novelraw Chapter 234 : Dungeon Suppression (3)
Chapter 234 : Dungeon Suppression (3)
It was like a failed creation of a chimera made through black magic.
A long, thick body exceeding 50m, reminiscent of a massive building.
A face resembling that of a dragon, and with each exhalation, a sinister breath of poison that seemed to reek visibly.
"Just in terms of raw power alone, it would be at least S-rank."
"Ugh."
"Are you kidding me?"
The cadets were shocked at Oh Chang-seong's words.
"Calm down. I'm only talking about raw power. Even with the same power, it's different from Ma-in, right? It's not necessarily that strong."
"But with that size and that much power, isn't it basically a moving disaster?"
"Well, that's true."
"......"
"I suppose that creature must have been what devoured this city."
Kim Cheol-han said.
"Instructor, do you know what that thing is?"
Seo Jun-seong asked.
"Yes. ......It's probably a Lindwurm."
Kim Cheol-han furrowed his brow.
Lindwurm.
It was a subspecies of poisonous dragon that appeared in mythology.
According to the traditional lore, it was supposed to have a small body and a mischievous, troublemaker image.
'Like hell it does.'
Su-hyeon thought.
Its body spanning dozens of meters.
A snake-like body filled with muscular hind legs.
No forelegs to begin with.
And wings that resembled those of a bat, atrophied and torn with fascial tissue exposed.
From any angle, the Lindwurm was a monster with a demonic appearance that could only be seen as the embodiment of ma.
Moreover.......
"Kyaaoooo!"
"Kiiiiiiii!"
As if escorting the Lindwurm, four basilisks, dozens of sirens, and even a wyvern circled the sky.
Demonic beasts that rose from the darkness of the city revealed their unfiltered killing intent toward the living humans.
"It's a double clusterfuck from the sky and ground."
Hong In-hyeon clicked his tongue.
"Guuuuu."
"Kuoahhh!"
Things that had been sleeping on the ground were rising at their lord's call.
"How many ghouls are there?"
Hwang Ji-su muttered, looking at the army of half-rotten ghouls.
'They were probably the demonic race of this city.'
The demonic race that met the disaster called Lindwurm and couldn't close their eyes even in death.
Not only that, demonic beasts like durahans and death worms also showed themselves here and there.
"Anyone can see that thing is the boss of this dungeon."
The cadets nodded vigorously at Kwon Seung-yeon's words.
'A Lindwurm is also a subspecies of dragon. Even as a low-grade dragon, it's capable of commanding lower-ranked demonic beasts.'
Su-hyeon thought.
Moreover, an individual with that much power should be considered stronger than most ordinary dragons.
Without a doubt.
"That creature is the king of this destroyed city."
Su-hyeon said.
"Kyaaaaaaa!"
"Kieeeek!"
The Lindwurm's high-pitched, chilling roar made its minions go berserk.
"......This is no joke."
"Indeed."
As the situation escalated, the three instructors who had been watching unfolded their arms and stepped forward.
"It looks damn sturdy."
Lee Ho-seung rubbed the back of his neck.
"Being sturdy is one thing, but with a body that large, it's really hard to figure out where and how to inflict damage......"
"Aiming for the eyes is the most orthodox approach."
Oh Chang-seong said.
"Well, first getting past those minions to approach it will be a challenge in itself."
Kim Cheol-han added his opinion.
"How about checking what type of attack it's weak against first?"
Su-hyeon suggested.
"Good idea. As expected of my disciple."
Lee Ho-seung nodded.
"Electric mouse."
"M-me?"
"Yes, you."
Kim A-yun, who was singled out, blinked.
"W-why am I an electric mouse......"
"Well, anyone can see you're an electric mouse. Would you prefer electric hamster?"
"T-that's."
Lee Ho-seung pointed his index finger at the dozens-of-meters-tall monster looking down at them.
"Go, million volts!"
"Instructor Lee, that's showing your age, so please stop."
Oh Chang-seong objected.
"What? They're both from before these kids were born anyway."
"......"
Su-hyeon thought that copyright infringement was becoming scary for no reason.
"Hup!"
A bolt of lightning shot by Kim A-yun flew like a spear and struck the Lindwurm.
Zap!
It flowed across the surface without penetrating at all and passed by.
"......"
"It's slightly singed......maybe?"
"I think it felt a bit of a sting?"
"Damn it. What the hell is that thing's hide made of?"
'It's certainly effective.'
Su-hyeon thought.
Even in the game, a fully grown Lindwurm's hide not only had excellent protective capabilities against cold, electricity, and impacts.
It was also premium-grade leather with good ventilation and mobility.
'Lim Eun-seo would love it.'
"I'm next!"
Hwang Ji-su, who stepped forward, extended her palm and created a huge ice dragon.
It wasn't exactly her strongest main attack at this point.
But it was an attack skill with excellent power and range.
However.
Crash!
The Lindwurm, charging with its mouth wide open, bit and crushed the ice dragon's head.
"......!"
Despite facing that huge mass of ice and cold, the Lindwurm didn't freeze.
"Ah, I think its teeth are sensitive to cold."
"......"
"Judging by this, it seems like ordinary attacks won't even scratch it."
"That's not good news."
"Hey, I don't think we should be so relaxed right now?"
The instructors agreed with Kwon Seung-yeon's question.
"That's true."
"Kyaaaaa!"
The Lindwurm, agitated after receiving two attacks, shot a poison breath at them.
Kwaaaang!
"Ahhh! Dodge!"
"Damn it! Too late!"
"Everyone fall back!"
Hong In-hyeon, Seo Jun-seong, Hwang Ji-su, and Choi Min-a each tried to use their abilities to establish a defensive line.
"Stand aside!"
Kim Cheol-han stepped in front of everyone and caught the breath with his joined hands.
Kwaaaang!
The breath that touched his palms changed direction and hit the sirens circling the Lindwurm's side.
"Kiaaaa!"
The sirens, directly hit by the breath, melted and fell.
"That's truly a terrible acidic poison."
"T-thank you."
Kim Cheol-han's characteristic, Bounce, was essentially a counter ability against this type of breath.
"First."
Su-hyeon said.
"While a few of us draw its aggro, we should clear out the minions."
"That makes sense. First, those who can fly should take care of that creature."
Kim Cheol-han said.
"Then the instructors......"
"I'll block that thing's breath. Don't worry and focus on fighting."
"That would be best."
Lee Ho-seung gave a thumbs up.
"I'll assist as well."
"You, hmm. Good."
Seo Jun-seong, the possessor of telekinesis, was also skilled at blocking or deflecting these kinds of ranged attacks.
"First, Seo Jun-seong, Hong In-hyeon, and Choi Min-a, draw the Lindwurm's attention from the air."
"Since we can't fly at high speeds, we'll handle the minions first."
Hwang Ji-su and Kim A-yun, who realized their attacks weren't very effective, decided to take on the basilisks and sirens.
"I'll fight the Lindwurm too."
Su-hyeon, who was capable of high-speed maneuvers through Mana Shields and Chukji, said.
"Okay. We'll command the ground team."
Lee Ho-seung and Oh Chang-seong stepped forward.
"Su-hyeon, you and Cheol-han take command of the air. Jun-seong, help them."
"Yes."
"Is the plan good enough?"
Lee Ho-seung drew his sword.
"Let's go!"
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Zzzzap!
Crack!
While Hwang Ji-su's ice and Kim A-yun's lightning attacked the sirens and basilisks, some fell to the ground and swept away the ghouls.
"They're just numerous but meaningless! Let's break through!"
"Good!"
Lee Yu-jin's shout was met with enthusiasm from Kwon Seung-yeon, Kim Ho-su, and Kang Geon-woo.
"Yaaah!"
"Let's go!"
At the forefront of the battle line, ahead of them, were Oh Chang-seong and Lee Ho-seung.
Chachachachang!
Lee Ho-seung, who closed the distance while resolving the combined attack of two durahans as smoothly as if he were handling the collar of a child, blew away the gauntlets and ankles of the two durahans with just two sword strikes.
"Weak, slow, and even soft!"
Having gotten a taste for it, Lee Ho-seung began enthusiastically slicing through the demonic beasts that blocked his path.
Meanwhile.
"Keuheng!"
Oh Chang-seong, who had unleashed his claws that were difficult to use against Ma-in due to their excessive lethality, threw a series of hooks instead of straights, tearing apart the blocking demonic beasts.
"Wow......."
The cadets watching from a bit behind were amazed.
'They're strong. Not just physically strong, but the way they fight is so......'
Kwon Seung-yeon thought.
'Rather than my uncle, I think I have more to learn from this instructor's sword.'
Lee Yu-jin, who was developing her own style of swordsmanship, took in his fighting with her eyes.
'It feels quite different from Su-hyeon's sword too.'
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"Dodge!"
The wind pressure created by the massive tail swing sent Hong In-hyeon and Choi Min-a flying far away.
"Damn it!"
Hong In-hyeon, who quickly recovered, created his own wind to avoid falling.
"How can something so huge be so agile?"
"Durability is also a problem. Attributes like heat, cold, lightning, poison don't work at all."
Choi Min-a said as she adjusted her robe.
"I want it. Making a robe from that would greatly increase survival ability."
"I agree with that."
Wouldn't it be nice to make a new combat uniform or nice half-gauntlets?
Hong In-hyeon, who was thinking such thoughts, gave a bitter smile.
'It's a bit of a problem. With such members gathered, even though it's clearly a powerful demonic beast, I don't feel much tension.'
But that's better than trembling like a coward.
Whooooosh!
Hong In-hyeon shot forward the vortices rising from both arms, writhing in different directions, as if clapping them together.
"Eat this!"
"Kyaaaa!"
The Lindwurm, sensing the unusual force, nimbly spun around and swung its tail.
Kwaaaaaaang!
The tail, which crushed ancient buildings made of marble or brick like biscuits, easily passed through the storm and struck Hong In-hyeon.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Seo Jun-seong, who had thrown Hong In-hyeon and Choi Min-a into the sky with telekinesis just in time, struck the Lindwurm with a giant arm made of telekinetic force.
'This is ridiculous. Is that really the body of a mere living being?'
Even Seo Jun-seong's strength, which could easily crush concrete buildings, couldn't damage the Lindwurm's flesh and hide.
"Direct hits are useless! Let's target its weak points!"
Su-hyeon, who saw this, shouted.
"What do you plan to target? Eyes? Chest? Or inside the mouth, the internal organs?"
Seo Jun-seong's question was met with a concise and clear answer from Su-hyeon.
"Wings!"
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'It has no forelegs, so it uses its wings for both attack and defense of the upper body.'
At an altitude of 40m.
I thought as I watched the battle from the height of the Lindwurm's chest.
'Those blade winds created by its wings are quite threatening.'
Not only was it an attack option that the Lindwurm, lacking forelegs, could use instead of biting when an enemy came close.
Each strike boasted power that surpassed my Flying Strike and was no less powerful than the blade winds created by Hong In-hyeon.
'If someone approaches without knowing this, it could be disastrous.'
"Hup!"
Standing on a Mana Shield in mid-air, I launched a Flying Strike targeting the Lindwurm's wings.
It was somewhat less powerful than if I had launched it while standing on solid ground.
"Kuooo!"
The Lindwurm, feeling the slight damage to the fascia of its wing area, roared in anger and filled its mouth with a massive amount of poison.
"Jeong Su-hyeon! It's aiming at you!"
Kim Cheol-han shouted.
"I can avoid it!"
Shouting so, I activated Chukji the moment the breath was fired, disappearing from its range.
Understanding my intention, Kim Cheol-han, instead of moving to block in front of me as I floated in the air, had already arrived at the point where the breath would fall.
'Nice!'
Kwaaaa!
Though a powerful breath was fired, once again Kim Cheol-han's hand deflected it, taking down a basilisk that was confronting Kim A-yun.
"Keeeeek!"
The basilisk, directly hit by the breath, melted away.
"Urgh."
I caught a glimpse of Kim A-yun closing her eyes, disgusted, as I quietly landed on the Lindwurm's back and drew the Moonless Sword.
Now was the opportunity, as the Lindwurm, having gathered great power at once to fire the breath, was perplexed by the unexpected result.
'Let's experiment.'
I wanted to confirm if I could cut off the wings of such a gigantic demonic beast with my sword.
'Eye Power activated.'
My eyes read the grain of the wings, and black sword energy rose from the sword in my hand.
"Keeeek!"
At the moment the Lindwurm finally noticed the presence on its back and twisted its body as if swatting a fly.
Like ink blooming on white paper as a brush is drawn across it.
Without a sound, a single line drawn in the cloudy sky cut off the dragon's wing.