“Azraelon… how’s your body holding up? It must still be tough being out here for so long?”
(······.)
Unlike the other people who had complicated feelings while looking at Il-wol, Ham Eun-young was only worried about the condition of her guardian.
When she was finally able to manifest Azraelon from the mirror into her arms, she couldn’t express how happy she was.
At first, she kept getting sucked back into the mirror due to her unfamiliarity with her powers, but after a lot of effort relying on her strong will, it was no longer difficult for her to maintain her cat form.
However, since the environment was completely different from the one in the mirror connected to the demon realm, she couldn’t help but feel concerned when Azraelon mentioned that an adaptation period was needed.
Step by step—
Everyone continued to move, each lost in their thoughts.
After taking a break for lunch, we set out again, and at last, we encountered monsters other than wolves.
But it was not a simple encounter.
“Those guys are fighting again.”
The eternal nemesis.
The Big Boar and goblins were engaged in a large-scale collective battle.
Since the terrain where I led my companions was several meters higher than the battlefield, we could leisurely assess the situation.
Sure, they were evolved monsters, but what strategy could possibly be needed when dealing with goblins and Big Boars?
Over five hundred monsters were scattered and fighting across the vast ground.
No matter how strong we were, it would be tough to fend them off without taking any damage.
It wasn’t just an old saying when people talked about how numbers mattered in battles.
Of course, Yeon-hee would be safe since she had summoned creatures, but the other companions were the issue.
I couldn’t protect everyone.
This was a sight unseen in other dungeons.
But this dungeon had an abundance of food spread all around, almost excessive.
Due to such an environment, the goblin population had ballooned, and they had no hesitation in invading the Big Boar’s territory, leading to outbreaks of such clashes.
The evolved form of the Big Boar, the “Pierce Big Boar,” not only grew larger but also had significantly boosted overall physical abilities, making it quite easy to break something with a single hit.
When in a crisis, they also tended to band together like Dire Wolves, which is what we were witnessing now.
“Ugh—look at the size of that thing. It’s like a small rhinoceros.”
“If we get hit by those horns, we won’t just lose a piece of armor. We need to be careful.”
“I’ll focus on the goblins. The Big Boar’s skin is too tough for me, so it’s a bit challenging.”
Nod—
It wasn’t easy to calmly respond when the giant Big Boar charged.
It’s understandable that my companions felt tense.
But to me, it just looked like hundreds of roasting pigs happily running around.
“Wow—I’m salivating even though I can’t eat. Wait, should I try eating while in camouflage?”
Come to think of it, I always used my camouflage to either romance Yeon-hee or catch perverts, so I hadn’t thought about eating.
Pierce Big Boars, which are said to be much more flavorful than regular Big Boars.
“Alright.”
Opportunities to gather such creatures don’t come around often.
I turned my gaze to the other side.
The Red Goblins struggling against the Pierce Big Boar were desperately holding onto what appeared to be solid wooden shields.
Aside from the shields, the weapons were all just shabby bladed instruments, but I occasionally spotted some holding bows. There also seemed to be some using magic.
It seemed like one in ten was a mutant, which was an unusually high ratio.
Even though they had such solid firepower, it was strange to see them getting pushed back by the Big Boar, but they were just lacking in sheer numbers.
“So, they’re having a hard time because reinforcements are late.”
Puuuu—
The Red Goblins.
They had the peculiar ability to blow horns that summoned monsters living in this dungeon, regardless of allies or enemies.
“Agh, that damned horn sound. I really hate it.”
“Should I just kill it?”
Even though we were far away, it was still affecting our party members.
Puuuu──
We had heard it for the third time since we arrived.
The Red Goblins, losing in strength, took turns blowing the horn.
One goblin that blew the horn slumped to the ground, gasping for breath.
Mana Exhaustion.
They must use quite a bit of mana to blow that horn, trying to transmit sound over such a wide area.
In any case, we held our breath and watched, ready to act when they entered chaos.
I could feel the Dire Wolf pack that had been several kilometers away drawing nearer and gaining speed.
Dire Wolves loved nothing more than Big Boars.
Of course, they would eat goblins too, but they were far down the priority list.
“What a mess. By the end of this fight, there’ll be over a thousand of them. What about other parties?”
Noh Ha-yoon directly asked me a short question, and I nodded while holding up five fingers.
“There are five parties approaching… If those guys join, things will get really troublesome.”
“It’s not going to be an easy fight…”
“It’s better to push through and finish things up quickly.”
‘I agree. Since the wolves have joined, should I test that skill? The meat might spoil, but…’
As my companions started to stir, I stepped forward, signaling for them to wait a moment.
“Huh? Il-wol, are you really… doing that?”
Yeon-hee’s eyes sparkled as if she understood what I was planning.
“What? What is it this time, Yeon-hee?”
“No, even Il-wol shouldn’t go there alone; that would be suicidal!”
“It’s dangerous…”
Ignoring my companions’ words, I pulled back the senses I had spread several kilometers wide.
I was about to use a big skill that I hadn’t used yet.
When other parties arrived, the situation could get messy.
Since it was the first day, it was best if I eliminated the variables myself.
I dashed into the middle of the battlefield, clutching the Dotted One and Ddak-ddak-i that Yeon-hee had summoned in both hands.
-Kiaaaaaaaah!!
-Zzzzzzrrr──!
With the ability of the two summoned creatures now allowing me to provoke monsters from quite a distance, I rained down Fireballs, gaining the full attention of the monsters around me.
“Come on—I’ll kill you all at once.”
I was finally about to test a skill I wanted to experiment with for days.
As the powerful [Provocation] spread through the chaotic battlefield set off by the Red Goblin’s horn, the monsters completely lost their minds.
The Big Boars, goblins, and now the Dire Wolves joining the battlefield all charged towards me in unison.
[Manhwa Portal]
I plunged my feet into the ground and activated the skill I had obtained by killing a Great Beast for the first time.
Buuuuuu—
At that moment, I felt as if a giant was blowing air into my body, as I began to swell up.
– [Invincible] activated.
Tutututung-!
Just as [Invincible] took effect, all the attacks from the monsters swirling around harmlessly passed through me.
The sight of monsters with crazed bright red eyes drooling and unleashing skills was spooky.
Kwahzik!
Tutututung─!
As hundreds of monsters launched their attacks at once, the weight of their collective effort was immense.
It felt as if my body, firmly planted on the ground while activating the skill, was lifting off the ground.
‘The speed at which my body is swelling… is increasing with each hit?’
I felt an unprecedented strange sensation while weakly directing the Dotted One and Ddak-ddak-i to provoke even harder.
Maybe because of a past memory of being hunted down by a Tarantula, the two summoned creatures immediately responded and exerted their maximum strength.
“Aouuuuuuu!!”
As the monsters grew more violent in their frenzy, their attack power inexplicably increased, and my armor started to peel off bit by bit.
As I was hit, my previously sleek body began to expand sideways, almost equalizing its dimensions.
I worried a bit about what Yeon-hee would think when she saw my inflated body.
My size had now reached about one and a half times that of Lizardman 1 combined.
Shuuuuuuu───
A signal indicated that my body was ready to unleash its power.
Currently, my mana was at 751, having used several Fireballs.
All 750 of that mana was about to be packed into this single skill.
‘Guuuh… not just my mana is being drained.’
The [Manhwa Portal] extracted not only my mana but also other intangible sources, like the wave of my senses and mental energy.
Pongpongpongpong—
My outer skin quickly proliferated with holes the size of my pinky finger, and soon there were well over a thousand openings where the light of mana shimmered.
‘Guuuhhh──!’
[Calm]
[Calm]
My instincts screamed to burst it out quickly, but my reason struggled to maintain control over the situation.
Shuuuuuu─
The moment all the mana was evenly distributed across the openings, I unleashed everything I had been holding back in one go.
Purfurfurfurfurfurfurfurrr────!!
With an earth-shattering roar and explosion of mana, the projectiles shot out in all directions.
The hundreds of monsters charging to bite and claw at me had no chance to resist the densely packed, powerful shells before they began puncturing through them.
Although preparing the skill took at least several dozen seconds, the release occurred in less than a second.
It was an incredibly brief moment, but the spectacle created by the skill [Manhwa Portal] was truly astonishing.
Monsters with holes drilled through them like a revolver’s cylinder.
Thud thud thud—
Their remnants rained down on the ground at staggered intervals.
– Your level has increased!
– Your ability has increased!
‘Aah, my head…’
As my mana rapidly decreased, symptoms of mana exhaustion set in.
– While in a state of mana exhaustion, your mana recovery rate drops by half.
But perhaps thanks to the ability I gained on the day of my first interaction with Yeon-hee, I felt much less of a penalty compared to before.
Gulp—
Thanks to [Well-Acquainted Ears], my hearing rose tremendously, allowing me to distinctly hear my companions swallowing their saliva.
The summoned creatures in the C-rank dungeon numbered over six hundred.
With several mutants among them, it was no wonder they were shocked.
Incredible was it that even ‘Centipede Hell’ lurking underground with its mouth wide open had been slain by this unbelievable attack.
‘The downside is that it can’t be directed precisely.’
That could be understandable since it was my first time, so I’d need to use it more to get the hang of it.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
