Extra's Curse: Servants Of Will

As Ibaan's hand twitched slightly and moved toward the sword, a sudden force pulled from his palm, drawing the blade toward him. In the very next second, the sword trembled and shot back into his hand, the momentum pushing his arm backward.

His eyes widened even more at what had just happened.

The Utopian's Duke had another ability?

It could even return to its owner's hand on command—yet Ibaan hadn't intended anything like that. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. How could he have ordered it?

He was stunned. Whatever he had woven wasn't a simple weapon…

It was closer to a walking calamity.

Ibaan's lips curled into a grin as excitement surged through his chest, and another familiar panel appeared in the air.

[You have received half of the menace-strength punch: Menace Fist]

[Description]: The fist of an inhuman human who once fought the loyal seekers but later fell to corruption and turned into a menace itself. By using the Utopian's Duke, you can use this ability. However, the fist can speak… and even bring madness.

[Usage]: Utter "Come forth, Menace" while pointing or throwing the Utopian's Duke.

[Limit]: The Utopian's Duke has only consumed half of Beast-Monster Uman's strength.

As Ibaan read the construct, his excitement only grew.

Hissing, he dismissed the school's system and looked at the other party, the one that had finally broken apart into nothing.

And at the same moment, a few meters away from the spot, the same creature formed again— but this time, it looked dull.

Its glowing eyes were now lifeless.

Its horns still curved, but held no anger.

Its mouth hung open, yet there was no hunger left; there were only rough and heavy breaths.

It looked drained… and yes, it was drained, because nearly all of its strength had been devoured by the Utopian's Duke.

'Wait a second?'

But Ibaan instantly remembered the relic— or the school's system— had mentioned:

[The Utopian's Duke has only consumed half of Beast-Monster Uman's strength].

So logically, it should have still had half of its strength left, which was already huge judging from its earlier fights. It was far beyond anything a human could handle.

So a question rose in his mind:

Why was it drained?

Shouldn't it still be standing on its feet and pushing until the end? Ibaan was sure that even with half its power, it could still turn him into nothing.

But somehow, that didn't happen.

Which led him to a possible conclusion: Beast-Monster Uman never actually had that kind of strength by itself. It was nothing but a hax, and the true power behind it had been the Menace Punch, the same thing the Utopian's Sword had consumed. And if there was a hax, then there must have been a catalyst— some sort of force or energy that made it work.

And while disintegrating, that catalyst must have been used up.

So for now, it had run out of that energy— and maybe it would recover soon.

Ibaan's mind clicked, and a rush of adrenaline pushed through him.

The creature's legs trembled, yet it still slowly crouched.

And before it could open its mouth to growl and alert its companions, Ibaan hurled the Utopian's Duke with all his strength at the creature and shouted:

"Come forth, Menace!"

At that instant, Ibaan's eyes caught something truly menacing.

Like a bolt of lightning, a shadowy form shot out—tall as an average building. Its edges curled like smoke, yet it never faded or wavered like a candle's flame. It was none other than the Menace Punch. Two horns stretched out from the sides of the massive fist. And at the center of the fist glowed a red blade, its energy flickering. The blade was linked to a guard shaped like a dragon's skull, sharp bone-like spikes jutting out in every direction.

It struck the filthy creature so hard that its body burst into nothing but scattered pieces, and huge amounts of thick, bloody liquid splattered across the place— even all over Ibaan's casual clothes.

Right after that, another pair of panels flashed before him, praising his victory over the same filthy creature that had killed him once already.

[Utopian's Duke has consumed all of the strength of the

[You have destroyed Beast-monster Uman's core]

[You have received consumable Beast-monster Uman's core]

[You have slaughtered Beast-monster; Uman]

But Ibaan had already leaped down from the branch, landing on the slightly crushed ground.

As the dust in the air settled, he could finally see the surroundings more clearly.

The bloody liquid of the filthy creature was splattered all over the place, spreading its unbearable, disgusting stench. He immediately had to cover his nose with his fingers.

And where the creature had been standing, there was a bent—almost a hole—formed in the ground. In the middle of it lay the Utopian's Duke. Its red blade shimmered, and the red energy flickered every second like the flame of a fire that could not be put out.

Ibaan walked to the hole and lifted the sword by its hilt.

He wanted to rest for a while, but there was no time. The time that had once been frozen had now returned to its original state. Whatever time passed here would likely be passing in the real world too—maybe with some difference, maybe not—so he could not afford to waste even a moment.

So he kept pondering while walking toward the east, toward the next tower.

The creatures behind the walls were ranked beasts, and the ones inside the towers were beast lords. But after seeing the name mentioned by the school's system—[Beast-monster]—Ibaan realised he had never heard of such a thing before. Not even in his own world was there anything like a Beast-monster, or something that was half beast and half monster.

And Ibaan couldn't trust the idea that [Beast-monster] simply meant half beast and half monster. It could also mean a full beast and a full monster at the same time.