Chapter 181: The World of the Arrogant Giants (7)
Boom!
The monster struck its tendrils violently to block Taesan’s approach.
But the receding black waves clung ravenously to the tendrils, creating an opening for Taesan.
[You have activated Critical Strike.]
[You have activated White Rune Shield.]
He designated the weak points on the tendrils. The white shields once again appeared around Taesan, blocking the incoming thorns.
Taesan plunged his sword into the tendrils.
[You dealt 2,405 damage to the monster???.]
Crunch.
The sword embedded itself into the tendrils.
Taesan applied force.
Crunch!
The tendrils were crushed and severed.
Simultaneously, the white shields shattered.
The tendrils lashed out, but Taesan didn’t dodge and immediately drove his sword into another tendril.
[Your first attack nullification has been activated.]
The thorns that were about to impale him were repelled. Taesan took this opportunity to sever another tendril.
Although he had cut off two tendrils at once, the monster still had dozens of them left.
Taesan moved calmly.
Crack!
Thousands of thorns flew at him. Unable to avoid all the attacks, his attack nullification activated again.
However, Taesan remained composed.
He slowly identified the monster’s weaknesses, and through this process, he realized something.
‘This thing relies on its vision.’
Every time debris or dust from the battle covered Taesan’s body, the monster’s attacks showed slight gaps.
After several more tests, Taesan concluded that the tendrils had eyes somewhere on them.
If he could obscure its vision, the battle would become easier. Realizing this, Taesan immediately activated a skill.
[You have activated Dekarabia’s Twisted Flora.]
Boom!
Roots sprouted, occupying the space. The monster began to shoot thorns to destroy the roots.
Before the roots were completely destroyed, Taesan activated both a small flame and the [Deer on the Wind Path].
Flames rode the wind, spreading and setting the roots ablaze.
Thick smoke filled the air, and the burning roots obscured vision.
The tendrils hesitated, pausing their thorn attacks, and Taesan seized the moment. With his enhanced senses and Synchronization Eye, these obstacles posed no hindrance.
Crunch.
Taesan severed another tendril. Belatedly, thorns flew towards him.
[You have activated Random Blink.]
The thorns cut through empty air.
Having already placed a mark elsewhere, Taesan quickly severed another tendril.
As time passed, the number of tendrils dwindled. Consequently, the number of thorns shot at him also decreased.
Taesan kept moving.
The monster was undoubtedly strong.
The tendrils moved faster and with more force, and the number of thorns was overwhelming.
However, Taesan found its weakness and could now exploit it.
After a prolonged battle, Taesan managed to cut off nearly all the tendrils.
Thorns flew from the remaining tendrils. Taesan raised his shield with a bored expression. The thorns bounced off.
“This was closer than I thought.”
Only one attack nullification remained. His magic was nearly exhausted, and the duration of his Apostle Transformation was almost over.
Had the battle dragged on any longer, Taesan might have been in danger, but he secured victory within the time limit.
“It’s over.”
Taesan approached the monster and drove his sword into it. The monster’s body shuddered violently.
Taesan pulled out his sword.
The monster’s body split open, oozing black liquid.
The tendrils began to lose strength and slackened.
Sensing the end, Taesan turned his back on the monster and walked towards the exit of the seal.
At that moment, a massive force surged behind him. Taesan quickly distanced himself from the monster.
A rift in space had opened above the monster, and as before, a dark, dense power poured out from it.
[Huh?]
“What is this…?”
Taesan groaned. The monster, infused with power, began to quiver.
Its torn body started to regenerate.
Severed tendrils sprouted anew.
In just a few seconds, the monster returned to its original state.
[What… is this?]
The tendrils moved again, rising as if lifting arms, and thousands of thorns shot out simultaneously.
Taesan quickly dodged.
The situation outside was no different.
The giants fought desperately, taking down the monsters. Although A-rank monsters were tough for them, they could slowly defeat them with the help of the grand warriors.
“You are truly powerful.”
Umberak murmured in awe. Each time a grand warrior attacked, a monster they struggled with was defeated. It was a power that naturally inspired reverence.
Just as the giants began to anticipate victory,
Boom.
A wave spread out again.
More monsters poured from the rift in the sky.
“Again?”
The giants were stunned, unable to believe that more monsters would appear a third time. Even the grand warriors were shaken by the sight.
Dozens of A-rank monsters appeared again.
Among them was a writhing, slime-like monster.
“…That’s…”
The Giant King’s face contorted as he watched.
“This is too much.”
Boom!
The slime-like monster quivered. Its gelatinous body fired off droplets like bullets.
The giants hastily raised their weapons and shields, but it was useless.
Crunch!
“Argh!”
“Guh!”
The droplets pierced through their defenses and bodies.
Many giants fell without being able to resist.
A grand warrior leapt into action. He waved his hand, summoning a pillar of light.
Boom!
The light struck the gelatinous monster directly, an attack that had previously annihilated all monsters.
But the monster remained unaffected, retaliating with its droplets.
The grand warrior erected a barrier, but the droplets pierced through even that, grazing his arm.
“Ugh!”
The grand warrior groaned for the first time.
A small hole appeared in his arm.
“Dangerous.”
He healed his wound with magic and observed the monster through his magical vision.
It was far stronger than any monster they had encountered so far.
He glanced at the other grand warriors. The four of them surrounded the gelatinous monster and raised their hands.
Boom!
A massive spell pressed down on the monster.
It was a sealing spell that restrained movement and inflicted continuous damage. Even with the combined power of the four grand warriors, the monster did not submit easily.
Quiver!
The monster shuddered, releasing more droplets. As the droplets collided with the seal, cracks appeared. The grand warriors hurriedly reinforced the seal.
While the four grand warriors barely managed to contain the gelatinous monster, the situation for the giants, who lacked their assistance, worsened. The A-rank monsters began to crush them one by one.
Thud, thud, thud!
The thorns embedded themselves.
Taesan leapt to avoid them. His last attack nullification had already been used.
The monster sent more thorns towards Taesan.
Taesan quickly raised his shield. A violent impact reverberated through it.
“Ugh.”
Taesan gritted his teeth.
The monster was faster and stronger than before.
[This…]
The ghost pondered endlessly on how to defeat the monster, ultimately delivering a grim conclusion.
[We can’t defeat this thing in a normal way, can we?]
No matter how many times they killed it, the monster kept regenerating. It was undoubtedly strange.
From the ghost’s experience, such enemies had a few solutions.
Either find a non-physical weakness,
or it was an entity bound by some kind of rule that couldn’t be defeated conventionally.
[I think enduring or finding another weakness is the answer.]
An enigmatic enemy that kept regenerating.
The ghost believed that continuing the fight was a waste of time. After two battles, they had exhausted many resources. Resting and then fighting again would be a better strategy from the ghost’s experience.
“I don’t know.”
But Taesan didn’t retreat.
He dodged the thorns and slowly advanced.
Like the ghost, Taesan recalled his past experiences.
An enemy that wouldn’t fall.
Its regeneration was triggered every time it faced danger, drawing power from the space rift.
Taesan had faced countless monsters. Some could regenerate, and some seemed unkillable.
But none regenerated by receiving external power.
This meant that the gods were directly intervening in the monster’s regeneration.
‘But can they keep doing this?’
Taesan pondered.
The gods could send monsters to Earth, but they couldn’t send those above a certain level. If they crossed the line to kill Taesan, the gods also gained the right to interfere and grant Taesan rewards.
During his previous return, the Demon God had said that excessive interference was impossible. It went against the rules.
And now, Taesan was here at the behest of the God of Magic.
Taesan made his decision.
He charged at the monster.
The ghost realized from his movement that Taesan intended to defeat the monster.
The ghost remained silent.
The decision was Taesan’s. If he had made up his mind, the ghost had no right or reason to interfere.
And the ghost believed that Taesan’s judgment was better than his own.
Thorns rained down.
Taesan leapt.
[You have activated Leap.]
Thud, thud, thud!
The thorns embedded themselves in the ground. He successfully dodged, but it didn’t matter. Thousands more thorns flew towards the airborne Taesan.
He dodged again with another leap.
He evaded the next wave of thorns upon landing and approached the monster.
But he hadn’t reached it yet. Thorns surged towards him again.
Taesan didn’t dodge.
He advanced further, concentrating his mind.
Creak.
The aura surrounding Taesan as an Apostle twisted. The aura itself came under Taesan’s control.
Simultaneously, Taesan felt a heavy burden.
As he forcibly twisted the aura around him, it felt like his blood was boiling. A tremendous fatigue and lethargy washed over him.
Gritting his teeth, he endured and pressed forward.
Thud, thud, thud!
The thorns pierced Taesan’s body.
But they didn’t penetrate. It was as if they hit an invisible barrier, coming to a halt upon contact.
Thud.
The ability he received as a reward for defeating the A-rank monster, the distorted aura coordination of the gods.
Ironically, the gods’ ability provided a weakness to their minions.
Reaching the monster’s core, Taesan caught his breath.
[You have activated Mental Acceleration.]
His senses sharpened.
He felt thousands of thorns flying towards him from behind.
Focusing all his mind on a single point, Taesan plunged his sword deep into the monster’s body.