Chapter 14 [Luck is also created (7)]
“Kiieeek!!”
A grotesque scream echoed through the mansion.
At the same time.
Thud-!!
A gargoyle from hell crashed to the ground.
The attack was timed unexpectedly, catching it off guard.
In fact, during the first attack, I deliberately didn’t use [Crescent Slash].
It took too much time to approach the gargoyle from the entrance to the roof, which made the attack route and trajectory too obvious.
Using the skill in that state would have been pointless.
So, I ended it as a threat.
The first attack was a simple sword swing to create the impression of a safe distance, then in the second attack, I generated aura at the tip of my sword to catch it off guard.
The plan succeeded beautifully.
But the battle didn’t end with just one clever move.
‘It was a bit shallow.’
I aimed for its neck with [Crescent Slash], but the gargoyle twisted its body, minimizing the damage by having one wing cut off.
Furthermore
“Wow! The mercenary landed a critical hit!”
“As expected, he’s really skilled!”
“What are you just standing there for! Now that one wing is cut off, we need to support him!”
The civil servant hunters rushed toward the gargoyle that had fallen to the ground, but they couldn’t finish it off.
“Grrrr…. Kyaaah!!”
[The Hell Gargoyle is Summoning Hell Wraiths.]
“H-he’s summoning minions!”
“Ahh! Stay back, you bastards!”
Being Unable to fly anymore, the Hell Gargoyle summoned about a dozen wraith-like monsters that scattered like smoke and counterattacked.
And that wasn’t all.
Fwoosh-!!
“Kyahak!”
After I descended to the ground and tried to attack again with [Crescent Slash], the creature generated flames in its claws and hurled them at me.
It was [Fireball], an attack skill used by demon-type monsters.
I tried to close the distance, but there were too many fireballs, so all I could do was dodge.
‘Damn, this is troublesome.’
While I was dodging fireballs, the Civil hunters could have helped by attacking the gargoyle, but they were surrounded by wraiths and couldn’t provide any support.
No, rather than support, they were losing the fight against the wraiths.
“Ugh!!”
“Maknae!!”
Ahn Jin-su collapsed, clutching his side from a wraith’s attack.
Bang! Bang! Bang-!!
While dodging the fireballs, I glanced at the civil servant hunters and gripped my sword tightly.
‘A prolonged battle is disadvantageous.
Should I just summon Taeseng GilgeoI?’
The urge to finish them off quickly was rising, but I shook my head.
If I used [Character Summon] here, all the effort to hide my identity would be in vain.
Chief Shin Dae-hoon was already showing interest in Taeseng GilgeoI, and I can’t create three more witnesses.
I wasn’t satisfied with my growth yet, and it was clear that it would be troublesome for my future activities.
‘But if this continues, there could be casualties.’
I was confident I could take down the gargoyle.
Even though it was a C-rank boss and there was a level difference, with [Will of Protection] and [Crescent Slash] used properly, I could defeat it.
The [Fireballs] it was throwing would stop once its mana ran out.
I just needed some time, but it was uncertain if the government hunters could hold out until then.
‘I need a clever trick, but… Ah!’
At that moment, an idea struck me.
It was something I had never tried before, but a suitable target presented itself.
“Kyaaak!”
As I was dodging fireballs, a hell wraith came charging at me from a distance. He was
Still out of attack range.
But I swung my sword towards the wraith.
“Kiieeek!!”
The result was perfect.
Although it was far beyond the sword’s reach, the wraith seemed to be cut in half by something.
‘Got it…!’
The technique I had conceived in my mind was indeed possible in reality.
There was no need to hesitate any longer.
I immediately positioned myself facing the Hell Gargoyle.
Then.
‘Taeseng Gilgeo, use Pull-in and then immediately exit!’
[Character Summon: Taeseng GilgeoI]
[Character: Taeseng Gilgeo uses Pull-in.]
[Character: Taeseng Gilgeo’s summoning is canceled.]
I used the skill for a brief moment and canceled the summon
It was like a technique in an FPS game where you momentarily zoom in with a sniper rifle to take a shot.
Before Taeseng Gilgeo’s summoning was complete, while it was still in a blurry state, the skill was used and the summoning was canceled, making it hard to detect with the naked eye.
While summoning consumes more mana than maintaining, in situations where summoning is difficult or fighting alone is more efficient, this method could be used.
“Kehek!?”
The Hell Gargoyle, which had been throwing fireballs from a distance, was pulled to the spot where Taeseng Gilgeo stood by magical chains.
“What kind of skill is that? The gargoyle is being pulled toward the mercenary!”
“Damn it, don’t get distracted! We need to deal with the wraiths first!”
The three civil servant hunters noticed the gargoyle being pulled away, but they thought it was my skill.
The boss monster was now right in front of me.
While it might seem like I merely closed the distance, it was enough for me.
I could handle the rest with my own strength.
I swung my sword at the approaching Hell Gargoyle.
[Crescent Slash]
The aura from the tip of my sword drew a graceful arc, slicing through the gargoyle’s body.
“Kiieeek!!”
[You have defeated the Hell Gargoyle (C).]
A demonic scream echoed through the mansion.
“Hm, I wonder if they’re doing alright….”
In the Hunter Bureau’s 3rd Personnel Department, Chief Shin Dae-hoon glanced at his phone while working.
It had been about six hours since he gave the hunter he met at Seoul Station their first assignment.
By now, he should have received a report that the D-rank dungeon was cleared, but there was no news.
He had been worried for a while.
Although he didn’t show it, he had been habitually checking his phone since the scheduled dungeon entry time.
Normally, he wouldn’t have cared, but this situation was different because it was rushed and unconventional.
Since he had issued a special hunter certificate, skipping the usual procedures due to holding the blond hunter’s friend as a hostage, he was more concerned.
Eventually, Shin Dae-hoon stood up abruptly.
“I’m stepping out for a bit!”
“Chief? You need to approve this first…! Where are you going!”
Assistant Manager Seo Sang-jae tried to stop him, but it was useless. Shin Dae-hoon trusted his instinct, which led him to the blond hunter, and moved accordingly.
Shin Dae-hoon drove to Yangpyeong. After about 30 minutes of hiking, he arrived at the D-rank dungeon No. 135.
But despite his efforts to get there, no one was in front of the gate.
Even though the scheduled clearing time had long passed, there were no signs of the hunters nor any evidence they had exited.
Shin Dae-hoon soon realized why.
“This is… dungeon overlapping!”
The portal’s color wasn’t black but red.
He took out a portable rift meter from his backpack and moved to the portal.
Then.
[Measurement complete]
[Data exists for this dungeon.]
[No. 135]
[Rank: D]
[Nickname: Crow Dungeon]
[Recommended Hunter Rank and Number: D-rank, 3 people]
[No. 180]
[Rank: C]
[Nickname: Hellfire Dungeon]
[Recommended Hunter Rank and Number: C-rank, 3 people]
[Current Status: Undergoing raid.]
Two sets of dungeon information appeared on the screen.
Shin Dae-hoon frowned.
“Damn it, a C-rank! No wonder they’re not out on time…!”
The blond hunter’s friend said that today’s dungeon was only D-rank, so the blond hunter might not show up.
Although it wasn’t impossible for him to join the raid, the fact that the dungeon hadn’t been cleared yet suggested he might not have.
And if the blond hunter didn’t enter this dungeon?
There was a high probability the raid would fail.
‘He can’t be dead, can he?’
A grim thought crossed his mind, but Shin Dae-hoon quickly shook his head.
Since the dungeon was still being raided, there must be survivors. Given that three government hunters went in with him, there was a high chance they were still alive.
However, they likely needed support.
Entering an active dungeon requires a special item and is expensive, but there was no other choice.
Shin Dae-hoon called Assistant Manager Seo Sang-jae.
-Yes, Chief.
“This is D-rank No. 135 dungeon. Contact the support team immediately and request three hunters ranked C or higher….”
Just as he was about to request support, something unusual happened.
Wuuuuung-!!
The portal, which had been red, turned black and then started to emit a bright light.
It was a familiar phenomenon.
Dungeon clear.
-Chief? What are you talking about all of a sudden?.
“N-nothing. I’ll call you back later.”
Shin Dae-hoon ended the call and swallowed hard as he watched the portal.
How many survived?
Breaking out of a dungeon overlap was good, but damage was inevitable.
Given that the initial team consisted of only four people and the overlapping dungeon was a C-rank, higher than the original, casualties were expected.
‘Even if they survived, they must be seriously injured.’
Shin Dae-hoon anticipated a chaotic return scene and prepared to transport the wounded.
But something felt off.
“Team leader, are you going to the pork belly dinner tonight?”
“Maknae, why are you talking about pork belly? After surviving today, we need to go for beef! You can’t treat the person who saved your life to pork! We’re going for Hanwoo!”
“I’m fine.”
Instead of groaning in pain or mourning losses, the atmosphere was strangely cheerful.
Moreover, the number of people coming from the portal was odd.
“We need to celebrate surviving a near-death experience with beef! I’m buying!”
“Um? What brings you here?”
The mercenary, Han Sang-woo, who came with the civil servant hunters, tilted his head at Shin Dae-hoon, who was staring at them wide-eyed.
