The Giant Chimera's Fury
Duke Amur muttered to himself.
"That guy?"
The captain kept shouting.
"That's him! The bastard who nearly wiped out half the knight order…!"
"Hmm."
Only then did Duke Amur finally understand, his face turning grave as he stared at the creature.
Its face resembled a helmet, eerie with no eyes, nose, or mouth.
Its exposed upper body looked rock-solid at a glance, and when its legs came fully into view, its colossal size left everyone dumbfounded.
An overwhelming presence.
Exuding that aura, it scanned its surroundings.
"Th-that thing…"
"Huge."
"And…"
They swallowed the rest.
Strong.
They knew without fighting. Knights and mages alike stiffened, shoulders weighed down by pressure from just a glance.
Boom.
It took a single step.
----------!
A roar that shredded the air hammered their eardrums.
Twitch, twitch.
The ensuing shockwave made their bodies writhe involuntarily.
Swish.
In that instant, the massive chimera reached out. Knights and soldiers recoiled in shock, but its hand ignored them.
It scooped up a tiny chimera cowering on the ground.
Its blank face split in two, birthing a grotesque maw.
Crunch, crunch.
The sickening sound boomed, jolting the other chimeras to their feet. They scattered in panic.
Knights blocked their paths, but these chimeras—excitement at a fever pitch—proved far trickier than before.
Kee, kekeekik.
Terror twisting their faces, the chimeras unleashed bizarre laughs.
The sheer dissonance sparked fury in Duke Amur, who bellowed.
"Don't fall back!"
Amplified by magic, his voice spread wide.
"We must take down the black mage here! Only then can our families stay safe!"
Snapping to, soldiers and knights gripped weapons and shields fiercely, facing the charging chimeras head-on.
Retreat, and these monsters would swallow the village whole.
Their loved ones in peril.
That… must never happen.
That resolve ignited their momentum.
"Don't fall back!"
Knight captains led the charge, shoving chimeras back.
"Priests!"
"Yes!"
Priests fanned out, healing the wounded. Meanwhile, the giant chimera polished off the small one and finally stirred.
Whoosh.
Kicking the earth, it barreled forward.
The captain stepped up.
Every nerve on defense let him weather the first clash without buckling badly.
But relentless follow-ups dented his shield. The third crumpled his armor.
Organs churning from the shock, blood welled up.
"Gah…"
Hurled far, the captain tumbled across the ground. A sprinting priest's restoration and healing got him back on his feet quick—but in that brief gap, the carnage stole his breath.
"Arrrgh!"
"Block it!"
"Heal first!"
Soldiers crumpled after one solid hit.
Knight limit: two.
Overwhelming devastation—five knights already gravely hurt. Priests revived four, but one perished for good.
"How dare you…!"
Choking down rage to charge—
Boom.
The entrance quaked anew. Another behemoth, presence rivaling the first, poked its head out.
*
The monster wave's end finally crested like a receding tide.
"Phew."
"What a pain."
Mu-hyuk felt the fatigue too.
"You okay, oppa?"
He nodded at Yerin's question. Kang Ji-yeon wandered over.
"You were impressive."
"Took you long enough."
"Knew you were a ranker, but…"
Mu-hyuk smirked.
"Let's rest up."
"Yeah!"
"Sure."
Seated, Mu-hyuk first checked his inventory skulls.
Dark-tainted ones? Solid drop rates. Three Black Dragon skulls, four Raptor skulls.
Total: seven.
Evolve 'em soon.
Rest first—he was beat. Inventory shut, he scanned miscellaneous, then tallied survivors.
32,538 survivors.
About 18,000 users lost in the fight. Small mercy: high-levels mostly unscathed.
134 over Lv130 dead, 17 over Lv140. Just one over Lv150.
Without full Hallucination Poison use, casualties would've skyrocketed.
Still, this many…
Mu-hyuk's gaze lifted to mid-mountain.
Explosions nonstop.
Battle raging clear as day, but he doubted they'd fold easy. Kingdom and empire elites, after all.
They'd take hits too, but with survivors joining, odds looked good. Couldn't rush yet—fatigue lingered.
Minimal rest essential.
Mu-hyuk tapped Lv150~160.
Ten users listed.
154Lv (Mu-hyuk)
154Lv (SteelFist)
154Lv (Yerin)
153Lv…
SteelFist caught his eye.
"He's alive."
"Huh?"
"Checked on Min-woo."
"Ah, he's good?"
"Yeah."
"Relief."
Five minutes passed. Mu-hyuk rose. Short break, but they'd managed themselves. Time for orders.
"Up to mid-mountain."
Relayed sideways, sideways.
Hit Squad 5 fast; its leader stepped off.
All survivors marched to the mid-mountain melee. Soon, fierce battlefield.
"Th-that okay?"
"Hmm."
Kang Ji-yeon asked, but no answer. Situation screamed dire at a glance.
"Wait here."
"Got it."
"Oppa, careful."
Nodding, Mu-hyuk kicked off.
Wind Step
Blazing speed to Duke Amur. Already spotting the user, the duke welcomed him.
"You've come!"
"Yes. Situation…"
Duke Amur sighed.
"Dire, as you see. Join us quick."
"Understood."
Hearing that, Duke Amur roared.
"The foreigners are here! Hang in just a bit longer!"
Soldiers, knights, priests, mages—all eyes lit, squeezing out more.
Mu-hyuk couldn't dawdle. Amped by magic, he bellowed too—relay, but no waiting on Squad 5.
"Woooah!"
"Attack!"
"End it quick and rest!"
Magic erupted first.
Kaboom!
Target: chimera cluster center.
No chimera tanks hundreds of mages blasting at once.
Chunk vaporized instantly. Arrows culled more.
Not huge, but post-monster-slay confidence soared.
That momentum made even small wins massive.
"No biggie!"
"Wipe 'em!"
Melee users charged next.
*
Users' assaults felled chimeras.
Victory in sight?
Guessing it'd end with a rush.
That moment.
Five knights holding the giant chimera flew back. Freed, it charged users.
The slaughter.
Clumped users—one-shot instant death.
Dissolving into smoke.
Mu-hyuk's gaze shifted; screen followed naturally.
Roaring, the giant chimera plowed another user clump.
Spoke too soon.
It happened.
A knight tiring on the crawling chimera left a gap. The chimera twisted, tail flinging nearby knights airborne.
Users rushed to cover— but spins scattered them like the knights. Ranged attacks whiffed.
Gap widened; spins accelerated. Instant mini-whirlwind.
Spot on.
Whirlwind swelled.
Faster, fiercer.
Magic fired—vanished on contact.
Maxed out, it lurched forward.
To devour everything nearby.