“I can feel it more clearly than the aura I sensed in the church…”
When I first discovered it, I had to get closer to feel the presence of the crystal, but now, whether the barrier’s level was hazy or not, I was able to sense it distinctly even from this distance.
Of course, this was just my level of perception, and other hunters couldn’t detect its presence, nor anything else, even if they passed right in front of the building.
However, it was hard to shake off the uneasy feeling because, despite being a potential trap, they were practically flaunting their presence.
“… Is there a possibility this is a trap?”
Naturally, I had no choice but to entertain such suspicions. It was as if they were blatantly asking me to come in. Had they already noticed my presence? I couldn’t be sure just yet.
I didn’t think there would be some kind of mechanism underground that I couldn’t perceive, but the potential for information about my sudden attack being relayed to whoever set it up was quite high.
What if they were waiting nearby? Hmm—this is just another hypothetical on top of another hypothetical. It never ends.
“Il-wol? Should I call Joo-ah or Ah-rin for support?”
“Ddak-ddak-”
“Really, is it too dangerous?”
Nod—
“Then, how about somewhere else?”
Support… would it really help? That monster called ‘Tooth’ was a troublesome stealth-type creature.
Having clumsy people come along would only result in unintended casualties.
While I was lost in thought, Yeon-hee was already contacting the special department under the administration office.
However.
Beep—beep—beep—
“There are many on hold; the connection is delayed…”
“They’re not picking up… If they’re always advertising to call anytime, then why not answer the phone?”
‘Of course.’
The staff of the special department are essentially civil servants. There may be some on call outside of working hours, but the number is bound to be low, and ironically, incidents tend to occur more often at night or early morning. So, how could I expect a leisurely call to connect?
That said, they couldn’t just increase the night shift staff either. The world might be falling apart, but aside from that, if relatively poorly paid civil servants can’t even maintain a work-life balance, who would want to work?
In the end, we had to take them down. While it might not necessarily be today, there was no reason to give them time when we didn’t know what they were planning.
‘I do have a way to take them down.’
When I think back to the first time I encountered that monster, it was pretty simple.
They loved to devour their prey’s head with their wide-open mouths. About seven out of ten times, that’s how they overpowered their opponents. That kind of habit wouldn’t be easy to shed.
I conveyed my intent through Ran. A bait was necessary.
Yeon-hee nodded and said, “I was already thinking… that might be the only way. Plus, it’s a tactic we need to get used to moving forward…”
‘Oo…? That’s quite a progressive outlook.’
To be fair, if it were the ‘her’ from my previous life, she wouldn’t have hesitated one bit making that choice, so I wasn’t surprised.
But seeing her express affection towards the summoned creatures left me a bit taken aback.
“I’ll do it. We have to. We’ve confirmed that it’s possible to use the bombs against them, right??”
I nodded and explained again through Ran. I had already identified that it was possible to hand over my bombs to the summoned creatures while at home.
However, the issue was that the summoned creatures couldn’t detonate my bombs on their own, but as long as they got eaten, they’d blow up automatically.
After listening to my explanation, Yeon-hee rehearsed several times to avoid making mistakes. They would be ordered to charge at the monsters as soon as they were summoned, holding the bombs. Someone like Yeon-hee wouldn’t find it difficult.
I took out the blanket I had prepared for camping, enveloped it in magic power and perception.
Then, I wrapped the two Lizardmen Yeon-hee summoned with the blanket to block out external sight, before explaining the new mission to them.
Even though they were summoned creatures, jumping into danger was an absurd mission, so I worried about what would happen if they felt bad.
But the bizarre role of a suicide bombers made those Lizardmen overjoyed.
Lizardman 2 and 3. They were used to focusing on taunting missions while holding the Screaming Mushrooms and Ddak-ddak-i, so it seemed they were even more satisfied.
‘Give it a shot. It won’t hurt me, being a skeleton, but you guys… it’s probably gonna hurt a lot.’
In any case, the Lizardmen, having clearly understood the mission, were dispelled.
I carefully moved, carrying Yeon-hee, down to the building’s underground.
Swish—
Since I was floating with the Rune of Levitation active, they wouldn’t be able to perceive me with their senses.
Once I reached the bottom, I saw two familiar monsters standing stupidly, slightly floating with crystals.
Having faced them for the second time, I could clearly identify their appearance. A hybrid with a werewolf’s body, long, curved blade-like claws, a dog-like face with a long snout, and a tail of a snake.
But the most striking feature was certainly the Elven-like pointed ears and the odd eyes that contained both amber and green.
‘Were they still considered test subjects…?’
The system had explained that they were the creations of Great Sorcerer Palkai.
I needed to inflict serious damage while they were exposed like this.
=====
Skeleton Bomb (Intermediate)
– Made from the skull of an Orc Intermediate Warrior, its attack power is slightly enhanced compared to a typical intermediate bomb.
– Enemies hit by the bomb enter a state of paralysis for 0.12 seconds.
– Enemies hit by the bomb have their movement speed reduced by 15% for 10 seconds.
– Bomb Attack Power +19
=====
A Skeleton Bomb processed from the skull of an Orc Intermediate Warrior obtained during a boss battle a few days ago.
It’s slightly stronger than the bomb I used when fighting Tanya. This should help a bit more.
Due to the nature of being underground, I couldn’t detonate a large number of bombs like during the ‘abandoned school’ boss battle.
[Corrupted Breath]
[Stagnant Sneaky Drain]
After activating the skill, I nodded towards Yeon-hee, and she immediately began chanting a summoning spell.
At once, seven portals appeared, and I had already handed her four bombs.
“Chikhyaaack?!”
As a number of unidentified portals appeared, the two monsters reacted immediately, and I threw two bombs each at them.
Boom─! Bang─!
Skeleton bombs striking dead center on their faces.
“Phrrreek- kwekk-!”
‘……?’
Surprisingly, I thought the bombs would only be able to hold the enemies in check, yet they seemed to take considerable damage. What’s going on? They shouldn’t be less potent than the ones from before, should they?
Just then, right behind me, newly summoned Lizard 2 and 3 had taken the strongest bombs I had given to Yeon-hee and were running forward with them in their mouths.
“Phuhng-!”
With bombs in their mouths, Lizard 2 and 3 were running with excited faces shining a vibrant green.
They were racing into danger without a trace of fear, comparable to the combat race known as the Orcs.
Meanwhile, the ‘Tooth’ monsters, having been caught off guard by my preemptive strike, quickly opened their mouths to swallow the approaching Lizardmen.
Their mouths were still remarkably elastic. To think they could devour the long heads of a Lizardman in a single bite…
I was worried they might retreat if they sensed something was off, but it worked out for now. Thankfully, their intelligence seemed to be low.
‘This time, it should be even tastier!’
As they tore the heads off the Lizardmen, orange light radiated brightly from their eyes and nostrils, and then—boom!
Bang! KABOOM!
‘Hmm…? Why is this so weak all of a sudden?’
Curiously, the power of this explosion was significantly lower than the one I threw earlier. It seemed to have dropped to less than half its destructive capability… why is that? Was it because I didn’t set it off?
I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, but it felt like that. Damn it. Even though it was a pre-made bomb, it seemed to have a sense of its owner!
“Quhefuhuhk…!”
Although they were blown over more than ten meters from the explosion’s impact to crash against the building’s interior wall, they only sustained injuries that caused part of their jaws and faces to explode.
Of course, that was a significant injury, but compared to what I had hoped for—a near incapacitating blow—I felt disappointed.
“1, 2, and Chehwa, take care of the small one!! The others, cover my surroundings!”
Yeon-hee was draped in a cloak infused with my magical power and perception, meaning until that energy faded, their awareness would be hazy.
Thanks to that, they’d be hard-pressed to designate her as a target, but since I couldn’t be sure about anything, I had arranged the summoned creatures into a defensive formation.
Among them, Lizard 4 and 5 were engaging in provocation duties, distracting the ‘Tooth’ monsters.
The Iron-armored Bug Ddak-ddak-i and Screaming Mushroom Dotted One.
The usefulness of those two could not be overstated.
Thanks to them, Lizard 1 and the two Dotti were able to close in on the relatively small ‘Tooth’ monster.
“Kwooooooar!!”
– The warrior’s roar boosts the morale of the allies!
– Strength +3
The two Dotti shouted the warrior’s battle cry in unison and began assaulting its abdomen with punches as the fight escalated.
[Flame Cut]
Screagh─!
I had already embedded my dagger into the neck of another monster that had been blasted away by the bomb.
The monster seemed more bewildered by my sudden appearance than by the fact that it had been attacked. What? Did you think stealth was a skill exclusive to you?
Swoosh—
‘Of course, I can’t take it down in one blow.’
Even though I pierced the creature’s neck with both [Flame Cut] and [Penetration], it swung its long blade-like hands for a counterattack.
Swish—
I was knocked back several meters by the force of the strike.
“Krarrr…”
In the meantime, the monster, rising from the ground, came charging at me on all fours, ignoring the dark red blood gushing from its neck.
The effect of [Stagnation] didn’t seem very significant. Was its resistance against status effects particularly high? Perhaps it’s because it was a hybrid mixed with a highly resistant Elf or Basilisk.
‘It’s fast, indeed.’
But I hadn’t been slacking off either. I easily leapt up to dodge its blade thrusts and spat acid onto its face.
“……!”
It startled, managing to evade the acidic attack, but that broke the flow of its offensive, allowing me to regain the upper hand.
Flames exploded—
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
‘Wow! The power of Fireball is…?!’
It was definitely stronger than before. While it had been trending upwards recently, today’s increase was exceptional.
Why was that? If I had to point to any changes, it would definitely be…
‘Is it because I connected with that Iris thing in that cosmic place?’
Whatever it was, it made the battle significantly easier.
Having taken considerable damage, the monster displayed significant caution towards the might of my Fireballs and bombs.
I fired skills at it rapidly to draw its attention away from other dangers.
It seemed dazed by the flames surrounding it.
Logically, it should have pushed through and accepted some damage given its physical specs, but it appeared to be struggling—which pointed to it lacking combat experience after all.
I alternated between bombs, Fireballs, and acid, wearing it down bit by bit whenever the opportunity arose for a [Flame Cut].
Of course, there were several moments where its unpredictable movements caught me off guard, but thanks to Ran, who had been casting [Acceleration] on my shoulder, I never allowed even a single attack through.
And just a few minutes later.
BAM──!
I was able to shove a bomb directly into the mouth of the monster that had lost its balance and blow off its head, eliminating one monster.
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