Taking the lead (3)

Ding!

The sharp chime of the System jolted me out of my stupor.

[Warning: The difficulty of this dungeon has been artificially adjusted by an external force.]

[Proceed with extreme caution.]

What?!

The messages flashed before my eyes, but I didn't have time to process them.

Because Ilhoon was dead.

He had been brutally killed right in front of me. Right in front of everyone.

The succession of events did not stop at his death, however.

The impact of the red creature shook the entire floor.

The shockwave slammed into my chest, nearly knocking me off balance.

I barely stayed on my feet—only because I had seen it coming.

Doyun, however, lost his footing at the worst possible moment.

His blade was already in the air, descending to finish off the wounded monster.

He almost fell—almost.

But he managed.

Steel tore through flesh and bone.

The blade sank in too deep for the creature to survive.

And yet...

It didn't die.

The monster panted, its body trembling, claws scraping against the stone floor with a noise like steel on rock.

It was bleeding out.

But it hadn't stopped fighting.

Doyun tried to stand.

The creature attacked.

Its mangled arm still had enough strength for one last strike.

A set of claws came down on him—a desperate attempt to drag him to the grave together.

He dodged.

But his foot twisted the wrong way.

''Shit!''

Snap.

He let out a pained grunt, stumbling backward.

For a single second, nobody moved.

The most dangerous second of the fight.

The second when everything could fall apart.

''Get it together, damn it!'' Jisoo roared.

''Move!'' My voice overlapped his.

The formation had broken entirely.

The ranged attacks had stopped completely.

Being veterans in that profession did not make them mentally immune.

And the monster wasn't waiting.

Its fist came crashing down like a battering ram, aimed straight for the frontline.

Jisoo clicked his tongue, planted his feet, and raised his axe just in time.

The impact was an explosion.

The sound thundered through the chamber.

A deafening boom. Flesh against steel.

Jisoo's axe dug into the creature's fist.

But the force was overwhelming.

His feet skidded back, his muscles straining to their absolute limit.

And I swear to God that I heard his bones creak.

How they didn't break apart was a valid question.

Minseok—the other spearman—charged.

I followed.

Minseok struck first.

His spear cut through the air, aimed at the creature's ribcage.

I lunged at its exposed flank, pushing with everything I had.

The impact rattled my arms all the way up the shaft of the spear.

And then—nothing.

Absolutely nothing at all.

The creature didn't even flinch.

Pain shot through my fingers, searing up my wrist.

That thing was so much tougher than I expected.

It was like stabbing a mountain.

Shit.

Hana cast buffs, golden light flaring around Minseok and Jisoo. She was doing her best to support me, too.

But her breathing was ragged.

Her hands were shaking.

And it wasn't just because of what had happened moments ago.

She was hitting her limit.

If we kept this up, she was going to collapse.

And without buffs, without healing, Jisoo wouldn't last much longer on the frontlines.

We had to do something.

''Scatter!'' I yelled. ''Now!''

No one reacted at first.

Then—Jisoo looked at me.

He understood.

If we kept fighting like this, we'd keep falling back until we were crushed.

''Do what he says!'' Jisoo barked.

The formation broke apart.

Hana stumbled back, gasping for air.

Jisoo kept the red creature locked in combat, but now he had room to move.

Minseok and I spread out, attacking from the flanks, forcing the monster to divide its focus.

My mind raced. I analyzed every swing, every movement, the best I could.

The creature was tough. Even so, it was still bleeding.

Could be cut, hurt.

This wasn't an impossible fight.

Every attack was like cutting into stone.

But if we kept hitting the same points…

My eyes flicked to the other side of the room.

Doyun.

He was fighting alone.

The thing still hadn't stopped breathing. It was relentless.

But Doyun's opponent was bleeding out.

If he had help, he could finish it off quickly.

''Minseok!'' I shouted.

He looked at me, still in an attacking stance. 

''Go to Doyun.''

''What?!''

His tone was as if he was talking to some madman. 

So I explained briefly. 

''You're the fastest one here. Finish the job.''

For a second, he hesitated. 

But then, he understood. 

With a quick nod, he dashed away. 

And I kept fighting. 

Now, I had to do both his job and mine. 

Maybe this was the dumbest decision I had ever made. 

No. 

It definitely was. 

At the same time that it wasn't.

Minseok was the only one besides Jisoo who could deal real damage to the red monster. 

I just did some scratches here and there. 

If I was lucky, a wound slightly deeper than superficial. 

And now, I was standing in front of that abomination, exhausted. 

Everything felt heavier than usual. Even the spear in my hand. 

What was keeping me on my feet wasn't strength or skill. 

It was adrenaline. 

It was the desperate will to survive. 

Hana's buffs were still holding me up too, but they were fading by the second. 

Jisoo noticed and shouted: 

''Keep up the pressure! Don't give it space!'' 

The monster roared. 

My heart jumped in my chest when its eyes locked onto mine. 

And then… it smiled. Or at least, it seemed to. 

My body reacted before my mind. 

My muscles tensed, my legs exploded into movement, and I dodged. 

Just barely. 

The air was sliced open beside me. 

The force of the attack hit me like a wave, making me tremble just from being near it. 

If I had been hit, I would be dead. 

''Fucking monster!'' 

Jisoo came charging right after. 

He grabbed me by the shoulder and yanked me back at the last second, his axe burying itself into one of the monster's open wounds. 

The creature's roar shook the entire chamber once again. 

But this time, it wasn't one of intimidation. 

It was one of true pain. 

And then, with a single movement, it smashed a punch into Jisoo. 

He was sent flying backward but somehow managed to keep his axe embedded in the monster's flesh. 

The grin had vanished from the creature's face. 

Now, its eyes were filled with rage. 

However, this time… 

It wasn't looking at me. 

It was looking behind me. Further on.

The realization hit me in an instant. I didn't need to be a genius to figure it out.

It had found the link that made us able to fight it.

It didn't want the weakest. It didn't want the tank. Not now.

It wanted Hana.

The healer.

''Shit!'' My voice cracked. ''Hana, get out of there!''

She couldn't move.

It was not just because she was physically weaker than others.

Exhaustion weighed on her like invisible chains.

The monster was about to crush her.

And then—

Minseok leaped.

His body slammed into Hana, knocking her to the ground just seconds before the creature rushed past where she had stood.

I turned in time to see it colliding into the wall.

The chamber trembled.

Debris collapsed onto the creature.

My heart wanted to jump out of my mouth.

Absolute silence fell over us. 

Doyun rejoined the group, barely able to breathe.

Hana was still on the ground, eyes blank, not understanding how she was still alive.

''Is it dead?''

Doyun asked, struggling to stand.

Minseok wiped sweat from his forehead.

''That's not the kind of question you ask right now'' I said, eyes fixed on the rubble. ''That's forbidden in situations like this.''

Then, the rubble shifted.

There it was.

But different from before.

The creature now looked destroyed.

Sharp chunks of stone pierced its body, like stakes driven into its flesh.

Its arms were covered in deep gashes, torn flesh dangling from its chest.

It was bleeding heavily.

A pool formed beneath it. A river of blood.

Its breathing was unsteady, ragged, failing. It looked bad. Horribly bad.

It had thrown itself into its own death trying to take Hana down.

But it wasn't enough.

It lunged forward again. This time, slower.

It was now easier to retreat safely.

''Disperse!'' Jisoo commanded.

The others had more experience, but their judgment was still clouded by the death of their colleague.

So I did the same as Jisoo, almost breathless.

''Minseok, focus on the left flank! Doyun, cover Hana!''

''Wrong!'' Jisoo corrected immediately. ''Hana stays in the rear! Doyun, hold your position! Liam and Minseok, stay mobile and strike the weak points!''

I gritted my teeth.

Stupid.

Of course Hana needed to be protected, but away from the fight.

Then I understood.

Surround the monster. That was the strategy now.

Its movements were limited by the stakes in its body.

Its flanks were exposed.

Its blind spots had grown.

Hana positioned herself behind Doyun.

His foot seemed a little better, but not fully healed.

Hana, on the other hand, looked like a corpse. Her eyes were dull, emptied by exhaustion.

This needed to end now.

Jisoo attacked first. His axe came down like thunder on the creature's side.

It screamed, stumbling to the side.

Minseok came from the left. I came from the right.

Our spears struck at the same time. Or at least, his did.

Doyun dashed behind, his sword gleaming with the reflection of fresh blood in the air.

His blade struck the monster's leg with precision.

It dropped to its knees. Finally.

How many strikes had it taken to make this happen?

Hana lifted her hands one last time.

Her fingers shook more violently than before, her skin pale as a vampire's.

A faint, almost dying light surrounded Jisoo.

His axe gleamed.

And then, he swung.

Straight into the back of the creature's neck.

The impact shook the entire room.

The skull split open.

The blade sank deep.

The monster shuddered.

Then, it stopped.

Its body collapsed forward, motionless.

Silence again.

We stood like statues. The only thing that showed we were alive was our chests rising and falling with our breaths.

For a long moment, no one moved.

Then, Jisoo let go of his axe and fell to his knees.

Minseok gasped for air. He had run more than anyone here.

Doyun massaged his injured ankle.

And Hana…

She collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

My hands were trembling. My legs felt weak.

Pain exploded in my wrists when I let go of my spear and dropped to the floor.

But against all odds, I was still alive.

We were all still alive.

And I…

[Condition successfully met.]

[The D-rank dungeon has been cleared.]

[The system is now processing…]

I had just won the damn lottery.