NOVEL WEB Chapter 100
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“Frig extrem care îngheață totul―!”
Ha Yeon’s spell chanting, and magic manifests. A chilling cold that freezes everything—when a sharp, bitter frost passes, everything is frozen solid. Not even the monsters are exceptions. The time granted by the raid team allowed her to complete the fourth verse of the chant.
Moisture in the air froze, covering the monster’s entire body with a thick layer of ice, about 1cm thick—
“…That’s shallow.”
The unstoppable force doesn’t stop at just that. As the ice shattered into pieces, Gu Jin-ha shouted.
“Load!”
The mages began chanting fire magic, and the arrowheads blazed with flames. This was the final shot. While some archers still had arrows left, this would be their last barrage.
Without issuing the command to fire, Gu Jin-ha momentarily held the archers at the ready.
‘This won’t be enough.’
A more assured opportunity was needed. Even with Class A hunters blocking the front, they couldn’t stop the monster. The horrific mass he had seen in the forest dungeon flashed through his mind.
‘Similar to that…’
However, it was merely sturdy and quick to regenerate. It couldn’t dare compare to the mass monster. He needed the firepower to deal with it all at once.
“Ha Yeon.”
“I know. I’ll get ready…”
He had to buy time. A hunter from the Dawn Guild and a mage from Indigo Square who controlled water and ice. As she prepared the fifth verse of the spell, Euna shouted.
“…Add! 1 o’clock, 2!”
Not only the monsters needed attention. The monsters massacred earlier were sneaking up, targeting the raid team from another direction. Following Euna’s sensing, Gu Jin-ha shouted loudly.
“Ignore the monsters charging in! Lee Gi-jun Hunter!”
“Ah, yes. I’m on it!”
A talented hunter taught by Hong Yu-ri. He could surely hold back the monsters. To fill the gap created by Lee Gi-jun’s withdrawal, Gu Jin-ha charged ahead with the twin swords raised.
“Cover me!”
As the two hunters followed Gu Jin-ha, he accelerated. At the moment the distance closed, he used the speed gained from running to leap high and thrust his sword, stabbing deep into the monster’s abdomen.
“―――!”
But a monster isn’t going to just sit still. With the momentum of his charge, Gu Jin-ha toppled over, but was caught by the two hunters supporting him, allowing him to dodge the descending fist.
Even that was enough to leave him dizzy from the strong impact. Wiping the blood that dripped from his lips with his sleeve, Gu Jin-ha muttered.
“Explosion.”
With a simple incantation, the sword deeply lodged in the monster exploded, scattering into dozens of shards, leaving blade fragments behind. But even that would heal and recover quickly.
‘……This is maddening.’
Seeing the still-advancing monster, Gu Jin-ha frowned. At that moment, a voice rang out.
“―――Când coboară florile de zăpadă”
Ha Yeon’s magic was already chanting the third verse. Yet, it would still take more time to complete the fifth verse. In the meantime, they had to somehow buy time….
“Add! 6 o’clock direction, 4, or rather 5!”
A horde of monsters surged toward them. At Euna’s shout, the hunters began to move frantically, and the situation became urgent.
Frowning as Gu Jin-ha was about to draw another sword, he winced. The recoil from stabbing into his abdomen earlier must have been greater than he imagined, as his wrist felt numb.
‘…Incredible brute force.’
Yet, he couldn’t just stay idle. If he didn’t block, their ranks would be thrown into disarray, and they would perish in an instant. In a frantic situation, Gu Jin-ha pulled out his sword, striking back against the charging monsters while glancing back.
“Everything is frozen and iced.”
Finally, the fourth verse. Ha Yeon’s magic was getting closer to completion. Silent Mouth cast a shadow, and Hong Yu-ri materialized a crimson magic circle. And then, Ha Yeon’s magic took effect. Before they knew it, snowflakes began to fall. Gradually, the light snow turned into a raging blizzard, eventually forming snow flowers.
Amid the monsters rampaging through the raid, Gu Jin-ha shouted.
“Spread out! Keep as far apart as possible!”
What she was chanting was none other than a great magic. Anyone swept up, even Class A hunters, wouldn’t guarantee their lives. Meeting Ha Yeon’s gaze, Gu Jin-ha nodded slightly.
‘So that we can aim.’
The raid team spread out. Gu Jin-ha picked up the spear of a fallen comrade and threw it, which pierced sharply into the monster’s abdomen.
‘Not much magic power, but…’
“Explosion―!”
Once more, Gu Jin-ha recited the explosion chant. The tip of the spear burst, but he well knew that it wouldn’t stop the monster’s advance.
“Fire!”
Whoosh—
As the arrows ignited and flew, the archers took their final shot at a speed that was almost invisible. Although previous attacks had been in vain, this time it was different. As the fire arrows penetrated the wound revealed by the spear’s explosion, the monster howled in pain.
In that revealed gap, Gu Jin-ha’s judgment was spot on.
The moment beautiful pure white snow flowers sparkled, Ha Yeon chanted the final spell.
“Îngheață într-un viscol, ―Zero Absolut!”
“――――――!”
The instant the snow flowers settled above, the monster’s movements halted as if it were a broken machine.
“Did we… succeed?”
Not merely covered in frost but the monster became an ice statue. Unlike before, it didn’t even twitch. No matter how unstoppable the force, it could not oppose the great magic that froze everything at the molecular level.
“……!”
—That was what it was supposed to mean originally. From not too far away, a loud explosion echoed, followed by the sight of something falling off the cliff, splattering blood and flesh, turning the jungle red.
And soon after, within the space of absolute zero that had frozen everything, something began to stir. Black magic seeped out even as the molecular movements were frozen.
‘……What?’
As Gu Jin-ha frowned at the incomprehensible phenomenon, the monster began to twitch.
‘……!’
The black magic began to move, no, it was dominating the frozen monster. Soon, engulfed in the magic radiating from within, the monster trembled.
“…Everyone! All raid members retreat! Right now!”
The situation became critical. In less than ten seconds, the monster’s footsteps echoed through the jungle, shattering the frozen trees.
Amidst that, a voice filled with unknown indignation leaked out.
[Bastards… how dare you…!]
The mass monster, awakened in full force by the surging black magic, caused Gu Jin-ha to turn around. He saw Ha Yeon, the wielder of the great magic, pale in shock.
“H-how…”
Without a doubt, Gu Jin-ha had never seen her this flustered. It was likely more accurate to say that something else had awakened rather than the mass monster revealing its hidden power.
……!
The one who reacted most sensitively was Euna.
“T-the chant! She’s still chanting!”
Detecting the magic waves from afar, Euna shouted. The master of the black magic was undoubtedly the mage above on the cliff. Everyone realized it.
‘Has Alpha lost?’
The ominous aura felt… absent. But the fact that the mage was still alive meant that the splattered blood and flesh from earlier belonged to Alpha. Gu Jin-ha clenched his teeth.
—Regret is always too late. If only he had known, he should have attempted contact with Alpha sooner to initiate a discussion.
It was far too late now….
What Alpha had known, what it had tried to stop. And the rogue elements of the cult. Now there was no way to pursue them, and above all…
‘The raid team might be annihilated at any moment.’
Even as he ran, Gu Jin-ha recognized that once the monster broke free from the spell, there would be no escaping for him or anyone else.…there was still a long way to the raft.
[―――]
The mage’s spell chant. Gu Jin-ha tightened his eyes and gripped his sword. If he was going to be captured anyway, he thought he’d buy time for the others to escape. Whether that was possible or not…
“…Let’s do this together.”
…There were people alongside him.
In no time, Euna, having regained her composure, stood beside Gu Jin-ha. Her serious injuries surely hadn’t healed yet. When he turned to look, he saw several hunters who shared the same resolve.
“The master is still…”
“If I’m going to die anyway, I want to die meaningfully.”
The implication was the same as his own, but he had to protect her, Changseng’s disciple. Above all, if her injuries hadn’t healed yet…
But seeing the determination in her eyes, Gu Jin-ha could only smile bitterly. No matter how much he told them to retreat, it seemed unlikely they would do so.
In the end, Gu Jin-ha couldn’t help but let out a sigh filled with emotion.
Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!
The sound of the earth shaking meant that the monster had completely broken free from the aftermath of the great magic. There was no time left to negotiate.
[Great lightning, you will destroy my enemies―!]
—A flood of magic and creeping black magic. Hunters scattered in all directions, and the mass monster targeted Gu Jin-ha as the most dangerous enemy in sight.
The explosion of the sword. And the command. The monster had judged Gu Jin-ha to be the most threatening foe right then. Escaping from the monster was impossible. As the towering monster raised its foot, a chilling wind brushed past him.
‘…That’ll do.’
In that brief moment, Gu Jin-ha lodged his sword deep into the monster’s heel and pulled himself up. As the monster thrashed about, Gu Jin-ha climbed atop it and shouted again.
“Explosion!”
The sword buried in its heel exploded, causing the monster to stagger and collapse. The hunters seized this chance. Lee Gi-jun, sword in hand, jumped up while Ha Yeon began chanting once more, and Euna threw her spear with all her might.
It was the only thing she could do in her injured state, a last-ditch effort.
“Spear to kill the devil!”
The spear imbued with magic pierced the back of the monster’s hand, which was originally aimed at Gu Jin-ha.
“A spear to annihilate magic!”
Following Euna’s shout, it exploded, and Gu Jin-ha didn’t let this opportunity slip away. Grabbing the nails and plates embedded throughout, he leaped again, quickly reaching the monster’s head and pulling out his last remaining sword.
“Exploi…?!”
Just before he could stab down into the monster’s crown, he opened his eyes wide.
—The sword began to slip away. No, the hand holding the sword was being pulled away.
[Bugs… how long did you think you could run rampant?]
The vibrating magic mocked him. The black magic obliterated Gu Jin-ha’s shoulder. One arm vanished, leaving him weaponless….
Even in such a grim situation, Gu Jin-ha’s judgment was quick. He leaped from the monster, yet its throat soon regained its form and healed completely.
‘Like Baphomet…!’
The ability Euna had warned about. The black magic was approaching. In an instant, the monster pulled back the wounds on its arm and tried to grab Gu Jin-ha.
…The trajectory was already unchangeable. There wasn’t enough time to raise magic again. In that moment of imminent death, an unknown force pulled him away, and just narrowly escaping the monster’s grasp, Gu Jin-ha looked back at the one who saved him.
“…Euna? Why didn’t you run away!”
“I-I can be of help…!”
She was gasping for breath. She must have run a great distance. Her eyes were filled with strong determination. With some strange conviction, Euna nodded her head.
“I can sense the trajectory of the magic flying at us. If we work together…!”
If that were true, it would be undoubtedly helpful. Yet Gu Jin-ha couldn’t help but frown.
Just having saved him, it was clear she would surely become a future talent. Even if Euna’s words were true and she could sense magic, their chances were still slim. No, it was still close to zero. Nothing would change.
She wasn’t someone who could die here. If Euna continued to live as a hunter, how many lives could she save? Frustrated, Gu Jin-ha lamented, but it was already too late. Reluctantly, he tucked Euna under his arm with his remaining strength. She, inverted, opened her eyes wide and shouted.
“D, Distort!”
The monster’s arm was soaring toward them. —The distortion that Euna had enacted successfully slowed the monster’s arm down. 0.0000… so minutely that it was almost immeasurable. In the end, it meant nothing.
‘A monster…!’
Had he really been fighting such a monster all this time? Euna shouted with a pale face.
“5 o’clock magic! Team Leader, Team Leader!”
As soon as those words finished, a chilling thunder struck. Earlier, Alpha had instinctively dodged Silent Mouth’s magic that had surpassed the speed of sound, but for the utterly exhausted Gu Jin-ha, it was no easy feat. He managed to barely evade by summoning his remaining magic, but limitations were imminent.
“Damn it…”
The stamina spent during the expedition and the depleted magic power. His vision became blurred. When he was struck by the monster’s arm, he already suffered fractures and internal injuries. Moreover, after forcibly moving with one arm severed… blood spilled everywhere, a massive loss. Gu Jin-ha gritted his teeth against the pounding headache.
“…Run. Quickly.”
The monster advanced, and Gu Jin-ha shouted once again.
“Command, I say! Euna! Get out of here, run away…!”
With tears held back, Euna was pulling him along. Why couldn’t she understand such a simple fact that they’d both end up dead if they stayed together…?
‘No, she probably knows.’
Gu Jin-ha ultimately smiled grimly. They all thought the same. Euna, as well as himself, and the remaining people.
They tried to save each other, but there was no way to stop the monster from annihilating the raid. In the end, this was where it would all conclude.
“Team Leader…!”
Now unable to speak, Euna’s expression turned into a cry as she witnessed Gu Jin-ha coughing up blood. Hearing the approaching footsteps, fear washed over her face. The enormous, blood-soaked monster’s fist, crashing through the jungle, was raised as if to announce the end.
“……D, Distort…!”
Even now, her magic amounted to nothing. The monster raised its arm to shoulder height as if no disturbance had occurred. Once that fist lands, everything truly ends… and he, too, would die right here.
Euna raised her head absently. Far away, the magic and presence she had once sensed now felt like mere illusions, completely faded away. Ultimately, Euna surrendered and lowered her head once more.
—And thus, she failed to notice.
That soon, a black mist began to drift through the jungle.
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