Everyone Except Me is a Newbie - Chapter 14

Kill This?

The Judgment Sword.  

The name alone was extraordinary. It’s a skill designed to deliver judgment damage at the final moments of battle.  

[Judgment Sword: Legendary. When used, your sword becomes the ‘Judgment Sword’ for 30 seconds as soon as combat begins. When in Judgment Sword mode, all attacks gain a piercing attribute, and after 30 seconds, the sword delivers ‘Judgment’. Cooldown: 120 minutes]  

[*Judgment: Deals additional damage equal to 250% of the total damage inflicted with the Judgment Sword.]  

The power of the Judgment Sword was such that it could be considered mythical. Yet, it was classified as a legendary item for a simple reason: the 30-second time limit.  

A typical dealer can deal only limited damage to a boss mob in 30 seconds.  

‘So I need to use it with the Holy Sword and Gigantism.’  

The Holy Sword’s damage boost, Gigantism’s area attack, and Nephilim’s area damage increase. The synergy of these three effects makes the 30-second time limit less restrictive.  

‘It would be perfect if there was something like Frenzy.’  

If Frenzy could instantly boost attack speed, much more damage could be dealt within 30 seconds. It would complete the foundation for an Aggro Burst dealer.  

Of course, such a skill probably wouldn’t appear at the right time.  

“Wow! What are you?!”

“It’s huge!!”  

A griffin circled around Kim Iseo’s eyes. On top were Ji Ho-tae and Huh Won-moo.  

‘So it was just a pesky little thing.’  

Kim Iseo was reminded of his own size. He looked down slowly, seeing houses smaller than his feet. He was worried about accidentally crushing them.  

Of course, enlarging didn’t mean he could crush buildings with his feet.  

It was just a game.  

– Kyaaaah!!  

Perhaps realizing it was as huge as himself, the Queen roared excitedly. 

 

‘Come on, you bastard.’  

Kim Iseo activated the Judgment Sword.  

[Skill. Judgment Sword (Legendary). Activated!]  

30 seconds after the battle begins.  

The outcome of the battle will be decided within this time frame.  

* * *  

Boom, boom, boom!  

The Queen continued to close the distance. Kim Iseo rushed towards the Queen as well.  

The two colossal creatures clashed amidst the ruins of buildings.  

Bang!  

– Kyaaaaah!!  

The Queen roared in excitement at the sight of such a huge opponent, swinging its long arms with a deafening roar.  

Slash!  

Kim Iseo deftly cut off the Queen’s arm. Each swing of his sword created a gust of wind.  

Whoosh!  

Kim Iseo’s sword was aimed directly at the Queen’s head. A clean hit.  

Bang!  

The effect of the Holy Sword erupted. At the same time, the Nephilim armor’s area damage increase effect was applied.  

– Rrrrr…  

Even a single cut inflicted significant damage on the Queen.  

‘It looks damn terrifying.’  

Facing the Queen’s size, Kim Iseo felt how frightening it truly was.  

‘But it’s just a prologue boss mob. I can handle it.’  

Kim Iseo steeled himself. Though his knees were shaking, it was just a game. He reminded himself of that.  

‘I’ll use all my skills. Within 30 seconds…!’  

He swung his sword again. This time, it was Thunder Slash.  

[Skill. Thunder Slash (Legendary). Activated!]  

Crackle… Boom!  

Once again, the effects of the Holy Sword and Nephilim armor were applied.  

– Grr…  

The Queen staggered for the first time. Kim Iseo pressed the attack.  

[Skill. Glacier Slash (Heroic). Activated!]  

To bind the Queen’s legs, he used Glacier Slash. The range of the Glacier Slash was as vast as his enlarged body. A city block was covered in ice.  

Whoosh!  

As the Queen’s feet began to freeze, it immediately swung its long tail.  

Bang!  

The tail hit Kim Iseo’s head.  

“Ugh…”  

The shock was so intense it made him feel like he was about to lose consciousness. His mouth filled with the taste of blood.  

[Remaining Health 10%]  

In an instant, 5% of his health was gone.  

“Team Leader!!”  

At that moment, Lee Hae-won jumped off the griffin. She landed on Kim Iseo’s head.  

“I’ll heal you.”  

Thud.  

Although it looked a bit comical, Lee Hae-won planted a short sword on Kim Iseo’s head.  

[Skill. Healing Space. Activated!]  

A healing space formed on Kim Iseo’s head, and his health quickly recovered. 

 

[Current Health 20%]  

“Great!”  

Kim Iseo cheered at Lee Hae-won’s timely action.  

“Time to go all out!”  

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!  

Kim Iseo began to swing his sword at maximum speed, accelerating his attacks.  

The Queen, not backing down, struck Kim Iseo’s jaw.  

“Ugh…!”  

– Kyaaaah…!  

Both sides attacked relentlessly. However, Kim Iseo had a healer, while the Queen did not.  

‘Almost there…!’  

[Remaining Time 10 Seconds]  

With 10 seconds until Judgment activates, Kim Iseo swung his sword frantically. Despite the wild swings, each strike was perfectly targeted at the Queen.  

‘Neck front, midsection, knee in that order…!’  

The Queen had several critical spots, and striking them in order was necessary for a critical hit. Kim Iseo knew this sequence well, and all his precise strikes were critical hits.  

Bang! Bang! Bang!  

With the increased attack power and the Holy Sword’s effects, the damage soared to new heights.  

Ding.  

[Skill. Sharp Senses Lv. 1. Acquired!]  

The new skill was unlocked due to his focused attacks on critical spots. This indicated that the attack paths were flawless.  

– Kyaaaah…  

Perhaps due to Kim Iseo’s perfect damage dealing, the Queen staggered for the first time.  

At that moment, the Judgment Sword’s time ended.  

[Time Remaining 0 Seconds]  

[Judgment. Activated!]  

* * *  

As Judgment activated, dazzling blades fell from the sky.  

Papapapap!  

These blades struck into the Queen’s body.  

Bang! Bang!  

The blades falling from the sky hit the Queen’s body mercilessly.  

These blades pierced the exact spots Kim Iseo had targeted.  

In other words, the critical hits were applied again.  

The damage Kim Iseo had dealt over 20 seconds was inflicted once more. But that’s not all. Judgment was a skill that delivered 250% of the damage dealt during the 30 seconds.  

Wheeeeee…!  

The light blades embedded in the Queen’s body began to shake.  

Bang!  

With a dazzling flash, the blades exploded.  

– Kwoooor…!  

Boom…  

Unable to withstand the massive damage, the Queen fell backward.

 Though it seemed momentarily stunned, it quickly jumped back and retreated.

 -Screech! Screech! 

It roared unpleasantly, wary of Kim Iseo.

 Thud.

It crouched down, touching the ground with both arms. It seemed like it was about to crawl on all fours.

Phase 2 had begun.

* * *

As with all boss monsters, its attack patterns change in proportion to its decreasing health.

This was no different for the Queen.

“Remember… remember….”

The calculator in Kim Iseo’s head was working busily. He was recalling the information about the Queen’s Phase 2.

“If its health drops below 20%, it’s Phase 2. There’s no next phase… the thing to watch out for is the breath attack.”

The Queen wasn’t designed to have a Phase 3. Phase 2 was the last phase. That meant it had 20% health remaining.

He began to issue orders based on the information he recalled.

“Seoyeon! The breath attack is coming soon! Do you have Full Counter ready?”

Choi Seoyeon’s skill received from a celestial being.

Full Counter.

As the name suggests, it was a skill that completely counterattacked the opponent’s attack. It had high mana usage and a long cooldown, but it was a great skill when used appropriately.

“Yes!”

Choi Seoyeon immediately took off on her griffin at Kim Iseo’s command.

“Let’s go.Penny!”

-Neighing!

Her griffin soared high.

At that moment, the Queen crouched down on all fours. Then, it stretched its neck and opened its gigantic jaws wide.

A black light began to gather inside.

An unknown energy shot out in a straight line.

Boom!

The black light swallowed buildings and charged toward Kim Iseo.

Kim Iseo raised his arms to guard himself, preparing for any impact.

“Now!!”

Swoosh!

Choi Seoyeon’s griffin intervened between the Queen and Kim Iseo.

She drew her sword and took a bunt stance.

‘Please, let it work!’

She closed her eyes tightly as she activated the skill.

[Skill. Full Counter (Ultra-Rare). Activated!]

A protective shield of red energy began to surround Choi Seoyeon. The Queen’s black energy clashed against it.

Boom!

“Ahhh…!”

Through her slightly open eyes, she saw it.

The Queen’s attack was returning to its original owner.

“It worked!!”

The Queen took its own attack and collapsed backward again.

The Queen’s health was now less than 10%.

“Aggro switch!”

Kim Iseo, who had already reverted from his giant form, could no longer tank.

“Understood!”

Ji Hotae and Heo won-moo flew towards the Queen on their griffins. Ji Hotae jumped off first.

Even without using the giant form, his enormous size was intimidating. He slammed the Queen’s head with all his weight.

“I’m going too!”

Heo won-moo also jumped down, launching his attack. Thud! With a dull sound, his shortsword struck.

The impact was to wake the Queen.

-Screech!

Ji Hotae felt his groin shrinking in fear but shouted with wide eyes.

“I-I’ll draw the aggro first!”

Ji Hotae planted his sword into the ground and activated his skill.

[Skill. Area Taunt (Rare). Activated!]

Ji Hotae drew the Queen’s attention first. Despite getting hit a few times by its massive fists, he held on well, thanks to his yellow-class toughness.

“Ugh… T-Team Leader!”

“Got it!”

Just before Ji Hotae got knocked out, Heo won-moo used his taunt.

Meanwhile, Kim Iseo and Choi Seoyeon arrived. With the two main damage dealers of the Weplug joining in, the Queen’s health quickly began to deplete.

-Roar…!

Finally, the last wail was heard. The Queen’s gigantic body collapsed over the city.

Ding.

[Achievement ‘You Killed This?’ (Ultra-Rare) Acquired!]

[You Killed This?: Why did you kill something you didn’t really need to? Here’s some reward anyway.]

[Reward: All currently held skills level up by 1]

The Queen raid was finally over.

Emotions surged from his chest and erupted through his throat.

“Ahhhhh!! We got it!!”