How to Hunt a Naga
The naga.
A demonic beast in the shape of a serpent, yet one that far transcended ordinary snakes. The conventional methods known for luring them out were limited to either dangling fresh meat or splashing the water to mimic drowning prey. But for a seasoned veteran like me, there existed a far cleverer trick—one that only a player could possibly exploit.
"You're positive this will actually draw it out?"
"Just trust me."
"Mmm, wouldn't it be way easier to just dive into the lake and hack it to pieces...?"
Selena's suggestion was absurdly barbaric. One look into her clear, sparkling amber eyes told me she was entirely capable of diving in right then and there, so I quickly cut her off. Reaching into my coat, I pulled out a small glass vial. Without a shred of hesitation, I popped the cork and hurled it straight into the lake.
Splash—! Flap-flap-flap!
The freshwater fish lurking near the surface began thrashing in utter delirium, wildly convulsing before belly-flopping to float lifelessly atop the water.
"What on earth did you just throw in there?"
"Hmm, you're honestly better off not knowing."
Curiosity was written all over Ray's face, so I handed him the spare vial. The instant he pulled the stopper—
"Urgh, bleaargh—!"
"Heheh. See? Told you not to open it."
Indeed. What rested inside that bottle was none other than goblin feces—in short, concentrated shit. Goblins were already infamous for possessing the foulest stench imaginable, from their body odor down to their rancid blood; this concoction was an aged essence of that filth, a full-blown biochemical weapon. The fish simply couldn't withstand the toxicity and floated to the surface in droves.
How much time had passed?
Skrrreeeech—!
With a horrifying, piercing shriek, a gargantuan water serpent—easily the size of ten grown men strung together—erupted from the lake's depths. It had clearly gotten a mouthful of the foul brew, thrashing in a blind, venomous fury.
"Kyahaha! No clue why this snake is so huge, but it's gonna taste amazing once we roast it!"
With a boisterous cackle, Selena charged forward with reckless bravado. Assuming its level matched the guild's reports, I figured she could handle it without trouble and let her go—until my heart violently hammered against my ribs.
Thump—!
My survival instincts screamed at me. That creature was on par with, if not leagues above, the Minotaur we had encountered before.
"Selena! Fall back immediately—!"
I roared the warning, but it was already too late. She had already closed the distance.
KABOOOM—!
The naga's massive tail struck like a siege ram, launching Selena high into the air. She spun several times midair before violently slamming into a thick tree trunk.
"Ke-gahck—!"
Blood spilled from her lips, her eyes rolling back into her head as she went completely limp. Knocked out cold.
"...Huh?"
What the fuck.
F-to-D-rank monster, my ass. Completely contrary to what that receptionist had promised, this thing had long surpassed low-tier territory. Level 45 placed it squarely in B-rank territory.
"That son-of-a-bitch receptionist—!"
This was precisely why I despised receptionists and administrators in every novel I'd ever read. To save themselves five seconds of effort, they tossed out careless, half-assed assessments—and innocent people got crippled, dismembered, or slaughtered as a result.
⊳ Selena Itolof — Incapacitated
⊳ Yeong So-so — Normal
⊳ Seo Juhan — Normal
At least it said incapacitated. Given that it hadn't registered as deceased, she was still breathing.
"I take it that's our target," Ray murmured.
"Yeah. Pretty much."
"Pardon my language, but... we are thoroughly screwed. What should we do?"
Hey, you're the Chosen Hero! Shouldn't you be the one answering that instead of asking me?
I glanced toward our sole trump card, Yeong So-so, but her telepathic voice echoed coolly in my mind.
"This time, I truly shall not intervene until you are on the very brink of death. It matters not to me whether that man perishes or survives, so fight to your heart's content."
Yeah, figures. I knew you'd say that.
Her training regimen made Sparta look like a daycare; every single lesson came hand-in-hand with death. I had anticipated her aloofness, but unlike past trials, this situation was genuinely lethal. In modern terms, this was like pitting an unarmed civilian against an elite soldier bristling with state-of-the-art weaponry.
I turned to Ray.
"Ray, I know we haven't known each other long, but let me ask you one thing."
"Go ahead."
"Can you trust me with your life?"
How does one overcome a ten-level deficit? It was feasible only if I had at least one other fighter on my level acting in perfect lockstep. That was why I needed his answer.
"..."
Ray looked between the thrashing beast and me, his dark eyes narrowing as he made his decision.
"I trust you."
"...Good. Thanks!"
Skrrreeeech—!
With Ray's agreement and the naga's deafening hiss, the boss raid commenced.
Mutated Naga activated 'Water Cannon (C+)'.
Spheres of pressurized water shot forth like artillery shells from the naga's maw.
BOOM—! BANG—!
Each projectile packed enough kinetic force to snap ancient oak trees clean in half. Even so—
"High! Low! Upper left! Lower right!"
Because I could predict the trajectories and barked out commands in real-time, we managed to dodge by a hair's breadth. Yet evading was merely buying seconds; we desperately needed a breakthrough.
I lunged forward and gripped Ray's shoulder.
Stealth (S)
Our physical forms and presences vanished completely from the mortal plane. Now shielded from the torrential barrage of water spheres, I quickly whispered the tactical plan to Ray before unsheathing my blade and darting toward the naga.
Ray deliberately stepped out to draw aggro, dozens of water bullets raining toward him. Capitalizing on the diversion, I closed the distance at top speed, poised to cleave into its hide—
Skrrr—!
Without warning, dozens of high-pressure water bullets snapped directly toward me.
How the hell did it pierce my Stealth...?!
Then, a realization flashed through my mind.
A biology fact from high school: snakes perceive their prey through pit organs—thermal, infrared detection. This monster was fundamentally a serpent; if it possessed that same biological mechanism...
Squuelch—!
A water bullet tore straight into my abdomen, punching a gruesome hole clean through.
Ah, fuck.
The ragged cavity in my stomach proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The bastard had zeroed in on my body heat!
CRASH—!
Another sphere slammed into the flat of my blade with shattering impact. Just like Selena, I was sent skipping across the turf like a flat stone before smashing hard into a tree. Agony tore through my nervous system.
"*Blargh—!*"
Blood and bits of shredded tissue erupted from my throat.
Experience has reached its limit.
Physical Resistance (E) → (D)
The searing pain dulled by a microscopic fraction, but a single fragile human couldn't hold back a tidal wave. True death was knocking at my door.
Yet strangely, just like before, an intoxicating heat began coursing through my veins. Driven purely by instinct, I reached into my inventory, pulled out three scrolls, and ripped them apart without hesitation.
Used Skill Enhancement Ticket (A) x 3
Sword Mastery: (B) → (A)
Yang Demon Sword Technique: (D) → (B)
Next were my 24 unallocated stat points. Without a second thought, I dumped them entirely into Stamina and Strength.
My internal injuries hadn't miraculously healed, but the manic euphoria boiling through my veins crushed the pain beneath its weight.
Crack—!
Channeling mana through my legs, I vaulted into the air. While the serpent's attention was fixed on Ray, I drove my sword deep into its gills.
Shhk—!
Crimson blood sprayed in a torrential arc.
Though it was a beast, its slit-pupil eyes widened with unmistakable shock and fear. Shock that mere prey had managed to wound it—and terror that a creature broken to pieces had stood back up to plunge a blade into its flesh.
My stamina was running on absolute fumes. There would only be a single exchange left.
Just as I'd learned, I channeled the boiling madness welling from my mind directly into the blade. It didn't need to be vast. It just needed to be enough to kill the monster in front of me.
Fwoooosh—!
The faint flicker of sword-energy ignited into a deep, ferocious crimson flame. When the blistering heat reached a point where it could roast flesh just by proximity—
The water churning around the naga surged skyward, coalescing into the form of a colossal dragon. Just looking at it made the difference clear; unlike the earlier water bullets, this pressure could pulverize a human body into red mist on contact.
"Yeah! That's more like it!"
I raised my blade to face my foe. A crimson sword, half-ripened with deadly intent.
Second Stance: Incinerating the Enemy
The searing heat radiating from the blade splintered into dozens, then hundreds of ember-like sparks. In the next breath, those sparks erupted in a concentrated deluge toward the water dragon.
Szzzzzt—! Hiss—!
Steam roared as the water dragon's body evaporated before it could strike. The remaining embers swarmed around the naga, blanketing its massive frame.
Skrrreeeech—!
Flesh charred and sizzled in agony. Yet its armored scales were thick; the blaze wasn't quite enough to extinguish its life force.
Through the shimmering heat haze, the naga's venomous glare locked onto me. At this rate, its fangs would crush me into a light snack before I could recover.
And yet, a grin spread across my bloody lips.
"Stupid bastard. In that split second, you should've dove back into the lake."
Skrrr...?!
A bewildered hiss escaped the serpent.
Right behind its colossal head, battered and bloodied by the water barrage, Ray materialized. The gentle demeanor he had shown earlier was entirely gone, replaced by a terrifying, smoldering bloodlust.
Ray activated 'Gravity Sword (B+)'.
It was a strike so devastating it was hard to believe it was only at the first stage of mastery. With physical force far eclipsing the boundaries of human strength, his blade clove straight through the naga's skull.
A clean, decisive bisection.
Level has increased by 1!
Level has increased by 1!
Level has increased by 1!
As the clearance notifications flashed in my vision, I choked out one last vengeful thought.
"That fucking receptionist... I swear to God I'm going to kill him...!"
With that murderous oath, the sheer stubbornness keeping my consciousness tethered finally gave out, and the world faded to black.