S-Classes That I Raised to Devour - Chapter 88

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 88. The Burden of Responsibility (8)
The center and stern of the hull belonged to Brian alone.
Chae Mujin and the 1st Generation Hunters had taken positions at the bow.
The Kraken wasted no time, moving its tentacles to crush the ship.
Whoooosh!
A colossal tentacle split the sky, tearing through the air as it bore down. The eerie sound of displaced air—a noise that pierced the eardrum—made goosebumps rise across their skin. Even before impact, the crushing pressure seemed to flatten their bodies.
Then Brian crossed his hands and stretched them toward the tentacle, crying out.
“Dark Shadow Bind!”
Chains of darkness erupted from his shadow and his duplicate, binding the tentacle fast.
Compared to the Kraken’s tentacles, the chains were thin as thread, yet the limb could not budge an inch.
In the blink of an eye, Brian had incapacitated one tentacle and shouted.
“I will hold this position no matter what.”
There was no time to respond before another tentacle descended on the bow.
Chae Mujin immediately called out to Lee Minji.
“Attack power buff, ten thousand!”
In an instant, Lee Minji, blessed with tremendous buffs, leapt upward.
The effects of Undefeated Consecutive Strike and Bow-must-win further amplified the buff’s potency.
In just five seconds, she was faster and stronger than Brian himself.
Lee Minji drew in a deep breath, and her entire body rippled with corded muscle.
‘Superhuman Strike.’
The massive Hammer she currently wielded weighed three hundred kilograms.
Added to that were the 4.5 times multiplier from the Superhuman Strike skill, bringing the total to 1.3 tons.
She swung it as if it were a feather. Her strength had increased by that same 4.5 factor.
Compressed gravity exploded violently along the Hammer’s arc.
Crack-boom!
The moment it struck the tentacle, the air itself screamed and shattered. The impact was so tremendous that the large ship lurched, and the Whirlpool itself momentarily came apart.
The Kraken’s tentacle, suffering terrible damage, sank beneath the surface and did not return.
Yet Lee Minji, who had incapacitated one tentacle with Bow-must-win, did not escape unscathed.
Unable to stabilize herself against the shockwave, she was about to tumble into the sea when—
Snap!
A rope was already secured around her waist, and Choi Gangim held the other end.
After pulling her safely back onto the deck, there was no time to ask if she was all right.
A tentacle came from the right.
This time, not from above, but in a straight line.
Not a downward strike, but a thrust.
Choi Gangim rushed forward, gripping the World Tree Shield with both hands.
Crack-boom!
The Kraken’s tentacle lashed at both the ship and the shield simultaneously.
It seemed impossible—like trying to stop a massive vessel with a single shield—
Yet the tentacle could not break through the ship or advance further. Choi Gangim’s shield held it at bay.
The World Tree Shield absorbed and dispersed fifty percent of the impact, and in that moment, his skill activated.
‘Power Struggle.’
A test of strength between Kraken and human, the shield between them.
It was madness.
Like a human lifting a collapsing building with bare hands.
A suppressed groan escaped through Choi Gangim’s teeth. His skeleton, pushed to its limit, screamed; burst blood vessels left crimson marks across his skin.
Yet his eyes did not waver. One thought alone occupied his mind.
‘If I fall back now, we all die.’
Of course, his comrades would not leave him to endure forever.
Chae Mujin wrapped his blade aura around the Legendary Sword Arimaksi, wounding the tentacle.
Kim Yeoul’s Flame Orb burned that wound, making the tentacle writhe in agony.
Then Lee Minji, pushing off the deck, arced through the air.
Without hesitation, she brought her Hammer down upon the tentacle’s center. Though the effect of Bow-must-win had faded, her strike was still enough to make the limb convulse.
Then Choi Gangim, who had held his ground without a sound, his eyes blazing, pulled the shield back slightly and brought it crashing against the tentacle with all his might.
Crack!
A blow timed perfectly for that instant when the tentacle’s strength had fled—proof that Choi Gangim had won the Power Struggle.
Victory triggered the Incapacitation effect. That absolute judgment froze all twelve tentacles in an instant.
Being a Boss-Class Monster, the freeze lasted only moments.
“Haah… haah…”
“Huu… huu…”
“Wheee… wheee…”
Those who had fought without breathing now had time for a single breath.
The tentacle that lost the Power Struggle sank into the sea. Only two remained.
Chae Mujin glanced back. Brian had incapacitated three tentacles alone.
Five of the twelve tentacles were down.
Seven remained.
Yet not a single face bore hope.
Whoooosh.
The tentacles that had sunk below surface in incapacitation rose again. Pristine, as though nothing had happened.
Well, not quite. Spines now jutted from the tentacles. They could no longer strike freely.
Seeing this, Lee Minji muttered in dismay.
“This is beyond words.”
Chae Mujin had warned them beforehand: the Kraken could not be defeated, only endured.
Lee Minji’s trump card, Bow-must-win, was exhausted. Choi Gangim’s Power Struggle could not be used consecutively.
And the Kraken returned stronger.
No despairing sigh, no bitter smile. Their bodies froze for a moment before a strength that defied logic.
“Here it comes!”
With Chae Mujin’s cry, the Kraken’s tentacles descended once more. The spines made the pressure three times worse than before.
“Yaaaaah!”
Lee Minji, breaking free from despair, shouted and swung her Hammer.
* * *
Even with Chae Mujin’s buffs raising all her stats by two thousand, injuries were unavoidable. Bones fractured, organs bruised.
Each time, Chae Mujin cast his healing skill and said.
“We can still fight.”
Chae Mujin himself had fractured ribs puncturing a lung, but he shouted powerfully, driving on the 1st Generation Hunters.
The medium-speed yacht, beaten countless times and constricted by tentacles, somehow maintained its form.
Brian held the vital engine section, and the additional Lightning Armor the Dwarves had installed proved remarkably resilient against the Kraken’s assault.
They had nearly escaped two-thirds of the Whirlpool. Chae Mujin shouted once more.
“The Kraken isn’t invincible! This monster is exhausted too. We’re almost there!”
The 1st Generation Hunters had already squeezed every last drop of strength, but hearing those words, they burned everything they had.
Thud!
Lee Minji was knocked back while striking away a tentacle lashing at the ship.
She tried to rise, but her legs would not obey.
A tentacle descended, about to crush her.
Chae Mujin threw himself forward.
A Light Sword in his right hand, a Legendary Sword in his left. He crossed the blades to shield her from being flattened.
Crack, snap, splinter.
Strange sounds erupted from Chae Mujin’s entire body. Blood trickled from his ears and mouth.
Crack, splinter-crunch!
Just as the deck threatened to cave under the weight, Choi Gangim rushed in and activated his Power Struggle skill.
Grooooaan!
While Choi Gangim held firm with Power Struggle, Chae Mujin slapped the dazed Lee Minji across the face.
“Do you want to die?!”
“N-no…”
“Cough, Healing Light.”
Without the focus for a Wordless Chant, Chae Mujin cast the healing skill with an incantation.
Lee Minji’s eyes trembled.
By the measure of injury, Chae Mujin was in the worst condition. Yet he cast healing on her, not himself.
“……”
Whether from the Healing Light or recovered consciousness, Lee Minji got to her feet. She grabbed her scattered Hammer and struck down at the tentacle beside Choi Gangim.
“Healing Light.”
Chae Mujin supported his trembling legs with his hands. He cast Healing Light again, but it only made the pain worse.
He quickly pulled a handful of Stimulant from his Shadow Bag and chewed it down.
The pain vanished. His dulled mind snapped sharp.
In its place, his body felt like it belonged to someone else.
As long as he could move, it didn’t matter.
‘I’m the least useful one here.’
The buffed 1st Generation Hunters could at least trade blows with the Kraken’s tentacles.
But without buffs, he dealt no damage and could not tank.
‘Then do your job as Support, Mujin!’
Chae Mujin steeled himself and quickly surveyed the field again.
Boom-crack!
At the sharp sound, Chae Mujin swiftly drew his Handgun. The Kraken had fired the spines from its tentacles.
He shot at it—not the spine aimed at himself, but the one heading for Kim Yeoul.
Lee Minji shielded herself with her massive Hammer; Choi Gangim was durable enough not to care.
But Kim Yeoul had just fired her Flame Orb and was defenseless.
“Manager!”
“I blocked the vitals with my arms. Don’t worry!”
She had protected her face and heart, but spines had driven deep into other parts of her body.
By the time the pain medication fully took effect, Chae Mujin felt nothing at all.
But the blood loss—the anemia from bleeding—he could not avoid.
Slap!
Chae Mujin slapped his own cheek to stay conscious, then drew Hand Grenades and hurled them at the tentacles.
Even with mana, the grenades dealt no real damage to the tentacles.
But they were effective at disrupting the path of its spine attacks.
After defending against the barrage of spines, Chae Mujin leaned against a pillar and caught his breath.
‘Mana’s all gone.’
Thanks to the Venometric Amulet, a hundred mana regenerated every minute, but that meant he could do nothing for a full sixty seconds.
His heart pounded as if it would burst; the ship lurched violently. Yet inwardly, Chae Mujin remained serene.
‘Everyone fought well. Especially Brian—I owe him a lot.’
Brian, holding back eight tentacles alone while protecting the engine—they had made it this far because of him.
‘We’re really close now.’
Five minutes, maybe ten. Endure just a bit longer, escape this Whirlpool the Kraken created, and the monster would give up. No more attacks after that.
Then Chae Mujin saw something impossible.
Splash!
New tentacles rising from the sea.
Smaller than the originals—just the size of an adult forearm.
But unmistakably, it was Kraken.
Whoosh!
Cunningly, the tentacle seized the weakest Hunter present.
“Ugh!”
Kim Yeoul’s limbs were constricted.
Who could have predicted it? A new tentacle appearing.
Chae Mujin calculated rapidly—no, there was no time to calculate. The distance was too great to reach and sever the tentacle. He drew his Handgun and aimed.
Shake, shake, shake.
Without pain, but his body trembled so violently the gun sight wavered.
Firing in this state? Madness. The chance of hitting Kim Yeoul was higher than hitting the tentacle.
“Breathe…”
After a deep breath, Chae Mujin pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang-bang-bang!
A Mana Bullet carrying all his recovered mana flew. The moment everyone heard the gunshot, their eyes widened in shock—
Burst!
The bullet struck true, hitting only the tentacle binding Kim Yeoul.
Kim Yeoul seized the opening. She tore herself free from the tentacle’s grip and ran.
The crisis seemed resolved.
Crash!
A shadow surged from the depths.
It was not a tentacle.
Shriek!
The owner of the small tentacle—a young Kraken—burst from the water and climbed onto the deck.
Knowing that Kim Yeoul was the one who hurt its tentacle, it immediately extended an intact limb toward her.
Bang-bang-bang!
Chae Mujin fired again.
A few rounds struck the young Kraken by luck, but it noticed nothing. The bullets carried no mana.
Chae Mujin, his mana depleted, tried to rush forward to block with his body—
Stumble.
His legs were too damaged for an all-out sprint.
Kim Yeoul did not stand idle. She fired Flame Orbs, trying to incinerate the young Kraken.
Boom-burst!
But what was this?
A massive tentacle intercepted all the Flame Orbs. It could have attacked Kim Yeoul directly, yet it took the blow instead.
Chae Mujin bit his lower lip until it bled. The coppery taste filled his mouth. Before anger came humiliation.
‘Is it teaching it? How to hunt.’
The moment he realized that to this monster, they were merely teaching material for his offspring’s growth, a chill ran to his bones.
Even more desperate: no one could save Kim Yeoul.
Not Chae Mujin, not the 1st Generation Hunters—each was already struggling against their own tentacles. To break away meant death.
Brian’s ankle was caught by the Kraken. It attacked the engine relentlessly; he could not spare his duplicate.
‘No… no…!’
Chae Mujin reached out his hand. Just before the young Kraken leapt to devour Kim Yeoul—
Suddenly, Chae Mujin remembered someone.
He had thought no one could save her. But he was wrong.
There was one person. The only one who could save Kim Yeoul.
Or rather, not quite a person.
Crack-thud!
With a clean impact, the young Kraken soared high into the air.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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