Chapter 181: Weak Points That Aren't Really Weak Points (1)

Mid-level bosses aren't as tough as final bosses, but they're a clear step above regular mobs. In video games, they usually marked the halfway point or a little beyond. But

these

bastards had no manners and zero sense of fairness. They swarmed the Hunters in an instant.

"

Hup!

"

As Jeong Man-Kook let out a short shout and swung his massive hammer back, Ji Seok-Hyun, the Phoenix Guild's Guildmaster, rushed forward with his shield. It intercepted the blow just before the Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster could extend its fist.

The monster's strike sailed through the air and collided with the shield, resulting in a deafening boom. Although Ji Seok-Hyun had blocked it before the full force transferred into the blow, he was still thrown back, rolling several times across the sand.

"Kaak

...

ptui!"

Spitting out sand-laced saliva, Ji Seok-Hyun scrambled to his feet and glared at the Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster.

Jeong Man-Kook raised his hammer, aiming for the opening created when Ji Seok-Hyun interrupted the monster's attack. His target was the monster's arm, momentarily frozen mid-strike. The hammer smashed down, tearing through the air. In terms of raw strength, Jeong Man-Kook ranked among the top five Hunters in the Gate clear. His blow would definitely leave a mark on the Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster.

However, the opponent responded in a way befitting a mid-level boss, its two auxiliary arms on its back springing into action. One shot up to intercept the hammer's arc, while the other swung toward Jeong Man-Kook's face. It used all four limbs for defense

and

offense, switching between the two modes with mechanical precision.

Normally, Jeong Man-Kook would've had to abandon his weapon and retreat. But even though his attack had little chance of landing and the counterstrike was unavoidable, he didn't stop. He'd noticed Kim Ki-Rok charging in with a shield after Ji Seok-Hyun had been flung farther back than expected. After another thunderous collision, Kim Ki-Rok was knocked back, tumbling across the ground.

What Jeong Man-Kook couldn't accomplish alone, he did with a comrade's help.

An explosive sound, louder than before, erupted between Jeong Man-Kook and the Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster. The exchange kicked up a massive sandstorm, making it impossible to see whether the attack had succeeded. Regardless, Kim Ki-Rok and Ji Seok-Hyun charged forward without hesitation. They had to buy time for Jeong Man-Kook, who was now full of openings after his all-out attack and unable to back away.

"What a shitty situation..." Kim Ki-Rok muttered.

"I agree," Ji Seok-Hyun replied.

As they pressed forward with their shields, Jeong Man-Kook's massive figure emerged from the sandstorm. A sudden noise made Kim Ki-Rok and Ji Seok-Hyun instinctively raise their shields.

"

Ugh!

" They grunted as the impact knocked them back.

One of the monster's fists, originally aimed at Jeong Man-Kook, tore through the sandstorm and struck the other two instead. All three men tumbled across the sand like it had been choreographed. Jeong Man-Kook clicked his tongue, got up, and pulled a fresh hammer from his subspace pocket.

"Ah, what..." Realizing his shield was dented, Ji Seok-Hyun quickly equipped a new one.

As Kim Ki-Rok did the same, he noticed something. "Oh?"

The Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster stepped out from the dispersing sandstorm, revealing that one of its arms had been torn off.

Kim Ki-Rok grinned, as if enjoying the situation. "You need to be at Mr. Man-Kook's level to deal damage, huh..."

Ji Seok-Hyun shook his head in disbelief. "Damn! This is unbelievable..."

Thanks to that bizarre Calorie Buff that gave him permanent stat increases, Jeong Man-Kook was among the top five Hunters in terms of stats participating in the clear.

"Mr. Man-Kook."

"Yes, Guildmaster."

"Was that your full power?"

"Yes. That was my full power."

"

Hoo...

" Kim Ki-Rok caught his breath and shook his head. "Everyone."

Neither Ji Seok-Hyun nor Jeong Man-Kook turned their heads or responded. Their attention stayed locked on the Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster, but they still listened, waiting for Kim Ki-Rok's next words.

"Let's stall," Kim Ki-Rok said.

Ji Seok-Hyun sighed, and Jeong Man-Kook clicked his tongue again. They'd hoped he'd come up with some ingenious plan, but that wasn't the case.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"I know, I know," Kim Ki-Rok said, having anticipated their frustration. "But we have no other choice but to endure until we figure out its weakness."

"We blew off its arm. Is there really no chance for us?" Ji Seok-Hyun asked.

They had already discovered that it was possible to damage the monster, so why couldn't they just utilize this intel to take it down somehow?

Kim Ki-Rok shook his head. "The body is tougher than the arm."

***

Things were different now from when she had first wandered inside the Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster. Back then, the command room had already captured it and begun analyzing the devices linked to its nervous system, while Maria had to explore its interiors to study their inner workings.

She now examined the dismantled Animaloid and Humanoid Mechanical Monsters laid out before her. Staring blankly at one mechanical component, she noticed a small label stuck behind it. She glanced between the device and the label a few more times, then turned toward someone in the command center.

"Excuse me," she said.

"Ah, yes. Ms. Maria," one of the command center staff replied.

"Does it die if its head is blown off?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked if it dies when its head is blown off," she repeated, her tone harsh.

The spirits, including Kan Cho-Woo, subtly turned away, avoiding her gaze, while the staff member slowly shook his head.

"Well... they still move, even after their heads are blown off. They only stop when their essential organ—a mechanical device called the core—is destroyed. Its location varies from monster to monster."

Although the Hunters had already known that Animaloids and Humanoids stopped when their core was destroyed, they'd ignored that fact. Since Pastera weapons could defeat them without targeting the core, there was no need to even consider another option.

Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monsters, however, were different. Their bodies were so tough that Pastera metal barely made a dent. That meant they had no choice but to target the core.

There was just one problem.

"So you're saying we have to destroy more than thirteen of those devices inside them?" Maria asked.

"Correct."

To stop an Animaloid Mechanical Monster, at least thirteen, sometimes up to fifteen, cores had to be destroyed. For a Humanoid, it took twenty to twenty-five.

The annoying part was that even if some cores were destroyed, there was no significant drop in performance. Only when more than half were destroyed did their behavior change, and not in a good way. Once its cores were reduced to half, the Mechanical Monster would turn red all over, the machinery inside would roar, and it would go berserk. After some time in that state, it would overload and explode.

"Let's see, let's see. What do we have here?"

Checking the appearance of the core, Maria closed her eyes, frowning as if recalling something. Then she opened her eyes and flew over to Kim Ji-Hee.

"Ji-Hee, contact him."

"Did you find it?" Kim Ji-Hee asked.

"Yeah. Our Guildmaster is in for a hard time."

***

—Mister.

"Oh! Have you found—" Kim Ki-Rok began, but cut his greeting short as he hurled his shield.

It soared through the air and landed in the monster's gaping maw, jamming it just before it could fire. The bomb detonated inside, tearing through metal and shattering half its face. The machine didn't flinch, however. It simply turned its mangled head, checked on Kim Ki-Rok, and began preparing to fire at Ji Seok-Hyun again.

Once he saw Ji Seok-Hyun had used the distraction to brace himself, Kim Ki-Rok pressed his earpiece and resumed the transmission.

"Right. Ji-Hee, what did Maria say?"

—First of all...

"Oh, right. How many?"

—Forty.

"Hoo

..."

Hearing that number always made him sigh.

We forced our way through only to run into more of them at the castle,

Kim Ki-Rok recalled.

During their previous Attempt at the castle, Kim Ji-Hee's ability couldn't pinpoint the mid-level boss's weaknesses, forcing them to rely on brute force. Dozens of S-Class Hunters either bombarded the enemy with raw strength or focused on defense, holding out until someone finally brought down the First Mechanical Monster.

"Where are they?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

—Three on the right shoulder, five on the left shoulder, two on the head, seven on the neck, three on the torso, two right below the right arm...

As she went on and on, Kim Ki-Rok hurled his shield and launched flat, wide weapons to support his colleagues while mentally organizing her report.

"I see."

—Yup.

"So, it stops if we cut off the arms, cut off the head, stab the back, stab the torso, stab the chest, and slash the right leg?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

—Yes.

"Wouldn't most monsters die if they took that kind of damage?"

—I guess so.

The only ones who might survive damage like that were undead or ghost-types, and even

they

would probably get knocked into the afterlife with just a bit more force.

Suddenly, an S-Class Hunter who'd been fighting another Aberrant Mechanical Monster joined the conversation.

—Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok, it might be better to just endure.

Is enduring really the answer?

Kim Ki-Rok thought.

It was frustrating. If there hadn't been any Animaloids or Humanoids, all the Hunters participating in the clear could have joined forces against the mid-level boss and brought it down together.

"Okay," Kim Ki-Rok said.

—Are we holding them?

"Yes. Their weaknesses are spread out. We're not only dealing with the Aberrant Humanoid, but also the Giant and the other Aberrant. If the only way to kill these monsters is by cutting off their limbs, head, and stabbing their chest and back evenly, then we'll have to hold them off until the other Hunters join us after dealing with the Animaloids and Humanoids."

—Right. Sounds like overwhelming them with sheer force is our only option.

After a brief silence, Kim Ki-Rok, who had sighed deeply at the Hunter's response, lifted his head to check on the machine he was fighting. "Huh?"

Though it had previously focused only on Ji Seok-Hyun and Jeong Man-Kook, the Aberrant Humanoid Mechanical Monster was now staring straight at him.