Talent Awakening! Every Legendary Summon Grants Me Assassin Attributes-Chapter 41: The Architect of Horrors

Oliver stood by the mutilated body of the horrendous Disaster, the air still thick with the metallic scent of blood and something far fouler, summoning the Dark Crow and the Devious Snake to devour as much of the Fiend’s corpse as they could.

Unlike what had happened with the Dreamless Spawn, there was still more than enough of the carcass to fill his two summons to the brink. Flesh layered upon flesh, twitching faintly as if remnants of life still clung stubbornly to it, only to be torn apart by beak and fang.

’Since the Devious Snake’s first meal is a Disaster, I expect some great progress from it,’ Oliver thought, tearing his gaze away from the grotesque scene and shifting it toward Bai Mina, who stood a short distance away.

Her hand was outstretched, a spatial ring hovering just above her palm, faintly glowing as it absorbed fragments of the Disaster’s hardened shell.

With precise movements, she stored every strip of the creature’s outer armor, not wasting even the smallest shard.

That had been the deal Oliver struck with her to properly divide the loot. In exchange for full possession of the Thorny Princess’s corpse, she would take the entire strange boulder—the creature’s shell—for herself.

Bai Mina knew the agreement leaned heavily in her favor.

The shell could be reforged into powerful A-tier weapons for the guild she worked for—the Silver Guild. At the very least, around fifty weapons could be crafted from the entirety of the strange red rock, making it an enormous gain on her end.

She had no complaints.

The corpse, on the other hand, was practically useless to her—and to most Players.

But Oliver was obviously different.

His summons grew stronger by consuming the flesh of powerful Realm Monsters.

To him, this wasn’t just loot.

It was a gold mine.

The remaining rewards from slaying the Disaster had already been distributed equally by the system.

A moment passed before Oliver finally spoke, his voice low, carrying a weight that suggested he had been thinking for quite some time.

"The Disaster."

He called Bai Mina’s attention, pulling her focus away from the faint glow of her storage ring.

"The form it took... I know her. Or at least, I knew her."

Bai Mina’s brows lifted slightly. She placed a hand beneath her chin, her expression twisting into confusion as she processed his words.

"I thought it was strange too," she admitted. "There are humanoid monsters, sure, but not ones with human qualities this detailed... this real."

She trailed off for a moment, her eyes narrowing.

"Do you think it’s some sort of parasite?"

Oliver shook his head.

"From the structure of its legs, and the way it devoured the Horned Snake... it’s more likely a mutation."

Bai Mina’s gaze sharpened.

"Mutation?"

Oliver nodded slowly. Yet mutation was not something he had ever encountered before his regression. There had never been cases of humans and monsters merging into such grotesque hybrids.

Which raised a far more dangerous question.

How had this come to be?

Oliver stepped forward, approaching a patch of blood-soaked grass littered with torn flesh and fragments of bone. The ground squelched faintly beneath his boots.

He crouched, brushing aside wet strands of meat, his fingers pausing as they touched something solid hidden beneath.

Carefully, he picked it up.

Raising it to eye level, he recognized it almost immediately.

The broken remains of a necklace.

"Her name was Elizabeth Froz," Oliver said, his voice quieter now, almost distant.

He let the ruined necklace fall from his hand before turning back to Bai Mina.

"Find out everything you can about her from the Silver Guild, then contact me with whatever you uncover."

Bai Mina nodded, though a deep frown now settled on her face. Her jaw tightened slightly as unease crept into her thoughts.

"This is bad," she muttered. "What if there are others like her out there? If your theory is right... and this was actually a human mutated into an S-rank monster..."

"Let’s hope that’s not the case," Oliver replied, cutting her off, already understanding the direction of her fear.

Bai Mina blinked, then exhaled slowly.

"You’re right, Crow. But we should still prepare for the worst."

She swiped her hand through the air, activating her system interface.

Ding!

[You have been sent a friend request]

"I sent you a request, so I can contact you—Ranker to Ranker," she said with a playful wink. "Maybe we could grab a drink sometime, get drunk or something."

"No, thank you."

Oliver extended his hand toward her without hesitation.

"Where are my thousand Karma points?"

Bai Mina smiled, covering her lips as she struck a teasing pose.

"Wasn’t it a fun experience? Or do you really want to make a young woman go broke? I only wanted to see what you could do and—"

She froze mid-sentence as the two silver blades of Racell wove themselves into Oliver’s grasp with a sharp, metallic whisper, gleaming faintly under the dim light.

"Holy shit, I was just kidding!" she stammered, immediately opening her status screen and transferring the payment without another word.

Oliver waited.

A brief pause.

Then—

"Received."

He lowered his hand, the blades dissolving just as smoothly as they had appeared.

"You’re really something else, aye, Crow?" Bai Mina said with a bright smile, as though she hadn’t just felt the edge of danger press against her throat.

But within her thoughts—

’Now I see it clearly. Strong... dominant... those cold eyes... like someone who has lived alongside death for far too long. And his skill... if it came down to a real fight... I’d be completely outmatched. He’s a true Ranker.’

Oliver, meanwhile, turned his attention back to his summons, both of which were already halfway through devouring the Disaster’s main body, their movements growing more aggressive, more frenzied.

Then he glanced at Bai Mina once more.

"Don’t mind my rudeness," he said calmly. "I simply have mouths to feed."

Bai Mina chuckled.

"All is forgiven, Crow. I shouldn’t have played around with your payment earlier."

She gave him one last wink—a habit she seemed unable to break—before turning and walking away.

"I’ll be heading back now. Hope to see you again sometime."

Oliver remained silent, watching as her figure disappeared into the thick forest, swallowed by shadows and towering trees.

Only when she was completely gone did he turn back to his summons.

’Maybe it’s time I register with the Association,’ he thought, his gaze drifting toward the distant, fog-laced forest stretching along the Balrum and Alkarya border.

’Something, or someone, is turning humans into monsters. And when the time comes for an all-out war... I need to be ready.’

He exhaled slowly.

His eyes darkened.

’After all... this Disaster was meant for me to find.’

It was A declaration of war.

Not just against him—

But against the entire human race.

Whatever had created the Thorny Princess... whatever had orchestrated his encounter with it...

Had just made its first move.