Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Chaotic E-Rank Gate Subjugation Operation (5)
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“Gate Team! Gate Team! C-Rank lava! C-Rank lava has appeared!”
I looked toward Senior Yu-jeong. The monster called lava, which had been gnawing on the Strong Boar's skull, turned to stare in my direction. Propping itself up on its white, elongated arms, it began slithering toward where Senior Yu-jeong was.
Senior Yu-jeong switched off her radio, adjusted her gauntlets, and flattened herself to the ground, waiting.
The lava lifted its head and scanned the underbrush. I gripped my shield and spear tightly, trying to sneak up behind it. Senior Yu-jeong glanced at me, shook her head vigorously, and gestured for me to fall back.
The lava's pale white body writhed as it pushed deeper into the bushes. Senior Yu-jeong lay in wait. The moment it took another step into the underbrush, she burst out like a startled grasshopper and threw a punch. A powerful burst of heat and an explosion erupted from the back of her gauntlet.
Boom!
“Grraaaargh!”
The gauntlet lodged squarely under the lava's jaw, trembling violently. The lava let out an agonized groan and shook its head. A beat later, a loading sound came from the gauntlet, and the protruding spike snapped forward sharply before detonating.
Boom!
A fierce wave of heat sent Senior Yu-jeong rocketing backward like a missile. At the same instant, the lava's head snapped upward like a boxer taking an uppercut. Crimson blood sprayed into the air.
At the same time, a red flash streaked in from where Ichie had been positioned.
“Grraaaargh!”
The beam of light sliced toward the staggering lava's chest as if to cleave it in two, but it failed to pierce the creature's flesh. Instead, it scattered, leaving a vivid red bruise. The lava writhed in agony, its jaw still tilted upward.
Senior Yu-jeong shouted,
“Over here!”
A thin trickle of blood ran down her forehead. Stumbling as she regained her footing, she waved us over. I followed her lead and backed away. Ichie was slowly running toward us from a distance away.
“Grraaaargh!”
The lava's ferocious roar echoed. Blood streamed from the spot on its face where the gauntlet had struck. Its long arms thrashed through the bushes, pounding the ground. While checking Senior Yu-jeong over for injuries, I asked,
“You okay?”
Senior Yu-jeong didn't look good. Her face was smeared with blood, and exhaustion was etched into her features. She kept rubbing her shoulder and grimacing. She explained,
“It's a lava monster. It looks soft, but its body is incredibly tough, resilient, and ferocious. For now, we should pull back here. Once it wanders off far enough, our goal is to grab the boss mana stone from the Strong Boar and head back.”
Even after taking a solid gauntlet hit to the jaw, it looked full of vigor. After slamming its arm into the ground once more in a fit of rage, it suddenly turned and crawled off toward the distant plains. Its movements were surprisingly nimble. We crouched motionless in place long after the lava had vanished. Only when its footsteps faded completely did we cautiously peek out from the bushes to confirm the area was clear.
“Senior. Shall we start now?”
“Yeah. Let's search it quick. The mana stone should be near the heart...”
We hurried toward the Strong Boar's corpse in short, cautious steps. Knowing the lava could pop up anywhere at any time made every movement tense. I'd heard that starting from C-rank, both hunters and monsters were on a whole different level, but it was hard to grasp just from descriptions.
While I sliced open the Strong Boar's belly, Ichie scanned the surroundings and asked Senior Yu-jeong,
“Lava. Strong?”
The Strong Boar's flesh was as tough as its hide, making it a chore to cut away even with a knife. I stabbed it with my spear to soften the meat, scraping out the innards. A purple glow leaked from between the chunks of flesh. Senior Yu-jeong nodded and said,
“From C-rank monsters onward, a lot of them get that rank not just from raw physical specs, but because of weird special abilities. Those abilities make them tricky for D-ranks to handle. Ichie, did you see that Minotaur at the exhibition this time?”
“The one with the bull head? Yeah.”
“Usually, they need something that tricky to hit C-rank, but the lava earned its rank purely on physical prowess. Insane regeneration, strength, and speed.”
Ichie nodded. I yanked with all my might at the mana stone clinging to the heart like a gallstone. Chunks of flesh stuck to it stubbornly. Seeing me struggle, Senior Yu-jeong came over to help. Ichie naturally took position on the other side and grabbed my arm.
“On three, we'll pull.”
They nodded and gripped tightly at my words.
“One, two, three!”
Squelch!
Flecks of blood sprayed into the air as bits of flesh tore free. Clutching the mana stone—a bit larger than my fist—I tumbled backward onto the ground. Senior Yu-jeong gave a small smile at the sight, while Ichie picked up my spear and shield and handed them to me. As Senior Yu-jeong stowed the mana stone in her backpack, she said,
“Alright, let's move. If we hustle from here, we might reach the gate by afternoon.”
“Got it.”
The bag with the mana stone was surprisingly heavy. We'd beaten the boss and confirmed no immediate threats, so there was no reason to dawdle. Before the gate got any weirder, we had to get this stone out.
A distant rumble shook the earth again. The lava was coming back. We hurriedly ducked into the forest. The lava returned to the Strong Boar, its face still marked with bloodstains but no sign of serious injury. It plunged its head back into the carcass and resumed feasting. A faint red mark from Ichie's earlier attack lingered on its side, and the skin under its jaw was ragged.
The lava seemed to have a sore jaw too, carefully twisting its head to avoid letting blood or fur touch the tender flesh while eating. As long as it was focused on its meal, our best bet was to slip away. Senior Yu-jeong pointed toward the gate we'd come from.
“We just need to get out first.”
Once the boss mana stone exits the gate, it can't sustain itself. In other words, C-rank or B-rank, it didn't matter—we could block it simply by escaping. It felt a bit unsatisfying to end things by sneaking away like this, but we had no choice.
We crept forward, stooped low and careful not to snap twigs or brush fragile bark. Behind us, the sounds of ripping meat continued. After gnawing on tough sinews for a while, the lava turned its gaze to the Strong Boar's skull and crunched it between its massive teeth like a bear trap.
The gruesome, thunderous crunch made me want to cover my ears.
Glancing back, I saw it had already devoured more than half the Strong Boar. We'd only put a little distance between us, but there was no telling where it might head next. I just hoped that monster would go somewhere else soon. My grip tightened on my shield.
Screeeeech!
A piercing noise blared from Senior Yu-jeong's back pocket. The radio. It was picking up some strange signal, emitting a shrill screech. Frozen in awkward crouches, we all turned to stare at her. Senior Yu-jeong's face had gone pale. The lava, mid-bite into the Strong Boar, let out a bellow and whipped toward us.
“Ah, damn it...!”
Before Senior Yu-jeong could finish, the lava twisted and launched itself at us with terrifying speed, like a bomb hurtling forth. Without a word, we scattered in opposite directions to evade its charge. Its massive palm slammed down inches from my foot.
It pounded the earth again for momentum, putting distance between us. Senior Yu-jeong readjusted her gauntlets, waiting for an opening. The lava whipped its head around before locking eyes on us. Meeting those stark white pupils made my breath catch.
“Rraaaargh!”
The lava roared once more and charged straight at me. I raised my shield and gritted my teeth.
Krunch!
Pain hit me a moment later. My body was flung backward, a fierce wind battering my back. My ears rang, my head spun. Soft grass tore free under my feet, scattering into the sky. Dirt piled up past my ankles. I jammed my spear into the ground to halt my slide. My steel shield was crumpled pathetically from a single blow.
“Hyah!”
Ichie swung confidently at the lava. Her blade struck true at a joint but bounced off without piercing the hide. Ichie froze in an awkward stance, staring at the lava in bewilderment.
The lava reached out both arms as if to seize her.
Boom!
Senior Yu-jeong's shout accompanied another explosion. Her gauntlet buried into the lava's side where Ichie had struck. Senior Yu-jeong's face twisted as she hung in midair. I sprinted toward the monster with everything I had.
The wounded beast screamed and spun around. A beat late, the gauntlet detonated, slamming Senior Yu-jeong into the ground. The recoil sent the lava tumbling backward too. Ichie, airborne, landed in a clumsy heap.
The fallen lava tried to right itself using its arms. I thrust my spear at the arm it extended forward. The pure white tip gleamed before an explosion shoved me back.
The lava flinched and retreated a step.
Senior Yu-jeong staggered to her feet. Her legs trembled. Her eyes were half-lidded, her gauntleted hand shaking. She held up one finger to me.
Once.
One more shot left.
We had to end it then. The lava growled, inspecting its body, then abruptly turned and fled into the distance.
Senior Yu-jeong finally collapsed and said,
“It'll be back soon.”
Ichie stared at Senior Yu-jeong. She gave a weary smile and asked,
“You okay? Ichie? Not hurt too bad?”
Ichie's eyes darted uncertainly.
“Don't overdo it. You'll get hurt.”
“Gotta protect you and Su-hyeon. You're both still weak.”
Senior Yu-jeong stuck out her tongue playfully. Ichie fell silent, her expression complicated. She stood back up. Senior Yu-jeong grabbed my shoulder, murmuring, “Excuse me,” as she steadied herself. We gazed into the shadowy forest where the lava had vanished.
Growls echoed intermittently from the dark thicket.
It felt hopeless.