Chapter 25. Unexpected Party (4)
Boom!
Compared to the ferocious explosion, the flames that erupted were somewhat subdued. From behind the acrid smoke of the mandragora rose dozens of its own stems, blocking the magic.
Crackle. Crackle.
A faintly nutty scent of burning fibers spread through the boss room, and the humanoid body at the mandragora's core twisted its face into something more monstrous than human.
“How dare you!!”
The human-like form—little more than a warped husk—thrashed wildly, and its stems, no different from its very body, surged toward Jeonghyeon like a torrent.
“Hmph...!”
But Jeonghyeon just snorted lowly and crouched down, beginning to cast his spell.
He'd known it would react this way, of course.
“Where do you think you're swinging those plant tendrils...!”
With a short breath, Jeonghyeon summoned a fireball and spun his body once, dodging the mandragora's assault.
Then, like delivering a perfect counterattack, he swung his staff at the incoming stem.
“Kieek!”
Mandragoras had two major traits that set them apart from other plant-type monsters: one was that they possessed eyesight.
This allowed them to perceive enemies more clearly than through mere sensation or instinct, making them notoriously tricky opponents. And this led to another key feature.
I always struggled with them myself until I learned the truth!
Unlike the deliberate movements of mages, Jeonghyeon unleashed a dazzling display of footwork while raining down fireballs—a firsthand lesson in their traits.
The mandragora's vision didn't reside in its humanoid torso or the body embedded in the wall.
Just watch the stem tips...!
Right at the tips of the stems. In the sharpest thorns.
So naturally, no hunter would know. Who would imagine it attacked with its eyes?
Considering how eyes were the most vulnerable, unprotected part in most creatures, it was easy to assume they were hidden away somewhere safe.
“Hup!!”
Jeonghyeon dodged an incoming stem by a hair's breadth, then swung his staff once more at the opening.
Deliberately waiting for an attack and countering it was akin to striking from a blind spot during that split-second visual gap.
Bang!!
“Hah!”
A faint smile of advantage crossed Jeonghyeon's lips. As his strikes began landing effectively, the gaps in the mandragora's defenses multiplied.
Even low-tier magic like this worked on plant monsters, it seemed.
Crackle. Crack.
Red embers began lingering on the mandragora's charred black body.
That's the weak spot.
Every creature had a soft point somewhere. He'd targeted multiple areas deliberately with fireballs, and the vulnerability revealed itself faster than expected.
Now he just had to hammer it relentlessly.
This was the moment the tide turned—from a colossal beast that seemed to require a full party to fell, to being overwhelmed by a single hunter.
Due to the Comprehension Boost buff, Intermediate Ceramic Staff proficiency has greatly increased. Current: 28%
Due to the Comprehension Boost buff, Intermediate Ceramic Staff proficiency has greatly increased. 36%
Due to the Comprehension Boost buff, Intermediate Ceramic Staff proficiency has greatly increased. 51%
The proficiency surged noticeably with each fireball, thanks to the buff.
The fireballs he cast now were far more precise and powerful, homing in on targets better than the ones from moments ago.
I had no idea...!
Originally a swordsman skilled in blade arts, Jeonghyeon hadn't felt this transcendent enhancement with edged weapons. But now, it coursed through his body.
Of course, the Giant Mandragora wasn't some frail creature that would crumple to a few fireballs. As if to prove it, it unleashed an unearthly roar impossible for a plant, sending dozens of stems raining down like arrows.
“Kuaaaak!!”
Out of habit from parrying foes with his sword, Jeonghyeon deflected a stem and let out a low groan.
“Damn it!”
Screeech!
Unpleasant cracks spiderwebbed across the ceramic staff.
Staves and orbs, being magic-focused weapons, weren't built for high durability. Most mages layered protective enchantments on them constantly.
But Jeonghyeon, a former swordsman, hadn't even considered it—and even if he had, he lacked the leisure to cast buffs.
Just one hit...!
Even so, magic weapons cost a fortune compared to others. Cracking from a single blow? Ridiculous.
He lobbed another fireball, and the staff groaned, fissures widening near the breaking point. Sensing it wouldn't survive many more strikes, Jeonghyeon moved to store it in his inventory.
“Danger!!”
Philip's urgent voice rang out from behind, where he was dousing the hunters with recovery potions while fending off kills.
***
Wearing no armor, Jeonghyeon's bare body bounced across the floor several times before slamming into the ground.
“Kuhuk! Shit...!”
He barely pushed himself up, only for the bone-shattering impact to plant his face back down.
The dungeon's enraged lord fully extracted its body from the pillar-wall, causing a minor earthquake as it charged Jeonghyeon's party.
Rumble!
With the mandragora's body no longer supporting it, the dungeon's structure began collapsing too—disaster upon disaster.
“At least drink a recovery potion! I'll hold it off for now!”
Philip smashed away a stem aiming to finish Jeonghyeon, positioning himself in front.
In any other situation, Philip would be reliable. But unfortunately, this matchup was all wrong.
A mace was for smashing and crushing. Insufficient against the mandragora's tough, elastic stems.
And there were no potions left anyway—he'd given the last ones to Philip.
“Stop!!”
Even a full-powered shout did nothing; the mana-infused, multi-layered stems dismissed it as mere noise, scattering into the air.
Worse, the echoing roar accelerated the dungeon's crumbling.
Two, maybe three fireballs left. Proficiency at 22%.
It had jumped over 10% with precise weak-point hits.
If I play it right...!
Just twice. If Philip bought time for two perfect weak-point shots, he could evolve it into an Epic Weapon.
Jeonghyeon reactivated his scant remaining Demon King's Eye. It was do-or-die.
“Philip!”
“Yes! Message received!!”
Their eyes glowed red in unison. Gripping his mace anew, Philip charged the mandragora head-on, as if fully grasping the order.
“Come kill me once!!”
Buffed by Attribute Domination, Philip mirrored Jeonghyeon's movements, dodging thorned stems at speeds unimaginable for his bulky frame.
Now's the chance.
With all stems fixated on Philip, Jeonghyeon slipped fully behind him.
Now!
In the decisive moment, Jeonghyeon darted sideways from Philip's back and unleashed his pre-cast fireball.
Boom! With a crisp pop, the weary beast's flames spread wide before fading.
One more. Just one more fireball to the mandragora, and victory was possible.
“I won't die here!”
Philip's mace, infused with survival fury, struck the mandragora's core dead-on.
The impact's shockwave boomed, shaking the floor and bringing the ceiling down.
“Kraaak!!!”
To top it off, a falling chunk crushed one leg of a hunter—Yongmani's lackey, the mage who'd handed over the staff.
Time was truly critical now.
In a breath teetering between life and death, Jeonghyeon fired one final fireball with his exhausted body.
His original mana was spent too.
This near-last attack struck the weak point perfectly.
The other two hunters were mangled by debris, and from the shattered staff—now barely recognizable beyond its handle—a brilliant light erupted.
Grade: Epic Weapon
Attribute Liberation: 101%
Special Skill – Baton Technique (Active): Temporarily elevates a directed target's abilities beyond their limits.
Of all things, a buff skill.
As Jeonghyeon moved to cast it on himself—
Bam!!
The berserk mandragora flailed its stems wildly and struck Jeonghyeon directly, sending him flying far away.
His last hope was Philip, closest to the core.
Could a blunt mace truly slay this tangled plant horror?
Do or die.
Coughing blood, Jeonghyeon aimed his newly evolved Epic Weapon staff at Philip and unleashed mana.
I believe in you, you bastard!
A white flash from the baton pierced Philip's back. He screamed in agony, as if losing his mind.
“Kraaaak!!”
Transmuting pain into fury, Philip poured every ounce of strength into raising his mace high.
“!!”
Then, in a hush where the world froze and only he moved, he swung it vertically.
Less a swing than letting gravity drop the mace earthward.
Jeonghyeon sensed it from Philip's blank, white-eyed form.
Value Proof...!
The special skill of Soul of the Mountain. It stored his mace strikes, unleashing them in one devastating blow.
This was the moment it activated.