#121
As they ran a bit further, a white light appeared at the end of the passageway. The humming sound and cold wind were definitely coming from there. James raised his shield to protect himself and threw his body out of the passage. The team members followed, gripping their weapons tightly. Then, everyone paused for a moment.
At the end of the passage was a massive triangular-shaped cavern. Surprisingly, the top of the cavern was wide open, allowing sunlight to pour in abundantly. In the center of the cavern, illuminated by the light of two suns, stood the god worshipped by the green-skinned beings.
This green-skinned deity had eight faces and sixteen arms, and appeared to be at least 8 meters tall. Each of the sixteen arms held a different weapon.
Wooooo–!
The eight faces simultaneously emitted an eerie sound. The faces, each with a different expression, spun around to look at the group. Smiling face, crying face, benevolent face, expressionless face, angry face, enraged face – they all flashed by in succession. The sight was reminiscent of an ancient, colossal divine statue.
“Damon! Choi Hanseo!”
James shouted as he charged forward with his shield raised. Behind James, who was rushing straight towards the green god, Damon and Choi Hanseo sprang in opposite directions. Anna took up position at a suitable distance behind the boss, drawing her virtual bowstring. Thus began the assault on the S-class boss.
Normally, the tank would go behind the boss to draw aggro, with melee attackers on both sides, and ranged attackers at the back. However, with this boss having eight faces, that strategy held little meaning. Nevertheless, the team members positioned themselves in a diamond formation around the boss and began their attack.
As the attack commenced, a rumbling sound came from above the passage they had just exited, and a stone door descended, completely sealing off the exit. They now had only two options: kill the boss or die trying.
This boss was clearly on a different level compared to the four-faced giants that had been guarding the entrance. Its faces changed unpredictably, and with each change, the arms and weapons it used also shifted. Every time the boss swung its various weapons, a chilling killing intent swept over them. Even a glancing blow would be enough to slice a body in half. Even aside from that, the creature itself was threatening in its bizarre existence. However, none of the four hunters attacking showed any sign of hesitation or being overwhelmed. They weren’t S-class hunters for nothing.
Perhaps because Natasha and Eunseok were far away, even James, the tank, attacked without restraint. He wielded his large shield and hammer with terrifying strength against the boss. Choi Hanseo and Damon were the same. They used the boss’s arms as stepping stones to launch attacks and then quickly vanish, repeating this process. Their movements were almost too fast for the eye to follow.
Every time Anna’s fire arrows flew, a round shield accurately blocked them. The movements defending against attacks from all directions were incredibly precise.
Choi Hanseo briefly appeared on one of the boss’s arms, then forcefully struck down on the arm he was standing on with his fist.
Crack-!
The sound of flesh and bone shattering rang out. Another arm immediately swung a weapon towards where Choi Hanseo had been sitting. Of course, by the time the weapon reached that spot, he had already moved.
The area Choi Hanseo had struck was torn open, flesh and muscle bursting out. Green blood flowed from the wound, revealing white bone. But the boss merely emitted an angry “Wooo-” sound, with no change in its movements.
Eunseok stood still, observing the movements of the three engaged in close combat. They weren’t just ordinary S-class hunters. They were also highly experienced warriors.
All three were dealing with the ceaselessly swinging arms, carefully dodging and landing hits while consistently aiming for the boss’s head. However, with so many arms providing perfect all-round defense, approaching the head seemed impossible for now. Even Anna’s fire arrows aimed at the boss’s head were repeatedly blocked by shields.
There was no sense that this team was being overwhelmed. But at this rate, time would just pass fruitlessly. The hunters needed a small opening to target the head.
Eunseok thought of his sniper rifle but didn’t rush to action. If he fired the rifle carelessly and drew the boss’s aggro, the attacks might turn towards him.
“Eunseok.”
Suddenly, Choi Hanseo’s voice was heard. Their eyes briefly met as Choi Hanseo appeared and disappeared, avoiding the whirlwind of attacks. With just that brief eye contact, Eunseok understood what Choi Hanseo wanted to say. As if reading Eunseok’s thoughts, he was telling him to take out the rifle.
Eunseok trusted Choi Hanseo’s judgment. So, without hesitation, he took out the rifle from his bag.
Usually, a sniper rifle is used while lying prone on the ground, but this time it was impossible due to the boss’s enormous size. Eunseok took a kneeling position with one knee on the ground. The boss’s head came into view through the scope. Once again, he was aiming for the creature’s eyes.
The constantly changing faces made aiming difficult. But that didn’t matter. A sniper’s basic patience allows them to look through a scope for three days and nights if necessary for a shot.
Wooooo–!!
As the hunters’ attacks intensified, the boss’s enraged cries grew louder.
Just one shot.
Eunseok was certain he would only have one chance to burst the boss’s eye. It didn’t seem likely that the boss would allow more than one unexpected attack. So he couldn’t pull the trigger prematurely until the perfect opportunity arose.
“Oh no!”
Natasha exclaimed in surprise beside him. Almost simultaneously, red liquid splattered across the boss’s face visible in the scope. Red blood. It meant one of the hunters had suffered a serious injury. But Eunseok didn’t move the scope or take his eye away.
“Damon!”
Natasha shouted loudly. Eunseok didn’t miss the brief moment when the boss wiped the blood splattered on two of its faces with the back of its hand.
Phshhh-!
The moment he pulled the trigger, the thrill of hitting the target shot through his spine. And as expected, his intuition was correct.
Wooooo–!!
The boss began to emit a spine-chilling howl. Green blood flowed from one of its eyes. It rapidly changed faces, trying to find who had attacked it. Choi Hanseo and James didn’t miss this brief moment when all attacks and defenses had stopped.
Crack-!
Crunch-!
Choi Hanseo and James simultaneously smashed the boss’s face. The boss’s movements, which had been incredibly precise until now, became noticeably erratic.
“Damn it. How embarrassing.”
Damon, who had returned with nearly half his side blown away, grumbled at the sight. Natasha quickly placed her hands on Damon’s body and began healing. Eunseok also held Damon’s hand and started guiding. The cavern was so wide that in the boss room, only Anna was within range of the wide-area guiding.
The scene he saw while guiding was truly brutal. Choi Hanseo and James persistently and cleverly exploited the openings of the boss, which had started to falter. Faces, wrists, and arms were burst and torn off one by one. A sea of green blood spread at the boss’s feet.
Wooooo-!
The boss’s cries grew louder and louder. The sound entering through their ears was enough to vibrate their entire bodies. The wounded boss’s movements became faster, but its arms were colliding with each other and getting tangled.
This should be enough.
Having made this judgment, Eunseok switched from the rifle to a sniper shotgun. He walked near Anna and began firing relentlessly at one of the boss’s ankles.
—–!
Along with the ear-splitting gunfire, green blood spurted from the boss’s ankle. Seeing this, Anna began firing fire arrows at the ankle Eunseok was concentrating on.
The boss staggered as its ankle came under concentrated attack. Choi Hanseo didn’t miss this opportunity and appeared in front of the other, unattacked ankle, driving his fist into it with a loud thud.
Thud-! Thud-! Crunch-!
Three consecutive punches landed. With the first punch, flesh and muscle burst. The second punch damaged the bone. And with the third punch, the bone cracked.
Wooooo-!
The boss with its broken ankle staggered and fell to the side.
Boom-!!
As the massive body crashed to the cavern floor, it created a thunderous sound and vibration.
James immediately leapt high into the air, then fell, using the momentum to drive his weapon into the center of the boss’s face. Right after, Choi Hanseo did the same, jumping and then falling to deeply embed his hand blade into the center of the boss’s neck. Then Choi Hanseo grabbed something and violently pulled it out.
Crunch-!
The chilling sound of the spinal cord being torn out rang clearly. The boss’s enormous body convulsed violently, then slowly its movements subsided.
“Damn it.”
Damon, who couldn’t join the final attack as his healing wasn’t complete, muttered a small curse.
James began to smash the boss’s chest after pulling out his weapon that had been deeply embedded in its face. Only after confirming that the boss was definitely dead did Eunseok run towards Choi Hanseo.
“Mr. Choi Hanseo!”
Seeing Eunseok coming towards him, Choi Hanseo jumped off the boss’s body with a light movement. Then, with a deep eye smile, he spread his arms wide towards Eunseok.
“…What are you doing?”
Eunseok said gruffly, looking at the wide-open arms as if inviting him to run into them and hug. Then he quickly grabbed Choi Hanseo’s wrist to check his status. As expected, it was red.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
