Chapter 271
Chapter 271
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 271
>Chapter Title: The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board
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Crunch-crack-!
The wolf that swallowed the mountain's skull in one bite transformed in an instant.
Rumble-rumble!
Shadows rippled across its fur, now embedded with rocks, jagged spines protruding sharply.
And it grew enormously massive.
‘…Coco.’
The Coco they met again had grown to a size surpassing the one that had overwhelmed Kang Seol at their first encounter.
[The illusory beast's attribute is temporarily set to the steadfast mountain.]
[The illusory beast's type is temporarily set to large beast.]
[The happy Coco transforms temporarily into the sturdy Coco.]
Coco's changed form truly resembled a divine beast from mythology.
Coco took all the incoming rocks on its body.
[The sturdy Coco's immovable rock skin absorbs same-attribute attacks.]
[The sturdy Coco's immovable rock skin's defense temporarily increases.]
“…Quite the bag of tricks.”
Gersundae reached out a hand.
Whoooosh…
Whoooosh…
Dozens more hands appeared once again.
Like an inexhaustible spring, Gersundae's attacks showed no sign of stopping.
[Gersundae issues command: Crush.]
[The cursed hand pushes the contacted target. If the pushed target collides with a structure, it takes 30% additional damage for 5 seconds. This effect stacks, up to a maximum of 10 stacks.]
Shrieeeek-!
Jamad sneered at the sight of dozens of hands flying toward him.
- Bark, wolf.
Suuuuuck…
Coco drew in a deep breath.
[The sturdy Coco uses the mountain echo of great nature.]
[The mountain echo of great nature deals 80% of total attack power as damage over a very wide area, and 1,500% to summoned targets. Magic affected by the magic mountain echo has its damage reduced by 30%, and has a chance to be canceled.]
Roooooooar-!
Coco barked with all its might, unleashing a deafening roar that threatened to tear eardrums.
With a monster of that size howling at full volume, every other sound was swallowed by the cry.
Fizzzz…
Crackle…
The cursed hands charging toward the Night Raven vanished in an instant. Gersundae bit his lip at the sudden turn of events.
- Well done, wolf.
Huff… Huffff…
[The sturdy Coco designates Snowman as the object of care.]
[The object of care gains 20% additional defense as long as the sturdy Coco is alive nearby.]
- Now hide.
Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-!
Coco clawed at empty air and vanished into it.
[The sturdy Coco uses Do Nothing.]
[After a certain time in the Do Nothing state, one severe prank activates.]
[The severe prank is extremely severe.]
- Good boy. You've bought us time.
Gersundae's relentless barrage paused momentarily. Jamad and Kang Seol had thwarted every attack.
In battle, momentum was everything.
The shadow side's momentum surged.
- Now, my turn?
“…Insolent fool.”
Suuuuuck…
The Night Raven scooped up debris from the ruins and hurled it.
Shrieeeek!
Fragments flying in a straight line without any special motion.
“Is that the best you could come up with?”
Whoosh-!
Whoooosh-!
Two more fragments followed.
Gersundae scoffed and swatted the first fragment with a cursed hand.
Kwachak-!
The first fragment shattered pathetically.
Flinch-!
Swoosh…
Gersundae jerked his head back at the ominous aura.
‘What was that just now?’
Startled by the inexplicable presence, Gersundae faltered briefly but quickly regained his composure.
Kwajiiik-!
The second fragment shattered against the cursed hand.
Then the third fragment.
It looked no different on the surface.
Ziiiiing…
“So this was your aim.”
A fragment engraved with the lightning brand.
Without hesitation, Gersundae prepared to counter with a cursed hand.
‘The bastard can create seals at will. But they’re useless if they don’t touch.’
Pzzt!
Kwaaaaaang-!
Lightning struck the debris.
The ruins' fragments split into smaller pieces, becoming rock projectiles aimed at Gersundae.
Pipipipipipit-!
But with cursed hands blocking his front solidly, the rock projectiles couldn’t inflict any harm.
The lightning strike was fairly powerful, but as long as it didn’t hit Gersundae directly, nothing would change.
“…Hiding, are you.”
Roarrrrr…
[The wildfire spreads.]
[The rising heat and smoke increase.]
Sizzle…
The arena grew even hotter.
Cursed hands melting and dripping from the intense heat kept appearing.
Gersundae judged that dragging this fight out would put him at a disadvantage.
Pew-pew-pew-pew-!
From beyond the rippling smoke, a barrage of rock fragments flew.
“There you are!”
Whoooosh-!
Paaaang!
The cursed hand flying into the flames would melt from the heat and not return.
However, if the Night Raven made even one mistake exposing its position, Gersundae was confident he could seize control of the fight again.
“Tch…”
The Night Raven was no longer there.
Pipit!
Pit!
The rock fragments kept annoyingly sniping at intervals.
Even if they hit, they’d barely tickle Gersundae, a spirit body, far from the expected damage.
‘So that’s why it created a sea of fire.’
More irritating than the heat was the acrid smoke clouding his vision.
An opponent with an unnatural presence was now hard to spot visually, thanks to the smokescreen—like a fly to Gersundae.
‘No choice.’
He decided to deliberately show a slight opening, then crush it when the enemy launched a big attack.
If he prolonged the fight like this, all his cursed hands would vanish in the heat.
Sssslip…
Gersundae subtly exposed his body, long protected by cursed hands.
Soon, the expected assault came.
Pew-pew-pew-pew-!
Defense minimal, offense maximal.
“There you are!”
[Gersundae issues command: Clap.]
[This attack consumes 2 cursed hands, slamming palms together to cause an explosion over a wide area.]
Shrieeeek-!
The Night Raven and Gersundae exchanged blows.
This time, Jamad had put real force into it; the rock fragments pierced the blocking cursed hands.
Pzzt…
Kwaaaaaang!
The same trick.
Lightning seals engraved on the fragments.
Pzzt-pzzt!
Pzzt-pzzt!
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
‘…Blocked.’
The lightning-sealed fragments burst through all the blocking cursed hands—a great feat—but failed to reach Gersundae.
Conversely, the Night Raven, having exposed its position, was in peril.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang-!
Whooooosh…
The explosion cleared the view through the flames.
Seeing the Night Raven’s primordial bones shattered in places, Gersundae smirked. He believed he had seized the advantage.
“Yes, now it’s my turn agai…”
Pook…
A sudden foreign sensation in Gersundae’s chest.
“…n?”
Jamad answered.
- Not yet. My turn.
Gersundae clutched his chest.
Something invisible had burrowed into his chest.
This time, Kang Seol replied.
“That’s the teaching of Watara.”
“…What?”
Kang Seol had been mixing in fragments of the structure—perceivable only by those who had awakened to Watara’s power—amid the floating debris here.
From the moment Gersundae dodged the large invisible fragment, Kang Seol had gradually reduced the fragment sizes to appropriate levels.
Jamad laughed.
- Burn to death, ghost.
Clack-clack-clack…
The lightning skull spoke.
- Lightning shall purify.
Of course, the latest fragment also bore a lightning seal.
Pzzt-pzzt-pzzt…
“Damn it…”
A massive lightning strike loomed. Gersundae hurriedly prepared defenses.
[Gersundae uses ultimate: Limited Paradox.]
[For a short time in the mental domain, greatly reduces all damage.]
[Limited Paradox has additional effects afterward.]
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang-!
Kwaaaaaaaaaang-!
Kwaaaaaaaaang-!
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
Fizzzzzz…
Despite using his ultimate for maximum defense, the lightning’s impact was severe; Gersundae was charred black.
Fizzz…
Smoke poured from Gersundae’s mouth.
“I’ll kill…you.”
Gersundae still couldn’t see the structure Watara had created. To win, he needed to change tactics.
Splashhhh…
Gersundae exited the mental domain in an instant.
Consequently, all the arbitrary terrain created there vanished.
[Limited Paradox activates again.]
[Resists most elemental and mental damage.]
[Vulnerable to physical damage.]
A resolve not to allow invisible attacks. Even choosing his preferred damage type.
But that wasn’t enough against the Night Raven.
Craaaaaack…
A massive wolf’s maw emerged from torn space.
[The sturdy Coco has done nothing for a long time.]
[A severe prank activates.]
[The sturdy Coco uses Utterly Ruined Shoe-Biting.]
[Utterly Ruined Shoe-Biting deals 500% of total attack power as physical damage, and if the target is a living being, leaves a status ailment: Bleeding for 20 seconds equal to 30% of accumulated damage.]
Kagagagagagak-!
Coco’s jaws tried to chew and swallow Gersundae. He resisted fiercely.
“Damn it! Damn iiiit! I’ll kill you! Behold the impure power!”
[Gersundae uses ultimate: Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara.]
[Consumes all remaining cursed hands to refine the body.]
[Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara’s body reduces physical damage by 50%.]
[The hands of Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara have 150% of the cursed hands’ power.]
Kwaaaang-!
Coco was repelled in an instant.
Rumble-rumble-rumble…
Gersundae grew ever larger.
Hands gathered, plastering themselves all over his body.
The childlike figure became a giant, its body transforming into something like a jointed doll.
No, it resembled a cheap Buddha statue.
Creak…
Screech…
“Behold…the true…power…”
- Ugly sight.
“Die…”
Kwaaaang-!
Cursed hands connected to Gersundae’s body grew even stronger.
Gersundae extended countless hands like a spider-human.
- Heh heh heh…
Jamad faced him and laughed.
- Good. You’re still standing. Come back now, wolf.
Huff huff…
Whirl-!
Coco returned to the shadow space, the mountain pattern on the primordial bone fading.
Jamad murmured lowly.
- Hey, scrap heap. Come out and help.
Whirrr-!
Kaaaaang-!
Karuna, summoned instantly, deflected a cursed hand.
“Please don’t order me around, Jamad. I obey only my master’s commands.”
- As expected from scrap, so rigid. No need to go through the hassle, right?
Jamad caressed a new pattern engraved on the primordial bone.
- I’ll give you a special chance to experience the new power this body gained from the void.