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.

“Damn it!”

The Awakened gritted their teeth and continued their assault.

Seo Yerim hurriedly approached and asked,

“How much of the damage is being transferred?”

“About 5%? Cough!”

He coughed up blood.

Seo Yerim’s face hardened.

The percentage of damage transferred wasn’t that high.

The problem was Iphrax’s health pool itself. To put it simply, from now on, Kim Minwoo had to take 5% of the damage Iphrax received.

5% might sound small, but…

5% of a raid boss’s health pool?

It was practically a death sentence.

Even the current attacks from the Awakened were enough to make him cough up blood.

What if he detonated a light bomb, which deals far more damage than that?

“Don’t use the bomb now…”

“No.”

Kim Minwoo, who had hastily consumed a top-rank recovery potion, said firmly.

“That wasn’t the plan from the beginning. We need to go for a quick battle.”

Even though he was using pain-inducing potions to somehow resist the mental attacks, it was ultimately a temporary solution. Problems would start to arise in just an hour.

All the Awakened would die.

That wasn’t the answer.

‘In the end, I have to endure the bomb’s damage.’

Although the Death Lord was immune to light attacks, this curse transferred the damage itself.

There was a high chance that immunity wouldn’t work.

What he needed was overwhelming recovery power.

An item immediately came to mind.

“But how will you endure it? Even the top-rank potion won’t be enough…”

“Yerim, have you forgotten? What’s sold in the shop.”

“…Do you have 1 million points?”

“Yes.”

Seo Yerim’s face brightened.

Potion.

She had also unlocked the VIP shop, so she had read the item’s description.

It was a recovery item that lasted for a whopping 72 hours. The price was also a hefty 1 million points.

‘With that, I might be able to endure it…’

Of course, since the Potion provided continuous recovery, it wouldn’t be able to completely cover a sudden burst of damage…

‘I can control the damage.’

It’s a matter of properly balancing the Potion’s recovery with the incoming damage.

With Kim Minwoo’s abilities, it should be possible.

Hasn’t he shown it so far?

Meanwhile…

Kim Minwoo summoned Popo.

―You called… No, why did you wake that thing up…?!

“Potion. Quickly.”

―Ye, yes, here it is. Good luck!

After briefly freaking out at the sight of Iphrax, Popo handed over the Potion as if he understood without needing to be told, and then saluted.

[Potion]

[Rank: Unique]

[A recovery potion made by mixing mysterious ingredients. It is said that it can even revive the dead.]

[Effect 1. Upon consumption, maximizes all recovery for 72 hours.]

‘Good thing I saved some points.’

The 200,000 points he had at the end of the first exam.

The 800,000 points he earned from defeating the Dark mage and the High Priest. He had about 1 million points left.

He had considered buying more light bombs then, but decided against it. He figured 11 bombs would be enough damage.

‘If I run out, I can just summon the shop like I did now and buy more.’

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

So he saved the points.

That turned out to be a stroke of genius.

A golden liquid potion.

Gulp!

Kim Minwoo swallowed the contents.

[Potion consumed!]

[All recovery maximized for 72 hours!]

His ebbing stamina began to rapidly replenish as if he had taken a performance-enhancing drug.

“…How do you feel?”

“It’ll work. Let’s proceed as planned.”

Points are divine, and the Potion grants invincibility. With the addition of top-rank recovery potions and the True Blood’s regenerative abilities…

‘I can endure this.’

He was confident that he could withstand the damage from detonating the light bombs.

* * *

The powerful force inherent in his body.

Tough skin.

Powerful mental attacks and the devastation caused by hundreds of giant tentacles.

Iphrax was definitely strong.

‘But, it doesn’t matter.’

There’s no defense against overwhelming numbers.

Boom!

Bombs worth a whopping 500,000 points each were exploding whenever they felt like it.

No matter how vigilant it was, it was impossible to completely escape the blast radius.

The monster was seen thrashing around with cracks all over its body.

‘It’s over.’

He had thrown ten light bombs with his guild members so far.

The monster’s body, which had been floating in the air, couldn’t take it anymore and plummeted to the ground in an instant.

Moreover, the Awakened’s special skills were pouring down on the monster’s body, which had been weakened by the bombs.

Attacks that wouldn’t have worked before were different now that it had been bombarded with bombs.

“Die!”

The knights’ greatswords pierced the eyeballs, and the giant tower shields slammed down on the tentacles with force.

High-level magic was pouring in from all sides.

Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo were also dealing heavy damage.

[The Divine Archer declares ‘Kill Zone’!]

[Lasts for 20 minutes!]

[Agility +50%.]

[Triple the mana arrows generated!]

[The Holy Sword declares ‘Sanctuary’!]

[Lasts for 20 minutes!]

[All stats increased by 20%.]

[Holy attribute increased by 50%!]

The weapons of the hero party were immensely powerful, incomparable to the regular weapons of other awakened ones.

Kim Minwoo was diligently stacking damage.

He shared fire attributes with Hayang, boosting his stats and damage through the Law of Victory.

On top of that, he had multiple layered attacks and buffs surrounding his body.

Even on his own, he was dealing significant damage, and he had supporters too.

[Merhen uses Earth Shackles (SS)!]

[Cedric uses Shadow Spear (SS)…]

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]