WuxiaWorldEU

Vol 9 Chapter 2

ACT 2 Falling from a cliff and meeting an ironic fate

“Slime’s Time, NO1!”

Ark used the skill reflexively. The crevasse was a gap where the end couldn’t be seen. Thanks to the cold and low satiety, if he fell in this state then he would be torn apart. But Ark had a way of saving himself. Slime’s Time invalidated 100% of physical damage so he wouldn’t receive any falling damage! Ark’s body was covered with a yellow slime once he used the skill. In that state Ark struggled to reach Deimos. Since he couldn’t release the summon, he had no choice but to catch Deimos. And just as Ark grabbed Deimos, they approached the ground.

Tting! Tting! Tting!

Ark hit the ground and bumped around liked a water balloon. He bounced three or four times before properly landing on the ground.

“Huk huk huk, I’m alive……..!”

His entire body was soaked in sweat. He had fallen from a height of 100 metres before. But falling suddenly was different from calculating it in advance. At one point Ark really thought it was the end.

“What a stupid bag of bones!”

Dedric naturally starting telling Deimos off. But it was only for a short moment before he flinched and turned to Ark.

“Come to think of it, the mouse! What happened to the mouse meat?”

“The mouse meat………”

Ark sighed and shook his head. A soulless expression spread over Dedric’s face. But afterwards Ark laughed and opened his hand.

“Of course I grabbed it tightly.”

“M-Master. You scared me. Sob…..I was surprised.”

Dedric had been moved to tears. That guy……..he was really starving. Ark had learned Survival Cooking. Thanks to that there had never been a time he made them starve, even if he had to forcefully feed them. Even if he beat them up, he would always feed them. In reality, Ark knew better than anyone the sorrow of missing meals and starving. That’s why he never used taking away food as a punishment.

“Huhuhu. Why are you so surprised?”

“Aing, I don’t know. Master is hateful. Quickly give me the soup.”

Dedric immediately dropped the charm after he was reassured.

Clack clack clack clack!

Deimos also visibly brightened as he approached. Even the undead could feel hunger. Ark took out his pot while his pets stared at him encouragingly. It was the precious food. Ark carefully created a dish using various spices and purified water. Then with a flash, the dish was completed in the pot.

The Survival Cooking dish ‘the best Mouse Meat Soup’ has been completed!

Your sincerity was enough to infuse this dish with your devotion. The heart which considers the health of the person eating it is the most important virtue for a chef. Because you added the purified water and spices with sincerity, the Mouse Meat Soup has been reborn as an a la carte dish.

“Oooooooh!”

Ark and his pets simultaneously exclaimed. He knew that Nursing would have special effects if he was sincere. But he never knew that could be applied to Survival Cooking. Since he always had abundant ingredients, there was no need to take care when cooking so he never discovered it.

‘But it is only one dish that can be eaten together. And the number of dishes we can eat together is limited to 10. If I cooked 10 of the a le carte dishes then a lot of stats would be applied!’

If he hadn’t been placed in this situation then he would’ve never discovered the information. It was information that could be used even when he had abundant ingredients. Ark was also grateful that his satiety increased.

“The leg is mine! Touch it and die!”

“Ack, so mean! Then give me the left hind leg!”

Clack clack clack, ssak ssak ssak!

Ark and his summons childishly rushed to obtain as much meat as possible. After eating their satiety and body temperature increased by 10%. But now their hunger became even more intense. And they became gloomy as they were faced with the reality.

“Now we have to find something again before our satiety decreases…….”

Ark looked around with concern. The sky high ice walls blocked the wind so luckily the chill was not that severe. However, the situation was still not good. Once again food…….he had to find found in the crevasse underneath the snowy mountains. And he had to navigate the tangled maze of crevasses. Rock climbing and climbing an ice wall was entirely different.

“Master, are we going to starve here and die?”

Dedric murmured in a gloomy voice.

“…….Let’s look for a way while we still have physical strength.”

Honestly, he thought there was no more possible ways. But it wasn’t possible to just sit down and wait. Ark and his summons walked along the crevasses for the moment.

Kkururuk.

How far did they walk? After appeasing their stomachs, once again the sound of hunger was heard. When he checked, their satiety had reached 50%.

‘Damn, we only reached this far…….’

Ark breathed out a sigh.

Ssak ssak? Ssak ssak ssak?

Ark noticed as Snake suddenly raised its head. Then it crawled down from his waist and squeezed between an ice gorge.

“Eh? Snake, where are you going?”

Ark followed behind it with a befuddled look. He squeezed through the narrow opening and an information window suddenly appeared.

Snowy Mountain’s hidden cave.

East Moon is the snowy mountain covered in ice. You’ve found a cave hidden in a crevasse underneath East Moon. After hundreds or thousands of years of ice and rock, a beautiful cave has been produced holding an ancient mystery. Surprisingly, the vine plants not native to the snowy mountain also grows in this cave. But an eerie animal smell carried by the cold air can be scented from the cave. It seems that this is not a comfortable retreat so you should stay alert.

<explorer>-You have found an undiscovered dungeon.</explorer>

<explorer>As a new discover, you can gain an additional 2,000 experience and 130 Fame if you register in the Hall of Fame.</explorer>

<explorer>Would you like to register?</explorer>

<explorer>‘A hidden dungeon!’</explorer>

<explorer>Ark’s eyes shone brightly. Although there were some ominous words in the information window, Ark just welcomed the news of a dungeon. A dungeon that no one had discovered yet! Who knows what treasures would be hidden here? In addition, the entrance of the dungeon was covered in entangled plants. In other words, it was growing plants. Ark who desperately needed ingredients had found an oasis in a desert.</explorer>

<explorer>‘I also got addition skill points!’</explorer>

<explorer>Ark was in such a good mood that he felt like screaming.</explorer>

<explorer>“Oh, is this place warmer than the crevasse?”</explorer>

<explorer>Clack clack clack clack!</explorer>

<explorer>Dedric muttered and his and Deimos’ face started to look alive again. Because the crevasse and cave blocked off the wind, it felt like they were in an igloo. Of course, the ice cave was still cold but it couldn’t compare to the temperatures outside. Its effect showed immediately. The speed at which their body temperature was falling started to slow down.</explorer>

<explorer>‘But satiety is still in a dangerous state. I have to seek food first. Since the entrance is cool, I might be able to find some suitable herbs or berries.’</explorer>

<explorer>As expected there were several small fruits stuck to the vines.</explorer>

<explorer>‘That’s it. If I gather everything from the cave then I don’t have to worry about starving and dying for the moment. Once I find an exit then I’ll be able to descend the mountain!’</explorer>

<explorer>Ark collected the fruit and looked at his waist.</explorer>

<explorer>“Okay, Snake. You can hold this for the moment……..eh?”</explorer>

<explorer>His waist was empty. Ark realised that Snake had yet to come back.</explorer>

<explorer>“Dedric, Deimos, where is Snake?”</explorer>

<explorer>“Snake? I don’t know. Wasn’t it just here before?”</explorer>

<explorer>Clack clack clack?</explorer>

<explorer>Dedric and Deimos just shook their heads. Ark had an uneasy feeling. Snake had moved without any commands and found the cave. Then it should have returned to Ark as soon as he entered the cave. But instead of coming back, it just disappeared without saying a word. Snake only had 50 health. Because Snake was normally attached to his waist, he never had to worry about it but if Snake ran into a monster then it would die instantly with one shot! Of course, monsters that attacks a snake were rare but he couldn’t summon his pets here. If Snake died then he wouldn’t be able to use one bag.</explorer>

<explorer>“Snake! Where are you?”</explorer>

<explorer>Ark cried out as he plunged into the cave.</explorer>

<explorer>He had run 100 metres. Then he heard Snake’s voice from the cave walls. He looked up to see that Snake was hanging over several branches. Ark let out a sigh of relief.</explorer>

<explorer>“Phew…….what are you doing in this place by yourself? You disappeared all of a sudden.”</explorer>

<explorer>It was at that time. Some black shadows quickly emerged from a side passage. Ark jumped and stepped back. But the shadows running through the darkness didn’t even head towards Ark. They didn’t grasp the situation and aimed straight for Snake! Ark shouted in an urgent voice.</explorer>

<explorer>“Huk, Snake! Hold still and don’t move! Slide!”</explorer>

<explorer>Ark slid along the floor and made a side kick.</explorer>

<explorer>Thanks to the power of the kick, the monster fell over backwards. The shadow that rushed towards Snake was a weasel like monster. While the monsters was frozen, Snake tumbled down and wrapped around Ark’s waist.</explorer>

<explorer>Ark used the skill to check the monster’s information. Once he saw the name he understood why they attacked Snake first, unlike other monsters. The name of the monster was the Ice Mongoose. The mongoose was famous for eating snakes. Although Snake was raised by Ark among humans, it instinctively knew that the mongoose was its natural enemy. When the mongooses appeared, Snake buried its face in Ark’s chest and trembled. In such a situation, Snake wasn’t the only one that would feel fear. Thinking of the mongoose as the cute animal that was raised in a zoo was a big mistake. Its size was 5 metres tall! It was to the extent that it almost reached the ceiling of the cave. It also had sharpened fangs and fearsome claws that could knock out a polar bear.</explorer>

<explorer>‘Level 250……….’</explorer>

<explorer>Ark was currently level 200. With his dark attribute bonus, he was level 240. It was a similar level. But because of his body temperature and satiety, Ark had a significant penalty applied to his stats and attack speed. Unless it was one, he couldn’t guarantee the odds against several of them. But…………..</explorer>

<explorer>Ark grinned widely and shouted. And it was followed by Dedric’s loud cheers.</explorer>

<explorer>“Big meat! It is heaps bigger than the mouse!”</explorer>

<explorer>The mongoose flinched and revealed its fangs as they approached.</explorer>

<explorer>“Jackpot. Master! Let’s catch it and eat it quickly! There’s four of them, enough for each of us!”</explorer>

<explorer>Good. I’ll use some one of them to make a soup while the rest will be a roast!”</explorer>

<explorer>Clack clack clack clack!</explorer>

<explorer>Ark and his summons drooled as they ran forward. Thanks to their hunger, Ark and his summons only saw the level 250 monster as meat.</explorer>

<explorer>“Now, shall I do a performance test?”</explorer>

<explorer>Ark removed something from his bag. It shone with a peculiar light. It was Gwisal’s sword that he received from Isabel! He was level 190 when he came to the different dimension but he hadn’t had a chance to use it yet. The legendary sword that was said to have cut thousands of demons shone with an eerie light.</explorer>

<explorer>Kyaaaaak!</explorer>

<explorer>When the distance was narrowed, the mongoose immediately swung its sharp claws. Ark angled the sword to block before attacking. And he ended up cutting from the top to the bottom. As it cut across the mongoose’s body, Ark was covered in goose bumps.</explorer>

<explorer>‘W-what the, this feeling is?’</explorer>

<explorer>Thanks to the nice strike, the mongoose immediately lost 15% of its health. It did approximately 300 damage considering that it was a level 250 monster! If it was Lancel’s Sword then it would normally be a critical hit. But he wasn’t astounded at the attack power. It was a rare sword so he expected that much. It was the ‘cutting taste’ that Ark found unexpected.</explorer>

<explorer>Saaaaak, the feeling of the two-handed sword cutting through the leather was incredible! The very real impression of cutting through the skin with a razor was delivered to his fingertips. It was impossible not to feel good at the sensation of cutting meat, but Ark sensed that Gwisal’s sword was not that simple. Words could not express the feeling of freshness! It was as if all the cells of the body was peeled along with the sword.</explorer>

<explorer>‘This is a rare sword……..!”</explorer>

<explorer>A slow smile spread on Ark’s face as he enjoyed the sword. Ark quickly became obsessed with the magic of Gwisal’s sword.</explorer>

<explorer>‘Now I understand why people strangle themselves trying to get a rare sword. After using this sword, a magic sword will feel like I’m swinging a club.’</explorer>

<explorer>The sword shone after it attacked the mongoose. Ark then rotated his body like a spin top and swung his sword.</explorer>

<explorer>Chiing!</explorer>

<explorer>Lancel’s Sword made a cracking sound when it delivered a critical hit but Gwisal’s sword just vibrated. At the same time the hot, pleasant sensation was felt through his fingertips!</explorer>

<explorer>‘This feeling…….is crazy.’</explorer>

<explorer>Ark swung his sword like a man possessed at the mongoose. Of course, even Gwisal’s sword had a weakness. Since it was a two-handed sword, the attack speed was slower. And since the sword was so big, it was hard to achieve the centre of gravity to do a kick after swinging it.In addition, due to the nature of a two-handed sword, it was difficult to obtain the accuracy needed for a critical hit. But despite its shortcomings, it was several times stronger than Lancel’s sword.</explorer>

<explorer>Saaaaak, chiing!</explorer>

<explorer>Every sparkle of the sword decreased the mongoose’s health. Dedric and Deimos also felt no anxiety and were facing the mongoose leisurely.</explorer>

<explorer>“Hehehe, do these guys just look strong?”</explorer>

<explorer>Dedric giggled as he flew around the cave.</explorer>

<explorer>“Do you think you can catch me using such movements?”</explorer>

<explorer>Clack clack clack clack!</explorer>

<explorer>Deimos also blocked the mongoose’s attack using his shield and sometimes even counter-attacked. These changes was because of his pet’s experience. After Ark entered Nagaran, a lot of their opponents were assassins. And the user, not to mention the NPC humanoid assassins had fairly high intelligence. Of course their strategies and attack patterns were very complicated. Ark and his summons had been dealing with such enemies for the past month. Since they were now dealing with normal monsters, their attack patterns were easily seen through. Ark also faced a large degree of difficulty in the red wilderness. Moreover, Ark and his pets’ goals was to eat the mongoose meat.</explorer>

<explorer>“Dedric, use the darkness to attack the mongoose from the rear! Deimos, defensive stance on the side!”</explorer>

<explorer>After the command, the summons couldn’t even be compared to before. As soon as he finished, Dedric crashed into the mongoose from behind who flinched and ran forward. The mongoose was forced to run towards Ark thanks to Deimos using his shield to block the side. A great opportunity! Ark used Dark Dance to strike two concentrated attacks. The mongoose who already had its health lowered with split in half.</explorer>

<explorer>‘That’s it, now for the two remaining, but with this much then it will be an easy victory!’</explorer>

<explorer>“A-2 plan! It’s a concentrated attack!”</explorer>

<explorer>Ark and his summons cornered the remaining mongooses with a wave attack. And after just a few moments, the mongooses fell when Gwisal’s sword cut their throats.</explorer>

<explorer>Dedric drooled as he flew towards the body of a mongoose. Suddenly a red shape ran into the cave at an incredible pace. Deimos saw it first and stood in front of Dedric holding his shield. A massive ringing sound shook the cave while Deimos was thrown back. Ark was surprised and flinched as he retreated.</explorer>

<explorer>Grrrrrrr!</explorer>

<explorer>A mongoose was walking in front of him. But it wasn’t a conventional mongoose. This mongoose was bigger than the others and covered with red hair! When he checked it was level 300. 50 levels higher than the other mongooses.</explorer>

<explorer>‘This guy is a special monster!’</explorer>

<explorer>Ark’s eyes lit up. He had met such monsters several times before this. The body of the monster was usually bigger than the others and it would have a different clothing or skin colour. Special monsters such as this would make a light gleam in a monster hunter’s eyes. Since the level and stats were so high and their bodies so big, it wasn’t easy to catch them. But they had a high probability of dropping deluxe items.</explorer>

<explorer>‘Meeting a special monster in a place like this……..!”</explorer>

<explorer>Ark swallowed his saliva and stared at the body of the red mongoose.</explorer>

<explorer>“That face and those bones……..you would look good roasted whole!”</explorer>

<explorer>Dedric said as he rushed towards it from the darkness. At that moment red flames emerged as the mongoose opened its mouth.</explorer>

<explorer>Dedric screamed and flapped his tail as it was set on fire.</explorer>

<explorer>Dedric said had a lot of health so it wasn’t a big problem. But Deimos couldn’t withstand the mongoose’s attack with his shield. Once engulfed in flames then he would instantly die. He wouldn’t be able to summon Deimos even after 24 hours had passed. However, the larger problem was that Ark would receive damage when Deimos died. Deimos had a steady growth and his current health was 1,800. 50% of that was 900 damage. The damage was 30% of Ark’s health which would be catastrophic. Ark wrapped his mantle around him and jumped into the fire. It was the 50% fire resistant Veil of Fire! Ark shouted and stuck Gwisal’s sword into the mouth of the mongoose who was radiating flames.</explorer>

<explorer>-You have dealt a critical hit!</explorer>

<explorer>Chiing, the mongoose wobbled and retreated.</explorer>

<explorer>“Deimos, withdraw to the back.”</explorer>

<explorer>Clack clack clack! Clack clack clack clack! Deimos retreated from the flames after Ark came in and saved him.</explorer>

<explorer>‘This cave is too narrow. If he uses the same fire attack then Dedric and Deimos won’t have room to dodge. The attacks will be fatal to my pets since they don’t have any fire resistance.’</explorer>

<explorer>Moreover, Dedric and Deimos had already lost 15% of their health. If they were hit by the flames one more time than they would quickly fall into a critical condition. And if one of them died then Ark would receive extra damage from the forced recall.</explorer>

<explorer>“Dedric, Deimos, you guys retreat far away.”</explorer>

<explorer>“What? Master……..you’re going to fight along?”</explorer>

<explorer>Dedric had been rubbing his tail on the ice.</explorer>

<explorer>“You guys will be no help anyway.”</explorer>

<explorer>“But Master………”</explorer>

<explorer>Dedric looked at him with restless eyes but left. In this situation Ark couldn’t afford to relax. They had taken down four mongooses relatively easy. He hadn’t expected any other monsters to come out immediately so he hadn’t paid attention to his health. Therefore his current health was only 30%. Ark grabbed his sword bag tightly.</explorer>

<explorer>‘If its 1-on-1 then the odds are in my favour!’</explorer>

<explorer>Kkuaaaa!</explorer>

<explorer>At that time, the mongoose who had waited for an opportunity rushed towards him. Ark swung his sword in a circular motion. Using the circular motion, he counterattacked on its chest.</explorer>

<explorer>“Riposte!”</explorer>

<explorer>-Tung, a dull ringing sound was heard as the mongoose retreated. Ark continuously attacked until he eventually took a break and grasped his sword bag.</explorer>

<explorer>‘My health isn’t enough. I have to pay more attention to defense than attack.’</explorer>

<explorer>Gwisal’s sword had a slow attack speed. That means there was a lot of gaps in his attack.</explorer>

<explorer>‘I can fight at close range with Lancel’s sword and I can also switch back and forth between taekwondo. But Gwisal’s character is completely different. Since it uses both hands, the attack range is narrow and the response time to an enemy’s counter-attack is quite slow. The long sword is a disadvantage in close range battles. If I’m tempted by that exhilarating feeling then I have no choice but to accept receiving considerable damage.’</explorer>

<explorer>It was something he realised when facing the mongoose. It was easy to be mistaken because of the overwhelming attack, but the two-handed sword was a defensive weapon. If he had a sword in one hand and machine gun in the other then both were cannons. In order to take advantage of the long sword, he must keep a distance and attack. Since the attack speed was slow, there was a considerable delay. Ark reached that conclusive and changed his stance. He took a defense posture instead of an attack posture.</explorer>

<explorer>Kyaaak, kyaak!</explorer>

<explorer>The mongoose rushed forward swinging its arms. Ark angled the sword and received the attack.</explorer>

<explorer>‘Indeed……….the attack rarely reaches.’</explorer>

<explorer>Using Gwisal’s sword to defend was an excellent choice. The only defense skill that Ark learned was ‘Parry.’ If successful, the skill was attack as well as defend. Thanks to his intermediate sword attack, parry hit x4! The defense applied was 45~60% while the damage dealt was 180~240! It was the same standards as warriors who used a steel shield. It wasn’t a perfect defense of course, but it was possible to reduce a considerable amount of damage. Ark used Parry to defend before using Riposte. In a matter of minutes, Ark reduced the mongoose’s health by 70%. But in the process Ark also lost 10% of his health.</explorer>

<explorer>‘I received 10% damage while I dealt 70% so if I maintain this then it is possible to win!’</explorer>

<explorer>That’s what Ark was thinking. While he was attacking and counter-attacking, the mongoose was also thinking. It hopped back and started spewing fire. Ark lost 10% of his health and was in a critical condition.</explorer>

<explorer>‘This damn mongoose……..it noticed my weak point!’</explorer>

<explorer>Of course he couldn’t block the flames with his sword. The flame resistance cloak only reduced the damage by 50%. And it wasn’t possible to do a counter-attack.</explorer>

<explorer>“If it continues like this then it won’t be possible. Victory or defeat! Demonic Opening!”</explorer>

<explorer>Ark shouted as he lifted Gwisal’s sword.</explorer>

<explorer>Kiyaaaaak!</explorer>

<explorer>Gwisal’s sword trembled and the appalling sound of a ghost’s wail emerged from the sword. After the ghosts emerged they stuck onto the sword. It was as if the ghosts’ form had been tattooed on the blade. It was the special option of Gwisal’s sword that increased damage by 20% in exchange for his health, Demonic Opening! Since he was in a critical condition, adrenaline also activated. His damage, critical hit, evasion and reaction rate all increased dramatically! He felt an incredible surge of power that made he want to pounce and tear off some flesh.</explorer>

<explorer>“Take this, Dark blade!”</explorer>

<explorer>Kkiyaaaaak, chiing!</explorer>

<explorer>Every time he swung the sword, the ghosts would wail and the mongoose would have its health decreased by a large amount. The overwhelming attack exceeded the monster’s defense. The mongoose who fell into a critical condition shrieked and tried to turn around. Then it began to flee at a tremendous rate. Ark quickly chased it. Demonic Opening was a double-edged sword. His attack increased explosively but he would lose 5 health every second. Since he only had 300 health left, he could only last 1 minute. 40 seconds had already passed so he only had 100 health left. If he failed to kill it in 20 seconds then he would be devoured by the ghosts. Gwisal’s sword noticed that Ark didn’t have a lot of health left. The monster engraved on the blade started to climb up his arm.</explorer>

<explorer>“The remaining time is 15 seconds……..if I can’t knock it down then I’ll die!’</explorer>

<explorer>“Sprint!”</explorer>

<explorer>Ark explosively dashed forward like he was in a race and narrowed the distance. And when he reached the corner, the mongoose suddenly turned around.</explorer>

<explorer>‘Huk, was luring me its plan?’</explorer>

<explorer>If Ark couldn’t knock it down in one blow the he would be vulnerable to a counterattack. However it was too late to stop.</explorer>

<explorer>Ark clenched his teeth and swung his sword. A sharp scream as well as the ghost’s wail shook the cave. The mongoose’s body was split in half and a message window quickly appeared.</explorer>

<explorer>-Your level has risen.</explorer>

<explorer>You have learnt a new skill.</explorer>

<explorer>Drastic measures一 Sword cutting into two (Beginner, passive): You’ve dug into the enemy’s chest and split it apart with one murderous stroke. This technique relies more on the sharpness of the sword and the weight of the blow then the user’s ability.Expert craftsmen who dedicate their spirits to the sword will craft an excellent sword. Among them, only those who use the sword with both hands can learn this technique.</explorer>