Anagin Chronicles Chapter 16

Chapter 016. Beast Bastard (2)

When the flint sparked, flas burst to life at the center of the underground chamber.

Small, compared to the massive size of the cavern.

But not aningless.

Startled by the sudden heat and light, the serpents recoiled, and their synchronized, current-like movents broke apart.

A clear sign they’d slipped free from the Monster rchant’s control.

Anagin readjusted his grip on his sword and swept the flas sideways, scattering the burning serpents in every direction.

Those burning serpents fell into the oil on the floor, reigniting the fire, and before long, flas were surging throughout the entire underground space.

"Ah, now I can see a bit better."

The underground flickered with heat and light.

At its center, Anagin looked toward the Monster rchant.

The Monster rchant’s robe fluttered as he asked,

“This little fire play… is that where your confidence cos from?”

“Killing a beast that’s ruining the field doesn’t take confidence. But more importantly—”

Anagin cut himself off mid-sentence, kicked a burning serpent from the ground, and sent it flying toward the Monster rchant.

The rchant raised his arm to block the sudden attack, and in that split second, Anagin charged in, blade aid to cut the rchant down.

As if expecting it, the rchant moved his arm, and two massive monster serpents erupted from beneath the floor, blocking Anagin’s path.

Anagin leaped, severing the head of one charging serpent, then stomped down on the other, crushing its skull beneath his heel.

It was only a brief delay.

When he turned his gaze back to the Monster rchant, it was already pulling sothing from within his robe, almost as if vomiting it out.

A staff.

A walnut staff streaked with red, its surface gleaming smoothly, a ruby the size of a fist embedded at its tip.

Anagin kicked off the ground, closing the distance, and thrust his sword toward the rchant’s head.

The blade flashed through the air.

But from beneath the rchant’s robe, serpents sprang forth, layering themselves into a living wall of flesh that deflected Anagin’s strike.

Then the rchant pointed his staff at Anagin.

“How pathetic.”

Flas gathered toward the staff’s tip, swirling together before shooting upward like a fiery column that slamd into Anagin.

FWOOOM!

The condensed blast struck with trendous force, sending Anagin flying. The Monster rchant called out toward him as he flew.

“Did you think none of the opponents I’ve faced before ever tried playing with fire?”

“No idea. I don’t care enough about you to know.”

Anagin, who had been thrown by the blast, rose imdiately and answered.

As if nothing had happened, he brushed the ashes from his burnt shirt. Not a trace of burns marked the skin beneath.

It was the Gigant’s natural regenerative ability restoring him instantly. Even accounting for that, the recovery was remarkable.

“Burns don’t heal easily. Impressive recovery.”

“My only bragging points are my strength, my sturdy body, and my handso face. Unlike you.”

"I'll give you credit for your skill in making jokes, too. Though they're not funny."

“Hah, it’s not a joke.”

Anagin seed to laugh, then his face hardened.

Stretching his shoulders, he went on,

“Well, I get it. You’re weak, frail, and ugly, so life must be pretty dull for you.”

The Monster rchant said nothing. It almost looked like he was agreeing.

“How do I know? It’s obvious. You just sit back and order monsters around, using fancy toys. You’re practically screaming, ‘I’m a weakling~!’”

“……”

“And ugly too—did I ntion that? I can tell just from how you’re all wrapped up in that robe.”

“…Are you done talking?”

“Oh, when the topic turns against you, you try to sound intimidating? Not scary at all, though. What’ll you do about it?”

Anagin snickered, mocking the Monster rchant.

The rchant ignored him and swung his staff.

As it moved, the surrounding flas followed, forming the shape of a colossal serpent.

“No creativity at all. Don’t you have any design other than serpents?”

Anagin said that as he grabbed the bottom of his Interspatial Bag and swung it hard.

The Interspatial Bag, which spat out whatever he willed, began to eject weapons in accordance with his thoughts.

Spears, axes, swords, daggers, clubs—all sorts of weapons scavenged from Deodia’s n on his way here.

Propelled by centrifugal force, countless weapons shot toward the Monster rchant in a straight line.

The rchant, using his fla-ford serpent, blocked the oncoming projectiles and shouted,

“And that’s all the tricks you’ve got?!”

“This much is enough.”

Anagin tossed Bender’s sword into the air and kicked it as he replied.

With his foot smoothly pressing against the blade’s flat, he kicked it with full force. The blade glead as it flew, slicing through the body of the fla serpent and striking the fiery staff beyond it.

TAANG—!

A sharp, tallic sound rang out as Bender’s sword clashed with the fla staff.

He had kicked it, intending to cut it clean in two, but the staff didn’t break. It rely slipped from the Monster rchant’s hand.

Instead, it was Bender’s sword that shattered.

“Damn, that’s tough.”

Anagin muttered in admiration. He’d aid to cut it, yet failed.

In any case, once the rchant lost his grip on the staff, the flas fell out of his control.

Anagin didn’t miss that opening. He charged at the Monster rchant again.

The rchant sent a serpent crawling forward, trying to retrieve his staff.

Just as he was about to reach it a split second faster—

“Yaaaaaahhh!!!”

Out of nowhere, the ponytailed man appeared, yelling as he snatched the staff first.

“What?!”

The Monster rchant’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden interference.

Anagin was equally surprised, but for now, he decided to concentrate on the Monster rchant. The most important thing was to beat this bastard to death first.

He pushed off the ground, closing the gap, and slamd his fist into the rchant’s abdon.

THUD!

‘That felt weird.’

Normally, punching sothing should co with the satisfying crunch or squish of breaking or crushing, but the rchant didn’t give that feeling.

It was like hitting multiple dense yet soft layers that absorbed the shock.

But on the flip side, that ant he had taken so of the impact.

“Guuaaaahhk—!”

From beneath the robe that hid his face, the Monster rchant gagged and vomited.

To Anagin’s surprise, what spilled out wasn’t today’s lunch, but gleaming gold and silver treasures.

‘What the hell is this bastard? Does he pay you to beat him?’

Raising his other fist to earn a bit more, Anagin threw another punch—

Twitch!

Pain shot through his hand, buried in the rchant’s gut.

Sothing had bitten him.

Small serpents under the rchant’s robe, their mouths blackened and dripping with venom.

Sensing the danger, Anagin swung his arm and threw the rchant off. The rchant tumbled across the floor, then scrambled toward a crack in the wall and shoved himself into it, fleeing without a mont’s hesitation.

“Ah, damn it…”

Anagin was about to chase him when dizziness struck, and he stopped mid-step.

The ponytailed man approached him.

“Looks like you got bit pretty bad?”

“Haa… What are you even doing here? I thought you ran off.”

“Ran off? Ouch, that’s harsh… I was just watching from the shadows.”

He said it shalessly, but Anagin didn’t bother scolding him. They were only temporary companions, after all.

Besides, that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“Where are you going?” the ponytailed man asked as Anagin started moving again.

“He ran, so I’m going after him.”

“The Monster rchant?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you even know where he went?”

“He’s probably outside eating people.”

The ponytailed man gave him a puzzled look, but Anagin wasn’t just guessing.

A monster that gained a higher rank by consuming humans wouldn’t simply abandon the Ruin Village.

The way he had scattered treasure to lure people, raised orphans, and occasionally devoured them said everything.

Of course, Gigants made better prey, but that didn’t an he would pass up ordinary humans. If a Gigant was a tonic, then humans were a al, sothing to fill his belly and restore his strength.

The ponytailed man frowned, trying to argue.

“That depends on the situation. You just beat him up and he ran away, didn't you? Since he took a hit from your fist, I bet he’s pretty injured.”

“That’s why he’ll try to eat them even more. Because he needs to eat to face .”

Seeing how he didn’t hesitate to eat Deodia once Deodia could no longer fight, it was clear the Monster rchant’s real target was Gigants.

To consu the highest-quality Gigant possible. Would a creature like that simply abandon one? No way.

The greed that radiated even beyond his robe wasn’t ordinary.

So his recent retreat wasn’t a simple flight. It was a strategic pullback to go outside and eat people to restore his strength.

“Damn, so the outside must be a ss right now?”

“Well, probably.”

“You’re reacting so calmly?”

“How should I react?” Anagin asked in return.

“I don’t know. If you don’t care, how about just running away instead? There are a lot of capable guys outside; they’ll buy you so ti.”

“Why would I run away?”

“You got bit pretty bad, didn’t you?”

Whether through good intuition or observation, the ponytailed man imdiately saw through Anagin's condition

The small snake with the black mouth that bit him earlier was no ordinary venomous snake. Anagin knew it instinctively the mont he was bitten.

He’d been poisoned many tis in the past by his master. From experience, it felt like he needed at least half a day of rest to recover. But —

“This poison is weak. I can move right away.”

There was no ti for that.

The ponytailed man looked impressed.

“Wow… are you just modest, or is that excessive bravado? You said you don’t care about people, so why are you so enthusiastic?”

Enthusiastic? Anagin laughed.

“Do I look like it?”

“Doesn’t it?”

“I’m not here to save people I don’t know. Why would I?”

“Then why?”

“I’m just going to beat the hell out of that bastard beast. It’s what I do well. It’s what I like.”

“Whew~!”

At the blunt answer, the ponytailed man whistled, then pulled a bundle of cloth from his coat and tossed it.

Inside were pieces of fruit that shimred like gold. They looked like slices of apple.

“That—”

—munch munch.

Before the ponytailed man could explain, Anagin popped a slice into his mouth and chewed.

The ponytailed man scolded, incredulous.

“Do you even know what that is?!”

“A poison antidote? For serpent venom?” Anagin asked as he felt the toxin loosening in his veins.

“Antidote? Right! A rare one at that!! I was just about to brag and explain, but you gobbled it—”

“—You keep the magic staff you grabbed. It looks expensive.”

“Fuck! Thanks! You really leave nothing to say!!”

“Just lend it to for a mont.”

“The staff?”

“Yeah. I need it to deal with the serpent bastard. Do you know how to use it?”

* * *

Anagin and the ponytailed man stepped out of the Ruin together, just as they had when they entered.

“Damn, the place is crawling with serpents.”

Anagin spoke as he looked down upon the Ruin Village from the ridge.

Large, dium, and countless small monster snakes were sweeping through the village. People were screaming and running for their lives, and fires, big and small, were breaking out as the tents caught fla.

‘There you are.’

Amidst the chaos, Anagin spotted the Monster rchant, devouring people brought to him by the serpent monsters. The man prowled through the burning village, desperately swallowing every human his monsters delivered.

“Uh… are you really sure about this?”

The ponytailed man muttered nervously beside him, eyeing the magic staff.

“Are you worried about ?”

“No, I’m worried about the staff. That thing’s infused with powerful Yeom, so it’s not easy to handle. You’d better not break it.”

Yeom, the source of magic.

As the ponytailed man had explained on their way up, magical tools were vessels imbued with Yeom:

The Yeom that desires to fill an object with countless things.

The Yeom that seeks to forge a sharper blade.

The Yeom that yearns to command fierce fire.

And naturally, the stronger the magical tool, the harder it was to control.

The Yeom, within the powerful tools, often tried to defy the wielder’s will.

“In the end, it’s just a tool, right? So, you’re sure I can use it just by thinking?”

“As far as I know.”

The ponytailed man answered and handed the staff to him.

The mont Anagin grasped it with the intent to use it, a strange vibration pulsed from within.

[Do you seek my powe—]

“Oh, shut up. Before I snap you in half.”

(T/N): HAHAHAHAHA

At his curt remark, the staff fell silent, astonishingly obedient.

“Seriously?”

The ponytailed man looked completely dumbfounded. But sohow, it seed Anagin had done it right.

Once ready, Anagin planted the staff into the ground and pulled out his sling. He loaded a stone, swung it around, and hurled it with full force toward the distant Monster rchant.

The stone tore through the air with a burst of white shockwaves. The Monster rchant managed to raise his arm just before it struck, but the impact blew his sleeve apart, along with the mass of serpents underneath.

Fragnts of serpentine flesh scattered across the ground.

Anagin waved at him.

“Miss ?”

Then, without hesitation, he leapt down the steep slope, charging straight toward the Monster rchant.

“You tireso pest—!”

The Monster rchant gave an order to one of the giant serpent monsters that had been fighting the butchers earlier, commanding it to attack Anagin.

The creature lunged ferociously.

Anagin snatched a fallen sword from amidst the chaos and slashed through the charging serpent in one clean motion.

“…!”

The Monster rchant stared in shock at the sight. He was astonished that Anagin could display such skill even with a discarded, cheap blade.

Anagin kept charging, closing the distance.

Feeling the pressure and not yet fully recovered, the Monster rchant gathered the countless serpents scattered everywhere and sent them all rushing at Anagin at once.

“You’re predictable,” Anagin muttered, waving the magic staff through the air and silently willed it. To sweep the serpent swarm away with fire.

The staff answered Anagin’s will, drawing on the surrounding flas to scour the incoming serpents.

FWARRRR—!

Even though the sun still hung in the sky, the intense blaze drew everyone’s attention and left them stunned.

The one most shocked of all was the Monster rchant. He looked genuinely surprised that Anagin could handle his own tool so well.

“That’s disappointing. You’re not trying to ignore , are you?”

Anagin feigned hurt and sent that wave of fla straight at the Monster rchant.

Just as the great wave of fire was about to swallow him, the serpents gathered around the Monster rchant surged forward and smashed through the flas head-on.

GEEEEEEEEN—!!

They hadn’t rely grouped together. The large ones ford the skeleton, the dium ones the muscles, and the small ones the skin. Each individual discarded its own self to beco a perfect, unified body.

Thanks to that, even the combined flas rising around them were unlikely to burn the Monster rchant to ash.

“Wow, you are seriously disgustingly ugly.”

Among the stunned onlookers, Anagin remarked on the creature’s grotesque bulk and added one more line.

“Of course, not that it can compete with your real face.”

Perhaps his words hit their mark, because the colossal serpent-monster—its thousands of eyes flashing—charged at Anagin.

Anagin stabbed the staff into the ground, took a two-handed grip on his sword, and swung at the onrushing abomination.

[Vertical Slash]

The sword he’d grabbed earlier caught the setting sunlight, becoming a streak of light that fell in a cutting arc—so sharp it seed capable of slicing through anything.

But it didn’t cut through. Despite shouting a flashy technique na, he failed.

The Monster rchant—now a fused mass of serpents—overlaid layer upon layer of serpent-skins to block Anagin’s strike, and then, using those sa serpents, tried to coil Anagin up and lift him into the air.

His plan was to lift him into the air and drown him in venom and snakes.

Heavy.

“?”

But sothing was strange.

Anagin cracked a grin.

“I’m heavier than you thought, aren’t I?”

Indeed.

The Monster rchant’s combined body—made from hundreds of serpents—couldn’t properly lift Anagin; it trembled, leaving him awkwardly half-hoisted. In that unsteady mont, Anagin raised his bag high into the air.

“I filled this with all the rocks and stones I noticed on the way here.”

With that, he brought the Interspatial Bag crashing down toward the Monster rchant with all his might.

A shower of flesh-and-blood fireworks exploded.