The Mechanic leapt into the air.
With all his strength, he struck the head of the Celestial Tortoise with his rocket-propelled hammer.
A tremendous roar echoed in all directions.
Staggering from the full-power hammer blow, the creature lost its bearings.
No matter how powerful the Four Divine Beasts were, they couldn’t ignore the concentrated force of human technology.
Though smaller in size compared to the Celestial Tortoise, its strength was not lacking.
Spinning the drill embedded in his chest at high speed, he fought with maximum output from the start.
There was no point in holding back.
Since it had come to this, he would press the attack from the very beginning!
On his left arm was Bbyak, the high-performance flame launcher.
On his right arm was Toto, the ultra-powerful electric shock device.
If the beast tried to rise and counterattack, both arms would immediately restrain it.
Snap!
Crack!
Though the Celestial Tortoise’s barrier was SS-rank or higher, it couldn’t fully withstand the combined assault of two Grade S magical beasts.
Staggering under the relentless barrage, the creature faltered.
Seizing the moment, the three brothers pressed the assault.
The Celestial Tortoise had a tough, armored back.
Its only weak point was the head, which lacked a shell.
Somi struck the head with the rocket hammer, and S-rank beast attacks rained down.
A perfect breath.
Before it could retreat into its armored back, meaningful damage was inflicted.
But the opponent wouldn’t fall easily either.
Its skin, once green, turned red as it entered phase two.
First, the Celestial Tortoise cut off the annoying magical attacks at the source.
A green barrier surrounded the creature.
One of its powers was to deflect most magical attacks.
From then on, Bbyak and Toto’s attacks lost their effectiveness.
Not willing to let this slip away, the beast counterattacked.
Using its massive body, it pushed forward, aiming its white snake-like tail at the Mechanic.
With his left arm completely pinned, Somi hastily retracted Bbyak and Toto, making a resolute decision.
To give up flesh and take the bone.
He completely separated the pinned arm from his body.
It was the best choice before taking worse damage.
It was just one arm after all.
Although Bbyak and Toto, who had provided auxiliary firepower, were gone, the beast was also exhausted.
Whenever there was a chance to accumulate damage, they had to press on.
With a determined expression, Somi pulled out a new weapon.
He combined the hammer he had been using with a drill that had arrived from a farming space orbit.
There’s nothing more efficient at smashing something tough than a hammer.
But even better is a sharp, cylindrical saw blade.
A drill!
If the hammer uses centrifugal force to break the enemy’s armor, the drill takes it a step further.
Overwhelming rotational power.
One strike might be weaker, but the total damage far surpasses the hammer.
Wiiiiiiing—
The drill, activated immediately, began spinning with a roaring sound.
It struck the sturdy barrier!
Red flames splattered everywhere as neither side gave an inch.
If the beast recovered its strength, the fight would become even more difficult.
If they retreated now, everything would be over.
Bbiee!
With a serious expression, Somi shouted with all his might, and the rotor’s spin gradually accelerated.
It was an overclock, drawing energy beyond its limits.
Then.
The overclock nearly broke through the Celestial Tortoise’s barrier.
The creature, pushed back, opened its mouth wide!
Then—
Sshhhhhhh—
It unleashed a powerful jet of water.
The immense water pressure was its secret weapon.
It was the finishing move it had hidden until now, with tremendous power.
The sturdy body of the Mechanic was pushed back, suffering impacts and fractures in several places.
[Unit Damage Rate 61%]
[Unit Damage Rate 63%]
Messages rang in real time.
If this continued, the Mechanic would soon be completely broken.
They needed another plan.
Escaping the beast’s water cannon was the top priority.
But pressed down by the intense water pressure, the Mechanic couldn’t budge.
The rotor, which had been accelerating quickly, began to slow down noticeably.
Then.
Crackkk—
A giant tree burst through and struck the side of the Celestial Tortoise directly!
The source of the magic was Silpia.
While the beast’s barrier had vanished, Silpia cast the strongest spell, piercing through its gap precisely.
Moreover, Seolha had already frozen the entire ground.
With Silpia’s magic and the frozen ground, the Celestial Tortoise, losing its center of gravity, was flipped onto its back.
A turtle-shaped magical beast turned upside down?
The battle was over.
It was clearly a tough opponent.
Strong armored back and powerful strength, a barrier that blocked magic, and even water cannon attacks.
It lacked nothing except speed.
It hadn’t been overwhelmed even by the combined assault of a giant Mechanic and two S-rank beasts.
But that only applied when it stood still.
If a turtle rolls over and targets its vulnerable underside, it’s obvious where the fight goes next.
Plus, with its heavy armored back, it couldn’t move.
It struggled to get back up, flailing its legs in midair.
But we weren’t about to stand by and watch.
The Mechanic straightened his aching knees and got back on his feet.
Grabbing the drill that had been dropped, he aimed for the armored belly of the now-immobilized Celestial Tortoise.
Wiiiiiiiing—
The worn-down Mechanic.
It was uncertain how much longer it could keep moving.
This might very well be the final attack.
But.
It was literally checkmate.
A dead end.
Somi squeezed out the last of his mental strength and delivered the finishing blow.
[Corrupted Celestial Tortoise defeated]
Finally, the beast was toppled!
***
[Corrupted Celestial Tortoise defeated]
[Reward] Diseased Celestial Tortoise
[A newborn offspring of the Corrupted Celestial Tortoise from the long-contaminated seabed.
Though its corrupted power has been completely purified, it suffers from an unknown illness and is unconscious.]
After the fierce battle ended, the promised reward arrived.
A very small and fragile green turtle.
It was a Celestial Tortoise with a cute, worm-like snake tail.
But it couldn’t open its eyes.
It was breathing roughly.
“This is really the cause of the beasts attacking the Elves?”
Silpia, exhausted, cautiously approached.
Such a terrible monster had been just such a tiny creature.
“What do you plan to do?”
She asked, glancing between the Celestial Tortoise and me.
From the Elves’ perspective, it was like a threat to the village.
They’d want to destroy it immediately.
But Silpia smiled gently, as if to say “not so fast.”
“Do you think we’re going to take revenge on this little life?”
No wonder she was a queen.
It felt as if she was reading minds.
“While it’s clear this creature threatened the village, it’s no longer that now.
So there’s no hatred left.
I’m just really curious, that’s all.”
“Ahaha, that’s a relief.”
I answered sheepishly.
Now that I thought about it, what should we do?
Should we take it to the plains?
New magical beasts were always welcome, but the baby Celestial Tortoise’s condition was worrying.
It had to be treated as soon as possible.
Taking it to a veterinary hospital would cause a fuss.
And there was no healer among the beasts.
It was a dilemma.
I wanted to help, but there was no good way.
Wait, hold on.
There was a way.
A way to cure the diseased Celestial Tortoise.
I opened my inventory and checked the items.
A gift from Chun San Gun, the protector of Taebaeksan, received not long ago.
A 3,000-year-old San Sam.
It had the effect of curing illness and extending life.
Good thing I kept it instead of eating it.
Wouldn’t it be a waste to use it on a first-time magical beast?
That was just my doubt.
The precious life came first.
“Are you sure this is okay?”
Seolha asked cautiously as I took out the San Sam.
She was worried about using such a precious herb on a beast we’d been fighting just moments ago.
After all, what if the disease made it suddenly aggressive?
It would be defenseless against an attack.
But my beast-raising intuition told me otherwise.
The corrupted Celestial Tortoise and this baby turtle from the polluted sea were completely different beings.
Pure and clean.
Just like the three brothers.
“It’s okay. But I can’t just leave it to die.”
I wrapped the leaves around the San Sam, making it easy to feed, and put it into the Celestial Tortoise’s mouth.
Holding its jaw gently so it wouldn’t struggle, I moved it slightly.
It started eating little by little.
Then.
Pop—
A brilliant green glow radiated.
[Celestial Tortoise]
[Rank] S-SSS
[Preferred Food] Aquatic creatures, undead monsters
The status window for the Celestial Tortoise appeared!
Its breathing stabilized, and its pained expression gradually eased.
Soon, the baby Celestial Tortoise opened its round eyes and nestled in my arms.
Then.
Bubu!
It greeted me warmly.
Snuggling up, it showed affection.
Bubu!
It asserted its presence to the three brothers.
The Rusol Sisters, playing with the three brothers, gently petted its head.
Since it had come to this, it needed a name.
Now it was no longer the three brothers, but five brothers?
What would be a good name?
Gobuk?
No, that sounded odd.
It felt like it might violate copyrights.
Then Bukbuk? But that would just make it a second Bbyak.
It was unusually difficult today.
I had even gained confidence naming Choco, yet now “Gobuk” was so hard.
Never thought I’d be naming a turtle in my life.
Then, it happened.
Choco, who had been watching quietly, cheerfully wagged her tail.
Bow Bow!
Mint!
Choco’s suggested name.
It matched perfectly with the subtle green glow.
Besides, the youngest two went well together.
Choco and Mint.
Swap them and you get Mint Choco.
Just saying the name felt refreshing.
Alright. It’s decided.
Our new family member, the baby Celestial Tortoise, would be named Mint!
***
We decided to spend another day on the 10,459th Earth.
Why?
Think back to why we came here.
Honestly, there was no special reason.
Just curiosity.
But when we arrived, the 10,459th Earth was far better than imagined.
Tall, countless trees and lush grass.
A refreshing breeze that seemed to heal our tired hearts.
But with so many things happening, Harud couldn’t rest.
So we decided to spend just one day relaxing comfortably.
We set up a newly purchased tent and built a campfire with ease.
Camping was all about the campfire.
Roasting sweet marshmallows over the fire and soaking in nature.
The Rusol Sisters ran and played with the five brothers.
Seolha and Silpia sat nearby, drinking warm cocoa.
And Eillin, tasting marshmallows for the first time, exclaimed in delight.
This was healing.
The fatigue accumulated until now melted away.
“Are you guys going back now?”
While absentmindedly staring into the flames, Silpia cautiously spoke.
“Probably.”
“That’s right.”
I replied, and Silpia smiled brightly.
“Queen, please try this too. It melts in your mouth!”
Eillin, who had been roasting marshmallows so earnestly, approached with a childlike expression.
Peeling off the golden-brown outer layer and tasting it, the sweetness truly melted in her mouth.
Eillin, who usually wore a prickly expression, was completely disarmed.
Silpia gently stroked her hair.
Thus, a peaceful day passed on the 10,459th Earth.
Carefully covering the tired Rusol Sisters, who were worn out from playing with the energetic five brothers, I stopped in front of the gate as we prepared to leave.
Silpia and Eillin had come to see us off early in the morning.
The awkwardness from our first meeting was completely gone.
“Thank you for everything so far.”
Before parting, they waved farewell.
Though we could return anytime through the gate, parting like this felt somewhat bittersweet.
“We are the ones who truly thank you.”
One by one, the Elves gathered to express their gratitude.
They were thanking the heroes who saved the village from the threat of corrupted beasts.
Leaving them all behind, we passed through the gate.
Late afternoon bathed in warm sunlight.
Once again, the peaceful plains.
“This must be the dimension where Woohmin lives.”
“Ahaha, yes…”
I answered sheepishly to a familiar voice.
Wait, that voice was—
“Queen?”
Silpia was standing quietly beside me.
Startled, she let out a small laugh.
“From today, I am Silpia, servant to the 1,592nd dimensional lord of this world.”