Chapter 177

Cho-i Hyeon and the boss monster were facing each other, keeping their distance. Cho-i Hyeon was the first to move. As she took a step towards the Entity, a notification window appeared before her eyes. Ding.

[Queen Mantis Succession] [Defeat the Queen Mantis and take the Queen’s throne!]

It was similar to what she had seen before. But the sentence written below was enough to reassure Cho-i.

[Your stats are boosted for the trial. Enjoy the battle with equal stats!]

What was there to enjoy? She wasn’t an amusement park employee. Cho-i Hyeon frowned. But it wasn’t entirely bad. It was clear that the trial, or whatever it was, had boosted her stats to balance the fight.

“Status window.”

Since the boss monster wasn’t moving yet, Cho-i briefly opened her status window to check her rank.

[Cho-i Hyeon (EX Rank)]

She calmed her startled mind. Then she found something else written below it.

[Third Molt Complete]

It was a strange phrase. Third molt? She had only molted twice. No, wait. She thought.

‘Is what just came off this body considered the third molt?’

It was entirely possible.

“Normally, insects die if they fail to molt. And they are only complete after going through all molts. That means,”

Cho-i Hyeon grinned and pointed her sword at the boss monster.

“I am stronger than you.”

Though she couldn’t be certain, Cho-i Hyeon was confident and charged at the boss monster with her sword. The boss monster stomped the ground, approaching her. Meeting in the middle, their foreleg and sword clashed. Crackle! The giant foreleg and Cho-i Hyeon’s sword collided. The sword slid, cutting through sharp protuberances. Seeing that, the boss monster raised another foreleg and brought it down on Cho-i Hyeon. Instead of backing away, Cho-i Hyeon plunged forward and thrust her sword into the boss monster’s abdomen, from which its intestines were spilling out.

“Kuaaah!”

A loud scream erupted. Cho-i Hyeon bent at the waist, pulled out her sword, and stepped back a few paces. Red chunks of intestines and blood stained the sword. She flicked the sword clean and spoke to the boss monster, whose eyes had turned bloodshot.

“What, you didn’t think I’d be in your way now?”

“You can’t defeat me!”

“Why? I think I can.”

Cho-i Hyeon was confident. Or rather, she pretended to be confident. Because she had glimpsed her stat window. Her skills were gone. Devil’s Hand was stuck in that damned boss monster’s neck, and Sanity Paralysis, of course, was a skill that had to disappear since that thing had fallen off. Pain Sensation. It was the same. It meant that all the skills she had been using had disappeared at once. She gripped her sword tightly.

‘I can do it.’

She had to do it. She had to defeat that monster, if only to atone for the countless Hunters who had died by her hand.

‘Even if I die…’

That thought suddenly crossed her mind. She held her sword upright and charged again at the boss monster approaching her. Clang, clang! The foreleg and sword clashed, and Cho-i Hyeon deflected the sword sideways, severing a large chunk of the foreleg.

“Cho-i Hyeon!”

But in the meantime, another leg swiftly aimed for her side. She twisted her waist, trying to dodge it somehow, but unfortunately, she failed. There was a sound of flesh tearing, and her side was cut open.

“Ugh!”

Cho-i stifled a scream and cast a skill.

[Skill, Pushback is activated!]

Smash! The Entity’s forelegs were pushed back, and Cho-i Hyeon leaped backward. Blood was gushing from her side, and naturally, there was no regeneration. It was to her disadvantage that it had exited her body. She pressed hard on her bleeding side, gritted her teeth, and lunged forward again. At that moment, the Entity spread its wings and flew up. Cho-i Hyeon frowned and cut off one of the Entity’s legs as it ascended. Crackle! One leg fell off. Despite that, the Entity floated in the air, glaring at her. Cho-i Hyeon held her sword forward, preparing for the Entity to pounce. After a few seconds, the Entity charged at Cho-i Hyeon. Bang! It swung a long foreleg, cut her shoulder, and flew up again. Cho-i Hyeon bit her lip. A chunk of flesh was torn from her shoulder by the rough foreleg. Blood spurted.

“Cho-i Hyeon!”

Taeyang Kang’s voice was heard. Cho-i Hyeon ignored the Entity and stared with wide eyes.

[Skill, Shout, is cast!] -!!!!!

A louder Shout than ever was cast. One might wonder why Shout is needed when the boss monster is only attacking Cho-i. However, Shout is a skill that increases the opponent’s hostility. Indeed, she could see the boss monster descending faster towards her. Cho-i Hyeon waited for the Entity to arrive in front of her, then leaped from the ground. After landing on the Entity’s back, she firmly plunged her sword into it so as not to fall off.

“-!!”

The Entity shrieked strangely and thrashed its body. But Cho-i held onto the embedded sword and did not fall. Each time the Entity moved violently, the embedded sword slowly sliced into its body. Cho-i Hyeon gripped the sword’s hilt and plunged it deeper into the Entity with a crunch. A scream was heard, and the Entity immediately flew up again. Cho-i Hyeon’s body was pulled up with it. She clung to the Entity, her sword embedded in the Mantis’s torso. The body flying up to the dome ceiling, and the rapidly moving wings, obstructed her. But she desperately clung to the boss monster’s back and reached out her arm. Cho-i grabbed the rapidly moving wing with her hand. And with one swift motion, she ripped the Entity’s wing off. Sizzle, tear. The thin wing tore and crumpled in her hand. Instantly, the boss monster’s body, which was flying in the sky, tilted precariously. Cho-i Hyeon did not stop and reached for the other wing. Sizzle, and once again she tore the wing. The wobbling body finally began to plummet to the ground, and Cho-i Hyeon clung tightly to the Entity’s back. Crash-!! The Entity fell to the ground and writhed. Its internal organs had all burst out and were squirming on the floor, and the Entity struggled as if in pain. Cho-i Hyeon drew her sword and climbed onto its upper body. Then she grabbed the Entity’s neck and raised her sword.

“Let’s end our bad relationship here.”

Crunch-! And she plunged the sword in as if to shatter its neck. Blood began to seep out. The Entity’s neck bone broke, and Cho-i Hyeon pulled on the Entity’s head. Cutting the neck of something that looked exactly like her own face was a nauseating task, but she couldn’t stop here. She sliced and tore, then with a gulp. Soon she cut the skin of the neck and lifted the head. The body went limp.

‘I can’t let my guard down here.’

The Entity doesn’t die. It has regenerative ability. So she had to find a way before it revived. It revives even if burned. The same would be true if frozen. She didn’t stop her hands and began to mutilate the boss monster. Blood burst out, drenching her entire body. Cho-i didn’t stop her hands, as if trying to turn the Entity into a chunk of meat. Crunch, stab, crack! The pale white skin disappeared, and the entire skin began to turn red. She plunged the knife in and scraped it down. The back of the human-shaped part split open, revealing the spine inside. She raised her hand and began to further destroy the Entity. Organs and bones were turning into a lumpy mass mixed with blood. Mutilating it like this wouldn’t prevent its return. What she was doing now was just a temporary measure to slow down the boss monster’s regeneration. Then what method was left? Just then, a system window appeared before her eyes. Ding.

[You have achieved victory in the war against the Queen Mantis!]

And another system window appeared in quick succession.

[Consume her and claim the complete position of Queen!]

“Consume her…?”

Cho-i Hyeon looked down at the boss monster’s corpse. “Consume” probably meant to eat it…

“Damn it.”

She picked up the head without hesitation. And opened her mouth wide. She had to get rid of this. If so, there was no reason she couldn’t eat it. Crunch, the sound of hard teeth breaking someone’s bone was heard.

* * *

Paehyeok’s Group was watching Cho-i Hyeon’s battle. Since the boss monster was already injured, the battle ended faster than expected. Cho-i Hyeon sustained some injuries, but they weren’t severe enough to prevent healing. However, the problem came after the battle ended.

“……”

Everyone fell silent. Cho-i Hyeon had started eating the boss monster. With her small mouth, as if to swallow everything. The group couldn’t say a word. Cho-i Hyeon didn’t stop swallowing the Entity, even as she gagged. Gulping it down, her face contorted.

“Ugh.”

She covered her mouth due to nausea. The metallic taste of raw meat, the feel of bones similar to a human’s. All of it drove her mad. But she didn’t stop, her eyes bloodshot. Even now, the boss monster’s body was slowly trying to reattach itself. She couldn’t take too long. Cho-i Hyeon grabbed a handful of the Entity’s flesh. The group could only watch. There was nothing they could do to help. The Entity was her battle alone. The taste in her mouth was disgustingly foul, and the texture was so slimy it sent shivers down her spine. Her stomach felt like it was cramping. Yet, she didn’t stop. And when she had eaten everything, a system window appeared before her.

[Queen’s Succession completed!]