Ch.96Revenge Plays Are Dangerous (5)

After entering the depths of the dungeon, we immediately moved away from the entrance and found higher ground to observe our surroundings.

“The air feels quite heavy.”

“…Hunters below B-rank would struggle just to move around in here.”

As the fire user said, the pressure from the magical energy was truly intense. I could understand why people made such a fuss about S-rank dungeons.

“This is, as expected…”

I climbed up a high hill to examine the surrounding terrain, but no matter where I looked, all I could see was a sun-drenched sandy beach.

In short, where we were standing was one massive desert.

“I don’t see any monsters either.”

“…They might be hiding underground.”

This wasn’t an ideal place for long-term operations. Clicking my tongue, I descended from the sand dune and began heading forward without any particular direction.

“…What’s your plan?”

“We don’t have time. The raid party might catch up faster than expected. Let’s move forward until we find something.”

After walking for a while, just as the fire user had suggested, I detected a substantial magical energy response from deep underground.

Rumble rumble.

Even for a mere grunt, its magical energy was impressive. It might rival the boss monster of a lower A-rank dungeon.

‘And there are supposedly hundreds or thousands of these things.’

No wonder they were objects of terror. An ordinary hunter would exhaust themselves fighting endlessly in here.

As I sighed, the ground shook violently, and something emerged from below.

BOOM!

WHOOSH!

SCREECH!

A giant worm with a red body and hundreds of cylindrical teeth—it appeared to be a type of sand worm.

“…It’s a Red Worm. Tough skin and strong regenerative abilities.”

“Good that you know. Go try to catch it.”

The fire user made a sour face for a moment, then drew her sword and charged at the Red Worm.

“Sword of Genesis.”

SLASH!

CRASH!

SCREECH!

Though it took a hit powerful enough to make its body dangle, the Red Worm continued moving. The claim about its strong vitality seemed accurate.

Slash!

SLASH!

BOOM!

WHOOSH!

CRASH!

After about five minutes of combat, the Red Worm, its body reduced to tatters, threw its massive form onto the sandy ground.

THUD.

Rustle.

“Ugh, cough! The sand is flying all the way over here. Do better.”

“…That was my best.”

Despite the fire user attacking without holding back, it had taken quite some time.

It seemed that even an S-rank hunter would struggle to handle this one-on-one.

“Well, let’s try raising it.”

The fire user had mangled it pretty badly, so its condition didn’t look great, but testing came first.

I drew up a substantial amount of magical energy, infused it with death energy, and solemnly chanted the spell.

“Undead call.”

Whoosh.

Hiss.

Death energy seeped into every corner of the Red Worm’s massive body, and soon the motionless Red Worm began to slowly raise its body.

Rumble.

[SCREECH.]

I had worried about lacking sufficient power, but fortunately, I succeeded in reviving it as an undead.

However, the consumption was quite significant.

‘…At this rate, maybe three of them?’

After depleting all my death energy, I would need to rest before increasing my forces again.

“…Did it work?”

“For now. But its movements are quite sluggish.”

It wasn’t displaying its original dynamic power. This was all due to my insufficient level.

After making a rough estimate, I took out the Book of Death and summoned Kan, an ancient tribal shaman.

Flash.

WHOOSH!

“Heh heh. This humble old man greets the Lord.”

“It’s been a while. Here, heal and strengthen this.”

When I pointed at the Red Worm, Kan examined its body carefully before nodding.

“Quite a sturdy creature. Understood.”

With Kan’s extensive knowledge, he could provide support in various ways through his shamanic arts.

He should be able to improve the Red Worm’s movements to a reasonable level.

After giving Kan his orders, I summoned Gordon, who had been chattering incessantly from within the necklace.

Slide.

WHOOSH!

“Master? What is it?”

“What do you mean? You need to work too.”

“Well, um, as you know, this place is a bit beyond my level…”

“S-ranks are coming after us and you’re worried about that? Just do as I say.”

To face the dungeon raid party that would be pursuing us, we needed to utilize all available forces without reservation.

I dragged Gordon to a corner of the desert and pointed at something.

“See those burning scorpions over there? They’re weaker than the Red Worm from earlier, so you should be able to control them, barely. Don’t come back until you’ve caught 30 of them.”

“What? 30 of them?”

It might have seemed excessive, but I truly believed it was possible.

The current Gordon, who had been steadily building his strength since contracting with me, could do it.

Perhaps reading my confidence, Gordon stopped complaining and headed toward the swarm of scorpions.

‘The time we have left is, at most, two days.’

The raid party recruited from America would likely enter the dungeon within that timeframe.

But that was fine.

It wouldn’t be easy, but it wouldn’t be difficult either.

From here, I just needed to steadily gain experience, level up, and increase my forces.

‘Come if you dare.’

I couldn’t predict exactly how this place would change in two days, but I could say with certainty that it wouldn’t be a pleasant sight for them.

Picturing that scene in my mind, I once again drew up my death energy as the ground rumbled beneath me.

#

“With this, I believe all precautions have been properly communicated.”

One day after Baek Eunha and the fire user infiltrated the S-rank dungeon, hunters gathered in one place, each having completed their own preparations.

The situation was far from comfortable.

The S-rank large-scale dungeon, already an emergency situation, now had a major unpredictable variable moving within it.

Joshua, the vice chairman of the American Hunter Association, shared the action guidelines he had developed overnight with input from the hunters.

“Let me emphasize again that our top priority is preserving our forces and clearing the dungeon. The matter of the fire user is secondary, but if she becomes an obstacle to clearing, you may eliminate her without hesitation.”

“No need to stress that point. We have a specialist for that right here.”

Forden, an S-rank hunter who had been targeted by the fire user, pointed to a man whose entire body was wrapped in bandages and who remained silent.

His name was Juan Clark. Known in public as “The Executioner Juan,” he was a master of one-on-one combat who had never been defeated.

“According to those who have faced her directly, the fire user might possess power exceeding that of an S-rank hunter. Are you certain you can handle this?”

To Joshua’s somewhat doubtful tone, Juan responded without hesitation.

“…No problem.”

With all preparations complete, Joshua requested final approval from his superiors and moved the hunters to Iowa, where the dungeon entrance was located.

Beep!

“Approval has been granted. As planned, please enter in order, starting with the vanguard.”

The overwhelming residual magical energy was palpable even just near the gate entrance.

Vice Chairman Joshua, himself a top-tier B-rank hunter, had no confidence in entering that place and coming out alive.

However, the hunters positioned at the gate began entering the dungeon one by one without hesitation.

Step.

Step.

Whoosh.

WHOOSH!

Watching their reassuring figures, Joshua swallowed hard, trying to suppress his concerns.

‘It’s definitely possible. If anyone can do it, they can.’

Breaking through an S-rank large-scale dungeon, called the “Manifestation of Hell,” and capturing or killing the two high-profile criminals hiding inside.

It seemed an impossible task, but somehow he couldn’t imagine them failing.

After seeing off all the hunters, as Joshua closed his eyes in prayer, a man appeared before him.

It was Korea’s Tyrant, Lee Jichul, who had been excluded from the raid party roster due to being quarantined.

Joshua, now accustomed to his presence, spoke without panic.

“So you’ve come, as expected. I’m sorry, but we anticipated this and have made all necessary preparations. You absolutely cannot enter the dungeon.”

Simultaneously, four men who had been hiding in Joshua’s shadow revealed themselves.

They were all agents from a special department who had undergone murderous training.

All were A-rank or higher, and their leader, Xenon, was a top-level hunter who had already been recognized as S-rank capable, though this wasn’t publicly known.

However, facing them, Lee Jichul smiled leisurely and said:

“We’ll see. I think you’ll change your mind soon.”

And so, the true battle began.