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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: I've Got a Tail
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'A tail's on me.'
On the GM's map, a dot was trailing 200 meters behind Ju Gonghyeok.
Three days ago. Ever since Gonghyeok and Yeonsi had stopped by the village, "someone" had been following Yeonsi nonstop.
Just one person.
They'd tailed her all the way to right in front of the boss room on B8 of the "Tot's Great Temple" basement levels. Even arriving after Gonghyeok had cleared out a mess, that was no easy feat.
'Guess the bait worked.'
After killing Jacob, Gonghyeok had spread word among the low-rankers about Igor being alone. It was to deepen the rift and polarization between ranker groups.
But aside from that, he'd set up one more thing without getting directly involved.
'I was planning to solo this boss room.'
He eyed the door to the ancient underground temple.
Inside waited the "Temple Guardian," a specialist in wide-area curses and close combat, along with twenty sleek and lethal temple jackals.
Even for a demon like Gonghyeok, he couldn't fend off all twenty jackals while fighting the boss. Plus, the jackals prioritized rear-guard targets.
Ha Yeonsi had gained combat experience and learned the "Telekinesis" combat skill, but even factoring that in, her odds of surviving until Gonghyeok took down the Temple Guardian were fifty-fifty.
"Oppa! Hurry and clear it. We have to save those people!"
Oblivious, Yeonsi urged him on. She'd clearly been moved by the villagers trapped in dire straits during their visit. Yeonsi wanted to rescue them and live a life with true human value.
"Yeah. Let's go in."
He raised the bone-white spear. The "Temple Ritual Spear." Ritual or not, it dealt bonus damage to this dungeon's monsters.
"This fight's guerrilla warfare. The boss Temple Guardian specializes in area debuffs and melee, but if I push the pace, it can't keep up. I'll handle the boss's aggro after you jackals are down first. But I can't guarantee the jackals' aggro. If you're coming in, protect yourself."
Gonghyeok quietly opened the door.
Creeeak.
Across from him stood the Temple Guardian in white Egyptian garb, with twenty jackals lined up imposingly.
- Those who enter the heart of the great Ra-Djehuty…
[Skill 'Throw(E)' activated]
The bone-white spear shot forth like an arrow, embedding in the Temple Guardian's chest.
The spell-enchanted, venom-coated white blade pierced its heart.
- Grahk!
An unexpected groan escaped the Temple Guardian's dog head.
Just because its head was a black dog's didn't mean it was stupid.
It could anticipate an enemy spear throw from the tension in their body, muscle twitches, and instinctive tells—then defend accordingly.
It had weighed issuing a warning to the foe, accounting for everything.
But the enemy, Ju Gonghyeok, hurled the spear all too casually.
The Temple Guardian hadn't let its guard down or lost focus. It wasn't some dim monster that would miss the powerful footwork propelling it across 20 meters at high speed.
Gonghyeok hadn't pierced the Temple Guardian's heart—he'd pierced its opening. He'd read the monster's breathing, stance, awareness, and habits perfectly, striking at the timing hardest to react to. He'd thrown the spear as naturally as stretching, without a hint of killing intent.
A technique forged from Weapon Mastery, the Living Hunting Manual, and SSS-rank martial arts.
Rat God Art Secret Intent: Heart-Piercing Shadow Motion.
It looked sloppy, but the preemptive strike was astonishingly precise.
[Due to movement transcending the flesh...]
"Walkies time, puppy."
- Graaaaaah!
The Temple Guardian roared, red eyes flashing, as it charged with its ornate Egyptian robes billowing.
Yap yap yap! Yap yap!
At the same instant, the statue-still temple jackals scattered in all directions.
Gonghyeok pulled the "Rattus King's Thorn Shards" and "Giant Tiger Scimitar" from his inventory. Yeonsi slipped the "Poison Worm Mask" over him from behind.
Then he bolted for the farthest corner. This raid was a mid-to-long game.
As he ran, he unleashed poison-coated caltrops, smoke bombs, and tear gas. Specially made from sewer and field monster parts.
Boom!
Yelp! Yap!
Jackals were canines. Inhaling the sewer-brewed tear gas wrecked their respiratory systems, sending them into spasms. Tailored for monsters, it packed brutal blinding and stench effects.
- Kuuuwaaaaa!
[Roar of the Rare(D) activated. Mobility...]
[One-Strike Firework(E-) activated]
The Temple Guardian's debuff kicked in. But Gonghyeok didn't even glance at the message before slamming thorn shards into its tail.
A smoke-and-tear-gas opportunistic strike.
- Graaaaaah!
[The Temple Guardian has been poisoned by Hell Maggot venom!]
"Dogshit. Quit yapping about your tail and come at me."
Ambush opener, smoke and tear gas, tail smashed, and now taunt.
The Temple Guardian bared its fangs and charged again.
Pew pew pew.
Several poison caltrops lodged in its forepaw.
[The Temple Guardian has been poisoned by Black Barcot venom...]
White spear, thorn shards, tear gas, caltrops—all laced with venom.
Black Barcot, Red Star, Rattus Warrior, Hell Maggot poisons.
Four overlapping toxins already.
They wouldn't normally stack this easily. But he'd combined ones that did, with synergistic interactions. Adrenaline kept it looking fine now, but the more it thrashed, the faster the poisons spread. The Temple Guardian had maybe twenty minutes of mobility left.
And that was thanks to boss-grade poison resistance. A named mob would've dropped already.
Gonghyeok dragged his debuff-heavy body forward by force. He jabbed thorn shards into a nearby jackal's squishy belly. The barbs stuck fast.
He ditched them and drew his shamshir. Whirling to face the Temple Guardian right on his tail.
-Grawrara! It swung down its mace-like golden staff. No way he'd take it clean. He crossed scimitar and shamshir, slamming them up into its wrist.
COUNTER ATTACK!!
[Extraordinary...]
Spurt!
Blood sprayed, but no clean cut. Instead, the shamshir snapped. Gonghyeok's knee buckled, his foot grinding into the stone tile.
Its strength and durability past E-rank had barely held. A few days ago, his spine would've folded, cerebrospinal fluid splattering everywhere.
- Graaaah!
The temple doggo reeled from the counter and injury shock too. With poison stacks and bleeding, its condition was a joke.
Gonghyeok debated charging in. Rip out the spear in its heart and shove the scimitar down its throat? How many seconds would that bipedal mutt last?
But no room for carelessness. Dying to such a gamble would waste his thirteenth life.
He pulled a Flesh Mending Flower from inventory and chewed it.
Something Ha Yeonsi had made at the comic shop via "Skill Itemization."
Skill price slashed to 20 indigo coins, function down to under 80%. But in Babel—where games didn't exist and recovery items were scarce—it was invaluable.
He backed off to a safe distance, and the boss sniffed around for him. Gonghyeok held his breath and raised the ratman ranger's crossbow.
Five shots should land clean. That's when a shrill scream pierced the air.
"Kyaaaaah!"
Ha Yeonsi, arms and legs mauled by jackals.
A few jackals lay crushed by telekinesis with arrows in them, but she couldn't block them all.
"Ugh! Auugh!! Aaaah!"
Yeonsi clenched her teeth to stifle her screams, but human will had limits against raw pain. She'd only done safe backline hunting behind Gonghyeok till now. For her to even try enduring beast bites to her limbs showed real grit and effort.
Enraged by the tear gas, the jackals whipped their heads viciously. With her arms in their jaws, Yeonsi tumbled like a ragdoll under two temple jackals' thrashing. Like a pair of mad hounds shredding a stuffed toy.
Only it was muscle fibers and spurting blood in a life-or-death crisis.
[Hunter 'Soma Sangai' requests to intrude.]
[Hunter 'Soma Sangai' requests to intrude.]
[Hunter 'Soma Sangai' requests to intrude.]
Messages flooded Gonghyeok's vision like mad.
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