Goungi Subjugation (2)
The pupils, slit vertically like those of a reptile, and the long teeth that protruded like those of a saber-toothed tiger, glinted ominously.
The fur, which had been normal when I had seen it just two weeks ago, was now covered with prickly spines like a hedgehog.
There had clearly been some change in the creature.
The problem was that this change was still ongoing.
“Could it be evolving into its adult form?”
That would be disastrous. Once it evolved into its adult form, the Goungi would essentially be on par with a Sentinel.
No, it might actually be more difficult to deal with than a Sentinel.
Its wide range of movement and gigantic size made it impossible to estimate the extent of potential damage.
Moreover, its current appearance suggested it was more than just a mature form.
The Goungis I had seen in my previous life had spiky fur, but they did not emit a black aura.
This was undoubtedly the influence of the Kirin.
‘Taking in the full power of the horn… does this mean GM had a hand in it after all?’
That was the only conclusion I could reach.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for the Goungi to absorb such power in its complete form.
Thud.
With every step, the asphalt road crumbled beneath the creature’s feet.
Its already large body seemed even more gigantic due to the wings it bore on its back.
The color of its wings had changed to ash gray, different from before.
“Uh, uhuh.”
The soldiers, stricken with panic, froze in place.
Despite the tank and rifle fire, the beast remained unscathed.
They must have realized it. No matter how much they attacked, they couldn’t inflict any damage on this monster.
“Park Dong-Gwon!”
I gestured with my eyes to Park Dong-Gwon, who was similarly petrified.
Finally coming to his senses, his face contorted with desperation as he shot me a pleading look.
‘Do we really have to do this?’
His gaze contained such a pitiable emotion.
I, of course, nodded.
Park Dong-Gwon was the only one who possessed the skills to control the crowd in this situation.
“Damn it, shit.”
Dong-Gwon ran toward the soldiers, scratching the silver ring on his neck while cursing.
“You must escape! Leave the monster to them and get away!”
“But, but…”
“Can’t you see? That thing is a monster that modern weaponry can’t harm!”
Seeing how urgent Dong-Gwon looked, it was clear that he needed the soldiers to flee so he himself could escape.
Meanwhile, I had managed to direct the Goungi’s body toward where the other players were.
By now, the players would also have the fourth main quest activated.
“Kill it!”
“It’s so big; there’s a lot to hit!”
As expected, the players charged at the Goungi with bravado. Although a bit large, their recovery was quicker than the soldiers’, having faced many monsters before.
「Roarrr!」
The Goungi swung its front paw, catching flies in mid-air.
The speed was surprisingly fast for its massive size.
“Ah!”
Not expecting such swiftness, a few players were unable to dodge in time and gasped for air as the Goungi’s claws nearly struck them. Before they could react, I swept the players away with my spear shaft.
“Oof!”
Boom, boom, boom!
The players who got hit with the spear shaft managed to narrowly avoid Goungi’s attack as they went flying.
They looked up at me, clutching the parts of their bodies that were struck.
“Th-thank you.”
“Fight carefully. It’s not just big in size.”
“Ugh, true. We were too careless.”
Realizing the abnormality in Goungi’s movements, the players corrected their stances.
‘I wonder what weapon would be effective against this thing.’
I drew my spear.
Among close combat weapons, it had a superior reach, and it would be easier to thrust at the spike-like fur.
I put the ‘Pile Bunker’ in my inventory. With its devastating power, the direct and time-consuming preparation made it practically useless against the swiftly moving Goungi.
“Don’t just stand there gawking! I told you to run!”
The soldiers’ evacuation was also proceeding in real-time.
Although the commanding officer seemed to resist stubbornly, Dong-Gwon’s ‘Instigate’ skill convinced him, and he quickly retreated his troops.
“Damn, it’s hard to approach because of those spine-like fur!”
“Ranged attacks are no good either. Its hide is too tough; the arrows can’t penetrate!”
An arrow imbued with magic had incomparably more power than any gun or cannon.
Yet even that was not enough to pierce the Goungi’s hide.
“Are we supposed to kill this thing or what?!”
Quick as the Goungi was, a single mistake would leave you half-dead.
Already, numerous players had been struck by Goungi’s paws and had fallen.
There were no fatalities yet, but it was uncertain how long that would last.
‘Besides, we don’t have much time.’
It was unknown when it would evolve into its adult form.
Even without evolution, the players seemed unlikely to bring it down.
The Goungi was stronger than in my previous life.
「Growl.」
The Goungi’s wings spread wide as it took flight.
A violent gust surged from the ground.
“That bastard, it can fly too?!”
“Damn it, how are we supposed to catch it if it’s flying around?”
As it soared, the beast circled the area once.
It looked like a hawk searching for prey.
“Sh-should we avoid it? If it falls from the sky and swings its arms, half of us might die, right?”
That was exactly the case. The road was quite wide, but the Goungi’s size was just as imposing. If it glided to the ground and swung its colossal paws, it would be a terrible catastrophe.
‘I can’t just let that happen.’
I opened my inventory and took out several large spears.
They were throwing spears used in my fight with Karas, but this time there were long chains attached, and the spears were twice the size.
The shape of the spearheads was also distinctive.
‘Good.’
Before it attacked from the sky, I had to bring it down first.
‘Compared to Karas, this is just a stationary target.’
Thud.
I concentrated power in my arm and tracked the creature’s movement.
A simple throw might miss, but I had the ‘Sure Hit’ skill attached to the Arms of Darkness.
I pulled my arm back, using the elasticity of my entire body to throw the spear with all my might.
Whizz!
The spear flew through the air, piercing through the Goungi’s wing.
「Screech?!」
Though its wings were large, one spear was not enough to significantly affect it.
Seemingly annoyed by the chain trailing from it, the beast twisted wildly in the air.
I seized the moment and launched more throwing spears in rapid succession.
One, two, three.
More spears pierced the Goungi’s wings.
「Scream!」
The Goungi tried to dodge in the air, but to no avail against my ‘Sure Hit’ skill.
Other players were taken aback by what I was doing.
“Is he hitting that thing with spears from here?”
“How high must his stats be to make this possible?”
After throwing the last spear, I addressed the people around me.
“Everyone pull the chains! We need to bring it down!”
At my shout, the first to react was Jisoo.
Grabbing a chain that swung in the air, she landed and pulled with all her might. With the highest strength stat among the players, except me, and the exertion of her Blood Heaven Martial Arts, the Goungi’s body visibly bent.
“I won’t lose to a young girl like that!”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but hurry up and pull! We need to bring that thing down!”
Encouraged by Jisoo, who looked frail, other players grabbed and pulled the chains.
The Goungi, indeed stronger than before, could not withstand the collective force of nearly a hundred players. As they all pulled together, the creature plummeted to the ground.
Crash!
「Roar!」
Unable to right itself from the impact, the Goungi failed to rise.
“Now’s the time! Kill it!”
The players were not ones to miss an opportunity.
They swarmed towards the beast, now flopped on the ground, frantically writhing.
「Growling」
Yet the Goungi didn’t die.
Its tough hide began to tear under the relentless barrage of attacks, but it wasn’t enough to be fatal.
「Screeching!」
Crack, fizz!
The Goungi’s eyes turned pitch black as it began to exude black energy all around.
‘If it goes on like this, it’ll turn into its adult form.’
I quickly ran up the creature’s body.
The Pile Bunker was already mounted on my right arm.
It was hard to hit because of its speed, but the Goungi was currently writhing in pain.
“Die!”
Boom!
The Pile Bunker fired, caving in the Goungi’s skull.
I felt the sensation of it crushing bone and churning inside.
「Screech!」
Still, the creature did not die.
It flailed, sending players flying in all directions.
I, too, narrowly managed to land on the ground.
‘Damn, it’s much more resilient than I thought!’
Its large size was certainly part of the reason.
Even after smashing its skull and plunging the Pile Bunker into its brain, it wasn’t enough to kill it.
Slow but sure, I could see the wounds regenerating.
Torn flesh and shattered skull were emitting a mist while healing.
‘However…’
It hadn’t completely recovered yet.
Power surged through my legs as I prepared to leap once more.
Naturally, the fresh wound in its skull was my target.
However, someone else moved first.
“I’ll do it. This time, I think it suits me better than oppa.”
In the split second I heard Jisoo’s voice, her body had already climbed onto the Goungi’s head.
Far quicker than usual.
“…That kid.”
I could see it. The dagger stuck in her chest.
She hadn’t been attacked. She had plunged the blade into herself.
The Heaven Slaying Star grows stronger with each wound, especially with fatal ones.
Hence, Jisoo stabbed her heart with the dagger.
An average person would have died instantly, but with the Heaven Slaying Star and regenerative skills, Jisoo did not perish.
Instead, a burst of energy surged from the blood spurting out of her heart.
Crrrk.
「Agony! Agony!」
Jisoo reached into the Goungi’s shattered skull with one hand.
She rubbed the wound with a blunt object in the other, but it was futile.
The beast began to destroy the surrounding buildings in a more frenzied rampage.
“Get as far from it as you can!”
The panic-stricken players distanced themselves from the Goungi.
The Goungi’s body was turning darker and growing stronger.
The more it thrashed, the more formidable it became, a fact that became clear to everyone.
Despair crept into the eyes of the players.
If it grew any stronger, it would become unmanageable.
‘Where’s Jisoo?’
She should be on its head, but I couldn’t see her.
Had she fallen off due to its thrashing?
‘No, that’s not it.’
The Goungi was still in agony.
The most pain it had felt so far.
Thud, thud.
「Choke…」
The thrashing creature suddenly stopped.
Its massive body slowly collapsed to the ground.
Twitching a few times as it lay fallen, the Goungi eventually went silent and still.
“What the heck, what’s going on?”
“Did it get tired?”
None of the players believed the Goungi was dead, so relentless just moments before.
A few players cautiously approached.
The Goungi’s face was contorted horribly, devilish in appearance.
“Whoa, that looks brutally fierce.”
One player remarked upon seeing the beast’s face and hesitantly reached out to check if it was still breathing.
Pop!
“Holy sh–!”
Suddenly, an eyeball popped out of the Goungi.
An eyeball the size of an adult male rolled and bounced onto the ground.
“What in the world…”
“Why did its eye suddenly…”
All eyes turned to where the eyeball had flown from, the Goungi’s now-empty socket.
“Gasp.”
A woman drenched in blood crawled out from the gaping hole where the optic nerve dangled.
It was Jisoo.
One moment, she was bursting from the Goungi’s eye, and the next, the players were frozen in shock, unable to utter a word.
“Huff.”
Looking a bit fatigued, Jisoo scanned around before spotting me and beaming, waving her hand.
“Oppa, I’m over here.”
I waved back, smiling awkwardly.
Presumably, Jisoo had entered the shattered skull of the Goungi.
And then, she must have thrashed within it.
I sent my sympathies to the Goungi, who must have died in excruciating pain.
“It looks like, even with monsters like these, tearing the brain kills them.”
Please don’t smile while saying such things. It’s terrifying.
Goungi Subjugation (2)
The pupils, slit vertically like those of a reptile, and the long teeth that protruded like those of a saber-toothed tiger, glinted ominously.
The fur, which had been normal when I had seen it just two weeks ago, was now covered with prickly spines like a hedgehog.
There had clearly been some change in the creature.
The problem was that this change was still ongoing.
“Could it be evolving into its adult form?”
That would be disastrous. Once it evolved into its adult form, the Goungi would essentially be on par with a Sentinel.
No, it might actually be more difficult to deal with than a Sentinel.
Its wide range of movement and gigantic size made it impossible to estimate the extent of potential damage.
Moreover, its current appearance suggested it was more than just a mature form.
The Goungis I had seen in my previous life had spiky fur, but they did not emit a black aura.
This was undoubtedly the influence of the Kirin.
‘Taking in the full power of the horn… does this mean GM had a hand in it after all?’
That was the only conclusion I could reach.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for the Goungi to absorb such power in its complete form.
Thud.
With every step, the asphalt road crumbled beneath the creature’s feet.
Its already large body seemed even more gigantic due to the wings it bore on its back.
The color of its wings had changed to ash gray, different from before.
“Uh, uhuh.”
The soldiers, stricken with panic, froze in place.
Despite the tank and rifle fire, the beast remained unscathed.
They must have realized it. No matter how much they attacked, they couldn’t inflict any damage on this monster.
“Park Dong-Gwon!”
I gestured with my eyes to Park Dong-Gwon, who was similarly petrified.
Finally coming to his senses, his face contorted with desperation as he shot me a pleading look.
‘Do we really have to do this?’
His gaze contained such a pitiable emotion.
I, of course, nodded.
Park Dong-Gwon was the only one who possessed the skills to control the crowd in this situation.
“Damn it, shit.”
Dong-Gwon ran toward the soldiers, scratching the silver ring on his neck while cursing.
“You must escape! Leave the monster to them and get away!”
“But, but…”
“Can’t you see? That thing is a monster that modern weaponry can’t harm!”
Seeing how urgent Dong-Gwon looked, it was clear that he needed the soldiers to flee so he himself could escape.
Meanwhile, I had managed to direct the Goungi’s body toward where the other players were.
By now, the players would also have the fourth main quest activated.
“Kill it!”
“It’s so big; there’s a lot to hit!”
As expected, the players charged at the Goungi with bravado. Although a bit large, their recovery was quicker than the soldiers’, having faced many monsters before.
「Roarrr!」
The Goungi swung its front paw, catching flies in mid-air.
The speed was surprisingly fast for its massive size.
“Ah!”
Not expecting such swiftness, a few players were unable to dodge in time and gasped for air as the Goungi’s claws nearly struck them. Before they could react, I swept the players away with my spear shaft.
“Oof!”
Boom, boom, boom!
The players who got hit with the spear shaft managed to narrowly avoid Goungi’s attack as they went flying.
They looked up at me, clutching the parts of their bodies that were struck.
“Th-thank you.”
“Fight carefully. It’s not just big in size.”
“Ugh, true. We were too careless.”
Realizing the abnormality in Goungi’s movements, the players corrected their stances.
‘I wonder what weapon would be effective against this thing.’
I drew my spear.
Among close combat weapons, it had a superior reach, and it would be easier to thrust at the spike-like fur.
I put the ‘Pile Bunker’ in my inventory. With its devastating power, the direct and time-consuming preparation made it practically useless against the swiftly moving Goungi.
“Don’t just stand there gawking! I told you to run!”
The soldiers’ evacuation was also proceeding in real-time.
Although the commanding officer seemed to resist stubbornly, Dong-Gwon’s ‘Instigate’ skill convinced him, and he quickly retreated his troops.
“Damn, it’s hard to approach because of those spine-like fur!”
“Ranged attacks are no good either. Its hide is too tough; the arrows can’t penetrate!”
An arrow imbued with magic had incomparably more power than any gun or cannon.
Yet even that was not enough to pierce the Goungi’s hide.
“Are we supposed to kill this thing or what?!”
Quick as the Goungi was, a single mistake would leave you half-dead.
Already, numerous players had been struck by Goungi’s paws and had fallen.
There were no fatalities yet, but it was uncertain how long that would last.
‘Besides, we don’t have much time.’
It was unknown when it would evolve into its adult form.
Even without evolution, the players seemed unlikely to bring it down.
The Goungi was stronger than in my previous life.
「Growl.」
The Goungi’s wings spread wide as it took flight.
A violent gust surged from the ground.
“That bastard, it can fly too?!”
“Damn it, how are we supposed to catch it if it’s flying around?”
As it soared, the beast circled the area once.
It looked like a hawk searching for prey.
“Sh-should we avoid it? If it falls from the sky and swings its arms, half of us might die, right?”
That was exactly the case. The road was quite wide, but the Goungi’s size was just as imposing. If it glided to the ground and swung its colossal paws, it would be a terrible catastrophe.
‘I can’t just let that happen.’
I opened my inventory and took out several large spears.
They were throwing spears used in my fight with Karas, but this time there were long chains attached, and the spears were twice the size.
The shape of the spearheads was also distinctive.
‘Good.’
Before it attacked from the sky, I had to bring it down first.
‘Compared to Karas, this is just a stationary target.’
Thud.
I concentrated power in my arm and tracked the creature’s movement.
A simple throw might miss, but I had the ‘Sure Hit’ skill attached to the Arms of Darkness.
I pulled my arm back, using the elasticity of my entire body to throw the spear with all my might.
Whizz!
The spear flew through the air, piercing through the Goungi’s wing.
「Screech?!」
Though its wings were large, one spear was not enough to significantly affect it.
Seemingly annoyed by the chain trailing from it, the beast twisted wildly in the air.
I seized the moment and launched more throwing spears in rapid succession.
One, two, three.
More spears pierced the Goungi’s wings.
「Scream!」
The Goungi tried to dodge in the air, but to no avail against my ‘Sure Hit’ skill.
Other players were taken aback by what I was doing.
“Is he hitting that thing with spears from here?”
“How high must his stats be to make this possible?”
After throwing the last spear, I addressed the people around me.
“Everyone pull the chains! We need to bring it down!”
At my shout, the first to react was Jisoo.
Grabbing a chain that swung in the air, she landed and pulled with all her might. With the highest strength stat among the players, except me, and the exertion of her Blood Heaven Martial Arts, the Goungi’s body visibly bent.
“I won’t lose to a young girl like that!”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but hurry up and pull! We need to bring that thing down!”
Encouraged by Jisoo, who looked frail, other players grabbed and pulled the chains.
The Goungi, indeed stronger than before, could not withstand the collective force of nearly a hundred players. As they all pulled together, the creature plummeted to the ground.
Crash!
「Roar!」
Unable to right itself from the impact, the Goungi failed to rise.
“Now’s the time! Kill it!”
The players were not ones to miss an opportunity.
They swarmed towards the beast, now flopped on the ground, frantically writhing.
「Growling」
Yet the Goungi didn’t die.
Its tough hide began to tear under the relentless barrage of attacks, but it wasn’t enough to be fatal.
「Screeching!」
Crack, fizz!
The Goungi’s eyes turned pitch black as it began to exude black energy all around.
‘If it goes on like this, it’ll turn into its adult form.’
I quickly ran up the creature’s body.
The Pile Bunker was already mounted on my right arm.
It was hard to hit because of its speed, but the Goungi was currently writhing in pain.
“Die!”
Boom!
The Pile Bunker fired, caving in the Goungi’s skull.
I felt the sensation of it crushing bone and churning inside.
「Screech!」
Still, the creature did not die.
It flailed, sending players flying in all directions.
I, too, narrowly managed to land on the ground.
‘Damn, it’s much more resilient than I thought!’
Its large size was certainly part of the reason.
Even after smashing its skull and plunging the Pile Bunker into its brain, it wasn’t enough to kill it.
Slow but sure, I could see the wounds regenerating.
Torn flesh and shattered skull were emitting a mist while healing.
‘However…’
It hadn’t completely recovered yet.
Power surged through my legs as I prepared to leap once more.
Naturally, the fresh wound in its skull was my target.
However, someone else moved first.
“I’ll do it. This time, I think it suits me better than oppa.”
In the split second I heard Jisoo’s voice, her body had already climbed onto the Goungi’s head.
Far quicker than usual.
“…That kid.”
I could see it. The dagger stuck in her chest.
She hadn’t been attacked. She had plunged the blade into herself.
The Heaven Slaying Star grows stronger with each wound, especially with fatal ones.
Hence, Jisoo stabbed her heart with the dagger.
An average person would have died instantly, but with the Heaven Slaying Star and regenerative skills, Jisoo did not perish.
Instead, a burst of energy surged from the blood spurting out of her heart.
Crrrk.
「Agony! Agony!」
Jisoo reached into the Goungi’s shattered skull with one hand.
She rubbed the wound with a blunt object in the other, but it was futile.
The beast began to destroy the surrounding buildings in a more frenzied rampage.
“Get as far from it as you can!”
The panic-stricken players distanced themselves from the Goungi.
The Goungi’s body was turning darker and growing stronger.
The more it thrashed, the more formidable it became, a fact that became clear to everyone.
Despair crept into the eyes of the players.
If it grew any stronger, it would become unmanageable.
‘Where’s Jisoo?’
She should be on its head, but I couldn’t see her.
Had she fallen off due to its thrashing?
‘No, that’s not it.’
The Goungi was still in agony.
The most pain it had felt so far.
Thud, thud.
「Choke…」
The thrashing creature suddenly stopped.
Its massive body slowly collapsed to the ground.
Twitching a few times as it lay fallen, the Goungi eventually went silent and still.
“What the heck, what’s going on?”
“Did it get tired?”
None of the players believed the Goungi was dead, so relentless just moments before.
A few players cautiously approached.
The Goungi’s face was contorted horribly, devilish in appearance.
“Whoa, that looks brutally fierce.”
One player remarked upon seeing the beast’s face and hesitantly reached out to check if it was still breathing.
Pop!
“Holy sh–!”
Suddenly, an eyeball popped out of the Goungi.
An eyeball the size of an adult male rolled and bounced onto the ground.
“What in the world…”
“Why did its eye suddenly…”
All eyes turned to where the eyeball had flown from, the Goungi’s now-empty socket.
“Gasp.”
A woman drenched in blood crawled out from the gaping hole where the optic nerve dangled.
It was Jisoo.
One moment, she was bursting from the Goungi’s eye, and the next, the players were frozen in shock, unable to utter a word.
“Huff.”
Looking a bit fatigued, Jisoo scanned around before spotting me and beaming, waving her hand.
“Oppa, I’m over here.”
I waved back, smiling awkwardly.
Presumably, Jisoo had entered the shattered skull of the Goungi.
And then, she must have thrashed within it.
I sent my sympathies to the Goungi, who must have died in excruciating pain.
“It looks like, even with monsters like these, tearing the brain kills them.”
Please don’t smile while saying such things. It’s terrifying.
