"This is literally hell."
"No, it needs to get even more chaotic."
I clicked my tongue as I looked down at the dungeon from a high vantage point.
All the trees in Efnell's garden had long since been devoured by Gu.
What remained were creatures spewing poison and land soaked in venom.
'It's going to take a bit longer than I expected.'
It had already been an hour since I released Gu onto the surface.
In that time, 70% of the dungeon's creatures had been eaten by that thing.
Thanks to that, Gu's size had surpassed that of most monsters.
It was now a staggering 30 meters tall—no, it was as massive as a mountain. I wondered how I could even capture such a creature.
'Well, at this rate, it might not be able to devour the entire garden.'
It was obvious at a glance.
Compared to when it would swallow anything that came near its mouth, Gu was now lazing around.
Monsters were fleeing right in front of it.
Despite being within reach and size to be devoured in one bite, Gu didn't even move, just watched. It seemed too full from repeated meals to care about anything.
Would Gu even move in that state?
I wanted Gu to devour everything in this dungeon.
But the question was whether it would act according to my intentions.
For me, this dungeon, Efnel's garden, is a place I need to clear.
But for Gu, this dungeon is its birthplace and home.
For Gu to devour everything in the garden would mean leaving only itself on this land.
In other words, it would mean the destruction of this ecosystem.
Could Gu really bring that about?
At least, I don't think so.
I had no choice.
"I'll have to give it a little push."
I pointed my finger toward Gu.
A technique I could now use after becoming Ilmiho, mastering mana control and the double helix.
Heat Yang Finger.
One of the many martial arts I've learned.
A finger technique that uses only the fingers to fight.
Originally, it involved converting mana into heat and yang energy, wrapping it around the fingers to attack acupoints and blood vessels.
But now, with yang energy overflowing in my body and my speciality in flame magic, I can skip the earlier steps and wield it directly.
However, since Heat Yang Finger is still a martial art, it requires direct physical execution, which carries the risk of injury.
My frail body's durability makes even finger techniques difficult.
But then I had a slight change in perspective.
Finger techniques don't require the same level of finesse as other martial arts.
If I were to fight with my hands, I'd mix in claw techniques using nails and hands.
If I were to use only finger techniques, there's no need to engage in close combat with this fragile body.
I could just shoot it from a distance.
Swoosh!
I aimed my right index finger at Gu.
I took a stance as if holding a sniper rifle.
"Teacher? What are you doing?"
"Shh!"
I covered my mouth with my free left index finger.
A gesture to stay quiet.
It had been a while since I used finger techniques, and Gu's massive size made it hard to find a target, so I needed a focused environment.
My aim was Gu's abdomen, sluggish from overeating.
The aim was set, and all that was left was to shoot.
[Heat Yang Finger.]
A red light flickered from my index finger.
The light flashed for a moment, then turned into an intense beam aimed at Gu.
───!
The beam tore through the air.
It wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, but it was enough to pierce a hole in one of Gu's internal organs.
Kieeeeeek!
Whether from the immense pain of the pierced organ, Gu let out a scream.
But in an instant, new flesh began to grow.
That wasn't regeneration.
It was a real-time adaptation to the stimulus.
'That's exactly the ability I want.'
The ability to adapt to any situation and stimulus.
That's exactly what I need for my frail body.
Swoosh!
So I raised my finger again.
This time, I aimed with my thumb.
My index finger was trembling too much from the shock of the last strike to be usable.
I used each of my ten fingers, in turn, to pierce holes in Gu's belly and internal organs.
Of course, to ensure it didn't adapt to flame-based attacks.
I adjusted the power to keep it just below the threshold.
It was a more complex process than I thought, and I was on the verge of running out of both stamina and mana.
"Phew, that should be enough."
Kieeeek!
As if responding to my words, Gu writhed in pain.
The more it thrashed, the more of its consumed meals fell out of the holes in its body. As this happened, I noticed Gu's size gradually shrinking.
Perhaps realizing this, Gu began devouring more than what was falling from its insides.
No more laziness.
Gu was now determined to devour everything in sight.
Fortunately, the hunters who entered the dungeon took one look at the massive Gu and fled in terror.
Of course, not all hunters ran.
Those who entered the dungeon with specific goals were still here.
Me, aiming to clear the dungeon, and Lee Ji, who's been following me around.
And the three stalkers who've been chasing me since the mansion.
Only five of us remained.
And interestingly, Gu charged toward the direction of the three stalkers.
Now, only two of us might remain.
***
A giant centipede-like monster.
For those who knew its original form, it was astonishing. A weak centipede that trembled when placed on the hand of an incompetent family head.
If I had to estimate its rank, it would be the lowest, 10th rank.
It was that weak.
But now, that thing had grown as large as a mountain and was targeting them?
An absolutely unacceptable situation.
They were shadows of the Nine-Tails Guild, one of the limbs of the all-powerful guild master.
No matter how big that centipede got, it couldn't treat them, who had received techniques from the guild master, as prey.
So they ignored it and let their guard down.
That was a fatal poison for a shadow.
Shadows don't need personal emotions.
All they need is the ability to objectively assess situations and think.
Any other humanity must be excised to earn the title of shadow.
In contrast, they were too immature.
Crash!
The centipede, crawled across the ground.
It was burned, with holes in its insides, rampaging through the garden.
And in its path were the hiding shadows.
'Il Young! What do we do now?!'
'Yi Young, calm down. Do as we've trained, kill all distractions and stay composed.'
The man called Il Young comforted the other shadow.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm his pounding heart.
But that didn't last long.
'This is Sam Young. I'm already too late.'
'What...?!'
The two shadows turned around.
Sizzle!
The black clothes and the flesh inside were burning a dark red.
Something green had been sprayed over Sam Young, the youngest of them.
Traces of powerful corrosive poison and acidic poison.
Clearly spat out by Gu.
"No!"
Yi Young let out a scream without realizing it.
For shadows who communicate through mana in each other's minds, this was the worst mistake, breaking their own secrecy.
But the sight of a comrade, who had grown up like a brother, dying was enough to make even an assassin scream.
'Yi Young, don't speak. You might be noticed by the target!'
'B-But Sam Young!'
'We're not meant to live long anyway. For now, focus on completing the mission and hide.'
'Fine, I'll leave him. Maybe it's better he died from the corrosive poison. At least his body won't be discovered by the target.'
Those were his last words.
Crunch!
Gu thrust its maw into the man covered in poison.
With sharp teeth and tremendous suction, it swallowed Sam Young in one gulp.
His last words were hardly fitting for a final statement.
"Damn it! I'll avenge Sam Young!"
"No! Stop!"
Yi Young, enraged by his comrade's death, formed a shadow dagger and charged at Gu. The enemy who killed a comrade he'd grown up with like a brother.
An opponent he couldn't let live, but his dagger couldn't even leave a scratch.
"...Huh?"
Gu had a tough exoskeleton.
The shadow dagger, with strength and cutting power beyond a normal blade, shattered uselessly.
Instead, Gu swung its massive body and struck Yi Young.
In an instant, his ribs and joints were shattered, and his insides turned to mush.
A fatal wound that would be hard to recover from without an elixir.
Of course, they didn't have any elixirs.
Elixirs were potions extremely rarely produced by Cheonho Pharmaceuticals under the Cheonho Group.
Even the family heads of the Cheonho Hundred Families struggled to obtain them, let alone mere assassins.
Yi Young died without even a proper last word, let alone a will.
The most experienced of the shadows, Il Young, clutched Yi Young's corpse and looked up at Gu.
Thanks to the shadows' excellent stealth abilities, he could observe Gu up close without being noticed.
For a centipede-like monster, its exoskeleton was not just tough but nearly impenetrable.
There was no way they could handle it with their skills.
If they were to target anything, it would have to be the soft insides, and even that was a slim hope.
How could it have evolved so much in such a short time?
In fact, the reason was simple.
Gu had already suffered numerous wounds from claws and talons while devouring other monsters.
Those wounds had reached the threshold of Gu's adaptability, and soon its body developed skin impervious to blades, like a sword-proof armour.
'....'
A monster that countered his ability to create physical weapons or terrain through shadows.
Realizing he couldn't possibly kill it, Il Young turned his gaze toward two distant presences.
A scrawny man and a young brat.
Those two seemed utterly at ease, as if they had something to rely on.
A stark contrast to himself, whose legs were trembling in the face of something indescribable.
Crunch!
He bit down so hard his teeth nearly broke.
A wave of unpleasant emotions surged in his chest.
Il Young hid his emotions and revisited an old desire.
This can't be.
I will become the guild master's capable and loyal servant.
I won't be bound as a shadow forever.
To do that, I'll have to deal with those two.
I'll cut the limbs of the incompetent family head, and make the young one commit suicide later.
As he thought this, no thoughts of his dead comrades crossed his mind.
***
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