SML Ch 50

Chapter 50

The pillars of water erupting in every direction were not composed of water alone.

Demonoctofish, which until now had only swum beneath the surface, as well as countless other monsters that had never responded to bait and thus were rarely seen above water, all rose into the air simultaneously.

It was evident that a considerable number among them were eyeing the boat floating in the middle of the lake, either out of curiosity or hostility. It felt as if nearly every monster in the lake had turned its gaze toward them.

“Kkeek! Kkieek!”

In the midst of this chaos, the Anuras—who had only come seeking scraps of fish—screamed noisily as they clung to the edges and railings of the boat. It seemed they could not even conceive of swimming away.

“These damned frogs…!”

“Leave them! They’re not climbing aboard, so don’t forcibly tear them off!”

The knights, horrified, tried to remove them, but Reynald stopped them. For now, it was better to have the Anuras clinging to the boat. They could serve as a partial counterweight to keep the vessel from capsizing, and their venom might even deter other monsters from lunging at them.

“Sir Reynald, what do we do?”

Serna, his face pale as if clutching at a lifeline, posed the question. Reynald quickly rifled through his memories of past encounters with the Orthos Serpent. Most of those circumstances had been better than this one. At the very least, back then, he’d had proper military vessels and armed soldiers to accompany him on subjugation expeditions.

Moreover, opportunities to face an Orthos Serpent had been rare to begin with. Their rational consciousness inclined them to avoid combat unless forced—unless their violent instincts were overwhelmingly dominant or unless grudges and tensions had built to an irreparable point, they seldom deigned to fight humans.

Still, Reynald was not entirely unfamiliar with how to engage them. He mulled over the optimal strategy that lingered in his memory.

“The cleanest approach is to lure an impact strike from the left head, climb onto it, and attack from above. If someone can pin down the left head and prevent it from moving freely, all the better.”

“Both options are suicide right now, aren’t they?!”

“With our numbers, the latter is certainly impossible. No, even the first may be difficult. This one’s mane is thinner than the serpents I’ve faced before.”

“This is hardly the time for jokes!”

It was no joke; he was earnestly weighing tactical considerations. In fact, Reynald remembered vividly the last time he faced an Orthos Serpent six years ago—how he alone had climbed onto the creature’s head and desperately driven his sword into it.

That serpent’s mane had been comparatively thick, providing ample handholds. Even so, the opposing head’s constant interference had nearly cost him the upper half of his body.

“But, my lord, if we provoke that thing into a head-on assault, it’s certain we’ll all be devoured!”

Alex’s voice was thick with panic, and Reynald clenched his teeth. He wasn’t wrong. On a warship, perhaps—but this fishing vessel offered virtually nowhere to dodge an attack. Worse, the ship itself could not withstand the creature’s colossal weight and strength.

“Then we must resolve this with ranged attacks somehow, while fending off the monsters closing in on us…!”

But was that even feasible? Their so-called ranged weaponry amounted to nothing more than crossbows meant for wyvern hunting. While Reynald hesitated, lost in grim thought, a sharp whoosh of an arrow passing by sounded beside him. Arun had already grabbed one of the anti-monster crossbows strewn across the deck and loosed a shot.

“I’ll aim for the gaps in the scales where the flesh is exposed! It won’t do massive damage, but it’s better than nothing…!”

Even knowing its likely futility, the prince’s decisiveness was his greatest strength. Thanks to that, Reynald, too, set aside his doubts and began firing. Whether it worked or not, they wouldn’t know until they tried.

“Let’s do it, Your Highness! But watch your aim—Volant could get caught in the crossfire!”

“Understood. I’ll be careful!”

Perhaps because of that exchange, the others’ morale revived slightly. Those capable of wielding crossbows immediately took aim at the serpent, while the rest fought desperately to fend off the small monsters swooping down from the air.

Several arrows glanced harmlessly off its scales, but fortunately, a few managed to strike exposed flesh. The trained knights swiftly drew their swords and dispatched the demon octofish swarming in from all directions. For a handful of defenders scrambling aboard a fishing boat, they were holding on surprisingly well.

But then—

[It hurts. It stings! And… so what?]

No matter how many bolts from the anti-monster crossbows struck home, the damage was negligible. They embedded deeply enough and drew some blood, yes—but nothing close to a fatal blow.

Moreover, the left head had yet to launch a serious assault, almost as if biding its time, watching how these tiny humans would act before wiping them out in one strike.

[Pathetic. Truly pathetic, all of you! Compared to the one from last year, you’re pitifully weak!]

“I told you, we’re not allied with that intruder…!”

Reynald’s retort was cut short as the serpent’s tail surged up from the water and swept violently across the deck. Thankfully, everyone ducked in time, but even that single strike made the boat rock violently, straining to hold together.

[Who cares! Boring! Rather than letting you flail about, ripping you apart will be so much more fun! If you thrash harder, I might even keep you alive just to play with you!]

The serpent toyed with them, flicking its tail just shy of crushing them outright—as if daring them to entertain it further. One full strike on the deck would surely snap bones and leave someone unable to rise again.

Had it lunged with its head instead, there might have been an opening to climb atop it. But no—the beast was no fool; it wouldn’t expose its weakness so easily. Likely, only in the final moment—when it judged the humans too spent to resist—would it thrust its head forward to bite.

Curiously, the serpent’s right head did not approve of the left head’s antics.

[Stop fooling around and finish them, you half-witted fool! Didn’t you learn anything after letting your guard down last year and paying dearly for it?!]

[Who are you calling a fool? I’m draining their stamina, can’t you see? Or have you forgotten how you got skewered through the brain because you lunged in recklessly back then, you idiot?!]

The right head’s anxiety sparked an argument, and the left head lashed back angrily. Hearing both voices—each unmistakably belonging to Volant—was bizarre enough to unsettle anyone, but the heads were deadly serious in their quarrel.

If a new plan was to be devised, now was the only window. Reynald frantically scanned his surroundings, searching for anything he could exploit.

Firing crossbows endlessly isn’t enough. I need something—anything—that can turn the tide…!

Nearly half of their anti-monster bolts were already spent. Once those were gone, they’d have no means of offense left.

Could they somehow use the monsters flying about? No—the majority were melee attackers, and even the few capable of ranged strikes would never approach the boat closely enough to help.

Just then, amid the battering wind and rain, the boat lurched again—and something yellow suddenly flew across the deck, splatting at Reynald’s feet.

“Kkeek!”

It was one of the Anuras clinging to the hull. Not that it had climbed up intentionally; rather, it had lost its grip on the railing and been flung onto the deck.

Terrified, the froglike creature abandoned all aggression and instead clutched at Reynald’s trousers, flattening itself to the deck in panic—afraid it might be hurled away again.

The sight was almost comical, but Reynald moved to pry it off. Prolonged contact risked its toxins seeping through his skin…

Wait. Toxins?

A spark of inspiration flashed through his mind. Checking that his gloves remained intact, Reynald crouched and gripped the Anura’s shoulders.

“Can you understand me? I need your help! If we’re going to bring down that serpent, we need your cooperation!”

“Kkik? Kaak?”

“Your bile venom! If we coat the arrowheads with your bile venom, we can paralyze that thing!”

The moment he said this, a glimmer of realization flashed in the eyes of his comrades. Indeed, the Anura’s bile venom ranked among the strongest weapons available to them.

While the anti-monster bolts lacked the killing power for a fatal wound, they could pierce flesh and deliver venom into the bloodstream. And unlike a hydra, the Orthos Serpent possessed no resistance to poison. If every remaining bolt struck true, they could paralyze it and send it sinking into the depths of the lake.

Naturally, though, the Anura didn’t understand human speech. Believing itself under attack, it panicked, eyes wide, flailing to break free.

How do I extract bile venom from this thing? Punch it in the gut and make it vomit? No—that’s too dangerous, and it might flee. A few poisoned arrows won’t be enough…

At that moment, Serna suddenly rushed over, scooping up several arrows scattered across the deck and crouching in front of the Anura.

“Look here! Like this!”

Serna opened his mouth wide, shoved the arrowhead inside, and gagged dramatically as if retching. Then he pulled it out and waved it toward the serpent.

“Do this! Copy me!”

The Anura watched him intently for a moment—then suddenly croaked loudly, eyes bulging. Reynald, testing the idea, brought the arrowhead to the creature’s mouth. The Anura let out its trademark “Gyeek!” and spewed vivid green liquid onto the arrowhead.

It was the Anura’s ultimate weapon—its bile venom.

Footnotes:

• Orthos Serpent (오르토스 서펜트): A two-headed serpent-like monster. The name “Orthos” likely references Orthrus, a two-headed dog from Greek mythology, suggesting immense strength and dual personalities.

   

• Anura (아누라): Frog-like monsters whose bile venom is extremely toxic. The term “Anura” is also the biological order for frogs and toads. 
• Demon Octofish (악마문어고기): Likely hybrid creatures combining traits of octopus and fish, dangerous due to their agility in water.