HG Ch 39

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There had been some unfairness, but riding the Choheon carriage up the mountain was comfortable. The ride quality he had worried about was not as bad as he thought

Even though the carriage looked strange, thinking about having to walk made him realize this was far better. Eunho was intoxicated by the joy of a movement speed increase of +200%.

And according to Yoon Iseo, if he had climbed the mountain on foot, his fatigue would have built up so severely that even eating tarakjuk every hour would not have been enough. If that was the case, then the fact that his mount was not a tiger but this… oddly shaped carriage must have had a reason as well. Every being really did have its own strengths and weaknesses. He almost felt sorry for having complained so much.

It was when they reached the summit of Jirisan that Eunho began to feel a quiet pressure weighing down on his body, making him furrow his brows. When he glanced to the side, Yoon Iseo was wearing a calm expression, so Eunho wondered if he was imagining it.

However, the deeper they moved from the peak toward the center, the stronger that pressure became. In the end, he had to lie flat on the carriage. His stomach churned over and over as if he were seasick.

At last, they arrived in front of a massive cave. The cave seemed to be of a similar size to Chang-Gwi’s lair in Jirisan. The two approached the inside of the cave, which was plunged in pitch-black shadow.

Then the Choheon, moving forward, came to a sudden halt.

“……”

This sharp sensation. A killing intent that seemed to stab and scrape at every inch of his skin.

“Are you scared?” Yoon Iseo asked him the question.

Not even stepping into the cave, Eunho could only swallow air with a face gone completely pale. And then he seemed to feel vertigo.

Something firm held Eunho’s body in place.

The moment he rolled off the carriage, instead of hitting the hard ground, he fell into Yoon Iseo’s arms. Eunho lifted his eyes with a dazed expression.

“Take a deep breath. It’s okay…”

Because he was being held, he could feel Yoon Iseo’s chest rise and fall each time he spoke. He wanted to say that he had only momentarily lost his balance and was fine now, but he could not. His legs were trembling uncontrollably.

“No… I’m the same max level as you… So why only me…”

It felt so unfair that even with his jaw trembling, he muttered it out.

“It’s alright. ‘Killing intent’ is a mental attack, so it can’t be helped. Once I take aggro, you’ll feel better soon.”

He had expected Yoon Iseo to scold him and ask why he was like this even after reaching max level. But instead, Yoon Iseo simply stroked the back of his neck as if it were nothing. His touch was gentle, like soothing a child.

Yoon Iseo added, “You asked what the difference between Chang-gwi and Baekho was.”

He calmed Eunho, who was breathing hard and swollen with fear, and explained slowly. He said Chang-gwi could be considered a magic damage monster, while Baekho should be thought of as a physical damage monster. Yoon Iseo added another note.

“Baekho has a lot of skills related to brute strength, so conserve your evasive skills.”

“…Will you be alright? You’re not a tanker, you’re melee DPS.”

If he drew aggro and happened to get hit directly by one of Baekho’s offensive skills, it could be disastrous.

But the person in question simply replied, “I just have to dodge well,” focusing solely on Eunho’s condition. Perhaps because the gaze checking on him felt warm, Eunho’s chills gradually eased.

“I think… I’ve gotten a bit used to it now.”

Since he seemed to have relaxed a little, they entered Baekho’s cave. But the inside was far worse than the outside. The deeper they went, the stronger the illusion that his body was getting heavier.

They walked for a long time, stepping over jagged stones. Then, the moment he stepped on a certain spot, an overwhelmingly large force pressed down on his body so strongly that he could not endure it. Just as Eunho was about to collapse to the ground, an open space appeared, so wide it was hard to believe it existed inside a cave.

Right there, a white tiger the size of a house was glaring, its eyes gleaming.

[It has been a while since guests have come.]

Even though they had not yet stepped into its recognition range, Baekho spoke up. Startled, Eunho looked at Yoon Iseo.

“Is this a bug?”

“Baekho is a wise beast.”

Wearing his armor, Yoon Iseo ripped several talismans. Each time he tore one, the pattern on the talisman appeared clearly on various parts of his body, including his nape and the backs of his hands.

“Let’s just start. The longer we drag this out, the more you’ll suffer.”

After diligently stacking a defense buff, an attack buff, and even an agility buff, Yoon Iseo immediately summoned his spear.

He kicked off the ground and charged, landing the first blow on Baekho, and the raid began.

[Such energetic guests!]

[SYSTEM] Baekho Raid has begun. [SYSTEM] Raid clear time limit (00:59:59)

When Yoon Iseo attempted an attack, Baekho roared fiercely. The ground trembled violently, and the floor began to crack open with loud splitting sounds. The moment Eunho thought he might lose his balance because of the shaking, Yoon Iseo made a huge leap.

Eunho saw Baekho preparing to fire compressed wind at Yoon Iseo.

Without hesitation, Eunho shot at Baekho. The wind aimed at Yoon Iseo vanished without a trace.

At the same time, the beast’s cold, predatory gaze turned toward Eunho. Then, Yoon Iseo leapt out from behind Baekho and swung his spear, drawing aggro back. Eunho shook his head to get rid of the feeling he had when he briefly locked eyes with Baekho, then reloaded.

Thud!

Baekho swung its massive forepaw. Thanks to Yoon Iseo making a long leap to dodge, Baekho’s attack struck an unlucky boulder instead.

[Hooh. Impressive. Then try dodging all of these sharp and powerful ones as well.]

Baekho’s jet-black fur shot out like spikes. It was a dense barrage, like a net spreading open, but Yoon Iseo used his evasion skills and dodged easily.

Crash!

Yoon Iseo fiercely struck Baekho with his spear. Buried in a pile of stones, Baekho rose and let out a rough, thunderous roar.

[SYSTEM] The enraged Absolute roars loudly. [SYSTEM] Fear surges through you, freezing your hands and feet. [SYSTEM] Movement speed, attack speed, and weapon skill proficiency decrease by 50% for 30 seconds.

Then Baekho charged at Yoon Iseo. It raised both forepaws, trying to tear into him, so Eunho hurriedly fired his gun.

Baekho staggered from the bullet that struck its jaw, and Yoon Iseo thrust out the hand gripping his spear, seizing the opening. The assassin’s chain attack skill followed. Each time a dull impact rang out, Baekho let out sharp yelps.

After unleashing a series of skills, Yoon Iseo looked in Eunho’s direction.

“The party member is quite helpful…”

“I think so too.”

When Eunho returned the words exactly as they were, Yoon Iseo laughed.

Soon, Baekho let out a groan filled with pain and entered Phase Two. Amid the billowing clouds of dust, a half-man, half-beast with a tiger’s lower body and a human’s upper body revealed itself.

[How about this form?]

Then it charged at Yoon Iseo, swinging a sword made from its own hardened fur.

A massive whirlwind swallowed both Baekho and Yoon Iseo together.

“Iseo-ya!”

Eunho shouted Yoon Iseo’s name. The address that slipped out unconsciously felt completely natural.

[SYSTEM] Baekho uses the skill “Gale.” Within the whirlwind, only Baekho and its adversary may exist. Attempting to enter or escape will cause the sharp winds to tear apart everything.

Silence fell over the surroundings.

Vwooom!

As the whirlwind dispersed, a violent sandstorm erupted from the aftermath.

[Oh ho, so you are not ‘ordinary’, are you?]

A shadow burst out from within and landed gracefully. Standing in roughly the same spot as Baekho, Yoon Iseo shifted his spear to his other hand. Blood was streaming from his right arm.  

“Hyung, are you alright?”

When Eunho asked out of concern, Yoon Iseo nodded.

“The talisman buffs on you have ended. Tear new ones.”

Who was the one bleeding like a faucet right now? And yet he was checking Eunho’s buff talismans instead.

[One who defies the laws of the world.]

At that moment, Baekho plucked out its fur once again and created a long spear identical to Yoon Iseo’s. It swung the spear about with startlingly expert skill, then charged at Yoon Iseo.

And it moved with frightening agility.

[SYSTEM] Baekho prepares the skill “Baekho Spearmanship”. It is a three-move spear technique composed solely of thrusts.

Because the damage would likely increase with each successive strike, Eunho used “Rapid Fire” to interrupt Baekho’s movements. But Baekho instantly dodged using the movement skill “Celestial Leap”.

[How delightful it is to fight one who stands above the laws!]

Yoon Iseo’s spear and Baekho’s spear clashed repeatedly. After the first, second, and third bouts of force, Baekho leaped high into the air, and Yoon Iseo jumped after it. He intended to block Baekho’s charging skill. The mechanic was that the farther away one was when hit by the charge, the lower the damage. Therefore, Baekho was also spamming movement skills to stick as close to Yoon Iseo as possible.

At that moment, Eunho threw an explosive toward Baekho and shot it to detonate it.

Boom!

Using the rising sand and dust as cover, Yoon Iseo disappeared from sight and then appeared out of nowhere to attack Baekho from behind.

Baekho was sent flying far away and crashed down, then staggered back to its feet.

A deep, hearty laugh burst out from Baekho.

[This is so, so enjoyable. But now comes the end!]

Baekho plucked out a third strand of fur and shaped it into sharp knuckles.