Chapter 98
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 098
Chapter Title: The Freak and the Curse (6)
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‘Hot stuff.’
Punching a Flame Flower spell head-on?
I couldn’t help but admire that bold judgment.
Of course, he’d have to bear the consequences of such a reckless choice himself.
“Gaaahhh!”
A monstrous scream echoed from within the cloud of black smoke kicked up by the explosion.
And when the smoke finally cleared...
The creature’s wretched form came into view.
Its right arm was gone.
Its entire right side was charred black.
Even at a glance, the damage looked severe.
On top of that, all the freaks around it had been swept away by the Flame Flower spell, leaving the area around it eerily empty.
“Ooh!”
“The incarnation of Acovar!”
“Now we might actually have a shot!”
The cheers from the rear grew even louder than before.
The hope in their voices filled me with joy.
“Magnificent!”
At that moment, Timothy approached me from the side, shouting as much.
His face was flushed with excitement.
He seemed stunned by the power of the Flame Flower spell.
“It was like watching a legendary archmage!”
Timothy lavished me with praise.
But I couldn’t bask in it.
The cheering crowd had started murmuring.
I could feel the atmosphere shift.
Something had definitely happened.
‘What’s going on?’
I immediately turned my gaze toward the monster.
And was greeted by a grotesque sight.
Shwick!
Dozens of tentacles sprouted from the monster’s back.
They lashed out rapidly toward the freaks approaching it—and us.
Piercing their bodies.
And then?
Delivering them straight to the massive maw on its abdomen.
Slurp.
A freak impaled on a tentacle dangled before the mouth.
A long tongue slithered out from within, wrapped around it, and dragged it inside.
Crunch crunch.
Moments later, the enormous jaws worked up and down furiously, chewing the freak to bits.
And soon enough, a loud gulp rang out.
‘Eating its own allies?’
As I watched in a daze, the monster kept using its tentacles to haul more freaks into its mouth.
And before long, I noticed something astonishing.
‘It’s regenerating.’
The monster was healing.
Its severed right arm was regrowing at a rapid pace.
Even as I watched, flesh writhed and bubbled, rebuilding the missing part.
“How about firing off another fireball?”
I asked Timothy.
I had a gut feeling we couldn’t just leave the monster like this.
I had 407 MP remaining.
The Flame Flower spell cost 240, so I could use it one more time.
“That spell from before... how many more can you cast?”
Timothy turned to me and asked.
I answered honestly.
“Exactly once.”
“Then save it. If that one shot doesn’t finish the monster, it’ll just heal back up. It seems to regenerate by devouring the freaks, so our best bet is to deal with them first. Do you agree?”
I nodded at Timothy’s question.
His judgment matched my own thinking perfectly.
“I agree.”
“Good. Then we need to separate the monster from the freaks first. Got any good ideas?”
“I have three knights in my squad. I’ll lure the monster with them, and Sir Timothy, you command the forces here? Oh, and I’ll tell my remaining men to follow your orders too.”
“Hmm...”
Timothy pondered for a moment.
Then he nodded.
No better plan had come to him.
“I leave it to you.”
With that, Timothy headed toward the soldiers and barbarians to issue commands.
I approached my group as well.
I needed to tell them to follow his lead.
Ever since I’d unleashed the Flame Flower spell, the monster’s attention had been fixed solely on me.
It must have pegged me as the biggest threat.
In that case...
‘Luring it should be easy.’
I mounted my beloved horse, Victory, and rode out of the village.
Making sure the monster got a good look at me.
The burly trio followed close behind.
Me and the three knights would handle the monster, while Timothy and his troops blocked the freaks.
That was the plan.
Thud!
As expected, the monster pursued me.
It had whipped around abruptly to chase me, crushing countless freaks underfoot in the process.
They were flattened without mercy.
‘Definitely trickier than a troll.’
The difference between the monster and a troll?
The tentacles.
With a troll, you just had to watch out for its swinging limbs.
But this thing? You had to deal with dozens of tentacles sprouting from its back too.
It was basically covered in extra arms.
Meaning for every one attack we landed, it could strike dozens of times.
Still, there was one piece of good fortune.
We could bring the undead knights into this fight.
‘That’s why I volunteered to lure it out.’
I couldn’t summon undead knights where there were crowds of people.
Getting exposed as a necromancer would spell trouble.
But out here, in this deserted spot?
I could command my familiars freely, without a care.
Bear and Conal already knew about them, so no need to worry about prying eyes.
‘That makes nine knights against the monster. We’ve got the overwhelming advantage.’
Nine knights.
A terrifying force on its own.
And every single one was exceptionally skilled.
I had zero doubts we’d win.
‘This should do it.’
After galloping for a few minutes...
I decided it was time to engage and cast Pulling Earth.
It worked great on heavy enemies like this.
Slurp.
The monster, gleefully chasing us...
Suddenly, the ground beneath its feet turned to mush, sucking its legs into the soil.
Even as it lost balance, it thrashed with its arms and tentacles, trying to escape the swampy earth.
Of course, we didn’t let it.
“Attack!”
At my command, two humans and seven undead charged the monster, hacking away.
But even as its flesh tore and tentacles severed, it kept struggling to break free.
And eventually, it succeeded.
“Raaargh—!”
The monster let out a bellow upon escaping.
Then it lunged straight at me.
And damn, it was fast.
Staying put meant it’d catch me soon.
Time to put some distance between us.
“Victory, run!”
I hurriedly widened the gap.
And so unfolded a bizarre scene.
Me fleeing, the monster chasing, the burly trio and undead knights harrying it from behind.
A deadly game of tag, lives on the line.
Heros fleeing, the monster in pursuit.
The burly trio and six undead worked to protect him, harassing the beast.
Annoyed by the interference, the monster began swinging its dozens of tentacles wildly.
Shwick!
Dodge one tentacle, and two more come flying.
Cleave those, and three more strike.
Miss a beat, and you eat an attack.
And those hits were lethal.
Splat!
An undead knight targeting the monster’s ankle.
It got smacked by a tentacle and launched into the air.
Follow-up tentacles pummeled it relentlessly.
If Gilbert hadn’t intervened, it would’ve been pulverized to dust.
As it was, half-destroyed, it had no choice but to withdraw from the battlefield.
‘Chilling.’
Bear heightened his senses to the max, knowing he could end up the same way.
Conal did likewise.
Splatter!
A tentacle aiming for Conal’s nape.
He sidestepped without even looking back.
And in the same motion, slashed it clean.
Rotted blood sprayed from the clean cut.
But only for a moment.
Fresh flesh soon sprouted, regenerating it fully.
An unnatural recovery speed.
‘Just fighting the tentacles won’t cut it.’
So thought Conal.
Then he eyed the fist hurtling his way.
A punch the size of a torso.
One hit, and he’d burst.
Yet Conal held his ground.
Only when the fist closed in...
Did he leap, landing atop the monster’s arm.
Using it as a springboard, he vaulted up and slashed its torso.
Splatter!
Black blood gushed from the sword cut.
The wound closed quickly thanks to the monster’s rapid healing, but Conal realized something in the process.
Its regeneration was slower than before.
A subtle difference, but Conal—fully focused—didn’t miss it.
“Its regen’s slowing down! Keep hitting it!”
Conal shouted for his allies to hear.
Bear, hearing it from below, hacked wildly at the monster’s calf.
Gilbert and the other undead rampaged too.
Before long, the once-smooth skin was crisscrossed with red gashes.
Only half the tentacles remained.
Our side took heavy losses too, though.
All six undead knights were combat-ineffective and had to pull out.
Still, the monster refused to stop chasing Heros.
‘It just won’t quit.’
Bear scowled.
At this rate, they’d tire out first.
Then, Heros yelled from ahead.
“Stop it, even for a moment!”
Bear and Conal realized Heros planned to use Flame Flower again.
And that he needed distance because of its power.
Shing.
Bear and Conal, matching the monster’s pace.
Their eyes met briefly in the air.
They turned away and waited for their moment.
A chance to slip past the tentacles and strike directly.
About a minute later?
Gilbert charged the monster.
The tentacles’ focus shifted to him instantly.
Stab!
Gilbert was skewered and shredded in seconds.
But his sacrifice bought Bear and Conal their opening.
‘Now!’
Bear’s eyes gleamed as he targeted the left ankle.
Conal, reading him, moved in too.
As Bear’s sword sliced the ankle, Conal followed up seamlessly.
His strike traced Bear’s exact path, deepening the wound.
Crack!
When the monster stepped forward on its left foot, the ankle buckled inward under its weight.
From the deep gash.
Its body pitched forward.
But it caught itself with arms and tentacles, avoiding a full faceplant.
That was enough, though.
The pursuit halted.
Heros had gained distance.
“Run!”
Heros’s shout.
Bear and Conal bolted without hesitation.
Their job wasn’t to kill it—just wear it down.
Whoosh!
Intense heat bloomed behind them soon after.
They knew what came next.
Explosion, blast, smoke.
They’d seen it plenty of times before.
Boom—!
Moments later.
A massive roar erupted behind Bear and Conal.
The shockwave slammed into them.
Plip plop.
Dirt and pebbles pelted their bodies.
Even blinded by dust, they turned toward the monster.
And witnessed it.
Toppling face-first to the ground.
Thud.
The gigantic maw on its belly.
It smashed into the earth.