Chapter 38: Agath Leader Hunt

'Devil Trigger?'

Kang Oh immediately looked over the skill info.

[Devil Trigger]

Assimilate the entity of darkness that resides within the magic sword, allowing you to utilize its power as your own.

However, the more you use Devil Trigger, the higher the assimilation rate becomes, and once this reaches its max, you must face the Trial of the Magic Sword once more.

(Magic sword Ubist assimilation rate: 0%)

Classification: Active/Skill

MP Use: 0

Cooldown: 0

Rank: Beginner

Proficiency: 0%

"Mm. It's a bit vague."

If he used Devil Trigger, then he would be able to use Ubist's power as his own.

But the more he did so, the higher the assimilation rate would become until ultimately, he would be forced to undergo the Trial of the Magic Sword once more.

'Let's slowly find out more about it first.'

He needed to find out how much the assimilation rate increased with each use, how powerful the skill itself was, etc.

"What's vague?" Eder asked.

"It's nothing. Go and pick up the crystals and the other junk."

Kang Oh equivocated, as it would be a pain to explain, and gave Eder some work to do.

"I understand."

Eder moved immediately.

"I'll help too."

Sephiro stuck with Eder.

He needed to collect the steel arrows anyway, so he decided to help Eder along the way.

"Thank you, Brother."

"It's nothing."

There was a fierce camaraderie between those two.

Kang Oh glanced at them and clicked his tongue.

"What a joke."

* * *

A week had quickly passed.

Due to the immense experience the Agath gave, Kang Oh had already reached level 95.

"Here."

Eder gave Kang Oh three Agath Crystals.

Kang Oh took the crystals and fiddled with them.

'Hmm. There is something here.'

When he examined the Agath Crystals, his Hyper Intuition would flare up, telling him that there was something odd about them and that there was more than meets the eye.

Like the Weasel Bead, which opened a portal to the jungle!

However, even a week after, he couldn't ascertain as to what secret these crystals held.

'I still need eight more. I'll ask Grano about it when I give him the crystals.'

He had collected 192 Agath Crystals. He would soon hit the 200 needed.

It was almost time for him to obtain an Agath Leader Crystal.

"When are we going to kill the leader?" Sephiro asked.

He'd been forced to work with Kang Oh for a week. Thus, he wanted to finish up and leave as soon as possible.

"Now."

"You'll need to be well prepared."

The Agath Leader flew around with 50 other Agaths.

Sephiro may be one of Arth's top rankers, but 50 Agaths was little too much even for him.

There's an old saying, 'You can't beat numbers'.

"I have a plan."

Ever since his Warlord days, Kang Oh had faced countless monsters.

He should be able to take down the leader, but he also wanted to do it efficiently while minimizing the risks involved.

"A plan?"

"There's a deep cave at the center of the canyon. Once we've led the Agaths and their leader there, we'll use a single powerful blow to take them down all at once. I trust that you have a skill like that, Mr. Sephiro?"

"I do."

Sephiro possessed a lethal skill called Buster Shot.

"My Tempest Tiger will become even stronger within the cave."

Tempest Tiger's winds would become more effective when used in such a small, cramped space.

"Hmm. Then will Mr. Eder lead them there?" Sephiro asked.

"Of course Eder's doing it. That's his entire job."

"M-Me?"

Eder had been listening in, and his jaw shook.

He clearly visualized a group of those black Agaths chasing him whilst shooting him with lightning as he feverishly ran away from them.

"Could I not..."

"Live or die?"

He uttered the same line he'd said so long ago and grinned.

Eder instinctively shook.

But it was different now.

Kang Oh wasn't threatening him this time; he was just teasing him.

"That's not funny."

Eder put on a straight face.

"Then do you want me to say it seriously?"

Kang Oh's expression changed instantaneously, and he too looked serious.

"I'll do it! I just have to do it..."

Eder's voice gradually trailed off and his shoulders slumped.

"Hoo. I guess someone as useless as me has to do something," Eder complained.

At some point, Eder hadn't been able to do much.

In other words, he was dead weight!

"Once we get back from the Bariton Desert, I'll try and find you a new body."

Kang Oh refused to carry around dead weight.

"While you're at it, please get me an extremely powerful body."

"I got it, so get going already."

"Ok."

Eder trudged forward.

* * *

As they had planned, Kang Oh and Sephiro waited deep within the cave for Eder and the group of Agaths that would be chasing after him.

"Will Mr. Eder be able to do it?"

Sephiro's voice was filled with concern.

Unlike them, who would respawn upon death, Eder's death would mean the end for him.

"He's not someone who'd die from this."

Although he always abused, oppressed, and threatened him, he'd been through thick and thin with Eder.

Above all, he still hadn't received the remaining 4,000 gold quest reward.

Thus, Kang Oh would never send Eder anywhere he thought he would actually die. Maybe after he got the 4,000 gold though, who knows.

At that moment, he heard a scream from afar.

"Uaaaaaahk!"

It was the sound of Eder's screams.

Kaw. Kaw. Kaw!

Flutter. Flutter!

Boom.

They could hear the sound of the Agaths' cries, the flap of their wings, as well as peals of thunder.

"Please get ready."

Kang Oh assumed an iaido[1] stance.

Tempest Tiger: ready!

"I understand."

Sephiro took out an arrow which was much larger than a normal one. It was closer to a javelin than an arrow. There was also an intricate pattern engraved on the arrow shaft as well.

"Huuhp."

Sephiro notched the giant arrow and forcefully pulled it back.

Buster Shot: ready!

"As we discussed, you'll shoot first. Once the barrage of arrows is over, I'll take over and use Tempest Tiger to finish them off."

"Understood."

"Mr. Kang Ohhhhhh!"

Eder appeared at the entrance of the cave. He really was running with all he had.

Caw!

Caw! Caw!

From behind him, a group of Agaths wailed as they entered the cave.

"Come closer!" Kang Oh yelled.

"That's what I'm doing!"

Eder waved his arms crazily as he ran.

His emaciated skeleton showed between his robes, and although he was supposed to evoke a sense of danger to the living, he instead proved to be quite the comical sight.

"Shall I shoot?" Sephiro asked.

"Please wait."

Sephiro gulped.

Eder was running crazily, but the Agaths were getting closer and closer.

Plus, there were dozens of lightning arrows behind him.

Boom!

Boom!

The lightning arrows crashed onto the ground, and the sparks singed Eder.

"Uahk!" Eder screamed.

"Run!" Kang Oh yelled.

"I'll shoot now."

Sephiro was about to let go.

"Wait!"

Kang Oh quickly stopped him, and yelled to Eder, "When I say three, shut up and hit the ground flat! One!"

"Uahk! I'm going to die!"

"Two!"

The Agaths had caught up to Eder.

Their beaks were about to break his skeleton into tiny pieces!

"Three!"

Eder dropped to the floor.

Sephiro simultaneously let the arrow fly.

Buster Shot!

The giant arrow flew towards the Agaths.

Then, five magic circles formed around the arrow.

Boom!

The sound of an explosion resounded out.

Steel arrows came out of the magic circles.

100 of them!

The barrage of arrows instantaneously assaulted the Agaths.

They weren't normal arrows. Each and every arrow contained a significant amount of force.

Caw!!!

The nearby Agaths were ripped to shreds.

The further ones shrieked and began randomly discharging lightning.

At that moment, Kang Oh roared; it was the same as Baramut's roar.

Kuhaang!

Baramut's soul dwelled within him, and his body swelled with power.

'This is the energy of a tiger!'

"Huhp."

Remaining in his iaido stance, Kang Oh swung his sword.

A dashing golden tiger!

But the Tempest Tiger wasn't all. Darkness Strike activated as well! A black wave manifesting in the form of a wild beast flew in tandem with the tiger towards their prey.

'The Darkness Strike is flying towards them like the aura!'

Kang Oh was briefly dazed at the never before seen sight.

Since the Darkness Strike had always followed the trajectory of his sword.

'The trajectory of my sword?'

Tempest Tiger shot out an aura. If that's the case, what trajectory did that aura follow?

Wherever it manifested!

That must be why the Darkness Strike flew along the shape of the tiger.

Whatever the case, two predators of black and gold mingled together and attacked their prey.

Into the center of the chaos, the middle of the Agaths!

The two beasts broke through their ranks and ravaged them.

Swish!

Wind whips assaulted the thunderbirds shortly after.

Their wings and bodies were ripped apart, and the stalactites began to fall.

"Won't this endanger Mr. Eder as well?"

Both the Buster Shot and the Tempest Tiger were more powerful than they had expected.

"Eder! Get a grip and protect yourself with your bone magic. If you don't, then you'll die!" Kang Oh yelled.

Eder, who had been lying flat on the ground, heard him.

"I knew this would happen!"

Eder quickly cast his bone magic.

He began summoning layer upon layer of bones in an arch shape.

The bones were quickly shredded by the Agaths' lightning, the whips of wind, and the falling stalactites.

But whenever that happened, Eder would replace them with new bone. That situation repeated itself over and over.

A short while later...

The chaos-inducing golden tiger and its accompanying wind had disappeared.

All that remained was countless Agath corpses.

Of course, the Agath Leader, which possessed a more powerful and larger crystal and wings, had died as well.

There was also an igloo made of bone within the ruins, resembling a grave.

Kang Oh headed towards it.

He tapped it with his sword.

"You dead?"

No response.

"Rest in peace. I'll never forget your sacrifice..."

At that moment, the bone igloo clattered to the ground and the tattered Eder stood up quickly.

"Who are you calling dead!?"

"Tch."

"Did you just click your tongue at me!?"

"I'm glad you're safe."

Sephiro approached him and hugged him.

"Ahem. Brother!"

"Enough with the drama. Go pick up the junk..."

Kang Oh couldn't finish.

Eder's eye sockets stared right at him.

It was as if they were saying, 'If you make me do this now, then you're no better than a bug.'.

"Ahem."

Kang Oh stepped back slightly and collected the junk and crystals himself.

'When was the last time I bent my back to pick up items?'

He'd had Darion and Eder for that. All this time he'd had minions to do it for him, so he hadn't had to bend his back until now.

"Brother!" Eder said.

"Brother!" Sephiro replied.

On the side, Eder and Sephiro reveled in their comradeship.

"Tch."

In the end, Kang Oh was forced to collect all of the items himself.

At the end, he had gathered 203 total Agath Crystals and 1 Agath Leader Crystal.

Mission complete.

"We're done!"

Kang Oh dusted off his hands.

However, Sephiro and Eder were still hugging each other.

Kang Oh scowled, and Eder and Sephiro quickly glanced at each other.

'He's finally done, so let's stop.'

'Good idea.'

Eder and Sephiro stealthily approached Kang Oh.

"Good work. Hehe."

Eder smiled as best he could. Even so, he was a skeleton, so it would be hard to tell anyway.

"Don't smile, you bag of bones," Kang Oh said.

"Let's go back," Sephiro said.

Kang Oh looked displeasingly at him and then nodded his head.

"Alright."

He had nothing more to do here. Kang Oh's party left the cave.

However!

Hyper Intuition sensed danger. Kang Oh felt a chill from the top of his head all the way down to the tip of his feet.

At that moment...

A powerful and giant lightning bolt descended from the sky towards Kang Oh's party.

Kang Oh instinctively swung his magic sword.

His blade absorbed the lightning, as if it were a battery.

[Ubist has absorbed Judgment's Lightning. Satiation has increased by 0.3%.]

"What was that?"

Once it was over, Kang Oh looked at the sky.

[You have gathered several Agath Crystals in one place. The Agath Leader Crystal increases the output of the lightning within the other Agath Crystals.]

[You have met the conditions for the emergence of the Kaistan Canyon field raid boss.]

[The field raid boss, Caraco, has appeared!]

It pushed its way through the lightning clouds, its two pairs of wings fully extended. Whatever it was, it made its way towards Kang Oh.

[1]: Iaido is a common Japanese swordsmanship style, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WkwFCXfCkQ