Chapter 98: CH 98

“Ack! Save me!”

“Ugh! I can’t breathe….”

As the monsters were covered with poison, their skin turned blue and started to decay. Though some of the goblin mages knew a few spells to detox poisons, they couldn’t do much against the One-Horned Fire Snake’s poison, which proved how deadly it was.

“Are you an idiot? Can’t you see what’s happening? It’s not like we don’t want to help Ms. Heavenly Flower….”

“Do you know why low-level beings shouldn’t try helping in a high-level battle?”

Merlin spoke while running toward the sea. There wasn’t an ounce of tension on his face. Instead, it seemed that he found the situation funny.

“First of all, lower-level beings can’t endure a higher-level attack. If the level difference is minor, then some resistance might be possible. Yet, if a single attack can sweep everyone away, there’s no need for the higher-level being to distract themselves and focus on someone so insignificant. In addition, higher-level beings must be careful and cognizant of how their attacks affect their allies. It isn’t suitable to try and help but ultimately get in the way, right?”

Tap. Tap.

When he was almost at the sea, Merlin turned his head to measure how far he was from the One-Horned Fire Snake. He was about 1,500 meters away.

“I know exactly what you mean, and that’s why I’m saying you shouldn’t try and help….”

“No.”

Merlin broke out into a broad smile.

“That principle doesn’t apply to me.”

Then, Merlin manipulated Younghwi and sent Miho’s body away with a swishing sound as he threw the two into the air. Miho closed her eyes and groaned at the sudden movement, and the basket-shaped Younghwi flew to one of the fleeing foxes that were avoiding the spreading poison.

“Alright. Now, shall I join?”

Merlin made a sharp turn with a cracking noise and headed towards a cliff facing the sea. The cliff wasn’t too tall, being only three to four meters above sea level, but the water below seemed quite deep.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m going to help the eight-tailed fox beat that snake. Based on the quest description, it seems like Heavenly Flower is the only one who can detox the others, so it’ll be difficult to finish the quest if she loses.”

“You’re planning on helping from this distance?”

Merlin was almost two kilometers away. Even if he used a sniper rifle, he’d barely be in range, so shooting an arrow from here would be ignoring the laws of physics. After all, although an arrow wasn’t much heavier than a bullet, having one fly two kilometers required a tremendous amount of energy. Since he wasn’t using a massive railgun that would have the requisite force, Quiet Heaven couldn’t fathom how Merlin was planning to reach his target.

“That’s true in the real world where there’s no internal energy or magic power. Gear 5.”

The Decian Bow appeared in Merlin’s hands. While Merlin’s ability power alone wasn’t enough to use the Decian Bow, the Mithril Bow’s range was only one kilometer, so he reinforced his body and drew back the bowstring. Lately, Merlin had been focusing on his magic power more than his internal energy, so the latter’s capacity was only ten years. However, with his third planet from the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, he could multiply his internal energy by eight times and use that extra energy to reinforce his body.

/Your Strength has been reinforced by 130 points, and your HP has been reinforced by 50 points (both reinforcements effective for one second)!/

To gain these reinforcements, Merlin had to expend one year of internal energy, but since he could expand his internal energy through the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, his actual expenditure was only an eighth of a year. Also, in general, internal energy practitioners with a ten-year capacity would only be able to expend half a year at once. Merlin could output more because of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique.

Creek! Whoosh!

Since his reinforced physical properties would last for merely one second, Merlin drew back and released the bowstring without any hesitation or wasted movement. He was aiming for the One-Horned Fire Snake’s eye.

Bam!

“Ack? What is this….”

“An opening!”

With this unexpected attack, the One-Horned Fire Snake was briefly distracted from the battle as it looked around its surroundings. In that fleeting opening, Heavenly Flower struck down on the snake’s head. Of course, Merlin was nowhere in sight, as he’d immediately hidden after firing the arrow.

“Woah, I can’t believe it. My arrow can’t pierce that guy’s eye?”

While hiding, Merlin used Telescopic and Aura Vision to see his arrow land directly on the snake’s eye, but it bounced off harmlessly. Since Merlin’s attack wasn’t effective and the eye was much weaker than the snake’s eyelid, Merlin concluded that his arrows were inadequate against the One-Horned Fire Snake.

“Still, it seems like it did have some impact, no?”

“Of course. The arrow did hit its eye straight on. It must’ve been equivalent to a wooden toothpick being thrown and hitting someone’s eye.”

“That’s a weird analogy.”

“It is?”

While conversing with Quiet Heaven, Merlin took out a short spear. Since simple arrow attacks were impractical, he decided to take a different approach.

Sprinkle…

After retrieving some magic dust from his inventory, Merlin started circulating his magic power.

“The next attack has a chance of not hitting its target, so I’ll have to reinforce it.”

Merlin still had ten enchanted short spears left, but the magic applied to them wasn’t too potent, as powerful spells and enchantments wouldn’t last long on an object. Moreover, Merlin had to add a stabilizing spell to enchanted objects so that the magic power imbued within wouldn’t scatter. Thus, after these many steps….

Sss…

Magic power started to flow into the short spear from the magic power gem on the back of Merlin’s right hand. The next step was to conjure an image and direct the spell to do what Merlin wanted. Usually, this would be done while chanting, but since Merlin was talented in image-making, he could skip this process altogether. An average mage would’ve needed two hours to complete this whole process, and a high-level mage could’ve done it in 30 minutes. Merlin finished the entire process in less than a minute.

Boom!

When Merlin was done, he heard a deafening boom and felt an immense shockwave spread. Heavenly Flower’s golden light and the snake’s horn had collided with each other, and the aftershock had disintegrated nearby plants and even uprooted vast trees. Yet, since Merlin was two kilometers away, all he felt was a strong breeze. Soon, Merlin drew back his bowstring.

“Before I shoot, do you want to hear my prediction?”

“Your prediction?”

“I think…”

Merlin whispered to Quiet Heaven, causing it to look at him with a perplexed expression. Once the aftershock passed and before the subsequent gust of wind arrived, Merlin released the bowstring.

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Whoosh!

The short spear seemed to rip through the air as it shot up into the sky. The timing was exquisite. When the air was rushing back to the area where the clash occurred, Merlin’s spark-flying short spear struck the One-Horned Fire Snake’s eye.

Bam!

“Ugh?! What is this!”

Despite using all the magic power that was possible in one go, the attack had failed to critically damage his target. Although the short spear wasn’t bounced off, only the spearhead penetrated the snake’s eye. Without delay, the One-Horned Fire Snake opened its eyes wide and forcefully expelled the short spear.

“Ki, Kikiki! How dare such an insignificant bug try and attack me!”

This time, the One-Horned Fire Snake located Merlin’s position. After releasing the bowstring, Merlin jumped into the water without watching his short spear, but before he fully entered the water, he was spotted. Once he suffered the first long-ranged attack, the One-Horned Fire Snake made sure to be more aware of its surroundings, so even though Merlin was two kilometers away, he couldn’t escape the snake’s notice.

Whoosh!

“I’ll kill you!”

“Woah~ It’s really angry~.”

The One-Horned Fire Snake was larger and longer than a modern train, and it moved faster than any high-speed train. As it charged forward, the snake snapped the massive trees that stood before it like twigs. This ferocious pursuit would’ve terrified anyone, even if they weren’t being targeted, but Merlin maintained his playful attitude. The One-Horned Fire Snake was smaller than a Kraken. If Merlin remained on land, he might have been a bit more scared, but half his body was already in the water, so regardless of the snake’s overwhelming aura, Merlin wasn’t concerned.

Whoosh!

With his boosters, Merlin’s movement through the sea could no longer be called swimming. In a two-meter radius around Merlin, the water was acting as a shock absorber for his sudden movements. Essentially, Merlin could move in any direction with a 360-degree range of motion. Hence, like an alien existence, Merlin could break the laws of fluid dynamics within the water.

Boom!

The One-Horned Fire Snake shot a fireball onto the surface of the water. Immediately, the fireball boiled and converted 50 meters of seawater into a fine mist, but the attack didn’t hit Merlin.

“Athlete Yoon Yongno has passed the defenders and is plowing straight ahead!”

Just by observing his opponent’s movements, Merlin could predict the path and results of any incoming attack. If he was in danger, he could just accelerate his thought process and stall to figure out alternative countermoves. Of course, no matter how fast someone’s mind worked, if their body couldn’t execute these thoughts, all was for naught. However, Merlin could do whatever he wanted in the water and could maneuver as fast as he could think, so there was no way these attacks would kill him. Even if there were crossfire from multiple sources, he’d be able to evade them.

As such, Merlin could successfully avoid the One-Horned Fire Snake’s attacks. Despite the monster’s continuous assault, Merlin dodged like a slippery fish. Unless he was taken by surprise or an attack was launched at supersonic speeds from a centimeter away, Merlin could escape. As if he were out for a leisurely stroll, Merlin weaved and bobbed around the attacks.

“Argh! That bastard!”

The One-Horned Fire Snake was infuriated at how Merlin playfully avoided its attacks. Though it employed numerous poison attacks and fireballs, none of them were able to touch Merlin.

Actually, since Merlin could control the water around him, he repelled the poison as it mixed into the sea. As long as Merlin was in the water, the One-Horned Fire Snake could spend ten or even 100 years trying to assail him without hurting a single hair on his head. And while the snake was attacking in a rage, a huge spark appeared behind him.

“Burn. Divine Fire.”

Whoosh!

A massive white flame arose. The temperature of the white flames was so intense that even the One-Horned Fire Snake was hurt, regardless of its immunity to most flames. While the snake could regulate itself in many high temperatures, it couldn’t contend against the white flame, and its skin soon turned bright red. With the state of the snake’s skin, its less resistant innard hard most likely already started boiling, causing significant internal damage. Although the One-Horned Fire Snake had tremendous regenerative powers, it couldn’t avoid critical damage from this attack.

“Merlin… this guy….”

Quiet Heaven was observing the unfolding scene from high in the sky with a tired expression. It seemed that it wasn’t surprised by Merlin’s unexpected actions anymore. Then, Quiet Heaven recalled what Merlin had said moments ago.

“That dumb snake will probably furiously chase me after being hit by this short spear. Yet, since I’ll be making my getaway in the water, it’ll have no chance of catching me. And with its attention focused on me, the eight-tailed fox will be able to land a significant attack. After that…”

Merlin had stated this with a wide smile on his face.

“… my arrow will pierce that snake’s eye.”

Whoosh!

Right when the One-Horned Fire Snake was about to attack Heavenly Flower, Merlin’s short spear approached its eye.

“Ugh! You insignificant bug!”

Unlike what one would expect from such an enormous monster, the One-Horned Fire Snake reacted quickly and took the best possible action it could: closing its eyes. There were doubts as to whether the short spear could even pierce the snake’s eyeball itself, and it appeared like the attack would be blocked. Yet, since its eyes were closed, it couldn’t see its real opponent, Heavenly Flower. In the blink of an eye, the One-Horned Fire Snake seemingly blocked the short spear, but Merlin smirked.

“Dummy. You should have winked or dodged. Were you too embarrassed to move your colossal body over an insignificant bug’s attack?”

[Momentary Blink]

The short spear seemed to have skipped across space by ten meters. However, rather than jump forward, it had moved backward. And when the One-Horned Fire Snake reopened its eyes, the short spear stabbed its target. Furthermore, without any divergence, the short spear landed exactly where Merlin had previously hit. Then, there was an explosion.

Boom!

“Kyak!”

“Oh yeah~!”

“You eyeball hunter….”

In the end, Merlin pierced the snake’s eye, and this time, the short spear dug deep and exploded from within. No matter how powerful the One-Horned Fire Snake’s regenerative powers were, it would lose its vision for at least a few moments. While the snake suffered, Heavenly Flower, covered in golden light, stood in front of him.

“Our long-standing feud ends here.”

“You bitch, you dare-”

It was too late. As the One-Horned Fire Snake writhed in pain, Heavenly Flower had already finished gathering all her powers.

Ping!

A golden beam of light went into the One-Horned Fire Snake’s mouth and shot through the back of its head into the sky. It was the end for the One-Horned Fire Snake.

“Ah, man. I wonder how many experience points that snake would have given me. If I landed the final blow, I could’ve gained at least some sort of drop.”

If a user intervened in a fight between monsters and landed a critical blow, the user would be guaranteed some experience points. Obviously, the amount they would gain was minuscule, but when the Dead Man’s Ship sunk and had most of its crew killed by the Kraken, Merlin had acquired over 10,000 experience points for his role in the deaths. Due to the vast number of undead killed, Merlin had received a significant amount of Spirits. In this case, Merlin only struck and disabled one of the One-Horned Fire Snake’s eyes, but Merlin received 500 Spirits. It seemed the snake was an extremely high-level monster.

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