Chapter 61

After the emergency situation with the rear group had been resolved…

A little ways off, Kang Cheol-min was spewing harsh curses at the front-line hunters.

“Shit, can’t you guys do anything right?!”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“How the hell are you messing this up when we’re already short on hands?! Huh?!”

Kang Cheol-min gestured rudely at the guild members with his finger.

The barrage of insults disguised as lectures continued endlessly.

Nearby, a male thief shook his head from side to side as he watched.

‘That president and his right-hand man sure have fiery tempers, huh.’

Though he didn’t want to get involved, it was clear that if he didn’t, their rendezvous would be delayed.

The thief smiled good-naturedly and said,

“Come now, everyone. Let’s all calm down a bit.”

He casually waved his hand, trying to clear the tense atmosphere.

“If we keep stalling like this, it might affect our dungeon run. For the sake of the vanguard team, let’s hurry up and move.”

“…Hmph!”

At the thief’s mediation, Kang Cheol-min gave the guild members one last glare.

Though his anger hadn’t completely subsided, the thief’s words made sense.

The most important thing right now was to successfully clear the dungeon after all.

They had to restore the guild’s tarnished reputation properly.

“Let’s get moving again!”

With Kang Cheol-min’s loud shout, the rear group resumed their movement.

* * *

Meanwhile, with the vanguard team.

They had reached just outside the boss room where the dungeon gate for the dual dungeon would be.

Taking a brief rest, they exchanged conversation.

“Huff… This is definitely an S-rank dungeon.”

“Yes. Given the level of the monsters, I thought about going in first, but we should proceed as planned.”

“I agree. Let’s clear up to the boss room and then link up with the rear group.”

Three S-rank males discussed in turn.

Their pre-established policy had two scenarios:

If the incident involving the Cheongrim Guild was merely an accident and this was a special A-rank dungeon,

the vanguard team would continue without stopping.

If, as expected, this turned out to be a dual dungeon including an S-rank dungeon,

they would proceed cautiously and wrap things up steadily after linking up.

The latter was confirmed.

Ji-a was listening to their discussion alongside the female supporter.

At this point, the female supporter spoke up.

“B-boss, what kind of thing do you think will appear?”

The men turned their gaze toward the woman.

The female supporter was visibly trembling, likely out of fear.

After exchanging glances among themselves, Ye Do-hyeong of the Dawn Guild spoke.

“Don’t know. There aren’t enough cases of S-rank dungeons.”

“B-but can’t we at least guess?”

“We should assume something above a Lich.”

Ye Do-hyeong furrowed his brow as he answered.

In the past, the undead black mage Lich he faced as the boss of an A-rank dungeon was quite troublesome despite only encountering him once.

Skeletons that resurrected instantly no matter how many times you killed them.

Powerful elite monsters he commanded as subordinates.

Even the Lich itself wasn’t weak by any means.

It used numerous spells to protect itself while commanding its monster army.

Today, something even stronger than that would appear.

Listening to this, the Master of the Knight Guild stroked his beard and said,

“Haha! Lady, there’s no need to be so scared. Aren’t we the best party in our country?”

“I-I’m not scared!”

As the supporter straightened her expression, he chuckled and said,

“I’ll carve the way forward! Don’t worry too much and everyone fight with confidence.”

“Haha! Of course we trust you, sir.”

“With the Master of the Knight Guild here, what is there to fear?”

The men responded heartily.

They lifted each other up appropriately to lighten the mood.

Thus, they took their rest while maintaining an appropriate level of tension.

Ji-a silently observed the members of the vanguard team.

An old master swordsman who was still Korea’s greatest despite his age.

The elite party of the Dawn Guild, known as the strongest in Korea both individually and as a team.

Each one was recognized worldwide as top-tier hunters.

There were also elite parties from mid-sized guilds participating in the vanguard team.

‘Surely they’re reliable…’

Why did she feel such ominous vibes?

Ji-a clenched her fist tightly.

No matter how hard she tried to shake it off, those unsettling feelings kept clinging to her.

It wasn’t fear or terror.

It was more like an invisible hand squeezing her throat.

An inexplicable discomfort kept nagging at her senses.

Was it because this was her first S-rank dungeon?

Or was there really some unknown entity waiting for them?

“Let’s go!”

The people reformed their battle formation and prepared to advance.

Ji-a moved to where the rear group was with the female supporter.

‘You’ll see when we get there.’

Ji-a tightened her grip on her spear and slowly regulated her breathing as she stepped forward.

Even as the deathly aura around her grew thicker,

Ji-a advanced resolutely with unwavering determination shining in her eyes.

The vanguard team entered the boss room.

Immediately, the hunters frowned at the unusual sight before them.

“This is definitely a dual dungeon.”

Someone muttered.

Normally, defeating the boss creates a return portal, and within a couple hours, the dungeon collapses with the gate disappearing.

However, in this boss room’s case,

A portal to enter a new dungeon already existed,

and a guardian awaited the hunters.

“…Words come true sometimes.”

“…Here it is.”

The guardian looked upon the vanguard team’s hunters.

It was a black mage monster in the shape of a robed skeleton.

Commonly known as a Lich.

An ominous crimson mist seeped into the air, sapping life energy.

Its oppressive presence made it difficult to even breathe for those nearby.

Lower-ranked hunters especially felt the crushing weight pressing down on them.

“That robe looks pretty tattered, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe it’s Hunter Yu Byeong-jun’s work.”

This wasn’t the first time this monster had been observed.

Though tough, it wasn’t an opponent the elite vanguard team couldn’t defeat.

Following Ye Do-hyeong’s instructions, the hunters calmly prepared for battle.

Simultaneously,

shadows around the Lich wriggled and small undead monsters began to emerge.

“The ones we fought before seemed tougher.”

“Is that so? Then let’s deal with them confidently.”

As Ye Do-hyeong spoke, the old man chuckled heartily in response.

The undead horde approached threateningly.

Having finished speaking, Ye Do-hyeong moved to the middle between the front and rear lines.

The Master of the Knight Guild also stepped forward leisurely.

He straightened his back which had been bent over with his hands behind it.

At this moment,

The old man’s presence underwent a drastic change.

The overwhelming aura of an extremely honed swordsman filled the surrounding space.

Placing his hand on his sword scabbard, he readied himself.

Bowing his upper body forward, he prepared to charge.

Kuuuung!

With a tremendous noise, the floor was violently torn apart as the old man disappeared from view.

Kagagajik——!

In an instant, the undead horde was cut down.

The neatly severed monster corpses rolled across the floor,

as if it had been that way from the start.

“Hmm…”

The old man who had already reached the center of the boss room looked at the Lich boss.

The Lich also turned its gaze toward the old man.

It emitted an eerie sound expressing displeasure before casting another spell.

New undead monsters were summoned,

and the previously chopped-up monster corpses began to twitch.

The main battle commenced.

“The Lich is yours, sir! Clear away any obstructing monsters!”

“Understood!”

Upon issuing the command, Ye Do-hyeong immediately unleashed a skill.

Blinding light accompanied by lightning swept through the area, clearing out the undead.

Next, another S-rank hunter from the Dawn Guild stepped forward solidly.

The attacks of all remaining hunters concentrated on the monsters.

The elimination of the A-rank boss Lich didn’t take long.

It showcased the true capabilities of the selected vanguard team representing Korea’s strength.

However, the battle wasn’t over yet.

“Yo, everyone! The portal! Look at the portal!”

Just as the old man’s sword shredded the Lich to pieces and everyone cheered,

someone from the rear shouted loudly.

All hunters turned their gaze to the portal in the corner.

Kuung. Kuung. Kuung.

With every step making a thunderous noise, a gigantic monster began to reveal itself.

The sudden appearance of a new enemy.

The hunters, who had been rejoicing moments ago, all stiffened their expressions as they stared at the monster.

“Damn, it looks fierce.”

The Master of the Knight Guild quietly muttered.

It was a grotesque creature resembling a fusion of various beings.

Even seasoned veterans who’d seen many things hadn’t encountered a monster like this before.

‘Hmm…’

Ji-a, who was with the rear group, squinted her eyes as she looked at the monster.

She had never seen a monster shaped like that in her life.

But a memory flashed through her mind.

[They fuse serval demons together or something, apparently they’re quite eccentric.]

Back then, Si-yoon had whined about something unrelated,

but her curiosity got the better of her later, so she separately asked Si-hyun about the characteristics of such beings.

Who would’ve thought that idle curiosity would prove helpful now.

Ji-a shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“It’s a Chimera! Each of its multiple heads has different roles!”

“What? Different roles?”

“Yes! You need to take out the troublesome heads first and finally aim for the heart!”

“Aha, I see!”

Since the information came from Kim Ji-a, the hunter renowned for conquering avoided dungeons,

no one doubted her words.

These hunters were all elites.

When given trustworthy information,

even if it’s limited,

they could skillfully build upon it to continue their strategy.

“Let’s first figure out the patterns! We’ll proceed defensively and assess the danger level of each head before concentrating our attacks one by one!”

Having made the judgment, Ye Do-hyeong shouted powerfully enough for everyone to hear.

The hunters who had scattered while dealing with the Lich began regrouping into formation.