“Is everyone ready?”
Everyone standing before the rift silently nodded. Ho Cheon-an carefully examined the equipment and members to be deployed for the entity hunt.
First, there were the iron chains, hooks, and harpoons arranged for quick deployment into the rift. Since these items had been checked before departure by Tang So-yeol, their condition was perfect.
Measures to minimize the sound of iron chains wrapped in leather were also completed.
Yeo Il-ye and Tang Do-yeon lightly nodded when they made eye contact with Ho Cheon-an. Tang Do-yeon was neatly preparing the weapon she would use instead of a whip, and Yeo Il-ye also seemed to be in top shape.
Then Ho Cheon-an’s gaze shifted to the practitioner whose expression had changed.
Those who had realized the true nature of the array formation through teamwork training exuded a qualitatively different confidence than before. Seeing that look in their eyes, Ho Cheon-an opened his mouth for some final motivation.
“I am confident this hunt will succeed, but it’s good to have a backup plan. If this hunt fails, we will enter a two-week specialized training for the array formation, so please give it your all.”
“Yikes!”
The trainees’ eyes ignited with fire. If they failed today, they would have to endure that training… for an additional two weeks?
They were determined to succeed in this entity hunt no matter what!
Satisfied with the burning fervor and momentum of the trainees, Ho Cheon-an nodded.
“Then let’s proceed according to the plan.”
“Yikes!”
Sudalcha and two other practitioners were the first to enter the rift. One member slipped into the passage leading from the rift, and Sudalcha entered the cave together.
‘There it is.’
Creeeak. Creeeak!
In the darkness of the cave where light couldn’t reach, Sudalcha instinctively held his breath at the sounds. Memorizing the exit’s location, he quietly entered the cave. Seeing the Black Armored Dragon busy gnawing at the rocks, Sudalcha returned to the passage to signal his findings.
One by one, the practitioners blended quietly into the cave. After at least eight members had entered to spread out the array, the remaining members dragged a bundle of iron chains into the cave.
Swish. Swish.
They had wrapped the iron chains in leather to muffle the noise, but that didn’t mean they could eliminate metallic sounds completely.
Suddenly.
For a moment, the Black Armored Dragon halted its movements. When the sound of it gnawing at the rocks ceased, the entry members stopped in their tracks, vigilant.
Creeeak. Creeeak.
The instant the Black Armored Dragon turned its head, all practitioners in the cave held their breath in unison. Did it sense something odd? They touched the pouches inside their clothes, focusing on the dragon’s movements.
Creeeak!
As the Black Armored Dragon returned its gaze to the rocks, a silent sigh of relief filled the cave.
As the effort to move the iron chains resumed and the noise of shifting equipment quieted, Sudalcha removed the leather pouch he had been holding.
Wham!
The light of the Nightlight drove away the cave’s darkness in an instant. As Sudalcha revealed the Nightlight from its pouch, the attacking practitioners also removed the leather coverings from their own Nightlights.
Boom! Boom!!
The Black Armored Dragon, who had been gnawing at the rocks, twisted its body at the sudden burst of light filling the cave. Although it let out no cries and bore no expression, the people in the cave could sense its fury through its movements.
“Activate Surahana-hanjin!”
With Sudalcha’s shout, the massive body of the Black Armored Dragon surged forth.
Thus began the hunt for the entity.
Boom! Crash! Boom!
“Bro of Surah!”
“It’s moving more aggressively than expected! Be cautious!”
“Don’t overextend! According to the plan, it’s not yet our turn to engage! Even if the array’s flow is interrupted, prioritize safety!”
The attacking group drew the attention of the Black Armored Dragon. It wasn’t so much targeting the attackers themselves, but rather the Nightlight hanging around their necks.
Lizard-type entities hate light intensely. Earthworms are naturally sensitive creatures, and bright light provides excessive stimulation.
Though that creature had dulled much of its sensitivity by obscuring its senses with rock, its mouth could not be covered.
In short, it was like the dragon was a pedestrian caught in the glare of headlights from an oncoming car, demonstrating violent behavior towards the attackers.
“Miss Yeo Il-ye!”
“I’m on the move!”
Swoosh!
Yeo Il-ye drove a harpoon deep into the ground. While it’s easy to embed the arrowhead, it’s hard to retrieve such a structure; the harpoon was firmly lodged into the rock.
While Yeo Il-ye ran with another harpoon, I tied an iron chain to the tip of the lodged harpoon.
As Yeo Il-ye drove harpoons into various spots and I followed closely, securing the chains, the practitioners were stalling the Black Armored Dragon.
“Move to the center! Move to the center!”
“Create working space for us!”
As the Black Armored Dragon rampaged, easily exceeding a ton, the cave also shook. In typical cave environments, conditions such as stalactites falling or rockfalls create environmental variables. Luckily, since the Black Armored Dragon had artificially tunneled the cave, such variables were thankfully absent.
“I’ll plant one over here too!”
“Yes!”
The number of harpoons Yeo Il-ye was holding dwindled. All ten harpoons they had brought were finally lodged, chains connecting them.
At last, the positioning of the harpoons, which would serve as the foundation for their strategy, was complete.
“Miss Tang Do-yeon!”
“I’ve been waiting!”
Swishhhhh!
As a helper in the practitioners’ array training, Tang Do-yeon skillfully handled the iron chains. She swung the chain connected to the harpoon, and the chain traced a stunning arc as it wrap around the Black Armored Dragon’s body.
Piiiiiing!!
For the first time, the Black Armored Dragon’s aggressive movements stalled as it was restrained by the iron chain. The chain tightened, and the deeply embedded harpoon shook fiercely but did not come loose.
Made by Tang So-yeol, the future number one master; this iron chain proved its worth in holding back the entity’s actions.
However, it was no time to breathe easy.
Boom! Crash! Thunder!
Restrained by the chains, the Black Armored Dragon began to thrash wildly! How long could the taut chain hold?
Swishhhh!
Tang Do-yeon was well aware of this, quickly shooting out a second chain. Despite its frantic flailing, it couldn’t wrap around as securely as the first, but having two chains made a considerable difference in restricting its movements.
“Now is the time!”
“Attack! Surah’s Bro! Surah Twin Whips!!”
With a ten-meter-long monstrous entity thrashing violently, even if they were peak experts, would anyone dare to jump in? The practitioners wasted no time; as soon as the Black Armored Dragon’s movements finally stopped, they launched their counterattack.
The immense Qi released by the peak experts converged upon Sudalcha and another practitioner, an unnamed trainee number eight, as they gathered massive amounts of energy, gearing up to strike the Black Armored Dragon.
An unprecedented quantity of Qi that no single martial artist could accumulate! The peak attack powered by this Qi unleashed!
Boom!!
With a deafening roar, the Black Armored Dragon collapsed. Its movements, which had resembled a whip earlier, now showed that it was truly trying to relieve the shock of the attack.
“Ooo…!”
“It worked!!”
The practitioners cheered from behind.
However, the expressions of the two practitioners who had struck first were grim.
Well, naturally.
The two men who launched the direct attack knew full well the current situation looked like they had landed a solid hit on the Black Armored Dragon, but in reality, they had merely pushed it over.
If the earlier Surah Twin Whips had been properly executed, they had enough power to take the dragon’s breath away.
If only they had worked as intended.
“This is just the beginning! Steady the array! Miss Tang Do-yeon!”
“Got it!!”
Swishhhhh!!
Tang Do-yeon, still wearing an expression of ‘Did we get it?’, quickly swung her chains again, wrapping them around the midsection of the Black Armored Dragon. The iron chains tightened around it just as firmly as the first.
Having just received its first real attack, the Black Armored Dragon began to twist and rise again.
“We have confirmed that in its current state, we cannot take it down!”
Black Obsidian rock.
That’s what the dragon was so diligently gnawing on, also a healing material for Sara and a vessel for Gongcheong stone.
Black Obsidian possesses properties that prevent Qi from invading.
Qi interacts with all things. The thickest earth and the hardest rocks, Qi circulates and communicates regardless. But this Black Obsidian doesn’t accept outside Qi.
Thus, the array formation’s attack couldn’t penetrate properly.
The two attackers had infused their burning Qi into the blow, yet the powerful impact they directed was blocked by the armored coat of the Black Obsidian.
While the effectiveness of the Qi was perfectly shut out, only the impact from the enhanced strength of the two was likely delivered to the dragon, thus pushing it rather than landing a true hit.
While it wore the armor of the rock, it was impossible to bring it down with just an array’s attack.
That’s why.
They had to keep Tang So-yeol on his toes to prepare the equipment.
They made sure to practice swinging the chains with Tang Do-yeon.
And taught Yeo Il-ye to handle the harpoons.
Well.
Having gimmicks in a raid is a norm, right? It’s a common pattern in raids that you need to strip the defenses to inflict damage.
“Thus, we execute this phase of the operation! Everyone stay sharp!”
Let’s strip that armor away.
They were entering the second phase.
