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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Lord of Blood Mountain
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The location of the Blood Mountain Lord is always fixed.
A large cave deep within the forest.
As long as I used the sun to get my bearings, there was no chance of getting lost.
Passing by the conifers that shot up from the ground, I saw a towering cliff.
A large cave was nestled at its base.
The lair of the Blood Mountain Lord.
"Bingo."
I approached the cave with a grin.
The cave was shrouded in darkness.
As I got closer, a pair of red eyes flashed in the gloom.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar.
It wasn't a 'skill' like the one used by Wolf King Serrin.
But the predator's killing intent embedded in the roar stimulated my entire body.
The fine hairs on my skin stood on end.
A drop of sweat trickled down my spine.
A tiger leisurely emerged from the cave.
Its massive body was reminiscent of a jeep.
A chilling sharpness emanated from its fangs and claws, and the crimson stripes on its fur brought blood to mind.
Blood Mountain Lord.
The ruler of the forest had revealed itself.
[Using Eagle Eye.]
[The opponent is overwhelmingly stronger than you.]
My vision filled with the color red.
Even after boosting my stats with [Predation], I was no match for the Blood Mountain Lord.
I grinned.
I already knew the Blood Mountain Lord was stronger than me.
This monster was in a different league from boss monsters like Wolf King Serrin, the Deep Slime, or Talonflame.
Overwhelming specs.
And a variety of attack patterns.
If I let my guard down for even a moment, I would die.
Gulp, I swallowed.
This is the feeling.
The feeling of walking on thin ice.
This tension that sent shivers down my spine was the very sensation that made me feel alive.
Before my regression.
When I stood on the battlefield, I always had to maintain a certain level of tension.
Facing the Blood Mountain Lord reminded me of those times.
A deep smile colored my lips.
The Blood Mountain Lord's red eyes moved from side to side, scanning my entire body.
-Human, you have fearlessly woken me from my slumber.
"What time do you think it is? How can you be lazing around in a cave?"
-You have lost your fear.
"For a mere beast, you're acting quite relaxed."
I raised my right hand and beckoned.
"Come on. Stop pretending you have the leisure of the strong."
Grrrrowl—!!
The Blood Mountain Lord unleashed a thick killing intent and charged straight at me.
This… did I provoke it a little too much?
Its incredible speed was reminiscent of Talonflame's charge.
But the force was even greater.
It felt like a dump truck flooring the accelerator and charging head-on.
No.
Considering that thing's physical abilities, taking on a dump truck might be better.
When the distance between us closed to ten meters, the Blood Mountain Lord kicked off the ground.
The Blood Mountain Lord flew in an arc.
Its log-thick forepaw came flying at my head.
If that hit me directly, everything above my shoulders would vanish without a trace.
I bent forward at the waist.
The diagonally swung paw grazed past my back.
'It's not over yet.'
I extended my right leg diagonally and pivoted my body to the right.
Whoosh!
The sound of the wind deafened my ears.
The Blood Mountain Lord immediately swung its left paw.
The paw, missing me by a hair's breadth, shook the air and rattled my eardrums.
The Blood Mountain Lord's belly was wide open.
By deflecting its charge with minimal movement, I was able to spot a weakness.
'Not yet.'
Instead of attacking the Blood Mountain Lord, I twisted my body once more.
Whack!
The Blood Mountain Lord's tail came down from behind and whipped the ground like a lash.
It was originally aimed at me, but I had anticipated the third attack and let it pass by a narrow margin.
Tatatatang— shards of stone struck by the tail flew in all directions.
[Using Thorn Carapace.]
My toughness stat may have increased, but there was no need to take a hit with my bare body.
The thorns sprouting around the carapace scraped the Blood Mountain Lord's skin.
Its fur and skin were tough and resilient.
Scccrape, a sound was made, but the scraped area only turned slightly red, dealing no real damage.
Just a light scratch.
-How dare you injure me!
"That's because you came at me first."
At this point, I had a decent grasp of the Blood Mountain Lord's specs.
Strength, agility, and reaction speed.
I'd have to risk my life, but it wasn't an opponent I couldn't beat.
[Using Agile Hind Legs.]
I immediately kicked off the ground to create distance.
The Blood Mountain Lord hastily pursued.
[Furious Charge]
The Blood Mountain Lord's entire body turned red.
It should have had a buffer before its next move after charging just now, but it overcame that by using a skill.
-Human, you cannot escape.
"Escape? Why would I do something so boring?"
I used [Agile Hind Legs] in quick succession.
My thighs swelled as if they were about to burst.
After using it twice in a row, my overworked muscles screamed, but I endured it.
A red trail chased after me.
The Blood Mountain Lord stayed close, maintaining the skill.
The moment my feet touched the ground.
The red trail that had enveloped the Blood Mountain Lord's body faded away.
The range of [Furious Charge] is 100 meters.
Immediately after use, there's a penalty where the Blood Mountain Lord's movements become sluggish due to severe energy consumption.
That was my aim.
'Thanks for moving just as I expected.'
The Blood Mountain Lord's movements became noticeably sluggish.
[Using Sharp Claws.]
[Using Monstrous Strength.]
Shhkk!
My blue-glowing claws tore through its fur.
With my strength amplified by 300%, I ripped apart the Blood Mountain Lord's foreleg.
"Kuaargh!"
A scream filled with pain.
A long gash was carved into the Blood Mountain Lord's forearm.
Drrrk, my claws caught on bone.
If I pushed harder here, it might be possible to sever the foreleg completely.
'But I'd die if I did that.'
I didn't get greedy and backed away.
The left paw swung a step too late.
The sound of the wind being split vibrated my eardrums once again.
If I had been hit by that, the fight would have been over in one blow.
-Human. How dare you!
A thick killing intent covered the Blood Mountain Lord's eyes.
"What? Looks like that hurt a little."
Don't get all teary-eyed already.
I'm just getting started.
It's going to hurt a lot more, so try to hold back your tears.
* * *
There's a saying about tweaking a sleeping tiger's whiskers.
No, was it a lion, not a tiger?
Anyway, I'm now realizing that the words of the ancient sages are never wrong.
"Grrroooar!"
The Blood Mountain Lord's forepaw grazed my hair.
It was just a graze, but my skull rattled slightly.
The overwhelming difference in specs!
I had wounded one of the Blood Mountain Lord's forepaws early in the fight, but I was the one being cornered.
-Human! Human!
"Stop calling me."
-Do not run! Stand and fight!
The killing intent covering the Blood Mountain Lord's eyes grew even thicker.
Hey, when you say that with your eyes blazing, it just makes me want to run away even more.
Kwaang—! The furrows gouged into the ground grew in number.
The handiwork of the Blood Mountain Lord.
The power behind its claws was so immense that even rocks couldn't withstand it and shattered.
If I let my guard down for even a moment, it wouldn't be rocks or the ground getting gouged, but my own body.
[Energy Bolt]
The blue sphere formed in my palm shot forward.
Thump, the energy bolt couldn't tear through the Blood Mountain Lord's thick fur, only managing to singe the surface slightly.
'I have to keep my distance until it reveals an opening.'
The Blood Mountain Lord wasn't simple like Wolf King Serrin or the Deep Slime.
As if it had learned martial arts, all its movements were a mix of feints and killing blows.
Its physical abilities were also far superior to mine, so trying to exploit an opening carelessly would likely result in a counterattack!
In that sense, the Mana Deer's [Energy Bolt] was a good skill for maintaining a safe distance and harassing it.
"Roar! Roar!"
The Blood Mountain Lord erupted in fierce anger.
Despite limping slightly due to its injured right foreleg, it still charged with a ferocious spirit.
Its speed was so great that if I hadn't been carefully watching the movement of its leg muscles, I would have been hit without a chance to dodge.
[Thorn Carapace] continuously carved small wounds onto the skin of the charging Blood Mountain Lord.
It wasn't intentional, but rather the Blood Mountain Lord's incredible speed caused it to ram its body into the thorns.
[Using Sharp Claws.]
Right after it swung its forepaw wide.
I brushed past it, carving a long gash into the Blood Mountain Lord's side.
"Kuhung!"
The Blood Mountain Lord whipped its body around.
At the same time, its tail swung in an arc and struck my abdomen.
[Thorn Carapace's durability has decreased by 63%.]
The carapace was dented.
The carapace alone couldn't seem to absorb all the force from the tail, as I was sent flying back 20 meters.
"Keuk!"
A short scream escaped my lips.
It hurt like hell.
Even though I used [Thorn Carapace], the blow from the tail knocked the wind out of me.
An attack that shaved off more than half the carapace's durability.
This was the first time I'd taken a hit like this in the tutorial stage.
"Kkeuk, heuk."
I gasped repeatedly, trying to catch my breath.
[Your two feet are on the ground. The Blessing of the Earth Mother activates.]
[Wounds and consumed stamina will recover quickly.]
[The Blessing of the Earth Mother] quickly stabilized my ragged breathing.
The blessing of a god is something else!
"Kuaargh!"
By the time the Blood Mountain Lord charged again, my breathing had returned to normal.
My abdomen still felt sore, though.
But it didn't hinder my movements at all.
I threw my body aside, dodging the Blood Mountain Lord's charge by a hair's breadth.
[Using Energy Bolt.]
I charged mana for two seconds before firing the sphere.
Shwaaak!
The energy bolt dug into the wound I had just made.
Smoke billowed from the long, torn gash.
This time, it was effective.
"Kaawooo!"
The Blood Mountain Lord let out a pained scream.
Its outstanding defense and magic resistance were only in its hide, after all.
It was worth pushing myself to create that long wound.
'This fight. It's a battle of endurance.'
I swallowed hard.
The battle with the Blood Mountain Lord continued for dozens of minutes after that.
As the fight wore on, the number of wounds carved into its body increased one by one.
-Die. Human!
The Blood Mountain Lord wasn't just taking the hits, either.
[The carapace's durability has been completely depleted.]
Its durability was massively reduced.
Even though I was only lightly grazed by the Blood Mountain Lord's claw, the affected area was covered in countless cracks.
Anyway, this thing doesn't let you relax for even a moment.
Through the broken carapace, the claw tore into my flesh.
Puhak— gashes appeared on my shoulder, forearm, and torso.
Wounds as sharp as if made by a knife.
I endured the pain and continued to trade blows with the Blood Mountain Lord.
"Grrr…."
About an hour after the battle began, the Blood Mountain Lord was panting, showing signs of exhaustion.
Its hide was soaked in blood.
Red liquid oozed from the wounds made by [Sharp Claws] and [Energy Bolt].
In contrast, my condition was relatively fine.
Except for being drenched in sweat.
The wounds inflicted by the Blood Mountain Lord had mostly healed thanks to [The Blessing of the Earth Mother].
It was because I had protected myself as much as possible with the [Carapace], avoiding any fatal injuries.
'It's not like it was before my regression.'
After fighting for over an hour, my concentration was exhausted.
Before my regression, I could fight for days on end and be fine.
It seems this part can't be overcome with mental strength alone.
-Hu... man.
"Why bother speaking when it's so difficult? It's time to rest."
The staggering Blood Mountain Lord.
It seemed to have lost even the strength to charge.
I overcharged the [Energy Bolt] with mana.
The blue sphere grew to its maximum size.
I aimed it at the crown of the Blood Mountain Lord's head and released it.