Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Birth of a Hero (3)
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“Kyaaaooo—!”
Skilla was what people commonly called a serpent-type monster.
Its body, a bizarre mix of snake and dragon, stretched well over fifteen meters long, protected head to tail by tough scales reinforced with mana.
Bobble.
Bobble.
Fwiiiish!
Kraaaang—!
Claaaang—!!
Oh.
Surprisingly, the thing took multiple hits from my mini thunderclouds' lightning strikes and kept circling the skies without a scratch.
Were those fancy scales absorbing the bolts and shunting the power away?
Having only seen trash mobs dropping dead in one shot until now, I had to admit it felt a bit novel.
“Kishiiiik──!!”
Skilla twisted its body with a roar, whipping up winds that scattered my thunderclouds across the horizon in seconds.
I fought back by manipulating the air currents, but it pushed hard, and I lost control again.
Hmm.
Did a boss like this actually have some real chops?
Daring to clash head-on with me, a heavenly god from the Dangun myth? Honestly, I almost wanted to applaud.
But seeing it start flying off all smug like it had won, an inexplicable surge of annoyance bubbled up inside me.
“……”
Now that I knew it could handle my stage-one output, time for stage two.
Kraaaang!
Boom!
Zzzzzzap—!
A slightly bulkier thundercloud pup started firing bolts from its tiny jaws, sparks erupting nonstop across Skilla's scales.
Panicking from the ramped-up power, Skilla thrashed and roared. In response, clouds drawn from parts of the West Sea engulfed it, plunging swaths of ocean into shadow.
“Yup.”
If it could tank stage two, next up was stage three.
I burned a bit more mana from my core, and the air flows Skilla had dominated slipped easily into my grasp.
“Kishiiiik──?”
Skilla frantically summoned power, trying to stir winds and steer the clouds, but no dice.
With power equivalent to me crumpling a soda can, Skilla lost its command of the skies for good.
Hmm.
Alright, that's enough.
Got the measure of you, Skilla.
Ruuuumble—!
Water vapor gathered in one spot, surging upward on powerful updrafts to form a massive cumulonimbus cluster.
The thunderhead ballooned wildly, filling Skilla's view entirely—a scale far beyond anything it could hope to control.
“Kishiiiik!”
Skilla veered away in horror, cranking its speed, but of course I had no intention of just watching it flee.
Kraaaang!
Kuuuuboooom—!
Thud!
Thud!
Crackle!
Zzzzzzzzzap──!!
Sparks flew as overwhelming mana currents battered its scales, crumpling them repeatedly.
“Keeeeshaaaak──!!”
Skilla screamed in agony, flailing to dodge the thunder.
Had it finally grasped the greatness of this super-genius weathermancer?
Realizing whatever lay beyond was beyond it, Skilla completely lost the will to fight and bolted toward the sea surface.
Splash!
Sploooosh—!
So rattled by my attacks that it dove straight to the seafloor with a terrified shriek, desperate to survive.
No way—was it amphibious too?
Ridiculous as it seemed, Skilla moved through the water without hesitation, clearly built for underwater action.
Hmm……
I considered pursuing and finishing it off, but decided this was plenty.
That direction led to the Gochang coast, right?
I'd dealt solid damage and bought time—the on-site hunters should have no trouble handling it now.
…About this much, yeah?
I'd thought it might give a decent fight at first, but against me, Bucheon's floor master, its power was just too lacking.
Battle for West Sea sky supremacy: total victory.
I dispersed the gathered clouds into the natural cycle, a smug grin spreading across my face—more satisfied than usual.
Time to spectate.
Stretched out on my bed, I logged into the Archive. The channel board was still updating at a furious pace.
As expected from a channel of Korean awakeners, high-nick hunters had been dispatched to intercept Skilla.
Hey;; why is it actually coming here;;;
#
“How much longer on that support line?”
“Hey! Buff us here too!”
“Firepower over here! It's getting close!”
Najoo Tangerine—Na Eun-chan—gripped his massive shield tightly, chewing his lip with an awkward expression.
He'd grumbled on the channel about being a freelancer and missing the call-up, but truth be told, he'd mobilized toward the West Sea coast faster than anyone.
After all… he needed gigs to pay off the mountain of debt from his gear.
But why am I the only tank available right now?
To be precise, they were short on tanks who could handle Skilla's hits—ones of sufficient rank.
For Eun-chan, who'd planned to do his part and grab the payout, this was beyond frustrating.
“Hunter Na Eun-chan, we’re counting on you.”
“Uh, yeah…… I’ll do my best.”
But seriously, wasn’t this too much?
A boss monster pushing rank 7, and they wanted him to main-tank with a ragtag crew that hadn’t even synced up?
Eun-chan had confidence in his skills, but this was dumping way too much on the tank.
Aw, screw it, it’ll work out somehow.
No other tank here could match him anyway, and someone had to hold the front against the enemy’s attacks.
Fine then—he’d prove his worth here and land a sweet rehire deal!
As he steeled himself, the air-ripping screech and bone-chilling roar of an ancient dragon echoed through.
Screeeeech—!
“Incoming! Battle stations!”
“Blessings incoming!”
Fast!
He’d spotted its shape moments ago in the distance, and now it was nearly on them.
Pumped full of solo tank buffs, Eun-chan bit down hard and planted his feet. Moments later, gale-force winds hit alongside Skilla’s bulky body slamming into his shield.
Thuuuud—!
Craaaack—!!
What the…?
Post-collision, Skilla’s stance crumbled, shattered scale fragments spraying everywhere.
The watching hunters’ eyes bulged; seizing the opening, they signaled attacks.
“Now!”
Screeeeech!
Kuuubooom!
Boom!
Craaaaaack—!!
Ranged DPS from the rear unleashed a barrage on Skilla’s body. It recoiled in agony, circling the air.
“Second wave incoming! Tank, you good?”
“Y-Yeah, still manageable!”
Amazed by how unscathed Eun-chan looked, the hunters prepped the next volley amid Skilla’s enraged roar summoning thunder.
But.
“Kishiiiik──!”
No matter how it roared or surged mana, the skies over Gochang refused to obey.
A lifetime first: utter powerlessness and despair.
Panicking near breakdown, Skilla abandoned thought and charged the hunters at full speed.
“Nngh!”
Kuuuraaaash—!
Thuuuud—!!
Its scale armor—once its pride—mostly shredded, and every shield clash sent baffling shocks rippling through its body.
Skilla tired rapidly; the hunters sensed victory closing in.
Wait, what…? I heard he was a flawed taunt tank…
That good? Basically regular-tier tank, right?
The hunters knew full well: even maxed buffs, a lone B-rank tank couldn’t perfectly block a Skilla-level boss.
They’d stuck him up front praying he’d hold, covering with DPS. But now, evaluations shifted.
Reflection tank… maybe the real meta after all?
Gotta tell the guild master when I get back.
Suddenly bathed in admiring stares, Eun-chan rode the rare fieldwork high, ramping up his tempo.
“Hrup!”
Boooom!
As he’d always insisted, Eun-chan’s overall prowess didn’t lag behind peer taunt tanks at all.
But somewhere along the line, the “wild card” stigma stuck, leading folks to lowball him without basis or make dumb comparisons.
Even the guild master who’d scouted him personally gave side-eye, then lowballed endlessly when the time came. Eun-chan would never forget.
I’m a tank worth every penny! Believe me for once, you bastards!
Booooom—!
With Eun-chan’s fury-laced roar, the final blow landed. Skilla staggered and plummeted to the ground.
The Skilla escape incident that rocked Korea ended in total victory for the hunters.