Chapter 133: Shattering the Heart of the Necroplasm

Chapter 133: Shattering the Heart of the Necroplasm

“Ughhh—.”

Monsters generated from the tumor.

They looked quite strong, but my assistants were even stronger.

“Crack!”

Mining 1 swung the pickaxe down and shattered a monster in one blow.

Skinning Unit 1 cut a monster in two with its scissors.

“Swoosh—”

Combat 1 swung its sword, slicing several monsters at once.

All my assistants were handling the monsters with ease.

I couldn’t just stand by either.

“Pow, ka-boom!!”

I pulled the trigger of the crossbow, and the arrow flew swiftly into a monster’s body.

The arrow exploded instantly.

True to its name, the Arrow of Explosion wiped out not only the struck monster but also those nearby all at once.

As I happily took down the monsters one after another—

‘What is this?’

Something was off.

No matter how many monsters we defeated, their numbers didn’t decrease.

Calming my excitement, I recalled my days as a corner-dwelling gamer and examined the surroundings.

‘There it is.’

A blood vessel extending from the tumor.

Monsters were continuously spawning from that vessel.

Since the blood vessel dug into the floor made of monster corpses, it was hard to notice at first.

But no matter how many years I spent gaming in a corner, it couldn’t escape my eyes.

Still, I needed to confirm.

Right below where the monsters were spawning.

I shot an arrow at the point where the blood vessel was expected to extend.

“Thud!”

As expected, the arrow hit the floor, not a monster.

The seemingly empty floor.

Immediately after—

“Boom!”

The arrow exploded.

“Thump!”

The tumor’s pulsing intensified, and a red light seeped out for a moment.

The important thing was that all the monsters born right there suddenly became limp and melted away.

“There’s a blood vessel under where the monsters spawn! Cut all of it off as we push forward!”

“Yes, sir.”

Back in the day, my assistants would have tilted their heads at my complicated orders.

Not anymore.

Thanks to various rewards, all my assistants’ intelligence had improved.

And since I demonstrated the plan beforehand, understanding it was simple.

“Slash!”

Combat 1 dashed forward first and plunged its sword into the ground.

Along with the sound of something being severed beneath the floor, blood spurted upward.

“Gurgle—”

Monsters spawned from that blood vessel collapsed as if on cue.

The battle continued similarly afterward.

The Mining Team and Combat Team joined forces, cutting off the blood vessels as they advanced.

The monsters fiercely attacked to stop us.

“Hold them off!”

“Yes!”

The Production Team raised their shields to block the charging monsters.

They formed a defensive line all the way to the cut blood vessels, pushing the formation even further forward.

Knowing the strategy made fighting much easier.

Occasionally, new monsters suddenly spawned from hidden blood vessels behind us and ambushed us.

“Thanks.”

“Of course.”

Combat 3, who had been standing guard beside me, swung an L-rank spear to protect me.

Pushing forward was important, but the most important thing was my life, wasn’t it?

With that in mind, I made sure to have a strong bodyguard by my side.

Gradually, the distance to the massive tumor shortened.

“Thump!”

“Grrrrrrr—.”

The tumor’s pulse grew stronger, spawning an enormous number of monsters around it.

It seemed to squeeze out every bit of strength, creating a huge wave of monsters.

But more important than that was—

“Thump, thump, thump~!!”

The tumor’s condition.

Not just a tumor, but pulsing like a heart and glowing with light as if—

‘An egg?’

It looked like something was about to be born.

Like the gigantic cocoon I saw in Zone 2, it seemed like a powerful monster could break through the tumor’s shell at any moment.

According to my gaming knowledge, such monsters were usually incredibly strong.

So the best move was to deal with it before it hatched.

“Combat Team! Handle those monsters, Mining Team! Let’s break through the tumor together! Production Team, protect us!”

“Yes!”

“Understood.”

“Commence combat.”

“Ta-dat!”

Each team took their assigned roles and charged the tumor.

Meanwhile—

I wasn’t holding a crossbow.

A hammer.

I was going to make a weapon right here on the spot to burst the tumor.

‘An Arrow of Explosion won’t be enough.’

Something stronger was needed.

So I thought of the crossbow bolts I made during the first Rank 8 Gate raid.

Arrows crafted from S-rank monster materials.

Using S-rank monster materials for one-time use was a waste, but they boasted tremendous power.

That would work.

No, if I could close the distance, it didn’t even have to be an arrow.

Something more powerful than an arrow.

For example…

‘A grenade.’

Yeah, like a grenade.

In that form, it could unleash maximum power in a single-use explosion.

“Slash!”

“Make way.”

The Combat Team slashed through the monsters to clear a path.

Thanks especially to Combat 4’s magic freezing the monsters, we could approach the tumor much more comfortably.

“Mining commence.”

“Crack!”

The Mining Team swung their weapons.

However, the tumor was thick and tough.

Beyond just being as hard as ore, it had the elasticity of leather, making it difficult to scratch.

At least Skinning No. 1 raised its Attack Aura and struck, leaving slight wounds that healed instantly.

The attacks weren’t very effective.

“Mining Team, I’m leaving this to you! It’s okay if it’s small! Just make enough space for a fist to get through! Please!”

“Understood.”

I left the task of wounding the tumor to the Mining Team.

Meanwhile, I began crafting an item capable of delivering a fatal blow to the tumor.

[Using Production Skill.]

[Please select the form of the item to produce.]

“Bomb!”

[Please specify the detailed form of the bomb.]

[Please select the material of the bomb.]

The detailed form didn’t matter.

I was making a one-time-use explosive to detonate immediately.

The material was what mattered.

I had brought various materials in my Space Pocket, so I was prepared but unsure what to use.

Lately, the Vulcanus Guild’s rank 8 Gate raid rate was high, so I had plenty of S-rank materials.

‘Still, I’m uneasy.’

This tumor didn’t feel normal.

I wasn’t sure if even S-rank monster materials would be enough.

So I chose—

[Basilisk Scale]

An SS-rank material received from the Hunter Association.

The Basilisk Scales weren’t in great condition, lowering their SS-rank value.

They were scraps leftover from making armor for Sword Saint.

Since they were in poor condition and scarce, I almost discarded them but kept them just in case.

Since this was for a bomb, condition didn’t matter much.

So I decided to use them as the main component.

“Clang!”

With Basilisk Scales and explosive stones, I started crafting the bomb, focusing on maximizing destructive power.

At the same time, I concentrated on—

“Flint, fire and explosion! Engrave one rune on each side!”

“Okay!”

Rune Scripts.

Usually, only one Rune Script was engraved per item.

No matter how good the item, two or more runes would cause overload.

But this bomb?

It was a one-time-use item.

Overload or instability didn’t matter.

All that mattered was maximizing the power of the single explosion.

With that in mind, I engraved both the Rune of Electricity and the Rune of Explosion on opposite sides.

[Progress 38%…]

Damn.

I thought it would be quick since the shape was simple.

But it took longer than expected.

Using SS-rank Basilisk Scales and engraving two Rune Scripts seemed to be why.

While I focused on crafting the bomb—

“Slash!”

My assistants desperately fought the monsters.

The Combat Team cut monsters down, the Production Team blocked their attacks.

The Mining Team concentrated attacks on one point to pierce the tumor, as I ordered.

But the tumor didn’t break easily.

At this rate, even if I finished the bomb, we might not be able to use it properly.

“We have to break through.”

“It’s the master’s order.”

“We must carry out the order.”

The Mining Team’s grip tightened.

Their eyes blazed hotter.

To carry out my command.

To execute my orders.

They attacked the tumor with all their might.

Then—

“Buzz—”

Something unexpected happened.

Magical energy began to ripple from the tip of Mining 1’s pickaxe.

That magic, though unstable, refined the edge of the pickaxe blade, making it sharper.

“Crack!”

It sank deeply into the tumor’s surface.

The others followed suit.

“Snip!”

The Attack Aura emanating from Textile Unit 2’s scissors cut deeply into the wounds made by Mining 1.

Or maybe I should call it ‘cutting aura’ since it was on scissors?

Anyway, then Logging Unit No. 1’s axe was imbued with axe aura and plunged deeply into the tumor.

Even Units 2 and 3’s weapons glowed with Attack Aura.

This awakening was a result of their focused efforts to fulfill my orders.

The thick outer wall of the tumor was pierced.

Their attacks surpassed even its rapid regeneration.

“Crack!”

Finally, a fist-sized hole was made in the tumor.

At that moment—

[Production completed.]

[‘Basilisk Scale Bomb’ obtained.]

I finished crafting as well.

Gripping the bomb, I followed the Production Team’s guidance and located the hole.

“Swoosh!”

I stuffed the bomb inside.

“Get away!”

Just in case, I ordered my assistants to evacuate.

Not only the Mining Team closest to me but also the Production and Combat Teams guarding us all obeyed and moved away from the tumor.

The monsters desperately guarding the tumor faltered and hesitated.

Then, moments later—

Within the tumor, an ominous light flickered.

“Kraaaaang!!”.

An explosion erupted from the tumor.

The tremendous blast didn’t just destroy the tumor.

Monsters nearby were caught in the explosion and all blew apart.

But it wasn’t just the explosion.

Basilisk Scales scattered in all directions and hardened anything they touched.

One of the Basilisk’s powers: petrification.

The tumor’s regeneration was strong enough to heal itself even from the massive explosion.

But the petrification stopped that regeneration.

The tissue hardened solid like stone and couldn’t regenerate despite its rapid healing.

In the end, right after the massive blast—

[Monster ‘Necroplasm’ defeated.]

[Level Up.]

[Level Up.]

[Level Up.]

The system message announcing the death of the boss monster appeared.

The explosion made with SS-rank materials was devastating.

Still, it felt like such a waste to use such precious SS-rank materials on a one-time bomb.

But it was definitely worth using as a trump card.

Thinking that I should carefully gather remaining materials from now on and make them into arrows or bombs, I approached the destroyed tumor.

As I got closer, I saw something inside the tumor.

Though the explosion had distorted its form, my prediction was right.

This creature was preparing to be born from the tumor.

Thanks to the bomb made from SS-rank materials, we ended the battle without witnessing its birth.

If it had hatched properly, it would have been a far tougher fight than expected.

Even in the center of the explosion, its form wasn’t completely destroyed.

That alone gave me a rough idea of how powerful it would have been.

[ Tendons ] of the Necroplasm

[ Membrane ] of the Necroplasm

“Wow, SS-rank materials?”

It was strong, but not quite at the SS-rank monster level.

Does that mean this monster would have been as powerful as an SS-rank monster once hatched?

We got SS-rank materials after all.

Though it was a bit creepy, what did that matter?

I carefully gathered the precious SS-rank materials.

“Everyone, good work. Let’s clean up, and check if there’s anything else to mine around here.”

“Yes, master.”

After issuing orders, I passed by Necroplasm’s corpse and moved forward.

And there it was—

[Hephaestus’s Forge]

The massive stone gate, which now felt rather familiar, was firmly shut.