Chapter 77: Hard As Hell
We both rushed forward, each targeting a different cave beast. I leapt into the air, raising my gunblade, now in Blade Form, and brought it down hard on the back of one of the creatures. At the same time, Bob charged his target, slashing horizontally with both of his swords.
But the moment our weapons made contact, we knew something was wrong.
It felt like striking solid steel. My blade rebounded violently, the shock traveling up my arm. The gunblade flew from my grasp, clattering to the ground before vanishing into blue particles. My arm trembled from the force of the recoil. Under the beam of light coming from the cavern’s opening above, I checked the spot I had struck.
Not even a scratch.
Bob did not fare any better. His swords bounced off the creature’s leg as if he’d hit stone. The beast turned toward him with a low growl, its massive fist swinging toward his head. Bob barely managed to dodge, diving to the side and scrambling back to me.
"My hands! That damn ugly thing’s is hard as hell!" he shouted, holding up his swollen, reddened hand.
My right hand was just as red and sore. Maybe that bomb earlier distorted our expectations, made us think these things were not as tough as they looked. But now? I understood perfectly why the Guildmaster wanted us to slay them. These beasts were no joke.
Bob raised his hand and summoned Mina. She appeared in a flash of soft light and immediately used her [Soothing Pollen] skill. A calming mist surrounded our hands, gently healing the swelling.
Cack cack cack.
A strange clicking sound echoed through the cave.
We looked around, trying to find the source. Then we saw it,the same beast that had tried to punch Bob was opening its massive mouth wide. From within, a flickering light pulsed, glowing brighter with each flicker. It clicked every time the light flashed.