Chapter 140: Half the Damage Was Negated
Meanwhile, around that time.
Walfred was racing down the coastal road at breakneck speed. He had worried about what to do if Elsa woke up, but thankfully, that worry proved unfounded.
Elsa must have been fast asleep, because even with all the violent movement, she showed no sign of stirring.
How long had he been running?
’I can see it.’
The shoreline in the distance.
Judging by the lightning strikes and explosions, that had to be the defensive line. And before long, the state of the battlefield came into clear view.
’That’s a disgusting number of them.’
He could tell at a glance.
Compared to the number of hunters, the monsters were overwhelmingly many. "Swarming" was exactly the right word for the scene.
On top of that, the defensive line was already on the verge of collapse.
To make matters worse, it looked like an encirclement was forming.
’I’d better hurry.’
With that final thought, Walfred veered off the coastal road. The moment his foot touched the frozen sea...
Ding!
[Boon activation conditions met.]
[Boon: Blessing of the Frozen Sea]
Power surged through his entire body.
Walfred picked up speed and stretched out his hand.
"Ice Spear."
A spear of ice formed instantly.
Mana and cold began condensing into the [Ice Spear]. Gripping the rapidly growing spear of ice, Walfred closed in until the battlefield was right in front of him.
And then.
[Maximum charge limit reached]
[Attack preparation complete.]
The full charge was done.
In that instant, Walfred dropped low and bent his knees as deep as they would go. Then he slammed off the ground with everything he had and leaped.
Crack! Boom!
His body shot upward with tremendous force.
Perhaps thanks to the physical enhancement from the [Blessing of the Frozen Sea], the leap was far more powerful than usual.
When he reached the peak of his jump, the whole battlefield spread out beneath him. Scanning it quickly, he pinpointed where to throw the spear.
’Where the monsters are packed the tightest.’
The exact midpoint between the opened gate and the forming encirclement. Toward the spot currently crawling with the most monsters.
Walfred hurled the spear with all his might.
Whoosh!
With a sound that ripped the air apart, the [Ice Spear] flew like a missile and reached its target in an instant.
The moment it struck the ground...
Booom! Kaboooom!
A massive explosion erupted.
The frozen sea split open with a crack, and a powerful shockwave delivered a second blow. Even Walfred was taken aback by a force that devastated the entire area.
’I knew the skill had been strengthened, but...’
He never imagined it would be this much.
Power that pulverized everything within a hundred feet and vaporized every monster caught inside. If he had thrown it toward the encirclement to help the hunters, it would have been a disaster.
After a sigh of relief...
"Frozen Weapon."
Landing on the ground, Walfred formed two ice axes and gripped them in his hands. Then he turned to the nearest woman and asked.
"Where’s the boss?"
"...What?"
"The gate boss. I’m asking where it is."
A woman with short hair who looked to be in her twenties.
She seemed flustered for a moment, but soon turned her head to the side. Following her gaze, his eyes landed on the space in front of the opened gate.
There stood an octopus monster, conspicuously larger and more grotesque than any of the others.
"Ah, that thing?"
It certainly looked the part.
Walfred immediately turned away.
"Burst."
Instant Burst, enhanced fivefold.
With both its maximum range and speed boosted five times over, Walfred tore across the battlefield in the literal blink of an eye.
And then.
[───!?]
Face to face with eyes rolling wildly in shock, he swung his axe.
CRUNCH!
With a violent crack of impact, the octopus monster’s head was blown apart.
A notification followed.
[Warning! Warning!]
[Target has high frost/cold resistance.]
[50% of damage is negated.]
’That was the power with half the damage negated...?’
Walfred could only marvel.
He was feeling anew just how broken a boon the [Blessing of the Frozen Sea] really was.
Meanwhile, perhaps because he had attacked the gate boss, he could feel intense hostility radiating from the surrounding monsters.
And in that moment.
Ding!
[Mark activation conditions met.]
[Mark of One-Versus-a-Hundred: Activated]
"Oh, thanks for that."
His physical abilities amplified even further than before.
Walfred flashed a grin.
Did it sense the danger by instinct?
The octopus monster, half its head blown away, frantically tried to flee back through the gate. But Walfred wasn’t about to just stand by and watch.
Crack! Crackle-crack!
Cold burst outward with Walfred at its center.
[Rapid Freeze] iced over the surroundings in a flash.
Not only the octopus monster, but even the monsters closing in on Walfred froze solid. Breathing out a puff of frigid air, Walfred stepped up in front of the octopus monster.
"I’m busy, so don’t make this annoying."
With that chilling remark, Walfred climbed onto the octopus monster and drove his axes into its head like a madman.
Thwack! Whack! Whack! Crunch!
With every swing, huge chunks of flesh were carved away. Pressing the attack without even using [Ice Shatter], he finally found what he was looking for.
A mana stone glowing blue.
As if in one last act of defiance, the octopus monster lashed out at him with its tentacles. But Walfred moved far faster.
Crack!
The mana stone shattered in a single blow, and the tentacles flying toward Walfred quickly lost their strength and crashed to the ground.
And a moment later.
-----
[Extermination successful.]
[Elite: Kraken]
[Rank]: B
[Rewards]:
[25,000 coins]
[Skill Book - Random (1)]
[Kraken’s Heart]
[Legion Commander’s Baton]
-----
Along with the extermination notification, the octopus monster went limp.
"So its name was Kraken."
Good to finally know.
As he murmured this flatly, the swirling red gate turned blue.
It meant the raid was complete.
Just as he was collecting his spoils...
"Now! Everyone, attack!"
"Keep pushing them back!"
The hunters’ shouts rang out from afar.
They were moving to clean up the monsters weakened by the Kraken’s death. Walfred lent his strength as well, and the monsters’ numbers dwindled rapidly.