171

Ep. 171

The world unfolding beneath the cold ice was a maze.

The underground space I chose as a nest had large openings in both directions, but this place was even more so. It looks like a very large mining drill has moved around here and there, digging a passage.

My Heavenly Mother and I walked through an ice maze built underground.

Thanks to assistive devices, I can avoid getting lost in the dark. Even if it was me, the Mother of Heaven moved without any problems even in this place without a single light.

｢Which way is faster?｣

[Zuzuz zuzu zuzuzu zuzu (I think the right is better)]

｢Really?｣

Her amber eyes as she walked next to me were shining softly like a lantern.

Among the phantom beasts that Wolf can transform into, there is a type that stores light in its body and emits light according to the situation. Thanks to this ability, the griffon can actively utilize its excellent vision both day and night.

Like adventurers exploring an unknown world, relying on a small torch, we continued toward the nest.

'Something strange?'

More than 10 minutes have passed since I came in, but I haven't encountered any creatures. There must be creatures that live in these underground spaces.

Moreover, I didn't know it when I first entered, but the deeper I went inside, the more I became convinced that this empty space was not created naturally.

Heavenly Mother also thought similarly to me.

"I think we came in by mistake."

She pointed to a part of the wall with her front paw.

There were long, 3m long dug-out traces scattered sparsely. It must have been a long time since it was created, so all traces were covered in ice and dirt.

But I know what the traces mean.

What kind of place is this?

This is a space created by a being bigger than any living thing I have ever encountered.

A monster that pales in comparison to Black Gallagon but possesses immense power.

[Zuzuzuz Zuzuzuzu (Ice Horror's territory)]

｢… Considering its size, it is at least an adult or larger.'

Ice Horrors shed their skin as they age, and each time they shed their skin, their body grows bigger and their carapace becomes bigger. It becomes hard. For balance reasons, the game prevents it from growing in size by limiting it to the adult body.

But this is reality. I can't even imagine how big it would be if it continued to grow after becoming an adult.

'Those marks look like marks made by claws on the legs.'

With claws of that size, it would be at least 150 meters long. Indeed, even if it is outside the standard, there will be no shortage.

"Can you feel anything around you?"

[Zuzuzu (not yet)]

Of course, I checked with an auxiliary organ before coming down here. I could only feel the cool air, but no special movement.

I tried using an auxiliary device against the wall, but it was the same as before.

However, if this is the realm of ice horror, you must never let down your guard.

Because of its large size, it does not go out far to hunt. They use a certain area as their hunting ground and target prey that enters it.

'It's been several dozen minutes since I came in. 'You must have known about our intrusion long ago.'

It can detect odors and vibrations from tens of kilometers away. If there is no nest, it can be considered far superior to me, as it can only detect enemies within a radius of a few kilometers.

They must be diligently coming to catch us by now.

Moreover, although the Ice Horror has a very large body, it can reduce the sound of its movement. This is because the downy hair on the legs and body reduces as much of the sound as possible whenever it moves.

Because of these characteristics, if you hear it, it is likely already too late.

Even if he spots the guy chasing him and runs away, this is his home ground. Running away just buys time.

Rather, you need to prepare how to fight it.

'Let's consider them one by one.'

First of all, let's look at the enemy's advantage: I don't know much about him.

I know a lot about ice horror, but I'm not sure how much stronger the being here is.

In the game, the size of the creature does not exceed 100m at most, but the one here is over 150m at the most. My current body size is 28m. If I use the symbol of hunting here, it would be bigger, but compared to the enemy, it is infinitely small.

Ice Horror has no special abilities, unlike Sea Demon or Black Gallagon, which taunts enemies with extraordinary special abilities. Instead, it is a type of creature that pushes forward with its superior physical capabilities.

He's probably superior to me in both strength and defense.

Besides, he has better detection skills than me. The Ice Horror can sense various elements, including vibrations, sounds, and smells, using the antennae on its head.

Since they will quickly find out where I am hiding, I cannot use the usual strategy of starting the battle by surprise.

An enemy with superior detection capabilities than me. And it's unclear how strong he is. These two things are his advantage.

'On the other hand, my advantages are the same.'

Ice Horror also has no information about me. He probably thinks of us as Winter Walkers who accidentally fell underground.

'He doesn't know what I can do.'

If you say that he is a being that deviates from the standards, then so do I.

Even if my combat power is lower than his, I have characteristics that can make up for it.

Also, I don't know about him, but I know 'Ice Horror' well. Ice Horror's Habits Strengths and Weaknesses All the information is in my head.

Various characteristics and experience hunting numerous ice horrors. These are the weapons I carry.

After organizing my thoughts, I summoned Heavenly Mother.

[Zuzuzu Zuzuzu (Let's fight here)]

"Are you going to be okay with just the two of us?"

I shook my head in response to Heavenly Mother's question.

Of course not.

I'll have to face it directly to find out, but it's too much to fight alone.

'If it's bigger than 150m as I thought, it would be difficult to break its carapace.'

Even the thinnest shell would be several meters thick. Unless it has a body strengthened by the 'Symbol of the Hunt' or a destructive trait such as 'The Rod of God', it will not cause any damage at all.

So here, you need the help of everyone other than me, Number 26 and Aadhai Heavenly Mother. [Zuzu Zuzuzu Zuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu (I'll buy some time. In the meantime, go to the nest and bring them back)]

｢Are you trying to lure

them in?｣ [

Zu (Yes)]

｢Well, he's targeting big prey first. That's true, but that's not necessarily true. "I might be attacked first."

It is a valid point.

Ice horrors generally prefer large prey, but this is not without exception. Because they are a very cunning species, they sometimes behave anomalously.

For example, there are cases where it first subdues a weak-looking enemy and then targets large prey. If he acts like that here, the Mother of Heaven will be in great danger.

[Zuzuzu zuzuzu (No need to worry)]

They say he's cunning, but he won't lose with his wits either.

'Guys, it's your time.'

The circular mucous membrane located in the area where the thick stomach armor meets the waist was torn with a sticky sound. The little demons inside the nest poured out.

The infection-related fusion characteristic Tooth Fairy Nest has been activated.

The killer fleas, still small compared to my height of 28 meters, lined up in front of me. Heavenly Mother, sensing what I was trying to do, nodded.

｢…I think I understand.｣

[Zuzu, zuzuzu, zuzuzu, zuzuzu, zuzuzu (Yes. When you reach a fork, turn right and go)]

｢I understand without explaining, right?｣

The griffon snorts and looks into my eyes. .

She didn't say anything, but it was easy to guess what she was thinking.

I nodded slightly and she ran straight ahead.

After sending her away, I looked at the tooth fairies.

'There are things you need to do.'

The guys who came into contact with the thought sect containing my will began to move around, each looking for something to do. When I saw them scattering, I also moved to my seat.

There is a battlefield nearby here suitable for fighting him.

–

'It', which was crawling through the ice cave with countless legs, stopped in place.

This is because there was a change in the vibration that was flowing in from afar.

The large and small vibrations that were moving together suddenly split and moved in different directions.

'It' knows what this means. Among flocks of prey, there are cases where adults serve as bait to protect weak young. This case would be similar.

If so, the answer is fixed.

Aiming for small vibrations. Since the young are slow and weak, it is much more effective to eat them first and target the stronger adults later.

'It' tried to follow the small vibration as usual, but its antennae detected a new vibration.

Small vibrations were pouring out from the large vibrations.

I've never experienced anything like this before, so 'it' was a bit embarrassing. Did small vibrations act as bait this time? Or did he sense something wrong?

'It' touched the floor with its two long, extended antennae. Small vibrations and sounds mixed with the cool texture of the earth and ice came up through my antennae.

He judged it to be the sound of footsteps made by small creatures. That means there are babies around big vibrations.

The reason why there was a change in the large vibration that was felt earlier was probably because it was a creature carrying its young. Although it was rare, such creatures did not exist, so I understood 'it'.

｢Sussssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

however on, however, the 'thing' took off again.

The destination is a place where numerous vibrations gather.

It glided through the ice maze, moving its hundreds of legs diligently. Despite its enormous size, it moved very quietly. If other creatures had heard, they would have mistakenly thought that there was a hole somewhere in this underground space and that the wind was blowing.

The sense of 'it' that moved for such a short period of time caught its prey. There are ten cubs in front of him.

Perhaps some of the offspring of the one that ran away were left behind.

Even though it was a baby, it seemed to be a very aggressive creature, so the stragglers rushed at the 'thing' that appeared in the passage.

'It' opened its four jaws covering its mouth wide and slammed its head down where its prey was. The four jaws exposed the entire frozen floor like an excavator. The cubs mixed in the dirt and rock and ice went straight to the creature's intestines.

This was possible because the size difference between the two was so huge that there was no need to compare them.

The one that killed 10 cubs in one go kept going.

The antennae tell him. After passing through the passage in front of this, you will come across a cavity. There is a big vibration and the babies are gathered there.

Thinking about the upcoming feast, venom drips from my chin. The guy, wanting to get fresh meat into his intestines as soon as possible, ran through the ice cave.

It passed through the passage in an instant and stuck its head out into the wide cavity. The distance to the 'big vibration' was close enough for his antennae to catch the outline.

"I got caught."

A small sound flew through the air.

He didn't know what that sound meant.

However, enormous energies were detected from the entity that made the sound. I knew what result that mass of energy would lead to.

'It' tried to quickly retreat to the back of the aisle, but it was not easy due to its size. While his body was stuck in the passageway and he could not move properly, his fears became a reality.

A huge amount of energy flew from inside the cavity and burned its carapace. 'It' screamed as not only the carapace but also the entire flesh was heated.

｢Ssssss!｣

The pain was similar to what 'It' felt when it was attacked by flying snakes when it was very young.

The difference is that its destructive power is incomparably higher than what was hit at the time.

The energy wasn't enough to burn the guy, it even collapsed the ceiling and walls above his head. As soon as the fire of energy ended, rocks and ice crushed him.

–

'It's as planned.'

There are several ice passages in the cavity I am in, but I deliberately left 10 tooth fairies in those passages.

This is because I was confident that if it was an ice horror that targeted the young or the weak first, it would inevitably trample on the tooth fairies. And I prepared in advance to fire my psychic breath as soon as I felt the Tooth Fairy's death.

The reason for using psychic breath instead of God's whip was simple. Because it was obvious that if God's whip was used, the entire ice plain above their heads would collapse.

If that happens, everyone else but me will be crushed to death right away. Gallagons flying outside will quickly notice that there is something down here.

For this reason, he used the Psychic Breath, a long-distance attack with the second most destructive power after the God's Whip.

'Plus, the enemy was large, so it actually worked well.'

I expected its body length to be 150m, but when I looked at its head alone, it seemed even bigger than that. Because its body was so large, it could not avoid getting stuck in the passage even though it sensed my attack early.

'First of all, I took the lead.'

The passage it passed through was completely collapsed, but the Ice Horror is not weak enough to die from that level of attack. Perhaps the part of its carapace that was hit directly by the psychic breath was damaged.

It will jump out and attack me at any moment.

'Previously.'

In order to deal with monsters, you need to become a monster yourself.

I activated the symbol of hunting.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

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