Chapter 14: Bone Armor (4)

The bullets flew in a perfect line toward their target.

By now, the distance between me and the Mossback Kupf was less than 200 meters.

At this range, wind direction and even the fact that it was charging straight at me barely mattered.

One shot.

Two.

Three.

Four—

As many bullets as there were bursts of muzzle flash, each one found its mark right in the crevice of its forehead wound.

And then—

BOOM! BOOM!

The embedded explosive rounds detonated.

Even a Named Beast like this couldn't withstand multiple explosions erupting right against its skull.

The colossal body staggered violently.

[ GUOOOOHHH!! ]

I wasn't about to waste that opening.

'The bone's exposed.'

Time to end it.

I swapped back to armor-piercing rounds, locked onto its forehead, and took aim.

Even in agony, it still radiated a burning malice toward me.

'50 meters. That's my limit.'

Any closer and I'd be in danger too.

Even wounded, it was still a Tier 6 Named Beast.

First, I stripped away the rock with armor-piercing rounds.

Then, I ripped open the flesh with explosive rounds.

And now—

I'd pierce the bone with everything I had.

BANG! BANG!

The bullets hammered into the skull.

It was thick—far tougher than expected.

But if one shot wasn't enough—

I'd fire as many as needed.

As the barrage continued, I felt its immense presence closing in.

150 meters.

130 meters.

100 meters.

BOOM!

The sheer force of its breath felt like scorching wind against my skin.

80 meters.

60 meters.

55 meters.

And then—

CRACK—!

'It broke.'

A hairline fracture split across its skull.

I didn't hesitate.

'This is it.'

50 meters.

45 meters.

The Mossback Kupf lunged.

I didn't back down.

Instead—

I simply pulled the trigger one last time.

BOOM!

The bullet shattered the fractured skull, drilling straight into the brain.

And with that—

It was over.

[ Guuuuhhh… ]

The hatred in its presence faded.

The rampaging mass of muscle and stone—

Went still.

THUUUUD—!

Its towering body collapsed, sliding forward as it fell.

For a moment, I wondered if I needed to dodge—

But it stopped about 40 meters away from me.

A little closer than I intended… but it just meant this thing was tougher than I expected.

[ Grade 6 Named-Beast: "Mossback Kupf" Eliminated! ]

[ You have achieved a feat beyond human capability. ]

[ Trait Acquired: "Beast Hunter." ]

──────────────

[ Beast Hunter ]

—For every Beast-type or Monster-type hunted, damage against the same species increases by 0.05%.

──────────────

'A Growth-Type Trait?!'

This was huge.

Even though the initial percentage was small, considering how many beasts existed in this world, the scaling potential was absolutely insane.

'Ten kills? That's already +0.5%. A hundred? +5%.'

The earlier I got this, the better.

And I'd obtained it before the first wave even started.

That meant, in the long run, I'd gain an overwhelming advantage against Beasts and Predator-Class monsters.

'Out of all 488 playthroughs, I only got this a handful of times.'

The only minor downside was that it only applied to specific monster types.

For example, hunting 10 Hellhounds wouldn't give me bonus damage against all Tier 10 Beasts—just against Hellhounds specifically.

But even with that limitation, it was an incredibly powerful trait.

In the player community, this was considered a [Six-Star Trait (★★★★★★).]

And that was when players got it after Stage 50.

Getting it this early meant it was basically a Seven-Star Trait or higher.

And that wasn't all—

[ You have resisted the whispers of persistent souls. The spirits are taking an interest in you. ]

[ Ether Sensitivity Increased. ]

[ 8 → 10 ]

[ You have conquered an insurmountable fear. ]

[ Grit Stat Increased. ]

[ 1 → 2 ]

The stat gains were a nice bonus.

But the biggest milestone?

My Ether Sensitivity had finally reached 10.

One more point, and I'd officially qualify as a Level 2 Ether Adept.

The difference between Level 1 and Level 2 wasn't just about numbers.

It was the difference between simply sensing Ether—

And actually, being able to manipulate it, even slightly.

I wasn't there yet, but now I was on the verge of crossing that threshold.

'I'll test it later when I have time.'

For now, I focused on the colossal corpse before me.

Standing in front of it, I was reminded just how massive this thing was.

Even though I was the one who killed it, it still felt surreal.

'If I let it get any closer… I'd be dead.'

Mass + Speed = Destruction.

If I had gotten caught in just one of its blind stomps, I would've been crushed instantly.

Even with a Level 3 combat suit, I wouldn't have stood a chance.

After a moment of hesitation, I sighed and shook my head.

No matter how I looked at it—

'I can't take this with me.'

The Mossback Kupf's remains were far more valuable than a mere Skull Hound.

But there was no way to transport it.

If I tried to approach Ark and offer it for sale, the best-case scenario was getting interrogated—

And the worst case?

Being treated as an immediate threat.

I mean, they already got suspicious just because I killed one Skull Hound.

Bringing them the corpse of a Grade 6 Named Beast?

Yeah. Not a good idea.

'Selling it to someone like the Sandstorm Merchants is an option… but reaching their meeting point isn't exactly feasible right now.'

What a waste.

A huge waste.

But at the end of the day, I didn't really have any other options.

'I'll just have to take the most useful parts with me.'

Or rather—

The most valuable parts.

First and foremost—the Mossback Kupf's heart.

This was the main reason I hunted it down in the first place, so leaving it behind wasn't an option.

'Let's see… its heart should be… around here.'

Crawling under the Mossback Kupf to slice open its underside was a death sentence.

Even if I managed to get under there, the moment I cut into its belly, I'd be buried alive in its guts.

So instead, I'd cut in from the side.

It was not the most efficient route, but it was the safest.

I drew my No.7 Machete, crafted by Smel Arms.

Even so—

A blade alone wouldn't be enough.

The Mossback Kupf's hide was far too thick for just cutting through it manually.

Which meant—

Time for some assistance.

BANG! BANG!

SCHLIIK— SCHLAAAK—

Gunfire.

Blade work.

A whole mess of effort just to carve open some dead flesh.

If cutting into a corpse was this much trouble—

Trying to slice into a live one would've gotten me crushed instantly.

"Hah…"

By the time I was done, my entire body was drenched in the Mossback Kupf's blood and fluids.

It wasn't toxic, thankfully—

But just because it wasn't lethal didn't mean it was good for me.

"Urgh…"

It was disgusting.

Hunting down the Mossback Kupf had been a glorious moment.

But now?

I looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

Good thing no one was around to see this mess.

SCHLIIK— SCHLAAAK—

It was a gruesome task.

So much so that—

I actually would've preferred fighting another pack of monsters instead.

"Huff…"

Finally, after carving open the flank, I started digging inside.

With a body that massive, its organs were just as absurdly large.

'To get to the heart… I'll have to pull a lot of these out.'

It was a horrifying realization—

And the next stretch of time was even more horrific.

Ripping out God-knows-what organs and piling them up around me—

I had turned this place into an actual nightmare.

'Damn wind's carrying the stench. If I don't hurry, something else will come sniffing around.'

In this world—

You didn't need an ocean to see a shark feeding frenzy.

Monsters far worse than sharks could smell blood from miles away—

And they weren't picky eaters.

And then—

Finally.

I pulled out the Mossback Kupf's heart.

It was still scorching hot, practically molten.

"Damn…"

That was… exhausting.

Honestly?

The fight was easier than this.

'I swear, I'm never doing this again…'

Of course, I knew better.

This was a false hope.

In this miserable world, I'd see far worse than this—

Do far worse than this.

But for now—

The most important thing was that I got what I came for.

'Time to begin.'

I reached into my pack, searching for the can containing the Bone Parasite—

But… it wasn't there.

'…What?'

Sure enough—

Glancing around, I spotted a rusted can with tiny legs sticking out of it, skittering around aimlessly.

The damn thing had broken free.

It was scuttling around like a hermit crab, using the can as a shell.

Except instead of a seashell, it was a rusty, dented can.

"…You little shit."

Judging by the way it was waddling in circles, though—

It wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I lifted my foot, about to stomp the can down—

But then, I hesitated.

Because a thought crossed my mind.

'This might be the perfect test subject.'

'Let's try it.'

I focused.

Cleared my mind.

And then, I issued a command.

"Grab it."

A silence fell over the wasteland.

A long, heavy silence.

'…Nothing?'

I was about to give up—

And then, suddenly—

The air itself trembled.

Ether, unseen but ever-present, stirred around me.

I could feel it now—

Because my Ether Sensitivity had reached 10.

A voice whispered.

[…Grab?]

It was faint.

So quiet, I almost didn't notice it.

Then, like an echo rippling through a canyon, the voice grew stronger.

[Grab…]

Louder.

[Grab it…]

The words pulsed in my ears.

And then—

A chorus of voices erupted all at once.

[Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it. Grab it.]

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