heart of the Beast. ⸥
– The host has absorbed the Mana Stone from the mighty Werewolf into his heart. All statistics up 15.
– When absorption reaches 100%, in the Ebony Form Wolf host can enable /disable Beast Mode or Human Mode. (It is impossible to change to another Form until absorption is complete.)
– Acquired Passive Skills "Flesh of a Beast", "High Strength Claw" and "Predator."
►Passive Skill "Flesh of a Beast" [Skill Skill Skill Level: F]
– The meat is strengthened, and a small amount of damage from magic is negated.
– Wounds on the body heal quickly through excellent body resistance.
– The host can freely manipulate his blood flow as well as the target. However, parts of the host's body, such as claws or fangs, must come into contact with the target's blood flow.
– During Human Form, the effect of the skill will be reduced.
► Passive Skill "High Strength Wolf Claw" [Skill Skill Skill Level: F]
– Wolf claw which has strength and hardness of steel.
– When the skill level is raised, "corporeal", "incorporeal" and even the aura can be destroyed.
– During Human Form, the effect of the skill will be reduced.
►Passive Skill "Predator" [Skill Skill Proficiency Level: F]
– The host will grow stronger the more enemies the host eliminates. When a stronger enemy is killed, the rate of growth will be greater.
– Prey can feel fear towards Predator and can give up/ want to submit under the power of the host.
\=\=\=
Too bad, there was not enough time for him to sit down and read all these messages properly.
"Take the Ogre first !! Hand Wyvern over to a High Level Knight !!"
The knights are approaching this place. Sae-Jin hides from their eyes and moves as stealthily as possible.
