Chapter 134: Monster Wave (3)

「There are two initial achievement rewards you have not yet claimed.」

Thanks to Esila’s last words, it felt like a glimmer of hope pierced through the otherwise bleak reality.

Of course, it was only enough points to buy a Mithril Greatsword, and naturally, that alone wouldn’t be enough to defeat the Kraken. It merely meant I could land an effective blow on that giant squid, but whether I could land one was an entirely different matter. It only progressed the possibility from being completely reliant on Eunbyul’s rotorcraft piloting skills to being able to attempt something myself.

Overthinking every possible scenario was a waste of time right now, so the important thing was to tackle the immediate issue without doubt.

『Cause the target to reach orgasm through full-body massage』

『Insert an object other than a body part into the target’s body』

Therefore, after completing these two achievements to obtain the final awakening point.

『Mithril Greatsword: A greatsword said to have been forged over five years by dwarves from a distant alien planet. It is made of a metal that never rusts and possesses considerable blade strength. Only a handful of people on Earth can sharpen this material. Price: 1200 points』

I bought the Mithril Greatsword I had my eye on without hesitation from the point shop. The points I had saved for days vanished in an instant, like magic, but I felt no regret. After all, were points more valuable than my life?

「The Mithril Greatsword has been stored in the subspace pocket. You can take it out and use it anytime.」

‘Thanks, Esila.’

After offering my gratitude to Esila, who had thoughtfully considered the potentially awkward situation of a strange weapon suddenly appearing inside the helicopter, I immediately asked a simple question.

‘Esila.’

「Yes, Master.」

‘Now, what are my chances of winning against the Kraken?’

「…Considering the Kraken has appeared on land rather than in the sea, your swordsmanship and fire magic levels are currently level 6 and level 5 respectively, and you have now acquired the Mithril Greatsword….」

‘Considering?’

「…I estimate them to be less than 30%.」

I had to wonder if I should be relieved that it was much higher than 2%. It was certainly better than complaining that it was only 30%. A probability less than fifty percent to stake my life on was disappointing, but at least it wasn’t a completely hopeless situation where I could do nothing. One thing was certain: the situation had progressed from being unable to do anything to being able to attempt something.

“Eunbyul-ssi.”

“Yes.”

“Can this helicopter get a little closer to the Kraken?”

As soon as I spoke, Do Sihee shot me a look as if asking what nonsense I was spouting.

“What are you talking about, Sungchul-ssi?! We should be getting as far away as possible and escaping this island!”

“We both know escaping the Kraken is impossible given the circumstances. We have to try something.”

“But getting closer to such a dangerous monster makes absolutely no sense….”

“Besides, the important thing isn’t whether we go or not. I asked Eunbyul-ssi if it was possible.”

All that mattered to me was whether the plan I envisioned could be executed, not passenger Do Sihee’s opinion. What was crucial was whether the pilot, Maid Eunbyul, could skillfully maneuver the helicopter.

“…It’s possible, but it’s an action that offers no help whatsoever in escaping the island. Therefore, I will not do it.”

That was the answer I expected. The expressionless maid wouldn’t make a decision that could put her Master, Do Sihee, in danger. So, instead, I whispered a proposal into her ear that would allow her to rescue her Master much more easily.

“I… will do it. In the meantime… you escape.”

Eunbyul, who was dodging ink bombs while listening quietly, asked me back.

“…Are you serious about what you just said?”

“Make a wise decision, Eunbyul-ssi. Isn’t Sihee-ssi’s safety the most important thing to you?”

“……”

After a moment of consideration upon hearing my words, Eunbyul turned the helicopter and began flying towards the coast where the S-class monster Kraken had appeared.

“Eunbyul?!”

Do Sihee called out the maid’s name in surprise inside the helicopter, which had suddenly changed direction.

“Are you out of your mind?! Are you going to get closer to that Kraken right now?!”

“…It’s Kim Sungchul-nim’s decision.”

“Sungchul-ssi? Are you really confident you can defeat it?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ve presented Eunbyul-ssi with the plan that offers the greatest possibility.”

Eunbyul ignored the conversation between me and Do Sihee, continuing to steer the helicopter towards the coast where the Kraken had appeared. Not long after, a ‘koogung’ sound echoed, followed by a much stronger impact than before reverberating through the fuselage.

“Kkyyaaaak?!”

As the distance decreased, the impact force of the ink bombs seemed to have significantly increased. After the vibration subsided, Do Sihee spoke to me.

“…Haa, alright. If you two have decided that, there must be a reason. Sungchul-ssi and Eunbyul aren’t going to face that monster without thinking.”

Saying that, Do Sihee unbuckled her seatbelt, stood up, and picked up her bow, ready to fire an ultimate arrow at any moment.

…I felt sorry for her, as she was misunderstanding the situation, but the arrow she was preparing would likely never be used on the Kraken.

“Eunbyul-ssi, please open the left door.”

“I will open it in 3 seconds.”

“Wait a minute! At this altitude?! We’re not landing together to regroup?!”

“Yes, I’ll be the only one landing.”

Immediately after I counted down from three in my head, the helicopter door on my side opened, and I jumped out without hesitation, falling freely from over 50 meters in the air.

“Sungchul-ssi! In that case, my cover…!”

Do Sihee seemed to be saying something from behind, but it didn’t sound important. Even if I had tried to concentrate, the fierce wind noise that began to buffet my ears shortly after I started falling would have made it difficult to hear.

If I continued falling like this, I should reach one of the Kraken’s longest appendages, its ‘tentacles’. Whether it was pure coincidence or if Eunbyul had calculated this precisely and landed the helicopter accurately, it was not a bad starting point, being able to begin by severing one of the two most cumbersome limbs.

A moment later, an ink bomb, aimed at the helicopter where I had been sitting just moments before, reached my position. I drew the Mithril Greatsword I had taken out mid-air and executed a ‘quick draw slash’ to signal the start of the battle.

With a ‘chwaak’ sound, I plunged my body between the ink mass that split in two. Some splattered on me, but thankfully, the substance seemed to be ordinary squid ink, as I felt nothing unusual.

My target was the Kraken’s eye. It would be best if I could kill it with a single stab, but naturally, it wouldn’t be that easy. An eyeball, wriggling amidst the slimy, unpleasant tentacles, had already disappeared back among its limbs. I figured I’d have to cut off about half of those tentacles just to reach its weak spot. Whether I killed it or it killed me, it was bound to be a long fight.

Just as the right tentacle, my intended landing spot, reached up into the sky to attack me, I swung my greatsword, slicing the tentacle vertically and lengthwise. The sensation of the squishy flesh parting against the blade wasn’t exactly pleasant. Nor was the sound. As I severed the giant squid’s arm, nearly 20-30 meters long, my body rapidly approached the ground. By the time my feet hit the ground with a loud thud, one of its strongest weapons was already rendered immobile.

‘Toodoodoodoodoo….’

The helicopter’s engine noise, now audible from quite a distance away, gradually faded from me. It seemed they had gained enough altitude after I took the hit from one ink bomb in their stead. It meant Eunbyul was moving according to plan, which was somewhat reassuring. At the very least, it meant all three of us could avoid the damn situation of dying on this island.

‘I will draw the Kraken’s attention by jumping from the air. In the meantime, Eunbyul-ssi, you escape the island with Sihee-ssi.’

Even if I was someone important to Do Sihee, Eunbyul was ultimately Do Sihee’s employee. Among the three of us, only Eunbyul could pilot the helicopter. If someone had to sacrifice themselves, it had to be my role. Besides, Do Sihee’s ultimate arrows couldn’t inflict effective damage on the Kraken’s eye. Therefore, surviving with a 66% chance was far safer than gambling on the slim 30% probability.

Listening to the receding helicopter, a single regret crossed my mind.

“…Still, I guess I should have told her my real name at least.”

If I ended up fighting and dying here, recovering my body might be difficult. In that case, Do Sihee would have quite a bit of trouble identifying me. Of course, that didn’t mean I intended to go down easily to this monster.

I heard the sound of something sticky moving within its slimy body, and soon, a heavy object whistling through the air approached my waist. Although it was my first time using this weapon, its cutting power had already been thoroughly tested during my fall, so there was no need for further trials. One of the Kraken’s shorter tentacles, lunging towards me, was instantly sliced in half by the Mithril Greatsword.

The battle had begun.