It's been two days since the two of them had spent their time and energy embarking on a rigorous journey. For two nights, this pair of master and disciple encountered a ton of difficulties that could've taken their lives.
Though, most of those difficulties seemed to have only aimed at the life of the disciple.
This journey across dozens of territories inhabited by different demonic monsters led them to this peculiar grassland.
"Gaze with all of your eyes, my disciple. After our hardships traveling through every territory, we finally arrive.
By far, this is the only open field where you can let out a sigh of relief. The demonic beast that inhabits this place is said to have a hearing disorder," he said, gazing proudly at his half-dead-looking disciple, who had suffered from their journey.
Seeing Alex's pitiful state, he handed him a chunk of their rations to consume.
With the nutrients he gained, Alex accelerated the regenerative capabilities of his body.
Soon after, most of his bruises disappeared.
Alex caught a glimpse of the beautiful scenery. They had finally reached the edge of the forest—peculiar, yet peaceful compared to the rest.
He felt a little more relaxed due to the atmosphere—mostly because, for once, he wasn't in a life-threatening situation.
"Hearing disorder...? Can you give me an example that I can relate to? I'm not that well educated, since I've been a slave," Alex said while sitting on the soft and comfortable field of grass.
"Hearing disorder… Think of these monsters as the average romcom harem protagonist eyed by many girls.
Now, picture that one scene where one of the heroines blurts out that she loves the protagonist. Due to the hearing disorder, the story continues—this is one of the most despised ways to drag out a plot.
Instead of ending things or progressing meaningfully, the author fills it with pointless episodes that have no impact on the story."
"Master… Why is it that your way of explaining things sounds like it came from a child instead of an adult? I didn't think I'd ever hear someone older than me talk about this sort of stuff."
Despite the odd explanation, he understood it.
Nevertheless, his image of his unreachable master grew blurrier.
Still, Alex found himself more curious about the bizarre example than frustrated by it.
"Don't take me for a washed-up old boomer!!
The reason I'm still alive and well is because I accepted the new ways of survival.
I'm not some traditional fossil, and since I know you'd fall asleep with a normal example, I decided to mix it up.
I chose the perfect kind of explanation to make sure you remember it."
Neon flung a rock at a nearby roaming demonic beast.
The noise it created was enough for anything with normal hearing to detect it instantly.
However, what Alex witnessed matched exactly what his master explained.
These monsters believed themselves powerful and durable enough to survive their environment.
Their scales helped them survive—but too much defense became a weakness.
'These monsters' weaknesses are by far some of the dumbest things revealed to the world.
Who would've thought the scales that protected them would be their undoing?
Durable? Check. Power? Check. Agility? Below average. Awareness? Practically blind.
Their scales cover their ears, nose, and probably their eyes too.
This scale reproduction lets them survive, but at what cost?
If it dulls your awareness this much, is it even worth it?'
"Visually impaired, hearing disorder, and no sense of smell? I didn't think species like this existed.
Master, how did they even survive this hellish environment? These monsters are as useless as it gets!!
Do you want me to shoot one of them? Is that why you're pointing at them? Okay, if you say so."
Alex took a long breath, pulled his long, durable bow, and fired an arrow crafted from his thornerus bone structure.
The arrow descended smoothly, gliding through the air.
By the time it reached the surface of the monster, Alex noticed a manifestation appear on its shell.
The mana inside its body formed a protective shield.
However, Alex's arrow was far too powerful.
It pierced through the defense with ease, but the result was still...
"I-It got stopped!!?"
Neon didn't scold him when he screamed for the first time.
The stony plateau was one of the most isolated places in the dark forest—perfect for his loudmouth of a disciple.
Alex was dumbfounded. He knew his arrow was superior.
But when matched against the scale of the monster—it just got stuck.
The monster didn't even bleed.
His arrogance shattered.
An attack he had trained endlessly.
A strategy he considered flawless.
And it failed.
He finally understood.
The reason Neon brought him to this territory…
Was because of this monster.
But his master didn't flinch.
He even smiled—barely.
"Very good.
You finally realized that a single attack can only go so far.
But I didn't bring you here just to make a point… that would've been a waste of everyone's time.
Look closely, my gullible disciple.
When faced with a monster that defies every attack—
What does a person do?
Run?
Try again?
No.
The best way to fight such a foe…
Is to wield a weapon well-suited for your opponent."
Soon after, Neon manifested a thornerus bolt from the palm of his hand.
[Special Ability: The Guardian has called upon the power of the Thornerus Bone Structure and switched it to Offensive Mode.]
[Weapon Creation]: By using the host's mana, you can manipulate the growth of your bone structure to become a weapon.
[Limitless Reshaping]: The host will have no restrictions when reshaping their bone structure.
[Refining]: The host can sharpen and reinforce the durability of created Thornerus weaponry. This increases pierce rate, durability, air resistance, damage, defense ignore, etc.]
[Unique Race Ability: The Guardian has called for the use of one of the abilities within his race.]
[Homunculus Shift]: The guardian, who is part of the homunculus race, can completely alter their form. If the required mana is met, this skill activates naturally upon invocation.
[Status]: The guardian has chosen the only recorded shifted form: the [Bow of Abomination]. New shifted forms will be unlocked upon creation of another.]
As the person who adopted Alex and converted him into his own created race, Neon displayed a stronger version of Alex's inherited ability.
His manifested weapon—reshaped with perfect imagery—overflowed with mana.
He even went as far as mutating his hand, letting his disciple glimpse another yet-to-be-unlocked power.
His left arm transformed into a lesser homunculus, expanding into his chosen weapon.
Instead of disgust, Alex was amazed.
With a closer look, he saw Neon's left arm morph into the same form he once used to kill his strongest enemy to date.
Once he locked on using his golden eye, he fired.
Unlike Alex, Neon's attack shook the surroundings.
His arrow pierced through the enemy.
A large earthquake ensued.
The smoke dispersed.
The monster's shell—shattered.
Its body—demolished.
[System: You've achieved another incredible feat. The guardian known as Neon is granted a title befitting his goal.]
[+10 unused stats. Due to possessing the "Overkill" title, you gained +5 extra unused stats.]
[Title Acquired: "Oneshot" – Increases the final damage of a single shot fired by the guardian by 20%.]
"Now you understand what I wanted to show you, right?
These monsters have a passive ability—the more they survive an attack, the more their defense increases.
However, that passive resets if they go unhurt for a while.
The trick to killing them is easy.
Just kill them…
in one shot~"
"One shot, my ass!! That's overkill I tell you!!
There aren't even remnants of the monster left!!"
After they finally entered the plateau, Neon gave him a brief rundown of the terrain and the monsters that dwelled there.
After that, the two of them took a short break.
They continued their journey.