Chapter 31: Boss Monster. |
The weather was clear. Sunlight, which we hadn’t been able to see inside the forest, now warmly embraced our heads. It certainly wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but the fact that the party was walking in complete silence was a problem, if you could call it that.
About six hours had passed since we left the cabin. During that time, we had barely spoken, save for a few necessary words. The atmosphere between Kim Han-byeol and me was chilly, but looking at the group’s inner state, that wasn’t the only reason.
In any case, we should have been exhausted after walking for so long, yet we walked and walked without a single break.
How long had we been walking? Soon, a warp gate came into view. It was so large that even seeing only half of it felt massive, and now more than half was visible. The closer we got to the warp gate, the more everyone, as if by unspoken agreement, held their tongues. The only sound was the quiet, rhythmic breathing of the group. They must have all been feeling a surge of excitement, knowing the end was in sight.
It was good that we were pushing forward with renewed energy, but we couldn’t afford to relax just yet. As expected, we hadn’t encountered a single monster on the path to the warp gate. Perhaps because of that, everyone seemed to have unconsciously let their guard down.
My mind was troubled. If the boss monster appeared, there would be no time to regroup or discuss a plan. It would sense our location in an instant and charge at us. It would be a small mercy if everyone didn’t scatter in a panic. Even with me here, if I didn’t reveal my true abilities, there was a high chance of casualties.
The warp gate was right before us. A little further, and we would successfully complete the Rite of Passage. But to abandon the concept and plan I had maintained so carefully, with just this short distance remaining, felt like too great a waste.
I estimated the remaining distance to be about 600 meters. Woo Jeong-min had said they were attacked by the boss monster with 300 meters to go, which meant we might encounter it after covering just half of the remaining distance. I wanted to slow down as much as possible to gather my thoughts, but contrary to my wishes, the party’s pace was quickening. An Hyeon must have noticed it too, as he broke his long-held silence and spoke to An Sol in an excited voice.
“Sol. Let’s just push a little harder. Once we reach that big oval building right in front of us, we can definitely get out of this dreadful place. Just hold on a little longer.”
At An Hyeon’s gentle words, An Sol nodded vigorously, her face bright. The occasional smile that graced her lips showed just how happy she was. I, who had been about to suggest a short break, immediately closed my mouth. No matter how hard I thought, no brilliant plan came to mind. I had no choice but to match their pace, and as time passed, the distance to the warp gate steadily shrank.
Of course, this could all be needless worry. The best outcome would be to enter the warp gate peacefully. A happy path where no one gets hurt, and no one is harmed. But an ominous premonition lingered. A nagging feeling persisted in a corner of my mind. I had been maintaining the most extensive and detailed Mana Sense since entering the Rite of Passage, but I couldn’t detect the slightest hint of a boss monster.
Before I knew it, we were 500 meters from our destination. The warp gate was slowly revealing its full, magnificent form. A neat altar supported the massive oval structure, which was as grand as a decent-sized building. The center had a large, donut-like hole where a pale blue sphere floated gently. Occasionally, thin blue currents of electricity arced across its surface, confirming it was the mana sphere powering the warp gate.
It was a rather beautiful orb, and everyone’s gaze was instantly drawn to it. An Sol marveled with a pure expression, and Kim Han-byeol also seemed to like it, observing it with fresh eyes. Lee Yu-jeong, in particular, couldn’t take her eyes off the orb, which emanated a lustrous light, her face dazed.
“It’s so pretty... I want to break it into pieces and make earrings. They’d be so beautiful to wear. I want it.”
“Eonni. I just want to leave it as it is and look at it. I think it’s really beautiful.”
As Lee Yu-jeong and An Sol chatted, An Hyeon seemed to fall into deep thought, likely imagining Lee Yu-jeong wearing the earrings. After a moment, he shook his head and spoke.
“Horrifying.”
“Oh? What do you mean by that, Hyeon...?”
“It’s just a little funny, you saying you want to wear them as earrings. They’d look much better on our Sol.”
“What was that?”
As An Hyeon muttered with an indifferent expression, Lee Yu-jeong, looking piqued, struck him hard on the waist. An Sol’s face, on the other hand, had brightened, likely because she heard she would look good in the earrings. She didn’t seem upset at all, a shy smile playing on her lips. A guy with all the makings of a harem king being a sis-con... wasn't that a misfortune in its own way? At the silly thought that crossed my mind, a bland smile escaped me.
400 meters remaining. Looking around, the environment was quite similar to the clearing where we had first started. Patches of sparsely grown grass roots and mounds of earth covered most of the ground. However, some of the mounds were unusually dark in color. When I stepped on them, they felt hard and solidified rather than soft like the other soil. Had blood soaked into the earth and hardened it?
If so, they were likely the remains of prospective users from previous Rites of Passage who had been defeated just before reaching the warp gate. I was probably the only one who noticed, but I said nothing and continued walking in silence.
300 meters left. We were now almost running. Everyone’s face was drenched in the joy of having survived and succeeded. An Hyeon and Lee Yu-jeong, who had been growling at each other just moments ago, were now smiling at one another. An Sol was openly beaming. Kim Han-byeol still wore her usual calm expression, but she seemed relieved in some subtle way.
Even after we passed the 300-meter mark, the boss monster didn’t appear. It seemed Woo Jeong-min’s party had just been unlucky. I thought this outcome was possible since we had An Sol and her 100 Luck. After a final scan revealed nothing, I was about to relax and release my mana.
I didn’t know it then. That we had popped the champagne far too early.
Pzzt! Pzzzt!
At the 200-meter mark, a sound like space itself was tearing apart reached my ears. The air around us shifted, and the empty space began to distort strangely. It was a phenomenon that occurred when a massive amount of mana was in motion. The others must have sensed the unsettling energy as well, because they stopped in their tracks. I quickly activated The Third Eye.
Just as I thought, a sudden wave of mana was erupting around the clearing. At first glance, it seemed to be spreading in all directions, but upon closer inspection, it was moving in a specific pattern. Just as I calmed my mind and tried to analyze the design the mana was drawing...
With a sound that resonated powerfully through the entire space, a giant formation began to appear in the middle of the path we had just walked. The moment I saw the pattern of that magic circle, I knew we were in trouble. It was a high-level summoning magic circle. I quickly tried to send my mana to disrupt the formation in secret, but...
It was too late. The magic circle, now fully formed in the air, began to glow with a pale light as it activated.
So that’s it. The boss monster appears through a summoning magic circle. Before I knew it, the entire party, myself included, was staring blankly at the floating magic circle. They could clearly see it too, but no one could utter a word. The circle was spewing forth that much evil and ominous energy.
Woooong! Woooong!
At last, the magic circle began the summoning. The first things to appear were the boss monster’s face and fingers. Its face was, quite literally, grotesque. Its elongated head had no eyes, but a wide, slit-like mouth revealed rows of sharp teeth. Its fingers, which glinted with a sharpness that could be mistaken for a giant scythe, also emerged. A dark, plate-like carapace that seemed forged from obsidian steel followed, and a long tail shot out from behind it.
When the summoning was complete, the boss monster stood before us, boasting a massive body that looked to be over five meters tall. The boss monster had appeared.
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch. Gulp!
Red blood was smeared around the creature’s mouth, as if it had just finished a meal. Apparently still hungry, it licked its lips as it stared at us.
I quickly scanned the party’s faces. I wanted to praise them for not scattering in terror at first sight, but Lee Yu-jeong, Kim Han-byeol, and An Sol were all in a state of panic. Their bodies were frozen like ice sculptures, unable to lift a single foot from the ground. They were completely overwhelmed by the immense killing intent the creature was emitting.
Only An Hyeon, his face a mask of disbelief, managed to force out a few words.
“N... No way... W-what in the world is this...”
Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!
Before An Hyeon could finish, the boss monster’s ferocious roar struck our bodies. Struck by the sound wave laced with killing intent, everyone must have felt a paralyzing tingle. As if released from a spell, they began to move hesitantly, but only a step or two. There was no more time to delay. I looked at everyone and spoke in a low but clear voice.
“Everyone, keep your wits about you. Don’t panic. Respond calmly.”
“H-Hyeong... it’s impossible. This time, it’s really impossible. We can’t win. We have to run!”
Seeing me draw the string of my crossbow, An Hyeon must have misunderstood my intentions, as he replied with a trembling voice. The immense pressure from the boss monster had shattered their will to fight. Shouting and scolding them now would only create more chaos. I never intended to fight it with them anyway. I imbued my voice with the gentlest mana I could muster to soothe their frozen bodies.
“I’m not saying we should fight. Facing that thing is madness. As you said, we’re going to run. But if we just run aimlessly, we’ll be picked off one by one. So, we’ll run towards the warp gate.”
“Y-Yes. Hurry...”
Seeing Lee Yu-jeong agree while still looking completely lost, I sighed inwardly. At least An Hyeon and Kim Han-byeol were slowly emerging from their fear. A faint but visible desire for survival flickered in their eyes. Soothing them with mana and seeing me, the person they had trusted and relied on, react so calmly must have made them think there was a way out.
“From now on, everyone drop your bags and weapons. Make yourselves as light as possible and run towards the warp gate with all your might.”
“W-What...?”
The boss monster roared again. There was really no time left. A sense of frustration welled up inside me as I looked at An Sol, who was still staring around in a daze. I approached her, forcibly took off the bag she was wearing, and spoke.
“An Hyeon, what are you doing! Drop your sword and shield, quickly! Are you planning to run with those?”
“Y... Yes!”
An Hyeon, Lee Yu-jeong, and Kim Han-byeol all dropped their belongings and weapons. The boss monster was already charging towards us on all fours. Each time its feet hit the ground, a loud *thud* echoed, like a series of faint earthquakes.
And with that first thud as our signal, I grabbed An Sol’s hand and started running. At the same time, our entire party sprinted towards the warp gate at full speed.
Run. Run, run, and run. Even though everyone was running with all their might, the interval between the thudding sounds from behind grew shorter and shorter. When Lee Yu-jeong tried to glance back with an anxious face, I immediately spoke.
“Don’t even think about turning your head to check. Just focus on running forward.”
The boss monster was summoned 300 meters from the warp gate. We were at the 200-meter mark. There was a 100-meter gap, but it would definitely catch up to us at least once. My goal was to overcome that single moment. The monster seemed to accelerate the more it ran, so if I could stop it in its tracks just once, I could reset all the speed it had built up.
Then, it would have to start over, chasing us at a relatively slower pace, giving us the opening we needed to enter the warp gate. I gripped the crossbow mounted on my left wrist tightly.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
180 meters remaining.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
160 meters remaining.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
140 meters remaining. The shortening interval of the sounds told me the creature was hitting its full stride. Continuing to run like this would make shaking it off a distant dream. I knew the time had come. While everyone was preoccupied with running, I let a certain amount of mana seep into the loaded arrow. A normal arrow wouldn’t pierce its steel-like carapace. After the mana transfer was complete, a sharpness twice as keen as before emanated from my left wrist.
My preparations were complete. It was now my turn to act. If I hesitated, we might face an irreversible catastrophe. I stopped running and released the hand of An Sol that I had been holding so tightly.
As An Sol ran past me, her shocked voice rang out, and the others seemed to reflexively sense that something was wrong. Before they could turn their heads, I shouted in a powerful voice.
“I said don’t look back, just run!”
My angry voice, which they had never heard before, seemed to startle them. But after confirming that their hesitant heads turned back to the front, I immediately spun around. Seeing the boss monster charging at me, as if I were its first target, I swiftly raised my left arm.