episode_0079

Thud thud thud-!

“Krrrrr!”

The fierce roar of the echoed from behind due to the merciless impact felt on its back.

The source of the impact was none other than Junayong’s fist.

And it wasn’t just an ordinary punch.

Enhanced by [Combat], the level 7 [Combo] packed a considerable amount of power and range in each strike.

But it didn’t end there.

Whoosh-!

Junayong exerted more strength in his arms.

A significant amount of mana was infused.

Soon, it transformed into a red flame, starting to coil around her arms.

“Yaaah!”

Crash, boom-!

The thunderous sound of impact, amplified by [Burning Flames], resonated through the Stone Troll at a rapid pace.

Originally, with this level of a strike, most bosses would have been significantly weakened, but surprisingly, it managed to withstand the onslaught.

‘…Impressive.’

The reason for this resilience was that the ‘s wounds were rapidly healing, almost visible to the naked eye.

The was a typical boss with high durability and a multitude of stats poured into it.

Moreover, it possessed a rare skill of high rarity called [Powerful Regeneration].

Just that alone was annoying enough.

The healed wounds were covered with rock fragments like armor.

Similarly rare, it was a derivative skill of [Rough Rock Cracks], called [Rock Strengthening].

It increased defense proportionate to durability and temporarily hardened the body.

It was a skill that already provided wings to high durability.

With the combined power of these two abilities, the demonstrated a level of resilience that most tanks couldn’t match, let alone surpass.

“Krrrrr!”

In agony, the thrashed about.

Its lifeless eyes glared at Junayong.

It seemed ready to crush the woman in an instant.

“[Majesty of the Central Stone]!”

“Kwaaaah!”

However, it immediately turned its gaze away from Junayong to the ‘Taunt’ skill shouted by Ryudare.

It attacked the newly summoned totem in front of it.

This was Ryudare’s power as a .

Despite being a tank, he possessed strong utility in the form of shamanism, allowing him to unleash not only simple curses but also summoning spells.

However, it was not all advantages.

Having many diverse abilities meant being mediocre in a way.

The was ambiguous in tanking.

Compared to the class, it fell short in terms of being a specialized shaman.

Especially, the durability of summoned creatures was notably weak.

Yet surprisingly, the [Majesty of the Central Stone] summoned by Ryudare continued to provoke the even after being hit repeatedly by its fists.

The ‘s firepower was not to be underestimated.

The knuckle-like rock fragments wrapped around its arms were a derivative skill of [Rough Rock Cracks], called [Rock Fist].

A great skill that increased firepower proportionate to durability, the unleashed destructive power enough to crush most things when activating it.

However, no matter how much it pounded, the [Majesty of the Central Stone] showed no signs of breaking.

The reason was that a subtle blue barrier was blocking all attacks directed at the totem.

“Joy! Shield is about to break!”

“Casting complete!”

The owner of the barrier was none other than Hwang Gibbeom.

Her class was a support type called .

No special healing or utility.

Nor did she weaken enemy forces or strengthen allies.

Instead, she specialized in creating powerful ‘shields’.

and .

Not everyone is warmly welcomed at the party.

The synergy that emerges when two mediocre classes come together is beyond imagination.

“Yongaaah!”

Finally, fueled by that power, Juna-yong unleashed her firepower to the fullest.

The best DPS time given without any interruptions.

It further highlighted Juna-yong’s already high attack power.

Red scales and a dragon tail emerge along Juna-yong’s body.

Diamond-shaped patterns are drawn in her eyes, and the power to manipulate envelops her entire body.

[Juna-yong activates her unique ability, ‘Dragon’s Eye.’]

The activation of a morale-boosting ability even acknowledged by the opponent.

Juna-yong swung her fists like a madwoman.

The rapid punches turned into a machine gun-like sound.

“Kwaaaah!!!”

The eyes of the Stone Troll burst, blood flowing down.

Exceeding the limit of damage, the bleeding intensified, but thanks to it, the extreme pain felt could temporarily ignore the [Provocation].

Turning her body, the Stone Troll clasped both arms and struck down towards Juna-yong.

“…! Nayong!”

“Juna-yong, be careful!”

The worried voices of the two echoed.

But Juna-yong did not retreat.

Instead, she finished the rapid punches and retracted her right arm.

Crack!

The ground shattered beneath her feet.

The heat of the ‘Burning Flame’ wrapped around her shoulders beyond her arms.

As if filled with rage, a dragon-like figure flowed through Juna-yong’s body.

She gave a thrust to her waist.

The power that extended from it was soon transformed into a unique, heavy resonance.

“[Explosive Fist]!”

“Kwaaaah!”

Boom!

An explosion-like sound erupted.

Dust spread thickly.

Soon, the smoke cleared.

Revealing the figure…

“Hu!”

“…”

Breathing heavily, Juna-yong extinguished the ‘Burning Flame,’ and the entire upper body of the evaporated Stone Troll was visible.

* * *

“We did it, we did it!”

“Good job, Nayong!”

Juna-yong scratched her cheeks at the two’s happy embrace.

This is a bit embarrassing.

‘…Yuseha and Mahana were hugging each other so casually.’

How do they control such emotions?

Juna-yong thought, smiling broadly.

With this, they won.

But it’s not over yet.

“Nayong, it’s time to close it now.”

Right.

A perfect closure process is needed to officially end the match.

Nayong nodded, taking out a peculiar artifact from her bosom.

It was an item given to her by an employee dispatched by the association before entering.

“It’s quite big.”

The artifact was clearly larger than what Nayong knew.

Slightly different from what the [Clan] uses, she handed it over without hesitation.

As she infused magic into the artifact, it hummed to life.

And this…

It also signaled the beginning of a change.

“…?”

Despite the passing time, the dungeon remained calm.

‘Why isn’t the closure process proceeding?’ they wondered.

The artifact trembled in Nayong’s hand before flying towards the Stone Troll on its own.

The sudden turn of events left the three stunned.

The artifact attached to the corpse soon shattered, revealing its contents.

“N-Nayong, that!”

“S-So, it can’t be?!”

A jet-black gem reminiscent of amethyst with a crimson hue.

The horrifying magic emanating from it.

It was undoubtedly a [Demon Stone] used by the [Mine Villains].

And not just any ordinary one.

It was a highly pure item that one would have to go to great lengths to obtain from a major crime clan.

‘Why is that here!?’ Nayong thought.

At that moment, Nayong was startled by a hand pushing her away.

“…Kibum?”

Hwang Kibum.

The delicate girl with the class smiles as if in trouble.

Thunk!

At the same time, something heavy strikes Huang Gippeum, sending her flying backwards.

Thud, thud, thud!

Huang Gippeum’s body, defenseless against the attack, smashes through trees and is impaled on rocks.

“Gippeum!”

“Ju, Ju Nayong… over there!”

At Nayong’s trembling words, Ju Nayong finally realizes what has happened.

The existence that suddenly appeared had harmed Huang Gippeum.

“Krrrrrr!”

Where the upper body of a normal should have disappeared, it was now perfectly regenerated.

The demon stone embedded in its chest throbbed like a beating heart.

As if to show it was not an ordinary , its size increased even more.

Its rocky skin covering its body became even tougher.

“Kwaaaah!”

“Kraaaah!”

Lastly, another lump of flesh grew around its neck.

Soon, it sprouted another head, and they both began to roar at each other.

There was no doubt.

“…Could it be, Twin Head…?”

.

The king of mutant trolls barely hanging on to A-rank.

Even if it’s barely A-rank, it’s still A-rank.

A different kind of magical aura spread in all directions.

In a fleeting moment, Ju Nayong remembered one of the symptoms of mutation in dungeons that her team leader had told her about.

“Miss. Occasionally, boss monsters surpass their limits through certain circumstances and evolve to the next level. We hunters call it… .”

*

Fear freezes everything in place.

Ryudarae trembles and sobs uncontrollably.

Thud!

“…Nayong?”

Ju Nayong, who had been holding her breath, stepped forward.

With determination in her eyes, she clenched her fists tightly.

Whoosh!

The [Burning Flames] ignited and began to wrap around her arms as she willed it.

“Daerya, I’ll hold it off.”

“…! That’s, that’s reckless! Let’s do it together-”

“-If we do that, Gippeum will die. Go back and get treatment quickly.”

As Ju Nayong predicted, Huang Gippeum, who had been hit directly by the rock wall, was coughing up blood.

Evidence that internal injuries were accelerating the bleeding.

Ryudarae had to make a rational decision.

The is a tricky tank with various utility skills using ‘magic’.

Its drawbacks are its mediocrity and the fact that its magic runs out quickly after one battle.

Currently, Ryudarae’s mana was running out.

It was wise to call for reinforcements quickly.

After making up her mind, Ryudarae dropped her armor, shield, and sword on the ground and lifted Huang Gippeum instead.

“I’ll be back as soon as possible. Don’t you dare die. Nayong!”

“Who said anything about dying!”

After finishing her words, Ryudarae ran off like a madwoman.

Excited by her actions, the ‘Twin Head Troll’ tried to chase after her.

Thunk!

“Kruk?!”

“I’m your opponent!”

Nayong thrust her flaming fist and backed away.

In this situation where she was the one attacking and getting hurt, Nayong let out a frustrated sigh.

The troll’s back, which was on fire, was now completely healed.

The regeneration ability was incomparable to before, making Nayong involuntarily groan.

This is…

“…I may have bitten off more than I can chew.”

“Kwaaaah!!!”