Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Tykan's Fury
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"Hup---!!!"
Gares drove the hand axe from his belt into the wall.
Shrriiing...!!
As the rope connecting the axe handle to his belt grew taut, he leaned back sharply.
With the rope holding him steady, he raised his crossbow and cocked it.
Clank---!!
"Get out of the way!!!"
He loaded a bolt as long as he was tall and pulled the trigger with all his might.
Boooom---!!
The massive projectile, more harpoon than arrow, hurtled toward Tykan with a deafening roar.
Kaang---!!
But despite its heavy weight, the bolt bounced off all too lightly.
"Wh-what the hell is that...?"
He stared in disbelief at the bolt crumpled at the tip as it clattered to the ground.
"Ragna---."
Sharp winds swirled around Kim Chan's arms.
Swoosh---!!
As he swung his arms, blade-like gusts laced with frost raced toward Tykan along his sleeves.
Thud---! Thud thud---!!
But the ferocious winds fizzled out weakly the moment they neared Tykan.
"Wh-what?"
Kim Chan stared at the beast in bewilderment.
"Conserve your mana! Its fur has magic resistance—spells won't work!"
Kim Chan's attack seemed to have provoked Tykan, as the beast bared its massive fangs and lumbered toward him step by step.
[Kaaak---!!!]
The ear-shattering roar froze Kim Chan in place.
"Uh... uh?!"
Before he could recover, a fist as big as his body came crashing down.
"Watch out!!!"
With Luen's shout, a translucent barrier sprang up in front of Kim Chan.
Boooom---!!
The barrier shattered to pieces, but Tykan pressed its attack on Kim Chan undeterred.
"Tch---!!"
Biting her lip, she hurled herself forward.
"It's dangerous...!!"
Gares cried out urgently, but his short dwarven arms couldn't reach her.
Boooom---!!
Tykan slammed its fist down from above, sending Luen flying with brutal force.
"...Guh!!"
She bounced off the wall, rolled across the floor, and spat up a mouthful of blood.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Boooom---!!
Like a gorilla, Tykan pounded the ground with both arms, shaking the entire cavern.
The shockwaves rippled through the walls, dislodging icicles from the ceiling with ominous cracks...!
"Focus. You could've dodged that easily."
"S-sorry!"
Woojin dragged the fallen Luen into a crevice to dodge the falling ice and poured a potion into her mouth.
"Kim Chan!! Use detection magic to find Charlson's son!!"
He propped her up and shouted sharply at Kim Chan, who was hiding nearby.
"Get your heads in the game! Your mistakes will get your comrades killed!!"
Rather than make excuses, Kim Chan began applying the buffs he could.
Grit...
But anger lingered on his face—not at Woojin's harsh words, but at himself for freezing in terror moments ago.
Woojin was reminded of Yi Rurin just looking at him.
"Arrows bounce off, magic doesn't work! Can we even take that thing down?"
Gares shouted from the opposite crevice as he loaded another bolt into his crossbow.
Bam---!! Bam---!! Boom---!!
Tykan rampaged wildly through the cave, smashing everything in sight.
"If we stay put, we're all dead!!"
"What do we do?"
"Wait. It's not something we can beat rashly."
"...Then?"
Woojin glanced at Kim Chan.
"Huh?"
It was then.
Kim Chan, eyes closed, wore a puzzled expression.
"Found it?"
"There's a life signal... but..."
Kim Chan spoke in a trembling voice.
"It's underground."
"What does that mean? Charlson's son is hiding underground?"
Gares asked incredulously, but Woojin felt certain from the words.
'This really is Lake Darin.'
The site of Ratan's lab in that other world.
Over fifty years, the frozen tundra must have thawed into a lake as the landscape shifted.
'If it's an elf ruin...'
Woojin scanned the cave.
"There."
His eyes caught an old staff-like handle protruding from between icy rocks.
It was undoubtedly the device Yi Rurin had used to open the door beneath the lake.
'Lucky guy.'
He didn't know how he'd figured it out, but Charlson's son had likely hidden down there too.
"Luen, see that? I'll draw its attention—pull that lever."
"Got it."
She steadied her breathing and took position.
"Take this. If it's frozen, smash it open and force the door."
"Yes!"
Woojin placed the explosives from the trading post in her hand.
"Run!!"
At his shout, the two split off in different directions.
"Gares!! Cover us!!"
Swooooosh---!!
Another bolt shot from the crevice.
Booom---!!
Unlike the last weak shot, this one exploded on impact with Tykan's head.
The impact made Tykan's head reel, and it turned toward the bolt's origin.
[Hungry Mark]
▶ Mark applied to Frost Fiend Tykan.
▶ Steals 1/3 of its highest stat (Strength).
▶ Your Strength increases by 80.
▶ Tykan's Strength decreases by 80.
"Eighty Strength? One good hit and it's done."
Grip...
Woojin gripped his sword tightly as power surged through him.
Woojin exploded forward and slid right between Tykan's legs.
Boooom---!!
He slashed at the beast's leg as he passed.
Lightning arced from his blade on contact, black smoke billowing from Tykan's flesh.
The beast howled in agony from the unfamiliar pain.
"Hup---."
Sliding out from between its legs, Woojin planted his hand and vaulted onto Tykan's back.
Stab---!!
From atop, he thrust his sword deep.
Grind...! GRIIIND...!!
'The sword won't penetrate.'
Even with his boosted strength from Hungry Mark, his blade couldn't pierce Tykan's hide.
Now he saw—the leg he'd slashed earlier bore no wound; only Dragon Heaven's lightning had scorched it.
Tykan raised a hand to grab Woojin.
"Luen!!!"
Rumble---!!
At that moment, Luen yanked the handle in the rock crevice with all her strength.
Clunk---! Clunk---!!
Gears ground to life, but nothing visibly changed.
'Here it is.'
Feeling something stir beneath the ice where she stood, she nocked an arrow and chipped a crack in the floor.
"Everyone, heads up!!"
She shoved Woojin's explosive into the crack and leaped away.
BOOOOM---!!
The blast sent ice shards flying everywhere.
'Got it.'
A weathered iron door emerged from the shattered ice.
Thud---!!
Woojin kicked off Tykan's head, landed on the door, and stomped hard, revealing a passage below.
"Everyone inside!!!"
At his shout, the party rushed toward the passage.
"Heh, a hidden spot? How'd you know about a place like this?"
"Just got lucky."
Gares eyed Woojin curiously as they ran down the underground path.
Thud---!! Thud---!! Thud---!!
Tykan's footsteps echoed from afar, spurring them to run faster.
"This place..."
The passage walls were covered not in mounted monsters, but dense with unknown script.
Luen's eyes widened in recognition and dismay.
It was ancient elven runes.
"Whoa..."
At the passage's end, gasps of awe filled the air.
Forgetting they were in battle, they gawked around.
'Totally different from back then.'
No pile of corpses—just resplendent golden murals covering the walls.
"This... is an elf ruin..."
The figures in the murals had pointed ears, confirming her words.
"To think a place like this still exists..."
Depictions of emperors, staff-wielding mages, a colossal world tree, and hundreds of elves adorned the walls in exquisite detail.
The murals chronicled the elves' history in full.
"Is this real gold? We'd be rich if we sold it. Texts say ancient elves were the most prosperous race—looks like it's true."
"How can you think about the price right now? Typical dwarf..."
Luen shot Gares a side-eye as he ran his hand over the wall in wonder.
Anyone would think she was talking to a real dwarf.
"P-please, spare me!!!"
It was then.
A small gnome from a corner rushed to Woojin, face pale as a ghost.
"Are you Charlson's son?"
"Y-yes! That's me! Chason!!!"
The gnome clung to Woojin's pant leg, on the verge of tears.
"Don't worry. We're here on your father's request to find you."
"Th-thank you!!!!"
Chason sobbed at Gares's words.
"Please get me out of here! I beg you!!"
"Not yet."
"...Huh? Why?"
Bam---!! Bam---!!! Boom---!!
"Hear that? Tykan's still at the door. We'd be walking to our deaths."
Chason's face twisted at Woojin's words.
"Then... what do we do?"
"What else? We kill it."
"Impossible! How could we take down that monster...!!"
"Didn't you notice anything strange while hiding here?"
"...Pardon?"
Woojin brushed past him and examined the mural-covered wall.
"Something seems off to me."
"What do you..."
Caressing the wall slowly, he pressed hard on the staff held by the elven king in the mural.
Rumble...!!
Astonishingly, the mural parted to reveal a new chamber.
"Hidden spots exist for a reason."
Behind the wall lay a massive magic circle.
"Luen, what's that?"
Woojin pointed to the stones jutting around the circle.
"Those are..."
Luen's eyes widened at his question.
"Essence stones?"
Drawn like a moth to flame, she rushed to them, sliced her palm with a dagger from her pouch, and dripped blood onto one.
Fweeeee...!!
A shrill whistle like a boiling kettle rang out as the stone began to swell.
"Wh-what's happening?"
Gares grimaced at the eerie reaction.
"...Elf magic circles always have traps."
'As expected.'
Hearing the same words from that other world, Woojin nodded slowly.
"These visible stones are traps to protect the circle. They're laced with poison."
Thoom---!!
Tykan smashed through the iron door and charged at them.
"N-no!!"
"Scatter!!!"
"Luen."
As everyone fled, Woojin calmly told her,
"Detonate them all."
BOOOOM---!!