Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

The burst of sinister laughter alarmed most of the people in the party. After all, not only did it sound very evil and maniacal in nature, but the cadence of the laughter also seemed to belong to a being of extreme intelligence.

In other words, treating this Hellion Mutation as a simple monster would be a catastrophic mistake. It was more fitting to view it as something closer to an NPC, which possessed a decent amount of intelligence.

Nevertheless, Kieran narrowed his eyes because of the rumors centered around Hellion Mutations.

'The odds of one appearing in Hell Mode is extremely low, but any Hellion Mutation can become an immense headache. They're even more troublesome than Variant Monsters simply because they could be considered perverse Guardians.'

Hellion Mutations could only occur within the Hell Mode of a dungeon, which is why he delegated its relation to a Guardian. Similar to Hellion Mutations, Guardians only appeared within areas that required protection or areas that led to uncharted territories.

In this aspect, Hellion Mutations weren't too dissimilar. Furthermore, Hellion Mutations were unique to Hell Mode dungeons, meaning they were barred from roaming outside of the dungeon's limitations.

​ "That thing looks SO nasty," Nemean complained, his expression slightly warped due to the squeamish feeling he felt rising within.

"You're not wrong. This opponent is very grotesque and off-putting. If I had any say in the matter, it's certainly something I'd like to refrain from battling against," Sora agreed, voicing her stance.

"Whether we like it or not, it's something we must defeat to progress in the dungeon," Khaos stated, becoming the voice of reason that made several team members sigh reluctantly.

In the meantime, Kieran's attention shifted to his surroundings, analyzing everything around him. Within his gaze, Kieran detected several "slumbering" presences. This meant that, at any point in time, the number of their foes present could rise far beyond the one before them.

'Considering the abilities of a Hellion Mutation, it's not a far-fetched assumption. In fact, it's highly likely and should be prepared for,' Kieran thought.

In the next moment, he raised his hand and glanced in Nemean's direction. "From this point on, we'll set all jokes aside."

As soon as Kieran gave this order, Nemean's demeanor seemingly underwent a complete 180-degree turn, growing unusually stern. "Understood, boss."

This hidden nature of Nemean was precisely why Kieran designated him as one of the guild's upcoming Vice Guild Masters. 

Following this change, Kieran nodded subtly and continued to speak. "In the event of a sudden change, you're by no means meant to become involved in my fight. I estimate that the first will become more than what exists before our eyes."

"Ah. Is that your way of saying you may have to solo this enemy?" Bastion remarked, reiterating Kieran's words the way he interpreted them.

"You're not wrong. I do intend to handle the enemy alone if they prove to be a ridiculous opponent, but it's not because I lack faith in you all."

Saying that, Kieran paused and lifted a single finger, moving it throughout the room. "All those containers most likely contain an enemy. Should this Hellion Mutation be capable of commanding them, trying to handle them all at once alongside the Hellion Mutation would be foolish."

"We understand your point," Alice answered before the others could.

"Are you able to pinpoint how many threats we might have to face with your eyes?" Khaos questioned. 

Though Khaos had some reservations as to how a berserker-type class wielded such strong eyes, he didn't press into the matter because it wasn't his place to ask a question that delved into Kieran's secrets.

Instead, he followed the tone of the party, keeping the atmosphere amicable and professional.

Of course, Kieran also noticed the skepticism and interest in Khaos' eyes, but he similarly didn't address it. 

"I can only give you a rough estimate, which is around a hundred or so. But that is why I'm cautioning you all beforehand. If possible, I'll continue to render assistance in times of need. Aside from that, I have faith in you."

While speaking, Kieran's gaze fell on Sera, Alice, Bastion, Nemean, Khaos, and Sora in particular. Despite having their own strengths, the rest of Advent's strike force weren't enough to enter Kieran's praises.

A moment later, the Hellion Mutation released another string of sinister laughter as its body lowered toward the ground. 

As Nemean commented earlier, its skin was pink and fleshly like that of a naked molerat or a disfigured fetus. Though, some parts of its skin were rotten and leaked a putrid pus-like liquid onto the ground.

When it combined with the vile liquid flowing through the floor, it sizzled as if it had formed a chemical reaction of sorts.

All of a sudden, the Hellion Mutation moved.

Swoosh! Bang!

A rumbling noise similar to a sonic boom sounded as Bastion immediately dashed before Kieran, quickly erecting a strong defense sustained by his Will. The Will Armament continued to expand until an ancient figure manifested behind Bastion's back and embraced the shield alongside him.

"Defender's Bulwark: Archaic Embrace!"

Wooom!

The Will Armament attached to Bastion emitted a strange sound as it was bombarded by a ridiculous force. This force was naturally the Hellion Mutation that clamped onto the bulwark with its menacing claws, claws that resembled the talons of a hawk but only much longer.

As the Hellion Mutation attempted to break through the skill, Kieran suddenly appeared beside it before swinging Crimson Ashrune in a beautiful arc, giving off the feeling that it would undoubtedly connect with its concave and partly rotting torso.

Scccccrrrr!

However, contrary to the expectation of such a sublime strike, the Hellion Mutation moved its arm at the last second, blocking Kieran's attack in a way that generated a sonorous droning and a shocking number of sparks.

Nevertheless, Kieran continued to supply additional force into the swing until the Hellion Mutation was forced to retreat.

"A frightening amount of STR and AGI, but that's to be expected from the information we've received," Kieran muttered, flinging his arm to the side. 

The deep grooves in the Vampiric Blood Encrustation surrounding Crimson Ashrune were promptly repaired as Kieran consumed some of his Health to do so.

「 Lv.55 Moribun, Extremis Chimera (Epic)

Mini-Boss, Hellion Mutation

Beast, Humanoid, Experimental Lifeform

Health: 45,690,000/45,690,000 (100%) 」

"This thing… actually has damn near 50 million Health. If we account for the high DEF and Damage Reduction of a boss, wouldn't that create a ridiculous challenge?" Nemean questioned.

"It most likely will but… there's no issue here," Kieran said confidently.

After that, Kieran slowly raised his blade until it was pointed at Moribun. "I will test exactly how high its DEF is."

Whoosh!

Before anyone could disagree with his words, Kieran vanished, his body flickering from where it previously stood. The vile liquid within a small ring-shaped area was displaced by his sudden movement, though it fell a moment later.

However, by the time the liquid returned to the ground, Kieran appeared before Moribun with a rapid swing of his blade.

"Kekeke!" Moribun cackled from the sight. 

But just as it attempted to catch Kieran's blade, something strange occurred. Crimson Ashrune slowed down, dipped, and then traveled toward Moribun from an entirely different angle.

Visible confusion flashed within Moribun's eyes as it felt a large force bombard its chest a second later.

-19,749

The damage from the attack wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. 

However, it let Kieran understand what he was dealing with. With his current Phys. Atk and the modifiers attached to his strikes, Kieran estimated Moribun absorbed at least 30% of the damage inflicted.

Coupled with its healing factor as a Mini Boss Monster, Kieran understood that the party required a DPS of at least 22,000 to overcome how much Health Moribun regained per minute.

That was due to the effects of Hell Mode and its identity as a Hellion Mutation, which meant that this strange chimera creature regenerated roughly 3% of its Health every minute. 

Or in other words, it regenerated near 1.4 million Health every minute.

Of course, this was all under ideal circumstances. One had to take into account that there were always times where an opponent like Moribun could dodge or prevent players from attacking.

Meanwhile, Khaos was stunned for a different reason. Setting aside the matter of Kieran unleashing close to 20,000 damage with a basic attack, he was more fascinated by his movement.

'Those movement Techniques… and that striking path. He undoubtedly manipulated his body at a minute level just now. That already goes beyond Burst Steps,' Khaos inwardly marveled.

On the surface, Kieran's actions seemed extremely simple. But in reality, they weren't. 

After using Phantasmal Flicker to close the distance between him and Moribun in an instant, Kieran shattered the momentum to execute an Accel Shift.

But rather than moving with the flow, he let that energy flow through his body, particularly to his arm, allowing him to shift Crimson Ashrune's position with mind-boggling precision.

This type of action would be impossible to execute if not for the Archaic Verity Compendium strengthening his Focus to the point it resulted in an abundance of mental power.

Of course, these actions were taxing as they required superlative control of his body. 

Moreover, considering Kieran was still an Intermediate Being that was heavily restricted by his lacking Constitution, forming a compartmentalized link to his individual muscle groups was cumbersome.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

After suffering a strike from Kieran's blade, Moribun unleashed a whirlwind of claw strikes that left sizzling remnants in the air. However, because of Kieran's fluid movements that resembled a taunting dash, Kieran admittedly remained within yet outside of Moribun's reach at all times.

"Crimson Barrage!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As soon as Kieran located an opening in Moribun's relentless onslaught of pointless attacks, Kieran claimed the opportunity, unleashing his skill that claimed hundreds of thousands of Moribun's Health instantly.

"Kekeke!"

Once more, the sinister laughter sounded from Moribun's throat, but it didn't stop there this time. 

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkk!"

The laughter was soon superseded by a piercing screech that echoed throughout the laboratory.

Crck! Crrck! Crrrck!

An audible cracking noise that grew progressively louder within everyone's ears soon filled the room. 

As that happened, Kieran uttered a single sentence. "Prepare. It is time."

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