Chapter 343
Chapter 343
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 343
Chapter Title: Apophis (5)
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“…….”
Gulp.
Every member swallowed hard.
Rumble rumble rumble…!
As they gazed up at Apophis’s overwhelming presence, which seemed ready to swallow the planet whole.
“Urgh.”
A few of them groaned and staggered back several steps.
And then.
Fwoosh!
They fixed their eyes on Joo Dong-hoon’s broad back as he gripped his weapon and charged ahead.
‘No way.’
‘Is he seriously planning to take on that snake alone right now? Not as a group attack, but by himself?’
‘That doesn’t make any sense. Apophis is SSS-grade…!’
It was an absurd situation.
But in truth.
The rational Joo Dong-hoon calling out a snake he couldn’t possibly handle without any preparation—that was even more unbelievable.
Joo Dong-hoon was a genius powerhouse, not some lunatic.
‘Hmm?’
It was then that a question mark popped up over someone’s head.
A doubt had formed.
‘Wait a second. Why did I just think the guild master isn’t a lunatic?’
‘He could be one, right?’
“Kuhahaha! As expected! Little bro! So damn cool! A real man!”
Jang Dae-woong, covered in bruises all over his body, burst into mad laughter.
And.
The guild master was on great terms with this lunatic, calling him big bro and little bro.
As the saying goes.
Birds of a feather flock together.
‘Yep.’
‘He really is a lunatic.’
‘So what happens to us now? We came out for training and all end up dead?’
‘Mom… I’m sorry.’
Anxiety began to sprout in the members’ hearts.
Of course, that didn’t mean they had any way to deal with it.
They were already battered by Apophis, with not a shred of strength left in their bodies.
Even if they ran for it with all their might, they couldn’t escape that massive Apophis’s gaze.
Pssshhhh…!
On top of that, the poison mist pouring from it was already blanketing everything around them.
But before their doubts could deepen.
Taat!
The guild master charged forward.
Sun Spear, Eldrin, and Mu-gak followed right behind him.
Woooong!
Kaden and Dana, Arin, and Yu-i-sa took up the rear, drawing up their energy.
At the same time.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
- KieeeEEEEEEK!
The clash of powers unleashed a deafening roar, mingled with some horrific shriek, shaking the world.
* * *
“Ha.”
Jang Dae-woong stopped laughing and gaped.
“……Insane.”
The amount of crackling electricity around Floa had increased.
“……Incredible.”
Gi So-yul stared blankly into the sky, entranced.
They weren’t the only ones.
Every member was utterly absorbed, watching the battle unfold like it was an action movie.
Fwoosh!
When they first saw the guild master draw his spear and charge.
‘Nah.’
‘Even if the guild master is world rank 4 and the youngest hyper ranker… Taking on that monster with just that little spear is overkill.’
‘Impossible.’
Of course, they hoped in their hearts that the guild master would win.
But their brains wouldn’t accept it.
Apophis’s size was beyond common sense, but that was secondary.
They had already fought it.
They had thrown everything they had at it and felt in their bones that it was impossible.
But.
Kwang, kwaaaang!
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
Before their eyes, a scene unfolded that made their worries seem laughable.
- KieeeEEEEEEK!
Apophis roared with venomous eyes and opened its maw.
Boom! Kwaaaang! Kwang!
Eldrin unleashed a barrage of arrows like small nuclear warheads.
Fwoooosh!
The ‘solar heat’ bursting from Sun Spear’s spear stung Apophis’s eyes.
The ‘hellfire’ from Arin scorched the snake’s scales.
And that was just the beginning.
Before long, skeleton legions filled the space beneath Apophis, bombarding it indiscriminately with siege weapons.
Spirit legions poured from Yu-i-sa, swarming the sky like a hive of bees.
‘What the….’
‘……Is this the power one person can produce?’
‘It’s practically an army…?’
These weren’t run-of-the-mill monsters.
It was an SSS-grade monster.
In that moment, the members realized.
Ah.
This guy called the guild master possessed power beyond what the world thought.
He wasn’t human—he was a monster.
Well, yeah.
One of his subordinates had already smashed a hyper ranker, the Lord of the Magic Tower.
You couldn’t call someone like that ‘human.’
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
With every thunderous boom.
- KieeeEEEEEEK!
The blood-red glare in Apophis’s eyes, symbol of terror, began to dim.
The snake’s eyes, once gleaming with murderous intent, started to round out into a look of goodness.
- Kie? Kieeeeng….
‘……Poor thing.’
‘Who’d have thought that snake could look pitiful.’
‘We thought it was an insurmountable wall. Who knew even that beast could make a face like that?’
The members stared at Apophis with serious expressions.
The fear had clearly vanished from their eyes.
Instead, relief and a sense of pride had taken root.
Like, I belong to a group led by someone this great?
‘Nice.’
I glanced over with a smile.
The old man was right.
What they needed now was confidence.
“Come on, stop just watching and join the fight.”
As expected.
No one teaches others like the old man.
“Ooooo!”
“Charge!”
“You snake bastard! You hit me earlier? You’re dead—snake stew tonight!”
“Kuhahahahaha!”
I nodded as the members rushed forward in a herd.
At the same time.
Fwoosh.
I switched my weapon from spear to throwing stars.
I wouldn’t stick to just spears, swords, or gauntlets anymore.
Pssshhhh….
While controlling the poison around us, I’d support the members with other techniques.
“Heh heh, good. Very good.”
The old man smiled contentedly from behind.
“You’ve built the foundation of Myriad Arts. Now it’s time to grind proficiency. Excellent choice.”
Right.
While training the members.
I planned to build my own proficiency in Myriad Arts.
The deadline was the month until I met Hasera.
By then, I’d review and run through Myriad Arts once.
“Kuhahaha! Die!”
“Drop dead! Drop dead! Drop dead! Drop dead!”
“Hraaaaaap!”
I’d train them.
To the point where they could take down Apophis without me.
In other words, ‘systematize’ it.
Then, if I left just Arin here?
While I awakened Bone-yi-il, wouldn’t Star Heaven have grown by leaps and bounds?
I could guarantee it.
They’d grow faster than any other group.
Yeah, everyone.
Let’s all die together once!
* * *
“Goddaaamn!”
A curse burst from Floa’s lips amid her ragged breaths.
“Hahk, hughk!”
Before her, the members—drenched in sweat—were battling the terror snake, Apophis.
Kwaaang! Kwang!
Countless skills lit up the sky.
- KieeeEEEEK!
Apophis fought back fiercely, thrashing and screeching.
‘Mm.’
Floa let out a groan.
How many times had that Apophis blotting out the sky appeared now?
The thirteenth?
She hadn’t even counted.
To be precise, her mind wasn’t clear enough to count.
‘The owner’s subordinate, Eloise Arin….’
How fast was her stamina recovery?
By the time one Apophis died, she’d summon a new one right away.
Truly infinite Apophis hunting.
“Hahk, hek hek!”
Her heart pounded like it would burst from the repetitive motions.
She couldn’t even catch her breath properly without real rest.
Probably.
This ‘trial’ had been going on for over a week now.
Incredibly, they hadn’t slept a wink the whole time.
No sleep, no rest periods.
“W-when do we eat?”
Someone shouted.
“Huh? You think the monster up front is gonna wait for us to eat?”
Arin smiled sweetly in reply.
“You handle it yourselves, obviously.”
Rest, sleep, meals, even bathroom breaks.
They had to manage it all in teams on their own.
Sure, some might have complaints.
‘Even the guild master swung a hammer nonstop for weeks without sleep… Complaining about one week without sleep feels kinda weak.’
‘Endure it… Hang in there. Alone, we’d have collapsed ages ago, but we’re together.’
‘Plus, the guild master… He’s fighting nonstop too.’
With their boss leading by example, it was too awkward to even bring it up.
About three days in, was it?
The guild master started pulling back his subordinates one by one.
Sun Spear vanished first.
Then Eldrin disappeared around the time they took down another.
A drop in firepower.
‘Weird, right?’
Floa’s eyes narrowed.
Normally, losing strength should make things harder.
But if anything, the snakes felt easier to kill.
‘More stable, maybe?’
The method was the same as always.
But the sharpness and stability had changed.
‘Feels stronger too.’
She could feel the power in the crackling electricity.
The energy flowing from her body felt different from before.
And she wasn’t alone.
The other members exuded a different aura too.
It was a good thing.
Going through this insane trial, they were undoubtedly getting stronger.
They had no choice but to.
Every Apophis they killed was like taking down a constellation-grade monster.
Massive experience gains.
“Hek, heeeek!”
Her body ached like death, but her mind was sharp as if on stimulants.
Rapid growth.
The very situation they’d craved all this time!
The moment they’d longed for!
“Hraaaat!”
“Kiyaaap!”
The members actually loved it.
They might gripe out loud, but their hearts pounded with excitement they couldn’t contain.
A path had opened for them.
Like emerging from a foggy forest, they could see the direction ahead.
‘We’re getting stronger. Definitely.’
‘Can’t give up here.’
‘We’re breaking our limits.’
The members’ eyes burned with bravery.
Seeing their real-time growth fueled their drive even more.
“Great!”
A pleased shout rang out from the guild master.
“From now on, I’m unsummoning all subordinates!”
Clatter, clatter!
The remaining skeletons crumbled into bones and fell.
And so.
Star Heaven’s members were changing.
Slowly.
No, at a rapid pace.
They were elite-ifying to the point where no newbies could set foot.
* * *
“Hmm.”
World Association, Chairman’s Office.
Dark Moon Goddess Aira let out a groan as she watched the news.
- This is the World Association’s announcement! Let’s check the details!
Yesterday.
She had publicly revealed Star Heaven’s information to the world.
She broadcast the exact contents of the messenger bird’s message to everyone.
The statement was long, of course.
But summarized, it was this.
- The Earth’s end may come within the next year.
- Star Heaven, Demon King’s Army, Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Magic Tower, World Association.
- These five groups must lead the preparations.
- Guaranteed by the Skeleton Emperor.
The world went crazy.
└ Wtf;; For real?
└ The end? Lol;;
└ Real? Apocalypse? Suddenly? Why? Details? What’s causing it? ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ
└ Agro?
└ Nah, official World Association statement.
└ Skeleton Emperor said it himself;; Can’t ignore this.
Joo Dong-hoon was already one of the world’s most influential figures.
You could dismiss doomsday cults, prophets, or seers.
But not Joo Dong-hoon.
That was a hyper ranker’s position in this era.
└ S-so what do we do?
└ Contacted a company, building an underground bunker now. Hurry up, prices doubled already.
└ Wtf, the mart in my neighborhood… Instant noodles sold out? ㄷㄷ
└ No way, fr?
Reactions were immediate.
Prices skyrocketed, stocks plummeted.
Emergency supplies started vanishing.
Bunkers popped up everywhere underground.
What Delaila had worried about.
Exactly this global chaos.
People rushing for cash caused bank runs, banks started failing.
With folks skipping work after hearing ‘apocalypse,’ the economy ground to a halt.
Changes hit the hunter world too.
Some mid-tier groups began disbanding.
The rankers leaving them knocked on the doors of Aira’s announced five groups.
Some even applied to the World Association.
Hunters usually avoided public orgs like the Association.
Private companies paid way better.
But this was psychological.
Anxiety in the chaos.
If those five really led, being outside meant getting left behind.
“Hmm.”
Aira groaned again.
“Still.”
This was better.
If it was inevitable.
Better to get the preventive shot early.
Than face an apocalyptic crisis unprepared later… This was preferable.
And so.
As Star Heaven changed.
The world was changing too.