Chapter 57

[Ready?]

At the voice echoing in his head, Liber slowly nodded.

When he heard the plan, he was certain.

That they could definitely catch it.

But, but!

[Isn’t it still too dangerous?!]

Tears welled up in Liber’s eyes.

Scared. So scared! His gaze unknowingly turned to the magitool above his head.

Right! As long as that’s there, at least I won’t die!!

[Damn it! Let’s start!!]

With a shout, Liber plunged his sword into the ground with all his might.

As the tip of the blade cut through the earth, a small hole opened.

The unpleasant smell of rotting eggs tickled his nose.

He throws a circle of fire on top of it!

It’s dangerous to stay here now!

Liber slid quickly through the winding passage dug by the Jiyeolgu, carried by the wind.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

At that moment, a huge explosion erupted from behind.

A wave of hot air enveloped him, and his tightly tied hair fluttered in the gust of wind.

If it weren’t for the Academy’s supplied cloak, his skin might have been burned by the sudden rush of heat.

“Ugh…!”

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The passage beneath his feet began to vibrate.

Liber’s eyes widened at the weight that could not be ignored.

It’s here…!

The Jiyeolgu, mistaking the heat from the explosion for magma, was fiercely heading this way to fill its starving stomach.

Rumble…

At that moment, the intact wall collapsed as if shattered.

Through the debris, the Jiyeolgu’s huge head emerged with a monstrous vibration.

“Kuh…!”

By a hair’s breadth, Liber barely dodged the Jiyeolgu’s charge and stopped moving.

Then, he climbed onto the Jiyeolgu’s rough skin, its deeply wrinkled back, in a single motion.

“Hot!!”

Liber grit his teeth at the heat he felt in his hands.

Even though he had avoided the hottest dragon vein, it was as hot as holding fire.

But it was bearable.

In that case─

“Haaaaah!!!”

Clang!

As he brought his sword down as if to plunge it in, a sound like hitting an iron wall spread.

The blade of the sword cracked from the impact.

It’s okay! I already expected this!!

Clang! Clang! Clang!!

He relentlessly plunged his sword into the Jiyeolgu’s body over and over without rest.

A broken piece of the sword grazed his cheek, and blood trickled down.

But Liber didn’t stop.

Because this was originally Lucian’s role.

“Since I decided to do it instead, I have to see it through to the end!!”

Craaaaaack!!!

With the sound of the sword completely shattering, the Jiyeolgu’s hard skin finally split open a little.

It was a small scratch, but it was a clear hit.

At the unexpected pain, the Jiyeolgu’s body shook violently.

“Aargh!”

Liber lost his balance and was thrown from its back.

Whoosh─!

The wind blew.

Nevera’s wind gently enveloped Liber’s fall, allowing him to land safely.

The moment he touched the ground, the strength in his legs gave out, and Liber collapsed.

“Hoo, hoo.”

His breath came out in ragged gasps.

But… I did it!

[Phase 1 complete, moving immediately.]

[We still have time, so you can move a little more leisurely.]

At Zephyros’s instruction, Liber couldn’t even answer and just panted heavily.

He barely managed to stand up, using his scabbard to support himself on the ground.

Now for the next stage.

[No, I’ll move right away!]

This isn’t the time to be leisurely!

Shoving the completely shattered sword into its scabbard, Liber started running again.

* * *

Although it was startled by the sudden attack, filling its starving stomach was the priority over its wound.

It’s hot!

The Jiyeolgu immediately rushed towards the center of the heat and fell right into the huge cavity created by the explosion.

Plop─ The moment it fell into the cavity, the solid ground collapsed.

The Jiyeolgu’s huge body was completely buried in the dirt.

“Kieeeek─!!!”

The Jiyeolgu roared loudly.

The Jiyeolgu was originally a creature that moved by digging through the ground, so normally, dirt would have no effect on it.

But this time, it was different.

Cold, damp, moisture-laden soil.

The moment the damp soil touched its skin, the Jiyeolgu’s whole body trembled, showing an extreme reaction.

[Phase 2 complete.]

Lucian, who had collapsed the ground with the impact of his sword, said.

The Jiyeolgu shook off the moisture-laden soil and barely managed to lift its head.

At that moment, a stream of cold air swirled above its head.

Giggle!

The wind in Zephyros’s hand laughed like a girl, as if pleased.

He looked down at the Jiyeolgu from the sky.

From his fingertips, magically refined water droplets flowed down with the wind.

[Phase 3 start!]

The red streaks of light that had been flowing along the Jiyeolgu’s skin began to slowly fade.

The water that had evaporated just by touching it now formed transparent droplets on its skin.

The heat of its skin had finally cooled!

[Phase 4 movement complete!]

[What about Phase 5?]

[Preparing! Almost done!]

[Alright, then I’ll move too.]

Zephyros created a wind and smoothly crossed the air.

Liber had arrived at the designated point.

Just like before… exactly the same.

Liber once again threw a circle of fire.

The flame fell on the black soil, and,

BOOOOOOOM!!

The ground split, and an explosion erupted.

Monsters also have intelligence.

A trap used once usually doesn’t work again.

However, the Jiyeolgu no longer had the luxury of determining whether it was a trap or not.

The moment it felt the intense heat, its instincts moved first.

It had to fill its stomach as quickly as possible and raise its cooling body temperature.

Without noticing the trap for luring it, the Jiyeolgu once again charged with its massive body.

There was no magma that the Jiyeolgu desired, only the center of an empty trap filled with hot air.

[Phase 4 complete!]

[Starting Phase 5!]

Crack, craaack─

A cracking sound echoed as if in resonance.

BOOM!

The cracked wall finally broke, and a huge pillar of water came pouring down.

The water collapsing from the sky swept down the walls and poured onto the Jiyeolgu’s body.

Kieeeek!!!

The moment it touched the water, the Jiyeolgu screamed and contorted its body.

It was a violent reaction, as if acid had been poured on it.

Liber stumbled and joined Lucian, who had stepped aside from the torrent of water.

His face was flushed red from the heat, his cloak was soaked, and beads of cold sweat had formed on his forehead.

“How is it?”

Lucian’s gaze was fixed.

The red dragon veins that had been spreading along the Jiyeolgu’s body.

The light that had been writhing like blood vessels was turning a pale, ashy color.

The Jiyeolgu couldn’t support its huge body and slowly… weakly, collapsed.

Thud─

With a heavy thud, the Jiyeolgu’s body fell into the newly dug pit.

Water splashed, and the wind, the water, the sound, everything seemed to stop for a moment as silence followed.

In that moment, Lucian clicked his tongue.

[Zephi, it’s going according to plan.]

The hunt was not over yet.

* * *

“If we follow your plan up to Phase 5, won’t it probably die?”

The Jiyeolgu is extremely vulnerable to cold.

Its skin, following the dragon veins that contain magma, always maintains a state of heat.

Water would evaporate the moment it touched it.

Any moisture would evaporate as soon as it touched its skin.

So the backbone of the plan was simple.

Lure the Jiyeolgu with an explosion, and cool its skin with wind and water. Then, drive it to the lakeside and drown it whole.

“Yeah, it’ll die.”

Theo said nonchalantly.

Of course, this was a plan that was only possible because the Jiyeolgu was in an environment where it wouldn’t normally appear.

But because of that, there would be a variable.

“The magma that the Jiyeolgu eats doesn’t just flow through the dragon veins that heat its body.”

Theo paused for a breath and smiled slightly.

“It flows to the core too.”

The core obtained from a Jiyeolgu killed by normal hunting methods retains heat.

It was also used for heating in cold weather.

But what if it dies not by sword or magic, but by artificial environmental manipulation?

Just before it dies, the Jiyeolgu will detonate its core as a last resort to ‘revive’ itself.

At Theo’s explanation, Zephyros and Lucian’s expressions became serious.

To think that it would revive again after they had carefully planned and killed it.

“Of course, I’m not sure.”

It was a setting that briefly appeared in the Christmas event story, so that might have been a special case.

But still, there’s no harm in being prepared.

“From now on, this is the plan for that.”

Theo was smiling as he explained the rest of the plan.

Looking at him, Zephyros couldn’t erase the thought that he was a crazy bastard.

It was a peculiar hunting method. But because of that, it would be unavoidable to fall for it.

“Phase 6 start!”

As Zephyros shouted, the Jiyeolgu roared as if spewing flames.

There was no reason in its frenzied movements.

I hate water. Water is death!

The Jiyeolgu instinctively tried to escape.

Rumble!!

As its massive body thrashed enough to shake the ground, rocks poured down and waves splashed.

“Did you think I’d let you escape?!”

Zephyros created a wind.

From above, a blade-like gust of wind tried to forcefully press down and subdue the Jiyeolgu.

“Liber!”

Carried by the wind, a sword flew towards Liber.

Gripping the sword, Liber leaped onto the Jiyeolgu’s back.

The wound from Phase 1. It was a simple scratch back then, but now it was a weakness that had swollen up as if it would burst from losing and regaining heat.

“Haaat!!”

Liber plunged the sword in.

Flesh was torn, and red heat spurted out like blood.

“Kieeeek!!”

The Jiyeolgu roared and brought its tail down.

The tail passed by, grazing his head, and Liber barely managed to duck and push the sword in deep, for the last time.

The heat rapidly escaped through the wound, and the Jiyeolgu’s body twisted.

Liber lost his balance and fell, splashing into the water.

Zephyros’s wind was too busy suppressing the Jiyeolgu to have any spare.

“Are you okay?!”

“Yeah! I’m fine! I’ll get out on my own!”

Liber grabbed the wall and gasped for breath.

At that moment, the Jiyeolgu, which was rapidly losing its last remaining heat, began its final struggle!

“Kyaaaaaaaaak!!!!!”

At the huge roar, Zephyros’s hair fluttered.

The wind stopped. The heat had completely swallowed even the wind.

But it was okay.

Because the next step was ready.

“Lucian!”

At Zephyros’s shout, Lucian slowly raised his sword.

A resolve without a hint of hesitation sparkled in his green eyes.

As he threw himself into the hole, the Jiyeolgu instinctively swallowed Lucian whole.

In that moment, all the wind died down.

The two were neither surprised nor did they move.

As if they had been waiting for this moment from the beginning.

And the Jiyeolgu’s mouth slowly opened wide.

From within, white steam and blue smoke billowed out, and a broken magitool was thrown out, followed by Lucian climbing out.

Using the protective magic engraved on the magitool, the lightning cage, to electrocute the Jiyeolgu’s body, which was full of water from the wound.

That was the final plan to hunt the Jiyeolgu.

The wind lifts Lucian and Liber’s bodies into the air, and the massive body of the completely lifeless Jiyeolgu collapses.

At the same time, Kalen’s announcement echoed.

[As of this moment, the Flowering Festival preliminaries are now over!!]

Finally, the hunt for the Jiyeolgu was over.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep