Chapter 103 – Medusa Raid (3)

In Greek mythology, Medusa was known to have two more sisters.

The immortal goddesses, Steno and Euryale.

‘They are also stronger than Medusa.’

Therefore, the gods of Olympus, thinking their mighty power would be a threat in the future, buried the two sisters deep in a volcano.

There they were burnt alive while living forever, eternally cursing their immortal bodies.

Of course, this setting only existed in the Tower of Trials and not in real-world mythology. However, perhaps it could also be said that the original source was a lie?

‘In a way, it’s ironic. Well, that is basically what life is all about.’

Fiction became a reality, and appropriate strategies needed to be made in this distorted reality.

Like right now.

“How dare… you utter those words right now!”

Kukuku!

The body of Medusa began to swell up.

“Ahem!”

“Kuak!”

“W-what strong magic…”

The players from the Fathers of Fighting Guild gasped around him.

The energy let out by Medusa constricted their whole body, making them unable to lift even one finger.

It was as if puppies were standing in front of a ravenous tiger. Such was the extent of her force.

Rumble!

The players didn’t even dare to raise their swords and shield and simply continued to bow their heads.

But one among them refused.

‘I cannot fall apart like this.’

Lee Young-kwon gritted his teeth.

The Tower of Trials had become a reality, and they were only two months into the ascent.

No matter how much they had leveled up and gone around the dungeons, they had no choice but to feel like young chicks.

That meant that he still lacked the determination and experience needed to fight with his life on the line. This was also why not everyone in prestigious guilds could be brave.

‘I know. What we lack.’

But…

Humans were adaptive animals. When they are thrown into an absurd situation, they grow according to it.

They could not simply act weak and groan all the time!

“Attack at once! Do not back down!”

Lee Young-kwon shouted his orders.

As his Collective Command ability was activated, a golden cloud spread around Lee Young-kwon’s body.

[Raid morale increased by 30%]
[All ATK and DEF increased by 10%]
The dazzling energy removed the force Medusa exerted on the raid team.

It was then that they raised their weapons.

“Damn it! Either way, we’ll die!”

“Right. We also have pride. We cannot leave everything to player Kang Jin-hyuk!”

“As expected, we entered the competition with a ratio of 1000 to 1~”

All types of magic were turned towards Medusa at once. The attack they had poured their whole magic into carried the hopes of achieving victory.

The light was filled with a multitude of dazzling lights.

Kwang!

Puang!

Larger crates were formed on the marble floor as debris fell from the wall.

A thick layer of dust rose from the spot that had suffered concentrated attacks.

It was proof of the enormity of the magic that had been used.

But…

That was all.

No matter how many of their best skills were used, it wasn’t enough to inflict damage on monsters of such caliber.

“Really, humans are… such an ungrateful race. Can’t you see I am talking to this cheeky man right now?”

Medusa couldn’t hide her annoyed expression as a red flame ignited from the whip in her hands.

Swish!

The whip launched in an instant towards a tanker that was standing at the front.

“Kuak!”

The tank raised their shield.

“You want to stop it? Did your eyes only see me as an idiot who only used petrification?”

The power of a snake that could crush even the spine of a beast was another of Medusa’s abilities.

The whip was wholly wrapped around the body of the tank player.

And…

Crack!

“Ack!”

His shield and iron armor collapsed in a single blow.

Naturally, the person inside had also been mangled to the point of being unrecognizable.

Thick blood gushed out of the crushed corpse.

Medusa’s blood-dyed body sent a silent warning to the other players.

Don’t take a chance and try to intervene while she is busy dealing with her prey.

“Ugh…”

“A t-tank can’t even withstand one attack…”

The morale that had risen as an effect of Collective Command evaporated instantly.

It was inevitable.

There had been no effect even after they had used all of their magic. Instead, the opponent had even crushed a tank with just one move.

This was a fight they had no chance of winning.

It would be like hitting a rock with an egg if they kept trying.

“Get out of here, you bastards. None of you have the required appearance to become a statue for me.”

The whip moved once more.

To wipe out the others who had lost their morale.

‘No matter how hard we try.’

Lee Young-kwon kept his mouth shut.

But…

Kwang!

The whip that had moved in a straight line bounced off something.

The weapon that had seemed to be impossible to stop had been blocked.

“Don’t the teachers in Greek schools also teach you not to bully the weak?”

Jin-hyuk clicked his tongue while holding his shield.

He had planned to prepare a trap to catch Medusa after entrusting the fight to Lee Young-kwon had there been enough time.

However, looking at the level difference, he thought it would only end up with a pile of corpses.

“T-thank you for saving me.”

“I will take care of the angry worm. The captain will immediately take the raid team out of the labyrinth.”

Jin-hyuk made the line clear once more. Those who were helpful could stay, but none qualified for that.

He clearly showed where each of them belonged between the guild and him.

“…”

Lee Young-kwon trembled in his own helplessness, but only for a moment.

It would be arrogance, not courage if he showed anger here. He needed to figure this out on his own.

“I wish you luck, Player Kang Jin-hyuk.”

Lee Young-kwon bowed briefly.

Medusa didn’t make her move until the other players withdrew.

This man was an interesting prey for her.

And she focused all her attention on Jin-hyuk.

“Is the angry earthworm you are referring to… me?”

“Haha. Since I am from the department of physiology, it is difficult to distinguish between reptiles and arthropods. Don’t they both crawl around?”

“Oh. I will not give you a graceful death if you make me angry. Are you going to continue trying your luck with that mouth?”

“I am sorry, but I don’t plan on dying here. Actually, I don’t think it is dangerous enough for me to die here.”

Jin-hyuk was fine.

On the other hand, Medusa’s face became even more distorted compared to the beginning of their encounter.

Why was he deliberately provoking her?

The answer was simple.

There was a final condition to change this fight.

It was all about capturing the boss within a barrier.

And for that…

[Medusa activates Lv10 Gorgon’s Realm’!]
Woong!

Magic spread out and covered the whole temple. That’s right, it was essential to goad Medusa into activating this skill.

‘… and she fell for it.’

It was a skill that slowed down any unique anomalous movements instead of maximizing attack power.

The ‘Gorgon Realm’ was a double-edged sword.

Of course, from Medusa’s point of view, she must have thought a single human wouldn’t be able to do any damage to her.

She had transformed countless humans into stone thus far. No wonder she was confident.

‘But isn’t there a saying like this?’

When one continued to win, it simply meant the right opponent hadn’t arrived yet.

“You shouldn’t be arrogant about what newbies are.”

“Cheeky human! I will eat you alive!”

Medusa spat out a purple liquid.

Since the Gorgon Realm also gave her a stacked buff effect, the acid liquid she spat out now had the power to corrode anything it touched instantly.

‘Right, she is aiming for my legs’

Was it because a snake tended to eat fresh prey?

Medusa always aimed for the legs.

Jin-hyuk concentrated magic on his legs.

Tat!

As the Sword Demon Emperor’s Steps manifested, Jin-hyuk’s body vanished like smoke.

Jin-hyuk moved over Medusa’s head a single step faster than the liquid from her mouth touching the floor.

Jin-hyuk perfectly grabbed her by the back of her neck

Woong!

Ancient runes began to appear in the air.

[The barrier ‘Sealing Coffin’ is activated!]
Naturally, a fairly complicated technique was needed to trap a boss.

This was why he hadn’t enjoyed using barriers in battle.

That was because, no matter how experienced Jin-hyuk was, it was never easy to control the runes and the amount of magic he needed.

A blue veil wrapped around Medusa.

“Do you think you can stop me with such a wall?”

Medusa swung her whip.

Kwakwang!

One side of the barrier was smashed in an instant.

‘Hmm.’

Again, it was too much to ask to create a barrier that could confine a boss in just a few seconds.

He would need to stand still for at least a few minutes, not just mere seconds.

At that moment.

Jin-hyuk stopped using the Sword Demon Emperor Steps.

At the same time, he strengthened his arms using the ‘Giant Grasp’.

Shhh!

Medusa’s face expressed her scorn.

From her point of view, reinforcement-type skills that simply increased one’s strength were an ability that was too easy to deal with.

“To fight head on head…..”

Her expression softened a bit, and so did her tone.

The thought of not killing him didn’t even cross her mind. This was probably close to a desire to eat a human while playing around at the same time.

Even through the reflection of the shield, her intentions were clearly conveyed.

“Is it the end of running around like a fly?”

“Just say what you want. It is a pretentious way of speaking because you cannot get used to it.”

“Huhu. Don’t be too cold. You got angry because of one hit.”

Medusa laughed softly.

“But, what are you doing to strengthen those weak arms? Surely you didn’t think you could defeat me with that one skill, right?”

“Weak?”

Jin-hyuk tilted his head.

Well.

He had only used this skill once, but it wasn’t weak.

Above all, the rift and adaptive stats were also active.

The Giant Grip was far more useful than just simply a tool to hold something.

‘It is too far.’

Jin-hyuk stretched out his hands, and his fingertips made contact with something at the right moment.

Puak!

His fingers dug into a 5-meter-long stone pillar.

“Look at you. It seems like the lady is quite confident when it comes to strength. After all, I won’t seem to be leaving you anytime soon.”

So let’s try it.

Which side could play longer?

“Y-You ignorant…”

Medusa raised her head.

Kwang!

Pop!

Jin-hyuk wielded the pillar that he had pulled out while Medusa smashed at the pillar with her whip.

It was a simple battle of strength.

It was obvious, right?

It was without a doubt…

‘What?’

Medusa felt a strange sense of discomfort. A strange feeling of stickiness around her body.

The reason was soon revealed.

‘… the attack has no killing intent?’

Right.

The pillar wielded by the opponent was faithful to the purpose of the user wielding it, but there was no intent to kill the opponent.

Come to think of it.

He couldn’t be…

Medusa frowned.

“You, fucking squirrel…!”

She shouted out loud.

Through the shield, she could see the opponent smiling.

“Oh, you aren’t as stupid as I thought. Such a pity. Maybe you would have noticed this a little sooner if you had a little more brain?”

The card Jin-hyuk prepared was activated.