Chapter 310
Chapter 310
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 310
Chapter Title: Slaying the Hydra
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Lee Soo-hyuk arrived at the city where they were hunting the Hydra and first sought out his companions.
He had thought only Si-woo and Ye-ryeong would be there, but unexpectedly, Hyo-min was with them as well. Only after confirming that all three were safe could Soo-hyuk finally relax.
'I can guess what they're thinking.'
Watching Si-woo and Hyo-min talk, Soo-hyuk could predict what the two were discussing.
Everyone else was cheering for Hails, but would those two even care about her?
Especially considering Hyo-min's personality, she was probably grinning to herself, thinking of ways to tease him right now.
'Can't let that happen.'
Kaboom, rumble—.
Lightning fell from the clouds below and gathered in his hand.
The Hydra, pinned down by Hails' magic, had its massive body frozen in place, its expression rigid.
The target: five heads.
Of those, Soo-hyuk aimed for two.
Fwhoosh—.
Soo-hyuk leaped down from atop Vulcanus. The moment his eyes met the pinned Hydra's, his hand moved.
The sword was drawn silently. And the instant it was unsheathed, the lightning gathered in his hand rode along the blade's tip, transforming into sword energy.
The next moment, boom!
Soo-hyuk's sword, which had sliced through the Hydra's scales, followed the same trajectory.
Slash, slash, slash again.
Like sawing wood, he precisely struck the same spot repeatedly.
Splurt—.
The fifth slash severed the head. Without hesitation after felling one head in an instant, Soo-hyuk targeted the next.
He glided across the Hydra's body. Hails' magic pressing down on the Hydra mysteriously had no effect on Soo-hyuk whatsoever.
Boom, booom—!
A thunderclap erupted with every swing of his sword. Countless eyes followed Soo-hyuk as he dashed unimpeded across the giant body.
As he swung repeatedly toward the next head, one of the Hydra's other heads overcame the gravity and rose.
Someone who had been staring blankly at Soo-hyuk cried out in shock.
"Dodge!"
Spluuurt—.
Black poisonous smoke engulfed Soo-hyuk's body. It was a situation where he should evade, but he didn't stop his sword strikes.
Soon, the Hydra's sixth head was severed. He had cut off two heads in a flash, but it was already too late to dodge.
Soo-hyuk spun his body. Instead of dodging, he opened his mouth and leaped toward the Hydra that had spewed the poison smoke.
His figure vanished into the toxic fumes. The person who had screamed in fear, along with Ye-ryeong and the other companions watching, felt their hearts drop.
But then.
Flash—!
A blue light burst from inside the mouth of the Hydra that had exhaled the poison.
Boooom—!
A thunderclap exploded from within its mouth. The Hydra shrieked in agony and shook its head.
The scream didn't last long. Soo-hyuk's sword, which had entered its mouth, danced brilliantly, bursting the Hydra's head from inside.
Splaaaat—!
Blood poured down from the exploded Hydra head.
The heat was so intense that the blood hardened solid the moment it spilled.
The Hydra's blood dripped from Soo-hyuk's body in chunks. Ye-ryeong, watching from afar, barely swallowed a scream and muttered.
"Crazy, that scared me……."
She had thought he was done for, but no. Though distant, she could see the life in Soo-hyuk's eyes.
For some reason, the poison didn't affect him.
The Hydra's poison had no effect on Soo-hyuk. And that was a tremendous advantage in this fight.
It occurred to him that perhaps this power of Invulnerability to All Poisons was acquired precisely for this moment.
Crackle—.
Soo-hyuk stepped on lightning and hovered briefly in the air.
The instant he tensed his legs to leap toward the next head.
"Trying to hog all the glory by yourself?"
Ye-ryeong caught up to his side.
Thud—.
Soo-hyuk ignored her. He trusted she would keep up without fail.
And sure enough, Ye-ryeong ran shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
Scraaaape—.
Ye-ryeong's two daggers peeled away the Hydra's scales. Her daggers glowed red.
Hyo-min's skill was supporting her from afar.
And the next moment, a red glow enveloped Soo-hyuk's body.
Soo-hyuk gripped his sword with both hands.
Crackle, crackle. The lightning on the blade was suppressed, not flowing freely. Without swinging, Soo-hyuk ran alongside Ye-ryeong.
Kyaaah—!
The last remaining Hydra head bared its teeth. Reflexively, as he prepared to swing his lightning-charged sword.
Whirr, whirrr—.
Dozens of magic circles appeared around the Hydra's head.
High in the sky.
Hails, mounted on Vulcanus, snapped her fingers.
"Boom."
Boom, boom, boooom—!
Fwoooosh—.
Scorching flames erupted, incinerating the Hydra's body. The blaze didn't touch Soo-hyuk or Ye-ryeong, exploding repeatedly within the magic circles.
Powerful yet stable. Limiting such potency to a specific area was several times harder than mere explosions.
The Hydra wailed as it was engulfed in flames. The pain of burning eyes and flesh tormented even this colossal monster.
Whirr—.
The magic circles reappeared.
Pffft, thunk. Countless steel spikes pierced the Hydra's torso. Hails' skill in manifesting dozens of spells at once lived up to her title of Grand Magus.
Scraaaape—.
And in that same instant, Ye-ryeong's dagger stripped away the scales from the last neck.
"Now!"
Rumble—.
The sword answered instead of his mouth.
The blade, brimming with lightning, thrashed like it would explode any second.
He could feel it. If unleashed, it would be spectacular.
But that wasn't what Soo-hyuk needed to do now.
No exploding.
Slash.
The flesh and bone hidden beneath the scales Ye-ryeong had peeled away.
Flash—!
A brilliant strike drew a line across the sky. The light reached faster than sound, etching a blue line in the heavens.
The eardrum-shattering thunderclap followed immediately.
Kabooom—!
With the sound, the Hydra's neck was severed.
And right after.
Splaaaat—!
The last remaining head spilled out as gore onto the ground.
The headless Hydra's body writhed. In a final spasm, its torso whipped its tail.
Hummm—.
At that moment, all players except the Hydra levitated upward.
Soo-hyuk and Ye-ryeong were no exception. The two looked up at Hails atop Vulcanus.
She murmured something while waving her staff. Upon closer look, the small magic circle in the sky was rapidly expanding.
"She's going for a big one."
There were two magic circles.
Two massive spells. And one manifested immediately.
Fwhoosh—.
Ffft, fwhoosh—.
Soo-hyuk, Ye-ryeong, and all the rankers below vanished.
They reappeared far from the Hydra.
Teleporting this many people over such a distance at once was dozens of times harder than moving oneself far away.
'This fast?'
This move even surprised Soo-hyuk.
If she could relocate this many heads so easily, the tactical uses in battle were endless. Ensuring spell accuracy or disorienting enemies positionally—it was all feasible.
This one move explained why the world with Hails kept winning the inter-world battles.
And on top of that.
Roooar—.
The air grew hot.
Like facing the scorching midsummer sun, faces flushed burning.
The sky dyed red. That revealed Hails' next spell.
The symbol of a Grand Magus, the most powerful existing spell.
"……Meteor."
In Soo-hyuk's eyes, he saw a meteor slowly descending, tearing through the clouds.
The white-hot meteor wielded apocalyptic power. And Hails dropped it with a mere staff.
Watching from afar, Soo-hyuk imagined.
If he were down there, could he even cut that meteor?
At that moment, a scene flashed in Soo-hyuk's mind.
The first inter-world battle he participated in as streamer Lee Soo-hyuk.
The opponent he had targeted there: Heavenly Demon Jin Ha-ryeong.
He had shown it in that match. Where he stood, and where you need to reach.
Perhaps Hails was saying the same.
This is where you all need to climb. We must go higher.
Kuoooo—.
Fwoooosh—!
The meteor crashed, unleashing a fierce storm that swept the atmosphere. Blazing heat rode the gale, threatening to scorch faces.
The intense storm obscured vision for a while. Mushroom clouds billowed upward, blocking the view.
Finally, the dust cleared, revealing the ground where the meteor had fallen.
The earth had sunk deep into a massive crater. The ground cracked perilously as if it might collapse, and at the center lay the Hydra's corpse, flattened and charred like dough.
It was a sight that left no room for admiration. Perhaps she really could have taken down the Hydra alone.
"Where's she off to now?"
Ye-ryeong, scanning the sky in astonishment for Hails, pointed upward.
Vulcanus spread its wings and soared back into the sky. Hails, having finished her task, was heading back.
In the final moment, Hails, flying far away, turned her head briefly.
Noticing her gaze toward them, Ye-ryeong asked.
"What'd she say on the way here?"
"Nothing really……."
Soo-hyuk shook his head.
And gazing at the scene she left behind, he said.
"But I think I just heard it."