Ch.153The Worst Always Comes in Layers – 4

When I first saw the Cyclops, I thought:

That thing is so huge, there are plenty of places to hit!

It might be S-rank, but I managed against The Elder, so this one should be similar.

But I was wrong. It was an extremely serious misjudgment.

Now I understand why Sujin Hyun told me “fighting this will be different from fighting her or Hyuk Kwak.”

I finally grasp why she mentioned things about humans versus monsters.

First problem: this crazy monster seems to have no sensation.

More precisely, its pain receptors. They must be broken.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t remain completely unfazed when I slash it like mad with my sword.

*Thwack!* *Slash!*

I’m clearly cutting through its hide, blood is spraying, and I can feel the blade connecting.

There’s that tactile feedback that tells me, ah, this strike definitely landed.

Yet somehow, this damn one-eyed freak doesn’t even flinch.

Even when I wildly slice at its limbs, it doesn’t react at all and just keeps charging at me.

“Hey, Seojin Baek! Give up and get out of there! If you keep showing off like that…”

I think she was about to say I’d get kicked, because right after that, I got kicked by the creature’s foot. Goddammit.

“Urgh!”

For a moment my vision went black, then turned completely white.

My whole body felt like it was spinning before being filled with a numbing pain.

I managed to roll away from the follow-up attack almost instinctively, but… damn it.

‘How can something with one eye and such a huge body move at that speed? It’s not possible.’

Second problem: speed that defies explanation.

How can something that massive move so fast? It’s scientifically impossible.

This isn’t right. Seriously, is this even possible?

In movies with giant monsters or robots, they’re all slow as hell—isn’t that normal?

As I struggle to gather my wits through the pain, I hear an angry shout from above.

“You idiot! I told you! Everyone who thought they were slow ended up dead!”

That’s unfair. No, I wasn’t being careless. I never thought it would be slow!

It’s just that it’s faster than I could possibly imagine—that kind of movement shouldn’t be possible!

Additionally, my body being exhausted from fighting Sujin Hyun is another problem.

As expected of The Elder. We fought desperately against a global calamity.

As a result, my stamina and magical power were severely depleted.

Fighting an S-rank monster in this condition is truly crossing the line.

Normally, we would have settled things with one final move, but the situation has gone to hell.

*Rumble!*

I dodged its pillar-like shin coming at me head-on once more.

As soon as I threw myself aside, I heard a massive whoosh of air behind me.

If I’d taken a direct hit from that, wouldn’t my entire body have been crushed to death?

“Hey! One-eye! You cyclops freak! Over here, over here!”

Sujin Hyun tries to draw its attention, probably thinking its attacks were too focused on me.

Though she must be as exhausted as I am, she seemed to be holding up better than me.

The Cyclops seemed to take the bait. It turned its attention toward Sujin Hyun.

I was truly fortunate, as I didn’t think I could withstand another attack.

To think I’d be benefiting from The Elder like this. If this keeps happening, I might start thinking positively…

…Ah, shit. Cancel that. She’s crazy after all! Damn it!

*BOOM BOOM BOOM!*

Gritting my teeth, I used all my strength to dodge the shadows raining down from the sky.

Glancing back, I saw countless shadows embedded in the spot where I had just been.

After nearly becoming mashed potatoes earlier, I almost became a porcupine this time.

Damn you, Elder! Stabbing me in the back like this! So much for positive thinking!

You were aiming for me, weren’t you? That damn Elder is really crossing the line!

“Sujin Hyun, you—”

“Sorry! This isn’t intentional! I don’t have enough magical power left to control the range!”

While desperately avoiding the Cyclops’s hands, Sujin Hyun offered an apology.

Seeing her urgency, it seems she really wasn’t trying to backstab me.

But why does her apology sound more like a taunt to my ears?

I almost cursed at her out of frustration, but decided to hold back.

After all, thanks to her, I escaped from the monster’s attack.

I gained a little time to catch my breath and stabilize my magical power.

“Now! Pull out!”

“Hey! That’s! Not! So! Easy! You bastard!”

“Ah, I don’t care! Get caught up in it or not!”

It’s unstable, but I have no choice. If I delay any longer, the path I’ve drawn will fade.

I use my sword to draw in another storm—the same one that almost became a suicide technique last time.

*Rumble—CRASH!*

The Cyclops, which had been targeting Sujin Hyun, must have sensed the ominous energy.

It abandoned its pursuit of her and started charging toward me again.

“Where do you think you’re going, you bastard!”

Sujin Hyun’s shadows surge from all directions like waves, like a tsunami.

Half of them failed to penetrate the monster’s hide due to her lack of magical power, but that doesn’t matter.

Her job is to buy time, and that’s enough for me.

The Cyclops’s speed decreased noticeably. It’s visible to the naked eye.

Though it seems to barely feel pain, perhaps it still finds the attacks annoying?

It was only natural as it roared and swatted away the flying shadows.

“Hup!”

Getting caught in this again might actually kill me, but not stopping this monster means death anyway.

If those are my options, I’d rather take the one with at least some chance of survival.

With that thought, I directed the subtly trembling wind straight at the monster.

*CRASH!*

Of course, the wind I sent flying at it was definitely not just “wind.”

“Argh! Shit! I can’t believe I have to take that hit again!!”

Shut up, Elder. You’ve sinned enough, so take it quietly!

“Hey, Seojin Baek. Be honest with me.”

“It’s distracting. Can’t we talk later?”

“No. Tell me now.”

Geez. What does she want to ask now?

“When you hit me with that storm before, it hurt like hell, but this one seems pretty weak?”

“Of course. I was in better condition then. My stamina and magical power were better too.”

“Somehow that sounds like you’re blaming me.”

If that’s how it sounded, then you heard correctly. I answered while leaping away.

Right after, the Cyclops’s massive fist slammed into where Sujin Hyun and I had been standing.

*CRASH!*

To state the result, the “storm” did hit properly.

It definitely caused damage, turning the Cyclops’s body into tatters.

Yes, it hit, but the power was weaker than before, so it wasn’t enough to be fatal.

As a result, it only served to further enrage the Cyclops.

“For now, please distract it again. If I try once more, since I’ve already stripped away its hide…”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Sujin Hyun cuts me off, calling my words nonsense.

When I asked what she meant, she glared at me and continued.

“Your magical power is depleted. Even that last attack was barely squeezed out.”

I couldn’t help but flinch at her words.

When did she figure that out? And how did she know?

“It’s obvious. You were throwing storms just fine before, and now you mess up? If you were that sloppy, neither I nor Hyuk Kwak would have struggled so much. Ah, mentioning a dead guy repeatedly feels like teabagging. Anyway, let’s switch roles. You distract it, and I’ll take it down.”

I answered her suggestion by just staring at her.

Yes, my magical power is depleted, but what about yours?

If anything, you seem to be at your limit in both magical power and stamina, so what exactly do you plan to do?

Did she notice my thoughts? Sujin Hyun smirks.

“Hey. Are you worried about me? Cut it out. I don’t deserve your concern, and I’m your senior by far. You think if you can’t do it, I can’t either? You think I got my S-rank qualification and Elder title for free?”

I’m not underestimating Sujin Hyun. She’s right about being my senior.

Her movements, magical power control, presence detection, and techniques to conceal it—

She has the experience from her time as an S-rank and then as The Elder.

But that’s only possible when the situation allows for it.

Right now, Sujin Hyun’s condition is worse than mine, not better.

Magical power? Depleted almost as much as mine. Physical condition? Look at her bleeding.

In that state, she wants to take on the offensive role? That’s harder than being the decoy.

To deal effective damage, let alone a fatal blow, to that crazy monster, there’s only one answer:

You have to grit your teeth and pour out everything you have, scraping the bottom of the barrel.

But if Sujin Hyun does that, her body won’t be able to handle it and eventually…

‘Wait, shit? Hold on.’

*CRASH!*

After dodging its attempt to clap us between its palms like mosquitoes,

I rushed over to Sujin Hyun, who was quietly gathering magical power, and grabbed her collar.

“Are you crazy?! What are you doing?”

“Shut up. What are you planning? You’re not trying to die, are you?”

You’re not, right? You were obsessed with revenge, and now suddenly you’re sacrificing yourself?

“Well. You caught me.”

“Are you serious?”

“My body’s at its limit anyway, and this situation is going nowhere, so I thought I’d just self-destruct to finish things.”

“What about your revenge?”

“Characters like you are always like that, right? Someone sacrifices themselves, and you carry on their burden?”

I almost hit her out of sheer disbelief.

How the hell did you interpret my character that way?

And I have no intention of carrying on your revenge mission.

“I’m joking, kid. Don’t make that face.”

Sujin Hyun clicks her tongue and unleashes shadows at the advancing Cyclops’s face.

Thanks to that, the monster’s movements slowed momentarily, and she caught her breath before speaking.

“I’m not going to die. I don’t plan to. I’m just proposing the most rational method for revenge in our current situation. You can’t deliver any more fatal blows right now. But I can.”

“We don’t need to do that. If we just hold out a little longer, reinforcements…”

“Are you crazy? You want me to get captured? And if we drag this out any longer, this underground facility will be completely destroyed. Look. Almost everything is already gone except what we’ve already destroyed.”

Indeed, looking around, the situation was dire.

If we prolong this battle any further, all the evidence will undoubtedly disappear.

“And you know what.”

Wiping away blood haphazardly, Sujin Hyun reluctantly scratches her head.

“…Ah, shit! It’s embarrassing, okay! This thing isn’t even S-rank, but it’s causing all this trouble.”

“It’s strange hearing that from someone who quit being an ability user to become a villain.”

So she’s not completely trash like Hyuk Kwak?

“So are we switching roles or not? If you can finish it, then keep going.”

I really don’t understand what this woman’s true intentions are anymore.

But one thing is clear: as Sujin Hyun said, I can’t deliver any more fatal blows.

In fact, “defending” against this monster might be better for me now.

After all, what’s sustaining me now is the Gatekeeper trait.

“How much time do you need me to buy?”

After making up my mind, I asked, and Sujin Hyun grinned.

“Five minutes.”

Five minutes. Five minutes, huh. Damn. It’s going to be the longest five minutes of my life.