The plan is simple. I'll approach the Giant Treasure’s chest with Iron Arm and sprinkle my blood on it. The moment my blood touches its skin, a crack will instantly form.
Taking that chance, Iron Arm will shove Exa’s blade into the opening.
“I think it’s worth a try.”
Iron Arm nodded with a grim expression. Tankers are inherently good at enduring, and among the Knight-types, they are the strongest. Under certain conditions, they can inflict the purest form of damage.
However, there was one variable in this strategy.
“This is the first time someone else has held my weapon.”
“What?”
“Just holding it in your hand will probably be quite painful.”
At that, Iron Arm grabbed Exa with a confident look on his face.
“Hunter Cheon Hae-seon. I may not be good at much else, but I am good at enduring. No matter what pain there is…”
Sizzle.
“Argh!”
Betraying his confident appearance, Iron Arm let out a frail scream. If we weren't in the middle of a battle, I might have clutched my stomach and laughed.
“No way… you’ve been fighting while holding this all this time? This is like…”
Countless streams of Black Ether had flowed into Exa over time. Even without infusing it with Ether right now, other people would feel the pain of their skin burning away. He had only held it for a moment, but Iron Arm’s eyes were already bloodshot.
As if the pain wasn't enough, symptoms of poisoning were already starting to show.
“It would be better to just grab the blade itself.”
Iron Arm clicked his tongue while receiving healing. However, he didn't back down from the plan. The pain was considerable, but his will to endure it was clear.
“It will be much easier if you hold Exa with me.”
“Okay.”
My and Iron Arm’s gazes turned back to the Giant Treasure. After using ‘Fragmentation,’ its movements become sluggish for a short while. Seeing it flinch again, it seemed like it was about to use that damned skill once more.
“This will be our first and last attack.”
“I’m prepared.”
“Wh-what should I do?”
Bi-soo’s urgent voice came from behind.
Well.
In a situation like this, what could Bi-soo, whose only skill was Stealth, possibly do? Normally, I might have chided him, saying, ‘Just staying still is helping.’ But Bi-soo had also jumped into the danger zone with Iron Arm.
To help me. So instead of scolding him, I said something else.
“Pray to the gods for us. In our place.”
“...?”
I half-hoisted Iron Arm up and gathered Ether in my legs. In terms of Knight rank, he was two levels higher, but when it came to ‘mobility,’ I was far superior. Iron Arm weighed about 100kg at most.
A weight that ‘Poison Step’ could easily handle.
Fwoosh.
I dodged the Giant Treasure’s swinging arm and reached its chest. Once I got this close, it would unhesitatingly turn a part of its body into ‘shards’ and fire them.
Chwararak.
I spun around and shielded Iron Arm’s body. Not to protect him. But because the more wounds I had, the more blood I could spray.
Thud-thud-thud-thud.
“Kuhk…”
There are some things in life you never get used to, no matter how many times you experience them.
‘Pain’ is one of them.
The sensation of the hardest object in the world piercing my body was something I just couldn't get used to.
Drip.
Blood gushed from the wound. Enough to wash my face with if I collected it. But I decided to go one step further.
Grit.
After clenching my jaw so tight that a sound escaped, I pulled out the Pranium fragment embedded in my body.
Fwoosh.
“Kyaaak!”
I could hear Bi-soo’s scream from below. He must be thinking, ‘What kind of crazy stunt is that guy pulling?’ The immense agony made my mind go blank.
A pain even worse than when my body was pierced enveloped my entire being. But the gain was just as great. The amount of blood, which had been flowing steadily, suddenly increased, drenching the Giant Treasure’s skin.
Shiii…
I wanted to collapse right then and there, but I kept my eyes wide open and observed the change. Finally, the surface of the Pranium, which had boasted a brilliant luster, was gradually turning dull.
“Now!!!”
I called out to Iron Arm, and as if acknowledging, he summoned a great amount of Ether energy.
“Uooooooooh!!”
The Ether of a Poison-type and the Ether of a Knight. Exa, combining the two energies, plunged into the Giant Treasure’s chest. -Kaaaaang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Perhaps because of the Pranium's hardness, it felt like my eardrums would burst.
“Did we get it?!”
A hopeful voice came from Iron Arm. But his face was soon covered in despair.
‘Damn it…!’
It didn't work. It was a strike into which we had poured all our strength, but unfortunately, the Pranium did not allow the blade to enter.
‘Is this the end?’
We didn't have a Plan B. The plan wasn't made with failure in mind. The Giant Treasure’s huge shadow crept over us, as if foreshadowing death.
“Kuhk…!!”
To make matters worse, the faded Pranium began to regain its brilliant luster. If its skin returned to normal, we wouldn't have even a glimmer of hope.
Drip.
Tears of blood flowed from Iron Arm’s eyes. The side effects of holding Exa for too long were starting to appear. In a way, it was also a warning sign for me.
It meant I had no more Healing Ability left to transfer to him.
“Uwaaaaaah!!”
Even in that state, Iron Arm was scraping together every last bit of his Ether. At this rate, he might cross the river of death before his wife. Well, I'm not one to talk.
My vision was getting blurry. Normally, I should have lain low until my body recovered, but since I was focusing all my strength on Exa, I wasn't healing properly. They say even the strongest man can’t fight his eyelids.
I just couldn't keep my eyes open. Just before my vision completely disappeared behind my closing eyelids, Vwooooom.
“...!!!!”
Hot.
An indescribably hot sensation suddenly enveloped my entire body. But this heat didn't feel painful. A pleasant sense of exhilaration and battle energy.
Those things were straightening my disheveled body.
‘What is this?’
My dwindling Ether surged like a spring, as if it had never been drying up. Did Iron Arm have some kind of special skill? I turned my head in puzzlement, but it was no use.
He was also staring at me with wide eyes.
“Hu... Hunter-nim!!”
Looking around, a hazy energy was swirling around me and Iron Arm. At the same time, a warning message came from the V1. Would you stop in this situation?
I raised my voice towards Iron Arm.
“Push!!”
“Kuhk!!”
I didn't know where this energy was coming from. But thanks to this energy, my and Iron Arm’s strength doubled, and as a result, a change began to occur in the Pranium that seemed forever impenetrable.
Tuduk...
Iron Arm’s face was already beyond human. Several minutes had passed since he grabbed Exa, and having overused his Ether to enter the ‘Rampage’ state, his body must have been in shambles. Anyway, there was no more time to drag this out.
We squeezed out our last bit of strength and poured it into Exa.
“Yiaaaaaaaah!!”
Crack!!!!!!!!
With the feeling of something blocked being released, the Giant Treasure violently shook its body. -Gooooooooooooh. Iron Arm and I were sent flying by its movement.
Bam!!!!
Landing on my back on the bumpy Pranium ground, my eyes shot open. The pain was enough to wake me up even if I was about to lose consciousness. I wanted to turn my head to check on Iron Arm, but I truly didn't have the strength to move a single finger.
Did we succeed? I definitely felt it connect.
“Cheon Hae-seon!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Bi-soo’s voice came from a distance. The voice was getting closer, so it seemed like he was running this way.
“You crazy bastard! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Bi-soo scolded me as he looked at the hole still in my side.
“I did it because I want to live.”
“Geez. You look like you’re about to die, but your mouth is still running…”
“What about the Clan Leader?”
“Barely breathing. Just like you.”
“That’s a relief…”
Just as I was about to let out a sigh of relief, my vision wavered. This time, it wasn’t because of the pain. The Giant Treasure, which had been standing tall, was actually shaking its body.
As if it was about to fall on us at any moment.
“... Damn it.”
Hey, don't joke around. After putting our lives on the line, we can’t even check the result, and now we get this flattened-squid ending?
“Ah, fuck!”
Bi-soo yelled irritably and hoisted me onto his back. Then he dragged Iron Arm by the arm and ran at full speed. He's stronger than I thought.
Just as we moved, the Giant Treasure’s massive body crashed to the ground.
Krakoom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It sounded like a meteor crashing. I looked back and forth between the Giant Treasure and the Gold Eternal Flower next to it. The Giant Treasure had fallen, and the Gold Eternal Flower was unharmed.
Then there was only one conclusion left. The blade of ‘White Dream’ had worked on it.
“Success…!!”
Lying down, I clenched my fist tightly. We finally did it. We pierced through an unrealistically tough body of Physical Level S. “Hunter Cheon Hae-seon!!!!”
Iron Arm crawled over and grabbed my hand. Not only his clasped hand but his entire shoulder was trembling. It seemed he couldn't control his body due to the intense emotions.
“I knew you would do it, Hunter-nim…!!”
“I didn't do it. We did it together.”
Iron Arm, who had been immersed in emotion, suddenly flinched. Then, he held out his thick hand.
“Hunter-nim. By the way…”
In his palm was a broken device. The remnants of Exa, shattered from containing three types of immense energy. The advanced device that could freely change its form according to the user's will.
The one that held out until the very end had finally met its end after piercing the iron wall known as Pranium.
“...”
Thank you.
It's all thanks to you. I looked at the remains of Exa for a moment before carefully placing them inside my clothes. Now was the time to proceed to the next step rather than reminisce.
“Umm…”
Iron Arm’s condition was more serious than I thought. Cases of people becoming half-crippled from overusing Ether were surprisingly common. Didn’t that unlucky guy Yoo Ji-won from the Hunter Qualification Test also suffer major damage?
After carefully healing his condition, I climbed onto the Giant Treasure with Iron Arm. Meanwhile, Bi-soo gathered our belongings and carefully placed the Gold Eternal Flower into a pouch he had prepared.
“From now on, speed is important.”
The Rare herbs and the dungeon's boss Monster are one body. It doesn't matter when the boss is asleep, but once it dies, the flower will also wither soon after. After killing the Giant Treasure, we have to get out of the dungeon as quickly as possible.
“By the way, what should we do about this?”
“What?”
“The weapon you use, Hunter-nim, has been shattered…”
“... Ah. I thought it was something serious.”
Iron Arm seemed to think that the reason I, a ‘healer,’ could catch Monsters was all thanks to the weapon called ‘Exa.’ Broadly speaking, he wasn’t wrong, but the true source of Exa’s power was all from me.
Grit.
I suddenly bit my little finger, making Iron Arm flinch in surprise.
“Hunter-nim… What…”
Drip, drip, drops of blood fell below. The blade of White Dream was stuck in the cracked Pranium. The drops of blood trickled down the blade and seeped into the Giant Treasure's body.
Sssss...
The affected area, which was the size of a palm, gradually expanded. The previous Golems had cut off their own limbs to stop the poison from spreading, but this one, intoxicated by White Dream, was completely defenseless. The Giant Treasure’s body slowly turned gray, and soon, its entire body was tinged with the color of death.
The King of Poisons. The Poison-type Hunter's poison had snuffed out its life in an instant.
“What… in the world…!!!”
Perhaps because he had only seen me cut things with a blade until now, Iron Arm stared at me with a look of disbelief. He must have realized it for sure now. That I was a completely different existence from a normal healer.
“Hunter Cheon Hae-seon… what is your true identity…?”
Facing his confused expression, I simply grinned.