NOVEL WEB Chapter 41
“The Awakening Evil.”
The real problem starts here. Everything was just preparation for this moment. Unlike before, the fierce speed indicated that the Awakening Evil had mostly healed the wounds inflicted on Hong Yu-ri.
“That’s absurd.”
[Awakening Evil]
[Health…] [Height…] [Weight…]
[Strength 510] [Agility 413] [Stamina 699] [Magic Power 567]
“This is insane.”
Strength was 506, and agility 409, but it had grown even stronger in between. Even the magic power, originally 0, shot up to 567—a ridiculous number.
“More than anything…”
The highest number I had seen so far was Hong Yu-ri’s 640 magic power. Yet, the Awakening Evil’s stamina had hit 699. A status that far surpassed even Hong Yu-ri’s magic power.
“What the hell…”
It was hard to believe that this had happened from just [Incomplete Product of Incidental Achievements]. Something, definitely something I didn’t know, must have influenced this.
“……”
I had dragged out the fight with Gu Jin-ha for too long. The distance between the monster and me was closer than I had anticipated.
[Lv.10 Achievement Condition: Lure the Awakening Evil]
The system told me to lure it.
Lure—that meant to draw it somewhere. The Awakening Evil was chasing Hong Yu-ri, and I fought Gu Jin-ha to lure it. The Awakening Evil saw Hong Yu-ri, who was slumped on my back.
‘――!’
My hair stood on end at that chilling gaze. The remaining magic was less than half. 699. Just like how you wouldn’t run out of water, no matter how much you scooped from the sea, its stamina felt like an infinite resource.
What that meant was,
‘Am I running from a monster with practically infinite stamina, 413 agility?’
Tentacles extending infinitely. The embodiment of a previously unheard-of evil, the Awakening Evil—only 200m away. This was different from before.
‘It’s too big now.’
It felt like a mountain was moving. The number of monsters crushed underfoot by it surpassed the hundreds, and the distance was closing in.
“Kugh!”
Targeting Hong Yu-ri, bound on my back, it detached a part of itself and hurled it!
“……!”
The black mass splattered onto the ground, staining the surroundings in darkness. Blood? Bodily fluid? Was its blood mixed with poison? The number of chunks falling increased exponentially.
‘How many is coming?!’
Dropping like meteors, they polluted the forest in darkness. Monsters fleeing from it fell one by one.
‘Insane!’
The shock of impact was one thing, but they were dropping like flies as if afflicted by the black plague. If I got hit… it was horrifying just to imagine. It completely covered Hong Yu-ri with its tentacles.
‘Lure.’
I had to think. The system hadn’t told me to defeat it. It had only said to lure it.
‘Where to?’
It couldn’t be telling me to go outside the dungeon. The Swamp Dragon? By now, wouldn’t it be smashed to bits by Gu Jin-ha? Even a real dragon would struggle against it right now.
‘Then who?’
Gu Jin-ha couldn’t withstand it, and Hong Yu-ri had already fallen. But the system had always presented a clear path. If I thought just a bit more…
‘No!’
As it closed in on me, I raised my magic. My head throbbed, and the enhanced body pulled away the distance, but I only had one chance left. There would be no more. I had consumed more than I expected in shaking off Gu Jin-ha.
‘The condition for achievement is luring.’
If it had told me to drag it out, it would have meant survival or enduring. So it meant to seek someone out.
‘Damn it. Always vaguely considerate.’
What if it was the opposite? If this wasn’t the condition for achievement, this wouldn’t be happening. I tried to escape into an area with dense trees. And amidst that, I didn’t forget to sense my surroundings.
‘Think. Think!’
The bishop of the temple? No, even a bishop wouldn’t defeat the Awakening Evil. Originally, he would be outside the dungeon. Then, who in this dungeon could defeat the Awakening Evil?
The bombardment of falling chunks. There were many, but since I could anticipate where they would drop, it wasn’t too hard to evade.
‘Kugh!’
The gust scattered the tainted foliage. I could tell where they were falling, but those that had already fallen were obstructing my path, making it quite annoying.
‘…Damn.’
After being cornered for so long, the forest’s edge was right in front of me. The edge of the forest. Crossing the boundary of the dungeon would return me to the park.
***
“Hoo… Hoo!”
A man’s breath came harshly as he sat on top of the fallen dragon. His ankle was ripped open, making it difficult to walk, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he collapsed at any moment, but he chewed on the back of his hand to endure.
‘Hong Yu-ri…’
There was one thing I couldn’t understand. Why had Alpha kidnapped Hong Yu-ri? Why? Initially, I thought it was to take her hostage.
‘But that wasn’t the case. Alpha left without hesitation.’
If that were true, then what was the point of abducting Hong Yu-ri? Next, I wondered if Gu Jin-ha knew about Hong Yu-ri’s ‘Tracking Magic Eye’. It was unlikely, but considering what I had seen of Alpha, perhaps he knew more than expected.
‘But.’
Then there would be no reason to take her. It would have been better for him to kill her right then and flee instead of carrying her off. It was something I couldn’t comprehend at all.
‘So why did Alpha take Hong Yu-ri?’
I had no idea.
If I could read a monster’s mind, I wouldn’t even be human. However, I felt Alpha wouldn’t kill Hong Yu-ri right now. He must have taken her for some purpose. Rather than wallowing in self-reproach, action came first.
‘First, I need to join up with everyone.’
With a limp leg, Gu Jin-ha kept walking while nibbling on his hand.
***
“Kuhuk!”
The harsh breaths were escaping. I hadn’t felt it when I was a slime, but now, having acquired a body, I was feeling the limits of my stamina for the first time.
‘But…’
I couldn’t stop moving. For that moment would mean death.
Gugugugugugu…!
As the distance closed in, the monster extended its tentacles.
‘Should I use magic?’
I had just enough magic left for one more use. But if I used it now, I wouldn’t be able to handle it later. What if I ran into the temple? What if I was detected by another hunter? A wave of ominous imaginations gripped my ankles.
With only about 30 cm of distance, a drill-whip narrowly missed me. The whips brushed ominously over my head. Meanwhile, the bombardment of chunks didn’t stop.
‘……!’
I barely dodged them. While the whips tore up the ground completely, a tentacle managed to pierce through and hit me. The problem was that the back leg was pinned down to the ground as if it went right through it.
[Choose]
Blood was flowing out. The tentacle was so tough it wouldn’t break. Just when I was about to gnaw it off using Evil Devouring,
“……!”
At the edge of the forest, I was blocked by a massive chunk of flesh.
It was surrounded, as if there were fences, by chunks of meat.
Then, just like always, a familiar voice came, prompting me to make a choice.
[Advance or stand still]
Once again, it forced me to choose.
***
“Team Leader!”
With blood-soaked hands, Woo-taek helped the battered leader up with a bitter smile.
“I’m sorry. I lost Yu-ri.”
“…The Vice Team Leader?”
It was hard to believe. But in a situation like this, there was no room for jokes. Alpha must have really taken Hong Yu-ri.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m dying. But they’re more urgent than me. Can you chase after them?”
“I will.”
Without hesitation, it was said. He himself must have reached his limit. Late, I followed behind Woo-taek until we reached the temple.
“Cough! What, why are you moving so fast? Following is tough.”
“…I apologize, but may I ask you to look after our team leader? I will chase down the monster.”
“…Go ahead first. We will call for reinforcements soon.”
If we went outside, there might be hope. Elites from Dawn’s Teams 2 and 3. If they came, perhaps we could stop that monster.
“Hoo… It seems that’s all we can offer.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll go ahead.”
“Brothers, I entrust this to you.”
“Sung Dae-woon, please don’t overdo it. May the blessing of the Lord be with you.”
“Yes! May the Lord watch over you.”
As they disappeared from sight, the monk supported Gu Jin-ha.
“It’s only a little way to the boundary. Just a bit more, stay strong.”
With a bitter smile, Gu Jin-ha pondered where things had gone wrong. After a while of walking,
“Something’s coming! Prepare for battle!”
The monk’s surprised words. But what appeared was not a monster, but a person.
“Team Leader 3! Are you alright?!”
It was Seong-hoon, a member of Team 2 who had entered the dungeon together.
“I’m fine. But more importantly, Alpha has taken Yu-ri. Can you chase after them?”
“If that’s the case, you don’t need to worry. Did you forget?”
Upon hearing Seong-hoon’s words, the team leader was startled.
“Do you recall who I was looking for? That person is already on their way.”
“Ha. Damn. If only they had come earlier…”
“I know, right? They were leisurely taking a nap? They even had sleep crust in their eyes.”
Despite the bickering between the two, the anxiety on their faces had vanished. The monk couldn’t help but ask, feeling perplexed.
“Who exactly are you talking about?”
Who could possibly wipe away their anxiety in front of such a horrible monster?
***
At the end of the boundary, I was completely surrounded. The monster blocked the way with its massive bulk. It was like a wild animal trapped in a cage. Dodging bombardments, spikes, and whips was overwhelming.
—They told me to choose.
‘Of course I will advance.’
Once I crossed the boundary, it would surely chase after me or Hong Yu-ri, who I was carrying. It would be like releasing it into the city. Even if I sacrificed Hong Yu-ri to it, it wouldn’t stop the massacre. Perhaps it would chase after me, the one that had gotten in its way, out of the city.
That meant everything I had done up until now would go to waste.
That I couldn’t tolerate.
‘I’m going!’
I had to put as much distance as possible from the monster.
I prepared to dodge the bombardments of flesh, the sharp spikes, and the whips flying at me.
‘Transformation is hard to use.’
I couldn’t use transformation while shielding Hong Yu-ri. Moreover, my remaining magic was just enough for one last use. If I used it, I would probably succumb to mental exhaustion. The Awakening Evil surrounded me on all sides, and there was nowhere left to retreat. And—
I had no intention of retreating.
‘So…’
Deciding not to use that skill, the embers ignited and burned the foliage. Soon, the flaming embers morphed into a gigantic firestorm.
The monster’s tentacles reached out, climbing upon them. The firestorm engulfed the embers, fiercely burning the flesh. The black chunks ignited, releasing thick smoke that billowed up.
“——!”
The Awakening Evil screamed in a way that words couldn’t express.
No matter how much it regenerated, the flames wouldn’t die down. The embers kept burning it, and it had to regenerate its body more than that.
‘Too high.’
It felt like climbing a mountain whose summit was never in sight. As the flames spread over its entire body, smoke billowed up. The gust pushed the smoke away while I evaded the whips and spikes that came flying toward me. The chunks beneath my feet writhed, creating traps, and the protruding meat obstructed my path.
Despite dodging all of that, the dozens of whips it produced were still a threat.
‘This is!’
[Perception (E) Lv.5’s proficiency has reached its maximum. Perception (E) Lv.5 -> Perception (E) Lv.6]
Even if my perception leveled up, it didn’t matter. All the paths through which I could move were covered.
It was too late to raise my magic…!
‘I can’t dodge this!’
Death was closing in rapidly. Just like with Aranea, there was no small gap to morph and escape through—!
‘……!’
Even if I were to reduce all the damage with hardening, I thought it would surely mean instant death—just as I was thinking that.
‘How?’
As if the film had cut, I suddenly felt like I had leaped through space—how was that possible?
I was sure I had died and felt there was no escape. That was a sure fact, wasn’t it?
‘Could it be Hong Yu-ri?’
Teleportation magic? I didn’t know. One thing was certain; I had to act without wasting any time. Without hesitation, I summoned the remaining bit of my magic.
‘Now!’
Just a beat late, the dozens of whips clashed in the empty air. As the shock caused the Awakening Evil to stagger, I used the recoil and jumped high, digging my claws into its flesh, barely managing to not fall back.
“Krrr—!”
I got my claws tainted in its bodily fluid. I could see how the monsters had perished.
[Weak Poison Resistance (F) Lv.8’s proficiency has reached its maximum. Weak Poison Resistance (F) Lv.8 -> Weak Poison Resistance (F) Lv.9]
Just when I thought I had barely regained my balance, a wave of dizziness hit me.
‘Damn.’
Psychic exhaustion was close. The well beneath had been exposed. The only thing I could endure was.
[Magic Regeneration (D) Lv.2’s proficiency has reached its maximum. Magic Regeneration (D) Lv.2 -> Magic Regeneration (D) Lv.3]
Because a small spring of magic was bubbling up.
“Krruk!”
As I staggered slightly from the dizziness, my front paw pierced through a spike. Flesh punctured flesh, binding my movements.
‘So tough. It’s hard to break free.’
It was so resilient that it didn’t care about the gusts. I couldn’t time my Evil Devouring. I transformed, changing the shape of my foot to just slip out.
‘Just a little further!’
I could go past it to the opposite side.
And at that moment, I heard a voice.
“What about that wolf?”
It was a hunter I had seen in Jiri Mountain. But even with him here, I couldn’t feel relieved. Even Gu Jin-ha and Hong Yu-ri had ultimately been unable to defeat the Awakening Evil.
Moreover, the condition of Jeon Woo-taek was also far from good.
“Hoo, hoo! It’s exhausting just to follow.”
The paladin, who had missed the chance to capture Gaptorang before, was also following behind, but I couldn’t expect much from him.
‘But.’
For some unknown reason, it seemed that the Dawn was certainly pursuing me on a clan level.
“Kugh!”
As I dodged the whip, I thought.
If that’s the case, if Dawn was chasing me, then the ‘lure’ the system mentioned was probably aimed at the Dawn’s first light.
As far as I knew, there were only two who were stronger than Hong Yu-ri and Gu Jin-ha in Dawn. First was Kang Tae-jun, the clan lord and team leader of 1. But it wouldn’t make sense for the head of Dawn to come just for me.
‘So…’
Thinking like this, there was only one left.
‘Kang Tae-ho.’
Kang Tae-jun’s younger brother, the team leader of the second elite team. Also known as the one who represents the sword (劍公), a monster.
‘Where is Kang Tae-ho?’
“Kuhh!”
Down below, Jeon Woo-taek positioned himself. As he raised his magic, it seemed he intended to stop the Awakening Evil.
“That’s futile! What do you think you can do with those hands?!”
“…Don’t worry.”
His hands were broken. To a paladin’s eyes, he was in no condition to use those hands anymore. If he took another hit, he might end up living the rest of his life as a cripple.
But he dashed forward without hesitation.
‘He missed?!’
No, it wasn’t a miss. To not hit from this distance was impossible. What he was aiming for wasn’t the monster from the beginning.
‘Ah!’
The air pressure from his fist shook the tentacles. In that moment, the wolf charged forward, igniting a firestorm.
“Were you planning to make a path from the start?”
“The Vice Team Leader seems to have been taken by Alpha.”
It was hard to see, but it felt that way. In other words, if the wolf was captured by the monster, it would mean Hong Yu-ri would die as well.
At least for now, I had to keep the wolf alive.
“What can I do to help?”
“For now, at least draw its attention. Can you manage that?”
“Leave it to me!”
With a firm raise, he lifted the mace and smiled with confidence. At the very last moment, gathering the last of his strength, he gripped the hammer.
“Thank you.”
“No need to mention it!”
***
“I see.”
After hearing the story, the bishop nodded calmly.
“So Gu Ma-jun has become a monster and doesn’t know the reason?”
“I’m sorry.”
As Park Yo-han lowered his gaze in shame, the bishop shook his head, indicating it was okay.
“No, it’s not your fault. Don’t worry too much.”
“Bishop, I don’t mean to be rude, but that really seemed like a monster. If it comes out of the dungeon…”
I didn’t even want to imagine. What if, really, if that monster were to escape the dungeon and run rampant in this city? Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine.
“It’s fine. Whatever happens.”
The bishop stood up from his chair and walked to the window. Cautiously opening the window, he looked out at the Ihyeon Park that had turned into a dungeon.
“Hehe… because He is here.”
***
With a power previously unknown, the Paladin swung with all his might. It was a clean, textbook strike.
“Kruh!”
But he was ultimately lacking in power.
The Awakening Evil was an existence beyond the realm of life. A mere blow from a half-acquired superhuman would be futile. He knew that better than anyone, yet the Paladin swung the hammer again and again. Clang! Clang! Clang! Even though the hammering resonated loudly, the Awakening Evil didn’t even spare a glance.
It was as if it didn’t even know it was being attacked.
“Kugh!”
With one final swing, the hammer flew away. His trembling arms and torn palms left him in no state to grasp anything.
It was the result that was to be expected. With power that barely surpassed B-class, it was impossible to inflict damage upon a flesh-hungry monster. Right. He knew well that he couldn’t even draw the monster’s attention.
—Power was, overwhelmingly insufficient.
It was a gap to despair.
“Are you giving up?”
Still, the Paladin didn’t stop. Fueled by sheer stubbornness, he searched for the hammer. Yet in the end, he couldn’t grasp it. It wasn’t that he lacked strength or that his hands had been torn.
“You’re quite a decent fellow!”
A giant man, bigger than him by a head, was holding the hammer.
“You are…!”
The Paladin’s eyes widened in surprise as the giant grinned.
“Now, observe carefully.”
Gripping the very hammer the Paladin had been wielding, the giant rolled up his sleeves.
“This is how you hammer!”
The tendons bulging from the giant’s log-like arms throbbed fiercely—!