The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 85: The Iliad (Part 1)

It had been several days since Vikir returned to Ballak’s village. While the Red Death had been completely eradicated, its aftereffects still lingered. Many people had been weakened due to dehydration and diarrhea, so there was a great need for nourishing food for the patients. Consequently, the warriors who had not fallen ill hunted tirelessly for their families and friends.

Vikir and Aiyen were among those hunters.

“…Shh. I found it,” Aiyen whispered.

Her sharp eyes had spotted the prey first, but Vikir, with his heightened senses, quickly located its position as well. Two years ago, Vikir would have responded with, “Where? I don’t see it,” when Aiyen pointed to the prey. But now, Vikir was almost as skilled as Aiyen in tracking down prey.

The creature they were observing was one they had encountered once before. It was perched on a tree branch, feasting on a jaguar it had swallowed whole.

[Mushussu]

Threat Level: A+

Size: 32m

Discovery Location: Border of the Red and Black Mountain Ranges, Section 8

This colossal snake is entirely composed of intestines. It boasts an enormous mouth, and sharp teeth, and is known for its ability to swallow an entire village whole, according to legends.

It is famous for making no sound when moving on land or swimming in water.

At first glance, it’s hard to believe that such a creature could be a snake. It’s incredibly massive, and even among Mushussu, this elderly individual is larger than average.

With a body length of a staggering 40 meters and a weight of over 5 tons, its midsection alone is as wide as 3 meters. Considering that most individuals stop growing at lengths between 25 and 30 meters, this creature was truly remarkable in size.

Aiyen cautiously aimed her bow at the snake.

“This one’s called ‘Kaa.’ It’s a rival of the lizard ‘Gustaf,’ which lives in the nearby swamps. There’s no beast around here that can rival this one.”

Aiyen’s caution was entirely justified. ‘Kaa,’ the enormous Mushussu, possessed an imposing size, unmatched stealth due to its natural camouflage, and overwhelming strength. It was undoubtedly the dominant creature in its territory.

However, today, it had met its match.

Vikir had bared his fangs at the snake.

“It’s time to settle the score. You owe us from the rainy season.”

Once, this creature had attacked Ballak’s village during a night of torrential rain, causing the river to flood and engulf the village. Vikir had fought it fiercely, even resorting to using the skills of Baskerville. However, he hadn’t been able to defeat it, merely chasing it away as the floodwaters carried both it and the village downstream.

“Now the water has receded, and it has reclaimed its territory. It seems to have replenished its strength significantly. Look at how fat its belly is.”

Aiyen pointed to the swollen midsection of the giant snake. Apart from the jaguar it had just devoured, it appeared to have consumed several other animals. The snake’s body had expanded into a pearl necklace-like shape at various intervals.

Aiyen nocked an arrow on her bow.

“When we catch that thing, we’ll have access to all the other meat inside it. Since they’re all connected, it’ll be perfect for feeding the patients.”

“I agree.”

Vikir also nocked an arrow on his bow.

Aiyen gave Vikir some advice while pulling back the bowstring.

“To shoot the bow, you need a lot of strength. The draw weight alone is quite significant.”

It was natural that archers needed a lot of arm strength to withstand the tension of the bowstring. Aiyen’s bow, in particular, had a unique structure, with a draw weight of up to five times that of a regular bow, allowing it to hold a maximum of ten arrows.

To draw it required the strength of hundreds of kilograms, far more demanding than swinging a sword or mace.

Soon enough…

Phew-phew-phew-pong!

Arrows infused with aura flew towards Kaa’s neck.

[…Shiiik! Kaaah!]

Kaa noticed the attack, but the arrows had already lodged themselves in its neck.

Splat!

Vikir drew Beelzebub.

Kaa immediately closed the distance to target Aiyen, but that was precisely what Vikir had been waiting for.

Vikir attacked while shooting arrows, and when Kaa got too close, he used Beelzebub to slice under the creature’s jaw.

Swoosh!

The tough scales were severed in half, and crimson blood sprayed out.

Once Graduators reached the Intermediate level, their blood became so thick and viscous that it was almost indistinguishable from regular Aura.

Vikir continued to strike with his sword, dodging Kaa’s erratic movements.

Eventually, Kaa attempted to retaliate.

[Woong! Wuuwoong!]

The creature retched and attempted to expel something.

Vikir immediately recognized Kaa’s intentions.

“…Is it trying to increase its mobility by vomiting up its prey?”

It was a typical attack pattern for snake-like creatures. After consuming a large meal, they would often lie still for months, allowing their bodies to digest the meal. During this period, if a situation arose where they needed to flee quickly, they would regurgitate their prey to lighten their body.

Kaa had lost its territory during the rainy season, and it had barely been able to hunt since then. Additionally, it had expended a significant amount of energy being swept away by the river, as well as fighting Vikir.

As a result, it was now in an extremely hungry state. Therefore, it had consumed a large amount of prey to replenish its strength. Its swollen belly naturally slowed down its movements and made it sluggish.

[Grroong! Weeeek!]

Kaa attempted to vomit out the massive chunks of meat inside its belly. Just that alone would likely reduce its weight by nearly 2 tons. However…

“No way.”

Aiyen’s arrows disrupted Kaa’s attempts to vomit. She continued to rapid-fire arrows, aiming around Kaa’s throat area.

The target was the jaguar Kaa had swallowed earlier. Aiyen’s arrows penetrated Kaa’s tough scales through the gaps Vikir had created, reaching the jaguar’s body in Kaa’s esophagus.

It looked as if large spikes were anchoring the jaguar’s body in Kaa’s esophagus. Naturally, the other creatures Kaa had swallowed couldn’t pass through and simply piled up underneath the jaguar’s body, unable to pass the esophagus.

As a result, Kaa became grotesquely swollen, unable to move naturally. Its inflated hood and vertebrae behind its head, similar to a cobra’s, further restricted its rear view.

This unnatural movement made it even easier for Vikir, who had been targeting Kaa’s vulnerable spots—the nape of its neck and its underbelly (the reverse scales).

…Scrrrrrrrunch!

Vikir extended Beelzebub and cut through the nerves connecting Kaa’s spinal cord, throat, and brain. A mixture of brain matter, marrow, and blood sprayed out.

Baskerville’s Fangs, N-th fang of Baskerville. The six fangs burrowed relentlessly into Kaa’s body.

Squelch! Plop! Thud!

Vikir stubbornly widened the wounds he had created, cutting through flesh, breaking bones, and severing nerve fibers to ensure that none of Kaa’s bodily functions remained intact.

Even in this desperate moment, Aiyen’s nonchalant demeanor as she shot arrows into Kaa’s rear was quite amusing to Vikir.

“How’s that? Big sis is doing well, right?”

“…”

Even in the midst of this urgency, Vikir couldn’t help but smirk at Aiyen’s playful comment.

Eventually…

…Thud!

The furious Mushussu Kaa lay lifeless on the ground.

Ballak’s warriors gathered to celebrate their victory. They had put in a lot of effort to assist the recovering patients. Following the rainy season, they gathered a variety of fish such as plump catfish, salmon, trout, and others. From the Salt River, they also obtained a large coastal lobster and an elderly boar. They made a hearty stew out of various high-nutrient mushrooms, root vegetables, nuts, and fruits.

Ahun, who had recently caught the Ox-Bear Alpha, was especially proud of his accomplishment. He laughed heartily as he patted Vikir on the back.

“No matter how hard I try, I can never beat you! Hahaha!”

Moving the colossal Mushussu Serpent required the combined efforts of Ballak’s warriors and the wolves. The once-dominant apex-predator of the floodwaters had now been reduced to chunks of meat.

The meat was cooked in various ways—grilled, smoked, steamed, stir-fried. The bones were used to make broth infused with herbs and other ingredients. Organs and blood were boiled in water to create nutritious soups.

The high-nutrition snake meat, fried in oil until golden and crispy, was helping the recovering patients regain their strength. Furthermore, the meat of the other creatures that had been inside Kaa’s belly had softened to the perfect texture for the younger patients to eat.

Everyone expressed their gratitude, admiration, and love for Vikir.

Amidst these caring gazes, Vikir had other thoughts.

“We did well to capture the Mushussu. The results have been excellent.”

He hit the jackpot.

Vikir looked at the soul of the Mushussu, which was now part of BeelZebub, one of the three skill sections..

/ Spike.

Slot 1: Burn (火傷) – Cerberus (A+)

Slot 2: Silent Heal – Mushussu (A+)

Slot 3: Heavenly Anchor – Ox-Bear (A)

Vikir had acquired the skill from the Mushussu called “Silent Heal,” which replicated the snake’s ability to move silently even while walking.

“Silent Heal.”

Just walking normally, could have the same effect as walking carefully with heels raised. This was an extraordinary morale-boosting skill that could be highly beneficial for survival in the floodwaters, as well as for assassination, stealth, ambush, and even spying. Moreover, for Vikir, who had learned archery, it would be a significant advantage.

“It’s similar to the Sound-Killing skill that Adolf Morg used in the past.”

Adolf had used a sound-nullifying spell during a previous attack on Ballak’s hunting teams when trying to reclaim Camus. It had proven highly useful at the time.

Vikir gazed at the bead beneath the pommel of Beelzebub, glowing red due to the Mushussu soul, and nodded.

Just then, a voice drew the attention of everyone, including Vikir.

“The Shaman has completed the ritual!”

The sentry’s cry suddenly turned the mood in the village tense. When the Red Death had just begun, Aheuman, who had secluded himself for a long time, had finally emerged from his residence, claiming to perform a ritual to heal the sickness.