Chapter 144
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Swamp of Oblivion (13)
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Everyone was overwhelmed by the whale's enormous size.
'Its size...'
It dwarfed every monster they'd seen so far in sheer mass.
And for some reason no one could fathom, the damn thing was flying through the sky.
He hurriedly used his Unique Trait on the monster. It wasn't a Mythic-grade beast.
...It seemed to be at the pinnacle of Legendary-grade.
With Ha Yu-ri as the commander of the Zone 2 Pioneering Team, she was the one who shouted.
"Everyone, battle stations!"
"H-Ha Yu-ri... but how the hell are we supposed to... attack that thing?"
It was a perfectly reasonable question. Floating in the air as it was, melee fighters had no way to reach it.
Seo Yu-ju answered the man's query, not Ha Yu-ri.
"For now, let's focus on magic and ranged attacks. If we keep hitting it, maybe it'll come down to the ground?"
Everyone focused on Seo Yu-ju's words.
"If that monster could fly through the air without any conditions, there'd be no reason for it to hide in the lake. Anyway, ranged attacks are the only thing we can do right now."
Whether her logic held up or not was secondary; it was the only option they had.
Ha Yu-ri nodded and addressed the group.
"We'll go with Seo Yu-ju's plan—focus on magic and ranged attacks. We don't know what kind of strikes it'll throw at us, so stay sharp. Clan leaders, handle your own clan commands."
"Yes!"
A barrage of spells soon slammed into the White Devourer.
Kaboom!
"Grrrrr...!"
It didn't seem to have particularly high magic resistance.
The thing had no eyes, but it felt like it was staring right at them.
Then it opened its massive maw wide.
Everyone braced for a breath attack—but its next move was unexpected.
It started spewing out something white in a torrent.
Rumble rumble rumble—
'This is...'
"Holy shit! Th-the bastard's vomiting up monsters!"
Raining down from the sky were countless Shapes and Big Shapes.
"Damn it! Dodge!"
Whether it was targeting them or not, the Shapes plummeting from above turned the area into a bombing run.
"Ice Wall!"
Kaboom! Crunch! Crack!
Thankfully, Ha Yu-ri's timely spell shielded those in the most danger.
"Lee Yun-seong! You can't stray from my side!"
"Got it, Ho-yeon."
Whether they could call it fortune or not, the falling Shapes gave the melee fighters something to do.
"Charis. Charis, lay down your AoE, and hit the big monster with your attack spells."
"Got it."
Charis promptly deployed her domain, making it easier for Hyun-jin and Ho-won to hold off the monsters.
"Kang I-seo, can your arrows reach that whale?"
"Yeah, I can hit it... but I doubt my arrows will do much to something that huge."
"It's fine. Just aim for the weak spot."
Kang I-seo tilted her head.
"Weak spot?"
"Yeah. It has no eyes, but that doesn't mean it lacks soft spots on its skin. It's a bit gross to target, though..."
"Huh? Where?"
"..."
I could see it clearly.
I didn't know if the thing actually excreted waste, but its excretory organ was faintly visible.
Luckily, with us below and it above, it was an easy target.
'No way that spot's armored, right?'
"Look closely at its rear—you'll see the excretory organ."
"Excretory organ? Wait, is that your so-called weak spot...?"
"Even a Legendary-grade monster wouldn't shrug off an arrow there."
Kang I-seo burst out laughing at my words.
"Pfft... Yeah, fair point. Fucking hilarious."
She immediately nocked an arrow.
"Ready... fire!"
Swish—
In the chaos of screams and explosions, the faint whistle of the arrow was barely audible.
No impact sound followed, but I saw it lodge right into the target with my own eyes.
"Kiiiiiiii—!"
The beast writhed in agony.
"Hahaha, looks like it hit home."
It must've taken some damage, because it gaped its maw again.
"No way it's gonna puke up more monsters...!"
Just as everyone assumed it would regurgitate another wave, energy visibly gathered in its mouth.
"Shit!"
Whatever it was, instinct told him that blast would wipe out at least one clan.
And it was aiming right at them.
"Damn it, everyone scatter—"
As I started to shout with a pale face...
"Hup!"
Seo Yu-ju hurled her spear.
Kaboom!
The spear slammed into the beast's mouth, detonating the gathering energy in a burst.
It was shocking enough that she'd thrown it that far, but she'd prepared a dedicated javelin—not her usual weapon.
'She planned ahead.'
If that energy had hit the ground, casualties would've been inevitable.
Suddenly, the beast's movements changed.
It had been swimming through the air, but now it began descending abruptly.
Sensing disaster, Seo Mi-kyung yelled desperately.
"W-wait! Everyone, get out of there, now!"
Whether it meant to crush them or not, the whale plunged with its massive bulk leading the way.
Unfortunately, the target was where the Plum Blossom Clan members stood.
Rumble rumble rumble—
With the earth-shaking roar, everyone braced to keep their footing.
"N-no! Nooooo!"
Seo Mi-kyung had been elsewhere and survived, but she wailed at the sight of her clan wiped out.
'Oof...'
It was hard to watch her breakdown, but anyone in her shoes would've lost composure.
Sympathy aside, with the beast finally on the ground, this was their chance to strike.
The melee fighters from each clan closed in.
"Attack!"
"Stab it deep!"
Except for those handling the Shapes and Big Shapes, those closest to it swung and thrust their weapons.
Naturally, the beast thrashed and tried to escape into the air.
Just as it seemed poised to flee...
"Freeze!"
Ha Yu-ri encased it and part of the ground in ice with her freezing spell.
What followed was spectacular.
"Yu-ju? What are you—"
"...Hup!"
Seo Yu-ju planted her spear shaft into the ground, channeled mana into her feet, and leaped in a bizarre arc, soaring over the obstructing Shapes.
'Ha... I half-expected it from her Status Window, but...'
Her movements were on another level from before.
How difficult was that maneuver? Even most clan masters watched her in stunned awe.
Thud.
Seo Yu-ju landed atop the White Devourer, assuming a strange stance as golden energy gathered around her spear.
'Mana?'
He couldn't be sure if it was mana or something else, but it radiated terrifying power.
Her next action was a single thrust.
Crunch crunch crack!
"Kieeeek!"
'Holy shit!'
The devastation from one thrust was unbelievable.
A huge chunk of flesh vanished around the spear wound.
Blood poured from the gash, evidence of the beast's excruciating pain.
Even in the heat of battle, everyone stared at Seo Yu-ju, mesmerized by the scene.
"How is a first-year doing this...?"
"Fuck, she's stronger than my clan master. Am I imagining it?"
"She's a total monster..."
The rumors of Seo Yu-ju's feats had always carried a caveat: maybe if she's a once-in-a-generation genius.
But this? This defied reality.
Their reactions were completely understandable.
The problem was, pained and enraged, the beast went berserk.
"Agh!"
"Urk!"
Some ultrasonic scream like whales on Earth? Those who hadn't lost hearing entirely clamped their hands over their ears.
Painful as it was, to him, this was a good sign.
'It's lashing out because we hurt it bad.'
People and animals alike bark loudest when cornered.
Its shriek shattered the ice holding it down.
Crack crack—
"Damn it!"
"It's heading back into the air!"
Sure enough, it swam skyward again.
"It's a shame, but we got plenty out of that. Everyone, prep ranged attacks again—"
As Ha Yu-ri issued orders, Seo Mi-kyung grabbed her collar and screamed.
"A shame, but plenty?! Are you kidding?! My clan's been annihilated!"
Others tried to restrain her.
"S-Seo Mi-kyung, let go of her..."
"This isn't the time. We get your pain, but we're still in combat..."
"Shut up! I lost my entire clan in an instant!"
Her meltdown was understandable.
Anyone would've panicked in her place.
'Stupid bitch...!'
But they were still fighting the monster.
"Ha Yu-ri, everything went to hell the moment you put my clan up front! You bitch! Give my clan back! Give them back!"
"...I understand how you feel, Seo Mi-kyung, but right now, taking down that monster is our best bet. Don't we at least owe it to your clanmates to avenge them?"
"What's the point?! I've lost everything already! Because of you and that guy...!"
He could see her glaring at him.
Suddenly, he was catching stray fire.
'What the hell did I do?'
He'd maneuvered Plum Blossom Clan to the front early on to bait damage, sure—but this wipe had nothing to do with him.
Them being under the beast when it crashed was pure bad luck.
Humans always blamed others when things went south; he got it. But they couldn't waste time on her now.
"Oh no...!"
"It's fleeing into the lake!"
Ha Yu-ri shoved Seo Mi-kyung aside and cast a spell.
"Freeze!"
The target wasn't the beast, but the lake.
Crickle crack—
Everyone gasped in admiration.
True to her reputation as the ice magic master, Ha Yu-ri froze the entire vast lake surface.
"Ice, pierce it!"
Ice spikes erupted from the frozen lake, stabbing into the White Devourer.
Crack!
"Kieeeek—!"
The spikes impaled its body.
Blood dripped copiously, staining the ice red.
And Seo Yu-ju wasn't one to miss the opening.
Whoosh—
Kaboom!
Just a javelin toss, yet it sounded like a bomb detonating.
The spear struck the beast's flank, carving a massive wound.
For a moment, it sagged as if spent—could they finish it?
But its screech shook the earth, cracking the lake's ice.
"It's diving into the lake!"
"Block it! What are you waiting for? Fire spells and arrows, now!"
Everyone unleashed attacks to stop it, but few connected.
And those barely scratched it.
'Damn...'
In the end, the White Devourer vanished into the lake.