It was only 10 minutes.
It was the time it took for the team led by Hunter Namgung Hyuk to be overwhelmed by the goblin horde.
He barely pushed himself up on his upper body, wiping the droplets of blood forming around his mouth.
“Damn it…”
He had never even imagined a situation like this.
He had heard it was the Minotaurus Dungeon, but who could have predicted there would be a Goblin Lord?
And that wasn’t all.
The number of goblins was beyond imagination. Their movements, pouring out endlessly like a green tide, were terror itself. Moreover, the Goblin Lord was by no means an ordinary being.
‘What kind of mana gun can a monster use…!’
Mana guns, one of the weapons used by hunters. Guns that use mana input, and a Goblin Lord was using one, which left Namgung Hyuk dumbfounded.
Of course, monsters sometimes recovered hunters’ weapons and used them. However, that was limited to melee weapons like swords or shields. Mana guns, with their complex structures, were a different matter. Although not actively utilized, just the presence of mana guns inevitably narrowed his team’s range of action.
The result was obvious. The hunters’ feet were bound, and no matter how much they swung their swords or unleashed skills, there was no end to the goblins. Faced with the endless wave of goblins, the extermination team eventually fell to their knees.
‘Is this the end?’
If he had known this would happen, he shouldn’t have split the team. If the extermination team hadn’t been split into multiple teams, they might have been able to handle the goblins. But hindsight was meaningless. Didn’t everyone agree with the vice guild leader’s opinion to split the team and explore the dungeon in the first place?
‘Surely the monsters didn’t aim for this?’ Did they deliberately wait until the hunters split into teams?
‘No, that can’t be it.’ It couldn’t be. If they had predicted the hunters splitting up, the beinng that controlled this dungeon would have possessed immense intelligence.
“……”
Regardless of what happened, the chance of surviving here was practically zero. Namgung Hyuk looked back at his teammates with despair in his eyes. There were injured members, but not a single one had died. That at least was fortunate.
‘Do Hoon is…’
His gaze fell on the Necromancer Kim Do Hoon. He had been spacing out since a while ago. It was understandable, as one of his familiars, a Skeleton, had attached itself to the Goblin Lord. And even more so, since it had even drawn a sword against him, its master. He felt like he had been betrayed. He wanted to say something to comfort him, but the situation was not good.
‘So, what will happen to us now?’ Soldiers defeated by the enemy await only death. What’s more, the opponents are not humans but monsters. If they were humans, there would be a sliver of hope to beg for their lives, but what reason would monsters have to show mercy? Namgung Hyuk closed his eyes and waited quietly. However, things proceeded strangely, against his expectations.
“Krrrk! Bind them! Tie them up so they can’t move!”
Bind them? With the Goblin Lord’s command, the goblins began to move in an orderly fashion.
“Anyone who breaks the bonds will die! If you just stay still, I’ll spare your lives!”
The goblins began to bind the hunters’ hands and feet.
‘What is this situation?’ Namgung Hyuk couldn’t quite understand the monster’s words, saying they would spare his life if he just stayed still. And there was another being in this place whose situation was incomprehensible.
It was the Goblin Lord. The Goblin Lord’s purpose was singular. To defend this dungeon occupied by Baalcherit was his objective. To be more precise, he had the order from Chief Administrator Celia to neutralize the humans without killing them as much as possible. Celia’s words were like the words of their great Master. Therefore, the Goblin Lord bound the humans without killing them as much as possible. And he instilled hope in them by telling them that their lives would be spared if they stayed put. He already knew that those who harbored hope would obey anything. Wasn’t Chief Administrator Celia subjugating the elves by making them harbor hope in that way?
In any case, after binding the hunters, the goblins plundered their equipment.
“Krrrk! Krrr!”
The goblins cheered with joy as they snatched the hunters’ equipment. Originally, the Goblin Lord would have taken their equipment first, but his gaze was currently fixed elsewhere.
“Tak! Taktak.”
A Lich suddenly appeared before the battle began. It joined his group so naturally that he didn’t even have a chance to say anything. Moreover, the Lich was currently hitting one of the humans. But that human just stood there blankly, without any reaction.
“……?” The Goblin Lord couldn’t understand what was happening.
“Who’s that?” He asked a Hobgoblin beside him, but the Hobgoblin seemed clueless. Perhaps it was left behind by a Death Knight?
‘That’s possible!’ He wasn’t the only one dispatched to this dungeon. Others had come, including a Death Knight. Perhaps that Lich was an individual who had detached from the undead army led by the Death Knight?
“……” He decided to observe for a while, and then he saw someone approaching from a distance.
“Krrrk.” The goblins also took a defensive stance for a moment, but it was a Death Knight. The Death Knight, carrying a pickaxe and a shield, passed by them discreetly. Following behind were various undead monsters like Skeletons, Zombies, and Ghouls.
“What, what is this…? Why are there undead monsters too!” The hunters were agitated by the appearance of the Death Knight’s group. The Minotaurus Dungeon had not only goblins but also undead monsters, instilling fear. After the Death Knight’s group passed, the commotion subsided, and the Goblin Lord turned his head. But.
“Hmm?” The Lich, who had been hitting a human a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen. When he looked again, only the back of the Lich, following the Death Knight’s group, was visible.
* * *
The Death Knight moved diligently. All the undead monsters he led were carrying pickaxes as they moved. Their given orders were not to do anything to the humans who had infiltrated the dungeon. It was to change this dungeon anew. That was the Death Knight’s task.
“……” Before starting the work in earnest, the Death Knight surveyed the dungeon. It was only unnecessarily wide and inconvenient to navigate due to the complex maze.
Nod, nod. A quick scan gave him an estimate. The biggest problem with this dungeon was the maze.
“……” The Death Knight pointed at the maze wall with his hand. The order was to break down the walls. Following that order, the undead monsters, holding pickaxes, rushed towards the wall.
Kang – Kang – Kang – Everyone swung their pickaxes at the wall with all their might, but the wall was incredibly hard.
“……” It seemed like it would take ages with the current number of monsters. While contemplating what to do, someone approached him from the side.
“Tak, taktak.” It was the Lich.
“……?” However, this was an individual unknown to the Death Knight. Not all Liches are the same. And there were no Liches in the group he was currently leading. So, where did that Lich come from? As the Death Knight pondered, the Lich took out a gold coin. The Lich intended to use what he learned from his mentor, Arch Lich Necros.
– Taktaktak. (Money is always right.) Those were the words of his mentor, Necros.
“……” The Death Knight accepted the gold coin and nodded. Regardless of where that Lich came from, what did it matter? What mattered was that they were all undead. And above all, he felt a familiar scent of someone from that Lich. As the Death Knight nodded, the Lich presented a concrete suggestion.
“Tak taktakta.” (I have a good method.) A good method? He signaled to continue.
“Taktak, taktaktak!” (Turn the humans into Ghouls!) The Death Knight hadn’t thought of that method. It would be convenient to turn them into Ghouls. However, didn’t they have orders to minimize damage to humans? He shook his head, saying that wouldn’t work.
“Taktakta.” (Then use the humans as labor.)
“……!” Why hadn’t he thought of that? It was because he had narrowed down the scope too much due to the order to minimize damage to humans.
Come to think of it, hadn’t the Death Knight also used humans as labor to undertake siege construction in the dungeon? Moreover, there were quite a few humans captured by the Goblin Lord earlier. Having them do the siege construction seemed perfect. The Death Knight’s mood suddenly improved.
* * *
“Sigh, I’m bored.” Lee Jinwoo yawned and rolled the dice. The rear support team, stationed at the dungeon entrance, was extremely leisurely. As the dice rolled on the floor and stopped, a low sigh escaped him.
“I won this time, Team Leader.” The Hunter opposite him said with a stoic expression. Although he won the game, the opponent Hunter’s expression didn’t seem happy at all. Instead, with a bored expression, he asked Lee Jinwoo, “But Team Leader, how long do we have to stay like this?”
“Hoo… Do support teams even have anything to do? We just have to wait for the other teams to come out.” Lee Jinwoo said indifferently. He, an A-Rank Hunter, and the Hunters here were all individuals with support-type traits or skills. They were essentially a second-string team specialized in rear support rather than direct combat.
‘Sigh, when will I get to a better team?’ Lee Jinwoo fell into thought with a sigh. Even within the same guild, the treatment varied drastically depending on the team one joined. If they remained in a rear support team like this, their future wouldn’t be bright, even if they belonged to the Fire Bird Guild.
‘Tsk, if only my skills were better…’ His skill was ‘Holy Enhancement.’ It only enhanced Holy attribute-related traits or skills. It was classified as A-Rank only because it included Holy Power and could deal critical damage to undead monsters.
‘Out of so many skills, why this one.’ And it was a useless skill in the current Minotaurus Dungeon. Annoyed, Lee Jinwoo lay down on the floor. Just then. Footsteps were heard from the entrance.
‘Who else is supposed to come?’ Lee Jinwoo, turning his head as if bothered, widened his eyes. The person walking from afar was none other than Jeong Yerin. And she was with her fully armed teammates.
“Team Leader Jeong Yerin? Why are you here…?” Lee Jinwoo’s voice trembled. Instinctively, he stood up and took a defensive stance.
‘She was clearly suspended from duty.’ She had officially been stripped of her Team Leader qualifications and was naturally prohibited from entering dungeons. But how was she here? And leading an armed team?
“……” The atmosphere was strange. Anyone could see that Jeong Yerin’s current actions were not normal.
“Everyone, get up!” With Lee Jinwoo’s shout, the surrounding teammates also straightened their posture one by one. Bewilderment was evident on his teammates’ faces.
“Could you explain what’s happening, Team Leader Jeong Yerin?” He tried to speak as politely as possible. Even though she was suspended from duty, he couldn’t ignore her status as the guild leader’s daughter. But Jeong Yerin’s voice was cold.
“I’m not interested in you, Lee Jinwoo, so please move aside quietly.” As expected! No matter what Jeong Yerin’s intention was, her attitude suggested it was definitely not for the better.
“This is a subjugation operation area conducted under the leadership of the Vice Guild Leader.” Lee Jinwoo wasn’t an idiot. Rather, he saw the current situation as an opportunity. ‘The Vice Guild Leader really disliked Jeong Yerin.’ Didn’t he make it obvious enough that most guild members knew? That meant the opposite situation applied. Ultimately, Jeong Yerin must be acting this way because she held a grudge against the Vice Guild Leader.
‘This is an opportunity!’ His eyes gleamed. This was clearly an act of insubordination where Jeong Yerin was rebelling against the Vice Guild Leader. If he stopped Jeong Yerin, wouldn’t he be recognized for his contribution? If he resolved this, he might be able to become close to the Vice Guild Leader in one fell swoop. Lee Jinwoo subtly smiled.
“If you cross that line any further, I will have no choice but to consider you, Jeong Yerin, as an enemy. State your purpose!” This was before his words were even finished.
“… Kanghyeon, could you handle it?” With Jeong Yerin’s words, a Skeleton emerged from behind. It held an ominous sword, but Lee Jinwoo sneered.
“Ha, just a mere Skeleton!” Through this action, he was now certain. Jeong Yerin was attempting to start a guild civil war.
‘But you underestimated your opponent!’ Jeong Yerin was merely a B-Rank Healer. On the other hand, he was an A-Rank Hunter. Moreover, he was effective against undead, and his opponent happened to be an undead Skeleton. The situation couldn’t be better.
“Holy Enhancement!” With a shout, a brilliant golden magic circle was drawn in the air. Pure light filled the dungeon, driving away the darkness.
“Got it!” An ordinary undead would not be able to withstand this much Holy Power. A victorious smile spread across Lee Jinwoo’s lips.
“This should be enough-” But Lee Jinwoo’s confident expression instantly stiffened. Contrary to his expectations, the Skeleton was unharmed. Rather, the Skeleton was absorbing the Holy Power and emitting light from its bones!
“Y-You’ve got to be kidding me?!” The being Lee Jinwoo dismissed as an ordinary Skeleton was none other than Maru, the Skeleton Paladin.
