Ch.34Rescue Operation Is Dangerous (5)

The visible monsters alone included 5 kobolds, 3 half gremlins, and even two C1-ranked mud golems, with a menacing sentry behind them.

It was enough force to completely overwhelm one or two C-rank parties.

Since the retreat path was linear, it wasn’t even certain if they could shake off the monsters and escape.

If they encountered another group of monsters from the opposite direction while fleeing, they would be crushed instantly under pressure from both sides.

Perhaps because of this, the two people behind had completely fallen into panic.

“Shit! W-what do we do now?”

“First, let’s run away! Setting traps behind us!”

But it was too late. A signal came quickly from the insect left behind as a sentinel.

‘…We’re already surrounded.’

Tap-tap-tap!

[Kieek!]

[Kyaak!]

“Ha, huh…”

The spark of hope disappeared from Jeon Intaek’s eyes as he prepared to flee.

Ahead was a cavern full of monsters, and behind was a linear corridor with monsters flooding in.

They had fallen into a truly desperate situation.

In front of the two people breathing heavily, I activated the mental stabilization magic stored in my ring.

Whoosh!

Then I gave instructions without hesitation.

“…Set traps in the corridor behind us.”

“W-what did you say?”

“Block the path.”

Jeon Intaek looked like he wanted to say something, but soon turned around quickly and began activating his trap skill.

Whoosh.

Crack.

Whatever happened, he had realized himself that we needed to prevent the two monster groups from joining forces.

“W-what do we do now? These barriers will only hold for about 10 minutes!”

“That’s enough.”

Coincidentally, the time limit on my ring was also 10 minutes. I had no intention of dragging this out.

However.

‘Using the Book of Death here doesn’t seem right…’

From past experience, I knew that in my current physical state, using the Book of Death would leave me suffering from intense exhaustion and weakness for a while afterward.

That wouldn’t be good with the tasks of joining the advance party and tackling the boss room still ahead.

In other words, I needed to deal with these enemies without the help of the Book of Death.

I called to Yun Sola, pointing at the sentry that had descended from the rock wall.

“Cast magic. Something as powerful as possible.”

“Huh? O-okay.”

At my command, which had clearly changed in intensity, Yun Sola began incanting an attack spell despite her confusion.

“Wind Cutter!”

Swoosh!

Bang!

It was quite a powerful attack, but the sentry easily blocked it by raising its spear.

In the process, it was pushed back only a single step.

However, that one step was enough for me to make an assessment.

‘This is doable.’

Whoosh.

Fwoosh!

I summoned the two Skeleton Mashers I had recalled as mediums and immediately ordered them to charge at the enemies.

Then I drew out the high-quality sword provided by the Association and slashed one of the nearby kobolds.

Slash!

Swoosh!

[Kiheek!]

Indeed, my body felt noticeably lighter compared to when I wielded a sword as a non-awakened. This was definitely possible.

“Undead call.”

Whoosh.

Rustle.

[Ke, hik.]

The kobold that had just died instantly rose with an ominous aura, and only then did the charging Skeleton Mashers begin to clash with the enemies.

Crash!

Crunch!

I called to Yun Sola, who was firing magic toward the front, and said:

“…Forget the rest, just keep the golems in check.”

“What? Then what about the sentry?”

“Don’t worry about that one.”

That was because I intended to deal with the sentry myself.

[…Grooo.]

The sentry, known as the Guardian of the Plant. I couldn’t tell what kind of monster it was from its appearance, but it was clearly the strongest enemy here.

A humanoid monster covered in thin armor and wielding a long spear—its combat style was simple enough for anyone to understand.

However, with that level of physical ability and close combat specialization.

‘…I can win.’

Whoosh.

Though it probably wasn’t given to me with this situation in mind, I activated the physical enhancement bracelet I had received from Seoha.

Then I raised my fighting spirit and chanted a spell.

“Breath of Decay.”

Hiss!

A curse that weakens the body of a targeted enemy.

The sentry affected by it trembled and shuddered.

That moment was the signal for battle to begin.

Crack!

Thud.

Slash!

My sword, launched with a powerful push off the ground, shot fiercely toward the sentry.

#

‘What the hell. What is he doing right now?’

Jeon Intaek, who was blocking the corridor, inwardly cursed as he watched Baek Eunha charge recklessly toward the sentry.

I mean, it didn’t make any sense, did it?

A necromancer who should be commanding undead from the rear charging to the front lines?

Wondering if he had missed some part of the plan, he looked toward Yun Sola at the front, but her expression was also strangely contorted. Apparently, this action was indeed Baek Eunha’s unilateral decision.

‘Is he really insane?’

Of course, Baek Eunha was an exceptionally skilled necromancer. That fact had been confirmed in previous battles.

However, such an obvious frontal charge was a different story. Would a necromancer, a rear position class, even have decent close combat skills to begin with?

The outcome of the battle seemed obvious.

It was truly a foolish move.

Jeon Intaek closed his eyes tightly, anticipating what was about to unfold.

Clang!

Crack!

However, the ensuing battle was completely unexpected.

Scrape!

Clang!

Slash!

A breathtaking, relentless battle unfolded before their eyes, making observers sweat with tension as they watched the warriors fight.

‘What the hell.’

The sentry’s spear was incredibly fierce. It cut through the air sharply, threatening its opponent with such skill that one might believe it had been a master of the spear in life.

Its prowess was truly remarkable—honestly, even a decent C-rank vanguard would likely struggle to withstand it.

But Baek Eunha was either blocking or deflecting all attacks while accurately landing his own sword strikes on the opponent.

‘H-how is he fighting so well?’

As a hunter with two years of experience, Jeon Intaek had seen quite a few hunters in combat.

That’s why he could be certain.

Even if they brought all the vanguard hunters of similar rank from the area, it would be hard to find anyone with skills surpassing Baek Eunha’s.

‘No, seriously. He’s a necromancer. How can he handle close combat like that without skills?’

It was a foolish thought, but Jeon Intaek seriously wondered for a moment if he was under the influence of some hallucinatory magic.

“…Is this even possible?”

Jeon Intaek involuntarily exclaimed and glanced aside.

Seeing Yun Sola staring ahead with her mouth wide open, it seemed her thoughts weren’t much different from his.

Clang!

Clash!

It was an incredibly fierce battle, but as time passed, the gap between the two gradually widened.

The one gaining the upper hand was Baek Eunha.

Whoosh!

Slash—!

Thunk.

Bang.

In an instant, Baek Eunha’s sword, enveloped in blue light, sliced through the sentry’s neck.

At this amazing sight, Jeon Intaek involuntarily pointed at Baek Eunha and exclaimed:

“S-sword energy!”

Thud.

Crack!

Having become the victor, Baek Eunha unhesitatingly ended the sentry’s life, and immediately spread his aura while chanting a spell.

“Undead call.”

For the remaining monsters, this was tantamount to a death sentence.

‘This is insane.’

Jeon Intaek finally understood why the Association had specifically chosen Baek Eunha among so many hunters for this job.

He also somehow understood why Baek Eunha had rejected Choi Seongcheol.

She was a legion unto herself.

Someone who could handle all positions alone—truly a one-person army.

Jeon Intaek approached Baek Eunha respectfully, feeling cold sweat running down his back, and asked:

“Are you really C-rank?”

“……”

Baek Eunha’s face, which had seemed so unreliable before, now felt as reassuring as having a thousand troops at their side.

In response to Jeon Intaek’s question, Baek Eunha seemed about to say something, moving her lips, but suddenly began to grimace.

“Are you injured somewhere?”

Jeon Intaek hurriedly approached Baek Eunha, but she waved him off and stepped back, avoiding his gaze.

Then she spoke in a shrinking voice:

“Ugh. Urp. T-ten meters…”

“Ah, I understand.”

And so, the battle surrounding the Plant somehow came to a conclusion.

#

The monsters on the opposite side of the corridor that Jeon Intaek had been blocking were cleanly eliminated by the reanimated sentry, the Skeleton Mashers, and Yun Sola working together.

After destroying the Plant, the now-familiar notification sound rang in my ears.

【Level up!】

Since I had already leveled up during the previous battle, this meant that a single Plant provided enough experience for an entire level.

Yun Sola and Jeon Intaek marveled at the effect they felt.

“What kind of experience…”

“Well, I guess it wasn’t supposed to be in a place like this to begin with.”

Anyway, we had overcome one obstacle. However, it seemed that while we were fighting, the situation outside had changed drastically as well.

For a while now, signals had been flooding in from the insects I had sent in all directions.

“…I found them.”

“You mean the advance party members?”

“Really?”

But the situation was quite peculiar. Judging by how the insect that had been following them suddenly stopped in place and only sent signals, clearly…

“…Th-they went in. Into the b-boss room.”

“What?”

It was certain. They had just entered the boss room.

And soon, I could understand how they had found the boss room and started the raid in such a short time.

“…Um, over there.”

“What’s wrong?”

“All the monsters are coming this way…”

It seemed that while the aggro was drawn to us who had attacked the Plant, the ten hunters had quickly found their way and discovered the boss room.

Rumble.

Rumble rumble.

The vibrations signaling monster hordes were already echoing.

I let out a small sigh and recalled all the skeletons that had been transporting supplies.

Rustle.

Thud!

Thump!

As a result, all the items were dumped on the bare ground, but it didn’t matter anyway.

We now knew the location of the boss room, and the advance party had entered the raid using their last strength. There was no reason to conserve power anymore.

“Undead call.”

Whoosh.

Rustle!

Rustle!

Kobolds, half gremlins, mud golems, and more.

With their internal organs and limbs in tatters, they rose one by one.

“…Let’s break through.”

Now, all that remained was to rush toward the boss room at top speed.