While the others were still fighting the remaining sewer monsters, Luke advanced. He was close to the final phase, where the boss should be waiting.
But then everything went black, he couldn’t even see his own hands.
〖Warning: You have discovered a Monster Nest〗
〖Objective: Kill the mother and eradicate the nest!〗
〖Protection barrier will collapse in 30 seconds〗
"Huh...?"
The darkness soon disappeared with the system, and that’s when Luke realized he had entered a nest.
A dome was around him for now, protecting him from the monsters. They scratched, clawed, and slammed their bodies against the barrier, trying to get inside. Fleas. Blob monsters. Alligators. Countless creatures.
"Where did all these things come from?" Luke wondered as their numbers seemed to grow bigger every second.
Gradually, he understood this place had been producing the monsters all this while. Destroying this nest would scour the dungeon clean.
But the only way to destroy the nest was to find the queen/mother and kill her.
She was somewhere inside, constantly producing more monsters. As long as she was alive, the monsters would keep coming. Killing these ones would only delay the problem because more would just replace them.
This was a nightmare for hunters. Some would prioritize finding and killing the queen first before dealing with her colony, but Luke didn’t care which way he went about it. As long as he could kill as many monsters as possible, he was happy either way.
The barrier finally dissolved.
But at this point, it was hard to say whether the barrier had been protecting Luke from the monsters or protecting the monsters from him!
The creatures attacked. They gagged, belched, screeched, and crawled over each other as they tried to reach Luke, using their numbers to their advantage. But with No Hit Guarantee incorporated into his chestplate, Luke was a phantom.
The nest was crowded with monsters, yet Luke somehow kept finding ways through them without getting touched.
The creatures thought that having more numbers meant they had a better chance. But Luke’s gauntlet thought otherwise.
BOOM!
With the Aspect of Conquest giving him 200% more damage on top of his planetary strength from both the Hell Ape and the Seven-Tusk Elephant, one punch can take care of fourteen monsters. The ones around them were thrown backward by the shockwave, crashing into the walls and each other.
That hit counted in a bracket as x1. From x1 to x2 to x5, x10 and x20, Luke fisted every monster in his path into Flame.
Punch after punch, he couldn’t stop, possessed by the Ancient Beasts he wore.
〖Hit x20!〗
〖Skill: Misery Spikes!〗
〖Description: Spikes from Hell emerge from the ground and impale nearby targets.〗
SHRAAAK!
Black spikes came out of the ground and impaled a dozen monsters without pity.
The spikes tried dragging them back into the ground, but the monsters withered to Flame before they could get that far.
〖Hit x20!〗
〖Skill: Blood Debt!〗
〖Description: Every wound inflicted on a target is recorded. All recorded wounds erupt simultaneously. 〗
"Wait, what the heck?"
These skills were suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Luke didn’t remember having Misery Spikes, and he definitely didn’t remember having Blood Debt.
"Does every x20 combo give me a new skill? Or are these temporary skills?"
While he was still trying to understand what these new skills were doing, monsters suddenly started bursting like balloons around him, covering him in monster blood just as he had wished.
Blood Debt erupted every wound Luke had inflicted on the monsters. Even a small cut was enough for it to take effect.
The funny thing was that the skills were activating on their own, and each activation added more hits to Luke’s combo.
What started with one punch had now turned into a chain, with Luke having almost nothing to do with it except start the chain!
〖Hit x20!〗
〖Skill: Fated Wound!〗
〖Description: Every monster in a 10 metre radius begins to bleed!〗
Fated Wound wasn’t as lethal as Misery Spikes or Blood Debt, but since Blood Debt was still active, every wound Fated Wound created could erupt too.
All monsters within Luke’s radius began bleeding. POP! POP! POP! And Blood Debt did its job, drowning Luke in even more monster blood.
By now, he was covered so badly that he was unrecognizable.
〖Hit x20!〗
〖Skill: Gravehand!〗
〖Description: Skeletal gauntlets erupt from beneath enemies and grab their legs, briefly immobilizing them!〗
Finally, a nonlethal skill appeared and broke the madness.
Luke could have paused, taken a breath, and tried to understand everything that had just happened, but he had taken his combo to x80+. He wanted to see what would happen when he reached x100.
The monster blood covering his body wasn’t enough to slow him down. By using his chestplate to Blitz, most of the blood blows off his body because of the speed.
"Again!" Luke hissed, throwing his arms back to condense his strength.
The skeletal hands had grabbed dozens of monsters by their legs, leaving them trapped at his mercy. Luke didn’t waste the opportunity.
One monster turned to Flame. Then another.
Every time Luke passed one of the immobilized creatures, his gauntlet crashed into their flesh, and Flame chased after him as he went on to the next.
〖Hit x100!〗
〖Berserk Combo: A ghostly Hell Ape Gauntlet assaults enemies within range before disappearing.〗
〖You have slain a Beta monster!〗
〖You have slain a Beta monster!〗
〖You have slain a Beta monster!〗x125
〖Flame + 800.5〗
Luke slew the monsters much faster than the queen could produce them with the help of Berserk.
Berserk allowed his gauntlet to take a ghostly form that left his arm and started destroying monsters ahead of him, taking about 15 seconds and doing the most damage.
〖Cogratulations! You have slain the Mother of the nest!〗
〖XP + 4500!〗
〖Hit x20!〗
〖Skill: Vecna’s Arm! Ready to Use!〗
"Are... These skills permanent?" Luke asked, his voice shaking as he stared and his heart pounding.
He couldn’t believe what he had just seen. If he couldn’t even believe this himself, then what would other people think if they saw it?
Luke checked his gauntlet’s profile to be sure.
〖Hell Ape Gauntlet〗
〖Effect: Grants the wearer increased strength by 50,000% and the will of the Hell Ape〗
〖Skills: Purgatory Charge | Red Basin〗
〖Systems: Aspect of Conquest〗
Under the Aspect...
〖20/20 Hit Count Combo: Grants a random temporary skill after 20 hits〗
〖10/10 Berserk Combo: 75% guarantee to clear all enemies〗
〖x200% Critical Damage: Self-explanatory〗
"So it is temporary," Luke mused, scratching his hair. "And I guess all the skills are still related to the Hell Ape."
He looked around and realized that none of the monsters had even stood a chance. Not even one had managed a hit on him, aside from drowning him in their blood.
"And isn’t a combo the amount of hits you can get without getting hit yourself?" Luke wondered. "So if I have a chestplate with No Hit Guarantee, that means I have a combo guarantee?"
Short answer: Yes, but Luke wasn’t sure he could accept that truth.
He had thought he was the beast, but he didn’t think he would become a monster.
The corpse of the queen was gone, but she left a reward behind.
〖Item: Queen Womb Pearl〗
〖Tier: Bronze〗
〖Quality: 10〗
〖Description: A pearl that enhances fertility and eases childbirth.〗
Luke picked up the pearl and gazed upon it before storing it in his inventory.
It was only Bronze tier, but he couldn’t help wondering if something like this could have saved his mom during his delivery.
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