Chapter 164: Chapter 164- Sea Hunter (Part 4)
If one were to be asked, what are the most terrifying mythical creatures they heard of? The name of the Kraken would appear often in those choices. With its unimaginable size, its terrifying appearance, and its mysterious attacks that leave nothing behind, it had every requirement met to be someone's nightmare.
Yet, that seemingly magical creature that should've never existed was now in front of Talon floating in the depths of the sea with him lonesomely facing it with nothing to back him.
The creature's terrifying arms stretched forward as they quickly surrounded Talon and tried to grab him. However, the latter immediately swam up, barely dodging the attack.
The tentacles immediately spread as they surrounded him again a moment later. Talon's eyes widened when he realized how fast they were moving all of a sudden… It completely took him by surprise.
'Shit!!'
*BANG*
One of the arms ruthlessly slammed against his body, sending him down to the depths of the river. Smashing against the river floor, his eyes widened.
"Ugh!!!" Air leaked out of his mouth as Talon quickly put his hand over his lips to not let any more air escape.
A moment later, the same tentacles followed after him ruthlessly. With no time to even recover, the young man had to quickly rise up and start swimming close to the floor. The tentacles smashed into the river floor as they tried to hit him.
However, using Future Sight, Talon was able to somehow manage to predict where they were and dodge in time. However, his situation wasn't getting any better.
'I lost too much air!! I don't know how long I can continue to escape. I need to kill it quickly!' Looking behind him, he could vaguely see the silhouette of the monster in the distance.
With a rough calculation, Talon estimated that he had no more than 50 seconds' worth of oxygen left in his lungs after what happened. Even though that was uniquely good for an average human, Talon's continuous evolution affected his lungs and made them expand and work way better than before.
If he took a huge breath and went underwater without any external factors affecting him… He could easily stay underwater for 25 minutes. But, that single attack cut down that number by more than 90%.
Not to mention the pain he felt in his bones from the hit. He was suffering terribly.
The tentacles continued their ruthless attacks on his body without giving a single moment to rest or think. All he could do was follow his instincts as he moved left and right, up and down like a fish.
However, Talon wasn't completely clueless as to what he needed to do. So, unbeknownst to the giant Kraken, Talon was slowly cooking up a plan.
'Ok… I think I can do this! Let's hope I don't drown to death!' He cursed as he suddenly changed his swimming direction.
The tentacles seemed to expect that as they immediately obstructed his path. But, Talon didn't stop as he slashed with his spear. The attack cut through the tentacle-like cheese.
"Rrrrrrrr…" A loud growl escaped the Kraken's mouth as it pulled that tentacle and attacked with the others.
Talon swung his spear endlessly, trying to cut whatever tentacle tried to obstruct his way. However, with how fast he was moving and the dangerously low amount of oxygen running through his veins, Talon felt his attacks growing weaker and weaker with each passing second.
On the other hand, his heart rate was starting to increase and his anxiety and fear of drowning slowly took over his mind. His body was reacting to the danger on its own.
'Keep yourself calm, Talon!' He thought to himself as he cut down one of the tentacles, only to realize that another had taken its place as it smashed into him. Using his spear as a shield at the last split second, Talon stopped the arm from blasting him away.
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*BANG*
"Hnnnng!!!" Groaning under his breath, he fought the overwhelming strength of the monster with whatever power he had left in him. But, even with his over 130 points in strength, the Kraken was simply on another level and the monster knew that very well.
So, instead of having the arrogance and superiority Talon would expect it would have, it didn't spare any opportunity to beat him.
*Swish*
'Fuck!!' Feeling a terrifying chill run down his spine, Talon turned around only to be met with another tentacle that smashed into his back.
"Blurgh!!!" Air and blood leaked out of his mouth as he was blasted down again, smashing into the ground. A cloud of dust scattered all around him.
'No… Way…' Laying down on the river floor, he stared up with a dazed look on his face. At that point, his throat was burning as if a fire had ignited in it. His heart rate was starting to decelerate and his eyes turned hazy.
'This… is… insane… I can't… feel… my arms…'
It was a complete and utter defeat, without Talon being able to even do any devastating damage to the monster. He didn't even realize that he was defeated as he lay there, unable to breathe or move.
The tentacles slowly moved toward Talon's body like a predator loathing its dying prey before eating it.
'It's… not… over yet… bastard!' Talon clenched his fists.
But, even when his mind didn't accept the defeat, reality said otherwise and it was a painful one at that.
'I'm… really weak… dammit… I'm still far… from being strong…' He mused to himself.
So far, Talon had faced danger countless times, and every single time, he would wake up and fight. He grew strong and learned a lot. But, never before did he get so thoroughly crushed without having a chance to fight back. It felt far more painful than the sensation of drowning slowly.
His pride and ego that he had built in the past month and a half were all gone just like that. Now, he was facing real death, the real deal… He could see the grim reaper brandishing his scythe with a malicious smile on his face.
But, at that moment, out of nowhere, Talon heard a weird sound.
*Sizzle*
The sound was eerily similar to electricity coursing through wires. Then, his eyes caught a surprising sight. One of the tentacles that was about to attack Talon was suddenly stopped in its tracks as ropes of electricity suddenly engulfed it as it cooked it instantly.
"Rrrrrr…" The monster groaned loudly before retracting its tentacles back from the sheer pain. The electricity continued coursing through the arm before spreading to the Kraken's body.
Then, a silhouette appeared next to Talon as it picked him up.
Looking at the figure, Talon immediately knew who it was.
'Hyun-Jae…' He thought to himself.
The latter had a mask on so she didn't say anything and instead lifted him before she pulled her mask off and put it on his mouth. Feeling oxygen entering his mouth, Talon instinctively sucked it in eagerly.
Almost instantly, he felt his vision return and his mind woke up again. His slowing heart recovered a little as he quickly turned to Hyun-Jae.
Then, Talon quickly pulled the mask off and pulled her back with him. A split second later, a tentacle attacked the spot where they were a moment ago.
Falling on top of him, Hyun-Jae stared directly into Talon's eyes as the two conveyed their thoughts to each other. No words were needed between them as Talon suddenly pushed Hyun-Jae up with all his strength. The girl channeled her Aetheris before creating two massive Electricity Balls.
The balls expanded in size on their own without her needing to use Aetheris. Because they were swimming in very salty water, it was a very naturally good conductor of electricity.
*Swish*
Then, she threw the two spinning balls in different directions. The balls flew quickly and smashed into two other tentacles.
At the same time, Talon jumped up as he slashed with his spear, cutting another arm.
Hyun-Jae stared at him again as if she wanted to tell him something. Then, she signaled with her head for him to move up to the surface.
However, Talon shook his head as he pointed at the Kraken's main body.
'I can kill it, Hyun-Jae!' He conveyed through his eyes.
The latter frowned and clenched her fists. A myriad of thoughts passed through her mind. She wanted to refuse and bring him to the top to at least take a breath. But, at the same time, her trust in him made her hesitate. After all, if she didn't trust Talon, then who could she trust?
'Dammit. I will definitely make you apologize for doing this recklessly.' She cursed as she nodded her head.
Seeing that, Talon smiled as he quickly pointed at the tentacles.
'Can you hold them off for a while?'
The girl nodded her head before she turned around and unsheathed her sword.
'Just don't take too long! I can deal with them myself.' Hyun-Jae's eyes sharpened.
'Go!'
A//N: Don't forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading 😀