Chapter 56: Overwhelming Inaction (2)

TL: Hanguk

The long-range skill ‘Explosion’, which consumed as much as 5 mana.

Each time that skill hit, the Level 81 Elder Monster ‘Crimson Lord’ twisted its entire body with a violent scream.

-Kwaaaang! Kwaaaaang! Kwaaaaang!

One hit, two hits, three hits, four hits.

As the intense Explosion skill repeatedly struck Crimson Lord, no one from the raid team dared to approach easily. Everyone simply stared at Willia with their mouths wide open.

“Th-That woman, who is she?”

“She must really be Seo-blank’s partner.”

“Seo-blank? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know. That....”

Among the raid party members, some knew I was Seo**, and some didn’t.

Those who knew looked at Willia’s power and admired that the Seo** party wasn’t just for show.

Those who didn’t know were shocked by Willia’s strength and questioned why someone like her had remained unknown until now, and why her face was covered.

But what was clear....

Was that the intense impact of the continuous Explosion skills was enough to make Willia awe-inspiring.

-Kieeek!

-Kwaaaang!

“Is it going to die like that?”

“T-That Elder Monster that was unscathed even by the bomb shower....”

With just a wave of her hand, Willia blew off Crimson Lord’s bundle of tentacles, and the asphalt ground shattered into pieces under the pressure of the explosions.

Even if skills and modern weapons have similar power, the damage dealt to monsters is different.

As if to prove that, Crimson Lord, which remained unharmed even by the bombs Kang Yi-sol had set, writhed in agony under Willia’s attacks.

At that moment.

“Watch out!”

“Dodge it!”

Crimson Lord, now unable to ignore Willia who was launching attacks from a distance, stretched out a bundle of tentacles all at once to eliminate her.

A tentacle attack of tremendous speed and threat.

To block that, I stepped forward in front of Willia and took a sword-drawing stance with my new weapon, ‘Akan’s Saber’.

And then.

‘Flash Slash.’

I swung the saber’s built-in skill, Flash Slash, like a lightning strike.

-Whoosh!

My agility was 44, which should be more than twice as high as Kim Hyun-soo or Yoon Si-ah.

Add to that the saber’s option of ‘30% increase in attack speed when using sword-drawing techniques’ combined with the swift-sword technique Flash Slash, and it unfolded into a truly one-hit kill technique.

-Paat!

The elegantly curved blade cut through the air, and the air burst like a sonic boom.

As a result, the tentacle bundle was instantly chopped up and fell to the ground with a thud.

-Kieek!

Elder Monsters are fairly intelligent.

When the simultaneous attack was blocked, it changed tactics and began sending tentacles sequentially, a calculated move.

‘Feels like training again. Blocking attacks like these isn’t hard anymore.’

Without any panic at the incoming series of attacks, I calmly slashed them down one by one with my sword.

Without any skill.

Just pure sword strikes.

‘It’s heavy. Feels like hitting metal.’

Kang Yi-sol, who had fought Crimson Lord before, compared its tentacle attacks to a machine gun.

But having faced it myself, it’s not quite like that.

‘Slower than bullets, but faster than Magic Bullets, maybe?’

Those with low stats probably can’t perceive the speed difference, so to them, it might look like I’m cutting down machine gun rounds with normal sword strikes.

And as if to prove that my assumption was right, Kim Hyun-soo and Yoon Si-ah swallowed dryly as they watched me effortlessly fend off the tentacle attacks.

“Ha....”

Considering how their reaction had been a beat slow when Crimson Lord attacked, their reaction now was only natural.

“Should I help?”

“I’m fine.”

Even if it’s tough, Kim Hyun-soo might be able to block one or two of them.

But there was no need to put them in danger.

Handling it alone was safer and more efficient.

-Papapapat!

While Yoon Si-ah and Kim Hyun-soo watched nervously, Crimson Lord persistently shot its tentacles, and when my sword strikes weren’t enough, I mixed in some skills.

Thanks to that, without allowing a single breakthrough, the tentacles never reached Willia.

And as if to reward my efforts, Willia began preparing for the finale.

“What is that?”

“Why is she shooting her skill in the wrong direction?”

The Explosion skill was fired in three directions.

To others, it looked like a completely off-target attack.

One flew high into the air like a home run, another veered widely off to the side, and only the final attack flew straight ahead.

-Whoosh!

But then, the skills that had seemed to miss suddenly changed direction and rushed toward Crimson Lord like homing missiles.

And the moment the condensed mana touched Crimson Lord.

-Kwaaaaaaaang!

The three Explosion skills, as if they were one, erupted in unison with fire and created a powerful shockwave.

-Kiaaaak!

-Clang!

At the same time as Crimson Lord’s sharp scream rang out, the tentacles attacking me turned to dust and vanished, and the windows of nearby buildings shattered with a loud crash.

It was a feat using ‘Target Point’, a skill acquired along with Explosion during the second stage of the underground labyrinth.

When using the Target Point skill, long-range attacks homed in on the target regardless of their firing direction.

Willia used that mechanic to vary the distances of her skills so they would detonate at the same time.

“.......”

The Elder Monster raid team fell silent, like mice.

Though brief, everyone was left speechless by her impressive performance.

“She’s in a different league.”

A short line filled with complicated emotions.

As murmurs began to spread, raid leader Kang Yi-sol, who had also been frozen in astonishment like the others, came to his senses and shouted belatedly.

“Everyone, focus!”

At that cry, everyone snapped out of it and turned their eyes toward Crimson Lord, who was still surrounded by smoke.

Then, as the smoke cleared.

-Kiaaaak!

Regrettably, Crimson Lord was still squirming in place.

However, its form had changed significantly from before.

When it first appeared, its tentacles were tightly balled up like a bundle of threads, but now it had sagged to the ground like a slime.

“I’m out of mana.”

“You did well. Take a break.”

Willia, having exhausted all her mana, stepped back.

Then, without a care, she pulled a chair from her inventory and sat down.

A rocking chair, unfitting for the situation.

-Creak. Creak.

Since mana recovers faster when in a comfortable position, that’s why she did it.

Moreover, Willia also had a mana recovery skill, so she would likely be able to return to combat faster than others.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

The fight wasn’t over yet.

If what Willia had done was the eve of a festival, what came next was the main event.

At Kang Yi-sol’s order, the hunting teams quickly readied for battle.

One hopeful sign was that the raid, which had seemed extremely difficult when seen in videos, now looked manageable thanks to Willia.

“Maybe we really can win this easily?”

“Yeah, looks like it’s on the verge of death.”

Everyone charged into the battle against the Elder Monster Crimson Lord with revitalized expressions.

“Its movements are sluggish! It looks like it took a lot of damage!”

“Surround it! Surround it!”

As more than a hundred people began to move in complex formations, Crimson Lord could no longer aim its attacks at Willia.

And I, gripping Akan’s Saber, now enhanced to Level 2 after visiting Hongseong last night, began approaching Crimson Lord.

Behind me, Kim Hyun-soo and Yoon Si-ah followed sensibly, reading the situation.

“Don’t overdo it. Instead, the two of you should form a pair. Since your levels are close, you might be the only ones whose teamwork actually matches.”

“Understood.”

Yoon Si-ah immediately accepted my suggestion and looked at Kim Hyun-soo. He also seemed to think it wasn’t a bad idea and quickly agreed.

The combination of Yoon Si-ah, skilled in ranged javelin attacks, and Kim Hyun-soo, who had properly trained in swordsmanship, wouldn’t be a bad match.

“Tanker! Anchor your shields to the ground!”

“Yes!”

The raid team’s strategy was simple.

The tankers, holding massive steel shields weighing nearly 100kg, surrounded Crimson Lord, and behind them, the dealers were arranged.

In other words, the tankers acted as moving walls while the dealers launched their attacks under protection.

And not just the tankers, throughout the area, facilities had been set up overnight for the raid team.

Thick walls reinforced with steel plates and trenches were built in various spots, so whenever danger arose, one could simply hide.

“The net!”

-Chwaaak!

Then, using as many piano wires and chains as they could gather, they successfully restrained Crimson Lord, whose movements had grown sluggish, with a sturdy net.

Thanks to that, no one thought they could possibly lose against the already weakened Elder Monster.

“Now’s our chance! Attack! If we wait too long, Seo-blank’s party will take all the good rewards!”

But no matter how weak it seemed, no one should forget that the creature's level was 81.

“What are you doing over there!? Don’t do anything reckless!”

The moment they let greed cloud their judgment and overreached.

-Papapapak!

“Guk....”

They were struck by the tentacles that burst through the net and ended up with holes all over their bodies, becoming corpses.

Two hunting teams, forgetting their own limits, were wiped out in an instant.

“Stick to the plan! I told you to fight while staying within the defensive line!”

At that, Kang Yi-sol shouted furiously.

There was no time to mourn the dead, nor any reason to pity those who had broken the flow of the raid.

Finally, the others calmed down and began to follow the prearranged pattern.

“Kuk!!”

“Aaagh! My leg!”

Crimson Lord's retaliation was fierce.

It raised its tentacles like spikes in every direction, like a sea urchin, and launched them wildly to attack people.

Worse yet, the creature seemed to have no blind spots, and attacks came from all directions.

“Good! Keep it up!”

"Damn it, the shield's pierced!"

“Pull out a new one! We provided plenty of spares!”

A repeated back-and-forth struggle.

Even though the carefully prepared shields couldn’t withstand the tentacle attacks for long, they responded by taking out new ones from their inventories whenever the shields were pierced.

Time passed little by little. As the raid team grew more coordinated, the tide of the battle began to shift in our favor.

“This is more manageable than I expected.”

“Yeah, it’s not as bad as Kang Yi-sol made it out to be.”

Of course, there was a sudden incident where the net was torn apart, but by then, the momentum had already swung decisively to our side.

While keeping track of the overall situation, I ruthlessly slashed at Crimson Lord’s tentacles and dealt strong blows with skills whenever the opportunity arose.

‘Now that I’m familiar with the tentacle attacks, it’s easier to counter.’

It wasn’t flashy, but it was a clean battle.

I never overextended myself and focused on getting accustomed to the enemy with caution.

Even so, I remained the one contributing the most in the battle.

-Grrrrrrr!

Crimson Lord, having broken free of the net, flailed its tentacles in all directions, desperately trying to regain control of the battle, but it didn’t seem likely.

The creature gradually lost mobility.

As if it might die at any moment.

Seeing the Elder Monster in that state, the others grew more excited and pushed harder.

“Hang in there!”

“It’s almost over!”

But...

What I was feeling at that moment wasn’t the ‘joy’ of victory, but a sense of ‘foreboding’ rising from doubt.

‘This is a Level 81 Elder Monster?’

As I mentioned earlier, I had been holding back, fighting as if probing the enemy.

This was the reason why.

No matter how I looked at it, the monster, despite its impressive name, ‘Crimson Lord,’ and its high level of 81, was far too weak.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that it might have a hidden card it hadn’t played yet.

"Do I just keep watching?"

“For now, conserve your mana and focus on support. Something about this doesn’t feel right.”

That’s why, even after Willia said her mana was fully restored and returned to the battlefield, I instructed her to focus more on support than on offense.

“Raid leader! The team’s getting too complacent! We can’t let our guard down until we see the subjugation message!”

“Understood.”

I also gave Kang Yi-sol a warning.

He didn’t take my words lightly and immediately scolded the raid members, telling them to stay alert until the very end.

“It’s not over yet! Stay focused until the finish!”

“What are you talking about? It’s already over.”

“Look! It’s not even twitching anymore!”

But just then, the pitch-black, charred body of Crimson Lord stopped moving.

And despite all the warnings, quite a few people let their guard down.

[Have you enjoyed yourselves enough?]

And, of course, as expected.

“Huh?”

“Did it… just speak?”

Just as everyone was basking in joy,

A situation occurred that dragged that joy straight into the abyss.

A sudden female voice rang out from what they thought was the dead Crimson Lord, and in an explosive motion, it hurled bundles of tentacles in all directions.

-Papapapak!

“Gyaaah!”

“Aaaargh!”

“S-Someone help...”

Those who had followed Kang Yi-sol’s orders and stayed hidden behind shields or cover, or had enough skill, naturally came out unharmed.

But those who had let their guard down didn’t even react in time. Their bodies were instantly pierced through.

Next, the tentacles began draining people’s blood.

Those struck by the tentacles dried up like mummies in an instant and perished.

“I had a feeling something was coming.”

Then, the main body of Crimson Lord slowly began to float into the air.

-Drrrrrrrr!

In response, a strong earthquake rippled through the area.

“Damn it! Fall back! Get away from that thing, now!”

A brief moment of carelessness had led to a massive number of casualties.

Kang Yi-sol had no choice but to pull the raid group back.

I moved to Willia’s side, and Yoon Si-ah and Kim Hyun-soo, who had collaborated well earlier, also wisely withdrew.

“What the hell is it trying to pull with all this noise?”

“Exactly.”

At my dry comment, Willia nodded in agreement.

Just then.

-Kwaaaang!

Cracks, glowing red, began forming on Crimson Lord’s charred main body.

Seeing that, a possibility flashed through my mind.

“No way…”

And right after, exactly what I had suspected unfolded before my eyes.

A white hand burst out, breaking the Crimson Lord’s body like an eggshell.

"What is this, Park Hyeokgeose's birth?"

At my annoyed remark, a woman with blazing red hair and bat-like wings on her back revealed herself from within what had been Crimson Lord.

[Elder Crimson Lord Luciella / Level: 81]

"Wh, what is that?"

“No… Fuck, what is this…?”

Though her size was smaller than before, everyone instinctively understood.

This woman now standing before us was incomparably stronger than what we had faced up until now.

I spoke to Kang Yi-sol, who looked completely mentally shattered.

“Looks like what we fought so far wasn’t the real body, but just the shell. If this were a game, this would be the first appearance of a Phase 2 boss.”

“.......”

No wonder it felt too easy.

Then, the Elder Monster, almost completely nude, pulled out a white cloth from thin air and wrapped it around her body.

That cloth transformed into a Greek goddess-style dress.

She gently landed barefoot on the ground and let out a soft, low laugh as she spoke.

[Among the pile of trash, two catch my eye at least.]

Crimson Lord Luciella’s gaze flew directly toward me and Willia.

But why?

Even under her threatening presence, I found myself thinking.

‘That dress… Willia would look amazing in it.’