Over the Mountain of Mountains
Huang Tae-san, who had entered Oryukdo Gate, believed that simply killing Kalid would end the entire situation.
Huang Tae-san immediately shot straight up into the sky.
His entire body sparkled with golden light.
And then,
“Die.”
Kwaaang! Kwaaang!
“What the hell is this?!”
“Golden Hammer Smash!”
Puff!
Huang Tae-san slammed his ultimate skill straight down onto Kalid’s head.
“Kyuoooo!!”
Kalid, who had been stuck in a coma from the plague, woke up screaming. Startled, Ahn Seong-jin summoned the top-tier earth elemental spirit Gayaark.
A massive golem made of rock and crystal blocked Kalid like a shield.
“Oh Glory, you’re badly hurt, Kalid.”
The healing spirit Seraphia gently stroked Kalid’s head. A huge lump grew out like a horn.
Ahn Seong-jin roared.
“What the hell is this?!”
“What do you mean? It’s all because of this quest! What are you doing? Healing monsters? Get out of the way!”
This time, the body of the flame spirit Shinyu, who had received Huang Tae-san’s shout as an attack signal, was engulfed in blue flames, and he unleashed a powerful flame wave toward Kalid.
“You crazy bastards! Stop!”
Ahn Seong-jin shouted, but
“Monsters are just monsters. Senior.”
Shinyu’s “Blue Flame Annihilation Wave” slammed fiercely into the neck of Kalid. But
Kwaaang!
“Namu Amida Butsu.”
This time, the Buddhist monk Yun In-pyo caught it.
Yun In-pyo was engulfed in blue flames, but with a calm expression he clasped his hands in prayer and turned it into nothingness.
“That damned bastard.”
“Color is space, space is extinction. Your anger will also eventually scatter into the void. The fire that harms living beings is soon your own karma.”
“Stop spewing nonsense and get out of the way.”
“I’ve got a headache.”
Clang—
A massive golden droplet-shaped “Yellow Spirit Annihilation Rod” appeared in the hands of the Buddhist monk Yun In-pyo, and in response the flame spirit also pulled out a huge spear imbued with blue flames, “Green Flame Ghost Blade,” from the void.
The two faced each other.
“What should I do… what should I do? Who’s on our side…”
Maria, floating on her staff in the air, was unable to stay still. She didn’t even properly understand how the situation was going.
“Krooooo!!”
At that moment, Kalid, who had received a powerful blow from Huang Tae-san, raised his massive body and slammed his tail down on the ground, causing widespread cracks.
Pukwaaang!
The ground split open with a loud crack, and sharp stone pillars shot up from the gaps. This tremendous strike was aimed at everyone. Right now, everyone was an enemy to Kalid.
Kwaaah!!
A strange roar erupted from the familiar Kalid.
Huang Tae-san and Ahn Seong-jin who were facing off.
And the Buddhist monk and the flame spirit dodged Kalid’s attack and landed on the sharp stone pillars that had risen one each.
“Incredible power… Look! Even if we join forces to take down Kalid, the odds are slim. Instead, you’re siding with the monster, Ahn Seong-jin, and that damned bastard. Have you gone mad?”
Huang Tae-san was enraged.
“There’s no mention anywhere in the quest description that we have to kill Kalid! If we hastily eliminate Kalid, everything could become irreversible!”
“All life is full of emotions, do not blame fear and pain for their own sake.”
Ahn Seong-jin and Yun In-pyo each said something. Meanwhile, Kalid’s long neck and tail slipped inside his armor.
Soon, sharp spikes began to sprout one by one on his hard shell, and
“Here they come!”
“Kruururu!!”
Kalid let out a deafening roar and spun his body at tremendous speed.
At the same time, the spikes on his shell began to fire in all directions.
Perfect offense and defense. The spikes that shot out like bullets began indiscriminate bombardment of the entire sky and earth, and every time one hit something, a powerful shockwave erupted.
“Damn it. Ahn Seong-jin, you damned troll. In the end!”
“Huang Tae-san! Isn’t this your fault!”
“Shut the fuck up.”
The past comrades Huang Tae-san and Ahn Seong-jin growled at each other.
They had no time to dodge the scattering spikes or block them.
The same was true for Maria floating in the air and Park Sang-yoon, who was watching the situation.
“I knew this would happen. The party that got filtered because I trusted it.”
* * *
Oryukdo Gate turned into a wasteland from Kalid’s indiscriminate spike bombardment. The attack range was an incredible 500 meters, and within that radius were Hyeon-do, who had lost consciousness, and some Oryukdo shopkeepers.
A single spike over two meters long shot toward Hyeon-do. Just before it hit him,
“Thwack!”
“Haa… I paid the debt I owe my father with this.”
Kim Tae-su blocked it with a thunder shield at the right moment. After that, the spikes kept raining down on the thunder shield several times.
▶ [Charge]: 50% damage charged from shield received (Current charge rate: 10%)
20%
30%
…
“It’s rapid charging.”
“I’m not falling for your nonsense!”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Uugak, yame te!”
Cho Chiyong, covered in spikes and bleeding profusely.
He didn’t seem to be exaggerating, but
Kim Tae-su paid him no mind.
The advantage of Cho Chiyong was absurd stamina regeneration. No one could match his tankiness.
Kim Tae-su’s nerves were focused on Hyeon-do.
“Hey, snap out of it. Where the hell is Doosik?”
Slap. Slap.
Kim Tae-su slapped Hyeon-do’s cheek, and Hyeon-do opened his eyes.
“Ah… Dad?”
The first word being “Dad” made Kim Tae-su momentarily dumbfounded, but he let it slide and kept asking about Doosik’s whereabouts.
“Snap out of it. Where’s Doosik?”
“Father… I am like a father too…”
“What nonsense! Wake up! You’ll die like this!”
Kim Tae-su slapped Hyeon-do’s cheek again. Hyeon-do’s cheeks began to puff up.
“Hye… brother… stop… cok.”
“Where’s Doosik!”
“Butterfly… butterfly…”
“What butterfly! Explain so I can understand! Hic.”
Kim Tae-su, whose plague had flared up again, released the status ailment with Electric Phase. In the flash, Hyeon-do regained some composure.
“Doosik-hyung… went into Kalid’s nose…”
That was the last thing Hyeon-do saw of Doosik.
“Directly?”
“Yeah…”
“He went in directly? Doosik? So there’s Doosik inside this currently raging Kalid?”
Hyeon-do began to feel the gravity of the situation.
“Hic… Doosik-hyung! Cok!”
This was serious.
Hyeon-do raised his aching body. The situation was pure chaos.
Incredible hunters were fighting each other, and in the middle of it all Kalid was going berserk.
Kalid, who had always been docile…
This was the first time he had seen him like this.
Doosik was inside that thing.
“Ha, that damned lunatic without a care in the world… I’m going crazy… Hey, pig. Get these guys to a safe place. Hic. Ah, damn plague.”
“What are you trying to do, you old bastard? Cok.”
Blood gushed from Cho Chiyong’s mouth, which had become a wreck.
“You just get out here too. This isn’t a place for useless people.”
“I am useless, old man!”
“Brother… I’ll go with you too…”
Kim Tae-su felt irritation rise.
“Hey, shut your mouth and listen up, you damn kids. Get out already! If you have the strength, go take care of the patients gathered in front of the gate!”
Shaken, Cho Chiyong carried Hyeon-do on his back.
“If I die, I won’t leave you alone, Hyung…”
“Brother… I will…”
“Shut up and get out, you damn kids.”
At the same time,
“Submerge Impact.”
“Aaaah!”
“Hyono!”
The impatient Kim Tae-su pushed Cho Chiyong and Hyeon-do away with a powerful electric wave,
Electric Phase.
Invulnerability activated.
And immediately,
“Brain God’s Descent.”
Kukung- Kugugung!
Pa-jik.
Thunderbolts erupted around, and he cast his fishing rod toward the berserk Kalid.
“Just wait a little. Skeleton lunatic.”
A streak of light in the chaos was sucked into Kalid’s nose.
* * *
“Uwaaaah!!”
After the roar, Kalid’s body suddenly began to spin fiercely. Regardless of the reason, the swirling force pulled him into the spiral of the world, making it dizzy, and it was accompanied by the roar. In a situation where surrendering the catalyst of the plague’s plague would end everything…
“Please, just… let it be easy…”
This was some kind of extortion again. He was being swept up in the vortex of oozing pus, making it hard to regain consciousness.
Meanwhile,
“Kkuk… khahah.”
“Shut up, you rat.”
“The end is coming.”
Moruba, dwelling in the plague’s catalyst, let out an unpleasant laugh.
‘I’ll definitely get rid of that rat.’
It had to be done. After a long time, just as Kalid’s spin ended and it quieted,
“Hansik. Find a way!”
For synthesis, he had to go to Breath of Steel. The synthesis panel was there. Then he had to escape immediately from inside Kalid’s body…
“I will pierce holes in the lungs.”
Then wouldn’t Kalid die?
It was worrying, but right now nothing else came to mind.
Following Hansik’s instructions, the skeleton soldiers began attacking Kalid’s lungs all at once.
“Sorry. Honeycomb. This is the only way…”
I also stabbed at the lung walls with the plague’s catalyst. Blood flowed from Kalid’s lungs. But at the same time, it was being sucked out at tremendous speed. Now I see,
Lick, lick.
“Hodu!”
▶ [Pet Dog]: Healing 5% HP per second if licking the wound area.
Hodu is a troll.
“Hodu, stop!”
“Kiing…”
Hodu made a regretful voice.
But at that moment,
“Squelch—”
The lungs suddenly contracted rapidly, and
“Eh? Eh!!”
Due to the narrowing of the lungs from contraction, the depth of the pus increased, and even all the nearby skeleton soldiers were swept away by the torrent.
‘I’m screwed.’
I held my breath. Judging by the felt buoyancy, this…
‘This is…’
Kalid coughed. Phlegm flowed back into the trachea.
“Keh eluk!”
More than 200 skeleton soldiers were poking the lungs, making Kalid’s chest itch, so he coughed.
Then again, the pus came out like a tidal wave.
[Skeleton soldier defeated… Transferred to nearby skeleton soldiers]
[Skeleton soldier defeated… Transferred to nearby skeleton soldiers]
…
I endured by stabbing the plague’s catalyst into Kalid’s throat. A few skeleton soldiers were clinging to the throat.
“This is it. A few more coughs… maybe it’ll work. Keep going!”
A few skeleton soldiers remained at the throat, but others were swept back into the lungs and fell. Following my command, the skeleton soldiers poked the lungs again.
The lungs relaxed again, then contracted rapidly. Here it comes. Cough. I widened my eyes and held on,
“Keh eluk!”
[Skeleton soldier defeated… Transferred to nearby skeleton soldiers]
[Skeleton soldier defeated… Transferred to nearby skeleton soldiers]
…
Second cough. I let myself be carried away by the phlegm flowing back.
Feeling the buoyancy…
‘As high as possible… I have to get up to the sinus somehow.’
I succeeded in stabbing the plague’s catalyst into somewhere on Kalid’s throat again, but
Slippery. Again!
“Ah, no.”
Because of the pus, my hand holding the plague’s catalyst slipped.
I couldn’t lose it, so I recalled the plague’s catalyst into the Dragon’s Lair inventory. Damn it. The lungs relaxed and the pus came out quickly again, and I fell back into the lungs without resistance. But then,
Flash. Spark in the dark space. Filament-like light inside a lightbulb.
‘Tess-hyung?’
I widened my eyes. That was definitely Tess-hyung’s fishing line.
“Tess-hyung!!”
I shouted toward him, squeezing.
The voice reached him, and the fishing line slithered down, digging into the throat.
“Grab it!”
Tess-hyung’s voice echoed.
“Grab it!!”
On my call, all the skeleton soldiers grabbed it like a rope. I wrapped the fishing line around my hand,
“Hyung! Now!”
Swaaarr!
The fishing line was pulled quickly with my voice. So I went against the flow of the throat,
Clunk. Warurur.
Me and a few skeleton soldiers quickly reached Kalid’s sinus.
“It’s a monster catch.”
“Ke ke. Tess-hyung!”
The nose was full of Kalid’s pus, but I happily hugged Tess-hyung.
“Hyung!”
How could I be this happy?
“Cok, you bastard. Where the hell do you think this place is? You came in alone! You damned lunatic. Were you going crazy to die?!”
His voice, mixed with worry and scolding, was too happy.
“Hyung, it’s almost over. We have to get out now. Outside. This quest! I can finish it.”
In my solemn voice, Tess-hyung gave a slightly serious reply.
“Is it true?”
“Yes. Right now. We have to go to Breath of Steel.”
If it was the sinus, we had arrived. Now all we had to do was get outside. This damned end-level quest. Let’s finish it.
But feeling the sinus full of foreign substances, Kalid,
“Khhung, khing.”
Kalid sniffed a few times, and this time the sinus began to stir.
“Ah please, stop…”
But Tess-hyung’s fishing line wrapped around me and the skeletons, and he inserted the fishing hook into Kalid’s sinus.
“Hyung! What are you doing?!”
“You said you could finish it, right? Cok.”
Tess-hyung’s complexion wasn’t good.
“Believe in the skeleton lunatic. Cok…”
“Hyung! What are you trying to do?!”
Suddenly Tess-hyung’s complexion paled.
He was right. Tess-hyung was also infected with the plague.
“Be careful, crazy bastards are fighting outside. Cok.”
“Hyung! Don’t go! No!”
“Go. You little brat.”
“Tess-hyung! Kuh.”
The sinus contracted tightly as if squeezed. The pressure of Kalid’s esophagus sucking in was so great that my eardrums felt like they would burst, but I couldn’t make a sound. At the same time, snot-like push came in.
[Skeleton soldier defeated… Transferred to nearby skeleton soldiers]
[Skeleton soldier defeated… Transferred to nearby skeleton soldiers]
……
All I could do was hold on to Tess-hyung’s fishing line. After enduring the terrifying pressure to the end, what I saw in front of me was only the fishing hook firmly stuck in the sinus and the broken fishing line tied around me and the skeleton soldiers.
“Tess-hyung!”
He was gone. He must have been swept away into the esophagus…
“Damn. Summon!”
I summoned as many skeletons as I could. It was tough right now, but for now there were many. A new skill I had never used before.
“Warhorse Summon.”
Twenty-five skeleton soldiers disappeared. They turned into five skeletal warhorses. I had no time to admire their magnificent appearance.
I mounted one warhorse,
[‘Skeleton Knight’ effect applies.]
[Movement speed +250%]
[All stats doubled.]
“Hansik, Geunsik, Minsik, Cheolsik, follow me. Changsik, lead the rest and get Tess-hyung out right now.”
Step.
On my command, all the skeleton soldiers, including Changsik, threw their bodies into the esophagus at once,
“Heir!”
I, on the contrary, lay flat on the warhorse, exiting the sinus with the skeleton knights.