"—I won't be polite."
In the blink of an eye—
The Barghest, pinned beneath Sakeer's iron sword, suddenly sensed imminent death. Its primal instincts flared, and a gray light pulsed from the chains wrapped around its body.
The Great Whirlwind of Chains!
Whoosh!
The chains lurched to life, slithering like awakened serpents, tearing through the air with a metallic howl. They transformed into whip-like iron tendrils, snapping toward Sakeer with terrifying speed.
"This…"
Sakeer's sharp senses immediately registered the incoming strike. The sheer force behind it sent a shiver down his spine. Without a moment's hesitation, he launched himself backward.
Swoosh!
The end of the chain whipped past, the iron rings at its tip glinting ominously as they slashed through the space where he had just stood.
Rumble!
Not far behind him, a massive tree was cleaved clean in half, its trunk shattering with a deafening crash as it toppled to the ground.
Landing smoothly, Sakeer steadied himself, casting a glance at the broken tree.
"Damn, that's some serious destructive power."
If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, he would've suffered a grave injury—even with his physical defenses.
"So this is the true power of a Barghest… No wonder it ranks above ogres in the adventurer threat assessment."
Sakeer smirked, his gaze shifting toward the creature.
The Barghest had risen to its feet, panting heavily. The attack had drained a significant amount of its energy, leaving it noticeably weaker.
"But…"
His eyes narrowed as he observed something important.
The chains that had just been writhing wildly like living creatures were now still—hanging limply over the beast's back.
That confirmed it.
"It can only use that ability once per day."
The "The Great Whirlwind of Chains!" was an ultimate move, meant to be a finishing blow or a last-ditch effort in a crisis.
Now that it was spent—the Barghest was completely vulnerable.
Boom!
The ground cracked beneath Sakeer's feet as he burst forward, closing the distance in a single breath.
His iron sword whipped through the air, aimed directly at the weakened beast's exposed flank.
Just as his blade was about to strike—
"RWAR!"
A shadow loomed overhead.
The second Barghest, which had been biding its time, let out a ferocious roar and leapt high into the air, intercepting Sakeer's attack with a powerful midair pounce.
"Quick Slash!"
Sakeer had anticipated this.
In an instant, he adjusted his swing mid-motion.
The sword, originally arcing toward the first Barghest, instead flipped upward—slicing toward the incoming beast from below.
Boom!
The second Barghest's chains coiled rapidly, forming a makeshift shield in an attempt to block the incoming blade.
But—
Ping!
CRACK!
Sakeer's powerful slash shattered through the chains, embedding his sword deep into the creature's chest. A sickening crunch echoed as its sternum cracked under the sheer force of the blow.
Bang!
The massive beast was flung backward, crashing through the jungle like a meteor, smashing into trees as it tumbled into the distance.
Had it not been for the chain absorbing some of the impact—that strike would have split it in half.
The weakened Barghest seized its chance—
With its companion's intervention, it lunged forward, jaws wide open, aiming to clamp down on Sakeer.
Its bloodstained fangs were inches from his throat when—
"Instant Reflex!"
Sakeer's movements seemed to reverse time itself.
In a blur, he twisted backward, effortlessly creating space between himself and the beast.
And in the same motion—his sword flashed.
Squelch!
A clean, precise cut.
The weakened Barghest's abdomen split open, blood and entrails spilling onto the jungle floor.
The creature let out a violent shudder—then collapsed, its body convulsing as its lifeblood drained away.
The thick stench of blood hung in the air.
Sakeer exhaled, his gaze falling on the now lifeless chains coiled around the beast's corpse.
"So after using that ability… the chains don't even function normally anymore?"
Shaking his head, he flicked his wrist, sending the excess blood from his blade splattering onto the ground.
A faint system prompt flickered in his mind.
『Gained XP: 369』
His lips curled slightly.
"More experience than an ogre, huh? Guess that's expected for a monster from the deep jungle."
The experience gained from slaying the Barghest had nearly matched the efforts of the past few days combined.
"Roar!"
A rustling sound echoed through the undergrowth as bushes and branches were forcefully parted.
The Barghest that Sakeer had struck down earlier staggered back into view, its limbs trembling under its own weight.
"Whew... Whew..."
Its breath came in ragged gasps, nostrils flaring as blood dribbled steadily from the corners of its mouth.
Despite its injuries, the beast's vicious, bloodshot eyes remained locked onto Sakeer. But before charging forward, it cast a brief glance toward its fallen companion—the lifeless corpse of the other Barghest.
Sakeer tilted his head slightly, observing its reaction.
"I thought you had run off… Seems like you two had quite the bond."
The moment those words left his lips—
"Roar!"
With a final burst of feral rage, the wounded beast lunged forward, its claws digging into the dirt as it pounced.
A sudden flash of cold steel cut through the air—
And in the next instant—
Thud.
The towering three-meter beast collapsed stiffly to the ground, its massive body sending up a small flurry of fallen leaves.
『Gained XP: 382』
Sakeer barely spared it another glance before pulling up his status screen.
『Experience Gauge: 9256/9500』
Just a little over 200 experience points left before he could level up his "Genius" ability to Level 10.
A quiet sense of relief washed over him.
A full month in this dense, dark jungle had taken its toll. The cold, the perpetual gloom, and the sheer isolation—it was enough to wear down even the strongest of wills.
"Worthy of my Lord!"
"My Lord is unbelievably powerful—even the Barghest couldn't stand a chance!"
"I've never seen a human as strong as you!"
"Those creatures have killed many of our kin's protectors in the past…"
"They were vile, cunning beasts!"
A flurry of excited voices erupted beside him.
The one speaking most fervently was the Hobgoblin Muguo that Sakeer still held firmly in his left hand. The creature had been trembling with fear just moments ago, but now, his tone was filled with admiration and awe.
But Sakeer had little patience for Hobgoblin chatter.
"Shut up."
Instantly, silence fell over the jungle once more.
Sakeer strode toward the fallen corpses of the Barghests.
Among the remains, the most valuable spoils were undoubtedly the chains that had wrapped around their bodies.
The corpses themselves might hold some worth, but he had already grown tired of collecting monster carcasses. His inventory was overflowing with over two thousand goblin corpses, and he was already dreading what to do with them all.
Would the Adventurer's Guild even accept full goblin corpses?
Sakeer briefly entertained the thought before dismissing it.
Instead, his gaze shifted to the strange, ominous chains still wrapped around the Barghests.
At first glance, they appeared metallic, resembling finely wrought iron cables both in texture and in the way they clanked together.
But on closer inspection—they weren't metal at all.
These chains were bone.
Dyed jet-black, with a metallic sheen that made them almost indistinguishable from iron.
Curious, Sakeer traced the length of the chain—only to discover that it wasn't simply wrapped around the beast.
The chain extended directly from the back of its neck.
With its dark fur blending seamlessly into the shadowed forest, the bone chain had looked as though it had been floating around the beast's body.
Sakeer's lips curled slightly.
"No wonder they call them 'Barghests.'"
Back in his previous life, such a monstrous creature would've been unheard of—a beast whose own spine extended outward, forming an unbreakable chain to shield its weak spots.
It protected the vulnerable nape and abdomen, covering the beast's most fatal weaknesses.
Ingenious.
With that kind of natural defense, it was no wonder ogres had fallen prey to them.
Without hesitation, Sakeer raised his sword, positioning it over the base of the chain where it fused with the creature's neck.
He had assumed that the connection would be as hard as the rest of the bone chain itself—perhaps even impossible to sever.
But the moment he applied pressure—
Schlick.
It cut clean through.
Surprisingly fragile, despite its outward appearance.
With barely any effort, Sakeer removed the bone chain from the corpse.
(End of Chapter)