Chapter 145
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: Suwon, Black Dragon Hunt - 4
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A mere human had attacked and brought down the absolute being known as a 'dragon', a creature measuring 70 meters.
*Shunk—!*
He had even pierced straight through the 'Dragon Breath' and plunged his spear into its nape.
It was a scene reminiscent of the second coming of Saint George, the dragon-slayer from Christian legend.
The 'Red Stinger' members who arrived right after unleashed a simultaneous barrage of attacks. The process was instantaneous, a series of critical hits aimed precisely at the dragon's vitals, just as they had practiced countless times.
Finally, a roar of agony escaped Azi Dahaka's maw.
"Kuaaaargh—!"
It was, without a doubt, a miraculous and moving moment.
Naturally, the commentators on <Kill the Monster> and broadcasts around the world raised their voices in excitement.
- "That's the Dragon Slayer for you, proving there's a reason he's called that!"
- "Hah— I never expected such a flawless strategy, even from him."
- "Yes! This dragon raid can be described as a series of surprises and a series of wonders!"
Just before, hadn't the Slayers' official broadcast channel abruptly ended, sparking controversy?
Viewers who had noticed the strangeness of the numerous 'bloopers' before that had been mocking them.
But with that one scene, all that infamy was washed away in an instant.
In fact, a flood of reactions praising the Slayers and Edward Woods began to pour in.
- "It looks like DS's Slayers will save Korea today!"
But the cheers didn't last long.
- "Warning! Azi Dahaka's 'Unique Domain' is opening in this area."
The moment he saw that system message, Edward Woods's eyes turned cold.
And all the members of Red Stinger looked at him, even as they kept their guard up against the dragon.
Judging by their expressions, it was clear this was another scenario they had trained for.
"Boss, this is..."
"Right. We're retreating!"
At his command, two mages used the teleport spells they had prepared and immediately left the area.
At that very moment—
*Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—*
As if a giant drum were beating deep underground, the earth began to vibrate, slow but heavy.
And the moment the vibrations stopped...
*Woooong—*
A heavy silence fell over the area. The flow of air and the movement of mana had vanished. Even Kodo Koshiro's tornado, which had been pressing down on Azi Dahaka, dissipated in an instant.
"Huh? Suddenly my wi— my wind control isn't working!"
In other words, all phenomena around Azi Dahaka had come to a halt.
Just then, the beast raised its body again, and two glowing eyes slowly rose from within the hazy smoke.
*Gwoooooooh—!*
A black shimmer began to rise from its body, rapidly spreading in all directions.
"How dare... a mere human harm me..."
A cold voice echoed, sweeping low across the ground.
"—Everyone, pull back, hurry! The Unique Domain is about to begin!"
At Edward Woods's voice, the Slayers alliance became busy again.
When the Unique Domain activates, the 1km area around the dragon transforms into a field with a specific 'attribute'. While it was presumed that the attribute would be 'acidic', more specific information was needed for the raid.
In other words, they needed to observe from a distance and take their time.
- "Ah! It seems Phase 2 has already begun!"
The <Kill the Monster> crew, who had been momentarily confused, also grasped the situation.
It was common knowledge that boss monster raids were divided into 'phases'.
This time, however, the phase transition occurred much earlier than expected.
That was because a dragon's Phase 2 activates abruptly the moment it gets 'injured'.
That's how difficult it was to pierce a dragon's barrier and inflict damage.
- "They say Phase 1 is really just a taste. The real raid starts now."
- "Ah! So DS and his Red Stinger members noticed that and pulled back quickly?"
- "Yes! When the phase changes, the attack patterns are completely different, so they need to observe what happens."
- "Kuh— Truly veteran players! I'm excited to see what they'll show us in Phase 2!"
- "In my opinion, that dragon will end up as just another line on Edward Woods's resume."
Tyrone Thompson, too, was impressed by the Slayers' performance and predicted their victory.
At this very moment, the world was likely chanting Edward Woods's name with fervor.
- "Alright! Let's take a quick look at the social media of some famous Players watching this moment, shall we?"
*Ding—* With a sound, social media posts popped up like mushrooms on one side of the broadcast screen.
- @JK_S224: lol unbelievable! He's taming that dragon like it's an iguana!
- @boneslove: Steelrain was cool, but it looks like the rain's stopping today.
- @Firefist_: DS is the best in the business. Can't believe he's making Steelrain look like a rookie.
They were all praising DS, with some comments occasionally mixed in that seemed to belittle Steelrain.
It seemed that world-famous Players didn't hold Steelrain in very high regard.
And Tyrone Thompson joined in on the sentiment.
- "Indeed, many experts are predicting DS's victory in this showdown between the two Players. Steelrain's performance was amazing, but he couldn't inflict any damage on the dragon. Yes, his limits are clear."
Though he didn't show it, he had secretly hoped that the traditional gentleman, Edward Woods, would pull something off, rather than Steelrain, who felt like a young nouveau riche. As things were going that way, he seemed to be getting excited for no reason.
Meanwhile...
- "Warning! Azi Dahaka's Unique Domain, 'Acidic Zone,' has been formed in this area."
A 1km radius around Azi Dahaka filled with a green gas. Everything inside it—buildings, debris, the ground—melted like ice, emitting plumes of bluish toxic gas.
*Tssssss—*
A hellish landscape that, at a glance, looked like a place one should never set foot in...
If one were to walk in there, their lungs would melt and they would die before taking even a couple of steps.
*Gurgle— Gurgle—*
Also, dark green, amorphous shapes could be seen crawling around on the ground.
"Boss, it looks like some kind of monster has been summoned in there."
"Those are Abyss Slimes, which live in powerful acid fields."
They seemed to have leaked out during a moment when the dimensions temporarily overlapped. But their numbers were extraordinary; at a glance, it looked like a river teeming with algae was surging.
"At this rate... there's no way to enter with any ordinary method."
Surrounded by such an absolute barrier, Azi Dahaka was healing the wound on its neck and its barrier.
'...So, in the end, we're back to square one.'
Though he had anticipated this development, Edward Woods felt like he was at a disadvantage.
In the upcoming second round, he would have to face a much stronger black dragon...
'And a trick like the one I just used won't work a second time.'
He had only been able to take it down because he had caught it completely off guard.
'Because it couldn't have known I was the Dragon Slayer...'
But dragons were intelligent beings, even more so than humans, and they learned everything quickly.
If he tried a move he had already shown, there wouldn't be a third chance.
'My team will be wiped out in an instant.'
And... according to Edward Woods's plan, Phase 2 was going to be an incredibly chaotic battle.
"Boss, your orders."
At Amanda Anderson's words, he slowly turned his head.
Meanwhile, some broadcast drones were flying blatantly low, filming them.
Edward Woods couldn't ignore them and spoke in a slightly louder voice.
"Alright! Everything is going as planned, so don't worry and prepare for the next stage!"
He was appealing to the whole world that they had the next stage, the next part of the raid, prepared.
"We'll retreat as far as possible, gather all information on that acid field, and prepare countermeasures!"
The path ahead would be much tougher, but he was still confident.
But...
"But Boss, Steelrain is still on site."
"Huh?"
"If we leave like this, will he be okay?"
Steelrain was currently hovering in the air, a little over a hundred meters away from the 'Acidic Field'.
In other words, he was still right above the battlefield, which meant he intended to continue fighting.
"...No way, is he planning to keep fighting? Or has he not grasped the situation yet?"
For a moment, Edward Woods recalled Steelrain's impassive face.
That characteristic expressionless face, filled with an inexplicable confidence...
'Don't tell me... he has another trick up his sleeve?'
He shook his head.
'It's just a feeling. There's no way to get through that.'
Just then, his subordinate interjected.
"Boss, it looks like Steelrain is already attempting an attack."
Now that he mentioned it, the metals he controlled were being shot into the Acidic Field.
*Swoosh— Swoosh— Swoosh— Swoosh—!*
But...
*Tssssssss—!*
Before flying more than a few meters, bubbles formed on their surfaces, and they soon melted away completely. Everyone was horrified by the sight of even decent magical metals melting like icicles under the summer sun.
At that point, Edward Woods was certain.
'As I thought, there's no way to get through that.'
"Well— it seems he's disappointed and wants to try something, but he'll probably give up soon..."
He was about to turn away when something occurred to him.
'This would be a good time to say something to Steelrain publicly, wouldn't it?'
He remembered receiving a mana communication from Steelrain when he first arrived.
The words he had spoken then... they had sounded quite cool to a third party.
And they were words that had grated on his pride.
"Subordinate, connect me to Steelrain via mana communication."
"Sir?"
"Please do it right now. I have something urgent to say."
"Ah, yes!"
He took the mana messenger from his subordinate.
"Ah, Steelrain, can you hear me?"
- Yes, DS. I can hear you loud and clear.
Annoyingly, his voice was still just as calm.
"As you can see, this entire area has turned into a Unique Domain. The beast is recovering inside."
- A Unique Domain... I see.
"Yes, it's a dragon's power, and it's absolutely impenetrable. If you breathe in there, your lungs will melt."
- ...
"It seems the beast has started to restore its barrier, so we should pull back and find a way to attack."
Thanks to the performance he had just shown, his words carried immense authority.
But...
- Yes, I'm also planning to think about a strategy here.
At that answer, Edward Woods's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"...Now, are you saying you're going to find a solution by just standing there? The dragon could recover and attack at any moment. Hah— Do you really think you can come up with an answer that quickly?"
- Yes.
A single syllable, a short and certain answer.
"Steelrain, please... you have to admit it now. Leave this dragon raid to me."
This conversation was also being broadcast live.
Upon seeing this, people around the world watching the various broadcasts began to worry about or slander Steelrain, and the two MCs of <Kill the Monster> also tilted their heads, unable to hide their confusion at Lee Hyun-wook's response.
- "Hmm... Is the competition getting too heated? The situation seems to be taking a strange turn, doesn't it?"
- "It seems Steelrain's competitive spirit was triggered after seeing the Dragon Slayer's performance earlier."
Just then, Edward Woods let out a long sigh and spoke.
"...As you just tried, that Acidic Field is strong enough to melt even adamantite!"
- That's right. But... there is one metal that doesn't melt.
A metal that doesn't melt—of course, such a thing existed.
"...Are you talking about Orichalcum?"
The highest-tier magical metal, a material item that possessed the strongest magic resistance...
The metal was surrounded by its own magical barrier, making it impervious to most attacks.
- Yes, that's correct.
At that answer, Edward Woods wiped his face in frustration.
Many people watching this broadcast probably felt the same way.
"But the amount of Orichalcum weapons needed to deal a fatal blow before that monster recovers—that's more than you could gather from the entire world! Steelrain, stop this and let's plan for the next attempt together!"
It was the image of a true hero, offering sincere advice to his rival and extending a hand to work together.
But Lee Hyun-wook didn't answer. Looking over, he was staring up into the sky.
"..."
What he was looking at... was none other than 'Laputa'.
'Don't tell me, is there something else inside?'
Edward Woods's heart suddenly sank. For some reason, he felt like it was true.
Hadn't every pattern he'd shown so far been like this?
"...Huh? What's that? There's something strange standing over there!"
Someone behind Edward Woods shouted.
And there, on the left railing of Laputa, a tall figure could be seen standing.
'...No, that's not a person.'
Because no person could be that tall.
It was a metal giant, tens of meters tall.
"What... Is that the Iron Golem from back then?"
Lee Hyun-wook had already revealed the 'Ancient Iron Golem' once before.
Back then, just like now, it had jumped from Laputa's railing to crush the Hydra.
"Uh, no! That huge golem is also there, next to it!"
Soon, the 'Ancient Iron Golem', which looked to be about 15 meters tall, also appeared.
Edward Woods tilted his head and raised the mana messenger.
"Steelrain, I don't know what you're planning, but those things will melt if they enter the Acidic Field!"
But as if ignoring his warning, the two metal giants kicked off Laputa's railing and jumped.
"—Ah! They're falling!"
And right on top of Azi Dahaka, who was in the middle of restoring its barrier, precisely—
But the beast sensed it, removed its healing field, and flew up.
"Hmm, it seems he tried to crush it with their weight, but it failed."
The moment Edward Woods made that skeptical diagnosis—
*Ruuuuuumble—!*
The dark clouds hovering around Laputa began to churn.
"That's—!"
It was Mjolnir's skill, 'Wrath of the Thunder God,' which Lee Hyun-wook had already shown several times.
The one using it now was not Lee Hyun-wook, but Park Jun-mo.
*Kra-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka—!*
Hundreds of lightning bolts rained down like a downpour, striking Azi Dahaka's entire body.
The scene was so grand it felt as if the dragon was entangled in chains of light.
And without discharging, the lightning continued to swirl around Azi Dahaka's body.
However,
"Ha! Do you think you can do anything to me with such a crude attack?"
It didn't seem to have inflicted any significant damage.
Still, it was electrocuted, so its reaction speed was noticeably slower.
In other words, it failed to evade the two steel giants that were rapidly descending to crush it from behind.
*Kwa-aaang—!*
They had clearly struck a creature floating in the sky, yet a massive shockwave erupted, shaking the very earth.
"Kugh—!"
Azi Dahaka crashed to the ground, entangled with the two metal giants.
*Kwa-a-a-ang—!*
Pinned down by two metal giants weighing thousands of tons, even a dragon couldn't help but be slammed into the ground.
At the same time, from Laputa, three rope-like lines began to unfurl toward the ground.
*Chwa-rurururu—*
'Good, it worked.'
Lee Hyun-wook sensed the three thin lines—the Hooks of the World Tree.
'Vines from the World Tree and Orichalcum-coated hooks. They can withstand the Acidic Field.'
*K-ka-ang—!*
Just then, with a loud crash, one of the Ancient Iron Golem's arms was blown off.
'As expected, that one can't last long.'
It had been defeated by the Necromancer's 'Red Drake Skeleton' before... and now that it was inside the Acidic Zone, the massive chunk of metal was gradually shrinking, growing weaker.
Still, the Orichalcum giant, Talos, was holding up remarkably well, befitting its overwhelming class.
In the meantime, Lee Hyun-wook manipulated dozens of hooks to wrap tightly around Azi Dahaka's body.
"Uuuuugh—! What is this!"
As the beast thrashed, the first few World Tree vines that had wrapped around it snapped with a *twang*.
But with the two metal giants using their entire bodies to pin down its head and tail respectively, Lee Hyun-wook focused and quickly bound it, exponentially increasing the tensile strength it could withstand.
In other words, the binding was a success.
'Done! Now I just have to drag it out of the Acidic Zone!'
"Kuaaaargh—!"
But even if you bind a 70-meter monster, how do you drag it over a kilometer away?
A cowboy lassoing a Kodiak bear doesn't mean he can drag it out of the ranch.
"—Done! Now, ascend!"
The method was revealed the moment Lee Hyun-wook shouted.
*Wooooooo—!*
The flying city suspended high in the sky, Laputa, began to increase its altitude.
Now that he thought about it, the ends of the World Tree Hooks were still connected to Laputa.
"How dare you inflict such humiliation upon me! I will annihilate your entire race—!"
Azi Dahaka roared as all sorts of magic began to spray out in every direction.
But it seemed it would take considerable effort to break free from the 'Hooks of the World Tree'.
"Uuuuugh—!"
The massive black dragon looked pathetic, like a bird caught in a spider's web.
To be even more demeaning, it looked like a stuffed alligator caught in a claw machine.
Meanwhile, Edward Woods, who was watching the scene, began to feel a sense of urgency.
"Dammit, Hurricane! Can you send me flying over there right now?"
"...Huh? What are you talking about?"
"This is my chance to drive this spear into the dragon's heart!"
He raised his spear and shouted.
But Kodo Koshiro shook his head.
"No way! You could fall into that acid zone by mistake!"
Kodo Koshiro had just experienced his own power being nullified in an instant.
"But... that man doesn't have the power to finish off that dragon..."
Steelrain had properly bound the black dragon. It was truly an astonishing sight.
But with the firepower he possessed, there would be no way to kill the dragon.
"If I don't step in, we might not get another chance to kill that dragon! Dammit, I should have cooperated instead of competing! Then we could have coordinated at this crucial moment and finished it quickly... If we fail here, we'll have to fight a long battle that will demand an incredible number of sacrifices..."
Hoping his lines at this moment would be portrayed as tragic, he hung his head low.
His intention worked to some extent, and the broadcast hosts also agreed with his opinion in unison.
- "Just as DS said, this seems to be the moment to minimize sacrifices and finish the raid!"
- "Yes! That's right! Dammit, setting aside the competition, they must stop this disaster as soon as possible!"
But just then...
*Thud—!*
The ground suddenly shook, causing the Players in the area to lose their balance and stagger.
"Agh!"
"Wha-what was that!"
And a large shadow fell over their heads.
It was...
"(*^^)/Excuse me!"
The 26.5-meter Orichalcum giant, Talos.
The thing even displayed a strange emoticon on its metal face as it waved its hand.
Though it was a heartfelt greeting, the Players stumbled backward, their faces pale.
"Huk— Why is this suddenly here..."
"What is that thing? Is it a monster?"
"Looks like one of Steelrain's subordinates..."
Just then, a voice came from the mana messenger Edward Woods was holding.
- *Chk*— DS, be careful. There might be a shockwave.
"...W-what kind of shockwave?"
*Kwa-aaang—!*
Another impact then, this time a single Moglay plunged into the ground right in front of Talos.
And that Moglay rose on its own, stopping high in the air.
Then—
*Swoosh— Swoosh— Swoosh— Swoosh—*
An incredible amount of metal weapons flew in randomly from the sky.
They 'fused' at a single point and began to merge into one.
"...Looks like it's making something?"
Yes, a very long steel pole was being created.
And wasn't its end entangling with the hilt of the Moglay floating in the sky?
"Is that... a spear?"
It was a giant spear.
A spear about 40 meters long, impossible for a human to even hold...
And it was a spear whose tip was made of none other than 'Moglay'.
*Thump— Thump—*
And the 26.5-meter Orichalcum giant gripped it.
'Wait, that's...'
Edward Woods suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
A faint, familiar sensation from that Moglay...
'...N-no way! That's a Dragon Slayer!'
At that moment, the Orichalcum giant took a stance like a javelin thrower.
*Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeo—*
The ground where its two massive feet stomped caved in with a deep cracking sound.
*Kkigigigi—*
Its metal limbs, smoothly extended in different directions, stretched like industrial springs.
"Uh..."
The moment its body, bent backward, snapped forward to throw the massive spear—
*KWA-A-A-ANG—!*
The shockwave Steelrain had warned about erupted, sending the Players' bodies flying into the air and tumbling backward.
The 40-meter spear shot forward, creating a sonic boom as it bisected space—aimed straight for the dragon's throat.