The wilderness outside the Ark is vast.
Naturally, each region has its own rulers.
The Lords of the Lands.
Opacum of the Opacum Swamp.
The Master of the Great Forest.
The Water God of the Flooded River.
The Immortal of the Cracked Desert.
And so on...
Ouroboros of the Snake Cave was also one of these regional rulers.
It wasn't that I didn't know about Ouroboros, who lay dormant deep within the Snake Cave.
I just didn't expect the involvement of Bagos' Brotherhood or the Shadow Clan, let alone the sudden appearance of Esther.
'Originally, Ouroboros wasn't supposed to awaken until much later...'
Unfortunately, the ruckus I made inside the Snake Cave, coupled with the ether waves Esther unleashed, ended up awakening Ouroboros from its long slumber.
Kiiiiiiieeeee───!
From afar, Ouroboros roared again.
[Ugh... Uuuugh...]
[Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.]
[Run away... Run away...]
The ether around me thrashed wildly.
Esther, too, was trembling.
Though in her case, it was more like whining rather than full-blown screaming.
[...Master, we're screwed, aren't we?]
"Hmm."
[Don't just 'hmm' at a time like this!]
Esther was now bound to me.
In other words, if I were to die, Esther would also lose her existence.
For Esther, who once possessed a near-immortal nature, this was undeniably a bitter pill to swallow.
[Do something! Are you just going to die like this, Master?!]
Of course not.
Thud!
Thud! Thud! Ku-kuung──!
I could feel it.
The Snake Cave in the distance was collapsing, and its master was waking from its long sleep and is now emerging into the world.
'The only silver lining here is that I don't have to worry about cleaning up the Bagos' Brothers anymore.'
Now that Ouroboros had awakened from its deep sleep, the Snake Cave must have completely collapsed.
Naturally, finding any remains of the Bagos' Brothers would be next to impossible.
On top of that, Ouroboros' presence made for a perfectly clear cause of the destruction.
At the very least, no one would suspect that someone deliberately killed Bagos' Brotherhood.
'Well, that's not the important part...'
There was still quite a distance between the Snake Cave and where I was standing.
But once Ouroboros started moving in earnest, it wouldn't take long to catch up.
'With my current firepower, there's no way I can take down Ouroboros.'
Even if I had brought along all the heavy weaponry, I'd purchased with my merits recently, the result wouldn't change.
If Ouroboros were classified as a monster, it would fall into the "Beyond Grade" category—a stage boss-level beast.
In the game's scenario, it appeared as a hidden stage boss.
Right now, I only had one viable option.
'Run.'
Ouroboros was a creature that rarely left its territory.
If I could just manage to escape, it would soon return to its domain.
"Esther."
[Finally listening to me? Let's run! We'll die if we stay here!]
"Talk it into going back where it came from. You can do that, right?"
[...Me?]
"Yeah, you."
The One Who Dwells, Esther.
Even though she had lost much of her power, her essence remained unchanged.
Even if Esther were at full strength, it wouldn't be possible to defeat Ouroboros.
But coaxing it back to its lair might be within her capabilities.
[...Hah.]
Esther blinked at me like an idiot before letting out a long sigh.
She didn't even need to breathe, yet she acted almost human.
[Maybe I can... But what will you do until then, Master?]
"I'll handle it."
[Sigh... Seriously. Don't die. If you die, I'll kill you. Got it?]
"Yeah."
Despite the fact that her worry was purely self-serving, it didn't feel particularly bad.
Concern was concern, after all.
[Seriously, just run like your life depends on it. Understood?]
"I got it."
Esther added an unnecessary remark before her body slowly faded away.
She was shedding her physical form to return to ether and approach Ouroboros.
'Then...'
I also hastened my steps.
There was no more time to worry about pace or stamina.
'You help too.'
[Gik!]
Chzzzt, Chzzt─!
Sparks flew from the bone armor and the Level 5 energy source as the movement assistance system activated to nearly its maximum capacity.
The bone parasite would probably complain about being hungry later, but this wasn't the time to worry about that.
A nighttime escape had begun.
Thud! Thud!
Despite my efforts, I could still feel the presence of Ouroboros approaching from behind.
Even though I couldn't see it in the darkness, the vibrations told me it was coming closer.
'The tremors are getting stronger. At this rate, it'll catch up soon.'
Of course, Esther would be desperately trying to coax it back, but given her weakened state, it wouldn't be easy.
'If worst comes to worst, she might fail.'
That's why I couldn't just keep running.
Respect comes from fear.
Convincing Ouroboros to turn back would require not just a sweet carrot but a firm stick.
'It could end up provoking it even more... but I just need to show it something stronger.'
A beast's aggression stems from its survival instinct.
The fear that it might be hurt is what drives it to attack.
'If you want to kill me, you better be ready to risk your own life.'
To convey that to Ouroboros, I came to a halt and raised my rifle.
['Sniper's Time' activated.]
The Ark-15 anti-materiel sniper rifle scanned the darkness.
There was no need for precise aiming.
With Ouroboros' massive size, as long as I fired in the general direction, it would hit.
'That way.'
The trigger was pulled,
Shooong────!
The muzzle expelled a burst of wind.
The bullet carved its trajectory through the darkness.
Loaded with A-985 explosive rounds, the shot streaked forward and finally hit the target, resulting in a massive explosion.
Kwaaaaang─!!!
[Kiiiiiiieeeeeek!!!]
A ferocious scream echoed from a distance.
It was closer to rage than pain.
Even with the A-985 explosive rounds, it was not enough to penetrate the scales of Ouroboros, the colossal beast classified as "Beyond Grade."
[W-What did you just do?!]
Esther's panicked voice rang out in my ears.
Since her presence was already bound to me, communication was possible regardless of distance.
It seemed she didn't expect me to launch a preemptive strike.
"Just do your job."
[You're saying that after firing shots?! Now it's mad! How do you expect me to persuade it after you shot it?!]
"You know just as well that it wouldn't just go back with words alone."
[That's...]
Esther tried to say something but stopped.
She knew that making Ouroboros, who had just awoken from a long slumber, return would not be an easy feat.
[...Just don't regret it later.]
Thud!
Thud! Thud, thud!
The tremors continued to grow closer.
Even with [Steel Body] and the Bone Armor's support, there was a limit to how fast human legs could run.
"How's the situation?"
[...I don't know. But it seems really pissed off...]
"Means I need more bullets."
[What?]
Clack-
[W-Wait a minute!]
Despite Esther's urgent warning, I pulled the trigger again.
Shoooooong!!!
This time, it wasn't just one shot.
The muzzle, loaded with A-985 explosive rounds, continuously spat fire, unleashing flames of resistance against the approaching catastrophe.
Boom!
Kwakakakang─!!!
[Kiiiii... Kieee, Kieeeee!]
Ouroboros' scream grew louder.
This time, it wasn't just rage but also a hint of pain mixed into its cry.
[Oh no...!]
Amid Esther's panicked shouting, the vibrations had already drawn frighteningly close.
I sprinted desperately, but there was no way to outrun the speed of the colossal beast.
A creature of that size moved too fast for human legs to escape.
[Watch out!]
"Tch."
I turned and pulled the trigger again.
Shoooooong!!
Kwakakang─!!!
The explosion occurred frighteningly close.
Through the flames, a glimpse of pitch-black scales began to appear.
The "Beyond Grade" monster, Ouroboros.
The master of the Snake Cave and future hidden stage boss revealed its overwhelming form.
Ssssss───
Looming above, its massive body seemed to reach the end of the world as it looked down on me.
The distance between us was less than 300 meters.
Considering Ouroboros' size, that was practically right in front of me.
[Ah, aaaah...]
[Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.]
[Hiiiik... Kiiik...]
The ether thrashed violently, expressing terror at Ouroboros.
Of course, I was scared too.
But thanks to my superhuman mental strength and high Willpower, I managed to stay calm.
'...As expected.'
Seeing it up close, I became even more certain.
Fighting Ouroboros was never an option to begin with.
[Kieeeeeee!]
Ouroboros let out a monstrous scream and moved its massive body.
Despite its size, it rushed toward me with terrifying speed.
A colossal shadow engulfed me.
Death was approaching.
Just before being crushed, I urgently conveyed my intention to the bone armor.
'Hide!'
['Burrow' activated.]
Just as my body burrowed underground, Ouroboros' massive body passed overhead.
Kwaaaaang─!!
Although I narrowly avoided being crushed, it wasn't over.
[Kiiiiii...]
I could feel it.
Ouroboros was searching for me.
It seemed that unless its rage was thoroughly quelled, there was no way to avoid it.
[Be careful!]
Along with Esther's warning, Ouroboros' tail rose into the air.
It was almost unthinkable how such a massive creature could move like that.
The problem was that the lifted tail was now descending toward my position.
[What are you doing?! Move!]
"Shut up."
Shoooong──!!!
If I stayed underground, I would undoubtedly be buried alive.
I had no choice but to break out of the ground.
Kwaaaaaaang─!!!
Ouroboros' tail struck the earth, creating a massive shockwave.
Kwakakakakakak─!!!
"Kugh!"
Even though I barely escaped the tail's reach, the shockwave sent me flying.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Behind the cloud of dust, a massive crater appeared.
It was hard to believe that a single living creature could create such destruction.
Seeing that, I thought to myself.
'With my current bullets, I can't pierce Ouroboros' scales.'
'The only weak spots are the eyes or when its mouth is open.'
'Even if I hit those spots, it won't be fatal.'
Killing Ouroboros was impossible.
Even inflicting a critical wound was out of the question.
"How's the situation?"
[...It's completely enraged. Seriously, why did you provoke it when it was just lying there...]
"Technically, you're the one who woke it up."
[So why did you make it even angrier?!]
"Just do your job."
The situation was roughly within expectations.
I never thought convincing Ouroboros to retreat would be easy.
'If that's the case...'
The plan remained unchanged.
Make Ouroboros retreat.
However, I would need to take a more aggressive approach.
'It probably won't work against a beast of Ouroboros' level...'
But it might create a brief opening.
I drew out my bone tendrils.
I drove them into the ground.
['Ankelenth's Domain' declared!]
[Current duration available: 19 minutes 33 seconds.]