Chapter 78
Chapter 78
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Genius Awakened's Stream (7)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Gyaaaaaaaaaah!!”
The man shrieked, his body trembling like someone who’d just stubbed their pinky toe on the corner of a desk, and bolted forward.
“W-What the?”
“What's with him?”
The people crowded in the narrow entrance gaped at the man.
From their perspective, he had suddenly started screaming and charged toward the hydra, so their reaction was only natural.
'Ooh, that worked like a charm.'
Oh-jin smirked as he watched the man run forward, his eyes rolled back in his head.
What he had just used was a crude imitation of the technique Vega had employed to subdue the Neglish by precisely channeling lightning through their gills.
[...You mean to tell me you copied that after seeing it just once?]
“Practicing while I was hospitalized helped.”
The ten days he had spent practicing fine control over his lightning were now paying off.
[No, you practiced for a mere ten days... *Sigh*. Never mind.]
Vega sighed and shook her head.
Her expression said she was tired of even questioning it.
“Krrrrrrrrrrk!!!”
The hydra’s attention focused on the man who was screaming as he ran forward.
“Ah, ugh.”
The screaming man looked up at the hydra, his face pale with terror.
“H-Help me!! Please, help me!!”
The man turned to his party members and shouted desperately.
“You... you bastards!!!”
But.
Naturally, no one moved.
“Krrrrrrrrr!”
One of its nine heads moved like a tentacle, targeting the man.
Its giant maw gaped open, revealing sharp, venomous fangs.
Oh-jin activated the Stigma of Canes Venatici and carefully observed the hydra's movements.
'Fast.'
As expected of a monster that proudly held the title of 'boss' among 7-star beasts, its movements were swift.
Was it only fast?
Its head alone must have weighed several tons.
With the addition of sharp fangs, he didn't need to fight it to know how dangerous it was.
'But.'
A grin.
He gripped his spear and lowered his stance.
“You're nothing special, bastard.”
Compared to the pressure he felt from Ashad Khan.
This was nothing.
-*Craaash!!*
His legs, wreathed in blue lightning, kicked off the ground.
He shot forward, straightening his bent back like a spring.
“Krrrrrrk!”
“Aaaaaargh!!”
The hydra's attention was completely fixed on the man.
He lowered his spear, almost scraping the ground.
'Lightning Flame.'
And swung violently upward.
-*Kzzzzzzzt!*
The spearhead, blazing with blue flames, dug into the underside of its neck, where the green scales were sparse.
“Hmph!”
“Kieeeeeeek!!”
He twisted the spear lodged in its neck wildly, as if rowing an oar.
Flesh tore apart, and green fluid splattered onto the ground.
“Krrrrrrk!”
“Krak!”
Two of the nine heads swiftly moved to attack Oh-jin.
-*Fwoooosh!*
“Not so fast!”
Ha-eun rushed over, spreading her arms wide.
*Snap!*
With a light flick of her fingers, flames erupted and coiled around the hydra's heads.
“Krarararak!”
“Ugh!”
Engulfed in fire, the hydra thrashed violently.
“Oh-jin! This thing is too strong! I can't hold it for long!”
“Got it.”
He violently swung the spear that had been churning its flesh downward.
*Sliice!*
The half-severed neck dangled precariously.
“Haaa.”
He took a deep breath.
He extended his arm toward the head on the left, the one Ha-eun had bound.
*Twang!*
A wire shot out with the sound of a gunshot and wrapped around the hydra's neck.
His body launched into the air, following the thrashing hydra's neck.
'If I shoot the wire one more time here.'
*Twang!*
The moment the wire wrapped around the hydra's neck on the right, the line itself began to retract rapidly.
-*Thud!*
“Krrrrrk!”
The rapidly retracting wire caused the left and right heads to slam into each other.
A new function of his recently upgraded wire shooter.
The ability to freely adjust the length of the wire based on the amount of mana infused into the shooter allowed for a much wider range of movements.
“That's it!! You're doing great, my Oh-jinnie!!”
Ha-eun grinned, crossing her outstretched arms in an X-shape and swinging them down.
The flames binding the two heads transformed into sharp blades and severed the hydra's necks.
“Brat! More are coming!”
Riak leaped high, using the wire as a foothold.
He swung his front paw at an approaching hydra head that was targeting the airborne Oh-jin.
-*Kzzzzzzzt!*
Claws of lightning fiercely slashed at the hydra's eye.
“Krrrrrrrrrrk!!”
Even as its eyeball was split, the hydra whipped its head toward Oh-jin.
[Such a persistent beast!]
Vega, flying near Oh-jin, stretched out her hand.
Blue lightning spread out like a spiderweb, deflecting the hydra's head.
“Nice!”
Oh-jin didn't miss the opening and charged in, swinging his spear down.
Green scales split, and blood poured out like a waterfall.
“Krrrrrrk!!”
*Thud! Thud!*
With four of its heads beaten to a pulp in an instant, the hydra backed away to retreat.
“Woah!”
“D-Didn't the articles say the Lightning Wolf was 4-star?”
“Who's that woman? She doesn't seem like someone who should be here, level-wise.”
The Awakened, who had been huddled at the entrance trying to be the first to escape, stopped and stared blankly at the battle, watching Oh-jin's party overwhelm the hydra.
-Whoaaaaa!!
-So badass;
-Did you see the Lightning Wolf's moves just now? That was epic, for real.
-That guardian and pet are insane too, holy...
-Where do you even get ones like that?
Viewers watching the battle live on the stream were also showering them with praise.
“I'll join in too!”
Perhaps thinking they had a good chance of winning after seeing the situation.
JerryKim also began to rain down arrows on the hydra.
'This is way easier than I thought.'
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes at the retreating hydra.
He had already shredded four of its nine heads.
Only five heads remained intact.
At this rate, he could turn those five into pulp soon enough.
Just then.
“Oh-jin! That thing is regenerating?!”
*Bubble, bubble.*
With a sound like boiling bubbles, the hydra's half-severed neck began to regenerate at a rapid pace.
“Right. No wonder it felt too easy.”
*Tsk.* He clicked his tongue, watching the hydra rapidly heal its wounds.
“Krrrrrrk!!”
Having instantly regenerated two of the four heads, the hydra roared fiercely and resumed its attack.
'Wait. Two of them?'
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes, observing the hydra.
Among the mangled heads, only the ones struck by Ha-eun's flames were regenerating slowly.
'So wounds cauterized by fire regenerate slower.'
In that case.
“Noona! When I cut off the remaining heads, cauterize the stumps with your fire!”
“Got it!!”
Leaving Ha-eun, who nodded in reply, behind him, he kicked off the ground.
*Twang!*
He launched into the air with his wire and brought his spear down fiercely.
-*Sliiiice!!*
The spearhead, blazing with blue lightning, severed the hydra's neck.
“Oh-jin, move!!”
*Fwoooosh!*
Ha-eun's flames shot toward the severed stump.
Just as the red flames, moving freely through the air as if alive, reached the bleeding stump.
“Krararararak!!”
The remaining six heads spewed a thick green fluid, dousing the flames.
*Hiiisssss!*
The fire died down with a cloud of acrid smoke.
“Dammit! What is this stuff!”
Ha-eun exclaimed in frustration.
'It's wary of the flames.'
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes at the hydra.
It seemed the hydra also considered Ha-eun's flames to be the greatest threat.
'In that case, I'll reduce the number of heads as much as possi—'
*Grrrrrumble!*
Before he had time to cut off another head, the severed one regenerated back to its original state.
The time it took to regenerate was a mere five seconds.
It was too fast.
“What?”
It wasn't this fast before, was it?
“M-Mr. Oh-jin! This is strange! I've never heard of a hydra's regeneration being this fas— Ugh!”
*Craaaash!!*
A fully regenerated head whipped toward JerryKim like a lash.
JerryKim stopped shooting arrows and hastily rolled on the ground.
'Strange.'
Just as JerryKim said.
This regeneration speed was absurd.
[My child! The stellar energy dwelling within that monster has suddenly doubled!]
Listening to Vega, he looked closer and saw a faint blue light emanating from the hydra's body.
“...Dammit.”
The strange phenomenon occurring inside this gate.
He never imagined that two Holy Stones coexisting inside a single monster would lead to this.
“Oh-jin, this seems impossible, doesn't it?”
Ha-eun shouted as she erected a massive wall of fire to block the green fluid raining down from all directions.
“No.”
There is a way.
'Its regeneration is fast, but its durability isn't that high.'
Hadn't he just severed a head with a single spear strike?
'Then.'
The time it takes for a head to be severed and regenerate is five seconds.
“I just have to cut off all seven heads within that time.”
Then it would have no means to block her flames.
“...What?”
[My child. Even so, that's...]
Ha-eun and Vega stared at Oh-jin with looks of disbelief.
“There's no other way.”
If there's no other option.
Then you just have to give your all to what you can do.
[...I shall grant you my blessing.]
“Later.”
He shook his head.
Vega's blessing was a last resort.
It wouldn't be too late to receive the blessing after he'd tried everything else and failed.
And more importantly.
[But if you get hurt in the process...]
“Vega.”
He continued in a low voice.
“When you're bound by the commandments. It's very painful, isn't it?”
[That is.]
He knew without needing an answer.
He had seen her writhe in agony every time she was restrained.
“It's the same for me.”
Just as she wished for him not to get hurt.
He also wished for her not to suffer.
'To think she was just a target for a scam at first.'
Before he knew it, she had melted into his life, becoming an inseparable warmth.
[M-My child.]
Vega looked at Oh-jin, her face flushed red as an apple.
“I need your support. You too, Riak.”
“Hmph. I was going to do it even if you didn't ask.”
His tone was gruff.
But for some reason, it didn't feel unpleasant.
“Then.”
He lowered his stance.
The time limit is five seconds.
Within that time—
“Exceed.”
He would sever all seven heads.
-*Kzzzzzzzzzt!!!*
Blue lightning coiled around his body.
-*Craaaaaash!!*
He kicked off the ground violently and soared into the air.
'First, one.'
*Slice!*
The spearhead, wreathed in blue flames, severed a hydra's head.
'Two, three.'
Kicking off the severed stump, he launched himself upward and cut off two more heads.
“Krrrrrrk?!”
The hydra hastily pulled back its remaining four heads.
*Twang! Twang!*
He fired his wires, wrapping them around two heads.
“Five.”
*Kzzzzzzzzzzap!!*
Explosive Lightning surged through the wires, blowing up the two heads.
'Time remaining.'
Two seconds.
'Dammit.'
The last two heads had already pulled far back.
Even if he charged now.
He wouldn't make it in time.
'Faster.'
He focused all his mana into his legs.
To the absolute limit.
No.
Beyond the limit!
“Hraaaaaaaaaaah!!”
He roared fiercely and kicked off.
Blue lightning enveloped his entire legs.
No.
It went beyond simply enveloping them—
For a moment, his two legs *became* lightning.
-*Ting!*
[You have acquired a clue to 'Lightning Body (雷神體)'.]
[Skill 《Exceed Lv2》 has risen to 《Exceed Lv3》!]
Lightning surged explosively.
His body shot forward at a terrifying speed, as if he had jet engines attached to his feet.
-*Sliiiiiice!!*
“Kirrrrrrrrrk!!”
All seven heads were severed.
“Noona!!!!”
He turned in mid-air and looked toward Ha-eun.
“Leave the rest to me!!”
From Ha-eun's arms, massive fire dragons revealed themselves.
This time, it wasn't just one.
A total of seven fire dragons coiled up her arms and soared into the air.
“Agh!”
Ha-eun winced in pain, touching the area around her left eye.
The hideous veins that had covered her entire left eye socket had now spread past her cheek and down to her neck.
“Hah, hah!”
Ragged breaths escaped Ha-eun's lips.
It hurt.
She felt an excruciating pain, as if her eyeball was being crushed.
'But.'
This much pain.
Was nothing compared to the unimaginable pain Oh-jin must have felt all this time.
'My Oh-jinnie endured it...!'
If she couldn't handle this much, could she even call herself his noona?
“Die, you bastard!”
*Fwooooooooosh!!*
A massive pillar of fire erupted.
The dragons' eyes gleamed ferociously as they targeted the headless hydra.
-*Hiiiiisssssssss!!!*
The seven fire dragons coiled around the hydra's severed necks.
The smell of burning flesh and acrid smoke filled the tunnel.
-*Thud!*
The hydra's massive body, over twenty meters long, collapsed to the ground.
“Hah! Hah!”
“Good work, Noona.”
Oh-jin approached her as she panted for breath.
“...Good work? I just landed the final blow.”
“It wasn't something you can just brush off that easily, was it?”
She said she only landed the final blow.
But in reality, she had been given only one second.
'It took me four seconds to cut off all the necks.'
In that remaining one second.
She had to incinerate all seven of the severed stumps.
In a way, her job had been even tougher than his.
“A-Ahem! Well, as long as you know.”
Ha-eun let out a needless cough and quickly turned her head away.
“...Huh?”
Just then.
Oh-jin's eyes widened as he noticed something.
“Noona, that thing...”
He pointed a finger at her chest.
“My chest? You think it's awesome? Hehe. I know, you punk.”
“No.”
*What is she talking about.*
“It's glowing.”
“...My boobs?”
“Your Stigma, goddammit.”