Chapter 219
Chapter 219: The Real Deal
'So that ominous feeling wasn't for nothing.'
Even before entering the underground research facility, Baek Woohyun's instincts had warned him that something threatening existed below.
At first, he thought it was the guards and Ethinel traps beyond the door, but even after killing them all, the alarm bells continued ringing.
And now, having witnessed the tremendous power displayed by a mere researcher, he finally understood why he had felt that sense of crisis.
'Should I be happy that I haven't gotten too rusty?'
Or should he lament that he still hadn't been able to shake off his 'over there' self?
Baek Woohyun found himself smiling bitterly without realizing it.
'Well, for now let's think positively.'
If he had completely adapted to peaceful modern times and his crisis detection ability had dulled, he would have suffered quite badly from that researcher's last desperate struggle by now.
It wouldn't have stopped at just a slight tear in his cheek—he would have had a large hole in his shoulder. In the worst case, his head might have been pierced.
Therefore, Baek Woohyun concluded he should be grateful that his instincts remained sharply alive.
"Whew."
How far had Baek Woohyun advanced after exhaling a short breath?
Just as he thought he had crossed about half of the research facility's second basement floor, he finally encountered a new enemy(?) in an empty laboratory.
The reason he didn't call it one person, and why there was even a question mark after "one," was because its appearance was far too bizarre.
Its torso was split into three parts, each forming a human shape, but one of them looked like two people half-merged together. In total, it had four heads.
Below the waist, there were no legs at all, only writhing tentacles, and an arm would suddenly protrude outward before retracting.
An appearance that looked like several people had been kneaded like clay and then forcibly grafted together.
***
"Eek! What is that!"
"The atmosphere suddenly turned into a horror game, didn't it?"
"A-ahem. That's an extremely grotesque appearance."
─Not satisfied with just tentacle-man, now we have fusion-man too ㄷㄷ
─This is how harmful Otherworld power is to the body
─They figured one wouldn't be enough so they lumped four together at once lololol
─Why believe in the Otherworld when you end up like this in the end;
*
"But the Corporate pays good money."
"They say the treatment's different when you become a Hellhound."
"I want to clock out early today, don't you?"
"Hey you little shit, why are you being such a pain in the ass?"
"......"
What's more, the four heads that at least maintained human form were apparently thinking separately, chattering away among themselves.
With horrific words that didn't contain even a speck of human dignity, Baek Woohyun pulled out 「Soul Eater」 from <Shadow Storage> and took his stance.
Honestly, he wished they would continue suffering like this—ideally forever—but either way, enemies needed to be killed.
"Enemy!" "What!" "It's an enemy!" "Kill it!"
"......"
Tat!
The Hound Fusion Monster reacted as if only now realizing Baek Woohyun's existence.
However, Baek Woohyun had noticed that it—or they—had already glanced at him sideways. That if he had approached stealthily to ambush it, he would have been the one ambushed instead.
Finding no value in responding to the enemy's deception, he silently charged at it. It was a charge based on superhuman leg strength.
Chwaaak!
"[Rock Spike]!" "[Piercing Shadow]!"
"How dare you charge when you don't even know who I am!" "Don't come closer!"
The Hound Fusion Monster didn't just stand and watch either.
Two heads used supernatural ability techniques to attempt interception, while the remaining heads swung five thick tentacles attached instead of arms.
It was a horrific strength befitting its horrific appearance. It meant four ability users could fight as one body using supernatural abilities and tentacles.
"──!"
Huuuung─!
Baek Woohyun roared and swung 「Soul Eater」 head-on against the attacks targeting him—the supernatural ability techniques and tentacles.
The 2-meter greatsword contained the wielder's strength as is, becoming an overwhelming act of violence in the form of a lump of metal. Trampling those who dared target its master.
The first thing completely crushed was the pointed rock. Next, the shadow that had just begun to rise was torn apart along with the ground.
The five tentacles were the same. They were far too fragile to withstand 「Soul Eater」, whose cutting power had increased from devouring countless souls.
Seugeok!
Tentacles being severed, scattering blue blood.
Between them, Baek Woohyun approached the Hound Fusion Monster with his white eyes gleaming eerily.
Just a bit more and his blade would reach it!
"Don't let it get close!" "Grab it somehow!"
"[Storm God's Wrath]!" "[Wave of Earth]!"
Chwareureuk! Kwagagak!
"...Tsk."
The Hound Fusion Monster wasn't an idiot either, clearly recognizing that letting Baek Woohyun get near would be disadvantageous.
That's why it made Baek Woohyun retreat backward by spamming wind-attribute area ultimate techniques and earth-attribute area ultimate techniques.
Even Baek Woohyun had no choice but to step back before the fierce raging storm and the undulating approaching earth.
Of course, if he wanted to break through he could, but that would require accepting considerable injuries. It was a choice he couldn't make when he still had far to go.
'Strong.'
Though it was a brief exchange, Baek Woohyun clearly realized.
The Hound Fusion Monster was truly strong. And incomparably more so than the researcher he had just faced.
Well, how could someone who researched all day be on the same level as those who made combat their profession?
His thought when he was injured by the researcher's last resistance had hit the mark perfectly.
From now on, the enemies he would face would truly possess strength threatening enough to him.
If an enemy made by lumping together a few Hounds was this strong, a Hellhound would truly be an enemy capable of threatening his life.
"If you surrender even now!" "We'll accept you as one of us!"
"[Guardian Stone]!" "[Underworld's Chill]!"
Jjeojeojeok!
In the continuing battle, the Hound Fusion Monster clearly demonstrated that fact.
Tentacle attacks as powerful as any decent melee build, the Hounds' characteristic skilled combat techniques, plus the supernatural abilities of four ability users!
Between cutting tentacles and dodging supernatural ability techniques, Baek Woohyun kept busy responding but couldn't get close to it. Though he hadn't retreated either...
'Damn it.'
If each element had operated separately, Baek Woohyun could have overcome them without difficulty.
Though the tentacles were fast and powerful, they couldn't compare to his 「Soul Eater」, his combat techniques were far more skilled, and he could have simply slaughtered four ability users.
However, the current Hound Fusion Monster had those elements meshing together very well. Perfect coordination, as if they hadn't been merged into one for nothing. So much so that even Baek Woohyun couldn't lightly overcome and advance.
Seugeok!
'...I have to accept losses.'
Baek Woohyun gritted his teeth as he cut down one tentacle targeting him.
At this rate he couldn't break through the Hound Fusion Monster's defense, and continuing to drag out time wouldn't benefit him at all either.
Since this was the enemy's stronghold, if reinforcements arrived, the battle would become twice as difficult as now. So he had to settle things before then.
"──!"
Kwadeuk!
Baek Woohyun charging forward with a fierce roar, mercilessly trampling the floor!
At movements so intense that floor fragments scattered with each step, the Hound Fusion Monster quickly responded.
It mobilized all available defensive supernatural ability techniques like [Guardian Stone] and [Ice Shield], and tried to block the path with tentacles that had somehow increased to ten.
Previously, Baek Woohyun would have cut through the tentacles while chipping away at the defensive techniques, but having made his decision, this time was different.
He swept aside the tentacles minimally before diving even deeper. He didn't care that several tentacles tore away pieces of his shoulder and thigh.
Having resolved to get injured, he had no intention of stopping until he cut down his opponent.
"We have to stop it!" "Make it unable to come!"
"It broke through." "Focus on defensive techniques and endure!"
Baek Woohyun, who had finally reached the Hound Fusion Monster, twisted his body. With 「Soul Eater」 pulled back long as if hiding it from the creature.
The following step.
Kwadeuk!
With one large stride, a footprint-shaped mark was carved into the floor.
The twisted body returned to its original position, and the swung 2-meter greatsword traced a vivid trajectory containing superhuman strength.
A powerful slash so forceful that if the word 'sever' were sculpted into human form and swung, it would surely look like this!
Swaeaeaeaek─!
A blade seemingly tearing apart space itself targeted the Hound Fusion Monster.
The power contained within was so tremendous that even the blade of 「Soul Eater」, which possessed the ability of 'absolute indestructibility,' appeared to bend.
It was a slash surpassing the one that had cleaved Lee Geonwoo in half with one strike during PVP.
And for good reason.
This contained unrestricted power, not limited by PVP!
""...!""
Was it because they realized that a few mere defensive supernatural ability techniques couldn't block Baek Woohyun's attack?
Deep despair appeared on all four heads of the Hound Fusion Monster.
Since it thought and acted like four people simultaneously with its four heads during combat, the despair it felt must have been quadruple as well.
Kwajajajak!
When 「Soul Eater」, having sliced through the defensive supernatural ability techniques like tissue paper, reached the Hound Fusion Monster, it wasn't the sound of cutting meat but crushing that rang out.
Because the force contained in the blade was so tremendously strong that it went beyond cutting to completely tearing apart. Enough that its corpse exploded outward.
The monster that had forcibly grafted together multiple Hounds met its end being torn into multiple pieces again.
"Huuuu..."
'Shoulder, thigh, and... the side?'
Having confirmed the Hound Fusion Monster's death, Baek Woohyun exhaled long and gripped his side.
Though the shoulder and thigh injured while closing distance had each lost a handful of flesh, his side was even more serious.
Just before unleashing the powerful slash, when he twisted his body, a tentacle the Hound Fusion Monster thrust sharply had pierced that spot.
Even while pressing down firmly to stop the bleeding, the wound was deep enough that blood continued flowing.
The fact that the injury was specifically to his side wasn't very welcome to him either. Unlike arms or legs, the torso would aggravate the wound with every movement.
It was at least fortunate that thanks to several core elements of the 'Superhuman' build being invested for combat continuation, the wound wouldn't worsen beyond this.
"......"
While giving his side first aid, Baek Woohyun thought about the current situation—namely, why the mission difficulty had suddenly risen so sharply.
And finding the reason wasn't very difficult. He had a clear enemy trying to kill him. The enemy called Otherworld God Abrasax-Deus.
Moreover, the point when enemies became stronger was after entering the underground research facility, after smelling the Otherworld's scent, after seeing the Otherworld membrane.
Wasn't it an all too obvious cause-and-effect relationship?
'The suddenly strengthened enemies are the result of him intervening to kill me.'
Abrasax-Deus was both an Otherworld God and simultaneously Creator Isaac's assistant.
If an administrator holding Otherworld authority had intervened, it explained why enemies had suddenly become so strong.
In other words, the current difficulty couldn't simply be called no-assistance level.
This was truly genuine hack-physical hell difficulty.
And filled with the will to kill him at that.