Chapter 130: A Bit Too Large 5
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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Did I, Han Se-ah, and even the other members expect it to come to this?
It looked like I was dangling in front of the massive worm's maw, dragging the boss monster in a somewhat unflattering posture.
Their eyes seemed to ask, 'Why on earth are you doing?'
"Um, should I attack it now?"
"Yes, please do, Kaiden."
Thankfully, the boss monster, a Giant Worm, was exhausted from its continuous squirming.
The moment Kaiden, in her knight-type golem, drew her sword, I released the worm's sharp teeth from my grasp.
Ignoring me entirely, the Giant Worm, with its slightly crumpled mouth, fiercely lunged at Kaiden.
Perhaps it was more bothered by the noisy golem than by me, who had been holding its maw.
The creatures round mouth was packed with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth, menacing enough to reduce an armored intermediate adventurer to minced meat in seconds.
However, rather than being alarmed, the party members seemed oddly relaxed, cheering Kaiden on.
"It seemed so powerful, but to Roland, it's just another large monster, isn't it?"
"Is it like the Giant Worms outside?"
"...It is, but it's easier to deal with since it doesn't hide underground."
That's because I dragged it here.
It was faster than me, pushing me with its massive body.
I only steered its direction.
Those hundreds of sharp teeth couldn't chew me up, and our party now knew that.
It's easier since it can't suddenly emerge from underground and gobble us up.
It felt like a tutorial on how to handle a large monster.
The viewers also seemed to recognize this as some sort of 'tutorial'.
They showed little interest in the fierce contest between the knight-type golem and the Giant Worm, chatting about other topics instead.
-When we were watching Roland earlier, there was a tunnel on the path the boss was taking, right? Seems like you were supposed to use that.
-Maybe that tunnel is a hideout for when the rocks start rolling, like in Terran.
-If it charges, just block it with your body. (prerequisite: 6).
-What's Terran, old man? This isn't Indiana Jones*.
-How are seniors watching this? Bet they're watching with magnifying glasses.
Yes, the chat was right.
The sprint of a 6 tank was outpaced by the boss monsters charge.
If we assume its speed to be around 120 km/h, it's as fast as a speeding car.
How can you expect a player to outrun that?
Normally, players would first encounter the massive Giant Worm, then, like the warrior and rogue pair we saw earlier, explore the 30th floor while hiding in the tunnels.
Eventually, theyd find this golem hangar.
But we, thanks to the freedom of this VR game, took the opposite route.
We discovered the golem hangar before the boss monster, didn't lure the boss here the normal way and lagged behind in quest updates.
[Assist Han Se-ah in finding the hidden place on the 30th floor 1/1]
[Assist Han Se-ah in finding the hidden place on the 30th floor 1/1 CLEAR]
[Reward: Fragment of an Unknown Dimension]
Like now.
Han Se-ah's quest window appeared a beat later than mine, as if the guy who sent me to this world is telling me Heroes Chronicle is based on 'Heroines Chronicle.'
Furthermore, the quest was automatically completed as soon as it appeared, and the reward was given immediately.
From what I recall, the last reward I received was something similar: a 'Fragment of Information'.
When I visited the temple, it was automatically read, and a portion of my mana was replaced with divine energy.
But this time, instead of a fragment of information, its a fragment of an unknown dimension.
Where on earth can I use this fragment of a dimension?
"Hmm- This guy, it seems like it's clearly hostile to the golems, right?"
"Should we help?"
"No! I'll handle this!"
While Han Se-ah and I discreetly checked our quest windows, Kaiden, be it from a swordsman's pride or fascination with the Knight-type golem, fiercely battled the Giant Worm.
A sound more reminiscent of a grinding stone than an engine became increasingly intense as the two behemoths wrestled.
The Giant Worm, which looked like a massive lump of clay, tried to wrap around the Knight-type golem like a snake and bite it.
However, Kaidens agile movements kept thwarting its attempts.
Sometimes with footwork, sometimes with sword skills, she deterred and pushed back the Giant Worm, striking it with powerful blows.
Facing off were a monstrous creature large enough to swallow a grown man in one bite, and a 6-meter tall steel giant.
To some, this scene might be more captivating than even the sight of a beautiful naked woman.
Perhaps that's why Han Se-ah seemed a bit flustered.
"Uh, huh? The viewer count just increased by one digit, right? Its not just me?"
-Your stream is all over the subreddit now.
-All sorts of machine enthusiasts are drooling and flocking here.
-Honestly, I do like the look of that Knight-type golem. So sleek.
-Isn't that the same dude who was looking for the spider's bristles?
-You're not just famous domestically anymore, you're becoming a global star.
Some Western influencer posted a picture of Han Se-ahs stream on social media, giving a boost to her viewer count.
Japanese fans also mistook her for a Japanese streamer due to the combination of an Asian face and a mech and started sharing her stream*.
The sudden surge of tens of thousands of viewers just for riding a golem and doing a few stunts, even the ever-composed Han Se-ah was taken aback.
Thanks to that, I could comfortably check my quest window alongside Grace and Irene, who were cheering for Kaiden.
'Do I need to visit the temple again for this, just like the Fragment of Information?'
While I pondered the purpose of the mysterious quest reward, the battle between Kaiden and the boss monster began to tilt.
Even if it's called a Giant Worm, if it can't burrow into the ground and launch a surprise attack from below, it's hardly different from a large snake.
It lacks venom and only has a few more teeth; its primary attacks are to constrict and bite.
And a 4 'Sword Princess' who learned swordsmanship from the Northern Frost Wolf Knights Division wouldn't lose to just a large snake.
Kaiden, who had gotten used to the armored golem, began to unleash not just the giant golem's sword, but also barehanded combat techniques.
"Wow, with that kind of power, she could probably handle it alone."
-Don't just watch, help! LOL
-Interrupt a mecha vs. monster fight? Seriously, some people don't know how to read the room.
-Don't interfere! The moving one is bait for the Demon King!
-So what's the connection between the Giant Worm, the maze, and the golem?
-The storyline is so confusing, I can't understand it. Did we miss something?
As the worm tried to coil around its lower body, the golem's steel leg stomped on the tail.
When the worm opened its mouth to bite the golem's arm, a steel fist promptly shot into its mouth, forcefully yanking at its gums.
Kaiden wasn't just skilled in swordsmanship; she also knew how to actively utilize her sturdy armor, showcasing an aggressive armored martial arts skill.
At her dazzling performance, both Grace and Irene, as well as the viewers, were entranced.
Still, they couldn't just continue to spectate.
I gently tapped Grace and Irene's shoulders.
"Ah, yes! Should we assist Kaiden?"
"No, let's search this area again."
"Search? Is there something we need to find?"
It seems Irene was quite focused on the battle between the massive monster and the steel giant, as she was startled by my touch and began to prepare a spell.
Seeing this, Grace chuckled and subtly moved closer to me.
The two didn't object, even when I suggested we inspect the seemingly empty golem hangar once more.
Han Se-ah had her mouth agape due to something in the chat, but they just assumed that being a mage, she must have sensed something.
They chose to leave her be and assist me.
"That Giant Worm usually resides in the southern desert. We know the tower has caves, and the golem claimed to be the guardian of the labyrinth. But isn't it strange for a creature from the desert to suddenly appear here?"
"True, up until now, the Demon King produced monsters that matched their environment before releasing them, right?"
I'm looking for something we might have missed.
Given the viewers' comments, it feels like our quest line got tangled and we overlooked something.
Having hiding places in a wide passage doesn't solve everything.
There must be something that can lure out the boss monster, right?
They surely wouldn't expect players to shout with a mana-infused voice as I did.
In truth, with Kaiden beginning to dismantle the Giant Worm, missing a few things didn't matter too much.
That's the perspective of the adventurer Roland.
As an adventurer, I believe that one simply needs to tackle the issues on the 30th floor and smoothly rake in the cash from the Magic Tower.
However, the gamer side of me felt quite dissatisfied.
It's a quest involving dimensional travel and life stakes.
If the progression doesn't add up, I get uneasy.
What if something overlooked here becomes a crucial clue in the showdown with the Demon King?
Such thoughts began to flood my mind.
"It's definitely strange. Why is it solely targeting the golem? Do worm-type monsters usually target the larger creatures?"
"Not exactly. While that thing might look like an insect, it has a certain level of predatory intelligence and instinct, preferring to ambush the weaker. For example, when attacking caravans, it knows that a fleeing camel or human is more appetizing than a massive cart."
"I see. Well, the monsters in the tower are modeled after outside monsters, so that Giant Worm's behavior is clearly unusual. ...And so is Hanna's. Could she be sensing something?"
Thanks to the sudden influx of oddly lustful foreigners, Han Se-ah expression has become notably peculiar.
I wonder how she'd react if she knew she was being judged not by viewers but by a colleague and a kind-hearted one at that.
Grace, Irene, and I headed once more to where the golem had been dormant.
The most suspicious thing in this empty space was the other broken golems.
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