NOVEL WEB Chapter 137
At the moment Alpha pulled out from the Ceratops’s body, Hong Yu-ri couldn’t help but gasp inwardly.
She thought Alpha was done for, but it was just her wishful thinking.
“Was he aiming for this…?”
Being not human but a Marang, it was clear that crossing countless trails led to such a thought. The roots of their thinking were fundamentally different from that of humans. Sure, one might think of it, but actually going through with it takes a special kind of madness. Heck, who could even be swallowed by a Ceratops and come out unscathed? Not even the clan leader could pull that off.
But thanks to it, a golden opportunity arose. Until the very end, Alpha began to tear at the Volcano Ceratops’s eyesight and started to pull away. In that moment, Hong Yu-ri’s eyes burst with crimson light, and the magic circle in the sky started to shine.
As a string of runes and glyphs began to spin, Hong Yu-ri raised her arms and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Burning in the abyss and turning to ash―!”
The third Great Magic. This time, the explosion had a power unlike the first two. She squeezed every last drop of her crimson magic power for this. A strike made with determination that she hadn’t prepared for the aftermath—everything she could do was encompassed in this incantation.
If it weren’t for her Magic Regeneration skill, she would’ve collapsed from mental exhaustion already. Her already broken rib was jabbing into her lungs. Breathing was difficult in the already scorching heat and smoke, and with the flames from the Ceratops consuming oxygen, her head felt foggy, yet Hong Yu-ri kept her eyes wide open.
“It’s gonna fall.”
Absolutely. It had to. Even as her vision blurred and smoke entered her eyes, Hong Yu-ri did not close them. Finally, the magic exploded—magic compressed beyond limits turned into a black dot and burst outwards.
It didn’t miss. It hit dead on.
—It couldn’t possibly stay standing. Wrapped in lava and flames like a molten volcano, everything encasing the Ceratops was instantaneously blown away. Its scales and flesh ripped apart, exposing white bones. In a desperate haste, she used what little power she had left for rapid recovery, but that massive bulk wouldn’t get covered by that alone.
She was already in a bad shape to begin with. The damage from Alpha thrashing around inside was surely lingering. The moment she confirmed the Ceratops swaying, her reddish gaze locked on it, and even while it was collapsing, Hong Yu-ri cheered. Finally, they had taken it down…!
The colossal deity, now partially submerged in lava, had the hot molten rock seeping into its exposed flesh and blood.
“―――!”
As it writhed in anguish, the ground beneath it crumbled, and the Ceratops sank deeper. An obscured smile was on Hong Yu-ri’s face as she let out a shout in the next moment.
The lava storm was still swirling furiously. As she hastily formed a pact, Hong Yu-ri felt something that almost made her mind slip. Excessive use of magic. She had scraped the bottom of her mental reserves to force out her dwindling power.
Even after doing so, only a meager amount collected. It was barely enough to handle the lava storm.
She could either drop down and melt away or get swept up in the storm and die. Those were the only two options available to her. —That’s what it felt like for Hong Yu-ri.
“…It’s too late.”
Tentacles wrapped around her waist, pulling her back. Just barely escaping the storm’s grasp, Hong Yu-ri snickered.
“……Yeah. A bit too late.”
She had planned to complain about the pain in her side due to its dragging, but she sealed her lips. The state Alpha was in—its once sleek black fur was now burnt and disheveled, with wounds exposing raw flesh.
Because of this, the warm embrace she had felt in the Frosty Valley was nowhere to be found. Yet, amidst it all, something was whimpering. …Why? What for? With caution, Alpha lifted her onto its back.
“The wounds…”
Without realizing it, Hong Yu-ri began to stroke Alpha’s fur. The injuries looked far worse than she thought. The glaring white bones were visibly crooked and broken. Now that she paid attention, there was also blood on the edge of its mouth… Could it be from battling that absurd monster, the Volcano Ceratops? Or was it due to the black dot explosion, from struggling to escape the Great Magic? Either way, she felt a tinge of regret…
“――――――!”
Then came an earth-shaking roar. A sound that rattled the heavens and the earth. While its force had waned, the storm raged on—seeing the steadfast will of the volcano not giving up caused Hong Yu-ri’s eyelids to flutter.
“It didn’t fall…?”
She couldn’t believe it. How could this be? This shouldn’t be happening…? It had struck true. Even its scales had shattered and fallen off…!
Confusion took hold. Her confidence in herself began to fade, replaced with doubt. Her ego, which had been barely holding on, started to weaken. Along with it, her consciousness flickered as it threatened to fade—yet that low voice she heard rang clear.
“…Just sleep.”
The wolf’s words burrowed into her ears. Just that alone calmed her churning heart and brought peace. If anyone else had said it, she would’ve snapped back at them for being silly… but why? She could’ve thought of a dozen reasons, but they all felt wrong… As Hong Yu-ri pondered, she could no longer lift her heavy eyelids. Slowly, she slipped into sleep.
“When you wake up, it will all be over.”
—Hearing that soothing yet strange phrase as she drifted off.
The wolf, having placed Hong Yu-ri atop the highest pedestal, directed the approaching storm into the void. Limit of status. Normally, a wolf with such low health couldn’t maximize regeneration efficiency, but it quickly healed its own wounds. What was stripped away was the mighty strength of the Volcano Ceratops.
As if reborn, the wolf’s fur began to grow anew, and fractured bones began to realign. The Volcano Ceratops,, rising amidst flowing lava—its wounds had not yet healed. Both its health and magic power were devoured by the void.
When the now weasel-looking Ceratops opened its mouth, the wolf soared into the air.
“I’m finishing this.”
The black dot had finally expelled the avatar. It had lost its ability to wield flames and was in a near-death state, having lost both its eyes. With its magic also depleted, the Ceratops had been reduced to just a mere monster.
In that instant, the Ceratops desperately squeezed out its last remaining strength, thrashing as if in its death throes. It was a destructive charge, but it never could reach the wolf. Instead, it leaped up unhesitatingly towards the circumscribed space, and from its landing, shadows arose to tear apart the Ceratops’s exposed wounds. The shadows wrapped in the void had the power to cut through even the thickest bones.
Countless tentacles, stretched to their limits, shredded and tore at its flesh. The Ceratops twisted and shook as though in pain, but it could hardly shake them off. Instead, it used its teeth and claws to bite and swallow. At that moment, the wolf also revealed its beastly instincts to the fullest.
Deeply, deeper still. Leaving not a single shred of flesh behind—! As that desire grew, the void’s haze deepened without the wolf realizing it. The void grows endlessly with the will to consume. The wolf only now began to understand that fragment. It was still far from being used completely.
Then, the Ceratops’s massive body began to tilt and collapse. Finally, as the Ceratops fell, lava and heat erupted like a recoil in shock where the ground had vanished. As lava seeped into its gaping wounds, the wolf evoked the void to block the surge of lava. It prepared for the next move, but the Volcano Ceratops would no longer move.
“Is it dead?”
No, not yet. It was still breathing. The wolf smiled wryly. Yeah. It wasn’t dead… just lost consciousness.
“……”
A victory that came in an unexpected way… Due to the black magic gnawing at her and the energy theft from exhaustion, Hong Yu-ri had collapsed.
Such a thing had never happened before. Since gaining the power of energy theft, anyone who had fought against the wolf would have perished before exhausting their power. Never had anyone survived combat against the void and black magic like that. Not even Baphomet, who was the checkpoint boss.
“……”
The fallen Volcano Ceratops—the wolf didn’t hesitate.
Looking anxious, Baek So-yul gripped the wolf’s fur she often carried like a talisman tightly. A sense of peace washed over her, calming her worries. Then, Fairy glanced at Baek So-yul’s clenched hand with curiosity.
“Kkyu…”
Yet it still didn’t approach with ease. It seemed cautious since the time it had snuggled against Alpha… Was it a jealousy like a puppy feels with its owner? That behavior seemed oddly cute and made her chuckle. Tentatively opening her hand so that the wind wouldn’t scatter it, Baek So-yul gestured for Fairy.
After a brief hesitation, Fairy came over, showing interest, and White Deer looked down at them.
“Is it the wolf’s fur?”
“Oh, yes… It is.”
It was black fur, but upon closer inspection, she could tell it was a bit different. It was a mix of two types of fur. White Deer’s skill—insight, quickly recognized that it belonged to the wolf before its evolution, the Shadow Wolf era.
“A talisman…”
As a familiar, it was a part that Baek So-yul couldn’t easily comprehend, but she could understand why it possessed it. If it were the wolf’s fur, it might even tempt her a bit.
Given that many familiars were curious about the wolf, only their fear of its power kept them at bay. Perhaps this could be an opportunity to bridge the gap between her and the other familiars.
Bae So-yul and White Deer sighed in unison, as if they had made a silent agreement. It made them wonder what the wolf was doing inside while they pondered.
Shouldn’t they have been worried? As they thought, Fairy tilted its head.
“Kkyu~?”
As if to say why they were worrying about such trivial things. At that moment, something began to show up from a distance.
“……!”
It was the very will of the volcano itself. An overwhelming presence felt like looking at a mountain—only after gazing up for quite a while could one see the mass of the Ceratops. Baek So-yul gulped involuntarily. It burned with searing heat, setting the fantasy world—Namsan ablaze. The sudden appearance of the Ceratops shocked the spirits and familiars, causing them to scatter in surprise.
“No way…”
As that thought flickered in her mind, Baek So-yul’s complexion turned pale. But that couldn’t be. The condition for the dungeon to collapse was to defeat all the monsters… so it meant the Volcano Ceratops must be dead. But then where was Alpha…? What about the teacher? As she anxiously scanned her surroundings, White Deer spoke up.
“It’s up there.”
Her gaze was set high above. Standing atop a podium, the dark Marang observed below—also subtly visible was a glimpse of red hair, making Baek So-yul exhale in relief.
“Thank goodness…”
Unlike the two of them, Fairy nodded as if it was expected.
Thus, Marang had indeed toppled the Ceratops, finally succeeding in conquering the volcano.