Chapter 91

The Thunder Wrapped Beast was the largest monster I had ever seen.

Because of its size, it was difficult to immediately target its vital points such as the torso or head. First, I had to use my speed to whittle down its limbs and then press the attack when it lost its balance.

I approached the battle with this plan in mind, but it quickly fell apart.

“Guraaaah!”

“Damn it!”

The Thunder Wrapped Beast launched an attack with a speed that did not match its massive body. Its speed was on par with mine, even with the special effects of the unnamed sword and the gale wind I used to the fullest.

I barely managed to dodge the beast’s raised front paw at the last moment. I immediately put some distance between us and quickly regained my stance.

However,

“Gruuuu!”

“Another one?”

The Thunder Wrapped Beast, defying logic with its size, executed a quick counterattack and launched a series of attacks at me. I was forced into a defensive position, unable to do anything against its skillful combination of its large mouth and front paws.

In the midst of this, I saw an opportunity.

“Now!”

I did not miss the slight opening that appeared between its attacks. I slipped into its guard, dodging its attacks, and swung the unnamed sword with all my might.

Immediately after, I witnessed an unbelievable sight. The blade, which I had swung with all my strength, hit the Thunder Wrapped Beast’s belly, producing a high-pitched sound, and was deflected.

“What...”

I was thrown into confusion. I knew the Thunder Wrapped Beast’s skin was hard, and as a monster over level 20,000, it was understandable that a single strike wouldn’t cut through its flesh. But what just happened? The sound and the sensation were as if the blade had been deflected by an invisible wall before it even reached the skin.

“An invisible wall?”

The word that came to mind nagged at me, so I prepared for a counterattack and launched another attack. The result was the same: the blade was deflected with a high-pitched sound.

*Snap*

—No, could it be!

“Guruu!”

“Damn!”

Even for a moment, I couldn’t afford to be lost in thought against such a formidable enemy. The Thunder Wrapped Beast repeatedly brought down its feet to crush me from above.

I dodged its attacks and put some distance between us. I then paid close attention to the Thunder Wrapped Beast’s movements and formulated a new strategy.

At first glance, it seemed that all my attacks were being blocked, leaving me with no options. However, that wasn’t the case.

When my second attack was deflected, I had a certain realization.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that my blade was being deflected just before it reached the Thunder Wrapped Beast’s body. I didn’t miss the sound of a crack in the air where nothing should have existed.

From this, I drew a conclusion: the Thunder Wrapped Beast must be enveloped in an invisible wall—a shield. The fact that I heard a crack in the shield proved that it wasn’t invincible. If I continued to attack, I could eventually break through the shield and damage the beast’s body!

In the end, my task remained the same: dodge the Thunder Wrapped Beast’s attacks and keep slashing. With this strategy in mind, my resolve strengthened.

The Thunder Wrapped Beast looked up at the sky and opened its mouth wide.

“Gaaaaah!”

A deafening roar. This alone was already quite troublesome, but the main event was just beginning.

In response to the Thunder Wrapped Beast’s roar, lightning began to rain down from the sky—directly at me.

“—!”

It was almost a reflex. Sensing a disturbance in the magic, I immediately leaped backward. The ground where I had been standing was scorched by the lightning.

“No way!”

By a hair’s breadth. If that had hit me, I would have taken massive damage, or even died instantly. My body trembled.

“No, it’s too early to relax!”

The Thunder Wrapped Beast’s roar continued, meaning the lightning attacks would continue. But what could I do? I had barely dodged the last one by instinct. Sensing disturbances in the magic wouldn’t work every time.

Should I give up? No, that’s ridiculous.

“If sensing disturbances isn’t enough to dodge reliably, I’ll have to perceive the flow of magic—Detection!”

I used the skill that allows me to sense magic within a designated area. To counter the lightning from above, the detection range had to be very wide, consuming a lot of MP, but there was no time to hesitate.

With this, dodging the lightning became easier. The only remaining problem was whether I could defeat the Thunder Wrapped Beast before my MP ran out. From here on, it was my turn!

“—Let’s go!”

I ran towards the stationary Thunder Wrapped Beast, dodging the lightning as it fell. Realizing that the lightning was ineffective, the Thunder Wrapped Beast stopped roaring and responded to my attack.

“Gruaaaah!”

“Roaaaaah!”

From then on, it was a battle of strength and speed, both of us giving it our all. The Thunder Wrapped Beast was stronger, and even in terms of speed, we were almost evenly matched, a desperate situation. However, drawing on my experience from numerous battles against stronger opponents, I managed to hold my own.

The first swing was deflected by the shield,

The second swing created a crack,

And the third swing finally broke through the shield.

From there, my barrage of attacks began. My rapid swings tore through the Thunder Wrapped Beast’s body, now without its shield.

I swung my sword with all my might, faster and stronger than ever.

I was confident that I could win like this. But in the next moment, that confidence was shattered.

“Gwoooooo!”

Despite being cut by my blade, the Thunder Wrapped Beast let out another mighty roar.

I had anticipated this and kept the Detection skill active. I should have been able to dodge the lightning. However, I was shocked by the flow of magic detected.

“What is this?”

A magic power dozens of times greater than before gathered above the Thunder Wrapped Beast and me. Could it be trying to burn us both to a crisp?

“Damn!”

Since there was no way to defend against it, I reluctantly put some distance between us. This should have stopped the lightning from being triggered. I planned to launch my final attack when the Thunder Wrapped Beast stopped the attack.

However, the Thunder Wrapped Beast’s actions were far from what I had expected.

It did not stop roaring. The place where the magic gathered did not change from above the Thunder Wrapped Beast. In other words—

The lightning, with dozens of times the power, was dropped right onto the Thunder Wrapped Beast.

“...Dynamic suicide?”

As the sand and dust were whipped up by the lightning, I couldn’t help but mutter. It was understandable to react this way. The Thunder Wrapped Beast had not stopped the lightning even though it knew it wouldn’t hit me.

In any case, it had taken the lightning while already heavily injured. Even if it wasn’t dead, it must be on the brink of death.

“...What?”

But what I saw next was absurd.

“Hey, wait. What is that...”

As the dust cleared, the Thunder Wrapped Beast appeared from within. I thought its body would be charred, but the reality was cruel.

The Thunder Wrapped Beast that stood there was not the same as before. All the wounds I had inflicted had healed, and its shield had likely been restored. The biggest problem was something else.

If it had just fully recovered, it would have been troublesome but manageable. But that wasn’t the case.

The Thunder Wrapped Beast was now enveloped in lightning. The pressure it emitted was far greater than before. Just standing there, I felt as if I was being crushed.

Unconsciously, I used the Identify skill. My instincts must have recognized that it was now a completely different enemy.

And, as expected, my instincts were right.

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

【Thunder Wrapped Beast (State: Thunder King)】

• Recommended Level for Defeat: 25,000

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

“25,000...!”

This was a death sentence.

Until now, I had managed to hold my own against the level 20,000 Thunder Wrapped Beast using all my abilities. If it had become 5,000 levels stronger, there was no way I could win, not even a 1% chance.

Defeat. Despair. Death. These negative words flooded my mind one after another.

But.

No, because of that.

I gave a sardonic smile.

“Ah, I see. That’s what it was.”

The first to ninth floors had been filled with quests that required me to use my physical, mental, and intellectual limits to the fullest. But this tenth floor was different. It was a challenge that couldn’t be overcome even if I pushed myself to the limit.

Was it because the system wanted me to die? No, probably not. The system only wanted one thing.

If the challenge was one that couldn’t be overcome even if I pushed myself