CH.75 The Forest Covered by Snake (9)
‘I survived, damn it…’
It’s impossible not to curse when you’re in such a situation. The boss who had been switching his body with gimmicks suddenly stopped transforming and started using multiple magic attacks with another gimmick? From the perspective of the one dealing with it, it was a difficult situation that made curse words flow freely.
Still, thanks to the timely activation of the runes of the swordsmen and the lifting of the restrictions on ultimate skills, I narrowly avoided a miserable death if I had faced this without a plan.
‘I’m lucky that the professors are my mentors.’
It was indeed a sudden release of usage restrictions, but… I calmly unfolded [Water Sword Dance] to block the wooden snakes.
This was the result of long hours of training, honing the ultimate skills.
Both [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] and [Water Sword Dance] were the main ultimate skills of Professors Tak Won-ho and Kim Myeong-hyun, and as their exclusive disciple, I could research everything related to the skills, from their manifestation to their use, movements, and applications.
I received a lot of advice from both professors and trained extensively on my own.
Thanks to that, even though it was only my second time using the ultimate skill, I was able to use it skillfully without any awkwardness.
‘Now I have to help out in the front.’
The party members were in disarray due to the split. It was the perfect condition for the Mountain Serpent to rampage.
That’s why I quickly made a decision, gave orders to the rear members, and approached the creature with Kang Juyeon.
“Juyeon, you haven’t used Inferno yet, right?”
“…!”
I asked her about her current situation as I ran towards her, matching her pace.
But Kang Juyeon’s reaction was strange.
Rather than answering, she looked at me with slightly widened eyes.
Considering her usual expressionless demeanor, it was a quite surprised face.
…What’s going on?
I raised an eyebrow and asked again, “What’s wrong? Did you already use Inferno by any chance?”
“No. I haven’t used it.”
Of course, she hadn’t used it. She didn’t have the luxury to use ultimate skills while on a Forest Fire Operation.
I had just asked to confirm, but her reaction was unexpected.
‘Maybe Kang Juyeon is also nervous because the situation isn’t good.’
That was entirely possible.
No matter how much of a well-rounded genius she was, this dungeon conquest in such dire circumstances was her first time since the ‘Academy Underground Dungeon’.
I cleared my mind of any further thoughts and nodded.
“Okay. Then, when I give the signal, use Inferno. We need your magic attack to break through that tough serpent. I’ll create an opening for you like last time.”
“…Okay.”
With that answer, we finally arrived at the front.
The situation was not as good as expected.
Choi Dong-wook was in a state of collapse, having defended against the wooden snake’s attacks with all his might, and Kwon Oh-jun was alone, blocking the boss’s attacks within.
I quickly pulled out the sword from my bag using the Arts of Weapon Exchange.
I don’t need a shield now. Even though my body was on the brink of collapse, it was time to pour my attacks into it.
The dungeon gimmick was cleared, and It couldn’t switch bodies anymore. Now that I caught this creature, the dungeon conquest would be over.
It was a golden opportunity to destroy the Mountain Serpent.
“Team leader! Please step back for a moment!”
After shouting to Kwon Oh-jun, I immediately rushed towards the Mountain Serpent.
My body had been restored with Lee Soo-mi’s [Cure] and [Rest], and I even used [Emergency Treatment] with [Combat Healing] on the way.
My current physical condition was not much different from when I first fought.
“It’s body has become stronger after changing it into the main body! Be careful, Do Jae-hyun!”
Kwon Oh-jun was indeed an experienced Holder. Despite my sudden appearance and attack, as well as my unexpected orders, he didn’t question it at all.
He realized that he had reached his limit in the battle and, realizing this, he stepped back without any hesitation.
He completely entrusted the direction of the operation to me.
Considering my external position as a C-grade intern clan member, it was an unbelievable level of trust.
As if to repay that trust, I leaped towards the monster.
‘My target is behind the creature!’
As soon as I arrived on the battlefield, I immediately used [Sprint] to get behind the Mountain Serpent.
Anytime the creature turned its head, it could see me, but at that moment, it was too focused on dealing with Kwon Oh-jun to turn its head.
In other words, I was out of the creature’s line of sight.
‘Hiding…!!”
I used [Stealth] which I had obtained while defeating Electrophorus. [Stealth] was a rune that erased one’s presence when hiding in a specific location or object.
But even if you were right next to it, you could only disappear from the target’s line of sight, so it was still possible to use [Stealth].
As soon as I got behind the creature, I used [Stealth] and instantly erased my presence.
In other words, I could use the derived skill of [Stealth], [Hide Attack]
Kyaooooh-!!
The Mountain Serpent screamed.
[Hide Attack] ignored a certain portion of the target’s durability and increased my attack power further.
There, I added a generous amount of magic to my sword and stabbed the creature.
It was a sudden surprise attack, and the effective strike seemed to tear through its scales. The creature’s panic was palpable in its scream. But that wasn’t the end of it.
“Explode.”
The reason for infusing the sword with magic, the reason for not withdrawing the stabbed sword, the reason for sticking closely to the struggling Mountain Serpent was clear.
Only one chance.
Only one attack.
It was the best offensive ultimate skill I could use right now.
I used [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword].
Kya, Kyaooo-!!
Kya, Kyaoo, Kyaooo!!
The scream was unlike anything when compared to being hit with [Hide Attack]. It was the most painful scream from the creature.
After entering the boss room, it was the scream of the creature that seemed to be in the most agony. The Mountain Serpent seemed to have a hard time withstanding the power of [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. It screamed frantically, and as a result, I, who was stuck to its back, was thrown to the ground without any warning.
‘Damn it. I never get used to the fall.’
It was already my second fall. The pain when hitting the ground never became familiar.
But as much as I was in pain, the achievement was clear. The sword stuck in the middle of the creature’s back emitted a strong light, and the part where [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] had hit had a large hole as if it had been hit by a cannonball.
An opening.
I had given my all strength to create an ‘opening’ for the team, clinging stubbornly to the rampaging Mountain Serpent.
I collapsed to the ground, pouring out all my remaining strength, and shouted, “Juyeon!! Now…!!”
Before my shout reached her, intense heat was already filling the ground.
My thoughts were in sync with hers.
The magic was already prepared.
“Burn.”
Kang Juyeon whispered.
The ultimate skill of [Unquenchable Flame], [Inferno]. It was a destructive magic attack that could burn everything if there was a gap for the flames to enter. The flames of [Inferno] started from the creature’s back and soon covered its entire body, consuming everything.
Flames, crackle, crackle-!!
Kya, Kyaoo…
Kugugu, thud!!
How long did it struggle in the flames? With a thunderous crash that sounded like a tree falling, the Mountain Serpent finally fell.
A battle that was fought with everything.
A battle that had lasted for a long time had come to an end. I collapsed to the ground as if diving.
“It’s over…”
I felt drained of all my strength. I just wanted to lie down and sleep without doing anything.
***
Ippotranslation
***
“Everyone, you did well.”
Finally, after the Mountain Serpent fell, the party members who had scattered came together.
Even though some time had passed, the team members seemed to be in reasonably good condition.
Choi Dong-wook, who had the most severe condition, quickly regained his color thanks to Lee Soo-mi’s treatment.
Kwon Oh-jun, who had just spoken, turned his gaze to one side.
It was where Juyeon and I were sitting.
“Especially Miss and Do Jae-hyun. Both of you really did a great job. Do Jae-hyun, your contribution was significant. If it weren’t for you, our party would have been wiped out.”
Kwon Oh-jun, who had been criticizing me and Shin Yuna throughout the entire strategy, praised me to an extent that could be considered excessive.
…Honestly, calling it a wipeout is an exaggeration.
The moment the strategy became completely impossible, we could have escaped from the boss room somehow.
Someone might have died or been injured in the process, but that’s how it goes.
Either way, rescuing the team members from the crisis and finishing the boss hunt with Juyeon was an achievement that I wanted to commend myself for.
I nodded with a slight bow of my head and replied, “Thank you. It was possible because you believed in us.”
“I had no choice but to believe. I’m sorry.”
“Why would you say that? While we were behind, you were facing both the wooden snakes and the Mountain Serpent alone.”
While we were blocking the wooden snakes in the rear, Kwon Oh-jun had faced both the wooden snakes and the Mountain Serpent alone. He must have used his ultimate skill during that time.
If he hadn’t bought us time…
Hunting the boss monster would have been impossible.
As an A-grade Holder, team leader and the mission party leader, it was an impressive performance that matched his heavy titles.
“Anyway, the boss room has been cleared successfully…”
Kwon Oh-jun hesitated for a moment.
Then, he looked at Choi Dong-wook and then turned his gaze to Min Chae-hwan.
“We still need to take care of this.”
Ssssh-
Whoosh-
It happened in an instant.
Choi Dong-wook, who had been fiddling with two small swords at his waist, moved at lightning speed as soon as Kwon Oh-jun finished speaking…
And thrust the small sword into Min Chae-hwan’s neck.
In just one second, Min Chae-hwan, who was armed and ready, was subdued as a threat.
“Team leader! What on earth are you doing?”
Min Chae-hwan shouted in a voice filled with anger, as if he couldn’t understand the sudden restraint. Of course, I didn’t understand it either.
What’s going on after successfully defeating the boss?
