“Wooah—It’s gigantic! This isn’t just a cave; it’s like a gate leading to another world.”
When we arrived at the wolf den, what lay before us was a cave entrance that looked like it could easily reach three stories tall.
This place was way too huge for a den of wolves. It would be more convincing to say it was a cave inhabited by the giant tribe.
In front of the cave, two staff members sat on wooden chairs, handing out numbered tickets while wearing the world’s most bored expressions.
But their bored looks weren’t just because they were doing a simple job that even elementary school students could handle.
It’s extremely rare in low-grade dungeons, but sometimes they fail a boss battle and let a boss-class monster loose. Those guys are the ones who stop that from happening. In other words, they’re capable enough to at least delay a monster rampage.
So, if they sat there dumbly, it would be easy to feel a sense of futility about why they were doing this. Of course, they’d get decent rewards for it.
Anyway, seeing the hunters still receiving tickets was a sigh of relief for us. At least 50 people were needed to start a boss battle, and it looked like we’d just make the cut.
We quickly grabbed our tickets from the staff, and after waiting 30 more minutes, we finally entered the cave.
The sun in the sky had already tilted low, casting a faint glow.
“At least we caught the last train. If not, we might have ended up camping in the dungeon. Phew—”
*Clap, Clap, Clap!*
Spending the night in the dungeon with Yeon-hee… Now that would be something…
The wolf den limits the maximum number of entrants to 70; if too many join, wolves will catch wind and won’t come out.
Of course, from the hunters’ perspective, if too many people share the rewards, the incentive to challenge would decrease.
*Woo-woo-woo—*
After all the hunters, including us, entered the cave, a translucent barrier formed at the entrance.
No new people could come in anymore.
Our mission was simple: stop the Lesser Dire Wolves pouring out of the den along with the wave of Lesser Dire Wolf Champions.
It was a boss battle, but instead of facing a single overwhelmingly strong champion like the one from Lizard Swamp, we’d be dealing with multiple champions with upgraded combat power.
As the hunters recalled the massive waves of wolves advancing like a pack, their fighting spirit gradually rose. Thanks to that, the chill that had filled the cave like a freezer quickly turned to warmth.
‘Come on, let my quest materials flood in!’
I hoped for that internally.
At least I needed to fill in 100 quest counts on three kinds of quests within 100 days after entering the dungeon.
I’d be unable to work on the Great Sword quest for a while, but it would be good to tightly fill in the elemental attack and dagger quests during this opportunity.
While waiting for the wolves, I looked around at the various hunters joining the boss battle. Among them was someone with beastman traits, just like Baek Ah-rin.
“Ah-rin, what kind of beastman is that person?”
“Hmm… I can’t really tell by just their ears.”
“Oh? To me, they look like a bear type. Their ears are round, and so is their face. Hehe.”
“A bear? Is that strong?”
Ah-rin shrugged casually in response. She didn’t seem particularly interested in the other beastmen.
‘That is definitely a bear beastman. They must have strength that’s hard to match.’
Time passed quickly as I watched the surrounding hunters.
*Aoowww—!!*
Soon, the howls of hundreds of wolves echoed throughout the cave. The sharp sounds made me feel momentarily dazed.
– Don’t get intimidated by those barking mutts!
Someone shouted to encourage their comrades, and with that shout, everyone on site relaxed their necks and prepared again.
*Thud-thud-thud—*
The cave shook as if an earthquake had hit, and I could see a pack of wolves rushing down one of the three paths.
“Whoa… I heard there’d be plenty, but that’s just too…”
“Joo-ah, you didn’t listen when I told you! Now do you understand?”
Despite being the most experienced in this dungeon, Ah-rin had warned us to move along the walls and reminded us again.
“From now on, it’s free-for-all! It would be great if we could all hold our ground in one place, but when the champions show up, it won’t be easy to stick together. At that time—right?”
What Ah-rin meant was that we should just look out for ourselves. And I wholeheartedly agreed.
Since we entered the cave, we had been moving along its walls. Even when surrounded, we thought it sensible to at least defend our rear.
“And those guys like to attack in packs of four!”
“Yes, I understand! I’ll funnel them with my summoned creatures, so don’t worry, everyone.”
“Unnie Eun-young, make sure not to fall too far back, okay? Stay somewhere between midfield and rear, heal when the summoned creatures start losing health, and call for [Stability of Heart] when more than ten get bleeding.”
“Ugh… okay…”
As we moved while reminding each other of our strategies, we discovered the terrain we wanted.
In the furthest inward part of the cave, a space formed like a prison with stalactites nearly touching the ground.
Choosing to isolate ourselves in that area meant no hunter wanted to be trapped there, making it an empty space. Yeon-hee stepped into the stalactite cell and summoned the rest of her summoned beasts.
As always, Yeon-hee’s summoned creatures formed a protective perimeter around her, and now Ham Eun-young and Bae Joo-ah were added to her protection.
Before we knew it, the number of summoned creatures had surpassed 30.
One Slime, one Kobold, one Armored Bug, twenty Lizardmen, two Orcs, two Zombies, a Neos Harpy, a Screaming Mushroom, a Specter, and even Spirit Ran.
Excluding Wang-wang, there were now 31 summoned creatures, and the expressions on the hunters peering at the crossroads became increasingly tense.
– What the hell is that?
– If they decide to turn on us, we’re seriously screwed…
– Is that D-class? Is it really the same D-class as me?
– Just the Specter alone gives me a headache, and now there’s a Harpy and Zombies too…?
– That horrid-looking skeleton is the scariest of all!
– I’ve never seen a skeleton like that. Is it a unique monster that only summoners can call forth?
The dialogues filled with mixed feelings exchanged among the hunters harmonized with the mad howls of the wolves, making it hard to hear even the person standing next to you.
“Il-wol, don’t worry about me and just fight as you please. I can handle this much.”
Of course, knowing her strength better than anyone, I nodded and leaped toward the wolves that were now right in front of us.
In this cave. In a confined space, [Contaminated Breath] is the way to go. Smoke began to rise from my body, spreading through the cave like a smog.
The wolves present in this space would soon fall within the influence of my skill. That said, I didn’t expect to rake in loads of experience from it.
These guys are so much weaker than me that no matter how many I take down, it wouldn’t be of much help.
So it made more sense to focus on the attack methods corresponding to my quest conditions.
[Fireball]
*Fwoosh—!*
With hundreds of wolves. With this many of them, even a Fireball with low hit rates would still demonstrate some power.
A wolf caught in the magic’s range was engulfed in flames, and its already filthy brown fur turned black.
[Stealth]
I thrust a dagger into the vulnerable spot of a wolf trying to put out the fire by rolling on the ground.
*Thud—!*
The finely sharpened dagger of Argen pierced its neck, splitting it in a long slicing line.
– You have defeated a Lesser Dire Wolf!
– You have gained a minuscule amount of experience!
The adverb “minuscule” clearly highlighted the gap between the wolf and me.
*Thud-thud—* *Click-clack—*
Just as I pulled the dagger out of the wolf’s neck, two wolves emerged from the left and right, trying to claw and stab my body with their sharply pointed front claws.
However, my Bone Armor allowed me to effortlessly block the regular wolves’ attacks, boasting a defense of 120.
*Aoowww!!*
*Uwoar—!!*
Howling from all around disoriented the hunters’ minds. One might even suspect that it was some sort of skill.
‘They didn’t just get bigger. There are way more of them.’
If my memories of my past life are correct. The number of wolves in a boss battle had definitely increased drastically.
So many, in fact, that there were some climbing the cave walls instead of running along the ground.
It was an overwhelming quantity. Simple calculations showed that each hunter had to take out at least ten, and it was common to be surrounded by 4-5 wolves in no time.
– Gahhh!! You filthy mutts!
– Dammit, I should have saved this for tomorrow!! It feels like we’re short on manpower!
Naturally, moans began to rise here and there.
“Ow! That’s hot, you little bastards!”
With her unique voice cutting through the chaos, Ah-rin’s voice was clear and sharp amidst the carnage. She seemed to be under attack from the wolves like the rest of the hunters. Why wasn’t she just with Yeon-hee instead of fighting outside alone…?
In some ways, this was the worst environment for Baek Ah-rin to fight in. A caged bird can’t fly.
But the fact that Yeon-hee had summoned three Lizardmen to guard her meant she wouldn’t be in serious danger.
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
I saw Lizardman 1 next to Ah-rin smashing a wolf’s head in with his bare fists. Where did that muscle-bound moron leave his weapon?
Behind him, the Dotti brothers swung an axe Scapito gave them, diligently fulfilling their warrior duties. Naturally, their faces were filled with joy. It was as if the bloodthirsty race was so consumed by the battle that they even took breaks to chew on chunks of wolf flesh.
Waves began, and in just a few minutes, hundreds of wolves filled the cave.
Without even needing to attack, some were impaled by the thorns that sprouted from my body, committing suicide.
*Boom—!!*
Though I wasn’t taking any damage, with so many pressed against me, my movement was restricted, forcing me to detonate a Skeleton Bomb now and then.
Of course, the bombs remained powerful, and wolves caught in the explosion found their limbs blown apart, leaving them unable to fight.
…….!!
*Woo-woo-woo—!!*
It was a battle like no other. Amidst the chaos, I kept my senses sharp, constantly checking on Yeon-hee’s safety.
Of course, the defensive formation built around her with summoned creatures looked solid, and having Bae Joo-ah by her side was incredibly reassuring.
Baek Ah-rin appeared to have gained some composure after catching her breath and was now managing her stamina without overexerting herself.
In truth, our team had no reason to push ourselves. We’d probably be heading home today with a small lottery ticket from that mine.
Feeling reassured, I closed my eyes and focused more on the senses surrounding my body. There were just too many incoming attacks from angles hard to see while trying to confirm things visually. It wasn’t satisfying to merely fulfill quest conditions.
Every exchange unfolding here felt like a condensed form of training.
A few hours earlier, it had been too fast to see clearly, but I replayed Baek Ah-rin’s movements as I sensed them.
The unique step of [Lightning Step] unfolded in my mind like a summoning scroll.
I first drew Arin’s slim ankles as delicate as her thin wrists. Remembering how she thrust her feet into the ground with strength, I now looked at my legs, which had taken on a proper form.
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