The Garbage Collector Who Stumbled Upon Mythical Weapons! - Chapter 4
The monster moved through the dark and dense forest.
Black miasma seeped from its body, causing the nearby grass and flowers to wither. The monster was trying to leave the forest, but it sensed a powerful “presence” deep within.
The “presence” was slowly approaching.
Intrigued, the monster began walking toward the source of the approaching “presence.”
Behind it, hundreds of monsters appeared, following as if drawn in. Each one radiated powerful magic, their eyes gleaming with madness.
The dark mass of creatures advanced toward Garm.
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Garm was moving swiftly through the forest when, suddenly, the monsters stopped appearing.
“That’s strange…”
The Wiesel Forest was known to be teeming with monsters. Even if he had defeated many, for them to stop showing up was unheard of.
“No choice then, Search!”
He activated his helmet’s skill. About 200 meters ahead, a single monster appeared on his radar.
There were likely more beyond that, but they were out of Search’s range. For now, Garm decided to check it out.
Using the Swift God Speed skill from his Sky God Hermes’ greaves, he could reach his target in less than two seconds.
“Alright, here I go!”
With a single step, he closed the distance, planting his foot on the ground to brake sharply.
In front of him stood an unmoving monster. Garm furrowed his brows.
“What… is this thing?”
His confusion was justified.
It stood on two legs like a human, towering over two meters tall. Its entire body was covered in dark gray fur, and its sharp, narrow eyes were fixed on Garm.
It had a face resembling a rat, but its muscular body was humanoid.
A monster he had never seen before.
That was Garm’s first impression. Just as he was about to move—
The rat’s face was suddenly right in front of him.
“Huh?”
An intense impact slammed into his abdomen. Before he could react, Garm was sent flying backward, crashing into a tree. The tree snapped with a loud crack.
Even through his armor, the force was overwhelming. His mind went blank for a moment, but the rat monster didn’t stop—it lunged again.
Garm quickly raised his shield.
The rat monster didn’t hesitate and charged straight at it. The next moment—
A tremendous shockwave spread across the area. Trees shook, leaves rained down, and birds in the distance took flight.
The monstrous rat was sent flying, crashing into a massive tree.
The tree groaned under the impact before collapsing.
It was the Physical Attack Reflection skill from his Titan Shield. Garm had only instinctively raised his shield, but he was surprised at its power.
—What is this thing? If I took that charge head-on, I wouldn’t stand a chance!
The rat staggered to its feet and glared at Garm.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me! That didn’t kill it!?”
Garm activated Appraisal to check the monster’s strength. But no information appeared. This had never happened before.
“No way… is it too strong to analyze?”
The monster moved suddenly, launching itself off the ground with explosive force.
The ground beneath its feet shattered.
—Damn! It’s too fast! Even with Swift God Speed, dodging is barely possible!
Sharp claws slashed past, grazing his armor. A faint scratch appeared.
—This armor… got damaged!?
Smoke rose from the wound on his armor, and it slowly repaired itself. The Self-Repair function of his equipment was working. Garm was impressed—but this wasn’t the time for that.
The rat monster kept attacking, forcing him onto the defensive.
“Damn you!”
Garm swung his sword, slicing off its right arm. The monster leaped back, cautiously inspecting its severed limb.
“Alright! This magic sword works on it!”
He thought he had gained the upper hand when—
The rat monster grinned and let out a piercing screech.
“W-What the hell!?”
The flesh of its severed arm bulged and swelled. As it reached a certain size, it rapidly shrank back—restoring the arm completely.
“No way… it regenerated!?”
The rat sneered and lunged again. Garm dodged desperately, blocking the deadly claws with his sword.
The claws pushed forward with incredible strength, leaving marks on his helmet and armor.
—Damn it! It’s stronger and faster than me! Even with my gear’s abilities, at this rate…
He regretted going too deep into the forest.
The Vizal Forest was known as the “Demon Realm.” The deeper one ventured, the stronger the monsters became. But he had never imagined encountering something this powerful.
—Damn… I can’t even run. It’s faster than me. What do I do…?
That’s when his eyes fell on the four gems embedded in his sword. He had used them repeatedly, draining their magic, but now they had regained their color.
“I can use this!!”
A red gem shone, and flames engulfed the blade. The rat was already mid-charge, too fast to dodge.
Garm swung his sword.
“HAAAAAAA!!”
A wave of fire erupted, consuming the rat and spreading through the forest. The flames raged, incinerating everything in their path.
The scorched earth smoldered, smoke filling the air.
“Hah… hah… that should’ve done it…”
As the smoke cleared, the rat monster stood firm, its entire body charred. Its burned skin swelled, then rapidly regenerated.
“No way… is it immortal!?”
Its fur regrew, and a wicked grin spread across its face.
The rat slightly crouched, readying itself for battle.
Garm braced himself—but then, from the bushes behind the rat, more monsters emerged. Not just one or two. Dozens, no—hundreds of monsters appeared from all directions.
Before he realized it, Garm was surrounded.
—Damn it. I got too caught up in the fight…
Dark, ominous miasma filled the air as the monstrous rat glared at him, its eyes filled with hunger.