The Only Enhancer - Chapter 188

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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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Episode 188
188 – The Curtain Rises on the Great War (2)
1.
Decan—a legendary monster revered as the hero of his kind, whispered about as the assassin of the Underground.
Yet Decan had not always been this way.
I cannot recall the days before consciousness awakened, but from the moment the Monster King granted me enhancement and self-awareness bloomed, I was among the most timid of monsters.
I despised war. I despised combat.
Because of this, the other Underground Researchers viewed me with disdain.
Though I inherited exceptional talent from my earliest days, I neither fought nor researched.
I could not bear to kill the Fairies with my own hands, and the thought that research necessitated their deaths brought tears to my eyes—such was my weakness.
But one day, an incident changed everything.
As the days of my indecision stretched on, so too did the war itself, and despite the Monster King’s presence, countless of my kin fell beneath the Fairy King’s relentless assault.
At last, the brutality of war reached even the village where I dwelt.
I understood well: we were the invaders. Perhaps we were fundamentally flawed from birth itself. Yet when I witnessed countless of my kin dying before my very eyes that day, that conviction shattered.
Invaders? Yes. The origin of monsters remains shrouded in mystery, but we were certainly born as invaders.
An instinct still writhed within us—to slaughter all the original inhabitants and settle this land. But did that justify dying in such numbers?
Were we creatures meant to perish the moment we were born?
Once I grasped this truth, reality crystallized before my eyes anew.
The deaths of countless kin flickered past like fleeting shadows.
And I understood: if I did not kill, my kin would all perish.
—I would become strong.
Possessing aptitude for research as well, I devoted myself to it, yearning to grow stronger, and eventually collaborated with the Underground Researchers to undergo a complete transformation of my body.
Thus I came to be called a weapon of the Underground alongside the Blood Golem, and eventually caught the Monster King’s eye, receiving further enhancement until I was named the Underground’s assassin—or rather, the hero of monsters.
Rightfully called a warrior of reversal, I became a monster revered by countless of my kind.
Yet I remained acutely aware of our fundamental nature: invaders.
But having been born, I understood equally well that my kin and I had no choice. To survive, we had to harm the Fairies.
Thus I fought endlessly, always standing at the vanguard of war, slaying Fairies, and even in the final battle where the Fairy King and Monster King clashed, I stood foremost, facing the Fairy King directly.
I survived countless wars and even the Great War itself, leading my remaining kin to survival on the ruined Fairy Planet.
Yet now that all Fairies have perished, and even the Fairy King and Monster King have fallen, my kind has lost all capacity for self-sufficiency.
We could still generate monsters without reason as before, but we could no longer create beings with perfect rationality like myself. That power belonged solely to the Monster King.
Thus, in this ambiguous aftermath—neither victory nor defeat—I continued to endure.
For my remaining kin still lived.
During this struggle to sustain life, Ursula’s spatial transfer array activated.
A new opportunity, the possibility of another Great War unfolding—the timid heart I once knew stirred within me, but I shook my head.
Only by stepping forward could my kin survive. So even if I must repeat the slaughter of the Great War, I would live for them.
Thus I resolved.
And so I arrived here.
Though Min-jun’s location still lay far ahead, from this distance alone I could roughly gauge the extent of his power.
Just as Min-jun had anticipated, sensing his strength, I could not help but shudder. Verify Min-jun’s full capabilities?
From the start, that was a miscalculation.
-It feels similar to the Fairy King.
Decan, who has experienced the Fairy King’s power in the past, would recognize it.
He even directly confronted him. In fact, it was the Monster King who saved Decan from near death.
As Decan sensed Min-jun’s aura, the wounds he’d sustained back then throbbed painfully.
There was no need to assess his full strength—this was unmistakably Fairy King-level power.
Faced with Min-jun’s presence, which seemed to have become nature itself, Decan could only halt at a distance.
Min-jun’s aura was screaming that if it advanced any further, he would wage war without hesitation.
It had been a long time since everything felt like nature itself had become an enemy.
But it was far from pleasant.
As Decan stood frozen, his two subordinates wore curious expressions but said nothing.
Mik and Hik, who had been his two arms for so long, knew well that this caution was a sign of Decan’s concentration.
Yet they truly could not understand.
Similar to the Fairy King? Perhaps, but Min-jun’s power, while comparable, lacked the seasoned feel of actual combat experience—which made their confusion natural.
However, the moment Min-jun opened a portal, Hik, who could be called a magic expert, couldn’t help but widen his eyes in astonishment.
Creating a spatial transfer portal with such effortless magic was no simple feat. Decan understood this well, but since he was ignorant of anything beyond research and martial arts, he asked Hik.
-What level are we talking about?
-…I am honored to report, but at that level of mastery, he could casually create transmission circles that the Deep Sea’s shamans and mages can barely construct together.
-Then he’s capable of reaching the Fairy Dimension as well, is that what you’re saying?
-Yes, precisely so. It appears he possesses extraordinary talent in magic. Unlike the Fairy King, that is.
-…As expected of you, Commander. To us, he merely seemed like an inexperienced youth lacking experience….
-I didn’t say it knowing the answer either, so think nothing of it.
Even as Decan spoke, he gazed at Min-jun with a faint smile.
A faint smile, despite such a formidable enemy appearing? Did he possess such composure?
But Mik and Hik, who knew him well, could only swallow hard at the sight.
When Decan smiled faintly, it was evidence that he was deeply tense.
Recalling how Decan always wore such a faint smile before major or grueling battles, both of them naturally found themselves watching Min-jun with heightened vigilance.
The thought crossed their minds that they should perhaps rush in now to reduce the enemy’s numbers, but they all knew that wasn’t an option.
Hadn’t they learned something since the war with the Fairy Race?
Those with intellect would suffer and awaken from the death of their comrades.
Whether Min-jun would or wouldn’t was uncertain, but they didn’t want to gamble.
If that Min-jun, already displaying such tremendous power, were to awaken even by the slimmest chance?
Mik and Hik shuddered at the mere thought.
Decan’s decision to wait for Min-jun stemmed from the same reason.
His instincts were rejecting it.
One might say it was merely instinct, but Decan’s instincts had always been correct, so it was wise to trust them.
After opening the portal, Min-jun likewise gazed at Decan, Mik, and Hik, and the latter two flinched involuntarily.
Until moments ago, the aura had been merely natural, but now it felt as though a calamity had struck—their very instincts screamed that remaining here meant only death.
Yet they too were warriors of reversal.
They had supported Decan at his side more than anyone, fighting alongside him through war after war.
How could they possibly flee? It was unthinkable.
No matter what order Decan gave, such a thing would never come to pass—or so Mik and Hik assured themselves as they examined the opposing forces.
-…Their hidden strength is more formidable than I anticipated.
-Indeed… Setting aside that human who rivals the Fairy King, there are an astonishing number of powerful humans gathered here.
Mik and Hik spoke with genuine admiration, and Decan nodded in agreement.
-Correct. If a few more like them emerge, even you two will need to be on guard.
-Of course. We have already learned the ways of war.
-…Individually, they may seem like insects, but we have already lost comrades to their sting. They are no longer mere insects—they are murderers who have slain our own.
-We shall emerge victorious in the end. Just as we did in the Great War.
As Mik and Hik spoke thus, Decan nodded as well.
They waited for Min-jun to finish his preparations while assessing the enemy’s forces, and in doing so, they witnessed Min-jun step forward to strengthen two of his people.
Reinforcement—one of the rituals the Fairies had performed.
And they, being monsters themselves, were well acquainted with it. The Monster King had granted them reinforcement as well.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a blessing.
Watching their power gradually increase, I scratched my head with a gesture tinged with irritation.
Even before the battle with the Fairy King that I had felt previously, I had certainly assessed the forces beforehand, yet after the Fairy King came and went, I often sensed their power had become three times stronger.
This time was no different.
Yet I was relieved to see that Decan, perhaps unwilling to overextend himself, bestowed the blessing upon only three of them.
-That one knows how to fight like the Fairy King.
-Hehe, and with such magical erudition—he can even create spatial transfer portals.
-Moreover, looking at his disciplined physique, it seems he possesses some skill in martial arts as well.
Mik and Hik offered their assessments of Min-jun, and Decan nodded in acknowledgment.
To be honest, his lack of experience showed to some degree.
Even without comparing him to Decan, when Mik observed his gait and movements from a martial perspective, clear deficiencies were apparent.
The same applied to his magic.
The various spells Min-jun displayed during his preparations were all unfamiliar, so Hik understood well that he had created them himself.
However, his handling of that mana was clearly still lacking in mastery and refinement.
Thus, they smiled as they predicted Decan’s victory.
If he won this time, there would be no need to escalate to all-out war.
But what if he showed even the slightest sign of being overwhelmed or defeated?
They would ensure survival at any cost.
Though Ursula had cast a curse upon them, they could not rest easy on that alone. As their analysis concluded, multiple figures began emerging from the portal—Min-jun’s entire contingent had arrived.
All of them possessed strength comparable to the powerful humans Mik and Hik had discovered aboard that ship.
When all these warriors—those whom even Mik and Hik could not guarantee victory against—gathered together, Min-jun moved first, and seeing this, Decan spoke.
-Go forth and seize victory.
That command was sufficient.

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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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