Second Life Ranker Chapter 243 - The Summer Queen (8)

“Mercuri…..Are you talking about the martial arts of the Giant species?”
“Yes.”
Mercuri was an old martial art that disappeared with the extinction of the Giant species. It was a special type of martial arts for the Giant species, who had a unique body over 7 meters tall.
It had a flaw in that it wasn’t easy to learn for those who weren’t of the Giant species, but because of this, Valdebich was able to rule supreme in battles.
Mercuri was the martial art that Valdebich used. It was the martial skill that made him into what he was today.
Also, it was the martial skill most appropriate for the Dragon Killer.
As his nickname, the Black Sword, implied, Valdebich mostly used the sword. However, because he had the blood of the warrior Giant species, he was skilled with multiple weapons, and the Dragon Killer was perfect for him, as he preferred spears over bows and arrows.
It was so expensive that he couldn’t use it as much as he wanted when he was on the lower-floors, and on the upper-floors, there was no need for it.
Yeon-woo’s brother hadn’t forgotten the shock he felt when Valdebich used the Dragon Killer, and he explained it in detail in the diary.
It moved mountains.
That was probably the best way to explain it. The atmosphere around Valdebich when he lifted the Dragon Killer…..
And it was as destructive as the atmosphere around him. When the Dragon Killer targeted a Draconian, it was not only the Draconian itself but also everything around it that would be swept away.
Also, when Valdebich was in the Tutorial, he had adjusted the Mercuri so Yeon-woo’s weak brother could use it.
After that, he continued to teach him all kinds of skills, and all of those movements were in the diary.
“Domain Declaration.” [TN: Domain Declaration to Domain Declaration.]
Hwak!
The moment he released his power, the Philosopher’s Stone and hundreds of Cores all circulated, his dragon scales growing out of his skin. A power sparked throughout his body, and dragon wings popped out from his back, combining with the wings of fire.
It was a power he was using for the first time since he entered the Endless World of Night. As time went on, the Philosopher’s Stone was assimilating to Yeon-woo’s body, making him stronger and stronger.
On top of this, Yeon-woo added a few more powers.
[Stigmata of the Goddess]
[The 3rd Soul – Strengthening]
[Wicked Devil]
Receiving the blessing of Athena, the muscles in his body tightened. He made the magic power flow throughout his body using the souls.
Kiaaaaa!
This was a new method he had recently come up with. He attempted it thinking that he might be able to be strengthened from the minus energy emanated from melting souls in the magic power.
And the result of that was—
Crunch—
It was correct.
From a hundred to two hundred, three hundred to four hundred…..the souls were inputted in order, and when a thousand souls had filled his body, they melted into magic power and screeched as they circulated along the Magic Circuit.
For a moment, he became dizzy. The power of the Philosopher’s Stone circulated even more to bear the magic load.
With Wicked Devil on top of this, the Demonism came out to control his entire body. His Draconic Eyes turned red, and his scales turned black. Sharp teeth poked out from his lips.
Hwihwihwi!
The different energies gushed around Yeon-woo—ghostish energy, demonic energy, black energy, and even a murderous energy. They all intertwined like a spider web, and his body showed the extremes of a Demonic Dragon Body when the Dragon’s Factor and Demon’s Factor combined together.
Just then, Brahm and Boo stepped out from where they had been waiting. Brahm lifted his Book of Mars and Boo his Lawless Book.
“Then…..let’s begin.”
Brahm looked at Yeon-woo, a bit concerned, but Yeon-woo had assured him again and again, so he couldn’t say no.
As the spell of the alchemist and the Lich began, magic circles overlapped under Yeon-woo’s feet. He received more buffs through his Effects.
Muscle Strengthening, Magic Power Strengthening, Aura Increase, Explosion Creations…..magic that was more advanced than Magic Equip filled Yeon-woo’s body.
Like he was under a heavier gravity than normal, his body plopped down. His muscles were pressed, and his bones were crushed.
C, Crunch!
His shoulder was dislocated. He could hear his rib cage breaking. His veins exploded and blood poured out from his eyes.
He looked to be in critical condition, like his body would explode any moment. But Yeon-woo didn’t even groan.
The One-horned tribe and the Red Dragon turned their head toward the ominous feeling. However, because they had to focus on the war, they couldn’t confirm where it was.
Just when he was about to collapse because he couldn’t bear the Dragon’s Factor and the Demon’s Factor…..
[Your body is beginning to collapse because of the enormous pressure.]
[Warning! Your body is already at its limits. It may be irrevocably damaged if you continue.]
[The skill ‘Regeneration’ is activating.]
[The restoration to the data that is stored in your cells is beginning.]
[The proficiency of the skill ‘Regeneration’ has dramatically increased. 12.1%]
[The proficiency of the skill ‘Regeneration’ has dramatically increased. 12.1%]
…..
With the Regeneration he stole from Vieira Dune, his body was quickly healed.
Even with the buffs, as the proficiency of the skill increased, the rate at which he was healed became faster.
This led to a change in his body.
[Your body has been strengthened.]
[Your body has been strengthened.]
[You have reached the limits of your body. It has overcome the limits of the Dragon’s Factor. It has been strengthened to the limit of the Demon’s Factor.]
‘Is this the end?’
Unfortunately, it fell quite short from when he was fighting against Agares, but Yeon-woo was still able to advance the limits of the 3rd step.
The situation was different than it was back then.
At the time, he had Athena’s direct blessing, so he was powerful enough to defeat most high rankers, but he had squeezed this much power out by himself. Of course there would be clear limits.
However, on one hand, Yeon-woo was able to easily use his newfound strength.
He extended his hand out to where the Dragon Killer was lying on the floor. The Dragon Killer floated up into his hand, and the other materials all settled above the spear in a crushed state.
Although it was expensive, Valdebich experimented with different ways to use the Dragon Killer. This was one of them.
Ching—
The Dragon Killer trembled as if it liked it.
Yeon-woo lifted it onto his shoulder. It was pretty heavy, but with his newfound power that was equivalent to the Giant species, it wasn’t much trouble.
His Draconic Eyes and Extrasensory Perception overlapped. Far away, he could see his target. He focused all his consciousness and energy on the edge of the spear and added more skills to it.
[Demonic Magic – Devil King Poison] [TN: The skill Demonism changed to Demonic Magic as the entity inside Yeon-woo is called Demonism.]
It was a more detrimental poison to a Draconic Species than Devil Poison. The poison smeared the spear.
Yeon-woo threw the Dragon Killer with all his might. The lance pierced through the air like light.
With a sonic boom, two clouds split apart in the sky where the spear had just moved through.
‘First, those extras outside.’
* * *
The second of the Nine Dragon Sons, Chimmy, was annoyed by the One-horned tribe that was following him.
[These mayfly-like bastards! How dare they!]
They were totally like mayflies. When he shook them off, they would stick on him again, and they continued to attack him at his blind spots.
A species that was genius at fighting. It was true. He felt like he knew why his mother had told him to be careful when dealing with them.
But Chimmy didn’t like this fact. He was someone with the great Dragon’s Blood. He wasn’t someone who suffered from these lower-level species.
The only way to take care of things like these was to destroy them. He puffed his cheeks, and a toxic air filled his mouth.
“It’s Extended Breath! Everyone fall back!”
“Prepare for the toxins!”
The One-horned tribe after Chimmy quickly put some distance from where he was. Chimmy had continued to spew out his Breath, but this was probably going to be more than what they had experienced until now.
The Red Dragon players around Chimmy also ran away. Chimmy’s poison didn’t differentiate between friend and foe.
A lot of his comrades had already suffered from it.
And like what they had expected, the Breath that Chimmy spewed out was different than normal.
lt;Acidic Poison Breath>. Not only was it toxic, it was acidic. It was his power.
He wasn’t supposed to use it without his mother’s permission, but this wasn’t the time to consider those things.
Just when he was going to spit out his Breath…..
Sheeek—
Kwang!
With a sonic boom that was enough to rip his eardrums, something landed under his chin.
The shock was great. Half of his head crumbled in an instant with an intense pain.
He was barely able to save his life with the amazing regenerative ability of the Draconic species, but the real problem came after.
The Acidic Poison Breath lost its direction and landed on his long body.
Chik!
His body was smoking with white smoke and melted. The vein of his poison was broken, and pure poison flowed into his head.
[Keaccckk!]
Chimmy shouted from the extreme pain and shook his body. The Acidic Poison was too much for even him to handle.
His body that was several meters long lashed around.
He tried to heal himself using any means possible—
『Devil King Poison…..? H, How?』
But his body didn’t regenerate. The more time passed, the worse it became. The Devil King Poison rapidly spread throughout his body.
The attack didn’t end there.
When the third Dragon Killer came flying at him, Chimmy’s body was filled with holes.
The Dragon Killer broke into pieces once it hit its target.
Pieces of the Dragon Killer were stuck all over Chimmy’s body, and it caused him to be poisoned much faster.
Just when he was wavering around, not able to come together, something came from the sky.
[Wave of Fire]
[72 Bian – Nye, Byuk]
The Wave of Fire had used the power of the 72 Bian to pour on Chimmy in the form of lightning.
Chimmy’s body absorbed the lightning.
As the lightning exploded in his body, his insides and outsides were completely burned.
『N, No……!』
Chimmy’s body was already a pile of ashes. Most of his body wasn’t able to function anymore.
It was a critical attack, but he had an intense will to live. If he had some more time, he might’ve survived.
However…..
“I don’t know what’s happening!”
“Catch him! He’s tastily roasted, so our dinner today is dragon meat!”
“Hahaha! What a feast!”
The One-horned tribe ran at Chimmy with happy laughter. Every time they swung their swords, Chimmy’s flesh was cut away.
Chimmy didn’t have the strength to resist anymore.
His large head plopped to the ground.
[The player ‘Chimmy’ has died.]
[You have cleared a part of the quest. Hunting ‘Chimmy’ has contributed to the quest, and you have earned a large amount of mana.]
Chimmy’s death was a great shock to the Red Dragon.
『Second brother!』
『Imun!』
The Nine Dragon Sons were the strongest in the Tower and ruled in place of the Summer Queen. Each of them had the qualifications of apostles, Lords, and supernaturals.
But such a person had died? The 81 Eyes were greatly shocked.
The problem was that this was only the beginning.
Swekkkkkkk!
S, swek—
『Dammit! That damned spear again!』
『Run away!』
The Dragon Killer shined. Every time it flashed, the Nine Dragon Sons were busy running away.
Its destructive strength was incredible, but the Devil King poison and lightning that came after it were even more shocking.
They realized that they would only be safe if they ran away from it. As they had the blood of dragons inside of them, they couldn’t escape from the curse of the Devil King Poison.
『That human doesn’t know his place!』
The fourth, Triger, kicked off from the ground and dashed at Yeon-woo. He was a 4-meter-long drake. The ground shook like an earthquake was occurring.
In front of him, Shanon, Hanryeong, and Rebecca stepped up.
『Move, you fools!!』
Triger straightened his back to take care of them in a single blow. A lashing sandstorm arose, and the horn in his nose was about to pierce them, but—
Clang!
Shanon lifted his blade filled with black demonic energy, expelling fire.
lt;Volcano> and . The fire power that he stole from Bahal neutralized Triger’s attack, and a black hand came from the ground, wrapping around Triger’s feet.
Hanryeong drew two of his swords mid-air, and Rebecca quickly dropped from the sky and landed on Triger’s head.
Kwang!
Rumble—
Triger stepped on the two Undead and steadily moved forward. However, before he got to Yeon-woo, he was stopped again.
Rebecca suddenly jumped on his head, the Dragon Killer landing right in the middle of it.
lt;Leather Armor>. Chimmy had Acidic Poison Breath, and Triger had a strong outer layer that was as strong as steel.
The Dragon Killer exploded on his head and Wave of Fire fell atop of it, but his skin was only slightly damaged.
The Devil King Poison wasn’t able to pierce it.
『I’ll kill you!』
Learning that Yeon-woo’s attacks didn’t work on him, Triger confidently took a step.
Triger glowered at Yeon-woo with his large eyes. His vertically slit eyes flashed coldly.
Kwang!
But regardless of that, Yeon-woo threw another Dragon Killer at him with apathetic eyes.
『Ha! Try that a hundred more times!』
Triger just scoffed.
『Do you think…….』
Kwang! Kwakwang!
『things…… like that……!』
Kwaang!
『……will……!』
Kwakwang! Kwakwakwang!
『What is…… this』
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
Kwaang!
Triger tried to push his way forward. However, as time went on and he continued to walk, he felt something ominous.
Like he was being hit with a firm diamond hammer.
Yeon-woo continued to throw his Dragon Killers from where he was.
At first, his skin was only slightly damaged, but cracks began to form all over his forehead.
If this continued, his outer layer would be destroyed. A warning bell instinctively rang in his head.
He attempted to change direction from his anxiety, but this time, his body didn’t budge, like he was chained up.
「Mr. Triger, where are you going?」
Shanon whispered in Triger’s ear, like his hesitant attitude until now had only been a lie.
It sounded like the whisper of a grim reaper to Triger.
The shadow around his feet tied around his body. Tens of Monsters were binding him so he couldn’t move.
『F***! Let me go! I said to let me go!』
Triger cried out thinking that he was really in danger, but the Dragon Killers continued to fly through the air at him.
Swek—
Kwang!
It landed on his forehead, more destructive than before. His broken outer skin pieces broke off.
The pieces of the Dragon Killer stuck in his skin and poisoned him.
Urrr, kwakwakwang!
A Wave of Fire came from the sky in the form of lightning, and his horn and forehead were completely blown away.
Crisply burnt pieces of his outer skin poured to the ground. White steam came from his head, and smoke came from his mouth and ears.
Triger collapsed helplessly to the ground.
Koong!
The ground shook from his heavy weight.
Yeon-woo lifted a Dragon Killer again with the thought of ending it. Just when he was about to throw it, something suddenly popped up next to Triger and ran away with Triger in his mouth.
It was a wyvern in the form of a bird-like creature, with a long tail and horns.
It was the youngest of the Nine Dragon Sons, Tom.
「Shoot!」
He was so fast that he was already far away by the time that Shanon and Hanryeong began their pursuit.
The two undeads tried to run after him, but Yeon-woo quickly stopped them.
『Don’t chase them!』
Shanon and Hanryeong stopped in their tracks.
『It’s a shame we lost them, but try not to move from where we are. It’s important that you block anyone from approaching.』
Yeon-woo lifted his head as he gave the orders.
Far off in the distance, he could see the Summer Queen and Martial King still fighting. The Summer Queen was still destroying the stage although her wings and a leg were plucked out.
However, only the Summer Queen and the Martial King were left.
The Nine Dragon Sons and the 81 Eyes who joined the fight to help the Summer Queen couldn’t be found.
They had left because of the Dragon Killer.
And this was what Yeon-woo was aiming for. The Summer Queen left on her own, and there was no one left to bother his hunt.
Yeon-woo stretched his hand to where the Dragon Killers were propped in the ground. He had 8 of them left.
‘In this battlefield.’
He lifted one of them.
‘I’ll catch her.’
Crunch—
The buffs that Brahm and Boo were giving him twisted his body, and he was healed by Regeneration.
He gripped the Dragon Killer tighter.
* * *
『Haa, ha……!』
Thump. Thump. Thump. Triger breathed heavily listening to the footsteps that rang throughout his body.
Black smoke continued to billow from his mouth. Half of his head was broken, so he couldn’t pull himself together.
But there was one thing he was sure of. He had barely survived. It was all thanks to the youngest.
『T…… hanks. I survived…… because of you.』
Triger was genuinely grateful towards Tom. Until now, he had looked down on Tom because he was the youngest.
Though he had been giggling as Tom was scolded by their mother, he was now saved by him.
Although his pride was hurt, he was grateful.
If Tom had been in his shoes, Triger would’ve snorted, saying he was a fool for being injured by a mere human.
That was their relationship.
Even if they were bound by the frame of brethren, they always fought to have their mother’s love for themselves.
He thought Tom felt the same, but it seemed like Tom thought of him as an actual brother.
『No worries. I’m the grateful one.』
『What are you talking about?』
Tom quietly put Triger down after they were far away from the battlefield.
Triger forced himself to look at Tom with his barely healed head. He didn’t have his vision completely back yet, but he could recognize Tom.
However.
『I don’t know if you know this. Brother.』
Strangely, he felt like Tom was smiling. Smiling in this situation? When the war was tilting in their enemy’s favor?
『Mother will probably die today.』
Triger frowned at what Tom said. His expression didn’t change much because he was a reptile, but wrinkles grew along his eyes.
『What are you talking about?』
The Summer Queen was basically a god in the Red Dragon. To the Nine Dragon Sons, she was more than a god.
She was a mother who shared her blood. It was impossible for someone like that to die. It was something that shouldn’t be thought of or spoken of.
But Tom just smiled coldly like he didn’t care.
『It’s already over. How can she win, with her wings already torn off by the Martial King? Even if she does, Devil Poison already entered her body. Because she used an immense amount of her life force, she probably only has a day or two left at most. 』
『Shut up! Mother won’t die!』
『Dragons will go completely extinct with this, like the Giant species. And what’s left? Wyverns. Us dragon soldiers who received mother’s blood. We’ll be a new Draconic species, taking over the spot of the disappeared Draconic species. 』
『……!』
『And for that, what do you think is needed?』
『Stay away from me. Don’t come any closer!』
Triger realized what Tom wanted and tried to step back. But his head was still dizzy. His four feet didn’t have any strength left. The Devil King Poison had entered his marrow. His body was rotting from the inside out.
『My name is Tom. Someone who’ll ‘tom(貪)’ after things. Greed, gluttony. Anything is fine. They say that the youngest is greedy. So that’s why.』[TN: Tom is romanized Korean for greed.]
Stomp!
Tom’s footsteps became louder. It sounded like the grim reaper’s footsteps to Triger. He struggled, but he didn’t have any strength left. His power had all evaporated.
And soon, Tom’s large shadow covered Triger’s eyes.
『I must have that spot in the Draconic species. Taking the strength of you guys, who looked down on me.』
The Summer Queen’s power was split into many pieces amongst her children. Because she could take it back anytime, they were always wary of her.
But during this time, when it was sure that their mother would die, where would the power go? And what of the Dragon’s Blood?
There was one answer. Finders keepers.
Crunch!
Tom stretched his mouth open wide and dug his teeth into Triger’s broken head.
With a cracking sound, Tom’s strong chin broke Triger’s head. Flesh and brain fluid was sucked into his mouth.
Filtering the Devil King Poison out, Tom ate and ate.