Chapter 228
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 228
Chapter Title: Serpented's Lair
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Aditya resented Vikram.
It was a raid that made no sense from the start.
A dungeon with no level marking.
Attempting a dungeon that screamed danger, relying solely on one Legendary detection skill.
Humans!
The moment they entered the dungeon, some monster charged at them.
Lv.450 Serpented
And its level was 450.
The sheer absurdity of facing such an outrageously high level crushed their will to fight.
Vikram felt the same.
No way, this cant be real!
A dungeon with no level indicated.
A dungeon that seemed dangerous just to enter.
Vikram had experienced ones like that several times before.
At first, hed been cautious, of course, but hed trusted his Legendary-grade detection and gone in.
The results had been a massive success.
So hed assumed this one was the samenever dreaming a level 450 boss was lurking inside.
Gah!
At that moment, searing pain shot through his arm.
When Vikram turned his head, the right arm that should have been attached was gone, torn clean off.
No, I didnt even see it coming close?
But that wasnt the only problem.
The moment he realized his right arm was missing, his left leg was ripped away too, sending him crashing to the ground off-balance.
Arghhh!
Vikram screamed.
Guild Master!
Damn it!
The guild members hurriedly assumed combat stances.
Fighting the thing was impossible, but they couldnt just die like this.
Yet no matter what they did, they couldnt even scratch Serpenteds body.
Urk!
Aaagh!
In an instant, five of them were dead.
Necks torn off, or upper bodies and torsos ripped from lower halvesthey all ended up in Serpenteds maw.
No!
Vikram, now missing one arm and one leg, wailed in despair.
Serpented closed in in a flash and tore into his neck.
U, uaaagh!
The guild members watching from behind scattered in blind panic.
Fighting it was impossible.
Aditya hurriedly activated Stealth and huddled in a corner, trembling.
Aaagh!
Kaaagh!
He squeezed his eyes shut, plugged his ears, and prayed madly to the gods.
Save him from this hopeless situation.
Hed do anything if they just spared his life.
Then the hand blocking his right ear went slack.
It fell away from his ear, and indescribable pain surged from his arm.
Kh, khuuuh
He slowly turned his head.
Where his right arm should have been, there was nothingjust blood pouring out.
His severed right arm lay on the floor.
This is it, he thought. Im dead.
But then, someone entered through a portal.
Aditya cried out hoarsely, his voice barely escaping.
Save me.
The man spotted him, approached, and healed his wound in an instant.
A priest
The pain vanished in a flash.
That meant he was a high-rank priest.
Useless in combat.
His level was only 160, to boot.
Aditya had no idea how a level 160 could heal like that, but the situation was still hopeless.
Or so he thought.
Kraaagh!
Serpented, charging toward them, suddenly shrieked.
Huh?
Aditya let out a dumbstruck noise.
The level 450 boss is in pain?
Looking closely, some harpoon-like thing was lodged in Serpenteds head.
Didnt you hear me say fall back?
Ah, sorry
Only then did Aditya snap to his senses and retreat.
Poseidons Harpoon.
It was the first item Jeong Hoon had prepared.
A harpoon bought for 50,000 points, single-useit vanished automatically after a set time once thrown.
Seals one of Serpenteds abilities by force.
Poseidons Harpoon had the option to forcibly seal one of its abilities.
Not possible with Extreme Archer.
Serpenteds level was one thing, but seal skills had zero effect.
Jeong Hoons Extreme Archer couldnt bind its actions or abilities.
But Poseidons Harpoon could.
It forcibly sealed one ability, no matter what.
Of course, only for about five minutes.
Thats enough.
The ability Jeong Hoon sealed was Target.
It locked onto a target and forcibly ripped off their desired body part.
What made it tricky was the remote attack range.
Thats why theyd all fallen at onceto the first pattern, Target.
First pattern broken.
The James Marcus expedition that had felled it said Serpented had four patterns total.
The second triggered when its HP dropped below 70.
Black Field activates.
All stats boosted by 1.5x.
Black Field reduces all stats of monsters invading the territory by 10.
Jeong Hoon activated Black Field.
All stats rise by 15.
Damage reduction of 20 applied.
Duration: 1 hour.
Plus the stat amplification ring.
Poison Attack activation chance rises by an additional 4 for 1 hour.
He wanted to use Annihilation, but the level gap with Serpented exceeded 60, so no dice.
Grasp of the Overlord special ability activates.
All stats rise by 10.
All weapon attack power and proficiency rise by 10.
Grasp of the Overlord.
Special ability of Spirit-Adorned Headpiece activates.
Attack and defense rise by 40.
Spirit-Adorned Headpiece.
Use Celestial Aura.
Stellar aura bloomed from Jeong Hoons body, wrapping him gently.
Attack and defense increase by 20.
Serpenteds attack and defense decrease by 10.
With buffs active, Jeong Hoon drew Animuss string.
Underwater combat, but entering the dungeon made arrows immune to water resistance.
Aim for vitals.
It was broken, but not perfectly.
He had to kill it within five minutes for an easy win.
Jeong Hoon released the drawn string.
Pewwww!
Ultimate Arrow.
The Ultimate Arrow struck its forehead dead-on.
It pierced the crystal embedded in one of Serpenteds vitals: the forehead.
Kieeeek!
The arrow hit the vital, and Serpented shrieked.
But it wasnt over.
Heavenly Strike activates.
Heavenly Strike triggered, unleashing a shower of arrows.
Its HP started draining fast.
Thanks to the doping stacking Jeong Hoons stats.
Then light emanated from its body, eyes turning red.
The second pattern.
Now!
Jeong Hoon released the string again.
Pewwww!
The arrow hit its tail precisely.
The crystal orb attached to the arrow tip exploded.
Jeong Hoons second prepared item.
Latys Crystal Orb.
When it exploded, the target was immobilized for 15 seconds.
That broke the second pattern.
It cost a whopping 100,000 points.
Effective only on monsters, and a measly 15 seconds of stunit barely sold.
But its true value was elsewhere.
Use it when it tries to activate an ability, and it auto-cancels.
Even after the 15-second stun ended, the attempted ability wouldnt trigger.
Serpenteds second ability is Petrify.
When that light poured out and you were exposed, your body hardened solid.
For a full minute, making it just a matter of time before Serpenteds belly claimed you.
But Latys Crystal Orb canceled the Petrify.
Jeong Hoon drew and released again.
Pewwww!
The arrow pierced its forehead once more.
Kieek!
Its HP plummeted, leaving just 30.
The third pattern couldnt start, thanks to the Crystal Orb stun.
Jeong Hoon kept firing.
Remaining HP: 17
Remaining HP: 14
Remaining HP: 10
HP dropped like mad, down to 10.
Then the stun wore off, and Serpented thrashed.
Time for the final pattern: special ability.
Serpented recovers HP.
Remaining HP: 30
It healed too, jumping from 10 to 30 instantly.
Jeong Hoon set Animus aside.
Uh? What? Why?
Keep shooting! What are you doing?!
Mukho and Animus cried out in confusion.
Jeong Hoon grinned.
Taking the easy route.
At that instant, Serpented gaped its maw.
Serpented uses Ice Breath.
Dragonkin breath.
Its final pattern.
The breath blasted at Jeong Hoon.
And he didnt dodgehe took it full-on.
No!
Aditya, watching from afar, screamed.
Hed watched with eyes full of hope until the HP recovery and direct breath hit crushed it to despair.
No one could survive that.
The spot it hit even froze over.
Youre next.
Serpented glared at Aditya with bloodshot eyes.
Adityas legs gave out; he couldnt move.
P-please
Gods
Boom!
Then the ice shattered, and Jeong Hoon swam out unscathed.
How?!
Serpented stared in shock.
Doesnt matter how.
Jeong Hoon grinned.
Retaliation Rune activates.
Absorbed attacks can be returned.
Retaliation Rune.
Absorbs all incoming attacks for 15 seconds, then returns them.
Jeong Hoon fired the absorbed breath right back.
Zaaaap!
With a roar, the breath engulfed Serpented.
It vanished without a scream.
Serpenteds Lair has been cleared.
Clear rewards granted.
No penalties from this dungeon applied.
Done.
All penalties from Serpenteds Lair erased.
And more.
Amazing feat achieved!
You have slain the North Sea Guardian Serpented.
Achievement points: 100,000 granted.
Points: 300,000 granted.
Experience: 5,000,000,000 gained!
Level up.
All stats 1.
Bonus stat 1 granted.
Achievement points, points, and exp from killing Serpented.
With the North Sea Guardian slain, a new special dungeon generates.
New episode now accessible.
A new episode unlocked too.
Opened.
An episode in the collection.
High difficulty like Merhen, but essential to end the game.
Impressive fellow.
Baal appeared before Jeong Hoon.
Eek! Whats that?!
Aditya yelped in shock.
Noisy one.
Baal frowned.
Aditya toppled backward and fainted.
Finally quiet.
Baal turned back to Jeong Hoon.
Cleared it solo, as promised.
Ha, didnt think youd solo Serpented too.
Tough one, like you said. Without items, it wouldve been rough.
He meant it.
Without knowing the patterns, it wouldve been a hard fight.
Then Ill tell you the next dungeon right away.
Yeah? Where?
The special dungeon that just opened. Close it.