Chapter 81
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Incarnation of Cronos
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The area in front of the Greek S-Rank Dungeon Gate was swarming with reporters and gawkers. Police and local association hunters stood guard around the gate, but it wasn't nearly enough to tamp down the chaos.
"Let me explain the time attack rules!"
The voice of the Greek Hunter Association staffer boomed out in response. The simultaneous interpreter earpiece plugged into my ear crackled with a bit of static as it fed the words straight into my head.
"The challenge allows a maximum of four hunters, and any byproducts mined during the clear can't be taken! Items, however, are yours to keep!"
"Hunter Shin Ji-ui! Over here for a photo!"
"Those are all Korean S-Rank Hunters, right?"
'This is madness.'
The staffer pulled a round object from his inventory.
"This is the timer. It starts when the full dispatch team enters the dungeon and stops when they all exit. Time is measured based on outside the dungeon."
"Alright, I'll hold on to this timer~"
Ha Mi-jun Hunter took the compass-shaped timer from the staffer. The time display was digital, but inside, dozens of gears ticked away. It wasn't running yet.
"Also, we've installed broadcast cameras at every combat point. Intentionally destroying them is strictly forbidden, and we'll hold you accountable if you do."
"Everyone ready? We can head in whenever."
I placed my hand on the gate, and they all nodded.
"Then we're going."
Kreeeeak.
I pushed open the gate with a surge of strength from my arm and stepped into the Greek S-Rank Dungeon amid the crowd's cheers.
"Over here, over here!"
The moment we were all inside, a clear, youthful voice rang out. I turned toward the sound and saw a golden-haired young man waving us over.
[One Who Steps on Karma]
[*To raise achievement further, you must enter the ■■ga's ■mong ■■■.]
It wasn't a new memory—just one I'd briefly forgotten. This dungeon triggered One Who Steps on Karma. The young Zeus before my eyes was asking for our help to defeat his father, Cronos, who had devoured all his siblings.
"Ha, if only you'd stayed looking like that forever. Time is a cruel mistress."
"From here on, we're raiding Father's lair. We'll run into monsters and incarnations of our father along the way—don't hold back, wipe them all out!"
Even as Ha Mi-jun Hunter spoke, Zeus just kept saying his piece. He acted like an NPC from a game, which always felt off, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
We hustled after Zeus into a massive canyon. I wanted to race ahead to the combat point and clear it fast, but monsters wouldn't spawn without him, so we had to match his pace.
Shiiieek—
Suddenly, a sharp wind whistled through. The gusts whipping between the canyon walls sounded just like someone whistling. I glanced at Zeus—he gripped his spear tightly, tense as could be.
'First monster... a human with a snake's head, right?'
I readjusted my grip on Ego and braced for battle. Without a word, Se-bin and Ha Mi-jun Hunter took the front, while Cha Do-yun Hunter and I covered the rear.
If those two disrupted formation, I'd exploit the openings and pump them full of bullets. Simple, but effective.
'Those must be the cameras.'
Sturdy black capsules dotted the canyon walls above. Knowing our fight was being broadcast worldwide felt strangely awkward.
Boom!
A massive roar echoed through the canyon.
"It's Father's incarnation! Everyone, be careful!"
With Zeus's shout, a house-sized giant burst from the canyon. Humanoid body, but a snake for a head. It wielded a huge scythe dripping black blood, like it'd just cleaved through someone.
Sizzle.
The blood hitting the ground corroded it with a creepy hiss. As the brute lumbered forward, I closed my left eye and peered at it with the Regressor's Right Eye.
[Incarnation of Cronos—Snake]
[Thrust attacks, slash attacks—simple patterns, but devastating power]
[Uses mental skill on phase 2 entry. Don't get overwhelmed. Knowing it's mental seems to minimize damage?]
[Defense skyrockets in phase 2]
"Watch out for the mental skill when it hits phase 2."
"Ah, thanks. I'd have forgotten without you, Hunter Shin Ji-ui. That 'Overwhelm of the Absolute God' or whatever."
The Greek Hunter Association had officially named everything in this S-Rank Dungeon, from monsters to skills. That unnecessarily long Overwhelm of the Absolute God was their doing.
'Wonder what its true name is through Authority.'
The incarnation of Cronos glared down at us briefly, then threw its head back and bellowed at the sky.
"Damn it all! So the prophecy was true after all! One of my children will drive me out!"
"Father, step down from the throne now and free those imprisoned in Tartarus as you promised Grandmother!"
"Shut up!"
It swung its scythe high, unleashing a black wind that sliced through the air like a blade.
Kaboom!!
The rear canyon collapsed, boulders raining down. I activated The Bird That Listens to Daytime Words to leap and step on air, then held Ego's trigger long, vibrating the atmosphere.
The threatening boulders shattered into pebbles and fell harmlessly amid the dust cloud. I could only make out the thing's silhouette through the haze.
Bang!
Another trigger pull cut through the dust, the bullet piercing its outline. Moments later, a massive scythe thrust toward me.
"Ugh!"
I deployed a shield instantly, but it shattered the moment the blade connected. I was flung back, tumbling through the air a few times before regaining control.
"Zeus! Resorting to human help, are you? You filthy, lowly scum!"
'Still, it landed.'
My earlier shot had blown off half its shoulder, black smoke leaking from the tattered arm.
I'd blocked with a shield, but my joints still buzzed with pain.
Dark-attribute monsters were always a pain. My attacks worked well, but I was vulnerable to theirs in turn.
Thud!
Then Se-bin vaulted onto the incarnation's body and sprinted toward its head as casually as a jog on flat ground. It swung its scythe at her, but shadow hands and vines yanked the blade aside.
Black hands erupted from shadows around its throat. Se-bin grabbed one and swung right up to its face.
Slash—
She gripped her sword two-handed and sliced horizontally.
"Gaaahhh! My eyes, my eeeeyes...!"
"Kang Se-bin! Careful!"
Before Se-bin could retreat, it gaped its maw and spat black venom. I aimed Ego at it and fired; a white shockwave arced past her, forming a massive shield that blocked the spit. The shield melted in seconds, but it bought her time to land safely.
Rumble.
Black storm clouds gathered around the incarnation of Cronos.
'Heaven's Disaster.'
Bang!!
Green lightning pierced it, as if confirming my guess. The earth-shaking strike halted it briefly, but it endured somehow.
"You... filthy... lowly... vermin!!"
Kaboom!
It slashed its scythe across the entire area. I ducked low to evade, but mountains and trees in range were bisected and crashed down.
'Is Se-bin okay?'
I stood and scanned around—there she was, smack in the canyon's center.
Crack.
Thick vines wrapped its limbs again, squeezing like they might snap them any second.
"Hunter Kang Se-bin!"
Crunch.
At Ha Mi-jun Hunter's call, dozens of hands burst from its shadow. They bound its limbs alongside the vines, some piercing straight through its body.
Click.
Before it could raise its scythe again, I reloaded Ego. Aiming dead at its head, I pulled the trigger—the air vibrated as the white bullet sped forth.
Thud!
The snake head split in two and tumbled canyon-high. Gaping shoulder hole, shredded joints, half-gone head—it had all it needed for phase 2.
"Terrifying destructive power."
Ha Mi-jun Hunter grinned and lowered his arm. The binding vines crumbled to dust with an earthy scent and fell away.
'Definitely different.'
Not just peak condition— I felt way stronger than last time.
Command Like a Mountain's raw power had grown, and Ego felt upgraded too.
Bzzz, bzzz.
Ego vibrated in my hand as if agreeing.
"You... bastards..."
"Oops. Looks like phase 2 incoming."
"Watch for the mental skill."
The incarnation muttered then. Cha Do-yun Hunter glanced up at it and clenched his fist at the air, enveloping us quietly in Sky Breeze.
'Come to think of it, Se-bin seems immune to mental skills.'
My eyes met Se-bin's as the breeze wafted beside me. She smiled brightly, eyes crinkling at me.
"You scum!!"
Crackle.
The moment my mind wandered, black energy surged around the incarnation of Cronos. Blood streamed from its eyes, its half-remaining mouth flicking a three-pronged tongue. It growled through its scythe grip, ready to cleave us in half—then its body began to glow.
Kreeeen—
A black ring formed behind its head. It multiplied into a massive gearwheel evoking a dark sun.
The wind howled, the ground quaked. A fragment of the divine raised its scythe high to judge us.