The Dragon God's Sword
The moment he sensed the presence, Taejeong shoved the left stick leftward and slammed the accelerator to full throttle. The mech whipped to the left, darting sideways in a flash. At the same instant, a deafening roar erupted from behind, sending up a massive spray of water. Twisting his head around, he spotted it—a colossal beast with three heads, each one easily five meters long.
"There you are."
Spotting the Hydra, Taejeong instantly widened the distance and locked on with the flamethrower.
Fire.
Whoosh! The trigger unleashed a torrent of flames that swallowed the monster's form in ferocious fury. The sheer output was so immense it pushed his own mech backward.
Would it work? For a split second, he wondered.
Kieeeek!
One of its heads burst through the inferno, lunging straight at him.
"Not on my watch."
He'd anticipated it fully, reacting on instinct by unloading the Vulcan cannon for all it was worth.
Tat-tat-tat! Ta-ta-ta-ta!
Hundreds of rounds per second hammered the beast in a blinding barrage. Normally, that should've vaporized anything short of a boss. But this was the dungeon's final guardian—its monstrous bulk plowed through the onslaught, charging relentlessly. Not a single scratch on it.
Taejeong's face twisted in shock at the utterly unscathed monster.
This is a problem. That's not resistance—that's total immunity?
He shook his head in disbelief at the impenetrable defense, but it was still within his expectations. Without missing a beat, he cranked the boosters to max and pulled back as far as he could, summoning the Cheonryong multiple rocket launcher.
A cannon barrel the size of the mech materialized above his head, nearly doubling its length.
"Guided lock."
Guided lock set.
"Fire."
With Gerard's assist on target acquisition, 131 guided rockets streaked toward the approaching Hydra, one after another.
Shooo! Shooo! Shooo!
Boom! Kwaboom! Kwarung!
The explosions rocked heaven and earth, a cataclysmic blast erupting ahead. A gale-force wind battered the mech, momentarily seizing control.
"No—left, left! Yeah, that's it."
Taejeong wrestled the engines back under control and fixed his gaze on the smoke-shrouded front. Dead? His expression soured with doubt—no alert chime.
And sure enough...
Kiaaaah!
The beast roared back into view, completely unharmed. A hollow laugh escaped Taejeong's lips in sheer absurdity.
"This can't be real."
The reemerged Hydra looked utterly pristine. That was 131 rockets—equivalent to 150,000 damage points. And they'd all been direct hits, no scatter. It should've been wounded at minimum.
In the end, it comes to this.
If his strongest weapon failed, nothing else mattered. But retreating empty-handed felt wrong. There had to be a secret.
Water attribute plus fire shouldn't tank this hard. What the hell is it? How do I even hurt this thing?
Backing up while racking his brain, he noticed the Hydra's maw gaping wide, energy gathering within.
Shwaaak!
An unidentified breath attack spewed forth like liquid fire. Burned once before, Taejeong banked hard right—but it was too fast. The upper-left Cheonryong caught the edge and melted away in a flash of light.
Cheonryong destroyed.
3 minutes until resummon.
A direct hit would've ended me.
Cold sweat trickled down his back as the massive barrel was neutralized in one shot—the first time external damage disabled gear. And the Cheonryong was as tough as his mech. Meaning he could melt too.
This won't cut it...
Just as his morale dipped, a forgotten scene flashed in his mind: the severed middle head of the Hydra from the mural he'd seen entering.
"Worth a shot."
Maybe a hint. He switched back to the Vulcan, targeting only the center head. Hundreds, thousands of energy rounds pummeled it mercilessly.
Tat-tang! Tang! Tang!
Kraaaah!
For the first time, the beast thrashed its heads in pain from the pinpoint barrage. Working? But then it roared again, jaws splitting impossibly wide.
Taejeong's eyes lit up.
Wait. Is that it?
Inspiration struck. He summoned a single-shot rocket launcher on his right hand frame. Slowing deliberately to close distance, the Hydra obliged, gaping wide to spew venom.
Right then—he mashed the trigger.
Shoo!
The rocket rocketed into its maw and detonated inside.
Kwaboom!
A flash enveloped the head.
"Gotcha?"
Taejeong stared desperately ahead. Wishful thinking. The Hydra emerged from the smoke, glaring unscathed. Now it was beyond shock—pure ridiculousness.
"Exploded internally and still fine? Gerard."
Yes, Master.
"Any ideas?"
None at present, sir.
"Fine. We're pulling out today."
He'd tried everything. Vowing more firepower next time, Taejeong retreated. Bursting from the swamp at max output, he reached the stone chamber. The chained statue still loomed.
Ignoring it, he hunted for the exit to the surface. But...
"What? The door..."
Muttering, he recalled a chime from earlier.
All surface entrances sealed.
"That meant this?"
Watch your rear, sir.
Taejeong spun the mech on instinct. The Hydra's head whipped through the air like a lash—when had it caught up?
Irritated, he hosed it with Vulcan and flamethrower.
Whoooosh!Tat-tang! Tang!
Kyaaak!
"Just die, you persistent bastard."
Ineffective fire met relentless pursuit. No exit meant a bind. Aerial dodge? Too risky—the mech might melt on a graze, exosuit and all, body included.
As he chased and was chased, one thing kept nagging at him: the statue at the entrance. It wasn’t in any strategy guide. What did it mean?
Seal or something?
Desperation bred wild ideas. But not crazy—the chains, lifelike gear. Snap them, and it'd spring alive, eyes blazing?
Mad fantasy, but worth trying. He aimed the super Vulcan midair at the chains.
Tat-tang! Tang! Tang!
The energy rounds shattered the chains; the massive statue crashed down.
Thud!
Disaster. Impact decapitated it; a leg shattered off. Fantasy crushed.
"Not it? Then why's it here? Revive already—like the mural, lop off that thing's head."
No dice. As time dragged, the Hydra obsessed harder. Mana drained fast. Breathers had limits; another crystal soon? Potions gone, game over.
What now? Tried everything... Wait, no...
Stress sparked genius.
"Right—one more. A weapon I can use."
Grinning like he'd cracked the code, he resummoned Cheonryong, fired guided missiles blindly, then shifted to close-combat form. Heavy weapons vanished; robot mode engaged. He bolted somewhere.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Straight to the statue's rubble center.
The mural meant this. Do it myself.
His eyes fixed on the torso's waist: a massive sword.
No hesitation—he hammered the torso.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It crumbled; the sword dropped. He snatched it. Light rippled along the blade.
Acquired Tiran's Dragon God Sword.
Dragon God Sword duration: 30 seconds.
29... 28... 27...
Yes! This is it. You idiot, why so late...
Instinct screaming success, Taejeong charged the Hydra. It recovered, barreling back ferociously. They grazed by a paper's width.
Schwick!
A chilling slice; heads tumbled one by one. The sword crumbled to dust. Long-awaited chimes rang out.
Hydra defeated.
Mechanic Exclusive Quest Completed
🎁 Reward: Acquired Massive Cluster Mine Deployment skill.
Acquired Tiran's Treasure.
New skill Iron Spear unlocked.