Chapter 12
Boom! Crash!
Kim Sejeong was running towards where her teammates were, but suddenly stopped at the sound of thunder coming from behind.
It was clearly the sound from the spot where Lee Hyun had fallen.
‘Has he already encountered the boss monster?’
She had thought that Lee Hyun was quite skilled, but she didn’t expect him to be this fast.
‘I need to hurry.’
If Lee Hyun falls too quickly, the time to rescue her teammates will decrease.
Luckily, the place where her teammates were held was not far.
A building made of stacked bricks.
She broke down the locked door with force and entered.
Crash!
“Assistant Manager Kim?”
“It’s really Assistant Manager Kim!”
“We knew you’d come, damn it!”
Inside, five of her teammates were imprisoned.
Their faces lit up with hope.
“Wait a moment! I’ll unlock the handcuffs!”
Kim Sejeong immediately started by breaking the handcuffs of their leader, the raid captain, Heo Seun.
Luckily, the handcuffs seemed to be only developed for magical control, so they were weak.
“Assistant Manager Kim, what’s going on? Did you bring the rescue team already?”
When the raid team was wandering in the Sammae Sinpung (a labyrinth-like place), the members focused on getting Kim Sejeong out first.
Since she had a stealth skill, her bringing a rescue team would greatly increase their survival chances.
They judged that just by using Sammae Sinpung, the dungeon difficulty had already risen to a 2-star level.
However,
“No. I hired a guide.”
“A guide…?”
The teammates looked confused.
Kim Sejeong continued.
“I met a guide who was exploring the dungeon alone in front of the boss stage.”
“…!”
“And I hired him on the spot.”
Kim Sejeong explained how she met Lee Hyun and how they came to this point.
“One single guide did that?”
“Does that even make sense?”
Heo Seun, who was a top-tier B+ rank skilled player about to take the A-rank test, couldn’t believe that a guide could handle this dungeon alone, something even he struggled with.
“Could it be that he’s hiding other teammates and planning to backstab us?”
As doubts arose, Heo Seun’s serious voice broke through.
“You found Hwangpung Gwae immediately?”
Kim Sejeong, feeling an unusual tension, swallowed dryly.
“…Yes.”
“Can you trust him?”
“From his appearance, he seemed to be a freelancer.”
“That means if something goes wrong, there will be no aftermath, right?”
“Yes. That’s right. So, I signed the contract immediately.”
“What’s the contract about?”
“Once the rescue is finished, he promised to return and help.”
“Heh…”
Heo Seun fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.
When Heo Seun was lost in contemplation, Kim Sejeong glanced at him, then turned to another teammate.
“But…?”
“You’re wondering what happened to the other team members?”
“…Yes.”
“After you were sent out, the boss monster appeared immediately. That caused a lot of damage.”
“…!”
“The captain did injure the boss, but the situation became too unfavorable. We were all disoriented from the Sammae Sinpung.”
Kim Sejeong clenched her lips.
The teammate sighed.
“But I can’t understand what that monster’s thinking. It imprisoned us, so it must have some use for us… Is it planning to sacrifice us?”
Kim Sejeong wondered the same thing.
The boss monster seemed more intent on subduing them rather than killing them from the start.
‘…If it had planned to just kill us, we wouldn’t have even been able to gather here.’
Kim Sejeong’s thoughts shifted to Lee Hyun, who was about to face off with Hwangpung Gwae.
‘Then what will happen to that guide?’
Just as Kim Sejeong was about to ask a question, Heo Seun spoke first.
“Everyone, prepare yourselves. Once we’re ready, we’ll move slowly toward Hwangpung Gwae.”
Kim Sejeong was surprised.
“Won’t there be any support from that side?”
“He’s a freelancer, right? Didn’t you bring him as bait?”
“Yes, but…”
Kim Sejeong trailed off.
This wasn’t an unusual thing in her family’s long history, so she didn’t feel guilty about it. But something about it felt off.
Perhaps it was because of the thunderclap, a sound she didn’t expect to hear in this dungeon.
But Heo Seun remained resolute.
“We don’t know what Hwangpung Gwae’s intentions are. We can observe how he handles the guide and learn more about him.”
The other teammates nodded, agreeing.
“If the guide is skilled enough, he might be able to deal some damage to Hwangpung Gwae. If not, we can swoop in and take advantage. There’s no need to rush.”
Heo Seun was someone who pursued ultimate efficiency. He had the heart to dismiss even his teammates if it meant achieving the goal.
“Who knows? Maybe we’ll learn the secret of Sammae Sinpung by watching the guide fight.”
“Haha. Captain, your foresight is unmatched. Really.”
“Maybe that guide has skills related to paths… or even some divine artifact?”
“Could it be that a guide has something like that? Still, he might have some decent items from his history. I’m looking forward to it. After all, with the boss monster’s rewards, it could be great.”
“Heh. I thought it was over, but maybe fate has something else in mind.”
At that moment, Heo Seun and the other teammates’ eyes sparkled with greed.
Kim Sejeong swallowed dryly, joining in with the mood.
“Alright, let’s finish preparing. Also, let’s look for any items the boss monster might have left. We move again in 30 minutes.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
“Confirmed!”
Everyone cheered up, but Kim Sejeong still couldn’t shake her unease.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun was in the midst of a fierce battle with Hwangpung Gwae.
Boom! Boom! Boom…!
[‘Doo-eok-sini’s Fury’ is exploding!]
Crash!
An ax, charged with blue-white lightning, struck the ground, sending a towering sand pillar into the air.
The destructive power was 20% stronger than before.
However, the mana consumption was below 50%.
Lee Hyun realized something important.
‘The way I’ve been using Doo-eok-sini’s Breath was wrong.’
This was much more efficient.
[The mastery of Doo-eok-sini’s Breath (C) has increased significantly.]
[Your mana has increased by 1.]
[Your intelligence has increased by 2.]
Lee Hyun closed the gap between him and Hwangpung Gwae, who had been retreating.
“Stop following me, human! You annoying bastard! Just die already!”
Hwangpung Gwae used its left hand to cast more sandstorms, but…
Ttttttt!
Each time, the sandstorms and tidal waves were deflected by the shield created by Doo-eok-sini’s aura, bouncing harmlessly away.
No matter how poisonous Sammae Sinpung was, it was useless if it didn’t hit its target.
In terms of matchups, Lee Hyun had become Hwangpung Gwae‘s natural enemy.
“Ugh!”
It was maddening for Hwangpung Gwae.
Just when it had gathered many humans to sacrifice, it ran into an unexpected challenge.
It needed to distance itself from Lee Hyun, at any cost.
Once again, it began casting spells, but its right shoulder was still bleeding profusely.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
[The boss monster uses Skill: Yellow Mirage.]
