Chapter 66
The giant snake showed only part of its body before disappearing back underground. A massive pit had formed.
[You have discovered the dungeon boss monster.]
[Due to the boss monster's threat, attack power and defense are drastically reduced.]
[It has no effect on you.]
"Ugh!"
[
Rio Deli, who had chased the snake into the pit, screamed as he dashed out, escaping the rapidly rising lava. The shields of other defensive hunters had likely vanished, but thanks to Yoon Seo's shield, he was unscathed.
"If you don't have fire resistance, get out!"
['Hong Euiyoon' has activated the
['Hong Euiyoon' has activated the
['Hong Euiyoon' has activated the
Engulfed in flames, Hong Euiyoon leaped into the pit.
"Ah, shit. The cave is too narrow, so I'm getting a 'Summon Impossible' message."
"Jaehee, stay behind Hunter Yoon Seo."
"Okay."
Soo Jaehee quickly scurried behind Yoon Seo.
"Hunters with long-range skills, gather near Hunter Yoon Seo!"
Why behind me?
"Team 2 hunters, wait until the boss monster starts summoning monsters. Fight while making sure the dungeon doesn't collapse! If it gets too dangerous, retreat behind Hunter Yoon Seo!"
No, why behind me again?
At this point, Yoon Seo was being treated as a full-fledged S-rank shield.
"Hunter Hwashim, hold your position!"
Meanwhile, Hwashim, who had been positioned at the front, tried to sneak over to Yoon Seo but was blocked by Park Soobin, preventing him from leaving his post.
Yoon Seo felt suffocated, as if he'd swallowed a lump of sweet potatoes.
Ssshhhhh.
The massive snake slithered closer, making an unpleasant hissing sound. Its form remained unseen, but the ground trembled violently.
['Rio Deli' has activated the
['Lawrence Mille' has activated the
Half-transformed into a bat, Rio Deli clung to the cave ceiling. Lawrence, now possessed by a ghost, had lost the luster of her golden hair, and the whites of her eyes had vanished. In a way, the duo looked even more eerie than the monster itself as they rushed toward the trembling earth.
Ssshhhk!
Parts of the colossal body surfaced briefly before disappearing again. Its head was red, its torso white, and its tail red once more. The creature easily measured over 100 meters in length. Rio Deli raked his sharp claws against the snake's back, tearing off a few scales but failing to reach the flesh beneath.
Ssshhhhh.
The scales quickly regenerated, and at the same time, serpents emerged from the cave walls, ceiling, and ground. Some were red, others white.
"It's summoning monsters!"
"They're all A-rank! Be careful!"
The members of Team 2 charged at the summoned monsters to fulfill their roles.
Boom, boom!
Ssshhk!
"Argh, these damn snakes' venom can even melt A-rank items."
"This is insane. Damn it!"
[The
[All monsters within a 40km radius are struck with overwhelming fear!]
[All monsters in the dungeon experience a significant drop in attack power and defense!]
[The
After casting buff skills and reinforcing the applied skill on Team 2 members up to three layers, Yoon Seo calmly observed his surroundings.
The cave was 2.5 meters high and 3 meters wide. Judging from the brief glimpse of the boss monster's size, the cave seemed to match it. This likely wasn't a lava cave from the beginning. The giant snake must have been swimming freely in the lava, but after the
At the front, the S-rank hunters were battling the giant snake, while in the middle, Team 2 fought fiercely against the summoned monsters. Behind Yoon Seo were Soo Jaehee, the healers, and the ranged skill users.
'It's safe for now, but once the boss enters Phase 2, who knows what will happen. My mana is running low… I need another method.'
As Yoon Seo pondered, Soo Jaehee, who was positioned behind, grumbled.
"Ah, damn. I should've brought a miniaturization skill or item. When we get back, I'm going to hound the item crafting team."
"Hunter Jaehee, can't you summon
"It's a bit risky. I'm worried summoning it might cause the cave to collapse."
Yoon Seo checked his remaining mana.
[Health 2089/8101]
[Mana 901/9999]
About 9% remained. He had a slight headache, but this much was manageable.
[The
Yoon Seo's mana spread throughout the cave. He deliberately added color to the shield so that even those farther away would notice it.
"Ah…!"
Without needing an explanation, Soo Jaehee immediately summoned
Kkiiiing.
Haechi got stuck in the narrow cave, unable to move. The ceiling and walls crumbled slightly, but the falling debris was blocked by the shield. Haechi whined with a deeply sorrowful expression.
"Hyung, leave the rear to Chichi."
"I'm counting on you."
After gently patting Chichi's forehead, Yoon Seo headed toward the battle with the giant snake. The summoned serpents lunged at him, but he effortlessly dodged them.
"Seo Chae… Yoon Seo-nin used a shield! The cave won't collapse, so fight with everything you've got!"
"Yes!"
What the hell is Seo Chae… Yoon Seo? And why are they adding 'nim' to my name?
Boom! A louder explosion echoed. The hunters, who had been cautious about causing a cave-in, now went wild, trusting Yoon Seo's shield.
"You've arrived."
"Yoon Seo."
Yoon Seo frowned upon reaching the S-rank zone. Hwashim was bleeding from one arm, seemingly injured during the battle, while Park Soobin was using a healing skill. Despite reinforcing
'Once we're out, I need to tell them to remove Hwashim from Perfect.'
Yoon Seo was never one to act out of righteousness. He didn't care whether weaklings got injured or died. What he worried about was Hwashim leaving behind a final will and dying while raiding as part of the same team.
"You're making the fight go smoothly."
Alec fired rounds from the
Kuuuung.
Shhhhh!
The giant serpent's tail shot up from underground and slammed down on the annoying human. Alec could have dodged easily, yet he didn't. Thud. The durability of
Swooosh!
The serpent's head lunged upward. The couple was clinging onto it. Poison rained down on their bodies, but they acted as if it didn't matter at all. They completely trusted Yoon Seo's shield.
'Unbelievable.'
Memories of the Great Dungeon surfaced. Back then, humans had blindly fought, relying on the shield, and now the same ridiculous situation was unfolding here.
"Yoon Seo, it seems I was right to change my bet."
"Pardon?"
"I meant that Hunter Hwashim should be under the protection of our strong candidate, Seo Chaeyoon."
"I was just heading to the rear to bring him."
"Good. But did you do something again?"
"I put up a shield in the cave."
"Not that. The giant serpent's defense seems to have weakened all of a sudden."
"I did use a debuff skill, but Kwon Jihan might have done something as well. Where is he?"
"He was hanging onto its body with his sword stuck in it, but when the serpent burrowed underground, he got dragged along. Seeing that, Hong Euiyoon followed him."
Isn't that extremely dangerous…?
"It looks like it's about to enter Phase 2."
Yoon Seo nodded and left the battlefield with Hwashim. Since there were no healers among the S-Ranks, Park Soobin had to stay on the frontlines.
The A-Rank monsters had mostly been cleared.
Phase 1 was coming to an end. Not knowing what Phase 2 would bring made him tense.
"Wait."
Just as Yoon Seo was about to return to the front after dropping Hwashim off with Soo Jaehee, Hwashim grabbed him.
"Are you really… Seo Chaeyoon?"
"..."
The gathered hunters stared at Yoon Seo. They were almost certain now. Their eyes, filled with admiration as if they had met a legendary hero, made Yoon Seo feel dizzy.
Seo Chaeyoon had become famous for an unbreakable shield, and Yoon Seo had used a powerful shield multiple times. Even now, he was maintaining the cave with his shield. At this point, hiding it was meaningless.
Besides, if they didn't believe that Yoon Seo was Seo Chaeyoon, they should have been in a panic. Without the shield, the cave would collapse immediately, and there wasn't much time left on
Considering that, Yoon Seo couldn't just outright deny it.
"This isn't the time to talk about that."
In the end, he left behind a vague answer and turned away.
***
Swoooosg!
The giant serpent shot up from the ground. A third of its body was now exposed. The scales on its head gleamed as they flipped in the opposite direction.
"It's Phase 2! Everyone, fall back!"
Alec shouted. Kwon Jihan, who had been hanging onto the serpent with his sword embedded in its body, quickly retreated as the serpent rose. Hong Euiyoon, who had been wrapped in rings of fire, also jumped away. The couple did the same. Everyone gathered near Yoon Seo.
No one dared attack at the transition point, as they had no idea what form the serpent would take after the phase shift. Frankly, it was a serpent now, but it could just as easily become a machine.
"Seo Chae, Hunter Yoon Seo."
"Seo Chae… Yoon Seo-nim?"
The couple, one bleeding from the arm and the other from the forehead, approached Yoon Seo. Yoon Seo was taken aback.
"This doesn't make sense. You're hurt? Hurry and get to the healer…."
"A-Are you really Seo Chae… Yoon Seo?"
"You're really that Seo Chae… Yoon Seo…?"
"Soobin. Park Soobin!"
The couple had been skeptical ever since
"Yoon Seo isn't going anywhere, so get treated first. Here, sit down."
"Heal my honey first."
"No, my darling first."
"Yes, yes. Come over here."
The couple sank down in front of Park Soobin, their eyes darting between Yoon Seo and their partner.
Yoon Seo was bewildered. It was strange enough that the couple, who had remained silent while everyone else doubted him, suddenly rushed at him. But he also had no idea why they were so injured. Was the boss monster's attack stronger than expected? Or was it due to their own lack of control?
"Hunter Rio and Hunter Lawrence, why did your shield durability drop so quickly?"
"Are you kidding me? Do you think your shield's durability is infinite? Acting all high and mighty when you're not even the real Seo Chaeyoon."
The response came from Hong Euiyoon.
"Well, of course, a shield can't block attacks above its own rank, but my shield is…"
Yoon Seo almost blurted out that the shield he had just deployed was S+ rank but quickly shut his mouth.
An S+ rank
"Then the giant snake's attacks were stronger than expected…?"
"Seo Chae… Yoon Seo, it wasn't the giant snake."
"What do you mean, not the snake? There's another monster?"
"It's not a monster either."
"...?"
The couple pointed behind Yoon Seo, their expressions grave.
Standing there with an unscathed, pristine face, staring silently at the motionless giant snake, was Kwon Jihan.
'Ah… so that's what happened.'
They had been injured by an ally's attack.
How strong was that guy, to the point that even