GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Vol 2 - Chapter 16.1: Breakpoint Behemoth

Vel's thoughts raced as he weaved through injured soldiers, casting healing spells to sustain their combat efforts. The behemoth let out a thunderous roar, its colossal body shifting as it braced for another crushing charge.

"We're barely scratching it!" one guard shouted, his voice tight with fear.

Vel gritted his teeth in frustration. This wasn't working—arrows bounced off armored hide, swords couldn't penetrate deep enough. In the game, players would whittle the behemoth down until it entered a knockdown state, creating a damage window to target its vulnerable underbelly.

But here, with real lives at stake, they couldn't afford to wait.

Think, Vel, think! He couldn't afford to cast recklessly, testing spells until something worked. Each incantation had to count.

His eyes tracked the behemoth's movements, noting how it protected its underside, how it gathered itself before each lunge—the way its muscles bunched, its weight shifted back...

That was it.

"Celia!" he shouted across the chaos. "We need to make it leap backward again! Like before!"

Celia glanced at him, confusion flickering across her face before understanding dawned. She nodded sharply and darted forward, her rapier flashing as she delivered strategic strikes to the behemoth's front legs—not to wound, but to provoke.

The behemoth roared, taking the bait. It backpedaled exactly as Vel had predicted, coiling its massive body for another devastating lunge.

Vel's fingers flew through the interface, modifying his Ice Claw spell. Not projectiles, not a weapon—just ice, spreading across a surface. Simple but potentially devastating if placed correctly.

"Everyone, clear left!" Vel shouted. "Mora, be ready to hit its underbelly when it falls!"

As the behemoth launched into its charge, Vel cast his spell, aiming not at the creature itself but at the ground where it would land.

"Glacis Solith Feryis!"

A patch of ground instantly frosted over, the smooth, slick surface appearing just as the behemoth's right front paw came down. The massive creature's foot slid, throwing its weight off-balance mid-charge. For a heartbeat, it struggled to correct itself, its legs scrambling for purchase on the icy surface.

The behemoth teetered, its massive bulk thrown completely off-balance by the ice beneath its feet. The creature's vulnerable underbelly was briefly exposed as it struggled to right itself.

"Now!" Vel signaled to Mora.

From her vantage point, Mora had already drawn her crossbow. Her face showed intense concentration as she aimed, a faint shimmer of energy gathering around the bolt's tip. Vel could almost see the air itself condensing around the projectile, channeling power into the specially crafted bolt.

With a sharp click, the crossbow released. The bolt moved so quickly it was merely a blur—a flash of movement that ended with the distinctive sound of metal piercing flesh.

The behemoth's roar shook the very ground. The bolt had struck true, burying itself deep into the creature's exposed belly. Dark blood spurted from the wound as the monster thrashed, desperate to regain its footing on the slippery surface.

"That's our chance!" Vel shouted. "Everyone charge! Go now while it's down!"

The guards needed no further encouragement. They surged forward as one, weapons raised. Celia darted in ahead of them all, her rapier finding the same wound Mora had created, driving deeper.