Ch.103Revenge Plays Are Dangerous (12)

“Seogeouk!”

Kuuung.

Sanada, the temporary leader of the current raid party and known as the Sword Master of Japan, exhaled heavily after delivering the final blow to the Sand Eater before him.

“Huu, huu.”

Although he had taken on the leadership role of the depleted raid party due to his experience as a guild master in Japan, the S-rank large dungeon was completely different from any place he had conquered before.

Especially when trying to break through the deeper levels, each battle left him feeling utterly drained.

‘…Damn it, I never thought he’d really not participate in the fights.’

Sanada glanced at Baek Eunha, who was peacefully sleeping on top of an undead he had summoned himself.

When he first received the one-sided notification earlier, he thought it couldn’t be true, but Baek Eunha really wasn’t participating in any battles at all, instead taking a comfortable rest amidst all this chaos.

For Sanada, who was already racking his brains over their insufficient fighting power, this was quite vexing.

‘He shows absolutely no signs of waking up.’

He had silently appealed to her companions, Baek Seoha and Lee Jicheol, several times, but they too shook their heads as if there was nothing they could do.

There was essentially no way to control her.

‘…As much as I hate to admit it, he’s definitely strong.’

Just earlier, hadn’t he shown his prowess against numerous S-rank hunters?

Of course, there were a few reasons why Baek Eunha had been able to hold off the raid party members.

He had entered the dungeon ahead of them and made thorough preparations in advance, and the hunters themselves couldn’t exert 100% of their power as they were thinking about what might come later.

But even so, the fact that he had faced all of them at once, even briefly, was truly remarkable.

Moreover, with his Necromancer skills, he would inevitably be able to perform exceptionally well in large-scale battles like this.

That’s why Sanada couldn’t understand Baek Eunha’s behavior.

‘He doesn’t seem to be that short on energy, so why insist on being so stubborn?’

With Baek Eunha’s help, they could reach the boss room much more easily.

But despite Sanada’s intense gaze, Baek Eunha showed no reaction.

Sanada had no choice but to give up, clicking his tongue before giving instructions to the raid party hunters again.

“From now on, we’ll advance to the boss room without any rest. Front teams 1 and 2, switch roles.”

The hunters followed his judgment without complaint, but they couldn’t hide their accumulated fatigue.

In a situation where even the Holy Maiden Yesiel’s renowned recovery skill could no longer be used, Sanada sighed as he observed the hunters with a grave expression.

‘We might suffer quite a few casualties.’

Indeed, the most dangerous part of an S-rank large dungeon is the boss battle.

Once you enter the boss room, retreat is impossible, and true to the title “large,” you have to face numerous enemies inside.

‘And the boss itself will be incredibly powerful.’

That’s why he had heard that during the conquest seven years ago, the most casualties occurred during this phase.

Most likely, in their current state, some of them would never set foot on their homeland again.

‘But…’

Knowing this and still having to move forward is what being a hunter means.

Everyone here had survived countless brushes with death and had long ago prepared themselves for such an outcome.

So Sanada ordered them to continue advancing, while he too prepared himself for death once more.

When they finally reached the entrance to the boss room, most of the hunters were visibly exhausted.

It wasn’t surprising that their bodies were worn out after repeatedly engaging in high-intensity battles.

However, they couldn’t afford the luxury of taking another rest here.

‘…No choice. The situation isn’t great, but we need to push forward without delay.’

Because they had proceeded with the raid so hastily, there might be undiscovered plant monsters. If monsters were replenished from those locations while they were resting, the raid party would truly be in a life-or-death crisis.

“…We’re going in. Does anyone object?”

The hunters all silently nodded. Naturally, there were no objections.

Having come this far, they had no choice but to overcome the obstacle before them, come what may.

And in that moment, Baek Eunha, who had just woken up as if on cue, began to move.

As all eyes turned to Baek Eunha, who was approaching the boss room entrance while yawning casually, she opened her small mouth without a hint of tension.

“What are you all doing there? Looking so grim.”

And Baek Eunha continued straight ahead, opening the door to the boss room without hesitation.

When Sanada jumped in surprise to stop her, Baek Eunha said this to the raid party hunters:

“You all just watch. I’ll take care of the boss myself.”

It was truly an arrogant and foolish statement. Yet, strangely, Baek Eunha uttered it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

As the raid party hunters stared at her with dumbfounded expressions, the door to the boss room finally opened.

The path to the final battlefield was revealed.

#

Creeeeak.

Kuguuung.

As I entered the boss room without hesitation, Sanada rushed up behind me and shouted:

“Hey, what do you mean you’ll defeat the boss alone? What nonsense is that?”

“I mean exactly what I said. You were so eager for me to fight earlier, why the sudden change?”

“The situation is different now, and what you’re saying is absurd. Do you really think such a thing is possible?”

Behind Sanada, I could see the raid party hunters who had missed their chance to enter, looking at me with bewildered expressions.

But those reproachful gazes didn’t last long.

From the depths of the boss room, which resembled the bottom of a deep cliff, a massive eye gleamed with a piercing light through the darkness.

“Th-This is…”

“I sense powerful magical energy! Everyone, take defensive positions!”

Scales comparable to those of a dragon, a long body easily exceeding 15 meters, and finally, a white pattern engraved on its forehead like a crown.

The mythical monster Basilisk revealed itself before us.

Puhwak!

Chwaralak!

“Materialization.”

Without hesitation, I opened the Book of Death and called forth Khan, and soon the summoned massive totem split open as Khan appeared.

“You called, my Lord.”

“Begin immediately as we discussed.”

“Keukeuk. As you command.”

As Khan began the necromantic ritual, the Basilisk, sensing something ominous, let out a thunderous roar and shot forward like a released rubber band.

Shiiiiik─!

Surprisingly, it was Sanada who stepped in front of me to block the attack.

“Damn it! Stop talking nonsense and quickly get in formation to cooperate! We need your help, since you’re still in good condition, to defeat that monster!”

“W-Who are you calling nonsensical?”

Jeoooong!

Sanada, who had jumped forward, seemed to cleanly block the charge using a counter skill, but being outmatched in weight class, he was soon thrown back.

Kwagagak!

“Kuheuup! I couldn’t block it completely! Hurry and dodge!”

But that was enough. I could already feel the chains binding my soul gradually loosening as Khan’s ritual progressed.

Shiiiiik─!

The Basilisk used its body’s elasticity once more to thrust its enormous teeth at me. I calmly faced it, simply raising my right hand to touch the bridge of its nose.

Teoeong!

Kwagagagak─!

I was pushed back a little, but it was enough. The Basilisk, upon colliding with me, stopped moving instantly as if it had slammed on the brakes.

The eyes of the hunters, who were approaching to exploit the monster’s opening, filled with surprise.

“…Impressive. Blocking that charge with just one hand.”

“Now’s our chance! We need to inflict decisive damage!”

I didn’t stop the hunters’ actions and let them proceed. After all, to highlight my power according to plan, it was better to make them properly recognize the enemy’s strength first.

Sure enough, the hunters’ best attacks only managed to slash at the Basilisk’s scales without penetrating deep inside.

Kwagagak!

Jjeojeojeojek!

“Damn it! It’s tougher than I thought!”

“…One attack won’t be enough. We need to accumulate damage to break through its defenses.”

With the power of S-rank hunters, they could eventually overcome the Basilisk and clear the dungeon. They all had that level of skill.

However, it was hard to believe there wouldn’t be casualties in the process.

So now it was finally my turn to step up in earnest.

Shiiiiik!

In front of the Basilisk, which was starting to sense that something was wrong and twitching its body, I smiled slightly and combined the soul of the death dragon Nox with my finger through the Book of Death.

Then, releasing my magical power in an instant, I softly chanted:

“Dragon Breath.”