# Chapter 56
Just then, there was a thud and the sound of the fire turtle hitting the wall. Ko Eungyo sensed Lee Seungwoo turning to look in his direction after nimbly dodging.
With a rumbling sound, cracks began to form in the nearby cave ceiling. Just before stalactites and piles of rocks could pour down, Lee Seungwoo barely managed to grab Ko Eungyo and escape from that spot.
Simultaneously, the two disappeared into a cloud of dust. As they hid behind the pile of stones, they heard the fire turtle roaring, having lost sight of its prey.
“Are you okay?”
Lee Seungwoo asked urgently. Instead of answering that he was fine, Ko Eungyo said what needed to be said.
“The boss mob has poor eyesight.”
“What?”
“And it’s rather stupid, so when provoked, it charges blindly. From the current situation, it seems only physical force is effective. If we continue to make it collide with terrain features, we can definitely take it down. Let’s take a look at your hand.”
Having quickly recited the facts he discovered while observing the battle between Lee Seungwoo and the fire turtle, Ko Eungyo took Lee Seungwoo’s hand and lifted it to eye level.
As expected, Lee Seungwoo’s hand was bright red and swollen. It looked like it would develop ugly blisters soon.
Burns were extremely painful wounds. Even now, Lee Seungwoo must be in considerable pain. Ko Eungyo frowned as he tore his own clothes to tightly wrap Lee Seungwoo’s wound.
“Avoid direct contact as much as possible. If you get hurt, our team’s combat power is reduced accordingly.”
Lee Seungwoo nodded as if he understood. They heard thumping sounds as the boss monster began breaking through the rock pile one by one.
As if determined to find the prey hiding inside.
There was no more time to waste. Ko Eungyo repeatedly urged Lee Seungwoo.
“Remember. You absolutely must not get hurt.”
“Yes.”
The situation was urgent. Ko Eungyo firmly held Lee Seungwoo’s cheeks with both hands. Guiding instantly permeated and thoroughly examined Lee Seungwoo’s body. His body was chronically deficient in Guiding. Right now, it was at an acceptable level due to the Guiding they did at the lake, but the more abilities Lee Seungwoo used, the quicker the Guiding would be depleted.
The thumping sounds drew closer. Ko Eungyo quickly pressed his lips to Lee Seungwoo’s. High-purity Guiding was transmitted even faster through the thin mucous membranes.
“Now, go.”
Lee Seungwoo silently stared at Ko Eungyo with blank eyes. That gaze slowly changed. His clear pupils held Ko Eungyo as if it were the last moment.
Ko Eungyo didn’t know what Lee Seungwoo had resolved at this moment, but he hoped it was a determination to clear this gate and leave together.
Lee Seungwoo said,
“I will save you, Professor.”
“…Yes. I believe you.”
Ko Eungyo would have answered this way even if he knew Lee Seungwoo couldn’t save him. Feeling an emotion he couldn’t identify as affection or admiration, he watched Lee Seungwoo. As Lee Seungwoo was about to get up and leave, he turned to look at Ko Eungyo once more.
Then Lee Seungwoo whispered as if telling a secret in a very small voice.
“You were the one who saved me first, Professor.”
Ko Eungyo frowned, unable to find words to respond to this cryptic statement.
The ensuing battle was truly reminiscent of an enormous chaos.
Lee Seungwoo faithfully followed Ko Eungyo’s advice.
He lured the boss monster to continuously ram its head against the cave walls, making sure rock fragments didn’t fly toward where Ko Eungyo was hiding. When he used stalactites to hit the fire turtle, he couldn’t inflict significant damage, but he could provoke it. Thoroughly enraged, the fire turtle screamed trying to catch the buzzing Lee Seungwoo, unaware that its head was being battered.
Fortunately, Lee Seungwoo was sufficiently quick and agile. The fire turtle tried desperately to ram into Lee Seungwoo who intentionally stayed close to the cave walls, but ultimately couldn’t even touch a single strand of Lee Seungwoo’s hair.
The more this happened, the more enraged the fire turtle seemed to become.
Befitting a boss monster of a large gate, after receiving a certain amount of damage, the fire turtle began preparing to charge at Lee Seungwoo with full force.
It was finally Phase 2.
The fact that it started attacking with a completely different pattern meant that the fire turtle had become stronger, but it also meant that the gate conquest was nearing its end. If they could just get through this moment and consistently damage the fire turtle, they would be able to defeat it.
Ko Eungyo crawled carefully between the stalactites, taking maximum precautions to stay out of the fire turtle’s sight. If he drew aggro to himself, Lee Seungwoo’s efforts might be in vain.
He carefully observed the fire turtle through the gaps between stalactites.
The fire turtle spread its four legs wide and raised its back. Surprisingly, red-hot rock fragments shot out from there.
‘No… is that magma?’
That was far more dangerous than rocks. Being liquid, it had a very wide range and could melt rocks, endangering anyone hiding behind them.
Lee Seungwoo very quickly avoided the fire turtle’s attacks while protecting his body with wind, but the magma shooting in all directions wasn’t just aimed at Lee Seungwoo but spread throughout the entire boss room.
At the moment Lee Seungwoo turned around out of concern for Ko Eungyo, the fire turtle charged at him.
The speed of the fire turtle in Phase 2 was excessively fast. Naturally, Lee Seungwoo couldn’t cope with the suddenly accelerated speed.
Like slow motion, Ko Eungyo saw Lee Seungwoo being flung against the cave wall and falling.
How stupid. How stupid!
While worrying if Lee Seungwoo had died from that single blow, he simultaneously tried to think of a Plan B. They didn’t have the luxury to sit calmly and worry, because delay meant death.
Ko Eungyo clenched his teeth and ran as far as possible, avoiding stalactites and magma falling from the cave ceiling. As he jumped over stalactites, he discovered stalactites standing in a row, precariously lodged.
The fire turtle, elated at finally defeating the intruder, spouted steam wildly from its back. Thanks to this, the boss room began to fill with misty steam.
The fortunate thing was that this large-scale attack appeared to be quite taxing for the fire turtle.
It couldn’t possibly perform such a powerful attack frequently. It was truly a finishing move designed to annihilate enemies. Ko Eungyo was far enough away to avoid the fire turtle’s finishing move, but Lee Seungwoo had allowed one of the fire turtle’s attacks while worrying about Ko Eungyo.
The boss room slowly quieted down. The fire turtle’s shell, which had been glowing red-hot, had completely cooled down, like when they first saw it.
The fire turtle leisurely approached Lee Seungwoo to devour him.
Meanwhile, Ko Eungyo stealthily walked from the cave entrance to behind the stalactites he had spotted earlier. Just before the fire turtle reached Lee Seungwoo, he pushed the stalactites with all his might. The awl-shaped stalactites, thinner toward the bottom, easily fell forward with minimal force.
At the crashing sound of the breaking stalactite, the fire turtle abruptly stopped. It turned its head to look back.
Its black pupils slowly scanned where Ko Eungyo had been.
More precisely, it was closer to checking the shattered remains of the stalactite.
Perhaps thinking the stalactite had fallen over due to the aftermath of the earlier battle, the fire turtle tilted its black head with a strange cry.
Ko Eungyo held his breath quietly while hiding behind the next stalactite.
The moment the fire turtle turned its head back toward Lee Seungwoo, Ko Eungyo pushed over more stalactites beside him.
With a loud crashing sound, the stalactites began to fall like dominoes.
He desperately hoped this would lure the fire turtle. At the same time, he knew this action was truly insane.
A Guide revealing their position to draw a monster’s aggro was something that should never be done. But there are exceptions to every situation.
If Lee Seungwoo disappeared into the fire turtle’s stomach, Ko Eungyo wouldn’t survive either. It would mean losing even the slightest hope.
So Ko Eungyo didn’t think of this as risking his life to save Lee Seungwoo.
Sensing something strange, the fire turtle growled and looked around. Its malicious black eyes, realizing there were more intruders, narrowed as it examined each stalactite. However, due to the steam the fire turtle had emitted earlier, the boss room was as foggy as if covered in mist, making it difficult to identify objects.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
