Episode 273.
Boom!
Bang!
5th Floor, Forest of Specters.
Xiaohui frowned as she faced the boss.
'How annoying…'
The source of the specters was Level 842. She
had never faced a monster of that level before.
Considering her own level was 650, the power gap was clear.
Moreover, the being classified as a boss possessed strength even greater than the number indicated.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The boss, with its repulsive appearance, was surprisingly fast for its massive body. Its
scythe, stained red, twisted gracefully as it tightened its grip on Xiaohui .
Thump!
Reading the trajectory, she charged in, twisted her waist, and stomped her foot down.
Bang!
A golden wave exploded from the creature's waist where her heel had struck.
She could definitely feel it had landed properly.
However, she could hardly feel certain that she could kill it like this.
'That shouldn't be the end.'
Bosses of that caliber usually had at least two phases.
Even if he poured all his energy into it now, the outcome wouldn't change.
"Quad-!"
The Black Dragon visible on the broadcast was dealing with the last remaining Alliance spy.
It was the pathetic end for useless humans like Max.
'Should I just kill the Black Dragon?'
Running away from the boss was annoying, but failing to invade the occupied territory was also unpleasant.
The Black Dragon had started to move and was heading towards the 5th floor.
It didn't seem likely to approach this battlefield, but killing it was the option with the highest chance of success.
Whoosh!
Xiaohui, gathering his thoughts, continued to fight the boss while keeping his eyes on the broadcast screen.
And finally, the Black Dragon appeared on the 5th floor.
'You're going to run away, aren't you? I'll chase you right then and there.'
Xiaohui smirked, anticipating what was about to happen.
Even for the Black Dragon, who pulled off countless bizarre stunts, jumping into a battlefield like this was a foolish thing to do.
He certainly thought so.
Whoosh!
Just then, the boss in front of him swung his scythe with great force.
Dodging the attack that flew in at high speed, Xiaohui attempted to strike the elbow with his fist.
But then.
Thud—!
Suddenly, the Black Dragon kicked off and dashed through the forest toward this spot.
The purple scythe in his hand was shimmering cunningly.
'The Scythe of Hunger?'
A special weapon that had once belonged to the Holy Kingdom.
She had long been aware that the Black Dragon had snatched it back from Alberto.
'What a pathetic move.'
The problem was, the reason he was heading here with it was all too obvious.
He was probably planning to use that scythe to incapacitate her and kill her.
Snap—
Lightly twisting her wrists and ankles, she assumed a stance to neutralize the Black Dragon as he approached her stealthily.
However, for some reason, the man landed on the Boss's shoulder.
***
Whoosh—!
Hanbit rushed forward at high speed and approached the source of the specter.
The motion of the weapon swing she had just made was not yet finished.
Sssshhh—
The purple heat haze rising from the Scythe of Hunger.
While its usage was not strictly limited, there was a method that could yield great results depending on the situation.
A slightly different approach was needed, especially when the gap between the two was large.
Quadru-!
Using the power of the World Tree, Hanbit grabbed the boss's body and face.
He couldn't hold out for long, but a brief moment was enough.
Thump!
Standing on the creature's shoulder, Hanbit tightened the vines and climbed onto its chin.
Then, he threw the scythe in his hand into the boss's mouth.
-?
-Huh?
-What are you doing?
-Drop your weapon?
-??
The purple scythe flew into the massive body of the boss, passed through the huge throat, and vanished.
Crunch-!
At that, the source of the specter began to writhe, making strange noises.
Just as some unpleasant smoke began to leak out, Hanbit kicked off.
Thump!
Jumping down from the chin, he started running into the forest.
"Hey!"
Xiaohui, realizing the situation belatedly, chased after him at tremendous speed.
His complex expression suggested he couldn't fully grasp the situation.
Continuing to run, Hanbit used the Dance of Heavenly Swords at a short distance to create a barrier.
Whoosh-!
A sharp, swirling wind.
Hanbit stopped as he passed through it.
“Ha.”
Xiaohui, who had stopped following him, raised his fist from outside the barrier.
“Do you think I can’t get in?”
“You might be able to get in. But do you know what I’m trying to do?”
“Don’t try to fool me. It’s pointless. I’m going to kill you right now and take over the territory.”
Having witnessed the bizarre behavior, she was on high alert. She probably
couldn’t even begin to imagine what consequences her earlier actions would lead to.
Hanbit, having briefly muted the broadcast, spoke to her.
“I think you’re mistaken. My goal is that boss.”
“What? What kind of bullshit are you…?”
“Think about it. Our goal is to find Erfort, so what use is the territory?”
“…?”
At the sudden revelation, a look of doubt crossed Xiaohui’s face.
After a moment of bewilderment, she frowned and said,
“Don’t make me laugh. If the territory isn’t the goal, why did you pull this stunt? You knew Max was on our side,
didn’t you?” “It’s better than doing nothing. The monsters that appear give experience points, and the faction points will eventually be used. But that boss is more important to me.”
Xiaohui turned her head in the direction Hanbit had pointed.
Although she couldn't see the figure, she could see a purple haze rising above the tree.
“So, you’re going to kill that thing? Give up the occupied territory?”
“It’ll be hard to win fighting you. I’ll just take the boss. How about it? I think we can make a deal for what we both want.”
“Why would I? If I kill you, it’s over.”
“Then shall we try running away until the very end? Oh, by the way, the orb spinning in your head. It won’t last much longer. The energy of the Abyss is too thick here.”
“…….”
At those words, Xiaohui clamped her mouth shut. It
had been a teasing remark, but it seemed he was already aware of the risks associated with the orb.
It was as if she could clearly see the frantic thoughts swirling in his head.
'What should I do?'
She fell into deep thought.
The goal of this operation, for which she was in charge, was to maintain superiority over the occupied territory and seize as much as possible.
There was no consideration given to the Black Dragon’s other objectives.
In particular, if this orb, which mitigated debuffs, were to break, it would be difficult to achieve any objective.
"…Alright. Let's trick him."
After a moment of hesitation, Xiaohui quickly sorted out her thoughts.
It was a simple plan: pretend to accept the Black Dragon's proposal, go along with it, and strike from behind at the end. She
didn't know what the boss possessed, but she just needed to take it along with the occupied territory.
"You mean you need the item the boss drops?"
"That's right. Since there are victory conditions, you can kill him."
"…Alright, then." With a
slithering
nod, Hanbit erased the Wind Barrier.
It was quite amusing to see her ulterior motive so clearly.
"Since I fed him the Scythe of Hunger, he should die easily. It will be a bit tough once we move on to the next phase. But with your attack power… will you be able to do it?"
"Don't underestimate me."
At the appropriate provocation, she raised her fist.
Beneath her seemingly nonchalant expression, a hint of tension was etched.
"Let's go."
Ta-da!
Hanbit, having turned her gaze away as if she hadn't seen, also kicked off, wary of the ambush.
They were ready to use the power of the World Tree at any moment.
"-Huh?
-What is this?
-Why aren't you fighting?
-Dramatic settlement, yikes;
-Alright, who is the traitor now?"
Viewers expressed doubts at the sight of them starting to move together.
Hanbit, who did not bother to react, continued to move her feet.
*Grrr-!*
The two passed through the forest and returned to the original battlefield.
The boss, glowing purple, was twisting his body while making strange noises.
The Scythe of Hunger embedded within him had taken full effect.
*Clench-*
Xiaohui raised her fist and took a stance from a short distance away.
And the moment the platinum energy bloomed beneath her feet.
*BANG!* She
charged head-on, shattering the ground.
*CRASH!*
She advanced, scattering overwhelming power that was evident at a glance.
It was an instant for her raised right fist to pierce the boss's head.
*Pow-pow-!*
Along with a massive explosion, the sunken ground altered the surrounding terrain.
Hanbit, watching from a short distance, checked on the boss's condition.
Snap—
The body melted away along with the crushed head.
Stepping forward, Hanbit said to Xiaohui,
“I’m going to retrieve the scythe, so get ready. It’s Phase 2 now.”
Ta-ta—!
He approached quickly and pulled the purple scythe revealed from the corpse.
Just then, a message popped up before his eyes.
[The Voice of the Abyss summons a specter.]
Pow—!
At that moment, a turquoise energy surged across the entire forest.
*Crack* —Beings rose
from various spots on the ground. They
looked as if they were exact replicas of the boss's appearance from moments ago.
[Elite: Thought Form of a Specter Infested by Evil (Lv. 800)]
“What are you going to do about that?”
“I have to ignore it. I don’t have the luxury of fighting while looking at that.”
Hanbit examined the condition of his scythe and raised his head.
The spot where the boss’s body had been melting away just moments ago.
There, a sticky liquid was rippling, and something new was emerging.
*Ugh*—The
boss’s body, which had taken shape while groaning, was slightly smaller.
However, the armor and scythe were distinctly different from before.
“If I kill that now…”
*Whoosh*—!
Just then, the boss suddenly vanished.
The creature, appearing like a flashing light, swung its scythe at Xiaohui. *
Whoosh*—!
“Ugh!”
She recoiled with animal-like reaction speed.
But the attack didn't end there.
*Whoosh*—!
A circular energy emanating from the creature's movement spread outward.
Its speed was as fast as the boss's movements just moments ago.
Swish—!
The energy flew beyond the reach of sight.
It sliced through everything in existence.
Trees, rocks, and even summoned elite monsters were no exception.
And Xiaohui, who was nearby, could not dodge it either.
"Tch."
The boot-like weapon mounted on her right foot was cleanly severed.
An ominous green energy lingered on the cut surface.
"Damn it."
Frowning, Xiaohui quickly tossed off her equipment.
Turning her head, she glared at the nonchalant boss and asked,
"Are you sure you can catch him? He looks like someone you should call in Uncle Sirius for."
"It will be difficult if this drags on. So, I'm going to finish this quickly."
"Quickly?"
"No time to answer. Get ready to attack."
Whoosh—
Hanbit lightly tossed the Scythe of Hunger upward.
And just as it spun around and plummeted downwards…
Swoosh—
He drew the multicolored sword and swung it.
Swish—!
The blade, having dug into the weakened area, sliced through the scythe with such lightness.
Since it was on the verge of destruction to begin with, no great force was needed.
Hiss—!
Thick purple smoke billowed out and clung to Hanbit's arms.
The Scythe of Hunger held the power of the boss's Phase 1.
Now it was time to use that to pierce through that armor.
Ta-da—!
Holding the severed scythe, Hanbit charged toward the creature at high speed.
Bang—!
Just then, sensing the approach, the boss lifted his foot and stomped hard on the ground.
A cloud of dust rose instantly.
Even with his vision obscured, Hanbit did not stop.
Whoosh—!
In an instant, a turquoise scythe flew through the smoke.
It was an attack that could not be dodged by any means.
Swir—!
Hanbit twisted his body belatedly but did not stop his footing.
As a result, the sharp scythe severed his leg, starting from his right thigh.
Whoosh!
The severed body part had already vanished from sight.
Having narrowly escaped instant death, Hanbit kicked his left foot in the direction the scythe had come from.
Thump!
Reaching the boss, he quickly grabbed its arm.
Then, he thrust the purple shards he held in both hands into it with force.
Crunch!
With the sound of something shattering, the armor was pierced.
The purple energy that seeped in began to consume the boss.
Swoosh!
Meanwhile, the turquoise energy leaking from the creature's skin clung to Hanbit's arm.
It was obvious to anyone that it could no longer be used.
"Xiaohui!"
"I know!"
Ta-ta!
Xiaohui appeared, pushing through the smoke the moment her name was called.
Her entire body was shining with platinum.
Scream!
Crunch!
A horde of monsters had gathered around the place, enveloping it before anyone realized it.
Even though they were missing legs, they were just as threatening.
"Disgusting, really!"
Whoosh!
Leaping high into the air, she raised her right leg and surged forward from above. Her
full power concentrated in a single point.
It struck precisely on the crown of the boss's head.
BANG! The
attack hit with a crisp sound.
The impact shattered the ground violently.
BOOM!
The forest on the fifth floor, split at the point of impact, bent into a V shape.
The weakened Source of the Specter also appeared with its body split vertically.
“W-what? Is it done?”
Xiaohui turned his head, considerably flustered by the situation that had truly ended in a single blow.
The Black Dragon he gazed upon had lost both arms and one leg.
Yet, for some reason, the corners of its mouth were turned up.
“Good job.”
“What? You aren’t up to something, are you…?”
Ding-
[The Source of the Specter returns to the abyss.]
[Doom arrives where the dead departed.]
The message appeared the moment he raised his doubts.
The word 'Doom' soon became reality.
Whoosh-
A small turquoise sphere appeared where the boss had died.
The surrounding space was shattering and warping.
“You crazy…! If you do this, we’re all going to die!”
Sensing that something was wrong, Xiaohui quickly reached out his hand toward the Black Dragon.
But doom arrived before he could.
Crack—!
Energy enveloped the entire fifth floor accompanied by a sharp noise. It
was destruction lasting only three seconds, yet no one remained.
No, exactly one person was falling into the annihilated ground below.
“It even heals me.”
Returning to his original form, Hanbit landed beneath the shattered earth.
Several messages floated before his eyes.
[Deadly damage detected.]
[Consumes all Life Energy to enter invincibility for 10 seconds.]
The protective effect of the World Tree’s Legacy.
Although his energy had been completely depleted, it was something he could simply replenish through hunting.
As it was the only variable that could secure victory in this situation, he felt no regret.
Ding-
[All attacking team players have died.]
Having confirmed the message announcing Xiaohui’s death, Hanbit surveyed his surroundings. He
then spotted a black dodecahedral orb floating in the air.
Approaching it, he lightly reached out his hand.
[Observation of the Abyss (Rank 9 – Epic) obtained.]
