As I alerted the party to the presence of enemies through Ran, the faces of my party members quickly turned serious.
Just a minute ago, the atmosphere was cheerful, but the reason for their scowling expressions during our second fight was, of course, the number of ghouls.
“They say that if there are over a hundred… a Ghoul Champion will appear…”
In certain conditions, mutants definitely show up, and that’s what they were.
The Ghoul Champion was a monster close to a sub-boss level; much larger than regular ghouls but surprisingly agile, making it a high-risk opponent.
It would even run away if it felt at a disadvantage.
“Is there a way to avoid it?”
Ah-rin, the party leader, first asked if it was possible to bypass the situation. This showed her cautious nature, but she probably wasn’t considering avoidance seriously.
However, as the leader, it was essential to assess all possible scenarios.
Ghouls usually wait underground and spring up to ambush hunters, but that was not going to work on me.
We were still 300 meters away; there was no shortage of paths to retreat, but I had no thoughts of anything other than a frontal assault.
However, the decision was up to my companions. I was just a summoned creature, so I could only wait.
“Let’s fight.”
Breaking the brief silence was Yeon-hee.
“Since we’re not being ambushed and we will take the initiative, what’s the problem?”
That was a valid point.
“Let’s go for it.”
Yeom Tae-seok, who had been watching us from a bit of a distance, responded shortly, and the others nodded in agreement.
Though there were quite a few of them, nearing the exit meant encountering this scale of enemies wouldn’t be too uncommon.
Thus, Noh Ha-yoon and Yeom Tae-seok awaited our opinions without hesitation.
With our thoughts aligned, we approached the ghouls while minimizing our presence.
If we had just passed by without noticing, we might have been fooled completely, but anyone who looked closely at the ground would see unnatural depressions scattered around.
Of course, my senses clearly revealed the ghouls waiting below for our arrival.
‘It would be fun to dig into the ground beneath them and set up timed bombs one by one.’
While that might not be the best choice in terms of efficiency, I entertained the idea momentarily.
Imagining myself watching the synchronized explosions from above.
[Skeleton Bomb]
“Wow… That’s…”
Yeom Tae-seok stared with wide eyes at the bomb I had taken out. This guy was really reacting to every single one of my actions.
Using [Adhesion], I climbed a tree and jumped up into the air.
Above, I could see a ceiling that was incredibly high. I wondered what kind of world might unfold if I could reach up there?
But no one had ever gone up that high. No matter how high you went, the distance to the ceiling remained fixed, and no one knew how that was possible.
Whoosh—
Soon, dozens of bombs dropped from the sky onto the ground where the ghouls were hiding.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom!!
“Grahhh!!”
The ghouls, who had been hiding to ambush us, were instead attacked and sprang out in shock.
Of course, waiting for them were our party members and the fearsome summoned creatures that exuded intimidating energy.
Having been underground, the ghouls weren’t heavily injured from the explosions, but their health had taken a significant hit.
In battle, whether against monsters or hunters, establishing dominance from the start is crucial. They were already in a compromised state and fell like deflated balloons under our assault.
But that was only for a moment.
“GRAAAHH!!”
“Grrrghhh!”
A tremendous roar erupted from the opposite side, forcing my companions to cover their ears.
Thanks to that guy, the ghouls, who had been thrown into chaos, managed to regain some semblance of order, now facing us.
“Ugh… Were they inside the forest?”
‘They must have been watching for an opportunity.’
I was aware of its presence, but I wasn’t planning to engage it.
Like Yeom Tae-seok, I had always focused on assisting Yeon-hee. Battling the group led by the Champion would provide her and the summoned creatures with invaluable experience.
And no matter how strong the Ghoul Champion was, it was nowhere near the level of a “Tooth,” so I didn’t feel any competitive urge.
I already knew that killing it would yield no notable rewards.
After briefly surveying the battlefield, Yeon-hee decided to call forth all the orcs she had freshly summoned.
‘Can maintaining that many be possible? Over 40…’
Even with a Magic Orb and an Artifact, it wouldn’t be easy to sustain such a large number. Maintaining them for six or seven minutes would be considered long-lasting.
Yeon-hee seemed to believe that this timeframe would be sufficient against the ghouls and the champion, who still had over 70% health.
‘It all depends on how much I can help.’
I was trying to support her growth, but I didn’t want to create the impression that I was controlling my strength.
That would reverse the master-servant relationship, and even Yeon-hee might get upset about that.
‘Better build up some quests.’
I landed on the ground and started taking the heads of ghouls one by one with my dagger.
Their blackened, clawed hands targeted my vital points quite sharply.
Swish—
‘Yikes!’
The sheer number made it difficult to dodge while being in the center. I shifted to the outskirts and started the process from the outside.
– Defeat 10,000 enemies while in a stealth state using daggers. (1001/10,000)
After spending days in the Orc Dungeon, I finally reached the spot. Damn, this was truly exhausting. What a ridiculous quest.
I planned to guide my party into the cave tomorrow or the day after.
Once I confirmed that the little winged ones living there counted towards my goal, I could bid farewell to this annoying quest. Just a bit longer.
After claiming about twenty ghouls, I managed to acquire one characteristic and skill from each.
[Dead Claw]
– Using a body part, you can paralyze an opponent for 0.1 seconds when you strike.
This was one of the ghouls’ most representative characteristics. It rigidified the body for just a brief moment, but that short time could lead to a dangerous situation if you were surrounded.
– The trait [Dead Claw] fuses with the trait [Rough Claw].
‘Oh, just as I expected.’
It was a similar ability to the [Rough Claw] I obtained from the Lesser Dire Wolf, something I had hoped for.
Fierce Claw Lv.1
– Using a body part, you have a 50% chance to inflict the status effects [Bleeding] and [Paralysis].
– Bleeding: Reduces maximum health by 0.02% per second. Effect doubles during combat while bleeding.
– Paralysis: Rigidifies the body for 0.2 seconds.
‘Wow! This has become incredibly efficient!’
The originally 25% probability of inflicting a status effect was now boosted to 50%. The figures for bleeding and paralysis also doubled.
As I nodded at the thorns sprouting from my body, I heard my companions’ shouts. I decided to check my newly acquired skills later.
– They’re coming!
– Scatter!!
The ghouls, with their backs excessively hunched like strange humans, were bizarrely colored and had spines protruding haphazardly.
The Ghoul Champion, which had made our party members gasp in horror, was three times the size of a regular ghoul and was a monster that moved at over 20% speed.
Moreover, it could adjust the length of its claws freely, making it difficult to gauge distance.
“GRAHHH!”
It charged forward on all fours, scattering our party members and sprinting toward the weakest-looking individual – none other than Ham Eun-young.
“Wait? What the hell am I supposed to do if I leave her alone?”
That was a clear mistake. While there were two Lizardmen next to Eun-young, that wouldn’t be enough.
At the very least, if there was a No. 1 there, it might help, but spreading our summoned creatures too thin was the problem.
Of course, it ended up that way due to the number of ghouls and the bold charge of the champion, but such a situation should have been anticipated and arranged by our party leader, Ah-rin.
‘I guess it’s impossible without me…’
Feeling that it was a bit dangerous, the moment I leaped toward Eun-young, a creature with two horns on its head shot out from Ham Eun-young’s hand mirror.
That monster opened its mouth wide and seemed to spit something out, releasing an invisible shockwave like a waterfall.
– RAAAAAHHHHHHH!
The range and destructive power of that shockwave were so incredible that the Ghoul Champion, which was twice the size of Lizardman No. 1, was sent flying dozens of meters.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The shockwave itself didn’t seem to inflict any damage, but the champion, having flown for a while, slammed its head into a giant rock and couldn’t get up for some time.
Stunned—
For a moment, my companions, summoned creatures, and even the ghouls stood frozen in place. It was such an unreal sight.
“What the hell! What was that?!”
“Was it a defensive artifact?”
“Oh… Is that what the horns are…?”
Seeing Ham Eun-young’s hand mirror function for the first time, we could only express our astonishment. It was said to have some consciousness, but what kind of monster had that level?
“… It wasn’t that dangerous… I could have avoided it…”
Ham Eun-young muttered at the mirror, and upon hearing that, the monster swiftly vanished back into the mirror.
The creature that entered the hand mirror briefly shone and seemed to communicate something to Ham Eun-young.
Eun-young then nodded and sang her specialty, [Stability of Mind].
– Gwaah!!!
The ghoul, upon hearing the song, covered its ears in agony, and with Yeom Tae-seok’s ‘Aura of Devotion’ added, the temporarily stabilized situation flipped dramatically.
“While the aura is up, you’re immune to paralysis!”
“I got it! Everyone, charge─!!”
Following Yeon-hee’s command, the summoned creatures surged like a wave, beginning to sweep away the remaining enemies.
Where that wave passed, only fine sand would remain, just as the ghouls’ crumbling bodies scattered across the ground.
“Gahhh-! Puhh-!”
The Ghoul Champion, who had been brutally hit by Ham Eun-young’s artifact, rose up, exhaling as it surveyed the battlefield. Was it looking for an escape route?
But above its head, Neos Harpy ‘Nefie’ was descending, attacking with claws covered in poison, while Noh Ha-yoon and Yeom Tae-seok charged at it with shields raised.
Besides them, Ddak-ddak-i and Screaming Mushroom were both ready to catch its attention at any moment.
Yeon-hee was drawing her bow, and Bae Joo-ah was surrounding it with rocks to block its escape route.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride watching my companions gradually press in on the enemy.
‘At this rate… I think we can manage?’
It would be beneficial for me to advance quickly as well.
That way, I could expedite our entry into the cave for the quest.
No doubt, we wouldn’t be able to enter until our party’s strength had stabilized, so I just hoped we would grow as soon as possible.
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