books44 Chapter 142
Chapter 142
Chapter 142
Saaaa—
The Gergos scanned the surroundings once more.
Lina, Danya, and Elena were frozen in place, trembling and unable to move.
A Grade 4 Danger Species
The fear ingrained in human instincts affected everyone.
‘Damn. I didn’t expect it to have the [Fear] effect!’
The passive skill ‘Fear’ is present in some large-scale threats.
‘Fear’ is a debuff skill that can slow down or completely immobilize targets of relatively lower levels.
No matter how much experience Lina or Danya had, it was nearly impossible for them to escape the ‘Fear’ of a Grade 4.
Three out of the four party members were completely immobilized.
‘... Wait. Why am I okay?’
Ian quickly deduced a simple conclusion amidst his brief contemplation.
Killing Richard Pierce.
In this game, when you kill a higher-ranking entity, your rank follows suit. In other words, Ian’s current rank was no different from Richard Pierce’s.
Even so, being the only one able to move was not a good situation.
‘... I let my guard down.’
It finally came to him.
In Fanta X Aca, there was an early strategy where you hunt weaker yet higher-ranked enemies to level the heroines.
Ian bit his lip.
To be caught in such a crisis due to his own foolishness.
Of course, it wasn’t that there was no way out.
‘If I can just hold them.’
He could break the fear state.
All he could do was hope that the creature wouldn’t attack in the meantime.
Ian took a step towards Danya, who was the closest.
◆
A gigantic size that couldn’t be taken in at a glance.
The rough vibrations felt from the floor due to its immense weight.
The moment she recognized the presence in front of her.
Danya was completely frozen in place.
‘... My body, my body won’t move... Nyah.’
Due to being in heat, her highly sensitive senses were fully absorbing the ‘Fear’ emanating from the Grade 4 threat, Gergos.
The scariest part was its breathing.
With every inhale, it seemed to be checking the state of its prey by sucking in the air of this vast space.
When it exhaled, the entire cave responded and vibrated.
The breath of a complete predator.
‘Somehow... I have to get away.’
Her instincts were screaming.
She barely managed to hold onto her mind, which was about to be completely blocked out. And she put all her effort into taking a step.
Of course, she couldn’t move at all.
She was just preparing her mind to accept the gradually encroaching fear.
She was going to be eaten.
That thought alone filled her mind.
At that moment.
— Step
The sound of footsteps echoed in the cave.
Compared to the monster in front of her, it was an incredibly light sound.
But.
To Danya, those footsteps felt heavier than anything.
Her gaze naturally turned towards him.
Ian was moving.
As if this was nothing, he was walking towards her.
Against the backdrop of the gigantic monster, Ian’s gradually approaching figure...
It was like the arrival of a savior.
The black fear lifted.
A corner of her heart stirred.
He stopped just a step in front of Danya.
Ian’s deep black eyes met hers.
For a moment, she felt as if she was being drawn into them.
“No other choice. Just hold on a bit.”
With Ian’s words, Danya’s vision went dark.
“...!”
She realized she was being hugged when her face touched his solid chest.
Snug.
She could feel Ian’s strong arm over her back.
This creature’s strength was truly terrifying.
Even though he blocked it, it felt like being hit by a dump truck.
If he hadn’t reinforced his body immediately, he would have been crushed.
— Sssss!
The creature flicked its tongue, looking down at them.
It seemed to think, “How could they block this?”
“Predictable, you b*stard.”
When dealing with massive monsters, always beware of the tail.
It’s a basic piece of knowledge for any veteran player of Fantasy X Academy.
Meanwhile, Danya, who had been watching from behind, dashed forward.
‘This is my chance to embed the Severing Shot in the tail!’
During the briefing, Ian had said that cutting off this creature’s tail would make the fight much easier!
From the front, the tail was in the blind spot, making it impossible to target.
‘Notice me more, Ian!’
With that thought, Danya slid forward, positioning herself ahead of Ian.
She was now at the rear of the Gergos.
Close enough to see the slimy texture of its skin.
Danya immediately fired the arrow bound with Severing Shot into the Gergos’s tail.
And then, she fired the arrow lit with the flame Lina had prepared.
— Boom!
With a sound like exploding fireworks.
Thud!
Gergos’s tail was severed.
“I did it!!”
Danya’s cheer was short-lived.
— Guooooooo!
An ear-splitting roar filled the cave.
The Gergos’s tail quickly began to regenerate.
Its bulging eyes scanned precisely for Danya’s location.
“... Nyah?”
Separated from her team due to targeting the tail.
— Swish!
An enormous tail, moving horizontally like a sweeping scythe.
There was no way to dodge it, even by jumping.
‘I’m going to die like this... I’m sorry, Ian.’
Danya closed her eyes tightly.
— Thud!
An immense impact filled her ears.
Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt.
‘Did I die before I could even feel the pain?’
She somehow felt Ian’s warmth.
Even in death, she still cherished Ian.
His scent filled her mind.
Her body grew hot on its own.
... Wait a second. Can you feel such things even after death?
Danya opened her eyes a sliver.
A massive back filled her vision.
His broad, muscled shoulders and back were straining beneath a sweat-soaked shirt.
“I... Ian?”
Ian had raised his shield to block the Gergos’s tail.
— Sssssszt!
His feet were being pushed back by the force of the tail.
Torn clothes, tiny veins bursting out.
Despite the apparent pain of blocking the Gergos’s attack, his voice remained steady and unwavering.
“This is your chance. Aim for its neck.”
Danya instinctively drew her bow.
Swish. Thunk!
The Severing Shot embedded itself around the creature’s neck.
Lina seized the opportunity and unleashed her flames.
Simultaneously.
— Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a tremendous noise, the Severing Shots carved a long gash.
Screeeech—!
The Gergos’s death cry echoed through the cave.