Chapter 263: The Beast Tyrant

Chapter 263: Chapter 263: The Beast Tyrant

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the throne room as Park Tae-hyun’s fist collided with the enormous beast’s forearm, sending a shock wave across the chamber that shattered the remaining stone pillars and scattered fragments of marble in every direction.

Despite the difference in their sizes, Tae-hyun did not yield a single step. His muscles tightened beneath his combat attire as he poured mana into his arm, reinforcing his bones and muscles until the force behind his punch reached its peak. The impact forced the fifteen-meter-tall monster to shift its massive body, its enormous feet carving deep trenches into the stone floor.

The monster’s crimson eyes narrowed.

Before Tae-hyun could withdraw, the Beast Tyrant swung its other arm toward him, its claws cutting through the air with enough force to produce a sharp, piercing whistle.

Tae-hyun immediately crossed his arms before his chest.

CRAAASH!

The blow sent him skidding backward, his boots grinding against the floor as he struggled to absorb the tremendous impact. His arms trembled from the force, and a sharp pain shot through his shoulders, but before the monster could follow up with another attack, a streak of lightning flashed across its field of vision.

Lee Min-jae had arrived.

His body flickered with blue-white electricity as he accelerated to an astonishing speed, circling the Beast Tyrant before abruptly changing direction and appearing beside its exposed flank. His fist, wrapped in concentrated lightning, slammed into the monster’s ribs.

BOOM!

The Beast Tyrant’s enormous body lurched sideways.

Min-jae did not stop there. He drove his knee into its abdomen, twisted in midair, and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to its side, each strike accompanied by a violent burst of electricity that spread across its dark bronze scales.

The monster roared and swung its tail toward him.

Min-jae’s expression changed.

He bent backward at an almost impossible angle as the massive tail swept over his face, the resulting gust ripping at his clothes. Using the momentum of his evasion, he planted one hand against the ground, twisted his body, and launched himself away just as the tail smashed into the floor.

The impact created a crater several meters wide.

’Its physical strength is ridiculous,’ Min-jae thought, landing on a broken pillar before immediately leaping away. ’Even with lightning reinforcing my movements, I can’t afford to get hit directly.’

The Beast Tyrant raised its head, revealing its rows of enormous fangs, before releasing another deafening roar.

A wave of pressure erupted from its body.

The remaining pillars cracked, the stone floor buckled, and the mana circulating throughout the chamber became violently turbulent. The monster’s crimson eyes locked onto Min-jae, and its body suddenly disappeared from its previous position.

Min-jae’s pupils contracted.

It was too fast.

Before he could react, a massive fist appeared directly in front of him.

However, the attack never reached its target.

A translucent barrier materialized between Min-jae and the Beast Tyrant’s fist, its surface glowing with a pale golden light. The moment the monster struck it, the barrier rippled violently, absorbing most of the impact before dispersing the remaining force across the surrounding space.

"Don’t get distracted, Min-jae!" Yoon Ha-eun called from the rear of the battlefield.

Behind her, a magnificent summoned creature stood with its enormous wings spread wide, its body radiating a steady stream of defensive mana that enveloped the frontline fighters. Every time the Beast Tyrant unleashed a devastating attack, the creature’s power reinforced their defenses, preventing their bodies from being crushed by the monster’s overwhelming strength.

"I know!" Min-jae answered, his expression sharpening as he seized the brief opening.

He raised his right hand.

Lightning gathered around his arm, growing brighter and more violent until the electricity condensed into a spear-shaped mass of energy.

"Thunderbolt Pierce!"

He thrust his hand forward.

The lightning spear shot through the air and struck the Beast Tyrant directly in the chest, exploding into a brilliant flash that illuminated the entire throne room.

BOOOOOOM!

The monster staggered.

Before it could regain its balance, Kang Ji-hoon moved.

The Guild Master of the Apex Guild had been waiting for precisely this moment, carefully observing the monster’s movements and identifying the brief intervals in which its defenses weakened after committing to an attack.

His eyes sharpened as he raised one hand.

Several layers of translucent barriers appeared around the Beast Tyrant, forming a complicated geometric structure that restricted its movements. The barriers did not attempt to contain the monster through brute force alone; instead, they locked around its joints and limbs, disrupting its balance and forcing its enormous body into an unfavorable position.

"Now!"

At his command, concentrated mana gathered above his outstretched palm.

The energy compressed into a dense, radiant sphere, growing smaller as its destructive power increased. The surrounding air vibrated under the pressure, and even the stone beneath Ji-hoon’s feet began to fracture.

He thrust his hand forward.

"Apex Breaker!"

The sphere shot across the throne room and struck the Beast Tyrant’s shoulder.

BOOOOOOM!

The explosion swallowed the monster’s upper body in a torrent of light and dust, forcing it to release a furious roar as the barriers around its limbs shattered one after another.

Yet Ji-hoon had already anticipated that outcome.

He had never expected his restraints to hold the creature for long. Their purpose was simply to prevent it from evading the attack, allowing his concentrated mana strike to hit its target with maximum efficiency.

’Its defenses are formidable, but they aren’t absolute,’ he observed, lowering his hand as the dust began to settle. ’The damage is accumulating. If we maintain this pace, we can gradually wear it down.’

Unfortunately, the Beast Tyrant had reached the same conclusion.

The monster lowered its head, its crimson eyes burning with increasing fury. The scales covering its shoulder had cracked, exposing the dark flesh beneath, while thin trails of blood ran down its massive arm.

For the first time since the battle began, its expression showed something beyond contempt for the humans standing before it.

It was anger.

The Beast Tyrant slammed both fists against its chest.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each impact sent a pulse of mana through its body, causing the surrounding air to distort. Its muscles swelled, the jagged protrusions along its shoulders grew more pronounced, and the dark mane surrounding its neck bristled as a violent aura spread throughout the chamber.

Then it charged.

The stone floor collapsed beneath its first step.

Tae-hyun, who had just recovered from the earlier exchange, immediately lowered his center of gravity and circulated mana through his legs. Rather than retreating from the incoming monster, he advanced to meet it, his eyes fixed on the movement of its shoulders and hips.

He understood that attempting to match its raw strength directly would be foolish.

Instead, he would have to use technique.

At the last moment, Tae-hyun shifted to the side, allowing the Beast Tyrant’s enormous fist to pass beside him. He stepped into the monster’s reach, twisted his waist, and drove a compact punch into the exposed section beneath its ribs.

THUD!

The impact was followed by a second strike, then a third.

His fists moved in rapid succession, each blow aimed at a different point along the monster’s abdomen, exploiting the brief moments when its scales shifted under the tension of its movements. Rather than wasting his strength on the hardened armor covering its chest, Tae-hyun targeted the vulnerable spaces between the plates.

A rising punch struck its jaw.

A short hook slammed into its ribs.

Then Tae-hyun planted his foot against the ground and unleashed a powerful palm strike directly into its sternum.

BOOOOM!

The Beast Tyrant’s upper body tilted backward.

Tae-hyun’s eyes widened slightly.

’It actually moved!’

He had barely finished the thought when the monster retaliated with a knee aimed at his torso.

Tae-hyun crossed his arms and reinforced them with mana, but the impact still sent him flying across the throne room.

Before he could crash into the wall, a golden barrier appeared behind him, catching his body and dispersing the force. He landed on his feet, staggered for two steps, and immediately returned his attention to the monster.

A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"That was unpleasant," he muttered.

From the rear, Choi Soo-jin glanced at him while keeping one hand raised, her healing magic already circulating through his body.

"Try not to let it hit you like that again. I’m a healer, not a miracle worker."

Tae-hyun wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned.

"Then I’ll try to make sure you have less work."

"That would be a welcome change."

Despite her dry response, Soo-jin’s hands never stopped moving. Pale light flowed from her palms and spread toward the frontline fighters, repairing damaged muscles, easing internal injuries, and restoring the strength they had lost during the exchange.

She was not wasting her mana on insignificant scratches, either. Her healing focused on injuries that could impair their movements or become dangerous if left untreated, allowing the fighters to remain at peak efficiency without exhausting her reserves unnecessarily.

Beside her, Ha-eun maintained the defensive support provided by her summoned creature, adjusting the barriers according to the battlefield’s changing conditions. Whenever the Beast Tyrant directed a powerful attack toward one of the frontline fighters, a layer of protection appeared at precisely the right moment, softening the impact and giving the target enough time to recover.

Their coordination was remarkably efficient.

Neither support attempted to control the entire battlefield alone. Ha-eun concentrated on preventing devastating injuries, while Soo-jin dealt with the damage that slipped through their defenses. Together, they allowed the three frontline fighters to attack far more aggressively than they otherwise could.

And the Beast Tyrant was beginning to pay the price.

---

Ares stood several meters behind the others, his expression calm as he watched the battle unfold.

He had not intervened since the fighting began.

There was no need.

His gaze moved from Kang Ji-hoon to Lee Min-jae, then settled briefly on Park Tae-hyun, observing the timing of their attacks and the way each fighter adjusted his movements to accommodate the others.

’Their coordination is better than I expected.’

Ji-hoon controlled the monster’s movements whenever an opportunity arose, forcing it to commit to unfavorable attacks or restricting its ability to evade. Min-jae exploited those openings with his speed, delivering rapid strikes that disrupted the Beast Tyrant’s balance before it could retaliate. Tae-hyun, meanwhile, remained close enough to punish every lapse in its defense, using his martial arts to inflict damage at points where the monster’s armor was weakest.

They were not simply attacking together.

They were creating opportunities for one another.

Even more impressive was the way they responded when the Beast Tyrant changed its fighting style. Rather than stubbornly sticking to their original positions, they adjusted their formation almost instinctively, allowing one fighter to withdraw while another took his place.

Their support team completed the arrangement.

Ha-eun’s barriers prevented the Beast Tyrant from landing attacks that might otherwise cripple a frontline fighter, while Soo-jin continuously treated the injuries that accumulated throughout the battle. Their efforts ensured that even when the monster managed to strike back, it could not maintain the advantage for long.

’They’re making good use of their respective abilities. Their movements are efficient, and none of them is fighting beyond the others’ capacity to support them.’

A faint smile appeared on Ares’s face.

’If they can maintain this level of coordination, they might become considerably stronger after this expedition.’

Of course, he was not foolish enough to assume the battle had already been decided.

The monster before them was a Beast Tyrant, a Transcendent-ranked dungeon boss whose physical capabilities far exceeded those of an ordinary S-Rank monster. Its immense body was not merely a source of brute strength; every movement carried a terrifying amount of destructive power, and its instincts allowed it to respond to threats with an efficiency that belied its enormous size.

The Hunters had already inflicted considerable damage, but the creature had yet to reveal everything it could do.

For now, however, they were doing exactly what they needed to do.

They were wearing it down.

---

The Beast Tyrant roared and swept its arm across the throne room, forcing Ji-hoon and Min-jae to retreat while Tae-hyun ducked beneath the attack.

The monster immediately followed with a second strike, bringing its fist down toward the ground with enough force to shatter a section of the floor.

Ji-hoon raised both hands.

A series of barriers materialized beneath the monster’s descending arm, redirecting its trajectory just enough to prevent the attack from crushing Tae-hyun. The fist struck the ground several meters away, creating a crater that sent fragments of stone flying through the air.

Tae-hyun used the opportunity to move.

He rushed forward, stepped onto a broken section of the monster’s forearm, and propelled himself upward. Mana surged through his legs as he climbed along the beast’s enormous body, dodging the protrusions along its shoulders before reaching its upper torso.

The Beast Tyrant attempted to grab him.

Tae-hyun twisted around its reaching fingers, planted one foot against its chest, and launched himself toward its head.

His right fist drew back.

"Crushing Fist!"

The blow struck the monster’s jaw with a thunderous impact.

The Beast Tyrant’s head snapped sideways, and its enormous body staggered half a step.

At the same moment, Min-jae appeared behind its knee, electricity surging through his legs as he delivered a lightning-charged kick to the joint. The attack disrupted the monster’s balance, forcing it to bend one leg just as Ji-hoon completed another spell.

A series of luminous restraints materialized around its arms and shoulders.

"Hold it there!"

Ji-hoon thrust his palm forward.

A concentrated beam of mana erupted from his hand, striking the Beast Tyrant directly in the chest. The impact drove the monster backward, its claws scraping against the floor as it struggled to remain upright.

The combined assault lasted only a few seconds.

Yet those few seconds were enough to inflict another significant wound.

A crack spread across the scales covering the Beast Tyrant’s chest, branching outward from the point where Ji-hoon’s attack had landed. Blood seeped through the fractured armor, staining the dark bronze plates as the monster released a furious growl.

It retaliated by releasing a violent burst of mana.

The restraints shattered.

Tae-hyun and Min-jae were forced to retreat, while Ji-hoon erected a barrier to shield himself from the shock wave. The impact pushed the three Hunters backward, but Ha-eun’s defensive support softened the force before it could cause serious damage.

Soo-jin immediately assessed their condition.

"Tae-hyun, your left shoulder is strained. Min-jae, your mana circulation is becoming unstable from repeatedly accelerating at that speed. Ji-hoon, the next time you intend to hold that creature in place, warn me before you force your mana output that high."

Ji-hoon glanced toward her.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

"You said that last time."

"Then I’ll try to remember it this time."

Soo-jin sighed, although the faintest trace of amusement appeared in her eyes.

"Wonderful. Progress."

Meanwhile, the Beast Tyrant was becoming increasingly agitated.

Its once-imposing body now bore the marks of the Hunters’ coordinated assault. Several scales had been shattered, exposing bleeding wounds beneath its armor, while its left shoulder hung slightly lower than before. The dark mane surrounding its neck was disheveled, and one of its horns had developed a deep crack near the base.

Most notably, its movements were no longer as fluid as they had been at the beginning.

Every time it shifted its weight, its damaged leg caused a momentary hesitation. Whenever it raised its arm, the wound across its shoulder forced it to compensate with the opposite side of its body.

Those tiny imperfections were all the Hunters needed.

Min-jae was the first to notice.

"Ji-hoon! Its left side is slowing down!"

"I see it!"

Ji-hoon immediately changed the arrangement of his barriers, directing the monster’s attention toward its stronger side while leaving its injured flank exposed.

Tae-hyun understood the intention without needing further explanation.

He dashed forward.

The Beast Tyrant swung its right arm toward him, but Tae-hyun slipped beneath the attack and stepped inside its reach. He delivered a powerful body blow to its abdomen, followed by an elbow strike to the ribs and a rising knee aimed at the center of its torso.

The monster staggered.

Tae-hyun pivoted on his planted foot, gathering mana throughout his body before delivering a final punch that struck directly beneath the fractured scales on its chest.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact forced the Beast Tyrant to take a full step backward.

At that precise moment, Min-jae arrived from the opposite side, his entire body wrapped in crackling electricity.

"Let’s see how much more you can take!"

He drove his fist into the monster’s damaged shoulder.

Lightning exploded across its body, surging through the cracks in its armor and forcing its muscles to contract violently. The Beast Tyrant roared, attempting to retaliate, but Ji-hoon’s barriers appeared around its limbs once more, interrupting the motion long enough for Min-jae to retreat.

Ji-hoon raised his hand.

A dense mass of mana condensed above his palm, its surface rotating with layers of compressed energy.

"Apex Breaker!"

The attack struck the Beast Tyrant’s chest.

The explosion shook the throne room.

For several seconds, the monster disappeared behind a cloud of dust and debris. When the smoke finally began to clear, its enormous figure remained standing, but the condition of its body had deteriorated considerably.

Blood ran down its chest and arms.

Its armor was cracked in multiple places, and the wounds beneath its scales had grown deep enough to interfere with its movements. Even its breathing had changed, each exhalation emerging as a harsh, rumbling growl that reverberated through the chamber.

The Beast Tyrant was still powerful.

It was still dangerous.

But the Hunters were beginning to overwhelm it. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

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