“Shhh… something feels off…”
Joo-ah tilted her head, and Ah-rin perked up her ears before speaking urgently.
“Everyone gather around! I heard that—”
There was no way Ah-rin, with her excellent hearing, didn’t catch what I overheard. She mentioned that the state of the other party wasn’t looking good and seemed to be pinning their hopes on us instead.
“What can a party with three level 30 hunters expect from us? Ugh— we’ve already registered… Should I cancel now? It’d be safer to just avoid the boss battle for three days…”
If you cancel after registering for a boss battle, there’s quite a hefty penalty.
*Clap, Clap, Clap!!*
“Huh? I think Il-wol has something to say.”
(Il-wol said not to worry. Master!)
“Oh, he told us not to worry. He thinks we can do it.”
“Il-wol did?”
“Yup.”
“Whoa!! As expected!”
“I’m feeling reassured. Hehe—”
A moment later, an announcement came over the intercom that the boss battle was about to begin.
[If you have registered for the final boss battle, please gather now~]
A staff member’s voice, sounding rather lackluster, rang out alongside the entry message for the boss battle. Upon hearing that, the hunters waiting in line stepped up in unison at the entrance of the abandoned school.
“Why aren’t the people who went in coming back out?”
“There’s a back exit.”
“Ah, I see.”
The entrance was a brown, decayed door. Books, tables, and chairs lay scattered haphazardly between the broken door frames.
On the outside, it looked like a small castle, but inside was a vast circular auditorium, hence its name as an abandoned school.
[Yes, please enter in order from the front~]
With the staff member’s signal, we began to enter the castle.
“Hmm, there’s nothing here yet.”
“Actually, the inside doesn’t feel heavy at all, does it?”
It felt completely chaotic, as if something massive had just shaken the book-lined auditorium, yet surprisingly, the lights were on, so it didn’t feel dark.
– Watch your feet, everyone! Something might come up from below!
At someone’s shout, the hunters instinctively lifted their toes.
Of course, everyone was aware of the information, but it was still good to have that reminder before we started.
– Eheheheh…
“…If you’re going to come out, do it quickly.”
True to her word, the ghosts had yet to reveal themselves even after several minutes since we entered.
But this was the concept of the place. Did the hunters also know that they were of a type prone to feeling anxiety when nothing was happening?
Whooooom—
I was already extending my senses to their maximum, and within my range, I could gradually feel the presence of monsters emerging. Looks like it’s about to start.
‘Is the Wraith still not here?’
– Whoooooooosh!!!
“The boss is here! It’s massive!”
“That guy’s a scammer!”
Even before the Dread Ghost, the boss monster, appeared, the Wraith had yet to show itself.
As soon as the enormous figure of the Dread Ghost filled the auditorium, it immediately tried to assert dominance.
But that enormous form was merely a disguise, the actual body being only slightly larger than the average ghost, so there was no need to be alarmed.
“Ugh…! That’s creepy!”
“Ugh… Il-wol…”
I could feel Yeon-hee trembling as she clutched my hand tightly. As our fingers touched, warm and slightly sweaty, her shivering began to stabilize.
It must have been a different kind of fear compared to fighting regular life forms.
– Whoooooooosh!!!
With the Dread Ghost’s second roar, dozens of ghosts erupted simultaneously from the ceiling and floor, as well as the tightly packed bookshelves.
Thud—
A hunter was instantly overwhelmed by a ghost that had come up from beneath and fell hopelessly to his knees.
They had been warned to watch their feet, but it seemed he couldn’t escape from the time he fell into [Stagnation].
Of course, he wasn’t the only one having issues. Everyone was struggling, and soon, flashes of light started to fill the area.
– Purify!!
– Cleansing!!
Others from different parties with debuff解除能力 began to gather their remaining strength to activate their skills.
And our party had a special list participant in that as well.
“Crossing the river – from the hands stained with darkness, the dead wandering – with small hands turning the pages – it’s time to end your suffering – shining warriors have come to adorn the empty last page—”
‘Wow, I didn’t know she could recite things like that.’
A short verse flowed through the auditorium, repeating rhythmically.
A wide-area解除スキル.
The extraordinary power contained in her song left the other party members gazing at Ham Eun-young with expressions of awe. At least for now, she would look divine like a saint.
‘For now, let’s take down the boss first. I need to let go of her hand…’
I lightly pressed my forehead against Yeon-hee’s shoulder to signal that I was going to leave my position.
“…… U-Okay! Please!”
Whooosh—
No sooner had her words left her mouth than I leaped high into the air, spreading my gliding cloak and heading straight for the Dread Ghost.
I could feel the surprise from several hunters in other parties with their mouths agape.
‘Rather than dropping from above carelessly…’
Whooosh—
I soared above its head and dove towards its central body. Upon reaching my target, I could see the actual form of its body curled up, floating in the air.
It had been secretly chuckling to itself while looking at the hunters, only to belatedly recognize my presence.
– Whooooo?!
‘Hello?’
As a non-corporeal being, I reached the center of its torso without much resistance. My hands were already filled with Skeleton Bombs.
Now that I had significantly increased the speed at which I pulled bombs from my inventory, my attack was executed in a flash—within moments, thirty skeleton bombs exploded simultaneously.
BOOM!! BOOM!! BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG—!!
As the deafening sound echoed in the enclosed space, even hunters who were grappling with ghosts let out involuntary screams.
Whooooo—
Even though I detonated them while lifting them from the ground, all the surrounding structures had been blown to bits.
– ‘Dread Ghost’ has been defeated!
··········
It was silent. Not only did the hunters seem at a loss for words, but even the ghosts were staring in disbelief at my direction.
– ·······
– Huh… did I just take it out in one hit?
– ……That’s the Grim Reaper.
– The guide to death…
I could sense a mixture of fear and a hint of reverence in the hunters’ gazes locked on me.
‘… That’s a rather grand reaction. Maybe using thirty was excessive? Nah… twenty might have been too little.’
Still, I nodded in satisfaction at having taken it out in one hit.
– You have gained experience points.
– Due to a special event, the day’s rewards stored in the dungeon have been fully exhausted. Runes will not be given.
However, it was odd that there were no rewards despite my satisfaction.
‘…? Was that what the others were talking about? Isn’t it a bit much not giving rewards from a boss level? That’s not fair!’
Considering that I had received rewards from the Mimic, it was something I could somewhat accept, but the other hunters were undoubtedly dissatisfied.
Soon, the hunters, regaining their senses, erupted into complaints after seeing the boss defeat message.
“Seriously, what’s with today?”
“I’ve heard there was a Mimic event going on.”
“Mimic?! Where did you hear that from?”
“I overheard a party of six discussing it while passing by. They seemed to regret being too hasty.”
“It appears those who got caught in the event received good rewards then? I’ve never heard of rewards running out completely…”
“Everyone, focus! It’s still not over!”
Just as she said, as soon as the boss died, four Wraiths finally revealed themselves from all directions. It seems they had been waiting to strike at the hunters while the boss was engaged.
But since the boss disappeared early, they must have hurriedly made their appearance.
I had identified their positions just as the bombs detonated, and I was already waiting in front of one that emerged from the right.
[Flame Cut]
Swoosh—
I swiftly slashed downward with my dagger, slicing the creature’s body apart left and right. The Wraith, being a lower entity than the average Specter, vanished in a puff of smoke with one swing.
– ‘Wraith’ has been defeated!
– Trait [Thievery] has activated!
– You have acquired the skill [Sneaky Drain]!
‘Yes!’
Sneaky Drain Lv.1
– Temporarily absorb one random stat of the target you have inflicted damage upon.
– Absorption amount: 1-2
– Magic consumption: 7
– Duration: 10 minutes
‘That’s a hefty magic cost. But given how good the ability is, it’s to be expected.’
It might be because my level was low, but the abilities I expected weren’t specified. Or perhaps this could be the limit of the skills gained from such a low-ranked Wraith.
‘For now, I need to level up.’
With a hint of hope, I immediately took down the other three Wraiths, but I couldn’t gain any further abilities.
Boom—
– ‘Ghost’ has been defeated!
– Trait [Thievery] has activated!
– You have acquired the skill [Stagnation]!
‘This could be useful. But wait, this isn’t a passive skill. I have to trigger it manually, which could be a hassle.’
– You have discovered a fusionable skill. Would you like to fuse the skill [Sneaky Drain] with the skill [Stagnation]?
‘Hmm? Of course, I should!’
– [Sneaky Drain] has been fused with [Stagnation].
Stagnated Sneaky Drain Lv.1
– Temporarily absorb one random stat of the target you have inflicted damage upon.
– Apply the status abnormality [Stagnation] to the target you have damaged.
– Absorption amount: 2-3
– Magic consumption: 8
– Duration: 10 minutes
‘Oooh… I can use it all at once without having to use them separately!’
Although the magic consumption increased by 1, the absorption amount grew, and the addition of Stagnation turned it into a skill that was quite useful.
Whooooo—
Even after the boss monster was defeated, ghosts continued to swarm in endlessly. Now, more than a hundred ghosts were freely flying around the space, mercilessly tormenting hunters.
“Kkhh…!”
“Ah, no!! This crazy bastard!”
At one point, a hunter deeply engrossed in Stagnation attempted to take his own life. Thankfully, a nearby ally stopped him, but it was a dire situation.
However, the visibly critical situations were rather few around.
With the sacred water running low, Yeon-hee and our party were safely hiding beneath the barrier of our summoned creatures.
“I don’t think you need to use magic, Joo-ah.”
Bae Joo-ah recovered and regained the ability to use magic, but considering how much she had already overdone it today, Yeon-hee advised her to hold back.
“But… it feels a bit too still…”
“Just sit tight. Trying too hard might keep you from joining tomorrow, so it’ll be even worse.”
“Ah, got it.”
With unusual intensity, Yeon-hee insisted Joo-ah calm down.
Joo-ah felt a mix of guilt and gratitude towards Yeon-hee.
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