HARMONY [LITRPG / ISEKAI / PROGRESSION / OP MC]

In that instant, he began to recognize that the Merunian people, a supposedly old civilization that created some pretty amazing items according to Madam Welsh, were a lot more industrious than he had been led to believe.

He thought they were just masters of magic capable of crafting incredible relics and artifacts that would make any fantasy nerd swoon in delight. Something that would come out of a Dungeons and Dragons game.

How was he supposed to expect that they were actually so advanced that they started making actual machines and technology?

True, he recognized that they essentially made appliances equivalent to freezers, heaters, and other items that an ordinary medieval-like world wouldn’t normally have. But still–mecha-dogs?

He flew across the expanse of the spacious metal dome, swerving to avoid the lasers that came straight out of a sci-fi show. They were fast as bullets, leaving long burning trails behind as they tried to follow him through some kind of homing feature. 

Several more lasers came at him, forcing him to divert the wind around him to avoid taking any direct hits. Each one came from the floating diamond-shaped units that the hell hound controlled, following him incessantly and trying to wear him down. Thankfully the film barrier, provided by his bangle, allowed him to use more force from the crafted air to give him a bigger boost in speed, all the while avoiding any needless resistance caused by the air he wasn’t controlling.

It was all he could do to take most of the mecha hound’s main weapons while his party members focused on surviving the ground and the boss itself.

When the hell hound arrived, pillars shot straight up from the ground, each one generating powerful currents of electricity. Intense sparks jutted out, slamming onto the ground before scattering the party. Aidan was the only one that got the hell hound’s aggro when he launched compressed air shots straight at it, forcing him into a merry-go-round of avoiding laser blasts that could cook him to smithereens.

The short-range combatants rushed in, dealing their attacks at the giant hound’s mechanical paws. Nina’s swift strikes and Bill’s arrows made quick work, though it was clear that the metal armor was durable enough to hold against their attacks.

Unfortunately the ranged attackers, plus Van, were out of the fighting for now, mostly avoiding the lightning strikes handled by the mechanized pillars crowding the field. Van was already pulling his weight immensely by providing the barrier from his buckler, then guiding both Nicky and Haley away to avoid the strikes by studying where they were going next, away from the pillars.

On the other hand, Ander was in his element–literally. Thanks to his talent, rather than it being against him, the lightning strikes instead aided in his boosting spell, nearly covering him whole in an aura of pure lightning as it fought against the hell hound’s direct attacks. His sword flashed so fast that it became nearly invisible before it landed a strike against the metal body, sparks flying off in response.

It was only for a short time, but the party was already getting deep into the fight and Aidan was nowhere near them thanks to the lasers primed on him. He had to focus by keeping the lasers on him to ensure none of them would aim at his party members.

Perhaps it might have been easier to do this by himself, but he had a feeling that the hell hound had more tricks up its mechanized hide and was only using a fraction of its power. He diverted his flight path, avoiding the lasers coming at him and heading straight into the main battle.

He thought about using his leverage in the air by making the lasers land on the hell hound instead, but when he tried to trick one of the flying units into strike the hound, the laser only hit what looked like a barrier, which took the hit like it was nothing. He clicked his tongue, the boss already having accounted for any form of accidental friendly fire that might occur. The same could probably be said about the lightning hitting his party. It might even be possible that the lightning would only help the hell hound fight better if it was directed toward it.

His swords flew out, each one bearing down upon the wolf and keeping its attention. At the same time, Ander took this as a chance to grab one of the flying swords, dual-wielding both blades and empowering his weapons with his talent before delivering another powerful strike against the hound.

The hell hound responded back, opening up small latches on its body before launching actual rocket missiles straight at Ander. Before they could land, Ander flew aside and cut three of them apart, making them explode. Ander made it out unscathed, too fast for the explosions to hit him. He cut several more on the way before heading back to the hell hound, working together with the other floating swords to keep up the pressure.

Despite his insistence on attacking, there was barely any damage inflicted, perhaps due to the idea that electricity wasn’t as effective as an element to damage the mecha dog. Aidan always thought that machine-type monsters are often weak to thunder-based attacks like in most games, but perhaps that might not work the same way here.

First, he needed to get rid of the laser turrets. After avoiding several lasers aimed at burning his ass, he pulled out a resource ball from his pack and started crafting with it directly. He wasn’t able to use his usual earth control due to the layout of the room being made entirely out of metal, so he instead opted to make up a new attack on the spot.

Rather than making a weapon, he compressed the resource ball into a tight spike, compressing it further to the point of making it the size of his forearm. Considering that the materials used were more than a few dozen pounds worth of mass, it had quite the oomph. He then crafted the air to spin the spike in his hand, turning it into a drill before he launched it straight at the turret aiming for him.

The laser shot at him, but it only barely managed to graze his side, where the film was burned up from the excess heat. That was enough of a leverage as the spike tore through the turret, causing it to explode and create a conflagration of fire and metal scattering everywhere.

He kept this up, using more of his resource balls to create his spikes, then launching them at all the turrets aiming at him. He managed to take down two more, leaving only one still following him. Right when he was about to craft another resource spike, the situation changed.

The hell hound came rushing at him instead, ignoring the others and opening its big maw, the blades used as fangs beginning to spin like saw blades and rushing at him. He only had enough of a reaction time to use Phase, bypassing through the entirety of the hell hound’s mouth.

He looked back, only to see that through the close mix-up, the hell hound devoured its own turret for that crazed physical attack. The hell hound landed and turned around, its jaw gripping the now broken turret, which sparked with electricity from its damaged components.

The hound roared, unleashing another barrage of missiles from its body straight at Aidan this time. However, Aidan was prepared as he commanded his swords to come up and disrupt each one of the missiles. All the while, the physical fighters charged in, dealing their own damage while keeping the hound busy.

Now that the lasers were down, Aidan turned to help the siblings next, but found something surprising instead. Nicky was at the center, beyond Haley and Van, who looked worse for wear, holding what looked like a large cross three feet in height. It was made entirely out of metal, and she was holding it up with a grimace on her face.

The reason for that was because it was gathering all of the lightning that was being unleashed by the pillars, creating a field of lightning with the cross at the center. Nicky was holding it up as much as she could, but it was clear that the backlash of holding the relic was too much as he spotted several injuries building up.

He rushed in, lifting his hands as he took control of the tool with the use of the crafted wind. It lifted off of Nicky’s hands, giving her a much-needed reprieve as she sat back down on her ass when Aidan came into view.

More lightning continued to gather, as though the relic was intentionally pulling in more and more energy from the pillars. At the same time, heat started to gradually build up, the once silvery color of the relic that might as well have been a glorified lightning rod beginning to show signs of burning red from the bottom. At this rate, it would detonate and, quite possibly, make a large explosion.

Aidan had an idea.

“Nicky, is this valuable to you?” 

“It’s a one time relic!” Nicky shouted, catching on to what Aidan was planning. “I figured it could be used with Ander’s talent! The more it charges, the more powerful it will get!”

Just to check, Aidan scanned the item in question.

Lightning Cross of Judgment (Uncommon)

A tool used to gather up excess lightning mana from its surroundings, charging up the cross. Used with sturdy materials, it can contain vast amounts of lightning and thunder mana, but has a limited capacity. Once overcharged, it has a limited time before reaching full detonation.

This definitely looked like the sort of thing Nicky would have on hand for dangerous situations. He could see her having this around as a secret weapon using Ander as the main charger, then throwing it at the poor sucker that caused her ire. Instead, she used the nearly limitless amount of lightning being unleashed around here for that instead since Ander was too busy fighting off the creature.

Aidan smiled, seeing the perfect opportunity. “Nice job! Take a break–things are gonna get real busy!”

Just in case, he sent a Heal to the three of them before lifting the cross with air and flying straight toward the hell hound. The cross was already beginning to turn bright red and scalding, smoke trailing from the excess lightning being absorbed straight into the metal.

Nina, Bill, and Ander noticed Aidan coming, and they easily saw the building bomb ready to explode at any moment. Without hesitation, they moved aside, leaving the path open for Aidan and the hell hound who saw him coming, ready to strike.

More missiles were launched, and even lasers that came straight from the small turrets that opened up from its body. Aidan dodged each one, but had to focus harder on ensuring that none of the attacks could land on the cross.

He managed to close in far enough to build up more air around the cross, turning it into a hurricane before blasting the cross straight into the roaring mouth of the hell hound. It caught the relic, and the culmination of mashing blades, thrown momentum, and all of the explosions happening around it, finally made it reach its breaking point.

Boom.

White surrounded his vision, and he felt his body heat up from the resulting fire that ensued afterward. He tried his best to shield the others using the crafted wind as a barrier, but it was too much to bear.

That unfortunately caused him to be pushed back enough to land on the metal wall on the other side of the hall, pain exploding everywhere in his body. It created a small crater underneath him as he fell over, landing on the ground.

Blood dripped from his face and head, but he kept up with Heal, his magic healing his injuries even while his head was constantly aching. He looked ahead to see the others running towards him, thankfully away from the explosion that took place.

As for the hell hound itself, once the smoke cleared up, it revealed itself with several parts damaged or missing, metal bits fallen to the ground as it took a step forward. It struggled to keep itself standing, electricity sparking out between its joints and limbs, red eyes staring daggers right at the group.

“It’s still standing,” Van said, keeping his shield up. “Even after all of that?”

“It’s not a guardian for nothing,” Nicky said, her smile still on her face, but it was clear that it was a nervous smile. “Just so you know, I don’t have anything else that can give that much damage in one go. It’s all on us this time.”

“That’s fine by me,” Ander said, his blade raised. “Aidan, can you keep going?”

“I’m up,” Aidan said, managing to stay up on his legs. They shook, but he forced them to stay still with willpower as he took the chance to drink his Soul-Mending Water. “Let’s put this pupper down.”

The mecha hound rose to its legs, sparks clashing against each other as it forced itself to rise against the invaders. Its jaw opened, though it hinged slightly off before making a roar that was off tone and distorted, as if its speaker was damaged.

Then something else came into the picture. Holes opened up around the walls of the room before hundreds of turrets came out from them. Their barrels moved straight to where the party was at, and Aidan knew exactly what was going to happen.

He had no other choice. He cast Infuse, Magic Boost, and Magic Focus on the ground beneath him before casting Craft, forcing the strange metal to bend to his will. When it kept resisting, he kept pouring more mana into it, even screaming aloud as he finally broke apart the metal’s resistance.

The ground rose in conjunction to his will, metal walls surrounding them and reaching up to a certain height before being pelted by a rain of bullets that rained down on them. Each bullet was strong enough that, if it was just ordinary stone, the wall would’ve been shattered and punctured. There were so many turrets shooting that it was almost impossible for Aidan to just use Phase to just pass through.

His ears almost popped from the sound of metal clanging against metal, but the wall still held firm. He could see dents forming, and it wouldn’t be long before the wall would cave in. But they had some time to last against the onslaught of bullets running at them.

“Any plans?” Aidan asked, ensuring that his focus was kept at the wall keeping them alive.

“It’s on its last legs,” Nina shouted through the constant sound of bullets hitting metal constantly. “This can’t last for long. Then it’ll probably go for a final charge. We need to take it down before it takes any of us with it.”

“Nicky, got anything good in that bag of yours?” Bill asked, pointing at the appointed bag.

“‘Fraid not.” Nicky shook her head.

“Then we’ll just hit it with everything we got,” Ander said. “You guys can keep up?”

“I-I’ll do what I can,” Haley said, gripping onto Aidan’s sword tightly in her grip.

“We’ll work together,” Van assured his sister, making her nod in return. “Aidan?”

“I can’t sense anything from it because it’s not living,” Aidan said, trying and failing to see the hound’s soul. He expected as much, but he should’ve known that a machine wouldn’t have any kind of will to have a soul. “But I’m going to cast Infuse on all of you again while we have a chance. You’ll feel a little clogged, but just use everything you can throw at it!”

Aidan did so, feeling his mana draining while still drinking his Soul-Mending water. He cast Infuse on everyone around him, keeping them slightly over the top to give them the edge they need.

Eventually the turrets finally ran out of bullets as the rain of metal died down. And just as Nina foretold, the last distorted roar escaped the jaws of the beast before it ran full tilt straight at them, its parts jostling and scraping against each other without mercy.

“Now!”

Everyone left the safe mini fortress Aidan made with him flying up into the air. He made dozens of air shots that flew straight at the mechanized beast, hitting their targets precisely. Unfortunately it didn’t create much of an impact to a metal-based foe, but Aidan kept pouring as many air shots as he could. Meanwhile, the others managed to reach it and kept dealing damage at all the destroyed parts they could take down.

Using the swords Aidan gave them, the overpowered siblings Haley and Van rushed in and hammered against the paws and legs of the beast. All the while, Bill and Ander kept its attention at bay with Nicky shooting from a distance.

Nina was the one dealing the most damage, jumping up and over the beast while striking at each part that looked sensitive to the hell hound, causing damage to its body. It was a total mess and, quite frankly, didn’t give Aidan the space required to shoot anymore.

He was fine with that. He had another idea he wanted to try, though it was risky. He had his swords float around him, each one brimming with power as his mind expanded to cover them all. Then crafting the air around him, he burst through with enough force to possibly break the sound barrier in his old world as he charged straight after the hell hound.

The beast let out a distorted howl as the blades for fangs suddenly dislodged themselves off the jaws, flying everywhere on their own will through the use of tiny rockets propelling them. That caught some of his party members off guard, even damaging them from the surprise attack. Aidan wasn’t able to do anything as his mind focused on his own attack.

His swords scattered across, leaving only one in his hand as the others went to inflict as much outside damage as possible. Then, right before he crashed into the hell hound, he cast Phase.

His body and single sword passed through the hardened metal surface, entering deep into the complicated mess of wires and sparking jolts within. Making sure not to turn off the Phase spell on his own body, he instead made his sword physical again, but only the bladed part.

It was a constant drain on his focus, ensuring Magic Focus was constantly on and making full use of his Intelligence attribute as he kept slicing and dicing everything within, using the momentum of his burst speed from before. He destroyed everything on the inside, and soon found himself through the other side of the hell hound.

He landed on the ground, his mind too taxed to keep crafting the air around him, but looked ahead to see his own handiwork. Electricity sparked and jolted across the surface, the wolf suddenly shaking and seemingly unable to stabilize itself.

The damage was too much for it to handle, and soon the others caught wind and took their chances. Each one delivered their own powerful strikes, using their skills and abilities, spending costly resources in the process. Nina herself took the chance to run straight across to the top of the hound’s head, and jumped straight into the air.

Her daggers flashed before landing straight down, piercing her weapons through the head of the metal beast. The hell hound kept shaking, unable to take the entirety of the blows handled to it both internally and externally.

As electricity covered its whole body, something like an engine roaring soon dissipated into a low hum. Metal cranked and creaked before the giant body of the hell hound lost its footing, falling over and landing on the metal ground with a harsh clang.

The jolts that kept sparking out of its body slowly lost their luster, each one pittering out before ultimately leaving the mechanized hound to its end. The sudden silence took over the room as the party kept standing still. Eventually, what they were waiting for finally appeared.

You have slain ‘Merunian Guardian Hell Hound’.

You have gained a large amount of experience points.

…..

Level Up! From Level 34, you became Level 35!

+1 Free Attribute point

+3 Free Stat points

+1 Intelligence

+1 Toughness

+1 Dexterity

+1 Vigor

…..

Level Up! From Level 35, you became Level 36!

+1 Free Attribute point

+3 Free Stat points

+1 Intelligence

+1 Toughness

+1 Dexterity

+1 Vigor

…..

Level Up! From Level 36, you became Level 37!

+1 Free Attribute point

+3 Free Stat points

+1 Intelligence

+1 Toughness

+1 Dexterity

+1 Vigor

…..

Level Up! From Level 37, you became Level 38!

+1 Free Attribute point

+3 Free Stat points

+1 Intelligence

+1 Toughness

+1 Dexterity

+1 Vigor

…..

You have gained a title!

“Guardian Killer”

You have slain the guardian defending the halfway point of a dungeon. Kudos to your power and wit!

+1 Strength

+1 Intelligence

+1 Agility

+1 Vitality

…..

You have gained a title!

“Speedster III”

You raised your Agility attribute to 50. Your body becomes faster than your thoughts could comprehend. Time becomes an option for you to ignore, at least for a little while!

+3 Agility

Aidan let out a long breath that took the entirety of his chest before plopping onto the ground, his body splayed out. He didn’t think it would work that effectively.

Then again, no matter how powerful a machine was, if you mess with their insides, it was bound to keel over. He supposed the Merunians who made this absolute monster of a guardian didn’t plan on anyone just phasing through the tough outer shell and ruining every single complicated thingamabob they worked so hard to protect.

Perhaps there could’ve been security measures within the beast, but considering how damaged it was thanks to the relic’s explosion, perhaps it was bound to fall at some point. Either way, they won, and they gained quite a lot from its death.

Now if only his head would stop banging itself over and over again, that would be swell.

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