Chapter 76: Awakening (7)
Chapter 76: Awakening (7)
The number of Stone Beasts blocking Han Shin’s path continued to grow.
These Stone Beasts were scattered throughout the dungeon, and they were beginning to congregate. Grace realized belatedly that these creatures had been incredibly common in her home world of Nippur.
It made sense, considering the foundation of this dungeon was Nippur itself—the place where the Evil Gods were imprisoned.
Just as she suspected, these Stone Beasts were native to Nippur, though they originated from a continent different from the one Grace had lived on.
Crash!
A Stone Beast shaped like a bison was shattered into pieces by Han Shin’s warhammer.
Repeatedly striking the Stone Beasts, which were harder than ordinary rock, was grueling work. The recoil alone sent significant shocks through his body.
‘I can hold out thanks to Tiamat.’
Fortunately, Han Shin was a Dragon Knight. The Power of the Dragon inherent in his body was rapidly healing his physical form, which was proving to be an immense help.
Before today, in typical E-Rank dungeons, he had hunted with a degree of leisure under Grace’s protection. Back then, he hadn't fully awakened his dragon powers.
Now that he was in such a dire situation, he truly felt how extraordinary and useful this power was. He felt a surge of gratitude toward Tiamat.
The problem was that the distance between them and the giant-shaped Stone Beast was rapidly closing. Consequently, dodging the house-sized boulders the creature hurled was becoming increasingly difficult.
In the heat of battle, Grace called out to Laysia.
“Laysia! Can you destroy that thing’s core?!”
Though they were both followers of Tiamat, Laysia had only recently been summoned. Since they had just met, Grace and Laysia still maintained a level of formal politeness with each other.
However, there was no time for long-winded speech now. Laysia didn't take offense at the bluntness; she accepted it as a matter of course.
Thwack!
“No! Not in my current state!”
Laysia shouted back as she thrust her fist into the brow of a wolf-shaped Stone Beast, pulverizing its head. The surrounding din was so loud they had to scream to be heard.
Grace’s brow furrowed when Laysia said it would be difficult to take down the giant.
From fighting alongside her, Grace had seen that Laysia had experience dealing with Stone Beasts and fought them much more efficiently than she did. She had hoped Laysia would have enough strength left to take down the giant, but this was a problem.
The issue was that Grace had also consumed a significant amount of Tiamat’s Holy Power while fighting the other Stone Beasts. She wasn't confident she could destroy the giant’s core either.
The giant-shaped Stone Beast had an incredibly thick upper body. Its chest area, in particular, seemed reinforced specifically to protect the core. If it hadn't been for that, Grace might have tried something, but the creature looked as if it were encased in thick armor.
Someone had to bell the cat.
Grace even considered fleeing the dungeon. If they could just create a small opening, Han Shin’s party was more than capable of escaping.
That was when Han Shin shouted to Grace.
“I’ll do it!”
Han Shin had overheard their brief exchange and understood the situation. He knew the core had to be destroyed, and it was clear that someone had to do it to clear the dungeon.
He made up his mind that he would be the one.
Grace hesitated for a moment. It was a role that would undoubtedly put Han Shin in extreme danger.
However, she couldn't keep protecting him like a child forever. Since he had stepped forward himself, Grace wanted to believe in him.
Knowing that Han Shin possessed a remarkable talent for combat, Grace believed that as an awakened Dragon Knight, he could hold his own.
Having made her decision, Grace stopped running and shouted to Laysia.
“Laysia! Let’s open a path!”
Even without a long explanation, Laysia knew exactly what Grace intended. For Han Shin to deliver a full-power blow to the giant Stone Beast, they had to clear out the other beasts pursuing them and pave the way.
Laysia came to a sudden halt, her foot stomping the ground with a heavy thud.
Boom!
A shockwave erupted from beneath her feet, fanning out forward and shredding the Stone Beasts that had been blocking their original path. Immediately after, she spun around and charged back the way they had come.
Matching Laysia’s movement, Grace raised her shield and swung her sword, carving through the Stone Beasts to clear a path for Han Shin.
Han Shin followed closely behind them as the two women reversed their course to create an opening for his attack.
They were no longer in a narrow corridor but in an open area where they could move freely.
Crash!
Because of the open space, they were able to dodge the boulders the giant hurled at them as they closed the distance.
The stone fragments from the shattered boulders damaged not only the three of them but also the surrounding Stone Beasts, which actually worked to their advantage.
Tiamat’s Full Body Armor protected them from fatal wounds, and Laysia had cast a basic Shield Magic that offset much of the impact.
Dust clouds billowed, and the sound of crashing rocks echoed from all sides.
Pushing through the barrage of boulders and the lesser Stone Beasts, the three of them finally succeeded in reaching their target.
The giant Stone Beast, notable for its freakishly large palms, swung its right hand down toward the approaching trio.
Whoosh!
It looked slow, but the actual speed was impossible to ignore.
However, Grace and Laysia didn't slow down. They twisted their bodies mid-dash, dodging the strike and leaping upward.
Thump!
The massive palm slammed into the ground. None of the three were hit, but several unfortunate Stone Beasts nearby were crushed.
Laysia ran straight up the giant’s right arm. Reaching the midpoint, she used a concise explosive strike—a Fa Jin technique—to hit the arm.
Crack!
It wasn't a large movement, but Laysia concentrated most of her remaining strength into a single point. It was a technique that proved she was a truly master-class martial artist.
Creeeeeak!
Spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the giant’s right arm, and it severed completely at the point where Laysia had struck.
The giant Stone Beast’s red eyes flickered wildly as it lost its arm. If it had a mouth and vocal cords, it likely would have let out a scream of agony.
Enraged, the giant raised its remaining left arm to crush Laysia.
But suddenly, the left arm was also severed and fell away!
Thud!
The arm, made of solid rock, hit the ground with a clean cut, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Grace had unleashed a silver sword energy to slice through the left arm. She landed on the ground, panting as she tried to catch her breath.
The giant Stone Beast had lost both arms.
Seizing the perfect opening Grace and Laysia had created, Han Shin allowed the Power of the Dragon coursing through his body to explode from within.
Power overflowed inside him.
Having circled around waiting for his chance, Han Shin leaped into the air. He shot forward like a bolt of light, aiming for the giant’s exposed chest.
It was the spot where the core was presumed to be.
As long as their cores remained intact, Stone Beasts would eventually regenerate, even if it took time. He had to destroy the core with this single strike.
Han Shin gripped the handle of his warhammer tighter, his muscles bulging slightly. He swung the warhammer from behind his shoulder, slamming it directly into the giant’s chest.
KABOOM!!
It was the strongest, most perfect swing Han Shin had ever delivered.
Even to Grace and Laysia, the movement was flawless, transferring his full power without waste. Han Shin’s warhammer struck the giant’s chest with a thunderous roar that sounded like an explosion.
Just once.
With a single blow, the giant Stone Beast’s chest—and the thick stone armor protecting it—was pulverized along with the core.
A gaping hole was left where Han Shin had struck, and a faint blue sphere of energy flickered out.
The moment the warhammer connected, a storm of stone fragments and dust erupted from the back of the giant’s chest, as if a bomb had gone off inside it.
With its core gone, the red light in the giant’s eyes vanished. It turned back into ordinary rock and ceased all movement.
Han Shin landed on the ground, his head spinning.
“Ugh...”
He felt as though he had poured every ounce of strength in his body into that strike.
Fortunately, perhaps due to the high recovery rate of a Dragon Knight, he felt his strength returning almost immediately, making the exhaustion bearable.
Regardless of his physical state, Han Shin felt an immense sense of pride. He had taken down a massive monster made of solid rock.
The realization of how much he had grown and the achievement of resolving a dangerous situation filled him with a profound sense of satisfaction.