Chapter 28
As “it” moved, a sinister aura radiated from it.
But one strange thing was that it didn’t evoke fear. On the contrary, it felt almost peaceful.
“Gru, something’s off…”
Ding!
[‘Fear’ is nullified by the ‘Prickly Duck Clamp infused with Mephisto’.]
“Oh!”
At that instant, a popup window suddenly appeared, and Gru found his answer.
Ding!
[‘Mephisto’ detects minions.]
[Hidden function unlocked.]
[Blood Submission: Ignores the defense of Frost Clan.]
“Minions? Blood Submission?”
What was all this? The “Blood Submission” function had somehow been added to the Duck Clamp’s info window.
Then…
Grrr…
“It” scratched its throat like a beast, pointing at the Duck Clamp tightly held by Gru with its floating hand.
“My lord… why do you appear in such a form?”
“G-G… Jjuung?”
What was that?
As Gru stammered, a giggling sound came from Malikian.
“That wicked monster… using difficult words on Gru…”
Suddenly, memories of trauma with Jurim surfaced, and a cold sweat ran down his back.
Shake shake!
Regaining his composure, Gru exhaled through his nose. Malikian was trying to confuse him with complex words like the guild master!
The bear’s eyebrows rose.
“Thanks to the Duck Clamp thing, Gru isn’t scared at all!”
If that was the case, there was only one thing Gru could do now:
The only attack he could make!
Gru gathered mana and created a Snow Duck.
“Go! Flat Smash, Snow Duck!”
Gru shouted the name of the improvised skill (or rather, not a skill) as he threw the Snow Duck.
The Snow Duck flew weakly in an arc and smashed poorly against Malikian’s stomach.
[Due to ‘Blood Submission’, the target’s defense is ignored.]
[Error! Target’s effect resistance is too high.]
[Defense-ignoring effect has disappeared.]
“Eh…”
Gru blinked. Something long appeared on the screen, but the conclusion seemed clear.
“It failed!”
“Hoo…”
Under the black hood, vertically slit eyes spun toward Gru.
“Interesting. Such a fragile human child using the lord’s power…”
A single, long, branch-like finger moved toward Gru.
Then.
A strong arm snatched Gru protectively.
“Dani oppa!”
Pulled tightly into his chest, Gru could feel his rapid heartbeat through the suit.
While protecting Gru, Gidan’s gaze never left “it.”
Unlike the terrified others, his eyes reflected pure thrill.
Gidan’s gaze changed as he grinned, baring his teeth.
A shiver ran down Gru’s spine. The tingling tension made him clutch Gidan’s collar.
Gidan climbed the building wall to the roof with Gru in tow, then set him down.
Standing on the roof, Gru nodded as Gidan spoke firmly:
“Don’t move from here.”
Nodding, Gru watched as Gidan moved to the railing, keeping some distance.
The battlefield below was a mess:
The boss’s corpse. Hunters fleeing in all directions. And the black figure emerging through space.
Gidan knew exactly what that was.
Finally.
“Finally!”
His heart pumped hard, a thrill shining across his face.
“Malikiaan!”
Malikian’s eyes turned toward Gidan.
Three pupils spun inside the vertically slit eyes.
“Child… you smell a very familiar blood scent. Yes… this is the scent of blood thick with the fishy tang of lineage.”
“Ha ha!”
Gidan gritted his teeth around the sword and laughed.
A tingling electricity ran through his entire body.
As Gidan lightly stomped and leaped down, Gru moved closer to the railing in surprise.
Upon landing, Gidan immediately used a skill.
[Skill ‘Violet Bloodstream (S)’ activated.]
When used, unstoppable bleeding continues and enters a berserk state.
[Attack power increases by 200%.]
[Speed increases by 200%.]
Gidan’s eyes glowed bright blue, and mana swirled like a storm.
Swish!
The gale pushed Gru’s head back, and the bear mask flew off and tumbled.
“Whoa!”
“The wind is too strong!”
Trying to resist, Gru’s small body rolled backward.
“Ugh! Kkuyk! Gek!”
The impact triggered a notification on his smartwatch.
[Impact detected! Sending location to guardian!]
At that moment, Gidan’s body shot through the air in a running jump.
This time, he was determined to drive his sword into Malikian’s head.
Clack!
The floating hand grabbed the black blade, but it was just an afterimage; the sword struck again.
Clang!
Malikian blocked it with the greatsword he summoned.
Whuuuh-
The greatswords ‘Biat’s Void’ and its pair ‘Biat’s Desire’ resonated.
The thread stitched over Malikian’s mouth tore under the force, revealing a wide grin.
“So… abandoning your father to indulge in the sword pleases you?”
“I’ll kill you!”
Gidan jumped as if flying.
“Too easy!”
The floating hand tried to snatch Gidan’s head, but he dodged with a smile.
The sword he held had disappeared.
“What?!”
As Malikian was flustered by this impossible movement…
Clack!
The previously thrown dagger returned and lodged in the back of Malikian’s neck.
“Kuk!”
Malikian grabbed the dagger to remove it, but Gidan had already seized it, channeling mana through the hilt.
“I haven’t been wasting time without thought!”
Gidan reactivated the skill he had paused.
[Skill ‘Violet Bloodstream’ activated.]
[Skill ‘Lion’s Breath’ activated.]
“…!”
Malikian’s eyes spun in shock.
Entering berserk state, Gidan’s mana caused a massive explosion.
His attack power nearly surged to 1,000%, enough to shred anything.
Soon…
Paf paf paf!
Mana swirled along the sword and erupted.
A heavy blizzard swept the area.
“Huff! Huff!”
Gidan bent his knees, catching his breath. Using all his power, his knees nearly buckled.
Through the thick snow, the black figure trembled.
“Did it work?”
But seconds later, Gidan’s face hardened as he wiped sweat from his brow.
“Child.”
Malikian, unharmed, looked at him pityingly.
“What I see again…”
Four black hands grasped the greatsword.
“Is your weakness and frailty.”
The raised greatsword was pitch black, as if consuming light.
Looking up at it, Gidan panted roughly.
The power difference was extreme. Perhaps due to the bleeding, the world spun before his eyes.
But…
“I must never run again.”
Never run.
Never run.
Never run.
Never run.
Never run.
Flash!
A chilling black aura enveloped the greatsword.
Gidan gritted his teeth and lunged forward.
Thud!
His body slammed into the ground, sending smoke-like snow swirling across the field.
The man who easily subdued Gidan spoke slowly:
“Who said you kids could run around without adult permission?”
It was Jurim.
He looked up at the building where Gru was.
“You minors…”
