Chapter 164: Nightmare
Chapter 164: Nightmare
It was a strange feeling. In the first run, the melee classes had suffered immense casualties before they could defeat Horrence. They’d had no choice but to hold it at the front lines while the ranged users chipped away at its health. It was so bad that when the second investigation team was formed, the Users who had survived the first expedition flat-out refused to take on a melee role. It had reached a point where they had to invite Users from other allied cities to fill the ranks.
That was how notorious Horrence was, to the point of being called a nightmare. And now, here I was, facing that very creature at the head of the vanguard. I wasn't just drawing its aggro; I was methodically inflicting damage. It was the dual role of Dealer and Tanker that every Swordsman dreamed of. I had the beast locked down, refusing to let go, while the other Users gleefully unleashed their attacks.
Whoosh.
I heard the sharp whistle of wind. The black sword, trailing darkness, swung down as if to split my head open, but I casually parried it with my longsword, which was brimming with magic power. With a heavy thud, the black sword was knocked away again. Seeing my chance, I lunged forward with a quick thrust. The creature, without panicking, calmly tried to retreat and counter, but unfortunately for it, this wasn't a one-on-one fight.
The moment the surrounding darkness gathered to push my blade off course, a flash of light erupted from above. I blinked, and a barrage of chained magic spells was pouring into Horrence’s body like a sudden downpour. Looking closer, I could see no less than eight Ice Spears buried deep within its form.
“Broken!”
At Jung Hayeon’s clear command, the Ice Spears shattered into fragments, tearing the darkness to shreds. A gurgling sound once again echoed through the air, and as the creature howled, Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung swiftly rushed in from either side. For the first time, the two were reading and judging the flow of battle on their own, and their actions were exceptionally clever.
The flow of the battle was proceeding very simply. When I forced Horrence back, powerful support from the ranged Users would immediately follow. The moment the monster was incapacitated by the chained magic, our melee fighters would charge in to deal damage. (Yoojung, in particular, was being quite vicious, repeatedly stabbing the same spot.) After landing their hits, they would quickly retreat, and I would move in to finish the sequence. It couldn't be called a standard boss raid, but with Vivian and me present, it was an incredibly effective strategy.
One armed with a spear and the other with a dagger, they stabbed away until the creature’s body began to twitch, at which point they immediately withdrew their weapons and fell back. I readjusted my grip on my longsword like a baseball bat and sent it flying with another satisfying home run swing. Since it was a being with a mixed physical and spiritual body, I judged that spreading the impact with the flat of the blade would be more effective at reducing its regeneration than slashing or stabbing it.
Horrence flew in a perfect arc. While it was still airborne, a thicket of black thorns shot up from the darkness covering the floor, their sharp points jutting out. A few unfortunately missed, but so many thorns had sprouted that Horrence was instantly skewered.
“…”
Soon, the thorns receded, and what looked like a tattered rag dropped from the air. The pieces of darkness began to reassemble, slithering and squirming on their own as they tried to restore the creature’s form. This time, however, countless shadows swarmed over it, disrupting the darkness and hindering its recovery. It was almost pitiful to watch.
In any case, the restoration continued, but the pace had clearly slowed. The pieces that had reattached so quickly at first were now sluggishly taking shape. It seemed the end was in sight.
Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung, who were watching the recovery from up close, shook their heads with disgusted expressions.
“Just how many times is that now?”
“I don’t know. I stopped counting after ten.”
Just as I heard their voices, Horrence, having painstakingly reformed itself, pushed itself up. It violently shook its body, trying to throw off the shadows still clinging to it. The creature no longer charged recklessly. Unlike when we first entered, it now hesitated, watching me with its crimson eyes. I could sense the murderous rage simmering in its gaze.
Horrence wasn't weak. If I were in its shoes, pushed this far despite my strength, I’d be furious too. And the reason for its anger was solely me. It had to get past me to deal with the other annoying Users, but far from getting past me, it was being pushed back. It couldn't just ignore me and advance, because I would grab it and not let go. The moment it showed me its back, it would undoubtedly find itself on the floor again. This battle must have felt like a child’s mockery to it; it was probably feeling trapped and cornered on all sides.
“Groooowwwl…”
Horrence raised its head to the sky and let out a long howl. The darkness swirling around its body began to churn violently. Hmm. Is it starting? I calmly took a step or two back and watched it. The others, sensing something was wrong, moved closer to my side.
My prediction soon became reality. Its two glowing red eyes instantly went dark. No, they weren't extinguished. Their color had simply turned black; I could still feel its gaze on me. At the same time, the darkness enveloping its body sank deeper, and the killing intent in the air grew so strong my skin began to tingle.
Kraaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
If its previous cries were mere howls, this was a savage roar that shook the entire room. Just then, a shadow gently rose from the darkness at my feet, and a figure with flowing, ash-gray hair appeared. The figure tapped me on the shoulder and spoke. It was none other than the User, Ko Yeonju.
“User Kim Soohyun.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think we can expect much support from chained magic for a while.”
“Hmm.”
I let out a low hum and stared ahead. The darkness before me was surging like a tidal wave. It was responding to Horrence’s rage. Ko Yeonju, seeing the change, frowned slightly with a troubled expression. She, too, must have known that some monsters become abnormally strong when faced with death.
I turned my head and saw Jung Hayeon barely standing, leaning heavily on Vivian. The other Users seemed to have some energy left, but she appeared to have overexerted herself. When normal magic proved ineffective against Horrence, her choice to use chained magic wasn't a bad one. However, chaining spells places an enormous burden on the User who handles the final execution, so the standard practice was to take turns.
But it seemed Jung Hayeon had been responsible not only for the finishing blow but also for the coordination and targeting. It was a miracle she had lasted for over ten rounds. When I looked at her, she tried to straighten up but immediately staggered again. I raised a hand, signaling for her to rest, and turned my gaze back to the front.
I could feel the eyes of Ko Yeonju and the others on me, but I said nothing. I had told them from the start that I would leave them to their own devices, so for now, I intended to just watch. Besides, Jung Hayeon’s contribution was second only to mine and Vivian’s; she had passed the test a long time ago.
Having completed its internal transformation, Horrence began to slowly close the distance between us again. I responded in kind, taking slow steps forward. I sensed Ko Yeonju and the others scattering in all directions, but I paid them no mind. With Jung Hayeon out of commission, we couldn't expect much in the way of magic support. If they had any sense, Shin Sangyong and Ahn Sol would switch to supporting the other two.
“Come! Imprison! Steel Restrainer who rules the 49th Legion!”
Just then, Vivian’s clear voice rang out, and countless chains shot toward the monster all at once. I thought the timing was a bit off, but Vivian had likely sensed the change in the creature and was trying to probe its reaction. And in that instant…
Kroooooooooooar!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As the monster roared, dozens of tendrils of darkness shot out from the shadows churning around its body. The chains that were about to bind it were intercepted one by one by the tendrils, and then they all vanished simultaneously. I heard a low groan from someone, but I shifted my stance and aimed the sword in my right hand diagonally. Now that Horrence had finally revealed the true power it had hidden away, I intended to face it with everything I had.
The moment I made that decision, the temptation to use the power of Eternal Flame washed over me. If I had used it, I would have defeated this thing long ago. There would have been no need to knock it down over ten times. But I immediately shook my head, clearing the thought away. I had decided not to overuse it, so I needed to exercise restraint for the time being.
Doing my best meant doing my best within the limits of the abilities I could currently handle. I didn't want to take the easy way out by relying on a power I couldn't control. Using it for a moment against a being like a Lich, whose physical body was already gone, was one thing, but incinerating a boss monster like Horrence would require tens of times more power.
Casting aside my lingering thoughts, I focused my mind, and the world around me seemed to fall silent. The moment we had closed the distance to a certain point, I shot forward using the Bowstring Shadow Step technique.
As my body sprang forward, Horrence also moved, raising its sword. Just before our blades clashed, I shifted my diagonally held sword to make contact with the flat of the black sword. The moment our swords met, a massive force pushed into me, and I smoothly twisted my blade.
Parry. The black sword grazed past my earlobe. But as the momentum of the parried sword swung back toward me, I gave the blade, which was just passing its endpoint, another strong twist. This time, not only the creature’s black sword but its entire right arm was flung upward.
In my first run, my physical strength was lacking compared to the top-tier Users, and I always wondered how I could beat them if we ever fought. After life-threatening trial and error and countless hours of research, I discovered a method: using my opponent’s strength against them.
I possessed an ability that used magic power to absorb and control the shock that penetrated my body. It was a unique ability I had developed after gaining insight from the principle of Four Ounces Deflect a Thousand Pounds. At first, I learned it to mitigate as much damage as possible when I took an unbearable hit, but I later combined it with my swordsmanship, incorporating the wisdom of Yuneungjegang—the soft overcomes the hard.
As the black sword shot upward, the left side of the creature’s chest was left wide open. Without hesitation, I thrust my sword into the opening. With a wet squelch, my blade sank deep. Not stopping there, I lifted my right foot and kicked its torso hard.
Thwack!
With a sharp impact, the creature’s back bent as it was pushed away. But even as it slid backward, it quickly stabbed its black sword into the ground to halt its momentum and charged at me again.
Now, it wasn't just the black sword. Just as it had blocked Vivian’s chains, the darkness swirling around it rose menacingly, aiming for my life. I identified every possible path its sword could take and moved my feet quickly. I parried its sword once more, simultaneously spinning my body forward. The encroaching darkness grazed my abdomen, but ultimately failed to injure me.
But just then, I felt a sharp killing intent at the back of my head. It seemed the darkness that had passed me hadn't dissipated but had made a U-turn to attack me again. Just as I was debating whether to press forward or break away, a voice whispered past my ear.