Chapter 173

There was no way to know. The boss monster, in Cho-i Hyeon’s form, still stood tall in that spot. Not a hint of panic was visible. The Entity simply stared at them with eyes rolled back white. Taehyeok Sa narrowed his eyes.

‘What exactly is it thinking?’

He thought there would definitely be some reaction. But the Entity just quietly, as if observing, watched the Hunters. Taehyeok Sa didn’t stop.

“First attack team.”

These were the long-range dealers, including Taehyeok Sa. They each raised their weapons and cast their skills. Large arrows of light began to form, and someone’s Electric Shock, and someone else’s Ice. Dozens of skills floated in the air, aiming for a single target: Cho-i Hyeon, the girl who was now the boss monster. Nara Shim looked up. Could this save Cho-i Hyeon? But before that thought could even finish, all the skills rushed towards the Entity. KWA-A-A-ANG-!!! A deafening roar erupted. But it wasn’t over yet.

“Second attack team!”

The mid-short range dealers pushed off the ground and darted forward. They accurately pierced through the rising dust. Someone thought,

‘It’s still standing perfectly fine.’

The Entity was still standing quietly. Even after taking all those attacks. But they didn’t waver and rushed at the boss monster. Debuffs had landed, and all the long-range dealers’ skills had hit their mark. So, surely, there would be an opening in at least one part. Even a very small part to exploit. Dongju Kim and Yeonhan Kim arrived first. They seemed to have decided to target the human-shaped upper body rather than the hard Mantis shell, and they instantly rushed in, aiming for the head and neck. But. Clang! The two human-shaped arms easily blocked the two swords.

“Damn it!”

“Get back!”

Dongju Kim cursed, and Yeonhan Kim warned Dongju Kim. But the Entity soon swung its arms, still holding the swords, and flung the two of them far away. Crash!

“Cough, gasp. Don’t stop!”

Yeonhan Kim, who was spitting blood after being slammed into the wall, screamed. The other Nara Hunters gnashed their teeth and brandished their swords and spears. Kagagagak! Some slipped after hitting the hard shell, while others were caught by the large Mantis’s forelegs.

“Aaah!”

Blood spurted out in an instant. Someone’s arm was severed and fell to the floor. The screams began to increase one by one. The Entity, which had been still, finally began to move.

“Ugh!” “S-save me….”

Crunch, tear- A human impaled by the Mantis’s leg was split in half. Blood and organs gushed out from within, soaking the floor. Despite being debuffed and having its stats reduced, the Entity moved at an invisible speed, subduing the Hunters one by one. Dongju Kim and Yeonhan Kim, who had been thrown far away, once again rushed into the fray.

“Devil’s Hand.”

And that word was uttered after more than ten had died by the boss monster’s hand. Black Hands began to rise from the floor. Taehyeok Sa, seeing the Entity, shouted.

“Zhixuan!” “Since when have we been on such friendly terms?”

Zhixuan grumbled, but summoned his Shadows. His Shadows began to cover the Black Hands one by one.

“Retreat beyond 10 meters!”

At Taehyeok Sa’s command, the survivors struggled to retreat, even if it meant crawling.

“Kyaaah!”

However, one person crawling out was impaled by a Mantis’s leg and dragged away. The foreleg pierced their back, crushing their spine as it entered. The stone floor began to slowly become soaked with blood. Zhixuan frowned.

“This is a bit more difficult than I thought.”

The Shadows covering the Black Hands were writhing. Their numbers were so immense that Zhixuan could do nothing but cover the Entities. Taehyeok Sa said in a resolute tone.

“Hold on.” “I’d do that even without your command.”

Splat, sizzle. At that moment, the Entity, which had pulled up the upper body of a human whose lower body had been severed by its foreleg, slowly opened its mouth. And then, crunch, it began to chew on the falling bones and organs. Taehyeok Sa instinctively thought he had to stop that.

“Gihyeon Park!” “I was wondering when you’d call me!”

Gihyeon Park instantly ignited a Flame. The flames that erupted from beneath the boss monster momentarily threatened to leap towards their allies. At that moment, Taehyeok Sa used Telekinesis to gather the flames into one place. They were large and intense Flames, capable of burning everything. Kwoooong-!! Like an explosion, the flames shot upwards, and gathered by Telekinesis, they soon formed a giant pillar of fire. The Flame, suppressed by Telekinesis, flickered wildly within.

“Legacy it!” “I know!”

Kwoooong-!! Gihyeon Park, as Taehyeok Sa had said, Legacied the Flame without letting it extinguish. The Flames crashed against the wall of Telekinesis, and soon began to create a vortex, following the flow of Telekinesis. The enraged Flame exploded inside the wall multiple times. Every hunter watched the pillar of Flame with wide eyes. It was an incredible attack. It was the greatest collaboration created by an S-Rank and an SS-Rank. If the boss monster survived inside that, there would be no other way. It was to that extent. Everyone was looking in one direction. Just as the exploding flames began to subside.

“Taeyang Kang!”

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

And at that moment, a blizzard raged. Taeyang Kang’s skill instantly began to freeze the surroundings white. Flames that would burn everything met Ice that would freeze everything. Steam rose and filled the dome, and Gihyeon Park extinguished the fire. Then the Ice began to take over. Crack, snap- The sound of the Ice settling was heard. Taeyang Kang poured all his strength into the skill, and soon the steam disappeared.

“…It’s frozen.”

And they found the boss monster, Cho-i Hyeon, frozen in the shape of large, flickering Flames. The strange thing was…

“…It’s unharmed.”

The Entity’s body had no injuries at all. But the Entity was clearly frozen white. Inside the solidly frozen Ice, looking down at the ground.

“…Did… did it work?”

Someone whispered. The Entity, trapped in the Ice, didn’t move. The frozen white bodies of Hunters were also visible nearby. Taeyang Kang began to approach the Ice with heavy steps. Everyone held their breath and stared at the Entity. And behind him, there was only one person following him. Nara Shim. It was her. The two approached the Ice and examined the boss monster. There was still no movement, and Taeyang Kang began to inspect the boss monster’s face, while Nara Shim inspected various parts of the boss monster’s body.

“…It seems completely stopped?”

“…The problem starts now.”

How to turn Cho-i Hyeon back into a human. But no suitable method came to mind. Then, suddenly, Nara Shim, who had been examining various parts of the boss monster’s body, narrowed her eyes.

“…What’s that?”

She saw a strange Shadow in the belly of the Mantis body, which was its lower half. She put her hand on the Ice and brought her eyes close to examine the Shadow. And then…

“Just now…”

Taeyang Kang’s eyes widened.

“It blinked…”

Crack- With those words, the Ice began to crack. The Entity, trapped inside the Ice, began to move slowly. Taeyang Kang immediately grabbed Nara Shim’s waist and leaped back. He didn’t take his eyes off the boss monster. Crack, snap, clang! A large crack formed in the huge, Flame-shaped Ice, and soon it collapsed. Rumble, the sound of half the Ice falling off was heard, and soon…

“This is all there is.”

White eyes stared at them. Crunch, snap! Its front legs broke the Ice, and the boss monster, with Cho-i Hyeon’s face, slowly crawled out of the Ice. Everyone could only watch the scene with pale faces. The Entity continued speaking with an expressionless face.

“You ultimately didn’t have the power to stop the Calamity.”

The Entity raised its head.

“This world is destined to become mine.”

And the Entity vanished in an instant. Taehyeok Sa turned his head at the scream exploding right next to him.

“Ugh!”

The boss monster, which had appeared on the left, raised its front legs and sliced through a Hunter’s waist. Its six front legs and two human-shaped arms tore off heads and severed the spines of the Hunters.

“Skill! Use your skills!”

“Everyone run!”

“Aaah!”

Because of the Entity that appeared in the middle of the Hunters, their formation instantly collapsed, and chaos erupted everywhere. The boss monster grabbed a Hunter’s head and ripped it off. The spine and internal organs came out with it. The blood-soaked boss monster remained completely still, even as it was hit by the skills the Hunters desperately cast. It didn’t even get a scratch.

“Curse your fate for encountering me as your Calamity.”

The Hunters now began to scatter in all directions. Some tried to fight back, but they were soon impaled through the head. The head, caught on a front leg, was torn off with a crunching sound, and the headless body fell, scattering blood. Taehyeok Sa urgently activated his Telekinesis. But the Entity moved freely, as if it were completely unaffected by the Telekinesis.

“Damn it…”

Taehyeok Sa quietly cursed under his breath. Even with all his strength using Telekinesis, he could only make one of the Entity’s front legs pause. But then, someone rushed towards him.

“Guild Master!”

It was Nara Shim. Taehyeok Sa frowned.

“Why aren’t you running away?”

“That’s not important right now!”

At her words, Taehyeok Sa grabbed Nara Shim and retreated, saying,

“What do you mean?”

Then Nara Shim shouted,

“A person! There was a human-shaped Shadow inside its stomach!”