episode_0245

A path to move forward with close attention.

Finally, the first enemies appeared beyond the hazy darkness.

“… “What is it, Kraken Junior?”

Kim Tae-yang’s exhausted voice was the first to meet the other person.

This was no ordinary Kraken Junior.

Unlike the guy who fought many times outside, his skin color was red and his magic power was high.

If the guy outside was B+ grade, now it feels like he is A to A+ grade.

Even B-class, no, A-class hunters had to be quite nervous.

“It’s no big deal… ah!?”

Pow!

“hmm… , It’s quite tough and it tastes good when you cut it.”

Suddenly-

This party is an exception.

The guys who showed up with great vigor were unable to take even a single blow from Kim Tae-yang and Namgung-hyuk’s fists and swords and were blown up and cut down.

This is what an S class is.

Asymmetrical power that can overcome any difficulty with simple force.

Recently, the frequency of S-class hunters has increased, and the gap within the same class has become more severe, so there is talk that a new class is needed, but its value has never faded.

Starting with the first two and eventually reaching twenty.

As you progress, the number of monsters blocking your path increases.

However, the party’s advance could not be stopped even by a single step.

“Oh really… , weak things! In droves! Crowd! “Dani!”

“Hmm, my taste is starting to get poor.”

Kim Tae-yang’s punches, whose entire body is like a weapon, and Namgung-hyeok’s swords, sometimes called the Sword Demon.

More than anything… .

「Flame Hydra.」

When the nine snake heads made of bright red flames flutter over, at least ten Kraken Juniors turn black with a burnt smell.

“scent… .”

Fire magic is inherently focused on its destructive power.

Han Joo-hee is probably the only person in the world who can handle flames so delicately, although most of them focus on burning or exploding a certain radius.

Oh, except me, of course.

“Tch, I was really nervous when I heard it was inside the Kraken’s body, but nothing happened, right?”

“Ho… , I heard that such words are usually called flag remarks, but something dangerous will come out sooner or later.”

“… How does Namgung know that?”

“It said so on an internet blog. “The white, round character made various expressions and told me things I shouldn’t say out loud in the dungeon.”

“No, even on the Internet, there are places like that…” .”

It was so leisurely that the two linemen were having a leisurely conversation among themselves.

Meanwhile, the road became deeper and wider and a new monster finally appeared.

It is a huge crab whose area is two or three times that of an adult male.

And a tentacle-like parasite about twice the size of a man’s forearm wriggles out from within the fleshy wall.

A swarm of mosquitoes reaching a whopping 70 to 80 cm in length from beak to body.

They were all high-risk monsters that were likely to be A-level to A+-level monsters.

“You’re so ugly, really.”

“I won’t even be able to eat crab for a while… .”

Even though the variations were expanded, it could not stop the S-class hunter’s advance.

However, the tentacles… Rather, there were times when parasites would suddenly pop out from the wall and aim directly at Juyeon.

Of course, I burned or cut down all those obscene things.

When I think of that ugly thing touching Juyeon’s body, um… , I don’t know why, but I got angry.

A lot of that too.

Perhaps it is a hatred or prejudice against tentacle-like creatures that men cannot embrace.

After eliminating quite a few monsters, an abnormality was detected in the six walls.

Again!

“Why is that coming up again?”

“It doesn’t seem like there was any particular impact during the battle.”

While they frown, the protective shield created by Juyeon Han surrounds us.

Chi profit… !

Acidic liquid flowing down with a loud noise.

Han Joo-hee, seeing this, slightly narrows her eyebrows and puts forward a rather plausible hypothesis.

“It could be because I kill a lot of monsters, which is another defense mechanism.”

“I guess that’s why the Kraken sensed a crisis and started spewing acid again.”

“Right now, that seems most likely. and… .”

As she looks at the ceiling, I feel a slight sense of anxiety.

“As a new trigger has been applied, it may not stop as easily as last time.”

That makes sense.

Killing a lot of monsters means we went deep into it.

That would have doubled the pressure or sense of crisis Kraken felt.

So, should I say that I pressed a more powerful seizure button than before?

Now we may need to have a different perception.

It’s not about when the dripping acid will stop.

“It doesn’t matter if it stops, more acid may fall.”

The deeper you dig, the more acidic liquid falls.

“that’s right. “The more monsters you kill and the deeper you go, the more danger the Kraken will feel.”

Han Joo-hee responds by lightly nodding her head as if agreeing with what I say.

Putting these facts together, we have been given a timer that has never existed before.

As more acid falls, the damage done to the shield will increase exponentially.

That will also increase the burden on Juyeon who maintains the protective shield.

So what we have to do is.

“then… “What does it mean, we have to conquer this dungeon while the shield is maintained?”

After a long time, Taeyang Kim chose the correct answer.

Han Joo-hee gives new instructions to the stopped party.

“Let’s speed up the attack from now on.”

The energy that had been carefully controlled to prevent damage to the wall exploded in an instant, filling the surrounding area.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

As you dig deeper, the number of monsters increases rapidly and the amount of acid that falls increases.

In the end, the number of monsters increased to nearly 100, but it did not pose much of a risk to the S-class hunters who were beginning to fully demonstrate their abilities.

However, the problem was the acidic liquid that had now started pouring down like rain.

“How about magical power?”

“huh… “If it drops like it does now, about an hour will be the limit.”

Han Ju-yeon answers Han Ju-hee’s question.

I once again feel that her magical power is amazing.

One hour in this acid rain.

It was obviously great, but unfortunately, we were running out of time.

“What kind of dungeon is this long? Damn it.”

“As the body is large, the road continues continuously.”

It’s already been three hours since we entered the dungeon and set out on the road.

During that time, it seems like dozens of kilometers have passed while continuously cutting down monsters, but the dungeon still continues with no end in sight.

At this point, I’m starting to get worried.

Will it be possible to complete the dungeon attack within one hour while Han Joo-yeon’s shield is maintained?

Of course, if her shield is not maintained, she will not die immediately.

Although not as good as her, Han Joo-hee can also use a shield.

but… , Just maintaining the shield will consume a huge amount of magical energy, so the problem is that the biggest power in our party will disappear.

“Let’s speed it up even more.”

In the end, all you can do is speed up the attack as much as possible.

Now you move forward, almost in a running state, eliminating monsters blocking your path.

10 minutes, 20 minutes… .

It was around this time that I started to feel the pressure of time.

A huge hall appears beyond the darkness.

“This place… .”

A wide space where the surrounding six walls wriggle unpleasantly.

There are no monsters in sight.

Acidic liquid falling from the ceiling… , It seems to fall much less compared to the road we passed.

And finally.

“There the road continues again.”

“… “Is there a road over there too?”

“Same here.”

After a long, single road, a choice appeared.

Three paths appear before your eyes.

Which of them is the path to the heart?

Usually, when a fork in the road appears like this, there are three main types of behavior depending on the party.

If there is a profession that is good at exploration, they can find the real thing through this.

Either explore each path and find the real thing.

Or split the group into three groups and explore three places at the same time.

Since we do not have a profession that is good at exploration, the first one is naturally eliminated.

What remains are the second and third questions, and the answer to these is almost certain.

“… “We’ll have to divide the number of people.”

Divide people into groups and explore three paths at the same time.

We don’t have much time left.

As I entered the hall, the amount of acid that fell was reduced, so the duration of the protective shield was longer, but even then, it was about another hour.

There is simply not enough time to explore all three paths.

“Hunter Kim Taeyang, Hunter Namgoong Hyuk, and I will each search one by one. “Juyeon and Hunter Kim Do-jin will remain in this hall to maintain the protective shield.”

The three S-class hunters each took on one path, and we were left behind.

She had to be in the center to maintain the protective shield of the three people scattering in different directions for just a little longer.

Of course, I have to stay with Juyeon since I’m his escort.

Juhee Han took out a badge with a winged staff symbol from a small package and handed it to us.

‘D-Messenger’, one of Magic Tower’s inventions.

It is an artifact that records your voice for 10 seconds when you infuse the badge with magic and transmits it to those wearing the same badge within a certain radius.

This guy is one of the reasons why Magic Tower is able to spend a huge budget every year.

Thanks to the advantage of being able to be used in dungeons, it is a magic tower that is selling like hot cakes.

When the badge is pinned to the chest.

“Kim Do-jin Hunter.”

Joohee Han is calling me.

“If anything happens, call me right away. I know your abilities are greater than you think, but… “Don’t forget that this is inside the Kraken’s body.”

As she said that, her gaze was focused on Juyeon.

Probably less than 10% of people are worried about me, and they’re probably saying this because they’re worried about my younger brother.

I smiled and reassured her.

“Don’t worry. “If anything happens, I’ll contact you right away.”

“Heh… .”

Although it was only for a moment, my answer brought a smile to her lips.

A smile that gives off a vague feeling that you make without realizing it while recalling memories that have already passed.

But even for a moment.

“great. “Let’s do a final inspection and then we’ll leave right away.”

She wipes her smile cleanly and gives instructions again with a cold expression.

Various buffs rain down on the heads of S-class hunters who have completed inspection.

The S-class hunters, fully prepared, set out on their own paths.

The only people left in the spacious hall were me and Han Ju-yeon.

“Dojin, isn’t it hard?”

I shake my head calmly at her words.

“I didn’t do anything in particular.”

Since all the monsters were eliminated along the S-class line, I didn’t have to do much.

At best, I burned down a few parasite heads that popped out from time to time.

“You didn’t do anything? “I felt so reassured as a teacher because I had Dojin by my side.”

“I’m glad you feel that way… .”

She is slowly closing the distance.

“thank you. “I will definitely repay this favor?”

“… “You don’t even have to do that.”

“I’ll definitely pay you back?”

It seems that the answer is fixed.

“Sure, then.”

Do what you want, you guy.

It was while I was having a long conversation with her.

A faint light leaks from the badge hanging on his chest, and an urgent voice pours out.

『I met a named monster. The name is ‘Guardian of the First Heart’… , Yikes!』

『Namgoong Hyuk, in battle with the named monster ‘Guardian of the Second Heart’.』

『I’m Joohee Han. Encountered and engaged in battle with the named monster ‘Guardian of the Third Heart’.』

There are three of them too.

At the same time, changes occurred in the hall where Juyeon and I were staying.

Clumsy!

Long lumps of flesh rise from the center of the hall and begin to come together.

Pop!

Pop!

Huge chunks of flesh clump together, making strange noises, and shrink in size.

Eventually, a shape begins to appear.

Thick and long legs, four pairs of arms that were constantly writhing, and hideous eyes that flashed red.

and.

Exciting! Exciting! Exciting!

Huge magical power surges from the three hearts beating on the left, center, and right sides of the chest, respectively.

The moment it takes full form, a message window appears in front of you.

[The extreme hostility materializes.]

[Boss ‘Kraken’s clone’ appears!]

“ah… .”

“… … .”

Just by existing, violent energy spreads everywhere.

It feels as if the Kraken’s huge body has been compressed into a body that is only about 3 meters long.

The moment I come face to face with the guy’s red eyes.

Die.

Just one word dominates my mind.

This is the second time.

The person who instilled mortal fear in me, who did not think of death despite all kinds of adversity and hardship.

With trembling hands, I push magical energy into the badge.

“… Boss ‘Kraken’s clone’ appears in the hall. The estimated rating is… , S rank or higher. “I hope you join us quickly after the battle is over.”

After finishing the communication, I spoke to Juyeon, who was holding the wand tightly with trembling hands.

“Teacher, run away.”

Separate him from Juyeon by letting him run away somewhere.

Other than that, I couldn’t think of any other solution.