Konbini Ossan Volume 3 Chapter 31 — The Old Man Gets Called Unfair

Schuberich’s wounds had completely healed. Perhaps overconfident, he strode toward me without a hint of guard.

“Go on, attack me if you wish. No matter how much damage you inflict, I will regenerate at once.

…

Considering your blows can even shatter Orichalcum, they must take considerable effort. Surely you cannot unleash such attacks indefinitely.”

A completely misguided assumption. It’s only «Leg Jitter», after all — I can kick endlessly until I starve to death.

And I still have plenty of Mithril in stock. I could fight on for quite a while.

If it came down to a contest, whether the dungeon’s energy runs out first or my metals, I’d take that bet.

But that won’t be necessary this time.

From the moment my opponent turned out to be Orichalcum, my victory was practically assured.

“If you’re so confident, then naturally you’ll withstand my next strike as well?”

I goaded him with the question.

“Of course. Whatever trump card you try, I shall endure — and then regenerate!”

He rose to the bait, drunk on his own immortality. Reckless overconfidence — but that only worked in my favor.

“Then, pardon me.”

With that, I cut a small wound into my own palm.

“Hm?”

Schuberich narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but I ignored him.

I pressed my bleeding hand against his body, focusing as I activated my trump card, my ace-in-the-hole, my all-purpose skill.

Its name: «Iron Blood». A power that absorbs metal.

And Orichalcum, being metal, is no exception.

In the next instant, Schuberich’s body began to break down, pulled into me.

“Wha-!? How can a mere human use the skill «Iron Blood»!? That power belongs only to magical beasts!”

So he did know of it. As expected, humans aren’t supposed to possess such a skill.

That must be why he let his guard down — he never even dreamed his weakness could be turned against him.

“Unfortunately for you, there is one human who can use it.”

“Even so, impossible! Against golems like us, «Iron Blood» requires at least double the level difference to absorb!

…

To surpass me — the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings — you would need twice my level! Not even the Demon King himself could manage that!”

Even as his body was being devoured, he shouted in protest, his form glowing as he tried desperately to regenerate.

My palm roared with energy as I continued absorbing him.

“Oh? And what level are you, Schuberich?”

“Ninety-eight! Even within the Demon King’s army, few have ever reached so high!”

“Oh, then just barely within reach. I’m at a little over two hundred myself.”

“Ridiculous! Human levels have never exceeded one hundred in all of history! For a mere old man like you to reach over two hundred… impossible!”

“Well, you see, I happen to have a little skill that makes my level rise on its own.”

“Absurd! That’s cheating!”

Even while arguing, I kept absorbing him with «Iron Blood».

Though the dungeon’s energy fueled his regeneration, his body was steadily being consumed. Now only the upper half remained.

But my side wasn’t without limits either. I could feel it — «Iron Blood» was nearing its maximum capacity.

The question was, would his regeneration run out first, or would my absorption hit its cap?

The standoff dragged on for several tens of seconds. I absorbed, he regenerated.

And then — it ended. My absorption had reached its upper limit. But at the same time, his regeneration had stalled as well.

His body remained broken down to less than half, unable to recover further.

“Damn it… I’ve lost.”

Schuberich’s voice was bitter with frustration. With most of his body gone, he could no longer fight.

The surrounding golems were nothing special — ordinary constructs. Against my power, they would fall without much effort.

Which meant, I had won.

“When I first heard you were one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings, I wondered how it would turn out. But the skill matchup worked in my favor.”

I exhaled, murmuring the thought aloud. In truth, my raw stats only placed me at the peak of humanity.

Against the Demon King’s army, strong enough to require heroes to oppose them, that alone wasn’t enough.

But «Iron Blood» had carried me through. If Schuberich had been a creature of stone or gems instead of metal, I might have been finished.

In that sense, luck was on my side.

“The moment an aberration like you caught wind of my plans, my defeat was assured. I will resist no further. Kill me, human.”

His voice was resigned, tinged with resolve.

I considered sparing him — but leaving alive one who had plotted terror against the kingdom would only endanger us later.

Even as a bargaining chip with the Demon King’s army, the value was too small.

Better to grant him the end he asked for.

“Very well.”

I activated both «Leg Jitter» and «Iron Blood», coating my leg in freshly absorbed Orichalcum, the microscopic blades vibrating at high speed.

Then I drove my heel through Schuberich’s head.

With a harsh grinding sound, his skull was shredded apart. His body convulsed once, then collapsed limply to the ground.

And thus ended the sudden battle with one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings.

——————

E/N:

Holyyyy! Anyone feeling anemic?! 🤣

An "ironic" 😂 battle of endurance that Ossan bested! And so ruthless, no hesitation to kill!

I love such protagonists! Stay tuned for Ossan's return!

——————

Previous       Table of Contents       Next