Chapter 56: Just kill it!

Three days into his role as a guide.

“Ah, don’t step there.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Having pointed out various dangers along the way, the group now stopped immediately without question whenever he told them not to do something.

“If you step on that, it releases a special pheromone that attracts all the beast-type monsters in the area. While we could handle them, it would significantly delay us.”

Part of his job as a guide was to explain these things, so he did, but the Saintess kept staring at him with sparkling eyes every time he spoke.

It was something he had to do as their guide, but her gaze was a bit overwhelming.

“How do you know all this, Yu-won?”

“Well… after 12 years as a mercenary, most people learn these things.”

While it was true that he’d experienced a lot as a Mithril-rank mercenary, most veteran mercenaries with over 10 years of experience would know at least half of what he knew.

“Sir Graeme is also a former mercenary, but he doesn’t seem to know these things.”

‘Oh, a paladin who used to be a mercenary is quite rare.’

It wasn’t uncommon for mercenaries to gain faith and join the Church, but it was rare for them to accumulate enough divine power to become a paladin.

“Ahem… I specialize in monster extermination, so I usually hire a guide…”

It was understandable that those who only focused on their specific roles wouldn’t know these things.

There weren’t many people like him who learned everything they could for survival.

‘My Status Window also helped.’

Since his skills improved much faster than ordinary people thanks to the system, he’d learned many things.

“According to the map the old man… I mean, the Guild Master gave me, it should be around here… Ah! Found it.”

He spotted a stone entrance hidden among the bushes, clearly marking the entrance to a dungeon.

And of course, a Gate, symbolizing dimensional travel, was within.

‘Observe.’

[Dungeon of the Mad God: A dungeon created by a one-eyed mad god for glorious combat. Those who enter will manifest the strongest being they remember among mortals. (Power will be weakened if it exceeds the dungeon’s limit.)
Minimum Entry Requirement: 22 people
Rewards upon clearing: +5 to all stats except Luck, Divine Relic of the Mad God: Redacted.]

A crazy dungeon offering a total of +35 to stats and a divine relic… and dungeons with such rewards were usually very difficult.

The fact that even his Master-rank Observe skill couldn’t reveal all the information was proof of that.

‘Wait, 22 people…’

The expedition currently had 21 members, so they were one short.

“It seems this dungeon can only be entered with 22 or more people.”

While they couldn’t see the details like he could, they could still get a general idea of the dungeon’s characteristics using magic tools.

“Twenty-two people… Yu-won…?”

‘seriously?’

What kind of bad luck did he have to have for Swain to be on a long-term mission the moment the Saintess arrived, for him to become the guide, for the expedition to have 21 members, and for the dungeon to require 22?

Even he thought this situation was too contrived. He felt an irresistible force pushing him to enter the dungeon.

“…Yes.”

“Could you please enter the dungeon with us? Since we’ve come this far, the location will soon be discovered, and if we waste time bringing people from the Church, there’s a risk of heretics stealing the relic.”

‘If I refuse this…’

He would definitely make an enemy of the Church.

“You don’t have to do anything, Yu-won. Just observe, and we’ll handle the clearing. We’ll even give you a share of the rewards.”

Hearing the paladin behind the Saintess add that, it didn’t sound like a bad offer, but he had a very bad feeling.

Seeing how perfectly everything aligned, he couldn’t imagine what might happen inside.

“Alright… Let’s go in together.”

The Saintess’s face brightened. Did she enjoy seeing him suffer? She even bowed her head to him.

“Thank you so much, Yu-won.”

Normally, if the Saintess bowed, the people around her would stop her and tell her to raise her head, but no one said anything.

This could only happen if everyone felt grateful to him, and the Saintess was expressing that gratitude on their behalf. Feeling a bit touched, he entered the dungeon with them.

“Inside is… like an arena.”

They entered a large, colosseum-like space. There was no exit, and a black mass descended from the sky, beginning to change shape.

“Everyone, attack!”

The expedition members weren’t just going to stand and watch, so they all attacked with holy magic, but he saw a message.

[Invulnerable during manifestation.]

“Everyone, stop! It won’t take any damage until it fully transforms!”

While he didn’t want to draw attention to himself, he didn’t want them to waste their energy, which might make clearing the dungeon more difficult. They all stopped at his words, and the mass gradually took on a human form.

The fully transformed mass had a familiar face.

‘Ha-yeon..?’

And above her head floated the text: [Lv299 Cheon Ha-yeon].

‘, so the strongest being they remember is the strongest mortal they know…?’

Perhaps due to the dungeon’s limitations, the manifestation wasn’t perfect, but even then, it was already stronger than anyone present.

The monster in Ha-yeon’s form lightly swung her hand, and a paladin tried to block it with his shield.

“Don’t block it!”

“Huh…?”

He’d even dropped the formalities in his urgency, but it was too late.

Her hand, imbued with the Thousand Weight Style, slammed down on the large shield and the paladin’s head.

The shield crumpled, and his head exploded.

A man who would have been considered above 180 in Earth standards was killed with a single movement.

And he was a paladin wearing a consecrated shield and helmet, reinforced with all sorts of magic.

Fear spread through the group.

Her next target was the paladin beside him.

Having just witnessed his comrade’s head explode along with his shield, he threw his shield away and tried to dodge, but the moment he discarded his shield, she switched from the Thousand Weight Style to a lightning-fast technique, piercing his throat.

Even the priest’s protective barrier couldn’t stop the demonic energy of the Demonic Heavenly Reign.

The holy magic from the Saintess and priests behind him couldn’t penetrate the monster’s protective Aura.

The paladin’s armor, the priest’s barrier, the buffs, the knight’s physical abilities, the holy magic, nothing worked against this hopeless opponent.

Terror gripped the entire expedition.

‘They’re all going to die at this rate.’

He looked for a solution, but seeing the Saintess’s terrified expression, he knew there was no way out of this situation.

He had to act.

“Buff!”

“…Huh?!”

“I said buff me, you idiot!”

There was no time for explanations or persuasion. He barked out the order and charged towards the monster in Ha-yeon’s form.

The Saintess’s buff finally activated, significantly boosting his physical abilities.

His stats, which were around 250, jumped to 280.

While still weaker than Ha-yeon, it was enough to put up a fight.

‘I know Ha-yeon, and that monster doesn’t know me.’

A monster that perfectly mimicked Ha-yeon’s habits and techniques.

He charged towards the monster, unleashing the demonic arts he’d been suppressing.

He hadn’t yet reached the Transcendent Realm, so he couldn’t completely conceal the demonic nature of his energy.

Ink Lightning Divine Art – Lightning God Transformation.

Dark lightning enveloped his body, taking on a demonic appearance due to the unconcealed demonic nature of his energy.

“A demon…?”

He heard a voice from behind. He did look like a demon.

The monster also began to exude a demonic aura as it unleashed its Demonic Heavenly Energy.

A clash of demons.

Demonic Heavenly Energy and dark lightning collided, creating a deafening roar.

Wounds appeared on both sides as their attacks connected.

Initially, he had a slight advantage, knowing Ha-yeon’s habits, but as time passed, the monster seemed to be learning and adapting, its attacks growing more precise.

It seemed to have inherited even Ha-yeon’s monstrous talent, adapting to him at an alarming rate.

If this continued, he would eventually die due to the difference in their stats.

As he searched for a way out, he caught sight of the Saintess approaching the monster from behind.

She was carefully closing in, concealing her energy with holy magic.

The monster, focused solely on him, seemed oblivious to the Saintess approaching from behind. But it would notice her eventually.

He took a calculated risk. He used a technique with exaggerated movements, deliberately creating an opening, forcing the monster to focus solely on him.

If the monster possessed Ha-yeon’s talent, it would recognize that the opening offered him no advantage and that it was a guaranteed hit if it attacked.

As expected, the monster’s strike came, aimed at his side, and he deliberately took the hit, letting it pierce through him.

“…“

A fist-sized hole appeared in his side, but he managed to grab the monster’s arm.

Using his other hand to hold onto hers, he shouted,

“Crush its head!!”

The Saintess, having channeled all her energy into her mace, ignoring her own defense, brought it down on the monster’s head.

The blow, containing a similar amount of power as his own, shattered the monster’s protective Aura and began to pierce its skull.

The moment the monster, sensing mortal danger, shifted its focus to defend against the attack from behind, he used his fastest technique,

And shattered the monster’s already weakened head with a single blow.

“Haa… haa…”

The moment the monster’s head was destroyed, its body vanished, but the fist-sized hole in his side remained.

The Saintess turned to him and asked,

“You use the exact same techniques as that monster, and you use dark energy… who… are you…?”

She pointed her mace at his head as he collapsed from exhaustion.

It was a natural reaction in this damned world, where only demons or those with demonic blood could use dark energy, but he felt a pang of resentment.

“Is that… something you say to the person who just saved you all…?”

He was losing a lot of blood, and his head was spinning.

“Half-demon hybrids are said to be immune to holy power, even while serving the Demon King. Even if we cooperated to survive here, there’s no proof that you’re not one of the Demon King’s pawns…”

“it! Just kill me already!”

He didn’t have the energy to maintain consciousness any longer.

Even if he gave up on this life, he still had two more.

He shouted in resignation and lost consciousness.