Nephritus, who had been spouting nonsense, fainted. She was as if she had lost consciousness due to relief. Her condition was not good enough to force her to wake up and listen to the story.
"The injury is serious. To be honest, it looks like he's on the verge of suffocation…."
Kim Yi-hyeon clicked his tongue in embarrassment.
"It's not like I have time to worry. For now, it's best to get as far away from here as possible."
"I guess so. Turkam, can I leave it to you?"
"All right."
Turkam and Tatalia were the only two reserves in the entire operation team. They had strongly expressed their intention to participate, rather than being forcibly drafted.
"There's a medic on the helicopter. He should be able to provide emergency treatment."
Even the professor was skeptical about the possibility of survival. The only thing he could say for sure was that even if he survived, the aftereffects would be severe.
A normal daily life cannot be expected.
"Just in case, bring Tatalia. I can't spare you more than that."
"Oh, yeah? Me?"
While Tatalia was making a surprise attack, Turkam took over Nephritus. Kim Ihyeon offered him advice as he carried the sagging body on his back.
"If it becomes dangerous, throw it away. Think of your own life first."
"That's what I originally planned."
"I don't think so at all."
"You have to do as much as you can."
Turkam, who answered like that, didn't really fit the label of reserve agent. He had become so sturdy that it seemed like he had been rolled over and over again.
'It'll be okay, I guess.'
As for the Great Mother's plan, we can see the outlines to some extent. She would have driven all her forces underground in order to pile up the 'death' to open the sanctuary. The surface is likely to be safe.
Turkam and Tatalia took Nephritus and left the group. Even though it was a heavy load, I could only hope that they would take care of it. I didn't have time to just sit back and watch them.
"It's too late. Let's hurry."
I made my way through the dark underground, relying on the light.
There were two more engagements of similar scale to the first.
While fighting, Kim I-Hyeon felt a strange emotion.
'It looks like a dungeon from some game.'
It was ironic.
The original location of the full-scale war with the Great Mother is the Shiran Empire. Howland also appears in the game, but by that time the Great Mother has already died. Marcus and his fanatics become the main characters.
Even though it's a completely different development from the game's episode.
I am more conscious of the 'game' than usual.
"...."
Kim Lee-hyun looked up at the ceiling.
Before I knew it, my eyes had become completely accustomed to the darkness, and I could see my surroundings clearly with only a small amount of light. Thick pipes were installed next to the turned off lights.
There will be a guy at the end of the pipe.
The puppet leader of the Legion, Markus Dresner.
But he can never be the 'boss' of this stage.
"There is a response!"
Just after the support agent's signal echoed through the underground space.
Saaaa ...
From the other side, a pitch-black swamp began to spread.
The faces of the agents who had participated in the Battle of Bastitera were tense. Some of the fainthearted even held their breath. It was an experience that could not be accustomed to after just one or two times.
Metunafs were born in the swamp. Hundreds of monsters appeared in an instant and roared. Even the sturdy knights instinctively flinched at the demonic screams.
In the distance, there was a godmother.
A poisonous gaze was aimed at Kim Yi-Hyeon.
Kim Yi-hyeon opened his mouth while silently receiving the gaze.
"Everyone get out of the way."
The [Vibranium Composite Sword] created by his hand was passed on to Asterike.
Whoosh, the heat gushed out. In an instant, Asterike, engulfed in flames, took a step forward. The bright red flames flowed like blood. Soot was imprinted on the ground.
The widely spread flames became a barrier.
The walls collapsed all at once. Even so, the Metunafs showed no fear or hesitation. They just jumped into the flames as if it was their only salvation.
The blazing fire demon flickered its tongue.
───!
In the fire, deformed silhouettes lost their original form and collapsed.
"큭!"
The knights backed down in the face of the overwhelming heat. They didn't dare join in. They felt like their bodies would be roasted if they approached recklessly.
"...Can such a spell exist?"
Anima muttered, half in admiration and half in disappointment. As was common sense, he considered spells to be 'miscellaneous skills'. Convenient and sometimes a weapon, but not something to rely on.
Common sense was being mercilessly shattered.
'Phase 1 is definitely the best for Ast.'
Kim Lee-hyun was also amazed once again.
The linkage was abandoned and the other people were left to suck their thumbs. There is no more effective way to conquer Phase 1.
The fact that it wasn't a chaotic battle where enemies and allies were mixed together like in Bastitera was also effective. The Godmother sent Metunafs between herself and the operation team as if she was setting up a barrier.
If that's the intention, I can guess.
'The placement of the soldiers is obvious.'
The ordinary soldiers I've encountered so far. They weren't even able to buy time. The godmother probably didn't expect them either. They were just thrown away to be used as 'consumables'.
The underground is already filled with the remains of death.
At the feet of the godmother were three corpses. They were martyrs who had been offered as sacrificial offerings in the sanctuary just before the clash with the operation team. Blood and letters were dripping from their naked bodies, adding to the swamp.
summer.
The rapidly growing plants wrapped themselves around Metunap's body. Red flower buds bloomed as they absorbed the nutrients. The laughter of the Metunaps, who had fallen into a frenzy, echoed throughout the reservoir.
At some point, even the ceiling was engulfed in swamp. The Metunafs who fell from above were struggling in the pit of fire, laughing as they did so.
- Darling!
Metunap also popped out from the pillar.
Asterike swung her sword quickly and crushed Metunap's head. Even as the entirety of his neck burned, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.
"It's annoying…!"
The flames on the sword became even more intense. Metunap and a part of the pillar melted. I had already killed more than three digits, but there was no end in sight.
Asterike's advance was slow.
When I started to feel out of breath.
The eerie laughter suddenly died down.
The monsters that had been running wild stopped in their tracks.
'opportunity.'
Asterike's bright yellow eyes caught the godmother among the Metunaps. She dragged her feet back and prepared to accelerate. She was about to launch herself like an arrow about to be fired.
There was a scream that struck my ears.
"Asterique, get out!"
As soon as he heard Kim Yi-hyeon's instructions, he immediately changed direction. Asterike retreated significantly to the rear. There was only a moment of doubt as to whether it was not the right time to push forward.
"The end will come."
The godmother recited the blessing as if spitting out a curse.
Accordingly, the swamp transformed into a calm lake.
Winter. The reenactment of the apocalypse has begun.
"this...!"
The professor's face turned pale. Naturally, he had the godmother's spell in mind. He simulated it several times based on the data collected from the last battle.
But this time, things were different.
'The progress is too fast.'
In Bastitera, we had at least a few hours to spare. Not even three minutes after our encounter, we were already in the final stage. The speed of the spell's development was far beyond our expectations.
'The scale is not as large as it was then, but….'
It seemed that the output was limited because it was deployed hastily. However, the fact that it was a threat did not change. The ground shook as if the dam would collapse at any moment.
A whale's head rises from the center of the lake.
The professor bit the inside of his cheek hard to suppress his instinctive fear. It was still too early to despair. He looked away from the approaching figure of death and looked in another direction.
'hyeon.'
There was something Kim Lee-Hyeon had told me in advance.
-You may have experienced it before, but the godmother's spells are absurd.
-Try to cope as much as possible, but don't panic if you fail.
-I'll try to stop it somehow. That's why I brought this.
The relic that was handed over to Vidia was extremely suspicious. It had not been verified and no related literature could be found no matter where you looked. It was hard to believe, but it wasn't Kim Ihyeon.
'If it's Hyun, I can trust him.'
Trust built solely on performance.
No one in rap laughs at his assertions anymore.
Kim Yi-hyeon took out [Necronomicon]. It was a strange book with a stuffed human face on the cover. He dropped it on the ground and made a [Glitch Knife] in his right hand and held it in his hands.
He swung his sword at the hideous face.
Kwaaaa ...
Countless letters flooded out of the [Necronomicon]. The letters poured out as if spitting out blood, and were imprinted on the lake. Something resembling a whale that slowly revealed itself disintegrated.
Kim Lee-hyun chuckled after checking the results.
One of the two effects of [Necronomicon].
Skips the second phase of the Godmother without taking any damage.
'It turns out it's going the right way in the end.'
System-wise, it is nearly impossible to deal with the second phase of the godmother. In Bastitera, [Lame's Index] was used, but it was not a strategy that worked in the game.
Even the first phase, with hundreds of Metunafs rushing in, is difficult. After all the agents are wiped out in the second phase, new agents must be deployed immediately.
If you play it, you will find yourself exclaiming, "This is a really great game."
'The key is to save as many agents as possible until Phase 3... ... .'
The method of passing phase 2 with sacrifice as a prerequisite and then moving on to phase 3. Phase 3 is easy, but it is not. When you see the Godmother slicing through the tanks, you will be very impressed.
This is truly the most difficult level.
Of course, there are users who have cleared the 'impossible stage' where the godmother appears by retrying it. There was a time when it was popular as a challenge in the community. There was a time when just proving that you cleared the stage would become a popular post.
The users who wrote these posts had something in common.
'They were all just a bunch of losers in life.'
Skills at the level of a veteran. More than one car worth of money. Heavy users who have trained agents at the level of the red-hot and equipped them with equipment that is also known as the red-hot.
Among them, there were some who made up for the relatively low payment with superior skills. The named grandpa user '98-year-old mother and fatherless' was one of them.
However, there were no non-paying users.
It was only natural that the game company was criticized for P2W, or in common parlance, a shitty game that required payment. However, it was also unfair from the game company's perspective.
'Because he's not a boss that you can just catch.'
Only after obtaining the [Necronomicon] will normal strategy become possible. If Kim I-Hyeon had not had the experience of defeating Shadower with the [Sticky Brush], he would not have even thought of touching Basteterra.
And now.
I have come with all the conditions necessary to catch the godmother.
"You, how did you…!"
The godmother knew the current situation as knowledge. The relic of the foreign god that ruled the sanctuary. She opened her eyes wide as she felt the hands of her own people whom she hated so much.
The changes didn't stop there.
All the letters were sucked into the godmother.
Wheee!
A strong wind blew through the windowless basement.
The agents who were being dragged by the fiercely blowing wind resisted by holding onto the pillars. Kim I-hyeon also stood firm and watched the godmother.
The godmother's whole body turned dark red.
Numerous facial features appeared on the skin. Hundreds of tiny eyes rolled around as they pleased. The hand that the mouth had vomited out was bitten and eaten by another mouth.
Evidence that we have entered phase 3.
As soon as the wind stopped, Kim Yi-Hyeon grabbed his shield.
"It starts now. Come to your senses."