As soon as we joined, the Orc remnants were completely annihilated.
They were so exhausted that even a little poke would send them tumbling down.
“Hoo… Hoo…”
‘What happened to that guy…?’
The funny thing is, the Orc Intermediate Warrior who threw an axe at me was burning with fighting spirit until the very end.
‘Did he level up… in this battle?’
There was a noticeable red aura around him. He had clearly stepped onto the path to becoming a higher-ranked warrior. Despite panting heavily, his movements were actually getting faster.
‘This is just right. I want to give my guys some experience too.’
Just ten minutes ago, he had been facing off against several hunters one-on-one. In short, he was being forced to act as a punching bag to level up the hunters’ combat experience.
While it’s not a common sight to see, Orcs do enjoy one-on-one battles, so it happens occasionally. Hunters get to build experience and assess their own skills, and Orcs can find satisfaction in the duel.
Of course, there’s a chance their lives could be lost in the process, but unlike the Orcs, hunters wouldn’t just stand by if a comrade was in danger, so the risk of death isn’t significant.
Judging by the situation, there didn’t seem to be any hunters capable of surpassing him.
‘It’d be difficult if I had to take more of the spotlight myself…’
I could just kill him, but there are too many eyes watching. Many hunters probably remember the intense performance I put on at the start of the battle.
Everyone recognizes that I am strong, but there’s a limit to how much I can show.
‘Right now, I’m at the line.’
I’ve killed over a hundred monsters. One summon alone must have taken out a hundred among the thousand.
If we include what the other summons, including the Lizard Squad, have defeated… it’s at least two hundred. There are quite a few hunters eyeing us watchfully.
Unless we’re in a situation where monsters are overwhelming them, hunters who monopolize kills on common monsters usually don’t receive great praise.
If I were to take out that guy as well, I’d go from being seen as a powerful summon to a summon that brings harm to the hunters.
And if that happens, it wouldn’t be me who suffers, but Yeon-hee. Unreasonable attacks against her would start on the internet, and she could face pressures from people in the dungeon.
‘It’s troublesome… but I need to regulate this.’
Feigning that my magic power has run out, I keep tilting my head. Inside, I’m chuckling, even if my hands are twitching.
I know that a few hunters are watching me closely, so I’m convinced these actions are significant.
Wait a second… among those who are watching me, isn’t there someone who strangely changed my name?
In a moment, I turned my head to glare at those guys, pretending to look at the sky as if I was distracted.
Anyway, I hoped that those blabbermouths would spread false information about me.
‘It’s important to maintain the perception of being a monster with potential to dive into.’
I’ve spent time putting on a show that won’t amount to anything, so if I finish by giving some concluding experience to our party and the other hunters, it would be a beautiful conclusion to the boss battle.
‘Hah… Is there no dungeon where I can fight alone…? This is getting frustrating.’
I wanted to clash with all my might without worrying about others’ gazes.
It’s a thought every hunter might have. I’m no different.
But knowing it’s a futile wish, I turned my gaze back to the Orcs and hunters.
– Cough!
A woman who allowed an uppercut from an Orc hurriedly leaped back, blood spraying from her nose like a faucet. She really took a hit.
“Uwooooh!!”
– That monster… I don’t even have the strength to scream.
– Damn annoying bastard.
‘Thirteenth… I don’t think there will be any more challengers.’
– Who the hell trained that stupid thing? It’s so strong.
– You guys raised it up, didn’t you? You lost three times and now you wanna talk back?
– Hey, I was just joking, and you guys took it too seriously.
– How embarrassing… We couldn’t win against a single Orc with thirteen hunters; we just raised it instead.
– That thing came out as a boss-level foe from the beginning; what’s there to feel embarrassed about?
– Alright. Shall we all take it out together now? It seems like no one else wants to try.
– That guy’s health is almost gone. Looks like the buffs from leveling up are over too.
While sharpening their weapons and sitting cross-legged, or healing, the hunters, who were watching the Orc’s impressive performance, began to show their teeth and stand up.
No matter how powerful the Orc grew in a short time, there’s no match against a crowd. And as they’ve said, the Orc’s health had reached its limit.
If I had killed a hunter to gain additional level-ups, it would have been a different story; however, growing solely from combat experience has its limits.
“Puhuh—”
“Chahyar…!”
“Huh? You want to fight?”
At that moment, Dotti 1 and Dotti 2 stepped forward simultaneously, eager for a duel.
‘They’re angry.’
There was an unusual fury in their eyes.
They probably told me that the Orcs they met in the dungeon were just enemies, but seeing one of their kin being treated like a lab rat must have finally pushed them over the edge.
However, they didn’t show any hostility towards the hunters.
‘They want to finish him themselves, huh…? I guess I have to grant them that much.’
I blocked the way of the hunters who were closing in for a group beatdown, pointing to our Dotti brothers.
– Huh? Are they planning to pit an Orc against an Orc?
– Ooooh! This could be fun!
The hunters looking to conclude were also intrigued by the duel between Yeon-hee’s summons and the dungeon monsters.
Soon, an arena was formed, encircled by people.
Dotti 1 vs. the Orc Intermediate Warrior.
He was the last surviving Orc, yet his unwavering gaze and composure were something to learn from.
I couldn’t have a good opinion of Orcs because of my past, but I couldn’t purely hate them because of such displays.
‘Let’s finish it like the Orcs.’
Someone once said that, but… I don’t remember who.
Anyway, it was a sight not easily seen, so all ninety-eight hunters gathered to watch the duel.
In the front, those with shields set up barricades.
“Chaha!”
“Puhyah!!”
Dotti 1, still an inferior warrior, had nearly zero chances of overpowering him under normal circumstances, but the situation was different now.
A battle of the fresh Dotti against the exhausted Orc.
Boom—!
But the first strike came from the enemies. He swung an axe that most hunters would hold with two hands, but he wielded it with one. His strength stats were already the highest among those in the dungeon.
Dotti tried to maneuver as best he could, but he took quite a shock. The intermediate warrior pressed hard with successive strikes, not giving him a moment’s respite.
He didn’t seem to want this fight to drag on. With barely any health left, he probably wanted to bring at least one along as a companion.
But as the duel progressed, Dotti 1 began to gain momentum, and for a while, they were evenly matched.
‘Whoa… Dotti 1 isn’t too shabby.’
But—
Bang!
Dotti 1 dropped to his knees in front of the intermediate warrior.
‘He rushed to change the tide too quickly. He mismanaged his stamina.’
His arms trembled, looking as though he had no strength left to even move a finger.
“Puhreeek—”
“……”
The two exchanged glances for a moment. It was hard to guess what emotions they were feeling.
In a way, they were both trapped in unwanted situations. They closed their eyes simultaneously. To me, it looked like they were offering a prayer for their fated meeting.
The Orc Intermediate Warrior, having opened his eyes, swung his axe without hesitation, and soon, Dotti’s head soared into the sky.
Shriiiing—
But instead of the body that should’ve hit the ground painted in fresh blood, it vanished into smoke without a trace.
“Dotti 2, finish it.”
Yeon-hee displayed her authority as a summoner quite firmly, and in response to that signal, a green creature shot out like a bullet.
“Khuh!!”
Bangbangbangbang!!
‘It’s over. That punk was the last spark.’
Even though Dotti 1 put on quite the show, the second duel ended before it even began.
Dotti 2 swung his arms, and this time the Orc Intermediate Warrior’s head flew high into the air. That marked the end of this boss battle.
Light flickered from Dotti 2 a few times. They must be leveling up like crazy. Why am I so limited? No matter how slow a magic knight’s growth is, geez…
– Whoa!!!
– This is insane… all their monsters are at such a high level…
– If I join the White Knight Guild, my growth rate will skyrocket too. Scary. Is it really the unique class?
– Tch…
The hunters watching cheered in unison, some displaying wariness towards Yeon-hee’s summons.
‘This won’t distort into some weird rumor, right? If it spreads that two summons took down a boss-level monster, that would be troublesome.’
Since they keep changing my name arbitrarily, it wasn’t out of the question.
Just like that, as if no heated battle had ever taken place, the hunters scattered in all directions to wrap up the boss battle in their own ways.
There were only two fatalities, but many hunters were seriously wounded.
However, the system rewards those who survive such crises, so it could definitely become a new opportunity for them. Some might’ve pushed themselves into battle, anticipating that.
“Whew- it’s over. I feel like I could do even better next time.”
“Seriously! I leveled up, and I think I realized something today.”
“Ah-rin, did you reach that realization?”
“Not quite to that extent… but something clicked.”
“Wow… really…”
Joo-ah seemed to feel a rivalry with Ah-rin, albeit subtly.
She might not consciously be aware of it, but watching from the side, it felt like that. Truthfully, in terms of raw talent, Ah-rin had a few better aspects than Joo-ah, making it understandable for a friend to feel impatient. After all, she already ranked up to D class.
“So… Is it time for our celebration feast now!!”
“Ugh- let’s go. Lead the way. I’m going to see how well you eat.”
“Hehehe—”
As we sang along, we hurried our steps toward the celebration feast.
“Uh… those people…”
“Yeah…”
Among the returning hunters in front of us were some from Apex. Although I was aware of them throughout the battle, they truly stayed focused solely on the boss fight as planned.
– Hah… we’re screwed… what are we supposed to do with that bastard?
– Ugh-! Ugh! Ugh!
But there was a man being dragged along by two Apex party members, tied up.
[The lover of the reconnaissance skill user.] He had a gag in his mouth and was bound behind his back.
‘Why is he tied up like that?’
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