Chapter 145: 30th Floor. Desert of Death (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 145: 30th Floor. Desert of Death (4)
I tracked the Duneshade’s trail, moving with deliberate patience to conserve as much stamina as possible. After three days of travel, I finally arrived at the creature's lair.
It was a bottomless, gaping abyss yawning in the center of the desert.
Deep inside, a black-and-white scorpion stirred.
“Hello?”
Kang Jun-hyeok offered a casual greeting. In response, the Duneshade slowly lunged out of the hole. Its massive frame emerged, trampling the shifting sands beneath its weight.
Its mandibles snapped together with a violent, threatening clatter. A stinging sensation of wariness, hostility, and pure murderous intent washed over him.
Monster Class.
These were colossal entities that transcended the simple definition of living things.
Beings like the Kraken, Leviathan, Behemoth, the Three-Legged Crow, and the Duneshade. Across the universe, they were known as the Monster Class.
Their other title was Domain Ruler.
Each Monster Class ruled its own territory, claiming the deep sea, the sky, the desert, or the mountains entirely as their own. In the distant past, they were worshipped and feared as mountain gods, sea monsters, or monstrous birds of the heavens—beings far beyond human comprehension.
An adult specimen of such a legend now stood before his eyes.
“This worked out well.”
How far had he truly progressed? This was the perfect opponent to measure his growth. Kang Jun-hyeok gripped his greatsword. The Duneshade clashed its mandibles roughly and coiled the muscles in its hind legs.
Boom!
Its legs slammed into the ground, erupting sand as its massive body accelerated. Kang Jun-hyeok tightened his grip as a pincer swung toward him with bone-crushing force.
Clang!
A heavy impact rang out, and Kang Jun-hyeok’s body skidded backward. The shock traveled through the steel of the greatsword and vibrated into his marrow.
Zing.
The Duneshade’s tail whipped upward. In that instant, goosebumps erupted across his skin. Boundary of Death Awakening activated; his consciousness expanded, and a surge of strength and speed flooded his limbs.
The tail, thrusting at supersonic speeds, grazed his cheek by a hair’s breadth.
K-boom!
A massive hole was gouged into the desert floor. It was a blow powerful enough to halve his health if it landed directly.
That wasn't all. The Duneshade’s tail carried a venom capable of killing tens of thousands of adults with a single drop. Even with his Poison Resistance, he wouldn't be able to withstand a direct injection.
Rumble!
The Duneshade closed the distance, its hind legs churning the sand like a motor. It raised a pincer and slammed it down with the weight of a falling mountain.
Kang Jun-hyeok caught his breath against the attack. He drew up his internal energy and, timing it perfectly, thrust his greatsword against the descending pincer.
Boom!
A massive crater formed in the sand. Kang Jun-hyeok’s knees buckled until they nearly touched the earth.
“Mm.”
His body creaked, and his muscles strained under the immense load. He had succeeded in landing a counter by using the opponent’s own momentum against it, even while bracing for the risk.
However, there wasn't a single scratch on the pincer. The other pincer swept across the ground in a low arc. He kicked off the earth to evade, channeling divine power to knit his strained muscles back together.
The black-and-white scorpion. The Duneshade.
It didn't possess the strange, supernatural abilities of the Kraken. It was simply massive, fast, strong, and incredibly durable. In terms of pure physical specifications, it was clearly superior to him.
How should I tackle this?
The biggest obstacle was that reinforced carapace. It didn't show a single scratch, even after a direct counter. The weakest part of a Duneshade was its belly, but even Single Point Penetration couldn't pierce it in one go.
In that case, he would have to concentrate all his power on one specific spot.
The Duneshade approached again, kicking up a wall of sand. Kang Jun-hyeok steadied his breathing. He blocked a descending pincer and channeled the kinetic force into his blade.
[Rift Movement.]
He flickered beneath the Duneshade’s belly. He poured every ounce of strength into the hand holding the greatsword.
[Thrust.]
Clang!
A sharp, metallic impact rang out. Startled, the Duneshade stomped its feet and retreated.
[Spear Throw.]
[Spear Throw.]
Crunch.
The spears he had already prepared embedded themselves precisely into the spot Kang Jun-hyeok had just struck. The Duneshade clashed its mandibles, sounding slightly annoyed.
Boom!
Its hind legs moved, and the sand exploded once more. To an onlooker, it would look as if a tidal wave was rising from the desert. The pincers slammed violently into the earth.
Thump! Thump! Boom!
Sand sprayed in all directions like shrapnel. Kang Jun-hyeok endured the aftershocks. Since he was aiming for the belly, he couldn't dodge everything perfectly.
Boom!
He raised his greatsword toward the descending pincer.
[Block.]
Clang!
He braced against the load transmitted through the sword, then unleashed a concentrated burst of force.
[Repulsion.]
Boom!
With the skill’s activation, the pincer was pushed just a fraction away from his blade. Seizing that opening, he kicked off the ground.
[Instant Acceleration.]
He dashed forward and arrived beneath the belly in a heartbeat. Using Air Jump, he struck the exact same spot again.
[Charge.]
[Sword Ki and Sword Wind.]
K-boom!
The Duneshade’s massive frame shook from the heavy impact. Cracks began to spiderweb across the carapace of its underbelly.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Duneshade’s attacks grew increasingly violent. Kang Jun-hyeok’s body was buffeted by the swirling pincers. He succeeded in parrying the worst of it, but the sheer force alone dealt significant damage.
Boom!
He barely evaded the tail. It didn't stop, thrusting several more times in a blur of motion. Craters appeared one after another in the desert.
Bang, bang, bang!
Sand poured down like rain. This was getting dangerous. Kang Jun-hyeok lowered his stance.
[Stealth.]
His body vanished.
It was a miraculous technique that erased his presence, sound, and even the sixth sense of his enemies. Sure enough, even the Duneshade hesitated for a moment.
But that hesitation lasted only a fraction of a second. The Duneshade slammed both pincers into the earth. Sand erupted in a massive shockwave, pushing everything away. Kang Jun-hyeok, forced out of hiding by the wave of sand, clicked his tongue.
What was the most appropriate response to Stealth? A wide-scale explosion of power. The Duneshade had countered his invisibility by detonating the ground itself.
“As expected of a Monster Class.”
These monsters weren't just strong. They were ancient and possessed a cold, predatory intelligence.
Whoosh!
A pincer slammed down on Kang Jun-hyeok. He defended, but his body was nearly crushed by the immense force. Muscles tore, and his health dropped. He healed the damage with divinity and placed a finger on the pincer.
[Sixth Sense Exclusion.]
For one second, all of the Duneshade’s senses were severed.
The creature immediately began to thrash wildly in the void. Kang Jun-hyeok did not back down. He absorbed the flying sand fragments with his bracers and dug in beneath the belly once more.
Crunch.
He struck with his greatsword again. The cracks spread further. The Duneshade hurriedly widened the distance.
Click-clack.
Clashing its mandibles, the Duneshade analyzed the situation. This human used strange powers. He was doing everything he could to get close and aim for the belly.
The answer was simple: Don't let him get close.
The Duneshade raised both pincers high. It put all its strength into them and slammed them together.
C-l-a-n-g!
An intense wave of sound vibrated through the air. The earth shook, and the atmosphere itself was pushed back.
“Urgh!”
For the first time, a groan escaped Kang Jun-hyeok’s lips. The intense shattering sound was loud enough to tear his eardrums. The damage bypassed his physical defense and hit his internal organs directly.
It was a sonic bomb.
Kang Jun-hyeok tried to close the distance, but the Duneshade skittered away and clashed its pincers again.
Clang!
The sonic blast hit Kang Jun-hyeok once more. His body staggered heavily. He frowned.
It changed its tactics.
It no longer faced him head-on. It maintained its distance and bombarded him with sonic waves. It was a highly effective strategy. Since the Duneshade was faster than him, he couldn't close the gap if it was determined to kite him.
Clang!
The sound struck again. In an instant, his remaining health was cut in half. He thought rapidly.
The skill to close the distance was Rift Movement, but he could only move to places within his line of sight. If the monster kept its belly hidden and stayed at range, it would be difficult to land a decisive blow.
In that case, he would target a different part entirely—the part the opponent was least conscious of because it was its greatest strength.
He kicked off the ground.
[Rift Movement.]
Kang Jun-hyeok appeared directly in front of the Duneshade. In that instant, the monster swung its pincer.
Cr-crunch!
Kang Jun-hyeok narrowly succeeded in defending, but he couldn't withstand the raw force and was slammed into the ground.
Click-clack!
The opponent had made a mistake because it was rushed. Judging the human defeated, the Duneshade slammed its pincer down to finish him off.
“I was waiting for this.”
[Balancing.]
He immediately corrected his broken posture. He poured strength into the hand holding the greatsword, gathering all his internal energy and channeling it into the tip of the blade.
The greatsword aimed precisely for the joint of the pincer.
Clang!
The sound of the impact rang out as if the atmosphere itself was shattering. Kang Jun-hyeok grit his teeth. Using the Divine Art of the Master of All Weapons, he channeled all the incoming force of the monster's strike back into his own sword.
Clang!
Finally, unable to withstand the redirected force, the pincer was knocked aside. The Duneshade hurriedly moved to protect its belly.
But the belly wasn't what Kang Jun-hyeok was after.
The most durable parts of the Duneshade’s body were its pincers. Because of that, its defensive awareness of them was weak.
The joint of that pincer—that was his target.
First Form: Hot Wind Sky Slash.
[Single Point Penetration.]
Clang!
The thrust, carrying the entirety of his strength, struck the joint. Only then did the Duneshade realize his true aim. It moved its other pincer to knock him away.
But that was a mistake.
[Immovable Stance.]
Boom!
The pincer struck Kang Jun-hyeok’s body, but he didn't budge. For one second, he was in a state where he was unaffected by any external force. Suppressing the impact, he put even more strength into the greatsword. The joint began to creak and pry open.
It wasn't enough yet.
[Heaven-Defying Spear of Jealousy.]
The Authority of Zelesi, the God of Jealousy, manifested. An ash-colored spear that denied and envied all things appeared, cutting through space.
Swish!
It flew straight and embedded itself precisely into the fractured joint.
Crack. Cra-crack!
The joint split further. Finally, unable to hold on, the carapace fractured, exposing the white flesh beneath.
And one more.
[True Ancestor Awakening.]
Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes turned a predatory, blood-red. Blood vessels crawled like vines into the exposed flesh of the monster. They wrapped around the tissue and coiled around the tendons. Kang Jun-hyeok clenched his fist.
Cr-cr-crunch!
The blood vessels tore and severed everything they had ensnared. With a cry of agony, the Duneshade’s other pincer struck Kang Jun-hyeok.
K-boom!
“Cough.”
He was hit directly, unable to defend. The health he had recovered through True Ancestor Awakening was halved in an instant.
But Kang Jun-hyeok looked satisfied.
[!!!!]
A cry that seemed to tear the world apart erupted. One of the Duneshade’s proud pincers fell, dangling like a broken branch.
“That landed perfectly.”
He couldn't reach the belly, so he targeted the joint of the pincer where the monster’s guard was lowest. It had been a gamble, but it had paid off.
“I’ve used up a lot of energy, but taking out one of your pincers? I’d say it was a bargain.”
[!!!!]
Eyes full of pain and horrific hatred turned toward him. Kang Jun-hyeok smiled thinly and leveled his greatsword.
“Let’s stop testing the waters and just fight to the death.”
[Grace of Benevolence.]
[!]
Boom!
The Duneshade’s body surged forward. Its one remaining pincer blotted out the sun. Kang Jun-hyeok kicked off the ground, meeting the attack that descended as if to crush all of creation.