WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 70: Guardian (3)
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A rock that had suddenly shot up struck me square in the abdomen. The impact sent my body flying.
Time seemed to slow as I flew through the air.
‘What... was that?’
I couldn't understand it at first. Why would a rock shoot out from the Guardian's back?
No. Maybe I'd been careless.
It had made the cave floor rise and exposed the Core in its chest.
Changing its back was probably nothing to it.
‘More importantly... how did it know where I was...?’
Crash! Bang!
I couldn't continue my thoughts. The agonizing pain in my back overwhelmed everything.
I'd been struck head-on by that rock and sent flying. There wasn't a single spot on my body that didn't hurt.
“Guh... Haaah...!”
I tried my best to steady my ragged breathing.
Gasping with my mouth like a goldfish wasn't helping at all.
At least it hadn't hit my solar plexus. That was one small mercy.
If it had struck there, I probably would've passed out on the spot.
Boom! Thud!
The ground shook. I barely lifted my head and looked at the Guardian.
Its leg had definitely been cut off, yet it had already regenerated as if nothing had happened.
Maybe it could manipulate not only the terrain around it, but the entire Orichalcum cave as it pleased.
No matter how many times its body was damaged, it seemed to restore itself right away.
‘This is basically its home turf...’
Even as I thought, I forced myself to regulate my breathing.
It was like I could inhale but not exhale. I'd taken that hit way too hard.
Smack!
“Ghk!”
Then someone struck my back hard. A sharp jolt ran across my entire back.
At the same time, the trapped breath burst from my mouth. I finally felt like I could breathe again.
I looked behind me to see who had hit my back and found Fast Sloth there.
It had been the same with the Saber-Toothed Tiger. Fast Sloth was always a huge help.
“...Thanks.”
“...”
Instead of answering, though it never spoke anyway, Fast Sloth climbed onto my back.
It seemed to be telling me to snap out of it and focus on the fight again.
Suppressing the pain in my abdomen as much as possible, I got to my feet.
I'd poured mana into my body right before getting hit, so at least moving wasn't a problem.
“Cough! Cough!”
A sudden cough escaped me. I hurriedly covered my mouth with the back of my hand.
Blood soaked it. My outside might have looked fine, but the inside clearly wasn't.
Of course, there was no way I could be unhurt after taking a hit like that.
Watching the Guardian warily, I hurriedly pulled out the Elixir and took a sip.
Maybe because it had a painkilling effect, I felt much better than before.
Boom! Thud!
‘No matter how I think about it, this is strange.’
The Guardian hadn't attacked me at all while I drank the Elixir.
It only slowly walked toward me. It never made the first move.
On top of that, it was still ignoring Wonmo's attacks. That bothered me the most.
It knew I was here but didn't know Wonmo was. Why?
As I controlled my breathing, I circulated the mana inside my body.
My abdomen still hurt a little, but the Elixir's painkilling effect made it bearable.
[Gigigigik-]
The moment I circulated my mana, the Guardian made that bizarre sound again.
The Guardian slowly raised both arms. It looked ready to attack again.
‘First, I need to dodge this.’
I'd been sent flying too far away to get close. Dodging was my only option for now.
Keeping my eyes on the Guardian, I circled to the side.
The Guardian tracked my position in real time, twisting its waist at an unnatural angle.
Boom!!!
The moment it slammed both arms down, a graveyard of spikes rushed at me.
Like I said before, I could see them and dodge. Besides, there was plenty of distance between us now.
Before it could continue with another attack, I didn't charge in. Instead, I quietly waited.
‘Does it... sense mana?’
The Orichalcum Guardian's pattern was roughly like this.
If I did nothing, it only walked toward me and took no other action.
But the moment I circulated mana, it began attacking.
If it hadn't been ignoring Wonmo, I never would've noticed.
‘Then...’
I even stopped breathing as I calmed the mana in my body.
The Guardian, which had been about to launch its next attack, froze stiff.
Then it stared blankly at me and slowly moved its heavy body forward.
It could pinpoint my location because it was sensitive to mana, but that was all.
‘Just as I thought.’
Not using mana was the way to beat it.
But finding a strategy meant nothing if I didn't have the ability to carry it out.
‘I'll need mana to cut that thing.’
Heavenly Demon’s Sword was nearly all-purpose, but it wasn't omnipotent.
Even overpowered gear couldn't perform properly without the ability to back it up.
I'd only recently learned a cultivation method. I was a complete rookie among rookies.
And now even the technique of pouring mana into my sword had been sealed off. All I could do was force my way through with brute strength.
‘I'll have to wait for the right timing...’
I watched the Guardian walk toward me, then began moving little by little.
Maybe it wasn't attacking because I was outside its range.
I needed to see how close I had to get before it reacted.
[Gigigigik-]
When we were about twenty meters apart, the Guardian reacted.
The moment it lifted one leg and looked ready to attack, I hurriedly backed away.
[Gigigik-]
It quietly lowered its raised leg, then strode toward me.
That confirmed it. It sensed my existence through mana.
It was probably why there were no dangerous animals in this cave.
‘Then...’
I gradually moved backward to stay outside its detection range.
I had plenty of chances. But among all those chances, I could only seize one.
If I took another direct hit to the abdomen like before, even the Elixir might not be able to heal me.
Forget the Elixir, I'd probably pass out before that. I might need Fast Sloth's help again.
‘Slowly.’
I moved back and forth, checking the range.
Before long, I found the ideal distance and panted.
“Hoo...”
[Gigigigik-]
The Guardian reacted violently the moment I exhaled.
I flinched at the sight, but fortunately it didn't react any further.
It seemed even breathing caused a change in mana, allowing it to detect me.
‘...Now!’
Circulating the mana inside my body, I charged forward.
The Guardian lifted one foot, but it was already too late. I'd reached the space between its legs again.
Could I do it?
That doubt flashed through my mind, but I pushed it aside and focused every nerve in my body on the sword.
If I failed, I would die. I couldn't die here.
I would survive and escape this hellish place.
I hadn't survived just to die.
Slice!
Without using aura, I cut off its leg using only my physical strength.
The massive body of Orichalcum collapsed forward and dropped to its knees.
I circulated the mana inside my body more fiercely than ever.
Slice! Slice!
To prevent it from responding like before, I cut off not only its legs but all four limbs.
Spikes shot out from time to time, and I nearly found myself in serious danger, but I could block them with my shield.
Soon, only the Guardian's torso remained. Now all I had to do was pierce the Core.
Boom!
The moment I climbed onto its back, rocks shot upward. I barely dodged them.
It was a last-ditch struggle, but it was already too late. All that remained was for Heavenly Demon’s Sword to pierce the Core.
“Hup!”
I drove Heavenly Demon’s Sword hard toward where the Core was.
Heavenly Demon’s Sword slid in smoothly. If I pierced the Core like this...
Rumble!
...it would be over, but things were never that easy.
The Guardian's limbs, which I'd just chopped into pieces, began moving as though they were alive.
As I panicked at the sight, another strange change occurred.
Whoooosh!
“Ghk?!”
A bizarre weakness swept through my entire body. It was the languid feeling of having just stepped out of a hot bath.
I was startled by the inexplicable lethargy, but I quickly realized why.
‘Th-this bastard is absorbing my mana...!’
The Guardian was absorbing my mana through Heavenly Demon’s Sword embedded in its back.
In a panic, I tried to pull Heavenly Demon’s Sword free, but it wouldn't budge.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As if that wasn't enough, the Guardian's limbs moved as though they were alive.
Wriggling like earthworms, they began attacking me.
Clang!
I dodged the kick, but I couldn't avoid the fist that came next.
I barely blocked it with my shield, but my body was already flying far away.
The bigger problem was that I'd lost my grip on Heavenly Demon’s Sword.
Crash!
“Ghhk...!”
I'd broken my fall even while flying through the air, but I couldn't relax.
Judging by the weakness washing over my entire body, it would definitely follow up.
Grrrrrk-
Its attacks might be slow, but its regeneration was fast. The Guardian's limbs had already recovered.
The entire cave was Orichalcum, so it must have used that.
But I had no time to dwell on that thought. Its chest opened.
Wooooong-
It was preparing to fire the same laser attack as before, directly at me.
I hurriedly got to my feet the moment I saw it, but there was another problem.
Sway-
“?!”
Was it because my mana had been absorbed? I had no strength in my body.
The dizziness stabbing into my head forced me to drop to my knees.
‘N-no...!’
Even while dizzy, I had to think. I glared at the Guardian, which was aiming at me with perfect accuracy.
Even though it had absorbed all my mana, it still clearly recognized me.
Why?
I didn't even have time to finish the thought.
Blink!
The area around me suddenly flickered and brightened again, like a light bulb had gone out.
The moment I saw it, I snapped my head up.
I squinted against the glare before finally managing to open my eyes.
‘...Light?’
The crystal ball KingLeor had gifted me. The Light Magic contained inside it.
Mana was inevitably needed to activate magic.
The moment I realized that, I pulled the crystal ball from my bag without hesitation.
Then I squeezed out every last bit of mana I had and poured it into the crystal ball.
Flash!
The instant mana flowed into it, the surroundings became bright. The entire cave was flooded with brilliant light.
Ignoring the glare, I threw the crystal ball behind the Guardian.
Kigigigik!
Success. It had taken the bait perfectly.
Following the crystal ball, the Guardian's waist bent nearly 180 degrees.
That revealed Heavenly Demon’s Sword, embedded in its back like the Hero's Sword.
Drawing on every last scrap of strength, I shot to my feet.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Shouting at the top of my lungs, I charged toward the Guardian. There was only one target: Heavenly Demon’s Sword.
It couldn't hear me anyway, so I screamed to my heart's content.
Wooooong!
A strange sound came from the Core. I waited for the moment it fired.
When the light became far brighter than before, I covered my entire left arm with the shield.
It was the perfect posture for a shoulder charge. Maintaining it, I rushed forward and leaped.
Boom!!
The Core fired its laser the moment I jumped.
No matter how enormous it was, it couldn't ignore recoil.
Just as I expected, its body was pushed back, if only a little.
That recoil was a fantastic help to me.
Bang!!
My shield slammed into the exposed base of Heavenly Demon’s Sword with a tremendous roar.
Heavenly Demon’s Sword, which had already reached the Core, plunged even deeper.
The entire blade had gone in, so it must have pierced right through the Core.
Boom!
It was a shield-assisted shoulder charge, and I'd even leaped into it.
What followed was naturally a fall. It hurt a little, no, a lot when I hit the ground.
Still, just in case, I rolled pathetically away from the Guardian.
Call me pathetic if you want. I needed to stay alive first.
Gigigigik- Gigik- Gigigik-
Maybe because its Core had been properly pierced, the Guardian malfunctioned.
Its limbs repeatedly fell off and reattached, while its entire body twisted as if it were dancing.
If a robot broke down, wouldn't it look exactly like that?
Boom!
Before long, it let its arms hang limply and fell forward.
It rattled faintly, but even that soon stopped.
The blue light shining from the Core went out completely.
The only light left in the cave was the Light Magic floating above.
It had somehow survived getting hit by that laser cannon.
“Good grief...”
I almost died.
If I hadn't figured out how to beat it, I would've been completely helpless.
Were all Guardians like this? How did SwordTasteMaster beat something like that so easily?
My mana had been absorbed, and I had no strength left in my body. It looked like I'd have to lie down for a while.
Rustle-
Something quietly approached me.
At first, I thought it was Fast Sloth.
But when I saw the round eyes and beak, I realized it wasn't.
The biggest contributor to beating the Guardian, Wonmo.
“Kyuu?”
Wonmo tilted his head as he looked at me sprawled on the ground.
I stared at him blankly, then let out a hollow laugh.
“Wonmo.”
“Kyuu?”
“Want some honey later?”
“Kyuu!”
He liked that.
Footnotes:
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