– Whoa… As expected, you’re really skilled. How did you discover the underground?
– I didn’t sense anything at all… Damn it… Please let the monsters hurry up and go to that B-rank dungeon.
– Should we just go ahead and do it? The summoned creatures will hold off the boss level, right? It won’t be easy, will it?
– They say there are three tunnels. If nearly 2,000 are coming out, that alone won’t be easy.
The hunters on site were troubled with various thoughts, but in the end, most of them participated in the boss battle.
A massive boss battle involving as many as 227 participants.
Such battles aren’t easily experienced, and there was an undeniable tension and excitement apparent on the faces of the hunters.
‘No one is moving.’
In the end, Yeon-hee and I stepped into the barrier first.
Once she entered the barrier, she waved her hand in the air, and a gigantic silhouette began to take form.
Kuuuuuuung──!
– Hiiieek?!
– Whoaaarrrrr!!
– What the heck is that?!
– It’s a golem, a gigantic golem!
– Did she just summon an entire villa? Isn’t one of that enough?
The hunters who just entered the barrier gaped in astonishment at the might of the ‘Castle’ summoned by Yeon-hee.
“Are you revealing the castle now?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t seem like we’re in a position to hold back. We need practice too.”
With information collected by ‘Rockter’, there’s no need to conserve the existence of ‘Castle’.
Following the Castle, Yeon-hee summoned combined Alpha Lizardmen, Orcs, and even werewolves.
When a Shadow Drake appeared in the sky, for some reason, the hunters erupted in cheers, and sensing the unusual atmosphere, a mutant of the Bizeul called out a colleague that had been hiding underground.
“Oho, you realized it’s difficult to ambush and called for backup right away?”
“But we’re still way ahead~”
The power that seemed insufficient without Yeon-hee’s summoned army had now turned into an overwhelming force.
[Everyone focus solely on the boss battle! If you hit your allies, the ‘Grim Reaper’ over there won’t stand by idly!!]
Right before the battle began, the voice of Ah-rin spread and all the hunters turned their heads in unison towards me.
With a massive fireball in one hand and a great sword in the other, horns materialized on my forehead, bursting with lightning.
As I transformed into [Combat Type] with Flame Armor, generating gigantic flames from my body, the hunters nodded frantically as if they were determined to focus solely on the battle.
‘Alright. The hunters are sorted. Weasel, you start the feast.’
Whiiiiiing──
BOOM!!!
Bizeul lightly dodged the fireball I threw, but the tunnel behind him exploded, turning dozens of Bizeul into crispy critters.
– Let’s go!!
– Kill them all!!
From the get-go, the hunter alliance pressed forward overwhelmingly, while the agile Bizeul, numbering over a thousand, darted around swiftly.
The mutant Bizeul moved mainly in spaces where there were no hunters, scouting for hunters with apparent weaknesses in their defense.
‘Where do you think you’re going? You’re here to play with us today!’
“Kiyaaaah!!”
“Clap, Clap!!”
I took care of one that had just popped out from hiding underground, while three Alpha-Rank summoned creatures held off the remaining boss-level ones.
Bizeul are monsters that are second to none when it comes to speed.
The boss level is no exception, and their powerful claws can easily split a C-rank hunter’s head.
But today, they couldn’t hit and run; they were ensnared by us right from the start, and that must have been galling for them.
And that was possible thanks to the presence of Ddak-ddak-i and Dotted One.
– Kiyaaaah!!
– Chirrirrirr!!
They weren’t easy targets for provocation, but even stopping their movements momentarily was enough for us to grab them.
With the two boss-level Bizeul restrained, the balance of power on the battlefield began to tilt sharply in our favor.
‘Blood Frenzy, should I use it one more time?’
The side effects of using [Blood Frenzy] can’t be overlooked.
Both magic and health recovery rates drastically decrease, and my body feels as heavy as if drenched in water, reducing all physical abilities.
However, the increase in physical abilities during use was more significant than expected, so I decided to give it another try.
Gurgle- Gurgle-
As soon as I activated the skill, power surged through my body. I felt like I could break anything.
KWA-BOOM─!
“Kihek!!”
When I landed a punch to Bizeul’s abdomen, it spewed something out. A goblin’s leg dropped out, probably from somewhere it had eaten.
Even though I only lightly hit it, if I really tried, it felt like I could puncture its belly.
A crack-!
With a series of punches, Bizeul’s head snapped around.
Every time my fist connected, Bizeul danced around in a daze.
Swish-!
It swung its front paw in a desperate attempt to hit me, but there’s no way it could touch me while I had it in a headlock.
Pufufuck!! Puh!
Moreover, the effects of [Stone Curse] and [Fierce Claws] rapidly piled on the status ailments.
The Bizeul, which repeatedly stiffened and loosened its body, eventually became completely rigid, unable to move.
‘It didn’t take many hits. Is it weak, or is the skill just that strong?’
Even after several seconds, the status ailments didn’t wear off, and the Bizeul, frozen with its front limb held up like a mantis, bled profusely from every orifice.
– Bizeul’s mutant has been defeated!
‘Huh? It’s dead? I didn’t even land the finishing blow yet?’
Could it have suffocated after being in stone and paralysis for too long? Or had its health depleted from bleeding and poison?
‘Ah, I wanted to experiment more.’
My punches were covered in countless bone thorns, and it was once again proven that using those for striking resulted in a terrifying array of status ailments.
‘If I land a solid blow, it won’t escape.’
Even just giving it a slap on the neck to stun it would keep it immobilized with the paralysis.
Wait for me, Lizardman.
I’m coming for revenge on the ‘Trace’ that killed me.
With the defeat message, rewards also came in. Normally, all combat would wrap up, and rewards would be distributed, but today’s boss battle was truly unusual.
– Acquired Rune of Swiftness (High-Rank)!
– Acquired Rune of Swiftness (High-Rank)!
‘Oh? Nice! As expected, being with Azra increases the chance of rune drops.’
I defeated one boss and obtained two high-rank runes.
It must mean my contribution was significant, but it could still be said it was a lucky day.
I immediately swapped out the mid-grade Rune of Swiftness and the high-rank Rune of Vitality.
Health decreased by 42.
Rune of Swiftness (High-Rank) Movement speed +33
Rune of Swiftness (High-Rank) Movement speed +36
Thus, my mobility increased from +17 to +69, and I could feel my body getting lighter even from just hopping in place.
Zoom─
I dashed across the chaotic battlefield, looking for any peculiarities.
The ground was filled with summoned creatures, hunters, and Bizeul, creating a confusing scene, but I adeptly navigated through them, providing unseen support.
“Ice Field!!”
BOOM-
In the distance, I could see Noh Ha-yoon’s specialty area spell exploding.
After focusing on widening the area for a while, it seemed like she’d gained new power, significantly increasing the probability of inflicting the ‘Freeze’ status effect.
With a single spell, dozens of Bizeul were turned into ice statues and shattered into fragments.
– Kya ha ha ha ha!! Ah, refreshing! I need to beat up that bastard Kim Gunseob again!
Noh Ha-yoon hadn’t forgotten the loss to Kim Gunseob in the Ilseom Guild.
There was no need for her to harbor resentment over losing to someone who had been doped up, but she wasn’t the type to easily let it go.
‘By the way, why aren’t they disappearing?’
I defeated the boss-level Bizeul and, within five minutes, the remaining bosses also fell to the combined assault of three Alpha-Rank summoned creatures.
But instead of vanishing like smoke, the Bizeul horde remained, continuing to engage in a brutal struggle.
“Ugh! Damn it, nothing is going back to normal!!”
“Kill everything in sight!!”
“Since it’s come to this, let’s aim for the top 5 in contribution!!”
C-rank hunters were brimming with motivation.
A boss battle without the threat of life is an experience hard to come by, so it was only natural they were exhilarated.
And after 20 more minutes, we reached the end of the battle.
“Haah- it’s over. Those pesky weasel bastards. Pfft!”
Even confident Noh Ha-yoon shook her head at the remarkable tenacity of the Bizeul.
But all that was left now was the tattered leather, and with dimmed eyes, it gazed resentfully up at the sky.
I casually collected our share of the byproducts, and reorganized the gathered mana stones; [Obsession] was buzzing away due to the unusual workload.
[……!!]
Did it become excited because I suddenly gave it a lot to do? It seemed to want to say something to me.
In any case, I was able to confirm the new potentials of my companions through this battle.
First, there seemed to be unexpected development possibilities in our party leader, Ah-rin.
She utilized the energy of lightning in her fists and legs for short melee strikes, and I witnessed her pop Bizeul’s head several times with her one-two punches.
That was clearly an attack she could never pull off in ordinary circumstances.
It appeared she gained different potential after connecting with God this time.
“Phew-heheheh- cough- nyahng.”
She seemed very pleased, unable to suppress her laughter.
And Bae Joo-ah, who had shown a steep growth curve since the Pastiche dungeon, now had two boulders the size of soccer balls automatically defending against enemy attacks around her.
‘No way… I want a skill like that too, not just throwing rocks…’
Automatic defense?!
That skill would be so sweet if I had it.
“Hehehe… Ziphokt is a god… Hee hee hee… Il-wol thinks so too, right?”
“Clap…?”
And Noh Ha-yoon showcased an incredible fighting style in the latter part of the battle, quickly firing the [Ice Spear] she called ‘Seolchyang’.
The more she fired, the faster it got, and it flew towards her designated target with high accuracy, suggesting it had properties similar to the [Critical Hit].
It was a killer move meant for a single target, not for multiple foes, and that target was undoubtedly Kim Gunseob.
However, it seemed that the more she fired, the more mana was consumed. As soon as the battle ended, she fell to the ground, exhausted.
Finally, Ham Eun-young had increased her base stats by 100, undoubtedly enhancing her support effectiveness. Her area of effect had widened considerably, enough to support all the hunters involved in this battle.
The hunters who received boosts from Ham Eun-young, like increased physical ability, resistance, and magic recovery rate, gazed at her in admiration.
It was as if they were looking at someone they must remember.
Among those who had been buffed by her, many sat on the ground, wide-eyed as they gauged their newfound potential.
With support from a supporter, crossing certain thresholds in the stats often opens their minds to new realizations.
Unremarkably, Yeon-hee showed no visible changes, but since that couldn’t be measured against these small fries, it was worth keeping an eye on. For the time being, she looked utterly satisfied.
Was it because this boss battle had exceeded normal bounds?
This time, there weren’t any super rare artifacts dropping, but there was a major jackpot with over twenty high-rank runes dropping, putting beaming smiles on the faces of all the participating hunters.
The Rune of Swiftness, the most popular among hunters. They couldn’t help but be thrilled.
And considering so many lower-tier high-rank runes dropped, one might even think that Azra’s luck buff affects other hunters too.
‘It’s easy. With this much, we should be able to challenge that dungeon of the Ilseom Guild.’
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