CH.74 The Forest Covered by Snakes (8)
Sweat drops flowed down her hair.
Kang Juyeon sensed the desperate situation.
The operation to burn all the trees inside the boss room.
It was undoubtedly successful.
It was a strategy that everyone agreed upon, and it effectively cornered the boss monster.
If they could all gather and launch a final attack after unraveling all the gimmicks, they could defeat the boss monster.
The successful assault was right within their grasp.
‘…There was more than one gimmick.’
However, the gimmick that the Mountain Serpent received assistance with in the dungeon was not just a mere ‘transition’.
Countless trees within the boss room.
They could be freely utilized in any form.
That was the true nature of the dungeon gimmick this time.
So, when the boss monster was cornered, it stopped transitioning and utilized the trees differently.
Only a few trees remained.
They were all shaped into ‘wooden snakes’ and sent toward the party as a form of magical attack.
It was a deadly blow to the party members who were focused on the operation.
‘…Do Jae-hyun.’
Kang Juyeon suddenly looked at the man in front of her.
Do Jae-hyun.
He had rushed to the rear as soon as the wooden snakes appeared while facing the boss earlier.
There was no room for defense in the rear…
That’s probably why he came running.
In the party, they had been together for a while.
This man always made the right judgments.
Do Jae-hyun… had always been a rational person.
‘…I’m sorry.’
So, in this urgent and dangerous moment.
Kang Juyeon felt even more sorry for him.
Because she was the one who had brought him into this dangerous situation, jeopardizing the bright future that lay ahead.
He was here in this unreasonable situation…
Without running away, he came to protect them.
…Even though there were no means of defense left for sure.
“Miss! You have to get out of the way!”
Kim Seong-cheol, a magician who was participating in the ‘Forest Fire Operation’, urgently canceled his magic and spoke.
And it wasn’t just him.
Lee Soo-mi of the sacred lineage and the new clan member Shin Yuna were also by Kang Juyeon’s side.
The clan’s successor had to be protected.
Perhaps that’s why they came.
However, Kang Juyeon slowly shook her head.
“…I’ll block it.”
“Miss!!”
There was no turning back.
The man she had personally suggested and brought here was standing before her.
A man who had thanked her with a smile despite the forced dispatch.
A man who had run to protect them in this unreasonable situation when there was no strength left to defend…
He had awakened as a Holder more than a year ago.
During that not-so-long time, among all the people she had met…
The most brilliant Holder, who had never shown his ultimate skill before, was standing right in front of her.
‘I’ll end it all’
She just couldn’t help it.
She has used a lot of magic to operate the Forest Fire Operation, and it took a lot of time and effort to cast it since her concentration was broken.
She hasn’t even utilized her ultimate skill [Inferno] yet.
It was not a skill suitable for defending against such massive attacks.
Nevertheless, Kang Juyeon will end it all.
Because Do Jae-hyun is in the same worst situation as her.
After making such a decision, the clan members who had been trying to stop her quickly gave up and prepared to stop it somehow.
The moment when dozens of wooden snakes came close to her. …She heard a man’s voice.
“Flow”
A voice full of determination.
It rang clearly in Kang Juyeon’s ears.
‘Flow?’
After clearing the underground dungeon of the academy, until the event of evaluation at the end of the semester.
Do Jae-hyun has never shown an ultimate skill
Naturally, Kang Juyeon also thought he didn’t have an ultimate skill.
It was a natural assumption.
‘…He’s C-class.’
His Holder grade was C-class, and there had never been a case in Holder history where a C-class Holder had used an ultimate skill.
Ultimate skills were by no means common.
They weren’t skills that you could obtain just because you wanted them.
Even B-class Holders, who had reached the pinnacle, couldn’t easily acquire ultimate skills.
It required an absolute combination of stats, rune level, talent…
That’s what made ultimate skills possible.
Even now, in this party, the only Holders who could use ultimate skills were herself and the party leader, Kwon Oh-jun.
Ssss-
Sssssss-
Tak, tak, tak, tak-
Such an ultimate skill unfolded from Do Jae-hyun’s sword.
A swift movement that seemed to utilize runic runes of the law type.
His speed accelerated, and it accelerated again…
His movements became so fast that they were no longer visible to the eye.
The smooth and rapid movements added a touch of elegance.
Do Jae-hyun’s sword moved as if it were dancing.
One by one, he dispatched the wooden snakes.
‘It feels like water…’
If he could combine the sword and water…
Maybe it would feel like this.
Do Jae-hyun’s sword was moving like flowing waves. Furthermore, Kang Juyeon, who possessed an ultimate skill, could tell.
‘…This isn’t his first time using it.’
His ultimate skill was definitely not being used for the first time. Even Kang Juyeon, who had obtained [Inferno] a while ago, was still inexperienced in using it. Yet, Do Jae-hyun seemed to have grasped both the flow and structure of the skill perfectly, implementing the ultimate skill almost flawlessly.
Tak-tak, tak-tak, tak-tak.
Almost a hundred wooden snakes were near. In the end, they all knelt before Do Jae-hyun’s sword.
“Ah…”
“That… is…”
“….”
The surroundings were filled with exclamations. Even Lee Soo-mi, who had been concentrating on buffs, Kim Seong-cheol, who was trying to move the wooden snakes with wind magic, and Shin Yuna, who had been clenching her knuckles in resignation, all watched Do Jae-hyun in awe.
Everyone was left speechless as they looked at him, except for the wooden snakes that had flown towards Kwon Oh-jun and Choi Dong-wook, who had already received them.
Do Jae-hyun. This man had single-handedly defeated countless wooden snakes with his abilities alone.
“Ha… Ha…”
Do Jae-hyun, who was breathing heavily, lifted his head. His gaze first went to the left, where Lee Soo-mi was positioned.
“Ha… Ha… Holder Lee Soo-mi, can you cast buffs…?”
“Oh! Yes, I understand. Just a moment.”
Lee Soo-mi quickly regained her composure and approached him. She immediately concentrated her mind and extended recovery spells in both hands.
Emerald light in the left hand, violet light in the right hand. It was double casting, simultaneously using [Cure] and [Rest].
This was a technique only possible for an experienced high-ranking Holder of the recovery lineage, even among B-grade Holders. Do Jae-hyun, who was on the verge of collapse, quickly began to recover thanks to her.
“Phew… Thank you.”
“Huh? Isn’t your treatment not finished yet, Intern?”
“I don’t have time.”
Do Jae-hyun’s gaze turned forward again. There were even more wooden snakes in front, similar in number to those that had come from the rear.
And there, Kwon Oh-jun and Choi Dong-wook were under attack. They had managed to fend them off somehow, but they needed immediate support.
In addition to the wooden snake attacks, the Mountain Serpent, the main body of the dungeon, had completed its transition and was standing firmly in front. It was a situation where it wouldn’t be surprising if it launched an attack at any moment.
Do Jae-hyun turned his head once more. This time, his gaze was directed at Kang Juyeon.
“Kang Juyeon, can you still fight? I need your strength.”
I need your strength.
That one sentence struck Kang Juyeon’s mind. Her magic power was almost depleted, and she had no strength left to move. What strategy and method did he have in mind?
Countless questions that had been floating in her mind came to a halt with that one sentence. No other words were needed.
Kang Juyeon nodded silently.
“…Yes.”
“Okay. Let’s go forward together.”
Do Jae-hyun’s eyes quickly moved to the other party members.
“Seniors, the situation is urgent, so may I give orders? Do you all agree?”
“Eh- Of course. Intern saved all of us. We all agree, right?”
Lee Soo-mi immediately supported Do Jae-hyun’s proposal. When she turned her head to ask for opinions, Kim Seong-cheol, Shin Yuna, and even Min Chae-hwan, who had been preparing something in the back, nodded in agreement.
It was unanimous consent from all the rear members.
Do Jae-hyun quickly issued orders to everyone.
“Holder Lee Soo-mi, please assist Holder Kim Seong-cheol with healing. It might become necessary to use Holder Kim Seong-cheol wind magic again due to the urgent situation. Holder Kim Seong-cheol, please utilize your primary magic as efficiently as possible while conserving your strength. Shin Yuna, please provide protection for both Holders.”
“Huh- Got it..”
“Understood…!!”
Do Jae-hyun turned his head and looked at Min Chae-hwan.
“Holder Min Chae-hwan, please take over the covering fire until we get close to the boss monster. Min Chae-hwan, you are the Holder who has the greatest power among those in the rear.”
“… I do. So far the lady won’t get hurt.”
“Thank you.”
After giving orders to all the rear members, Do Jae-hyun turned his gaze back to Kang Juyeon.
“Let’s go.”
With those two simple words, Kang Juyeon felt her heart flutter for some reason. It was a strange feeling, perhaps because they were on the brink of the final battle, and her entire body was filled with tension. It was a new, unfamiliar, and exciting sensation, but she didn’t dislike it.
Kang Juyeon cautiously embraced that feeling and nodded slowly.
“…Yes.”
The monster was adorned with various gimmicks and complex abilities. The Mountain Serpent. They now had to hunt down this boss for real.
