Chapter 54: Hunter of the Wilderness #4

Chapter 54: Hunter of the Wilderness #4

Rustle, rustle-

The number of skeleton monsters rapidly decreased.

It’s always easier to tear down than to build up.

The monsters I had painstakingly gathered for a week were annihilated in an instant.

-Kuoooo!

As the Giant Worm’s massive body writhed, a group of skeletons turned to dust.

Pshh!

Poisonous spines were shot in all directions. A rain of spines adorned the sky.

The potent poison corroded even the skeletons’ bones. The monster army melted away like ice cream.

“Estel, should we retreat now?”

Flora said anxiously.

The Giant Worm was still busy wiping out the monsters lingering near it, but soon we would also come within its range of perception.

“Senior, don’t worry. It’s just the beginning.”

“But half of the skeletons are already gone…”

“It’s all still going according to my plan.”

I said with conviction.

It wasn’t just a comforting lie to reassure Flora.

The Giant Worm hadn’t noticed, but all the skeleton monsters I had deployed so far were of low caliber.

They were meat shields meant to deplete the Giant Worm’s stamina and, most importantly, to absorb its dangerous poison spines.

Or rather, bone shields, since the meat has long since rotted away. Anyway.

Even though the number of skeleton monsters had been reduced to a third, it was a planned sacrifice.

And now, the real battle begins.

-Krooo!

The Giant Worm fired its last spine. It no longer had any means of ranged attack.

It was time.

“Deploying the next unit.”

Doggy No. 2 proudly waved a black flag.

Then appeared the elite units.

These were the best of the best, carefully selected from monsters hunted in the wilderness.

Garden Mammoth, Rock Scorpion, Wilderness Boar.

When the enemy is strong, you retreat; when they are weak, you attack. This is basic military strategy.

Crack!

The Giant Worm, unable to shoot spines anymore, slammed its body against the ground.

The skeleton mammoth trapped beneath was brutally crushed.

However, it was different from before.

Moments ago, dozens of monsters were pulverized by the shockwave of the Giant Worm hitting the ground, but now they didn’t melt away so easily.

If they weren’t directly hit, they could withstand the shockwave.

-Ksssh.

-Clatter, clatter.

The skeleton monsters, with eerie lights in their empty eye sockets, latched onto the Giant Worm.

While each individual attack barely scratched its thick hide, the combined attacks of hundreds were a different story.

-Krooooor!

The Giant Worm writhed in pain.

Wounds were already etched all over its body, and green blood splattered.

“Wow! The attacks are working! You’re fighting well!”

Flora cheered, punching the air excitedly.

We can’t lose this momentum.

My command was given again, and the skeleton monsters simultaneously rolled rocks from the hill.

Rumble, rumble-

The rolling rocks mercilessly crushed our own monsters, but I didn’t care.

They aren’t living subordinates anyway.

This is the advantage of commanding an undead army.

Whether they die or not, I suffer no loss. Even if they are annihilated, I will receive no blame.

The undead army was nothing more than murder dolls that faithfully followed my commands.

CRASH!

A few rocks veered off course and rolled elsewhere, but the rest all collided with the Giant Worm’s body.

Strike.

The Giant Worm’s body momentarily stopped moving.

Even a field boss couldn’t ignore an impact of this magnitude.

Now is the time.

“Senior, please provide cover from behind.”

“Be careful-“

“I’ll be back.”

Riding the skeleton mammoth, I raised my mace.

The elite monsters I had saved followed behind me, kicking up dust clouds as we charged towards the Giant Worm.

“Alright, let’s go-“

My hair whipped in the sandstorm. This was the heart of a battlefield.

Charging at a monster the size of a ten-story apartment building. It was truly insane.

And insanity is always fun.

“Kyahaha.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Was this the feeling the ancient Viking berserkers or the Mongol cavalry felt when charging into enemy lines?

“Everyone, get out of the way. I don’t have the luxury to worry about you anymore.”

Before I could finish speaking, the Giant Worm’s tail swept horizontally across our formation.

A brutal broom-like sweep that cleared the ground.

As I quickly flattened myself on the mammoth, its massive tail passed overhead like an airplane.

CRUNCH!

I heard the sounds of unfortunate monsters behind me being crushed as they couldn’t dodge the tail.

I didn’t look back.

Hesitating now would mean death for all of us.

“It’s even bigger up close?”

Even tilting my head back as far as it would go, I couldn’t take in the Giant Worm’s entire massive body.

And I have to take it down with just a mace.

“But this isn’t just any mace. And I’m not just any girl, either.”

The artifact “Garden’s Meteorite.”

It’s time for you to taste blood, too.

Even if it’s insect blood, a field boss should be palatable enough.

I channeled the power of the Holy Reliquary and focused it entirely on my physical abilities.

My slender arms pulsed with vitality, and my strength surged, enough to crush a lump of iron with my bare hands.

“Using Steel Barrage.”

Garden’s Meteorite relentlessly hammered the Giant Worm.

CRUNCH!

The Giant Worm’s hard chitinous shell dented and caved in.

I used the dented spot to leap high into the air.

And then, Steel Barrage again.

CRACK!

Crushing the Giant Worm’s body, I used the dent as a foothold to leap higher.

Repeating this process, I eventually brought its head into view.

-Kikikik.

The emotionless black eyes, typical of insects.

And, in its circular mouth, as wide as two tennis courts combined, were densely packed teeth.

Sharp, saw-like teeth that would pulverize anything swallowed.

If I fell in there by accident, I’d be ground to nothing, leaving no corpse behind.

“What are you looking at, you bastard?”

Our eyes met.

The Giant Worm’s mouth opened wide, and the air began to swirl and rush into it.

I grabbed onto its shell to steady myself.

“Just gaping with your mouth open. What do you want to do? Are you in pain, or are you hungry? I can’t tell, being an insect.”

There’s no point in trying to understand its feelings, as communication between us is impossible.

There’s only one thing I can give it right now.

I took out a secret weapon stored in the spatial dimension within my Golden Horn Cloak.

“This is the first time you’ll be eating this. I don’t know if you’ll like it, but I’ll feed you until you’re stuffed.”

The Vision Cannon, floating in the air, displayed its imposing form.

It was the ambitious creation of dwarf artisans, borrowed from the Captain of the Guard for this raid.

I manipulated the floating Vision Cannon with telekinesis.

The cannonball was a special incendiary round.

It would be a very hot and spicy flavor.

“One shot first.”

BOOM!

The Vision Cannon’s muzzle spewed fire.

The red cannonball disappeared into the darkness deep within the Giant Worm’s throat.

A moment later.

KABOOM!

-K, KROOOO!

A pillar of fire erupted from the Giant Worm’s mouth like a volcano.

The heat was so intense that it reached my face, which had distanced itself to avoid the flames.

Whether the hit landed effectively, its body convulsed violently.

It was a struggle to hold on as the creature thrashed about.

“Did you like it? Then here’s another one, you bastard.”

The Vision Cannon fired rounds continuously.

With each explosion, the Giant Worm’s massive body shook, and it moaned in pain.

‘As expected, hitting it directly in the belly was the right move.’

If fired from a distance, its tough shell would have blocked most of the damage.

Scrape, scrape.

The skeleton monsters, appearing as tiny ants from the ground, relentlessly attacked the Giant Worm without fear of death.

I continued to unleash attacks without pause.

I struck its eyes with Garden’s Meteorite and slashed its throat with the Frost Sword.

There was no time to check its remaining HP like in a game.

I was simply in a flow state, cutting, hitting, tearing, and exploding.

By the time I had used all thirty rounds of the Vision Cannon’s ammunition.

-Kraaa⋯.

“Field Boss Giant Worm defeated!”

“You have achieved a great deed that will be praised by all. You will be remembered forever as a hero of the Garden Wilderness.”

The Giant Worm’s colossal body swayed precariously like a roly-poly toy before crashing to the ground.

As I was about to fall with it, thinking I was heading to heaven…

“Phew.”

Flora’s magic shield appeared beneath my feet, sensing my predicament.

From far away on the hill, Flora was jumping up and down, waving both arms.

I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but she seemed happy.

I descended to the ground, stepping on the magic shield that spread across the sky like stairs to heaven.

Charrrr-

A large amount of magic stones, gold coins, and gems scattered into the air from the Giant Worm’s corpse.

Normally, adventurers participating in a boss raid would fight over these rewards.

But now, I had no need to rush.

It’s all mine anyway.

“Pick up every single one, don’t miss anything.”

About a hundred skeleton monsters survived.

Without rest, they scattered at my command to collect the spoils.

The magic stones and money alone were sufficient rewards, but I wasn’t satisfied with that.

A greater reward awaited me.

It was the Giant Worm’s corpse itself.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t escape me even in death.”

The corpse, still warm as it had only recently died, was sucked into the spatial dimension within my cloak.

Processing the corpse would yield valuable materials.

However, I had no intention of doing that.

‘If I revive the Giant Worm, it’ll surely become a great weapon in important situations.’

This is the greatest strength of necromancy.

To revive fallen enemies and make them my subordinates.