TEOCH 86

‘The remaining number of uses for the controller is 4, and the number of uses for the amplifier and the jewel is 3. I need to think of a way to utilize these to their fullest to deal a blow to that centipede bastard…!’

While blocking the endlessly surging tide of mutated monsters, I continued to observe Hezel’s and Lethe’s movements as I formulated a plan in my head. If I could just put together a good strategy based on the information Rehas gave me, I might be able to catch that monster off guard. Of course, taking it down would be impossible, but if I could just land a blow significant enough to weaken its combat strength, would that not create an opening to move on to the next area?

I glanced at the sky several times, gauging the passage of time. Although Caron and Iren were dealing with the eyeballs for now, the furiously enraged Human Centipede was gradually increasing the number of monsters it summoned, so the number of eyeballs only continued to increase. No matter how strong Caron and Iren were, if they kept fighting like this for hours, they would eventually get tired. Therefore, I had to end this situation somehow before everyone became exhausted.

‘A way…, I have to think of a way!’

Perhaps it was the desperation of needing to think of something as quickly as possible that spurred my mind, but a method of attack that had seemed completely out of reach began to take shape in my head, little by little. Of course, it was a risky plan that required every situation to fall into place perfectly, but right now, I had to bet everything on even that unstable possibility.

However, to make this plan succeed, I needed the help of the other Harpies, because in order to attack the Human Centipede that moved so freely in the sky, we also needed to secure that much mobility. Furthermore, this plan required precision without a single shred of error. It could never succeed unless I utilized the uses of the controller, the amplifier, and the Jewel of ‘Defense’ without a single instance of waste.

‘To put it another way, if I can use the quest items without a single instance of waste, it means it might just succeed…!’

How many tens of minutes had passed? When a sufficient number of monsters filled the sky and the ground, the monsters began to show abnormal movements again, ignoring the Harpies’ attacks just like before. Sensing that the instant-death attack had begun, I raised my voice with all my might and shouted to the Harpies.

“For now, come down to the ground! Not only do you need to evade that thing’s attack, but I have something to tell you!”

Hearing my words, the Harpies immediately flew down and landed beside us. This time, Iren, along with Damian, infused mana into the amplifier. After confirming that a bluish protective barrier had once again formed over the entire island, I explained the strategy I had devised to everyone.

The strategy itself was quite complex, so it took some time to explain, but since we had to wait about 20 minutes for the instant-death attack to end anyway, there was plenty of time to explain.

“Wait, Rohan! Is that not too dangerous?”

“There will not be a big problem as long as all of you draw its attention sufficiently, and Damian uses his magic at the right moment. As of now, there is no other way but this!”

—The problem is whether it will go well…. It is a perilous strategy, but it is true there is no other way.

My companions and the Harpies, upon hearing the strategy, grimaced with troubled expressions, but after my persistent persuasion, they eventually accepted the plan. No matter how dangerous it was, there was no other clear alternative. If it succeeded, we could at least inflict a wound significant enough to distract the Human Centipede, and that might be enough to satisfy the ‘special condition’ for escaping this area.

Of course, since it was a plan devised in a short amount of time, it could be incomplete, and I could not ignore the possibility that I was completely on the wrong track, but…. Still, I had to try every possible method.

“We have to bet everything on this attack. If we fail, we really might not be able to withstand the next one!”

While I had my companions review the details of the attack plan over and over, the duration of the second instant-death attack ended, and the fog outside also completely lifted. We nodded to each other and then moved to our respective positions.

The first to act were Hezel and Lethe. Just as they had been doing, they immediately began to charge toward the Human Centipede, and the monster, as if it had anticipated their move, flew away leisurely to escape. As it fled, the monster emitted black mana, drawing a magic circle in the air. The calculation was to summon eyeball monsters, just as it had been doing until now, but….

“It was a success, Mr. Rohan! It worked!”

—Wha-what…?!

As soon as Damian shouted, a part of the magic circle that had been forming lost its shape and distorted in an instant. Damian, who had flown high into the sky on Rikiel’s back, held the controller up high toward the magic circle. The part of the magic circle near the controller dissolved into thin air as if melting away. He had reverse-engineered the controller’s original ‘function to calm rampaging mana’ to forcibly neutralize the magic circle’s mana.

It was a gamble-like attempt, but now that it had succeeded, it was a huge gain for us. With this, we no longer had to worry about being hindered by eyeball monsters, so we could focus solely on facing the Human Centipede with ease. When the magic circle it had gone to the trouble of creating vanished so futilely, the monster furiously clicked its mandibles. Click, clack.

—Do not make me laugh! Even without that magic stuff, I…!

Even though it said that, it seemed quite angry, as the monster, which had maintained a defensive stance until just a moment ago, now fully assumed an attack posture. From dozens of small magic circles that appeared behind its back, black lightning bolts poured out. Lethe and Hezel had no choice but to immediately retreat to avoid the lightning. The monster tore at its own body with all its might using its arms, and the acidic fluid that burst from the wounds flew toward Lethe and Hezel, targeting them with the swift movements of a snake.

—You guys are bad…! All of you, all of you, melt away!

The monster roared as it chased the fleeing Harpies. Once it decided to pick up speed, its velocity was fast enough to be comparable to the Harpies. The Harpies and the monster engaged in a tense chase, with the monster looking like it would catch them at any moment. However, just as it was about to catch up to the Harpies, the monster was forced to face an unexpected interference.

—Aargh!

Rehas’s arrow, tinged with a jet-black aura, exploded with a deafening roar the moment it embedded itself in the monster’s lower body. The monster tried to move the acidic fluid gushing from its lower half to attack the Harpies, but because the ‘curse’ on the arrow had been activated, it could not even properly control its own lower body, let alone the acid. Of course, the effect lasted only for about ten seconds, but that was more than enough time for the Harpies to escape.

“Alright…! But hey, can you not grip me a little more gently!”

—Why do you not just say you would rather fall to the ground? Stop complaining, human!

Skatha, who was flying while gripping Rehas’s shoulders with her talons, grumbled as if finding the situation absurd. Due to the nature of Harpies having only wings instead of arms, Skatha had no choice but to grip Rehas’s shoulders with both talons to support him. The more she tightened her talons to keep from dropping Rehas, the deeper they dug into his shoulders, and Rehas seemed quite displeased by it.

‘Well, seeing how he is firing arrows like that even in that situation, it does not seem to be that uncomfortable…!’

Honestly, it was a mystery how he managed to aim and shoot a bow while being held by the shoulders, but I decided to overlook such minor points of unreality for the time being. Right now, what mattered more was confirming that our plan was proceeding properly.

Just as I had emphatically instructed at the beginning, all of my companions’ attacks were being poured onto the monster from its lower left side. Even Lethe and Hezel, who were fleeing from the monster, were deliberately moving to its left to divert its attention. The monster, preoccupied with dealing with multiple enemies, did not even seem to properly notice that fact.

For us, this was truly fortunate. If that monster had paid even the slightest bit of attention to what was happening on its right side, it would have discovered me and Tristan, who were in attack stances while being carried by Caron and Iren, long ago!

“Now, Caron!”

As soon as I shouted that, Caron, who had been flying below and to the right of the monster while supporting me, immediately began to fly towards it. The monster, which had been trying to attack Lethe and Hezel who were moving about chaotically on its left, was startled by my sudden appearance. However, instead of trying to flee, the monster clicked its mandibles fiercely and laughed. Click, clack. It seemed to find my appearance pathetic.

—Do not make me laugh, human! Someone like you, I will melt you, I will…!

Far from dodging my attack, the monster actually spread its body wide open, accepting my attack. Thanks to that, I got the chance to aim my sword at its lower abdomen. Of course, on the surface, the monster had the advantage. If I were to attack it now, a large amount of acidic fluid would pour out from its body, and if all of it splashed onto me, my body would melt away without even leaving bones behind.

But I had a secret plan to protect myself. Swinging the sword imbued with the aura of purification with all my might, I shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Damian! The defense magic!”

Simultaneously with slicing through the monster’s lower abdomen, the blue protective barrier that had shielded us from the instant-death attack earlier instantly enveloped my and Caron’s bodies. Thanks to the effect of the amplifier, the barrier was as thick as it was before, measuring several tens of centimeters.

There was no way the barrier that had blocked even an instant-death attack without issue could not block something like that acidic fluid. Of course, since the barrier could not cover the sword as well, nearly half of the blade melted away in an instant, but I did not care much. Just being able to retreat without getting hurt after landing a solid hit was a huge gain in itself, and above all….

“Now, Your Majesty!”

The one who would deal the real damage to that monster was not me, but Tristan!

—Hgh, ugh…?!

Completely encased in a blue protective barrier, Tristan, flying with Iren’s help, charged with all his might from the monster’s right blind spot. The monster might have thought I was making a surprise attack, but in reality, my attack was nothing more than a smokescreen for Tristan’s surprise attack. The monster, judging that it needed to dodge this attack, hastily twisted its body, but it was already too late.

The moment Tristan’s sword, thoroughly imbued with the aura of purification, was swung, a massive amount of blood gushed from the monster’s right eye. Of course, since Tristan’s sword also melted from the acidic fluid, it did not inflict a fatal wound, but taking one of its eyes was more than enough of a blow! Please, let this be the condition to escape to the next area…!

—Ah, ahh, ahhhhhh!!

[System: A specific condition for escaping the stage has been met! Flee to the next area to escape the boss’s rampage!]

Damn it, this method was right! Seeing the quest message that clearly appeared before my eyes, I let out a cheer without realizing it. As the monster’s face, covering its right eye with its hand, contorted horribly, Iren grabbed Tristan and immediately retreated. Caron also held onto me and got as far away from the monster as possible.

Damian, having confirmed my and Tristan’s safety, threw the now-unusable quest items far away. Quest items that had exhausted all their uses were now no different from worthless scraps of metal. Ah, right. So this is what it meant not to use the quest items carelessly. If we had wastefully used them even a single time, we would not have been able to succeed with this plan!

But it was not all over yet. We had managed to injure the monster to some extent, but the task of quickly getting out of this area before the furious monster could take its anger out on us still remained.

—Wait, unnie Caron! That thing…, something is strange about it?!

But at that moment, the message that had been filling my vision until just now disappeared, and a new message was overlaid on top of it. As I unconsciously tried to read the message, my face had no choice but to harden at the Human Centipede’s scream coming from afar.

[System: Congratulations, as a reward for achieving the special condition, a new skill will be granted to ‘Tristan La Aidel’!]

—Human, you dare, you dare to injure my, my eye…! I will pay you back! I will make you pay!

“Aargh!”

A piercing scream echoed all around. The jet-black smoke flowing from the monster’s body was encroaching upon the right half of Tristan’s body.