Fall of the Giant Chimera
It felt just like a top predator eyeing its prey.
The suffocating pressure binding their entire bodies made it impossible for anyone to move easily.
The moment anyone so much as twitched a finger, it seemed like the beast's attack would begin.
"Wh-what do we do?"
"Haa...."
Some fell into despair, but not others.
"It's still just one."
"Yeah, just one."
It was only a single creature, after all.
"We just have to take it down."
But the momentum they'd lost couldn't be regained easily.
Hmm....
Even Mu-hyuk's expression hardened.
If that one beast was all there was, he might have felt hope—but he knew it wasn't.
The most powerful foe, the black mage Zikera, hadn't even shown his face, yet the players' and NPCs' forces were being shredded in chunks.
Still, it wasn't a problem he could solve right now, so he focused on the situation at hand.
How?
He glanced around subtly.
A few chimeras revived with Revive and about half his skeletons remained.
Ah, skulls.
In this do-or-die moment, Mu-hyuk hurriedly pulled all seven skulls from his inventory.
Each skull had different traits, so after checking them one by one, he summoned three Bone Swords, one Cavalry, two Bone Bows, and one Mage.
To avoid provoking the giant chimera still looming overhead, he moved as quietly as possible, suppressing his presence.
Then, he slowly extracted their skulls and inserted the new ones, matching traits perfectly.
Bone Sword 1 evolution begins.
Bone Sword 2 evolution begins.
Bone Sword 3 evolution begins.
Cavalry 1 evolution begins...
All seven began evolving simultaneously.
Just hold on a little longer, please.
He prayed the beast wouldn't move until the evolutions finished.
Just a bit more.
Soon, the evolution bars hit 100%.
But it didn't end there.
From regular Bone Sword to Enhanced Skeleton, then to Armor Knight—all in one go. The power boost was massive.
It still wouldn't be enough against the giant chimera alone, but if it raised their odds even slightly, that was plenty.
"I-it's coming...!"
Right on cue, the giant chimera moved.
A single light step.
But to its prey, it was a terrifying bombardment leading straight to death.
Kuuuung!
The result of that one step was astonishing.
The ground cratered as if a bomb had dropped.
Everyone naturally recoiled, but Duke Amur's gruff voice boomed out, as if to banish the fear.
"Fear not!"
His sudden words halted their retreat.
"Victory is near for us! The safety of our families is within reach! Just one more step—one single step—and triumph will be ours!"
Strangely, hearing him made the fear vanish.
What the...?
A message popped up.
Duke Amur has used Morale Boost.
Ally morale greatly increases.
All stats +5%.
Duration: 10 minutes.
Morale Boost.
Seemed to be Duke Amur's skill.
Impressive.
Mu-hyuk eyed him anew.
A flat 5% boost across the board.
His own Latent Power Burst gave 15% for 5 minutes—not bad in comparison.
Lower per-stat gain, but it applied to everyone and lasted longer.
In a massive war, it outshone Latent Power Burst.
What if they stacked it with Latent Power Burst?
A whopping 20% boost? No, 5% + 15% = 20%.
The stat surge would benefit his summons too, enough to scrap with the giant chimera.
If so, it would boost ally morale even further.
HP and MP recover 30%.
All stats +15% for 5 minutes.
So he activated it.
And took a step forward.
Thud.
Different from Duke Amur's "one step," but in the frozen standoff, it drew every eye.
Players, NPCs—all focused on Mu-hyuk.
32 Armor Knights.
7 Armor Cavalry.
16 Armor Archers.
8 Armor Mages.
The few remaining regular skeletons and 26 powerful chimeras revived from the dead.
"Let's go."
They all followed as he charged ahead.
Feeling their gazes, he drew his sword.
Shing.
And showed them.
How to fight the beast.
*
With stats boosted 20%, Wind Step's effect skyrocketed too.
Latent Power Burst alone made the world feel slow, hard to control his speed.
Now with an extra 5%? The world spun wildly.
Grk...!
Too fast—way too fast.
A few steps, and he'd already reached his target. He dodged attacks, inflicting status ailments.
He even caught a breather.
We can win this.
Its intimidation suggested speed and power beyond expectations, but it fell a bit short. Manageable.
Alone? Tough.
But players and NPCs backed him up.
Mu-hyuk's patience was at its limit too.
Still not helping?
He scowled instinctively.
"Haa...."
He left a few chimeras to hold the beast and withdrew the rest of his summons.
Turning slowly, he took in the NPCs and players staring blankly.
"What are you all doing."
"Uh...?"
"Eh?"
"Am I fighting alone?"
"Ah...!"
"W-we have to help!"
Even Duke Amur was dazed.
"A-hem."
He cleared his throat and barked orders.
"Everyone, take it down!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Cheers erupted as skills flew.
Boom, kwaaaang!
As combo attacks chained, Mu-hyuk caught his breath.
"Knights, charge!"
"Charge!"
Knights and melee players encircled the giant chimera.
Watching, Mu-hyuk recovered MP and HP. Once full, he advanced with his summons.
With Mu-hyuk and summons joining, they gained clear superiority.
"We got this!"
"Kill it!"
Players unleashed indiscriminate attacks.
Thwack.
Inevitable damage mounted.
"Sh-shit...!"
Players had it better—they respawned.
NPCs, with one life only, threw themselves in anyway.
"Urk...!"
"Hurry, heal first!"
"Healing!"
"Great Heal!"
The end was in sight.
Krr, krrrng....
The giant chimera staggered.
Now!
Mu-hyuk used his held Confusion Potion.
Players and knights noticed.
"Attack!"
"Finish it!"
They hammered it relentlessly.
1 second, 2, 3.
He followed with Curtain Potion.
Chimera F1 loses vision for 3 seconds.
Another 3 seconds passed.
"More, more...!"
Vision restored, it stomped.
Kwaduduk.
Several players and knights were crushed. Mu-hyuk averted his eyes, focusing solely on the chimera.
Kroooaaar!
The battle dragged longer than expected.
"Damn, damnaaaa!"
"Why won't it die!"
50,000 players at mid-mountain dwindled to 30,000; here, all but 5,000 perished fighting the chimera.
Elite troops from kingdoms and empires lost a third.
Yet the beast wouldn't fall, breeding despair.
And hope it was almost done.
"Goddamn, just a bit more, just a bit...!"
"How long!"
"Shut up and attack!"
"Shiiiit!"
Only after considerable time...
Experience gained.
The hope became reality.
"We... we did it!"
"Finally...!"
Players reveled in victory; NPCs mourned their fallen. But joy and sorrow were fleeting.
"Ov-over there...!"
"The black mage, Zikera."
He'd appeared.