The Only Enhancer - Chapter 148

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 148
148 – Hunting, Not War (1)
0.
Compared to monsters, humanity was inherently fragile.
Yet humans could become stronger than ever when circumstances demanded it.
Did they not summon superhuman strength in moments of crisis?
And Awakened ones, those who had unlocked their abilities, were even more capable of such feats.
More than a week had passed without consuming a single morsel of food.
Unable even to drink water, her lips had cracked and hardened like parched wood.
Yet the woman sat with luminous eyes, her spine perfectly straight and dignified.
It was not a feat of remaining physical strength.
Rather, she feared that if her posture faltered even slightly, her very will would shatter.
She endured through sheer determination alone—resolved to accept death with composure, should it come.
It was almost instinctive.
The monsters seemed utterly ignorant of the fundamental fact that humans required sustenance to survive.
Observing that the others dragged away before her had never returned, she understood perfectly well what her fate entailed.
‘….’
She could not afford to think.
Rather, she was incapable of it.
The moment even a fleeting thought arose, it would feel like descending into hell itself.
With only the will to endure, she sat upright, her eyes burning with fierce light.
Then came a sound—one sufficient to shatter her resolve.
Drip, drip.
The distinct sound of water droplets.
Was it a hallucination?
No—it was far too clear for that.
She kept her eyes fixed forward, refusing to focus on the sound.
Maintaining only the thought of looking ahead.
Yet a small droplet falling from the ceiling directly before the iron bars flashed across her vision for an instant.
Her luminous eyes saw the droplet fall, yet she ignored it and continued staring forward.
She closed and opened her eyes slowly, ignoring her entire body as it desiccated and cracked, simply enduring in this place.
She could have begged the monsters for food and water, but she did not.
‘….’
Rather than grovel before those beasts, she would die like this.
With unwavering composure, she sat there with noble dignity.
Death would come soon enough.
As she endured with such thoughts.
A monster near the iron bars tilted its head as if sensing something amiss.
That was the beginning.
A thin line of blood appeared on the monster’s neck as naturally as if it had always been there, then its head fell away, and before its body touched the ground, it crumbled to dust, leaving only a black sphere and a magic stone behind.
When another monster witnessed this and widened its eyes in shock, its head likewise tumbled to the ground, crumbling to dust before it even made contact.
Drip.
The crisp sound of water droplets no longer registered in my awareness.
The woman’s eyes, which had burned with unwavering resolve mere moments before, now trembled violently, and before her stood a man with a smile on his face.
“You must be Natalia Ivanova. I’ve come to rescue you.”
Upon hearing those words, the woman looked at the man, then slowly closed her eyes and collapsed.
The man caught her as she fell, scratching his head with a somewhat bewildered expression as he muttered.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
1.
Judging by the name Natalia Ivanova, I’d assumed she was Russian, but her appearance suggested a hint of Eastern heritage as well.
More precisely, she appeared to be of mixed descent? Of course, she possessed the distinctive features of a Russian beauty, so she resembled a Western beauty in many respects.
The faint Eastern appearance suggested she was indeed of mixed heritage.
Was that why her hair was black?
But that wasn’t the important part.
In any case, I held Natalia and assessed her condition.
‘Her nutritional state is beyond comprehension.’
It wasn’t simply a matter of not eating—she hadn’t consumed anything at all.
The fact that she remained alive was a miracle in itself.
I applied every vitality-restoring skill I possessed, and I could see her complexion gradually ease.
To think they’d been so harsh with her.
Hadn’t they claimed to value her highly?
Yet they left her in this state?
As I thought this and glanced at Uldin’s essence, he spoke as if making an excuse.
-W-we didn’t know that humans required sustenance to maintain their lives.
“I see.”
Well, monsters could survive without eating anything, so I supposed that was possible.
Regardless, I couldn’t help but grin like a ginseng digger who’d discovered wild ginseng as I looked at Natalia.
[Natalia Ivanova]
-Lv1(?)
-Ability Score: 15.
[Trait – Ma Chong-sa]
It was an ability score that could only be described as insane.
Until now, I’d found only three people with an ability score of 15: Mary, Henry, and Evan.
Evan was someone I’d discovered relatively recently.
Though Mary and Henry were also recent arrivals.
And now I’d acquired yet another person with an ability score of 15.
This was rare indeed.
As I grinned, Uldin and Baya trembled.
From their perspective, they likely thought I was angry because of Natalia’s neglect.
Regardless of their misunderstanding, I proceeded with what I needed to do.
First, I used long-distance teleportation to place Natalia Ivanova in the Hotel Bedroom I had prepared nearby, then teleported back.
Upon my return, I grinned widely as I gazed upon the place known as the Sky Holy Ground.
“Hmm.”
That vast and towering Himalayan Mountains.
It certainly deserved to be called the Sky Holy Ground.
It was the closest point on Earth to the Heavens, so it was more than worthy of that title.
Before using my skill, I scanned the entire surroundings first. I couldn’t risk anyone getting hurt.
But I detected nothing.
So it was true—ever since the monsters appeared, people haven’t dared approach the Himalayan Mountains.
Well, that just made things easier for me.
With that thought, I drew out a wand.
Pulling out the wand that radiated with brilliant, multicolored light, I immediately activated my Authority—Seven Stars.
From the sky, among the brilliant multicolored lights, a crimson radiance flashed as an enormous meteorite descended from above.
A meteorite so massive that one might think humanity itself would perish.
The energy comprising the meteorite even blotted out the sun as it descended upon the Holy Ground.
――――――――――――!
A star fallen from the cosmos.
That star blazed forth, leveling the Holy Ground and shaking the Mountain Range.
The once-vast Mountain Range flattened, consuming everything and reducing it to dust.
That attack—a judgment of stars—consumed all in its path, and virtually nothing could survive it.
Only Disaster Level 6 creatures caught in the shockwave near the impact managed to survive.
All Disaster Level 5 and below vanished completely, leaving only items and mana stones scattered on the ground, while even some Disaster Level 6 creatures couldn’t endure it, dropping Evolution Orbs, mana stones, and items.
Witnessing that star’s judgment—that meteorite—Uldin could only widen his eyes and cry out.
-W-w-w-what in the world is that?!
I knew he hadn’t been fighting at full strength, but seeing a Tier 9 item appear made Uldin’s eyes bulge from their sockets.
Something that existed only once per faction even during the Great War.
And now Min-jun possessed something that could never be obtained again.
Uldin, unable to swallow with no physical body, muttered dryly.
-I… I was truly nothing at all.
-And I’m only realizing this now?!
-Hehehehe.
I had thought that even the strongest Min-jun would struggle against three Elders, so I aimed for this moment when one had left. But if he possessed such an item, there would have been no need for that.
Even three Elders might have found it impossible to stop Min-jun.
That’s what I couldn’t help but think.
Such thoughts were inevitable.
In any case, watching the now-scorched Holy Ground, I grinned, and belatedly sensing my presence, two powerful auras burst forth from the Crater that had been the Holy Ground and flew toward me.
Having endured my Authority—Seven Stars—they bore dust and scorch marks across their bodies, yet they suffered no fatal wounds.
Seeing this, I grinned.
‘So Elders truly are Elders, after all.’
They felt slightly stronger than Uldin and the Bloody Golem.
The Bloody Golem felt roughly at the 8.5 level, so it seemed reasonable to classify these creatures as monsters that had reached the peak of level 8.
But ultimately, a Calamity at level 8 was still level 8.
Because of that, I didn’t feel particularly tense.
In the meantime, I prepared the newly crafted weapon and observed the Elders.
-…Is this truly the power of a human?
-…I distinctly sensed the authority of a king.
-Could it be that he wasn’t merely a descendant….
-We must summon them quickly.
One of them quietly retreated and appeared to be contacting someone, while the remaining one looked at Min-jun and opened his eyes sharply before asking.
-You must be a descendant of the Fairy Elder.
“Hmm, I don’t understand why you’re asking when you’ve already guessed everything.”
-Regardless of what you are, we will kill you in this place….
The Elder’s words never reached their conclusion.
I used a short-range teleportation to appear before him and swung a sword.
Slash!
In that instant, the Elder rapidly flapped his wings and retreated backward.
It was an attack that followed in an instant, but I believed he would have evaded it since he was prepared.
But what was this?
Blood trickled down.
“Hmm, shallow?”
-…?
At my words, the Elder looked down at his chest as if he couldn’t comprehend.
Blood flowing down in a long line and a wound.
How was this possible?
He hadn’t even felt the blade cut.
Was such a thing possible?
I smiled slightly as I watched the Elder’s expression, as if he were experiencing cognitive dissonance.
Then I displayed the sword I had newly created.
A single blade radiating brilliantly with golden light.
The sword I frequently used, different from my usual one.
And that brilliantly shining golden radiance.
-…A blade that has ascended to transcendent extremity.
“I crafted it because I thought it would be necessary for this battle.”
-…Unbelievable.
At those words, I smiled slightly.
While everyone else was raising their levels, this was what I had been doing.
My usual blade was certainly a fine sword, but honestly, while it was quite excellent for defense, it had shortcomings for offense.
So I created a new one.
The Elder clenched his teeth and enveloped his entire body with power, then created equipment together with Mercury.
The Elder, now adorned with equipment forged through transcendent abilities, displayed an appearance distinctly different from moments before.
Kuuuuuuu――――!
The air trembled as a tremendous force rippled outward in all directions.
Even the Elder, who was in the midst of making contact, flinched at such overwhelming power.
Min-jun simply gripped the sword and laughed.
“Aren’t you curious what kind of blade this is?”
-Before my strength, you will kneel regardless, arrogant descendant.
Did he truly believe he had a chance unless he employed the seven stars, a tier-9 item?
The Elder spoke such words as he lunged toward Min-jun.
The transcendent realm where the entire world moved in slow motion.
In this domain where even sound itself crawled, Min-jun observed the Elder charging toward him.
Indeed, the speed was overwhelmingly fast.
An astounding velocity that even Min-jun found challenging to match.
Yet Min-jun harbored no concern.
The Elder was still distant.
But as he seemed about to close that gap and seize my throat, I swung my blade within that realm, and my sword strike cleaved true.
Both the Elder’s extended right hand and right wing, and….
-Kughhhhhh!
Even that transcendent domain he had unfolded.
“Kyaha! It performs beautifully.”
Grasping the Phantasm Blade, Emptiness, I chuckled and gazed at the Elder, who now tasted abyssal terror.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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