LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 34
Even just visible monsters included five Kobolds, three Half Gremlins, and two Mud Golems classified as C1 Rank, and behind them was a Watcher exuding a frightening aura.
It was undeniably enough power to completely wipe out a C Rank party or two.
The escape route was a straight corridor, so I wasn’t even sure if we could shake them off and run away.
If we encountered another group of monsters on the way, we would be sandwiched and squished in an instant.
Perhaps because of that, the two people behind me were completely in panic.
“What the hell! What are we going to do now?”
“First, let’s run! Set traps in the back!”
But it was too late. A quick signal came from the bug left as a lookout behind.
‘…We’re already surrounded.’
Tatadah!
[Keyeek!]
[Kyaak!]
“Hah, huh…”
The flicker of hope in Jeon In-taek’s eyes vanished as he prepared to flee.
In front was a cavern full of monsters, and behind, monsters were piling into the straight corridor.
We had truly fallen into a predicament with nowhere to go.
In front of the two, who were gasping for breath, I activated the stabilization magic contained in the ring.
Hooong!
Without hesitation, I gave my orders.
“…Set traps in the corridor behind.”
“What, what did you say?”
“Block the path.”
Jeon In-taek looked like he wanted to say something, but soon turned back quickly and began to activate the trap skill.
Hooong.
Kwaduck.
He realized that we had to stop the joining of the two monster groups, no matter what.
“What are we going to do now? Blocking like this can only hold for ten minutes at most!”
“That’s enough.”
The ring’s limitation time was also ten minutes. I had no intention of dragging it out.
However.
‘Writing the Book of Death here seems a bit…’
It was something I had learned from past experiences, but in my current condition, using the Book of Death would leave me with a strong sense of fatigue and weakness for a while.
With the tasks of joining the advance team and attacking the Boss Room still remaining, that was less than ideal.
In other words, I had to deal with the enemies here without the help of the Book of Death.
I pointed at the Watcher that had descended from the cliff and called out to Yoon Sol-a.
“Cast magic. Go for the strongest possible.”
“Eh? Um, okay.”
Stunned by my noticeably intense command, Yoon Sol-a hurriedly began to chant an attack spell.
“Wind Cutter!”
Swoosh!
Boom!
It was a fairly powerful attack, but the Watcher easily raised his spear and blocked it.
In the process, he was merely pushed back a single step.
However, that single step was enough to make an estimate.
‘This is doable.’
Hooong.
Whoosh!
I summoned the two Skeleton Mashers that I had sent back and charged them straight at the enemies.
Then I took out the high-grade sword given by the Association and slashed at a nearby Kobold.
Swoosh!
Slash!
[Kiheek!]
Indeed, compared to the time I wielded a sword as a non-Awakened One, my body felt distinctly lighter. At this level, it seemed entirely possible.
“Undead Call.”
Hooong.
Pashak.
[Ke, hic.]
The Kobold that had just been killed rose up, filled with energy, and only then did the charging Skeleton Mashers clash with the enemies.
Kwahwang!
Creak!
I called out to Yoon Sol-a who was raining down magic in front of her.
“…Don’t worry about anything else, just control the Golem.”
“Eh? What about the Watcher?”
“Don’t bother with that one.”
That was because I intended to deal with the Watcher personally.
[…Gooo.]
The Watcher, called the Guardian of the Plant. It was impossible to tell what type of monster it was just by looking, but it was certainly the strongest among the enemies present.
A humanoid monster clad in thin armor wielding a long spear, it was simple enough to guess how it fought.
However, given that its physical abilities were that high and it was geared for close combat…
‘…I can win.’
Hooong.
Although I hadn’t imagined such a situation would come, I activated the body-enhancing bracelet I received from Seo Ha.
And while boosting my spirit, I chanted a spell.
“Breath of Corruption.”
Swoosh!
A curse that weakens the body of a designated target.
The Watcher twitched and shuddered as it was struck by that spell.
That moment signaled the start of the conflict.
Creak!
Swoosh!
With a powerful leap, my sword soared toward the Watcher.
‘No, what the hell is that doing right now?’
Jeon In-taek, blocking the corridor, cursed inwardly as he watched Baek Eun Ha abruptly charge at the Watcher.
I mean, isn’t it totally illogical?
A Necromancer who should be commanding the Undead from the back is charging to the front line?
He looked towards Yoon Sol-a ahead as if wondering if he had missed something in the plan, but her expression was equally twisted with confusion. That action was surely Baek Eun Ha’s unilateral decision.
‘Is she really crazy?’
Of course, Baek Eun Ha was an extraordinarily skilled Necromancer. I was convinced of that after the previous battles.
However, such blatant charging was a different matter. How could a rear-positioned Necromancer possibly have decent close-combat skills?
The battle was clearly headed for disaster.
Jeon In-taek braced himself for the impending chaos and shut his eyes tight.
Clang!
Screek!
But the ensuing battle yielded completely unexpected results.
Creak!
Clang!
Boom!
A breathtaking blood battle unfolded before our eyes, making those watching break out in a sweat.
‘What the hell?’
The Watcher’s spear was incredibly sharp. It was so much so that one would believe it was wielded by a spear master in life, slicing through the air to threaten its opponents.
Its imposing power truly made one doubt that even an ordinary C Rank front-line fighter could withstand it.
Yet, Baek Eun Ha effortlessly absorbed or deflected all of them, accurately striking her sword against her opponent.
‘…What, how is she fighting so well?’
A two-year veteran Hunter, Jeon In-taek had seen a considerable number of Hunter battles.
Thus, he felt certain.
Even if he gathered all the front-line Hunters of this rank, he would hardly find anyone with skill exceeding Baek Eun Ha.
‘No, what the hell. She’s a Necromancer. How can she fight like that without any skills?’
It was a foolish thought, but Jeon In-taek seriously pondered for a moment whether he was under some sort of hallucination spell.
“…Does this even make sense?”
Without realizing, Jeon In-taek gasped aloud and glanced aside.
Seeing Yoon Sol-a staring ahead with her mouth agape, it seemed her thoughts weren’t very different from his.
Clang!
Creak!
It was an incredibly fierce battle, but as time passed, the gap between the two slowly widened.
The one gaining the upper hand was none other than Baek Eun Ha.
Hooong!
With a sudden flare of blue light, Baek Eun Ha’s sword slashed across the Watcher’s neck.
In shock at the astonishing sight, Jeon In-taek pointed at Baek Eun Ha with his finger and shouted.
“That, that sword energy!”
Swoosh.
Crack!
As the victor, Baek Eun Ha wasted no time in finishing off the Watcher and immediately spread her spirit while chanting a spell.
“Undead Call.”
That was akin to a death sentence for the remaining monsters.
‘This is insane.’
It was only then that Jeon In-taek realized why the Association had singled out Baek Eun Ha from among all those Hunters for this job.
He also seemed to understand why Baek Eun Ha had dismissed Choi Sung-cheol for some reason.
She was a legion.
A one-person legion capable of handling every position.
Jeon In-taek felt cold sweat trickling down his back as he approached Baek Eun Ha and politely asked.
“Um, are you really a C Rank?”
“……”
The untrustworthy face of Baek Eun Ha now seemed like the embodiment of an entire army.
As for Jeon In-taek’s question, Baek Eun Ha seemed to want to say something but suddenly contorted her expression.
“…Are you hurt somewhere?”
Jeon In-taek rushed over to Baek Eun Ha, but she waved him off and stepped back, avoiding his gaze.
Then, with a faint voice, she began to speak.
“Uh. Um. Ten meters…”
“A, I understand.”
Thus, the battle surrounding the Plant was somehow concluded for the time being.
Jeon In-taek’s opposition monster group, revived as Undead, along with the Skeleton Mashers and Yoon Sol-a had cleaned it up neatly.
With the Plant destroyed, a familiar notification sound resonated in my ears.
【Your level has risen!】
Having just gained a level from the previous battle, one more Plant meant one full level’s worth of experience gained.
Feeling the effect, both Yoon Sol-a and Jeon In-taek were in awe.
“What kind of experience is…?”
“…Well, I suppose it means we were never meant to be in a place like this in the first place.”
At any rate, we had overcome a significant obstacle. However, it seemed that the situation outside had changed drastically while we were in battle.
Since earlier, the signals from the bugs sent in all directions were skyrocketing.
“…I found them.”
“Is it the advance team members?”
“Is it really?”
Yet the situation was rather peculiar. The bug that had been chasing them suddenly stopped at a certain moment, merely sending signals. It was clear.
“…They, they’ve entered. The Boss Room.”
“Eh?”
It was certain. They had just entered the Boss Room moments ago.
And I soon realized how they managed to find the Boss Room and begin their assault in such a short time.
“…Uh, over there.”
“What’s wrong?”
“The monsters are all coming over here…”
While we had drawn aggro from the Plant, it seemed ten Hunters had swiftly found their way and discovered the Boss Room.
Gugugu.
Gugugugugu.
Even now, I could hear the vibrations announcing the arrival of the monster horde.
I let out a small sigh and recalled all the Skeletons transporting goods.
Swish.
Boom!
Thud!
As a result, everything was dropped onto the bare ground, but I didn’t mind at all.
Now that we knew the Boss Room’s location and the advance team was pushing onward with their last gasps, there was no longer any reason to conserve our strength.
“Undead Call.”
Hooong.
Swish!
Swish!
Kobolds, Half Gremlins, Mud Golems, etc.
Those whose organs and limbs were in tatters began to rise one by one.
“…Let’s break through.”
Now, we were to charge at the Boss Room at full speed.