CHAPTER 11

- Son Kihoon (Hunters Guild) -

The raid leader didn't dare move a muscle, as the gang of savage orcs stared them down. He took the moment to study the creatures, seeing monsters of all sizes. Some of the brutes carried two handed axes, while some of the more nimble orcs dual wielded hatchets or cleavers. They all leaked a terrible bloodlust, the tension in the cave was ready to explode.

One of the lead orcs made the first move, cocking his arm back as the red orc threw a razor sharp javelin at the group. The spear accelerated, aimed right at him. Kihoon only had a second to raise his shield in time to deflect the spear, the screeching sound of the javelin hitting the roof made every hunter flinch.

He would have died if that spear hit him head on, as the sharp edge had no problem piercing right across the surface of his shield. Kihoon was just able to raise the damaged shield in time to block an attack from another orc viciously swinging his battle axe.

The fight has officially begun, one speedy orc has already jumped over him, aiming for the other tanker behind him. The tank in red battle armor tried to taunt the agile orc, but it ignored the spell, hopping off the shield to aim for the mages in the center of the group.

"They're after the mages, be careful!" The tanker warned the magic specialists already preparing their counter attacks.

Son Kihoon could only watch in horror, as he was busy fending off the barbaric orc in front of him. While his sword clashed with the orc's axe, he could feel the heat behind him, as the mages concentrated a fire attack at the reckless high orc.

"Don't worry!" One of the mages yelled out. "We won't get defeated so easily!"

To their shock, the red orc barely flinched when the magic attack hit, within a second it was already bracing itself for a second charge.

"It didn't work?!" The B-rank mage yelled in disbelief. "It's magic resistance is too great!"

The orc was then immobilized when the strike force's ace mage Gina conjured up shackles to lock the monster in place.

"It's too powerful! I can only hold it for five seconds at most!" Gina screamed, as she held her hands together to keep the orc confined in place.

"That's enough!" The lone male mage screamed out, as he prepared his strongest ability. "HEED MY CALL AND CUT DOWN MY ENEMIES!"

He summoned an A-rank fire soldier, it took him all of his mana to create the fire knight. It was able to fend off the rogue orc just in time.

On the other side of the battle, the high orcs were able to find a crack in the frontline, as a B-rank tanker got his arm sliced off.

"What are the tankers doing?! Protect the backline!" One of the two A-rank healers shouted in panic, as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"Taunts aren't working! Our skills are being bounced back!" "HEAL! HEAL!"

Chaos soon filled the cave, as the group quickly lost its composure, the orcs were relentless with their attacks. The B-rank hunters in the party couldn't do anything to stop or even damage the high A-ranked savages.

"We're inferior in numbers! We can't get surrounded!" Son Kihoon pleaded with any guildmembers who could hear him. "Group up! Break into three man groups!"

Even for an A-rank dungeon, a pack of high orcs right at the beginning seemed ridiculous. 17 hunters vs 22 high orcs. They were simply outmanned and outgunned. There's no choice, sacrifices are unavoidable. Please, everyone don't die!

"It wasn't at this level when they measured the gate's magical energy!" He yelled out in frustration. "Damn it!"

The frontline was getting overwhelmed on all fronts, the mages' most powerful attacks were being ignored with ease. It was disturbing to see a high orc chew on summoned tentacles like it was eating thick noodles.

A high orc finally managed to break past the tanks. The powerless mages could only watch as the brute swung down with a machete, cutting down the purple-haired healer.

"NOOOO!" Kihoon cried out in agony, as they suffered their first fatality.

She was far from the first, as the orcs began to viciously tear through the hunters in front of them with no mercy. The B-rank tank who lost an arm was next to die, as he was swarmed by more orcs who smelled blood.

More high orcs tried to converge on the broken down formation, the lone healer left was soon surrounded by angry monsters. He was shredded like cheese by three assassin orcs who were waiting for the opportunity to strike.

"OUR HEALERS ARE DOWN!" Gina screamed out, as the orcs started to laugh like wild hyenas.

Every direction he looked, he saw one of his comrades dying. A B-rank fighter had his head crushed like a watermelon, causing him to look away, right where a swordsman had his head split in two by a giant executioner orc. The porter that accompanied them was killed instantly by a javelin spear.

"URghk!" The B-rank mage barely howled out as he was violently ripped apart, two sadistic high orcs were playing tug of war with his corpse. His magic lantern fell to the ground, a violent fire began to grow out of control.

In less than a minute, they lost a third of their members, while they haven't even killed a single orc yet.

The strike force was in shambles, Gina was barely able to put out the inferno in time, the thick smoke caused the group to lose sight of each other and their enemies. Kihoon realized they were no longer under attack. Were the monsters wary of the fire?

"I-if anyone c-can hear me..." He coughed as the smoke started to clear and the dust started to settle. "A-anyone who is able to... Make a break for the gate exit as soon as you ca-"

Every surviving hunter left immediately lost their will to fight, as the gravity in the cave suddenly increased again. The intense pressure was comparable to being on the bottom of the ocean.

"Oh my god..!" Gina could barely open her mouth. "That's the b-boss of this dungeon?!"

The powerful magical energy forced any remaining hunters to their knees. Just in time for the force to realize they were completely surrounded. Countless sets of evil red eyes stared at the group from every direction. Disturbingly, there were at least fifty more high orcs, and they looked even stronger than the first group.

"D-damn..." The shield less raid leader slumped his shoulders in defeat as he observed the imposing orcs with clubs, hammers and just about every type of weapon imaginable.

"KHRERHAK TUU SHEENAH WEEGROO AHRAKNAKAH!"A lone red-skinned orc walked up to the group, shouting in monster tongue. "KHRERHAK TUU SHEENAH WEEGROO AHRAKNAKAH!"

It repeated the same gibberish a couple times, terrifying the survivors, as it was more and more aggressive with each chant. Suddenly, it's red-eyes began to glow white as the monster's face cracked and fractured unnaturally.

"HUMANS... I AM... KARGALGAN..." The possessed orc started to speak Korean, distressing the hunters even more, as no monster has ever been able to communicate with humans before. "I WISH TO MEET... WITH YOU... HUMANS..."

Son Kihoon couldn't believe an orc just spoke a human language. Is it magic?

The gravity seemed to decrease, allowing the remaining guild members to speak more freely.

"A m-monster wants to talk with us?" Gina was the first to break the silence. "Kihoon Oppa you're not believing this, right?"

"Kihoon Hyung! This must be a trap!" "Dog's death or not, let's fight them here!"

The raid leader wasn't listening to the survivors behind him. As the one put in charge, he needed to make the tough decision best for the civilians outside. He considered himself an honest man, he knew he was paid a huge amount of money to close the gate, not to make it out alive.

"Kargalgan... Are you the most powerful being in this cave?" Kihoon started his gambit, he hoped to speak with the boss face to face.

"YES... I AM... THE PRIDEFUL... ORC'S... GREAT SORCEROR... MY MAGIC... CANNOT BE... DISPELLED... BY YOU... HUMANS..." The puppet orc went face to face with the raid leader. "CHOOSE... DIE BY... MY MEN... OR... FOLLOW... MY MEN..."

"We'll follow you." The A-rank tank answered right away, as he just needed one chance, one opportunity to kill the dungeon boss.

"Hoon Hyung!" "Kihoon!"

"FOLLOW US... HUMANS..."

"I'm sorry..." Kihoon apologized to his team, before he obediently followed the orc, as the gang of monsters created a path for the leftover hunters.

- Mars -

I'm currently taking a hot shower in the Sung family's modest bathroom. I chuckle slightly, as I definitely didn't expect to flash Cha Hae-In this early in the morning. Funnily enough, her Affection actually went up a bit, I'll have to give Igris some headpats for being such a great wingman. Earlier, Igris had sent me the all clear, letting me know there's no threat at all. I guess he wanted to surprise me, as he saw an opportunity to improve my relationship with Hae-In. I can't wait until he promotes, Igris will be the perfect Alfred to my Batman.

After accidentally exposing myself to her, I gave her a quick apology before hurrying to the bathroom, leaving the S-rank hunter in a cross-eyed stupor. It's best for me to act nonchalant here, as it's completely obvious to me now Cha Hae-In will be my third Maiden. I wonder how she will get along with Jinah and Song-Yi?

My thoughts switch to the gate today, as I believe the Hunters guild second strike team just entered the dungeon. The poor bastards have virtually no chance against an army of high orcs. The only reason they made it out okay was because Jinwoo was conveniently acting as a porter for the team. I don't know if they'll all die right away, as I think the dungeon boss will still want to put on a savage entertainment show for his bored warriors.

I sigh as I try to forget about them, I'm certainly no hero, I can't be everywhere at once. In all honesty, I'm selfish and lazy, a pretty shitty combo. I'm really not going to act unless it serves my best interests.

Hearing the sounds of Jinah screaming in shock, I turn off the water, chuckling to myself as I'm guessing she just realized who's sitting in her living room right now.

- Cha Hae-In (Hunters Guild) -

The Hunters vice-guildmaster didn't know how to react to the weird situation she found herself in. She hadn't mentally recovered from her shock of meeting Mars in his birthday suit. The swordswoman hoped her blush was gone from her face, as she was startled by the sudden appearance of a shrieking girl.

"Oh my god... T-this can't be happening!" The enthusiastic girl was way too loud in the morning. "I must be dreaming still!"

Cha Hae-In stood up, looking around awkwardly as she could only give the stuttering girl a conflicted smile, as she watched Mars' lady friend pinch herself in surprise. Hae-In observed her as she was freaking out, noticing her bruised flesh and bite marks scattered throughout her loosely clad body. Her heart felt like it sunk when she realized it was the same bedroom Mars came out of. So that's his girlfriend, Sung Jinah...

Hae-In's nostrils unconsciously flared when Jinah hesitantly approached her, the perceptive S-ranker spotted the limp in the girl's gait. The closer she got, the stronger she could smell Mars' distinct aroma all over his former classmate.

"Good morning, Sung Jinah. I'm vice-guildmaster Cha Hae-In of the Hunters guild. Please pardon my intrusion." Cha Hae-In professionally introduced herself, not wanting to show her inner jealousy to the lightly dressed girl. "I'm here to meet with your boyfriend, Mars."

Apparently he's a sore subject, as Hae-In didn't mean to erase the smile off Jinah's face.

"Well... we're not exactly dating..." Jinah replied with a slight uneasiness in her voice. "Wait a second... How do you know my name and where I live?"

"Let's just say the Hunters guild invests a lot into our surveillance department." She could only sigh in response, as she tried to calm the energetic girl down. "We investigated the double dungeon incident in great detail. That's how I first learned about Mars. As well as you and your brother, Jinwoo."

"Wow..." Sung Jinah looked up at the idol/hunter with intense admiration in her eyes, before she ran back into the bedroom. "Song-Yi! Wake up right now!"

Wait... Song-Yi?

Hae-In felt another lightbulb go off in her head, as she poked her head into Jinah's bedroom, her curiosity was too strong. She was not expecting to see another girl sprawled on the bed, wearing a partially ripped nightie. The scattered clothing and the disheveled bed only served to perplex her even more. Not to mention Mars' vigorous smell lingering like a thick cologne. Even someone as unexperienced as she was could immediately tell what happened here last night, as she looked at the two women in a new light. They had this kind of relationship with Mars? But they're not dating...

She observed the half asleep B-rank hunter, wasn't Han Song-Yi an E-ranker on her file?

"W-what is it?" Song-Yi slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes as she looked at Jinah, before the hunter realized who else was in the room. "I-is that Cha Hae-In?!"

Hae-In froze for a second, when she realized this hunter didn't have a terrible stench either... The S-rank rushed to Song-Yi's side, bringing her nose close to the dazed hunter's nape, giving her a deep inhale.

"W-what are you doing?!" The suddenly embarrassed Song-Yi cried out with a blush, she wasn't expecting one of the top idols to invade her space like that. "Why are you sniffing me?!"

"How come you don't smell?" The vice-guildmaster was too confused by the situation to realize her faux pas, as the gears in her mind tried to figure out why the young hunter was also odorless.

"Hahaha. Did I miss something?" Mars interrupted the scene, the three women were all in various levels of bewilderment.

- Mars -

I can't help but grin widely, as I look at my Maidens all assembled. Now that I've committed to this life, I've got to enjoy moments like these.

Name: Cha Hae-In

Level: 83

Race: Hunter (S)

Class: Master Swordswoman

Title: The Dancer

Thoughts about you: She's so confused, why does hunter Han Song-Yi smell exactly like you?

Affection: 80

I can tell Hae-In has a hundred different questions for me, it looks like she's going cross eyed trying to figure everything out. It's interesting that Song-Yi smells like me, it must be due to the power bestowal? I guess I would need Park Heejin to confirm that theory for me.

At this point, Hae-In's love for me is all but guaranteed, as how I act in the gate today will confirm her newfound feelings.

I check the alarm clock on Jinah's desk, realizing it's been about twenty minutes since the group entered the high orc gate. Hopefully they haven't been completely wiped out yet, as it would look better for me to save a couple lives inside.

Before any more time could be wasted, I'm saved by the bell as Hae-In's phone starts to go off, the look on her face alarming us it's something important.

"H-hello? Miner Bae Yoon-Suk? Slow down, what's wrong?" Cha Hae-In smoothly transitioned from shy maiden to reliable leader in a single breath. "What?! The gate's magical energy reading is now twice as strong?!"

Everyone in the room could tell the severity of the situation just by looking at Hae-In's face. I open the window in Jinah's room, giving each girl a goodbye kiss, sounds like it's time to go. Hae-In quickly ends the call as I recall Igris back into my shadow.

"That sounds bad." I nod to Hae-In, reaching my hand out to the beauty. "It'd be faster if we flew there."

- Son Kihoon (Hunters Guild) -

Kihoon and the surviving hunters were led to a great hall, where they found themselves in the enormous boss throne room. At the end of the room, he spotted who could only be Kargalgan, the high orc shaman. The dungeon boss sat on the golden throne, he was flanked by four bodyguards, two on each side.

What was even more disturbing, was the massive army of high orcs, sitting on the stands, surrounding them completely. He couldn't even count how many monsters there were, hundreds and hundreds of orcs no matter where you looked.

"AH SHAK..." The leader of the red-skinned orcs began to speak, stopping to clear his throat. "HUMANS... WELCOME."

He could barely hear the boss, as the excited orcs were out of control, jeering and taunting the small group of humans. Kihoon looked back to what was left of his force, the grave look on his face was clear. These orcs must not escape outside the gate, this many orcs would destroy a city before the main hunter force can arrive.

At the very least, he wanted to take the boss down with him, he observed the four bodyguards, the elite guard orcs seemed much more dangerous than the rest of the high orcs. Would he be able to get past the guards and kill the sorcerer in one swoop?

The rest of his team was hurting, he had to summon the courage to surprise attack the orc leader by himself.

''DO YOU FEAR ME?" The boss removed the skull mask covering his face, revealing a dreadful looking orc with two huge fangs. "HUMANS!"

With that last word, the gravity violently increased, there was no mistake Kargalgan was hiding his true powers this whole time.

"W-why..?" Son Kihoon could barely speak with the intense magical pressure in the air. "Why... did you bring us here? Your warriors would have been enough to annihilate us..."

"FOR ENTERTAINMENT." The dungeon boss revealed the truth to the horrified hunters, who wished they died painlessly earlier in the raid. "DURING OUR REMAINING TIME HERE, WE'LL KILL THE REST OF YOU ONE BY ONE FOR MY MEN'S ENTERTAINMENT."

The rowdy legion of high orcs all raised their weapons in the air, cheering loudly. This certainly didn't seem like the first time the monsters did something like this. He looked around the gigantic room, it was if they were trapped in a coliseum, the bloodthirsty orcs wanted to see them suffer.

Is our determination nothing but entertainment to them? Instead of treating us like enemies, to these barbarians, our lives are just toys that they can play with and trash whenever they want?!

"AAAAAH!" Kihoon roared out with all the energy he had left, knowing he'd be alone in this suicidal charge.

His battered team could only watch as he leaped at the chieftain, he wanted to prove Kargalgan wrong. It doesn't matter if you're S-rank, or that you have hundreds of soldiers...

"HYMN OF PROTECTION." Kargalgan said with an unimpressed look on his face, conjuring a shield of pure mana, completely blocking Kihoon's all-in attack. "FOOLISH HUMAN... GRAVITATION."

With a flick of his wrist, the orc shaman suspended the A-rank tank in the air with ease. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't even move an inch.

"GRAVITY ACCELERATION." The boss pointed his finger down, and Kihoon accelerated hard into the ground, a crater formed instantly with the brutal impact. "GRAVITATION... GRAVITY ACCELERATION... GRAVITATION... GRAVITY ACCELERATION."

Son Kihoon didn't have time to breathe, as he was forcefully bounced from the roof to the ground like a basketball.

- Mars -

Holding Hae-In in my arms, I flew faster than I ever have before towards the gate. I can tell Hae-In feels a bit flustered, her being so close to me is a bit of a shock to her senses. The steadfast look in her eyes tells me she is much more concerned with her fellow guild members, who are no doubt in bad shape right now.

Arriving at the entrance, it's obvious that the magical energy is much greater than the earth giant gate from last night. Hae-In doesn't even bother saying a word as she enters the gate without any hesitation. The uneasy mining and collection teams quickly made way for us, as I summoned Igris, following right behind the vice-guildmaster.

Entering the gate, the first thing I notice is the one-sided massacre. A gang of high orcs were laughing and joking with each other as a pack of dungeon jackals were feasting on the little remains of some hunters.

"No way..." Hae-In mutters out in grief and rage, seeing the ripped apart corpses of her guild members.

Igris and I can feel her fury building up, her aura is much more threatening now.

The orcs must have noticed the hostile energy as well, looking at us in surprise. The jackals growl loudly at us, sprinting at us with no fear.

Hae-In was about to draw her sword, but I stop her, gently grabbing her wrist, giving her a sympathetic smile.

"Let me take care of this." I kindly whisper to the grief-stricken hunter, pointing at the rushing beasts.

Igris flashes forward, easily killing the dungeon jackals in the blink of an eye. The high orcs look up at Igris in fear, as he leaps high into the air, his sword starting to crackle dangerously. My knight aggressively charges the orcs, the monsters really have no chance as Igris is too strong and too fast for them.

He tore through multiple orcs in a single swing, the crude monsters who didn't get slashed felt the shock as a lightning bolt shot out with each attack. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Igris went all out, exterminating the A-rank high orcs like they were weak goblins.

Cha Hae-In ignored the slaughter, instead distracted at the bloody remains of the hunters she was supposed to protect.

Giving her a short moment to process the situation, I hide my smirk as I look down to the kneeling Igris, eagerly awaiting his promotion.

Accepting it, the pressure in the room severely fluctuates, drawing Hae-In's attention to my favorite summon.

[Igris - General]

The knight commander is close to his original strength now, as I finally have my first General rank summon. Igris grew considerably after promoting again, he's got to be at least 9 feet tall now. His cape and red ornament flow freely, thanks to the constant magical pressure being emitted from further inside. I can see his glowing purple and white eyes through the slit in his helmet now, his energy has officially surpassed S-rank.

"Woah." Cha Hae-In studied the new and improved Igris with wide eyes. "Whether it's you or your summons, you're stronger every time I meet you... It's unfathomable."

"I got lucky in the double dungeon." I turn to the distressed swordswoman. "I'm sorry about your hunters... If you'd like, I can take care of the rest of the dungeon, if you don't think you can handle what's next..."

"No..." She fought back frustrated tears, wiping them before returning my gaze with unyielding eyes. "I'm coming with you, even if there are no survivors left."

I give her a nod in understanding, before I turn my attention to the pile of dead orcs Igris left.

"Arise."

The cave darkens, as twenty-two shadow orcs kneel down in greeting to their new Monarch. My new shadows look dangerous, their bright red skin glows in contrast to their black tribal tattoos and armor. It's basically an inverse of my yeti shadows, who have shadow black skin and glowing red markings. They are all high A-rank, once I gain the rest of the high orcs, the ants will find themselves in a world of pain against my fully assembled shadow army.

"Is there any limit to your power, Mars?" Hae-In genuinely asked me, as she watches the newly risen shadows in awe.

Before I could answer her, I'm distracted by my orc shadows, who slightly shake in fear as I hear Igris rise to his feet behind me.

"My King." Igris startled the two of us, as my bodyguard utters his first words to me, while giving me a respectful bow.

He then dropped to his knee once again, his voice was deeper than I expected.

"Igris." I warmly greet my first shadow once again, but for the first time, he can respond. "You've done well, so far. I'm expecting the absolute best from you, going forward."

"Thank you, my King. I will not let you down." My loyal knight stands up, proud, before he turns and bows to Hae-In. "Lady Cha."

"Uh, hello... Igris?" Hae-In wasn't sure how to feel about this new development. "Mars... Your summons can speak?"

"Once a shadow gets strong enough, yes." I answer her, before an explosion from the heart of the gate shakes the entire dungeon. "We need to go now!"

I recall my shadows back as I fly at full speed into the darkness, towards the commotion, Hae-In trying her best to keep up.

- Kargalgan (High Orc) -

The Greatest Sorcerer among the high orcs yawned loudly, as the pathetic leader of the humans was laid out on the ground, barely breathing. No part of his body was untwisted, the shaman was slightly impressed with this human's resiliency. Most other hunters would have died by now, but he was quickly getting bored, it was time to kill the humans who have encroached on his territory.

He was a master of all kinds of magic, his favorites being curse, gravity and fire magic. It would only take him a couple seconds to completely crush the remaining forces, but he wanted to brutally torture and execute the humans for the joy of his fellow orcs. Orcs loved to fight, but more importantly they loved to inflict as much suffering as possible.

"GRAVITATION." Kargalgan mercilessly uttered as he levitated two new terrified humans into the air, smiling as they began to cry.

"K-Kihoon Hyung..." One started to beg the rest of the humans, who were paralyzed in fear.

"HYMN OF AGONY." The shaman cursed the hunters, laughing as they started to squirm around in immense pain, there was blood leaking out of the holes on their faces. "HYMN OF THE BLAZING FIRE!"

An onslaught of fireballs began to burn the two suspended humans alive, their screams further increased the frenzied cheers of the spectator orcs.

"You... b-bastard..." The leader who looks more like a pretzel than a human managed to spit out. "Just w-wait until the masters come. T-they'll make you pay..."

"HUMAN... WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" The orc mage asked the leader, laughing as humans loved to make empty threats right before they died.

"Son Kihoon." He spat out, more blood began to leak from his mouth.

He'll save the leader for last, it's always satisfying to make the final human watch helplessly, as he cruelly torments everyone around him. He scanned the humans, smiling as he detected two fellow mages. The two women were clinging on to each other for support, as the miserable band of humans would experience true suffering before they died.

"GRAVITATION." Kargalgan levitated the remaining hunters into the air, leaving Son Kihoon and the two mages on the ground, to witness his most devastating fire attack. "HYMN OF THE FIRE DRAGON!"

The head of a red dragon appeared over the shaman, a massive fireball forming in the open maw of the legendary beast. He waited until it was fully charged, the dragon released it's flames, incinerating the human worms alive.

"Kihoon Oppa..." Gina cried out, as the three hunters left shuddered in despair, they would soon be next. "Please... someone help us..."

- Mars -

We finally reach the boss room, it's spaciousness reminds me of the double dungeon. It's absurd, seeing this many high orcs in one location.

I spot Kargalgan, casually sitting on his throne, where I can see his conjured dragon spirit just above him, smoke flowing out of it's mouth.

"Hundreds of high orcs..." Cha Hae-In couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Listen, vice-guildmaster, we don't have much time to form a plan." I whisper to Hae-In, we haven't been discovered yet. "I'm going to distract the boss and main force, you focus on saving any hunters left, okay? There will be an opportunity for you to lead any survivors out once the fighting starts."

"Sure, Mars." She nods to me with a determined look on her face.

I confidently walk up to the throne, where the high orc shaman looked down at me with an interested expression.

"REINFORCEMENTS?" Kargalgan's eyes glowed red, as he studied me carefully. "YOU HAVE QUITE AN AMAZING TALENT FOR A MERE HUMAN."

He raised both of his hands, gesturing to the legion of high orcs at his command.

"BUT HOW LONG WILL YOU LAST AGAINST ALL OF US?" The overconfident mage taunts me, a crooked smile forming on his face.

"I think you would be surprised..." I respond, in monster tongue, cracking a smile as the dungeon boss looks at his bodyguards in confusion.

"You can speak our language?" The S-rank orc's voice is much quieter as he no longer has to use magic to communicate. "Who are you?"

Without saying another word, I summon my new high orc shadows behind me. Kargalgan's eyes widen as he leans forward in his throne, he's completely rattled staring at his former warriors turned shadows.

"Can it be... Are you the Monarch of Shadows?!" The shaman utters out in disbelief. "Then what are we doing here..?"

The rest of the high orc army has quieted down. They could all clearly see the red shadow orcs, standing tall with no fear, despite the lopsided numbers advantage.

"I can tell you, Kargalgan. You've been put here to hunt down the humans..." I reveal with a grin, just like with Baruka and the elves, it's quite satisfying to blow their minds with the truth. "But unfortunately for you... I've been sent here to hunt down all of the monsters..."

The shadow beneath me rapidly expands, eventually covering half the battlefield in a ghastly storm-like energy. All around me, my shadow soldiers come forth, ready for war.

Igris spawns first, directly to my right, staring down the orc shaman. Behind my strongest shadow are my original soldiers in formation: infantrymen, archers, mages and assassins, all much more powerful thanks to [Monarch's Domain].

Baruka stands to my left, as my frosty Hyakki shadows start to fidget behind him, ready for a large scale battle. Iron stands tall next to my orc shadows, while Tank and the shadow bears bring up the rear, as the high orcs have us surrounded.

My yetis and golems cover the flanks, my mammoth shadows should require multiple high orcs to take down. Kang and Cyclops will remain hidden in my shadow, as I have specific plans for those two S-rank summons.

While there are many more dungeon monsters than I have shadow summons, I'm not worried, as my quality will beat Kargalgan's quantity any day of the week. Especially since Kargalgan is very aware of my trump card: [Shadow Extraction].

Each orc me or my army kills, just means one more potential shadow I can raise, ready to completely turn their numbers advantage against them.

The atmosphere in the boss room has completely shifted, as my black, purple and red legion is quite intimidating. The high orcs must realize if they even have a chance of winning, it'll come with heavy losses to their army.

As I stand with my immortal army, I feel them buzzing in anticipation and excitement, as this is our first war as a unified force. I crack a huge smile, as I can see Kargalgan shifting nervously, even his bodyguards will have to think twice before they approach us.

"Attack."

- BONUS -

- Woo Jinchul (Hunters Association) -

Jinchul breathed out heavily as he arrived at the dungeon gate, exiting the standard Association murdered-out Mercedes. He was accompanied by the four other A-rank Association members, as the majority of Korean A-rankers opted to join guilds, instead.

Earlier, he had received a call from a Hunters guild miner, apparently he was advised by hunter Cha Hae-In to call the Association.

"Tell me everything that happened." The chief inspector questioned the lead miner, who called them in.

"Son Kihoon and the Hunters guild second strike team entered the gate earlier this morning. Shortly after, the magical energy leaking out of the gate exploded, so I called vice-guildmaster Cha immediately." The goateed man explained the situation to him. "Soon after, she arrived with Seoul's Saint, who both entered the gate right away, with a tall dark knight following closely behind."

Mars was involved? Of course he was. Why was he in the center of so many different accidents? First the double dungeon disaster, then the red gate incident, and now this wrongly measured top tier A-rank gate?

When he approached the gate, he froze as he felt an atrocious energy, it was a lot stronger than the red gate.

"My god... I can't believe it." Woo Jinchul could feel the sweat dropping down his face. "For a moment, I thought my body was going to rip into pieces!"

"Chief, did you feel that as well?"

He hurriedly took out his mana reader, feeling his heart drop when the gate was revealed to be the most dangerous even among the A-rank gates.

"The previous measurement was terrifically wrong!" Jinchul thought about the original reading, if the attack force was based on the association's previous measurement, they would be in big trouble. "We'll go inside immediately."