Ch.72Chapter 72. Tunnel Devil (3)

Chapter 72. Polaris (3)

Enhanced soldier gladiators.

Not even an elite mob appearance warning, what is this?

The evolutionist faction, which can be considered the creator of Atomic Rex, has done something stupid again.

These useless trolls.

Not satisfied with artificial demon experiments, they’ve even conducted human experiments to turn gladiators into super soldiers.

I guess these mad scientists ran rampant in these end times.

Eventually, the enemies revealed themselves. Well-armed, physically fit men and women.

The peculiar thing is that parts of their bodies like hands, shoulders, and legs have been replaced with metal, like cyborgs?

Their skin is also pale like corpses. They’re clearly modified gladiators.

And they’ve become cultists too.

“Grrrr…!”

They approach Lakye while making bizarre noises.

Their movements are faster than ordinary cultists, no, insect humans. I’d believe it if someone said they were lesser demons.

And these are supposedly failures. Maybe they lost their sanity and ability to distinguish friend from foe in exchange for strength.

That problem must have been solved when they became cultists.

Clang!

Lakye’s curved blade collides with their weapons.

Lakye had the advantage in speed and strength. The enemies were pushed back with each exchange of attacks.

If there’s a problem, it’s probably their numbers.

Whether they were battle-hardened even as humans, their coordinated attacks are skillful.

“Tch.”

Lakye clicked her tongue, seemingly disappointed at narrowly failing to kill an enemy.

One thrusts and retreats, another blocks and endures, and another interferes when opportunity arises.

“Uwoooah!”

There was also a large man trying to smash Lakye with a disc-shaped shield large enough to cover his entire body.

What are you, Captain Gladiator?

Anyway, the skill and coordination of these cyborg enhanced gladiator cultists (abbreviated as CEGC) were quite impressive.

Their individual combat power is mediocre, but together they create great synergy.

These cultists, no longer human, were physically demonstrating a hymn to humanity.

They feel more troublesome than the three mid-level demons we fought in Blutan.

Lakye would eventually win if it went all the way, but it would take a long time.

And we still need to find the hidden piece.

– Kill the one with the shield first. Keep his limbs intact.

Let’s finish this quickly.

Nodding, Lakye charged toward Captain Gladiator.

Clang!

Lakye swung her curved blade at him, ignoring attacks from other enemies, but it was easily blocked by his shield.

“Grrrr…!”

Unlike other gladiators, he didn’t get pushed back and stood firm. His strength is considerable.

That’s when Lakye showed her ingenuity.

“…!”

She grabbed his shield with her bare hand and did a backflip to get behind him.

It was a quick and flexible movement like a gymnast.

Soon after, her curved blade pierced Captain Gladiator’s heart.

When his breath was cut off, I used the ‘Zombie Control (Intermediate)’ blessing.

Unlike other flying cultists being controlled from outside, I didn’t just give simple commands but controlled directly.

His vision became mine. I raised Captain’s limp body back up.

Ah. This one is different from others I’ve controlled so far.

Tough skin, excellent physical abilities, and a body full of vitality even though life has been extinguished.

He’s the strongest zombie I’ve controlled so far.

If I control him well, I could even take down a lesser demon with just this one.

– I’ll assist. Deal with them.

“Yes.”

I swung the shield at them.

Thud!

I hit the head of one who couldn’t avoid my attack because he was focused on Lakye, and he collapsed after taking a direct hit.

Other enemies were also knocked down after being hit by the shield.

Wow. Look at this strength. This guy is a complete powerhouse.

He’s like a fantasy Ma Dong-seok.

It’s a waste to use such an excellent body as a disposable.

Maybe I’ll take it with me after the raid. I could store it in something like a refrigerator.

I wanted to collect other gladiators’ bodies too, but it would be difficult to kill them all in pristine condition.

“Lord Malak, you’re quite skilled.”

While I was disrupting them with the shield, Lakye gave me a compliment.

– It’s basic combat technique.

It’s not me who’s skilled but the owner of this body, but whatever.

Together with Lakye, we dealt with all twenty-something gladiators.

– I’ll go to the Hall of Fame. The treasure I seek is there.

If EunuchBro, no, MeleeSpy is right, the hidden piece is there.

Since Lakye can’t read civilized letters, I need to find it.

Captain is too slow to move together.

I just ordered him to follow behind Lakye and returned to totem #3.

“I’ll run.”

Lakye moved like the wind. The nameplates on doors passed by quickly.

[Treatment Room]

[Gladiator of the Month Room]

[Merchant Lounge]

[Great Sunset Room]

[Hall of Fame]

Found it.

– We just passed it.

“Understood.”

Crack!

Lakye broke the handle with her fist and entered.

The room was filled with various weapons.

– Under the lion skin rug.

Lifting the rug, Lakye discovered a hidden secret door.

This time she broke the door by stomping on it and invaded.

It’s dark inside, hard to see.

Where is it? I heard it was here. Did someone take it?

Not many paladins would come to such a heavily guarded place.

They would need to be at least level 7-8.

“There’s a black rod at the end of the room.”

Lakye, whose eyes were shining in the darkness like a wild animal, said.

Phew. It’s there.

– That rod is the treasure I’ve been looking for, the Meteor Sword.

“…What?”

Meteor Sword. The hidden piece of the Imperial Arena.

It’s a sword made from metal processed from another world, and it can deliver effective blows even to supernatural beings like demons.

Other than that, it’s just very durable? All according to MeleeSpy.

“…Isn’t it just a rod?”

Lakye’s reaction was lukewarm.

To her, a native, it’s probably just a very durable rod.

It’s a hidden piece because only users can use it.

– Place me on the Meteor Sword.

Lakye moved without question, grabbed the rod, or rather the Meteor Sword, and placed totem #3 on it.

[You have obtained ‘Meteor Sword’. You can bestow it upon a believer.]

Click.

I bestowed the Meteor Sword to Lakye.

“I feel a mysterious energy. It seemed like an ordinary rod until just now.”

– My guardian, Lakye. This is now your sword.

“Ah… thank you?”

Lakye was still perplexed.

– The Meteor Sword can change its form according to the user’s wish. Try it.

“Yes.”

The rod changed like liquid metal, wriggling and taking the form of a curved blade.

“Oho…”

Lakye’s graduation weapon, the black curved blade, is complete.

“It’s excellent.”

Now you’re smiling.

Then Lakye glanced at the curved blade she had been using until now.

It had some rust from long use. It was also covered with a large amount of green blood.

“I did use it a lot.”

Clang.

Lakye threw her beloved sword on the ground without hesitation.

She’s indeed a cold-hearted woman.

“Enemies are coming. Quite a lot this time.”

Lakye, who was examining her new weapon, narrowed her eyes.

– I’ll send you the gladiator zombie. Fight together.

I controlled Captain Zombie’s body again.

Following my orders, Captain had been waiting outside the [Hall of Fame] door, following behind Lakye.

I gave him a new order: ‘Kill anything that attacks the woman holding the black curved blade.’

He should do well as a tank.

– I’ll go check on the main force situation for a moment.

“Understood.”

[Paya’s blessing ‘Path of the Spirit Master’ has bloomed into ‘Skilled Spirit Master’!]

Such a notification appeared. They must be engaged in a fierce battle by now.

I moved my consciousness to totem #4 (temporary).

As expected, it was a very fierce battle.

The tribal federation warriors were covered in green blood, continuing their desperate struggle.

They’re probably barely holding on thanks to the healing effect of the healing totem.

Grwoooooar-!

The tunnel demon howled.

The insect humans’ eyes glowed green, and they moved more violently.

So that bastard can also cast group buffs.

“There are too many enemies! At this rate, we’ll lose!”

Harry said, sweating profusely.

What has this old man been doing to be so exhausted?

I would understand if it were Kanto, Paya, Noah, or Luna.

“Warriors, charge! Victory is within reach!”

“Sturdy, shoot!”

“M-mana’s gone! I can’t use any more skills, waaah!”

“This is my last spell!”

See? Everyone is fighting their best.

While he just clicked his fingers from behind, what’s so hard about that, shameless…

Ah, suddenly I feel guilty. I shouldn’t be thinking this when I’m just a clicker myself.

Is this self-criticism?

Sorry, old man. You must have had it harder than me.

– Hold on a little longer.

I wished I could fight alongside them.

For now, I turned a few insect human corpses into zombies, ordered them to attack, and then moved to totem #3.

I didn’t forget to use Malak’s domain blessing in the direction with many enemies.

I’ve also obtained the hidden piece. If we kill the tunnel demon now, we can gain the upper hand.

[MeleeSpy: In the game, it was called Death Spear rather than Meteor Sword]

That’s what he said.

Even a being close to a high-level demon wouldn’t be safe if hit in a vital spot by the Meteor Sword.

We just need to create an opening.