Chapter 13: Bone Armor (3)
[ You have survived the beast horde's ambush with incredible skill! ]
[ The 'Tenacity' stat has been created. ]
[ 0 → 1 ]
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[ Tenacity ] [Lv.1]
—Impossibility.
—The power to defy that name.
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Oh?
'That appeared faster than I expected.'
At first glance, the Tenacity stat seemed vague—almost meaningless.
But in reality, it was one of the most crucial combat stats in The Defense.
'Even if I take damage, my body won't lock up, and I can keep fighting.'
Under normal circumstances, when the human body sustains a major injury, the muscles tense up automatically.
[Tenacity] prevented that from happening.
It also reduced the fear effect inflicted by overwhelmingly powerful beasts.
Considering that many of the creatures I'd eventually have to fight were beings no human should ever be able to oppose—
This was basically a mandatory stat for survival.
'Usually, you'd have to reach the Blue Line before even getting a chance to unlock this.'
In that sense—
It was very fortunate that I'd obtained it now.
Because the Mossback Kupf I was about to fight was exactly the kind of monster that demanded it.
A beast so massive and overwhelming that it crushed the human spirit on sight.
[ GUOOOOOOOOHHH!!! ]
Even as I briefly turned my attention elsewhere, the Mossback Kupf continued thrashing in agony.
BOOM! BOOM!
Every time its massive body twisted and slammed against the earth; it sent shockwaves through the area—
Like a natural disaster in motion.
But—
There were no other beasts left to be affected by it.
Because I had already slaughtered them all.
Honestly, that was a bit of a shame.
'If it had started rampaging earlier, I wouldn't have had to deal with them myself.'
Even as I observed, the distance between us continued to shrink.
Most likely due to the Call of the Ether.
Even though it had lost its vision and was still writhing in pain, the Mossback Kupf was slowly but surely moving toward me.
Though, with its natural sluggishness, the progress was minimal.
Which meant—
I had to go to it.
I swapped my magazine for armor-piercing rounds.
Nothing else could penetrate the massive stone shell protecting its body.
Not that stopping power even mattered against a monster like this.
Once my preparations were done, I pulled out my water flask and took a sip through my purification straw.
"Hah…"
The heat was still present, even though the onsen water had cooled slightly.
After years of drinking cold water, this was still strange to me.
But I had no room to complain.
'I'll add ice later if I ever have the luxury.'
That was a big 'if'.
'Alright, let's move.'
I ran toward the trail of corpses I had left behind earlier.
Since I had hydrated and paced my stamina properly, I could move at full speed without issues.
As I drew closer—
I could feel it.
A primal instinct flaring in the back of my mind.
The sheer presence of the Mossback Kupf was overwhelming.
A Rank 6 Named Beast.
The title was well-earned.
Without [Tenacity], my legs would have given out the moment I entered its zone of influence.
But thanks to my new stat, I only felt a bit of tension—
Nothing I couldn't handle.
And then—
I reached a range of 1 kilometer.
Which, considering its size and destructive power, meant that it was basically in my face.
'Its weak points are either the heart beneath its belly or its forehead.'
Since getting under its body was impossible, my only choice was the forehead—
The one spot exposed on its massive frame.
But even hitting the weak point wasn't enough.
The Mossback Kupf's skull was thick enough to withstand armor-piercing rounds—
Meaning I had to soften it up first.
'First, crack it with AP rounds. Then widen the cracks with explosive rounds.'
With my plan set, I braced my Ark-15 against my shoulder.
The first shots would be armor-piercing.
The target—
Dead center of its forehead.
'Look this way.'
The moment its writhing agony made it face me directly—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A hailstorm of gunfire roared into the air—
Marking the start of the battle.
[ GURUUUUOOOOH!!! ]
Ten consecutive shots.
Every bullet slammed into its forehead.
And as it screamed, pieces of shattered rock rained down.
THUD! THUD!
The protective stone layers were crumbling.
But I wasn't done yet.
'Let's peel that armor off completely.'
I unleashed hell.
Not even a Named Beast could withstand this kind of focused fire.
Ten shots? Not enough.
Twenty shots? Still not enough.
Forty shots? The cracks widened, but it wasn't over yet.
The barrage of armor-piercing rounds was relentless.
By the time I had fired over a hundred bullets, the Mossback Kupf's forehead was finally exposed—
Revealing the faint, pulsing outline of its skull beneath the fractured stone.
But even that wasn't enough.
It was still standing.
Still roaring.
Still rampaging.
'...Damn.'
If not for my infinite ammo, I would have never even attempted this hunt.
Hell, I wouldn't have even made it this far—
I would have already died fighting the beast horde from earlier.
'I need to figure out how this ammo works.'
Because the ability to fire limitless bullets—
Was far too valuable to leave unexplored.
Once I figured out the true nature of my ability, I'd also understand how best to use it going forward.
With that thought in mind, I took about a minute to let my barrel cool before tightening my grip on the Ark-15 Rifle once more.
'Alright. Let's try again.'
I needed to get even closer.
Unlike the precise, deliberate shots I had been taking from a distance, this part of the fight required continuous firepower.
And at this range, the spread density of my shots mattered a lot.
Closing the distance would make my barrage far more effective.
Without hesitation, I moved in.
Since I was already fairly close, it only took a few moments to shrink the gap from 1 kilometer to 500 meters.
BOOM! BOOM!
As I got nearer, I felt the tremors beneath my feet.
[ GUUUUUOOOHHHH!! ]
It was completely blind, but the sheer mass of its rampage was a disaster all on its own.
Under normal circumstances, something like the Mossback Kupf couldn't be hunted with just an Ark-15.
It was the kind of monstrosity that required heavier firepower and support from Ark forces just to bring down.
But—
'Right now, I can do it.'
The moment it turned its head toward me; I didn't hesitate.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A storm of muzzle flashes lit up the air.
Dozens, then hundreds of bullets converged onto a single point—
The thick rock layers covering its forehead.
[ GUOOOOOHHH!! ]
At last, the protective armor crumbled—
Revealing the monster's actual skin underneath.
'That's gotta feel refreshing.'
Of course—
The next part would be far less pleasant.
[ GUOOHHH! GUOOOOOOOHHH!!! ]
Even blinded, it knew where I was now.
Though its movements were still slow, it was now stumbling toward me with purpose.
BOOM! BOOM!
Its misplaced stomps crushed boulders and shattered the terrain.
This was why I took its vision first.
Even though it knew I was here, it couldn't pinpoint my exact position—
So, all it could do was lash out wildly at its surroundings.
'Still dangerous, though.'
But danger could be dealt with.
I raised my rifle once more and fired another armor-piercing round at its forehead.
BANG!
A small wound opened—
Only to be rapidly expanded as another volley of bullets tore into it.
'Alright. Time to finish this.'
I swapped to explosive rounds.
Right as I did—
The Mossback Kupf turned its bloodied, ruined face toward me.
Even without eyes, I could feel its rage.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
It charged.
And I took aim.
The distance shrank rapidly.
Even a single misstep would mean instant death—
Even with a Level 3 combat suit, I'd be crushed instantly if I got caught in one of its blind stomps.
[ Kik… Kik… ]
[ You're going to die… ]
[ Come closer… ]
The whispers returned.
And with them—
A piercing ringing in my ears.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP—
My hands trembled.
But I didn't hesitate.
Click.
And then—
BOOM!
The Ark-15's barrel roared, unleashing a hell storm of firepower at its exposed weak point.
***
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