Chapter 268: Seventy-First Floor, The Crimson Wilderness (6)

[Complete a contract. Time remaining: 86 hours 57 minutes.]

The pond had to be deeper than it appeared. As the divine beast rose, its sheer size eclipsed even that of the dragons Herkest and Sarkeiz. With its head tilted back, it let out a deafening roar, then slammed its massive foot into the ground.

“

Kraaaah!

”

Its bellow tore through the wasteland, echoing across the desolate landscape.

Boom—

An instant later, a violent surge of mana radiated from it.

The formless wave condensed into a gust of wind, becoming visible to the naked eye. Dust and debris, caught in the gust, scattered outward in all directions, practically radiating from the beast.

Of course, neither Tunyak nor I stood idle. I immediately readied my axe for combat, while Tunyak nocked an arrow onto his bowstring.

There was no doubt in my mind about his abilities. I had yet to see him fight, but I could sense his strength.

He has single-handedly killed corrupted divine beasts. He can’t be weak.

Without exchanging so much as a glance, we launched forward at the same time. Following our initial plan, I veered left while Tunyak headed toward the right. I would keep the beast’s attention locked onto me, giving Tunyak an opening to land his shots.

His arrows were laced with a powerful paralytic poison, which was our best weapon against this monster.

If we were to assign weight to our roles, however, mine was more critical. I had to hold the front line, ensuring that Tunyak had the space to shoot and the time for the poison to work.

Originally, he had intended to fight while mounted, loosing arrows from a distance.

The divine beast let out another thunderous roar and slammed the ground once more.

“Kuoooo!”

A fresh shockwave rippled outward, albeit stronger this time. The first sandstorm had barely reached us before this second one erupted in its wake.

It is channeling mana into these shockwaves.

I could sense how much more powerful this second wave was, how its energy had shifted. However, slowing down wasn’t an option.

Maintaining my speed, I formed a protective barrier around myself with mana.

Perhaps it was due to Ha Hee-Jeong’s enchantment back at the rest area, but the lightning coursing through my mana felt sharper and stronger. A golden glow flickered across my shield, and it crackled with erratic bursts of electricity.

Then the wave finally reached me.

Tktktk!

Mana-infused sand grains struck my barrier, each one carrying a considerable amount of force.

Even through the storm, I caught the faint, acrid scent of oil.

The beast isn’t as strong as I expected.

It wasn’t attacking with its full strength yet, though. Just like a predator, it was gauging whether we were worth the effort. If we could push past this, then it would acknowledge us as threats.

I couldn’t be sure, but the way it focused on me the moment I broke through the first storm suggested I was right.

Tch.

Another shockwave surged forward, even more powerful than the last. The sheer force lifted mountains of sand, shrouding the battlefield in near-total darkness.

Even without sight, I could sense the divine beast’s forelimb descending toward me. It was tracking me through the storm, just as I had anticipated.

Dodging outright wouldn’t be viable.

I will use its own attack against it.

Its timing couldn’t have been better, as I had planned to target its forelimb. Slipping past its strike would allow me to wound the back of its knee, hindering its movement.

That was when I noticed an arrow cutting through the storm—Tunyak had made his move.

Swish!

With a harsh tearing noise, the arrow cut through the swirling dust and sand, its trajectory far from a straight line. Bending through the air like it was in a movie, the arrow curved back in forth in midair. It weaved rhythmically, almost creating a wave shape.

Interestingly, the arrow was infused with Aura.

It shot past me, piercing through the sandstorm ahead. Even with my vision obscured, I could tell that it had embedded itself into the sole of the divine beast’s foot.

The corrupted divine beast let out a short, low growl.

“Kroooaah!”

I could immediately tell it wasn’t a roar of pain, but a furious roar born from discomfort and irritation.

Regardless, it had opened a window of opportunity. The instant I noticed the beast’s moment of hesitation, I instinctively kicked off the ground.

The scorching sandstorm pounded against my protective barrier, creating bursts of light that instantly brightened my view. Ignoring them, I focused on the beast’s raised foot, which was toward my eleven o’clock.

Aim for behind the knee.

As I brushed past its foot, I used my upward momentum to empower my strike, cloaked in lightning-infused Aura, in a vicious arc.

Clang!

Sparks scattered as my axe struck behind the divine beast’s knee.

Fuck, this thing is tough.

Even with my Aura, I hadn’t made a clean cut. The attack had barely split its skin, and only tiny droplets of black blood welled up—it was far from satisfying.

Before falling, I swung my axe four more times. Sparks erupted with each strike.

The divine beast bellowed in fury once again.

“

Kuaaaagh!

”

A nagging feeling in the back of my mind was saying this wasn’t going to be an easy fight. Despite his strength, Tunyak carried such potent paralysis arrows for a reason. Even with my Aura, I couldn't properly cut through its hide.

A direct assault won’t work. That has to be why he paralyzes it first, then slowly carves through its skin.

Interrupting my fleeting thought, a razor-sharp tail shot toward me from between the beast’s legs at a terrifying speed. Although I didn't have the Footsteps of the Abyss equipped, I had trained for situations like this during combat training.

I channeled mana into the tip of my right foot. An instant later, I kicked off the air, twisted, and swung my axe.

Clang!

Sparks burst as the axe clashed against the tail, but the divine beast’s massive head was now lunging toward me from above.

Thud!

Rushed, I swung my axe upward, but its iron-hard jawbone easily withstood my Aura-infused strike.

Shit, and it is ridiculously strong, too?

If I faltered here, my wrist would snap. I wouldn’t even get a chance to counter, and would be crushed into the ground instantly.

I poured every ounce of strength into my wrists and arms.

Phew.

Thankfully, I held my ground. The axe didn’t break, and I managed to maintain my stance while blocking the divine beast’s charge. Just before it could throw me down, I pushed against its jaw with all my strength.

This sort of intense clash was well within my expectations. I immediately reinforced my back with mana to absorb the impact.

Boom—

My back slammed into the ground. Even with mana cushioning the blow, some amount of impact was unavoidable. I didn’t have the time to care about that now, however. The beast’s head was about to slam down onto me.

As I bounced back off the floor, I spun and kicked off the ground right before landing again.

THUD!

The massive beast’s maw crashed into the earth and sent a towering cloud of sand skyward.

“Hey! Kwon Su-Hyeok! Are you okay?!” Tunyak shouted, but I couldn’t immediately respond.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I twisted my waist and swung my axe at the creature’s head.

Scrrrk!

The flesh on its face was softer than the rest of its body, so my axe managed to cleave into it, albeit slightly.

“

Kuoooorgh!

”

As its roar echoed, I immediately flung myself away.

Ugh.

It wasn’t called a divine beast without reason. The battle was proving far more grueling than I had anticipated. A direct assault wasn’t enough to break through.

If I hadn’t come with Tunyak, this would have been an absolute nightmare.

Of course, I still would’ve managed to subdue it, but the fight would have dragged on, forcing me into an even tougher struggle.

Not that it wasn’t already taking longer than I would’ve liked—annoyingly so.

Turning back to face the divine beast, I resigned myself to the fact that bringing it down would take considerable time.

***

[Complete a contract. Time remaining: 86 hours 42 minutes.]

I breathed out heavily, my mouth dry and rough.

“Haaa.”

My tongue pressed against my teeth, feeling gritty specks of sand grinding between them.

I assumed the battle was nearing its end. Dozens of arrows had pierced the beast, not deeply enough to be fatal, but sufficient to slow it down. Its movements were noticeably duller.

However, that illusion shattered the moment the creature, which had seemed sluggish just moments ago, suddenly unleashed an ear-splitting roar.

“Kuaaaah!”

A violent surge of magical energy erupted as its massive frame twisted wildly.

What the hell?

Before I could make sense of its resurgence, Tunyak shouted, “Hey! It’s awakening! Get back!”

Awakening? What is this, some kind of game? Is this supposed to be its second phase? I had been taking all the heat up front, and now it suddenly enters phase two?

To make it worse, he had known about it and hadn’t even bothered to warn me.

I was too dumbfounded to be angry. “You didn’t think that was worth telling me?!”

“Just move!” Tunyak waved frantically, urging me to retreat.

The mana waves radiating from the beast were growing increasingly violent, pressing intensely against me like a storm. Heeding his advice, I promptly kicked off the ground and sprinted toward him.

Doppy was safely hidden behind a rock with a protective barrier, so at least that wasn’t a concern.

As soon as I reached Tunyak, I shot him a sharp look as irritation crept up within me. “Hey, why the hell didn’t you tell me anything?!”

“It’s just part of the process.”

“That’s your excuse?”

“Once it awakens, its blood circulation accelerates, meaning it’ll enter paralysis right after.”

“Oh. Seriously?”

“Yeah. Just wait, and it’ll collapse soon. That’s how this works. There was no need to tell you when all we had to do was get out of the way.”

So that is it?

Feeling slightly foolish for overreacting, I rubbed my nose out of habit.

Tunyak, unfazed, clapped me on the shoulder. “More importantly, good job out there. That thing hits harder than I expected. It’s no joke.”

I smirked.

Sure, he was strong, but compared to me, not quite there.

Tunyak had no real grasp of what I was capable of.

“Actually, it’s even more ridiculous than you think.”

“Yeah? Well, first things first! Let’s keep dodging!”

He was right. The divine beast now emanated an overwhelming and frenzied energy and was tearing through the ground in a destructive rampage. Making no attempt to counterattack, we focused solely on avoiding its wild thrashing.

Time passed.

In one sudden moment, the divine beast collapsed onto the wasteland with a thunderous crash.

“Is it over?”

“Yeah. Now, let’s move. I don’t know exactly what you’ve got planned, but let’s get on with it.”

We cautiously approached the fallen creature. Its pupils were unfocused and vacant, as if its consciousness were slipping away.

Earlier, I had been too caught up in the fight to notice, but seeing it up close now, there was something strangely surreal about looking at the divine beast. It was almost like the time I encountered a sky whale.

“Normally, this is where we finish it off, right?”

“Yeah. You channel mana into your blade and drive it straight through the skull. Until it pierces all the way through.”

While I chatted with Tunyak, I pulled out the Core of Decay and placed it beside the divine beast.

“And that is...?”

“A purification artifact. It cleanses corruption. Another gift from the gods.”

When it came to convincing Tunyak, nothing worked better than invoking divine authority.

His eyes glinted with interest. “

Ah

, so this is what you were talking about. I see. Since your own strength isn’t enough, you rely on tools instead.”

I gave a halfhearted nod. “Something like that, but I’m not completely sure it’ll work.”

To be honest, I couldn’t guarantee anything. I just believed it should work.

Please, let this work.

With that silent plea, I waited.

Then, a deep

woomph

resonated as the Core of Decay activated.

It works!

I barely stopped myself from cheering out loud.

From the divine beast’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—and every one of its orifices—wisps of violet smoke began to seep out, curling into the air.

I turned and called out, “Doppy!”

“Understood!”

Obeying my earlier instructions to stay put, Doppy had been waiting in hiding. Now, he sprang forward without hesitation.

Meanwhile, the Core of Decay was gradually increasing its absorption speed.

Watching Doppy rush over, I asked, “How is it? Think you can do it?”

“Logically, I don’t think it’s possible, but my instincts say otherwise!”

His response had changed from earlier, despite the artifact not having absorbed that much yet.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know! Fenri—no, I feel it! Just a little more, and I can do it!”

The way Doppy had cut himself off likely meant that Fenrike was lending some help. I wasn’t sure how, but as long as it worked, that was all that mattered.

Beside me, Tunyak let out a breath, relief flickering across his face.

We stood in silence and watched as the Core of Decay continued its absorption as it steadily built power. Then, the dense black smoke billowing from the beast began to thin, dissipating in slow, curling wisps.

At that moment, Doppy raised his hands toward the sky and cried out, “Oh Light of the Heavens! Purify!”

“Light of the Heavens?” Tunyak muttered, looking somewhat confused, but I chose to ignore him and keep my expression impassive.

Then, a radiant glow erupted from Doppy’s hands. Even Tunyak, who had moments ago been questioning it, fell silent, his gaze locked onto the scene before him.

Huh?

That was when I noticed the light pouring from Doppy was different from the energy—Fenrike’s—that I was familiar with. Something about it felt layered, as if another force had intertwined with the one I knew...

A surge of vivid, crimson light began to bleed into the glow radiating from Doppy.

In that instant, Tunyak let out a strangled cry, “Oh, Forgotten God!”