Translator: Vine
Translated At: Nyx Scans
Chapter: 127
#127. Act 1 Ends
2022.12.05.
"What is this place..."
Ayeon, who had moved to the 'Root of Incubation' through the magic circle, blankly looked around her.
That place, surrounded by thick roots, was a world apart from the 'outside', which was full of damp earth and flying insects.
Bright yellow dandelions were in full bloom on the fresh, dewy lawn.
On the wind, which was full of the scent of flowers, the dandelion seeds scattered white on the lawn.
Ayeon lifted her head and looked up.
'The sky...'
Warm sunlight was pouring down from the blue sky.
At the beautiful scenery, as if a scene from a fairy tale had been moved here, Ayeon almost mistook that she had fallen into a field somewhere in the Alps on the other side of the globe.
[Lv.??? 'Guardian of the Boundary' recognizes an intruder.]
—If that thing in front of her hadn't been there.
A blue, shining glint was aimed precisely at Ayeon.
Large horns, extending like tree branches.
It was a massive monster in the shape of a reindeer.
The strange thing was that every part of it except for the horns was transparent, as if made of glass or crystal (水晶).
What made up its transparent body were not muscles, blood vessels, or internal organs.
They were shining dots like densely embedded stars, and the lines connecting those stars.
It was like looking at a constellation.
A mysterious and beautiful appearance, rather than threatening and terrifying.
Ayeon had never seen a monster with such an appearance before.
The enemy before her felt more like a sacred being from a myth or legend than just a monster.
'Especially those horns, if I cut them off and sell them, they'd probably fetch a good price...'
As she was thinking that and licking her lips,
[Lv.??? 'Guardian of the Boundary' tests your qualifications.]
The creature struck the ground hard with its sturdy hooves.
'It's coming.'
Shring—
Ayeon, who had been momentarily mesmerized by the creature's mysterious appearance, immediately readjusted her dagger and took a combat stance.
"..."
And she quickly scanned her surroundings.
The surface of her skin tingled.
If she focused a little, she could see that the surrounding air had a faint purplish tinge.
A faint poisonous mist.
Ayeon was certain.
Jaemin's 'poisoning' was undoubtedly due to this.
However, to Ayeon, who had a strong resistance to poison, such a thing was not threatening at all.
Whoosh!
Ayeon, who had forcefully parted the poisonous mist, leaped high from her spot.
And as soon as she reached the highest point in the air,
[Active ▶ 'Cunning Deception'.]
['Stealth' is applied for 3 seconds. It will be released upon taking damage.]
She disappeared like smoke.
And the very next moment,
Chwaaaak!
[Passive ▶ 'Shadow Slash' Activated. If the first attack is successful from outside the enemy's field of vision, it will deal 100% critical damage.]
[When hitting a vital spot, there is a certain probability that the 'One-Hit Kill' effect will be applied.]
Thump.
The 'Guardian of the Boundary's' massive horn was cleanly severed and fell to the floor.
"...Tsk."
Swoosh.
Ayeon, who had come out of stealth, clicked her tongue shortly.
She had failed to attack a vital spot.
The creature had barely dodged just before she pierced its neck.
It was a creature with good instincts.
Seeing as it had read Ayeon's presence in her stealth state in that short moment.
Well, if it had been an easy opponent, Jaemin wouldn't have returned in that state.
Since the first attack had failed, the 'Shadow Slash' effect had now disappeared.
That was a quite painful development, but it didn't matter.
Even if she couldn't defeat it with that attack, it was undeniable that the creature had taken considerable damage.
Meaning, she just had to finish it with the next attack.
[Lv.??? The health of the 'Guardian of the Boundary' has decreased by a certain amount or more.]
See.
It was the moment Ayeon's lips faintly curved up.
Ssssss...
"...?"
The atmosphere of the field changed.
A cold wind brushed her cheek.
She could feel the air, which had been warm like spring, instantly becoming heavy.
Thwack!
The moment Ayeon distanced herself from the creature,
'What the.'
Whooooosh...
The dandelion seeds scattered on the lawn began to flutter in the wind.
The small white seeds shone faintly and enveloped the entire field.
[Lv.??? 'Guardian of the Boundary' lets out a strange cry.]
—Her instinct was telling her.
'Something smells dangerous.'
Whoosh!
Lightly tossing the currently useless dagger into the air, several black shurikens formed on her empty palm instead of the dagger.
Fwabababat!
The black shurikens scattered from Ayeon's hand chased away the dandelion seeds floating in the air.
But it seemed she was late.
[Lv.??? The health of the 'Guardian of the Boundary' has been fully restored.]
Flash!
The creature's severed horn had miraculously returned to its original state.
As if it had never been cut at all.
'Recovery?'
Ayeon frowned.
What's the principle of recovery? Does it recover infinitely if not killed in one blow? Or is it related to those dandelion seeds just now?
'It doesn't matter what it is.'
Swoosh!
Ayeon's shadow, cast on the lawn, instantly stretches out long.
As flexible and swift as a living snake.
Thwack!
The moment Ayeon's shadow touched the shadow of the 'Guardian of the Boundary', the creature stopped moving as if it had been bound by something.
'I don't know the principle or anything like that...'
[Active ▶ Silhouette Trap.]
I know well enough that it's faster to kill it in one shot.
Eunha arrived at the south, where the support unit was.
'The support unit is in an uproar right now, you know? The bug creatures have grown, and ordinary bug spray is no match for them. It's a total emergency.'
Suddenly stopping her steps, Eunha looked around with trembling eyes.
'This is...'
It was as Ayeon had said.
While Eunha was away, the support unit was almost in a state of annihilation.
If it hadn't been for Doctor Plant's healing unit, the situation was so serious that she wondered if they might have been wiped out.
There were people panting and vomiting watery bile, people fighting Sucker Parasites with giant poison stingers stuck in their sides, and people who had already lost consciousness and were entrusted to healing hunters.
Someone among them shouted.
"L-leader!"
That was the trigger.
"The leader has arrived!"
"We're saved now!"
A hunter in a black dress.
The unit members who spotted Eunha began to cheer all at once.
As if her return alone was a victory announcement to them.
"Leader..."
Srrk.
The sound of a long cloth dragging on the floor drew closer.
Shine J.
A B-Class hunter who had taken the qualification test with her at Bokgye Mountain, and a person who had safely passed the test through party play with Gunslinger and had come to participate in this South Coast Gate subjugation.
"I-I don't know what happened. Suddenly the monsters' levels rose, and their numbers increased rapidly."
"It seems so."
Eunha, who had answered shortly, scanned her surroundings widely.
A sudden change in the monsters.
It was highly likely that it was the effect of Jaemin having 'failed' in the Root of Incubation and returned.
If Ayeon, who had gone in as the next batter, also failed and returned...
'They'll probably grow once more.'
From Level 30 to 40, from Level 40 to 50... or perhaps even higher.
Most of the hunters belonging to the support unit did not have high combat power.
Out of about 60 people, there were not even 10 hunters who could face monsters of Level 30 or higher.
In other words, the remaining 50 or so could only serve as cannon fodder, blocking the damage with their lives.
As proof of that, despite never once resting from battle, the number of Sucker Parasites, far from decreasing, was only increasing like a snowball.
Moreover...
"The longer the battle continues, the more stamina is depleted. At first, I thought it was simply because the battle was getting longer, but I guess..."
Shine J's hand, which was gripping her staff tightly, was trembling faintly.
"I suspect that they are absorbing our stamina."
As a B-Class hunter, she was more experienced than the other hunters in the support unit.
So she was able to quickly notice the cause of this unusual fatigue.
"Ugh, ugh..."
"Hold on a little longer. I'll heal you soon..."
"Here! This one's also combat-incapable!"
"We're short on personnel. Go to the healing unit and request reinforcements!"
"No. They're short on hands too. This is all we have right now."
The situation faced directly was at an even greater disadvantage than what she had heard from Ayeon.
If, as Shine J said, the Sucker Parasites were absorbing the hunters' stamina, it was dangerous for the fight to drag on.
There would be a limit to how much the healing hunters could support with their skills from behind.
This battle was a matter of whether the Sucker Parasites absorbed stamina faster, or the hunters defeated the Sucker Parasites faster.
'There's no way.'
Shine J bit her lower lip hard.
If it were just one, it might be different, but hunting dozens of Level 30 or higher monsters without rest was a very difficult task even for her, a B-Class hunter.
She even wanted to give up everything, thinking that at some point, the creatures' levels might grow once more.
"Leader, what should we do?"
If it was the leader...
The Princess of Dark Flare, who had stopped the dungeonization of Bokgye Mountain, she might be able to lead them to victory this time too.
Shine J wanted to believe so.
However, the words that came back from Eunha were not any strategy or conquest method.
"First, go to a healing hunter and get treated."
"...Pardon?"
"Your left arm."
Eunha's gaze landed on Shine J's left arm.
At that, Shine J furtively covered her left arm with her right hand.
On the item she was wearing, the 'Robe Blessed by the Spirit's Blessing', there was a red bloodstain.
It was a mark from an injury she had sustained 10 minutes ago.
Even though it was very faint, the leader seemed to have noticed from the beginning.
Shine J, with a face feigning composure, moved her lips.
"This is fine—"
No, she tried to move them.
Thump.
A white, sturdy hand lightly tapped Shine J's shoulder.
"You've held on well."
Ah...
Why was that?
At that moment, Shine J completely forgot what she was going to say.
She stood in her spot and just stared blankly at Eunha, at their leader.
"On your way to get treated, tell the unit members. From now on, don't overdo it, and only take care of monsters of Level 30 or lower."
Eunha turned her back to her.
Clack, clack...
Before the clear sound of her heels faded completely, Shine J urgently opened her mouth.
"Th-then, the monsters over Level 30..."
At her anxious voice, Eunha paused her steps for a moment.
"There's no need to touch them."
Glance.
A brief, fleeting black gaze.
And a remark just as short.
"I'm here now."
Whoosh!
Eunha drew a black parabola and leaped into the air.
[??????????????]
[What is that?????? A bat...????]
[Close-up! Close-up!]
[Wait a sec;; What am I seeing right now lol]
[I came after hearing the rumors.]
[Yo? 200k viewers for real?]
The chat window on his phone was updating at a crazy speed.
However, Namhyuk had no time to check it.
'A-awesome...'
Namhyuk chased the black shadow above his head with a dazed face.
The Princess of Dark Flare.
The leader of the support unit Namhyuk belonged to.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
An incredible speed that was impossible to follow with the eyes.
The Sucker Parasites that had even briefly touched her shadow fell to the ground with their heads crushed.
In Namhyuk's eyes, it didn't seem like the Princess of Dark Flare was using any special skills against the Sucker Parasites.
Just smashing their heads with the parasol in her hand.
[Lv.42 'Root Sucker Parasite (生吸蟲)' is cornered! Skill ▶ Poison Stinger Shot]
Occasionally, the monsters of Level 40, which were mixed in, did not fall in one blow.
It was because they had a little more health and defense.
—Of course, Eunha didn't miss a single one.
[Equipped Item 'Thorn Shoes' Effect Activated.]
Among the relic items obtained from the Unknown Gate, the one Eunha favored the most was, of course, the 'Elegant Parasol'.
However, in reality, the 'Thorn Shoes' were also quite useful, not inferior to the parasol.
Besides the fact that agility was greatly improved when equipped, there was one more thing.
[For enemies touched by the 'Thorn Shoes', if the enemy's health is 10% or less of its maximum, they are immediately executed.]
Chwaaaak!
From the wound on the Sucker Parasite's body, thorny black vines burst out as if to explode.
The vines that bound the creature in an instant, without even giving it time to dodge.
The sharp thorns pierced countless holes in the creature's body, and,
Thump...
In the end, the creature fell to the floor without even being able to resist.
Eunha, without even checking the corpse of the Sucker Parasite, leaped nimbly towards the next target.
[This is an Unknown Gate, isn't it?? All the S-classes are gathered here, right????? Is that woman an S-class too????]
[Where is there a hunter like that among the Korean S-classes lol]
[No, it's her, the Black Flame Dragonㅇㅇ I saw her on TV]
[Was it the Princess of Dark Flare??? Wasn't she F-class??]
[What, why are you here, Noona]
[lol I knew from the start, if she was an F-class, how would she have gotten into Wolf in the first place, duh lol]
[I'm seeing her for the first time, but she just looks f***ing strong;;;]
[Black Princess, you are a moral textbook... How many is she taking on alone, my heart is swelling]
[Who is she??]
[Ah lol, I don't know lol, just get a good shot, I can't see, you Hyukie bastard]
[Crazy lol, is the viewer count rising for real lol, isn't it going to break a million?]
The more corpses of Sucker Parasites piled up around, the hotter the reaction in the chat window became.
Even though it hadn't been an hour since Namhyuk started the broadcast, the number of viewers, which was increasing every minute and second, had already reached nearly 260,000.
His heart pounded at the incredible number, the first he had ever seen since starting his BJ activities.
Just a few minutes ago, with the ever-increasing number of monsters, he had been in a state of mind where he had to live first, screw the broadcast...
'Good thing I didn't turn it off.'
He couldn't miss out on such a 'honey' opportunity.
Namhyuk clutched his phone with trembling hands.
He turned the camera lens outwards and diligently chased the black shadow that was sweeping away the high-level Sucker Parasites.
Finally.
"Leader!"
"Leaderrrrr!"
Thud.
The black shoes made a light sound as they landed on the ground... no, on the mountain-high pile of Sucker Parasite corpses.
"..."
Thick purple blood dripped down the surface of the parasol.
Just 3 minutes.
That was the time it took for one hunter to annihilate the entire group of Level 30 or higher Sucker Parasites stationed in the southern region.
Whoosh, thwack!
Eunha, who had lightly swung her parasol to shake off the blood, lifted her head upwards.
And at that moment.
Ding!
[The Guardian of the Boundary has been defeated by the 'Phantom Thief'!]
[The Blessing of Life effect is lifted.]
[The passage connected to the Root of Incubation is activated.]
[ - - - Loading - - - ]
—The first act of the South Coast Gate battle had ended.
