The Galeb Duhr's massive arm slammed into the stone floor where they had been standing only a second earlier, sending jagged fragments skidding across the cave. Dust exploded into the air, forcing everyone to scatter in different directions.
Kim slid backward on one knee and raised his staff. Frost spread across the ground in a widening circle as he poured mana into his spell. A layer of ice crept up the Galeb Duhr's legs, crawling over its rocky skin like white vines.
"Freeze!" Kim shouted.
For a moment, the monster slowed. Cracks of frost spread across its body, and its movements became stiff and uneven. But then the Galeb Duhr flexed its stone limbs. A low grinding sound echoed through the chamber as the ice shattered apart, breaking off in chunks and clattering to the floor.
Seo-yeon didn't hesitate.
She sprinted behind it, her daggers flashing in the dim light. With a powerful leap, she launched herself into the air, aiming straight for the monster's upper back.
But the Galeb Duhr twisted its massive torso with shocking speed.
Its arm swept toward her like a falling wall.
Seo-yeon was struck midair and sent crashing into the jagged cave wall. She barely had time to brace herself before impact. Stone cracked beneath her boots as she planted her feet against the sharp surface.
"Ghh—!"
Using the wall as a springboard, she pushed off with all her strength. Her body shot forward like an arrow, and her heel slammed into the Galeb Duhr's head.
The impact rang through the chamber like a hammer striking stone.
The Galeb Duhr staggered backward several steps, its huge body swaying as fragments of crystal and rock broke loose from its shoulders.
Hyun-wu charged.
He lowered his shield and rammed straight into its legs, smashing into its shin with a thunderous blow. The monster's knee buckled, and it dropped down heavily, shaking the ground beneath them.
Seung-hoo stood farther back, his eyes locked on the Galeb Duhr. He wasn't attacking—he was watching.
Every movement.
Every delay between attacks.
Every shift of its shoulders and jaw.
Something felt wrong.
The Galeb Duhr suddenly straightened, pulling its body upright despite the damage. The crystals embedded in its chest and neck began to glow faintly, pulsing with a greenish light.
Seung-hoo's heart skipped.
He recognized the posture immediately.
"…It's charging up for an attack!" Seung-hoo shouted.
Hyun-wu raised his shield, and Seo-yeon twisted mid-step, turning back toward the monster. Kim started forming another spell, but the Galeb Duhr was already ahead of them.
Its mouth opened unnaturally wide.
Inside, clusters of tiny green crystals formed rapidly, growing out of its stone throat like jagged teeth. The glow intensified until the entire chamber was washed in sickly green light.
A violent surge of energy exploded outward.
A pillar of crystal shot from its mouth, tearing through the air toward Kim and Seo-yeon.
"Move!" Kim shouted.
Seo-yeon dove to the side, rolling across the rough cave floor as shards of crystal slammed into the wall behind her. The impact shattered rock and sent sharp fragments spraying outward.
Kim threw himself backward, barely avoiding the main blast. The edge of the crystal pillar scraped past his shoulder and struck the ground, forming a jagged cluster of poisonous-looking green spikes where it landed.
The cave echoed with cracking sounds as more crystal growths burst from the ground and walls, spreading like a disease.
Hyun-wu raised his shield and stepped in front of them, blocking another incoming wave. The shield vibrated violently as crystals slammed against it, leaving green scorch marks across its surface.
Seung-hoo felt heat and pressure in the air, his lungs tightening as the mana density spiked.
The Galeb Duhr lifted its arms again.
More crystals began to form along its mouth and jaw,
Changing up for another attack.
Seo-yeon pushed herself up, breathing hard. "It's creating them… from inside its body."
Kim stared at the glowing formations in horror.
"Those crystals—if we break them—"
The Galeb Duhr roared, its voice grinding like mountains collapsing, and fired another volley of crystal shards across the battlefield. The sharp projectiles embedded themselves into the cave floor, walls, and ceiling, turning the chamber into a forest of glowing green spikes.
Seung-hoo's eyes followed the pattern of the attack.
Not random.
Targeted.
One of the glowing gems embedded in the Galeb Duhr's rocky shoulder cracked under the pressure of its own attack. With a sharp, ringing sound, it broke free from its body and shattered against the jagged cave floor.
Tiny green fragments scattered in every direction.
At that exact moment, the large crystal embedded in the center of the Galeb Duhr's chest dimmed slightly, its glow flickering like a candle in the wind.
Seung-hoo's eyes widened.
He saw it clearly.
"The gem…" he whispered.
Then he raised his voice.
"Everyone! If it uses a skill, it gets weaker!" Seung-hoo shouted.
Hyun-wu turned his head sharply. "What?"
"Look at its chest crystal!" Seung-hoo yelled again. "Every time one of those smaller gems breaks, its core loses power!"
The Galeb Duhr let out a deep, grinding roar and lifted both arms. More green crystals began forming along its forearms and neck, glowing brighter as mana surged through its stone body.
Seung-hoo clenched his fists.
"Just hold it out longer!" he shouted. "Make it use as many skills as possible to damage itself!"
Seo-yeon's eyes narrowed as understanding clicked into place.
"So we bait it into attacking over and over."
Hyun-wu planted his shield into the ground. "I can block its shots."
Kim nodded, already raising his staff. "And I'll force it to keep casting."
The Galeb Duhr started stomping toward them, each step shaking the jagged cave walls and sending loose rocks tumbling from above.
Seo-yeon ran toward Seung-hoo as they repositioned. "So… everyone heard what Seung-hoo said, right?"
"Yes!" Hyun-wu and Kim answered at the same time.
They regrouped quickly, moving backward together as the monster advanced.
Seo-yeon glanced sideways at Seung-hoo while running. "You know too much about this thing."
Seung-hoo didn't answer at first.
The Galeb Duhr raised one arm and fired another burst of green crystal shards. Hyun-wu rushed forward and slammed his shield into the ground, blocking the attack as shards shattered and scattered around him.
They ran to the far side of the chamber.
While moving, Seo-yeon kept staring at Seung-hoo.
"You knew when it was charging. You knew where it would shoot. You knew what happens when its gems break," she said. "It's like you've fought this boss before."
Seung-hoo's breath grew heavier.
"…Guys," he said quietly, still running, "do you promise to keep something a secret?"
"Huh?" Kim said, confused.
"What are you talking about?" Hyun-wu added.
Before they could ask more, Seung-hoo suddenly stopped.
The others skidded to a halt in shock.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Seo-yeon shouted.
Seung-hoo turned to face the Galeb Duhr alone.
The monster loomed over him, its massive stone body covered in glowing green crystals. Its chest core pulsed with unstable light, cracked and dimmer than before.
The ground trembled as it raised its arms again.
Seung-hoo reached back and touched his backpack.
"Just… trust me," he muttered.
In a blink, his backpack vanished.
Seo-yeon's eyes widened. "Where did it go?!"
Seung-hoo lifted his hand again.
A sword appeared in his grip.
It wasn't the dull weapon he had carried earlier. This blade glowed bright yellow, lightning crawling along its edge like living veins. The air around him vibrated as energy gathered.
Kim stared. "That wasn't in his hands before…"
Hyun-wu whispered, "What… is that?"
The Galeb Duhr roared and began forming another crystal attack inside its mouth. Green light flooded the chamber again, reflecting off the jagged cave walls and broken shards scattered everywhere.
Seung-hoo bent his knees.
Lightning surged around his body.
Seo-yeon shouted, "Seung-hoo, get back here!"
But he didn't listen.
He launched himself into the air.
Stone cracked beneath his feet as he jumped, soaring straight toward the Galeb Duhr's chest. Electricity spiraled around him, forming a storm of white and yellow light that illuminated the entire chamber.
He raised his sword above his head.
The Galeb Duhr opened its mouth wide, preparing to fire another pillar of crystal.
Seung-hoo's eyes locked onto the glowing core in its chest.
"Lightning concentration!" he shouted.
The lightning around him collapsed into the blade, condensing into a blinding arc of power. Thunder echoed through the cave as he descended.
The sword pierced straight into the Galeb Duhr's chest crystal.
A violent surge of electricity exploded inside the monster's body.
Cracks spread outward from the impact point like spiderwebs across stone. Green crystals embedded in its torso began to flicker and fracture, falling away one by one.
The Galeb Duhr staggered backward, its massive form trembling as lightning coursed through its core from the inside, its roar turning into a distorted grinding sound while shards of glowing crystal rained down around Seung-hoo and the chamber filled with blinding flashes of light and heat, the jagged cave walls reflecting the chaos in every direction as the monster struggled against the storm burning within it.