Whoosh――
The guys quickly reacted to the falling bombs.
KABOOM――!!
– Ugh!!
Of course, they weren’t going to be dumb enough to get hit by bombs thrown from the air. The three Ilseom members swiftly used their unique mobility skills to escape the blast radius, and the man who seemed to be the leader thickened his magic shield to block the explosion.
But it didn’t seem to be enough. The hastily cast barrier disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only a robe flapping in the wind like a rag. I guess he took quite a bit of health damage.
I didn’t deal massive damage, but I had my own objectives for throwing the bomb, so I wasn’t too disappointed.
Risking the first strike. Those guys would probably go for Yeon-hee instead of me.
“That insane skeleton bastard!!”
“Lee Yeon-hee!! That damn bitch attacked first!”
‘…Calling her a bitch, huh? That’s a bit harsh. Trying to die, are we?’
The guys who were far outside the bomb’s range backed off, shifting the force into the ground.
Whoosh―!
Sand dust billowed up as they scraped their feet on the ground.
“I was already annoyed that I was in a party with that rabbit bitch…”
“Hey, seniors! This worked out well. Let’s clean up!”
When the dust settled, they glared at Yeon-hee and me as if they wanted to kill us.
‘Good reaction. I feel like it’s time to kill them now.’
“Uh…? All of a sudden?”
“…I don’t even know.”
“W-what… hic! Il-wol?”
At the sudden bomb attack, Joo-ah’s eyes widened, and Ah-rin nodded as our eyes met.
Unfortunately, Yeon-hee started hiccupping again. It’s a shame I can’t tell her that if she holds her breath for a minute, it’ll stop.
– Ugh… What kind of destructive power is this…?
– Are they really using Fireball?!
Of course, it wasn’t just our party that was surprised. The hunters from other parties also stared wide-eyed, each reacting in their own way.
While I was feeling cheerful and my shoulders were shaking, the Brown Mimic Tiny tapped on the box rhythmically and spoke.
– Yes!! That’s it! Yay!! Bonus points!! Bonus points!!
Suddenly the Mimic, who had been laughing like a madman, shouted for bonus points and slightly opened the lid, causing beams of light to shoot out in all directions.
– apomónoti
Goooooo――
With the Mimic’s incantation, a translucent barrier was created in the blink of an eye within a 50-meter radius.
It was a containment spell that blocked those inside from the outside world. The hunters trapped within would have to defeat the Mimic that activated this spell or release it themselves to escape their complete disconnection from the outside.
What set this containment spell apart from barriers cast by barrier mages was that beings outside could freely enter. Of course, once they came inside, they couldn’t go back out.
Even though they were hunters ranked D-grade, I could feel them getting anxious. I was equally shocked, of course.
‘……Crazy…? What level of spell is this?’
A spell only high-level sorcerers could likely cast was activated by a monster disguised as a wooden box?
For a moment, the hunters, who had loosened up, seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation and focused their minds on the tangled Mimic.
– Just like that gentleman did just now, you all do the same!! Shall I command you? Anyway!!
As the words faltered and people hesitated to step up, a weak chain connected our party to three Ilseom Guild members.
A chain of magical energy I hadn’t noticed before. And it gave the other hunters one hint.
‘Start by launching the first attack and choose your opponent.’
A single rule popped up in everyone’s mind.
[Baek Ah-rin and 3 others vs. Lee Seung-jun and 3 others, engage immediately.]
Beeep――
With a sharp high-pitched tone announcing the start, the message appeared as well.
And it seemed this message wasn’t only visible to us. The hunters who found themselves in an increasingly uncertain situation.
The actions were immediate. In search of a suitable opponent, each party diligently began their reconnaissance.
Why fight? Were there no options to withdraw from combat? It seemed like such thoughts didn’t even cross their minds. Had they all collectively lost their marbles?
No. If you’re a hunter, that’s just how it is. No dithering allowed when some sudden abnormality occurs.
For a hunter who has reached at least D-grade, the quality they should possess is—
“Hic!”
‘……’
“Il-wol, hold my hand. Hand-! Hic! Heeek!”
‘……Yeon-hee should be fine since I’m here…’
The thunderous sounds heralding the start of battle echoed from all directions.
The distance between our chains gradually shortened, creating a separate space for just us and the eight opponents. Strangely enough, no other hunters could enter that space. Of course, the same went for us.
“Hah~ Seriously. Arin, is this really how it is?”
Once the space was isolated, our opponents showed expressions of relief as if they felt a burden lift. Especially the girl named Heo Min-sol, who was supposed to be Arin’s junior, stepped forward with a gesture of disbelief.
I don’t know how much they looked down upon us, but it seemed they were disregarding Ham Eun-young as nonexistent.
“Ugh… mirror… mirror…”
‘……’
Eun-young seemed so nervous that she couldn’t collect her thoughts, which was certainly worthy of note considering her lack of strength.
‘No matter what, you should at least gauge the minimum of your opponents… tsk… The old man’s influence hasn’t sunk completely.’
“What are you trying to say now?!”
Arin couldn’t hold back her mockery and snapped back with a lisp.
At that, they burst into laughter, ridiculing Arin.
“Getting worked up, huh?”
“Ow! Shut up, you crazy bitch!”
“What?”
“Shut the hell up and stop mocking my friend, you idiot! You think you can just sit back and play me for a fool? Want me to bury you alive in a stone? Do you dare open that mouth?!”
Bae Joo-ah finally blew up. Her emotions were intense, and it was as if she felt as if she had experienced the same thing, sparking a reaction from us listening on the side.
“W-where—”
Heo Min-sol tried to retaliate immediately, but—
“Shut your mouth before I really tear your skin off!”
With Bae Joo-ah’s relentless insults, Heo Min-sol was left speechless.
‘Shall we get started?’
Just as the showtime was about to begin.
“Wait a moment… everyone, calm down and listen to me. This seems to have heated up unnecessarily.”
The man who had been trying to keep quiet among the three Ilseom guild members finally took action.
‘He’s strong… That guy must be Lee Seung-jun.’
I gathered that he was the leader of that party. To me, Seung-jun appeared strong, composed, and quick to assess the situation.
“Is there really any need for us to fight like this?”
Just by trying to buy time, I sensed that.
But no way.
It was just a colossal mistake for him to end up in a party with kids like Heo Min-sol.
Step-step—
“Hmm?”
As I stepped forward alone, Seung-jun and the others looked at me with puzzled expressions. Of course, the reaction would’ve been different if what I held in my hand was a bomb.
“Tap. Tap. Tap…”
In personal relationships, you have to be clear about ends and beginnings.
Though the provocation came from them, as the bomb was the catalyst for this fight, I needed to neatly cut this connection myself.
“Uh, Il-wol—”
Snap—
I reached out my hand and gestured my party members to stay back.
Even though they were abnormal beings, they were still Ilseom members. If my relationship with them got tangled, no matter how strong Kang Yeon-su was, there would be some individuals that were hard to block.
So even though they were guild members, I needed to suppress their strength with a sufficient show of force. Like if one of my summoned creatures took them down, that would be enough.
“Hey, Yeon-hee? Seems like you think you’ve risen a bit lately and are looking down on us. You better not regret it, and you should send all those behind you in.”
‘Is he crazy?’
The guy who leaned on Heo Min-sol, crossing his legs, was saying this. He seemed oblivious that he’d just stepped into my range.
That meant my ability to hide my mana was impressive, but still…
‘Such a pathetic guy.’
Whap――!
The moment my foot touched the ground, I drew in energy, feeling a surge of lightning coursing through my heels.
Zap—
In an instant, a small spark ignited at my toes, enabling a faster start than usual.
I just tried it out… and it worked? Well, sometimes you need a bit of lucky chances like this.
[Reckless Charge]
[Stealth]
Swoosh―――――!
“――!!”
[Flame Cut]
The guy hurriedly leaped to the side, but it was too late.
Skyshatter――!
“Gyaaaah!!”
He should’ve at least defended a reachable body part with his mana, but he didn’t.
Wham―!
With my strong Flame Cut, the guy’s ankle spun a few times in the air before hitting the ground with a thud.
He lost his left ankle. And he was a knight? That meant he was combat ineffective on the battlefield.
Becoming combat ineffective in a dungeon translates to being useless dead weight, trash, or a subject for weighing whether to toss out or not.
Since we weren’t far from an exit, those worries were lessened, but—
‘……’
The contemplation didn’t last long. Killing him would be too much. But I needed to bring him to a near-death state. I had to ensure he wouldn’t develop unnecessary vengeful feelings toward us.
It might have been a predetermined sequence since I stepped into the Mimic’s range.
If I hadn’t initiated things, it would’ve been one thing, but now that I’ve taken that first step, I didn’t plan to hold back.
Suddenly, I recalled Noh Ha-yoon, who had greatly excited me.
At that time, Noh Ha-yoon was sort of unlucky. It was shortly after meeting the murderer Lee Young-chul; she triggered me.
The rage that couldn’t be quelled even with the Trait [Calm] seemed to be unique to that instance… Later, I realized she wasn’t so bad after all.
Regardless, the circumstances were different then and now.
First off, Noh Ha-yoon is the daughter that a ‘witch’ cherishes, while these guys here are nothing more than tumorous cancers within the Ilseom Guild.
Given that I contributed to the guild’s purification process, even Hyun Joong-gil should at least thank me.
– Wow~ Look at that skeleton…
– The problem isn’t the Fireball. The swordsmanship may be rough, but those movements are insane?
– We’re screwed. How do we fight when we can’t see the skeleton moving?
– Don’t tell me this is a deathmatch until one team is left standing?
Although I couldn’t interfere in their battle, I could see the other hunters watching me fight.
Of course, not many hunters were relaxed enough to watch the battles of other parties. But if they were hunters with that level of skill, it meant the speaker power must be quite significant.
I hoped they’d narrate the situation based on what they witnessed.
‘A death match… I doubt that will happen?’
Step-step—
“Eep!! H-Hold on! We surrender! We’re not coming any closer! We surrender!”
Vroom—boom—
Oblivious to that chaos, the Ilseom guild man flailed his sword from a prone position. It would be even sweeter to capture this on video. Sadly, that’s not an option.
Thud—
I lifted up the severed ankle with a dagger.
“Ugh… P-Please!! Don’t do it… Please, I’m sorry…! Just please don’t…!”
He was sharp enough to quickly figure out what I was trying to do.
[Fireball]
Kaboom! Fizzle—
The moment I exploded the Fireball against his ankle, I could feel the others rushing toward me. Come and attack if you dare.
With prompt emergency treatment and a high-rank potion, a severed limb could be reattached.
But recovering a lost limb back to its original state was beyond any potion. Perhaps only a legendary elixir could achieve that.
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