Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Dramatic Reversal on the Brink of Crisis
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Gonghyeok felt electricity crackling between his teeth.
The effect of the buff "Lightning Incarnate."
From the outside, it probably looked like lightning was exploding all over his body.
Gonghyeok pulled the white coin he'd taken from Yulia out of his inventory.
"Activate dual avatar summoning."
[Consumed 1 white coin to activate 'Dual Avatar Summon' function.]
"Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Ra-Djehuty—summon."
[Avatar Game Master switches to Great Sage Equal to Heaven (SS).]
[Avatar Ra-Djehuty (SS) additionally summoned.]
[Stat increases apply based on Great Sage Equal to Heaven.]
Two gods materialized on his shoulders.
= Whoa. Little bro. Going all out on your first hunt, huh?
= Hm. So this is the crossroads between the afterlife and the living world.
[Ra-Djehuty's secondary ability, Omniscience Magic Tome, activated. All magic attack power and efficiency doubled.]
Four wings sprouted from Gonghyeok's back.
[Ultra-High-Speed Flight (S-) skill applied.]
[Ignition Booster (C) - Sevenfold Chain Explosion: Full Boost.]
Every step he took sprayed flames, accelerating him like a cannonball.
He closed the distance to where Guardsand was massacring people in an instant.
In his hand, he'd already drawn the magic sword shrouded in red mist, assuming a ready stance.
The magic sword trembled, emitting a bizarre wail.
Chicken God Technique Ultimate Art: Severing Head Chicken's Cry.
With his stats surging, the mastery of his martial arts skyrocketed.
A chicken-crow-like vibration dwelled in the blade, infused with sword force akin to the Chicken God's original power.
"Huh?"
Guardsand, who had just sliced through five people with one swing, suddenly sensed something off and turned around.
Dawn's chicken crow rang out as a bolt-of-lightning blade rushed toward his neck.
Slash.
A cutting sound that effortlessly ignored his S-grade-plus durability echoed, and something rolled across the ground.
"Guh, kuhuk, kruh..."
Guardsand's face twisted in agony.
"You damned flea! Where'd you crawl out from!"
Blood gushed from his wrist instead of his neck.
The magic sword hadn't severed his neck, blocked by Guardsand's barrier.
"As expected, it won't end that easily..."
['Vampire Princess Ring' absorbs blood from the 'Vampire Guardsand.']
The ring sucked up blood from Guardsand's severed wrist on the ground.
"Where'd you pull that cheap trick from!"
Dozens of spears formed from the stump and thrust toward Gonghyeok.
"Clone Technique, holy beast summon."
[Great Sage Equal to Heaven primary ability 'Art of Cloning' activated.]
[Body divided into three! Identical stats: 4-second duration!]
[Summons 6 out of 7 stored holy beasts!]
[Saber-toothed Tiger King, Giant Crocodile, Qilin...]
Roarrrr!
Krawaaaa!
"Surround him and kick up a sandstorm."
In an instant, six massive beasts filled the space.
Truth be told, Ra-Djehuty was an avatar infamous for being used by X later on.
The four wings Gonghyeok had deployed were a dead giveaway, and if spotted later, it could spell trouble.
So he had them appear to draw the other hunters' eyes and stir up dust to obscure vision.
Pabababak!
With his body tripled, Gonghyeok dodged the blood spears and surrounded Guardsand on three sides.
Dragon God Technique Spear Art: Flying Spear Pierces Heaven Dragon.
Dog God Technique Blade Fang: Sky-Severing Wolf.
Horse God Technique Spinning Kick: Storm Collapse Hoof Kick.
The three forms kicked up a grand sandstorm, pressuring Guardsand.
= Nice! Push harder! More! More! More! Moooore!
From behind Gonghyeok, the armored Demon Monkey King shouted, his golden hair whipping in the wind.
Kwaaaang!
A massive boom echoed where Guardsand stood, followed by a shockwave.
"But I know not how a human like you ended up here. Insufficient to topple this Heavenly Knight!"
Gonghyeok's supreme techniques failed to pierce Guardsand's formidable barrier.
His authority "Blood of the Throne" and the vampire clan's treasures created a barrier boasting top-tier defense even among Heavenly Knights.
"No. One more to go."
At that moment, Gonghyeok's shadow loomed over him from above.
In his hand was the SS-grade demon-shattering hammer, Hontar.
The spike at the hammer's tip spun with a chilling whine.
[Shattering Demon Hammer Hontar's special skill 'Shield Breaker (Unique S)' activated!]
[Damage to barriers increased by 774%!]
[10 stacks of Ignition Booster from rear! Boosts propulsion and destructive power!]
Kagagagak—!
A massive flame shot skyward.
Hontar, propelled like a rocket engine, hammered the barrier like a murderous drill.
But the barrier merely shuddered and screeched without shattering.
"It won't work. You flea!"
Guardsand bellowed, conjuring a vortex of blood in his hand.
Gonghyeok smirked at the sight.
The moment Guardsand split his barrier's power to attack.
A coin dropped from the upper Gonghyeok's mouth.
"!?"
Guardsand's face froze in confusion just before launching his strike.
Skill Coin: Dramatic Reversal on the Brink of Crisis.
The trump card reward from exceeding the 2nd floor 10:10 mission's "Impossible Comeback" by over 1,000%.
The one-use coin shattered in a glow.
[Skill Coin 'Dramatic Reversal on the Brink of Crisis' activated!]
['Dramatic Reversal on the Brink of Crisis' inflicts powerful debuffs scaling with the boss monster's stat grade gap! Overturn despair and triumph over the overwhelming boss!]
[Ju Gonghyeok stats - Strength B, Agility B, Durability C, Technique A...]
[Guardsand stats (restricted state) - Strength A, Agility A, Durability S, Technique S, Magic S-D, Mind S-D...]
['Stat Decline Curse' inflicted on Guardsand!]
[Physical stats drop 1 grade! Mental stats drop 2 grades!]
['Nightmare Lord's Curse' inflicted on Guardsand!]
[Death spirits' voices invade his mind! Magic spell efficiency reduced, mental resistance lowered!]
['Petrifying Dragon's Curse' inflicted on Guardsand!]
[His right knee disobeys! Effect lasts 2 hours!]
Guardsand's knee buckled as he frantically looked up at the barrier.
The barrier was splintering under Hontar's drill.
"Shut the hell up already."
Kardddddduk.
Hontar plunged into the vampire's mouth.
The ferocious drill pierced the throat and pulverized straight to the collarbone.
"Ku——gh—!?"
Blood of the Throne - Wrath of the Sovereign.
Kwaaaaaang!
The red vortex in his hand detonated, and the blood pooled on the ground scattered like purple mist.
The shock hurled Gonghyeok dozens of meters away.
"Kraaaaa!"
Amid the raging purple mist, Guardsand glared at Gonghyeok with bloodshot eyes.
He looked a bit different from the flustered moment he'd taken a hit.
"This is gonna drag on."
[To extend buff list: Requires 93,822 purple coins and 121 navy coins.]
Gonghyeok scooped up coins from the corpses as he slowly circled Guardsand.
＊＊＊
"What the hell's going on? Who's fighting?"
"Who cares? Let's just use this chance to run!"
While most hunters fled in panic, a few watched the battle beyond the sandstorm.
"That guy's fighting while picking up coins?"
His name was Bashar, an A-grade avatar Horse-Faced Dragon wielder. Climbing to the 4th floor, he'd never felt inferior to anyone—pure confidence.
And...
"Damn it. Can't lose face with that guy fighting over there."
He was one of those reckless types, the kind who called it courage.
He charged toward the explosions and flashes amid the purple mist.
Splash, splash. Someone slogged upstream through the pooled blood.
To his left was a Russian hunter with a bug-chewed grimace.
"You too?"
"You too? Why're you crawling in there?"
Bashar asked the Russian, who scratched his cheek.
"No one's helping out, so if that guy dies, I'll feel like total shit."
They weren't alone.
More hunters gathered in twos and threes as they approached.
"Damn it. Fine, let's go check it out."
"My avatar and this friend's are ranged. Anyone with earth-attribute avatars, pile up a hill over there."
"I promised my childhood friend I'd marry her if I get back. A man with a home to return to is immortal!"
"Land one hit, and we'll get contribution rewards or loot bombs!"
Dozens of avatars rose, igniting the beacon of counterattack.
Watching from afar, Yeonsi spoke up.
"Mr. Soma. Let's go too."
"...Understood."
Soma nodded, holding Ha Yeonsi.
Ha Yeonsi, Soma, and dozens of hunters marched into the sea of blood.
＊＊＊
[Great Sage Equal to Heaven secondary ability, Art of the Muscle Cloud, activated!]
[Clouds generated to accelerate angel wings and Lucifer wings! Acceleration +34%!]
[Ignition Booster (C) - Fivefold Chain Explosion: Arms Boost.]
The Shattering Demon Hammer Hontar, propelled by explosive thrust, smashed the barrier again.
Teng!
Blood of the Throne - Reverse Blood Guillotine.
As Hontar bounced off, blood thorns sprouted around Gonghyeok, threatening him.
[Ignition Booster (C) - Front 3-shot loaded.]
Explosions chained as Gonghyeok swiftly retreated, clicking his tongue.
'After a few hits, the front barrier's thickened up. Won't penetrate. His stats dropped a ton, but item buffs and skill mastery are still blocking me.'
If Guardsand hunkered down on defense, no way through—and the buffs wouldn't hold forever.
Reviewing his victory plans, Gonghyeok prepared to throw the deciding gambit.
Udududuk.
Gray sand soldiers rose around Gonghyeok, who was probing for openings.
Bashar's avatar, Horse-Faced Dragon (A), ability.
And not just them.
Ueida with Dragon Orb (A+), closing in while dodging Guardsand's scattered attacks; Ayeu, the African curse-slinger who hurled debuffs regardless; even the support avatar Titania buffing allies.
"Bro, need a hand?"
"Kid. Rolled up my sleeves for ya."
People braved the terror to approach.
"You fleas! Think a few more changes anything?!"
Enraged, Guardsand whipped up a blood storm, and the hunters hastily fell back a step.
Any distraction on wide attacks worked in Gonghyeok's favor.
He grinned, charging through the storm hammer raised.
Liang Family Five Elements Ultimate: Explosive Force Hammer.
Boom—the hammer shook the barrier.
Following the five elements' cycle, fire energy shifted to earth, and with each thrust, the mana glow shifted breathlessly.
A blood hand whooshed past Gonghyeok's head as he hammered relentlessly.
"You bastard! I told you weak attacks like that don't work!"
"You scum! I said your lame techniques won't land!"
Guardsand flipped at Gonghyeok's taunt, intensifying the storm.
But another figure pierced the storm.
Soma Sangai, cloaked in diamond indestructibility.
[Chapter 55 - Dramatic Reversal on the Brink of Crisis] End