Chapter 127

Chapter 127

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 127: Raid

The moment Iphrax revealed itself, the Awakened shuddered.

‘Can we really catch that?’

Forget its enormous size and grotesque appearance.

The pressure, so intense it was hard to breathe, constricted their bodies.

The phrase ‘a different class’—that’s how they felt about the difference between themselves and Iphrax.

If the massive explosion hadn’t occurred, they would still be staring at the monster, their minds blank.

BOOM!

The light was so intense that it was difficult to look directly at it.

—KOOOOH!

A cry of pain erupted. Some of the creature’s giant eyes were crushed and burst open.

‘It’s working!’

The core item of the strategy, the so-called light bomb, was proving effective against Iphrax.

Hope flickered in the eyes of the Awakened, who had been gripped by fear.

‘If this is the case...’

‘We can do this.’

There were still ten more bombs left.

As Kim Minwoo had said, their chances of victory were good. Mana swirled around the Awakened.

There were forty-two of them.

As they were skilled Awakened from various countries, their skill sets were diverse.

Flash!

All sorts of buffs swirled around them.

[Thompson casts Blessing of Light (S)!]

[Party members’ weapons are imbued with light attribute...]

[Sophia uses Mana Rune (S)!]

[Party members’ mana regeneration speed...]

[Victor uses Cry of Valor (A)...]

[Party members’ damage...]

Individually, the effects weren’t that impressive.

But when ten, twenty of them stacked up, it was a different story.

Kim Minwoo, also part of the group, was benefiting greatly from the buffs.

‘This is why I raid.’

There was a reason why twenty or thirty people entered high-level Gates.

If you formed a good party, your overall strength changed drastically.

Just like now.

And the buffs weren’t over yet.

[‘Law of Victory’ is activated!]

[All stats increased by 150%!]

[All damage increased by 150%!]

A whopping 150% increase.

‘High level.’

At the very least, mid-1700s.

Definitely a high level.

Enough to make Awakened under level 500 feel instant fear.

Just then...

Iphrax’s pupils turned pitch black, as if ink had been spilled on a blank white canvas.

―Obey me...

A bizarre voice echoed in their minds.

“Argh!”

Thompson clutched his head tightly.

The other awakened ones around him were experiencing the same thing. Their thoughts became hazy, as if a fog had descended on their minds.

“...Achoo!”

A sudden sneeze snapped the awakened ones back to their senses.

Thompson’s back was drenched in cold sweat.

‘That was close.’

Despite having taken all three potions, he had nearly lost his mind. The mental attack was more powerful than expected.

Delaying any longer would be disastrous.

“Kill it!”

All the awakened ones and the undead charged towards Iphrax.

―Insects...

From Iphrax’s body, two long tentacles shot out.

The tentacles came down like fly swatters.

“Spread out!”

The awakened ones scattered in all directions.

Boom!

The immense size and weight of the tentacles left deep craters in the ground.

A group of skeletons and Dullahans that couldn’t dodge in time were instantly unsummoned.

Magic, arrows, and thrown weapons began striking Iphrax’s pupils.

Kim Minwoo was also among those who charged.

“End this quickly.”

Even though he was using potions to resist the mental attacks, he couldn’t resist forever.

This was a battle against time.

As I started to approach with that thought...

Suddenly, all of Iphrax’s eyes turned towards me.

Hundreds of eyeballs staring at me was enough to rival any horror movie.

[You are currently the one who has inflicted the most damage on Iphrax!]

[Iphrax is focusing on Kim Minwoo!]

―You too... shall suffer...

[Iphrax casts a curse on Kim Minwoo!]

[Curse of Agony (SS) is activated!]

[For 2 hours, a portion of the damage Iphrax has taken will be transferred to Kim Minwoo!]

[Curse of Ruin (SS) is activated!]

[For 2 hours, Kim Minwoo’s strength and stamina will be reduced by 50%!]

[Curse Explosion (SS) is activated!]

[If the target of the curse dies within 2 hours, the same curse will spread to two random people!]

Kim Minwoo frowned.

The decrease in strength and stamina wasn’t a big deal.

He could endure it with the buffs he had.

The problem was the damage transfer and the curse explosion.

‘If I die, two others will die.’

If those two die, then four.

If four die, then eight.

It was a very vicious structure.

The Awakened, who had been pounding on Iphrax’s body, rolled their eyes in fear.

They too were sharing the message, so they understood how the situation was unfolding.

‘What kind of curse is this?’

If Kim Minwoo dies while they’re attacking, it’s game over.

What in the world could they do...?

“Attack! Don’t worry about it!”

Kim Minwoo shouted.

The curse lasts for a whopping 2 hours.

If they stop attacking because they’re afraid of the damage transfer, they’re doomed.

Merhen and Cedric alone were dealing damage comparable to the guild members.

Additionally, Dullahans, Specters, and a horde of skeletons were all relentlessly attacking.

Although their individual damage output wasn’t high, they were perfect for drawing aggro and acting as a meat shield.

‘Even in meat shield mode, it’s manageable.’

With many eyes watching, he had to set some limitations, but the strategy was going very smoothly.

‘That’s probably because of the thorough preparation.’

They had invested a lot for this one hunt. Without it, they would have definitely lost.

After all, this wasn’t a monster designed to be defeated.

Even Popo was terrified when he saw Iphrax.

The reason he recommended the light bombs was probably because of the Dark mages.

‘If he had known I was going to hunt Iphrax, he might have recommended the Potion.’

Well, whatever.

He dodged the tentacles, dove deeper, and threw the last remaining light bomb.

The moment the light burst...

“Cough.”

He coughed up blood due to the 5% damage transfer, drank a top-rank recovery potion, and looked at the message that appeared before him.

[The Ruler of the Cursed Land, Iphrax, has entered eternal slumber.]

[The 2nd exam is over!]

[Settlement begins!]

[Total participants: 50]

[Deaths: 10]

[Remaining survivors: 40]

[* This is a special situation. Rewards are being calculated. Please wait a moment.]

A message floating in the air.

Iphrax, who had collapsed and was no longer moving.

“...Did we win?”

“...Really?”

“...I think we did?”

The silence was brief.

“Woohoo! We survived, f*ck yeah! We survived!”

“Yaaaaay! We can go home!”

Everyone cheered.

Even though their nationalities were all different, the feeling they shared was the same.

The intense relief of having survived against a monster.

And the sense of accomplishment.

They hugged each other, jumped around, it was pure chaos. It seemed they had bonded while fighting together, as some bold female Awakened even approached their crushes and kissed them.

Park Siwoo, who was in the middle of it all, was being grabbed and kissed on the cheeks. He looked flustered, with a wide-eyed expression, not knowing what to do.

“...It’s quite a scene.”

“Well, it’s a common sight, isn’t it?”

He shrugged as he saw Seo Yerim, who had approached him.

Awakened people tend to be passionate. And after all the pain and suffering they went through to achieve this result, it’s understandable.

Judging by the atmosphere, some international couples might be born here.

“You seem pretty calm, Minwoo.”

“I prepared a lot.”

There’s a big difference between ‘I’ll definitely win’ and ‘Can I win?’

He even had a nuclear bomb as a last resort.

From the beginning, there was no option of not winning.

That was why he could remain calm.

“What kind of reward do you think we’ll get?”

“I don’t know. It seems like they didn’t consider this kind of special situation... The more unexpected it is, the bigger the reward. So I’m looking forward to it.”

Just then...

[The overseer appears!]

Popo appeared in mid-air along with the message.

―Um... I apologize for the slight delay. We had a meeting, and the results have been decided.

Popo said, looking at the Awakened.

‘What?’

‘Why is he suddenly speaking formally?’

‘Did he get recognized for catching this thing?’

As the Awakened tilted their heads in confusion...

Popo clapped his hands and said,

―The exam is over! From now on, each of you will be evaluated for your contribution. You will receive rewards accordingly.

[Contribution for the 2nd exam is being calculated.]

[Contribution Ranking]

[1st place: 42%]

[2nd place: 20%]

[3rd place: 15%]

[4th place: 1.2%]

[5th place: 1.1%]

.

.

.

[42nd place: 0.32%]

Information scrolled up.

Soon, a small box was placed in the hands of each Awakened.

This was also the case for Arush, the Indian warrior who ranked 42nd.

[Equipment Gacha Box (Unique)]

[Level Restriction: 450+, Warrior]

[A box containing equipment excluding accessories.]

[Effect 1. Upon use, a Warrior-exclusive piece of equipment excluding accessories will appear.]

Arush, who had been examining the box without much expectation, widened his eyes.

‘Unique?’

His contribution was 0.32%.

Honestly, he had inwardly accepted that fact.

To be frank, he had been carried by the other Awakened.

But even so, the reward...

‘This is much better than I thought.’

Just because it was called Unique didn’t mean it was easy to obtain. High-level restricted equipment was even rarer.

They all had exorbitant prices.

‘They’re giving me this?’

Arush wasn’t the only one surprised.

Thompson and Sophia, the American Awakened who had earned a contribution of over 1%, were also surprised.

Their contribution was barely over 1%.

But they received an equipment gacha box.

And it was of Legend rank.

Of course, they had risked their lives in battle, but that wasn’t a rare occurrence.

Usually, even after going through hell and back, they wouldn’t get a decent loot. This was especially true for those who belonged to guilds.

But this time was different.

They received a definite reward.

‘Is it okay to get it this easily?’

That’s how they felt.

But at the same time...

Everyone’s gaze turned towards KiMinwoom as if they had made a promise.

‘If 1% is this good, what does 42% get?’

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]