Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Tower of Gluttony (5)
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Tower of Gluttony (5)
The massive monster that appeared to be some kind of giant beast was a nine-headed serpent hydra.
Kraaah!! Kuwaak!! Kraaaah!!
Its bulky body was around 200 meters tall, similar to Cerberus, and thick, sturdy scales covered it from head to toe.
Puhook! Puhuuuuuk...
The gray toxic fumes it spewed endlessly from its mouths seemed like they would rot flesh to the bone on contact.
And among the nine heads, one stood out as particularly large and pitch-black.
"Kuoooooh!!"
Based on Greek mythology, that had to be the immortal head.
'Hydra...'
The hydra reflected in Lee Sang-hyun's eyes was a monster closer to a calamity than anything else. It was clearly stronger than not just the giant beasts that had appeared on Earth, but even Cerberus.
'It's strong.'
Kuung! Kuuung!!
The ground trembled with every step of its four legs.
Of course, it was still weaker than the demon—Neptune. Neptune's "Void" was a transcendent power, after all.
But that didn't make the hydra an easy opponent.
Unlike the humanoid Neptune, the hydra was a giant monster.
A grand mage unleashing wide-area spells like Meteor might handle it, but for a berserker swinging a mere 1-2 meter sword, giant beasts were tough foes.
Even Cerberus from just recently—if it had fully awakened—wouldn't have gone down so easily.
'Take it out as fast as possible.'
Lee Sang-hyun gripped the Knight King's demonic sword tightly. His heart remained calmly cold, unchanging.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Kuoooooh!!
The nine-headed serpent hydra roared. And its black head locked eyes with him.
'Here I go.'
Lee Sang-hyun struck first, kicking off the battle.
A terrifyingly fast blue sword beam sliced toward the hydra's neck.
Slaaash!!
The sharp assault didn't end with one strike—it chained into nine in an instant.
"Kraaah?!!"
As a result, all eight heads except the black one were severed clean off.
The black head wasn't in great shape either. A third of it had been lopped off, dark red blood gushing out.
Determined to end it in one go, Lee Sang-hyun leaped high and slashed at the black head with full force.
Snap!!
The time it took to sever all nine heads was a mere few seconds.
'As expected... touching it is dangerous.'
Landing on the ground, Lee Sang-hyun shook off the gray toxic fumes clinging to his body and checked the hydra's condition.
Gurgle... glorp...!!
Having its heads cut off seemed like nothing to it. New heads sprouted from the necks! They tore through the opaque mucus and regained their original form in seconds.
'About 5 seconds?'
It rivaled Super Regeneration in speed. And they visibly felt even tougher than before.
'...Can't just hack away recklessly. So, the weak point?'
A thought flashed by: like in the Greek myths, cut the necks and cauterize with fire?
Kuaak!! Kuoooo!! Kraak!!
But there was no fire, and it would regenerate before he could leisurely burn them.
Huuuup!!
Puhiaaaah...!!
And those gray toxic fumes were more than annoying—they were deadly. Laden with moisture, they wouldn't fully engulf him, but even a graze would rot his skin.
Zzt! Zzzt!
'...Aim for the heart?'
Thump... Thump... Thump...
The hydra's heart sat at the center of its thick trunk, like ancient petrified wood.
Plus, it was encased in solid bone—no visible gaps to pierce.
"Kraaah!!"
Kuung!! Kuung!!
Its massive body was a destructive weapon in itself. Trees snapped just from collisions, earth overturned, rocks shattered.
That was why it felt like a monster with no weaknesses.
Pulling him from that negative spiral was none other than Nameless.
Nameless had enlightened him once again.
'...I was overthinking it. No weak point doesn't mean it's strong. I just need to smash it with raw power. No need to complicate things.'
Simple as that.
No weak point? Then crush it without one. Lacking a weak point didn't make the hydra stronger than demon—Neptune.
Heck, he'd beaten demon—Neptune. Could he really fail against a mere snake like this hydra?
Ridiculous.
'Keep it simple.'
Regaining his focus, Lee Sang-hyun glared at the massive hydra. His eyes, now sharp and serene, gleamed with renewed light.
"Kuaaaah!!"
Kuung!! Quajik!! Puhiaak!!
The hydra was undoubtedly powerful.
From the overwhelming strength of its giant frame, absurd regeneration, scales hardening with every slash, to the fearsome toxic fumes—it was a monster without flaws.
But it wasn't immortal, nor a transcendent being like demon—Neptune.
Just a mighty beast, at best.
'I'll take it down.'
With that resolve to fell the monster hydra, Lee Sang-hyun's body shot forward.
"Kraaak?!!"
At bullet-like speed, the hydra's eyes lost track of him.
By the time it noticed, three heads were gone, and a massive gash marred its flank.
'No time for regen. I'll carve it apart.'
If the enemy boasted miraculous regeneration that restored heads in seconds...
Then slash faster than it could heal—that was Lee Sang-hyun's judgment.
True to his berserker nature, he unleashed merciless, indiscriminate attacks.
Slaaash!!
Dozens, hundreds of sword beams not only shredded the heads but shaved down the colossal body.
Gurgle... glorping...!!
Regeneration tried to keep up, but heads were severed again before fully growing.
Slaaash!!
All nine heads suffered the same. They couldn't even open their eyes, let alone shed mucus.
"?!!"
Even the sturdy front legs supporting its bulk had knees severed, forcing it to kneel. The ribs guarding its heart could only scramble defensively.
'Just getting started!!'
Lee Sang-hyun didn't stay put—he circled the hydra relentlessly, raining blows.
Pabababat!!
The brutal whirling barrage showed no sign of stopping until one side collapsed.
"......?!!"
Not a single head could regrow, leaving its cries hollow.
Kuuuung!!
Even the hind legs severed, the massive body sank into the earth. The crater and upheaved soil hinted at the impact's force.
Yet no roars came. Regeneration started, but was cut short halfway again.
Slaaash!!!
'Pierce to the heart!!'
Planting both feet firmly, Lee Sang-hyun surrendered to his berserker instincts.
Thump!! Thump...!!
The instincts wielded the Knight King's demonic sword with savage fury, squeezing every muscle to the brink—almost to the point of bursting.
"......?!!"
In the end, all that remained of the 200-meter hydra was a ragged torso.
And even that had shrunk drastically, barely protecting the heart.
"This ends...! Die!!"
Forcing a path to the heart, Lee Sang-hyun jammed sword beams through the ribs before they could regenerate.
Then poured everything into it until the hydra perished.
Pabababat!!!
Truly merciless.
A berserker's fight through and through.
His judgment to sever everything before regeneration proved spot on.
Twitch... twitch... twitch...
The hydra couldn't revive.
Exceeding its regeneration limits by far, the flesh wriggled like maggots but refused to resurrect.
"......"
Of course, Lee Sang-hyun didn't let his guard down. He meticulously checked for any signs of life.
'...It's over.'
Finally, the hydra's life signs vanished completely. The maggot-like flesh turned pitch-black in death, and it breathed its last.
Huuu.
Lee Sang-hyun exhaled held breath and lowered his sword.
The Knight King's demonic sword, flawlessly executing the plan, remained solid as ever. Though slightly hot from overload.
'...I'm beat.'
No pretense—just pure exhaustion. He craved days of deep sleep.
Warm bathwater...
Icy soda was desperately needed.
Jjambbong noodles and sweet-and-sour pork, if possible.
'...Time to go.'
But he didn't collapse. Knowing time was short, he sheathed his sword and dashed on.
The carnivorous plants, deeming him weary prey, attacked relentlessly.
Shuak! Shiiiit!
From vines wrapping ankles, to ferns spewing foul spores, bizarre trees bursting toxic fruit, bacteria-ridden mushrooms, two-leaved Venus flytraps, red-tentacled sundews—they all lunged desperately to devour him.
Slaaash!
Of course, to Lee Sang-hyun, the plants were no threat.
Slaaash!!
Had the mist and bugs lingered to conceal them, it might've been different...
Without mist, the plants were as flimsy and crude as mimic treasure chests.
'Almost there.'
Ahead loomed the stairs to the 5th floor—a tree stretching skyward.
Truly colossal. Was it the World Tree of legends? It was so vast, one might doubt it was stairs at all.
Thankfully, it was stairs. Though not ascending to the heavens as he'd thought.
"?!!"
It was a passage plunging endlessly downward.
Whiiiish!!
The intense floating sensation dragged Lee Sang-hyun into pitch-black depths. And dropped him into a deep, profound abyss.
Thud!!
Kaguya had climbed past the 1st floor of the Tower of Purification to the 2nd.
So she knew what the 2nd floor looked like...
But the sight silenced her.
"......"
The 2nd floor was undoubtedly a swamp hell, crawling with "swamp deathworms" that allowed no standing still.
Yet that hell had turned into ordinary ground.
'...Hard.'
And the deathworms seemed wiped out—no single aura remained.
'Definitely not some ordinary rat.'
She hadn't expected even the 2nd floor to be like this—her bewilderment was profound.
Her constellation, the Dragon God Yamata no Orochi, didn't take it lightly either.
「They might have.」
「A bloody battle.」「Prepare for great descent.」
The "they" Orochi meant were the Strongest 7. Beings on Kaguya's level might possess special "artifacts," after all.
And the great descent was...
Kaguya's "life."
At the Dragon God Yamata no Orochi's command, Kaguya replied with a serene expression.
"Gladly, O exalted one."
The voice of a zealot, devoid of any self.
"All as you will."
That was why? Kaguya moved like a finely crafted marionette.