SWNOVELXO Chapter 82
Chapter 82. The Red Monster (2)
The blessing bestowed by the “Eternal Blaze” was just one: “Flame Transformation”.
It allowed one to transform parts of their body into fire, and as the rank rose, the power of the flame increased, similar to other miracles of the Eternal Blaze. This particular blessing of Flame Transformation also affected Gluttony.
“That wasn’t mentioned in the information, boss!”
“Shouldn’t we be running away?”
Gluttony, turning into flaming tentacles, seemed to have instilled a significant amount of fear in them. Though their fighting spirit seemed to wane, a man’s voice rallied them.
“We have one enemy! A single enemy with a hefty reward! Whoever finishes him off will take 60% of the bounty!”
‘A simple yet effective morale booster.’
When blinded by greed, one tends to rationalize, thinking anything is possible. Their leader seemed to know how to play the role of a boss quite well.
‘So, what’s next?’
Unlike previous battles, I had a sense of leisure.
Admittedly, it was surprising that they had an artifact, but that alone was not enough to pose a significant threat to me.
Despite facing an overwhelmingly vast number of opponents armed with formidable items, my confidence to overcome them remained unbeaten…
‘Strangely, it evoked a sense of exhilaration.’
I never expected to feel such emotions from combat in reality rather than a game, but the assurance from newfound strength was indeed substantial.
I deliberately allowed them time to attack, which led to a somewhat disappointing assault involving hurling stones.
‘Throwing stones when arrows and spears don’t work?’
Even though Gluttony was in a state of Flame Transformation, it wasn’t purely made of fire. Its original tentacle-like form was still present, capable of easily deflecting their stone throws.
“Huh?”
Among the projectiles I deflected without thinking, one wasn’t a stone but a jar that broke, scattering suspicious powder.
‘Poison, clearly… but meaningless.’
With flames enveloping Gluttony, the powder dissipated quickly. Any potential poison would burn away before taking effect due to the high temperature of the surrounding flames.
“Is this your answer? Quite weak for something gathered by a hundred men.”
I took a step forward, purposely provoking them.
“Fire!”
Arrows, spears, bottles filled with oil or poison, and stakes flew toward me. All were insignificant attacks, but among them, some artifact-enhanced ones were mixed in.
‘Seems like it takes a moment for them to magnify.’
The stakes expanded during their flight, making it hard to distinguish which ones were enhanced by the artifact.
‘Not bad, but…’
Honestly, before I reached the third rank, it would have been quite a headache. However, now it only seemed trivial to me.
“My blood is the flames of him; it will flow, incinerating everything. Praise be to the Eternal Blaze. 〈Torrent of Blood Flame〉.”
Blood trickled from a newly formed puncture wound, igniting the ground. The red flame-like blood, ready to burn everything to ashes, flowed and spread like a river. The rapid spread of this flame set fire to the surroundings.
“Move quickly! Change location and seize the high ground, you fools! And stop throwing oil!”
The flames began devouring the forest rapidly, and they seemed to follow their boss’s command, trying to secure an advantageous position while dodging the spreading fire.
There was an attempt to suppress me with various attacks, though the only ones worthy of attention were artifact-enhanced strikes.
Even so, how many times did they expect me to fall for the same trick?
“Where the gaze of the Great Flame reaches, fire shall exist. Grant me your blazing eyes. 〈Ominous Eye of the Crimson Flame〉.”
In the void, an eye made of fire was formed.
The flaming eyeball floated around, reacting to the incoming weapons and shifting its gaze accordingly.
“Aaargh! It caught fire!”
“Quick, roll on the ground!”
If anyone came into view, even as a vague outline, their body would immediately catch fire under that vicious gaze.
The thieves, bewildered by the flames engulfing them without understanding why, scattered in panic, while the gaze swiftly shifted from one victim to the next.
The 〈Torrent of Blood Flame〉 devastated the bushes and trees, stripping them of hiding places, and the number of casualties rapidly increased.
“Let’s get out of here, boss!”
“This won’t work! Even a thousand, not just a hundred, wouldn’t survive this!”
“Damn it, you fool!”
Meliano, the chief of the thieves, finally exploded in frustration, barking orders at his foolish subordinate.
‘A deserter from the garrison camped out in the wilderness who managed to pull together and lead a band of thieves in such a short time, not to mention possessing an artifact.’
Not a bad profile, yet it was puzzling why someone with such credentials turned to a life of theft.
Then again, having deserted, it would be impossible to live a normal life without thoroughly concealing his identity.
“The only way to survive is to fight! Don’t turn your back on the beast!”
‘Guess he’s calling people beasts.’
Feeling a slight annoyance, I tried to gauge the direction from which the voice had come.
“The judgment falling from the heavens is not merely thunder. His flames are a descending disaster and reverence. 〈Falling Flame of the Red Sky〉.”
In an instant, the sky turned crimson. Like a waterfall striking a surface, a pillar of flame poured down onto the ground. The fiery column connected the heavens to the earth, incinerating the thieves caught in its path until nothing remained but charred bones.
‘It’s fast, but the accuracy and efficiency need improvement.’
The miracle of the 【Eternal Blaze】 often involved inducing a huge blaze rather than targeting something specific.
‘It seems more suited for handling a large group rather than individuals.’
Another attack came flying in. This time, the target wasn’t me but the flaming eye.
They seemed to decide that they needed to deal with the eye that incinerated everything in its sight first; the artifact-empowered stakes repeatedly pierced the flaming eye.
“Charge!”
As the flaming eye dispersed, the thieves rushed toward me, thinking they stood no chance in a ranged battle.
‘But you’ll never win in close combat either, given the overwhelming difference in our ranks.’
Having gone through the Awakening Ritual, my stats had skyrocketed to the third rank.
Enhanced physical abilities through the Blessing of Transformation bolstered my body significantly as well. According to a recent character sheet…
「Strength: 70, health: 80, agility: 60, intelligence: 90, mind: 100(-50)」
I was no longer the weak, struggling figure I once was. With the added boost from my growing Gluttony, no lowly thieves could possibly be my match. I extended Gluttony’s tendrils toward those that surrounded me.
Crash!
The eight tendrils I retrieved skewered various heads.
“Die! I said die… Aaaah!!”
I grabbed the legs of a thief swinging an axe from behind, and he screamed as he caught fire.
Using him as a weapon, I whipped his burning body around, spreading his screams and flames in all directions.
“The ones with shields! Get to the front! Push forward!”
It seemed they planned to attack from a distance, hiding behind shields and using spears.
Crunch.
I wrapped Gluttony around my body like a powered suit.
Boom!
I punched straight through, smashing them along with their shields into pieces. Shattered shield fragments and bits of their innards scattered.
It was a method I’d previously used in the underground of Wave Reach, but the power difference now was worlds apart.
“You monstrous bastard!”
At that moment, a man appeared, wielding a lavish hammer that seemed like an artifact.
‘That must be the leader of this band of thieves.’
He drew out several stakes. With no more subordinates left to be caught up in the fray, it seemed he intended to launch an all-out attack.
But… it was useless.
“Dance like scattered flames.”
Kaang!
The moment his hammer was swung, the colossal stakes, empowered by the artifact’s effect, soared like shotgun pellets.
“Burn with me. 〈Dance of the Mysterious Flames〉.”
Whoosh!
However, my body transformed into flames. The stakes, flying at a fearsome speed, passed through my body, only to ruin the innocent ground beneath.
“You damn bastard! You’ve toyed with us!”
Seeing me unharmed, the gang leader plopped down onto the ground with a hollow expression. The few thieves who had survived fell wholly into despair.
“From the beginning to the end, he toyed with us. We shouldn’t have attempted this raid at all.”
“When I emerged from the pit without a scratch. That’s when you should have realized.”
Originally, there was no one who could fully wield this miracle, so transformation into flames was typically limited to just a part of the body, much like the unfortunate victims I had seen in meditation.
But I had once completely turned into flames and had reached a stage where my entire body could become one with the fire.
‘Yet when returning… like this…’
As the flames dissipated, my form was left bizarrely altered. My limbs stretched unnaturally long, and my writhing face bore features that were distorted beyond recognition.
The process of returning from combustion clashed with the blessing of transformation, requiring time for me to regain my original appearance, which struck terror into my frozen enemies.
I placed my hand on the gang leader’s head and began reciting a prayer.
“Life, like a fiercely burning flame, devours all. Grant me that joy as well, o you who consume everything. 〈Plundering of the Spirit Flame〉.”
The man was startled by my actions, but his surprise swiftly turned to horror as his body gradually transformed into flames, beginning to get absorbed by me.
“No, no! Not like this!”
Thus, Meliano vanished as he replenished my life force and mana. In truth, the recovery efficiency wasn’t all that great.
Especially on the mana front, it merely gave a slight recovery. The efficiency dipped further depending on the opponent’s mental resistance, and it was a cumbersome miracle that required direct contact.
Yet it was an uncommon means of mana restoration. During this, my appearance also returned to its original state.
“It’s not a pleasant sight, but… contrary to your concerns, I manage to retain my sanity even in such situations. What do you think?”
The surviving thieves seemed puzzled, wondering if those words were directed at them. However, their heads soon rolled onto the ground.
“It’s been a while.”
A man who stepped out slowly sheathed his sword. He was someone tasked with protecting or dealing with me should anything happen, which was why I could confidently spring their trap.
“If my subordinates had been here, they would surely have wet themselves. Good thing I didn’t bring them.”
He grimaced at the ash and bone fragments scattered across the ground but tossed something to me.
When I caught it, it turned out to be a goblet.
“Well, what can I say since you’re apparently in your right mind? And…”
Already having had a drink, Ender, with a flushed face, looked at me with a smile.
“You’ve brought the good alcohol as promised?”