episode_0078

Monsters are usually referred to by their species.

Red Wolf, or Red Hound. The standard hierarchy is set at 7th rank, and other variations are simply referred to as Alpha.

While there may be differences between individuals, they are not significant enough to warrant separate species distinctions.

But that’s not it.

The Aelus of the Blood Cloud.

A monster so special that the Association and the player’s system have given it a special name and designation.

Ranked as 3rd tier. And among them, it is treated as an Alpha individual.

Among the monsters in Savior that wreak havoc on the world, it is a formidable creature that ranks quite high.

There has never been a chapter where Aelus was killed. But there have been many encounters.

Chapters that have managed to defeat it? Yes, there were. But there has never been a clean victory.

The chapter that first started subjugating 3rd tier monsters stably was the 8th chapter.

Chapters before that had mediocre specs, or even if their output was superior, they were riddled with flaws somewhere.

The 9th chapter, while exploring a malicious route, misjudged and exploded midway.

Chapters that could subjugate 3rd tier monsters alone were only the 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th chapters.

“Well, damn.”

Facing a monster with such potential.

Of course, it’s unlikely to be a 3rd tier monster right now.

If it were a 3rd tier, there would have been no survivors.

– Krrraaaa!

Still, to me, that was a monster.

A roar struck. The fabric of my clothes fluttered roughly. My complexion paled at the deafening noise and intense aura that tore through my eardrums.

Momentum. Or should I say, presence. Utilizing spatial awareness, I could roughly gauge its level.

A 5th tier monster that was defeated by Hong Yeonhwa… It doesn’t seem much different from that.

My fingertips trembled in this damn reality. Calming my unstable breath, I assessed my physical condition.

Sensation was faint under my left arm. Flesh torn out… If I had fully felt that pain, wouldn’t I have screamed in agony?

Magic… More than half remains. The core and circuits are crying out in pain from overheating. Except for my left arm, my body is relatively intact.

In an armed state, I blocked the foreleg of the Aelus I had brought with me and it turned into scrap.

As I poured magic into the wings of the sky, they slowly began to regain their shape. If it weren’t for the recovery function, it would have been reduced to scrap by the recent attack.

“Damn.”

Damn, damn, damn.

I almost died. My head cooled down chillingly.

It’s not that I might have died. It’s not like training in a cradle. It’s not that I might die if I make a mistake like being caught in a frenzy.

Death was right in front of me. Without spatial awareness, without drawing a map with my senses, death flickered in the darkness where nothing was visible.

Defensive magic, a sword used as a shield, wings of the sky, the strong aura wrapped around my body, and the full use of my martial arts.

If I had lacked any of these, I would have died just now.

My life would have ended. Like a corpse felt countless times through spatial awareness, I would have ended up in such a state.

“Run…”

I have to go. There’s no reason to hesitate.

If I fight that thing, I’ll die. Survival instinct screamed in terror.

Is my life not more important than anything else?

I was selfish from the start. Even the reason I tried to become stronger was just to survive.

With that thought in mind, I stepped back.

Information from inside the shelter crept in. There was no time to filter it.

I couldn’t capture everything. Only some information came in.

Fear and anxiety. Though condensed, the chaotic emotions of the shelter’s interior were felt.

I am selfish.

A question arose.

Why did I save that person back then?

There was nothing to gain, almost died, lost a leg, yet somehow managed to move.

– You were born to be a piece of trash, huh?

Because it’s unfair. I had to deny those words. If I had just stayed still, it seemed like I was agreeing with them.

Thud! I gritted my teeth. Liquid, not saliva, swirled in my mouth. A sharp pain jolted me awake.

I invoked magic. The creaking core expelled magic. I used magic to operate the rigid body technique throughout my entire body.

I dragged my foot forward.

Whoosh! The powerful energy enveloped me fiercely.

– Roar!

A thunderous sound echoed. The monster, Aerus, stood before me. A mist shrouded its already blood-red fur.

Unique abilities are not exclusive to superhumans. Even though terminologies may differ, the manifestation and operation of abilities are evident in entities other than humans.

Monsters are no exception. While most are categorized based on their species, unique individuals undoubtedly possess their own special abilities.

“Blood Mist”

A unique ability that manifests mist-like blood.

This blood mist serves as Aerus’s role. It not only enhances his abilities when enveloped around his body but also acts as a sturdy armor and a weapon to tear apart enemies.

– Clang!

The ground was struck. It was not me but the monster’s footsteps. The asphalt cracked as the body was propelled forward.

Fast. The specs were overwhelmingly superior on that side. If I moved simultaneously, I would be at a disadvantage. I had to anticipate the movement and act first.

I predicted the movement with spatial perception. I threw the sword, which was nothing more than scrap metal, in reverse grip. The sword, surrounded by the mist, sliced through the air.

Aerus did not react. There was no sign of defense.

– Thud!

The clash of metal against metal. The sword collided with the mist, shattering into pieces and scattering fragments into the air.

‘Of course, there won’t be any damage.’

Aerus was closing in. As the distance shortened, spatial perception faltered.

‘Alpha, huh.’

I dismissed the thought that crossed my mind. That was undoubtedly an alpha entity. Moreover, it was receiving active backup from the rampaging dungeon.

In other words, Aerus was the core and center of the dungeon. Where Aerus was located was the center of the dungeon and the strongest point of the dungeon’s power.

The force pushing against spatial perception grew stronger. It interfered with gathering information, causing my impression to crumple.

The thick foreleg extended. Even the elongated claws were surrounded by the blood mist.

A hand reached out towards me, engulfed in the mist. Anticipating the injury on my left forearm, I extended my right hand first.

– Thud!

The blood mist and the energy clashed. An absurd sense of repulsion was transmitted through my arm. It felt like my hand would break at any moment. Gritting my teeth, I changed the trajectory.

Swoosh! The thick foreleg of Aerus barely missed me, digging into the ground.

If I had been hit by that attack, my flesh would have been torn apart like cutting through tofu. A chilling premonition crossed my mind.

‘I can’t allow myself to be hit.’

The basic difference in strength was too great, as I had felt from the previous blow. If I allowed consecutive hits, I would turn into minced meat.

– Thud! Thud! Swoosh!

The battle commenced. I continuously evaded the attacks. The missed strikes scraped the surroundings.

Buildings overlapped in the path of the claws, collapsing like dominoes.

The asphalt cracked and vehicles left on the road exploded into pieces.

Skill-wise, I was superior. It may seem ridiculous to argue skills with a beast, but thanks to the difference in skill, I could evade the attacks.

Professor Atla had dealt with numerous armed opponents in sparring sessions, but the most common ones were hands and feet.

Even when handling a sword, if the sword was missed, fists had to be thrown, and legs had to be swung.

Thanks to that experience, he was able to evade the monster’s attacks.

– Kwagagak!

The steel was chipped away. There was no problem. He filled in the dented steel.

He reinforced it even more firmly than before. Although magic was consumed as if pierced, he drew up magic by burning the circuits and cores.

It wouldn’t be destroyed in one blow. He could withstand it for a few times. As long as it wasn’t a sudden attack with the monster’s full power, he could withstand it for now.

The consumed steel could be restored.

But…

“Tsk.”

Along with the creaking spatial perception, the recovery of magic was also unsatisfactory.

Damage accumulated in the body. Although he was deflecting attacks elsewhere, there was an unavoidable burden on the body.

He hadn’t planned for a prolonged battle, but he couldn’t last as long as he had expected.

Then, for a short battle? Could he kill it?

He saw an opportunity. The front paw came down to strike. A shadow fell over his body.

The movement was large. Thanks to that, he could evade attacks and occasionally launch attacks from his side.

He twisted his body. The front paw that scratched at the steel barely grazed his body. He opened his left hand.

“Magic Thrust: Barrage”

The thrust that burst from his hand struck Aelus. Due to the difference in physique, the barrage of thrusts that flew hit his side.

He cleared away the red mist. In the process, many thrusts were lost. The remaining thrusts hit the fur.

– Kwaddduk!

The stiffened fur blocked the thrusts. Even though the force had decreased, it stopped just short of piercing the fur.

– Kuaaa!

His eardrums trembled. Grimacing, he quickly kicked the ground and retreated.

The large muzzle that had just been there closed. Kwaduk! The teeth clenched, and a chilling sound echoed in his ears.

Aelus raised his head, whimpering. Between the clashing sounds, a torn piece of the sky’s wing was stuck.

He saved Aelus with spatial perception. A faint scar was engraved where the thrusts had hit.

Could he kill it?

“Impossible.”

The parasitic moth, similar to Aelus, died from the direct hit of the Hongyeon flower’s bloom.

I don’t have the output ability for that.

Fear? I haven’t used it since that day. I wanted to use it many times, but this damn ability didn’t listen to the owner’s will.

– Krrrrrr…!

I’m still not dead. Even if I take one good hit, it’ll be over, but I keep deflecting attacks, striking the rugged terrain.

Perhaps because of that, Aelus’s neck rang out. The sound of scraping iron against iron resonated in his ears.

Then, two front paws rose. The coiled blood aura swelled, bulging the body.

A clear sign of a strong attack. Intuition rang out.

If it hits, I die.

Should I block it? I can’t. If I block it, I’ll die.

Should I dodge it again? Intuition shook its head.

He struck the ground with the force of flesh and magic that pounded his skin.

Not forward, but backward. He distanced himself from Aelus.

– Krrrrrr!

A menacing sound. It felt like it was mocking him. Thump! The blood aura surrounding the two front paws once again expanded the body.

Due to the similarity in color between the blood aura and fur, the front paws felt like they had grown two to three times larger.

No, that was just a front paw. The front paw, which stretched out straight, extended long enough to reach the relatively intact rooftop of a building.

Next, Aelus’s hind leg swelled. The muscles inflated like balloons, and blood vessels appeared on top of them.

‘Alright.’

If the opponent moves away, then I just need to get closer from my side.

Bang! The ground behind Aelus suddenly shot up.

In return, Aelus’s hind leg shot forward, swollen several times its normal size, along with the extended front paw.

The sky was no longer visible.

The sunlight was blocked. The surrounding area darkened.

From top to bottom.

In the most optimal trajectory to exert force.

The front paw that blocked the sky came down with a heavy thud.

* * *

The ground was pounded. As a result, a fierce gust of wind swept through.

The feeble vegetation that couldn’t withstand the force bent and broke. Piles of dirt scattered in all directions, and even pieces of wood burst out.

It was a clear act of natural destruction, but Atra didn’t care in the slightest.

There is no gate terminal in Sifna Ha.

The closest gate terminal is the Edinburgh Gate.

From there, Atra ran straight without stopping.

Yi Hayul was engulfed in the dungeon’s rampage.

The dungeon’s grade is at most 4th grade.

The standard hierarchy pouring out is at most 8th grade. Considering the backup of the dungeon, it’s at most 7th grade.

Considering Yi Hayul’s skills, he should be able to survive.

He thought the same in the past.

If it’s that child, it should be fine. Even objectively, Atra thought so.

And then, that child disappeared, leaving behind only a cold arm.

‘Please.’

Atra’s face contorted in despair. The nightmares of the past overlapped with the present.

‘Just stay alive.’

If he’s alive, he can fix it somehow. There are many ways to heal in this world. Somehow, if he stays alive, he can fix it.

Just repeating that to himself, without looking back, he unleashed his strength and crossed mountains and rivers.

A golden line was drawn in the sky.