Chapter 243

Crash-!

The demon gatekeeper, 'Checkpoint Overseer Baltimore.'

Lucas and Evangeline were the first to rush in, halting its monstrous charge.

The massive demon, clad in impeccable armor, groaned and stopped in its tracks.

"Penal Squad!"

I commanded the waiting Kuilan and the Penal Squad.

"It's your turn."

"Hell yeah! Let's do this!"

The strategy was pre-devised to confront this boss monster solely with the Penal Squad.

In any case, the Penal Squad was the strongest sub-party under my command. They were expected to excel in defending stage 10 as well.

'I can't fail to defeat a boss of this caliber!'

Lucas and Evangeline swiftly retreated to either side, and seizing the opportunity, I swung my staff lightly, tapping the shoulders of the Penal Squad members.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

With its unique sound effect, a random buff was applied to the bodies of the five Penal Squad members.

"Oh man, I feel so powered up!"

"The buff lasts for 3 minutes. Be careful not to suddenly lose strength."

"Heh, so all I need to do is bash that monster within 3 minutes?"

Thump!

With a sly smile, Kuilan clenched his fists in front of his chest.

His right hand bore the Lucky Strike, and a regular gauntlet adorned his left.

"Ever since the old days, we've been good at beating up armored soldiers. Today, I'll give you a proper demonstration, Your Majesty."

"I'm looking forward to it, Kuilan."

I said so, but I quickly signaled Lucas and Evangeline with my eyes.

Both knights instantly nodded in understanding.

Should the Penal Squad, especially the frail-bodied Kuilan, find themselves in danger, the two knights would intervene.

Despite his combat skills, Kuilan was an unstable close-combat dealer because of his 'Glass Body' trait.

Even with several safety mechanisms in his equipment, I couldn't help but worry...

Swoosh-!

Amid this tense situation, Kuilan and the Penal Squad charged at the boss monster.

A red aura emanated from Kuilan's body. It was his self-buff skill, [Leaf Drift].

This red aura extended from his limbs, reaching out and striking the boss monster's armor.

Clang and Bang!

It sounded like a hammer striking metal.

Kuilan's first skill, [Leaf Crush].

A skill that delivers a strike, ignoring the opponent's armor.

The boss monster, despite its thick armor, flinched in surprise as the damage registered.

"Continuous strikes! Go, go, go!"

Bang! Boom and Crash!

As Kuilan's fists descended upon the armor, a red aura trailed behind, dispersing in all directions.

Just like falling leaves.

'...Is that why all his skills have the term 'Leaf' in them?'

Vroom-!

The boss monster swung the club in its hand horizontally.

Kuilan effortlessly dodged the massive swing and continued his barrage of punches and kicks.

Demon-type monsters differed from other monsters in that they didn't have clear strengths or weaknesses.

However, they possessed stats superior to humans in every aspect and, like humans, could utilize equipment.

In other words, they were no different from 'strong humans'.

The more skilled one was at battling humans, the easier it became to combat the demon-type.

"This is too predictable! I was worried about facing a boss, but is this all it's got?!"

For several decades, Kuilan, fitting of his title as the Bandit King, skillfully dodged enemy attacks, and conversely, led the battle by landing his blows.

"Whoa! Our captain's doing great!"

"Alright, let's slowly join in. If we don't help now, we'll get an earful later."

As his subordinates began to approach lazily, Kuilan shouted at them.

"I was about to scold you all anyway! Hurry up and help!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're on it!"

The Penal Squad members, who had been in sync with Kuilan for a long time, adeptly covered Kuilan's weak points, enhancing his attacks with their follow-ups, guiding the course of the battle.

Roar!

The boss monster, after enduring a prolonged onslaught, had its eyes turn bloodshot. Tearing off the armor on its body, it spread its leathery wings wide.

Phase 2 of the Demon Gatekeeper.

Its attack and speed increased, but in exchange, its defense significantly decreased.

"A rain of darkness? A flood? A tsunami? What's so scary about that?"

The boss monster swung its club wildly, murmuring something incomprehensible.

"Even if the entire Lake Kingdom were submerged, those without permission cannot enter the fortress! It is my duty!"

Craaash!

The creature swung its club maniacally, creating chaos everywhere. This was the 'frenzy' pattern that activates after starting Phase 2.

Of course, I was well aware of this pattern.

So I had informed the Penal Squad in advance, and Kuilan and the Penal Squad had long since moved out of its range, avoiding the attack with ease.

"Execute those who climb the walls! No matter the emergency, we must follow the law! Instant judgment for all! Instant judgment...!"

Just as the 'frenzy' pattern ended and the Demon Gatekeeper momentarily slowed from exhaustion,

Charge!

Kuilan and the Penal Squad members charged at it from all sides.

Thud! Thump! Slam...!

Their weapons pierced into the demon's red flesh,

"Urgghhh!"

With a slight delay, Kuilan, clenching his fists, struck the boss monster directly.

The Bandit King's fists were swirling with a fiery red energy.

Boom!

First, his left fist struck the Demon Gatekeeper's vital point.

Even if it's a monster benefiting from the boss's stats, it seems difficult to withstand such a blow, especially when weakened and with its defenses lowered.

The demon's waist slightly bent forward.

Its chin dropped.

"Clench your teeth!"

With a powerful shout, Kuilan delivered an uppercut, smashing the Demon Gatekeeper's chin.

Bang!

The Demon Gatekeeper's head snapped back, and from Kuilan's right hand, a fierce red gust surged due to the Lucky Strike.

In the corner of my vision, the number that appeared in the Lucky Strike slot was 3, 3, 3.

'Holy crap, triple three!'

Although not as great as 777, it was still a jackpot. Was this real luck?

Having been struck squarely on its weak point, and on top of that with the Lucky Strike showing jackpot numbers, the Demon Gatekeeper spat out blood and collapsed.

"The checkpoint always... checks visitors by the... law..."

"Shut up, damn you! Just drop dead!"

While the demon gatekeeper crumbled, Kuilan's fists landed one last time on each side of its jaw.

Thud...!

The enormous body of the demon gatekeeper fell heavily onto the ground.

"Phew!"

As the monster lay motionless, Kuilan, lightly dusting off his hands, chuckled and looked over at me.

"For all the tension, that wasn't so tough!"

Though the demon gatekeeper appears as a boss monster now, in the deeper dungeons, it's just a regular monster that appears in droves.

It's relatively simple for a boss, and can be taken down quite easily. That's why I entrusted it to Kuilan's party.

'... No need to tell them that.'

For now, let's boost their confidence. Grinning, I gave Kuilan and the members of the Penal Squad pats on their shoulders.

"Excellent! Now you truly seem like a front-line party for the Monster Front."

"Hahahah! I can feel us getting stronger day by day! At this rate, who knows? Maybe we'll surpass the Prince's direct party?"

Kuilan, brimming with pride, beamed and boasted, causing the Penal Squad members to burst into roaring laughter. "Hahaha...!"

"Hmm...?"

"Did I mishear, mister? I thought I heard some cute nonsense."

Immediately, the veins bulged on the faces of Lucas and Evangeline who stood behind me. Whoa, I've never seen them so livid.

"Looks like we might need another 'training' session on our way back..."

"Why wait until then? We could straighten them out right here."

Caught between the Penal Squad, who were celebrating their victory over the boss monster, and the two knights ready to remind them of their pecking order, I tried to mediate.

"Hey, the dungeon's not cleared yet. More monsters are still lurking."

This dungeon follows a 'siege' format. 

Having defeated the boss monster and claimed this territory by hoisting our flag, we now had to fend off waves of oncoming monsters for the next 5 minutes.

No sooner had I finished speaking than hordes of demonic soldiers began pouring in from all directions.

Verdandi and Damien, having secured the ramparts, hurriedly joined us.

"Form defensive lines!"

At my shout, our pre-trained party of 10 formed a protective circle.

"There's no need to hold back any longer."

To the still-agitated knights, I subtly remarked.

"Go wild."

Lucas and Evangeline grimly smiled, brandishing their weapons.

That's right, let's show these rookies how different our main party is!

***

5 minutes later.

All the demon soldiers were repelled (mostly by Lucas and Evangeline), and the siege was a success.

The dungeon was cleared.

Flutter-!

The empire's flag, signifying the completion of the siege, rose majestically. Damien cheered, "Ha!"

"So, does this place now fully belong to us?"

"Sadly, no."

Dungeons reset each season.

The territory we've claimed here won't remain ours, and after we proceed to the next stage, the dungeon will be populated with monsters again.

The gate we destroyed will be perfectly restored.

This siege was merely a mode of clearing, not a true conquest of land.

'While it's a pity that we couldn't maintain the occupation, if you think about it differently, it's basically replenishing the monsters and supplying experience points.'

Having even one more dungeon available for farming is advantageous for us.

...As I explained, Damien looked up at the fluttering empire flag, appearing slightly disappointed.

In the meantime, the party members searched and looted treasure chests.

There were a total of two treasure chests. From one, various consumables came out in a bundle. From the other...

[Fragment of the Great Commander's Flag]

"Ah!"

A piece of my exclusive equipment emerged!

[Fragment of the Great Commander's Flag] (2/5)

- One of the five fragments of character 'Ash's' exclusive equipment [Great Commander's Flag (EX)].

- Collect all five fragments to assemble the full flag.

I had been wondering when I would gather them all, but somehow, the pieces have been coming together. I swiftly took the fragment and tucked it safely away.

All the monsters were dealt with, all the collectible items secured, and the teleport gate of the safe zone was activated...

All that was left was to return.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, an annoyingly high-pitched alarm started ringing in my ear.

[ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!]

A red system window popped up, displaying a warning message in front of my eyes. What's this about?

The system window producing the warning sound and message was the...

[Boss Detection Radar]

- Sends a warning when a boss monster is near.

It's the boss detection radar that had been unlocked in the achievement shop.

After the Vampire Lord Celendion ambushed us in the dungeon, Aider added this feature as a precaution.

For free exploration, there's usually no need to be warned about regular boss monsters. So, it was set to alert us only when a commander-level boss approached.

And now... the radar was reacting.

"As expected."

I smirked darkly, gazing into the city's depths.

"They've really brought it."

Feeling something amiss, one by one, the party members also turned their heads in the direction I was looking.

"What is...?!"

"Damn?!"

"Something's coming...!"

With tense expressions, they gripped their weapons tightly.

Thud, thud, thud...

From inside the walls we had breached...

With heavy footfalls, without any attempt at stealth, confidently...

Thud, thud, thud...!

Cutting through the darkness, it approached.

The sheer oppressive aura it emitted seemed to split the darkness around it.

"I've been waiting."

A colossal, muscular werewolf with shimmering silver fur.

The boss of this Stage 10.

Lycanthrope. The Beast of Gévaudan.

The full moon's slaughterer, the Wolf King -

"...Lunared."

As I uttered its name, the monster chuckled.

"Ash. Ash 'Born Hater' Everblack."

The monster, naming me in return, examined me intently with its blood-red eyes.

Its eyes glinted with pure desire.

"...Finally, I've found you."

A raw, pure longing - the desire to tear me apart.