Chapter 150
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Sudden Crisis (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I hurriedly glanced at Seo Yu-ju.
I figured that if anyone knew something about this situation, it had to be her, the regressor.
The problem was that Seo Yu-ju looked just as flustered.
She was reacting as if she had absolutely no idea what was going on.
"What the hell... Why would something like this...?"
...Damn it all, what the hell is happening here?
One of the people outside rushed into the tent, his face pale as he shouted.
"E-everyone, you need to come outside right now!"
Everyone who stepped out was left speechless.
The sight before them defied all common sense.
They could only stand there, faces grim, staring at whatever was approaching.
After a moment of silence, someone spoke up in a trembling voice.
"...W-what the hell is that thing?"
No one could answer the man's question. No one knew what it was.
Shit, what the fuck is that? Damn it!
What was heading toward us was an enormous... writhing black mass.
Fuck!
I quickly checked its information.
[Cocoon of Birth (Quasi-Mythic Grade)]
This cocoon protects the Mother of Birth. The cocoon itself is merely an outer shell—a dwelling for the Mother of Birth.
Your Unique Trait's grade is too low to discern the monster's weaknesses or detailed information.
...Quasi-Mythic Grade?
It was an absurd situation. Amid all this, the only thing on my mind was a question about Seo Yu-ju.
Why the hell did she join the expedition to the Swamp of Oblivion? Did she really take down that monster in her first timeline too?
Since she'd decided to join with such confidence, I hadn't worried much about the Swamp of Oblivion expedition.
Sure, there had been crises that felt dangerous to me, but nothing beyond acceptable limits.
But this monster was different. Just looking at it, I could tell it was on a whole other level from anything we'd faced before.
I glanced at Seo Yu-ju, and her face was pale.
She seemed to grasp just how dangerous it was.
Her expression mixed terror of the unknown with utter confusion over why this was even happening.
Damn it! How the hell are we supposed to take down... that... that thing?
To be honest, since it wasn't a full Mythic-grade monster, it was possible.
But most of us here would die or get seriously hurt in the process.
There was no guarantee that I or the people around me would make it out alive.
An Yeon-ho, who had been staring blankly at it, finally spoke.
"...Forget the Swamp of Oblivion expedition. That's not the issue anymore. Most of us are about to die right here."
"...I agree. I wanted to avenge my little sister, but..."
Ha Yu-ri spoke as if she were already resigned to death, and Yoon Yeon stepped forward with a hardened expression.
"No, everyone, don't give up. Are you all planning to surrender without even fighting?"
"....."
No one responded, overwhelmed by the sheer presence of it. Yoon Yeon bit her lip and barked.
"...Get it together, all of you! Have you never faced a crisis while operating on this continent? Don't act like rookies!"
One person replied in a voice thick with fear.
"B-but... how the hell do we even deal with something like that...?"
"We don't find a way—we make one. Everyone, prepare for battle. The main assault will be me, Ha Yu-ri, An Yeon-ho, and Seo Yu-ju. Everyone else, follow your clan masters' orders for cover and support."
By now, the Cocoon of Birth had closed in right up to us.
It undulated toward us, seeming slow due to its massive size, but it was actually moving quite fast.
"I'll charge first! Everyone, snap out of it!"
Yoon Yeon finished speaking and bolted forward.
Crazy! What the hell is she doing? How does she plan to punch something that big?
To me, it looked like straight-up suicide.
Yoon Yeon shouted to everyone.
"Approach carefully, everyone!"
Damn it...
Watching her run ahead filled me with dread.
Yoon Yeon ducked under a flying chunk of flesh by a hair's breadth.
She's really going to fight that thing?
There might not be any other way, but I couldn't see this ending well.
Damn it, isn't there some other method?
All I could do was anxiously chew my lip.
And where the fuck did Seo Yu-ju disappear to?
In the blink of an eye, she'd vanished from sight.
I turned my attention back to the battle, and suddenly, branches of flesh extended from the cocoon like tree limbs.
"What the hell is that?!"
Those approaching it panicked, which was inevitable.
Not only did it look grotesque, but the fruits swelling on those branches were unnerving.
The fruits suddenly burst, catching several nearby people who couldn't dodge in time.
"What the..."
...Those caught didn't even have time to scream before chunks of their bodies vanished entirely, killing them on the spot.
Some survived, but barely—they were just clinging to life.
With horrific parts of their bodies missing, they could only gurgle and die.
"Damn it! Don't charge in blindly! Only approach if you're confident you can dodge attacks!"
A few who had been rushing forward flinched and pulled back at Yoon Yeon's shout.
The problem was that I spotted Yu-rim already right up in its face.
"Lee Yu-rim! Get back now!"
Damn it!
Yu-rim had grown a lot, but against a Quasi-Mythic-grade monster, she was just a candle in a storm.
She heard me and tried to retreat, but the thing reacted faster.
A branch had already formed near her.
"Lee Yu-rim!"
I couldn't help but picture it. Yu-rim dying to that monster.
Hyun-jin, closest to her, was rushing to save her, but in my mind, it was already too late.
Another fruit formed on the branch and began to swell.
Yu-rim, sensing her end, looked back at me.
"Fuck, no!"
I reflexively started running, but I knew the distance was too great to make a difference.
Just before the fruit burst.
Black thorns erupted from the ground, piercing the branch.
A black cube formed immediately after, shoving Yu-rim aside.
"Kyaa!"
The fruit exploded, but thankfully, Yu-rim had been pushed clear and was unharmed.
I let out a sigh of relief, chest heaving. Hyun-jin, still running, did the same.
It felt like I'd aged ten years. Then I heard footsteps and Charis's voice beside me.
"Hmph, consider yourself lucky. I happened to be here."
Right now, I was genuinely grateful for Charis.
Without her, Yu-rim would have died right there.
".... I'll give you seven days' vacation."
"...That's it?"
"...Make it fourteen days' special leave."
She'd frowned at seven days but looked satisfied with fourteen.
Fortunately, they'd escaped its range, and Hyun-jin and Yu-rim retreated safely.
"Hyun-jin, good work."
"Huff... huff... No, it was thanks to Lady Charis..."
"Don't call me 'lady.' Who are you calling a maid?"
"Ah... Sorry..."
I ignored their exchange for now and focused on Yu-rim.
"Lee Yu-rim, are you insane? What made you get that close?!"
"B-but... I wanted to help..."
"You have to know when to step in and when to stay back! Are you kidding me?! Does that thing look like it'd flinch from your attacks? You'd just die approaching it like you almost did. Got it?"
"Ah..."
"Never act alone in a situation like this."
"Yes... Oppa..."
Honestly, as someone who acted alone more than anyone, I wasn't in a position to lecture her, but the scolding came out anyway.
Just as I finished talking to Yu-rim, I spotted Seo Yu-ju pulling up a cart.
What? What did she bring?
"Yu-ju noona, what's this?"
"Javelins for throwing."
Seo Yu-ju grabbed one and hurled it with all her strength.
Swoosh—
Crack!
She didn't stop at one, continuing to lob spears.
It didn't seem aimed at dealing damage.
Some other purpose?
Whether intentional or not, the spears embedded into its upper surface at regular intervals.
Once done throwing, Seo Yu-ju shouted to Yoon Yeon.
"Use the spears as footholds!"
Yoon Yeon seemed to catch on and started climbing toward the center using the spears.
The cocoon attacked with branches and whipping flesh, but she dodged each one so narrowly that everyone watching gasped in admiration.
Crazy...
Even one hit wouldn't kill her, but it would hurt badly.
Yet there was no fear on Yoon Yeon's face—only joy at the path opening up.
At the pulsing core, Yoon Yeon reared back and drove her fist in with everything she had.
Craaaack—!
The moment her fist connected.
Spluuurt—
The center of the Cocoon of Birth burst open in a section, spewing dark red blood.
Even to the naked eye, it was clear she'd dealt serious damage.
And it didn't end there. Ha Yu-ri activated her magic, targeting the spot Yoon Yeon had punched.
"Bloom!"
The regenerating wound froze solid, ice flowers of various shapes blossoming forth.
But unlike their beauty, the mana infused in the ice flowers was meant to kill.
As the ice flowers shattered, razor-sharp mana blasted outward, tearing Yoon Yeon's wound even wider.
By then, Seo Yu-ju had taken position, ready to throw a spear.
The difference this time: she held her own Legend-grade weapon, not a javelin.
"Hup!"
She unleashed the spear in a perfect form.
Rumble—!
Like lightning striking, the spear embedded into the cocoon.
Kabooom!
With a deafening roar, the area around the impact turned to ash as if struck by thunder.
The successive heavy blows had taken their toll—the Cocoon of Birth shuddered violently and halted its movements for a moment.
"...D-did we get it?"
"You idiot! Don't jinx it like that!"
Someone's companion smacked him in horror.
And in that instant, black material flooded the wound, knocking the nearest—Yoon Yeon—away.
"Kuh...!"
She was flung back like a ragdoll. In that brief moment, it seemed she'd taken a piercing wound; blood dripped steadily from her abdomen.
She landed with a roll to cushion the fall, avoiding major impact, but the abdominal injury was severe.
Seo Yu-ju immediately closed in on the cocoon. Her spear was back in hand, and she planned to strike up close.
From my vantage, watching this made my heart pound.
Damn it...!
In the end, the battle shaped up like this: full-frontal assaults by Seo Yu-ju and An Yeon-ho, supported by Ha Yu-ri.
The rest of us couldn't dare intervene; at best, we distracted it.
Ha Yu-ri preempted flesh branches and budding fruits with freezing magic.
Seo Yu-ju and An Yeon-ho pressed on, ignoring such attacks.
Several minutes into the fight, the Cocoon of Birth apparently realized it couldn't catch them this way. It began covering the ground like an infection, spreading a black membrane.
Everyone approaching had no choice but to fall back.
Seo Yu-ju retreated to my side.
"What is this stuff?"
An Yeon-ho asked, and Ha Yu-ri replied.
"No idea what it is, but one thing's clear. Don't touch it."
Anyone could instinctively tell that stepping on the ominously writhing black membrane would end badly.
And as everyone stayed on high alert...
Masses of black flesh surged from the membrane en masse, lunging at Seo Yu-ju as if to devour her.
Others tried to block, but a wall of flesh formed to cut them off.
"Hup!"
Seo Yu-ju wasn't one to freeze up. She swung her spear, slicing through the approaching flesh chunks.
"Yu-ju!"
"Ah...!"
The real threat was below her. Flesh suddenly grabbed her ankle, tripping her up.
"Hngh!"
And like it was swallowing her whole, more flesh rushed in instantly.
"...Huh?"
I don't know what came over me. My body just moved on reflex.
"What are you doing, Yun-seong! No, don't!"
I burned away the flesh coiled around Seo Yu-ju's leg with fire and pulled her out.
Ah... damn it...
But now, black masses closed in to swallow both of us.
Escaping together was impossible.
My head said to abandon her and dodge, but my body moved again on its own.
"No—!"
...Amid Seo Yu-ju's scream, I was engulfed by the Cocoon of Birth.