Chapter 108
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: The Giant Snake (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A shadow rippled beneath the surface of the lake.
Like a fish hooked on a line being reeled in, the shadow gradually darkened and grew larger. Immensely so. For a moment, it felt like a massive cloud had blotted out the sun.
Then, the lake erupted in a ceaseless spray of water. One by one, the Hydra's heads broke through the surface.
Snake heads glaring from all directions. Surrounded, Woojin let out a sigh.
'Looks like today won't be an easy one.'
He gripped the hilt of his machete tightly. At the same moment, one of the blurry snake heads lunged. Its tunnel-like maw filled his vision.
Woojin raised his machete high.
Puuk!
The sharpened blade pierced the snake's upper jaw. He readjusted his grip with both hands and swung the machete downward with all his weight behind it.
The blade sliced forward unimpeded. The snake's head split cleanly in two.
Kudududuk—
Flesh bubbled up from the cross-section of the wound. A mass like melted gum stretched out in sticky strands, stitching the split wound closed like a seam.
In an instant, the snake head was fully restored. A sight that sapped his motivation.
'What a pain.'
First, he needed time to think. With no room to breathe, another snake head charged. Woojin leaped high, vaulting over the ferocious jaws.
One attack dodged.
But the Hydra only had one head? No. The snakes pursued him mid-air, jaws gaping wide enough to split their faces. They looked like baby birds waiting for food to drop.
Time to give these guys a gift. With that thought, Woojin channeled power into his right hand.
Pajijijik—!
His palm glowed red. Woojin plummeted down, lightning crackling around him. The snake heads reacted in various ways.
Some sensed the threat and dove back into the lake, others stared mesmerized at the lightning, and one fearlessly thrust its maw toward him...
As always, there was at least one idiot who couldn't read the room.
Gulp.
The fearless snake swallowed Woojin whole. Satisfied with its full belly, it smacked its lips and licked the corners of its mouth with its tongue.
......And then.
Suddenly, its neck glowed red. Light leaked from between the scales.
Jjeeeeng!!
A thunderclap exploded. The snake thrashed wildly from the scorching heat. Its head charred black from the lightning.
"Kyaek, kyaaaaak—!"
The snake's scream rose endlessly. It had the makings of a choir member, but regrettably, its breath gave out, and the head went limp.
Soon, a small hole tore open in the snake's neck. Smoke billowed out. Woojin poked his head through the hole.
He inhaled the outside air once...
As if waiting for that moment, a snake outside shoved its jaws in. Woojin quickly retreated into the hole.
Kwaduduk!
The snakes tore into their dead comrade's neck. The charred flesh ripped away, revealing Woojin who had been hiding beneath.
'No camaraderie among these guys.'
He'd planned a brief rest, but the snakes didn't hesitate to cannibalize. Thanks to that, Woojin burst out and resumed the deadly game of tag.
In the midst of it...
A sudden thought struck him: it felt unfair to suffer alone.
Woojin glanced toward the lakeshore. The Dark Cultists gathered there stared blankly at the outer god's battle.
They should have fled long ago, but the cultists had lost their judgment.
The bishop, high priest, and even Number One—all the city's leaders wiped out in an instant. Without commanders, the Dark Cultists floundered in confusion.
'Time to get some help from my coworkers.'
He ramped up his speed.
Using the snakes' backs as footing, Woojin dashed forward. The snakes lunged to block his escape, their vicious jaws and fangs constantly barring his path.
In response, Woojin flipped the machete so its broad side faced forward. He swung it like a tennis racket, smashing a snake head hard.
Kkaang!!
A dull thud. The struck snake spurted blood from both nostrils and dropped its head.
Since slicing or stabbing regenerated too quickly, he wielded the machete like a blunt weapon, batting away the approaching snakes. Infusing weight enhancement into his wrist made each blow heavier than it looked.
'Definitely more efficient this way.'
A path opened.
Bashing snake heads aside, he charged forward, then kicked off with all his strength and leaped. Woojin's body arced through the air toward the lakeshore.
He landed on solid ground and bolted straight for the nearby Dark Cultists.
"Wh-what?"
The cultists panicked.
Why was he coming this way? The followers hurriedly prepared to fight, but Woojin ignored them completely and raced past.
Then... the thoroughly enraged Hydra slithered after him onto the shore. A quick-witted cultist shouted desperately.
"The outer god is coming this way! Everyone, run!!"
"Uwaaaak—!"
The wrath of the ancient being descended on the innocent Dark Cultists. Whether it had a habit of relieving stress through gluttony, the snake heads devoured every living thing in sight.
Thanks to that, the cultists endured a nightmarish ordeal, while Woojin bought himself some breathing room.
'How do I hunt this thing?'
The answer lay in ancient myths.
'Fire.'
Hercules had slain the Hydra during his twelve labors using fire.
After severing a snake's neck, he cauterized the wound before it could regenerate. Even the Hydra's powers couldn't heal burns.
Woojin had tested the old tale earlier. It worked.
'Thunderbolt can stop the regeneration.'
The head scorched by thunderbolt hadn't regenerated. He'd removed one head. Significant progress.
But the problem was, nine heads remained.
He'd previously cut off a head, causing two to grow back, then dealt with one—back to square one, essentially.
'Repeat that nine more times... it'd take at least a month to wear it down.'
Thunderbolt had severe backlash.
Spamming it mindlessly would wreck his health. He needed a more efficient, elegant way to finish it.
Woojin scratched his chin in thought. His gaze fell on the machete in his hand.
'...Maybe I can make good use of this.'
A recent experience came to mind.
He acted on it immediately. Gripping the hilt tightly with his right hand, he brought his left to the machete.
Pajijijik—!
Red lightning burst from his left hand. The thunderbolt heated the blade. It hummed in resonance, vibrating as the edge glowed cherry-red.
Like a blade fresh from a forge. The thunderbolt's power dwelled within the machete.
How powerful was it?
'Let's test it.'
He advanced toward the Hydra again.
Stealth was impossible. The thunder-infused blade was too conspicuous, glowing like a lightsaber from a sci-fi flick and scattering embers.
The Hydra spotted him instantly. Its pupils narrowed to needlepoints. The venomous gaze bore into him hungrily.
"Kiyaaaaak—!"
The enraged roar shook his ears. One head charged.
Matching it, Woojin enhanced the weight and swung the machete with full force. A red comet trail scarred the air.
The snake head met the trajectory.
Sseuuk!!
The head split neatly in jest. Far more effective than expected.
Like a stream parting around a rock, the Hydra's head cleaved apart, the wound surface charred black.
"Kak, kyaaat!!"
The heads screamed in chorus from the pain. The Hydra was thrown off. It hadn't imagined losing a head so anticlimactically.
The Hydra bristled warily. Woojin glanced at his machete.
'Gonna need to recharge.'
After one swing, the red energy visibly faded from the blade.
Even the cunning Hydra noticed.
Several heads lunged to prevent recharging. Woojin was back to frantic evasion.
'Such a nuisance.'
The Hydra's only standout ability was regeneration, but its massive size gave it overwhelming power and weight.
Killing it was a marathon. Dodge attacks busily, recharge thunderbolt, land a big hit. Repeat ad nauseam.
As he thought that...
A strange sound echoed. A splash like slapping water mixed with a sparrow's chirp.
Peeing—!
A silver beam shot from somewhere, stabbing a snake's eye. It flowed through the air like molten silver suspended in flight.
Woojin glanced toward the source. A bushy-tailed sky squirrel beast perched there.
'Is this guy helping me?'
He'd tossed it jerky or fruit when idle, and now the squirrel was repaying the favor by joining the fray.
The light swam through the air like a trout. It pecked at the snake's eye slyly and fled. Not lethal, but enough to disrupt the Hydra's focus.
'Gives me some breathing room.'
Woojin reloaded thunderbolt.
He hooked his thumb over his left index and middle fingers. The snapping position. Power gathered at his fingertips, red lightning flickering.
Ttaang!
He flicked his index finger, striking the blade flat. The condensed lightning transferred fully to the machete.
Woojin charged. Three heads stretched to intercept.
He enhanced weight in one foot as a pivot, spinning like a top and scattering slashes. Net-like trajectories diced the snake heads into chunks.
Four heads down with the machete. Five left. He flicked his middle finger.
Ttaang!
The lightning from his middle finger reignited the blade.
The Hydra hesitated at the sight. Terror made the snakes balk. It sensed no path to victory.
It turned its heads to flee.
Of course, Woojin had no intention of letting it. A beast showing its tail only earned death. He closed in from behind and unleashed a slash like kicking its rear.
"Kyaak, kieeeek—!"
The pitiful wail echoed through the mountains for a long time. Its exceptional regeneration meant prolonged agony before death.
Even the butcher found it exhausting.
'...What a tough bastard.'
After a grueling dance of the blade,
The weary Woojin spat on the ground and approached the Hydra's final head. Its body mangled beyond recognition.
Swipe.
The snake offered its head willingly. Seemingly begging for release from endless torment.
"Why not do this sooner?"
Woojin swung the machete as he spoke. The blade grazed the neck.
Finally, peace came to both beings.