Chapter 146 – Rank S (Part Three)

Sword ki, and the slashes it generated.

Though there were subtle differences in their activation, both were powerful abilities that allowed the user to cut without direct contact from the sword, and not just anyone could use them.

It was a level of swordsmanship that only a select few, gifted Awakened could use, separate from their rank or special powers.

It was divided between those who could wield such an ability the moment they picked up a sword after awakening, and those whose hidden talent manifested later in life.

And Il-hyeon’s case was the latter.

*CRUNCH!*

Il-hyeon’s slash, unleashed once more, scraped across the ground as it flew.

It shattered the monster’s shell from its lower body to its chest, leaving a deep wound before blowing one of its arms clean off.

The power was so immense it was hard to believe it came from a mere swing of a sword, devoid of any special ability.

Of course, the attack consumed a fair amount of energy, but for him, who was overflowing with power after absorbing the core, it was no problem at all.

“Its regenerative ability is certainly incredible.”

Lowering his sword for a moment, Il-hyeon watched the writhing monster.

Just as he thought, even the deep gash he had just inflicted was healing at a rapid pace.

For a giant monster of that size and strength to also possess regenerative abilities was practically cheating.

‘But this time, it picked the wrong opponent.’

Unfortunately for the creature, its opponent was a natural enemy who could nullify its regeneration.

One of Hyeon-seo’s three abilities: the ‘Curse’ ability. That was it.

Once cut by her sword, which possessed the power to suppress any kind of regeneration or healing, the monster’s regenerative ability was rendered useless.

And as if to prove it, the monster’s severed hind leg—the side Hyeon-seo had cut—was not regenerating.

Moving in the blink of an eye, Astrid had already grabbed Hyeon-seo and soared into the sky, then thrown her with all her might.

Hyeon-seo, flying toward the monster, easily balanced herself in mid-air and gripped her sword.

Of course, the monster didn’t just stand by and let her swing her sword; its tentacles shot out.

As if sensing the danger of her ability, the number of tentacles had multiplied tenfold compared to before, and the two arms it swung simultaneously were incomparably faster and more threatening.

But Astrid and Marco, who could fly freely through the air, cut down and deflected all of its attacks.

Thanks to them, Hyeon-seo reached the creature without any interference.

“SKREEEE!”

Hyeon-seo then aimed precisely for the screaming monster’s head and extended her arm.

*SHLICK!*

The monster’s severed head shot up into the sky, and her curse ability prevented the flesh and bone from regenerating at the cut, ensuring it would never grow back.

After slicing the monster, Hyeon-seo, who was about to fall headfirst, spun just before hitting the ground and landed cleanly.

Stopping her momentum in a low stance, she caught the head as it fell beside her.

It was heavy due to its size, but considering the creature’s bulk, it was a grotesquely small head.

Hyeon-seo tightened her grip, crushing the head to pieces.

Blood and corrosive slime gushed from the burst head, but her hands, protected by the Defensive Coat, were unharmed.

“It’s over… No, that can’t be right.”

Just as Hyeon-seo muttered, the fight wasn’t over, even with the head gone and regeneration stopped.

The creature still moved with a will of its own, as if nothing was wrong.

*GRIND! CRUNCH!*

Even more, grotesque sounds came from the creature’s body as it began to twist.

Then, from the severed wound, an uncountable number of tentacles erupted in a frenzy.

When its damaged body failed to regenerate, tentacles began to gush out to take its place.

*BOOM!*

It began to rampage wildly, trying to kill the Awakened surrounding it.

At a glance, it seemed to have lost its reason and was just thrashing about, but it was meticulously targeting those who threatened it.

Il-hyeon and the other three team members dodged the fierce attacks, primarily playing a supporting role for Hyeon-seo, who nullified its regeneration.

Hyeon-seo succeeded in neutralizing its most threatening weapons by cutting off both its arms, but even those were replaced by tens of thousands of densely grown tentacles.

“This is the most disgusting one we’ve ever faced!”

Astrid grimaced.

With every wound inflicted by Hyeon-seo, the giant monster before them transformed into an even more horrifying shape.

She didn’t know the limits of its restorative power through its tentacles, but guessing it was far from its peak, Hyeon-seo shouted to Il-hyeon.

“At this rate, this will never end!”

“I agree. Your ability alone won’t be enough.”

Il-hyeon replied while cutting through the tentacles that shot toward him even as they spoke.

Seeing as it was fine even after its head was instantly cut off, it was unlikely to have a distinct vital spot.

In that case, the only answer left was to find the area containing the core, the monster’s heart, and completely destroy the surrounding area.

The location of a core inside a monster’s body wasn’t easy to find, but Il-hyeon’s eyes could spot it with ease.

An enormous amount of Ether flowed to move its massive body.

He saw the center of that flow.

‘There it is.’

As soon as he located the core, Il-hyeon moved, leaping high into the air.

There was no need to waste time explaining it to his teammates.

*CRACKLE!*

Astrid’s red eyes glowed, and a mass of electricity gathered in the sky, flashing.

Then, a powerful bolt of lightning struck the monster’s back.

The lightning bolt, which Astrid had concentrated as much as she could, pierced deep into the creature’s torso, and blood and flesh scattered in all directions as if caught in an explosion.

A faint light seeped out from the hole she had created, which was precisely where the monster’s core was located.

At that very moment, Il-hyeon, who had already jumped, fell toward that spot.

His extended sword was aimed at the core, carrying enough power to end the monster’s life.

“Ugh!”

But he was forced to stop before he could reach it.

Even in that brief moment, the creature’s flesh regenerated at an incredible speed, swelling up and pressing in on Il-hyeon.

Just as he was about to be crushed to death with the core right in front of him, Il-hyeon placed his hand on the encroaching flesh.

He then forcefully reshaped the flesh, pushing it all away.

*CRUNCH!*

Having barely reached it, Il-hyeon ripped out the creature’s core with all his might.

“SKREEEEEEE!”

The monster’s sharp scream shook the city.

That was its end.

Having lost its core, the driving force that sustained its body, the creature spewed blood and slime in all directions as its entire body burst apart.

The giant monster, which had been fine despite numerous attacks, tilted to the side and collapsed with a roar, taking down dozens of buildings with it.

*CRUUUMBLE!*

Amidst the chaotic aftermath and the ensuing shockwave, Astrid quickly spread her wings and landed on the monster’s corpse.

Stopping, Astrid reached her arm down, and a hand shot out from within the corpse, grabbing hers.

Having finally escaped from inside the monster’s body, Il-hyeon coughed and sneezed before wiping the sticky slime from his face.

“Haha, you look great.”

“Whew, that was a close call.”

Il-hyeon shook his head and jumped down.

The other team members, who were scattered around, followed him and gathered.

The surrounding areas of the city where the battle took place were corroded and filthy, looking unusable for the foreseeable future.

Disposing of a monster corpse of this size would be a massive undertaking, and the overwhelming stench emanating from it made Astrid pinch her nose.

“Ugh, this was a horrible Gate in so many ways.”

“Still, wasn’t it much easier than you thought?”

“I guess so…”

She had to agree with Hyeon-seo’s words.

Despite the tension they felt from its energy, the fight had ended with surprising ease.

Since it was the first time any of them, including Il-hyeon, had faced an S-rank Gate, they hadn’t known what to expect.

“Doesn’t this just mean we’re that strong? At this rate, the other two will be a piece of cake.”

“I wonder if we can see it that way…”

While they chattered beside him, Il-hyeon, who had come down from the corpse, fixed his gaze on the object he had been holding in both hands.

The core he had pulled from the monster’s body.

“Hmm… So this is an S-rank core?”

Il-hyeon muttered as he continued to observe the core.

Like the Gate and the monster, it was his first time seeing an S-rank core up close.

It certainly contained more Ether than an A-rank core, but it felt a little weaker than he had expected.

It even felt less potent than the cores of Asu and Marka, which made him tilt his head in confusion.

It was at that moment.

*CRUNCH!*

Something burst through the giant monster’s belly and emerged.

A humanoid monster, clad in a dark brown shell, with sharp horns protruding from its head.

Holding a multi-pronged spear in each hand, the creature staggered out, covered in slime.

“Hmm… A byproduct?”

Seong-won said, looking at the creature.

It wasn’t common, but it sometimes happened that offspring or parasites would appear after a monster was killed.

Especially in the case of offspring, they were overwhelmingly weaker than the parent, but possessed a core with an output comparable to the parent’s. Because of this, Awakened on site would often treat their appearance as a bonus.

But this was not that kind of situation.

Looking at the creature, Il-hyeon knew instinctively.

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Stay back.”

“Huh…?”

Il-hyeon quickly stopped Astrid, pushing her behind him, and drew his sword with a hardened expression.

“That’s the real one.”

“Ah… uh… ah…”

The staggering monster approached, its mouth agape.

Its seven red eyes seemed to lack focus, and the sharp teeth visible whenever it opened its mouth gave off an ominous feeling.

But the creature, barely the size of a large adult man, didn’t seem to emit any particular energy, and compared to the one they had just fought, it looked like nothing.

“That thing?”

“I don’t feel any powerful energy from it…”

It was understandable that even those with superior senses wouldn’t notice.

But Il-hyeon could see it.

The immense amount of Ether pouring from the true S-rank core embedded within the creature’s body.