Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Confronting the Great Ashurada
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There were faith resources gathered from all believers and temples across the continent, but at the same time, there was also the faith constantly consumed by the players every moment.
Typically, how much of these faith resources to invest where was a predetermined decision, but the problem had started when they began investing faith into the Fourth Continent.
Players from the Pantheon, including Choi Seong-un, had always accounted for the possibility of the worst-case scenario, so they couldn't invest large amounts of faith. They always had to reserve faith for that worst case.
Therefore, the resources to be consumed on the Fourth Continent needed to be limited to what could be generated there.
Wisdom spoke.
"But what if the creations alone are insufficient?"
"Then there's no choice. We'll have to consume more faith."
"If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to use enough faith to be safe from the start?"
Choi Seong-un said.
"Do you think it's too precarious?"
"Honestly... a bit. It's not a force I can call reliable. The extent of that Ashurada’s power is still somewhat unknown."
Choi Seong-un said.
"But if we always fight safe battles, a gap with the other players is inevitable."
Especially since their current opponent, the Great Ashurada, was a dragon, and players faced an additional faith consumption penalty when dealing with dragons.
In Choi Seong-un's view, cards he believed could reliably take down a dragon were excessive waste, and honestly, he couldn't be certain anyway.
At the current level range, even an incarnated player wouldn't easily handle a dragon of Ashurada’s caliber.
"Pushing through with sheer force could end up being a waste in the end."
Wisdom muttered.
"You're saying to trust them as much as they inspire belief."
The torchlight raised by the people shone within the dust clouds rising several meters high.
-How dare you...!
Above it, the Great Ashurada raised its body and lifted its head.
The Great Ashurada’s overall appearance resembled a sauropod dinosaur.
Its neck was extremely long compared to its relatively short body length.
But few would have the guts to comment on this bizarre proportion.
The head rose over 30 meters high, its embedded yellow eyes gleaming like the ominous binary stars heralding the apocalypse sung in ancient prophecies, while its freely bending fingers and the sharp claws at their tips were more than sufficient to turn that prophecy into reality.
A red crown-like silhouette floated above Ashurada’s head.
Mazdari shouted.
"It's magic!"
Yacheon’s creation and the Pantheon’s gatekeeper, the giant stag beetle Hekab, said.
The distance between Ashurada and Hekab was roughly a hundred meters.
Considering the size of the two behemoths, it wasn't that far, but to Mazdari’s eyes, it seemed plenty distant for Hekab to charge in and interrupt Ashurada’s magic.
But Hekab’s strategy differed from what Mazdari had imagined.
Hekab thrust its horn under a rock beside it, one the size of its own body.
Boom.
Mazdari watched as the rock, which seemed immovable even in imagination, shifted.
Hekab simply jerked its head up, uprooting the rock from the ground and hurling it toward the dragon.
-...!
The massive rock spun half around as it plummeted toward the dragon’s torso.
-Crash!
Just the rock slamming into the ground sent small bricks and shattered stone fragments flying from the rampart, while the displaced air whipped at Mazdari and Basen Rak Oran.
Basen descended from the tower top and said to Mazdari.
"Mazdari, I need to lead the expedition."
"...Do you think gunpowder will be useful?"
Basen nodded.
"Of course. That dragon blocked the explosion with magic."
"...I saw the same thing."
"Blocking it means it can't withstand a direct hit. Even by eye, it has thick hide, but as a living creature, it must have vulnerable spots, so guns should work."
Mazdari turned to look at Ashurada.
"Fine. I'll see if I can assist that guardian. I'll buy as much time as possible."
"You sure?"
"Even if not, it's something that has to be done."
Basen grinned but said nothing more.
Mazdari watched Basen dash off briefly, then recalled the spell list in his memory.
Mazdari’s left hand spoke to him.
'Yeah, tell me about it.'
'Maybe not.'
Mazdari knew that too.
And the dragon seemed to still be trying to sway Mazdari now.
Siding with the dragon in this fight might change its course.
'That’s a good idea.'
Ashurada barely managed to block the rock Hekab had thrown.
It looked unscathed on the surface, but Ashurada’s hands, which had caught the rock without any preparatory stance, trembled lightly.
-A mere beast tamed by the gods...!
But Ashurada couldn't speak for long.
In the brief moment Ashurada blocked the rock, Hekab had closed the distance and charged.
-Hrrgh...!
Hekab thrust into Ashurada’s side, and Ashurada grabbed the horns with both hands.
A brief power struggle ensued.
As Ashurada began to be pushed back bit by bit, it eventually gave up the contest of strength and shoved the horns aside.
It avoided a direct headbutt, but Hekab skillfully shoved its head sideways, toppling Ashurada.
-...Thud!
Dust clouds rose again.
Ashurada lost its composure, quickly rolling its body and propping itself up with two legs and two arms.
-You pest!
But Ashurada didn't charge at Hekab again.
It knew it couldn't win another power struggle.
-Physical strength is rooted in barbarism anyway.
Ashurada inhaled deeply, puffing its cheeks enormously.
It was the breath used by dragons in Lost World, otherwise known as a "breath spell."
Hekab had predicted the type of breath spell Ashurada would use through mock battles in the second conference room. Players had data allowing them to infer a dragon’s abilities from its appearance.
'Its maw is glowing brightly. Fireball! In that case...'
Hekab charged at Ashurada again.
As expected, what Ashurada exhaled was a breath of flame.
The massive fireball shot out like a cannon, striking Hekab directly.
The flames blazed fiercely on Hekab’s exoskeleton but soon cooled and vanished.
Hekab seemed to have nothing special beyond immense strength and hardness, but that very simplicity was its weapon.
Choi Seong-un had known someday such a "weapon" would be needed.
The Great Ashurada backed away lightly, aiming to use magic from a distance.
Hekab tried not to miss the chance.
But Hekab, charging fiercely, had to stop abruptly.
-...?
A small lifeform had passed right in front of it.
Mazdari appeared before Ashurada and Hekab.
Hekab hesitated to advance, lest it trample Mazdari by accident, and Ashurada halted to say.
Mazdari walked slowly toward Ashurada.
"Yes, Great Ashurada. I’ve come with one question."
"Were all the words you spoke from the tower true?"
Ashurada let out a low chuckle, glanced slightly at Hekab, confirmed it wasn’t moving, and said.
"Then..."
Ashurada extended its long neck toward Mazdari.
At those words, Hekab took a step forward.
But Hekab couldn’t advance.
A transparent wall in midair blocked Hekab.
Ashurada’s magic had already activated from its hand.
Mazdari said.
"But how can I believe that? What if you’re no different from the gods?"
Ashurada’s head slowly lowered right up to Mazdari.
Mazdari was overwhelmed by instinctive terror before the massive dragon head that could chew and swallow him whole.
But Mazdari was a person of will, and since becoming a mage, he had tirelessly worked to prevent that instinct from consuming him. Even in fear, Mazdari could move his body.
"What is that secret?"
At that instant, Mazdari thrust out his hidden left hand.
The dragon reacted immediately.
A conical barrage of flames poured from Mazdari’s left hand.
Ashurada jerked its head up.
Ashurada’s lower jaw was singed, but it didn’t seem to have inflicted serious damage.
'The goal was just to buy time anyway. Doesn’t matter.'
Ashurada said.
"You didn’t trust me till the end either, did you?"
Ashurada started to retort but growled upon seeing Hekab charging toward it.
Mazdari’s ambush hadn’t landed perfectly, but it was enough to disrupt its focus on magic.
However, the Great Ashurada had no intention of suffering the same attack from Hekab again.
-....
Ashurada, who had cast magic without incantations until now, muttered a chant even Mazdari didn’t know.
Hekab shouted as it charged.
Unfortunately, Hekab’s advice was useless.
The moment Mazdari ducked, the dragon’s two hands touched the ground.
Instantly, Mazdari and Hekab, along with trees embedded in the earth, the soil tangled in their roots, and the bricks piled atop it all, rose into the air.
'A reversal spell...!'
Mazdari felt his body flipping in midair and saw the ground falling toward the sky.
The time spent airborne was merely a few seconds, but once that float time ended, Hekab and Mazdari regained their weight. They began to plummet.
Mazdari, who had risen over a hundred meters, looked at the approaching ground and thought.
'This is going to be hard to survive.'
But in the corner of Mazdari’s vision, something white flickered, and with a binding pressure wrapping around him, he regained the stability of the ground.
"Hm?"
Lying on the ground, Mazdari realized he was tightly bound in spider silk.
A massive white spider looked down at Mazdari, then sliced the web binding him with its blade-like claws.
It was the white spider Hilrov.
"Yes, I’m fine. But what about Hekab..."
As Mazdari rose and looked up, he saw Gordius using its forepaw to roll over Hekab, who had landed on its back.
"What a mess."
It was Basen’s voice.
Mazdari turned to see Basen and the gunners appearing atop the hill.
Basen met Mazdari’s eyes and said.
"Good work, Mazdari."