74 Tomb Opening (2)

With the help of the other soul inside his body, the young man is confident that he can at least get the inheritance of the Ruined King. 

The winter breeze caressed his slender cheeks. A golden crown manifested above his head, brightly shimmering in golden and silver colors. 

However, before anyone could notice the bright light, the young man had already disappeared. 

....... 

Deep under the waters, Hans traversed himself over the decreasing temperature and increasing pressure. 

After a long hour of diving, Hans reached a glittering light, illuminating the dark waters. The bright light seemingly whirling into a spiral pattern like those dungeon portals. 

Hence, Hans determined that this might be the entrance of the tomb or maybe just one of the entrances. 

The portal was surrounded by coral reefs and large boulders. Exotic fishes swam inside the corals, flapping their fins as if they were flying. Just a few feet away from the portal, a large shipwreck seemingly crashes to the bottom of the waters. 

This proved to be a headache for Hans as he didn't know if he was in an ocean or not. 

Breathing underwater requires skill and he wouldn't be able to last long if the tomb is also underwater too. 

Thankfully, because of unknown reasons, he could somehow breathe underwater without a problem. Having no idea how that is possible, he just attributed it to his unknown race. 

'I should go in.'

Without hesitation, Hans dived forward. However, he was met by a powerful resistance enough to push him away. As he slowly moved his arms on the portal, it caused a red spark on both sides. 

Hans immediately backed away after sensing the ominous consequences of forcibly entering the gateway. 

'Maybe, it's required to present the item first?' 

Testing his guess, Hans gently placed the 'Ruined King's Cover' inside the spiral gate. 

Click—, click—

The clicking sound echoed in his ears followed by the eventual appearance of the invisible lock intertwined around the portal. 

In the center, a large lock-like structure resembling a triangle shape can be seen. The item Hans placed on the portal earlier right into the triangular mold. 

Click—, click—

The lock clicked loudly and the chains limiting him from entering finally collapsed. Hans withdrew the item and put it right back into the storage bag holstered on his belt. 

'This should be it.'

Looking at the giant portal, Hans' face displayed resolve. His fists clenched, thinking about the possibility of meeting that monster here. 

Even after a qualitative increase in strength, he could feel that it still fell short compared to some SS-Class Awakened. 

'Let's not fight him.'

For now, his goal is to obtain valuable things inside the dungeon and maybe possibly level up on the way. 

Hopefully, he wouldn't meet Aviante or cross paths with him because for sure, that guy still remembered his face. 

With his eyes narrowed, Hans submerged himself inside the portal. His vision was swallowed by darkness followed by the sound of a loud thud. 

.......... 

Aviante lifted his hands and the three items floated behind his back. The sword, coat, and battle suit formed a triangle until it gradually twirled into a spiral pattern. 

Watching this spectacle, Aviante's commanders and generals stood and behaved on the side. This was an important event not only for their king but also for themselves. 

According to the records, the Ruined King was a friend of the ruler of the Bloodbane race before its downfall. 

Therefore, their king needed to see if this was true or just a fabricated history. 

Seeing the portal to the tomb, Aviante nodded in satisfaction. Then, his eyes shifted to his wife and daughter who were staring at him with worried eyes. 

They were standing in the farthest corner. His daughter embraced her mother's arms. 

His daughter was even crying now, not knowing why his father had been obsessed with trying to uncover their race's history. 

Aviante groaned in self-blame. Due to his obsession with the Ruined King's Tomb, he has little to no time for his family. 

However, as a dignified king, he couldn't show this weakness to others. Thus, he ordered everyone to leave, leaving the three of them alone. 

Aviante sprung up from his throne and rushed towards his wife. The previous deadly and cold demeanor had now been replaced by a tender and loving gaze. 

Aviante embraced the two, "Vera, once this is over, I promise." He looked into her eyes, cupped her cheek, and declared, "We'll leave Earth and go back to our motherland."

Vera nodded. She puckered her lips, trying to suppress the urge to cry. However, mists already formed in her eyes. 

The portal continued to whirl behind them but it seemed like it was losing energy as time passed. 

Aviante understood this and quickly ruffled his daughter's hair. 

"Ava, dad will leave now." 

Ava nudged her head onto his mother's shoulders, not even looking at his father. Aviante looked at his wife for help but all he got was a faint smile. 

"Ava, how about this. Once I get back, I will tour you around the human world." 

Ava lightly twitched, causing Aviante to smile. It seemed like this tactic worked on his daughter too. 

He had been reading books on how to be a good father and this is one of the things fathers do once their child throws a tantrum. 

Shortly afterwards, Ava turned around and stared at his father. 

"Really?" 

Aviante wiped the tears off her eyes, "When did I dad lie to you?" 

This earned a chuckle from his wife. The three spent a little more time with each other. Just for once, the pressure on Aviante's shoulders gradually eased a bit. 

The life and the glory of their Bloodbane race were in his hand yet at this time, he's just like any other father dotting on his child. 

In the end, the supposed sad goodbyes turned into happy ones. He even received a cheer from his daughter who will await his return. 

Aviante stepped forward inside the portal. The three items arranged on the corners floated in his arms before he was swallowed in bright light. 

.........….. 

The moment he opened his eyes, his vision captured the sight of the rustling forest. The warm sun rays shone through the leaf gaps, hitting through the trees until they landed on his skin. 

Unlike a mausoleum and cemetery place he expected, the place was quite different. Even though he's in the middle of nowhere, Hans could vividly see the towering building, seemingly touching the heavens. 

He moved a step but quickly stopped after he felt uncomfortable wearing clothes that were drenched in water. Moreover, his weapons and gears weren't even equipped yet. 

After a short while, Hans began his journey. Two swords were hanging on his left waist. He also wore a mask that was broken in half. 

It was the mask he used back then at the Gathering. Although it's broken, due to its durability, Hans still used it for head protection. 

The wind bustled through the lush green trees, making leaves rustled in harmony. As he walked along the narrow path with broken branches around, he realized that the trails seemed to be man-made. 

'This should be from monsters.'

Hans surveyed the surroundings. Aside from the ants and small insects buzzing around the area, no monsters were caught in his perception. 

But to be certain, he sent additional mana to his eyes, expanding his vision range. 

He saw various and unique monsters varying in sizes and styles. There's a huge white and yellow striped tiger with 8 feet. There's also a giant spider with large black wings. 

Based on their predatory behavior, they seemed to be out in the woods to hunt for their prey. 

'It's better to avoid them.' 

Yes, they could be a source for exp but the fact that he had no idea about their strengths made him hesitant. 

Their sizes easily top over 30 feet tall. It was twice as large as the largest monster he had ever fought. 

Size may not be an accurate measure of a creature's true strength. However, sometimes this is one of the factors to determine a monster's threat level. 

There might be more monsters out there waiting for their exp to be collected.

Rather than provoking these beasts for exp gains, it's better to lay low first and further observed. 

Rustle—, rustle—

At that moment, Hans' ears pricked. Closing off his other senses and focused on his hearing, Hans stood alerted. 

Rustle—, rustle—, swish—

Echoes of the air together with the rustling winds entered his ears. Based on his guess, the monster seems agile despite having a large body. 

Hans rested his hand on the hilt of the blades ready to take strike anytime. 

Shrruuuuum—

The ground trembled. As the monster slowly approached, the tremors intensified further. Hans stood still, fighting to keep his balance on the ground. 

The monster entered his line of range but Hans didn't attack. 

He waited. 

100 meters… 

70 meters… 

50 meters… 

40 meters… 

The trees were uprooted from the ground as this monster charged through them without stopping. 

20 meters… 

10 meters… 

Its humongous body finally entered his vision. The nerves on his arms tightened. 

The monster leaped to the air, cusped its hands, and slammed his giant fists to the ground. 

Hans steady his feet and pulled his swords in a quick draw. 

As if the wind was ripped through shreds, their two attacks collided. 

Swish—

BALAAM—

Sparks are created between their attacks. The collision destroyed the surroundings. 

Hans pushed more strength to his sword, attempting to overpower the monster. However, as a response, the 30-foot tall behemoth leaned its head and rammed it towards his position. 

Slam—

The ground exploded. The monster formed a smirk before it gradually changed to a frown

As the dust settled, what's revealed was nothing more than a large crater formed by its attack. Unfortunately, the target it was looking for wasn't even there anymore. 

Annoyed after missing its prey, the monster lifted its massive chest and issued an earthshaking roar. 

ROOOOAR!!! 

Meanwhile, Hans appeared a short distance away from the monster. Escaping that attack was nearly impossible but using [Emperor's Strides], he somehow managed it. 

Now that he got a little breather, Hans could identify the monster. 

It has two horns protruding from its head with the other one seemingly cut into a half. It had a bright silver-colored fur similar to that of a silver fox. The behemoth had an appearance resembling a gorilla; however, this one might be a monster with a superior bloodline than others. 

"Seems like I have no choice."

The monster shifted its head towards him and cried as loudly as it could. 

Kuaaaah!!! 

The behemoth lifted its large foot and immediately charged in his direction. 

Based on its expression, it seemed quite happy seeing prey after a long time. 

"An S-class monster but with the strength of an SS-Class."

Hans activated all his auxiliary skills except for the red form. 

"This is troublesome but…" Hans smiled at the monster and continued, "...it's manageable."

Rooooar!! 

The behemoth launched its fist on the ground. 

Slam—

Hans leaped to the air and observed its attack pattern. 

The monster continued its barrage of attacks. 

Slam—, slam—, slam—, slam—

Hans only evaded, causing Plundy to ask in confusion. 

[Why won't you counter attack?] 

Hans responded, "Not yet."

Seeing Hans' unbothered expression, the monster felt insulted. Although its intelligence is not that advanced, it could sense that it's being underestimated. 

Gruuaahhh!! 

Then, the beast launched a skill. 

[You have been struck by the skill, 'Rage Meter'.] 

[The meter reached 100%.]

[Defense decreases by 90%]

Although Hans was surprised by the skill, in the end, he just ignored it. Even with his defense gone, as long as it couldn't hit him, this skill is basically pointless. 

"Why are you angry at me!" Hans called out. He immediately positioned in a stance. 

The monster looked at Hans with nothing but rage in its eyes. However, it immediately intensified even more after realizing Hans wasn't even intimidated and afraid of itself. 

It readied another attack but… 

"Where are you aiming at…?" 

The monster turned around at Hans' voice which was coming from behind his neck. 

However, it was too late. 

[Weaving Thunder.]

Zap—

Hans' slashed the behemoth's nape. Blood gushed out from the slash made on its back. 

Rooooar!!! 

The monster stomped its massive foot to the ground, trying to shake away Hans from its behind. 

Hans held his ground and swung his sword multiple times until the monster's neck bones were exposed. 

But before he could continue to attack, the monster charged itself towards the towering trees.

Rustle—, rustle—

Having no choice, Hans sheathed his swords and leaped away from the monster. With the damage he inflicted to it, this battle would be a lot easier now. 

But the problem is… 

"What a tough skin." 

Even after so many slashes, he didn't even manage to cut its neck bone. Maybe his guess wasn't right at all. Perhaps, this monster might be an SS-Class one. 

"If that's the case…" 

Suddenly, Hans unsheathed the two blades. 

Sizzle—, sizzle—

Using flame control, the swords were set ablaze in a fire. Not only the damage would be larger, but it would also inflict the burning effect which would drain its health little by little. 

While the monster was screaming in pain, he would strike a fatal blow. The primeval eyes pointed its weakness to its right chest. 

Taking a deep breath, Hans dashed forward. 

[Constantine Sword Style] 

He created a variation which was inspired by one of Light's rapier arts. 

In an instant, Hans appeared under the monster's chest. 

"...then how about this?" 

[Demonic Flame, Burning Hurricane]