Cartibes Hatches
Yoon So-i was a high ranker.
The unrivaled expert in holy magic.
And she had lost.
All the classified documents I'd skimmed so far... weren't they ultimately written assuming Hunter Yoon So-i's victory?
Right on cue, breaking news blared from the TV.
"W-What do we do?"
"......"
This is really fucked.
Was the hatchling really hatching?
Even as a hatchling, it was still undeniably a dragon.
The classified docs said it was the culprit behind a Catastrophe-level disaster in another country.
"What do we do... The dispel bullet research is still far from complete...!!"
Yeah? What the hell do we do?
I swallowed hard, repeating deep breaths.
For now, I picked up the sniper rifle.
I can't think of any way to resolve the barrier right now.
At this point, the only completed research was two shadow bullets.
Should I just hope a dispel comes out of a white bullet by some miracle?
I shook my head.
Lightning never strikes twice.
But there was no choice. If it came down to it, I'd have to force it through somehow.
Catching Cartibes came first, after all.
Last, I confirmed one thing with Jenny.
"You still can't punch a warp point near the tower?"
"Y-Yeah..."
- Woooong...
- Flash!
"I'm sorry!!!"
"Then the spot that used to work before—does it now?"
Checking, long-range spots were possible.
Alright. Let's just go with what works.
- Click.
Chamber loaded.
"Let's give it a shot. You think I'm gonna die quietly?"
I had zero intention of sitting around sucking my thumb until death.
Fresh blood sprayed from Yoon So-i's mouth.
She'd left 70% of her holy power in the Cartibes holy relic. The remaining 30% was mostly depleted maintaining the sanctuary around Eteron.
The fatal mistake stemmed from her decision to draw some holy power from the Cartibes holy relic to block Eteron.
"At last, the holy spirit has descended upon you. Unbeliever."
The holy power Yoon So-i tried to draw from World Tower was already steeped in Cartibes's mana.
Her body, unaware on-site, absorbed the 'Cartibes's energy' wholesale as if it were holy power.
"Cough!"
Her eyes were bloodshot red, the whites vanished.
Meanwhile, Eteron summoned ten mid-tier boss-level undead. Then wore an ecstatic expression.
"That is it. The promise of eternity. The holy spirit."
"......"
Yoon So-i didn't respond.
Her power waned further. Even exchanging words shook her soul with spells.
Without holy power to back her, one slip could turn her undead like them.
"The outcome won't change."
"Come... You shall never reach this one's presence... Poor girl..."
The undead charged instantly.
Yoon So-i summoned her scant holy power, forming Holy Spirit Orb in her left hand, compressing it to the extreme, then detonating.
- Kwaaaaang!
Blinding light exploded outward. The undead encircling her vanished without trace.
The shockwave reached Eteron, dealing heavy damage—but it regenerated in seconds.
"Even receiving His grace, you remain irreverent."
- Thump!
"Cough!" This time, Yoon So-i spat black blood. Cartibes's mana surged wildly inside her. Then,
'Sanctuary Deployment' deactivated
- Shwaaaaak!
"No!"
Yoon So-i's scream echoed for the first time.
The sanctuary dome isolating Eteron from the world began eroding rapidly.
Due to its advanced technique, it took the full brunt of her shaken holy power.
She tried redeploying quickly, but her remaining holy power was too scant—and disrupted by Cartibes's mana.
"Come... Souls of unbelievers to be reborn in the holy spirit..."
Freed from the sanctuary's pressure, Eteron levitated like a saint facing god, smiling. Black mana shimmered around him. Then,
- Shooooook.
Far away, souls were extracted, swarming to Eteron.
No. I've fought this far to stop it...
Yoon So-i mustered her remaining holy power to the max. Enough that nothing would be left inside her.
Holy
Heaven's Punishment
- Kugugugugu...
A massive 'sword of light' plunged straight from the sky. Circular air blasted from the impact point.
But Eteron leisurely eyed the descending blade, absorbing every last soul.
- Shwaaaap!
Sucking in every lingering soul thread,
"You have already lost. Filled with souls."
- Kuoooong!
Heaven's Punishment bisected his body, which then vanished. Eteron's split mouth grinned in satisfaction on both sides.
"Hah. Haah. Haaah."
Yoon So-i alone remained. Hemorrhaging nonstop. No power left to heal.
She collapsed, linking mentally with Kim Chun-gyu via willpower. Report: defeat.
"......"
Soon, one woman arrived beside the dying Yoon So-i. Seol of Hongmaehwa.
Seol gazed at the unconscious Yoon So-i, placed a small doll by her head, and chanted a few spells.
Black mana extracted from Yoon So-i's body seeped into the doll.
The doll blackened, eyes blinking click-click as if alive. Vicious mana.
- Splat!
Seol smashed the doll without hesitation, confirmed Yoon So-i's color improving, called a muscle monster guild member to carry her, then
"Good work."
dissolved into red mist.
World Tower's top floor: the vision-obscuring black mana sucked into the egg in an instant,
- Kwaaaaang!
followed by an ear-shattering explosion, mana blasting everywhere.
"Damn it!"
Cheon Seung-hyuk showed uncharacteristic panic.
He gripped his holy sword two-handed, mustering full-body energy. Just holding ground against the blast was taxing.
- Kugugugugugu
Then, horrifying mana spewed from the egg. Not a speck beneficial—skin contact alone felt like rotting. Mana of death.
But what shocked Cheon Seung-hyuk more was the sight before his eyes.
The egg... no, it's not.
Shape same as before, but no longer.
Already hatched. Just sleeping.
A fetal blood clot curled up. As Seol said, the whole place a womb, that the hatchling.
Outwardly a decayed, hole-riddled black corpse,
Thump- thump- heartbeat clearly reaching Cheon Seung-hyuk's ears.
"Cartibes has hatched. Prepare for battle!"
He announced Hatchling Suppression Operation Failed to all waiting hunters, about to activate holy sword,
- Kwaaaaaang!
when a mana storm flung even him away.
"Urgh!"
Not just that—the mana cracked the top floor's thick walls, mana leaking through. Building could collapse.
- Kugugugu...
Then,
Eerie voice. Like a possessed girl's dialect—thin, chilling, yet rapid and precise, resounding.
Even in the mana storm, it pierced Cheon Seung-hyuk's ears clearly.
Source: Statue 1, Blood Apostle 'Mursielago.'
"No. No!"
"Assemble everyone! Raise defenses to maximum!"
Cheon Seung-hyuk desperately held position amid the storm, relaying nonstop. But
These voices weren't just for him.
"Shit... it's starting. It's finally starting."
"Fucking hell. We're all dying today."
The voices imprinted clearly in every living ear from World Tower surroundings to beyond Seoul.
Mad prayers poured out. Each statue blazed blindingly on its turn.
Then Statue 5, Soul Apostle 'Eteron' slowly formed atop its pedestal.
That instant, something caught Cheon Seung-hyuk's eye.
As Eteron returned, the barrier faded overwhelmingly. Uncomparably to before. Like a bubble about to burst.
Now!
LegendaryHoly Sword
Activating holy sword.
Practiced endlessly with Yoon So-i. Maximizing holy power-infused sword.
Now I can break it!
- Chaaaeng!
Instantly, radiant light from the sword repelled the mana storm spherically. Like a god descending to hell.
Messenger's Verdict
All red energy into one charge. Kugugu... thunderous roar from his feet.
- Boosh!
Explosive thrust, enough to boom around. Piercing storm head-on, using Giant's Sword to cleave down. Then,
- Cheeeeeeng!
Last voice resounded, unleashing a storm incomparably larger.
Tch! Cheon Seung-hyuk's charge faltered, damaged by black mana instead.
By now, Statue 5's Soul Apostle 'Eteron' fully returned. Pristine condition, like a master's masterpiece. Immediately,
All five statues chorused.
Tone rising, frenzied worship chants,
LegendaryBoss-Type Undead Dragon, 'Cartibes'
■ Field Boss 'Cartibes' Defeated [0/1]
The status window all had prayed never to see appeared before everyone's eyes.
All attacks converged far above World Tower's peak, in the sky.
Cartibes hatchling, curled asleep, riding leaked mana now outside.
"Extreme danger. Target revised. Full assault."
MARK-67 mobilized missiles and drones, concentrating all firepower.
"Fucking hell."
Kim Chi-gon flew in, unleashing max killing intent fist.
"N-No, no!"
Hae-dong maxed goblinization, body huger than usual, striking.
But,
- Doowoowoong...
No attack penetrated.
Thinner than unbreakable prior barrier, clearly.
Chilling: the Cartibes hatchling showed zero movement.
That instant,
- Shwaaaak.
Thin but massive spherical barrier. Inside filled with dark mana. Hatchling invisible now. As if hidden.
Eerie black balloon floating over Seoul skies.
Then,
- Chill...!
Even high rankers' legs buckled, barely standing under overwhelming pressure.
Dragon Fear!
Kim Chun-gyu in command center, revising strategies live, trembled.
Cartibes now mere newborn hatchling. Four apostles incompletely returned, power under 10% normal.
Undead Dragon, 'Cartibes'
■□□□□□□□□□□□□
HP bar before eyes backed the guess.
Adult Cartibes equivalent: generously 5% power regained.
Yet this fierce Dragon Fear. Body incomplete hatchling, but Soul Apostle formed Cartibes's 'mind' only.
Weakest now!
Cartibes shielding frail unstable body with barrier, cloaked in darkness for now.
Pierce thinned barrier immediately. But one worry: 'Bring it' meant,
- Kieeeek!
Gates opened everywhere. No system message. Cartibes summoning.
Hundreds easily—an undead army wave surged.
While high rankers bombarded Cartibes, regular hunters coped desperately.
But monsters' combat power incomparable to before. Twice Crepere's forces.
"Kwaaaak!"
Screams as hunters fell everywhere,
- Shoooook.
"!!!"
Dead hunters' blood, flesh, bones, shadows absorbed into sky's 'black sphere.'
Red blood, chunky flesh, white bone shards, black shadows converging on World Tower skies.
"No way!"
Barrier closed... until adult form?
Cartibes recovering from incomplete hatchling to adult, gathering resources.
HP bar slowly toward 2 bars (■■).
Then,
Giant's Sword
- Kugugugugugugu...
Cheon Seung-hyuk appeared above World Tower.
Holy sword in right hand blazed sun-like. Sacred power flowed into Giant's Sword, maxing destructiveness.
"Shatter the barrier!"
- Cheeeeeeng!
Air-splitting boom shook Seoul, clashing with Cartibes barrier,
- Crack. Craaack.
Finally!
Barrier that seemed unbreakable now cracked.
Cheon Seung-hyuk air-walked, reusing Giant's Sword before holy sword timed out, striking again,
- Craaack!
Gap wide enough for one person.
"I'll finish it like this."
He plunged inside instantly. Dark mana denser than holy relic, blinding. Skin rotting imminent, but endured pain, charged center, maxing holy sword swing.
But,
Gone.
Not center.
"Think you'll escape."
White Magnolia
Holy sword time: 2 seconds left. Unleashed white sword qi everywhere along blade path,
- Shwaaaaak!
Holy sword dispersed dark mana briefly, gaining visibility.
There. Cartibes. Unlucky miss on White Magnolia, but visually confirmed curled in barrier corner.
Grown. Definitely.
Cheon Seung-hyuk charged hatchling instantly.
Messenger's Verdict
Max red killing intent over body, compressed all power into palm,
- Cheeeeeeng!
- Kieeeek!
Max damage to hatchling flesh.
But HP still 1 bar. Just halted creep to 2.
"Damn!"
Hatchling writhed in agony. Dark mana refilled barrier, vision gone, willfully shoving Cheon Seung-hyuk out.
"Urgh!"
Flung to Seoul skies instantly.
Barrier resealed!
Failed one-shot with holy sword.
But,
Cheon Seung-hyuk's roar thundered over Seoul.
"Hong-mae-hwa-!!!"
"......"
Hongmaehwa's Seol.
Kneeling, muttering something.
Pupils gone from eyes.
Grabbed small wooden doll on floor.
Then gripped massive nail reverse-handed,
Killing Intent
- Pooook!
Stabbed and twisted into wooden doll.
Instantly, massive scream from barrier inside. Hatchling writhing.
- Amulet, stick it on firmly. Tough without.
- Got it.
Cheon Seung-hyuk's Verdict talisman stuck with grip strength.
Cartibes HP visibly dropped. Breached 1-bar threshold slightly. Still insufficient,
Seol drove second nail into doll.
Killing Intent
- Pooook!
HP shaved to just under half-bar.
Hongmaehwa couldn't use Killing Intent more.
Then,
"Haaap!"
Hae-dong max goblinized, legs merged to one,
Shamanism
Goblin Fire
Blue goblin flames cloaking body,
One-Legged World
"No way it won't break!!"
- Kwaaaaaang!
Strongest strike plunged. Simultaneously,
Collapse
MARK-67 fired 3 max-firepower missiles for tight areas.
Simultaneous barrage on One-Legged World impact.
- Kwaaagagagang!
Space-tearing roar.
Yet barrier unscathed.
Overwhelming firepower even warped surroundings like haze.
- Crack. Craaack.
Barrier slightly dented. Not firepower—crack from spatial warp pull.
Need more firepower!
Then.
- Pop!
"!"
Small bomb burst sound.
Far from Hae-dong, barrier bottom.
- Woooowooong...
Massive haze after.
Mysterious warp began.
- Crack. Craaack.
Black dot ● appeared barrier bottom, surroundings collapsing in. Like tiny black hole.
Barrier shattered glass-like, that area wholly ● warped, sucked in.