ALL NOVEL Chapter 379
‘Seems like I can gauge my strength to some extent with this.’
Johann thought while looking at the Outsider Golem charging at him like an angry bull. It wasn’t a weak being, but it was certainly weaker than its master, who was watching him from the air.
If he gets scared at this level, he won’t be able to do anything.
“Still, this should be more fun than before.”
‘Who truly holds the control over this body?’
It was a crucial question.
Depending on whether the Observer directly controlled it or if the Golem was moving on its own, his strategy would change. Johann subtly shifted his gaze from the Outsider Golem back to the Observer.
[Are you spacing out right now?]
“Don’t intervene halfway, okay?”
[I won’t! That’d be boring!]
That laugh, sounding like it could tear his eardrums apart, gave Johann chills. He furrowed his brows and returned his focus to the Outsider Golem.
“Quartz…!”
“I’ll kill you…!”
The grotesque mass of the Outsider, resembling a creature from a horror game, began to pick up speed as it crawled halfway along the ground towards him.
“How does it even jump with all those legs?”
“Die…!”
Seventeen pairs of hands reached out towards Johann’s body. Seeing that, he immediately jumped back to evade the attack. There was something unsettling about retaliating right away.
The heavy form of the Outsider Golem scraped past the spot Johann had just occupied. Though it was just a simple gesture, the result was anything but simple.
‘The hill’s gone.’
“Looks like the Outsider really packs a punch.”
Could he endure a hit?
…No, he shouldn’t even think about enduring it.
He planted his shovel into the ground and channeled the power of the World Tree into the earth. The World Tree extended its roots, supporting him in this dire situation.
‘The support is greater than usual.’
With more than double the usual power of the World Tree, he plucked a leaf off his hand. The energy was flowing into his body, subtly changing its characteristics.
“It’s fine to go bigger than usual.”
“Quartz…”
Can he really change this desert with his own power?
It was a question everyone would shake their heads at, or scold him as talking nonsense.
But he could confidently nod in reply.
He was merely saving strength in preparation for the Observer. If the World Tree decided to unleash its power, changing the environment of the entire continent wouldn’t be that tough after all.
There would be a fierce backlash, but now was not the time to worry about such things.
Everything needs to survive for it to matter.
He once again sidestepped the incoming hands, moving back three steps to dodge and swung the shovel.
An arm flew through the air. Spinning, it landed on the sand, dripping blood, tilted and bleeding. Johann glanced at the flying arm, feeling the ground starting to tremble beneath him as he stomped down.
“Dying…”
“Shut up. I’ll finish this soon.”
His body shot through the air towards the colossal monster that resembled an ogre. The Outsider Golem, looking for an opportunity, stretched out its numerous hands.
All the faces simultaneously opened their mouths. With jaws agape, tongues glistened red like a frog’s, lunging towards him.
With a sound that could tear through the air, countless tongues shot forward.
A life-threatening situation.
But he smirked and spread the wings of the Phoenix from his back.
He was convinced that the Golem made by the Observer wouldn’t be able to keep something like this hidden. He instantly changed his trajectory and moved right.
The tongues that nearly swiped his body missed their target, retreating back into their mouths. He didn’t miss the inevitable gap that appeared while retracting the tongues.
Using his wings as propulsion, he swung the shovel towards the body of the Outsider Golem. The shovel tore into one of the monster’s faces, embedding deeply.
“Damn, it’s just too sturdy.”
Before countless hands and faces could counterattack, he infused flames into the shovel blade. The flames of the Phoenix, which could ignite even underwater, began to burn the insides of the Outsider Golem.
“UAAAAAAAH!!(@#)_#)(!!$)&!@#*(!”
The Outsider writhed in agony, letting out incomprehensible roars, stumbling backward and rolling down the sand dune. Johann looked down at the burning Outsider Golem in pain from atop the dune.
‘Can’t hide anymore, can it?’
He had planned to uncover all the hidden cards before finishing it off, but the unexpectedly weak power of the Outsider Golem made him click his tongue.
“It’s… hot!”
Screaming, the burning Outsider Golem clawed at its wounded area, tore it off completely, and hurled it towards Johann.
[The fight is just beginning~]
‘Looks like I have some fun entertainment.’
Johann took three big steps to the side to avoid the chunk of meat the size of his body and then examined the now-resurrected monster.
‘Now it has sixteen heads, huh.’
“…This is a mess.”
He reached the conclusion that he might need to smash all sixteen heads to take it down and spat out some curses while gauging when the powers of the World Tree below might produce results.
“Crafting.”
If he couldn’t use the power of the World Tree immediately, he could only utilize the strength he had on hand. With his command, the desert quaked.
Hills collapsed, and sand piled up to create pillars and walls. The scene looked like a miracle created by a God, causing the Observer, who watched, to gawk in amazement.
[How fascinating! Get moving! Make it more fun for me!]
“Quartz!”
The fully healed Outsider Golem, with a twisted expression, began its charge across the desert again.
But the changed environment hindered the monster’s movement.
The pillars and walls that had risen across the desert posed significant obstacles to the Golem’s straight path. The pillars, mixed with the power of the World Tree, couldn’t simply be ignored or bypassed, even by the Golem’s brute force.
“Room… blocked…!”
“Crafting.”
The sand pillars rising from the ground mercilessly whipped the monster’s body. As it continuously got hit in the face, the Golem swayed, and Johann seized the moment to leap onto its body.
“Fall…!”
“Who’s going to fall just because you tell them to?”
His shovel struck down mercilessly, burying itself into the face of the middle-aged monster. A disgusting liquid and brain matter splattered as the shovel dug into its forehead.
“Fifteen.”
“!@!(#!(#!”
Before a counterattack could come, he used the Golem’s face as a foothold to leap away. The tongues skimmed past his cheeks and arms, sending flesh flying and bones visible, but in his eyes, that was merely a scratch.
“YOOOOOOOOO!”
Having wrapped his body in the power of the Phoenix for healing, he chuckled softly while feeling the energy from the ground beneath him.
“Looks like we’re finally starting.”
The sand began to collapse. As the ground crumbled, the pillars and walls standing on top began to tilt. The tied-up Outsider Golem couldn’t escape that fate.
“Quartz!”
“Stop yelling. My ears are going to rot.”
The sand soaked up the moisture, and trees began to sprout. Brown trees began to rise in the once-sand-filled desert, shaking their green leaves.
The monster couldn’t hide its confusion at the sudden environmental shift, looking around in bewilderment. However, it couldn’t find Johann.
He looked down from a branch of the World Tree that sprouted in the middle of the forest.
“Truly, the forest is the best compared to the desert.”
He muttered to himself, leaping down towards the monster. The shovel in his hand had grown into a massive form entwined with the power of the World Tree.
“Let’s start by taking a few heads off.”
The giant tree, shaped like a shovel, mercilessly plunged into the Outsider Golem’s body. The Outsider screamed as it tried to pull the wood out, but the tree, full of life, took root in its body, gradually gnawing away at the Golem.
Johann stepped back, holding the detached shovel and shook his arm once.
“AAAH…! A…PA…!”
“Should be about half gone by now.”
‘When will I smash that completely?’
[This is my first time fighting like this!]
With a cackle, the Observer wore a satisfied smile.
Rather than fighting mindlessly, changing the environment and using it to take the lead in battle was a rare sight, and the Observer’s attention was fixated on Johann.
[You wanna be mine?]
“I’m not interested in playing with toys.”
[How cheeky for a toy, huh? But I liked you, so I’ll let you off with a wide heart!]
‘What a free spirit.’
This guy is the Final Boss?
He looked up at the sky with a grim expression.
Countless eyes. It was impossible to gauge the nature of such a creature, but from the gaze watching him beyond the crack, he felt a sense of obsession and shuddered.
‘Now I’m attracting attention from even tentacle monsters.’
Not even a beautiful woman, and he had no interest in a tentacled creature’s attention. So, he came up with an appropriate excuse.
“Do you think it would be fun to take me away right now?”
[Huh?]
“The toy can only provide fun when it’s in the right place.”
Johann spit out words in a hurried attempt to avoid the situation.
“Quartz!”
[Shut up! I’m in the middle of talking!]
‘It’s a pretty strong guy, yet he’s catching me like a fly.’
He stole a glance at the now-mashed Outsider Golem and redirected his gaze to meet the Observer’s eyes.
He felt feverish and trembled as if he had caught a cold. However, Johann did his best not to show it and maintained eye contact.
If he showed fear, he had no idea what kind of action he might take.
[What does that mean?]
“I’ll prepare the best stage for you, so wait a moment.”
He needed to buy time.
As long as possible.
[Stage?]
“Exactly. An excellent stage that will satisfy you. I’ll prepare a more enjoyable stage than this one right now.”
[I’m generous, so I can oblige an amusing toy’s request~]
‘It seems like it’s not a totally unreasonable entity.’
[Let’s see… I’ll give you a month by your time! Make me entertained!]
The rift began to shrink.
Johann let out a sigh of relief as he watched the Observer’s form slowly dissipate.
‘Not sure if I’ll manage to finish preparing in a month.’
But he had to.
If he didn’t, everyone would die.
He turned his back on the now-defeated Outsider and quietly left the forested desert behind.