Chapter 43: Wolf Hunt #5

Chapter 43: Wolf Hunt #5

In fact, even with the Necklace of Reflection, this is not a strategy to be attempted carelessly.

One mistake and it’s all over.

And everyone makes mistakes.

How could I not be afraid?

Of course, my situation is different.

‘I’m not afraid of dying.’

The source of my confidence is the 「Immortality」 trait.

Since I can be resurrected even if I die, I can challenge without fear of failure.

“Uryaaaaaah-!”

With a resounding roar, Dawson’s fist flew towards me.

A massive fist, larger than my body.

A fist that could easily shatter a fortress gate, now charging towards my small, delicate body.

‘Don’t be scared.’

See it through to the end. I must not lose sight of his fist until the very last moment.

And the next moment.

「Using Mirror Flash.」

The fist was blocked by a transparent barrier just before it reached my body.

Boom-

The collision of the reflection barrier and the iron fist. The shockwave spread outwards, shaking the ground.

“What is this-“

Dawson couldn’t finish his sentence.

The impact absorbed by the mirror barrier was reflected back into his body.

“Kk, kkkyaaaak!”

A scream of pain echoed. The reflected impact crushed Dawson’s arm and shattered his bones.

Crunch.

The iron giant knelt down.

‘This is it.’

A thrilling sensation coursed through my body. It’s the familiar sense of accomplishment I’ve felt countless times in games.

A mere 0.2-second timing.

To reflect an attack, Mirror Flash must be cast at that precise moment.

The counterattack, possible only by perfectly reading the opponent’s intentions, landed true.

“I can’t believe my eyes. Estel, what kind of magic did you use?”

Wagner shook his head, dumbfounded.

The battle isn’t over yet. I pushed Wagner’s back.

“Admire later. Wagner, let’s finish him.”

“Alright.”

Wagner charged like a black bear.

Without slowing down, he rammed his massive body into one of Dawson’s knees.

The impact, like a human missile, destabilized Dawson.

Rumble.

The giant’s balance was broken. With his center of gravity shifted to one side, Dawson barely managed to brace himself with his one good hand.

‘Much better.’

Until now, he was so tall that even looking up with my head cranched, I couldn’t see him completely.

But now I can see him perfectly.

Dawson’s contorted face.

“Here I go.”

I floated a ritual dagger in one hand and a regular dagger in the other.

A form of swordplay using 「Telekinesis」.

Of course, it’s not just any dagger.

The dagger blades are imbued with frost magic, overlaying them with cold mana.

Swoosh!

With a flick of my wrist, the two daggers lunged towards Dawson’s face.

“Kuaaak! You damn bitch!”

The daggers flew upwards, leaving deep wounds in Dawson’s eyes.

Clink.

The daggers, having completed their mission, returned to my hands like obedient hunting hawks.

“Uooooooh-!”

Boom!

Dawson screamed and slammed his palm down with terrifying force.

However, Dawson, with his eyes cut, could no longer see.

His furious onslaught continued, but it was a futile effort as he couldn’t aim accurately.

‘He’s thrashing about.’

I calmly watched Dawson’s rampage and prepared the final blow.

「Using Frost Sword.」

「Maximized mana has been added. The Frost Sword becomes longer and more powerful.」

I converted most of my power into magical ability and loaded it all into the Frost Sword.

Whoosh-

The sword extended long.

The sword became longer than my height, boasting a magnificent length of over 2 meters.

In other words, 「Frost Greatsword」.

When hunting a giant beast, one needs a suitably large and powerful weapon.

‘I’ll make it quick and easy for you.’

The steel that covered Dawson’s body had peeled off in places, revealing his bare flesh.

It was because he had sustained enough damage to no longer maintain his full strength.

I raised the Frost Greatsword.

The target was Dawson’s neck.

Taking a deep breath, I plunged the tip of the sword deep into his throat.

Thwack.

“Krrk…”

Dawson’s lips twitched as if trying to say something.

But Dawson couldn’t finish his words.

Only the sound of air escaping was heard for a moment, and then his head drooped.

“It’s over.”

Wagner let out a long sigh of relief.

“Is this the end of the man who was so infamous in Garden? How anticlimactic.”

“Well, that’s how it goes.”

I grabbed Dawson’s hair and lifted his face.

His face, gleaming with hatred and a thirst for revenge.

He couldn’t rest in peace even in death.

Rumble-

The artifact mace, Garden’s Meteor, lying on the ground, let out a long groan.

Is it mourning its master’s death?

Or is it mocking its weak master?

I don’t know, but either way, it’s mine now.

“It seems the ownership of the mace has transferred from Dawson to you.”

Wagner examined Garden’s Meteor with an intrigued gaze.

Generally, artifact weapons follow strong masters.

It was common for them to kill their previous owner and then become their own after proving their strength.

I gripped Garden’s Meteor.

-Zzzzz.

The meteor trembled slightly.

At first, it was so heavy I could barely lift it with one hand, but after a moment, it became light enough for me to use comfortably.

Not only the weight, but also the length and the grip of the handle adjusted to my preference.

It’s a characteristic feature of artifact weapons, tailored to their owner.

“Well, look at this. It’s quite smart.”

This is why you use branded items.

Even after holding it just once, Garden’s Meteor had already captured my heart.

「Garden’s Meteor

-Weapon Item

-Durability: 112/114

-Attack Power: 24 ~ 27

-A sturdy mace tempered by enduring the storms and winds of Western Garden. Fragments of stars that fell on the night of the white night are mixed within.

-Due to its exceptionally high durability, it possesses strong resistance to corrosive attacks.

-It can partially penetrate the opponent’s armor and deal damage.

-Additional Options: 「Iron Transformation」 「Steel Barrage」」

「Iron Transformation

-Covers the body with iron.」

「Steel Barrage

-Strikes with a torrent of rapid attacks. The number of attacks increases with the wielder’s proficiency in blunt weapons.」

Wagner took Dawson’s shield.

It was a kite shield that tapered towards the bottom.

While not as rare as Garden’s Meteor, it was at least a high-quality shield that couldn’t be easily obtained in Garden.

“I don’t need to appraise it to know. It’s a good shield.”

A satisfied smile spread across Wagner’s face.

The farming isn’t over here.

I also took off the Ring of Storage that Dawson was wearing.

Inside the subspace were emergency supplies and food, as well as nearly four hundred thousand gold coins.

And, a large quantity of magic stones.

“He has six thousand magic stones. How did he gather so many?”

Wagner’s eyes widened.

“It’s not an amount one person could gather. He probably received regular contributions of magic stones from other adventurers.”

“Then Estel, what should we do with these magic stones? Should we find their owners?”

Wagner trailed off.

Strictly speaking, it would be correct to return all of Dawson’s possessions to the guards.

But principles are just principles.

In life, one must also know how to take a flexible approach.

“Wagner, if we do that, we’ll have to return everything we’ve taken, not just the magic stones? Including that shield.”

“Huh? That’s true…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You can keep it. We’ve made a greater contribution than anyone else. We risked our lives fighting, so it’s only fair we get some reward.”

“Now that you mention it, I think you’re right, Estel.”

As I smiled, Wagner also smiled faintly.

You have to take what you can when you can.

It’s a strict rule that must be followed while adventuring.

If anyone questions it, I will confidently say.

If you’re so aggrieved, then you should have caught Dawson yourself.

***

The Guard Captain thanked God.

‘If it weren’t for Estel’s plan, the casualties would have been immense.’

A chill ran down his spine as he entered the underground cave.

The terrain inside the cave was much more complex than the Guard Captain had anticipated.

If they had deployed troops thoughtlessly, they would have been ground to dust the moment they entered.

‘I owe her a great debt.’

The Guard Captain no longer viewed the adventurer Estel as just a small, cute girl.

‘Her talent is terrifying.’

She instantly pinpointed the enemy’s weakness and devised a strategy to break through.

Furthermore, she possessed the courage to volunteer for the most dangerous infiltration mission.

Her spirit of sacrifice could be called noble.

Estel was the most outstanding adventurer in Garden that the Guard Captain had ever seen.

“Damn it.”

The Vigilantes, tied up like dried pollacks, cast hateful glances at the guards.

The guards, not hiding their sense of triumph, roughly pushed the Vigilantes.

“You brats, walk straight in line. Consider yourselves lucky to have even kept your lives.”

“Fuck, are we really lucky to be alive? You’ll execute us later anyway.”

“So what? That’s none of my business.”

“Damn it-“

The Vigilantes hung their heads, muttering curses as they were dragged away.

“Captain.”

The adjutant approached.

“We’ve searched the entire hideout. The captured residents and dwarves have also been safely rescued.”

“Mm. Good work.”

“However, there is one thing that puzzles me…”

The adjutant furrowed his brows.

“What is it?”

“No matter how much we searched, we couldn’t find the wealth they had accumulated. The warehouse was also empty. I thought they would have amassed a fortune by exploiting the Garden residents…”

“That’s a bit unexpected.”

The Guard Captain pouted his lower lip.

The warehouse was empty, who could have taken it?

However, no one came to mind.

All the Vigilantes, including Dawson, had been captured, and no one seemed to be cooperating with them.

‘Estel, of course, wouldn’t do that.’

The Guard Captain trusted Estel completely. If this were a game, the Guard Captain’s trust gauge would already be maxed out.

Moreover, it didn’t seem possible to rob the warehouse amidst the chaos of infiltrating and fighting inside the hideout.

‘It doesn’t make sense. How would she know where the warehouse is, and how would she open the lock?’

It was an absurd suspicion.

If anyone were to question Estel, the Guard Captain would personally step forward to refute them.

“Perhaps it cost a lot to build the Vision Cannons.”

“Ah! That must be it.”

“Well, money doesn’t matter. The most important thing is life and safety, isn’t it? Garden is safe again, and our guards didn’t get hurt, so…”

The Guard Captain decided to end the topic here and not think about it any further.

“Cut off Dawson’s head and display it in the Garden town square. We need to show everyone what happens to traitors.”

“Yes.”

The adjutant bowed his head.

“Ah, and…”

The Guard Captain stopped the adjutant, who was about to leave.

“The contribution of the Estel adventurer party is immense. We need to think about their reward. Please help me consider what kind of reward would be appropriate for the adventurers.”

“Understood.”

Both the Guard Captain and the adjutant could have died in this cave today.

Estel had saved their lives.

The Guard Captain had not forgotten that fact.