Chapter 05
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The boss charged forward, its massive body shaking the ground with every step.
It was unbelievably fast for something so huge.
“It’s coming! Spread out!”
At my shout, everyone scattered without hesitation.
Even while running away, I didn’t forget to explain the plan.
“It’s after me! I’ll keep its attention as long as I can, so attack it while you have the chance!”
“Are you sure? What’s your proof?!”
“The system message! It’s like when I found the boss from far away—!”
“GRRRAAAAH!”
As if proving my words, the monster ignored everyone else and rushed straight at me.
“See?!”
That was all the explanation anyone needed.
I sprinted with everything I had, trying to shake off its pursuit.
“I’m going first!”
BOOM!
A heavy crash sounded behind me.
I didn’t even need to look back.
I could clearly picture its giant fist smashing into the ground.
“Let’s move too! We can’t waste the chance Sihyeon made for us!”
And so, the endless chase began.
The boss chased me.
My teammates chased the boss that was obsessed with catching me.
Boom!
Whenever I thought I had gained some distance and turned my head…
The ground-shaking footsteps always followed.
Each time, the fierce wind from behind nearly made my heart stop.
One hit.
If I take even one hit, healing won’t matter.
I’ll die instantly.
Behind me echoed the footsteps that shook the earth.
Behind those came my companions’ battle cries.
It was complete chaos.
If I didn’t have Stealth Steps…
Stealth Steps truly proved its worth.
Without it, I would have been caught long ago.
That was the difference between life and death.
While I desperately ran, Kim suddenly shouted.
“Now! Stab him!”
“Haaah!”
Thunk!
…Thunk?
That wasn’t the sound I expected.
Before I could even turn around, the two of them yelled.
“What the hell?! What kind of hide is this?!”
“My sword won’t go through, Sihyeon!”
I glanced back.
Only then did I get a good look at the boss’s legs.
They weren’t just thick.
Layer upon layer of hard calluses covered them like armor.
It’s huge, it’s fast… and swords don’t even pierce it?
That’s a problem.
Its upper body was so high above the ground that our blades couldn’t even reach it.
Kim and Park Jinsung had only hunted goblins on the lower floors until now.
This was completely new to them.
Seeing their confusion, I immediately gave new instructions.
“Forget stabbing! Slash instead! It doesn’t matter if the wounds are shallow! Even tiny cuts are enough! Just make as many wounds as possible!”
“You’ve got a plan, right?!”
“Yes!”
Whether I already had one or not didn’t matter.
If Plan A failed, I’d make Plan B.
I had to.
If I wanted to survive.
If the direct approach doesn’t work…
Then it’s time to use a trick.
“Before that, Hyung! Use Flash Slash as many times as you can! Burn through your mana if you have to! But don’t overdo it! We only need lots of shallow cuts!”
“So just wounds are enough?!”
“Yes!”
“Got it!”
Kim gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword.
The preparations were nearly complete.
I focused entirely on dodging the boss’s attacks while the other two slowly covered its legs with shallow cuts.
“Sihyeon! I’ve only got enough mana for one more Flash Slash! Is this enough?!”
Blood was already beginning to seep from dozens of small wounds on both of the boss’s legs.
There were over ten visible cuts already.
That was more than enough.
At that moment…
Something small and pitch-black swam through the shallow water and brushed past me.
“Already?”
“I’ve finally got one.”
I’d spent all this time planting the seeds.
Now…
It was time to harvest.
I pulled out the dagger I had borrowed from Kim and carefully kept against my chest.
My target was…
Myself.
Slash.
The dagger sliced across the blue vein on my left forearm.
The wound wasn’t deep.
But it bled heavily.
Blood immediately ran down my arm and dripped into the swamp.
“What… what are you doing?! Kim Sihyeon!”
“Sihyeon!”
Everyone panicked at my sudden self-inflicted wound.
I wanted to explain.
There simply wasn’t time.
“I’ll explain later! Everyone, get back!”
Although they looked doubtful, everyone retreated.
That was enough.
It didn’t matter whether they completely trusted me.
What mattered was that they followed my orders despite their doubts.
“Come here, you bastard!”
I deliberately lured the boss toward the deepest, murkiest part of the swamp.
Until now, the water had only reached my knees.
Suddenly, it rose all the way to my chest.
Dangerous for me.
Meaningless for a giant like the boss.
Perhaps it realized the same thing.
It eagerly followed me into the deeper water.
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“So eager to follow me.”
Drip.
Drip.
My blood traced thin red lines through the water.
Normally, a few drops of blood wouldn’t change anything in such a huge swamp.
But this wasn’t normal.
The creatures I wanted to summon would rush over for even a single drop of fresh blood.
“Wait… on the bottom…!”
“Leeches! Bloodsucking leeches!”
Right on cue, Kim and Park shouted.
It worked.
Only my left arm was bleeding.
The boss, however…
It had wounds all over both legs.
Already, swarms of leeches were gathering around them after smelling the blood.
The boss still had no idea what was happening.
Blinded by rage and hunger…
It noticed nothing.
I smiled.
“It felt good when you were the one eating, didn’t it?”
“That time is over.”
“Now…”
“It’s your turn to be eaten.”
This swamp…
Would become its grave.
The surface of the swamp turned black.
Countless leeches gathered together.
They reminded me of frog eggs I had seen in ponds as a child.
No…
Since they were moving…
They looked more like a giant swarm of tadpoles.
Some of them even climbed onto my legs, trying to suck the blood from my arm.
But it didn’t matter.
Healing Touch.
One use of my engraved healing skill.
The wound disappeared without leaving even a scar.
Now…
The only thing bleeding in this swamp…
Was the boss.
The result appeared almost immediately.
“GRRAAAH! GRAAAAH!”
The leeches clung to every scratch on the boss’s body, greedily sucking its blood.
Just as their reputation claimed.
“Hah… You actually cut yourself just to lure the leeches? You’re terrifying.”
Kim muttered in disbelief.
I simply shrugged.
“I trusted my healing skill. But don’t relax yet. It’s not over. Stop it from pulling the leeches off.”
As the situation turned in our favor, everyone’s tone became much lighter.
“Mr. Kim. Let’s do as ordered.”
“Yes. We’ll focus more on interfering than attacking.”
“I still have plenty of mana! Don’t worry about getting hurt! Though… don’t intentionally get hit.”
The combined assault of humans and leeches left the boss completely helpless.
“You bastard!”
Kim’s sword carved a half-moon through the air.
No matter how desperately the boss struggled…
More wounds continued appearing across its body.
Every fresh wound was immediately covered by another mass of black leeches.
At first, it ignored them.
Now…
It finally realized how dangerous they were.
Instead of attacking us, it became obsessed with tearing the leeches off its own body.
That gave us complete freedom.
We continued adding more and more wounds.
The harder it struggled…
The deeper it sank.
Just like quicksand.
There was no escape.
“Grrr…”
Some time later…
After losing so much blood…
The boss’s movements became noticeably slower.
Victory was right in front of us.
“We’re almost there! Just a little more!”
The moment I finished speaking—
GROOOOOOAAARRRR!!
The boss let out an earth-shaking roar.
Whether it was pain…
Or rage…
I couldn’t tell.
My instincts screamed.
Something’s wrong.
“…!”
The monster suddenly raised both arms high above its head.
Then…
It slammed them into the swamp.
BOOOOOOM!!
Water exploded into the air.
A massive shockwave spread across the swamp.
A wave…
In a swamp.
It should have been impossible.
Yet that’s exactly what it looked like.
“Stick your swords into the ground—!”
There was no time for polite speech.
I immediately drove my sword into the mud.
“Damn it!”
Kim cursed as muddy water crashed into us.
The force was overwhelming.
Even using my sword as a third leg, I was almost swept away.
“Gah!”
After the current passed, I hurriedly looked around.
The others…!
Thankfully…
Kim and Park had followed my order.
Both were safe.
They had rolled across the ground, but nothing serious.
The real problem…
Was Kim Minju.
She had nothing to anchor herself.
“Minju!”
“Blegh! Cough!”
Covered in mud from head to toe…
She was too busy coughing up muddy water to move.
If the boss attacked now…
She wouldn’t survive.
At least it’s still focused on me…
Just then…
A crimson system message appeared before my eyes.
[Warning: “Ruler of the Swamp” has entered Berserk Mode.]
[It will no longer distinguish its primary target and will attack all enemies indiscriminately.]
“…!”
“Grrrk!”
The boss slowly turned its head.
Its gaze landed…
On Kim Minju.
She was completely defenseless.
“No!”
Park Jinsung shouted desperately.
Both he and Kim immediately sprinted toward her.
I also ran at full speed.
Damn it… It was actually easier when it only chased me…
Then…
The boss suddenly changed direction.
Faster than it had moved at any point during the fight.
Our eyes met.
“…!”
Its enormous eye stared directly at me.
“Grrrr…”
For the first time…
I saw intelligence in its eyes.
I’ve been tricked!
A chill ran down my spine.
Its real target had never been Kim Minju.
She had only been bait.
To lure me in.
Now…
There was nowhere to dodge.
My own momentum carried me straight toward death.
WHOOSH!
Its giant hand tore through the air.
My vision filled with green flesh.
Death approached.
Blocking it was impossible.
Dodging was too late.
There was only one way to survive.
Cut it.
Cut through the hand.
Cut through the killing intent.
Cut through whatever comes afterward.
But how?
Healing Touch occupied my Shadow Engraving slot.
I couldn’t rely on skills anymore.
The only thing I had left…
Was my own talent.
I can do it.
No…
I have to.
My senses expanded.
Time seemed to slow.
I erased every distracting thought.
My entire focus settled onto the sword in my hand.
The technique Flash Slash had disappeared…
But the feeling remained engraved inside me.
I can’t copy it perfectly.
But I can still reproduce it.
Shadow Mimic?
Shadow engraving?
People saying I couldn’t do anything without the system?
What a joke.
I’d been surviving long before any of that existed.
I’ll show you.
I’ll show you how I survived.
Without relying on the system…
I swung my sword.
Following the movement my body remembered.
Right here.
[Unrecorded technique detected.]
[Creating new skill: Flash (閃).]
A system message flashed before my eyes.
At the same time…
A faint light gathered around my blade.
Then—
A single streak of brilliance bloomed.
FLASH!
The light disappeared.
The boss’s severed forearm flew through the air.
Blood dyed my vision red.
“GROOOOOOAAARRRR!!”
People say imitation is the mother of creation.
I had gone beyond imitation.
Beyond understanding.
I had created…
A sword that belonged to me alone.
I did it…!
Excitement surged through me.
My heartbeat thundered.
The sensation lingered in my fingertips.
But…
The battle wasn’t over.
While writhing in pain, the boss pulled back its remaining arm.
As if preparing one final desperate punch.
You’re not fooling me twice.
It was an obvious feint.
The real attack would come from somewhere else.
For example…
Its mouth.
Just as expected…
The monster opened its jaws.
Its mouth was so huge and deep that it looked like the entrance to hell itself.
It intended to swallow me whole.
I knew it!
I didn’t dodge.
Instead…
I stepped forward.
Pointing my sword straight into its open mouth.
“It’s over.”
FLASH!
Another brilliant slash.
A sharp line of light passed through its body.
From its foul-smelling mouth…
To the very top of its head.
SPLASH!
The line split open.
Its skull cracked cleanly in half.
Blood rained down over my entire body.
The enormous corpse collapsed into two pieces.
BOOM!
The swamp exploded with water one final time.
“Haa…”
Silence returned.
Only my breathing remained.
Nothing had ever felt so refreshing.
At last…
This cursed kidnapping event was over.
“You crazy bastard! You actually killed it! That monster!”
Kim was the first to reach me.
Laughing, he slammed my shoulder.
“Hah… We lived.”
Park Jinsung threw away his sword and shield before collapsing onto the ground with a relieved laugh.
Beside him, Kim Minju had finally recovered.
She stared at me with strange eyes.
“How…?”
“Who… are you?”
I simply smiled.
“My identity?”
“What a strange question.”
“I guess…”
“I’m just someone who survived this damned place.”
“What could be more important than that?”
She burst into laughter.
“I suppose you’re right.”
Ever since she had seen me use Healing Touch, she had secretly been wary of me.
Now…
That tension finally disappeared.
“But…”
“Shouldn’t it appear by now?”
As though waiting for us to enjoy our victory…
A familiar system message slowly appeared.
[You have defeated the “Ruler of the Swamp”!]
[Tower’s Guidance: Mission “Defeat the Ruler of the Swamp” completed.]
[Clear Time: 5 minutes 39 seconds.]
[Special Mission “Ruler’s Wrath” rapid-clear condition achieved!]
[Mission Summary]
▶ Clear Time: S+
▶ Contribution: S+
▶ Overall Rating: EX
“Oh.”
The S ranks were impressive enough.
But the glowing EX, shining as if it stood above everything else…
That definitely wasn’t ordinary.
Maybe it’ll give me something incredible.
With a score like this… it has to.
Everything was perfect.
Until the next message appeared.
[Achievement exceeding the expected strategy parameters has been confirmed.]
“Hm?”
[Rewards are being recalculated according to the reward system.]
Gulp.
I unconsciously swallowed.
Something… unexpected was happening
