From Now On
Gazing at Kuntaka charging toward him at a speed that belied its name of "turtle," Kim Do-hyun felt every hair on his body stand on end.
'Even grazing it kills you. Even blocking an attack kills you.'
He'd spoken confidently to Nam-gung Yun, but taking down a monster without allowing a single effective hit meant predicting every single one of its moves.
"I can do it... I can do it."
He repeated the words like a mantra, exhaling deeply. Even if it was just in his dreams, he'd soloed this thing countless times. And in their last fight, he'd taken it down without a single injury—aside from shattering the shield he was holding.
'In the final challenge, I only allowed one hit.'
So this time, success was within reach.
Snap—
But right now, he had no shield to block attacks, no stamina to endure them. His body tingling with tension, he gave a wry smile, bit down on the end of Kakchusan, and drew Amur's dagger once more.
Divine Beast's powder... So that's your plan. You know Kakchusan's flame damage alone can't strip its scales.
'Exactly.'
Since it's made by grinding the shell of Cheong-gwi, one of the three great spirit beasts, it must hold even denser spirit power than Kuntaka. The power of a superior kin should melt its scales just fine.
He tied the lung pouch to the dagger's hilt.
'Its main attacks are two-fold. First, charges like this one.'
Boom! Boom! Boooom! Rumble...!!
The ground rippled like waves on a lake with every step it took.
"Hup...!!"
Kuntaka thrust forward its elongated, crocodile-like head as it barreled ahead.
Crunch—! Boom!!
Trees around it shattered helplessly every time it swung its head.
He dodged sideways, and Kuntaka whipped its long tail left and right, rearing its head upward. In that instant, he narrowed his eyes in focus.
'And now—the acidic breath from its mouth.'
Fwooooosh...!
The beast, having reared up, spun in a circle and exhaled.
"Nam-gung Yun!! Tuck your head down and hold your breath!!"
Poison mist poured from Kuntaka's maw, filling the swamp.
'Inhaling its poison mist paralyzes your whole body. The damage itself isn't huge, but in my current state, even this faint mist could end me.'
He smiled bitterly. With his HP down to about a third, his vision tinted red. Holding his breath, just before plunging into the mist, he poured a bit of potion onto the wound on the back of his hand to staunch the bleeding.
Sizzle...!
The cut on his blade-healed instantly, but the scant potion didn't restore any HP.
Skill attack power increased by 35%.
Swordsmanship EXP gain increased by 70%.
'70% swordsmanship EXP...'
Leveling skills 1.5 times faster than others was no small advantage. And the added skill attack power made it worthy of its legendary trait.
'At first, I thought Sword's Penance was a mixed bag, but it could turn into a total cheat skill. Of course, the risk is huge...'
He could handle that much. To gain anything worthwhile, you had to take risks.
Bang—! Bang—! Boom—!!
Dodging Kuntaka's stomping feet—like lightning crashing from the sky—he dove under its belly.
Slash—!!
With Tesaro's sword, he slashed at the pillar-like right leg crashing down before him with all his might.
Kagagang...! Kagang...!!
The tough scales clashed against the blade, producing a grating screech like grinding teeth.
"Thick."
His power still fell short—even Tesaro's high-attack sword couldn't pierce Kuntaka's scales. But that was expected.
Drawing its attention was enough. To crush me under its belly, it collapsed straight down.
"Hup...!!"
As if waiting, he rolled between its legs. Tumbling like a proper roll, he sprang up and leaped toward the now-slumped Kuntaka.
Whoosh—!!
Thanks to its bent legs from sitting, the gap between its rugged, spiky shell and legs dropped to eye level. He thrust the dagger in with all his strength.
The scales at the joint were rubbery smooth, but the moment the blade touched—pop!—they tore.
Giant's Martial Arts effect triggered!
Attack power increased by 5% for 15 seconds.
As Giant's Martial Arts procced, the blade dug deeper into the flesh.
Plop—!! Roooar—!!!!
He yanked his arm back urgently, having shoved in the Kakchusan pouch. Flames erupted from the joint gap like backdraft from a suddenly opened burning room.
"Nam-gung Yun!!!"
At his shout, Nam-gung Yun instantly knew what to do and chanted his skill.
⊳ Applies Alertness Lv1 (Normal) effect to all party members.
Alertness Lv1 (Normal) effect triggered!
A faint glow from Nam-gung Yun's buff enveloped him, and Kuntaka's attacks felt just a touch slower.
Borrows the explorers' wondrous eyes and strange legs for a moment. Your eyes see faster and more accurately, and your legs move nimbly.
Expanded Vision
Attack Prediction in Combat
Duration: 2 minutes
Alertness's effect was simple: quicker reactions to perceived enemy movements. At max level, foes supposedly moved in slow motion during its duration.
Kakchusan's flames burst through the scales, shredding one leg joint to rags. Yet it roared at him, lifting a massive foot to slam the ground.
Boom—! Boom—!! Boooom—!!
'Right leg, tail swipe from the left, pause to catch breath... Poison breath.'
Fwoooosh...!!
He ducked his waist to evade the breath. Nam-gung Yun's low skill level and recent job change meant it was only normal grade, as expected.
"Hup, huup, hup!!"
But that brief delay was enough. Like playing a rhythm game, he dodged each move in sequence.
'Back off...'
As the distance between him and the retreating Kuntaka widened, he muttered as if reciting a strategy guide.
"Charge."
Kwagagagang—!! Boom!!!
The buffalo-like beast smashed headfirst into a massive stone wall amid the brush. The wall crumbled like a landslide.
"Whoa..."
Nam-gung Yun stared in disbelief.
"Using Alertness buff in combat for real? Attack prediction from Explorer's Prep is barely 0.2 seconds at best—it's only good for exploration, honestly..."
No one could've imagined using a utility skill for mapping like this.
'...Is he seriously gonna take it down?'
Nam-gung Yun watched Kim Do-hyun's impossible feats with trembling eyes.
What now? You're not planning to solo the old monster, are you...? You said I was the variable in taking it down.
Using the divine beast powder is smart, but it won't sever its lifeline.
Unlike the stunned Nam-gung Yun, Black Eye questioned him as he focused on evasion.
Bang—! Boom—! Bang—!
While dodging, he kept striking the legs with Tesaro's sword.
Skaclang...! Kang!!
His power couldn't pierce the thick scales, but it sustained Giant's Martial Arts.
'It should proc soon.'
Feeling his breath build, he gritted his teeth harder. Then—
Challenger of the Extremes effect triggered!
'Here it comes.'
With the alert, he exhaled his held breath and charged. The new title from job-changing to his mythicChilya Sword Master class. Golden light briefly bathed him before vanishing.
The second of three cards for taking down White Swamp's old monster with the divine beast powder.
Level difference met: Attack success +20%!
Rare monster met: Attack power +5%!
Rare large monster met: Crit rate +5%, Crit damage +5%!
Seeing his stats surge with the alerts, he smirked.
"What a grind. If not for the stupid activation conditions, it'd be perfect."
A pointless gripe, but he couldn't shake the thrill of anticipation.
Boom!!
He kicked off the ground fiercely, diving at Kuntaka again. Charging a rampaging beast looked suicidal, but he itched to test a clash right then.
True Chilya 4th Sword.
Tesaro's sword tore through the obscuring poison mist like rags, plunging precisely into the leg oozing thick blood.
Kwaaaang!!
The scales held firm, but the joint softened by divine powder yielded perfectly this time.
Tesaro's Sword durability fallen to 20 or below.
Caution: May shatter.
Grade: Heroic
Durability: 17/100
Its durability had been 95 before entering White Swamp—now on the brink of breaking.
'A normal sword would've shattered already.'
That spoke to Kuntaka's scale hardness.
'One good hit's all I need anyway.'
Grinding his teeth, he heaved the embedded sword up repeatedly.
Slice—!
Something snapped—like a taut string breaking, sending a chill through him.
Kuntaka's scream-like roar echoed as muscles tore from between its legs, the scale-torn limb dangling limp like a broken doll's.
"......"
Nam-gung Yun stood frozen at the overwhelming power beyond their level.
"Hoo."
Kim Do-hyun exhaled lowly. Glancing at the stacked buffs on his vision's left, he finally allowed a faint smile.
Large monster damage +15%
Attack power +20% for 15 seconds
Skill attack power +35%
Attack power +10%
Crit rate +5%
Crit damage +5%
'Plus swordsmanship levels from Chilya Sword Master and Tesaro's Sword.'
All prep for this one strike.
Shing—!!
Finally, he jammed Tesaro's sword into the fallen Kuntaka's nape.
Kuntaka thrashed its massive body to shake him off, but without legs to support its bulk, its wild charges were gone.
Klang—!!
Switching to Amur's dagger lest Tesaro's break, he stabbed mercilessly at the nape joint.
Kang! Kang! Kaang—!!
Bit by bit, the tough skin around its head cracked.
"Hah... Hah..."
His breath reached his throat, and even Amur's dagger's durability plummeted. Yet the beast endured with absurd HP.
Then—Kaang—!!!
With a clear ring, its solid skull emerged through the skin.
"Black Eye."
In that moment, he called out the final card in the White Swamp strategy.
Roarrrr...!!!
Blue flames flickered eagerly to life.