Chapter 248
Jiiiiiing-
Breath of destruction.
The hellish flames boiling from the dragonâs heart flowed straight through Kamishâs Wrath.
Wow!
The overwhelming heat surging out took Esilâs breath away.
If Kamishâs Wrath had been a sword made of ordinary materials, it would not have been able to withstand this firepower, and even the handle would have melted.
However, the dagger made from dragonâs teeth, Kamishâs Wrath, had a great synergy with the Breath of Destruction.
If a dragonâs teeth couldnât withstand the breath of destruction, their teeth wouldnât have remained intact every time they breathed.
Maybe the same goes for Nidhogg.
But while Nidhoggâs bones and teeth might have withstood the breath of destruction, his fragile palate was not immune.
Kookwakwakwakwakwakwakwa!
The breath of destruction melted the roof of Nidhoggâs mouth, swallowing up Suho and Esil, and tearing a hole straight through his skull.
Krrrrrrrr!
But maybe itâs because he has seven heads.
Nidhogg did not die just because a small hole was pierced through his skull.
Rather, he put more strength into his jaw to chew on Suho and Eshil.
Kkwaduk!
âUgh!â
As a result, Esilâs leg, which was supporting the palate without Suho, could not bear the weight and eventually broke.
But Esil didnât even scream.
Rather, the moment her leg broke, she gritted her teeth, bent her remaining leg that wasnât broken, and supported the roof of Nidhoggâs mouth with her back.
âItâs still⊠okay, so keep going!â
Esil used both her arms and back to support the roof of Nidhoggâs mouth and shouted at Suho.
Kookwakwakwakwakwakwa!
At the sound of Esilâs scream from behind, veins stood out on the back of Suhoâs hand, which held Kamishâs Wrath.
âJust a little bit! Just a little bit more!â
Sweat ran down Suhoâs forehead as he continued to emit rays of destruction and cut off the snakeâs head little by little.
This uncontrollable, enormously powerful beam of destruction consumed a tremendous amount of mana just to maintain.
The power was great but the recoil was also great.
Even turning sideways was not an easy task.
but.
It was rewarding.
As the Suhoâs beam of destruction moved sideways, the hole in Nidhoggâs head also grew wider.
âJust like this, cut it off!â
Kiyaaaaaaa!
âAh!â
Done!
Eventually, Nidhogg, who had half of his neck cut off, opened his mouth wide and screamed in pain.
At the same time, Esil was also freed from the headâs incredible pressure.
Only then was she able to raise her head and look ahead.
⊠⊠!
Itâs broken!
Beyond the abyss melted by the flames of hell, there was a large hole!
It was so big that you could see the World Tree!
But beyond that hole came a bigger crisis.
Kwoahhh!
Kyaaaaaaaah!
Nidhoggâs other six heads, feeling the pain, began to show interest in the fight one by one!
At that moment, an enormous amount of murderous intent was focused on Suho and Esil.
And through the hole blasted by the breath of destruction, the eyes of the beasts and the guardian met in the air.
[The serpent that gnaws at the World Tree, Nidhogg, watches you.]
Creepy.
As six pairs of eyes turned towards him at the same time, Suho felt his body stiffen for a moment.
Even though Suho only made eye contact, he felt an enormous amount of pressure and his whole body was tingling.
[âEffect: Fearâ is activated.]
[All player abilities are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]
âHaâŠâ
Suho, who met those gazes right in front of his eyes, burst out laughing out of embarrassment.
The Breath of Destruction was cut off due to the âfearâ effect.
Suhoâs mana supply was already cut in half, and now it wad cut in half again. 2
Even if he used the Breath of Destruction again, he wouldnât have enough magic power to deal with all six remaining heads.
[Potions and shops cannot be used in the current location, and status will not be restored even if the playerâs level increases.]
Even the use of potions was restricted because he was dragged in with the âUnknownâ skill.
Kwoahhhhh!
Nidhoggâs six heads roared at Suho in unison.
At that moment, those who were worried about Suho the most appeared.
The dead monarchs.
Whioooo!
[King of the Snow Folk, the Monarch of Frost, causes a blizzard to obscure Nidhoggâs vision.]
Tsk!
A bitterly cold blizzard swept in, and one of Nidhoggâs mouth, which had been melting from the intense heat, was now frozen by the cold.
[Queen of Insects, the Monarch of Plagues, attempts to poison Nidhogg but fails.]
[Queen of Insects, the Monarch of Plagues, attempts to poison Nidhogg but fails.]
[King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, urges you to run away quickly!]
But at that time.
âSuhoâŠâ
Esil spoke to him with difficulty.
Even with one of her limbs broken, she crawled on the ground with great difficulty.
âRun awayâŠâ
You have to get out of here right now.
She wanted to say that, but her teeth were chattering so much that she couldnât even finish her words.
Even Suho was like this, but the fear Esil was feeling was indescribable.
Esilâs survival instincts were making the most rational, yet most inefficient choice at this moment.
âThis, thisâŠâ
Esilâs trembling hand held something out towards Suho.
Rustle.
ââŠWhat is this?â
Suho opened his eyes wide after confirming the itemâs identity.
âThe leaves of the world treeâ
World Tree Esil just barely managed to grab a small leaf from a branch of the World Tree and put it in Suhoâs palm
Tiring.
[You have acquired âItem: World Tree Leafâ.]
Esil, with trembling hands, held the leaf tightly in Suhoâs hand.
Esilâs two eyes, trembling with fear, looked straight into Suhoâs eyes and opened her mouth.
âHey, eat this.â
â⊠!â
Even at that very moment.
Esilâs instinct was not to protect, but to eat this leaf.
It was tempting to say that if you ate this leaf, you could evolve into a stronger demon like Vulcan.
But.
Esil knew herself well.
âI am weak.â
Just this one leaf.
How much stronger could she become by just eating this one thing?
Itâs not like Vulcan ate all the leaves hanging from the branches.
No, would it even be possible to escape from here in the first place?
but.
It would be different if Suho ate it.
âSuho, eat it.â
Esil had no doubts.
It would be different if Suho ate it instead of herself.
âRun away.â
I donât know how much this will help, but I hope it will at least help Suho escape from here on his own.
With that in mind, Esil placed a small leaf from the World Tree into Suhoâs hand.
Ok.
T-ring!
A miracle happened.
The moment he touched the leaf of the World Tree, an information window appeared before Suhoâs eyes.
[Item: World Tree Leaf]
Difficulty to acquire: ??
Type: Material
A leaf plucked from a branch of the World Tree.
The leaves of the World Tree have strong vitality and are used as ingredients for magic potions of the highest quality.
It is the main ingredient of potions.
âPotion ingredients?!â
Suhoâs eyes widened.
Is it a coincidence that he found the ingredients used to make potions in the place where neither the shop window nor the potions can be used?
No.
Looking at Esilâs current appearance, no one would dare say that he was lucky.
Crunch!
Suho put a leaf of the World Tree into his mouth without hesitation and chewed it.
Then something amazing happened.
Whioooooo-
A blue energy enveloped Suhoâs entire body.
The sensation of fresh air entering and leaving the lungs.
It was a familiar feeling for Suho, something he experienced every day.
T-ring!
[All status abnormalities are recovered.]
Ah, the ingredients for a potion.
Beyond the fact that his depleted stamina and mana were completely refilled, Suho began to think that perhaps the rewards for the daily quests were made with the leaves of the world tree.
This is the proof.
[The effect of âKandiaruâs Blessing: Longevityâ is temporarily strengthened.]
[Resists âDebuff: Fearâ.]
Nidhoggâs body, heavy with murderous intent, became lighter.
At that moment, Suho realized what he had to do.
âThe power of the ruler!â
Pot! Pot! Pot! Pot! Pot!
Suho boldly stepped into the air and flew up.
Kwaaaaah!
Then, Nidhoggâs six heads opened their mouths towards Suho, emitting a more ferocious murderous aura than ever before.
It was at that moment when Nidhoggâs heads became Suhoâs enemies.
[Nidhogg, the serpent that gnaws at the World Tree, is wary of the rulerâs power.]
[Nidhogg, the serpent that devours the World Tree, is your enemy.]
Crunch! Crunch! Kwaaah!
Suho turned around in the air, narrowly avoiding Nidhoggâs headsâ bites.
In the aftermath, the branches of the World Tree that Nidhogg was hanging on to broke off and fell, unable to withstand the battle.
Thatâs exactly what Suho wanted.
âCome!â
Suho blasted Kamishâs wrath at the World Treeâs branches that were falling with a thud.
Wheeeeeeeeeek-
It was expressed as a âbranchâ, but it is only from the perspective of the world tree.
To Suho, every one of them was huge.
So, what Suho was aiming for wasnât the branches.
But the numerous âleavesâ sprouting on the branches.
Chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp!
Kamishâs Wrath tore through the air.
Then, all the leaves cut off from the World Tree flew towards Suho.
Because of the rulerâs power.
Crunch!
Suho quickly chewed on another leaf.
[All status abnormalities are recovered.]
This time too, the same thing.
Suhoâs stamina and mana were recharged, almost as if he had leveled up.
However, there was a major problem.
[The King of Dragons, and Monarch of Destruction, urges Suho to look at Nidhoggâs wounds.]
As Antares said, eating the leaves of the World Tree was not only a benefit to Suho.
Wagjak!
Whack! Whack!
Before he knew it, one of Nidhoggâs heads had chewed and swallowed a nearby World Tree branch whole.
Then, on the other side, the wound on the head where Suho had cut off half of the neck earlier, began to heal quickly.
âThey say itâs a snake that eats the world tree, is that what they mean?â
Before the wound could completely heal, Suho shouted at Esil.
âEsil! Open your mouth!â
⊠?!
Shararararak-
Then, like a spring breeze, the leaves of the World Tree swept towards Esil.
Esil, who was prepared to die, opened her mouth in surprise at the sight of countless leaves flying towards her.
Suho chuckled at that stupid expression and said.
âI paid off my debt.â
The kindness you receive will be repaid a thousandfold.
Before Nidhoggâs wounds could fully heal, all the leaves managed to reach Esil.
Shwaak-
The wound healed perfectly, and Esil disappeared from sight.
But Suho wasnât worried.
âCome back stronger, Esil.â
A bulge!
It didnât take long.
Suddenly, Nidhoggâs head, which was holding Esil in its mouth, swelled.
Damn it!
The thing just exploded with a huge noise.
But there was no blood or flesh in that explosion.
It was just⊠dark.
[The âDarkness of the Beginningâ is inherited by a new monarch.] 3
Whioooooooo-
Darkness was creeping in.
Beyond the darkness, Esilâs two eyes were briefly visible, shining brightly.
[Nidhogg, the serpent that devours the World Tree, retreats.]
Nidhoggâs six heads hurriedly retreated.
Like a lizard cutting off its tail and running away, without hesitation, it gave up one of its heads to return to the darkness.
The darkness originally came from Baran, the king of demons and the Monarch of the White Flame, but now a new master had appeared.
Swish!
The center of swirling darkness.
Esil Radir, who had absorbed the darkness of the beginning, was floating in the air with her head fluttering.
She was Looking at Suho with more mature and serious eyes than usual.
However, the new masterâs name that the darkness of the beginning recognized was a little different from that of the Demon King Baran.
[The King of Demons, the Monarch of Gluttony, is born.]
âThe Monarch of Gluttony?â
I guess it means to eat roughly.
Before he could even finish that thought, Suho and Esilâs spirits were thrown out of the sea of the afterlife.
Shwaak-
⊠Waaaaaah!
Suddenly the sound of demonsâ shouts were heard.
Before they knew it, Suho and Esil had returned to reality.
This is similar to the scene where Esil received the âItem: Baranâs Hornâ from Suho with both hands.
But Esil was not flustered and just knelt down on one knee.
âThank you, my Lord.â
Esil humbled herself and bowed her head in the most profound manner to the priest who had made him king. 1
[The King of Demons, the Monarch of Gluttony, swears allegiance to you.]
[The King of Demons, the Monarch of Gluttony, bestows upon you the âProtection of Gluttony.â]
[Protection: Protection of Gluttony]
The protection of the King of Demons, the Monarch of Gluttony.
Esil Radir, the Monarch of Gluttony, swears allegiance to you.
You will be able to absorb and digest the nutrients of the world more efficiently in the future.
-Effect âGluttonyâ: Experience gained in the future increases by 300%.