Chapter 86: Seed of Contaminated Stone (6)
Do-sik’s swordsmanship.
The stakes Polar launched.
And Sa-hyeok’s various unorthodox techniques that were hard to describe.
No matter how large the golem was, it couldn’t withstand the combined assault of these three.
Crack!
Bzzzt!
Sa-hyeok electrocuted the golem’s left knee, causing it to explode, and Polar smashed the right knee with a stake.
The moment the golem staggered greatly, Do-sik instantly climbed up its leg and reached its solar plexus.
And a slash followed.
Clang!
A whirlwind of consecutive attacks, characteristic of the Sama Swordsmanship.
The tip of the sword followed the grain of the hard granite.
Rock, when its grain is exploited, breaks.
Crack!
In an instant, the golem’s granite exterior was gouged out.
It was a feat possible because he had grasped the exact location of the seed and the grain of the granite through the experience of catching one earlier.
The moment the seed embedded inside the solar plexus was revealed.
Do-sik shouted.
“It’s the seed!”
Polar, who was waiting below, struck
Thud!!
A heavy impact sound, the stake cutting through the air.
The aim was accurate.
Thwack!
The sharp tip of the stake accurately struck the seed.
But the power was insufficient.
The stake was embedded in the seed, but it couldn’t destroy it.
“Tsk……!”
The golem began to repair the exterior around its broken solar plexus.
The stake was slowly buried within the regenerating stone.
A perfect link, but an inadequate finish.
However, there was still a card left.
Sa-hyeok.
“Don’t retrieve the stake!”
Whoosh!
With those words, Sa-hyeok leaped using the recoil of his telekinesis.
Reaching the height of the solar plexus in an instant.
Sa-hyeok saw it.
The stake still embedded in the golem’s solar plexus.
‘Kwonmu Palm Technique 1st Form, Direct Strike.’
Sa-hyeok drove his palm into the stake as if hammering a nail.
Crack!!
The stake, slightly embedded in the seed, finally split the seed and went in.
The stake pierced the seed.
It was the moment the last remaining giant golem breathed its last.
Fizzle-
The giant golem crumbled, turning into sand and gravel.
Sa-hyeok landed on the pile of gravel with a thud.
Tsss-
Rob cast a heal on Sa-hyeok, Polar, and Do-sik.
Their tense muscles felt relaxed.
A brief moment of peace.
But everyone knew this was just a fleeting moment.
Because the boss still remained.
Everyone turned their gaze towards the inside of the cavity.
There, a giant sphere made of granite was supposed to be.
A giant sphere with a diameter of 3 meters should have been there…… but.
“Huh?”
It’s gone.
That giant lump, the presumed boss, the granite sphere, had disappeared.
“It’s gone?!”
“It disappeared?!”
The tension skyrocketed.
This operation would never be complete without catching the boss.
They had to find it.
Thump!
Sa-hyeok emitted his telekinesis even stronger.
Enough to detect the entire cavity.
Forcibly expanding the detection range decreased the accuracy, but now was not the time to be concerned about accuracy.
And the boss’s location was……
“Above.”
The ceiling of the cavity, which no one was paying attention to.
That huge sphere, the boss, was hanging right under that high ceiling.
“It’s above! Watch out above!!”
At that moment.
Thud-
The boss on the ceiling disappeared.
No, it didn’t disappear.
It fell.
It plummeted down like a comet at an incredible speed.
Crash!!
A speed that was unimaginable for something of that massive size.
There wasn’t even time to dodge.
Five Hunters were instantly crushed under the boss.
Crushed flesh, splattering blood.
The moment the first casualty of this operation occurred.
Fear began to spread.
“D*mn it……!”
Sa-hyeok, Do-sik, and Polar had somewhat read the boss’s movements, however vaguely.
But the reason they couldn’t react in time.
It was the boss’s speed, but also because the boss had targeted the rear of the attack team.
Sa-hyeok, Do-sik, and Polar were at the forefront due to the battle with the giant golem just moments ago.
They were too far away to react instantly.
The fact that the boss targeted the rear meant that the Lamplighters at the back were wiped out by the attack.
Pak!
Pak Pak!
The orbs of light in the air began to lose their light one by one.
Darkness slowly began to descend.
Fear and anxiety spread even faster in the darkness.
“It’s getting dark!”
“No s*it, Sherlock! Pick up a lamp and light it up again!!”
“The lamps are all broken, you idiot!!”
Rumble-
The spherical boss showed signs of moving again.
Then.
Thump!
Shhhk!!
A giant stake flew towards the boss.
Polar had launched it.
Crash!!
The stake hit its target.
The ground.
The boss had already leaped and disappeared from its spot.
“Tsk!”
Whoosh-
The boss rose above the Hunters’ heads again.
Everyone sensed it.
Another falling attack was about to strike.
Whoosh!
Correct.
A lump of granite with a diameter of 3 meters flew towards the Hunters.
A speed that was hard to even perceive.
Some mages fired off area-of-effect spells, but they all scattered into the air.
Because the movement of the granite lump was faster than projectiles.
“We have to dodge……!”
But it was already too late to dodge.
The moment everyone felt the premonition of death.
“Barrier deployment.”
Sa-hyeok activated
Crash!!
The barrier blocked the boss’s charge.
The flying boss collided head-on with the barrier.
A tremendous impact.
Fortunately, there was no damage to the shield and the barrier’s durability.
Truly, an incredible durability.
……And anyway, it was Sa-hyeok’s responsibility to withstand the impact by supporting the shield with his telekinesis.
“Ugh……!”
Sa-hyeok held the shield in place with all his might.
If he yielded here, the Hunters behind the barrier would all d*e.
However, separating the enemy and allies with a barrier meant that the allies inside the barrier also had no way to attack the enemy.
But Sa-hyeok had something he was counting on.
Or rather, something he had no choice but to count on.
Shhhng-
Behind the boss, Do-sik appeared.
He didn’t miss the moment when the movement of the boss, moving at ultra-high speed, paused for a brief moment.
“Sama Sword Technique 6th Form, Crosscut.”
Crack!!
An X-shaped sword attack struck the boss’s body.
The first effective hit that landed properly.
A long cut was carved onto the boss’s hard exterior.
Rumble!
The boss’s target changed.
It started to charge towards Do-sik.
“Alright, let’s have a leader-to-leader fight!”
Clang!!
The battle between Do-sik and the boss began.
Do-sik relentlessly struck the boss’s surface with his eerie swordsmanship.
The boss, in turn, bounced around in all directions, pressing its attack.
At first glance, it looked like a close match, but Sa-hyeok knew.
That this battle wouldn’t last long.
The Lamplighters were all dead, and the Lampyris Lamps were broken.
Therefore, the light orbs scattered around were slowly losing their light.
Furthermore, this place was underground, isolated from the outside world.
Complete darkness would soon engulf this place.
Once that happened, the battle would be over.
No matter how skilled one was in combat, they could do nothing if their vision was blocked.
Whoosh-
Some Light Sorcerers lit up the area.
But it was only a temporary measure.
Just like how it targeted the Lamplighters first, the boss would obviously target the Light Sorcerers first.
Moreover, the amount of light from the orbs summoned by the Light Sorcerers was much less than the light from the Lamplighters, making it not suitable for combat.
Sa-hyeok asked Polar.
“Do you have any night vision goggles?”
“Rob and I have them.”
Sa-hyeok looked around at the other Hunters and said.
“What about the others?”
“I have them.”
“I don’t.”
“Me neither……”
Less than five people had brought night vision goggles.
This number was not enough to do anything.
Sa-hyeok thought.
What he could do in the approaching darkness.
……There was only one answer.
Whoosh!
Snap!
Sa-hyeok pulled and grabbed one of the broken Lampyris Lamps.
It was the least damaged one.
Sa-hyeok briefly repaired the inside of the lamp with his telekinesis and then turned the dial to light it up.
Whoosh!
Light orbs, like fireflies (lampyris), poured out from the lamp.
“Huh?!”
“You fixed the lamp?!”
“We’re saved!”
Sa-hyeok opened his mouth.
“This lamp won’t last long.”
“What?!”
“There’s no time to explain further. Follow this light.”
Sa-hyeok turned the dial to adjust the position of the light orbs.
Whoosh!
The light orbs lined up in a long line, illuminating the path.
The path to the exit.
The entrance that the attack team used to enter this cavity.
Sa-hyeok said.
“Everyone, move to the opposite cavity through the passage. And Polar, Rob.”
“Yes!”
“Put on your night vision goggles and lead the people. It will be dark inside the passage.”
“Are we retreating?”
“Yes. Go quickly!”
Sa-hyeok turned his head towards Do-sik.
It was Do-sik’s turn now.
He had to pull Do-sik out of this battlefield as well.
Swish!
Sa-hyeok released and threw the metal bandages towards Do-sik.
Swoosh!
The metal bandages wrapped around Do-sik’s waist.
Do-sik was flustered.
“Hey! What the……!”
Swish!
Without a word, Sa-hyeok pulled Do-sik towards him.
Do-sik asked in an irritated voice.
“What are you doing!”
“This place will be completely dark soon. We have to get out of here.”
Pak!
Pak!
Indeed, the light orbs scattered in the air were starting to lose their light almost completely.
The Lampyris Lamp Sa-hyeok was holding was also dying again.
“But that thing……!”
“Can you fight like this even in the dark?”
Do-sik couldn’t answer.
He actually had nothing to say.
No matter how superb his swordsmanship was, he couldn’t fight a rock that moved at ultra-high speed in complete darkness.
“Tsk……!”
In the end, Do-sik also turned his back and ran towards the exit.
The retreat of all troops.
Naturally, the boss wouldn’t just stand by and watch.
Whoosh!
The boss charged towards the exit at high speed.
Currently, all Hunters except Sa-hyeok had entered the escape route inside the exit.
If the boss squeezed into the narrow escape route, it was obvious that the Hunters inside would be wiped out.
So……
Swish!
Sa-hyeok blocked the boss’s path.
“You can’t pass if you can’t get through me.”
Sa-hyeok threw a punch towards the incoming boss…… but.
Whoosh!
Before Sa-hyeok’s fist could land.
The boss abruptly changed its trajectory, dodging Sa-hyeok’s fist.
A movement that completely defied the laws of physics, including acceleration and gravity.
It was actually awe-inspiring to see a lump of rock with a diameter of 3 meters moving like this.
Thwack!
And the boss started to charge again.
This time, it charged towards the exit, drawing a large parabola and completely bypassing Sa-hyeok.
At that moment, Sa-hyeok realized the boss’s objective.
The boss had no interest in Sa-hyeok.
Its goal was to k*ll more Hunters.
Then, what he could do was……
“Barrier deployment.”
Sa-hyeok threw the shield at the threshold of the exit and deployed the barrier.
Clang!
The barrier deployed from the shield completely blocked the exit, leaving no gaps.
Clang!!
The boss stopped, crashing into the barrier.
“I clearly said you can’t pass if you can’t get through me.”
Rumble-
As if responding to those words, the sphere slowly turned towards Sa-hyeok.
Shhhng-
Sa-hyeok also pulled out all four weapons he was carrying on his back – two Mubuchamdos and two Thunderbolt Needles – and floated them in the air.
And at the same time, the light orbs went out, and complete darkness fell inside the cavity.
Of course, Sa-hyeok didn’t mind.
He could see everything with his telekinetic detection.
“Come.”
Whoosh!
The boss moved.
Sa-hyeok launched the Thunderbolt Needles and the Mubuchamdos.
But the boss possessed an astounding speed and range of movement.
Sudden acceleration, sharp turns, rapid ascents.
It was difficult to even land a single small needle on that massive body.
But the opportunity came.
The moment the boss charged towards Sa-hyeok with a body slam.
Swish-
Crack!
Sa-hyeok dodged the boss’s attack by a hair’s breadth and simultaneously embedded the Thunderbolt Needles and the Mubuchamdos.
‘Got it!’
Sa-hyeok immediately activated the Lightning Ring.
‘Let’s see you move faster than lightning!’
Electricity surged through the boss’s body.
Bzzzt!!
The moment the electricity and the Mubuchamdos started to dig into the boss’s exterior.
Thud-
The part where the Thunderbolt Needle was embedded detached from the boss’s body.
And then, the boss instantly gathered the surrounding sand and stones to repair the extracted part.
“……Oh, come on.”
Thud Thud Thud Thud!
The boss bounced around in all directions, pushing Sa-hyeok back.
Sa-hyeok could read the boss’s movements, but he couldn’t react.
Because of its speed.
‘I need to slow it down.’
However, there was nothing to use to slow down the boss’s speed.
Sand? Gravel? Using those would only provide the boss with materials for repair.
Sa-hyeok desperately racked his brain.
A way to hinder the boss’s movement……
“I have it.”
An idea flashed through his mind like lightning.
Whoosh-
Thud!
Sa-hyeok launched a Thunderbolt Needle and embedded it somewhere.
On the ceiling of this cavity.
