Chapter 2459 – 2459. Seventier
I entered the S-class dungeon.
Originally, this dungeon was a closed S-class dungeon. Once a raid team had entered, no one else could go in, but now, with the dungeon break, anyone could enter.
‘The dungeon name isn’t showing up. It’s definitely a mess.’
Tiger Raptors near the entrance charged at us. There was no need for me to step in. The A-class hunters who had entered first were already dealing with the Tiger Raptors, slaughtering them. Even though they were A-class monsters, the hunters here were the elite of the elite. This was nothing to them.
The most outstanding hunter was Kwon Ilchan.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
He roared and swung his fist at a Tiger Raptor. With one punch, the Tiger Raptor’s body exploded. The shockwave shattered the trees around it.
“Sung Yoojin.”
Baek Jieun called out to me. Her voice was stiff.
“Oh, Jieun. There were so many people earlier, so I didn’t say hello.”
“Listen carefully. My career is on the line with this operation. You can’t act recklessly. Got it?”
Baek Jieun said seriously.
I gave an awkward smile and nodded.
“Okay.”
“I’ll trust you.”
Baek Jieun stepped forward. She began to direct the hunters. No, it was more like coordinating them. Since they were all hunters from different affiliations, they needed someone to take the lead. As an executive of the Hunter Association, she was the perfect person for the job.
‘Rescue, huh? No matter how I think about it, there’s no hope.’
Just because the number of monsters coming out of the dungeon break was small didn’t mean the raid team was alive. That was just wishful thinking. It was more likely that the boss monster inside the dungeon was preparing something.
‘It’s the raid team from Bluebird, one of the top 10 guilds. They’ll each have a Thread of Origin.’
Thread of Origin.
An item worth billions that allows for an emergency escape from a dungeon. A-class hunters usually carry one as a backup. It was like having an extra life.
‘The raid failed. But they didn’t escape? That means they’re all dead and can’t escape.’
The rescue team might as well be called a body recovery team.
‘Well, it’s all about image-making. If they just stood by because it was obvious they were going to die, public opinion would turn sour.’
Baek Jieun and the hunters were talking. From what I could hear, they were debating which way to go.
“Usually, raid teams leave traces as they move. Sometimes, hunters get separated during skirmishes. But now, due to the dungeon break, it’s hard to find any traces. At this rate, the dungeon will completely collapse within three hours.”
Baek Jieun said. The hunters didn’t argue. Even the experienced ones knew they had at most three hours. Time was tighter than they thought. Wandering around aimlessly was the worst option.
“I’ll find the direction. I have a sensing skill.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to me.
“Isn’t your ability to control lightning?”
Choi Seojeong asked.
“Lightning is electricity. Electricity has many uses. It can be used like radar.”
“That could save us time. Please do it.”
I stepped into the air and rose into the sky.
Apart from radar, looking around from the sky gave me a lot of information. I could get a rough idea of the location.
‘It’s burning everywhere. Nothing special.’
Thunder Sky Style Electromagnetic Wave.
Electromagnetic waves mixed with mana and lightning spread out from me.
With my increased mana stats, I could now sense about 1,000 meters. Information about the surroundings flooded into my mind.
I knew there was no raid team within 1km. What I needed to find were traces.
‘The dungeon entrance doesn’t change even with a dungeon break. The raid team’s starting point would have been here too.’
I frowned. 99% of the information was useless. From the bugs under the soil to each individual leaf, information flooded in. If I hadn’t been absolutely focused, my head might have exploded.
‘Found it.’
I dropped back down.
“I found traces. It’s to the right. I’ll lead the way with my sensing skill.”
“…Please do.”
Choi Seojeong said. The other hunters agreed. Kwon Ilchan was silent.
I led them forward. The electromagnetic waves caught them. I said calmly,
“Four Tiger Raptors attacking from behind.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Kwon Ilchan moved alone. Bang! Crash! Two explosions rang out, and the four Tiger Raptors lay dead on the ground. No one collected the magic stones. Magic stones weren’t the priority now.
I found a discarded snack wrapper. It was clearly a modern item. It meant the raid team had passed through here.
“We’ve got a rough direction. Let’s start running from here.”
Starting with me, the hunters began to run. Of course, I was at the very front.
“Two Curse Beasts on the left.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Baek Jieun said. She waved her hand, and a string of light appeared, striking the monsters.
As soon as I sensed a monster, I spoke, and a nearby or available hunter quickly dealt with it. Ignoring them and running was not an option. Getting surrounded would be the worst.
‘This is crazy as far as raid tactics go.’
The standard raid method was to prioritize safety and clear the dungeon step by step.
Fighting recklessly like this would cause damage to our side as well.
“Kuh! My shoulder!”
One of the hunters was severely injured during the fight. His arm was still attached, but the wound was so deep that his shoulder bone was visible.
“It’s my turn. Don’t worry. I can heal you. There will be no aftereffects. On your body, that is.”
Jeong Jihak, one of the guild masters of Seventier, stepped forward. He placed his hand on the wound and used his ability.
The hunter’s mouth fell open as he screamed.
“Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
An ability that inflicted immense pain while healing even severed limbs. The screams of the hunter being treated were agonizing. The effect was certain. His shoulder was healing rapidly.
“It’s okay. The pain is only temporary. It’s better than dying.”
“Kuuuuuuuuuh!!”
The hunter foamed at the mouth. Jeong Jihak was unfazed.
“Even if it hurts enough to make you faint, you can’t faint. It’s a characteristic of my ability. There, it’s almost fully healed. I’ll heal you without leaving a single scar.”
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!”
The hunter let out a non-human scream. As Jeong Jihak had promised, he was healed without a single scar. His face was covered in sweat.
“T-thank you, Jeong Jihak. Your healing ability is truly outstanding, as your reputation suggests.”
“You can get hurt as much as you want as long as I’m here. I can heal any external wound.”
“…I won’t get hurt again.”
Kang Seoksu, who was next to me, looked at Jeong Jihak with a pleased smile.
“Jeong Jihak’s healing ability is the real deal. He’s a talent we worked hard to bring to Seventier.”
“…I have potions, so I don’t need healing.”
“You’ll change your mind if your life is in danger.”
I had never been so grateful for the existence of complete healing.
We found the traces left by the raid team and discovered them within an hour. The raid team was in front of a stone hill.
Half of the raid team was dead, and half was alive. The survivors were sitting on a stone floor with a red magic circle drawn on it, sweating profusely.
“Hanwoong!”
Kwon Ilchan ran to a man. His son, Kwon Hanwoong, the leader of Bluebird’s first raid team, was alive.
‘He’s not dead?’
I was surprised.
‘He’s not dead, so why is he here?’
If it were me, I would have escaped the dungeon immediately.
“Father. We need the help of an S-class hunter. Did you come with them?”
“No, we came alone. Our purpose is rescue. Let’s retreat first.”
“…We can’t. We’re currently sealing the boss monster. The moment we leave here… the boss monster will awaken and attack. Since a dungeon break has occurred, if we escape, this thing will appear in Korea.”
“What kind of boss monster is it?”
“It’s a Lava Golem. And it’s a 50-meter tall Lava Golem. It emits toxic gas and lava from its body. Just its appearance in Korea will cause massive damage. The Lava Golem must be dealt with here.”
I checked the corpses. They had died without bleeding. Now that I looked, it seemed they had died from poison.
‘Most of them are B-class, with some A-class mixed in. A poison that A-class hunters can’t withstand. A normal person would last a few minutes.’
If a Lava Golem appeared in the middle of Seoul, it would be a disaster.
“A 50-meter Lava Golem… I’ve never heard of one that big. Is that why the raid failed?”
“…The dungeon’s objective was to find and destroy the Lava Golem’s core. We failed the raid, and the Lava Golem awakened.”
“I asked for the reason for the failure.”
“……It was arrogance. It was just a Lava Golem. A mere 5-meter A-class monster.”
“That means you deliberately didn’t destroy the core. To kill the dungeon’s real boss and get more rewards.”
“Yes. I and my colleagues were lured by the promise of huge rewards for killing the dungeon’s real boss.”
“…Did Sungmin create the sealing formation?”
“Sungmin drew the sealing formation before he died. It was Sungmin’s wish that the Lava Golem not be allowed to go to Korea.”
“…The raid failed. No need to hesitate.”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
Everyone held their breath. Various calculations were going through their minds.
“The Lava Golem must be dealt with here.”
“We have to hunt the Lava Golem here.”
Kwon Ilchan and Choi Seojeong said at the same time.
I agreed in my head. A 50-meter giant spreading lava and toxic substances? The lava was one thing, but the toxic substances could contaminate hundreds of meters with just a good gust of wind. It would be like a biochemical attack on Seoul.
“Father. The Lava Golem is too tough. Our raid team’s firepower couldn’t even break one of its arms.”
“I’m here. If we give up and retreat here… Bluebird will never be able to recover.”
“On top of that, the credibility of the Ihwa Guild will also drop. Well, the same goes for the evaluation of the other hunters here.”
“…Representing the Hunter Association, we must prevent the Lava Golem from appearing in Korea.”
Choi Seojeong and Baek Jieun spoke one after the other. If we suggested running away now, we’d be scum.
“The hunters gathered here are the elite. We can do it.”
Kang Seoksu said, his eyes shining.
We received information from the raid team, devised a plan, and began the attack.
The Bluebird raid team members who had been maintaining the seal moved away from the sealing formation.
The ground shook. Boom, boom, boom! Red lava erupted from the ground in various places and then fell back down. The jungle began to burn.
We avoided the lava and focused on the front. What we thought was a hill was the Lava Golem’s head. It had been lying on the cliff.
Below the cliff was filled with red lava and bright yellow toxic substances. They were also flowing from its body. The bright yellow toxic substances, which had been suppressed by the seal, were slowly rising.
Because of this, it was difficult to even approach the 50-meter Lava Golem.
‘Damn it. Golems are not my strong suit.’
Clicking my tongue, I summoned the Fire Lotus Flying Blades and held them in my hand.
