Chapter 501. How to Open a Suitcase (6) |
Clearing the dungeon was not the goal, but if they wanted to return with information as efficiently as possible, they had to engage the boss monster at least once.
“By the way, what method does the investigation unit that enters at the early stage of Gate occurrence usually use?”
“They always strike first. Giving monsters from another world even a single turn is too much of a risk, so they usually begin combat with a surprise attack.”
“Aha.”
The conversation flowed on. Jeong Haseong, who possessed extensive knowledge about hunting, was present. The S-ranks soon accepted his advice.
“In that case, Haseong, why don’t you take the initiative and land the first blow? Kang Chang-ho and I will step back and prepare to respond, since we don’t know what behavior the enemy might show.”
“Yes!”
As it happened, the enemy certainly looked weak to fire. Having recognized this, the Korean Hunters dashed into the cavern where the transparent monster had settled. As instructed beforehand, Jeong Haseong used his Awakening skill to attack the vacant-looking creature.
“A flame large enough to engulf half that massive body... He must have spent quite a bit of mana.”
Jeong Haseong’s technique struck the enemy directly.
“Hm?”
However, the result was not particularly good.
“With a body that soft...”
The transparent monster’s first revealed card was none other than extremely high [Defense].
“It didn’t burn at all.”
Kim Giryeo voiced what the rank-one Hunter had wanted to say. As that remark implied, the ultra-massive transparent beast’s skin remained smooth. With a faint iridescent sheen still visible, it even appeared quite healthy.
“Oh my.”
Then again, it seemed unlikely that a magical biological entity with such a sturdy body would have low offensive power.
“It immediately targeted Jeong Haseong for striking first.”
The next move was fairly predictable.
Bubble, bubble.
The attacked boss entity made the sound of boiling bubbles with its mouth, then suddenly generated fierce jets of water around its body.
If so, the bubbling sound heard just now was likely the enemy’s own form of spell incantation.
“[Exceptional Toughness], [Water Attribute]. That’s as much information as we can obtain for now?”
But it was merely an enemy that fought by generating water currents, there was no reason to worry.
Creak!
The stream of water rushing toward the black-haired Hunter sharply curved away in an instant.
Thud!
Furthermore, the water cannon produced by the monster struck a nearby wall aimlessly.
After all, the physical body possessing Earth’s greatest talent for the water attribute was standing tall right here.
“How dare a fish be concerned only with its physique...”
Kim Giryeo completely seized control of the water molecules created by the enemy. At first, he judged that this alone would suffice.
“Huh?”
But the monster’s next display went beyond everyone’s expectations.
Whoooosh.
A moment later. A gust of wind blew from one side of the dungeon. This violent wind was a miracle produced by the monster. By using this third attribute, the beast pushed back the fire wizard and—shockingly—immediately revealed a fourth attribute.
“Now it’s throwing rocks?”
To think it could neutralize that Jeong Haseong in mere seconds.
“Ugh!”
At least on Earth, the one hailed as the pinnacle of the fire attribute could not move a single finger. Fortunately, it was not severe enough to require the Archmage’s direct intervention, but Jeong Haseong’s skin was scraped by one of the rocks fired by the enemy. Judging by the unfolding situation, the monster appeared to understand the fundamentals of magical combat.
“It wasn’t just a creature that simply fired water jets...”
It generated strong winds to prevent further flames from being lit casually. And against an opponent reliant on combustion, it unleashed miracles cumbersome to counter.
“Then how would it respond if a mage of a different attribute charged in?”
Swish.
It was then from on. Kim Giryeo gave a subtle look to the other S-rank nearby, signaling for him to take a turn as well.
“Is that all you’re asking?”
At this, the hunter with bluish-purple hair accepted the proposal. He was already in a position where he had volunteered to follow the person suspected of being an alien—Kim Giryeo. Therefore, to maintain the pretext he used for failing him, he had to accept the alien’s request. Kang Changho readily kept the light words he had babbled previously about helping whenever needed.
“Tak!”
Yet, this time too, the reaction of the enemy entity was unusual. As the Awakened who primarily used physical enhancement techniques approached, the monster that looked like an actinopterygian fish immediately moved to counter.
“A water cannon precisely aimed at his torso?”
First, the creature attempted to push away the approaching mammal. And judging by the velocity of the surging stream, taking that blow head on was by no means a wise choice.
“The small head is humanity’s weak point, but the torso—easier to strike—also contains plenty of vital organs!”
The Archmage moved his hand.
“Creak.
Kim Giryeo used mana to seize control of the water once more.
“Splash!”
As an aftermath, the giant beast failed to properly defend against the kick from the charging Kang Changho. It was a natural result, as the right to use the water jet it had generated to push the human away had been entirely stolen by some alien.
“Blub, blub.
The slippery belly of the monster was kicked by the enhancement practitioner and caved in.
“Oh my.”
However, even as the attack landed successfully, a change followed without fail. Despite its belly being recessed enough to create new shadows, the creature with transparent skin all over its body did not seem pained at all. Instead, it calmly sought a solution to the current situation.
“As expected, it manifests techniques in response to magic used against it.”
Thud.
The first thing to activate within the massive cave was a shockwave spreading out from the center of the beast’s body.
By the time the physical enhancement practitioner was pushed back by that miracle, the transparent fish completed an additional spell as if it had been waiting.
The new technique the fish monster showcased was none other than an electric-attribute barrier.
Crackle!
It wrapped its enormous body in currents fierce enough to carbonize flesh in an instant.
“Are you taking an electric eel as an example now?”
The hunters suddenly found themselves unable to even touch the enemy.
“You know how to perform miracles quite well.”
Though they were all techniques that were simply activated, if the opponent handed various attributes, it was a situation that could never be taken lightly. At this point, Kim Giryeo decided to treat that fish as a full-fledged mage.
“Judging solely by the level of magic usage, it shockingly far exceeds the human average.”
Yet despite that high evaluation, fortunately the immediate damage remained minor. Though the physical enhancement fighter had been blasted into a wall by the boss’s shockwave, he quickly returned to the front lines with a grin.
“That man is perfect fine.”
Just before colliding with the wall, Kang Changho twisted his body and shielded his temple with his upper arm and forearm, reducing the impact. An ordinary person would have suffered significant cranial trauma even with such measures, but Kang Chang-ho, relying on minor adjustments, brushed himself off and stood once more.
With his comrade safe, Kim Gir-yeo cast aside unnecessary worry and turned his head.
“Everyone, I think that boss has a trait where it analyzes our techniques!”
It was an exchange of opinions.
“It has been precisely counterattacking with attributes matching the ones it took.”
As he opened the discussion, Jeong Haseong responded immediately.
“Hunter Kim is right. This boss feels unusually intelligent.”
For the record, pure Earthlings still adhered to the principle of one attribute per person. Without artifacts like [Skill Stones], humanity could not wield heterogeneous magic. Yet the transparent fish before them employed complex attribute techniques to suit its tastes.
“For something with a fish head, why is its intelligence so high?”
Murmur.
The Rank 1 Hunter spoke softly while clutching the area where he had been grazed by the rock. At this additional disparagement of marine life, the nearby blonde man’s eyes had become most once more.
“Thut, thud!”
However, in truth, the ones who should be tearing up right now were the pure Earthlings.
The atmosphere changed rapidly before Kim Giryeo even had time to shed a tear.
“Anyway, we need to close the distance with the boss at least—”
Whoosh.
Jeong Haseong attempted to inflict damage on the monster before him. However, the gargantuan actinopterygian monster showcased its power even in physical combat.
“Aaargh!”
The monster had merely moved a fin once, but the fire-attribute hunter’s robust body staggered wildly. And even if one endured the heavy movement of the gigantic beast, the spells that followed were even more troublesome. The dungeon boss attempted to summon rock wedges once again. Therefore, the Archmage shouted to prevent any potential accidents.
“Jeong Haseong! Just fall back!”
The problem was that the national hero’s physical ability was slightly below what he had estimated.
“Ugh!”
A moment later. One of the many projectiles created by the dungeon boss struck Jeong Haseong’s arm.
“Slash.
The wound caused by a fragment no larger than a fingernail was tremendous. It was lucky it passed through a fleshy area; that strike just passed through as if [Piercing] everything in its path.
“If that had struck bone, it would’ve punched through straight.”
As a rule, unless a spell to block pain is cast, a living creature can hardly be free from agony. Jeong Haseong, with a sharp rock fragment embedded in his arm, did not show it on his face, but he became unable to properly hold his main equipment, the longsword. At this, Kim Giryeo hurriedly decided to retreat while protecting Jeong Ha-seong.
“This won’t do. For now, let’s pull back for a moment to the entrance of the boss territory where we came in.”
The place the blond man indicated was the distant opening beyond the fish monster’s line of sight. The boss room had a height difference from the path where lesser monsters had appeared.
“Kang Chang-ho: I’ll push you from below with water currents—use that to climb.”
By the way, no matter if it’s an S-rank monster, it’s a bit strange for that fish to withstand the attacks of Jeong Haseong and Kang Changho entirely...
It was about a minute later.
“Like parent, like offspring.”
Click.
Kim Gi-ryeo scanned the opponent with an analyzer manufactured by PIXY. After that minor action, a new truth was revealed.
[Grade: -]
The opponent’s grade failed to register properly in Earth’s classification lens.
“There’s barely any magical pressure at all, so I thought it might be A-rank.”
“That, too, was a monster that exerted power different from its appearance, just like the [Displaced Carcass].”
“Then is that fish perhaps the first example exceeding S-rank?”
“That’s probably not it. It still hasn’t reached the level of a ‘heaven beyond heaven.’ Come to think of it, it did take at least a little damage when it was kicked by Kang Changho.”
“Mmm. I see.”
“To use an analogy, it seems to be about the difference between the lowest-ranking S-rank human and an A-rank. A lower rank can inflict injuries if they set their mind to it, but the monster’s mana capacity is so large that it’s hard to guarantee victory.”
At that moment, Jeong Haseong arrived at a certain thought. A creature that gave no outward sense of power, yet displayed tremendous force when confronted, was not unfamiliar.
“It has similar characteristics to Hunter Kim Giryeo.”
The problem was that he had always been too close. Whether it was a certain blonde hunter or a gargantuan transparent fish, they were both silent assassins. However, since saying he resembled a monster was rude no matter how you looked at it, Jeong Haseong did not voice the thought. He merely set out a question regarding the subjugation schedule.
“Then what would be best to do from now on?”
“Hmm.”
“Personally, I think this much is enough for a primary investigation. I’d like to head outside soon and share the search results with the others.”
As he said, the three S-ranks had already drafted the dungeon’s layout.
“You’re right.”
Retreat. That strategy was universally useful in Blue Gates.
“I fully agree with Jeong Haseong. Then perhaps Kang Changho should stop hurting here and move toward the entrance as—”
Yet when matters flowed in such a direction, that favorable option was not so easy to choose.
“Oh my.”
“Hoho.”
“At this point, this isn’t almost like a horror movie scene...?”
A few seconds later. The Hunters spoke in order of rank, lowest first.
“Swish.
Because into the small cave where they were conversing. The monster’s massive gaze had just peeked in.
“Crazy.”
Since the opponent was a species that stood firm on land when first discovered, there were no particular questions regarding its posture. However, this path was surely at a height where the boss’s stature couldn’t reach, how did that massive eye and standing right in front of them?
“Did it stand on tiptoe?”
An ordinary person would have fainted the moment they met the monster’s giant eye. However, the people here were hunters who had been through all sorts of hardships, so they calmly analyzed the situation without being confused by the otherworldy anomaly. But after going through that process, the mechanism this dungeon had been hiding was finally revealed.
“This—water from below...”
A strange pool began to be visible. Certainly, the place where the boss had been sealed on all sides. In the midst of that, there wasn’t a single drop of moisture around, so he had even thought the fish was pitiful. But now, the situation was different.
“The entire dungeon floor was structured to gradually submerge in water!”
The later this Gate was cleared, the greater the loss would be. Suppose this fish-type monster, capable of freely manipulating water, survived long enough. And if the dungeon waters rose sufficiently over days, the super fish would eventually command those massive waves of it.
“Forget a Dungeon Break; just one boss moving would turn modern society into a chaos...”
If so, the choices narrowed down now.
First, exit quickly and summon reinforcements.
Second, it is best to aim for a quick dungeon clean with this current personnel somehow.
However, just as he tried to personally pick one of the paths that came to mind, the monster from another world began its interference.