The legendary Moonlight Sculptor

V50C4P2 For This Beautiful Sea

'So this is how he united the Versailles Continent.'

Before long, the unit of Baraags watching over the distant sea reported that the sea monsters were rushing towards them.

"Let's get this started, then."

"Yes, master! Deploy the Snowmen!"

The Snowmen army began to march into the ocean. Their task was to keep their position in the coral zone and set up a barrier of ice to keep the Poratts away.

"In this way we'll be able to stop all the Poratts that can't fly."

"Yes, let's move on to the next part of the plan."

This battle plan which took into account the characteristics of the different types of sculptural creatures had been devised by Weed: have the Snowmen freeze the distant sea into icebergs, leave a few ravine-like narrow routes through the ice, and deploy squads of sculptural soldiers near these icebergs — including the Croco Legion — to hunt down any Poratts that swam their way through the ravines.

"I assume Baraags will be the best choice to fight those Essen Poratts?"

"Of course."

Weed and his companions climbed on the backs of the Baraags along with Emperor Geihar. Riding on the predatory beasts with their great wings spread wide, they flew over the sea at a frightening speed. They found their enemies far beyond the emerald-colored sea of corals.

"Targets within visual range!"

Giant, winged sea serpents named Essen Porrats were soaring across the sky. Those flying monsters alone numbered more than a hundred; the sight of the legion of Essen Porrats was almost majestic.

The sea itself was also full of silvery white Poratts. The swarm of countless monsters was swimming and leaping out of the surface by a couple of meters excitedly.

Weed used Lion's Roar.

"We begin the hunt!"

As soon as the Baraags came close enough for the Poratts to be in range , they spouted out breaths of flame all at once. Streams of fire stretched out, emblazing the whole sky.

- Kuuuuaaaarrggh!!

The Essen Poratts scattered in all directions to dodge the attack, but about fifteen of them were engulfed by the flames and fell. However, even those which plummeted into the sea were not completely killed, and soon they rose from the surface again. Their strength was nothing to scoff at, as could be seen by their capability to destroy and corrupt the entire ocean. Every single one of them was a boss-level monster whose power surpassed that of a Bone Dragon. Their immense reserve of life force, which was a characteristic of giant sea monsters, also made them particularly persistent.

- They are coming!

There was a stir of uncertainty among the Baraags, but they were under the command of Weed, a seasoned fighter who'd been through both hell and high water.

"We will not fight them in a full-frontal assault. Ascend to a higher altitude!"

By Weed's order, the Baraags all rose further into the sky. The Essen Poratts chased after them immediately and a fierce running-fight was beginning to take place.

"2nd Squad, turn to the right!"

6 Baraags changed their direction towards the right in a great arc.

"3rd Squad to the left. And 4th Squad, fall back in 5 seconds."

The groups of Baraags spread out in the air according to Weed's commands. As sculptural lifeforms all possessed a moderate level of intelligence, they didn't have any difficulty following orders. On top of that, Weed's overwhelming leadership and charisma could elicit absolute obedience even from soldiers who had held their weapons for the first time, and his profession as a sculptor enabled the Baraags to feel more familiar with him and quickly become close to him.

- It's no use running away from us. We will kill you all!

- Kuuugh. Kuuuoooaargh!!

The Essen Poratts, with their intense gluttony and desire to kill, pursued after the scattering Baraags but were not divided into smaller groups as effectively. Over fifty Essen Poratts flew after the 2nd Squad — which had branched away from the main body first — and their forces kept being dispersed until only three and five Poratts were chasing after the main unit and 5th Squad respectively.

"Counter Attack!"

Under Weed's command, the Baraags reversed in midair. Taking advantage of their greater number, they entangled themselves with the enemies, spurting out fans of flames explosively. The Baraags and the Essen Poratts sank their claws deep into each other's bodies while spraying fire and poison. As Baraags were far stronger in one-on-one combat, with the advantage of the formation they could overwhelm their enemies.

"Let's join the fray then, shall we?"

Weed drew out the Loa Sword and rushed forward. After taking a couple steps in the air by jumping first on the front paw and then on a wing of the Baraag, he finally landed on the head of an Essen Poratt. Weed smashed the crown of the monster's head with the Loa Sword.

< You have made an attack against an Essen Poratt.You have inflicted 29,291 points of damage to its life force!The Loa Sword's ability to triple damage against large monsters applies.The enemy's maximum life force has been partially decreased.A critical strike!The defensive abilities of the Essen Poratt have been weakened. >

The Loa Sword was especially valuable when hunting large monsters. Switching gears such as the helmet and gloves to ones that contribute to the offensive abilities was also another reason for the increased damage.

- Insolent human! You cannot make me feel pain with such a strike.

As was the way with boss-level monsters, the Essen Poratt began to speak to Weed in human language.

"Everyone likes to talk big at first, but they all eventually learn to behave themselves after some good beating."

Another attack from Weed smacked precisely the same spot that had just been hit; although it was a legitimate skill with the name "Single Point Attack", in actuality it simply meant beating the same spot over and over again.

< You have dealt a critical strike.38% additional damage applied.The defensive abilities of the Essen Poratt have been weakened. >

< You have dealt a critical strike.92% additional damage applied.The defensive abilities of the Essen Poratt have been weakened. >

< You have dealt a critical strike.145% additional damage applied.The defensive abilities of the Essen Poratt have been weakened. >

< You have dealt a critical strike.198% additional damage applied.The defensive abilities of the Essen Poratt have been weakened. >

- Kuuooooooaarrgghh!!

There had never been a monster that had been subjected to the One-point Focus Attack skill and came out unscathed. Combined with the special effect of the Loa Sword that weakens the defense of the monster whenever a critical hit occurs, the total accumulated amount of damage was beyond enormous.

- Off with you, you worm!

The Essen Poratt attempted to shake Weed off his head, but he would not budge an inch. A Giant might have been able to swing his arms around to rid himself of Weed, but most of the Poratt's attacking methods were useless against a person who was standing on top of its head.

The Essen Poratt was also suffering damage from the claws and beak of the Baraag which was assaulting it from the front on top of the damage inflicted by Weed on his head. Even with the great life force of a giant sea monster, it could not withstand such a coordinated attack for long.

- You will regret this, human!

The Essen Poratt thrust away the Baraag and inhaled deeply; it was preparing a Breath attack, the strongest offensive characteristic of a giant creature.

- I will make you pay dearly for making such a reckless attack against me!

Not giving a fig for what it was doing, Weed kept striking the back of the monster's head; as long as he kept his position, he didn't have to worry about being hit by the Breath.

< You have dealt a critical strike.413% additional damage applied.The defensive abilities of the Essen Poratt have been minimized. >

Still, a supersized sea monster was not so easily killed. The mouth of the Essen Poratt was full of blazing heat.

- This is the end.

The serpent monster flipped its great body in midair and started a steep dive. It repeated a series of sudden drops, rises and turns, as if performing an aerial stunt.

- Get off my body this instant!

Weed clutched the antenna and held onto the monster tenaciously, while steadily chipping away the remaining life force of the Essen Poratt by making an attack whenever he had a chance.

"Spread out here and join up at a point ahead!"

In the meantime, Pale, who had the role of the supporting commander, conducted the rest of the Baraag squads.

"High-speed maneuver! We'll get away from the pursuing enemy force."

They distracted the other Essen Poratts so that they would not turn their attention to Weed.

"Arrow Cluster!"

Arrows that looked like flashing rays of light shot by Pale pierced the sky.

"Fire Domain Expansion!"

Romuna's magical attacks exploded splendidly in the air as well, though their power was not particularly strong. Since the Essen Poratts were especially vulnerable to fire, even her relatively weak spells worked well against them — the monsters writhed in pain although the actual damage caused to their life force was less than 0.1 percent.

"Heh, this is pretty fun!"

"Let's finish this fight!"

Python and Seasoned Crab were both riding on a Baraag each, ramming into the bodies of Essen Poratts. They were imitating the fighting style of a Dragon Knight, although they dared not climb directly onto the backs of the winged Poratts as Weed had done; by watching his fight, they quickly realized that it would not be easy to cling on to the frantically trashing body of an Essen Poratt.

'I would rather just match my strength against it in a full-frontal fight. Such a rash attack… hmm. Is that why Weed is so strong, because he makes use of all his abilities to the full extent in battle? He is truly a natural born warrior.'

'He's not simply relying on skills, he is acting out of instinct. His body is just finding its foe on its own volition.'

Python and Seasoned Crab were quite impressed by Weed's valor. Engaging in a fight at such a great height alone required remarkable courage, yet Weed was doing precisely that while standing on top of the head of a boss class monster.

'Perhaps such recklessness and courage are the secrets behind his popularity.'

'Of course, that's not an easy thing to do. But a commander should not be afraid to throw himself into such a dangerous position, to lead the battle to victory.'

At that moment, both of them heard what Weed was shouting loudly as he struck the monster.

"Loot! Experience Points! Level Progress! Skill Proficiency points! Give me all before you die, you monster!"

"…"

"…"

Suddenly he looked more like an evil company boss full of greed rather than the commander of a great army.

They were beginning to feel almost sorry for the Essen Poratt that was being beaten up by him. Eventually, the monster met its demise, as the Loa Sword that Weed was holding pounded on its head relentlessly.

< An invader of Wulhoff Reef, the ferocious Essen Poratt has entered its eternal rest. >

Although it was just one monster, due to its high level Weed received a separate message window notifying its death.

< Your level has increased.Sword skill proficiency has increased.Due to your remarkable accomplishment in battle, Fame has increased by 1,980.Strength stat has increased by 2.Maximum Stamina has increased by 100. >

< You have obtained the hide of an Essen Poratt.>< You have obtained the heart of an Essen Poratt.>< You have obtained a 1st class Mana Crystal.>

*Sweep!* *Sweep!*

All the dropped items were taken with lightning speed. The loot that had appeared after the body of the Essen Poratt turned grey completely vanished the moment Weed's hand passed over it as if by magic. When it came to acquiring spoils of battle, Weed had no match in all of Royal Road.

"This isn't half bad."

He was being surrounded by over a hundred boss-level monsters — in other words, the battlefield was littered with preys waiting to be harvested by Weed.

Weed spread his arms wide.

He was currently plummeting towards the sea at a deadly speed, together with the corpse of the Essen Poratt he had been riding on a moment ago.

"Weed-nim!"

Pale spotted him, but he could not come to rescue him while all the Baraags were engaged in battle, whose number was not sufficient as it was. From such a high altitude, the damage to Weed's body would be significant even if he fell into the water.

- Kuuargh!!

- Kuuueeerrgh!!

The sea itself was full of smaller Poratts that devoured anything, waiting with their mouths wide open.

Swish Swish!

Weed replaced several pieces of equipment he was wearing with the gears of Bar Khan Demoph almost as quickly as slashing his sword. Immediately after that, he placed a hand on the head of the falling body of the Essen Poratt.

"Return to the ground upon which you once walked. Here lies a dark place, a black and corrupt land. Engrave the eternal commandments of darkness into the heart of every living being. Undead Rise!"

The body of the Essen Poratt began to gradually be tainted in black, and before long its flesh peeled off, revealing the bones underneath: the corpse of the falling monster was reduced to mere skeleton! And as the surface of the sea drew ever closer, the bones turned black, and flashing lights appeared in the hollow eye sockets.

Weed had turned all of his Art stat into Wisdom using his Sculptural Destruction skill before the battle took place. Hence, with the help of valuable equipment and improved stats, he could successfully cast the undead summoning spell on a boss-level monster.

- I… I have returned from death.

"Are you willing to obey me?"

- I… but that is…

The Essen Poratt shook its head. As befits a boss-level monster it retained some of its memory and self awareness, and did not easily follow the order of someone who had just killed it. From the sky to the sea, Weed and the Essen Poratt that had been revived as undead were plunging downward at a terrible speed.

"You shall obey me."

< A Necromancer Skill, the spell of Soul Obedience sealed within the robe of the Lord of Hell has been used.

The unbearable fear and pain burning into a soul allows one to have a powerful undead as his subordinate. >

- Krrrrruuuaaarrraaaughh!!

The skeleton of the Essen Poratt screamed in agony.

"Follow my command. Only in that way will you be able to achieve the greatest glory."

With Weed's own charisma and leadership applied on top of the Necromancer skill, the Essen Poratt soon surrendered. It was the moment of its rebirth as a Bone Poratt, leaving all its past life in oblivion.

- Glory to the master who granted me this eternal life.

"Alright. Let's get ourselves back up first."

At Weed's order, the Bone Poratt spread its skeletal wings. On the head of the Bone Poratt furiously rising into the sky once more, Weed stood up in a commanding manner.

- Kuuaaargh!!

- This is the sky of the Arpen Empire. Return whence you came, monsters!

- We fight to protect this land!

The highly intelligent Baraags and the Essen Poratts full of fighting spirit were intertwined with each other in a fierce battle in midair. The Breaths of fire pierced through, painting the sky red, and the creatures were entangled in the groups of two and three, their snouts biting and their claws scratching.

A great battlefield scattered with boss-level monsters mingled together!

Weed checked the state of his companions first. Those who were riding on the backs of Baraags remained unharmed. The Snowmen were also managing to block the swarming Poratts by creating zones of ice in the sea.

'Still looking intact.'

Even with the special abilities of the Snowmen, it would be impossible to hold off the Poratts that were filling up the whole sea indefinitely. If the battle lasted too long, the Poratts would eventually take a detour and destroy the coral reefs. It was possible that the corals and other sea creatures were already being killed in other regions that were farther away out of their sight.

'We'll do what we can do right now. Rather than waiting for the circumstances to come together perfectly, we'll need to act first… and deal with the consequences.'

Weed's eyes caught a few Essen Poratts that had fallen in the fight against the Baraags and were crashing into the sea. Although there were only two or three of them, it meant that Pale and the other companions had been putting in great effort and managed to eliminate even a small portion of their numbers.

Weed took out the Staff of the Corrupted Saint and stretched out his right hand.

"Undead Rise!"

From the bodies of the dead and falling Essen Poratts, chunks of flesh began to fall off. Half of them were transformed into undead and soared up again, but the other half — even though Weed had managed to turn them into undead as well — crashed into the sea and disappeared as all the bones crumbled into pieces.

< You have transformed Essen Poratts into undead thralls.Due to the insufficient undead summoning skill, the duration of this spell is 33 minutes.>

Now with three Bone Poratts under his command, Weed grinned.

"Let's collect some money, shall we?"

(To be continued…)