Chapter 77

Having cleared the situation, we made our way through the fog and approached the monster. The monster was floating in the air, looking straight ahead without even giving us a glance.

"It's huge."

"There aren't many that are that big."

I turned my head and looked up at the monster. It was the biggest monster I've ever met. Looking at it this way, it looked like it was about 10 stories taller than an apartment building.

Huuuu... huu... hiiik...

The sound of breathing hard as if his throat was being squeezed resounded. The bizarre breathing sounded and S+-grade energy aroused fear.

"First of all, I need one person to attract the attention of a monster... Who will do it?"

"I will do it."

At Hong Si-ah's words, Ha Tae-heon stepped forward. She nodded her head and moved her gaze to me.

"Great. Then, Talented Han Yi-gyeol. After watching the video, you were able to use the wind ability a little bit here and there. Can you do it now?"

"Yes. But you have to be careful. From two people, I can't control it specifically."

"Okay. Don't worry. It's not going to be that easy."

Hong Si-ah, who was about to battle, smiled brightly as if she was in a very good mood.

"It's the first time I'm playing against an S+ grade opponent. Deputy Master Ha Tae-heon, will you deal with it in moderation and hand it over to me? Let's see what level it is."

Ha Tae-heon just nodded his head without answering with his sullen face.

I hid behind a tree in moderation and used my ability on both of them. Huung, pure white smoke was scattered by the wind. Ha Tae-heon, who floated into the air, flew first while holding his sword.

When Ha Tae-heon came into view, the monster only showed movement. Suuu, it moved its neck with the sound of rough breathing.

Something appeared behind the mirror that was emitting a pure white light. Long and sharp like thorns, it quickly grew into dozens.

"Be careful!"

At the same time as I hastily twisted the wind flow, Ha Tae-heon used his ability to create a huge shield blocking the way.

Kiiing!

Dozens of spears of light flew toward Ha Tae-heon and Hong Si-ah with a sharp noise that pierced the ears. Kuuung, the ground shook with an explosion sound as the monster's attack, which was slowed by shaking in the wind, hit the shield.

After confirming that all the spears had disappeared, Ha Tae-heon removed the shield and flew towards the monster and swung his sword. A sword swung at high speed accurately cut through the monster's neck, which was still floating.

"......?"

Ha Tae-heon frowned and quickly stepped back. Even though it was clearly cut, its blood did not splatter or scream was heard.

Kuruk, kururuk...

With the sound of boiling sputum, the cut flesh was boiling and being restored to its original state.

"Maybe the ability to regenerate?"

Hong Si-ah's words hardened my expression. There were monsters with the ability to regenerate, but there was no case where they regenerated so quickly.

'...wait. A similar situation seems to have occurred in the novel.'

Suddenly, the contents of the original flashed through my mind.

I calmly organized my memories. When Ha Tae-heon entered the American gate, it was similar to the monster he met. A shamanistic (주술계) S-grade monster that looked similar to a banshee.

'How did you solve that problem?'

While I was in agony, Hong Si-ah joined in and swung her weapon at the monster. However, Hong Si-ah's whip penetrated its heart and blew off one of its arms, the monster did not budge. We couldn't kill it like this.

I have to remember. While desperately digging through everything in my head, I finally came up with an important clue.

"Mirror."

Yes. It was a mirror. I looked at the mirror floating above the monster's head.

"It's not regenerative."

That was a hallucination. Convinced, I exclaimed in haste.

"Ha Tae-heon-ssi! The mirror!"

It was quite a distance, but my voice would reach him who was an SS-rank. As expected, Ha Tae-heon turned his head and looked at me.

The monster in the novel had a mirror embedded in its chest. Ha Tae-heon inserted his sword in the mirror, ending the hallucinations that had confused everyone.

"Attack the mirror!"

Just like that monster, it was just a hallucination, not a regenerative ability. When you broke the mirror, something would definitely change.

I lifted Ha Tae-heon's body higher to make it easier to attack the mirror. When Ha Tae-heon, who immediately understood what I was saying, was about to swing his sword towards the mirror, the monster that had been standing still made a ripping sound.

Kkiiiii—!

"Argh!"

I twisted in pain as if I was stabbed in the ear with an awl. Ha Tae-heon and Hong Si-ah, who were close, were also greatly shaken as they were hit.

"Ah, crazy. What the... ugh!"

The monster swung its sword at tremendous speed toward Hong Si-ah, who was holding her forehead. Hong Si-ah managed to avoid it and raised the corners of her lips.

"Now it's fun to fight! Did you say something that shouldn't be touched is the mirror as Han Yi-gyeol said?"

A sword the size of a house flew in once again aiming at Hong Si-ah. Unlike just now, Hong Si-ah, who escaped with ease, used a bright red whip to wrap around the monster's sword. As if a snake wound up its prey to death, the sword which was wrapped with the whip gradually froze and then cracked.

While Hong Si-ah was facing the monster, Ha Tae-heon once again moved toward the mirror.

When the tip of the sword was lowered and inserted into the mirror, a sharp rupture resounded loudly. And at the same time.

Kwaaang!

The mirror exploded with a strong shock wave.

"Ha Tae-heon-ssi!"

"......!"

I was about to run reflexively as I watched Ha Tae-heon, who had crossed his arms and covered his face, swung backwards, but I was also caught up in an explosion and my body flew backwards. I quickly raised my ability.

"Gasp...!"

Kuung, at the same time as the heavy sound, I felt a dull pain in my back. Fortunately, I was protected by the wind so I wasn't seriously hurt. As I staggered and raised my upper body, I gazed at the sight in front of me that had changed dramatically.

The sky, which had been filled with white light, disappeared out of nowhere, and dark purple clouds spread out. All the coniferous trees near the monster where the explosion occurred fell down then a black haze fluttered on the soil floor.

Kiiiik—!

The monster screamed and twisted its body. Soon after, the face part split into four parts and opened like petals, and a terrible stench spread through the air. I covered my mouth with the sleeve of the coat and looked around quickly.

"Ha Tae-heon-ssi! Are you okay?"

"Tsk..."

Fortunately, Ha Tae-heon got up from not far away. He clicked his tongue angrily and wiped the dirt off his suit.

"Au. It's a mess like this."

Similar to Ha Tae-heon, Hong Si-ah, who was covered in ash, walked out from behind. Fortunately, she didn't appear to have been hurt either.

"Maybe the mirror was the core. I didn't even think of that because the first attack came from the mirror."

Hong Si-ah, who was grumbling, grabbed her whip and looked at the monster.

"I broke the mirror, so the hallucinations are gone now?"

"Perhaps."

"I'll have to check it out."

Ha Tae-heon made a sword with his ability and blinked at me. Noticing the gaze, I lifted Ha Tae-heon and Hong Si-ah again and stepped back.

"Be careful of poison."

Huung, Hong Si-ah, who flew up, looked at me and smiled.

"I've felt it for a while, this ability is really good."

"If it's useful, please call my mercenary service whenever you want."

I thought this was the time, so I tried to do business. Fortunately, Hong Si-ah giggled and flew to the monster after Ha Tae-heon, who was fortunate enough to have passed through cute aegyo. (다행히 귀여운 애교 정도로 통했는지홍시아가 킥킥거리며 하태헌을 따라 몬스터에게 날아갔다, I thought Yi-gyeol did cute aegyo act to Tae-heon but failed to get his attention?)

As Ha Tae-heon and Hong Si-ah approached, the monster trembled and spit out a stench with black smoke through its split head, unlike before when there was no particular movement.

'What the hell is that?'

I thought without removing the sleeve that was covering my mouth just in case. I thought it was poison, but unlike the purple powder before, I didn't feel any pain.

...maybe it was a debuff ability, not poison. The debuff ability was a tricky ability that could reduce the power of the ability or cause body paralysis when exposed to defencelessness.

Kkiiiik!

Kururung, kwang!

As the monster howled with a creepy sound, white thunderbolts began to fall several times from the sky full of dark clouds. Ha Tae-heon lightly dodged the monster's attack and narrowed the distance.

Haaaak!

When the lightning-shaped monster's sword and Ha Tae-heon's sword were about to collide, a bright red whip wrapped around the monster's sword. The monster's sword, which had a crack in the centre, could not withstand this attack and was broken.

Ha Tae-heon quickly entered the gap created by Hong Si-ah. Huuk, as the sword swung long, the monster's right wrist was cut off.

Kuung!

While holding a sword that had been cut in half, its severed wrist fell to the floor. Black blood poured from the cutting surface, and the monster staggered.

"Ugh...!"

Hong Si-ah covered her mouth and her nose with her hand and hurriedly backed away from it. The stench emanating from its chapped face spread far more intensely from the black blood. With the ability of an S+ grade monster, Ha Tae-heon was okay, but it was fatal to Hong Si-ah.

"...my body feels weird. It's a debuff ability."

"Please stand back."

Hong Si-ah calmly nodded her head. I used my ability a little more and changed the flow of the wind so that the stench didn't reach the two of them as much as possible.

Haaaak! Haak!

In the meantime, the monster's tentacles that were moving painfully began to wriggle all at once. I was nervous about the behaviour I had never seen before, but something reflected in a broken and cracked mirror.

"That..."

A man with his eyes closed was seen in a round egg soaked in a slimy liquid. There were people in every dozen of eggs that looked like frog eggs.

Like me, Hong Si-ah, who looked in the mirror, shouted with a startled voice.

"They're the party attendees!"

The tentacles stuck in the eggs were gleaming white as they sucked in something. Then, the face of the one who was in the egg was distorted in pain. Among them were Lee Joo-ha and Kim Na-yul.

Ha Tae-heon and Hong Si-ah's faces hardened terribly and the energy of anger overflowed. It seemed that everyone, including those who disappeared somewhere through the black hole, which Hong Si-ah spoke of, was in such a state of being held captive.

The flesh of the monster's cut wrist that absorbed the white energy through its tentacles began to bulge, and in an instant, the hand was restored to its original state.

This time, not hallucinations, but the regenerative ability was clear.

"Annoying!"

Hong Si-ah swung her whip again, but she failed to push the monster back. My body movements were noticeably slow enough to be seen by my eyes. The effect of the debuff ability appeared.

"Let's change the strategy."

Ha Tae-heon, who looked at the situation calmly, said to Hong Si-ah.

"I will draw attention."

Behind the monster, there was the entrance to the underground that Hong Si-ah discovered. Ha Tae-heon pointed to it with his hand.

"Master Hong Si-ah. Go cut off the tentacles and rescue the attendees."

"...will it be okay?"

"Continuously dealing with monsters is meaningless if you can't get rid of the tentacles."

Hong Si-ah, who had been contemplating for a while, nodded her head with a calm expression at her explanation. As he said, this situation could only be resolved if someone removed the tentacles.

"Okay. Hang in there. I will try to solve it as soon as possible."

"Yes."