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Chapter 110: Seraph of Pestilence

Added 2025-08-21 08:55:30 +0000 UTC

Andrew watched the group pack their belongings as they lined up toward the exit. Kouki, Hain, and Sanders scouted the surroundings while James waited back at the star tower, making sure the citizens did not see him in the flesh. James frowned as he watched the group leave through the main door, the same one he had struggled with earlier.

“We will be leaving for a while,” Andrew said. He would earn a favor if he could escort these people to safety, but with the knight order in disarray, he wasn’t sure. Still, that didn’t mean he would go out of his way to ignore the pleas of citizens.

Now that the door was open, James decided to traverse the city once more while waiting for the so-called hero in shining armor to finish his errands.

In the end, he found a chest with 100 coins inside.

“What the heck is this? 100 coins?” James sighed. He had grown too accustomed to the inflated rewards from killing knights that 100 coins felt meager.

“System. How much do I need to reach Bow Mastery level 5?”

[You need 400 coins per level. So, from level 0 to level 5, you need 1,600 coins.]

“What about Sword Mastery, from level 5 to level 10?” James asked.

[You need 800 coins to raise a single level of Sword Mastery. So you would need 4,000 coins to raise your Novice Sword Mastery to Intermediate Sword Mastery.]

James could afford them. But the question was—should he? The difference between sword skills at Beginner 5 compared to Novice 5 was minimal at best; only the number of hits increased. But right now, that was the only way to progress.

“Hmm… what’s the requirement for the next Chimera upgrade?”

[The next upgrade for Chimera requires 20,000 coins and 10,000 biomass.]

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” James nodded. He might be able to scrape together the coins, but certainly not the biomass.

“Alright. Bow skill to Novice 5 and sword skill to Intermediate 1.”

[Your Bow Mastery has been upgraded to Novice Bow Mastery Level 5. Congratulations, you have unlocked a new bow skill: Triple Shot.]

[Your Sword Mastery has been upgraded to Intermediate Sword Mastery Level 1. Congratulations, you have learned a new skill: Lunar Counter.]

James frowned as his coins dipped from 6,500 to 900 all at once. “Alright, let’s test the new skill.”

James drew his bow and nocked an arrow on it, golden motes of light glowed from the steel arrowhead. He aimed at nothing in particular and the skill still activated. The skill differed from homing shot where he needed a clear target.

The arrow split into three pieces as soon as it left the bow. Each piece aimed toward the left, right and center. Three explosions soon followed as the skill hit a wall.

“It’s good, but not only does it break the arrow, I can’t control where the second and third arrows go, but I can control how wide the spread is. Unlike that archer knight—he could control where each of his shots landed. Sure, he could only control two shots, but still, that’s a bummer.” James assessed his new skill.

Unlike the archer knight, this skill was best used against a single strong and large opponent—something like that troll. But again, as long as weapon skills hit, it didn’t matter. James wondered how to effectively use this skill.

The next skill, Lunar Counter, was even stranger. The skill activated, but nothing happened. James tilted his head before the system explanation came in.

[The skill Lunar Counter is a sword skill that has a prerequisite. It needs to be hit with a weapon skill before activating.]

“What happens once it’s hit with a weapon skill?”

[The skill will move Survivor James within a two-meter radius, followed by a horizontal slash.]

“Finally! A proper dueling sword skill!” James said. Two meters seemed short, but it was enough to dodge a sword strike or even a spear. Then James frowned as he realized he couldn’t test this skill safely. Testing it against teammates risked killing them. Testing it against a monster risked his own life if the skill didn’t perform as well as he hoped. Weapon skills were lethal, even if they came from goblins.

James climbed the star tower, intending to see the boss monster that lurked at the top. He crept up the spiral stairway, trying to make as little noise as possible, until he reached the top floor. Despite this building crumbled in half from the outside, the inside was fine. Not a single crack or hole. A single room waited at the end. When he peeked inside, he saw it—the boss monster of this floor.

Like a fallen angel, a pair of black wings draped across its back. Green armor encased its body, resembling the knight of pestilence he had fought before. In its hand gleamed a greenish sword, shining like jade. Beside the monster stood a portal leading to the next floor.

Just because the monster was small didn’t mean it was less dangerous. James knew that the most dangerous bosses were those that assumed humanoid form. They could use weapon skills, they were harder to hit, and they could move faster.

“It’s different!” James cursed Andrew and his unreliable intel. The knight turned toward the door, and James closed it silently.

It was futile. The door slammed against the stone wall as the knight rammed it open. James drew the Sword of Khine, activating his new skill. It was now or never.

The blade glowed red, motes of light emanating from it, while the knight’s sword shone with a golden radiance. Unaware of James’s intentions, the knight charged recklessly. When the swords clashed, James’s blade slid to the left as his body shot to the side.

This felt different from when he had tried it manually. There was no delay; the skill propelled him faster, guiding his strike as his blade inched closer to the seraph’s torso. But the monster made an impossible move. Extra hands extended from its back, grabbing the stair railings.

With their help, the seraph ducked low, and James’s sword flew just inches above it. If only his blade had connected, the battle might have ended there. True to Andrew’s words, the boss monsters were only growing tougher and tougher.

James cursed. There was no place to run in this tower; he had to fight with everything he had. He leaped toward the seraph, his other sword glowing golden. The seraph pulled himself toward the fence, evading James’ attack as James rammed into the wall. The world seemed to slow down as James saw the seraph launch himself at him, his sword slamming down. Despite not using sword skills, the blow sent him crashing to the ground.

This was a boss monster, not a goblin. Their stats were equal.

“James? What happened?” The cavalry finally arrived.

“The boss monster is here!!” James stood up, readying his sword once more. No time for pain. He must fight.

“Scramble! Kouki! Hain! Front and center!” Andrew drew his spear. The group scrambled even before his orders fully reached their ears.

James doused the knight in flames, but the knight barreled through the wall of fire like a bull. His sword slashed toward James’ throat. James leaped to the side, his blade parrying the incoming strike on reflex. The knight turned on him, two other hands stretching out like tentacles, trying to flank James from the sides.

However, James was no longer alone in this fight. Kouki and Hain leaped at the knight from behind, golden motes of light emanating from their swords. The knight sensed the incoming danger, sprouted more tentacles, and lashed at Kouki, forcing him to cut through them.

“Shit. How could he dodge that?” Kouki cursed. He thought he had his head, but his skill only cut off one of the knight’s tentacles.

“Delila! Kaina! Sanders! Flank him!” Andrew charged. His spear glowed golden. He was an expert at commanding others, and when the opportunity presented itself, he struck without hesitation.

The spear pierced the knight’s chest, impaling him. The knight roared, then slithered as his figure melted into black goo. Andrew gasped. It wasn’t over. The black goo crept to him, ready to swallow Andrew whole, until James breathed fire on it.

“James, watch it!” Hain roared.

“Shut it! The boss monster must die!” James’ head worked best under pressure. Burn wounds could easily be cured with health potions, but not infections. That was why he chose the lesser of two evils for Andrew.

“Agh!!” Andrew rolled back as fire scarred his face and body, but the plan worked. The monsters in this place were vulnerable to fire. The boss tried to fly away, but an explosion knocked it back to the ground. Delila had lobbed a grenade at it.

James followed with a Vorpal Lunge. His strike was fast and immaculate. The Sword of Khine glowed red, leaving a crimson trail as it plunged into the monster.

The knight had now lost its angelic form. It was nothing more than a mass of pure pestilence, its shape uncertain. It leaped aside and tried to ascend as tentacles lashed upward. James’ blade grazed one of them.

It was only a graze, but the wound burst into flame, engulfing the monster in a baptism of fire. The creature extended its tentacles, grabbing the stair railing as it climbed to the top, trying to flee to the next floor.

“Kouki!” James threw his red sword toward him. He didn’t know why. A simple faith that Kouki could do something. And so, he did. Kouki caught the red blade and activated his sword skill. Red motes of light flared as he drew a horizontal slash toward the monster.

A red arc flew from Kouki’s sword, striking the creature just as it reached the top floor, about to escape. The Seraph of Pestilence was cut in two. Its body exploded in a fiery blaze as burning black ooze rained down.

The boss had been defeated.

[Congratulations. You have defeated the Seraph of Pestilence. You have obtained 500 coins. Your Attacker class has leveled up to Level 41.]

[Name: James]
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Level: 58
Coins: 1400
Merit: 10
Biomass: 300

[Stats]

STR: 180
DEX: 177
MAGIC: 140
MANA: 1240

[Skills]

Novice Axe Mastery Lv.5 (Powerstrike, V-Slash, Boomerang)
Novice Sword Mastery Lv.5 (Hurricane, Vorpal Lunge, Twin Fang, Lunar Counter)
Novice Bow Mastery Lv.1 (Quickshot, Homing Shot, Triple Shot)
Beginner Dagger Mastery Lv.1

[Magic: Mind Magic Tier 3]

Mind Flay
Sense Alteration
Mana Sonar
Parallel Thought
Dispel

[Class]

Attacker (Lv.41) (+10% bonus when attacking) (+1 STR, +1 DEX per level)

[Shop: Lv.2]

Health Potion (100 coins)
Hematonic Potion (50 coins)
High Potion (300 coins)
Antidote (50 coins)
Bullets (10 coins/round)
Grenades / Flashbang (50 coins/piece)
Arrow (50 coins/dozen)
Metal Pocket Arrow (100 coins/dozen)
Poison Dart (10 coins/round)
Sell / Repair Function
Merit Shop (10 merit/skill)
Body Modding (Human: 100 biomass/part)

[Unique Skill: Chimera Lv.3] (3 Extra Slots Open)

Goblin Stomach (Iron Guts) (Stomach Slot)
Eyes of Mana (Mana Sense) (Right Eye Slot)
Golem Arm of Valhalla (STR +30%, Physical Resistance +30%, Repairable, -200 Mana) (Right Arm Slot)
Flaming Tiger’s Fire Lung (Fire Breathing, -100 Mana, -10 Magic) (Lung Slot)
Golem Core (Poison Resistance, Repairable, -250 Mana, -10 Magic) (Heart Slot)
Orc’s Torso (Torso Slot)
Shadow Snake Fang (Intermediate Life Leeching) (Mouth Slot)
Flaming Tiger Lord’s Firefur (Fire Cloak, Fire Resist, Physical Resist +15%, -100 Mana, -10 Magic) (Skin Slot)
Land Shark’s Ear (Echolocation: 10m) (Ear Slot)
Mana Core (Water Spells: Ice Spear, Water Manipulation, +60 Magic, +1000 Mana) (Extra Slot)
Quetzalcoatl Horn (Lightning Shot: 20 Mana/shot) (Extra Slot 3)
Mana Core (Wind Spells: Wind Gust, Wind Wall, +20 Magic, +300 Mana) (Extra Slot 4)