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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Dragon Tooth Warrior and Slime
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The Dragon Tooth Warrior desperately suppressed its confusion.
A heroic being born from the tooth of Ismenios.
Weakened by the penalty of the [Trial], but not so weak as to be pushed back by a player who had just entered the tutorial.
'My sword cannot reach him.'
Whoosh-!
The gladius cut through the air.
A few strands of Jinho's hair fluttered in the blade's wake.
At the same time, Jinho cleverly stepped in, closing the distance again.
'I can't let him get close.'
In terms of strength, the Dragon Tooth Warrior had the upper hand.
In agility, Jinho was slightly ahead.
But Jinho had a powerful skill that could overturn their difference in strength.
[Superhuman Strength].
Its once-shining armor had long since lost its luster.
Unleashing [Superhuman Strength] with a body enhanced by accepting the essence of a primordial species—even a part of it—was too much for the Dragon Tooth Warrior's weakened armor to withstand.
「Things will not go as you wish.」
The Dragon Tooth Warrior flicked its wrist.
The forced movement made its joints tremble, but it allowed the warrior to sharply alter the sword's trajectory.
"Yeah. That's also part of my plan."
Jinho ducked, dodging the gladius that flew toward his back.
The Dragon Tooth Warrior was full of openings.
「It's not over!」
It twisted its wrist again, swinging vertically.
The force was slightly diminished, but the strike was still powerful enough to inflict a fatal wound if it landed properly.
It was an attack made in anticipation of Jinho closing the distance again.
But.
"Are you performing a sword dance or something?"
As if he had expected it, Jinho pulled back a beat earlier.
「Why? Why did you retreat when I left myself wide open!」
"Because I'm tired."
Jinho shook his arm.
His muscles were twitching.
A side effect of using the [Superhuman Strength] skill repeatedly.
「You mean you were just closing in with no intention of attacking from the start?」
"Yeah. It was fun watching you get scared and dance with your sword."
「Grrr!」
Jinho sneered, but didn't forget to relax the muscles in his arm.
[The Blessing of the Earth Mother is active.]
[Stamina recovery speed increases.]
It was a permanent buff as long as his feet were on the ground.
The Blessing of the Earth Mother weakened the penalty of [Superhuman Strength], a skill that couldn't be used often because it required wringing out every last bit of power.
It was thanks to the Blessing of the Earth Mother that he could struggle against the Dragon Tooth Warrior, who surpassed him in strength and stamina.
As the battle dragged on, the winner and loser began to become clear.
Jinho, who hadn't allowed a single effective hit.
On the other hand, the Dragon Tooth Warrior's armor was dented beyond recognition.
Crunch!
Finally, Jinho's fist crushed the nape of the Dragon Tooth Warrior's neck.
[Using Superhuman Strength.]
[Inflicting damage equal to 300% of the user's Strength.]
The battered Dragon Tooth Warrior collapsed to the floor.
「Opponent. It is your victory.」
"I know."
「You are truly a great warrior. If we have the chance again…」
The Dragon Tooth Warrior couldn't finish its sentence as its head slumped forward.
Clatter. The half-dismantled armor, crushed in several places, tumbled to the ground.
[A large amount of experience has been acquired.]
[You have leveled up.]
Even weakened, it was a level 50 monster.
His level rose by one in an instant.
The maximum number of levels you could gain at once was one.
No matter how strong the enemy defeated, the experience bar wouldn't exceed 100%.
▶ Hidden Quest - Passed Ares's Trial.
▶ Reward: Mark of Valor
[Mark of Valor]
Grade: Legendary
Type: Necklace
A divine artifact bestowed upon mortals acknowledged by Ares, the god of war.
It bolsters the user's courage and awakens their latent potential.
*Strength +15
*Agility +12
*Mental Resistance +10
*[Valor] Skill embedded
[Valor]
Grade: ★★★
Type: Active
Removes all mental debuffs.
"Wow."
An exclamation of awe escaped his lips.
A legendary grade artifact in the tutorial stage.
I'd heard about it from Laurent the explorer, but I didn't expect to get such an incredible reward.
'He did say Ares's rewards vary each time.'
The reward for the trial depends on how you fight the Dragon Tooth Warrior.
It's nearly impossible for a player who just entered the Tower of Babel to win against a Dragon Tooth Warrior.
The goal of the hidden quest isn't to defeat the Dragon Tooth Warrior, but the 'process' of the fight itself.
It seems.
That pushover—no, the great god of war seems to have taken quite a liking to me.
As soon as I received the reward, Ares's presence began to fade.
The hidden quest was over.
There was no reason to stay in the tutorial stage any longer.
"Until we meet again, O great god of war."
He gave me a good reward, so I didn't forget the lip service.
The uninvited guest was gone.
Now there was no need to worry about being watched.
Ares's reward was a secondary objective.
The real reason I came to this temple was for the corpse of the Dragon Tooth Warrior.
***
The corpse of the Dragon Tooth Warrior.
I swallowed hard.
It might have been weakened, but its essence was the real deal.
It was something I had often experienced before my regression.
Even when defeating monsters weakened by the Tower's system, there was no penalty when I used Predation.
I placed my hand on the Dragon Tooth Warrior's corpse.
[Predating the essence of the Dragon Tooth Warrior.]
[Essence Predated: 100%]
[Essence Grade: Legendary]
[The essence of one species has been completely absorbed.]
[Stamina +15]
[Toughness +20]
[Magic Power +17]
[Skill - Dragon's Heart has been added.]
A sense of fullness filled my stomach.
The Dragon Tooth Warrior's essence infused my body with new strength.
"Hehehe."
The true value of [Predation] isn't in absorbing stats, but something else.
When you complete 100% predation of a creature's essence, you can absorb not only its stats but also its special abilities.
Gaining the opponent's abilities!
Normal players acquire skills through repetitive training, study, or skill books.
I, on the other hand, can steal unique skills just by defeating monsters.
I checked the newly added ability.
[Dragon's Heart]
Grade: ★★★★★
Type: Passive
Accumulates mana using the heart as a core.
Mana recovers just by breathing, and mana management becomes more efficient.
*Magic Power +30
*Mana Consumption -20%
This alone was an incredible option.
Magic Power increased by 30, and mana consumption was reduced.
Right now, my mana was so much higher than an average player's that this option didn't seem like much.
But it would become a great asset once I acquired more skills through [Predation].
But the system message didn't stop there.
[The Dragon Tooth Warrior's 'Dragon's Heart' resonates with the Predation ability.]
[You will now acquire additional Magic Power stats when using Predation.]
Skills with similar properties resonate with each other.
The skill coefficient might increase.
Or a new ability might be added.
The so-called [Synergy] effect.
The reason I pushed myself to challenge the Dragon Tooth Warrior.
Was to avoid even the slightest loss when using Predation.
I got everything I needed.
I looked up at the ceiling.
Sand poured through the wide-open door.
…So I have to climb back up there?
With my feet planted on the ground, I used Superhuman Strength and leaped with all my might.
***
I emerged from the pit.
I was covered in sand from the climb, but I was in a good mood because of all I had gained.
'The next target is on the outskirts of the wasteland.'
After walking for a while.
I found a green, gelatinous mass the size of a pig.
A Slime, the scavenger of the wasteland.
To find one right away.
"Lucky me."
After the Dragon Tooth Warrior, this was the next essence I needed to prioritize.
As I slowly closed the distance, the Slime slowly turned its body toward me.
It has no eyes, nose, or mouth, so I can't tell which part is its face.
20 meters.
10 meters.
And when I reached the 3-meter mark, the Slime stirred.
'It's a tricky opponent for a novice player.'
A monster whose entire body is made of ooze.
It has high physical resistance because it disperses impact.
To hunt Slimes effectively, you need fire or electric-type skills or equipment.
I have neither.
But there is a way to beat it.
When I closed the distance to the Slime to one meter.
"Shloooorp!"
With a strange sound, it spread its gelatinous body wide.
The Slime's main method of attack is its dissolving fluid.
It shoves enemies into its body and digests them.
'Its dissolving fluid can even melt iron.'
Though that's only possible with prolonged exposure.
It's classified as an enemy to be avoided by novice players because one fight can drastically reduce equipment durability.
'Slimes are tricky, but they're not invincible.'
The Slime, spread out wide like pizza dough.
A green stone located in its center came into view.
Now.
Crack! I threw a punch, and the green stone shattered in a single blow.
I didn't even need to use Superhuman Strength.
"Shlorp?!"
The spread-out Slime let out a death cry and collapsed on the spot.
[Experience increased by 2.1%.]
"Even a tough enemy is easy enough if you know the trick."
The Slime only exposes its core when it's about to swallow its prey.
It reveals its core for only about 1.5 seconds.
If you aim for that timing, even a beginner can easily kill a Slime.
Though if you fail, your skin might melt a little.
Now, it's time to predate the essence.
Without hesitation, I plunged my hand into the green ooze.
Once the Slime's core is destroyed, its dissolving fluid evaporates, so there's no danger of getting hurt.
[Predating the essence of the Slime.]
[Essence Grade: Common]
The pig-sized ooze shrinks rapidly.
Before long, the Slime's shriveled corpse.
Only a husk was left, like an animal that had been skinned.
[Essence Predated: 3.1%]
[Strength +0.1.]
[Stamina +0.2.]
0.3 points in stats gained from predating one monster.
I can raise my stats outside of the bonus points from leveling up.
I licked my lips looking at the Slime's leftover husk.
Unlike the named Dragon Tooth Warrior, ordinary monsters must be hunted repeatedly to reach 100%.
I rubbed my stomach with my hand.
This hunger will only be sated by predating more essence.
I removed my hand from the Slime's remaining husk.
From now on, it's time for [Predation].
***
I roamed the wasteland, searching for Slimes.
This area must have been Slime territory, as I was able to find others quickly.
"Shlorp!"
The Slime's body collapsed.
A pool of green liquid spread on the ground.
I repeatedly thrust my hand into the Slimes' bodies.
After some time.
[Predating the essence of the Slime.]
[Essence Predated: 100%]
[The essence of one species has been completely absorbed.]
[Skill - Dissolution has been added.]
[Dissolution]
Grade: ★
Type: Passive
Increases absorption efficiency from the act of eating.
Just like with the Dragon Tooth Warrior, I acquired the monster's unique skill.
Where would I use a skill that slightly increases absorption efficiency, you ask?
'There's no such thing as a bad skill.'
I smiled.
Dissolution.
Judging by its description alone, it had an option whose use was unclear.
What good is a slightly higher absorption rate when eating food?
My past self had thought so too.
Until I discovered the true value of the [Predation] ability.
[The Slime's 'Dissolution' resonates with the Predation ability.]
[Increased absorption rate is added to Predation. Predation efficiency increases by 10%.]
Synergy with Predation!
The synergy effect doesn't care about a skill's grade.
As long as the skills were similar, they would create a synergy effect, almost without fail.
'That's why I obtained the Slime's essence first.'
It's not for nothing that I made the Slime essence my top priority!
Knowledge from before my regression.
Experience I accumulated through all sorts of hardships while climbing the Tower of Babel.
What kind of synergy the essences of various monsters create with each other.
And among them, which essences should be prioritized—it's all in my head.
'Then, shall I go hunt a Deep Slime?'
Deep Slime.
A variant of the Slime, and a rare species that appears in the wasteland.
Rare species.
Refers to monsters with special abilities or extraordinary combat power.
Players colloquially called rare species 'boss monsters'.
'A useful skill is engraved in that thing's essence.'
Growl.
Just then, my stomach let out a loud noise.
Licking my lips, I moved toward a place where a Deep Slime might be.