Chapter 150

I quickly glanced at Yoo Ju.

The thought was that if she was a Returner, she might know something about this situation.

The problem was that Yoo Ju also looked extremely flustered.

In fact, she seemed completely clueless about what was going on.

“What the… Why is something of this level here…?”

‘…Damn it, what the hell is happening?’

One of the members outside rushed into the tent, shouting with a pale face.

“E-everyone, you need to come outside right now!”

Everyone who stepped outside was at a loss for words.

The sight before them was beyond common sense.

Everyone just stood there, their faces stiff, staring at something approaching.

After a moment of silence, someone spoke up with a trembling voice.

“…W-what the hell is that?”

No one could answer the man’s question. After all, no one knew what that thing was.

‘What the f*ck is that? Damn it!’

What was approaching us was a massive… writhing black mass.

‘F*ck!’

I hurriedly checked its information.

[ Cocoon of Birth (Quasi-Myth Grade) ]

[ A cocoon that protects the Mother of Birth. The cocoon is merely an outer shell, serving as the dwelling place of the Mother of Birth. ]

[ Due to the low grade of its unique traits, the monster’s weaknesses and detailed information cannot be identified. ]

‘…Quasi-Myth Grade?’

This was absurd. Amidst all this, I couldn’t help but question Yoo Ju.

‘Why did she even join the Swamp of Oblivion expedition? Did she really defeat that monster in the first round?’

Since Yoo Ju had confidently decided to join, I hadn’t been too worried about the Swamp of Oblivion expedition.

Of course, there were some dangerous situations, but they were within acceptable limits.

But this monster was different. Just by looking at it, I could tell it was on a completely different level from anything we’d faced before.

When I glanced at Yoo Ju, she was pale.

It seemed she had some idea of just how powerful that thing was.

Her expression showed fear of the unknown and confusion about why this situation had occurred.

‘Damn it! How the hell are we supposed to take that thing down?’

Honestly, since it wasn’t a full Myth Grade monster, it might be possible.

But a lot of people here would die or get hurt.

There was no guarantee that I or the people around me would survive.

Ahn Yeon-ho, who had been staring blankly at the thing, finally spoke.

“…Forget about the Swamp of Oblivion expedition. The real problem is that most of us are about to die.”

“…I agree. I wanted to avenge my brother, but…”

As Ha Yu-ri spoke as if she had already accepted her death, Yoon Yeon stepped forward with a determined expression.

“No, everyone, don’t give up. Are you really going to give up without even trying to fight?”

“…..”

When no one answered, overwhelmed by the situation, Yoon Yeon bit her lip and shouted.

“…Snap out of it! Have none of you ever faced a crisis while working on this continent? Don’t act like rookies!”

At Yoon Yeon’s words, one person spoke up in a frightened voice.

“B-but… how are we supposed to deal with that…?”

“The method isn’t something you see, it’s something you make. Everyone, prepare for battle. The main combatants will be me, Ha Yu-ri, Ahn Yeon-ho, and Yoo Ju. The rest of you, follow the instructions of your Clan Masters and provide support.”

The Cocoon of Birth had already reached right in front of us.

It was writhing as it approached, and while it seemed slow due to its size, it was actually moving quite fast.

“I’ll charge in first! Everyone, stay focused!”

Yoon Yeon finished speaking and immediately rushed forward.

‘What the hell? What does she think she’s going to do against something that big with her fists?’

To me, it looked like Yoon Yeon was trying to commit suicide.

Yoon Yeon shouted to everyone.

“Everyone, approach carefully!”

‘Damn it…’

Watching Yoon Yeon run forward, I felt anxious.

She narrowly dodged a chunk of flesh flying toward her.

‘Is she really going to fight that thing?’

Of course, there was no other way, but I couldn’t think positively about it.

‘Damn it, isn’t there any other way?’

All I could do was nervously chew on my lip.

‘And where the hell did Yoo Ju go?’

In the brief moment I looked away, Yoo Ju had disappeared.

When I turned my attention back to the battle, the cocoon began extending branches of flesh in all directions.

“What the hell is that?!”

It was inevitable that those approaching the cocoon would panic.

The grotesque sight was unsettling enough, but the way something was swelling up like fruit on those branches was downright creepy.

Suddenly, the fruit expanded and burst, and some of those nearby were caught in the blast.

“What the…”

…Those caught in it didn’t even have time to scream. Their bodies were completely obliterated.

Some were still alive, but only barely.

Those who had lost parts of their bodies in horrific ways just gasped for breath before dying.

“Damn it! Don’t approach recklessly! Only those confident in dodging attacks should get close!”

At Yoon Yeon’s shout, a few who had been recklessly approaching quickly backed off.

The problem was that I could see Yoo Rim had already gotten dangerously close to the thing.

“Yoo Rim! Get back!”

‘Damn it!’

Yoo Rim had grown stronger, but against a Quasi-Myth Grade monster, she was like a candle in a typhoon.

Yoo Rim tried to move back at my shout, but the monster was faster.

In an instant, one of those flesh branches formed near her.

“Yoo Rim!”

I couldn’t help but imagine it—Yoo Rim being killed by that monster.

Hyeon-jin, who was closest to Yoo Rim, rushed to save her, but in my mind, it was already too late.

The fruit on the branch began to expand again.

Yoo Rim seemed to foresee her death as she looked at me.

“F*ck, no!”

I reflexively started running, but I knew the distance was too great to make a difference.

Just before the fruit burst, a black spike shot out from the ground and pierced the branch.

Then, a black cube formed and pushed Yoo Rim away.

“Ahhh!”

The fruit burst, but thankfully, Yoo Rim was pushed out of harm’s way.

I sighed in relief, as did Hyeon-jin, who had been running toward her.

From beside me, Charis’s voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

“Hmph, you’re lucky. I just happened to be here.”

For once, I was truly grateful to Charis.

If it weren’t for her, Yoo Rim would have died right there.

“…. I’ll give you 7 days off.”

“…That’s it?”

“…Fine, 14 days of premium vacation.”

She frowned at the 7 days off but seemed satisfied with the 14.



At the mention of “vacation,” a somewhat satisfied expression appeared.

Fortunately, it seemed they had escaped its range, as Hyeon-jin and Yoo-rim managed to get out safely.

“Hyeon-jin, you did well.”

“Huff… huff… No, it’s thanks to Maid Charis…”

“Don’t call me a maid. Who said I’m a maid?”

“Ah… sorry…”

For now, I left Hyeon-jin and Charis’s conversation behind and focused on Yoo-rim.

“Lee Yoo-rim, are you crazy? Why did you get so close?!”

“Ha, but… I wanted to help…”

“You need to know when to step in and when not to, are you kidding me?! Do you think that monster will even flinch if you attack it? You’d just die like you almost did just now. Got it?”

“Ah…”

“Never take solo action in situations like this.”

“Yes… Oppa…”

Honestly, as someone who often acts alone, I wasn’t in a position to lecture Yoo-rim, but the harsh words just came out.

Just as I finished talking to Yoo-rim, I saw Yoo Ju pulling a cart.

‘What’s that? What’s she carrying?’

“Yoo Ju, what’s this?”

“Throwing spears.”

With that, Yoo Ju grabbed a spear and threw it with all her might.

Whoosh—

Crash!

She didn’t stop at one, continuing to throw spears.

It didn’t seem like she was aiming to deal damage.

‘Is there another purpose?’

I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the spears were embedded at regular intervals, pointing upward.

After finishing, Yoo Ju shouted to Yoon Yeon.

“Use the spears as footholds!”

Understanding her intention, Yoon Yeon stepped on the spears and began moving toward the center of the cocoon.

The cocoon attacked with branches or swung flesh at her, but she dodged with such precision that it left everyone in awe.

‘Crazy…’

One hit wouldn’t be fatal, but it would still hurt.

But Yoon Yeon’s face showed no fear—only the joy of having a path opened.

Reaching the pulsating center of the cocoon, Yoon Yeon put all her strength into a punch.

Crack!

The moment her fist made contact.

Splat—

The center of the cocoon burst, spewing dark red blood.

It was clear even to the naked eye that significant damage had been done.

Not stopping there, Ha Yu-ri activated her magic, targeting the spot Yoon Yeon had punched.

“Bloom!”

The regenerating wound froze, and icy flower crystals began to bloom.

Despite their beautiful appearance, the magic within the ice flowers was meant for destruction.

As the ice flowers scattered, sharp magical energy shot in all directions, further tearing open the wound from Yoon Yeon’s punch.

Meanwhile, Yoo Ju prepared to throw her spear again.

But this time, she wasn’t holding a throwing spear—she had her Legend Grade weapon in hand.

“Ha!”

With perfect form, Yoo Ju launched the spear.

Boom!

The spear struck the cocoon like a bolt of lightning.

Crackle!

The area around the spear turned to ash as if struck by thunder.

The cocoon, heavily damaged by the consecutive attacks, shook violently and stopped moving.

“… Did we get it?”

“Hey, you idiot! Don’t jinx it!”

Someone’s comment made a nearby companion scold them in panic.

And in that moment, black substance filled the wound and struck Yoon Yeon, who was closest.

“Ugh…!”

Yoon Yeon was sent flying, blood pouring from her abdomen.

Fortunately, she managed to break her fall, but the abdominal wound was serious.

Yoo Ju immediately approached the cocoon. Her spear had returned to her hand, and she seemed intent on dealing a close-range blow.

From my perspective, watching this was nerve-wracking.

‘Damn it…!’

The battle continued with Yoo Ju and Ahn Yeon-ho on the frontlines, supported by Ha Yu-ri.

The rest of us could only distract the cocoon, unable to intervene directly.

Ha Yu-ri used ice magic to counter the cocoon’s attacks before they could bear fruit.

Yoo Ju and Ahn Yeon-ho fought on, undeterred.

After several minutes, the cocoon seemed to realize it couldn’t defeat them and began covering the ground with a slimy membrane.

Naturally, everyone had to retreat.

Yoo Ju ended up next to me.

“What’s this?”

Ha Yu-ri answered Ahn Yeon-ho’s question.

“Not sure. But one thing’s clear—don’t touch it.”

Instinctively, everyone knew stepping on the ominous black membrane would end badly.

Just as tension peaked, masses of black flesh rose from the membrane, lunging at Yoo Ju as if to swallow her.

Others tried to intervene, but walls of flesh blocked them.

“Ha!”

Yoo Ju swung her spear, cutting through the flesh, but…

“Yoo Ju!”

“Ah…!”

The real threat was below. The flesh grabbed her ankle and pulled her down.

“Ugh!”

In an instant, the flesh closed in to swallow her.

“… Huh?”

I don’t know why I did it. My body just moved on its own.

“What, what are you doing! Yoon Seong! No!”

I burned the flesh wrapped around Yoo Ju’s foot and pulled her out.

‘Ah… damn…’

But immediately, black masses moved to swallow both of us.

There was no way to dodge both.

Logically, I should’ve left Yoo Ju and saved myself, but my body moved again.

“No—!”

With Yoo Ju’s scream, I was swallowed by the cocoon.