Chapter Fifty-Six: Slaying the Lord-Tier Aberration "Silent Watcher"

The ground trembled slightly, but that was all. When Colin invoked the Knight's Oath of the Shield to declare a duel, no external force could interfere with this sacred combat. Exploiting the unique nature of this mysterious artifact, Colin devised this segment of his plan. If it didn’t work, he would simply send in another wave to “self-destruct.” After all, it was not clever. Still, it was best to use the Shield of the Just Knight only once a day, with at least an hour between uses—three times at most—otherwise madness would ensue even before an hour of contact.

At this moment, the dueling arena was utterly isolated, the surroundings blurred by a mysterious force pulling the scenery away. Yet Colin and Shana could still glimpse some changes beyond the invisible, twisted barrier. Deep crimson heat mingled with thick black fog, like molten magma surging beneath the earth; even without direct contact, Colin could feel the terrifying heat within. The battered figure was completely swallowed by the horrific eruption.

After Colin finished his three oaths, he and Shana both looked outside, gazing at the shadowy, towering figure amidst the flames. It seemed to stand steady in the fiery glow, neither blown away nor fallen, unmoving, its condition uncertain.

[You sense its aura fading rapidly. You know its regeneration has reached its limit.]

[In this moment, though it has not yet perished, you realize you have defeated it.]

“It must be carrying something valuable, otherwise there’s no reason it would remain so motionless after such an explosion,” Colin speculated inwardly. For safety’s sake, he took out the sheepskin scroll and instructed the war chariot battalion to resume bombardment—another few rounds, with about two minutes left, just to be sure.

Not long after, the shelling ceased. When the “Duel Begins” announcement sounded in their minds, Shana did not hesitate to say, “I surrender.” Instantly, the distance snapped back; they stood where they had begun.

Colin ignored the extra “control,” immediately feeling the scorching heat burning his skin. The environment had been utterly transformed by explosives, a barren expanse where sand showed signs of melting. The air was thick with black smoke, the oxygen depleted by sudden combustion, making it hard to breathe—a suffocating sensation.

Shana stepped forward, summoning a gentle, cool green wind that swept around them, dispelling the acrid smoke and easing Colin’s discomfort. She also cast a new “Light Shield” and other spells on him. Of course, she used “Wind of Renewal” and similar skills mostly for Colin’s sake; with her current constitution, she was nearly unaffected after buffing herself.

Three meters away stood a giant creature whose flesh was completely charred and whose vitality was rapidly fading. Nearly ninety percent of its twisted flesh was gone, with muscles, bones, and organs utterly destroyed. All that remained relatively intact was its torn golden ceremonial robe and the head, wrapped in a turban and bearing a black metal mask.

The enormous three-pronged candelabrum had been flung far away by the explosion.

As Colin and Shana appeared, Colin felt—perhaps it was a trick of the mind—that the monster seemed to lower its head and glance at him. Strangely, Colin thought its persistence in living was to look at him one last time.

With a crash, the skeleton, bereft of flesh, could no longer support its massive body and collapsed like an avalanche. The Lord-level aberrant known as the “Watcher in Mourning” was finally dead.

Its head, nearly as tall as half of Colin, detached from the spine and rolled to within a meter of Colin, facing sideways. The next instant, a notification appeared before his eyes.

[Congratulations, survivor “Colin,” for becoming the world’s first lord to slay a Lord-level aberrant!]

[The system will grant the following rewards: Hard Black Bread x9999, Mist Points x1000, Recovery Card x3, Treasure Map Fragment x1, Level 2 Backpack Expansion Card, Blessing of Life for one day!]

[Rewards have been distributed.]

[May all lords take inspiration.]

In that moment, Colin heard shouts of astonishment from the nearby woods where several lords were gathered. Simultaneously, deafening cheers erupted from within Colin’s territory and the nitrate mine.

Victory! The world’s first kill!

Not only Colin, but everyone present immediately felt the effects of the “Blessing of Life.” Almost instantly, they noticed their bodies had nearly doubled in strength.

They did not know how the system recognized them as allies, but it didn’t matter—the benefit was theirs, even if only for a day. The only advantage they could share was this blessing and a bit of assist, but unfortunately, they did not have the corresponding quest.

Everything else, except for the blessing, belonged to Colin alone.

Meanwhile, the world channel was ablaze with activity.

“My god, aren’t Lord-level aberrants supposed to be invincible? Previously, a top player in our region gathered over a hundred people to fight a Lord-level aberrant in the canyon and nearly lost everyone…”

“Slaying a lord aberrant? Must be cheating! Wait, it’s Colin? Of course it’s him!”

“I guessed it! Explosives! It must be explosives! Sulfur’s been selling like crazy lately! I bet Colin is the one!”

“Indeed, only massive explosives could kill a Lord-level aberrant! Plus, with Colin’s war chariots, victory is possible. Otherwise, these aberrants are monsters—godly items or not, you’d only be running away.”

“What? Explosives? Multi-turret cultist alert.jpg. More is better! Big is beautiful! Infinite cannons, infinite glory! Colin, where are you? I’ll cross mountains and seas to join you!”

“I just heard an explosion—I’m actually in the same region as Colin!”

“Then hurry up and join him, stop boasting! Colin is ruthless—and trustworthy! If you team up, you’ll never worry about food, drink, or safety! I’m so jealous!”

“By the way, I got a triggered quest to explore some ruins—how doable is it?”

“Don’t do it! Haven’t you seen ‘A Survival Tip a Day’? It says triggered quests, no matter how difficult, almost always have a Lord-level aberrant nearby—it’s suicide!”

“Are Lord-level aberrants that tough? I just killed an elite aberrant with one swing—not bad, lost a few minions, but lord-level sounds impressive. Still, someone just killed one, right?”

“Nothing special? Heh, just wait till you meet one—you’ll understand. Enough said.”

“Idiot, he’s fishing for reactions. By the way, world first kill rewards are just this? Mostly common resources, nothing that actually makes you stronger.”

“Used to it—the system’s stinginess is legendary. Only triggered quests give good stuff. Sometimes I wonder if the system is skimming our rewards, deducting them before handing them out…”

“So you’ve felt that too? I swear my Corrupted Blood rewards are always tiny compared to the monster’s size.”

“Honestly, true.”

“Stop trash-talking, okay? Black bread is still good! I was attacked by an elite aberrant earlier—if a piece of black bread hadn’t blocked the blow, I’d be dead. I’m planning to make black bread armor!”