NOVEL NEXT Chapter 61
After the emergency situation of the Later Group’s rear guards was resolved.
Not far away, Kang Cheol-min was hurling harsh insults at the front-line Hunters.
“Damn it, are you guys not doing it right?!”
“I-I’m sorry….”
“What are you doing when just being competent isn’t enough?! Huh?!”
Kang Cheol-min pointed his finger at the guild members.
His insults disguised as reprimands endlessly flowed.
A male Thief nearby shook his head.
‘Just like that boss, his right-hand man has a fiery temper too.’
It was obvious that if they let this hot-headed leader go unchecked, the join-up would be delayed.
Though he didn’t want to intervene, it was unavoidable.
The Thief said with a congenial smile.
“Alright, everyone. Let’s calm down a bit.”
He lightly waved his hand, trying to ease the atmosphere.
“If we keep this up, we might delay the tactics, right? For the sake of the vanguard, let’s move quickly.”
“…Hoo!”
With the Thief’s mediation, Kang Cheol-min gave one last glare to the guild members.
Although his anger hadn’t fully subsided, the Thief’s words were valid.
The most important thing right now was to successfully conquer the Dungeon.
They had to restore the guild’s tarnished honor properly.
“Let’s depart again!”
With Kang Cheol-min’s resounding shout, the Later Group began to move once more.
* * *
Meanwhile, concerning the Vanguard.
They reached right in front of the boss room where the Doppelganger Dungeon’s gate should be.
Taking a brief rest, they began to converse.
“Hoo… this definitely is an S-rank Dungeon.”
“Yeah. We were considering entering early based on the monsters’ level, but it seems we should stick to the plan.”
“I agree. Let’s clear out the boss room and join the Later Group.”
The three men of S-rank shared their thoughts in turn.
The two principles they established beforehand were as follows.
If the incident involving the Cheongrim Guild was genuinely an accident and it was an A-rank special Dungeon.
The Vanguard would proceed with the tactics without stopping.
If it turned out to be a Doppelganger Dungeon including an S-rank, they would proceed with caution and finish it up after joining in safely.
It was confirmed to be the latter.
Ji-a, together with a Female Supporter, was listening to their conversation nearby.
At this moment, the Female Supporter spoke up.
“What do you think the boss will be?”
The men’s gazes shifted towards the woman.
The Female Supporter was quaking in fear, her body trembling.
After exchanging glances, Ye Do-hyeong of the Dawn Guild spoke up.
“I don’t know. There are too few cases of S-rank Dungeons.”
“But can’t we at least make a guess?”
“It’d be safe to say it will be a being higher than a Lich.”
Ye Do-hyeong answered with a frown.
In the past, he had encountered a Lich, an Undead Dark Magician, as a boss in an A-rank Dungeon.
Though he had seen it only once, it was a very troublesome boss.
No matter how many times you kill it, the Skeleton revives instantly.
It summoned powerful elite monsters as its subordinates.
Even the Lich itself was far from weak, using numerous spells to protect itself while commanding its monster army.
Today, something even worse than that would appear.
The Master of the Knight Guild, who had been listening to their talk, stroked his beard and said.
“Haha! Miss, there’s no need to be so scared. Aren’t you all the best party in our country?”
“I-I’ve never been scared!”
When the Female Supporter retorted seriously, he chuckled subtly.
“I’ll clear the path! Don’t worry too much and fight confidently!”
“Haha! Of course, I trust you, elder.”
“With the Master of the Knight Guild with us, what is there to be afraid of?”
The men answered boldly.
They lifted each other’s spirits, refreshing the atmosphere.
Thus, they maintained a moderate tension while taking a break.
Ji-a looked around at the members of the Vanguard.
The elder was the Master of the Knight Guild, the best swordsman in Korea.
They were all strong individually, but as a party, they were certainly the elite party known as the Dawn Guild in Korea.
Each one was a top-tier Hunter recognized even in the world.
Additionally, elite parties from mid-sized guilds also participated in the Vanguard.
‘Surely, they are reliable…’
Why did it feel so ominous?
Ji-a clenched her fists tightly.
No matter how hard she tried to shake it off, the eerie sensation clung on.
It wasn’t that she was scared or fearful.
It was just that it felt like some invisible hand was tightening around her throat.
An inexplicable discomfort continually stimulated her senses.
Was it because this was her first time in an S-rank Dungeon?
Or was a truly unknown being waiting for them?
“Let’s go!”
The people got ready to advance in their combat formation.
Ji-a moved toward the rear positions where the Female Supporter was.
‘We’ll find out once we go.’
Ji-a tightened her grip on the spear.
Calming her breath, she took her steps forward.
The aura of death seeping from her surroundings grew thicker.
Yet, with unyielding resolve, Ji-a shone her eyes and moved forward.
The Vanguard entered the boss room.
Immediately, the Hunters frowned at the sight they had never seen before.
“This is definitely a Doppelganger Dungeon.”
Someone mumbled.
Originally, defeating the boss would create a return portal, and the Dungeon would collapse, making the gate disappear in an hour or two.
However, in the case of the current boss room.
A portal to enter a new Dungeon was already present.
And waiting for the Hunters was a Guardian.
“…I heard words become junk.”
“…It really has appeared.”
The Guardian looked at the Vanguard’s Hunters.
It was a black magic monster in the shape of a skeleton clad in robes.
Commonly known as a Lich.
The crimson mist that permeated the air seemed to gnaw at the life force around it.
That aura pressed down so heavily that it made it hard for people to breathe.
The lower-ranked Hunters felt as if their entire body was being weighed down.
“Isn’t that robe a bit tattered?”
“Maybe it’s a creation of Yu Byeong-jun Hunter.”
It wasn’t even the first time they had encountered this monster.
Though it was tricky, it was definitely not an opponent that the elite Vanguard of Korea couldn’t defeat.
The Hunters calmly prepared for battle under Ye Do-hyeong’s command.
At the same time.
Shadows began to writhe around the Lich.
Small Undead monsters began to appear in droves.
“They seem to be of a lower rank than the ones caught in the past.”
“Really? Then let’s engage them without worry.”
As Ye Do-hyeong spoke, the elder chuckled in response.
The Undead army approached, threatening the Hunters.
After finishing their conversation, Ye Do-hyeong moved to a position between the front and rear guards.
In response, the Master of the Knight Guild stepped forward leisurely.
He straightened his back which had been bent with his hands behind him.
In this moment.
The aura of the elder, who seemed like a neighborhood grandfather, drastically changed.
An overwhelming aura of a swordsman, trained to the extreme, filled the surrounding space.
The elder placed his hand on the scabbard and prepared his stance.
Leaning his upper body forward, he readied himself to charge.
Kuwung!
With a loud noise, the ground was heavily upheaved as the elder vanished.
Kaga-gak——!
In an instant, the Undead army was cut down.
The neatly severed corpses of monsters scattered on the floor.
As if it had always been that way.
“Hmm…”
Before they knew it, the elder advanced to the center of the boss room and looked at the boss, the Lich.
The Lich also turned its gaze toward the elder.
With an expression of disgust, it let out a sinister sound before casting magic again.
New Undead monsters were summoned in droves.
And the corpses of the cut monsters started to twitch.
The full-scale battle had begun.
“I’ll leave the Lich to the elder! Clear out the obstructive monsters!”
“Understood!”
With his order, Ye Do-hyeong immediately used his skill.
With dazzling light, lightning descended and swept away the surrounding Undead.
Following that, another S-rank Hunter from the Dawn Guild stepped forward confidently and took their stand.
All other Hunters focused their attacks on the monsters.
Defeating the A-rank boss Lich didn’t take long.
It was the prowess of the Vanguard, gathered with the might of Korea.
However, the battle was not over yet.
“Everyone! The portal! Look at the portal!”
Just when the elder’s sword was slicing up the Lich and everyone was cheering.
Someone in the rear guard shouted loudly.
All the Hunters turned to look at the portal located in the corner.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
With each step, a huge monster that produced loud noises began to reveal itself.
The sudden appearance of a new enemy.
The Hunters, who had been filled with joy, collectively stiffened, staring at the monster.
“What a terrifying appearance.”
The Master of the Knight Guild muttered softly.
It was an absurd monster that seemed to be a mix of various life forms.
Even the veterans who had experienced a lot had never seen such a monster.
‘Hmm…’
Ji-a, who was with the rear guard, frowned as she looked at the monster.
She had never seen such a monster in her life.
However, a memory flickered through her mind.
[They can merge with summoned beasts—a truly peculiar sort.]
At that moment, Si-yoon started whining, changing the topic.
But later, unable to contain her curiosity, Ji-a had asked Si-hyun separately.
What the characteristics of such a being were.
She never expected that her curiosity at that time would be so helpful.
Ji-a shouted loudly so that everyone could hear.
“It’s a Chimera! Each head has a different role!”
“What? Different roles?”
“That’s right! We should take out the troublesome heads first, then aim for the heart as the final strike!”
“Ah, I see!”
Since Ji-a had asked Si-hyun for the details, she wasn’t aware of everything.
But that was sufficient.
As the source of this information was Kim Ji-a Hunter, known for her excellence in Dungeon攻略, no one doubted her words.
The Hunters here were all elites.
If it was trustworthy information, even if it were limited in quantity, they could carry on the tactics skillfully based on it.
“I’ll first ascertain the patterns! We’ll proceed defensively, assessing the danger of each head and focusing our attacks one by one!”
After making his judgment, Ye Do-hyeong shouted energetically for everyone to hear.
The Hunters, who had scattered while engaging the Lich, began to re-establish their formations.