Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Clash with the Phoenix
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Phoenix.
It was one of the most powerful beings among fire-attribute monsters, ranking in the top five.
Hae-jin recalled those five entities.
‘Red Dragon, Surtr, Ifrit, Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and Phoenix.’
They were all monsters associated with fire, each considered among the strongest.
And now, one of them—a Phoenix—had appeared.
“Why put a monster like this, something that should only show up after the tenth Trial Arena, in a place like this?”
In truth, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
The previous monsters had been on par with those from around the tenth Trial Arena or even beyond.
But Hae-jin had never imagined a Phoenix would appear.
‘If I go all out with full buffs and fight it myself, I could take it down quickly...’
Right now, Hae-jin was focused on diligently raising Q.
But at this point, he felt like one Q might not quite cut it.
The Sea Serpent was a rank below the Blue Dragon to begin with.
With that in mind, Hae-jin thought of the top five water-attribute monsters.
‘Blue Dragon, Muldoda, Elraim, Sea Dragon, Leviathan.’
Those five were the strongest in water attributes.
Since the Sea Serpent was a lower rank, it would struggle against the Phoenix.
Of course, Hae-jin considered this as well.
‘If I give it full buffs, could it hold its own?’
Honestly, Q felt like it had grown even more than relatively stronger Sea Serpents.
So, with full buffs from him, it might be able to face the Phoenix.
But Hae-jin shook his head.
‘No, even then it’d be at a disadvantage. The field effects are completely different.’
Field effects.
Each monster had environments suited to their attributes.
When in harmony with those environments, they produced synergy.
Players called this ‘field effect.’
The current field was a lava zone.
For one of the strongest fire-attribute monsters, the Phoenix, it was a field that granted power greater than anywhere else.
For Q the Sea Serpent, on the other hand, it was a thoroughly unfavorable environment.
As he thought that, something occurred to Hae-jin.
‘Oh! Didn’t Joo-hyuk have a field deployment skill?’
With that thought, Hae-jin quickly opened his skill window.
‘Skills.’
Opening the skill window, Hae-jin rapidly searched for field deployment skills.
With so many skills, he scrolled through the field deployment ones repeatedly.
‘There it is!’
He could see various skills capable of deploying fields.
The one Hae-jin needed most right now was.
“Sea Deployment!”
[Skill! ‘Sea Deployment’ is cast.]
[Field! The surrounding environment centered on the caster transforms into the sea.]
No sooner had the system window appeared than seawater began rising around Hae-jin, turning the lava zone into ocean.
Seeing this, Hae-jin cast another skill.
‘Fly.’
[Skill! ‘Fly’ is cast.]
Fly.
A magic spell for flight.
Hae-jin couldn’t afford to be submerged in the deploying sea, so he cast the flight magic Fly and took to the air with Q.
At that moment, the Phoenix—which had been crouched on the highest hill in the lava zone—opened its eyes.
It had sensed the environmental change from the Sea Deployment skill.
And the Phoenix saw it.
The sea steadily spreading through the lava zone.
Immediately, the Phoenix let out a roar.
[Kiyoooo—!]
The system window appeared with the Phoenix’s roar.
[Field! The Phoenix uses ‘Lava Deployment.’]
[The sea field no longer deploys.]
[Exposed to ‘Phoenix Fear.’]
[Debuff! ‘Phoenix Fear’ reduces all enemy stats by 50%.]
[Skill! ‘Fear Immunity’ activates.]
[Weakens the Phoenix’s ‘Phoenix Fear.’]
[All stats reduced by only 10%.]
The Phoenix deployed Lava while using Phoenix Fear to instill terror simultaneously.
Fortunately, Hae-jin had the ‘Fear Immunity’ skill from Joo-hyuk, so his stats— which should have dropped by 50%—only fell by 10%.
Seeing everything, Hae-jin looked troubled.
“Damn! It’s blocked.”
He had deployed the sea field so Q could take on the Phoenix alone, but the Phoenix had countered it.
Moreover, witnessing the stat reduction from Phoenix Fear, Hae-jin thought.
‘Even against a Phoenix, Joo-hyuk’s Fear Immunity isn’t full immunity.’
The sea deployment had stopped, and his stats had dropped by 10%.
The silver lining was.
“Still, part of it turned into sea. To maintain this area... Q, Giant Growth!”
[Kyung!]
Following Hae-jin’s command, Q used Giant Growth.
Q activated Giant Growth in the partially deployed sea field.
Its massive size filled the small sea completely.
It was still better than being purely in the lava zone.
Next, Hae-jin cast full buffs on Q.
Even with the sea field synergy, as long as lava zones remained, Q would be overwhelmingly outmatched by the Phoenix.
“Combat Orders, Hyper Body, Sharp Eyes, Meditation, Wind Booster, Combo Barrier, Magic Shield, Magic Resistance, Full Aura, Haste, Strength, Holy Symbol, Striking, Bless, Ice Enchant, Water Enchant, Clair Senses...”
And so on.
Q received full buffs from Hae-jin.
Just then, the Phoenix that had happened moments ago charged at it.
[Kiyoooo!]
Enraged by Hae-jin and Q’s intrusion, the Phoenix enveloped its entire body in flames and flew in.
Seeing this, Hae-jin remarked.
“It’s really pissed off now.”
Normally, a Phoenix didn’t wrap its body in flames from the start of battle.
When it did, it was one of two things.
Either its health had fallen below half... or it was genuinely furious.
Hae-jin had only deployed the sea field to boost Q’s stats.
He hadn’t done anything to reduce the Phoenix’s health, so this was pure rage.
As the furious Phoenix charged, Hae-jin commanded Q.
“Q, Water Cannon first!”
[Krraaaang!]
Q opened its maw and prepared the Water Cannon.
That was when it happened.
The Phoenix, flying wreathed in flames, flapped its wings.
[Kiyoyoyo—!]
Roarrr—!
As the Phoenix flapped its wings, golden flames transformed into spears and surged toward Q.
Golden flame spears targeting everywhere.
Hae-jin deflected those heading his way, but the others from the Phoenix struck various spots.
Kwaaaaang—!
Q had toughened up considerably, so rather than piercing, the spears failed and exploded.
But one targeted Q’s vital spot.
[Keurk!]
While gathering water energy for the Water Cannon, a golden flame spear entered Q’s open maw.
Thanks to that, Q halted the Water Cannon and coughed.
[Kuhok, kuhok.]
Puff puff—.
Black smoke billowed from Q’s mouth with each cough.
If it had just opened wide, the weak interior—unlike its tough exterior—might have been pierced, but the water energy it was gathering for the cannon had blocked the spear just in time.
But the Phoenix wouldn’t stand idly by while Q coughed repeatedly.
Sensing the golden flame spears hadn’t done much, it hovered in the air and wildly flapped both wings.
Whoooosh—, whoooosh—, whoooosh—!
As it flapped its wings toward the center, a vortex of flames formed there.
Hae-jin recognized the pattern immediately.
‘It’s preparing to launch a Fire Whirlwind.’
Fire Whirlwind.
As the name implied, it was the Phoenix firing a whirlwind of fire.
A small fire whirlwind formed where the wings converged, and once created, the Phoenix launched it forward.
[Kiyoooot—!]
Even after firing the small one, it kept flapping, and the whirlwind grew larger by the moment.
In an instant, as big as Q itself.
Seeing this, Hae-jin ordered Q.
“Q, erect a Water Barrier!”
[Krraaang!]
To obey, Q slammed its tail upward with all its might.
Even without water, that created a water barrier ahead, but with the sea present, an enormous one formed.
Shwaaaah—!
The massive water barrier unfurled.
Then came the sound of it blocking the Phoenix’s Fire Whirlwind.
Tsssiiiik—!
Hae-jin could see and hear it.
The smoke and sound of the Fire Whirlwind evaporating the water barrier.
In that moment, Hae-jin sensed movement.
The Phoenix beyond the barrier circling to the side.
“Q! Phoenix is coming from the right! Prepare Water Cannon again!”
[Krraaaang!]
Q prepared the Water Cannon once more.
Learning from the previous hit, it slightly lowered its head this time.
Hae-jin smiled proudly.
“Smart guy.”
It had lowered its head to avoid a repeat.
In the meantime, Hae-jin spotted it.
The Phoenix bypassing the water barrier as per the presence.
Circling fully, it unleashed a barrage of golden flame spears from one wing.
[Kiyoooo—!]
Roarrr—!
Golden flame spears pouring from the front.
Seeing them, Hae-jin shouted.
“Q, keep preparing the Water Cannon! I’ll block them!”
Yelling that, Hae-jin used a skill.
‘Fly!’
[Skill! ‘Fly’ is cast.]
Casting Fly magic, Hae-jin took flight.
He swiftly flew and knocked away all the golden flame spears targeting Q.
Kwaaaaakwang—!
That was when.
Tssik—.
The sound of the water barrier blocking the Fire Whirlwind fading came.
Hae-jin, having blocked the spears, saw it.
The Fire Whirlwind that had survived by annihilating Q’s water barrier and charged on.
Seeing it, Hae-jin commanded Q.
“Fire the prepared Water Cannon straight ahead!”
[Krraaaang—!]
Q, having gathered water energy, blasted the Water Cannon at the oncoming Fire Whirlwind.
Whoooosh—!
Tsssiiiik—!
The Water Cannon Q fired extinguished the weakened Fire Whirlwind, thanks to the prior barrier.
But the Phoenix didn’t miss the opening.
[Kiyoooooo—!]
As Q fired at the Fire Whirlwind, it seized the gap and rushed in.
Intensifying the blazing flames over its entire body even further.
Hae-jin knew the pattern well.
‘Firebird Barrage!’
It amplified the golden flames enveloping its body and charged directly.
Being a direct charge, the attack was extremely powerful.
Hae-jin hesitated for a moment.
‘Can Q withstand it? Should I block?’
No matter how he thought, Q couldn’t.
“Damn it!”
Hae-jin flew in quickly and intercepted the Phoenix’s Firebird Barrage aiming for Q’s head.
With a fitting attack skill.
“Grand Cross!”