Chapter 111 (1/2)
The First Deal (3)
At the Gate that opened in Australia’s Lost Land, the dungeon exploration that was underway was facing an unexpected situation.
Greg, the exploration team leader, felt cold sweat running down his back.
The situation was by no means perilous. So far, there had been zero casualties. No matter how many skilled members had gathered, it was difficult to finish their mission without any injuries or casualties in such a dungeon. In that aspect, the progress was highly advantageous. It’s an ideal situation for them.
Nevertheless, Greg was on the verge of losing his mind.
The driving force that led the situation to that point was the three hunters from Korea.
In that dungeon where 50 people entered, all the hunting was done practically by only the trio!
‘Did they say that those three people blocked the A-Class break?’
He recalled his response in the past when he heard the news.
Logically speaking, it was impossible. He laughed at it, considering it fake news to boost their citizens’ morale.
However, he no longer had any other choice but to revise his judgment.
‘It’s possible with those three! They indeed must have stopped it…!’
Watching the performance of the members from Celestial Dragon, a chill overwhelmed him.
Shhhhhhhhhh!
Boo-boo-boo-boom!
Spells that Greg, who was a veteran, had never seen, were fired out indefinitely. Hibiki cast her spells at a speed that was incomparable to other wizards, and they had already noticed. It’s not just a ‘little time difference’ between spells.
Multiple chants were issued simultaneously.
Thanks to that, their hunting speed became inevitably fast, and what was even more phenomenal was that her unique magic all boasted terrifying power.
The wizards’ minds had already been engraved with the speculative keyword of ‘SSS-Rank magic.’
Kwaaaaa!
They had already seen the dragon tormenting the Wyverns in the break before, but most foreign hunters were seeing the monster for the first time because the tapes weren’t released publicly.
The dragon held its position in the air like an aircraft carrier in the sky, burning the approaching flying monsters relentlessly. The flock of Wyverns that went beyond the dragon’s range couldn’t reach the hunters either since Hibiki’s magic swept through them easily.
She deserved to be called someone worth more than a hundred lives.
“Blargh…!”
At the same time, the monsters’ suffering continued on the ground. The Undead Legion attacked the Ogres like a swarm of locusts devouring hectares of crops.
The battle between the undead that knew nothing of fatigue and pain and the frenzied monsters slowly turned toward the undead’s victory. Nate’s subordinates tore through the monsters’ ranks even when their hearts were pierced. They would bite off the enemies’ ankles with their severed heads if they had to.
Their master, Nate, watched the scene from afar in peace. He drank a Mana potion every now and then.
It was as if the duration he could maintain his summons was almost infinite for as long as Mana was supplemented. The hunters felt sick due to its unpredictability and the seeming lack of limits of the fraudulent skill.
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pat!
Greg’s eyes then turned to another person.
‘Didn’t they say he was a close-ranged fighter?!’
Seo Jin-Wook was indeed wielding a sword.
But no close-ranged combatants fought like him.
Paht! Pa-pa-paht!
The sounds that ripped through the air reverberated ceaselessly.
Seo Jin-Wook was cutting through the air with the devil’s sword in his hand. The purple sword energy remained like an afterimage along the trajectory of each swing. It didn’t take long for countless lines to gather to form a wall. He swung so fast that the shape of the sword wall was completed in a few seconds.
At the end of each step, Seo Jin-Wook lightly shook the sword upward.
Then an unexpected scene unfolded before their eyes.
Swish!
At a speed that other hunters couldn’t keep up with, the wall of the sword energy, which condensed the destructive force, thrust and swept through the front.
The effect was the same as a remote world skill. It didn’t even brush the Zombie Corps ahead of them. Instead, it drew smooth curves to avoid allies.
Swerving like a parabola, it hit the Ogres right in the back!
Boo-boo-boo-boom!
There was nothing left in the place where the purple flash passed by. There weren’t even burnt or crushed bodies there.
The reason why Greg, who was looking at Seo Jin-Wook, was shocked once again is-
‘Wait, why isn’t he drinking any potion? He’s pouring that many attacks… How little does it consume his Mana?’
Unlike Hibiki, whose attack was cut off to fill up her Mana occasionally, Seo Jin-Wook didn’t stop conjuring sword energy even for a second since he began the attack.
It’s the same wide-area attack, but it’s finishing off more monsters than Hibiki.
Greg Myers murmured in a voice that seemed like his soul would escape.
“Wait, if this happens…”
It was a situation in which his command became meaningless.
The three of them were doing everything by themselves.
The spells sparsely cast by the wizards were minuscule compared to the Celestial Dragon’s firepower, and the hunting speed was like the ‘tip of the iceberg.’
The situation of the close-ranged battles was no different. It was thanks to the zombies that the monsters were blocked by rushing in like black waves. The swordsmen only struck their blade into the few Ogres that had penetrated the line of defense.
“If they clear it like this, then the system’s calculated contribution will just be for those three…!”
A similar idea passed through everyone’s head.
It was rare for foreign hunters to participate in the expedition with entire goodwill.
It was natural to seek the Clearing reward for the S-Class dungeon.
However…
‘This is hopeless!’
Everyone’s head was filled with a sense of dismay.
As a result, the Clear ended much earlier than expected.
– You’ve met the Clear conditions of the dungeon!
– Clear condition: Monster annihilation in the dungeon.
– Dungeon boundaries are weakened.
That system message would typically be refreshing.
However, at that moment, it resonated in the ears of Hunters with heavy and gloomy echoes.
At the end of the battle, dozens of Awakened were forced to focus their attention on one place.
They gazed upon the three hunters of the Celestial Dragon.
*
I read the message.
– The user’s contribution to the dungeon clear is ranked first (contribution: 52%).
– The item ‘Key of Dungeon’ is awarded to the user recognized as the no.1 contributor.
‘I had barely made it over half. Hibiki will be in second place, and Nate should be in third place.‘
Most of the other hunters were probably empty-handed.
They couldn’t fill even the minimum contribution to receive additional compensation.
Flash!
Along with the flash, an item that looked like a steering wheel appeared in front of me.
[Dungeon Key]
Item description: This item is given when having completed a dungeon Clear. Once used for any purpose, it will disappear to prevent reusability.
If you use this key on a Gate, you can close that Gate. If you use this key on a dungeon’s boundaries, you can expand that dungeon’s boundaries.
As customary, I handed it over to the expedition leader, and Greg received it without saying a word.
“…”
Much earlier than initially expected, we cleared the S-Class dungeon without any casualties, but no one cheered.
Everyone looked at the three of us with overwhelmed faces.
“…”
After the attack, there was no exchange of praises and greetings that usually took place.
They just cast their eyes at us as if they were possessed.
The silence continued for a while longer, and eventually, I broke the ice because I couldn’t wait.
“Expedition Leader, can I get the extra compensation now, then?”
It didn’t matter if we were scattered, but if we fought in formations like that, it’s common etiquette to let the expedition captain know ahead of time.
The answer came back a tempo late.
“Yeah, huh?! Yeah, R-reward. You should get the… additional compensation.”
Greg nodded with a dazed face.
– Additional rewards are available according to your contribution. Will you accept it?
“I accept.”
As soon as I delivered my will to the system, the darkness surrounded me.
There was a flash like a group of stars in the night sky.
– Please select a reward.
I focused my attention on the choices one by one.
The unique Mana patterns were hidden behind them and never overlapped.
Looking at each of the dancing patterns in the light, I guessed what item or skill it would be.
And most importantly, the rank as well.
‘There it is!’
After observing, I found the target I wanted.