Chapter 176. Return (4)
[Event: Threats Above and Below the Sea]
Overview: A tremendous threat has appeared before a submarine peacefully crossing the sea. Dangerous monsters are revealing themselves one after another, both above and below the surface. Will you be able to survive and reach land?
Completion Condition: Reach land within 1 hour.
Completion Reward: 1 million Coins.
The Event description appeared the moment they reached the surface.
Anyone could tell this Event had specifically targeted the Nautilus.
The Sea Serpent hadn’t simply stumbled across the submarine by chance and attacked.
It’s technically an Event, but the clear intention was to sink the Nautilus.
This wasn’t the kind of Event that gave them a challenge and asked them to overcome it.
If Kim Nameless hadn’t stepped in, the Nautilus would have sunk.
Kim Nameless...
Thinking of the man who had sacrificed himself to save the submarine, Kang Yujin bit his lip.
I’ll never forget your sacrifice...!
For the sake of that great man who had thrown himself alone into the dark sea...
Kang Yujin had to clear this Event and make sure everyone reached land safely.
With that thought, he took position on top of the submarine’s bridge.
“Kang Yujin!”
Guo Yunzhao came up with several others and shouted.
“Some of us can fight on the water!”
“We’ll hold the Sea Serpent off for now, so you take care of the sky!”
“The sky?”
“Yeah! Look over there!”
Thunder and lightning were already tearing through the sky.
A gigantic shadow moved between the dark clouds.
“A Thunderbird!”
It was an enormous bird.
It looked similar to an eagle, except electricity crackled constantly across its entire body.
“Kieeeek!”
The Thunderbird let out a piercing cry.
Lightning rained from the sky.
“Ghk!”
Kang Yujin had sensed it beforehand and moved, barely dodging.
If he had been even a little slower, the lightning would have electrocuted him and knocked him into the sea.
That’s almost as strong as Lee Hyeonje’s lightning...!
The Thunderbird kept flapping its wings and firing lightning attacks.
Kang Yujin ran across the deck, dodging one strike after another.
How am I supposed to handle this thing?!
Kang Yujin was weak in long-range combat.
He could block or evade attacks coming from a distance, but he had very few ways to attack enemies who stayed far away.
He could convert the Durandal Replica into a spear and throw it...
but if he threw it into the middle of the sea, he might never recover it.
Ah, right.
Kang Yujin hurriedly pulled a binder from his Inventory.
While avoiding another bolt of lightning, he took out one of the talismans inside.
The talisman the Demon Venerable gave me...!
Kang Yujin threw it into the sky.
A translucent ‘platform’ appeared in midair.
“Haaap!”
He leapt onto it and jumped again.
Another platform formed beneath his feet.
Once his foot touched the first one, new platforms continued forming every time he needed one.
Using the platforms that appeared whenever he reached the highest point of each leap, Kang Yujin ran higher and higher into the sky.
“There!”
At last, he reached the Thunderbird.
Kang Yujin pulled the Durandal Replica from his Inventory.
Then he launched himself forward and drove the Durandal Replica into the Thunderbird’s wing.
“Kieeeek!”
The Thunderbird screamed and thrashed wildly.
Kang Yujin clung tightly to the Durandal Replica and hung from the bird.
Now he just needed to beat it down until it could no longer fight...
“Ugh...?!”
Suddenly, the Thunderbird rolled in midair.
Its movement resembled that of a cutting-edge fighter jet.
Kang Yujin briefly lost his balance.
At the same time, the Durandal Replica was pulled free from the Thunderbird’s wing.
I’m falling!
Fortunately, the talisman’s platform effect was still active.
Kang Yujin stepped onto another platform and prepared to charge back toward the Thunderbird.
But the Thunderbird flapped its wings and gave another piercing cry.
“Kieeek!”
Ferocious lightning poured toward Kang Yujin.
They were too close.
Dodging would be difficult.
But...
[Nameless Great Art]...!
Kang Yujin instinctively activated [Nameless Great Art].
The incoming lightning distorted...
then was sucked into Kang Yujin’s arm.
I can steal this too?!
He could tell the Thunderbird above him was startled.
Kang Yujin raised his arm toward its torso.
Heaven-Shaking Tyrant Dragon...!
The stolen lightning erupted all at once.
It formed a dragon and slammed directly into the Thunderbird’s chest.
Even if the Thunderbird controlled lightning itself, there was no way it could withstand all of that energy concentrated into one point and driven through its chest.
“Kreeeeek!”
With its chest pierced through, the Thunderbird screamed in agony and began falling.
But Kang Yujin was falling too.
The talisman’s effect had ended.
And directly below him...
“ROOOOAR!”
The Sea Serpent had raised its head toward Kang Yujin.
Guo Yunzhao and the others were bombarding it with attacks, but the Sea Serpent ignored them and opened its jaws toward Kang Yujin.
This is bad...!
There was no time to pull another talisman from his Inventory.
At this rate...
he would fall straight into the Sea Serpent’s mouth.
“Mr. Kang Yujin!”
At that moment...
something suddenly flew in from the sky and caught him.
“Are you okay?!”
“Huh?”
Kang Yujin looked up at the face of the person who had rescued him.
A man with short, sporty hair was riding a Chimera through the air.
“Who are you?”
“Seriously?!”
The man hurriedly brushed his bangs back to expose his forehead.
“It’s Seok Taejun! You don’t recognize me just because I grew my hair out?!”
“It’s only been about a month. How did it grow that much? Have you been thinking dirty thoughts?”
“I was already growing it before you left for China! You probably couldn’t tell because I was wearing a cap!”
“I was joking.”
“You really were joking, right?”
“You look handsome with longer hair. Bald really didn’t suit you.”
“I told you, I wasn’t bald. It was a skinhead... Ah, forget it.”
“Grrr!”
The Chimera beneath them growled happily in greeting.
Kang Yujin stroked its back and asked Seok Taejun,
“How did you get here?”
“We heard you were arriving today, so we came to meet you!”
“But the sea looked strange, so we hurried over!”
“Either way, thanks for coming.”
Kang Yujin looked back up.
Even though he had just defeated one Thunderbird, the dark clouds remained.
