When more than ten mana cores are destroyed, the war hammer's special ability activates.
I discovered this during my rampage in the Count's mansion, breaking the soldiers’ enchanted items.
The mana stones I just shattered might be small, but they’re still considered mana cores.
And this time, I didn’t stop at ten—I obliterated 101.
“If I remember correctly, special effects triggered by fulfilling specific conditions don’t stop at just one level. The more conditions are met, the stronger the effect becomes, climbing to the second stage, third stage, and so on.”
In other words, surpassing 100 destroyed mana cores likely triggered a significantly upgraded second-stage effect, far superior to what happens after breaking just a dozen or so.
As expected, the hammer's special ability activated.
[You have shattered over 100 sources of malevolent mana! The item’s special ability, Extinction for the Sake of Justice, has been activated!]
Extinction for the Sake of Justice.
The name alone sounded ominous, but the effect was undeniably powerful.
[You will become resistant to pain for 150 minutes.]
[Your guilt toward acts of violence will diminish for 150 minutes.]
[When targeting a specific race, your overall stats will increase significantly during combat.]
Previously, the ability “Righteous Massacre Under the Moonlight” activated after I broke 11 cores. It was decent but limited—only a 10% damage increase with a duration of 30 minutes.
Now, however, the buff enhanced my overall stats and lasted much longer.
Though the specifics of which stats were boosted and by how much weren’t immediately clear, another message popped up.
[Select the target race for the special effect Extinction for the Sake of Justice.]
* Demons
* Celestials
* Humans
* Elementals
* Spirits
Choosing a target race seemed to determine which of my abilities would be boosted. It didn’t take long to decide.
I selected Demons without hesitation.
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[You have chosen Demons as the target of Extinction for the Sake of Justice. Your power and sense of justice will shine brightest in the eradication of Demons.]
- Attack damage against Demons: +200%
- Resistance to curse-based skills: +200%
- Divine power: +200%
Attack power, curse resistance, divine power—every boosted stat was critical for fighting Demons.
With this newfound strength, even the Nightmares lurking nearby seemed easy to crush. However—
“The oracle explicitly said to capture them alive.”
In other words, killing them wasn’t an option.
Fine. I’ll just hit them hard enough to incapacitate them. Resolving myself, I loosened my grip on the hammer slightly.
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The Nightmares, who had been idly watching me destroy mana stones, finally spoke.
【What was that just now? That surge of unpleasant energy feels vile.】
They hadn’t attacked me as I activated the hammer’s ability, simply observing like spectators at a show. Their smug indifference suddenly irritated me.
“It’s hard to explain. Let me show you instead.”
Without further warning, I lunged.
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Battle Unleashed
With just a bit of strength in my legs, the tiled floor beneath me crumbled into shards as I launched myself forward.
【Ah.】
【Ah.】
The Nightmares let out startled exclamations, realizing too late how fast I’d closed the distance. Their smugness had left them unprepared, creating a perfect opening.
My hammer connected with one’s collarbone, accompanied by an explosive burst of light and sound.
The buffs stacked on me sent the damage soaring. As expected, the Nightmare crumpled to its knees without so much as a counterattack.
“How about now? Makes more sense when you feel it firsthand, doesn’t it?”
The Nightmares staggered to their feet, their earlier chatter silenced. They simply stared at me, their expressions unreadable, though their twisted grins remained intact.
【That… caught us off guard. It’s been centuries since we’ve felt pain like that.】
“Centuries, huh? What are you trying to say? That you’re so strong it rarely happens?”
I scoffed, but they seemed genuinely serious.
【It’s not a boast. We’ve lived over 400 years. The last time we felt pain like this was during a volcanic eruption when debris hit us directly.】
Their casual tone only annoyed me further. Survived volcanic debris, did you? I shook off the thought—speculating wouldn’t help in a fight.
“Good for you. Getting hit once in a while makes the pain sharper, doesn’t it?”
With a lighter touch on my hammer, I sprang forward again, quieter and faster this time. The floor barely groaned underfoot as I closed the gap and swung.
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A Shift in Momentum
The Nightmares weren’t fools. After my initial strike, they no longer underestimated me. My hammer struck empty tiles as they dodged and countered with razor-sharp claws.
But even their retaliations were predictable. I dodged and exploited their openings, forcing them onto the defensive again.
‘Now’s the chance—!’
One Nightmare left its head exposed, arms lowered after an attack. Seizing the opportunity, I poured all my strength into a downward swing.
The hammer struck its skull with a deafening clang, but instead of the crunch of bone, I felt the vibration of solid metal reverberating up the handle.
“What…?”
The realization hit me hard. Something was wrong.
Instinctively, I leapt back, narrowly avoiding a counterstrike.
Something about these Nightmares was far beyond the norm.