V3 Chapter 80

“Thank you for waiting, let’s go,”

Rain finally finished feeding Cyan the entire meat and bones of the Rock Panther, while he as well, saved a thigh for himself.

A magical beast’s flesh possessed a dense amount of magicules (mana). That is why they are considered far more nutritious than normal animals. They not only help recover energy and stamina faster, but they also somehow help strengthen and improve one’s physical body or magical ability- depending on the type of magical beast you consume.

However, truthfully, not all magical beasts tasted incredibly good. This is especially true for all Monster Species and those that were similar to them- magical beasts that are more of a monster species. And contrary to what the other world believed- Orcs, Minotaurs, and such don’t taste really good, especially for the human race. Their meat is really hard to eat, has an unpleasant smell, and is basically almost inedible for human beings. Incidentally, demi-humans and even Werebeasts have a huge liking for these kinds of meat, and that includes the Lamians.

Rain was the same. It’s stinky meat. But of course, saying they are inedible is also wrong. It can also be eaten… but only to those who have the guts to eat it. And you need to know that, as unpalatable as they were, many nobles still eat them. Not because they like the meat of these monsters, but rather, because they gave more benefits than normal magical beasts. Minotaurs and Orcs, for example. Minotaurs give good physical improvement while Orcs enhanced libido and vigor, which many Nobles would want to eat despite the unsavory taste.

Monster Meat is much more expensive than Magical beasts, due to this kind of reason. And Nobles only eat Monster Meat done by high-level [Chef], since they are able to reduce the unpleasant taste and smell of the monster meat, enhancing its flavor and also increasing their beneficial effects. That is why [Chef], despite being low in magical and physical power, is always high in demand. Sadly, a [Chef] can only be said to be successful if they reach a certain level, which is at least 4th or 5th level- a level that not many could reach.

Rock Panther’s meat, on the other hand, was hard but chewable. And they have a strong smell and flavor. Among the many types of Panthers in the world, not many likes eating a Rock Panther’s meat. Of course, there are a lot of delicious cuisines that could be made from it, according to high-level [Chef] but it will need a lot of intensive processes, ingredients, and time to make it palatable. That is why not many people would think about eating it despite it being a magical beast.

Not Rain… however.

Rain happily pulled several bottles of spices and slowly poured them on the meat, and with [Blaze], his hand suddenly ignited in flames. He started cooking the thigh meat of the Rock Panther over the flames in his hand while walking.

Seeing this, even Jonathan was surprised and felt it was hilarious. But they didn’t say anything and just continue walking. Though the speed was reduced by half since the Persona Slime is still digesting the Rock Panther’s corpse, thus its speed was slow. But no one complained.

In any case, they were also waiting for the reinforcement that Rain had said would come. It would be better if the moment they arrived in the Lair, they would meet his family (cavalry as he said). With that, the chances of their success would be greater. So no one was really in a rush.

“Those flames,”

“Hm?” suddenly the red-robed man walking behind them spoke.

Zia turned toward her mage companion and asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Those flames are not made of magic…” the red-robed man said with a curious expression.

“What do you mean it’s not made of magic?” Jonathan heard what he said and asked.

“I can’t feel the fluctuation of magic that happens when a magic spell is invoked. And besides, we haven’t even heard of him casting a spell,” the red-robed man said. “If he possesses the rare, archmage-level skill [Chantless]. It would be possible. Though with how young he is, that would be monstrous. Still, some geniuses were gifted with the [Chantless] skill despite being young- the Young Miss of the Geminin Clan is one of them. So it would be uncommon, but not impossible. However, I can’t feel the invocation of magic from the flames. So I’m certain it’s not magic but a skill…”

Magic Spells are created by combining the magic from within one’s body reserve along with the mana from the air to improve and enhanced it. Saying it like that could be the simplest way to explain the phenomenon called magic. Of course, it’s not that accurate. Even now, the existence of magic and its complete explanation of how it works, where it comes from, etc… is still being studied by many scholars and researchers who wanted to understand it.

Nevertheless, most mages and magic users in the world follow and agree with the necessary steps to invoke magic. [Chanting], [Internal Mana Control], and lastly, [External Mana Control].

The first is to solidify the image of the spell in your mind that you are trying to invoke. Human beings used [Chanting] to focus and consolidate that said image. Then, used [Internal Mana Control] to collect the necessary amount of magical power inside the body to fuel the spell. And lastly, used [External Mana Operation] to control the mana in the surroundings to empower the spell. That’s how mages used magic- or at least, how Human Beings used magic.

Most magical beings might only need the first two steps. But human beings don’t have that much privilege due to their limited and weak mana pool. That is why the third step is necessary to empower the spell invoked.

However, Jin, who has incredibly perceptive in the fluctuation of mana as a High-level Mage, couldn’t feel the change of mana around the flames generated by Rain- or rather the said [3rd Step] of the magic process. If he was a Magical Being such as the High Elves- it might have been not that surprising. However, Rain is a Human Being.

And so, the only reason he can think of is that what Rain used is not Magic, but rather, a Skill- a pyrokinetic ability. Using a skill differs from Magic since a Human Being can invoke a magic-like phenomenon while not following the process, and even able to disregard the 3rd process.

This is because Skills are fueled only by the mana inside one’s body. And is also the reason why, unlike magic, they cannot be changed, empowered, or reduced in their attribute and output. Unlike Magic, they already have fixed parameters.

In that aspect, Special Skills also differ from Class/Profession Skills since they can be obtained or acquired despite the Class you have. Often they are known to be bestowed by the Gods, at birth, or in special circumstances, hence they are known as [Unique/Special Skills].

Jonathan looks at Rain with a sudden realization.

“So you’re saying he is a Skill Holder, Jin?”

“I think so,” the red-robed man; Jin nodded his head.

"If he's a Skill Holder, then, it's not something amazing, isn't it? Well, it is… but not something to be surprised about, I think?" Roel said with a confused expression. After all, it's not strange if someone like Rain who is quite excellent to be a Skill Holder. There's nothing for Jin to be surprised about.

However, Jin stared at him with a strange expression.

“It’s not surprising, I know. But haven’t you forgotten his [Inventory] skill?”

Roel was stumped and his eyes widened in surprise. So were the other two people hearing Jin’s words.

“He’s a Dual Skill Holder…now that is something indeed." Jonathan nodded his head with an enlightened expression. Being a Dual Skill Holder is incredibly rare. It’s a sign of power. A sign of acknowledgment by the Gods, proving how much expectation they had in that Holder. A symbol of great destiny!

That is why a Unique Skill Holder possessing two gifts are being favored by the Church of Gods…especially if they know which Gods gifted him.

"No wonder he can reach that level of power despite being so young. Dual Skill Holders are said to be beloved children of God. More so, he has [Inventory] skill that can only be seen one in million people…and perhaps, even [Flame Manipulation] type skill. Just having one of them is enough to make him a Genius that would make any kingdom desperately desire him.”

Unlike Magic, Special Skills are easy to use, without a need to chant, and very flexible. And so their use in combat is not something to be underestimated.

In fact in the history of man, there was once a Skill Holder that was able to control flames at will. And despite being unable to use Magic since his Class was born a warrior, he became a peak sorcerer-like existence. And using that Special Ability, he became a Wargod-like existence, feared and adored by many people, even in the current era. He was crowned as the [Flame Emperor]- a title that only the best fire mages in the world could obtain.

Despite being a warrior, he was able to dominate the talented Mages within this continent with his flames. Of course, unlike Magic, the Skill’s ability and power are fixed. Neither strong nor weak. But who said it cannot be increased?

Since it’s a skill, one can also increase its level. And the moment it reached even the 5th level, its power will be already equivalent to that of an Archmage Forbidden Spells. How fearsome could that be?

So having two skills is considered amazing already?

With his keen sense of hearing, of course, Rain was listening to Jonathan and the others whispering, even if they were talking so softly. But still, he doesn’t have any interest in caring what they are saying.

Dual Skill Holder?

They would probably faint if they learn how many skills he has. Though most of them are Monster Skills, it doesn’t mean they are inferior to human skills. Then, suddenly a sweet fragrance spread out in the area.

A delicious meaty fragrance wafted stopping the four people from their chat. Finally, the barbecue in Rain’s hand has been cooked. And the smell coming from it was enough for Jonathan and the others to even salivate.

What the hell?

How is it so fragrant?!

Rain grinned looking at the red with a somewhat blackish barbecue with a hungry stare. Even without proper preparation or spices, with his [Cooking] level, anything could become a high-class meal. Skills truly work wonders.

After a moment of cooling, Rain then started eating completely disregarding the envious glances of the people behind him. A strong and fresh fragrance filled his mouth. And the solidity and sweetness of the barbecued meat cause him to be unable to help but mutter: "...delicious."

Each bite was like a high-class steak made from a three-star Michelin restaurant. It’s really good.

Rain happily devoured the meat, but sadly, there was no skill obtained. Well, it’s just a small part, after all. Still, he felt his strength seemed to have recovered.

However, as he continued eating, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and the back of his head started to tingle with danger. Without hesitation, he hurriedly jumped into the air. The ground he was just standing on exploded, sending rocks and debris in every direction.

Jonathan and the others as well immediately jumped back upon sensing the danger (though a little bit late than Rain), while Cyan hurriedly hides between a large tree in safety.

Since she can’t fight yet until she completely devoured the Rock Panther, Rain ordered her to avoid fighting as much as possible through their mental connection. In any case, even if Cyan’s strength is not bad, however, it’s still not enough against the monsters in this area. Thus, Rain wanted her to accumulate her strength first, observe, and learn. This is also a part of her training.

Rain stared at the place where he was just standing. His attention was on the new monster that attacks him, and his brows couldn’t help but furrow. Coming out from the ground was an enormous monster with a horrifying giant maw full of teeth, accompanied by a frightening hiss.

Sharp, and terrifying- every tooth that filled the open mouth was like the sharp teeth of a shark. And it's even big enough to swallow him completely, without any problem.

Rain didn’t doubt that the moment he was captured by that horrifying mouth, he would be killed even if he invokes all his defensive skills. It would be like falling inside a meat grinder with no way to escape. Even a chunk of metal would be ground by those saw-like teeth. And he grunted, recognizing what the monster was.

[Ground Devourer]

A creature whose name says both enough and not nearly enough about it.

The creature does indeed look almost exactly like a large Monster Alien worm. Its head was shaped like a massive drill that rotated around its mouth, where it came to a point; a deafening roar escaped this cavernous hole, revealing thousands of hooked fangs lining the bottomless pit of its esophagus before closing like a vile, leathery sphincter.

On the segments of its body were thousands of yellow eyes with pupils the size of a man’s head, squelching as they opened and shut. And even though its head is the only thing protruding from the ground, the size of it already surpassed that of Jonathan’s height and the others.

It’s a giant monster!

Using the lightweight technique, Rain kicked the air, and hurriedly jumped away as if being carried by the wind. However, suddenly, his balance swayed, and what feels like a huge rope that somehow had coiled around his ankle tugged at him, pulling him downward.

“Shit!” he grunted in panic as he felt the incredible strength that was pulling him.

What strength! I can’t fight against it!!

“Rain!” he heard Jonathan’s anxious call, but when he looked down toward the other’s direction, he saw the four of them entangled with dozens of whip-like tentacles as well. Still, Jonathan’s face was desperate and shot towards him with incredible speed, all while cutting all the tentacles that tried to intercept him.

Rain felt gratified by his worry, but it was not needed. Before Jonathan could even arrive at his location, in a blink of an eye, he pulled his sword out of his belt as fast as he can and strikes across the approaching set of tentacles that was trying to wrap around him like a Christmas gift.

With quick, lightning-like speed, Rain easily cut the tentacles, including the ones that tangled on his leg. Then, he jumped back and was about to use [Blink], when suddenly an arm circled his waist and dragged him even further away from the charging tentacles. Glancing at the side, Rain was relieved.

Not because he was finally saved, but because the one who grasped him intimately was not Jonathan, instead, it was Zia. He would feel awkward if he would be embraced tightly by a man.

Followed by her, Jonathan also appeared in front of him, swinging his sword while flying backward, cutting the attacking tentacles, while Zia was behind Rain, holding him against her chest.

“Little Brother, are you okay?!”

Jonathan asked anxiously. They cared too much, don’t they? Rain stared at him in doubt, suspicion, and also a little bit of sweetness that came flooding into his heart. It’s been a long time since someone had shown him concern…. Well, a human, of course.

“I’m fine,” he answered. “Thank you, Big Brother… as well as, you too, Ms. Zia, I owe you one,” he turned at Zia, and the latter smiled gently nodding.

“Just be careful,” she said softly, then suddenly she snapped her head, and once again, hug him tighter and jumped back on a lightning-like speed. This time, Rain had already noticed beforehand and so, didn’t fight against Zia’s forceful actions, and went with her.

As expected, the ground beneath them also exploded, and the horrifying mouth full of jagged teeth appeared. When it did, it launched its tentacles from inside of its mouth and tried to capture Rain, Jonathan, and Zia together.

But at this moment, fireballs the size of basketballs raining down on the mouth of the Ground Devourer creating a series of loud explosions. It was then followed by a piercing shriek from the monster, so sharp and loud enough to burst an eardrum.

Rain felt like he was knocked away by some massive shockwave, his mind even almost blanked out, as the force of the sound wave sent him and Zia flying like a leaf being blown away by the wind. His ears were in pain. Zia also frowned with a painful expression. If not for their incredible vitality as high-level superhumans, the sound wave was enough to make them lose consciousness… worst, have their heads exploding.

The others as well felt that sound attack, but they were able to endure it better than Rain and Zia. Probably, it’s a matter of resilience, spirit, and will, which had been honed throughout numerous battles.

Snapping from his daze, Jonathan charged toward the monster at a frightening speed, and slash his sword. In the naked eye, one can only see him moving the sword once, though blurry… but to Rain, he saw that Jonathan actually slash his sword seven to eight times and that was only done in a single moment.

Fast…!!

His eyes narrowed in seriousness. Even he, himself cannot do something like that. Though he can follow his movements and speed using all his skills to the peak, dodging or even blocking those attacks would be a completely different matter.

How should I say it? It is like even if you know where he wants to attack you but you still can't dodge it. It was that fast.

Even with his skills, Rain knew that is still far from reaching that kind of incredible speed. Drova wouldn’t be able to do that. Well, speed was not Drova’s forte. Still, eight slashes in a single second were almost nigh impossible. More so, he did it smoothly, without any breaks in his attacks.

His actions were so fluid it looks as if every move was connected with a system auto-connect feature like those in games that enabled combo-attacks. Just how fast is he? Is that also a skill? A special combo-type combat Art?

Blood spurted in the air, like a red fountain.

Though the Ground Devourer has a good defense, due to its thick scales, actually, it’s less than the Rock Panther when it uses [Rock Skin]. Thus, Jonathan’s sword easily dealt a vicious blow against it.

When it tried to retaliate in anger, the full armored man appeared in front of Jonathan, his body glowing in a blinding light, and easily received the monster’s tentacle blows that can even make a flattened piece of metal out of an armored truck in an instant. Rain can even feel the impact, and he shuddered.

That power is enough to make his bones into powder in one hit, and yet this full armored man took it with only sliding a bit backward?

What’s even more surprising was that suddenly the full-armored man raised his shield and with a very loud, thunderous cry, charged toward the monster. [Shield Bash] or perhaps, [Barbaric Tackle]? But it looked much stronger as if a skill made from the combination of the two.

Is it a Knight Class-only skill?

Nevertheless, the armored knight’s momentum was like a ten-wheeler truck crashing against a steel wall, as he easily repelled the incoming tentacles and crashed into the monster with a loud, thunderous bang that he managed to topple the monster to the ground.

How much damage can this guy endure?

This is not a human, this man is basically a living tank!

“So strong…”

Watching the battle, Rain can’t help but mutter in amazement.

“Well, he was well known as the [Fortress] in the Kingdom, you know. His skills are all related to defense. And among the Knights under the Aquarian Noble House, he is one of the loyal people that the Masters trusts the most.”

Zia said proudly after hearing Rain’s voice filled with awe.

“Aquarian Noble House…?”

Somehow, those words seemed to resonate with something inside of him. But… what is this strange feeling…? Rain frowned in confusion.