章節 194: Chapter 353
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[You can't acquire it with money or goods.]
"Of course, I thought as much."
[But you'll need quite a bit of gold. More than just a little.]
"Need gold?"
As soon as the word "gold" was mentioned, something seemed to click, and Murakan's eyes widened.
"Hey, Picon. Are you seriously talking about Ozdock?"
[Oh, you remember that name.]
Jin also knew that name.
"Ozdock, you mean. The monster from the folktales of the eastern continent?"
There were folktales related to Ozdock, a demonic creature, on the eastern continent.
A monster that eats gold, greedy humans who offer gold to harness its power, and nations that fall into ruin as they become prosperous due to its influence.
It was a rather common type of legend that could be found anywhere with a simple change of the name Ozdock. An allegory warning against excessive greed and the downfall brought by corruption.
[Time has passed. Nowadays, the younger generation only knows Ozdock as a creature from stories. Back in our time, it was a real headache. Around 30% of the world's gold production was devoured by that thing.]
"Is it still alive? Didn't it get subjugated after I fell asleep?"
[Just before you fell asleep, he sealed himself under the Sarba's Royal Capital. It was his stronghold, and with the downfall of the Sarba Kingdom, he could no longer obtain gold.]
Ozdock is a demonic creature that awakened through gold, so he could only exert its power with gold. When the Sarba Kingdom fell, Ozdock couldn't obtain any more gold, and thus chose to slumber.
Back then, Ozdock instinctively made that decision because he would not be able to survive if he got in the way of the powerhouses of Runcandel and Zipfel, who ruled the world at that time.
It was a good choice, but luck wasn't on Ozdock's side.
While Ozdock hid in the deep underground of the fallen Sarba Kingdom, the Black Sea's territory began to "expand."
Currently, everyone considers the place where the Sarba Kingdom used to be as part of the Black Sea's territory. However, a thousand years ago, it was just ordinary land not included in the Black Sea.
[As the Black Sea expanded rapidly, Ozdock ended up being swallowed by the tainted land of the Black Sea. You could say that it remained dormant but entombed in the poisoned territory.]
"So, the plan is to awaken the sealed Ozdock and capture it to obtain its core?"
[Exactly.]
"This crazy baldie... Do you think this kid is one of Ten great knights of ancient Runcandel? How is this kid going to capture Ozdock?!"
[You're here. And Ozdock is much weaker now compared to then. It's likely on the verge of death.]
Having gone without consuming gold for a thousand years, Ozdock had lost much of its incredible strength from the past.
"What if he's still fine? Are you suggesting we wake it up needlessly and end up with more trouble? Have you forgotten how much of a headache that thing caused a thousand years ago?"
As Murakan pointed out, Ozdock was a major troublemaker back in those times.
Before it settled in the Sarba Kingdom, it caused countless civilian casualties, and the fluctuating price of gold disrupted the world economy.
Runcandel, Zipfel, and even Vermont, all the major forces of that era, invested considerable effort to capture Ozdock.
There was no reason those powerful forces couldn't have suppressed Ozdock using brute force.
The problem was that until Ozdock was on the brink of becoming a "demonic creature with a core," nobody recognized its threat, and the same was true even until after its transformation was complete.
In other words, the response came too late.
When the major forces finally resolved to subdue Ozdock, the creature had already taken the people of the Sarba Kingdom hostage and used them as shields.
Thus, as the major forces were trying to minimize casualties and seize the opportunity to kill Ozdock, the Sarba Kingdom fell.
[Ha, it's definitely weakened!]
"Oh, this bald bastard... It is rather suspicious, isn't it? Last time, we had a hard time while facing Sylderay at the first tomb. I'm sure you are up to something similar with Ozdock. It is the first time I have heard that you need a core of the demonic creature to build a weapon."
Smack!
Murakan slapped his palm as if he remembered something.
"I see, you bastard. You've got a Guardian Dragon now, right? So, you want to use Ozdock's core for some kind of elixir?"
It was known that the core of a demonic core was useless to humans.
But for dragons, it was a top-tier elixir. It was one of the very few means that could drastically boost the strength of their heart's energy in an instant.
[Ha! What are you saying... This Picon Minche has never told a lie in his life. A Guardian Dragon? I didn't even ask Jin to look for it. I probably just sent a Guardian Dragon.]
"I can't really believe it."
[Argh! If you don't want to go, then don't! I was even trying to complete the weapon for you, and now you're treating me like a con artist.]
"Mr. Picon, I haven't said that. Hey, Murakan. Why are you doing this? Why?"
Jin began gently persuading Picon.
In truth, Jin's thoughts were somewhat similar to Murakan's. Waking up such a dangerous creature itself was burdensome, and he also remembered the difficulties at the first tomb.
But it didn't seem like a lie.
Furthermore, he thought there might be more uses for capturing Ozdock than just crafting a weapon.
"Please calm down, Mr. Picon. After all, you need to complete your masterpiece as well, right?"
"Hmm, hmm. Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. We will go and wake up and capture Ozdock or Modock, right?"
Murakan glanced around and spoke cautiously, and Picon nodded.
[Anyway, damn Black Dragon. If it weren't for Jin, there wouldn't even be soup, just bones.]
Thump, a blood vein popped on Murakan's forehead. However, he exercised patience, scratching the back of his head with an awkward smile.
"Haha, sure, sure... we are leaving. Well, it wouldn't be a bad thing to finally cut off Ozdock's throat for good this time."
[When you retrieve the core, don't even take a bite. Bring it as is, Murakan.]
"Got it. I am strong even if I do not eat that thing."
***
August 28, 1799.
A massive cat with swollen cheeks as if about to burst walked along the outskirts of the Black Sea.
It was Shuri.
Once again, Shuri was using its spiritual abilities to easily find the location of the former capital of the Sarba Kingdom.
Shuri was familiar with this area from the time it was Helluram's cat.
"I've thought about it before, this cat. I really want it. Can't you just give it to your big sis? It seems to like me too."
As Mary stroked Shuri's back, she spoke.
"It's not possible."
"Then I'll win this match and use the winner's command to take it away. Hehehe."
The reason she was riding on Shuri's back alongside Jin and Murakan was to have a match.
This time, it wasn't a one-on-one duel, but they had chosen the "Ozdock Subjugation" as the match.
By subduing Ozdock together and determining who dealt more blows and performed better, they would decide the victor.
Murakan had taken on the role of a referee and safety personnel in case of unexpected circumstances. If they, combined, couldn't defeat Ozdock and deemed it too dangerous, they would nullify the match and have a duel.
Of course, Mary was unaware that this match was also related to the strengthening of Jin's weapon.
'I have deep gratitude toward my elder sister Mary, but revealing the existence of Vin Branche and Mr. Picon could be risky.'
It was not that Jin didn't believe in Mary Runcandel as 'his third sister'.
But once Mary learned about Vin, the contractor of the god of blacksmiths, and Picon Minche, '7th flagbearer of Runcandel, Mary' would likely make a decision that would be advantageous for the clan.
It would mean that the legendary blacksmith Picon Minche had to forge weapons for all Runcandels, not only for Jin.
'Someday, it might become like that because of me, but not now.'
The prideful Picon couldn't accept that.
In the end, Runcandel could either use Vin as a hostage or force Picon to work for them, which had a high likelihood of causing a problem.
It was only a natural course to restrict all personal benefits Jin could obtain through Picon.
Until Jin was convinced that Mary was a sword of Jin Runcandel, not the sword of Runcandel, he had to be careful in sharing information.
"By the way, it's the core demonic creature. I've wanted to face it at least once. They say it's on a different level than those trivial monsters roaming near the outskirts of the Black Sea, so it won't end in a dull way, right?"
With the thought of fighting an extraordinary monster, Mary's heart raced all night, and she wasn't able to sleep well.
The reason she didn't ask Jin how he knew about such a monster was due to that.
If she could have a proper fight, other things didn't matter much to Mary.
"Huhu, if Ozdock were in his prime, there's no way you two could have done anything."
As if Mary had made an adorable remark, Murakan chuckled.
Mary didn't seem to mind much.
"Our Guardian Dragon seems to really like the term 'prime.' Guardian Dragon, I'm just curious, but you wouldn't give biased judgments, right?"
"Of course, I'm a fair dragon."
"Okay, once we catch it and return, let's have a good drink. I've heard you have a hobby for magazines too, right? I have some nice items in my collection that you might like."
"Good liquor and nice magazines, excellent. I'll make sure to do that!"
Throughout the journey, Murakan and Mary got along extremely well. They seemed to get along effortlessly as if they had been close from the beginning, which somehow didn't appear very fascinating to Jin.
He had suspected that the two of them would get along well.
"We seem to have arrived."
Shuri stopped walking.
In the desolate black land on the outskirts of the Black Sea, all that was visible was the sky and land, but this used to be the site of the old Sarba Kingdom's capital.
Myaa!
Shuri opened its mouth wide.
Suddenly, a burst of golden nuggets poured out. These golden nuggets they had been carrying since leaving the main house were prepared to lure Ozdock.
Naturally, the entry and exit of humans to the Black Sea were extremely rare.
Moreover, they were the only one who came to Black Sea with such a large amount of gold, and also to the site of the former Sarba capital.
"A monster that eats gold, huh? Let's see where and how it came from. Since we've brought its food, it should come out quickly!"
As Mary leaped off Shuri's back and shouted, a powerful vibration started spreading through the ground beneath them.
Crack...
The intense vibration began to shake the ground they were standing on.
章節 195: Chapter 354
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"Oh, are you really reacting right away?"
Mary smiled with a curious glint in her eyes.
Jin reacted half-heartedly. Despite Ozdock, the core monster, being weaker compared to its prime, Jin couldn't help but wonder if it was really possible for it to survive underground in the Black Sea for a thousand years.
Kuurur... The vibration intensified suddenly.
From deep within the underground, a massive lifeform wriggled and trembled as if it were erupting from a volcano, vividly transmitting its presence through the ground.
"Oh, it feels like catching a whale on a fishing rod."
Mary licks her lips.
"Even though we don't know how weakened it has become, both of you should remain vigilant."
Murakan found such nonchalance from Mary rather amusing. He felt that she was overly confident, having never experienced the full power of Ozdock back in its prime.
Thud!
In an instant, what looked like Ozdock's 'arm' shot up from the ground, splitting the earth.
It resembled a metallic pillar. There were no apparent joints, making flexible movement seem impossible, yet the arm moved with the fluidity of molten iron.
A body with the texture of steel and the flowing nature of water at the same time. Just by looking at it, Jin had a gut feeling that it wouldn't be easy to strike.
Ozdock's arm searched for the scattered gold on the ground, and Mary watched the scene with fascination.
On the other hand, before Ozdock could fully reveal itself, Jin drew his sword. Swish! The pale blade emerged from its scabbard, releasing a faint gleam as the thunderbolts burst forth.
Simultaneously, a flashing light emanated from Jin, and the next moment, even before Ozdock could fully reveal its body, Jin sliced through Ozdock's larger arm.
'I didn't cut it.'
Jin's gut feeling had become a reality.
It was as if he had cut through water. There was only a strange and chilling sensation when the blade made contact with Ozdock's arm, but there was no sense of the dense impact when the blade sliced through flesh and bone.
"Hey, youngest! What are you doing!"
Mary shouted in frustration.
She had planned to wait for Ozdock to eat the scattered gold on the ground. It was a consideration for a fun fight.
"The prey was almost injured. It seems there's no significant damage. Phew."
"This isn't the time to be nitpicking, elder sister."
"This sister of yours was so excited that she couldn't sleep last night. It's already weakened, so I wanted to improve that monster's condition a bit before fighting..."
"That's not what I meant. Aren't you currently competing against me?"
Mary's gaze sharpened at those words.
"It means there's no time to spare. Before I finish that thing off, you need to do something too."
"Ugh, troublesome guy."
"Are you going to spread the mana bomb again after wearing a gleaming armor like last time, elder sister?"
"You're subtly tricky as well."
Swoosh!
The joints of Mary's chain sword, "Venom," separated. Dozens of blades were instantly stained with aura, and they began extending as she swung the sword.
Sharp shockwaves burst out in all directions. The chunks of gold expelled by Shuri were sliced like tofu, and Ozdock's arm was pulverized to the point where its form couldn't be recognized.
However, it wasn't a successful strike.
Ozdock's arm had only briefly lost its form due to the Venom, and as Mary stopped the attack, it swiftly regained its original shape.
Then, it hesitated over the scattered gold on the ground. The impact generated by shockwaves had sent a few pieces of gold into a pit where the arm came out.
Ching! Ching!
The sound of Ozdock clumsily consuming the fallen gold could be heard. The unpleasant resonance of the sound was full of the dark and vicious energy of Ozdock.
The two chunks of gold that fell into the pit were like sparks landing in an oil sea.
[Grrooar...!]
Once again, the ground shook with Ozdock's roar. The tremors were several times stronger than when the creature first moved, almost as if the earth could flip over any moment.
Kuuaaah!
Ozdock began rising from the ground. Explosions, large and small, erupted from various spots on the ground due to its emitted energy. Jin and Mary adjusted their stances, deflecting the debris.
Meanwhile, Murakan rode Shuri and positioned himself far away in the distance.
"Baldie's words were true. It's incomparably weaker than back then. But even so, it'll be quite challenging for these two kids."
Looks like I'll have to step in and help at the right moment.
Murakan came to that conclusion.
Even though it had been sealed for a thousand years and its body had grown feeble, Ozdock hadn't completely lost its former majesty.
Ozdock's immense shadow cast a dark hue over the land.
'It has a bizarre shape?'
'Here it comes, that thrill feeling of incredible strength.'
Jin and Mary looked up at Ozdock.
Its body was angular all over, hairless, and if there were a monkey that was the size of a fortress, it would look just like this.
A golden energy radiated from its chest, and that was Ozdock's inner core.
[Grraaah. Kooaaah.]
Ozdock, after setting foot on the ground, only made strange noises for a while. It seemed completely uninterested in Jin and Mary.
It seemed that Ozdock didn't even realize that Jin and Mary had attacked it. Its focus was solely on searching for gold, as it rolled its large red eye in the center of its face.
"It hurts my pride a bit, you know?"
Though she said that, Mary's pupils sparkled as she looked at Ozdock.
Perhaps one could feel terror at encountering an opponent who seemed invincible to physical attacks. No, most martial artists would undoubtedly feel that way when facing Ozdock.
But this story didn't apply to Mary. It was the same for Jin.
'It's probably not regeneration, but is its body like a ghost?'
As Jin pondered for a moment, Mary had already charged toward Ozdock.
Ozdock extended its long, dark tongue toward the scattered gold on the ground.
"I will keep slashing until you are gone, Ozdock."
Shaaak!
She cut Ozdock's tongue. Or rather, what seemed like slashing was the beginning.
Mary's sword, the "Venom," released blades randomly like scattered beams of light.
Streaks overlapped at a speed even Jin found hard to track with his eyes, and with each flash, Ozdock's massive body grew blurry.
For the initial few seconds, Ozdock continued to ignore Mary.
However, when the gold it was about to swallow turned into dust due to Mary's aura, Ozdock finally reacted, its red eyes glaring.
Thud!
Right after Ozdock shifted its gaze to Mary, that sound echoed.
It was the distinct sound of a trained martial artist's punch or a strike with a blunt weapon on a human body.
"Kuk!"
At the same time, Mary was sent flying and bit her lip. It was the result of being struck by Ozdock's tail on her side.
Fortunately, due to her last-minute defense, she managed to avoid fatal injury, but the mental shock was greater than the physical one.
'I almost took a direct hit...?'
A single blow.
Not even a properly prepared strike, it was an attack that seemed like an unconscious hand movement to kill a fly.
She could have almost been incapacitated in an instant. If her defense had been even slightly delayed, it wouldn't have ended with just a few broken ribs.
Observing this, Jin couldn't help but be astonished.
'With that size, it moves at a speed even elder sister Mary can't react to?'
He was on edge.
"Murakan! Is this its weakened state?"
Jin shouted and Murakan raised both arms, drawing a circle in the air.
"If it gets really tough, this mighty Black Dragon here will lend a hand, so give it your best shot. Kuhaha!"
Mary stood up again, her eyes gleaming brightly. Her whole body trembled, a mix of embarrassment and anger surged rapidly.
Instead of expressing that directly, she decided to remain composed.
In the world of martial artists, there was no one who didn't know that Mary was a mad fighting maniac Furthermore, it was a well-known fact that she loved fighting recklessly without any calculations.
Most martial artists, therefore, thought of Mary as a hot-blooded and simple person.
However, those who really knew Mary had said that she was the most fearsome when her eyes looked as icy as they did now.
'It was like this when I fought the youngest, when I killed those spectre bastards, and even now. Ever since the youngest returned, the fights have been thrilling. Now, how should I deal with this guy?'
Chirp, chirp! The fallen gold was being absorbed into Ozdock's belly.
The surprise attacks from the two hadn't been entirely ineffective. Although they hadn't inflicted injuries on Ozdock, but more than half of the gold ingots they had brought for temptation were lost in attacks.
Since the gold was the source of Ozdock's power, if it had consumed it all, it would have likely regained its vitality twice as much as now.
"The youngest."
"Yes, sister."
"To inflict physical damage on Ozdock, we'll probably have to aim for when it hardened its body for an attack."
"I was thinking the same thing. It seems to be in a state similar to air most of the time. It would have been nice if that damned Black Dragon behind us had advised us about this."
Murakan was lying on Shuri's back, watching the siblings with a grin. He even munched on the Latrie cookies they had brought along.
"Still, its entire body isn't always in a state like air. If it were, it wouldn't be able to chew and swallow gold like that."
"There must be weaknesses?"
"Yes, and there might be ways to expose its body to physical attacks as well."
Fwoosh, crackle!
Jin wielded both fire and ice magic in his palms, with simultaneous chanting.
"I'll search for a way to inflict an effective strike by using magic and strength. In the meantime, elder sister, please find its weaknesses."
"Understood."
Splat!
Spitting out the accumulated blood in her mouth, Mary closed the distance between herself and Ozdock.
Now, Ozdock was aware of Jin and Mary. At first, it had almost lost consciousness due to the smell of gold after being recently awakened from its seal, but its intelligence had somewhat recovered.
[Grrraah!]
The Venom sword was once again drawing a sharp trajectory stained with aura. This time too, Ozdock didn't dodge the attack, simply pushing Mary aside.
Despite being slammed into the ground several times, Mary extended her sword toward Ozdock without showing any sign of fatigue. However, within just about a minute, she had to experience being pushed away over ten times, hitting the ground each time.
But it was no longer a matter of Mary's wounded pride. It was because she had accepted that Ozdock was stronger than her.
'It seems to be immune to magic too.'
Fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning. Jin had tried all types of magic, yet none of them managed to land a proper hit.
It felt like an impregnable fortress.
Unless Jin discovered one more thing:
'It can't have simultaneous immunity to both physical and magical attacks...!'
Jin almost overlooked this. Since Mary was being pushed back so much, there hadn't been many opportunities for them to attack simultaneously.
It's like he has found a way out.
'Now, all that's left is... the timing to successfully execute a magic attack in line with my sister's attack?'
Easier said than done. Usually, the hardest tasks weren't straightforward.
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