Chapter 43
Kraaah!
The monster roared.
Was it because of its sheer size? The shout emerging from its mouth alone stirred up fierce winds, making my cheeks pull taut. The sound of something splitting the air struck me head-on, sending the full impact through my eardrums.
'Tch, it's only a monster from beyond the fourth stage, yet the difference is this overwhelming? As expected, the trials get more fucking difficult the farther we go.'
When the roar ended, every member of the group wore a dazed expression. They had felt with their entire bodies that this thing was on an entirely different level from the enemies we had fought so far.
"H-hey, Black Dick. Why did you bring that thing here? Eek! Unni, it just looked over here!"
It was because of its gastric acid. Its gastric acid was special. It could melt and break down anything, whether metal or gemstones, and was valuable enough to be sold as an alchemical ingredient starting from the fifth shelter.
"Everyone, prepare for battle."
"Huh? You want us to fight something like that? Fuck, let's just run! It won't be able to chase us once we get outside!"
Then there would have been no point in summoning it in the first place.
Pat-pat-pat—
I took a longsword from my inventory, gripped it in my hand, and ran forward.
"Hey, Black Dick?! Damn it!"
I undid the sword hanging from my waist and getting in the way, then threw it onto the floor.
'Holy attributes only work against dark-attribute mobs.'
Dark attributes, on the other hand, could deal additional damage to mobs of every attribute.
Physical attacks did not work against its earth and fire attributes, so crude as it was, this was the only weapon I could use to kill it.
Of course, I did not need to kill it myself.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Feeling the air vibrate violently from the monster's tremendous arm movements, I shouted.
"Han Sohee! Take Hana and fall back to protect her! Shin Seoyeon, get ready to lay down sustained damage!"
"Fuck, will it even work? That thing looks insanely strong just from looking at it!"
"Don't worry! It works! Put your damage on it and just keep running! I'll take care of the rest!"
It was too much for me to kill alone, at least with the equipment I had at my current level.
However, things would be different if the Crimson Flame Witch, an S-rank mage whose damage alone placed her among the top five of all S-ranks, unleashed a burst of damage.
"Fuck it, I don't know! Die!"
Fwoosh!
Red flames poured from Shin Seoyeon's hand. Those flames of eternity coiled around the Rock Ghost, which had been focused on me.
Kraaaagh!
The monster screamed. It twisted its body this way and that, irritably beating away the flames clinging to it.
'...The Rock Ghost is resistant to fire.'
It was not [Immune] to fire and did not completely ignore fire damage, but it possessed powerful fire resistance. Ordinary flame attacks barely even registered to it.
Kueeegh!
However, it was in pain now.
As expected of the Crimson Flame Witch, her power was astounding.
When her Intelligence stat, more than five times that of an ordinary person, combined with the Transcendent-grade ability [Primordial Fire], even a monster with strong resistance began to melt.
Boom!
That was when it happened. The monster, which had been suffering under the flames of eternity, abruptly turned its gaze and suddenly charged at Shin Seoyeon.
"Kyaaah! Fuck, what the hell is that?! Why is it suddenly coming at me?!"
Damn it, had it drawn aggro? I hurried after it and struck the Rock Ghost's leg with all my strength.
Kuwaaang!
Perhaps because my Strength stat exceeded 50, its massive body staggered and toppled over.
"S-stop following me!"
Even so, the monster never took its eyes off Shin Seoyeon. It crawled after her on all fours, then got back up and continued the pursuit.
No matter how many times I knocked it down, the distance between them kept shrinking.
'The aggro isn't breaking. Shin Seoyeon's damage must be much higher than I expected.'
Fwoosh!
<Unique Ability>
Name: Primordial Fire
Grade: Transcendent
Description: Increases all fire-attribute effects by 100%. Once this fire catches, it will not go out until the user withdraws it.
The flames of eternity burned endlessly until their user withdrew them. Right now, they were clinging to the Rock Ghost's body, continuing to burn and melt it.
That was why the aggro would not break.
"Black Dick, save me! Kyaaah!"
Kuwaaang!
'Normally, the aggro should jump to the person closest to it, or to whoever is hindering its movements.'
Yet the monster pursued Shin Seoyeon with the persistence of a sworn enemy. Unable to evade it properly because of the difference in their heights, she was eventually driven into a corner and faced imminent capture.
"Uh, uh."
"Seoyeon, what are you doing?! Run!"
The Saintess shouted at her for standing still.
"I-it's just... my body...."
Perhaps because she had been running at full speed, Shin Seoyeon's breathing had grown ragged, and her legs were trembling violently from the terror of death she was experiencing for the first time in her life.
The quick-witted Saintess immediately used [Recovery Authority] to release the stiffness in Shin Seoyeon's body, but she was already a moment too late.
The monster's hand had reached the spot right in front of her, where she was trapped in the corner and unable to do anything.
"Ah...."
Fortunately, I reached Shin Seoyeon at the last possible moment, threw away my sword, swept her into my arms in a princess carry, and ran.
Kuwaaang!
The spot where Shin Seoyeon had been standing was gouged out as roughly as if an excavator had taken a scoop from it, in keeping with the grip strength of something that crushed and ate rocks.
"Are you okay?"
"M-Minjun. Sniff. Why did you take so long to get here?!"
She must have been badly frightened. That fierce Shin Seoyeon was trembling and on the verge of tears.
"It's almost over, so hang in there a little longer."
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The five-meter-tall, alien-like Rock Ghost was still hot on our heels, determined to catch Shin Seoyeon. Despite most of its body being engulfed in red flames, its movements were remarkably agile.
'It has fire resistance and stamina high enough to withstand even lava. In the fourth trial, it was so tough that it ranked among the top three ordinary mobs in terms of durability.'
The quest in [Mountainous Region] was to kill one of these things, and it was so difficult that two or three hundred people would form a party to hunt a single one.
In other words, it was practically on the level of a raid boss.
'I feel like we have to hold out for another minute.'
Whoosh—!
"Kyaaah!"
"Calm down. Stay still."
"Y-yeah."
Shin Seoyeon clung tightly to me, and I dodged the Rock Ghost's swift hands in every direction while carrying her.
Even with my high stats, getting caught in that grasp would be dangerous.
'I can avoid it for about a minute, but....'
If I ran away too much, the aggro could switch to someone else. Even now, the Saintess was repeatedly healing the two of us.
And even if that were not the case, did I really need to keep running around like this for no reason?
"Seoyeon, wrap your arms tightly around my neck."
"Huh, what? What are you going to do?"
I quickly drew a dagger from my waist and plunged it into the back of my hand. Then I spun around and looked back at the Rock Ghost, which had come right up to us.
"W-what are you doing? You haven't given up, have you?"
"Who knows?"
"D-don't make me nervous. You didn't live this long just to die in a place like this, did you? Right? You still have lots of things you want to do and things you haven't tried yet."
Grrrr.
"H-hey, Black Dick? Are you listening to me?"
Perhaps she was anxious, because our Crimson Flame Witch grabbed me and shook me frantically.
"Who knows? There isn't any particular reason to keep dodging it. It's a hassle, too."
"D-don't do that. You still have to have your way with me more. There are positions and kinds of play we haven't tried yet. Just tell me what you want. If there's anything you want, I'll grant it somehow, no matter what it takes! So let's live. Okay?"
"Oh, really?"
Our Crimson Flame Witch had promised to grant me anything I wanted. That was rather tempting.
"You promise?"
"I promise! If it's something you want, I'll really grant you anything!"
Whoosh. The Rock Ghost's enormous arm came flying toward us. Shin Seoyeon squeezed her eyes shut and hugged me tightly, while I subtly dodged the fist to the side.
Kuwaaang!
The fist slammed into the banquet hall wall, shattering the waterway that happened to be there and sending water splashing in every direction.
Then, cleaving through those droplets, something enormous burst out of the dark tunnel at the far end of the waterway.
Splash!
A giant water worm two meters thick and twenty meters long.
Kuwaaaagh!
The Lake Wyrm, excited by the smell of the blood I had spilled, burst out in a single rush and bit down on the Rock Ghost's nape.
Crack!
Kraaaagh!
The Rock Ghost fell backward, sending fragments of rock flying in every direction. Taking advantage of the opening, I moved beyond a safe distance and watched the two monsters fight.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Rock Ghost thrashed, trying desperately to break free.
The Lake Wyrm coiled around it like a snake, holding on as it desperately tried to devour it.
Even though physical attacks should not have worked, the Rock Ghost was caught by the Lake Wyrm and could not move at all.
The difference in their sizes was simply too great. The twenty-meter Lake Wyrm possessed such tremendous strength that its entire body seemed to be made of muscle.
A mere six-meter humanoid monster was no match for it and could not break free of the restraint.
Kraaaagh!
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
"Seoyeon, you can put out the fire now."
"Huh, what? Is it over?"
The Rock Ghost's skin and muscles had already been burned and melted considerably. On top of that, as I had mentioned earlier, the Lake Wyrm's size was overwhelming.
No matter how durable the Rock Ghost's body was, it could not withstand the Lake Wyrm's bites with a body already damaged by the flames of eternity.
Kueeegh....
In the end, all the strength drained from the Rock Ghost's body, and its arms went limp. The Lake Wyrm grabbed the monster by its tough head and tore it this way and that, determined to eat it.
"Seoyeon, stay here."
"Yeah."
"The rest of you, wait here too."
I approached the Rock Ghost quietly without disturbing the feeding Lake Wyrm. Then I struck the same spot several times with a dark-attribute axe, split open its belly, and tore out an organ from inside.
[Pouch Containing the Rock Ghost's Gastric Acid]
It was an organ slightly larger than a human head. I carefully detached it without spilling its contents and returned, prompting the women to wrinkle their brows sharply while revealing their curiosity.
"What is that?"
"It looks dangerous at a glance. What are you planning to use it for?"
I held out my hand to Han Sohee.
"I'll explain later. First, give me what I told you to set aside while we were coming up."
"Ah, you mean the soul stones."
<Item>
Name: Specter's Soul Stone
Grade: Low
Description: A stone formed from condensed ectoplasm. It contains a faint spiritual energy.
I carefully placed the junk stones dropped by Specters one by one into the pouch of gastric acid.
"Huh? What's that? Isn't it an opal?"
Shin Seoyeon had been too dazed to think after nearly dying and coming back to life, but after receiving treatment from the Saintess to calm her mind and body, she regained her senses. The moment she saw the glittering stones, her eyes lit up.
"It isn't."
"Don't tell me it isn't! It's an opal! Didn't you say only junk items dropped down there?!"
"This is the junk item."
She did not believe me even after I explained. As I tried to put in the last soul stone, Shin Seoyeon grabbed my wrist and gave me a greedy look.
"Come on, give me just one of these. Please? Minjunnyang."
"...."
"Just one! Only one!"
Her face was so steeped in greed that it was hard to believe she had just barely escaped death. If a dragon polymorphed into a human, it would look exactly like Shin Seoyeon.
"Fine, but you promised to grant me a favor earlier, right? Grant me two favors instead of just one."
"Huh? Did I ever say that?"
As the saying goes, people make one promise on the way into the bathroom and another on the way out, and Shin Seoyeon blinked innocently while shamelessly pretending not to know what I meant.
"Then you get none of these stones."
"Hmph, you said you caught and ate Specters down there anyway, didn't you? I'll catch some myself on the way."
"Really? Do whatever you want, then. But if you keep breaking your promises and acting however you please, I won't set anything aside for you anymore. You'll have to fend for yourself."
"Urk."
When I tried to put the soul stone into the pouch of gastric acid, Shin Seoyeon grabbed my wrist again and stopped me.
"A-all right, I understand. I'll grant you two favors. Is that enough?"
Thus saddling Shin Seoyeon with two debts, I gripped the upper opening of the pouch and looked down.
Inside the pouch of gastric acid, whose contents were faintly visible, the soul stones were breaking down, and bubbles churned to the surface with a glug-glug sound.
'The Rock Ghost's gastric acid is very special. It must be used to produce various magical effects.'
The same applied to the item I was about to make. I gestured to the women watching.
"Everyone, look around and bring me anything that looks like a holy relic."
"A holy relic? Are there things like that here?"
"Yes. Just bring anything golden and expensive-looking."
"Ah, I know what you mean!"
The human dowsing machine Shin Seoyeon ran off and returned with her arms full.
This place had once been a renowned monastery.
There were blessed objects aplenty. I selected only the genuine ones and put them into the pouch of gastric acid.
Ssssss—
The contents inside the pouch began to glow blue.
Smoke rose from the liquid like dry ice. At last, it was complete.
"What is this?"
"Well, if I had to put it simply, it's a bomb. It's excellent for killing undead."
It did not boast tremendous damage, but for our plan to raid with only a small number of people, it would make up for our shortcomings almost perfectly.
"Wow, a bomb! Mr. Minjun, you're amazing, knowing how to make something like this! Did you see it at the shelter shop too?"
"Ahaha, yes, something like that."
Shin Seoyeon gave me a suspicious look, while Han Sohee looked puzzled, as if she had no idea what that meant. I simply smiled brightly at the Saintess and laughed it off.
In any case, we now had the tool we needed to kill the raid boss. I picked up the longsword I had thrown onto the floor earlier, strapped it to my waist, and said,
"Let's go now."
"Okay. But Black Dick, what are we going to do?"
Oh, right. I had not yet told the group what I intended to do.
They seemed to have planned to trust me and follow along no matter where we were going, even without knowing the destination.
I thought it would be best to tell them now, so I did.
"We're going to kill this dungeon's final boss."
At those words, everyone opened their eyes wide and stared at me.
"Huh?"
"Black Dick, are you insane?!"
The Saintess seemed unconcerned, while Shin Seoyeon's opposition was rather fierce, perhaps because she had nearly died moments ago. Still, if Han Sohee took my side, the plan should have proceeded smoothly as intended.
"Let's talk privately for a moment."
Han Sohee headed toward the small side room with an extremely grim air about her. When I stood there dumbly, she came back, grabbed my wrist, and dragged me along.
Then she said,
"Give up on the raid. The boss here is not something you can kill."
Han Sohee's eyes held mixed emotions.
The moment I saw that look, I had a pretty good idea what was going on.