Chapter 41

Chapter 16. Akasha's Serpent (9)

"Just a little more... just a little more...!"

In the wake of the monster rush that had trampled everything in its path, a player moved his body with great effort over the nearly devastated forest and land.

It was Vain.

"Just a little more...!"

Vain, with only one arm left, clutched his shoulder and forced his feet to move.

He was driven solely by the determination to complete his mission.

He had barely survived the goblin king's attack and had been feigning death until the monster rush ended, only then managing to move.

He had also considered giving up the mission and returning.

The shock of the monster rush had been immense.

The first group, which was supposed to fly and soar, had vanished without a trace, and the aura emitted by the goblin king had frozen him to the core.

Despite this, he was determined to pursue his mission to the end.

For one reason alone.

'The direction the monsters are heading is definitely where that guy Kain is. He's definitely up to something.'

As far as he knew, the monster rush was an event that had never happened before.

This meant that something was definitely hidden behind it.

Vain speculated that it was connected to his target, 'Kain.'

There was no evidence.

But if a player was significant enough to make Build cautious, it wouldn't be strange for them to be involved in such an event.

'It's definitely a hidden piece. Something that can't even be compared to anything found in the tutorial so far...!'

No matter what Kain was planning, Vain would ambush him and steal the hidden piece when he let his guard down after obtaining it.

If he did that, he would have a good chance of winning.

And with the rewards that would follow, chasing after Pant and Edo wouldn't be impossible.

'Just wait a little longer, Kain!'

Greed flickered in Vain's eyes.

* * *

The goblin king and the orc king realized something was amiss as the war was reaching its peak.

Kukuku!

The ground began to tremble slightly at some point.

Both the goblin king and the orc king, with their innate senses, noticed the ground shaking.

However, they dared not speak out, fearing that even a moment's distraction could cost them their lives.

This led to a great disaster.

Kwakwakwak-

The center of the battlefield, where monsters and orcs were clashing, suddenly sank.

Kwaang!

Suddenly, something shot up.

A snake boasting an enormous body.

It had opened its massive mouth, holding several monsters in its jaws.

Its nearly 10-meter-long body rose vertically into the air, creating an overwhelming pressure.

"What, what is that! A strange monster!"

"Ch, chirp! Why is a god here!"

As the monsters looked up in confusion at Akasha's serpent,

Kwajik!

Akasha's serpent swallowed the monsters in its mouth in one gulp, turned its head, and looked down.

Below its eyes.

Prey was scattered everywhere.

To it, this place was like a banquet hall.

Kaaah!

Akasha's serpent plunged its head into the nearest kobold group.

It was so fast that it couldn't be seen with the naked eye.

As a result, the kobold king, who had been leading the kobold group bravely at the forefront, was eaten.

"King!"

"The king is dead! Revenge for the king!"

The kobold group, with fire in their eyes, rushed at Akasha's serpent.

They couldn't let the one who killed their king live.

However, their attacks were futile, failing to even scratch the serpent's scales.

Axes broke and flew into the air, and arrows slid off the scales.

In response, Akasha's serpent shook its tail in annoyance, sending the kobold group flying.

Dozens of kobolds turned into bloody chunks as they flew.

The life force that seeped out as they died was absorbed into Akasha's serpent, making it grow larger.

It had grown to about 12 meters, and its ferocity had increased proportionally with its size.

The monsters, regardless of their species, gaped in shock.

A monster that could steal life force from dead monsters! They had never heard of such a thing.

Moreover, the predatory aura emitted by Akasha's serpent froze them in place.

The monsters had always been at the top of the food chain.

But now they faced a new predator.

The fear instilled by this predator was completely foreign to them. They had no established thought patterns on how to react to fear.

This ultimately led to

Kwakwakwak!

disaster.

"Run, run!"

"The god is punishing us! Chirp! Everyone, run from the punishment, chirp!"

The monsters began to break ranks and flee from Akasha's serpent.

A few brave species tried to resist by forming a tight formation.

But no matter what choice they made, the result was the same.

Prey.

If they ran, they would be caught and swallowed. If they resisted, they would be crushed and swallowed by the overwhelming size.

Either way, they couldn't escape being sucked into Akasha's serpent's belly.

The more sacrifices there were, the more Akasha's serpent grew.

This made it even more overwhelming in sweeping away the monsters.

Chaos ensued.

Hell unfolded.

No matter how they tried to escape the battlefield, the thousands of monsters entangled with each other made it difficult to flee.

"Damn it!"

The goblin king, unable to hold back any longer, pushed the orc king back and turned his body toward Akasha's serpent.

"Kranum! Where are you going, chirp! A warrior's battle must be fought!"

"Shut up, Parak! The safety of our race is more important than some honor!"

The goblin king, as if daring the orc king to attack from behind, rushed forward.

The orc king glared at the goblin king, his face contorted.

They were the highest warriors guarding the east and west of the forest.

Naturally, they had been eagerly waiting for the day to challenge each other, and they thought this was the day.

But it seemed today wasn't the day.

The orc king's words about the safety of the race being more important than honor.

Though they were enemies, it resonated deeply with him.

Unable to hold back any longer, the orc king shouted.

"All orcs, calm the god! Chirp!"

He couldn't bring himself to order an attack on the god, but since the god could resurrect, he ordered them to kill it first.

Under the leadership of the two kings, all the monsters united. They rekindled their fighting spirit and targeted Akasha's serpent together.

However, Akasha's serpent had already nearly returned to its original size.

It inflated its head, which was as large as a mountain.

These puny creatures dared to challenge it. It needed to mete out punishment.

Opening its mouth, it spewed a breath attack filled with venom in all directions.

A large number of monsters in the front lines were swept away.

Their corpses melted away, and the monsters infected by the venom that splashed upward screamed.

At that moment, the goblin king leaped into the air.

"Dieee!"

The goblin king raised two halberds and forcefully struck Akasha's serpent's head.

Kraah!

Akasha's serpent, wailing in pain, thrashed to throw him off, but the goblin king drove the halberds deeper.

Meanwhile, the orc king, gripping his sword tightly, plunged it deep into the serpent's body.

Ssssshh!

Blood splattered.

Akasha's serpent opened its mouth. A breath attack mixed with venom poured out, targeting the two kings.

* * *

'This is a mess.'

Yeonwoo lightly clicked his tongue as he looked at the chaotic battlefield.

He had expected the effect to be significant after provoking all the monsters in Sector E, but

'This is much more effective than I anticipated.'

The number of monsters had already decreased to 10% of the original.

As a result, Akasha's serpent had grown to 1.5 times its original size.

It was as massive as a mountain, its end unseen.

It was hard to imagine how he could subdue such a monstrous creature.

Fortunately, the two kings were leading the charge against Akasha's serpent, and the remaining monsters were steadily chipping away at its health with small attacks.

But,

'They won't last much longer.'

It was clear to see.

The goblin king and the orc king, both as strong as Taragan, were extremely exhausted.

Their races were watching and doing their best.

But their stamina was not infinite.

The goblin king had already lost one arm, and the right side of his face was horribly disfigured by the venom.

It was questionable whether he could even see properly with those eyes.

The orc king was in even worse condition.

He seemed to have been hit by the tail, with bruises all over his body. It was clear that his ribs and spine were shattered.

He was only holding on because he was a king, but he was on the verge of collapsing.

And,

Akasha's serpent was also exhausted.

'He ate too much at once. Overeating is never good for the body.'

Akasha's serpent had not long ago undergone a resurrection ritual.

With that body, it had devoured thousands of monsters and grown much larger than its original size.

Could its body even withstand it?

Even if Akasha's serpent was half a spirit, the other half was based in the material world.

This meant it needed time to properly digest and adapt to the nutrients it had consumed.

But Akasha's serpent had absorbed too much life force at once without going through that process. It was strange that it hadn't already collapsed.

Still, driven by instinct, it continued to devour monsters. And the two kings were steadily chipping away at its health.

In the end, both the monster camp and Akasha's serpent were playing right into Yeonwoo's hands.

And,

Yeonwoo thought it was time to put the finishing touch.

Wooong-

He activated his magic circuit, drawing mana to his feet.

['Magic Circuit' skill proficiency increased. 0.7%]

['Swift Step' skill proficiency increased. 12.4%]

Bang!

Squeeeak-

The ground sank, and his body shot into the air.

On top of Akasha's serpent's head.

Where the orcs had extracted the brain and the goblin king had plunged his halberd.

"Swallow it."

He spread his left hand and placed it on the wound.

The serrated teeth sank into the serpent's head.

Kaaah!

Akasha's serpent thrashed in pain as its head was being pulled out.

Its tail swept away monsters, and screams echoed.

The monsters, caught off guard, hurriedly retreated.

But Yeonwoo clung on stubbornly, driving the serrated teeth deeper.

'Even with Vatri's Blood Sword, I can't completely subdue this thing. I'll cut off its life first!'

Fortunately, Yeonwoo knew Akasha's serpent's greatest weakness.

The brain.

Where its soul resided, and where it could potentially resurrect if left alone.

Kraah!

The brain fluid was sucked out through the serrated teeth. Yeonwoo didn't let go until the serpent's brain was completely shriveled.

['Vatri's Blood Sword' skill proficiency increased. 6.4%]

['Vatri's Blood Sword' skill proficiency increased. 8.2%]

...

[Strength increased by 3.]

[Health increased by 2.]

[Mana increased by 5.]

...

The messages filled his vision, endlessly scrolling up.

Then, at some point, he felt something 'substantial' being absorbed.

The soul.

Or essence.

The source of Akasha's serpent.

The light in its eyes disappeared at that moment.

Kung!

The massive head fell to the ground, powerless.

[Boss monster, 'Akasha's Serpent,' has been defeated. Additional merit points have been awarded.]

[5,000 merit points have been obtained.]

[3,000 additional merit points have been obtained.]

...

[Hidden quest (Resurrection Ritual) has been completed.]

[An achievement that few can easily accomplish has been achieved. Additional merit points have been awarded.]

[3,000 merit points have been obtained.]

[2,000 additional merit points have been obtained.]

[Reward...]

[Sudden quest (Monster Rush) has been completed...]

...

Akasha's serpent, being as difficult as it was, provided the largest merit points he had ever obtained.

Enough to significantly boost his ranking.

Moreover, the sudden quest created by Akasha's serpent's resurrection was also considered completed.

He had solved two problems at once.

Furthermore, Akasha's serpent had been Yeonwoo's target since before he entered the tutorial.

The joy of achieving his goal was multiplied by the twists and turns he had faced along the way.

But,

Yeonwoo pulled out Karsuna's dagger with a stoic expression.

He could savor the joy after the tutorial ended. He planned to check the quest rewards afterward.

Squeak!

He deeply cut below the neck, and a golden sphere the size of a human head appeared.

Akasha's serpent's inner core.

Originally, the inner core was the size of a fist, but it had grown due to the serpent's overeating.

Smiling contentedly,

"Eat it."

He pushed the golden sphere into the serrated teeth, which were still demanding more to eat.