Chapter 131: The Beast of the East
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 131: The Beast of the East
CRASH!!
The sound rang in my ears. A head of the hydra, its jaws wide open as if to swallow Goff in a single bite, had slammed into the ground—the result of him deflecting its face with his massive shield. It seemed he’d grown more accustomed to handling a shield than I’d thought.
For the main force, patience was key. It was crucial to hold back for the warriors who had charged forward to protect us. As soon as the hydra's two side heads focused on Goff, two more figures charged out.
They were the Minotaur warrior Orbo and the Twin-Headed Ogre, Gara. He was an eccentric fellow whose mind was split in two, making me extremely anxious about entrusting him with the front line, but with two heads, his field of vision was quite wide. His unique advantage was that he could draw the beast's attention while simultaneously looking elsewhere to identify any peculiarities.
A feat impossible for a human body. However, the other reason I chose him as a tank was because his ‘Unique Ability’ was incredibly useful. It was a Unique Ability I had never seen among humans.
Unique Ability: ‘Red Potion Addict.’ It sounded absurd, but this two-headed fellow's body was perfectly optimized for drinking potions. While one head focused on combat, the other could drink a potion. And if he took heavy damage, he would pour potions into both mouths at once.
His regenerative power, which maximized the efficiency of potions thanks to his Unique Ability, was truly incredible.
“Ah… it hurts! Gara hurts!”
“Gara drinks red potion! Drinks red potion!”
“Red potion is tasty!”
He had somehow blocked the Beast of the East's attack, but seeing him scream and drink a potion, his arm apparently crushed, I felt confident he could last until the end of this raid as long as he wasn't hit by a fatal blow.
“Th-that seems like a good start.”
“Indeed.”
Lee Wanyong, an anxious expression on his face, spoke up from beside me. It seemed his knees were buckling now that he was facing the Beast of the East in person. This wasn't a bad thing. It gave him a reason to contribute to this hunt with everything he had.
‘Survival.’
If we were wiped out, he would die too. I figured he was constantly racking his brain. Seeing him constantly conferring with Hakajin through Jung Hayeon, I knew that bringing Lee Wanyong along had been the right choice.
“The main force will maintain attack readiness and stand by.”
“The main force will maintain attack readiness and stand by!!”
Black Spear must have seen an Orc whose eyes were already glowing red, ready to loose an arrow, because he shouted at them. But no one's eyes were redder than Black Spear's own. His muscles, bulging as if he were about to hurl his spear at any moment, showed just how long he had been holding back.
I turned my gaze to the front. Goff, Orbo, and Gara were holding out even better than I'd expected. The three Green Skins, perfectly split in three directions, kept their eyes locked on the beast to avoid interfering with one another.
Of course, the most impressive was Goff. The way he dodged its heads and even managed to wound them with his axe was the very picture of a seasoned tank.
“Kweeeeeeeh!”
The beast, seemingly annoyed, began to spew venom from its mouth, but this was a pattern we had already discussed. Goff instantly dove under its feet. The misdirected venom sought Orbo and Gara on either side, but they too had taken position beneath the Beast of the East.
Eventually, it tried to send its breath our way, but there was no way it could reach. Just in case, the Ogre warriors raised their shields as the venom rained down onto the ground.
“Hiss…”
With a hissing sound, the ground melted and smoke rose. And just like that, a ‘reference point’ was established. The range of its breath had been determined.
“Th-that's the range. When the Beast of the East approaches and attacks, you must maintain this distance.”
“Now, for its… its stride…”
The task of confirming its stride was also underway. Goff and the other warriors slipped out from under the beast, turned its head in the opposite direction, and began to back away. As expected, the Beast of the East started to move, chasing Goff, and Hakajin began to measure its stride.
For Hakajin, who had drawn a near-perfect map of the Forest Worm Tunnels even while on the surface, this was likely an easy task. Calculating the margin of error was once again Lee Wanyong's job. Hakajin, who had been tapping his head with his finger, spoke as if he understood, and Lee Wanyong nodded again. Of course, since they couldn't speak the same language, Jung Hayeon was interpreting, but I found myself thinking their synergy was quite good.
While Goff, Orbo, and Gara extracted data from the Beast of the East, we completed our battle preparations.
I could vaguely understand why humans created and managed separate strategic support teams when hunting large magical beasts. Lee Wanyong's statement that ‘a raid is a science’ was no empty phrase. Humans native to this medieval world would never have been able to analyze things to this extent, but the humans summoned from Earth were different.
There were cowards like Lee Wanyong who couldn't unite and betrayed others as easily as breathing, but even he was quite intelligent. If there were humans who sought to advance and unite, I realized they could become a significant threat to us Green Skins.
“Uh… it seems the aggro is stable… and we've gathered all the necessary data. I think you can start moving slowly, using our current position as the reference point.”
“Good work.”
I slowly raised my hand. The first to be deployed to the front line were the ranged archers of the Blood Dagger Clan. There was a simple reason for sending out our Blood Dagger Clan archers, including Mev, first.
The objective was to chip away at its health. Among the three brother tribes, our Blood Dagger Clan members were the most rational. As proof, Mev's eyes had not turned red. Mev, wearing her crown and holding a large bow, let out a great cry, and the Blood Dagger clan members roared in response.
“We're heading out, Chieftain!”
“Victory! For victory alone!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger!!”
A unique advantage of the Blood Dagger clan members is their agility. The most important thing was to avoid dealing enough damage to provoke it. We focused only on harassing it with scattered attacks, not concentrated fire. As planned, Baek Ahyeon's followers were also slowly closing the distance. The Orc swordsmen who could keep up with the archers were moving with them. They hadn't been ordered to attack, but they were there as insurance, just in case.
The arrows of the Spirit Archer Mev, aided by the spirits of wind and fire, were truly unerring. Since its back was turned to us, its entire body was a target, so it didn't matter much, but our arrows were definitely chipping away at its scales.
The most important part of this first strike was to rob it of its mobility. The beast still hadn't turned its head. This meant that Goff, at the front, was a much greater threat. As proof, both of the Beast of the East's arms were also aimed at Goff.
“That… that Ogre… is truly incredible…” Lee Wanyong muttered, almost unconsciously.
It wasn't a case of reason suppressing instinct. To be precise, it was instinct that retained its reason. He was dodging or blocking its attacks while inflicting wounds on its heads and flailing arms.
Even from a distance, there were several spine-chilling moments, but Goff was laughing and shouting.
Thanks to him, it was the Goff Clan, watching their chieftain, who found it difficult to hold back. I imagined it must be incredibly hard for them to stand still while watching that scene. But it wasn't their turn yet.
I raised my hand once more. This time, Black Spear moved.
It wasn't yet time to unleash everything they'd been holding back. As if lacking the confidence to restrain themselves, Black Spear and his clan members quietly readjusted their grips on their spears and bows. Since I had to supply Black Spear's ‘ammunition,’ I moved with him, which meant Lee Wanyong had no choice but to follow me, looking extremely nervous.
We were entering the battlefield. We were stepping into its range.
Black Spear's arms were tensed with power. With every swing of his arm, a black streak shot forward. Each time one of Black Spear's spears embedded itself in the beast's scales, I used the Archmage's Throwing Dagger to return it to his hand, and the corners of his mouth began to curl up.
He looked like a machine gun. Thanks to Black Spear rapidly throwing spears with both hands, I was almost struggling to keep up.
“Victory!!”
A piercing sonic boom. Despite him controlling his strength, the spears flew with such power that the Beast of the East began to pay attention to us. Seeing this, Orbo began to shout once more.
“Uwoooooooooooh!”
The steadfast Minotaur, roaring as if to say ‘Look at me!’, kept one of the heads occupied, continuously receiving support from Baek Ahyeon's followers.
It was then.
As if annoyed, the beast began to swing its tail. We were already within its range. But I had no intention of backing away. No, to be precise, I couldn't. Because as it swung its tail toward the main force, its side heads were also striking at Goff. Just in case he was wounded, the priests were continuously pouring holy power into him. This attack had to be blocked.
“Jung Hayeon!”
“Yes!”
“..................!”
“CRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Giant roots erupted from the ground and began to block the beast's tail. As if thinking one wouldn't be enough, two roots intercepted the tail before it could collide with the main force.
“Ugh!”
She had plenty of mana, but the attack must have been fierce, as I could see blood trickling from the corner of Jung Hayeon's mouth. But she held it back. If it had only been aimed at the Blood Dagger Clan, we surely would have dodged it, but we couldn't allow the less agile main force to take damage.
“Let there be victory!”
While Jung Hayeon held the tail, arrows and spells rained down upon it.
“Aaargh!”
But the roots soon crumbled. The tail, having lost its momentum, still swept over the main force, but the Half-Ogres holding their shields were able to receive the blow. The tail, casting a massive shadow, felt even larger than I'd thought. Even as they blocked the tail with their shields, the Trolls of the Black Spear Clan continued to thrust their spears into it.
“Block it!”
“Attack! Attack!”
The shouts echoed. I too kicked off the ground, leaping up and beginning to switch weapons. From the Ancient Flame to the World Tree's Rotten Wood Long Spear, and from the spear to the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword. As I swung the greatsword, the sound of it slicing through the air was followed by a spray of blood from the beast's tail.
“Kwooooooooar!”
‘Critical Hit registered.’
It was partly because the accumulated damage had stripped away its tough scales, but an attack that should have barely scratched the Beast of the East's hide had instantly torn through its flesh. I had expected it, but the effect was better than I thought. It was an attack that relied on probability, but with this much power, it was worth relying on. And then, one of its heads began to focus on me.
Seeing it open its mouth wide and puff out its chest, I knew a breath attack was coming. Just as everyone began moving to a safe distance, even before I could give the order, the Beast of the East's balance suddenly collapsed. The warriors at the front had broken its posture.
“Don't retreat! Don't retreat! Split into three units! Three units!”
Even in this desperate situation, the formation didn't break. Instead, they began to split apart, fanning out. The Beast of the East unleashed its breath on empty ground, and the Green Skins, now split into three units, began to close in rapidly. Seeing the main force split in three directions, Goff also began to turn.
At that sight, the Ogres of the Goff Clan let out a cheer.
“Victory or death!!”
“Death!!”
They brought out massive ropes. When the spear-throwing goblins of the Black Spear Clan hurled their weapons at its heads, massive spears that seemed like they wouldn't pierce it began to embed themselves in its long necks.
Attached to the ends of the spears were the ropes held by the Ogres. Dozens of spears and ropes began to bind the beast, and even the roots summoned by Jung Hayeon started to wrap around its necks. In an instant, the beast's faces were colored with panic.
Seeing this, someone shouted.
“Pull!!”
“Puuuuull!!!”
A method impossible for humans. A tug-of-war between the Goff Clan's Ogres and the beast had begun.