Alberu quietly mumbled.

“To take its life.”

He chuckled before continuing to speak.

“Haven’t we struggled until now because that is so hard to do?”
“You’re right, your highness.”

Cale had no problem accepting that that was the case.

It had been difficult until now and he had thought hard about what they could do.

“That is not the case anymore.”

One time.

Someone who has experienced something just once will realize something from it, no matter how small it may be, and absorb that knowledge.

There were hundreds of people who had experienced that here.

Hundreds of people fought head-on with this unranked monster just one time, but they had survived.

Cale trusted those behind him.

Kim Min Joon, who was on top of the shelter wall, started to speak as if he was responding to Cale’s trust.

“Please get ready. It will use its ability soon.”

Click.

Park Jin Tae grabbed his gun with his right hand after hearing that.

“Will things go according to plan?”

Park Jin Tae heard someone’s concerned question.

“The Commander-nim said the following. He said that we will take things away one by one.”

During the few hours of peace…

At the strategy meeting inside the grand assembly hall…

‘We have currently taken away its poisonous fangs and its sight. We will soon make the rest of its abilities useless as well. All of you will need to do it similarly to how we took away the other two things.’

Someone else added on.

“Do you think we can do it?”

It was at that moment.

“Shut the hell up.”

The concerned person closed his mouth after hearing Park Jin Tae’s annoyed voice.

Click.

Park Jin Tae’s arm that was holding the gun was moving around as if it was flowing water.

“I can’t focus. Go to the rear if you want to run your mouth.”

He then pointed the barrel at something.

It was aimed only at a single moving target.

Kim Min Joon, who was standing next to Park Jin Tae, quickly opened his mouth to speak.

– It’s time.

It was because he heard Cale’s order.

Kim Min Joon started to shout.

“Stop the long-distance attacks!”

There were numerous attacks being launched from the shelter wall into the air.

All of those attacks instantly stopped.

“Chhhssssssschhh!”

As for the yellow head that had not been able to do anything as the crumbling dirt pillars and the numerous explosions took away its hearing and sense of direction…

It could not miss this opening when the noises had stopped.

It needed to make these humans who were bothering it and causing it chaos to stop for a moment.

It needed to calm this situation down.

It would need to make all of these humans unable to move in order to do that.

The yellow head had a wide-area attack to do just that.

The yellow head’s mouth slowly started to open.

The sound attack.

It should be able to take down most, if not all of the humans, with this attack.

“Scree—”

As it opened its mouth and was about to launch the attack…

Smile.

The corners of Park Jin Tae’s lips twisted up.

“I was waiting for this.”

He pulled the trigger as he said that.

Tang-!

The sound of the bullet was the only noise in this moment of silence.

Crackle. Crack!

There were still the electric currents coming out from all over the yellow-headed monster.

The small bullets dodged those currents and someone else started to move.

“Bae Puh Rum.”
“I know.”

Bae Puh Rum’s wind was added to the bullet.

Chhhhhhhhhhhh-

The wind created a small hole in the water surrounding the yellow head.

The bullet used the power of the wind to fly past the hole.

It was even faster now.

It was even stronger now.

The bullet continued to fly toward its target.

“It worked.”

It then arrived at its target.

Park Jin Tae lowered his gun.

Baaaaaang—!

“Scree—-kek!”

Inside the open mouth… The bullet that had aimed for a spot inside the smooth mouth that was not covered in scales pushed into the smooth skin within and then exploded.

“Rooooar, rooo, roooooar!”

The yellow head rolled on the ground and roared as if it was trying to throw something up.

Smile.

The corners of Park Jin Tae’s lips twisted up.

“Looks like I took one of the things away.”

Kim Min Joon looked toward Park Jin Tae with a sharp gaze as he started to speak.

“Are you sure you hit the target?”

Park Jin Tae did not respond to that question. He put his gun away before turning to someone else instead of Kim Min Joon.

It was one of the people who had been concerned earlier.

“I could see well thanks to you.”
“Excuse me? Ah, thank you very much.”
“An ability to increase a person’s sight is quite helpful too.”

Park Jin Tae’s sight was currently fortified with a different ability user’s ability.

It was only a temporary fortification.

Park Jin Tae then looked away from the ability user who looked embarrassed at his praise and started to speak to Kim Min Joon who was looking at him.

“The moment it was about to use its sound ability…”

Park Jin Tae had seen it.

“There was a light in one part of its open mouth.”

There was a faint blue gold-colored light that had appeared in its now poisonous fang-less mouth.

Park Jin Tae had aimed for that spot.

“Rooar, roo, shhh- shhhhh, rooooar!”

The monster could not make many sounds anymore.

This sight fortification ability was an ability that could be used once a day to temporarily amplify someone else’s sight for one hour.

The person with that ability looked toward the monster before opening his mouth.

“Ha, haha. I guess my ability has its uses as well.”
“Of course.”

Park Jin Tae nonchalantly responded.

“It’s obvious that all abilities have their uses.”

He then made eye contact with Lee Jin Joo who was next to Kim Min Joon.

The two of them looked at each other with odd gazes.

Park Jin Tae. When he had been the leader of one of the original shelters… He had split the group into ability users and regular people, as well as ability users with useful abilities and those with useless abilities.

Park Jin Tae had considered Lee Jin Joo and Lee Seung Won to be ability users with useless abilities.

Lee Jin Joo started to speak.

“Everybody has their roles. They just might not know what it is yet.”

Park Jin Tae looked away from Lee Jin Joo.

He looked toward someone who was constantly looking around and moving his hand to record something instead of responding to Lee Jin Joo.

The person writing something on a piece of paper was Lee Seung Won.

Park Jin Tae made eye contact with the person with the Recording ability.

“Are you not going to record it?”

Lee Seung Won snorted at Park Jin Tae’s question and turned away.

He then started to speak.

“The dirt pillars were easily destroyed and the monster’s ability to handle dirt has become useless. That was followed by Park Jin Tae’s attack which took care of the yellow-headed monster’s sound ability.”

Lee Seung Won stopped for a moment before continuing in a voice that was full of confidence.

“Our allies’ abilities have gotten stronger since the battle last night.”

It was the truth.

He could see it.

“I believe that this is the result of each ability user’s ability growing stronger, as well as the fact that they were able to figure out where their abilities would be most effective after facing off against this monster once last night.”

Lee Seung Won looked down at the paper where he had written down the things he had seen and felt before continuing to speak.

“Everybody is staying in position and doing the tasks they were assigned to do.”

Everybody was busy.

“The people with battle-type abilities are on the shelter walls and outside, using their abilities in their respective locations.”

Also.

“The non-battle-type ability users are either supporting the battle-type ability users or using their abilities in different locations which are most suited for them.”

In addition.

“Those without abilities are helping to take care of those with minor injuries, defending the damaged parts of the shelter walls, cooking, and other tasks to support everyone.”

Lee Seung Won’s voice sounded firm as he continued to record.

“Using this as the background, the next step of the operation is…”

He stopped for a moment.

He turned his gaze somewhere.

He could see someone’s back in the distance.

“Next is… In order for the Commander to get closer…”

Their commander had coughed up blood and shivered in pain but had suppressed it all to tie down the monster last time.

“This time, we will be the ones to tie down the monster’s body.”

Things were reversed this time and it was their turn to do what their commander had done last time.

Their commander had said the following.

‘Just a few seconds. You just need to hold it down for a few seconds. Then the others and I will take care of it.’

Outside the shelter wall… There were multiple people quickly approaching the yellow monster that could no longer make any noises.

“Mr. Jae Ha-Jung!”

Jo Min Yeh, the spider web fisherwoman. The woman who had her blue hair up in a ponytail shouted while looking at Jae Ha-Jung.

“Yes, ma’am!”

Jae Ha-Jung responded and scattered his seeds.

“Water!”
“I’m on it!”

Someone else poured water where he had scattered the seeds.

It was a pretty ineffective horticulture ability.

This ability looked as if it would have no uses on the battlefield.

However, when this ability was used with Jae Ha-Jung…

Craaaaaaack-

Although it wasn’t as strong as Cale’s ability, trees quickly started to grow.

Actually, it was only tree roots that were growing.

The tree roots traveled underground.

They were traveling underground to avoid the yellow monster’s currents and water.

“Squad Leader-nim!”
“Yeah!”

Jo Min Yeh’s hair turned white and her long hair quickly started to stretch out and move.

One person descended from the air and landed behind her.

“I have faith.”

Joo Ho-Shik.

“I will focus all of my faith on Miss Jo Min Yeh and Mr. Jae Ha-Jung.”

Craaaaaaack-!

Jae Ha-Jung’s tree roots shot up out of the ground.

They were emerging pretty close to the yellow head.

They were within the area around the yellow head without the currents and water.

“I got it!”

Once Jae Ha-Jung shouted…

Crack, crack-

The tree roots started to crumble one by one.

“Shaaaaaaaa- shhhhhh———-!”

The yellow monster suddenly felt something!

It started to flail after being shocked by the tree roots.

It was because the roots reminded it of a person.

“Kekeke, I’m not the Commander-nim!”

The roots had reminded it of Cale’s power.

This mistake was only possible because it could not see.

‘Mr. Jae Ha-Jung. Make the monster fall into a delusion. Make it think that I am going to tie it down again.’

Jae Ha-Jung was mimicking Cale’s ability.

The plan worked.

Baaaaang! Baaaaang!

The yellow head urgently started to move.

Once the electric currents and water were not as strong because of it’s diverted attention…

“It’s my turn.”

Lee Soo Hyuk raised his sword.

“I’ll slash it.”

His sword slashed through the air.

Slash.

The currents and water were slashed.

The width of Lee Soo Hyuk’s slash was much greater than the last time he had used it.

That was why he could only use it once.

Although he could only use it once…

That one time was enough.

Jo Min Yeh was behind him.

“Grab it!”

She shouted as her white spider webs started to bind the yellow monster.

Numerous people grabbed onto the spider web to prevent the monster from escaping.

“Saaaaaaaaaaa— saaaaaa! Roar!”

The monster started to flail around.

The currents and water started to appear around it again, probably because its movement was now restricted.

Lee Soo Hyuk started to speak after seeing the gap that he had slashed slowly starting to mend itself.

“Dongsaeng, go.”

Through the still-open gap…

A large black tiger surrounded by a silver shield and wings jumped through the gap.

Kim Rok Soo looked at Lee Soo Hyuk as he moved past.

‘Let’s go.”
“Sure.”

Of course, Choi Han, Lee Soo Hyuk, Kim Min Ah, and Bae Puh Rum were behind Cale.

But Cale, no, the Dark Tiger, was already on top of the monster that was bound down by the spider web and the tree roots.

“To the top!”
“I know!”

Alberu responded to Cale before quickly traveling up toward the top of the monster’s body.

The monster was flailing underneath the spider web.

Rip. Rip.

The spider web ripped a bit with each of its movements.

The spider web would be completely ripped soon enough.

“It doesn’t matter.”

The corners of Alberu’s lips went up.

Alberu was already where he needed to be.

Cale had said the following as they charged over.

‘Your highness, I need your grip strength.’

‘Me? Are you talking about the Dark Tiger?’

‘Yes, sir. You’re the strongest here, your highness.’

The Dark Tiger was the biggest and the strongest being here.

‘So?’

‘I need to force its mouth open.’

Alberu could feel Cale jumping off his back.

That was the signal.

The Dark Tiger’s two large paws with sharp claws moved toward the flailing yellow head.

“Shaaaaaa- shhhhh, shhhhhh!”

They then opened the monster’s mouth.

It was the weakest part of the monster’s body as it did not have any scales in its mouth.

Cale was floating in the air using the Sound of the Wind as he reached his hand out toward that spot.

– You’re going to burn it to death?

The Fire of Destruction snickered and started to talk to him for the first time in a long while.

– Kahahaha! Let’s completely cook the inside! Kahahaha!

It had been a while since Cale had heard this crazy laughter.

But Cale couldn’t help but smile as well.

Crack. Crackle.

Rose gold thunderbolts were shining in both of Cale’s hands.

It would soon end.

Cale felt as if time had stopped for a moment as he had that thought.

It was at that moment.

Cale heard the voice of someone other than the ancient powers in his mind.

It was the voice of the sealed god.

– You somehow managed to make it here.

The god continued to whisper.

– Do you think that this is the end of the test?

His gentle whisper sounded quite sweet.

But the contents were not sweet at all.

– Do you really think that this moment is the end of despair?

Cale looked down at the rose gold lights burning in his hands.

He opened his mouth to speak.

‘Is this moment the end of despair? No. Absolutely not.’

“This is just the beginning of the despair in this world.”

It was just the beginning.

Despair would reveal itself in many different forms in this world from now on.

“But people have hope now.”

After about a year since the world had turned into a mess…

The people who had always lost, struggled, and barely managed to survive will be victorious for the first time.

They would destroy this despair known as an unranked monster.

The sealed god who had been silent for a moment asked as if he was sneering at Cale.

– Do you have hope as well?

It seemed to be implying that Cale was someone who could not have hope.

That was how it sounded to Cale.

Cale slowly shook his head.

“No.”

He did not have hope.

However…

“I have certainty.”

Cale needed something more certain than hope. Finally, he had gotten it.

“This place will draw a different future than my past. I’m certain of it.”

He was certain that more people would survive than in his past.

He was certain that they would have better lives.

That was not speculation. Although it was a future that was yet to come, Cale believed it to be the truth.

In fact, Cale wanted to be the one to finish the first step toward that certainty.

The burning rose gold thunderbolts moved away from Cale’s hands.

He started to speak again.

“This is the first time I’m saying this to a god.”

Toward the silent sealed god…

To the god who had tried to give him despair…

Cale said the following.

“Thanks.”

He really meant it.

“My memories didn’t end in despair thanks to you.”

The moment the rose gold thunderbolts landed inside the monster’s mouth…

Baaaaaang-

There was a large explosion as Cale and the others moved away from the monster.

And finally… The large monster’s body slowly fell and the moment it completely stopped moving…

There was a bright smile on Cale’s face.

“Thank you very much.”

Now that he had thanked the sealed god…

That was the thing that had finished Cale’s complete victory.

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