RE: Player again

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[Chapter 088] [A Night Where Fireworks Sound Seeps In (3)]

There's a term called monster wave.

It refers to distortions that cause monsters to appear in clusters simultaneously in the same place as small-scale distortions.

And monsters appearing from such distortions usually move in clusters and are weaker than single individuals.

There were just many of them.

If only I could use magic that can attack a wide area...

On the water surface quite far from the Players facing the clustered monsters.

Eun-ha was facing swarms of monsters endlessly popping out of distortions while stepping on the undulating sea.

8th tier Aozol.

The swarms modeled after giant lobsters were either red or blue in color.

Red Aozol specialized in physical attacks and blue Aozol specialized in magic attacks.

Naturally, the tricky ones to deal with were those with blue shells.

I need to take care of the magic-using monsters first.

Cheonbo

One Point Breakthrough

Madness

Just before the blue Aozol's pincers shone, Eun-ha jumped into the swarm.

A huge splash of water hit where he had just been.

He infused Black Thorn with a full load of mana while getting drenched by seawater that splashed up behind him.

The gust that started from the tip of Black Thorn soon became a single spear including him.

The mana gathered in the spear's body rotated and Cheonbo's propulsive force broke through the Aozol's formation.

Eun-ha who fell into the swarm of creatures quickly spread the residue clinging to Black Thorn radially.

Fine thorns flew at the crustacean monsters, but they blocked the attack with their pincers.

"...Their shells are really tough."

The creatures affected by One Point Breakthrough seemed to have taken noticeable damage, but he couldn't even inflict minor damage to the others.

Without a caster or supporter, progress was hardly being made.

He regretted not bringing Jung Ha-yang after all.

I can't use Violent Venom either...

Violent Venom, the only magic that could attack a wide area.

If he could just use that, he could easily take care of them.

But Violent Venom wasn't magic that could be used anywhere.

Because creatures that die from poison intoxication splatter blood around and infect nearby creatures.

If he carelessly used it in the sea, there was a risk of destroying the marine ecosystem and the toxin spreading elsewhere.

Even Eun-ha himself couldn't predict how long his magic would have an effect.

It was frustrating that the wide-area magic he could use due to his low internal mana wasn't even helpful.

But he couldn't just feel regretful.

He had to find a new strategy.

"Then I just need to make them fight each other."

Cheonbo

One Point Breakthrough

Wild Dance

Stygian Eye

So he jumped into their swarm and caused chaos.

He broke the limbs of nearby crustacean monsters and swung his sword randomly on the water surface.

When they swarmed to catch him, Eun-ha deployed Stygian Eye as if he had been waiting.

It didn't take long for the creatures whose eyes met his to lose their minds and swing their pincers wildly.

Naturally, the crustaceans next to them were damaged, and magic flew around here and there.

The swarm fell apart among themselves.

The chaos spread in an instant.

Rampant

The water surface was a bit slippery.

Because the Aozol's foam that polluted the ecosystem was bubbling up on the water surface.

Eun-ha didn't care much.

The foam endlessly rising on the water surface would disappear once he took them down anyway.

Flash

The sound of fireworks bursting in the night sky then.

The sound of their shells cracking was buried under the fireworks sound.

Only the occasional sound of waves could be heard.

Eun-ha swung Black Thorn at them with all his might.

This makes it inconvenient to pick up mana stones.

The mana stones they were holding plunged into the water with a plop.

Although he quickly grabbed mana stones that floated up, he couldn't obtain all the mana stones that way.

Naturally, more mana stones fell into the water than he could get his hands on.

The vast sea whose bottom couldn't be seen was an area that even the fireworks lighting up the night sky couldn't invade.

Therefore─

"─...!"

Eun-ha who had just defeated all the Aozol swarms and was about to collect mana stones suddenly had his ankle grabbed by something that popped up from below the water surface.

It happened so suddenly that he couldn't even hold his breath fully.

The sea was dark.

He couldn't see anything.

All he knew was that his ankle was grabbed by something that looked like a tentacle.

6th tier...

As a result of deploying detection nets, the creature was estimated to be at least a 6th tier monster.

Eun-ha who belatedly clenched his mouth glared trying to see the monster caught in the detection nets.

Just then, fireworks burst.

For a moment, the sea lit up.

What grabbed his ankle wasn't a tentacle but a squid's leg.

This squid bastard...

He didn't like squid very much.

Especially creatures modeled after squid were still objects of hatred even after turning back time.

But underwater was the creature's home ground.

Currently, without magic that could freely move underwater, there was nothing he could do.

If only it hadn't lost its temper and fired magic from below.

He would have had a difficult battle underwater where he couldn't even breathe properly.

Pride's Counterattack

Artifact Pride's Counterattack.

An artifact that counters almost any magic once a day.

Eun-ha who quickly infused magic into the necklace put in the will to kill.

The necklace's jewel that flashed for a moment created a spherical barrier protecting him.

Soon colorful magic flew from the darkness.

The space shook with thuds from magic that inflicted physical damage just by hitting the wall.

At the same time, he who was being dragged underwater was able to surface due to the recoil from the impact.

It's not much of anything!

He never thought he would use Pride's Counterattack here.

But its ability was satisfactory.

Pride's Counterattack completely countered the magic it fired, erasing the creature from this world.

Eun-ha who confirmed the creature's reaction disappearing from the detection nets surfaced.

It was regrettable that he couldn't collect the mana stone of the creature that was at least equivalent to 6th tier.

But he had to breathe.

"Puah─!!"

He opened his mouth wide that had been closed.

Coughing up water that entered his mouth and gasping for breath, he looked around at the surroundings that were starting to clear up.

Although there were many mana stones he couldn't obtain, he decided to view it positively since he was able to get good quality mana stones.

But─

─Booooo

A sound like a ship's horn blowing.

Large-scale distortions were being created as the scattered distortions combined with each other.

The monster that revealed itself there was a reptile reminiscent of a giant soft-shelled turtle.

Sharp teeth, a shell without patterns.

The creature that caused waves as it was born from the distortion stretched out its long neck and made a sound like a ship's horn.

It's not a monster I can face alone...

5th tier monster Ao Wang.

Eun-ha clicked his tongue after pulling out information about it from his memory.

It was definitely not a monster he could take down alone.

To defeat Ao Wang, he would need to form a party and spend a long time.

But there was no one here.

Buuuuu

Ao Wang recognized him.

Eun-ha maximized his senses to avoid the magic starting to fall from the sky.

He ran across the water surface using Cheonbo, braking midway to change direction.

He blocked magic he couldn't avoid with Avenir's Cloak and deflected it with Black Thorn.

But once is enough!

He couldn't use Violent Venom.

But he had enough bullets.

Eun-ha who changed the Beretta's magazine ran while avoiding the onslaught of attacks.

Ao Wang had difficulty moving due to its huge body.

Using that, he ran to under the shell and stepped on its legs as if wall-walking.

It shook its body, but Eun-ha didn't go along with its intentions.

He endured tenaciously and jumped onto the shell.

...I can do it.

His head that had risen into the air was falling towards the sea.

Nevertheless, he aimed the Beretta gripped in both hands at Ao Wang's shell.

Unlike its appearance, its defense was weak.

Skill No. 001 Invisible Tracker

Revolver Shot

Once was enough.

The bullet that left the Beretta's muzzle transformed into a huge thorn.

The thorn drawing a green trajectory pierced Ao Wang's soft shell.

The thorn burst.

Scattering green light.

"─Today's not a good day!"

"Damn... to think even Ao Wang would appear... Shouldn't we get paid more for this?" "Supporters! Casters! Gather here! It's a high tier monster! Be careful!"

Just then, Players who had been fighting elsewhere were arriving.

He who surfaced from underwater watched the Players attack Ao Wang.

Avenir's Cloak

When large-scale magic from casters and supporters engulfed Ao Wang.

Eun-ha infused mana into Avenir's Cloak which felt heavy from being wet, and hid his body in the darkness.

The Players gathered here were so focused on Ao Wang that they didn't notice him becoming transparent.

So he boldly moved forward.

Revolver Shot

He pointed Black Thorn forward.

Three thorns rotating clockwise centered on the sword.

The three thorns were precisely aiming at the direction the sword was pointing.

Invisible Tracker

Invisible Tracker.

It was magic created by resonance between Noh Eun-ha's determination and a skill stone.

Magic that could unconditionally attack wounded areas within the range of perception.

He fired all the thorns.

The thorns just aimed at the creature, but they flew off in different directions out of his control and stabbed the shell.

Buuuuuuuuuu─!!

It let out a loud scream.

The end of the long battle was approaching.

This time he fired bullets over and over.

The mana-infused bullets flew to the target created by Invisible Tracker no matter which direction they were fired from.

Explosions went off and blasts occurred.

Cheonbo

Its life was fading.

Eun-ha jumped high into the sky as soon as he saw Ao Wang collapsing sideways.

He gripped Black Thorn.

His body tilted downwards.

One Point Breakthrough

Magic that attacks by running in a straight line.

That magic added propulsive force to him falling towards the creature.

Invisible Tracker

Fireworks burst behind him.

The light illuminating the night sky brightly shone on the sword.

The sharp light was confident.

He was confident too.

That this would end it.

Extreme Piercing Striker

He adjusted the blade of Black Thorn.

The blade that had been a one-handed straight sword elongated and changed into a rapier-like form.

Eun-ha who accelerated even more due to the influence of Invisible Tracker became a huge spear with his very existence.

Booooooooo─!!

A death cry.

The huge spear pierced through the shell.

It dug through the shell and penetrated the flesh.

The moment he dived into the sea, Ao Wang scattered into mana and disappeared.

"...Huh?"

"Didn't something just pass by!?"

Eun-ha didn't miss that moment.

Eun-ha who quickly surfaced snatched the brilliant blue light-filled jewel falling from high in the sky.

A 5th tier monster's mana stone...

It would be a shame not to take this.

He inwardly thanked the Players who helped defeat Ao Wang and left the scene.

"...Ao Wang's mana stone must be somewhere!" "Someone shine a light underwater!"

"Where is it? We have to find that at least!" "Do you know how much that's worth...!"

The Players who remained there fell into mental breakdown.

☆

2 nights 3 days.

Monster waves occurred every night in Haeundae.

Each time, Eun-ha jumped into the monster waves and collected mana stones.

Ah, I'm tired...

Of course, it's not that he didn't play at all.

During the day, he swam in the sea too.

Wondering if he might find mana stones he had dropped in the sea the night before.

Though he didn't find any.

"...I'm going to sleep so don't bother me."

"How can you be sleepy when you slept all day for 2 nights and 3 days? No matter how I think about it, Noh Eun-ha, you're really hopeless."

"Want me to close the curtains?"

"No, it's fine. I was planning to wear a sleep mask anyway."

He also taught Bae Su-bin how to swim by pushing her into the sea.

She learned swimming by survival instinct, no different from before his regression.

What happened after was predictable.

Throughout the training camp, whenever Bae Su-bin saw Eun-ha, she would drop what she was doing and charge at him like she was going to kill him.

Her determination had to be acknowledged.

In the end, Eun-ha even hid his body with Avenir's Cloak this morning because avoiding her became too difficult.

"Anyway, I'm going to sleep so don't wake me up."

Even now, Eun-ha was just tired from not sleeping properly.

Fortunately, he didn't regret fighting without sleeping properly since he was able to obtain mana stones.

He could fall into a nice deep sleep.

"What? He's already asleep? Is he really possessed by a sleep demon..."

"Let's talk quietly since Eun-ha is sleeping too."

"...Hey, isn't this a chance? We could play a prank..."

"Parang hyung, if you do that you'll just get scolded by the captain again."

He heard his friends' voices in his sleep.

But Eun-ha decided not to react deliberately.

He was too tired.

"There should be a marker in my pencil case."

"Oh, Bae Su-bin! That's a good idea!"

"...I don't know anything about this."

"Guys, is this really okay? Min-ho, don't you think..."

"How childish."

Summer vacation would be over next week.

The 2nd semester would start soon.

So for the remaining vacation─

"Seo-na, isn't that a shooting star?" "I don't know. I don't know anything about this."

─I should rest well.