Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: The Flaw in Their Magic
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Chapter 133
Boom-
"Argh, seriously!"
How could something like this even happen?
If there really was a god, they owed him a serious explanation for what he was going through right now!
But whether there was or not, Jeong-hyeon had no choice but to desperately dodge the barrage of mantis foreleg strikes raining down like bombs.
No, it wasn't like bombs—it was actual bombing.
Every time those forelegs slammed into the ground with overwhelming mass and speed, explosions erupted. What else could you call it?
'Should I rethink the plan?'
He'd pinned his faint hopes on Harad maybe being some kind of gimmick, but that seemed wrong now.
On top of that, these crazy bastards used magic but didn't even trigger a single random quest.
At this point, the Onyx Golem almost seemed like a fairy by comparison.
Boom-
The moment Jeong-hyeon rolled his body to dodge a foreleg aimed straight at his head.
This time, lightning shot toward him in the gap as he tried to get up.
'Argh, dealing with two at once is no joke.'
He could dodge it if he tried, but the red one watching probably wouldn't let him.
Jeong-hyeon poured earth-attribute magic into his gear made from his own body and Demi Drake hide, then slammed his mace into the ground.
He planned to tank this spell with his body as best he could.
Crackle-
"Urk-"
A groan escaped Jeong-hyeon's lips.
Even using earth attribute as a counter to lightning, and the Onyx material as a lightning rod with its high magic conductivity, the damage wasn't negligible.
But put another way,
'It's better than I thought?'
Surprisingly, it was manageable.
Given their size and the amplification from Harad, he'd expected to need Deok-jin's healing even after precautions.
Yet this level was easily handled by the basic low-tier healing Jeong-hyeon always had active.
Boom!
As if it never imagined its prey tanking the spell, the red one pressed its attack without pause.
Even as Jeong-hyeon dodged with his numb body, his mind raced.
'This might be the key.'
Just as complacency was the most dangerous thing in the hunter world, so was panicking prematurely and shrinking back.
There's a saying: even if a tiger bites you, stay sharp and you'll survive.
Don't freak out over the boss monsters using magic—think it through calmly.
Thank goodness for Thought Acceleration; without it, he'd just be dodging until exhaustion set in and he died.
'Trait Shop is the best!'
Around then, he noticed the flames around the red one's foreleg flickering away.
Even as a boss monster, it apparently couldn't sustain magic for long.
Makes sense—that would be way too overpowered.
Anyway, Jeong-hyeon focused more on how the red one's movements slowed significantly after the flames vanished.
A subtle difference, but massive.
Facing it head-on, he felt it keenly.
'The burnout comes quicker than expected...'
Had it even been a full minute since it started using magic?
Sure, its insane speed let it land over a dozen hits in that time, but it ended far sooner than he'd predicted.
Come to think of it, the yellow one had big spells but didn't support often either.
Not many explanations fit.
First possibility: they're simply not skilled or smart enough with magic.
'And the second... it's a bit ridiculous, but...'
Even Jeong-hyeon saw it as a hypothesis atop many assumptions.
Boss monsters were part of the system, after all.
What if a monster that normally couldn't use magic gained it via a trait?
And what if, despite their boss-level majesty, their magic traits were low-rank or low-level?
In short, those flashy appearances might hide F-rank Fire Magic or Lightning Magic traits.
Looking back, their spells were too straightforward.
Just wrapping forelegs in flames or shooting lightning.
"Kim Jeong-geun!"
"Y-Yes!"
Jeong-hyeon called out to Jeong-geun.
Jeong-geun, who'd been watching the acrobatic dodges with bated breath, jumped in surprise and replied.
He looked pumped up.
Boom-
Jeong-hyeon leaped back to dodge the foreleg and asked,
"These guys seem pretty bad at magic, don't you think?"
"Pardon?"
He couldn't see the face without turning, but the bewilderment was obvious.
What kind of nonsense is that?
"Take a good look! Is that even real magic they're using!?"
No reply came.
Either deep in thought, or...
'Waiting for the next spell.'
Perfect timing—the yellow one fired lightning.
'What are you, an electric rat?'
Less power than expected, but obviously better to dodge than tank.
Its wide range forced Jeong-hyeon to sprint at full speed to evade.
Zzzzt-
In the end, the harmless ground took the seismic lightning spell instead of him.
"Ah!"
Deok-jin let out an exclamation.
"That's not magic!"
Hearing the follow-up, Jeong-hyeon grinned triumphantly.
'So, all bark and no bite?'
It was magic, but not true magic in the proper sense.
What did that mean?
To the untrained eye, it was just flashy spells, but skilled magic hunters underwent massive research and study.
Mana Bolt, Fire Strike, Air Bomb—these were the results.
How to use mana most efficiently for maximum effect.
Simply using mana could produce attributes, but without control, it was just magical fire or electricity.
Like what these two Grand Mantises were doing.
Harad's amplification was unknown, but it seemed limited to scaling spells to their body size.
'Yeah, what kind of magic could match that size anyway?'
10-meter-long behemoths.
The red one's foreleg alone was 3 meters; imbuing that volume with fire magic would exhaust a decent Magic Imbuement hunter in seconds.
Magic Imbuement traits usually handled four elements, but these didn't seem versatile.
So, they were just brute-forcing with raw Fire Magic traits.
Jeong-hyeon smirked, having found the clue to victory.
'Time to show them human magic.'
Monsters were just monsters, after all.
They'd never match humans.
His first shout was:
"Time-out!"
"......?"
The party, tense and awaiting orders, now looked baffled at Jeong-hyeon's sudden confidence.
Even the two Grand Mantises seemed to pause at his change.
But Jeong-hyeon ignored them and dashed to the cave entrance where the party waited.
Even the Diamond Mountains are best enjoyed with a break, right?
***
The time-out was brief.
He gave quick instructions and charged back out.
But this time, not alone—the whole party followed.
"Remember what I told you, everyone!"
"Got it!"
Plans were just plans, of course.
They'd follow, but no one expected it to go perfectly.
The one certainty: no other options right now.
"Kieee!"
"Kiiit! Kiiit!"
Meanwhile, the Grand Mantises facing them looked utterly pissed.
They'd expected an easy hunt and fresh meal, like always.
But these puny things dodged and scurried, annoying as hell.
And now the group loitered at the entrance, not entering the cavern.
The group was here?
Then where was that guy who'd enraged them earlier?
"Right here, mantis."
Unlike the red one flapping its wings in fury, the yellow one scanning for Jeong-hyeon startled at the voice from right below.
How'd it get so close without notice?
Screee-
As the Grand Mantis looked down, Jeong-hyeon hurled the dagger in his hand with full force.
"Kiiit!-"
Crackle-
The panicked mantis unleashed lightning at the dagger flying straight for its eyes.
Rushed as it was, not as strong or big as before.
But by Grand Mantis standards.
For that tiny human, plenty damaging.
Whatever trick saved him earlier, no prep this time.
But Jeong-hyeon laughed at the lightning.
"Knew it, you bastard."
The plan was similar to handling the two regular mantises.
Party tackles red; he solos yellow.
Wide-range lightning risked the whole party otherwise.
So as the party rushed red, Jeong-hyeon sprinted past to yellow's face.
Then hurled Black the moment it spotted him.
Too late to block with foreleg, so magic reflex.
Spot on.
Blue water shimmer enveloped Black flying at the Grand Mantis.
"You know science?"
Well, science and attribute match.
Lightning was countered by earth, not water.
But only for propelled spells approaching you.
Like blocking an incoming Lightning Bolt with water—it'd just amplify.
But raw electricity with just physical direction?
Water-infused Black sped on, hitting the Grand Mantis's streaming lightning.
Unstructured energy gathered like iron filings to a magnet—onto Black.
In short, the lightning condensed on Black and reversed course.
Thwack-
Black burrowed into the Grand Mantis's eye.
Crackle-
"Kiiiit!"
It screamed in agony.
"How's that, electric mantis? Sting a little?"