NOVEL SIMPLE 69. Death!
At the end of Old Speartip's cave. Without the one-eyed giant guarding it, the deep cave was dark and without light, but the witcher apprentices still managed to navigate to the cave's end using their agility and keen senses. Then, an unexpected earthquake occurred.
"What was that tremor?"
Fred got up from the ground, dusting off his clothes. Bond supported himself against the rock wall and looked at Hughes in the light from the cave entrance. Since entering the cave, Hughes, who had been quite active before, had been silently moving forward without uttering a single word. Bond sighed inwardly.
A month ago, when he learned that his longtime companion had failed the Trial of the Grasses, he had reacted similarly. Although Hughes kept saying he believed in Allen, seeing the vast size difference between Allen and Old Speartip, who could truly convince themselves that Allen would be alright?
"I don't know, but this stage is almost over. Let's hurry out of here!"
As they exited the cave, a cold, biting north wind blew through. The three witcher apprentices instinctively tightened their clothes and looked back into the dark cave. The deep, immeasurable darkness within seemed like a grave leading to eternal sleep.
"Hughes, Allen will be fine."
"When we get to the endpoint, we'll find Vesemir to rescue him."
Bond and Fred exchanged glances and then looked at Hughes, who was staring blankly into the darkness, offering their comfort.
After a moment of silence, Hughes nodded and turned towards the altar to activate the medallion. The altar was still guarded by a few trolls' nests, but the apprentices weren't worried because Allen had explained how to deal with them the night before…
Allen, Allen…
Thinking about the upcoming trial and the previous ones, the three apprentices couldn't help but silently repeat his name. It seemed Allen had planned everything, except that he wouldn't be part of the next stage…
Silence fell among them as they walked forward, their expressions blank.
The only sounds were the howling wind and the biting cold.
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"Boom!"
The two monsters crashed into the cave wall again. Their bloody, mangled bodies had wounds so deep that bones were visible. With just his eyes, Allen could barely distinguish which mass of flesh was the Drowner King and which was Old Speartip.
Blood flowed from the cave, completely dyeing the water around the witcher apprentice red. A peculiar scent lingered in Allen's nose, faintly masking the smell of blood. Allen drank two more doses of the Drowner's heart extract.
To prevent the monsters from suddenly killing each other, Allen almost continuously stayed in the [Monster Hunt] state to keep his mental intrusion in their auras, assessing Old Speartip and the Drowner King's conditions.
Allen focused his senses on the mass of flesh with faint blue traces. He sensed the Drowner King's aura rapidly weakening.
In his vision, one of the bloody masses had stopped moving a few seconds ago. If it weren't for the deep entanglement of flesh, the Drowner King would have already separated from the other mass by now.
"The Drowner King is about to die!"
"It's time to finish this!"
Exiting the [Monster Hunt] state, Allen drank two more doses of extract.
[Monster Hunt]
This time, upon entering the state, Allen locked onto Old Speartip's aura directly, not letting his senses drift between the two.
[Monster Hunt] Progress: 1%
"Gurgla~Gurglala~Gurgurla..."
The mysterious and eerie incantation flowed from Allen's mouth. At this point, he no longer needed to chant underwater. Sure enough, the two monsters, 30 to 40 meters away, ignored the strange sounds entirely. The Drowner King was nearly unconscious, and although Old Speartip's condition wasn't as bad, its heaviest injuries were from the waist down to the knees. That area was almost devoid of intact flesh.
Such injuries naturally rendered it unable to stand, and with its pitiful 7 points in perception, it couldn't detect the magical fluctuations from 30 to 40 meters away. Blue light appeared in Allen's right hand.
"Whoosh!"
An ice spear shot through the air, piercing Old Speartip's single eye.
"Roar~"
High-intensity combat, extreme pain, and massive blood loss left Old Speartip's roar weak and feeble. It couldn't even raise its hands to shield itself because its arm tendons had long been bitten off by the Drowner King.
If Allen hadn't decided to be cautious to avoid any sudden outburst before death, he could have leisurely walked over and beheaded the two mangled giants without the [Monster Hunt].
[Monster Hunt] Progress: 24%
After launching the ice spear, Allen quickly swam towards the cave.
At the same time, he kept his eyes on Old Speartip.
"Plop~Plop~"
Allen reached the front of the cave, now only about 20 meters from the one-eyed giant.
[Monster Hunt] Progress: 26%
Perhaps due to severe injuries, the [Monster Hunt] progress continued to rise quickly even without attacking. However, it was difficult to complete within 150 seconds.
So…
"Clang~"
The silver sword was unsheathed, and the beautiful Elsa gleamed softly in the dark cave. Old Speartip seemed to sense something, stopping its wailing and lying still. Allen was not affected by the giant's unusual behavior.
In the [Monster Hunt] state, he was cold and emotionless, with all his feelings focused on one goal.
Kill this monster!
Three steps brought him swiftly close to Old Speartip. The silver light flashed, and flesh bloomed like flowers.
[Monster Hunt] Progress: 37%
Allen quickly retreated, dodging potential attacks. However, Old Speartip remained motionless, and the wound Elsa had inflicted turned pale without spilling a drop of blood.
Had the one-eyed giant died?
Of course not.
Allen's senses detected a weakening but continuous chaotic magical aura around Old Speartip, indicating life.
"Thud! Thud!"
After retreating, Allen reversed his grip on the sword handle.
Spinning, he struck.
"Slash!"
Another wound appeared on Old Speartip.
[Monster Hunt] Progress: 49%
The one-eyed giant stayed still, but Allen sensed its magical aura fluctuating rapidly.
"Cunning monster," Allen thought.
He knew Old Speartip was waiting for him to deliver a fatal blow, which required getting close to its head or heart. But Allen wasn't an ordinary person.
Stepping, spinning, slashing, and spinning, slashing again.
The beautiful Elsa danced a cruel ballet on the giant's body like a silver-winged fairy.
[Monster Hunt] Progress: 67%
79%…
Ding! [Monster Hunt] Progress: 100%
As the progress hit 100%, Old Speartip suddenly shuddered. The massive flesh mound trembled.
"Roar!"
Sensing its impending death, the one-eyed giant struggled violently. But to Allen, it was already dead. Familiar red footprints appeared, leading straight to the giant's neck.
Thud~Thud~Thud~
The footsteps sounded like the grim reaper's call. Allen leaped, landing on the rolling giant. Then, step by step, he walked towards the end of the footprints.
Old Speartip's bloody, mangled face showed extreme fear, and its massive body trembled uncontrollably. But none of this could melt the ice in Allen's heart.
Thud! Thud!
Allen stopped. The red footprints vanished, leaving a red line on the giant's thick neck.
Slash!
The gentle silver light flashed. A thin bloodline appeared on the flesh, separating the head from the body.
Old Speartip was dead!
...….
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70. Letting Go?
71. Can Talk Your Way Through?
72. Could It Be Such a Coincidence?
73. Don't Add to the Chaos!
74. A New Type of Task.