Chapter 56: Second Raid: Sacrifices
A sweet taste rose in everyone’s throat and blood spurted out.
"Cough!"
"Uakh!"
Everyone’s faces turned pale, their bodies squashed against the vine plank.
"U-ugh. Ugh."
W-what...is this pressure?
F-rank dungeon boss?
N-no...
"E...rank..."
Soron muttered, his blood cooling down.
Why...E-rank...inside an F-rank...gate?
Everyone’s heart dropped to their stomachs.
The pressure clinging to their bodies was so strong that they almost couldn’t breathe.
"Huuu. Huu. Everyone..." The white-clad woman whispered but Soron shook his head weakly.
Healing can’t erase pressure from rank differences.
"Sel..don. Water...barrier, " Soron spoke with difficulty, blood continued to trickle down his mouth.
Seldon gritted his teeth and slowly gasped the empty void, his mouth opened and closed without a voice.
Water. Barrier.
Woongggg.
The water floated into the air and slowly ford a blue barrier around the hunters and the plank, rippling with every move.
The mont the water barrier was on, the strong pressure eased and the hunters felt air surging to their lungs.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
"Haaa! Haaa!!"
Everyone sucked in the cold air erratically.
"W-what...do...we do?"
The vine plank swayed.
Countless slis were eyeing them from below, trying to find them through the mist.
Four slis at four corners.
Two more slis...at the front.
The gunner’s guns spun around, automatically locked onto the two big slis he couldn’t see.
"I-I’ll shoot!"
[Blind Shooting]
Bang! Bang!
Two glowing bullets cut through the air and hit the sli king and queen right on their bodies.
"Ryo! Did it hit— "
"It...did."
The energy bullets disappeared inside the two slis’ bodies, slowly digested.
The two slis didn’t even shed blue essence.
"It...didn’t work."
"What?? Impossible!" The gunner raised his voice in disbelief when Seldon whispered weakly,
"I...still have skills..."
"Seldon, you— "
"Rina...I’ll distract them...you throw the chains again."
"Okay."
Seldon gritted his teeth and used the last skill he could use in his current rank.
"Water...arrow."
The water floated into the air and ford one huge arrow the size of an elephant’s trunk, the edge pointing at the sli with a flower crown.
Without even looking at the target, Seldon squeezed his palms and shouted,
"Go!"
The water arrow moved, precisely shooting right at the flower crown sli’s huge body!
Glurg! My queen!
The sli king moved, about to block the arrow when the queen’s big body trembled.
Glurg. My king. I was useless...against...worms...
But when there’s water?
Woongggg.
[Water Authority]
A blue aura slowly ca out of the queen’s body and the mont the aura wrapped around the arrow—
Tak.
The arrow paused.
Just an inch away from the sli queen’s body.
Ryo, who saw the scene, felt his mind going blank.
What...?
How?
Isn’t that...Seldon’s skill—
Wooong...
The big arrow trembled, it slowly turned around...
And shot back right at Seldon.
Ryo’s eyes widened, veins popped up on his neck.
"SELDONNN!!"
Dodge—
"What— "
Swish!
Stab.
The thick arrow pierced through the water barrier.
"Huh...?"
Seldon slowly lowered his head.
A glowing arrow pierced his body.
Tak. Tak.
Blood trickled down the hole, flesh crumbled.
What...?
Seldon’s mind blurred. The belated pain ca crashing down at once and the next second—
Tear.
The arrow cut through and crumbled, turning into red water.
Burst.
Splash.
A warm sensation covered everyone’s faces and bodies.
The white and gray mist was splashed red.
The sll of blood wafted into the air, thick, lingering.
Ryo’s face was still warm. His hand slowly touched his face...
Red.
His palm was dyed red.
The other hunters stiffened.
The blue water barrier around them rippled violently and splashed down, turning back into water.
Sway. Sway.
The vine plank swayed.
In a place the hunters couldn’t see, only Ryo saw...
The floating clothes— in two different places.
Silence.
The entire lake was silent for a split second before Ryo covered his mouth tightly, a silent scream tore through the air.
Seldon!!
The other hunters felt the familiar pressure squeezing at them again.
Their minds went blank.
Ryo, the only one who saw the truth, almost couldn’t breathe.
Impossible.
It took over Seldon’s skill?
How could it be??
Other hunters didn’t know what was going on, but they could guess one thing or two.
Four words flashed through their mind.
They’re done for.
How could...they escape?
A gloomy despair swept through the entire team.
The slis continued to search through the lake.
The sound of the four slis loading their corrosive cannonballs resounded.
Is this...the end?
Just when everyone’s eyes dimd, Gerald took a deep breath and whispered, his voice barely loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I’ll lead them away."
"What?"
"Rina, you...pull everyone to the shore."
"Wait, Gerald!"
An ominous feeling crept into everyone’s heart.
"It’s final."
"I’ll stay."
Gerald took a deep breath and suddenly went down to the lake.
Splash!
Sting. Sting.
Corrosive water quickly stabbed his armour, slowly lting it, but his robust body was holding it in.
"Go." Gerald’s voice beca louder, resolute.
"Go! Now!"
"N-no!!" Rina scread, but Soron slapped her in the face.
"Rina! Don’t...don’t waste...quick! Chain!"
With a burning pain on her cheek, Rina threw the chains again.
Swish!
Simultaneously, Gerald roared, his voice echoing throughout the lake.
"Co at !!!"
Woongg!
A white light appeared around his body, and a skill panel popped up.
[Wide-area taunt]
The sli king and queen, the four elite slis and even the smaller slis stiffened.
Their bodies subconsciously turned towards Gerald, their eyes hazy.
Delicious.
Eat.
Splash.
The mont the king and queen swam away, Rina’s chains once again stabbed through the shore’s soil.
Soron, Ryo and Rina held the chains tightly and pulled, veins popped up their arms.
Swash!
The vine plank quickly approached the shore.
Behind, the slis’ figure quickly blocked Gerald’s body.
The sli king and queen noticed the plank getting closer to the shore and they were about to move, but Gerald shouted, his voice trembling.
"You ain’t getting anywhere!"
Shinggg.
Another glow appeared around Gerald and a skill panel popped up.
[The Paladin’s Embrace]
The sli king and queen stiffened. They felt their bodies bound by a strange force, unmoving.
As the two slis stopped moving, Gerald himself was also rooted in place, his body bouncing in the water.
As the enticing smile on his body wafted throughout the lake...
The four elite slis and the countless small slis crowded around Gerald, their tiny mouths moved.
Chew. Chew. Chew.
Sizzle.
The sound of chewing and sizzling mixed in.
The sll of blood quickly spread, but not a single scream ca out of Gerald’s mouth.
The hunters were already right in front of the shores and they turned their heads around.
Their faces instantly turned pale.
"Gerald!!! Hold on!"
[Rapid Shot]
The gunner’s two guns rapidly shot bullets after bullets towards the slis surrounding Gerald.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
yla, the white-clad woman, hurriedly chanted, and a bright light covered Gerald’s body.
[Basic Heal]
Wongggg—
The bullets tore through the small slis.
Gerald’s wounds closed and...reopened.
Chew. Chew. Chew.
They kept coming.
Endless.
"Stop...."
Gerald’s voice sounded from the center of the lake.
Weaker, but still resolute.
"Go."
"Gerald!!"
Click. Click.
The gun ran out of bullets.
The white healing glow dimd.
The skills ended.
Splash. Splash. Splash.
More and more slis crowded around and the water turned deeper red.
The hunters slowly climbed the shore, their legs trembling.
"Don’t...look back."
Gerald’s voice still echoed, sounding fainter and fainter...
Until it was gone.
Only the sound of chewing echoed throughout the cave.
Wongggg.
The blue arc glowed brightly, yet the hunters couldn’t move.
Their bodies were rooted in place, tears soaked their cheeks.
"Gerald..."
Soron bit his lips until it bled. His heart ached so much, but his mind was cool.
He noticed the slis slowly moved, swimming towards their place.
"Get up."
"Soron— "
"They’re coming! Get up!"
Soron pushed the hunters one by one towards the glowing blue arc, his eyes swept over the red lake water, fists balled.
A sweet taste rose in his throat but Soron forcefully swallowed it down.
"Let’s go!"
Go back ho!
The hunters’ figures slowly vanished into the blue arc.
But the mont the light disappeared, darkness took over.
"W-what?"
Shouldn’t they be...outside?
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