Episode 203 [Battle of the Demon King’s Castle – 2]
When Lee Hyun-wook from his previous life had just realized his ability to grow and was growing into a decent player, the [Kill the Monster] channel selected and announced the ‘Top 10 Worst Monsters of All Time’.
‘At that time, I had a vivid dream that I would one day be able to attack those worst monsters, and I actually took down some of them. But… I couldn’t face the person who ranked first until the end.’
But now the guy was coming right in front of me.
Lee Hyun-wook raised his head and looked at the guy.
Boom – boom – A
giant man over 5 meters tall with long red hair hanging down to his waist was coming up the hill with three other giants.
His name is…
– Agaidika, Guardian of the Red Volcano (LV：214)
* Apply the Demon King’s Colonial Potential Spell ‘Explosion’
The worst monster known as ‘Ranker Slayer’….
Catch him and restore this California It was a nickname given because all of the world’s best strategy teams that were deployed to do this ended up in vain.
‘…and it wasn’t even captured in the end.’
Under the leadership of the U.S. government, attempts were made to invade this land and its territory four times, but all failed. Therefore, even Lee Hyun-wook did not know the guy’s weaknesses clearly.
-Chick—Sniper team is on standby.
Team leader Kyo-jun Lee’s voice was heard through Hyun-wook Lee’s Mana Messenger. However, there was no way they could stop a level 214 player by sniping, so it was just a formal defense.
Thump—thud—
before I knew it, they were approaching.
Thump— thump—
They clearly looked like humans, but their size was not enough to simply describe them as ‘big’.
It was about 5 to 6 meters tall, and its frame was thicker than expected, giving off an overwhelming sense of weight… that is, a feeling of intimidation.
“Shit—did you call that a polymorph?”
Ailee Holm, Canada’s representative player, who was standing behind Lee Hyun-wook, muttered.
Like Edward Woods, she also participated in the battle to reclaim California four years ago, so it seemed inevitable that she would have bad feelings toward the Ancient Red Drakes. “No, if you’re going to do it already, it’s okay.
” “I don’t want to keep eye level with them, but reptiles have no sense…”
Meanwhile, the players who came out with Lee Hyun-wook to make contact with them were all trying to suppress their anxiety.
“That… Still . Rain Just in case, those are the other wave born races we’ve been dealing with so far… so they’ll be on a different level from the Black Orcs or Dark Elves. “Because they were born in the first wave, they would have enjoyed more time.”
The person who said that was Brian Thiel, the world’s greatest analyst.
“And from what I can see, I can roughly gauge the level of his strength. It’s around… low to two hundred. It seems like he’s become much stronger than he was four years ago.”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
More accurate information was visible in his eyes.
‘…To be exact, it is a level 214 dragon, but it may be much more difficult here.’
This was the ‘Red Volcano’, the territory of the Ancient Red Drake.
And beings with the modifiers ‘Savior’ or ‘Guardian’ have greatly improved abilities when in a specific area. Based on Lee Hyun-wook’s ‘Savior of Seoul’ achievement, It’s like there’s a double power increase in Seoul.
And—
ku—gu—gu—gu——
“…can you feel this?”
All of them could feel a strange vibration.
It was changing amplitude to follow the footsteps of the four enemies approaching here, specifically Agaidica, the Guardian of the Red Volcano.
“And the temperature is gradually rising.”
Maru, who was in the small bag on Lee Hyun-wook’s waist, explained it accurately.
“What… Magma is suddenly flowing from under the ground? “You never know when this might explode, so be careful!”
“Yes, I sensed it too.”
Lee Hyun-wook also saw the general trend with Hugin and Munin:
‘This entire land is aligned to Nome’s advantage. In other words, it is Nome’s territory.’
That guy was a monster designed that way from the beginning. It was like a natural disaster that had to be overcome in order to reclaim this land… If a battle broke out, magma would rise through the floor. “Okay, let’s stop here.
”
Everyone stopped at Lee Hyun-wook’s words. They looked at the four approaching Ancient Red Drakes with eyes filled with both anxiety and hostility.
At that time, Edward Woods spoke in a low voice.
“…If something happens, I will open the Dragon Heart Shield without permission, so please come near me.”
He possessed the ‘Dragon Heart Shield’, known as the most powerful mana shield.
“Huh…”
But for some reason, he looked even more nervous than when he was attacking Aji Dahaka. At that time, he was more confident than anyone else, but his attitude was uncharacteristic of him in many ways.
‘…Do you have any bad memories?’
A little while ago, he said that he had been captured by the Ancient Red Drakes four years ago.
No matter how strong the player was, it was bound to be difficult to control the trauma.
Lee Hyun-wook also cringed without realizing it when the necromancer appeared from beyond the dimension, so he fully understood that feeling.
Boom—Thump—
Soon, the Ancient Red Drakes approached about 10 meters in front and looked down at Hyunwook Lee and the players.
“…….”
There was a moment of silence between the two groups….
Lee Hyun-wook stepped forward and raised his voice.
“—We did not come to fight you!”
The players couldn’t help but look somewhat puzzled at his words. They haven’t been given a separate perspective yet.
Rather than just engage in battle, Lee Hyun-wook planned to persuade the slave soldiers, who were captured by the helpless Demon King and had the ‘explosion’ potential magic implanted in their heads, to join his army.
But……
“Chulkkeul—aren’t you guys no match for us in the first place when you fight? Even though they all died after such a rush, it looks like they haven’t come to their senses yet.” It was
Drake, an old man standing on the far right,
who said that. – Chahalis,
Eastern Ruler of the Red Volcano (LV: 193)
He opened his mouth as he stepped forward to see if he was the leader of the negotiations… but wasn’t he making a provocation that had nothing to do with the negotiations? “Ah,
now that I think about it, some of you guys are on the same page as me, right?”
The guy seemed to have such a good memory that he even remembered the battle that took place four years ago, and even the faces of the players who participated at that time. He then chuckled and raised his long, wrinkled hand,
pointing at Edward Woods, who was standing in the back.
“Ohh— yes . Is it that guy? “I’m talking about the little boy who was brought to my den under the big rock on the west side and had all his tears and snot removed.”
“…….”
“Clkekeul— Did you think I wouldn’t remember? “Our heads are several times bigger than yours.”
Edward Woods made no objection.
But his expression slowly became pale.
He said he was taken hostage by these guys four years ago.
I don’t know what happened then, but it seemed to be a humiliating incident related to that old Drake Chahalis.
And Chahalis started to rise even further.
“At that time, your sister and brother, who came to rescue you but were caught in a trap, I cooked and ate well. Human flesh is covered in all kinds of artificial scents such as perfume and shampoo, but sometimes it is good for health.”
Ugh—
I don’t know if those terrible words were true, but seeing Edward Woods’ veins rising on his temples, unfortunately, it seemed like a provocation that reflected the truth to some extent. Lee Hyun-wook held out his hand for
Edward Woods to calm down and then stepped forward.
Bump— Bump—
“ Oh… you are that famous person?”
However, Hyunwook Lee made eye contact not with Chahalis but with Agaidica, the ‘Guardian of the Red Volcano’, who was standing a little further behind.
The eyebrows of the guy who now looked like a young man slowly twitched. And, perhaps due to increased vigilance, the strange vibrations on the ground—the turbulence of the magma—became more intense.
Ku—gu—gu—gu——
Lee Hyun-wook didn’t know how to attack that guy. For as long as he was alive, so was he.
However, he was fully aware of the progress of the conflict between humanity and the Ancient Red Drake, which had been going on for many years, and had some understanding of the interests of the major boss monsters.
For example, Chahalis, who is currently taking the lead in negotiations or provocations, is a second-in-command within the tribe and was a greedy character who wanted to ascend to the position of ‘Great Chief’.
Because of that, in his past life, he had a secret affair with humanity, and was a selfish opportunist who even thought about providing information to humanity and bringing down the existing power.
‘But now it’s just the opposite.’
Because of that greed, Chahalis would have betrayed his race, sworn allegiance to the Demon King, and reigned as the new leader of the Ancient Red Drakes.
On the other hand, Agaidica, a being with a sense of duty solely to protect the race, was the worst enemy of mankind in his past life, but ‘
…now perhaps they can join forces over a common enemy. No, it will definitely happen.’
A few weeks ago, the devil attacked this place. At that time, Agaidica resisted until the end, but was ultimately defeated.
And in order to protect the race in some way, paradoxically, he had no choice but to obey the Demon King… In
return, with the ‘explosion’ latent magic implanted in his head, he has now become an irresistible puppet.
In other words, all pride and sense of duty had been broken.
‘Still, the intense anger will remain.’
However, because he could not dare to bring it out, it was suppressed by lethargy… so Lee Hyun-wook was convinced that it was ready to explode even more powerfully.
Lee Hyun-wook looked at that guy and opened his mouth.
“It is very unfortunate, even for an old enemy, that the guardian of this land has become a stooge for the man who sold out his race.”
At those words, Agaidika just frowned as if he couldn’t understand, but it was Chahalis who reacted. The guy rolled his eyes and showed his teeth at Lee Hyun-wook. “What
? What does that mean now? “What do you know that makes you talk so arbitrarily?”
Lee Hyun-wook completely ignored the guy and only looked at Agaidica.
“I know. You are the one who has to protect this land, right? All the residents of this land must have believed that.”
“And what are you doing now? huh? “You became the dog of the being that ravaged this land and massacred your species, right?”
Even though Lee Hyun-wook continued to provoke, Agaidica’s expression did not change. However, I could tell that my complexion was changing.
Then Chahalis came forward and blocked the gap between the two.
“…Great Guardian, please don’t fall for such an obvious provocation and stay calm—”
Lee Hyun-wook couldn’t help but laugh at that part.
“So, I guess their goal is to just waste time at best? That’s the reason why they approach you like this and try to provoke a trivial argument…” However, when Agaidika got excited by Lee Hyun-wook’s provocation and it
seemed like a fight would break out soon, Chahalis It was a hasty intervention.
Knowing that this side wouldn’t get angry, it was a ploy to keep talking even for a second and prolong more time as the devil ordered.
It couldn’t have been a very funny scene.
“Ha— That the proud guardian of the red volcano has become a mere pawn to be discarded as a time-consuming card just for a play on words… If the countless Red Drakes who would have died not long ago and become skeletons find out about this… Tsk, tsk—”
Even as Lee Hyun-wook poured out such provocations, he looked into Agaidika’s eyes and sensed that the boy’s pupils were trembling.
Now the critical point has been reached…
“You… shut your mouth—!”
At that moment, the temperature in the area was felt to soar in an instant, and the ground cracked and magma gushed out.
Huh! Huh!
“Huh!”
“—Avoid everyone!”
Edward Woods, who was standing at the back, shouted like that and gave mana to the necklace. Then, a huge red shield formed and covered the body of the group. Bubbububububu——! In just a few seconds, the ground shook and magma flowed like a red
curtain
. It came up and rushed at me like a tsunami.
“Why is the situation going like this!”
“If we’re going to catch that bastard, we can’t do it alone! We have to retreat…”
It was just difficult for them to understand Lee Hyun-wook’s bravery.
Of course, I knew very well how great the name Steele Rain was.
Not long ago, the scene where a huge monster called ‘Leviathan’ was pulled out of the Arabian Sea and killed in one go was truly amazing.
However, it was literally a ‘raid’, an operation achieved by the combined efforts of several people under thorough calculation. In other words, it was a perfect scenario that could never come true in such an unexpected situation.
In the first place, boss monsters were designed to be captured by many players through much effort.
They all thought that if Lee Hyun-wook made up his mind, the Agaidica raid would not fail, but at least they were not fighting right now. That was crazy no matter who thought about it.
‘Unless you tie that monster up perfectly, even if you’re a Mogley… you can’t hit him.’
Edward Woods knew very well from first-hand experience how powerful Agaidica, the guardian of the red volcano, was.
He could emit fire from his entire body, which had the effect of a jet engine.
So, even when it was in the main body, it was as fast as a small flying animal, so it was difficult to hit it with arrows or even bullets.
However, if it were in the form of a relatively small and light giant, it would have a much advantage in terms of speed… It would be impossible to hit it with a Mogley falling attack.
And then—
the moment—
the moment he hit the floor, the floor caved and his body was instantly thrown out tens of meters.
There, Hyun-Wook Lee stood like a small wild animal in front of an approaching truck. The bastard’s fist fell like a mace towards his head.
Hung——!
Black smoke billowed from Lee Hyeon-wook’s left wrist, and before he knew it, he was holding the giant sword Mogley in his hand.
He laid it down and covered himself like a shield, and Aghaidica’s fist came down on it and—
Kwa—ang——!
When the two heavy objects collided head-on, a shock wave powerful enough to be compared to a shock wave was generated – everyone around them was thrown tens of meters away.
Additionally, the ground, which had otherwise become soft due to the flow of magma, split and rose into the air, creating a huge hole starting from the point of impact.
“Pfft—”
Lee Hyun-wook also almost fell off, but managed to maintain his posture by pulling his body down with his rigid body.
At the same time, I fired the two Pale Notes hanging from my waist and aimed at the guy’s eyes.
Tap— tap—
But doesn’t that guy’s thick eyelids bounce off pale notes just by closing his eyes?
At the same time, a column of magma rose from the floor and struck the AD-2, which was ascending into the sky. Before AD-2 was completely destroyed, Lee Hyun-wook poured out weapons from subspace, and among them, he held the shotgun ‘Black Rhino’ in his right hand.
Kwa—ang——!
Then I aimed and shot at the guy’s head and hit it well, but all it did was push the guy back about 2m. Still, Black Rhino once boasted the greatest firepower, but now it was only used to push back enemies.
However, when dealing with monsters of that size, just being able to knock-back was a huge advantage.
Lee Hyun-wook pulled the trigger one after another.
Kwa—ang——! Kwa—ang——!
However, a powerful blast of hot air came out from his fist and sent the bullets flying back, and Lee Hyun-wook blocked them with the face of his moghlay. In
the meantime,
it lowered both arms to the floor and began to absorb magma. I don’t know what they were trying to do, but it looked unusual.
However, rather than reacting, Lee Hyun-wook covered himself with Mogley and looked at Agaidica.
And then he opened his mouth.
“Hey Guardian—”
Lee Hyun-wook called out to him, but of course there was no answer.
Lee Hyun-wook didn’t care and said one more word.
“What would you do if I… removed the shackles that the Demon King had placed on you for what was in your head?”
“…What?”
I had no choice but to react to those words.
“Even if you wanted to stand up to the Demon King again, you’re in a situation where you can’t, right? “I can solve it.”
“…You really are wasting time.”
Quaddd——
When the guy pulled his hands that had been planted on the ground, two large swords made of magma came up.
Hyunwook Lee smiled and nodded.
“If you don’t believe something, just make me believe it and that’s it.”
Lee Hyun-wook floated the Mana Messenger into the air and brought it near his mouth.
“—Now, shoot ‘White Rain’.”
At that moment—the gun muzzles installed on the top of the airships flying in the sky behind us turned in this direction.
Pop—pop—pop—pop—
Then he fired something, but it wasn’t aimed directly at the Ancient Red Drakes.
They exploded in the distance… and started pouring down cold water like rain.
Hu—du—du—du——
It started to fall like rain… The expressions of several Ancient Red Drakes changed significantly as they were hit by the rain.
They showed actions such as smoothing their hair.
The reason was that the ‘water bomb’ was holy water applied with the saint’s ‘purification’ skill, which erased the potential magic in her head.
It was produced to remove debuffs on allies at once during battles with undead legions.
Even Lee Hyun-wook didn’t expect it to be used like this.
‘…Anyway, it’s done.’
Agaidica’s information reflected in Lee Hyun-wook’s eyes has been modified.
– Guardian of the Red Volcano, Agaidica (LV: 214)
* The Devil’s Colony
originally had the text [Apply latent spell ‘Explosion’] written next to the Devil’s Colony deleted.
“Now, I have cut the demon king’s leash that bound you.”
Lee Hyun-wook threw the moglai into the ground and approached Agaidica.
“What are we going to do now?”
Jeopuk- Jeok-
That guy didn’t attack even though Lee Hyun-wook, who had been fighting just now, approached him very close, and looked down at him with a somewhat blank expression.
“…Hey Guardian, what are you doing now?”
Chahalis, who was looking at the scene, asked with a puzzled expression, but Agaidika did not answer. The guy looked a bit confused and slowly took a breath.
Lee Hyun-wook said as he walked closer to the guy.
“I am the only one who can block the power of death that has devoured you and kill the demon king who is controlling you. So…”
He trailed off and spoke in a low voice.
“Agaidaka, guardian of this land, do not miss this last opportunity to fulfill your duty.”
