Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Episode 11. Lower-Level Nest

The fall did not last long. Yet to Jinho, it felt strangely prolonged.

Taesik’s shouts from above rapidly faded into the distance. Dust and chunks of concrete fell alongside him, while the Iron-Hoof Lord’s enormous body twisted right beside him.

Jinho felt something pulling at his waist.

It was the equipment strap caught on the tusk.

‘I have to get it loose...!’

Before he could finish the thought, the impact came.

BOOOOM!

The Iron-Hoof Lord’s body slammed into the ground first. The impact sent Jinho flying.

Once, twice, and several more times.

His shoulder scraped across the floor, and his back struck something. All the air rushed out of his lungs at once.

“Ghk!”

Jinho lay sprawled on the ground, struggling to breathe.

It hurt.

A sharp pain shot through his ribs when he inhaled. He could barely feel his right knee, and his wrist was already swelling. The taste of blood filled his mouth.

But he was alive.

It took him several seconds to realize that.

‘Did I survive?’

Jinho slowly raised his head.

He was surrounded by darkness.

It was not complete darkness. Faint metallic crystals embedded throughout the walls glowed with a bluish light. Thanks to them, he could make out the general outlines of his surroundings.

A vast cavern.

It resembled the lower floor of a collapsed underground parking lot, yet its walls twisted like those of a natural cave. Pieces of concrete, rebar, black soil, and broken bones lay scattered across the ground.

And there was the smell of blood and wet iron.

Jinho’s expression stiffened the moment he smelled it.

This was not simply a lower level.

It was something’s nest.

Words appeared before his eyes.

[You have entered an irregular stage.]

[Iron-Hoof Lord’s Lower-Level Nest]

“Ha.”

Something between a laugh and a breath escaped his mouth.

‘Lower-Level Nest.’

The name sounded grand, but only one thing mattered to Jinho right now.

He had to get out of here. And if possible, he had to bring back some ingredients too.

Grrrrrrrr.

With a low breathing sound, an enormous shadow moved on the opposite side of the cavern.

It was the Iron-Hoof Lord.

The creature was not unharmed either. Its right hind leg was bent at an unnatural angle, and dark red blood flowed from between the plates of its armor. Perhaps because of the fascia Jinho had severed on the upper level, it could no longer properly put weight on that leg.

But it was alive.

The Iron-Hoof Lord raised its head. Its black snout twitched in the darkness. White steam escaped with its breath.

Jinho instinctively lowered his body.

‘I can’t make any noise.’

The creature was more sensitive to sound than sight.

And to smells as well.

The problem was that Jinho’s own body was covered in far too many different smells.

Iron-Hoof Boar blood, Blackrock Salt, Red-Vein Moss, his own blood, and even the Iron-Hoof Lord’s bodily fluids from the battle above.

There was no reason for the Iron-Hoof Lord to lose track of him.

Grrrr-

The creature’s head turned directly toward Jinho.

“Damn it.”

Jinho gritted his teeth and rolled aside.

Immediately afterward, the Iron-Hoof Lord’s tusks swept through the spot where he had been.

CRRRRACK!

Bones and concrete shattered together across the floor.

Jinho rolled behind a pile of bones and hid. Sharp bone fragments pierced his palm. He swallowed a scream.

The Iron-Hoof Lord could not immediately pursue him. Its injured hind leg prevented it.

The creature staggered whenever it turned its body. But the strength of its forelegs was still terrifying. Every time it struck the ground, the entire cavern reverberated.

‘I absolutely can’t beat it head-on.’

Even Doyoon had been sent flying. Taesik had barely managed to hold his ground. Even when the low-rank hunters attacked together, they had only managed to stab the inside of its leg.

All Jinho had right now was a cheap dismantling knife, a few dungeon ingredients stored in his inventory, and pain throughout his body.

‘Huh?’

Noticing something strange, he felt around his waist. His dismantling knife was gone.

He must have dropped it when he fell after cutting the Iron-Hoof Lord’s fascia on the upper level.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Jinho looked around. He could not see anything that could really be called a weapon. At best, there were broken pieces of rebar, shattered bones, and rusty metal fragments.

Then something caught against his fingertips. It was a small folding knife.

A tiny Blue Wave Guild emblem was engraved on its handle.

It seemed to belong to Doyoon.

Apparently, the auxiliary knife had fallen during the struggle on the upper level and tumbled down with them.

‘But this doesn’t look like a combat knife.’

The blade was extremely short. It was probably something used for emergency treatment or cutting ropes.

‘Still, it’s better than nothing.’

Jinho unfolded the knife and gripped it.

Of course, there was no way he could dismantle a living boss-class monster with a single knife. If that were possible, it would not be a cooking skill. It would be an instant-kill ability, a finishing move, or some kind of ultimate skill.

Jinho looked at the Iron-Hoof Lord’s body again. Perhaps it was fortunate that the creature was not unharmed either.

The wound he had made on the upper level was continuing to split open. The creature practically dragged that leg as it moved, losing its balance whenever it changed direction.

‘Its hind leg is already ruined.’

Then what should he destroy next?

The damaged leg? The head that was easily confused by smells? Or that absurd charge?

Jinho held his breath and examined the cavern.

This was a nest. Iron-Hoof Boar corpses lay scattered across the floor. Some had only their hooves and tusks remaining, while others still had flesh attached. He could not tell whether they had been the Lord’s prey or members of the colony that had died.

In any case, Jinho crawled toward the nearest Iron-Hoof Boar corpse. As soon as his fingertips touched it, words appeared.

[Iron-Hoof Boar (No Grade)]

- Severely contaminated

- Unsuitable for consumption

Whether it was edible or not did not matter right now. Jinho cut off a piece of bloodstained flesh. His wrist throbbed.

The folding knife was dull, while the Iron-Hoof Boar’s muscle fibers were tough. The blade slipped several times.

But that did not mean he could not cut it.

Eventually, he managed to cut off a chunk of flesh and threw it toward the left side of the cavern.

Thud!

The chunk landed on the damp floor. The Iron-Hoof Lord’s head turned in that direction.

Hrrng!

The creature hesitated for a moment before turning its body that way.

‘Now!’

Jinho took some Blackrock Salt from his inventory. This was, after all, a cooking ingredient. Not a combat item.

But he had already learned on the upper level that even something like this could create an opening against a monster that relied on its sense of smell.

Jinho scattered the Blackrock Salt across the floor to the right. Then he crushed the Red-Vein Moss in his hand. A sharp, grassy smell spread through the humid air.

The Iron-Hoof Lord tilted its head in confusion.

Grrr?

For a moment, the creature lost its sense of direction between the smell of blood on the left and the sharp scent on the right. Jinho moved during that opening.

His target was the wall at the back.

Several old pillars stood there, half-collapsed. Rebar was exposed, and broken Iron-Hoof Boar tusks were embedded beneath the pillars. They were probably marks left behind when the Iron-Hoof Lord had rammed into the walls to expand its nest.

‘Maybe I can use this as an opportunity.’

If he could lure it properly, he could turn the creature’s own weight against it.

The problem was that the bait would be Jinho himself.

“Ha.”

Jinho let out a short breath.

‘...To think I came out on my day off to get some meat and ended up becoming boss bait.’

The Iron-Hoof Lord, which had been sniffing around, raised its head again. This time, it faced Jinho.

‘Faster than I expected.’

Jinho dropped a piece of bloodstained flesh at his feet. Then he immediately stepped backward.

The Iron-Hoof Lord’s snout twitched.

Grrrrrrrr-

The creature lowered its body. It was preparing to charge. Jinho checked the pillar behind him. Then he took two steps, three steps...

If he went any farther, his back would hit the wall.

“Come on.”

His voice was quiet. But as though it had heard him, the Iron-Hoof Lord stamped its hoof.

BANG!

The creature charged.

Its injured hind leg made it slower than it had been on the upper level. Even so, it was still more than fast enough to hit a human. As the enormous body surged toward him, Jinho’s mind went blank.

He threw himself aside at the last possible moment.

The Iron-Hoof Lord’s tusk grazed his flank. His clothes tore, and his skin burned.

The next moment.

BOOOOM!

The Iron-Hoof Lord slammed into the pillar.

The entire cavern shook. The rebar inside the pillar snapped, and chunks of rock poured down from above. Several pieces of the shattered pillar embedded themselves in the armor on its back.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

GRRROOOOAR!

The Iron-Hoof Lord let out a monstrous shriek. But it did not seem to be enough. Far from dying, the creature thrashed about as though it had become even more enraged.

Jinho rolled across the floor and gritted his teeth.

His flank burned. When he touched it, blood stained his hand. The wound was not deep, but continuing to move would probably be dangerous.

The Iron-Hoof Lord tried to turn around.

At that moment, its damaged right hind leg buckled once again. Its enormous body staggered.

The creature was already unable to properly use one of its hind legs. Because of that, it had to place its weight on its forelegs and practically drag its body whenever it moved. The same was true when it charged.

‘Then what if I destroy a foreleg too?’

It would probably have a hard time getting back up.

The problem was the position.

The spot Jinho needed to aim for was the inside of its foreleg, directly beneath the Iron-Hoof Lord’s thick chest. But the moment he tried to get in there himself, he would be trampled to death.

‘I need to make it crash into something one more time.’

Jinho checked the remaining Blackrock Salt.

There was not much left.

He was almost out of Red-Vein Moss too.

He still had Dried Dungeon Root. An ingredient used to tenderize meat. It did not seem useful in combat either, but...

Jinho rolled the Dried Dungeon Root around in his hand.

Dried Dungeon Root was an ingredient that softened tough meat. Its effect would be weak given its grade, but at least it had a powerful earthy smell. The heavy, musty scent seemed to cling to the tip of his nose.

‘Let’s try mixing this with blood.’

Jinho crushed the Dried Dungeon Root and rubbed it into the Iron-Hoof Boar’s blood. The smell of blood became slightly heavier. Jinho smeared the mixture across the floor.

Then he scattered Blackrock Salt on the opposite side and crushed the last of the Red-Vein Moss.

The Iron-Hoof Lord turned to look at him once again.

Grrrrrr-

The creature looked extremely angry.

Jinho stood behind a broken pillar.

This time, it was even more dangerous. There was less room to escape than the first time.

He checked the ground beneath his feet. A broken Iron-Hoof Boar tusk protruded diagonally from the floor. Its tip was chipped, but it was still sharp.

‘There.’

The Iron-Hoof Lord charged. It was not a perfect charge like before.

Its right hind leg dragged behind it, and its forelegs spread excessively wide. As a result, its center of gravity had shifted to the left. Even so, the creature remained overwhelming.

‘I need to wait a little longer.’

Until it was close enough to darken his vision...

A little more...

Just a little...!

He did not twist his body until the creature was almost upon him. This time, the Iron-Hoof Lord’s tusk swept over his shoulder. The wind alone was enough to make him stagger.

BOOM!

The creature slammed into the second pillar.

At the same time.

Stab-

The broken tusk protruding from the floor pierced the underside of the Iron-Hoof Lord’s left chest.

The Iron-Hoof Lord twisted its body. The inside of its foreleg opened up. It seemed the impact had torn its fascia.

GRRROOOOOAR!

Jinho did not miss that moment.

‘...If it’s here.’

Jinho breathed heavily.

“Making one damn meal is a hell of a lot of work.”

He threw himself forward.

Gripping the folding knife with both hands, he lunged toward the inside of the Iron-Hoof Lord’s foreleg.

The creature struggled violently. Every time its hoof struck the floor, bone fragments flew through the air. One grazed Jinho’s cheek. Hot blood flowed down his face.

CLANG!

It was an ambitious strike, but the dull blade was stopped by tough tissue.

“Damn it.”

Jinho swallowed a curse and changed the angle of his wrist. Just like when cutting meat, he could not simply force the blade through. He had to find the grain.

He searched for the sensation against the tip of his knife.

Once.

The blade slipped halfway.

Twice.

His wrist screamed in pain.

Three times.

Slice-

Something snapped.

GRRRAAAAAAGH!

With an enormous roar, the Iron-Hoof Lord’s body collapsed. Its tremendous weight shifted to one side. The broken tusk embedded beneath its chest drove even deeper.

The creature tried to raise its body one last time. But it could not accomplish its goal. Its hind leg was already ruined, and one of its forelegs was broken as well. Its enormous body would no longer obey it.

Even so, it was still alive.

‘Tough. Damn, it’s tough.’

The Iron-Hoof Lord’s head turned toward him. The tip of its enormous tusk scraped across the floor.

‘If that touches me even once more, I’m dead.’

Jinho tried to move, but his legs had no strength left.

‘Is this as far as I go?’

At that moment, the Iron-Hoof Lord’s body convulsed violently.

The tusk embedded beneath its chest tore farther into its insides. Dark red blood poured onto the floor. The creature’s head lurched forward until it was right in front of Jinho’s nose.

Its black snout, hot breath, and the mingled stench of iron and blood engulfed Jinho.

And then.

THUD!!

With a tremendous sound, the Iron-Hoof Lord’s head fell to the ground. The cavern fell silent.

For a while, Jinho could barely breathe.

A moment later, a system window appeared.