ocean-life Chapter 48: Spider Hunt (5)
Chapter 48: Spider Hunt (5)
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 48: Spider Hunt (5)
While Fafnir held Choi Hyungtae, Yoojin steadily chipped away at Lee Seungyeon's mana, a potion clutched between his teeth.
"Damn it!"
A sharp cry pierced through the acrid smoke. Leaning heavily on her staff, Lee Seungyeon recovered her mana.
-Groan.
-Groan.
Corpses surrounded them. The plague zombies, with their blank white eyes, relentlessly advanced.
[Wind Blade]
Slash!
The densely compressed blades of wind tore through the undead.
Aside from a few stray bloodstains from the fiery explosion, Lee Seungyeon remained untouched.
"Gasp... pant..."
She breathed raggedly. Although she hadn't suffered any direct hits, Yoojin was steadily pushing her to the brink.
'How is this possible?! He's either summoning these unheard-of undead or creating them himself.'
Human Hunters continuously sending monsters? The smoke and fog had severely limited visibility, but she wasn't foolish enough to miss that.
Corpses were hidden throughout the undergrowth, including the bodies of Red Spider Hunters.
'The one that tried to ram me earlier... it died in the explosion.'
Lee Seungyeon was certain that the unknown enemy lurking in the fog was a necromancer. She recalled reading about similar phenomena in old magic books. The problem was, she'd realized it far too late.
'If I had known, I would have used my magic more carefully!'
She had deployed the inefficient Mana Barrier twice.
In the initial engagement, she had unleashed excessive firepower to quickly subdue what she thought was a Human Hunter.
And that wasn't all. Since the plague zombies appeared, she'd been forced to rely on wind magic.
'He prepared those exploding zombies on purpose!'
Lee Seungyeon bit back a scream. Most wind magic specialized in single-target attacks. She couldn't waste it on wiping out groups of 1 Star zombies.
'Damn it. My remaining mana...'
Even a 5 Star Mage didn't have an unlimited supply of mana.
Every time she recovered her mana, it drained both her mental strength and mana. She was so exhausted that if she didn't lean on her staff, her legs would give out.
The moment she stumbled, her strength failing her.
[Corpse Explosion activated.]
The infernal roar echoed in her ears. Lee Seungyeon immediately deployed a defensive spell, blocking the scattering flesh and bone.
'Something's different.'
Her senses were sharply honed. In this extreme situation, her heightened concentration allowed her to discern the difference from the previous explosions.
'The mana wave right before the explosion... it's gone.'
This wasn't a remote detonation like the others.
The pinnacle of a 5 Star Hunter.
Having survived countless near-death experiences, Lee Seungyeon realized her opponent was close.
"I know you're there, you piece of shit! Come out now!"
Her shout echoed emptily. There was no answer.
"You don't want to come out, huh. You coward."
Thwack!
Lee Seungyeon slammed her staff on the ground and muttered under her breath.
A sudden gust of wind whipped her robe. The movement of a vast amount of mana was affecting the very air around her.
A magic circle formed above the crystal on her staff.
"Keep hiding. I'll blast you to oblivion."
Approaching plague zombies reached for her, but were blocked by a translucent barrier.
A temporary magical defense deployed when using large-scale magic. Part of the mana she was gathering protected her.
The fierce wind ceased.
Lee Seungyeon finally uttered the incantation.
"Explosion!"
[TL/N: Megumin ahh spell]
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion erupted simultaneously with the incantation, momentarily deafening her. A crimson radiance erupted from her, engulfing a 50-meter radius.
Bushes and trees instantly turned to ash as they were consumed by the powerful explosive energy. The corpses buried in the ground, the weapons and bodies of the Red Spider Hunters... all vanished without a trace.
"Ugh."
Lee Seungyeon collapsed with a gasp.
Explosion was her trump card, held back until the very end.
Among 5 Star offensive magic, it was one of the top five most destructive fire spells. A massive crater, as if a meteorite had struck, formed in the ground.
'How much I went through to obtain this spell...'
Even Kim Jaewoo, the boss of the Red Spiders, didn't know about her trump card.
She had spared no expense, investing all the money she had earned at Ground Zero. The magic book had been purchased through secret channels.
'All that trouble was worth it.'
The powerful mana wave even pushed back the fog.
The acrid smoke that had stung her eyes, the stubborn weeds underfoot, even the lingering frustration that had clung to her—all were consumed in the blinding explosion, leaving nothing but a scorched emptiness.
"That's so satisfying!"
"Indeed. You blew them away spectacularly."
“...!”
"As you can see, he's practically lost his mind."
Choi Hyungtae, who had been flung back nearly a hundred meters, stood up unsteadily. His eyes were still unfocused. He hadn't forgotten that he was in the middle of a fight with Fafnir, as he started walking straight in that direction.
【You said I couldn't last even a minute against him at full power?】
"That's right."
【Instead of coming here, you should have run away then.】
"We can win if we work together."
Fafnir's eyes gleamed. The pocket watch in Yoojin's pocket trembled, and Kronos expressed his displeasure.
〔He's quite confident. Wasn't it you who said there was no chance of winning against a martial arts type?〕
'With Vidar's Blessing in play, even impossible odds become possible.'
〔Because of the Blessing?〕
'Vidar is a popular constellation, both now and in the future.'
A constellation under the Asgard Cluster. Known for his compassionate nature, the conditions for a 'Rear Support' contract with him were not demanding, and his buff-type Blessings were highly effective, making him a favorite among martial arts Hunters.
〔And how does that relate to victory?〕
'Popularity is synonymous with being well-known.'
The advantages of Vidar's Blessing... and its weaknesses, too.
[Using Unholy Blessing.]
A gray aura poured over Choi Hyungtae's head.
〔Contractor, what are you doing?〕
'I'm applying a debuff.'
〔Effects of spells with the same nature do not stack.〕
Kronos' words were valid.
For example, [Unholy Blessing] increases all stats by 20%, and [Giant's Strength] increases strength by 70%.
When the 'strength' stat overlaps in buffs, the effect of [Unholy Blessing] is halved, limited to strength, because the basis of the divine spells is the same.
〔Wouldn't the same apply to debuff effects?〕
'Well, under normal circumstances.'
A powerful buff that increases strength, agility, physical defense, and even magical resistance.
It's only weakness was the power of 'another god,' that is, holy power.
〔Kuh, Kuah?〕
Choi Hyungtae's movements, enveloped in the gray aura, became sluggish.
Kronos' holy power was eroding Vidar's Blessing.
Yoojin weakened the power of the Blessing by clashing the holy power itself rather than the debuff effect.
"What's wrong? Are you staggering?"
"Kuah."
"You're still a long way from regaining your senses."
He continuously cast [Unholy Blessing] on Choi Hyungtae.
Every time he used a divine spell, his movements became noticeably slower.
[Unholy Blessing interferes with the ‘Guardian of Jaturi’s’ blessing - Avenger (Lv1).]
[Unholy Blessing...]
[...]
The moment he cast the 10th divine spell, the red glow vanished from Choi Hyung-tae's eyes.
"Uuugh."
Choi Hyungtae, letting out a weak groan, collapsed to the ground and writhed.
〔Why is the little human wriggling like a worm?〕
'A minor penalty of Vidar's Blessing.'
When [Avenger] is deactivated, tremendous muscle pain sets in, making it impossible to move for 1 minute.
The backlash from boosting strength and agility by 200%.
'Considering the effect, it's minor. As long as you're not in the middle of a battlefield.'
He must have been quite anxious about being held back by Fafnir.
1 minute.
No, even 10 seconds earlier, he might have been able to defeat the battered Fafnir.
'He's lucky.'
〔Khahaha! Have you finally learned some humility?〕
"What humility?"
〔You haven't mastered luck yet. Haven't you acknowledged that not everything can be solved with your own strength?〕
'There's no fight without variables.'
Yoojin dismissed it curtly and stood in front of Choi Hyungtae.
"Don't worry. You won't be the only one suffering like this."
"..."
"The more comrades, the better, right?"
"...?"
"Ah. I have a knack for handling corpses as subordinates."
Your colleague noticed.
At Yoojin's last words, Choi Hyungtae's eyes widened in shock.
"Fafnir."
I will send you off without pain.
His tightly clenched fist plunged vertically, and Choi Hyungtae's body convulsed violently once before ceasing all movement.
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]