Chapter 133: Unbreakable Defense | Acquired: 'All-Race Charm”

Words : 1196 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Clang! Lyle raised the iron sword just in time. The sharp, gray-black strike collided with it, emitting a deep, metallic thud. Creeeak—Clink! The blade cracked in several places upon contact. The force of the blow numbed Lyle's arms immediately. The attacker—a blur of silver—seemed surprised its strike had been parried and momentarily halted its assault. Taking full advantage of that pause, Lyle leapt back, widening the distance. He glanced at the deep notches now decorating his sword, and his eye twitched. That thing had nearly chopped the blade in half. "I assumed it was those damn ogres trespassing on my territory again," came a cool, vaguely amused voice. "But it's you—a human, no less. I figured you'd be a magic caster, yet you blocked my strike head-on." Lyle raised his eyes to get a proper look at the speaker—and immediately regretted it. The creature before him towered over two meters tall, covered in lustrous silver-white fur. Its appearance, disturbingly enough, resembled a giant humanoid hamster... if hamsters had meaty, tree-trunk arms casually resting at their sides and razor-sharp black claws over a meter long, still dripping with ogre chunks. Its most unsettling feature, however, wasn't the claws. A monstrous, snake-like tail—twenty meters long, armored in silver-scaled plating—swayed lazily behind it. Interwoven through its fur were faint silver magical patterns, pulsing subtly with light. Lyle instinctively tightened his grip on his ruined sword. Just looking at it sent chills down Lyle's spine. Maybe to that overlord skeleton back in Nazarick, this thing is 'adorable.' But to Lyle? Not a damn chance. "Awestruck by my divine visage, are you?" Hamusuke's voice was smug, even a little excited. "It's been so long since I've had a proper conversation. You look stunned—terrified, even! Right? Right?" It chuckled, chest rumbling like distant thunder. "Well then, since you've wandered into my territory, I'll do you the favor of granting you a painless death. No need to struggle. Just lie still... and become my next meal." Lyle exhaled slowly, then, without ceremony tossed, the damaged iron sword onto the ground with a dull clunk. "Oh? Giving up already?" Hamusuke tilted its massive head. "And here I thought someone who could block one of my strikes might actually put up a fight." Lyle calmly reached to his hip. "I'm just switching swords." A fresh iron blade flashed into his grip. "Also... you're really damn chatty." "Chatty? What is that? Some human slang?" Hamzoku's voice dropped cold. "It doesn't sound like a compliment." The air thickened. Hamusuke's black beast-eyes narrowed. "Let's see how that tongue of yours tastes—" BOOM! The enormous creature lunged, body blurring with shocking speed despite its size. Wind roared as it slammed forward. "Dark Wave!" Lyle's eyes sharpened as he shouted the incantation. A wave of dark energy pulsed outward from him, rippling like a shadowy shockwave. It crashed into Hamzoku mid-pounce. The beast's movement seized up mid-air. Unlike previous enemies who had been reduced to confused zombies by the spell's fear-inducing effect, Hamusuke only stiffened. Its eyes still gleamed with awareness. "What... what was that?" It sounded genuinely bewildered. "Fear effect didn't work?" Lyle made a mental note, but his body didn't pause. "Quick Slash!" He lunged forward, blade slicing the air with sharp intent. The sword struck Hamzoku squarely in the chest. A faint shimmer indicated the double curse damage had successfully triggered. WHUMP! A small patch of silver fur fluttered to the ground. Lyle blinked. It didn't even break the skin?! He'd just used his strongest attack, enhanced by curse mechanics—and it had barely shaved fur. That defense was downright ridiculous. Muscle Fortification— It must be a passive skill. Natural-born tank. BOOM! Hamusuke broke free from the lingering effect of Dark Wave, quickly retreating. Its eyes no longer held amusement, but wariness. "What did you just do to me, you lowly human?!" The previous playful tone had vanished, replaced with open hostility. But upon realizing it hadn't been hurt, Hamzoku's snarl softened slightly in relief. "Hmph! You're not the only one with tricks!" A magical sigil shimmered into view on its chest, lines forming a small but intricate formation. "All-Race Charm!" Lyle's heart tensed. That was a mental control spell—bad news. Very bad news. "Undead Will!" He immediately activated his countermeasure. According to the in-universe lore he remembered, Hamusuke lacked natural magical casting talent. So its "All-Race Charm" was barely useful—good enough for charming rabbits, maybe. But reality was reality. He wasn't about to gamble. Lyle pulled open his mental interface, focusing. [Skill Points: 39 → 38] Skill Acquired: All-Race Charm (Tier IV) Cost: 20 MP Description: A mental charm effect usable on all races. Highly potent in subjugating targets with weak willpower. Got it. He'd held off on learning lesser charm skills—like the "Human-Racial Charm" used by Khajiit or the Forest Gnome—just for this moment. Hamzoku's appearance had flushed out the rarest, most versatile version. His real goal in provoking this oversized rat was now complete. The only downside? He couldn't even scratch it. "Time to go." Lyle sprang back, scooping up his small demon hound as he began chanting. "Flight!" Blue magic enveloped him in a rush. In the blink of an eye, Lyle lifted into the sky, shooting upwards like a missile. "Get back here, you coward!" Hamusuke roared from below, its massive tail lashing toward the retreating figure. Too late. The tail whipped through the air with terrifying speed but couldn't reach. Lyle had already broken above the forest canopy. From high above, Lyle looked down at the silver beast now thrashing through the trees in fury, cursing the heavens. That was the difference between brute strength and versatility. Breathing out, Lyle oriented himself toward the eastern edge of the Great Forest of Tob. His eyes scanned the distant treetops until he spotted it: a jagged tear in the forest—like a scar carved through the canopy. That's it. The Forest Rift. According to the map—and a rather talkative hobgoblin named Agu—that was the territory of another powerful forest entity: the Troll King, Guu. The wind whispered through his hair as he soared, sunlight warming his skin, the vast forest unfurling below him like a living sea. The feeling of weightlessness, of drifting through endless blue—Lyle couldn't help but smile. "This power... It's intoxicating," he murmured. "No wonder people lose themselves in it." But as he replayed the battle in his mind, the thrill faded slightly. His smirk softened into a thoughtful line. "Hamusuke wasn't even fighting seriously. That was playing. And even then, it completely outclassed me in speed, strength... and defense." The charm spell was a victory—but a narrow one. If he hadn't planned ahead, he'd be a smear on a claw right now. "Still. I got what I came for." He pressed forward, aiming for the Forest Rift. Now that he had the "All-Race Charm," his next plan could begin. What that plan was? Well, even he wasn't totally sure yet.

Chapter 133: Unbreakable Defense | Acquired: 'All-Race Charm”

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