Chapter 106
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Park Si-woo (3)
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An illusion of a sword grazed past the Yeongno's face.
Its massive body was flung back with a loud crash.
"Uh, hmm. That's not it."
I lowered my sword and scratched my head.
I knew I lacked power, but this felt like a problem beyond mere strength.
"Han-gyeol, what did you just do?"
"Hey, you! You're not a Transcendent, are you? Don't act all innocent and then pull something like this!"
I scowled at Choi Jae-hyung's pointing finger.
This was clearly a failed skill.
So what's all this about a Transcendent skill?
"Are you blind? How does this look like a Transcendent skill? Have you ever seen one this weak?"
"If you say that, what does that make our vice-leader who's listening?"
"Ahem. I was controlling my power."
Jin Sang-hyuk, who was behind me, cleared his throat.
I wasn't talking to him, so why was he blushing all by himself?
I waved my free hand through the air.
"Anyway, this was a failure. A failed skill."
"You're saying that was a failed skill?"
Choi Jae-hyung's eyes widened in disbelief.
He didn't seem to believe me, but it was the truth.
If he'd seen *that* back then, even Choi Jae-hyung wouldn't be able to call this a success.
'Damn it.'
It felt like I'd been handed a massive, unexpected homework assignment.
At this point, I even had the reasonable suspicion that *he* had intentionally used that sword in that situation.
—Stop with the useless antics and fall back.
Park Si-woo's order came through on channel 2.
As if on cue, the Hunters retreated to avoid the massive tail descending from above.
—Phase 2. Prepare for battle.
The dark clouds cleared, and this time, a fog began to appear around the Yeongno.
The Yeongno, which had been knocked back, slowly rose to its feet.
*Crackle.*
It was the sound of the wounds all over its body knitting back together.
The Yeongno was a creature that had failed to become a dragon.
Even though it had failed, it was still a mythical beast.
As the wounds all over its body healed, the scales on its skin fell to the ground.
The Yeongno's skin, now devoid of scales, was white.
How should I describe its appearance?
—It looks like a giant snake.
Right, that's it!
Park Si-woo's voice echoed in my head.
It seemed Kim Kang-woo had clearly made a mistake with the broadcast.
When giving orders, Park Si-woo sounded like a robot with a human voice, but hearing him mumble like this made me realize he was human after all.
—Reforming squads.
There were a few injuries, but so far, things had gone smoothly.
Unlike the first phase, where we'd skillfully struck and retreated on Park Si-woo's orders, Phase 2 required a more systematic approach.
The team would have gathered enough information by now.
Park Si-woo contacted me privately.
Since it wasn't on channel 1, I figured it was something like a whisper.
—What was that just now?
—Just a skill. A failed one, though. Why?
—Can you use it again? It doesn't have to have the same power.
—Hmm, let me hear you out first.
For Park Si-woo to say that meant he was up to something.
I listened to Park Si-woo's plan.
So that's the plan?
—Don't we have other options?
—If you have another way, do it yourself. As long as you get results, it's fine.
—In that case, leave it to me.
I replied, glancing at Yoo Se-yeon and Seo Ji-hoon, who were preparing for Phase 2.
I ended the one-on-one call with Park Si-woo.
The Yeongno emerged from the thick fog.
"...Whoa."
The Yeongno opened its mouth towards a respawned serpent and a Hunter.
A serpent over ten meters long disappeared into the Yeongno's stomach in an instant.
When the saliva pooling in its mouth dripped, it melted the rock below.
"If you went in there, you wouldn't even leave bones behind."
"I agree."
"Hey, why are you still here?"
Choi Jae-hyung was officially a Hunter from the Raon Guild.
No matter how bad his relationship with his guildmates was, there should be a limit.
"Your leader told me to stick by you. Why don't you listen to orders?"
"Cho-ah said the same thing. Why does everyone keep telling people to stick by me?"
"Among Leader Park's people, who else is as unpredictable as you?"
"Oh, really? Anyone would think you're on Park Si-woo's team too."
"It's an order from the raid commander."
Choi Jae-hyung shrugged and looked around.
Indeed, the squads Park Si-woo had formed had nothing to do with guilds.
—Beginning the assault.
Yoo Se-yeon and the support Hunters reapplied their buffs.
A wind began to blow, centered on Yoo Se-yeon.
The fog in the central area cleared away neatly.
The Yeongno's gaze focused on the cleared area.
Most of the Hunters, including the tankers, were gathered in one spot.
The Yeongno opened its mouth towards the spot where the Hunters were gathered.
The clustered Hunters braced for the Yeongno's attack.
Choi Jae-hyung and I drew our swords and created some distance.
The roar that erupted from the Yeongno's mouth targeted the Hunters acting as bait.
"Kugh...!"
"Block it! You damn snake-headed bastard!"
The Hunters acting as bait weren't what you would call the elite.
Even with Jin Sang-hyuk there, he was exhausted from using his Transcendent skill.
Park Si-woo had intentionally formed the squads to be just barely sufficient.
The gathered tankers struggled to block the Yeongno's roar.
'This looks dangerous.'
Some of the Hunters who had held back were looking down with concerned gazes.
Just then, a Hunter at the very edge stepped forward.
He didn't seem to be from the Raon Guild or the Aria Guild, just a Hunter from a regular guild, and he joined the defensive formation.
On the surface, it looked like he was jumping in because of the critical situation, but to my eyes, the scene felt incredibly out of place.
'I've never seen that Hunter before. Is it just my imagination?'
With that Hunter's help, the bait team succeeded in blocking the Yeongno's roar.
"Kang Han-gyeol, what are you doing?"
"It's nothing. Nothing at all."
It must be my imagination.
At Park Si-woo's signal, the Hunters who had been holding back charged towards the Yeongno all at once.
In Phase 2, the Yeongno's defense was lower than in Phase 1 when it was covered in scales.
However, unlike in Phase 1 where it had been careless, it was now extremely sensitive, and its attack power was much higher.
Hunters in teams of two climbed onto the Yeongno's body.
A magic circle appeared around me as I ran.
Choi Jae-hyung yanked me back by the scruff of my neck and raised his shield.
"Use your words! Your words!"
"This is faster."
Choi Jae-hyung angled his shield to deflect a lightning bolt. As he lowered it, he used his Platinum Sword to slice through the Yeongno's skin.
The wildly moving blade sliced through the Yeongno's skin.
Was it because there were no scales? It definitely felt like I was cutting through flesh.
This was much better than hitting something hard.
*Shhhheeeeek.*
I twisted my body and parried whatever was flying at me.
"Ice?"
An elongated spear of ice was split in two by my Sky Sword and fell to the ground.
"Think you can block all of these?"
"An all-around attack would be tough."
Dozens of spears hovered above Choi Jae-hyung and me.
A chill rose with every breath I took.
"What kind of tanker is no help at all!"
My sluggish feet froze to the Yeongno's skin, sticking fast to the surface.
The ice spears flew at us all at once.
I moved my sword smoothly, using the Dance of Falling Blossoms.
I tapped the dazed Choi Jae-hyung on the shoulder.
"Hey! Get up here, quick!"
"Ah, I got it. Ugh, it's cold."
Choi Jae-hyung leaped up towards me.
The Yeongno was flustered by the Hunters who had climbed up to its head.
Choi Jae-hyung's sword flashed, slicing through a large chunk of ice flying towards me.
This guy... we actually worked pretty well together.
Thanks to him taking care of the ice, I could swing my sword without worry.
The Sky Sword glowed blue as a straight-line sword strike flew forward and pierced the Yeongno's eye.
*Kuaaaaaaak!*
Dripping black blood, the beast screamed and thrashed its body.
"Nice!"
—Don't get carried away, Kang Han-gyeol.
Park Si-woo's voice immediately sounded in my ear.
He heard that too?
Seriously, he's like a ghost.
"Hey."
"Ugh, what now?"
"The fog is gone."
"Huh?"
At Choi Jae-hyung's words, I looked around.
The area below was thick with fog, but the space around the Yeongno's upper body was unbelievably clear.
It was massive, but I didn't think it was big enough to reach the clouds.
"What a view."
"Is that really something to say in this situation?"
"What else am I supposed to say?"
I kept my balance on its swaying body.
"Hmm, I think I know why."
"What? Why?"
I pointed at the area above the Yeongno's head.
An enormous chunk of ice was floating there, incomparable to the fragments we'd cut through on our way up.
What should I call that thing?
"An ice...berg?"
"You mean an iceberg."
"Sorry, my tongue's a little tied."
"Putting that aside, why is there an iceberg floating in the sky!"
"Good point."
Seeing the massive iceberg casting a shadow over us, Choi Jae-hyung grabbed my shoulders and hid behind me.
What, this bastard?
"Hey! You're the tanker! If you can't block that, what can you block!"
"Even our leader couldn't block that!"
"Really?"
"Well... maybe our leader could do it. No, more importantly! That thing you used back in Phase 1. That! Can't you do something with that?"
"Nope. Can't."
I drew the line immediately.
I might be able to cut it if I could produce the same power as before, but there was no guarantee I could use the same skill twice in a situation where my concentration was so shaky.
"Is your sword just for show?"
"It's not like I'm just cutting ice. Saying my sword is for show just because I can't cut an iceberg... that's a bit harsh."
And stop clinging to me!
This bastard was definitely carrying his shield just for show.
Including me and Choi Jae-hyung, there were a total of nine Hunters up here.
The gazes of eight people fell on the one person closest to the iceberg.
"Aaaack!"
As the Yeongno moved, Choi Jae-hyung lost his balance and staggered.
Talkative, cowardly, and on top of that, no sense of balance.
I felt like an idiot for thinking we were in sync for a moment.
The iceberg created by the Yeongno wasn't targeting the Hunters up here, but the ones down below.
If an iceberg like that fell, the Hunters below would definitely die.
We had to deal with it from up here, somehow.
The Yeongno glared with its other, blood-soaked eye.
As the iceberg floating in the sky began to fall, Park Si-woo moved.
Park Si-woo's lightsaber changed from white to red.
When a part of the lightsaber touched the iceberg, a tremendous amount of steam billowed up.
As Park Si-woo swung his sword upward, a red line appeared, and a crack formed in the iceberg.
Park Si-woo did a full turn in mid-air, using the Yeongno's body as a foothold to leap up.
He kicked off so hard that the Yeongno's body was momentarily pushed back.
His sword moved again, and the iceberg that had obscured the sky was satisfyingly sliced into hundreds, thousands of pieces that rained down.
To do this without even using a Transcendent skill... that's Park Si-woo for you! That's my... no, that's not right.
My friend? There's a bit of an age gap for that.
Our Guild Master! You're doing great!
Park Si-woo was climbing higher, stepping on the falling fragments.
The fragments were a bit large, but the guys below were Hunters too, so it shouldn't be a major problem.
I extended a hand to Choi Jae-hyung, who was still struggling to keep his balance.
"You could have offered it sooner!"
"This bastard complains even when I offer a hand. You not taking it?"
"Ah, no."
As I pretended to pull my hand back, Choi Jae-hyung hastily grabbed it.
I grabbed Choi Jae-hyung's hand and grinned.
"Don't I seem a little strong?"
"Go get 'em."
"Uh, huh? Hey you... wait a momeeeeeeent!!"
Planting my feet on the Yeongno's body, I grabbed Choi Jae-hyung's arm and hurled him towards Park Si-woo.
Just as the ice fragments obscuring Park Si-woo cleared, the Yeongno's roar shot through the gap.
Flying precisely in front of Park Si-woo, Choi Jae-hyung raised his shield against the sheet of ice.
"You, just you wait!!"