It was clearly a sign that something unusual was about to happen.
My companions showed a moment of anxiety, but soon regained their calmness as the soothing sound of Ham Eun-young’s song flowed from her lips.
‘Good timing.’
For some reason, Eun-young seemed happier ever since that goblin-like demon had shown up.
Anyway, all the hunters who had entered this dungeon were aware of such variables.
It was originally a dangerous place, but if you entered with sufficient preparations, you could get what you wanted from the dungeon.
However, given the recent atmosphere, one would have to accept that it wouldn’t be surprising if dozens of giant skeletons suddenly fell from the sky.
I had learned from eavesdropping on news broadcasts this morning that there was a 5% decrease in the number of hunters entering dungeons compared to this time last year. A decrease? That’s absurd!
But the number of powerful mutants appearing in dungeons had been rising rapidly without a blink, leaving us with no solutions.
As a result, lower-ranked hunters like F and E grades showed the most significant decline. They were still weak and lacked experience.
They likely thought it wiser to protect their lives over money. Smart move.
“Huh…”
Yeon-hee’s deep breaths kept getting deeper.
“……”
Even though we all understood the anticipated situation, we refrained from vocalizing any negative thoughts.
Especially the name ‘Skeleton Knight’ that popped into our heads; it was something we would rather not think about.
Because when that creature appeared, all the aggro from nearby monsters would converge to one spot.
It wasn’t a simple matter like leaving marks as an Ent would in an E-rank dungeon.
Literally, a large army would be organized around the ‘Skeleton Knight.’
It was a horrific sight: a relentless onslaught of thousands of undead warriors, more than twice as strong as they were now.
Brrrrr—
Ah-rin shook her head as if trying to rid herself of thoughts.
Was she having the same thoughts as me? Certainly a sight I didn’t want to imagine.
‘Skeleton Knight, Monster Bomb, a massive increase in giant skeletons…’
I had to think of a way to protect Yeon-hee, regardless of what monsters showed up.
As the anxious situation dragged on, my companions’ steps slowed and their breaths became ragged.
Fortunately, Eun-young’s abilities kept us well cared for.
Even if we found ourselves separated from Joo-ah and Ah-rin later, I was certain we needed to keep Ham Eun-young as part of the team. Of course, for Yeon-hee.
To mock our heightened tension, ordinary skeleton ten-man squads began to register within the range of my senses again.
‘Ah! This damn dungeon really knows how to mess with people.’
After tens of minutes of tight nerves, we finally relaxed our bodies, and the next four battles we faced were quickly wrapped up.
*
Two hours into our journey, we were sitting in a clearing, replenishing our energy with snacks.
‘Here they come.’
I had three major objectives in this dungeon: to catch the little guys dwelling inside the cave for quests, find hidden artifacts, and finally, to encounter the monster, ‘Bone Dancer,’ that had just entered my range.
The figure was striking, with a tailbone that ended in a sharp tip and bulbous midsections.
Its elongated skull resembled what its living form might have looked like, reminiscent of aliens from an SF movie, with slender legs stretching down to the ground.
It had the classic look of having a weak lower body.
It seemed like it would be easy to subdue just from its appearance, but in reality, it was one of the worst kinds in this dungeon.
‘Too many… I need to move a bit.’
I immediately signaled my party members to indicate that enemies were approaching.
“What type are they?”
“… It’s a Bone Dancer.”
I informed them that we needed to move in the opposite direction of where the enemies were headed.
Of course, I wasn’t thinking of simply fleeing; I planned to maneuver into a tight spot where their movement would be restricted before facing them.
The bone dancers had such long bodies and heads that their movements faced considerable limitations.
Moreover, they didn’t exhibit incredibly agile combat styles, so that level of restriction would make our response much easier.
“How many are there?”
“… Twenty…”
“Are you serious…? That many?”
Even considering Yeon-hee’s abilities, it was an overwhelming number. It was absurd that they weren’t creatures like Lesser Dire Wolves that typically lived in packs.
I would have preferred to meet just two or three, defeat them leisurely, and steal their skills!
But in this world, not everything goes as planned.
El Tae-seok and the other party members quickly began to move in line with my signal.
All five companions other than El Tae-seok and me were perched on the shoulders of lizardmen as we moved.
As we started to sprint, the Bone Dancers also began to run on all fours.
Unlike other undead, Bone Dancers had a remarkable sense; they could even detect the presence of distant hunters. They were a peculiar kind of monster.
After about three minutes of non-stop running, El Tae-seok spoke up.
“Hmm… I guess we’re heading towards the Giant’s Tomb.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Impressive… What in the world is that guy Il-wol? Was he perhaps a commander of some other world in his past life?”
El Tae-seok, responsible for guarding the rear, raised his voice to express his astonishment about me.
“He uses magic too well for that.”
“I heard about the new abilities. Back in the canyon, he couldn’t use spells like Fireball… Isn’t that fascinating?”
Joo-ah replied somewhat bluntly to El Tae-seok’s question, but Noh Ha-yoon insistently turned that comment towards Yeon-hee.
“Indeed. It’s always amazing… whether it’s inside or outside the dungeon…”
“Hmm…”
When Yeon-hee casually mentioned something, Ha-yoon seemed to have a question on her lips, but this wasn’t the right moment.
We arrived at the Giant’s Tomb, filled with towering stone markers that were about my height.
This place was likely a grave for the giant skeletons sometimes found mixed among the skeleton ten-man squads, but it was also an excellent location for ghouls and other skeleton soldiers to burst forth from underground, so everyone appeared tense.
“Isn’t it possible to get surrounded here if we’re not careful?”
“No, I think Il-wol’s judgment is appropriate. It appears that other hunters have cleared this area, as it is clean now.”
‘He certainly senses the energy of the undead well.’
El Tae-seok gave me a thumbs-up and shifted his gaze toward a peculiar group approaching from a distance.
“That’s a Bone Dancer…”
Muttering to myself, Yeon-hee unconsciously took my hand.
As soon as they spotted us, the Bone Dancers began making their tail joints glow, resembling small watermelons.
The light they exuded was mysterious and deep.
They would launch their long tails toward their targets, wrapping around them before exploding.
But even if you simply avoided their tails, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t self-destruct.
In conclusion, if the enemy entered a certain range, they would self-destruct without fail; wrapping their tails around was merely their artistic expression.
“That’s their triggering mechanism.”
Shaking my head at the blank stares of my party members, I observed the Bone Dancers.
Creeeak— clang—
They stood on their brittle, thin leg bones, swiftly flapping their crooked arms and legs as they began to run toward us.
The grotesque sight caused Yeon-hee, Ah-rin, and Joo-ah, who were seeing it for the first time, to scream in horror.
“AAAAAH! What is that?!”
“Ugh— disgusting. Just like I heard.”
“We, we need to run!”
‘El Tae-seok and Noh Ha-yoon responded well. I must have told everyone to close their eyes when the Bone Dancer lit its tail several times.’
When hypnotizing someone, telling them to “close their eyes and now you fall into a trance” is said to be effective.
Just moments before, the Bone Dancer lighting its tail was essentially the start of their hypnotism.
And in no time, the four hunters found themselves utterly ensnared.
Despite the bizarre gestures prompting people to frown, once you fixated your gaze on their dance, you’d find yourself entranced, nearly paralyzed.
“Uh…”
“Eh…”
Just like Joo-ah and Ah-rin now. But come on, can you all get hypnotized that quickly?
“Everyone, come to your senses!”
El Tae-seok timely alerted the party members, activating [Aura of Devotion].
Particles of divine energy, feeling almost holy, showered abundantly upon their heads.
Thanks to that, Joo-ah and Ah-rin, who had been on the edge of hypnosis, regained their composure.
El Tae-seok had been keeping his eyes shut since he spotted them.
Noh Ha-yoon had pulled sunglasses from her inventory and put them on.
Wearing sunglasses doesn’t prevent you from being hypnotized, but somehow, just believing that they might have some effect in this world made it more powerful.
As the distance narrowed to 30 meters, the Bone Dancers’ acceleration peaked.
Yeon-hee, slightly dizzy and stumbling, signaled to our ambush-summoned creatures as we neared the grave.
Ppaeng—
The orcs lying on the ground pulled the big boar’s skin tethered to them, toppling the lead Bone Dancer charging forward.
Crumble-crash—!
The Bone Dancer horde fell like a line of dominoes.
Seizing the moment, I unleashed Fireballs and bombs over the fallen beings.
Cra-BOOM!!!
Using only a small amount of the bombs that take time to make, I actively used Fireballs, which had a significantly higher damage output.
However, relying solely on a few Fireballs and bombs was insufficient to take down all of them.
– ‘Bone Dancer has been defeated!’
– ‘Bone Dancer has been defeated!’
‘Just two down…’
But that was enough to steal their skills.
“Everyone, swarm them!!”
Yeon-hee promptly issued the command, and the Lizard Squad and Orc Squad charged without hesitation.
“……!”
WHOOSH-!
The fallen Bone Dancer horde collectively extended their tails, drooling as they lunged at our summons.
Strangely, they didn’t pull their tails to restrain the summons; instead, they directly ran at them.
And…
Kiiiiiing───
The tail glowing with a bright red light resonated with an ear-piercing screech that pierced through our heads.
While my Fireballs and Skeleton Bombs produced traditional explosion sounds, the noise they created felt like something with thorns.
“AAARGH!”
Ah-rin, clutching her ears, tumbled down, rolling on the ground. I forgot to let Wang-wang’s fur fill her ear.
Even the explosions triggered by the Bone Dancers didn’t behave like typical blasts; they were projected from one point directed as if hurled like a spear.
KABOOOM──!
A series of intense explosions went off, instantly erasing the summons charging in.
I was so used to seeing Yeon-hee dispel her summons, with them turning into gray smoke when they were dead or in critical condition.
But when over thirty summons were obliterated, leaving only bits and pieces, Yeon-hee could only blink her eyes in shock.
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